bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
In Vitro
Anti-Plasmodium falciparum Properties of the Full Set of Human Secreted Phospholipases A
2
Authors: Guillaume Carole , Payré Christine , Jemel Ikram , Jeammet Louise , Bezzine Sofiane , Naika Gajendra S. , Bollinger James , Grellier Philippe , Gelb Michael H. , Schrével Joseph , Lambeau Gérard , Deregnaucourt Christiane
Published: April 2015

We have previously shown that secreted phospholipases A
2
(sPLA
2
s) from animal venoms inhibit the
in vitro
development of
Plasmodium falciparum
, the agent of malaria. In addition, the inflammatory-type human group IIA (hGIIA) sPLA
2
circulates at high levels in the serum of malaria patients. However, the role of the different human sPLA
2
s in host defense against
P. falciparum
has not been investigated. We show here that 4 out of 10 human sPLA
2
s, namely, hGX, hGIIF, hGIII, and hGV, exhibit potent
in vitro
anti-
Plasmodium
properties with half-maximal inhibitory concentrations (IC
50
s) of 2.9 ± 2.4, 10.7 ± 2.1, 16.5 ± 9.7, and 94.2 ± 41.9 nM, respectively. Other human sPLA2s, including hGIIA, are inactive. The inhibition is dependent on sPLA
2
catalytic activity and primarily due to hydrolysis of plasma lipoproteins from the parasite culture. Accordingly, purified lipoproteins that have been prehydrolyzed by hGX, hGIIF, hGIII, and hGV are more toxic to
P. falciparum
than native lipoproteins. However, the total enzymatic activities of human sPLA
2
s on purified lipoproteins or plasma did not reflect their inhibitory activities on
P. falciparum
. For instance, hGIIF is 9-fold more toxic than hGV but releases a lower quantity of nonesterified fatty acids (NEFAs). Lipidomic analyses of released NEFAs from lipoproteins demonstrate that sPLA
2
s with anti-
Plasmodium
properties are those that release polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), with hGIIF being the most selective enzyme. NEFAs purified from lipoproteins hydrolyzed by hGIIF were more potent at inhibiting
P. falciparum
than those from hGV, and PUFA-enriched liposomes hydrolyzed by sPLA
2
s were highly toxic, demonstrating the critical role of PUFAs. The selectivity of sPLA
2
s toward low- and high-density (LDL and HDL, respectively) lipoproteins and their ability to directly attack parasitized erythrocytes further explain their anti-
Plasmodium
activity. Together, our findings indicate that 4 human sPLA
2
s are active against
P. falciparum
in vitro
and pave the way to future investigations on their
in vivo
contribution in malaria pathophysiology.
Increased Ferroportin-1 Expression and Rapid Splenic Iron Loss Occur with Anemia Caused by Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium Infection in Mice
Authors: Brown Diane E. , Nick Heidi J. , McCoy Melissa W. , Moreland Sarah M. , Stepanek Aaron M. , Benik Ross , O'Connell Karyn E. , Pilonieta Maria C. , Nagy Toni A. , Detweiler Corrella S.
Published: April 2015

The Gram-negative intracellular bacteriumSalmonella entericaserovar Typhimurium causes persistent systemic inflammatory disease in immunocompetent mice. Following oral inoculation withS. Typhimurium, mice develop a hematopathological syndrome akin to typhoid fever with splenomegaly, microcytic anemia, extramedullary erythropoiesis, and increased hemophagocytic macrophages in the bone marrow, liver, and spleen. Additionally, there is marked loss of iron from the spleen, an unanticipated result, given the iron sequestration reported in anemia of inflammatory disease. To establish why tissue iron does not accumulate, we evaluated multiple measures of pathology for 4 weeks following oral infection in mice. We demonstrate a quantitative decrease in splenic iron following infection despite increased numbers of splenic phagocytes. Infected mice have increased duodenal expression of the iron exporter ferroportin-1, consistent with increased uptake of dietary iron. Liver and splenic macrophages also express high levels of ferroportin-1. These observations indicate that splenic and hepatic macrophages export iron duringS. Typhimurium infection, in contrast to macrophage iron sequestration observed in anemia of inflammatory disease. Tissue macrophage export of iron occurs concurrent with high serum concentrations of interferon gamma (IFN-γ) and interleukin 12 (IL-12). In individual mice, high concentrations of both proinflammatory (tumor necrosis factor alpha [TNF-α]) and anti-inflammatory (IL-10) cytokines in serum correlate with increased tissue bacterial loads throughout 4 weeks of infection. Thesein vivoobservations are consistent with previous cell culture studies and suggest that the relocation of iron from tissue macrophages during infection may contribute to anemia and also to host survival of acuteS. Typhimurium infection.
Phosphorylation Events in the Multiple Gene Regulator of Group A Streptococcus Significantly Influence Global Gene Expression and Virulence
Authors: Sanson Misu , Makthal Nishanth , Gavagan Maire , Cantu Concepcion , Olsen Randall J. , Musser James M. , Kumaraswami Muthiah
Published: April 2015

