bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Safety and Yield of Diagnostic ERCP in Liver Transplant Patients with Abnormal Liver Function Tests
Authors: Ramesh Jayapal , Reddy Nipun , Kim Hwasoon , Mönkemüller Klaus , Varadarajulu Shyam , McGuire Brendan , DuBay Derek , Eckhoff Devin , Wilcox C. Mel
Published: July 2014

Background. Abnormal liver enzymes postorthotopic liver transplant (OLT) may indicate significant biliary pathology or organ rejection. There is very little known in the literature regarding the current role of diagnostic ERCP in this scenario. Aim. To review the utility of diagnostic ERCP in patients presenting with abnormal liver function tests in the setting of OLT. Methods. A retrospective review of diagnostic ERCPs in patients with OLT from 2002 to 2013 from a prospectively maintained, IRB approved database. Results. Of the 474 ERCPs performed in OLT patients, 210 (44.3%; 95% CI 39.8–48.8) were performed for abnormal liver function tests during the study period. Majority of patients were Caucasian (83.8%), male (62.4%) with median age of 55 years (IQR 48–62 years). Biliary cannulation was successful in 99.6% of cases and findings included stricture in 45 (21.4 %); biliary stones/sludge in 23 (11%); biliary dilation alone in 31 (14.8%); and normal in 91 (43.3%). Three (1.4%) patients developed mild, self-limiting pancreatitis; one patient (0.5%) developed cholangitis and two (1%) had postsphincterotomy bleeding. Multivariate analyses showed significant association between dilated ducts on imaging with a therapeutic outcome. Conclusion. Diagnostic ERCP in OLT patients presenting with liver function test abnormalities is safe and frequently therapeutic.
Sequential Statistical Optimization of Media Components for the Production of Glucoamylase by Thermophilic Fungus Humicola grisea MTCC 352
Authors: Ramesh Vinayagam , Ramachandra Murty Vytla
Published: July 2014

Glucoamylase is an industrially important enzyme which converts soluble starch into glucose. The media components for the production of glucoamylase from thermophilic fungus Humicola grisea MTCC 352 have been optimized. Eight media components, namely, soluble starch, yeast extract, KH2PO4, K2HPO4, NaCl, CaCl2, MgSO4·7H2O, and Vogel’s trace elements solution, were first screened for their effect on the production of glucoamylase and only four components (soluble starch, yeast extract, K2HPO4, and MgSO4·7H2O) were identified as statistically significant using Plackett-Burman design. It was fitted into a first-order model (R2=0.9859). Steepest ascent method was performed to identify the location of optimum. Central composite design was employed to determine the optimum values (soluble starch: 28.41 g/L, yeast extract: 9.61 g/L, K2HPO4: 2.42 g/L, and MgSO4·7H2O: 1.91 g/L). The experimental activity of 12.27 U/mL obtained was close to the predicted activity of 12.15. High R2 value (0.9397), low PRESS value (9.47), and AARD values (2.07%) indicate the accuracy of the proposed model. The glucoamylase production was found to increase from 4.57 U/mL to 12.27 U/mL, a 2.68-fold enhancement, as compared to the unoptimized medium.
Three-Dimensional Simulation of Scalp Soft Tissue Expansion Using Finite Element Method
Authors: Guan Qiu , Du Xiaochen , Shao Yan , Lin Lili , Chen Shengyong
Published: July 2014

Scalp soft tissue expansion is one of the key medical techniques to generate new skin tissue for correcting various abnormalities and defects of skin in plastic surgery. Therefore, it is very important to work out the appropriate approach to evaluate the increase of expanded scalp area and to predict the shape, size, number, and placement of the expander. A novel method using finite element model is proposed to solve large deformation of scalp expansion in this paper. And the procedure to implement the scalp tissue expansion with finite element method is also described in detail. The three-dimensional simulation results show that the proposed method is effective, and the analysis of simulation experiment shows that the volume and area of the expansion scalp can be accurately calculated and the quantity, location, and size of the expander can also be predicted successfully with the proposed model.
Changes in Cortical Thickness in 6-Year-Old Children Open Their Mind to a Global Vision of the World
Authors: Poirel Nicolas , Leroux Elise , Pineau Arlette , Houdé Olivier , Simon Grégory
Published: July 2014

Even if objectively presented with similar visual stimuli, children younger than 6 years of age exhibit a strong attraction to local visual information (e.g., the trees), whereas children older than 6 years of age, similar to adults, exhibit a visual bias toward global information (e.g., the forest). Here, we studied the cortical thickness changes that underlie this bias shift from local to global visual information. Two groups, matched for age, gender, and handedness, were formed from a total of 30 children who were 6 years old, and both groups performed a traditional global/local visual task. The first group presented a local visual bias, and the other group presented a global visual bias. The results indicated that, compared with the local visual bias group, children with a global visual bias exhibited (1) decreased cortical thickness in the bilateral occipital regions and (2) increased cortical thickness in the left frontoparietal regions. These findings constitute the first structural study that supports the view that both synaptic pruning (i.e., decreased cortical thickness) and expansion mechanisms (i.e., increased cortical thickness) cooccur to allow healthy children to develop a global perception of the visual world.
Haematological and Biochemical Parameters during the Laying Period in Common Pheasant Hens Housed in Enhanced Cages
Authors: Hrabčáková Petra , Voslářová Eva , Bedáňová Iveta , Pištěková Vladimíra , Chloupek Jan , Večerek Vladimír
Published: July 2014

