bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Multiple Urethral Stones Causing Penile Gangrene
Authors: Ramdass Michael J. , Naraynsingh Vijay
Published: May 2014

Penile urethral stones are a rare occurrence resulting from a number of causes including migration of stones within the urinary tract, urethral strictures, meatal stenosis, and obstructing tumours such as adenomatous metaplasia of the uroepithelium, hypospadias, urethral diverticulum, and very rarely primary fossa navicularis calculi. We report the case of a 54-year-old male presenting with penile gangrene and sepsis resulting from impaction of multiple stones within the penile urethra. This paper summarises the topic and discusses the pathophysiology of this unusual condition.
Risk Factors of Periodontal Disease: Review of the Literature
Authors: AlJehani Yousef A.
Published: May 2014

Objectives. This paper aims to review the evidence on the potential roles of modifiable and nonmodifiable risk factors associated with periodontal disease.Data. Original articles that reported on the risk factors for periodontal disease were included.Sources. MEDLINE (1980 to Jan 2014), PubMed (using medical subject headings), and Google Scholar were searched using the following terms in different combinations: “periodontal disease,” “periodontitis,” “risk factors,” and “causal.” This was supplemented by hand-searching in peer-reviewed journals and cross-referenced with the articles accessed.Conclusions. It is important to understand the etiological factors and the pathogenesis of periodontal disease to recognize and appreciate the associated risk factors. As periodontal disease is multifactorial, effective disease management requires a clear understanding of all the associated risk factors.
Islanding Detection for Microgrid Based on Frequency Tracking Using Extended Kalman Filter Algorithm
Authors: Li Bin , Wang Jingpeng , Bao Hailong , Zhang Huiying
Published: May 2014

Islanding detection is essential for secure and reliable operation of microgrids. Considering the relationship between the power generation and the load in microgrids, frequency may vary with time when islanding occurs. As a common approach, frequency measurement is widely used to detect islanding condition. In this paper, a novel frequency calculation algorithm based on extended Kalman filter was proposed to track dynamic frequency of the microgrid. Taylor series expansion was introduced to solve nonlinear state equations. In addition, a typical microgrid model was built using MATLAB/SIMULINK. Simulation results demonstrated that the proposed algorithm achieved great stability and strong robustness in of tracking dynamic frequency.
Beneficial Effect of Conversion to Belatacept in Kidney-Transplant Patients with a Low Glomerular-Filtration Rate
Authors: Belliere Julie , Guilbeau-Frugier Céline , Del Bello Arnaud , Esposito Laure , Capuani Caroline , Cardeau-Desangles Isabelle , Rostaing Lionel , Kamar Nassim
Published: May 2014

Belatacept has been found to be efficient at preserving good kidney function in maintenance kidney-transplant patients. Herein, we report on the use of belatacept as a rescue therapy for two kidney-transplant patients presenting with severe adverse events after treatment with calcineurin inhibitors (CNIs) and mammalian target-of-rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitors. Two kidney-transplant patients developed severely impaired kidney function after receiving CNIs. The use of everolimus was associated with severe angioedema. Belatacept was then successfully used to improve kidney function in both cases, even though estimated glomerular-filtration rate before conversion was <20 mL/min. These case reports show that belatacept can be used as a rescue therapy, even if kidney function is very low in kidney-transplant patients who cannot tolerate CNIs and/or mTOR inhibitors.
PET/CT Is Complementary to Fine-Needle Aspiration Cytology in Assessment of Irradiated Neck in Head and Neck Cancers
Authors: Chan R. C. L. , Chan Y. W.
Published: May 2014

Background.Accurate assessment of irradiated neck in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (HNSCC) is essential. Fine-needle aspiration cytology is often performed for suspicious lesions but it is limited by its low negative predictive value (NPV). We postulated that F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography combined with computed tomography (PET/CT) can overcome this limitation by its high NPV value and allow for a more accurate assessment of irradiated neck in HNSCC.Methods.Fifty-four HNSCC patients were included for the study. They all received previous irradiation to the neck. Clinical characteristics, details of radiotherapy, PET/CT results, follow-up findings, and final histological diagnosis were analyzed.Results.The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and NPV were 95.8%, 96.7%, 95.8%, and 96.7%, respectively. Age, sex, radiation dose, interval between PET/CT and radiotherapy completion, nature of radiotherapy, and use of second course of radiotherapy were not found to affect diagnostic accuracy of PET/CT. A new algorithm for investigation of masses in irradiated neck is proposed.Conclusions.PET/CT is an effective diagnostic tool and has a complementary role to FNAC in the management of irradiated neck in head and neck cancers, particularly in cases where suspicious lesions were identified but FNAC showed negative results.
Health-Related Quality of Life and Preferred Health-Seeking Institutions among Rural Elderly Individuals with and without Chronic Conditions: A Population-Based Study in Guangdong Province, China
Authors: Zhou Zhiheng , Wang Caixia , Yang Huajie , Wang Xiang , Zheng Chanjiao , Wang Jiaji
Published: May 2014

