bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Design and Control of Chemomuscle: A Liquid-Propellant-Powered Muscle Actuation System
Authors: Shen Xiangrong , Christ Daniel
Published: February 2011

This paper describes the design and control of a new chemomuscle actuation system for robotic systems, especially the mobile systems inspired by biological principles. Developed based on the pneumatic artificial muscle, a chemomuscle actuation system features a high power density, as well as similar characteristics to the biological muscles. Furthermore, by introducing monopropellant (a special type of liquid fuel) as the energy storage media, the chemomuscle system leverages the high energy density of liquid fuel and provides a compact form of high-pressure gas supply with a simple structure. The introduction of monopropellant addresses the limitation of pneumatic supply on mobile devices and thus is expected to facilitate the future application of artificial muscle on biorobotic systems. In this paper, the design of a chemomuscle actuation system is presented, as well as a robust controller design that provides effective control for this highly nonlinear system. To demonstrate the proposed chemomuscle actuation system, an experimental prototype is constructed, on which the proposed control algorithm provides good tracking performance.
Experimental Evaluation of Planar SOFC Single Unit Cell With Crofer22APU Plate Assembly
Authors: Leone P. , Lanzini A. , Delhomme B. , Ortigoza-Villalba G. A. , Santarelli M. , Smeacetto F. , Salvo M. , Ferraris M.
Published: February 2011

This paper describes an experimental analysis of a planar solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) single unit cell with Crofer22APU plate assembly. The work reports the electrical behavior of such a system by outlining the time-evolution of contact resistances between the air electrode and the stainless steel plate. Moreover, the stability and effectiveness of a glass-ceramic sealant used to join Crofer22APU interconnector to an anode supported cell is also discussed. The time-evolution of the open circuit voltage was investigated with respect to the eventual sealant degradation or chromium poisoning issues by the metallic interconnector; a rapid voltage degradation at open circuit voltage was measured after 150 h. Chromium poisoning was found to degrade the fuel cell performance, whereas the sealant was chemically and physically stable, as shown by a post-mortem analysis on the cell components.
Uncertainty and Disturbance Estimator–Based Control for Uncertain LTI-SISO Systems With State Delays
Authors: Stobart R. K. , Kuperman Alon , Zhong Qing-Chang
Published: February 2011

In this paper, a robust control strategy based on the uncertainty and disturbance estimator (UDE) is proposed for uncertain Linear Time Invariant-Single Input Single Output (LTI-SISO) systems with state delays. The knowledge of the bounds of uncertainties and disturbances is not needed during the design process although it is required for the stability analysis. Both the cases with known and unknown delays are considered. In the case of unknown delays, the terms involving the delays are treated as additional disturbances to the system. The robust stability of the closed-loop system is analyzed in detail, and a stability condition is proposed. Simulations are given to demonstrate the excellent tracking and disturbance rejection capabilities of the UDE-based control strategy.
Soret and Dufour Effects on the Stagnation-Point Flow of a Micropolar Fluid Toward a Stretching Sheet
Authors: Hayat T. , Mustafa M. , Obaidat S.
Published: February 2011

This communication reports the heat and mass transfer analysis in the stagnation-point flow toward a stretching sheet. An incompressible micropolar fluid takes into account the diffusion-thermo- (Dufour) and thermal-diffusion (Soret) effects. The arising nonlinear differential system is solved by homotopy analysis method. Convergence of the obtained homotopy solutions is clearly justified. Special emphasis has been given to various physical parameters through graphs and tables. It is noticed that fields are influenced appreciably with the variation of embedding parameters. A comparison of the present results with the existing numerical solution is discussed in a limiting sense.
Royal ruptures: Caroline of Ansbach and the politics of illness in the 1730s
Authors: Jones Emrys D
Published: February 2011

Caroline of Ansbach, wife of George II, occupied a crucial position in the public life of early 18th-century Britain. She was seen to exert considerable influence on the politics of the court and, as mother to the Hanoverian dynasty's next generation, she became an important emblem for the nation's political well-being. This paper examines how such emblematic significance was challenged and qualified when Caroline's body could no longer be portrayed as healthy and life giving. Using private memoirs and correspondence from the time of her death in 1737, the paper explores the metaphorical potential of the queen's strangulated hernia, as well as the particular problems it posed for the public image of her dynasty. Through these investigations, the paper will comment upon the haphazard nature of public discussion in the early 18th century, and reveal the complex relationship between political speculation and medical diagnosis.
Disseminated visceral coccidiosis in Eurasian cranes (Grus grus) in the UK
Authors: O'Brien M. F. , Brown M. J. , Stidworthy M. F. , Peirce M. A. , Marshall R. N. , Honma H. , Nakai Y.
Published: February 2011

