bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Human mast cells synthesize and release angiogenin, a member of the ribonuclease A (RNase A) superfamily
Authors: Kulka Marianna , Fukuishi Nobuyuki , Metcalfe Dean D 
Published: July 2009

Abstract
Tissue-resident human mast cells may modulate tissue remodeling by the secretion of angiogenin, a potent angiogenic factor.
ANG is a plasma protein with angiogenic and ribonucleolytic activity implicated in tumor growth, heart failure, wound healing, asthma, and the composition of the adult gut microflora. Human mast cells (HuMC) are similarly associated with modulation of vascular permeability, angiogenic processes, wound healing, and asthma. We hypothesized that HuMC express and secrete ANG in response to divergent stimuli. ANG expression was evaluated in the LAD2 HMC, the HMC-1, and CD34+-derived HuMC, following exposure to live Escherichia coli, TLR ligands, or neuropeptides and following FcεRI aggregation. Expression and production of ANG were determined by microarray analysis, qRT-PCR, confocal microscopy, and ELISA. Microarray analysis showed that ANG is up-regulated by LAD2 cells exposed to live E. coli. qRT-PCR analysis revealed that LAD2, HMC-1, and HuMC constitutively expressed ANG mRNA and that it was up-regulated by exposure to E. coli. Activation of HuMC by FcεRI aggregation resulted in release of small amounts of ANG (&lt;100 pg/mL), whereas compound 48/80, NGF, LPS, PGN, and flagellin activated HuMC to secrete &gt;160 pg/mL ANG. These observations demonstrate that HuMC store and secrete ANG to a variety of stimuli and suggest that MC-derived ANG is available in the subsequent inflammatory response.
Squeezability. Part 1: A pressing issue
Authors: Blakey S , Rowson J , Tomlinson R A , Sandham A , Yoxall A 
Published: July 2009

Within the UK it is estimated that by 2020 over half the adult population will be over 50. A society in which the majority are aged poses some interesting questions, not least how that society will use and access goods and services, when the majority are likely to experience some loss of strength and dexterity. One such issue, the openability or accessibility of packaging, is becoming a major issue for brand owners, manufacturers, designers, and engineers due to the rapid ageing of much of the developed world. The authors have previously undertaken a significant amount of work on understanding the openability of vacuum lug closures (jam or sauce jars). This work looked at the forces to keep the system closed, the forces a human could apply and used experimental, numerical, and analytical analysis to understand these systems. Packaging, however, comes in many varied and differing forms and little or no previous work has been undertaken in this field on other forms of packaging such as thin film packets or bottles. The work in this article applies the principles used in the earlier studies to the squeezable bottle pack format. The article describes initial experimental and analytical work undertaken from first principals to establish the factors that contribute to the ease of use along with various laboratory tests carried out in order to determine the design rules for developing bottle styles and nozzle designs, for specific fluid contents. The work suggested several things that may be important for designers and manufacturers of squeezable bottles. Fundamental analysis shows that bottle material and shape generally dominate the squeezeability of and access to bottle contents. Bottle shape was seen to affect performance with the conditioner bottle having the best volume—deflection performance. Work also showed that hole size and Borda length can be calculated to determine specific flow characteristics with a relatively simple set of equations.
Experimental investigations of pressure loss and heat transfer in a 180° bend of a ribbed two-pass internal cooling channel with engine-similar cross-sections
Authors: Schüler M , Neumann S O , Weigand B 
Published: July 2009

In the present study, the pressure loss and heat transfer of a two-pass internal cooling channel with engine-similar cross-sections were investigated experimentally. This channel consisted of a trapezoidal leading edge pass, a sharp 180° bend, and a nearly rectangular outlet pass. The investigations focused on the influence of tip-to-web distance and rib configuration on pressure loss and heat transfer. The channel was equipped with skewed ribs (α=45°, P/ e=10, e/ dh=0.1) in an inline and a staggered configuration. The dimensionless tip-to-web distance Wel/ dS was varied from 0.6 to 1.2. The investigated Reynolds number ranged from 15 000 up to 100 000. The experimental results showed a strong increase in pressure loss with decreasing tip-to-web distance, while heat transfer was only slightly increasing. Both rib configurations showed nearly the same heat transfer enhancement in the bend region.
On the definition of the secondary flow in three-dimensional cascades
Authors: Persico G , Gaetani P , Dossena V , D'Ippolito G , Osnaghi C 
Published: July 2009

