bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Resveratrol: a promising agent in promoting cardioprotection against coronary heart diseaseThis article is one of a selection of papers from the NATO Advanced Research Workshop on Translational Knowledge for Heart Health (published in part 2 of a 2-part Special Issue).
Authors: Penumathsa Suresh Varma , Maulik Nilanjana
Published: April 2009

The inverse association between alcohol intake and coronary heart disease has been consistently reported in cross-culture, case–control, and cohort studies. Over the past couple of decades, however, many studies have explained promising health benefits associated with wine consumption. Some studies suggest that red wine is more cardioprotective than white wine, possibly due to the increased content of flavanoid antioxidants found in red wine. Several experimental studies, including ours, support the evidence that these beneficial effects are due to resveratrol, the polyphenolic compound present in red wine. Many studies have provided evidence that resveratrol possesses antioxidant and antiapoptotic effects apart from activation of longevity proteins (such as SIRT-1). We have recently reported the angiogenic, antihypercholesterolemic, and antidiabetic effects of resveratrol and the mechanisms involved in reduced ventricular remodeling and increased cardiac functions. We have also shown different strategic target molecules involved in resveratrol-mediated cardioprotection. Therefore, this review discusses the potential effect of resveratrol and the mechanisms involved in resveratrol-mediated cardioprotection during myocardial infarction, hypercholesterolemia, and diabetes rendering its beneficial effects during health and disease.
Therapeutic effects of Nigella sativa on chronic HAART-induced hyperinsulinemia in ratsThis article is one of a selection of papers from the NATO Advanced Research Workshop on Translational Knowledge for Heart Health (published in part 2 of a 2-part Special Issue).
Authors: Chandra Surabhi , Murthy Subramanyam N. , Mondal Debasis , Agrawal Krishna C.
Published: April 2009

Prolonged use of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) is associated with insulin resistance in HIV-1-positive patients. Small animal models that recapitulate the long-term effects of HAART may facilitate the identification of therapeutic agents to suppress these side effects. We investigated the protective effects of black seed oil (BSO) from Nigella sativa in Sprague–Dawley rats treated with a daily HAART regimen for 7 months. The antiretroviral drugs, consisting of nelfinavir (200 mg/kg), zidovudine (50 mg/kg), and efavirenz (20 mg/kg), were mixed with diet with or without BSO (400 µL/kg) supplementation. Significant increases in insulin and C-peptide levels were observed in HAART-treated groups, and concomitant BSO treatment reduced this hyperinsulinemia. Interestingly, HAART-treated rats showed reduced size of pancreatic islets that was not seen in BSO-exposed rats. In vitro studies showed that nelfinavir, alone and in combination with HAART, induced oxidative stress and decreased glucose-induced insulin production in INS-1 cells. Suppressed insulin production was restored in cells coexposed to either BSO or thymoquinone. Our findings demonstrated that chronic HAART may increase serum insulin levels by dysregulating both insulin production by β cells and insulin action at the periphery. These deleterious effects may be prevented by dietary supplementation with BSO.
Comparative analysis of the bioenergetics of adult cardiomyocytes and nonbeating HL-1 cells: respiratory chain activities, glycolytic enzyme profiles, and metabolic fluxesThis article is one of a selection of papers from the NATO Advanced Research Workshop on Translational Knowledge for Heart Health (published in part 2 of a 2-part Special Issue).
Authors: Monge Claire , Beraud Nathalie , Tepp Kersti , Pelloux Sophie , Chahboun Siham , Kaambre Tuuli , Kadaja Lumme , Roosimaa Mart , Piirsoo Andres , Tourneur Yves , Kuznetsov Andrey V. , Saks Valdur , Seppet Enn
Published: April 2009

Comparative analysis of the bioenergetic parameters of adult rat cardiomyocytes (CM) and HL-1 cells with very different structure but similar cardiac phenotype was carried out with the aim of revealing the importance of the cell structure for regulation of its energy fluxes. Confocal microscopic analysis showed very different mitochondrial arrangement in these cells. The cytochrome content per milligram of cell protein was decreased in HL-1 cells by a factor of 7 compared with CM. In parallel, the respiratory chain complex activities were decreased by 4–8 times in the HL-1 cells. On the contrary, the activities of glycolytic enzymes, hexokinase (HK), and pyruvate kinase (PK) were increased in HL-1 cells, and these cells effectively transformed glucose into lactate. At the same time, the creatine kinase (CK) activity was significantly decreased in HL-1 cells. In conclusion, the results of this study comply with the assumption that in contrast to CM in which oxidative phosphorylation is a predominant provider of ATP and the CK system is a main carrier of energy from mitochondria to ATPases, in HL-1 cells the energy metabolism is based mostly on the glycolytic reactions coupled to oxidative phosphorylation through HK.
Habitat selection of the Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber) near its carrying capacity: an example from Norway
Authors: Pinto B. , Santos M. J. , Rosell F.
Published: April 2009

