bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
On the Stability of Cubic and Quadratic Mapping in Random Normed Spaces under ArbitraryT-Norms
Authors: Vahidi J. , Lee S. J. , Fallah F. , Ahmadi R.
Published: April 2014

We prove the stability of some functional equations in the random normed spaces under arbitraryt-norms.
Towards a Low-Cost Mobile Subcutaneous Vein Detection Solution Using Near-Infrared Spectroscopy
Authors: Juric Simon , Flis Vojko , Debevc Matjaz , Holzinger Andreas , Zalik Borut
Published: April 2014

Excessive venipunctures are both time- and resource-consuming events, which cause anxiety, pain, and distress in patients, or can lead to severe harmful injuries. We propose a low-cost mobile health solution for subcutaneous vein detection using near-infrared spectroscopy, along with an assessment of the current state of the art in this field. The first objective of this study was to get a deeper overview of the research topic, through the initial team discussions and a detailed literature review (using both academic and grey literature). The second objective, that is, identifying the commercial systems employing near-infrared spectroscopy, was conducted using the PubMed database. The goal of the third objective was to identify and evaluate (using the IEEE Xplore database) the research efforts in the field of low-cost near-infrared imaging in general, as a basis for the conceptual model of the upcoming prototype. Although the reviewed commercial devices have demonstrated usefulness and value for peripheral veins visualization, other evaluated clinical outcomes are less conclusive. Previous studies regarding low-cost near-infrared systems demonstrated the general feasibility of developing cost-effective vein detection systems; however, their limitations are restricting their applicability to clinical practice. Finally, based on the current findings, we outline the future research direction.
The Morphostructural, Compositional, and Electrochemical Characterization of Electrodeposited Nanolayers on a New Ti‐15Ta‐5Zr Alloy
Authors: Vasilescu Cora , Drob Silviu Iulian , Osiceanu Petre , Anastasescu Mihai , Calderon-Moreno Jose M. , Drob Paula , Vasilescu Ecaterina
Published: April 2014

A porous, homogeneous, phosphorous‐enriched oxide nanolayer was realized on the new Ti‐15Ta‐5Zr alloy surface by the anodic galvanostatic electrodeposition in phosphoric acid solution. This nanolayer contains TiO2, ZrO2 oxides, tantalum suboxides, and ions incorporated in the time of the electrodeposition process and has a thickness of 15.5 nm (X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy data). Atomic force microscopy determined a homogeneous roughness. Scanning electron microscopy evinced a porous microstructure that can stimulate the growth of the bone tissue into pores. The presence of the anions promotes the electrostatic bonds between the nanolayer and different species from the biofluid, namely, osteoinduction. The anodic oxidation nanolayer improved all electrochemical and corrosion parameters conferring superior protection to the substrate by its higher resistance to the ion migration. Impedance spectra showed that the electrodeposited nanolayer is formed by an inner, dense, barrier layer and an outer porous layer. The nanolayer thickened in time, namely, is bioactive. The oxidized nanolayer is able to protect the alloy from ion release, to assure long‐term corrosion resistance, to minimize adverse reactions, to increase alloy bioactivity, to stimulate cell growth, and to favor osseointegration.
Existence of Traveling Waves for a Delayed SIRS Epidemic Diffusion Model with Saturation Incidence Rate
Authors: Zhou Kai , Wang Qi-Ru
Published: April 2014

This paper is concerned with the existence of traveling waves for a delayed SIRS epidemic diffusion model with saturation incidence rate. By using the cross-iteration method and Schauder’s fixed point theorem, we reduce the existence of traveling waves to the existence of a pair of upper-lower solutions. By careful analyzsis, we derive the existence of traveling waves connecting the disease-free steady state and the endemic steady state through the establishment of the suitable upper-lower solutions.
Weighted Fusion Robust Steady-State Kalman Filters for Multisensor System with Uncertain Noise Variances
Authors: Qi Wen-Juan , Zhang Peng , Deng Zi-Li
Published: April 2014

A direct approach of designing weighted fusion robust steady-state Kalman filters with uncertain noise variances is presented. Based on the steady-state Kalman filtering theory, using the minimax robust estimation principle and the unbiased linear minimum variance (ULMV) optimal estimation rule, the six robust weighted fusion steady-state Kalman filters are designed based on the worst-case conservative system with the conservative upper bounds of noise variances. The actual filtering error variances of each fuser are guaranteed to have a minimal upper bound for all admissible uncertainties of noise variances. A Lyapunov equation method for robustness analysis is proposed. Their robust accuracy relations are proved. A simulation example verifies their robustness and accuracy relations.
Assessment of DNA Damage and Telomerase Activity in Exfoliated Urinary Cells as Sensitive and Noninvasive Biomarkers for Early Diagnosis of Bladder Cancer in Ex-Workers of a Rubber Tyres Industry
Authors: Cavallo Delia , Casadio Valentina , Bravaccini Sara , Iavicoli Sergio , Pira Enrico , Romano Canzio , Fresegna Anna Maria , Maiello Raffaele , Ciervo Aureliano , Buresti Giuliana , Zoli Wainer , Calistri Daniele
Published: April 2014

