bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Research Dojo
Authors: Hunt Johanna , Wang Xiaofeng
Published: September 2013

This report summarizes key findings from a workshop held at the 14th International Conference on Agile Software Development (XP2013) called "Research Dojo: Collaborative Approaches for our Agile Community".

Both software development and research are knowledge-intensive endeavors. While agile approaches have been increasingly adopted in software development projects, whether such approaches can beneficially be applied to conducting research is a phenomenon yet to be fully explored.

The objective of the workshop was to gain a deeper understanding of the similarities and differences between academic research and agile software development, in order to explore whether agile practices can also be used for collaboratively conducted research. The opinions of the workshop participants are summarized and observations of the research dojo session carried out by the participants are reported. We conclude by identifying further areas for investigation.
Stochastic optimal control for a general class of dynamic resource allocation problems
Authors: Gao X. , Lu y. , Sharma M. , Squillante M. S. , Bosman J. W.
Published: September 2013

We consider a general class of dynamic resource allocation problems within a stochastic optimal control framework. This class of problems arises in a wide variety of applications, each of which intrinsically involves resources of different types and demand with uncertainty and/or variability. The goal is to dynamically allocate capacity for every resource type in order to serve the uncertain/ variable demand and maximize the expected net-benefit over a time horizon of interest based on the rewards and costs associated with the different resources. We derive the optimal control policy within a singular control setting, which includes easily implementable algorithms for governing the dynamic adjustments to resource allocation capacities over time. Numerical experiments investigate various issues of both theoretical and practical interest, quantifying the significant benefits of our approach over alternative optimization approaches.
Retransmissions over correlated channels
Authors: Jelenković Predrag R. , Skiani Evangelia D.
Published: September 2013

Frequent failures characterize many existing communication networks, e.g. wireless ad-hoc networks, where retransmission- based failure recovery represents a primary approach for successful data delivery. Recent work has shown that retransmissions can cause power law delays and instabilities even if all traffic and network characteristics are super-exponential. While the prior studies have considered an independent channel model, in this paper we extend the analysis to the practically important dependent case. We use modulated processes, e.g. Markov modulated, to capture the channel dependencies. We study the number of retransmissions and delays when the hazard functions of the distributions of data sizes and channel statistics are proportional, conditionally on the channel state. Our results show that the tails of the retransmission and delay distributions are asymptotically insensitive to the channel correlations and are determined by the state that generates the lightest asymptotics. This insight is beneficial both for capacity planning and channel modeling since we do not need to account for the correlation details. However, these results may be overly optimistic when the best state is infrequent, since the effects of 'bad' states may be prevalent for sufficiently long to downgrade the expected performance.
Optimizing energy management in multi-core servers
Authors: Asghari Naser M. , Mandjes Michel , Walid Anwar
Published: September 2013

In this paper we develop techniques for analyzing and optimizing energy management in multi-core servers with speed scaling capabilities. Our framework incorporates the processor's dynamic power, and it also accounts for other intricate and important power features such as the static (leakage) power and switching overhead between speed levels. Using stochastic fluid models to capture traffic burst dynamics, we propose and study different strategies for adapting the multi-core server speeds based on the observable buffer content, so as to optimize objective functions that balance energy consumption and performance. It is shown that, for a reasonable switching overhead and a small number of thresholds, a substantial efficiency gain is achieved. In addition, the optimal power consumptions of the different strategies are hardly sensitive to perturbations in the input parameters, so that the performance is robust to misspecifications of the system's input traffic.
Scheduling in polling systems in heavy traffic
Authors: Bekker R. , Dorsman J. L. , van der Mei R. D. , Vis P. , Winands E. M.M.
Published: September 2013

We consider the classical cyclic polling model with Poisson arrivals and with gated service at all queues, but where the local scheduling policies are not necessarily First-Come- First-Served (FCFS). More precisely, we study the waitingtime performance of polling models where the local service order is Last-Come-First-Served (LCFS), Random-Orderof- Service (ROS) or Processor Sharing (PS). Under heavytraffic conditions the waiting times turn out to converge to products of generalized trapezoidal distributions and a gamma distribution.
Spreading rumours in Euclidean space
Authors: Fiems Dieter , De Turck Koen
Published: September 2013

This paper considers the process of spreading rumours in Euclidean space. The rumour (or epidemic) process under study includes (i) a discrete-time stochastic arrival process of new spatially distributed rumours and (ii) a stochastic process of linear transformations of the current rumours which allows for modelling mobility as well as dispersion of rumours. Inspired by linear filtering theory, an affine stochastic recursion in characteristic-function space is studied and numerical transform inversion is used to study the distribution of rumours in space.
SPM-aware scheduling for nested loops in CMP systems
Authors: Chen Zhi , Qiu Meikang
Published: September 2013

Chip multiprocessors
(CMP) computing systems are usually employed to facilitate many specific applications including medical image processing, computer vision, and aerospace. In these computation-intensive applications, nested loops take the most significant section of computation cost and greatly affect system performance in terms of latency due to the frequent memory accesses. In order to enhance the parallelism of a nested loop, a critical work is to strategically map the iterative loops to processors so that we can exploit good parallelization of these loops and reduce the execution latency of the whole application. One of the most widely used method to do the iteration-to-processor mapping is pipelining, which enables each processor to perform the operations for the iteration mapped to it.
Fixed priorities or EDF for distributed real-time systems?
Authors: Rivas Juan M. , Gutiérrez J. Javier , Harbour Michael González
Published: September 2013