The aim of this study was to examine health-related quality of life (HRQL) as measured by SF-36 and to identify these factors and the preferred health-seeking institutions of 12,800 persons aged 60 and older with and without chronic conditions in rural areas of Guangdong Province by multistage stratified cluster sampling method. HRQL among rural elderly subjects with chronic conditions was lower than that of elderly subjects with no chronic conditions. Multiple linear regression showed that marital status, living with children, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, cataract disease, and mental disease were the main affecting factors of HRQL. The main preferred health-seeking institutions selected by the rural elderly were community/town health service institutions, district hospitals, or secondary hospitals. Our findings indicate that the elderly in rural areas of Guangdong Province have a poor HRQL and incorrect health-seeking pathway. The healthcare policymakers should emphasize the need of developing effective and targeted community services strategies to improve the elderly individuals’ HRQL in rural areas of China.
On Decompositions of Matrices over Distributive Lattices
Authors: Chen Yizhi , Zhao Xianzhong
Published: May 2014

LetLbe a distributive lattice andMn,q(L)(Mn(L), resp.) the semigroup (semiring, resp.) ofn×q(n×n, resp.) matrices overL. In this paper, we show that if there is a subdirect embedding from distributive latticeLto the direct product∏i=1m‍Liof distributive latticesL1,L2, …,Lm, then there will be a corresponding subdirect embedding from the matrix semigroupMn,q(L)(semiringMn(L), resp.) to semigroup∏i=1m‍Mn,q(Li)(semiring∏i=1m‍Mn(Li), resp.). Further, it is proved that a matrix over a distributive lattice can be decomposed into the sum of matrices over some of its special subchains. This generalizes and extends the decomposition theorems of matrices over finite distributive lattices, chain semirings, fuzzy semirings, and so forth. Finally, as some applications, we present a method to calculate the indices and periods of the matrices over a distributive lattice and characterize the structures of idempotent and nilpotent matrices over it. We translate the characterizations of idempotent and nilpotent matrices over a distributive lattice into the corresponding ones of the binary Boolean cases, which also generalize the corresponding structures of idempotent and nilpotent matrices over general Boolean algebras, chain semirings, fuzzy semirings, and so forth.
The Chaos Dynamic of Multiproduct Cournot Duopoly Game with Managerial Delegation
Authors: Wu Fang , Ma Junhai
Published: May 2014

Although oligopoly theory is generally concerned with the single-product firm, what is true in the real word is that most of the firms offer multiproducts rather than single products in order to obtain cost-saving advantages, cater for the diversity of consumer tastes, and provide a barrier to entry. We develop a dynamical multiproduct Cournot duopoly model in discrete time, where each firm has an owner who delegates the output decision to a manager. The principle of decision-making is bounded rational. And each firm has a nonlinear total cost function due to the multiproduct framework. The Cournot Nash equilibrium and the local stability are investigated. The tangential bifurcation and intermittent chaos are reported by numerical simulations. The results show that high output adjustment speed can lead to output fluctuations which are characterized by phases of low volatility with small output changes and phases of high volatility with large output changes. The intermittent route to chaos of Flip bifurcation and another intermittent route of Flip bifurcation which contains Hopf bifurcation can exist in the system. The study can improve our understanding of intermittent chaos frequently observed in oligopoly economy.
Development of Energy-Efficient Routing Protocol in Wireless Sensor Networks Using Optimal Gradient Routing with On Demand Neighborhood Information
Authors: Kannan K. Nattar , Paramasivan B.
Published: May 2014

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) consist of a number of autonomous sensor nodes which have limited battery power and computation capabilities with sensing of various physical and environmental conditions. In recent days, WSNs adequately need effective mechanisms for data forwarding to enhance the energy efficiency in networks. In WSNs, the optimization of energy consumption is a crucial issue for real-time application. Network topology of WSNs also is changed dynamically by anonymous nodes. Routing protocols play a major role in WSNs for maintaining the routes and for ensuring reliable communication. In this paper, on demand acquisitions of neighborhood information are used to find the optimal routing paths that reduce the message exchange overhead. It optimizes the number of hops for packet forwarding to the sink node which gives a better solution for energy consumption and delay. The proposed protocol combines the on demand multihop information based multipath routing (OMLRP) and the gradient-based network for achieving the optimal path which reduces energy consumption of sensor nodes. The proposed routing protocol provides the least deadline miss ratio which is most suitable to real-time data delivery. Simulation results show that the proposed routing protocol has achieved good performance with respect to the reduction in energy efficiency and deadline miss ratio.
Date Attachable Offline Electronic Cash Scheme
Authors: Fan Chun-I , Sun Wei-Zhe , Hau Hoi-Tung
Published: May 2014

Electronic cash (e-cash) is definitely one of the most popular research topics in the e-commerce field. It is very important that e-cash be able to hold the anonymity and accuracy in order to preserve the privacy and rights of customers. There are two types of e-cash in general, which are online e-cash and offline e-cash. Both systems have their own pros and cons and they can be used to construct various applications. In this paper, we pioneer to propose a provably secure and efficient offline e-cash scheme with date attachability based on the blind signature technique, where expiration date and deposit date can be embedded in an e-cash simultaneously. With the help of expiration date, the bank can manage the huge database much more easily against unlimited growth, and the deposit date cannot be forged so that users are able to calculate the amount of interests they can receive in the future correctly. Furthermore, we offer security analysis and formal proofs for all essential properties of offline e-cash, which are anonymity control, unforgeability, conditional-traceability, and no-swindling.
Identification ofInfluenza A/H7N9 Virus Infection-Related Human Genes Based on Shortest Paths in a Virus-Human Protein Interaction Network
Authors: Zhang Ning , Jiang Min , Huang Tao , Cai Yu-Dong
Published: May 2014

