bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Futile inter-hospital transfer for mechanical thrombectomy in a semi-rural context: analysis of a 6-year prospective registry
Authors: Sablot Denis , Dumitrana Adrian , Leibinger Franck , Khlifa Khaled , Fadat Bénédicte , Farouil Geoffroy , Allou Thibaut , Coll Francis , Mas Julie , Smadja Philippe , Ferraro-Allou Adelaïde , Mourand Isabelle , Dutray Anaïs , Tardieu Maxime , Jurici Snejana , Bonnec Jean-Marie , Olivier Nadège , Cardini Sandra , Damon Frédérique , Van Damme Laurène , Aptel Sabine , Gaillard Nicolas , Marquez Ana-Maria , Nguyen Them Ludovic , Ibanez Majo , Arquizan Caroline , Costalat Vincent , Bonafe Alain
Published: October 2018

Background and purpose

Inter-hospital transfer for mechanical thrombectomy (MT) might result in the transfer of patients who finally will not undergo MT (ie, futile transfers [FT]). This study evaluated FT frequency in a primary stroke center (PSC) in a semi-rural area and at 156 km from the comprehensive stroke center (CSC).

Methodology

Retrospective analysis of data collected in a 6-year prospective registry concerning patients admitted to our PSC within 4.5 hours of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) symptom onset, with MR angiography indicating the presence of large vessel occlusion (LVO) without large cerebral infarction (DWI-ASPECT ≥5), and selected for transfer to the CSC to undergo MT. Futile transfer rate and reasons were determined, and the relevant time measures recorded.

Results

Among the 529 patients screened for MT, 278 (52.6%) were transferred to the CSC. Futile transfer rate was 45% (n=125/278) and the three main reasons for FT were: clinical improvement and reperfusion on MRI on arrival at the CSC (58.4% of FT); clinical worsening and/or infarct growth (16.8%); and longer than expected inter-hospital transfer time (11.2%). Predictive factors of FT due to clinical improvement/reperfusion on MRI could not be identified. Baseline higher NIHSS (21 vs 17; P=0.01) and lower DWI-ASPECT score (5 vs 7; P=0.001) were associated with FT due to clinical worsening/infarct growth on MRI.

Conclusions

In our setting, 45% of transfers for MT were futile. None of the baseline factors could predict FT, but the initial symptom severity was associated with FT caused byclinical worsening/infarct growth.
Mitral valve and left ventricular features in malignant mitral valve prolapse
Authors: Garbi Madalina , Lancellotti Patrizio , Sheppard Mary N
Published: October 2018

Objective

Mitral valve prolapse is a benign condition, however with occasional reports of sudden cardiac death or out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in the absence of severe mitral regurgitation or coronary artery disease, suggesting the existence of a malignant form. The objective of our study was to contribute to the characterisation of malignant mitral valve prolapse.

Methods

We performed a retrospective analysis of pathology findings in 68 consecutive cases of sudden cardiac death with mitral valve prolapse as lone abnormal finding, reported as cause of death.

Results

All mitral valve prolapse sudden death cases had mitral valve characteristics of Barlow disease, with extensive bileaflet multisegmental prolapse and dilatation of the annulus. The majority of cases (80.9%) had microscopic left ventricular fibrosis with associated hypertrophy and degenerative features of the myocytes, and some cases (10.9%) had right ventricular fibrosis as well.

Conclusions

Malignant mitral valve prolapse is Barlow disease. Sudden cardiac death in mitral valve prolapse is due to Barlow disease, which besides the typical mitral valve degeneration may comprise a distinct Barlow disease cardiomyopathy, as suggested by myocyte degeneration and bi-ventricular involvement.
Mindset and its relationship to anxiety in clinical veterinary students
Authors: Bostock Rebecca , Kinnison Tierney , May Stephen A
Published: October 2018

This study investigated anxiety, one aspect of mental wellbeing, in fourth year veterinary students before the final clinical section of their course (intramural rotations (IMR)). It explored the relationship between reported anxiety and ‘mindset’: an individual's view on the ability to develop (eg, improve intelligence). Questionnaires were completed by 130 students. Students were mindset typed for ability and personality and rated their anxiety towards IMR. Students with different overall mindsets (‘strong growth’, ‘growth’ and ‘fixed’) were invited to participate in focus groups, to discuss causes of their anxieties. Quantitative results indicated 63.1 per cent of students had strong growth or growth mindsets overall, and that females were more fixed mindset‐oriented than males. Females reported significantly greater anxiety than males. A fixed mindset view overall, and of ability, were significantly correlated with increased anxiety, while mindset view of personality was not. Students provided various reasons for their anxieties, which differed with mindset. Fixed mindset students (n=2) focused on concerns about knowledge, whereas growth students (n=6) were also anxious about work‐life balance and future work. Growth students saw clinicians as future colleagues, rather than intimidating teachers. Students reported an awareness of being graded, although growth students were aware that IMR are learning opportunities.
Effects of nucleotide supplementation on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, and immune blood profiles related to foot-and-mouth disease in vaccinated growing pigs
Authors: Jiao Yang , Kim In Ho
Published: October 2018