Clinical disease and mortalities due to disseminated visceral coccidiosis were identified for the first time in a group of captive juvenile Eurasian cranes (Grus grus) in the UK during 2008. Presumptive diagnosis was made from the finding of granulomatous nodules in the liver, spleen and other organs at gross postmortem examination, and confirmed histologically by the presence of intracellular coccidial stages within lesions. The species of coccidian was determined to be Eimeria reichenowi on the basis of faecal oocyst morphology and sequencing of 18S rDNA by PCR. A further outbreak of clinical disease occurred in the same enclosure in 2009, affecting a new group of juvenile Eurasian cranes and demoiselle cranes (Anthropoides virgo) and indicating the persistence of infective oocysts in the environment. Clinical sampling of birds during both years demonstrated positive results from examination of both faecal samples and peripheral blood smears.
Abattoir‐based study investigating the association between gross pathological lesions and serological tests forSalmonellainfection in pigs
Authors: Smith R. P. , Sanchez‐Vazquez M. J. , Cook A. J. C. , Edwards S. A.
Published: February 2011

Abattoir data collected from three British pig health monitoring schemes were combined to investigate the associations betweenSalmonellainfection and the presence of gross lesions detected in slaughtered pigs. Each set of results was linked back to the farm from which the pigs were submitted, and theSalmonellaresults and lesions reports were connected at farm level.Salmonellainfection was determined through meat juice ELISA (MJE), and the health conditions were assessed by postmortem inspection. The final dataset contained 873 slapmarks, with an average of 215 samples tested by MJE, and 355 pigs that were assessed for health conditions, per slapmark. Each of the health assessment conditions was individually analysed by regression models to investigate associations with the MJE results, accounting for clustering at the slapmark level and also for seasonality. A multivariable model was also used to estimate the strength of association with MJE results when all the health conditions were entered into the model. The results showed positive associations betweenSalmonellaand enzootic pneumonia‐like lesions, milk spots, peritonitis and pericarditis.
Arrow Project Cofferdam
Authors: Gadsby J W , Bares F A
Published: February 2011

The Arrow project is located on the Columbia river in south-east British Columbia. The earth-fill cofferdam, required for the construction of the concrete structures, was completed early in 1966 and removed late in 1967. The cofferdam consisted of a sand and gravel fill with a central impervious core. The core was in two parts: the lower core consisted of a concrete cut-off wall formed by the slurry trench process; the upper core was a compacted impervious till. The cofferdam withstood a maximum hydraulic head of 115 ft.Design, construction, performance and removal of the cofferdam are described. Production rates for the concrete cut-off wall are given together with an estimate of costs.
A COMPUTATIONAL AND THEORETICAL ANALYSIS OF LOCAL NULL SPACE DISCRIMINANT METHOD FOR PATTERN CLASSIFICATION
Authors: CHENG MIAO , FANG BIN , TANG YUAN YAN , CHEN HENGXIN
Published: February 2011

Many problems in pattern classification and feature extraction involve dimensionality reduction as a necessary processing. Traditional manifold learning algorithms, such as ISOMAP, LLE, and Laplacian Eigenmap, seek the low-dimensional manifold in an unsupervised way, while the local discriminant analysis methods identify the underlying supervised submanifold structures. In addition, it has been well-known that the intraclass null subspace contains the most discriminative information if the original data exist in a high-dimensional space. In this paper, we seek for the local null space in accordance with the null space LDA (NLDA) approach and reveal that its computational expense mainly depends on the quantity of connected edges in graphs, which may be still unacceptable if a great deal of samples are involved. To address this limitation, an improved local null space algorithm is proposed to employ the penalty subspace to approximate the local discriminant subspace. Compared with the traditional approach, the proposed method can achieve more efficiency so that the overload problem is avoided, while slight discriminant power is lost theoretically. A comparative study on classification shows that the performance of the approximative algorithm is quite close to the genuine one.
IMAGE DESCRIPTION WITH NONSEPARABLE TWO-DIMENSIONAL CHARLIER AND MEIXNER MOMENTS
Authors: ZHU HONGQING , LIU MIN , LI YU , SHU HUAZHONG , ZHANG HUI
Published: February 2011

This paper presents two new sets of nonseparable discrete orthogonal Charlier and Meixner moments describing the images with noise and that are noise-free. The basis functions used by the proposed nonseparable moments are bivariate Charlier or Meixner polynomials introduced by Tratnik et al. This study discusses the computational aspects of discrete orthogonal Charlier and Meixner polynomials, including the recurrence relations with respect to variable x and order n. The purpose is to avoid large variation in the dynamic range of polynomial values for higher order moments. The implementation of nonseparable Charlier and Meixner moments does not involve any numerical approximation, since the basis function of the proposed moments is orthogonal in the image coordinate space. The performances of Charlier and Meixner moments in describing images were investigated in terms of the image reconstruction error, and the results of the experiments on the noise sensitivity are given.
IS VELBAND STILL A SAFE AND COST EFFECTIVE SKIN PROTECTION BENEATH THE TOURNIQUET IN HAND SURGERY?
Authors: Guo Shigong
Published: February 2011

Skin complications have been reported to be associated with tourniquet use. The UK Medical Devices Agency (MDA) recommends the use of a limb drape to act as underpadding to reduce these complications. Our hospital had traditionally used Velbands as an underpadding, but changed to limb drapes on the advice of the MDA. The purpose of this study is to establish whether Velbands are still a safe and cost-effective tourniquet underpadding.

