bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
New stability criterion for linear switched systems with time‐varying delay
Authors: Zhu Xun‐Lin , Yang Hongyong , Wang Youyi , Wang Yu‐Long 
Published: July 2012

SUMMARYThis paper studies the stability problem of a class of linear switched systems with time‐varying delay in the sense of Hurwitz convex combination. By designing a parameter‐dependent switching law and using a new convex combination technique to deal with delay terms, a new stability criterion is established in terms of LMIs, which is dependent on the parameters of Hurwitz convex combination. The advantage of the new criterion lies in its less conservatism and simplicity. Numerical examples are given to illustrate the effectiveness and the less conservatism of the proposed method. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Ginga‐NCL architecture for plug‐ins
Authors: Soares Luiz Fernando G. , Moreno Marcio F. , Marinho Rafael S. 
Published: July 2012

SUMMARYGinga is the middleware of the Japanese‐Brazilian terrestrial digital TV (DTV) system, ISDB‐T B, and also the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU‐T) Recommendation for Internet Protocol television services. Ginga supports NCL (Nested Context Language) applications in its declarative environment (Ginga‐NCL) for which we devise an architecture for plug‐in integration. This paper focuses on this plug‐in architecture and its innovative solutions, detailing the plug‐in API, life‐cycle and control model, besides discussing how the architecture can be extended to other software systems, in particular to other DTV middleware systems. In the paper, we show how Ginga‐NCL can embed other declarative language engines. On the other hand, we also extend an HTML browser to allow it to embed Ginga‐NCL. This proof‐of‐ concept is important because NCL and HTML players are not only the most common players found in DTV middleware systems but also because they are ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector Recommendations for terrestrial and Internet Protocol television services (NCL and Broadcast Markup Language (BML)/Lightweight Interactive Multimedia Environment (LIME)). Therefore, this proof‐of‐concept also provides a contribution to DTV middleware interoperability. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Diary of a Dabbler: Ecological Influences on an EFL Teacher's Efforts to Study Japanese Informally
Authors: Casanave Christine Pearson 
Published: July 2012

In this diary study, the author draws from journals written over the course of 8 years working as an English instructor at a Japanese university, with the aim of documenting the influences on her desire to invest effort in the self‐study of Japanese (what she refers to as the ecology of effort). An ecological perspective reveals the idiosyncratic and fluctuating nature of motivation due to daily contextual, personal, and emotional factors that interacted in unpredictable ways. One point of interest to researchers is that important ecological and relational influences on and emotional reactions to language learning cannot be uncovered with traditional motivation research. A second point of interest to adult language learners is that when full‐time language study is not possible or desired, dabbling is an excellent way to stay connected to active but low‐pressure language learning and to maintain a sense of wonder at the miracle of language.
Routine Chest X‐Ray Prior to Thyroid Surgery: Is It Always Necessary?
Authors: Hong Brian W. , Mazeh Haggi , Chen Herbert , Sippel Rebecca S. 
Published: July 2012

AbstractBackgroundDespite lack of evidence‐based support, chest X‐ray (CXR) prior to thyroid surgery is often used to identify tracheal deviation that may predict difficulty with intubation. The aim of this study is to establish the utility of preoperative CXR to assess tracheal deviation in this group of patients.MethodsWe analyzed a prospective database of 1,000 consecutive patients who underwent thyroid surgery. Patients’ charts were reviewed for demographic data, CXR readings, other imaging findings, anesthesia records, and pathology findings. Patients with tracheal deviation (TD) on CXR were compared to patients without (no TD).ResultsSix hundred eighty‐nine (69 %) patients had a CXR performed prior to surgery. TD was identified in 252 (37 %) patients while 437 (63 %) did not have TD. The two groups did not significantly differ in mean age, BMI, or gender. Patients with TD on CXR had larger thyroid glands (51 ± 4 vs. 28 ± 2 g, p < 0.001) and reported a higher rate of tracheal compressive symptoms (19 vs. 12 %, p = 0.005). However, this did not translate into more difficult intubations as reported by the anesthesiologist (5 vs. 7 %, p = 0.31) or more intubation attempts (1.2 ± 0 vs. 1.1 ± 0, p = 0.1). Lung findings on CXR that resulted in further workup were identified in 32 (5 %) patients, with additional pathology found in only 6 (1 %) patients.ConclusionThere is no correlation between a finding of tracheal deviation on preoperative CXR and difficult intubation in thyroid patients. Therefore, CXR for the sole purpose of identifying tracheal deviation in thyroid surgery candidates is not warranted.
Long‐term Outcomes Following Aggressive Management of Recurrent Hepatocellular Carcinoma After Upfront Liver Resection
Authors: Tranchart Hadrien , Chirica Mircea , Sepulveda Ailton , Massault Pierre‐Philippe , Conti Filomena , Scatton Olivier , Soubrane Olivier 
Published: July 2012

