bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Noninterventional Open-Label Trial Investigating the Efficacy and Safety of Ectoine Containing Nasal Spray in Comparison with Beclomethasone Nasal Spray in Patients with Allergic Rhinitis
Authors: Sonnemann Uwe , Möller Marcus , Bilstein Andreas
Published: May 2014

Objectives. The current study aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of a classical anti-inflammatory beclomethasone nasal spray in comparison to a physic-chemical stabilizing ectoine containing nasal spray in the treatment of allergic rhinitis. Design and Methods. This was a noninterventional, open-label, observational trial investigating the effects of beclomethasone or ectoine nasal spray on nasal symptoms and quality of life. Over a period of 14 days, patients were asked to daily document their symptoms. Efficacy and tolerability were assessed by both physicians and patients. Results. Both treatments resulted in a significant decrease of TNSS values. An equivalence test could not confirm the noninferiority of ectoine treatment in comparison with beclomethasone treatment. Although clear symptom reduction was achieved with the ectoine products, the efficacy judgment showed possible advantages for the beclomethasone group. Importantly, tolerability results were comparably good in both groups, and a very low number of adverse events supported this observation. Both treatments resulted in a clear improvement in the quality of life as assessed by a questionnaire answered at the beginning and at the end of the trial. Conclusion. Taken together, it was shown that allergic rhinitis can be safely and successfully treated with beclomethasone and also efficacy and safety were shown for ectoine nasal spray.
Complications of Microsurgery of Vestibular Schwannoma
Authors: Betka Jan , Zvěřina Eduard , Balogová Zuzana , Profant Oliver , Skřivan Jiří , Kraus Josef , Lisý Jiří , Syka Josef , Chovanec Martin
Published: May 2014

Background. The aim of this study was to analyze complications of vestibular schwannoma (VS) microsurgery.Material and Methods. A retrospective study was performed in 333 patients with unilateral vestibular schwannoma indicated for surgical treatment between January 1997 and December 2012. Postoperative complications were assessed immediately after VS surgery as well as during outpatient followup.Results. In all 333 patients microsurgical vestibular schwannoma (Koos grade 1: 12, grade 2: 34, grade 3: 62, and grade 4: 225) removal was performed. The main neurological complication was facial nerve dysfunction. The intermediate and poor function (HB III–VI) was observed in 124 cases (45%) immediately after surgery and in 104 cases (33%) on the last followup. We encountered disordered vestibular compensation in 13%, permanent trigeminal nerve dysfunction in 1%, and transient lower cranial nerves (IX–XI) deficit in 6%. Nonneurological complications included CSF leakage in 63% (lateral/medial variant: 99/1%), headache in 9%, and intracerebral hemorrhage in 5%. We did not encounter any case of meningitis.Conclusions. Our study demonstrates that despite the benefits of advanced high-tech equipment, refined microsurgical instruments, and highly developed neuroimaging technologies, there are still various and significant complications associated with vestibular schwannomas microsurgery.
Region‐Dot Conversion Fusion Algorithm and Application
Authors: Fu Zhouxing , Wang Mei , Du Jingyi , Lin Hsiung-Cheng , Xu Ningbo , Zan Hongyang
Published: May 2014

The interior decoration materials and the new furniture using formaldehyde, ammonia, and other poisonous substances are known as the main sources of indoor air pollutions. However, it is still a big challenge to estimate accurately the overall air quality by using the current measuring tools. Accordingly, the region‐dot fusion (RDF) algorithm is proposed to evaluate the air quality in this paper. For the conversion from a region to a dot, the region‐dot function is firstly defined as the summation of the belief function and the weighted width of the belief interval. In the RDF algorithm, the belief intervals of the two sensors with the basic probability functions are calculated based on the measurements of formaldehyde sensor and ammonia sensor. Then, the belief intervals are converted to the specific values. After the computation of collision degree and combination, the pollution level represented by a belief interval with the maximum probability is selected as the outcome of fusion decision. Compared with the weighted fusion algorithm and D‐S evidence reasoning method, it is experimentally proved that the RDF algorithm can improve the separability of the belief intervals of the belief functions. Also, the evidence collision degree is decreased dramatically.
Adaptive Personalized Training Games for Individual and Collaborative Rehabilitation of People with Multiple Sclerosis
Authors: Octavia Johanna Renny , Coninx Karin
Published: May 2014

Any rehabilitation involves people who are unique individuals with their own characteristics and rehabilitation needs, including patients suffering from Multiple Sclerosis (MS). The prominent variation of MS symptoms and the disease severity elevate a need to accommodate the patient diversity and support adaptive personalized training to meet every patient’s rehabilitation needs. In this paper, we focus on integrating adaptivity and personalization in rehabilitation training for MS patients. We introduced the automatic adjustment of difficulty levels as an adaptation that can be provided in individual and collaborative rehabilitation training exercises for MS patients. Two user studies have been carried out with nine MS patients to investigate the outcome of this adaptation. The findings showed that adaptive personalized training trajectories have been successfully provided to MS patients according to their individual training progress, which was appreciated by the patients and the therapist. They considered the automatic adjustment of difficulty levels to provide more variety in the training and to minimize the therapists involvement in setting up the training. With regard to social interaction in the collaborative training exercise, we have observed some social behaviors between the patients and their training partner which indicated the development of social interaction during the training.
Analysis of the Noise-Induced Regimes in Ricker Population Model with Allee Effect via Confidence Domains Technique
Authors: Bashkirtseva Irina , Ryashko Lev
Published: May 2014

