bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Air-Sea Exchange of Legacy POPs in the North Sea Based on Results of Fate and Transport, and Shelf-Sea Hydrodynamic Ocean Models
Authors: O'Driscoll Kieran
Published: April 2014

The air-sea exchange of two legacy persistent organic pollutants (POPs), γ-HCH and PCB 153, in the North Sea, is presented and discussed using results of regional fate and transport and shelf-sea hydrodynamic ocean models for the period 1996–2005. Air-sea exchange occurs through gas exchange (deposition and volatilization), wet deposition and dry deposition. Atmospheric concentrations are interpolated into the model domain from results of the EMEP MSC-East multi-compartmental model (Gusev et al, 2009). The North Sea is net depositional for γ-HCH, and is dominated by gas deposition with notable seasonal variability and a downward trend over the 10 year period. Volatilization rates of γ-HCH are generally a factor of 2–3 less than gas deposition in winter, spring and summer but greater in autumn when the North Sea is net volatilizational. A downward trend in fugacity ratios is found, since gas deposition is decreasing faster than volatilization. The North Sea is net volatilizational for PCB 153, with highest rates of volatilization to deposition found in the areas surrounding polluted British and continental river sources. Large quantities of PCB 153 entering through rivers lead to very high local rates of volatilization.
PKC-dependent Phosphorylation of the H1 Histamine Receptor Modulates TRPC6 Activity
Authors: Chen Xingjuan , Egly Christian , Riley Ashley , Li Wennan , Tewson Paul , Hughes Thomas , Quinn Anne , Obukhov Alexander
Published: April 2014

Transient receptor potential canonical 6 (TRPC6) is a cation selective, DAG-regulated, Ca2+-permeable channel activated by the agonists of Gq-protein-coupled heptahelical receptors. Dysfunctions of TRPC6 are implicated in the pathogenesis of various cardiovascular and kidney conditions such as vasospasm and glomerulosclerosis. When stimulated by agonists of the histamine H1 receptor (H1R), TRPC6 activity decays to the baseline despite the continuous presence of the agonist. In this study, we examined whether H1R desensitization contributes to regulating the decay rate of TRPC6 activity upon receptor stimulation. We employed the HEK expression system and a biosensor allowing us to simultaneously detect the changes in intracellular diacylglycerol (DAG) and Ca2+ concentrations. We found that the histamine-induced DAG response was biphasic, in which a transient peak was followed by maintained elevated plateau, suggesting that desensitization of H1R takes place in the presence of histamine. The application of PKC inhibitor Gö6983 slowed the decay rate of intracellular DAG concentration. Activation of the mouse H1R mutant lacking a putative PKC phosphorylation site, Ser399, responsible for the receptor desensitization, resulted in a prolonged intracellular DAG increase and greater Mn2+ influx through the TRPC6 channel. Thus, our data support the hypothesis that PKC-dependent H1R phosphorylation leads to a reduced production of intracellular DAG that contributes to TRPC6 activity regulation.
Retraction: Zheng, T. et al. Effect of Heat Leak and Finite Thermal Capacity on the Optimal Configuration of a Two-Heat-Reservoir Heat Engine for Another Linear Heat Transfer Law. Entropy 2003, 5, 519–530
Authors: Knuth Kevin
Published: April 2014

The editors were recently made aware that a paper published in Entropy in 2003 [1] exhibited characteristics of duplication and self-plagiarism. After investigating the matter, and discussing the situation with the authors, they have offered to retract this paper (http://www.mdpi.com/1099-4300/5/5/519) .
Intersection Information Based on Common Randomness
Authors: Griffith Virgil , Chong Edwin , James Ryan , Ellison Christopher , Crutchfield James
Published: April 2014

The introduction of the partial information decomposition generated a flurry of proposals for defining an intersection information that quantifies how much of “the same information” two or more random variables specify about a target random variable. As of yet, none is wholly satisfactory. A palatable measure of intersection information would provide a principled way to quantify slippery concepts, such as synergy. Here, we introduce an intersection information measure based on the Gács-Körner common random variable that is the first to satisfy the coveted target monotonicity property. Our measure is imperfect, too, and we suggest directions for improvement.
Epigallocatechin-3-O-(3-O-methyl)-gallate-induced Differentiation of Human Keratinocytes Involves Klotho-Mediated Regulation of Protein Kinase-cAMP Responsive Element-Binding Protein Signaling
Authors: Kim Hyoung-June , Chang Huikyoung , Han Seung , Lee Min , Jung Ji-Yong , An SoonAe , Baek Seok-Yun , Lee Jin , Lee John , Lee Tae , Shin Dong , Kim Hongtae
Published: April 2014

(−)-Epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate (EGCG) has long been known as a potent inducer of keratinocyte differentiation. Although its molecular mechanisms have been extensively studied, its actions on human skin remain to be elucidated. In this study, we demonstrated that methylated EGCG and EGCG increase the expression of klotho, and that klotho functions as a downstream target of EGCG and methylated EGCG in keratinocyte differentiation. We demonstrated that methylated EGCG3 and EGCG induce morphological changes in normal human epidermal keratinocytes (NHEKs) that are related to up-regulation of klotho expression. We also demonstrated that a klotho-induced keratinocyte differentiation marker in NHEKs is inhibited by H-89, a protein kinase (PKA) inhibitor. These results suggest that methylated EGCG and EGCG may function as inducers of keratinocyte differentiation via transcriptional regulation of the klotho protein.
Circulating miR-208b and miR-34a Are Associated with Left Ventricular Remodeling after Acute Myocardial Infarction
Authors: Lv Pin , Zhou Mingxia , He Jing , Meng Weiwei , Ma Xuehan , Dong Shuling , Meng Xianchun , Zhao Xue , Wang Xi , He Fucheng
Published: April 2014

