bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Study of the Bus Dynamic Coscheduling Optimization Method under Urban Rail Transit Line Emergency
Authors: Wang Yun , Yan Xuedong , Zhou Yu , Wang Jiaxi , Chen Shasha
Published: November 2014

As one of the most important urban commuter transportation modes, urban rail transit (URT) has been acting as a key solution for supporting mobility needs in high-density urban areas. However, in recent years, high frequency of unexpected events has caused serious service disruptions in URT system, greatly harming passenger safety and resulting in severe traffic delays. Therefore, there is an urgent need to study emergency evacuation problem in URT. In this paper, a method of bus dynamic coscheduling is proposed and two models are built based on different evacuation destinations including URT stations and surrounding bus parking spots. A dynamic coscheduling scheme for buses can be obtained by the models. In the model solution process, a new concept—the equivalent parking spot—is proposed to transform the nonlinear model into an integer linear programming (ILP) problem. A case study is conducted to verify the feasibility of models. Also, sensitivity analysis of two vital factors is carried out to analyze their effects on the total evacuation time. The results reveal that the designed capacity of buses has a negative influence on the total evacuation time, while an increase in the number of passengers has a positive effect. Finally, some significant optimizing strategies are proposed.
Modeling the Commuting Travel Activities within Historic Districts in Chinese Cities
Authors: Ye Mao , Yu Miao , Li Zhibin , Yin Fengjun , Hu Qizhou
Published: November 2014

The primary objective of this study is to analyze the characteristics of commuting activities within the historical districts in cities of China. The impacts of various explanatory variables on commuters’ travels are evaluated using the structural equation modeling (SEM) approach. The household survey was conducted in the historical districts in Yangzhou, China. Based on the data, various individual and household attributes were considered exogenous variables, while the subsistence activity characteristics, travel times, numbers of three typical home-based trip chains, trip chains, and travel mode were considered as the endogenous variables. Commuters in our study were classified into two main groups according to their working location, which were the commuters in the historic district and those out of the district. The modeling results show that several individual and household attributes of commuters in historic district have significant impacts on the characteristics of travel activities. Additionally, the characteristics of travel activities within the two groups are quite different, and the contributing factors related to commuting travels are different as well.
Valuation of Travel Time Savings in Viewpoint of WTA
Authors: Shao Chang-qiao , Liu Yang , Liu Xiao-ming
Published: November 2014

In order to investigate the issues in measurement of value of travel time savings (VTTS), the willingness-to-accept (WTA) for the private car owner is studied by using surveyed data. It is convincing that trip purpose, trip length, time savings, cost savings, income, and allowance from employee have effects on the WTA. Moreover, influences of these variables are not the same for different trip purposes. For commuting trips, effects of income and allowance from employee are significant while time savings and cost savings are dominated for leisure and shopping trips. It is also found that WTA is much higher than expected which implies that there are a group of drivers who are not prone to switching to other trip modes other than passenger car.
Efficacy of Acupuncture for Psychological Symptoms Associated with Opioid Addiction: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis
Authors: Boyuan Zhang , Yang Chen , Ke Cheng , Xueyong Shen , Sheng Liu
Published: November 2014

This review systematically assessed the clinical evidence for and against acupuncture as a treatment for psychological symptoms associated with opioid addiction. The database was accessed from MEDLINE and China Knowledge Resource Integrated Database. We included all randomized clinical trials published in Chinese and English regardless of their controls. Meta‐analysis was performed using the RevMan software, version 5.2. We conducted a literature search of 16 databases from their inception to January 2014. Four studies from Western countries did not report any clinical gains in the treatment of psychological symptoms associated with opioid addiction. 10 of 12 studies from China have reported positive findings regarding the use of acupuncture to treat the psychological symptoms associated with opioid addiction. The methodological quality of the included studies was poor. The meta‐analysis indicated that there was a significant difference between the treatment group and the control group for anxiety and depression associated with opioid addiction, although groups did not differ on opioid craving. This review and meta‐analysis could not confirm that acupuncture was an effective treatment for psychological symptoms associated with opioid addiction. However, considering the potential of acupuncture demonstrated in the included studies, further rigorous randomized controlled trials with long followup are warranted.
Unsupervised SAR Image Segmentation Based on a Hierarchical TMF Model in the Discrete Wavelet Domain for Sea Area Detection
Authors: Wang Jiajing , Jiao Shuhong , Shen Lianyang , Sun Zhenyu , Tang Lin
Published: November 2014

Unsupervised synthetic aperture radar (SAR) image segmentation is a fundamental preliminary processing step required for sea area detection in military applications. The purpose of this step is to classify large image areas into different segments to assist with identification of the sea area and the ship target within the image. The recently proposed triplet Markov field (TMF) model has been successfully used for segmentation of nonstationary SAR images. This letter presents a hierarchical TMF model in the discrete wavelet domain of unsupervised SAR image segmentation for sea area detection, which we have named the wavelet hierarchical TMF (WHTMF) model. The WHTMF model can precisely capture the global and local image characteristics in the two-pass computation of posterior distribution. The multiscale likelihood and the multiscale energy function are constructed to capture the intrascale and intrascale dependencies in a random field (X,U). To model the SAR data related to radar backscattering sources, the Gaussian distribution is utilized. The effectiveness of the proposed model for SAR image segmentation is evaluated using synthesized and real SAR data.
Movement Control in Recovering UUV Based on Two-Stage Discrete T-S Fuzzy Model
Authors: Yan Zheping , Hao Bing , Liu Yibo , Hou Shuping
Published: November 2014

