bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Influence of Preoperative Pain Duration on Microsurgical Varicocelectomy Outcomes
Authors: Köse Mustafa Gökhan , Önem Kadir , Çetinkaya Mehmet , Karadağ Erkan , Arpali Emre
Published: December 2013

Objective. To investigate the question of whether duration of pain before surgery ultimately affects sperm parameters after varicocelectomy.Methods. Fifty patients with painful grade-3 varicocele were investigated prospectively. The patients were divided into two groups according to their symptom period. The patients having had grade-3 varicocele for less than 1 year were included in Group-1 (Ge,n=25). Twenty-five patients who had painful grade-3 varicocele for more than 1 year (Gs,n=25) were classified in Group-2. Semen analysis was performed after 3 days of sexual abstinence twice a month. Total sperm concentration (TSC), rapidly progressive motility (SPa), and slow or sluggish motility (SPb) rates were noted. Pain was evaluated by using 10 cm visual analogue scale (VAS).Results. Postoperative TSC and %SPb were significantly higher in both groups (P=0.01). There was no difference between two groups for preoperative and postoperative TSC, %SPa, % and SPb values. VAS significantly declined in both groups (P=0.005). This postoperative decline was not significant for intergroup comparison.Conclusions. Our results show that increase in semen quality and decrease in the pain after microsurgery varicocelectomy do not depend on the duration of the preoperative pain.
Biological and Demographic Profile of Meningiomas in a Cohort of Egyptian Patients: Impact on Tumor Recurrence
Authors: Abdelzaher Eman , El Deeb Nevine M. F. , Gowil Ahmed G. , Yehya Ahmed
Published: December 2013

Objective. This work was designed to study the biological and demographic characteristics of meningiomas and their impact on tumor recurrence in Egyptian patients. Material and Methods. A cohort of 265 Egyptian patients with meningioma was studied. Immunohistochemistry for VEGF, Ki67, PR, CD20, and CD3 was performed. Statistical analysis was used to detect independent predictors of recurrence. Results. Adults represented 98.9% of cases, with female preponderance (M : F ratio = 1 : 2.4). Histologically, 78.10% of cases were grade I, 19.20% were grade II, and 2.60% were grade III. Transitional variant was the most common (43.40%). VEGF expression (38.50% of cases) correlated positively with perifocal edema, tumor size, and proliferative index (PI). PR expression (64.5% of cases) correlated inversely with the PI (mean 3.75). Lymphocytic aggregates were detected in 7.20% of cases, with a mean CD20 : CD3 ratio of 1 : 10.1. In a multivariate analysis, only tumor size, PR expression and necrosis predicted recurrence independently. Using ROC curve, size was the best predictor of tumor recurrence with a cut‐off point of >6 cm and an excellent negative predictive value (97.6%). Conclusions. Meningiomas in our region showed some distinctive clinicopathological and demographic criteria. Tumor size was found to be the best recurrence predictor factor of meningioma.
Design and Simulation of a Fused Silica Space Cell Culture and Observation Cavity with Microfluidic and Temperature Controlling
Authors: Fan Shangchun , Sun Jinhao , Xing Weiwei , Li Cheng , Wang Dongxue
Published: December 2013

We report a principle prototype of space animal cell perfusion culture and observation. Unlike previous work, our cell culture system cannot only realize microfluidic and temperature controlling, automatic observation, and recording but also meet an increasing cell culture at large scale operation and overcome shear force for animal cells. A key component in the system is ingenious structural fused silica cell culture cavity with the wedge-shaped connection. Finite volume method (FVM) is applied to calculate its multipoint flow field, pressure field, axial velocity, tangential velocity, and radial velocity. In order to provide appropriate flow rate, temperature, and shear force for space animal cell culture, a closed-loop microfluidic circuit and proportional, integrating, and differentiation (PID) algorithm are employed. This paper also illustrates system architecture and operating method of the principle prototype. The dynamic culture, autofocus observation, and recording of M763 cells are performed successfully within 72 h in the laboratory environment. This research can provide a reference for space flight mission that carries an apparatus with similar functions.
Alliin, a Garlic (Allium sativum) Compound, Prevents LPS-Induced Inflammation in 3T3-L1 Adipocytes
Authors: Quintero-Fabián Saray , Ortuño-Sahagún Daniel , Vázquez-Carrera Manuel , López-Roa Rocío Ivette
Published: December 2013

Garlic (Allium sativumL.) has been used to alleviate a variety of health problems due to its high content of organosulfur compounds and antioxidant activity. The main active component is alliin (S-allyl cysteine sulfoxide), a potent antioxidant with cardioprotective and neuroprotective actions. In addition, it helps to decrease serum levels of glucose, insulin, triglycerides, and uric acid, as well as insulin resistance, and reduces cytokine levels. However its potential anti-inflammatory effect is unknown. We examined the effects of alliin in lipopolysaccharide- (LPS-) stimulated 3T3-L1 adipocytes by RT-PCR, Western blot, and microarrays analysis of 22,000 genes. Incubation of cells for 24 h with 100 μmol/L alliin prevented the increase in the expression of proinflammatory genes, IL-6, MCP-1, and Egr-1 in 3T3-L1 adipocytes exposed to 100 ng/mL LPS for 1 h. Interestingly, the phosphorylation of ERK1/2, which is involved in LPS-induced inflammation in adipocytes, was decreased following alliin treatment. Furthermore, the gene expression profile by microarrays evidentiate an upregulation of genes involved in immune response and downregulation of genes related with cancer. The present results have shown that alliin is able to suppress the LPS inflammatory signals by generating an anti-inflammatory gene expression profile and by modifying adipocyte metabolic profile.
A Note on Elongations of Summable QTAG‐Modules
Authors: Mehdi Alveera , Sikander Fahad , Naji Sabah A. R. K.
Published: December 2013

