bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Experimental Study on Heat Treatment of SS 420 and EN 24 Using Nanoparticulate Quenching Process
Authors: Manikanda Prabu N. , Sureshkannan G. , Maniiarasan P. , Thangarasu V. S.
Published: July 2018

Heat transfer through nanotechnology is a current trend which occupies most research areas with improved results. Taking this concept, the present work has been focused on the analysis of quenching effect on steel such as EN 24 and SS 420 with nanoparticles dispersed in quenching medium. Quenching is the process of removing heat from the heat-treated elements which also take part in determining the hardness values depending on the heat transfer rate and quenching time. To ensure the outcome properties, different volume concentrations of nanofluids have been prepared by adding TiO2 nanoparticles with the average diameter of less than 20[Formula: see text]nm in synthetic oil. Here, it is planned to have four volume concentrations (0.25[Formula: see text]g/lit, 0.375[Formula: see text]g/lit, 0.5[Formula: see text]g/lit, 0.625[Formula: see text]g/lit) of nanofluids to be used in the experiment. The materials after facing heat treatment up to 850∘C (EN 24) and 980∘C (SS 420), are subjected to quenching by using nanofluid. The work has been carried out by altering the tempering temperature and volume of nanoparticles in the quenching medium. The outcome quality of the product desirably supports our expectations, such as improved hardness and reduced time consumption for quenching. Additionally, the comparative analysis shows an improvement in heat transfer characteristics as well as properties in quenched specimen with nanofluids.
Laue’s theorem revisited: Energy–momentum tensors, symmetries, and the habitat of globally conserved quantities
Authors: Giulini Domenico
Published: July 2018

The energy–momentum tensor for a particular matter component summarises its local energy–momentum distribution in terms of densities and current densities. We re-investigate under what conditions these local distributions can be integrated to meaningful global quantities. This leads us directly to a classic theorem by Max von Laue concerning integrals of components of the energy–momentum tensor, whose statement and proof we recall. In the first half of this paper, we do this within the realm of Special Relativity (SR) and in the traditional mathematical language using components with respect to affine charts, thereby focusing on the intended physical content and interpretation. In the second half, we show how to do all this in a proper differential-geometric fashion and on arbitrary spacetime manifolds, this time focusing on the group-theoretic and geometric hypotheses underlying these results. Based on this we give a proper geometric statement and proof of Laue’s theorem, which is shown to generalise from Minkowski space (which has the maximal number of isometries) to spacetimes with significantly less symmetries. This result, which seems to be new, not only generalizes but also clarifies the geometric content and hypotheses of Laue’s theorem. A series of three appendices lists our conventions and notation and summarises some of the conceptual and mathematical background needed in the main text.
Symmetry analysis and some new exact solutions of Born–Infeld equation
Authors: Kumar Sachin , Jadaun Vishakha
Published: July 2018

This paper propounds the Lie group analysis method for finding exact solutions of Born–Infeld (BI) equation arising in nonlinear electrodynamics. We obtain generators of infinitesimal transformations, commutator table of Lie algebra, the complete geometric vector field, group symmetries and reduction equations. For the set of geometric vector field, we find an optimal system of the vector fields. Each element in this system helps to reduce the main equation into an ordinary differential equation, which provides analytical solution to the BI equation. We perform numerical simulation to obtain an appropriate visual appearance and dynamic behavior of the traced solutions. The nature of the solutions is investigated both analytically and physically through their evolutionary profile by considering appropriate choices of arbitrary constants.
Chemical Vapor Deposition Growth of Graphene Domains Across the Cu Grain Boundaries
Authors: Wang Yang , Cheng Yu , Wang Yunlu , Zhang Shuai , Xu Chen , Zhang Xuewei , Wang Miao , Xia Yang , Li Qunyang , Zhao Pei , Wang Hongtao
Published: July 2018

Many aspects in the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) growth of graphene remain unclear such as its behavior near the catalyst grain boundaries. Here we investigate the CVD growth mechanism of graphene across the Cu grain boundaries using unidirectional aligned graphene domains, which simplifies the analysis of both graphene and Cu to a large extent. We found that for a graphene domain grown across the Cu grain boundary, the domain orientation is determined by the Cu grain where the domain nucleation center is located, and the Cu grain boundary will not change the growth behavior for this graphene domain. This growth mechanism is consistent with the Cu-step-attached nucleation and edge-attachment-limited growth mechanism for H-terminated graphene domains and will provide more guidance for the synthesis of high-quality graphene with less domain boundaries.
Left (right) magnifying elements of a partial transformation semigroup
Authors: Luangchaisri Panuwat , Changphas Thawhat , Phanlert Chalida
Published: July 2018

An element [Formula: see text] of a semigroup [Formula: see text] is a called a left (respectively right) magnifying element of [Formula: see text] if [Formula: see text] (respectively [Formula: see text]) for some proper subset [Formula: see text] of [Formula: see text]. In this paper, left magnifying elements and right magnifying elements of a partial transformation semigroup will be characterized. The results obtained generalize the results of Magill [K. D. Magill, Magnifying elements of transformation semigroups, Semigroup Forum, 48 (1994) 119–126].
Effect of nitrogen doping of graphene nanoflakes on their efficiency in supercapacitor applications
Authors: Arkhipova Ekaterina A. , Ivanov Anton S. , Savilov Serguei V. , Maslakov Konstantin I. , Chernyak Sergei A. , Tambovtseva Yulia A. , Lunin Valery V.
Published: July 2018

