bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Determinants of Health Seeking Behavior among Caregivers of Infants Admitted with Acute Childhood Illnesses at Kenyatta National Hospital, Nairobi, Kenya
Authors: Wambui Winfred Muringi , Kimani Samuel , Odhiambo Eunice
Published: December 2018

Background. Poor, delayed, or inappropriate health seeking for a sick infant with acute childhood illness is associated with high morbidity/mortality. Delay in health seeking is implicated with fatal complications and prolonged hospital stay. Thus, caregivers ought to identify danger signs and promptly seek professional help for a sick infant. Objective. Establish determinants of health seeking behavior among caregivers of infants admitted with acute childhood illnesses in Kenyatta National Hospital. Methods. A mixed method cross-sectional study involving caregivers (n=130) of sick infants. Semistructured questionnaire and two focused group discussions were used to gather data on caregiver knowledge on danger signs, health care seeking options, and decision-making regarding health care seeking. Data was analyzed with SPSS V. 22. Results. Knowledge of danger signs of infancy was poor. Immediate health seeking was associated with tertiary [P=0.009] and secondary [P=0.030] education, knowledgeability on danger signs [P=0.002], and being married [P=0.019]. Respondents who resided in urban [P=0.034] or less than a kilometer [P=0.042] from a health facility sought care immediately. Those who rated services as excellent (P=0.005) and satisfactory (P=0.025) sought care promptly. Conclusion. Poor knowledge on danger signs of infancy was common among caregivers blurring the magnitude of acute illness resulting in delayed health seeking. Knowledgeability of danger signs of infancy, high educational level, and being married were associated with immediate health care seeking. Caregivers who resided in urban setting and/or near a health facility were linked to immediate health seeking. Additionally, satisfaction and perception of quality health care services were associated with immediate health seeking. Interventions with caregivers should involve capacity building through partnership with families and communities to raise awareness of danger signs of infancy. Strengthening of health care system to offer quality basic health services could improve health seeking behavior. Provision of a seamless supply system, infrastructural support, and technical support for soft skills minimize the turnaround time which is critical.
Venture Capital Contracting with Double-Sided Moral Hazard and Fairness Concerns
Authors: Chang Jiajia , Hu Zhijun
Published: December 2018

The development of new venture enterprise is the result of joint efforts of entrepreneurs and venture capitalists who collaborate based on complementary resources. In this paper, we analyze a venture capital incentive contracting model in which a venture capitalist interacts with an entrepreneur who is risk neutral and fairness concerned, offering him an equity contract. We solve the venture capitalist’s maximization problem in the presence of double-sided moral hazard. Our results show that fairness concerns change the structure of the optimal contract. More importantly, we show that the solution to the contract regarding the optimal share given to the entrepreneur is nonlinear and is a fixed point between 0 and 1. Further, we simulate the model under the assumption that venture project’s revenue is a Constant Elasticity of Substitution (CES) function and obtain the following results. (1) When the two efforts are complementary, the venture capitalist’s effort does not monotonically decrease in the share allocated to the entrepreneur, while the entrepreneur’s effort does not monotonically increase in his share. (2) Relative to the benchmark case where the entrepreneur is fairness neutral, the optimal equity share allocated to the fair-minded entrepreneur is larger than 1/2, and as the degree of efforts complementarity increases, the optimal equity share tends to 60%. In this scenario, for a given efforts substitution parameter, the fair-minded entrepreneur provides a higher effort level than the venture capitalist.
Development of an Indicator for the Assessment of Damage Level in Rolling Element Bearings Based on Blind Deconvolution Methods
Authors: Buzzoni Marco , Soave Elia , D’Elia Gianluca , Mucchi Emiliano , Dalpiaz Giorgio
Published: December 2018

The monitoring of rolling element bearings through vibration‐based condition indicators plays a crucial role in the modern machinery. The kurtosis is a very efficient indicator being sensitive to impulsive components within the vibration signature that often are symptomatic of localized faults. In order to improve the diagnostic performance of the kurtosis, blind deconvolution algorithms can be exploited in order to detect bearing faults and, most importantly, their position. In this scenario, this paper focuses on the development of a novel condition indicator specifically designed for the damage assessment in rolling element bearings. The proposed indicator allows to track the bearing degradation process taking into account three different possible positions: outer race, inner race, and rolling element. This indicator fits real‐time monitoring procedures allowing for the automatic detection and identification of the bearing fault. The validation of the proposed indicator has been carried out by means of both simulated signal and a run‐to‐failure experiment. The results highlight that the proposed indicator is able to detect more efficiently the fault occurrence and, most importantly, quicker than other established techniques.
An Energy Efficient Routing Protocol Based on Layers and Unequal Clusters in Underwater Wireless Sensor Networks
Authors: Zhu Fang , Wei Junfang
Published: December 2018

