bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Numerical Study on Energy Dissipation of Steel Moment Resisting Frames under Effect of Earthquake Vibrations
Authors: Gerami Mohsen , Abdollahzadeh Davood
Published: March 2014

In the regions near to active faults, if the fault rupture propagation is towards the site and the shear wave propagation velocity is near the velocity of fault rupture propagation, the forward directivity effect causes pulse-like long-period large-amplitude vibrations perpendicular to the fault plane which causes a large amount of energy to be imposed to structures in a short time. According to previous investigations, the amounts of input and dissipated energies in the structure represent the general performance of the structure and show the level of damage and flexibility of the structure against earthquake. Therefore, in this study, the distribution of damage in the structure height and its amount at the height of steel moment frames under the pulse-like vibrations in the near fault region has been investigated. The results of this study show that the increase rate of earthquake input energy with respect to increase in the number of stories of the structure in the near field of fault is triple that in the far field of fault which then leads to a 2–2.5 times increase in the earthquake input energy in the high rise moment frames in the near field of fault with respect to that in the far field of fault.
Frequent Abdominal Pain in Childhood and Youth: A Systematic Review of Psychophysiological Characteristics
Authors: Gulewitsch Marco Daniel , Müller Judith , Enck Paul , Weimer Katja , Schwille-Kiuntke Juliane , Schlarb Angelika Anita
Published: March 2014

Background. Frequent abdominal pain (AP) in children and adolescents is often designated as functional gastrointestinal disorder. In contrast to research on psychological and social influences on the experience of AP in this population, psychophysiological features such as function of the autonomic nervous system, the central nervous system, or the endocrine system have rarely been studied.Methods. We conducted a systematic literature search for peer-reviewed journal articles referring to children with AP between 4 and 18 years. Studies on experimental baseline characteristics or reactivity of psychophysiological outcome parameters (autonomous nervous system, central nervous system, and endocrine parameters) were included.Key Results. Twelve of 18 included studies found psychophysiological differences between children with AP and healthy ones. These studies indicate a possible autonomic dysregulation and hypersensitivity of the central nervous system in children with AP following stimulation with stress or other intense stimuli. Mainly conflicting results were found regarding baseline comparisons of autonomic and endocrine parameters.Conclusions and Inferences. Frequent AP in children may be associated with an altered psychophysiological reaction on intense stimuli. It has to be considered that the current literature on psychophysiological characteristics of childhood AP is small and heterogeneous. In particular, multiparameter studies using validated experimental paradigms are lacking.
A Pilocytic Astrocytoma Mimicking a Clinoidal Meningioma
Authors: Hong Christopher S. , Lehman Norman L. , Sauvageau Eric
Published: March 2014

Pilocytic astrocytomas and meningiomas are benign, primary brain tumors that may involve the optic tract. Classically, the presence of a dural “tail” sign may differentiate a meningioma from other intracranial lesions. In this report, we describe a mass with the typical appearance of a clinoidal meningioma on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) but postoperatively diagnosed as a pilocytic astrocytoma. This case illustrates the rare occurrence of a pilocytic astrocytoma mimicking a meningioma on MRI.
The Strategy of New Product Introduction in Durable Goods with Secondary Market: Application of the Optimization Method to Supply Chain Problem
Authors: Zhao Pei , Xiong Zhongkai
Published: March 2014

The aim of this paper is to address how the secondary market affects the strategy of the manufacturer’s new product introduction by using the optimization method. To do so, we develop a two-period model in which a monopolistic manufacturer sells its new durable products directly to end consumers in both periods, while an entrant operates a reverse channel selling used products in the secondary market. We assume that the manufacturer launches a higher quality product in the second period for the technological innovation. We find that the secondary market can actually increase the manufacturer’s profitability and drives the new product introduction in the second period. We also derive the effect of the durability and the degree of quality improvement on the pricing of supply chain partners.
Maritime-Continental Contrasts in the Properties of Low-Level Clouds: A Case Study of the Summer of the 2003 Yamase, Japan, Cloud Event
Authors: Eguchi Nawo , Hayasaka Tadahiro , Sawada Masahiro
Published: March 2014

Satellite data were used to investigate maritime-continental differences in the characteristics of the low-level cloud (the Yamase cloud) that covered northeast Japan during the summer of 2003. The features of the Yamase cloud were found to be almost the same as those of general stratus clouds but with a smaller effective radius (re) and a greater optical thickness (τ) over land, as compared with general stratus clouds. The values ofreover land (average, 11.8 μm) were smaller than those over the ocean (13.5 μm), and the values ofτand the cloud water path over land (20 and 145 gm−2, resp.) showed larger spatial variances than those over the ocean (10 and 86 gm−2, resp.), although the cloud top altitude was nearly the same over both ocean and land (1–3 km). We suggest that this maritime-continental contrast is a result of the combined effects of topography and aerosols characteristics. The Yamase wind blowing from the ocean is forced upwards in coastal regions by the steep mountainous terrain. The updraft drives the inhomogeneity in cloud parameters, and a convective-like cloud develops without precipitation. The relationship betweenreandτsuggests high aerosol concentrations and unstable conditions over land.
Geometric Nonlinear Meshless Analysis of Ribbed Rectangular Plates Based on the FSDT and the Moving Least‐Squares Approximation
Authors: Peng L. X. , Tao Yue-Ping , Li Hong-Qiao , Mo Gui-Kai
Published: March 2014

