bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Survey of Secure Data Deduplication Schemes for Cloud Storage Systems
Authors: Shin Youngjoo , Koo Dongyoung , Hur Junbeom
Published: January 2017

Data deduplication has attracted many cloud service providers (CSPs) as a way to reduce storage costs. Even though the general deduplication approach has been increasingly accepted, it comes with many security and privacy problems due to the outsourced data delivery models of cloud storage. To deal with specific security and privacy issues, secure deduplication techniques have been proposed for cloud data, leading to a diverse range of solutions and trade-offs. Hence, in this article, we discuss ongoing research on secure deduplication for cloud data in consideration of the attack scenarios exploited most widely in cloud storage. On the basis of classification of deduplication system, we explore security risks and attack scenarios from both inside and outside adversaries. We then describe state-of-the-art secure deduplication techniques for each approach that deal with different security issues under specific or combined threat models, which include both cryptographic and protocol solutions. We discuss and compare each scheme in terms of security and efficiency specific to different security goals. Finally, we identify and discuss unresolved issues and further research challenges for secure deduplication in cloud storage.
Modeling and Extracting Load Intensity Profiles
Authors: Kistowski Jóakim Von , Herbst Nikolas , Kounev Samuel , Groenda Henning , Stier Christian , Lehrig Sebastian
Published: January 2017

Today’s system developers and operators face the challenge of creating software systems that make efficient use of dynamically allocated resources under highly variable and dynamic load profiles, while at the same time delivering reliable performance. Autonomic controllers, for example, an advanced autoscaling mechanism in a cloud computing context, can benefit from an abstracted load model as knowledge to reconfigure on time and precisely. Existing workload characterization approaches have limited support to capture variations in the interarrival times of incoming work units over time (i.e., a variable load profile). For example, industrial and scientific benchmarks support constant or stepwise increasing load, or interarrival times defined by statistical distributions or recorded traces. These options show shortcomings either in representative character of load variation patterns or in abstraction and flexibility of their format.

In this article, we present the
Descartes Load Intensity Model
(DLIM) approach addressing these issues. DLIM provides a modeling formalism for describing load intensity variations over time. A DLIM instance is a compact formal description of a load intensity trace. DLIM-based tools provide features for benchmarking, performance, and recorded load intensity trace analysis. As manually obtaining and maintaining DLIM instances becomes time consuming, we contribute three automated extraction methods and devised metrics for comparison and method selection. We discuss how these features are used to enhance system management approaches for adaptations during runtime, and how they are integrated into simulation contexts and enable benchmarking of elastic or adaptive behavior.

We show that automatically extracted DLIM instances exhibit an average modeling error of 15.2% over 10 different real-world traces that cover between 2 weeks and 7 months. These results underline DLIM model expressiveness. In terms of accuracy and processing speed, our proposed extraction methods for the descriptive models are comparable to existing time series decomposition methods. Additionally, we illustrate DLIM applicability by outlining approaches of workload modeling in systems engineering that employ or rely on our proposed load intensity modeling formalism.
Formal Design and Verification of Self-Adaptive Systems with Decentralized Control
Authors: Arcaini Paolo , Riccobene Elvinia , Scandurra Patrizia
Published: January 2017

Feedback control loops that monitor and adapt managed parts of a software system are considered crucial for realizing self-adaptation in software systems. The MAPE-K (Monitor-Analyze-Plan-Execute over a shared Knowledge) autonomic control loop is the most influential reference control model for self-adaptive systems. The design of complex distributed self-adaptive systems having decentralized adaptation control by multiple interacting MAPE components is among the major challenges. In particular, formal methods for designing and assuring the functional correctness of the decentralized adaptation logic are highly demanded.

This article presents a framework for formal modeling and analyzing self-adaptive systems. We contribute with a formalism, called
self-adaptive Abstract State Machines
, that exploits the concept of multiagent Abstract State Machines to specify distributed and decentralized adaptation control in terms of MAPE-K control loops, also possible instances of MAPE patterns. We support validation and verification techniques for discovering unexpected interfering MAPE-K loops, and for assuring correctness of MAPE components interaction when performing adaptation.
Chronic kidney disease and obesity bias surrogate estimates of insulin sensitivity compared with the hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp
Authors: Ahmad Iram , Zelnick Leila R. , Robinson Nicole R. , Hung Adriana M. , Kestenbaum Bryan , Utzschneider Kristina M. , Kahn Steven E. , de Boer Ian. H.
Published: January 2017

