bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
INTERLAYER INTERACTION AND SCREENING IN MoS2
Authors: YAKOVKIN IVAN N.
Published: April 2014

Electronic band structures and phonon bands of bulk, bilayer and monolayer MoS 2 are studied by DFT and GW methods and discussed in the framework of applicability of the 2D model for layered systems. The MoS 2 monolayer is found to be a direct gap semiconductor with the top of the valence band and the bottom of the conduction band at K-point. For a bulk MoS 2, the bandgap, estimated within GW, agrees with the indirect bandgap obtained in experiment. However, for a MoS 2 monolayer, the GW-derived gap exceeds the energy of the photoluminescence line by ~0.9 eV. In contrast, the LDA value (1.84 eV) is consistent with the position of the photoluminescence line as well as with absorption spectroscopy and photoconductivity experiments. A significant overlap of the LDA-derived electron densities (in contrast to GGA results) indicates that the interlayer interaction in MoS 2 can be explained by the exchange interaction. Phonon bands, calculated for MoS 2 monolayer and bilayer within LDA, are consistent with Raman spectra, thus indicating the capability of LDA to correctly describe interactions in the layered system, including the interlayer interactions usually attributed to van der Waals forces.
COMBINED EFFECT OF MECHANICAL GROOVING AND STAIN-ETCHED SURFACE ON OPTICAL AND ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES OF CRYSTALLINE SILICON SUBSTRATES
Authors: ZARROUG AHMED , DERBALI LOTFI , OUERTANI RACHID , DIMASSI WISSEM , EZZAOUIA HATEM
Published: April 2014

This paper investigates the combined effect of mechanical grooving and porous silicon (PS) on the front surface reflectance and the electronic properties of crystalline silicon substrates. Mechanical surface texturization leads to reduce the cell reflectance, enhance the light trapping and augment the carrier collection probability. PS was introduced as an efficient antireflective coating (ARC) onto the front surface of crystalline silicon solar cell. Micro-periodic V-shaped grooves were made by means of a micro-groove machining process prior to junction formation. Subsequently, wafers were subjected to an isotropic potassium hydroxide ( KOH ) etching so that the V-shape would be turned to a U-shape. We found that the successive treatment of silicon surfaces with stain-etching, grooving then alkaline etching enhances the absorption of the textured surface, and decreases the reflectance from 35% to 7% in the 300–1200 nm wavelength range. We obtained a significant increase in the overall light path that generates the building up of the light trapping inside the substrate. We found an improvement in the illuminated I–V characteristics and an increase in the minority carrier lifetime τeff. Such a simple method was adopted to effectively reinforce the overall device performance of crystalline silicon-based solar cells.
Finite maximal chains of commutative rings
Authors: Ayache Ahmed , Dobbs David E.
Published: April 2014

Let R ⊆ S be a unital extension of commutative rings, with [Formula: see text] the integral closure of R in S, such that there exists a finite maximal chain of rings from R to S. Then S is a P-extension of R, [Formula: see text] is a normal pair, each intermediate ring of R ⊆ S has only finitely many prime ideals that lie over any given prime ideal of R, and there are only finitely many [Formula: see text]-subalgebras of S. Each chain of rings from R to S is finite if dim (R) = 0; or if R is a Noetherian (integral) domain and S is contained in the quotient field of R; or if R is a one-dimensional domain and S is contained in the quotient field of R; but not necessarily if dim (R) = 2 and S is contained in the quotient field of R. Additional domain-theoretic applications are given.
Multipole Surface Plasmon Resonance in Electrodeposited Gold Nanoparticles
Authors: Mandke Mohanrao V. , Pathan Habib M.
Published: April 2014

Electrodeposition is a convenient, economical and template-free tool to create the gold nanostructures. A two-electrode electrochemical process is used for the deposition process. In this method by controlling the deposition time and electrode potential, nearly spherical and rod-like gold nanostructures were synthesized through the reduction of Chlorauric acid with citric acid as a complexing agent. Spherical gold nanostructures of different size around 2 nm to 30 nm and rod-like nanostructures with an aspect ratio 0.5 were grown directly on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO)-coated glass substrate. The growth mechanism of gold nanostructures is explained with the help of oriented attachment process. The contact angle measurement showed the hydrophilic nature of gold nanostructures using water with contact angle of about 56°. The optical properties showed a dipole, quadrupole and an octupole plasmon resonance mode at around 625 nm, 530 nm and 422 nm respectively. The dipole resonance peak extends further to give a broad absorption band in the near infrared region of electromagnetic waves. The refractive index sensitivity of gold nanoparticles in various solvents was investigated by calculating the red shift of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) peaks. The quadrupole plasmon resonance mode showed maximum SPR sensitivity as compared to dipole and octupole plasmon resonance mode. The controlled formation of gold nanoparticles with variation of SPR over wide range of visible region supports the potential applications in biosensors, nanoelectronics and plasmon enhanced light absorption in photovoltaics, etc.
Magnetic maps
Authors: Inoguchi Jun-ichi , Munteanu Marian Ioan
Published: April 2014

In this paper, we introduce the notion of magnetic maps between Riemannian manifolds. They are generalizations of both magnetic curves and harmonic maps. We provide some fundamental examples of magnetic maps. Furthermore, we study some classes of magnetic surfaces in Euclidean 3-space.
Congruences for the number of 4-tuple partitions with distinct even parts
Authors: Dai Haobo
Published: April 2014