Pristine graphene nanoflakes (GNFs) and those doped with nitrogen up to a level of 10.9[Formula: see text]at.% were tested as an electrode material for electrochemical double-layer supercapacitor. Doping with nitrogen increased the specific capacitance of GNFs from 88 to 180[Formula: see text]F/g. The increase results from the enhanced interaction of nitrogen-doped graphene layers with electrolyte ions.
China’s Evolving Image in International Climate Negotiation: From Copenhagen to Paris
Authors: Gao Xiaosheng
Published: July 2018

As the world’s largest greenhouse gas emitter, China has been a key party in global climate negotiation. External perceptions of China’s role in climate negotiation are significant for China’s domestic policy-making process and international climate efforts. Based on the case studies of two most historic climate talks, the Copenhagen and Paris climate conferences, this article attempts to examine the evolution of external perceptions on China’s role in international climate negotiation by three criteria: acceptability, credibility and constructiveness. The study shows that external perceptions of China’s role in international climate talks have changed considerably since 2009. At the Copenhagen conference, China was regarded as a “dead weight” or even a “wrecker,” though it managed to attain most of its negotiating goals. At the Paris conference, however, China was widely recognized as a global climate leader whose endeavor was indispensable for the conclusion of the Paris Agreement.
Optimal Multi-Way Number Partitioning
Authors: Schreiber Ethan L. , Korf Richard E. , Moffitt Michael D.
Published: July 2018

The NP-hard number-partitioning problem is to separate a multisetSofnpositive integers intoksubsets such that the largest sum of the integers assigned to any subset is minimized. The classic application is scheduling a set ofnjobs with different runtimes onkidentical machines such that the makespan, the elapsed time to complete the schedule, is minimized. The two-way number-partitioning decision problem is one of the original 21 problems that Richard Karp proved NP-complete. It is also one of Garey and Johnson’s six fundamental NP-complete problems and the only one based on numbers.

This article explores algorithms for solving multi-way number-partitioning problems optimally. We explore previous algorithms as well as our own algorithms, which fall into three categories: sequential number partitioning (SNP), a branch-and-bound algorithm; binary-search improved bin completion (BSIBC), a bin-packing algorithm; and cached iterative weakening (CIW), an iterative weakening algorithm. We show experimentally that, for large random numbers, SNP and CIW are state-of-the-art algorithms depending on the values ofnandk. Both algorithms outperform the previous state of the art by up to seven orders of magnitude in terms of runtime.
GPU-accelerated depth codec for real-time, high-quality light field reconstruction
Authors: Koniaris Babis , Kosek Maggie , Sinclair David , Mitchell Kenny
Published: July 2018

Pre-calculated depth information is essential for efficient light field video rendering, due to the prohibitive cost of depth estimation from color when real-time performance is desired. Standard state-of-the-art video codecs fail to satisfy such performance requirements when the amount of data to be decoded becomes too large. In this paper, we propose a depth image and video codec based on block compression, that exploits typical characteristics of depth streams, drawing inspiration from S3TC texture compression and geometric wavelets. Our codec offers very fast hardware-accelerated decoding that also allows partial extraction for view-dependent decoding. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our codec in a number of multi-view 360 degree video datasets, with quantitative analysis of storage cost, reconstruction quality and decoding performance.
A View-Dependent Metric for Patch-Based LOD Generation 8 Selection
Authors: Lambert Thibaud , Bénard Pierre , Guennebaud Gaël
Published: July 2018

With hardware tessellation, highly detailed geometric models are decomposed into patches whose tessellation factor can be specified dynamically and independently at render time to control polygon resolution. Yet, to achieve maximum efficiency, an appropriate factor needs to be selected for each patch according to its content (geometry and appearance) and the current viewpoint distance and orientation. We propose a novel patch-based error metric that addresses this problem. It summarizes both the geometrical error and the texture parametrization deviation of a simplified patch compared to the corresponding detailed surface. This metric is compact and can be efficiently evaluated on the GPU along any view direction. Furthermore, based on this metric, we devise an easy-to-implement refitting optimization that further reduces the simplification error of any decimation algorithm, and propose a new placement strategy and cost function for edge-collapses to reach the best quality/performances trade-off.
Interactive Two-Way Shape Design of Elastic Bodies
Authors: Mukherjee Rajaditya , Wu Longhua , Wang Huamin
Published: July 2018

