bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Dynamics of algebras in quantum unstable systems
Authors: Losada Marcelo , Fortin Sebastian , Gadella Manuel , Holik Federico
Published: June 2018

We introduce a dynamical evolution operator for dealing with unstable physical process, such as scattering resonances, photon emission, decoherence and particle decay. With that aim, we use the formalism of rigged Hilbert space and represent the time evolution of quantum observables in the Heisenberg picture, in such a way that time evolution is nonunitary. This allows to describe observables that are initially noncommutative, but become commutative after time evolution. In other words, a non-abelian algebra of relevant observables becomes abelian when times goes to infinity. We finally present some relevant examples.
Jitter in Piecewise-Smooth Dynamical Systems with Intersecting Discontinuity Surfaces
Authors: Jeffrey M. R. , Kafanas G. , Simpson D. J. W.
Published: June 2018

Differential equations that switch between different modes of behavior across a surface of discontinuity are used to model, for example, electronic switches, mechanical contact, predator–prey preference changes, and genetic or cellular regulation. Switching in such systems is unlikely to occur precisely at the ideal discontinuity surface, but instead can involve various spatiotemporal delays or noise. If a system switches between more than two modes, across a boundary formed by the intersection of discontinuity surfaces, then its motion along that intersection becomes highly sensitive to such nonidealities. If switching across the surfaces is affected by hysteresis, time delay, or discretization, then motion along the intersection can be affected by erratic variations that we characterize as “jitter”. Introducing noise, or smoothing out the discontinuity, instead leads to steady motion along the intersection well described by the so-called canopy extension of Filippov’s sliding concept (which applies when the discontinuity surface is a simple hypersurface). We illustrate the results with numerical experiments and an example from power electronics, providing explanations for the phenomenon as far as they are known.
A Michaelis–Menten Predator–Prey Model with Strong Allee Effect and Disease in Prey Incorporating Prey Refuge
Authors: Saha Sangeeta , Maiti Alakes , Samanta G. P.
Published: June 2018

Here, we have proposed a predator–prey model with Michaelis–Menten functional response and divided the prey population in two subpopulations: susceptible and infected prey. Refuge has been incorporated in infected preys, i.e. not the whole but only a fraction of the infected is available to the predator for consumption. Moreover, multiplicative Allee effect has been introduced only in susceptible population to make our model more realistic to environment. Boundedness and positivity have been checked to ensure that the eco-epidemiological model is well-behaved. Stability has been analyzed for all the equilibrium points. Routh–Hurwitz criterion provides the conditions for local stability while on the other hand, Bendixson–Dulac theorem and Lyapunov LaSalle theorem guarantee the global stability of the equilibrium points. Also, the analytical results have been verified numerically by using MATLAB. We have obtained the conditions for the existence of limit cycle in the system through Hopf Bifurcation theorem making the refuge parameter as the bifurcating parameter. In addition, the existence of transcritical bifurcations and saddle-node bifurcation have also been observed by making different parameters as bifurcating parameters around the critical points.
A Practice-Oriented Bifurcation Analysis for Pulse Energy Converters. Part 3: Transients
Authors: Kolokolov Yury , Monovskaya Anna
Published: June 2018

The paper continues the discussion on the bifurcation analysis conceptions for applications in practice-oriented solutions for pulse energy conversion systems (PEC-systems). This viewpoint means an attempt to resolve so-called conflict-of-units between the notions used to describe natural evolution (i.e. evolution of the operating process towards nonoperating processes and vice versa) and the notions used to describe a desirable artificial regime (i.e. the operating regime). In this connection, the correspondence between causes (degradation of the operating process stability) and effects (changes of the operating characteristics) is established in the following sequence: nonlinear dynamics output signal operating characteristics, where these characteristics include stability and performance. Two starting points follow from the previous parts. First, there are distinguishable thresholds of evolutional degradation, between which the operating process loses stability in a particular manner; and these particularities can be systematized by means of so-called uncertainty zones. Second, multi-D integrating translations of phase images with regular parametrical variation are combined with the corresponding boundaries of the operating stability and performance by means of the modified bifurcation diagrams. Then we focus on the basic characteristics of transients and first demonstrate and discuss some unified form of the modified bifurcation diagrams, to which a solution on the operating performance can be reduced. Namely, we show such solutions for an overshoot and a settling time in comparison with a control error. We believe that the practice-oriented bifurcation analysis could be interesting to pioneer research intended for the design of promising systems of pulse energy conversion.
Multi-resolution transforms-based hybrid feature extraction technique for differentiating glioma grades
Authors: Zia Razia , Akhtar Pervez , Aziz Arshad , Kundi Dur E Shahwar
Published: June 2018