The recently emergingInfluenza A/H7N9 virus is reported to be able to infect humans and cause mortality. However, viral and host factors associated with the infection are poorly understood. It is suggested by the “guilt by association” rule that interacting proteins share the same or similar functions and hence may be involved in the same pathway. In this study, we developed a computational method to identifyInfluenza A/H7N9 virus infection-related human genes based on this rule from the shortest paths in a virus-human protein interaction network. Finally, we screened out the most significant 20 human genes, which could be the potential infection related genes, providing guidelines for further experimental validation. Analysis of the 20 genes showed that they were enriched in protein binding, saccharide or polysaccharide metabolism related pathways and oxidative phosphorylation pathways. We also compared the results with those from human rhinovirus (HRV) and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) by the same method. It was indicated that saccharide or polysaccharide metabolism related pathways might be especially associated with the H7N9 infection. These results could shed some light on the understanding of the virus infection mechanism, providing basis for future experimental biology studies and for the development of effective strategies for H7N9 clinical therapies.
Amorphous Alloy: Promising Precursor to Form Nanoflowerpot
Authors: Lan Guo , Xie Zhiqiang , Huang Zhenwei , Yang Shengchen , Zhang Xuhai , Zeng Yuqiao , Jiang Jianqing
Published: May 2014

Nanoporous copper is fabricated by dealloying the amorphous Ti2Cu alloy in 0.03 M HF electrolyte. The pore and ligament sizes of the nanoporous copper can be readily tailored by controlling the dealloying time. The as-prepared nanoporous copper provides fine and uniform nanoflowerpots to grow highly dispersed Au nanoflowers. The blooming Au nanoflowers in the nanoporous copper flowerpots exhibit both high catalytic activity and stability towards the oxidation of glucose, indicating that the amorphous alloys are ideal precursors to form nanoflowerpot which can grow functional nanoflowers.
Power Management of Hybrid Power Systems with Li-Fe Batteries and Supercapacitors for Mobile Robots
Authors: Wang Guohui , Dai Zhiquan , Guan Yong , Dong Pengfei , Wu Lifeng
Published: May 2014

This paper presents an energy management strategy of a Li-Fe battery and supercapacitor hybrid power system to provide both high power density and energy density for mobile robots with fluctuating workloads. A two-phase power-optimization approach is proposed to exploit the high power density of supercapacitors and the high energy density of Li-Fe batteries. With our strategy, large peak power can be provided for a short time period whenever needed, while low power can be provided for very long time. A set of experiments have been conducted. The experimental results show that our strategy can effectively improve the performance of mobile robots and extend the lifetime of batteries.
Experimental Study for Vibration Behaviors of Locally Defective Deep Groove Ball Bearings under Dynamic Radial Load
Authors: Patel V. N. , Tandon N. , Pandey R. K.
Published: May 2014

Rolling element bearings are used in many mechanical systems at the revolute joints for sustaining the dynamic loads. Thus, the reliable and efficient functioning of such systems critically depends on the good health of the employed rolling bearings. Hence, health monitoring of rolling bearings through their vibration responses is a vital issue. In this paper, an experimental investigation has been reported related to the vibration behaviours of healthy and locally defective deep groove ball bearings operating under dynamic radial load. The dynamic load on the test bearings has been applied using an electromechanical shaker. The vibration spectra of the healthy and defective deep groove ball bearings in time and frequency domains have been compared and discussed. Overall vibration increases in presence of local defects and dynamic radial load.
Autophagy inDrosophila: From Historical Studies to Current Knowledge
Authors: Mulakkal Nitha C. , Nagy Peter , Takats Szabolcs , Tusco Radu , Juhász Gábor , Nezis Ioannis P.
Published: May 2014

The discovery of evolutionarily conserved Atg genes required for autophagy in yeast truly revolutionized this research field and made it possible to carry out functional studies on model organisms. Insects includingDrosophilaare classical and still popular models to study autophagy, starting from the 1960s. This review aims to summarize past achievements and our current knowledge about the role and regulation of autophagy inDrosophila, with an outlook to yeast and mammals. The basic mechanisms of autophagy in fruit fly cells appear to be quite similar to other eukaryotes, and the role that this lysosomal self-degradation process plays inDrosophilamodels of various diseases already made it possible to recognize certain aspects of human pathologies. Future studies in this complete animal hold great promise for the better understanding of such processes and may also help finding new research avenues for the treatment of disorders with misregulated autophagy.
Discrete‐Time Indefinite Stochastic Linear Quadratic Optimal Control with Second Moment Constraints
Authors: Zhang Weihai , Li Guiling
Published: May 2014

This paper studies the discrete‐time stochastic linear quadratic (LQ) problem with a second moment constraint on the terminal state, where the weighting matrices in the cost functional are allowed to be indefinite. By means of the matrix Lagrange theorem, a new class of generalized difference Riccati equations (GDREs) is introduced. It is shown that the well‐posedness, and the attainability of the LQ problem and the solvability of the GDREs are equivalent to each other.
A Systematic Analysis of miRNA-mRNA Paired Variations Reveals Widespread miRNA Misregulation in Breast Cancer
Authors: Zhong Lei , Zhu Kuixi , Jin Nana , Wu Deng , Zhang Jianguo , Guo Baoliang , Yan Zhaoqi , Zhang Qingyuan
Published: May 2014

