bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Impulsive consensus of multi‐agent directed networks with nonlinear perturbations
Authors: Xiong Wenjun , Ho Daniel W. C. , Cao Jinde 
Published: July 2011

SUMMARYThis paper investigates the consensus problem of a multi‐agent directed network with nonlinear perturbations (MNNP). Our main objective is to study how the nonlinear perturbations affect a consensus of a multi‐agent network. Based on a reduced‐order transformation, it is shown that an MNNP cannot reach a consensus under a hypothesis even though the discussed network has a spanning tree. The hypothesis shows a detailed relationship between the nonlinear perturbations and the structure of the multi‐agent network. An impulsive approach is then introduced, and a simple criterion is presented to guarantee the consensus of all agents for an MNNP. Finally, a numerical example is provided to illustrate the effectiveness of the obtained criterion. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The Adult Mouse Dentate Gyrus Contains Populations of Committed Progenitor Cells that are Distinct from Subependymal Zone Neural Stem Cells
Authors: Clarke Laura , van der Kooy Derek 
Published: July 2011

Abstract
There is currently a debate as to whether or not a neural stem cell (NSC) exists in the adult mammalian hippocampus. Clonal colony-forming assays allow single cells to cells to be evaluated for stem cell properties: self-renewal and multipotentiality. In these in vitro assays, single cells from the subependymal zone (SEZ) of the adult lateral ventricle yield large colonies which self-renew and are multipotential, while single cells from the adult dentate gyrus (DG) produce small, unipotent, and nonself-renewing colonies. We find that multipotential and long-term self-renewing colonies can be isolated only from the early embryonic hippocampus, before the formation of the DG. No movement of progenitors from the postnatal SEZ to the newly forming DG subgranular zone is detected and adult DG colonies in vitro originate from the embryonic hippocampal primordium. These data support a model where embryonic hippocampal NSCs change their properties as the organism ages. When adult DG spheres are cocultured with embryonic brain slices, self-renewal (but not multipotentiality) is restored and maintained for several passages off of slices. Adult clonal DG spheres grown on embryonic brain slices or transplanted into brains of neonatal mice do not give rise to neurons. Neurons arise from separate, small clones that are approximately 10 times more frequent than sphere colonies in vitro and may be responsible for maintaining neurogenesis in the adult in vivo. We propose that there are separate glial and neuronal clones in the adult hippocampus, with glial progenitors being the most proliferative in culture.
Analysis of energy consumption of elevator group supervisory control system based on genetic network programming
Authors: Yu Lu , Mabu Shingo , Hirasawa Kotaro , Ueno Tsuyoshi 
Published: July 2011

AbstractElevator Group Supervisory Control System (EGSCS) is a traffic system, which provides the transportation services for passengers in modern buildings. As the elevator systems include uncertainty due to the future arrival of the passengers, it difficult to model, analyze, and optimize the elevator group supervisory control system. Recently, artificial intelligence technology has been used in such complex systems. Genetic Network Programming(GNP), a graph‐based evolutionary method extended from genetic algorithm and genetic programming, has been already applied to EGSCS. On the other hand, since energy consumption is becoming one of the greatest challenges in the society, it should be taken as one of the criteria of the elevator operations. The elevators with maximum energy efficiency are therefore required. In this paper, the GNP is used to solve EGSCS with energy consumption (EC). Moreover, the idle car assignment has been embedded in the proposed method. Finally, the simulations show that some factors should be introduced into GNP in order to deal with the higher EC in the light traffic of the elevator systems. © 2011 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Mechanical strengths of molten and solidified LLDPE/LDPE blends and wood/LDPE composites under tensile deformation
Authors: Harnnarongchai Wanlop , Sitticharoen Watcharin , Intawong Naret , Sombatsompop Narongrit 
Published: July 2011

