bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
FdeC, a Novel Broadly Conserved Escherichia coli Adhesin Eliciting Protection against Urinary Tract Infections
Authors: Nesta Barbara , Spraggon Glen , Alteri Christopher , Gomes Moriel Danilo , Rosini Roberto , Veggi Daniele , Smith Sara , Bertoldi Isabella , Pastorello Ilaria , Ferlenghi Ilaria , Fontana Maria Rita , Frankel Gad , Mobley Harry L. T. , Rappuoli Rino , Pizza Mariagrazia , Serino Laura , Soriani Marco
Published: April 2012

The increasing antibiotic resistance of pathogenic
Escherichia coli
species and the absence of a pan-protective vaccine pose major health concerns. We recently identified, by subtractive reverse vaccinology, nine
Escherichia coli
antigens that protect mice from sepsis. In this study, we characterized one of them, ECOK1_0290, named FdeC (
f
actor a
d
herence

E
. 
c
oli

) for its ability to mediate
E. coli
adhesion to mammalian cells and extracellular matrix. This adhesive propensity was consistent with the X-ray structure of one of the FdeC domains that shows a striking structural homology to
Yersinia pseudotuberculosis
invasin and enteropathogenic
E. coli
intimin. Confocal imaging analysis revealed that expression of FdeC on the bacterial surface is triggered by interaction of
E. coli
with host cells. This phenotype was also observed in bladder tissue sections derived from mice infected with an extraintestinal strain. Indeed, we observed that FdeC contributes to colonization of the bladder and kidney, with the wild-type strain outcompeting the
fdeC
mutant in cochallenge experiments. Finally, intranasal mucosal immunization with recombinant FdeC significantly reduced kidney colonization in mice challenged transurethrally with uropathogenic
E. coli
, supporting a role for FdeC in urinary tract infections.

IMPORTANCE
Pathogenic
Escherichia coli
strains are involved in a diverse spectrum of diseases, including intestinal and extraintestinal infections (urinary tract infections and sepsis). The absence of a broadly protective vaccine against all these
E. coli
strains is a major problem for modern society due to high costs to health care systems. Here, we describe the structural and functional properties of a recently reported protective antigen, named FdeC, and elucidated its putative role during extraintestinal pathogenic
E. coli
infection by using both
in vitro
and
in vivo
infection models. The conservation of FdeC among strains of different
E. coli
pathotypes highlights its potential as a component of a broadly protective vaccine against extraintestinal and intestinal
E. coli
infections.
AN EFFICIENT AND PRACTICALLY ROBUST HYBRID METAHEURISTIC ALGORITHM FOR SOLVING FUZZY BUS TERMINAL LOCATION PROBLEMS
Authors: BABAIE-KAFAKI SAMAN , GHANBARI REZA , MAHDAVI-AMIRI NEZAM
Published: April 2012

Bus network design is an important problem in public transportation. In practice, some parameters of this problem are uncertain. We propose two models for the bus terminal location problem with fuzzy parameters. In the first formulation, the number of passengers corresponding to each node is a fuzzy number. In the second formulation, an additional assumption of fuzzy neighborhood is considered. These problems being NP-hard, we use a genetic algorithm (GA) and a simulated annealing (SA) algorithm for solving them. We also propose an idea to hybridize these algorithms. In our hybrid algorithm, SA is applied as a neighborhood search procedure of GA on the best individual of the population, which is the best available approximation of the optimal solution, with a varying probability that is gradually increased with the increase in the number of iterations in GA. We then implement GA, SA, our hybrid algorithm, and a recently proposed hybrid algorithm making use of a constant probability for application of SA on all the individuals of the population of GA, and use a nonparametric statistical test to compare their performances on a collection of randomly generated medium to large-scale test problems. Results of computational experiments demonstrating the efficiency and practicability of our proposed algorithm are reported.
A SINGLE-MACHINE TWO-AGENT SCHEDULING PROBLEM BY GA APPROACH
Authors: CHENG SHUENN-REN
Published: April 2012

A single-machine two-agent scheduling problem with a truncation learning effect is being addressed in the study. The truncation learning effect means that the actual processing time of a job is a function of the sum of processing times of already scheduled jobs and a control parameter. The aim is to find an optimal schedule to minimize the total weighted completion time of jobs of the first agent under the circumstances that no tardy job is allowed for the second agent. A branch-and-bound and three heuristic-based genetic algorithms (GAs) are proposed to solve the problem. Also presented in the study are the computational results of all proposed algorithms.
SAMPLE AVERAGE APPROXIMATION METHOD FOR SOLVING A DETERMINISTIC FORMULATION FOR BOX CONSTRAINED STOCHASTIC VARIATIONAL INEQUALITY PROBLEMS
Authors: LUO MEI-JU , LIN GUI-HUA
Published: April 2012

In this paper, we discuss the Expected Residual Minimization (ERM) method, which is to minimize the expected residue of some merit function for box constrained stochastic variational inequality problems (BSVIPs). This method provides a deterministic model, which formulates BSVIPs as an optimization problem. We first study the conditions under which the level sets of the ERM problem are bounded. Then, we show that solutions of the ERM formulation are robust in the sense that they may have a minimum sensitivity with respect to random parameter variations in BSVIPs. Since the integrality involved in the ERM problem is difficult to compute generally, we then employ sample average approximation method to solve it. Finally, we show that the global optimal solutions and generalized KKT points of the approximate problems converge to their counterparts of the ERM problem. On the other hand, as an application, we consider the model of European natural gas market under price uncertainty. Preliminary numerical experiments indicate that the proposed approach is applicable.
NUMERICAL STUDIES OF SOME GENERALIZED CONTROLLED RANDOM SEARCH ALGORITHMS
Authors: KAELO P. , ALI M. M.
Published: April 2012