Let k ≥ 1 be an integer and ped k(n) be the number of k-tuple partitions of an integer n wherein the even parts are distinct (and the odd parts are unrestricted). In this paper, we examine the behavior of ped 4(n) modulo 8 in detail. As a result, we obtain infinite families of congruences for ped 4(n) modulo 8.
The p-rank of the reduction mod p of Jacobians and Jacobi sums
Authors: Álvarez A.
Published: April 2014

Let YK → XK be a ramified cyclic covering of curves, where K is a cyclotomic field. In this work we study the p-rank of the reduction mod p of a model of the Jacobian of YK. In this way, we obtain counterparts of the Deuring polynomial, defined for elliptic curves, for genus greater than one. We provide a new point of view of this subject in terms of L-functions. To carry out this study we use the relationship between Jacobi sums and L-functions. This is established in [A. Weil, Jacobi sums as "Grössencharaktere", Trans. Amer. Math. Soc. 73 (1952) 487–495] for the case of Fermat curves. We also give a new proof of a result of Deligne concerning the constant terms of these L-functions and Jacobi sums.
Inequalities for positive rank and crank moments of overpartitions
Authors: Larsen Acadia , Rust Alexa , Swisher Holly
Published: April 2014

In recent work, Andrews, Chan, and Kim extend a result of Garvan about even rank and crank moments of partitions to positive moments. In a similar fashion we extend a result of Mao about even rank moments of overpartitions. We investigate positive Dyson-rank, M2-rank, first residual crank, and second residual crank moments of overpartitions. In particular, we prove a conjecture of Mao which states that the positive Dyson-rank moments are larger than the positive M2-rank moments. We also prove some additional inequalities involving rank and crank moments of overpartitions, including an interlacing property.
SEMICONTINUOUS HETEROPHASE POLYMERIZATION AS A TOOL FOR PREPARING ULTRAFINE NANOPARTICLES OF IBUPROFEN-POLY(METHYL METHACRYLATE)
Authors: SAADE HENED , GARZA JESUS CEPEDA , LOPEZ-QUINTANILLA MARIA LUISA , ENRIQUEZ-MEDRANO FRANCISCO , FERNANDEZ SALVADOR , LOPEZ RAUL GUILLERMO , RODRIGUEZ HAZYADEE
Published: April 2014

Ibuprofen-loaded poly(methyl methacrylate) nanoparticles with mean diameters smaller than 20 nm were prepared by a novel method. This consists in carrying out a semicontinuous heterophase polymerization, in which a solution of drug-monomer is added on a micellar solution at an appropriate dosing rate. Scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) measurements showed number-average diameters in the range 16–19 nm with 1.14–1.15 in polydispersity, determined as the ratio of weight-average to number-average diameter. Drug contents in nanoparticles close to 24% were determined by UV-Vis spectrophotometry, confirming the results obtained from a procedure that combines latex filtration and quasielastic light scattering (QLS) measurements. Differential scanning calorimetry (CDSC) determinations suggest that at the ibuprofen contents attained in this study, crystals and dispersed molecules of the drug coexist inside the nanoparticles. Based on the relative simplicity of the process it is expected that its use will be adopted to prepare ultrafine nanoparticles composed of different hydrophobic polymers and water insoluble drugs.
Degree and neighborhood intersection conditions restricted to induced subgraphs ensuring Hamiltonicity of graphs
Authors: Ning Bo , Zhang Shenggui , Chen Bing
Published: April 2014

Let claw be the graph K1,3. A graph G on n ≥ 3 vertices is called o-heavy if each induced claw of G has a pair of end-vertices with degree sum at least n, and called 1-heavy if at least one end-vertex of each induced claw of G has degree at least n/2. In this note, we show that every 2-connected o-heavy or 3-connected 1-heavy graph is Hamiltonian if we restrict Fan-type degree condition or neighborhood intersection condition to certain pairs of vertices in some small induced subgraphs of the graph. Our results improve or extend previous results of Broersma et al., Chen et al., Fan, Goodman and Hedetniemi, Gould and Jacobson, and Shi on the existence of Hamilton cycles in graphs.
Global dominating sets in minimum coloring
Authors: Sahul Hamid I. , Rajeswari M.
Published: April 2014

In this paper, we introduce the concept of global dominating-χ-coloring of a graph and the corresponding parameter namely global dominating-χ-color number. Let G be a graph. Among all χ-colorings of G, a coloring with the maximum number of color classes that are global dominating sets in G is called a global dominating-χ-coloring of G. The number of color classes that are global dominating sets in a global dominating-χ-coloring of G is defined to be the global dominating-χ-color number of G, denoted by gd χ(G).
Mouse simulation in human–machine interface using kinect and 3 gear systems
Authors: Wu Yingnian , Yang Guojun , Zhang Lin
Published: April 2014

We never stop finding better ways to communicate with machines. To interact with computers we tried several ways, from punched tape and tape reader to QWERTY keyboards and command lines, from graphic user interface and mouse to multi-touch screens. The way we communicate with computers or devices are getting more direct and easier. In this paper, we give gesture mouse simulation in human–computer interface based on 3 Gear Systems using two Kinect sensors. The Kinect sensor is the perfect device to achieve dynamic gesture tracking and pose recognition. We hope the 3 Gear Systems can work as a mouse, to be more specific, use gestures to do click, double click and scroll. We use Coordinate Converting Matrix and Kalman Filter to reduce the shaking caused by errors and makes the interface create a better user experience. Finally the future of human–computer interface is discussed.
PLASMONIC COLOR FILTERS
Authors: SI GUANGYUAN , ZHAO YANHUI , CHEW AH BIAN , LIU YAN JUN
Published: April 2014