AbstractThe mechanical strengths of neat low‐density polyethylene (LDPE), a blend of LDPE with linear low‐density polyethylene (LLDPE), and a composite of LDPE with wood flour (wood/LDPE) were investigated in molten and solidified states under tensile deformation. The results are discussed in terms of the effects of LLDPE and wood contents, roller speed, and volumetric flow rate. In LLDPE/LDPE blends, incorporating LLDPE from 0 to 30 wt% into LDPE caused a slight increase in drawdown force, a larger fluctuation in drawdown force, and a reduction of maximum roller speed to failure. The mechanical properties of the solidified LLDPE/LDPE corresponded to those of the molten LLDPE/LDPE with regard to the effect of LLDPE content. For wood/LDPE composites, increasing the wood flour content in molten LDPE caused considerable reductions in drawdown time and maximum roller speed to failure. The drawdown force increased with increasing wood flour up to 10 wt% before it decreased at the wood loading of 20 wt%. A number of voids and pores on the extrudate surfaces became obvious for the composites with 20 wt% of wood content. Increasing wood content enhanced the tensile modulus for the solidified LDPE but decreased its tensile strength. Unlike those of LLDPE/LDPE blends, the changes in tensile modulus and strength of solidified wood/LDPE composites with wood content did not correspond to those of the molten composites. In all cases, the drawdown force increased with increasing roller speed. The effect of volumetric flow rate from the extruder on the mechanical strengths of the solidified blends was more pronounced than on those of the molten ones. J. VINYL ADDIT. TECHNOL., 2011. © 2011 Society of Plastics Engineers
iMAC: improved Medium Access Control for multi‐channel multi‐hop wireless networks
Authors: Maiya Megha , Hamdaoui Bechir 
Published: July 2011

ABSTRACTTrends in wireless networks are increasingly pointing towards a future with multi‐hop networks deployed in multi‐channel environments. In this paper, we present the design for iMAC—a protocol targeted at Medium Access Control in such environments. iMAC uses control packets on a common control channel to facilitate a three‐way handshake between the sender and the receiver for every packet transmission. This handshake enables the sender and the receiver to come to a consensus on a channel to use for data transmission and also signals to neighboring nodes about the contention on that channel. iMAC then uses a mechanism similar to 802.11 for data communication. Our evaluation of iMAC shows that it provides significant gains in throughput in comparison with uninformed channel selection, especially when contention for channel bandwidth is neither too low nor too high; intelligent selection of channels by iMAC is necessary to harness available bandwidth resources in the presence of medium levels of contention. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Implicit translation
Authors: Marchette David 
Published: July 2011

AbstractThis article describes a joint embedding approach to matching documents in multiple languages. The approach is general, operating on dissimilarity matrices, and is thus applicable to any problem of fusing disparate information. We apply it to a problem of implicit translation, in which documents in two different languages are matched. WIREs Comp Stat 2012, 4:28–34. doi: 10.1002/wics.181This article is categorized under:

Data: Types and Structure > Text Data
Statistical Learning and Exploratory Methods of the Data Sciences > Text Mining
Mechanistic modeling to investigate signaling by oncogenic Ras mutants
Authors: Stites Edward C. , Ravichandran Kodi S. 
Published: July 2011

AbstractMathematical models based on biochemical reaction mechanisms can be a powerful complement to experimental investigations of cell signaling networks. In principle, such models have the potential to find the behaviors that result from well‐understood component interactions and their measurable properties, such as concentrations and rate constants. As cancer results from the acquisition of mutations that alter the expression level and/or the biochemistry of proteins encoded by mutated genes, mathematical models of cell signaling networks would also seem to have the potential to predict how these changes alter cell signaling to produce a cancer phenotype. Ras is commonly found in cancer and has been extensively characterized at the level of detail needed to develop such models. Here, we consider how biochemical mechanism‐based models have been used to study mutant Ras signaling. These models demonstrate that it is clearly possible to use observable properties of individual reactions to predict how the entire system behaves to produce the high levels of signal that drive the cancer phenotype. These models also demonstrate differences in how models are developed and studied. Their evaluation suggests which approaches are most promising for future work. WIREs Syst Biol Med 2012, 4:117–127. doi: 10.1002/wsbm.156This article is categorized under:

Biological Mechanisms > Cell Signaling
Improvement of lipid production in the marine strains Alexandrium minutum and Heterosigma akashiwo by utilizing abiotic parameters
Authors: Fuentes-Grünewald C , Garcés E , Alacid E , Sampedro N , Rossi S , Camp J 
Published: July 2011

