bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
PROXIMITY EFFECTS AND CURIE TEMPERATURE ENHANCEMENT IN Co/EuS AND Fe/EuS MULTILAYERS
Authors: LEWITZ B. , STRAUB A. , KAPAKLIS V. , POULOPOULOS P. , DELIMITIS A. , PAPPAS S. D. , FUMAGALLI P.
Published: February 2013

Two identical Co/EuS and Fe/EuS multilayers of six periods each and with individual layers of about 4 nm thick are grown by e-beam evaporation under ultrahigh vacuum conditions. The films show polycrystalline structure with a grain size limited by the individual layer thickness. Both multilayers consist of almost continuous layers with some roughness. The surface peak-to-peak roughness is about 4–5 nm. Magnetization measurements and calculations of the loops based on a Stoner–Wohlfarth-like model allow us to determine the direct antiferromagnetic exchange coupling constant between the 3d metal and EuS at 5 K. Both samples show strong enhancement of the Curie temperature of EuS up to at least 50 K with a EuS magnetization tail, which persists up to about 100 K. The J = 7/2 character of the EuS layers is shown to be responsible for the large Curie temperature enhancement.
MURCS Association with Partial Duplication of the Distal Long Chromosome 5 and Unilateral Ovarian Agenesis
Authors: Dabkowska-Huc Anna , Skalba Piotr , Pyrkosz Antoni
Published: February 2013

A combination of the congenital abnormalities, Müllerian duct aplasia, renal aplasia, and cervicothoracic somite dysplasia, is defined as the MURCS association. Various genetic defects have been described in the MURCS association so far, yet the unambiguous molecular basis of these disorders has not been established. We report the case of an 18-year-old woman who presented with primary amenorrhea, right kidney, Arnold-Chiari malformation, and Klippel-Feil syndrome. In addition, the patient showed the following unusual features: right ovarian and Skenes gland agenesis, cubitus valgus with hyperextension and decreased range of motion at elbows, and facial changes. Moreover, the performed DNA analysis showed interstitial duplication in chromosome 5 (5q35.1). In the duplicated region, there are genes whose function is not well known. It is thought that they have an influence on the early stages of development and their joining in the later period can lead to neoplastic disorders, especially leukemias.
Study on Microchannel Design and Burst Frequency Detection for Centrifugal Microfluidic System
Authors: Chang Yaw-Jen , Chen Shia-Chung , Hsu Cheng-Li
Published: February 2013

A centrifugal microfluidic system has been developed in this study, enabling the control and measurement of the burst frequency in order to manipulate the liquid. The radial microfluid chips with different microchannel dimensions were designed for simulation analyses and experimental verifications. The microfluidic flow in the microchannel was analyzed using software CFDRC, providing an accurate result compared with that from experiment. The results show that the design of the overflow microchannel can correctly keep the liquid volume with error as low as 5%. For mercurochrome, the burst frequency has an inverse proportion to the channel width, and the simulation results agree with the experimental results. For oil, however, the experimental and simulation results indicate that the relationship between the burst frequency and channel width is not obvious due to oil properties. Since the simulation approach can provide an accurate prediction of flow behavior in the microchannel, the design of radial microfluid chip and the control of burst frequency can be achieved effectively. A practical application to design the centrifugal microfluidic disc for blood typing test was also carried out in this study. The centrifugal microfluidic system can successfully control the spinning speed to achieve the result of adding reagents in a specific sequence.
The Design and Experiments on Corner Reflectors for Urban Ground Deformation Monitoring in Hong Kong
Authors: Qin Yuxiao , Perissin Daniele , Lei Ling
Published: February 2013

PSInSAR technology has been proved to be a powerful tool for monitoring urban ground displacement information to a millimetric accuracy. When it comes to the validation of PS-derived ground deformation, artificial corner reflector (CR) can be very useful due to its relative stability and high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). In this paper, we will evaluate some general criteria for designing and setting up corner reflectors, including the shape, size, material, location, and others. An ideal prototype known as the rectangular trihedral with special designs is brought up in this paper, and validation experiments were conducted in Hong Kong to demonstrate the ability of the proposed prototype. The field data agreed with theoretical analysis, bringing up an economical and applicable approach for CR application in urban ground deformation monitoring.
Dengue Viral Myositis Complicated with Rhabdomyolysis and Superinfection of Methicillin-ResistantStaphylococcus aureus
Authors: Sunderalingam Vinothan , Kanapathipillai Thirumavalavan , Edirisinghe P. A. S. , Dassanayake K. M. M. P. , Premawansa I. H. G. S.
Published: February 2013

Dengue is endemic in Sri Lanka and the physician should be aware of different and unusual presentation of the illness. Rhabdomyolysis is a well-known complication following many viral and bacterial infections; however, only a few cases have been reported with dengue viral infections. Further occurrence of coinfection by dengue and bacteria such as methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus(MRSA) has been underestimated, and few reports have been published so far. This case describes a 17-year-old boy who presented with prolonged severe myalgia, dark red urine, and a febrile illness that was diagnosed as having dengue viral myositis, dark red urine, and a febrile illness that was diagnosed as having dengue viral myositis complicated with rhabdomyolysis and superinfection of MRSA. Despite intensive care management, he died due to multiorgan failure. Autopsy and serological studies confirmed the diagnosis. This case stresses that red-coloured urine in dengue patients is not always due to haematuria, and if a patient’s vital signs do not respond to appropriate fluid management in DHF, sepsis from a secondary pathogen including MRSA should be suspected.
Note on Qualitative Robustness of Multivariate Sample Mean and Median
Authors: Gordienko Evgueni , Novikov Andrey , Ruiz de Chávez J.
Published: February 2013