This paper presents motivations and algorithmic details of some generalized controlled random search (CRS) algorithms for global optimization. It also carries out an extensive numerical study of the generalized CRS algorithms to demonstrate their superiorities over their original counterparts. The numerical study is carried out using a set of 50 test problems many of which are inspired by practical applications. Numerical experiments indicate that the generalized algorithms are considerably better than the previous versions. The algorithms are also compared with the DIRECT algorithm (Jones et al., 1993). The comparison shows that the generalized CRS algorithms are better than the DIRECT algorithm in high dimensional problems. Thus, they offer a reasonable alternative to many currently available stochastic algorithms, especially for problems requiring "direct search type" methods.
STOCHASTIC SOFTWARE PERFORMABILITY EVALUATION BASED ON NHPP RELIABILITY GROWTH MODEL
Authors: TOKUNO KOICHI , NAGATA TATSUYA , YAMADA SHIGERU
Published: April 2012

In this paper, we discuss the software performability evaluation considering the real-time property; this is defined as the attribute that the system can complete the task within the stipulated response time limit. The dynamic software reliability growth process is described by the nonhomogeneous Poisson process (NHPP). Assuming that the software system can process multiple tasks simultaneously and that the arrival process of the tasks also follows an NHPP, we analyze the distribution of the number of tasks whose processes can be completed within the processing time limit with the infinite-server queuing model. We derive several software performability measures considering the real-time property. Finally, we illustrate several numerical examples of the measures and discuss the software performability analysis.
RELIABILITY EVALUATION OF A MANUFACTURING NETWORK WITH REWORKING ACTION
Authors: LIN YI-KUEI , CHANG PING-CHEN
Published: April 2012

This paper focuses on performance evaluation of a manufacturing system from the network analysis perspective. Due to failure, partial failure, or maintenance, the capacity of each machine is stochastic (i.e., multistate). Hence, a manufacturing system can be constructed as a stochastic-flow network, named manufacturing network herein. Considering reworking action and failure rates of machines, this paper assesses the probability that the manufacturing network can satisfy demand. Such a probability is defined as the system reliability. First, a graphical technique is proposed to decompose the manufacturing network into one general processing path and one reworking path. Subsequently, two algorithms are utilized for different network models to generate the minimal capacity vector of machines that guarantee that the manufacturing network is able to produce sufficient products fulfilling the demand. The system reliability of the manufacturing network is derived in terms of such a capacity vector afterward.
OPPORTUNISTIC MAINTENANCE OPTIMIZATION FOR WIND TURBINE SYSTEMS CONSIDERING IMPERFECT MAINTENANCE ACTIONS
Authors: DING FANGFANG , TIAN ZHIGANG
Published: April 2012

Currently corrective maintenance and time-based preventive maintenance strategies are widely used in wind power industry. However, few methods are applied to optimize these strategies. This paper aims to develop opportunistic maintenance approaches for an entire wind farm rather than individual components that most of the existing studies deal with. Furthermore, we consider imperfect actions in the preventive maintenance tasks, which address the issue that preventive maintenance do not always return components to the as-good-as-new status in practice. In this paper we propose three opportunistic maintenance optimization models, where the preventive maintenance is considered as perfect, imperfect and two-level action, respectively. Simulation methods are developed to evaluate the costs of the proposed opportunistic maintenance policies. Numerical examples are provided to demonstrate the advantage of the proposed opportunistic maintenance methods in reducing the maintenance cost. The two-level action method demonstrates to be the most cost-effective in different cost situations, while the imperfect maintenance policy, which is a simpler method, is a close second. The developed methods are expected to bring immediate benefits to wind power industry.
DISCRETE MAINTENANCE MODELS OF ARMOUR BLOCK FACILITY UNDER PEAKS-OVER-THRESHOLD
Authors: SATOW TAKASHI , MATSUMI YOSHIHARU , OTA TAKAO
Published: April 2012

It applies some results of discrete maintenance models to an armour block facility. The armour block facility is subject to waves which occur at a homogeneous Poisson process. As a result, the facility's resistance deteriorates with elapsed time. The deterioration process is assumed as a gamma process. The facility is broken by a strong shock when a load of the shock exceeds the resistance level. The broken facility is maintained immediately as corrective maintenance. In order to reduce a total maintenance cost, we carry out preventive maintenance. As a criterion for maintenance decision making, it adopts a total expected maintenance cost over an infinite time horizon. A necessary condition to minimize the criterion is discussed. Finally, some numerical examples are given.
LENGTH AND WIDTH EFFECTS OF METAL FILMS ON STRESS-INDUCED BENDING OF SURFACE MICROMACHINED CANTILEVER CURVED GRATING
Authors: KUO JU-NAN
Published: April 2012

In this study, the length and width effects of metal films on the stress-induced bending of a surface micromachined cantilever curved grating are systematically investigated. A characterization of cantilever curved gratings with various lengths and widths was conducted to observe out-of-plane deformation. A finite element model was established to analyze the deformation. Finite element analysis and experimental results indicate that the commonly used beam theory formula for predicting the deformation of surface micromachined cantilever curved gratings is not valid for these devices. Experiments show that the shape of a cantilever curved grating and residual stress have a close relationship. As the length increases, the residual stress of the metal increases, resulting in a larger out-of-plane deformation of the cantilever curved grating. The tip deflection gradually decreases as the length-to-width ratio of the cantilever curved grating increases. A more reliable shape design of metal films on the stress-induced bending of surface micromachined cantilever curved gratings can thus be achieved.
THE VIBRATIONAL DYNAMICS OF THE ORDERED METALLIC Pd/Cu(100) SURFACE ALLOYS
Authors: CHADLI R. , KHATER A. , TIGRINE R.
Published: April 2012