A 6 wk trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of nucleotide supplementation in improving performance, nutrient digestibility, and immune blood profiles so as to reduce foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccine stress in growing pigs. A total of 120 growing pigs [(Yorkshire × Landrace) × Duroc] with an average body weight (BW) of 25.76 ± 1.83 kg were used. Pigs were allocated to one of three treatments (eight pens per treatment; three barrows and two gilts per pen) based on BW and sex. Pigs were injected with FMD vaccine at 84 d of age (2 wk after experiment started). Dietary treatments consisted of (1) CON: corn–soybean-meal-based diet, (2) NUC1: CON + 0.5% nucleotide, and (3) NUC2: CON + 1.0% nucleotide. In the current study, the growth performance of gain:feed ratio (G:F), the apparent total tract digestibility of dry matter and nitrogen was linearly (P < 0.05) increased with the increasing level of nucleotide. After injection, the concentration of cortisol and epinephrine was decreased (P < 0.05) linearly in nucleotide treatments. In conclusion, nucleotide supplementation to FMD vaccinated pigs showed positive effects on improving performance, immune system health, and reducing vaccine stress in growing pigs.
Cardioprotective effects of CYP-derived epoxy metabolites of docosahexaenoic acid involve limiting NLRP3 inflammasome activation
Authors: Darwesh Ahmed M. , Jamieson K. Lockhart , Wang Chuying , Samokhvalov Victor , Seubert John M.
Published: October 2018

Impaired mitochondrial function and activation of NLRP3 inflammasome cascade has a significant role in the pathogenesis of myocardial ischemia–reperfusion (IR) injury. The current study investigated whether eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), or their corresponding CYP epoxygenase metabolites 17,18-epoxyeicosatetraenoic acid (17,18-EEQ) and 19,20-epoxydocosapentaenoic acid (19,20-EDP) protect against IR injury. Isolated mouse hearts were perfused in the Langendorff mode with vehicle, DHA, 19,20-EDP, EPA, or 17,18-EEQ and subjected to 30 min of ischemia and followed by 40 min of reperfusion. In contrast with EPA and 17,18-EEQ, DHA and 19,20-EDP exerted cardioprotection, as shown by a significant improvement in postischemic functional recovery associated with significant attenuation of NLRP3 inflammasome complex activation and preserved mitochondrial function. Hearts perfused with DHA or 19,20-EDP displayed a marked reduction in localization of mitochondrial Drp-1 and Mfn-2 as well as maintained Opa-1 levels. DHA and 19,20-EDP preserved the activities of both the cytosolic Trx-1 and mitochondrial Trx-2. DHA cardioprotective effect was attenuated by the CYP epoxygenase inhibitor N-(methysulfonyl)-2-(2-propynyloxy)-benzenehexanamide. In conclusion, our data indicate a differential cardioprotective response between DHA, EPA, and their active metabolites toward IR injury. Interestingly, 19,20-EDP provided the best protection against IR injury via maintaining mitochondrial function and thereby reducing the detrimental NLRP3 inflammasome responses.
Structural and thermal analysis of BaFe11.9Ga0.1O19 and BaFe11.7Ga0.3O19
Authors: Jabarov Sakin H.
Published: October 2018

Crystal structure and thermophysical properties of BaFe[Formula: see text]Ga[Formula: see text]O[Formula: see text] solid solutions have been studied by X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetry and differential scanning calarimetry methods. It is determined that these compounds have characteristic transitions at 72[Formula: see text]C and 85[Formula: see text]C temperatures. From the spectra of the TG and DTG loss of mass and energy are determined in the temperature range of 30–950[Formula: see text]C. At the temperature of T [Formula: see text] 120[Formula: see text]C, the endoeffects are chemically absorbed water on the active surface of the compound and are a decomposition of the hydroxide group. The endoeffect, at which its central peak reaches T [Formula: see text] 80[Formula: see text]C, is associated with an OH group that has been chemically absorbed, observed revised effects with a difference [Formula: see text]T [Formula: see text] 35[Formula: see text]C for relative decomposition at high-temperature.
Design of a Low-Phase-Noise Ka-Band GaAs HBT VCO
Authors: Zhang Jincan , Liu Min , Zhang Liwen , Wang Jinchan , Liu Bo
Published: October 2018

In this paper, the study of a Ka-band GaAs HBT VCO is reported with particular emphasis on achieving low-phase noise while using direct coupled varactor. A push–push cross-coupled VCO configuration is employed to achieve high oscillation frequency and low-phase noise. The measured oscillation bandwidth spans from 30.2 to 28.6[Formula: see text]GHz with a tuning range of 1.6[Formula: see text]GHz, while the phase noise at 1[Formula: see text]MHz of frequency offset from the carrier at 29.3[Formula: see text]GHz is [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]dBc/Hz. The VCO consumes 28.2[Formula: see text]mW from 3[Formula: see text]V supply and occupies an area of [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]mm. The FOM of the VCO achieves [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]dBc/Hz.
A Novel Synchronous Current-Doubler Rectifier for LED Drivers Without Electrolytic Capacitors
Authors: Ma Jianguang , Wei Xueye , Hu Liang , Zhang Junhong
Published: October 2018

