bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Reasons for noncompliance in donor risk reporting regarding male‐to‐male sex
Authors: Romeijn Bas , van Dongen Anne , Kok Gerjo
Published: May 2016

BACKGROUND

In the Netherlands men who have had sex with men were permanently excluded from donating blood or blood products. This study aimed to determine the rate of not disclosing male‐to‐male sex (noncompliance) among Dutch donors and reasons for noncompliance.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS

Invitations to participate in an anonymous online survey were sent out to a sample of the Dutch donor population (50,000 male and 5000 female donors). Male donors were asked if they ever had sex with a man. Second, a definition of male‐to‐male sex was given, followed by the same question. Donors who reported to have had male‐to‐male sex on the second question were defined as noncompliant and were asked what reasons they had for not reporting. We asked all donors questions regarding the Dutch donor policy.

RESULTS

A total of 18,137 male donors responded to the questionnaire. Of male donors, 1.4% reported to have had sex with a man, and 0.7% reported to have donated after their first male‐to‐male sex. Discrepancies were found in male donors’ interpretation of male‐to‐male sex. The most frequently reported reasons for noncompliance had to do with the timing and/or frequency of male‐to‐male sex, perceived privacy, perceived risk status, and knowledge about the policy. Compliers, noncompliers, and female donors had different opinions on a number of policy issues.

CONCLUSION

The percentage found for noncompliance is similar to percentages in other compliance studies worldwide. Based on reported reasons, a substantial amount of noncompliers would become eligible for donating under a revised policy, possibly without jeopardizing blood safety.
Toward Resilience to Nuclear Accidents: Financing Nuclear Liabilities via Catastrophe Risk Bonds
Authors: Ayyub Bilal M. , Pantelous Athanasios A. , Shao Jia
Published: May 2016

In light of the 2011 Fukushima disaster, recent discussion has focused on finding the best nuclear storage options, maximizing the oversight power of global institutions, and strengthening safety measures. In addition to these, the development of dependable liability coverage that can be tapped in an emergency is also needed and should be considered thoughtfully. To succeed, financing is essential using special-purpose instruments from the global bond market, which is as big as US$175 trillion. Thus, in this paper, for the first time, a two-coverage-type trigger nuclear catastrophe (N-CAT) risk bond for potentially supplementing the covering of U.S. commercial nuclear power plants (NPPs) beyond the coverage per the Price Anderson Act as amended, and potentially other plants are proposed and designed worldwide. The N-CAT peril is categorized by three risk layers: incident, accident, and major accident. The pricing formula is derived by using a semi-Markovian dependence structure in continuous time. A numerical application illustrates the main findings of the paper.
Lateral Friction Behavior of a Thin, Tensioned Tape Wrapped Over a Grooved Roller: Experiments and Theory
Authors: Yang Hankang , Engelen Johan B. C. , Häberle Walter , Lantz Mark A. , Müftü Sinan
Published: May 2016

Effects of friction forces on the lateral dynamics of a magnetic recording tape, wrapped around a grooved roller are investigated experimentally and theoretically. Tape is modeled as a viscoelastic, tensioned beam subjected to belt-wrap pressure and friction forces. Including the effects of stick and slip and velocity dependence of the friction force render the tape's equation of motion nonlinear. In the experiments, tape was wrapped under tension around a grooved roller in a customized tape path. The tape running speed along the axial direction was set to zero, thus only the lateral effects were studied. The grooved roller was attached to an actuator, which moved the roller across the tape. Tests were performed in slow and fast actuation modes. The slow mode was used to identify an effective static, or breakaway, friction coefficient. In the fast mode, the roller was actuated with a 50 Hz sinusoid. The same effective friction coefficient was deduced from the fast actuation mode tests. This test mode also revealed a periodic stick–slip phenomenon. The stick-to-slip and slip-to-stick transitions occurred when the tape vibration speed matched the roller actuation speed. Both experiments and theory show that upon slip, tape vibrates primarily at its natural frequency, and vibrations are attenuated relatively fast due to frictional and internal damping. This work also shows that an effective friction coefficient can be described that captures the complex interactions in lateral tape motion (LTM) over a grooved roller.
Numerical Solution of Radiative Transfer in a Real-Participating Media
Authors: Ali Hanene Belhaj , Grissa Hajer , Askri Faouzi , Nasrallah Sassi Ben
Published: May 2016

In this paper, the control volume finite element method (CVFEM) is coupled with the weighted sum of gray gases model (WSGGM) to study the radiative heat transfer in a nongray medium. To the best of our knowledge, the CVFEM–WSGGM is applied for the first time to simulate real-gas. The accuracy of the proposed method is tested through one- and two-dimensional radiative heat transfer within an enclosure filled with a single composition (water vapor or carbon dioxide) or a mixture of H2O, CO2, and N2. Compared to the discrete ordinates method (DOM)–statistical narrow band model (SNBM), the proposed method, using the WSGG model parameters due to Smith or Farag, yields much accurate results than the zonal method (ZM)–WSGGM and DOM–WSGGM. In addition, the present method needs very less control volumes and angles, and consequently computational time, compared to the DOM and ZM coupled with WSGGM.
Numerical Investigation on the Effects of Flame Propagation in Rotary Engine Performance With Leakage and Different Recess Shapes Using Three-Dimensional Computational Fluid Dynamics
Authors: Harikrishnan Thirumal Valavan , Challa Suryanarayana , Radhakrishna Dachapalli
Published: May 2016