We present a novel system for interactive elastic shape design in both forward and inverse fashions. Using this system, the user can choose to edit the rest shape or the quasistatic shape of an elastic solid, and obtain the other shape that matches under the quasistatic equilibrium condition at the same time. The development of this system is based on the discovery that inverse quasistatic simulation can be immediately solved by Newton's method with a direct solver. To implement our simulator, we propose a Jacobian matrix evaluation scheme for the inverse elastic problem and we present step length and matrix evaluation techniques that improve the simulation performance. While our simulator is efficient, it is still not fast enough for the system to generate the result in real time. Our solution is a shape initialization method using the recent projective dynamics technique. Shape initialization not only works as a fast preview function during the user editing process, but also speeds up the convergence of quasistatic or inverse quasistatic simulation afterwards. The use of a heterogeneous algorithm structure allows the system to further reduce its preview cost, by utilizing the power of both the CPU and the GPU. Our experiment demonstrates that the whole system is fast, robust, and convenient for the designer to use in both forward and inverse elastic shape design. It can handle a variety of nonlinear elastic material models, and its runtime performance has space for more improvement.
Kernel Foveated Rendering
Authors: Meng Xiaoxu , Du Ruofei , Zwicker Matthias , Varshney Amitabh
Published: July 2018

Foveated rendering coupled with eye-tracking has the potential to dramatically accelerate interactive 3D graphics with minimal loss of perceptual detail. In this paper, we parameterize foveated rendering by embedding polynomial kernel functions in the classic log-polar mapping. Our GPU-driven technique uses closed-form, parameterized foveation that mimics the distribution of photoreceptors in the human retina. We present a simple two-pass kernel foveated rendering (KFR) pipeline that maps well onto modern GPUs. In the first pass, we compute the kernel log-polar transformation and render to a reduced-resolution buffer. In the second pass, we carry out the inverse-log-polar transformation with anti-aliasing to map the reduced-resolution rendering to the full-resolution screen. We have carried out pilot and formal user studies to empirically identify the KFR parameters. We observe a 2.8X -- 3.2X speedup in rendering on 4K UHD (2160p) displays with minimal perceptual loss of detail. The relevance of eye-tracking-guided kernel foveated rendering can only increase as the anticipated rise of display resolution makes it ever more difficult to resolve the mutually conflicting goals of interactive rendering and perceptual realism.
The Replate
Authors: Chen Ge , Sander Pedro V. , Nehab Diego
Published: July 2018

Replates are a new way to experience replays of sporting events. We use computer vision tools, such as camera tracking and background subtraction, to align all frames in the original video with regard to each other. Using this alignment, we create a single plate as it would be seen from a wide-angle static camera. Key players and events are then reinserted into this arena using an interactive tool, recovering the big picture that is typically lost due to camera panning and zoom. Replates are played in continuous loop. We allow replate authors to include multiple instances of each player, offset by regular intervals, so viewers can quickly and repeatedly inspect their favorite moments. Authors can also choose from a variety of effects that help them construct a narrative of their favourite plays. The interactive system gives immediate feedback allowing authors to adjust the rendered replates interactively. Replates take a fraction of the size of the original input video, and produce an effect reminiscent of video game reenactments of famous sporting events. The footage, however, is real.
Energized Rigid Body Fracture
Authors: Li Xiaokai , Andrews Sheldon , Jones Ben , Bargteil Adam
Published: July 2018

Compelling animation of fracture is a vital challenge for computer graphics. Methods based on continuum mechanics are physically accurate, but computationally expensive since they require computing elastic deformation. In many applications, this elastic deformation is imperceptible, so simulation methods based on rigid body dynamic with breakable constraints are popular in practice. Simply deleting constraints when thresholds on force or displacement are reached ignores the elastic energy that is stored just before fracture, which is captured by continuum mechanics based methods. Our approach computes the energy stored in these constraints when they are broken, and reintroduces it to the system as kinetic energy. As a result, our method is able to animate energetic fracture scenarios with results comparable to continuum mechanics approaches, but with the computational efficiency of rigid body simulation.
Algorithm 990
Authors: Ozkan Aysegul , Prabhu Rahul , Baker Troy , Pence James , Peters Jorg , Sitharam Meera
Published: July 2018

For configurations of point-sets that are pairwise constrained by distance intervals, the EASAL software implements a suite of algorithms that characterize the structure and geometric properties of the configuration space. The algorithms generate, describe, and explore these configuration spaces using generic rigidity properties, classical results for stratification of semi-algebraic sets, and new results for efficient sampling by convex parametrization. The article reviews the key theoretical underpinnings, major algorithms, and their implementation. The article outlines the main applications such as the computation of free energy and kinetics of assembly of supramolecular structures or of clusters in colloidal and soft materials. In addition, the article surveys select experimental results and comparisons.
Algorithm 989
Authors: Irurozki Ekhine , Ceberio Josu , Santamaria Josean , Santana Roberto , Mendiburu Alexander
Published: July 2018