A right module M over an associative ring with unity is a QTAG‐module if every finitely generated submodule of any homomorphic image of M is a direct sum of uniserial modules. In this paper we find a suitable condition under which a special ω‐elongation of a summable QTAG‐module by a (ω + k)‐projective QTAG‐module is also a summable QTAG‐module.
Numerical Solution of a Moving Boundary Problem of One-Dimensional Flow in Semi-Infinite Long Porous Media with Threshold Pressure Gradient
Authors: Yao Jun , Liu Wenchao , Chen Zhangxin
Published: December 2013

A numerical method is presented for the solution of a moving boundary problem of one-dimensional flow in semi-infinite long porous media with threshold pressure gradient (TPG) for the case of a constant flow rate at the inner boundary. In order to overcome the difficulty in the space discretization of the transient flow region with a moving boundary in the process of numerical solution, the system of partial differential equations for the moving boundary problem is first transformed equivalently into a closed system of partial differential equations with fixed boundary conditions by a spatial coordinate transformation method. Then a stable, fully implicit finite difference method is adopted to obtain its numerical solution. Finally, numerical results of transient distance of the moving boundary, transient production pressure of wellbore, and formation pressure distribution are compared graphically with those from a published exact analytical solution under different values of dimensionless TPG as calculated from actual experimental data. Comparison analysis shows that numerical solutions are in good agreement with the exact analytical solutions, and there is a big difference of model solutions between Darcy's flow and the fluid flow in porous media with TPG, especially for the case of a large dimensionless TPG.
Extracting Product Features and Opinion Words Using Pattern Knowledge in Customer Reviews
Authors: Htay Su Su , Lynn Khin Thidar
Published: December 2013

Due to the development of e‐commerce and web technology, most of online Merchant sites are able to write comments about purchasing products for customer. Customer reviews expressed opinion about products or services which are collectively referred to as customer feedback data. Opinion extraction about products from customer reviews is becoming an interesting area of research and it is motivated to develop an automatic opinion mining application for users. Therefore, efficient method and techniques are needed to extract opinions from reviews. In this paper, we proposed a novel idea to find opinion words or phrases for each feature from customer reviews in an efficient way. Our focus in this paper is to get the patterns of opinion words/phrases about the feature of product from the review text through adjective, adverb, verb, and noun. The extracted features and opinions are useful for generating a meaningful summary that can provide significant informative resource to help the user as well as merchants to track the most suitable choice of product.
Expression and Promoter Analysis of Six Heat Stress‐Inducible Genes in Rice
Authors: Rerksiri Wirat , Zhang Xianwen , Xiong Hairong , Chen Xinbo
Published: December 2013

During the long evolutionary process, plant gradually formed a series of strategies and mechanisms to cope with stress environment such as drought, heat, cold, and high salinity. Six highly heat responsive genes were identified in rice by microarray data analysis. The qRT‐PCR analysis confirmed that the expression of these six genes were highly heat inducible and moderately responded to salt stress, polyethylene glycol, and abscisic acid treatment, but little affected by cold treatment. Promoters of the three highly heat‐inducible genes (OsHsfB2cp, PM19p, and Hsp90p) were used to drive GUS gene expression in rice. The results of the GUS gene expression, histochemical staining, and GUS activities in panicles and flag leaves of the transgenic rice plants confirmed high heat‐induced GUS activities and moderate drought‐induced activities. The three promoters exhibited similar high activity lever in rice leaf under heat, but OsHsfB2cp and PM19p showed much higher activities in panicles under heat stress. Our work confirmed that the OsHsfB2c and PM19 promoters were highly heat inducible and further characterization and reconstruction of cis‐elements in their promoters could lead to the development of highly effective heat‐inducible promoters for plant genetic engineering.
Orthogonally Additive and Orthogonality Preserving Holomorphic Mappings between C*-Algebras
Authors: Garcés Jorge J. , Peralta Antonio M. , Puglisi Daniele , Ramírez María Isabel
Published: December 2013

We study holomorphic maps between C*-algebrasAandB, whenf:BA(0,ϱ)→Bis a holomorphic mapping whose Taylor series at zero is uniformly converging in some open unit ballU=BA(0,δ). If we assume thatfis orthogonality preserving and orthogonally additive onAsa∩Uandf(U)contains an invertible element inB, then there exist a sequence(hn)inB**and Jordan*-homomorphismsΘ,Θ~:M(A)→B**such thatf(x)=∑n=1∞hnΘ~(an)=∑n=1∞Θ(an)hnuniformly ina∈U. WhenBis abelian, the hypothesis ofBbeing unital andf(U)∩inv(B)≠∅can be relaxed to get the same statement.
Mizoguchi-Takahashi’s Fixed Point Theorem withα,ηFunctions
Authors: Ali Muhammad Usman , Kamran Tayyab , Sintunavarat Wutiphol , Katchang Phayap
Published: December 2013