The field of medical image classification has been one of the most attention-gaining research areas in the recent times due to the increasing demand for an efficient tool that can help doctors in making quick and correct diagnoses. In this paper, a hybrid feature extraction technique is proposed, which is based on discrete wavelet transform (DWT), non-subsampled contourlet transform (NSCT) and isotropic gray level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) for the categorization of grade II, III, and IV gliomas. The proposed method was applied on a dataset of 93 MRI brain images containing three glioma grades (23 grade II, 45 grade III, and 25 grade IV). The efficiency of proposed methodology is evaluated in terms of classification accuracy, sensitivity and specificity. The highest accuracy of [Formula: see text] for grade III, sensitivity of [Formula: see text] and specificity of [Formula: see text] were achieved in case of grade II.
The baseline wandering noise removal from ECG signal using forward–backward Riemann Liouville fractional integral-based empirical wavelet transform approach
Authors: Verma Atul Kumar , Saini Indu , Saini Barjinder Singh
Published: June 2018

The electrocardiogram (ECG) non-invasively monitors the electrical activities of the heart to diagnose the heart-related diseases. The baseline wandering noise affects the diagnosis of the heart diseases. In this paper, the baseline wandering noise removal is done using forward–backward Riemann Liouville (RL) fractional integral-based empirical wavelet transform (EWT) approach. In the designed methodology, firstly, the noisy ECG signal is decomposed into various modes from low to high frequencies. Then, the first mode is processed to remove the baseline wandering noise. The processed EWT mode is filtered by the fractional RL filter used in the forward direction and then in the backward direction for removing the baseline wandering noise from the ECG signal. After that, the processed and the unprocessed modes are used to reconstruct the denoised ECG signal. The clean ECG signal record is taken from MIT-BIH ECG-ID database, and the baseline wandering noise record is taken from the MIT-BIH noise stress test database. The performance of the proposed approach is validated in terms of the output signal-to-noise ratio (SNR[Formula: see text]). The comparative study has also been done between the proposed denoising approach and the existing state-of-the-art denoising algorithms. The experimental result proves the supremacy of our proposed denoising approach.
A New TVD Scheme for Gradient Smoothing Method Using Unstructured Grids
Authors: Zhang Guiyong , Hui Da , Li Da , Zou Li , Jiang Shengchao , Zong Zhi
Published: June 2018

An improved [Formula: see text]-factor algorithm for implementing total variation diminishing (TVD) scheme has been proposed for the gradient smoothing method (GSM) using unstructured meshes. Different from the methods using structured meshes, for the methods using unstructured meshes, generally the upwind point cannot be clearly defined. In the present algorithm, the value of upwind point has been successfully approximated for unstructured meshes by using the GSM with different gradient smoothing schemes, including node GSM (nGSM) midpoint GSM (mGSM) and centroid GSM (cGSM). The present method has been used to solve hyperbolic partial differential equation discontinuous problems, where three classical flux limiters (Superbee, Van leer and Minmod) were used. Numerical results indicate that the proposed algorithm based on mGSM and cGSM schemes can avoid the numerical oscillation and reduce the numerical diffusion effectively. Generally the scheme based on cGSM leads to the best performance among the three proposed schemes in terms of accuracy and monotonicity.
Towards the classification of finite simple groups with exactly three or four supercharacter theories
Authors: Ashrafi A. R. , Koorepazan-Moftakhar F.
Published: June 2018

A supercharacter theory for a finite group [Formula: see text] is a set of superclasses each of which is a union of conjugacy classes together with a set of sums of irreducible characters called supercharacters that together satisfy certain compatibility conditions. The aim of this paper is to give a description of some finite simple groups with exactly three or four supercharacter theories.
Modeling and analytic optimization of dynamic comfort for wheelchair robots undergoing random roads
Authors: Zhao Leilei , Yu Yuewei , Zhou Changcheng , Li Xiaohan , Yang Fuxing
Published: June 2018

To make a rapid comfort assessment and a reasonable dynamic parameters choice of wheelchair robots, this paper proposes a dynamic comfort coefficient [Formula: see text] and analytically optimizes the cushion damping. Firstly, a traveling vibration model of the occupant-wheelchair system for wheelchair robots running on random roads was created. Secondly, the analytic formula of the occupant RMS (root mean square) acceleration was deduced. Moreover, the dynamic coefficient [Formula: see text] was proposed and its influence laws were revealed. Finally, the cushion system optimal damping ratio was calculated based on [Formula: see text]. The results show that the [Formula: see text] value is only determined by the parameters of the occupant-wheelchair system. The smaller the [Formula: see text] value is, the better the dynamic comfort is for wheelchair robots running on random roads. By minimizing [Formula: see text], the occupant-wheelchair system can achieve a statistically optimal dynamic comfort effect.
Adaptive multilevel fuzzy-based authentication framework to mitigate Cache side channel attack in cloud computing
Authors: Ainapure Bharati , Shah Deven , Ananda Rao A.
Published: June 2018