Abstract
Two different strains of microalgae, one raphidophyte and one dinoflagellate, were tested under different abiotic conditions with the goal of enhancing lipid production. Whereas aeration was crucial for biomass production, nitrogen deficiency and temperature were found to be the main abiotic parameters inducing the high-level cellular accumulation of neutral lipids. Net neutral lipid production and especially triacylglycerol (TAG) per cell were higher in microalgae (&gt;200% in Alexandrium minutum, and 30% in Heterosigma akashiwo) under treatment conditions (25°C; 330 μM NaNO3) than under control conditions (20°C; 880 μM NaNO3). For both algal species, oil production (free fatty acids plus TAG fraction) was also higher under treatment conditions (57 mg L−1 in A. minutum and 323 mg L−1 in H. akashiwo). Despite the increased production and accumulation of lipids in microalgae, the different conditions did not significantly change the fatty acids profiles of the species analyzed. These profiles consisted of saturated fatty acids (SAFA) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in significant proportions. However, during the stationary phase, the concentrations per cell of some PUFAs, especially arachidonic acid (C20:4n6), were higher in treated than in control algae. These results suggest that the adjustment of abiotic parameters is a suitable and one of the cheapest alternatives to obtain sufficient quantities of microalgal biomass, with high oil content and minimal changes in the fatty acid profile of the strains under consideration.
Suitability of the Clinical Dementia Rating‐Sum of Boxes as a single primary endpoint for Alzheimer's disease trials
Authors: Coley Nicola , Andrieu Sandrine , Jaros Mark , Weiner Michael , Cedarbaum Jesse , Vellas Bruno 
Published: July 2011

AbstractBackgroundClinical measures continue to be used as primary endpoints for disease‐modifying trials for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Currently, two co‐primary endpoints must be specified, which measure cognitive and functional impairments. Generally, the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale‐Cognitive Subscale (ADAS‐Cog) is one of the co‐primary endpoints, but high variability in this measure results in large sample sizes. We evaluated the psychometric properties of the Clinical Dementia Rating‐Sum of Boxes (CDR‐SB) to assess its suitability as a single primary endpoint as an alternative to the traditional co‐primary approach.MethodsInternal consistency, structural and convergent validity, and 2‐year internal and external responsiveness of the CDR‐SB were assessed in 667 very mild to moderate (global Clinical Dementia Rating, 0.5–2) AD patients from the REAL.FR (Réseau sur la Maladie d'Alzheimer Français) study.ResultsThe CDR‐SB showed good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.88), and acceptable structural (separate “cognitive” and “functional” factors) and convergent validity. Variability in mean changes over time was low, leading to excellent internal responsiveness (effect size = 1.2; standardized response mean = 1.17 at 2 years) and smaller sample sizes as compared with the ADAS‐Cog. External responsiveness was acceptable when compared with “clinically meaningful” changes on the Activities of Daily Living scale but only borderline acceptable when compared with the ADAS‐Cog and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living. Levels of missing data and floor/ceiling effects were low.ConclusionsThe CDR‐SB measures cognitive and functional impairment simultaneously, and has excellent 2‐year internal responsiveness. This makes it a promising candidate as a sole primary endpoint for AD trials, although more work is required to determine the clinical relevance of CDR‐SB changes, and its usefulness as an endpoint at other disease stages.
Effect of effort and deadlines on consumer product returns
Authors: Janakiraman Narayan , Ordóñez Lisa 
Published: July 2011

AbstractWhile extant research has examined return policies as a combination of time and effort, we investigate both the independent and interactive impacts of time and effort on consumer decisions to return or retain products. We find that decreasing return deadlines can have the counterintuitive effect of increasing return rates under some conditions. Using construal level theory, we propose that perceived effort (both physical and cognitive) mediates the effect of return policy on return rates leading to suppressed returns. Further, when deadlines are framed as durations between store visits, overall product returns are exacerbated except when perceived effort is high.
Low fruit and vegetable consumption in Mozambique: results from a WHO STEPwise approach to chronic disease risk factor surveillance
Authors: Padrão Patrícia , Laszczyńska Olga , Silva-Matos Carla , Damasceno Albertino , Lunet Nuno 
Published: July 2011

