bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Exposure and health impacts of outdoor particulate matter in two urban and industrialized area of Tabriz, Iran
Authors: Gholampour Akbar , Nabizadeh Ramin , Naseri Simin , Yunesian Masud , Taghipour Hasan , Rastkari Noushin , Nazmara Shahrokh , Faridi Sasan , Mahvi Amir Hossein 
Published: January 2014

Abstract
Numerous studies have shown associations between air pollution and health effects on human. The aims of the present study were to provide quantitative data on variation of atmospheric particulate matter (PM) concentration and the impact of PM on the health of people living in Tabriz city. The approach proposed by the World Health Organization (WHO) was applied using the AirQ 2.2.3 software developed by the WHO European Centre for Environment and Health, Bilthoven Division. The concentration of particulate matter were measured at urban and industrial suburban sites in Tabriz, Iran, from September 2012 to June 2013. TSP and PM10 samples were collected using high volume samplers. PM2.5 and PM1 were measured by Haz-Dust EPAM-5000 particulate air monitors. The annual average concentrations of TSP, PM10, PM2.5, and PM1 in the urban site were 142.2 ± 76.3, 85.3 ± 43.9, 39 ± 19.1, and 28.4 ± 14.9 μg/m3 (mean ± SD), respectively. Also in industrial suburban, the total average concentrations of TSP, PM10, PM2.5, and PM1 were measured as 178.7 ± 52.7, 109.9 ± 30.2, 40.0 ± 10.9, and 31.4 ± 9.1 μg/m3, respectively. The PM10/TSP ratio for the whole study period ranged between 0.35-0.91 and 0.32-0.79 in the urban and suburban sites, respectively. Total mortalities associated with TSP, PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations were 327, 363, and 360, respectively. Furthermore, the cardiovascular mortalities for TSP and PM10 were 202 and 227 individual, respectively. According to the attributable respiratory mortalities of 99 and 67 associated respectively with TSP and PM10, it is clear that cardiovascular mortality resulted from PM might attributed to total mortality. The maximum 24-hour concentration of PM was observed during winter followed by autumn and the lowest one was during spring.
Insights into bacterial CO2 metabolism revealed by the characterization of four carbonic anhydrases in Ralstonia eutropha H16
Authors: Gai Claudia S , Lu Jingnan , Brigham Christopher J , Bernardi Amanda C , Sinskey Anthony J 
Published: January 2014

Abstract
Carbonic anhydrase (CA) enzymes catalyze the interconversion of CO2 and bicarbonate. These enzymes play important roles in cellular metabolism, CO2 transport, ion transport, and internal pH regulation. Understanding the metabolic role of CAs in the chemolithoautotropic bacterium Ralstonia eutropha is important for the development of high performance fermentation processes based on the bacterium’s capability to fix carbon using the Calvin-Benson-Bassham (CBB) cycle. Analysis of the R. eutropha H16 genome sequence revealed the presence of four CA genes: can, can2, caa and cag. We evaluated the importance of each of the CAs in the metabolism of R. eutropha by examination of growth and enzyme activity in gene deletion, complementation, and overexpression strains. All four purified CAs were capable of performing the interconversion of CO2 and HCO3
–, although the equilibrium towards the formation of CO2 or HCO3
– differs with each CA. Deletion of can, encoding a β-CA, affected the growth of R. eutropha; however the growth defect could be compensated by adding CO2 to the culture. Deletion of the caa, encoding an α-CA, had the strongest deleterious influence on cell growth. Strains with deletion or overexpression of can2 or cag genes exhibited similar behavior to wild type under most of the conditions tested. In this work, Caa was studied in greater detail using microscopy and complementation experiments, which helped confirm its periplasmic localization and determine its importance for robust growth of R. eutropha. A hypothesis for the coordinated role of these four enzymes in the metabolism of R. eutropha is proposed.
Integration of QFD, AHP, and LPP methods in supplier development problems under uncertainty
Authors: Shad Zahra , Roghanian Emad , Mojibian Fatemeh 
Published: January 2014