Whole-genome sequencing analysis of ∼800 strains of group A
Streptococcus
(GAS) found that the gene encoding the
m
ultiple virulence
g
ene regulator of G
A
S (
mga
) is highly polymorphic in serotype M59 strains but not in strains of other serotypes. To help understand the molecular mechanism of gene regulation by Mga and its contribution to GAS pathogenesis in serotype M59 GAS, we constructed an isogenic
mga
mutant strain. Transcriptome studies indicated a significant regulatory influence of Mga and altered metabolic capabilities conferred by Mga-regulated genes. We assessed the phosphorylation status of Mga in GAS cell lysates with Phos-tag gels. The results revealed that Mga is phosphorylated at histidines
in vivo
. Using phosphomimetic and nonphosphomimetic substitutions at conserved phosphoenolpyruvate:carbohydrate phosphotransferase regulation domain (PRD) histidines of Mga, we demonstrated that phosphorylation-mimicking aspartate replacements at H207 and H273 of PRD-1 and at H327 of PRD-2 are inhibitory to Mga-dependent gene expression. Conversely, non-phosphorylation-mimicking alanine substitutions at H273 and H327 relieved inhibition, and the mutant strains exhibited a wild-type phenotype. The opposing regulatory profiles observed for phosphorylation- and non-phosphorylation-mimicking substitutions at H273 extended to global gene regulation by Mga. Consistent with these observations, the H273D mutant strain attenuated GAS virulence, whereas the H273A strain exhibited a wild-type virulence phenotype in a mouse model of necrotizing fasciitis. Together, our results demonstrate phosphoregulation of Mga and its direct link to virulence in M59 GAS strains. These data also lay a foundation toward understanding how naturally occurring gain-of-function variations in
mga
, such as H201R, may confer an advantage to the pathogen and contribute to M59 GAS pathogenesis.
Parity-Dependent Recognition of DBL1X-3X Suggests an Important Role of the VAR2CSA High-Affinity CSA-Binding Region in the Development of the Humoral Response against Placental Malaria
Authors: Dechavanne Sébastien , Srivastava Anand , Gangnard Stéphane , Nunes-Silva Sofia , Dechavanne Célia , Fievet Nadine , Deloron Philippe , Chêne Arnaud , Gamain Benoît
Published: April 2015

Plasmodium falciparum
multidomain protein VAR2CSA stands today as the leading vaccine candidate against pregnancy-associated malaria (PAM). Most of the studies aiming to decrypt how naturally acquired immunity develops have assessed the immune recognition of individual VAR2CSA Duffy-binding-like (DBL) domains, thus overlooking the presence of conformational epitopes resulting from the overall folding of the full-length protein. In order to characterize the development of humoral immunity toward VAR2CSA, we made use of a large cohort of 293 Senegalese pregnant women to assess the level of recognition by plasma IgG of the full-length VAR2CSA protein of the 3D7 parasite strain (3D7-VAR2CSA), the CSA-binding multidomains 3D7-DBL1X to -DBL3X (3D7-DBL1X-3X), and the CSA nonbinding multidomains 3D7-DBL4ε to -DBL6ε (3D7-DBL4ε-6ε), as well as individual 3D7-DBL domains. Our results revealed a parity-dependent recognition of the full-length 3D7-VAR2CSA and of the CSA-binding region, 3D7-DBL1X-3X. Indeed, multigravid women possess significantly higher levels of antibodies directed against these constructs than primigravidae. Our results suggest an important role of antibodies targeting the CSA-binding region in the development of immunity against PAM, therefore providing new insights on how natural protection might be acquired and further information for the design of VAR2CSA-based vaccines.
Investigation of the Electrical Impedance of Acupuncture Points and Non-Acupuncture Points before and after Acupuncture, using a Four-Electrode Device
Authors: Khorsand Ali , Zhu Jiang , Bahrami-Taghanaki Hamidreza , Baghani Sara , Ma Liangxiao , Rezaei Shima
Published: April 2015

Aim

To evaluate the effect of acupuncture on skin electrical impedance of selected points, before and after acupuncture on one acupuncture point (PC6), using a four-electrode device.

Methods

Six acupuncture and non-acupuncture points on both sides of the body were selected to evaluate the effects of acupuncture on electrical properties of these points.

Results

There were no results significant differences of electrical impedance before and after acupuncture in the selected points.

Conclusions

According to our experimental set-up, acupuncture at one point without stimulation does not alter skin electrical impedance in healthy volunteers and there is no difference between acupuncture points and non-acupuncture points.
Monotherapy with stenting in subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) after middle cerebral artery dissection
Authors: Puri Ajit S , Gounis Matthew J , Massari Francesco , Howk Mary , Weaver John , Wakhloo Ajay K
Published: April 2015

Isolated middle cerebral artery dissection is a rare clinical entity, with descriptions limited to a few case reports and case series. Symptomatic dissection in the anterior circulation can present as an ischemic stroke in a young population; however, it is rarely associated with subarachnoid hemorrhage. We describe a young patient who presented with acute headache from a subarachnoid hemorrhage that was ultimately determined to be due to a vascular dissection in the middle cerebral artery. The initial angiogram showed vascular irregularities in this area with stenosis. Repeat imaging 4 days after presentation identified a pseudoaneurysm proximal to the stenosis. The patient was successfully treated with a self-expanding nitinol stent and followed up with serial angiography during postoperative recovery in the hospital; additional angiograms were performed approximately 1 and 6 months after treatment. Serial angiograms demonstrated incremental healing of the dissection. The patient was discharged and remains neurologically intact at the 6-month follow-up.
A liver lesion in primary sclerosing cholangitis
Authors: Biswas Sujata , Rajoriya Neil , Wang Lai Mun , Collier Jane
Published: April 2015