AbstractBackgroundLong‐term outcomes of patients who experience recurrence after liver resection (LR) of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are uncertain.MethodsThe characteristics of 58 patients were obtained from a retrospective database at two time points: primary resection and recurrence. Patterns of recurrence, treatment strategies, and long‐term survival rates were analyzed.ResultsThe recurrence was inside the Milan criteria (Milan+) in 19 patients (32.7 %), 11 of whom were already eligible for a liver transplant (LT) at the time of primary liver resection (LR). Treatment of the recurrence included the following procedures: salvage LT (n = 6; 10.3 %), repeat LR (n = 7; 12.1 %), percutaneous radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and/or transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) (n = 24; 41.3 %), systemic chemotherapy (n = 15; 25.8 %), and best supportive care (n = 12; 20.7 %). With a mean follow‐up of 26.9 ± 27.9 months, the overall 1‐, 3‐, and 5‐year survival rates of the 58 patients with HCC recurrence after primary LR were 57.3, 42.5, and 35.3 %, respectively. In the multivariate analysis the presence of esophageal varices (p = 0.001), an AFP level >200 μg/L (p = 0.03) and a Milan− recurrence pattern (p = 0.05) were independent predictors of decreased survival. The overall 5‐year survival of patients who experienced Milan+ recurrence was comparable to that of Milan+ patients who underwent primary LR (62.5 % vs. 66.3 %, p = 0.48).ConclusionsAggressive management of recurrent HCC after upfront LR improves patient survival. The pattern of recurrence is an independent predictor of survival which can be used as a selection criterion for salvage LT.
Relationship between enzyme properties and disease progression in Canavan disease
Authors: Zano Stephen , Wijayasinghe Yasanandana S. , Malik Radhika , Smith Joshua , Viola Ronald E. 
Published: July 2012

AbstractCanavan disease (CD) is a fatal neurological disorder caused by defects in the gene that encodes for a critical metabolic enzyme. The enzyme aspartoacylase catalyzes the deacetylation of N‐acetylaspartate to produce acetate required for fatty acid biosynthesis in the brain. The loss of aspartoacylase activity leads to the demyelination and disrupted brain development that is found in CD patients. Sixteen different clinical mutants of aspartoacylase have been cloned, expressed and purified to examine their properties and the relationship between enzyme properties and disease phenotype. In contrast to numerous cell culture studies that reported virtually complete loss of function, each of these purified mutant enzymes was found to have measureable catalytic activity. However, the activities of these mutants are diminished, by as little as three‐fold to greater than 100‐fold when compared to the native enzyme. Many of these mutated enzyme forms show decreased thermal stability and an increased propensity for denaturation upon exposure to urea, but only four of the 16 mutants examined showed both diminished thermal and diminished conformational stability. Significantly, each of these lower stability mutants are responsible for the more severe phenotypes of CD, while patients with milder forms of CD have aspartoacylase mutants with generally high catalytic activity and with either good thermal or good conformational stability. These results suggest that the loss of catalytic function and the accumulation of N‐acetylaspartate in Canavan disease is at least partially a consequence of the decreased protein stability caused by these mutations.
Monitoring vegetation recovery after China's May 2008 Wenchuan earthquake using Landsat TM time‐series data: a case study in Mao County
Authors: Lu Tao , Zeng Hongcheng , Luo Yan , Wang Qian , Shi Fusun , Sun Geng , Wu Yan , Wu Ning 
Published: July 2012