The vibrational properties of the three ordered metallic surface alloys, Cu(100) -c(2 × 2)- Pd , Cu(100)-(2 × 1)-Pd , and Cu(100)-(2 × 2)-Pd , are presented. The phonon dispersions of vibrational modes as well as the local density of phonon states (LDOS) are calculated using matching theory associated with Green's function formalism. The calculated results are discussed and interpreted. In particular, the transfer of charge between the Pd and Cu atoms in the surface alloys modifies the surface boundary force constants, with resultant remarkable differences for the vibrational LDOS on the Pd and Cu atomic sites at the Pd/Cu(100) surface, compared to the LDOS at the pure Cu(100) surface. This may favor new Pd -catalyzed reactions at such surface alloys systems.
PRINCIPAL COMPONENT ANALYSIS OF KINEMATIC PATTERNS VARIABILITY DURING SIT TO STAND IN PEOPLE WITH NON-SPECIFIC CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN
Authors: MEHRAVAR MOHAMMAD , TAJALI SHIRIN , NEGAHBAN H. , SHATERZADEH M. J. , SALEHI R. , NARIMANI R. , PARNIANPOUR M.
Published: April 2012

Sit to stand (STS) task requires variability of all body segments to achieve the stability of the important control variables (i.e., center of mass (CM) and head positions). In this study, the possible differences in the variability patterns of various body segments were investigated between 11 chronic low back pain (LBP) and 12 control subjects during STS task through two types of variability analyses; first by calculating the variability of seven limb angles, CM and head positions across 15 trials and second by principal component analysis (PCA) of seven limb angles. Participants performed the task at 3 postural difficulty levels: rigid surface, open eyes (RO), rigid surface, close eyes (RC) and narrow surface, close eyes (NC). The results revealed that LBPs could stabilize the CM and head positions same as controls. Also there was more than 1 synergic combination of whole body segments in both LBP and healthy groups. But the number of PCs accounting for the major part of variance was reduced in the LBPs in the most unstable phase of movement (50%–80% trajectory) in the RO and RC conditions. This may indicate that LBPs have reduced flexibility in the most unstable phase of task.
SAGITTAL PLANE KNEE LAXITY AFTER LIGAMENT RETAINING UNCONSTRAINED ARTHROPLASTY: A MATHEMATICAL ANALYSIS
Authors: IMRAN AHMED
Published: April 2012

Passive knee laxity is an important clinical measure to assess function after joint replacement. Clinical observations suggest that the use of minimally invasive surgical techniques in knee arthroplasty may affect the surgeon's ability to orient and position the prosthetic components accurately. Further, recent studies suggest that malplaced prosthetic components in ligament retaining unconstrained unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) can affect the ligament forces and, hence, the knee laxity. In the present study, a sagittal plane mathematical model of the knee with intact ligaments and unconstrained prosthetic components is used to analyze antero-posterior (A–P) knee laxity during passive flexion at different force levels. Also, the effects of errors in component placement are evaluated. The model calculations show a reasonable agreement with the experimental observations reported in literature. The results show that the A–P laxity during 0°–120° flexion first increases from 0° to about 30°, remains nearly constant for another 10° and then decreases somewhat linearly for higher flexion angles. Some errors in the placement of femoral component of the order of 1 mm can affect the knee laxity by nearly 3 mm in some flexion positions. The analysis has clinical relevance and suggests that the UKA requires close attention to component placement.
INVESTIGATING DIFFERENT TARGETS IN DEEP BRAIN STIMULATION ON PARKINSON'S DISEASE USING A MEAN-FIELD MODEL OF THE BASAL GANGLIA-THALAMOCORTICAL SYSTEM
Authors: NAHVI ALIREZA , BAHRAMI FARIBA , HEMMATI SAMIRA
Published: April 2012

In this paper, we investigated effects of deep brain stimulation (DBS) on Parkinson's disease (PD) when different target sites in the basal ganglia are stimulated. The targets which are investigated are subthalamic nucleus (STN), globus pallidus interna (GPi), and globus pallidus externa (GPe). For this purpose we used a computational model of the basal ganglia-thalamocortical system (BGTCS) with parameters calculated for mean field. This model is able to reproduce both the normal and Parkinsonian activities of basal ganglia, thalamus and cortex in a unified structure. In the present study, we used a mean-field model of the BGTCS, allowing a more complete framework to simulate DBS and to interpret its effects in the BGTCS. Our results suggest that DBS in the STN and GPe could restore the thalamus relay activity, while DBS in the GPi could inhibit it. Our results are compatible with the experimental and the clinical outcomes about the effects of DBS of different targets.
THE PAST AND PRESENT OF HUMAN MOVEMENT RESEARCH: TOWARDS THE DESIGN OF HUMAN-LIKE ROBOTS
Authors: KHALAF KINDA , HEMAMI HOOSHANG
Published: April 2012

The Journal of Mechanics in Medicine and Biology(JMMB) has retracted the above paper from its April 2012 issue. The Publisher of JMMB was alerted to the fact that the conference paper was previously published in IEEE in 2011. The authors indicated that this manuscript was suggested by the conference organizers for journal publication. As stated clearly in the journal’s guidelines, only original manuscripts will be considered. Once a manuscript is accepted, the author is assumed to cede full copyright of their manuscript over to the publisher - World Scientific Publishing Co.
SOME APPLICATIONS OF FRACTIONAL ORDER CALCULUS TO DESIGN DIGITAL FILTERS FOR BIOMEDICAL SIGNAL PROCESSING
Authors: FERDI YOUCEF
Published: April 2012