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small noncoding RNAs that can regulate gene expression by binding to target mRNAs and induce translation repression or RNA degradation. There have been many studies indicating that both miRNAs and mRNAs display aberrant expression in breast cancer. Previously, most researches into the molecular mechanism of breast cancer examined miRNA expression patterns and mRNA expression patterns separately. In this study, we systematically analysed miRNA-mRNA paired variations (MMPVs), which are miRNA-mRNA pairs whose pattern of regulation can vary in association with biopathological features, such as the oestrogen receptor (ER), TP53 and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) genes, survival time, and breast cancer subtypes. We demonstrated that the existence of MMPVs is general and widespread but that there is a general unbalance in the distribution of MMPVs among the different biopathological features. Furthermore, based on studying MMPVs that are related to multiple biopathological features, we propose a potential crosstalk mechanism between ER and HER2.
Recombinant Human Factor IX Produced from Transgenic Porcine Milk
Authors: Lee Meng-Hwan , Lin Yin-Shen , Tu Ching-Fu , Yen Chon-Ho
Published: May 2014

Production of biopharmaceuticals from transgenic animal milk is a cost-effective method for highly complex proteins that cannot be efficiently produced using conventional systems such as microorganisms or animal cells. Yields of recombinant human factor IX (rhFIX) produced from transgenic porcine milk under the control of the bovineα-lactalbumin promoter reached 0.25 mg/mL. The rhFIX protein was purified from transgenic porcine milk using a three-column purification scheme after a precipitation step to remove casein. The purified protein had high specific activity and a low ratio of the active form (FIXa). The purified rhFIX had 11.9γ-carboxyglutamic acid (Gla) residues/mol protein, which approached full occupancy of the 12 potential sites in the Gla domain. The rhFIX was shown to have a higher isoelectric point and lower sialic acid content than plasma-derived FIX (pdFIX). The rhFIX had the sameN-glycosylation sites and phosphorylation sites as pdFIX, but had a higher specific activity. These results suggest that rhFIX produced from porcine milk is physiologically active and they support the use of transgenic animals as bioreactors for industrial scale production in milk.
On Particle Production in Lead-Gold Collision and Azimuthal Anisotropy at Top SPS Energy
Authors: Li Bao-Chun , Zhang Zhao
Published: May 2014

In a multisource thermal model, we analyze the dependence of elliptic flowv2on the transverse momentumPT. The model results are compared with the data ofπ-,KS0,p, andΛmeasured in Pb + Au collisions at top SPS energy, 17.3 GeV. It is found that the azimuthal anisotropy in the evolution process of high-energy collisions is correlated highly to the number of participant nucleons.
Understanding Student Experiences in a Near-Peer Resident Shadowing Program
Authors: Turner Simon R. , White Jonathan , Poth Cheryl , Rogers W. Todd
Published: May 2014

Introduction. The preparation of medical students for clerkship has been criticized, both in terms of students’ ability to understand their new role as clinical trainees and in their ability to carry out that role. To begin to address this gap, this paper reports the experiences of students in a shadowing program aimed at enhancing the preparedness of medical students for clinical training. The study examined a novel program, the Resident-Medical Student Shadowing Program, in which first-year medical students at the University of Alberta shadowed a first-year resident during clinical duties over the course of eight months. Methods. A study was conducted to assess the experiences of 83 first-year medical student participants who shadowed a first-year resident intermittently for one year. Student and resident participants’ experiences were explored using semistructured interviews. Results. Students and residents experiences indicate that participation increased students’ understanding of the clinical environment and their role within it and introduced them to skills and knowledge needed to perform that role. Students reported that a close relationship with their resident enhanced their learning experience. Conclusion. This study demonstrates that a low-cost program in which first-year students shadow residents may be a useful tool for helping prepare students for clerkship.
Gla-Rich Protein Is a Potential New Vitamin K Target in Cancer: Evidences for a Direct GRP-Mineral Interaction
Authors: Viegas Carla S. B. , Herfs Marjolein , Rafael Marta S. , Enriquez José L. , Teixeira Alexandra , Luís Inês M. , van ‘t Hoofd Cynthia M. R. , João Alexandre , Maria Vera L. , Cavaco Sofia , Ferreira Ana , Serra Manuel , Theuwissen Elke , Vermeer Cees , Simes Dina C.
Published: May 2014

