bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Limbic Degradation of Aging Brain: A Quantitative Analysis with Diffusion Tensor Imaging
Authors: Gunbey Hediye Pınar , Ercan Karabekir , Fındıkoglu Ayşe Serap , Bulut H. Taner , Karaoglanoglu Mustafa , Arslan Halil
Published: April 2014

Introduction. The limbic system primarily responsible for our emotional life and memories is known to undergo degradation with aging and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is capable of revealing the white matter integrity. The aim of this study is to investigate age-related changes of quantitative diffusivity parameters and fiber characteristics on limbic system in healthy volunteers.Methods. 31 healthy subjects aged 25–70 years were examined at 1,5 TMR. Quantitative fiber tracking was performed of fornix, cingulum, and the parahippocampal gyrus. The fractional anisotropy (FA) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) measurements of bilateral hippocampus, amygdala, fornix, cingulum, and parahippocampal gyrus were obtained as related components.Results. The FA values of left hippocampus, bilateral parahippocampal gyrus, and fornix showed negative correlations with aging. The ADC values of right amygdala and left cingulum interestingly showed negative relation and the left hippocampus represented positive relation with age. The cingulum showed no correlation. The significant relative changes per decade of age were found in the cingulum and parahippocampal gyrus FA measurements.Conclusion. Our approach shows that aging affects hippocampus, parahippocampus, and fornix significantly but not cingulum. These findings reveal age-related changes of limbic system in normal population that may contribute to future DTI studies.
New Approach for Unambiguous High-Resolution Wide-Swath SAR Imaging
Authors: Lin Yueguan , Fan Yida , Jiang Hai , Wang Wei
Published: April 2014

The high-resolution wide-swath (HRWS) SAR system uses a small antenna for transmitting waveform and multiple antennas both in elevation and azimuth for receiving echoes. It has the potential to achieve wide spatial coverage and fine azimuth resolution, while it suffers from elevation pattern loss caused by the presence of topographic height and impaired azimuth resolution caused by nonuniform sampling. A new approach for HRWS SAR imaging based on compressed sensing (CS) is introduced. The data after range compression of multiple elevation apertures are used to estimate direction of arrival (DOA) of targets via CS, and the adaptive digital beamforming in elevation is achieved accordingly, which avoids the pattern loss of scan-on-receive (SCORE) algorithm when topographic height exists. The effective phase centers of the system are nonuniformly distributed when displaced phase center antenna (DPCA) technology is adopted, which causes Doppler ambiguities under traditional SAR imaging algorithms. Azimuth reconstruction based on CS can resolve this problem via precisely modeling the nonuniform sampling. Validation with simulations and experiment in an anechoic chamber are presented.
Generalized Jordan Semitriple Maps on Hilbert Space Effect Algebras
Authors: Yuan Qing , He Kan
Published: April 2014

Letℰ(H)be the Hilbert space effect algebra on a Hilbert spaceHwithdim⁡H≥3,α,βtwo positive numbers with2α+β≠1andΦ:ℰ(H)→ℰ(H)a bijective map. We show that ifΦ(AαBβAα)=Φ(A)αΦ(B)βΦ(A)αholds for allA,B∈ℰ(H), then there exists a unitary or an antiunitary operatorUonHsuch thatΦ(A)=UAU*for everyA∈ℰ(H).
An FPGA-Integrated Time-to-Digital Converter Based on a Ring Oscillator for Programmable Delay Line Resolution Measurement
Authors: Chen Chao , Meng Shengwei , Xia Zhenghuan , Fang Guangyou , Yin Hejun
Published: April 2014

We describe the architecture of a time-to-digital converter (TDC), specially intended to measure the delay resolution of a programmable delay line (PDL). The configuration, which consists of a ring oscillator, a frequency divider (FD), and a period measurement circuit (PMC), is implemented in a field programmable gate array (FPGA) device. The ring oscillator realized in loop containing a PDL and a look-up table (LUT) generates periodic oscillatory pulses. The FD amplifies the oscillatory period from nanosecond range to microsecond range. The time-to-digital conversion is based on counting the number of clock cycles between two consecutive pulses of the FD by the PMC. Experiments have been conducted to verify the performance of the TDC. The achieved relative errors for four PDLs are within 0.50%–1.21% and the TDC has an equivalent resolution of about 0.4 ps.
Knowledge and Attitude of Nigerian Pregnant Women towards Antenatal Exercise: A Cross-Sectional Survey
Authors: Mbada Chidozie E. , Adebayo Olubukayomi E. , Adeyemi Adebanjo B. , Arije Olujide O. , Dada Olumide O. , Akinwande Olabisi A. , Awotidebe Taofeek O. , Alonge Ibidun A.
Published: April 2014