Underwater Wireless Sensor Networks (UWSNs) have drawn tremendous attentions from all fields because of their wide application. Underwater wireless sensor networks are similar to terrestrial Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs), however, due to different working environment and communication medium, UWSNs have many unique characteristics such as high bit error rate, long end-to-end delay and low bandwidth. These characteristics of UWSNs lead to many problems such as retransmission, high energy consumption and low reliability. To solve these problems, many routing protocols for UWSNs are proposed. In this paper, a localization-free routing protocol, named energy efficient routing protocol based on layers and unequal clusters (EERBLC) is proposed. EERBLC protocol consists of three phases: layer and unequal cluster formation, transmission routing, maintenance and update of clusters. In the first phase, the monitoring area under the water is divided into layers, the nodes in the same layer are clustered. For balancing energy of the whole network and avoiding the “hotspot” problem, a novel unequal clustering method based on layers for UWSNs is proposed, in which a new calculation method of unequal cluster size is presented. Meanwhile, a new cluster head selection mechanism based on energy balance and degree is given. In the transmission phase, EERBLC protocol proposes a novel next forwarder selection method based on the forwarding ratio and the residual energy. In the third phase, Intra and inter cluster updating method is presented. The simulation results show that the EERBLC can effectively balance the energy consumption, prolong the network lifetime, and increase the amount of data transmission compared with DBR and EEDBR protocols.
On the Performance of Power Splitting Energy Harvested Wireless Full-Duplex Relaying Network with Imperfect CSI over Dissimilar Channels
Authors: Nguyen Tan N. , Tran Minh , Tran Phuong T. , Tin Phu Tran , Nguyen Thanh-Long , Ha Duy-Hung , Voznak Miroslav
Published: December 2018

The energy harvesting amplify-and-forward full-duplex relaying network over the dissimilar fading environments in imperfect CSI condition is investigated. In this system model, the energy, and information are transferred from the source to the relay nodes by the power splitting protocol with helping of the full-duplex relay node. Firstly, the outage probability, achievable throughput, and the optimal power splitting factor in terms of the analytical mathematical expressions were proposed, analyzed, and demonstrated. Furthermore, the system performance of the proposed model on the connection with all system parameters is rigorously studied. Finally, the numerical results demonstrated and convinced one that the analytical and the simulation results are matched well with each other for all system parameter values using Monte-Carlo simulation. The results show that the system performance degrades significantly but is still in a permissible interval while the channel estimation error increases and the system performance of the mixing scenarios is better in comparison with the Rayleigh-Rayleigh scenario.
Fingerprinting Network Entities Based on Traffic Analysis in High-Speed Network Environment
Authors: Gu Xiaodan , Yang Ming , Zhang Yiting , Pan Peilong , Ling Zhen
Published: December 2018

For intrusion detection, it is increasingly important to detect the suspicious entities and potential threats. In this paper, we introduce the identification technologies of network entities to detect the potential intruders. However, traditional entities identification technologies based on the MAC address, IP address, or other explicit identifiers can be deactivated if the identifier is hidden or tampered. Meanwhile, the existing fingerprinting technology is also restricted by its limited performance and excessive time lapse. In order to realize entities identification in high-speed network environment, PFQ kernel module and Storm are used for high-speed packet capture and online traffic analysis, respectively. On this basis, a novel device fingerprinting technology based on runtime environment analysis is proposed, which employs logistic regression to implement online identification with a sliding window mechanism, reaching a recognition accuracy of 77.03% over a 60-minute period. In order to realize cross-device user identification, Web access records, domain names in DNS responses, and HTTP User-Agent information are extracted to constitute user behavioral fingerprints for online identification with Multinomial Naive Bayes model. When the minimum effective feature dimension is set to 9, it takes only 5 minutes to reach an accuracy of 79.51%. Performance test results show that the proposed methods can support over 10Gbps traffic capture and online analysis, and the system architecture is justified in practice because of its practicability and extensibility.
Effects of Plasma Albumin on the Pharmacokinetics of Esomeprazole in ICU Patients
Authors: Tian Hsin , Xu Yanyan , Wang Jiayan , Tian Weiqiang , Sun Jian , Zhang Tao , Zhou Qingyun , Shao Chuxiao
Published: December 2018