Plasmon-assisted color filtering devices have drawn increasing attention recently, thanks to their great potential for ultrahigh resolution display technology. In this paper, both transmission and reflection type color filters based on tuning surface plasmon resonance will be summarized. Transmission type color filters using nanohole arrays, nanoslits with grooves, metal–insulator–metal gratings and coaxial apertures will be reviewed first. Then reflective color filters using nanorods with ultrasmall separations will be discussed briefly. We believe more practical achievements of plasmon-based devices will be readily realized in the near future.
Characterization of biological pathways associated with a 1.37 Mbp genomic region protective of hypertension in Dahl S rats
Authors: Cowley Allen W. , Moreno Carol , Jacob Howard J. , Peterson Christine B. , Stingo Francesco C. , Ahn Kwang Woo , Liu Pengyuan , Vannucci Marina , Laud Purushottam W. , Reddy Prajwal , Lazar Jozef , Evans Louise , Yang Chun , Kurth Theresa , Liang Mingyu
Published: April 2014

The goal of the present study was to narrow a region of chromosome 13 to only several genes and then apply unbiased statistical approaches to identify molecular networks and biological pathways relevant to blood-pressure salt sensitivity in Dahl salt-sensitive (SS) rats. The analysis of 13 overlapping subcongenic strains identified a 1.37 Mbp region on chromosome 13 that influenced the mean arterial blood pressure by at least 25 mmHg in SS rats fed a high-salt diet. DNA sequencing and analysis filled genomic gaps and provided identification of five genes in this region, Rfwd2, Fam5b, Astn1, Pappa2, and Tnr. A cross-platform normalization of transcriptome data sets obtained from our previously published Affymetrix GeneChip dataset and newly acquired RNA-seq data from renal outer medullary tissue provided 90 observations for each gene. Two Bayesian methods were used to analyze the data: 1) a linear model analysis to assess 243 biological pathways for their likelihood to discriminate blood pressure levels across experimental groups and 2) a Bayesian graphical modeling of pathways to discover genes with potential relationships to the candidate genes in this region. As none of these five genes are known to be involved in hypertension, this unbiased approach has provided useful clues to be experimentally explored. Of these five genes, Rfwd2, the gene most strongly expressed in the renal outer medulla, was notably associated with pathways that can affect blood pressure via renal transcellular Na+and K+electrochemical gradients and tubular Na+transport, mitochondrial TCA cycle and cell energetics, and circadian rhythms.
Content Patterns in Topic-Based Overlapping Communities
Authors: Ríos Sebastián A. , Muñoz Ricardo
Published: April 2014

Understanding the underlying community structure is an important challenge in social network analysis. Most state-of-the-art algorithms only consider structural properties to detect disjoint subcommunities and do not include the fact that people can belong to more than one community and also ignore the information contained in posts that users have made. To tackle this problem, we developed a novel methodology to detect overlapping subcommunities in online social networks and a method to analyze the content patterns for each subcommunities using topic models. This paper presents our main contribution, a hybrid algorithm which combines two different overlapping sub-community detection approaches: the first one considers the graph structure of the network (topology-based subcommunities detection approach) and the second one takes the textual information of the network nodes into consideration (topic-based subcommunities detection approach). Additionally we provide a method to analyze and compare the content generated. Tests on real-world virtual communities show that our algorithm outperforms other methods.
Hopf Bifurcation of a Delayed Epidemic Model with Information Variable and Limited Medical Resources
Authors: Yan Caijuan , Jia Jianwen
Published: April 2014

We consider SIR epidemic model in which population growth is subject to logistic growth in absence of disease. We get the condition for Hopf bifurcation of a delayed epidemic model with information variable and limited medical resources. By analyzing the corresponding characteristic equations, the local stability of an endemic equilibrium and a disease-free equilibrium is discussed. If the basic reproduction ratioℛ0<1, we discuss the global asymptotical stability of the disease-free equilibrium by constructing a Lyapunov functional. Ifℛ0>1, we obtain sufficient conditions under which the endemic equilibriumE*of system is locally asymptotically stable. And we also have discussed the stability and direction of Hopf bifurcations. Numerical simulations are carried out to explain the mathematical conclusions.
Comparison of Clinical Profile between P. vivax and P. falciparum Malaria in Children: A Tertiary Care Centre Perspective from India
Authors: Goyal Jagdish Prasad , Makwana Aarti M.
Published: April 2014

