bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
MOLECULAR PHYLOGENY AND STRUCTURE PREDICTION OF RICE RFT1 PROTEIN
Authors: Mohd Arif Shahkila , Mahmoud Dogara Abdulrahman , Ma Nyuk Ling , Omar Mohd Shahir Shamsir , Parvizpour Sepideh , Rahmat Zaidah
Published: February 2016

Rice is one of the most important species in the family of Poaceae. As one of the major crop that is consumed by world population, it is cultivated commercially in many parts of the world. Hence, the phylogeny study of this crop is crucial as a step for improvement of its breeding programs. Phylogenetic relationship among 12 rice cultivars that originated from two common sub-species; Indica and Japonica were inferred by comparing protein sequence data sets derived from its flowering time gene, namely RFT1 and analyzed using maximum parsimony (MP) method. The predicted structure of RFT1 protein was generated by I-TASSER server and analyzed using YASARA software. The result showed that the cultivars were classified into two major groups, where the first group (Japonica) evolved first followed by the second group (Indica). The findings suggested that some cultivars had a close relationship with each other even it is originates from different varieties. The relationships among these cultivars provide useful information for better understanding of molecular evolution process and designing good breeding program in order to generate new cultivar.
DEVELOPMENT OF A FUZZY EXPERT SYSTEM TO PRIORITIZE TRAFFIC CALMING PROJECTS
Authors: Falamarzi Amir , Borhan Muhamad Nazri , Rahmat Riza Atiq O. K. , Cheraghi Samira , Seyyed Javadi Hamid Haj
Published: February 2016

Nowadays, due to the constraints of budget and time, the prioritization of traffic calming projects before installation of traffic calming measures is vital for transportation engineers and urban planners. The purpose of this study is to develop an expert system for prioritizing streets that are affected by problems associated with traffic safety using Fuzzy Logic. Expert systems have been used widely and globally for facilitating decision-making processes in various fields of engineering. Due to the uncertainty and vagueness in traffic and transportation related problems, the use of fuzzy logic in the inference engines and decision-making processes of expert systems, is effective. In the proposed expert system, effective parameters in prioritizing traffic calming projects in residential streets including traffic volume, residential density, differential speed and number of accidents are investigated. The Fuzzy Logic toolbox, which is embedded in MATLAB (R2010b), is employed to design and simulate this expert system on the basis of Fuzzy Logic. A specific GUI was developed for this purpose. By developing this system, engineers and decision-makers will be able to rank projects according to their importance. This expert system was tested through prioritizing a number of residential streets in the city of Tehran. The output of the tests showed that the proposed system is helpful in prioritizing different traffic calming projects. Finally, the evaluation of the system was conducted. According to the assessment, most evaluators acknowledged the efficiency and effectiveness of the system.
MINIMIZING HIGH PAPR IN OFDM SYSTEM USING CIRCULANT SHIFT CODEWORD
Authors: Abdullah Ezmin , Idris Azlina , Saparon Azilah
Published: February 2016

Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) has been widely used in various high data rate wireless communications standards. The high peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) has however been known to be a constant problem in OFDM systems. The high PAPR in the OFDM system has led to many problems such as signal distortion, energy spilling to the adjacent channel and reducing system performance gradually. In this paper, a technique involving the manipulation of codeword using circulant shift will be introduced. The key idea of the proposed technique is to generate scramble data sequences like the conventional selective mapping (SLM) technique. The simulation results showed that the proposed technique overcame original OFDM signals and conventional SLM with a 19.5% improvement and 1.1 dB difference from conventional SLM. Besides that, the proposed technique offered a lower computationally complexity where the number of IFFT blocks can be reduced by about 57% as compared to conventional SLM.
UNSTEADY MHD FLOW OF SOME NANOFLUIDS PAST AN ACCELERATED VERTICAL PLATE EMBEDDED IN A POROUS MEDIUM
Authors: Hussanan Abid , Khan Ilyas , Hashim Hasmawani , Anuar Muhammad Khairul , Ishak Nazila , Sarif Norhafizah Md , Salleh Mohd Zuki
Published: February 2016

The present paper deals with the unsteady magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) flow and heat transfer of some nanofluids past an accelerating infinite vertical plate in a porous medium. Water as conventional base fluid containing three different types of nanoparticles such as copper (Cu), aluminum oxide (Al2O3) and titanium oxide (TiO2) are considered. By using suitable transformations, the governing partial differential equations corresponding to the momentum and energy are converted into linear ordinary differential equations. Exact solutions of these equations are obtained with the Laplace Transform method. The influence of pertinent parameters on the fluid motion is graphically underlined. It is found that the temperature of Cu-water is higher than those of Al2O3-water and TiO2-water nanofluids.
STRUCTURAL SEISMIC PERFORMANCE OF REINFORCED CONCRETE BLOCK SYSTEM FOR TWO STOREYS SAFE HOUSE
Authors: Yip Chun-Chieh , Marsono Abdul Kadir
Published: February 2016