Gla-rich protein (GRP) was described in sturgeon as a new vitamin-K-dependent protein (VKDP) with a high density of Gla residues and associated with ectopic calcifications in humans. Although VKDPs function has been related withγ-carboxylation, the Gla status of GRP in humans is still unknown. Here, we investigated the expression of recently identified GRP spliced transcripts, theγ-carboxylation status, and its association with ectopic calcifications, in skin basal cell and breast carcinomas. GRP-F1 was identified as the predominant splice variant expressed in healthy and cancer tissues. Patterns ofγ-carboxylated GRP (cGRP)/undercarboxylated GRP (ucGRP) accumulation in healthy and cancer tissues were determined by immunohistochemistry, using newly developed conformation-specific antibodies. Both GRP protein forms were found colocalized in healthy tissues, while ucGRP was the predominant form associated with tumor cells. Both cGRP and ucGRP found at sites of microcalcifications were shown to havein vitrocalcium mineral-binding capacity. The decreased levels of cGRP and predominance of ucGRP in tumor cells suggest that GRP may represent a new target for the anticancer potential of vitamin K. Also, the direct interaction of cGRP and ucGRP with BCP crystals provides a possible mechanism explaining GRP association with pathological mineralization.
Luminal DMSO: Effects on Detrusor and Urothelial/Lamina Propria Function
Authors: Smith Katrina J. , Chess-Williams Russ , McDermott Catherine
Published: May 2014

DMSO is used as a treatment for interstitial cystitis and this study examined the effects of luminal DMSO treatment on bladder function and histology. Porcine bladder was incubated without (controls) or with DMSO (50%) applied to the luminal surface and the release of ATP, acetylcholine, and LDH assessed during incubation and in tissues strips after DMSO incubation. Luminally applied DMSO caused ATP, Ach, and LDH release from the urothelial surface during treatment, with loss of urothelial layers also evident histologically. In strips of urothelium/lamina propria from DMSO pretreated bladders the release of both ATP and Ach was depressed, while contractile responses to carbachol were enhanced. Detrusor muscle contractile responses to carbachol were not affected by DMSO pretreatment, but neurogenic responses to electrical field stimulation were enhanced. The presence of an intact urothelium/lamina propria inhibited detrusor contraction to carbachol by 53% and this inhibition was significantly reduced in DMSO pretreated tissues. Detection of LDH in the treatment medium suggests that DMSO permeabilised urothelial membranes causing leakage of cytosolic contents including ATP and Ach rather than enhancing release of these mediators. The increase in contractile response and high levels of ATP are consistent with initial flare up in IC/PBS symptoms after DMSO treatment.
An Extended Cellular Automaton Model for Train Traffic Flow on the Dedicated Passenger Lines
Authors: Zhao Wenbo , Qian Yongsheng , Zhang Anling , Zeng Junwei , Wang Min , Lv Zhidan
Published: May 2014

As one of the key components for the railway transportation system, the Train Operation Diagram can be greatly influenced by many extrinsic and intrinsic factors. Therefore, the railway train flow has shown the strong nonlinear characteristics, which makes it quite difficult to take further relative studies. Fortunately, the cellular automaton model has its own advantages in solving nonlinear problems and traffic flow simulation. Considering the mixed features of multispeed running trains on the passenger dedicated lines, this paper presents a new train model under the moving block system with different types of trains running with the cellular automaton idea. By analyzing such key factors as the maintenance skylight, the proportion of the multispeed running trains, and the distance between adjacent stations and departure intervals, the corresponding running rules for the cellular automaton model are reestablished herewith. By means of this CA model, the program of train running system is designed to analyze the potential impact on railway carrying capacity by various factors; the model can also be implemented to simulate the actual train running process and to draw the train operation diagram by computers. Basically the theory can be applied to organize the train operation on the dedicated passenger lines.
The Dynamic Characteristic Analysis of the Water Lubricated Bearing-Rotor System in Seawater Desalination Pump
Authors: Ye Xiaoyan , Wang Jing , Zhang Desheng , Hu Jingning , Feng Yaoning
Published: May 2014

In order to study the water lubricated bearing-rotor system in seawater desalination pump, this paper is based on the coupling between the lubricating flow field and the rotor dynamics. The fluid-solid interaction (FSI) method, Rigid Body, was adopted to study the journal orbit of the bearing-rotor system under the periodic unbalancing load. The influences of geometric and working parameter to the journal orbit were combined to analyze the stability and reliability of the bearing-rotor system. The result shows that increasing the rotating speed would increase the journal whirling amplitude and the system sensitivity to the external excitation and unbalancing load were promoted; increasing the aspect ratio would reduce the journal whirling amplitude and cause the system to be more unstable; increasing the inlet pressure would reduce the journal whirling amplitude and cause the system to be more unstable; increasing the unbalancing load would reduce the stability margin and the system is easy to be unstable if obstructed; increasing the radial clearance would reduce the journal whirling amplitude and cause the system to be more unstable. The attitude angle has no influence on the journal whirling amplitude but would influence the stability of system and the value of attitude angle should not be large.
Circulating Endothelial Cells and Chronic Kidney Disease
Authors: Zhang Kunying , Yin Fang , Lin Lin
Published: May 2014

Endothelial dysfunction may play a crucial role in initiation of the pathogenesis of vascular disease and atherosclerosis. The identification and quantification of circulating endothelial cells (CEC) have been developed as a novel marker of endothelial function. We describe, in great detail, mechanisms of endothelial dysfunction and CEC detachment. We also review the relationship between numbers of CEC and disease severity and response to treatment. In addition, we describe the possible clinical use of CEC in chronic kidney disease (CKD) and kidney transplantation. In summary, CEC have been developed as a novel approach to assess the endothelial damage. Measurement of the CEC level would provide an important diagnostic and prognostic value on the endothelium status and the long-term outcome of vascular dysfunction.
Identifying Dynamic Protein Complexes Based on Gene Expression Profiles and PPI Networks
Authors: Li Min , Chen Weijie , Wang Jianxin , Wu Fang-Xiang , Pan Yi
Published: May 2014