Permutation problems are combinatorial optimization problems whose solutions are naturally codified as permutations. Due to their complexity, motivated principally by the factorial cardinality of the search space of solutions, they have been a recurrent topic for the artificial intelligence and operations research community. Recently, among the vast number of metaheuristic algorithms, new advances on estimation of distribution algorithms (EDAs) have shown outstanding performance when solving some permutation problems. These novel EDAs implement distance-based exponential probability models such as the Mallows and Generalized Mallows models. In this article, we present a Matlab package, perm_mateda, of estimation of distribution algorithms on permutation problems, which has been implemented as an extension to the Mateda-2.0 toolbox of EDAs. Particularly, we provide implementations of the Mallows and Generalized Mallows EDAs under the Kendall’s-τ, Cayley, and Ulam distances. In addition, four classical permutation problems have also been implemented: Traveling Salesman Problem, Permutation Flowshop Scheduling Problem, Linear Ordering Problem, and Quadratic Assignment Problem.
A Survey on Homomorphic Encryption Schemes
Authors: Acar Abbas , Aksu Hidayet , Uluagac A. Selcuk , Conti Mauro
Published: July 2018

Legacy encryption systems depend on sharing a key (public or private) among the peers involved in exchanging an encrypted message. However, this approach poses privacy concerns. The users or service providers with the key have exclusive rights on the data. Especially with popular cloud services, control over the privacy of the sensitive data is lost. Even when the keys are not shared, the encrypted material is shared with a third party that does not necessarily need to access the content. Moreover, untrusted servers, providers, and cloud operators can keep identifying elements of users long after users end the relationship with the services. Indeed,
Homomorphic Encryption
(HE), a special kind of encryption scheme, can address these concerns as it allows any third party to operate on the encrypted data without decrypting it in advance. Although this extremely useful feature of the HE scheme has been known for over 30 years, the first plausible and achievable
Fully Homomorphic Encryption
(FHE) scheme, which allows any computable function to perform on the encrypted data, was introduced by Craig Gentry in 2009. Even though this was a major achievement, different implementations so far demonstrated that FHE still needs to be improved significantly to be practical on every platform. Therefore, this survey focuses on HE and FHE schemes. First, we present the basics of HE and the details of the well-known Partially Homomorphic Encryption (PHE) and Somewhat Homomorphic Encryption (SWHE), which are important pillars for achieving FHE. Then, the main FHE families, which have become the base for the other follow-up FHE schemes, are presented. Furthermore, the implementations and recent improvements in Gentry-type FHE schemes are also surveyed. Finally, further research directions are discussed. This survey is intended to give a clear knowledge and foundation to researchers and practitioners interested in knowing, applying, and extending the state-of-the-art HE, PHE, SWHE, and FHE systems.
Improved Insights on Financial Health through Partially Constrained Hidden Markov Model Clustering on Loan Repayment Data
Authors: Philip Dibu John , Sudarsanam Nandan , Ravindran Balaraman
Published: July 2018

There is a growing interest in understanding, as opposed to predicting, the repayment behavior of customers of financial institutions that provide loans. This study proposes a modified Hidden Markov Model (HMM) based clustering, which clusters repayment sequences across selected subsets of the HMM parameters. We demonstrate that different implementations of this modified adaptation helps us gain an in-depth understanding of various drivers that are hard to directly observe but nevertheless govern repayment. These include drivers such as the ability to repay (financial health of the customer) or the intention to repay independent of the ability (willful defaulting and unintentional delinquency). Algorithmically, we achieve this partially constrained HMM clustering (PC-HMM) by placing constraints on the expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm where a subset of parameters are used to cluster the repayments via the estimation process, while the other parameters are learned globally across all repayments. We compare our approach with three other baselines on a real-world loan repayment data set. We use an exogenous variable to validate and benchmark the clusters. We conclude our study with the observation that the ability to cluster on selective parameters, in conjunction with the structural construct of HMMs, enables the discovery of substantially more meaningful business insights than the baselines.
Lung omics signatures in a bronchopulmonary dysplasia and pulmonary hypertension-like murine model
Authors: Shrestha Amrit Kumar , Gopal Vashisht Y. N. , Menon Renuka T. , Hagan Joseph L. , Huang Shixia , Shivanna Binoy
Published: July 2018

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), the most common chronic lung disease in infants, is associated with long-term morbidities, including pulmonary hypertension (PH). Importantly, hyperoxia causes BPD and PH; however, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Herein, we performed high-throughput transcriptomic and proteomic studies using a clinically relevant murine model of BPD with PH. Neonatal wild-type C57BL6J mice were exposed to 21% oxygen (normoxia) or 70% oxygen (hyperoxia) during postnatal days (PNDs) 1–7. Lung tissues were collected for proteomic and genomic analyses on PND 7, and selected genes and proteins were validated by real-time quantitative PCR and immunoblotting analysis, respectively. Hyperoxia exposure dysregulated the expression of 344 genes and 21 proteins. Interestingly, hyperoxia downregulated genes involved in neuronal development and maturation in lung tissues. Gene set enrichment and gene ontology analyses identified apoptosis, oxidoreductase activity, plasma membrane integrity, organ development, angiogenesis, cell proliferation, and mitophagy as the predominant processes affected by hyperoxia. Furthermore, selected deregulated proteins strongly correlated with the expression of specific genes. Collectively, our results identified several potential therapeutic targets for hyperoxia-mediated BPD and PH in infants.
Difference between SF6 and N2 multiple breath washout kinetics is due to N2 back diffusion and error in N2 offset
Authors: Guglani Lokesh , Kasi Ajay , Starks Miah , Pedersen Knud E. , Nielsen Jørgen G. , Weiner Daniel J.
Published: July 2018