Severe earthquakes in year 2004 had caused a destructive tsunami and killed more than 170,000 people in Aceh Indonesia. The disaster raises the public awareness and demand in safe house. This paper presented the structural failure behaviour, strength and performance level of two-bays double storeys safe house structure with the scaled of 1:5. Cyclic pushover test was conducted with compliance to the standard guidelines from Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA 356) in year 2000. The structural behaviour and deformation patterns under repeated cyclic lateral loads were identified through experimental test. The structural stiffness capacity, performance level, seismic energy dissipation and spectral acceleration of the safe house model were obtained through calculations from the hysteresis curves. Experimental result shows the ultimate lateral load of safe house model was 9.9 kN with roof top displacement of 49.1 mm. The model has performance level of Immediate Occupancy (IO), Life Safety (LS) and Collapse Prevention (CP) at 6.3 mm, 16 mm and 49.1 mm roof top displacement, respectively. It was found that, the safe house structure is able to withstand seismic excitation of 0.98 g spectral acceleration.
AEROLLER: HERBICIDES ROLLER MACHINE FOR AEROBIC RICE WEED CONTROL
Authors: K. Mohd Khusairy , H. Ayob , C. S. Chan , M. I. Mohamed Fauzi , O. Mohamad Fakhrul Zaman , GS. M. Shahril Shah , O. Azlan , M. Abdul Rasad , A. Mohd Hashim , M. N. Saifulizan
Published: February 2016

As wet land rice, aerobic rice is also faced with the problem of weeds management. The absences of stagnant water facilitating more weed species to survive and compete with rice plants. Therefore, soil preparation is crucial for reduce weed problems in addition to manual control, which focuses on the rate of herbicides, the growth of rice plants, plant moisture and weed species. The risk of spray drift would be eliminated if herbicides were wiped on to weeds rather than sprayed. A machine designed to apply herbicides using rolling wipers were assessed for their ability to apply constant amounts of herbicide to treated surfaces. The machine designed by developed a structure consist of weed ball applicator, a hose connect to a 300 liter reservoir tank which attached to the transplanter prime mover. Weed ball applicator treated strips 15cm wide and having a roller 100 cm length. Adjustments to the flow rate as the reservoir can be made using a control valve at weed ball devices and control valve at the reservoir tank. AeRoller application used by wipe the herbicide onto weeds instead of spraying. The risk of damage to nearby non target plant would be almost eliminated and treatment under windy conditions would be possible by wiping herbicide on to weeds rather than spraying. A field evaluation of the Aeroller showed that it had good potential for the applications of herbicides for controlling weeds on aerobic rice farm.  The use of this rollers device system saves chemicals, reduce labor, reduce pollution on the environment and reduce worker exposure to dangerous herbicides.
POLYSULFONE MEMBRANE TESTS FOR NUTRIENTS RECLAMATION OF KENAF RETTED WASTEWATER
Authors: A. H. Nabilah Huda , M. T. Ramlah , M. I. Aida Isma , G. Siti Aisyah , A. Nor Munirah , Che Man Hasfalina
Published: February 2016

Water retting is the main challenge faced during the processing of bast kenaf plants. This conventional method has been reported to generate much water pollution. A lab-scale experiment was performed using two different polysulfone membranes to investigate the effect of additive towards the permeability performance and nutrients reclamation efficiency of kenaf retted wastewater. From the experiment, it may be concluded that polysulfone membrane with 10wt.% of polyvinyl-pyrrolidone concentration can be used effectively to reclaimed nutrients. Tests with polysulfone membrane without additive achieved more than 75% and a polysulfone membrane with 10% additive practically reclaimed more than 85% of nutrients from kenaf retted wastewater. Nutrients analysis indicated that total nitrogen, total phosphorus and pottasium could be reclaimed and can be reuse as liquid fertilizer.
VRT LIQUID FERTILIZER APPLICATOR FOR SOIL NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT
Authors: Yamin Muhammad , Wan Ismail Wan Ishak , Mohd Kassim Muhamad Saufi , Abd Aziz Samsuzana , Shamshiri Ramin
Published: February 2016

Sensor based VRT liquid fertilizer application is a suitable way to apply the nutrients for soil management of various crops. Time and resources can be saved using this technology but due to the special characteristics of cereal and tree crops like paddy and oil palm, dedicated designs of VRT liquid fertilizer applicators are needed to fulfill the nutritional requirement of respective crops. The proposed design of VRT liquid fertilizer applicator involves soil fertility sensors, speed sensor, flow control valves, flow sensors and pressure sensor. Design considers the variable fertilizer flow compensation with change in forward speed of machine between 2.5-3.5 km/h. Also this design offers the transfer of data from electronic controller to the external computer for record and performance testing of machine by computing the lag times of flow control valves and application error of machine. Originally, the design is for tree crop; however, with a slight modification in controller’s program, this will also be suitable for cereal crops like paddy. To apply the fertilizer, three DC pumps of 6.89 bar pressure and 5 L/min flow rate were used in simulation with the flow lines of 6 mm internal diameter. Flow simulation revealed that the system was able to achieve the 0.06 L/s at 13.73 m/s velocity at nozzles 1 and 2 (full cone nozzles) while nozzles 3 and 4(flat fan nozzles) were delivering the same flow rate but at a little high velocity of 13.94 m/s. A comparatively uniform distribution of fertilizer application may be achieved using flat fan nozzles.
METHANE EMISSION FROM PADDY SOIL IN RELATION TO SOIL TEMPERATURE IN TROPICAL REGION
Authors: P. Fazli , C. M. Hasfalina , M. Z. Mohamed Azwan , M. S. Umi Kalsom , A. R. Nor Aini , I. Azni
Published: February 2016