Identification of protein complexes from protein-protein interaction networks has become a key problem for understanding cellular life in postgenomic era. Many computational methods have been proposed for identifying protein complexes. Up to now, the existing computational methods are mostly applied on static PPI networks. However, proteins and their interactions are dynamic in reality. Identifying dynamic protein complexes is more meaningful and challenging. In this paper, a novel algorithm, named DPC, is proposed to identify dynamic protein complexes by integrating PPI data and gene expression profiles. According to Core-Attachment assumption, these proteins which are always active in the molecular cycle are regarded as core proteins. The protein-complex cores are identified from these always active proteins by detecting dense subgraphs. Final protein complexes are extended from the protein-complex cores by adding attachments based on a topological character of “closeness” and dynamic meaning. The protein complexes produced by our algorithm DPC contain two parts: static core expressed in all the molecular cycle and dynamic attachments short-lived. The proposed algorithm DPC was applied on the data ofSaccharomyces cerevisiaeand the experimental results show that DPC outperforms CMC, MCL, SPICi, HC-PIN, COACH, and Core-Attachment based on the validation of matching with known complexes and hF-measures.
Using Action Research and Peer Perspectives to Develop Technology That Facilitates Behavioral Change and Self-Management in COPD
Authors: McCabe Catherine , Dinsmore John , Brady Anne Marie , Mckee Gabrielle , O'Donnell Sharon , Prendergast David
Published: May 2014

Background. Behavioural change and self-management in patients with chronic illness may help to control symptoms, avoid rehospitalization, enhance quality of life, and decrease mortality and morbidity.Objective. Guided by action research principles and using mixed methods, the aim of this project was to develop peer based educational, motivational, and health-promoting peer based videos, using behavioural change principles, to support self-management in patients with COPD.Methods. Individuals(n=32)living with COPD at home and involved in two community based COPD support groups were invited to participate in this project. Focus group/individual interviews and a demographic questionnaire were used to collect data.Results. Analysis revealed 6 categories relevant to behavioural change which included self-management, support, symptoms, knowledge, rehabilitation, and technology. Participants commented that content needed to be specific, and videos needed to be shorter, to be tailored to severity of condition, to demonstrate “normal” activities, to be positive, and to ensure that content is culturally relevant.Conclusions. This study demonstrated that detailed analysis of patient perspectives and needs for self-management is essential and should underpin the development of any framework, materials, and technology. The action research design principles provided an effective framework for eliciting the data and applying it to technology and testing its relevance to the user.
Sharing Privacy Protected and Statistically Sound Clinical Research Data Using Outsourced Data Storage
Authors: Noh Geontae , Chun Ji Young , Jeong Ik Rae
Published: May 2014

It is critical to scientific progress to share clinical research data stored in outsourced generally available cloud computing services. Researchers are able to obtain valuable information that they would not otherwise be able to access; however, privacy concerns arise when sharing clinical data in these outsourced publicly available data storage services. HIPAA requires researchers to deidentify private information when disclosing clinical data for research purposes and describes two available methods for doing so. Unfortunately, both techniques degrade statistical accuracy. Therefore, the need to protect privacy presents a significant problem for data sharing between hospitals and researchers. In this paper, we propose a controlled secure aggregation protocol to secure both privacy and accuracy when researchers outsource their clinical research data for sharing. Since clinical data must remain private beyond a patient’s lifetime, we take advantage of lattice-based homomorphic encryption to guarantee long-term security against quantum computing attacks. Using lattice-based homomorphic encryption, we design an aggregation protocol that aggregates outsourced ciphertexts under distinct public keys. It enables researchers to get aggregated results from outsourced ciphertexts of distinct researchers. To the best of our knowledge, our protocol is the first aggregation protocol which can aggregate ciphertexts which are encrypted with distinct public keys.
Acceptance Sampling Plans Based on Truncated Life Tests for Gompertz Distribution
Authors: Gui Wenhao , Zhang Shangli
Published: May 2014

An acceptance sampling plan for Gompertz distribution under a truncated life test is developed. For different acceptance numbers, consumer’s confidence levels and values of the ratio of the experimental time to the specified mean lifetime, the minimum sample sizes required to ensure the specified mean lifetime are obtained. The operating characteristic function values and the associated producer’s risks are also presented. An example is provided to illustrate the acceptance sampling plan.
Resource Management for Device-to-Device Communications in Heterogeneous Networks Using Stackelberg Game
Authors: He Yinuo , Wang Feiran , Wu Jianjun
Published: May 2014