Insulin sensitivity can be measured by procedures such as the hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp or by using surrogate indices. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) and obesity may differentially affect these measurements because of changes in insulin kinetics and organ-specific effects on insulin sensitivity. In a cross-sectional study of 59 subjects with nondiabetic CKD [estimated glomerular filtration rate: (GFR) <60 ml·min−1·1.73 m2] and 39 matched healthy controls, we quantified insulin sensitivity by clamp (SIclamp), oral glucose tolerance test, and fasting glucose and insulin. We compared surrogate insulin sensitivity indices to SIclamp using descriptive statistics, graphical analyses, correlation coefficients, and linear regression. Mean age was 62.6 yr; 48% of the participants were female, and 77% were Caucasian. Insulin sensitivity indices were 8–38% lower in participants with vs. without CKD and 13–59% lower in obese compared with nonobese participants. Correlations of surrogate indices with SIclamp did not differ significantly by CKD or obesity status. Adjusting for SIclamp in addition to demographic factors, Matsuda index was 15% lower in participants with vs. without CKD ( P = 0.09) and 36% lower in participants with vs. without obesity ( P = 0.0001), whereas 1/HOMA-IR was 23% lower in participants with vs. without CKD ( P = 0.02) and 46% lower in participants with vs. without obesity ( P < 0.0001). We conclude that CKD and obesity do not significantly alter correlations of surrogate insulin sensitivity indices with SIclamp, but they do bias surrogate measurements of insulin sensitivity toward lower values. This bias may be due to differences in insulin kinetics or organ-specific responses to insulin.
Polymethine Dye as Sensors of NH3 and CO
Authors: Kondratenko Petro O. , Lopatkin Yuriy M. , Solomko Vita V. , Malashenko Anna G.
Published: January 2017

We have investigated the properties of polymethine dyes (PMD) and the purpose of using them as sensors of hazardous gases presence. Research indicates that in case of utilizing PMD as a sensor of hazardous gases we need to use the monochromatic light which wavelength corresponds to the inflection point of the long-wave absorption edge of PMD. Such sensor of hazardous gases can detect changes in the optical density of the sensor layer or the light intensity transmitted through the layer.
Tangzhiqing Granules Alleviate Podocyte Epithelial‐Mesenchymal Transition in Kidney of Diabetic Rats
Authors: Xu Haiyan , Wang Xu , Liu Mingming , He Xueyuan
Published: January 2017

This study discussed the effect of Tangzhiqing granules on podocyte epithelial‐mesenchymal transition in kidney of diabetic rats. The diabetic rats were divided randomly into five groups: DM group treated with vehicle, Tangzhiqing granules low‐dose treatment group, Tangzhiqing granules middle‐dose treatment group, and Tangzhiqing granules high‐dose treatment group. Eight Wistar rats used as control group were given saline solution. The intervention was all intragastric administration for 8 weeks. At the end of the 8 weeks, biochemical parameters and kidney weight/body weight ratio were measured. The kidney tissues were observed under light microscope and transmission electron microscopy. To search for the underlying mechanism, we examined the epithelial‐to‐mesenchymal transition (EMT) related molecular markers and TGF‐β/smad signaling pathway key proteins expression. The results showed that Tangzhiqing granules relieved the structural damage and functional changes of diabetic kidneys. Kidney podocyte EMT related molecular markers nephrin and CD2AP expression were increased, when desmin and α‐SMA levels were decreased by Tangzhiqing granules in diabetic rats. Further TGF‐β/smad signaling pathway key proteins TGF‐β1 and p‐smad2/3 levels were decreased in diabetic rats after treatment with Tangzhiqing granules. These findings suggest that Tangzhiqing granules may protect the podocytes of diabetic nephropathy rats via alleviating podocyte EMT and likely activating TGFβ/smad signaling pathway.
Synergetic Enhancement of the Photocatalytic Activity of TiO2 with Visible Light by Sensitization Using a Novel Push-Pull Zinc Phthalocyanine
Authors: Luna-Flores A. , Valenzuela M. A. , Luna-López J. A. , Hernández de la Luz A. D. , Muñoz-Arenas L. C. , Méndez-Hernández M. , Sosa-Sánchez J. L.
Published: January 2017

A new one-pot synthesis of a novel A3B-type asymmetric zinc phthalocyanine (AZnPc) was developed. The phthalocyanine complex was characterized unambiguously and used to prepare a TiO2 hybrid photocatalyst to enhance its photocatalytic activity in the visible range. Different compositions of the phthalocyanine dye were tested in order to find the optimum amount of sensitizer to get the highest activity during the photocatalytic tests. The hybrid photocatalyst was characterized by UV-Vis diffuse reflectance (DRS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and its photocatalytic activity was compared with that of the individual components considering the effects of sensitization on their efficiency to degrade Rhodamine B as a model reaction. A synergic improvement of the photocatalytic activity for the hybrid system was explained in terms of an improved electron injection from the photo-activated phthalocyanine to the TiO2. Considering the structural features of the phthalocyanine sensitizer and their effect on aggregation, some mechanistic aspects of its binding to TiO2 are suggested to account for the photocatalytic activity enhancement. Finally, the inhibitory effect on the sprouting of chia seeds (Salvia hispanica) was evaluated in order to test the toxicity of the water effluent obtained after the photodegradation process. According to our growth inhibition assays, it was found that the Rh-B degradation by-products do not lead to an acute toxicity.
Apolipoprotein CIII Overexpression‐Induced Hypertriglyceridemia Increases Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Association with Inflammation and Cell Death
Authors: Paiva Adriene A. , Raposo Helena F. , Wanschel Amarylis C. B. A. , Nardelli Tarlliza R. , Oliveira Helena C. F.
Published: January 2017