Objectives. To evaluate the effects of plasma albumin on pharmacokinetics of esomeprazole in ICU patients. Methods. This study was performed in 32 consecutive intensive care unit (ICU) patients. They were divided into two groups according to the plasma albumin levels. Nineteen patients with low plasma albumin levels (<30 g/L; male/female, 12/7) were assigned to low plasma albumin group (LPAG). Thirteen patients with plasma albumin levels >30 g/L (male/female, 9/4) were assigned to high plasma albumin group (HPAG). All patients were received intravenous (IV) of 40 mg esomeprazole in 5 min. Blood samples were collected via basilic vein at different time points and concentrations of esomeprazole were determined by UPLC-MS/MS. Results. MRT(0-∞), t1/2, V, CL, and Cmax between two groups were significantly difference (P<0.05). Compared with HPAG, MRT(0-∞), t1/2, and V of esomeprazole in LPAG were increased by 1.42-fold, 1.49-fold, and 1.24-fold, respectively; the maximum drug concentration of esomeprazole in LPAG was decreased to 82.5%. AUC(0-∞) of LPAG was 1.23 times than that of group B. CL in LPAG was 80% of HPAG. There was no statistical difference between the two groups of AUC(0-∞) and CL. Conclusions. Some pharmacokinetic parameters of esomeprazole may be changed in ICU patients with low plasma albumin.
Multimode Coordination Control of a Hybrid Active Suspension
Authors: Kou Fa-Rong , Wei Dong-Dong , Tian Lei
Published: December 2018

In order to effectively realize the damping control and regenerative energy recovery of vehicle suspension, a new kind of hybrid active suspension structure with the ball screw actuator and magnetorheological (MR) damper is put forward. Firstly, for the analysis of the suspension performance, a quarter dynamic model of vehicle hybrid suspension is established, and at the same time, the mathematical models of MR damper and ball screw actuator are founded. Secondly, the active mode with damping switching control of the hybrid suspension and the semiactive mode with feedback adjustment of the electromagnetic damping force of the hybrid suspension are analyzed. Then, the multimode coordinated control system of the hybrid suspension is designed. Under the cyclic driving condition, the damping performance and energy consumption characteristics of the hybrid suspension are simulated by MATLAB/Simulink software. Finally, the bench tests of the hybrid suspension system are done. The simulation and experimental results show that compared with passive suspension, the root mean square of the sprung mass acceleration of the hybrid suspension with the active mode and semiactive mode is, respectively, reduced by 39% and 16% under the random road. The damping effect of the hybrid suspension system is obvious.
6-Gingerol Normalizes the Expression of Biomarkers Related to Hypertension via PPARδ in HUVECs, HEK293, and Differentiated 3T3-L1 Cells
Authors: Lee Yong-Jik , Jang Yoo-Na , Han Yoon-Mi , Kim Hyun-Min , Seo Hong Seog
Published: December 2018

Hypertension is a disease with a high prevalence and high mortality rates worldwide. In addition, various factors, such as genetic predisposition, lifestyle factors, and the abnormality of organs related to blood pressure, are involved in the development of hypertension. However, at present, there are few available drugs for hypertension that do not induce side effects. Although the therapeutic effects of ginger on hypertension are well established, the precise mechanism has not been elucidated. Therefore, this study was designed to evaluate the antihypertensive mechanism of 6-gingerol, one of the main ingredients of ginger, and to assist in the development of new drugs for hypertension without side effects. The antihypertensive effects and mechanism of 6-gingerol were identified through reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), western blotting, and immunocytochemical staining for biomarkers involved in hypertension in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), human embryonal kidney cells (HEK293 cells), and mouse preadipocytes (3T3-L1 cells). The lipid accumulation in differentiated 3T3-L1 cells was evaluated by using Oil Red O staining. 6- Gingerol increased the level of phosphorylated endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) protein but decreased that of vascular cell adhesion protein 1 (VCAM1) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) in HUVECs. In HEK293 cells, the expression of the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) protein was reduced by 6-gingerol. Lipid accumulation was attenuated by 6-gingerol treatment in differentiated 3T3-L1 cells. These effects were regulated via peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor delta (PPARδ). 6-Gingerol ameliorated the expression of biomarkers involved in the development of hypertension through PPARδ in HUVECs, HEK293, and differentiated 3T3-L1 cells.
Vortex-Induced Vibration Response Bifurcation Analysis of Top-Tensioned Riser Based on the Model of Variable Lift Coefficient
Authors: Wang Yuancen , Wu Zhiqiang , Zhang Xiangyun
Published: December 2018