The development of selected haematological and biochemical parameters during the laying period was monitored in common pheasant hens housed in an enhanced cage system. The cages were enhanced by the addition of two perches and a shelter formed by strips of cloth hanging in the corner of the cage. The results showed significant changes in the haematological and biochemical parameters monitored during egg laying. At the time when laying capacity approached a maximum, a decrease was observed (P<0.05) in haematocrit, erythrocytes, and haemoglobin values, whereas monocytes, eosinophils, the heterophil/lymphocyte ratio, phosphorus, and calcium exhibited an increase (P<0.05). At the end of the laying period, an increase (P<0.05) was recorded in the count of leukocytes, heterophils, lymphocytes and basophils, the heterophil to lymphocyte ratio, and the concentrations of aspartate aminotransferase, cholesterol, phosphorus, and calcium, whereas lower values (P<0.05) were recorded for haematocrit and plasma total protein in comparison with the values of the indicators at the beginning of the laying period. The results provide new information about dynamic changes in selected haematological and biochemical parameters in clinically healthy common pheasant hens during the laying period.
Toughness Condition for a Graph to Be a Fractional(g,f,n)-Critical Deleted Graph
Authors: Gao Wei , Gao Yun
Published: July 2014

A graphGis called a fractional(g,f)-deleted graph ifG-{e}admits a fractional(g,f)-factor for anye∈E(G). A graphGis called a fractional(g,f,n)-critical deleted graph if, after deleting anynvertices fromG, the resulting graph is still a fractional(g,f)-deleted graph. The toughness, as the parameter for measuring the vulnerability of communication networks, has received significant attention in computer science. In this paper, we present the relationship between toughness and fractional(g,f,n)-critical deleted graphs. It is determined thatGis fractional(g,f,n)-critical deleted ift(G)≥((b2-1+bn)/a).
A Study of Cho-Kwon-Srivastava Operator with Applications to Generalized Hypergeometric Functions
Authors: Ghanim F. , Darus M.
Published: July 2014

We introduce a new class of meromorphically analytic functions, which is defined by means of a Hadamard product (or convolution) involving some suitably normalized meromorphically functions related to Cho-Kwon-Srivastava operator. A characterization property giving the coefficient bounds is obtained for this class of functions. The other related properties, which are investigated in this paper, include distortion and the radii of starlikeness and convexity. We also consider several applications of our main results to generalized hypergeometric functions.
Novel Resveratrol and 5-Fluorouracil Coencapsulated in PEGylated Nanoliposomes Improve Chemotherapeutic Efficacy of Combination against Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Authors: Mohan Aarti , Narayanan Shridhar , Sethuraman Swaminathan , Krishnan Uma Maheswari
Published: July 2014

Increasing consumption of tobacco and alcohol has led to a steady increase in the incidence of head and neck cancers in Asia. The drawbacks associated with the existing chemotherapeutic and surgical interventions have necessitated the development of a safer alternative for therapy of head and neck cancers. In this study we have explored the synergistic therapeutic potential of a phytochemical and chemotherapeutic agent using PEGylated liposomes as a delivery vehicle. Resveratrol and 5-fluorouracil were successfully coencapsulated in a single PEGylated nanoliposome. The thermal analysis and the nuclear magnetic resonance results revealed that resveratrol localized near the glycerol backbone of the liposomal membrane while 5-fluorouracil localized closer to the phosphate moiety, which influenced the release kinetics of both drugs. The nanoformulation was testedin vitroon a head and neck cancer cell line NT8e and was found to exhibit a GI50similar to that of free 5-fluorouracil. Further, gene expression studies showed that the combination of resveratrol and 5-fluorouracil exhibited different effects on different genes that may influence the net antagonistic effect. The coencapsulation of resveratrol and 5-fluorouracil in a liposomal nanocarrier improved the cytotoxicity in comparison with the free drug combination when testedin vitro.
Resistance Fluctuations in GaAs Nanowire Grids
Authors: Marasović Ivan , Milanović Željka , Betti Tihomir
Published: July 2014

We present a numerical study on resistance fluctuations in a series of nanowire‐based grids. Each grid is made of GaAs nanowires arranged in parallel with metallic contacts crossing all nanowires perpendicularly. Electrical properties of GaAs nanowires known from previous experimental research are used as input parameters in the simulation procedure. Due to the nonhomogeneous doping, the resistivity changes along nanowire. Allowing two possible nanowire orientations (“upwards” or “downwards”), the resulting grid is partially disordered in vertical direction which causes resistance fluctuations. The system is modeled using a two‐dimensional random resistor network. Transfer‐matrix computation algorithm is used to calculate the total network resistance. It is found that probability density function (PDF) of resistance fluctuations for a series of nanowire grids changes from Gaussian behavior towards the Bramwell‐Holdsworth‐Pinton distribution when both nanowire orientations are equally represented in the grid.
Effect of Flos carthami Extract and α1‐Adrenergic Antagonists on the Porcine Proximal Ureteral Peristalsis
Authors: Wu San-Yuan , Man Kee-Ming , Shen Jui-Lung , Chen Huey-Yi , Chang Chiao-Hui , Tsai Fuu-Jen , Hsieh Wen-Tsong , Winardi Daniel , Lee Yuan-Ju , Tsai Kao-Sung , Lin Yu-Ning , Chen Yung-Hsiang , Chen Wen-Chi
Published: July 2014