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the principal manifestation of liver disease in obesity and metabolic syndrome. By comparing hypertriglyceridemic transgenic mice expressing apolipoprotein (apo) CIII with control nontransgenic (NTg) littermates, we demonstrated that overexpression of apoCIII, independent of a high‐fat diet (HFD), produces NAFLD‐like features, including increased liver lipid content; decreased antioxidant power; increased expression of TNFα, TNFα receptor, cleaved caspase‐1, and interleukin‐1β; decreased expression of adiponectin receptor‐2; and increased cell death. This phenotype is aggravated and additional NAFLD features are differentially induced in apoCIII mice fed a HFD. HFD induced glucose intolerance together with increased gluconeogenesis, indicating hepatic insulin resistance. Additionally, the HFD led to marked increases in plasma TNFα (8‐fold) and IL‐6 (60%) in apoCIII mice. Cell death signaling (Bax/Bcl2), effector (caspase‐3), and apoptosis were augmented in apoCIII mice regardless of whether a HFD or a low‐fat diet was provided. Fenofibrate treatment reversed several of the effects associated with diet and apoCIII expression but did not normalize inflammatory traits even when liver lipid content was fully corrected. These results indicate that apoCIII and/or hypertriglyceridemia plays a major role in liver inflammation and cell death, which in turn increases susceptibility to and the severity of diet‐induced NAFLD.
Time-Dependent Vehicle Routing of Free Pickup and Delivery Service in Flight Ticket Sales Companies Based on Carbon Emissions
Authors: Guo Jingmei , Liu Chao
Published: January 2017

The time-dependent pollution-routing problem of free pickup and delivery of passengers to the airport service (TDFPDS) is an extension of the time-dependent pollution-routing problems, arising in flight ticket sales companies for the service of free pickup and delivery of airline passengers to the airport. The problem consists of routing a fleet of vehicles in order to deliver a set of customers to the airport considering the traffic congestion, time window constraints, and maximum ride time constraints. The cost function includes fuel consumption and driver costs. We provide an analytical characterization of the optimal solutions for a fixed route and propose a novel heuristic for a given route based on the analysis of the illustrative examples. The heuristic algorithm is embedded into a set-partitioning model to produce high-quality routing plans. Finally, using wide variety of random instances, we present results on the computational performance of the heuristic and also on the impact of the congestion and the maximum ride time constraints.
Real-Time Fall Risk Assessment Using Functional Reach Test
Authors: Williams Brian , Allen Brandon , Hu Zhen , True Hanna , Cho Jin , Harris Austin , Fell Nancy , Sartipi Mina
Published: January 2017

Falls are common and dangerous for survivors of stroke at all stages of recovery. The widespread need to assess fall risk in real time for individuals after stroke has generated emerging requests for a reliable, inexpensive, quantifiable, and remote clinical measure/tool. In order to meet these requests, we explore the Functional Reach Test (FRT) for real-time fall risk assessment and implement the FRT function inmStroke, a real-time and automatic mobile health system for poststroke recovery and rehabilitation.mStrokeis designed, developed, and delivered as an Application (App) running on a hardware platform consisting of an iPad and one or two wireless body motion sensors based on different mobile health functions. The FRT function inmStrokeis extensively tested on healthy human subjects to verify its concept and feasibility. Preliminary performance will be presented to justify the further exploration of the FRT function inmStrokethrough clinical trials on individuals after stroke, which may guide its ubiquitous exploitation in the near future.
Safety and Cost Considerations during the Introduction Period of Laparoscopic Radical Hysterectomy
Authors: Anagnostopoulos A. , Mitra S. , Decruze B. , Macdonald R. , Kirwan J.
Published: January 2017

Objective. To compare the safety, efficacy, and direct cost during the introduction of laparoscopic radical hysterectomy within an enhanced recovery pathway. Methods. A 1 : 1 single centre retrospective case control study of 36 propensity matched pairs of patients receiving open or laparoscopic surgery for early cervical cancer. Results. There were no significant differences in the baseline characteristics of the two cohorts. Open surgery cohort had significantly higher intraoperative blood loss (189 versus 934 mL) and longer postoperative hospital stay (2.3 versus 4.1 days). Although no significant difference in the intraoperative or postoperative complications was found more urinary tract injuries were recorded in the laparoscopic cohort. Laparoscopic surgery had significantly longer duration (206 versus 159 minutes), lower lymph node harvest (12.6 versus 16.9), and slower bladder function recovery. The median direct hospital cost was £4850 for laparoscopic radical hysterectomy and £4400 for open surgery. Conclusions. Laparoscopic radical hysterectomy can be safely introduced in an enhanced recovery environment without significant increase in perioperative morbidity. The 10% higher direct hospital cost is not statistically significant and is expected to even out when indirect costs are included.
Antijamming Performance of Adaptive Chaos Based CDMA System with MRC in Imperfect Channel Estimation Environment
Authors: Patel Meher Krishna , Berber Stevan M. , Sowerby Kevin W.
Published: January 2017

This paper presents the antijamming performance of adaptive multiuser DS-CDMA system using maximal ratio combining technique in slow switching pulse noise jammer. Complex flat fading channel coefficients are assumed to be unknown at the receiver. Pilot symbols are used to estimate the fading coefficients using least mean square (LMS) algorithm, and effect of imperfect channel estimation on bit error rate (BER) is studied. Under the perfect synchronization conditions, probability of error in closed form is derived.
A Comprehensive Survey on Hierarchical-Based Routing Protocols for Mobile Wireless Sensor Networks: Review, Taxonomy, and Future Directions
Authors: Sabor Nabil , Sasaki Shigenobu , Abo-Zahhad Mohammed , Ahmed Sabah M.
Published: January 2017