The aim of the present study was to identify sensitive and noninvasive biomarkers of early carcinogenic effect at target organ to use in biomonitoring studies of workers at risk for previous occupational exposure to potential carcinogens. Standard urine cytology (Papanicolaou staining test), comet assay, and quantitative telomerase repeat amplification protocol (TRAP) assay were performed in 159 ex-rubber workers employed in tyres production and 97 unexposed subjects. In TRAP positive cases, a second level analysis using FISH (Urovysion) was done. Cystoscopy results were available for 11 individuals whose 6 FISH/TRAP/comet positive showed in 3 cases a dysplastic condition confirmed by biopsy, 1 comet positive resulted in infiltrating UBC to the biopsy and with hyperplasia and slight dysplasia to the urinary cytology, 1 comet positive resulted in papillary superficial UBC to the biopsy, 1 FISH/TRAP positive showed a normal condition, and 2 TRAP positive showed in one case a phlogosis condition. The results evidenced good concordance of TRAP, comet, and FISH assays as early biomarkers of procarcinogenic effect confirmed by the dysplastic condition and UBC found by cystoscopy-biopsy analysis. The analysis of these markers in urine cells could be potentially more accurate than conventional cytology in monitoring workers exposed to mixture of bladder potential carcinogens.
Approximate Accuracy Approaches to Attribute Reduction for Information Systems
Authors: Liu Deshan , Wang Dapeng , Yan Deqin , Sang Yu
Published: April 2014

The key problem for attribute reduction to information systems is how to evaluate the importance of an attribute. The algorithms are challenged by the variety of data forms in information system. Based on rough sets theory we present a new approach to attribute reduction for incomplete information systems and fuzzy valued information systems. In order to evaluate the importance of an attribute effectively, a novel algorithm with rigorous theorem is proposed. Experiments show the effect of proposed algorithm.
Stabilizing Effect of Prey Refuge and Predator’s Interference on the Dynamics of Prey with Delayed Growth and Generalist Predator with Delayed Gestation
Authors: Jana Debaldev
Published: April 2014

In the present paper, I study a prey-predator model with multiple time delays where the predator population is regarded as generalist. For this regard, I consider a Holling-Tanner prey-predator system where a constant time delay is incorporated in the logistic growth of the prey to represent a delayed density dependent feedback mechanism and the second time delay is considered to account for the length of the gestation period of the predator. Predator’s interference in predator-prey relationship provides better descriptions of predator's feeding over a range of prey-predator abundances, so the predator's functional response here is considered to be Type II ratio-dependent. In accordance with previous studies, it is observed that delay destabilizes the system, in general, and stability loss occurs via Hopf bifurcation. There exist critical values of delay parameters below which the coexistence equilibrium is stable and above which it is unstable. Hopf bifurcation occurs when delay parameters cross their critical values. When delay parameters are large enough than their critical values, the system exhibits chaotic behavior and this abnormal behavior may be controlled by refuge. Numerical computation is also performed to validate different theoretical results. Lyapunov exponent, recurrence plot, and power spectral density confirm the chaotic dynamical behaviors.
Adaptive Impulsive Observer for Outer Synchronization of Delayed Complex Dynamical Networks with Output Coupling
Authors: Zheng Song
Published: April 2014

The synchronization problem of two delayed complex dynamical networks with output coupling is investigated by using impulsive hybrid control schemes, where only scalar signals need to be transmitted from the drive network to the response one. Based on the Lyapunov stability theorem and the impulsive hybrid control method, some sufficient conditions guaranteeing synchronization of such complex networks are established for both the cases of coupling delay and node delay are considered, respectively. Finally, two illustrative examples with numerical simulations are given to show the feasibility and efficiency of theoretical results.
ANN-Based Estimation of Groundwater Quality Using a Wireless Water Quality Network
Authors: Kılıçaslan Yılmaz , Tuna Gurkan , Gezer Gülsüm , Gulez Kayhan , Arkoc Orhan , Potirakis Stelios M.
Published: April 2014

Water is essential for life. Considering its importance for humans, it must be periodically analyzed to ensure its quality. In this study, a wireless water quality network is deployed to collect water quality parameters periodically and an artificial neural network-based estimation method is proposed to estimate groundwater quality. Estimating groundwater quality enables the authorities to take immediate actions for ensuring water quality. Compared to traditional water quality analysis methods, the proposed method has the advantage of letting the authorities know the quality of their water resources beforehand. A set of simulation studies given in this paper proves the efficiency and accuracy of the proposed method.
Global Attractivity of Positive Periodic Solution for a Delayed Predator-Prey System with Diffusion and Impulses
Authors: Shao Yuanfu , Xie Xiaolan , Ju Zhixiang
Published: April 2014

By constructing a suitable Lyapunov functional, the global attractivity of positive periodic solutions for a delayed predator-prey system with diffusion and impulses is studied in this paper. Finally, an example and numerical analysis are given to show the effectiveness of the main results.
The Attenuation of Moutan Cortex on Oxidative Stress for Renal Injury in AGEs-Induced Mesangial Cell Dysfunction and Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Nephropathy Rats
Authors: Zhang Minghua , Feng Liang , Gu Junfei , Ma Liang , Qin Dong , Wu Chan , Jia Xiaobin
Published: April 2014