AbstractThe Wenchuan earthquake (Richter scale 8) on 12 May 2008 in southwestern China caused widespread ecosystem damage in the Longmenshan area. It is important to evaluate natural vegetation recovery processes and provide basic information on ecological aspects of the recovering environment after the earthquake. To circumvent the weather limits of remote sensing in the Wenchuan earthquake‐hit areas, and to meet the need for regional observation analyses, three Landsat TM images pre‐ and post‐earthquake in Mao County were used for analysis. Post‐earthquake normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) values were compared to pre‐earthquake values with an NDVI‐based index differencing method to determine the extent to which the vegetation was damaged in relation to the pre‐earthquake pattern, and the rate of recovery was evaluated. The spatial characteristics of vegetation loss and natural recovery patterns were analyzed in relation to elevation, slope and aspect. The results indicated that severely damaged sites occurred mainly in river valleys, within a range of 1,500–2,500 m elevation and on slopes of 25–55°. The distance from rivers, rather than the distance from active faults, controls the damage patterns. After 1 year of natural regeneration, 36 % of the destroyed areas showed a decrease in NDVI value, 28.8 % showed very little change, 19.1 % showed an increase, and 16.1 % also increased with a recovery rate greater than 100 %. Moreover, there is a good correlation between recovery rate and both slope and elevation, but recovery patterns in the damaged area are complicated. Our results indicate that natural recovery in this arid valley is a slow process.
Neurodevelopmental anomalies of the hippocampus in rats exposed to weak intensity complex magnetic fields throughout gestation
Authors: Fournier Neil M. , Mach Quoc Hao , Whissell Paul D. , Persinger Michael A. 
Published: July 2012

AbstractThere has been increasing interest on the possible harmful effects of prenatal exposure to magnetic fields. To investigate the effect of weak intensity magnetic fields on the prenatal brain, pregnant Wistar rats were continuously exposed to one of four intensities (reference: 5–20 nT; low 30–50 nT; medium 90–580 nT; high 590–1200 nT) of a complex magnetic field sequence designed to interfere with brain development. As adults, rats exposed to the low‐intensity (30–50 nT) complex magnetic field displayed impairments in contextual fear learning and showed anomalies in the cytological and morphological development of the hippocampus. In particular, low‐intensity exposures resulted in a reduction in overall hippocampal size and promoted subtle dysgenesis of the CA1 and CA3 regions. In contrast, exposure to weaker or stronger intensities of the same complex magnetic field pattern did not interfere with hippocampal development or fear behavior. These findings suggest that prenatal exposure to complex magnetic fields of a narrow intensity window during development can result in subtle but permanent alterations in hippocampal microstructure and function that can have lasting effects on behavior.
A New Method to Obtain a Consensus Ranking of a Region's Vintages’ Quality
Authors: Borges José , Real António C. , Cabral J. Sarsfield , Jones Gregory V. 
Published: July 2012

AbstractAn impartial assessment of the quality of the wine produced over the years in a region (vintage quality) is an essential tool for producers, consumers, investors, and wine researchers to understand factors influencing quality and make purchasing or investing decisions. However, scoring the overall wine quality over the years does not necessarily produce a consensus of which year or years are best. Several critics, magazines, and organizations publish vintage charts that assign a score to each vintage, representing the corresponding perception of the wine quality. Often, the scores given by different institutions reveal little consensus with respect to the relative quality of the vintages.In this work, we propose the utilization of a rank aggregation method to combine a collection of vintage charts for a region into a ranking of the vintages that represents the consensus of the input vintage charts. As a result, we obtain an impartial ranking of the vintages that represents the consensus of an arbitrary number of independent vintage charts. We illustrate the method with the scores from three wine regions.The proposed method produces a ranking of vintage-to-vintage quality that represents an impartial consensus of a collection of independent sources, each using a different rating format, scale, or classification. Such a ranking has the potential to be useful for the research community, which needs a relative measure of wine production quality over the years. Therefore, we make publicly available a software tool that implements the method (Borges, 2011). (JEL Classification: C38, C61, C88)
n-3 Fatty acids inhibit transcription of human IL-13: implications for development of T helper type 2 immune responses
Authors: MacLean Emily , Madsen Norman , Vliagoftis Harissios , Field Catherine , Cameron Lisa 
Published: July 2012