We consider a discrete-time Ricker population model with the Allee effect under the random disturbances. It is shown that noise can cause various dynamic regimes, such as stable stochastic oscillations around the equilibrium, noise-induced extinction, and a stochastic trigger. For the parametric analysis of these regimes, we develop a method based on the investigation of the dispersions and arrangement of confidence domains. Using this method, we estimate threshold values of the noise generating such regimes.
Two-Cloud-Servers-Assisted Secure Outsourcing Multiparty Computation
Authors: Sun Yi , Wen Qiaoyan , Zhang Yudong , Zhang Hua , Jin Zhengping , Li Wenmin
Published: May 2014

We focus on how to securely outsource computation task to the cloud and propose a secure outsourcing multiparty computation protocol on lattice-based encrypted data in two-cloud-servers scenario. Our main idea is to transform the outsourced data respectively encrypted by different users’ public keys to the ones that are encrypted by the same two private keys of the two assisted servers so that it is feasible to operate on the transformed ciphertexts to compute an encrypted result following the function to be computed. In order to keep the privacy of the result, the two servers cooperatively produce a custom-made result for each user that is authorized to get the result so that all authorized users can recover the desired result while other unauthorized ones including the two servers cannot. Compared with previous research, our protocol is completely noninteractive between any users, and both of the computation and the communication complexities of each user in our solution are independent of the computing function.
Effects of Qigong Training on Health‐Related Quality of Life, Functioning, and Cancer‐Related Symptoms in Survivors of Nasopharyngeal Cancer: A Pilot Study
Authors: Fong Shirley S. M. , Ng Shamay S. M. , Luk W. S. , Chung Louisa M. Y. , Wong Janet Y. H. , Chung Joanne W. Y.
Published: May 2014

This study aimed to investigate the effects of Qigong intervention on quality of life (QOL), health‐related functioning, and cancer‐related symptoms in survivors of nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC). Twenty‐five survivors of NPC were included in the experimental group (mean age ± SD: 55.4 ± 7.5 years) and 27 in the control group (mean age ± SD: 58.7 ± 9.5 years). The experimental group underwent a weekly 1.5‐hour Qigong training program and an identical home program (three times/week) for six months. The control group received no training. Global health status/QOL, functioning, and cancer‐related symptoms were assessed by the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ‐C30 and QLQ‐H&N35 questionnaires before training began, after three months of Qigong training, at the end of the six‐month Qigong intervention (i.e., posttest), and six months posttest. Intention‐to‐treat analysis revealed no statistically (P > 0.05) or clinically significant improvement in global health status/QOL, functioning, or symptoms in either group. The experimental group had 45.8% fewer sense‐related (smell and taste) problems (P < 0.05) but 98.6% more speech‐related problems (P < 0.05) than the control group after the Qigong intervention. Qigong training resulted in no apparent improvement in health‐related QOL, functionality, or cancer‐related symptoms in cancer‐free survivors of NPC, except for a possible reduction in smell‐ and taste‐related problems.
New Two-Dimensional Polynomial Failure Criteria for Composite Materials
Authors: Zhao Shi Yang , Xue Pu
Published: May 2014

The in-plane damage behavior and material properties of the composite material are very complex. At present, a large number of two-dimensional failure criteria, such as Chang-Chang criteria, have been proposed to predict the damage process of composite structures under loading. However, there is still no good criterion to realize it with both enough accuracy and computational performance. All these criteria cannot be adjusted by experimental data. Therefore, any special properties of composite material cannot be considered by these criteria. Here, in order to solve the problem that the criteria cannot be adjusted by experiment, new two-dimensional polynomial failure criteria with four internal parameters for composite laminates are proposed in the paper, which include four distinct failure modes: fiber tensile failure, fiber compressive failure, matrix tensile failure, and matrix compressive failure. In general, the four internal parameters should be determined by experiments. One example that identifies parameters of the new failure criteria is given. Using the new criteria can reduce the artificialness of choosing the criteria for the damage simulation of the failure modes in composite laminates.
Cooperative Control Method of Active and Semiactive Control: New Framework for Vibration Control
Authors: Hiramoto Kazuhiko
Published: May 2014

A new control design framework for vibration control, the cooperative control of active
and semiactive control, is proposed in the paper. In the cooperative control, a structural system
having both of an actuator and a semiactive control device, for example, MR damper and so forth, is
defined as the control object. In the proposed control approach, the higher control performance
is aimed by the cooperative control between the active control with the actuator and
the semiactive control with the semiactive control device. A design method to determine the
active control input and the command signal to drive the semiactive control device based on
the one‐step prediction of the control output is proposed. A simulation example of a control
system design for a benchmark building is presented to show the effectiveness of the proposed
control framework.
Validity of Weight Estimation Models in Pigs Reared under Different Management Conditions
Authors: Sungirai Marvelous , Masaka Lawrence , Benhura Tonderai Maxwell
Published: May 2014