This study was carried out with an objective to develop a 3D simulation methodology for rotary engine combustion study and to investigate the effect of recess shapes on flame travel within the rotating combustion chamber and its effects on engine performance. The relative location of spark plugs with respect to the combustion chamber has significant effect on flame travel, affecting the overall engine performance. The computations were carried out with three different recess shapes using iso-octane (C8H18) fuel, and flame front propagation was studied at different widths from spark location. Initially, a detailed leakage study was carried out and the flow fields were compared with available experimental results. The results for first recess with compression ratio 9.1 showed that the flow and vortex formations were similar to that of actual model. The capability of the 3D model to predict the combustion reaction rate precisely as that of practical engine is presented with comparison to experimental results. This study showed that the flame propagation is dominant toward the leading apex of the rotor chamber, and the air/fuel mixture region in the engine midplane, between the two spark plugs, has very low flame propagation compared to the region in the vicinity of spark. The air/fuel mixture in midplane toward the leading apex burns partially and most of the mixture toward the trailing apex is left unburnt. Recommendations have been made for optimal positioning of the spark plugs along the lateral axis of the engine. In the comparison study with different recess shapes, lesser cavity length corresponding to a higher compression ratio (CR) of 9.6 showed faster flame propagation toward leading side. Also, mass trapped in working chamber reduced and developed higher burn rate and peak pressure resulting in better fuel conversion efficiency. Third recess with lesser CR showed reduced burn rates and lower peak pressure.
Quantitative analysis of a frequency-domain nonlinearity indicator
Authors: Reichman Brent O. , Gee Kent L. , Neilsen Tracianne B. , Miller Kyle G.
Published: May 2016

In this paper, quantitative understanding of a frequency-domain nonlinearity indicator is developed. The indicator is derived from an ensemble-averaged, frequency-domain version of the generalized Burgers equation, which can be rearranged in order to directly compare the effects of nonlinearity, absorption, and geometric spreading on the pressure spectrum level with frequency and distance. The nonlinear effect is calculated using pressure-squared-pressure quadspectrum. Further theoretical development has given an expression for the role of the normalized quadspectrum, referred to as Q/S by Morfey and Howell [AIAA J. 19, 986–992 (1981)], in the spatial rate of change of the pressure spectrum level. To explore this finding, an investigation of the change in level for initial sinusoids propagating as plane waves through inviscid and thermoviscous media has been conducted. The decibel change with distance, calculated through Q/S, captures the growth and decay of the harmonics and indicates that the most significant changes in level occur prior to sawtooth formation. At large distances, the inviscid case results in a spatial rate of change that is uniform across all harmonics. For thermoviscous media, large positive nonlinear gains are observed but offset by absorption, which leads to a greater overall negative spatial rate of change for higher harmonics.
Frac sand crushing characteristics and morphology changes under high compressive stress and implications for sand pack permeability
Authors: Zheng Wenbo , Tannant Dwayne
Published: May 2016

Sand consisting of round quartz grains is widely used as a proppant during hydraulic fracturing to produce natural gas from tight shale formations. This paper presents results from sand characterization and crushing tests on Jordan Formation frac sand. It includes an assessment of grain-size reduction, changes in particle shape, and reduction in void ratio. It also examines the implications for permeability reduction through a sand pack caused by the closure stress on a hydraulic fracture. The sand from two size ranges (0.6 to 0.71 mm and 0.5 to 0.6 mm) was tested dry under applied compressive stresses of up to 40 MPa in a crushing cup. The overall sand pack stress–strain response becomes softer as grains are crushed. The particle shape shifts from nearly spherical grains to diametrically split grains and then to small elongated and angular fragments for the smaller particle sizes. The permeability of the sand pack reduces by more than 40% at a 20 MPa stress, which is mainly caused by a decrease in void ratio due to compaction. The permeability reduces by over 70% at a 40 MPa stress, which is primarily caused by void ratio decrease, reduction in particle size, and a shift away from spherical particle shapes. Compared to the ISO 13503-2 standard where only the sand crushing percentage after crushing tests is measured, this paper demonstrates that more information can be extracted from sand crushing tests and that sand pack permeability can be assessed to optimize frac sand selection. A sand with a larger size range has a higher crushing percentage, but is more permeable compared to a sand with a smaller size range. This further indicates that frac sand selection based only on sand crushing percentage is not sufficient to achieve better sand pack permeability.
Reaction pathways of hydroxyl groups during coal spontaneous combustion
Authors: Qi Xuyao , Xue Haibo , Xin Haihui , Wei Cunxiang
Published: May 2016