Measurement of lung clearance index (LCI) by multiple breath washout (MBW) is a sensitive method for monitoring lung disease in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). To compare nitrogen MBW (N2-MBW) and sulfur hexafluoride MBW (SF6-MBW), we connected these two gas analysis systems in series to obtain truly simultaneous measurements, with no differences other than the gas used. Nonsmoking healthy controls (HC) and subjects with CF were recruited at two institutions. The Exhalyzer-D (for N2-MBW measurement) was connected in series with the Innocor (for SF6-MBW measurement). Subjects washed in SF6 from a Douglas bag with tidal breathing and washed out SF6 and nitrogen with 100% oxygen provided as bias flow. Washout of both gases was continued past the LCI point (1/40th of equilibration concentration) in triplicate. N2-MBW resulted in higher cumulative exhaled volume, functional residual capacity (FRC), and LCI when compared with SF6-derived parameters in HC subjects ( P < 0.0001 for all comparisons). All N2-MBW parameters were also significantly higher than SF6-MBW parameters in subjects with CF ( P < 0.01 for all comparisons). After recalculation with a common FRC, N2-MBW LCI was higher than SF6-MBW LCI in subjects with CF (19.73 vs. 11.39; P < 0.0001) and in HC (8.12 vs. 6.78; P < 0.0001). Adjusting for N2 back diffusion and an offset error in the nitrogen measurement resulted in near complete agreement between the two methodologies. We found significant differences in LCI and FRC measurements using two different gases for MBW. This may have significant implications for the future use and interpretation of LCI data in clinical trials and routine clinical care.

NEW & NOTEWORTHY This study provides important insights into the differences between the two techniques used for measuring lung clearance index (LCI): N2 and SF6 multiple breath washout. Differences between measurements made by these two methods in subjects with cystic fibrosis and healthy controls could be explained by nitrogen back diffusion and N2 offset error. This is important for use and interpretation of LCI data as an outcome measure for clinical trials and in routine clinical care.
The Tryptophan Pathway Targeting Antioxidant Capacity in the Placenta
Authors: Xu Kang , Liu Gang , Fu Chenxing
Published: July 2018

The placenta plays a vital role in fetal development during pregnancy. Dysfunction of the placenta can be caused by oxidative stress and can lead to abnormal fetal development. Preventing oxidative stress of the placenta is thus an important measure to ensure positive birth outcomes. Research shows that tryptophan and its metabolites can efficiently clean free radicals (including the reactive oxygen species and activated chlorine). Consequently, tryptophan and its metabolites are suggested to act as potent antioxidants in the placenta. However, the mechanism of these antioxidant properties in the placenta is still unknown. In this review, we summarize research on the antioxidant properties of tryptophan, tryptophan metabolites, and metabolic enzymes. Two predicted mechanisms of tryptophan’s antioxidant properties are discussed. (1) Tryptophan could activate the phosphorylation of p62 after the activation of mTORC1; phosphorylated p62 then uncouples the interaction between Nrf2 and Keap1, and activated Nrf2 enters the nucleus to induce expressions of antioxidant proteins, thus improving cellular antioxidation. (2) 3‐Hydroxyanthranilic acid, a tryptophan kynurenine pathway metabolite, changes conformation of Keap1, inducing the dissociation of Nrf2 and Keap1, activating Nrf2 to enter the nucleus and induce expressions of antioxidant proteins (such as HO‐1), thereby enhancing cellular antioxidant capacity. These mechanisms may enrich the theory of how to apply tryptophan as an antioxidant during pregnancy, providing technical support for its use in regulating the pregnancy’s redox status and enriching our understanding of amino acids’ nutritional value.
Influences of Drying and Wetting Cycles and Compaction Degree on Strength of Yudong Silt for Subgrade and Its Prediction
Authors: Zhang Junran , Jiang Tong , Wang Xingcui , Liu Chong , Huang Zhiquan
Published: July 2018

In order to investigate the influences of drying and wetting cycles, initial degree of compaction, and water content on shear strength of the Yudong subgrade silt, a series of direct shear tests were performed at saturated and unsaturated states. The test results show that effects of the drying and wetting cycles, water content, and compaction degree on cohesion are more evident than those on the internal friction angle. According to the test data, a formula for the cohesion was proposed, which accounts for the drying and wetting cycles, water content, and degree of compaction. Because Bishop’s strength formula for unsaturated soils could not be applied to Yudong silt, a formula is given based on Fredlund’s formula for predicting the shear strength of unsaturated Yudong silt from the soil‐water characteristic curve.
Determination of Cell Permeabilization and Beta-Galactosidase Extraction from Aspergillus oryzae CCT 0977 Grown in Cheese Whey
Authors: Viana Caroline dos Santos , Pedrinho Denise Renata , Ito Morioka Luiz Rodrigo , Suguimoto Hélio Hiroshi
Published: July 2018