A study was carried out to determine the relationship between linear body measurements and live weight in Landrace and Large White pigs reared under different management conditions in Zimbabwe. Data was collected for body length, heart girth, and live weight in 358 pigs reared under intensive commercial conditions. The stepwise multiple linear regression method was done to develop a model using a random selection of 202 records of pigs. The model showed that age, body length, and heart girth were useful predictors of live weight in these pigs with significantly high positive correlations observed. The model was internally validated using records of the remaining 156 pigs and there was a significantly high positive correlation between the actual and predicted weights. The model was then externally validated using 40 market age pigs reared under communal conditions and there was a significantly low positive correlation between the actual and predicted weights. The results of the study show that while linear measurements can be useful in predicting pig weights the appropriateness of the model is also influenced by the management of the pigs. Models can only be applicable to pigs reared under similar conditions of management.
Mechanisms of Innate Lymphoid Cell and Natural Killer T Cell Activation during Mucosal Inflammation
Authors: Nau David , Altmayer Nora , Mattner Jochen
Published: May 2014

Mucosal surfaces in the airways and the gastrointestinal tract are critical for the interactions of the host with its environment. Due to their abundance at mucosal tissue sites and their powerful immunomodulatory capacities, the role of innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) and natural killer T (NKT) cells in the maintenance of mucosal tolerance has recently moved into the focus of attention. While NKT cells as well as ILCs utilize distinct transcription factors for their development and lineage diversification, both cell populations can be further divided into three polarized subpopulations reflecting the distinction into Th1, Th2, and Th17 cells in the adaptive immune system. While bystander activation through cytokines mediates the induction of ILC and NKT cell responses, NKT cells become activated also through the engagement of their canonical T cell receptors (TCRs) by (glyco)lipid antigens (cognate recognition) presented by the atypical MHC I like molecule CD1d on antigen presenting cells (APCs). As both innate lymphocyte populations influence inflammatory responses due to the explosive release of copious amounts of different cytokines, they might represent interesting targets for clinical intervention. Thus, we will provide an outlook on pathways that might be interesting to evaluate in this context.
Contrasted Reactivity to Oxygen Tensions inFrankiasp. Strain CcI3 throughout Nitrogen Fixation and Assimilation
Authors: Ghodhbane-Gtari Faten , Hezbri Karima , Ktari Amir , Sbissi Imed , Beauchemin Nicholas , Gtari Maher , Tisa Louis S.
Published: May 2014

Reconciling the irreconcilable is a primary struggle in aerobic nitrogen-fixing bacteria. Although nitrogenase is oxygen and reactive oxygen species-labile, oxygen tension is required to sustain respiration. In the nitrogen-fixingFrankia, various strategies have been developed through evolution to control the respiration and nitrogen-fixation balance. Here, we assessed the effect of different oxygen tensions onFrankiasp. strain CcI3 growth, vesicle production, and gene expression under different oxygen tensions. Both biomass and vesicle production were correlated with elevated oxygen levels under both nitrogen-replete and nitrogen-deficient conditions. The mRNA levels for the nitrogenase structural genes (nifHDK) were high under hypoxic and hyperoxic conditions compared to oxic conditions. The mRNA level for the hopanoid biosynthesis genes (sqhC andhpnC) was also elevated under hyperoxic conditions suggesting an increase in the vesicle envelope. Under nitrogen-deficient conditions, thehup2 mRNA levels increased with hyperoxic environment, whilehup1 mRNA levels remained relatively constant. Taken together, these results indicate thatFrankiaprotects nitrogenase by the use of multiple mechanisms including the vesicle-hopanoid barrier and increased respiratory protection.
Wogonin Attenuates Ovalbumin Antigen-Induced Neutrophilic Airway Inflammation by Inhibiting Th17 Differentiation
Authors: Takagi Rie , Kawano Masaaki , Nakagome Kazuyuki , Hashimoto Kumiko , Higashi Takehiro , Ohbuchi Katsuya , Kaneko Atsushi , Matsushita Sho
Published: May 2014

Allergic airway inflammation is generally considered to be a Th2-type immune response. Recent studies, however, have demonstrated that Th17-type immune responses also play important roles in this process, particularly in the pathogenesis of neutrophilic airway inflammation, a hallmark of severe asthma. We scrutinized several Kampo extracts that reportedly exhibit anti-inflammatory activity by usingin vitrodifferentiation system of human and mouse naïve T cells. We found that hange-shashin-to (HST) and oren-gedoku-to (OGT) possess inhibitory activity for Th17 responsesin vitro. Indeed, wogonin and berberine, major components common to HST and OGT, exhibit Th17-inhibitory activities in both murine and human systemsin vitro. We therefore evaluated whether wogonin suppresses OVA-induced neutrophilic airway inflammation in OVA TCR-transgenic DO11.10 mice. Consequently, oral administration of wogonin significantly improved OVA-induced neutrophilic airway inflammation. Wogonin suppressed the differentiation of naïve T cells to Th17 cells, while showing no effects on activated Th17 cells.
Numerical Simulation on Forced Convective Condensation of Steam Upward Flow in a Vertical Pipe
Authors: Qiu Guo-Dong , Cai Wei-Hua , Li Shu-Lei , Wu Zhi-Yong , Jiang Yi-Qiang , Yao Yang
Published: May 2014