Background. Engagement in physical exercise in pregnancy is hamstrung by safety concerns, skepticism about usefulness, and limited individualized prescription guidelines. This study assessed knowledge and attitude of pregnant women towards antenatal exercises (ANEx). Methods. The cross-sectional study recruited 189 pregnant women from six selected antenatal clinics in Ile-Ife, South-West, Nigeria. Data were obtained on maternal characteristics, knowledge, and attitude towards ANEx. Results. Relaxation and breathing (59.8%), back care (51.3%), and muscle strengthening (51.3%) exercises were the most commonly known ANEx. Prevention of back pain risk (75.9%) and excess weight gain (69.1%) were perceived as benefits, while lower extremities swelling (31.8%) and extreme weight gain or loss (30.7%) were considered as contraindications to ANEx. 15.8% of the respondents had negative attitude towards ANEx resulting from insufficient information on exercise (83.3%) and tiredness (70.0%). Age significantly influences knowledge about contraindications to ANEx (P=0.001), while attitude was influenced by age and occupation, respectively (P<0.05). There was significant association between attitude and knowledge about benefits and contraindications to ANEx (P<0.05). Conclusion. A majority of Nigerian pregnant women demonstrated inadequate knowledge but had positive attitude towards ANEx. Knowledge about benefits and contraindications to ANEx significantly influenced the attitude towards exercise in pregnancy.
Treatment of Rhinitis Sicca Anterior with Ectoine Containing Nasal Spray
Authors: Sonnemann Uwe , Scherner Olaf , Werkhäuser Nina
Published: April 2014

Objectives. The safety and efficacy of ectoine nasal spray and ectoine nasal spray with dexpanthenol in the treatment of rhinitis sicca were evaluated in two studies. Design and Methods. Two noninterventional observational studies were performed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a nasal spray containing ectoine (study 1) and ectoine/dexpanthenol (study 2) over a period of two weeks including comparable numbers of patients suffering from rhinitis sicca anterior. Patients and physicians were asked to rate the efficacy in reducing symptoms and the tolerability over the treatment phase. Results. The treatment in both studies resulted in a clinical and statistical significant reduction of the main diagnosis parameters, nasal airway obstruction, and crust formation. There was also a significant reduction in the secondary diagnosis parameters in both studies. Importantly, the tolerability was very good. During the whole observational study, neither patients nor doctors stopped the medication due to unwanted effects. Conclusion. Rhinitis sicca could be successfully treated with a nasal spray containing ectoine and a nasal spray combining ectoine with dexpanthenol. The combination of both substances led to slight advantages.
The Effect of Atom Vacancy Defect on the Vibrational Behavior of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes: A Structural Mechanics Approach
Authors: Georgantzinos S. K. , Giannopoulos G. I. , Anifantis N. K.
Published: April 2014

An atomistic structural mechanics method, which is based on the exclusive use of spring elements, is developed in order to study the effect of imperfections due to atom vacancy on the vibrational characteristics of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs). The developed elements simulate the relative translations and rotations between atoms as well as the mass of the atoms. In this way, molecular mechanics theory can be applied directly because the atomic bonds are modeled by using exclusively physical variables such as bond stretching. The method is validated for its predictability comparing with vibration results found in the open literature for pristine nanotubes. Then, it is used for the vibration analysis of defective nanotubes. Imperfections such as one-atom vacancy, two-atom vacancy, and one carbon hexagonal cell vacancy are investigated. Their effect on vibrational behavior is explored for different defect positions, nanotube diameters, and support conditions. According to the obtained results, the fundamental frequency is decreased as the size of imperfection increases, and the percentage reduction in fundamental frequency due to the atomic vacancy defect is more affected for a single-clamped SWCNT than for a double-clamped one.
A Collaborative Recommend Algorithm Based on Bipartite Community
Authors: Fu Yuchen , Liu Quan , Cui Zhiming
Published: April 2014

The recommendation algorithm based on bipartite network is superior to traditional methods on accuracy and diversity, which proves that considering the network topology of recommendation systems could help us to improve recommendation results. However, existing algorithms mainly focus on the overall topology structure and those local characteristics could also play an important role in collaborative recommend processing. Therefore, on account of data characteristics and application requirements of collaborative recommend systems, we proposed a link community partitioning algorithm based on the label propagation and a collaborative recommendation algorithm based on the bipartite community. Then we designed numerical experiments to verify the algorithm validity under benchmark and real database.
Constrained Weak Nash-Type Equilibrium Problems
Authors: Shuai W. C. , Xiang K. L. , Zhang W. Y.
Published: April 2014

A constrained weak Nash-type equilibrium problem with multivalued payoff functions is introduced. By virtue of a nonlinear scalarization function, some existence results are established. The results extend the corresponding one of Fu (2003). In particular, if the payoff functions are singlevalued, our existence theorem extends the main results of Fu (2003) by relaxing the assumption of convexity.
Treatment Options for Brachial Plexus Injuries
Authors: Sakellariou Vasileios I. , Badilas Nikolaos K. , Stavropoulos Nikolaos A. , Mazis George , Kotoulas Helias K. , Kyriakopoulos Stamatios , Tagkalegkas Ioannis , Sofianos Ioannis P.
Published: April 2014

The incidence of brachial plexus injuries is rapidly growing due to the increasing number of high-speed motor-vehicle accidents. These are devastating injuries leading to significant functional impairment of the patients. The purpose of this review paper is to present the available options for conservative and operative treatment and discuss the correct timing of intervention. Reported outcomes of current management and future prospects are also analysed.
Photocatalytic Reduction of CO2to Methane on Pt/TiO2Nanosheet Porous Film
Authors: Qiu-ye Li , Lan-lan Zong , Chen Li , Yu-hui Cao , Xiao-dong Wang , Jian-jun Yang
Published: April 2014