Although fixed priority (FP) scheduling is the most popular online scheduling policy in industrial environments, the earliest deadline first (EDF) policy is starting to get more attention, given its benefits in terms of increased resource usage. A comparison between FP and EDF under several aspects is presented in [1] for single-processor systems, showing that FP does not always have the commonly attributed advantages over EDF.
Application of mixed-criticality scheduling model to intelligent transportation systems architectures
Authors: Sciandra Vincent , Courbin Pierre , George Laurent
Published: September 2013

Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) usage has transformed public transports' vision on operation management. However, the lack of common communication interfaces has brought redundancy within on-board applications. In this context, the European Bus System of the Future (EBSF) project has specified a common architecture based on IP standards [1]. It provides a Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) that permits the ITS applications to publish services and subscribe to others. The EBSF architecture enables Vehicle To Infrastructure communications (V2I) through a unique communication gateway, with managing needs of the different data flows depending on their priority in the network and the available communication resources (bandwidth).
Performance analysis of TDMA-based wireless network for safety-critical avionics
Authors: Dang D-K. , Mifdaoui A. , Gayraud T.
Published: September 2013

The opportunities and challenges for using wireless interconnects for safety-critical avionics have been discussed in our previous work. A Wireless Avionics Network (WAN) has been proposed based on hybrid architecture UWB and Switched Ethernet with adequate reliability and security mechanisms to increase scalability and reduce electromagnetic susceptibility (figure 1). Furthermore, a TDMA-based protocol was considered to guarantee a contention free access and enhance communication predictability. However, the use of wireless technologies may increase the communication latencies due to transmission errors, and real time constraints have to be verified. In order to deal with the worst case performance analysis of such network, an appropriate schedulability analysis based on Network Calculus formalism is presented in this paper and obtained results for a realistic case study are discussed herein.
New Models for Two Real Scalar Fields and Their Kink-Like Solutions
Authors: Alonso-Izquierdo A. , Bazeia D. , Losano L. , Mateos Guilarte J.
Published: September 2013

We study the presence of kinks in models described by two real scalar fields in bidimensional spacetime. We generate new two-field models, constructed from distinct but important one-field models, and we solve them with techniques that we introduce in the current work. We illustrate the results with several examples of current interest to high energy physics.
Wild Plant Assessment for Heavy Metal Phytoremediation Potential along the Mafic and Ultramafic Terrain in Northern Pakistan
Authors: Muhammad Said , Shah Mohammad Tahir , Khan Sardar , Saddique Umar , Gul Nida , Khan Muhammad Usman , Malik Riffat Naseem , Farooq Muhammad , Naz Alia
Published: September 2013

This study investigates the wild plant species for their phytoremediation potential of macro and trace metals (MTM). For this purpose, soil and wild plant species samples were collected along mafic and ultramafic terrain in the Jijal, Dubair, and Alpuri areas of Kohistan region, northern Pakistan. These samples were analyzed for the concentrations of MTM (Na, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, Pb, Zn, Cd, Cu, Cr, Ni, and Co) using atomic absorption spectrometer (AAS-PEA-700). Soil showed significant (P<.001) contamination level, while plants had greater variability in metal uptake from the contaminated sites. Plant species such asSelaginella jacquemontii,Rumex hastatus, andPlectranthus rugosusshowed multifold enrichment factor (EF) of Fe, Mn, Cr, Ni, and Co as compared to background area. Results revealed that these wild plant species have the ability to uptake and accumulate higher metals concentration. Therefore, these plant species may be used for phytoremediation of metals contaminated soil. However, higher MTM concentrations in the wild plant species could cause environmental hazards in the study area, as selected metals (Fe, Mn, Cr, Ni, Co, and Pb) have toxicological concerns.
CO Hydrogenation over Transition Metals (Fe, Co, or Ni) Modified K/Mo2C Catalysts
Authors: Xiang Minglin , Zou Juan
Published: September 2013

Transition metals (Fe, Co, or Ni) modified K/Mo2C catalysts were prepared and investigated as catalysts for CO hydrogenation. The addition of Fe, Co, or Ni to K/Mo2C catalyst led to a sharp increase in both the activity and selectivity of C2+OH, but the promotion effects were quite different and followed the sequence: Ni > Co > Fe for the activity and Fe > Co > Ni for the alcohol selectivity. For the products distributions, it also displayed some differences; Co promoter showed much higher C5+ hydrocarbon selectivity than Fe or Ni promoter, but Fe or Co promoter gave lower methane selectivity than Ni promoter, and Fe promoter showed the highest C2=-C4= selectivity.
Different Surface Electromyography of Propagated Sensation along Meridians Produced by Acupuncturing Quchi Acupoint (LI11) or Control Points
Authors: Li Chun-Ri , Lin Yifan , Guan Hong-Yang , Liang Zhe-Rui , Zhang Zhi-Xing , Kim Andre , Ha Jong-Myung , Ren Lu , Rong Peijing , Gu Zhong-Yue , Chen Yi-Guo
Published: September 2013