Oxidative stress (OS) has been regarded as one of the major pathogeneses of diabetic nephropathy (DN) through damaging kidney which is associated with renal cells dysfunction. The aim of this study was to investigate whether Moutan Cortex (MC) could protect kidney function against oxidative stressin vitroorin vivo. The compounds in MC extract were analyzed by HPLC-ESI-MS. High-glucose-fat diet and STZ (30 mg kg−1) were used to induce DN rats model, while 200 μg mL−1AGEs were for HBZY-1 mesangial cell damage. The treatment with MC could significantly increase the activity of SOD, glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX), and catalase (CAT). However, lipid peroxidation malondialdehyde (MDA) was reduced markedlyin vitroorin vivo. Furthermore, MC decreased markedly the levels of blood glucose, serum creatinine, and urine protein in DN rats. Immunohistochemical assay showed that MC downregulated significantly transforming growth factor beta 2 (TGF-β2) protein expression in renal tissue. Our data provided evidence to support this fact that MC attenuated OS in AGEs-induced mesangial cell dysfunction and also in high-glucose-fat diet and STZ-induced DN rats.
Supplementation with the Extract of Schisandrae Fructus Pulp, Seed, or Their Combination Influences the Metabolism of Lipids and Glucose in Mice Fed with Normal and Hypercholesterolemic Diet
Authors: Wang Xiao-Yan , Yu Zhi-Ling , Pan Si-Yuan , Zhang Yi , Sun Nan , Zhu Pei-Li , Jia Zhan-Hong , Zhou Shu-Feng , Ko Kam-Ming
Published: April 2014

Schisandrae Fructus (SF), which possesses five tastes: sweet (fruit skin), sour (pulp), bitter/pungent (seed core), and saltiness (all parts), can produce a wide spectrum of biological activities in the body. Here, we investigated the effects of the ethanolic extract of SF pulp, seed, or their combination (namely, EtSF‐P, EtSF‐S, or EtSF‐P/S, resp.; collectively called EtSF) on the metabolism of lipids and glucose in normal diet‐ (ND‐) and hypercholesterolemic diet‐ (HCLD‐) fed mice. Supplementation with EtSF significantly reduced hepatic triglyceride and cholesterol levels by 18–47% in both ND‐ and HCLD‐fed mice. EtSF supplementation reduced serum triglyceride levels (approximately 29%), whereas EtSF‐P and EtSF‐S/P elevated serum cholesterol (up to 26 and 44%, resp.) in HCLD‐fed mice. Treatment with EtSF decreased hepatic glucose levels (by 9–44%) in both ND‐ and HCLD‐fed mice. Supplementation with EtSF‐S or EtSF‐S/P (at 1 and 3%) increased biliary or fecal TC contents in HCLD‐fed mice. However, supplementation with EtSF‐S/P at 9% reduced biliary TC levels in HCLD‐fed mice. EtSF‐P or EtSF‐S/P supplementation reduced serum alanine aminotransferase activity in HCLD‐fed mice. The findings suggested that supplementation with EtSF lowered lipid and glucose accumulation in the liver and increased fecal cholesterol contents in mice. Dietary supplementation with EtSF‐P or EtSF‐S/P attenuated liver damage in HCLD‐fed mice.
Sparse Signal Recovery for Direction-of-Arrival Estimation Based on Source Signal Subspace
Authors: Lin Bo , Liu Jiying , Xie Meihua , Zhu Jubo
Published: April 2014

After establishing the sparse representation of the source signal subspace, we propose a new method to estimate the direction of arrival (DOA) by solving anℓ1-norm minimization for sparse signal recovery of the source powers. Second-order cone programming is applied to reformulate this optimization problem, and it is solved effectively by employing the interior point method. Due to the keeping of the signal subspace and the discarding of the noise subspace, the proposed method is more robust to noise than many other sparsity-based methods. The real data tests and the numerical simulations demonstrate that the proposed method has improved accuracy and robustness to noise, and it is not sensitive to the knowledge about the number of sources. We discuss the computational cost of our method theoretically, and the experiment results verify the computational effectiveness.
Potential Sources and Roles of Adaptive Immunity in Age-Related Macular Degeneration: Shall We Rename AMD into Autoimmune Macular Disease?
Authors: Camelo Serge
Published: April 2014

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of vision loss in the elderly throughout the industrialized world. Its most prominent pathologic features are lesions involving the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) the Bruch’s membrane, the degeneration of photoreceptors, and, in the most aggressive cases, choroidal neovascularization. Genetic associations between the risk of developing AMD and polymorphism within components of the complement system, as well as chemokine receptors expressed on microglial cells and macrophages, have linked retinal degeneration and choroidal neovascularization to innate immunity (inflammation). In addition to inflammation, players of the adaptive immunity including cytokines, chemokines, antibodies, and T cells have been detected in animal models of AMD and in patients suffering from this pathology. These observations suggest that adaptive immunity might play a role in different processes associated with AMD such as RPE atrophy, neovascularization, and retinal degeneration. To this date however, the exact roles (if any) of autoantibodies and T cells in AMD remain unknown. In this review we discuss the potential effects of adaptive immune responses in AMD pathogenesis.
Study of a Forwarding Chain in the Category of Topological Spaces between T0 and T2 with respect to One Point Compactification Operator
Authors: Ayatollah Zadeh Shirazi Fatemah , Miralaei Meysam , Zeinal Zadeh Farhadi Fariba
Published: April 2014