High-brightness light-emitting diode (LED) lamps have attracted much attention because of their high efficiency, simple structure, energy conservation and environmental protection aspects, and long lifetime. Thus, an LED driver must have a long lifespan, high density, and compact space. However, conventional LED power supplies use an electrolytic capacitor as the storage capacitor in the holdup time, which has a short lifespan and occupies large space. In this paper, a novel synchronous current-doubler rectifier (SCDR) method is proposed as an LED driver. The reasonably designed circuit is used to control the output voltage ripple in the normal range without adding a complicated control circuit. The proposed topology is designed using few components, has no electrolytic capacitor, and has a low cost for high-output current LED driver applications. Circuit operating principles and detailed theoretical analysis are provided in this paper. A 200-W prototype has been established and tested, and the experimental results are presented to highlight the merits of the proposed circuit.
Pyramidal Distribution: An Alternative Distribution for Bivariate Uniformity Test Power Comparison
Authors: Chen Zhenmin
Published: October 2018

The purpose of the multi-dimensional uniformity test is to check whether the underlying probability distribution, from which a random sample is drawn, differs from the multi-dimensional uniform distribution. The multi-dimensional uniformity test has applications in various fields such as biology, astronomy and computer science. Various statistical tests have been proposed for the multivariate uniformity. As a special case, the bivariate statistic test is discussed in this paper. To evaluate the performance of the uniformity tests, power comparison is the technique for selecting appropriate statistical test. The Monte Carlo simulations usually used to compare the power of the tests. Berrendero, Cuevas and Vazquez-Grande proposed a distance-to-boundary test, which was one of the latest published statistical tests for multi-dimensional uniformity [J. R. Berrendero, A. Cuevas and F. Vazquez-Grande, Testing multivariate uniformity: The distance-to-boundary method, Canad. J. Stat. 34 (2006) 693–707]. Chen and Hu proposed another test for multivariate uniformity [Z. Chen and T. Hu, Statistical test for bivariate uniformity, Adv. Stat. 2014 (2014) 740831]. Power comparison was conducted to compare these tests. In order to get more convincing power comparison results, more alternative distributions should be used when power study is conducted. This paper proposes a new bivariate distribution, named the pyramidal distribution, with support set [Formula: see text]. This distribution is quite flexible so that it can be used to produce different shapes of bivariate distributions. Because of that, the proposed distribution can be used as an alternative distribution in power comparison for bivariate uniformity test.
Low-loss ARROW waveguide with rectangular hollow core and rectangular low-density polyethylene/air reflectors for terahertz waves
Authors: Uranus Henri P. , Rahman B. M. A.
Published: October 2018

Designing low-loss waveguides for terahertz waves is challenging as most materials are very lossy in this frequency band. Most scientists simply consider transmitting the waves through low-loss air, which however also has its own difficulties as index-guiding is not possible. In this paper, we report on the design of low-loss waveguides for terahertz waves and associated results by using a finite element leaky mode solver. These results show that waveguides designed using ARROW (anti-resonant reflecting optical waveguide) approach yield a low combined absorption and leakage loss down to only 0.05[Formula: see text]dB/cm for the q-TE[Formula: see text] fundamental mode using realistic values of refractive index at 1 THz operating frequency. The structure employs rectangular hollow-core and low-density polyethylene/air anti-resonant reflecting bilayers, which can be easily fabricated. These results are compared with those of other structures, i.e., a photonic crystal fiber-like structures using the same materials with rectangular holes, which is shown to give a higher loss of 3[Formula: see text]dB/cm and a suspended air-core waveguide with TOPAS vein offering a loss of 1[Formula: see text]dB/cm.
BAYESIAN INFERENCE FOR THE TANGENT PORTFOLIO
Authors: BAUDER DAVID , BODNAR TARAS , MAZUR STEPAN , OKHRIN YAREMA
Published: October 2018

In this paper, we consider the estimation of the weights of tangent portfolios from the Bayesian point of view assuming normal conditional distributions of the logarithmic returns. For diffuse and conjugate priors for the mean vector and the covariance matrix, we derive stochastic representations for the posterior distributions of the weights of tangent portfolio and their linear combinations. Separately, we provide the mean and variance of the posterior distributions, which are of key importance for portfolio selection. The analytic results are evaluated within a simulation study, where the precision of coverage intervals is assessed.
The Impact of Terms of Trade Volatility on Economic Growth in ASEAN Countries
Authors: CONDUAH Papa Kojo Christopher , YOO Tae Hwan
Published: October 2018

This article examines the impact of terms of trade volatility on economic growth and the sources of terms of trade volatility for selected ASEAN countries. By adopting a panel cointegraion method, this study finds that fluctuations of oil price and non-fuel raw material price index have caused terms of trade volatility, which limits economic growth.
Measuring North Korean Geopolitical Risks: Implications for Asia’s Financial Volatilities
Authors: AN Jiyoun , ROH Hyunwoo
Published: October 2018

This article proposes that level of attention can be a good proxy for measuring geopolitical risks on the Korean peninsula. People’s perception of the possibility of war occurrence may be constructed from information in Google news. Using a newly developed index, this study finds that geopolitical risks and Asian stock market volatilities are related. The findings suggest that geopolitical risks on the Korean peninsula originating from North Korea have affected not only South Korea but also other Asian financial markets. The magnitude of impact is determined by the objective fact of geopolitical events and by a country’s different levels of attention to the events.
Post-materialism: What Divides Youth in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Mainland China
Authors: SHAN Wei
Published: October 2018

