bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Diphlorethohydroxycarmalol Attenuates Methylglyoxal‐Induced Oxidative Stress and Advanced Glycation End Product Formation in Human Kidney Cells
Authors: Cha Seon-Heui , Hwang Yongha , Heo Soo-Jin , Jun Hee-Sook
Published: April 2018

Diabetic nephropathy is the leading cause of end‐stage renal disease in patients with diabetes mellitus. Oxidative stress has been shown to play an important role in pathogeneses of renal damage in diabetic patients. Here, we investigated the protective effect of diphlorethohydroxycarmalol (DPHC), which is a polyphenol isolated from an edible seaweed, Ishige okamurae, on methylglyoxal‐induced oxidative stress in HEK cells, a human embryonic kidney cell line. DPHC treatment inhibited methylglyoxal‐ (MGO‐) induced cytotoxicity and ROS production. DPHC activated the Nrf2 transcription factor and increased the mRNA expression of antioxidant and detoxification enzymes, consequently reducing MGO‐induced advanced glycation end product formation. In addition, DPHC increased glyoxalase‐1 mRNA expression and attenuated MGO‐induced advanced glycation end product formation in HEK cells. These results suggest that DPHC possesses a protective activity against MGO‐induced cytotoxicity in human kidney cells by preventing oxidative stress and advanced glycation end product formation. Therefore, it could be used as a potential therapeutic agent for the prevention of diabetic nephropathy.
An Improved Single-Lane Cellular Automaton Model considering Driver’s Radical Feature
Authors: Qu Xu , Yang Mofeng , Yang Fan , Ran Bin , Li Linchao
Published: April 2018

Traffic flow models are of vital significance to study the traffic system and reproduce typical traffic phenomena. In the process of establishing traffic flow models, human factors need to be considered particularly to enhance the performance of the models. Accordingly, a series of car-following models and cellular automaton models were proposed based on comprehensive consideration of various driving behaviors. Based on the comfortable driving (CD) model, this paper innovatively proposed an improved cellular automaton model incorporating impaired driver’s radical feature (RF). The impaired driver’s radical feature was added to the model with respect to three aspects, that is, desired speed, car-following behavior, and braking behavior. Empirical data obtained from a highway segment was used to initialize impaired driver’s radical feature distribution and calibrate the proposed model. Then, numerical simulations validated that the proposed improved model can well reproduce the traffic phenomena, as shown by the fundamental diagram and space-time diagram. Also, in low-density state, it can be found that the RF model is superior to the CD model in simulating the speed difference characteristics, where the average speed difference of adjacent vehicles for RF model is more consistent with reality. The result also discussed the potential impact of impaired drivers on rear-end collisions. It should be noted that this study is an early stage work to evaluate the existence of impaired driving behavior.
Applications of Separation Variables Approach in Solving Time-Fractional PDEs
Authors: He Yinghui , Zhao Yunmei
Published: April 2018

Based on the homogenous balanced principle and subequation method, an improved separation variables function-expansion method is proposed to seek exact solutions of time-fractional nonlinear PDEs. This method is novel and meaningful without using Leibniz rule and chain rule of fractional derivative which have been proved to be incorrect. By using this method, we studied a nonlinear time-fractional PDE with diffusion term. Some general solutions are obtained which contain many arbitrary parameters. Solutions given in related reference are just our especial case. And we also obtained some new type of solutions.
Erosive Arthritis, Fibromatosis, and Keloids: A Rare Dermatoarthropathy
Authors: Aslam Fawad , Flug Jonathan A. , Yonan Yousif , Noland Shelley S.
Published: April 2018

Polyfibromatosis is a rare disease characterized by fibrosis manifesting in different locations. It is commonly characterized by palmar fibromatosis (Dupuytren’s contracture) in variable combinations with plantar fibromatosis (Ledderhose’s disease), penile fibromatosis (Peyronie’s disease), knuckle pads, and keloids. There are only three reported cases of polyfibromatosis and keloids with erosive arthritis. We report one such case and review the existing literature on this rare syndrome.
Evaluating Malaria Prevalence Using Clinical Diagnosis Compared with Microscopy and Rapid Diagnostic Tests in a Tertiary Healthcare Facility in Rivers State, Nigeria
Authors: Wogu M. N. , Nduka F. O.
Published: April 2018

The World Health Organization’s policy on laboratory test of all suspected malaria cases before treatment has not yielded significant effects in several rural areas of Sub-Saharan Africa due to inadequate diagnostic infrastructure, leading to high morbidity and mortality rates. A cross-sectional randomized study was conducted to evaluate the validity of clinical malaria diagnosis through comparison with microscopy and rapid diagnostic test kits (RDTs) using 1000 consenting outpatients of a tertiary hospital in Nigeria. Physicians conducted clinical diagnosis, and blood samples were collected through venous procedure and analyzed for malaria parasites using Giemsa microscopy and RDT kits. Microscopy was considered the diagnostic “gold standard” and all data obtained were statistically analyzed using Chi-square test with aPvalue <0.05 considered significant. Malaria prevalence values of 20.1%, 43.1%, and 29.7% were obtained for clinical diagnosis, microscopy, and RDTs, respectively (P<0.05). Values of 47.2%, 95.9%, and 77.8% were obtained for sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy, respectively, in clinical diagnosis, while RDTs had sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy values of 73.7%, 97.3%, and 88.3%, respectively, when compared to microscopy (P<0.05). Clinical diagnosed malaria cases should be confirmed with a parasite-based laboratory diagnosis and more qualitative research is needed to explore why clinicians still use clinical diagnosis despite reported cases of its ineffectiveness.
SGK1 Inhibits Autophagy in Murine Muscle Tissue
Authors: Zuleger Theresia , Heinzelbecker Julia , Takacs Zsuzsanna , Hunter Catherine , Voelkl Jakob , Lang Florian , Proikas-Cezanne Tassula
Published: April 2018