This study investigated the propagated sensation along meridians (PSM) produced respectively by acupuncture at a specific acupoint of right-side Quchi (LI11), a nonacupoint on meridian (control meridian point), and neither meridian nor acupoint (control point). All the stimulated points were on the right brachioradialis along the large intestine meridian of hand Yangming. Surface electromyography (sEMG) was used to reflect the activity of the brachioradialis along the large intestine meridian of hand Yangming. The PSM rate of LI11 (59.21%) and the control meridian point (53.95%) were significantly higher than the control point (38.16%) (P<0.05). After acupuncture, the brachioradialis sEMG amplitude was5.08±2.93 uV at LI11,3.08±1.18 uV at the control point, and2.77±1.36 uV at the control meridian point. The amplitude of LI11 was significantly higher than both the control meridian point and the control point (P<0.05). When the sEMG activity of brachioradialis returned to the stable base line, brachioradialis sEMG duration at LI11 (265±87.87 s) was significantly longer than that at the control meridian point (91.69±42.98 s) and the control point (83.31±32.76 s) (P<0.05). In conclusion, acupuncture activated PSM at all points but showed an acupoint specificity at LI11 and a meridian specificity at the control meridian point.
In VivoNoninvasive Imaging of Healthy Lower Lip Mucosa: A Correlation Study between High-Definition Optical Coherence Tomography, Reflectance Confocal Microscopy, and Histology
Authors: García-Hernández Alejandra , Roldán-Marín Rodrigo , Iglesias-Garcia Pablo , Malvehy Josep
Published: September 2013

In recent years, technology has allowed the development of new diagnostic techniques which allow real-time,in vivo, noninvasive evaluation of morphological changes in tissue. This study compares and correlates the images and findings obtained by high-definition optical coherence tomography (HD-OCT) and reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) with histology in normal healthy oral mucosa. The healthy lip mucosa of ten adult volunteers was imaged with HD-OCT and RCM. Each volunteer was systematically evaluated by RCM starting in the uppermost part of the epithelium down to the lamina propia. Afterwards, volunteers were examined with a commercially available full-field HD-OCT system using both the “slice” and the “en-face” mode. A “punch” biopsy of the lower lip mucosa was obtained and prepared for conventional histology. The architectural overview offered by “slice” mode HD-OCT correlates with histologic findings at low magnification. In the superficial uppermost layers of the epithelium, RCM imaging provided greater cellular detail than histology. As we deepened into the suprabasal layers, the findings are in accordance with physiological cellular differentiation and correlate with the images obtained from conventional histology. The combined use of these two novel non-invasive imaging techniques provides morphological imaging with sufficient resolution and penetration depth, resulting in quasihistological images.
Parachordoma of Soft Tissues of the Arm: A Very Rare Tumour
Authors: Estrems Díaz Vicente , Bertó Martí Francesc Xavier , Zarzuela Sánchez Víctor , Cabanes Ferrer Maria Isabel , Bru Pomer Antonio
Published: September 2013

Parachordoma is an infrequent neoplasm that bears some histologic resemblance to chordoma. It affects both sexes, occurs typically during the fourth decade of life, and tends to present as a slow-growing painless mass at the level of the soft tissues of the extremities. Diagnosis should be based on immunohistochemical and cytogenetic studies, as the findings of imaging techniques are often unspecific. Although it is considered a benign lesion, its behavior tends to be locally aggressive, with reports of a recurrence rate of up to 20% and of several cases of metastasis. Fewer than 60 cases have been published in the English-speaking literature. In this paper we present the case of a 32-year-old male with a two-year history of parachordoma in the right wrist.
Successful Treatment of Bleeding Gastric Varices with Splenectomy in a Patient with Splenic, Portal, and Mesenteric Thromboses
Authors: Menasherian-Yaccobe Lior , Jaqua Nathan T. , Kenny Patrick
Published: September 2013

A 59-year-old female with a history of multiple splanchnic and portal thromboses treated with warfarin underwent an esophagogastroduodenoscopy for cancer screening, and a polypoid mass was biopsied. One week later, she was admitted with upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage. Her therapeutic coagulopathy was reversed with fresh frozen plasma, and she was transfused with packed red blood cells. An esophagogastroduodenoscopy demonstrated an erosion of a gastric varix without evidence of recent bleeding. Conservative measures failed, and she continued to bleed during her stay. She was not considered a candidate for a shunt procedure; therefore, a splenectomy was performed. Postoperative esophagogastroduodenoscopy demonstrated near complete resolution of gastric varices. One year after discharge on warfarin, there has been no recurrence of hemorrhage. Gastric varices often arise from either portal hypertension or splenic vein thrombosis. Treatment of gastric variceal hemorrhage can be challenging. Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt is often effective for emergency control in varices secondary to portal hypertension. Splenectomy is the treatment for varices that arise from splenic vein thrombosis. However, treatment of gastric variceal hemorrhage in the context of multiple splanchnic and portal vein thromboses is more complicated. We report splenectomy as a successful treatment of gastric varices in a patient with multiple extrahepatic thromboses.
Iatrogenic Obliteration of Ureter with Spontaneous Recanalization
Authors: Beiko Darren , Mussari Ben
Published: September 2013