Based on the first‐order shear deformation theory (FSDT) and the moving least‐squares approximation, a new meshless model to study the geometric nonlinear problem of ribbed rectangular plates is presented. Considering the plate and the ribs separately, the displacement field, the stress, and strain of the plate and the ribs are obtained according to the moving least‐squares approximation, the von Karman large deflection theory, and the FSDT. The ribs are attached to the plate by considering the displacement compatible condition along the connections between the ribs and the plate. The virtual strain energy formulation of the plate and the ribs is derived separately, and the nonlinear equilibrium equation of the entire ribbed plate is given by the virtual work principle. In the new meshless model for ribbed plates, there is no limitation to the rib position; for example, the ribs need not to be placed along the mesh lines of the plate as they need to be in FEM, and the change of rib positions will not lead to remeshing of the plate. The proposed model is compared with the FEM models from pieces of literature and ANSYS in several numerical examples, which proves the accuracy of the model.
Norfloxacin—Toxicity for Zebrafish (Danio rerio) Focused on Oxidative Stress Parameters
Authors: Bartoskova Marta , Dobsikova Radka , Stancova Vlasta , Pana Ondrej , Zivna Dana , Plhalova Lucie , Blahova Jana , Marsalek Petr
Published: March 2014

The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of subchronic exposure of zebrafish (Danio rerio) to a fluoroquinolone norfloxacin, using selected oxidative stress parameters as a target. Toxicity tests were performed on zebrafish according to the OECD Guidelines number 203 and number 215. In the Subchronic Toxicity Test, a significant (P<0.01) increase in the activity of glutathione peroxidase, glutathione S-transferase, and catalase was found. In the test, norfloxacin did not affect lipid peroxidation and catalytic activity of glutathione reductase. From the results, we can conclude that norfloxacin has a negative impact on specific biochemical processes connected with the production of reactive oxygen species in fish tested.
Targeting Mitochondria as Therapeutic Strategy for Metabolic Disorders
Authors: Sorriento Daniela , Pascale Antonietta Valeria , Finelli Rosa , Carillo Anna Lisa , Annunziata Roberto , Trimarco Bruno , Iaccarino Guido
Published: March 2014

Mitochondria are critical regulator of cell metabolism; thus, mitochondrial dysfunction is associated with many metabolic disorders. Defects in oxidative phosphorylation, ROS production, or mtDNA mutations are the main causes of mitochondrial dysfunction in many pathological conditions such as IR/diabetes, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer. Thus, targeting mitochondria has been proposed as therapeutic approach for these conditions, leading to the development of small molecules to be tested in the clinical scenario. Here we discuss therapeutic interventions to treat mitochondrial dysfunction associated with two major metabolic disorders, metabolic syndrome, and cancer. Finally, novel mechanisms of regulation of mitochondrial function are discussed, which open new scenarios for mitochondria targeting.
Study of the Nanomechanics of CNTs under Tension by Molecular Dynamics Simulation Using Different Potentials
Authors: Deb Nath S. K. , Kim Sung-Gaun
Published: March 2014

At four different strain rates, the tensile stress strain relationship of single-walled 12-12 CNT with aspect ratio 9.1 obtained by Rebo potential (Brenner, 1990), Airebo potential (Stuart et al., 2000), and Tersoff potential (Tersoff, 1988) is compared with that of Belytschko et al. (2002) to validate the present model. Five different empirical potentials such as Rebo potential (Brenner, 1990), Rebo potential (Brenner et al., 2002), Inclusion LJ with Rebo potential (Brenner, 1990), Airebo potential (Stuart et al., 2000), and Tersoff potential (Tersoff, 1988) are used to simulate CNT subjected to axial tension differing its geometry at high strain rate. In Rebo potential (Mashreghi and Moshksar, 2010) only bond-order term is used and in Rebo potential (Brenner et al., 2002) torsional term is included with the bond-order term. At high strain rate the obtained stress strain relationships of CNTs subjected to axial tension differing its geometries using five different potentials are compared with the published results and from the comparison of the results, the drawback of the published results and limitations of different potentials are evaluated and the appropriate potential is selected which is the best among all other potentials to study the elastic, elastic-plastic properties of different types of CNTs. The present study will help a new direction to get reliable elastic, elastic-plastic properties of CNTs at different strain rates. Effects of long range Van der Waals interaction and torsion affect the elastic, elastic-plastic properties of CNTs and why these two effects are really needed to consider in bond-order Rebo potential (Brenner, 1990) to get reliable elastic, elastic-plastic properties of CNTs is also discussed. Effects of length-to-diameter ratio, layering of CNTs, and different empirical potentials on the elastic, elastic-plastic properties of CNTs are discussed in graphical and tabular forms with published results as a comparative manner to understand the nanomechanics of CNTs under tension using molecular dynamics simulation.
The Stability of SI Epidemic Model in Complex Networks with Stochastic Perturbation
Authors: Zhao Jinqing , Liu Maoxing , Wang Wanwan , Yang Panzu
Published: March 2014