It is known that the robustness properties of estimators depend on the choice of a metric in the space of distributions. We introduce a version of Hampel's qualitative robustness that takes into account then-asymptotic normality of estimators inRk, and examine such robustness of two standard location estimators inℝk. For this purpose, we use certain combination of the Kantorovich and Zolotarev metrics rather than the usual Prokhorov type metric. This choice of the metric is explained by an intention to expose a (theoretical) situation where the robustness properties of sample mean andL1-sample median are in reverse to the usual ones. Using the mentioned probability metrics we show the qualitative robustness of the sample multivariate mean and prove the inequality which provides a quantitative measure of robustness. On the other hand, we show thatL1-sample median could not be “qualitatively robust” with respect to the same distance between the distributions.
Interleukin-22 Inhibits Bleomycin-Induced Pulmonary Fibrosis
Authors: Liang Minrui , Wang Jiucun , Chu Haiyan , Zhu Xiaoxia , He Hang , Liu Qiong , Qiu Jianhua , Zhou Xiaodong , Guan Ming , Xue Yu , Chen Xiangjun , Zou Hejian
Published: February 2013

Pulmonary fibrosis is a progressive and fatal fibrotic disease of the lungs with unclear etiology. Recent insight has suggested that early injury/inflammation of alveolar epithelial cells could lead to dysregulation of tissue repair driven by multiple cytokines. Although dysregulation of interleukin- (IL-) 22 is involved in various pulmonary pathophysiological processes, the role of IL-22 in fibrotic lung diseases is still unclear and needs to be further addressed. Here we investigated the effect of IL-22 on alveolar epithelial cells in the bleomycin- (BLM-) induced pulmonary fibrosis. BLM-treated mice showed significantly decreased level of IL-22 in the lung. IL-22 producedγδT cells were also decreased significantly both in the tissues of lungs and spleens. Administration of recombinant human IL-22 to alveolar epithelial cell line A549 cells ameliorated epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) and partially reversed the impaired cell viability induced by BLM. Furthermore, blockage of IL-22 deteriorated pulmonary fibrosis, with elevated EMT marker (α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA)) and overactivated Smad2. Our results indicate that IL-22 may play a protective role in the development of BLM-induced pulmonary fibrosis and may suggest IL-22 as a novel immunotherapy tool in treating pulmonary fibrosis.
Serum Cotinine Levels and Prehypertension in Never Smokers
Authors: Alshaarawy Omayma , Xiao Jie , Andrew Michael E. , Burchfiel Cecil , Shankar Anoop
Published: February 2013

Background. Few studies have shown that self-reported secondhand smoke exposure in never smokers is associated with high blood pressure. However, there are no studies investigating the relationship between secondhand smoke exposure, measured objectively by serum cotinine levels, and high blood pressure in never smokers.Methods. We examined never smokers (n=2027) from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2005–2008. Our exposure of interest was the secondhand smoke exposure estimated by serum cotinine level and our outcome was prehypertension (n=734), defined as a systolic blood pressure of 120–139 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure of 80–89 mmHg.Results. We found that, in never smokers, serum cotinine levels were positively associated with prehypertension. Compared to those with cotinine levels in the lowest quartile (≤0.024 ng/mL), the multivariable odds ratio (95% confidence interval) of prehypertension among those with cotinine levels in the highest quartile (≥0.224 ng/mL) was 1.45(1.00, 2.11);Ptrend=0.0451. In subsequent subgroup analyses, the positive association was found to be stronger among men, non-Whites, and non-obese subjects.Conclusion. Higher secondhand smoke exposure measured objectively by serum cotinine levels was found to be associated with prehypertension in certain subgroups of a representative sample of the US population.
Experimental Evaluation of ZigBee-Based Wireless Networks in Indoor Environments
Authors: Lee Jin-Shyan , Wang Yuan-Ming
Published: February 2013

ZigBee is an emerging standard specifically designed for wireless personal area networks (WPANs) with a focus on enabling the wireless sensor networks (WSNs). It attempts to provide a low-data rate, low-power, and low-cost wireless networking on the device-level communication. In this paper, we have established a realistic indoor environment for the performance evaluation of a 51-node ZigBee wireless network. Several sets of practical experiments have been conducted to study its various features, including the (1) node connectivity, (2) packet loss rate, and (3) transmission throughput. The results show that our developed ZigBee platforms could work well under multihop transmission over an extended period of time.
Fractional Describing Function Analysis of PWPF Modulator
Authors: Wang Xinsheng , Wang Danwei , Zhu Senqiang , Poh Eng Kee
Published: February 2013

Pulse-width pulse-frequency (PWPF) modulators are widely used in spacecraft thruster control. Their dynamic characteristic is still lack of effective analysis tools. This paper presents a fractional describing function method to describe the frequency characteristics of PWPF. A frequency-dependent gain and phase shift are clearly described by fractional-order expression, and the fractional-order behaviors depict the nonlinear properties of PWPF modulators. This fractional describing function method can also be applied to other kinds of modulators.
Mechanisms of Visible Light Photocatalysis in N-Doped Anatase TiO2with Oxygen Vacancies from GGA+U Calculations
Authors: Wu Hsuan-Chung , Lin Yu-Siang , Lin Syuan-Wei
Published: February 2013