Introducing mobility to Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) puts new challenges particularly in designing of routing protocols. Mobility can be applied to the sensor nodes and/or the sink node in the network. Many routing protocols have been developed to support the mobility of WSNs. These protocols are divided depending on the routing structure into hierarchical-based, flat-based, and location-based routing protocols. However, the hierarchical-based routing protocols outperform the other routing types in saving energy, scalability, and extending lifetime of Mobile WSNs (MWSNs). Selecting an appropriate hierarchical routing protocol for specific applications is an important and difficult task. Therefore, this paper focuses on reviewing some of the recently hierarchical-based routing protocols that are developed in the last five years for MWSNs. This survey divides the hierarchical-based routing protocols into two broad groups, namely, classical-based and optimized-based routing protocols. Also, we present a detailed classification of the reviewed protocols according to the routing approach, control manner, mobile element, mobility pattern, network architecture, clustering attributes, protocol operation, path establishment, communication paradigm, energy model, protocol objectives, and applications. Moreover, a comparison between the reviewed protocols is investigated in this survey depending on delay, network size, energy-efficiency, and scalability while mentioning the advantages and drawbacks of each protocol. Finally, we summarize and conclude the paper with future directions.
Determination of Alkyl Esters Content in PDO Extra Virgin Olive Oils from Sicily
Authors: Costa Rosaria , Bartolomeo Giovanni , Saija Emanuele , Rando Rossana , Albergamo Ambrogina , Dugo Giacomo
Published: January 2017

The quality parameter of alkyl esters of fatty acids was checked in a variety of Italian olive oil samples. In particular, 34 samples of extra virgin olive oils (EVOOs) from South Italy (Sicilian orchards), produced in the years 2014-2015, have been subjected to the analytical protocol dictated by the European Union for the determination of alkyl esters, as an indicator of oil’s quality. All the samples analyzed resulted to be well below the limit set by EU Directive. Besides recently produced EVOOs, a set of very aged oils, produced in the years 1996–2000, were analyzed as well. The main finding was that alkyl esters increased in correspondence with deterioration processes.
A 3D Simulation of a Moving Solid in Viscous Free‐Surface Flows by Coupling SPH and DEM
Authors: Qiu Liu-Chao , Liu Yi , Han Yu
Published: January 2017

This work presents a three‐dimensional two‐way coupled method to simulate moving solids in viscous free‐surface flows. The fluid flows are solved by weakly compressible smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) and the displacement and rotation of the solids are calculated using the multisphere discrete element method (DEM) allowing for the contact mechanics theories to be used in arbitrarily shaped solids. The fluid and the solid phases are coupled through Newton’s third law of motion. The proposed method does not require a computational mesh, nor does it rely on empirical models to couple the fluid and solid phases. To verify the numerical model, the floating and sinking processes of a rectangular block in a water tank are simulated, and the numerical results are compared with experimental results reported in published literatures. The results indicate that the method presented in this paper is accurate and is capable of modelling fluid‐solid interactions with a free‐surface.
Verifiable Outsourced Decryption of Attribute-Based Encryption with Constant Ciphertext Length
Authors: Li Jiguo , Sha Fengjie , Zhang Yichen , Huang Xinyi , Shen Jian
Published: January 2017

Outsourced decryption ABE system largely reduces the computation cost for users who intend to access the encrypted files stored in cloud. However, the correctness of the transformation ciphertext cannot be guaranteed because the user does not have the original ciphertext. Lai et al. provided an ABE scheme with verifiable outsourced decryption which helps the user to check whether the transformation done by the cloud is correct. In order to improve the computation performance and reduce communication overhead, we propose a new verifiable outsourcing scheme with constant ciphertext length. To be specific, our scheme achieves the following goals.(1)Our scheme is verifiable which ensures that the user efficiently checks whether the transformation is done correctly by the CSP.(2)The size of ciphertext and the number of expensive pairing operations are constant, which do not grow with the complexity of the access structure.(3)The access structure in our scheme is AND gates on multivalued attributes and we prove our scheme is verifiable and it is secure against selectively chosen-plaintext attack in the standard model.(4)We give some performance analysis which indicates that our scheme is adaptable for various limited bandwidth and computation-constrained devices, such as mobile phone.
Addition of Ceftriaxone and Amikacin to a Ciprofloxacin plus Metronidazole Regimen for Preventing Infectious Complications of Transrectal Ultrasound-Guided Prostate Biopsy: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Izadpanahi Mohammad-Hossein , Nouri-Mahdavi Kia , Majidi Seyed Mahmood , Khorrami Mohammad-Hatef , Alizadeh Farshid , Mohammadi-Sichani Mehrdad
Published: January 2017