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been proposed to prevent urolithiasis. In China, Flos carthami (FC, also known as Carthamus tinctorius) (Safflower; Chinese name: Hong Hua/紅花) has been used to treat urological diseases for centuries. We previously performed a screening and confirmed the in vivo antilithic effect of FC extract. Here, ex vivo organ bath experiment was further performed to study the effect of FC extract on the inhibition of phenylepinephrine (PE) (10−4 and 10−3 M) ureteral peristalsis of porcine ureters with several α1‐adrenergic antagonists (doxazosin, tamsulosin, and terazosin) as experimental controls. The results showed that doxazosin, tamsulosin, and terazosin dose (approximately 4.5 × 10−6 − 4.5 × 10−1 μg/mL) dependently inhibited both 10−4 and 10−3 M PE‐induced ureteral peristalsis. FC extract achieved 6.2% ± 10.1%, 21.8% ± 6.8%, and 24.0% ± 5.6% inhibitions of 10−4 M PE‐induced peristalsis at doses of 5 × 103, 1 × 104, and 2 × 104 μg/mL, respectively, since FC extract was unable to completely inhibit PE‐induced ureteral peristalsis, suggesting the antilithic effect of FC extract is related to mechanisms other than modulation of ureteral peristalsis.
Estimating Body Related Soft Biometric Traits in Video Frames
Authors: Arigbabu Olasimbo Ayodeji , Ahmad Sharifah Mumtazah Syed , Adnan Wan Azizun Wan , Yussof Salman , Iranmanesh Vahab , Malallah Fahad Layth
Published: July 2014

Soft biometrics can be used as a prescreening filter, either by using single trait or by combining several traits to aid the performance of recognition systems in an unobtrusive way. In many practical visual surveillance scenarios, facial information becomes difficult to be effectively constructed due to several varying challenges. However, from distance the visual appearance of an object can be efficiently inferred, thereby providing the possibility of estimating body related information. This paper presents an approach for estimating body related soft biometrics; specifically we propose a new approach based on body measurement and artificial neural network for predicting body weight of subjects and incorporate the existing technique on single view metrology for height estimation in videos with low frame rate. Our evaluation on 1120 frame sets of 80 subjects from a newly compiled dataset shows that the mentioned soft biometric information of human subjects can be adequately predicted from set of frames.
Osteopontin and Osteoprotegerin as Potential Biomarkers in Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm before and after Treatment
Authors: Filis Konstantinos , Martinakis Vasilios , Galyfos George , Sigala Fragiska , Theodorou Dimitris , Andreadou Ioanna , Zografos Georgios
Published: July 2014

Aim.Although osteopontin (OPN) and osteoprotegerin (OPG) have been associated with abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs), no association of these two biomarkers with AAA surgical or endovascular treatment has been reported.Material and Methods.Seventy-four AAA patients were prospectively selected for open or endovascular repair. All aneurysms were classified (Types A–E) according to aneurysmal extent in CT imaging (EUROSTAR criteria). All patients had preoperative serum OPN and OPG values measurements and 1 week after the procedure. Preoperative and postoperative values were compared with a control group of twenty patients (inguinal hernia repair).Results.Preoperative OPN values in patients with any type of aneurysm were higher than in the control group, while OPG values showed no difference. Postoperative OPN values in AAA patients were higher than in the control group. OPN values increased after open surgery and after EVAR. OPG values increased after open surgery but not after EVAR. There was no difference in OPN/OPG values between EVAR and open surgery postoperatively.Conclusions.OPN values are associated with aneurysm presence but not with aneurysm extent. OPG values are not associated either with aneurysm presence or with aneurysm extent. OPN values increase after AAA repair, independently of the type of repair.
Delta T: Polynomial Approximation of Time Period 1620–2013
Authors: Khalid M. , Sultana Mariam , Zaidi Faheem
Published: July 2014

The difference between the Uniform Dynamical Time and Universal Time is referred to as ΔT (delta T). Delta T is used in numerous astronomical calculations, that is, eclipses,and length of day. It is additionally required to reduce quantified positions of minor planets to a uniform timescale for the purpose of orbital determination. Since Universal Time is established on the basis of the variable rotation of planet Earth, the quantity ΔT mirrors the unevenness of that rotation, and so it changes slowly, but rather irregularly, as time passes. We have worked on empirical formulae for estimating ΔT and have discovered a set of polynomials of the 4th order with nine intervals which is accurate within the range of ±0.6 seconds for the duration of years 1620–2013.
Virgin Coconut Oil: Remedial Effects on Renal Dysfunction in Diabetic Rats
Authors: Akinnuga A. M. , Jeje S. O. , Bamidele O. , Amaku E. E. , Otogo F. O. , Sunday V. E.
Published: July 2014

Renal dysfunction is now a prevalent complication of diabetes mellitus. Therefore, this study was carried out to evaluate the remedial effects of virgin coconut oil (VCO) on renal dysfunction in diabetic rats. Fifteen albino Wistar rats were divided into 3 groups that comprise normal control group (Group I) and diabetic control group (Group II) fed with normal rat chows and a diabetic test group (Group III) fed with 10% VCO diet. Group II and Group III were made diabetic by single intraperitoneal injection of 150 mg/kg of freshly prepared alloxan monohydrate. After 72 hours of alloxan injection, fasting blood glucose was tested to confirm diabetes mellitus. After 3 weeks, the animals were anaesthetized and sacrificed to collect blood samples for renal function analysis. The creatinine, urea, and blood urea nitrogen values of Group II were significantly different from those of Group I and Group III at P<0.001. Also, there was significant difference (P<0.05) in total protein value between Group II (4.42  ±  0.47 mg/dL) and Group I (5.78  ±  0.12 mg/dL) as well as Group III (5.86  ±  0.19 mg/dL), but there was no significant difference between that of Group I and Group III (5.78  ±  0.12 mg/dL and 5.86  ±  0.19 mg/dL, resp.). Thus, VCO is effective in preventing renal damage in diabetic patients.
Potential and Limitation of HLA-Based Banking of Human Pluripotent Stem Cells for Cell Therapy
Authors: de Rham Casimir , Villard Jean
Published: July 2014