Methane (CH4) is 21 times more powerful as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. Wetlands including flooded paddy fields are one of the major sources for this gas. Paddy fields are responsible for producing 25 to 54 Tg of CH4 annually. Methane emission rate could be affected by several factors such as irrigation pattern, fertilizer type, soil organic matter and soil temperature. Among them, soil temperature is a determining factor which deserves to be investigated. This study performed with the aim of understanding the effect of soil temperature on the methane emission rate from paddy soil in a short period of time (hourly) and long term (during rice growing season). The results of this study suggest that soil temperature could control the amount of methane emission and there is a positive and strong correlation in both soil temperature and methane emission pattern in short period of time. However, in case of long term trend, other factors such as water management and plant age decreased this correlation from 0.768 to 0.528.
Successful surgical management of early esophageal cancer in a patient with cystic fibrosis post-bilateral lung transplantation
Authors: Walsh Siun M , Maphango Nomsa , Egan Jim J , Reynolds John V
Published: February 2016

We present the first reported case of successful surgical management of esophageal cancer post-lung transplantation for cystic fibrosis. This case of a 42-year-old man highlights the risk factors for esophageal adenocarcinoma associated with cystic fibrosis and lung transplantation, the management options for early esophageal cancer and the surgical option chosen to minimise respiratory risks. Individualised patient care may allow for curative surgical approaches, even where complex surgery is required.
Neurofibromatosis 1-associated panhypopituitarism presenting as hypoglycaemic seizures and stroke-like symptoms
Authors: Waheed Waqar , Nathan Muriel H , Allen Gilman B , Borden Neil M , Babi M Ali , Tandan Rup
Published: February 2016

A 37-year-old man with a known history of neurofibromatosis 1 (NF1) presented within 2 days of diarrhoeal illness followed by encephalopathy, facial twitching, hypoglycaemia, hypotension, tachycardia and low-grade fever. Examination showed multiplecafé-au-laitspots and neurofibromas over the trunk, arms and legs and receptive aphasia with right homonymous hemianopia, which resolved. Workup for cardiac, inflammatory and infectious aetiologies was unrevealing. A brain MRI showed gyral swelling with increased T2 fluid-attenuated inversion recovery signal and diffusion restriction in the left cerebral cortex. Neuroendocrine findings suggested panhypopituitarism with centrally derived adrenal insufficiency. Supportive treatment, hormone supplementation, antibiotics, antivirals and levetiracetam yielded clinical improvement. A follow-up brain MRI showed focal left parieto-occipital atrophy with findings of cortical laminar necrosis. In conclusion, we describe a case of NF1-associated panhypopituitarism presenting as hypoglycaemic seizures and stroke-like findings, hitherto unreported manifestations of NF1. Prompt recognition and treatment of these associated conditions can prevent devastating complications.
Giardia lambliainfection after pancreas-kidney transplantation
Authors: Kristensen Ann Abkjaer , Horneland Rune , Birn Henrik , Svensson My
Published: February 2016

Infection is a common complication of solid organ transplantation. It is associated with an increased risk of acute cellular rejection and loss of graft function. The most common infections are due to bacteria and viruses, including transmission of cytomegalovirus from donor to recipient. In the past years, an increasing number of parasitic infections have been documented in transplant recipients. We describe the first reported case of intestinalGiardia lambliatransmission following simultaneous pancreas and kidney transplantation.
Tricuspid and mitral endocarditis due to methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureusexhibiting vancomycin-creep phenomenon
Authors: Sundaragiri Pranathi Rao , Vallabhajosyula Saraschandra , Mahfood Haddad Toufik , Esterbrooks Dennis J
Published: February 2016

Right-sided infective endocarditis (RIE) is commonly due toStaphylococcus aureusand often involves the tricuspid valve (TV). A 31-year-old man with prior intravenous drug use presented with substernal pain, cough, dyspnoea and fever. Examination revealed a febrile, tachycardic male with peripheral infective endocarditis stigmata and right-heart failure. Laboratory parameters demonstrated leucocytosis, lactic acidosis and methicillin-resistantS. aureus(MRSA) bacteraemia. Echocardiography demonstrated multiple TV echodensities and chest imaging confirmed septic emboli. The MRSA species demonstrated ‘vancomycin-creep’, necessitating therapy with daptomycin and ceftaroline. Owing to persistent bacteraemia and septic shock, the patient underwent TV surgery, but continued to have a poor postoperative course with subsequent death. Indications for surgical therapy of RIE are limited to the European guidelines and most data are extrapolated from left-heart disease. MRSA exhibiting vancomycin-creep portends a poorer prognosis and requires aggressive therapy. We advocate the use of ceftaroline salvage therapy with daptomycin, pending further trials.
Synchronous colonic lymphoma and adenocarcinoma in a patient with Crohn's disease, treated with thiopurine therapy and a TNFα inhibitor: a challenge to Occam's razor
Authors: Beaumont Bell Rowan Daniel , Moriarty Kieran John
Published: February 2016