Anatase TiO2nanosheet porous films were prepared by calcination of the orthorhombic titanic acid films at 400°C. They showed an excellent photocatalytic activity for CO2photoreduction to methane, which should be related to their special porous structure and large Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area. In order to further improve the photocatalytic activity, Pt nanoparticles were loaded uniformly with the average size of 3-4 nm on TiO2porous films by the photoreduction method. It was found that the loading of Pt expanded the light absorption ability of the porous film and improved the transformation efficiency of CO2to methane. The conversion yield of CO2to methane on Pt/TiO2film reached 20.51 ppm/h·cm2. The Pt/TiO2nanosheet porous film was characterized by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), and ultraviolet-visible light diffuse reflectance spectra (UV-vis DRS). Moreover, the transient photocurrent-time curves showed that the Pt/TiO2nanosheet porous film exhibited higher photocurrent, indicating that the higher separation efficiency of the photogenerated charge carriers was achieved.
Bounded Rationality of Generalized Abstract Fuzzy Economies
Authors: Wang Lei , Fu Yu
Published: April 2014

By using a nonlinear scalarization technique, the bounded rationality modelMfor generalized abstract fuzzy economies in finite continuous spaces is established. Furthermore, by using the modelM, some new theorems for structural stability and robustness to (λ,ϵ)-equilibria of generalized abstract fuzzy economies are proved.
Indicators of Psychiatric Disorders in Different Oncology Specialties: A Prevalence Study
Authors: Polidoro Lima Manuela , Osório Flávia L.
Published: April 2014

Objective. This study evaluated the prevalence of various indicators of psychiatric disorders in Brazilian outpatients with cancer and assessed possible associations with sociodemographic indicators.Materials and Methods. A total of 1,385 patients were evaluated using the following instruments: Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4), Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7), Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND), and Fast Alcohol Screening Test (FAST).Results. The sample was composed of both genders with a slight predominance of women (55.8%), subjects with incomplete/completed elementary school (59%), married (67.4%), with children (94%), not active from a labor viewpoint (61.6%), and following some type of religion (79.5%). The prevalence of anxiety for the total sample varied between 21.5 and 27.4%. The prevalence of depression was 21.1%, tobacco abuse/dependence was 40.2%, and alcohol was 20.3%. Women had significantly higher levels of anxiety and depression than men. Men had higher levels of substance abuse/dependence indicators than women.Conclusion. These results are consistent with the literature, which attests to the high prevalence of psychiatric disorder indicators in cancer patients, especially compared to the general population.
What Is New in Listeriosis?
Authors: Hernandez-Milian Almudena , Payeras-Cifre Antoni
Published: April 2014

Listeriosis is a disease caused byListeria monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes). L. monocytogenesis bacteria that usually infects some determined inhabitants, especially high risk patients such as the elderly, immunosuppressed patients and pregnant women. However, it can also affect people who do not have these risk factors.L. monocytogenesis widespread in nature being part of the faecal flora of many mammals andit is a common foodborne source.It is acquired by humans primarily through consumption of contaminated food. Besides, between 1% and 10% of the population is a faecal carrier ofL.monocytogenes. Listeriosis may occur sporadically or in outbreaks. Infection causes a spectrum of illness, ranging from febrile gastroenteritis to invasive disease, including bacteraemia, sepsis, and meningoencephalitis. This infection has a low incidence, although it is undeniably increasing, particularly due to the rise of population of over 60 years old or of under 60 years olds with a predisposing condition. The diagnosis is complicated because of its incubation period and the different clinical manifestations. Also listeriosis has a high mortality despite adequate and early treatment. The importance of bacteraemia forL. monocytogeneslies in the infrequency of this bacterium and the high mortality, even with appropriate antibiotic treatment.
Web Service Reputation Evaluation Based on QoS Measurement
Authors: Zhang Haiteng , Shao Zhiqing , Zheng Hong , Zhai Jie
Published: April 2014

In the early service transactions, quality of service (QoS) information was published by service provider which was not always true and credible. For better verification the trust of the QoS information was provided by the Web service. In this paper, the factual QoS running data are collected by our WS-QoS measurement tool; based on these objectivity data, an algorithm compares the difference of the offered and measured quality data of the service and gives the similarity, and then a reputation evaluation method computes the reputation level of the Web service based on the similarity. The initial implementation and experiment with three Web services' example show that this approach is feasible and these values can act as the references for subsequent consumers to select the service.
Functional Analysis of Thyroid Peroxidase Gene Mutations Detected in Patients with Thyroid Dyshormonogenesis
Authors: Guria Srikanta , Bankura Biswabandhu , Balmiki Nisha , Pattanayak Arup Kumar , Das Tapas Kumar , Sinha Anirban , Chakrabarti Sudipta , Chowdhury Subhankar , Das Madhusudan
Published: April 2014

Thyroid peroxidase (TPO) is the key enzyme in the biosynthesis of thyroid hormones. We aimed to identify the spectrum of mutations in theTPOgene leading to hypothyroidism in the population of West Bengal to establish the genetic etiology of the disease. 200 hypothyroid patients (case) and their corresponding sex and age matched 200 normal individuals (control) were screened depending on their clinical manifestations. Genomic DNA was isolated from peripheral blood samples andTPOgene (Exon 7 to Exon 14) was amplified by PCR. The PCR products were subjected to sequencing to identify mutations. Single nucleotide changes such as Glu 641 Lys, Asp 668 Asn, Thr 725 Pro, Asp 620 Asn, Ser 398 Thr, and Ala 373 Ser were found. Changes in the TPO were assayedin vitroto compare mutant and wild-type activities. Five mutants were enzymatically inactive in the guaiacol and iodide assays. This is a strong indication that the mutations are present at crucial positions of theTPOgene, resulting in inactivated TPO. The results of this study may help to develop a genetic screening protocol for goiter and hypothyroidism in the population of West Bengal.
Memory State Feedback RMPC for Multiple Time‐Delayed Uncertain Linear Systems with Input Constraints
Authors: Qin Wei-Wei , Liu Gang , Wang Li-Xin , Zheng Zhi-Qiang
Published: April 2014

