bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Computer‐controlled cardiopulmonary bypass system
Authors: Beppu Toshiyuki , Imai Yasuharu , Fukui Yasuhiro 
Published: July 2007

AbstractTo improve the safety of a cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), the authors developed a pump control system that uses a microcomputer. The system consists of a microcomputer (NEC PC9801), 12‐bit A/D converter, infusion pump, withdrawal pump, reservoir sensor, and collapse sensor. The computer controls both pumps and regulates central venous pressure (CVP) to maintain the amount of blood in the patient's body at constant.A digital proportional‐integral (PI) control with a sampling period of 1 s is adopted for CVP controller; the control gain is determined experimentally. A screening algorithm is devised to remove artifacts introduced to the CVP measurement. This system was used in ten cases of infants with congenital heart disease, where CVP was controlled satisfactorily for all cases with no unstable operation. Most of the changes in the CVP caused by surgical manipulation were detected by the screening algorithm. Additionally, the blood balance during CPB was maintained satisfactorily. This system is useful for the improvement of the safety of CPB.
Adaptive laplacian‐gaussian filter method for edge detection and diameter estimation of coronary arteries on cineangiograms: Applications to phantom profiles
Authors: Oie Takahiro , Sato Shunsuke 
Published: July 2007

AbstractRecently, the estimation of the vessel diameter and cross‐sectional area from the images of the coronary arteries has been considered, aiming at the quantitative diagnosis of the coronary artery stenoses. The edge detection of the vessel image is the clue to the estimation of the vessel diameter and the cross‐sectional area. However, no method has been established with a sufficient accuracy.This paper proposes an adaptive Laplacian‐Gaussian filter method for the accurate edge detection of the vessel image which is an improvement of the zero‐crossing method. By the proposed method, it is shown that the edge is detected at the position corresponding to the vessel radius if the image of the vessel retains a similar shape even if the vessel diameter changes. On the other hand, the similarity of the vessel image is not maintained if there exists a blur in the imaging system.It is shown also that the diameter can be estimated if the blur is represented by a Gaussian function. The blur of the imaging system is examined by a phantom experiment, and it is seen that the blur can be represented by the weighted sum of two Gaussian functions. Finally, it is shown that the proposed method can almost accurately extract the edge of the vessel image in such a case, and the vessel diameter can be estimated with a high accuracy.
Performance evaluation of communication networks based on FSM specifications of protocols
Authors: Nakahara Akiko , Aida Hitoshi , Saito Tadao 
Published: July 2007

AbstractThis paper considers the simulation method for the performance evaluation based on the formally described protocol specifications. Here, the simulation using the FSM model is outlined first, and a model called unitary token model, which is derived by simplifying the FSM model, is proposed. The configuration of an experimental system is presented which reads in such a model and executes the simulation. Then the data transfer by four layers, i.e., the transport and the lower layers in OSI model, is considered and an example is shown where the simulation actually is executed for evaluation.From the viewpoint of the method of analysis, the model for the individual process in this paper is the general FSM model, but the waiting due to the sharing of the CPU and the channel among processes is considered as a part of the computation in the simulation. By this elaboration, the performance can be evaluated based on the independent descriptions, even in a situation where several kinds of communications exist as in the case of the two‐way communication and the multiplex system. In the simplified model, the result of evaluation can be obtained in a simple way by reducing the task in the execution, by pre‐examining the communication protocol that is executed iteratively by the process.
Improvement of a petri net‐controlled multiprocessor system
Authors: Murakoshi Hideki , Dohi Yasunori 
Published: July 2007

AbstractThis paper proposes a method of reducing the overhead and improving the speed of the Petri net‐controlled multiprocessor system. The authors have previously proposed a Petri net‐controlled multiprocessor system in which direct control of such operations as synchronization and exclusive control can be realized, once the parallel processing is described by a Petri net. When a microprocessor is employed as the controller, however, a large control overhead is required and the processing speed is not improved even if the high‐speed processing is considered by the parallelism. In the method described here, speed is improved by a search for firable transitions, the elimination of places that have been made superfluous by return or kill operations, the use of a functional memory with a large word width for processing global places, and the implementation of the controller in hardware. The overhead of the proposed system is evaluated by a simulation, which indicates that operation will be two orders of magnitude faster than in the previous system. The overhead ratio is small even for small‐scale processing in which the process unit (granularity) is the statement and that parallelism is thoroughly utilized.
The Nonrevolutionary Peasantry of Modern Iran
Authors: Kazemi Farhad , Abrahamian Ervand 
Published: July 2007

