bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Addressing China’s grand challenge of achieving food security while ensuring environmental sustainability
Authors: Lu Yonglong , Jenkins Alan , Ferrier Robert C. , Bailey Mark , Gordon Iain J. , Song Shuai , Huang Jikun , Jia Shaofeng , Zhang Fusuo , Liu Xuejun , Feng Zhaozhong , Zhang Zhibin
Published: March 2015

China’s increasingly urbanized and wealthy population is driving a growing and changing demand for food, which might not be met without significant increase in agricultural productivity and sustainable use of natural resources. Given the past relationship between lack of access to affordable food and political instability, food security has to be given a high priority on national political agendas in the context of globalization. The drive for increased food production has had a significant impact on the environment, and the deterioration in ecosystem quality due to historic and current levels of pollution will potentially compromise the food production system in China. We discuss the grand challenges of not only producing more food but also producing it sustainably and without environmental degradation. In addressing these challenges, food production should be considered as part of an environmental system (soil, air, water, and biodiversity) and not independent from it. It is imperative that new ways of meeting the demand for food are developed while safeguarding the natural resources upon which food production is based. We present a holistic approach to both science and policy to ensure future food security while embracing the ambition of achieving environmental sustainability in China. It is a unique opportunity for China to be a role model as a new global player, especially for other emerging economies.
Settlement scaling and increasing returns in an ancient society
Authors: Ortman Scott G. , Cabaniss Andrew H. F. , Sturm Jennie O. , Bettencourt Luís M. A.
Published: March 2015

Ancient Mesoamerican settlements obey the same scaling laws as modern cities despite vast differences in economy, technology and political organization.
Carpal tunnel syndrome following an electrical injury in a child
Authors: Anand Sambandam , Findlay Alice Rima , Anand Geetha
Published: March 2015

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is very rare in children and has been reported very infrequently in the literature. We present an unusual case of CTS in a 14-year-old girl who developed this following an accidental electrical shock. As far as we are aware, this is the first case report of CTS in a child following electrical injury. This rare complication of electrical injury can easily be disregarded or misdiagnosed as neuropraxia, and this can delay appropriate treatment, as evidenced by this case. We propose that CTS should be considered when instigating initial medical care after an electrical injury, and that a referral to a hand surgeon should not be delayed, as these children need urgent surgical intervention to preserve hand function.
Fatal multiple deer tick-borne infections in an elderly patient with advanced liver disease
Authors: Chabria Shiven , Ogbuagu Onyema
Published: March 2015

We present a case of a 66-year-old woman with decompensated alcoholic liver cirrhosis and poorly controlled non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus who was admitted with a 1 day history of altered mental status, high-grade fevers, worsening jaundice and generalised malaise with subsequent development of hypotension requiring intensive care. She was diagnosed with severe babesiosis with high-grade parasitaemia. She was also found to have Lyme disease coinfection. Despite aggressive therapeutic measures including appropriate antibiotics and multiple exchange blood transfusions, she developed septic shock and fulminant multiple organ failure with eventual demise. In this article, we highlight multiple tick-borne illnesses in a vulnerable host, in this case an elderly patient with liver cirrhosis, as risk factors for severe morbidity and potentially fatal outcomes.
De Garengeot's hernia: 40 years after Bassini inguinal hernioplasty
Authors: Liipo Tommi K E , Seppälä Toni T , Mattila Anne K
Published: March 2015

De Garengeot's hernia (DGH) is a rare entity in which the vermiform appendix is located within the femoral hernia sac. Even though DGH is known to be more common in females, we report a case of a male patient having undergone Bassini-type inguinal hernia repair over 40 years ago. We present the preoperative diagnostic measures and an example of the surgical management of this rare entity.
Measurement of anomalous scattering factors of tin using characteristic X-ray photons
Authors: Krishnananda  , Mirji Santosh , Babu S. Ramesh , Niranjana K.M. , Badiger N.M.
Published: March 2015

The imaginary and real parts of anomalous scattering factors of Sn atoms around the K shell binding energy are measured using K and L X-ray photons. Gamma photons of energy 59.54 keV from an Am-241 radioactive source are used to excite K and L X-ray photons of various energies. By measuring the intensities of incident and transmitted X-ray photons in Sn foil with a good geometry arrangement, the K shell photoelectric cross sections are determined around the K shell binding energy of Sn. The real and imaginary parts of anomalous scattering factors of Sn are determined from K shell photoelectric cross section values. Experimentally determined form factors are compared with the theoretical prediction and experimental data obtained with synchrotron source.
Support Vector Machine Ensemble Based on Choquet Integral for Financial Distress Prediction
Authors: Li Xihua , Wang Fuqiang , Chen Xiaohong
Published: March 2015

Due to the radical change in both Chinese and global economic environment, it is essential to develop a practical model to predict financial distress. The support vector machine (SVM), a new outstanding learning machine based on the statistical learning theory, embodying the principle of structural risk minimization instead of empirical risk minimization principle, is a promising method for such financial distress prediction. However, to some extent, the performance of single classifier depends on the sample's pattern characteristics and each single classifier has its own uncertainty. Using the ensemble methods to predict financial distress becomes a rising trend in this field. This research puts forward a SVM ensemble based on the Choquet integral for financial distress prediction in which Bagging algorithm is used to generate new training sets. The proposed ensemble method can be expressed as "Choquet + Bagging + SVMs". With real data from Chinese listed companies, an experiment is carried out to compare the performance of single classifiers with the proposed ensemble method. Empirical results indicate that the proposed ensemble of SVMs based on the Choquet integral for financial distress prediction has higher average accuracy and stability than single SVM classifiers.
Surface Slip Effect on Thermal Environment of Hypersonic Non-Equilibrium Flows
Authors: Miao Wenbo , Cheng Xiaoli , Ai Bangcheng , Dong Yonghui
Published: March 2015