Abstract
Quality function deployment (QFD) is a customer-driven approach, widely used to develop or process new product in order to maximize customer satisfaction. Last researches used linear physical programming (LPP) procedure to optimize QFD; however, QFD issue involved uncertainties, or fuzziness, which requires taking them into account for more realistic study. In this paper a set of fuzzy data is used to address linguistic values parameterized by triangular fuzzy numbers. The proposed integrated approach includes analytic hierarchy process (AHP), QFD, and LPP to maximize overall customer satisfaction under uncertain conditions and apply them in the supplier development problem. The fuzzy AHP (FAHP) approach is adopted as a powerful method to obtain the relationship between the customer requirements (CRs) and engineering characteristics (ECs) to construct the house of quality (HOQ) in QFD method. LPP is used to obtain the optimal achievement level of the ECs and subsequently the customer satisfaction level under different degrees of uncertainty. The effectiveness of proposed method will be illustrated by an example.
Dissecting the expression landscape of RNA-binding proteins in human cancers
Authors: Kechavarzi Bobak , Janga Sarath Chandra 
Published: January 2014

Abstract
Background
RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) play important roles in cellular homeostasis by controlling gene expression at the post-transcriptional level.

Results
We explore the expression of more than 800 RBPs in sixteen healthy human tissues and their patterns of dysregulation in cancer genomes from The Cancer Genome Atlas project. We show that genes encoding RBPs are consistently and significantly highly expressed compared with other classes of genes, including those encoding regulatory components such as transcription factors, miRNAs and long non-coding RNAs. We also demonstrate that a set of RBPs, numbering approximately 30, are strongly upregulated (SUR) across at least two-thirds of the nine cancers profiled in this study. Analysis of the protein–protein interaction network properties for the SUR and non-SUR groups of RBPs suggests that path length distributions between SUR RBPs is significantly lower than those observed for non-SUR RBPs. We further find that the mean path lengths between SUR RBPs increases in proportion to their contribution to prognostic impact. We also note that RBPs exhibiting higher variability in the extent of dysregulation across breast cancer patients have a higher number of protein–protein interactions. We propose that fluctuating RBP levels might result in an increase in non-specific protein interactions, potentially leading to changes in the functional consequences of RBP binding. Finally, we show that the expression variation of a gene within a patient group is inversely correlated with prognostic impact.

Conclusions
Overall, our results provide a roadmap for understanding the impact of RBPs on cancer pathogenesis.
Pyrolysis-induced P-wave velocity anisotropy in organic-rich shales
Authors: Allan Adam M. , Vanorio Tiziana , Dahl Jeremy E. P. 
Published: January 2014

The sources of elastic anisotropy in organic-rich shale and their relative contribution therein remain poorly understood in the rock-physics literature. Given the importance of organic-rich shale as source rocks and unconventional reservoirs, it is imperative that a thorough understanding of shale rock physics is developed. We made a first attempt at establishing cause-and-effect relationships between geochemical parameters and microstructure/rock physics as organic-rich shales thermally mature. To minimize auxiliary effects, e.g., mineralogical variations among samples, we studied the induced evolution of three pairs of vertical and horizontal shale plugs through dry pyrolysis experiments in lieu of traditional samples from a range of in situ thermal maturities. The sensitivity of P-wave velocity to pressure showed a significant increase post-pyrolysis indicating the development of considerable soft porosity, e.g., microcracks. Time-lapse, high-resolution backscattered electron-scanning electron microscope images complemented this analysis through the identification of extensive microcracking within and proximally to kerogen bodies. As a result of the extensive microcracking, the P-wave velocity anisotropy, as defined by the Thomsen parameter epsilon, increased by up to 0.60 at low confining pressures. Additionally, the degree of microcracking was shown to increase as a function of the hydrocarbon generative potential of each shale. At 50 MPa confining pressure, P-wave anisotropy values increased by 0.29–0.35 over those measured at the baseline — i.e., the immature window. The increase in anisotropy at high confining pressure may indicate a source of anisotropy in addition to microcracking — potentially clay mineralogical transformation or the development of intrinsic anisotropy in the organic matter through aromatization. Furthermore, the evolution of acoustic properties and microstructure upon further pyrolysis to the dry-gas window was shown to be negligible.
Once again about object of management of economic development. What´s the problem?
Authors: Мокий  , Mokiy M. 
Published: January 2014