Background/Aims. As autophagy is linked to several pathological conditions, like cancer and neurodegenerative diseases, it is crucial to understand its regulatory signaling network. In this study, we investigated the role of the serum‐ and glucocorticoid‐induced protein kinase 1 (SGK1) in the control of autophagy. Methods. To measure autophagic activity in vivo, we quantified the abundance of the autophagy conjugates LC3‐PE (phosphatidylethanolamine) and ATG12‐ATG5 in tissue extracts of SGK1 wild‐type (Sgk1+/+) and knockout (Sgk1−/−) mice that were either fed or starved for 24 h prior sacrifice. In vitro, we targeted SGK1 by RNAi using GFP‐WIPI1 expressing U‐2 OS cells to quantify the numbers of cells displaying newly formed autophagosomes. In parallel, these cells were also assessed with regard to LC3 and ULK1 by quantitative Western blotting. Results. The abundance of both LC3‐PE (LC3‐II) and ATG12‐ATG5 was significantly increased in red muscle tissues of SGK1 knockout mice. This was found in particular in fed conditions, suggesting that SGK1 may keep basal autophagy under control in red muscle in vivo. Under starved conditions, significant differences were observed in SGK1‐deficient white muscle tissue and, under fed conditions, also in the liver. In vitro, we found that SGK1 silencing provoked a significant increase of cells displaying WIPI1‐positive autophagosomes and autophagosomal LC3 (LC3‐II). Moreover, autophagic flux assessments revealed that autophagic degradation significantly increased in the absence of SGK1, strongly suggesting that SGK1 inhibits both autophagosome formation and autophagic degradation in vitro. In addition, more ULK1 protein lacking the inhibitory, TORC1‐specific phosphorylation at serine 758 was detected in the absence of SGK1. Conclusions. Combined, our data strongly support the idea that SGK1 inhibits the process of autophagy. Mechanistically, our data suggest that SGK1 should act upstream of ULK1 in regulating autophagy, and we hypothesize that SGK1 contributes to the regulation of ULK1 gene expression.
Aeronautical and Aerospace Material and Structural Damages to Failures: Theoretical Concepts
Authors: Goncharenko Andriy Viktorovich
Published: April 2018

The goal of this paper is to investigate the possible directions of some specified methods for aeronautical and aerospace material and structure effectiveness modeling and optimization. Multioptionality hybrid function uncertainty conditional optimization doctrine application is supposed to be implemented for a degrading failure problem optimal solution determination. The optimal solution is assumed to deliver the maximum value to the probability of damage but not the failure state of the studied material behavior. The principal supposition is that there should be some certain objectively existing value extremized in the conditions of the hybrid optional function uncertainty. There is a scientific proof for the choice of a good maintenance optimal periodicity method that fits the customer’s needs, taking into account the effectiveness functions pertaining to the options. The described doctrine allows obtaining the objectively existing optimal values not with the help of a probabilistic but rather with a multioptimal concept. The subjective entropy maximum principle is the other paradigm concept involved in the considered problem solution, which is an equivalent for the uncertainty conditional optimization at the optimal hybrid function distribution determination. By applying simplified, however possible, models and expressions for effectiveness, plausible results are obtained and illustrated in diagrams visualizing the situation and allowing for the selection of a good choice. The ideas of the required material method choice optimization with respect to only two simple parameters, nevertheless, develop numerous particular combinations. Moreover, an increase in the number of parameters and further complication of the problem setting will not change the principle of the problem solution.
Acupuncture at Tiaokou (ST38) for Shoulder Adhesive Capsulitis: What Strengths Does It Have? A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
Authors: Yang Chao , Lv TaoTao , Yu TianYuan , Wong Steven , Lu MengQian , Li YiZhen
Published: April 2018

Objective. Tiaokou (ST38) is used as a crucial distal acupoint for treating shoulder adhesive capsulitis (SAC) in traditional Chinese medicine. The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture at Tiaokou for treating SAC. Methods. We searched eight electronic databases without language restrictions. All the literature was processed to identify RCTs comparing acupuncture at Tiaokou with other therapies (e.g., acupuncture at local shoulder acupoints and nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs). Two reviewers extracted trials and collected outcome data independently. A meta‐analysis was performed following a strict methodology. Results. 19 RCTs involving 1944 participants met our inclusion criteria. The majority of the trials were determined to be of low quality. Positive results were found for acupuncture treatment at Tiaokou (as sole treatment or in combination with shoulder acupoints), which resulted in an improved percentage of clinical effectiveness and Constant‐Murley Score values, as well as a reduction in Visual Analogue Scale values of SAC patients. Conclusion. Our review found encouraging evidence for the effectiveness of acupuncture at Tiaokou for SAC. Nonetheless, despite stringent methodological analyses, these results need to be strengthened by additional RCTs of higher quality.
Burkholderia cenocepaciaInduces Macropinocytosis to Enter Macrophages
Authors: Rosales-Reyes Roberto , Sánchez-Gómez Concepción , Ortiz-Navarrete Vianney , Santos-Preciado José Ignacio
Published: April 2018