We report an unusual case of spontaneous and complete healing of a severe iatrogenic midureteral injury. Following percutaneous nephrostomy and 3 months on our surgical waiting list, the injured ureter underwent complete spontaneous recanalization. The patient is clinically well with no evidence of recurrent obstruction after 2 years of followup. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of spontaneous recanalization of an iatrogenically induced complete ureteral obliteration.
Standardized Extract ofBacopa monnieraAttenuates Okadaic Acid Induced Memory Dysfunction in Rats: Effect on Nrf2 Pathway
Authors: Dwivedi Subhash , Nagarajan Rajasekar , Hanif Kashif , Siddiqui Hefazat Husain , Nath Chandishwar , Shukla Rakesh
Published: September 2013

The aim of the present study is to investigate the effect of standardized extract ofBacopa monnieri(memory enhancer) and Melatonin (an antioxidant) on nuclear factor erythroid 2 related factor 2 (Nrf2) pathway in Okadaic acid induced memory impaired rats. OKA (200 ng) was administered intracerebroventricularly (ICV) to induce memory impairment in rats.Bacopa monnieri(BM-40 and 80 mg/kg) and Melatonin (20 mg/kg) were administered 1 hr before OKA injection and continued daily up to day 13. Memory functions were assessed by Morris water maze test on days 13–15. Rats were sacrificed for biochemical estimations of oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, apoptosis, and molecular studies of Nrf2, HO1, and GCLC expressions in cerebral cortex and hippocampus brain regions. OKA caused a significant memory deficit with oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, and neuronal loss which was concomitant with attenuated expression of Nrf2, HO1, and GCLC. Treatment with BM and Melatonin significantly improved memory dysfunction in OKA rats as shown by decreased latency time and path length. The treatments also restored Nrf2, HO1, and GCLC expressions and decreased oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, and neuronal loss. Thus strengthening the endogenous defense through Nrf2 modulation plays a key role in the protective effect of BM and Melatonin in OKA induced memory impairment in rats.
Circadian Models of Serum Potassium, Sodium, and Calcium Concentrations in Healthy Individuals and Their Application to Cardiac Electrophysiology Simulations at Individual Level
Authors: Fijorek Kamil , Puskulluoglu Miroslawa , Polak Sebastian
Published: September 2013

In the article a brief description of the biological basis of the regulation of human biological clocks was presented in order to introduce the role of circadian rhythms in physiology and specifically in the pharmacological translational tools based on the computational physiology models to motivate the need to provide models of circadian fluctuation in plasma cations. The main aim of the study was to develop statistical models of the circadian rhythm of potassium, sodium, and calcium concentrations in plasma. The developed ion models were further tested by assessing their influence on QT duration (cardiac endpoint) as simulated by the biophysically detailed models of human left ventricular cardiomyocyte. The main results are model equations along with an electronic supplement to the article that contains a fully functional implementation of all models.
Synthesis, Characterization, and Antimicrobial Studies of N, ODonor Schiff Base Polymeric Complexes
Authors: Kotkar Shubhangi N. , Juneja Harjeet D.
Published: September 2013

A series of new polymeric complexes of Mn(II), Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), and Zn(II) were prepared with a Schiff base ligand derived from condensation of 2,4‐dihydroxy acetophenone and p‐phenylene diamine and characterized by elemental analysis and IR and NMR spectral data. The antimicrobial activity of the Schiff base and its polymeric complexes have been studied.
Immobilization of Lead from Pb‐Contaminated Soil Amended with Peat Moss
Authors: Lee Seul-Ji , Lee Myoung-Eun , Chung Jae Woo , Park Jin Hee , Huh Keun Young , Jun Gee-Ill
Published: September 2013

Immobilization of lead (Pb) using soil amendments can reduce Pb toxicity and bioavailability in soil. This study evaluated Pb immobilization in a Pb‐contaminated soil by using peat moss through various tests. The Pb‐contaminated soil (2000 mg Pb·kg−1) was amended with 1%, 5%, and 10% of peat moss to immobilize Pb in the soil. The immobilization properties of Pb in the contaminated soil were evaluated by a column leaching experiment, a microcosm test, and a batch incubation test. Peat moss significantly reduced the Pb leaching in all of the experiments and more effectively reduced mobility and toxicity of Pb in the column leaching and microcosm tests than bioavailability in the batch incubation test. The immobilized lead from the soils amended with 1%, 5%, and 10% of peat moss was 37.9%, 87.1%, and 95.4% from the column leaching test, 18.5%, 90.9%, and 96.4% from the microcosm test, and 2.0%, 36.9%, and 57.9% from the NH4NO3 extraction method, respectively, indicating that peat moss can be effectively used for the remediation of Pb‐contaminated soil.
Increased RCAS1 Expression Is Associated with Advanced Histopathological Stage and Poor Prognosis in Patients with Gastric Adenocarcinoma
Authors: Giaginis Constantinos , Efkarpidis Themistoclis , Alexandrou Paraskevi , Patsouris Efstratios , Kouraklis Gregory , Theocharis Stamatios
Published: September 2013

