bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Decision Making Methods Based on Fuzzy Aggregation Operators: Three Decades Review from 1986 to 2017
Authors: Mardani Abbas , Nilashi Mehrbakhsh , Zavadskas Edmundas Kazimieras , Awang Siti Rahmah , Zare Habib , Jamal Noriza Mohd
Published: February 2018

In many real-life decision making (DM) situations, the available information is vague or imprecise. To adequately solve decision problems with vague or imprecise information, fuzzy set theory and aggregation operator theory have become powerful tools. In last three decades, DM theories and methods under fuzzy aggregation operator have been proposed and developed for effectively solving the DM problems and numerous applications have been reported in the literature. While various aggregation operators have been suggested and developed, there is a lack of research regarding systematic literature review and classification of study in this field. Regarding this, Web of Science database has been nominated and systematic and meta-analysis method called “PRISMA” has been proposed. Accordingly, a review of 312 published articles appearing in 33 popular journals related to fuzzy set theory, aggregation operator theory and DM approaches between July 1986 and June 2017 have been attained to reach a comprehensive review of DM methods and aggregation operator environment. Consequently, the selected published articles have been categorized by name of author(s), the publication year, technique, application area, country, research contribution and journals in which they appeared. The findings of this study found that, ordered weighted averaging (OWA) has been the highest frequently accessed more than other areas. This systematic review shows that the DM theories under fuzzy aggregation operator environment have received a great deal of interest from researchers and practitioners in many disciplines.
Decision Analysis on Choquet Integral-Based Multi-Criteria Decision-Making with Imprecise Information
Authors: Xia Meimei , Chen Jian , Zeng Xiao-Jun
Published: February 2018

The uncertain multi-criteria decision-making problem is investigated, where the information about criteria weights and criteria evaluations is imprecise and there exist interactions between criteria. In real-life multi-criteria decision-making problems, there often exist positive or negative interactions between criteria, and it is also difficult to obtain the precise information about criteria weights and criteria evaluations. However, most of the existing multi-criteria decision-making methods only focus on one of these two issues, which often co-exist in practice. To address such a gap in the existing research, Choquet integral is firstly employed to aggregate the imprecise information of alternatives to reflect the interactions between criteria. Based on the regret values between pairs of alternatives with imprecise information, four types of best alternative concepts are defined from the perspectives of optimism and pessimism, respectively, and four corresponding optimal models are established to identify such best alternatives. By comparing the proposed methods with the existing ones, it is showed that the proposed methods not only give a complete decision analysis, but also have better distinguishability by considering the interactions between criteria. These methods are then extended to identify the worst alternatives.
Efficiency Measure Under Inter-Temporal Dependence
Authors: Ghobadi S. , Jahanshahloo G. R. , Lotfi F. Hosseinzadeh , Rostamy-Malkhalifeh M.
Published: February 2018

In this paper, a linear programming (LP) model is proposed to estimate the efficiency of a decision-making unit (DMU) in the framework of dynamic Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). Necessary and sufficient conditions required for characterizing dynamically efficient paths are established. An LP model is proposed to estimate the dynamic cost efficiency (DCE) measure. It is proved that the aggregate CE in an assessment window is a convex combination of CEs of available periods in the assessment window. In addition, it is shown that a DMU in an assessment window is dynamically efficient when the DMU is dynamically cost/revenue efficient. Mathematical relationships between relative, cost, revenue, and profit efficiencies are studied in the framework of dynamic DEA.
Comparison of X12Y12 (X=Al, B and Y=N, P) fullerene-like nanoclusters toward adsorption of dimethyl ether
Authors: Rad Ali Shokuhi
Published: February 2018

Density functional theory (DFT) was used for studying the adsorption of dimethyl ether (DME) onto four nanoclusters: [Formula: see text] ([Formula: see text], B and [Formula: see text], P). The interaction energy along with the adsorption energy was investigated, and it was found that DME molecule has higher binding energies upon adsorption on Al-containing clusters, but on the other hand, it results in higher alteration in the electronic structure of B-containing cluster. Outcomes of charge analysis and frontier molecular orbital confirm higher alteration in the electronic structure of the later clusters, suggesting the possible potential of B[Formula: see text]N[Formula: see text] and B[Formula: see text]P[Formula: see text] as two sensitive sensors for DME. Nevertheless, Al-containing clusters showed much better adsorbent property, judging from their higher adsorption energies. The positive values of charge transfer upon DME adsorption confirm the p-type semiconducting property of all these clusters.
A theoretical study towards thermolysis process of thionesters and thiolesters
Authors: Zhu Xun , Zhou Xiuqin , Xiang Dongsheng , Wu Ping
Published: February 2018

This paper focuses on the thermal elimination of alkenes from methyl alkyl thionacetates and thiolacetates. Three alkyl groups are calculated: ethyl, isopropyl and tert-butyl. Possible elimination mechanisms are considered, including six- and four-membered ring transition states for alkene elimination, four-membered ring isomerization and a possible five-membered ring decomposition. Theoretical calculations are performed with the MP2 method and the 6-31G* basis set. Wiberg bond indices are also summarized to monitor the reaction progress.
GI-Cluster: Detecting genomic islands via consensus clustering on multiple features
Authors: Lu Bingxin , Leong Hon Wai
Published: February 2018