Background. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of adding single doses of ceftriaxone and amikacin to a ciprofloxacin plus metronidazole regimen on the reduction of infectious complications following transrectal ultrasound-guided prostate biopsy (TRUS Bx). Materials and Methods. Four hundred and fifty patients who were candidates for TRUS Bx were divided into two groups of 225 each. The control group received ciprofloxacin 500 mg orally every 12 hours together with metronidazole 500 mg orally every 8 hours from the day prior to the procedure until the fifth postoperative day. In the second group, single doses of ceftriaxone 1 g by intravenous infusion and amikacin 5 mg/kg intramuscularly were administered 30–60 minutes before TRUS Bx in addition to the oral antimicrobials described for group 1. The incidence of infection was compared between the groups. Results. The incidence of infectious complications in the intervention group was significantly lower than that in the control group (4.6% versus 0.9%, p=0.017). Conclusion. The addition of single doses of intramuscular amikacin and intravenously infused ceftriaxone to our prophylactic regimen of ciprofloxacin plus metronidazole resulted in a statistically significant reduction of infectious complications following TRUS Bx.
Properties of Hydrogenated Nanoporous SiC: An Ab Initio Study
Authors: Tuttle Blair R. , Held Nathan J. , Lam Lai Hin , Zhang Yu-Yang , Pantelides Sokrates T.
Published: January 2017

Nanoporous silicon carbide is part of the important organosilicate class of low dielectric constant alloys. We report first-principles microscopic calculations of the properties of crystalline nanoporous SiCH systems. Properties examined include the density, pore size, dielectric constant, and strain moduli. We examined the relationship between the various properties and the amount of hydrogen in the material. In addition, the bonding topology is examined. The present results are compared with a variety of experiments.
Simultaneous Suppression of IMD3 and IMD5 in Space TWT by IMD3 and 2HD Signal Injection
Authors: Zhao Dongming , Liu Huijuan , Xia Kewen , Li Shi , Shi Xiaoxu
Published: January 2017

This paper presents a signal injection technology showing significant reductions in both 3rd-order and 5th-order intermodulation distortions (IMD3 and IMD5) in space traveling wave tube (STWT). By applying the IMD3 to the IMD5 ratio (TFR) as measures of location, the simultaneous suppressions of IMD3 and IMD5 in TWT are achieved by second harmonic distortion (2HD) and IMD3 injection. According to the research on theoretical analysis and computer simulation, the optimum amplitude and phase parameters of the injected signal for maximum simultaneous suppressions are obtained. Then an experiment system is established based on vector network analyzer, optimum TFR are 2.1 dB and 12.5 dB, respectively, by second harmonic and IM3 injection, and the output powers of IMD3 and IMD5 were decreased. TFR with IMD3 injection is smaller than that with second harmonic injection in STWT, and the experiment system is more straightforward and easy to operate. Thus, the IMD3 injection performs better than that of second harmonic injection to suppress IMD5s for the narrow-band STWT.
An Improved Theoretical Approach to Study Electromagnetic Waves through Fiber Bragg Gratings
Authors: Pereyra Pedro
Published: January 2017

We show that using the theory of finite periodic systems we obtain an improved approach to calculate transmission coefficients and transmission times of electromagnetic waves propagating through fiber Bragg gratings. We discuss similarities, advantages, and differences between this approach and the well known less accurate one coupled mode approximation and the pseudo-Floquet Mathieu functions approach.
Evaluation of PLC Channel Capacity and ABER Performances for OFDM-Based Two-Hop Relaying Transmission
Authors: Ezzine Sana , Abdelkefi Fatma , Cances Jean Pierre , Meghdadi Vahid , Bouallégue Ammar
Published: January 2017

Powerline network is recognized as a favorable infrastructure for Smart Grid to transmit information in the network thanks to its broad coverage and low cost deployment. The existing works are trying to improve and adapt transmission techniques to reduce Powerline Communication (PLC) channel attenuation and exploit the limited bandwidth to support high data rate over long distances. Two-hop relaying BroadBand PLC (BB-PLC) system, in which Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) is used, is considered in this paper. We derive and compare the PLC channel capacity and the end-to-end Average BER (ABER) for OFDM-based direct link (DL) BB-PLC system and for OFDM-based two-hop relaying BB-PLC system for Amplify and Forward (AF) and Decode and Forward (DF) protocols. We analyze the improvements when we consider the direct link in a cooperative communication when the relay node only transmits the correctly decoded signal. Maximum ratio combining is employed at the destination node to detect the transmitted signal. In addition, in this paper, we highlight the impact of the relay location on the channel capacity and ABER for AF and DF transmission protocols. Moreover, an efficient use of the direct link was also investigated in this paper.
Free Floating Thrombus in Carotid Artery in a Patient with Recurrent Strokes
Authors: Roy Moni , Roy Ashish Kumar , DeSanto Jeffrey R. , Abdelsalam Murad
Published: January 2017

We present a case of 72-year-old male with reported past medical history of recurrent transient ischemic attacks (TIAs) presenting with myriad of neurological symptoms. Patient was transferred from outlying hospital with complaints of right sided facial droop and dysarthria. Computed tomography angiography (CTA) showed high grade proximal left internal carotid artery (ICA) stenosis along with interesting finding of a free floating thrombus (FFT) in the left ICA. After discussion with the neurosurgical team, our case was treated conservatively with combination of antiplatelet therapy with Aspirin and anticoagulation with Warfarin without recurrence of TIAs or strokes on six-month follow-up.
Microwave Assisted Extraction of Defatted Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) Seed at Subcritical Conditions with Statistical Analysis
Authors: Yusoff N. I. , Leo C. P.
Published: January 2017