Burkholderia cenocepaciais an opportunistic pathogen that infects individuals with cystic fibrosis, chronic granulomatous disease, and other immunocompromised states.B. cenocepaciasurvives in macrophages in membrane-bound vacuoles; however, the mechanism by whichB. cenocepaciagains entry into macrophages remains unknown. After macrophage internalization, survival ofB. cenocepaciawithin a bacteria-containing membrane vacuole (BcCV) is associated with its ability to arrest the maturation of the BcCV. In this study, we show thatB. cenocepaciainduces localized membrane ruffling, macropinocytosis, and macropinosomes-like compartments upon contact with the macrophage. The Type 3 Secretion System (T3SS) ofB. cenocepaciacontributes to macrophage entry and macropinosome-like compartment formation. These data demonstrate the ability ofBurkholderiato enter macrophages through the induction of macropinocytosis.
Some Seminormed Difference Sequence Spaces over n-Normed Spaces Defined by a Musielak-Orlicz Function of Order (α,β)
Authors: Mohiuddine S. A. , Sharma Sunil K. , Abuzaid Dina A.
Published: April 2018

We first define the notion of lacunary statistical convergence of order (α,β), and taking this notion into consideration, we introduce some seminormed difference sequence spaces over n-normed spaces with the help of Musielak-Orlicz function M=(Mk) of order (α,β). We also examine some topological properties and prove inclusion relations between the resulting sequence spaces.
Joint DOA and DOD Estimation Based on Tensor Subspace with Partially Calibrated Bistatic MIMO Radar
Authors: Wang Junxiang , Huang Ping , Xu Dingjie
Published: April 2018

A joint direction-of-departure (DOD) and direction-of-arrival (DOA) estimation algorithm based on tensor subspace approach for partially calibrated bistatic multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) radar is proposed. By exploiting the multidimensional structure of the received data, a third-order measurement tensor is constructed. Consequently, the tensor-based signal subspace is achieved using the higher-order singular value decomposition (HOSVD). To achieve accurate DOA estimation with partially calibrated array, a closed-form solution is provided to estimate the gain-phase uncertainties of the transmit and receive arrays by modeling the imperfections of the arrays. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed calibration algorithm.
A Community Detection Approach to Cleaning Extremely Large Face Database
Authors: Jin Chi , Jin Ruochun , Chen Kai , Dou Yong
Published: April 2018

Though it has been easier to build large face datasets by collecting images from the Internet in this Big Data era, the time-consuming manual annotation process prevents researchers from constructing larger ones, which makes the automatic cleaning of noisy labels highly desirable. However, identifying mislabeled faces by machine is quite challenging because the diversity of a person’s face images that are captured wildly at all ages is extraordinarily rich. In view of this, we propose a graph-based cleaning method that mainly employs the community detection algorithm and deep CNN models to delete mislabeled images. As the diversity of faces is preserved in multiple large communities, our cleaning results have both high cleanness and rich data diversity. With our method, we clean the extremely large MS-Celeb-1M face dataset (approximately 10 million images with noisy labels) and obtain a clean version of it called C-MS-Celeb (6,464,018 images of 94,682 celebrities). By training a single-net model using our C-MS-Celeb dataset, without fine-tuning, we achieve 99.67% at Equal Error Rate on the LFW face recognition benchmark, which is comparable to other state-of-the-art results. This demonstrates the data cleaning positive effects on the model training. To the best of our knowledge, our C-MS-Celeb is the largest clean face dataset that is publicly available so far, which will benefit face recognition researchers.
On the Periodic Orbits of Four-Particle Time-Dependent FPU Chains
Authors: Tang Hongwu , Xing Mingyan , Liu Qihuai , Jiang Guirong
Published: April 2018

We study the existence of the periodic orbits for four-particle time-dependent FPU chains. To begin with, taking an orthogonal transformation and dropping two variables, we put the system into a lower dimensional system. In this case, the unperturbed system has the linear spectra 2 and 2, which are rational independent. Therefore, the classical averaging theory cannot be applied directly, and the existence and multiplicity of periodic orbits for four-particle FPU chains is proved by using a new result from averaging theory by Buică, Francoise, and Llibre.
Identification of Key Genes and miRNAs in Osteosarcoma Patients with Chemoresistance by Bioinformatics Analysis
Authors: Xie Binbin , Li Yiran , Zhao Rongjie , Xu Yuzi , Wu Yuhui , Wang Ji , Xia Dongdong , Han Weidong , Chen Dake
Published: April 2018