Hydroxyl groups are one of the key factors for the development of coal self-heating, although their detailed reaction pathways are still unclear. This study investigated the reaction pathways in coal self-heating by the method of quantum chemistry calculation. The Ar–CH2–CH(CH3)–OH was selected as a typical structure unit for the calculation. The results indicate that the hydrogen atoms in hydroxyl groups and R3–CH are the active sites. For the hydrogen atoms in hydroxyl groups, they are directly abstracted by oxygen. For hydrogen atoms in R3–CH, they are abstracted by oxygen at first and generate peroxy-hydroxyl free radicals, which abstract the hydrogen atoms in hydroxyl groups later. The reaction of R3–CH contains three elementary reactions, i.e., the hydrogen abstraction of R3–CH by oxygen, the conjugation reaction between the R3C■ and oxygen atom, and the hydrogen abstraction of –OH by hydroxyl free radicals. Then, the microstructure parameters, IRC pathways, and reaction dynamic parameters were respectively analyzed for the four reactions. For the hydrogen abstraction of –OH by oxygen, the enthalpy change and activation energy are 137.63 and 334.44 kJ/mol, respectively, which will occur at medium temperatures and the corresponding heat effect is great. For the reaction of R3–CH, the enthalpy change and the activation energy are −3.45 and 55.79 kJ/mol, respectively, which will occur at low temperatures while the corresponding heat influence is weak. They both affect heat accumulation and provide new active centers for enhancing the coal self-heating process. The results would be helpful for further understanding of the coal self-heating mechanism.
Exploring structural requirements of unconventional Knoevenagel-type indole derivatives as anticancer agents through comparative QSAR modeling approaches
Authors: Amin Sk. Abdul , Adhikari Nilanjan , Jha Tarun , Gayen Shovanlal
Published: May 2016

An indole ring system is considered as a versatile scaffold in the pharmaceutical field. In this article, comparative QSAR modeling (2D-QSAR, 3D-QSAR; kNN-MFA and CoMSIA) was performed on some Knoevenagel-type cytotoxic indole derivatives to understand the structural requirements for the cytotoxic property of these compounds. The 2D-QSAR model was statistically significant and imparted high predictive ability (nTrain = 30; R = 0.917; [Formula: see text] = 0.801; [Formula: see text] = 0.757; Q2 = 0.722; nTest = 9; [Formula: see text] = 0.799). A statistically significant 3D-QSAR kNN-MFA model (both with stepwise forward and simulated annealing model selection method) as well as a 3D-QSAR CoMSIA model was developed to identify the key chemical features associated with enhancing the cytotoxic activities of these indoles. The results suggest that the presence of bulky group in R position can cause better cytotoxic activities. Consequently, substitution with cyano group at X portion and cyano/ester/keto/sulphonyl features at Y position is favourable for the cytotoxicity. However, hydrophobic features in R′ region are unfavourable for the biological activity. The chemical and structural features identified from the study may provide important avenues to modulate the structure of these indoles to a desirable biological end point.
The dark matter distribution function and halo thermalization from the Eddington equation in galaxies
Authors: de Vega H. J. , Sanchez N. G.
Published: May 2016

We find the distribution function [Formula: see text] for dark matter (DM) halos in galaxies and the corresponding equation of state from the (empirical) DM density profiles derived from observations. We solve for DM in galaxies the analogous of the Eddington equation originally used for the gas of stars in globular clusters. The observed density profiles are a good realistic starting point and the distribution functions derived from them are realistic. We do not make any assumption about the DM nature, the methods developed here apply to any DM kind, though all results are consistent with warm dark matter (WDM). With these methods we find: (i) Cored density profiles behaving quadratically for small distances [Formula: see text] produce distribution functions which are finite and positive at the halo center while cusped density profiles always produce divergent distribution functions at the center. (ii) Cored density profiles produce approximate thermal Boltzmann distribution functions for [Formula: see text] where [Formula: see text] is the halo radius. (iii) Analytic expressions for the dispersion velocity and the pressure are derived yielding at each halo point an ideal DM gas equation of state with local temperature [Formula: see text]. [Formula: see text] turns out to be constant in the same region where the distribution function is thermal and exhibits the same temperature within the percent. The self-gravitating DM gas can thermalize despite being collisionless because it is an ergodic system. (iv) The DM halo can be consistently considered at local thermal equilibrium with: (a) a constant temperature [Formula: see text] for [Formula: see text], (b) a space dependent temperature [Formula: see text] for [Formula: see text], which slowly decreases with [Formula: see text]. That is, the DM halo is realistically a collisionless self-gravitating thermal gas for [Formula: see text]. (v) [Formula: see text] outside the halo radius nicely follows the decrease of the circular velocity squared.
Neutrino mass matrices from two zero 3 × 2 Yukawa textures and minimal d = 5 entries
Authors: Achelashvili Avtandil , Tavartkiladze Zurab
Published: May 2016

Aiming to relate leptonic CP violating phase [Formula: see text] to the cosmological CP asymmetry, we study the extension of MSSM by two quasi-degenerate (strictly degenerate at tree level) right-handed neutrinos and consider all possible two texture zero [Formula: see text] Yukawa matrices plus one [Formula: see text] dimension five [Formula: see text] operator contributing to the light neutrino mass matrix. We classify all experimentally viable mass matrices, leading to several predictions, and analytically derive predictive relations. We also relate the CP violating [Formula: see text] phase to the CP phase of the thermal leptogenesis.
Randomization of Sharkovsky-type results on the circle
Authors: Andres Jan
Published: May 2016