Post-materialism is a value orientation that gives priority to freedom of expression and participation in public affairs over fulfilment of material needs such as economic and physical security. Youth in Hong Kong, Taiwan and mainland China have significantly different levels of post-materialist values, with Hong Kongers scoring the highest and Mainlanders the lowest. These differences have led to their different political orientations.
Site selection of small round holes in crinoid pluricolumnals, Trearne Quarry SSSI (Mississippian, Lower Carboniferous), north Ayrshire, UK
Authors: Donovan Stephen K. , Hoare Gary
Published: October 2018

Small round holes,
Oichnus
Bromley, are a locally common feature of crinoid pluricolumnals in the Mississippian of the British Isles. Numerous examples have been found from mudrocks in the Brigantian (Mississippian) Blackhall Limestone, Lower Limestone Formation, at Trearne Quarry, near Beith, north Ayrshire, all assigned to
Oichnus simplex
Bromley. These trace fossils are typically associated with growth deformities of the pluricolumnals, which are commonly swollen and more rarely grew a lip around the pit.
Oichnus simplex
is commonly centred on a columnal latus and adjacent sutures between columnals are deflected towards it. More rarely, pits are centred on the sutures between columnals. The
O. simplex
borings are interpreted as domiciles developed in live crinoids by an indeterminate, unmineralized invertebrate. The pluricolumnals are similar and are presumed to be derived from a single species, perhaps the poteriocrinine cladid
Ureocrinus bockshii
(Geinitz), the only nominal crinoid recorded from this site.
Tear Ferning Test and Pathological Effects on Ocular Surface before and after Topical Cyclosporine in Vernal Keratoconjunctivitis Patients
Authors: Nebbioso Marcella , Sacchetti Marta , Bianchi Guia , Zicari Anna Maria , Duse Marzia , Del Regno Paola , Lambiase Alessandro
Published: October 2018

Background. Vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC) is a rare ocular surface inflammatory disease that affects mainly boys in the first decade of life. Clinical observations show that it generally regresses spontaneously with the onset of puberty, but therapeutic measures must be taken before then to control the course of the disease. Purpose.To evaluate the role of the lacrimal mucous component in VKC patients and compare tear ferning test (TFT) modifications, MUC5AC levels in tears, and density of conjunctival goblet cells to clinical characteristics before and after treatment with cyclosporine A (CY) in eye drops. Methods. Forty-seven patients affected by VKC and 30 healthy subjects aged between 3 and 16 years of life were enrolled. All individuals were submitted to complete eye examination and skin prick test (SPT) for the most common allergens. Then, they were subjected to collection of the tears and to impression cytology to evaluate TFT, MUC5AC levels, and conjunctival goblet cell density, before and after treatment with CY in eye drops. Results. Comparing the VKC group vs. the control group at baseline, a significant alteration in the degree of the ferns was found, indicating a pathological condition of the lacrimal mucous layer. In addition, an increased number of goblet cells were observed in the patients. The concentration of lacrimal secretory mucins (MUC5AC) did not show significant differences between the 2 groups. Patients treated with CY have reported improvements of some signs and symptoms of disease activity, including TFT, and a tendency of conjunctival goblet cell density to normalise. Conclusions. The results obtained demonstrated for the first time a significant alteration of the lacrimal mucin component evaluated in the VKC group, and an improvement of the latter after CY therapy.
Wound Fluid Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 as a Potential Predictive Marker for the Poor Healing Outcome in Diabetic Foot Ulcers
Authors: Jindatanmanusan Punyanuch , Luanraksa Sivat , Boonsiri Tanit , Nimmanon Thirayost , Arnutti Pasra
Published: October 2018

Background and Objective. Evidence for the roles of matrix metalloproteinases-9 (MMP-9) in the healing process of diabetic foot ulcers has remained unclear. We therefore aimed to demonstrate the relationship of MMP-9 with the wound healing process and determine its potential usefulness in predicting the wound healing outcome. Methods. Twenty-two patients with diabetic foot ulcer were recruited. The wound size was determined, and the wound fluid was collected for the measurement of MMP-9 levels using an ELISA during the 12-week follow-up period regularly. The patients were categorized as good healers and poor healers when the wound area reduction was ≥ 50% and < 50% at week 4 when compared to the initial wound size at week 0. Results. Median wound fluid MMP-9 levels in the poor healer group were shown to be significantly higher than those in the good healer group (1.03 pg/µg protein vs. 0.06 pg/µg protein, p = 0.001), and the levels fluctuated throughout the 12-week follow-up period. In contrast to the poor healer group, the MMP-9 levels were demonstrated to be constantly low throughout the follow-up period in the good healer group. ROC analysis showed that the MMP-9 level of 0.38 pg/µg protein was able to predict the wound healing outcome with the sensitivity of 81.8%, the specificity of 64.6%, and the area under the curve of 0.901 (CI 0.78-1.03, p = 0.001). Conclusion. These findings suggested that determination of wound fluid MMP-9 levels might become a promising biomarker predicting wound healing outcomes and a novel potential therapeutic target for diabetic foot ulcers.
Mechanobiological Analysis of Molar Teeth with Carious Lesions through the Finite Element Method
Authors: Hernández-Vázquez R. A. , Romero-Ángeles Betriz , Urriolagoitia-Sosa Guillermo , Vázquez-Feijoo Juan Alejandro , Marquet-Rivera Rodrigo Arturo , Urriolagoitia-Calderón Guillermo
Published: October 2018

