bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Vitamin D Deficiency Is Prevalent in Morbidly Obese Adolescents Prior to Bariatric Surgery
Authors: Censani Marisa , Stein Emily M. , Shane Elizabeth , Oberfield Sharon E. , McMahon Donald J. , Lerner Shulamit , Fennoy Ilene
Published: February 2013

Background. Obese adults are frequently vitamin D deficient before bariatric surgery; whether similar abnormalities exist in morbidly obese adolescents is unknown. Objective. To determine the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in morbidly obese adolescents. Methods. Cross-sectional study of preoperative laboratory measures from 236 adolescents evaluated for bariatric surgery. Results. The group (N=219 with 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) and parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels; 76 boys, 143 girls; 15.9±1.2 years; 43% Caucasian, 35% Hispanic, and 15% African American) had mean BMI of 47.6±8.1 kg/m2. 25OHD levels were deficient (<20 ng/mL) in 53%; 8% had severe deficiency (<10 ng/mL); only 18% of patients were replete (>30 ng/mL). 25OHD levels were inversely associated with BMI (r=−0.28, P<0.0001) and PTH levels (r=−0.24, P=0.0003). Race was the strongest predictor of 25OHD (P<0.002); 82% of African Americans, 59% of Hispanics, and 37% of Caucasians were deficient. African American race, BMI, and PTH explained 21% of the variance in 25OHD (P<0.0001). Conclusions. Most adolescents presenting for bariatric surgery have suboptimal vitamin D levels, with African Americans and those with higher BMIs at greatest risk for vitamin D deficiency. All morbidly obese adolescents should be screened for vitamin D deficiency before bariatric procedures.
Molecular Characterization of Copper and Cadmium Resistance Determinants in the Biomining Thermoacidophilic ArchaeonSulfolobus metallicus
Authors: Orell Alvaro , Remonsellez Francisco , Arancibia Rafaela , Jerez Carlos A.
Published: February 2013

Sulfolobus metallicusis a thermoacidophilic crenarchaeon used in high-temperature bioleaching processes that is able to grow under stressing conditions such as high concentrations of heavy metals. Nevertheless, the genetic and biochemical mechanisms responsible for heavy metal resistance inS. metallicusremain uncharacterized. Proteomic analysis ofS. metallicuscells exposed to 100 mM Cu revealed that 18 out of 30 upregulated proteins are related to the production and conversion of energy, amino acids biosynthesis, and stress responses. Ten of these last proteins were also up-regulated inS. metallicustreated in the presence of 1 mM Cd suggesting that at least in part, a common general response to these two heavy metals. TheS. metallicusgenome contained two completecopgene clusters, each encoding a metallochaperone (CopM), a Cu-exporting ATPase (CopA), and a transcriptional regulator (CopT). Transcriptional expression analysis revealed thatcopMandcopAfrom eachcopgene cluster were cotranscribed and their transcript levels increased whenS. metallicuswas grown either in the presence of Cu or using chalcopyrite (CuFeS2) as oxidizable substrate. This study shows for the first time the presence of a duplicated version of thecopgene cluster inArchaeaand characterizes some of the Cu and Cd resistance determinants in a thermophilic archaeon employed for industrial biomining.
Serum Resistin and Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1 Levels in Patients with Hypothyroidism and Hyperthyroidism
Authors: Eke Koyuncu Ceren , Turkmen Yildirmak Sembol , Temizel Mustafa , Ozpacaci Tevfik , Gunel Pinar , Cakmak Mustafa , Ozbanazi Yüksel Gülen
Published: February 2013

Introduction. The aim of this study was to evaluate the serum levels of resistin and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and and also the potential relationship between thyroid function and levels of resistin and IGF-1 in hypothyroid and hyperthyroid patients.Methods. Fifteen cases of hypothyroid (HT), 16 of subclinically hypothyroid (SCHT), 15 of hyperthyroid (HrT), 15 of subclinically hyperthyroid (SCHrT), and 17 healthy individuals have been included in the study. Serum resistin levels were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and IGF-1 and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) levels by chemiluminescence method.Results. Resistin levels in total HT group were significantly higher than in controls (12.66 ± 6.04 and 8.45 ± 2.90 ng/mL, resp.). In SCHrT subgroup resistin levels were significantly higher than those of controls (14.88 ± 7.73 and 8.45 ± 2.90 ng/mL, resp.). IGF-1 levels were significantly lower in total HT than in total HrT and control groups (117.22 ± 52.03, 155.17 ± 51.67, and 184.00 ± 49.73 ng/mL, resp.). Furthermore IGF-1 levels in HT subgroup were significantly lower compared to controls (123.70 ± 44.03 and 184 ± 49.73 ng/mL, resp.). In SCHT subgroup IGF-1 levels were significantly lower than those of control and SCHrT groups (111.11 ± 59.35, 184.00 ± 49.73, and 166.60 ± 47.87 ng/mL, resp.). There were significant correlations between IGF-1 and TSH in HT subgroup and between resistin and TSH in total HrT group.Conclusion. It was concluded that increased resistin levels are directly related to thyroid dysfunction, and GH/IGF-1 axis is influenced in clinically or subclinically hypothyroidism patients.
Successful Treatment of Recurrent Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis after Orthotopic Liver Transplantation with Oral Vancomycin
Authors: Davies Yinka K. , Tsay Cynthia J. , Caccamo Dario V. , Cox Kathleen M. , Castillo Ricardo O. , Cox Kenneth L.
Published: February 2013

Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a progressive, cholestatic disease of the liver that is marked by inflammation of the bile ducts and damage to the hepatic biliary tree. Approximately 60–70% of patients also have inflammatory bowel disease and progression of PSC can lead to ulcerative colitis and cirrhosis of the liver. Due to limited understanding of the etiology and mechanism of PSC, the only existing treatment option is orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT); however, recurrence of PSC, after OLT is estimated to be between 5% and 35%. We discuss the successful treatment of a pediatric patient, with recurrent PSC, after OLT with oral Vancomycin.
Kamenev-Type Oscillation Criteria of Second-Order Nonlinear Dynamic Equations on Time Scales
Authors: Qiu Yang-Cong , Wang Qi-Ru
Published: February 2013

Using functions from some function classes and a generalized Riccati technique, we establish Kamenev-type oscillation criteria for second-order nonlinear dynamic equations on time scales of the form(p(t)ψ(x(t))k∘xΔ(t))Δ+f(t,x(σ(t)))=0. Two examples are included to show the significance of the results.
Carbon and Water in Upper Montane Soils and Their Influences on Vegetation in Southern Brazil
Authors: Scheer M. B. , Curcio G. R. , Roderjan C. V.
Published: February 2013

Considering the many environmental functions of the upper montane soils, the aims of this study were (1) to verify if the soils of upper montane forests and grasslands of Caratuva Peak (1850 m a.s.l.) have similar characteristics to those found in other highlands in southern and southeastern Brazil; (2) to reinforce the geomorphological and pedological factors that impose the establishment of each type of vegetation in these highlands; and (3) to estimate potential soil carbon stocks and potential soil water retention. Folic and haplic histosols were found in the grasslands, and dystrophic regosols were found in the forests. The soils were dystrophic, extremely acidic, and saturated with Al and total organic carbon. In contrast to the grasslands, the upper montane forests were prevalent in valleys and subjected to morphogenetic processes resulting in soils that contained thicker mineral horizons. The grasslands occupied ridges and divergent convex ramps, and the pedogenetic processes in these regions promoted thicker histic horizons. The potential water retention capacities were high and strongly related to the high porosities of histic horizons associated with the gleyic horizons. In particularly, the carbon stocks were two- to three-fold higher than those found in soil ecosystems from the same latitude but lower altitude.
Comparative Study of Antenna Designs for RF Energy Harvesting
Authors: Shrestha Sika , Noh Sun-Kuk , Choi Dong-You
Published: February 2013

In the last few years, several antenna designs of rectenna that meet various objectives have been proposed for use in RF energy harvesting. Among various antennas, microstrip patch antennas are widely used because of their low profile, light weight, and planar structure. Conventional patch antennas are rectangular or circular in shape, but variations in their basic design are made for different purposes. This paper begins with an explanation and discussion of different designs, put forward with an aim of miniaturization, harmonic rejection, and reconfigurability. Finally, microstrip patch structured rectennas are evaluated and compared with an emphasis on the various methods adopted to obtain a compact rectenna, harmonic rejection functionality, and frequency and polarization selectivity.
A Case of Cerebral Sinus Venous Thrombosis Resulting in Mortality in Severe Preeclamptic Pregnant Woman
Authors: Soydinc Hatice Ender , Ozler Ali , Evsen Mehmet Sıddık , Sak Muhammet Erdal , Turgut Abdulkadir , Basaranoglu Serdar , Dusak Abdurrahim , Cetincakmak Mehmet Guli
Published: February 2013

Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) is a rarely encountered condition during pregnancy. A 21-year-old pregnant woman with labour pains was hospitalized in our clinic. Diagnosis of severe preeclampsia was made based on her clinical and laboratory findings. She suffered from convulsive episodes during postpartum period which lead to initiation of treatment for eclampsia. However neurological and radiological examinations were performed after emergence of additional neurological symptoms disclosed the diagnosis of CVST. In this paper, we aimed to present a case with CVST which diagnosis was confused with eclampsia and resulting in maternal mortality.
New Analyses of Duopoly Game with Output Lower Limiters
Authors: Sheng Zhaohan , Du Jianguo , Mei Qiang , Huang Tingwen
Published: February 2013

In the real business world, player sometimes would offer a limiter to their output due to capacity constraints, financial constraints, or cautious response to uncertainty in the world. In this paper, we modify a duopoly game with bounded rationality by imposing lower limiters on output. Within our model, we analyze how lower limiters have an effect on dynamics of output and give proof in theory why adding lower limiters can suppress chaos. We also explore the numbers of the equilibrium points and the distribution of conditioned equilibrium points. Stable region of the conditioned equilibrium is discussed. Numerical experiments show that the output evolution system having lower limiters becomes more robust than without them, and chaos disappears if the lower limiters are big enough. The local or global stability of the conditional equilibrium points provides a theoretical basis for the limiter control method of chaos in economic systems.
Simultaneous Determination of Clidinium Bromide and Chlordiazepoxide in Combined Dosage Forms by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography
Authors: Ashour Safwan , Kattan Nuha
Published: February 2013

