bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Dual antiplatelet therapy for secondary prevention of coronary artery disease
Authors: Degrauwe Sophie , Pilgrim Thomas , Aminian Adel , Noble Stephane , Meier Pascal , Iglesias Juan F
Published: October 2017

Dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) combining aspirin and a P2Y12receptor inhibitor has been consistently shown to reduce recurrent major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) or undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for stable coronary artery disease (CAD) compared with aspirin monotherapy, but at the expense of an increased risk of major bleeding. Nevertheless, the optimal duration of DAPT for secondary prevention of CAD remains uncertain, owing to the conflicting results of several large randomised trials. Among patients with stable CAD undergoing PCI with drug-eluting stents (DES), shorter durations of DAPT (3–6 months) were shown non-inferior to 12 or 24 months duration with respect to MACE, but reduced the rates of major bleeding. Contrariwise, prolonged DAPT durations (18–48 months) reduced the incidence of myocardial infarction and stent thrombosis, but at a cost of an increased risk of major bleeding and all-cause mortality. Until more evidence becomes available, the choice of optimal DAPT regimen and duration for patients with CAD requires a tailored approach based on the patient clinical presentation, baseline risk profile and management strategy. Future studies are however needed to identify patients who may derive benefit from shortened or extended DAPT courses for secondary prevention of CAD based on their individual ischaemic and bleeding risk. Based on limited evidence, 12 months duration of DAPT is currently recommended in patients with ACS irrespective of their management strategy, but large ongoing randomised trials are currently assessing the efficacy and safety of a short-term DAPT strategy (3–6 months) for patients with ACS undergoing PCI with newer generation DES. Finally, several ongoing, large-scale, randomised trials are challenging the current concept of DAPT by investigating P2Y12receptor inhibitors as single antiplatelet therapy and may potentially shift the paradigm of antiplatelet therapy after PCI in the near future. This article provides a contemporary state-of-the-art review of the current evidence on DAPT for secondary prevention of patients with CAD and its future perspectives.
Paroxysmal non‐kinesigenic dyskinesia characterised by dystonia in a crossbred dog
Authors: Santifort Koen Maurits , Lowrie Mark
Published: October 2017

A nine‐year‐old female neutered crossbred dog was presented with episodic seizures since the age of six months, which were unsatisfactorily controlled with phenobarbital administration. Upon further consultation and examination there was considerable doubt as to whether or not the seizures were epileptic in nature. One major argument against epileptic seizure activity was that the dog was (seemingly) fully conscious during these ‘attacks’. A video of an episode was made some time after forming a presumptive diagnosis of a paroxysmal movement disorder, showing dystonia and no signs of impaired consciousness. After initiation of a gluten‐free diet, the dog had recurrent episodes of dystonia following consumption of pieces of bread. No events were noticed aside from those instances. A movement disorder, specifically a paroxysmal non‐kinesigenic dyskinesia characterised by dystonia, was presumptively diagnosed. This is the first report of a crossbred dog with this type of movement disorder.
Developmental neurotoxic effects of a low dose of TCE on a 3-D neurosphere system
Authors: Abdraboh M.E. , Abdeen S.H. , Salama M. , El-Husseiny M. , El-Sherbini Y.M. , Eldeen N.M.
Published: October 2017

Trichloroethylene (TCE) is one of the industrial toxic byproducts that now persist in the air, soil, and water. Several studies have already illustrated the toxic effect of high doses of TCE on the biological functions of several organs. This study aims to highlight the toxic impact of a low dose of TCE (1 μmol/L) on the development of rat neural stem cells (NSCs). The subventricular zones (SVZ) of rat pup’s brains were collected and minced, and the harvested cells were cultured in the presence of neural growth factors B27/N2 to develop neurospheres. The cells were then exposed to a dose of 1 μmol/L TCE for 1 or 2 weeks. The outcomes indicated a remarkable inhibitory effect of TCE on the differentiation capacity of NSCs, which was confirmed by down-regulation of the astrocyte marker GFAP The inhibitory effect of TCE on the proliferation of NSCs was identified by the reductions in neurosphere diameter, Ki67 expression, and cell cycle arrest at the G1/S phase. Immunolabelling with annexin V indicated the proapoptotic effect of TCE exposure. PCR results revealed a TCE-mediated suppression of the expression of the antioxidant enzyme SOD1. This paper illustrates, for the first time, a detailed examination of the toxic effects of an environmentally low dose of TCE on NCSs at the transcriptional, translational, and functional levels.
A Dual-Band Waveguide Bandpass Filter with Adjustable Transmission Zeros
Authors: Bage Amit , Das Sushrut
Published: October 2017

