bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Qualitative Data Analysis in Product Development: An Exploration of Closed Loop Thinking in Product Requirements
Authors: Velte Christoph J. , Butzer Steffen , Steinhilper Rolf 
Published: January 2016

As a reaction to resource scarcity and a growing conscience for environmental justice, closing product loops and thus eliminating land-filling or other product-dead-ends where possible becomes a task that many disciplines work on solving today. The most influential among those disciplines are the ones that mainly determine product lives, namely product design, business model, supply chain and the technology infrastructure.
Following the idea that the most influential phase determining product lives is product development and furthermore acknowledging that the way a product is developed is defined in the requirements given to the product development team, this paper describes two case studies where product requirements were analyzed concerning their closed-loop-thinking and the representation of the aforementioned disciplines using qualitative data analysis.
This proceeding adds a new perspective to product development analyses by examining the actual requirements, that are the formal representation of all product development instructions.
Multi-Sensor Reverse Engineering Technique for the Acquisition of Centrifugal Pump Impellers
Authors: Traghella Daniele , Paoli Alessandro , Barone Sandro , Razionale Armando V. 
Published: January 2016

The geometrical reconstruction of centrifugal pump impellers is a strategic activity for many manufacturing industries. In particular, the digitalization of internal hydraulic shapes represents the most critical task due to the difficulties in accessing the internal parts of impeller disks.
In this paper, an automatic approach to digitize the internal shape of impellers is presented. The methodology is based on the integration of optical and probing methods in order to combine the advantages of both technologies. The developed approach uses an optically tracked hand-held probe designed to digitize, point-by-point, the whole surface of blades. The tracking system is based on a passive device, composed of two stereo cameras, which is used to accurately locate a specific plate, rigidly connected to a probe. The proposed methodology has been validated by experimental tests on primitive surfaces as plane, cylinders and spheres. Nonetheless, the robustness and flexibility of the developed technique has allowed the whole reconstruction of industrial impellers through the acquisition of hundreds of points in few minutes.
Finding Breakthrough Points in Platformed Product Family Design
Authors: Arai Kohei , Oizumi Kazuya , Aoyama Kazuhiro 
Published: January 2016

In product development, a design parameter, which designers can change directly, often has an adverse effect on several function metrics, which are indices that describe the product performance. This phenomenon is called a “tradeoff.” Traditionally, tradeoffs are considered for a single product. However, in recent years, there have been tradeoffs between several products because of communal design parameters in platform-based product family design. This problem makes it difficult to determine the point at which a technological innovation is profitable.
In this paper, the point where designers make a technological innovation is defined as a breakthrough. A method is suggested to find the effective breakthrough point for a product family. A model was developed that shows the relations between design parameters and function metrics from a quality function deployment (QFD) to comprehensively estimate the effectiveness of a technological innovation. As an example application, a prototype system was developed and applied to searching a solar boat product family for breakthrough points. The results showed that the proposed method effectively supports the decision-making of product designers.
Human-Centric LED Lighting System Using Ubiquitous Physiological Monitoring
Authors: Sun Ye , Liu Zhen 
Published: January 2016

The aging population, prevalence of chronic diseases, and depression are some of the major challenges of current healthcare. The smart home monitoring provides a solution of human-centric out-of-hospital care and calls for more attention to improve the comfort of patients. Among home technologies, electric lighting system is ubiquitous and affecting many aspects of human physiology, including not only visual system but also non-image-forming system. The exposure to light can influence various states of human and lead to effective comforting.
This paper presents a human-centric smart lighting system controlled by human state using ubiquitous physiological sensor networks. The proposed system, acting as an intelligent home monitoring component, can naturalistically detect human’s state such as intensiveness, sleepiness, and depression. Vital signals including ECG and its secondary parameters can be acquired by non-intrusive physiological sensors and wirelessly transmitted to a control system. The color of LED can be controlled by the detected human state and adjusted to emotional comfort. The results show that different colors of light can influence human’s state.
Tolerance Specification and Related Issues for Additively Manufactured Products
Authors: Ameta Gaurav , Witherell Paul , Moylan Shawn , Lipman Robert 
Published: January 2016