The goal of this paper is to describe some applications of fractional order calculus to biomedical signal processing with emphasis on the ability of this mathematical tool to remove noise, enhance useful information, and generate fractal signals. Three types of digital filters are considered, namely, lowpass differentiation filter, smoothing filter, and 1/fβ-noise generation filter. The filter impulse responses are functions of the fractional order and the sampling period only, and thus can be computed easily. Application examples are presented for illustrations.
INFLUENZA A SUBTYPING AND HOST ORIGIN CLASSIFICATION USING PROFILE HIDDEN MARKOV MODELS
Authors: SHERIF FAYROZ F. , KADAH YASSER M. , EL-HEFNAWI MAHMOUD
Published: April 2012

Influenza is one of the most important emerging and reemerging infectious diseases, causing high morbidity and mortality in communities (epidemic) and worldwide (pandemic). Here, classification of human vs. non-human influenza, and subtyping of human influenza viral strains virus is done based on profile hidden Markov models (HMM). The classical ways of determining influenza viral subtypes depend mainly on antigenic assays, which is time-consuming and not fully accurate. The introduced technique is much cheaper and faster, yet usually can still yield high accuracy. Multiple sequence alignments were done for the 16 HA subtypes and 9 NA subtypes, followed by profile-HMMs models generation, calibration and evaluation using the HMMER suite for each group. Subtyping accuracy of all HA and NA models achieved 100%, while host classification achieved accuracies around 53% and 95.1% according to HA subtype.
Managing Tacit Knowledge for a Software Development Process: A Case Study
Authors: Stevens David P. , Hsu Sonya H. Y. , Zhu Zhiwei
Published: April 2012

The acquisition and management of knowledge is increasingly more important in today's economy because of the large proportion of the workforce eligible for retirement in the next 10 years. Companies have long understood that reusing explicit knowledge in the form of policies, documentation and procedures produces tremendous savings, reduces variability, decreases costs, and improves overall quality. Unfortunately, a considerable portion of corporate knowledge is tacit or known at a non-verbal level, and does not lend itself to reuse. This research examines "how" and "why" questions regarding a specific process used for managing and sharing tacit knowledge related to the software development life cycle. The issues related to acquiring, preserving and disseminating the tacit knowledge are discussed in detail, and the advantages and managerial implications of the results of the method are described, together with implications for knowledge workers and managers in other industries.
The Resource-Based View of IT Business Value: Complementary Investments or Embedded Knowledge?
Authors: Vinekar Vishnu , Teng James T. C.
Published: April 2012

This paper tests a primary postulate of the Resource-Based View (RBV) of Information Technology (IT) business value. From this perspective, IT is not rare but pervasive, and it is only the combination of investments with other resources that makes the investment inimitable. Therefore, the effect of IT on firm performance cannot be direct effects, but rather firm performance can only be affected when IT expenditures are combined with other investments. This study tests this theory using panel data of large firms spanning seven years. Firm-level data is gathered from Compustat and matched to Information Systems (IS) Budget data. The results do not support the RBV postulate that IT Expenditure cannot have direct competitive advantage but must be combined with expenditure on other assets to effect firm performance. Instead, the results support the opposing hypotheses: IT expenditure and capital expenditures have independent, direct effects on firm revenue as well as firm profit, even in the presence of the interaction variable. The results imply that IT investments may be a source of direct competitive advantage, unlike the postulate of the RBV theorists. This may be because an IT system has embedded knowledge and creates knowledge, making it rare and imperfectly imitable. Rather than investing in generic IT systems and trying to obtain uniqueness from investments in complementary resources, firms can try embedding firm-specific knowledge when designing or modifying their systems and using their systems to create knowledge. This is the first study to test the RBV postulate that value from IT comes only with the combination of IT investments and investments in other assets and not from direct effects. By disproving this postulate, this study opens the door to new hypotheses based on knowledge in and from IT systems.
GUIDING PROTEIN DOCKING WITH GEOMETRIC AND EVOLUTIONARY INFORMATION
Authors: HASHMI IRINA , AKBAL-DELIBAS BAHAR , HASPEL NURIT , SHEHU AMARDA
Published: April 2012

Structural modeling of molecular assemblies promises to improve our understanding of molecular interactions and biological function. Even when focusing on modeling structures of protein dimers from knowledge of monomeric native structure, docking two rigid structures onto one another entails exploring a large configurational space. This paper presents a novel approach for docking protein molecules and elucidating native-like configurations of protein dimers. The approach makes use of geometric hashing to focus the docking of monomeric units on geometrically complementary regions through rigid-body transformations. This geometry-based approach improves the feasibility of searching the combined configurational space. The search space is narrowed even further by focusing the sought rigid-body transformations around molecular surface regions composed of amino acids with high evolutionary conservation. This condition is based on recent findings, where analysis of protein assemblies reveals that many functional interfaces are significantly conserved throughout evolution. Different search procedures are employed in this work to search the resulting narrowed configurational space. A proof-of-concept energy-guided probabilistic search procedure is also presented. Results are shown on a broad list of 18 protein dimers and additionally compared with data reported by other labs. Our analysis shows that focusing the search around evolutionary-conserved interfaces results in lower lRMSDs.
Glaciodynamic sequence stratigraphy
Authors: Pedersen Stig A. Schack
Published: April 2012