A sensitive and precise RP-HPLC method has been developed for the simultaneous estimation of clidinium bromide (CDB) and chlordiazepoxide (CDZ) in pure and pharmaceutical formulations. The separation was achieved on a Nucleodur C8 ( mm i.d., 5 μm particle size) column at 25°C. CH3CN-MeOH-NH4OAc 0.1M (30 : 40 : 30, v/v/v) was used as the mobile phase at a flow rate of 1.0 mL min−1 and detector wavelength at 218 nm. Almotriptan (ALT) was used as internal standard. The validation of the proposed method was carried out for linearity, accuracy, precision, LOD, LOQ, and robustness. The method showed good linearity in the ranges of 2.5–300.0 and 3.0–500.0 μg mL−1 for CDB and CDZ, respectively. The percentage recovery obtained for CDB and CDZ was 100.40–103.38 and 99.98–105.59%, respectively. LOD and LOQ were 0.088 and 0.294 μg mL−1 for CDB and 0.121 and 0.403 μg mL−1 for CDZ, respectively. The proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of CDB and CDZ in combined dosage forms and the results tallied well with the label claim.
Frontal Lobe Atrophy in Depression after Stroke
Authors: Tang W. K. , Chen Y. K. , Lu J. Y. , Mok V. C. T. , Chu Winnie C. W. , Ungvari Gabor S. , Wong K. S.
Published: February 2013

Background. Frontal lobe atrophy (FLA) is associated with late life depression. However, the role that FLA plays in the development of depression after stroke (DAS) remains unknown. This study thus examined the association between FLA and DAS.Methods. A convenience sample of 705 Chinese patients with acute ischemic stroke admitted to the acute stroke unit of a university-affiliated regional hospital in Hong Kong participated in the study. A psychiatrist administered the Structural Clinical Interview for DSM-IV to all patients and made a diagnosis of DAS three months after the index stroke.Results. Eighty-five (12.1%) patients were diagnosed with DAS. In univariate analysis, the DAS patients were more likely to have severe FLA (14.1% versus 5.6%). Severe FLA remained an independent predictor of DAS in multivariate analysis, with an odds ratio of 2.6 (95% confidence intervals = 1.2–5.9).Conclusions. The results suggest that FLA may play a role in the pathogenesis of DAS, which supports the hypothesis that cumulative vascular burden may be important in predicting DAS. Further investigations are needed to clarify the impact of FLA on the clinical presentation, treatment response, and outcome of DAS in stroke survivors.
Effects of Open versus Laparoscopic Nephrectomy Techniques on Oxidative Stress Markers in Patients with Renal Cell Carcinoma
Authors: Mila-Kierzenkowska Celestyna , Woźniak Alina , Drewa Tomasz , Woźniak Bartosz , Szpinda Michał , Krzyżyńska-Malinowska Ewa , Rajewski Paweł
Published: February 2013

The aim of the study was to determine the concentration of lipid peroxidation products, the activity of selected antioxidant and lysosomal enzymes, and protease inhibitor in patients with renal cell carcinoma who underwent radical nephrectomy. The studied group included 44 patients: 21 of them underwent open surgery, while 23 underwent laparoscopy. Blood samples were collected three times: before treatment and 12 hours and five days after nephrectomy. In blood of participants, the concentration of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), the activity of catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and the activity of acid phosphatase (AcP), arylsulfatase (ASA), cathepsin D (CTSD), andα1-antitrypsin (AAT) were assayed. No statistically significant differences in investigated parameters were found between studied groups. Moreover, TBARS concentration and CAT, SOD, and GPx activity were not altered in the course of both types of surgery. Five days after both open and laparoscopic nephrectomy techniques, AAT activity was higher than its activity 12 hours after the procedure. The obtained results suggest that laparoscopy may be used for nephrectomy as effectively as open surgery without creating greater oxidative stress. Reduced period of convalescence at patients treated with laparoscopy may be due to less severe response of acute-phase proteins.
Cardiopulmonary Profile in Streptozotocin-Induced Type 1 Diabetic Rats during Systemic Endotoxemia
Authors: Hung Ching-Hsia , Chang Che-Ning , Chen Yu-Wen , Chen Yu-Chung , Tzeng Jann-Inn , Wang Jhi-Joung
Published: February 2013

This study was designed to determine the severity of cardiopulmonary dysfunction during systemic endotoxemia in type 1 diabetes. Thirty-two adult male Wistar rats were randomly assigned to a control group or to a group treated with streptozotocin (STZ) to create an animal model of type 1 diabetes. Survival time and cardiovascular parameters were continually monitored in urethane anaesthetized animals receiving intravenous infusion of endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide (LPS)) or saline. We also determined arterial blood gases, lung injury, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) levels in serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. Before LPS administration, the mean arterial pressure in STZ rats was significantly higher than that in normal rats. After LPS injection, the heart rate drop significantly in STZ rats than that in the control group. Also, the increased levels of TNF-αin serum and lavage fluid after LPS treatment were significantly higher in STZ rats than those in normal rats. Survival time in STZ rats was shorter than that in normal rats after LPS application. Albumin content, wet/dry weight ratio of lung, and lung injury were indistinguishable between STZ and normal rats. These results indicate that the cardiopulmonary change which occurs during LPS-induced endotoxemia is minor in STZ-induced diabetic rats.
Processing and Validation of Whey-Protein-Coated Films and Laminates at Semi-Industrial Scale as Novel Recyclable Food Packaging Materials with Excellent Barrier Properties
Authors: Bugnicourt E. , Schmid M. , Nerney O. Mc. , Wildner J. , Smykala L. , Lazzeri A. , Cinelli P.
Published: February 2013