This paper presents a planar insert-loaded compact, dual-pole, dual-band, waveguide bandpass filter with adjustable multiple transmission zeros. Two identical inserts are placed on the transverse plane of a standard WR-90 waveguide at 8.41[Formula: see text]mm distance to achieve the filter characteristics. The insert consists of a stub-loaded C-shaped resonator and two asymmetric slot resonators. Two stub-loaded C-shaped resonators have been used to achieve dual-pole, dual-band response whereas the asymmetric slot pairs have been used to introduce transmission zeros. The structure allows independent control of the center frequencies of the passbands and transmission zeros, which is useful to control the rejection level of out-of-band signals without disturbing the center frequency. Measured result shows a dual-pole, dual-band, bandpass response with center frequencies at 8.81[Formula: see text]GHz and 10.9[Formula: see text]GHz, the respective 3[Formula: see text]dB bandwidths of 0.276[Formula: see text]GHz and 0.398[Formula: see text]GHz and transmission zeros at 8.02, 8.5, 9.46, 10.13, 11.53 and 12 GHz.
Manifestations of isospin in nearest neighbor spacing distributions for the f-p model space
Authors: Quinonez Michael , Kingan Arun , Zamick Larry
Published: October 2017

The strong interactions are charge independent. If we limit ourselves to the strong interactions, we have the isospin [Formula: see text] as a good quantum number. Here, we consider the lack of level repulsion of states of different isospin and how this effect manifests in nearest neighbor spacing (NNS) histograms, which provide a visual and statistical context in which to study distributions of energy level spacings. In particular, we study nucleons in the [Formula: see text] model space for the nucleus [Formula: see text]. We also compare NNS distributions produced in the isospin formalism to distributions produced in the proton–neutron formalism.
Isospin dependence of the nucleon density distributions
Authors: Xu Yongli , Guo Hairui , Han Yinlu , Shen Qingbiao
Published: October 2017

The nucleon density distributions were usually described by the two-parameter Fermi shape formula. In this work, the isospin effects in the nucleon density distributions are considered, and a three-parameter formula is proposed and modified by simultaneously considering the experimental data of 885 root-mean-square (rms) charge radii and neutron skin thickness of 26 stable nuclei. The improved nucleon density formula is physically reasonable and achieves a good agreement for the charge radii and neutron skin thickness calculated with the new nucleon density formula comparing the available experimental data.
PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF DRY EYE DETECTION SYSTEM USING HIGHER-ORDER SPECTRA FEATURES FOR DIFFERENT NOISE LEVELS IN IR THERMAL IMAGES
Authors: SUDARSHAN VIDYA K. , KOH JOEL E. W. , TAN JEN HONG , HAGIWARA YUKI , CHUA KUANG CHUA , NG EDDIE Y. K. , TONG LOUIS
Published: October 2017

The enhanced tear film evaporation and diminished tear production causes a dry eye (DE) condition. A non-invasive infrared (IR) thermography is most commonly used as a diagnostic tool for diagnosis of DE. However, the availability of high-quality IR thermal camera at low cost is difficult. Hence, an efficient DE detection system which can perform efficiently by using low-cost and low-quality images instead of conventional IR images would be a significant contribution. Therefore, in this work, we have evaluated the performance of automated non-invasive DE detection system using low-quality images obtained by adding different levels of noise to high-quality IR images. In this work, the performances of two non-linear higher-order spectra (HOS) cumulants and bispectrum features are compared. These features are extracted from the IR images with different levels of Gaussian noise. Principal component analysis (PCA) is performed on these extracted features and they are ranked using [Formula: see text]-value and later fed to different classifiers. We have achieved the accuracies, sensitivities and specificities of: (i) 86.90%, 85.71% and 88.10%, with noise level 0 using 24 bispectrum features, and (ii) 80.95%, 85.71% and 76.19%, with noise level 10 using 15 bispectrum features for right eye IR images. This study exhibits that even in the presence of high levels of noise, the detection of DE is possible and our proposed method performs efficiently using HOS bispectrum features. Thus, our proposed method can be used to detect DE using low-quality and inexpensive cameras instead of high-cost IR camera.
AN INTERACTIVE VIRTUAL INTRACORONARY STENTING SYSTEM BASED ON INTRAVASCULAR ULTRASOUND
Authors: SUN ZHENG , JI SIWEN
Published: October 2017

Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) is a minimally invasive surgery in the clinical treatment of coronary artery diseases. The successful operation highly depends on the size and accurate placement of the stent. In this study, a virtual stenting (VS) system was designed and implemented to facilitate the planning of PTCA. A three-dimensional (3D) vessel model was reconstructed through fusing intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) sequential images and simultaneously recorded X-ray angiograms during cardiac intervention. The user is allowed to intuitively explore the vessel in an endoscopic manner by creating/updating a fly-through trajectory in the lumen. A virtual stent library including a better variety of commercially available bare metal heart stents was built. The user is allowed to select a proper stent according to the morphology of the vessel and lesion and to move it to the lesion. Also, the user can visually observe the stent expansion/apposition and flexibly adjust its position. The system is used to assist visual diagnosis of the vascular diseases, evaluation of interventional treatment and training of the medical personnel.
The GKLS Master Equation in High Energy Physics
Authors: Hiesmayr Beatrix C.
Published: October 2017

Utilizing the GKLS master equation we show that the decay property of a particle can be straightforwardly incorporated. In standard particle physics the decay is often described by an efficient non-hermitian Hamiltonian, in accord with the seminal Wigner-Weisskopf approximation. We show that by enlarging the Hilbert space and defining specific GKLS operators we have attained a formalism with a hermitian Hamiltonian and probability conserving states. This proves that the Wigner-Weisskopf approximation is Markovian and completely positive. In addition, this formalism allows a straightforward generalization to many-particle decays. Last, but not least, some impacts of the GKLS master equation onto systems at high energies are reported, such as for neutral meson, neutrino and hyperon systems.
A thermoreversible, photocrosslinkable collagen bio-ink for free-form fabrication of scaffolds for regenerative medicine
Authors: Drzewiecki Kathryn E. , Malavade Juilee N. , Ahmed Ijaz , Lowe Christopher J. , Shreiber David I.
Published: October 2017