A 52-year-old man with Crohn's disease, treated with thiopurine therapy and a tumour necrosis factor (TNF) α inhibitor, attended for surveillance colonoscopy, which revealed a transverse colon mass. Biopsies of this lesion showed a diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. CT scan demonstrated this lesion, an additional caecal mass and multiple metastases. A supraclavicular lymph node was removed and demonstrated metastatic adenocarcinoma, consistent with a synchronous caecal primary. At multidisciplinary oncological, haematological, histopathological, gastroenterological, radiological and palliative care assessment, the metastatic adenocarcinoma was deemed to carry a grave prognosis. Following sensitive discussion, the patient opted for palliative care and died several weeks later. Occam's razor, the principle that ‘complexity should not be assumed unnecessarily’, is a medical school doctrine. Occasionally, however, dual diagnoses do arise. Recognition, as in this case, may prove critical in informed decision-making, both by doctors and, most importantly, by patients, about prognosis and optimal patient care, especially end-of-life care.
Acute renal failure and arterial hypertension due to subcapsular haematoma: is percutaneous drainage a feasible treatment?
Authors: Kobel Marie Cæcilie , Nielsen Tommy Kjærgaard , Graumann Ole
Published: February 2016

Percutaneous drainage proved to be successful in managing a renal subcapsular haematoma that was causing acute renal failure and hypertension in a 74-year-old woman. The patient presented with oliguria, nausea and malaise 2 days after a ureteronephroscopic procedure with biopsies of a suspected urothelial neoplasm in the right renal pelvis. The left kidney had recently been removed due to renal cell carcinoma. At admission, the patient's blood pressure and plasma creatinine levels were massively elevated. Ultrasonography revealed a moderate right-sided renal subcapsular haematoma. When the patient did not respond to antihypertensive treatment, Page kidney was suspected. A pigtail catheter was placed in the haematoma and, shortly after drainage, the diuresis resumed and plasma creatinine together with blood pressure decreased. This condition had previously been managed by open surgery, but recent case reports have described successful management by laparoscopy-assisted and radiology-assisted drainage, as described in this case report.
Autoimmune hepatitis unmasked by nimesulide
Authors: Magalhães Rita , Fonseca Margarida , Brandão Ilídio , Caridade Sofia
Published: February 2016

A 49-year-old woman presented at the emergency department, with acute hepatic failure, 2 weeks after taking nimesulide. Presenting with a MELD score of 25.0, the patient was transferred to a specialised liver transplant unit, with the probable diagnosis of toxic hepatitis. After a clinical improvement with supportive care and acetylcysteine, a liver biopsy was executed. The histology revealed micronodular cirrhosis associated with acute hepatitis, with features suggestive of autoimmune hepatitis. The patient was then started on azathioprine 50 mg/day and prednisolone 30 mg/day, and tapering of prednisolone was carried out in the following months. Twenty eight months after treatment, another liver biopsy was performed, showing almost full remission of the disease, with only mild fibrosis and no significant inflammatory infiltrate.
Synchronic volvulus of splenic flexure and caecum: a very rare cause of large bowel obstruction
Authors: Islam Shariful , Hosein Devin , Harnarayan Patrick , Naraynsingh Vijay
Published: February 2016

Colonic volvulus involving the caecum and splenic flexure of the colon is an extremely rare surgical entity and, as a result, it is rarely entertained as a differential diagnosis for large bowel obstruction. The most common site of volvulus is located at the sigmoid colon (75%) followed by caecum (22%). Rare sites of colonic volvulus include the transverse colon (about 2%) and splenic flexure (1–2%). Synchronous double colonic volvulus is very rare. The presentation of this condition can be similar to the signs and symptoms of large bowel obstruction. CT imaging of the abdomen can be diagnostic; however, the diagnosis is often missed due to the rarity of this condition—in such cases, it can only be made at laparotomy. Management of this condition should be expedited to prevent a fatal outcome. We present the case of a 56-year-old woman with synchronous volvulus of the caecum and splenic flexure of the colon.
A man with dark urine and shortness of breath: a case-based review of paravalvular leaks
Authors: Curtain James P , O'Brien James William
Published: February 2016

A 62-year-old man presented to his general practitioner with a 10-day history of dark red urine. Subsequent blood tests revealed an acute kidney injury and anaemia. His only medical history was a prosthetic mitral valve replacement 30 years previously for rheumatic valve disease. Following referral to a urology service, initial investigations, including CT KUB (kidneys, ureters, bladder), excluded a urological cause for his presentation. A haemolysis screen was positive. A transthoracic echocardiogram reported severe aortic stenosis and aortic incompetence. A transoesophageal echocardiogram revealed a paravalvular leak at the prosthetic mitral valve. The patient was referred to a regional cardiothoracic centre, and underwent a repeat mitral valve replacement and an aortic valve replacement.
Varicella zoster virus: a rare cause of acute pancreatitis in an immunocompetent child
Authors: Kulasegaran Suheelan , Wilson Elizabeth Jane , Vasquez Leon , Hulme-Moir Mike
Published: February 2016

A 15-year-old girl with a diagnosis of varicella zoster virus (VZV) presented to hospital with severe abdominal pain. This patient was immunocompetent and found to have acute pancreatitis in association with VZV. She responded well to intravenous acyclovir and supportive treatment. A review of the literature for the management of pancreatitis associated with VZV suggests treatment with acyclovir, as it appears to reduce hospital stay and symptoms. The exact benefit is yet to be quantified. Importantly, this diagnosis should be considered in children who have VZV associated with abdominal pain.
Rare extrapulmonary complications ofMycoplasma pneumoniaeinfection
Authors: Dhaliwal Kiran , Enright Kevin
Published: February 2016

Stevens-Johnsons syndrome (SJS) is a rare extra-pulmonary complication ofMycoplasma pneumoniaeinfection. We present the case of a 26-year-old man with fever, cough, extensive oral mucosal ulceration and a widespread truncal rash. He was diagnosed withM. pneumoniae-induced SJS. He responded well to antibiotics and steroids initially, but went on to develop pseudomembranous conjunctivitis requiring bilateral amniotic membrane grafting.