A transient three-dimensional volume of fluid (VOF) simulation on condensation of upward flow of wet steam inside a 12 mm i.d. vertical pipe is presented. The effect of gravity and surface tension are taken into account. A uniform wall temperature has been fixed as boundary conditions. The mass flux is 130~6400 kg m−2's−1and the turbulence inside the vapor phase and liquid phase have been handled by Reynolds stress model (RSM). The vapor quality of fluid is 0~0.4. The numerical simulation results show that, in all the simulation conditions, the bubbly flow, slug flow, churn flow, wispy annular flow, and annular flow are observed; in addition, the results of flow pattern are in good agreement with the regime map from Hewitt and Roberts. The typical velocity field characteristic of each flow pattern and the effect of velocity field on heat transfer of condensation are analyzed, indicating that the slug flow and churn flow have obvious local eddy. However, no obvious eddy is observed in other flow patterns and the streamlines are almost parallel to the flow direction. The simulation results of heat transfer coefficients and frictional pressure drop show good agreement with the correlations from existing literatures.
Synergistic Antimicrobial Action of Chlorhexidine and Ozone in Endodontic Treatment
Authors: Noites Rita , Pina-Vaz Cidália , Rocha Rita , Carvalho Manuel Fontes , Gonçalves Acácio , Pina-vaz Irene
Published: May 2014

Objectives. The aim of this study was to determine whether irrigation with sodium hypochlorite, chlorhexidine, and ozone gas, alone or in combination, were effective againstEnterococcus faecalisandCandida albicans; these are microorganisms frequently isolated from teeth with periapical lesions resistant to endodontic treatment.Material and Methods. 220 single root teeth, recently extracted, were inoculated withCandida albicansandEnterococcus faecalis. The formulations tested were sodium hypochlorite at 1, 3, and 5% chlorhexidine at 0.2% and 2% and ozone gas applied for different periods of time. The combination of sodium hypochlorite at 5% and chlorhexidine at 2%, with gaseous ozone, were also assessed. For the most active treatments the mechanism of action was assessed through flow cytometry.Results. Sodium hypochlorite, chlorhexidine, and gaseous ozone alone were ineffective in completely eliminating the microorganisms. The association of chlorhexidine at 2% followed by ozone gas for 24 seconds promoted the complete elimination ofCandida albicansandEnterococcus faecalis. Flow cytometry shows that ozone and chlorhexidine act differently, which could explain its synergic activity.Conclusions. This new disinfection protocol, combining irrigation with chlorhexidine at 2% and ozone gas for 24 seconds, may be advantageous when treating infected root canals.
Olmesartan Attenuates Tacrolimus-Induced Biochemical and Ultrastructural Changes in Rat Kidney Tissue
Authors: Al-Harbi Naif O. , Imam Faisal , Al-Harbi Mohammed M. , Iqbal Muzaffar , Nadeem Ahmed , Sayed-Ahmed Mohammed M. , Alabidy Ali D. , Almukhallafi Ali F.
Published: May 2014

Tacrolimus, a calcineurin inhibitor, is clinically used as an immunosuppressive agent in organ transplantation, but its use is limited due to its marked nephrotoxicity. The present study investigated the effect of olmesartan (angiotensin receptor blocker) on tacrolimus-induced nephrotoxicity in rats. A total of 24 rats were divided into four groups, which included control, tacrolimus, tacrolimus + olmesartan, and olmesartan groups. Tacrolimus-induced nephrotoxicity was assessed biochemically and histopathologically. Tacrolimus significantly increased BUN and creatinine level. Treatment with olmesartan reversed tacrolimus-induced changes in the biochemical markers (BUN and creatinine) of nephrotoxicity. Tacrolimus significantly decreased GSH level and catalase activity while increasing MDA level. Olmesartan also attenuated the effects of tacrolimus on MDA, GSH, and catalase. In tacrolimus group histological examination showed marked changes in renal tubule, mitochondria, and podocyte processes. Histopathological and ultrastructural studies showed that treatment with olmesartan prevented tacrolimus-induced renal damage. These results suggest that olmesartan has protective effects on tacrolimus-induced nephrotoxicity, implying that RAS might be playing role in tacrolimus-induced nephrotoxicity.
Effects of Eicosapentaenoic Acid and Docosahexaenoic Acid on Chylomicron and VLDL Synthesis and Secretion in Caco-2 Cells
Authors: Wang Yue , Lin Qiaowei , Zheng Peipei , Li Lulu , Bao Zhengxi , Huang Feiruo
Published: May 2014