Left ventricular remodeling after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is associated with adverse prognosis. It is becoming increasingly clear that circulating miRNAs could be promising biomarkers for various pathological processes in the heart, including myocardial infarction, myocardial remodeling and progression to heart failure. In the present study, a total of 359 consecutive patients were recruited. Plasma samples were collected on admission. Echocardiographic studies were performed during the admission and at six months follow-up after AMI. Remodeling was defined as an at least 10% increase from baseline in the left ventricular end-diastolic volume. Plasma miRNA levels were assessed for association with six months mortality or development of heart failure. Results showed that levels of plasma miR-208b and miR-34a were significantly higher in patients with remodeling than those without. Increased miRNA levels were strongly associated with increased risk of mortality or heart failure within six months for miR-208b (OR 17.91, 95% confidence interval = 2.07–98.81, p = 0.003), miR-34a (OR 4.18, 95% confidence interval = 1.36–12.83, p = 0.012) and combination of the two miRNAs (OR 18.73, 95% confidence interval = 1.96–101.23, p = 0.000). The two miRNA panels reclassified a significant proportion of patients with a net reclassification improvement of 11.7% (p = 0.025) and an integrated discrimination improvement of 7.7% (p = 0.002). These results demonstrated that circulating miR-208b and miR-34a could be useful biomarkers for predicting left ventricular remodeling after AMI, and the miRNA levels are associated with increased risk of mortality or heart failure.
Frataxin Silencing Inactivates Mitochondrial Complex I in NSC34 Motoneuronal Cells and Alters Glutathione Homeostasis
Authors: Carletti Barbara , Piermarini Emanuela , Tozzi Giulia , Travaglini Lorena , Torraco Alessandra , Pastore Anna , Sparaco Marco , Petrillo Sara , Carrozzo Rosalba , Bertini Enrico , Piemonte Fiorella
Published: April 2014

Friedreich’s ataxia (FRDA) is a hereditary neurodegenerative disease characterized by a reduced synthesis of the mitochondrial iron chaperon protein frataxin as a result of a large GAA triplet-repeat expansion within the first intron of the frataxin gene. Despite neurodegeneration being the prominent feature of this pathology involving both the central and the peripheral nervous system, information on the impact of frataxin deficiency in neurons is scant. Here, we describe a neuronal model displaying some major biochemical and morphological features of FRDA. By silencing the mouse NSC34 motor neurons for the frataxin gene with shRNA lentiviral vectors, we generated two cell lines with 40% and 70% residual amounts of frataxin, respectively. Frataxin-deficient cells showed a specific inhibition of mitochondrial Complex I (CI) activity already at 70% residual frataxin levels, whereas the glutathione imbalance progressively increased after silencing. These biochemical defects were associated with the inhibition of cell proliferation and morphological changes at the axonal compartment, both depending on the frataxin amount. Interestingly, at 70% residual frataxin levels, the in vivo treatment with the reduced glutathione revealed a partial rescue of cell proliferation. Thus, NSC34 frataxin silenced cells could be a suitable model to study the effect of frataxin deficiency in neurons and highlight glutathione as a potential beneficial therapeutic target for FRDA.
Cystatin C Has a Dual Role in Post-Traumatic Brain Injury Recovery
Authors: Martinez-Vargas Marina , Soto-Nuñez Maribel , Tabla-Ramon Erika , Solis Barbara , Gonzalez-Rivera Ruben , Perez-Arredondo Adan , Estrada-Rojo Francisco , Castell Andres , Molina-Guarneros Juan , Navarro Luz
Published: April 2014

Cathepsin B is one of the major lysosomal cysteine proteases involved in neuronal protein catabolism. This cathepsin is released after traumatic injury and increases neuronal death; however, release of cystatin C, a cathepsin inhibitor, appears to be a self-protective brain response. Here we describe the effect of cystatin C intracerebroventricular administration in rats prior to inducing a traumatic brain injury. We observed that cystatin C injection caused a dual response in post-traumatic brain injury recovery: higher doses (350 fmoles) increased bleeding and mortality, whereas lower doses (3.5 to 35 fmoles) decreased bleeding, neuronal damage and mortality. We also analyzed the expression of cathepsin B and cystatin C in the brains of control rats and of rats after a traumatic brain injury. Cathepsin B was detected in the brain stem, cerebellum, hippocampus and cerebral cortex of control rats. Cystatin C was localized to the choroid plexus, brain stem and cerebellum of control rats. Twenty-four hours after traumatic brain injury, we observed changes in both the expression and localization of both proteins in the cerebral cortex, hippocampus and brain stem. An early increase and intralysosomal expression of cystatin C after brain injury was associated with reduced neuronal damage.
It from Qubit: How to Draw Quantum Contextuality
Authors: Planat Michel
Published: April 2014