SJS is most commonly drug-induced, however,M. pneumoniaeis the commonest infectious cause and should be considered in the differential diagnosis. It is also important to get specialist care involved early to minimise the long-term effects of any complications.
The prognostic value of TP53 mutations in oesophageal adenocarcinoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Fisher Oliver M , Lord Sarah J , Falkenback Dan , Clemons Nicholas J , Eslick Guy D , Lord Reginald V
Published: February 2016

Objective

To clarify the prognostic role of tumour protein 53 (TP53) mutations in patients with oesophageal adenocarcinoma (OAC) as there is a need for biomarkers that assist in guiding management for patients with OAC.

Design

A systematic review was conducted using MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed and Current Contents Connect to identify studies published between January 1990 and February 2015 of oesophageal cancer populations (with OAC diagnoses >50% of cases) that measured tumoural TP53 status and reported hazard ratios (HR), or adequate data for estimation of HR for survival for TP53-defined subgroups. Risk of bias for HR estimates was assessed using prespecified criteria for the appraisal of relevant domains as defined by the Cochrane Prognosis Methods Group including adherence to Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation and REporting recommendations for tumor MARKer prognostic studies guidelines, as well as assay method used (direct TP53 mutation assessment vs immunohistochemistry) and adjustment for standard prognostic factors. A pooled HR and 95% CI were calculated using a random-effects model.

Results

Sixteen eligible studies (11 with OAC only and 5 mixed histology cohorts) including 888 patients were identified. TP53 mutations were associated with reduced survival (HR 1.48, 95% CI 1.16 to 1.90, I2=33%). A greater prognostic effect was observed in a sensitivity analysis of those studies that reported survival for OAC-only cohorts and were assessed at low risk of bias (HR 2.11, 95% CI 1.35 to 3.31, I2=0%).

Conclusions

Patients with OAC and TP53 gene mutations have reduced overall survival compared with patients without these mutations, and this effect is independent of tumour stage.
Synthesis and characterization of nanocrystalline LaMnO3 modified BaTiO3 ferroelectric ceramics prepared by chemical route
Authors: Dhak Prasanta , Adak Mrinal Kanti , Dhak Debasis
Published: February 2016

Nanocrystalline Ba[Formula: see text]Ti[Formula: see text]La[Formula: see text]Mn[Formula: see text]O3, [[Formula: see text] = 0.006, 0.008, 0.01 and 0.05] (abbreviated hereafter as BTLM) by chemical route. The phase formation and purity were checked by X-ray diffraction (XRD) study and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The grain morphology after sintering was studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The crystallite sizes range from 21 nm to 30 nm, while the particle size ranges between 27 nm and 38 nm. The grain size 212 nm and grain density 96.8% were found to be maximum for BTLM [Formula: see text] = 0.05 and [Formula: see text] = 0.01, respectively. The temperature dependence of dielectric constants was found to be more diffused and the peak value of the dielectric constant was decreased and more flat with the increase of the substituent concentration. The tangent loss was found to be decreased and reached to the minimum value of 0.032 for BTLM [Formula: see text] = 0.05. The remnant polarization [Formula: see text], was 10 [Formula: see text]C/cm2 for BTLM [Formula: see text] = 0.01.
First-principle study of the electronic structure and magnetism of lithium-adsorbed 3d transition-metal phthalocyanines
Authors: Wang M. , Hu Y. , Zhang Z. , Li Y. , Zhou T. , Ren J.
Published: February 2016

Based on density functional theory (DFT) calculations, the electronic structures and magnetic properties of [Formula: see text] transition-metal phthalocyanine (TMPc, TM = Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni and Cu), as well as Li-adsorbed phthalocyanines have been studied. The results show that the pristine TMPcs all have a good [Formula: see text] symmetry. When there is one Li atom adsorbed on TMPcs directly over (LiTMPc-[Formula: see text]) or slantly above (LiTMPc-[Formula: see text]) the TM atoms, the geometries and electronic structures will be changed. For LiTMPc-[Formula: see text] systems, the central TM atoms will deviate from the molecular plane and the molecules exhibit good [Formula: see text] symmetry. LiTMPc-[Formula: see text] systems are more stable than LiTMPc-[Formula: see text] systems but it do not possess [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] symmetries. The total and local magnetic moments and the charge transfer are also presented. Finally, by using the orbit mixing and splitting theory under [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] symmetry, we get the ordering of the energy levels of the central TM atoms.
How to control the coherent oscillations in Landau–Zener–Stueckelberg dynamics of three-level system
Authors: Qin Xiao-Ke
Published: February 2016

Coherent pulse is used to control and measure the quantum state of three-level system in double quantum dots. We analyze the coherent oscillations in Landau–Zener–Stueckelberg (LZS) dynamics by the adiabatic-impulse model, which simplifies the applied pulse as an optical interference device. Under the designed “hat-shape” pulse, the sweeping speed through each avoid crossing can be tuned independently. The coherent oscillations in LZS dynamics of three-level system are optimized by the control pulse. Moreover, we can filter out the coherent oscillations with the unexpected frequency and only keep the coherent oscillations with the frequency we are interested in.
A MIXED-FRACTAL FLOW MODEL FOR STIMULATED FRACTURED VERTICAL WELLS IN TIGHT OIL RESERVOIRS
Authors: SU YULIANG , SHENG GUANGLONG , WANG WENDONG , ZHANG QI , LU MINGJING , REN LONG
Published: February 2016

