bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Recurrent symptomatic hypoglycaemia with pancytopenia as a delayed presentation of Sheehan's syndrome with complete recovery after hormone replacement
Authors: Dharmshaktu Pramila , Bhowmick Jayeeta , Manglani Danny , Dhanwal Dinesh Kumar
Published: November 2013

A 38-year-old woman presented to our hospital emergency section in altered sensorium and with blood pressure of 80/60 mm Hg. She gave a history of recurrent episodes of loss of consciousness for 15–20 days, generalised body swelling and generalised weakness for the past 5–6 years. On further evaluation she was found to have severe hypoglycaemic episodes. In view of history of pregnancy and significant blood loss during surgery and long history of lethargy, asthaenia and generalised anasarca, the patient was evaluated for Sheehan's syndrome. Her serum cortisol levels were very low and she was found to have central hypothyroidism. MRI of the brain also revealed small sella turcica and small pituitary gland suggestive of hypopituitarism. The patient was started on high-concentration dextrose drips, steroids and thyroid hormone replacement. The patient showed a marked improvement within 1 week of treatment. And she was discharged with an advice to follow-up at our outpatient department.
A cross-sectional study of factors associated with uptake of vaccination against influenza among older residents in the postpandemic season in Beijing, China
Authors: Zheng Yang , Yang Peng , Wu Shuangsheng , Ma Chunna , Seale Holly , MacIntyre C Raina , Wang Quanyi
Published: November 2013

Objective

Annually, influenza epidemics are associated with high mortality rates, notably among elderly persons. The aim of the study was to examine the level of influenza vaccine coverage among Chinese residents aged 60 years and older and to examine the demographic, behavioural and lifestyle health factors associated with vaccine receipt.

Design

Cross-sectional study.

Setting

Beijing, China.

Participants

Stratified sampling was used to recruit participants for this study. A total of 2578 people aged 60 years and older consented to participate in this study. Questionnaires from 2481 participants were valid and were included in the final analysis.

Outcome measures

Influenza vaccination status and factors associated with vaccination.

Methods

In late 2010, a survey was conducted with residents from three urban and three rural districts in Beijing, China. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to detect the factors associated with influenza vaccination.

Results

2481 older people (aged ≥60 years) were included in the final analysis. In 2010, 44% had received the annual influenza vaccine. Lower education level, poor health status of the participant, regular taking exercises and considering that vaccine is the best measure for preventing influenza were associated with influenza vaccination coverage.

Conclusions

Influenza vaccine coverage in Beijing still remains suboptimal. Further work needs to be undertaken to ascertain whether the methods used to distribute the vaccine are adequate and whether health professionals are appropriately promoting the vaccine.
Challenges to implementing expanded team models: lessons from a centralised nurse-led cholesterol-lowering programme
Authors: Kadehjian Emily K , Schneider Louise , Greenberg Jeffrey O , Dudley Jessica , Kachalia Allen
Published: November 2013

Background

Lowering low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) is critical to lowering morbidity and mortality. To increase the percentage of patients with DM and CVD at target LDL (<100 mg/dL), we launched an expanded team-based quality improvement programme in which centralised registered nurses (RNs) followed a detailed protocol to adjust cholesterol-lowering medications. Despite the growing use of team-based approaches to improve quality of care, little remains known about how best to implement them.

Program evaluation

To share our experiences and lessons from operating a team-based programme, we conducted a retrospective observational analysis of administrative and clinical data on programme performance. We measured: primary care physician (PCP) and patient acceptance of the programme, number of medication adjustments, change in LDL, per cent of patients achieving target, time to LDL target and the efforts required to achieve these goals.

Results

Using administrative data, we initially identified 374 potential patients for enrolment. Chart review revealed that 203 (54%) were clinically eligible. PCPs agreed to enrol 74% (150/203) of these patients. Thirty-six per cent of PCP-approved patients (54/150) could not be reached via phone and 5.3% (8/150) declined enrolment. Of patients enrolled (n=64), 50% did not complete the programme. Of those enrolled, median LDL decreased by 21 mg/dL and 52% (33/64) achieved the LDL target. Programme RNs spent 12 023 min on programme activities, of which 44.4% (5539) was related to non-enrolled patients.

Conclusions

Our adoption of a centralised expanded team-based programme for the management of LDL cholesterol uncovered many barriers to efficiency and success. Even though expanded team programmes may be supported by PCPs, the administrative efforts required to identify, enrol and continually engage eligible patients raise many concerns regarding efficiency and highlight infrastructure changes needed for successful team-based approaches.
Quantum anomalous Hall effect on a square lattice with spin–orbit couplings and an exchange field
Authors: Guo Xiaoyong , Ren Xiaobin , Guo Guangjie , Peng Jie
Published: November 2013

We investigate a tight-binding model on a two-dimensional square lattice with three terms: the Rashba spin–orbit coupling, the real amplitude next-nearest spin–orbit coupling, and an exchange field. We calculate the first Chern number to identify band topology. It is found that the Chern number takes the quantized values of C1 = 1, 2 and the chiral edge modes can be obtained. Therefore our model realizes the quantum anomalous Hall (QAH) effect. The Rashba coupling is positive for the QAH phase while the next-nearest coupling is detrimental to it. By increasing the exchange field intensity, the Chern number changes from quantized value 2 to 0. The behavior of the edge states is also studied. Particularly for C1 = 2 case, there are two gapless spin-polarized edge states with the same spin polarization moving in the same spatial direction. This indicates that their appearance is topological rather than accidental.
Raman and AFM mapping studies of photo-induced crystallization in a-Se films: substrate strain and thermal effects
Authors: Lindberg G.P. , O’Loughlin T. , Gross N. , Reznik A. , Abbaszadeh S. , Karim K.S. , Belev G. , Hunter D.M. , Weinstein B.A.
Published: November 2013