A biopolymer coating for plastic films was formulated based on whey protein, and its potential to replace current synthetic oxygen barrier layers used in food packaging such as ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymers (EVOH) was tested. The whey-coating application was performed at semi-industrial scale. High barrier to oxygen with transmission rate down to ranges of 1 cm3(STP) m−2d−1bar−1at and 50% relative humidity (r.h.) but interesting humidity barrier down to ranges of 3 g m−2d−1(both normalized to 100 μm thickness) were reached, outperforming most existing biopolymers. Coated films were validated for storing various food products showing that the shelf life and sensory attributes were maintained similar to reference packaging films while complying with food safety regulations. The developed whey coating could be enzymatically removed within 2 hours and is therefore compatible with plastic recycling operations to allow multilayer films to become recyclable by separating the other combined layers. A life cycle assessment was performed showing a significant reduction in the environmental impact of the packaging thanks in particular to the possibility of recycling materials as opposed to incinerating those containing EVOH or polyamide (PA), but due to the use of biosourced raw materials.
Stability Bound Analysis and Synthesis for Singularly Perturbed Systems with Time-Varying Delay
Authors: Sun Fengqi , Zhou Linna , Zhang Qingling , Shen Yongxiang
Published: February 2013

This paper addresses the problems of stability bound analysis and synthesis for singularly perturbed systems with time-varying delay. First, by constructing an appropriate Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional, a sufficient condition is derived for the system to be stable when the singular perturbation parameter is lower than a predefined upper bound which is referred to as the stability bound of the singularly perturbed system. The proposed criterion needs less computational cost than the existing ones. Then, a state feedback controller design method is proposed to achieve a prescribed stability bound, which can be applied to both standard and nonstandard singularly perturbed systems with time-varying delay. Finally, the effectiveness and merits of the proposed approach are shown through numerical examples.
Surface Layer States of Worn Uncoated and TiN-Coated WC/Co-Cemented Carbide Cutting Tools after Dry Plain Turning of Carbon Steel
Authors: Kümmel Johannes , Poser Katja , Zanger Frederik , Michna Jürgen , Schulze Volker
Published: February 2013

Analyzing wear mechanisms and developments of surface layers in WC/Co-cemented carbide cutting inserts is of great importance for metal-cutting manufacturing. By knowing relevant processes within the surface layers of cutting tools during machining the choice of machining parameters can be influenced to get less wear and high tool life of the cutting tool. Tool wear obviously influences tool life and surface integrity of the workpiece (residual stresses, surface quality, work hardening, etc.), so the choice of optimised process parameters is of great relevance. Vapour-deposited coatings on WC/Co-cemented carbide cutting inserts are known to improve machining performance and tool life, but the mechanisms behind these improvements are not fully understood. The interaction between commercial TiN-coated and uncoated WC/Co-cemented carbide cutting inserts and a normalised SAE 1045 steel workpiece was investigated during a dry plain turning operation with constant material removal under varied machining parameters. Tool wear was assessed by light-optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and EDX analysis. The state of surface layer was investigated by metallographic sectioning. Microstructural changes and material transfer due to tribological processes in the cutting zone were examined by SEM and EDX analyses.
Adenomyoepithelioma with Ductal Carcinoma In Situ: A Case Report and Review of the Literature
Authors: Warrier Sanjay , Hwang Sang , Ghaly Martha , Matthews Alex
Published: February 2013

Adenomyoepithelioma (AME) with microglandular adenosis-like growth pattern and superimposed ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) was identified in a 55-year-old female after biopsy of an atypical lesion identified through routine breast screening. A literature review reveals that this association has rarely been described.
Tracking of Noncooperative Airborne Targets Using ADS-B Signal and Radar Sensing
Authors: Huang Ming-Shih , Narayanan Ram M. , Zhang Yan , Feinberg Arthur
Published: February 2013

As the Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) system has gained wide acceptance, additional exploitations of the radioed satellite-based information are topics of current interest. One such opportunity includes the augmentation of the communication ADS-B signal with a random biphase modulation for concurrent use as a radar signal. This paper addresses the formulation and analysis of a suitable noncooperative multitarget tracking method for the ADS-B radar system using radar ranging techniques and particle filter algorithms. In addition, the low-update-rate measurement due to the ADS-B system specification is discussed in order to provide acceptable estimation results. Simulation results show satisfactory tracking capability up to several kilometers with acceptable accuracy.
Symplectic Synchronization of Lorenz-Stenflo System with Uncertain Chaotic Parameters via Adaptive Control
Authors: Yang Cheng-Hsiung
Published: February 2013

A new symplectic chaos synchronization of chaotic systems with uncertain chaotic parameters is studied. The traditional chaos synchronizations are special cases of the symplectic chaos synchronization. A sufficient condition is given for the asymptotical stability of the null solution of error dynamics and a parameter difference. The symplectic chaos synchronization with uncertain chaotic parameters may be applied to the design of secure communication systems. Finally, numerical results are studied for symplectic chaos synchronized from two identical Lorenz-Stenflo systems in three different cases.
On a Class of Bilinear Pseudodifferential Operators
Authors: Bényi Árpád , Oh Tadahiro
Published: February 2013

We provide a direct proof for the boundedness of pseudodifferential operators with symbols in the bilinear Hörmander classBS1,δ0,0≤δ<1. The proof uses a reduction to bilinear elementary symbols and Littlewood-Paley theory.
Modular Analysis of Sequential Solution Methods for Almost Block Diagonal Systems of Equations
Authors: El-Mistikawy Tarek M. A.
Published: February 2013