Aspergillus oryzae grown in cheese whey has the ability to produce beta-galactosidase. The objective of this work was to define the parameters for the determination of cell permeabilization and extraction of the enzyme from Aspergillus oryzae CCT 0977 biomass, with high enzymatic activity. The Box–Behnken design was used to determine cell permeabilization and extraction of beta-galactosidase conditions. The fermentation was carried out for a period of 5 days at 28°C, having as substrate the deproteinized cheese whey. To determine the effect of the variables on beta-galactosidase activity, enzymatic activity was determined by the lactose hydrolysis reaction. The most efficient condition for cell permeabilization was 25% ethanol at 30°C for 90 min, obtaining an enzymatic activity of 0.44 U·mL−1. For beta-galactosidase extraction from the biomass, the most efficient condition was 5.3% chloroform at 48°C, with an enzymatic activity of 0.17 U·mL−1. The use of ethanol was most efficient to promote cell permeability of Aspergillus oryzae CCT 0977.
Epigallocatechin Gallate Attenuates Bladder Dysfunction via Suppression of Oxidative Stress in a Rat Model of Partial Bladder Outlet Obstruction
Authors: Gu Meng , Liu Chong , Wan Xiang , Yang Tianye , Chen Yanbo , Zhou Juan , Chen Qi , Wang Zhong
Published: July 2018

Purpose. To investigate the protective effect of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a green tea extract, and its underlying mechanism on bladder dysfunction in a rat model of bladder outlet obstruction (BOO). Materials and Methods. Sprague‐Dawley rats of BOO were surgically induced and followed by treatment with EGCG (5 mg/kg/day) or saline (control) via intraperitoneal injection. Cystometry was performed on four weeks postoperatively in conscious rats. H&E, Masson trichrome, and TUNEL staining were performed to observe tissue alterations. Oxidative stress markers were measured, and protein expression of Nrf2‐ARE pathway was examined by immunohistochemistry and Western blotting. Results. Our data showed that EGCG could increase the peak voiding pressure and bladder compliance and prolong micturition interval of BOO rats compared with control and finally reduce the frequency of urinary. EGCG could ameliorate the increase of collagen fibers and ROS induced by obstruction and increase the activity of SOD, GSH‐Px, and CAT. The level of cell apoptosis was decreased in BOO rats treated with EGCG compared with control, and caspase‐3 expression was reduced as well. Moreover, EGCG could activate the Nrf2 expression with elevation of its target antioxidant proteins. Conclusions. EGCG alleviates BOO‐induced bladder dysfunction via suppression of oxidative stress and activation of the protein expression of Nrf2‐ARE pathway.
Thickness of Subcutaneous Fat Is a Predictive Factor of Incisional Surgical Site Infection in Crohn’s Disease Surgery: A Retrospective Study
Authors: Cai Xingchen , Shen Weisong , Guo Zhen , Li Yi , Cao Lei , Gong Jianfeng , Zhu Weiming
Published: July 2018

Background. Incisional surgical site infection (iSSI) is a frequent postoperative complication of abdominal surgeries in patients with Crohn’s disease (CD). In this study, we investigated the association between thickness of subcutaneous fat (TSF) and iSSI in patients with CD undergoing intestinal resections. Patients and Methods. Patients with CD who had undergone abdominal surgery from January 2014 to January 2017 were included in this retrospective study. Patients’ TSF and other possible predictors of iSSI, including clinical characteristics, preoperative medications, hematological index, surgery-related data, and postoperative outcomes, were collected. Univariate and multivariate statistical analyses were used to examine the potential factors. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to evaluate the predictive value of factors. Results. The patient cohort comprised 246 patients (167 male (67.9%); mean age 35.7 ± 12.4 years; mean disease duration 69.6 ± 60.8 months). The incidence of iSSI was 24.8% (61/246). TSF was a significant predictor of iSSI (OR 1.079, 95% CIs (1.020, 1.142), P=0.008), being 13.7 mm in patients with iSSI and 9.9 mm in those without iSSI (P<0.001). Additionally, C-reactive protein (CRP) concentrations (OR 1.059, P=0.003) were also possible predictors of iSSI, as indicated by both univariate and multivariate analysis. A model of iSSI comprising TSF and CRP concentrations was moderately accurate (AUC 0.827, CIs (0.766, 0.888)). Conclusions. Preoperative TSF and CRP independently affect iSSI in patients with CD undergoing intestinal resections.
Efficient and Memory Saving Method Based on Pseudoskeleton Approximation for Analysis of Finite Periodic Structures
Authors: Luo Chunbei , Zhang Yong , Lin Hai
Published: July 2018

An efficient and memory saving method based on pseudoskeleton approximation (PSA) is presented for the effective and accurate analysis of finite periodic structures. Different from the macro basis function analysis model, our proposed method uses the formulations derived by the local Rao-Wilton-Glisson basis functions. PSA is not only used to accelerate the matrix-vector product (MVP) inside the single unit but also adopted to decrease the calculation burden of the coupling between the different cells. Moreover, the number of decomposed coupling matrices is minimized due to the displacement invariance of the periodic property. Consequently, even compared with the multilevel fast multipole algorithm (MLFMA), the new method saves much more memory resources and computation time, which is also demonstrated by the numerical examples.
Exploration of the Factor Structure of the Burden Experienced by Individuals Providing End-of-Life Care at Home
Authors: Nagata Chizuru , Yada Hironori , Inagaki Junko
Published: July 2018

