bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Rapid pitch correction in choir singers
Authors: Grell Anke , Sundberg Johan , Ternström Sten , Ptok Martin , Altenmüller Eckart
Published: July 2009

Highly and moderately skilled choral singers listened to a perfect fifth reference, with the instruction to complement the fifth such that a major triad resulted. The fifth was suddenly and unexpectedly shifted in pitch, and the singers’ task was to shift the fundamental frequency of the sung tone accordingly. The F0 curves during the transitions often showed two phases, an initial quick and large change followed by a slower and smaller change, apparently intended to fine-tune voice F0 to complement the fifth. Anesthetizing the vocal folds of moderately skilled singers tended to delay the reaction. The means of the response times varied in the range 197– 259 ms depending on direction and size of the pitch shifts, as well as on skill and anesthetization.
Use of the standard rubber ball as an impact source with heavyweight concrete floors
Authors: Jeon Jin Yong , Lee Pyoung Jik , Sato Shin-ichi
Published: July 2009

To select an appropriate standard floor impact source to simulate real floor impacts, objective and subjective evaluations of the floor impact sounds were conducted in a box-frame-type structure with reinforced concrete slab floors. The sounds simulated in the test were those that would result from an adult walking barefoot, children running and jumping (represented by a heavy-weight impact source, such as a bang machine or an impact ball), as well as those of a person walking in high-heels or a lightweight object being dropped (represented by a tapping machine). Similarity tests between human-made impact sounds and standard heavy-weight impact sounds were performed. Sound quality (SQ) metrics were used to predict the results of the similarity tests. These results showed that the impact sound of an impact ball is more similar to a human-made impact sound than the sound of a bang machine. A multiple regression analysis showed that loudness and roughness are significant factors describing the results of similarity judgment among SQ metrics. Much of the data from the standard impact sources, measured in reinforced concrete floors with rigid floor coverings, have been collected. An empirical relationship was established to convert the impact pressure sound level from the bang machine or tapping machine to that from the impact ball. This study indicates that the use of an impact ball is reliable for simulating human impact sounds.
Identification of Linkage Disequilibrium SNPs from a Kidney-Yang Deficiency Syndrome Pedigree
Authors: Ding Wei Jun , Zeng Ying Zi , Li Wei Hong , Zhang Tian E. , Liu Wei Wei , Teng Xiao Kun , Ma Yong Xin , Yan Shi Lin , Wan Jennifer Man-Fan , Wang Mi-Qu
Published: July 2009

In order to probe the genetic traits of Kidney-yang Deficiency Syndrome (KDS), we employed a national standard of KDS diagnosis for the collection of KDS subjects. Each candidate KDS subject from a typical family was diagnosed by 5 independent physicians of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), and repeated for 3 years, all on the first Saturday of December. Fifteen samples of genomic DNA were isolated and genotyped by Affymetrix 100 K arrays of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP). Then appropriate tools were used for the analysis of linkage disequilibrium (LD) and bioinformatic mining of LD SNPs. The results indicated that our procedure of TCM diagnosis can effectively collect KDS subjects and therefore provide substantial basis for the linkage analysis of KDS. Five SNPs (i.e. rs514207, rs1054020, rs7685923, rs10515889 and rs10516202) were identified as LD SNPs from this KDS family, representing an unprecedented set of LD SNPs derived from TCM syndrome. These SNPs demonstrate midrange linkage disequilibrium within the KDS family. Two genes with established functions were identified within 100 bp of these SNPs. One is Homo sapiens double cortin domain containing 5, which interacts selectively with mono-, di- or tri-saccharide carbohydrate and involves certain signaling cascades. Another one, leucyl-tRNA synthetase, is also a pleiotropic gene response to cysteinyl-tRNA aminoacylation and protein biosynthesis. In conclusion, KDS is involved in special SNP linkage disequilibrium in the intragenic level, and genes within the flanks of these SNPs suggest some essential symptoms of KDS. However, definitive evidence to confirm or exclude these loci and to establish their biological activities will be required.
An Analytical Review of the Chinese Literature on Qigong Therapy for Diabetes Mellitus
Authors: Chen Kevin W. , Liu Tianjun , Zhang Haibo , Lin Zhongpeng
Published: July 2009

Diabetes rates have doubled in China over the past decade. However, as conventional medicine offers neither a sound explanation nor an effective cure, patients with diabetes increasingly seek complementary and alternative therapies. It was reported that the traditional Chinese medical approach, Qigong, might produce therapeutic benefits with minimal side-effects in this condition. The Qigong Database, the China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and the library databases of Chinese institutions from 1978 to middle of 2008 on open trials, laboratory studies, and controlled clinical studies were reviewed. Over 35 studies were identified and reviewed. Qigong therapy for diabetic patients included self-practice, group qi-field therapy, external qi therapy, and Qigong in combination with other therapies. Only 2 randomized controlled trials were found; both evaluate Qigong as an adjuvant to conventional therapy. All studies reported some therapeutic effect or improvement. Some reported significant reduction in fasting plasma glucose. Others reported complete cures, which were unlikely to be the result of placebo effect as objective outcome measures were used. Qigong therapy may be an important complement to conventional medicine in treating diabetes, but the quality of studies needs to be improved. These preliminary data are promising and support the need for further randomized controlled trials.
A Astragalus Improved Cardiac Function of Adriamycin-Injured Rat Hearts by Upregulation of SERCA2a Expression
Authors: Su Dan , Li Han-Yi , Yan Hao-Ran , Liu Peng-Fei , Zhang Liu , Cheng Jian-Hua
Published: July 2009