Almost block diagonal linear systems of equations can be exemplified by two modules. This makes it possible to construct all sequential forms of band and/or block elimination methods. It also allows easy assessment of the methods on the basis of their operation counts, storage needs, and admissibility of partial pivoting. The outcome of the analysis and implementation is to discover new methods that outperform a well-known method, a modification of which is, therefore, advocated.
Harmonic Mitigation Techniques Applied to Power Distribution Networks
Authors: Kazem Hussein A.
Published: February 2013

A growing number of harmonic mitigation techniques are now available including active and passive methods, and the selection of the best-suited technique for a particular case can be a complicated decision-making process. The performance of some of these techniques is largely dependent on system conditions, while others require extensive system analysis to prevent resonance problems and capacitor failure. A classification of the various available harmonic mitigation techniques is presented in this paper aimed at presenting a review of harmonic mitigation methods to researchers, designers, and engineers dealing with power distribution systems.
Some General New Einstein Walker Manifolds
Authors: Nadjafikhah Mehdi , Jafari Mehdi
Published: February 2013

Lie symmetry group method is applied to find the Lie point symmetry group of a system of partial differential equations that determines general form of four-dimensional Einstein Walker manifold. Also we will construct the optimal system of one-dimensional Lie subalgebras and investigate some of its group invariant solutions.
Effects of 24 Years of Conservation Tillage Systems on Soil Organic Carbon and Soil Productivity
Authors: Olson Kenneth R. , Ebelhar Stephen A. , Lang James M.
Published: February 2013

The 24-year study was conducted in southern Illinois (USA) on land similar to that being removed from Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) to evaluate the effects of conservation tillage systems on: (1) amount and rates of soil organic carbon (SOC) storage and retention, (2) the long-term corn and soybean yields, and (3) maintenance and restoration of soil productivity of previously eroded soils. The no-till (NT) plots did store and retain 7.8 Mg C ha−1more and chisel plow (CP) −1.6 Mg C ha−1less SOC in the soil than moldboard plow (MP) during the 24 years. However, no SOC sequestration occurred in the sloping and eroding NT, CP, and MP plots since the SOC level of the plot area was greater at the start of the experiment than at the end. The NT plots actually lost a total of −1.2 Mg C ha−1, the CP lost −9.9 Mg C ha−1, and the MP lost −8.2 Mg C ha−1during the 24-year study. The long-term productivity of NT compared favorably with that of MP and CP systems.
A Novel Human Motion Tracking Approach Based on a Wireless Sensor Network
Authors: Zhang Sen , Xiao Wendong , Gong Jun , Yin Yixin
Published: February 2013

This paper proposes a human motion tracking approach for a daily life surveillance in a distributed wireless sensor network using ultrasonic range sensors. Because the human target often moves with high nonlinearity, the proposed approach applies the unscented Kalman filter (UKF) technique. A novel sensor node selection scheme at each time step considering both the tracking accuracy and the energy cost is presented. Experimental results in a real human motion tracking system show that the proposed approach can perform better tracking accuracy compared to the most recent human motion tracking scheme in the real testbed implementation.
The IVF Outcome Counseling Based on the Model Combining DHEAS and Age in Patients with Low AMH Prior to the First Cycle of GnRH Antagonist Protocol of Ovarian Stimulation
Authors: Alebić Miro Šimun , Stojanović Nataša , Žuvić-Butorac Marta
Published: February 2013

Objective. To investigate the endocrine and/or clinical characteristics of women with low anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) that could improve the accuracy of IVF outcome prediction based on the female age alone prior to the first GnRH antagonist IVF cycle.Methods. Medical records of 129 patients with low AMH level (<6.5 pmol/L) who underwent their first GnRH antagonist ovarian stimulation protocol for IVF/ICSI were retrospectively analyzed. The main outcome measure was the area under the ROC curve (AUC-ROC) for the models combining age and other potential predictive factors for the clinical pregnancy.Results. Clinical pregnancy rate (CPR) per initiated cycles was 11.6%. For the prediction of clinical pregnancy, DHEAS and age showed AUC-ROC of 0.726 (95%CI 0.641–0.801) and 0.662 (95%CI 0.573–0.743), respectively (). The predictive accuracy of the model combining age and DHEAS (AUC-ROC 0.796; 95%CI 0.716–0.862) was significantly higher compared to that of age alone (). In patients <37.5 years with DHEAS  pmol/L, 60% (9/15) of all pregnancies were achieved with CPR of 37.5%.Conclusions. DHEAS appears to be predictive for clinical pregnancy in younger women (<37.5 years) with low AMH after the first GnRH antagonist IVF cycle. Therefore, DHEAS-age model could refine the pretreatment counseling on pregnancy prospects following IVF.
The Era of Kilometer-Scale Neutrino Detectors
Authors: Halzen Francis , Katz Uli
Published: February 2013