Background. The receptor-binding cancer antigen expressed on SiSo cells (RCAS1) is a human tumor-associated antigen that has been considered to play a crucial role in tumor progression by enabling cancer cells to evade immune surveillance. The present study aimed to evaluate the clinical significance of the RCAS1 expression in gastric adenocarcinoma.Material and Methods. RCAS1 protein expression was assessed immunohistochemically on 54 gastric adenocarcinoma tissue samples and was analyzed in relation to clinicopathological parameters, tumor proliferative capacity, and patients’ survival.Results. Enhanced RCAS1 expression levels were significantly associated with advanced histopathological stage and presence of organ metastasis (P=0.0084andP=0.0327). Gastric cancer patients with elevated RCAS1 expression levels showed significantly shorter survival times compared to those with low RCAS1 expression (log-rank test,P=0.0168). In multivariate analysis, histopathological stage and grade of differentiation as well as the RCAS1 expression were identified as independent prognostic factors (Cox regression analysis,P=0.0204,P=0.0035, andP=0.0081).Conclusions. Our data support the evidence that RCAS1 upregulation may contribute to gastric malignant progression, representing a useful biomarker to predict the biological behaviour and prognosis in gastric neoplasia.
Optimizing Prescription of Chinese Herbal Medicine for Unstable Angina Based on Partially Observable Markov Decision Process
Authors: Feng Yan , Qiu Yu , Zhou Xuezhong , Wang Yixin , Xu Hao , Liu Baoyan
Published: September 2013

Objective. Initial optimized prescription of Chinese herb medicine for unstable angina (UA).Methods. Based on partially observable Markov decision process model (POMDP), we choose hospitalized patients of 3 syndrome elements, such asqideficiency, blood stasis, and turbid phlegm for the data mining, analysis, and objective evaluation of the diagnosis and treatment of UA at a deep level in order to optimize the prescription of Chinese herb medicine for UA.Results. The recommended treatment options of UA forqideficiency, blood stasis, and phlegm syndrome patients were as follows: Milkvetch Root + Tangshen + Indian Bread + Largehead Atractylodes Rhizome (ADR=0.96630); Danshen Root + Chinese Angelica + Safflower + Red Peony Root + Szechwan Lovage Rhizome Orange Fruit (ADR=0.76); Snakegourd Fruit + Longstamen Onion Bulb + Pinellia Tuber + Dried Tangerine peel + Largehead Atractylodes Rhizome + Platycodon Root (ADR=0.658568).Conclusion. This study initially optimized prescriptions for UA based on POMDP, which can be used as a reference for further development of UA prescription in Chinese herb medicine.
Allocation Rules for Games with Optimistic Aspirations
Authors: Carpente Luisa , Casas-Méndez Balbina , García-Jurado Ignacio , van den Nouweland Anne
Published: September 2013

A game with optimistic aspirations specifies two values for each
coalition of players: the first value is the worth that the players
in the coalition can guarantee for themselves in the event that they
coordinate their actions, and the second value is the amount that
the players in the coalition aspire to get under reasonable but very
optimistic assumptions about the demands of the players who are not
included in the coalition. In this paper, in addition to presenting
this model and justifying its relevance, we introduce allocation
rules and extend the properties of efficiency, additivity,
symmetry, and null player property to this setting. We demonstrate
that these four properties are insufficient to find a unique
allocation rule and define three properties involving null players
and nullifying players that allow the identification of unique
allocation rules. The allocation rules we identify are the Midpoint
Shapley Value and the Equal Division Rule.
Thermal Conductivity of Epoxy Resin Reinforced with Magnesium Oxide Coated Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes
Authors: Du Fei-Peng , Tang Hao , Huang De-Yong
Published: September 2013

Magnesium oxide coated multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MgO@MWNT) were fabricated and dispersed into epoxy matrix. The microstructures of MgO@MWNT and epoxy/MgO@MWNT nanocomposites were characterized by TEM and SEM. Electrical resistivity and thermal conductivity of epoxy nanocomposites were investigated with high resistance meter and thermal conductivity meter, respectively. MgO@MWNT has core-shell structure with MgO as shell and nanotube as core, and the thickness of MgO shell is ca. 15 nm. MgO@MWNT has been dispersed well in the epoxy matrix. MgO@MWNT loaded epoxy nanocomposites still retain electrical insulation inspite of the filler content increase. However, thermal conductivity of epoxy was increased with the MgO@MWNT content increasing. When MgO@MWNT content reached 2.0 wt.%, thermal conductivity was increased by 89% compared to neat epoxy, higher than that of unmodified MWNT nanocomposites with the same loading content.
The -Fractional Analogue for Gronwall-Type Inequality
Authors: Abdeljawad Thabet , Alzabut Jehad O.
Published: September 2013

We utilize -fractional Caputo initial value problems of order to derive a -analogue for Gronwall-type inequality. Some particular cases are derived where -Mittag-Leffler functions and -exponential type functions are used. An example is given to illustrate the validity of the derived inequality.
Prediction of Splitting Tensile Strength from Cylinder Compressive Strength of Concrete by Support Vector Machine
Authors: Yan Kezhen , Xu Hongbing , Shen Guanghui , Liu Pei
Published: September 2013