Management of economic development at the present stage of development of humanity demands new
theoretical approaches. First of all, it concerns change or specification of understanding of sense of the
economic relations and reconsideration of existing problems under a new point of view. So it developed that
in economic science today there is no standard definition of «economy». In article the new ontology of the
economic relations based on understanding of «fragmentariness» of mankind within planetary system and
a coevolution of development is offered. On this basis the new treatment of the main problems of economic
development is offered.
Developing General-Purpose Educational Skills While Teaching Mathematics
Authors: Виситаева  , Visitaeva Maret 
Published: January 2014

The author outlines the process of developing
general-purpose educational skills while solving problems,
related to operation with the elements of interpenetrating
figures. The paper could be useful in working with advanced
fourth-grade pupils, especially for the purpose of their
individual homework, as well as for organizing after-school
activities.
Bayesian Approach with Pre- and Post-Filtering to Handle Data Uncertainty and Inconsistency in Mobile Robot Local Positioning
Authors: Abdulhafiz Waleed A. , Khamis Alaa 
Published: January 2014

AbstractOne of the important issues in mobile robots is finding the position of robots in space. This is normally achieved by using a sensor to locate the position of the robot. However, relying on more than one sensor and then using multisenor data fusion algorithms tends to be more reliable than just using a reading from a single sensor. If these sensors provide inconsistent data, catastrophic fusion may occur, and thus the estimated position of the robot obtained will be less accurate than if an individual sensor is used. This article uses an approach that relies on combining modified Bayesian fusion algorithm with Kalman filtering to estimate the position of a mobile robot. Two case studies are presented to prove the efficiency of the proposed approach in estimating the position of a mobile robot. Both scenarios show that combining fusion with filtering provides an accurate estimate of the location of the robot by handling the problem of uncertainty and inconsistency of the data provided by the sensors.
Caenorhabditis elegans SWI/SNF Subunits Control Sequential Developmental Stages in the Somatic Gonad
Authors: Large Edward E , Mathies Laura D 
Published: January 2014

Abstract
The Caenorhabditis elegans somatic gonadal precursors (SGPs) are multipotent progenitors that give rise to all somatic tissues of the adult reproductive system. The hunchback and Ikaros-like gene ehn-3 is expressed specifically in SGPs and is required for their development into differentiated tissues of the somatic gonad. To find novel genes involved in SGP development, we used a weak allele of ehn-3 as the basis for a reverse genetic screen. Feeding RNAi was used to screen ∼2400 clones consisting of transcription factors, signaling components, and chromatin factors. The screen identified five members of the C. elegans SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complex as genetic enhancers of ehn-3. We characterized alleles of 10 SWI/SNF genes and found that SWI/SNF subunits are required for viability and gonadogenesis. Two conserved SWI/SNF complexes, PBAF and BAF, are defined by their unique array of accessory subunits around a common enzymatic core that includes a catalytic Swi2/Snf2–type ATPase. Tissue-specific RNAi experiments suggest that C. elegans PBAF and BAF complexes control different processes during somatic gonadal development: PBRM-1, a signature subunit of PBAF, is important for normal SGP development, whereas LET-526, the distinguishing subunit of BAF, is required for development of a differentiated cell type, the distal tip cell (DTC). We found that the SWSN-4 ATPase subunit is required for SGP and DTC development. Finally, we provide evidence that C. elegans PBAF subunits and hnd-1/dHand are important for the cell fate decision between SGPs and their differentiated sisters, the head mesodermal cells.
Evaluation of Long-Term Treatment Effect in a Type 1 Diabetes Intervention Trial: Differences After Stimulation With Glucagon or a Mixed Meal
Authors: Pozzilli Paolo , Raz Itamar , Peled Dana , Elias Dana , Avron Ann , Tamir Merana , Eren Rachel , Dagan Shlomo , Cohen Irun R. 
Published: January 2014

