Secondary Index Research Articles

M-Theory with Framed Corners and Tertiary Index Invariants

The study of the partition function in M-theory involves the use of index theory on a twelve-dimensional bounding manifold. In eleven dimensions, viewed as a boundary, this is given by secondary index invariants such as the Atiyah-Patodi-Singer eta-invariant, the Chern-Simons invariant, or the Adams e-invariant. If the eleven-dimensional manifold itself has a boundary, the resulting ten-dimensional manifold can be viewed as a codimension two corner. The partition function in this context has been studied by the author in relation to index theory for manifolds with corners, essentially on the product of two intervals. In this paper, we focus on the case of framed manifolds (which are automatically Spin) and provide a formulation of the refined partition function using a tertiary index invariant, namely the f-invariant introduced by Laures within elliptic cohomology. We describe the context globally, connecting the various spaces and theories around M-theory, and providing a physical realization and interpretation of some ingredients appearing in the constructions due to Bunke-Naumann and Bodecker. The formulation leads to a natural interpretation of anomalies using corners and uncovers some resulting constraints in the heterotic corner. The analysis for type IIA leads to a physical identification of various components of eta-forms appearing in the formula for the phase of the partition function.

Interaction of sleep quality and sleep duration on impaired fasting glucose: a population-based cross-sectional survey in China

ObjectivesTo explore the interactions of sleep quality and sleep duration and their effects on impaired fasting glucose (IFG) in Chinese adults.DesignCross-sectional survey.SettingCommunity-based investigation in Xuzhou, China.Participants15 145 Chinese men and...

Effects and mechanisms of Geniposide on rats with adjuvant arthritis

Geniposide (GE), an iridoid glycoside compound, is the major active ingredient of Gardenia jasminoides Ellis (GJ) fruit which has anti-inflammatory and other important therapeutic activities. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of GE on adjuvant arthritis (AA) rats and its possible mechanisms. AA was induced by injecting with Freund's complete adjuvant (FCA). Male SD rats were subjected to treatment with GE at 30, 60 and 120mg/kg from days 18 to 24 after immunization. Lymphocyte proliferation was assessed by MTT. Interleukin (IL)-6, IL-17, IL-4 and transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-β1) were determined by ELISA. c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and phospho-JNK (p-JNK) were detected by Western blot. GE (60, 120mg/kg) significantly relieved the secondary hind paw swelling and arthritis index, along with decreased Th17-cells cytokines and increased Treg-cell cytokines in mesenteric lymph node lymphocytes (MLNL) and peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) of AA rats. In addition, GE decreased the expression of p-JNK in MLNL and PBL of AA rats. In vivo study, it was also observed that GE attenuated histopathologic changes of MLN in AA rats. Collectively, GE might exert its anti-inflammatory and immunoregulatory effects through inducing Th17 cell immune tolerance and enhancing Treg cell-mediated activities by down-regulating the expression of p-JNK. The mechanisms of GE on JNK signaling in MLNL and PBL may play critical roles in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis.

Evaluation of urinary speciated arsenic in NHANES: Issues in interpretation in the context of potential inorganic arsenic exposure

Urinary dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) and monomethylarsonic acid (MMA) are among the commonly used biomarkers for inorganic arsenic (iAs) exposure, but may also arise from seafood consumption and organoarsenical pesticide applications. We examined speciated urinary arsenic data from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2009–2010 cycle to assess potential correlations among urinary DMA, MMA, and the organic arsenic species arsenobetaine. Urinary DMA and MMA were positively associated with urinary arsenobetaine, suggesting direct exposure to these species in seafood or metabolism of organic arsenicals to these species, although the biomonitoring data do not directly identify the sources of exposure. The magnitude of association was much larger for DMA than for MMA. The secondary methylation index (SMI, ratio of urinary DMA to MMA) observed in the NHANES program likewise is much higher in persons with detected arsenobetaine than in those without, again suggesting that direct DMA exposure is co-occurring with exposure to arsenobetaine. Urinary MMA was less correlated with organic arsenic exposures than DMA and, therefore, may be a more reliable biomarker for iAs exposure in the general US population. However, given the associations between both MMA and DMA and organic arsenic species in urine, interpretations of the urinary arsenic concentrations observed in the NHANES in the context of potential arsenic exposure should be made cautiously.