Wheeler’s observer-participancy and the related it from bit credo refer to quantum non-locality and contextuality. The mystery of these concepts slightly starts unveiling if one encodes the (in)compatibilities between qubit observables in the relevant finite geometries. The main objective of this treatise is to outline another conceptual step forward by employing Grothendieck’s dessins d’enfants to reveal the topological and (non)algebraic machinery underlying the measurement acts and their information content.
Hyponatremia: A Risk Factor for Early Overt Encephalopathy after Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt Creation
Authors: Merola Jonathan , Chaudhary Noami , Qian Meng , Jow Alexander , Barboza Katherine , Charles Hearns , Teperman Lewis , Sigal Samuel
Published: April 2014

Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a frequent complication in cirrhotic patients undergoing transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS). Hyponatremia (HN) is a known contributing risk factor for the development of HE. Predictive factors, especially the effect of HN, for the development of overt HE within one week of TIPS placement were assessed. A single-center, retrospective chart review of 71 patients with cirrhosis who underwent TIPS creation from 2006–2011 for non-variceal bleeding indications was conducted. Baseline clinical and laboratory characteristics were collected. Factors associated with overt HE within one week were identified, and a multivariate model was constructed. Seventy one patients who underwent 81 TIPS procedures were evaluated. Fifteen patients developed overt HE within one week. Factors predictive of overt HE within one week included pre-TIPS Na, total bilirubin and Model for End-stage Liver Disease (MELD)-Na. The odds ratio for developing HE with pre-TIPS Na <135 mEq/L was 8.6. Among patients with pre-TIPS Na <125 mEq/L, 125–129.9 mEq/L, 130–134.9 mEq/L and ≥135 mEq/L, the incidence of HE within one week was 37.5%, 25%, 25% and 3.4%, respectively. Lower pre-TIPS Na, higher total bilirubin and higher MELD-Na values were associated with the development of overt HE post-TIPS within one week. TIPS in hyponatremic patients should be undertaken with caution.
Assessing and Revising the Plan for Intelligence Testing
Authors: Vergauwe Evie , Cowan Nelson
Published: April 2014

This brief commentary suggests that the usefulness of the concept of intelligence might depend on how one defines intelligence and on whether one is using it for scientific or practical purposes. Furthermore, it is suggested that the concept of working memory must not be overlooked when considering individual differences in intelligence.
Insights and Ideas Garnered from Marine Metabolites for Development of Dual-Function Acetylcholinesterase and Amyloid-β Aggregation Inhibitors
Authors: Stoddard Shana , Hamann Mark , Wadkins Randy
Published: April 2014

Due to the diversity of biological activities that can be found in aquatic ecosystems, marine metabolites have been an active area of drug discovery for the last 30 years. Marine metabolites have been found to inhibit a number of enzymes important in the treatment of human disease. Here, we focus on marine metabolites that inhibit the enzyme acetylcholinesterase, which is the cellular target for treatment of early-stage Alzheimer’s disease. Currently, development of anticholinesterase drugs with improved potency, and drugs that act as dual acetylcholinesterase and amyloid-β aggregation inhibitors, are being sought to treat Alzheimer’s disease. Seven classes of marine metabolites are reported to possess anti-cholinesterase activity. We compared these metabolites to clinically-used acetylcholinesterase inhibitors having known mechanisms of inhibition. We performed a docking simulation and compared them to published experimental data for each metabolite to determine the most likely mechanism of inhibition for each class of marine inhibitor. Our results indicate that several marine metabolites bind to regions of the acetylcholinesterase active site that are not bound by the clinically-used drugs rivastigmine, galanthamine, donepezil, or tacrine. We use the novel poses adopted for computational drug design of tighter binding anticholinesterase drugs likely to act as inhibitors of both acetylcholinesterase activity and amyloid-β aggregation inhibition.
A Novel Research on Behavior of Zinc Ferrite Nanoparticles in Different Concentration of Poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP)
Authors: Kamari Halimah , Naseri Mahmoud , Saion Elias
Published: April 2014

Zinc ferrite nanocrystals were prepared from an aqueous solution containing metal nitrates and various of concentrations of poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP), i.e., 0, 15, 40, and 55 g/L, as a capping agent. To stabilize the particles, they were thermally treated at 873 K, as an optimum calcination temperature. The behaviors of the polymeric precursor were analyzed by use of simultaneous thermo-gravimetry (TG) and derivative thermo-gravimetry analyses (DTG). The presence of the crystalline phase in each sample was confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The average particle size and the morphology of the nanoparticles were determined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and these parameters were found to differ at various concentrations of PVP. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) confirmed the presence of metal oxide bands for all the PVP concentrations and confirmed the absence of organic bands for PVP concentrations less than 55 g/L. Measurements of the magnetization value of the zinc ferrite nanoparticles were obtained at room temperature by using a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), which showed that, in the absence of PVP, the sample exhibited a paramagnetic behavior while, in the presence of PVP, samples have a super-paramagnetic behavior.
Highly Efficient and Diastereoselective Synthesis of New Pyrazolylpyrrolizine and Pyrazolylpyrrolidine Derivates by a Three-Component Domino Process
Authors: Quiroga Jairo , Gálvez Jaime , Abonia Rodrigo , Insuasty Braulio , Ortíz Alejandro , Cobo Justo , Nogueras Manuel
Published: April 2014