In Japan, the number of elderly people who require long-term care is increasing as a result of the country’s aging population. Consequently, the burden experienced by caregivers who provide end-of-life care at home has become a social problem. This study aimed to confirm the factor structure of such caregiver burden by analyzing the Japanese version of the Zarit Caregiver Burden Interview (J-ZBI). The J-ZBI was administered to 389 caregivers providing end-of-life care, and 247 answers were analyzed, with exploratory factor analysis performed on the results. Consequently, a four-factor structure emerged (sacrificing life, personal strain, severe anxiety, and captivity); these four factors, constituting 15 items, were cumulatively named “J-ZBI_15.” In regard to reliability, Cronbach’sαcoefficient for each factor was high; in terms of validity, a confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to examine the four-factor structure, and the goodness of model fit was determined to be satisfactory. Further, the convergent validity was also high. The care burden experienced by those providing end-of-life care at home differs from the burden of caregivers of individuals with other diseases, such as Alzheimer’s. For assessing the burden felt by this population, the 15-item four-factor ZBI model is more appropriate than the single-factor 22-item ZBI, and we also determined that J-ZBI_8 is unsuitable for this task. Thus, measurement of family caregivers’ burden in regard to providing end-of-life care at home should be performed using the 15-item four-factor J-ZBI model.
Palliative Radiotherapy for Disfiguring Mycosis Fungoides Lesion: A Key Treatment to Reduce Psychological and Social Impact
Authors: Egal Axel , Ram-Wolf Caroline , Quero Laurent , Bagot Martine , Vignon-Pennamen Marie-Dominique , Hennequin Christophe , M’Barek Basma
Published: July 2018

Mycosis Fungoides (MF) is a rare disease with a relatively good prognosis at early stage. However, skin lesions can impair quality of life due to extensive skin lesions. In some cases, skin lesions, and especially those of the face, become visible and change the physical appearance of the patients. This aspect can deeply affect patients psychologically and can impact their social life. Here, we report the case of a patient with multiple lesions including a disfiguring lesion arising from the nose. The extent of his skin lesions gave a palliative intent to his treatment project. The patient underwent several lines of chemotherapy and immunotherapy with poor results. He was then referred to our radiotherapy and received localized radiotherapy. Lesions disappeared completely within a few weeks. The patient reported a psychological relief. This case highlights the fact that radiotherapy can be done in a “palliative” intent in order to improve esthetic aspects of lesions that can dramatically impact the psychosocial side of patient’s life. Clinicians can consider radiotherapy as treatment of some MF lesions as far as they impair the patient’s comfort from a psychological and social point of view.
Salivary Gland Extract of Kissing Bug, Triatoma lecticularia, Reduces the Severity of Intestinal Inflammation through the Modulation of the Local IL-6/IL-10 Axis
Authors: Sales-Campos Helioswilton , da Silva Catarino Jonatas , Roza Guilherme Augusto , Obata Trevisan Rafael , Menezes Silva Luisa , Reis Machado Juliana , da Silva Marcos Vinícius , Andrade-Silva Leonardo Euripedes , Rodrigues-Júnior Virmondes , Freire de Oliveira Carlo José
Published: July 2018

Triatomines are known for their role as vectors of the causative agent of Chagas disease. The occurrence of an arsenal of molecules in their saliva is able to suppress vertebrate immune responses. Thus, it is reasonable to assume that the presence of molecules with therapeutic potential in their saliva is able to constrain inflammation in immune-mediated diseases. Thus, mice were exposed to dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) in drinking water uninterruptedly during 6 consecutive days and treated with T. lecticularia salivary gland extract (SGE) (3, 10, or 30 μg) or vehicle (saline) (n=6/group). At the highest dose (30 μg), an improvement in clinical outcome and macroscopic aspects of the intestine were observed. This observation was followed by amelioration in histopathological aspects in the colon especially when the doses of 10 and 30 μg were used. Regardless of the concentration used, treatment with T. lecticularia SGE significantly reduced the levels of the inflammatory cytokine IL-6 in the intestine. The production of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 was positively impacted by the concentrations of 3 and 30 μg. Our results suggest that the presence of molecules in the T. lecticularia SGE is able to attenuate clinical outcome and colon shortening and improve intestinal architecture besides reducing the production of IL-6 and inducing a local production of IL-10 in the intestine.
An Assessment of Clinically Important Differences on the Worst Pain Severity Item of the Modified Brief Pain Inventory in Patients with Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathic Pain
Authors: Marcus James , Lasch Kathryn , Wan Yin , Yang Mei , Hsu Ching , Merante Domenico
Published: July 2018