The persistence of tradition needs explanation as much as change. It may be that people cleave to ancestral ways through general inertia, but it is more likely that there are good and sufficient reasons behind such persistence, much as there are good and sufficient reasons for change.The social scientist studying the modern world is inevitably struck by the importance of peasant rebellions. In some countries--such as Russia, Yugoslavia, Albania, China, Cuba, and Vietnam--peasant rebellions have helped bring about communist revolutions. In others--such as Mexico, Algeria, Kenya, and recently Angola--they have contributed toward the success of nationalist revolutions. In yet other countries--including Spain, Greece, Peru, India, Phillippines, Malaya, and Indonesia--they have helped shake, even though they have not destroyed, the foundations of the old order. The social scientist studying Iran, however, is struck not by the importance but by the conspicuous absence of any large-scale peasant rebellions in the modern era.
Microvascular Solute and Water Transport
Authors: CURRY FITZ‐ROY E. 
Published: July 2007

ABSTRACTObjective: This review evaluate [1] the regulation of water and solute transport across the endothelial barrier in terms of pore theory and the glycocalyx‐junction‐break model of capillary permeability; and [2] the mechanisms regulating permeability based on experiments using cultured endothelial cells and intact microvessels.Conclusions: The current form of the glycocalyx‐junction‐break model of capillary permeability describes the selectivity of the capillary wall (pore size) in terms of the space between the fibers of a quasi‐periodic matrix on the endothelial cell surface and the area for exchange (pore number) in terms of the length and frequency of breaks in the tight junction strands. An independent test of this model in a range of mammalian microvascular beds is new experimental evidence that the colloid osmotic pressure of plasma proteins is developed across the glycocalyx, not across the whole microvessel wall. We are beginning to understand that endothelial cells may change their phenotype in response to physical and chemical stresses. Such changes in phenotype may explain changes in the regulation of endothelial barrier function in intact microvessels that have previously been exposed to injury and differences in the regulation of contractile mechanisms between endothelial cells in vivo and in vitro.
Inflammatory Responses Underlying the Microvascular Dysfunction Associated with Obesity and Insulin Resistance
Authors: Singer Georg , Granger Neil 
Published: July 2007

ABSTRACTObesity is a growing health care problem that is increasing the incidence and morbidity of cardiovascular diseases. Emerging evidence suggests that obesity is associated with a systemic inflammatory response that is characterized by endothelial cell dysfunction, oxidative stress, and the activation of circulating immune cells. Adipocytes produce and release a variety of cytokines (IL‐1, TNF‐α) and cytokine‐like substances (leptin, resistin) that appear to mediate the inflammatory response that accompanies obesity. The abrogating influence of weight loss on the inflammatory response supports this contention. The insulin resistance that often accompanies obesity may also contribute to this inflammatory phenotype. Studies in experimental animals and clinical studies suggest that the microvascular dysfunction associated with pathological states, such as sepsis, is greatly exacerbated by obesity. Although the microvasculature appears to be a major target for the deleterious inflammatory consequences of obesity, relatively little attention has been devoted to characterizing the effects of obesity on inflammatory responses in different regional vascular beds and to defining the mechanisms that underlie the resultant microvascular dysfunction.
Regulation of Vascular Function and Insulin Sensitivity by Adipose Tissue: Focus on Perivascular Adipose Tissue
Authors: Eringa Etto C. , Bakker Wineke , Smulders Yvo M. , Serné Erik H. , Yudkin John S. , Stehouwer Coen D.A. 
Published: July 2007