The present article proposes a novel methodology to evaluate secondary flows generated by the annulus boundary layers in complex cascades. Unlike two-dimensional (2D) linear cascades, where the reference flow is commonly defined as that measured at midspan, the problem of the reference flow definition for annular or complex 3D linear cascades does not have a general solution up to the present time. The proposed approach supports secondary flow analysis whenever exit streamwise vorticity produced by inlet endwall boundary layers is of interest. The idea is to compute the reference flow by applying slip boundary conditions at the endwalls in a viscous 3D numerical simulation, in which uniform total pressure is prescribed at the inlet. Thus the reference flow keeps the 3D nature of the actual flow except for the contribution of the endwall boundary layer vorticity. The resulting secondary field is then derived by projecting the 3D flow field (obtained from both an experiment and a fully viscous simulation) along the local reference flow direction; this approach can be proficiently applied to any complex geometry. This method allows the representation of secondary velocity vectors with a better estimation of the vortex extension, since it offers the opportunity to visualize also the region of the vortices, which can be approximated as a potential type. Furthermore, a proficient evaluation of the secondary vorticity and deviation angle effectively induced by the annulus boundary layer is possible. The approach was preliminarily verified against experimental data in linear cascades characterized by cylindrical blades, not reported for the sake of brevity, showing a very good agreement with the standard methodology based only on the experimental midspan flow field. This article presents secondary flows obtained by the application of the proposed methodology on two annular cascades with cylindrical and 3D-designed blades, stressing the differences with other definitions. Both numerical and experimental results are considered.
Clinical Significance and Prognostic Value of Serum Dickkopf-1 Concentrations in Patients with Lung Cancer
Authors: Sheng Shi L e , Huang Gang , Yu Bin , Qin Wen Xin 
Published: July 2009

Abstract
Background: Dickkopf-1 (DKK1), a secreted protein, is known as a negative regulator of the Wnt signaling pathway, which has been implicated in the development of several types of cancers. Clinical significance of serum DKK1 in lung cancer remains to be determined.
Methods: A novel time-resolved immunofluorometric assay was developed. By use of this method, we investigated the serum concentrations of DKK1 in 592 patients with malignancies, 72 patients with benign lung disease, and 120 healthy controls. Serum cytokeratin 19 fragment and neuron-specific enolase values were obtained.
Results: Serum DKK1 concentrations were significantly higher in patients with lung cancer than in patients with other malignant tumors or benign lung diseases and healthy controls. Serum concentrations of DKK1 were decreased significantly in groups of patients with gastric cancer, colorectal cancer, ovarian cancer, and cervical adenocarcinoma compared with healthy controls. Application of both DKK1 and cytokeratin 19 fragment increased sensitivity, correctly identifying 89.6% of the non–small cell lung cancer patients as positive. The use of both DKK1 and neuron-specific enolase increased sensitivity to detect small cell lung cancer to 86.2%. DKK1 concentrations increased with stage, tumor class, and presence of lymph node and distant metastases, regardless of histology and patient age and sex. Patients with a DKK1 concentration of 22.6 μg/L or higher had a statistically significantly diminished survival compared with patients whose DKK1 values were lower.
Conclusions: DKK1 was preferentially expressed in lung cancer. Increasing concentrations of DKK1were significantly associated with tumor progression and decreased survival in patients with lung cancer. .
Plasma PCSK9 Is Associated with Age, Sex, and Multiple Metabolic Markers in a Population-Based Sample of Children and Adolescents
Authors: Baass Alexis , Dubuc Geneviève , Tremblay Michel , Delvin Edgard E , O'Loughlin Jennifer , Levy Emile , Davignon Jean , Lambert Marie 
Published: July 2009