Photo-induced crystallization (PC) is studied in amorphous selenium (a-Se) films deposited on glass with and without intermediate layers of indium tin oxide or polymer material. The spatial profile of PC domains is examined by co-localized scanning atomic force microscopy and Raman mapping. We also explore the thermal behavior of the onset and growth of PC in the a-Se films by Raman spectroscopy measurements at temperatures spanning the glass transition (Tg ∼ 313 K). In many films the onset time for PC shows a surprising discontinuity near Tg. Inserting a thin polyimide layer between the a-Se film and the substrate inhibits PC. Our results indicate that adhesion to a rigid substrate is important for promoting PC in a-Se films. We find that the discontinuities in the PC onset times, the shape of the mapping profiles, and the effects of having a soft polymer interface layer can be understood by a model that takes account of the substrate shear strain and its relaxation near Tg.
COLORED HOMFLY POLYNOMIALS FROM CHERN–SIMONS THEORY
Authors: NAWATA SATOSHI , RAMADEVI P. , ZODINMAWIA
Published: November 2013

We elaborate the Chern–Simons field theoretic method to obtain colored HOMFLY invariants of knots and links. Using multiplicity-free quantum 6j-symbols for Uq(𝔰𝔩N), we present explicit evaluations of the HOMFLY invariants colored by symmetric representations for a variety of knots, two-component links and three-component links.
THE DYNAMICAL BEHAVIOR ON THE CARRYING SIMPLEX OF A THREE-DIMENSIONAL COMPETITIVE SYSTEM: II. HYPERBOLIC STRUCTURE SATURATION
Authors: JIANG JIFA , NIU LEI
Published: November 2013

A competitive system on the n-rectangle: {x ∈ Rn: 0 ≤ xi ≤ li, i = 1, …, n} was considered, each species of which, in isolation, admits logistic growth with the hyperbolic structure saturation. It has an (n - 1)-dimensional invariant surface called carrying simplex Σ as a globe attractor, hence the long term dynamics of the system is completely determined by the dynamics on Σ. For the three-dimensional system, the whole dynamical behavior was presented. It has a unique positive equilibrium point and any limit set is either an equilibrium point or a limit cycle. The system is permanent and it is proved that the number of periodic orbits is finite and non-periodic oscillation the May–Leonard phenomenon does not exist. A criterion for the positive equilibrium to be globally asymptotically stable is provided. Whether there exist limit cycles or not remains open.
EXISTENCE OF MULTIPLE PERIODIC SOLUTIONS TO LOTKA–VOLTERRA NETWORK-LIKE FOOD-CHAIN SYSTEM WITH DELAYS AND IMPULSES ON TIME SCALES
Authors: ZHAO KAIHONG , DING LIANG , YANG FENGZAO
Published: November 2013

In this paper, we have studied a general kind of n-species Lotka–Volterra network-like food-chain system with delays and impulses on time scales. Applying Mawhin's continuation theorem of coincidence degree theory and some skills of inequalities, some sufficient criteria have been established to guarantee the existence of at least 2n periodic solutions to this model. One example is given to illustrate the effectiveness of our results.
Functional expression of a Kir2.1-like inwardly rectifying potassium channel in mouse mammary secretory cells
Authors: Kamikawa Akihiro , Ishikawa Toru
Published: November 2013

K+ channels in mammary secretory (MS) cells are believed to play a role in transcellular electrolyte transport and thus determining ionic composition of the aqueous phase of milk. However, direct evidence for specific K+ channel activity in native MS cells is lacking at the single-cell level. Here, we show for the first time that an inwardly rectifying K+ (Kir) channel is functionally expressed in fully differentiated MS cells that were freshly isolated from the mammary gland of lactating mice. Using the standard whole cell patch-clamp technique, we found that mouse MS cells consistently displayed a K+ current, whose electrophysiological properties are similar to those previously reported for Kir2.x channels, particularly Kir2.1: 1) current-voltage relationship with strong inward rectification, 2) slope conductance approximately proportional to the square root of external K+ concentration, 3) voltage- and time-dependent and high-affinity block by external Ba2+, and 4) voltage-dependent inhibition by external Cs+. Accordingly, RT-PCR analysis revealed the gene expression of Kir2.1, but not Kir2.2, Kir2.3, and Kir2.4, in lactating mouse mammary gland, and immunohistochemical staining showed Kir2.1 protein expression in the secretory cells. Cell-attached patch recordings from MS cells revealed that a 31-pS K+ channel with strong inward rectification was likely active at the resting membrane potential. Collectively, the present work demonstrates that a functional Kir2.1-like channel is expressed in lactating mouse MS cells. We propose that the channel might be involved, at least in part, in secretion and/or preservation of ionic components of milk stored into the lumen of these cells.
Effect of sex chromosome complement on sodium appetite and Fos-immunoreactivity induced by sodium depletion
Authors: Dadam Florencia M. , Caeiro Ximena E. , Cisternas Carla D. , Macchione Ana F. , Cambiasso María J. , Vivas Laura
Published: November 2013