Great hopes have been placed on human pluripotent stem (hPS) cells for therapy. Tissues or organs derived from hPS cells could be the best solution to cure many different human diseases, especially those who do not respond to standard medication or drugs, such as neurodegenerative diseases, heart failure, or diabetes. The origin of hPS is critical and the idea of creating a bank of well-characterized hPS cells has emerged, like the one that already exists for cord blood. However, the main obstacle in transplantation is the rejection of tissues or organ by the receiver, due to the three main immunological barriers: the human leukocyte antigen (HLA), the ABO blood group, and minor antigens. The problem could be circumvented by using autologous stem cells, like induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, derived directly from the patient. But iPS cells have limitations, especially regarding the disease of the recipient and possible difficulties to handle or prepare autologous iPS cells. Finally, reaching standards of good clinical or manufacturing practices could be challenging. That is why well-characterized and universal hPS cells could be a better solution. In this review, we will discuss the interest and the feasibility to establish hPS cells bank, as well as some economics and ethical issues.
Limiting Behavior of Travelling Waves for the Modified Degasperis-Procesi Equation
Authors: Yin Jiuli , Zhao Liuwei , Ding Shanyu
Published: July 2014

Using an improved qualitative method which combines characteristics of several methods, we classify all travelling wave solutions of the modified Degasperis-Procesi equation in specified regions of the parametric space. Besides some popular exotic solutions including peaked waves, and looped and cusped waves, this equation also admits some very particular waves, such as fractal-like waves, double stumpons, double kinked waves, and butterfly-like waves. The last three types of solutions have not been reported in the literature. Furthermore, we give the limiting behavior of all periodic solutions as the parameters trend to some special values.
Antidiabetic Activity ofAcacia tortilis(Forsk.) Hayne ssp. raddiana Polysaccharide on Streptozotocin-Nicotinamide Induced Diabetic Rats
Authors: Kumar Bhateja Pradeep , Singh Randhir
Published: July 2014

The present study was designed to investigate the antidiabetic activity of aqueous extract ofAcacia tortilispolysaccharide (AEATP) from gum exudates and its role in comorbidities associated with diabetes in STZ-nicotinamide induced diabetic rats. Male albino Wistar rats were divided into control, diabetic control, glimepiride treated (10 mg/kg), and diabetic rats treated with 250, 500, and 1000 mg/kg dose of AEATP groups and fasting blood glucose, glycated hemoglobin, total cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL, VLDL, HDL, SGOT, and SGPT levels were measured. STZ significantly increased fasting blood glucose level, glycated hemoglobin, total cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL, VLDL, SGOT, and SGPT levels, whereas HDL level was reduced as compared to control group. After 7 days of administration, 500 and 1000 mg/kg dose of AEATP showed significant reduction(P<0.05)in fasting blood glucose level compared to diabetic control. AEATP has also reduced total cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL, VLDL, SGOT, and SGPT levels and improved HDL level as compared to diabetic control group. Our study is the first to report the normalization of fasting blood glucose level, lipid profile, and liver enzyme in AEATP treated diabetic rats. Thus, it can be concluded that AEATP may have potentials for the treatment of T2DM and its comorbidities.
Bioactivity Assessment of Poly(ɛ‐caprolactone)/Hydroxyapatite Electrospun Fibers for Bone Tissue Engineering Application
Authors: Hassan Mohd Izzat , Sultana Naznin , Hamdan Salehhuddin
Published: July 2014

Electrospinning is useful for fabricating nanofibrous structure with different composition and morphologies. It offers great advantages through its geometrical structure and biomimetic property, which can provide a suitable environmental site for cell growth. The fiber diameter is entangled by the concentration of PCL with some adjustment of parameters during electrospinning process. PCL with lower concentration had bead structure while higher concentration had smooth fiber. The incorporation of nanoparticle hydroxyapatite (nHA) into poly(ɛ‐caprolactone) fiber was studied. The fiber diameter of PCL was increased with the addition of nHA. Composition of fiber at lower concentrations of PCL and nHA into the polymer produced fiber with a homogenous distribution of nHA in PCL fiber with less agglomeration. The immersion of PCL/nHA fiber in simulated body fluid (SBF) had bone‐like apatite layer on its surface while PCL showed no results. PCL/nHA showed high water uptake and had improved wettability compared to PCL alone, suggesting that PCL/nHA fibers were more hydrophilic than PCL fiber.
The Meat Freshness Monitoring System Using the Smart RFID Tag
Authors: Eom Ki-Hwan , Hyun Kyo-Hwan , Lin Sen , Kim Joo-Woong
Published: July 2014

This paper proposes a monitoring system for meat freshness and use-by date, based on the smart RFID (radio frequency identification) tag. Freshness can be checked by various factors, such as the presence of microorganisms, bacteria, and gases. This paper focuses on detecting the temperature, humidity, and the gases released by meat. We analyzed the factors affecting the freshness of meat and decided to use a gas sensor as the main detection method. We use temperature sensor and humidity sensor as auxiliary sensors to get the food poisoning index. The proposed system consists of an RFID tag, temperature sensor, humidity sensor, gas sensor, reader, and server. By comparing the temperature, humidity, and gas concentration of the meat storage environment, we can get the relationship between meat freshness and the sensor signal. This monitoring system can show the meat freshness at four distinct grades: High, Medium, Low, and Spoilage. In order to confirm the usefulness of the proposed system, we performed experiments on pork. With the smart RFID tag, we successfully estimated the freshness of the meat.
Potential ofIgniscum sachalinensisL. andSalix viminalisL. for the Phytoremediation of Copper-Contaminated Soils
Authors: Tingwey Isong Godlove , Nii-Annang Seth , Freese Dirk
Published: July 2014