As a biomaterial, collagen has been used throughout tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Collagen is native to the body, is highly biocompatible, and naturally promotes cell adhesion and regeneration. However, collagen fibers and the inherent weak mechanical properties of collagen hydrogels interfere with further development of collagen as a bio-ink. Herein, we demonstrate the use of a modified type-I collagen, collagen methacrylamide (CMA), as a fibril-forming bio-ink for free-form fabrication of scaffolds. Like collagen, CMA can self-assemble into a fibrillar hydrogel at physiological conditions. In contrast, CMA is photocrosslinkable and thermoreversible, and photocrosslinking eliminates thermoreversibility. Free-form fabrication of CMA was performed through self-assembly of the CMA hydrogel, photocrosslinking the structure of interest using a photomask, and cooling the entire hydrogel, which results in cold-melting of unphotocrosslinked regions. Printed hydrogels had a resolution on the order of [Formula: see text]350[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]m, and can be fabricated with or without cells and maintain viability or be further processed into freeze-dried sponges, all while retaining pattern fidelity. A subcutaneous implant study confirmed the biocompatibility of CMA in comparison to collagen. Free-form fabrication of CMA allows for printing of macroscale, customized scaffolds with good pattern fidelity and can be implemented with relative ease for continued research and development of collagen-based scaffolds in tissue engineering.
Emerging Technologies for Higher Fuel Economy Automobile Standards
Authors: Lipman Timothy E.
Published: October 2017

Transportation systems contribute significantly to air pollution and ∼15% globally and ∼25% in the United States to emissions climate-changing gases. In the United States, the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards for motor vehicles were significantly raised in 2012 for the first time in almost three decades. The standards now call for an average across manufacturers of 54.5 miles per gallon (mpg) for new passenger cars by 2025, or 163 grams per mile (g/mi) of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and of 47 mpg (196 g/mi) by 2021. The light truck standards, which include minivans and sport utility vehicles, call for fuel economy levels of 31 mpg (287 g/mi) in 2021 and of 40 mpg (222 g/mi) in 2025. Given approximately equal expected splits between car and light truck sales, these estimates imply combined car and light truck fleet averages of ∼40 to 41 mpg (217 to 222 g/mi) in 2021 and 50 mpg (178 g/mi) in 2025. However, because automakers have strategies to reduce GHGs in parallel with fuel economy, the actual in-use fuel economy of the fleet is expected to be somewhat lower. In this review, several automobile technology advances are described and assessed for providing relatively cost-effective solutions to meet CAFE standards for fuel economy and GHG reductions through 2025. The key points this review makes are that (a) loopholes in the current regulations will allow automakers to meet CAFE program goals with relatively minor incremental improvements to current technologies through 2025 and that (b) going beyond the current program, past 2025 to higher fuel economy levels and lower GHG emissions approaching 100 g/mi, is likely to involve heavier use of newer technologies especially including drivetrain electrification.
Space Object Detection in Video Satellite Images Using Motion Information
Authors: Zhang Xueyang , Xiang Junhua , Zhang Yulin
Published: October 2017

Compared to ground-based observation, space-based observation is an effective approach to catalog and monitor increasing space objects. In this paper, space object detection in a video satellite image with star image background is studied. A new detection algorithm using motion information is proposed, which includes not only the known satellite attitude motion information but also the unknown object motion information. The effect of satellite attitude motion on an image is analyzed quantitatively, which can be decomposed into translation and rotation. Considering the continuity of object motion and brightness change, variable thresholding based on local image properties and detection of the previous frame is used to segment a single-frame image. Then, the algorithm uses the correlation of object motion in multiframe and satellite attitude motion information to detect the object. Experimental results with a video image from the Tiantuo-2 satellite show that this algorithm provides a good way for space object detection.
SUSD3D Computer Code as Part of the XSUN-2017 Windows Interface Environment for Deterministic Radiation Transport and Cross-Section Sensitivity-Uncertainty Analysis
Authors: Kodeli Ivan A. , Slavič Slavko
Published: October 2017

A Windows interface XSUN-2017 facilitating the deterministic radiation transport and cross-section sensitivity-uncertainty (S/U) calculation is presented. The package was developed to assist the users in the preparation of input cards, rapid modification, and execution of the complete chain of codes including TRANSX, PARTISN, and SUSD3D, all available from the OECD/NEA Data Bank and RSICC. The objective of this work was to make the input and output handling for these codes as user-friendly as possible, passing information among codes internally. XSUN-2017 allows a user-friendly viewing of results obtained from the PARTISN and SUSD3D programs. The first version of the Windows interface XSUN-2013 was developed in 2013 and submitted to OECD/NEA Data Bank Computer Code Collection and RSICC in early 2014. An updated version, XSUN-2017, will be released in 2017. The package includes also the new version of the SUSD3D code. The XSUN-2017 and SUSD3D code systems and recent improvements and updates are described. Examples of the use and validation are presented, including the S/U intercomparison exercise using the SNEAK-7 benchmarks involving the XSUN-2017 code system comparison with the codes such as TSUNAMI, SERPENT, and MCNP6, and the S/U analysis of the keff and βeff parameters for the MYRRHA accelerator driven system (ADS).
Relationships between Caregiving Stress, Depression, and Self-Esteem in Family Caregivers of Adults with a Disability
Authors: Kim DeokJu
Published: October 2017