We introduce the notion of generalizedα*-admissible mappings. By using this notion, we prove a fixed point theorem. Our result generalizes Mizoguchi-Takahashi’s fixed point theorem. We also provide some examples to show the generality of our work.
Methylcobalamin: A Potential Vitamin of Pain Killer
Authors: Zhang Ming , Han Wenjuan , Hu Sanjue , Xu Hui
Published: December 2013

Methylcobalamin (MeCbl), the activated form of vitamin B12, has been used to treat some nutritional diseases and other diseases in clinic, such as Alzheimer’s disease and rheumatoid arthritis. As an auxiliary agent, it exerts neuronal protection by promoting regeneration of injured nerves and antagonizing glutamate-induced neurotoxicity. Recently several lines of evidence demonstrated that MeCbl may have potential analgesic effects in experimental and clinical studies. For example, MeCbl alleviated pain behaviors in diabetic neuropathy, low back pain and neuralgia. MeCbl improved nerve conduction, promoted the regeneration of injured nerves, and inhibited ectopic spontaneous discharges of injured primary sensory neurons. This review aims to summarize the analgesic effect and mechanisms of MeCbl at the present.
Synthesis Characterization and Antimicrobial Activity Studies of Some Transition Metal Complexes Derived from 3‐Chloro‐N′‐[(1E)‐(2‐hydroxy phenyl)methylene]‐6‐methoxy‐1‐benzothiophene‐2‐carbohydrazide
Authors: Biradar Vivekanand D. , Mruthyunjayaswamy B. H. M.
Published: December 2013

A series of new coordination complexes of Cu(II), Co(II), Ni(II), Zn(II), Hg(II), Mn(II), and Fe(III) with the Schiff base 3‐chloro‐N′‐[(1E)‐(2‐hydroxy phenyl)methylene]‐6‐methoxy‐1‐benzothiophene‐2‐carbohydrazide (HL) have been synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, electrical conductivity measurements, IR spectra, 1H NMR, mass spectral data, electronic spectra, magnetic susceptibility, ESR spectra, TGA, and Powder XRD data. The Schiff base behaves as tridentate ONO donor ligand and forms the complexes of the type ML2 (metal‐ligand) stoichiometry for Cu(II), Co(II), Ni(II), and Mn(II) complexes and ML stoichiometry for Zn(II), Hg(II), and Fe(III) complexes. All the complexes are colored and nonelectrolytes. It is found that Cu(II), Co(II), Ni(II), Mn(II) and Fe(III) complexes have exhibited octahedral geometry whereas Zn(II) and Hg(II) complexes exhibited tetrahedral geometry. The ligand and its metal complexes have been screened for their antibacterial activity against E. coli and S. aureus and antifungal activity against A. niger and A. flavus.
Resource Allocation for Vertical Sectorization in LTE-Advanced Systems
Authors: Song Lei , Peng Mugen , Li Yan
Published: December 2013

Massive multiple input multiple output (MIMO) technology has been discussed widely in the past few years. Three-dimensional MIMO (3D MIMO) can be seen as a promising technique to realize massive MIMO to enhance the performance of LTE-Advanced systems. Vertical sectorization can be introduced by means of adjusting the downtilt of transmitting antennas. Thus, the radiowave from a base station (BS) to a group of user equipments (UE) can be divided into two beams which point at two different areas within a cell. Intrasector interference is inevitable since the resources are overlapped. In this paper, the influence of intrasector interference is analyzed and an enhanced resource allocation scheme for vertical sectorization is proposed as a method of interference cancellation. Compared with the conventional 2D MIMO scenarios, cell average throughput of the whole system can be improved by vertical sectorization. System level simulation is performed to evaluate the performance of the proposed scheme. In addition, the impacts of downtilt parameters and intersite distance (ISD) on spectral efficiency and cell coverage are presented.
An Evil Backstage Manipulator: Psychological Factors Correlated with Health‐Related Quality of Life in Chinese Patients with Crohn’s Disease
Authors: Liu Song , Ren Jianan , Hong Zhiwu , Li Xiaoting , Yao Min , Yan Dongsheng , Ren Huajian , Wu Xiuwen , Wang Gefei , Gu Guosheng , Xia Qiuyuan , Han Gang , Li Jieshou
Published: December 2013

Health‐related quality of life (HRQoL) is recommended as one of essential parameters to evaluate treatment effect and clinical outcome in patients with Crohn’s disease (CD). Recent studies reported that psychological factors might play a role in HRQoL in Western and American CD patients. Sufficient evidences in Chinese CD patients are still unavailable. This study is dedicated to investigate the correlation of various psychological factors with HRQoL in Chinese CD patients. We prospectively collected 40 active and 40 quiescent CD patients in China and found that psychological factors, especially neuroticism and anxiety, significantly correlate with and affect HRQoL in both active and quiescent CD groups. This is the first report revealing correlation between psychological factors and HRQoL in Chinese CD patients. Therefore, we assume that our results can contribute to a better understanding of etiology and tailoring of management in Chinese patients with Crohn’s disease and are beneficial to our colleagues to compare the heterogeneous characteristics of Crohn’s disease in different ethnic groups.
The Ornstein-Uhlenbeck-Type Model with a Hybrid Dividend Strategy
Authors: Zhu Dan , Yin Chuancun
Published: December 2013