The potential ofSalix viminalisL. andIgniscum sachalinensisL. for phytoremediation of copper- (Cu-) contaminated soils was studied under greenhouse conditions. Approximately 5 kg of potted agricultural and sewage amended soils sampled from the top 0 to 20 cm depth in Neuruppin, Germany, was treated with CuSO4at concentrations 0 (control), 250, 750, and 1250 mg Cu kg−1soil and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) at 1000 mg kg−1soil, respectively. Each plant species was grown on four replicates of each soil treatment. Copper accumulated in aboveground tissues tends to increase with increasing soil Cu concentration and was the lowest in stem and leaf of both plant species grown on control soils. At 750 and 1250 mg Cu kg−1soil, Cu accumulated in stem and leaf ofI. sachalinensisincreased by over 12- and 20-fold, respectively, whereas there was no vegetative growth inS. viminalisbeyond 250 mg Cu kg−1soil. Application of EDTA to sewage amended soils increased Cu accumulated in the stem and leaf, especially inI. sachalinensis. In general,I. sachalinensisseems to have the potential to tolerate high soil Cu content and simultaneously bioaccumulate Cu in tissues and thus may have better prospects for phytoremediation.
Constructing Topic Models of Internet of Things for Information Processing
Authors: Xin Jie , Cui Zhiming , Zhang Shukui , He Tianxu , Li Chunhua , Huang Haojing
Published: July 2014

Internet of Things(IoT) is regarded as a remarkable development of the modern information technology. There is abundant digital products data on the IoT, linking with multiple types of objects/entities. Those associated entities carry rich information and usually in the form of query records. Therefore, constructing high quality topic hierarchies that can capture the term distribution of each product record enables us to better understand users’ search intent and benefits tasks such as taxonomy construction, recommendation systems, and other communications solutions for the future IoT. In this paper, we propose a novelrecord entity topic model(RETM) for IoT environment that is associated with a set of entities and records and a Gibbs sampling-based algorithm is proposed to learn the model. We conduct extensive experiments on real-world datasets and compare our approach with existing methods to demonstrate the advantage of our approach.
A Silsesquioxane Organically Modified with 4‐Amino‐5‐(4‐pyridyl)‐4H‐1,2,4‐triazole‐3‐thiol: Thermal Behavior and Its Electrochemical Detection of Sulfhydryl Compounds
Authors: Do Carmo D. R. , Silvestrini D. R. , Barud H. S. , Dias Filho N. L. , Bicalho U. O. , Soares L. A.
Published: July 2014

The octakis(3‐chloropropyl)silsesquioxane (SS) was organofunctionalized with 4‐amino‐5‐4(pyridyl)‐4H‐1,2,4‐triazole‐3‐thiol. The product formed (SA) was undergo another reactions in two steps, first with copper and so hexacyanoferrate (III) to form CuHSA. The organofunctionalized silsesquioxane was characterized by the following techniques: scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) in solid state, and thermogravimetric analysis in air and nitrogen atmosphere. The composite CuHSA was incorporated into a graphite paste electrode and the electrochemical behavior studies were conducted with cyclic voltammetry. The cyclic voltammogram of the modified graphite paste electrode with CuHSA showed one redox couple with formal potential  V versus Ag/AgCl(sat) (KCl 1.0 mol L−1; v = 20 mV s−1) attributed to the redox process Fe(II)(CN)6/Fe(III)(CN)6 of the binuclear complex formed. The redox couple presents an electrocatalytic response of sulfhydryl compounds such as n‐acetylcysteine and l‐cysteine. For determination of n‐acetylcysteine and l‐cysteine the modified graphite paste electrode showed a linear region in the concentration range of 2 to 20 mmol L−1. The modified electrode was chemically and electrochemically stable and showed good reproducibility.
Characterization of Multiplicative Lie Triple Derivations on Rings
Authors: Qi Xiaofei
Published: July 2014

LetRbe a ring having unit 1. Denote byZRthe center ofR. Assume that the characteristic ofRis not 2 and there is an idempotent elemente∈Rsuch thataRe=0⇒a=0  and  aR1-e=0⇒a=0. It is shown that, under some mild conditions, a mapL:R→Ris a multiplicative Lie triple derivation if and only ifLx=δx+hxfor allx∈R, whereδ:R→Ris an additive derivation andh:R→ZRis a map satisfyingha,b,c=0for alla,b,c∈R. As applications, all Lie (triple) derivations on prime rings and von Neumann algebras are characterized, which generalize some known results.
Biomechanical Analysis of Force Distribution in Human Finger Extensor Mechanisms
Authors: Hu Dan , Ren Lei , Howard David , Zong Changfu
Published: July 2014