OBJECTIVEEndogenous insulin secretion, measured by C-peptide area under the curve (AUC), can be tested using both the glucagon stimulation test (GST) and the mixed-meal tolerance test (MMTT). This study compares these two stimulation methods using long-term data from patients newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes or with latent autoimmune diabetes.RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODSA recently completed phase 3 intervention study with DiaPep277 demonstrated improved glycemic control and a significant treatment effect of glucagon-stimulated C-peptide secretion. Unexpectedly, MMTT failed to detect differences between the treated and control groups. Data from 343 patients in two balanced-randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group trials of DiaPep277 were used to compare and correlate between GST- and MMTT-derived C-peptide AUC. Pearson’s correlations were calculated for absolute C-peptide AUC at baseline and 12 and 24 months and for long-term changes in AUC (∆AUC).RESULTSThe absolute AUC values obtained at any single time point by the two tests were well correlated in both data sets (r = 0.74–0.9). However, the correlations between the ∆AUC were much weaker (r = 0.39–0.58). GST-stimulated C-peptide secretion was stable over the fasting glucose range permitted for the test (4–11.1 mmol/L), but MMTT-stimulated C-peptide secretion decreased over the same range, implying differences in sensitivity to glucose.CONCLUSIONSMeasurement of long-term changes in stimulated C-peptide, reflecting endogenous insulin secretion, during the course of intervention trials may be affected by the method of stimulation, possibly reflecting different sensitivities to the physiological status of the tested subject.
Numerical Evaluation of Sound Attenuation Provided by Periodic Structures
Authors: Martins Mário , Godinho Luís , Picado-Santos Luís 
Published: January 2014

Abstract
The use of periodic structures as noise abatement devices has already been the object of considerable research seeking to understand its efficiency and see to what extent they can provide a functional solu- tion in mitigating noise from different sources. The specific case of sonic crystals consisting of different materials has received special attention in studying the influence of different variables on its acoustic performance.
The present work seeks to contribute to a better understanding of the behavior of these structures by implementing an approach based on the numerical method of fundamental solutions (MFS) to model the acoustic behavior of two-dimensional sonic crystals. The MFS formulation proposed here is used to evaluate the performance of crystals composed of circular elements, studying the effect of varying dimen- sions and spacing of the crystal elements as well as their acoustic absorption in the sound attenuation provided by the global structure, in what concerns typical traffic noise sources, and establishing some broad indications for the use of those structures.
Effect of Binaural Stimulation on Attention and EEG
Authors: Crespo Adela , Recuero Manuel , Galvez Gerardo , Begoña Adrián 
Published: January 2014

Abstract
When two pure tones of slightly different frequency are presented separately to each ear, the listener perceives a third single tone with amplitude variations at a frequency that equals the difference between the two tones; this perceptual illusion is known as the binaural auditory beat (BB). There are anecdotal reports that suggest that the binaural beat can entrain EEG activity and may affect the arousal levels, although few studies have been published. There is a need for double-blind, well-designed studies in order to establish a solid foundation for these sounds, as most of the documented benefits come from self-reported cases that could be affected by placebo effect. As BBs are a cheap technology (it even exists a free open source programmable binaural- beat generator on the Internet named Gnaural), any achievement in this area could be of public interest. The aim in our research was to explore the potential of BBs in a particular field: tasks that require focus and concentration. In order to detect changes in the brain waves that could relate to any particular improvement, EEG recordings of a small sample of individuals were also obtained. In this study we compare the effect of different binaural stimulation in 7 EEG frequency ranges. 78 participants were exposed to 20-min binaural beat stimulation. The effects were obtained both quali- tative with cognitive test and quantitative with EEG analysis. Results suggest no significant statistical improvement in 20-min stimulation.
Technical Notes: Evaluation of Two Alternative Procedures for Measuring Airflow Resistance of Sound Absorbing Materials
Authors: Rey Romina del , Alba Jesus , Arenas Jorge P. , Ramis Jaime 
Published: January 2014