Monitoring food consumption and its determinants over time is essential for defining and implementing health promotion strategies, but surveillance is scarce in Africa. The present study aimed to describe fruit and vegetable consumption in Mozambique according to socio-demographic characteristics and place of residence (urban/rural). A national representative sample (n 3323) of subjects aged 25–64 years was evaluated in 2005 following the WHO Stepwise Approach to Chronic Disease Risk Factor Surveillance, which included an assessment of usual fruit and vegetable consumption (frequency and quantity). Crude prevalence and age-, education- and family income-adjusted prevalence ratios (PR) with 95 % CI were computed. Less than 5 % of the subjects reported an intake of five or more daily servings of fruits/vegetables. Both fruits and vegetables were more often consumed by women and in rural settings. In urban areas, the prevalence of fruit intake ( ≥ 2 servings/d) increased with education ( ≥ 6 years v. < 1 year: women, adjusted PR = 3·11, 95 % CI 1·27, 7·58; men, adjusted PR = 3·63, 95 % CI 1·22, 10·81), but not with income. Conversely, vegetable consumption ( ≥ 2 servings/d) was less frequent in more educated urban men ( ≥ 6 years v. < 1 year: adjusted PR = 0·30, 95 % CI 0·10, 0·94) and more affluent rural women ( ≥ $801 US dollars (USD) v. $0–64: adjusted PR = 0·32, 95 % CI 0·13, 0·81). The very low intake of these foods in this setting supports the need for fruit and vegetable promotion programmes that target the whole population, despite the different socio-demographic determinants of fruit and vegetable intake.
Effect of cocoa-enriched diets on lymphocytes involved in adjuvant arthritis in rats
Authors: Ramos-Romero Sara , Pérez-Cano Francisco J. , Castellote Cristina , Castell Margarida , Franch Àngels 
Published: July 2011

Cocoa and its flavonoids have potential anti-inflammatory properties in vitro and in acute inflammation models in vivo. The aim of the present study was to ascertain the effects of two cocoa-enriched diets on adjuvant arthritis (AA) in rats, considering not only clinical and biochemical inflammatory indices, but also antibody response and lymphocyte composition. Female Wistar rats were fed with a 5 or 10 % cocoa-enriched diet beginning 2 weeks before arthritis induction and until the end of the study. AA was induced by an intradermal injection of heat-killed Mycobacterium butyricum suspension. The hind-paw swelling (plethysmometry), serum anti-mycobacterial antibody concentration (ELISA), blood and inguinal lymph node lymphocyte subset percentage (flow cytometry), and IL-2, interferon γ and PGE2 released from splenocytes (ELISA) were assessed. Although the cocoa diets had no significant effect on hind-paw swelling, a tendency to reduce it was observed at the end of the study. Cocoa-enriched diets were able to decrease the serum anti-mycobacterial antibody concentration and the splenocyte PGE2 production, as well as the proportion of T-helper (Th) lymphocytes in blood and regional lymph nodes, which probably includes cells responsible for the arthritic process. The cocoa diets prevented a decrease in the proportion of regulatory T-cells in blood and a disequilibrium between inguinal lymph node natural killer (NK) CD8+ and NK CD8− subsets. In conclusion, the cocoa-enriched diets during AA were not able to significantly decrease joint inflammation but modified Th-cell proportions and prevented specific antibody synthesis.
SON PREFERENCE AND INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE VICTIMIZATION IN INDIA: EXAMINING THE ROLE OF ACTUAL AND DESIRED FAMILY COMPOSITION
Authors: SABARWAL SHAGUN , McCORMICK MARIE C. , SUBRAMANIAN S. V. , SILVERMAN JAY G. 
Published: July 2011