The accurate detection of genomic islands (GIs) in microbial genomes is important for both evolutionary study and medical research, because GIs may promote genome evolution and contain genes involved in pathogenesis. Various computational methods have been developed to predict GIs over the years. However, most of them cannot make full use of GI-associated features to achieve desirable performance. Additionally, many methods cannot be directly applied to newly sequenced genomes. We develop a new method called GI-Cluster, which provides an effective way to integrate multiple GI-related features via consensus clustering. GI-Cluster does not require training datasets or existing genome annotations, but it can still achieve comparable or better performance than supervised learning methods in comprehensive evaluations. Moreover, GI-Cluster is widely applicable, either to complete and incomplete genomes or to initial GI predictions from other programs. GI-Cluster also provides plots to visualize the distribution of predicted GIs and related features. GI-Cluster is available at https://github.com/icelu/GI_Cluster.
Polymeric quantum mechanics and the zeros of the Riemann zeta function
Authors: Berra-Montiel Jasel , Molgado Alberto
Published: February 2018

We analyze the Berry–Keating model and the Sierra and Rodríguez-Laguna Hamiltonian within the polymeric quantization formalism. By using the polymer representation, we obtain for both models, the associated polymeric quantum Hamiltonians and the corresponding stationary wave functions. The self-adjointness condition provides a proper domain for the Hamiltonian operator and the energy spectrum, which turned out to be dependent on an introduced scale parameter. By performing a counting of semiclassical states, we prove that the polymer representation reproduces the smooth part of the Riemann–von Mangoldt formula, and also introduces a correction depending on the energy and the scale parameter. This may shed some light on the understanding of the fluctuation behavior of the zeros of the Riemann function from a purely quantum point of view.
Particle on a torus knot: Anholonomy and Hannay angle
Authors: Ghosh Subir
Published: February 2018

The phenomenon of rotation of a vector under parallel transport along a closed path is known as anholonomy. In this paper, we have studied the anholonomy for noncontractible loops — closed paths in a curved surface that do not enclose any area and hence Stokes theorem is not directly applicable. Examples of such closed paths are poloidal and toroidal loops and knots on a torus. The present study is distinct from conventional results on anholonomy for closed paths on [Formula: see text] since in the latter case all closed paths are contractible or trivial cycles. We find that for some nontrivial cycles the anholonomy cancels out over the complete cycle. Next, we calculate Hannay angle for a particle traversing such noncontractible loops when the torus itself is revolving. Some new and interesting results are obtained especially for poloidal paths that is for paths that encircle the torus ring.
Remarks on the linking theory of shape dynamics
Authors: Yu P. P.
Published: February 2018

This short note is an attempt to bring out the geometric structures in the linking theory of shape dynamics. Symplectic induction is applied to give a natural construction of the extended phase space used in the linking theory as a trivial vector bundle over the original phase space for canonical gravity. The geometry of the gauge fixing for shape dynamics is analyzed with the assistance of the Lichnerowicz–York equation lifted to the extended phase space. An alternative description is provided to show how the same geometry simply derives from symplectic induction.
D-brane solutions under market panic
Authors: Pincak Richard
Published: February 2018

The relativistic quantum mechanic approach is used to develop stock market dynamics. The relativistic is conceptional here as the meaning of big external volatility or volatility shock on a financial market. We used a differential geometry approach with the parallel transport of prices to obtain a direct shift of the stock price movement. The prices are represented here as electrons with different spin orientation. Up and down orientations of the spin particle are likened here to an increase or a decrease of stock prices. The parallel transport of stock prices is enriched by Riemann curvature, which describes some arbitrage opportunities in the market. To solve the stock-price dynamics, we used the Dirac equation for bispinors on the spherical brane-world. We found out that when a spherical brane is abbreviated to the disk on the equator, we converge to the ideal behavior of financial market where Black–Scholes as well as semi-classical equations are sufficient. Full spherical brane-world scenarios can describe non-equilibrium market behavior where all arbitrage opportunities as well as transaction costs are taken into account. Real application of the model to the option pricing was done. The model developed in this paper brings quantitative different results of option pricing dynamics in the case of nonzero Riemann curvature.
Preparation and Electrochemical Application of Porous Yttrium-Doped NiO Microspheres
Authors: Jiang Xueliang , Li Chenjian , Gao Yanrong , Yang Canyu , You Feng , Yao Chu
Published: February 2018

Using NiCl[Formula: see text]O and Y(NO)3 solution as raw material and urea as the precipitating agent, Yttrium-doped NiO hollow spheres (Y-NiOHS) were prepared through homogeneous precipitation method with melamine–formaldehyde polymer microspheres (MF) as templates. The electrochemical performances of Y-NiOHS with difference Y-doped mole ratios (Y:[Formula: see text]%, 0.5%, 1%Y-NiOHS) were characterized by cyclic voltammetry (CV), constant current charge–discharge test (GCD) and AC impedance test (EIS). The results of CV show that 0.5%Y-NiOHS in 5[Formula: see text]mV/s scan rate can achieve the maximum capacity of 320.92[Formula: see text]F/g. The results of GCD show that the capacity of 0.5%Y-NiOHS is 226.2[Formula: see text]F/g at 0.5[Formula: see text]A/g discharge current density and the 1000 charge–discharge cycles after the capacitance retention rate is 85%. The electrochemical performance of 0.5%Y-NiOHS are better than NiOHS and NiO powder.
Preparation of Tubular HNTs@PDA–Au Nanocomposites and its Electrocatalysis of Hydrazine
Authors: Zhang Xinjin , Sheng Qinglin , Zheng Jianbin
Published: February 2018