Abstract
Background: Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) is a protein convertase that posttranslationally promotes the degradation of the low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) in hepatocytes and increases plasma LDL cholesterol (LDL-C). Heterozygote gain-of-function mutations of PCSK9 are associated with the familial hypercholesterolemia phenotype, whereas loss-of-function variants are associated with reduced LDL-C concentrations and lower coronary risk. Plasma PCSK9 correlates with body mass index, triglyceridemia, total cholesterol, and LDL-C in adults, but no data are available in youth.
Methods: We studied 1739 French Canadian youth ages 9, 13, and 16 years who participated in the Quebec Child and Adolescent Health and Social Survey, a province-wide school-based survey conducted in 1999. An ELISA assay was used to measure plasma PSCK9.
Results: The mean (SD) plasma PCSK9 concentration was 84.7 (24.7) μg/L in the sample. In boys, plasma PCSK9 decreased with age, whereas the inverse was true for girls. There were statistically significant positive associations between PCSK9 and fasting glucose, insulin, and HOMA-IR (homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance). In multivariable analysis, a 10% higher fasting insulin was associated with a 1%–2% higher PCSK9 in both sexes. There were also positive associations between PCSK9 and total cholesterol, LDL-C, and triglycerides, as well as with HDL-C and apolipoproteins A1 and B.
Conclusions: PCSK9 is associated with age, sex, and multiple metabolic markers in youth. A novel finding is that PCSK9 is associated with fasting insulinemia, which suggests that PCSK9 could play a role in the development of dyslipidemia associated with the metabolic syndrome. .
HSQC-NMR analysis of lignin in woody (Eucalyptus globulus and Picea abies) and non-woody (Agave sisalana) ball-milled plant materials at the gel state 10th EWLP, Stockholm, Sweden, August 25–28, 2008
Authors: Rencoret Jorge , Marques Gisela , Gutiérrez Ana , Nieto Lidia , Santos J. Ignacio , Jiménez-Barbero Jesús , Martínez Ángel T. , del Río José C. 
Published: July 2009

Abstract
In situ analysis of lignin by 2D NMR of whole plant material was carried out by swelling finely ball-milled samples in deuterated dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO-d6
) and sonicated so that a gel was formed in the NMR analysis tube. Solution HSQC NMR spectra of different plant materials representative for hardwood (Eucalyptus globulus), softwood (Picea abies), and non-woody plants (Agave sisalana) are presented here. The spectra show signals corresponding to those of the main plant constituents, such as lignin and polysaccharides. The lignin signals were assigned by comparing the HSQC spectra of the whole plant materials with the HSQC spectra of their respective milled-wood lignins (MWLs). In general terms, the major lignin structural features, such as the relative abundances of the main lignin substructures, the syringyl/guaiacyl ratios and the extent of γ-acetylation of the lignin side-chain observed in the HSQC spectra of the whole plant materials, matched those obtained from the HSQC spectra of the isolated MWLs. Therefore, this technique, which needs only minor amounts of lignocellulosic material and minimal sample preparation, can be useful for the rapid screening of plant lignins without the need for tedious and time-consuming lignin isolation procedures.
Yield Strength Evaluation by Small-Punch Test
Authors: Isselin Jerome , Shoji Tetsuo 
Published: July 2009

Abstract
Because of the mechanical property degradation experienced by the nuclear power plant components, it is important to evaluate the evolution of the mechanical properties during service, such as the yield strength. A lack of materials available from nuclear power plants has led to the development of more and more small-sized specimen tests such as the small-punch test that has the advantage of using very small amounts of material with very simple working conditions (machining and test). In this study, we will present a new method for the yield strength estimation. This method is based on the elastic deformation energy method and is compared with the current methods which include the “two tangents” method and the offset method. This new method consists of the determination of the yield strength by measuring the energy beneath the load-displacement curve in the elastic deformation domain. The elastic deformation domain is defined by measuring the elastic reverse displacement during an unloading phase. Subsequently, the elastic displacement reverse is applied at the beginning of the load-displacement curve. Good agreement has been found between the elastic deformation energy and the square of the tensile yield strength. This method allows a better evaluation of the tensile yield strength and with a reduced scatter compared to the current conventional methods.
The Effect of Dual Flue Gas Conditioning on Fly Ash Characteristics
Authors: Shanthakumar S. , Singh D. N. , Phadke R. C. 
Published: July 2009