We investigate a stochastic SI epidemic model in the complex networks. We show that this model has a unique global positive solution. Then we consider the asymptotic behavior of the model around the disease-free equilibrium and show that the solution will oscillate around the disease-free equilibrium of deterministic system whenR0≤1. Furthermore, we derive that the disease will be persistent whenR0>1. Finally, a series of numerical simulations are presented to illustrate our mathematical findings. A new result is given such that, whenR0≤1, with the increase of noise intensity the solution of stochastic system converging to the disease-free equilibrium is faster than that of the deterministic system.
Remarks on Remnants by Fermions’ Tunnelling from Black Strings
Authors: Chen Deyou , Li Zhonghua
Published: March 2014

Hawking’s calculation is unable to predict the final stage of the black hole evaporation. When effects of quantum gravity are taken into account, there is a minimal observable length. In this paper, we investigate fermions’ tunnelling from the charged and rotating black strings. With the influence of the generalized uncertainty principle, the Hawking temperatures are not only determined by the rings, but also affected by the quantum numbers of the emitted fermions. Quantum gravity corrections slow down the increases of the temperatures, which naturally leads to remnants left in the evaporation.
Consensus Control Design for 360 MN Extrusion Machine Producing Process
Authors: Wang Chao , Li Wanzhou , Zhao Qianchuan , Peng Fei , Yang Hongbin , Huang Rui
Published: March 2014

This paper mainly addresses the issue of 360 MN extrusion machine and focuses on the stabilization control of main table attitude. We will first introduce the problem and then model the extrusion machine. As the machine is a multi‐input multioutput (MIMO) and strong coupling system, it is challenging to apply existing control theory to design a controller to stabilize the main table attitude. Motivated by recent research in the field of multiagent systems, we design a consensus control protocol for our system and derive our convergence conditions based directly on Routh stability criterion. The advantages of the design are also demonstrated by numerical simulation.
Combined Analytical-Numerical Solution for MHD Viscous Flow over a Stretching Sheet
Authors: Mabood Fazle , Khan Waqar A.
Published: March 2014

We studied the two-dimensional flow of viscous and electrically conducting fluid over a stretching sheet under the influence of constant magnetic field. Approximate analytical solution of governing nonlinear boundary layer equation via optimal homotopy asymptotic method (OHAM) is obtained. For numerical comparison we used Runge-Kutta-Fehlberg fourth-fifth-order method. The effect of different parameters on fluid flow is analyzed. It is found that the OHAM solution is very close to the numerical solution for different assigned values of parameters; this thus indicates the feasibility of the proposed method (OHAM).
Game Theory Based Energy-Aware Uplink Resource Allocation in OFDMA Femtocell Networks
Authors: Zhao Jun , Zheng Wei , Wen Xiangming , Chu Xiaoli , Zhang Haijun , Lu Zhaoming
Published: March 2014

Femtocell is a promising technique not only in operator networks but also in having potential applications for industrial wireless sensor networks. In this paper, we investigate energy efficient uplink power control and subchannel allocation in two-tier femtocell networks. Taking transmit power and circuit power into account, we model the power control and subchannel allocation problem as a supermodular game to maximize energy efficiency of femtocell users. To reduce the cochannel interference from femtousers to neighboring femtocells and macrocells, we introduce a convex pricing scheme to curb their selfish behavior. We decompose the resource allocation problem into two subproblems, that is, a distributed subchannel allocation scheme and a distributed power control scheme to reduce costs and complexity. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm can improve user utilities significantly, compared with existing power control and subchannel allocation algorithms.
The Role of Wealth and Health in Insurance Choice: Bivariate Probit Analysis in China
Authors: Yue Yiding , Zou Jinyou
Published: March 2014

This paper captures the correlation between the choices of health insurance and pension insurance using the bivariate probit model and then studies the effect of wealth and health on insurance choice. Our empirical evidence shows that people who participate in a health care program are more likely to participate in a pension plan at the same time, while wealth and health have different effects on the choices of the health care program and the pension program. Generally, the higher an individual’s wealth level is, the more likelihood he will participate in a health care program; but wealth has no effect on the participation of pension. Health status has opposite effects on choices of health care programs and pension plans; the poorer an individual’s health is, the more likely he is to participate in health care programs, while the better health he enjoys, the more likely he is to participate in pension plans. When the investigation scope narrows down to commercial insurance, there is only a significant effect of health status on commercial health insurance. The commercial insurance choice and the insurance choice of the agricultural population are more complicated.
Violence and Warfare in Precontact Melanesia
Authors: Younger Stephen M.
Published: March 2014

Levels of interpersonal violence and warfare for 30 Melanesian societies at the time of contact with Europeans are estimated based on ethnographic and historical records. While violence was common in indigenous Melanesia, it was not ubiquitous and some societies experienced extended periods of internal and external peace. Interpersonal violence and warfare were correlated-when one occurred there was a high probability of finding the other. Violence was not dependent on total population. It was, however, higher for population density greater than 50 persons per square kilometer. Violence in Melanesia may have been stimulated by the large number of relatively small polities, many of which competed with one another for prestige and, in some cases, land.
Salt and Pepper Noise Removal with Noise Detection and a Patch-Based Sparse Representation
Authors: Guo Di , Qu Xiaobo , Du Xiaofeng , Wu Keshou , Chen Xuhui
Published: March 2014