Halloysite nanotubes@polydopamine (HNTs@PDA) nanocomposites were successfully synthesized, and Au nanoparticles (Au NPs) were loaded on HNTs@PDA by electrostatic adsorption. The electrochemical sensor based on HNTs@PDA–Au nanocomposites was constructed. The effect of the composition, structure and property of HNTs@PDA–Au on the response performance of the sensor was explored. The morphology and composition of the nanocomposites were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopic, X-ray diffraction, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Electrochemical results revealed HNTs@PDA–Au as the sensing interface with good effect on electrocatalytic oxidation of N2H4. This sensor detected N2H4 in the range from 0.75[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]mol[Formula: see text]L[Formula: see text] to 2.8[Formula: see text]mmol[Formula: see text]L[Formula: see text], with a sensitivity of 171.7[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]A (mmol[Formula: see text]L[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]cm[Formula: see text] and a detection limit of 0.25[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]mol[Formula: see text]L[Formula: see text] (S/N [Formula: see text] 3).
Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity and Selectivity of a Novel Magnetic PW@PEDOT Imprinted Photocatalyst with Good Reproducibility
Authors: Lu Ziyang , Yu Zehui , Dong Jinbo , Xiong Xinyu , Gao Lin , Song Minshan , Liu Yang , Fan Di , Yan Yongsheng , Huo Pengwei
Published: February 2018

The novel magnetic PW-doped PEDOT (PW@PEDOT) imprinted photocatalyst with good reproducibility was prepared by the surface imprinting technique and microwave heating method. Due to the existence of PW@PEDOT and imprinted cavity in the imprinted layer, the as-prepared magnetic PW@PEDOT imprinted photocatalyst not only had higher photocatalytic activity, but also had the excellent specific recognition ability for selective photodegradation of TC. This paper proposed a new idea to prepare the imprinted photocatalysts.
Gröbner–Shirshov basis method for multiple tensor products of some associative algebras
Authors: Tuniyaz Rabigul , Obul Abdukadir
Published: February 2018

In this paper, we establish Composition-Diamond lemma for multiple tensor products of commutative algebra [Formula: see text], free associative algebras [Formula: see text], Grassman algebras [Formula: see text] and path algebras [Formula: see text] over a field [Formula: see text].
Co3O4 nanowires as efficient catalyst precursor for hydrogen generation from sodium borohydride hydrolysis
Authors: Wei Lei , Cao Xurong , Ma Maixia , Lu Yanhong , Wang Dongsheng , Zhang Suling , Wang Qian
Published: February 2018

Hydrogen generation from the catalytic hydrolysis of sodium borohydride has many advantages, and therefore, significant research has been undertaken on the development of highly efficient catalysts for this purpose. In our present work, Co3O4 nanowires were successfully synthesized as catalyst precursor by employing SBA-15 as a hard template. For material characterization, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) and N2 adsorption isotherms were employed, respectively. To measure the catalyst activity, typical water-displacement method was carried out. Using a reaction solution comprising 10[Formula: see text]wt.% NaBH4 and 2[Formula: see text]wt.% NaOH, the hydrogen generation rate (HGR) was observed to be as high as 7.74[Formula: see text]L min[Formula: see text] g[Formula: see text] at 25[Formula: see text]C in the presence of Co3O4 nanowires, which is significantly higher than that of CoB nanoparticles and commercial Co3O4 powder. Apparent activation energy was calculated to be 50.9[Formula: see text]kJ mol[Formula: see text]. After recycling the Co3O4 nanowires six times, HGR was decreased to be 72.6% of the initial level.
Synthesis and gas sensing properties of La and V Co-doped TiO2 thick film
Authors: Wang Yongqi , Dai Yawen
Published: February 2018

In this paper, we fabricated a new material based on the lanthanum (La) and vanadium (V) co-doped TiO2 by the sol–gel method, then used La and V codopant TiO2 power materials to fabricate the thin film type gas sensor by the screen-printing technology. Finally, we tested gas sensing response properties for different gases. We found La and V co-doped TiO2 simultaneously possess the La and V doping double characterization. In particular, the La and V co-doped samples showed a good response to formaldehyde, only slightly influenced by presence of benzene.
Deposition of ZnO flowers on the surface of g-C3N4 by solid phase reaction
Authors: Liang Baoyan , Han Danhui , Sun Changhong , Zhang Wangxi , Qin Qi
Published: February 2018

ZnO/g-C3N4 photocatalysts were prepared by adopting room-temperature solid-phase grinding with Zn(CH3COO)2, NaOH, and g-C3N4 powders. ZnO grains with flower-like architectures were loaded on g-C3N4 thin flakes. The as-synthesized ZnO/g-C3N4 composite displayed highly visible photocatalytic activity during the degradation of methylene blue (MB).
Hierarchical TiO2/C micro–nano spheres as high-performance anode materials for sodium ion batteries
Authors: Ma Xiao , Zhang Zhihui , Tian Jianliya , Xu Beibei , Ping Qiushi , Wang Baofeng
Published: February 2018