A two-stage discrete T-S fuzzy model controller, which is formed by a motion controller and a dynamic controller connected in series, is presented to solve UUV (unmanned underwater vehicle) movement control problem for recovering. The motion controller is designed based on the uncertain T-S model and the concept of discrete fuzzy vector. The position error between UUV and moving platform as the input of the motion controller is converted into the speed commands of UUV at the next time. The dynamic controller design is based on the theory of fuzzy region model and a relaxed condition for Lyapunov stabilization function is derived in the form of linear matrix inequalities, which generate force and torque required to complete the recovery task. The feasibility and the efficiency of the proposed control scheme are illustrated through the simulations that UUV follows moving platform.
A Framework for Spatial Interaction Analysis Based on Large-Scale Mobile Phone Data
Authors: Li Weifeng , Cheng Xiaoyun , Duan Zhengyu , Yang Dongyuan , Guo Gaohua
Published: November 2014

The overall understanding of spatial interaction and the exact knowledge of its dynamic evolution are required in the urban planning and transportation planning. This study aimed to analyze the spatial interaction based on the large-scale mobile phone data. The newly arisen mass dataset required a new methodology which was compatible with its peculiar characteristics. A three-stage framework was proposed in this paper, including data preprocessing, critical activity identification, and spatial interaction measurement. The proposed framework introduced the frequent pattern mining and measured the spatial interaction by the obtained association. A case study of three communities in Shanghai was carried out as verification of proposed method and demonstration of its practical application. The spatial interaction patterns and the representative features proved the rationality of the proposed framework.
Forecasting the Short-Term Passenger Flow on High-Speed Railway with Neural Networks
Authors: Xie Mei-Quan , Li Xia-Miao , Zhou Wen-Liang , Fu Yan-Bing
Published: November 2014

Short-term passenger flow forecasting is an important component of transportation systems. The forecasting result can be applied to support transportation system operation and management such as operation planning and revenue management. In this paper, a divide-and-conquer method based on neural network and origin-destination (OD) matrix estimation is developed to forecast the short-term passenger flow in high-speed railway system. There are three steps in the forecasting method. Firstly, the numbers of passengers who arrive at each station or depart from each station are obtained from historical passenger flow data, which are OD matrices in this paper. Secondly, short-term passenger flow forecasting of the numbers of passengers who arrive at each station or depart from each station based on neural network is realized. At last, the OD matrices in short-term time are obtained with an OD matrix estimation method. The experimental results indicate that the proposed divide-and-conquer method performs well in forecasting the short-term passenger flow on high-speed railway.
Practice Variation in the Management of First Trimester Miscarriage in The Netherlands: A Nationwide Survey
Authors: Verschoor Marianne A. C. , Lemmers Marike , Wekker Malu Z. , Huirne Judith A. F. , Goddijn Mariëtte , Mol Ben Willem J. , Ankum Willem M.
Published: November 2014

Objectives. To survey practice variation in the management of first trimester miscarriage in The Netherlands.Methods. We sent an online questionnaire to gynecologists in eight academic, 37 nonacademic teaching, and 47 nonteaching hospitals. Main outcome measures were availability of a local protocol; estimated number of patients treated with curettage, misoprostol, or expectant management; misoprostol regimen; and estimated number of curettages performed after initial misoprostol treatment. Outcomes were compared to the results of a previous nationwide survey.Results. The response rate was 100%. A miscarriage protocol was present in all academic hospitals, 68% of nonacademic teaching hospitals, and 38% of nonteaching hospitals (P=0.008). Misoprostol was first-choice treatment for 41% of patients in academic hospitals versus 34% and 27% in teaching-and nonteaching hospitals (P=0.045). There were 23 different misoprostol regimens. Curettage was first-choice treatment in 29% of patients in academic hospitals versus 46% and 50% in nonacademic teaching or nonteaching hospitals (P=0.007). In 30% of patients, initial misoprostol treatment was followed by curettage.Conclusions. Although the percentage of gynaecologists who are aware of the availability of misoprostol for miscarriage treatment has doubled to almost 100% since 2005, practice variation is still large. This practice variation underlines the need for a national guideline.
Extended Surface of Materials as a Result of Chemical Equilibrium
Authors: Arabczyk Walerian , Pelka Rafał , Jasińska Izabella
Published: November 2014