The traditional Chinese medical herb Astragalus, the dried root of Astragalus membranaceus (Fisch.) Bge., has been widely applied to treat patients with cardiovascular disease in China and has profound cardioprotective effects. This study investigated the effect of Astragalus on hemodynamic changes in adriamycin (ADR)-injured rat hearts and its underlying molecular mechanism. Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into four groups: control, ADR only, ADR + low dose of Astragalus and ADR + high dose of Astragalus. Rats were injected intraperitoneally with 6 equal doses of ADR (cumulative dose, 12 mg/kg) over a period of 2 weeks. Treatment of Astragalus began 1 day before the onset of ADR injection and was given orally once a day for 50 days (3.3 or 10 g/kg/day). Five weeks after the final injection of ADR, rats treated with ADR only showed a significant inhibition of cardiac diastolic function accompanied by the presence of ascites, a remarkable reduction in body weight and heart weight as well as survival rate compared to the controls. Moreover, SERCA2a mRNA and protein expressions in hearts were obviously downregulated by ADR. However, this impaired cardiac function was significantly improved in both doses of Astragalus feeding groups. The amount of ascites was also reduced in a similar extent in these 2 groups. Only the high dose treatment of Astragalus significantly attenuated the changes of SERCA2a expression in injured hearts and improved survival. These results indicated that Astragalus could improve cardiac function of ADR-injured rat hearts, which was partly mediated by upregulation of SERCA2a expression.
DOMAINS IN AQUEOUS SOLUTIONS: THEORY AND EXPERIMENTAL EVIDENCE
Authors: YINNON CARMI A. , YINNON TAMAR A.
Published: July 2009

Experimentally observed aggregates in under-saturated aqueous solutions are analyzed. Aggregates studied include: 0.5 to 6 micrometer-sized domains composed of solvated strong electrolyte ions, organic- or bio-molecules; clusters of up to 280 water molecules.

Hitherto, the customary electrostatic (ES) theories could not explain the formation of these large aggregates. Recently, it was shown that quantum electrodynamic (QED) interactions might affect the structure of solutions. Our analysis indicates that these interactions cause the observed aggregations.

We found the observed aggregate characteristics conform to those of QED coherent domains. For example, QED predicts that dilution, e.g. from 2 M to 1 M, causes an increase of several hundred percent in the size of domains composed of solvated coherently oscillating molecules or ions. For solutions of DNA or NaCl , the measured cluster size as a function of concentration is available in the literature. We found it to be in agreement with the QED predictions.
MODIFIED JOSEPHSON EQUATION AND MEASUREMENT DYNAMICS FOR THE JOSEPHSON TRANSMISSION LINE DETECTOR
Authors: LIANG BAO-LONG , WANG JI-SUO , MENG XIANG-GUO , SU JIE
Published: July 2009

By introducing the entangled state representation and following Feynman's assumption that "electron pairs are bosons … A bound pair acts as a Bose particle", we construct a Hamiltonian operator for the Josephson transmission line (JTL) detector, then we use the Heisenberg equation of motion to derive the modified Josephson equation. Based on the modified Josephson equation, the measurement dynamics of JTL detector is investigated, which will be helpful for us to analyze the quantum measurement of JTL detector.
LOW FREQUENCY ACOUSTIC RESPONSE OF SURFACE CRACKS BY ATOM FORCE ACOUSTIC MICROSCOPY
Authors: SU WEI-TAO , LI BIN , LIU DING-QUAN , ZHANG FENG-SHAN
Published: July 2009

Surface crack of CeF 3 films generated by thermal stress were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and atom force acoustic microscopy (AFAM). Low frequency (8–18 kHz) acoustic response of films and cracks was measured by AFAM. The low frequency acoustic response is similar to what had been got at several MHz or even higher frequency. It was found that surface elastic properties of CeF 3 films can be easily qualitatively measured by low frequency AFAM.
DEPENDENCE OF CORROSION BEHAVIOR OF Ni–MoS2/Al2O3 COATINGS IN RELATION TO THE Al2O3 RATIO IN MoS2/Al2O3 PARTICLES
Authors: HUANG ZHONG-JIA , XIONG DANG-SHENG
Published: July 2009

The MoS 2 particles were coated with Al 2 O 3 ratio varying from 5 to 50 wt.% content. Ni – MoS 2/ Al 2 O 3 composite coatings were prepared by means of pulse electrodeposition. The dependence of preferential orientation index and corrosion properties of these composite coatings was investigated in relation to the Al 2 O 3 ratio in MoS 2/ Al 2 O 3 particles. Polarization measurements have been used to evaluate corrosion resistance performance of coating. The Ni – MoS 2/50 wt .% Al 2 O 3 coatings showed the highest corrosion resistance compared with Ni – MoS 2/5 wt .% Al 2 O 3, Ni – MoS 2/10 wt .% Al 2 O 3, and Ni – MoS 2/30 wt .% Al 2 O 3 coatings. Thus, it is understood that the increase of ratio of Al 2 O 3 in MoS 2/ Al 2 O 3 composite particle improves the corrosion efficiency of coating. These Al 2 O 3 act as inert physical barriers to the initiation and development of corrosion defect, hence improve the corrosion resistance of the coating.
Defects and faults in QCA-based PLAs
Authors: Crocker Michael , Hu X. Sharon , Niemier Michael
Published: July 2009