Diastereoselective reactions between 4-formylpyrazoles, N-substituted maleimides and glycine derivates led to new series of pyrazolyldipyrrolo [3,4-a:3',4'-f]pyrrolizines and pyrazolylpyrrolo[3,4-c]pyrroles in good yields. The reactions proceeded by a domino process through azomethine ylides formed in situ via a 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction.
Synthesis of Extended Uridine Phosphonates Derived from an Allosteric P2Y2 Receptor Ligand
Authors: Song Lijun , Risseeuw Martijn , Karalic Izet , Barrett Matthew , Brown Kyle , Harden T. , Van Calenbergh Serge
Published: April 2014

In this study we report the synthesis of C5/C6-fused uridine phosphonates that are structurally related to earlier reported allosteric P2Y2 receptor ligands. A silyl-Hilbert-Johnson reaction of six quinazoline-2,4-(1H,3H)-dione-like base moieties with a suitable ribofuranosephosphonate afforded the desired analogues after full deprotection. In contrast to the parent 5-(4-fluoropheny)uridine phosphonate, the present extended-base uridine phosphonates essentially failed to modulate the P2Y2 receptor.
Germacranes and m-Menthane from Illicium lanceolatum
Authors: Zhao Ming , Zhang Xianming , Wang Yan , Huang Min , Duan Jin-Ao , Gödecke Tanja , Szymulanska-Ramamurthy Karina , Yin Zhiqi , Che Chun-Tao
Published: April 2014

Three new germacrane sesquiterpenes and a new m-menthane monoterpene were isolated together with four known compounds from the pericarp of Illicium lanceolatum, an adulterant to star anise (Illicium verum). All compounds were isolated from Illicium plants for the first time. The absolute stereochemistry of all germacranes and m-menthane was established by a combination of NMR and the modified Mosher’s ester method. The biological activity was evaluated on SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cell line. (1S,5R,7R)-1,5-Dihydroxygermacra-4(15),10(14),11(12)-triene (at 62.5 µM) and (1R,5R,7R)-1,5-dihydroxygermacra-4(15),10(14),11(12)-triene (at 15.6 µM) promoted the proliferation of SH-SY5Y by 36.2% and 45.8%, respectively, after 48 h incubation, indicating potential neurotrophic activity.
Comparison of Two Doses of Elemental Iron in the Treatment of Latent Iron Deficiency: Efficacy, Side Effects and Blinding Capabilities
Authors: Leonard Alecia , Chalmers Kerry , Collins Clare , Patterson Amanda
Published: April 2014

Adherence to iron supplementation can be compromised due to side effects, and these limit blinding in studies of iron deficiency. No studies have reported an efficacious iron dose that allows participants to remain blinded. This pilot study aimed to determine a ferrous sulfate dose that improves iron stores, while minimising side effects and enabling blinding. A double-blinded RCT was conducted in 32 women (18–35 years): 24 with latent iron deficiency (serum ferritin < 20 µg/L) and 8 iron sufficient controls. Participants with latent iron deficiency were randomised to 60 mg or 80 mg elemental iron or to placebo, for 16 weeks. The iron sufficient control group took placebo. Treatment groups (60 mg n = 7 and 80 mg n = 6) had significantly higher ferritin change scores than placebo groups (iron deficient n = 5 and iron sufficient n = 6), F(1, 23) = 8.46, p ≤ 0.01. Of the 24 who completed the trial, 10 participants (77%) on iron reported side effects, compared with 5 (45%) on placebo, but there were no differences in side effects (p = 0.29), or compliance (p = 0.60) between iron groups. Nine (69%) participants on iron, and 11 (56%) on placebo correctly guessed their treatment allocation. Both iron doses were equally effective in normalising ferritin levels. Although reported side-effects were similar for both groups, a majority of participants correctly guessed their treatment group.
Interactive Correlation Environment (ICE) — A Statistical Web Tool for Data Collinearity Analysis
Authors: Ogashawara Igor , Curtarelli Marcelo , Souza Arley , Augusto-Silva Pétala , Alcântara Enner , Stech José
Published: April 2014

Web tools for statistical investigation with an interactive and friendly interface enable users without programming knowledge to conduct their analyses. We develop an Interactive Correlation Environment (ICE) in an open access platform to perform spectral collinearity analysis for biogeochemical activity retrieval. We evaluate its performance on different browsers and applied it to retrieve chlorophyll-a (chl-a) concentration in a tropical reservoir. The use of ICE to retrieve water chl-a concentration got a Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) lower than 7% for seasonal datasets, enhancing ICE's ability to adapt it within season. An RMSE of 17% was found for the mixed dataset with a large range of chl-a concentrations. We conclude that the use of ICE is recommended, due to its quick response, easily manipulation, high accuracy, and empirical adaptation to seasonal variability. Its use is enhanced by the development of hyperspectral sensors, which allow the identification of several biogeochemical components, such as chl-a, phycocyanin (PC), soil salinity, soil types, leaf nitrogen, and leaf chl-a concentration.
The Use of Airborne and Mobile Laser Scanning for Modeling Railway Environments in 3D
Authors: Zhu Lingli , Hyyppa Juha
Published: April 2014