Background. Malaria is a one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in tropical countries. Plasmodium vivax (P. vivax) is usually thought to be causing benign malaria with low incidence of complications as compared to Plasmodium falciparum (P. falciparum). Methods. This retrospective observational study included malaria patients who were admitted to K.T. Children Hospital and P.D.U. Government Medical College, Rajkot, a tertiary care teaching hospital, Gujarat, western India, during the period January 2012 to December 2012. Inclusion criteria were patients in whom either P. falciparum or P. vivax was positive on rapid malaria antigen test and peripheral blood smear. Patients showing mixed infections were excluded from study. Results. A total of 79 subjects (mean age 5.4±3.6 years) were included in the study. It consisted of 47 P. vivax and 32 P. falciparum cases. The P. vivax cases consisted of 33 (70.2%) males and 11 (19.8%) females while P. falciparum cases consisted of 14 (43.8%) males and 18 (56.2%) females. One patient of each P. vivax and P. falciparum expired. There was no statistical significant difference found between complications such as anemia, thrombocytopenia, liver and renal dysfunction, ARDS, and cerebral malaria between P. vivax and P. falciparum. Conclusion. We conclude that P. vivax monoinfection tends to have as similar course and complications as compared to malaria due to P. falciparum monoinfection.
Quantitative Analysis of the Relationship between Blood Vessel Wall Constituents and Viscoelastic Properties: Dynamic Biomechanical and Structural In Vitro Studies in Aorta and Carotid Arteries
Authors: Bia Daniel , Zócalo Yanina , Cabrera-Fischer Edmundo I. , Wray Sandra , Armentano Ricardo L.
Published: April 2014

The purposes of this work were to perform in sheep a quantification of the elastic, viscous, and inertial moduli obtained in carotid and aortic artery segments during in vitro dynamic studies that mimic the normal circulatory function; a quantitative determination of collagen, elastin, and vascular smooth muscle of the carotid and aortic segments analyzed in vitro; the correlation between the amounts of each arterial wall constituent and the viscoelastic properties. To this end, nine healthy sheep were included. One artery was selected from each animal to evaluate its biomechanical properties: (a) in three sheep the ascending aorta, (b) in three the thoracic descending aorta, and (c) in the remaining three the proximal segments of the carotid artery. Each selected artery was instrumented with pressure and diameter sensors. After excision, a small ring-shaped sample was set apart from each segment for histological analysis. In conclusion, (a) the arterial compliance showed a positive association with the absolute and relative amount of the parietal elastin, and (b) arterial viscosity was positively associated with the relative amount of smooth muscle, and this association was increased when the correlation was calculated considering the amount of collagen as well as the amount of smooth muscle.
Design of Finite Word Length Linear-Phase FIR Filters in the Logarithmic Number System Domain
Authors: Alam Syed Asad , Gustafsson Oscar
Published: April 2014

Logarithmic number system (LNS) is an attractive alternative to realize finite-length impulse response filters because of multiplication in the linear domain being only addition in the logarithmic domain. In the literature, linear coefficients are directly replaced by the logarithmic equivalent. In this paper, an approach to directly optimize the finite word length coefficients in the LNS domain is proposed. This branch and bound algorithm is implemented based on LNS integers and several different branching strategies are proposed and evaluated. Optimal coefficients in the minimax sense are obtained and compared with the traditional finite word length representation in the linear domain as well as using rounding. Results show that the proposed method naturally provides smaller approximation error compared to rounding. Furthermore, they provide insights into finite word length properties of FIR filters coefficients in the LNS domain and show that LNS FIR filters typically provide a better approximation error compared to a standard FIR filter.
Manual Removal of the Placenta after Vaginal Delivery: An Unsolved Problem in Obstetrics
Authors: Urner Fiona , Zimmermann Roland , Krafft Alexander
Published: April 2014

The third stage of labor is associated with considerable maternal morbidity and mortality. The major complication is postpartum hemorrhage (PPH), which is the leading cause of maternal morbidity and mortality worldwide. Whereas in the event of PPH due to atony of the uterus there exist numerous treatment guidelines; for the management of retained placenta the general consensus is more difficult to establish. Active management of the third stage of labour is generally accepted as standard of care as already its duration is contributing to the risk of PPH. Despite scant evidence it is commonly advised that if the placenta has not been expelled 30 minutes after delivery, manual removal of the placenta should be carried out under anaesthesia. Pathologic adhesion of the placenta in the low risk situation usually is diagnosed at the time of delivery; therefore a pre- or intrapartum screening opportunity for placenta accreta would be desirable. But diagnosis of abnormalities of placentation other than placenta previa remains a challenge. Nevertheless the use of ultrasound and doppler sonography might be helpful in the third stage of labor. An improvement might be the implementation of standardized operating procedures for retained placenta which could contribute to a reduction of maternal morbidity.
Effect of Different Cooling Regimes on the Mechanical Properties of Cementitious Composites Subjected to High Temperatures
Authors: Yu Jiangtao , Weng Wenfang , Yu Kequan
Published: April 2014

The influence of different cooling regimes (quenching in water and cooling in air) on the residual mechanical properties of engineered cementitious composite (ECC) subjected to high temperature up to 800°C was discussed in this paper. The ECC specimens are exposed to 100, 200, 400, 600, and 800°C with the unheated specimens for reference. Different cooling regimens had a significant influence on the mechanical properties of postfire ECC specimens. The microstructural characterization was examined before and after exposure to fire deterioration by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Results from the microtest well explained the mechanical properties variation of postfire specimens.
Study on Nonequilibrium Effect of Condensate Gas Reservoir with Gaseous Water under HT and HP Condition
Authors: Hou Dali , Luo Pingya , Sun Lei , Tang Yong , Pan Yi
Published: April 2014