A system consisting of at least two components was considered. In this system, nanocrystalline material is formed at high temperature, at which diffusion does not limit the mass transport. The structure results from establishing an equilibrium between surface and volume of the crystallites and their surroundings in isothermal‐adiabatic conditions. The surface of each crystallite is covered with another substance. On the basis of the performed energy‐balance calculations it was concluded that the reduction in the surface area is associated with a decrease in the surface coverage degree and thus with the necessity to provide energy to the system in order to remove chemisorbed atoms. An increase in the temperature of a nanocrystalline substance to a temperature higher than the preparation temperature results in the formation of a new state of equilibrium. At temperatures below the maximum temperature only the equilibrium between the gas phase and the surface exists.
Development and Validation of an Affinity Chromatography-Protein G Method for IgG Quantification
Authors: Paradina Fernández Lesly , Calvo Loany , Viña Lisel
Published: November 2014

Nimotuzumab, an IgG that recognizes the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGF-R) overexpressed in some tumors, is used in the treatment of advanced head and neck cancer. For the quantification of this protein in cell culture supernatants, protein G-HPLC affinity chromatography is used due to its high affinity and specificity for antibodies of this class. The technique relies on the comparison of the area under the curve of the elution peak of the samples to be evaluated versus to a calibration curve of well-known concentrations and was validated by assessment of its robustness, specificity, repeatability, intermediate precision, accuracy, linearity, limit of detection, limit of quantification, and range. According to results of the study all validation parameters fulfilled the preestablished acceptance criteria and demonstrated the feasibility of the assay for the analysis of samples of cell culture supernatant as well as drug product.
Transformation of CLF to ISS-CLF for Nonlinear Systems with Disturbance and Construction of Nonlinear Robust Controller withL2Gain Performance
Authors: Okano Keizo , Hagino Kojiro , Oya Hidetoshi
Published: November 2014

A new nonlinear control law for a class of nonlinear systems with disturbance is proposed. A control law is designed by transforming control Lyapunov function (CLF) to input-to-state stability control Lyapunov function (ISS-CLF). The transformed CLF satisfies a Hamilton-Jacobi-Isaacs (HJI) equation. The feedback system by the proposed control law has characteristics ofL2gain. Finally, it is shown by a numerical example that the proposed control law makes a controller by feedback linearization robust against disturbance.
Robust Optimization Model and Algorithm for Railway Freight Center Location Problem in Uncertain Environment
Authors: Liu Xing-cai , He Shi-wei , Song Rui , Sun Yang , Li Hao-dong
Published: November 2014

Railway freight center location problem is an important issue in railway freight transport programming. This paper focuses on the railway freight center location problem in uncertain environment. Seeing that the expected value model ignores the negative influence of disadvantageous scenarios, a robust optimization model was proposed. The robust optimization model takes expected cost and deviation value of the scenarios as the objective. A cloud adaptive clonal selection algorithm (C-ACSA) was presented. It combines adaptive clonal selection algorithm with Cloud Model which can improve the convergence rate. Design of the code and progress of the algorithm were proposed. Result of the example demonstrates the model and algorithm are effective. Compared with the expected value cases, the amount of disadvantageous scenarios in robust model reduces from 163 to 21, which prove the result of robust model is more reliable.
A Comparison in Mechanical Properties of Cermets of Calcium Silicate with Ti-55Ni and Ti-6Al-4V Alloys for Hard Tissues Replacement
Authors: Ataollahi Oshkour Azim , Pramanik Sumit , Shirazi Seyed Farid Seyed , Mehrali Mehdi , Yau Yat-Huang , Abu Osman Noor Azuan
Published: November 2014

This study investigated the impact of calcium silicate (CS) content on composition, compressive mechanical properties, and hardness of CS cermets with Ti-55Ni and Ti-6Al-4V alloys sintered at 1200°C. The powder metallurgy route was exploited to prepare the cermets. New phases of materials of Ni16Ti6Si7, CaTiO3, and Ni31Si12appeared in cermet of Ti-55Ni with CS and in cermet of Ti-6Al-4V with CS, the new phases Ti5Si3, Ti2O, and CaTiO3, which were emerged during sintering at different CS content (wt%). The minimum shrinkage and density were observed in both groups of cermets for the 50 and 100 wt% CS content, respectively. The cermets with 40 wt% of CS had minimum compressive Young’s modulus. The minimum of compressive strength and strain percentage at maximum load were revealed in cermets with 50 and 40 wt% of CS with Ti-55Ni and Ti-6Al-4V cermets, respectively. The cermets with 80 and 90 wt% of CS showed more plasticity than the pure CS. It concluded that the composition and mechanical properties of sintered cermets of Ti-55Ni and Ti-6Al-4V with CS significantly depend on the CS content in raw cermet materials. Thus, the different mechanical properties of the cermets can be used as potential materials for different hard tissues replacements.
Risk of Type 2 Diabetes among Osteoarthritis Patients in a Prospective Longitudinal Study
Authors: Rahman M. Mushfiqur , Cibere Jolanda , Anis Aslam H. , Goldsmith Charlie H. , Kopec Jacek A.
Published: November 2014