Boundary slip effect caused by low gas density has an important influence on the thermal environment of the vehicles. Numerical studies on the boundary slip effect and accommodation for moment and energy have been carried out in this paper. The simulations considering slip boundary and surface catalysis are validated with Arc-jet test data. Mechanism and rules of impact on surface heat flux by different boundary slip level (Knudsen number from 0.0028 to 0.05) has been investigated in typical hypersonic flow conditions. The results show that mechanisms of boundary slip effect on mass diffusion heat flux and convective heat flux are different; slip boundary diminishes the convective heat, whereas enhances the mass diffusion heat flux. Smaller moment and energy accommodation coefficient is equivalent to more rarefaction. As Knudsen number goes up, the influences of accommodation on heatflux are enhanced, it mainly affects the convective heat flux.
Quantum systems with time-dependent boundaries
Authors: Di Martino Sara , Facchi Paolo
Published: March 2015

We present here a set of lecture notes on quantum systems with time-dependent boundaries. In particular, we analyze the dynamics of a non-relativistic particle in a bounded domain of physical space, when the boundaries are moving or changing. In all cases, unitarity is preserved and the change of boundaries does not introduce any decoherence in the system.
Kinetics of Single-Enzyme Reactions on Vesicles: Role of Substrate Aggregation
Authors: Zhdanov Vladimir P.
Published: March 2015

Enzymatic reactions occurring in vivo on lipid membranes can be influenced by various factors including macromolecular crowding in general and substrate aggregation in particular. In academic studies, the role of these factors can experimentally be clarified by tracking single-enzyme kinetics occurring on individual lipid vesicles. To extend the conceptual basis for such experiments, we analyze herein the corresponding kinetics mathematically with emphasis on the role of substrate aggregation. In general, the aggregation may occur on different length scales. Small aggregates may e.g. contain a few proteins or peptides while large aggregates may be mesoscopic as in the case of lipid domains which can be formed in the membranes composed of different lipids. We present a kinetic model describing comprehensively the effect of aggregation of the former type on the dependence of the reaction rate on substrate membrane concentration. The results obtained with physically reasonable parameters indicate that the aggregation-related deviations from the conventional Michaelis–Menten kinetics may be appreciable.

[Formula: see text]Special Issue Comments: This theoretical article is focused on single-enzyme reactions occurring in parallel with substrate aggregation on individual vesicles. This subject is related to a few Special Issue articles concerning enzyme dynamics6,7 and function8 and mathematical aspects of stochastic kinetics.9
The list 2-distance coloring of a graph with Δ(G) = 5
Authors: Bu Yuehua , Lv Xia , Yan Xiaoyan
Published: March 2015

We study the list 2-distance coloring of a graph G, and its maximum average degree, denoted mad (G). For Δ(G) = 5, we proved that [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] and ch 2(G) ≤ 11 if mad (G) < 3 respectively, where ch 2(G) is the list 2-distance chromatic number.
Comparing the Relative Efficiency of Irrigation Unions in Antalya, Turkey: A Data Envelopment Analysis
Authors: Sayin Betul , Yilmaz Ibrahim
Published: March 2015

This study was conducted to measure the efficiency level of irrigation unions in the Antalya Province of Turkey. An input-oriented data envelopment model, a linear programming procedure, was used to measure the relative efficiency scores of irrigation unions. Research results showed that technical efficiency (TE) scores varied between 0.39 and 1.00 and the mean TE score was 0.85. Based on the results of decomposition, the pure TE and scale efficiency were 0.81 and 0.95, respectively and the main source of inefficiency in the research area was pure TE. 47% of the examined unions had constant returns to scale, while that of decreasing returns to scale was 53%. The study also revealed that the irrigation area sustainability ratio and the ratio of energy cost in total expenses of technically efficient unions were lower than that of inefficient ones. The study suggested that restoration and modernization efforts should be initiated in order to enhance the efficiency level in the long term. Designing training for the managers and workers of the irrigation unions, adjusting the unions based on the fluctuation in energy market and declining the leakage of the irrigation system may be beneficial to increase the TE.
Robust Stabilization and Disturbance Rejection of Positive Systems with Time-Varying Delays and Actuator Saturation
Authors: Ding Xi , Xiang Zhengrong , Yang Chunyu
Published: March 2015

This paper focuses on the problems of robust stabilization and disturbance rejection for a class of positive systems with time-varying delays and actuator saturation. First, a convex hull representation is used to describe the saturation characteristics. By constructing an appropriate copositive type Lyapunov functional, we give sufficient conditions for the existence of a state feedback controller such that the closed-loop system is positive and asymptotically stable at the origin of the state space with a domain of attraction. Then, the disturbance rejection performance analysis in the presence of actuator saturation is developed viaL1-gain. The design method is also extended to investigate the problem ofL1-gain analysis for uncertain positive systems with time-varying delays and actuator saturation. Finally, three examples are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Inhibitory and Apoptosis-Inducing Effects of Newcastle Disease Virus Strain AF2240 on Mammary Carcinoma Cell Line
Authors: Ahmad Umar , Ahmed Ismaila , Keong Yong Yoke , Abd Manan Nizar , Othman Fauziah
Published: March 2015