The Eurasian beaver ( Castor fiber L., 1758) was extirpated until the beginning of the twentieth century, but is becoming re-established over much of its former range. Since this rodent is considered both a keystone species and an ecosystem engineer, it is important to understand its habitat use in a population near its carrying capacity. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that habitat selection in beaver populations near their carrying capacities is different from populations that are still expanding. Also, a resource-selection model for the species using logistic regression was derived. Although most of the tested habitat variables were important for both populations expanding and populations near their carrying capacities, there were significant differences in the importance of the presence of shrub and (or) hardwood on the riverbank and the river flow speed. Beaver presence was associated with narrower river widths, bank slope, water depth close to the bank, silt–soil bank substrates, cover of deciduous forest, and cover of shrub and (or) hardwood on the bank. The models had high overall accuracy (overall correct classification >85%, area under the curve >90%). The final model is thought to be robust and applicable to areas with similar river and vegetation characteristics. Our results extend the habitat selection patterns of beavers to patterns at high-density populations.
Habitat selection by nesting and brood-rearing sharp-tailed grouse
Authors: Goddard Alicia D. , Dawson Russell D. , Gillingham Michael P.
Published: April 2009

Breeding success is a critical component of population stability and is often influenced by the habitats used during the breeding season. Current hypotheses suggest that sharp-tailed grouse ( Tympanuchus phasianellus (L., 1758)) select nest and brood-rearing habitats that provide both lateral and overhead cover to avoid detection by predators. We examined the selection of nesting and brood-rearing habitats of sharp-tailed grouse at three spatial scales (landscape, patch, and site) in northeastern British Columbia using standard and conditional logistic regression models and an information–theoretic approach. At the patch and site scales, our results validate our predictions, as nesting females selected shrub–steppe habitats, greater shrub and grass cover, taller vegetation, and greater residual vegetation compared with random sites. Brood-rearing females selected for agricultural habitats during the early brood-rearing period (0–14 days), but did not show selection of any habitat type or site attribute during the late brood-rearing period (15–49 days). We suggest that the selection of shrub-dominated habitats by nesting females supports the hypothesis that females select sites and habitats that maximize concealment. We further suggest that selection of shrub-dominated habitat is occurring in response to changes in habitat conditions and availability, as natural grassland communities have diminished across the landscape.
Apparent survival, natal philopatry, and recruitment of Barrow’s goldeneyes (Bucephala islandica) in the Cariboo–Chilcotin region of British Columbia, Canada
Authors: Boyd W. S. , Smith B. D. , Iverson S. A. , Evans M. R. , Thompson J. E. , Schneider S.
Published: April 2009

We used capture–resight data to evaluate apparent survival, natal philopatry, and recruitment of Barrow’s goldeneyes ( Bucephala islandica (Gmelin, 1789)) in British Columbia, Canada. Median ages of first pairing and first breeding for females were 2 years and 3 years, respectively. The Cormack–Jolly–Seber model that best fit our data indicated that apparent survival rates (Φ) differed according to sex, year, and age class at marking. Estimates were similar for after-hatch-year (AHY) females (0.62) and AHY males (0.58), which was consistent with predictions. However, contrary to predictions, apparent survival rates of hatch-year (HY) females (0.68) were similar to those of AHY females and significantly higher than those of HY males (0.35). We interpret this difference as being primarily related to higher dispersal probabilities by HY males. Also evident was a negative correlation between apparent survival rate during the 1st year after capture for HY birds and their subsequent apparent survival rates, which suggests that probability of dispersal increased after these birds reached reproductive maturity and began to compete for breeding territories. We interpret this as evidence for density-dependent control of access to limited resources such as nest cavities.
Multiscale analysis reveals restricted gene flow and a linear gradient in heterozygosity for an island population of feral horses
Authors: Lucas Z. L. , McLoughlin P. D. , Coltman D. W. , Barber C.
Published: April 2009

We studied the genetic (microsatellite) diversity of a feral population of horses ( Equus caballus L., 1758) on Sable Island, Nova Scotia, Canada (1983–2003), at two spatial scales: (1) for the island as a whole and (2) at the level of four equally sized subdivisions along the length of Sable Island, which is a long (42 km) and narrow (1.5 km) vegetated sand bar. At the island scale (n = 264 horses), observed heterozygosity over 10 loci was 0.647 ± 0.035 (mean ± 1 SE), while expected heterozygosity was 0.696 ± 0.029; we observed significant heterozygote deficiency with all loci considered (P < 0.0001). At the subdivision scale, observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.589 to 0.694 in a gradient from west to east. We observed a corresponding gradient in effective number of alleles and allelic richness. Pairwise values of FSTwere significant for most subdivision pairs, ranging as high as 0.067 from west to east. Western areas showed highest levels of inbreeding (FIS = 0.113) with outbreeding indicated in the east (FIS = –0.008). Our results suggest that for a large mammal that lives in polygynous social groups, like the feral horse, gene flow along linear habitats (corridors) may be restricted (relative to the dispersal capabilities of the species), even over short distances.
Testing the orbital lubrication hypothesis: the Harderian glands in burrowing skinks (Reptilia: Squamata)
Authors: Rehorek S. J. , Hutchinson M. N. , Firth B. T.
Published: April 2009