The analysis of the distribution of stress in dental organs is a poorly studied area. That is why computational mechanobiological analysis at the tissue level using the finite element method is very useful to achieve a better understanding of the biomechanics and the behaviour of dental tissues in various pathologies. This knowledge will allow better diagnoses, customize treatment plans, and establish the basis for the development of better restoration materials. In the present work, through the use of high-fidelity biomodels, computational mechanobiological analyses were performed on four molar models affected with four different degrees of caries, which are subjected to masticatory forces. With the analyses performed, it is possible to observe that the masticatory forces that act on the enamel are not transmitted to the dentin and to the bone and periodontal ligament to protect the nerve, as it happens in a healthy dental organ. With the presence of decay, these forces are transmitted partly to the pulp. The reactions to the external loads on the dental organs depend on the advances of the carious lesion that they present, since the distribution of stresses is different in a healthy tooth.
Isobavachalcone Induces ROS‐Mediated Apoptosis via Targeting Thioredoxin Reductase 1 in Human Prostate Cancer PC‐3 Cells
Authors: Li Kai , Zheng Qiusheng , Chen Xiaoyu , Wang Yunchao , Wang Dan , Wang Jianning
Published: October 2018

Prostate carcinoma causes a great number of deaths every year; therefore, there is an urgent need to find new drug candidates to treat advanced prostate cancer. Isobavachalcone (IBC) is the chalcone composition of Psoralea corylifolia Linn used in traditional Chinese medicine. Although IBC demonstrates potent anticancer efficacy in numerous types of human cancer cells, the cellular targets of IBC have not been fully defined. In our study, we found that IBC may induce reactive oxygen species‐ (ROS‐) mediated apoptosis via interaction with a selenocysteine (Sec) containing the antioxidant enzyme thioredoxin reductase 1 (TrxR1), and induce lethal endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress by inhibiting TrxR1 activity and increasing ROS levels in human prostate cancer PC‐3 cells. Furthermore, we also observed that knocking down TrxR1 would sensitized cancer cells to IBC treatment. Our study provides evidence for the anticancer mechanism of IBC with TrxR1 as a potential target.
Enhanced Production of Polymyxin E in Paenibacillus polymyxa by Replacement of Glucose by Starch
Authors: Yu Zhiliang , Sun Zhongqi , Yin Jianhua , Qiu Juanping
Published: October 2018

Polymyxin E or colistin, produced by Paenibacillus polymyxa, is an important antibiotic against Gram-negative pathogens. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of starch in fermentation medium on colistin biosynthesis in P. polymyxa. The results indicated that replacement of glucose by starch stimulated colistin production and biosynthesis rate. Overall, the stimulation extent was starch concentration-dependent. As expected, addition of starch induced the expression of amyE encoding amylase and increased amylase activity in fermentation solution. Additionally, replacement of glucose by starch resulted in residue reducing sugar and pH of fermentation mixture low relative to glucose as the sole sugar source. At the molecular level, it was found that replacement of glucose by starch has enhanced the relative expression level of ccpA encoding catabolite control protein A. Therefore, the repression of starch utilization by glucose could be probably relieved. In addition, use of starch stimulated the expression of regulatory gene spo0A but repressed the expression of another regulatory gene abrB. As a result, the expression of genes directly involved in colistin biosynthesis and secretion increased, indicating that at the transcriptional level spo0A and abrB played opposite roles in regulating colistin biosynthesis in P. polymyxa. Taken together, our data demonstrated that starch instead of glucose can promote colistin production probably by affecting the expression of colistin biosynthesis-related genes, as well as reducing the repression of glucose to a secondary metabolic product.
The Multiobjective Based Large‐Scale Electric Vehicle Charging Behaviours Analysis
Authors: Zhou Yimin , Li Zhifei , Wu Xinyu
Published: October 2018

In the paper, the effect of the charging behaviours of electric vehicles (EVs) on the grid load is discussed. The residential traveling historical data of EVs are analyzed and fitted to predict their probability distribution, so that the models of the traveling patterns can be established. A nonlinear stochastic programming model with the maximized comprehensive index is developed to analyze the charging schemes, and a heuristic searching algorithm is used for the optimal parameters configuration. With the comparison of the evaluation criteria, the multiobjective strategy is more appropriate than the single‐objective strategy for the charging, i.e., electricity price. Furthermore, considering the characteristics of the normal batteries and charging piles, user behaviour and EV scale, a Monte Carlo simulation process is designed to simulate the large‐scale EVs traveling behaviours in long‐term periods. The obtained simulation results can provide prediction for the analysis of the energy demand growth tendency of the future EVs regulation. As a precedent of open‐source simulation system, this paper provides a stand‐alone strategy and architecture to regulate the EV charging behaviours without the unified monitoring or management of the grid.
Integrating Correlation‐Based Feature Selection and Clustering for Improved Cardiovascular Disease Diagnosis
Authors: Wosiak Agnieszka , Zakrzewska Danuta
Published: October 2018