In the following text, we want to study the behavior of one point compactification operator in the chain Ξ := {Metrizable, Normal, T2, KC, SC, US, T1, TD, TUD, T0, Top} of subcategories of category of topological spaces, Top (where we denote the subcategory of Top, containing all topological
spaces with property P , simply by P). Actually we want to know, for P∈Ξ and X∈P, the one point compactification of topological space X
belongs to which elements of Ξ. Finally we find out that the chain {Metrizable, T2, KC, SC, US, T1, TD, TUD, T0, Top} is a forwarding chain with respect to one point compactification operator.
Ferric Carboxymaltose-Mediated Attenuation of Doxorubicin-Induced Cardiotoxicity in an Iron Deficiency Rat Model
Authors: Toblli Jorge Eduardo , Rivas Carlos , Cao Gabriel , Giani Jorge Fernando , Funk Felix , Mizzen Lee , Dominici Fernando Pablo
Published: April 2014

Since anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity (AIC), a complication of anthracycline-based chemotherapies, is thought to involve iron, concerns exist about using iron for anaemia treatment in anthracycline-receiving cancer patients. This study evaluated how intravenous ferric carboxymaltose (FCM) modulates the influence of iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) and doxorubicin (3–5 mg per kg body weight [BW]) on oxidative/nitrosative stress, inflammation, and cardiorenal function in spontaneously hypertensive stroke-prone (SHR-SP) rats. FCM was given as repeated small or single total dose (15 mg iron per kg BW), either concurrent with or three days after doxorubicin. IDA (after dietary iron restriction) induced cardiac and renal oxidative stress (markers included malondialdehyde, catalase, Cu,Zn-superoxide dismutase, and glutathione peroxidase), nitrosative stress (inducible nitric oxide synthase and nitrotyrosine), inflammation (tumour necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-6), and functional/morphological abnormalities (left ventricle end-diastolic and end-systolic diameter, fractional shortening, density of cardiomyocytes and capillaries, caveolin-1 expression, creatinine clearance, and urine neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin) that were aggravated by doxorubicin. Notably, iron treatment with FCM did not exacerbate but attenuated the cardiorenal effects of IDA and doxorubicin independent of the iron dosing regimen. The results of this model suggest that intravenous FCM can be used concomitantly with an anthracycline-based chemotherapy without increasing signs of AIC.
Salient Distractors Can Induce Saccade Adaptation
Authors: Khan Afsheen , McFadden Sally A. , Harwood Mark , Wallman Josh
Published: April 2014

When saccadic eye movements consistently fail to land on their intended target, saccade accuracy is maintained by gradually adapting the movement size of successive saccades. The proposed error signal for saccade adaptation has been based on the distance between where the eye lands and the visual target (retinal error). We studied whether the error signal could alternatively be based on the distance between the predicted and actual locus of attention after the saccade. Unlike conventional adaptation experiments that surreptitiously displace the target once a saccade is initiated towards it, we instead attempted to draw attention away from the target by briefly presenting salient distractor images on one side of the target after the saccade. To test whether less salient, more predictable distractors would induce less adaptation, we separately used fixed random noise distractors. We found that both visual attention distractors were able to induce a small degree of downward saccade adaptation but significantly more to the more salient distractors. As in conventional adaptation experiments, upward adaptation was less effective and salient distractors did not significantly increase amplitudes. We conclude that the locus of attention after the saccade can act as an error signal for saccade adaptation.
Symmetry and Nonexistence of Positive Solutions for Weighted HLS System of Integral Equations on a Half Space
Authors: Cao Linfen , Dai Zhaohui
Published: April 2014

We consider system of integral equations related to the weighted Hardy-Littlewood-Sobolev (HLS) inequality in a half space. By the Pohozaev type identity in integral form, we present a Liouville type theorem when the system is in both supercritical and subcritical cases under some integrability conditions. Ruling out these nonexistence results, we also discuss the positive solutions of the integral system in critical case. By the method of moving planes, we show that a pair of positive solutions to such system is rotationally symmetric aboutxn-axis, which is much more general than the main result of Zhuo and Li, 2011.
Biomarkers Predict Relapse in Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis
Authors: Hogan Patrick C. P. , O’Connell Robert M. , Scollard Simone , Browne Emmett , Hackett Emer E. , Feighery Conleth
Published: April 2014

Granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) is a small blood vessel vasculitic disorder with a high mortality rate if undiagnosed or treated inadequately. Disease relapse is a key feature of this disease and early identification of relapse episodes is very important in limiting end-organ damage. The advent of indirect immunofluorescence to detect antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA) with specific reactivity against the enzyme proteinase-3 (PR3) has been very useful in the diagnosis of GPA but is less helpful in predicting relapse. Indeed, up to date no satisfactory biomarker has been identified that can reliably predict relapse. This study assessed the probability of the occurrence of a relapse when a change was noted in a range of commonly used laboratory tests. These tests included levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), anti-PR3 antibodies, ANCA titre, and the neutrophil count. A group of 30 GPA patients with a total of 66 relapse episodes was investigated and a novel clinical yield score was devised. When a combined rise in CRP, anti-PR3 antibodies, and neutrophil count was observed in the 6-month period before a relapse event, 59% of patient relapses could be predicted. Monitoring changes in this set of parameters helps identify disease relapse.
Mannan-Binding Lectin in Cardiovascular Disease
Authors: Pągowska-Klimek Izabela , Cedzyński Maciej
Published: April 2014

Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide so research continues into underlying mechanisms. Since innate immunity and its potent component mannan-binding lectin have been proven to play an important role in the inflammatory response during infection and ischaemia-reperfusion injury, attention has been paid to its role in the development of cardiovascular complications as well. This review provides a general outline of the structure and genetic polymorphism of MBL and its role in inflammation/tissue injury with emphasis on associations with cardiovascular disease. MBL appears to be involved in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and, in consequence, coronary artery disease and also inflammation and tissue injury after myocardial infarction and heart transplantation. The relationship between MBL and disease is rather complex and depends on different genetic and environmental factors. That could be why the data obtained from animal and clinical studies are sometimes contradictory proving not for the first time that innate immunity is a “double-edge sword,” sometimes beneficial and, at other times disastrous for the host.
Analytic Approximate Solution for Falkner-Skan Equation
Authors: Marinca Vasile , Ene Remus-Daniel , Marinca Bogdan
Published: April 2014

This paper deals with the Falkner-Skan nonlinear differential equation. An analytic approximate technique, namely, optimal homotopy asymptotic method (OHAM), is employed to propose a procedure to solve a boundary-layer problem. Our method does not depend upon small parameters and provides us with a convenient way to optimally control the convergence of the approximate solutions. The obtained results reveal that this procedure is very effective, simple, and accurate. A very good agreement was found between our approximate results and numerical solutions, which prove that OHAM is very efficient in practice, ensuring a very rapid convergence after only one iteration.
Stability of Exponential Functional Equations with Involutions
Authors: Chung Jaeyoung , Chung Soon-Yeong
Published: April 2014

LetSbe a commutative semigroup if not otherwise specified andf:S→ℝ. In this paper we consider the stability of exponential functional equations|f(x+σ(y))-g(x)f(y)|≤ϕ(x)or ϕ(y),|f(x+σ(y))-f(x)g(y)|≤ϕ(x)orϕ(y)for allx,y∈Sand whereσ:S→Sis an involution. As main results we investigate bounded and unbounded functions satisfying the above inequalities. As consequences of our results we obtain the Ulam-Hyers stability of functional equations (Chung and Chang (in press); Chávez and Sahoo (2011); Houston and Sahoo (2008); Jung and Bae (2003)) and a generalized result of Albert and Baker (1982).
Ameliorating Adriamycin‐Induced Chronic Kidney Disease in Rats by Orally Administrated Cardiotoxin from Naja naja atra Venom
Authors: Ding Zhi-Hui , Xu Li-Min , Wang Shu-Zhi , Kou Jian-Qun , Xu Yin-Li , Chen Cao-Xin , Yu Hong-Pei , Qin Zheng-Hong , Xie Yan
Published: April 2014

Previous studies reported the oral administration of Naja naja atra venom (NNAV) reduced adriamycin‐induced chronic kidney damage. This study investigated the effects of intragastric administrated cardiotoxin from Naja naja atra venom on chronic kidney disease in rats. Wistar rats were injected with adriamycin (ADR; 6 mg/kg body weight) via the tail vein to induce chronic kidney disease. The cardiotoxin was administrated daily by intragastric injection at doses of 45, 90, and 180 μg/kg body weight until the end of the protocol. The rats were placed in metabolic cages for 24 hours to collect urine, for determination of proteinuria, once a week. After 6 weeks, the rats were sacrificed to determine serum profiles relevant to chronic kidney disease, including albumin, total cholesterol, phosphorus, blood urea nitrogen, and serum creatinine. Kidney histology was examined with hematoxylin and eosin, periodic acid‐Schiff, and Masson’s trichrome staining. The levels of kidney podocin were analyzed by Western blot analysis and immunofluorescence. We found that cardiotoxin reduced proteinuria and can improve biological parameters in the adriamycin‐induced kidney disease model. Cardiotoxin also reduced adriamycin‐induced kidney pathology, suggesting that cardiotoxin is an active component of NNAV for ameliorating adriamycin‐induced kidney damage and may have a potential therapeutic value on chronic kidney disease.
Implementation of an Optical-Wireless Network with Spectrum Sensing and Dynamic Resource Allocation Using Optically Controlled Reconfigurable Antennas
Authors: Raimundo-Neto E. , da Rosa J. R. G. , Casaroli M. A. F. , Feliciano da Costa I. , Alberti A. M. , Cerqueira Sodré Arismar
Published: April 2014

This work proposes the concept and reports the implementation of an adaptive and cognitive radio over fiber architecture. It is aimed at dealing with the new demands for convergent networks by means of simultaneously providing the functionalities of multiband radiofrequency spectrum sensing, dynamic resource allocation, and centralized processing capability, as well as the use of optically controlled reconfigurable antennas and radio over fiber technology. The performance of this novel and innovative architecture has been evaluated in a geographically distributed optical-wireless network under real conditions and for different fiber lengths. Experimental results demonstrate reach extension of more than 40 times and an enhancement of more than 30 dB in the carrier to interference plus noise ratio parameter.
Human Body 3D Posture Estimation Using Significant Points and Two Cameras
Authors: Juang Chia-Feng , Chen Teng-Chang , Du Wei-Chin
Published: April 2014