Stimulated reservoir volume (SRV) with large fracture networks can be generated near hydraulic fractured vertical wells (HFVWs) in tight oil reservoirs. Statistics show that natural microfractures and fracture networks stimulated by SRV were self-similar in statistical sense. Currently, various analytical models have been presented to study pressure behaviors of HFVWs in tight oil reservoirs. However, most of the existing models did not take the distribution and self-similarity of fractures into consideration. To account for stimulated characteristic and self-similarity of fractures in tight oil reservoirs, a mixed-fractal flow model was presented. In this model, there are two distinct regions, stimulated region and unstimulated region. Dual-porosity model and single porosity model were used to model stimulated and unstimulated regions, respectively. Fractal geometry is employed to describe fractal permeability and porosity relationship (FPPR) in tight oil reservoirs. Solutions for the mixed-fractal flow model were derived in the Laplace domain and were validated among range of the reservoir parameters. The pressure transient behavior and production rate derivative were used to analyze flow regimes. The type curves show that the fluid flow in HFVWs can be divided into six main flow periods. Finally, effect of fractal parameters and SRV size on flow periods were also discussed. The results show that the SRV size and fractal parameters of fracture network have great effect on the former periods and fractal parameters of matrix mainly influence the later flow periods.
Multilevel Image Segmentation Based on an Improved Firefly Algorithm
Authors: Chen Kai , Zhou Yifan , Zhang Zhisheng , Dai Min , Chao Yuan , Shi Jinfei
Published: February 2016

Multilevel image segmentation is time-consuming and involves large computation. The firefly algorithm has been applied to enhancing the efficiency of multilevel image segmentation. However, in some cases, firefly algorithm is easily trapped into local optima. In this paper, an improved firefly algorithm (IFA) is proposed to search multilevel thresholds. In IFA, in order to help fireflies escape from local optima and accelerate the convergence, two strategies (i.e., diversity enhancing strategy with Cauchy mutation and neighborhood strategy) are proposed and adaptively chosen according to different stagnation stations. The proposed IFA is compared with three benchmark optimal algorithms, that is, Darwinian particle swarm optimization, hybrid differential evolution optimization, and firefly algorithm. The experimental results show that the proposed method can efficiently segment multilevel images and obtain better performance than the other three methods.
Symptom Endorsement and Sociodemographic Correlates of Postnatal Distress in Three Low Income Countries
Authors: Nguyen Amanda J. , Haroz Emily E. , Mendelson Tamar , Bass Judith
Published: February 2016

Background. Maternal mental illness has been implicated in adverse child development outcomes. Factors such as context and culture may influence experiences of maternal distress and explain differences in outcomes across settings.Methods.We analyzed baseline data from 5,647 mothers in Ethiopia, India (Andhra Pradesh), and Vietnam participating in an ongoing cohort study (Young Lives) to compare symptom endorsement and sociodemographic correlates of distress. Maternal distress was assessed using the Self-Reporting Questionnaire-20 Items (cutoff: ≥8). Logistic regressions were stratified by sample to identify correlates of distress.Results.Symptom endorsement was similar among distressed women, particularly with regard to feeling unhappy (76%, 80%, and 79%). Notable differences were observed in three items assessing Depressive Thoughts, which were most highly endorsed in Ethiopia (49%–56%). Having a child experiencing a life-threatening event was correlated with distress in all three samples. A variety of correlates were unique to only one sample.Conclusions.There were multiple similarities but also notable differences across sites in the expression and correlates of maternal distress. Feeling unhappy appears to be a hallmark feature of distress. Correlates highlight the relationship between distress and indicators of poverty, child wellbeing, and economic shocks. Differences demonstrate the value of further exploration of cross-cultural differences.
Human Adipose‐Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Cryopreservation and Thawing Decrease α4‐Integrin Expression
Authors: Irioda Ana Carolina , Cassilha Rafael , Zocche Larissa , Francisco Julio Cesar , Cunha Ricardo Correa , Ferreira Priscila Elias , Guarita-Souza Luiz Cesar , Ferreira Reginaldo Justino , Mogharbel Bassam Felipe , Garikipati Venkata Naga Srikanth , Souza Daiany , Beltrame Mirian Perlingeiro , de Carvalho Katherine Athayde Teixeira
Published: February 2016

Aim. The effects of cryopreservation on adipose tissue‐derived mesenchymal stem cells are not clearly documented, as there is a growing body of evidence about the importance of adipose‐derived mesenchymal stem cells for regenerative therapies. The aim of this study was to analyze human adipose tissue‐derived mesenchymal stem cells phenotypic expression (CD34, CD45, CD73, CD90, CD105, and CD49d), colony forming unit ability, viability, and differentiation potential before and after cryopreservation. Materials and Methods. 12 samples of the adipose tissue were collected from a healthy donor using the liposuction technique. The cell isolation was performed by enzymatic digestion and then the cells were cultured up to passage 2. Before and after cryopreservation the immunophenotype, cellular viability analysis by flow cytometer, colony forming units ability, differentiation potential into adipocytes and osteoblasts as demonstrated by Oil Red O and Alizarin Red staining, respectively. Results. The immunophenotypic markers expression was largely preserved, and their multipotency was maintained. However, after cryopreservation, the cells decreased α4‐integrin expression (CD49d), cell viability, and number of colony forming units. Conclusions. These findings suggest that ADMSC transplanted after cryopreservation might compromise the retention of transplanted cells in the host tissue. Therefore, further studies are warranted to standardize protocols related to cryopreservation to attain full benefits of stem cell therapy.
The Electrical Performance of Polyamide 66/Poly(vinylidene fluoride) with Vinyl Acetate-Maleic Anhydride Copolymer
Authors: Li Rui , Shi Zhiliang , Kuang Dongliang , Pei Jianzhong
Published: February 2016