The glaciofluvial deposits are by volume and permeability the most important unit in the terrestrial glacial successions, and they are the obvious target for groundwater as well as hydrocarbon reservoir exploration. The dominant glaciofluvial units are related to the proglacial setting in the foreland of an advancing ice margin, which results in a coarsening-upwards sequence with fine-grained beds at the base and glaciofluvial gravel at the top. In a complete sequence a till caps the unit, and at its base a glacitectonite is formed by shearing related to the development of the deformational layer below the ice. The glacial deposits laid down during the same glacial advance represent a glaciodynamic sequence. An important feature added to this is the proglacial glaciotectonic deformation. The glaciotectonic architectural elements comprise thrust faulting, folding of hanging-wall anticlines, thrust-sheet duplexes, hydrodynamic breccias and mud diapirs, the structural style of which define the glaciotectonic complex. The glaciodynamic sequence corresponds to the glaciodynamic event related to one major ice advance. The glaciodynamic processes representing the event comprise deposition as well as deformation, creating a glaciogenic sedimentary succession and a set of glaciotectonic structures. These constitute the elements to be recognized for defining a glaciodynamic sequence.
Increased MMPs expression and decreased contraction in the rat myometrium during pregnancy and in response to prolonged stretch and sex hormones
Authors: Yin Zongzhi , Sada Alaa A. , Reslan Ossama M. , Narula Neha , Khalil Raouf A.
Published: April 2012

Normal pregnancy is associated with uterine relaxation to accommodate the stretch imposed by the growing fetus; however, the mechanisms underlying the relationship between pregnancy-associated uterine stretch and uterine relaxation are unclear. We hypothesized that increased uterine stretch during pregnancy is associated with upregulation of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), which in turn cause inhibition of myometrium contraction and promote uterine relaxation. Uteri from virgin, midpregnant ( day 12), and late-pregnant rats ( day 19) were isolated, and myometrium strips were prepared for measurement of isometric contraction and MMP expression and activity using RT-PCR, Western blot analysis, and gelatin zymography. Oxytocin caused concentration-dependent contraction of myometrium strips that was reduced in mid- and late-pregnant rats compared with virgin rats. Pretreatment with the MMP inhibitors SB-3CT (MMP-2/MMP-9 Inhibitor IV), BB-94 (batimastat), or Ro-28–2653 (cipemastat) enhanced contraction in myometrium of pregnant rats. RT-PCR, Western blot analysis, and gelatin zymography demonstrated increased mRNA expression, protein amount, and activity of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in myometrium of late-pregnant>midpregnant>virgin rats. Prolonged stretch of myometrium strips of virgin rats under 8 g basal tension for 18 h was associated with reduced contraction and enhanced expression and activity of MMP-2 and MMP-9, which were reversed by MMP inhibitors. Concomitant treatment of stretched myometrium of virgin rats with 17β-estradiol (E2), progesterone (P4), or E2+P4 was associated with further reduction in contraction and increased MMP expression and activity. MMP-2 and MMP-9 caused significant reduction of oxytocin-induced contraction of myometrium of virgin rat. Thus, normal pregnancy is associated with reduced myometrium contraction and increased MMPs expression and activity. The results are consistent with the possibility that myometrium stretch and concomitant increase in sex hormones during pregnancy are associated with increased expression/activity of specific MMPs, which in turn inhibit uterine contraction and promote uterine relaxation.
Increased intramyocellular lipids but unaltered in vivo mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation in skeletal muscle of adipose triglyceride lipase-deficient mice
Authors: Nunes P. M. , van de Weijer T. , Veltien A. , Arnts H. , Hesselink M. K. C. , Glatz J. F. C. , Schrauwen P. , Tack C. J. , Heerschap A.
Published: April 2012

Adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL) is a lipolytic enzyme that is highly specific for triglyceride hydrolysis. The ATGL-knockout mouse (ATGL−/−) accumulates lipid droplets in various tissues, including skeletal muscle, and has poor maximal running velocity and endurance capacity. In this study, we tested whether abnormal lipid accumulation in skeletal muscle impairs mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation, and hence, explains the poor muscle performance of ATGL−/−mice. In vivo1H magnetic resonance spectroscopy of the tibialis anterior of ATGL−/−mice revealed that its intramyocellular lipid pool is approximately sixfold higher than in WT controls ( P = 0.0007). In skeletal muscle of ATGL−/−mice, glycogen content was decreased by 30% ( P < 0.05). In vivo31P magnetic resonance spectra of resting muscles showed that WT and ATGL−/−mice have a similar energy status: [PCr], [Pi], PCr/ATP ratio, PCr/Piratio, and intracellular pH. Electrostimulated muscles from WT and ATGL−/−mice showed the same PCr depletion and pH reduction. Moreover, the monoexponential fitting of the PCr recovery curve yielded similar PCr recovery times (τPCr; 54.1 ± 6.1 s for the ATGL−/−and 58.1 ± 5.8 s for the WT), which means that overall muscular mitochondrial oxidative capacity was comparable between the genotypes. Despite similar in vivo mitochondrial oxidative capacities, the electrostimulated muscles from ATGL−/−mice displayed significantly lower force production and increased muscle relaxation time than the WT. These findings suggest that mechanisms other than mitochondrial dysfunction cause the impaired muscle performance of ATGL−/−mice.
Transcriptional profiling of the bovine hepatic response to experimentally induced E. coli mastitis
Authors: Jørgensen Hanne B. H. , Buitenhuis Bart , Røntved Christine M. , Jiang Li , Ingvartsen Klaus L. , Sørensen Peter
Published: April 2012