Previous studies indicate a sex chromosome complement (SCC) effect on the angiotensin II-sexually dimorphic hypertensive and bradycardic baroreflex responses. We sought to evaluate whether SCC may differentially modulate sexually dimorphic-induced sodium appetite and specific brain activity due to physiological stimulation of the rennin angiotensin system. For this purpose, we used the “four core genotype” mouse model, in which the effect of gonadal sex and SCC is dissociated, allowing comparisons of sexually dimorphic traits between XX and XY females as well as in XX and XY males. Gonadectomized mice were sodium depleted by furosemide (50 mg/kg) and low-sodium diet treatment; control groups were administered with vehicle and maintained on normal sodium diet. Twenty-one hours later, the mice were divided into two groups: one group was submitted to the water-2% NaCl choice intake test, while the other group was perfused and their brains subjected to the Fos-immunoreactivity (FOS-ir) procedure. Sodium depletion, regardless of SCC (XX or XY), induced a significantly lower sodium and water intake in females than in males, confirming the existence in mice of sexual dimorphism in sodium appetite and the organizational involvement of gonadal steroids. Moreover, our results demonstrate a SCC effect on induced brain FOS-ir, showing increased brain activity in XX-SCC mice at the paraventricular nucleus, nucleus of the solitary tract, and lateral parabrachial nucleus, as well as an XX-SCC augmented effect on sodium depletion-induced brain activity at two circumventricular organs, the subfornical organ and area postrema, nuclei closely involved in fluid and blood pressure homeostasis.
Salt sensitivity of tubuloglomerular feedback in the early remnant kidney
Authors: Singh Prabhleen , Thomson Scott C.
Published: November 2013

We previously reported internephron heterogeneity in the tubuloglomerular feedback (TGF) response 1 wk after subtotal nephrectomy (STN), with 50% of STN nephrons exhibiting anomalous TGF (Singh P, Deng A, Blantz RC, Thomson SC. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol 296: F1158–F1165, 2009). Presently, we tested the theory that anomalous TGF is an adaptation of the STN kidney to facilitate increased distal delivery when NaCl balance forces the per-nephron NaCl excretion to high levels. To this end, the effect of dietary NaCl on the TGF response was tested by micropuncture in STN and sham-operated Wistar rats. An NaCl-deficient (LS) or high-salt NaCl diet (HS; 1% NaCl in drinking water) was started on day 0 after STN or sham surgery. Micropuncture followed 8 days later with measurements of single-nephron GFR (SNGFR), proximal reabsorption, and tubular stop-flow pressure (PSF) obtained at both extremes of TGF activation, while TGF was manipulated by microperfusing Henle's loop (LOH) from the late proximal tubule. Activating TGF caused SNGFR to decline by similar amounts in Sham-LS, Sham-HS and STN-LS [ΔSNGFR (nl/min) = −16 ± 2, −11 ± 3, −11 ± 2; P = not significant by Tukey]. Activating TGF in STN-HS actually increased SNGFR by 5 ± 2 nl/min ( P < 0.0005 vs. each other group by Tukey). HS had no effect on the PSFresponse to LOH perfusion in sham [ΔPSF(mmHg) = −9.6 ± 1.1 vs. −9.8 ± 1.0] but eliminated the PSFresponse in STN (+0.3 ± 0.9 vs. −5.7 ± 1.0, P = 0.0002). An HS diet leads to anomalous TGF in the early remnant kidney, which facilitates NaCl and fluid delivery to the distal nephron.
Why Is Diabetes Mellitus a Risk Factor for Contrast-Induced Nephropathy?
Authors: Heyman Samuel N. , Rosenberger Christian , Rosen Seymour , Khamaisi Mogher
Published: November 2013

Contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) remains a leading cause of iatrogenic acute kidney injury, as the usage of contrast media for imaging and intravascular intervention keeps expanding. Diabetes is an important predisposing factor for CIN, particularly in patients with renal functional impairment. Renal hypoxia, combined with the generation of reactive oxygen species, plays a central role in the pathogenesis of CIN, and the diabetic kidney is particularly susceptible to intensified hypoxic and oxidative stress following the administration of contrast media. The pathophysiology of this vulnerability is complex and involves various mechanisms, including a priori enhanced tubular transport activity, oxygen consumption, and the generation of reactive oxygen species. The regulation of vascular tone and peritubular blood flow may also be altered, particularly due to defective nitrovasodilation, enhanced endothelin production, and a particular hyperresponsiveness to adenosine-related vasoconstriction. In addition, micro- and macrovascular diseases and chronic tubulointerstitial changes further compromise regional oxygen delivery, and renal antioxidant capacity might be hampered. A better understanding of these mechanisms and their control in the diabetic patient may initiate novel strategies in the prevention of contrast nephropathy in these susceptible patients.
Stone Tool Manufacture Strategies and Lithic Raw Material Exploitation in Coastal Patagonia, Argentina: A Multivariate Approach
Authors: Cardillo Marcelo , Alberti Jimena
Published: November 2013

This paper seeks to characterize strategies of artifact manufacture and lithic raw material exploitation along San Matías Gulf coast, Argentina, using multifactorial and cluster analysis. Multifactorial analysis is a relatively new method that has yet to be used for archaeological analysis; it has the advantage that it allows us to describe data using different groups of qualitative or quantitative variables at the same time. Additionally, cluster analysis was conducted on multifactorial axis in a bid to identify grouping patterns. The results obtained from the combination of these two methods suggest that they may be useful in characterizing technological strategies in the study area. Furthermore, they may also be a powerful exploratory and characterization tool able to generate explanations at low spatial scales. The application of these methods on San Matías Gulf study case suggests that along the western and northern coasts of this Gulf the most important variables in determining differences in resource use were the fragmentation ratio and lithic raw materials used in artifact manufacture.
Application of Adaptive Extended Kalman Smoothing on INS/WSN Integration System for Mobile Robot Indoors
Authors: Chen Xiyuan , Xu Yuan , Li Qinghua
Published: November 2013