SummarySon preference has been considered as a determinant of women's risk of intimate partner violence (IPV) experience in India, although quantitative evidence from large nationally representative studies testing this relationship is limited. This study examines the association between husband's son preference, sex composition of children and risk of physical and sexual IPV victimization among wives. Information was collected for 26,284 couples in the nationally representative 2005–2006 National Family Health Survey of India. The exposures were husband's son preference measured as husband's desire for one or more sons greater than the number of daughters and sex composition of the household: only sons, only daughters and mixed. Outcome included past year physical and/or sexual IPV. The results showed that husband's reported son preference (RR: 1.05; 95% CI: 0.98–1.13) and sex composition of children were not associated with risk for IPV victimization in the models adjusted for socio-demographic factors. The findings from this first population-based study of socio-cultural norms around son preference and married Indian women's risk for IPV victimization indicate that cultural preference for sons does not influence women's risk for IPV victimization.
Keeping the clock set under the midnight sun: diurnal periodicity and synchrony of avian Isospora parasites cycle in the High Arctic
Authors: DOLNIK OLGA V. , METZGER BENJAMIN J. , LOONEN MAARTEN J. J. E. 
Published: July 2011

SUMMARYFor Isospora (Protozoa: Eimeriidae) parasites of passerine birds, diurnal periodicity of oocyst output is a well-described phenomenon. From the temporal zone to the tropics, oocyst production is correlated with the light-dark cycle, peaking in the afternoon hours. However, nothing is known about the existence of diurnal periodicity of these parasites in the birds of High Arctic environments, under permanent light during summer. We sampled free-ranging Snow Bunting (Aves: Passeriformes), on Svalbard in summer and tested oocysts output of Isospora plectrophenaxia. Here we show that under the permanent light conditions of Arctic summer in the wild, Isospora plectrophenaxia, a parasite of the Snow Bunting, still keeps the 24-h rhythm of oocyst output with the peak in the post-meridiem hours, despite the absence of diurnal periodicity in host's activity. Our findings prove the ability of avian Isospora to invoke alternative cues for synchronizing the circadian rhythms. Possible cues and adaptive significance of diurnal periodicity of parasite output in High Arctic are discussed. The maintenance of synchronization and timing of the parasite life-cycle stages is under positive selection pressure even in permanent daylight in the Arctic.
III. The Excavation of the Giants' Hills Long Barrow, Skendleby, Lincolnshire
Authors: Phillips C. W. 
Published: July 2011

Before describing this excavation a few introductory remarks must be made on the circumstances which brought it about.As early as 1924 Mr. O. G. S. Crawford was convinced from a study of the 6-inch maps that long barrows existed on the Lincolnshire Wolds, but the matter was not tested in the field until the writer began a general revision of the archaeological information on the Lincolnshire sheets in 1929. After a careful examination of the Wold area it became apparent that Mr. Crawford's belief was amply justified, and that an important group of long barrows existed between the Humber and the Wash. An account was given of these in the Archaeological Journal for 1932, and details of further discoveries were given in the Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society. Altogether eleven certain examples are known, two more have been destroyed, and there are two doubtful cases (fig. 1)
Differences among formulary submission guidelines: Implications for health technology assessment
Authors: Mauskopf Josephine , Walter Jeffrey , Birt Julie , Bowman Lee , Copley-Merriman Catherine , Drummond Michael 
Published: July 2011

Objectives: This article provides a detailed understanding of the differences in selected formulary submission guidelines supplied by various health technology assessment (HTA) agencies and indicates how these differences can impact the evidence base used to populate the HTA.Methods: Detailed summaries of the recommended methods for evidence generation, organized by topic areas relevant for clinical and economic data, for twelve countries in Europe, North America, and Australia where HTA processes are well developed were prepared. Using these summaries, we provide examples of the likely impact these differences in recommended methods could have on the evidence base used to evaluate new health technologies.Results: Areas where recommendations differed included methodologies for systematic literature reviews (e.g., preferred databases and study designs for inclusion); selection of appropriate comparators; guidance on critical appraisal and synthesis of clinical evidence; appropriate sources for health value measures, resource use, and cost data; and approaches to uncertainty analyses. Performing literature searches that capture all relevant studies and then creating subsets of the literature based on a listing of country-specific requirements could allow for direct comparison of the evidence bases associated with the different guidelines.Conclusions: If the formulary submission guidelines were followed as written, different (although overlapping) bodies of evidence likely would be generated for each country, which could contribute to disparate assessments and recommendations. This comparison of the formulary submission guidelines could contribute to an understanding of why clinical and reimbursement decisions vary across countries.