This paper presents methods for 3D modeling of railway environments from airborne laser scanning (ALS) and mobile laser scanning (MLS). Conventionally, aerial data such as ALS and aerial images were utilized for 3D model reconstruction. However, 3D model reconstruction only from aerial-view datasets can not meet the requirement of advanced visualization (e.g., walk-through visualization). In this paper, objects in a railway environment such as the ground, railroads, buildings, high voltage powerlines, pylons and so on were reconstructed and visualized in real-life experiments in Kokemaki, Finland. Because of the complex terrain and scenes in railway environments, 3D modeling is challenging, especially for high resolution walk-through visualizations. However, MLS has flexible platforms and provides the possibility of acquiring data in a complex environment in high detail by combining with ALS data to produce complete 3D scene modeling. A procedure from point cloud classification to 3D reconstruction and 3D visualization is introduced, and new solutions are proposed for object extraction, 3D reconstruction, model simplification and final model 3D visualization. Image processing technology is used for the classification, 3D randomized Hough transformations (RHT) are used for the planar detection, and a quadtree approach is used for the ground model simplification. The results are visually analyzed by a comparison with an orthophoto at a 20 cm ground resolution.
Thirty-two Years of Sahelian Zone Growing Season Non-Stationary NDVI3g Patterns and Trends
Authors: Anyamba Assaf , Small Jennifer , Tucker Compton , Pak Edwin
Published: April 2014

We update the Global Inventory Modeling and Mapping Studies (GIMMS) analysis of Sahelian vegetation dynamics and trends using the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI; version 3g) 1981 to 2012 data set. We compare the annual NDIV3g and July to October growing season averages with the three rainfall data sets: the Africa Rainfall Climatology from 1983 to 2012, the Variability Analyses of Surface Climate Observations Version-1.1 from 1951 to 2000, and the Nicholson ground-station precipitation rainfall data from 1981 to 1994. We use the Nicholson ground-station annual precipitation data to determine the reliability of the two continental precipitation data sets for specific locations and specific times, extrapolate these confirmed relationships over the Sahelian Zone from 1983 to 2012 with the Africa Rainfall Climatology, and then place these zonal findings within the 1951 to 2000 record of the Variability Analyses of Surface Climate Observations Version-1.1 precipitation data set. We confirm the extreme nature of the 1984–1985 Sahelian drought, a signature event that marked the minima during the 1980s desiccation period followed within ten years by near-maxima rainfall event in 1994 and positive departures is NDVI, marking beginning of predominantly wetter conditions that have persisted to 2012. We also show the NDVI3g data capture “effective” rainfall, the rainfall that is utilized by plants to grow, as compared to rainfall that evaporates or is runoff. Using our effective rainfall concept, we estimate average effective rainfall for the entire Sahelian Zone for the 1984 extreme drought was 223 mm/yr as compared to 406 mm/yr in during the 1994 wet period. We conclude that NDVI3g data can used as a proxy for analyzing and interpreting decadal-scale land surface variability and trends over semi arid-lands.
Gypsum soil restriction drives genetic differentiation in Fouquieria shrevei (Fouquieriaceae)
Authors: Aguirre‐Liguori Jonas A. , Scheinvar Enrique , Eguiarte Luis E.
Published: April 2014

• Premise of the study: Although species adapted to grow in unusual soils contribute importantly to regional diversity, the microevolutionary processes responsible for that diversity remain to be understood. We aimed to answer this question by analyzing which processes are responsible for the genetic differentiation in Fouquieria shrevei (Fouquieriaceae), a species confined to gypsum soils of northern Mexico.

• Methods: We analyzed sequence variation in three chloroplast intergenic spacers from five populations.

• Key results: Total genetic diversity was high (Hd = 0.743). Genetic differentiation was high (FST = 0.651), as most haplotypes were unique to individual populations, and three populations had only one haplotype. Haplotypes were more similar in nearby populations, resulting in a phylogeographic structure (i.e., GST = 0.850 was significantly lower than NST = 0.930) and a significant Mantel test (P = 0.04). Tajima's D (−0.019, not significant) indicates that effective population size has remained constant.

• Conclusions: We conclude that genetic drift has been intense and gene flow low in differentiating populations that follow an island‐like pattern of gypsum deposits of the deserts of North America. The interaction between these forces could promote speciation events that in turn would increase regional diversity and may explain the high number of narrow endemics associated with soil restrictions.
Comparative analysis of complete chloroplast genome sequence and inversion variation in Lasthenia burkei (Madieae, Asteraceae)
Authors: Walker Joseph F. , Zanis Michael J. , Emery Nancy C.
Published: April 2014

• Premise of the study: Complete chloroplast genome studies can help resolve relationships among large, complex plant lineages such as Asteraceae. We present the first whole plastome from the Madieae tribe and compare its sequence variation to other chloroplast genomes in Asteraceae.

• Methods: We used high throughput sequencing to obtain the Lasthenia burkei chloroplast genome. We compared sequence structure and rates of molecular evolution in the small single copy (SSC), large single copy (LSC), and inverted repeat (IR) regions to those for eight Asteraceae accessions and one Solanaceae accession.

• Key results: The chloroplast sequence of L. burkei is 150 746 bp and contains 81 unique protein coding genes and 4 coding ribosomal RNA sequences. We identified three major inversions in the L. burkei chloroplast, all of which have been found in other Asteraceae lineages, and a previously unreported inversion in Lactuca sativa. Regions flanking inversions contained tRNA sequences, but did not have particularly high G + C content. Substitution rates varied among the SSC, LSC, and IR regions, and rates of evolution within each region varied among species. Some observed differences in rates of molecular evolution may be explained by the relative proportion of coding to noncoding sequence within regions.