Secondary consolidation of clay as an anomalous diffusion process

SUMMARYSecondary consolidation of clay soil is considered as a result of anomalous diffusion of pore water pressure from the micropores to the macropores. By using simplified pore geometry, a heuristic approach allows us to infer the expression of the associated rate of vertical secondary deformation written as a fractional derivative of the pore pressure. The insertion of this expression into the 1D Terzaghi's theory leads to a particular type of time‐fractional diffusion equation of the pore pressure that is solved semi‐analytically. The advantage of such theoretical approach stems from the concise and compact way of treating the secondary consolidation. Only two additional parameters are needed: the fractional order, ν, and the fractional viscosity factor, θ, both accounting for the physicochemical interactions between pore fluid and clay particles.This theoretical approach is tested on experimental data obtained from the Cubzac‐les‐Ponts clay soil intensively studied for secondary consolidation. This application shows a good agreement between the data and the predicted values confirming the interest of the initial assumption and the use of the fractional derivatives formalism. Moreover, good correlations between the inverted fractional parameters and the empirical secondary consolidation index Cα measured independently are obtained: the fractional order ν, if experimentally calibrated, can be used as a reasonable estimator of the slope of the secondary consolidation portion of consolidation curve. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Surto de sarampo na regiao metropolitana de Campinas, SP

Brazil has not had endemic circulation of the measles virus since 2000. Between May and June 2011, the Metropolitan Region of Campinas, State of Sao Paulo, Southeastern Brazil, reported three cases of measles. This report presents a descriptive study of the cases, control measures, and the search for a possible source and secondary cases. The genotypic characterization of the virus identified genotype D4, circulating in Europe. Secondary cases or index case were not found. The control measures and adequate vaccination coverage in Metropolitan Region of Campinas contributed to the interruption of disease transmission.

Mitigation of creep deformations by preloading: laboratory study

The effect of applying preloading on the creep behaviour of a soft soil is studied by one-dimensional and drained triaxial creep tests. The results show that the application of preloading is very efficient, especially in the short term. Although oedometer test results, in the long term, showed an increase of the secondary compression index over time, the effectiveness of the preloading is maintained. These results are supported by drained triaxial creep tests, which show a reduction of creep strains when preloading is applied, increasing this effect over time. Moreover, the application of preloading does not affect the post-shear behaviour in terms of the ultimate strength, the effective stress path or the stiffness of the soil.

Influence on Compaction of Cold Recycled Mixes with Emulsions Using the Superpave Gyratory Compaction

AbstractCold in-place recycling (CIR) has been increasingly applied in many areas of China, but there is no widely accepted method for the mix design of CIR. The compaction of cold recycled mixtures in the field varies significantly in different working conditions. It is therefore necessary to study the compaction characteristics of cold recycled mixtures. In this study, the primary compactibility energy index (PCEI) and secondary compactibility energy index (SCEI) of CIR were defined from the gyration compaction curve to evaluate the effect of compaction temperature, asphalt emulsion content, moisture content, aggregate gradation, and initial cure time. The control variable method was adopted to conduct the CIR compaction tests. The compaction parameters of CIR were obtained and analyzed statistically. The results from this study indicate that the SCEI of cold recycled mixtures is significantly affected by all variables and the regression of Ndes is linear relative to the compaction temperature and aspha...