The Harderian gland is an orbital gland thought to be a source of corneal lubricant, supplementary to the other orbital glands. This study investigated the possible role of skink Harderian glands in corneal lubrication. It was hypothesized that if these glands play a role in corneal lubrication, then the structure of these glands would be affected by structural orbital modifications. We examined the Harderian and lacrimal glands of five species of Australian skinks (Lygosominae), two of which possessed orbital modifications in the form of a transparent immoveable eyelid (spectacle) and skull reduction. All species possessed well-developed posterior lacrimal glands, but no anterior lacrimal glands. Anatomically, the Harderian glands were smaller in the burrowing species relative to the nonburrowing species. No other obvious species-specific differences were observed. The absence of any differentiation at the microscopic level suggests that although there is some change in the relative amount of secretant produced, the nature of the secretion studied by classical histochemistry remains essentially unchanged. However, at higher taxonomic levels, the size and structure of the Harderian gland may be taxon-specific and unrelated to the orbital environment. Thus, orbital lubrication may not necessarily be the sole function of the Harderian gland.
REPLICA CONDENSATION AND TREE DECAY
Authors: JAFFE ARTHUR , MOSER DAVID
Published: April 2009

We give an intuitive method — using local, cyclic replica symmetry — to isolate exponential tree decay in truncated (connected) correlations. We give an expansion and use the symmetry to show that all terms vanish, except those displaying replica condensation. The condensation property ensures exponential tree decay.

We illustrate our method in a low-temperature Ising system, but expect that one can use a similar method in other random field and quantum field problems. While considering the illustration, we prove an elementary upper bound on the entropy of random lattice surfaces.
EXTENDING THE MEASUREMENT OF TANGIBLES TO INTANGIBLES
Authors: SAATY THOMAS L. , SAGIR MUJGAN
Published: April 2009

Tangibles have measurements generally on ratio scales with arbitrary units that are always interpreted by using judgments as to what particular purpose the measurements serve. How two measurements on a ratio scale are related with respect to dominance leads to forming their ratio which is a dimensionless number. The judgment of an expert can be used to estimate this ratio when the objects are homogeneous. The process of using judgments to make comparisons is then extended by clustering and using pivots to measure inhomogeneous objects or criteria. The paper shows the generality of the analytic network process (AHP) as a method of measurement comparing it with direct measurement and with the utility approach through an example. It is also shown with an application from economics that the judgment process can be sufficiently accurate to produce numerical outcomes that are close to what one obtains by conventional methods, thus serving to validate its use in the measurement of intangibles when informed people are involved.
A DEA-BASED APPROACH TO RANKING MULTI-CRITERIA ALTERNATIVES
Authors: KÖKSALAN MURAT , TUNCER CEREN
Published: April 2009

We propose a data envelopment analysis (DEA)-based approach to ranking multi-criteria alternatives. We call it "the area of the efficiency score graph" (AES) approach. Unlike the classical DEA score and Dk measure that counts the number of DMUs (alternatives in DEA terminology) that should be removed from the set for each DMU k to become efficient, AES is not fully dependent on relative values of inputs/outputs of the alternatives in the set. It considers the change in efficiency scores of the alternatives while we delete 0,…,Dk number of alternatives from the set. The method avoids the negative effect of outliers and crowding in certain areas. It favors DMUs that manage to improve their efficiency scores quickly as we delete units from the set, and also alternatives that maintain high levels of efficiency scores as we delete units. We propose inclusion of weight restrictions into AES to incorporate decision maker preferences into the analysis. We apply our approach to ranking MBA programs. We provide rank lists of MBA programs by both AES and another DEA-based method for comparison. We also use AES scores to place programs in a small number of classes that are preference ordered from the best to the worst.
EVALUATION MODEL FOR MULTIATTRIBUTES–MULTIAGENTS DECISION MAKING: SATISFICING GAME APPROACH
Authors: TCHANGANI AYELEY P.
Published: April 2009

This paper considers the evaluation step in a decision-making process that follows decision-making goals setting, feasible alternatives and attributes or criteria that characterize them determination steps. Evaluation step must establish a model or algorithm to evaluate alternatives taking into account their performances with regard to criteria as well as decision makers or stakeholders preferences. Though this problem is rather a classic one, researches related to evaluation model construction continue to be active to find models that cope with more realities or that fit well how human beings behave in group and proceed when facing the problem of choosing, ranking or sorting alternatives or options. The purpose of this paper is to construct an evaluation model that integrate the performances of alternatives with regard to attributes or criteria and decision makers or agents opinions with regard to the importance to assign to each criterion in order to obtain a value function. As any decision problem is almost always a matter of tradeoff, among attributes characterizing alternatives there will be those acting toward the achievement of decision makers goal (benefit) and those that decision makers would like to reduce as much as possible (cost); we will designate the first ones as positive attributes and the later ones as negative attributes. The process of dividing attributes into positive attributes and negative attributes is beyond the scope of this paper and this partition will be considered as a part of the problem specification. The model is constructed in two steps: firstly, satisfiability (selectability and rejectability) measures or functions are obtained for each alternative using attributes values (positive attributes will contribute to selectability measure whereas negative ones are used in the derivation of rejectability measure) and agents opinions in the framework of satisficing game theory and secondly a value function is built on that measures. Agents opinions with regard to attributes will be expressed locally by weighting them by category (positive/negative).
A RISK SCORING MODEL AND APPLICATION TO MEASURING INTERNET STOCK PERFORMANCE
Authors: HO CHIEN-TA BRUCE , WU DESHENG DASH , OLSON DAVID L.
Published: April 2009