Based on the growing problem of heart diseases, their efficient diagnosis is of great importance to the modern world. Statistical inference is the tool that most physicians use for diagnosis, though in many cases it does not appear powerful enough. Clustering of patient instances allows finding out groups for which statistical models can be built more efficiently. However, the performance of such an approach depends on the features used as clustering attributes. In this paper, the methodology that consists of combining unsupervised feature selection and grouping to improve the performance of statistical analysis is considered. We assume that the set of attributes used in clustering and statistical analysis phases should be different and not correlated. Thus, the method consisting of selecting reversed correlated features as attributes of cluster analysis is considered. The proposed methodology has been verified by experiments done on three real datasets of cardiovascular cases. The obtained effects have been evaluated regarding the number of detected dependencies between parameters. Experiment results showed the advantage of the presented approach compared to other feature selection methods and without using clustering to support statistical inference.
Performance Evaluation of Magnetic Wireless Sensor Networks Algorithm for Traffic Flow Monitoring in Chaotic Cities
Authors: Fimbombaya Haji Said , Mvungi Nerey H. , Hamisi Ndyetabura Y. , Iddi Hashimu U.
Published: October 2018

Traffic flow monitoring involves the capturing and dissemination of real-time traffic flow information for a road network. When a vehicle, a ferromagnetic object, travels along a road, it disturbs the ambient Earth’s magnetic field, causing its distortion. The resulting distortion carries vehicle signature containing traffic flow related information such as speed, count, direction, and classification. To extract such information in chaotic cities, a novel algorithm based on the resulting magnetic field distortion was developed using nonintrusive sensor localization. The algorithm extracts traffic flow information from resulting magnetic field distortions sensed by magnetic wireless sensor nodes located on the sides of the road. The model magnetic wireless sensor networks algorithm for local Earth’s magnetic field performance was evaluated through simulation using Dar es Salaam City traffic flow conditions. Simulation results for vehicular detection and count showed 93% and 87% success rates during normal and congested traffic states, respectively. Travel Time Index (TTI) was used as a congestion indicator, where different levels of congestion were evaluated depending on the traffic state with a performance of 87% and 88% success rates during normal and congested traffic flow, respectively.
Scheduling Parallel Intrusion Detecting Applications on Hybrid Clouds
Authors: Zhang Yi , Sun Jin , Wu Zebin , Xie Shuangyu , Xu Ruitao
Published: October 2018

Recently, Parallel Intrusion Detection (PID) becomes very popular and its procedure of the parallel processing is called a PID application (PIDA). This PIDA can be regarded as a Bag-of-Tasks (BoT) application, consisting of multiple tasks that can be processed in parallel. Given multiple PIDAs (i.e., BoT applications) to be handled, when the private cloud has insufficiently available resources to afford all tasks, some tasks have to be outsourced to public clouds with resource-used costs. The key challenge here is how to schedule tasks on hybrid clouds to minimize makespan given a limited budget. This problem can be formulated as an Integer Programming model, which is generally NP-Hard. Accordingly, in this paper, we construct an Iterated Local Search (ILS) algorithm, which employs an effective heuristic to obtain the initial task sequence and utilizes an insertion-neighbourhood-based local search method to explore better task sequences with lower makespans. A swap-based perturbation operator is adopted to avoid local optimum. With the objective of improving the proposal’s efficiency without loss of any effectiveness, to calculate task sequences’ objectives, we construct a Fast Task Assignment (FTA) method by integrating an existing Task Assignment (TA) method with an acceleration mechanism designed through theoretical analysis. Accordingly, the proposed ILS is named FILS. Experimental results show that FILS outperforms the existing best algorithm for the considered problem, considerably and significantly. More importantly, compared with TA, FTA achieves a 2.42x speedup, which verifies that the acceleration mechanism employed by FTA is able to remarkably improve the efficiency. Finally, impacts of key factors are also evaluated and analyzed, exhaustively.
Linezolid Inhibited Synthesis of ATP in Mitochondria: Based on GC-MS Metabolomics and HPLC Method
Authors: Ye Xuemei , Huang Aifang , Wang Xianqin , Wen Congcong , Hu Lufeng , Lin Guanyang
Published: October 2018

Linezolid has been widely used in serious infections for its effective inhibiting effect against multidrug-resistant gram-positive pathogens. However, linezolid caused severe adverse reactions, such as thrombocytopenia, anaemia, optic neuropathy, and near-fatal serotonin syndrome. In order to investigate the toxicity of linezolid, twenty-four Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into: control group (n=7), low-group (n=8), and high-group (n=9). The rats of low-group and high-group were given by gavage with linezolid 60 and 120 mg/kg/day for 7 days, respectively. The serum concentration of linezolid was determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC); blood metabolic change was analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometer (GC-MS). Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) concentration in HepG2-C3A after being cultured with linezolid was determined by HPLC. The results showed that there were six metabolites and nine metabolites had statistical differences in low-group and high-group (P<0.05). The trimethyl phosphate was the most significant indicator in those changed metabolites. Except for d-glucose which was slightly increased in low-group, octadecanoic acid, cholest-5-ene, hexadecanoic acid, α-linolenic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid, 9,12-Octadecadienoic acid, and docosahexaenoic acid were all decreased in low-group and high-group. ATP concentration was decreased in HepG2-C3A after cultured with linezolid. In conclusion, the toxicity of linezolid is related to its serum concentration. Linezolid may inhibit the synthesis of ATP and fatty acid.
Observer‐Based Sliding Mode Control for Path Tracking of a Spherical Robot
Authors: Taheri Andani Majid , Ramezani Zahra , Moazami Saeed , Cao Jinde , Arefi Mohammad Mehdi , Zargarzadeh Hassan
Published: October 2018