The present research was undertaken to determine the effects of EPA (20 : 5 n-3) and DHA (22 : 6 n-3) on chylomicron and VLDL synthesis and secretion by Caco-2 cells. Cells were incubated for 12 to 36 h with 400 μM OA, EPA, and DHA; then 36 h was chosen for further study because EPA and DHA decreased de novo triglycerides synthesis in a longer incubation compared with OA  (P<0.01). Neither the uptake nor oxidation was different in response to the respective fatty acids (P>0.05). Compared with OA, intercellular and secreted nascent apolipoprotein B48 and B100 were decreased by EPA and DHA (P<0.01). Both DHA and EPA resulted in a lower secretion of chylomicron and VLDL (P<0.01). In contrast to OA, EPA and DHA were preferentially incorporated into phospholipids instead of triacylglycerols (P<0.01). These discoveries demonstrated that exposure of DHA and EPA reduced the secretion of chylomicron and VLDL partly by regulating the synthesis of TG and apoB.
Crosstalk amongTaenia crassiceps(ORF Strain) Cysts Regulates Their Rates of Budding by Ways of Soluble and Contact Signals Exchanged between Them
Authors: Marcela Esquivel-Velázquez , Ricardo Hernández , Carlos Larralde , Pedro Ostoa-Saloma
Published: May 2014

Herein we report thatin vitroexperiments with different initial parasite densities (1, 5, and 10 cysts per mL of culture medium) show that cysts at densities of 10 and 5 grow faster than those at 1, and that they release into the culture medium factors which increase the budding rates of the slower lower-density ones. Close contact among the incubated cysts also favors budding, thus suggesting the participation of surface sensors of parasite crowding. Thus, contact signals, together with the release of soluble growth factors, could endow cysts with the capacity to sense and regulate their numbers inside their habitat in relation to their population density.
Illustration of the Impedance Behaviour of Extremely Low-Profile Coupled Shorted-Patches Antennas for UHF RFID of People
Authors: Svanda Milan , Polivka Milan
Published: May 2014

The recently introduced coupled shorted-patches technique for the design of extremely low-profile UHF RFID tag antennas is used to illustrate the flexibility of selected feeding methods for tuning the antenna input impedance for the complex values required for matching with typical RFID chips. We present parametric studies of the impedance behaviour of dipole-excited and directly excited antennas designed for radiofrequency identification of people in the European UHF frequency band. Our study can significantly facilitate the design of this class of on-body tag antennas.
Nutrition in Pelvic Radiation Disease and Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Similarities and Differences
Authors: DeWitt Tiffany , Hegazi Refaat
Published: May 2014

Due to the intestinal inflammation, tissue damage, and painful abdominal symptoms restricting dietary intake associated with both diseases, patients with intestinal pelvic radiation disease (PRD) or inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are at increased risk to develop protein calorie malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies. In the current paper, we review the nutritional management of both diseases, listing the similar approaches of nutritional management and the nutritional implications of intestinal dysfunction of both diseases. Malnutrition is prevalent in patients with either disease and nutritional risk screening and assessment of nutritional status are required for designing the proper nutritional intervention plan. This plan may include dietary management, oral nutritional supplementation, and enteral and/or parenteral nutrition. In addition to managing malnutrition, nutrients exert immune modulating effects during periods of intestinal inflammation and can play a role in mitigating the risks associated with the disease activity. Consistently, exclusive enteral feeding is recommended for inducing remission in pediatric patients with active Crohn’s disease, with less clear guidelines on use in patients with ulcerative colitis. The field of immune modulating nutrition is an evolving science that takes into consideration the specific mechanism of action of nutrients, nutrient-nutrient interaction, and preexisting nutritional status of the patients.
Constraints on Light Neutrino Parameters Derived from the Study of Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay
Authors: Stoica Sabin , Neacsu Andrei
Published: May 2014

The study of the neutrinoless double beta(0νββ)decay mode can provide us with important information on the neutrino properties, particularly on the electron neutrino absolute mass. In this work we revise the present constraints on the neutrino mass parameters derived from the0νββdecay analysis of the experimentally interesting nuclei. We use the latest results for the phase space factors (PSFs) and nuclear matrix elements (NMEs), as well as for the experimental lifetime limits. For the PSFs we use values computed with an improved method reported very recently. For the NMEs we use values chosen from the literature on a case-by-case basis, taking advantage of the consensus reached by the community on several nuclear ingredients used in their calculation. Thus, we try to restrict the range of spread of the NME values calculated with different methods and, hence, to reduce the uncertainty in deriving limits for the Majorana neutrino mass parameter. Our results may be useful to have an updated image on the present neutrino mass sensitivities associated with0νββmeasurements for different isotopes and to better estimate the range of values of the neutrino masses that can be explored in the future double beta decay (DBD) experiments.
Path Planning Using a Hybrid Evolutionary Algorithm Based on Tree Structure Encoding
Authors: Ju Ming-Yi , Wang Siao-En , Guo Jian-Horn
Published: May 2014

A hybrid evolutionary algorithm using scalable encoding method for path planning is proposed in this paper. The scalable representation is based on binary tree structure encoding. To solve the problem of hybrid genetic algorithm and particle swarm optimization, the “dummy node” is added into the binary trees to deal with the different lengths of representations. The experimental results show that the proposed hybrid method demonstrates using fewer turning points than traditional evolutionary algorithms to generate shorter collision-free paths for mobile robot navigation.
Hierarchical Mergence Approach to Cell Detection in Phase Contrast Microscopy Images
Authors: Chen Lei , Zhang Jianhua , Chen Shengyong , Lin Yao , Yao Chunyan , Zhang Jianwei
Published: May 2014