The mammalian liver works to keep the body in a state of homeostasis and plays an important role in systemic acute phase response to infections. In this study we investigated the bovine hepatic acute phase response at the gene transcription level in dairy cows with experimentally Escherichia coli -induced mastitis. At time = 0, each of 16 periparturient dairy cows received 20–40 colony-forming units of live E. coli in one front quarter of the udder. A time series of liver biopsies was collected at −144, 12, 24, and 192 h relative to time of inoculation. Changes in transcription levels in response to E. coli inoculation were analyzed using the Bovine Genome Array and tested significant for 408 transcripts over the time series [adjusted p ≤0.05, abs(fold-change)>2]. After 2-D clustering, transcripts represented three distinct transcription profiles: 1) regulation of gene transcription and apoptosis, 2) responses to cellular stress invoked by reactive metabolites, and 3) metabolism and turnover of proteins. The results showed that the liver went through a period of perturbations to its normal homeostatic condition during the first 24 h following the E. coli -induced intra-mammary inflammation. In previous studies, bacterial lipopolysaccharide, LPS, was used for intramammary stimulation to mimic E. coli infection. Comparing responses to LPS and E. coli , induced biochemical processes were similar but not identical (94 and 85% similarity between corresponding samples at early and late acute phase, respectively), but their kinetics were not. A notable difference concerned transcription of factors associated with oxidative stress in E. coli -induced liver responses.
QTL analysis of clinical-chemical traits in an F2intercross between Landrace and Korean native pigs
Authors: Yoo Chae-Kyoung , Cho In-Cheol , Lee Jae-Bong , Jung Eun-Ji , Lim Hyun-Tae , Han Sang-Hyun , Lee Sung-Soo , Ko Moon-Suck , Kang Taeyoung , Hwang Joon-Ho , Park Yong Sang , Park Hee-Bok
Published: April 2012

Clinical-chemical traits are essential when examining the health status of individuals. The aim of this study was to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) and the associated positional candidate genes affecting clinical-chemical traits in a reciprocal F2intercross between Landrace and Korean native pigs. Following an overnight fast, 25 serum phenotypes related to clinical-chemical traits (e.g., hepatic function parameters, renal function parameters, electrolyte, lipids) were measured in >970 F2progeny. All experimental samples were subjected to genotyping analysis using 165 microsatellite markers located across the genome. We identified eleven genome-wide significant QTL in six chromosomal regions (SSC 2, 7, 8, 13, 14, and 15) and 59 suggestive QTL in 17 chromosomal regions (SSC 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, and 18). We also observed significant effects of reciprocal crosses on some of the traits, which would seem to result from maternal effect, QTL on sex chromosomes, imprinted genes, or genetic difference in mitochondrial DNA. The role of genomic imprinting in clinical-chemical traits also was investigated. Genome-wide analysis revealed a significant evidence for an imprinted QTL in SSC4 affecting serum amylase levels. Additionally, a series of bivariate linkage analysis provided strong evidence that QTL in SSC 2, 13, 15, and 18 have a pleiotropic effect on clinical-chemical traits. In conclusion, our study detected both novel and previously reported QTL influencing clinical-chemical traits in pigs. The identified QTL together with the positional candidate genes identified here could play an important role in elucidating the genetic structure of clinical-chemical phenotype variation in humans and swine.
Heteropoly Acid Catalyzed Selective Cyclization of 6‐Alkyl‐3‐propargylmercapto‐1,2,4‐triazin‐5(2H)‐one
Authors: Hakim Fatemeh , Tabatabaee Masoumeh , M. Hheravi Majid , Roshani Mina , F. Bamoharam Fatemeh
Published: April 2012

Cyclization of 6‐alkyl‐3‐propargylmercapto‐1,2,4‐triazin‐5(2H)‐one, derivatives (2) in the presence of Keggin heteropoly acids, H3PW1212O40, H3PMo12O40, H4SiW12O40 and lacunary Keggin structure (K7PMo2W9O40) afforded 3 (3a = 6‐dimethyl‐7H‐thiazolo[2,3‐b][1,2,4]‐triazin‐7‐one and 3b=6‐ethyl‐3‐methyl‐7H‐thiazolo[2,3‐b][1,2,4]‐triazin‐7‐one) in high yields and short reaction times
Liquid Chromatography/Tandem Mass Spectrometry for the Simultaneous Determination of Alverine and its Metabolite, Monohydroxy Alverine, in Human Plasma: Application to a Pharmacokinetic Study
Authors: Gavhane Rahul C. , Nerurkar Ketan K. , Kalamkar Ashok M. , Patil Mitesh R. , Pingale Satish G. , Kulkarni Prafullakumar
Published: April 2012

A rapid and sensitive LC‐MS‐MS method for the determination of alverine (ALV) and its major metabolite, monohydroxy alverine (MHA), in human plasma using imipramine as an internal standard was developed and validated. The analytes were extracted from 0.5 mL aliquots of human plasma by solid phase extraction, using oasis cartridge. Chromatographic separation was carried on Thermo Gold C18 column (50 × 4.6 mm, 5 μ) at 30 °C, with isocratic mobile phase, a flow rate of 0.4 mL/min and a total run time of 3.5 min. Detection and quantification were performed using a mass spectrometer in the selected reaction‐monitoring mode with positive electrospray ionization at m/z 282.3 → 91.11 for alverine, m/z 298.3 → 106.9 for mono‐hydroxy‐alverine, and m/z 281.0 → 86.0 for internal standard (IS) respectively. This assay was linear over a concentration range of 0.060‐10 ng/mL with a lower limit of quantification of 0.060 ng/mL for both alverine and monohydroxy alverine. The coefficient of variation for the assay precision were <9.18% and <8.44%, the accuracy were >104.66% and >100.38% for alverine and monohydroxy alverine respectively. This method was successfully applied to a pharmacokinetic study after oral administration of alverine citrate 60 mg capsule in healthy male subjects.
Microwave Assisted Synthesis of N‐Substituted‐7‐hydroxy‐4‐methyl‐2‐oxoquinolines as Anticonvulsant Agents
Authors: Pawar P. Y. , Gaikwad P. M. , Balani P. H.
Published: April 2012