This paper proposes a three-dimensional (3D) human posture estimation system that locates 3D significant body points based on 2D body contours extracted from two cameras without using any depth sensors. The 3D significant body points that are located by this system include the head, the center of the body, the tips of the feet, the tips of the hands, the elbows, and the knees. First, a linear support vector machine- (SVM-) based segmentation method is proposed to distinguish the human body from the background in red, green, and blue (RGB) color space. The SVM-based segmentation method uses not only normalized color differences but also included angle between pixels in the current frame and the background in order to reduce shadow influence. After segmentation, 2D significant points in each of the two extracted images are located. A significant point volume matching (SPVM) method is then proposed to reconstruct the 3D significant body point locations by using 2D posture estimation results. Experimental results show that the proposed SVM-based segmentation method shows better performance than other gray level- and RGB-based segmentation approaches. This paper also shows the effectiveness of the 3D posture estimation results in different postures.
Somatosensory Nerve Fibers Mediated Generation of De‐qi in Manual Acupuncture and Local Moxibustion‐Like Stimuli‐Modulated Gastric Motility in Rats
Authors: Su Yang-Shuai , Yang Zhao-Kun , Xin Juan-Juan , He Wei , Shi Hong , Wang Xiao-Yu , Hu Ling , Jing Xiang-Hong , Zhu Bing
Published: April 2014

The aim of this study was to reveal the somatosensory nerve fibers mediated generation of De‐qi in manual acupuncture stimuli (MAS) and local moxibustion‐like stimuli (LMS). The effects of strong and slight MAS, as well as 41°C, 43°C, and 45°C LMS at ST36 and CV12 on gastric motility were observed in rats. Gastric motility was continuously measured by an intrapyloric balloon, and the average amplitude, integral, and frequency of gastric motility during LMS were compared with those of background activity. Gastric motility was facilitated by MAS and LMS at ST36 and inhibited at CV12. The modulatory effects induced by strong MA with potent De‐qi (needle grasp feeling) were markedly higher than those by slight MA with mild De‐qi sensation (P < 0.05). The nociceptive 43°C and 45°C LMS, rather than nonnociceptive 41°C LMS, produced significant regulatory effects on gastric motility. Based on the afferent fibers activated in the present study, these results support the hypothesis that Aδ‐ and C‐afferent fibers were more likely to be involved in the generation of De‐qi sensation.
Neuroinflammation and Oxidative Stress in Diabetic Neuropathy: Futuristic Strategies Based on These Targets
Authors: Sandireddy Reddemma , Yerra Veera Ganesh , Areti Aparna , Komirishetty Prashanth , Kumar Ashutosh
Published: April 2014

In Diabetes, the chronic hyperglycemia and associated complications affecting peripheral nerves are one of the most commonly occurring microvascular complications with an overall prevalence of 50–60%. Among the vascular complications of diabetes, diabetic neuropathy is the most painful and disabling, fatal complication affecting the quality of life in patients. Several theories of etiologies surfaced down the lane, amongst which the oxidative stress mediated damage in neurons and surrounding glial cell has gained attention as one of the vital mechanisms in the pathogenesis of neuropathy. Mitochondria induced ROS and other oxidants are responsible for altering the balance between oxidants and innate antioxidant defence of the body. Oxidative-nitrosative stress not only activates the major pathways namely, polyol pathway flux, advanced glycation end products formation, activation of protein kinase C, and overactivity of the hexosamine pathway, but also initiates and amplifies neuroinflammation. The cross talk between oxidative stress and inflammation is due to the activation of NF-κB and AP-1 and inhibition of Nrf2, peroxynitrite mediate endothelial dysfunction, altered NO levels, and macrophage migration. These all culminate in the production of proinflammatory cytokines which are responsible for nerve tissue damage and debilitating neuropathies. This review focuses on the relationship between oxidative stress and neuroinflammation in the development and progression of diabetic neuropathy.
Preparation and Characterization of Lecithin‐Nano Ni/Fe for Effective Removal of PCB77
Authors: Ding Shu , Zhao Lin , Qi Yun , Lv Qian-qian
Published: April 2014

A kind of combined material (named lecithin‐nano Ni/Fe) that is composed of lecithin and nanoscale Ni/Fe bimetal was synthesized via microemulsion method. The efficacy of such an original material was tested using 3,3′,4,4′‐tetrachlorobiphenyl (PCB77) as target pollutant. A microemulsion system was optimized as template to prepare Ni/Fe nanoparticles, which was followed by an insite loading process with the deposition of lecithin carrier. It was proved by the characterization that subtle Ni/Fe nanoparticles can be uniformly dispersed and closely combined with lecithin carrier. Lecithin was an environmentally compatible biosurfactant that acted as both the component of the microemulsion and the functional material to accumulate organic contaminants. It was expected that the combined material can integrate the functions of lecithin and bimetal. The effectiveness was exhibited through the more rapid and sufficient removal of PCB77 by lecithin‐nano Ni/Fe than that by blank carrier. Although requiring further improvement, the constitution of lecithin‐nano Ni/Fe was a beneficial attempt to acquire the synergistic effect for intensified removal of environmental contaminants. It was promising that the original system and convenient method described in this work will facilitate the development of the organic‐inorganic combined materials.
Optimal Control of Epidemic Routing in Delay Tolerant Networks with Selfish Behaviors
Authors: Hu Shengze , Bao Weidong , Ge Bin , Tang Daquan
Published: April 2014

Most routing algorithms in delay tolerant networks (DTN) need nodes serving as relays for the source to carry and forward message. Due to the impact of selfishness, nodes have no incentive to stay in the network after getting message (e.g., free riders). To make them be cooperative at specific time, the source has to pay certain reward to them. In addition, the reward may be varying with time. On the other hand, the source can obtain certain benefit if the destination gets message timely. This paper considers the optimal incentive policy to get the best trade-off between the benefit and expenditure of the source for the first time. To cope with this problem, it first proposes a theoretical framework, which can be used to evaluate the trade-off under different incentive policies. Then, based on the framework, it explores the optimal control problem through Pontryagin's maximum principle and proves that the optimal policy conforms to the threshold form in certain cases. Simulations based on both synthetic and real motion traces show the accuracy of the framework. Through extensive numerical results, this paper demonstrates that the optimal policy obtained above is the best.
Computer Texture Mapping for Laser Texturing of Injection Mold
Authors: Zhou Yongquan , Zhang Songling , Zhao Shengyu , Chen Huiqun
Published: April 2014