The complexities of the function and structure of human fingers have long been recognised. The in vivo forces in the human finger tendon network during different activities are critical information for clinical diagnosis, surgical treatment, prosthetic finger design, and biomimetic hand development. In this study, we propose a novel method for in vivo force estimation for the finger tendon network by combining a three-dimensional motion analysis technique and a novel biomechanical tendon network model. The extensor mechanism of a human index finger is represented by an interconnected tendinous network moving around the phalanx’s dorsum. A novel analytical approach based on the “Principle of Minimum Total Potential Energy” is used to calculate the forces and deformations throughout the tendon network of the extensor mechanism when subjected to an external load and with the finger posture defined by measurement data. The predicted deformations and forces in the tendon network are in broad agreement with the results obtained by previous experimental in vitro studies. The proposed methodology provides a promising tool for investigating the biomechanical function of complex interconnected tendon networks in vivo.
A Relax Inexact Accelerated Proximal Gradient Method for the Constrained Minimization Problem of Maximum Eigenvalue Functions
Authors: Wang Wei , Li Shanghua , Gao Jingjing
Published: July 2014

For constrained minimization problem of maximum eigenvalue functions, since the objective function is nonsmooth, we can use the approximate inexact accelerated proximal gradient (AIAPG) method (Wang et al., 2013) to solve its smooth approximation minimization problem. When we take the functiong(X)=δΩ(X)  (Ω∶={X∈Sn:F(X)=b,X⪰0})in the problemmin{λmax(X)+g(X):X∈Sn}, whereλmax(X)is the maximum eigenvalue function,g(X)is a proper lower semicontinuous convex function (possibly nonsmooth) andδΩ(X)denotes the indicator function. But the approximate minimizer generated by AIAPG method must be contained inΩotherwise the method will be invalid. In this paper, we will consider the case where the approximate minimizer cannot be guaranteed inΩ. Thus we will propose two different strategies, respectively, constructing the feasible solution and designing a new method named relax inexact accelerated proximal gradient (RIAPG) method. It is worth mentioning that one advantage when compared to the former is that the latter strategy can overcome the drawback. The drawback is that the required conditions are too strict. Furthermore, the RIAPG method inherits the global iteration complexity and attractive computational advantage of AIAPG method.
Stochastic Optimized Relevance Feedback Particle Swarm Optimization for Content Based Image Retrieval
Authors: Imran Muhammad , Hashim Rathiah , Noor Elaiza Abd Khalid , Irtaza Aun
Published: July 2014

One of the major challenges for the CBIR is to bridge the gap between low level features and high level semantics according to the need of the user. To overcome this gap, relevance feedback (RF) coupled with support vector machine (SVM) has been applied successfully. However, when the feedback sample is small, the performance of the SVM based RF is often poor. To improve the performance of RF, this paper has proposed a new technique, namely, PSO-SVM-RF, which combines SVM based RF with particle swarm optimization (PSO). The aims of this proposed technique are to enhance the performance of SVM based RF and also to minimize the user interaction with the system by minimizing the RF number. The PSO-SVM-RF was tested on the coral photo gallery containing 10908 images. The results obtained from the experiments showed that the proposed PSO-SVM-RF achieved 100% accuracy in 8 feedback iterations for top 10 retrievals and 80% accuracy in 6 iterations for 100 top retrievals. This implies that with PSO-SVM-RF technique high accuracy rate is achieved at a small number of iterations.
Perilobar Nephroblastomatosis: Natural History and Management
Authors: Stabouli S. , Printza N. , Dotis J. , Matis A. , Koliouskas D. , Gombakis N. , Papachristou F.
Published: July 2014

Nephroblastomatosis (NB) has been considered as a precursor of Wilms tumor (WT). The natural history of NB seems to present significant variation as some lesions may regress spontaneously, while others may grow and expand or relapse and develop into WT later in childhood. Although, most investigators suggest adjutant chemotherapy, the effect and duration of treatment are not well established. Children with diffuse perilobar NB, Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome, and hemihypertrophy seem to particularly benefit from treatment. We discuss our experience on two cases of NB and we review the literature for the management of this rare condition.
Tsc2Haploinsufficiency Has Limited Effects on Fetal Brain Cytokine Levels during Gestational Immune Activation
Authors: Ehninger Dan
Published: July 2014

Dysregulated TSC/mTOR signaling may play a pathogenetic role in forms of syndromic autism, such as autism associated with tuberous sclerosis, a genetic disorder caused by heterozygousTSC1orTSC2mutations. Environmental risk factors, such as gestational viral infections, may, in some cases, also contribute to the pathogenesis of autism and related neuropsychiatric disorders. We have recently found that a heterozygousTsc2mutation and the poly I:C model of maternal immune activation (MIA) interactively perturb fetal development and adult social behavior in mice, suggesting that these factors converge on shared pathways. TSC/mTOR signaling plays an important role in the modulation of immune responses, raising the possibility that the damage caused by MIA was greater inTsc2+/−than in wildtype fetuses because of an exacerbated immune response in the mutants. Here, cytokine antibody arrays were employed to measure relative cytokine abundances in the fetal brain and the placenta during MIA. Cytokines were induced by gestational poly I:C but there was no obvious modulatory effect ofTsc2haploinsufficiency. The data indicate that cytokine exposure during MIA is comparable inTsc2haploinsufficient and wildtype control fetuses, suggesting that downstream molecular and cellular processes may account for the interactive effects ofTsc2haploinsufficiency and MIA.
Response to Rituximab in a Case of Lupus Associated Digital Ischemia
Authors: Küçükşahin Orhan , Düzgün Nurşen , Okoh Alexis K. , Kulahçioglu Emre
Published: July 2014