• Conclusions: Rates of molecular evolution vary substantially within and among chloroplast genomes, and major inversion events may be promoted by the presence of tRNAs. Collectively, these results provide insight into different mechanisms that may promote intramolecular recombination and the inversion of large genomic regions in the plastome.
Isolation and characterization of nine polymorphic microsatellite loci in Piper solmsianum (piperaceae)
Authors: Yoshida Nídia C. , Lima Paula F. , Priolli Regina H. G. , Kato Massuo J. , Colombo Carlos A.
Published: April 2014

• Premise of the study: Nine microsatellite (simple sequence repeat [SSR]) loci were characterized for natural populations of Piper solmsianum, a potential source of bioactive secondary metabolites, and analyzed to assess the levels of genetic diversity in this species.

• Methods and Results: Based on an enriched library using the oligonucleotides (CT)8 and (GT)8, a total of 19 pairs of SSR primers were designed and nine of them were highly polymorphic after screening of 37 specimens from two populations. The number of alleles per locus ranged from one to six while the observed heterozygosity for polymorphic loci ranged from 0.000 to 0.875.

• Conclusions: The SSR regions characterized were informative, and the genetic markers will be useful to assess the genetic diversity and gene flow in populations of P. solmsianum.
Genus‐wide microsatellite primers for the goldenrods (Solidago; Asteraceae)
Authors: Beck James B. , Semple John C. , Brull Justin M. , Lance Stacey L. , Phillips Mai M. , Hoot Sara B. , Meyer Gretchen A.
Published: April 2014

• Premise of the study: Microsatellite primers were developed for studies of polyploid evolution, ecological genetics, conservation genetics, and species delimitation in the genus Solidago.

• Methods and Results: Illumina sequencing of a shotgun library from S. gigantea identified ca. 1900 putative single‐copy loci. Fourteen loci were subsequently shown to be amplifiable, single‐copy, and variable in a broad range of Solidago species.

• Conclusions: The utility of these markers both across the genus and in herbarium specimens of a wide age range will facilitate numerous inter‐ and intraspecific studies in the ca. 120 Solidago species.
Tenofovir Alafenamide is Not a Substrate for Renal Organic Anion Transporters (Oats) and Does Not Exhibit Oat-Dependent Cytotoxicity
Authors: Bam Rujuta A , Yant Stephen R , Cihlar Tomas
Published: April 2014

Background

Tenofovir alafenamide (TAF) is a novel prodrug of tenofovir that shows enhanced antiretroviral effect and reduced plasma tenofovir exposures at approximately one-tenth the clinically approved dose of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF). Tenofovir released from TDF undergoes active renal secretion via organic anion transporters (OAT1 and OAT3), leading to higher exposure of renal proximal tubules to tenofovir and a potential for renal adverse effects in a small subset of TDF-treated patients. Here, we evaluate the interaction of TAF with OAT1 and OAT3 to assess the potential for its active accumulation in proximal tubules.

Methods

OAT-mediated transport and cytotoxicity (CC50) of TAF and tenofovir were assessed in cells expressing OATs and compared with matched transporter-null cells.

Results

While OAT1 and OAT3 expression increased tenofovir cellular uptake by >70-fold and 8.2-fold, respectively, the expression of either OAT did not significantly change TAF intracellular accumulation under identical conditions. In addition, although tenofovir was significantly more cytotoxic in OAT1- and OAT3-expressing cells (>21 and >3.6 fold change in CC50 values, respectively), TAF in vitro cytotoxicity showed little to no change upon overexpression of either renal transporter (0.5–3.5 fold change in CC50).

Conclusions

Unlike tenofovir, TAF does not interact with renal transporters OAT1 or OAT3 and exhibits no OAT-dependent cytotoxicity. TAF is thus unlikely to actively accumulate in renal proximal tubules in an OAT-dependent manner, supporting the potential for an improved renal safety profile.
Design of Compliant Mechanism Based on the Parallel Mechanism Decoupling Criterion
Authors: Xu Hai , Hang Lu Bin , Cai Jin , Fu Zhi Yu , Zhang Peng Ju , Cheng Wu Shan
Published: April 2014

Traditionally compliant mechanism is difficult to achieve decoupling features, because of lack of definite theory and its deformability character. Whereas its counterpart - many rigid mechanisms with decoupling property have been designed and the method of mechanism design with decoupling feature is constructed. In this paper, an effective method to build equivalent transformation between rigid decoupling mechanism and compliant mechanism with decoupling property is proposed, and also applied to design new a decoupling rigid mechanism with 3-DOF. Finally, the decoupling features of the micro motion platform was verified through FEM analysis software ANSYS because of difficulty of compliant mechanism analysis.
The Design of Industrial Robot Sorting and Pallet System
Authors: Du Dong , Zhao Jun Ying , Lu Jian Yuan , Wang Cheng Sheng , Yu Feng Chuang
Published: April 2014

industrial assembly line development in the direction of automation and flexibility. Not only more and more automated machinery and more industrial manipulator into the production line. Manipulator instead of artificial heavy labor, realize mechanization, automation and flexibility production process. But in the process of production, first of all to the parts, then is all kinds of processing actions. So, will the application of automatic identification in combination with manipulator is very necessary. This paper introduces a can demonstrate the technology training equipment, from the development of the technology are integrated into the software are introduced. Hope that this technology can be widely used in industrial production.
A Dual-Core Operating System Framework Based on AutoSAR OS for HCS12X Series Processor
Authors: Jiang Jian Chun , He Bing , Li Peng Hua , Wang Kai Long
Published: April 2014