We have systematically studied the photocatalytic mechanisms of nitrogen doping in anatase TiO2using first-principles calculations based on density functional theory, employing HubbardU(8.47 eV) on-site correction. The impurity formation energy, charge density, and electronic structure properties of TiO2supercells containing substitutional nitrogen, interstitial nitrogen, or oxygen vacancies were evaluated to clarify the mechanisms under visible light. According to the formation energy, a substitutional N atom is better formed than an interstitial N atom, and the formation of an oxygen vacancy in N-doped TiO2is easier than that in pure TiO2. The calculated results have shown that a significant band gap narrowing may only occur in heavy nitrogen doping. With light nitrogen doping, the photocatalysis under visible light relies on N-isolated impurity states. Oxygen vacancies existence in N-doped TiO2can improve the photocatalysis in visible light because of a band gap narrowing and n-type donor states. These findings provide a reasonable explanation of the mechanisms of visible light photocatalysis in N-doped TiO2.
Determining the Optimum Section of Tunnels Using Ant Colony Optimization
Authors: Talatahari S.
Published: February 2013

Ant colony optimization is developed to determine optimum cross sections of tunnel structures. Tunnel structures are expensive infrastructures in terms of material, construction, and maintenance and the application of optimization methods has a great role in minimizing their costs. This paper presents the formulation of objective function and constraints of the problem for the first time, and the ant colony optimization, as a developed metaheuristic approach, has been used to solve the problem. The results and comparisons based on numerical examples show the efficiency of the algorithm.
Fixed Points of Closed and Compact Composite Sequences of Operators and Projectors in a Class of Banach Spaces
Authors: De la Sen M.
Published: February 2013

Some results on fixed points related to the contractive compositions of bounded operators in a class of complete metric spaces which can be also considered as Banach’s spaces are discussed through the paper. The class of composite operators under study can include, in particular, sequences of projection operators under, in general, oblique projective operators. In this paper we are concerned with composite operators which include sequences of pairs of contractive operators involving, in general, oblique projection operators. The results are generalized to sequences of, in general, nonconstant bounded closed operators which can have bounded, closed, and compact limit operators, such that the relevant composite sequences are also compact operators. It is proven that in both cases, Banach contraction principle guarantees the existence of unique fixed points under contractive conditions.
A Growing Troubling Triad: Diabetes, Aging, and Falls
Authors: Crews Ryan T. , Yalla Sai V. , Fleischer Adam E. , Wu Stephanie C.
Published: February 2013

There is a significant and troubling link between diabetes (DM) and falls in the elderly. Individuals with DM are prone to fall for reasons such as decreased sensorimotor function, musculoskeletal/neuromuscular deficits, foot and body pain, pharmacological complications, and specialty (offloading) footwear devices. Additionally, there is some concern that DM patients are prone to have more severe problems with falls than non-DM individuals. Fractures, poorer rehabilitation, and increased number of falls are all concerns. Fortunately, efforts to mitigate falls by DM patients show promise. A number of studies have shown that balance, strength, and gait training may be utilized to successfully reduce fall risk in this population. Furthermore, new technologies such as virtual reality proprioceptive training may be able to provide this reduced risk within a safe training environment.
The First Integral Method to the Nonlinear Schrodinger Equations in Higher Dimensions
Authors: El-Ganaini Shoukry Ibrahim Atia
Published: February 2013

The first integral method introduced by Feng is adopted for solving some important nonlinear partial differential equations, including the (2 + 1)-dimensional hyperbolic nonlinear Schrodinger (HNLS) equation, the generalized nonlinear Schrodinger (GNLS) equation with a source, and the higher-order nonlinear Schrodinger equation in nonlinear optical fibers. This method provides polynomial first integrals for autonomous planar systems. Through the established first integrals, exact traveling wave solutions are formally derived in a concise manner.
Association of IS605 andcag-PAI ofHelicobacter pyloriIsolated from Patients with Gastrointestinal Diseases in Taiwan
Authors: Lai Chih-Ho , Perng Chin-Lin , Lan Keng-Hsin , Lin Hwai-Jeng
Published: February 2013

Background. Thecagpathogenicity island (cag-PAI) is one of the most important virulent determinants ofHelicobacter pylori. An insertion sequence (IS) element ofcag-PAI (IS605) has been found to generateH. pyloristrains with varying virulence.Aim. To evaluate the impact of IS605 andcag-PAI onH. pyloristrains isolated from Taiwanese patients with severity of gastric diseases.Methods.H. pyloriisolates were cultured from gastric biopsies from 99 patients with peptic ulcer, chronic gastritis, and gastric carcinoma. Six distinct, well-separated colonies were isolated from each patient and analyzed by genotyping.Results.cagA,cagE,cagM,cagT,orf10, andorf13 were found to be present in 90.0%–100.0% of theH. pyloriisolates. A total deletion ofcagA,cagE,cagM,cagT,orf10, andorf13 was found in 1 isolate (1.0%). The IS605 element was found to be positive in 15.2% of the isolates. The presence of IS605 was higher inH. pyloriisolated from patients with gastric carcinoma (25.0%) than in patients with duodenal ulcer (6.5%) or chronic gastritis (6.3%) (P<0.001).Conclusions. The majority of the patients examined had intactcag-PAI. IS605 was present in 15.2% and was higher inH. pyloriisolated from patients with gastric carcinoma than in those with peptic ulcer.
Acupuncture for Spinal Cord Injury and Its Complications: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
Authors: Heo In , Shin Byung-Cheul , Kim Young-Dae , Hwang Eui-Hyoung , Han Chang Woo , Heo Kwang-Ho
Published: February 2013