The electric performance of the PA66/PVDF blends filled with various amount of copolymer synthesized from vinyl acetate-maleic anhydride (VAMA) was investigated. PA66/VAMA/PVDF blends show high dielectric constants, low dielectric loss, and excellent breakdown strength, which were important indexes in the actual application of dielectric material. The VAMA copolymer improves the dielectric and piezoelectric performance of the PA66/PVDF blends. Meanwhile, the addition of VAMA obviously decreases the dielectric loss and breakdown strength of the blends. PA66/PVDF blends filled with 3 wt% VAMA exhibited the best electric ability. The stable dielectric constants of the all-polymeric blends can be tuned by adjusting the content of the VAMA. The created all-polymeric blends represent a novel dielectric material that is technologically simple and easy to process forward application for flexible electronics.
The Role of18F-FDG PET/CT and MRI in Assessing Pathological Complete Response to Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Patients with Breast Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Liu Qiufang , Wang Chen , Li Panli , Liu Jianjun , Huang Gang , Song Shaoli
Published: February 2016

Purpose. We performed this meta-analysis to determine the utilities of18F-FDG PET/CT and MRI in assessing the pathological complete response (pCR) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in the same cohort of patients with breast cancer.Methods. Two reviewers systematically searched on PubMed, Scopus, and Springer (from the beginning of 1992 to Aug. 1, 2015) for the eligible articles. Heterogeneity, pooled sensitivity and specificity, positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio, and the summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) curve were calculated to estimate the diagnostic efficacy of18F-FDG PET/CT and MRI.Results. A total of 6 studies including 382 pathologically confirmed patients were eligible. The pooled sensitivity and specificity of18F-FDG PET/CT were 0.86 (95% CI: 0.76–0.93) and 0.72 (95% CI: 0.49–0.87), respectively. Pooled sensitivity and specificity of MRI were 0.65 (95% CI: 0.45–0.80) and 0.88 (95% CI: 0.75–0.95), respectively. The area under the SROC curve of18F-FDG PET/CT and MRI was 0.88 and 0.84, respectively.Conclusion. Study indicated that18F-FDG PET/CT had a higher sensitivity and MRI had a higher specificity in assessing pCR in breast cancer patients. Therefore, the combined use of these two imaging modalities may have great potential to improve the diagnostic performance in assessing pCR after NAC.
Local Ablative Strategies for Ductal Pancreatic Cancer (Radiofrequency Ablation, Irreversible Electroporation): A Review
Authors: Paiella Salvatore , Salvia Roberto , Ramera Marco , Girelli Roberto , Frigerio Isabella , Giardino Alessandro , Allegrini Valentina , Bassi Claudio
Published: February 2016

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) has still a dismal prognosis. Locally advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPC) accounts for the 40% of the new diagnoses. Current treatment options are based on chemo- and radiotherapy regimens. Local ablative techniques seem to be the future therapeutic option for stage-III patients with PDAC. Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA) and Irreversible Electroporation (IRE) are actually the most emerging local ablative techniques used on LAPC. Initial clinical studies on the use of these techniques have already demonstrated encouraging results in terms of safety and feasibility. Unfortunately, few studies on their efficacy are currently available. Even though some reports on the overall survival are encouraging, randomized studies are still required to corroborate these findings. This study provides an up-to-date overview and a thematic summary of the current available evidence on the application of RFA and IRE on PDAC, together with a comparison of the two procedures.
Effect of Frequency on Pulsed Fluidized Beds of Ultrafine Powders
Authors: Ali Syed Sadiq , Al-Ghurabi Ebrahim H. , Ajbar Abdelhamid , Mohammed Yahya A. , Boumaza Mourad , Asif Mohammad
Published: February 2016

Deagglomeration of ultrafine powders poses an important challenge towards their efficient and effective utilization. In the present study, we investigate the effect of frequency on the hydrodynamics of pulsed fluidized beds of ultrafine powders that show strong agglomeration behavior. We have carefully selected square waves of three different frequencies: 0.05 Hz, 0.10 Hz, and 0.25 Hz. The lowest frequency used here allowed the fluidized bed to settle completely before another pulse was introduced whilst the highest frequency ensured that the bed remained in a state of continuous turbulence between occurrences of consecutive pulses. On the other hand, the intermediate frequency pulse was just sufficient to complete the process of bed collapse before the start of the next pulse. Both local and global bed dynamics in all the three cases were rigorously monitored using fast response pressure transducers. The pressure transient data during the bed collapse were processed using the bed collapse model reported in the literature to compute the effective hydrodynamic diameter of agglomerates. Though there was substantial decrease in the agglomerate size, the effect of the frequency appeared to be rather insignificant as the global pressure transients remained rather insensitive to the change of the fluidization velocity.
Encryption of 3D Point Cloud Object with Deformed Fringe
Authors: Yang Xin , Zhang Hongbo
Published: February 2016