This paper focuses on the problem of asymptotic stabilization for a class of discrete‐time multiple time‐delayed uncertain linear systems with input constraints. Then, based on the predictive control principle of receding horizon optimization, a delayed state dependent quadratic function is considered for incorporating MPC problem formulation. By developing a memory state feedback controller, the information of the delayed plant states can be taken into full consideration. The MPC problem is formulated to minimize the upper bound of infinite horizon cost that satisfies the sufficient conditions. Then, based on the Lyapunov‐Krasovskii function, a delay‐dependent sufficient condition in terms of linear matrix inequality (LMI) can be derived to design a robust MPC algorithm. Finally, the digital simulation results prove availability of the proposed method.
Recent Advances in Energy Harvesting Technologies for Structural Health Monitoring Applications
Authors: Davidson Joseph , Mo Changki
Published: April 2014

This paper reviews recent developments in energy harvesting technologies for structural health monitoring applications. Many industries have a great deal of interest in obtaining technology that can be used to monitor the health of machinery and structures. In particular, the need for autonomous monitoring of structures has been ever-increasing in recent years. Autonomous SHM systems typically include embedded sensors, data acquisition, wireless communication, and energy harvesting systems. Among all of these components, this paper focuses on the energy harvesting technologies. Since low-power sensors and wireless communications are used in newer SHM systems, a number of researchers have recently investigated techniques to extract energy from the local environment to power these stand-alone systems. Ambient energy sources include vibration, thermal gradients, solar, wind, pressure, etc. If the structure has a rich enough loading, then it may be possible to extract the needed power directly from the structure itself. Harvesting energy using piezoelectric materials by converting applied stress to electricity is most common. Other methods to harvest energy such as electromagnetic, magnetostrictive, or thermoelectric generator are also reviewed. Lastly, an energy harvester with frequency tuning capability is demonstrated.
Some Properties of Furuta Type Inequalities and Applications
Authors: Yuan Jiangtao , Wang Caihong
Published: April 2014

This work is to consider Furuta type inequalities and their applications. Firstly, some Furuta type inequalities underA≥B≥0are obtained via Loewner-Heinz inequality; as an application, a proof of Furuta inequality is given without using the invertibility of operators. Secondly, we show a unified satellite theorem of grand Furuta inequality which is an extension of the results by Fujii et al. At the end, a kind of Riccati type operator equation is discussed via Furuta type inequalities.
A Rare Case of a Synchronous Anaplastic Carcinoma Thyroid with Ductal Carcinoma Breast
Authors: Ghosh Saptarshi , Rao P. B. Ananda , Sarkar Shreyasee , Kotne Sivasankar , Turlapati S. P. V. , Mishra Anindita
Published: April 2014

Dual malignancy was first reported by Billroth in 1889. Incidence of second malignancy in cancer patients is as high as 10%, but synchronous anaplastic thyroid cancer along with breast tumor is a rare entity. We present a case of a 61-year-old female with a synchronous anaplastic carcinoma thyroid with ductal carcinoma breast. The plausible association of breast cancers with thyroid carcinomas should thus be evaluated in larger cohort studies. More importantly, this report is to highlight the unusual synchronous occurrence of anaplastic thyroid cancer with ductal breast cancer and the therapeutic challenges involved in such cases.
Monitoring of Multimode Processes Based on Quality‐Related Common Subspace Separation
Authors: Fan Yunpeng , Li Shipeng , Zhang Yingwei
Published: April 2014

A new monitoring approach for multimode processes based on quality‐related common subspace separation is proposed. In the model, the data set forms a larger space when the correlation between process variables and quality variables is considered. And then the whole space is decomposed: quality‐related common subspace, quality‐related specific subspace, and the residual subspace. Monitoring method is performed in every subspace, respectively. The simulation results show the proposed method is effective.
Approximate Solutions for Local Fractional Linear Transport Equations Arising in Fractal Porous Media
Authors: Li Meng , Hui Xiao-Feng , Cattani Carlo , Yang Xiao-Jun , Zhao Yang
Published: April 2014

We investigate the local fractional linear transport equations arising in fractal porous media by using the local fractional variational iteration method. Their approximate solutions within the nondifferentiable functions are obtained and their graphs are also shown.
Evaluation of Diagnostic Value in Using a Panel of Multiple Tumor-Associated Antigens for Immunodiagnosis of Cancer
Authors: Wang Peng , Song Chunhua , Xie Weihong , Ye Hua , Wang Kaijuan , Dai Liping , Zhang Yi , Zhang Jianying
Published: April 2014