Cloud computing supports multitenancy to satisfy the users’ demands for accessing resources and simultaneously it increases revenue for cloud providers. Cloud providers adapt multitenancy by virtualizing the resources, like CPU, network interfaces, peripherals, hard drives and memory using hypervisor to fulfill the demand. In a virtualized environment, many virtual machines (VMs) can run on the same core with the help of the hypervisor by sharing the resources. The VMs running on the same core are the target for the malicious or abnormal attacks like side channel attacks. Among various side channel attacks in cloud computing, cache-based side channel attack is one that leaks private information of the users based on the shared resources. Here, as the shared resource is the cache, a process can utilize the cache usage of another by cache contention. Cache sharing provides a way for the attackers to gain considerable information so that the key used for encryption can be inferred. Discovering this side channel attack is a challenging task. This requires identification of a feature that influences the attack. Even though there are various techniques available in the literature to mitigate such attacks, an effective solution to reduce the cache-based side channel attack is still an issue. Therefore, a novel fuzzy rule-based mechanism is integrated to detect the cache side channel attackers by monitoring the cache data access (CDA). The factor that determines the attack is CDA in a log file created by the framework during authorization. The proposed framework also utilizes certain security properties including ECC and hashing for the privacy preservation and the decision is made with the aid of a fuzzy logic system.
GPU Elastic Modeling Using an Optimal Staggered-Grid Finite-Difference Operator
Authors: Wang Jian , Meng Xiaohong , Liu Hong , Zheng Wanqiu , Liu Zhiwei
Published: June 2018

Staggered-grid finite-difference forward modeling in the time domain has been widely used in reverse time migration and full waveform inversion because of its low memory cost and ease to implementation on GPU, however, high dominant frequency of wavelet and big grid interval could result in significant numerical dispersion. To suppress numerical dispersion, in this paper, we first derive a new weighted binomial window function (WBWF) for staggered-grid finite-difference, and two new parameters are included in this new window function. Then we analyze different characteristics of the main and side lobes of the amplitude response under different parameters and accuracy of the numerical solution between the WBWF method and some other optimum methods which denotes our new method can drive a better finite difference operator. Finally, we perform elastic wave numerical forward modeling which denotes that our method is more efficient than other optimum methods without extra computing costs.
Stress and Obesity
Authors: Tomiyama A. Janet
Published: June 2018

Many pathways connect stress and obesity, two highly prevalent problems facing society today. First, stress interferes with cognitive processes such as executive function and self-regulation. Second, stress can affect behavior by inducing overeating and consumption of foods that are high in calories, fat, or sugar; by decreasing physical activity; and by shortening sleep. Third, stress triggers physiological changes in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, reward processing in the brain, and possibly the gut microbiome. Finally, stress can stimulate production of biochemical hormones and peptides such as leptin, ghrelin, and neuropeptide Y. Obesity itself can be a stressful state due to the high prevalence of weight stigma. This article therefore traces the contribution of weight stigma to stress and obesogenic processes, ultimately describing a vicious cycle of stress to obesity to stigma to stress. Current obesity prevention efforts focus solely on eating and exercise; the evidence reviewed in this article points to stress as an important but currently overlooked public policy target.
Role of the placenta in serum autotaxin elevation during maternal cholestasis
Authors: Macias Rocio I. R. , Matilla Sonia , Lozano Elisa , Estiú Maria C. , Oude Elferink Ronald P. , Marin Jose J. G.
Published: June 2018

Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) is frequently accompanied by pruritus, whose etiology has been associated with an enhanced production of lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) by the combined action of phospholipase A1/A2 (PLA1/PLA2) and autotaxin (ATX). Here, we have investigated whether the placenta is involved in LPA release to maternal circulation during ICP. Serum levels of ATX and LPA (determined by ELISA) were elevated in women with ICP, and a correlation between both parameters was found. No relationship between serum levels of ATX or LPA and bile acids was found. Expression levels of ATX and PLA2 were determined by RT-qPCR and Western blot. Placenta ATX but not PLA2 was significantly upregulated in ICP, and a tendency to increase was found at the protein level. A correlation between serum ATX and placental ATX mRNA levels was found. In human placenta at term, ATX was clearly detected (by immunofluorescence) in Hofbauer cells, but only faintly in trophoblast cells. In pregnant rats, the expression of Atx and Pla2 in placenta was lower than in liver. When obstructive cholestasis was imposed by bile duct ligation from day 14 of gestation until term, placenta Atx and Pla2 expression was markedly enhanced, and overexpression was confirmed at the protein level for Pla2, whereas Atx protein was not detected. In conclusion, the placenta substantially participates in LPA production during gestation. This contribution is markedly higher during maternal cholestasis and hence, may be involved in ICP-associated pruritus.

NEW & NOTEWORTHY Fetal placental macrophages and, to a lesser extent, trophoblast cells express high levels of autotaxin at term. An increased expression of mRNA and protein autotaxin, the key secretory enzyme responsible for the production of lysophosphatidic acid in serum, has been observed in placentas of women with cholestasis of pregnancy, which supports that the placenta can contribute to an increased production of this pruritogenic compound in women suffering from this liver disease.
Dietary fat stimulates pancreatic cancer growth and promotes fibrosis of the tumor microenvironment through the cholecystokinin receptor
Authors: Nadella Sandeep , Burks Julian , Al-Sabban Abdulhameed , Inyang Gloria , Wang Juan , Tucker Robin D. , Zamanis Marie E. , Bukowski William , Shivapurkar Narayan , Smith Jill P.
Published: June 2018