Roselle seeds are the waste product of roselle processing, but they are now labeled as a polyphenol source with great herbal quality. In this work, polyphenols were extracted using ethanol-water (70% (v/v)) in a closed vessel under microwave irradiation. The main objective was to determine the optimal parameters statistically. The influence of extraction time (4–10 min), microwave power (100–300 W), and solvent/solid ratio (25–100 mL/g) was studied. The total phenolic and flavonoids content were determined using Folin-Ciocalteu and aluminum chloride methods, respectively. Without temperature control, the subcritical conditions could occur and the highest flavonoid content (14.4251 mg QE/g) was achieved at 158°C and 16.4 bar. Although the optimum MAE conditions (10 min, 300 W, and 97.7178 mL/g) resulted in the highest yield (65.0367%) and phenolic content (18.2244 mg GAE/g), low flavonoids content (6.4524 mg QE/g) was unexpectedly obtained due to degradation at 163°C.
The Ten-Group Robson Classification: A Single Centre Approach Identifying Strategies to Optimise Caesarean Section Rates
Authors: Tanaka Keisuke , Mahomed Kassam
Published: January 2017

Caesarean section (CS) rates have been increasing worldwide and have caused concerns. For meaningful comparisons to be made World Health Organization recommends the use of the Ten-Group Robson classification as the global standard for assessing CS rates. 2625 women who birthed over a 12-month period were analysed using this classification. Women with previous CS (group 5) comprised 10.9% of the overall 23.5% CS rate. Women with one previous CS who did not attempt VBAC contributed 5.3% of the overall 23.5% CS rate. Second largest contributor was singleton nulliparous women with cephalic presentation at term (5.1% of the total 23.5%). Induction of labour was associated with higher CS rate (groups 1 and 3) (24.5% versus 11.9% and 6.2% versus 2.6%, resp.). For postdates IOL we recommend a gatekeeper booking system to minimise these being performed <41 weeks. We suggest setting up dedicated VBAC clinic to support for women with one previous CS. Furthermore review of definition of failure to progress in labour not only may lower CS rates in groups 1 and 2a but also would reduce the size of group 5 in the future.
µ-XRF Studies on the Colour Brilliance in Ancient Wool Carpets
Authors: Meyer Markus , Borca Camelia N. , Huthwelker Thomas , Bieber Manfred , Meßlinger Karl , Fink Rainer H. , Späth Andreas
Published: January 2017

Many handmade ancient and recent oriental wool carpets show outstanding brilliance and persistence of colour that is not achieved by common industrial dyeing procedures. Anthropologists have suggested the influence of wool fermentation prior to dyeing as key technique to achieve the high dyeing quality. By means ofμ-XRF elemental mapping of mordant metals we corroborate this view and show a deep and homogenous penetration of colourants into fermented wool fibres. Furthermore we are able to apply this technique and prove that the fermentation process for ancient specimens cannot be investigated by standard methods due to the lack of intact cuticle layers. This finding suggests a broad range of further investigations that will contribute to a deeper understanding of the development of traditional dyeing techniques. Spectroscopic studies add information on the oxidation states of the metal ions within the respective mordant-dye-complexes and suggest a partial charge transfer as basis for a significant colour change when Fe mordants are used.
A Spectrum Handoff Scheme for Optimal Network Selection in NEMO Based Cognitive Radio Vehicular Networks
Authors: Kumar Krishan , Prakash Arun , Tripathi Rajeev
Published: January 2017

When a mobile network changes its point of attachments in Cognitive Radio (CR) vehicular networks, the Mobile Router (MR) requires spectrum handoff. Network Mobility (NEMO) in CR vehicular networks is concerned with the management of this movement. In future NEMO based CR vehicular networks deployment, multiple radio access networks may coexist in the overlapping areas having different characteristics in terms of multiple attributes. The CR vehicular node may have the capability to make call for two or more types of nonsafety services such as voice, video, and best effort simultaneously. Hence, it becomes difficult for MR to select optimal network for the spectrum handoff. This can be done by performing spectrum handoff using Multiple Attributes Decision Making (MADM) methods which is the objective of the paper. The MADM methods such as grey relational analysis and cost based methods are used. The application of MADM methods provides wider and optimum choice among the available networks with quality of service. Numerical results reveal that the proposed scheme is effective for spectrum handoff decision for optimal network selection with reduced complexity in NEMO based CR vehicular networks.
Measurement of and Factors Associated with the Anterior Chamber Volume in Healthy Chinese Adults
Authors: Zong Yuan , Xu Qian , Jiang Chunhui , Zhu Haohao , Yu Jian , Sun Xinghuai
Published: January 2017