Primary sclerosing cholangitis is associated with an increased risk of cholangiocarcinoma; appropriate surveillance should be undertaken for this. Our case illustrates an unexpected liver lesion in such a patient, which would not have been detected with imaging alone. In suspected cancer, if a patient is not a candidate for liver resection, liver biopsy should be considered in case there is a treatment option for an alternative cause of the liver lesion. This is a careful decision to be made due to the risk of tumour seeding compromising cure and needs to be discussed via the hepatobiliary multidisciplinary team.
Jack in the box: inguinal endometriosis
Authors: Pandey Deeksha , Coondoo Ambika , Shetty Jyothi , Mathew Stanley
Published: April 2015

A 39-year-old woman with a left-sided inguinal swelling was referred to us with a diagnosis of inguinal hernia. On asking leading questions, the patient gave a typical history of cyclical pain and increased swelling during menstruation. Fine-needle aspiration biopsy revealed endometrial glands. Preoperatively, the extent of the endometriotic lesion was delineated using MRI. The lesion was approached through the patient's caesarean scar for cosmetic reasons and excised in toto. Final diagnosis was round ligament endometriosis. The patient was asymptomatic at 3, 6 and 12 months’ follow-up. This case re-emphasises the fact that endometriosis is an enigmatic disease and can be found anywhere in the body. Thus, a woman of reproductive age presenting with any cyclical symptom should be asked about its relation to her menstrual cycle.
Treatment of tachycardia: bradycardia syndrome in a patient with obstructive sleep apnoea
Authors: Lagan Jakub , Saravanan Palaniappan
Published: April 2015

Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSAS) affects 4% of men and 2% of women aged 30–65 years. It is diagnosed in the presence of excessive daytime sleepiness and an apnoea–hypopnoea index (AHI) of ≥5 on polysomnography. Rhythm disturbances are common in OSAS and continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) has been shown to be beneficial. We present a case of a patient with obesity, atrial fibrillation with fast ventricular response, significant nocturnal pauses (3.9 s) and tachycardiomyopathy. A polysomnography confirmed severe OSAS (AHI=64.25). CPAP improved bradycardia and allowed for the introduction of β-blockers. Subsequent Holter monitoring revealed better rate control with the longest pause of 2 s and the patient's left ventricular systolic function improved. CPAP prevented our patient from invasive treatment, allowed for rate control and improvement of tachycardiomyopathy. With such a high prevalence of OSAS, clinicians should be aware that CPAP may aid arrhythmia control.
A prominent ‘A’ notch in the pulmonary valve M mode-one more cause of the same
Authors: Gupta Prabha Nini , Velappan Praveen , Thampy MS Lakshmi , Kunju Subair M
Published: April 2015

The M mode echocardiogram is not the main priority, during routine echocardiographic evaluation now-a-days. However, there are still a few classical conditions where this remains instructive and educative. One such situation is the presence of an ‘a’ wave in the pulmonary valve M mode tracing in normals and it's absence in pulmonary hypertension. In valvular pulmonary stenosis we expect a deeper ‘a’ wave. We describe one more cause of a prominent ‘a’ wave in the pulmonary valve M mode. We describe this in a common tropical disease, endemic to Kerala.
Diagnosis and management of isolated pituitary metastasis from adenocarcinoma of unknown origin presenting as loss of libido
Authors: Feghaly Julien , Astras George
Published: April 2015

Pituitary gland metastasis from primary tumours is uncommon on its own. Rarely, some of these primary tumours may be of unknown origin. This metastasis to the pituitary gland could manifest as diabetes insipidus, cranial nerve palsies, headaches, fatigue and other symptoms. In rare cases, it could present as loss of libido. We describe here this rare presentation, loss of libido, examine the diagnosis and management undertaken, and provide a systematic review of the literature for similar cases.
Social inequalities in childcare quality and their effects on children's development at school entry: findings from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children
Authors: Gialamas Angela , Mittinty Murthy N , Sawyer Michael G , Zubrick Stephen R , Lynch John
Published: April 2015

Background

Higher quality childcare in the years before school may help narrow developmental gaps between the richest and poorest children in our societies, but specific evidence is limited and inconsistent. We address this issue by examining whether higher quality childcare is associated with better developmental outcomes at school entry for children from lower than higher income families.

Methods

The sample from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children included children attending childcare from 2 to 3 years (n=980–1187, depending on outcome). Childcare quality was measured using carers assessment of their relationship with the child. Children's receptive vocabulary was directly assessed in the child's home, and behavioural difficulties were measured by teachers and parents at 4–5 years. We assessed additive and multiplicative income-related effect measure modification of the quality of carer–child relationship on developmental outcomes.

Results

After adjusting for confounding, there was some evidence of effect measure modification on the additive and multiplicative scales of childcare quality by income. Children experiencing higher quality relationships and lower income had almost the same risk of poorer receptive vocabulary as children in higher quality relationships and higher incomes (relative excess risk due to interaction=0.18; 95% CI −0.20 to 0.52), ratio of relative risks=1.11 (1.04 to 1.17)). These patterns were similar for teacher-reported and parent-reported behavioural difficulties.