Compressive strength and splitting tensile strength are both important parameters that are utilized for characterization concrete mechanical properties. This paper aims to show a possible applicability of support vector machine (SVM) to predict the splitting tensile strength of concrete from compressive strength of concrete, a SVM model was built, trained, and tested using the available experimental data gathered from the literature. All of the results predicted by the SVM model are compared with results obtained from experimental data, and we found that the predicted splitting tensile strength of concrete is in good agreement with the experimental data. The splitting tensile strength results predicted by SVM are also compared to those obtained by using empirical results of the building codes and various models. These comparisons show that SVM has strong potential as a feasible tool for predicting splitting tensile strength from compressive strength.
Who Receives Home-Based Perinatal Palliative Care: Experience from Poland
Authors: Korzeniewska-Eksterowicz Aleksandra , Przysło Łukasz , Kędzierska Bogna , Stolarska Małgorzata , Młynarski Wojciech
Published: September 2013

Context. The current literature suggests that perinatal palliative care (PPC) programs should be comprehensive, initiated early, and integrative. So far there have been very few publications on the subject of home-based PC of newborns and neonates. Most publications focus on hospital-based care, mainly in the neonatal intensive care units.Objective. To describe the neonates and infants who received home-based palliative care in Lodz Region between 2005 and 2011.Methods. A retrospective review of medical records.Results. 53 neonates and infants were admitted to a home hospice in Lodz Region between 2005 and 2011. In general, they are a growing group of patients referred to palliative care. Congenital diseases (41%) were the primary diagnoses; out of 53 patients 16 died, 20 were discharged home, and 17 stayed under hospice care until 2011. The most common cause of death (56%) was cardiac insufficiency. Neurological symptoms (72%) and dysphagia (58%) were the most common clinical problems. The majority of children (45%) had a feeding tube inserted and were oxygen dependent (45%); 39 families received psychological care and 31 social supports.Conclusions. For terminally ill neonates and infants, perinatal palliative care is an option which improves the quality of their lives and provides the family with an opportunity to say goodbye.
Diagnosis and Progression of Sacroiliitis in Repeated Sacroiliac Joint Computed Tomography
Authors: Geijer Mats , Gadeholt Göthlin Gro , Göthlin Jan H.
Published: September 2013

Objective. To assess the clinical utility of repeat sacroiliac joint computed tomography (CT) in sacroiliitis by assessing the proportion of patients changing from normal to pathologic at CT and to which degree there is progression of established sacroiliitis at repeat CT. Methods. In a retrospective analysis of 334 patients (median age 34 years) with symptoms suggestive of inflammatory back pain, CT had been performed twice, in 47 of these thrice, and in eight patients four times. The studies were scored as normal, equivocal, unilateral sacroiliitis, or bilateral sacroiliitis. Results. There was no change in 331 of 389 repeat examinations. Ten patients (3.0%) had progressed from normal or equivocal to unilateral or bilateral sacroiliitis. Of 43 cases with sacroiliitis on the first study, 36 (83.7%) progressed markedly. Two normal cases had changed to equivocal. Eight equivocal cases were classified as normal on the repeat study. In further two patients, only small changes within the scoring grade equivocal were detected. Conclusions. CT is a valuable examination for diagnosis of sacroiliitis, but a repeated examination detects only a few additional cases of sacroiliitis. Most cases with already established sacroiliitis showed progression of disease.
Adult Nephroblastoma with Predominant Epithelial Component: A Differential Diagnostic Candidate of Papillary Renal Cell Carcinoma and Metanephric Adenoma—Report of Three Cases
Authors: Watanabe Shiho , Naganuma Hiroshi , Shimizu Michio , Ota Satoshi , Murata Shin-ichi , Nihei Naoki , Matsushima Jun , Mikami Shuji , Kuroda Naoto , Nagashima Yoji , Nakatani Yukio
Published: September 2013

Although nephroblastoma is the commonest renal tumor of childhood, it is rare in adults. In cases of predominantly epithelial type occurring in adulthood, it might be difficult to distinguish it from papillary renal cell carcinoma and metanephric adenoma. Here, we report three cases of adult epithelial nephroblastoma in 24-, 76-, and 21-year-old females. Histologically, the tumors were composed of papillotubular architectures of small and uniform tumor cells with high nucleocytoplasmic ratio without blastemal element. Immunohistochemically, the tumor cells were positive for WT-1 and CD57 but negative for AMACR, which was helpful to exclude the possibility of papillary renal cell carcinoma. Metanephric adenoma is a benign tumor, which can be distinguished by the observation of the cellular atypism and growth pattern. However, nephroblastoma with predominant epithelial element mimics the malignant counterpart of metanephric adenoma, that is, “metanephric adenocarcinoma.”
Computer Guided Implantology Accuracy and Complications
Authors: Bruno Vincenzo , Badino Mauro , Riccitiello Francesco , Spagnuolo Gianrico , Amato Massimo
Published: September 2013

The computer-based method allows the computerized planning of a surgical implantology procedure, using computed tomography (CT) of the maxillary bones and prosthesis. This procedure, however, is not error-free, unless the operator has been well trained and strictly follows the protocol. A 70-year-old woman whom was edentulous asked for a lower jaw implant-supported prosthesis. A computer-guided surgery was planned with an immediate loading according to the NobelGuide technique. However, prior to surgery, new dentures were constructed to adjust the vertical dimension. An interim screwed metal-resin prosthesis was delivered just after the surgery; however, after only two weeks, it was removed because of a complication. Finally, a screwed implant bridge was delivered. The computer guided surgery is a useful procedure when based on an accurate 3D CT-based image data and an implant planning software which minimizes errors.
The Key Role of Cultural Preservation in Maize Diversity Conservation in the Argentine Yungas
Authors: Hilgert Norma I. , Zamudio Fernando , Furlan Violeta , Cariola Lucía
Published: September 2013