The hierarchical TiO2/C microspheres were obtained via a facile method of in-situ hydrolysis and spray drying. Antase TiO2 nanoparticles were coherent to microspheres TiO2/C due to the pyrolysis of carbon source (PVP). Besides, the favorable electron transfer from carbon to TiO2 improves the electronic conductivity of TiO2 via the presence of Ti–C bond within TiO2/C composite. Charge-discharge tests show that TiO2/C microspheres delivered a good rate capability of 106.1[Formula: see text]mAh[Formula: see text]g[Formula: see text] at the high current density of 5[Formula: see text]A[Formula: see text]g[Formula: see text] and an enhanced cyclic capacity. The superior electrochemical performance could be ascribed to the porous micro–nano structure, smaller crystal size and increased conductivity. The synthesis of TiO2/C microspheres is easy to scale up for satisfying high-performance sodium storage.
A note on minimum linear arrangement for BC graphs
Authors: Jiang Xiaofang , Liu Qinghui , Parthiban N. , Rajan R. Sundara
Published: February 2018

A linear arrangement is a labeling or a numbering or a linear ordering of the vertices of a graph. In this paper, we solve the minimum linear arrangement problem for bijective connection graphs (for short BC graphs) which include hypercubes, Möbius cubes, crossed cubes, twisted cubes, locally twisted cube, spined cube, [Formula: see text]-cubes, etc., as the subfamilies.
Asymptotically optimal scheduling of random malleable demands in smart grid
Authors: Karbasioun Mohammad M. , Shaikhet Gennady , Lambadaris Ioannis , Kranakis Evangelos
Published: February 2018

We study the problem of scheduling random energy demands within a fixed normalized time horizon. Each demand has to be serviced without interruption at a constant intensity, while its duration is bounded by a pair of malleability constraints. Such constraints are assumed to be characterized by an i.i.d random vector that follows a general distribution. At each time instance, the total power consumption is computed as the sum of the intensities of all demands being serviced at that moment. Our objective is to minimize both the maximum and the total convex cost of the power consumption of the grid. The problem is considered in the asymptotic regime. In this regime, the number of demands is assumed to be large, and their (random) energy requirements are inversely proportional to the number of demands. Such setting allows us to introduce a linear-time scheduling policy and shows its asymptotic optimality with respect to both cost criteria. We first study the optimization problem in the case where all demands are available a priori, i.e., before scheduling starts. Then we extend our approach for the case of demand scheduling in an arbitrary length time horizon, where the demands arrive randomly during this time interval.
Approximation algorithm for partial set multicover versus full set multicover
Authors: Liu Pengcheng , Huang Xiaohui
Published: February 2018

In a (full) set multicover (SMC) problem, the goal is to select a subcollection of sets to fully cover all elements, where an element is fully covered if it belongs to at least a required number of sets of the selected subcollection. In a partial set multicover (PSMC) problem, it is sufficient to fully cover a required fraction of elements. In this paper, we present a greedy algorithm for PSMC, and analyze the ratio between the cost of the computed solution and the cost of an optimal solution to the corresponding (full) SMC problem. We shall call this ratio as a partial-versus-full ratio. The motivation for such an analysis is to show that PSMC is fairly economic even when it can only be calculated approximately. It turns out that the partial-versus-full ratio of our algorithm is at most [Formula: see text], where [Formula: see text] is the requirement of an element, and [Formula: see text] is the fraction of elements required to be fully covered. An example is given showing that this ratio is tight up to a constant.
What network topology can tell in election prediction
Authors: Chen Zhihao , Zhang Zhao
Published: February 2018

With the advent of big data era, it is more and more acceptable that the topology of a network can reveal more than we can conceive. In this paper, we propose an algorithm to predict a winner of an election among several competitors based on the relationships of individuals in a social network. Convergence is proved and an extensive experiment is done to show the effectiveness of the algorithm. Our algorithm can also be used to identify members of different parties in a fairly reasonable manner. Furthermore, our algorithm is merely based on the topology of the network, which saves us a large amount of work from collecting voting intentions and executing data pre-processing.
A q-generalization of the Toda equations for the q-Laguerre/Hermite orthogonal polynomials
Authors: Chan Chuan-Tsung , Liu Hsiao-Fan
Published: February 2018

Based on the motivation of generalizing the correspondence between the Lax equation for the Toda lattice and the deformation theory of the orthogonal polynomials, we derive a [Formula: see text]-deformed version of the Toda equations for both [Formula: see text]-Laguerre/Hermite ensembles, and check the compatibility with the quadratic relation.
Mesoscopic perturbations of large random matrices
Authors: Huang Jiaoyang
Published: February 2018