We consider the Ornstein-Uhlenbeck-type model. We first introduce the model and then find the ordinary differential equations and boundary conditions satisfied by the dividend functions; closed-form solutions for the dividend value functions are given. We also study the distribution of the time value of ruin. Furthermore, the moments and moment-generating functions of total discounted dividends until ruin are discussed.
SDMA-Based Aeronautical Machine-to-Machine Communications under SINR Constraints
Authors: Xie Jindong , Bai Lin , Zhang Jun , Zhang Tao
Published: December 2013

In order to achieve an efficient usage on a limited spectrum for aeronautical machine-to-machine (M2M) communications, in this paper, a space division multiple access- (SDMA-) based architecture is proposed, where the random access of short messages noisy (SMN) M2M communications is considered between autopilot systems onboard and the ground control center for the air traffic precise control, that is, full 4-dimensional trajectory management. It shows that using a zero-forcing beamforming combined with a low complexity aircraft grouping strategy, the SDMA-based mechanism is able to improve the spectrum efficiency under signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR) constraints.
A Note on Scalar-Valued Gap Functions for Generalized Vector Variational Inequalities
Authors: Sun Xiang-Kai , Fu Hong-Yong , Chai Yi
Published: December 2013

This paper is concerned with gap functions of generalized vector variational inequalities (GVVI). By using scalarization approach, scalar-valued variational inequalities of (GVVI) are introduced. Some relationships between the solutions of (GVVI) and its scalarized versions are established. Then, by using these relationships and some mild conditions, scalar-valued gap functions for (GVVI) are established.
Clinical Features of Bell’s Palsy in Children and Outcomes of Physical Therapy: A Retrospective Study
Authors: Cubukcu Duygu , Yilmaz Unsal , Alkan Hakan , Metinkisi Ferda , Ozcan Muazzez
Published: December 2013

The aim of this study was to describe clinical features of Bell’s palsy (BP) in children and outcomes of physical therapy interventions. Medical records of 186 patients with diagnosis of BP were reviewed. The severity of facial nerve dysfunction was graded according to House Brackmann Facial Nerve Grading Scale (HB FGS). After one month, patients who had HB FGS grade three or more were included in a physical therapy programme consisting of superficial heat, massage, exercises, and electrical stimulation. Among 186 children with BP, 167 children had a severity of HB FGS grade three or more and 19 had the incomplete type at the time of the diagnosis. After one month follow-up, 144 patients fully recovered, 35 patients recovered partially, while 7 patients had no recovery. Patients who had not fully recovered one month after onset of paralysis were included in the physical therapy programme. There was statistically significant difference between pretreatment and posttreatment HB FGS scores in patients who had not fully recovered one month after onset of paralysis. We concluded that the prognosis of BP in children seems to be good with higher recovery rate and physical therapy programme might be an effective method to facilitate recovery in patients with poor prognosis.
Fluorescent Silica Nanoparticles in the Detection and Control of the Growth of Pathogen
Authors: Chitra Kethirabalan , Annadurai Gurusamy
Published: December 2013

In this present study the bioconjugated fluorescent silica nanoparticles give an efficient fluorescent-based immunoassay for the detection of pathogen. The synthesized silica nanoparticles were polydispersed and the size of the silica nanoparticles was in the range of 114–164 nm. The energy dispersive X-ray spectrophotometer showed the presence of silica at 1.8 kev and the selected area diffractometer showed amorphous nature of silica nanoparticles. The FTIR spectrum confirmed the attachment of dye and carboxyl group onto the silica nanoparticles surface. The fluorescent silica nanoparticles showed highly efficient fluorescence and the fluorescent emission of silica nanoparticles occurred at 536 nm. The SEM image showed the aggregation of nanoparticles and bacteria. The growth of the pathogenicE. coliwas controlled using silica nanoparticles; therefore silica nanoparticles could be used in food packaging material, biomedical material, and so forth. This work provides a rapid, simple, and accurate method for the detection of pathogen using fluorescent-based immunoassay.
The GenusSpilanthesEthnopharmacology, Phytochemistry, and Pharmacological Properties: A Review
Authors: Paulraj Jayaraj , Govindarajan Raghavan , Palpu Pushpangadan
Published: December 2013

Spilanthesspp. are popular, over-the-counter remedies; they are sold over the internet under various names and are widely used in traditional medicine in various cultures. This review will summarize the important reports on the ethnopharmacology, botany, phytochemistry, and pharmacological properties as described in the literature from recent years (1920 to 2013).Spilanthesspp. are used for more than 60 types of disorders. They are reported to contain a number of biologically active phytochemicals, although a large number of ethnopharmacological uses have been documented; only a few of these species have been investigated for their chemical and biological activities. The studies are carried out mainly onSpilanthesextracts and a few metabolites substantiate the uses of these plants in traditional medicine. Well-conducted pharmacological studies are still needed for several traditional indications, and the mechanisms of action by which the plant extracts and the active compounds exert their pharmacological effects remain to be studied. They are predominantly used as extracts in personal care products, traditional medicines, and the pharmaceutical and culinary areas. Suggestions are made regarding some of the possible mechanisms of action as to how the known compounds may exert their biological activity.
The Influence of Negative Emotion on the Simon Effect as Reflected by P300
Authors: Ma Qingguo , Shang Qian
Published: December 2013