Laser texturing is a relatively new multiprocess technique that has been used for machining 3D curved surfaces; it is more flexible and efficient to create decorative texture on 3D curved surfaces of injection molds so as to improve the surface quality and achieve cosmetic surface of molded plastic parts. In this paper, a novel method of laser texturing 3D curved surface based on 3-axis galvanometer scanning unit has been presented to prevent the texturing of injection mold surface from much distortion which is often caused by traditional texturing processes. The novel method has been based on the computer texture mapping technology which has been developed and presented. The developed texture mapping algorithm includes surface triangulation, notations, distortion measurement, control, and numerical method. An interface of computer texture mapping has been built to implement the algorithm of texture mapping approach to controlled distortion rate of 3D texture math model from 2D original texture applied to curvature surface. Through a case study of laser texturing of a high curvature surface of injection mold of a mice top case, it shows that the novel method of laser texturing meets the quality standard of laser texturing of injection mold.
An Eigenpoint Based Multiscale Method for Validating Quantitative Remote Sensing Products
Authors: Chen Shaohui , Su Hongbo
Published: April 2014

This letter first proposes the eigenpoint concept for quantitative remote sensing products (QRSPs) after discussing the eigenhomogeneity and eigenaccuracy for land surface variables. The eigenpoints are located according to the á trous wavelet planes of the QRSP. Based on these concepts, this letter proposes an eigenpoint based multiscale method for validating the QRSPs. The basic idea is that the QRSPs at coarse scales are validated by validating their eigenpoints using the QRSP at fine scale. The QRSP at fine scale is finally validated using observation data at the ground based eigenpoints at instrument scale. The ground based eigenpoints derived from the forecasted QRSP can be used as the observation positions when the satellites pass by the studied area. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method is manpower-and time-saving compared with the ideal scanning method and it is satisfying to perform simultaneous observation at these eigenpoints in terms of efficiency and accuracy.
Type-II Fuzzy Decision Support System for Fertilizer
Authors: Ashraf Ather , Akram Muhammad , Sarwar Mansoor
Published: April 2014

Type-II fuzzy sets are used to convey the uncertainties in the membership function of type-I fuzzy sets. Linguistic information in expert rules does not give any information about the geometry of the membership functions. These membership functions are mostly constructed through numerical data or range of classes. But there exists an uncertainty about the shape of the membership, that is, whether to go for a triangle membership function or a trapezoidal membership function. In this paper we use a type-II fuzzy set to overcome this uncertainty, and develop a fuzzy decision support system of fertilizers based on a type-II fuzzy set. This type-II fuzzy system takes cropping time and soil nutrients in the form of spatial surfaces as input, fuzzifies it using a type-II fuzzy membership function, and implies fuzzy rules on it in the fuzzy inference engine. The output of the fuzzy inference engine, which is in the form of interval value type-II fuzzy sets, reduced to an interval type-I fuzzy set, defuzzifies it to a crisp value and generates a spatial surface of fertilizers. This spatial surface shows the spatial trend of the required amount of fertilizer needed to cultivate a specific crop. The complexity of our algorithm isO(mnr), wheremis the height of the raster,nis the width of the raster, andris the number of expert rules.
Oral Metastasis of Metaplastic Breast Carcinoma in a Patient with Neurofibromatosis 1
Authors: Vivas Ana Paula Molina , Bomfin Luana Eschholz , Pinto Clovis Antonio Lopes , Nicolau Ulisses Ribaldo , Alves Fabio Abreu
Published: April 2014

Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) has been associated with an increased risk for development of malignancy, especially malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors. In addition, recently, literature has demonstrated an increased risk of breast cancer in women with NF1. The present paper shows a 53-year-old woman with NF1 who presented with metaplastic breast carcinoma and developed multiple metastases, including mandible. Furthermore, we reviewed the English literature, found 63 cases showing the association between NF1 and breast cancer, and added one more case. The present study demonstrated an important association between NF1 and breast cancer. Until the present time, there has been only one case of metaplastic breast carcinoma associated with NF1. Curiously, in our case the oral metastasis corresponded to sarcomatous component of metaplastic breast carcinoma.
Preparation and Characterization of Nanosized Hematite Colloids Using Green Vitriol as Ferrum Source
Authors: Chen Xiao-Quan , Wu Shi-Bin , Cao Ren-Bo , Tao Jin-Song
Published: April 2014