Objectives. Using patient global impression of change (PGIC) as an anchor, an approximately 30% reduction on an 11-point numeric pain intensity rating scale (PI-NRS) is considered a clinically important difference (CID) in pain. Our objective was to define the CID for another pain measure, the worst pain severity (WPS) item of the modified Brief Pain Inventory (m-BPI). Methods. In this post hoc analysis of a double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 2 study, 452 randomized patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain (DPNP) were followed over 5 weeks, with m-BPI data collected weekly and PGIC at treatment conclusion. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves (via logistic regression) were used to determine the changes in the m-BPI-WPS score that best predicted ordinal clinical improvement thresholds (i.e., “minimally improved” or better) on the PGIC. Results. Similar to the PI-NRS, a change of −3 (raw) or −33.3% from the baseline on the m-BPI-WPS optimized prediction for the “much improved” or better PGIC threshold and represents a CID. There was a high correspondence between observed and predicted PGIC categories at each PGIC threshold (ROC AUCs were 0.78–0.82). Conclusions. Worst pain on the m-BPI may be used to assess clinically important improvements in DPNP studies. Findings require validation in larger studies.
Absent Foveal Pit, Also Known as Fovea Plana, in a Child without Associated Ocular or Systemic Findings
Authors: Hernandez-Moreno Laura , Moreno Perdomo Natacha , Aleman Tomas S. , Baskaran Karthikeyan , Macedo Antonio Filipe
Published: July 2018

The purpose of this report is to describe a case of bilateral foveal hypoplasia in the absence of other ophthalmological or systemic manifestations. We characterize the case of a 9-year-old Caucasian male who underwent full ophthalmologic examination, including functional measures of vision and structural measurements of the eye. Best corrected visual acuity was 0.50 logMAR in the right eye and 0.40 logMAR in the left eye. Ophthalmoscopy revealed a lack of foveal reflex that was further investigated. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) confirmed the absence of foveal depression (pit). OCT images demonstrated the abnormal structure of retina in a region in which we expected a fovea; these findings were decisive to determine the cause of reduced acuity in the child.
Painful Recall in Elective Electrical Cardioversion with Propofol and the Need for Additional Analgesia
Authors: van Winden D. F. M. , Westra A. , Dennesen P. J. W. , Monnink S. H. J. , Verdouw B. C. , le Kluse R.
Published: July 2018

Introduction. Electrical cardioversion (ECV) is a short but painful procedure for treating cardiac dysrhythmias. There is a wide variation regarding the medication strategy to facilitate this procedure. Many different sedative techniques for ECV are described. Currently, the optimal medication strategy to prevent pain in ECV has yet to be established. The role for additional analgesic agents to prevent pain during the procedure remains controversial, and evidence is limited. Methods. We conducted a prospective multicenter study to determine the incidence of painful recall in ECV with propofol as a sole agent for sedation, in order to assess the indication for additional opioids. In all patients, sedation was induced with propofol titrated till loss of eyelash reflex and nonresponsiveness to stimuli, corresponding to Ramsay Sedation Score level 5-6. ECV was performed with extracardiac biphasic electrical shocks. The primary outcome was painful recall of the procedure, defined as numeric pain rating scale (NRS) ≥ 1. NRS ≥ 4 is considered inadequately treated pain. Secondary outcome parameters were pain at the side of the defipads and muscle pain after ECV. Results. A total of 232 patients were enrolled in this study. Six patients were excluded due to missing data or violation of study protocol. Three patients reported recall of the procedure, and one patient (0.4%) reported recall of severe pain during the procedure with NRS 7. Two patients (0.9%) reported recall of mild pain with NRS 1–3. Complete amnesia was observed in 223 patients (98.7%), with NRS 0. The mean of the total dose of propofol was 1.1 mg/kg. Fifteen patients (6.6%) experienced pain at the side of the defipads, and six patients (2.7%) complained of muscle pain after the procedure. Conclusions. In this prospective multicenter study, propofol as a sole agent provided good conditions for ECV with a low incidence of recall. Effective sedation and complete amnesia was achieved in 98.7% of the patients, 0.4% of patients reported recall of severe pain during the procedure, and 0.9% of patients experienced mild pain during the ECV.
Quadratic Integral Sliding Mode Control for Nonlinear Harmonic Gear Drive Systems with Mismatched Uncertainties
Authors: Ding Runze , Xiao Lingfei
Published: July 2018

For a class of nonlinear harmonic gear drive systems with mismatched uncertainties, a novel robust control method is presented on the basis of quadratic integral sliding mode surface, and the closed-loop system has satisfying performance and strong robustness against mismatched uncertainties and nonlinear disturbances. Considering time-varying nonlinear torques and parameters variations which are caused by nonlinear frictions and backlash, a nonlinear harmonic gear drive system mathematic model is established and the effect of nonlinear parts is compensated during control system design. It is proven that the quadratic integral sliding mode surface can be reached in finite time and the closed-loop system is asymptotic stable robustly. The simulation studies are carried out in comparison with traditional linear sliding mode control and integral sliding mode control, verifying the effectiveness of the proposed method.
On a Simple Relation between Duffin-Kemmer-Petiau and Tzou Algebras
Authors: Okniński Andrzej
Published: July 2018

A simple link between βμ matrices of the Duffin-Kemmer-Petiau theory and ρμ matrices of Tzou representations is constructed. The link consists of a constant unitary transformation of the βμ matrices and a projection onto a lower-dimensional subspace.