Top-tensioned riser (TTR) is one of the most frequently used pieces of equipment in offshore petroleum engineering. At present, the research of its vortex-induced vibration (VIV) is mainly focused on numerical simulation with few analytical approaches. In this paper, the nonlinear dynamic equation of VIV about TTR is developed by introducing the third-order variable lift coefficient hydrodynamic model. The amplitude-frequency response equation under 1:1 primary resonance excitation is deduced based on the single mode discrete results. The nonlinear dynamic responses characteristics of the TTR vibration under the excitation of vortex-induced resonance are discussed. Bifurcation theory is used to study the singularity of the analytical solution of the riser system. The hysteresis and solitary solutions from the results of singularity analysis are found. Such results can provide guidance for the design and optimization of riser structural parameters.
Directional Control of the Structural Adsorption Properties of Clays by Magnetite Modification
Authors: Dontsova Tetiana A. , Yanushevskaya Elena I. , Nahirniak Svitlana V. , Makarchuk Oksana V. , Ivanets Andrei I. , Roshchina Marina Yu , Kutuzova Anastasiya S. , Kulikov Leonid M.
Published: December 2018

This article presents the results of the study on the effect of nanomagnetite modification on textural characteristics of clay matrices, adsorption properties, and parameters of the spent sorbents separation. The nitrogen adsorption-desorption method has shown that the obtained magnetic nanocomposite sorbents have large specific surface areas (in 1.2–2 times more) than the initial clays due to the formation of the secondary porous structure on the surface and in macropores of clay matrices. The best adsorption properties with respect to dyes belong to magnetic sorbents with nanomagnetite content of 7 wt.%. The additional modification of the third phase of graphene-like molybdenum disulphide into magnetic sorbents leads to the significant increase in the sorption capacity of both cationic (up to 1100 mg/g) and anionic (up to 1830 mg/g) dyes. The conducted investigations of the total acidity and acid-base sites on the surface of clay, magnetite-modified clay, and molybdenum disulfide-modified magnetic sorbent indicate the significant influence of the Lewis base cites on the adsorption properties of these materials.
Experimental Study on Quasi‐Static Pressure of Slot Hydraulic Blasting
Authors: Liu Chengwei , Xia Binwei , Lu Yiyu , Gao Yugang
Published: December 2018

Air is commonly used as the noncoupling borehole medium in directional slot blasting where the quasi‐static pressure is small, the energy utilization rate of the explosive is low, and the breaking efficiency of the coal‐rock mass is not high. This study investigates the effect of quasi‐static pressure on crack propagation in closed‐field blasting. Crack length propagation in the quasi‐static pressure stage accounts for more than 60% of the total crack length. Water is therefore proposed as the noncoupling medium of the slotting borehole to increase the quasi‐static pressure. A series of experiments was performed to investigate and compare quasi‐static pressures generated using noncoupled water‐medium blasting and noncoupled air‐medium blasting. The experimental results show that the quasi‐static pressure is 37–46 times larger in water‐medium blasting than in the air‐medium case. The experimental measurements show good agreement with theoretical analysis. The results show that the energy utilization rate of the explosives in the hydraulic slotting blasting is high with a notable energy storage effect, and that the fracturing range can be significantly increased. Additionally, fracture by directional blasting using this approach can be more controllable.
Clinical Implication and the Hereditary Factors of NM23 in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Based on Bioinformatics Analysis and Genome–Wide Association Study
Authors: Yang Chengkun , Han Chuangye , Wang Xiangkun , Liao Xiwen , Liu Xiaoguang , Qin Wei , Yu Long , Zhu Guangzhi , Su Hao , Lu Sicong , Chen Zhiwei , Yu Tingdong , Liu Zhen , Huang Ketuan , Liu Zhengtao , Liang Yu , Huang Jianlu , Peng Tao
Published: December 2018