The reaction of resorcinol with ethylacetoacetate yielded the 7‐hydroxy‐4‐methyl coumarin (1), which on treatment with benzidine gives 1‐(4ʹ‐amino‐biphenyl‐4‐yl)‐7‐hydroxy‐4‐methyl‐1H‐quinolin‐2‐one (2). 1‐{4ʹ‐[(Substituted benzylidene)‐amino]‐biphenyl‐4‐yl}‐7‐hydroxy‐4‐methyl‐1H‐quinolin‐2‐one (3a‐j) were obtained by reacting 1‐(4ʹ‐amino‐biphenyl‐4‐yl)‐7‐hydroxy‐4‐methyl‐1H‐quinolin‐2‐one (2) with different substituted aromatic aldehydes in presence of glacial acetic acid by microwave irradiation. The compound 1‐{4ɴ‐[(substituted benzylidene)‐amino]‐biphenyl‐4‐yl}‐7‐hydroxy‐4‐methyl‐1H‐quinolin‐2‐one (3a‐j) on cyclization with chloro acetyl chloride in presence of triethylamine as catalyst under microwave irradiation furnished 1‐{4ʹ‐[3‐chloro‐2‐(substituted phenyl)‐4‐oxo‐azetidin‐1‐yl]‐biphenyl‐4‐yl}‐7‐hydroxy‐4‐methyl‐1H‐quinolin‐2‐one (4a‐j). Purity of synthesized compounds was checked by TLC and the structures were elucidated by their IR, 1H NMR, Mass and elemental analysis data. The synthesized compounds were screened for anticonvulsant activity.
Adsorption and Inhibitive Properties of Triazolo‐ pyrimidine Derivatives in Acid Corrosion of Mild Steel
Authors: Parameswari K. , Chitra S. , Kavitha S. , Rajpriya J. , Selvaraj A.
Published: April 2012

Inhibitive and adsorption properties of synthesized triazolo‐ pryimidine derivatives (P1, P2 & P3 ) for the corrosion of mild steel was investigated using weight loss and electrochemical methods. Inhibition efficiency increased as the concentration of the inhibitor increased but decreased with increase in temperature. The triazolopyrimidines were found to act as adsorption inhibitors for the corrosion of mild steel. The adsorption mechanism of the triazolopyrimidine was found to be physisorption, spontaneous and exothermic. Also the adsorption followed Langmuir adsorption isotherm. polarisation studies showed that the inhibitors behave as cathodic type.
Inhibition of Mild Copper Metal Corrosion in HNO3 Medium by Acid Extract of Azadirachta Indica Seed
Authors: Sangeetha T. V. , Fredimoses M.
Published: April 2012

Efficiency of acid extract of dry azadirachta indica seed as corrosion inhibitor for mild copper metal in various concentration of (1 N,2 N and 3N) HNO3 medium was investigated in the present study. Experimental methods include weight loss, determination of corrosion rate, inhibition efficiency and phytochemical analysis was studied. The results indicate azadirachta indica seed to be a good corrosion inhibitor of a mixed type and having efficiency as high as 95% at 1% inhibitor concentration in different time duration.
Synthesis and Characterization of Oxozirconium(IV), Dioxomolybdenum(VI) and Dioxotungsten(VI) with Ciprofloxacin and Norfloxacin Complexes
Authors: Khallow Khalaf I. , Al-Assaf Amaal Y. R.
Published: April 2012

The interaction of quinolone drugs, ciprofloxacin (CIPH) and norfloxacin (NORH), with zirconyl chloride octahydrate, sodium molybdate dihydrate and sodium tungstate dihydrate was investigated. Elemental analysis, FTIR spectral, electrical conductivity, magnetic susceptibility and UV Visible spectroscopy measurements have been used to characterize the isolated complexes. The results support the formation of two types of complexes of formula [ZrO(H2O)L2]3H2O and [MO2L2] where L = CIP and NOR; M = Mo and W. FTIR spectra of both types of complexes suggest that CIP and NOR act as deprotonated bidentate ligands through the ring carbonyl oxygen atom and one of the oxygen atom of carboxylic group.
Synthesis of Novel Dinaphthosulfide,Aza, Oxa, Thia Lariats ContainingUrea and Thiourea Groups in the Side Chain and Their Nanostructures
Authors: Rostami E. , Zare A.
Published: April 2012

Dinaphhosulfide aza, oxa, thia crown was prepared; its urea and thiourea derivatives were synthesized by the reaction with ethyl and 4‐chlorophenyl isocyanate, ethyl and phenylisothiocyanate. Self‐assembled structures are as micro and nano fibers and discs.
Determination of Valdecoxib in Human Plasma Using Reverse Phase HPLC
Authors: Sahu Prafulla Kumar , Sankar K. Ravi , Annapurna M. Mathrusri
Published: April 2012