When a condensate gas reservoir with gaseous water under high temperature and high pressure condition is producing, the gaseous water and nonequilibrium effect will have great influences on the phase behavior of condensate oil and gas system and the accumulation of condensate liquid near the wellbore area. Therefore, a series of experiments were performed to investigate phase behavior of the condensate gas reservoirs with gaseous water using a PVT cell, in which the constant volume depletion process of nonequilibrium pressure drop and equilibrium pressure drop within near wellbore zone was simulated. And using the modified PR EOS, PR EOS, and nonequilibrium effect theory, the authors calculated the content of condensate oil and condensate liquid of the nonequilibrium pressure drop and equilibrium pressure drop and compared the calculated results with the experimental data. The results show that the modified PR EOS combined with nonequilibrium effect theory is more suitable for representing phase behavior characteristics of the development process of condensate gas reservoir containing gaseous water, with the average relative error of 4.49%. Furthermore, choosing the appropriate exploiting opportunity and properly increasing the nonequilibrium effect are helpful to increase condensate oil and water recovery.
Gene Expression Changes Induced byTrypanosoma cruziShed Microvesicles in Mammalian Host Cells: Relevance of tRNA-Derived Halves
Authors: Garcia-Silva Maria R. , Cabrera-Cabrera Florencia , Cura das Neves Roberta Ferreira , Souto-Padrón Thaís , de Souza Wanderley , Cayota Alfonso
Published: April 2014

At present, noncoding small RNAs are recognized as key players in novel forms of posttranscriptional gene regulation in most eukaryotes. However, canonical small RNA pathways seem to be lost or excessively simplified in some unicellular organisms includingTrypanosoma cruziwhich lack functional RNAi pathways. Recently, we reported the presence of alternate small RNA pathways inT. cruzimainly represented by homogeneous populations of tRNA- and rRNA-derived small RNAs, which are secreted to the extracellular medium included in extracellular vesicles. Extracellular vesicle cargo could be delivered to other parasites and to mammalian susceptible cells promoting metacyclogenesis and conferring susceptibility to infection, respectively. Here we analyzed the changes in gene expression of host HeLa cells induced by extracellular vesicles fromT. cruzi. As assessed by microarray assays a large set of genes in HeLa cells were differentially expressed upon incorporation ofT. cruzi-derived extracellular vesicles. The elicited response modified mainly host cell cytoskeleton, extracellular matrix, and immune responses pathways. Some genes were also modified by the most abundant tRNA-derived small RNAs included in extracellular vesicles. These data suggest that microvesicles secreted byT. cruzicould be relevant players in early events of theT. cruzihost cell interplay.
Variation‐Oriented Data Filtering for Improvement in Model Complexity of Air Pollutant Prediction Model
Authors: Vong Chi Man , Ip Weng Fai , Wong Pak Kin
Published: April 2014

Accurate prediction models for air pollutants are crucial for forecast and health alarm to local inhabitants. In recent literature, discrete wavelet transform (DWT) was employed to decompose a series of air pollutant levels, followed by modeling using support vector machine (SVM). This combination of DWT and SVM was reported to produce a more accurate prediction model for air pollutants by investigating different levels of frequency bands. However, DWT has a significant demand in model complexity, namely, the training time and the model size of the prediction model. In this paper, a new method called variation-oriented filtering (VF) is proposed to remove the data with low variation, which can be considered as noise to a prediction model. By VF, the noise and the size of the series of air pollutant levels can be reduced simultaneously and hence so are the training time and model size. The SO2 (sulfur dioxide) level in Macau was selected as a test case. Experimental results show that VF can effectively and efficiently reduce the model complexity with improvement in predictive accuracy.
Urinary Angiotensinogen Is Elevated in Patients with Nephrolithiasis
Authors: Sun Wei , Feng Yuan , Yao Xu-Dong , Xu Yun-Fei , Peng Bo , Liu Min , Zheng Jun-Hua
Published: April 2014

Background.Elevated urinary angiotensinogen (UA) was identified as novel prognostic biomarker capable of predicting chronic kidney disease, and in the present study, we will investigate the diagnostic value of UA in the patients of nephrolithiasis.Methods.Urine angiotensinogen levels andα1-microglobulin were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in 60 patients presenting with nephrolithiasis and 50 sex- and age-matched healthy volunteers. Estimated glomerular filtration (eGFR) was calculated and, by simple regression analysis, the correlation of UA/α1-microglobulin levels and the decline of eGFR were analyzed as well.Results.Median UA levels was significantly increased in the nephrolithiasis patients compared with normal control (1250.78±439.27 versus 219.34±45.27 pg/mL;P<0.01). The mean serum creatinine levels in patients with higher UA levels (>1250 pg/mL) was significantly higher than those with lower UA levels (<1250 pg/mL) [92.23±18.13 μmol/L versus 70.07±11.17 μmol/L;P<0.05]. According to the single variate analysis, UA levels were significantly and positively correlated with urinaryα1-microglobulin (r=0.733;P=1.33×10-15), while they were significantly and negatively correlated with eGFR (r=-0.343;P=1.03×10-4).Conclusion.Urinary UA is a novel biomarker for patients with nephrolithiasis, which indicates renal tubular injury. Further study on the molecular pathogenic mechanism of UA and larger scale of clinical trial is required.
Interorganizational Knowledge Division Decision Model Based on Cooperative Innovation of Supply Chain System
Authors: Zhang Wei , Zhang Qingpu , Wu Guangdong
Published: April 2014