We consider the eigenvalues and eigenvectors of small rank perturbations of random [Formula: see text] matrices. We allow the rank of perturbation [Formula: see text] to increase with [Formula: see text], and the only assumption is [Formula: see text]. The spiked population model, proposed by Johnstone [On the distribution of the largest eigenvalue in principal components analysis, Ann. Statist. 29(2) (2001) 295–327], is of this kind, in which all the population eigenvalues are 1’s except for a few fixed eigenvalues. Our model is more general since we allow the number of non-unit population eigenvalues to grow with the population size. In both additive and multiplicative perturbation models, we study the nonasymptotic relation between the extreme eigenvalues of the perturbed random matrix and those of the perturbation. As [Formula: see text] goes to infinity, we derive the empirical distribution of the extreme eigenvalues of the perturbed random matrix. We also compute the appropriate projection of eigenvectors corresponding to the extreme eigenvalues of the perturbed random matrix. We prove that they are approximate eigenvectors of the perturbation. Our results can be regarded as an extension of the finite rank perturbation case to the full generality up to [Formula: see text].
Pre-averaging estimate of high dimensional integrated covariance matrix with noisy and asynchronous high-frequency data
Authors: Liu Zhi , Xia Xiaochao , Zhou Guoliang
Published: February 2018

With rapid development of the global market, the number of financial securities has significantly grown, which greatly challenges the measuring of financial quantities. Among others, the estimation of covariance matrix which plays an important role in risk management becomes no longer accurate. In this paper, we consider the estimation of integrated covariance matrix of semi-martingales under framework of high dimension by using high frequency data. We assume that the multivariate asset prices are observed asynchronously and all the observed prices are contaminated by microstructure noise. We employ the pre-averaging method to remove the microstructure noise and the generalized synchronization method to deal with the non-synchronicity. Moreover, to avoid the inconsistency in the high-dimensional covariance matrix estimation, we propose a regularized estimate. The consistency under matrix [Formula: see text]-norm is established. Compared to existing results, our estimator improves the accuracy of the estimation. Finally, we assess the theoretical results via some simulation studies.
Pricing Equilibria and Graphical Valuations
Authors: Candogan Ozan , Ozdaglar Asuman , Parrilo Pablo
Published: February 2018

We study pricing equilibria for graphical valuations, whichare a class of valuations that admit a compact representation. These valuations are associated with a value graph, whose nodes correspond to items, and edges encode (pairwise) complementarities/substitutabilities between items. It is known that for graphical valuations a Walrasian equilibrium (a pricing equilibrium that relies on anonymous item prices) does not exist in general. On the other hand, a pricing equilibrium exists when the seller uses an
agent-specific graphical pricing
rule that involves prices for each item and markups/discounts for pairs of items. We study the existence of pricing equilibria with simpler pricing rules which either (i) require anonymity (so that prices are identical for all agents) while allowing for pairwise markups/discounts or (ii) involve offering prices only for items. We show that a pricing equilibrium with the latter pricing rule exists if and only if a Walrasian equilibrium exists, whereas the former pricing rule may guarantee the existence of a pricing equilibrium even for graphical valuations that do not admit a Walrasian equilibrium. Interestingly, by exploiting a novel connection between the existence of a pricing equilibrium and the partitioning polytope associated with the underlying graph, we also establish that for simple (series-parallel) value graphs, a pricing equilibrium with anonymous graphical pricing rule exists if and only if a Walrasian equilibrium exists. These equivalence results imply that simpler pricing rules (i) and (ii) do not guarantee the existence of a pricing equilibrium for all graphical valuations.
GyrosFinger
Authors: Son Yunmok , Noh Juhwan , Choi Jaeyeong , Kim Yongdae
Published: February 2018

Drones are widely used for various purposes such as delivery, aerial photography, and surveillance. Considering the increasing drone-related services, tracking the locations of drones can cause security threats such as escaping from drone surveillance, disturbing drone-related services, and capturing drones. For wirelessly monitoring the status of drones, telemetry is used, and this status information contains various data such as latitude and longitude, calibrated sensor outputs, and sensor offsets. Because most of the telemetry implementation supports neither authentication nor encryption, an attacker can obtain the status information of the drones by using an appropriate wireless communication device such as software-defined radio. While the attacker knows the locations of the drones from the status information, this information is not sufficient for tracking drones because the status information does not include any identity information that can bind the identity of the drone with its location.

In this article, we propose a fingerprinting method for drones in motion for the binding of the identity of the drone with its location. Our fingerprinting method is based on the sensor outputs included in the status information, i.e., the offsets of micro-electro mechanical systems (MEMS) gyroscope, an essential sensor for maintaining the attitude of drones. We found that the offsets of MEMS gyroscopes are different from each other because of manufacturing mismatches, and the offsets of five drones obtained through their telemetry are distinguishable and constant during their flights. To evaluate the performance of our fingerprinting method on a larger scale, we collected the offsets from 70 stand-alone MEMS gyroscopes to generate fingerprints. Our experimental results show that, when using the offsets of three and two axes calculated from 128 samples of the raw outputs per axis as fingerprints, the F-scores of the proposed method reach 98.78% and 94.47%, respectively. The offsets collected after a month are also fingerprinted with F-scores of 96.58% and 78.45% under the same condition, respectively. The proposed fingerprinting method is effective, robust, and persistent. Additionally, unless the MEMS gyroscope is not replaced, our fingerprinting method can be used for drone tracking even when the target drones are flying.
PROM and Labour Effects on Urinary Metabolome: A Pilot Study
Authors: Meloni Alessandra , Palmas Francesco , Barberini Luigi , Mereu Rossella , Deiana Sara Francesca , Fais Maria Francesca , Noto Antonio , Fattuoni Claudia , Mussap Michele , Ragusa Antonio , Dessì Angelica , Pintus Roberta , Fanos Vassilios , Melis Gian Benedetto
Published: February 2018