Two deterministic Sharkovsky-type theorems on the circle due to L. Block [Proc. Amer. Math. Soc. 82 (1981) 481–486] and X. Zhao [Fixed Point Theory Appl., Article ID 194875 (2008)] are randomized. The randomization of Block’s theorem brings an additional information about the forcing alternatives. Some further possibilities of the randomized Zhao’s theorem are discussed for multivalued maps.
Insertion-tolerance and repetitiveness of random graphs
Authors: Alcalde Cuesta Fernando , Lozano Rojo Álvaro , Vázquez Martínez Antón C.
Published: May 2016

Bond percolation on Cayley graphs provides examples of random graphs. Other examples arise from the dynamical study of proper repetitive subgraphs of Cayley graphs. In this paper we demonstrate that these two families have mutually singular laws as a corollary of a general lemma about countable Borel equivalence relations on first countable Hausdorff spaces.
Isolated Sign Language Recognition with Grassmann Covariance Matrices
Authors: Wang Hanjie , Chai Xiujuan , Hong Xiaopeng , Zhao Guoying , Chen Xilin
Published: May 2016

In this article, to utilize long-term dynamics over an isolated sign sequence, we propose a covariance matrix--based representation to naturally fuse information from multimodal sources. To tackle the drawback induced by the commonly used Riemannian metric, the proximity of covariance matrices is measured on the Grassmann manifold. However, the inherent Grassmann metric cannot be directly applied to the covariance matrix. We solve this problem by evaluating and selecting the most significant singular vectors of covariance matrices of sign sequences. The resulting compact representation is called the
Grassmann covariance matrix
. Finally, the Grassmann metric is used to be a kernel for the support vector machine, which enables learning of the signs in a discriminative manner. To validate the proposed method, we collect three challenging sign language datasets, on which comprehensive evaluations show that the proposed method outperforms the state-of-the-art methods both in accuracy and computational cost.
On the Interplay of Link-Flooding Attacks and Traffic Engineering
Authors: Gkounis Dimitrios , Kotronis Vasileios , Liaskos Christos , Dimitropoulos Xenofontas
Published: May 2016

Link-flooding attacks have the potential to disconnect even entire countries from the Internet. Moreover, newly proposed indirect link-flooding attacks, such as ``Crossfire'', are extremely hard to expose and, subsequently, mitigate effectively. Traffic Engineering (TE) is the network's natural way of mitigating link overload events, balancing the load and restoring connectivity. This work poses the question: Do we need a new kind of TE to expose an attack as well? The key idea is that a carefully crafted, attack-aware TE could force the attacker to follow improbable traffic patterns, revealing his target and his identity over time. We show that both existing and novel TE modules can efficiently expose the attack, and study the benefits of each approach. We implement defense prototypes using simulation mechanisms and evaluate them extensively on multiple real topologies.
Attacking NTP's Authenticated Broadcast Mode
Authors: Malhotra Aanchal , Goldberg Sharon
Published: May 2016

We identify two attacks on the Network Time Protocol (NTP)'s cryptographically-authenticated broadcast mode. First, we present a replay attack that allows an on-path attacker to indefinitely stick a broadcast client to a specific time. Second, we present a denial-of-service (DoS) attack that allows an off-path attacker to prevent a broadcast client from ever updating its system clock; to do this, the attacker sends the client a single malformed broadcast packet per query interval. Our DoS attack also applies to all other NTP modes that are `ephemeral' or `preemptable' (including manycast, pool, etc). We then use network measurements to give evidence that NTP's broadcast and other ephemeral/preemptable modes are being used in the wild. We conclude by discussing why NTP's current implementation of symmetric-key cryptographic authentication does not provide security in broadcast mode, and make some recommendations to improve the current state of affairs.
Global Measurements
Authors: Bajpai Vaibhav , Berger Arthur W. , Eardley Philip , Ott Jörg , Schönwälder Jürgen
Published: May 2016

This article summarises a 2.5 day long Dagstuhl seminar on Global Measurements: Practice and Experience held in January 2016. This seminar was a followup of the seminar on Global Measurement Frameworks held in 2013, which focused on the development of global Internet measurement platforms and associated metrics. The second seminar aimed at discussing the practical experience gained with building these global Internet measurement platforms. It brought together people who are actively involved in the design and maintenance of global Internet measurement platforms and who do research on the data delivered by such platforms. Researchers in this seminar have used data derived from global Internet measurement platforms in order to manage networks or services or as input for regulatory decisions. The entire set of presentations delivered during the seminar is made publicly available at [1].
A Novel Architecture of Area Efficient FFT Algorithm for FPGA Implementation
Authors: Mukherjee Atin , Sinha Amitabha , Choudhury Debesh
Published: May 2016

Fast Fourier transform (FFT) of large number of samples requires huge hardware resources of field programmable gate arrays (FPGA), which needs more area and power. In this paper, we have presented an area efficient architecture of a FFT processor that reuses the butterfly elements several times. The FFT processor is simulated using VHDL and the results are validated on Virtex-6 FPGA. The proposed architecture out performs the conventional architecture of a N-point FFT processor in terms of area which is reduced by a factor of logN 2with negligible increase in processing time.
Conjugation of Daunorubicin to Monoclonal Antihuman Sarcoma Antibody by a Novel Method
Authors: Pagé Michel , Thibeault Denis , Tremblay Hélène , Noël Christiane , Perron Marie-Josée
Published: May 2016