Additive manufacturing (AM) has gained increased attention in the last decade as a versatile manufacturing process for customized products. AM processes can create complex free-form shapes, introducing features such as internal cavities and lattices. These complex geometries are either not feasible or very costly with traditional manufacturing processes. This creates new challenges in maintaining and communicating dimensional and geometric accuracy of parts produced. In order to manufacture a product that meets functional needs, the specification of those needs through geometry, material and tolerances is necessary. This paper surveys the current state and needs of geometry related accuracy specification mechanisms for AM, including a review of specification standards such as ASME Y14.5 and ISO 1101. Emerging AM-related tolerancing challenges are identified, and a potential plan of action is put forth for addressing those challenges.
Various issues highlighted in this paper are classified as (a) AM-driven specification issues and (b) specification issues highlighted by the versatility of AM processes. AM-driven specification issues include build direction, layer thickness, support structure related specification, and scan/track direction. Specification issues highlighted by the versatility of AM processes include, region-based tolerances for complex freeform surfaces, tolerancing internal functional features, tolerancing lattice and infills. Basic methods of solving these specification issues are also highlighted.
Kinematic Analysis of Spherical Four-Bar Linkages via the Inflection Cubic and Thales Ellipse
Authors: Figliolini Giorgio , Angeles Jorge 
Published: January 2016

The subject of this paper is the formulation of a specific algorithm for the kinematic analysis of spherical four-bar linkages via the inflection spherical cubic and spherical Thales ellipse by devoting particular attention to the crossed four-bar linkage (anti-parallelogram).
Moreover, both the inflection and the elliptic cones, which represent the equivalent of the Bresse cylinders of the planar case in three-dimensions, are obtained by showing the particular properties of the spherical motion in terms of the curvature of a coupler curve and both the velocity and acceleration vector fields.
Of special interest are also the cases in which the three acceleration poles coincide at one unique point or in two plus one, which depends on the intersections of two spherical curves of third and second degree.
Exploring Requirement Change Propagation Through the Physical and Functional Domain
Authors: Hein Phyo Htet , Menon Varun , Morkos Beshoy 
Published: January 2016

Prior research performed by Morkos [1], culminated in the automated requirement change propagation prediction (ARCPP) tool which utilized natural language data in requirements to predict change propagation throughout a requirements document as a result of an initiating requirement change. Whereas the prior research proved requirements can be used to predict change propagation, the purpose of this case study is to understand why. Specifically, what parts of a requirement affect its ability to predict change propagation? This is performed by addressing two key research questions: (1) Is the requirement review depth affected by the number of relators selected to relate requirements and (2) What elements of a requirement are responsible for instigating change propagation, the physical (nouns) or functional (verbs) domain? The results of this study assist in understanding whether the physical or functional domain have a greater effect on the instigation of change propagation.
The results indicated that the review depth, an indicator of the performance of the ARCPP tool, is not affected by the number of relators, but rather by the ability of relators in relating the propagating relationships. Further, nouns are found to be more contributing to predicting change propagation in requirements. Therefore, the physical domain is more effective in predicting requirement change propagation than the functional domain.
Fostering Diverse Analogical Transfer in Bio-Inspired Design
Authors: Nagel Jacquelyn K. S. , Schmidt Linda , Born Werner 
Published: January 2016

Nature is a powerful resource for engineering designers. The natural world provides numerous cases for analogy and inspiration in engineering design. Transferring the valuable knowledge and inspiration gained from the biology domain to the engineering domain during concept generation is a somewhat disorganized process and relies heavily on the designers’ insight and background knowledge of many fields to make the necessary leaps between the domains. Furthermore, the novice designer approaching biology for inspiration tends to focus heavily on copying the visual attributes of a biological system to develop a solution that looks like the biological system rather than explore at deeper levels to uncover relationships that lead to the development of true analogies.
There are now well-known methods for teaching bioinspired design in engineering and the majority of methods prescribe the use of analogies in order to facilitate knowledge transfer, however, guidance in analogy formulation to foster the creative leaps is missing or ill defined. Thus little is known about how students use biological systems for design inspiration. This paper proposes categories for analogical knowledge transfer in bio-inspired design to foster and characterize diverse analogical knowledge transfer. The proposed analogy categories are used to describe the behavior seen in an engineering class. Results indicate that (1) single biological system provides multiple analogies that result in different engineering inspiration for design; (2) biological information from multiple categories is transferred during concept generation; and (3) non-physical characteristics may inspire more sophisticated engineering inspiration than those based on physical characteristics alone. Overall, the analogy data classification has resulted in a better understanding of analogical knowledge transfer during bio-inspired design and leads to best practices for teaching bio-inspired design to engineering students.
Mutations in
gyrA
and
gyrB
among Fluoroquinolone- and Multidrug-Resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis Isolates
Authors: Chien Jung-Yien , Chiu Wei-Yih , Chien Shun-Tien , Chiang Chia-Jung , Yu Chong-Jen , Hsueh Po-Ren 
Published: January 2016