Images may be corrupted by salt and pepper impulse noise due to noisy sensors or channel transmission errors. A denoising method by detecting noise candidates and enforcing image sparsity with a patch-based sparse representation is proposed. First, noise candidates are detected and an initial guide image is obtained via an adaptive median filtering; second, a patch-based sparse representation is learnt from this guide image; third, a weightedl1-l1regularization method is proposed to penalize the noise candidates heavier than the rest of pixels. An alternating direction minimization algorithm is derived to solve the regularization model. Experiments are conducted for 30%∼90% impulse noise levels, and the simulation results demonstrate that the proposed method outperforms total variation and Wavelet in terms of preserving edges and structural similarity to the noise-free images.
Some Connections between Class𝒰- andα-Convex Functions
Authors: Aliaga Edmond , Tuneski Nikola
Published: March 2014

The class𝒰(λ,μ)of normalized analytic functions that satisfy|(z/f(z))1+μ·f′(z)−1|<λfor allzin the open unit disk is studied and sufficient conditions for anα-convex function to be in𝒰(λ,μ)are given.
Research on the Output Characteristics of Microfluidic Inductive Sensor
Authors: Zhang Xingming , Zhang Hongpeng , Sun Yuqing , Chen Haiquan , Zhang Yindong
Published: March 2014

This paper focuses on the output characteristic of the microfluidic inductive sensor. First the coil‐metal particle system model is established from Maxwell’s equations. Then series solution is achieved by solving partial differential equation. Finally the numerical simulations and physical experiments are compared on particle feature, particle size, excitation frequency, coil turns, and coil density. The experiments coincide well with the simulations.
Optimal Cable Tension Distribution of the High-Speed Redundant Driven Camera Robots Considering Cable Sag and Inertia Effects
Authors: Su Yu , Qiu Yuanying , Liu Peng
Published: March 2014

Camera robots are high-speed redundantly cable-driven parallel manipulators that realize the aerial panoramic photographing. When long-span cables and high maneuverability are involved, the effects of cable sags and inertias on the dynamics must be carefully dealt with. This paper is devoted to the optimal cable tension distribution (OCTD for short) of the camera robots. Firstly, each fast varying-length cable is discretized into some nodes for computing the cable inertias. Secondly, the dynamic equation integrated with the cable inertias is set up regarding the large-span cables as catenaries. Thirdly, an iterative optimization algorithm is introduced for the cable tension distribution by using the dynamic equation and sag-to-span ratios as constraint conditions. Finally, numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the effects of cable sags and inertias on determining tensions. The results justify the convergence and effectiveness of the algorithm. In addition, the results show that it is necessary to take the cable sags and inertias into consideration for the large-span manipulators.
Effect of Acetylation on Stability to Retrogradation of Starch Extracted from Wild Polynesian Arrowroot (Tacca leontopetaloides (L.) Kuntze) for Utilization as Adhesive on Paper
Authors: Abba Hamza , Ibrahim Abdulqadir , Shallangwa Gideon A. , Uba Sani , Dallatu Yakubu A.
Published: March 2014

Starch was isolated from T. leontopetaloides tubers, chemically modified by acetylation with varying amounts of acetic anhydride. Monolayer of the ten acetylated and control starch powders was exposed on roof top for five weeks and pastes of both exposed and unexposed (control) samples were prepared with distilled water (1 : 3 w/w). The effects of acetylation, degree of substitution (DS), and exposure to sunlight were investigated to evaluate the retrogradation tendency of the adhesive pastes from changes in syneresis, tack strength, optical clarity, viscosity, gelation time, and drying time. The results obtained showed that all the adhesive properties studied were affected by both DS and exposure to sunlight. While tack strength, viscosity, and drying time were found to increase with increase in DS, syneresis, optical clarity, and gelation time were found to decrease with increase in DS. Increase in tack strength and reduction in syneresis imply that the acetylation treatment has made T. leontopetaloides starch more suitable for use in remoistenable adhesive applications. The reduction in syneresis, optical clarity, and gelation time with increase in DS was attributed to the strengthening of the bonds between the amylose and amylopectin molecules, preventing water leaching out of the starch granules.
Phase Transitions, Geometrothermodynamics, and Critical Exponents of Black Holes with Conformal Anomaly
Authors: Mo Jie-Xiong , Liu Wen-Biao
Published: March 2014