Since pathologies and complications occurring during pregnancy and/or during labour may cause adverse outcomes for both newborns and mothers, there is a growing interest in metabolomic applications on pregnancy investigation. In fact, metabolomics has proved to be an efficient strategy for the description of several perinatal conditions. In particular, this study focuses on premature rupture of membranes (PROM) in pregnancy at term. For this project, urine samples were collected at three different clinical conditions: out of labour before PROM occurrence (Ph1), out of labour with PROM (Ph2), and during labour with PROM (Ph3). GC-MS analysis, followed by univariate and multivariate statistical analysis, was able to discriminate among the different classes, highlighting the metabolites most involved in the discrimination.
Pantoprazole-Induced Delirium: Review of a Case and Associated Literature
Authors: Razdan Anupriya , Viswanathan Ramaswamy , Tusher Alan
Published: February 2018

Background. Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are frequently prescribed antiulcer agents in hospitals and are shown to be safer than H-2 blockers. We present a case report of PPI-induced delirium, regarding which not much has been written in the literature. Case Report. We present a case of a 93-year-old woman with no known past psychiatric history, who was hospitalized for syncope workup and who developed delirium after a double dose of pantoprazole. Discussion. Very few reports of PPI-induced delirium exist in the literature. In this case report, we attempt to highlight the mechanism of PPI induced delirium which in our case was most likely due to the primary effects of PPI and drug-drug interactions. Given the paucity of literature on this topic, we encourage further research into relationship between PPI and delirium and urge caution while using PPIs in geriatric population.
Different Associations of Trunk and Lower-Body Fat Mass Distribution with Cardiometabolic Risk Factors between Healthy Middle-Aged Men and Women
Authors: Wu Bin , Huang Jingshan , Fukuo Keisuke , Suzuki Kazuhisa , Yoshino Gen , Kazumi Tsutomu
Published: February 2018

The aim of this study was to assess whether the gender-specific pattern of fat mass (FM) distribution is related to gender differences in cardiometabolic risk factors. 207 healthy middle-aged Japanese were included in the study. We measured FM in the total body, trunk, and lower-body with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). The percentage of trunk FM (TFM) and lower-body FM (LFM) is noted as %TFM and %LFM, respectively. Other measurements included glucose and insulin during oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), leptin, adiponectin, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α), C-reactive protein (CRP), and systemic oxidative stress marker. Arterial properties were indicated by cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) and intima-media thickness (IMT) of the common carotid artery. The results showed that %TFM is higher whereas %LFM is lower in men than in women and men have a more atherogenic cardiometabolic profile. In both genders, %TFM (%LFM) is related to an unfavorable (favorable) cardiometabolic profile. In particular, the relation between %LFM and OGTT-derived insulin sensitivity index is stronger in women than in men. These findings suggested that in relatively healthy adults, android and gynoid pattern of FM distribution contributes to gender differences in cardiometabolic risk factors.
Robot-Assisted Thoracoscopic Resection of a Posterior Mediastinal Mullerian Cyst
Authors: Chao Calvin , Vanguri Vijay , Uy Karl
Published: February 2018

First described in 2005, the Mullerian derived cyst in the mediastinum is a rare finding with few subsequent reports. We report a case of Mullerian cyst occurring in the mediastinum of a 49-year-old female that was resected by robot-assisted thoracoscopic surgery. To our knowledge, this is the first report of robot-assisted resection of Hattori’s cyst. Histopathologic analysis revealed ciliated Mullerian-type tubal epithelium positive for paired box gene 8 (PAX8), estrogen receptor (ER), and progesterone receptor (PR), confirming Mullerian differentiation. We also review the clinical presentation, pathology, and differential diagnosis of such cysts.
Distinct Profiles of CD163-Positive Macrophages in Idiopathic Interstitial Pneumonias
Authors: Yamashita Masahiro , Saito Ryoko , Yasuhira Shinji , Fukuda Yuh , Sasamo Hironobu , Sugai Tamotsu , Yamauchi Kohei , Maemondo Makoto
Published: February 2018

Background. The types of cells most significantly linked to individual subtypes of idiopathic interstitial pneumonias (IIPs) remain unclear. Few studies have examined CD163+ macrophages in IIPs. Objective. We retrospectively aimed to immunohistochemically characterize the CD163+ macrophages in IIPs. Methods. Paraffin-embedded lung tissue samples were obtained from 47 patients with IIPs, including idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), idiopathic nonspecific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP), and cryptogenic organizing pneumonia (COP), and 12 normal controls were immunohistochemically analyzed, using primary antibodies against CD68 and CD163 as indicators of pan and M2 macrophages, respectively. Results. CD68+ macrophage density was significantly increased in the 3 subtypes of IIPs relative to that in the control group, although no difference was detected within the different IIPs. CD163+ macrophage density was significantly increased in NSIP and COP samples relative to that in IPF samples. The density ratio of CD163+ macrophages to CD68+ macrophages was significantly decreased in IPF/UIP samples relative to that in the others, while the densities in NSIP and COP were significantly higher than those in control cases. Conclusion. CD163+ macrophages show distinct profiles among IIPs, and the standardized numerical density is decreased in IPF cases that have poor prognoses.
Functional Assessment of the Stomatognathic System, after the Treatment of Edentulous Patients, with Different Methods of Establishing the Centric Relation
Authors: Nitecka-Buchta Aleksandra , Proba Thomas , Proba Paulina , Stefański Kamil , Baron Stefan
Published: February 2018