The inertial navigation systems (INS)/wireless sensor network (WSN) integration system for mobile robot is proposed for navigation information indoors accurately and continuously. The Kalman filter (KF) is widely used for real-time applications with the aim of gaining optimal data fusion. In order to improve the accuracy of the navigation information, this work proposed an adaptive extended Kalman smoothing (AEKS) which utilizes inertial measuring units (IMUs) and ultrasonic positioning system. In this mode, the adaptive extended Kalman filter (AEKF) is used to improve the accuracy of forward Kalman filtering (FKF) and backward Kalman filtering (BKF), and then the AEKS and the average filter are used between two output timings for the online smoothing. Several real indoor tests are done to assess the performance of the proposed method. The results show that the proposed method can reduce the error compared with the INS-only, least squares (LS) solution, and AEKF.
Haemophilus parasuisSubunit Vaccines Based on Native Proteins with Affinity to Porcine Transferrin Prevent the Expression of Proinflammatory Chemokines and Cytokines in Pigs
Authors: Frandoloso R. , Martínez-Martínez S. , Rodríguez-Ferri E. F. , Yubero S. , Rodríguez-Lázaro D. , Hernández M. , Gutiérrez-Martín C. B.
Published: November 2013

The expression of chemokines (CCL-2 and CXCL-8) and cytokines (IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-10) was evaluated by RT-qPCR in colostrum-deprived pigs vaccinated and challenged withHaemophilus parasuisserovar 5. Two vaccines containing native proteins with affinity to porcine transferrin (NPAPTim and NPAPTit) were tested, along with two control groups: one inoculated with PBS instead of antigen (challenge group (CHG)), and another one nonimmunized and noninfected (blank group). The use of NPAPTim and NPAPTit resulted in complete protection againstH. parasuis(no clinical signs and/or lesions), and both vaccines were capable of avoiding the expression of the proinflammatory molecules to levels similar to physiological values in blank group. However, overexpression of all proinflammatory molecules was observed in CHG group, mainly in the target infection tissues (brain, lungs, and spleen). High expression of CCL-2, CXCL-8, IL-1α, IL-1β, and IL-6 can be considered one of the characteristics ofH. parasuisinfection by serovar 5.
Exploring the Effects of Different Walking Strategies on Bi-Directional Pedestrian Flow
Authors: Lu Lili , Ren Gang , Wang Wei , Yu Chen , Ding Chenzi
Published: November 2013

Three types of different walking behaviors (right preference, conformity, and space priority) are taken into account to model bi-directional pedestrian flow in the channel with cellular-automata formulation. The fundamental diagrams ofR-pedestrian flow,C-pedestrian flow, andS-pedestrian flow are obtained from the simulation result to analyze the effect of these behaviors on bi-direction flow. TheC-pedestrian flow has the minimum critical density andR-pedestrian flow has the highest, while theS-pedestrian flow has higher average-speed than other two types of pedestrian flow under the same density. Further, through the study of pedestrian distribution in the channel and the proportion of pedestrians not able to move to the front cell, reasons leading to different characteristics of these three types of pedestrian flow are analyzed. Moreover, the simulation experiment based on BehaviorSearch is designed to explore the optimal percentages ofR-pedestrian,C-pedestrian, andS-pedestrian in pedestrian flow. The result of the experiment shows that the condition that makes the highest average speed of pedestrian flow is not that pedestrian flow consists of purely one type of pedestrians, but pedestrian flow mixed withS-pedestrians as majority andC-pedestrians andR-pedestrians as minority.
Regularized Multidirections and Multiscales Anisotropic Diffusion for Sinogram Restoration of Low-Dosed Computed Tomography
Authors: Liao Zhiwu
Published: November 2013

Although most of existing anisotropic diffusion (AD) methods are supported by prefect mathematical theories, they still lead to smoothed edges and anatomy details (EADs). They are caused by not considering the discrete nature of digital signal. In order to improve the performance of AD in sinogram restoration of low-dosed computed tomography (LDCT), we propose a new AD method, named regularized multidirections and multiscales anisotropic diffusion (RMDMS-AD), by extending AD to regularized AD (RAD) in multidirections and multiscales. Since the multidirections can reduce the discrete errors to the maximum extent, meanwhile multiscales and RAD make searching neighborhood of solution be as large as possible which can get more optimal solution to AD, the new proposed method can improve the performance of AD both in denoising and in stability of solution. Moreover, the discrete errors and ill-posed solutions occur mostly near the EADs; the RMDMS-AD will also preserve EADs well. Comparing the proposed new method to existing AD methods using real sinogram, the new method shows good performance in EADs preserving while denoising and suppressing artifacts.
Solving a System of Linear Volterra Integral Equations Using the Modified Reproducing Kernel Method
Authors: Yang Li-Hong , Li Hong-Ying , Wang Jing-Ran
Published: November 2013