To evaluate the evidence supporting the effectiveness of acupuncture treatment for SCI and its complications, we conducted search across 19 electronic databases to find all of the randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that used acupuncture as a treatment for SCI and its complications. The methodological quality of each RCT was assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias tool and the PEDro scale. Sixteen RCTs, including 2 high-quality RCTs, met our inclusion criteria (8 for functional recovery from SCI, 6 for bladder dysfunction, and 2 for pain control). The meta-analysis showed positive results for the use of acupuncture combined with conventional treatments for the functional recovery in terms of motor ASIA scores and total FIM scores when compared to conventional treatments alone. Positive results were also obtained for the treatment of bladder dysfunction, in terms of the total efficacy rate, when comparing acupuncture to conventional treatments. However, 2 RCTs for pain control reported conflicting results. Our systematic review found encouraging albeit limited evidence for functional recovery, bladder dysfunction, and pain in SCI. However, to obtain stronger evidence without the drawbacks of trial design and the quality of studies, we recommend sham-controlled RCTs or comparative effectiveness research for each condition to test the effectiveness of acupuncture.
Human Endothelial-Like Differentiated Precursor Cells Maintain Their Endothelial Characteristics When Cocultured with Mesenchymal Stem Cell and Seeded onto Human Cancellous Bone
Authors: Henrich Dirk , Wilhelm Kerstin , Warzecha Joerg , Frank Johannes , Barker John , Marzi Ingo , Seebach Caroline
Published: February 2013

Introduction. Cancellous bone is frequently used for filling bone defects in a clinical setting. It provides favourable conditions for regenerative cells such as MSC and early EPC. The combination of MSC and EPC results in superior bone healing in experimental bone healing models.Materials and Methods. We investigated the influence of osteogenic culture conditions on the endothelial properties of early EPC and the osteogenic properties of MSC when cocultured on cancellous bone. Additionally, cell adhesion, metabolic activity, and differentiation were assessed 2, 6, and 10 days after seeding.Results. The number of adhering EPC and MSC decreased over time; however the cells remained metabolically active over the 10-day measurement period. In spite of a decline of lineage specific markers, cells maintained their differentiation to a reduced level. Osteogenic stimulation of EPC caused a decline but not abolishment of endothelial characteristics and did not induce osteogenic gene expression. Osteogenic stimulation of MSC significantly increased their metabolic activity whereas collagen-1αand alkaline phosphatase gene expressions declined. When cocultured with EPC, MSC’s collagen-1αgene expression increased significantly.Conclusion. EPC and MSC can be coculturedin vitroon cancellous bone under osteogenic conditions, and coculturing EPC with MSC stabilizes the latter’s collagen-1αgene expression.
2D-QSAR, Docking Studies, andIn SilicoADMET Prediction of Polyphenolic Acetates as Substrates for Protein Acetyltransferase Function of Glutamine Synthetase ofMycobacterium tuberculosis
Authors: Ponnan Prija , Gupta Shikhar , Chopra Madhu , Tandon Rashmi , Baghel Anil S. , Gupta Garima , Prasad Ashok K. , Rastogi Ramesh C. , Bose Mridula , Raj Hanumantharao G.
Published: February 2013

A novel transacetylase (TAase) function of glutamine synthetase (GS) in bacterial species such asMycobacterium smegmatisandMycobacterium tuberculosisH37Rv was established by us, termed as mycobacterial TAase (MTAase). Several polyphenolic acetates (PAs) were found to be substrates for MTAase by inhibiting certain receptor proteins such as glutathione S-transferase by way of acetylation. The present work describes the descriptor-based 2D-QSAR studies developed for a series of PA synthesized by us and evaluated for MTAase and antimycobacterial activity using stepwise multiple linear regression method with the kinetic constants and the minimum inhibitory constant (MIC) as the dependent variables, to address the fact that TAase activity was leading to the antimycobacterial activity. Further, blind docking methods using AutoDock were carried out to study the interaction of potent PA with the crystal structure ofM. tuberculosisGS. PAs were predicted to bindM. tuberculosisGS on the protein surface away from the known active site of GS. Subsequent focussed/refined docking of potent PA with GS showed that theε-amino group of Lys4 of GS formed a cation-πinteraction with the benzene ring of PA. Also, ADMET-related descriptors were calculated to predict the pharmacokinetic properties for the selection of the effective and bioavailable compounds.
Effects of Aromatherapy on the Anxiety, Vital Signs, and Sleep Quality of Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Patients in Intensive Care Units
Authors: Cho Mi-Yeon , Min Eun Sil , Hur Myung-Haeng , Lee Myeong Soo
Published: February 2013