Chemoresistance is a significant factor associated with poor outcomes of osteosarcoma patients. The present study aims to identify Chemoresistance-regulated gene signatures and microRNAs (miRNAs) in Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. The results of Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) included positive regulation of transcription, DNA-templated, tryptophan metabolism, and the like. Then differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were uploaded to Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes (STRING) to construct protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks, and 9 hub genes were screened, such as fucosyltransferase 3 (Lewis blood group) (FUT3) whose expression in chemoresistant samples was high, but with a better prognosis in osteosarcoma patients. Furthermore, the connection between DEGs and differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMs) was explored. GEO2R was utilized to screen out DEGs and DEMs. A total of 668 DEGs and 5 DEMs were extracted from GSE7437 and GSE30934 differentiating samples of poor and good chemotherapy reaction patients. The Database for Annotation, Visualization, and Integrated Discovery (DAVID) was used to perform GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis to identify potential pathways and functional annotations linked with osteosarcoma chemoresistance. The present study may provide a deeper understanding about regulatory genes of osteosarcoma chemoresistance and identify potential therapeutic targets for osteosarcoma.
miR-195-5p Regulates Hair Follicle Inductivity of Dermal Papilla Cells by Suppressing Wnt/β-Catenin Activation
Authors: Zhu Ningxia , Huang Keng , Liu Yang , Zhang Huan , Lin En , Zeng Yang , Li Haihong , Xu Yanming , Cai Bozhi , Yuan Yanping , Li Yu , Lin Changmin
Published: April 2018

Dermal papilla (DP) cells play a vital role in hair follicle (HF) development and postnatal hair cycling. However, the abilities are lost on further culture. Recent studies have demonstrated significant influences of posttranscriptional regulation by microRNA (miRNA) on HF development. The current study aims to investigate how miRNAs regulate Wnt/β-catenin to control HF inductivity of DP cells by performing microarray analysis in early- and late-passage DP cells and transfecting with miRNAs inhibitor or mimic. Results showed early-passage DP cells strongly expressed miRNAs related to inhibition of noncanonical Wnt pathways. In late-passage DP cells, miRNAs capable of inhibiting the canonical Wnt/β-catenin pathway were upregulated, in addition to the miRNAs targeting the noncanonical Wnt pathway. Moreover, we verified thatβ-catenin expression was downregulated by miR-195-5p overexpression in dose manner. Meanwhile LRP6 expression was downregulated in both protein and mRNA as well as the genes involved in the hair inductivity of DP cells. These results suggest that the appearance of miRNAs that suppress the Wnt/β-catenin pathway may be responsible for the loss of ability of DP cells in culture and miR-195-5p is the potential key factor involved in regulating HF inductivity of DP cells.
The Mechanical Behaviors of Various Dental Implant Materials under Fatigue
Authors: Bayata Fatma , Yildiz Cengiz
Published: April 2018

The selection of materials has a considerable role on long‐term stability of implants. The materials having high resistance to fatigue are required for dental implant applications since these implants are subjected to cyclic loads during chewing. This study evaluates the performance of different types of materials (AISI 316L stainless steel, alumina and its porous state, CoCr alloys, yttrium‐stabilized zirconia (YSZ), zirconia‐toughened alumina (ZTA), and cp Ti with the nanotubular TiO2 surface) by finite element analysis (FEA) under real cyclic biting loads and researches the optimum material for implant applications. For the analysis, the implant design generated by our group was utilized. The mechanical behavior and the life of the implant under biting loads were estimated based on the material and surface properties. According to the condition based on ISO 14801, the FEA results showed that the equivalent von Mises stress values were in the range of 226.95 MPa and 239.05 MPa. The penetration analysis was also performed, and the calculated penetration of the models onto the bone structure ranged between 0.0037389 mm and 0.013626 mm. L‐605 CoCr alloy‐assigned implant model showed the least penetration, while cp Ti with the nanotubular TiO2 surface led to the most one. However, the difference was about 0.01 mm, and it may not be evaluated as a distinct difference. As the final numerical evaluation item, the fatigue life was executed, and the results were achieved in the range of 4 × 105 and 1 × 109 cycles. These results indicated that different materials showed good performance for each evaluation component, but considering the overall mechanical performance and the treatment process (implant adsorption) by means of surface properties, cp Ti with the nanotubular TiO2 surface material was evaluated as the suitable one, and it may also be implied that it displayed enough performance in the designed dental implant model.
DNA Barcoding for the Identification and Authentication of Animal Species in Traditional Medicine
Authors: Yang Fan , Ding Fei , Chen Hong , He Mingqi , Zhu Shixin , Ma Xin , Jiang Li , Li Haifeng
Published: April 2018

Animal‐based traditional medicine not only plays a significant role in therapeutic practices worldwide but also provides a potential compound library for drug discovery. However, persistent hunting and illegal trade markedly threaten numerous medicinal animal species, and increasing demand further provokes the emergence of various adulterants. As the conventional methods are difficult and time‐consuming to detect processed products or identify animal species with similar morphology, developing novel authentication methods for animal‐based traditional medicine represents an urgent need. During the last decade, DNA barcoding offers an accurate and efficient strategy that can identify existing species and discover unknown species via analysis of sequence variation in a standardized region of DNA. Recent studies have shown that DNA barcoding as well as minibarcoding and metabarcoding is capable of identifying animal species and discriminating the authentics from the adulterants in various types of traditional medicines, including raw materials, processed products, and complex preparations. These techniques can also be used to detect the unlabelled and threatened animal species in traditional medicine. Here, we review the recent progress of DNA barcoding for the identification and authentication of animal species used in traditional medicine, which provides a reference for quality control and trade supervision of animal‐based traditional medicine.
Mechanism of Permeability Evolution for Reservoir Sandstone with Different Physical Properties
Authors: Liu Xianshan , Xu Ming , Wang Ke
Published: April 2018