Conclusions

The effects of higher quality childcare, in terms of quality relationships with carers, on children's cognitive and behavioural development at school entry were stronger among children from lower income families. This provides some evidence that higher quality relationships in childcare may be especially important in helping reduce developmental gaps for children from lower income families.
Active earth pressure due to soil mass partially subjected to water seepage
Authors: Santos Petrucio J. , Barros Pérsio L.A.
Published: April 2015

A method for determination of the active earth pressure exerted by a cohesionless backfill, subjected to water seepage from a high water table, on a retaining structure is presented. The method comprises a numerical procedure based on the boundary element method (BEM) for the seepage analysis and a trial wedge method for the limit equilibrium analysis. The numerical results of the seepage analysis are presented as normalized charts that can be used in the trial wedge method without recourse to the BEM computer code. The main benefits of the proposed analysis are the simplicity of use and the small amount of data necessary. For the seepage analysis, only the phreatic line exit point height at the retaining structure face is required. Numerical results obtained for a proposed example of a retaining wall show the influence of the water seepage on the active earth pressure. The analysis method also can deal with cases of soil anisotropy with respect to the permeability.
A protocol for the aerial survey of penguin colonies using UAVs
Authors: Ratcliffe Norman , Guihen Damien , Robst Jeremy , Crofts Sarah , Stanworth Andrew , Enderlein Peter
Published: April 2015

Penguins, and many other seabirds, often nest in the open in large colonies, and so are amenable to aerial survey. UAVs offer a flexible and inexpensive method of achieving this but, to date, few published examples are available. We present a protocol for acquiring aerial images of penguin colonies using UAVs and describe simple, open-source tools for processing these into counts. Our approach is demonstrated using a case study for a penguin colony in the Falkland Islands. We discuss the advantages and limitations of UAVs for penguin surveys and make recommendations for their wider application.
Diffractive hadron production at ultrahigh energies
Authors: Anisovich V. V. , Matveev M. A. , Nikonov V. A.
Published: April 2015

Diffractive production is considered in the ultrahigh energy region where pomeron exchange amplitudes are transformed into black disk ones due to rescattering corrections. The corresponding corrections in hadron reactions h1 + h3 → h1 + h2 + h3 with small momenta transferred [Formula: see text] are calculated in terms of the K-matrix technique modified for ultrahigh energies. Small values of the momenta transferred are crucial for introducing equations for amplitudes. The three-body equation for hadron diffractive production reaction h1 + h3 → h1 + h2 + h3 is written and solved precisely in the eikonal approach. In the black disk regime final state scattering processes do not change the shapes of amplitudes principally but dump amplitudes by a factor ~ ¼; initial state rescatterings result in additional factor ~ ½. In the resonant disk regime initial and final state scatterings damp strongly the production amplitude that corresponds to σ inel /σ tot → 0 at [Formula: see text] in this mode.
Effects of chemical composition on the corrosion behavior of A7N01S-T5 Al alloys
Authors: Wang Xiaomin , Liao Xiaoyao , Ma Chuanping , Zhang Shufang , Liu Yan , Chen Hui
Published: April 2015

Corrosion behavior of 7N01 Al alloy is sensitive to chemical composition. In this paper, stress corrosion cracking (SCC) and electrochemical behaviors of A7N01S-T5 Al alloys with three different chemical compositions were investigated. The corrosion weight loss and corrosion pits depth statistics showed that Alloy #3 (4.53 wt .% Zn , 1.27% Mg , < 0.001% Cu , 0.24% Cr , 0.15% Zr ) possesses the best anti-SCC property, while Alloy #1 (4.54% Zn , 1.09% Mg , 0.102% Cu , 0.25% Cr , 0.15% Zr ) was the weakest one. The different SCC susceptibility was mainly related to the Cu content as Alloy #3 contains higher Cu than Alloys #1 and #2. Electrochemical test result showed that Alloy #3 has higher corrosion potential and lower corrosion current density than Alloys #1 and #2. It is believed that a trace Cu can significantly improve the SC resistance of Al alloy, mainly because that Cu element can reduce the potential difference between grain inside and grain boundaries.
Blue and green upconversion emissions of Zr:Nd:LiNbO3 single crystals
Authors: Tang Z. H. , Lin S. P. , Ma D. C. , Wang B.
Published: April 2015

Zr:Nd:LiNbO3 crystals codoped with 0.1 mol% of Nd2 O3 and three concentrations of ZrO2 (0, 2 and 4 mol%) were grown by the Czochralski method from the congruent melt. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns, UV–visible absorption and infrared (IR) spectra were measured to analyze the crystal composition and defect structure. The blue and green upconversion emissions of Nd3+ ions under 598 nm excitation were observed. The intensity of upconversion emissions was increased by the introduction of 2 mol% zirconium ion (Zr4+) and decreased by the introduction of 4 mol% Zr4+ ions. The luminescence decay measurement indicated that the 4G7/2 state of Nd3+ ion was mainly populated by excited state absorption process. It was proposed that Nd:LiNbO3 crystals doped with approximately 2 mol% Zr4+ ions could be applied as laser materials at 522/535 nm.
Effect of QW thickness and numbers on performance characteristics of deep violet InGaN MQW lasers
Authors: Alahyarizadeh Gh. , Amirhoseiny M. , Hassan Z.
Published: April 2015