Objectives. Our aim was to determine the risk of diabetes among osteoarthritis (OA) cases in a prospective longitudinal study.Methods. Administrative health records of 577,601 randomly selected individuals from British Columbia, Canada, from 1991 to 2009, were analyzed. OA and diabetes cases were identified by checking physician’s visits and hospital records. From 1991 to 1996 we documented 19,143 existing OA cases and selected one non-OA individual matched by age, sex, and year of administrative records. Poisson regression and Cox proportional hazards models were fitted to estimate the effects after adjusting for available sociodemographic and medical factors.Results. At baseline, the mean age of OA cases was 61 years and 60.5% were women. Over 12 years of mean follow-up, the incidence rate (95% CI) of diabetes was 11.2 (10.90–11.50) per 1000 person years. Adjusted RRs (95% CI) for diabetes were 1.27 (1.15–1.41), 1.21 (1.08–1.35), 1.16 (1.04–1.28), and 0.99 (0.86–1.14) for younger women (age 20–64 years), older women (age ≥ 65 years), younger men, and older men, respectively.Conclusion. Younger adults and older women with OA have increased risks of developing diabetes compared to their age-sex matched non-OA counterparts. Further studies are needed to confirm these results and to elucidate the potential mechanisms.
Fast Motion Deblurring Using Sensor-Aided Motion Trajectory Estimation
Authors: Lee Eunsung , Chae Eunjung , Cheong Hejin , Paik Joonki
Published: November 2014

This paper presents an image deblurring algorithm to remove motion blur using analysis of motion trajectories and local statistics based on inertial sensors. The proposed method estimates a point-spread-function (PSF) of motion blur by accumulating reweighted projections of the trajectory. A motion blurred image is then adaptively restored using the estimated PSF and spatially varying activity map to reduce both restoration artifacts and noise amplification. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method outperforms existing PSF estimation-based motion deconvolution methods in the sense of both objective and subjective performance measures. The proposed algorithm can be employed in various imaging devices because of its efficient implementation without an iterative computational structure.
Rail Mounted Gantry Crane Scheduling Optimization in Railway Container Terminal Based on Hybrid Handling Mode
Authors: Wang Li , Zhu Xiaoning
Published: November 2014

Rail mounted gantry crane (RMGC) scheduling is important in reducing makespan of handling operation and improving container handling efficiency. In this paper, we present an RMGC scheduling optimization model, whose objective is to determine an optimization handling sequence in order to minimize RMGC idle load time in handling tasks. An ant colony optimization is proposed to obtain near optimal solutions. Computational experiments on a specific railway container terminal are conducted to illustrate the proposed model and solution algorithm. The results show that the proposed method is effective in reducing the idle load time of RMGC.
A New Cellular Automaton Model for Urban Two-Way Road Networks
Authors: Shi Junqing , Cheng Lin , Long Jiancheng , Liu Yuanlin
Published: November 2014

A new cellular automaton (CA) model is proposed to simulate traffic dynamics in urban two-way road network systems. The NaSch rule is adopted to represent vehicle movements on road sections. Two novel rules are proposed to move the vehicles in intersection areas, and an additional rule is developed to avoid the “gridlock” phenomenon. Simulation results show that the network fundamental diagram is very similar to that of road traffic flow. We found that the randomization probability and the maximum vehicle speed have significant impact on network traffic mobility for free-flow state. Their effect may be weak when the network is congested.
Salicylanilide Diethyl Phosphates as Potential Inhibitors of Some Mycobacterial Enzymes
Authors: Krátký Martin , Novotná Eva , Saxena Shalini , Yogeeswari Perumal , Sriram Dharmarajan , Švarcová Markéta , Vinšová Jarmila
Published: November 2014

Antimycobacterially active salicylanilide diethyl phosphates were evaluated to identify their potential drug target(s) for the inhibition of several mycobacterial enzymes, including isocitrate lyase, L-alanine dehydrogenase (MtAlaDH), lysineε-aminotransferase, chorismate mutase, and pantothenate synthetase. The enzymes are related to the nongrowing state ofMycobacterium tuberculosis. Salicylanilide diethyl phosphates represent new candidates with significant inhibitory activity especially against L-alanine dehydrogenase. The most activeMtAlaDH inhibitor, 5-chloro-2-[(3-chlorophenyl)carbamoyl]phenyl diethyl phosphate, has an IC50of 4.96 µM and the best docking results. Other mycobacterial enzymes were mostly inhibited by some derivatives but at higher concentrations; isocitrate lyase showed the highest resistance to salicylanilide diethyl phosphates.
Effect of Low-Dose, Long-Term Roxithromycin on Airway Inflammation and Remodeling of Stable Noncystic Fibrosis Bronchiectasis
Authors: Liu Jifeng , Zhong Xiaoning , He Zhiyi , Wei Lianghong , Zheng Xiaozhen , Zhang Jianquan , Bai Jing , Zhong Wei , Zhong Dengjun
Published: November 2014