Permeability of sandstones with different properties taken from Chongqing reservoirs has been measured and deeply discussed under increasing deviatoric stress. Corresponding to the distinct features in the stress-strain behaviors, the permeability of sandstones is found to evolve with a clear permeability decrease in the initial closure region, a constant permeability value in the elastic region, a permeability increase in the crack initiation and propagation region, a sharp permeability increase in the crack growth region, and a decrease permeability in the residual stage. The results also show that the variation patterns of permeability are similar for two reservoir sandstones under combination of confining pressure and water pressure; however, the strength and permeability are smaller for the sandstone with mud than that without mud, deeply indicating that mud-like materials have a relatively great impact on the mechanical properties and permeability, so mud components cannot be ignored for prediction of reservoir permeability. Furthermore, a statistical damage constitutive model considering hydraulic-mechanical coupling process is presented to calculate the damage variable D, illustrating that larger water pressure will result in a relatively smaller damage variables D and corresponding maximum, which explains that the permeability increases more rapidly and is larger for the sandstone without mud than that with mud, and sandstone damage related to corresponding circumferential crack strain and permeability has been investigated, also implying the evolution mechanism of permeability for two sandstones with different physical properties. Therefore, it is worth pointing out that rock physical properties have a great influence on the reservoir permeability under complex extraction conditions and cannot be ignored, which is necessary to improve the recovery ratio and productivity.
A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Epidemiology and Clinical Manifestations of Human Brucellosis in China
Authors: Zheng Rongjiong , Xie Songsong , Lu Xiaobo , Sun Lihua , Zhou Yan , Zhang Yuexin , Wang Kai
Published: April 2018

Background. Brucellosis has a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations and it may last several days or even several years; however, it is often misdiagnosed and therefore may cause inadequate therapy and prolonged illness. Previous studies about meta-analysis of manifestations of brucellosis reported in English lacked the data published in Chinese, which did not provide details about the contact history, laboratory tests, and misdiagnosis. We undertake a meta-analysis of clinical manifestations of human brucellosis in China to identify those gaps in the literature. We have searched published articles in electronic databases up to December 2016 identified as relating to clinical features of human brucellosis in China. 68 studies were included in the analysis. The main clinical manifestations were fever, fatigue, arthralgia, and muscle pain (87%, 63%, 62%, and 56%, resp.). There are significant differences between adults and children. Rash, respiratory and cardiac complications, and orchitis/epididymitis were more prevalent in children patients. The common complications of brucellosis were hepatitis, followed by osteoarthritis, respiratory diseases, cardiovascular diseases, central nervous system dysfunction, hemophagocytic syndrome, and orchitis/epididymitis in male. In the nonpastoral areas, brucellosis has a high ratio of misdiagnosis. Our analysis provides further evidence for the accurate diagnosis, particularly in assessing severe, debilitating sequelae of this infection.
Nonthionamide Drugs for the Treatment of Hyperthyroidism: From Present to Future
Authors: Suwansaksri Nattakarn , Preechasuk Lukana , Kunavisarut Tada
Published: April 2018

Hyperthyroidism is a common endocrine disease. Although thionamide antithyroid drugs are the cornerstone of hyperthyroidism treatment, some patients cannot tolerate this drug class because of its serious side effects including agranulocytosis, hepatotoxicity, and vasculitis. Therefore, nonthionamide antithyroid drugs (NTADs) still have an important role in controlling hyperthyroidism in clinical practice. Furthermore, some situations such as thyroid storm or preoperative preparation require a rapid decrease in thyroid hormone by combination treatment with multiple classes of antithyroid drugs. NTADs include iodine-containing compounds, lithium carbonate, perchlorate, glucocorticoid, and cholestyramine. In this narrative review, we summarize the mechanisms of action, indications, dosages, and side effects of currently used NTADs for the treatment of hyperthyroidism. In addition, we also describe the state-of-the-art in future drugs under development including rituximab, small-molecule ligands (SMLs), and monoclonal antibodies with a thyroid-stimulating hormone receptor (TSHR) antagonist effect.
Research on Heat Source Model and Weld Profile for Fiber Laser Welding of A304 Stainless Steel Thin Sheet
Authors: Li Peizhi , Fan Yu , Zhang Chonghao , Zhu Zhiyuan , Tian Wenteng , Liu Anmin
Published: April 2018