Abstract
It is well known that sound absorption and sound transmission properties of open porous materials are highly dependent on their airflow resistance values. Low values of airflow resistance indicate little resistance for air streaming through the porous material and high values are a sign that most of the pores inside the material are closed. The laboratory procedures for measuring airflow resistance have been stan- dardized by several organizations, including ISO and ASTM for both alternate flow and continuous flow. However, practical implementation of these standardized methods could be both complex and expensive. In this work, two indirect alternative measurement procedures were compared against the alternate flow standardized technique. The techniques were tested using three families of eco-friendly sound absorbent materials: recycled polyurethane foams, coconut natural fibres, and recycled polyester fibres. It is found that the values of airflow resistance measured using both alternative methods are very similar. There is also a good correlation between the values obtained through alternative and standardized methods.
Dietary intake of energy and selected nutrients and plasma lipid profile in young women and men with different levels of physical activity
Authors: Malara Marzena , Hübner-Woźniak Elżbieta 
Published: January 2014

Summary
Study aim: The purpose was to assess dietary intake of energy and selected nutrients and plasma lipid profile in young women and men with different levels of physical activity.
Material and methods: The research included a total of 116 female and male students at the University of Physical Education who differed in their levels of physical activity. Analysis of the diets was based on 24-hour dietary interviews collected over 4 days prior to blood collection. Concentrations of total cholesterol (TC), HDL cholesterol (HDL-C), and triacylglycerol (TG) were measured in venous blood. In addition, the concentration of LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) and the ratios of TC / HDL-C and LDL-C/HDL-C were calculated.
Results: Women, regardless of their physical activity levels, were characterized by a significantly higher concentration of total cholesterol in plasma (4.8 and 4.5 mmol/L, respectively - in training participants; 4.7 and 4.3 mmol/L, respectively - in non-training participants), although their dietary intake of cholesterol was significantly lower in comparison with the corresponding groups of men (282.0 and 484.7 mg, respectively - in training participants; 252.6 and 400.2 mg, respectively - in non-training participants). A trend toward a worse lipid profile of training women and men compared with the corresponding groups of non-training participants was also observed.
Conclusions: Increased physical activity in the groups of training women and men was not a sufficient stimulus to induce positive changes in their lipid profiles. Nor can it be excluded that the observed differences were the result of diet, as dietary intake of cholesterol in the groups of training women and men was higher compared with the corresponding groups of non-training participants.
Einstein equation at singularities
Authors: Stoica Ovidiu-Cristinel 
Published: January 2014

AbstractEinstein’s equation is rewritten in an equivalent form, which remains valid at the singularities in some major cases. These cases include the Schwarzschild singularity, the Friedmann-Lemaître-Robertson-Walker Big Bang singularity, isotropic singularities, and a class of warped product singularities. This equation is constructed in terms of the Ricci part of the Riemann curvature (as the Kulkarni-Nomizu product between Einstein’s equation and the metric tensor).
Pre Participation Examination: Tool for Cardiovascular Screening of Competitive Athletes
Authors: Kaur Badwal Kulroop 
Published: January 2014

Abstract
The heart of an athlete has instilled inquisitiveness in many researchers, clinicians since a century. It is now well established that tedious physical training results in significant changes in cardiac structure and function. The recent increases in the number of people participating in recreational exercises and sports competitions have led to growing number of people exhibiting such changes. So the pre-participation screening becomes an important tool for non invasive examination and for diagnostic purposes. The main purpose of this consensus document is to reinforce the principle of the need for pre-participation medical clearance of all competitive athletes involved in organized sports programs, on the basis of (i) systematic screening by 12-lead ECG (in addition to history and physical examination) to identify hypertrophic cardiomyopathy - the leading cause of sportsrelated sudden death - and to prevent athletic field fatalities; (ii) transthoracic echocardiography with the potential ability of screening ability in detecting other lethal cardiovascular diseases.