Background. Noncystic fibrosis bronchiectasis (NCFB) is characterized by airway expansion and recurrent acute exacerbations. Macrolide has been shown to exhibit anti-inflammatory effects in some chronic airway diseases.Objective. To assess the efficacy of roxithromycin on airway inflammation and remodeling in patients with NCFB under steady state.Methods. The study involved an open-label design in 52 eligible Chinese patients with NCFB, who were assigned to control (receiving no treatment) and roxithromycin (receiving 150 mg/day for 6 months) groups. At baseline and 6 months, the inflammatory markers such as interleukin- (IL-)8, neutrophil elastase (NE), matrix metalloproteinase- (MMP)9, hyaluronidase (HA), and type IV collagen in sputum were measured, along with the detection of dilated bronchus by throat computed tomography scan, and assessed the exacerbation.Results. Forty-three patients completed the study. The neutrophil in the sputum was decreased in roxithromycin group compared with control(P<0.05). IL-8, NE, MMP-9, HA, and type IV collagen in sputum were also decreased in roxithromycin group compared with the control group (allP<0.01). Airway thickness of dilated bronchus and exacerbation were reduced in roxithromycin group compared with the control (allP<0.05).Conclusions. Roxithromycin can reduce airway inflammation and airway thickness of dilated bronchus in patients with NCFB.
Incident Duration Modeling Using Flexible Parametric Hazard-Based Models
Authors: Li Ruimin , Shang Pan
Published: November 2014

Assessing and prioritizing the duration time and effects of traffic incidents on major roads present significant challenges for road network managers. This study examines the effect of numerous factors associated with various types of incidents on their duration and proposes an incident duration prediction model. Several parametric accelerated failure time hazard-based models were examined, including Weibull, log-logistic, log-normal, and generalized gamma, as well as all models with gamma heterogeneity and flexible parametric hazard-based models with freedom ranging from one to ten, by analyzing a traffic incident dataset obtained from the Incident Reporting and Dispatching System in Beijing in 2008. Results show that different factors significantly affect different incident time phases, whose best distributions were diverse. Given the best hazard-based models of each incident time phase, the prediction result can be reasonable for most incidents. The results of this study can aid traffic incident management agencies not only in implementing strategies that would reduce incident duration, and thus reduce congestion, secondary incidents, and the associated human and economic losses, but also in effectively predicting incident duration time.
Design of a Small Modified Minkowski Fractal Antenna for Passive Deep Brain Stimulation Implants
Authors: Manafi Sara , Deng Hai
Published: November 2014

A small planar modified Minkowski fractal antenna is designed and simulated in dual frequency bands (2.4 and 5.8 GHz) for wireless energy harvesting by deep brain stimulation (DBS) devices. The designed antenna, physically being confined inside a miniaturized structure, can efficiently convert the wireless signals in dual ISM frequency bands to the energy source to recharge the DBS battery or power the pulse generator directly. The performance metrics such as the return loss, the specific absorption rate (SAR), and the radiation pattern within skin and muscle-fat-skin tissues are evaluated for the designed antenna. The gain of the proposed antenna is 3.2 dBi at 2.4 GHz and 4.7 dBi at 5.8 GHz; also the averaged SAR of the antenna in human body tissue is found to be well below the legally allowed limit at both frequency bands. The link budget shows the received power at the distance of 25 cm at 2.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz are around 0.4 mW and 0.04 mW, which can empower the DBS implant. The large operational bandwidth, the physical compactness, and the efficiency in wireless signal reception make this antenna suitable in being used in implanted biomedical devices such as DBS pulse generators.
Comparison of the Health Implications on the Use of As and Cd Contaminated Water Supply between Urban and Rural Communities
Authors: Zailina H. , Najibah H. , Nadia Aiezzati A. , Praveena S. M. , Patimah I.
Published: November 2014

A cross-sectional study was carried out to determine the arsenic (As) and cadmium (Cd) concentrations in blood, urine, and drinking water as well as the health implications on 100 residents in an urban and a rural community. Results showed the blood As, urinary Cd, DNA damage, and water As and Cs were significantly (P<0.001) higher in the rural community. Findings showed significant (P<0.005) correlations between blood As and DNA damage with household income, years of residence, and total glasses of daily water consumption among the rural residents. The urinary NAG concentrations, years of residence, milk powder intake (glass/week), and seafood intake (per week) were significantly correlated (P<0.005) with urinary Cd concentrations among respondents. In addition, urinary Cd level significantly influenced the urinary NAG concentrations (P<0.001). The rural respondents experienced significantly higher lymphocyte DNA damage and blood As influenced by their years of residence and water consumption. The Cd in drinking water also resulted in the rural respondents having significantly higher urinary NAG which had a significant relationship with urinary Cd.
What Parents Think about Giving Nonnutritive Sweeteners to Their Children: A Pilot Study
Authors: Sylvetsky Allison C. , Greenberg Mitchell , Zhao Xiongce , Rother Kristina I.
Published: November 2014

Objective. To evaluate parental attitudes toward providing foods and beverages with nonnutritive sweeteners (NNS) to their children and to explore parental ability to recognize NNS in packaged foods and beverages. Methods. 120 parents of children ≥ 1 and ≤18 years of age completed brief questionnaires upon entering or exiting a grocery store. Parental attitudes toward NNS were assessed using an interviewer-assisted survey. Parental selection of packaged food and beverages (with and without NNS) was evaluated during a shopping simulation activity. Parental ability to identify products with NNS was tested with a NNS recognition test. Results. Most parents (72%) disagreed with the statement “NNS are safe for my child to consume.” This was not reflected during the shopping simulation activity because about one-quarter of items selected by parents contained NNS. Parents correctly identified only 23% of NNS-containing items presented as foods or beverages which were sweetened with NNS. Conclusions. The negative parental attitudes toward providing NNS to their children raise the question whether parents are willing to replace added sugars with NNS in an effort to reduce their child’s calorie intake. Our findings also suggest that food labeling should be revised in order for consumers to more easily identify NNS in foods and beverages.
Analysis of the Contribution of the Road Traffic Industry to the PM2.5 Emission for Different Land-Use Types
Authors: Xu Peng , Wang Wei , Ji Jiawei , Yao Shunyu
Published: November 2014