A heat source model is the key issue for laser welding simulation. The Gaussian heat source model is not suitable to match the actual laser weld profile accurately. Furthermore, fiber lasers are widely recognized to result in good‐quality laser beam output, a narrower weld zone, less distortion, and high process efficiency, compared with other types of lasers (such as CO2, Nd : YAG, and diode lasers). At present, there are few heat source models for fiber laser welding. Most of researchers evaluate the weld profile only by the bead width and depth of penetration, which is not suitable for the laser keyhole welding nail‐like profile. This paper reports an experimental study and FEA simulation of fiber laser butt welding on 1 mm thick A304 stainless steel. A new heat source model (cylindrical and cylindrical) is established to match the actual weld profile using Marc and Fortran software. Four bead geometry parameters (penetration depth, bead width, waist width, and depth of the waist) are used to compare between the experimental and simulation results. The results show that the heat source model of cylindrical and cylindrical can match the actual shape of the fiber laser welding feasibly. The error range of the penetration depth, bead width, waist width, and depth of the waist between experimental and simulation results is about 4.1 ± 1.6%, 2.9 ± 2.0%, 13.6 ± 7.4/%, and 18.3 ± 8.0%, respectively. In addition, it is found that the depth of penetration is more sensitive to laser power rather than bead width, waist width, and depth of the waist. Welding speed has a similar influence on the depth of penetration, weld width, waist width, and depth of the waist.
Experimental Study of a Novel Direct-Expansion Variable Frequency Finned Solar/Air-Assisted Heat Pump Water Heater
Authors: Qin Jing , Ji Jie , Huang Wenzhu , Qin Hong , Modjinou Mawufemo , Li Guiqiang
Published: April 2018

A novel direct expansion variable frequency finned solar/air-assisted heat pump water heater was fabricated and tested in the enthalpy difference lab with a solar simulator. A solar/air source evaporator-collector with an automatic lifting glass cover plate was installed on the system. The system could be operated in three modes, namely, air, solar, and dual modes. The effects of the ambient temperature, solar irradiation, compressor frequency, and operating mode on the performance of this system were studied in this paper. The experimental results show that the ambient temperature, solar irradiation, and operating mode almost have no effect on the energy consumption of the compressor. When the ambient temperature and the solar irradiation were increased, the COP was found to increase with decreasing heating time. Also, when the compressor frequency was increased, an increase in the energy consumption of the compressor and the heat gain of the evaporator were noted with a decrease in the heating time.
Multicriteria Optimization Design for End Effector Mounting Bracket of a High Speed and Heavy Load Palletizing Robot
Authors: He Ying , Mei Jiangping , Zang Jiawei , Xie Shenglong , Zhang Fan
Published: April 2018

End effector mounting bracket is an important load bearing part of high speed and heavy load palletizing robot, which is located at the most distant point in robot rotation radius and frequently works in complex conditions such as start-stop, switch direction, and acceleration and deceleration motion; therefore, optimizing design for its structure is beneficial to improve the dynamic performance of robotic system and reduce energy consumption. Firstly, finite element model of end effector mounting bracket was established, and its accuracy was verified by contrastive analysis of modal test result and finite element model. Secondly, through modal analysis, vibration response test, frequency response analysis, and the static analysis, taking inertia into account, the mass is minimized, the maximal stress is minimized, the maximal deformation is minimized, and the first natural frequency is maximized as the optimization objectives are determined; the design variables were selected by sensitivity analysis, taking their value range as the constraint conditions; approximation models of objective functions were established by the Box-Behnken design and the response surface methodology, and their reliability was validated; to determine weighting factor of each optimization objective, an analytic hierarchy process based on finite element analysis (FEA + AHP) method was put forward to improve the objectivity of comparison matrix; subsequently, the multicriteria optimization mathematical model was established by the methods mentioned above. Thirdly, the multicriteria optimization problem was solved by the NSGA-II algorithms and optimization results were obtained. Finally, the contrastive analysis results between optimized model and initial model showed that, in the case of the maximum stress and deformation within allowable values range, the mass reduction was 17.8%; meanwhile, the first natural frequency was increased, and vibration response characteristics of the entire structure were improved significantly. The validity of this optimization design method was verified.
Studying the Safety Impact of Autonomous Vehicles Using Simulation-Based Surrogate Safety Measures
Authors: Morando Mark Mario , Tian Qingyun , Truong Long T. , Vu Hai L.
Published: April 2018

Autonomous vehicle (AV) technology has advanced rapidly in recent years with some automated features already available in vehicles on the market. AVs are expected to reduce traffic crashes as the majority of crashes are related to driver errors, fatigue, alcohol, or drugs. However, very little research has been conducted to estimate the safety impact of AVs. This paper aims to investigate the safety impacts of AVs using a simulation-based surrogate safety measure approach. To this end, safety impacts are explored through the number of conflicts extracted from the VISSIM traffic microsimulator using the Surrogate Safety Assessment Model (SSAM). Behaviours of human-driven vehicles (HVs) and AVs (level 4 automation) are modelled within the VISSIM’s car-following model. The safety investigation is conducted for two case studies, that is, a signalised intersection and a roundabout, under various AV penetration rates. Results suggest that AVs improve safety significantly with high penetration rates, even when they travel with shorter headways to improve road capacity and reduce delay. For the signalised intersection, AVs reduce the number of conflicts by 20% to 65% with the AV penetration rates of between 50% and 100% (statistically significant at p<0.05). For the roundabout, the number of conflicts is reduced by 29% to 64% with the 100% AV penetration rate (statistically significant at p<0.05).
Prediction of Daily Entrance and Exit Passenger Flow of Rail Transit Stations by Deep Learning Method
Authors: Zhu Huaizhong , Yang Xiaoguang , Wang Yizhe
Published: April 2018