The performance characteristics of deep violet indium gallium nitride (InGaN) multiquantum well (MQW) laser diodes (LDs) with an emission wavelength of around 390 nm have been investigated using the integrated system engineering technical computer aided design (ISE-TCAD) software. A comparative study on the effect of quantum well (QW) thickness and number on electrical and optical performance of deep violet In 0.082 Ga 0.918 N/GaN MQW LDs have been carried out. The simulation results showed that the highest slope efficiency and external differential quantum efficiency (DQE), as well as the lowest threshold current are obtained when the number of wells is two. The different QW thickness values of 2.2, 2.5, 2.8, 3 and 3.2 nm were compared and the best results were achieved for 2.5 nm QW thickness. The radiative recombination rate decreases with increasing QW thickness because of decreasing electron and hole carrier densities in wells. By increasing QW thickness, output power decreases and threshold current increases.
A Survey of Applications and Human Motion Recognition with Microsoft Kinect
Authors: Lun Roanna , Zhao Wenbing
Published: April 2015

Microsoft Kinect, a low-cost motion sensing device, enables users to interact with computers or game consoles naturally through gestures and spoken commands without any other peripheral equipment. As such, it has commanded intense interests in research and development on the Kinect technology. In this paper, we present, a comprehensive survey on Kinect applications, and the latest research and development on motion recognition using data captured by the Kinect sensor. On the applications front, we review the applications of the Kinect technology in a variety of areas, including healthcare, education and performing arts, robotics, sign language recognition, retail services, workplace safety training, as well as 3D reconstructions. On the technology front, we provide an overview of the main features of both versions of the Kinect sensor together with the depth sensing technologies used, and review literatures on human motion recognition techniques used in Kinect applications. We provide a classification of motion recognition techniques to highlight the different approaches used in human motion recognition. Furthermore, we compile a list of publicly available Kinect datasets. These datasets are valuable resources for researchers to investigate better methods for human motion recognition and lower-level computer vision tasks such as segmentation, object detection and human pose estimation.
The baryon mass calculation in the chiral soliton model at finite temperature and density
Authors: Zhang Hui , Dong Renda , Shu Song
Published: April 2015

In the mean-field approximation, we have studied the soliton which is embedded in a thermal medium within the chiral soliton model. The energy of the soliton or the baryon mass in the thermal medium has been carefully evaluated, in which we emphasize that the thermal effective potential in the soliton energy should be properly treated in order to derive a finite and well-defined baryon mass out of the thermal background. The result of the baryon mass at finite temperatures and densities in chiral soliton model are clearly presented.
Nonlinear Vibration of PZT4/PZT-5H Monomorph and Bimorph Beams with Graded Microstructures
Authors: Yang Jie , Kitipornchai Sritawat , Feng Chuang
Published: April 2015

Monomorph and bimorph actuators made of piezoelectric materials are widely used in smart materials and structural control. Recent studies show that their performances can be remarkably improved by the use of functionally graded piezoelectric materials (FGPMs) whose compositional profile and effective material properties are graded along the thickness direction. This paper investigates the linear and nonlinear vibration behaviors of monomorph and bimorph made from a mixture of PZT4 and PZT-5H with material composition following a power law distribution. Theoretical formulations are based on von Kármán kinematic relationships and Timoshenko beam theory to account for the effect of transverse shear deformation. The differential quadrature method (DQM) and the second-order backward difference scheme are employed to obtain the linear and nonlinear vibration frequencies. A parametric study is conducted to investigate the influences of volume fraction index, slenderness ratio, nonlinear deformation and different loading conditions.
Collaborative Parallel Hybrid Metaheuristics on Graphics Processing Unit
Authors: Roberge Vincent , Tarbouchi Mohammed , Okou Francis
Published: April 2015

Metaheuristics are nondeterministic optimization algorithms used to solve complex problems for which classic approaches are unsuitable. Despite their effectiveness, metaheuristics require considerable computational power and cannot easily be used in time critical applications. Fortunately, those algorithms are intrinsically parallel and have been implemented on shared memory systems and more recently on graphics processing units (GPUs). In this paper, we present highly efficient parallel implementations of the particle swarm optimization (PSO), the genetic algorithm (GA) and the simulated annealing (SA) algorithm on GPU using CUDA. Our approach exploits the parallelism at the solution level, follows an island model and allows for speedup up to 346× for different benchmark functions. Most importantly, we also present a strategy that uses the generalized island model to integrate multiple metaheuristics into a parallel hybrid solution adapted to the GPU. Our proposed solution uses OpenMP to heavily exploit the concurrent kernel execution feature of recent NVIDIA GPUs, allowing for the parallel execution of the different metaheuristics in an asynchronous manner. Asynchronous hybrid metaheuristics has been developed for multicore CPU, but never for GPU. The speedup offered by the GPU is far superior and key to the optimization of solutions to complex engineering problems.
SVM-Based Segmentation-Verification of Handwritten Connected Digits Using the Oriented Sliding Window
Authors: Gattal Abdeljalil , Chibani Youcef
Published: April 2015