Oxidative DNA damage and repair in children exposed to low levels of arsenic in utero and during early childhood: Application of salivary and urinary biomarkers

The present study aimed to assess arsenic exposure and its effect on oxidative DNA damage and repair in young children exposed in utero and continued to live in arsenic-contaminated areas. To address the need for biological specimens that can be acquired with minimal discomfort to children, we used non-invasive urinary and salivary-based assays for assessing arsenic exposure and early biological effects that have potentially serious health implications. Levels of arsenic in nails showed the greatest magnitude of difference between exposed and control groups, followed by arsenic concentrations in saliva and urine. Arsenic levels in saliva showed significant positive correlations with other biomarkers of arsenic exposure, including arsenic accumulation in nails (r=0.56, P<0.001) and arsenic concentration in urine (r=0.50, P<0.05). Exposed children had a significant reduction in arsenic methylation capacity indicated by decreased primary methylation index and secondary methylation index in both urine and saliva samples. Levels of salivary 8-OHdG in exposed children were significantly higher (~4-fold, P<0.01), whereas levels of urinary 8-OHdG excretion and salivary hOGG1 expression were significantly lower in exposed children (~3-fold, P<0.05), suggesting a defect in hOGG1 that resulted in ineffective cleavage of 8-OHdG. Multiple regression analysis results showed that levels of inorganic arsenic (iAs) in saliva and urine had a significant positive association with salivary 8-OHdG and a significant negative association with salivary hOGG1 expression.

A relative higher index theorem, diffeomorphisms and positive scalar curvature

We prove a general relative higher index theorem for complete manifolds with positive scalar curvature towards infinity. We apply this theorem to study Riemannian metrics of positive scalar curvature on manifolds. For every two metrics of positive scalar curvature on a closed manifold and a Galois cover of the manifold, we define a secondary higher index class. Non-vanishing of this higher index class is an obstruction for the two metrics to be in the same connected component of the space of metrics of positive scalar curvature. In the special case where one metric is induced from the other by a diffeomorphism of the manifold, we obtain a formula for computing this higher index class. In particular, it follows that the higher index class lies in the image of the Baum–Connes assembly map.

The Evaluation of the Traffic Impact of Highways' Reconstruction and Extension on Area Highway Network

The reconstruction and extension of highways change the grade and scale of roads, so that it will produce certain traffic impact on the surrounding area highway network. Firstly, this paper establishes the secondary comprehensive evaluation index model of highways reconstruction and extension traffic impact on the area highway network from the traffic characteristics, service level, transportation efficiency and safety four aspects. Then, using the before after contrast thought to calculate the deviation rate of each evaluation index, and determines the weight by means of the optimal transitive matrix method of uncertain AHP. Lastly, this paper analyzes the before and after highways reconstruction and extension traffic impact on the area highway network with reference to the before after contrast method.

Belimumab: a technological advance for systemic lupus erythematosus patients? Report of a systematic review and meta-analysis

ObjectivesTo undertake a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate clinical effectiveness of belimumab for patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and antinuclear and/or anti-double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) autoantibodies.MethodsWe searched eight electronic...

Geotechnical Engineering Assessment of the Nargesi Damsite, Southwest Iran

This paper describes the results of the engineering geological investigations and geotechnical studies performed in the Nargesi dam site. The dam foundation located on the sedimentary rocks of Neogen period. To conduct this study, the steps including field and laboratory investigations, surface discontinuity surveying, drilled borehole data, and permeability were performed on dam foundation. Besides, the evaluation of the dam foundation was carried out by water pressure tests, which indicate the necessity of creating a grout curtain below the dam foundation. The permeability and groutability characteristics of the Nargesi dam foundation are significantly affected by geology of the site. The rock mass properties of the test section obtained from secondary permeability index (SPI) completed with the degree of jointing of the drill core acts as a useful reference for ground treatment design. Here, the performed laboratory tests were as: determination of density, moisture percent, porosity percent, water absorption, uniaxial compressive strength, Point-load strength index (Is50), p-wave velocity (Cp), s-wave velocity (Cs), deformability, and triaxial tests. The rock mass properties and classifications of the damsite is assessed using rock mass rating, the rock quality (Q), and the geological strength index classification systems. The strength and modulus elasticity of rock masses were determined through the equations proposed by different researchers. According to the findings of this work, except for some cases, there is a reasonable correlation between SPI and rock quality designation values. Based on these results, grout type and composition was suggested for the design of grout curtain.