Road dust and vehicle exhaust are the main sources of air pollution in cities, especially in recent years with the quantity of vehicles and transportation construction continuously soaring; the hazy weather has been a dominant urban pollution form which is widely concerned by the Chinese society. By establishing a relationship model between traffic and land use, then applying analytic hierarchy process on the data from air quality monitoring station, this paper concludes the influence of different traffic behavior on air pollution which provides support to abate urban air pollution caused by traffic reasons through taking measures to control traffic.
Robust Mean Change-Point Detecting through Laplace Linear Regression Using EM Algorithm
Authors: Yang Fengkai
Published: November 2014

We proposed a robust mean change-point estimation algorithm in linear regression with the assumption that the errors follow the Laplace distribution. By representing the Laplace distribution as an appropriate scale mixture of normal distribution, we developed the expectation maximization (EM) algorithm to estimate the position of mean change-point. We investigated the performance of the algorithm through different simulations, finding that our methods is robust to the distributions of errors and is effective to estimate the position of mean change-point. Finally, we applied our method to the classical Holbert data and detected a change-point.
Algebraic Number Precoded OFDM Transmission for Asynchronous Cooperative Multirelay Networks
Authors: Jiang Hua , Shen Lizhen , Cheng Hao , Liu Guoqing
Published: November 2014

This paper proposes a space‐time block coding (STBC) transmission scheme for asynchronous cooperative systems. By combination of rotated complex constellations and Hadamard transform, these constructed codes are capable of achieving full cooperative diversity with the analysis of the pairwise error probability (PEP). Due to the asynchronous characteristic of cooperative systems, orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) technique with cyclic prefix (CP) is adopted for combating timing delays from relay nodes. The total transmit power across the entire network is fixed and appropriate power allocation can be implemented to optimize the network performance. The relay nodes do not require decoding and demodulation operation, resulting in a low complexity. Besides, there is no delay for forwarding the OFDM symbols to the destination node. At the destination node the received signals have the corresponding STBC structure on each subcarrier. In order to reduce the decoding complexity, the sphere decoder is implemented for fast data decoding. Bit error rate (BER) performance demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed scheme.
Modeling Pedestrian’s Conformity Violation Behavior: A Complex Network Based Approach
Authors: Zhou Zhuping , Hu Qizhou , Wang Wei
Published: November 2014

Pedestrian injuries and fatalities present a problem all over the world. Pedestrian conformity violation behaviors, which lead to many pedestrian crashes, are common phenomena at the signalized intersections in China. The concepts and metrics of complex networks are applied to analyze the structural characteristics and evolution rules of pedestrian network about the conformity violation crossings. First, a network of pedestrians crossing the street is established, and the network’s degree distributions are analyzed. Then, by using the basic idea of SI model, a spreading model of pedestrian illegal crossing behavior is proposed. Finally, through simulation analysis, pedestrian’s illegal crossing behavior trends are obtained in different network structures and different spreading rates. Some conclusions are drawn: as the waiting time increases, more pedestrians will join in the violation crossing once a pedestrian crosses on red firstly. And pedestrian’s conformity violation behavior will increase as the spreading rate increases.
CD8+ TIL Recruitment May Revert the Association of MAGE A3 with Aggressive Features in Thyroid Tumors
Authors: Martins Mariana Bonjiorno , Marcello Marjory Alana , Batista Fernando de Assis , Cunha Lucas Leite , Morari Elaine Cristina , Soares Fernando Augusto , Vassallo José , Ward Laura Sterian
Published: November 2014

Background. We aimed to investigate a possible role of MAGE A3 and its associations with infiltrated immune cells in thyroid malignancy, analyzing their utility as a diagnostic and prognostic marker.Materials and Methods. We studied 195 malignant tissues: 154 PTCs and 41 FTCs; 102 benign tissues: 51 follicular adenomas and 51 goiter and 17 normal thyroid tissues. MAGE A3 and immune cell markers (CD4 and CD8) were evaluated using immunohistochemistry and compared with clinical pathological features.Results. The semiquantitative analysis and ACIS III analysis showed similar results. MAGE A3 was expressed in more malignant than in benign lesions (P<0.0001), also helping to discriminate follicular-patterned lesions. It was also higher in tumors in which there was extrathyroidal invasion (P=0.0206) and in patients with stage II disease (P=0.0107). MAGE A3+ tumors were more likely to present CD8+ TIL (P=0.0346), and these tumors were associated with less aggressive features, that is, extrathyroidal invasion and small size. There was a trend of MAGE A3+ CD8+ tumors to evolve free of disease.Conclusion. We demonstrated that MAGE A3 and CD8+ TIL infiltration may play an important role in malignant thyroid nodules, presenting an interesting perspective for new researches on DTC immunotherapy.
Optimization of the Design of Pre-Signal System Using Improved Cellular Automaton
Authors: Li Yan , Li Ke , Tao Siran , Wan Xia , Chen Kuanmin
Published: November 2014