We report the case of a 38-year-old female patient with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and Jaccoud arthritis (JA) that sequentially developed digital ischemic lesions of the hands. In spite of follow-up treatment with glucocorticoids, immunosuppressant, antiaggregant, and potent vasodilatator agents, a serious progression to digital gangrene over a one-month period was observed. Surprisingly, her nonhealing digital lesions improved after two cycles of rituximab (RTX) administration.
Combinatorial Efficiency Evaluation: The Knapsack Problem in Data Envelopment Analysis
Authors: Qi Xiao-guang , Guo Bo
Published: July 2014

The traditional data envelopment analysis (DEA) literatures generally concentrated on the efficiency evaluation of single decision making unit (DMU). However, in many practical problems, the decision makers are required to choose a number of DMUs instead of a single one from the DMUs set. Therefore, it is necessary to study the combinatorial efficiency evaluation problem which can be illustrated as a knapsack problem naturally. It is indicated that the basic model proposed by Cook and Green may have some drawbacks and a modified model, which is combined with the super efficiency model, is proposed in this paper. What is more, our proposed model is more persuasive to the decision makers because it is able to provide a unique best combination of DMUs. An adapted local search algorithm is developed as a solver of this problem. Finally, numerical examples are provided to examine the validity of our proposed model and the adapted local search algorithm.
Potential Rainwater Harvesting Improvement Using Advanced Remote Sensing Applications
Authors: Elhag Mohamed , Bahrawi Jarbou A.
Published: July 2014

The amount of water on earth is the same and only the distribution and the reallocation of water forms are altered in both time and space. To improve the rainwater harvesting a better understanding of the hydrological cycle is mandatory. Clouds are major component of the hydrological cycle; therefore, clouds distribution is the keystone of better rainwater harvesting. Remote sensing technology has shown robust capabilities in resolving challenges of water resource management in arid environments. Soil moisture content and cloud average distribution are essential remote sensing applications in extracting information of geophysical, geomorphological, and meteorological interest from satellite images. Current research study aimed to map the soil moisture content using recent Landsat 8 images and to map cloud average distribution of the corresponding area using 59 MERIS satellite imageries collected from January 2006 to October 2011. Cloud average distribution map shows specific location in the study area where it is always cloudy all the year and the site corresponding soil moisture content map came in agreement with cloud distribution. The overlay of the two previously mentioned maps over the geological map of the study area shows potential locations for better rainwater harvesting.
Security Techniques for Prevention of Rank Manipulation in Social Tagging Services including Robotic Domains
Authors: Choi Okkyung , Jung Hanyoung , Moon Seungbin
Published: July 2014

With smartphone distribution becoming common and robotic applications on the rise, social tagging services for various applications including robotic domains have advanced significantly. Though social tagging plays an important role when users are finding the exact information through web search, reliability and semantic relation between web contents and tags are not considered. Spams are making ill use of this aspect and put irrelevant tags deliberately on contents and induce users to advertise contents when they click items of search results. Therefore, this study proposes a detection method for tag-ranking manipulation to solve the problem of the existing methods which cannot guarantee the reliability of tagging. Similarity is measured for ranking the grade of registered tag on the contents, and weighted values of each tag are measured by means of synonym relevance, frequency, and semantic distances between tags. Lastly, experimental evaluation results are provided and its efficiency and accuracy are verified through them.
Improvement of Dye Solar Cell Efficiency by Photoanode Posttreatment
Authors: Ivanovska Tanja , Saponjic Zoran , Radoicic Marija , Ortolani Luca , Morandi Vittorio , Ruani Giampiero
Published: July 2014

The basic concept for efficiency improvement in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC) is limiting the electron-hole recombination. One way to approach the problem is to improve the photogenerated charge carriers lifetime and consequently reduce their recombination probability. We are reporting on a facile posttreatment of the mesoporous photoanode by using a colloidal solution of TiO2nanoparticles. We have investigated the outcome of the different sintering temperature of the posttreated photoanodes on their morphology as well as on the conversion efficiency of the DSSC. The DSSCs composed of posttreated photoanodes at 450°C showed an increase inJSCand consequently an increase in efficiency of 10%. Investigations were made to determine the electron recombination via the electrolyte by the OCVD technique. We found that the posttreatment has the effect of reducing the surface trap states and thus increases the electron lifetime, which is responsible for the increase of the overall cell efficiency.
Biomechanics of Interspinous Devices
Authors: Parchi Paolo D. , Evangelisti Gisberto , Vertuccio Antonella , Piolanti Nicola , Andreani Lorenzo , Cervi Valentina , Giannetti Christian , Calvosa Giuseppe , Lisanti Michele
Published: July 2014

A number of interspinous devices (ISD) have been introduced in the lumbar spine implant market. Unfortunately, the use of these devices often is not associated with real comprehension of their biomechanical role. The aim of this paper is to review the biomechanical studies about interspinous devices available in the literature to allow the reader a better comprehension of the effects of these devices on the treated segment and on the adjacent segments of the spine. For this reason, our analysis will be limited to the interspinous devices that have biomechanical studies published in the literature.
Synthesis of Decentralized Variable Gain Robust Controllers for Large-Scale Interconnected Systems with Structured Uncertainties
Authors: Nagai Shunya , Oya Hidetoshi
Published: July 2014

In this paper, we propose a decentralized variable gain robust controller which achieves not only robust stability but also satisfactory transient behavior for a class of uncertain large-scale interconnected systems. For the uncertain large-scale interconnected system, the uncertainties and the interactions satisfy the matching condition. The proposed decentralized robust controller consists of a fixed feedback gain controller and a variable gain one determined by a parameter adjustment law. In this paper, we show that sufficient conditions for the existence of the proposed decentralized variable gain robust controller are given in terms of LMIs. Finally, a simple numerical example is included.
Inverted Metamorphic III–V Triple-Junction Solar Cell with a 1 eV CuInSe2Bottom Subcell
Authors: Walker A. W. , Bouchard F. , Trojnar A. H. , Hinzer K.
Published: July 2014