To determine whether a panel of multiple tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) would enhance antibody detection, the diagnostic value of autoantibodies to a panel of multiple TAAs in cancer has been evaluated. The TAAs used in this study was composed of eight TAAs including Imp1, p62, Koc, p53, C-myc, Cyclin B1, Survivin, and p16 full-length recombinant proteins. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and immunoblotting were used to detect antibodies in 304 cancer sera and also 58 sera from normal individuals. The antibody frequency to any individual TAA in cancer was variable but rarely exceeded 20%. With the successive addition of TAAs to a final combination of total of eight antigens, there was a stepwise increase of positive antibody reactions reaching a sensitivity of 63.5% and a specificity of 86.2% in the combined cancer group. In different types of cancer, the ranges of positive and negative likelihood ratio were 4.07–4.76 and 0.39–0.51, respectively, and the ranges of positive and negative predictive values were 74.2–88.7% and 58.8–75.8%, respectively. Agreement rate and Kappa value were 67.1% and 0.51, respectively. These results further support our previous hypothesis that detection of anti-TAAs autoantibodies for diagnosis of certain type of cancer can be enhanced by using a miniarray of several TAAs.
Thyroid Disorders and Chronic Kidney Disease
Authors: Mohamedali Mohamed , Reddy Maddika Srikanth , Vyas Anix , Iyer Viswanathan , Cheriyath Pramil
Published: April 2014

Thyroid hormones play a very important role regulating metabolism, development, protein synthesis, and influencing other hormone functions. The two main hormones produced by the thyroid are triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4). These hormones can also have significant impact on kidney disease so it is important to consider the physiological association of thyroid dysfunction in relation to chronic kidney disease (CKD). CKD has been known to affect the pituitary-thyroid axis and the peripheral metabolism of thyroid hormones. Low T3 levels are the most common laboratory finding followed by subclinical hypothyroidism in CKD patients. Hyperthyroidism is usually not associated with CKD but has been known to accelerate it. One of the most important links between thyroid disorders and CKD is uremia. Patients who are appropriately treated for thyroid disease have a less chance of developing renal dysfunction. Clinicians need to be very careful in treating patients with low T3 levels who also have an elevation in TSH, as this can lead to a negative nitrogen balance. Thus, clinicians should be well educated on the role of thyroid hormones in relation to CKD so that proper treatment can be delivered to the patient.
On the Distribution of r-Tuples of k-Free Numbers
Authors: Zhang Ting , Liu Huaning
Published: April 2014

For k, being a fixed integer ≥2, a positive integer n is called k-free number if n is not divisible by the kth power of any integer >1. In this paper, we studied the distribution of r-tuples of k-free numbers and derived an asymptotic formula.
Vitamin D Binding Protein Affects the Correlation of 25(OH)D and Frailty in the Older Men
Authors: Wang Yi , Wang Yan-Jiao , Zhan Jun-Kun , Tang Zhi-Yong , Huang Wu , Tan Pan , Gao Shan , Ma Cai-Li , Jian Zai-Jin , Liu You-Shuo
Published: April 2014

Vitamin D binding protein (DBP) may alter the biologic activity of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D]. The objective of our present study was to determine the joint effect of serum 25(OH)D and DBP on the risk of frailty. Five hundred sixteen male participants aged 70 years or older were recruited in Changsha city and its surrounding area in Hunan province of China. Frailty was defined as the presence of at least three of the five following criteria: weakness, low physical activity, slow walking speed, exhaustion, and weight loss. Multivariate linear regression analysis was performed to assess the relationship between 25(OH)D and DBP levels. Odds ratios (ORs) for frailty were evaluated across quartiles of 25(OH)D and DBP levels, adjusted age, education, and body mass index. The results showed that participants in the lowest quartile of 25(OH)D and the highest quartile of DBP levels, the lowest quartile of 25(OH)D and the lowest quartile of DBP levels, and those in the the lower quartile of 25(OH)D and lowest quartile of DBP levels had significantly higher OR of being frail compared with those in the highest quartile of 25(OH)D and lowest quartile of DBP, with OR of 3.18 (95% CI: 1.46–4.56,P<0.05), 2.63 (95% CI: 1.31–3.68,P<0.01), and 2.52 (95% CI: 1.22–3.52,P<0.05), respectively. The results indicate that the joint effect of serum 25(OH)D and DBP levels is associated with the risk of frailty, and serum DBP levels affects 25(OH)D-frailty relationship in the older men.
Postoperative Ascites of Unknown Origin following Laparoscopic Appendicectomy: An Unusual Complication of Laparoscopic Surgery
Authors: Feretis M. , Boyd-Carson H. , Karim A.
Published: April 2014

Postoperative ascites is a very rare complication of laparoscopic surgery. Significant iatrogenic injuries to the bowel, the urinary tract, and the lymphatic system should be excluded promptly to avoid devastating results for the patient. In some cases, in spite of investigating patients extensively, no definitive causative factor for the accumulation of fluid can be identified. In such cases, idiopathic allergic or inflammatory reaction of the peritoneum may be responsible for the development of ascites. We present a case of ascites of an unknown origin in a young female patient following a laparoscopic appendicectomy.
A Novel Two-Stage Illumination Estimation Framework for Expression Recognition
Authors: Zhang Zheng , Song Guozhi , Wu Jigang
Published: April 2014