Defect tolerance will be critical in any system with nanoscale feature sizes. This article examines some fundamental aspects of defect tolerance for a reconfigurable system based on Quantum-dot Cellular Automata (QCA). We analyze a novel, QCA-based, Programmable Logic Array (PLA) structure, develop an implementation independent fault model, and discuss how expected defects and faults might affect yield. Within this context, we introduce techniques for mapping Boolean logic functions to a defective QCA-based PLA. Simulation results show that our new mapping techniques can achieve higher yields than existing techniques.
Scan-chain design and optimization for three-dimensional integrated circuits
Authors: Wu Xiaoxia , Falkenstern Paul , Chakrabarty Krishnendu , Xie Yuan
Published: July 2009

Scan chains are widely used to improve the testability of integrated circuit (IC) designs and to facilitate fault diagnosis. For traditional 2D IC design, a number of design techniques have been proposed in the literature for scan-chain routing and scan-cell partitioning. However, these techniques are not effective for three-dimensional (3D) technologies, which have recently emerged as a promising means to continue technology scaling. In this article, we propose two techniques for designing scan chains in 3D ICs, with given constraints on the number of through-silicon-vias (TSVs). The first technique is based on a genetic algorithm (GA), and it addresses the ordering of cells in a single scan chain. The second optimization technique is based on integer linear programming (ILP); it addresses single-scan-chain ordering as well as the partitioning of scan flip-flops into multiple scan chains. We compare these two methods by conducting experiments on a set of ISCAS'89 benchmark circuits. The first conclusion obtained from the results is that 3D scan-chain optimization achieves significant wire-length reduction compared to 2D counterparts. The second conclusion is that the ILP-based technique provides lower bounds on the scan-chain interconnect length for 3D ICs, and it offers considerable reduction in wire-length compared to the GA-based heuristic method.
Efficient parallel testing and diagnosis of digital microfluidic biochips
Authors: Datta Siddhartha , Joshi Bharat , Ravindran Arun , Mukherjee Arindam
Published: July 2009

Microfluidics-based biochips consist of microfluidic arrays on rigid substrates through which movement of fluids is tightly controlled to facilitate biological reactions. Biochips are soon expected to revolutionize biosensing, clinical diagnostics, environmental monitoring, and drug discovery. Critical to the deployment of the biochips in such diverse areas is the dependability of these systems. Thus robust testing and diagnosis techniques are required to ensure adequate level of system dependability. Due to the underlying mixed technology and mixed energy domains, such biochips exhibit unique failure mechanisms and defects. In this article efficient parallel testing and diagnosis algorithms are presented that can detect and locate single as well as multiple faults in a microfluidic array without flooding the array, a problem that has hampered realistic implementation of several existing strategies. The fault diagnosis algorithms are well suited for built-in self-test that could drastically reduce the operating cost of microfluidic biochip. Also, the proposed alogirthms can be used both for testing and fault diagnosis during field operation as well as increasing yield during the manufacturing phase of the biochip. Furthermore, these algorithms can be applied to both online and offline testing and diagnosis. Analytical results suggest that these strategies that can be used to design highly dependable biochip systems.
Double submissions
Authors: Schulzrinne Henning
Published: July 2009

As the community develops an ever more diverse set of venues for disseminating and discussing technical work and as the traditional resource constraints change from pages and shelf space to reviewer time, the traditional prohibition against double submission deserves closer consideration. We discuss reasons why double submissions have been frowned upon, and try to establish a set of guidelines that ensure appropriate review and dissemination, without preventing informal early discussion of research projects.
You must be joking...
Authors: Faloutsos Michalis
Published: July 2009

"Don't even get me started" is a powerful and direct, yet vague and meaningless, expression. What if you reply: "By all means, please, get started". I believe that this will stun your opponent (it may be a friendly discussion, but if you don't believe the other person is an opponent, you will never win.). Then, you can quickly grab his/her nose and yell: "Twos before eights, and one bird in the bush". It can be very entertaining unless the other person is your boss or your psychiatrist. In any case, this column dares to go where no column at CCR has gone before. It is all about getting started. And by that, we mean starting start-ups.

Warning: the content below is not suitable for small children or adults with common sense.
Prolonged maternal amino acid infusion in late-gestation pregnant sheep increases fetal amino acid oxidation
Authors: Rozance Paul J. , Crispo Michelle M. , Barry James S. , O'Meara Meghan C. , Frost Mackenzie S. , Hansen Kent C. , Hay William W. , Brown Laura D.
Published: July 2009