Neutrino astronomy beyond the Sun was first imagined in the late 1950s; by the 1970s, it was realized that kilometer-scale neutrino detectors were required. The first such instrument, IceCube, transforms a cubic kilometer of deep and ultra-transparent Antarctic ice into a particle detector. KM3NeT, an instrument that aims to exploit several cubic kilometers of the deep Mediterranean sea as its detector medium, is in its final design stages. The scientific missions of these instruments include searching for sources of cosmic rays and for dark matter, observing Galactic supernova explosions, and studying the neutrinos themselves. Identifying the accelerators that produce Galactic and extragalactic cosmic rays has been a priority mission of several generations of high-energy gamma-ray and neutrino telescopes; success has been elusive so far. Detecting the gamma-ray and neutrino fluxes associated with cosmic rays reaches a new watershed with the completion of IceCube, the first neutrino detector with sensitivity to the anticipated fluxes. In this paper, we will first revisit the rationale for constructing kilometer-scale neutrino detectors. We will subsequently recall the methods for determining the arrival direction, energy and flavor of neutrinos, and will subsequently describe the architecture of the IceCube and KM3NeT detectors.
Ginkgo bilobaExtract for Patients with Early Diabetic Nephropathy: A Systematic Review
Authors: Zhang Lei , Mao Wei , Guo Xinfeng , Wu Yifan , Li Chuang , Lu Zhaoyu , Su Guobin , Li Xiaoyan , Liu Zhuangzhu , Guo Rong , Jie Xina , Wen Zehuai , Liu Xusheng
Published: February 2013

Objectives. To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of aGinkgo bilobaextract for patients with early diabetic nephropathy.Methods. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) conducted on adults with early diabetic nephropathy which usedGingko bilobaextract were included. The major databases were searched, and manufacturers ofGingko bilobaproducts were contacted for information on any published or unpublished studies. Two authors independently extracted the data from the included studies. Data analysis was conducted using Review Manager 5.0 software.Results. Sixteen RCTs were included.Ginkgo bilobaextract decreased the urinary albumin excretion rate (UAER), fasting blood glucose (FBG), serum creatinine (SCR), and blood urea nitrogen (BUN). The extract also improved hemorheology. The methodological quality in the included studies was low. The explicit generation of the allocation sequence was described in only 6 trials. None of the included trials were confirmed to use blinding. Three studies had observed adverse events. One study using angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEi) reported mild cough in both groups. No serious adverse effects were reported.Conclusions.Gingko bilobaextract is a valuable drug which has prospect in treating early diabetic nephropathy, especially with high UAER baseline level. The safety for early diabetic nephropathy is uncertain. Long-term, double-blinded RCTs with large sample sizes are still needed to provide stronger evidence.
Gesture Recognition Using Neural Networks Based on HW/SW Cosimulation Platform
Authors: Mekala Priyanka , Fan Jeffrey , Lai Wen-Cheng , Hsue Ching-Wen
Published: February 2013

Hardware/software (HW/SW) cosimulation integrates software simulation and hardware simulation simultaneously. Usually, HW/SW co-simulation platform is used to ease debugging and verification for very large-scale integration (VLSI) design. To accelerate the computation of the gesture recognition technique, an HW/SW implementation using field programmable gate array (FPGA) technology is presented in this paper. The major contributions of this work are: (1) a novel design of memory controller in the Verilog Hardware Description Language (Verilog HDL) to reduce memory consumption and load on the processor. (2) The testing part of the neural network algorithm is being hardwired to improve the speed and performance. The American Sign Language gesture recognition is chosen to verify the performance of the approach. Several experiments were carried out on four databases of the gestures (alphabet signs A to Z). (3) The major benefit of this design is that it takes only few milliseconds to recognize the hand gesture which makes it computationally more efficient.
A Real-Time Embedded Control System for Electro-Fused Magnesia Furnace
Authors: Zheng Fang , Jie Yang , Shifei Tao , Zhiwei Wu , Tianyou Chai
Published: February 2013

Since smelting process of electro-fused magnesia furnace is a complicated process which has characteristics like complex operation conditions, strong nonlinearities, and strong couplings, traditional linear controller cannot control it very well. Advanced intelligent control strategy is a good solution to this kind of industrial process. However, advanced intelligent control strategy always involves huge programming task and hard debugging and maintaining problems. In this paper, a real-time embedded control system is proposed for the process control of electro-fused magnesia furnace based on intelligent control strategy and model-based design technology. As for hardware, an embedded controller based on an industrial Single Board Computer (SBC) is developed to meet industrial field environment demands. As for software, a Linux based on Real-Time Application Interface (RTAI) is used as the real-time kernel of the controller to improve its real-time performance. The embedded software platform is also modified to support generating embedded code automatically from Simulink/Stateflow models. Based on the proposed embedded control system, the intelligent embedded control software of electro-fused magnesium furnace can be directly generated from Simulink/Stateflow models. To validate the effectiveness of the proposed embedded control system, hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) and industrial field experiments are both implemented. Experiments results show that the embedded control system works very well in both laboratory and industry environments.
On Metric Dimension of Some Rotationally Symmetric Graphs
Authors: Ali M. , Rahim M. T. , Ali G. , Ali U.
Published: February 2013

A family 𝒢 of connected graphs is a family with constant metric dimension if dim(G) is finite and does not depend upon the choice of G in 𝒢. In this paper, we show that the graph An∗ and the graph Anp obtained from the antiprism graph have constant metric dimension.
Postpartum Pneumomediastinum and Subcutaneous Emphysema: Two Case Reports
Authors: Kandiah Shivanthi , Iswariah Harish , Elgey Stephen
Published: February 2013