An RP‐HPLC analytical method for estimation of valdecoxib in human plasma was developed and validated. Protein precipitation and valdecoxib extraction from plasma (200 μL) was carried out by adding 800 μL perchloric acid (5%, v/v in water) containing nimesulide as the internal standard followed by vortex mixing and centrifugation. The supernatant (20 μL) was then injected onto an ODS C18 (25 cm×4.6 mm) column from Shimadzu. The mobile phase comprised of acetonitrile and water (35: 65) with a total run time of 12 min and the wavelength of the detector was set at 244 nm. The extraction recovery of valdecoxib from plasma was >95% and the calibration curve was linear (r2 = 0.999) over valdecoxib concentrations ranging from 20 to 1400 μg/mL (n = 10). The method had an accuracy of >92% and LOD and LLOQ of 3.58 μg/mL and 13.45 μg/mL respectively. The method reported is simple, reliable, precise, accurate and has the capability of being used for determination of Valdecoxib in clinical settings.
Determination of Trace Elements, Heavy Metals and Rare Earth Elements in Corn Seeds from Beijing by ICP‐MS Simultaneously
Authors: Hongxing Zhang , Yu-Kui Rui
Published: April 2012

Food nutrition and food safety have been paid more and more attention, so it is important to find new detecting method. ICP‐MS is a good method to detect many elements simultaneously with high accuracy, but detecting more than ten elements simultaneously has little been reported, especially in cereal. Contents of forty elements in corn kernel from Beijing were detected by ICP‐MS, we conclude that; 19 elements (Li, I, Co, Ni, Mo, Cs, B, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, Rb, Sr, Ti, Cd, Sn, Tl, Pb and Cr) in corn can be precisely and accurately determined simultaneously. As, Se, Bi, Th, U, Sb, Al and rare earth elements could not be precisely detected at this condition, probably due to too low concentrations; Corn from Beijing contains many wholesome trace elements, such as Mo, B, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, Rb and Sr; but the toxic elements little, so it is safe and not polluted.
H2SO4‐Silica Catalyzed One‐Pot and Efficient Synthesis of Dihydropyrimidinones Under Solvent‐Free Conditions
Authors: Pourmousavi Seied Ali , Hasani Maryam
Published: April 2012

H2SO4‐Silica efficiently catalyzes the three‐component condensation reaction of aldehydes, 1,3‐dicarbonyl compounds and urea/thiourea under solvent free conditions to afford the corresponding dihydropyrimidinones and thio‐derivatives in high yields. Compared to the classical Biginelli reaction conditions, this new method consistently has the advantage of giving good yields and requiring short reaction times.
Groundwater Quality in Jingyuan County, a Semi‐Humid Area in Northwest China
Authors: Jianhua Wu , Peiyue Li , Hui Qian
Published: April 2012

Groundwater quality assessment is an essential study which plays an important role in the rational development and utilization of groundwater in any part of the world. In the study, groundwater qualities in Jingyuan County, in Ningxia, China were assessed with entropy weighted water quality index method. In the assessment, 12 hydrochemical parameters including chloride, sulphate, sodium, iron, pH, total dissolved solid (TDS), total hardness (TH), nitrate, ammonia, nitrogen, fluoride, iodine and nitrite were selected. The assessment results show that the concentrations of iodine, TH, iron and TDS are the most influencing parameters affecting the groundwater quality. The assessment results are rational and are in consistency with the results of filed investigation of which both indicates the groundwater in Jingyuan County is fit for drinking.
Insecticidal Components from the Essential Oil of Chinese Medicinal Herb, Ligusticum chuanxiong Hort
Authors: Chu Sha Sha , Jiang Guo Hua , Liu Zhi Long
Published: April 2012

Essential oil of Chinese medicinal herb, Ligusticum chuanxiong dried rhizome was found to possess insecticidal activity against maize weevils, Sitophilus zeamais. The main components of L. chuanxiong essential oil were Z‐3‐butylidenephthalide (20.56%), Z‐ligustilide (19.61%), 4‐terpinenol (8.82%), 4‐vinylguaiacol (6.81%) and α‐selinene (6.01%). Bioactivity‐guided chromatographic separation of the essential oil on repeated silica gel columns led to isolate three compounds namely 3‐butylidenephthalide, Z‐ligustilide and 4‐vinylguaiacol. Z‐liqustilide and Z‐3‐butylidenephthalide showed pronounced toxicity against S. zeamais (LD50= 10.23 and 15.81 μg/adult respectively) and were more toxic than 4‐vinylguaiacol (LD50 = 63.75 μg/adult). The crude essential oil also possessed contact toxicity against S. zeamais (LD50 = 13.09 μg/adult).
Study of Plant Cordia Dichotoma as Green Corrosion Inhibitor for Mild Steel in Different Acid Media
Authors: Khandelwal R. , Arora S. K. , Mathur S. P.
Published: April 2012

The corrosion inhibition of mild steel using extracts of Cordia dichotoma in different acid media was investigated by mass loss and thermometric methods. The experiments were carried out at 299±0.2 K in presence of different concentrations of dry fruit, leaves and stem extracts of Cordia dichotoma. The results reveal that the alcoholic extracts of Cordia dichotoma is a better corrosion inhibitor than that of toxic chemicals. The fruit extract is more potent than leaves and stem extracts to inhibit the corrosion rate. The study seeks to investigate the possibility of using extracts of Cordia dichotoma as a green corrosion inhibitor for mild steel.
The Study of the Effect of Histidine Derivatives as a Novel Antinociceptive and Anti‐Inflammatory Activity
Authors: Ramadhan Usama H. , Al-Salihi Niran J.
Published: April 2012

This study explains the biochemical activity of histidine derivatives The compounds were identified by CHN analysis, FT‐IR and H1 NMR. The results certified that the chemical structures of the prepared compounds. The anti‐inflammatory and antinociceptive activity was studied by two different tests; the hot plate test and writhing test for analgesic activity and two tests for anti‐inflammatory activity they are formalin induced inflammation test and carrageen an induced inflammation test. The histidine derivatives were found to have potent activity as anti‐inflammatory and antinociceptive. The active compounds were tested to acute toxicity. It was found that they are safety to the dose 5 g/kg orally in mice without any mortality.