Breast cancer is the malignant tumour that developed from cells of the breast and is the first leading cause of cancer death among women worldwide. Surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy are the available treatments for breast cancer, but these were reported to have side effects. Newcastle disease virus (NDV) known asAvian paramyxovirustype-1 (APMV1) belongs to the genusAvulavirusin a family Paramyxoviridae. NDV is shown to be a promising anticancer agent, killing tumour cells while sparing normal cells unharmed. In this study, the oncolytic and cytotoxic activities of NDV AF2240 strain were evaluated on MDA-MB-231, human mammary carcinoma cell line, using MTT assay, and its inhibitory effects were further studied using proliferation and migration assays. Morphological and apoptotic-inducing effects of NDV on MD-MB-231 cells were observed using phase contrast and fluorescence microscopes. Detection of DNA fragmentation was done following terminal deoxyribonucleotide transferase-mediated Br-dUTP nick end labeling staining (TUNEL) assay, which confirmed that the mode of death was through apoptosis and was quantified by flow cytometry. Furthermore, analysis of cellular DNA content demonstrated that the virus caused an increase in the sub-G1 phase (apoptotic peak) of the cell cycle. It appears that NDV AF2240 strain is a potent anticancer agent that induced apoptosis in time-dependent manner.
Stabilization of a Class of Switched Positive Nonlinear Systems
Authors: Xing Xing , Jia Zhichun , Yin Yunfei , Wu Tingting
Published: March 2015

The problem of switching stabilization for a class of switched positive nonlinear systems (switched positive homogeneous cooperative system (SPHCS) in the continuous-time context and switched positive homogeneous order-preserving system (SPHOS) in the discrete-time context) is studied by using average dwell time (ADT) approach, where the positive subsystems are possibly all unstable. To tackle this problem, a new class of ADT switching is first defined, which is different from the previous defined ADT switching in the literature. Then, the proposed ADT is designed via analyzing the weightedl∞norm of the considered system’s state. A sufficient condition of stabilization for SPHCSs with unstable positive subsystems is derived in continuous-time context. Furthermore, a sufficient condition for SPHOSs under the assumption that all modes are possibly unstable is also obtained. Finally, a numerical example is given to demonstrate the advantages and effectiveness of our developed results.
The Class of q-Cliqued Graphs: Eigen-Bi-Balanced Characteristic, Designs, and an Entomological Experiment
Authors: Winter Paul August , Jessop Carol Lynne , Zachariades Costas
Published: March 2015

Much research has involved the consideration of graphs which have subgraphs of a particular kind, such as cliques. Known classes of graphs which are eigen-bi-balanced, that is, they have a pair a, b of nonzero distinct eigenvalues, whose sum and product are integral, have been investigated. In this paper we will define a new class of graphs, called q-cliqued graphs, on q2+1 vertices, which contain q cliques each of order q connected to a central vertex, and then prove that these q-cliqued graphs are eigen-bi-balanced with respect to a conjugate pair whose sum is -1 and product 1-q. These graphs can be regarded as design graphs, and we use a specific example in an entomological experiment.
Study and Simulation of Deformation Mechanics Modeling of Flexible Workpiece Processing by Rayleigh-Ritz Method
Authors: Deng Yaohua , Chen Sicheng , Lu Qiwen , Chen Jiayuan , Zhang Qiaofen , Wu Liming , Shi Jiandong , Liu Xiali
Published: March 2015

This paper discusses the calculation problems of bending deformation of FWP processing. Take three axis CNC machining as an example, to establish mechanics model of flexible workpiece processing process. The flexible workpiece balance equation is a two-dimensional partial differential equation, to solve the problem of flexible workpiece bending deformation using Rayleigh-Ritz method and designing the test function of bending deformation of flexible workpiece. By satisfying the minimum potential energy condition of FWP processing to work out the approximate solution of bending deformation of flexible workpiece, find out the relationship between material properties of flexible piece, acting forceFz, and deformation value. Finally, the rectangle flexible workpiece which is made up of polyurethane sponge is selected as an experiment subject. The results show that the average relative deviation between theoretical value and observed value is only 5.51%. It is proved that the bending deformation test function satisfies the actual deformation calculation requirements.
Terminal Sliding Mode Control for Attitude Tracking of Spacecraft Based on Rotation Matrix
Authors: Guo Yong , Song Shen-Min , Li Xue-Hui
Published: March 2015

Two finite-time controllers without unwinding for the attitude tracking control of the spacecraft are investigated based on the rotation matrix, in which a novel modified nonsingular fast terminal sliding manifold is developed to keep tr(R~)≠-1. The first terminal sliding mode controller can compensate external disturbances with known bounds, while the second one can compensate external disturbances with unknown bounds by using an adaptive control method. Since the first terminal sliding mode controller is continuous, it is able to avoid chattering phenomenon. Theoretical analysis shows that both the two controllers can make spacecraft follow a time-varying reference attitude signal in finite time. Numerical simulations also demonstrate that the proposed control schemes are effective.
Protective Effects of Tao-Hong-Si-Wu Decoction on Memory Impairment and Hippocampal Damage in Animal Model of Vascular Dementia
Authors: Han Lan , Ji Zhaojie , Chen Weidong , Yin Dengke , Xu Fan , Li Shanshan , Chen Fangfang , Zhu Guangyu , Peng Daiyin
Published: March 2015