The Simon effect refers to the phenomenon that reaction time (RT) is faster when stimulus and response location are congruent than when they are not. This study used the priming‐target paradigm to explore the influence of induced negative emotion on the Simon effect with event‐related potential techniques (ERPs). The priming stimuli were composed of two kinds of pictures, the negative and neutral pictures, selected from the International Affective Picture System (IAPS). The target stimuli included chessboards of two color types. One was red and black the other one was green and black. Each chessboard was presented on the left or the right of the screen. The participants were asked to press the response keys according to the colors of the chessboards. It was called the congruent condition if the chessboard and the response key were on the same side, otherwise incongruent condition. In this study, the emotion‐priming Simon effect was found in terms of RT and P300. Negative emotion compared with neutral emotion significantly enhanced the Simon effect in the cognitive process, reflected by a larger difference of P300 latency between the incongruent and congruent trials. The results suggest that the induced negative emotion influenced the Simon effect at the late stage of the cognitive process, and the P300 latency could be considered as the reference measure. These findings may be beneficial to researches in psychology and industrial engineering in the future.
Partner Selection in a Virtual Enterprise: A Group Multiattribute Decision Model with Weighted Possibilistic Mean Values
Authors: Ye Fei , Lin Qiang
Published: December 2013

This paper proposes an extended technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) for partner selection in a virtual enterprise (VE). The imprecise and fuzzy information of the partner candidate and the risk preferences of decision makers are both considered in the group multiattribute decision-making model. The weighted possibilistic mean values are used to handle triangular fuzzy numbers in the fuzzy environment. A ranking procedure for partner candidates is developed to help decision makers with varying risk preferences select the most suitable partners. Numerical examples are presented to reflect the feasibility and efficiency of the proposed TOPSIS. Results show that the varying risk preferences of decision makers play a significant role in the partner selection process in VE under a fuzzy environment.
Assessment of Sexual and Reproductive Health Status of Street Children in Addis Ababa
Authors: Habtamu Demelash , Adamu Addisie
Published: December 2013

Street children worldwide do not have the information, skills, health services, and support they need to go through sexual development during adolescence. This study is undertaken to systematically investigate the fit between street children’s sexual and reproductive health needs and the existing services. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 422 street children and four service providers. About 72.5% of the respondents were sexually active during data collection and 84.3% of males and 85.7% of females tended to have multiple sexual partners. More than two-thirds (67.3%) of the participants had used at least one type of substance. History of substance use (OR = 2.5; 95% CI = 1.42–4.56) and being on the street for the first one to three years (OR = 5.9; 95% CI = 1.41–7.22) increased the likelihood of having sexual activity. More than half (64.9%) of the street children did not attend any kind of sexual or reproductive health education programs. Lack of information on available services (26.5%) was the biggest barrier for utilization of local sexual and reproductive health services. From the individual interview with coordinator, the financial and networking problems were hindering the service delivery for street children. In conclusion, street children who are special high risk group have not been targeted and hence continue to remain vulnerable and lacking in sexual and reproductive health services and sexual health services are poorly advertised and delivered to them.
IL-21 Modulates Release of Proinflammatory Cytokines in LPS-Stimulated Macrophages through Distinct Signaling Pathways
Authors: Li Su-nan , Wang Wei , Fu Shou-peng , Wang Jian-fa , Liu Hong-mei , Xie Shan-shan , Liu Bing-run , Li Yang , Lv Qing-kang , Li Zhi-qiang , Xue Wen-jing , Huang Bing-xu , Chen Wei , Liu Ju-xiong
Published: December 2013

The aim of this study was to investigate the anti-inflammatory effect of IL-21 on LPS-induced mouse peritoneal macrophages. The results showed that IL-21 significantly inhibited LPS-induced mRNA expression of IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-6 in macrophages, but not of IFN-γ, IL-10, CCL5, or CXCL2. ELISA analysis showed that IL-21 also suppressed LPS-induced production of TNF-αand IL-6 in culture supernatants. Western blot analysis showed that IL-21 clearly inhibited ERK and IκBαphosphorylation and NF-κB translocation in LPS-stimulated macrophages, but it increased STAT3 phosphorylation. Flow cytometric and Western blot analysis showed that IL-21 decreased M1 macrophages surface markers expression of CD86, iNOS, and TLR4 in LPS-stimulated cells. All results suggested that IL-21 decreases IL-6 and TNF-αproduction via inhibiting the phosphorylation of ERK and translocation of NF-κB and promotes a shift from the M1 to M2 macrophage phenotype by decreasing the expression of CD86, iNOS, and TLR4 and by increasing STAT3 phosphorylation in LPS-stimulated cells.
An Adaptive Particle Swarm Optimization Algorithm for Distributed Search and Collective Cleanup in Complex Environment
Authors: Cai Yi , Chen Zhutian , Li Jun , Li Qing , Min Huaqing
Published: December 2013

Distributed coordination is critical for a multirobot system in collective cleanup task under a dynamic environment. In traditional methods, robots easily drop into premature convergence. In this paper, we propose a Swarm Intelligence based algorithm to reduce the expectation time for searching targets and removing. We modify the traditional PSO algorithm with a random factor to tackle premature convergence problem, and it can achieve a significant improvement in multi-robot system. It performs well even in a obstacle environment. The proposed method has been implemented on self-developed simulator for searching task. The simulation results demonstrate the feasibility, robustness, and scalability of our proposed method compared to previous methods.
Effects of Rotation and Gravity Field on Surface Waves in Fibre-Reinforced Thermoelastic Media under Four Theories
Authors: Abd-Alla A. M. , Abo-Dahab S. M. , Al-Mullise A.
Published: December 2013