Protein supplementation during human pregnancy does not improve fetal growth and may increase small-for-gestational-age birth rates and mortality. To define possible mechanisms, sheep with twin pregnancies were infused with amino acids (AA group, n = 7) or saline (C group, n = 4) for 4 days during late gestation. In the AA group, fetal plasma leucine, isoleucine, valine, and lysine concentrations were increased ( P < 0.05), and threonine was decreased ( P < 0.05). In the AA group, fetal arterial pH (7.365 ± 0.007 day 0 vs. 7.336 ± 0.012 day 4, P < 0.005), hemoglobin-oxygen saturation (46.2 ± 2.6 vs. 37.8 ± 3.6%, P < 0.005), and total oxygen content (3.17 ± 0.17 vs. 2.49 ± 0.20 mmol/l, P < 0.0001) were decreased on day 4 compared with day 0. Fetal leucine disposal did not change (9.22 ± 0.73 vs. 8.09 ± 0.63 μmol·min−1·kg−1, AA vs. C), but the rate of leucine oxidation increased 43% in the AA group (2.63 ± 0.16 vs. 1.84 ± 0.24 μmol·min−1·kg−1, P < 0.05). Fetal oxygen utilization tended to be increased in the AA group (327 ± 23 vs. 250 ± 29 μmol·min−1·kg−1, P = 0.06). Rates of leucine incorporation into fetal protein (5.19 ± 0.97 vs. 5.47 ± 0.89 μmol·min−1·kg−1, AA vs. C), release from protein breakdown (4.20 ± 0.95 vs. 4.62 ± 0.74 μmol·min−1·kg−1), and protein accretion (1.00 ± 0.30 vs. 0.85 ± 0.25 μmol·min−1·kg−1) did not change. Consistent with these data, there was no change in the fetal skeletal muscle ubiquitin ligases MaFBx1 or MuRF1 or in the protein synthesis regulators 4E-BP1, eEF2, eIF2α, and p70S6K. Decreased concentrations of certain essential amino acids, increased amino acid oxidation, fetal acidosis, and fetal hypoxia are possible mechanisms to explain fetal toxicity during maternal amino acid supplementation.
Role of lipid-derived mediators in skeletal muscle insulin resistance
Authors: Taube Annika , Eckardt Kristin , Eckel Juergen
Published: July 2009

Imbalance between nutritional intake and energy expenditure has been described to culminate in obesity, which predisposes to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes mellitus. In such states of energy oversupply, excess amounts of lipids are available in tissues and circulation. Over the past years, an increasingly important role in development of skeletal muscle (SkM) insulin resistance has been attributed to lipids and impaired fatty acid metabolism. In this review, we reflect the current state of knowledge about the effects of various lipid-derived mediators on SkM insulin sensitivity. Furthermore, potential mechanisms underlying the biogenesis of intramyocellular ectopic lipid stores are discussed. Previously, a pivotal role was attributed to mitochondrial dysfunction. However, results of recent studies have suggested an important role for exercise deficiency, accompanied by decreased expression levels of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator-1α and subsequent, incomplete β-oxidation. Additionally, we summarize the implications of increased levels of lipid-derived endocannabinoids (ECs) for metabolic control in peripheral tissue and highlight the benefits of targeting the EC system.
Ocular Responses to Brief Motion of Textured Backgrounds During Smooth Pursuit in Humans
Authors: Miura K. , Kobayashi Y. , Kawano K.
Published: July 2009

We studied the effects of horizontal smooth pursuit on the ocular responses to brief vertical perturbations of textured backgrounds in humans. When the subject was fixating on a stationary target, a brief vertical perturbation of the background elicited a small tracking response. When the subject was pursuing a target moving horizontally, the same background perturbation elicited a larger response: that is, the response to vertical background perturbations was enhanced during pursuit (pursuit-related enhancement). On the other hand, the dependencies of the ocular responses on spatial frequency, temporal frequency, and stimulus contrast were similar regardless of the ongoing behavior of the subject. We also found that a low-level energy-based mechanism underlies the ocular responses to vertical perturbations of the background during fixation and smooth pursuit. We conclude that the pursuit-related enhancement is independent of the properties of visual processing for cross-axis motion of backgrounds, which suggests that this enhancement results from uniform facilitation of the visual system and/or from facilitation of visuomotor transmission downstream of the visual processing.
A Geometry-Inclusive Analysis for Single-Relay Systems
Authors: Yu Meng , Li Jing (Tiffany) , Sadjadpour Hamid
Published: July 2009

Successful message relay, or the quality of the interuser channel, is critical to fully realize the cooperative benefits promised by the theory. This in turn points out the importance of the geometry of cooperative system. This paper investigates the impact of the relay's location on the system capacity and outage probability for both amplify-forward (AF) and decode-forward (DF) schemes. Signal attenuation is modeled using power laws, and capacity is evaluated using the max-flow min-cut theory. A capacity contour for DF, the more popular mode of the two, is provided to facilitate the derivation of engineering rules. Finally, a selective single-relay system, which selects the best relay node among a host of candidates according to their locations, is analyzed. The average system capacity and outage, averaged over all possible candidates' locations, are evaluated. The result shows that the availability of a small candidate pool of 3 to 5 nodes suffices to reap most of the cooperative gains promised by a selective single-relay system.
Herpesvirus‐Mediated Delivery of a Genetically Encoded Fluorescent Ca2+ Sensor to Canine Cardiomyocytes
Authors: Prorok János , Kovács Péter P. , Kristóf Attila A. , Nagy Norbert , Tombácz Dóra , Tóth Judit S. , Ördög Balázs , Jost Norbert , Virág László , Papp Julius G. , Varró András , Tóth András , Boldogkői Zsolt
Published: July 2009

We report the development and application of a pseudorabies virus‐based system for delivery of troponeon, a fluorescent Ca2+ sensor to adult canine cardiomyocytes. The efficacy of transduction was assessed by calculating the ratio of fluorescently labelled and nonlabelled cells in cell culture. Interaction of the virus vector with electrophysiological properties of cardiomyocytes was evaluated by the analysis of transient outward current (Ito), kinetics of the intracellular Ca2+ transients, and cell shortening. Functionality of transferred troponeon was verified by FRET analysis. We demonstrated that the transfer efficiency of troponeon to cultured adult cardiac myocytes was virtually 100%. We showed that even after four days neither the amplitude nor the kinetics of the Ito current was significantly changed and no major shifts occurred in parameters of transients. Furthermore, we demonstrated that infection of cardiomyocytes with the virus did not affect the morphology, viability, and physiological attributes of cells.
Effect of Potential, Temperature, and Fluoride Ions on the Repassivation Kinetics of Titanium in Phosphate Buffered Saline Solution with the Photon Rupture Method
Authors: Sakairi Masatoshi , Miyata Hiroomi , Kikuchi Tatsuya , Takahashi Hideaki
Published: July 2009