Within interorganizational cooperative innovation of construction supply chain system, the achievement of project value-adding could be reflected by several factors, such as project-based organizational effect level, and the relationship between project cooperative innovation objectives. In this paper, based on the assumption of equal cooperation between project-based organizations, we selected the knowledge cooperation between the owner and contractor in construction supply chain system as research object. From the perspective of maximizing project value-adding and the relationship of effort cost between knowledge input and innovation stage in consideration, we established the knowledge collaborative incentive model for interorganizational cooperative innovation of construction supply chain system and proposed the first-order and second-order approaches. Then we conducted the digital simulation and example analysis, its results showed that if the owner has the capability to achieve project value-adding in knowledge cooperation, he would adopt a part commissioned way. Otherwise, a fully commissioned way would be better.
Chitinase from a Novel Strain ofSerratia marcescensJPP1 for Biocontrol of Aflatoxin: Molecular Characterization and Production Optimization Using Response Surface Methodology
Authors: Wang Kai , Yan Pei-sheng , Cao Li-xin
Published: April 2014

Chitinase is one of the most important mycolytic enzymes with industrial significance, and produced by a number of organisms. A chitinase producing isolateSerratia marcescensJPP1 was obtained from peanut hulls in Jiangsu Province, China, and exhibited antagonistic activity against aflatoxins. In this study, we describe the optimization of medium composition with increased production of chitinase for the selected bacteria using statistical methods: Plackett-Burman design was applied to find the key ingredients, and central composite design of response surface methodology was used to optimize the levels of key ingredients for the best yield of chitinase. Maximum chitinase production was predicted to be 23.09 U/mL for a 2.1-fold increase in medium containing 12.70 g/L colloidal chitin, 7.34 g/L glucose, 5.00 g/L peptone, 1.32 g/L (NH4)2SO4, 0.7 g/L K2HPO4, and 0.5 g/L MgSO4·7H2O. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of the JPP1 chitinase gene was performed and obtained a 1,789 bp nucleotide sequence; its open reading frame encoded a protein of 499 amino acids named as ChiBjp.
Modeling of Interfacial Component for Two-Phase Frictional Pressure Gradient at Microscales
Authors: Awad M. M. , Muzychka Y. S.
Published: April 2014

A simple approach for calculating the interfacial component of frictional pressure gradient in two-phase flow at microscales is presented. This approach is developed using superposition of three pressure gradients: single-phase liquid, single-phase gas, and interfacial pressure gradient. The proposed model can be transformed in two different ways: first, two-phase interfacial multiplier for liquid flowing alone ([Formula: see text]) as a function of two-phase frictional multiplier for liquid flowing alone ([Formula: see text]) and the Lockhart-Martinelli parameter, X, and, second, two-phase interfacial multiplier for gas flowing alone (ϕg, i2) as a function of two-phase frictional multiplier for gas flowing alone (ϕg2) and the Lockhart-Martinelli parameter, X. This proposed model allows for the interfacial pressure gradient to be easily modeled. Comparisons of the proposed model with experimental data for microchannels and minichannels and existing correlations for both ϕland ϕgversus X are presented.
Static and Dynamic Analysis of Railway Reinforced System with Cross‐Beams
Authors: Peng Bin , Zhang Nan , Gao Yu Lan
Published: April 2014

To fulfill the design requirement of railway reinforced system with cross‐beams, the model for the static analysis of the railway reinforced system is optimized, the dynamic response is calculated by the vehicle‐rail interaction method, the standards of both static and dynamic analysis are established, and the calculation results of many cases with different parameters are evaluated. It is found that, compared with simplified model, the optimized model simulated the conditions of construction site better, so that results are improved; the acceleration and the offloading factor of reinforced system is obtained by the dynamic analysis, whose vibration and resonance phenomenon can be simulated. The calculated result and the railway reinforcement design are safer by adopting the proposed standard in both static and dynamic analysis.
Study of Band Gap of Silver Nanoparticles—Titanium Dioxide Nanocomposites
Authors: Barone P. , Stranges F. , Barberio M. , Renzelli D. , Bonanno A. , Xu F.
Published: April 2014

The optical and chemical properties of Ag/TiO2nanocomposites were investigated to explore the possibilities of incorporating these new materials in Gratzel photoelectrochemical cells. The nanocomposites were obtained doping TiO2, in both allotropic species anatase and rutile, with silver nanoparticles (grown by laser ablation process). X-ray photoelectron data indicate the absence of Ag-Ti chemical bonds, while measurements of photoluminescence and optical absorbance in UV-visible range show a quench in photoluminescence emission of about 50% and an increase in visible absorbance of about 20%. Measurements of optical band gap, obtained by Tauc’s equation, indicate a variation of about 1.6 eV.
Implementation of Steiner Point of Fuzzy Set
Authors: Liang Jiuzhen , Wang Dejiang
Published: April 2014

This paper deals with the implementation of Steiner point of fuzzy set. Some definitions and properties of Steiner point are investigated and extended to fuzzy set. This paper focuses on establishing efficient methods to compute Steiner point of fuzzy set. Two strategies of computing Steiner point of fuzzy set are proposed. One is called linear combination of Steiner points computed by a series of crispα-cut sets of the fuzzy set. The other is an approximate method, which is trying to find the optimalα-cut set approaching the fuzzy set. Stability analysis of Steiner point of fuzzy set is also studied. Some experiments on image processing are given, in which the two methods are applied for implementing Steiner point of fuzzy image, and both strategies show their own advantages in computing Steiner point of fuzzy set.
A Convenient Adomian-Pade Technique for the Nonlinear Oscillator Equation
Authors: Wei Na , Liu Cheng-Xi , Hu Teng , You Fu-Cai
Published: April 2014