Most
of the reported methods for coupling anthracycline drugs to antibody result in either a loss of pharmacological
activity or yield antibodies which have lost much of their immunological specificity. The use of
glutaraldehyde for coupling saves both the pharmacological and immunological activities but it causes
some polymerization of the antibody or of the macromolecular carrier which is undesirable for in vivo use.
A new coupling procedure is reported which uses an activated derivative of daunorubicin added to
monoclonal antihuman sarcoma antibody. This coupling procedure has not resulted in significant
polymerization of the antibody or Joss of pharmacological activity determined by testing normal and tumour
cell Lines in vitro.
The Biological Therapy of Cancer
Authors: Parkinson David R
Published: May 2016

The current
status of biological approaches to the therapy of malignancy is reviewed. Biological response modifiers have
been used in immunobiological therapeutic strategies, as myelorestorative agents during chemotherapy,
as modulators of cytotoxic chemotherapeutic actions, and as adjuncts to the differentiation therapy of
cancer. Immunobiologically active agents currently under study include recombinant cytokines such as
interferons‐alpha and ‐gamma. interleukin (IL)‐1 and IL‐2. and tumuor necrosis factor. A range of
hematopoietic growth factors are being studied alone or in combination; these include granulocyte‐.
granulocyte‐macrophage‐ and macrophage‐colony stimulating factors, IL‐3 and IL‐6. and the recombinant
growth factor PIXY‐321. Targetting strategies to cytotoxic cancer therapy including immunoloxin and
radioimmunoconjugate therapy have used monocolonal antibodies and derivative bio‐engineered molecules
as targetting modalities. Finally. the recent descriptions of therapeutic successes with retinoid‐based
differentiation strategies opens new possibilities for biologically‐based treatment of malignancy.
Interferon‐gamma: A Potent Antiviral Agent Targeting Macrophages Infected with LP‐BM5 Murine Leukemia Virus, the Causative Agent of ′AIDS′ in Mice
Authors: Kort Jens J , Eiseman Julie L
Published: May 2016

Cells of the monocyte/macrophage lineage (MM cells) are known to be
infected by retroviruses, including the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), without cytopathic changes
and may serve as a persistent reservoir for the virus during the development of immunodeficiency disease.
LP‐BM5 murine leukemia virus (MuLV) infection of C57BL/6 mice and cell lines has been used to optimize
therapy directed against macrophages. Findings in this murine system may be applicable to HN infection
in humans. The effect of recombinant murine interferon‐gamma (IFN‐γ) and 3′ ‐azido‐2′,3′ ‐dideoxythymidine
(AZT) as single agents or in combination was investigated in both LP‐BM5 MuLV de novo infection and
chronic infection of macrophages. Results indicate that the therapeutic effects of these single agents were
dose‐dependent and both agents were similarly effective in reducing the production of infectious virus
determined by XC‐plaque assay and by measurements of reverse transcriptase activity in culture supernatants;
and AZT and IFN‐γ reduced the production of virus proteins, quantified by laser densitometry of
fluorographs from immunoprecipitated viral proteins using virus‐specific antiserum. A combination of IFN‐γ
and that AZT showed greater antiviral activity in both LP‐BM5 MuLV de novo and chronic infection of
macrophages than either agent alone, suggesting that IFN‐γ and AZT represent a potent combination of
antiviral agents targeting macrophages. Further, since a lower concentration of each agent was required
for efficacy in combination therapy, toxicity associated with single agent therapy may be avoided.
Biological Response Modifiers in Combination with Antivirals against Experimentally‐Induced Virus Infections
Authors: Sidwell Robert W , Huffman John H , Smee Donald F , Gilbert John , Robins Roland K , Kende Meir , Huggins John
Published: May 2016

Biological response modifiers (BRMs) have particular promise when used in combination with more standard antiviral
agents for treatment of viral diseases. Reported here are a series of studies which have used two BRMs in
combination with the antiviral drug, ribavirin (l‐β‐o‐ribofuranosyl‐1,2,4‐triazole‐3‐carboxamide) in treatment
of experimentally‐induced phlebovirus (Punta Toro virus) infections in mice. The positive BRMs
studied include bropirimine (2‐amino‐5‐bromo‐6‐phenyl‐4[3H]pyrimidinone) given orally at dosages of 25, 50 and 100 mg/kg/day beginning 24 h after virus inoculation. and 7‐thia‐8‐oxoguanosine administered
intrapcritoneally at dosages of 6.3, 12.5 and 25 mg/kg/day given 24 and 31 h after virus inoculation. In each
experiment. multiple dosages of both BRM and ribavirin were selected to range from ineffective levels to,
in certain cases with ribavirin, lethally toxic levels. Ribavirin was always administered orally twice daily
for three days starting 24 h after virus inoculation. Both drug combinations were considered synergistic,
increasing the therapeutic index compared to either drug used alone, and significantly reducing the
evidence of ribavirin toxicity. Efficacy was seen as increased survivors, decreased virus recovery from tissues
and blood. and lowered glutamic oxalic and pyruvic transaminase levels in the serum.
Immunosuppression and HIV Infection: A Therapeutic Challenge
Authors: Bridges Sandra H , Johnston Margaret I , McGowan John J
Published: May 2016