Device-to-device (D2D) communications and femtocell systems can bring significant benefits to users’ throughput. However, the complicated three-tier interference among macrocell, femtocell, and D2D systems is a challenging issue in heterogeneous networks. As D2D user equipment (UE) can cause interference to cellular UE, scheduling and allocation of channel resources and power of D2D communication need elaborate coordination. In this paper, we propose a joint scheduling and resource allocation scheme to improve the performance of D2D communication. We take UE rate and UE fairness into account by performing interference management. First, we construct a Stackelberg game framework in which we group a macrocellular UE, a femtocellular UE, and a D2D UE to form a two-leader one-follower pair. The cellular UE are leaders, and D2D UE is the follower who buys channel resources from the leaders. We analyze the equilibrium of the game and obtain solutions to the equilibrium. Second, we propose an algorithm for joint scheduling of D2D pairs based on their utility. Finally, we perform computer simulations to study the performance of the proposed scheme.
Holoptelea integrifolia(Roxb.) Planch: A Review of Its Ethnobotany, Pharmacology, and Phytochemistry
Authors: Ganie Showkat Ahmad , Yadav Surender Singh
Published: May 2014

Holoptelea integrifolia(Ulmaceae) is a versatile medicinal plant used in various indigenous systems of medicine for curing routine healthcare maladies. It is traditionally used in the treatment and prevention of several ailments like leprosy, inflammation, rickets, leucoderma, scabies, rheumatism, ringworm, eczema, malaria, intestinal cancer, and chronic wounds.In vitroandin vivopharmacological investigations on crude extracts and isolated compounds showed antibacterial, antifungal, analgesic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anthelmintic, antidiabetic, antidiarrhoeal, adaptogenic, anticancer, wound healing, hepatoprotective, larvicidal, antiemetic, CNS depressant, and hypolipidemic activities. Phytochemical analysis showed the presence of terpenoids, sterols, saponins, tannins, proteins, carbohydrates, alkaloids, phenols, flavonoids, glycosides, and quinines. Numerous compounds including Holoptelin-A, Holoptelin-B, friedlin, epifriedlin,β-amyrin, stigmasterol,β-sitosterol, 1, 4-napthalenedione, betulin, betulinic acid, hexacosanol, and octacosanol have been identified and isolated from the plant species. The results of several studies indicated thatH. integrifoliamay be used as an effective therapeutic remedy in the prevention and treatment of various ailments. However, further studies on chemical constituents and their mechanisms in exhibiting certain biological activities are needed. In addition, study on the toxicity of the crude extracts and the compounds isolated from this plant should be assessed to ensure their eligibility to be used as source of modern medicines.
A Study on Moyna Basin Water-Logged Areas (India) Using Remote Sensing and GIS Methods and Their Contemporary Economic Significance
Authors: Sahu Abhay Sankar
Published: May 2014

The prime objective of this paper is to identify and map the water-logged areas within Moyna basin, India, and to explore their contemporary economic significances. The Landsat 5 TM, ASTER data, and topographical sheets have been taken into consideration with field observations. Maps on relief, slope, canal density, embankments, a supervised classification of the study area and then NDVI, NDWI, and modified NDWI or NDMI have been prepared here. At Moyna, the piezometric surface ranges from five to ten metres below the ground level. The percentage of clay particles is high throughout the surface soil. The total rainfall is nearly 1400 mm and most of it happened during the monsoon period. Two well-marked depressions are observed there within the basin and the nearly central one is wide and is clearly identified from the relief map also. Problem of drainage congestion there accelerates the onset of water-logged situation. In general, water-logged areas are not suitable for humans. People once were worried about the water-logged environment due to underwater scenario of low-lying agricultural fields for a certain period, but today local people are taking this environmental condition as an opportunity for fishing activity and thus they are becoming economically benefitted as well.
The Exponential Diophantine Equation2x+by=cz
Authors: Yu Yahui , Li Xiaoxue
Published: May 2014

Letbandcbe fixed coprime odd positive integers withmin{b,c}>1. In this paper, a classification of all positive integer solutions(x,y,z)of the equation2x+by=czis given. Further, by an elementary approach, we prove that ifc=b+2, then the equation has only the positive integer solution(x,y,z)=(1,1,1), except for(b,x,y,z)=(89,13,1,2)and(2r-1,r+2,2,2), whereris a positive integer withr≥2.
Study on Chaotic Fault Tolerant Synchronization Control Based on Adaptive Observer
Authors: Chen Dongming , Huang Xinyu , Ren Tao
Published: May 2014

Aiming at the abrupt faults of the chaotic system, an adaptive observer is proposed to trace the states of the master system. The sufficient conditions for synchronization of such chaotic systems are also derived. Then the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method are illustrated via numerical simulations of chaotic Chen system. Finally, the proposed synchronization schemes are applied to secure communication system successfully. The experimental results demonstrate that the employed observer can manage real-time fault diagnosis and parameter identification as well as states tracing of the master system, and so the synchronization of master system and slave system is achieved.
PMA Induces Vaccine Adjuvant Activity by the Modulation of TLR Signaling Pathway
Authors: Oh Dool-Ri , Kang Hu Won , Kim Jong-Ro , Kim Sunoh , Park In-Kyu , Rhee Joon Haeng , Oh Won Keun , Kim Young Ran
Published: May 2014