We investigate the phase transitions of black holes with conformal anomaly in canonical ensemble. Some interesting and novel phase transition phenomena have been discovered. It is shown that there are striking differences in both Hawking temperature and phase structure between black holes with conformal anomaly and those without it. Moreover, we probe in detail the dependence of phase transitions on the choice of parameters. The results show that black holes with conformal anomaly have much richer phase structure than those without it. There would be two, only one, or no phase transition points depending on the parameters. The corresponding parameter regions are derived both numerically and graphically. Geometrothermodynamics are built up to examine the phase structure we have discovered. It is shown that Legendre invariant thermodynamic scalar curvature diverges exactly where the specific heat diverges. Furthermore, critical behaviors are investigated by calculating the relevant critical exponents. And we prove that these critical exponents satisfy the thermodynamic scaling laws.
An Efficient One-Pot Multi-Component Synthesis of 3,4-Dihydropyrimidin-2-(1H)-Ones/Thiones Catalyzed by Bismuth (III) Sulfate Trihydrate under Solvent-Free Conditions
Authors: Hatamjafari Farhad
Published: March 2014

A convenient and efficient protocol for the one-pot synthesis of 3,4-dihydropyrimidin-2-(1H)-one/thione derivatives of aldehydes, and 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds with Bismuth (III) sulfate trihydrate as the catalyst was described. We had the advantages of good performance, simplicity, and short time reaction under solvent-free conditions. The catalyst can be repeatedly reused without loss of its activity.
Study on the Weaving Behavior of High Density Bidirectional Pedestrian Flow
Authors: Sun Lishan , Yang Zifan , Rong Jian , Liu Xiaoming
Published: March 2014

Weaving area may be the critical risk place in the subway transfer station. When improving service level of the weaving area, the characteristic of pedestrian weaving behavior should be systemically discussed. This paper described the mechanism of weaving behavior on high density pedestrian which was analyzed by the collection data of controlled experiment. Different weaving behaviors were contrasted due to different volumes in the bidirectional passageway. Video analysis was conducted to extract pedestrian moving behavior and calibrate the movement data with SIMI Motion. Influence of the high density weaving pedestrian was studied based on the statistical results (e.g., velocity, walking distance, and journey time). Furthermore, the quantitative method by speed analysis was announced to discriminate the conflict point. The scopes of weaving area and impact area at different pedestrian volumes were revealed to analyze the pedestrian turning angle. The paper concluded that walking pedestrians are significantly influenced by the weaving conflict and trend to turn the moving direction to avoid the conflict in weaving area; the ratio of stable weaving area and impact area is 2 to 3. The conclusions do provide a method to evaluate the transfer station safety and a facility layout guidance to improve the capacity.
Knowledge of, Perception of, and Attitude towards Uterine Fibroids among Women with Fibroids in Lagos, Nigeria
Authors: Adegbesan-Omilabu M. A. , Okunade K. S. , Gbadegesin A.
Published: March 2014

Objectives. The study was to assess the level of knowledge of, perception of, and attitude towards uterine fibroids among women diagnosed with the condition.Methods. It is a cross-sectional descriptive study carried out among women diagnosed as having uterine fibroids in two gynaecological clinics in Lagos, Nigeria. Eligible women were recruited and a structured interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect the required information. Statistical analysis of data was done using EPI Info 2008.Results. Knowledge of fibroids was reported in 98.6% of the respondents and the information on uterine fibroids was obtained from radio, parents/relatives, health workers, and television in 29%, 27.3%, 18.7%, and 18.3%, respectively, by the respondents. Most of the women believed that being black, being nulliparous, or having positive family history predisposes women to having uterine fibroids. Up to 69.0% of the respondents believed that fibroid is a spiritual problem and many thought it requires spiritual healing. Fear of complications of surgery keeps most sufferers away from the hospital until fibroids become advanced or associated with complications.Conclusion. Awareness of uterine fibroids is high, but correct knowledge on aetiology and proper treatment is low. Intensive enlightenment of the populace using the mass media by trained personnel is recommended.
Channel Estimation in DCT-Based OFDM
Authors: Wang Yulin , Zhang Gengxin , Xie Zhidong , Hu Jing
Published: March 2014

This paper derives the channel estimation of a discrete cosine transform- (DCT-) based orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) system over a frequency-selective multipath fading channel. Channel estimation has been proved to improve system throughput and performance by allowing for coherent demodulation. Pilot-aided methods are traditionally used to learn the channel response. Least square (LS) and mean square error estimators (MMSE) are investigated. We also study a compressed sensing (CS) based channel estimation, which takes the sparse property of wireless channel into account. Simulation results have shown that the CS based channel estimation is expected to have better performance than LS. However MMSE can achieve optimal performance because of prior knowledge of the channel statistic.
Properties Analysis on Travel Intensity of Land Use Patterns
Authors: Sun Lishan , Yao Liya , Wang Shuwei , Qiao Jing , Rong Jian
Published: March 2014

Quantization of the relationship between travel intensity and land use patterns is still a critical problem in urban transportation planning. Achieved researches on land use patterns are restricted to macrodata such as population and area, which failed to provide detail travel information for transportation planners. There is still problem on how to reflect the relationship between transport and land use accurately. This paper presents a study that is reflective of such an effort. A data extraction method is developed to get the travel origin and destination (OD) between traffic zones based on the mobile data of 100,000 residents in Beijing. Then Point of Interests (POIs) data in typical traffic zones was analyzed combined with construction area investigation. Based on the analysis of travel OD and POI data, the average travel intensity of each land use pattern is quantified. Research results could provide a quantitative basis for the optimization of urban transportation planning.
The Stationary Distribution of Competitive Lotka-Volterra Population Systems with Jumps
Authors: Zhang Zhenzhong , Tong Jinying , Bao Jianhai
Published: March 2014