Phase contrast microscope is one of the most universally used instruments to observe long-term cell movements in different solutions. Most of classic segmentation methods consider a homogeneous patch as an object, while the recorded cell images have rich details and a lot of small inhomogeneous patches, as well as some artifacts, which can impede the applications. To tackle these challenges, this paper presents a hierarchical mergence approach (HMA) to extract homogeneous patches out and heuristically add them up. Initially, the maximum region of interest (ROI), in which only cell events exist, is drawn by using gradient information as a mask. Then, different levels of blurring based on kernel or grayscale morphological operations are applied to the whole image to produce reference images. Next, each of unconnected regions in the mask is applied with Otsu method independently according to different reference images. Consequently, the segmentation result is generated by the combination of usable patches in all informative layers. The proposed approach is more than simply a fusion of the basic segmentation methods, but a well-organized strategy that integrates these basic methods. Experiments demonstrate that the proposed method outperforms previous methods within our datasets.
Antenna Selection and Placement Analysis of MIMO Radar Networks for Target Localization
Authors: Sun Bin , Chen Haowen , Yang Degui , Li Xiang
Published: May 2014

A distributed MIMO radar network consists of a large number of transmitters/receivers to cover a sensing area of interest but under the constraint that the number of antennas is limited. The problem of selecting a subset of antennas at a sampling time to maximize the diversity capability of the MIMO radar in terms of target resolvability is addressed from the information geometric viewpoint in this paper. Fisher information matrix of distributed MIMO radar which takes both radar waveform and SNR into account is derived as a function of individual antenna locations. The Fisher information distance (FID) between the measurement distribution based on all antennas and that based on only the selected set of antennas is calculated and is adopted as the criterion of selecting a subset of antennas. The underlying antenna selection problem is then to select a subset of antennas from all antennas which can result in the “shortest” FID with respect to a given target location. Since an NP hard search process is involved, an exhaustive search method is considered for efficient antenna subset selection. Simulation examples are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm compared with other criteria in different antenna configurations.
The Knowledge Concealed in Users’ Narratives, Valuing Clients’ Experiences as Coherent Knowledge in Their Own Right
Authors: Kogstad Ragnfrid , Ekeland Tor-Johan , Hummelvoll Jan Kaare
Published: May 2014

Objective. As the history of psychiatry has been written, users have told their stories and often presented pictures incompatible with the professional or official versions. We ask if such a gap still exists and what the ethical as well as epistemological implications may be. Study Design. The design is based on a hermeneutic-phenomenological approach, with a qualitative content analysis of the narratives. Data Sources. The paper draws on user narratives written after the year 2000, describing positive and negative experiences with the mental health services. Extraction Methods. Among 972 users answering a questionnaire, 492 also answered the open questions and wrote one or two stories. We received 715 stories. 610 contained enough information to be included in this narrative analysis. Principal Findings. The stories are coherent, containing traditional narrative plots, but reports about miscommunication, rejection, lack of responsiveness, and humiliation are numerous. Conclusions. The picture drawn from this material has ethical as well as epistemological implications and motivates reflections upon theoretical and practical consequences when users’ experiences do not influence professional knowledge to a larger degree.
Dual-Band Compact Planar Antenna for a Low-Cost WLAN USB Dongle
Authors: Dias Maurício Henrique Costa , Franciscatto Bruno Roberto , Adel Hans , Vuong Tan-Phu
Published: May 2014

Among the present technologies for WLAN devices, USB dongles still play a noticeable role. One major design challenge regards the antenna, which unavoidably has to comply with a very small volume available and sometimes should also allow multiband operation. In this scope, the present work discusses a dual-band WiFi compact planar IFA-based antenna design for a low-cost USB dongle application. Like most of the related published solutions, the methodology for deriving the present proposition was assisted by the use of an antenna analysis software. A prototype was assembled and tested in order to qualify the radiator design. Practical operation conditions were considered in the tests, such as the influence of the dongle case and the effect of the notebook itself. The results complied with the design constraints, presenting an impedance match quite stable regardless of the stick position alongside a laptop base.
Effect of Methyl Jasmonate on Phytoalexins Biosynthesis and Induced Disease Resistance toFusarium oxysporum f. sp. Vasinfectumin Cotton (Gossypium hirsutumL.)
Authors: Konan Yao Kouakou François , Kouassi Kan Modeste , Kouakou Kouakou Laurent , Koffi Edmond , Kouassi Koffi Nazaire , Sekou Diabaté , Kone Mongomaké , Kouakou Tanoh Hilaire
Published: May 2014

The effect of methyl jasmonate (MeJA) sprayed on cotton healthy leaves was evaluated in terms of inherent bioactive chemicals induction. The total phenolic content significantly increased after MeJA 5.0 mM treatments compared to the other tested concentrations (0; 2.5; 10; 15; 20 mM). Among the eleven phenolic compounds which were found except for ferulic acid, gossypetin, gossypol, 3-p-coumaroylquinic acid, and piceatannol were identified as major phenolic constituents of cotton. Their content also significantly increased after the MeJA treatment. In addition, gossypol increased 64 times compared to the control, in the 5.0 mM MeJA treatment. Furthermore, cichoric acid, chlorogenic acid, and pterostilbene are synthesizedde novoin leaves of MeJA-treated plant. Treatment of cotton leaves with MeJA 5.0 mM followed 72 h of incubation hampered the expression ofFusariumwilt caused byFusarium oxysporium f. sp. vasinfectum(FOV). MeJA efficiency was concentration and incubation time dependent. Disease severity on MeJA-treated leaves was significantly lower as compared to the control. Therefore, the high content of gossypetin, gossypol, 3-p-coumaroylquinic acid, ferulic acid, and piceatannol and the presence of cichoric acid, chlorogenic acid, and pterostilbene in plants treated with MeJA, contrary to the control, are essential to equip the cotton compounds with defences or phytoalexins against FOV.
Methotrexate-Associated Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease with Transaminitis in Rheumatoid Arthritis
Authors: Sakthiswary Rajalingham , Chan Grace Yin Lai , Koh Ee Tzun , Leong Khai Pang , Thong Bernard Yu Hor
Published: May 2014