This paper proposes a risk scoring model to assess the performance of 27 US companies listed online by applying Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and comparing with the traditional financial measure Return on Equity (ROE). The DEA evaluation process involves two processes: (1) computation of operating efficiency and effectiveness to measure a company's operating performance, and (2) measurement of the return level per unit of risk to provide guidance for their investors. The risk scoring model is useful for both investors and company managers. For investors, it yields a new stock selecting strategy. For managers, it provides a risk-adjusted performance evaluation process. Empirical results show that for the Internet industry, the effectiveness of a company is more important than operating efficiency. Investors investing in efficient online companies yield higher returns.
USING THE ANALYTICAL HIERARCHY PROCESS IN SELECTING COMMERCIAL REAL-TIME OPERATING SYSTEMS
Authors: AHMAD NORITA , LAPLANTE PHILLIP A.
Published: April 2009

This work involves the novel application of a traditional technique for multivariate decision making to a complex problem in software selection. In particular, we formalize the problem statement "how does one select an appropriate commercial real-time operating system for a specific application" and we review two previous solutions to this decision making problem. Along the way, we will consider various aspects of the theoretical argument, broaden its application, and address the deficiencies of the two other solution strategies. Then, we present an improved solution to the problem using the well-developed Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), which is not traditionally used by software engineers. We then demonstrate the application of this method using the same criteria used in the previous methods. By explicitly representing preference, by providing tools that allow users to set and inspect their judgments, and by affording users with systematic evaluation procedure, the contribution is to help the decision maker to better identify an appropriate real-time operating systems solution without the need for intensive performance testing.
KSF OF TV SHOPPING INDUSTRY IN CROSS-STRAITS
Authors: PAN MING-CHUAN , WU JI-TING
Published: April 2009

There have been few studies on the Key Success Factors (KSF) of TV shopping industry in both China and Taiwan. Moreover, the market growth potential and size across the Formosa Strait are significant. Using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) in Export Choice (EC) software, we find that the top ten KSF in the TV shopping industry across the Formosa Strait are somewhat different in order of importance and in the content. Managers in Taiwan consider watching habit, income, age, occupation, product positioning strategy, channel releasing policy, education, differential pricing, target product strategy and strategic sensitivity as the top ten KSF in order of importance. Meanwhile, managers in China consider domestic economic development, income, average domestic income, business philosophy, channel releasing policy, watching habit, product positioning strategy, related broadcasting laws, age, and occupation as the top ten KSF in order of importance.
CURRENT RESEARCH TREND: INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND DECISION MAKING IN 2008
Authors: SHI YONG
Published: April 2009

On behalf of the editorial advisory board of the International Journal of Information Technology and Decision Making (IT&DM), the Editor-in-Chief reviews the current research trend of this journal based on all the papers published in 2008. They are web-based decision analysis, credit scoring techniques and new data mining methods which combine both decision-making techniques and information technology tools. In addition, the Editor-in-Chief summarizes the key ideas of contributions in this new issue that may contain new research trend of IT&DM in 2009.
ESTIMATION OF CONTACT SHAPE OF QUADRIC ENVIRONMENT WITH OBJECT PROBING OPERATION
Authors: YU YONG , KAMO YOSHIYUKI , KAWAKOE HIRONOBU , TSUJIO SHOWZOW
Published: April 2009

There are geometric and positional uncertainties in some operations such as assembly operation. In order to perform an assembly operation by robot successfully, it is required to estimate the correct geometric and position information of a fixed environment. This paper describes a technique that can estimate the contact geometric and position information between a quadric object and a quadric environment from a number of positions and orientations of a moving object, which are measured by the joint angle information of robot while the object is dexterously slided and rotated on the environment around the contact position. There are six kinds of basic contact forms when the two quadric bodies are in contact with each other. Corresponding to four of these basic contact forms, four kinds of estimation approaches are proposed. By these estimation approaches, the environment geometric and position information on contacting parts can be estimated successfully. The experimental verification on the proposed approaches is performed and its results are outlined.
IMPLEMENTATION OF A LOCALIZATION-ORIENTED HRI FOR WALKING ROBOTS IN THE ROBOCUP ENVIRONMENT
Authors: SAMPERIO RENATO , HU HUOSHENG , GU DONGBING
Published: April 2009

This paper presents the design and implementation of a human–robot interface capable of evaluating robot localization performance and maintaining full control of robot behaviors in the RoboCup domain. The system consists of legged robots, behavior modules, an overhead visual tracking system, and a graphic user interface. A human–robot communication framework is designed for executing cooperative and competitive processing tasks between users and robots by using object oriented and modularized software architecture, operability, and functionality. Some experimental results are presented to show the performance of the proposed system based on simulated and real-time information.
ROBUST MOBILE ROBOT VELOCITY ESTIMATION USING A POLYGONAL ARRAY OF OPTICAL MICE
Authors: KIM SUNGBOK , LEE SANGHYUP
Published: April 2009