Toll-like receptor (TLR) ligands are being developed for use as vaccine adjuvants and as immunomodulators because of their ability to stimulate innate and adaptive immune responses. Flagellin, a TLR5 ligand, was reported to show potent mucosal vaccine adjuvant activity. To identify ligands that potentiate the adjuvant activity of flagellin, we screened a plant library using HEK293T cells transiently cotransfected with phTLR5 and pNF-κB-SEAP plasmids. The 90% EtOH extract fromCroton tigliumshowed significant NF-κB transactivation in a TLR5-independent manner along with the increase of a flagellin activity. We have studied to characterize an active component fromCroton tigliumand to elucidate the action mechanisms. Phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) was isolated as an active component ofCroton tigliumby activity-guided fractionation, column chromatography, HPLC, NMR, and MS. PMA at a range of nM induced PKC-dependent NF-κB activation and IL-8 production in both TLR5− and TLR5+ assay systems. In in vivo mouse vaccination model, PMA induced antigen-specific IgG and IgA antibody responses and increased IL-12 production corresponding to T cell responses in spleen lymphocytes. These results suggest that PMA would serve as an efficacious mucosal vaccine adjuvant.
Immunochemical Characterization of Acacia Pollen Allergens and Evaluation of Cross-Reactivity Pattern with the Common Allergenic Pollens
Authors: Shamsbiranvand Mohammad-Hosein , Khodadadi Ali , Assarehzadegan Mohammad-Ali , Borsi Seyed Hamid , Amini Akram
Published: May 2014

Pollen from the Acacia has been reported as an important source of pollinosis in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. The aim of this study was to characterize the IgE binding protein of Acacia farnesiana pollen extract and evaluate cross-reactivity with the most allergenic pollens. In this study, pollen extract was fractionated by SDS-PAGE and the allergenic profile was determined by IgE-immunoblotting and specific ELISA using forty-two Acacia allergic patients. Potential cross-reactivity among Acacia and selected allergenic plants was evaluated with ELISA and immunoblotting inhibition experiments. There were several resolved protein fractions on SDS-PAGE which ranged from 12 to 85 kDa. Several allergenic protein bands with molecular weights approximately between 12 and 85 kDa were recognized by IgE-specific antibodies from Acacia allergic patients in the immunoblot assay. The inhibition by the Prosopis juliflora pollen extract was more than those by other pollen extracts. Moreover, the wheal diameters generated by the Acacia pollen extract were highly correlated with those of P. juliflora pollen extracts. The findings suggest that several proteins such as 15, 23, 45, and 50 kDa proteins could be used as diagnostic and therapeutic reagents for patients allergic to A. farnesiana and P. juliflora.
Programmed Tool for Quantifying Reliability and Its Application in Designing Circuit Systems
Authors: Singh N. S. S.
Published: May 2014

As CMOS technology scales down to nanotechnologies, reliability continues to be a decisive subject in the design entry of nanotechnology-based circuit systems. As a result, several computational methodologies have been proposed to evaluate reliability of those circuit systems. However, the process of computing reliability has become very time consuming and troublesome as the computational complexity grows exponentially with the dimension of circuit systems. Therefore, being able to speed up the task of reliability analysis is fast becoming necessary in designing modern logic integrated circuits. For this purpose, the paper firstly looks into developing a MATLAB-based automated reliability tool by incorporating the generalized form of the existing computational approaches that can be found in the current literature. Secondly, a comparative study involving those existing computational approaches is carried out on a set of standard benchmark test circuits. Finally, the paper continues to find the exact error bound for individual faulty gates as it plays a significant role in the reliability of circuit systems.
Protective Effect ofLaminaria japonicawith Probiotics on Murine Colitis
Authors: Ko Seok-Jae , Bu Youngmin , Bae Jinhyun , Bang Yu-mi , Kim Jinsung , Lee Hyejung , Beom-Joon Lee , Hyun Yoo Hye , Park Jae-Woo
Published: May 2014

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronically relapsing inflammatory disorder of the gastrointestinal tract. Most IBD treatments are unsatisfactory; therefore, various dietary supplements have emerged as promising interventions.Laminaria japonica(LJ) is an edible seaweed used to regulate digestive symptoms. Probiotics have been reported to improve digestive problems and their simultaneous administration with seaweeds has been shown to produce synergistic therapeutic effects. Here, we investigated the effect of LJ combination with probiotics on dextran sodium sulfate-induced colitis model in mice. Aqueous LJ extracts (LJE) at doses from 100 to 300 mg/kg and probiotics at a dose of 300 mg/kg were orally administered for 7 days. Body weight, colon length, histological score, macroscopic damage, and the levels of cytokines IFN-γ, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-10, IL-12 (P40), IL-12 (P70), IL-17, and TNF-αwere assessed. LJE alone caused a significant improvement of colitis signs such as colon length, histological score, and IL-1βand IL-6 production. LJE and probiotics demonstrated a synergistic effect by the histological score and levels of IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-12 (P40) but not IFN-γ, IL-10, and IL-12 (P70). In conclusion, LJE was effective in inducing protection against colitis in mice and acted synergistically with probiotics.
Bäcklund Transformation and Quasi-Periodic Solutions for a Variable-Coefficient Integrable Equation
Authors: Rui Wenjuan , Zhang Yufeng
Published: May 2014

Binary Bell polynomials are applied to construct bilinear formalism, bilinear Bäcklund transformation, Lax pair, and infinite conservation laws of the generalized variable-coefficient fifth-order Korteweg-de Vries equation. In the meantime, quasi-periodic wave solutions for the equation are obtained by using the Riemann theta function. The asymptotic properties of one-periodic wave solution and two-periodic wave solutions are also established, respectively.