A prospective clinical study was performed on consecutive patients undergoing hand surgery over a four-month period. Patients were randomly allocated into one of two treatment groups. Group 1 using Velband as tourniquet underpadding and Group 2 using limb drapes as underpadding. All patients had identical tourniquets, tourniquet pressure and skin preparation agents. After surgery, the tourniquet was removed and the skin beneath the tourniquet was inspected for any skin reaction or damage.

Each group included 50 patients. Skin was normal after tourniquet use in all cases and there was no difference between the two groups.

Velband is still a safe and cost-effective tourniquet underpadding in hand surgery.
OUTCOME ANALYSIS OF TRAPEZECTOMY WITH AND WITHOUT PYROCARBON INTERPOSITION TO TREAT PRIMARY ARTHROSIS OF THE TRAPEZIOMETACARPAL JOINT
Authors: Colegate-Stone T. J. , Garg S. , Subramanian A. , Mani G. V.
Published: February 2011

We performed a prospective cohort comparative analysis of simple trapezectomy and trapezectomy with pyrocarbon interposition in 38 consecutive patients with trapeziometacarpal joint osteoarthrosis. Patients were assessed preoperatively, at six and 12 months postoperatively using subjective and objective tools. Subjective assessment was performed using the Quick Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand questionnaire and the visual analogue score. Objective assessment was performed with grip strength measurements. At each time interval, statistical differences were sought between the two subgroups. No significant difference between the two subgroups was noted at any time interval on subjective or objective assessment. A significant difference (p < 0.05) was found on comparing the respective preoperative and 12-month subjective scores in both subgroups. Of the pyrocarbon subgroup seven had related complications. We suggest that pyrocarbon interposition does not significantly improve postoperative function, requires a longer operation with a high postoperative risk of pyrocarbon displacement and need for revision surgery.
PAINFUL HETEROTOPIC PACINIAN CORPUSCLE IN THE HAND: A REPORT OF THREE CASES
Authors: Irie Hiroki , Kato Teiji , Yakushiji Toshitake , Hirose Jun , Mizuta Hiroshi
Published: February 2011

Severe pain in the finger caused by an abnormal Pacinian corpuscle is a rare condition. We have recently encountered three patients diagnosed with a heterotopic Pacinian corpuscle, based on histopathological findings. When making a differential diagnosis of unexplained severe pain in the finger, abnormal Pacinian corpuscles must be taken into account in addition to glomus tumour and other types of painful soft-tissue tumour.
DUPLICATED THUMB WITH ENORMOUS SOFT-TISSUE OEDEMA — PACIFIER TYPE OF THUMB DUPLICATION
Authors: Ochi Kensuke , Horiuchi Yukio , Takayama Shinichiro , Saito Harukazu
Published: February 2011

Here we presented the first case of pacifier type thumb duplication. A newborn Japanese girl with no family history had a duplicated thumb on her left hand. The duplicated thumb showed a very large, oedematous soft-tissue nubbin in its appearance and was resected on the fifth day after birth. X-ray showed hypoplastic phalanx bone, suggesting type II polydactyly. Histology of the resected thumb showed enormous oedema in its connective tissue with cartilaginous and neural elements. This case was quite similar to literary reported cases of pacifier polydactyly in post-axial polydactyly, and its pathological condition seemed to be distinctly different from floating type or rudimentary type thumb duplication. We considered this type of thumb duplication as pacifier type thumb duplication, rather than floating or rudimentary type, in order to understand its underlying pathophysiology and to avoid confusion in further discussions.
Comparison of collaborative filtering algorithms
Authors: Cacheda Fidel , Carneiro Víctor , Fernández Diego , Formoso Vreixo
Published: February 2011

The technique of collaborative filtering is especially successful in generating personalized recommendations. More than a decade of research has resulted in numerous algorithms, although no comparison of the different strategies has been made. In fact, a universally accepted way of evaluating a collaborative filtering algorithm does not exist yet. In this work, we compare different techniques found in the literature, and we study the characteristics of each one, highlighting their principal strengths and weaknesses. Several experiments have been performed, using the most popular metrics and algorithms. Moreover, two new metrics designed to measure the precision on good items have been proposed.

The results have revealed the weaknesses of many algorithms in extracting information from user profiles especially under sparsity conditions. We have also confirmed the good results of SVD-based techniques already reported by other authors. As an alternative, we present a new approach based on the interpretation of the tendencies or differences between users and items. Despite its extraordinary simplicity, in our experiments, it obtained noticeably better results than more complex algorithms. In fact, in the cases analyzed, its results are at least equivalent to those of the best approaches studied. Under sparsity conditions, there is more than a 20% improvement in accuracy over the traditional user-based algorithms, while maintaining over 90% coverage. Moreover, it is much more efficient computationally than any other algorithm, making it especially adequate for large amounts of data.
Special Issue
Authors: Bakhouya Mohamed
Published: February 2011

Ubiquitous and Pervasive Computing (UPC) are recent paradigms with a goal of providing computing and communication services anytime and everywhere. In UPC, automatic service composition requires dealing with four major research issues: service matching and selection, coordination and management, scalability and fault tolerance, and adaptiveness to users’ contexts and network conditions. The articles in this special issue cover some of these topics and constitute a representative sample of the latest developments in adaptive service discovery and composition in UPC.
AutoHome
Authors: Bourcier Johann , Diaconescu Ada , Lalanda Philippe , McCann Julie A.
Published: February 2011