Toward a scale-out data-management middleware for low-latency enterprise computing

Emerging transactional workloads from Internet and mobile commerce require low-latency, massive-scale, and integrated data analytics to enhance user experience and to improve up-selling opportunities. These analytics require new application platforms that must be able to absorb large volumes of data, provide low-latency access to the data, and cache data objects to improve access times in distributed environments. This paper reports on recent technologies built at IBM Research to address challenges in data access latency, data ingestion, and caching in the exemplary context of an online product recommendation application. We describe three technologies related to the issues and optimizations of key-value data object store and access. First, we describe the architecture of a global secondary index to greatly improve data access latency of Hadoop™ Database (HBase™), an open-source key-value distributed data store. Second, we present an in-memory write-ahead log feature on HBase that significantly improves write operations for high-volume data ingestion. Third, we detail an innovative distributed caching system that exploits low-latency interconnects to use hash maps of data keys on each server for local lookup, while data resides and are accessed across clustered systems. The distributed cache can achieve a 100-to 1,000-fold performance gain over many caching methods. These technologies together form some necessary building blocks for a next-generation data-centric middleware for integrated transaction and analytic workloads.

Evaluation of Post-Surcharge Secondary Settlement Characteristics by Constant Rate of Strain Test

Abstract In general, settlement during sustained loading should be minimal because the sustained loading pressure is less than the preloading pressure. However, there have been several examples of a large degree of settlement occurring during sustained loading. In this study, the loading history was simulated by means of a constant rate of strain (CRS) test in order to determine the post-surcharge secondary consolidation behavior during the sustained loading process. The results of this test were compared with those of an incremental loading test and in situ test. The results of this study were as follows: (1) the loading history can be simulated via the CRS test, (2) the post-surcharge secondary compression index depends on the over-consolidation ratio, (3) the post-surcharge secondary compression index changes with time, and (4) when sustained loading is induced, the post-surcharge secondary compression index is smaller than when there is no previous loading history.

Differences in Urinary Arsenic Metabolites between Diabetic and Non-Diabetic Subjects in Bangladesh

Ingestion of inorganic arsenic (iAs) is considered to be related to the development of diabetes mellitus. In order to clarify the possible differences in the metabolism in diabetics, we measured urinary iAs metabolites in diabetic cases and non-diabetic control subjects in Faridpur, an arsenic-contaminated area in Bangladesh. Physician-diagnosed type 2 diabetic cases (140 persons) and non-diabetic controls (180 persons) were recruited. Drinking water and spot urine samples were collected. Mean concentrations of total arsenic in drinking water did not differ between cases (85.1 μg/L) and controls (85.8 μg/L). The percentage of urinary iAs (iAs%) was significantly lower in cases (8.6%) than in controls (10.4%), while that of dimethylarsinic acid (DMA%) was higher in cases (82.6%) than in controls (79.9%). This may have been due to the higher secondary methylation index (SMI) in the former (11.6) rather than the latter (10.0). Adjusting for matching factors (sex and unions), and the additional other covariates (age and water arsenic) significantly attenuated the differences in iAs%, SMI, and DMA%, respectively, though the difference in monomethylarsonic acid% was newly significant in the latter adjustment. Our study did not suggest any significant differences in urinary arsenic metabolites between diabetic and non-diabetic subjects.

Impact of Trade Liberalization and Corruption on Environmental Degradation in Pakistan

The present study revealed the impact of trade liberalization and corruption on environmental degradation. Yearly data were used from 1980 to 2011 for estimation. Air and water pollution were used as the environmental indicators. First model confirmed the evidence of the EKC. Trade liberalization and corruption index were used as the explanatory variables. Income per capita, square of income per capita, industrial value added, secondary school enrollment, law and order index and fertilizer use were used as control variables. Augmented Dickey Fuller (ADF) test was applied to check the stationarity level of each variable included in the model. Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) was applied to find empirical results. Some policies were suggested on the base of empirical findings.