This study aimed to examine the relationships between caregiving stress, depression, and self-esteem of family caregivers of an adult person with a disability and to identify their effects on their caregiving burden. The study was performed with 108 care providers of adult people with a disability who visited hospital rehabilitation centers. Caregiving stress showed a significant positive correlation with depression and with economic and psychological stress, and it showed a significant negative correlation with self-esteem. When the care provider was aged, female, and without a job and the caregiving cost and time were higher, the caregiving stress was high. When the care provider was female and had a lower income, the depression index was high. When the person with a disability was male and in the forties and the level of disability was higher, the caregiving stress was high. When the disability was related to spinal cord damage, the care provider’s depression index was the highest. To reduce caregiving stress and depression in the family caregivers and to improve their self-esteem, continuous support and help from specialists are necessary. Additionally, a variety of intervention programs need to be designed to motivate them to participate regularly at the community level.
Sulfonanilide Derivatives in Identifying Novel Aromatase Inhibitors by Applying Docking, Virtual Screening, and MD Simulations Studies
Authors: Rampogu Shailima , Son Minky , Park Chanin , Kim Hyong-Ha , Suh Jung-Keun , Lee Keun Woo
Published: October 2017

Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of death noticed in women across the world. Of late the most successful treatments rendered are the use of aromatase inhibitors (AIs). In the current study, a two-way approach for the identification of novel leads has been adapted. 81 chemical compounds were assessed to understand their potentiality against aromatase along with the four known drugs. Docking was performed employing the CDOCKER protocol available on the Discovery Studio (DS v4.5). Exemestane has displayed a higher dock score among the known drug candidates and is labeled as reference. Out of 81 ligands 14 have exhibited higher dock scores than the reference. In the second approach, these 14 compounds were utilized for the generation of the pharmacophore. The validated four-featured pharmacophore was then allowed to screen Chembridge database and the potential Hits were obtained after subjecting them to Lipinski’s rule of five and the ADMET properties. Subsequently, the acquired 3,050 Hits were escalated to molecular docking utilizing GOLD v5.0. Finally, the obtained Hits were consequently represented to be ideal lead candidates that were escalated to the MD simulations and binding free energy calculations. Additionally, the gene-disease association was performed to delineate the associated disease caused by CYP19A1.
Barcoding theDendrobium(Orchidaceae) Species and Analysis of the Intragenomic Variation Based on the Internal Transcribed Spacer 2
Authors: Wang Xiaoyue , Chen Xiaochen , Yang Pei , Wang Lili , Han Jianping
Published: October 2017

Many species belonging to the genusDendrobiumare of great commercial value. However, their difficult growth conditions and high demand have caused many of these species to become endangered. Indeed, counterfeitDendrobiumproducts are common, especially in medicinal markets. This study aims to assess the suitability of the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) region as a marker for identifyingDendrobiumand to evaluate its intragenomic variation inDendrobiumspecies. In total, 29,624 ITS2 copies from 18 species were obtained using 454 pyrosequencing to evaluate intragenomic variation. In addition, 513 ITS2 sequences from 26Dendrobiumspecies were used to assess its identification suitability. The highest intragenomic genetic distance was observed inDendrobium chrysotoxum(0.081). The average intraspecific genetic distances of each species ranged from 0 to 0.032. Phylogenetic trees based on ITS2 sequences showed that mostDendrobiumspecies are monophyletic. The intragenomic and intraspecies divergence analysis showed that greater intragenomic divergence is mostly correlated with larger intraspecific variation. As a major ITS2 variant becomes more common in genome, there are fewer intraspecific variable sites in ITS2 sequences at the species level. The results demonstrated that the intragenomic multiple copies of ITS2 did not affect species identification.
A Case Study of IPv6 Network Performance: Packet Delay, Loss, and Reordering
Authors: Li Fuliang , Wang Xingwei , Pan Tian , Yang Jiahai
Published: October 2017

Internet Protocol (IP) is used to identify and locate computers on the Internet. Currently, IPv4 still routes most Internet traffic. However, with the exhausting of IPv4 addresses, the transition to IPv6 is imminent, because, as the successor of IPv4, IPv6 can provide a larger available address space. Existing studies have addressed the notion that IPv6‐centric next generation networks are widely deployed and applied. In order to gain a deep understanding of IPv6, this paper revisits several critical IPv6 performance metrics. Our extensive measurement shows that packet delay and loss rate of IPv6 are similar to IPv4 when the AS‐level paths are roughly the same. Specifically, when the link utilization exceeds a threshold, for example, 0.83 in our study, variation of packet delay presents a similar pattern with the variation of link utilization. If packet delay of a path is large, packet‐loss rate of that path is more likely to fluctuate. In addition, we conduct a first‐ever analysis of packet reordering in IPv6 world. Few IPv6 probe packets are out‐of‐order and the reordering rate is , which is much lower than that of 0.79% in IPv4 world. Our analysis consolidates an experimental basis for operators and researchers of IPv6 networks.
Head-to-Head Comparison of68Ga-Citrate and18F-FDG PET/CT for Detection of Infectious Foci in Patients withStaphylococcus aureusBacteraemia
Authors: Salomäki Soile P. , Kemppainen Jukka , Hohenthal Ulla , Luoto Pauliina , Eskola Olli , Nuutila Pirjo , Seppänen Marko , Pirilä Laura , Oksi Jarmo , Roivainen Anne
Published: October 2017