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of aromatherapy on the anxiety, sleep, and blood pressure (BP) of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) patients in an intensive care unit (ICU). Fifty-six patients with PCI in ICU were evenly allocated to either the aromatherapy or conventional nursing care. Aromatherapy essential oils were blended with lavender, roman chamomile, and neroli with a 6 : 2 : 0.5 ratio. Participants received 10 times treatment before PCI, and the same essential oils were inhaled another 10 times after PCI. Outcome measures patients' state anxiety, sleeping quality, and BP. An aromatherapy group showed significantly low anxiety (t=5.99,P<.001) and improving sleep quality (t=−3.65,P=.001) compared with conventional nursing intervention. The systolic BP of both groups did not show a significant difference by time or in a group-by-time interaction; however, a significant difference was observed between groups (F=4.63,P=.036). The diastolic BP did not show any significant difference by time or by a group-by-time interaction; however, a significant difference was observed between groups (F=6.93,P=.011). In conclusion, the aromatherapy effectively reduced the anxiety levels and increased the sleep quality of PCI patients admitted to the ICU. Aromatherapy may be used as an independent nursing intervention for reducing the anxiety levels and improving the sleep quality of PCI patients.
Age- and Gender-Specific Components of the Metabolic Syndrome in 2228 First Graders: The PEP Family Heart Study
Authors: Schwandt Peter , Bertsch Thomas , Liepold Evelyn , Haas Gerda-Maria
Published: February 2013

Because first graders are critical for excess weight gain, we assessed components of the metabolic syndrome (MetS) using the pediatric definition of the International Diabetes Federation (IDF). We compared four MetS components as defined by the IDF with age- and gender-specific components in 2228 first graders at the age of 6. The growth curves were derived from 22113 children and adolescents who participated in the PEP Family Heart Study. The aim was to determine in first graders precise values of waist circumference (WC), blood pressure (BP), triglycerides (TG), and HDL-Cholesterol (HDL-C) based on growth curves that were developed for a large German population of youths and to assess the prevalence in terms of both definitions at this critical age. The prevalence of high blood pressure for age was 13% compared with only 2% according to IDF. Because of this considerable divergence, we propose to define MetS components based on national growth curves.
Influence of In Vitro IL-2 or IL-15 Alone or in Combination with Hsp-70-Derived 14-mer Peptide (TKD) on the Expression of NK Cell Activatory and Inhibitory Receptors
Authors: Hromadnikova Ilona , Pirkova Petra , Sedlackova Lucie
Published: February 2013

NK cells represent a potential tool for adoptive immunotherapy against tumors. Membrane-bound Hsp70 acts as a tumor-specific marker enhancing NK cell activity. Using flow cytometry the effect of in vitro stimulation with IL-2 or IL-15 alone or in combination with Hsp70-derived 14-mer peptide (TKD) on cell surface expression of NK activatory receptors (CD16, NKG2D, NKG2C, NKp46, NKp44, NKp30, KIR2DL4, DNAM-1, and LAMP1) and NK inhibitory receptors (NKG2A, KIR2DL2/L3, LIR1/ILT-2, and NKR-P1A) in healthy individuals was studied. Results were expressed as the percentage of receptor expressing cells and the amount of receptor expressed by CD3−CD56+cellular population. CD94, NKG2D, NKp44, NKp30, KIR2DL4, DNAM-1, LAMP1, NKG2A, and NKR-P1A were upregulated after the stimulation with IL-2 or IL-15 alone or in combination with TKD. KIR2DL2/L3 was upregulated only by IL-15 and IL-15/TKD. Concurrently, an increase in a number of NK cells positive for CD94, NKp44, NKp30, KIR2DL4, and LAMP1 was observed. IL-15 and IL-15/TKD caused also cell number rise positive for KIR2DL2/L3 and NKR-P1A. Cell number positive for NKG2C and NKG2A was increased only by IL-2 and IL-2/TKD. The diverse effect of IL-2 or IL-15 w or w/o TKD on cell surface expression was observed in CD16, NKp46, and LIR1/ILT-2.
Fast Exact Nearest Neighbour Matching in High Dimensions Using d-D Sort
Authors: Lakemond Ruan , Fookes Clinton , Sridharan Sridha
Published: February 2013

Data structures such as k-D trees and hierarchical k-means trees perform very well in approximate k nearest neighbour matching, but are only marginally more effective than linear search when performing exact matching in high-dimensional image descriptor data. This paper presents several improvements to linear search that allows it to outperform existing methods and recommends two approaches to exact matching. The first method reduces the number of operations by evaluating the distance measure in order of significance of the query dimensions and terminating when the partial distance exceeds the search threshold. This method does not require preprocessing and significantly outperforms existing methods. The second method improves query speed further by presorting the data using a data structure called d-D sort. The order information is used as a priority queue to reduce the time taken to find the exact match and to restrict the range of data searched. Construction of the d-D sort structure is very simple to implement, does not require any parameter tuning, and requires significantly less time than the best-performing tree structure, and data can be added to the structure relatively efficiently.
Sequential Oxygenation Index and Organ Dysfunction Assessment within the First 3 Days of Mechanical Ventilation Predict the Outcome of Adult Patients with Severe Acute Respiratory Failure
Authors: Kao Hsu-Ching , Lai Ting-Yu , Hung Heui-Ling , Chen Yu-Mu , Chou Po-An , Wang Chin-Chou , Lin Meng-Chih , Fang Wen-Feng
Published: February 2013