We propose in this paper a system to recognize handwritten digit strings, which constitutes a difficult task because of overlapping and/or joining of adjacent digits. To resolve this problem, we use a segmentation-verification of handwritten connected digits based conjointly on the oriented sliding window and support vector machine (SVM) classifiers. The proposed approach allows separating adjacent digits according the connection configuration by finding at the same time the interconnection points between adjacent digits and the cutting path. SVM-based segmentation-verification using the global decision module allows the rejection or acceptance of the processed image. Experimental results conducted on a large synthetic database of handwritten digits show the effective use of the oriented sliding window for segmentation-verification.
Payment Rules through Discriminant-Based Classifiers
Authors: Dütting Paul , Fischer Felix , Jirapinyo Pichayut , Lai John K. , Lubin Benjamin , Parkes David C.
Published: April 2015

In mechanism design it is typical to impose incentive compatibility and then derive an optimal mechanism subject to this constraint. By replacing the incentive compatibility requirement with the goal of minimizing expected ex post regret, we are able to adapt statistical machine learning techniques to the design of payment rules. This computational approach to mechanism design is applicable to domains with multi-dimensional types and situations where computational efficiency is a concern. Specifically, given an outcome rule and access to a type distribution, we train a support vector machine with a specific structure imposed on the discriminant function, such that it implicitly learns a corresponding payment rule with desirable incentive properties. We extend the framework to adopt succinct
k
-wise dependent valuations, leveraging a connection with maximum
a
posteriori
assignment on Markov networks to enable training to scale up to settings with a large number of items; we evaluate this construction in the case where k=2. We present applications to multiparameter combinatorial auctions with approximate winner determination, and the assignment problem with an egalitarian outcome rule. Experimental results demonstrate that the construction produces payment rules with low ex post regret, and that penalizing classification error is effective in preventing failures of ex post individual rationality.
Approximate Pure Nash Equilibria in Weighted Congestion Games
Authors: Caragiannis Ioannis , Fanelli Angelo , Gravin Nick , Skopalik Alexander
Published: April 2015

We consider structural and algorithmic questions related to the Nash dynamics of weighted congestion games. In weighted congestion games with linear latency functions, the existence of pure Nash equilibria is guaranteed by a potential function argument. Unfortunately, this proof of existence is inefficient and computing pure Nash equilibria in such games is a PLS-hard problem even when all players have unit weights. The situation gets worse when superlinear (e.g., quadratic) latency functions come into play; in this case, the Nash dynamics of the game may contain cycles and pure Nash equilibria may not even exist. Given these obstacles, we consider approximate pure Nash equilibria as alternative solution concepts. A
ρ
--approximate pure Nash equilibrium is a state of a (weighted congestion) game from which no player has any incentive to deviate in order to improve her cost by a multiplicative factor higher than
ρ
. Do such equilibria exist for small values of
ρ
? And if so, can we compute them efficiently?

We provide positive answers to both questions for weighted congestion games with polynomial latency functions by exploiting an “approximation” of such games by a new class of potential games that we call
Ψ
-games. This allows us to show that these games have d!-approximate pure Nash equilibria, where
d
is the maximum degree of the latency functions. Our main technical contribution is an efficient algorithm for computing O(1)-approximate pure Nash equilibria when
d
is a constant. For games with linear latency functions, the approximation guarantee is 3+√5/2 + O
γ
for arbitrarily small
γ
> 0; for latency functions with maximum degree
d
≥ 2, it is
d
2
d
+
o
(
d
). The running time is polynomial in the number of bits in the representation of the game and 1/
γ
. As a byproduct of our techniques, we also show the following interesting structural statement for weighted congestion games with polynomial latency functions of maximum degree
d
≥ 2: polynomially-long sequences of best-response moves from any initial state to a
dO
(
d
2)-approximate pure Nash equilibrium exist and can be efficiently identified in such games as long as
d
is a constant.

To the best of our knowledge, these are the first positive algorithmic results for approximate pure Nash equilibria in weighted congestion games. Our techniques significantly extend our recent work on unweighted congestion games through the use of
Ψ
-games. The concept of approximating nonpotential games by potential ones is interesting in itself and might have further applications.
Identifying Controversial Wikipedia Articles Using Editor Collaboration Networks
Authors: Sepehri-Rad Hoda , Barbosa Denilson
Published: April 2015

Wikipedia is probably the most commonly used knowledge reference nowadays, and the high quality of its articles is widely acknowledged. Nevertheless, disagreement among editors often causes some articles to become controversial over time. These articles span thousands of popular topics, including religion, history, and politics, to name a few, and are manually tagged as controversial by the editors, which is clearly suboptimal. Moreover, disagreement, bias, and conflict are expressed quite differently in Wikipedia compared to other social media, rendering previous approaches ineffective. On the other hand, the social process of editing Wikipedia is partially captured in the edit history of the articles, opening the door for novel approaches. This article describes a novel controversy model that builds on the interaction history of the editors and not only predicts controversy but also sheds light on the process that leads to controversy. The model considers the collaboration history of pairs of editors to predict their attitude toward one another. This is done in a supervised way, where the votes of Wikipedia administrator elections are used as labels indicating agreement (i.e., support vote) or disagreement (i.e., oppose vote). From each article, a collaboration network is built, capturing the pairwise attitude among editors, allowing the accurate detection of controversy. Extensive experimental results establish the superiority of this approach compared to previous work and very competitive baselines on a wide range of settings.
Aligning single path loops to reduce the number of capacity cache misses
Authors: Cilku Bekim , Kammerer Roland , Puschner Peter
Published: April 2015