Dynamics of Lotka-Volterra population with jumps (LVWJ) have recently been established (see Bao et al., 2011, and Bao and Yuan, 2012). They provided some useful criteria on the existence of stationary distribution and some asymptotic properties for LVWJ. However, the uniqueness of stationary distribution forn≥2and asymptotic pathwise estimationlimt→+∞⁡(1/t)∫0t‍|X(s)|pds (p>0)are still unknown for LVWJ. One of our aims in this paper is to show the uniqueness of stationary distribution and asymptotic pathwise estimation for LVWJ. Moreover, some characterizations for stationary distribution are provided.
Interaction of Warfarin with Human Serum Albumin and Effect of Ferulic Acid on the Binding
Authors: Li Qiang , Yang Wen-yue , Qu Ling-ling , Qi Huan-Yang , Huang Yun , Zhang Zheng
Published: March 2014

Angelica sinensis(Oliv.) Diels combined treatment with warfarin would increase the risk of bleeding. Ferulic acid is an abundant hydroxycinnamic acid inA. sinensisand warfarin is the most widely used oral anticoagulant. The studies on supermolecular interaction of warfarin with human serum albumin (HSA) and the influence of ferulic acid on the binding would contribute to the understanding of the metabolic processes of warfarin and the effect of ferulic acid. We focus on investigating the effect of warfarin on fluorescence spectrum of human serum albumin (HSA), fluorescence quenching mechanism, binding constant, Hill coefficient, binding mode, and the effect of different ferulic acid concentrations on the binding. Warfarin quenched the intrinsic fluorescence of HSA mainly by static quenching. Accession of ferulic acid reduced the binding of HSA-warfarin. By decreasing binding constant and the Hill coefficient of warfarin with HSA, ferulic acid could improve the plasma concentration of free warfarin, which would increase the risk of bleeding. Warfarin’s free concentration increased at least 50% under the condition of simulated human body. The results indicated thatA. sinensiscombined treatment with warfarin would increase the risk of bleeding. And the results provide an important theoretical support for warfarin used as oral anticoagulant.
A Virtual PV Systems Lab for Engineering Undergraduate Curriculum
Authors: Ozkop Emre , Altas Ismail H.
Published: March 2014

Design and utilization of a Virtual Photovoltaic Systems Laboratory for undergraduate curriculum are introduced in this paper. The laboratory introduced in this study is developed to teach students the basics and design steps of photovoltaic solar energy systems in a virtual environment before entering the field. The users of the proposed virtual lab will be able to determine the sizing by selecting related parameters of the photovoltaic system to meet DC and AC loading conditions. Besides, the user will be able to analyze the effect of changing solar irradiation and temperature levels on the operating characteristics of the photovoltaic systems. Common DC bus concept and AC loading conditions are also included in the system by utilizing a permanent magnet DC motor and an RLC load as DC and AC loading examples, respectively. The proposed Virtual Photovoltaic Systems Laboratory is developed in Matlab/Simulink GUI environment. The proposed virtual lab has been used in Power Systems Lab in the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering at Karadeniz Technical University as a part of undergraduate curriculum. A survey on the students who took the lab has been carried out and responses are included in this paper.
Study on Accuracy of the High-Resolution Schemes
Authors: Tang Yawen , Yu Bo , Xie Jianyu , Li Jingfa , Wang Peng
Published: March 2014

The high-resolution (HR) schemes have been widely used as they can achieve the numerical solution without oscillation and artificial diffusion, especially for convection-dominated problems. However, there still have arguments about the order of accuracy of HR schemes, especially about the extreme value of the solution. In this paper, it is proved that any HR scheme designed in the NVD diagram has second-order accuracy when its combined segments totally locate in the BAIR region. In other words, it has been verified in our study that the segments, which have low-order accuracy when independently employed, have at least second-order accuracy when locate in BAIR region by analysis of two implementation methods of HR scheme and also a number of numerical examples. Meanwhile Richardson extrapolation has been used to estimate the order of accuracy of HR schemes which achieve the same conclusion.
Stress-Strain Behavior of Cementitious Materials with Different Sizes
Authors: Zhou Jikai , Qian Pingping , Chen Xudong
Published: March 2014

The size dependence of flexural properties of cement mortar and concrete beams is investigated. Bazant’s size effect law and modified size effect law by Kim and Eo give a very good fit to the flexural strength of both cement mortar and concrete. As observed in the test results, a strong size effect in flexural strength is found in cement mortar than in concrete. A modification has been suggested to Li’s equation for describing the stress-strain curve of cement mortar and concrete by incorporating two different correction factors, the factors contained in the modified equation being established empirically as a function of specimen size. A comparison of the predictions of this equation with test data generated in this study shows good agreement.
Mental Mechanisms for Topics Identification
Authors: Massey Louis
Published: March 2014