Purpose. This study evaluated the potential of68Ga-citrate positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) for the detection of infectious foci in patients withStaphylococcus aureusbacteraemia by comparing it with 2-[18F]fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (18F-FDG) PET/CT.Methods.Four patients admitted to hospital due toS. aureusbacteraemia underwent both18F-FDG and68Ga-citrate whole-body PET/CT scans to detect infectious foci.Results.The time from hospital admission and the initiation of antibiotic treatment to the first PET/CT was 4–10 days. The time interval between18F-FDG and68Ga-citrate PET/CT was 1–4 days. Three patients had vertebral osteomyelitis (spondylodiscitis) and one had osteomyelitis in the toe; these were detected by both18F-FDG (maximum standardised uptake value [SUVmax]6.0±1.0) and68Ga-citrate (SUVmax  6.8±3.5,P=0.61). Three patients had soft tissue infectious foci, with more intense18F-FDG uptake (SUVmax  6.5±2.5) than68Ga-citrate uptake (SUVmax  3.9±1.2,P=0.0033).Conclusions.Our small cohort of patients withS. aureusbacteraemia revealed that68Ga-citrate PET/CT is comparable to18F-FDG PET/CT for detection of osteomyelitis, whereas18F-FDG resulted in a higher signal for the detection of soft tissue infectious foci.
Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of New (−)-Gossypol-Derived Schiff Bases and Hydrazones
Authors: Vu Vu Van , Nhung Trinh Thi , Thanh Nguyen Thi , Chinh Luu Van , Tien Vu Dinh , Thuy Vu Thu , Thi Thao Do , Nam Nguyen Hai , Koeckritz Angela , Vu Tran Khac
Published: October 2017

A series of 14 new (-)-gossypol Schiff bases and hydrazones have been synthesized via an in situ procedure in high yields. Structural data showed that all target compounds exist as the enamine tautomer. Bioassays showed that several compounds exhibited cytotoxic effects against three human cancer cell lines. Compound 8a showed the greatest cytotoxic effect against hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2), lung carcinoma (LU-1), and breast cancer (MCF-7) cell lines with IC50 values of 20.93, 13.58, and 9.40 μM, respectively. However, in an antibacterial test, compounds 8a and 8b inhibited Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus and compound 8e inhibited only Staphylococcus aureus at the same MIC values of 1024 μg/ml.
Numerical Investigation on Vortex‐Structure Interaction Generating Aerodynamic Noises for Rod‐Airfoil Models
Authors: Liu FeiFei , Jiang ShuJie , Chen Gang , Li Yueming
Published: October 2017

In past several decades, vortex‐structure interaction generated aerodynamic noise became one of the main concerns in aircraft design. In order to understand the mechanism, the acoustic analogy method combined with the RANS‐based nonlinear acoustics solver (NLAS) is investigated. The numerical method is firstly evaluated by the experiment data of the classic rod‐airfoil model. Compared with the traditional analogy methods, the RANS/NLAS can capture the nonlinear aerodynamic noise more accurately with lower gird requirements. Then different rod‐airfoil configurations were simulated to investigate the aeroacoustic interaction effects. The numerical results are in good agreement with those of the earlier experimental research. It is found that the vortex‐shedding crash to the airfoil is the main reason for the noise generation which is dependent on the configurations, distance, and flow conditions.
Development of Embedded Element Technique for Permeability Analysis of Cracked Porous Media
Authors: Qian Peng , Xu Qianjun
Published: October 2017

The widely used approach of mesoscale finite element modeling for permeability analysis is to simulate the matrix and cracks with continuum elements (CE), whereas this process brings technical difficulties in generating a satisfying mesh conformity at the interface. In this work, an alternative method based on embedded element (EE) technique is developed for the prediction of water pressure field and effective permeability in the numerical simulation. Based on the mathematical similarity between elasticity and seepage problems, water pressure can derive from the corresponding displacement through “elastic analogy.” To assess the capability of the EE technique, different cases are simulated and compared with the CE model. The results show that there is a satisfactory agreement in water pressures and velocities between the CE and EE modeling. In the CE model, different factors, such as permeability contrast between matrix and cracks (Kcrack/Kmatrix) and mesh size, are considered. It is obvious to find that results will become stable when Kcrack/Kmatrix reaches 104, and the mesh size has little impact. The effective permeability of 3D porous media with random cracks is evaluated and the results show that the differential method is accurate for 3D permeability analysis when the crack density is not large.
Forecasting the Acquisition of University Spin-Outs: An RBF Neural Network Approach
Authors: Liu Weiwei , Yang Zhile , Bi Kexin
Published: October 2017