A numerical technique based on reproducing kernel methods for the exact solution of linear Volterra integral equations system of the second kind is given. The traditional reproducing kernel method requests that operator a satisfied linear operator equationAu=f, is bounded and its image space is the reproducing kernel spaceW21[a,b]. It limits its application. Now, we modify the reproducing kernel method such that it can be more widely applicable. Then-term approximation solution obtained by the modified method is of high accuracy. The numerical example compared with other methods shows that the modified method is more efficient.
An Exact Approach for Structural Damage Assessment
Authors: Yang Q. W.
Published: November 2013

An exact approach is proposed for damage identification in statically determinate structures. The contribution of this study is twofold. Firstly, a rigorous disassembly formulation of structural global flexibility matrix is presented based on the matrix spectral decomposition, which can provide an exact relationship between the modifications of structural stiffness parameters and the associated flexibility matrix. Secondly, the static minimum-rank flexibility change is derived to obtain the exact flexibility change before and after damage. The proposed method is economical in computation and is simple to implement. For the statically determinate structures, the proposed method can exactly compute the elemental perturbed stiffness parameter only using a few of incomplete static displacement data. The efficiency of the proposed method is demonstrated by two statically determinate structures.
Online Stochastic Convergence Analysis of the Kalman Filter
Authors: Rhudy Matthew B. , Gu Yu
Published: November 2013

This paper presents modifications to the stochastic stability lemma which is then used to estimate the convergence rate and persistent error of the linear Kalman filter online without using knowledge of the true state. Unlike previous uses of the stochastic stability lemma for stability proof, this new convergence analysis technique considers time-varying parameters, which can be calculated online in real-time to monitor the performance of the filter. Through simulation of an example problem, the new method was shown to be effective in determining a bound on the estimation error that closely follows the actual estimation error. Different cases of assumed process and measurement noise covariance matrices were considered in order to study their effects on the convergence and persistent error of the Kalman filter.
Vest Chest Physiotherapy Airway Clearance is Associated with Nitric Oxide Metabolism
Authors: Sisson Joseph H. , Wyatt Todd A. , Pavlik Jacqueline A. , Sarna Pawanjit S. , Murphy Peter J.
Published: November 2013

Background. Vest chest physiotherapy (VCPT) enhances airway clearance in cystic fibrosis (CF) by an unknown mechanism. Because cilia are sensitive to nitric oxide (NO), we hypothesized that VCPT enhances clearance by changing NO metabolism.Methods. Both normal subjects and stable CF subjects had pre- and post-VCPT airway clearance assessed using nasal saccharin transit time (NSTT) followed by a collection of exhaled breath condensate (EBC) analyzed for NO metabolites ().Results. VCPT shorted NSTT by 35% in normal and stable CF subjects with no difference observed between the groups. EBC concentrations decreased 68% in control subjects after VCPT (before = 115 ± 32 μM versus after = 37 ± 17 μM; ). CF subjects had a trend toward lower EBC .Conclusion. We found an association between VCPT-stimulated clearance and exhaled levels in human subjects. We speculate that VCPT stimulates clearance via increased NO metabolism.
Exit, Voice, and Loyalty in the Italian Public Health Service: Macroeconomic and Corporate Implications
Authors: Ippolito Adelaide , Impagliazzo Cira , Zoccoli Paola
Published: November 2013

The paper analyses how customers of public health organizations can express their dissatisfaction for the services offered to them. The main aim is to evaluate the effects that possible dissatisfaction of Italian public health service customers can have on public health organizations. We adopted the methodological scheme developed by Hirschman with exit, voice, and loyalty, considering the macroeconomic and corporate implications that it causes for Italian public health organizations. The study investigated the effects developed by exit of the patients on the system of financing of local health authorities considering both the corporate level of analysis and the macroeconomic level. As a result, local health authority management is encouraged to pay greater attention to the exit phenomena through the adoption of tools that promote loyalty, such as the promotion of voice, even if exit is not promoting, at a macroeconomic level, considerable attention to this phenomenon.
Welfare Comparison of Leader-Follower Models in a Mixed Duopoly
Authors: Tao Aiyuan , Zhu Yingjun , Zou Xiangqing
Published: November 2013

In the standard leader-follower duopoly models with otherwise symmetric firms, the market outcome and total welfare are the same whichever firm is the leader. This paper studies and compares total welfare in a sequential-move mixed duopoly when either the public firm or the private firm acts as the leader. It is found that the fact that which firm is the leader affects total welfare and that whether firms compete in quantity or price also affects the optimal choice of market leader.
The Existence of Positive Solutions for a New Coupled System of Multiterm Singular Fractional Integrodifferential Boundary Value Problems
Authors: Baleanu Dumitru , Nazemi Sayyedeh Zahra , Rezapour Shahram
Published: November 2013

We discuss the existence of positive solutions for the coupled system of multiterm singular fractional integrodifferential boundary value problemsD0+αu(t)+f1(t,u(t),v(t),(ϕ1u)(t),(ψ1v)(t),D0+pu(t),D0+μ1v(t),D0+μ2v(t),…,D0+μmv(t))=0,D0+βv(t)+f2(t,u(t),v(t),(ϕ2u)(t),(ψ2v)(t),D0+qv(t),D0+ν1u(t),D0+ν2u(t),…,D0+νmu(t))=0,u(i)(0)=0andv(i)(0)=0for all0≤i≤n-2,[D0+δ1u(t)]t=1=0for2<δ1<n-1andα-δ1≥1,[D0+δ2v(t)]t=1=0for2<δ2<n-1andβ-δ2≥1, wheren≥4,n-1<α,β<n,0<p,q<1,1<μi,νi<2  (i=1,2,…,m),γj,λj:[0,1]×[0,1]→(0,∞)are continuous functions(j=1,2)and(ϕju)(t)=∫0t‍γj(t,s)u(s)ds,(ψjv)(t)=∫0t‍λj(t,s)v(s)ds.HereDis the standard Riemann-Liouville fractional derivative,fj  (j=1,2)is a Caratheodory function, andfj(t,x,y,z,w,v,u1,u2,…,um)is singular at the value 0 of its variables.
Hopf Bifurcation Analysis for a Four-Dimensional Recurrent Neural Network with Two Delays
Authors: Zhang Zizhen , Yang Huizhong
Published: November 2013