Purpose. To measure the anterior chamber volume (ACV) and determine factors associated with the ACV in healthy Chinese adults.Methods. In this cross-sectional study, we used swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) to measure ACV and other anterior segment parameters. Factors associated with ACV were also determined.Results. A total of 313 healthy Chinese adults were enrolled. The anterior segment parameters, including ACV, could be measured by SS-OCT with excellent repeatability and reproducibility. There was a significant difference between the horizontal and vertical anterior chamber widths (ACW) (P<0.05), with a mean difference of 390 μm. The ACV (mean153.83±32.42 mm3) was correlated with most of the anterior segment parameters, especially anterior chamber depth (ACD), which accounted for about 85% of the variation of ACV. Most of the anterior segment parameters were significantly correlated with age, and the relative changes in ACV and ACD were greatest in subjects aged 41–50 years.Conclusion. ACV was correlated with most of the anterior segment parameters measured in this study, particularly ACD. The relatively large difference between horizontal and vertical ACW suggests that the ACV could and should be measured using multiple OCT scans.
Effect of Modulating Spin-Coating Rate of TiO2Precursor for Mesoporous Layer onJ-VHysteresis of Solar Cells with Polar CH3NH3PbI3Perovskite Thin Film
Authors: Li Qi , Zou Xiaoping , Li Yuanyuan , Pei Yaxian , Zeng Shuangxiong , Guo Dongdong
Published: January 2017

Compared with the crystalline Si solar cells, theJ-Vcharacteristics of CH3NH3PbI3perovskite solar cells are different under forward and reverse scan, and the CH3NH3PbI3film exhibits some polarization properties. To explore those performances of the mesoporous TiO2layer based perovskite solar cells, we focus on the effect of modulating the spin-coating rate of the TiO2precursor for mesoporous layer onJ-Vhysteresis of solar cells with the polar film byJ-Vcurves, atomic force microscopy topographic images, and piezoresponse force microscopy phase images. Firstly, the AFM images illustrate that the polarization behaviors exist and the deformation scale is large at the corresponding position when the DC bias voltage increases. Secondly, it is suggested that the polar films which applied the positive DC biases voltage show a tendency to 0° phase angle, while the polar films which applied the negative DC biases voltage show a tendency to −180° phase angle. Thirdly, a weak polar hysteresis loop relation for CH3NH3PbI3film was observed. Finally, the hysteresis index for the 1500 rpm mesostructured solar cell shows relatively lowJ-Vhysteresis compared with the 3000 rpm mesostructured and the planar-structured solar cell. Our experimental results bring novel routes for reducing the hysteresis and investigating the polar nature for CH3NH3PbI3material.
Long Noncoding RNA MIR4697HG Promotes Cell Growth and Metastasis in Human Ovarian Cancer
Authors: Zhang Li-qian , Yang Su-qing , Wang Ying , Fang Qiao , Chen Xian-jun , Lu Hong-sheng , Zhao Ling-ping
Published: January 2017

Ovarian cancer is one of the three most common gynecological malignant tumors worldwide. The prognosis of patients suffering from this malignancy remains poor because of limited therapeutic strategies. Herein, we investigated the role of a long noncoding RNA named MIR4697 host gene (MIR4697HG) in the cell growth and metastasis of ovarian cancer. Results showed that the transcriptional level of MIR4697HG in cancerous tissues increased twofold compared with that in adjacent noncancerous tissues. MIR4697HG was differentially expressed in ovarian cancer cell lines, with the highest levels in OVCAR3 and SKOV3 cells. MIR4697HG knockdown by specific shRNA significantly inhibited cell proliferation and colony formation in both OVCAR3 and SKOC3 cells. Consistently, in a xenograft model of ovarian cancer, MIR4697HG depletion also significantly restricted tumor volumes and weights. Furthermore, MIR4697HG knockdown inhibited cell migration and invasion capacities. Invasion ability was inhibited by 58% in SKOV3 cells and 40% in OVCAR3 cells, and migration ability was inhibited by 73% in SKOV3 cells and 62% in OVCAR3 cells after MIR4697HG knockdown. MIR4697HG knockdown also caused a decrease in matrix metalloprotease-9, phosphorylated ERK, and phosphorylated AKT. These data suggested that MIR4697HG promoted ovarian cancer growth and metastasis. The aggressive role of MIR4697HG in ovarian cancer may be related to the ERK and AKT signaling pathways.
Prevalence, Response to Cysticidal Therapy, and Risk Factors for Persistent Seizure in Indian Children with Neurocysticercosis
Authors: Kumar Animesh , Mandal Anirban , Sinha Sheela , Singh Amitabh , Das Rashmi Ranjan
Published: January 2017

Background.Neurocysticercosis (NCC) is the commonest cause of childhood acquired epilepsy in developing countries. The use of cysticidal therapy in NCC, except “single lesion NCC,” is still debated in view of its doubtful usefulness and potential adverse effects.Methods.Children presenting with first episode of seizure or acute focal neurological deficit without fever were screened for NCC and received appropriate therapy (followup done for 1 year to look for the response and side effects).Results.The prevalence of NCC was 4.5%. Most common presenting feature was generalized seizure and commonest imaging finding was single small enhancing lesion in the parietal lobe. Abnormal EEG and CSF abnormalities were found in almost half of the children. The response to therapy was very good with infrequent recurrence of seizure and adverse effects of therapy were encountered rarely. No risk factors for persistent seizure could be identified.Conclusion.Present study shows that the response to cysticidal therapy is very good in NCC as seizure recurrence was observed in only 5%, 4.2%, and 4.2% of cases at 3-month, 6-month, and 1-year followup. Adverse effects of therapy were observed in 20% of cases during therapy but they were mild and self-limiting.
Miniature Coplanar Implantable Antenna on Thin and Flexible Platform for Fully Wireless Intracranial Pressure Monitoring System
Authors: Khan M. Waqas A. , Moradi Elham , Sydänheimo Lauri , Björninen Toni , Rahmat-Samii Yahya , Ukkonen Leena
Published: January 2017