University spin-outs (USOs), creating businesses from university intellectual property, are a relatively common phenomena. As a knowledge transfer channel, the spin-out business model is attracting extensive attention. In this paper, the impacts of six equities on the acquisition of USOs, including founders, university, banks, business angels, venture capitals, and other equity, are comprehensively analyzed based on theoretical and empirical studies. Firstly, the average distribution of spin-out equity at formation is calculated based on the sample data of 350 UK USOs. According to this distribution, a radial basis function (RBF) neural network (NN) model is employed to forecast the effects of each equity on the acquisition. To improve the classification accuracy, the novel set-membership method is adopted in the training process of the RBF NN. Furthermore, a simulation test is carried out to measure the effects of six equities on the acquisition of USOs. The simulation results show that the increase of university’s equity has a negative effect on the acquisition of USOs, whereas the increase of remaining five equities has positive effects. Finally, three suggestions are provided to promote the development and growth of USOs.
Detection of Bone Defects Using CBCT Exam in an Italian Population
Authors: Gambarini Gianluca , Miccoli Gabriele , Gaimari Gianfranco , Pompei Deborah , Pilloni Andrea , Piasecki Lucila , Al-Sudani Dina , Di Nardo Dario , Testarelli Luca
Published: October 2017

Background. The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vivo incidence and the location of fenestrations in a young Italian population by using CBCT. Materials and Methods. Fifty patients who had previously performed CBCT for planning third molar extraction or orthodontic therapy were selected for the study. No previous dental treatment had been performed on these patients. Overall, 1,395 teeth were evaluated. Root fenestrations were identified according to the definition of Davies and the American Association of Endodontists. Data was collected and statistically analyzed. Results. Fenestrations were observed in 159 teeth out of 1,395 (11% of teeth). In the lower jaw, we found 68 fenestrations (5%) and 91 in the maxilla (6,5%). Incisors were the teeth with the highest incidence of fenestrations. Conclusion. The relative common finding (11%) of fenestration supports the need for CBCT exams before any surgical/implant treatment to avoid complications related to the initial presence of fenestrations. CBCT was found to be an effective and convenient tool for diagnosing fenestration.
Polarized Emission from Conjugated Polymer Chains Aligned by Epitaxial Growth during Off-Center Spin-Coating
Authors: Anzai Takuya , Porzio William , Vohra Varun
Published: October 2017

Due to their macromolecular nature, conjugated polymers can be relatively easily aligned by applying a variety of processes resulting in either elongation or ordering of their conjugated backbones. Processes that induce chain alignment include electrospinning, mechanical rubbing, epitaxial growth, and nanoconfinement and unidirectional deposition techniques such as off-center spin-coating. In this study, we compare these deposition techniques by applying them to a green-emitting conjugated polymer material that exhibits liquid crystalline phase behavior. Our study reveals that while methods such as electrospinning and mechanical rubbing can be useful to locally generate polymer chain alignment, the combination of epitaxial growth using 1,3,5-trichlorobenzene as crystallizing agent with off-center spin-coating results in the formation of anisotropic nanofiber-like structures with enhanced crystallinity degree and polarized light-emission properties. The unidirectional epitaxial growth was also applied to a red-emitting polymer that exhibits polarization ratios up to 4.1. Our results emphasize that this simple solution formulation and process can be used for the fabrication of polarized thin films of a variety of conjugated polymers with potential applications in the advanced display technologies or analytical equipment fields.
Microbiological Characteristics of Trachanas, a Traditional Fermented Dairy Product from Cyprus
Authors: Bozoudi Despina , Agathokleous Maria , Anastasiou Iacovos , Papademas Photis , Tsaltas Dimitris
Published: October 2017

The purpose of this study was to characterize the autochthonous microbiota of Cypriot Trachanas, a traditional fermented ewes’ milk product. For this reason, 12 samples of raw and fermented milk as well as natural starter culture were collected in order to count, isolate, and identify the main species present during Trachanas fermentation. In total, 198 colonies were retrieved and 163 were identified by sequencing analysis at species level. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were the predominant group, followed by yeasts. Lactococcus, Lactobacillus, and Enterococcus were frequently isolated from raw milk, and Lactobacillus casei/paracasei predominated in the starter culture. Lactococcus lactis was isolated in high frequency (27.9% of the isolates) at the beginning, while Lactobacillus spp. (20%) and Saccharomyces unisporus (17.9%) were isolated at the end of fermentation. After assessing their technological potential, selected strains could be used as starters to ferment milk for artisanal Trachanas production.
Effects of Long-Term Cultivation on Medium with Alpha-Ketoglutarate Supplementation on Metabolic Processes ofSaccharomyces cerevisiae
Authors: Burdyliuk Nadia , Bayliak Maria
Published: October 2017