Topics identification (TI) is the process that consists in determining the main themes present in natural language documents. The current TI modeling paradigm aims at acquiring semantic information from statistic properties of large text datasets. We investigate the mental mechanisms responsible for the identification of topics in a single document given existing knowledge. Our main hypothesis is that topics are the result of accumulated neural activation of loosely organized information stored in long-term memory (LTM). We experimentally tested our hypothesis with a computational model that simulates LTM activation. The model assumes activation decay as an unavoidable phenomenon originating from the bioelectric nature of neural systems. Since decay should negatively affect the quality of topics, the model predicts the presence of short-term memory (STM) to keep the focus of attention on a few words, with the expected outcome of restoring quality to a baseline level. Our experiments measured topics quality of over 300 documents with various decay rates and STM capacity. Our results showed that accumulated activation of loosely organized information was an effective mental computational commodity to identify topics. It was furthermore confirmed that rapid decay is detrimental to topics quality but that limited capacity STM restores quality to a baseline level, even exceeding it slightly.
Weak and Strong Convergence Theorems for Zeroes of Accretive Operators in Banach Spaces
Authors: Song Yanlai , Ceng Luchuan
Published: March 2014

The purpose of this paper is to present two new forward-backward splitting schemes with relaxations and errors for finding a common element of the set of solutions to the variational inclusion problem with two accretive operators and the set of fixed points of nonexpansive mappings in infinite-dimensional Banach spaces. Under mild conditions, some weak and strong convergence theorems for approximating this common elements are proved. The methods in the paper are novel and different from those in the early and recent literature. Our results can be viewed as the improvement, supplementation, development, and extension of the corresponding results in the very recent literature.
Effect of Mn Content and Solution Annealing Temperature on the Corrosion Resistance of Stainless Steel Alloys
Authors: Toor Ihsan-ul-Haq
Published: March 2014

The corrosion behavior of two specially designed austenitic stainless steels (SSs) having different Nickel (Ni) and Manganese (Mn) contents was investigated. Prior to electrochemical tests, SS alloys were solution-annealed at two different temperatures, that is, at 1030°C for 2 h and 1050°C for 0.5 h. Potentiodynamic polarization (PD) tests were carried out in chloride and acidic chloride, whereas linear polarization resistance (LPR) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) was performed in 0.5 M NaCl solution at room temperature. SEM/EDS investigations were carried out to study the microstructure and types of inclusions present in these alloys. Experimental results suggested that the alloy with highest Ni content and annealed at 1050°C/0.5 hr has the highest corrosion resistance.
An Initial Implementation of Multiagent Simulation of Travel Behavior for a Medium‐Sized City in China
Authors: Zhuge Chengxiang , Shao Chunfu , Gao Jian , Meng Meng , Xu Weiyang
Published: March 2014

Since the traditional four‐step model is so simple that it cannot solve complex modern transportation problems, microsimulation is gradually applied for transportation planning and some researches indicate that it is more compatible and realistic. In this paper, a framework of agent‐based simulation of travel behavior is proposed, which is realized by MATSim, a simulation tool developed for large‐scale agent‐based simulation. MATSim is currently developed and some of its models are under training, so a detailed introduction of simulation structure and preparation of input data will be presented. In practice, the preparation process differs from one to another in different simulation projects because the available data for simulation is various. Thus, a simulation of travel behavior under a condition of limited available survey data will be studied based on MATSim; furthermore, a medium‐sized city in China will be taken as an example to check whether agent‐based simulation of travel behavior can be successfully applied in China.
The Research Status and Progress of Heavy/Large Hydrostatic Thrust Bearing
Authors: Li Xibing , Wang Xun , Li Ming , Ma Yunshi , Huang Ying
Published: March 2014

How to improve the rotation speed of heavy/large CNC vertical lathe, the machining efficiency, and machining precision is one of the key issues which need to be solved urgently. Hydrostatic thrust bearing is the key part to the heavy/large CNC vertical lathe; its performance directly affects the machining quality and operation efficiency. This paper analyses the latest research results from the perspective of the mechanical properties of hydrostatic thrust bearing, oil film lubrication, static pressure bearing thermal deformation, and the high efficiency refrigeration and evaluates the future scientific research direction in this area. Analysis shows that with the development of hydrostatic thrust bearing to the high speed, high precision, high efficiency, high stability, high multifunction, and high power, the study of hydrostatic thrust bearing will focus on the optimal design of the oil chamber to produce the least amount of heat, how to control the thermal deformation of hydrostatic thrust bearing, and the high efficiency refrigeration to ensure the machining accuracy of CNC equipment.
A Novel Temozolomide–Perillyl Alcohol Conjugate Exhibits Superior Activity against Breast Cancer Cells In Vitro and Intracranial Triple-Negative Tumor Growth In Vivo
Authors: Chen Thomas C. , Cho Hee-Yeon , Wang Weijun , Barath Manasi , Sharma Natasha , Hofman Florence M. , Schönthal Axel H.
Published: March 2014