Abstract
Dual flue gas conditioning (DFGC) deals with the addition of chemical additives such as ammonia and sulfur trioxide, simultaneously, to the flue gas for increasing the ash collection efficiency of electrostatic precipitators (ESPs). Previous studies with ammonia as the conditioning agent [i.e., ammonia flue gas conditioning (AFGC)] have revealed that the collection efficiency increases drastically due to agglomeration of ash particles. However, in what way combination of sulfur trioxide and ammonia helps in increasing the efficiency of ESPs, and hence controlling emissions from the power stations, has not yet been studied in detail. With this in view, efforts were made to investigate the influence of DFGC and AFGC on the collection efficiency of ESPs and overall properties of the ash. To achieve this, fly ash samples from a thermal power station in India, where DFGC is being adopted, were collected and their physico-chemico-mineralogical and morphological properties were investigated. The results obtained were critically analyzed vis-à-vis those obtained for the fly ash samples collected from a thermal power plant where only AFGC is being adopted. The advantage of DFGC over AFGC for enhancing the overall collection efficiency of ESPs has been demonstrated in this paper.
Influence of Loading Rate on the Calibration of Instrumented Charpy Strikers
Authors: Lucon Enrico , Scibetta Marc , McColskey J. David , McCowan Chris N. 
Published: July 2009

AbstractOne of the key factors for obtaining reliable instrumented Charpy results is the calibration of the instrumented striker. The conventional approach for establishing an analytical relationship between strain gage output and force applied to the transducer is the static calibration, which is preferably performed with the striker installed in the pendulum assembly. However, the response of an instrumented striker under static force application may sometimes differ significantly from its dynamic performance during an actual Charpy test. This is typically reflected in a large difference between absorbed energy returned by the pendulum encoder (KV) and calculated under the instrumented force/displacement test record (Wt). Such difference can be either minimized by optimizing the striker design or analytically removed by adjusting forces and displacements until KV=Wt (the so-called “dynamic force adjustment”). This study investigates the influence of increasing force application rates on the force/voltage characteristics of two instrumented strikers, one at NIST in Boulder, Colorado and one at SCK•CEN in Mol, Belgium. Force was applied to the strikers using servohydraulic testing machines up to maximum loading rates of around 3,000 kN/s, approximately 60 times lower than the typical loading rate during the elastic portion of an instrumented Charpy test (∼180,000 kN/s). At SCK•CEN, force was applied to the striker by cyclic loading at increasing frequencies and using a single ramp function having the desired slope (“single-shot” loading). It is observed that, under cyclic loading, the sensitivity of the strain gages drops significantly above a threshold loading rate, which may depend on the striker design (∼100 kN/s for the NIST tup, ∼1,000 kN/s for the SCK•CEN tup). Conversely, in the case of single-shot loading, the force/voltage relationship does not vary significantly up to ∼3,000 kN/s and remains close to the one obtained from the static calibration.
Fiber-Optical Interferometer for Distance Measurements: Investigation of LinearityLinearitätsuntersuchungen eines faseroptischen Distanzmesssystems
Authors: Depiereux Frank , Hamm Wolfgang , Schmitt Robert , Mallmann Guilherme F. 
Published: July 2009

Abstract
Thoroughly investigated optical principles like interferometry can be very well combined with the advantages of light guiding fibers. Such a combination enables the realization of unique measurement systems with exceptional features. We present the extended investigation and compensation of the linear behaviour of our fiber-optical distance sensor.
Modeling Air and Water Perforator Swell for Better Risk Management
Authors: Han C. , Du Michael H. , Walton Ian C. 
Published: July 2009