The gastrointestinal peptide cholecystokinin (CCK) is released from the duodenum in response to dietary fat to aid in digestion, and plasma CCK levels are elevated with the consumption of high-fat diets. CCK is also a trophic peptide for the pancreas and has also been shown to stimulate growth of pancreatic cancer. In the current investigation, we studied the influence of a diet high in saturated fat on the growth of pancreatic cancer in syngeneic murine models before the mice became obese to exclude the confounding factors associated with obesity. The high-fat diet significantly increased growth and metastasis of pancreatic cancer compared with the control diet, and the stimulatory effect was blocked by the CCK-receptor antagonist proglumide. We then selectively knocked out the CCK receptor on the pancreatic cancer cells using clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats technology and showed that without CCK-receptors, dietary fat was unable to stimulate cancer growth. We next demonstrated that dietary fat failed to influence pancreatic cancer xenograft growth in genetically engineered CCK peptide knockout mice. The tumor-associated fibrosis that is so prevalent in the pancreatic cancer microenvironment was significantly decreased with CCK-receptor antagonist therapy because fibroblasts also have CCK receptors. The CCK-receptor antagonist proglumide also altered tumor metalloprotease expression and increased tumor suppressor genes by a PCR array. Our studies confirm that a diet high in saturated fat promotes growth of pancreatic cancer and the action is mediated by the CCK-receptor pathway.

NEW & NOTEWORTHY Diets high in long-chain saturated fats promote growth of pancreatic cancer independent of obesity. The mechanism through which dietary fat promotes cancer is mediated through the cholecystokinin (CCK) receptor pathway. Therapy with a CCK-receptor antagonist altered the tumor microenvironment by reducing fibrosis, increasing cluster of differentiation 8+ lymphocytes, increasing tumor suppressor genes, and thus decreasing metastases. Use of CCK-receptor antagonist therapy with standard chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer may improve response by altering the tumor microenvironment.
Rho kinase inhibition maintains intestinal and vascular barrier function by upregulation of occludin in experimental necrotizing enterocolitis
Authors: Grothaus Justyna S. , Ares Guillermo , Yuan Carrie , Wood Douglas R. , Hunter Catherine J.
Published: June 2018

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a deadly disease that occurs in 5–10% of neonates. Although NEC has been extensively studied, no single therapeutic target has been identified. Rho kinase (ROCK) is a serine/threonine kinase that affects multiple cellular processes, including tight junction (TJ) function, cellular permeability, and apoptosis. We hypothesized that ROCK inhibition would decrease cellular permeability, stabilize TJ proteins (occludin), and decrease the severity of NEC. To test this hypothesis, human colon epithelial cells (Caco-2) and human endothelial cells were studied. Cells were treated with lipopolysaccharide to simulate an in vitro model of NEC. The effect of ROCK inhibition was measured by transepithelial membrane resistance (TEER) and cellular permeability to FITC-dextran. The effects of ROCK inhibition in vivo were analyzed in the rat pup model of NEC. NEC was induced by feeding formula supplemented with Cronobacter sakazakii with or without gavaged ROCK inhibitor. Rat intestines were scored based on histological degree of injury. RNA and protein assays for occludin protein were performed for all models of NEC. Treatment with ROCK inhibitor significantly decreased cellular permeability in Caco-2 cells and increased TEER. Intestinal injury scoring revealed decreased scores in ROCK inhibitor-treated pups compared with NEC only. Both cell and rat pup models demonstrated an upregulation of occludin expression in the ROCK inhibitor-treated groups. Therefore, we conclude that ROCK inhibition protects against experimental NEC by strengthening barrier function via upregulation of occludin. These data suggest that ROCK may be a potential therapeutic target for patients with NEC.

NEW & NOTEWORTHY These studies are the first to demonstrate an upregulation of occludin tight junction protein in response to Rho kinase (ROCK) inhibition. Furthermore, we have demonstrated that ROCK inhibition in experimental models of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is protective against NEC in both in vitro and in vivo models of disease.
ACEI/D gene variant predicts ACE enzyme content in blood but not the ACE, UCP2, and UCP3 protein content in human skeletal muscle in the Gene SMART study
Authors: Yan Xu , Dvir Noam , Jacques Macsue , Cavalcante Luiz , Papadimitriou Ioannis D. , Munson Fiona , Kuang Jujiao , Garnham Andrew , Landen Shanie , Li Jia , O’Keefe Lannie , Tirosh Oren , Bishop David J. , Voisin Sarah , Eynon Nir
Published: June 2018

Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) is expressed in human skeletal muscle. The ACE I/D polymorphism has been associated with athletic performance in some studies. Studies have suggested that the ACE I/D gene variant is associated with ACE enzyme content in serum, and there is an interaction between ACE and uncoupling proteins 2 and 3 (UCP2 and UCP3). However, no studies have explored the effect of ACE I/D on ACE, UCP2, and UCP3 protein content in human skeletal muscle. Utilizing the Gene SMART cohort ( n = 81), we investigated whether the ACE I/D gene variant is associated with ACE enzyme content in blood and ACE, UCP2, and UCP3 protein content in skeletal muscle at baseline and following a session of high-intensity interval exercise (HIIE). Using a stringent and robust statistical analyses, we found that the ACE I/D gene variant was associated with ACE enzyme content in blood ( P < 0.005) at baseline but not the ACE, UCP2, and UCP3 protein content in muscle at baseline. A single session of HIIE tended (0.005 < P < 0.05) to increase blood ACE content immediately postexercise, whereas muscle ACE protein content was lower 3 h after a single session of HIIE ( P < 0.005). Muscle UCP3 protein content decreased immediately after a single session of HIIE ( P < 0.005) and remained low 3 h postexercise. However, those changes in the muscle were not genotype dependent. In conclusion, The ACE I/D gene variant predicts ACE enzyme content in blood but not the ACE, UCP2, and UCP3 protein content of human skeletal muscle.