In this paper we address the problem of improving the instruction cache performance for single-path code. The properties of single-path code allow us to align single-path loops within the cache in order to reduce the number of cache misses during the loop execution. We propose an algorithm that categorizes loops in a simple way so that the loops can be aligned and NOP instructions can be inserted to support this loop alignment. Our experimental results show the predictability for cache misses in single-path loops and demonstrate the benefit of the single-path loop alignment.
Resource sharing among prioritized real-time applications on multiprocessors
Authors: Afshar Sara , Khalilzad Nima , Nemati Farhang , Nolte Thomas
Published: April 2015

In this paper, we propose a new protocol for handling resource sharing among prioritized real-time applications composed on a multiprocessor platform. We propose an optimal priority assignment algorithm which assigns unique priorities to the applications based on information in their interfaces. We have performed experimental evaluations to compare the proposed protocol (called MSOS-Priority) to the current state of the art locking protocols under multiprocessor partitioned scheduling, i.e., MPCP, MSRP, FMLP, MSOS, and OMLP. The evaluations show that MSOS-Priority mostly performs significantly better than alternative approaches.
Super resolution face image based on locally linear embedding and local correlation
Authors: Nguyen Vinh , Hung Chih-Cheng , Ma Xiang
Published: April 2015

In this paper, we propose a new face hallucination algorithm based on Locally Linear Embedding and Local Correlation method (LC-LLE). The LC-LLE algorithm is an improved locally linear embedding (LLE) algorithm by combining LLE algorithm and local correlation coefficients. The main difference between LC-LLE and LLE algorithms is that LC-LLE uses two different measures for searching the nearest neighbors for matching the most similar patches, while LLE uses only Euclidean distance for searching the nearest neighbors. Specifically, we calculate the Euclidean distance between the low-resolution input patch and patches in the low-resolution training images to select

z

-NN (i.e.

z

number of nearest patches). Then, we use the inner product for local correlation computation between the input patch and selected

z

-NN to identify

k

nearest neighbors (i.e.

k

-NN). After that the reconstruction weights are derived using

k

-NN patches, and generate the high-resolution image patches based on the reconstruction weights. Finally, high-resolution patches are synthesized into the high-resolution image. Experimental results show that the proposed method achieves better performance for high-resolution image reconstruction than Ma's method with LLE and PCA methods.
Efficient hibernation resuming with classification-based prefetching scheme for embedded computing systems
Authors: Ho Chien-Chung , Cheng Sheng-Wei , Chang Yuan-Hao , Chang Yu-Ming , Hong Sheng-Yen , Chang Che-Wei
Published: April 2015

With the rapid growth of embedded computing system markets, e.g., intelligent home appliances and smart TVs, vendors and researchers are developing more user-friendly interfaces and seeking to provide more sophisticated applications with better functionalities. Such a developing trend would prolong the initialization time of these embedded computing systems. Hibernation (or suspend-to-disk) that retains a computing system's state after power recycling is regarded as a solution to reduce the booting time of systems and applications to meet the requirement of user experiences. In contrast to the existing hibernation techniques that dump most of the memory pages to the secondary storage, we propose a classification-based prefetching scheme to improve the system performance on both of the hibernation and resuming with minimized I/O overheads by jointly considering the system/application behaviors and the usage patterns of memory pages. The proposed scheme was also implemented in Linux kernel with an evaluation board to show the capability of the proposed scheme.
Transient Receptor Potential Channels in the Vasculature
Authors: Earley Scott , Brayden Joseph E.
Published: April 2015

The mammalian genome encodes 28 distinct members of the transient receptor potential (TRP) superfamily of cation channels, which exhibit varying degrees of selectivity for different ionic species. Multiple TRP channels are present in all cells and are involved in diverse aspects of cellular function, including sensory perception and signal transduction. Notably, TRP channels are involved in regulating vascular function and pathophysiology, the focus of this review. TRP channels in vascular smooth muscle cells participate in regulating contractility and proliferation, whereas endothelial TRP channel activity is an important contributor to endothelium-dependent vasodilation, vascular wall permeability, and angiogenesis. TRP channels are also present in perivascular sensory neurons and astrocytic endfeet proximal to cerebral arterioles, where they participate in the regulation of vascular tone. Almost all of these functions are mediated by changes in global intracellular Ca2+levels or subcellular Ca2+signaling events. In addition to directly mediating Ca2+entry, TRP channels influence intracellular Ca2+dynamics through membrane depolarization associated with the influx of cations or through receptor- or store-operated mechanisms. Dysregulation of TRP channels is associated with vascular-related pathologies, including hypertension, neointimal injury, ischemia-reperfusion injury, pulmonary edema, and neurogenic inflammation. In this review, we briefly consider general aspects of TRP channel biology and provide an in-depth discussion of the functions of TRP channels in vascular smooth muscle cells, endothelial cells, and perivascular cells under normal and pathophysiological conditions.
Metabolic Methanol: Molecular Pathways and Physiological Roles
Authors: Dorokhov Yuri L. , Shindyapina Anastasia V. , Sheshukova Ekaterina V. , Komarova Tatiana V.
Published: April 2015