Background. The aim of this study was to determine the risk factors of MTX-associated nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) with transaminitis in a cohort of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients from Singapore.Methods. Patients who developed ultrasound proven NAFLD with transaminitis while on MTX therapy were identified. The demographic and clinical characteristics of the above patients (cases) were compiled and compared with age- and gender-matched controls who were RA patients on long standing MTX therapy without any episode of transaminitis.Results. Among the 978 patients who had received MTX, the prevalence of MTX-associated NAFLD was 4.7% (46 patients). Compared to the controls, the cases had significantly higher mean cumulative dose of MTX (4.03 ± 2.25 g versus 10.04 ± 9.94 g,P≤0.05), weekly dose of MTX (11.3 ± 4.8 mg versus 13.1 ± 4.4 mg weekly,P=0.033), and fasting blood glucose (P=0.029). Following multivariate regression analysis, only cumulative dose of MTX remained significant (P=0.015). Among the cases, the cumulative dose of MTX was found to have a significant positive correlation with the alanine transaminase (ALT) level (P<0.05, standardised beta coefficient 0.512).Conclusion. The cumulative dose of MTX was the only independent predictor of MTX-associated NAFLD with transaminitis.
A New Real-Time and Guaranteed Lifetime Protocol in Wireless Sensor Networks
Authors: Shah Babar , Kim Ki-Il
Published: May 2014

Real-time applications are time and event critical, therefore they have strict constraint on delay, packet loss, and energy consumption in many wireless sensor networks (WSNs) scenarios, which demands the network to continue QoS operations for a preconfigured lifetime. Due to the scarce energy constraint sensor nodes in WSNs, guaranteed network lifetime is more desirable than unpredictable and uncertain prolonged lifetime. However, in spite of its importance and necessity in WSNs real-time deployment, no research work has been proposed to solve this complex problem. In this paper, we present a new centralized energy and coverage aware node scheduling scheme for WSNs to analyze energy usage as well as balancing energy consumption among nodes to survive for the preconfigured lifetime. Furthermore, the scheduling algorithm is extended to provide real-time routing by adjusting dynamic transmission range according to current energy state of a sensor node. Thus, the energy and coverage aware scheduling with dynamic range forwarding enables the unreliable WSNs to accomplish real-time routing for a guaranteed network lifetime. Simulation results show that the proposed scheme can achieve a 10% increase in real-time packets meeting their deadline and a significantly longer guaranteed network lifetime than protocols reported in the literature.
Ultrathin Anode Buffer Layer for Enhancing Performance of Polymer Solar Cells
Authors: Wang Dun , Wang Jian , Li Ling-liang , An Qiao-shi , Huang Hui , Jiao Chao-qun , Liu Yang , Zhang Fu-jun
Published: May 2014

A series of polymer solar cells (PSCs) based on poly[(4,8-bis-(2-ethylhexyloxy)-benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b′(dithiophene)-2,6-diyl-alt-(4-(2-ethylhexanoyl)-thieno[3,4-b]thiophene)-2,6-diyl] (PBDTTT-C) and [6,6]phenyl-C71-butyric acid methyl ester (PC71BM) were fabricated with various anode buffer layers. The power conversion efficiency (PCE) of PSCs was improved to 4.91% for the cells with PEDOT:PSS/LiF (1 nm) as anode buffer layer, which corresponds to 26.2% efficiency improvement compared with the cells with PEDOT:PSS as anode buffer layer. The PSCs with PEDOT:PSS/LiF as anode buffer layer show a maximum short-circuit density (Jsc) of 13.70 mA/cm2, with open circuit voltage (Voc) of 0.73 V and fill factor (FF) of 49.1% under illumination 100 mW/cm2AM 1.5 G simulated solar light. The dominant mechanism for the performance improvement of PSCs could be attributed to the increased charge carrier collection ability by anode buffer layers.
Numerical Investigation for the Modeling of the Magnetic Buoyancy Force during the Natural Convection of Air in a Square Enclosure
Authors: Song Kewei , Tagawa Toshio , Wang Liang-bi , Ozoe Hiroyuki
Published: May 2014