NEW & NOTEWORTHY This paper describes the association between ACE I/D gene variant and ACE protein content in blood and ACE, UCP2, and UCP3 protein content in skeletal muscle at baseline and after exercise in a large cohort of healthy males. Our data suggest that ACE I/D is a strong predictor of blood ACE content but not muscle ACE content.
Chilaiditi Syndrome: A Case Report Highlighting the Intermittent Nature of the Disease
Authors: Kapania Esha M. , Link Christina , Eberhardt Joshua M.
Published: June 2018

Background. Chilaiditi syndrome is a phenomenon where there is an interposition of the colon between the liver and the abdominal wall leading to clinical symptoms. This is distinct from Chilaiditi sign for which there is radiographic evidence of the interposition, but is asymptomatic. Case Presentation. Here, we present the case of a patient who, despite having clinical symptoms for a decade, had a delayed diagnosis presumably due to the interposition being intermittent and episodic. Conclusions. This case highlights the fact that Chilaiditi syndrome may be intermittent and episodic in nature. This raises an interesting question of whether previous case reports, which describe complete resolution of the syndrome after nonsurgical intervention, are perhaps just capturing periods of resolution that may have occurred spontaneously. Because the syndrome may be intermittent with spontaneous resolution and then recurrence, patients should have episodic follow-up after nonsurgical intervention.
Actinomyces meyeri: A Rare Cause of Postsurgical Pelvic Actinomycosis
Authors: Markey C. Michele , Vestal Lauren E.
Published: June 2018

Actinomyces meyeri bacterium resides on mucosal surfaces and is uncommonly pathogenic. When A. meyeri does cause infection, these infections are typically pulmonary in origin and have the capacity to disseminate throughout the body. A. meyeri is an uncommon cause of pelvic infection. We present a unique case of a posthysterectomy abscess caused by this particular bacterium.
An Efficient Middle Layer Platform for Medical Imaging Archives
Authors: Ergüzen Atilla , Erdal Erdal
Published: June 2018

Digital medical image usage is common in health services and clinics. These data have a vital importance for diagnosis and treatment; therefore, preservation, protection, and archiving of these data are a challenge. Rapidly growing file sizes differentiated data formats and increasing number of files constitute big data, which traditional systems do not have the capability to process and store these data. This study investigates an efficient middle layer platform based on Hadoop and MongoDB architecture using the state-of-the-art technologies in the literature. We have developed this system to improve the medical image compression method that we have developed before to create a middle layer platform that performs data compression and archiving operations. With this study, a platform using MapReduce programming model on Hadoop has been developed that can be scalable. MongoDB, a NoSQL database, has been used to satisfy performance requirements of the platform. A four-node Hadoop cluster has been built to evaluate the developed platform and execute distributed MapReduce algorithms. The actual patient medical images have been used to validate the performance of the platform. The processing of test images takes 15,599 seconds on a single node, but on the developed platform, this takes 8,153 seconds. Moreover, due to the medical imaging processing package used in the proposed method, the compression ratio values produced for the non-ROI image are between 92.12% and 97.84%. In conclusion, the proposed platform provides a cloud-based integrated solution to the medical image archiving problem.
Big Data Management for Healthcare Systems: Architecture, Requirements, and Implementation
Authors: El aboudi Naoual , Benhlima Laila
Published: June 2018

The growing amount of data in healthcare industry has made inevitable the adoption of big data techniques in order to improve the quality of healthcare delivery. Despite the integration of big data processing approaches and platforms in existing data management architectures for healthcare systems, these architectures face difficulties in preventing emergency cases. The main contribution of this paper is proposing an extensible big data architecture based on both stream computing and batch computing in order to enhance further the reliability of healthcare systems by generating real-time alerts and making accurate predictions on patient health condition. Based on the proposed architecture, a prototype implementation has been built for healthcare systems in order to generate real-time alerts. The suggested prototype is based on spark and MongoDB tools.
Circulating CD14+CD163+CD206+ M2 Monocytes Are Increased in Patients with Early Stage of Idiopathic Membranous Nephropathy
Authors: Hou Jie , Zhang Manli , Ding Yuhong , Wang Xinrui , Li Tao , Gao Pujun , Jiang Yanfang
Published: June 2018

Aim. To analyze changes in peripheral blood monocytes and their clinical significance in patients with early stage of idiopathic membranous nephropathy (IMN). Methods. A total of 27 patients with early stage of IMN and 16 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HCs) were recruited for the study. The monocyte subset counts in circulation were measured by flow cytometry, and serum interleukin- (IL-) 10 and IL-12 concentrations were tested by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The potential association between clinical signs and monocyte subset counts was analyzed statistically. Results. Compared with the HCs, the patients with early stage of IMN had higher counts of CD14+CD163+, CD14+CD163+CD206+, and CD14+CD163+CD206+CD115+ M2-like monocytes. The CD14+CD163+CD206+ M2-like cell counts and intracellular IL-10 concentrations in the monocytes were positively correlated with progression in proteinuria. The levels of serum IL-10 were significantly higher in early IMN patients than in the HCs. Furthermore, CD14+CD163+CD206+ M2-like cell counts in the patients with incipient IMN were also positively related with 24 h urinary albumin levels and the values of serum M-type phospholipase A2 receptor (PLA2R). Conclusion. CD14+CD163+CD206+ M2-like monocytes may contribute to the pathologic process in early-stage IMN and could serve as potential markers for evaluating the disease severity.
Proposal of a Viscous Model for Nonviscously Damped Beams Based on Fractional Derivatives
Authors: Lázaro Mario , Molines-Cano Jose M. , Ferrer Ignacio , Albero Vicente
Published: June 2018

Viscoelastic materials are widely used in structural dynamics for the control of the vibrations and energy dissipation. They are characterized by damping forces that depend on the history of the velocity response via hereditary functions involved in convolution integrals, leading to a frequency‐dependent damping matrix. In this paper, one‐dimensional beam structures with viscoelastic materials based on fractional derivatives are considered. In this work, the construction of a new equivalent viscous system with fictitious parameters but capable of reproducing the response of the viscoelastic original one with acceptable accuracy is proposed. This allows us to take advantage of the well‐known available numerical tools for viscous systems and use them to find response of viscoelastic structures. The process requires the numerical computation of complex frequencies. The new fictitious viscous parameters are found to be matching the information provided by the frequency response functions. New mass, damping, and stiffness matrices are found, which in addition have the property of proportionality, so they become diagonal in the modal space. The theoretical results are contrasted with two different numerical examples.
Effect of Nutrition Education Based on Health Belief Model on Nutritional Knowledge and Dietary Practice of Pregnant Women in Dessie Town, Northeast Ethiopia: A Cluster Randomized Control Trial
Authors: Diddana Tona Zema , Kelkay Gezahegn Nigusse , Dola Amanuel Nana , Sadore Abinet Arega
Published: June 2018

Background. In Ethiopia, poor dietary practice among pregnant women ranges from 39.3 to 66.1%. Limited nutritional knowledge and wrong perception towards dietary behaviours were underlying factors. Hence, this study was aimed to determine the effect of nutrition education based on Health Belief Model on nutritional knowledge and dietary practice of pregnant women in Dissie town, northeast Ethiopia, 2017 GC. Methods. Community-based cluster randomized control trial was employed. A total of 138 pregnant women participated. Nutrition education was given using Health Belief Model (HBM) theory and general nutrition education for intervention and control group, respectively. The baseline and endline nutrition knowledge and dietary practice was assessed using knowledge and dietary practice questions. HBM construct was assessed using five-point likert scale. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20. Student’s t-tests and chi-square tests were used. At 95% confidence level, P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Result. The mean pre- and postintervention nutritional knowledge was 6.9 and 13.4, and good dietary practice was 56.5% and 84.1% in intervention group, respectively. The increase in mean nutritional knowledge was statistically significant (P<0.001). In control group, the pre- and postintervention mean nutritional knowledge was 7.4 and 9.8, and good dietary practice was 60.9% and 72.5%, respectively. There was significant difference (P<0.05) in mean nutritional knowledge and proportion of good dietary practices between two groups at endline, but the difference was not significant (P>0.05) at baseline. There was significant (P<0.001) improvement in the scores of HBM constructs in intervention group. Conclusion and Recommendations. Providing nutrition education based on Health Belief Model improves nutritional knowledge and dietary practices of pregnant women. Hence, governmental, nongovernmental organization, health extension workers, and other health-care provider should include Health Belief Model construct into existing nutrition education programs. Moreover, government should incorporate HBM theory into national nutrition education guidelines.
Efficiency of Rice Husk Ash as Cementitious Material in High‐Strength Cement‐Admixed Clay
Authors: Jongpradist Pornkasem , Homtragoon Watee , Sukkarak Raksiri , Kongkitkul Warat , Jamsawang Pitthaya
Published: June 2018

The potential and efficiency of using rice husk ash (RHA) to add up or partially replace Portland cement in deep cement mixing technique are examined. A series of unconfined compression tests on cement‐RHA‐stabilized clay are conducted to investigate the influence of RHA on the mixture properties. Special attention is paid to its efficiency for increasing the strength by partial cement replacement to obtain high‐strength soil cement, and it is compared with fly ash. Test results indicate that up to 35% of RHA could be advantageously added up to enhance the strength if the cement content in the mixture is larger than 10%. The RHA enhances the strength of cement‐admixed clay by larger than 100% at 28 days. For curing time of 14 and 28 days, the RHA exhibits higher efficiency on Portland cement replacement when the cement and overall cementitious contents are not less than 20 and 35%, respectively. The optimum condition for high‐strength mixture is achieved when RHA is added to the 20% cement content mixture. When compared with fly ash of similar grain size, the efficiency of RHA is higher when the content to be added is greater than 15%. This indicates the suitability of RHA for use in high‐strength soil‐cement.
Are We Neglecting Nontuberculous Mycobacteria Just as Laboratory Contaminants? Time to Reevaluate Things
Authors: Sharma Pooja , Singh Digvijay , Sharma Kusum , Verma Santwana , Mahajan Sanjay , Kanga Anil
Published: June 2018