Tao-Hong-Si-Wu decoction (TSD) as a traditional chinese medicine (TCM) has been developed to treat thrombotic diseases for hundreds of years, and vascular dementia (VD) is a cognitive dysfunction syndrome caused by cerebral embolism. In this study, the protective effect of TSD on memory impairment and brain damage in rat model of VD induced by middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) was investigated. The study showed that rats in MCAO treatment with TSD for 14 days significantly improved behavioral function, increased densities of neuron, and induced angiogenesis in the brain compared with model rats. TSD also adjusted the neurotransmitter levels, reduced the content of endothelin-1 (ET-1), and induced the activities of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in hippocampus. Moreover, the immunohistochemical staining and western blotting results also revealed that TSD decreased apoptosis via upregulated B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2)/Bcl-2 associated X protein (Bax) ratio. These results demonstrated TSD possesses neuroprotective and antidementia properties by preventing the loss of neural cells, adjusting brain neurotransmitter, promoting cerebral blood circulation, and decreasing apoptosis. These results suggested that TSD might be developed as an effective drug for the prevention of VD.
Cytotoxicity of Cyclodipeptides fromPseudomonas aeruginosaPAO1 Leads to Apoptosis in Human Cancer Cell Lines
Authors: Vázquez-Rivera Dolores , González Omar , Guzmán-Rodríguez Jaquelina , Díaz-Pérez Alma L. , Ochoa-Zarzosa Alejandra , López-Bucio José , Meza-Carmen Víctor , Campos-García Jesús
Published: March 2015

Pseudomonas aeruginosais an opportunistic pathogen of plants and animals, which produces virulence factors in order to infect or colonize its eukaryotic hosts. Cyclodipeptides (CDPs) produced byP. aeruginosaexhibit cytotoxic properties toward human tumor cells. In this study, we evaluated the effect of a CDP mix, comprised of cyclo(L-Pro-L-Tyr), cyclo(L-Pro-L-Val), and cyclo(L-Pro-L-Phe) that were isolated fromP. aeruginosa, on two human cancer cell lines. Our results demonstrated that the CDP mix promoted cell death in cultures of the HeLa cervical adenocarcinoma and Caco-2 colorectal adenocarcinoma cell lines in a dose-dependent manner, with a 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 0.53 and 0.66 mg/mL, for HeLa and Caco-2 cells, respectively. Flow cytometric analysis, using annexin V and propidium iodide as apoptosis and necrosis indicators, respectively, clearly showed that HeLa and Caco-2 cells exhibited apoptotic characteristics when treated with the CDP mix at a concentration <0.001 mg/mL. IC50values for apoptotic cells in HeLa and Caco-2 cells were 6.5 × 10−5and 1.8 × 10−4 mg/mL, respectively. Our results indicate that an apoptotic pathway is involved in the inhibition of cell proliferation caused by theP. aeruginosaCDP mix.
Cometabolism of Fluoroanilines in the Presence of 4-Fluoroaniline byRalstoniasp. FD-1
Authors: Cao Wenling , Song Erxi , Shen Dongsheng , Wang Meizhen
Published: March 2015

A strain ofRalstoniasp. FD-1 capable of using 4-fluoroaniline (4-FA) as the sole carbon and nitrogen source was investigated for its ability to utilize 4-FA isomers (2-FA, 3-FA) and homologs (2,4-DFA, 3,4-DFA, and 2,3,4-TFA). Both 4-FA and 3-FA could be mineralized as the sole carbon and nitrogen source by FD-1. 2-FA, 2,4-DFA, 3,4-DFA, and 2,3,4-TFA could not be degraded by FD-1, respectively, and were selected as secondary substrates for cometabolism with 500 mg/L 4-FA as growth substrate. Bacterial growth (OD600), F−concentrations, and fluoroanilines contents were measured to determinate the degradation ability of 4-FA isomers and homologs by FD-1. FD-1 growth was inhibited by 2,4-DFA, 3,4-DFA, and 2,3,4-TFA at higher concentrations (400 mg/L), except for 2-FA. Complete fluoroanilines degradation was achieved while incomplete defluorination was characterized by the stoichiometric fluoride release indicating partial degradation but not total mineralization. When fluoroaniline was supplied to the resting cells of strain FD-1, a relatively effective removal was showed. Strain FD-1 had broadened application prospect of toxicity and low nutrition fluoroanilines wastewater.
Dry Needling Related Short-Term Vasodilation in Chronic Sciatica under Infrared Thermovision
Authors: Skorupska Elżbieta , Rychlik Michał , Pawelec Wiktoria , Samborski Włodzimierz
Published: March 2015