ABSTRACTObesity is associated with insulin resistance, hypertension and cardiovascular disease, but the mechanisms underlying these associations are incompletely understood. Microvascular dysfunction may play an important role in the pathogenesis of both insulin resistance and hypertension in obesity. Adipose tissue‐derived substances (adipokines) and especially inflammatory products of adipose tissue control insulin sensitivity and vascular function. Recently, adipose tissue associated with the arterial tree, called perivascular adipose tissue (PAT) has been shown to produce a variety of adipokines and to trigger vascular inflammation. This review summarizes the mechanisms linking adipose tissue to (micro)vascular function, inflammation and insulin resistance with a special focus on the role of PAT in the regulation of vascular tone, endothelial function, inflammation and insulin sensitivity.
A specific assay for discriminating between peroxidase and lipoxygenase activities
Authors: Fontana Mario , Costa Mara , Mosca Luciana , Rosei Maria Anna 
Published: July 2007

AbstractPeroxidases are widespread heme‐containing enzymes able to catalyze the oxidation of a large array of organic substrates. There is growing interest in the measurements of peroxidase activity. We noticed that many substrates used in the routine assays for the biological and cytological determinations of peroxidase could be oxidized by lipoxygenase. We found interesting to set up a procedure to detect selectively peroxidase. In the present note, we report a fluorometric test for peroxidase detection using phenolic compounds or hydroxycoumarins.
Bitter taste of monosaccharide pentaacetate esters
Authors: Malaisse Willy J. , Malaisse‐Lagae Francine 
Published: July 2007

AbstractThe pentaacetate esters of several, but not all, monosaccharides were recently found to stimulate insulin release from rat pancreatic islets. We have now compared the taste of solutions of either these esters or the corresponding unesterified monosaccharides. The sweet taste of the latter monosaccharides (0.22 M) ranged as follows: D‐glucose ≅D‐galactose ≅D‐mannoheptulose > L‐glucose. None of the esters (1.7 mM) displayed a sweet taste. However, the α‐ and β‐anomer of D‐glucose pentaacetate, the α‐anomer of D‐mannose pentaacetate and the β‐anomer of L‐glucose pentaacetate all displayed a bitter taste, whilst both α‐ and β‐D‐galactose pentaacetate yielded doubtful results. Since such a situation is comparable to that characterizing the islet B‐cell response to these esters, it is proposed that the intracellular interaction between the esters or their hydrolytic products and a protein involved in the recognition of bitter taste in taste buds may participate in their insulinotropic action.
Vitamin B6 deficiency affects antioxidant defences in rat liver and heart
Authors: Cabrini Luciana , Bergami Raffaella , Fiorentini Diana , Marchetti Mario , Landi Laura , Tolomelli Brunella 
Published: July 2007

AbstractWe have evalued the effects of a diet containing normal amounts of lipids and a marginal content of vitamin B6 on lipid peroxidation. Pyridoxal phosphate concentrations of plasma and liver indicated that an initial deficiency state was reached. Vitamin B6 deficiency led to peroxidative stress: TBARS production was higher in the liver (+18·6%) and even more in the heart (+61%) of deficient rats as compared with controls. Furthermore, significant stimulation of glutathione‐dependent enzymes occurred in both heart and liver of deficient rats: glutathione peroxidase activity increased in heart (+144%) and liver (+505%); glutathione reductase increased in heart (+54·9%) and liver (+15·5%). No difference in the total glutathione content of the organs of the two groups was observed. The reduced glutathione/oxidized glutathione ratio was significantly lower in deficient rats. Although the activity of glutathione‐dependent enzymes was significantly greater in deficient rats than in controls, this stimulation was only partially able to counteract the peroxidative damage due to vitamin B6 deficiency.
Caspase‐8 in Apoptosis: The Beginning of “The End”?
Authors: Kruidering Marieke , Evan Gerard I. 
Published: July 2007