One of the critical issues for facial expression recognition is to eliminate the negative effect caused by variant poses and illuminations. In this paper a two-stage illumination estimation framework is proposed based on three-dimensional representative face and clustering, which can estimate illumination directions under a series of poses. First, 256 training 3D face models are adaptively categorized into a certain amount of facial structure types byk-means clustering to group people with similar facial appearance into clusters. Then the representative face of each cluster is generated to represent the facial appearance type of that cluster. Our training set is obtained by rotating all representative faces to a certain pose, illuminating them with a series of different illumination conditions, and then projecting them into two-dimensional images. Finally the saltire-over-cross feature is selected to train a group of SVM classifiers and satisfactory performance is achieved when estimating a number of test sets including images generated from 64 3D face models kept for testing, CAS-PEAL face database, CMU PIE database, and a small test set created by ourselves. Compared with other related works, our method is subject independent and has less computational complexityO(C×N)without 3D facial reconstruction.
Assessment of Economically Accessible Groundwater Reserve and Its Protective Capacity in Eastern Obolo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria, Using Electrical Resistivity Method
Authors: George N. J. , Nathaniel E. U. , Etuk S. E.
Published: April 2014

The application of geophysical method employing vertical electrical sounding (VES) method in combination with laboratory analysis of aquifer sediments has been used to access the economically accessible groundwater reserve and its protective capacity in some parts of Eastern Obolo Local Government area, the eastern region of the Nigerian Niger Delta. Schlumberger electrode configuration was used to sound twelve VES to occupy the areas that have borehole locations and accessibility for the spread of current electrodes to at least 1000 m. Based on the results, the safe and economic aquifer potential has groundwater reserve of about 168480558±18532861 m3. The desired aquifer thickness and its depth of burial have average value of 52.02 m and 73.14 m, respectively. The area has a fair protective capacity. This is indicated by 58.33% weak, 16.67% moderate, and 25% good protective capacity for the area. This study was done in one of the oil cities, where contaminated Salt River water is used as the major source of water for domestic uses and it is believed that the settlers will appropriate this result and sue for safe groundwater at the indicated depths.
Potential Involvement of IL-17F in Asthma
Authors: Ota Kyoko , Kawaguchi Mio , Matsukura Satoshi , Kurokawa Masatsugu , Kokubu Fumio , Fujita Junichi , Morishima Yuko , Huang Shau-Ku , Ishii Yukio , Satoh Hiroaki , Hizawa Nobuyuki
Published: April 2014

The expression of IL-17F is seen in the airway of asthmatics and its level is correlated with disease severity. Several studies have demonstrated that IL-17F plays a pivotal role in allergic airway inflammation and induces several asthma-related molecules such as CCL20. IL-17F-induced CCL20 may attract Th17 cells into the airway resulting in the recruitment of additional Th17 cells to enhance allergic airway inflammation. We have recently identified, for the first time, that bronchial epithelial cells are its novel cell source in response to IL-33 via ST2-ERK1/2-MSK1 signaling pathway. The receptor for IL-17F is the heterodimeric complex of IL-17RA and IL-17RC, and IL-17F activates many signaling pathways. In a case-control study of 867 unrelated Japanese subjects, a His161 to Arg161 (H161R) substitution in the third exon of the IL-17F gene was associated with asthma. In atopic patients with asthma, prebronchodilator baseline FEV1/FVC values showed a significant association with the H161R variant. Moreover, this variant is a natural antagonist for the wild-type IL-17F. Moreover, IL-17F is involved in airway remodeling and steroid resistance. Hence, IL-17F may play an orchestrating role in the pathogenesis of asthma and may provide a valuable therapeutic target for development of novel strategies.
Ossicle in Anterior Cruciate Ligament: A Rare Occurrence
Authors: Devgan Ashish , Mukhopadhyay Reetadyuti , Singh Amanpreet , Gogna Paritosh , Singla Rohit , Magu Narender Kumar
Published: April 2014

The occurrence of an intra-articular ossicle is not rare in the knee, with reports suggesting the existence of meniscal osscile. There are also reports describing the attachment of the posterolateral bundle of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) to an accessory ossicle. However, despite an extensive search of the English literature we did not find much written about an intrasubstance ossicle in the ACL. We present the case of a 13-year-old male with an intrasubstance ossicle in the anteromedial bundle of the ACL of his right knee.
Pinning Synchronization of One-Sided Lipschitz Complex Networks
Authors: Liu Fang , Song Qiang , Cao Jinde , Lu Jianquan
Published: April 2014

This paper studies the pinning synchronization in complex networks with node dynamics satisfying the one-sided Lipschitz condition which is less conservative than the well-known Lipschitz condition. Based on M-matrix theory and Lyapunov functional method, some simple pinning conditions are derived for one-sided Lipschitz complex networks with full-state and partial-state coupling, respectively. A selective pinning scheme is further provided to address the selection of pinned nodes and the design of pinning feedback gains for one-sided Lipschitz complex networks with general topologies. Numerical results are given to illustrate the effectiveness of the theoretical analysis.
Efficiency of Ratio, Product, and Regression Estimators under Maximum and Minimum Values, Using Two Auxiliary Variables
Authors: Al-Hossain Abdullah Y. , Khan Mursala
Published: April 2014

To obtain the best estimates of the unknown population parameters have been the key theme of the statisticians. In the present paper we have suggested some estimators which estimate the population parameters efficiently. In short we propose a ratio, product, and regression estimators using two auxiliary variables, when there are some maximum and minimum values of the study and auxiliary variables, respectively. The properties of the proposed strategies in terms of mean square errors (variances) are derived up to first order of approximation. Also the performance of the proposed estimators have shown theoretically and these theoretical conditions are verified numerically by taking four real data sets under which the proposed class of estimators performed better than the other previous works.
Prediction-Based Filter Updating Policies for Top-k Monitoring Queries in Wireless Sensor Networks
Authors: Zheng Jiping , Zhang Hui , Song Baoli , Wang Haixiang , Wang Yongge
Published: April 2014