The optimal use of biological response modifiers
(BRMs) in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)‐related disease depends on knowledge of the molecular
basis of the immune deficiencies and dysregulations that occur during the course of the infection; evidence
for the role of viral products and cytokines in the suppression of immune function is discussed. Immunebased
therapies are currently being explored alone and in combination with drugs targeted to HIV and
associated opportunistic infections and malignancies. These therapies include hematopoietic growth
factors for the management of drug toxicities, cytokines, antigen‐ and cell‐based therapies, and synthetic
immunomodulators. The entry of additional BRMs into clinical trials for HIV‐disease can be facilitated by
well‐designed preclinical studies that address special problems related to the disease. including the need
for concomitant therapy for the spectrum of disease manifestations encountered.
Cytomegalovirus and Human Herpesvirus 6 and 7: Diseases and Diagnosis in Transplantation
Authors: Griffiths Paul D
Published: May 2016

Similarities and differences in the
epidemiology of cytomegalovirus (CMV), human herpesvirus 6 (HHV‐6) and human herpesvirus 7 (HHV‐7)
infections are reviewed. Several distinct laboratory methods have been described for each virus. For CMV
in immunocompromised patients, infection is best diagnosed by identifying active infection using routine
surveillance cultures. Patients with active infection can then be entered into trials of suppressive therapy
(where virus excretion is from the urine or saliva) or pre‐emptive therapy (where excretion is detected
systemically). For HHV‐6 and HHV‐7, only anecdotal cases of associations with disease in immunocompromised
patients have been reported. Recommendations cannot therefore be made about appropriate
diagnostic strategies or about treatment since it is not clear if these viruses are pathogens or passengers.
Cytomegalovirus Pathogenesis in Transplantation
Authors: Grundy Jane E
Published: May 2016

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in the immunocompromised;
however, even within this group of patients, infection with CMV is not synonymous with
disease. A number of factors affect the pathogenicity of the virus. An understanding of the mechanisms by
which CMV causes disease at different sites in the body, and of how U1at might vary with different patient
groups, is essential to the design of stategies for the prevention and treatment of disease. This review
discusses the factors which affect the occurrence and type of CMV disease in different patient populations,
and considers some of the underlying mechanisms which might contribute to pathology.
Immunosuppression and the Immune Response to Transplantation
Authors: Ludwin David , Arlen Dianne , Russell J David
Published: May 2016

OBJECTIVES: To review the roles of allorecognition, transplant rejection, and immunosuppressive therapy
in predisposing patients to viral infections.
DATA SOURCES: Computer and bibliography searches were used to identify relevant articles.
STUDY SELECTION AND DATA EXTRACTION: Both review and single articles were
critically assessed with respect to data analysis and clinical relevance.
CONCLUSIONS: Advances in our knowledge about the nature and regulation of the immune response has enhanced our understanding of
the etiology of transplant rejection. Host factors and immunosuppressive therapy may both be important
in modulating the immune response after transplantation. Viral infections in the post‐transplant period
occur not only as a consequence of the immunocompromised state. but viruses themselves may either
augment immunosuppression or initiate rejection.
State of the Art Compendium: Canadian Thoracic Society Recommendations for Management of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Authors: O’Donnell Denis E , Aaron Shawn , Bourbeau Jean , Hernandez Paul , Marciniuk Darcy , Balter Meyer , Ford Gordon , Gervais Andre , Goldstein Roger , Hodder Rick , Maltais Francois , Road Jeremy
Published: May 2016

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common cause of disability and death in Canada. Moreover, morbidity and mortality from COPD continue to rise, and the economic burden is enormous. The main goal of the Canadian Thoracic Society’s evidence‐based guidelines is to optimize early diagnosis, prevention and management of COPD in Canada. The main message of the guidelines is that COPD is a preventable and treatable disease. Targeted spirometry is strongly recommended to expedite early diagnosis in smokers and former smokers who develop respiratory symptoms, and who are at risk for COPD. Smoking cessation remains the single most effective intervention to reduce the risk of COPD and to slow its progression. Education, especially self‐management plans, are key interventions in COPD. Therapy should be escalated on an individual basis in accordance with the increasing severity of symptoms and disability. Long‐acting anticholinergics and beta‐2‐agonist inhalers should be prescribed for patients who remain symptomatic despite short‐acting bronchodilator therapy. Inhaled steroids should not be used as first line therapy in COPD, but have a role in preventing exacerbations in patients with more advanced disease who suffer recurrent exacerbations. Acute exacerbations of COPD cause significant morbidity and mortality and should be treated promptly with bronchodilators and a short course of oral steroids; antibiotics should be prescribed for purulent exacerbations. Patients with advanced COPD and respiratory failure require a comprehensive management plan that incorporates structured end‐of‐life care. Management strategies, consisting of combined modern pharmacotherapy and nonpharmacotherapeutic interventions (eg, pulmonary rehabilitation and exercise training) can effectively improve symptoms, activity levels and quality of life, even in patients with severe COPD.
Oral Corticosteroids in Asthma: A Review of Benefits and Risks
Authors: Schellenberg Robert , Adachi Jonathan D R , Bowie Dennis , Brown Jacques , Guenther Lyn , Kader Tina , Trope Graham E
Published: May 2016