AbstractCaspase‐8 is a member of the cysteine proteases, which are implicated in apoptosis and cytokine processing. Like all caspases, caspase‐8 is synthesized as an inactive single polypeptide chain zymogen procaspase and is activated by proteolytic cleavage, through either autoactivation after recruitment into a multimeric complex or trans‐cleavage by other caspases. Thus, ligand binding‐induced trimerization of death receptors results in recruitment of the receptor‐specific adapter protein Fas‐associated death domain (FADD), which then recruits caspase‐8. Activated caspase‐8 is known to propagate the apoptotic signal either by directly cleaving and activating downstream caspases or by cleaving the BH3 Bcl2‐interacting protein, which leads to the release of cytochrome c from mitochondria, triggering activation of caspase‐9 in a complex with dATP and Apaf‐1. Activated caspase‐9 then activates further “downstream caspases, ” including caspase‐8. Knockout data indicate that caspase‐8 is required for killing induced by the death receptors Fas, tumor necrosis factor receptor 1, and death receptor 3. Moreover, caspase‐8‐/‐ mice die in utero as a result of defective development of heart muscle and display fewer hematopoietic progenitor cells, suggesting that the FADD/caspase‐8 pathway is absolutely required for growth and development of specific cell types.
Interview: Angela Mason on trips to Skegness, Maoists and briefings with the minister
Authors: Hunter Shona , Swan Elaine 
Published: July 2007

PurposeTo explore the experience of a key member of the UK equalities policy‐making elite, interrogating her shift from activist to top‐ranking equalities professional. To focus attention on the under‐explored area of lesbian, gay bisexual and transgender equalities work.Design/methodology/approachThe interview is prefaced with a critical commentary on current UK equalities policy, contextualising the interview discussion, which links personal and collective histories and provides a comparison of equalities work over time.FindingsAngela Mason, while top‐ranking civil servant, continues to claim the label activist. Like a variety of other equalities workers she uses multiple tactics to appeal to different constituents at different times and in different contexts.Originality/valueThis is an interview with one of the key protagonists in the development of UK equalities policies over the last 30 years. It is unique in its focus on the current overhaul of UK equalities policy from an “insider” and in its timing at the interim point of this reorganisation (October 2006).
Consumers' product evaluations in emerging markets
Authors: Hamzaoui Essoussi Leila , Merunka Dwight 
Published: July 2007

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate, in an emerging market, the simultaneous effects of country of design (COD), country of manufacture (COM), and brand image on consumers' perceptions of bi‐national products. A comprehensive model broadens country‐of‐origin literature by incorporating brand image and the concepts of fit and congruity borrowed from brand extension research. Perceptual (in) coherences that might exist among COD, COM, and the brand are incorporated.Design/methodology/approachTunisia is the emerging market studied. A total of 389 respondents evaluated different product combinations (COD/COM/brand) in two categories. Relationships between constructs are tested using structural equation modelling.FindingsConsumers are sensitive to the COD (more so for public than for private goods) and also value the COM of branded products. The transfer of the COD image to brand image is significant. It is very high for one product category (cars). Brand/COM congruity is also important since product evaluations decrease when consumers perceive incoherence in a manufacturing location.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper used limited informational cues for products' descriptions and concentrate on fairly complex durable goods. Research design should be expanded.Practical implicationsPerceived COD competencies can benefit brand image through strong COD‐brand associations. In emerging markets, COD (through brand image) and COM effects are important for understanding consumers' perceptions of publicly versus privately used branded products.Originality/valueThe major contribution consists of a simultaneous examination of the effects of COD, COM, brand, and of their inter‐relationships. Investigating bi‐national products and related consumer behaviour in emerging markets is of particular interest as it corresponds to the reality of these markets.
Microbial Ecology of the Soppressata of Vallo di Diano, a Traditional Dry Fermented Sausage from Southern Italy, and In Vitro and In Situ Selection of Autochthonous Starter Cultures
Authors: Villani Francesco , Casaburi Annalisa , Pennacchia Carmela , Filosa Luisa , Russo Federica , Ercolini Danilo 
Published: July 2007