Estimation is done to investigate the gravitational and rotational parameters effects on surface waves in fibre-reinforced thermoelastic media. The theory of generalized surface waves has been firstly developed and then it has been employed to investigate particular cases of waves, namely, Stoneley waves, Rayleigh waves, and Love waves. The analytical expressions for surface waves velocity and attenuation coefficient are obtained in the physical domain by using the harmonic vibrations and four thermoelastic theories. The wave velocity equations have been obtained in different cases. The numerical results are given for equation of coupled thermoelastic theory (C-T), Lord-Shulman theory (L-S), Green-Lindsay theory (G-L), and the linearized (G-N) theory of type II. Comparison was made with the results obtained in the presence and absence of gravity, rotation, and parameters for fibre-reinforced of the material media. The results obtained are displayed by graphs to clear the phenomena physical meaning. The results indicate that the effect of gravity, rotation, relaxation times, and parameters of fibre-reinforced of the material medium is very pronounced.
Compact and Wideband Parallel-Strip 180° Hybrid Coupler with Arbitrary Power Division Ratios
Authors: Chiu Leung , Xue Quan
Published: December 2013

This paper presents a class of wideband 180° hybrid (rat race) couplers implemented by parallel-strip line. By replacing the 270° arm of a conventional 180° hybrid coupler by a 90° arm with phase inverter, the bandwidth of the coupler is greatly enhanced and the total circuit size is reduced by almost half. Simple design formulas relating the characteristic impedance of the arms and power division ration are derived. To demonstrate the concept, four couplers with different power division ratios of 1, 2, 4, and 8 were designed, fabricated, and tested. S-parameters of the coupler are simulated and measured with good agreement. All working prototypes operate more than 112% impedance bandwidth with more than 25 dB port-to-port isolation and less than 5° absolute phase imbalance. The proposed 180° hybrid couplers can be employed as a wideband in-phase/differential power divider/combiner, which are essential for many RF and microwave subsystem designs.
Intravenous Transplantation of Mesenchymal Stromal Cells to Enhance Peripheral Nerve Regeneration
Authors: Matthes Stella M. , Reimers Kerstin , Janssen Insa , Liebsch Christina , Kocsis Jeffery D. , Vogt Peter M. , Radtke Christine
Published: December 2013

Peripheral nerve injury is a common and devastating complication after trauma and can cause irreversible impairment or even complete functional loss of the affected limb. While peripheral nerve repair results in some axonal regeneration and functional recovery, the clinical outcome is not optimal and research continues to optimize functional recovery after nerve repair. Cell transplantation approaches are being used experimentally to enhance regeneration. Intravenous infusion of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) into spinal cord injury and stroke was shown to improve functional outcome. However, the repair potential of intravenously transplanted MSCs in peripheral nerve injury has not been addressed yet. Here we describe the impact of intravenously infused MSCs on functional outcome in a peripheral nerve injury model. Rat sciatic nerves were transected followed, by intravenous MSCs transplantation. Footprint analysis was carried out and 21 days after transplantation, the nerves were removed for histology. Labelled MSCs were found in the sciatic nerve lesion site after intravenous injection and regeneration was improved. Intravenously infused MSCs after acute peripheral nerve target the lesion site and survive within the nerve and the MSC treated group showed greater functional improvement. The results of study suggest that nerve repair with cell transplantation could lead to greater functional outcome.
The Generalization Error Bound for the Multiclass Analytical Center Classifier
Authors: Fanzi Zeng , Xiaolong Ma
Published: December 2013

This paper presents the multiclass classifier based on analytical center of feasible space (MACM). This multiclass classifier is formulated as quadratic constrained linear optimization and does not need repeatedly constructing classifiers to separate a single class from all the others. Its generalization error upper bound is proved theoretically. The experiments on benchmark datasets validate the generalization performance of MACM.
Differences in Selected Health Traits between Occupational Groups among Oraons of Jalpaiguri District, West Bengal
Authors: Roy Subrata K. , Kundu Chowdhury Tanaya
Published: December 2013

Occupational health deals with diseases or injuries caused due to work. Different types of work cause different types of ill-effect on health and may cause changes in health traits; empirical studies on the issues are scanty. The present study aims to investigate the differences in selected health traits between two occupational groups of the same ethnic origin. Cross-sectional data collected on 357 adult Oraon labourers engaged in two different occupations, namely, agriculture and brickfield in Jalpaiguri district, West Bengal, of which are 62 male and 43 female agricultural labourers and 136 male and 116 female brickfield labourers. Data consists of anthropometric measurements, blood pressure, and haemoglobin traits. Health status assessed in terms of BMI, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and haemoglobin level following standard cut-off values. Mean values of both the occupational groups show similar trends in case of selected anthropometric and health traits. Individuals are ecto-mesomorphic irrespective of sex and occupation. Majority of individuals of either sex of both the occupational groups are underweight but hypertensive. In anthropological data, the trend of mean values is important than mere statistical significance. Data indicates that both the occupational groups have similar health condition, maybe due to their heavy manual activity.
Characteristics and Results of the Treatment of Multiple Myeloma in the Subject under the Age of 65 at the University Hospital of Yopougon in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
Authors: Tolo Diebkilé Aïssata , Sawadogo Duni , Nanho Danho Clotaire , Kouakou Boidy , Méité N’Dogomo , Ayémou Roméo , Kouéhion Paul , Konan Mozart , Sékongo Yassongui Mamadou , N’Dhatz Emeraude , Kamara Ismaël , Silué Alexis , Koffi Kouassi Gustave , Sanogo Ibrahima
Published: December 2013