ABSTRACT

In order to correlate the mutations inside the entire
gyrA
and
gyrB
genes with the level of resistance to ofloxacin (OFX) and moxifloxacin (MFX) in isolates of multidrug-resistant
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
(MDR-TB), a total of 111 isolates were categorized into OFX-susceptible (MIC, ≤2 μg/ml) and low-level (MIC, 4 to 8 μg/ml) and high-level (MIC, ≥16 μg/ml) OFX-resistant isolates and MFX-susceptible (MIC, ≤0.5 μg/ml) and low-level (MIC, 1 to 2 μg/ml) and high-level (MIC, ≥4 μg/ml) MFX-resistant isolates. Resistance-associated mutations inside the
gyrA
gene were found in 30.2% of OFX-susceptible and 72.5% and 72.2% of low-level and high-level OFX-resistant isolates and in 28.6% of MFX-susceptible and 58.1% and 83.9% of low-level and high-level MFX-resistant isolates. Compared with OFX-susceptible isolates, low-level and high-level OFX-resistant isolates had a significantly higher prevalence of mutations at
gyrA
codons 88 to 94 (17.0%, 65.0%, and 72.2%, respectively;
P
< 0.001) and a higher prevalence of the
gyrB
G512R mutation (0.0%, 2.5%, and 16.7%, respectively;
P
= 0.006). Similarly, compared with MFX-susceptible isolates, low-level and high-level MFX-resistant isolates had a significantly higher prevalence of mutations at
gyrA
codons 88 to 94 (14.3%, 51.6%, and 80.6%, respectively;
P
< 0.001) as well as a higher prevalence of the
gyrB
G512R mutation (0.0%, 0.0%, and 12.9%, respectively;
P
= 0.011). D94G and D94N mutations in
gyrA
and the G512R mutation in
gyrB
were correlated with high-level MFX resistance, while the D94A mutation was associated with low-level MFX resistance. The prevalence of mutations at
gyrA
codons 88 to 94 and the
gyrB
G512R mutation were higher among fluoroquinolone (FQ)-susceptible East Asian (Beijing) and Indo-Oceanic strains than they were among Euro-American strains, implying that molecular techniques to detect FQ resistance may be less specific in areas with a high prevalence of East Asian (Beijing) and Indo-Oceanic strains.
Intra- and Interspecies Effects of Outer Membrane Vesicles from Stenotrophomonas maltophilia on β-Lactam Resistance
Authors: Devos Simon , Stremersch Stephan , Raemdonck Koen , Braeckmans Kevin , Devreese Bart 
Published: January 2016

ABSTRACT

The treatment of
Stenotrophomonas maltophilia
infection with β-lactam antibiotics leads to increased release of outer membrane vesicles (OMVs), which are packed with two chromosomally encoded β-lactamases. Here, we show that these β-lactamase–packed OMVs are capable of establishing extracellular β-lactam degradation. We also show that they dramatically increase the apparent MICs of imipenem and ticarcillin for the cohabituating species
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
and
Burkholderia cenocepacia
.
Needle-Free Delivery of Acetalated Dextran-Encapsulated AR-12 Protects Mice from Francisella tularensis Lethal Challenge
Authors: Hoang Ky V. , Curry Heather , Collier Michael A. , Borteh Hassan , Bachelder Eric M. , Schlesinger Larry S. , Gunn John S. , Ainslie Kristy M. 
Published: January 2016