Due to their complicated dynamics and underactuated nature, spherical robots require advanced control methods to reveal all their manoeuvrability features. This paper considers the path tracking control problem of a spherical robot equipped with a 2‐DOF pendulum. The pendulum has two input torques that allow it to take angles about the robot’s transverse and longitudinal axes. Due to mechanical technicalities, it is assumed that these angles are immeasurable. First, a neural network observer is designed to estimate the pendulum angles. Then a modified sliding mode controller is proposed for the robot’s tracking control in the presence of uncertainties. Next, the Lyapunov theorem is utilized to analyse the overall stability of the proposed scheme, including the convergence of the observer estimation and the trajectory tracking errors. Finally, simulation results are provided to indicate the effectiveness of the proposed method in comparison with the other available control approaches.
A Privacy Protection Model of Data Publication Based on Game Theory
Authors: Kuang Li , Zhu Yujia , Li Shuqi , Yan Xuejin , Yan Han , Deng Shuiguang
Published: October 2018

With the rapid development of sensor acquisition technology, more and more data are collected, analyzed, and encapsulated into application services. However, most of applications are developed by untrusted third parties. Therefore, it has become an urgent problem to protect users’ privacy in data publication. Since the attacker may identify the user based on the combination of user’s quasi-identifiers and the fewer quasi-identifier fields result in a lower probability of privacy leaks, therefore, in this paper, we aim to investigate an optimal number of quasi-identifier fields under the constraint of trade-offs between service quality and privacy protection. We first propose modelling the service development process as a cooperative game between the data owner and consumers and employing the Stackelberg game model to determine the number of quasi-identifiers that are published to the data development organization. We then propose a way to identify when the new data should be learned, as well, a way to update the parameters involved in the model, so that the new strategy on quasi-identifier fields can be delivered. The experiment first analyses the validity of our proposed model and then compares it with the traditional privacy protection approach, and the experiment shows that the data loss of our model is less than that of the traditional k-anonymity especially when strong privacy protection is applied.
Vildagliptin Attenuates Hepatic Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury via the TLR4/NF‐κB Signaling Pathway
Authors: Sherif Iman O. , Al-Shaalan Nora H.
Published: October 2018

The Toll‐like receptor‐4 (TLR4)/nuclear factor kappa B (NF‐κB) signaling pathway is vital in the pathogenesis of hepatic ischemia/reperfusion (HIR) injury. Dipeptidyl peptidase‐4 (DPP4) inhibitors exert protective effects on IR injury of the kidney, heart, and lung; however, their effect on the liver is still unknown. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine whether pretreatment with vildagliptin (Vilda), a DPP4 inhibitor, produces hepatic protection against IR injury and to investigate its influence on TLR4/NF‐κB signaling in a rat model. Thirty male Wistar rats were divided into 3 groups: the sham group: subjected to a sham operation and received normal saline; the HIR group: subjected to HIR and received normal saline; and the Vilda + HIR group: subjected to HIR with pretreatment of 10 mg/kg/day Vilda for 10 days intraperitoneally. Hepatic ischemia lasted for 45 minutes followed by 3‐hour reperfusion; then blood and liver samples were collected for biochemical and histopathological examination. The HIR group produced a significant increase in serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), hepatic malondialdehyde (MDA), nitric oxide (NO), and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF‐α) levels and a significant reduction in the hepatic catalase level in comparison to the sham group. Moreover, a significant upregulation of gene and protein expressions of TLR4, NF‐κB, and high‐mobility group box‐1 (HMGB1) along with caspase‐3 protein expression was observed in the HIR group when compared with the sham group. Histopathological examination of the liver from the HIR group showed necrosis, sinusoidal congestion, hemorrhage, and hepatocyte degeneration. Administration of Vilda ameliorated the biochemical and histopathological changes caused by HIR. Vildagliptin showed for the first time a hepatoprotective effect in HIR injury through downregulation of TLR4/NF‐κB/HMGB1 and caspase‐3 hepatic expressions.
Papain Ameliorates the MPAs Formation-Mediated Activation of Monocytes by Inhibiting Cox-2 Expression via Regulating the MAPKs and PI3K/Akt Signal Pathway
Authors: Fei Xianming , Yuan Wufeng , Zhao Yan , Wang Huan , Bai Shi , Huang Qinghua
Published: October 2018