A four-dimensional recurrent neural network with two delays is considered. The main result is given in terms of local stability and Hopf bifurcation. Sufficient conditions for local stability of the zero equilibrium and existence of the Hopf bifurcation with respect to both delays are obtained by analyzing the distribution of the roots of the associated characteristic equation. In particular, explicit formulae for determining the direction of the Hopf bifurcation and the stability of the bifurcating periodic solutions are established by using the normal form theory and center manifold theory. Some numerical examples are also presented to verify the theoretical analysis.
Adaptive Neural Network Dynamic Inversion with Prescribed Performance for Aircraft Flight Control
Authors: Gai Wendong , Wang Honglun , Zhang Jing , Li Yuxia
Published: November 2013

An adaptive neural network dynamic inversion with prescribed performance method is proposed for aircraft flight control. The aircraft nonlinear attitude angle model is analyzed. And we propose a new attitude angle controller design method based on prescribed performance which describes the convergence rate and overshoot of the tracking error. Then the model error is compensated by the adaptive neural network. Subsequently, the system stability is analyzed in detail. Finally, the proposed method is applied to the aircraft attitude tracking control system. The nonlinear simulation demonstrates that this method can guarantee the stability and tracking performance in the transient and steady behavior.
Positive Solutions of European Option Pricing with CGMY Process Models Using Double Discretization Difference Schemes
Authors: Company R. , Jódar L. , Fakharany M.
Published: November 2013

This paper deals with the numerical analysis of PIDE option pricing models with CGMY process using double discretization schemes. This approach assumes weaker hypotheses of the solution on the numerical boundary domain than other relevant papers. Positivity, stability, and consistency are studied. An explicit scheme is proposed after a suitable change of variables. Advantages of the proposed schemes are illustrated with appropriate examples.
Effect of Temperature and Electric Field on the Damping and Stiffness Characteristics of ER Fluid Short Squeeze Film Dampers
Authors: Jagadish H. P. , Ravikumar L.
Published: November 2013

Squeeze film dampers are novel rotor dynamic devices used to alleviate small amplitude, large force vibrations and are used in conjunction with antifriction bearings in aircraft jet engine bearings to provide external damping as these possess very little inherent damping. Electrorheological (ER) fluids are controllable fluids in which the rheological properties of the fluid, particularly viscosity, can be controlled in accordance with the requirements of the rotor dynamic system by controlling the intensity of the applied electric field and this property can be utilized in squeeze film dampers, to provide variable stiffness and damping at a particular excitation frequency. The paper investigates the effect of temperature and electric field on the apparent viscosity and dynamic (stiffness and damping characteristics) of ER fluid (suspension of diatomite in transformer oil) using the available literature. These characteristics increase with the field as the viscosity increases with the field. However, these characteristics decrease with increase in temperature and shear strain rate as the viscosity of the fluid decreases with temperature and shear strain rate. The temperature is an important parameter as the aircraft jet engine rotors are located in a zone of high temperature gradients and the damper fluid is susceptible to large variations in temperature.
A New Numerical Approach for the Laminar Boundary Layer Flow and Heat Transfer along a Stretching Cylinder Embedded in a Porous Medium with Variable Thermal Conductivity
Authors: Shateyi S. , Marewo G. T.
Published: November 2013

The study presents an axisymmetric laminar boundary layer flow of a viscous incompressible fluid and heat transfer over a stretching cylinder embedded in a porous medium. A suitable similarity transformation is employed to transform the partial differential equations corresponding to the momentum and heat equations into nonlinear ordinary differential equations. The resultant ordinary differential equations are then solved using a successive relaxation method (SRM). The effects of significant parameters on the velocity and temperature profiles have been analyzed graphically. The obtained results are also compared with previously published results in some special cases and were found to be in excellent agreement. The skin friction as well as the heat transfer rate at the surface are increased as the values of the curvature parameter increase.
Fractional-Order Total Variation Image Restoration Based on Primal-Dual Algorithm
Authors: Chen Dali , Chen YangQuan , Xue Dingyu
Published: November 2013

This paper proposes a fractional-order total variation image denoising algorithm based on the primal-dual method, which provides a much more elegant and effective way of treating problems of the algorithm implementation, ill-posed inverse, convergence rate, and blocky effect. The fractional-order total variation model is introduced by generalizing the first-order model, and the corresponding saddle-point and dual formulation are constructed in theory. In order to guaranteeO1/N2convergence rate, the primal-dual algorithm was used to solve the constructed saddle-point problem, and the final numerical procedure is given for image denoising. Finally, the experimental results demonstrate that the proposed methodology avoids the blocky effect, achieves state-of-the-art performance, and guaranteesO1/N2convergence rate.
Long-Term Use of Probiotic-Containing Yogurts Is a Safe Way to PreventHelicobacter pylori: Based on a Mongolian Gerbil's Model
Authors: Kuo Chao-Hung , Wang Sophie S. W. , Lu Chien-Yu , Hu Huang-Ming , Kuo Fu-Chen , Weng Bi-Chuang , Wu Chun-Chieh , Liu Chung-Jung , Tsai Pei-Yun , Lee Tsung-Cheng , Chen Li-Wei , Cheng Kuang-Hung , Chang Lin-Li , Wu Deng-Chyang
Published: November 2013