Vasomotor responses to dry needling (DN) of trigger points (TrPs) under infrared thermovision (IRT) camera control and TrPs coexistence in chronic sciatica patients have never been studied.Materials and Methods. Fifty consecutive chronic sciatica patients were enrolled in the study. DN under IRT control was performed for all patients regardless of gluteus minimus (GM) active TrPs examination. Then, the vasomotor response and its agreement with TrPs examination were evaluated.Results. The prevalence of GM active TrPs was 32%. DN provokes intensive vasodilatation for TrPs-positive patients only, with the localization dependent on referred pain during the procedure(r=0.896;  P=0.000)not the daily complaint. The increase of vasodilatation was, for example, for thigh, TrPs-positive +30.29%(P<0.05)versus TrPs-negative +4.08%. Additionally, a significant skin temperature increase was observed for TrPs-positive only, for example, thigh +1.5 ± 1.3°C (maximum) and +1.2 ± 1.0°C (average) (bothP<0.05).Conclusion. GM active TrPs prevalence among chronic sciatica patients was around one in three. Every TrPs-positive subject presented with vasodilatation under IRT in the area of DN related referred pain. Although TrPs involvement in chronic sciatica patients is possible, further studies on a bigger group of patients are still required.
E-Cube+ Routing Protocol for Wireless Sensor Networks in the Presence of Network Failures
Authors: Cheng Bo-Chao , Liao Guo-Tan , Chen Yuan-Fu , Chen Huan
Published: March 2015

Providing reliable communication represents one of the major barriers to wireless sensor networks. In this paper, we propose a fault-tolerant tableless routing protocol called E-cube+, inspired from e-cube routing protocol, to support intelligent rerouting. A range of fault-tolerant routing properties of E-cube+ (such as loop-freeness, failure recovery guarantees, and bounded latency) have been derived and analyzed. Experiment results also show that E-cube+ is able to route data properly without complicated and energy-intensive routing table lookup processes even when node failures occur.
Incidence and Risk Factors of Postoperative Pulmonary Complications in Noncardiac Chinese Patients: A Multicenter Observational Study in University Hospitals
Authors: Jin Yue , Xie Guohao , Wang Haihong , Jin Lielie , Li Jun , Cheng Baoli , Zhang Kai , Hoeft Andreas , Fang Xiangming
Published: March 2015

Purpose. To assess the incidence of postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) in Chinese inpatients, and to develop a brief predictive risk index.Methods. Between August 6, 2012, and August 12, 2012, patients undergoing noncardiac operations in four university hospitals were enrolled. The cohort was divided into two subsamples, cohort 1 to develop a predictive risk index of PPCs and cohort 2 to validate it.Results. 1673 patients were enrolled. PPCs were recorded for 163 patients (9.7%), of whom the hospital length of stay (LOS) was longer (P<0.001). The mortality was 1.84% in patients with PPCs and 0.07% in those without. Logistic Regression modeling in cohort 1 identified nine independent risk factors, including smoking, respiratory infection in the last month, preoperative antibiotic use, preoperative saturation of peripheral oxygen, surgery site, blood lost, postoperative blood glucose, albumin, and ventilation. The model was validated within cohort 2 with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.90 (95% CI 0.86 to 0.94).Conclusions. PPCs are common in noncardiac surgical patients and are associated with prolonged LOS in China. The current study developed a risk index, which can be used to assess individual risk of PPCs and guide individualized perioperative respiratory care.
Extended State Observer Based Adaptive Back-Stepping Sliding Mode Control of Electronic Throttle in Transportation Cyber-Physical Systems
Authors: Li Yongfu , Yang Bin , Zheng Taixiong , Li Yinguo
Published: March 2015

Considering the high accuracy requirement of information exchange via vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications, an extended state observer (ESO) is designed to estimate the opening angle change of an electronic throttle (ET), wherein the emphasis is placed on the nonlinear uncertainties of stick-slip friction and spring in the system as well as the existence of external disturbance. In addition, a back-stepping sliding mode controller incorporating an adaptive control law is presented, and the stability and robustness of the system are analyzed using Lyapunov technique. Finally, numerical experiments are conducted using simulation. The results show that, compared with back-stepping control (BSC), the proposed controller achieves superior performance in terms of the steady-state error and rising time.
Korean Studies on Blood Stasis: An Overview
Authors: Park Bongki , You Sooseong , Jung Jeeyoun , Lee Ju Ah , Yun Kyung-Jin , Lee Myeong Soo
Published: March 2015

Blood stasis is one of the important pathological concepts in Korean medicine. We analyzed the Korean studies concerning blood stasis. We searched for articles in eight electronic databases from their inception to September, 2014. We included reviews, clinical studies, and preclinical studies that had studied blood stasis and excluded articles in which blood stasis was not mentioned or in which the original authors had not explained blood stasis. Of 211 total included studies, 19 were reviews, 52 were clinical studies, and 140 were preclinical articles. “Stagnant blood within the body” was the most frequently mentioned phrase of the traditional concept of blood stasis. Traumatic injury was the most frequently studied disease/condition in the clinical studies. In the preclinical studies, coagulopathy was studied most frequently, followed by hyperviscosity, hyperlipidemia, inflammation, neoplasm, ischemic brain injury, and atherosclerosis. Hyeolbuchukeo-tang and Angelicae Gigantis Radix were the most frequent formula and single herb, respectively, used in the blood stasis researches. The results showed that blood stasis was mainly recognized as disorder of circulation and many studies showed the effectiveness of activating blood circulating herbs for diseases and pathologies such as traumatic injury or coagulopathy. Further studies are needed in the pathologic mechanisms and various diseases of blood stasis.
Serum Levels of Proinflammatory Cytokines in Painful Knee Osteoarthritis and Sensitization
Authors: Imamura Marta , Ezquerro Fernando , Marcon Alfieri Fábio , Vilas Boas Lucy , Tozetto-Mendoza Tania Regina , Chen Janini , Özçakar Levent , Arendt-Nielsen Lars , Rizzo Battistella Linamara
Published: March 2015