We retrospectively studied 30 cases of multiple myeloma in patients under the age of 65, diagnosed from 1991 to 2005 in the clinical hematology department of the University Hospital of Yopougon that is a hospital incidence of 2.9 cases/year. The age of patients ranged from 34 to 64 years, with a mean age of 49 years and a sex ratio of 1.73. The professional activity was variable with 3% of radiographers and 10% of farmers. Clinically, the dominant sign was bone pain in 83% of cases. Myeloma was secretory in 93% of cases. It was Ig G-type in 86%, kappa-type in 66% of cases. 86% of patients were anemic, 20% had creatinine >20 mg/L, and 10% had serum calcium >120 mg/L. Geodes were found in 80% of cases. 53% were at stage III of DURIE and SALMON. Complications were infectious (33%), renal (20%), and hemorrhagic (7%). Chemotherapy regimens were VAD (10%), VMCP (30%), and VMCP/VBAP (60%) with 47% of partial responses, 33% of stable disease, and 7% of very good quality partial responses. The outcome developed towards death in 37% and causes of death were renal in 46% of cases. The median survival was only 5.1 months.
Event-Based Control for Average Consensus of Wireless Sensor Networks with Stochastic Communication Noises
Authors: Ji Chuan , Zhou Wuneng , Liu Huashan
Published: December 2013

This paper focuses on the average consensus problem for the wireless sensor networks (WSNs) with fixed and Markovian switching, undirected and connected network topologies in the noise environment. Event-based protocol is applied to each sensor node to reach the consensus. An event triggering strategy is designed based on a Lyapunov function. Under the event trigger condition, some sufficient conditions for average consensus in mean square are obtained. Finally, some numerical simulations are given to illustrate the effectiveness of the results derived in this paper.
Multiple Sclerosis in Malaysia: Demographics, Clinical Features, and Neuroimaging Characteristics
Authors: Viswanathan S. , Rose N. , Masita A. , Dhaliwal J. S. , Puvanarajah S. D. , Rafia M. H. , Muda S.
Published: December 2013

Background. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an uncommon disease in multiracial Malaysia. Diagnosing patients with idiopathic inflammatory demyelinating diseases has been greatly aided by the evolution in diagnostic criterion, the identification of new biomarkers, and improved accessibility to neuroimaging in the country.Objectives. To investigate the spectrum of multiple sclerosis in Malaysia.Methods. Retrospective analysis with longitudinal follow-up of patients referred to a single tertiary medical center with neurology services in Malaysia.Results. Out of 245 patients with idiopathic inflammatory demyelinating disease, 104 patients had multiple sclerosis. Female to male ratio was 5 : 1. Mean age at onset was 28.6 ± 9.9 years. The Malays were the predominant racial group affected followed by the Chinese, Indians, and other indigenous groups. Subgroup analysis revealed more Chinese having neuromyelitis optica and its spectrum disorders rather than multiple sclerosis. Positive family history was reported in 5%. Optic neuritis and myelitis were the commonest presentations at onset of disease, and relapsing remitting course was the commonest disease pattern observed. Oligoclonal band positivity was 57.6%. At disease onset, 61.5% and 66.4% fulfilled the 2005 and 2010 McDonald’s criteria for dissemination in space. Mean cord lesion length was 1.86 ± 1.65 vertebral segments in the relapsing remitting group as opposed to 6.25 ± 5.18 vertebral segments in patients with neuromyelitis optica and its spectrum disorders.Conclusion. The spectrum of multiple sclerosis in Malaysia has changed over the years. Further advancement in diagnostic criteria will no doubt continue to contribute to the evolution of this disease here.
A Framework for Sustainable Implementation of E-Medicine in Transitioning Countries
Authors: Isabalija Stephen Robert , Mbarika Victor , Kituyi Geoffrey Mayoka
Published: December 2013

Organizations in developed countries such as the United States of America and Canada face difficulties and challenges in technology transfer from one organization to another; the complexity of problems easily compounds when such transfers are attempted from developed to developing countries due to differing socioeconomic and cultural environments. There is a gap in the formation of research and education programs to address technology transfer issues that go beyond just transferring the technologies to sustaining such transfers for longer periods. This study examined telemedicine transfer challenges in three Sub-Sahara African countries and developed a framework for sustainable implementation of e-medicine. Both quantitative and qualitative research methods were used. The study findings indicate that e-medicine sustainability in Sub-Saharan Africa is affected by institutional factors such as institutional environment and knowledge management practices; technical factors such as the technological environment and technology transfer project environment; social environmental factors such as social environment and donor involvement. These factors were used to model the proposed framework.
A Reverse Analytic Inequality for the Elementary Symmetric Function with Applications
Authors: Shi Huan-Nan , Zhang Jing
Published: December 2013

We give a reverse inequality involving the elementary symmetric function by use of the Schur harmonic convexity theory. As applications, several new analytic inequalities for then-dimensional simplex are established.
Comparative Study of Understorey Birds Diversity Inhabiting Lowland Rainforest Virgin Jungle Reserve and Regenerated Forest
Authors: Nor Hashim Ezyan , Ramli Rosli
Published: December 2013