Objective. To determine early predictors of outcomes of adult patients with severe acute respiratory failure. Method. 100 consecutive adult patients with severe acute respiratory failure were evaluated in this retrospective study. Data including comorbidities, Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score, Acute Physiological Assessment and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) score, PaO2, FiO2, PaO2/FiO2, PEEP, mean airway pressure (mPaw), and oxygenation index (OI) on the 1st and the 3rd day of mechanical ventilation, and change in OI within 3 days were recorded. Primary outcome was hospital mortality; secondary outcome measure was ventilator weaning failure. Results. 38 out of 100 (38%) patients died within the study period. 48 patients (48%) failed to wean from ventilator. Multivariate analysis showed day 3 OI (P = 0.004) and SOFA (P = 0.02) score were independent predictors of hospital mortality. Preexisting cerebrovascular accident (CVA) (P = 0.002) was the predictor of weaning failure. Results from Kaplan‐Meier method demonstrated that higher day 3 OI was associated with shorter survival time (log‐Rank test, P < 0.001). Conclusion. Early OI (within 3 days) and SOFA score were predictors of mortality in severe acute respiratory failure. In the future, prospective studies measuring serial OIs in a larger scale of study cohort is required to further consolidate our findings.
Intelligent Optimization of Wireless Sensor Networks through Bio-Inspired Computing: Survey and Future Directions
Authors: Jabbar Sohail , Iram Rabia , Minhas Abid Ali , Shafi Imran , Khalid Shehzad , Ahmad Muqeet
Published: February 2013

This survey article is a comprehensive discussion on Intelligent Optimization of Wireless Sensor Networks through Bio-Inspired Computing. The marvelous perfection of biological systems and its different aspects for optimized solutions for non-biological problems is presented here in detail. In the current research inclination, hiring of biological solutions to solve and optimize different aspects of artificial systems' problems has been shaped into an important field with the name of bio-inspired computing. We have tabulated the exploitation of key constituents of biological system for developing bio-inspired systems to represent its importance and emergence in problem solving trends. We have presented how the metaphoric relationship is developed between the two biological and non-biological systems by quoting an example of relationship between prevailing wireless system and the natural system. Interdisciplinary research is playing a splendid contribution for various problems' solving. The process of combining the individuals' output to form a single problem solving solution is depicted in three-stage ensemble design. Also the hybrid solutions from computational intelligence-based optimization are elongated to demonstrate the emergent involvement of these inspired systems with rich references for the interested readers. It is concluded that these perfect creations have remedies for most of the problems in non-biological system.
Numerical and Analytical Study for Fourth-Order Integro-Differential Equations Using a Pseudospectral Method
Authors: Sweilam N. H. , Khader M. M. , Kota W. Y.
Published: February 2013

A numerical method for solving fourth-order integro-differential equations is presented. This method is based on replacement of the unknown function by a truncated series of well-known shifted Chebyshev expansion of functions. An approximate formula of the integer derivative is introduced. The introduced method converts the proposed equation by means of collocation points to system of algebraic equations with shifted Chebyshev coefficients. Thus, by solving this system of equations, the shifted Chebyshev coefficients are obtained. Special attention is given to study the convergence analysis and derive an upper bound of the error of the presented approximate formula. Numerical results are performed in order to illustrate the usefulness and show the efficiency and the accuracy of the present work.
The West African Sahel: A Review of Recent Studies on the Rainfall Regime and Its Interannual Variability
Authors: Nicholson Sharon E.
Published: February 2013

The West African Sahel is well known for the severe droughts that ravaged the region in the 1970s and 1980s. Meteorological research on the region has flourished during the last decade as a result of several major field experiments. This paper provides an overview of the results that have ensued. A major focus has been on the West African monsoon, a phenomenon that links all of West Africa. The characteristics and revised picture of the West African monsoon are emphasized. Other topics include the interannual variability of rainfall, the atmospheric circulation systems that govern interannual variability, characteristics of precipitation and convection, wave activity, large-scale factors in variability (including sea-surface temperatures), and land-atmosphere relationships. New paradigms for the monsoon and associated ITCZ and for interannual variability have emerged. These emphasize features in the upper atmosphere, as well as the Saharan Heat Low. Feedback mechanisms have also been emphasized, especially the coupling of convection with atmospheric dynamics and with land surface characteristics. New results also include the contrast between the premonsoon and peak monsoon seasons, two preferred modes of interannual variability (a latitudinal displacement of the tropical rainbelt versus changes in its intensity), and the critical importance of the Tropical Easterly Jet.
The effect of PN-1, a Traditional Chinese Prescription, on the Learning and Memory in a Transgenic Mouse Model of Alzheimer’s Disease
Authors: Yao Zhi-Gang , Zhang Ling , Liang Liang , Liu Yu , Yang Ya-Jun , Huang Lan , Zhu Hua , Ma Chun-Mei , Qin Chuan
Published: February 2013

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is a complete medical system that has been practiced for more than 3000 years. Prescription number 1 (PN-1) consists of several Chinese medicines and is designed according to TCM theories to treat patients with neuropsychiatric disorders. The evidence of clinical practice suggests the benefit effects of PN-1 on cognitive deficits of dementia patients. We try to prove and explain this by using contemporary methodology and transgenic animal models of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The behavioral studies were developed to evaluate the memory of transgenic animals after intragastric administration of PN-1 for 3 months. Amyloid beta-protein (Aβ) neuropathology was quantified using immunohistochemistry and ELISA. The western blotting was used to detect the levels of plasticity associated proteins. The safety of PN-1 on mice was also assessed through multiple parameters. Results showed that PN-1 could effectively relieve learning and memory impairment of transgenic animals. Possible mechanisms showed that PN-1 could significantly reduce plaque burden and Aβlevels and boost synaptic plasticity. Our observations showed that PN-1 could improve learning and memory ability through multiple mechanisms without detectable side effects on mice. We propose that PN-1 is a promising alternative treatment for AD in the future.
Adjuvant Treatment of Melanoma
Authors: Moreno Nogueira J. A. , Valero Arbizu M. , Pérez Temprano R.
Published: February 2013