Farmers’ decisions on what to grow and why can contribute in understanding the conservation of agrobiodiversity. Culture and ethnicity are indicated as first-class factors leading preservation of heirloom cultivars but this has been little considered in studies examining factors that influence the loss or preservation of agrobiodiversity. We propose that corn’s ethnotaxa of less diverse uses, which are also key partners in local cultural reproduction, are usually cultivated by a few households. We analyse if there is a relationship between uses and richness of cultivated ethnotaxa at household level and describe corn’s medicinal and ritual uses. We found 25 cultivated ethnotaxa, heterogeneously distributed in the region, and we also found that ethnotaxa with less diverse uses are cultivated in fewer households. We identified that, at regional scale, richness is related with food use diversity. The most frequently cited medicinal uses were urinary and tract infections, diarrhoea, and liver disorders. Medicinal recipes involve combinations with other elements. Maize is an indispensable resource in the rituals that propitiate productive activity, to augur prosperity or misfortune according to signals. We have identified the vulnerability in preserving the richness of corn in the region and the factors that shape its cultivation at different scales.
Fully Endoscopic Microvascular Decompression: Our Early Experience
Authors: Halpern Casey H. , Lang Shih-Shan , Lee John Y. K.
Published: September 2013

Background. Microvascular decompression (MVD) is a widely accepted treatment for neurovascular disorders associated with facial pain and spasm. The endoscope has rapidly become a standard tool in neurosurgical procedures; however, its adoption in lateral approaches to the posterior fossa has been slower. The endoscope is used primarily to assist conventional microscopic techniques. We are interested in developing fully endoscopic approaches to the cerebellopontine angle, and here, we describe our preliminary experience with this procedure for MVD.Methods. A retrospective review of our two-year experience from 2011 to 2012, transitioning from using conventional microscopic techniques to endoscope-assisted microsurgery to fully endoscopic MVD, is provided. We also reviewed our preliminary outcomes during this transition.Results. There was no difference in the surgical duration of these three procedures. In addition, the majority of procedures performed in 2012 were fully endoscopic, suggesting the ease of incorporating this solo tool into practice. Pain outcomes of fully endoscopic MVD appear to be very similar to those of both conventional and endoscope-assisted MVDs. Complications occurred in all groups at equally low rates.Conclusion. Fully endoscopic MVD is both safe and effective. By enhancing visualization of structures within the cerebellopontine angle, endoscopy may prove to be a valuable adjunct or alternative to conventional microscopic approaches.
Promoter Hypermethylation of theEMP3Gene in a Series of 229 Human Gliomas
Authors: Mellai Marta , Piazzi Angela , Caldera Valentina , Annovazzi Laura , Monzeglio Oriana , Senetta Rebecca , Cassoni Paola , Schiffer Davide
Published: September 2013

The epithelial membrane protein 3 (EMP3) is a candidate tumor suppressor gene in the critical region 19q13.3 for several solid tumors, including tumors of the nervous systems. The aim of this study was to investigate theEMP3promoter hypermethylation status in a series of 229 astrocytic and oligodendroglial tumors and in 16 GBM cell lines. The analysis was performed by methylation-specific PCR and capillary electrophoresis. Furthermore, the EMP3 expression at protein level was evaluated by immunohistochemistry and Western blotting analysis. Associations ofEMP3hypermethylation with total 1p/19q codeletion,MGMTpromoter hypermethylation,IDH1/IDH2andTP53mutations, andEGFRamplification were studied, as well as its prognostic significance. TheEMP3promoter hypermethylation has been found in 39.5% of gliomas. It prevailed in low-grade tumors, especially in gliomas with an oligodendroglial component, and in sGBMs upon pGBMs. In oligodendroglial tumors, it was strongly associated with bothIDH1/IDH2mutations and total 1p/19q codeletion and inversely withEGFRgene amplification. No association was found withMGMThypermethylation andTP53mutations. In the whole series, theEMP3hypermethylation status correlated with 19q13.3 loss and lack of EMP3 expression at protein level. A favorable prognostic significance on overall survival of theEMP3promoter hypermethylation was found in patients with oligodendroglial tumors.
Optimal Control of Particle Advection in Couette and Poiseuille Flows
Authors: Grilo Teresa , Lobo Pereira Fernando , Gama Sílvio
Published: September 2013

We present the problem of minimum time control of a particle advected in Couette and Poiseuille flows and solve it by using the Pontryagin maximum principle. This study is a first step of an effort aiming at the development of a mathematical framework for the control and optimization of dynamic control systems whose state variable is driven by interacting ODEs and PDEs which can be applied in the control of underwater gliders and mechanical fishes.
Two-Channel Quadrature Mirror Filter Bank: An Overview
Authors: Agrawal S. K. , Sahu O. P.
Published: September 2013