Very recently, the convenient way to calculate the Adomian series was suggested. This paper combines this technique and the Pade approximation to develop some new iteration schemes. Then, the combined method is applied to nonlinear models and the residual functions illustrate the accuracies and conveniences.
Numerical Analysis on Temperature Rise of a Concrete Arch Dam after Sealing Based on Measured Data
Authors: Li Qingbin , Liang Guohe , Hu Yu , Zuo Zheng
Published: April 2014

The thermal boundary conditions in the construction and operation phases of a concrete arch dam are always complex. After sealing, differences between the arch dam temperature and its sealing temperature can cause compressive or tensile stresses. Based on measured temperature of an arch dam located in China, a temperature rise phenomenon (TRP) is found in the after‐sealed regions of the arch dam. By mining and analyzing the temperature data of various monitoring apparatus embedded in the arch dam, higher environment temperature is considered to be the main cause for the occurrence of the TRP. Mathematical methods for complex thermal boundary conditions, including external boundary conditions and internal heat source conditions, are proposed in this paper. A finite element model is implemented with the concern of the construction phase and operation phase of the arch dam. Results confirm good agreement with the measured temperature and verify the conjecture that the TRP occurs mainly because the external temperature of the arch dam is higher than its sealing temperature.
Existence of Positive Solutions of Semilinear Biharmonic Equations
Authors: Zhang Yajing , Lü Yinmei , Wang Ningning
Published: April 2014

This paper is concerned with the existence of positive solutions of semilinear biharmonic problem whose associated functionals do not satisfy the Palais-Smale condition.
An Intelligent Guardrail Context-Awareness System Based on Acceleration Sensors in Ubiquitous Sensor Networks
Authors: Jang Seok-Woo , Cho Sung-Youn , Lee Gi-Sung
Published: April 2014

A ubiquitous city (u-City) is a next-generation information-based city that combines state-of-the-art IT (information technology) infrastructures and ubiquitous information services. In general, the urban facilities of a u-City can be categorized into ground and underground facilities. This paper proposes a guardrail context-awareness system based on the analysis of acceleration sensors to manage guardrails systematically. Guardrails are one of the major ground facilities in a u-City. The suggested system generates alarms when acceleration sensors on guardrails recognize a certain level of physical shock. General information on the size and direction from the acceleration sensors is transmitted to the context-awareness system. The context-awareness system analyzes the scalar magnitude of the impacted shock, acceleration values to the x, y, and z directions, gravity direction of the sensors, and threshold values. It then determines if there is pronounced physical activity on the guardrail. Experimental results show that the suggested guardrail context-awareness approach accurately recognizes guardrail shock events that occur in various environments.
The Exponential Diophantine Equation4m2+1x+5m2-1y=(3m)z
Authors: Su Juanli , Li Xiaoxue
Published: April 2014

Letmbe a positive integer. In this paper, using some properties of exponential diophantine equations and some results on the existence of primitive divisors of Lucas numbers, we prove that ifm>90and3|m, then the equation4m2+1x + 5m2-1y=(3m)zhas only the positive integer solution(x,y,z)=(1,1,2).
Plasmodium falciparumMalaria Complicated by Symmetrical Peripheral Gangrene, Bowel Ischemia, Repeated Candidemia, and Bacteraemia
Authors: Masse Emeline , Hantson Philippe
Published: April 2014

A 63-year-old Caucasian woman developed severePlasmodium falciparummalaria when travelling back from Cameroun. No antimalarial chemoprophylaxis had been observed. The patient was immediately admitted to the intensive care unit after evidence of multiple organ failure (coma, shock, acute respiratory distress syndrome, acute renal failure, etc.). However, initial parasitemia was less than 1%. The patient was managed by intravenous quinine and norepinephrine infusion due to refractory shock. The patient developed as an early complication ischemic lesions of both arms and feet. In addition to laboratory changes consistent with disseminated intravascular coagulation, there was also evidence for a low activity of the von Willebrand factor (VWF) cleaving protease ADAMTS13. Later complications included repeated candidemia and bacteraemia despite appropriate therapy; the origin appeared to be diffuse ischemic injury of the gastrointestinal tract. The patient ultimately recovered, but quadriamputation was necessary to treat symmetrical peripheral gangrene (SPG). In severePlasmodium falciparummalaria, ischemic changes may be due to microvascular obstruction, but, in patients with low parasitemia, other endothelial factors may also be involved as observed in other groups of thrombotic microangiopathies.
Analysis of a Single Species Model with Dissymmetric Bidirectional Impulsive Diffusion and Dispersal Delay
Authors: Wan Haiyun , Zhang Long , Teng Zhidong
Published: April 2014