ABSTRACTFrancisella tularensiscauses tularemia and is a potential biothreat. Given the limited antibiotics for treating tularemia and the possible use of antibiotic-resistant strains as a biowarfare agent, new antibacterial agents are needed. AR-12 is an FDA-approved investigational new drug (IND) compound that induces autophagy and has shown host-directed, broad-spectrum activityin vitroagainstSalmonella entericaserovar Typhimurium andF. tularensis. We have shown that AR-12 encapsulated within acetalated dextran (Ace-DEX) microparticles (AR-12/MPs) significantly reduces host cell cytotoxicity compared to that with free AR-12, while retaining the ability to controlS.Typhimurium within infected human macrophages. In the present study, the toxicity and efficacy of AR-12/MPs in controlling virulent type AF. tularensisSchuS4 infection were examinedin vitroandin vivo. No significant toxicity of blank MPs or AR-12/MPs was observed in lung histology sections when the formulations were given intranasally to uninfected mice. In histology sections from the lungs of intranasally infected mice treated with the formulations, increased macrophage infiltration was observed for AR-12/MPs, with or without suboptimal gentamicin treatment, but not for blank MPs, soluble AR-12, or suboptimal gentamicin alone. AR-12/MPs dramatically reduced the burden ofF. tularensisin infected human macrophages, in a manner similar to that of free AR-12. However,in vivo, AR-12/MPs significantly enhanced the survival ofF. tularensisSchuS4-infected mice compared to that seen with free AR-12. In combination with suboptimal gentamicin treatment, AR-12/MPs further improved the survival ofF. tularensisSchuS4-infected mice. These studies provide support for Ace-DEX-encapsulated AR-12 as a promising new therapeutic agent for tularemia.
Roles of Toll-Like Receptor 2 (TLR2), TLR4, and MyD88 during Pulmonary Coxiella burnetii Infection
Authors: Ramstead Andrew G. , Robison Amanda , Blackwell Anne , Jerome Maria , Freedman Brett , Lubick Kirk J. , Hedges Jodi F. , Jutila Mark A. 
Published: January 2016

ABSTRACTCoxiella burnetii, the causative agent of Q fever, is an obligate intracellular, primarily pulmonary, bacterial pathogen. Although much is known about adaptive immune responses against this bacterium, our understanding of innate immune responses againstC. burnetiiis not well defined, particularly within the target tissue for infection, the lung. Previous studies examined the roles of the innate immune system receptors Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) and TLR4 in peripheral infection models and described minimal phenotypes in specific gene deletion animals compared to those of their wild-type controls (S. Meghari et al., Ann N Y Acad Sci 1063:161–166, 2005,http://dx.doi.org/10.1196/annals.1355.025; A. Honstettre et al., J Immunol 172:3695–3703, 2004,http://dx.doi.org/10.4049/jimmunol.172.6.3695) . Here, we assessed the roles for TLR2, TLR4, and MyD88 in pulmonaryC. burnetiiinfection and compared responses to those that occurred in TLR2- and TLR4-deficient animals following peripheral infection. As observed previously, neither TLR2 nor TLR4 was needed for limiting bacterial growth after peripheral infection. In contrast, TLR2 and, to a lesser extent, TLR4 limited growth (or dissemination) of the bacterium in the lung and spleen after pulmonary infection. TLR2, TLR4, and MyD88 were not required for the general inflammatory response in the lungs after pulmonary infection. However, MyD88 signaling was important for infection-induced morbidity. Finally, TLR2 expression on hematopoietic cells was most important for limiting bacterial growth in the lung. These results expand on our knowledge of the roles for TLR2 and TLR4 inC. burnetiiinfection and suggest various roles for these receptors that are dictated by the site of infection.
Exploration of Sulfur Assimilation of Aspergillus fumigatus Reveals Biosynthesis of Sulfur-Containing Amino Acids as a Virulence Determinant
Authors: Amich Jorge , Dümig Michaela , O'Keeffe Gráinne , Binder Jasmin , Doyle Sean , Beilhack Andreas , Krappmann Sven 
Published: January 2016