The prediction of entrance and exit passenger flow of rail transit stations is one of key research focuses in the area of intelligent transportation. Based on the big data of rail transit IC card (Public Transportation Card), this paper analyzes the data of major dynamic factors having effect on entrance passenger flow and exit passenger flow of rail transit stations: weather data, atmospheric temperature data, holiday and festival data, ground index data, and elevated road data and calculates the daily entrance passenger flow and daily exit passenger flow of individual rail transit stations with data reduction. Furthermore, based on the history data of passenger flow of rail transit stations and relevant influence factors, it applies the deep learning method to choose the relatively optimal hidden layer node by means of the cut-and-try method, set up input data and labeled data, select the activation function and loss function, and use the Adam Gradient Descent Optimization Algorithm for iterative global convergence. The results verify that this method accurately predicts the daily entrance passenger flow and daily exit passenger flow of rail transit stations with the prediction error of less than 4.1%. Finally, the proposed model is compared with the linear regression model.
Method of Camera Calibration Using Concentric Circles and Lines through Their Centres
Authors: Zhao Yue , Wang Xuechun , Yang Fengli
Published: April 2018

A novel method for camera calibration is proposed based on an analysis of lens distortion in camera imaging. In the method, a line through the centre of concentric circles is used as a template in which orthogonal directions can be determined from an angle of circumference that corresponds to a diameter. By using three lines through the centre of concentric circles, based on the invariance of the cross-ratio, an image at the centre of the concentric circles can be used to obtain the vanishing point. The intrinsic parameters of the camera can be computed based on the constraints of the orthogonal vanishing points and the imaged absolute conic. The lens distortion causes points in the template to have a position offset. In the proposed method, we optimize the positions of the distortion points such that they gradually approach those of the ideal points. The simulated and real-world experiments demonstrate that the proposed method is efficient and feasible.
Rock Fracturing under Pulsed Discharge Homenergic Water Shock Waves with Variable Characteristics and Combination Forms
Authors: Bian Decun , Zhao Jinchang , Niu Shaoqing , Wu Jinwen
Published: April 2018

High voltage pulsed discharge in water (HVPD) is used throughout industry for fracturing both natural and man‐made materials. Using HVPD, we modeled crack propagation of rocks under homenergic water shock waves (HWSW) with different characteristics and combination forms using a combination of experimental analysis and numerical simulation. The experimental results show that, under the same discharge energy (2 kJ), water shock waves (WSW) with different characteristics fractured the rock mass distinctly different. With a higher the peak pressure (PP) of WSW, more long cracks and microcracks were formed, creating a larger damage area. The numerical simulation results show that a single HWSWs impact with different characteristics will still only cause three long cracks to be well developed and almost no microcracks, when PP of HWSW was 3 MPa. With the increase of PP, the number of both long cracks and microcracks increased. This is consistent with the experimental results. When the peak pressure became greater than 15 MPa, crack propagation gradually became concentrated and the surrounding borehole wall became more severely broken. The rock model had optimal fracturing under the impact of the HWSW with a PP of 10 MPa. Also, the simulations showed that, under repeated‐impacts of HWSWs with consistent characteristics, the fracturing characteristics were basically identical to those by a single‐impact. While under the repeated‐impact of HWSWs with variable characteristics, there was almost no relationship between the fracturing effect and the sequence of repeated‐impacts. Finally, under a single‐impact of HWSW with low PP and hydrostatic pressure (PH) acting within an initial crack (similar to hydraulic fracturing in a hydrocarbon well), the initial crack had excellent propagation with an increase in hydrostatic pressure. However, when PP of HWSW was too high, increasing PH had no effect on initial crack propagation.
Aster koraiensis Extract and Chlorogenic Acid Inhibit Retinal Angiogenesis in a Mouse Model of Oxygen‐Induced Retinopathy
Authors: Kim Junghyun , Lee Yun Mi , Jung Wookwon , Park Su-Bin , Kim Chan-Sik , Kim Jin Sook
Published: April 2018

Aster koraiensis extract (AKE) is a standard dietary herbal supplement. Chlorogenic acid (CA) is the major compound present in AKE. Retinal neovascularization is a common pathophysiology of retinopathy of prematurity, diabetic retinopathy, and wet form age‐related macular degeneration. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effects of AKE and CA on retinal neovascularization in a mouse model of oxygen‐induced retinopathy (OIR). Vascular endothelial growth factor‐ (VEGF‐) induced tube formation was assayed in human vascular endothelial cells. Experimental retinal neovascularization was induced by exposing C57BL/6 mice to 75% oxygen on postnatal day 7 (P7) and then returning them to normal oxygen pressure on P12. AKE (25 and 50 mg/kg/day) and CA (25 and 50 mg/kg/day) were administered intraperitoneally for 5 days (P12–P16). Retinal flat mounts were prepared to measure the extent of retinal neovascularization at P17. The incubation of human vascular endothelial cells with AKE and CA (1–10 μg/mL) resulted in the inhibition of VEGF‐mediated tube formation in a dose‐dependent manner. The neovascular area was significantly smaller in AKE or CA‐treated mice than in the vehicle‐treated mice. These results suggest that AKE is a potent antiangiogenic agent and that its antiangiogenic activity may, in part, be attributable to the bioactive component CA.
Predictive Control Adapting to Fractional Values of Time Delay
Authors: Talaš Stanislav , Bobál Vladimír
Published: April 2018