Oral corticosteroids (OCS) play an integral role in the pharmacological management of asthma, as well as a number of other inflammatory and autoimmune disorders. However, although their broad spectrum of effect is beneficial in controlling inflammation, it can also lead to undesirable effects on other cells, resulting in adverse effects. The purpose of the present review is to discuss the particular benefits of OCS and to outline the optimal role of these agents in the management of asthma, drawing on evidence‐based medicine and current clinical practice guidelines. The mandate for the present review also covers an analysis of the risk:benefit ratio as it pertains to OCS use in asthma. The more common adverse effects will be discussed and weighed against the possible benefits.
Estimated Prevalence of Glaucoma in South Korea Using the National Claims Database
Authors: Seo Sang Jin , Lee Yun Ha , Lee Sang Yeop , Bae Hyoung Won , Hong Samin , Seong Gong Je , Kim Chan Yun
Published: May 2016

Purpose. To estimate the prevalence of glaucoma and costs associated with glaucoma care in South Korea between 2008 and 2013 using the Korean national claims database.Design. Retrospective cross-sectional study from a national claims database.Methods. Patients who were diagnosed with glaucoma between 2008 and 2013 were retrospectively identified in the national claims database using glaucoma diagnostic codes. For each year, the prevalence of glaucoma and direct medical costs associated with glaucoma care were estimated.Result. The prevalence of glaucoma in patients ≥40 years of age increased from 0.79% in 2008 to 1.05% in 2013. The number of patients with glaucoma increased by 54% between 2008 and 2013 (9% average annual increase). The prevalence of glaucoma increased with age and was higher in males than in females. The cost to care for glaucoma patients increased from $16.5 million in 2008 to $29.2 million in 2013, which translated into an 81% increase over the 6 years examined (12.7% average annual increase).Conclusion. The estimated prevalence and socioeconomic burden of glaucoma have steadily increased each year in South Korea. Nevertheless, many glaucoma patients remain undiagnosed in the present study using national claims database.
Microstructural Changes during High Temperature Service of a Cobalt-Based Superalloy First Stage Nozzle
Authors: Luna Ramírez A. , Porcayo-Calderon J. , Mazur Z. , Salinas-Bravo V. M. , Martinez-Gomez L.
Published: May 2016

Superalloys are a group of alloys based on nickel, iron, or cobalt, which are used to operate at high temperatures (T> 540°C) and in situations involving very high stresses like in gas turbines, particularly in the manufacture of blades, nozzles, combustors, and discs. Besides keeping its high resistance to temperatures which may approach 85% of their melting temperature, these materials have excellent corrosion resistance and oxidation. However, after long service, these components undergo mechanical and microstructural degradation; the latter is considered a major cause for replacement of the main components of gas turbines. After certain operating time, these components are very expensive to replace, so the microstructural analysis is an important tool to determine the mode of microstructure degradation, residual lifetime estimation, and operating temperature and most important to determine the method of rehabilitation for extending its life. Microstructural analysis can avoid catastrophic failures and optimize the operating mode of the turbine. A case study is presented in this paper.
Fractional Carbon Dioxide Laser for Keratosis Pilaris: A Single-Blind, Randomized, Comparative Study
Authors: Vachiramon Vasanop , Anusaksathien Pattarin , Kanokrungsee Silada , Chanprapaph Kumutnart
Published: May 2016

Objective. Keratosis pilaris (KP) is a common condition which can frequently be cosmetically disturbing. Topical treatments can be used with limited efficacy. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of fractional carbon dioxide (CO2) laser for the treatment of KP.Patients and Methods. A prospective, randomized, single-blinded, intraindividual comparative study was conducted on adult patients with KP. A single session of fractional CO2laser was performed to one side of arm whereas the contralateral side served as control. Patients were scheduled for follow-up at 4 and 12 weeks after treatment. Clinical improvement was graded subjectively by blinded dermatologists. Patients rated treatment satisfaction at the end of the study.Results. Twenty patients completed the study. All patients stated that the laser treatment improved KP lesions. At 12-week follow-up, 30% of lesions on the laser-treated side had moderate to good improvement according to physicians’ global assessment (p=0.02). Keratotic papules and hyperpigmentation appeared to respond better than the erythematous component. Four patients with Fitzpatrick skin type V developed transient pigmentary alteration.Conclusions. Fractional CO2laser treatment may be offered to patients with KP. Dark-skinned patients should be treated with special caution.
Dynamical Spectrum Sharing and Medium Access Control for Heterogeneous Cognitive Radio Networks
Authors: Mohamedou Ahmed , Sali Aduwati , Ali Borhanuddin , Othman Mohamed
Published: May 2016

This paper tackles the issue of spectrum sharing and medium access control among heterogeneous secondary users. Two solutions are proposed in this paper. The first solution can be used in centralized fashion where a central entity exists which decides transmission power for all secondary users. This solution tries to minimize the time required by secondary users to clear their queues. The second solution assumes the autonomy of secondary users where the decision to update transmission power is distributed among users. Dynamical system approach is used to model system behavior. The trajectory of interference noise level suffered by secondary users is used to update transmission power at the beginning of each time frame based on the proposed dynamic power assignment rule. This rule couples the responses of all secondary users in a way which simplifies future interference noise forecasting. A forecasting engine based on deep neural network is proposed. This engine gives secondary users the ability to acquire useful knowledge from surrounding wireless environment. As a result, better transmission power allocation is achieved. Evaluation experiments have confirmed that adopting deep neural network can improve the performance by 46% on average. All of the proposed solutions have achieved an outstanding performance.
Cellular Zinc Homeostasis Contributes to Neuronal Differentiation in Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells
Authors: Pfaender Stefanie , Föhr Karl , Lutz Anne-Kathrin , Putz Stefan , Achberger Kevin , Linta Leonhard , Liebau Stefan , Boeckers Tobias M. , Grabrucker Andreas M.
Published: May 2016