This paper presents the robust velocity estimation of a mobile robot using a polygonal array of optical mice that are installed at the bottom of the mobile robot. First, the velocity kinematics from a mobile robot to an array of optical mice is derived, from which the least squares estimation of a mobile robot velocity is obtained. Second, the least squares mobile robot velocity estimation is shown to be robust against measurement noises and partial malfunctions of optical mice. Third, in the presence of installation error, a practical method for optical mouse position calibration is devised. Finally, some experimental results are given to demonstrate the validity and performance of the proposed mobile robot velocity estimation.
INTERACTION BETWEEN UNTRAINED USERS AND A MINIATURE ROBOT IN A COLLABORATIVE NAVIGATION CONTROLLED EXPERIMENT
Authors: MOHAMMAD YASSER , NISHIDA TOYOAKI
Published: April 2009

Future robots are expected to be operated by untrained persons using natural means of communication. This entails the necessity of understanding how humans will communicate with such robots especially in the non-humanoid case where anthropomorphism is in its minimum. This paper presents a controlled experiment to study the interaction between untrained human users and a miniature robot in a collaborative navigation task. Three dimensions of the interaction are studied. The first dimensions is the gesture use by the operators during the interaction. A consistent usage pattern with slight cultural effect was discovered in the data. The second dimension is human adaptation to both the task requirements and robot capabilities. Three main findings about the human adaptation are reported. The third studied dimension is the effectiveness and naturalness of using motion cues as a feedback mechanism from the robot in comparison with verbal feedback. The results of the experiment showed that there is no significant difference in the task completion accuracy and time or in the feeling of naturalness between motion cues and verbal feedback, and there is a statistically significant improvement when using either of them compared with the control case. Moreover, the subjects selected the motion cues feedback mechanism more frequently as the preferred feedback modality for them. These findings support the use of nonverbal motion feedback for knowledge transfer and information acquisition from non-humanoid robots in collaborative navigation tasks.
FULLY EVOLVED KERNEL METHOD EMPLOYING SVM ASSESSMENT FOR FEATURE COMPUTATION FROM MULTISENSOR SIGNALS
Authors: ISWANDY KUNCUP , KOENIG ANDREAS
Published: April 2009

The design of intelligent sensor systems for pattern recognition applications requires sophisticated methods from conventional signal processing and computational intelligence. A significant part of the overall system architecture still has to be manually elaborated in a tedious and time consuming process by an experienced designer for each new application or modification. Clearly, an automated method for auto-configuration of sensor systems would be attractive. This paper expands our previous works on automatic design of multisensor systems applying optimized Gaussian kernel for feature computation. The purpose of optimizing feature computation in the design of sensor systems is to increase the classification accuracy and the computation efficiency as well as to reduce storage and computational requirements in embedded sensor systems. Here, we investigate the feature computation of Gaussian kernel assessed by support vector machine (SVM) using genetic algorithms (GA). The experiment results are compared with the previous work using k-nearest neighbor (k-NN) and LDA/k-NN. Our experiments are tested with gas-sensor benchmark data. From the experimental results, we verify that SVM can achieve better results than k-NN and LDA/k-NN methods.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE METHODS IN ELECTROCARDIOGRAM AND ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAM DATA CLUSTERING
Authors: BURSA MIROSLAV , LHOTSKA LENKA
Published: April 2009

The paper focuses on the field of artificial intelligence techniques and their use in biomedical data processing. It concerns the clustering techniques inspired by various ant colonies. The behavior of ant colonies shows many interesting properties that have been used in static and dynamic combinatorial problem-solving tasks (mostly since 1990). Also applications to data clustering have been proposed. This branch is a subject of ongoing research. After the introduction into the state-of-the-art of ant-colony-inspired metaheuristics, an overview of ant-colony-inspired clustering metaheuristics is presented, together with the ACO_DTree method, developed by the first author, which is based on the autocatalytic collective behavior of real insect colonies. Over the basic algorithm it involves techniques to increase robustness and performance of the method. Application to electrocardiogram and electroencephalogram data processing is also presented, together with comparison to other clustering methods.
EVALUATION FUNCTIONS FOR THE EVOLUTIONARY DESIGN OF MULTICLASS SUPPORT VECTOR MACHINES
Authors: LORENA ANA C. , de CARVALHO ANDRÉ C. P. L. F.
Published: April 2009

Support Vector Machines were originally proposed to solve two-class classification problems. When they are applied to multiclass classification problems, usually a decomposition approach is followed, in which the original multiclass problem is decomposed into multiple binary sub-problems, whose solutions are afterwards combined. There are several strategies to decompose the multiclass problem. Genetic Algorithms (GAs) can be used to optimize the decomposition according to the performance obtained in the overall multiclass problem solution. This paper presents a study on possible evaluation functions that can be used by the GA in order to evaluate a given decomposition.
CFD Application to Hydrogen Risk Analysis and PAR Qualification
Authors: Xiong Jinbiao , Yang Yanhua , Cheng Xu
Published: April 2009