One kind of processors with coprocessor is widely used in control areas. Traditional single-core operating system (OS) cant support the coprocessor. In order to take full advantage of the performance of the processor, we presented a real-time operating system framework named AutoOSEK-CP on the basis of AutoOSEK, which is a single-core operating system based on AutoSAR OS, to support dual-core processor. In this architecture, alarm management, interrupt processing and inter-core communication mechanism were moved in coprocessor module, and the master processor was responsible for the other functions of OS. Finally, we designed a prototype of AutoOSEK-CP to test the performance in HCS12XEP100. The results showed that the real-time performance and the time-tick accuracy were improved significantly compared with AutoOSEK.
Optimal Design for Stator of a New Linear Ultrasonic Motor
Authors: Sun Shi Ping , Hu Zheng
Published: April 2014

In this paper, the working frequency band gap of ultrasonic motor (USM) was investigated under finite element model and experimental prototype. The findings indicate that the discrepancy between theoretical analysis and experimental test is mainly related to the fixation conditions of stator. This work proposes a new geometrical symmetrical stator for standing-wave-type linear USM to reduce the discrepancy. The first longitudinal and the second bending modes of stator are combined to drive the USM. Parameterized finite element model with actual boundary is developed to analyze and optimize the stator performance. The results show that the gap between working frequencies can be substantial reduced compared to the initial design.
Emotional Analysis and Synthesis of Human Voice Based on STRAIGHT
Authors: Chang Ran Ran , Yu Xiao Qing , Yuan Ying Ying , Wan Wang Gen
Published: April 2014

Speech synthesis is a hot research of artificial intelligence today, and urgent difficulty to overcome is how to make the machine more "emotional intelligence" for the human-computer interaction. With the STRAIGHT algorithm, this paper extracted the acoustic feature parameters of the speech signals and did statistical analysis, modified the characteristic parameters of the neutral sounds to synthesize emotional speeches, including happy, angry, frustration, then analyzed a frame of spectrum of synthetic emotional speeches through standard voices, voices added noise and voices de-nosing. The experimental results show that the method is feasible and the synthetic emotional speeches through voices de-nosing are better than voices added noise.
A Geometry Based Algorithm for Swarm Aggregations
Authors: Li Xiang , Ercan M. Fikret , Chen Hong Cai
Published: April 2014

This paper describes a Geometry Based algorithm (GBA) developed for aggregation behavior of a swarm of simple robots. Aggregation is one of the primary behaviors for swarm robots. Decentralization and stability for single-swarm aggregations are the two major properties of the GBA algorithm presented in this paper. Our analysis, together with extensive simulation studies considering various swarm size and configurations, indicate that the GBA algorithm is scalable and effective for swarm aggregations.
Study on Residual Current Monitoring System for Detection
Authors: Diao Jin Xia , Hu Hai Dong
Published: April 2014

This paper studies a residual current monitoring system; PLC and PC select a combination of hardware, and to identify the specific method for AC and DC small signal data acquisition. On the software side, gives the effect of a schematic diagram of a data processing program, summed up the real-time data acquisition methods section. In the PLC control test procedures, test procedures were analyzed for comparison with the given process flow diagram of the main test and the numerical results, the present system reduces the complexity of the control to improve the automation of the detection process.
A Targeting System in Lifesaving Equipment
Authors: Hu Ding Jun , Shi Hong Mei , Liu Liang Shun
Published: April 2014

In this paper, a targeting system in lifesaving equipment is introduced. The targeting system is made up of seven modules, that is laser ranging module, wind direction and speed sensors, electronic compass, tilt sensor, control operation module, LCD display module and power module. With the help of the operational control module, the data of every module is processed, and the optimal angle is calculated. The optimal angle and pressure ensure the accuracy of lifesaving equipment. Several actual experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed targeting system in the lifesaving equipment.
A Demonstrated System of Earthquake Emergency Auto-Handling Applied in Water Supply
Authors: Liu Xiao Xi , Fu Ji Hua , Li Zhi Tao
Published: April 2014

In various kinds of natural disasters, earthquake is one of the most serious threats to the lifeline engineering systems. In the earthquake, except of the structure was destroyed, the function of the lifeline engineering systems was often subject to serious damages or totally loss, even caused fire or blood, or gave away poisonous gas and other series of major secondary disasters. To strengthen the function of the lifeline engineering and avoid or reduce the occurrence of secondary disasters, a demonstrated system of earthquake emergency auto-handling applied in water supply was built. The system was composed by the ED-1 type ground motion sensor module unit, the Panasonic FP-X C30R type PLC unit, The Kunlun Tongtai TPC7062K type unified touch screen unit and the multifunction water tower testing unit. The STA/LTA method and spectral intensity method were applied to deal with the distant earthquake and the near earthquake separately. Through theory and experiment analysis, the earthquake emergency auto-handling system could accurately measures the seismic records and performs the earthquake emergency auto-handling rapidly.
Stability of a Class of Discrete-Time Switched Fuzzy Systems by Arbitrary Switching
Authors: Yang Hong , Lü Huan Huan , Zhang Le
Published: April 2014