The pre-signal system can improve the efficiency of intersection approach under rational design. One of the main obstacles in optimizing the design of pre-signal system is that driving behaviors in the sorting area cannot be well evaluated. The NaSch model was modified by considering slow probability, turning-deceleration rules, and lane changing rules. It was calibrated with field observed data to explore the interactions among design parameters. The simulation results of the proposed model indicate that the length of sorting area, traffic demand, signal timing, and lane allocation are the most important influence factors. The recommendations of these design parameters are demonstrated. The findings of this paper can be foundations for the design of pre-signal system and show promising improvement in traffic mobility.
Tufted Angioma in Children: Report of Two Cases and a Review of the Literature
Authors: da Silva Alessandra Dutra , Ramos Grasieli de Oliveira , Gomes Rita Fabiane Teixeira , Martins Marco Antônio Trevizani , Lamers Marcelo Lazzaron , Santa’Ana Filho Manoel , Rados Pantelis Varvaki , Hildebrand Laura de Campos , Visioli Fernanda
Published: November 2014

Tufted angioma (TA) is a benign vascular tumor with endothelial origin. It is extremely rare in oral mucosa; only seven cases have been reported in the literature so far. Here, we describe two cases of tufted angioma observed in children and we also present a review of the literature about this pathology, concerning the differential diagnosis and management of this lesion in children.
Associates of Cardiopulmonary Arrest in the Perihemodialytic Period
Authors: Flythe Jennifer E. , Li Nien-Chen , Lin Shu-Fang , Brunelli Steven M. , Hymes Jeffrey , Lacson Eduardo
Published: November 2014

Cardiopulmonary arrest during and proximate to hemodialysis is rare but highly fatal. Studies have examined peridialytic sudden cardiac event risk factors, but no study has considered associates of cardiopulmonary arrests (fatal and nonfatal events including cardiac and respiratory causes). This study was designed to elucidate patient and procedural factors associated with peridialytic cardiopulmonary arrest. Data for this case-control study were taken from the hemodialysis population at Fresenius Medical Care, North America. 924 in-center cardiopulmonary events (cases) and 75,538 controls were identified. Cases and controls were 1 : 5 matched on age, sex, race, and diabetes. Predictors of cardiopulmonary arrest were considered for logistic model inclusion. Missed treatments due to hospitalization, lower body mass, coronary artery disease, heart failure, lower albumin and hemoglobin, lower dialysate potassium, higher serum calcium, greater erythropoietin stimulating agent dose, and normalized protein catabolic rate (J-shaped) were associated with peridialytic cardiopulmonary arrest. Of these, lower albumin, hemoglobin, and body mass index; higher erythropoietin stimulating agent dose; and greater missed sessions had the strongest associations with outcome. Patient health markers and procedural factors are associated with peridialytic cardiopulmonary arrest. In addition to optimizing nutritional status, it may be prudent to limit exposure to low dialysate potassium (<2 K bath) and to use the lowest effective erythropoietin stimulating agent dose.
Understanding Attitudes towards Proenvironmental Travel: An Empirical Study from Tangshan City in China
Authors: Fang Xiaoping , Xu Yajing , Chen Weiya
Published: November 2014

Understanding people’s attitudes towards proenvironmental travel will help to encourage people to adopt proenvironmental travel behavior. Revealed preference theory assumes that the consumption preference of consumers can be revealed by their consumption behavior. In order to investigate the influences on citizens’ travel decision and analyze the difficulties of promoting proenvironmental travel behavior in medium-sized cities in China, based on revealed preference theory, this paper uses the RP survey method and disaggregate model to analyze how individual characteristics, situational factors, and trip features influence the travel mode choice. The field investigation was conducted in Tangshan City to obtain the RP data. An MNL model was built to deal with the travel mode choice. SPSS software was used to calibrate the model parameters. The goodness-of-fit tests and the predicted outcome demonstrate the validation of the parameter setting. The results show that gender, occupation, trip purpose, and distance have an obvious influence on the travel mode choice. In particular, the male gender, high income, and business travel show a high correlation with carbon-intensive travel, while the female gender and a medium income scored higher in terms of proenvironmental travel modes, such as walking, cycling, and public transport.
Prevention of Skin Carcinogenesis by the β-Blocker Carvedilol
Authors: Chang Andy , Yeung Steven , Thakkar Arvind , Huang Kevin M. , Liu Mandy M. , Kanassatega Rhye-Samuel , Parsa Cyrus , Orlando Robert , Jackson Edwin K. , Andresen Bradley T. , Huang Ying
Published: November 2014