The effect of the applied potentials, temperature, and F− ions on the localized repassivation kinetics of titanium was investigated by the photon rupture method, PRM, and electrochemical techniques in phosphate buffered saline solution. The log⁡ I versus log⁡ t plots after laser beam irradiation showed a
rapid increase, then a decrease with a slope of about −1.5, which is steeper than that expected from
high field oxide film formation theory, suggesting that the repassivation of titanium is a combination of electrochemical and chemical reactions. The repassivation current increases with increases in the applied potential and addition of F− ions, while solution temperature does not influence the repassivation kinetics. The effect of F− ions on the repassivation kinetics can be explained by localized pH changes caused by very rapid dissolution of titanium when titanium was exposed to PBS solution.
Manganese and Extracellular Superoxide Dismutase Polymorphisms and Risk for Asbestosis
Authors: Franko Alenka , Dodič-Fikfak Metoda , Arnerić Niko , Dolžan Vita
Published: July 2009

Manganese and extracellular superoxide dismutases (SOD2 and SOD3) are part of the enzymatic defence against reactive oxygen species, which are involved in the pathogenesis of asbestosis. This study investigates whether SOD2Ala −9Val and SOD3 Arg213Gly genetic polymorphisms represent risk factors for asbestosis in workers exposed to asbestos. The study included 262 cases with asbestosis and 265 controls with no asbestos‐related disease. Cumulative asbestos exposure was calculated for each subject. A real‐time PCR assay was introduced for genotyping. Logistic regression analysis was used to assess asbestosis risk. Asbestosis was associated with the homozygous SOD2 −9Ala/Ala genotype (OR = 1.50, 95% CI 1.01–2.24), whereas the association for the SOD3 Arg/Gly genotype was not significant (OR = 1.63, 95% CI 0.62–4.27).
The finding that the SOD2 −9Ala/Ala genotype increases the risk for asbestosis indicates that, in addition to asbestos exposure, genetic factors may also have a significant influence on the development of asbestosis.
GASFLOW Validation with Panda Tests from the OECD SETH Benchmark Covering Steam/Air and Steam/Helium/Air Mixtures
Authors: Royl Peter , Travis John R. , Breitung Wolfgang , Kim Jongtae , Kim Sang Baik
Published: July 2009

The CFD code GASFLOW solves the time‐dependent compressible Navier‐Stokes Equations with multiple gas species. GASFLOW was developed for nonnuclear and nuclear applications. The major nuclear applications of GASFLOW are 3D analyses of steam/hydrogen distributions in complex PWR containment buildings to simulate scenarios of beyond design basis accidents. Validation of GASFLOW has been a continuously ongoing process together with the development of this code. This contribution reports the results from the open posttest GASFLOW calculations that have been performed for new experiments from the OECD SETH Benchmark. Discussed are the steam distribution tests 9 and 9bis, 21 and 21bis involving comparable sequences with and without steam condensation and the last SETH test 25 with steam/helium release and condensation. The latter one involves lighter gas mixture sources like they can result in real accidents. The helium is taken as simulant for hydrogen.
Self‐Learning Facial Emotional Feature Selection Based on Rough Set Theory
Authors: Yang Yong , Wang Guoyin , Kong Hao
Published: July 2009

Emotion recognition is very important for human‐computer intelligent interaction. It is generally performed on facial or audio information by artificial neural network, fuzzy set, support vector machine, hidden Markov model, and so forth. Although some progress has already been made in emotion recognition, several unsolved issues still exist. For example, it is still an open problem which features are the most important for emotion recognition. It is a subject that was seldom studied in computer science. However, related research works have been conducted in cognitive psychology. In this paper, feature selection for facial emotion recognition is studied based on rough set theory. A self‐learning attribute reduction algorithm is proposed based on rough set and domain oriented data‐driven data mining theory. Experimental results show that important and useful features for emotion recognition can be identified by the proposed method with a high recognition rate. It is found that the features concerning mouth are the most important ones in geometrical features for facial emotion recognition.
A Design Technique for Adapting Number and Boundaries of Reconfigurable Modules at Runtime
Authors: Pionteck Thilo , Koch Roman , Albrecht Carsten , Maehle Erik
Published: July 2009

Runtime reconfigurable system‐on‐chip designs for FPGAs pose manifold demands on the underlying system architecture and design tool capabilities. The system architecture has to support varying communication needs of a
changing number of processing units mapped onto diverse locations. Design tools should support an arbitrary placement
of processing modules and the adjustment of boundaries of reconfigurable regions to the size of the actually
instantiated processing modules. While few works address the design of flexible system architectures, the adjustment of
boundaries of reconfigurable regions to the size of the actually instantiated processing modules is hardly ever considered
due to design tool limitations. In this paper, a technique for circumventing this restriction is presented. It allows
for a rededication of the reconfigurable area to a different number of individually sized reconfigurable regions.
This technique is embedded in the design flow of a runtime reconfigurable system architecture for Xilinx Virtex‐4
FPGAs. The system architecture will also be presented to provide a realistic application example.
Breast Cancer Migration and Invasion Depend on Proteasome Degradation of Regulator of G-Protein Signaling 4
Authors: Xie Yan , Wolff Dennis W. , Wei Taotao , Wang Bo , Deng Caishu , Kirui Joseph K. , Jiang Haihong , Qin Jianbing , Abel Peter W. , Tu Yaping
Published: July 2009