There is no effective therapy for breast cancer that has spread to the brain. A major roadblock is the blood–brain barrier (BBB), which prevents the usual breast cancer drugs from effectively reaching intracranial metastases. The alkylating agent temozolomide (TMZ) is able to penetrate the BBB and has become the gold standard for chemotherapeutic treatment of glioblastoma. However, when it was tested in clinical trials for activity against brain metastases of breast cancer, the results were mixed and ranged from “encouraging activity” to “no objective responses.” In an effort to generate an agent with greater activity against intracranial breast metastases, we synthesized a TMZ analog where the natural product perillyl alcohol (POH) was covalently linked to TMZ's amide functionality. The resulting novel compound, called TMZ-POH (T-P), displayed greatly increased anticancer activity in a variety of breast cancer cell lines, inclusive of TMZ-resistant ones. It caused DNA damage and cell death much more efficiently than its parental compound TMZ, because linkage with POH increased its biologic half-life and thus provided greater opportunity for placement of cytotoxic DNA lesions. In an intracranial mouse tumor model with triple-negative breast cancer, T-P revealed considerably greater therapeutic efficacy than TMZ, where a single cycle of treatment extended median survival benefit from 6 days (in the case of TMZ) to 28 days. At the same time, T-P seemed to be well tolerated by the animals. Thus, T-P may have potential as a novel therapy for brain-targeted breast cancer metastases. Mol Cancer Ther; 13(5); 1181–93. ©2014 AACR.
Nuclear Translocation of Hand-1 Acts as a Molecular Switch to Regulate Vascular Radiosensitivity in Medulloblastoma Tumors: The Protein uPAR Is a Cytoplasmic Sequestration Factor for Hand-1
Authors: Asuthkar Swapna , Gogineni Venkateswara Rao , Rao Jasti S. , Velpula Kiran Kumar
Published: March 2014

Urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) is overexpressed in the tumor–stromal invasive microenvironment in many human cancers, including medulloblastoma. The role of uPAR in tumor progression and angiogenesis has been well characterized. Previously, in medulloblastoma cells, we showed that ionizing radiation (IR)–induced uPAR is a potent activator of cancer stem cell (CSC)–like properties and is associated with various transcription factors that are involved during embryonic development and cancer. In the present study, we show that uPAR protein acts as a cytoplasmic sequestration factor for a novel basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor, Hand-1. The Hand-1 protein plays an essential role in the differentiation of trophoblast giant cells and cardiac morphogenesis, and yet its precise cellular function and its contribution to cancer remain mostly unknown. We also observed that the Hand-1 protein is upregulated in uPAR short hairpin RNA–treated medulloblastoma cells and accompanies sustained cell growth and angiogenesis. Furthermore, IR-induced uPAR overexpression negatively regulates Hand-1 activity and results in the stabilization of angiogenesis-promoting molecules, including hypoxia-inducible factor-1α. Finally, uPAR overexpression and its association with Hand-1 after IR treatment indicate that uPAR is capable of regulating Hand-1 and that uPAR has a role in the process of IR-induced tumor angiogenesis. Mol Cancer Ther; 13(5); 1309–22. ©2014 AACR.
Parents' Preferences for Return of Results in Pediatric Genomic Research
Authors: Ziniel S.I. , Savage S.K. , Huntington N. , Amatruda J. , Green R.C. , Weitzman E.R. , Taylor P. , Holm I.A.
Published: March 2014

Background: The aim of this study was to ascertain parental preferences for the return of genetic research results on themselves and their children and their choices for genetic research results to receive. Methods: A mail survey was sent to 6,874 families seen at Boston Children's Hospital. The survey included questions assessing the respondents' preferences regarding the types of result they wanted to receive on themselves and their children. Results: Most of the 1,060 respondents ‘probably' or ‘definitely' wanted to receive genetic research results about themselves (84.6%) and their children (88.0%). Among those who wanted to receive results, 83.4% wanted to receive all research results for themselves and 87.8% for their children. When questions about specific types of research results were combined into a composite measure, fewer respondents chose to receive all results for themselves (53.5%) and for their children (56.9%). Conclusion: Although most parents report a desire to receive all research results on a general question, almost half chose to receive only a subset of research results when presented with specific types of research results. Our findings suggest that participants might not understand the implications of their choice of individual research results to receive unless faced with specific types of results.
Anti-Phosphorylated Histone H2AThr120: A Universal Microscopic Marker for Centromeric Chromatin of Mono- and Holocentric Plant Species
Authors: Demidov D. , Schubert V. , Kumke K. , Weiss O. , Karimi-Ashtiyani R. , Buttlar J. , Heckmann S. , Wanner G. , Dong Q. , Han F. , Houben A.
Published: March 2014

Based on the analysis of 20 different monocot and eudicot species, we propose that the centromeric distribution of the phosphorylated histone H2AThr120 is evolutionary highly conserved across species with mono- and holocentric chromosomes. Therefore, antibodies recognizing the phosphorylated threonine 120 of the histone H2A can serve as a universal marker for the cytological detection of centromeres of mono- and holokinetic plant species. In addition, super resolution microscopy of signals specific to the centromere-specific histone H3 variant CENH3 and to H2AThr120ph revealed that these histone variants are incorporated into different nucleosomes, which form distinct, partly intermingled chromatin domains. This specific arrangement of both histone variants suggests different centromeric functions during the cell cycle.