NM23 expression is closely associated with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) recurrence, but the hereditary factors influencing NM23 levels are unknown. Using public database, the diagnostic value of NM23 in HCC was investigated. A total of 424 hepatitis B virus- (HBV-) related HCC patients were enrolled to perform a genome–wide association study for identifying candidate variants associated with NM23 expression level. Additionally, a logistic regression model, haplotypes, and survival analysis were performed in the subsequent analysis. We identified high NM23 expression levels that have a diagnostic accuracy in HCC tissues and had a poor recurrence-free survival in HBV-related HCC patients. Variants near Psoriasis susceptibility 1 candidate 1 (PSORS1C1) and StAR related lipid transdomain containing 3 (STARD3) are associated with NM23 expression. The PSORS1C1 haplotype TGCACA and the STARD3 haplotype GG have favorable cumulative effects on NM23 expression. Further, variants in PSORS1C1 were associated with either overall survival (rs556285588, rs3095301, and rs3131003) only or overall survival and recurrence-free survival (rs560052000 and rs541820233) both in HCC patients. Our findings suggested that variants at the PSORS1C1 and STARD3 loci play an important role in NM23 regulation. Moreover, variants in PSORS1C1 are potential biomarkers for the prediction of postoperative clinical outcomes in HBV-related HCC patients. Thus, variants in PSORS1C1 and STARD3 are associated with NM23 expression and clinical outcomes of HBV-related HCC patients, which may be regarded as potential biomarkers for this disease.
Estimating Aboveground Biomass on Private Forest Using Sentinel-2 Imagery
Authors: Askar  , Nuthammachot Narissara , Phairuang Worradorn , Wicaksono Pramaditya , Sayektiningsih Tri
Published: December 2018

Private forests have a crucial role in maintaining the functioning of the Indonesian forest ecosystem especially because of the continuous degradation of natural forests. Private forests are a part of social forestry which becomes a tool for the Indonesian government to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emission by 26% by 2030. The United Nations Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation has encouraged the Indonesian government to establish a forest monitoring system by estimating forest carbon stock using a combination of forest inventory and remote sensing. This study is aimed at assessing the potential of vegetation indices derived from Sentinel-2 for estimating aboveground biomass (AGB) of private forests. We used 45 sample plots and 7 vegetation indices to evaluate the ability of Sentinel-2 in estimating AGB on private forests. Normalised difference index (NDI) 45 exhibited a strong correlation with AGB compared to other indices (r = 0.89;R2 = 0.79). Stepwise linear regression fitted for establishing the model between field AGB and vegetation indices (R2 = 0.81). We also found that AGB in the study area based on spatial analysis was 72.54 Mg/ha. A root mean square error (RMSE) value from predicted and observed AGB was 27 Mg/ha. The AGB value in the study area is higher than the AGB value from some of forest types, and it indicates that private forests are good for biomass storage. Overall, vegetation indices from Sentinel-2 multispectral imagery can provide a good result in terms of reporting the AGB on private forests.
A Rare Variation of Transverse Testicular Ectopia (TTE) in a Young Adult as an Incidental Finding during Investigation for Testicular Pain
Authors: Gkekas Chrysovalantis , Symeonidis Evangelos N. , Tsifountoudis Ioannis , Georgiadis Christos , Kalyvas Vasileios , Malioris Apostolos , Papathanasiou Michail
Published: December 2018

Transverse testicular ectopia (TTE) with fused vas deferens is an extremely rare clinical entity. Herein, we present a case of a 19-year-old patient with persistent left testicular pain lasting for a week. Clinical examination revealed an empty right hemiscrotum, a normal left-sided descended testis, and in close proximity a mass-like structure resembling testicular parenchyma. Laboratory tests were significant for elevated follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), while sperm count revealed azoospermia. Ultrasound imaging (US) of the scrotum demonstrated the presence of both testes in the same left hemiscrotum with varicocele and no signs of inguinal hernia. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the penis and scrotum revealed TTE with a single, fused vas deferens, and hypoplastic seminal vesicles. Surgical intervention by means of microsurgical sperm retrieval and transseptal orchidopexy were considered but not performed, primarily owing to the patient’s unwillingness and to a lesser extent due to the restriction that the short and fused vas would pose in an attempt to transpose the ectopic testis. Therefore, an annual follow-up was recommended.
Is Combination Antiviral Therapy Mandatory for Maintenance Therapy in Fully Suppressed Multidrug-Resistant Hepatitis B Patients?
Authors: Chung Sung Won , Chang Young , Lee Hyo Young , Cho Eun Ju , Lee Jeong-Hoon , Yu Su Jong , Yoon Jung-Hwan , Kim Yoon Jun
Published: December 2018