A three dimensional computation fluid dynamics (CFD) code, GASFLOW, is applied to analyze the hydrogen risk for Qinshan‐II
nuclear power plant (NPP). In this paper, the effect of spray modes on hydrogen risk in the containment during a large
break loss of coolant accident (LBLOCA) is analyzed by selecting three different spray strategies, that is, without spray, with direct spray and with both direct and recirculation spray. A strong effect of spray modes on hydrogen distribution is observed. However, the efficiency of the
passive auto‐catalytic recombiners (PAR) is not substantially affected by spray modes. The hydrogen risk is significantly increased by the direct spray, while the recirculation spray has minor effect on it. In order to simulate more precisely the processes involved in the PAR operation, a new PAR model is developed using CFD approach. The validation shows that the results obtained by the model agree well with the experimental results.
Noncovalent Interaction between Gold Nanoparticles and Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes via an Intermediatory
Authors: Yeh Jui-Ming , Huang Kuan-Yeh , Lin Su-Yin , Wu Yu-Yao , Huang Chao-Chen , Liou Shir-Joe
Published: April 2009

A new and effective method has been developed where self-assembled gold nanoparticles (Au-NPs) of ∼10 nm diameter are successfully attached onto the surface of sidewalls and ends of thiol-terminated multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) functionalized with orthomercaptoaniline, acting as a bridging agent. It can bridge the carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and Au-NPs via the bi-functional moiety with benzene unit at one end and thiol group at the other end by self-assembly. Theortho-mercaptoaniline was first grafted onto the surface of the CNTs viaπ-πinteraction between the benzene ring of the mercaptoaniline andπ-conjugated body of MWNTs surface to produce thiol-terminated CNTs. The bare surface of Au-NPs facilitates to attach on the thiol group of the thiol-terminated CNTs. Attenuated total reflectance FTIR, UV-visible, Raman spectroscopy and X-ray powder diffraction studies were used to verify whether the mercapto-benzene moieties have been attached to theπ-conjugated body of functionalized MWNTs. The direct evidence is obtained from transmission electron microscope (TEM) images where self-assembled Au-NPs are attached onto the functionalized MWNTs.
The Fréchet Derivative of an Analytic Function of a Bounded Operator with Some Applications
Authors: Gilliam D. S. , Hohage T. , Ji X. , Ruymgaart F.
Published: April 2009

The main result in this paper is the determination of the Fréchet derivative of an
analytic function of a bounded operator, tangentially to the space of all bounded operators. Some applied problems from statistics and numerical analysis are included as a motivation for this study. The perturbation operator (increment) is not of any special form and is not supposed to commute with the operator at which the derivative is evaluated. This generality is important for the applications. In the Hermitian case, moreover, some results on perturbation of an isolated eigenvalue, its eigenprojection, and its eigenvector if the eigenvalue is simple, are also included. Although these results are known in principle, they are not in general formulated in terms of arbitrary perturbations as required for the applications. Moreover, these results are presented as corollaries to the main theorem, so that this paper also provides a short, essentially self‐contained review of these aspects of perturbation theory.
Clastogenic Effects of Glyphosate in Bone Marrow Cells of Swiss Albino Mice
Authors: Prasad Sahdeo , Srivastava Smita , Singh Madhulika , Shukla Yogeshwer
Published: April 2009

Glyphosate (N-(phosphonomethyl) glycine,C3H8NO5P), a herbicide, used to control unwanted annual and perennial plants all over the world. Nevertheless, occupational and environmental exposure to pesticides can pose a threat to nontarget species including human beings. Therefore, in the present study, genotoxic effects of the herbicide glyphosate were analyzed by measuring chromosomal aberrations (CAs) and micronuclei (MN) in bone marrow cells of Swiss albino mice. A single dose of glyphosate was given intraperitoneally (i.p) to the animals at a concentration of 25 and 50 mg/kg b.wt. Animals of positive control group were injectedi.p. benzo(a)pyrene (100 mg/kg b.wt., once only), whereas, animals of control (vehicle) group were injectedi.p. dimethyl sulfoxide (0.2mL). Animals from all the groups were sacrificed at sampling times of 24, 48, and 72 hours and their bone marrow was analyzed for cytogenetic and chromosomal damage. Glyphosate treatment significantly increases CAs and MN induction at both treatments and time compared with the vehicle control (P<.05). The cytotoxic effects of glyphosate were also evident, as observed by significant decrease in mitotic index (MI). The present results indicate that glyphosate is clastogenic and cytotoxic to mouse bone marrow.
Characterizing Gene Expressions Based on Their Temporal Observations
Authors: Song Jiuzhou , Fang Hong-Bin , Duan Kangmin
Published: April 2009

Temporal gene expression data are of particular interest to researchers as they contain rich information in characterization of gene function and have been widely used in biomedical studies. However, extracting information and identifying efficient treatment effects without loss of temporal information are still in problem. In this paper, we propose a method of classifying temporal gene expression curves in which individual expression trajectory is modeled as longitudinal data with changeable variance and covariance structure. The method, mainly based on generalized mixed model, is illustrated by a dense temporal gene expression data in bacteria. We aimed at evaluating gene effects and treatments. The power and time points of measurements are also characterized via the longitudinal mixed model. The results indicated that the proposed methodology is promising for the analysis of temporal gene expression data, and that it could be generally applicable to other high‐throughput temporal gene expression analyses.
Oxidation of Quercetin by Myeloperoxidase
Authors: Momić Tatjana , Savić Jasmina , Vasić Vesna
Published: April 2009