The stress-related catecholamine hormones and the α- and β-adrenergic receptors (α- and β-AR) may affect carcinogenesis. The β-AR GRK/β-arrestin biased agonist carvedilol can induce β-AR–mediated transactivation of the EGFR. The initial purpose of this study was to determine whether carvedilol, through activation of EGFR, can promote cancer. Carvedilol failed to promote anchorage-independent growth of JB6 P+ cells, a skin cell model used to study tumor promotion. However, at nontoxic concentrations, carvedilol dose dependently inhibited EGF-induced malignant transformation of JB6 P+ cells, suggesting that carvedilol has chemopreventive activity against skin cancer. Such effect was not observed for the β-AR agonist isoproterenol and the β-AR antagonist atenolol. Gene expression, receptor binding, and functional studies indicate that JB6 P+ cells only express β2-ARs. Carvedilol, but not atenolol, inhibited EGF-mediated activator protein-1 (AP-1) activation. A topical 7,12-dimethylbenz(α)anthracene (DMBA)-induced skin hyperplasia model in SENCAR mice was utilized to determine the in vivo cancer preventative activity of carvedilol. Both topical and oral carvedilol treatment inhibited DMBA-induced epidermal hyperplasia (P < 0.05) and reduced H-ras mutations; topical treatment being the most potent. However, in models of established cancer, carvedilol had modest to no inhibitory effect on tumor growth of human lung cancer A549 cells in vitro and in vivo. In conclusion, these results suggest that the cardiovascular drug carvedilol may be repurposed for skin cancer chemoprevention, but may not be an effective treatment of established tumors. More broadly, this study suggests that β-ARs may serve as a novel target for cancer prevention. Cancer Prev Res; 8(1); 27–36. ©2014 AACR.
Hearing Preservation after Lateral Temporal Bone Resection for Early-Stage External Auditory Canal Carcinoma
Authors: Morita Shinya , Nakamaru Yuji , Homma Akihiro , Sakashita Tomohiro , Masuya Masayori , Fukuda Satoshi
Published: November 2014

Objective: To evaluate postoperative hearing outcomes after lateral temporal bone resection (LTBR) with reconstruction of the external auditory canal (EAC) and conductive function for early-stage EAC carcinoma. Methods: We retrospectively examined patients diagnosed with early-stage EAC carcinoma treated with surgery alone between January 2006 and December 2012. Patients who had postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy were excluded. Patients receiving LTBR in combination with tympanoplasty were divided into two groups based on the reconstruction of the EAC with and without (w/o) split-thickness skin grafts (STSGs). Audiological data included the preoperative hearing thresholds and the most recent postoperative hearing thresholds obtained at least 12 months after surgery. The hearing outcome was evaluated based on pure-tone audiograms using the Committee on Hearing and Equilibrium guidelines of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery for the evaluation of the results of treatment of conductive hearing loss. The postoperative quality of life (QOL) for patients was evaluated using the Glasgow Benefit Inventory (GBI). Results: All patients (n = 15) achieved disease-free survival without significant morbidity or mortality. When we compared the mean air-bone gaps after surgery, those in the STSG group (n = 8) were found to be significantly lower than those in the w/o STSG group (n = 7; p < 0.001). The success rate for postoperative hearing was 75.0% in the STSG group, which was significantly higher than that in the w/o STSG group (p = 0.014). All patients in the w/o STSG group showed stenosis and closure of the EAC at fewer than 10 months after surgery. In contrast, all patients in the STSG group showed preserved conformation of the new EAC for more than 12 months after surgery. When we compared the mean GBI score between the two groups of patients, the overall and general health scores in the STSG group were found to be significantly higher than those in the w/o STSG group (p = 0.021, p = 0.001). Conclusions: Reconstruction of the EAC using a rolled-up STSG technique in combination with tympanoplasty after LTBR is useful for hearing preservation and the observation of locoregional lesions after surgery, resulting in improved QOL for patients. i 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel
MicroRNA Profiling of Low-Grade and Transformed Nodal Marginal Zone Lymphoma Reveals a Similar Signature Pattern Distinct from Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma
Authors: Gebauer Niklas , Thorns Christoph , Bernard Veronica , Senft Andrea , Schillert Arne , Merz Hartmut , Feller Alfred C. , Bernd Heinz-Wolfram
Published: November 2014

Background/Aims: As critical post-transcriptional regulators of gene expression, microRNAs are involved in several cellular processes of vital impact including cell growth and apoptosis. Many hematologic malignancies exhibit distinct microRNA signatures. MicroRNA implication in the pathogenesis of nodal marginal zone lymphoma (NMZL), however, remains widely elusive. Methods: Comprehensive morphologic, immunophenotypic and cytogenetic studies were carried out on a cohort of NMZL (n = 30) incorporating indolent as well as transformed MZL. In addition, microRNA signatures were generated, employing a quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction approach. These were then compared to signatures from cases of diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) alongside reactive lymph node controls. Results: While microRNA signatures of low-grade and transformed NMZL did not differ significantly, several microRNAs were differentially expressed between transformed NMZL and DLBCL, hinting at molecularly distinct mechanisms of lymphomagenesis and indicating the biological disparity of transformed NMZL from DLBCL. Conclusion: In the light of the unresolved issue regarding the classification of marginal zone-derived transformed B-cell neoplasms, microRNAs may be a valuable aid in discriminating NMZL from DLBCL. © 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel