bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Relationship Between Osteoporosis and Marginal Bone Loss in Osseointegrated Implants: A 2‐Year Retrospective Study
Authors: Corcuera‐Flores José R. , Alonso‐Domínguez Ana M. , Serrera‐Figallo M. Ángeles , Torres‐Lagares Daniel , Castellanos‐Cosano Lizett , Machuca‐Portillo Guillermo
Published: September 2015

Background: Fitting implants in osteoporotic patients has traditionally been controversial, and there is little scientific evidence relating osteoporosis to marginal bone loss (MBL). The aims of this study are as follows: 1) to evaluate the possibility of a correlation between osteoporosis, as measured by the mandibular cortical index (MCI), and MBL and 2) to assess how various systemic diseases, periodontitis, and placement of implants in regenerated bone are correlated with MBL and MCI.

Methods: This retrospective study examines 212 implants inserted in 67 patients. To take a possible cluster failure into account, an implant for each patient was selected (n = 67 implants). MBL was assessed. Osteoporosis was evaluated using the MCI. Both MBL and MCI were assessed from panoramic radiographs. χ2 test was performed (Haberman post hoc test). Significance was P <0.05.

Results: When the total sample implant (N = 212) was evaluated, a significant association was found between the presence of osteoporosis and MCI (P <0.001) and between the presence of diabetes mellitus and MCI (P <0.01). Significant associations were also found between MBL and placement of implants in regenerated sites (P <0.001) and between MBL and a previous history of periodontitis (P <0.05). When the sample is evaluated only in selected implants (one per patient, n = 67), significant differences appear to relate only to the MBL with the placement of implants in regenerated bone sites (P <0.001).

Conclusions: Osteoporosis (as evaluated by MCI) does not pose a risk for the development of greater MBL. Parameters adversely affecting the development of increased MBL are a previous history of periodontitis and especially the placement of implants at sites of bone regeneration.
Effect of Enamel Matrix Derivative Liquid on Osteoblast and Periodontal Ligament Cell Proliferation and Differentiation
Authors: Miron Richard J. , Chandad Fatiha , Buser Daniel , Sculean Anton , Cochran David L. , Zhang Yufeng
Published: September 2015

Background: Enamel matrix derivatives (EMDs) have been used clinically for more than a decade for the regeneration of periodontal tissues. The aim of the present study is to analyze the effect on cell growth of EMDs in a gel carrier in comparison to EMDs in a liquid carrier. EMDs in a liquid carrier have been shown to adsorb better to bone graft materials.

Methods: Primary human osteoblasts and periodontal ligament (PDL) cells were exposed to EMDs in both gel and liquid carriers and compared for their ability to induce cell proliferation and differentiation. Alizarin red staining and real‐time polymerase chain reaction for expression of genes encoding collagen 1, osteocalcin, and runt‐related transcription factor 2, as well as bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP2), transforming growth factor (TGF)‐β1, and interleukin (IL)‐1β, were assessed.

Results: EMDs in both carriers significantly increased cell proliferation of both osteoblasts and PDL cells in a similar manner. Both formulations also significantly upregulated the expression of genes encoding BMP2 and TGF‐β1 as well as decreased the expression of IL‐1β. EMDs in the liquid carrier further retained similar differentiation potential of both osteoblasts and PDL cells by demonstrating increased collagen and osteocalcin gene expression and significantly higher alizarin red staining.

Conclusions: The results from the present study indicate that the new formulation of EMDs in a liquid carrier is equally as potent as EMDs in a gel carrier in inducing osteoblast and PDL activity. Future study combining EMDs in a liquid carrier with bone grafting materials is required to further evaluate its potential for combination therapies.
Development of a new ultra-high performance liquid chromatography - tandem mass spectrometry method for determination of ambroxol hydrochloride in serum with pharmacokinetic application
Authors: Vujovic Maja , Jokanovic Milan , Nikolic Goran
Published: September 2015

Ambroxol hydrochloride is an expectorant agent, successfully applied in
mucolytic therapy for acute and chronic bronchopulmonary diseases. The drug
regulates not only mucus secretion but also showed antioxidant,
anti-inflammatory and local anesthetic properties. To supplement the
pharmacokinetic and toxicological studies of ambroxol, a rapid ultra-high
performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method for the
quantitation of ambroxol in rabbit serum was developed. A validation of the
method was performed as per the ICH guidelines for the validation of
bioanalytical methods. The chromatographic separation was achieved in a
submicron Kinetex RP - C18 - column (2.1 mm x 50 mm, 1.3?m) using the no
buffer mobile phase. The ESI mass spectrometry in the MRM mode was used with
a typical transitions m/z 378.9?263.8 for ambroxol and m/z 455.2?165.0 for
IS. Linearity was determined with an average coefficient of determination
>0.999 over the dynamic range from 0.5 - 200 ng/mL with LOD and LOQ of 0.25
ng/mL and 0.5 ng/mL, respectively. The results of the intra- and inter-day
precision and accuracy determined in different days were all found to be
within the acceptable limits ?15%. The present method was successfully
applied to pharmacokinetic study in the rabbits after a single oral dose
administration.
Efficiency increase in ship's primal energy system using a multistage compression with intercooling
Authors: Landeka Petar , Radica Gojmir
Published: September 2015

This paper focuses on an analysis of the potential increase of efficiency in
ship's primal energy system using a turbocharger with multistage compression
with intercooling, and diverting a greater flow of exhaust gases to power
turbine of waste heat recovery system (WHR). Analysis of potential
efficiency increase has been made for various stages of compression for a
100 % main engine load, and an analysis of five stage compression with
intercooling for a main engine load between 50% and 100%.
Effects of ethanol added fuel on exhaust emissions and combustion in a premixed charge compression ignition diesel engine
Authors: Kim Yungjin , Tomita Eiji , Lee Kihyung
Published: September 2015

The use of diesel engines for vehicle has been increasing recently due to its
higher thermal efficiency and lower CO2 emission level. However, in the case
of diesel engine, NOx increases in a high temperature combustion region and
particulate matter is generated in a fuel rich region. Therefore, the
technique of PCCI (premixed charge compression ignition) is often studied to
get the peak combustion temperature down and to make a better air-fuel
mixing. However it also has got a limited operating range and lower engine
power produced by the wall wetting and the difficulty of the ignition timing
control. In this research, the effect of injection strategies on the
injected fuel behavior, combustion and emission characteristics in a PCCI
engine were investigated to find out the optimal conditions for fuel
injection, and then ethanol blended diesel fuel was used to control the
ignition timing. As a result, the combustion pressures and ROHR (rate of
heat release) of the blended fuel became lower, however, IMEP showed fewer
differences. Especially in the case of triple injection, smoke could be
reduced a little and NOx emission decreased a lot by using the ethanol
blended fuel simultaneously without much decreasing of IMEP compared to the
result of 100% diesel fuel.
Experimental analysis and computational fluid dynamics simulations for heat transfer in sound assisted fluidized bed of fine powders
Authors: Wankhede Uday , Sonolikar Ram
Published: September 2015

Fine powders in the size range of 20-200 ?m are widely used in industries for fluid bed operations and are ideal for gas-solid reactions because of their large external surface areas and favorable heat transfer rates. The fine powders have very poor flow characteristics. Most of the earlier research work in heat transfer in bubbling fluidized beds is focused on coarse grained Geldart B and D particles. Acoustic energy of sufficient intensity and sound pressure level improved the quality of fluidization of fine powders. The objective of this investigation is experimental analysis and CFD simulations for heat transfer in a fluidized bed of fine powders at different acoustic conditions. The Eulerian approach has been identified as an efficient method for the numerical simulation of fluidized beds. The experimental and CFD results are in good agreement with each other.
Numerical modeling of two-dimensional heat-transfer and temperature-based calibration using simulated annealing optimization method: Application to gas metal arc welding
Authors: Bjelic Miso , Kovanda Karel , Kolařík Ladislav , Vukicevic Miomir , Radicevic Branko
Published: September 2015

Simulation models of welding processes allow us to predict influence of
welding parameters on the temperature field during welding and by means of
temperature field and the influence to the weld geometry and microstructure.
This article presents a numerical, finite-difference based model of heat
transfer during welding of thin sheets. Unfortunately, accuracy of the model
depends on many parameters, which cannot be accurately prescribed. In order
to solve this problem, we have used simulated annealing optimization method
in combination with presented numerical model. This way, we were able to
determine uncertain values of heat source parameters, arc efficiency,
emissivity and enhanced conductivity. The calibration procedure was made
using thermocouple measurements of temperatures during welding for P355GH
steel. The obtained results were used as input for simulation run. The
results of simulation showed that represented calibration procedure could
significantly improve reliability of heat transfer model.
Managerial Performance Evaluation and Real Options
Authors: Baldenius Tim , Nezlobin Alexander A. , Vaysman Igor
Published: September 2015

In a dynamic setting with demand following a random process, we ask how investment and operating decisions can be delegated to a manager with unknown time preferences. Only the manager observes the demand realization in each period and, therefore, has private information when choosing whether to acquire the productive asset and, subsequently, how to utilize it. We derive accrual accounting-based performance measures under which the manager will make the efficient decisions provided the investment date is exogenously given. We show that in an environment where demand follows a martingale process, the corresponding accounting rules are more decelerated if the firm has the option to idle capacity in case of negative demand shocks. We then describe the limitations of accounting-based performance measures in a scenario where the investment date is endogenously determined, i.e., the firm has an option to wait.
Evidence of Organizational Learning and Organizational Forgetting from Financial Statement Audits
Authors: Causholli Monika
Published: September 2015

This paper examines the association between audit firm tenure and audit production efficiency. The analyses are based on proprietary audit production data provided by a large international accounting firm. The results document evidence of learning over time. Specifically, repeatedly servicing a client increases production efficiency by reducing the total audit hours expended in an audit engagement. Learning rates vary across different ranks of labor and learning is more pronounced among higher personnel ranks, with lower ranks experiencing little learning. Further, learning rates are not constant over time; there is little incremental learning beyond the initial productivity gains consistent with the concept of the learning curve. Finally, the results show some evidence of productivity losses as audit hours increase for very long tenures consistent with the notion of organizational forgetting.

JEL Classifications: M41; M42
Profile of Open Globe Injury in Children at Lumbini Eye Institute
Authors: Bhattarai Binita , Pokhrel Santosh , Thapa Bel , Gautam Prachand , Gurung Nanda
Published: September 2015

INTRODUCTION: Ocular trauma is preventable public health problem throughout the world that especially affects the young. During the last several decades the prognosis of open-globe injuries has significantly improved. The aim of this study was to describe the clinical profile of open globe injury in children and visual outcome after surgery.MATERIAL AND METHODS: It is a prospective hospital based study that included children aged 1-15 yrs presenting to Lumbini Eye Institute (LEI), Bhairahawa with open globe injury. Visual acuity and Anterior and Posterior Segment examination findings were recorded at the time of presentation, after surgery and in three subsequent follow up visits.RESULTS: Out of 26,538 pediatric patients, during the study period 0.26% (n=69) had open globe injury. The most common age group was 510 years comprising 43.5%, with a strong male preponderance of 74% and mean age of 8.06±3.6years. Playing was the most common mode of injury comprising 58%, where as stick was the most common agent causing trauma consisting 51%. Fifty two percent were visually impaired and 39% were blind at the time of presentation and only 9% children had visual acuity better than 6/18. Improved vision was found in 52%, same vision in 34% and deteriorated vision in 13% till third follow up visit. Anatomical integrity of the globe was maintained in 88.4% and only 11.6% had Phthisis bulbi.CONCLUSION: The incidence of open globe injury among children at Lumbini Eye Institute was 0.26%. Male children were more vulnerable. Stick was the most common traumatizing agent. There was a favorable outcome with improved vision in most children after surgery.Journal of Universal College of Medical Sciences Vol. 3, No. 1, 2015: 37-40
Analysis of an Early Failed TP2 Inner Grooved Copper Tube from a Condenser
Authors: Wang Q. , Zhang Z. , Fu C. , Yang E. , Su H. , Tian J.
Published: September 2015

The failure analysis of a leaky inner grooved copper tube (IGCT) was carried out in this paper by means of macroscopic observation, inclusion analysis and fatigue test. Results indicated that the defects introduced in the ball spinning process should be responsible for the leakage. Fatigue test results revealed that the defect in the tube wall was big enough to cause the leakage. Although many micro-scale cracks were observed on the outer surface, these micro-scale cracks are small folding defects in essence. In addition, the chemical composition of the tube material was qualified. Finally, the root cause of the leakage is that the defect in the IGCT material led to the crack initiation and propagation in the tube expansion process. It is suggested that the formation of the defects should be avoided in the production.
Health-Related Quality of Life in Children with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy: A Review
Authors: Wei Yi , Speechley Kathy , Campbell Craig
Published: September 2015

Abstract In pediatric chronic illness, improving health-related quality of life (HRQOL) has become one of the most important goals of disease management. Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a debilitating, progressive and chronic neuromuscular disorder affecting boys. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of published research on HRQOL in the pediatric DMD population, describe the instruments used and summarize the study findings. The databases searched were Medline, Embase and PsycInfo. The literature search yielded 167 articles, of which 19 were included in this review. The studies were published between 2005 and 2013 across nine countries. Thirteen different generic and disease-specific measures were used, the most common being the Pediatric Quality of Life 4.0 Generic Core module. HRQOL in boys with DMD is worse than that of healthy peers and children with other chronic illnesses, especially in the physical domains. Boys who are at a more severe stage of the disease reported worse physical HRQOL but not necessarily psychosocial HRQOL than boys at a less severe stage. Traditional clinical outcome measures correlated well only with physical HRQOL. Parents’ proxy-reports of their sons’ HRQOL and the boys’ self-reports had poor concordance. More research is needed to assess trends in HRQOL over time and to elucidate factors that affect HRQOL.
Probing and Manipulating Fermionic and Bosonic Quantum Gases with Quantum Light
Authors: Elliott Thomas , Mazzucchi Gabriel , Kozlowski Wojciech , Caballero-Benitez  Santiago , Mekhov Igor
Published: September 2015

We study the atom-light interaction in the fully quantum regime, with the focus on off-resonant light scattering into a cavity from ultracold atoms trapped in an optical lattice. The detection of photons allows the quantum nondemolition (QND) measurement of quantum correlations of the atomic ensemble, distinguishing between different quantum states. We analyse the entanglement between light and matter and show how it can be exploited for realising multimode macroscopic quantum superpositions, such as Schrödinger cat states, for both bosons and fermions. We provide examples utilising different measurement schemes and study their robustness to decoherence. Finally, we address the regime where the optical lattice potential is a quantum dynamical variable and is modified by the atomic state, leading to novel quantum phases and significantly altering the phase diagram of the atomic system.
Supportive Management of Mucositis and Metabolic Derangements in Head and Neck Cancer Patients
Authors: Bonomi Marcelo , Batt Katharine
Published: September 2015

Oral mucositis (OM) is among the most undesirable, painful, and expensive toxicities of cytotoxic cancer therapy, and is disheartening for patients and frustrating for caregivers. Accurate assessment of the incidence of OM has been elusive, but accumulating data suggests that reported OM frequency is significantly less than its actual occurrence. It has been suggested that over 90% of head and neck cancer (HNC) patients receiving radiotherapy (RT) with concurrent cisplatin experience severe OM with symptoms of extreme pain, mucosal ulceration and consequent limitations in swallowing and achieving adequate nutritional intake. This panoply of symptoms inevitably impacts a patients’ quality of life and their willingness to continue treatment. In spite of all the advances made in understanding the pathophysiology of OM, there is still no prophylactic therapy with proven efficacy. Strategies to limit the extent of OM and to manage its symptomatology include basic oral care, supportive medications, nutritional support and targeting aggressive treatments to high-risk patients. This review focuses on OM recognition, preventive measurements, and symptom-management strategies.
Conformal Gauge Transformations in Thermodynamics
Authors: Bravetti Alessandro , Lopez-Monsalvo Cesar , Nettel Francisco
Published: September 2015

In this work, we show that the thermodynamic phase space is naturally endowed with a non-integrable connection, defined by all of those processes that annihilate the Gibbs one-form, i.e., reversible processes. We argue that such a connection is invariant under re-scalings of the connection one-form, whilst, as a consequence of the non-integrability of the connection, its curvature is not and, therefore, neither is the associated pseudo-Riemannian geometry. We claim that this is not surprising, since these two objects are associated with irreversible processes. Moreover, we provide the explicit form in which all of the elements of the geometric structure of the thermodynamic phase space change under a re-scaling of the connection one-form. We call this transformation of the geometric structure a conformal gauge transformation. As an example, we revisit the change of the thermodynamic representation and consider the resulting change between the two metrics on the thermodynamic phase space, which induce Weinhold’s energy metric and Ruppeiner’s entropy metric. As a by-product, we obtain a proof of the well-known conformal relation between Weinhold’s and Ruppeiner’s metrics along the equilibrium directions. Finally, we find interesting properties of the almost para-contact structure and of its eigenvectors, which may be of physical interest.
Short-Lived Lattice Quasiparticles for Strongly Interacting Fluids
Authors: Jimenez Miller , Succi Sauro
Published: September 2015

It is shown that lattice kinetic theory based on short-lived quasiparticles proves very effective in simulating the complex dynamics of strongly interacting fluids (SIF). In particular, it is pointed out that the shear viscosity of lattice fluids is the sum of two contributions, one due to the usual interactions between particles (collision viscosity) and the other due to the interaction with the discrete lattice (propagation viscosity). Since the latter is negative, the sum may turn out to be orders of magnitude smaller than each of the two contributions separately, thus providing a mechanism to access SIF regimes at ordinary values of the collisional viscosity. This concept, as applied to quantum superfluids in one-dimensional optical lattices, is shown to reproduce shear viscosities consistent with the AdS-CFT holographic bound on the viscosity/entropy ratio. This shows that lattice kinetic theory continues to hold for strongly coupled hydrodynamic regimes where continuum kinetic theory may no longer be applicable.
Advanced Electrical Machines and Machine-Based Systems for Electric and Hybrid Vehicles
Authors: Cheng Ming , Sun Le , Buja Giuseppe , Song Lihua
Published: September 2015

The paper presents a number of advanced solutions on electric machines and machine-based systems for the powertrain of electric vehicles (EVs). Two types of systems are considered, namely the drive systems designated to the EV propulsion and the power split devices utilized in the popular series-parallel hybrid electric vehicle architecture. After reviewing the main requirements for the electric drive systems, the paper illustrates advanced electric machine topologies, including a stator permanent magnet (stator-PM) motor, a hybrid-excitation motor, a flux memory motor and a redundant motor structure. Then, it illustrates advanced electric drive systems, such as the magnetic-geared in-wheel drive and the integrated starter generator (ISG). Finally, three machine-based implementations of the power split devices are expounded, built up around the dual-rotor PM machine, the dual-stator PM brushless machine and the magnetic-geared dual-rotor machine. As a conclusion, the development trends in the field of electric machines and machine-based systems for EVs are summarized.
Bio-Wastes as an Alternative Household Cooking Energy Source in Ethiopia
Authors: Tucho Gudina , Nonhebel Sanderine
Published: September 2015

Up to the present day, wood has been used to supply the needs for cooking in rural Africa. Due to the ongoing deforestation, households need to change to other energy sources. To cover this need, a large amount of people are using residues from agriculture (straw, manure) instead. However, both straw and manure also have a function in agriculture for soil improvement. Using all the straw and manure will seriously affect the food production. In this paper we first determine the amount of energy that households need for cooking (about 7 GJ per year). Then we estimate the amount of residues that can be obtained from the agricultural system and the amount of energy for cooking that can be derived from this amount when different conversion techniques are used. The amount of residues needed is strongly affected by the technology used. The traditional three stone fires require at least two times as much resource than the more advanced technologies. Up to 4 ha of land or 15 cows are needed to provide enough straw and manure to cook on the traditional three stone fires. When more efficient techniques are used (briquetting, biogas) this can be reduced to 2 ha and six cows. Due to large variation in resource availability between households, about 80% of the households own less than 2 ha and 70% holds less than four cows. This means that even when modern, energy efficient techniques are used the largest share of the population is not able to generate enough energy for cooking from their own land and/or cattle. Most rural households in Sub-Saharan Africa may share similar resource holding characteristics for which the results from the current findings on Ethiopia can be relevant.
Carbon as Investment Risk—The Influence of Fossil Fuel Divestment on Decision Making at Germany’s Main Power Providers
Authors: Kiyar Dagmar , Wittneben Bettina
Published: September 2015

German electricity giants have recently taken high-level decisions to remove selected fossil fuel operations from their company portfolio. This new corporate strategy could be seen as a direct response to the growing global influence of the fossil fuel divestment campaign. In this paper we ask whether the divestment movement currently exerts significant influence on decision-making at the top four German energy giants—E.On, RWE, Vattenfall and EnBW. We find that this is not yet the case. After describing the trajectory of the global fossil fuel divestment campaign, we outline four alternative influences on corporate strategy that, currently, are having a greater impact than the divestment movement on Germany’s power sector. In time, however, clear political decisions and strong civil support may increase the significance of climate change concerns in the strategic management of the German electricity giants.
Factors Associated with Fatigue among Men Aged 45 and Older: A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Lin Wei-Quan , Jing Meng-Juan , Tang Jie , Wang Jia-Ji , Zhang Hui-Shan , Yuan Le-Xin , Wang Pei-Xi
Published: September 2015

Background and Purpose: Fatigue is one of the most common symptoms reported in several studies; but few studies have concentrated on the male population, especially for the middle-aged and older men who are exposed to greater fatigue risk. The purpose of this study was to explore the prevalence of fatigue and identify the risk factors of fatigue among men aged 45 and older in China. Methods: This study was part of a cross-sectional study on community health in Shunde (Guangdong Province, China). A total sample of 1158 men aged 45 and older were included. Sociodemographic characteristics, health and lifestyle factors and the Chalder Fatigue Scale (CFS) were measured by structured questionnaires through face-to-face interviews. Multivariate logistic regression was applied to determine the risk factors of fatigue. Results: Approximately 30% of participants experienced fatigue. Older age (≥75 years: adjusted OR 3.88, 95% CI 2.09–7.18), single marital status (1.94, 1.04–3.62), unemployed status (1.68, 1.16–2.43), number of self-reported chronic diseases (≥2 chronic diseases: 2.83, 1.86–4.31), number of individuals’ children (≥4 children: 2.35, 1.33–4.15), hospitalization in the last year (1.61, 1.03–2.52) were all significantly associated with increased risk of fatigue, while regular exercise (0.46, 0.32–0.65) was a protective factor against fatigue. Conclusions: Fatigue was usual in males and several factors were associated with the fatigue. These findings may have implication in risk assessment of fatigue and help in developing and implementing targeted interventions in middle-aged and elderly males.
Evaluation of the AnnAGNPS Model for Predicting Runoff and Nutrient Export in a Typical Small Watershed in the Hilly Region of Taihu Lake
Authors: Luo Chuan , Li Zhaofu , Li Hengpeng , Chen Xiaomin
Published: September 2015

The application of hydrological and water quality models is an efficient approach to better understand the processes of environmental deterioration. This study evaluated the ability of the Annualized Agricultural Non-Point Source (AnnAGNPS) model to predict runoff, total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) loading in a typical small watershed of a hilly region near Taihu Lake, China. Runoff was calibrated and validated at both an annual and monthly scale, and parameter sensitivity analysis was performed for TN and TP before the two water quality components were calibrated. The results showed that the model satisfactorily simulated runoff at annual and monthly scales, both during calibration and validation processes. Additionally, results of parameter sensitivity analysis showed that the parameters Fertilizer rate, Fertilizer organic, Canopy cover and Fertilizer inorganic were more sensitive to TN output. In terms of TP, the parameters Residue mass ratio, Fertilizer rate, Fertilizer inorganic and Canopy cover were the most sensitive. Based on these sensitive parameters, calibration was performed. TN loading produced satisfactory results for both the calibration and validation processes, whereas the performance of TP loading was slightly poor. The simulation results showed that AnnAGNPS has the potential to be used as a valuable tool for the planning and management of watersheds.
Public Trauma after the Sewol Ferry Disaster: The Role of Social Media in Understanding the Public Mood
Authors: Woo Hyekyung , Cho Youngtae , Shim Eunyoung , Lee Kihwang , Song Gilyoung
Published: September 2015

The Sewol ferry disaster severely shocked Korean society. The objective of this study was to explore how the public mood in Korea changed following the Sewol disaster using Twitter data. Data were collected from daily Twitter posts from 1 January 2011 to 31 December 2013 and from 1 March 2014 to 30 June 2014 using natural language-processing and text-mining technologies. We investigated the emotional utterances in reaction to the disaster by analyzing the appearance of keywords, the human-made disaster-related keywords and suicide-related keywords. This disaster elicited immediate emotional reactions from the public, including anger directed at various social and political events occurring in the aftermath of the disaster. We also found that although the frequency of Twitter keywords fluctuated greatly during the month after the Sewol disaster, keywords associated with suicide were common in the general population. Policy makers should recognize that both those directly affected and the general public still suffers from the effects of this traumatic event and its aftermath. The mood changes experienced by the general population should be monitored after a disaster, and social media data can be useful for this purpose.
A Series of New Ligustrazine-Triterpenes Derivatives as Anti-Tumor Agents: Design, Synthesis, and Biological Evaluation
Authors: Xu Bing , Chu Fuhao , Zhang Yuzhong , Wang Xiaobo , Li Qiang , Liu Wei , Xu Xin , Xing Yanyi , Chen Jing , Wang Penglong , Lei Haimin
Published: September 2015

A series of novel ligustrazine-triterpenes derivatives was designed, synthesized and screened for their cytotoxicity against five cancer cell lines (Bel-7402, HepG2, HT-29, Hela, and MCF-7) and Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK). Current study suggested that most of the ligustrazine-triterpenes conjunctions showed better cytotoxicity than the starting materials. In particular, compound 4a exhibited better cytotoxic activity (IC50 < 5.23 μM) against Bel-7402, HT-29, MCF-7, Hela, and HepG2 than the standard anticancer drug cisplatin (DDP). The cytotoxicity selectivity detection revealed that 4a exhibited low cytotoxicity (IC50 > 20 μM) towards MDCK cells. A combination of fluorescence staining observation and flow cytometric analysis indicated that 4a could induce HepG2 cell apoptosis. Further studies suggested that 4a-induced apoptosis is mediated through depolarization of the mitochondrial membrane potential and increase of intracellular free Ca2+ concentration. In addition, the structure-activity relationships of these derivatives were briefly discussed.
Preparation and Characterization of Lanthanum-Incorporated Hydroxyapatite Coatings on Titanium Substrates
Authors: Lou Weiwei , Dong Yiwen , Zhang Hualin , Jin Yifan , Hu Xiaohui , Ma Jianfeng , Liu Jinsong , Wu Gang
Published: September 2015

Titanium (Ti) has been widely used in clinical applications for its excellent biocompatibility and mechanical properties. However, the bioinertness of the surface of Ti has motivated researchers to improve the physicochemical and biological properties of the implants through various surface modifications, such as coatings. For this purpose, we prepared a novel bioactive material, a lanthanum-incorporated hydroxyapatite (La-HA) coating, using a dip-coating technique with a La-HA sol along with post-heat treatment. The XRD, FTIR and EDX results presented in this paper confirmed that lanthanum was successfully incorporated into the structure of HA. The La-HA coating was composed of rod-like particles which densely compacted together without microcracks. The results of the interfacial shear strength test indicated that the incorporation of lanthanum increased the bonding strength of the HA coating. The mass loss ratios under acidic conditions (pH = 5.5) suggested that the La-HA coatings have better acid resistance. The cytocompatibility of the La-HA coating was also revealed by the relative activity of alkaline phosphatase, cellular morphology and cell proliferation assay in vitro. The present study suggested that La-HA coated on Ti has promising potential for applications in the development of a new type of bioactive coating for metal implants.
Phytochemical Characterization of Veronica officinalis L., V. teucrium L. and V. orchidea Crantz from Romania and Their Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Properties
Authors: Mocan Andrei , Vodnar Dan , Vlase Laurian , Crișan Ovidiu , Gheldiu Ana-Maria , Crișan Gianina
Published: September 2015

Aerial parts of Veronica species are used in Romanian traditional medicine for the treatment of various conditions like kidney diseases, cough, and catarrh, and are known for their wound-healing properties. In the present study, the phenolic and sterolic content and the antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of three Veronica species (Plantaginaceae), V. officinalis L., V. teucrium L. and V. orchidea Crantz, were studied. The identification and quantification of several phenolic compounds and phytosterols were performed using LC/MS techniques and the main components were p-coumaric acid, ferulic acid, luteoline, hispidulin and β-sitosterol. More than that, hispidulin, eupatorin and eupatilin were detected for the first time in the Veronica genus. Nevertheless, representatives of the Veronica genus were never investigated in terms of their phytosterol content. The antioxidant potential investigated by Trolox equivelents antioxidant capacity (TEAC) and EPR spectroscopy revealed that V. officinalis and V. orchidea extracts presented similar antioxidant capacities, whilst the values registered for V. teucrium extract are lower. Regarding the antimicrobial activity of the investigated species, Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes and Listeria ivanovii were the most sensitive strains with MIC values between 3.9 and 15.62 mg/mL. The results obtained by this study may serve to promote better use of representatives from the genus Veronica as antioxidant and antimicrobial agents.
Patterns of Obesity and Lymph Fluid Level during the First Year of Breast Cancer Treatment: A Prospective Study
Authors: Fu Mei , Axelrod Deborah , Guth Amber , Fletcher Jason , Qiu Jeanna , Scagliola Joan , Kleinman Robin , Ryan Caitlin , Chan Nicholas , Haber Judith
Published: September 2015

Obesity is one of the risk factors for developing lymphedema following breast cancer treatment. We prospectively enrolled 140 women and followed the participants for 12 months after surgery to investigate patterns of obesity and lymph fluid level in the first year of cancer treatment. Electrical bioimpedance devices were used to measure weight, BMI, and percent of body fat as well as lymph fluid level. General instructions were given to the participants on maintaining pre-surgery weight. Among the 140 participants, 136 completed the study with 2.9% attrition. More than 60% of the participants were obese (30.8%) or overweight (32.4%), while only two participants were underweight and about 35% had normal weight. This pattern of obesity and overweight was consistent at 4–8 weeks and 12 months post-surgery. At 12 months post-surgery, the majority of the women (72.1%) maintained pre-surgery weight and 15.4% had >5% weight loss; 12.5% of the women increase >5% of their weight. Significantly more patients in the obesity group had lymphedema defined by L-Dex ratio >7.1 than those in the normal/underweight and overweight group at pre-surgery and 4–8 weeks post-surgery. There was a trend of more patients in the obesity group had L-Dex ratio >7.1 at 12 months post-surgery. Obesity and overweight remain among women at the time of cancer diagnosis and the patterns of obesity and overweight continue during the first year of treatment. General instructions on having nutrition-balanced and portion-appropriate diet and physical activities daily or weekly can be effective to maintain pre-surgery weight.
Lipid Composition, Fatty Acids and Sterols in the Seaweeds Ulva armoricana, and Solieria chordalis from Brittany (France): An Analysis from Nutritional, Chemotaxonomic, and Antiproliferative Activity Perspectives
Authors: Kendel Melha , Wielgosz-Collin Gaëtane , Bertrand Samuel , Roussakis Christos , Bourgougnon Nathalie , Bedoux Gilles
Published: September 2015

Lipids from the proliferative macroalgae Ulva armoricana (Chlorophyta) and Solieria chordalis (Rhodophyta) from Brittany, France, were investigated. The total content of lipids was 2.6% and 3.0% dry weight for U. armoricana and S. chordalis, respectively. The main fractions of S. chordalis were neutral lipids (37%) and glycolipids (38%), whereas U. armoricana contained mostly neutral lipids (55%). Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) represented 29% and 15% of the total lipids in U. armoricana and S. chordalis, respectively. In both studied algae, the phospholipids were composed of PUFA for 18%. In addition, PUFA were shown to represent 9% and 4.5% of glycolipids in U. armoricana and S. chordalis, respectively. The essential PUFA were 16:4n-3, 18:4n-3, 18:2n-3, 18:2n-6, and 22:6n-3 in U. armoricana, and 20:4n-6 and 20:5n-3 in S. chordalis. It is important to notice that six 2-hydroxy-, three 3-hydroxy-, and two monounsaturated hydroxy fatty acids were also identified and may provide a chemotaxonomic basis for algae. These seaweeds contained interesting compounds such as squalene, α-tocopherol, cholest-4-en-3-one and phytosterols. The antiproliferative effect was evaluated in vitro on human non-small-cell bronchopulmonary carcinoma line (NSCLC-N6) with an IC50 of 23 μg/mL for monogalactosyldiacylglycerols isolated from S. chordalis and 24 μg/mL for digalactosyldiacylglycerols from U. armoricana. These results confirm the potentialities of valorization of these two species in the fields of health, nutrition and chemotaxonomy.
Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Activities of a Natural Compound, Shizukahenriol, through Nrf2 Activation
Authors: Park Jong-Hyun , Choi Ji , Ju Eun , Pae Ae , Park Ki
Published: September 2015

Imbalance in the antioxidant defense system leads to detrimental consequences, such as neurological disorders. The Nrf2 signaling is known as a main pathway involved in cellular defense system. Nrf2 is a transcription factor that regulates oxidative stress response by inducing expression of various antioxidant enzyme genes. In this study, we screened several pure natural compounds for Nrf2 activator. Among them, shizukahenriol (SZH), isolated from Chloranthus henryi, activated Nrf2, and induced expression of the Nrf2-dependent antioxidant enzymes HO-1, GCLC, and GCLM in BV-2 microglial cells. This natural compound was also effective in suppressing production of inflammatory molecules NO, TNF-α, and inhibition of NF-κB p65 translocation to the nucleus in a dose-dependent manner. We also examined whether SZH rescued the microglial cells from oxidative stress-induced cell death. Pretreatment with SZH dose-dependently attenuated H2O2-induced cytotoxicity in BV-2 microglial cells. These results suggested SZH as a potential neuroprotective agent for neurological disorders.
Use of Aleuria alantia Lectin Affinity Chromatography to Enrich Candidate Biomarkers from the Urine of Patients with Bladder Cancer
Authors: Ambrose Sarah , Gordon Naheema , Goldsmith James , Wei Wenbin , Zeegers Maurice , James Nicholas , Knowles Margaret , Bryan Richard , Ward Douglas
Published: September 2015

Developing a urine test to detect bladder tumours with high sensitivity and specificity is a key goal in bladder cancer research. We hypothesised that bladder cancer-specific glycoproteins might fulfill this role. Lectin-ELISAs were used to study the binding of 25 lectins to 10 bladder cell lines and serum and urine from bladder cancer patients and non-cancer controls. Selected lectins were then used to enrich glycoproteins from the urine of bladder cancer patients and control subjects for analysis by shotgun proteomics. None of the lectins showed a strong preference for bladder cancer cell lines over normal urothlelial cell lines or for urinary glycans from bladder cancer patients over those from non-cancer controls. However, several lectins showed a strong preference for bladder cell line glycans over serum glycans and are potentially useful for enriching glycoproteins originating from the urothelium in urine. Aleuria alantia lectin affinity chromatography and shotgun proteomics identified mucin-1 and golgi apparatus protein 1 as proteins warranting further investigation as urinary biomarkers for low-grade bladder cancer. Glycosylation changes in bladder cancer are not reliably detected by measuring lectin binding to unfractionated proteomes, but it is possible that more specific reagents and/or a focus on individual proteins may produce clinically useful biomarkers.
Structural Classification of Marshes with Polarimetric SAR Highlighting the Temporal Mapping of Marshes Exposed to Oil
Authors: Ramsey Elijah , Rangoonwala Amina , Jones Cathleen
Published: September 2015

Empirical relationships between field-derived Leaf Area Index (LAI) and Leaf Angle Distribution (LAD) and polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (PolSAR) based biophysical indicators were created and applied to map S. alterniflora marsh canopy structure. PolSAR and field data were collected near concurrently in the summers of 2010, 2011, and 2012 in coastal marshes, and PolSAR data alone were acquired in 2009. Regression analyses showed that LAI correspondence with the PolSAR biophysical indicator variables equaled or exceeded those of vegetation water content (VWC) correspondences. In the final six regressor model, the ratio HV/VV explained 49% of the total 77% explained LAI variance, and the HH-VV coherence and phase information accounted for the remainder. HV/HH dominated the two regressor LAD relationship, and spatial heterogeneity and backscatter mechanism followed by coherence information dominated the final three regressor model that explained 74% of the LAD variance. Regression results applied to 2009 through 2012 PolSAR images showed substantial changes in marsh LAI and LAD. Although the direct cause was not substantiated, following a release of freshwater in response to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the fairly uniform interior marsh structure of 2009 was more vertical and dense shortly after the oil spill cessation. After 2010, marsh structure generally progressed back toward the 2009 uniformity; however, the trend was more disjointed in oil impact marshes.
Microwave-Based Oxidation State and Soot Loading Determination on Gasoline Particulate Filters with Three-Way Catalyst Coating for Homogenously Operated Gasoline Engines
Authors: Dietrich Markus , Jahn Christoph , Lanzerath Peter , Moos Ralf
Published: September 2015

Recently, a novel method emerged to determine the oxygen storage degree of three way catalysts (TWC) by a microwave-based method. Up to now, this method has been investigated only in lab-scale reactors or under steady state conditions. This work expands those initial studies. A TWC-coated gasoline particulate filter was investigated in a dynamic engine test bench simulating a typical European driving cycle (NEDC). It could be shown that both the oxygen storage degree and the soot loading can be monitored directly, but not simultaneously due to their competitive effects. Under normal driving conditions, no soot accumulation was observed, related to the low raw emissions and the catalytic coating of the filter. For the first time, the quality factor of the cavity resonator in addition to the resonance frequency was used, with the benefit of less cross sensitivity to inconstant temperature and water. Therefore, a temperature dependent calibration of the microwave signal was created and applied to monitor the oxidation state in transient driving cycles. The microwave measurement mirrors the oxidation state determined by lambda probes and can be highly beneficial in start-stop phases (where lambda-probes do not work) and to determine the oxygen storage capacity (OSC) without unnecessary emissions.
Inertial Sensor-Based Gait Recognition: A Review
Authors: Sprager Sebastijan , Juric Matjaz
Published: September 2015

With the recent development of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), inertial sensors have become widely used in the research of wearable gait analysis due to several factors, such as being easy-to-use and low-cost. Considering the fact that each individual has a unique way of walking, inertial sensors can be applied to the problem of gait recognition where assessed gait can be interpreted as a biometric trait. Thus, inertial sensor-based gait recognition has a great potential to play an important role in many security-related applications. Since inertial sensors are included in smart devices that are nowadays present at every step, inertial sensor-based gait recognition has become very attractive and emerging field of research that has provided many interesting discoveries recently. This paper provides a thorough and systematic review of current state-of-the-art in this field of research. Review procedure has revealed that the latest advanced inertial sensor-based gait recognition approaches are able to sufficiently recognise the users when relying on inertial data obtained during gait by single commercially available smart device in controlled circumstances, including fixed placement and small variations in gait. Furthermore, these approaches have also revealed considerable breakthrough by realistic use in uncontrolled circumstances, showing great potential for their further development and wide applicability.
Universal Capacitance Model for Real-Time Biomass in Cell Culture
Authors: Konakovsky Viktor , Yagtu Ali , Clemens Christoph , Müller Markus , Berger Martina , Schlatter Stefan , Herwig Christoph
Published: September 2015

Capacitance probes have the potential to revolutionize bioprocess control due to their safe and robust use and ability to detect even the smallest capacitors in the form of biological cells. Several techniques have evolved to model biomass statistically, however, there are problems with model transfer between cell lines and process conditions. Errors of transferred models in the declining phase of the culture range for linear models around +100% or worse, causing unnecessary delays with test runs during bioprocess development. The goal of this work was to develop one single universal model which can be adapted by considering a potentially mechanistic factor to estimate biomass in yet untested clones and scales. The novelty of this work is a methodology to select sensitive frequencies to build a statistical model which can be shared among fermentations with an error between 9% and 38% (mean error around 20%) for the whole process, including the declining phase. A simple linear factor was found to be responsible for the transferability of biomass models between cell lines, indicating a link to their phenotype or physiology.