Processing top- k query in an energy-efficient manner is an important topic in wireless sensor networks. Redundant data transmitting between base station and sink node is avoided by installing filters on sensor nodes; thus, communication overhead between base station and sensor nodes is decreased. However, existing algorithms such as FILA, and DAFM consume much energy when updating the filter window. In this paper, we propose a new top- k algorithm named PreFU which is based on prediction models to update window parameters of filters. PreFU can predict the next s step sensor values based on time series predicting models which can be built by historical data. By estimating the cost of updating window parameters based on predicted sensor values, updates of filter window parameters can be reduced. Thus, the cost of updating window parameters is decreased. Experimental results show that our PreFU algorithm is more energy-efficient than existing algorithms while guaranteeing the accuracy of top- k query results.
Roles of the Oxidative Stress and ADMA in the Development of Deep Venous Thrombosis
Authors: Ekim Meral , Sekeroglu M. Ramazan , Balahoroglu Ragıp , Ozkol Halil , Ekim Hasan
Published: April 2014

Venous thromboembolism has multifactorial origin and occurs in the context of complex interactions between environmental and genetic predisposing factors. Oxidative stress plays an important role in the physiopathology of venous thrombosis. Current study examined the role of oxidative stress and asymmetric dimethylarginine in the development of DVT with the parameters such as serum malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), catalase, ADMA, homocysteine, folic acid, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12levels. Serum MDA levels were found significantly (P<0.005) high in patients with DVT compared with control group. Additionally, serum B6levels were found significantly (P<0.009) low in patients with DVT compared with healthy volunteers. There were no significant differences between the groups in terms of the other parameters (P>0.05). This study showed that patients with DVT have increased oxidative stress compared with the healthy volunteers whereas there was no significant difference between the groups in terms of serum ADMA levels. Thus serum ADMA levels seemed to be not related with development of DVT.
Short‐Term Forecasting of Railway Passenger Flow Based on Clustering of Booking Curves
Authors: Ma Minshu , Liu Jun , Cao Jingjia
Published: April 2014

For railway companies, the benefits from revenue management activities, like inventory control, dynamic pricing, and so forth, rely heavily on the accuracy of the short‐term forecasting of the passenger flow. In this paper, based on the analysis of the relevance between final booking amounts and shapes of the booking curves, a novel short‐term forecasting approach, which employs a specifically designed clustering algorithm and the data of both historical booking records and the bookings on hand, is proposed. The empirical study with real data sets from Chinese railway shows that the proposed approach outperforms the advanced pickup model (one of the most popular models in practice) during the early and middle stages of booking horizon when bookings are not concentrated in the final days before departure.
The Compatible Solute Ectoine Reduces the Exacerbating Effect of Environmental Model Particles on the Immune Response of the Airways
Authors: Unfried Klaus , Kroker Matthias , Autengruber Andrea , Gotić Marijan , Sydlik Ulrich
Published: April 2014

Exposure of humans to particulate air pollution has been correlated with the incidence and aggravation of allergic airway diseases. In predisposed individuals, inhalation of environmental particles can lead to an exacerbation of immune responses. Previous studies demonstrated a beneficial effect of the compatible solute ectoine on lung inflammation in rats exposed to carbon nanoparticles (CNP) as a model of environmental particle exposure. In the current study we investigated the effect of such a treatment on airway inflammation in a mouse allergy model. Ectoine in nonsensitized animals significantly reduced the neutrophilic lung inflammation after CNP exposure. This effect was accompanied by a reduction of inflammatory factors in the bronchoalveolar lavage. Reduced IL-6 levels in the serum also indicate the effects of ectoine on systemic inflammation. In sensitized animals, an aggravation of the immune response was observed when animals were exposed to CNP prior to antigen provocation. The coadministration of ectoine together with the particles significantly reduced this exacerbation. The data indicate the role of neutrophilic lung inflammation in the exacerbation of allergic airway responses. Moreover, the data suggest to use ectoine as a preventive treatment to avoid the exacerbation of allergic airway responses induced by environmental air pollution.
Reducing the Foreign Body Reaction by Surface Modification with Collagen/Hyaluronic Acid Multilayered Films
Authors: Hsieh Cindy Yi Chi , Hu Fang-Wei , Chen Wen-Shiang , Tsai Wei-Bor
Published: April 2014

Biological response against foreign implants often leads to encapsulation, possibly resulting in malfunction of implants devices. The aim of this study was to reduce the foreign body reaction by surface modification of biomaterials through layer-by-layer deposition of type I collagen (COL)/hyaluronic acid (HA) multilayer films. Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) samples were coated with alternative COL and HA layers with different layers. We found that the in vitro adhesion, proliferation, and activation of macrophage-like cells were greatly decreased by COL/HA multilayered deposition. The PDMS samples modified with 20 bilayers of COL/HA were implanted in rats for 3 weeks, and the thickness of encapsulation surrounding the samples was decreased by 29–57% compared to the control unmodified PDMS. This study demonstrates the potential of COL/HA multilayer films to reduce foreign body reaction.
Using Statistical Assertions to Guide Self-Adaptive Systems
Authors: Todman Tim , Stilkerich Stephan , Luk Wayne
Published: April 2014