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common joint disorder in the world. Among the mechanisms involved in osteoarthritis, biomarkers (cytokines profile) may be related to pain and pain intensity, functional capacity, and pressure pain thresholds (PPT). Thus, the study of these relationships may offer useful information about pathophysiology and associated mechanisms involved in osteoarthritis. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the seric concentration of pro (IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-α) and anti-inflammatory (IL-10) cytokines in patients with painful knee osteoarthritis and to correlate the levels of these biomarkers with the patients’ functional capacity and pressure pain threshold (PPT) values.
Early Maternal Deprivation Enhances Voluntary Alcohol Intake Induced by Exposure to Stressful Events Later in Life
Authors: Peñasco Sara , Mela Virginia , López-Moreno Jose Antonio , Viveros María-Paz , Marco Eva M.
Published: March 2015

In the present study, we aimed to assess the impact of early life stress, in the form of early maternal deprivation (MD, 24 h on postnatal day, pnd, 9), on voluntary alcohol intake in adolescent male and femaleWistarrats. During adolescence, from pnd 28 to pnd 50, voluntary ethanol intake (20%, v/v) was investigated using the two-bottle free choice paradigm. To better understand the relationship between stress and alcohol consumption, voluntary alcohol intake was also evaluated following additional stressful events later in life, that is, a week of alcohol cessation and a week of alcohol cessation combined with exposure to restraint stress. Female animals consumed more alcohol than males only after a second episode of alcohol cessation combined with restraint stress. MD did not affect baseline voluntary alcohol intake but increased voluntary alcohol intake after stress exposure, indicating that MD may render animals more vulnerable to the effects of stress on alcohol intake. During adolescence, when animals had free access to alcohol, MD animals showed lower body weight gain but a higher growth rate than control animals. Moreover, the higher growth rate was accompanied by a decrease in food intake, suggesting an altered metabolic regulation in MD animals that may interact with alcohol intake.
Reliability Analysis in Presence of Random Variables and Fuzzy Variables
Authors: Lijie Cui , Zhenzhou Lü , Guijie Li
Published: March 2015

For mixed uncertainties of random variables and fuzzy variables in engineering, three indices, that is, interval reliability index, mean reliability index, and numerical reliability index, are proposed to measure safety of structure. Comparing to the reliability membership function for measuring the safety in case of mixed uncertainties, the proposed indices are more intuitive and easier to represent the safety degree of the engineering structure, and they are more suitable for the reliability design in the case of the mixed uncertainties. The differences and relations among three proposed indices are investigated, and their applicability is compared. Furthermore, a technique based on the probability density function evolution method is employed to improve the computational efficiency of the proposed indices. At last, a numerical example and two engineering examples are illustrated to demonstrate the feasibility, reasonability, and efficiency of the computational technique of the proposed indices.
Design and Test of Fuzzy-PI Controller for Copper Disc Casting Machine Casting Electronic Balance
Authors: Kong Fanzhi , Sun Qun , Wang Chong , Yin Chengqiang , Hu Song
Published: March 2015

Casting electronic scale is the key part of copper casting machine; its control precision directly affects the quality of casting. For this problem, this paper analyzes 16 casting machine casting structures and control principles. According to the movement characteristics of casting, a cast Fuzzy-PI composite controller of electronic scale was designed. On this basis, the hardware system based on PLC and the expansion modules were developed, and casting electronic control programs were designed. Moreover, the control system was simulated by Matlab software and the field experiments have also been carried out. Experiments showed that the casting precision reached 99%, when weight errors are in 3 kg. The designed casting electronic scale satisfies the needs for production.
Is Visual Registration Equivalent to Semiautomated Registration in Prostate Biopsy?
Authors: Kwak Jin Tae , Hong Cheng William , Pinto Peter A. , Williams Molly , Xu Sheng , Kruecker Jochen , Yan Pingkun , Turkbey Baris , Choyke Peter L. , Wood Bradford J.
Published: March 2015

In magnetic resonance iimaging- (MRI-) ultrasound (US) guided biopsy, suspicious lesions are identified on MRI, registered on US, and targeted during biopsy. The registration can be performed either by a human operator (visual registration) or by fusion software. Previous studies showed that software registration is fairly accurate in locating suspicious lesions and helps to improve the cancer detection rate. Here, the performance of visual registration was examined for ability to locate suspicious lesions defined on MRI. This study consists of 45 patients. Two operators with differing levels of experience (<1 and 18 years) performed visual registration. The overall spatial difference by the two operators in 72 measurements was 10.6 ± 6.0 mm. Each operator showed a spatial difference of 9.4 ± 5.1 mm (experienced; 39 lesions) and 12.1 ± 6.6 mm (inexperienced; 33 lesions), respectively. In a head-to-head comparison of the same 16 lesions from 12 patients, the spatial differences were 9.7 mm ± 4.9 mm (experienced) and 13.4 mm ± 7.4 mm (inexperienced). There were significant differences between the two operators (unpaired,Pvalue = 0.042; paired,Pvalue = 0.044). The substantial differences by the two operators suggest that visual registration could improperly and inaccurately target many tumors, thereby potentially leading to missed diagnosis or false characterization on pathology.
Performance of PRP Associated with Porous Chitosan as a Composite Scaffold for Regenerative Medicine
Authors: Shimojo Andréa Arruda Martins , Perez Amanda Gomes Marcelino , Galdames Sofia Elisa Moraga , Brissac Isabela Cambraia de Souza , Santana Maria Helena Andrade
Published: March 2015