Spontaneous pneumomediastinum associated with subcutaneous emphysema is a rare condition also known as Hamman's syndrome. It can also be seen postpartum. We present two cases of subcutaneous emphysema associated with childbirth in nulliparous women, both of which resolved spontaneously.
Genome-Wide Association Study of Antiphospholipid Antibodies
Authors: Kamboh M. Ilyas , Wang Xingbin , Kao Amy H. , Barmada Michael M. , Clarke Ann , Ramsey-Goldman Rosalind , Manzi Susan , Demirci F. Yesim
Published: February 2013

Background. The persistent presence of antiphospholipid antibodies (APA) may lead to the development of primary or secondary antiphospholipid syndrome. Although the genetic basis of APA has been suggested, the identity of the underlying genes is largely unknown. In this study, we have performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) in an effort to identify susceptibility loci/genes for three main APA: anticardiolipin antibodies (ACL), lupus anticoagulant (LAC), and anti-β2glycoprotein I antibodies (anti-β2GPI).Methods. DNA samples were genotyped using the Affymetrix 6.0 array containing 906,600 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Association of SNPs with the antibody status (positive/negative) was tested using logistic regression under the additive model.Results. We have identified a number of suggestive novel loci withP<E-05. Although they do not meet the conservative threshold of genome-wide significance, many of the suggestive loci are potential candidates for the production of APA. We have replicated the previously reported associations of HLA genes andAPOHwith APA but these were not the top loci.Conclusions. We have identified a number of suggestive novel loci for APA that will stimulate follow-up studies in independent and larger samples to replicate our findings.
Microwave Assisted Growth of ZnO Nanorods and Nanopolypods Nanostructure Thin Films for Gas and Explosives Sensing
Authors: Singh A. K.
Published: February 2013

The growth of uniformly distributed and densely packed array of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods (NRs) and nanorods (NRs)/nanopolypods (NPPs) was successfully achieved through microwave-assisted chemical route at low temperature. The ZnO NRs and NRs/NPPs were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), and UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy. The ZnO NRs were of 100–150 nm diameter and 0.5–1 μm length, while the NPPs were of diameter about 150–200 nm and 1.5–2 μm pod length. The prepared films are polycrystalline in nature and highly oriented along (002) plane with a hexagonal wurtzite structure. These films were studied for the sensing properties of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), oxygen, and hazardous explosives, that is, 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) and cyclotrimethylenetrinitramines (RDX), in the temperature ranges of 25–425 °C and 100–200 °C, respectively. The grown nanostructure films showed reliable stable response to several on-off cycles, and reduction in sensor recovery time was found with the increase in temperature. ZnO NRs and NRs/NPPs showed better sensitivity and recovery time for both LPG and oxygen, as compared to the literature-reported results for ZnO thin films.
Unexpected Nephrotoxicity in Male Ablactated Rats Induced byCordyceps militaris: The Involvement of Oxidative Changes
Authors: Zhou Xiaowen , Yao Yi
Published: February 2013

Recently, many nutraceutical products containing the powdered or extracted parts ofC. militarishave become available for health care. Due to the increased morbidity and mortality, poisonings associated with the use of herbs have raised the universal attention. Herein, we carried out the 28-day repeated toxicity test in male and female ablactated rats (three weeks old) givenC. militarispowder orally at 0 (control), 1, 2, and 3 g/kg per day. Noticeable increments of serum aspartate and alanine aminotransferase (ALT and AST) levels were observed for both sexes, suggestive of weak hepatic toxicity. Nephrotoxicity characterized by tubular epithelium degeneration and necrosis was observed at the high dose, and the male rats were more susceptible to renal toxicity than female rats. In addition, the genes and protein expressions of novel markers of kidney toxicity, such as kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1) were enlarged in the renal cortex and the urine. Moreover,C. militaristreatment significantly decreased superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activities. However, the ratio of glutathione oxidized form (GSSG)/glutathione reduced form (GSH) was increased byC. militaristreatment. We conclude that dietary contamination withC. militarismay have renal toxicity potentials, at least in part by causing oxidative damage to the kidney.
Infinite Horizon Optimal Control of Stochastic Delay Evolution Equations in Hilbert Spaces
Authors: Zhu Xueping , Zhou Jianjun
Published: February 2013

The aim of the present paper is to study an infinite horizon optimal control problem in which the controlled state dynamics is governed by a stochastic delay evolution equation in Hilbert spaces. The existence and uniqueness of the optimal control are obtained by means of associated infinite horizon backward stochastic differential equations without assuming the Gâteaux differentiability of the drift coefficient and the diffusion coefficient. An optimal control problem of stochastic delay partial differential equations is also given as an example to illustrate our results.
MLST Genotypes and Antibiotic Resistance ofCampylobacterspp. Isolated from Poultry in Grenada
Authors: Stone Diana , Davis Margaret , Baker Katherine , Besser Tom , Roopnarine Rohini , Sharma Ravindra
Published: February 2013