The paper reports a green synthetic route for nanosized hematite colloids with an excellent monodispersity, using green vitriol and ammonia as raw materials. The reaction conditions of the synthetic route were studied and the as‐prepared samples were characterized by XRD, TEM, TG‐DTA, DLS, and XPS. The results indicated that the key factors for the monodispersity of the colloidal product were preheating reactants and washing repeatedly the intermediate Fe(OH)3. When the initial pH was set as 4 or 5, the transformation product of Fe(OH)3 was the pure α‐Fe2O3 with the minim adsorptive sulfate ions. Contrarily, the mixtures of α‐Fe2O3 and α‐FeOOH were obtained at the pH 6 or 7, which were related to the mechanism of transformation reaction. In addition, the concentration of Fe(OH)3 should be less than or equal to 0.2 mol/L in order to prepare the qualified nanosized hematite colloids. The researches proved that the excellent monodispersity of the colloidal product resulted from a fine dispersion state of the synthetic system during the whole process and that it was a significant way to obtain the nanosized metallic oxide colloids from the corresponding metal hydroxide due to avoidance of hyperspeed centrifugal separation or dialysis operation.
The Collatz Problem in the Light of an Infinite Free Semigroup
Authors: Trümper Manfred
Published: April 2014

The Collatz (or 3m+1) problem is examined in terms of a free semigroup on which suitable diophantine and rational functions are defined. The elements of the semigroup, called T-words, comprise the information about the Collatz operations which relate an odd start number to an odd end number, the group operation being the concatenation of T-words. This view puts the concept of encoding vectors, first introduced in 1976 by Terras, in the proper mathematical context. A method is described which allows to determine a one-parameter family of start numbers compatible with any given T-word. The result brings to light an intimate relationship between the Collatz 3m+1 problem and the 3m-1 problem. Also, criteria for the rise or fall of a Collatz sequence are derived and the important notion of anomalous T-words is established. Furthermore, the concept of T-words is used to elucidate the question what kind of cycles—trivial, nontrivial, rational—can be found in the Collatz 3m+1 problem and also in the 3m-1 problem. Furthermore, the notion of the length of a Collatz sequence is discussed and applied to average sequences. Finally, a number of conjectures are proposed.
Modal Spectral Element Solutions to Incompressible Flows over Particles of Complex Shape
Authors: Liu Don , Zheng Yonglai
Published: April 2014

This paper develops the virtual identity particles (VIP) model to simulate two-phase flows involving complex-shaped particles. VIP assimilates the high efficiency of the Eulerian method and the convenience of the Lagrangian approach in tracking particles. It uses one fixed Eulerian mesh to compute the fluid field and the Lagrangian description to handle constitutive properties of particles. The interaction between the fluid and complex particles is characterized with source terms in the fluid momentum equations, while the same source terms are computed iteratively from the particulate Lagrangian equations. The advantage of VIP is its economy in modeling a two-phase flow problem almost at the cost of solving only the fluid phase with added source terms. This high efficiency in computational cost makes VIP viable for simulating particulate flows with numerous particles. Owing to the spectral convergence and high resolvability of the modal spectral element method, VIP provides acceptable resolution comparable to DNS but at much reduced computational cost. Simulation results indicate that VIP is promising for investigating flows with complex-shaped particles, especially abundant complex particles.
In Vitro Antifungal Activity against Oral Candida Species Using a Denture Base Coated with Silver Nanoparticles
Authors: Kamikawa Yoshiaki , Hirabayashi Daisuke , Nagayama Tomohiro , Fujisaki Jyunichi , Hamada Tomofumi , Sakamoto Ryoichi , Kamikawa Yasuko , Sugihara Kazumasa
Published: April 2014

Although oral Candida easily adheres to denture base materials, many denture detergents are effective only against bacteria but not against Candida. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), which are known to have potent antibacterial and antifungal activity, have been used in the prevention of oral candidiasis (OC). We evaluated the adherence of Candida albicans and Candida glabrata on a heat‐cured Acron resin piece supported by AgNPs by low‐vacuum scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and measuring colony‐forming units. C. albicans and C. glabrata increasingly adhered to the resin surface of the control piece over time, but the adhesion AgNP of both Candida species to the AgNP‐coated surface was significantly inhibited (P < 0.001). Low‐vacuum SEM revealed that C. albicans and C. glabrata on the resin surface of control pieces appeared as oval colonies, with a major axis of 3‐4 μm and a smooth cell wall, but those on the AgNP‐coated resin surface were less abundant than the control and showed swollen yeast features, with a major axis of more than 5 μm and a corrugated cell wall. Our results suggest a way to prevent denture‐associated OC by using denture base materials processed by AgNPs.
Hypofractionation in Prostate Cancer: Radiobiological Basis and Clinical Appliance
Authors: Mangoni M. , Desideri I. , Detti B. , Bonomo P. , Greto D. , Paiar F. , Simontacchi G. , Meattini I. , Scoccianti S. , Masoni T. , Ciabatti C. , Turkaj A. , Serni S. , Minervini A. , Gacci M. , Carini M. , Livi L.
Published: April 2014

External beam radiation therapy with conventional fractionation to a total dose of 76–80 Gy represents the most adopted treatment modality for prostate cancer. Dose escalation in this setting has been demonstrated to improve biochemical control with acceptable toxicity using contemporary radiotherapy techniques. Hypofractionated radiotherapy and stereotactic body radiation therapy have gained an increasing interest in recent years and they have the potential to become the standard of care even if long-term data about their efficacy and safety are not well established. Strong radiobiological basis supports the use of high dose for fraction in prostate cancer, due to the demonstrated exceptionally low values ofα/β. Clinical experiences with hypofractionated and stereotactic radiotherapy (with an adequate biologically equivalent dose) demonstrated good tolerance, a PSA control comparable to conventional fractionation, and the advantage of shorter time period of treatment. This paper reviews the radiobiological findings that have led to the increasing use of hypofractionation in the management of prostate cancer and briefly analyzes the clinical experience in this setting.