Numerical computations are carried out for natural convection of air in a two-dimensional square enclosure under a nonuniform magnetic field and together with the gravity field. The nonuniform magnetic field is supplied by a cubic permanent magnet placed above the enclosure. Two kinds of the expressions for the magnetizing force are considered and compared in the numerical computations. The flow and temperature fields, the magnetizing force field and the Nusselt number for two kinds of magnetizing force expressions are all presented in this paper. The numerical results reveal that the natural convection inside the enclosure does not depend on the types of the expressions for magnetizing force.
Estimation of Intervention Distances for Urgent Protective Actions Using Comparative Approach of MACCS and InterRAS
Authors: Hussain Mazzammal , Khan Salah Ud-Din , Syed Waqar A. Adil , Khan Shahab Ud-Din
Published: May 2014

Distances for taking evacuation as a protective measure during early phase of a nuclear accident have been approximated using MELCOR Accident Consequence Code System (MACCS). As a reference data, the source term of Pakistan Research Reactor 1 (PARR-1) and meteorological data of Islamabad, Pakistan, have been considered. Based on comparison with published data and international radiological assessment (InterRAS) code results, it is concluded that MACCS is a rational tool for estimation of urgent protective actions during early phase of nuclear accident by taking into account the variations in meteorological and release concentrations parameters.
RHBDL2 Is a Critical Membrane Protease for Anoikis Resistance in Human Malignant Epithelial Cells
Authors: Cheng Tsung-Lin , Lai Chao-Han , Jiang Shinn-Jong , Hung Jui-Hsiang , Liu Shi-Kai , Chang Bi-Ing , Shi Guey-Yueh , Wu Hua-Lin
Published: May 2014

Anoikis resistance allows metastatic tumor cells to survive in a homeless environment. Activation of epithelial growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling is one of the key mechanisms for metastatic tumor cells to resist anoikis, yet the regulation mechanisms of homeless-triggered EGFR activation in metastatic tumor cells remain unclear. Rhomboid-like-2 (RHBDL2), an evolutionally conserved intramembrane serine protease, can cleave the EGF ligand and thus trigger EGFR activation. Herein, we demonstrated that RHBDL2 overexpression in human epithelial cells resulted in promotion of cell proliferation, reduction of cell adhesion, and suppression of anoikis. During long-term suspension cultures, increased RHBDL2 was only detected in aggressive tumor cell lines. Treatment with the rhomboid protease inhibitor or RHBDL2 shRNA increased cleaved caspase 3, a marker of apoptosis. Finally, inhibition of EGFR activation increased the cleaved caspase 3 and attenuated the detachment-induced focal adhesion kinase phosphorylation. Taken together, these findings provide evidence for the first time that RHBDL2 is a critical molecule in anoikis resistance of malignant epithelial cells, possibly through the EGFR-mediated signaling. Our study demonstrates RHBDL2 as a new therapeutic target for cancer metastasis.
A Transcriptome Post-Scaffolding Method for Assembling High Quality Contigs
Authors: Liu Mingming , Adelman Zach N. , Myles Kevin M. , Zhang Liqing
Published: May 2014

With the rapid development of high throughput sequencing technologies, new transcriptomes can be sequenced for little cost with high coverage. Sequence assembly approaches have been modified to meet the requirements for de novo transcriptomes, which have complications not found in traditional genome assemblies such as variation in coverage for each candidate mRNA and alternative splicing. As a consequence, de novo assembly strategies tend to generate a large number of redundant contigs due to sequence variations, which adversely affects downstream analysis and experiments. In this work we proposed TransPS, a transcriptome post-scaffolding method, to generate high quality, nonredundant de novo transcriptomes. TransPS shows promising results on the test transcriptome datasets, where redundancy is greatly reduced by more than 50% and, at the same time, coverage is improved considerably. The web server and source code are available.
MTBP Is Overexpressed in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer and Contributes to Its Growth and Survival
Authors: Grieb Brian C. , Chen Xi , Eischen Christine M.
Published: May 2014

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a clinically aggressive subtype of breast cancer commonly resistant to therapeutics that have been successful in increasing survival in patients with estrogen receptor–positive (ER+) and HER2+ breast cancer. As such, identifying factors that contribute to poor patient outcomes and mediate the growth and survival of TNBC cells remain important areas of investigation. MTBP (MDM2-binding protein), a gene linked to cellular proliferation and a transcriptional target of the MYC oncogene, is overexpressed in human malignancies, yet its contribution to cancer remains unresolved. Evaluation of mRNA expression and copy number variation data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) revealed that MTBP is commonly overexpressed in breast cancer and 19% show amplification of MTBP. Increased transcript or gene amplification of MTBP significantly correlated with reduced breast cancer patient survival. Further analysis revealed that while MTBP mRNA is overexpressed in both ER+ and HER2+ breast cancers, its expression is highest in TNBC. MTBP mRNA and protein levels were also significantly elevated in a panel of human TNBC cell lines. Knockdown of MTBP in TNBC cells induced apoptosis and significantly reduced TNBC cell growth and soft agar colony formation, which was rescued by expression of shRNA-resistant Mtbp. Notably, inducible knockdown of MTBP expression significantly impaired TNBC tumor growth, in vivo, including in established tumors. Thus, these data emphasize that MTBP is important for the growth and survival of TNBC and warrants further investigation as a potential novel therapeutic target.

Implications: MTBP significantly contributes to breast cancer survival and is a potential novel therapeutic target in TNBC. Mol Cancer Res; 12(9); 1216–24. ©2014 AACR.