Melanomas represent 4% of all malignant tumors of the skin, yet account for 80% of deaths from skin cancer.While in the early stages patients can be successfully treated with surgical resection, metastatic melanoma prognosis is dismal. Several oncogenes have been identified in melanoma as BRAF, NRAS, c-Kit, and GNA11 GNAQ, each capable of activating MAPK pathway that increases cell proliferation and promotes angiogenesis, although NRAS and c-Kit also activate PI3 kinase pathway, including being more commonly BRAF activated oncogene. The treatment of choice for localised primary cutaneous melanoma is surgery plus lymphadenectomy if regional lymph nodes are involved. The justification for treatment in addition to surgery is based on the poor prognosis for high risk melanomas with a relapse index of 50–80%. Patients included in the high risk group should be assessed for adjuvant treatment with high doses of Interferon-α2b, as it is the only treatment shown to significantly improve disease free and possibly global survival. In the future we will have to analyze all these therapeutic possibilities on specific targets, probably associated with chemotherapy and/or interferon in the adjuvant treatment, if we want to change the natural history of melanomas.
Green Chemistry Approach for Efficient Synthesis of Schiff Bases of Isatin Derivatives and Evaluation of Their Antibacterial Activities
Authors: Panda Jnyanaranjan , Patro V. Jagannath , Sahoo Biswa Mohan , Mishra Jitendriya
Published: February 2013

Microwave-assisted organic synthesis, a green chemistry approach, is nowadays widely used in the drug synthesis. Microwave-assisted synthesis improves both throughput and turnaround time for medicinal chemists by offering the benefits of drastically reduced reaction times, increased yields, and pure products. Schiff bases are the important class of organic compounds due to their flexibility, and structural diversities due to the presence of azomethine group which is helpful for elucidating the mechanism of transformation and rasemination reaction in biological system. This novel compound could also act as valuable ligands for the development of new chemical entities. In the present work, some Schiff bases of Isatin derivatives was synthesized using microwave heating method. Schiff base of Isatin were synthesized by condensation of the keto group of Isatin with different aromatic primary amines. They were characterized by means of spectral data and subsequently subjected to the in vitro antibacterial activities against gram positive and gram negative strains of microbes. It was observed that the compound with electron withdrawing substituents exhibited good antibacterial activities against almost all the micro organisms.
Optimisation of the Nonlinear Suspension Characteristics of a Light Commercial Vehicle
Authors: Özcan Dinçer , Sönmez Ümit , Güvenç Levent
Published: February 2013

The optimum functional characteristics of suspension components, namely, linear/nonlinear spring and nonlinear damper characteristic functions are determined using simple lumped parameter models. A quarter car model is used to represent the front independent suspension, and a half car model is used to represent the rear solid axle suspension of a light commercial vehicle. The functional shapes of the suspension characteristics used in the optimisation process are based on typical shapes supplied by a car manufacturer. The complexity of a nonlinear function optimisation problem is reduced by scaling it up or down from the aforementioned shape in the optimisation process. The nonlinear optimised suspension characteristics are first obtained using lower complexity lumped parameter models. Then, the performance of the optimised suspension units are verified using the higher fidelity and more realistic Carmaker model. An interactive software module is developed to ease the nonlinear suspension optimisation process using the Matlab Graphical User Interface tool.
Peptide Mass Fingerprinting and N-Terminal Amino Acid Sequencing of Glycosylated Cysteine Protease of Euphorbia nivulia Buch.-Ham.
Authors: Badgujar Shamkant B. , Mahajan Raghunath T.
Published: February 2013

A new cysteine protease named Nivulian-II has been purified from the latex of Euphorbia nivulia Buch.-Ham. The apparent molecular mass of Nivulian-II is 43670.846 Da (MALDI TOF/MS). Peptide mass fingerprint analysis revealed peptide matches to Maturase K (Q52ZV1_9MAGN) of Banksia quercifolia. The N-terminal sequence (DFPPNTCCCICC) showed partial homology with those of other cysteine proteinases of biological origin. This is the first paper to characterize a Nivulian-II of E. nivulia latex with respect to amino acid sequencing.
Identification of Differential Expression Genes in Leaves of Rice (Oryza sativaL.) in Response to Heat Stress by cDNA-AFLP Analysis
Authors: Cao Yunying , Zhang Qian , Chen Yanhong , Zhao Hua , Lang Youzhong , Yu Chunmei , Yang Jianchang
Published: February 2013

High temperature impedes the growth and productivity of various crop species. To date, rice (Oryza sativaL.) has not been exploited to understand the molecular basis of its abnormally high level of temperature tolerance. To identify transcripts induced by heat stress, twenty-day-old rice seedlings of different rice cultivars suffering from heat stress were treated at different times, and differential gene expression analyses in leaves were performed by cDNA-AFLP and further verified by real-time RT-PCR. In aggregate, more than three thousand different fragments were indentified, and 49 fragments were selected for the sequence and differential expressed genes were classified functionally into different groups. 6 of 49 fragments were measured by real-time RT-PCR. In addition, the variations of three different polyamine contents in response to heat stress through high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis were also performed. The results and their direct and indirect relationships to heat stress tolerance mechanism were discussed.
A Wideband Waveguide Antenna with Nearly Equal E- and H-Plane Radiation Patterns
Authors: Qi Mei Qing , Xu He-Xiu , Ma Hui Feng , Jin Mou Ping , Wang Wei , Cui Tie Jun
Published: February 2013