Self-adaptive systems need to monitor themselves, to check their internal behaviour and design assumptions about runtime inputs and conditions. This kind of monitoring for self-adaptive systems can include collecting statistics about such systems themselves which can be computationally intensive (for detailed statistics) and hence time consuming, with possible negative impact on self-adaptive response time. To mitigate this limitation, we extend the technique of in-circuit runtime assertions to cover statistical assertions in hardware. The presented designs implement several statistical operators that can be exploited by self-adaptive systems; a novel optimization is developed for reducing the number of pairwise operators fromONtoOlog⁡N. To illustrate the practicability and industrial relevance of our proposed approach, we evaluate our designs, chosen from a class of possible application scenarios, for their resource usage and the tradeoffs between hardware and software implementations.
Visceral Adiposity Index: An Indicator of Adipose Tissue Dysfunction
Authors: Amato Marco Calogero , Giordano Carla
Published: April 2014

The Visceral Adiposity Index (VAI) has recently proven to be an indicator of adipose distribution and function that indirectly expresses cardiometabolic risk. In addition, VAI has been proposed as a useful tool for early detection of a condition of cardiometabolic risk before it develops into an overt metabolic syndrome. The application of the VAI in particular populations of patients (women with polycystic ovary syndrome, patients with acromegaly, patients with NAFLD/NASH, patients with HCV hepatitis, patients with type 2 diabetes, and general population) has produced interesting results, which have led to the hypothesis that the VAI could be considered a marker of adipose tissue dysfunction. Unfortunately, in some cases, on the same patient population, there is conflicting evidence. We think that this could be mainly due to a lack of knowledge of the application limits of the index, on the part of various authors, and to having applied the VAI in non-Caucasian populations. Future prospective studies could certainly better define the possible usefulness of the VAI as a predictor of cardiometabolic risk.
Importance of HER2 Work-Up and Treatment Even in Patients with Poor Performance Status: A Case Report
Authors: Suner Ali , Buyukhatipoglu Hakan , Balakan Ozan , Kalender Mehmet Emin , Ulas Turgay , Sevinc Alper , Camci Celalettin
Published: April 2014

Gastric cancer is one of most common types of cancers. Metastatic gastric cancer has a poor prognosis and is accepted as incurable at this stage. Treatment of metastatic gastric cancer did not progress substantially until new targeted agents have come out. Recently published ToGA trial showed promising results in HER2 overexpressing metastatic gastric cancer. In this case we present a case with an excellent complete response with anti-HER2 treatment. Most importantly, we wanted to emphasize (1) the importance of early determination of HER2 overexpression, and (2) to draw attention of anti-HER2 agents in the first line treatment even in patients with a poor performance status.
IL-33 Enhanced the Proliferation and Constitutive Production of IL-13 and IL-5 by Fibrocytes
Authors: Hayashi Hisako , Kawakita Akiko , Okazaki Shintaro , Murai Hiroki , Yasutomi Motoko , Ohshima Yusei
Published: April 2014

Interleukin-33 appears to play important roles in the induction of allergic airway inflammation. However, whether IL-33 is involved in airway remodeling remains unclear. Because fibrocytes contribute to tissue remodeling in the setting of chronic inflammation, we examined the effects of IL-33 on fibrocyte functions. Fibrocytes were generatedin vitrofrom peripheral blood mononuclear cells by culturing in the presence of platelet derived growth factors and the cells were stimulated with IL-33. IL-33 enhanced cell proliferation,α-SMA expression, and pro-MMP-9 activity by the fibrocytes without increasing endogenous transforming growth factor-β1 production. Fibrocytes constitutively expressed IL-13 and IL-5, and their production was augmented by stimulation with IL-33. Dexamethasone inhibited the functions of fibrocytes, but IL-33 made fibrocytes slightly refractory to the inhibitory effect of dexamethasone in terms of IL-13 production. Montelukast suppressed IL-13 production by nonstimulated fibrocytes but not those stimulated by IL-33. These findings suggest that IL-33 is involved in the airway remodeling process through its modulation of fibrocyte function independent of antigen stimulation. IL-33 might partially reduce the therapeutic effects of glucocorticoid and cysteinyl leukotriene receptor antagonist on fibrocyte-mediated Th2 responses.
Direct Numerical Simulation and Large Eddy Simulation on a Turbulent Wall‐Bounded Flow Using Lattice Boltzmann Method and Multiple GPUs
Authors: Wang Xian , Shangguan Yanqin , Onodera Naoyuki , Kobayashi Hiromichi , Aoki Takayuki
Published: April 2014

Direct numerical simulation (DNS) and large eddy simulation (LES) were performed on the wall‐bounded flow at Reτ = 180 using lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) and multiple GPUs (Graphic Processing Units). In the DNS, 8 K20M GPUs were adopted. The maximum number of meshes is 6.7 × 107, which results in the nondimensional mesh size of Δ+ = 1.41 for the whole solution domain. It took 24 hours for GPU‐LBM solver to simulate 3 × 106 LBM steps. The aspect ratio of resolution domain was tested to obtain accurate results for DNS. As a result, both the mean velocity and turbulent variables, such as Reynolds stress and velocity fluctuations, perfectly agree with the results of Kim et al. (1987) when the aspect ratios in streamwise and spanwise directions are 8 and 2, respectively. As for the LES, the local grid refinement technique was tested and then used. Using 1.76 × 106
grids and Smagorinsky constant (Cs) = 0.13, good results were obtained. The ability and validity of LBM on simulating turbulent flow were verified.