This study aimed to evaluate the in vitro performance of activated platelet‐rich plasma associated with porous sponges of chitosan as a composite scaffold for proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of human adipose tissue‐derived mesenchymal stem cells. The sponges were prepared by controlled freezing (−20, −80, or −196°C) and lyophilization of chitosan solutions (1, 2, or 3% w/v). The platelet‐rich plasma was obtained from controlled centrifugation of whole blood and activated with calcium and autologous serum. The composite scaffolds were prepared by embedding the sponges with the activated platelet‐rich plasma. The results showed the performance of the scaffolds was superior to that of activated platelet‐rich plasma alone, in terms of delaying the release of growth factors and increased proliferation of the stem cells. The best preparation conditions of chitosan composite scaffolds that coordinated the physicochemical and mechanical properties and cell proliferation were 3% (w/v) chitosan and a −20°C freezing temperature, while −196°C favored osteogenic differentiation. Although the composite scaffolds are promising for regenerative medicine, the structures require stabilization to prevent the collapse observed after five days.
High Performance Discrete Cosine Transform Operator Using Multimedia Oriented Subword Parallelism
Authors: Khan Shafqat , Casseau Emmanuel , Menard Daniel
Published: March 2015

In this paper an efficient two-dimensional discrete cosine transform (DCT) operator is proposed for multimedia applications. It is based on the DCT operator proposed in Kovac and Ranganathan, 1995. Speed-up is obtained by using multimedia oriented subword parallelism (SWP). Rather than operating on a single pixel, the SWP-based DCT operator performs parallel computations on multiple pixels packed in word size input registers so that the performance of the operator is increased. Special emphasis is made to increase the coordination between pixel sizes and subword sizes to maximize resource utilization rate. Rather than using classical subword sizes (8, 16, and 32 bits), multimedia oriented subword sizes (8, 10, 12, and 16 bits) are used in the proposed DCT operator. The proposed SWP DCT operator unit can be used as a coprocessor for multimedia applications.
Fuzzy-Based Sensor Fusion for Cognitive Radio-Based Vehicular Ad Hoc and Sensor Networks
Authors: Jalil Piran Mohammad , Ali Amjad , Suh Doug Young
Published: March 2015

In wireless sensor networks, sensor fusion is employed to integrate the acquired data from diverse sensors to provide a unified interpretation. The best and most salient advantage of sensor fusion is to obtain high-level information in both statistical and definitive aspects, which cannot be attained by a single sensor. In this paper, we propose a novel sensor fusion technique based on fuzzy theory for our earlier proposed Cognitive Radio-based Vehicular Ad Hoc and Sensor Networks (CR-VASNET). In the proposed technique, we considered four input sensor readings (antecedents) and one output (consequent). The employed mobile nodes in CR-VASNET are supposed to be equipped with diverse sensors, which cater to our antecedent variables, for example, The Jerk, Collision Intensity, and Temperature and Inclination Degree. Crash_Severity is considered as the consequent variable. The processing and fusion of the diverse sensory signals are carried out by fuzzy logic scenario. Accuracy and reliability of the proposed protocol, demonstrated by the simulation results, introduce it as an applicable system to be employed to reduce the causalities rate of the vehicles’ crashes.
Cause Analysis on Eastward Movement of Southwest China Vortex and Its Induced Heavy Rainfall in South China
Authors: Chen Yongren , Li Yueqing , Zhao Tianliang
Published: March 2015

The movement of southwest China vortex (SWV) and its heavy rainfall process in South China had been investigated during June 11–14, 2008. The results show that under the steering of upper-level jet (ULJ) and mid-level westerly trough, SWV moved eastward from southern Sichuan Plateau, across eastern Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau to South China, forming an obvious heavy rain belt. SWV developed in the large storm-relative helicity (SRH) environment, as environmental wind field continuously transferred positive vorticity to it to support its development. The thermodynamic structures of distinctive warm (cold) advections in front (rear) of the SWV movement are also important factors for the SWV evolutions with a southwest low-level jet (LLJ) and vertical wind shear. SWV development was associated with the distributions of negative MPV1 (the barotropic item of moist potential vorticity) and positive MPV2 (the baroclinic item of it). The MPV1 and MPV2 played the dominant role in the formation and the evolution of SWV, respectively. The mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) frequently occurred and persisted in water vapor convergence areas causing the severe heavy rainfall. The areas of high moist helicity divergence and heavy rainfall are consistent, and the moist helicity divergence could be a good indicator for heavy rainfall occurrence.
An Improved Fruit Fly Optimization Algorithm Inspired from Cell Communication Mechanism
Authors: Xiao Chuncai , Hao Kuangrong , Ding Yongsheng
Published: March 2015