Objectives. Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) incidences are on the rise worldwide, including the tuberculosis endemic areas. They should be identified rapidly to the species level and should be carefully differentiated as contamination, colonization, or disease. This study was aimed at determining the prevalence and clinicoepidemiological profile of mycobacteriosis cases.Materials and Methods. Cultures were made on liquid and solid media. NTM were identified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) restriction analysis (PRA) and gene sequencing. Data was analyzed using Epi-info 7.Results. Out of the 1042 processed specimens, 16% were positive for M. tuberculosis complex and 1.2% for clinically significant NTM. M. intracellulare was the commonest species isolated. NTM were treated mainly on outdoor basis (92%), involving more extrapulmonary system (62%) and higher age-group of 41-60 years (69%). No significant factor was seen to be associated clinically, radiologically, and biochemically with the NTM infections.Conclusions. Our study highlights the importance of early diagnosis and differentiation among Mycobacterium tuberculosis and NTM so that these NTM are not underestimated in routine diagnostic procedures merely as environmental or laboratory contaminants.
Gastric Pathology Image Classification Using Stepwise Fine-Tuning for Deep Neural Networks
Authors: Qu Jia , Hiruta Nobuyuki , Terai Kensuke , Nosato Hirokazu , Murakawa Masahiro , Sakanashi Hidenori
Published: June 2018

Deep learning using convolutional neural networks (CNNs) is a distinguished tool for many image classification tasks. Due to its outstanding robustness and generalization, it is also expected to play a key role to facilitate advanced computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) for pathology images. However, the shortage of well-annotated pathology image data for training deep neural networks has become a major issue at present because of the high-cost annotation upon pathologist’s professional observation. Faced with this problem, transfer learning techniques are generally used to reinforcing the capacity of deep neural networks. In order to further boost the performance of the state-of-the-art deep neural networks and alleviate insufficiency of well-annotated data, this paper presents a novel stepwise fine-tuning-based deep learning scheme for gastric pathology image classification and establishes a new type of target-correlative intermediate datasets. Our proposed scheme is deemed capable of making the deep neural network imitating the pathologist’s perception manner and of acquiring pathology-related knowledge in advance, but with very limited extra cost in data annotation. The experiments are conducted with both well-annotated gastric pathology data and the proposed target-correlative intermediate data on several state-of-the-art deep neural networks. The results congruously demonstrate the feasibility and superiority of our proposed scheme for boosting the classification performance.
Constructing a High-Order Globally Convergent Iterative Method for Calculating the Matrix Sign Function
Authors: Bin Jebreen Haifa
Published: June 2018

This work is concerned with the construction of a new matrix iteration in the form of an iterative method which is globally convergent for finding the sign of a square matrix having no eigenvalues on the axis of imaginary. Toward this goal, a new method is built via an application of a new four-step nonlinear equation solver on a particulate matrix equation. It is discussed that the proposed scheme has global convergence with eighth order of convergence. To illustrate the effectiveness of the theoretical results, several computational experiments are worked out.
CD271+ Cells Are Diagnostic and Prognostic and Exhibit Elevated MAPK Activity in SHH Medulloblastoma
Authors: Liang Lisa , Coudière-Morrison Ludivine , Tatari Nazanin , Stromecki Margaret , Fresnoza Agnes , Porter Christopher J. , Del Bigio Marc R. , Hawkins Cynthia , Chan Jennifer A. , Ryken Timothy C. , Taylor Michael D. , Ramaswamy Vijay , Werbowetski-Ogilvie Tamra E.
Published: June 2018

The extensive heterogeneity both between and within the medulloblastoma subgroups underscores a critical need for variant-specific biomarkers and therapeutic strategies. We previously identified a role for the CD271/p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75NTR) in regulating stem/progenitor cells in the SHH medulloblastoma subgroup. Here, we demonstrate the utility of CD271 as a novel diagnostic and prognostic marker for SHH medulloblastoma using IHC analysis and transcriptome data across 763 primary tumors. RNA sequencing of CD271+ and CD271− cells revealed molecularly distinct, coexisting cellular subsets, both in vitro and in vivo. MAPK/ERK signaling was upregulated in the CD271+ population, and inhibiting this pathway reduced endogenous CD271 levels, stem/progenitor cell proliferation, and cell survival as well as cell migration in vitro. Treatment with the MEK inhibitor selumetinib extended survival and reduced CD271 levels in vivo, whereas, treatment with vismodegib, a well-known smoothened (SMO) inhibitor currently in clinical trials for the treatment of recurrent SHH medulloblastoma, had no significant effect in our models. Our study demonstrates the clinical utility of CD271 as both a diagnostic and prognostic tool for SHH medulloblastoma tumors and reveals a novel role for MEK inhibitors in targeting CD271+ SHH medulloblastoma cells.