A novel wideband waveguide antenna with excellent performance is proposed, which is composed of a coaxial-waveguide transition and an open-ended rectangular waveguide loaded with a pair of horizontal umbrella-shaped metallic brims. The brims perpendicular to two broad walls of the waveguide are constructed to modulate the antenna to radiate nearly identical E- and H-plane radiation patterns. A wideband impedance matching performance is achieved with a fractional bandwidth of 40% through the introduction of short-stepped ladders. The antenna has the advantages of simple structure, symmetric radiation pattern, low-cross polarization, moderate back lobe, and almost constant beamwidth.
Ginsenoside Rh2 Downregulates LPS-Induced NF-κB Activation through Inhibition of TAK1 Phosphorylation in RAW 264.7 Murine Macrophage
Authors: Lian Li-Hua , Jin Quan , Song Shun-Zong , Wu Yan-Ling , Bai Ting , Jiang Shuang , Li Qian , Yang Ning , Nan Ji-Xing
Published: February 2013

The present study was carried out to evaluate the inhibitory effects of ginsenoside Rh2 on nuclear-factor- (NF-)κB in lipopolysaccharide- (LPS-) activated RAW 264.7 murine macrophages. RAW 264.7 cells were pretreated with indicated concentrations of ginsenoside Rh2 for 1 h prior to the incubation of LPS (1 μg/mL) for indicated time period. Ginsenoside Rh2 reduced CD14 and Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) expressions 24 h after LPS stimulation. Furthermore, ginsenoside Rh2 significantly inhibited TGF-beta-activated kinase 1 (TAK1) phosphorylation 30 min after LPS stimulation. Ginsenoside Rh2 was further shown to inhibit NF-κB p65 translocation into the nucleus by suppressing IκB-αdegradation. Also, LPS increased mRNA expression of TNF-αand IL-1αtime-dependently, while TQ reduced TNF-αwithin 3 h and IL-1αwithin 1 h. And we firstly found that pretreatment of ginsenoside Rh2 successively inhibited hypoxia-inducible factor- (HIF-) 1αexpression increased by LPS. In conclusion, ginsenoside Rh2 may inhibit LPS-induced NF-κB activation and reduce HIF-1αaccumulation, suggesting that ginsenoside Rh2 may be considered as a potential therapeutic candidate for chronic inflammatory diseases.
Effects of Aging and Tai Chi on a Finger-Pointing Task with a Choice Paradigm
Authors: Tsang William W. N. , Kwok Jasmine C. Y. , Hui-Chan Christina W. Y.
Published: February 2013

Background. This cross-sectional study examined the effect of aging on performing finger-pointing tasks involving choices and whether experienced older Tai Chi practitioners perform better than healthy older controls in such tasks.Methods. Thirty students and 30 healthy older controls were compared with 31 Tai Chi practitioners. All the subjects performed a rapid index finger-pointing task. The visual signal appeared randomly under 3 conditions: (1) to touch a black ball as quickly and as accurately as possible, (2) not to touch a white ball, (3) to touch only the white ball when a black and a white ball appeared simultaneously. Reaction time (RT) of anterior deltoid electromyogram, movement time (MT) from electromyogram onset to touching of the target, end-point accuracy from the center of the target, and the number of wrong movements were recorded.Results. Young students displayed significantly faster RT and MT, achieving significantly greater end-point accuracy and fewer wrong movements than older controls. Older Tai Chi practitioners had significantly faster MT than older controls.Conclusion. Finger-pointing tasks with a choice paradigm became slower and less accurate with age. Positive findings suggest that Tai Chi may slow down the aging effect on eye-hand coordination tasks involving choices that require more cognitive progressing.
Exploring Anorectal Manometry as a Method to Study the Effect of Locally Administered Ropivacaine in Patients with Ulcerative Colitis
Authors: Arlander Eva , Löfberg Robert , Törkvist Leif , Lindforss Ulrik
Published: February 2013

The symptoms of distal ulcerative colitis have been related to changes in rectal sensitivity and capacity due to inflammation, altered gastrointestinal motility, and sensory perception. With the use of anorectal manometry, the function was measured in seven patients with active distal proctitis during local treatment with ropivacaine. Seven healthy subjects were studied in the same way for comparison with normal conditions. The anal resting pressure and squeezing pressure were similar in all groups. Significantly lower rectal distention volumes were required for rectal sensation, critical volume, and to induce rectal contractility in patients with active disease compared to controls. Rectal compliance was significantly reduced in patients with active and quiescent disease. The increased rectal sensitivity and contractility in patients with active colitis appear to be related to active mucosal inflammation and ulceration. The frequency and urgency of defecation and the fecal incontinence may be due to a hypersensitive, hyperactive, and poorly compliant rectum. The findings in our study indicate that the inflammatory damage to the rectal wall with poor compliance is unaffected by local anaesthetics such as ropivacaine. The symptomatic relief and reduction in clinical symptoms following treatment are not reflected in the anorectal manometric findings.