A combination of identification and control procedures is presented which is aimed at precise control of systems with any value of time delay. Suggested strategy allows the predictive controller to adapt its parameters to a value of the time delay identified during the control process. The system flexibility resides in the ability to work precisely even with time-delay values that are not integer multiples of the sampling period. Overall, the designed approach presents a more precise method to control systems with both static and variable cases of time delay.
Radial Electrical Resistivity Measurements of Rocks on Laboratory Core Samples Using an Electromagnetic Sensor: Macro and Micro Eddy Currents
Authors: Ben Aoun Noureddine , Kouki Abdessalem , Aouina Nourallah , Haj Amara Abdesslem Ben
Published: April 2018

Rocks subjected to weak alternating magnetic fields exhibit a magnetic hysteresis phenomenon due to the magnetic susceptibility and chemical composition of ferromagnetic or ferrimagnetic mineral grains. In order to characterize the physical properties of rocks, magnetic susceptibility and electrical resistivity measurements have been carried out. So a device has been developed in our laboratory as a highly sensitive sensor to measure the magnetic and electrical properties of rocks. This work deals with a nondestructive method to analyze these properties. A ballistic method has been considered by using a search coil in a sensitive alternating current bridge. Usually, the use of the complex ac magnetic susceptibility is convenient to reach the bulk magnetic susceptibility, where the imaginary component is often very weak and neglected. In this paper, we have considered this to determine the electrical resistivity of rocks.
The Effects of Acupuncture Combined with Auricular Acupressure in the Treatment of Chloasma
Authors: Wu Xing , Xiang Yu
Published: April 2018

Objective. To investigate the effectiveness of acupuncture combined with auricular acupressure in chloasma treatment. Methods. A prospective, randomized controlled assessor‐blind clinical trial was performed and 135 patients were assigned into acupuncture combined with auricular acupressure (A), acupuncture (B), and control (C) groups, each with 45 patients. For groups A and B, body and facial acupuncture were applied for 2 months. For group A, auricular acupressure was applied concomitantly. For group C, vitamins C and E were prescribed for 3 months. Primary outcome measure was the therapeutic effects while secondary outcome measure was safety evaluation. Results. The total effective rate was 95.6%, 91.1%, and 75.6% for groups A, B, and C (P < 0.01 between groups A and C; P < 0.05 between groups B and C). The posttreatment estradiol (E2) levels in groups A and B were significantly decreased while the progesterone (P4) levels were significantly increased compared to pretreatment (P < 0.01 and P < 0.05, resp.). The differences were significant compared to group C (P < 0.01 and P < 0.05, resp.). No adverse events occurred. Conclusion. Acupuncture combined with auricular acupressure could significantly increase the therapeutic effect of chloasma treatment and could be better than vitamins C and E.
Positive Solutions for Boundary Value Problems of Fractional Differential Equation with Integral Boundary Conditions
Authors: Sun Qiao , Ji Hongwei , Cui Yujun
Published: April 2018

By using two fixed-point theorems on cone, we discuss the existence results of positive solutions for the following boundary value problem of fractional differential equation with integral boundary conditions: D0+αx(t)+a(t)f(t,x(t))=0, t∈(0,1), x(0)=x′(0)=0, and x(1)=∫01x(t)dA(t).
Influence of Bedding Planes on the Mechanical Characteristics and Fracture Pattern of Transversely Isotropic Rocks in Direct Shear Tests
Authors: Xia Lei , Zeng Yawu , Luo Rong , Liu Wei
Published: April 2018

Bedding planes are the primary control on the anisotropy of mechanical characteristics and fracture patterns in rock. To analyze the influence of the geometrical properties of bedding planes on the direct shear strength characteristics and fracture patterns of transversely isotropic rocks, numerical models were established using an improved modeling method using Particle Flow Code. The results of the numerical model were in good agreement with those of the physical experiments of an artificial rock mass containing a single bedding plane. The results show that the shear fractures with a range of bedding plane geometries can be divided into two patterns. When the inclination angles of the bedding planes were larger or smaller, a thoroughgoing fracture plane was formed near the preexisting shear fracture plane. On the other hand, the intact rock was broken into many parallel sheets.
3D and 4D Bioprinting of the Myocardium: Current Approaches, Challenges, and Future Prospects
Authors: Ong Chin Siang , Nam Lucy , Ong Kingsfield , Krishnan Aravind , Huang Chen Yu , Fukunishi Takuma , Hibino Narutoshi
Published: April 2018

3D and 4D bioprinting of the heart are exciting notions in the modern era. However, myocardial bioprinting has proven to be challenging. This review outlines the methods, materials, cell types, issues, challenges, and future prospects in myocardial bioprinting. Advances in 3D bioprinting technology have significantly improved the manufacturing process. While scaffolds have traditionally been utilized, 3D bioprinters, which do not require scaffolds, are increasingly being employed. Improved understanding of the cardiac cellular composition and multiple strategies to tackle the issues of vascularization and viability had led to progress in this field. In vivo studies utilizing small animal models have been promising. 4D bioprinting is a new concept that has potential to advance the field of 3D bioprinting further by incorporating the fourth dimension of time. Clinical translation will require multidisciplinary collaboration to tackle the pertinent issues facing this field.