The study compares subjective experiences of patients, wearing complete dentures. Two different methods of determining a centric relation were performed: the traditional method using wax occlusal rims and the Gerber method, based on gothic arch tracings. The success rate of establishing a centric relation in both methods was evaluated (rentgenodiagnostics). The influence of the method used to obtain the centric relation on patients’ stomatognathic system (condyle centralization, pain) was also evaluated. Better results were achieved in gothic arch tracing method. Before every prosthetic treatment of edentulous patients, a functional analysis of the TMJ is necessary. The lack of centric relation, in a long term adaptation patients, does not lead to TMD symptoms. This trial is registered with NCT03343015.
Outlier Removal in Model-Based Missing Value Imputation for Medical Datasets
Authors: Huang Min-Wei , Lin Wei-Chao , Tsai Chih-Fong
Published: February 2018

Many real-world medical datasets contain some proportion of missing (attribute) values. In general, missing value imputation can be performed to solve this problem, which is to provide estimations for the missing values by a reasoning process based on the (complete) observed data. However, if the observed data contain some noisy information or outliers, the estimations of the missing values may not be reliable or may even be quite different from the real values. The aim of this paper is to examine whether a combination of instance selection from the observed data and missing value imputation offers better performance than performing missing value imputation alone. In particular, three instance selection algorithms, DROP3, GA, and IB3, and three imputation algorithms, KNNI, MLP, and SVM, are used in order to find out the best combination. The experimental results show that that performing instance selection can have a positive impact on missing value imputation over the numerical data type of medical datasets, and specific combinations of instance selection and imputation methods can improve the imputation results over the mixed data type of medical datasets. However, instance selection does not have a definitely positive impact on the imputation result for categorical medical datasets.
Antioxidant and Cell‐Signaling Functions of Hydrogen Sulfide in the Central Nervous System
Authors: Shefa Ulfuara , Kim Min-Sik , Jeong Na Young , Jung Junyang
Published: February 2018

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S), a toxic gaseous molecule, plays a physiological role in regulating homeostasis and cell signaling. H2S is produced from cysteine by enzymes, such as cystathionine β‐synthase (CBS), cystathionine γ‐lyase (CSE), cysteine aminotransferase (CAT), and 3‐mercaptopyruvate sulfurtransferase (3MST). These enzymes regulate the overall production of H2S in the body. H2S has a cell‐signaling function in the CNS and plays important roles in combating oxidative species such as reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) in the body. H2S is crucial for maintaining balanced amounts of antioxidants to protect the body from oxidative stress, and appropriate amounts of H2S are required to protect the CNS in particular. The body regulates CBS, 3MST, and CSE levels in the CNS, and higher or lower levels of these enzymes cause various neurodegenerative diseases. This review discusses how H2S protects the CNS by acting as an antioxidant that reduces excessive amounts of ROS and RNS. Additionally, H2S regulates cell signaling to combat neuroinflammation and protect against central neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), Huntington’s disease (HD), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
Assessing a Novel Method to Reduce Anesthesia Machine Contamination: A Prospective, Observational Trial
Authors: Biddle Chuck J. , George-Gay Beverly , Prasanna Praveen , Hill Emily M. , Davis Thomas C. , Verhulst Brad
Published: February 2018

Background. Anesthesia machines are known reservoirs of bacterial species, potentially contributing to healthcare associated infections (HAIs). An inexpensive, disposable, nonpermeable, transparent anesthesia machine wrap (AMW) may reduce microbial contamination of the anesthesia machine. This study quantified the density and diversity of bacterial species found on anesthesia machines after terminal cleaning and between cases during actual anesthesia care to assess the impact of the AMW. We hypothesized reduced bioburden with the use of the AMW. Methods. In a prospective, experimental research design, the AMW was used in 11 surgical cases (intervention group) and not used in 11 control surgical cases. Cases were consecutively assigned to general surgical operating rooms. Seven frequently touched and difficult to disinfect “hot spots” were cultured on each machine preceding and following each case. The density and diversity of cultured colony forming units (CFUs) between the covered and uncovered machines were compared using Wilcoxon signed-rank test and Student’s t-tests. Results. There was a statistically significant reduction in CFU density and diversity when the AMW was employed. Conclusion. The protective effect of the AMW during regular anesthetic care provides a reliable and low-cost method to minimize the transmission of pathogens across patients and potentially reduces HAIs.
Automated Diagnosis of Coronary Artery Disease: A Review and Workflow
Authors: Mastoi Qurat-ul-ain , Wah Teh Ying , Gopal Raj Ram , Iqbal Uzair
Published: February 2018