Study of effect of myeloperoxidase on quercetin at pH 6.0 indicated quercetin oxidation via the formation of the oxidation product. The stability of quercetin and oxidation product was investigated as a function of time by using spectrophotometric and HPLC techniques. The apparent pseudo first‐order rate constants were calculated and discussed.
Nonlinear Modelling of Kinetic Data Obtained from Photocatalytic Mineralisation of 2,4‐Dichlorophenol on a Titanium Dioxide Membrane
Authors: Bellobono Ignazio Renato , Scotti Roberto , D′Arienzo Massimiliano , Morazzoni Franca , Bianchi Riccardo , Stanescu Rodica , Costache Cristina , Bobirica Liliana , Cobzaru Gabriela , Tozzi Paola Maria , Rossi Mauro , Bonardi Mauro Luigi , Groppi Flavia , Gini Luigi
Published: April 2009

Photomineralisation of 2,4‐dichlorophenol (DCP) in aqueous solutions (10.0–100.0 mg/L of C) was systematically studied at 318 ± 3 K, in an annular laboratory‐scale reactor, by photocatalytic membranes immobilizing titanium dioxide, as a function of substrate concentration, and absorbed power per unit length of membrane. Kinetics of both substrate disappearance, to yield intermediates, and total organic carbon (TOC) disappearance, to yield carbon dioxide, were followed (first series of experiments). At a fixed value of irradiance (1.50 W⋅cm−1), other series of mineralization experiments were repeated (second series of experiments) by carrying out only analyses of chemical oxygen demand (COD), in order to compare modelling results of the two sets of experiments. In both sets of experiments, stoichiometric hydrogen peroxide was used as oxygen donor. For the first series of experiments, a kinetic model was employed, already validated in previous work, from which, by a set of differential equations, four final optimised parameters,
k1 and K1, k2 and K2, were calculated. By these parameters, the whole kinetic profile could be fitted adequately. The influence of irradiance on k1 and k2 could be rationalised very well by this four‐parameter kinetic model. Modelling of quantum yields, as a function of irradiance, could also be carried out satisfactorily. As has been found previously for other kinds of substrates, modelling of quantum yields for DCP mineralization is consistent with kinetics of hydroxyl radicals reacting between themselves, leading to hydrogen peroxide, other than with substrate or intermediates leading finally to carbon dioxide, paralleled by a second competition kinetics involving superoxide radical anion. For the second series of experiments, on the contrary, the
Langmuir‐Hinshelwood model was employed. Uncertainties of COD analyses, coupled with discrepancies of this model and with its inability to reproduce kinetics up to complete mineralization, are underlined.
Be Careful, Mom and Doc: Hepatotoxicity Associated with Prescribed Medications in Young Infants
Authors: Hon Kam-Lun Ellis , Leung Alexander K. C.
Published: April 2009

Accidental poisonings in young infants are relatively uncommon, and the careless caregiver is usually the culprit. We report two cases of hepatotoxicity due to prescribed medications. An infant was given 15 mL instead of 1.5 mL of paracetamol by his mother because she omitted the decimal point on the label of the drug bottle. The infant became symptomatic, and liver enzyme and clotting profile were abnormal, necessitating treatment with N-acetyl cysteine. Another infant was prescribed oral ketoconazole for thrush, resulting in elevation of liver enzymes. The serum alanine aminotransferase levels were transiently elevated but returned to normal, and both infants recovered uneventfully. This report serves to alert the doctor to avoid using decimal points in drug labeling and to avoid prescribing excessive amount of drug for trivial acute illness. Thrush in infancy is common and usually treated with oral nystatin. Other oral antifungals such as ketoconazole may be associated with liver derangement and should be avoided in infants.
An NMR Study of the Bortezomib Degradation under Clinical Use Conditions
Authors: Bolognese Adele , Esposito Anna , Manfra Michele , Catalano Lucio , Petruzziello Fara , Martorelli Maria Carmen , Pagliuca Raffaella , Mazzarelli Vittoria , Ottiero Maria , Scalfaro Melania , Rotoli Bruno
Published: April 2009

The (R)-3-methyl-1-((S)-3-phenyl-2-(pyrazine-2-carboxamido)propanamido)butyl-boronic acid, bortezomib (BTZ), which binds the 20S proteasome subunit and causes a large inhibition of its activity, is a peptidomimetic boronic drug mainly used for the treatment of multiple myeloma. CommercialBTZ, stabilized as mannitol derivative, has been investigated under the common conditions of the clinical use because it is suspected to be easily degradable in the region of its boronic moiety. CommercialBTZsamples, reconstituted according to the reported commercial instructions and stored at , were analyzed by high-field nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy in comparison with identical samples bubbled with air and argon, respectively. All the samples remained unchanged for a week. After a month, the air filled samples showed the presence of two main degradation products (6% of starting material), the N-(1-(1-hydroxy-3-methylbutylamino)-1-oxo-3-phenylpropan-2-yl) pyrazine-2-carboxamide (BTZ1; 5%, determined from NMR integration) and the (S)-N-(1-(3-methylbutanamido)-1-oxo-3-phenylpropan-2-yl)pyrazine-2-carboxamide (BTZ2; 1%, determined from NMR integration), identified on the basis of their chemical and spectroscopic properties. TheBTZ1andBTZ2finding suggests that, under the common condition of use and at , commercial BTZ-mannitol is stable for a week, and that, in time, it undergoes slow oxidative deboronation which partially inactivates the product. Low temperature and scarce contact with air decrease the degradation process.
Integrative Decomposition Procedure and Kappa Statistics for the Distinguished Single Molecular Network Construction and Analysis
Authors: Wang Lin , Sun Ying , Jiang Minghu , Zheng Xiguang
Published: April 2009