In most models of population dynamics, diffusion between two patches is assumed to be either continuous or discrete, but in the real natural ecosystem, impulsive diffusion provides a more suitable manner to model the actual dispersal (or migration) behavior for many ecological species. In addition, the species not only requires some time to disperse or migrate among the patches but also has some possibility of loss during dispersal. In view of these facts, a single species model with dissymmetric bidirectional impulsive diffusion and dispersal delay is formulated. Criteria on the permanence and extinction of species are established. Furthermore, the realistic conditions for the existence, uniqueness, and the global stability of the positive periodic solution are obtained. Finally, numerical simulations and discussion are presented to illustrate our theoretical results.
The Wiener Index of Circulant Graphs
Authors: Zhou Houqing
Published: April 2014

Circulant graphs are an important class of interconnection networks in parallel and distributed computing. In this paper, we discuss the relation of the Wiener index and the Harary index of circulant graphs and the largest eigenvalues of distance matrix and reciprocal distance matrix of circulants. We obtain the following consequence:W/λ=H/μ;2W/n=λ;2H/n=μ, whereW,Hdenote the Wiener index and the Harary index andλ,μdenote the largest eigenvalues of distance matrix and reciprocal distance matrix of circulant graphs, respectively. Moreover we also discuss the Wiener index of nonregular graphs with cut edges.
Role of the Unfolded Protein Response inβCell Compensation and Failure during Diabetes
Authors: Rabhi Nabil , Salas Elisabet , Froguel Philippe , Annicotte Jean-Sébastien
Published: April 2014

Pancreaticβcell failure leads to diabetes development. During disease progression,βcells adapt their secretory capacity to compensate the elevated glycaemia and the peripheral insulin resistance. This compensatory mechanism involves a fine-tuned regulation to modulate the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) capacity and quality control to prevent unfolded proinsulin accumulation, a major protein synthetized within theβcell. These signalling pathways are collectively termed unfolded protein response (UPR). The UPR machinery is required to preserve ER homeostasis andβcell integrity. Moreover, UPR actors play a key role by regulating ER folding capacity, increasing the degradation of misfolded proteins, and limiting the mRNA translation rate. Recent genetic and biochemical studies on mouse models and human UPR sensor mutations demonstrate a clear requirement of the UPR machinery to preventβcell failure and increaseβcell mass and adaptation throughout the progression of diabetes. In this review we will highlight the specific role of UPR actors inβcell compensation and failure during diabetes.
The High Contact Principle with Reward Functions Involving Initial Points
Authors: Guo Dongmei , Hu Yi , Zhang Jiankang , Chu Chunli
Published: April 2014

This paper examines a class of general optimal stopping problems in which
reward functions depend on initial points. Two points of view on the
initial point are introduced: one is to view it as a constant, and the other is
to view it as a constant process starting from the point. Based on the two
different views, two versions of the generalized high contact principle
are derived. Finally, we apply the generalized high contact principle to one
example.
The Space-Jump Model of the Movement of Tumor Cells and Healthy Cells
Authors: Li Meng-Rong , Lin Yu-Ju , Shieh Tzong-Hann
Published: April 2014

We establish the interaction model of two cell populations following the concept of the random-walk, and assume the cell movement is constrained by space limitation primarily. Furthermore, we analyze the model to obtain the behavior of two cell populations as time is closed to initial state and far into the future.
On the Graph of Solution Mappings of Variational Inequalities Problems
Authors: Song Qi-Qing
Published: April 2014

This paper shows the property of homeomorphism between the space of monotone variational inequalities problems and the graph of their solution mappings.
Conservation Laws, Symmetry Reductions, and New Exact Solutions of the (2 + 1)-Dimensional Kadomtsev-Petviashvili Equation with Time-Dependent Coefficients
Authors: Zhang Li-hua
Published: April 2014

The (2 + 1)-dimensional Kadomtsev-Petviashvili equation with time-dependent coefficients is investigated. By means of the Lie group method, we first obtain several geometric symmetries for the equation in terms of coefficient functions and arbitrary functions oft. Based on the obtained symmetries, many nontrivial and time-dependent conservation laws for the equation are obtained with the help of Ibragimov’s new conservation theorem. Applying the characteristic equations of the obtained symmetries, the (2 + 1)-dimensional KP equation is reduced to (1 + 1)-dimensional nonlinear partial differential equations, including a special case of (2 + 1)-dimensional Boussinesq equation and different types of the KdV equation. At the same time, many new exact solutions are derived such as soliton and soliton-like solutions and algebraically explicit analytical solutions.
A Joint Encryption and Reversible Data Hiding Scheme Based on Integer-DWT and Arnold Map Permutation
Authors: Zhang Shun , Gao Tiegang , Sheng Guorui
Published: April 2014

A joint encryption and reversible data hiding (joint encryption-RDH) scheme is proposed in this paper. The cover image is transformed to the frequency domain with integer discrete wavelet transform (integer DWT) for the encryption and data hiding. Additional data is hidden into the permuted middle (LH, HL) and high (HH) frequency subbands of integer DWT coefficients with a histogram modification based method. A combination of permutations both in the frequency domain and in the spatial domain is imposed for the encryption. In the receiving end, the encrypted image with hidden data can be decrypted to the image with hidden data, which is similar to the original image without hidden data, by only using the encryption key; if someone has both the data hiding key and the encryption key, he can both extract the hidden data and reversibly recover the original image. Experimental results demonstrate that, compared with existing joint encryption-RDH schemes, the proposed scheme has gained larger embedding capacity, and the distribution of the encrypted image with data hidden has a random like behavior. It can also achieve the lossless restoration of the cover image.