ABSTRACT

The microbial ecology of “soppressata of Vallo di Diano,” a traditional dry fermented sausage from southern Italy, was studied by using both culture-dependent and culture-independent approaches. The ripened fermented sausages were characterized by high microbial loads of both staphylococci and lactobacilli. Using PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) targeting the variable V3 and V1 regions of the 16S rRNA gene and direct DNA sequencing, it was possible to identify
Staphylococcus xylosus
,
S. succinus
, and
S. equorum
among the staphylococci and
Lactobacillus sakei
and
L. curvatus
within the lactobacilli. Moreover,
Debaryomyces hansenii
was the main yeast species found by targeting the yeast 26S rRNA gene by PCR-DGGE. Selected strains of
S. xylosus
,
L. sakei
, and
L. curvatus
were characterized for their technological properties in the ripening conditions of the fermented sausages so as to select an autochthonous starter formulation. The selection included the determination of nitrate reductase, lipolytic, and antioxidant activity and proteolysis with myofibrillar and sarcoplasmic protein fractions. Such properties were evaluated in both in vitro and in situ assays; the latter were performed by using each strain as a starter in the laboratory-scale manufacture of soppressata of Vallo di Diano and by monitoring the microbiological and chemical changes at the end of ripening. The results show differences between the in vitro and in situ selection results and indicate that in situ evaluation of the technological performance of specific strains is better suited to selecting autochthonous starter cultures for fermented-meat products than in vitro evaluation.
Structural Characterization of the Ribosome Maturation Protein, RimM
Authors: Suzuki Sakura , Tatsuguchi Ayako , Matsumoto Eiko , Kawazoe Masahito , Kaminishi Tatsuya , Shirouzu Mikako , Muto Yutaka , Takemoto Chie , Yokoyama Shigeyuki 
Published: July 2007

ABSTRACTThe RimM protein has been implicated in the maturation of the 30S ribosomal subunit. It binds to ribosomal protein S19, located in the head domain of the 30S subunit. Multiple sequence alignments predicted that RimM possesses two domains in its N- and C-terminal regions. In the present study, we have producedThermus thermophilusRimM in both the full-length form (162 residues) and its N-terminal fragment, spanning residues 1 to 85, as soluble proteins inEscherichia coliand have performed structural analyses by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Residues 1 to 80 of the RimM protein fold into a single structural domain adopting a six-stranded β-barrel fold. On the other hand, the C-terminal region of RimM (residues 81 to 162) is partly folded in solution. Analyses of1H-15N heteronuclear single quantum correlation spectra revealed that a wide range of residues in the C-terminal region, as well as the residues in the vicinity of a hydrophobic patch in the N-terminal domain, were dramatically affected upon complex formation with ribosomal protein S19.
Research on scientific journals: Implications for editors and authors
Authors: Armstrong J. Scott 
Published: July 2007

AbstractA review of editorial policies of leading journals and of research relevant to scientific journals revealed conflicts between‘science’and‘scientists’. Owing to these conflicts, papers are often weak on objectivity and replicability. Furthermore, papers often fall short on importance, competence, intelligibility, or efficiency. Suggestions were made for editorial policies such as: (1) structured guidelines for referees, (2) open peer review, (3) blind reviews, and (4) full disclosure of data and method. Of major importance, an author's‘Note to Referees’(describing the hypotheses and design, but not the results) was suggested to improve the objectivity of the ratings of importance and competence. Also, recommendations are made to authors for improving contributions to science (such as the use of multiple hypotheses) and for promoting their careers (such as using complex methods and obtuse writing).
Revisions of time varying seasonal filters
Authors: Dagum Estela Bee 
Published: July 2007

AbstractThe main purpose of this study is to analyse the magnitude and the nature of the revisions that the time varying seasonal filters of the X‐II and X‐II‐ARIMA methods introduce in the current seasonally adjusted seriesThe total revision is measured by the mean absolute difference of the transfer functions corresponding to the forecasting and the concurrent seasonal filters with respect to the central‘final’seasonal filter. To take into consideration the fact that the spectrum of a typical economic time series peaks at the low and seasonal frequencies, the revision measures are calculated for selected frequency intervals associated to the trend‐cycle, seasonal variations and the irregular component.