Fish oil supplementation during pregnancy has been associated with lower levels of cord blood IL-13, suggesting that the administration ofn-3 fatty acids may attenuate the development of allergic disease. The present study aimed to investigate the mechanism by whichn-3 fatty acid administration influences the production of IL-13. Pregnant BALB/c mice were fed nutritionally complete high-fat diets (15 %, w/w) with ann-3 fatty acid-enriched (DHA 1 %, w/w) or control diet (0 % DHA) immediately following delivery. Pups were exposed during suckling and weaned to the maternal diet for the remainder of the study. The production of IL-13, IL-4, IL-10 and interferon-γ from the splenocytes of ovalbumin (ova)-sensitised animals was assessed followingin vitroova stimulation or unstimulated conditions. Human T helper type 2 (Th2) cells were mitogen-stimulated in the presence or absence of DHA (10 μm) and assessed for IL-13 and IL-4 expression using intracellular flow cytometry. The influence on transcriptional activation was studied using a human IL-13 promoter reporter construct and electromobility shift assay. Ova-activated splenocytes from DHA-fed mice produced less IL-13 (57·2 (se21·7) pg/ml) and IL-4 (7·33 (se3·4) pg/ml) compared with cells from the animals fed the control diet (161·5 (se45·0),P< 0·05; 33·2 (se11·8),P< 0·05).In vitro, DHA inhibited the expression of IL-13 protein from human Th2 cells as well as transcriptional activation and binding of the transcription factors cyclic AMP response element binding and activating transcription factor 2 to the human IL-13 promoter. These data indicate the potential ofn-3 fatty acids to attenuate IL-13 expression, and suggest that they may subsequently reduce allergic sensitisation and the development of allergic disease.
Comparison of single and split-dose flubendazole treatment for the nematode parasiteTrichostrongylus tenuisin experimentally infected grey partridgesPerdix perdix
Authors: PURDY D. , AEBISCHER N. J. , DAVIS C. 
Published: July 2012

SUMMARYDifferent therapeutic regimes using flubendazole for the treatment ofTrichostrongylus tenuisinfection in experimentally infected grey partridgesPerdix perdixwere examined. Flubendazole dosages of 4, 8 and 20 mg/kg were administered orally as a single dose or split into 3 or 9 parts given over 9 days. The efficacy against adult worms in the caeca improved with dose rate. Split doses were at least as effective as single doses, which removed up to 83% of adultT. tenuis. A dose of 20 mg/kg administered on a daily basis over 3 or 9 days gave the best clearance ofT. tenuis, resulting in a reduction of at least 95% in worm burden.
Bullied no more: when and how DNA shoves proteins around
Authors: Fogg Jonathan M. , Randall Graham L. , Pettitt B. Montgomery , Sumners De Witt L. , Harris Sarah A. , Zechiedrich Lynn 
Published: July 2012

AbstractThe predominant protein-centric perspective in protein–DNA-binding studies assumes that the protein drives the interaction. Research focuses on protein structural motifs, electrostatic surfaces and contact potentials, while DNA is often ignored as a passive polymer to be manipulated. Recent studies of DNA topology, the supercoiling, knotting, and linking of the helices, have shown that DNA has the capability to be an active participant in its transactions. DNA topology-induced structural and geometric changes can drive, or at least strongly influence, the interactions between protein and DNA. Deformations of the B-form structure arise from both the considerable elastic energy arising from supercoiling and from the electrostatic energy. Here, we discuss how these energies are harnessed for topology-driven, sequence-specific deformations that can allow DNA to direct its own metabolism.
The processing of lexical tones by young Chinese children
Authors: LIN CANDISE Y. , WANG MIN , SHU HUA 
Published: July 2012