Summary
A detonated-shaped charge fired from a perforating string or perforating gun not only perforates its targets, but also possibly causes excessive damage or swell to its carrier. Comprehensive understanding of the post-perforating conditions of either the perforator or perforator system is required if such damage and potential retrievability risks are to be avoided. In practice, the perforating design engineers do not have a well-established analytical tool to help understand post-perforating behavior of perforators. They have to rely on their own experiences and previous perforating histories to roughly estimate the swell or damage conditions of similar perforators.
In this paper, the failure modes of continuously phased perforators for both gas well and oilwell applications are analyzed. Important factors concerning carrier serviceability are discussed. A method based on energy conservation is used to establish a swell model to predict the post-detonation conditions of the perforator. The model takes the total expendable energy from the explosives into account, relates it to the energy consumed by the functional and nonfunctional processes, and describes the relationship of energy distribution among them. A criterion is proposed to establish the serviceability of the perforators.
Analytical results from the model are compared with the data collected from surface tests. The results indicate the model can reasonably predict the perforator swell and damage after detonation, and as such, be a useful tool that shortens the required time to develop future perforators.
Tuberculous bursitis of the wrist after anti-TNFalpha treatment: a case report
Authors: Nestor Avgoustidis , Nikolaos Sipsas , Konstantinos Evangelou , Dimitrios Pikazis 
Published: July 2009

Abstract
In this report, we describe a case of tuberculous bursitis-osteomyelitis of the wrist, in an elderly patient with rheumatoid arthritis and anti-TNFalpha (anti-Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha) treatment.
The effects of vitamin E and selenium on blood flow to experimental skin burns in rats using the 133Xe clearance technique
Authors: Varoglu Erhan , Seven Bedri , Gumustekin Kenan , Aktas Omer , Sahin Ali , Dane Senol 
Published: July 2009

Abstract
The aim of the present experimental study was to determine and to compare the effects of vitamin E and of selenium on the blood flow to a wound region in rats, using the xenon-133 (133Xe) clearance technique. Burn wounds were made on the right thighs of rats followed by oral administration of vitamin E or selenium for a period of 10 days. The effect of vitamin E and of selenium individually on blood flow in the wound region was assessed before and after oral administration using the 133Xe clearance technique. Both vitamin E and selenium significantly increased the blood flow in the wound region (P<0.05). Our results in rats suggest that both vitamin E and selenium have beneficial effects on the skin wound healing process by increasing the skin blood flow.
Improvement of Algorithm in the Particle Tracking Velocimetry Using Self-Organizing Maps
Authors: Joshi Shashidhar Ram 
Published: July 2009

The neural network techniques are becoming a useful tool for the particle tracking algorithm of the PIV system software and among others, the self-organizing maps (SOM) model seems to have turned out particularly effective for this purpose. This is mainly because of the performance of the particle tracking itself, capacity of dealing with unpaired particles between two frames and no necessity for a priori knowledge on the flow field (e.g. maximum flow rate) to be measured. Initially, concept of SOM was applied to PIV by Labonte. It was modified by Ohmi and further modified algorithm is developed using the concept of Delta-Bar-Delta rule. It is a heuristic algorithm for modifying the learning rate as training progresses. Earlier, the treatment of unpaired particles, a specific problem to any type of PIV, is not fully considered and thereby, the tracking goes unsuccessfully for some particles. The present research is to bring about further improvement and practicability in this promising particle tracking algorithm. The computational complexity can be reduced employing modified algorithm compared to other algorithms. The modified algorithm is tested in the light of the synthetic PIV standard image as well as in particle images obtained from visualization experiments.Key words: Delta-Bar Delta, Dynamic Threshold Binarization, HVD Algorithm, Labonte's SOM, Modified Algorithm, Ohmi's SOM, Particle Image Velocimetry(PIV), Particle Tracking Velocimetry(PTV), Self-Organizing Map(SOM), Single Threshold Binarization.Journal of the Institute of Engineering, Vol. 7, No. 1, 2009, July, pp. 6-23doi: 10.3126/jie.v7i1.2057
Difference Sequence Spaces and Matrix Transformations
Authors: Joshi Geeta Bhakta , Mishra Shailendra Kumar , Rajpant Shankar 
Published: July 2009

In this paper, we extend the work of Gaur, A.K. and Mursaleen [6] and also extend the work of Mursaleen, Gaur, A.K. and Saifi, A.H.[16]. We characterize the matrices that map S (p,D) r , ¥ (p) Dl , c (p) 0 D , Dc(p)and ( p) r D ¥ l into W(t ).Key words: matrix transformationsJournal of the Institute of Engineering, Vol. 7, No. 1, 2009, July pp. 24-30doi: 10.3126/jie.v7i1.2059