During the last two decades, there has been substantial progress in multirate digital filters and filter banks. This includes the design of quadrature mirror filters (QMF). A two-channel QMF bank is extensively used in many signal processing fields such as subband coding of speech signal, image processing, antenna systems, design of wavelet bases, and biomedical engineering and in digital audio industry. Therefore, new efficient design techniques are being proposed by several authors in this area. This paper presents an overview of analysis and design techniques of the two-channel QMF bank. Application in the area of subband coding and future research trends are also discussed.
Relative Humidity Sensor Based on Microfiber Loop Resonator
Authors: Zheng Yangzi , Dong Xinyong , Zhao Chunliu , Li Yi , Shao Liyang , Jin Shangzhong
Published: September 2013

A novel relative humidity (RH) sensor based on a microfiber loop resonator (MLR) is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. As refractive index of the microfiber in the MLR is modified by environmental humidity, resonant wavelength of the MLR changes with RH level. By detecting this wavelength shift, RH measurement is realized with a linear response sensitivity of 1.8 pm/% RH. The obvious advantage of this technique over others is that no coating of humidity-sensitive material is required.
Proteomics of Uveal Melanoma: A Minireview
Authors: Abildgaard Søren K. O. , Vorum Henrik
Published: September 2013

Uveal melanoma (UM) continues to be associated with a high mortality rate of up to 50% due to metastatic spread primarily to the liver. Currently there are relatively effective treatments for the primary tumor, though the management of the metastatic disease remains inadequate. Conventional diagnostic tools have a low sensitivity for detecting metastasis, and early detection of metastatic spread would allow more treatment options that could ultimately increase survival of UM patients. Advanced proteomic methods have already helped to find potential biomarkers associated with UM pathogenesis and metastasis. In the present review we discuss the field of proteomics in relation to studies elucidating biomarkers of UM, where proteins such as S-100β, osteopontin (OPN), and melanoma inhibitory activity (MIA) have been shown to be associated with metastasis.
Four-Point Optimal Sixteenth-Order Iterative Method for Solving Nonlinear Equations
Authors: Ullah Malik Zaka , Al-Fhaid A. S. , Ahmad Fayyaz
Published: September 2013

We present an iterative method for solving nonlinear equations. The proposed iterative method has optimal order of convergence sixteen in the sense of Kung-Traub conjecture (Kung and Traub, 1974); it means that the iterative scheme uses five functional evaluations to achieve 16(=25-1) order of convergence. The proposed iterative method utilizes one derivative and four function evaluations. Numerical experiments are made to demonstrate the convergence and validation of the iterative method.
Comparative Histomorphological Studies on Oesophagus of Catfish and Grass Carp
Authors: Abd El Hafez Enas A. , Mokhtar Doaa M. , Abou-Elhamd Alaa Sayed , Hassan Ahmed Hassan S.
Published: September 2013

The present work was carried out on 40 specimens of oesophaguses of both sexes of catfish (carnivorous fish) and grass carp (herbivorous fish) in order to observe the morphological and histological differences between the two species. Oesophagus of catfish was divided into 2 parts: anterior and posterior ones. The anterior part of the oesophagus of catfish was characterized by the presence of numerous mucosal folds. It was lined by stratified epithelium with goblet cells. In addition to club cells were observed in between the stratified epithelium. Scanning electron examination of the oesophageal epithelium of catfish demonstrated the presence of microvilli and fingerprint-like microridges in the superficial cell layer. The posterior part of the oesophagus of catfish was characterized by simple columnar mucus-secreting epithelium. The oesophagus of grass carp had shown the same structure along its entire length. It consisted of less folded mucosa than that observed in the oesophagus of catfish. The epithelium was characterized by the presence of taste buds. In conclusion, the present work revealed some differences in the structure of catfish oesophagus and grass carp oesophagus. These differences are related to type of food and feeding habits of each species.
Replication of British Rheumatoid Arthritis Susceptibility Loci in Two Unrelated Chinese Population Groups
Authors: Li Hua , Hu Yonghe , Zhang Tao , Liu Yang , Wang Yantang , Yang Tai , Li Minhui , Luo Qiaoli , Cheng Yu , Zou Qiang
Published: September 2013

Previous genome-wide association study by WTCCC identified many susceptibility loci of common autoimmune diseases in British, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Because of the genetic heterogeneity of RA, it is necessary to replicate these susceptibility loci in other populations. Here, three SNPs with strong RA association signal in the British were analyzed in Han Chinese, and two SNPs (rs6457617 and rs11761231) were genotyped in the test cohort firstly. The rs6457617 was significantly associated with RA in the test cohort. The individuals bearing the homozygous genotype CC had 0.39-fold risk than these bearing the wild-type genotype TT (P=0.004, OR 0.39, [95% CI 0.21–0.74]). And the protective effect of allele C was confirmed in another validation cohort with 1514 samples (Pgenotye CC/TT=5.9  ×  10−10, OR 0.34, [95% CI 0.24–0.48]). The rs6457617 can be used as a tagSNP of HLA-DQA1*03 which encoded MHC-IIαchain. Since MHC restriction is important for primary T-cells in positive selection and negative selection stages, MHC protein polymorphisms may be implicated in shaping the T-cell repertoire, including the emergence of a T-cell clone involved in the inflammatory arthritis.