ABSTRACTThe current study examined five- and seven-year-old Mandarin-speaking children's processing of lexical tones in relation to speech segments by varying onset and rime in an oddity task (onset±rime±). Results showed that children experienced more difficulty in lexical tone oddity judgment when rimes differed across monosyllables (e.g. onset+rime−) than when onsets differed (e.g. onset−rime+). This finding suggests that vowels interfere more than consonants in lexical tone processing. Seven-year-olds consistently outperformed five-year-olds, suggesting that the growth of metalinguistic awareness and literacy exposure may play a joint role in the development of lexical tone processing skills.
Structural evolution of the La Trocha fault zone: Oblique collision and strike‐slip basins in the Cuban Orogen
Authors: Cruz‐Orosa Israel , Sàbat Francesc , Ramos Emilio , Rivero Lluís , Vázquez‐Taset Yaniel M. 
Published: July 2012

The La Trocha fault zone acted as a major left‐lateral transfer zone and is bounded by the La Trocha (LTF), Zaza‐Tuinicú (ZTF), Cristales (CTF) and Taguasco (TGF) faults. These faults were consistent with the clockwise rotation of convergence and shortening in central Cuba. From the Paleocene to the Early Eocene (65–48 Ma), a SSW‐NNE shortening produced transtension in the LTF and transpression in the ZTF. Subsequently, during the Middle Eocene (48–37 Ma), shortening shifted to a SW‐NE direction, resulting in the normal component of the LTF and transpression in the ZTF and CTF. Since the Late Eocene (37 Ma), central Cuba has been welded to the North American Plate. The post‐welding deformation gave rise to transtension of the LTF and TGF. This deformation is consistent with a WSW‐ENE shortening and reflects activity in the transform boundary of the Cayman Trough. Both the normal and thrust displacements of these previous faults are corroborated by structural data whereas left‐lateral displacement is deduced from the concordance between oblique collision and structural features. Plate‐kinematics and the structural evolution of the La Trocha fault zone indicate that the related Central Basin is a strike‐slip polygenetic basin and that the formation of this system (i.e., fault zone – strike‐slip basin) was a consequence of the Paleogene oblique collision between the Caribbean Volcanic Arc and the Bahamas Borderland (North American plate).
Ice loss from the Southern Patagonian Ice Field, South America, between 2000 and 2012
Authors: Willis Michael J. , Melkonian Andrew K. , Pritchard Matthew E. , Rivera Andrés 
Published: July 2012

A time‐series composed of 156 ASTER derived Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) and a radar‐penetration‐bias corrected version of the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) DEM is used to derive ice surface height and volume changes at the Southern Patagonian Ice Field (SPI) in southern South America. The observations, made between February 2000 and March 2012, indicate that the ice field is rapidly losing volume at many of the largest outlet glaciers, and in most cases thinning extends to the highest elevations of the ice field. Mass loss is occurring at a rate of −20.0 ± 1.2 Gt a−1, which, when summed with mass‐loss at the adjacent Northern Patagonian Ice Field results in a combined rate of −24.4 ± 1.4 Gt a−1, equivalent to +0.067 ± 0.004 mm a−1of sea level rise. Our decade‐long mass loss rates are substantially higher than those derived during the last three decades of the 20th century, but are in good agreement with recent GRACE observations. Our volume loss estimate is sensitive to constraints applied to the amount of thickening in the accumulation zone. New field measurements and a continued DEM time‐series will be required to refine our estimates.
α‐HCH enantiomer fraction (EF): A novel approach to calculate the ventilation age of water in the Arctic Ocean?
Authors: Pućko Monika , Macdonald Robie W. , Barber David G. , Rosenberg Bruno , Gratton Yves , Stern Gary A. 
Published: July 2012

α‐HCH (hexachlorocyclohexane) and the enantiomeric fraction (EF) of its mirror‐image isomers have been determined for water column profiles in the southern Beaufort Sea in 2004 and 2007. Using estimated rates of metabolic degradation, we have applied a simple kinetic model to convert the observed EFs to apparent ventilation ages of the water masses in the study region. We found an age of 1.7 ± 0.1 years for the Polar Mixed Layer (PML), 6.6 ± 0.6 for the core of the Pacific Layer centered at salinity 33.1, and 21.7 ± 0.5 years for the core of the Atlantic Layer identified by a Tmax of ∼0.5°C. These ages are in reasonable accord with other methods used to date water masses in the Arctic Ocean suggesting that α‐HCH has an unexploited potential as a dating tool.