Monocytes activation and subsequent inflammatory response mediated by monocyte-platelet aggregates (MPAs) formation play the key roles in the early pathogenesis of atherosclerosis (AS). Exploration of novel drugs to ameliorate MPAs formation-mediated monocytes activation would be helpful for the treatment of AS patients. Papain has definite pharmacological effects including antiplatelet, thrombolysis, and anti-inflammation. However, its effect on MPAs formation and the following monocytes activation remains vague. This study aimed to illustrate the underlying mechanisms of papain on MPAs formation-initiated monocytes activationin vitro. In this study, Papain, Cox-2 inhibitor (NS-398), and NF-κB agonist (TNF-α) were used as the treating agents, respectively. MPAs formation and activated monocytes were measured by flow cytometry (FCM). Cox-2 mRNA, MCP-1, and proteins of Cox-2 and NF-κB signal pathway were detected by qRT-PCR, ELISA, and western blotting, respectively. As we observed, papain exhibited the powerful inhibitory effects on thrombin-mediated MPAs formation and monocytes activation in a concentration-dependent manner as what Cox-2 inhibitor demonstrated. However, the inhibitory tendency was significantly reversed by TNF-α. We also discovered that both Cox-2 mRNA and protein expression as well as the release of MCP-1 of monocyte was inhibited by either papain or NS-398, but TNF-αstimulated Cox-2 expression and release of MCP-1. The results of western blotting assay indicated that thrombin-mediated proteins expression of MAPKs and PI3K/Akt signal pathway was inhibited by papain and NS-398. However, TNF-αnotably abated the inhibitory effects of papain on the process of MPAs-initiated monocytes activation. Our findings suggest that papain can inhibit the MPAs formation-mediated activation of monocytes by inhibiting the MAPKs and PI3K/Akt signal pathway.
AC-YVAD-CMK Inhibits Pyroptosis and Improves Functional Outcome after Intracerebral Hemorrhage
Authors: Lin Xiao , Ye Haotuo , Siaw-Debrah Felix , Pan Sishi , He Zibin , Ni Haoqi , Xu Zhu , Jin Kunlin , Zhuge Qichuan , Huang Lijie
Published: October 2018

Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) refers to bleeding in the brain and is associated with the release of large amount of inflammasomes, and the activation of different cell death pathways. These cell death pathways lead to removal of inactivated and damaged cells and also result in neuronal cell damage. Pyroptosis is a newly discovered cell death pathway that has gained attention in recent years. This pathway mainly depends on activation of caspase-1-mediated cascades to cause cell death. We tested a well-known selective inhibitor of caspase-1, AC-YVAD-CMK, which has previously been found to have neuroprotective effects in ICH mice model, to ascertain its effects on the activation of inflammasomes mediated pyroptosis. Our results showed that AC-YVAD-CMK could reduce caspase-1 activation and inhibit IL-1β production and maturation, but has no effect on NLRP3 expression, an upstream inflammatory complex. AC-YVAD-CMK administration also resulted in reduction in M1-type microglia polarization around the hematoma, while increasing the number of M2-type cells. Furthermore, AC-YVAD-CMK treated mice showed some recovery of neurological function after hemorrhage especially at the hyperacute and subacute stage resulting in some degree of limb movement. In conclusion, we are of the view that AC-YVAD-CMK could inhibit pyroptosis, decrease the secretion or activation of inflammatory factors, and affect the polarization of microglia resulting in improvement of neurological function after ICH.
A Hybrid Model for Forecasting Sunspots Time Series Based on Variational Mode Decomposition and Backpropagation Neural Network Improved by Firefly Algorithm
Authors: Li Guohui , Ma Xiao , Yang Hong
Published: October 2018

The change of the number of sunspots has a great impact on the Earth’s climate, agriculture, communications, natural disasters, and other aspects, so it is very important to predict the number of sunspots. Aiming at the chaotic characteristics of monthly mean of sunspots, a novel hybrid model for forecasting sunspots time-series based on variational mode decomposition (VMD) and backpropagation (BP) neural network improved by firefly algorithm (FA) is proposed. Firstly, a set of intrinsic mode functions (IMFs) are obtained by VMD decomposition of the monthly mean time series of the sunspots. Secondly, the firefly algorithm is introduced to initialize the weights and thresholds of the BP neural network, and a prediction model is established for each IMF. Finally, the predicted values of these components are calculated to obtain the final predict results. Comparing BP model, FA-BP model, EMD-BP model, and VMD-BP model, the simulation results show that the proposed algorithm has higher prediction accuracy and can be used to forecast the time series of sunspots.
Study of Material Composition Effects on the Mechanical Properties of Soil‐Rock Mixtures
Authors: Zhao Yanxi , Liu Zhongxian
Published: October 2018

Soil‐rock mixtures are often seen in geological deposits. Mechanical properties of these mixtures are controlled by microstructural characteristics such as rock size distribution, rock shape, locations, and content. The effects of material composition on soil‐rock mechanical properties were studied in the laboratory. The soil‐rock material was screened into different size categories. Medium‐scale shearing and triaxial experiments were used to study the relationships among macrodeformation, strength, content, size, and random location of rocks. The medium‐scale triaxial shearing instrument included the computer control system, EDC control system, and sensor response. The stress‐strain curve of soil‐rock mixtures was found as a hardening curve which is approximately hyperbolic, and there was no obvious peak intensity value. When the Mohr–Coulomb criterion was used to depict the curve under a shear strain of 0.15, cohesion first increased and then decreased, a finding opposite to the internal friction angle with a decrease in particle size. Elastic modulus increased with an increase in rock size, but Poisson’s ratio remained constant. In similar conditions, the random location of rocks can lead to a variation range of 4 degree of the internal friction angle, and cohesion values can change in a large range than the mean value.