A comparative study of understorey birds inhabiting different habitats, that is, virgin jungle reserve (VJR) and regenerated forest (RF), was conducted in Ulu Gombak Forest Reserve and Selangor and Triang Forest Reserve, Negeri Sembilan, Peninsular Malaysia. The objective of this study was to assess the diversity of understorey birds in both habitats and the effects of forest regeneration on the understorey bird community. The mist‐netting method was used to capture understorey birds inhabiting both habitats in both locations. Species composition and feeding guild indicated that understorey bird populations were similar in the two habitats. However, the number of secondary forest species such as Little spiderhunter (Arachnothera longirostra) in VJR is increasing due to its proximity to RF. This study discovered that RFs in both study areas are not yet fully recovered. However, based on the range of species discovered, the RFs have conservation value and should be maintained because they harbour important forest species such as babblers and flycatchers. The assessment of the community structure of understorey birds in VJR and RF is important for forest management and conservation, especially where both habitats are intact.
Exact Solution for Long-Term Size Exclusion Suspension-Colloidal Transport in Porous Media
Authors: You Z. , Bedrikovetsky P. , Kuzmina L.
Published: December 2013

Long-term deep bed filtration in porous media with size exclusion particle capture mechanism is studied. For monodispersed suspension and transport in porous media with distributed pore sizes, the microstochastic model allows for upscaling and the exact solution is derived for the obtained macroscale equation system. Results show that transient pore size distribution and nonlinear relation between the filtration coefficient and captured particle concentration during suspension filtration and retention are the main features of long-term deep bed filtration, which generalises the classical deep bed filtration model and its latter modifications. Furthermore, the exact solution demonstrates earlier breakthrough and lower breakthrough concentration for larger particles. Among all the pores with different sizes, the ones with intermediate sizes (between the minimum pore size and the particle size) vanish first. Total concentration of all the pores smaller than the particles turns to zero asymptotically when time tends to infinity, which corresponds to complete plugging of smaller pores.
New Urea and Thiourea Derivatives of Piperazine Doped with Febuxostat: Synthesis and Evaluation of Anti‐TMV and Antimicrobial Activities
Authors: Krishna Reddy Reddivari Chenna , Rasheed Syed , Subba Rao Devineni , Adam Shaik , Venkata Rami Reddy Yellala , Raju Chamarthi Naga
Published: December 2013

A series of new 4‐(5‐(3‐cyano‐4‐isobutoxyphenyl)‐4‐methylthiazole‐2‐carbonyl)‐N‐(substituted phenyl)piperazine‐1‐carboxamides 8(a–e)/carbothioamides 8(f–j) were accomplished for biological interest by the simple addition of active functionalized arylisocyanates 7(a–e)/arylisothiocyanates 7(f–j) with 2‐isobutoxy‐5‐(4‐methyl‐2‐(piperazine‐1‐carbonyl)thiazol‐5‐yl)benzonitrile (4). Compound 4 was synthesized in high yields (94%) by the condensation reaction of febuxostat (1) with piperazine using a selective reagent such as propylphosphonic anhydride (T3P). Antiviral activity against Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) and antimicrobial activity of the synthesized compounds were evaluated. Biological data revealed that 4‐nitrophenyl substituted urea 8d, and 3‐bromophenyl substituted thiourea 8f exhibited promising antiviral activities. Moreover, 4‐fluorophenyl substituted urea 8a, 4‐nitrophenyl substituted urea 8d, 3‐bromophenyl substituted thiourea 8f, and 2,4‐dichlorophenyl substituted thiourea 8j exhibited potent antimicrobial activity.
Image Retrieval Based on Fractal Dictionary Parameters
Authors: Sun Yuanyuan , Xu Rudan , Chen Lina , Hu Xiaopeng
Published: December 2013

Content-based image retrieval is a branch of computer vision. It is important for efficient management of a visual database. In most cases, image retrieval is based on image compression. In this paper, we use a fractal dictionary to encode images. Based on this technique, we propose a set of statistical indices for efficient image retrieval. Experimental results on a database of 416 texture images indicate that the proposed method provides a competitive retrieval rate, compared to the existing methods.
Protective Effects ofLycium barbarumPolysaccharides on Testis Spermatogenic Injury Induced by Bisphenol A in Mice
Authors: Zhang Caili , Wang Anzhong , Sun Xiaona , Li Xiaocai , Zhao Xinghua , Li Shuang , Ma Aituan
Published: December 2013

To observe the effects ofLycium barbarumpolysaccharides (LBP) on testis spermatogenic injuries induced by Bisphenol A (BPA) in mice. BPA was subcutaneously injected into mice at a dose of 20 mg/kg body weight (BW) for 7 consecutive days. LBP was administered simultaneously with BPA by gavage daily at the dose of 50, 100, and 200 mg/kg BW for 7 days. After treatment, the weight and the histopathology changes of testis and epididymis were examined; the contents of T, LH, GnRH, antioxidant enzyme, and malondialdehyde (MDA) in serum were detected; proapoptotic protein Bax and antiapoptotic protein Bcl-2 were also detected by immunohistochemical method. Results showed that the weights of testis and epididymis were all increased after supplement with different dosages of LBP compared with BPA group, and the activities of SOD and GSH-Px were significantly increased in LBP groups, while MDA contents were gradually decreased. Moreover, the levels of T, LH, and GnRH were significantly elevated in serum treated with 100 mg/kg LBP. LBP also shows significant positive effects on the expression of Bcl-2/Bax in BPA treated mice. It is concluded that LBP may be one of the potential ingredients protecting the adult male animals from BPA induced reproductive damage.