During last years, alpha-ketoglutarate (AKG), an important intermediate in the Krebs cycle, has been intensively studied as a dietary supplement with stress-protective and potential antiaging effects. Here, we examined the effects of exogenous AKG on metabolic processes and survival of yeastSaccharomyces cerevisiaeduring long-term cultivation. Growth on AKG had no effect on the total cell number but increased the number of reproductively active cells at the late days of cultivation (from day 7 to day 15). A gradual increase in levels of total protein, glycogen, and trehalose was found over 7-day cultivation with more pronounced effects in AKG-grown cells. In control cells, metabolic activity and the activities of superoxide dismutase and catalase decreased, whereas levels of carbonyl proteins and low-molecular-mass thiols increased during 7-day cultivation. This suggests development of oxidative stress in stationary phase cells. Meanwhile, stationary phase cells cultured on AKG possessed higher levels of low-molecular-mass thiols and lower levels of carbonyl proteins andα-dicarbonyl compounds when compared to control ones. Collectively, higher levels of storage carbohydrates and an activation of antioxidant defense with diminishing oxidative protein damage can prevent a loss of reproductive ability in yeast cells during long-term cultivation on AKG-supplemented medium.
Monitoring Effective Connectivity in the Preterm Brain: A Graph Approach to Study Maturation
Authors: Lavanga M. , De Wel O. , Caicedo A. , Jansen K. , Dereymaeker A. , Naulaers G. , Van Huffel S.
Published: October 2017

In recent years, functional connectivity in the developmental science received increasing attention. Although it has been reported that the anatomical connectivity in the preterm brain develops dramatically during the last months of pregnancy, little is known about how functional and effective connectivity change with maturation. The present study investigated how effective connectivity in premature infants evolves. To assess it, we use EEG measurements and graph-theory methodologies. We recorded data from 25 preterm babies, who underwent long-EEG monitoring at least twice during their stay in the NICU. The recordings took place from 27 weeks postmenstrual age (PMA) until 42 weeks PMA. Results showed that the EEG-connectivity, assessed using graph-theory indices, moved from a small-world network to a random one, since the clustering coefficient increases and the path length decreases. This shift can be due to the development of the thalamocortical connections and long-range cortical connections. Based on the network indices, we developed different age-prediction models. The best result showed that it is possible to predict the age of the infant with a root mean-squared error (MSE) equal to 2.11 weeks. These results are similar to the ones reported in the literature for age prediction in preterm babies.
Increased Levels of S100A8/A9 in Patients with Peritonsillar Abscess: A New Promising Diagnostic Marker to Differentiate between Peritonsillar Abscess and Peritonsillitis
Authors: Spiekermann Christoph , Russo Antonella , Stenner Markus , Rudack Claudia , Roth Johannes , Vogl Thomas
Published: October 2017

Peritonsillar abscess (PTA) is a very frequent reason for urgent outpatient consultation and otolaryngological hospital admission. Early, correct diagnosis and therapy of peritonsillar abscess are important to prevent possible life-threatening complications. Based on physical examinations, a reliable differentiation between peritonsillar cellulitis and peritonsillar abscess is restricted. A heterodimeric complex called calprotectin consists of the S100 proteins A8 and A9 (S100A8/A9) and is predominantly expressed not only in monocytes and neutrophils but also in epithelial cells. Due to its release by activated phagocytes at local sites of inflammation, we assumed S100A8/A9 to be a potential biomarker for peritonsillar abscess. We examined serum and saliva of patients with peritonsillitis, acute tonsillitis, peritonsillar abscess, and healthy controls and found significantly increased levels of S100A8/A9 in patients with PTA. Furthermore, we could identify halitosis, trismus, uvula edema, and unilateral swelling of the arched palate to be characteristic symptoms for PTA. Using a combination of these characteristic symptoms and S100A8/A9 levels, we developed a PTA score as an objective and appropriate tool to differentiate between peritonsillitis and peritonsillar abscess with a sensitivity of 92% and specificity of 93%.
Quality Control of Olive Oils Using Machine Learning and Electronic Nose
Authors: Ordukaya Emre , Karlik Bekir
Published: October 2017

The adulteration of olive oils can be detected with chemical test. This is very expensive and takes very long time. Thus, this study is focused on reducing both time and cost. For this purpose, the raw data has been collected from olive oils by using an e-nose from different regions in Balikesir in Turkey. This study presents two methods to analyze quality control of olive oils. In the first method, 32 inputs are applied to the classifiers directly. In the second, 32-input collected data are reduced to 8 inputs by Principal Component Analysis. These reduced data as 8 inputs are applied to the classifiers. Different machine learning classifiers such as Naïve Bayesian, K-Nearest Neighbors (k-NN), Linear Discriminate Analysis (LDA), Decision Tree, Artificial Neural Networks (ANN), and Support Vector Machine (SVM) were used. Then performances of these classifiers were compared according to their accuracies.
The Association of Quantitative Facial Color Features with Cold Pattern in Traditional East Asian Medicine
Authors: Mun Sujeong , Ahn Ilkoo , Lee Siwoo
Published: October 2017