A 3D point cloud object encryption method was proposed with this study. With the method, a mapping relationship between 3D coordinates was formulated and Z coordinate was transformed to deformed fringe by a phase coding method. The deformed fringe and gray image were used for encryption and decryption with simulated off-axis digital Fresnel hologram. Results indicated that the proposed method is able to accurately decrypt the coordinates and gray image of the 3D object. The method is also robust against occlusion attacks.
Feeding Ecology of Taruca (Hippocamelus antisensis) Populations during the Rainy and Dry Seasons in Central Peru
Authors: Gazzolo Carla , Barrio Javier
Published: February 2016

Tarucas (Hippocamelus antisensis) live in rocky areas in the Andes, from northern Peru to northern Argentina. Microhistological analyses on their feeding ecology during the rainy and dry seasons were done at a National Park and a Landscape Reserve. The diet was diverse and more than 50 species were identified from the feces. Grass species were most often detected as eaten by taruca during the rainy season comprising near 70% of the consumed fragments with 35 plant species identified as eaten then. In the dry season, around 50 species were identified as eaten by tarucas, mostly dicotyledonous. The main species consumed in both seasons wereWerneria nubigena,Poa gymnantha,Senecio comosus, andEphedra americana. The ecological density was an intermediate value compared to other observed values in Peru. This is the first study to find the importance of grasses for tarucas, selected when soft, during the rainy season. A possible overlap with domestic ungulates’ diets should be explored, helping the conservation of taruca and generating an adequate management of the species and the ecosystem. There is a change in the palatable offer of food items during the rainy season, when most of the Gramineae species are tender.
Markov Model-Based Energy Efficiency Spectrum Sensing in Cognitive Radio Sensor Networks
Authors: Jiao Yan , Joe Inwhee
Published: February 2016

Cognitive Radio Sensor Network (CRSN), incorporating cognitive radio capability in wireless sensor networks, is a new paradigm of the next-generation sensor network. Sensor nodes are usually battery powered and hence have strict energy constraints. As a result, energy efficiency is also a very critical problem in the CRSN. In this paper, we focus on energy consumption because of spectrum sensing. Furthermore, we present an adaptive spectrum sensing time interval strategy, in which SUs can adjust the next spectrum sensing time interval according to the current spectrum sensing results (namely, channel status). In order to find an optimal spectrum sensing time interval, we introduce the Markov model. Then, we establish a Markov model-based mathematical modeling for analyzing the relationship between spectrum sensing time interval and prior spectrum sensing results. Finally, numerical results demonstrate that the proposed strategy with dynamic adaptive spectrum sensing time interval exceededlisten before talk(LBT) strategy which is widely used for traditional wireless sensor networks.
Tobacco Causes Human Cancers—A Concept Founded on Epidemiology and an Insightful Experiment Now Requires Translation Worldwide
Authors: Loeb Lawrence A.
Published: February 2016

The recognition that tobacco smoke is carcinogenic led to the most significant and successful effort at reducing cancer incidence in human history. A major milestone of this effort was the publication in Cancer Research by Wynder and colleagues, which demonstrated the ability of tobacco tars to produce tumors in mice. This study provided a powerful link between the epidemiology of cancer and mechanisms of carcinogenesis. This commentary asserts that we have a moral obligation to translate our success in reducing lung cancer in the United States to the 1.25 billion smokers throughout the rest of the world. Cancer Res; 76(4); 765–6. ©2016 AACR.

See related article by Wynder et al., Cancer Res 1953;13:855–64.
The Expanding Complexity of Estrogen Receptor Signaling in the Cardiovascular System
Authors: Menazza Sara , Murphy Elizabeth
Published: February 2016

Estrogen has important effects on cardiovascular function including regulation of vascular function, blood pressure, endothelial relaxation, and the development of hypertrophy and cardioprotection. However, the mechanisms by which estrogen mediates these effects are still poorly understood. As detailed in this review, estrogen can regulate transcription by binding to 2 nuclear receptors, ERα and ERβ, which differentially regulate gene transcription. ERα and ERβ regulation of gene transcription is further modulated by tissue-specific coactivators and corepressors. Estrogen can bind to ERα and ERβ localized at the plasma membrane as well as G-protein–coupled estrogen receptor to initiate membrane delimited signaling, which enhances kinase signaling pathways that can have acute and long-term effects. The kinase signaling pathways can also mediate transcriptional changes and can synergize with the ER to regulate cell function. This review will summarize the beneficial effects of estrogen in protecting the cardiovascular system through ER-dependent mechanisms with an emphasis on the role of the recently described ER membrane signaling mechanisms.
Social Movements against Corruption and Sexual Violence in India
Authors: Buser De Maya , Kim Chanwahn
Published: February 2016

This paper investigates the highly mediatised mobilisation of the urban middle class in Delhi, India, against two social events, the anti-corruption movement in 2011 and the movement against sexual violence in 2013. It uses the perspective of resource mobilisation theory and, more specifically, the resource typology for social movements for a systematic and comparative analysis of middle-class mobilisation. The inclusion of a category of institutional resources is proposed, because of the important role played by judicial institutions to frame demands for change in both instances. Findings from this investigation reveal that the urban middle class in Delhi has approached these two movements using similar cultural, human and institutional resources, but it has significantly diverged in its usage of social-organisational resources. This study contributes to the ongoing discussions about the potential new role of the diverse urban middle class in Indian politics beyond electoral processes.