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the most dangerous heart disease which may lead to sudden cardiac death. However, CAD diagnoses are quite expensive and time-consuming procedures which a patient need to go through. The aim of our paper is to present a unique review of state-of-the-art methods up to 2017 for automatic CAD classification. The protocol of review methods is identifying best methods and classifier for CAD identification. The study proposes two workflows based on two parameter sets for instances A and B. It is necessary to follow the proper procedure, for future evaluation process of automatic diagnosis of CAD. The initial two stages of the parameter set A workflow are preprocessing and feature extraction. Subsequently, stages (feature selection and classification) are same for both workflows. In literature, the SVM classifier represents a promising approach for CAD classification. Moreover, the limitation leads to extract proper features from noninvasive signals.
Analysis of the Spatial Relationship between Cattle and Wild Ungulates across Different Land-Use Systems in a Tropical Savanna Landscape
Authors: Kinga Geoffrey W. , Mironga John , Odadi Wilfred O.
Published: February 2018

In many African savanna landscapes, domestic and wild herbivores cooccur across different land-use systems, but the role of land-use in shaping their spatial relationship is poorly understood. We evaluated the spatial relationship between cattle and wild herbivores categorized by body sizes and feeding habits across different land-use types, namely, private ranches (PR), transitional lands (TRL), and pastoral grazing areas (PGA), in Laikipia County, Kenya. Cattle and wild herbivores spatial distribution data were obtained from Kenya’s Department of Resources Survey and Remote Sensing (DRSRS). Spatial relationships between cattle and different wild herbivore guilds were analyzed using Ripley’s bivariateK12function. In PR, wild herbivore guilds showed significant attraction to cattle at short distances. In TRL, wild grazers, mixed feeders, megaherbivores, and medium-sized ungulates exhibited significant attraction to cattle. Additionally, repulsion was observed between cattle and browsers at short distances under this land-use system. In PGA, wild grazers, mixed feeders, and megaherbivores repelled strongly with cattle at short distances while browsers and medium-sized ungulates were significantly attracted to cattle. Cattle and wild herbivores were more randomly and independently distributed in PR than in TRL and PGA. These spatial relationships imply better coexistence between cattle and wild herbivores in PR than in TRL and PGA.
High Expression of ITGA3 Promotes Proliferation and Cell Cycle Progression and Indicates Poor Prognosis in Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma
Authors: Huang Yu , Kong Yang , Zhang Lufei , He Tianyu , Zhou Xiaohu , Yan Yingcai , Zhang Linshi , Zhou Dongkai , Lu Sinan , Zhou Jiarong , Zhou Lin , Xie Haiyang , Zheng Shusen , Wang Weilin
Published: February 2018

Integrin subunit alpha 3 (ITGA3) interacts with a beta 1 subunit to form a member of the integrin family. Integrins are heterodimeric integral membrane proteins that serve as cell surface adhesion proteins. In this research, we investigated the biological function of this protein in human intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) for the first time. Here, using Western blotting and immunohistochemistry assays, we discovered that ITGA3 was overexpressed in ICC cell lines and ICC patients. Moreover, we found ITGA3 expression correlated with several clinicopathological features, including tumor size, lymph node metastasis, and the TNM stage. Patients with high ITGA3 expression underwent a worse prognosis after complete resection compared with patients with low ITGA3 expression in terms of overall survival. Furthermore, we demonstrated that ITGA3 could significantly promote ICC cell proliferation and cell cycle progression in vitro. However, as a classical cell surface adhesion molecule, we found ITGA3 correlated negatively with the migration and invasion of ICC cell lines, which differs from other malignant tumors. Generally, these findings suggest that ITGA3 may play a role as a potential oncogene in ICC and suppression of ITGA3 expression may establish a novel target for guiding the therapy of ICC patients.
Structural and Morselized Allografting Combined with a Cementless Cup for Acetabular Defects in Revision Total Hip Arthroplasty: A 4- to 14-Year Follow-Up
Authors: Chen Hou-Tsung , Wu Cheng-Ta , Huang Tsan-Wen , Shih Hsin-Nung , Wang Jun-Wen , Lee Mel S.
Published: February 2018

Using morselized and structural allograft to restore bone stock for massive acetabular bone defect in revision total hip arthroplasty (THA) is an appealing procedure. However, concerns about inability to achieve long-term stability following allograft resorption remained. From 2003 to 2012, 59 hips in 58 patients undergoing revision THA for Paprosky type II or III acetabular defects were retrospectively reviewed. The acetabular defects were managed with deep-frozen morselized and structural allografts, and a press-fit cementless cup along with supplementary screws. Clinical outcomes and radiographic results were analyzed with a mean follow-up of 8.7 years. The clinical successful rate was 100% for hips with Paprosky type II defect, 95.2% for IIIA defect, and 92.8% for IIIB defect. Three hips with type III defect failed at 4, 7, and 9 years, respectively. Harris Hip Score improved significantly from 60.1 preoperatively to 91.3 at the latest follow-up. All hips with good clinical results showed trabecular bridging in the allograft-host bone interface. Deep-frozen structural and morselized allograft in combination with a press-fit cementless cup represented a viable option to reconstruct acetabular defects in revision THA.