This study determined whether multilocus sequence types (MLST) ofCampylobacterfrom poultry in 2 farms in Grenada, West Indies, differed by farm, antimicrobial resistance and farm antibiotic use. Farm A used fluoroquinolones in the water and Farm B used tetracyclines. The E-test was used to determine resistance of isolates to seven antibiotics. PCR of theIpxAgene confirmed species and MLST was used to characterize 38 isolates. All isolates were eitherC. jejuniorC. coli. Farm antibiotic use directly correlated with antimicrobial resistance ofCampylobacterisolates. Almost 80% of the isolates from Farm A were fluoroquinolone resistant and 17.9% of the isolates from Farm B were fluoroquinolone resistant. AllCampylobacterisolates from Farm A were tetracycline sensitive, whereas 35.7% of isolates from Farm B were tetracycline resistant. Six previously recognized sequence types (STs) and 2 novel STs were identified. Previously recognized STs were those overwhelmingly reported from poultry and humans globally. Isolates with the same ST did not always have the same antibiotic resistance profile. There was little ST overlap between the farms suggesting that within-farm transmission ofCampylobactergenotypes may dominate. MLST typing was useful for trackingCampylobacterspp. among poultry units and can help elucidateCampylobacterhost-species population structure and its relevance to human health.
Physiology and Pathophysiology of the Biliary Tract: The Gallbladder and Sphincter of Oddi—A Review
Authors: Behar Jose
Published: February 2013

The biliary tract collects, stores, concentrates, and delivers bile secreted by the liver. Its motility is controlled by neurohormonal mechanisms with the vagus and splanchnic nerves and the hormone cholecystokinin playing key roles. These neurohormonal mechanisms integrate the motility of the gallbladder and sphincter of Oddi (SO) with the gastrointestinal tract in the fasting and digestive phases. During fasting most of the hepatic bile is diverted toward the gallbladder by the resistance of the SO. The gallbladder allows the gradual entry of bile relaxing by passive and active mechanisms. During the digestive phase the gallbladder contracts, and the SO relaxes allowing bile to be released into the duodenum for the digestion and absorption of fats. Pathological processes manifested by recurrent episodes of upper abdominal pain affect both the gallbladder and SO. The gallbladder motility and cytoprotective functions are impaired by lithogenic hepatic bile with excess cholesterol allowing the hydrophobic bile salts to induce chronic cholecystitis. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is the standard treatment. Three types of SO dyskinesia also cause biliary pain. Their pathophysiology is not completely known. The pain of types I and II usually respond to sphincterotomy, but the pain due to type III usually does not.
Chaotic Motions in the Real Fuzzy Electronic Circuits
Authors: Li Shih-Yu , Yang Cheng-Hsiung , Lin Chin-Teng , Ko Li-Wei , Chiu Tien-Ting
Published: February 2013

Fuzzy electronic circuit (FEC) is firstly introduced, which is implementing Takagi-Sugeno (T-S) fuzzy chaotic systems on electronic circuit. In the research field of secure communications, the original source should be blended with other complex signals. Chaotic signals are one of the good sources to be applied to encrypt high confidential signals, because of its high complexity, sensitiveness of initial conditions, and unpredictability. Consequently, generating chaotic signals on electronic circuit to produce real electrical signals applied to secure communications is an exceedingly important issue. However, nonlinear systems are always composed of many complex equations and are hard to realize on electronic circuits. Takagi-Sugeno (T-S) fuzzy model is a powerful tool, which is described by fuzzy IF-THEN rules to express the local dynamics of each fuzzy rule by a linear system model. Accordingly, in this paper, we produce the chaotic signals via electronic circuits through T-S fuzzy model and the numerical simulation results provided by MATLAB are also proposed for comparison. T-S fuzzy chaotic Lorenz and Chen-Lee systems are used for examples and are given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed electronic circuit.
Cluster Head Selection in Wireless Sensor Networks under Fuzzy Environment
Authors: Azad Puneet , Sharma Vidushi
Published: February 2013

Clustering is one of the important methods for prolonging the network lifetime in wireless sensor networks (WSNs). It involves grouping of sensor nodes into clusters and electing cluster heads (CHs) for all the clusters. CHs collect the data from respective cluster’s nodes and forward the aggregated data to base station. A major challenge in WSNs is to select appropriate cluster heads. In this paper, we present a fuzzy decision-making approach for the selection of cluster heads. Fuzzy multiple attribute decision-making (MADM) approach is used to select CHs using three criteria including residual energy, number of neighbors, and the distance from the base station of the nodes. The simulation results demonstrate that this approach is more effective in prolonging the network lifetime than the distributed hierarchical agglomerative clustering (DHAC) protocol in homogeneous environments.
Optimization of Performance and Emission Characteristics of Diesel Engine with Biodiesel Using Grey-Taguchi Method
Authors: Pohit Goutam , Misra Dipten
Published: February 2013

Engine performances and emission characteristics of Karanja oil methyl ester blended with diesel were carried out on a variable compression diesel engine. In order to search for the optimal process response through a limited number of experiment runs, application of Taguchi method in combination with grey relational analysis had been applied for solving a multiple response optimization problem. Using grey relational grade and signal-to-noise ratio as a performance index, a particular combination of input parameters was predicted so as to achieve optimum response characteristics. It was observed that a blend of fifty percent was most suitable for use in a diesel engine without significantly affecting the engine performance and emissions characteristics.
Optical Constants of α‐ and β‐Zinc(II)‐Phthalocyanine Films
Authors: Kozlik Michael , Paulke Sören , Gruenewald Marco , Forker Roman , Fritz Torsten
Published: February 2013

We present a dataset of the optical constants of α‐ and β‐zinc(II)‐phthalocyanine (ZnPc). They were determined accurately from transmission and differential reflectance spectra, with the surface roughness taken into account. For this purpose, thin films were prepared on quartz glass substrates via physical vapor deposition and characterized by ultraviolet‐visible (UV‐Vis) spectroscopy before as well as after a well‐defined annealing process. Kramers‐Kronig consistency of the optical constants obtained was checked by means of a numerical algorithm.