This article introduces the design of the AutoHome service-oriented framework to simplify the development and runtime adaptive support of autonomic pervasive applications. To this end, we describe our novel open infrastructure for building and executing home applications. This includes the amalgamation of the two computing areas of autonomics and service orientation, to produce a component-based platform providing facilities including monitoring, touchpoints, and other common autonomic services. This infrastructure uniquely blends the advantages of distributed autonomic control with global conflict management in a management hierarchy. We discuss this platform in terms of pervasive home systems and show how one would develop such a system for two examples of automated home applications: intruder detection and medical support, respectively. Both applications were built within our framework and evaluated showing that the use of the framework introduces minimal overheads but provides many benefits. We then conclude by highlighting the contributions of AutoHome and a discussion about the lessons learned, limitations, and future research directions.
Formal Specification and Verification of Ubiquitous and Pervasive Systems
Authors: Coronato Antonio , De Pietro Giuseppe
Published: February 2011

This article presents a methodology to formally express requirements in safety-critical ubiquitous and pervasive applications in order to achieve a higher degree of dependability. In particular, it will be shown how it is possible to formalize and constrict mobility characteristics by combining and extending several formal methods. The article also discusses some issues concerning both static and dynamic verification.
Effects of Electrolyte Composition on Lithium Plating in Lithium-Ion Cells
Authors: Smart M. C. , Ratnakumar B. V.
Published: February 2011

Metallic lithium is typically absent in a lithium-ion (Li-ion) cell under normal conditions of operation. Under strenuous charge conditions of high charge rates and/or low temperatures, however, lithium metal will deposit on the carbon anode in preference to lithium intercalation, especially after considerable cycling and storage, which contribute to the degradation of anode capacity. Such plated lithium will react more readily in the Li-ion battery electrolytes and pose problems related to performance, reliability, and safety of the cell. Factors that affect the anode performance, specifically its polarization and lithium intercalation kinetics, play a crucial role in determining the propensity for lithium deposition. Such factors include the nature of solid electrolyte interphase (SEI), which is in turn governed by the electrolyte constituents, anode/cathode capacity ratios, and the operating conditions. In this paper, the Li intercalation kinetics and their impact on Li plating were studied with two sets of electrolytes containing different proportions of EC and with SEI-stabilizing additives. Electrolytes with low EC-formulations and those without SEI-stabilizing additives are relatively immune to lithium plating.
Rosuvastatin Counteracts Vessel Arterialisation and Sinusoid Capillarisation, Reduces Tumour Growth, and Prolongs Survival in Murine Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Tijeras-Raballand Annemilaï , Hainaud-Hakim Patricia , Contreres Jean-Olivier , Gest Caroline , Le Henaff Carole , Levy Bernard I , Pocard Marc , Soria Claudine , Dupuy Evelyne
Published: February 2011

Background and Aims. An arterial blood supply and phenotypic changes of the sinusoids characterise the liver vasculature in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We investigated the effects of rosuvastatin on liver vessel anomalies, tumour growth and survival in HCC.Methods. We treated transgenic mice developing HCC, characterized by vessel anomalies similar to those of human HCC, with rosuvastatin.Results. In the rosuvastatin group, the survival time was longer(P<.001), and liver weight(P<.01)and nodule surface(P<.01)were reduced. Rosuvastatin decreased the number of smooth muscle actin-positive arteries(P<.05)and prevented the sinusoid anomalies, with decreased laminin expression(P<.001), activated hepatic stellate cells(P<.001), and active Notch4 expression. Furthermore, rosuvastatin inhibited endothelial cell but not tumour hepatocyte functions.Conclusions. Rosuvastatin reduced the vessel anomalies and tumour growth and prolonged survival in HCC. These results represent new mechanisms of the effects of statin on tumour angiogenesis and a potential target therapy in HCC.
A Functional Polymorphism in B and T Lymphocyte Attenuator Is Associated with Susceptibility to Rheumatoid Arthritis
Authors: Oki Mie , Watanabe Norihiko , Owada Takayoshi , Oya Yoshihiro , Ikeda Kei , Saito Yasushi , Matsumura Ryutaro , Seto Yohei , Iwamoto Itsuo , Nakajima Hiroshi
Published: February 2011

Inhibitory coreceptors are thought to play important roles in maintaining immunological homeostasis, and a defect in the negative signals from inhibitory coreceptors may lead to the development of autoimmune diseases. We have recently identified B and T lymphocyte attenuator (BTLA), a new inhibitory coreceptor expressed on immune cells, and we suggest that BTLA may be involved in the development of autoimmune diseases using BTLA-deficient mice. However, the role of BTLA in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases in humans remains unknown. We, therefore, examined the possible association between BTLA and rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and Sjögren's syndrome (SS) by conducting a case-control genetic association study. We found that 590C single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of BTLA gene was significantly associated with susceptibility to RA, but not to SLE or SS. Furthermore, RA patients bearing this 590C SNP developed the disease significantly earlier than the patients without this allele. We also found that BTLA with 590C allele lacked the inhibitory activity on concanavalin A- and anti-CD3 Ab-induced IL-2 production in Jurkat T cells. These results suggest that BTLA is an RA-susceptibility gene and is involved in the protection from autoimmunity in humans.
Defective Osteogenic Differentiation in the Development of Osteosarcoma
Authors: Wagner Eric R. , Luther Gaurav , Zhu Gaohui , Luo Qing , Shi Qiong , Kim Stephanie H. , Gao Jian-Li , Huang Enyi , Gao Yanhong , Yang Ke , Wang Linyuan , Teven Chad , Luo Xiaoji , Liu Xing , Li Mi , Hu Ning , Su Yuxi , Bi Yang , He Bai-Cheng , Tang Ni , Luo Jinyong , Chen Liang , Zuo Guowei , Rames Richard , Haydon Rex C. , Luu Hue H. , He Tong-Chuan
Published: February 2011