Fruit fly optimization algorithm (FOA) invented recently is a new swarm intelligence method based on fruit fly’s foraging behaviors and has been shown to be competitive with existing evolutionary algorithms, such as particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm. However, there are still some disadvantages in the FOA, such as low convergence precision, easily trapped in a local optimum value at the later evolution stage. This paper presents an improved FOA based on the cell communication mechanism (CFOA), by considering the information of the global worst, mean, and best solutions into the search strategy to improve the exploitation. The results from a set of numerical benchmark functions show that the CFOA outperforms the FOA and the PSO in most of the experiments. Further, the CFOA is applied to optimize the controller for preoxidation furnaces in carbon fibers production. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the CFOA.
Effect of Normal Saline Bicarbonate on Reversing Epidural Anesthesia Either with Bupivacaine Or Bupivacaine and Nalbuphine in Patients Undergoing Orthopedic Surgery
Authors: Attia Josef , Mohamed Ahamed , Bader Yaser
Published: March 2015

Background. Orthopedic procedures are among the commonest surgeries in the elderly. On the other hand, those patients have many risk factors suitable for development of postoperative complication due to prolonged postoperative recumbent that decrease by using anesthesia technique allowed early ambulation as far as possible.  Aim of the Work. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether washout of the local anesthesia with 0.9% normal saline with bicarbonate through the epidural catheter could provide early ambulation throughout the faster recovery of the motor block. Patient and Methods. Sixty adult patients were included in this study and divided into three groups. In group I, epidural injection of bupivacaine was carried out without wash (control group). In group II, epidural injection of bupivacaine was followed by wash. In group III, epidural injection of both bupivacaine and nalbuphine was followed by wash. Results. They were significantly faster in both group II and group III as compared with group I. In group I, sensory recovery was insignificantly faster than the motor recovery. In group II motor recovery was significantly faster than sensory recovery. In group III motor recovery was significantly faster than the sensory recovery. Conclusions. These results suggested that early ambulation with an adequate postoperative analgesia was reported in patient receiving epidural injection of both bupivacaine and nalbuphine.
Sol‐Gel Derived Eu3+‐Doped Gd2Ti2O7 Pyrochlore Nanopowders
Authors: Ćulubrk Sanja , Antić Željka , Lojpur Vesna , Marinović-Cincović Milena , Dramićanin Miroslav D.
Published: March 2015

Herein we presented hydrolytic sol‐gel synthesis and photoluminescent properties of Eu3+‐doped Gd2Ti2O7 pyrochlore nanopowders. According to Gd2Ti2O7 precursor gel thermal analysis a temperature of 840°C is identified for the formation of the crystalline pyrochlore phase. Obtained samples were systematically characterized by powder X‐ray diffraction, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The powders consist of well‐crystalline cubic nanocrystallites of approximately 20 nm in size as evidenced from X‐ray diffraction. The scanning and transmission electron microscopy shows that investigated Eu3+‐doped Gd2Ti2O7 nanopowders consist of compact, dense aggregates composed entirely of nanoparticles with variable both shape and dimension. The influence of Eu3+ ions concentration on the optical properties, namely, photoluminescence emission and decay time, is measured and discussed. Emission intensity as a function of Eu3+ ions concentration shows that Gd2Ti2O7 host can accept Eu3+ ions in concentrations up to 10 at.%. On the other hand, lifetime values are similar up to 3 at.% (~2.7 ms) and experience decrease at higher concentrations (2.4 ms for 10 at.% Eu3+). Moreover, photoluminescent spectra and lifetime values clearly revealed presence of structural defects in sol‐gel derived materials proposing photoluminescent spectroscopy as a sensitive tool for monitoring structural changes in both steady state and lifetime domains.
PROMETHEE-ROC Model for Assessing the Readiness of Technology for Generating Energy
Authors: Morais Danielle Costa , de Almeida Adiel Teixeira , Alencar Luciana Hazin , Clemente Thárcylla Rebecca Negreiros , Cavalcanti Ceres Zenaide Barbosa
Published: March 2015

This paper puts forward a proposal for a multicriteria decision model for prioritizing technologies that are critical for power generation in the energy sector. It deals with the context of imprecise information regarding importance of criteria; then an integration of surrogate weights with the PROMETHEE method is undertaken in order to approach this context. In this type of strategic decision problem, how to deal with imprecise information is always a challenge. The use of surrogate weights presents a significant contribution and it can facilitate the assignment of weights in a decision ranking problem, which requires the decision-maker (DM) to order the criteria by their importance for the decision problem. Thus for this situation of assessing the readiness of technology for generating energy where the DM is able and feels comfortable to order all criteria by their relative importance, the proposed approach of surrogate weights in the PROMETHEE II method, the PROMETHEE-ROC model, is shown to be an adequate approach.
Active Vibration Control of Container Cranes against Earthquake by the Use of LMI Based MixedH2/H∞State-Feedback Controller
Authors: Azeloglu C. Oktay , Sagirli Ahmet
Published: March 2015

This paper studies the design of a linear matrix inequality (LMI) based mixedH2/H∞state-feedback controller for vibration attenuation problem of seismic-excited container cranes. In order to show effectiveness of the designed controller, a six-degree-of-freedom container crane structural system is modeled using a spring-mass-damper subsystem. The system is then simulated against the real ground motion of El Centro and Northridge earthquakes. Finally, the time history of the crane parts displacements, accelerations, control forces, and frequency responses of both uncontrolled and controlled cases are presented. Additionally, the performance of the designed controller is also compared with a nominal state-feedbackH∞controller performance. Simulations of the designed controller show better seismic performance than a nominal state-feedbackH∞controller. Simulation results show that the designed controller is all effective in reducing vibration amplitudes of crane parts.