Background. The suppression ofHelicobacter pylori(H. pylori) decreasesH. pylori-related diseases. The probiotics have an inhibitory effect onH. pylori.Aim. We investigated the effects of long-term use of yogurt onH. pyloribased on Mongolian gerbils’ model.Materials and Methods. Yogurt (containing a supplement ofLactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium lactis, etc.) was used. Forty-six gerbils were divided into five groups. All groups were inoculated withH. pylorifor 5 to 8 weeks. The yogurt was given as follows: Group (Gr.) A: from 1st to 4th week; Gr. B from 5th to 8th week; Gr. C: from 17th week to sacrifice; Gr. D: from 5th week to sacrifice. Gerbils were sacrificed on the 52nd week. Histology was evaluated according to the Sydney system.Results. The positive rates ofH. pyloriwere 60% (Gr. A), 75% (Gr. B), 67% (Gr. C), 44% (Gr. D), and 100% (Gr. E). Gr. D showed lower inflammatory score. Only Gr. E (60%) had intestinal metaplasia. Gr. D showed higher IL-10 and lower TNF-αexpression than Gr. E.Conclusion.Long-term intake of yogurt could decreaseH. pyloriinfection. The long-term use of yogurt would be an alternative strategy to manageH. pyloriinfection.
An Approach to Define the Heat Flow in Drilling with Different Cooling Systems Using Finite Element Analysis
Authors: Lauro Carlos Henrique , Brandão Lincoln Cardoso , Vale Thiago Januário Santos , Luis Christóforo André
Published: November 2013

The heat generated in the cutting zone with high-speed drilling causes damage in the machined part. The heat can affect the dimensions of the hole considering its diameter. Moreover, the heat reduces tool life of uncoated and coated tools. This paper shows experimental tests with high-speed drilling in hardened steel. Drilling was performed on AISI H13 steel with dimensions of 100 × 40 × 14 mm and 52 HRC. The work pieces were drilled with coated drills (TiAlN). A flooded lubricant system and the minimal quantity of lubricant (MQL) were applied to investigate the ability to remove heat from the cutting zone and to compare with dry tests. FEM was applied to define the heat flow and the coefficient of convection for the cooling systems. A steepest descent method was employed to minimize the difference between empirical and simulation data. The results showed that the simulation technique used to find values for heat flow and the coefficient of convection were close to the literature reference. In addition, the adjustment errors of the simulated temperature curves were less than 10% when compared with trial curves. Furthermore, the MQL showed a capability of cooling 3.5 times higher than that of the flooded system.
Modeling Analysis of Power Transformer Fault Diagnosis Based on Improved Relevance Vector Machine
Authors: Liu Lutao , Ding Zujun
Published: November 2013

A new method of transformer fault diagnosis based on relevance vector machine (RVM) is proposed. Bayesian estimation is applied to support vector machine (SVM) in the novel algorithm, which made fault diagnosis system work more effectively. In the paper, the analysis model is presented that the solutions of RVM have the feature of sparsity and RVM can obtain global solutions under finite samples. The process of transformer fault diagnosis for four working statuses is given in experiments and simulations. The results validated that this method has obvious advantages of diagnosis time and accuracy compared with backpropagation (BP) neural networks and general SVM methods.
Hemorrhagic Transformation (HT) and Symptomatic Intracerebral Hemorrhage (sICH) Risk Prediction Models for Postthrombolytic Hemorrhage in the Stroke Belt
Authors: Siegler James E. , Alvi Muhammad , Boehme Amelia K. , Lyerly Michael J. , Albright Karen C. , Bavarsad Shahripour Reza , Rawal Pawan V. , Kapoor Niren , Sisson April , Houston J. Thomas , Alexandrov Anne W. , Martin-Schild Sheryl , Alexandrov Andrei V.
Published: November 2013

Background. Symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH) remains the most feared complication of intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (IV tPA) treatment. We aimed to investigate how previously validated scoring methodologies would perform in treated patients in two US Stroke Belt states. Methods and Results. We retrospectively reviewed consecutive patients from two centers in two Stroke Belt states who received IV tPA (2008–2011). We assessed the ability of three models to predict sICH. sICH was defined as a type 2 parenchymal hemorrhage with deterioration in National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score of ≥4 points or death. Among 457 IV tPA-treated patients, 19 (4.2%) had sICH (mean age 68, 26.3% Black, 63.2% female). The Cucchiara model was most predictive of sICH in the entire cohort (AUC: 0.6528) and most predictive of sICH among Blacks (OR = 6.03, 95% CI 1.07–34.1, P=0.0422) when patients were dichotomized by score. Conclusions. In our small sample from the racially heterogeneous US Stroke Belt, the Cucchiara model outperformed the other models at predicting sICH. While predictive models should not be used to justify nontreatment with thrombolytics, those interested in understanding contributors to sICH may choose to use the Cucchiara model until a Stroke Belt model is developed for this region.
Global Optimal Energy Management Strategy Research for a Plug-In Series-Parallel Hybrid Electric Bus by Using Dynamic Programming
Authors: He Hongwen , Tang Henglu , Wang Ximing
Published: November 2013