A new triple-junction solar cell (3J) design exploiting the highly absorptive I–III–VI chalcopyrite CuInSe2material is proposed as an alternative to III–V semiconductor 3J solar cells. The proposed structure consists of GaInP (1.9 eV)/Ga(In)As (1.4 eV)/CuInSe2(1 eV) which can be grown on a GaAs substrate in an inverted manner using epitaxial lift-off techniques. To lattice-match epitaxial CuInSe2to Ga(In)As, a compositionally graded buffer region composed of GaxIn1−xP is used. The modeling and simulation of the device include the effects of threading dislocations on minority carrier lifetimes in the metamorphic buffer and bottom subcell active region. Studies focus on device performance under standard testing conditions and concentrated illumination. The results are compared to a reference lattice mismatched 3J composed of GaInP (1.9 eV)/Ga(In)As (1.4 eV)/GaInAs (1 eV) and to a lattice matched 3J composed of GaInP (1.9 eV)/Ga(In)As (1.4 eV)/Ge (0.67 eV). The advantage of CuInSe2is its higher absorption coefficient, which requires only 1 μm of active material compared to 4 μm of GaInAs in the bottom subcell of the reference lattice mismatched cell. The proposed design reaches an efficiency of 32.6% under 1 sun illumination at 300 K with 105 cm−2threading dislocations and 39.6% at 750 suns.
Clinical Presentation and Magnetic Resonance Findings in Sellar Tuberculomas
Authors: Bonifacio-Delgadillo Dulce , Aburto-Murrieta Yolanda , Salinas-Lara Citlaltepetl , Sotelo Julio , Montes-Mojarro Ivonne , Garcia-Marquez Arturo
Published: July 2014

Background and Importance. Sellar tuberculomas are extremely rare lesions with nonspecific clinical manifestations. The tuberculous infection of the pituitary gland and sellar region is characterized by the presence of an acute or chronic inflammatory reaction and may occur in the absence of systemic tuberculosis. The diagnosis is difficult prior to the surgery. An adequate diagnostic and antituberculous drugs usually result in a good outcome.Clinical Presentation. We report four cases of sellar tuberculoma, 3/1 female/male, age range: 50–57 years. All patients had visual disturbances and low levels of cortisol.Conclusion. The clinical diagnosis of sellar tuberculoma is a challenge and should be suspected when a sellar lesion shows abnormal enhancement pattern and stalk involvement, and absence of signal suppression in FLAIR.
Forecasting Return Volatility of the CSI 300 Index Using the Stochastic Volatility Model with Continuous Volatility and Jumps
Authors: Gong Xu , He Zhifang , Li Pu , Zhu Ning
Published: July 2014

The logarithmic realized volatility is divided into the logarithmic continuous sample path variation and the logarithmic discontinuous jump variation on the basis of the SV-RV model in this paper, which constructs the stochastic volatility model with continuous volatility (SV-CJ model). Then, we use high-frequency transaction data for five minutes of the CSI 300 stock index as the study sample, which, respectively, make parameter estimation on the SV, SV-RV, and SV-CJ model. We also comparatively analyze these three models' prediction accuracy by using the loss functions and SPA test. The results indicate that the prior logarithmic realized volatility and the logarithmic continuous sample path variation can be used to predict the future return volatility in China's stock market, while the logarithmic discontinuous jump variation is poor at its prediction accuracy. Besides, the SV-CJ model has an obvious advantage over the SV and SV-RV model as to the prediction accuracy of the return volatility, and it is more suitable for the research concerning the problems of financial practice such as the financial risk management.
IDH1 R132H Mutation Generates a Distinct Phospholipid Metabolite Profile in Glioma
Authors: Esmaeili Morteza , Hamans Bob C. , Navis Anna C. , van Horssen Remco , Bathen Tone F. , Gribbestad Ingrid S. , Leenders William P. , Heerschap Arend
Published: July 2014

Many patients with glioma harbor specific mutations in the isocitrate dehydrogenase gene IDH1 that associate with a relatively better prognosis. IDH1-mutated tumors produce the oncometabolite 2-hydroxyglutarate. Because IDH1 also regulates several pathways leading to lipid synthesis, we hypothesized that IDH1-mutant tumors have an altered phospholipid metabolite profile that would impinge on tumor pathobiology. To investigate this hypothesis, we performed 31P-MRS imaging in mouse xenograft models of four human gliomas, one of which harbored the IDH1-R132H mutation. 31P-MR spectra from the IDH1-mutant tumor displayed a pattern distinct from that of the three IDH1 wild-type tumors, characterized by decreased levels of phosphoethanolamine and increased levels of glycerophosphocholine. This spectral profile was confirmed by ex vivo analysis of tumor extracts, and it was also observed in human surgical biopsies of IDH1-mutated tumors by 31P high-resolution magic angle spinning spectroscopy. The specificity of this profile for the IDH1-R132H mutation was established by in vitro31P-NMR of extracts of cells overexpressing IDH1 or IDH1-R132H. Overall, our results provide evidence that the IDH1-R132H mutation alters phospholipid metabolism in gliomas involving phosphoethanolamine and glycerophosphocholine. These new noninvasive biomarkers can assist in the identification of the mutation and in research toward novel treatments that target aberrant metabolism in IDH1-mutant glioma. Cancer Res; 74(17); 4898–907. ©2014 AACR.