Disturbances in neuronal differentiation and function are an underlying factor of many brain disorders. Zinc homeostasis and signaling are important mediators for a normal brain development and function, given that zinc deficiency was shown to result in cognitive and emotional deficits in animal models that might be associated with neurodevelopmental disorders. One underlying mechanism of the observed detrimental effects of zinc deficiency on the brain might be impaired proliferation and differentiation of stem cells participating in neurogenesis. Thus, to examine the molecular mechanisms regulating zinc metabolism and signaling in differentiating neurons, using a protocol for motor neuron differentiation, we characterized the expression of zinc homeostasis genes during neurogenesis using human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) and evaluated the influence of altered zinc levels on the expression of zinc homeostasis genes, cell survival, cell fate, and neuronal function. Our results show that zinc transporters are highly regulated genes during neuronal differentiation and that low zinc levels are associated with decreased cell survival, altered neuronal differentiation, and, in particular, synaptic function. We conclude that zinc deficiency in a critical time window during brain development might influence brain function by modulating neuronal differentiation.
Dielectric Properties of Paper Made from Pulps Loaded with Ferroelectric Particles
Authors: El Omari Hind , Zyane Adel , Belfkira Ahmed , Taourirte Moha , Brouillette François
Published: May 2016

Due to its physical properties and its ease of manufacture, paper is widely used in various engineering applications such as electrical insulation materials for components in high voltage technology. In this study, paper loaded with ferroelectric nanoparticles (BaTiO3and SrTiO3) was made with fibers obtained from plants growing on the Moroccan soil [Halfa (Stipa tenacissima), Agave (Agave americana), Pennisetum (Pennisetum alopecuroides), Typha (Typha latifolia), and Junc (Juncus effusus)] and two commercial pulps (bleached softwood Kraft and newsprint grade thermomechanical pulps). A retention aid, cation polyacrylamide (Percol 292), was necessary to retain ferroelectric particles in the fibrous network and improve the dispersion of strontium titanate particles. The different pulp and handsheets used were characterized according to standard methods (Pulp and Paper Technical Association of Canada, PAPTAC). It is well known that annual and perennial plants contain high percentages of fines (length < 0.2 mm) and short fibers. The results show that there is a strong interdependence between the dielectric properties of the loaded paper and surface finish, porosity, dispersion level of ceramic particles, fines content, shape, conformability, and sheet formation. The single dielectric relaxation detected towards low frequencies is attributed to hydroxyl groups present on fiber surfaces, in ceramic particles and adsorbed water.
NSCT Domain Additive Watermark Detection Using RAO Hypothesis Test and Cauchy Distribution
Authors: Bi Hongbo , Liu Ying , Wu Mengmeng , Ge Yanliang
Published: May 2016

We presented a RAO hypothesis detector by modeling Cauchy distribution for the Nonsubsampled Contourlet Transform (NSCT) subband coefficients in the field of additive spread spectrum image watermarking. Firstly, the NSCT subband coefficients were modeled following the Cauchy distributions, and the Fit of Goodness shows that Cauchy distribution fits the NSCT subband coefficients more accurately than the Generalized Gaussian Distribution (GGD) commonly used. Secondly, a blind RAO test watermark detector was derived in the NSCT domain, which does not need the knowledge of embedding strength at the receiving end. Finally, compared to the other three state-of-art detectors, the robustness of the proposed watermarking scheme was evaluated when the watermarked images were attacked by JPEG compression, random noise, low pass filtering, and median filtering. Experimental results show that, compared with the other three detectors, the proposed RAO detector guarantees the lower probability of miss under the given probability of false alarm.
Efficient Sleep Scheduling Algorithm for Target Tracking in Double-Storage Energy Harvesting Sensor Networks
Authors: Chen Hongbin , Zeng Qian , Zhao Feng
Published: May 2016

Target tracking is a typical application in wireless sensor networks. Both energy efficiency and tracking performance are important issues that need to be considered. They are a pair of contradictions most of the time. Saving energy often sacrifices tracking performance, while enhancing tracking performance needs to consume more energy. In this paper, an efficient sleep scheduling algorithm is put forward to tackle the above problem in energy harvesting sensor networks. At first, we modify the probability-based prediction and sleep scheduling (PPSS) algorithm to track the target and further use another sleep scheduling algorithm we proposed to wake tracking nodes when the target is likely to be missed (i.e., it is unsuccessful to wake next-moment tracking nodes). Secondly, a double-storage energy harvesting architecture is employed to increase residual energy of sensor nodes and to extend network lifetime. Simulation results reveal that the proposed sleep scheduling algorithm can improve tracking performance and prolong network lifetime compared with the PPSS algorithm and the proposed algorithm without energy harvesting.