Aberrant signaling through G-protein coupled receptors promotes metastasis, the major cause of breast cancer death. We identified regulator of G-protein signaling 4 (RGS4) as a novel suppressor of breast cancer migration and invasion, important steps of metastatic cascades. By blocking signals initiated through Gi-coupled receptors, such as protease-activated receptor 1 and CXC chemokine receptor 4, RGS4 disrupted Rac1-dependent lamellipodia formation, a key step involved in cancer migration and invasion. RGS4 has GTPase-activating protein (GAP) activity, which inhibits G-protein coupled receptor signaling by deactivating G-proteins. An RGS4 GAP-deficient mutant failed to inhibit migration and invasion of breast cancer cells in both in vitro assays and a mouse xenograft model. Interestingly, both established breast cancer cell lines and human breast cancer specimens showed that the highest levels of RGS4 protein were expressed in normal breast epithelia and that RGS4 down-regulation by proteasome degradation is an index of breast cancer invasiveness. Proteasome blockade increased endogenous RGS4 protein to levels that markedly inhibit breast cancer cell migration and invasion, which was reversed by an RGS4-targeted short hairpin RNA. Our findings point to the existence of a mechanism for posttranslational regulation of RGS4 function, which may have important implications for the acquisition of a metastatic phenotype by breast cancer cells. Preventing degradation of RGS4 protein should attenuate aberrant signal inputs from multiple Gi-coupled receptors, thereby retarding the spread of breast cancer cells and making them targets for surgery, radiation, and immune treatment. [Cancer Res 2009;69(14):5743–51]
CCL5-Mediated Endogenous Antitumor Immunity Elicited by Adoptively Transferred Lymphocytes and Dendritic Cell Depletion
Authors: Nesbeth Yolanda , Scarlett Uciane , Cubillos-Ruiz Juan , Martinez Diana , Engle Xavier , Turk Mary-Jo , Conejo-Garcia Jose R.
Published: July 2009

Adoptive transfer of antitumor T cells is a promisingly effective therapy for various cancers, but its effect on endogenous antitumor immune mechanisms remains largely unknown. Here, we show that the administration of naive T cells de novo primed for only 7 days against tumor antigens resulted in the durable rejection of otherwise lethal ovarian cancers when coupled with the depletion of tumor-associated immunosuppressive dendritic cells (DC). Therapeutic activity required tumor antigen specificity and perforin expression by the adoptively transferred T cells, but not IFN-γ production. Importantly, these shortly primed T cells secreted large amounts of CCL5, which was required for their therapeutic benefit. Accordingly, transferred T cells recruited CCR5+ DCs into the tumor, where they showed distinct immunostimulatory attributes. Activated CCR5+ host T cells with antitumor activity also accumulated at tumor locations, and endogenous tumor-specific memory T cells remained elevated after the disappearance of transferred lymphocytes. Therefore, persistent, long-lived antitumor immunity was triggered by the administration of ex vivo activated T cells, but was directly mediated by immune cells of host origin. Our data unveil a CCL5-dependent mechanism of awakening endogenous antitumor immunity triggered by ex vivo expanded T cells, which is augmented by tumor-specific targeting of the cancer microenvironment. [Cancer Res 2009;69(15):6331–8]
Suppression of Nonhomologous End Joining Repair by Overexpression of HMGA2
Authors: Li Angela Y.J. , Boo Lee Ming , Wang Shih-Ya , Lin H. Helen , Wang Clay C.C. , Yen Yun , Chen Benjamin P.C. , Chen David J. , Ann David K.
Published: July 2009

Understanding the molecular details associated with aberrant high mobility group A2 (HMGA2) gene expression is key to establishing the mechanism(s) underlying its oncogenic potential and effect on the development of therapeutic strategies. Here, we report the involvement of HMGA2 in impairing DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK) during the nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ) process. We showed that HMGA2-expressing cells displayed deficiency in overall and precise DNA end-joining repair and accumulated more endogenous DNA damage. Proper and timely activation of DNA-PK, consisting of Ku70, Ku80, and DNA-PKcs subunits, is essential for the repair of DNA double strand breaks (DSB) generated endogenously or by exposure to genotoxins. In cells overexpressing HMGA2, accumulation of histone 2A variant X phosphorylation at Ser-139 (γ-H2AX) was associated with hyperphosphorylation of DNA-PKcs at Thr-2609 and Ser-2056 before and after the induction of DSBs. Also, the steady-state complex of Ku and DNA ends was altered by HMGA2. Microirradiation and real-time imaging in living cells revealed that HMGA2 delayed the release of DNA-PKcs from DSB sites, similar to observations found in DNA-PKcs mutants. Moreover, HMGA2 alone was sufficient to induce chromosomal aberrations, a hallmark of deficiency in NHEJ-mediated DNA repair. In summary, a novel role for HMGA2 to interfere with NHEJ processes was uncovered, implicating HMGA2 in the promotion of genome instability and tumorigenesis. [Cancer Res 2009;69(14):5699–706]
Signaling Events Downstream of Mammalian Target of Rapamycin Complex 2 Are Attenuated in Cells and Tumors Deficient for the Tuberous Sclerosis Complex Tumor Suppressors
Authors: Huang Jingxiang , Wu Shulin , Wu Chin-Lee , Manning Brendan D.
Published: July 2009