Introduction. Facial diagnosis is a major component of the diagnostic method in traditional East Asian medicine. We investigated the association of quantitative facial color features with cold pattern using a fully automated facial color parameterization system. Methods. The facial color parameters of 64 participants were obtained from digital photographs using an automatic color correction and color parameter calculation system. Cold pattern severity was evaluated using a questionnaire. Results. The a⁎ values of the whole face, lower cheek, and chin were negatively associated with cold pattern score (CPS) (whole face: B = −1.048, P = 0.021; lower cheek: B = −0.494, P = 0.007; chin: B = −0.640, P = 0.031), while b⁎ value of the lower cheek was positively associated with CPS (B = 0.234, P = 0.019). The a⁎ values of the whole face were significantly correlated with specific cold pattern symptoms including cold abdomen (partial ρ = −0.354, P < 0.01) and cold sensation in the body (partial ρ = −0.255, P < 0.05). Conclusions. a⁎ values of the whole face were negatively associated with CPS, indicating that individuals with increased levels of cold pattern had paler faces. These findings suggest that objective facial diagnosis has utility for pattern identification.
Acoustic Source Localization under Variable Speed of Sound Conditions
Authors: Rabenstein Rudolf , Annibale Paolo
Published: October 2017

The rich literature on acoustic source localization mostly relies on the assumption of a constant value for the speed of sound. This hypothesis allows establishing simple relations between range differences and time differences and leads to effective estimation algorithms. However, it must be challenged for certain applications of wireless acoustic sensor networks in multizone buildings and outdoor environments. This article revisits the source localization problem for the more general case of an unknown value for the speed of sound. It reviews the physical foundations for the dependence of the speed of sound on the air temperature and presents the essential approaches to acoustic source localization. On this basis, several methods for source localization under uncertain or variable speed of sound conditions from the literature are discussed. Applications from different fields are shown. They comprise the localization of sources, sensors, and reflecting surfaces, time-difference-of-arrival disambiguation, and the direct determination of the speed of sound or the air temperature from acoustic measurements.
A Research on Maximum Symbolic Entropy from Intrinsic Mode Function and Its Application in Fault Diagnosis
Authors: Xu Zhuofei , Zhang Haiyan , Liu Jinjin , Hou Heping
Published: October 2017

Empirical mode decomposition (EMD) is a self‐adaptive analysis method for nonlinear and nonstationary signals. It has been widely applied to machinery fault diagnosis and structural damage detection. A novel feature, maximum symbolic entropy of intrinsic mode function based on EMD, is proposed to enhance the ability of recognition of EMD in this paper. First, a signal is decomposed into a collection of intrinsic mode functions (IMFs) based on the local characteristic time scale of the signal, and then IMFs are transformed into a serious of symbolic sequence with different parameters. Second, it can be found that the entropies of symbolic IMFs are quite different. However, there is always a maximum value for a certain symbolic IMF. Third, take the maximum symbolic entropy as features to describe IMFs from a signal. Finally, the proposed features are applied to evaluate the effect of maximum symbolic entropy in fault diagnosis of rolling bearing, and then the maximum symbolic entropy is compared with other standard time analysis features in a contrast experiment. Although maximum symbolic entropy is only a time domain feature, it can reveal the signal characteristic information accurately. It can also be used in other fields related to EMD method.
A Design of Vertical Polarized Conformal Antenna and Its Array Based on UAV Structure
Authors: Wei Zhang , Junfeng Yang
Published: October 2017

The designs of conformal antenna and its array usually need to combine with different carrier structures. As for cone or cylindrical carrier, through using of invasive weed optimization (IWO), the conformal array should be the optimized design as the antenna installation space requirements of cylindrical carrier; through adopting the antenna unit miniaturization method, it designs out a conformal antenna and makes it easier to be installed and the omnidirectional circular polarized beam is also realized. As for unmanned aircraft carrier, it designs out the low profile of conformal vertical polarization antenna unit; through using the electric field integral equation (EFIE) and electric/magnetic current combined-field integral equation (JMCFIE) and multilevel fast multipole algorithm (MLFMA), it analyzes the two different characteristics of unmanned aircraft carrier on the influence of antenna performance. The results obtained through experiments and JMCFIE analysis are in good agreement; according to unmanned aircraft carrier, it also designed out the antenna in X/K-band spectrum; through IWO, the antenna array is optimized; the test results show that the array scanning angle can reach the corresponding beam direction.
RNA-seq Based Transcription Characterization of Fusion Breakpoints as a Potential Estimator for Its Oncogenic Potential
Authors: Gu Jian-lei , Chukhman Morris , Lu Yao , Liu Cong , Liu Shi-yi , Lu Hui
Published: October 2017

Based on high-throughput sequencing technology, the detection of gene fusions is no longer a big challenge but estimating the oncogenic potential of fusion genes remains challenging. Recent studies successfully applied machine learning methods and gene structural and functional features of fusion mutation to predict their oncogenic potentials. However, the transcription characterizations features of fusion genes have not yet been studied. In this study, based on the clonal evolution theory, we hypothesized that a fusion gene is more likely to be an oncogenic genomic alteration, if the neoplastic cells harboring this fusion mutation have larger clonal size than other neoplastic cells in a tumor. We proposed a novel method, called iFCR (internal Fusion Clone Ratio), given an estimation of oncogenic potential for fusion mutations. We have evaluated the iFCR method in three public cancer transcriptome sequencing datasets; the results demonstrated that the fusion mutations occurring in tumor samples have higher internal fusion clone ratio than normal samples. And the most frequent prostate cancer fusion mutation, TMPRSS2-ERG, appears to have a remarkably higher iFCR value in all three independent patients. The preliminary results suggest that the internal fusion clone ratio might potentially advantage current fusion mutation oncogenic potential prediction methods.