Significance: This study identifies CD271 as a specific and novel biomarker of SHH-type medulloblastoma and that targeting CD271+ cells through MEK inhibition represents a novel therapeutic strategy for the treatment of SHH medulloblastoma. Cancer Res; 78(16); 4745–59. ©2018 AACR.
Spectral Domain Optical Coherence Tomography Allows the Unification of Clinical Decision Making for the Evaluation of Choroidal Neovascularization Activity
Authors: Volz Cornelia , Grassmann Felix , Greslechner Roman , Märker David Arthur , Peters Patrick , Helbig Horst , Gamulescu Maria-Andreea
Published: June 2018

Purpose: This prospective observational clinical study investigated the benefits of spectral domain optical coherence tomography for specialists and residents in the management of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Procedures: The study involved 49 eyes of 44 patients. Patients were advised to present for reevaluation 4 weeks after the administration of the loading dose of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-inhibitors (3 intravitreal injections every 4 weeks after diagnosis). They were examined by residents (3–4 years’ experience in ophthalmology) and specialists (> 5 years’ experience). Each examiner evaluated the clinical situation and the spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) scan. After each evaluation, the examiners independently stated if further anti-VEGF treatment was recommended. The “true outcome” was defined as the specialist decision based on clinical evaluation and SD-OCT. Results: Specialists and residents did not significantly differ in their accuracy in deciding on the correct treatment (p = 0.705 and p = 1), with or without the aid of SD-OCT. Both groups benefited from using SD-OCT to support their recommendations (p = 0.001 and p = 0.0002) and achieved a similar level of accuracy (p = 1 for difference). Conclusions: Residents benefited more than specialists by using SD-OCT to substantiate their recommendation on how to manage exudative AMD after the administration of the loading dose.
ЗАСТОСУВАННЯ МЕТОДУ МАТЕМАТИЧНОГО ПЛАНУВАННЯ ЕКСПЕРИМЕНТУ ПРИ ОПТИМІЗАЦІЇ СКЛАДУ ТА ТЕХНОЛОГІЇ МАТРИКСНИХ ТАБЛЕТОК ІЗ СУХИМ ЕКСТРАКТОМ ЛИСТЯ ЧОРНИЦІ
Authors: Ruban O. A. , Kolisnyk T. Ye. , Slipchenko G. D.
Published: June 2018

Мета роботи. Вивчення впливу таких якісних факторів, як природа зв’язувальної речовини, вологовміст та фракційний склад, на фармако-технологічні показники гранульованих таблеткових мас та матриксних таблеток із сухим екстрактом листя чорниці.Матеріали і методи. Вплив досліджуваних факторів визначали за показниками насипної густини таблеткових мас до та після усадки, індексу Карра та стійкості таблеток до роздавлювання. Усі випробування проводили згідно з методиками Державної фармакопеї України. Інтерпретацію результатів дослідження проводили на підставі дисперсійного аналізу експериментальних даних.Результати й обговорення. За допомогою методу трифакторного дисперсійного аналізу встановлено, що природа зв’язувальної речовини значуще впливає на всі досліджувані фармако-технологічні показники, тоді як вологовміст є значущим лише для стійкості таблеток до роздавлювання, а фракційний склад – лише для густини вільно насипаної таблеткової маси.Висновки. На основі проведених досліджень встановлено наступні оптимальні параметри виготовлення матриксних таблеток з сухим екстрактом листя чорниці методом вологої грануляції: використання у якості гранулюючої рідини 15 % розчину коповідону марки Plasdone S-630; залишковий вологовміст маси для таблетування – (4,5±0,1) %; фракційний склад маси для таблетування – суміш із рівних кількостей гранул розміром менше 0,5 мм та гранул, розмір яких більше 0,5 мм, але менше 1,0 мм.
Moskvá-Petuchkí – a última estação
Authors: Silva Gabriela Soares da
Published: June 2018

Este artigo apresenta uma análise do romance Moskvá-Petuchkí, de Venedíkt Eroféev, por meio da retomada do arquétipo do iuródstvo para a compreensão do caráter anti-heroico do protagonista, bem como a imagem de Moscou como símbolo de uma cidade opressora.
A ideia de constituição republicana
Authors: Cassirer Ernst , Vieira Neto Serzenando Alves
Published: June 2018

Tradução de Serzenando Alves Vieira Neto
Qual poderia ser o papel do conceito de reconhecimento em uma teoria social da dominação?
Authors: Renault Emmanuel
Published: June 2018

Esse artigo discute as possíveis contribuições do conceito de reconhecimento a uma teoria social da dominação. Primeiramente, vou esclarecer o significado da noção de teoria social e explicar em que sentido a teoria do reconhecimento de Honneth é uma teoria social. Em segundo lugar, vou apresentar uma série de condições que devem ser satisfeitas por uma teoria social da dominação. Por fim, vou colocar a principal questão deste artigo: em que medida uma teoria do reconhecimento poderia satisfazer essa série de condições? Para responder a essa questão, a melhor opção é combinar alguns insights bourdieusianos com alguns temas honnethianos.