This paper investigates a representation model, namely, a discrete-time switched fuzzy system. In this model, a system is a switched system whose subsystems are all discrete-time Takagi-Sugeno (T-S) fuzzy systems. For the proposed discrete-time switched fuzzy system is built to ensure that the relevant system is asymptotically stable by Arbitrary Switching and the Lyapunov functions method. The main conditions are given in form of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs), which are easily solvable. The elaborated illustrative examples and the respective simulation experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Study on Smart Object-Based Control Model for Cyber-Physical Systems
Authors: Yin Yan Min , Gao Chun Lei
Published: April 2014

The cyber-physical systems (CPS) are large-scale intelligent complex systems by the deep integration of technology and the physical systems. The cyber-physical power systems (CPPS) are the key technology to implement the objective of smart grids, by seamlessly integrating the computing, communication and sensing technologies with the power system. The existing research of CPPS is limited to the survey. This paper firstly presents the concept of smart power object applied to CPPS, which often is a power device object adopts RFID technology to identify itself, feeds back its real-time states, and has certain coordination ability. Then, on this basis, the key technical problems of global optimization and local control based on CPPS is further studied, such as control model, construction strategy, coordination control mechanisms, and communication mechanisms. Finally, it is applied to regional voltage optimization control to implement smart optimization control in low voltage power system.
Application of Computer Network Technology to Control the Coal Quality
Authors: Chen Yuan , Niu Lan Fen , Ren Guo Biao
Published: April 2014

In recent years, the government has stepped up efforts to control coal mine. A large number of small coal mines were shut down for the simple reason that they are not up to the standards. More and more coal enterprises now put the informatization at the top of the long-term development list. In the management information system, the coal quality control is regarded as a main functional module. The traditional process of coal quality testing can’t meet the regulatory requirements. With information technology, to get faster and more accurate monitoring of coal quality and give management advice are the important content of a coal enterprise information construction. This article presents how to use the computer network technology to better control the coal quality.
Getting the Mathematical Models of Automatic Control Systems with Non-Uniform Sampling Period
Authors: Goncharov Valery , Liepinsh Andrey , Onufriev Vadim
Published: April 2014

The authors consider problem of an accurate system identification and reproduction of control objects output signal. Also, this paper offers a solution of a control objects transfer function determining task by its step response using the Real interpolation method. An ability of using non-uniform sampling period is a characteristic property of this approach. Numeric examples are shown. Also, an ability of more than half of signal samples omitting with, however, acceptable result is shown.
H∞ Filtering for Networked Control Systems with Limited Communication Capacity
Authors: Dai Jian Guo
Published: April 2014

This paper investigates the problem of H_infinity filtering fornetworked control systems (NCSs). Based on the measurementquantization of output signal before transmitted through network, asampled-data system with consideration of both network-induced delayand data dropout is modeled as a filtering-error system with twoadditive delay components in the output and, the problem ofH_infinity filter design is solved accordingly. An illustrativeexample shows the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Image Recognition Based on Shape and Texture Features
Authors: Geng Kun
Published: April 2014

Based on the shape of the image retrieval occupy an important position in the content-based image retrieval, and studied architecture, content-based image retrieval system, ie research-based image retrieval key technologies shape features for image noise in addition to the morphological processing; image segmentation; shape-based feature extraction and regional boundaries and description techniques and similarity measure techniques. The results show that the algorithm can effectively identify the characteristics of the image.
Genetic Algorithm Based Fuzzy Logic Controller for Wire-EDM Machine
Authors: Pan Chen , Chen Ru Qing
Published: April 2014

Wire tension as well as wire feed should be controlled tightly for the geometry and corner accuracy of wire-EDM. A closed-loop wire tension control system for Micro-Wire-EDM is presented to guarantee a smooth wire transport and a constant tension value. To keep smooth wire transportation and avoid wire breakage during wire feeding, the reel roller is modified and the clip reel is removed from the wire transport mechanism. A genetic algorithm-based fuzzy logic controller (FLC) is proposed to investigate the dynamic performance of the closed-loop wire tension control system. Theoretical analysis and experimental research demonstrate that the developed wire transport system can result in satisfactory transient response, steady-state response and robustness. The proposed FLC can obtain faster transient response and smaller steady-state error than PI controller.
Analysis of Large Disturbance Dynamic Stability Process
Authors: Gao Xun , Meng Jie , Li Yi Qun , Wang Ying , Zhang Wen Chao
Published: April 2014

if the power system is disturbed by a large disturbance, its damping characteristics would change due to the nonlinear factor during the dynamic process and the redistribution of power flow after the accident operation mode. In this paper, the impact of operation mode after an accident and the nonlinear factor for large disturbance dynamic stability of grid are studied respectively. And then, by simulation comparison, it concludes that if nonlinear parts of automatic regulating devices have little impact on the grid damping characteristics after the grid suffers large disturbance, large disturbance dynamic stability of grid is mainly determined by the grid damping characteristics under operation mode after an accident. Finally, conclusions are verified through a practical operation mode of North China Power Grid according to simulation.
Application of Axiomatic Design Theory in Multi-Planetary Gear Transmission Design
Authors: Mao Kun Li
Published: April 2014

Development of product innovation design theory, especially the axiomatic design, has changed the pattern depending upon accumulated experience in product design. Independence rule and information rule are the necessary rules of axiomatic design theory. In design of multi-planetary gear transmission, axiomatic design has been applied to determinate type of even-loading mechanism, being important in evenly dividing power into planetary gears to greatly reduce vibration and impact of gear transmission process. By axiomatic design, flexible pin even-loading system and sun gear floating system were compared, and the best scheme has been decided to realize great power transmission.