Mutations in the TSC1 and TSC2 tumor suppressor genes give rise to the neoplastic disorders tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) and lymphangioleiomyomatosis. Their gene products form a complex that is a critical negative regulator of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) complex 1 (mTORC1) and cell growth. We recently found that the TSC1-TSC2 complex promotes the activity of mTOR complex 2 (mTORC2), an upstream activator of Akt, and this occurs independent of its inhibitory effects on mTORC1. Loss of mTORC2 activity in cells lacking the TSC1-TSC2 complex, coupled with mTORC1-mediated feedback mechanisms, leads to strong attenuation of the growth factor–stimulated phosphorylation of Akt on S473. In this study, we show that both phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase–dependent and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase–independent mTORC2 substrates are affected by loss of the TSC1-TSC2 complex in cell culture models and kidney tumors from both Tsc2+/- mice (adenoma) and TSC patients (angiomyolipoma). These mTORC2 targets are all members of the AGC kinase family and include Akt, protein kinase Cα, and serum and glucocorticoid-induced protein kinase 1. We also show that the TSC1-TSC2 complex can directly stimulate the in vitro kinase activity of mTORC2. The interaction between these two complexes is mediated primarily through regions on TSC2 and a core component of mTORC2 called Rictor. Hence, loss of the TSC tumor suppressors results in elevated mTORC1 signaling and attenuated mTORC2 signaling. These findings suggest that the TSC1-TSC2 complex plays opposing roles in tumor progression, both blocking and promoting specific oncogenic pathways through its effects on mTORC1 inhibition and mTORC2 activation, respectively. [Cancer Res 2009;69(15):6107–14]
Overexpression of Extracellular Superoxide Dismutase Attenuates Heparanase Expression and Inhibits Breast Carcinoma Cell Growth and Invasion
Authors: Teoh Melissa L.T. , Fitzgerald Matthew P. , Oberley Larry W. , Domann Frederick E.
Published: July 2009

Increased expression of heparanase stimulates the progression of various human cancers, including breast cancer. Therefore, a deeper understanding of the mechanisms involved in regulating heparanase is critical in developing effective treatments for heparanase-overexpressing cancers. In this study, we investigated the potential use of extracellular superoxide dismutase (EcSOD) to enhance the inhibitory effects of heparin/low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) in breast cancer cells. EcSOD binds to cell surfaces and the extracellular matrix through heparin-binding domain (HBD). Deleting this HBD rendered the protein a more potent inhibitor of breast cancer growth, survival, and invasion. Among the treatment combinations examined, EcSODΔHBD plus LMWH provided the best tumor suppressive effects in inhibiting breast cancer growth and invasion in vitro. We have further shown that overexpression of EcSOD decreased accumulation of vascular endothelial growth factor in the culture medium and increased the level of intact cell surface-associated heparan sulfate, thus implicating inhibition of heparanase expression as a potential mechanism. Overexpression of EcSOD inhibited steady-state heparanase mRNA levels by >50% as determined by quantitative reverse transcription-PCR. Moreover, heparanase promoter activation was suppressed by EcSOD as indicated by a luciferase reporter assay. These findings reveal a previously unrecognized molecular pathway showing that regulation of heparanase transcription can be mediated by oxidative stress. Our study implies that overexpression of EcSOD is a promising strategy to enhance the efficacy of heparin/LMWH by inhibiting heparanase as a novel treatment for breast cancer. [Cancer Res 2009;69(15):6355–63]
High Levels of Circulating VEGFR2+ Bone Marrow–Derived Progenitor Cells Correlate with Metastatic Disease in Patients with Pediatric Solid Malignancies
Authors: Taylor Melissa , Rössler Jochen , Geoerger Birgit , Laplanche Agnès , Hartmann Olivier , Vassal Gilles , Farace Françoise
Published: July 2009

Purpose: Pediatric solid malignancies display important angiogenic potential, and blocking tumor angiogenesis represents a new therapeutic approach for these patients. Recent studies have evidenced rare circulating cells with endothelial features contributing to tumor neovascularization and have shown the pivotal role of bone marrow–derived (BMD) progenitor cells in metastatic disease progression. We measured these cells in patients with pediatric solid malignancies as a prerequisite to clinical trials with antiangiogenic therapy.

Patients and Methods: Peripheral blood was drawn from 45 patients with localized (n = 23) or metastatic (n = 22) disease, and 20 healthy subjects. Subsets of circulating vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR)2+-BMD progenitor cells, defined as CD45−CD34+VEGFR2(KDR)+7AAD− and CD45dimCD34+VEGFR2+7AAD− events, were measured in progenitor-enriched fractions by flow cytometry. Mature circulating endothelial cells (CEC) were measured in whole blood as CD31+CD146+CD45−7AAD− viable events. Data were correlated with VEGF and sVEGFR2 plasma levels.

Results: The CD45−CD34+VEGFR2(KDR)+7AAD− subset represented <0.003% of circulating BMD progenitor cells (≤0.05 cells/mL). However, the median level (range) of the CD45dimCD34+VEGFR2+7AAD− subset was higher in patients compared with healthy subjects, 1.5% (0%-10.3%) versus 0.3% (0%-1.6%) of circulating BMD progenitors (P < 0.0001), and differed significantly between patients with localized and metastatic disease, 0.7% (0%-8.6%) versus 2.9% (0.6%-10.3%) of circulating BMD progenitors (P < 0.001). Median CEC value was 7 cells/mL (0-152 cells/mL) and similar in all groups. Unlike VEGFR2+-BMD progenitors, neither CECs, VEGF, or sVEGFR2 plasma levels correlated with disease status.