Methanol has been historically considered an exogenous product that leads only to pathological changes in the human body when consumed. However, in normal, healthy individuals, methanol and its short-lived oxidized product, formaldehyde, are naturally occurring compounds whose functions and origins have received limited attention. There are several sources of human physiological methanol. Fruits, vegetables, and alcoholic beverages are likely the main sources of exogenous methanol in the healthy human body. Metabolic methanol may occur as a result of fermentation by gut bacteria and metabolic processes involving S-adenosyl methionine. Regardless of its source, low levels of methanol in the body are maintained by physiological and metabolic clearance mechanisms. Although human blood contains small amounts of methanol and formaldehyde, the content of these molecules increases sharply after receiving even methanol-free ethanol, indicating an endogenous source of the metabolic methanol present at low levels in the blood regulated by a cluster of genes. Recent studies of the pathogenesis of neurological disorders indicate metabolic formaldehyde as a putative causative agent. The detection of increased formaldehyde content in the blood of both neurological patients and the elderly indicates the important role of genetic and biochemical mechanisms of maintaining low levels of methanol and formaldehyde.
Renal Autoregulation in Health and Disease
Authors: Carlström Mattias , Wilcox Christopher S. , Arendshorst William J.
Published: April 2015

Intrarenal autoregulatory mechanisms maintain renal blood flow (RBF) and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) independent of renal perfusion pressure (RPP) over a defined range (80–180 mmHg). Such autoregulation is mediated largely by the myogenic and the macula densa-tubuloglomerular feedback (MD-TGF) responses that regulate preglomerular vasomotor tone primarily of the afferent arteriole. Differences in response times allow separation of these mechanisms in the time and frequency domains. Mechanotransduction initiating the myogenic response requires a sensing mechanism activated by stretch of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) and coupled to intracellular signaling pathways eliciting plasma membrane depolarization and a rise in cytosolic free calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i). Proposed mechanosensors include epithelial sodium channels (ENaC), integrins, and/or transient receptor potential (TRP) channels. Increased [Ca2+]ioccurs predominantly by Ca2+influx through L-type voltage-operated Ca2+channels (VOCC). Increased [Ca2+]iactivates inositol trisphosphate receptors (IP3R) and ryanodine receptors (RyR) to mobilize Ca2+from sarcoplasmic reticular stores. Myogenic vasoconstriction is sustained by increased Ca2+sensitivity, mediated by protein kinase C and Rho/Rho-kinase that favors a positive balance between myosin light-chain kinase and phosphatase. Increased RPP activates MD-TGF by transducing a signal of epithelial MD salt reabsorption to adjust afferent arteriolar vasoconstriction. A combination of vascular and tubular mechanisms, novel to the kidney, provides for high autoregulatory efficiency that maintains RBF and GFR, stabilizes sodium excretion, and buffers transmission of RPP to sensitive glomerular capillaries, thereby protecting against hypertensive barotrauma. A unique aspect of the myogenic response in the renal vasculature is modulation of its strength and speed by the MD-TGF and by a connecting tubule glomerular feedback (CT-GF) mechanism. Reactive oxygen species and nitric oxide are modulators of myogenic and MD-TGF mechanisms. Attenuated renal autoregulation contributes to renal damage in many, but not all, models of renal, diabetic, and hypertensive diseases. This review provides a summary of our current knowledge regarding underlying mechanisms enabling renal autoregulation in health and disease and methods used for its study.
Survivors of Childhood Cancer in the United States: Prevalence and Burden of Morbidity
Authors: Phillips Siobhan M. , Padgett Lynne S. , Leisenring Wendy M. , Stratton Kayla K. , Bishop Ken , Krull Kevin R. , Alfano Catherine M. , Gibson Todd M. , de Moor Janet S. , Hartigan Danielle Blanch , Armstrong Gregory T. , Robison Leslie L. , Rowland Julia H. , Oeffinger Kevin C. , Mariotto Angela B.
Published: April 2015

Background: No studies have estimated the population-level burden of morbidity in individuals diagnosed with cancer as children (ages 0–19 years). We updated prevalence estimates of childhood cancer survivors as of 2011 and burden of morbidity in this population reflected by chronic conditions, neurocognitive dysfunction, compromised health-related quality of life, and health status (general health, mental health, functional impairment, functional limitations, pain, and fear/anxiety).

Methods: Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program data from 1975 to 2011 were used to update the prevalence of survivors of childhood cancers in the United States. Childhood Cancer Survivor Study data were used to obtain estimates of morbidity burden indicators, which were then extrapolated to SEER data to obtain population-level estimates.

Results: There were an estimated 388,501 survivors of childhood cancer in the United States as of January 1, 2011, of whom 83.5% are ≥5 years after diagnosis. The prevalence of any chronic condition among ≥5-year survivors ranged from 66% (ages 5–19) to 88% (ages 40–49). Estimates for specific morbidities ranged from 12% (pain) to 35% (neurocognitive dysfunction). Generally, morbidities increased by age. However, mental health and anxiety remained fairly stable, and neurocognitive dysfunction exhibited initial decline and then remained stable by time since diagnosis.

Conclusions: The estimated prevalence of survivors of childhood cancer is increasing, as is the estimated prevalence of morbidity in those ≥5 years after diagnosis.

Impact: Efforts to understand how to effectively decrease morbidity burden and incorporate effective care coordination and rehabilitation models to optimize longevity and well-being in this population should be a priority. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 24(4); 653–63. ©2015 AACR.