Our method concentrates on and constructs the distinguished single gene network. An integrated method was proposed based on linear programming and a decomposition procedure with integrated analysis of the significant function cluster using Kappa statistics and fuzzy heuristic clustering. We tested this method to identify ATF2 regulatory network module using data of 45 samples from the same GEO dataset. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of such integrated way in terms of developing novel prognostic markers and therapeutic targets.
Trends in Method of Diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: Results from SHIELD
Authors: Rodbard Helena W. , Green Andrew J. , Fox Kathleen M. , Grandy Susan
Published: April 2009

Aims. This study assessed whether recent screening recommendations have led to increased diagnosis of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) through routine screening.
Methods. Respondents to the 2006 US SHIELD survey reported whether a physician told them they had T2DM, age at diagnosis, specialty of the physician who made the diagnosis, and whether the diagnosis was made after having symptoms, during routine screening, or when being treated for another health problem.
Results. Of 3 022 T2DM respondents, 36% of respondents reported that T2DM diagnosis was made during routine screening alone, 20% after having symptoms alone, and 6% when being treated for another health problem alone. The proportion of T2DM respondents reporting a diagnosis based only on screening increased approximately 42% over a 15+‐year time span (absolute increase from 31% to 44%) (P < .001), whereas symptom‐based diagnosis did not change significantly (P = .10). T2DM was diagnosed primarily by family physicians (88.3%).
Conclusion. These findings highlight the importance of regular screening for diabetes and the vital role of primary care physicians in recognizing individuals with T2DM.
Aspirin Resistance
Authors: Mansour Khaled , Taher Ali T. , Musallam Khaled M. , Alam Samir
Published: April 2009

The development of adverse cardiovascular events despite aspirin use has established an interest in a possible resistance to the drug. Several definitions have been set and various laboratory testing modalities are available. This has led to a wide range of prevalence reports in different clinical entities. The etiologic mechanism has been related to clinical, genetic, and other miscellaneous factors. The clinical implications of this phenomenon are significant and warrant concern. Management strategies are currently limited to dosing alteration and introduction of other anitplatelet agents. However, these measures have not met the expected efficacy or safety.
Association of Novel Genetic Loci With Circulating Fibrinogen Levels
Authors: Dehghan Abbas , Yang Qiong , Peters Annette , Basu Saonli , Bis Joshua C. , Rudnicka Alicja R. , Kavousi Maryam , Chen Ming-Huei , Baumert Jens , Lowe Gordon D.O. , McKnight Barbara , Tang Weihong , de Maat Moniek , Larson Martin G. , Eyhermendy Susana , McArdle Wendy L. , Lumley Thomas , Pankow James S. , Hofman Albert , Massaro Joseph M. , Rivadeneira Fernando , Kolz Melanie , Taylor Kent D. , van Duijn Cornelia M. , Kathiresan Sekar , Illig Thomas , Aulchenko Yurii S. , Volcik Kelly A. , Johnson Andrew D. , Uitterlinden Andre G. , Tofler Geoffrey H. , Gieger Christian ,   Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium, Psaty Bruce M. , Couper David J. , Boerwinkle Eric , Koenig Wolfgang , O'Donnell Christopher J. , Witteman Jacqueline C. , Strachan David P. , Smith Nicholas L. , Folsom Aaron R.
Published: April 2009

Background—

Fibrinogen is both central to blood coagulation and an acute-phase reactant. We aimed to identify common variants influencing circulation fibrinogen levels.

Methods and Results—

We conducted a genome-wide association analysis on 6 population-based studies, the Rotterdam Study, the Framingham Heart Study, the Cardiovascular Health Study, the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study, the Monitoring of Trends and Determinants in Cardiovascular Disease/KORA Augsburg Study, and the British 1958 Birth Cohort Study, including 22 096 participants of European ancestry. Four loci were marked by 1 or more single-nucleotide polymorphisms that demonstrated genome-wide significance (
P
<5.0�10
−8
). These included a single-nucleotide polymorphism located in the fibrinogen β chain (
FGB
) gene and 3 single-nucleotide polymorphisms representing newly identified loci. The high-signal single-nucleotide polymorphisms were rs1800789 in exon 7 of
FGB
(
P
=1.8�10
−30
), rs2522056 downstream from the interferon regulatory factor 1 (
IRF1
) gene (
P
=1.3�10
−15
), rs511154 within intron 1 of the propionyl coenzyme A carboxylase (
PCCB
) gene (
P
=5.9�10
−10
), and rs1539019 on the NLR family pyrin domain containing 3 isoforms (
NLRP3
) gene (
P
=1.04�10
−8
).

Conclusions—

Our findings highlight biological pathways that may be important in regulation of inflammation underlying cardiovascular disease.