Osteosarcoma (OS) is associated with poor prognosis due to its high incidence of metastasis and chemoresistance. It often arises in areas of rapid bone growth in long bones during the adolescent growth spurt. Although certain genetic conditions and alterations increase the risk of developing OS, the molecular pathogenesis is poorly understood. Recently, defects in differentiation have been linked to cancers, as they are associated with high cell proliferation. Treatments overcoming these defects enable terminal differentiation and subsequent tumor inhibition. OS development may be associated with defects in osteogenic differentiation. While early regulators of osteogenesis are unable to bypass these defects, late osteogenic regulators, including Runx2 and Osterix, are able to overcome some of the defects and inhibit tumor propagation through promoting osteogenic differentiation. Further understanding of the relationship between defects in osteogenic differentiation and tumor development holds tremendous potential in treating OS.
New Considerations for Spectral Classification of Boolean Switching Functions
Authors: Rice J. E. , Muzio J. C. , Anderson N.
Published: February 2011

This paper presents some new considerations for spectral techniques for classification of Boolean functions. These considerations incorporate discussions of the feasibility of extending this classification technique beyond n=5. A new implementation is presented along with a basic analysis of the complexity of the problem. We also note a correction to results in this area that were reported in previous work.
miRNA Profiling: How to Bypass the Current Difficulties in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Sarcomas
Authors: Gougelet Angélique , Perez Jennifer , Pissaloux Daniel , Besse Anthony , Duc Adeline , Decouvelaere Anne-Valérie , Ranchere-Vince Dominique , Blay Jean-Yves , Alberti Laurent
Published: February 2011

Sarcomas are divided into a group with specific alterations and a second presenting a complex karyotype, sometimes difficult to diagnose or with few therapeutic options available. We assessed if miRNA profiling by TaqMan low density arrays could predict the response of undifferentiated rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) and osteosarcoma to treatment. We showed that miRNA signatures in response to a therapeutic agent (chemotherapy or the mTOR inhibitor RAD-001) were cell and drug specific on cell lines and a rat osteosarcoma model. This miRNA signature was related to cell or tumour sensitivity to this treatment and might be not due to chromosomal aberrations, as revealed by a CGH array analysis of rat tumours. Strikingly, miRNA profiling gave promising results for patient rhabdomyosarcoma, discriminating all types of RMS: (Pax+) or undifferentiated alveolar RMS as well as embryonal RMS. As highlighted by these results, miRNA profiling emerges as a potent molecular diagnostic tool for complex karyotype sarcomas.
The Impact of Statistical Leakage Models on Design Yield Estimation
Authors: Kanj Rouwaida , Joshi Rajiv , Nassif Sani
Published: February 2011

Device mismatch and process variation models play a key role in determining the functionality and yield of sub-100 nm design. Average characteristics are often of interest, such as the average leakage current or the average read delay. However, detecting rare functional fails is critical for memory design and designers often seek techniques that enable accurately modeling such events. Extremely leaky devices can inflict functionality fails. The plurality of leaky devices on a bitline increase the dimensionality of the yield estimation problem. Simplified models are possible by adopting approximations to the underlying sum of lognormals. The implications of such approximations on tail probabilities may in turn bias the yield estimate. We review different closed form approximations and compare against the CDF matching method, which is shown to be most effective method for accurate statistical leakage modeling.
Finite Difference Method for Hyperbolic Equations with the Nonlocal Integral Condition
Authors: Ashyralyev Allaberen , Aggez Necmettin
Published: February 2011

The stable difference schemes for the approximate solution of the nonlocal
boundary value problem for multidimensional hyperbolic equations with dependent
in space variable coefficients are presented. Stability of these difference
schemes and of the first‐ and second‐order difference derivatives is obtained.
The theoretical statements for the solution of these difference schemes for one‐dimensional
hyperbolic equations are supported by numerical examples.
Fatigue Reliability Sensitivity Analysis of Complex Mechanical Components under Random Excitation
Authors: Lu Hao , Zhang Yimin , Zhang Xufang , Huang Xianzhen
Published: February 2011