Aim. The efficacy of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) monotherapy as maintenance therapy in multidrug-resistant (MDR) hepatitis B virus (HBV) patients after complete virologic suppression (CVS) has not been well evaluated. We evaluated the efficacy of maintenance TDF monotherapy compared with conventional TDF plus entecavir combination therapy after CVS of MDR HBV.Methods. In this single-center retrospective study, patients with MDR HBV who were previously treated with entecavir plus TDF combination therapy and achieved CVS were included. Patients were either maintained on entecavir plus TDF combination therapy or switched to TDF monotherapy after CVS. The primary endpoint was the virologic breakthrough, and secondary outcomes were liver cirrhosis (LC) or hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development. To overcome immortal time bias, time-varying Cox proportional hazard regression analysis was performed.Results. A total of 201 patients were included, and 153 patients were maintained on entecavir plus TDF combination therapy (combination group); 48 patients were converted from combination therapy to TDF monotherapy (single group) after CVS. Five patients experienced a virologic breakthrough, one patient in the single group owing to poor transient compliance and four patients in the combination group (P=0.51). One new case of LC developed in the single group; five cases of LC developed in the combination group (P=0.35). No new HCC development occurred in the single group, while seven cases of HCC developments were noted in the combination group. However, these results were not statistically significant (P=0.54).Conclusions.For patients with suppressed HBV DNA, the efficacy of TDF monotherapy as maintenance therapy is comparable to that of entecavir plus TDF combination therapy.
Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress Markers and Their Possible Implications in Leprosy’s Pathogenesis
Authors: Hirai Kelly Emi , de Sousa Jorge Rodrigues , Silva Luciana Mota , Junior Leônidas Braga Dias , Furlaneto Ismari Perini , Carneiro Francisca Regina Oliveira , de Souza Aarão Tinara Leila , Sotto Mirian Nacagami , Quaresma Juarez Antonio Simões
Published: December 2018

Mycobacterium leprae causes leprosy, a dermatoneurological disease which affects the skin and peripheral nerves. One of several cellular structures affected during M. leprae infection is the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Infection by microorganisms can result in ER stress and lead to the accumulation of unfolded or poorly folded proteins. To restore homeostasis in the cell, the cell induces a series of signaling cascades known as the unfolded protein response called UPR (unfolded protein response). The present work is aimed at investigating the in situ expression of these markers in cutaneous lesions of clinical forms of leprosy and establish possible correlation expression patterns and types of lesion. A total of 43 samples from leprosy patients were analyzed by immunohistochemistry with monoclonal antibodies against GRP78/BiP, PERK, IRE1α, and ATF6. A statistically significant difference between the indeterminate, tuberculoid, and lepromatous clinical forms was detected, with high expression of GRP78/BiP, PERK, IRE1α, and ATF6 in tuberculoid forms (TT) when compared to lepromatous leprosy (LL) and indeterminate (I) leprosy. These results represent the first evidence of ER stress in samples of skin lesions from leprosy patients. We believe that they will provide better understanding of the complex pathogenesis of the disease and facilitate further characterization of the cascade of molecular events elicited during infection.
Ranges of B, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Pb, Sr, Tl, and Zn Concentrations and Isotope Ratios in Environmental Matrices from an Urban Area
Authors: Pallavicini Nicola , Engström Emma , Baxter Douglas C. , Öhlander Björn , Ingri Johan , Hawley Scott , Hirst Catherine , Rodushkina Katerina , Rodushkin Ilia
Published: December 2018

Isotopic information may provide powerful insight into the elemental cycling processes which occur in natural compartments. Further implementation of isotopic techniques in natural sciences requires a better understanding of the range of elemental and isotopic compositional variability in environmental matrices. This study assesses the local-scale concentration and isotopic composition variability of nine elements: boron (B), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), lead (Pb), strontium (Sr), thallium (Tl), and zinc (Zn) in lysimetric waters, mushrooms, litter, needles, leaves, and lichens. Sequential extractions were also performed on soil samples from 6 depth profiles providing more detailed information on the variability of elemental concentrations and isotope ratios between the elemental pools present in soil. For most of the sample types studied the range of isotopic variability between samples spans almost the entire ranges reported in the literature for natural samples. These results represent a starting point for discussing the role of natural variability in isotopic studies (for example, as a limiting factor in the use of isotopic mixing models) and a baseline for future in-depth studies examining the controls on isotope fraction in natural systems.
The HOMA-IR Performance to Identify New Diabetes Cases by Degree of Urbanization and Altitude in Peru: The CRONICAS Cohort Study
Authors: Carrillo-Larco Rodrigo M. , Miranda J. Jaime , Gilman Robert H. , Checkley William , Smeeth Liam , Bernabe-Ortiz Antonio , CRONICAS Cohort Study Group
Published: December 2018