Energy management strategy influences the power performance and fuel economy of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles greatly. To explore the fuel-saving potential of a plug-in hybrid electric bus (PHEB), this paper searched the global optimal energy management strategy using dynamic programming (DP) algorithm. Firstly, the simplified backward model of the PHEB was built which is necessary for DP algorithm. Then the torque and speed of engine and the torque of motor were selected as the control variables, and the battery state of charge (SOC) was selected as the state variables. The DP solution procedure was listed, and the way was presented to find all possible control variables at every state of each stage in detail. Finally, the appropriate SOC increment is determined after quantizing the state variables, and then the optimal control of long driving distance of a specific driving cycle is replaced with the optimal control of one driving cycle, which reduces the computational time significantly and keeps the precision at the same time. The simulation results show that the fuel economy of the PEHB with the optimal energy management strategy is improved by 53.7% compared with that of the conventional bus, which can be a benchmark for the assessment of other control strategies.
Sales Forecasting for Fashion Retailing Service Industry: A Review
Authors: Liu Na , Ren Shuyun , Choi Tsan-Ming , Hui Chi-Leung , Ng Sau-Fun
Published: November 2013

Sales forecasting is crucial for many retail operations. It is especially critical for the fashion retailing service industry in which product demand is very volatile and product’s life cycle is short. This paper conducts a comprehensive literature review and selects a set of papers in the literature on fashion retail sales forecasting. The advantages and the drawbacks of different kinds of analytical methods for fashion retail sales forecasting are examined. The evolution of the respective forecasting methods over the past 15 years is revealed. Issues related to real-world applications of the fashion retail sales forecasting models and important future research directions are discussed.
Development of a Landing Mechanism for Asteroids with Soft Surface
Authors: Zhao Zhijun , Zhao Jingdong , Liu Hong
Published: November 2013

A landing mechanism to an asteroid with soft surface is developed. It consists of three landing feet, landing legs, cardan element, damping element, equipment base, anchoring system, and so on. Static structural analysis and modal analysis are carried out to check the strength and natural frequency of the landing mechanism with FEA. Testing platform for the anchoring system is introduced, and then the penetrating and anchoring tests of the anchoring system are carried out in different media. It shows that cohesion of the media has large influence on the penetrating and anchoring performance of the anchoring system. Landing tests of the landing mechanism with different velocities under simulated microgravity environment are carried out on the air-floating platform, and the impact accelerations are measured by the sensors on the landing mechanism. At the same time, these impact accelerations are processed by spectrum analysis to find the natural frequency of the landing mechanism.
Flavonoids Identified from KoreanScutellaria baicalensisGeorgi Inhibit Inflammatory Signaling by Suppressing Activation of NF-κB and MAPK in RAW 264.7 Cells
Authors: Hong Gyeong-Eun , Kim Jin-A. , Nagappan Arulkumar , Yumnam Silvia , Lee Ho-Jeong , Kim Eun-Hee , Lee Won-Sup , Shin Sung-Chul , Park Hyeon-Soo , Kim Gon-Sup
Published: November 2013

Scutellaria baicalensisGeorgi has been used as traditional medicine for treating inflammatory diseases, hepatitis, tumors, and diarrhea in Asia. Hence, we investigated the anti-inflammatory effect and determined the molecular mechanism of action of flavonoids isolated from KoreanS. baicalensisG. in lipopolysaccharide- (LPS-) stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages. A 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay was performed to examine cytotoxicity of the flavonoids at various concentrations of 10, 40, 70, and 100 µg/mL. No cytotoxicity was observed in RAW 264.7 cells at these concentrations. Furthermore, the flavonoids decreased production of inflammatory mediators such as inducible nitric oxide synthase, cyclooxygenase-2, interleukin-6, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha and inhibited phosphorylation of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 cells. Moreover, to identify the differentially expressed proteins in RAW 264.7 cells of the control, LPS-treated, and flavonoid-treated groups, two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry were conducted. The identified proteins were involved in the inflammatory response and included PRKA anchor protein and heat shock protein 70 kD. These findings suggest that the flavonoids isolated fromS. baicalensisG. might have anti-inflammatory effects that regulate the expression of inflammatory mediators by inhibiting the NF-κB signaling pathway via the MAPK signaling pathway in RAW 264.7 cells.
Tumor Protective Activity of CD4+ but Not of CD8+ T Cells in DNA-Vaccinated Mice Challenged with bcr-abl-Transformed Cells
Authors: Petráčková Martina , Lučanský Vincent , Vonka Vladimír
Published: November 2013

In the recent past, it has repeatedly been reported that CD4 cells play an important role in the immunology of chronic myeloid leukaemia. It was therefore of interest to test their activity in an animal model using bcr-abl-transformed cells. BALB/c mice were four times immunized with a DNA vaccine carrying the bcr-abl fusion gene. Two weeks after the last vaccine dose, the animals were challenged with syngeneic bcr-abl-transformed 12B1 cells which form solid tumors after subcutaneous administration. At the time of challenge, animals were treated with antibodies against the CD8+ T cells or CD4+ T cells. The efficacy of the depletion was monitored and found highly effective. All nonimmunized animals developed tumors. All animals untreated with the antibodies as well as those in which CD8+ T cells had been depleted, were fully protected against the challenge. On the other hand, almost all mice treated with anti-CD4+ antibody developed tumors. These results strongly suggested that the CD4+ T cells acted as effectors in the present system.