Fatigue failure is the typical failure mode of mechanical components subjected to random load‐time history. It is important to ensure that the mechanical components have an expected life with a high reliability. However, it is difficult to reduce the influence of factors that affect the fatigue reliability and thus a reliability sensitivity analysis is necessary. An approach of fatigue reliability sensitivity analysis of complex mechanical components under random excitation is presented. Firstly, load spectra are derived using a theoretical method. A design of experiment (DOE) is performed to study the stresses of dangerous points according to the change of design parameters of the mechanical component. By utilizing a Back‐Propagation (BP) algorithm, the explicit function relation between stresses and design parameters is formulated and thus solves the problem of implicit limit state function. Based on the damage accumulation (DA) approach, the probability perturbation method, the fourth‐moment method, the Edgeworth expansion is adopted to calculate the fatigue reliability and reliability‐based sensitivity. The fatigue reliability sensitivity analysis of a train wheel is performed as an example. The results of reliability are compared with that obtained using Monte Carlo simulation. The reliability sensitivity of design parameters in the train wheel is analyzed.
Optimum Fuzzy Design of Ecological Pressurised Containers
Authors: Martikka Heikki , Taitokari Erkki
Published: February 2011

In this study, the basic engineering principles, goals, and constraints are all combined to fuzzy methodology and applied to design of optimally pressurised containers emphasising the ecological and durability merits of various materials. The present fuzzy heuristics approach is derivable from generalisation of conventional analytical optimisation method into fuzzy multitechnical tasks. In the present approach, first the goals and constraints of the end-user are identified. Then decision variables are expressed as functions of the design variables. Their desirable ranges and biases are defined using the same fuzzy satisfaction function form. The optimal result has highest total satisfaction. These are then checked and fine-tuned by finite element method FEM. The optimal solution is the ecoplastic vessel, and aluminium was close. The method reveals that optimum depends strongly on the preset goals and values of the producer, society, and end-user.
The Over-Relaxed "Equation missing" -Proximal Point Algorithm for General Nonlinear Mixed Set-Valued Inclusion Framework
Authors: Pan XianBing , Li HongGang , Xu AnJian
Published: February 2011

The purpose of this paper is (1) a general nonlinear mixed set-valued inclusion framework for the over-relaxed "Equation missing"-proximal point algorithm based on the ("Equation missing", "Equation missing")-accretive mapping is introduced, and (2) it is applied to the approximation solvability of a general class of inclusions problems using the generalized resolvent operator technique due to Lan-Cho-Verma, and the convergence of iterative sequences generated by the algorithm is discussed in "Equation missing"-uniformly smooth Banach spaces. The results presented in the paper improve and extend some known results in the literature.
Corrosion Behavior of Mg-Al/TiC Composites in NaCl Solution
Authors: Falcon L. A. , Bedolla B. E. , Lemus J. , Leon C. , Rosales I. , Gonzalez-Rodriguez J. G.
Published: February 2011

The corrosion behavior of TiC particles reinforced Mg-Al alloy in 3.5% NaCl solution has been evaluated using electrochemical techniques. Tested alloys included an Mg-9Al (Mg AZ91E) alloy with and without 56 wt. % TiC particles. Electrochemical techniques included potentiodynamic polarization curves, linear polarization resistance, electrochemical noise, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements. All techniques showed that the composite exhibited a lower corrosion rate than the base alloy. Evidence of galvanic effects that increased the composite corrosion rate was found between the matrix and the TiC particles. Additionally, the tendency to suffer from pitting corrosion was higher for the base alloy than that for the composite. Electrochemical impedance results showed the importance of adsorption/diffusion phenomena in both materials.
Automation of Hessian-Based Tubularity Measure Response Function in 3D Biomedical Images
Authors: Dzyubak Oleksandr P. , Ritman Erik L.
Published: February 2011

The blood vessels and nerve trees consist of tubular objects interconnected into a complex tree- or web-like structure that has a range of structural scale 5 μm diameter capillaries to 3 cm aorta. This large-scale range presents two major problems; one is just making the measurements, and the other is the exponential increase of component numbers with decreasing scale. With the remarkable increase in the volume imaged by, and resolution of, modern day 3D imagers, it is almost impossible to make manual tracking of the complex multiscale parameters from those large image data sets. In addition, the manual tracking is quite subjective and unreliable. We propose a solution for automation of an adaptive nonsupervised system for tracking tubular objects based on multiscale framework and use of Hessian-based object shape detector incorporating National Library of Medicine Insight Segmentation and Registration Toolkit (ITK) image processing libraries.
Fixed-Point Results for Generalized Contractions on Ordered Gauge Spaces with Applications
Authors: Chifu Cristian , Petruşel Gabriela
Published: February 2011

The purpose of this paper is to present some fixed-point results for single-valued "Equation missing"-contractions on ordered and complete gauge space. Our theorems generalize and extend some recent results in the literature. As an application, existence results for some integral equations on the positive real axis are given.
Is Drinking to Thirst Optimum?
Authors: Noakes Timothy David
Published: February 2011