Minimally invasive approach to intracranial pressure monitoring is desired for long-term diagnostics. The monitored pressure is transmitted outside the skull through an implant antenna. We present a new miniature (6 mm × 5 mm) coplanar implant antenna and its integration on a sensor platform to establish a far-field data link for the sensor readout at distances of 0.5 to 1 meter. The implant antenna was developed using full-wave electromagnetic simulator and measured in a liquid phantom mimicking the dielectric properties of the human head. It achieved impedance reflection coefficient better than −10 dB from 2.38 GHz to 2.54 GHz which covers the targeted industrial, scientific, and medical band. Experiments resulted in an acceptable peak gain of approximately −23 dBi. The implant antenna was submerged in the liquid phantom and interfaced to a 0.5 mW voltage controlled oscillator. To verify the implant antenna performance as a part of the ICP monitoring system, we recorded the radiated signal strength using a spectrum analyzer. Using a half-wavelength dipole as the receiving antenna, we captured approximately −58.7 dBm signal at a distance of 1 m from the implant antenna which is well above for the reader with sensitivity of −80 dBm.
Establishment and Evaluation of a Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification Assay for Detection of Raccoon Dog in Meat Mixtures
Authors: Liu Jinhua , Shi Yanyu , Teng Siying , Wu Lianpeng , Zhang Xinmin
Published: January 2017

Raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides) is an economically important animal used for fur production, but consuming its meat is injurious to human health. Currently, no rapid and sensitive method for detecting raccoon dog meat in meat mixtures is available. In this study, we developed an easily applicable, rapid, and economically feasible method for identifying the presence of raccoon dog in meat mixtures based on loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP). Four sets of LAMP primers were tested at different temperatures, and the primers that worked best at 62°C (set 2) were determined. In the LAMP assay, there was no cross-reactivity with the meat procured from other species of animals and the detection limit of DNA concentration was 0.1 pg·μL−1, slightly higher than TaqMan real-time PCR (0.01 pg·μL−1), but sensitivity of 0.1 pg·μL−1 complies with most requirements of routine analysis. Moreover, by the LAMP method, the meat mixtures containing more than 0.5% of the raccoon dog component were directly detected (without DNA extraction) in the supernatant isolated from the meat mixtures after performing repeated cycles of thawing and freezing of minced meat mixtures. Our results show that LAMP assay is a valuable, straightforward, and sensitive detection tool for identification of raccoon dog meat in mixtures.
Second-Order Containment Control of Multiagent Systems in the Presence of Uncertain Topologies with Time-Varying Delays
Authors: Wang Fuyong , Yang Hongyong , Liu Zhongxin , Chen Zengqiang
Published: January 2017

This paper considers the containment control problem of second-order multiagent systems in the presence of time-varying delays and uncertainties with dynamically switching communication topologies. Moreover, the control algorithm is proposed for containment control, and the stability of the proposed containment control algorithm is studied with the aid of Lyapunov-Krasovskii function when the communication topology is jointly connected. Some sufficient conditions in terms of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs) are provided for second-order containment control with multiple stationary leaders. Finally, simulations are given to verify the effectiveness of the obtained theoretical results.
Genomic Profiling of a Large Set of Diverse Pediatric Cancers Identifies Known and Novel Mutations across Tumor Spectra
Authors: Chmielecki Juliann , Bailey Mark , He Jie , Elvin Julia , Vergilio Jo-Anne , Ramkissoon Shakti , Suh James , Frampton Garrett M. , Sun James X. , Morley Samantha , Spritz Daniel , Ali Siraj , Gay Laurie , Erlich Rachel L. , Ross Jeffrey S. , Buxhaku Joana , Davies Hilary , Faso Vinny , Germain Alexis , Glanville Blair , Miller Vincent A. , Stephens Philip J. , Janeway Katherine A. , Maris John M. , Meshinchi Soheil , Pugh Trevor J. , Shern Jack F. , Lipson Doron
Published: January 2017

Pediatric cancers are generally characterized by low mutational burden and few recurrently mutated genes. Recent studies suggest that genomic alterations may help guide treatment decisions and clinical trial selection. Here, we describe genomic profiles from 1,215 pediatric tumors representing sarcomas, extracranial embryonal tumors, brain tumors, hematologic malignancies, carcinomas, and gonadal tumors. Comparable published datasets identified similar frequencies of clinically relevant alterations, validating this dataset as biologically relevant. We identified novel ALK fusions in a neuroblastoma (BEND5–ALK) and an astrocytoma (PPP1CB–ALK), novel BRAF fusions in an astrocytoma (BCAS1–BRAF) and a ganglioglioma (TMEM106B–BRAF), and a novel PAX3–GLI2 fusion in a rhabdomyosarcoma. Previously characterized ALK, NTRK1, and PAX3 fusions were observed in unexpected malignancies, challenging the "disease-specific" alterations paradigm. Finally, we identified recurrent variants of unknown significance in MLL3 and PRSS1 predicted to have functional impact. Data from these 1,215 tumors are publicly available for discovery and validation. Cancer Res; 77(2); 509–19. ©2017 AACR.