Conclusion: High levels of circulating VEGFR2+-BMD progenitor cells correlated with metastatic disease. Our study provides novel insights for angiogenesis mechanisms in pediatric solid malignancies for which antiangiogenic targeting of VEGFR2+-BMD progenitors could be of interest.
Prediction of Muscle-invasive Bladder Cancer Using Urinary Proteomics
Authors: Schiffer Eric , Vlahou Antonia , Petrolekas Andreas , Stravodimos Konstantinos , Tauber Robert , Geschwend Jürgen E. , Neuhaus Jochen , Stolzenburg Jens-Uwe , Conaway Mark R. , Mischak Harald , Theodorescu Dan
Published: July 2009

Purpose: Minimally invasive methods of predicting the risk of muscle-invasive urothelial bladder carcinoma may expedite appropriate therapy and reduce morbidity and cost.

Experimental Design: Here, capillary electrophoresis coupled mass spectrometry was used to identify urinary polypeptide bladder cancer biomarkers in 127 patients. These markers were used to construct a panel discriminating muscle-invasive from noninvasive disease, which was refined in 297 additional samples from healthy volunteers, patients with malignant and nonmalignant genitourinary conditions. Sequencing of panel polypeptides was then done. Finally, the ability of the panel to predict muscle-invasive disease was evaluated prospectively in 130 bladder carcinoma patients. Four sequenced polypeptides formed a panel predictive of muscle-invasive disease.

Results: Prospective evaluation of this panel revealed a sensitivity of 81% [95% confidence interval (CI), 69-90] and specificity of 57% (95% CI, 45-69) for muscle-invasive disease. Multivariate analysis revealed the panel (P < 0.0001) and tumor grade (P = 0.0001), but not urine cytology, predict muscle invasion. A model including grade and panel polypeptide levels improved sensitivity [92% (95% CI, 82-97)] and specificity [68% (95% CI, 55-79)] for muscle-invasive disease. A model score of >0.88 provided a negative predictive value of 77% and positive predictive value of 90% for muscle invasion.

Conclusions: Use of urinary peptides seems promising in estimating the probability a patient harbors muscle-invasive urothelial bladder cancer. These peptides may also shed novel insights into the biology of bladder tumor progression not obtainable by other methods. Clinical trials seem warranted to evaluate the effect of this approach on practice.
Constitutional Haploinsufficiency of Tumor Suppressor Genes in Mentally Retarded Patients With Microdeletions in 17p13.1
Authors: Krepischi-Santos A.C.V. , Rajan D. , Temple I.K. , Shrubb V. , Crolla J.A. , Huang S. , Beal S. , Otto P.A. , Carter N.P. , Vianna-Morgante A.M. , Rosenberg C.
Published: July 2009

Chromosome microdeletions or duplications are detected in 10–20% of patients with mental impairment and normal karyotypes. A few cases have been reported of mental impairment with microdeletions comprising tumor suppressor genes. By array-CGH we detected 4 mentally impaired individuals carrying de novo microdeletions sharing an overlapping segment of ∼180 kb in 17p13.1. This segment encompasses 18 genes, including 3 involved in cancer, namely KCTD11/REN, DLG4/PSD95, and GPS2. Furthermore, in 2 of the patients, the deletions also included TP53, the most frequently inactivated gene in human cancers. The 3 tumor suppressor genes KCTD11, DLG4, and GPS2, in addition to the GABARAP gene, have a known or suspected function in neuronal development and are candidates for causing mental impairment in our patients. Among our 4 patients with deletions in 17p13.1, 3 were part of a Brazilian cohort of 300 mentally retarded individuals, suggesting that this segment may be particularly prone to rearrangements and appears to be an important cause (∼1%) of mental retardation. Further, the constitutive deletion of tumor suppressor genes in these patients, particularly TP53, probably confers a significantly increased lifetime risk for cancer and warrants careful oncological surveillance of these patients. Constitutional chromosome deletions containing tumor suppressor genes in patients with mental impairment or congenital abnormalities may represent an important mechanism linking abnormal phenotypes with increased risks of cancer.
Mosaic Trisomy 21/Monosomy 21 in a Living Female Infant
Authors: Nguyen H.P. , Riess A. , Krüger M. , Bauer P. , Singer S. , Schneider M. , Enders H. , Dufke A.
Published: July 2009

Many autosomal monosomies are presumed to end in arrested growth in the first few mitoses, prior even to the time of implantation, with possibly some proceeding to the stage of occult abortion. The single exception may be monosomy 21, although this has been questioned, with most earlier reports of monosomy 21 recently re-interpreted as being due to an unbalanced translocation involving chromosome 21. Here we report a female infant with a mosaic trisomy 21/monosomy 21 karyotype. While the karyotype 46,XX,i(21)(q10) is detected in all metaphases investigated in lymphocytes, mosaicism with the karyotype 46,XX,i(21)(q10)[31]/45,XX, –21[12] is seen in fibroblasts from a skin biopsy. Dysmorphic facial features and multiple malformations remarkably resemble cases of monosomy 21 that have been described in the literature. This suggests a dominant phenotypic effect of loss of one chromosome 21. Detailed clinical description, results of gene dosage studies, and cytogenetic analysis will be presented.