Backgrounds/Aims: Prior to 1969, athletes were advised to avoid drinking during exercise. At least 4 subsequent events led to the adoption of a radically different approach. By 1996, all exercisers were advised to drink ‘as much as tolerable’ in order to insure that they did not lose any weight during exercise – the ‘zero percent dehydration’ doctrine. This advice requires that athletes drink enough to ‘stay ahead of thirst’. The act of drinking is a basic survival instinct that has been regulated by complex, unconscious controls ever since the first fish-like creatures moved onto land and should not require conscious adjustment. Methods: Literature survey of all studies comparing the effects of drinking to thirst (ad libitum) and drinking to prevent any weight loss during exercise – the ‘zero percent dehydration’ doctrine. Result: No study found that drinking more than ad libitum during exercise produced any biological advantage, but it could cause exercise-associated hyponatremia. Conclusion: Drinking ad libitum appears to optimize performance and safety during exercise in many situations. The presence of thirst, not of water loss, may be the biological signal that impairs exercise performance in those who drink less than their thirst dictates during exercise.
The Myths Surrounding Pre-Exercise Carbohydrate Feeding
Authors: Jeukendrup Asker E. , Killer Sophie C.
Published: February 2011

Background/Aims: Carbohydrate ingested 30–60 min before exercise may result in hypoglycaemia during exercise, a phenomenon often called rebound or reactive hypoglycaemia. There is considerable confusion regarding pre-exercise carbohydrate feeding with advice that ranges from ‘consume carbohydrate in the hour before exercise’ to ‘avoid carbohydrate in the 60 min prior to exercise’. Methods: We analysed the studies available in the literature to draw conclusions about the use of carbohydrate in the pre-exercise period. Results: Without performing a meta-analysis, it is clear that the risk of reduced performance is minimal as almost all studies point towards unaltered or even improved performance. This is despite the rather large metabolic changes that occur in response to pre-exercise carbohydrate feeding. Conclusion: It can be concluded that advice to avoid carbohydrate feeding in the hour before exercise is unfounded. Nevertheless athletes may develop symptoms similar to those of hypoglycaemia, even though they are rarely linked to actual low glucose concentrations. An individual approach may therefore be necessary to minimize these symptoms even though they do not appear to be related to exercise performance.
Nutrition for Acute Exercise-Induced Injuries
Authors: Tipton Kevin D.
Published: February 2011

Background/Aims: Injuries are an unavoidable aspect of participation in physical activity. Little information about nutritional support for injuries exists. Review: Immediately following injury, wound healing begins with an inflammatory response. Excessive anti-inflammatory measures may impair recovery. Many injuries result in limb immobilization. Immobilization results in muscle loss due to increased periods of negative muscle protein balance. Oxidative capacity of muscle is also decreased. Nutrient and energy deficiencies should be avoided. Energy expenditure may be reduced during immobilization, but inflammation, wound healing and the energy cost of ambulation limit the reduction of energy expenditure. There is little rationale for increasing protein intake during immobilization. There is a theoretical rationale for leucine and omega-3 fatty acid supplementation to help reduce muscle atrophy. During rehabilitation and recovery from immobilization, increased activity, in particular resistance exercise will increase muscle protein synthesis and restore sensitivity to anabolic stimuli. Ample, but not excessive, protein and energy must be consumed to support muscle growth. During rehabilitation and recovery, nutritional needs are very much like those for any athlete desiring muscle growth. Conclusion: Nutrition is important for optimal wound healing. The most important consideration is to avoid malnutrition and to apply a risk/benefit approach.
Repeated Assessments of Endocrine- and Immune-Related Changes in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Authors: Vidović Anđelko , Gotovac Katja , Vilibić Maja , Sabioncello Ante , Jovanović Tanja , Rabatić Sabina , Folnegović-Šmalć Vera , Dekaris Dragan
Published: February 2011

Objective: It is assumed that stress-related changes in the endocrine and immune systems are key mediators involved in the development of diseases associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Evidence suggests that those changes might be related to the duration of PTSD. The aim of our study was to investigate the differences in selected endocrine- and immune-related variables between PTSD patients and control subjects, and whether these differences persist over time. Methods: We assessed 39 Croatian war veterans with PTSD and 25 healthy volunteers (civilians without traumatic experience), all men, at two time points separated by 5.6 years (median; interquartile range: 5.4–6.3). Cortisol and prolactin levels were measured by radioimmunoassays while interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Immune function was assessed by in vitro natural killer cell cytotoxicity (NKCC). Lymphocyte counts, immunophenotype and intracellular glucocorticoid receptor expression in various lymphocyte subsets were determined by three-color flow cytometry. Results: At the first assessment, moderate to large effect size estimates of differences between patients and controls were observed for most of the measured variables. Only prolactin levels and lymphocyte counts remained significantly elevated in PTSD patients at the second assessment with low to moderate effect size estimates of differences between patients and controls in other variables. Conclusion: Observed endocrine- and immune-related changes in PTSD over time may depend on the duration of the allostatic load posed by the disorder and its impact on interactions between the endocrine and immune systems involved in stress response.
Fully Automated Postprocessing Carries a Risk of Substantial Overestimation of Perfusion Deficits in Acute Stroke Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Authors: Galinovic Ivana , Brunecker Peter , Ostwaldt Ann-Christin , Soemmer Carina , Hotter Benjamin , Fiebach Jochen B.
Published: February 2011