ABSTRACT

Fungal infections are of major relevance due to the increased numbers of immunocompromised patients, frequently delayed diagnosis, and limited therapeutics. To date, the growth and nutritional requirements of fungi during infection, which are relevant for invasion of the host, are poorly understood. This is particularly true for invasive pulmonary aspergillosis, as so far, sources of (macro)elements that are exploited during infection have been identified to only a limited extent. Here, we have investigated sulfur (S) utilization by the human-pathogenic mold
Aspergillus fumigatus
during invasive growth. Our data reveal that inorganic S compounds or taurine is unlikely to serve as an S source during invasive pulmonary aspergillosis since a sulfate transporter mutant strain and a sulfite reductase mutant strain are fully virulent. In contrast, the S-containing amino acid cysteine is limiting for fungal growth, as proven by the reduced virulence of a cysteine auxotroph. Moreover, phenotypic characterization of this strain further revealed the robustness of the subordinate glutathione redox system. Interestingly, we demonstrate that methionine synthase is essential for
A. fumigatus
virulence, defining the biosynthetic route of this proteinogenic amino acid as a potential antifungal target. In conclusion, we provide novel insights into the nutritional requirements of
A. fumigatus
during pathogenesis, a prerequisite to understanding and fighting infection.
Development of RNA Interference Trigger-Mediated Gene Silencing in Entamoeba invadens
Authors: Suresh Susmitha , Ehrenkaufer Gretchen , Zhang Hanbang , Singh Upinder 
Published: January 2016

ABSTRACT

Entamoeba histolytica
, a protozoan parasite, is an important human pathogen and a leading parasitic cause of death. The organism has two life cycle stages, trophozoites, which are responsible for tissue invasion, and cysts, which are involved in pathogen transmission.
Entamoeba invadens
is the model system to study
Entamoeba
developmental biology, as high-grade regulated encystation and excystation are readily achievable. However, the lack of gene-silencing tools in
E. invadens
has limited the molecular studies that can be performed. Using the endogenous RNA interference (RNAi) pathway in
Entamoeba
, we developed an RNAi-based trigger gene-silencing approach in
E. invadens
. We demonstrate that a gene's coding region that has abundant antisense small RNAs (sRNAs) can trigger silencing of a gene that is fused to it. The trigger fusion leads to the generation of abundant antisense sRNAs that map to the target gene, with silencing occurring independently of trigger location at the 5′ or 3′ end of a gene. Gene silencing is stably maintained during development, including encystation and excystation. We have used this approach to successfully silence two
E. invadens
genes: a putative rhomboid protease gene and a SHAQKY family Myb gene. The Myb gene is upregulated during oxidative stress and development, and its downregulation led, as predicted, to decreased viability under oxidative stress and decreased cyst formation. Thus, the RNAi trigger silencing method can be used to successfully investigate the molecular functions of genes in
E. invadens
. Dissection of the molecular basis of
Entamoeba
stage conversion is now possible, representing an important technical advance for the system.
Streptococcus pneumoniae Colonization Disrupts the Microbial Community within the Upper Respiratory Tract of Aging Mice
Authors: Thevaranjan Netusha , Whelan Fiona J. , Puchta Alicja , Ashu Eta , Rossi Laura , Surette Michael G. , Bowdish Dawn M. E. 
Published: January 2016

ABSTRACTNasopharyngeal colonization by the Gram-positive bacteriumStreptococcus pneumoniaeis a prerequisite for pneumonia and invasive pneumococcal diseases. Colonization is asymptomatic, involving dynamic and complex interplay between commensals, the host immune system, and environmental factors. The elderly are at an increased risk of developing pneumonia, which might be due to changes in the respiratory microbiota that would impact bacterial colonization and persistence within this niche. We hypothesized that the composition of the upper respiratory tract (URT) microbiota changes with age and subsequently can contribute to sustained colonization and inefficient clearance ofS. pneumoniae. To test this, we used a mouse model of pneumococcal colonization to compare the composition of the URT microbiota in young, middle-aged, and old mice in the naive state and during the course of colonization using nasal pharyngeal washes. Sequencing of variable region 3 (V3) of the 16S rRNA gene was used to identify changes occurring with age and throughout the course ofS. pneumoniaecolonization. We discovered that age affects the composition of the URT microbiota and that colonization withS. pneumoniaeis more disruptive of preexisting communities in older mice. We have further shown that host-pathogen interactions followingS. pneumoniaecolonization can impact the populations of resident microbes, includingStaphylococcusandHaemophilus. Together, our findings indicate alterations to the URT microbiota could be detrimental to the elderly, resulting in increased colonization ofS. pneumoniaeand decreased efficiency in its clearance.