Urinary arsenic profiles and the risks of cancer mortality: A population-based 20-year follow-up study in arseniasis-endemic areas in Taiwan

Few studies investigated the association between chronic arsenic exposure and the mortality of cancers by estimating individual urinary arsenic methylation profiles. Therefore, we compared with the general population in Taiwan to calculate the standardized mortality ratio (SMR) in arseniasis-endemic area of Taiwan from 1996 to 2010 and evaluated the dose-response relationships between environmental arsenic exposure indices or urinary arsenic profiles and the mortality of cause-specific cancer. A cohort of 1563 residents was conducted and collected their urine sample and information regarding arsenic exposure from a questionnaire. All-cause death was identified using the National Death Registry of Taiwan. Urinary arsenic profiles were measured using high performance liquid chromatography–hydride generator–atomic absorption spectrometry. We used Cox proportional hazard models to evaluate the mortality risks. In results, 193 all-site cancer deaths, and 29, 71, 43 deaths respectively for liver, lung and bladder cancers were ascertained. The SMRs were significantly high in arseniasis-endemic areas for liver, lung, and bladder cancers. People with high urinary InAs% or low DMA% or low secondary methylation index (SMI) were the most likely to suffer bladder cancer after adjusting other risk factors. Even stopping exposure to arsenic from the artesian well water, the mortality rates of the residents were higher than general population. Finally, urinary InAs%, DMA% and SMI could be the potential biomarkers to predict the mortality risk of bladder cancer.

Is there any role for transplantation in the rituximab era for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma?

Salvage chemotherapy followed by high-dose therapy and autologous stem cell transplantation is the standard of treatment for chemosensitive relapses in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. The addition of rituximab to chemotherapy has improved the response rate and failure-free survival after first-line treatment and relapses. Fewer relapses are expected, although there is no consensus on the best salvage regimen. The intergroup Collaborative Trial in Relapsed Aggressive Lymphoma (CORAL) set the limits for this standard of treatment after first comparing 2 salvage regimens: rituximab, ifosfamide, etoposide, and carboplatin (R-ICE) and rituximab, dexamethasone, aracytine, and cisplatin (R-DHAP). There was no difference in response rates or survivals between these salvage regimens. Several factors affected survival: prior treatment with rituximab, early relapse (< 12 months), and a secondary International Prognostic Index score of 2-3. For patients with 2 factors, the response rate to salvage was only 46%, which identified easily a group with poor outcome. Moreover, patients with an ABC subtype or c-MYC translocation responded poorly to treatment. More than 70% of patients will not benefit from standard salvage therapy, and continued progress is needed. Studies evaluating immunotherapy after transplantation, including allotransplantation, new conditioning regimens with radioimmunotherapy and other combinations of chemotherapy based on diffuse large B-cell lymphoma subtype, are discussed herein. Early relapses and/or patients refractory to upfront rituximab-based chemotherapy have a poor response rate and prognosis. A better biological understanding of these patients and new approaches are warranted.

Is there any role for transplantation in the rituximab era for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma?

Abstract Salvage chemotherapy followed by high-dose therapy and autologous stem cell transplantation is the standard of treatment for chemosensitive relapses in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. The addition of rituximab to chemotherapy has improved the response rate and failure-free survival after first-line treatment and relapses. Fewer relapses are expected, although there is no consensus on the best salvage regimen. The intergroup Collaborative Trial in Relapsed Aggressive Lymphoma (CORAL) set the limits for this standard of treatment after first comparing 2 salvage regimens: rituximab, ifosfamide, etoposide, and carboplatin (R-ICE) and rituximab, dexamethasone, aracytine, and cisplatin (R-DHAP). There was no difference in response rates or survivals between these salvage regimens. Several factors affected survival: prior treatment with rituximab, early relapse (&lt; 12 months), and a secondary International Prognostic Index score of 2-3. For patients with 2 factors, the response rate to salvage was only 46%, which identified easily a group with poor outcome. Moreover, patients with an ABC subtype or c-MYC translocation responded poorly to treatment. More than 70% of patients will not benefit from standard salvage therapy, and continued progress is needed. Studies evaluating immunotherapy after transplantation, including allotransplantation, new conditioning regimens with radioimmunotherapy and other combinations of chemotherapy based on diffuse large B-cell lymphoma subtype, are discussed herein. Early relapses and/or patients refractory to upfront rituximab-based chemotherapy have a poor response rate and prognosis. A better biological understanding of these patients and new approaches are warranted.