Background and Purpose: Due to the risk of rater bias and time restrictions in clinical practice, an automated approach to delineation of hypoperfused tissue in patients with acute ischemic stroke would be preferred to a manual one. We tested the hypothesis that existing software solutions, on account of numerous artifacts, produce hypoperfused tissue even in a cohort of patients with no ischemia. Methods: Thirty-nine patients, all admitted for exclusion of cerebral ischemia or hemorrhage and without a final diagnosis of stroke imaged between September 2008 and May 2009 were included in the study. Using 3 different software packages (PerfScape/NeuroScape, PMA and Stroketool), perfusion maps of mean transit time, cerebral blood flow and Tmax were created for each patient. Three different thresholds were applied to each parameter map, and subsequent volumes of hypoperfused tissue were calculated. Results: The median volume of hypoperfused tissue for all the subjects was 92.9 ml (interquartile range, IQR: 13.3–323.4 ml) when calculated by PerfScape/NeuroScape, 30.42 ml (IQR: 13.9–71.4 ml) when calculated by PMA and 78.71 ml (IQR: 40.3–140.8 ml) when calculated by Stroketool. The volumes derived via the different software applications mostly showed only a weak-to-moderate association with each other (Spearman’s correlation coefficient between 0.02 and 0.76). Conclusions: Although automated protocols show promise, the programs Stroketool, PerfScape and PMA require substantial improvement in order to be able to automatically and reliably differentiate between patients with a credible region of ischemia-related hypoperfusion and those without.
Experimental Osteoarthritis in Rats Is Attenuated by ABC294640, a Selective Inhibitor of Sphingosine Kinase-2
Authors: Fitzpatrick Leo R. , Green Cecelia , Maines Lynn W. , Smith Charles D.
Published: February 2011

Background/Aims: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a progressive degenerative disease characterized by cartilage degradation and chondrocyte apoptosis, which may involve aberrant sphingolipid metabolism. ABC294640 is a compound that selectively inhibits sphingosine kinase-2, a key enzyme in the sphingolipid pathway. Our goal was to assess the pharmacological effects of ABC294640 in the monosodium iodoacetate (MIA) model of OA. Methods: MIA (3 mg) was injected into the right knee joint to induce osteoarthritis in rats. Subsequently, the rats were treated with vehicle, ABC294640 or tramadol over a 28-day period. To assess pain, incapacitance readings were obtained weekly. MIA-injected knee joints were evaluated for histological damage, cartilage degradation and chondrocyte apoptosis (terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling histochemistry). Results: The percent weight bearing in vehicle/MIA rats significantly (p < 0.01) decreased from 48.8 ±0.8 (day 0) to 41.9 ±2.9 (day 28). In contrast, these values in ABC294640-treated rats were virtually the same on days 0 and 28. Knee joint histology scores were less severe in ABC294640-treated rats. Cartilage proteoglycan staining was more prominent in ABC294640/MIA animals than in vehicle/MIA rats. The percentage of apoptotic chondrocytes was decreased from 39.5% (vehicle treatment) to 25.8% (ABC294640 treatment). Conclusion: ABC294640 attenuated the knee joint histological damage and pain associated with MIA-induced OA in rats.
Panton-Valentine Leukocidin-Positive Staphylococcus aureus Strains Are Associated with Follicular Skin Infections
Authors: Del Giudice Pascal , Bes Michèle , Hubiche Thomas , Blanc Véronique , Roudière Laurent , Lina Gérard , Vandenesch François , Etienne Jérôme
Published: February 2011

Background/Aims: Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL)-positive Staphylococcus aureus have been associated with suppurative infections; however, their precise role in skin infections has not been elucidated. We studied the rate of PVL-positive S. aureus in the different types of skin infections and compared follicular to nonfollicular skin infections. Methods: In our institution, patients with a skin infection caused by S. aureus were enrolled in a prospective, observational cohort study (from July 1, 2003 to June 30, 2010). We studied the rate of PVL-positive S. aureus in the different clinical types of skin infections and compared the rate of PVL-positive S. aureus in follicular infections to that in nonfollicular infections. Results: A total 229 skin infections were included: 97 (42.5%) were caused by PVL-positive strains. Thirty-nine of the 53 (74%) follicular infections [8 of the 17 (47%) with folliculitis, 30 of the 35 (85.5%) with furuncles and 1 with a carbuncle (100%)] were caused by PVL-positive S. aureus, compared to 16 of the 131 (12%) nonfollicular infections (p < 0.001). Conclusion: PVL-positive S. aureus strains are mainly associated with follicular skin infections.
Sorption Properties of the Human Stratum Corneum
Authors: Johnsen G.K. , Norlen L. , Martinsen Ø.G. , Grimnes S.
Published: February 2011

Water sorption is important for the overall structure and function of keratinized tissues such as the human epidermal stratum corneum (SC). In this study we report on a gravimetric method for studying sorption properties of human SC, both from heel and female breast skin. Changes in mass were measured as the relative humidity was altered in steps under controlled environmental conditions. The possibility of hysteresis is also discussed. Furthermore, we have found that the sorption time constants show triphasic behaviour during absorption, but not during desorption. This behaviour is connected to the 3 different types of water present in the SC. Water also enters the SC much more rapidly compared to its exit at relative humidities <50%. Finally, the amount of time between sample preparation and onset of measurement seems to have an effect on the absorption rate, but less on the total amount of water absorbed.