Aims. Prognostic thresholds to identify new type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) cases using the HOMA-IR have not been defined. We studied the HOMA-IR performance to identify incident T2DM cases and to assess if the thresholds varied according to urbanization and altitude in Peru. Methods. Longitudinal analysis. The outcome was incident T2DM cases: self-report diagnosis and fasting glucose. The exposure was the HOMA-IR. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were plotted, and the area under the ROC curve (AUC) was estimated with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs). Results are presented overall and stratified by study site (Lima, Tumbes, urban Puno, and rural Puno), rurality (urban, semiurban, and rural), and altitude (low and high). Results. A total of 3120 participants (mean age: 55.6 years, 51.2% females) contributed data to this analysis. The median baseline HOMA-IR was 1.7 (IQR 1.0–2.9), with median values ranging from 1.1 in rural Puno to 2.0 in Lima and Tumbes (p<0.001). Overall for incident T2DM, the AUC was 0.69 (95% CI: 0.64–0.74) with an empirical threshold of 2.8 yielding a positive likelihood ratio of 2.30 and a negative one of 0.61; the positive and negative predictive values were 14.6% and 95.7%, respectively. The empirical thresholds varied within the variables of interest, for example, from 0.9 in urban Puno to 2.9 in Lima. Conclusions. Using the HOMA-IR to identify incident T2DM cases seems to yield moderate accuracy. The HOMA-IR could help improve identifying people at high risk of T2DM.
Intramedullary Spinal Cord Metastasis from Renal Cell Carcinoma: A Systematic Review of the Literature
Authors: Weng Yuxiang , Zhan Renya , Shen Jian , Pan Jianwei , Jiang Hao , Huang Kaiyuan , Xu Kangli , Huang Hongguang
Published: December 2018

Intramedullary spinal cord metastases from renal cell carcinomas (RCCs) are rare and can cause serious diagnostic and therapeutic dilemmas. The related reports are very few. This review was aimed to perform an analysis of all reported cases with intramedullary spinal cord metastases from RCCs. In January 2018, we performed a literature search in PubMed database using a combination of the keywords “intramedullary spinal cord metastasis” and “renal cell carcinoma”. In addition, we present the clinical, neuroradiological, and histopathological findings in our patient with an intramedullary metastasis from a RCC. 17 cases were generated in our research. The mean interval from diagnosis of RCC to diagnosis of ISCM was 22 months. The median survival of surgically treated patients was 8.6 months and 8 months in patients who underwent radical surgery. Based on our review, RCCs can invade the medulla of the spinal cord several years after removal of the primary lesion. The prognosis of ISCMs from RCCs was poor. Retrograde passage of tumor cells into the spinal cord from the inferior vena cava via the epidural venous sinuses may have been the pathological mechanism for ISCM in our patient. Radical resection and radiation are effective ways of achieving recovery of neurologic function and improving quality of life. More reports are needed to enable exploration of the mechanisms of metastasis and the optimal forms of therapy.
Association of Urinary Sodium Excretion with Vascular Damage: A Local Kidney Effect, Rather Than a Marker of Generalized Vascular Impairment
Authors: Triantafyllou Areti , Anyfanti Panagiota , Gkaliagkousi Eugenia , Zabulis Xenophon , Vamvakis Anastasios , Gkolias Vasileios , Petidis Konstantinos , Aslanidis Spyros , Douma Stella
Published: December 2018

Evidence suggests that increased salt consumption induces blood pressure- (BP) mediated organ damage, yet it remains unclear whether it reflects a generalized micro- and macrovascular malfunction independent of BP. We studied 197 newly diagnosed and never-treated individuals with hypertension, intermediate hypertensive phenotypes, and normal BP, classified by use of 24-hour ambulatory BP monitoring. Sodium excretion and microalbuminuria were estimated in 24-hour urine samples, dermal capillary density was estimated from capillaroscopy, and arterial stiffness was estimated with pulse wave velocity (PWV) and augmentation index (AIx). Sodium excretion correlated with microalbuminuria (p<0.001) and 24-hour and day- and nighttime systolic BP, but not with office blood pressure, arterial stiffness, or capillary density. In the multivariate analysis, the association with microalbuminuria was maintained (p=0.007). In a population free from the long-standing effects of hypertension, increased salt intake appears to be associated with early signs of vascular kidney damage, rather than a diffuse micro- and macrovascular impairment.
Evolving Controllers for a Transformable Wheel Mobile Robot
Authors: Clark Anthony J. , Cissell Keith A. , Moore Jared M.
Published: December 2018

Unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) are well suited to tasks that are either too dangerous or too monotonous for people. For example, UGVs can traverse arduous terrain in search of disaster victims. However, it is difficult to design these systems so that they perform well in a variety of different environments. In this study, we evolve controllers and physical characteristics of a UGV with transformable wheels to improve its mobility in a simulated environment. The UGV’s mission is to visit a sequence of coordinates while automatically handling obstacles of varying sizes by extending wheel struts radially outward from the center of each wheel. Evolved finite state machines (FSMs) and artificial neural networks (ANNs) are compared, and a set of controller design principles are gathered from analyzing these experiments. Results show similar performance between FSM and ANN controllers but differing strategies. Finally, we show that a UGV’s controller and physical characteristics can be effectively chosen by examining results from evolutionary optimization.
Joint Operating Revenue and Passenger Travel Cost Optimization in Urban Rail Transit
Authors: Li Wenxin , Peng Qiyuan , Li Qinlin , Wen Chao , Zhang Yongxiang , Lessan Javad
Published: December 2018

Urban rail transit (URT) scheduling requires designing efficient timetables that can meet passengers’ expectations about the lower travel cost while attaining revenue management objectives of the train operators. This paper presents a biobjective timetable optimization model that seeks maximizing the operating revenue of the railway company while lowering passengers’ average travel cost. We apply a fuzzy multiobjective optimization and a nondominated sorting genetic algorithm II to solve the optimization problem and characterize the trade-off between the conflicting objective functions under different types of distances. To illustrate the model and solution methodology, the proposed model and solution algorithms are validated against train operation record from a URT line of Chengdu metro in China. The results show that significant improvements can be achieved in terms of the travel cost and revenue return criteria when implementing the solutions obtained by the proposed model.
Fast Consensus Seeking on Networks with Antagonistic Interactions
Authors: Qu Jijun , Ji Zhijian , Lin Chong , Yu Haisheng
Published: December 2018

It is well known that all agents in a multiagent system can asymptotically converge to a common value based on consensus protocols. Besides, the associated convergence rate depends on the magnitude of the smallest nonzero eigenvalue of Laplacian matrix L. In this paper, we introduce a superposition system to superpose to the original system and study how to change the convergence rate without destroying the connectivity of undirected communication graphs. And we find the result if the eigenvector x of eigenvalue λ has two identical entries xi = xj, then the weight and existence of the edge eij do not affect the magnitude of λ, which is the argument of this paper. By taking advantage of the inequality of eigenvalues, conditions are derived to achieve the largest convergence rate with the largest delay margin, and, at the same time, the corresponding topology structure is characterized in detail. In addition, a method of constructing invalid algebraic connectivity weights is proposed to keep the convergence rate unchanged. Finally, simulations are given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the results.
Secretory High-Mobility Group Box 1 Protein Affects Regulatory T Cell Differentiation in Neuroblastoma MicroenvironmentIn Vitro
Authors: Vanichapol Thitinee , Chiangjong Wararat , Panachan Jirawan , Anurathapan Usanarat , Chutipongtanate Somchai , Hongeng Suradej
Published: December 2018

Neuroblastoma (NB) is the most common extracranial tumor of childhood with poor prognosis in a high-risk group. An obstacle in the development of treatment for solid tumors is the immunosuppressive nature of the tumor microenvironment (TME). Regulatory T cells (Tregs) represent a T cell subset with specialized function in immune suppression and maintaining self-tolerance. Tregs resident within the tumor milieu is believed to play an important role in immune escape mechanisms. The role of the NB microenvironment in promoting Treg phenotype has never been elucidated. Herein, we demonstrated that the NB microenvironment promoted T cell activation and one NB cell line, SK-N-SH, manifested an ability to induce Treg differentiation. We identified tumor-derived HMGB1 as a potential protein responsible for Treg phenotype induction. By neutralizing HMGB1, Treg differentiation was abolished. Finally, we adopted a dataset of 498 pediatric NB via the NCBI GEO database, accession GSE49711, to validate clinical relevance of HMGB1 overexpression. Up to 11% of patients had HMGB1-overexpressed tumors. Moreover, this patient subpopulation showed higher risks of tumor progression, relapse, or death. Our findings emphasize the importance of immunological signature of tumor cells for appropriate therapeutic approach. Upregulation of secretory HMGB1 may contribute to suppression of antitumor immunity through induction of Tregs in the NB microenvironment.
Pregnancy in Disability: Community Perceptions and Personal Experiences in a Rural Setting in Ghana
Authors: Akasreku Bridget Dela , Habib Helen , Ankomah Augustine
Published: December 2018

Background. Persons with disabilities (PWDs) generally face strong discrimination and exclusion, especially with regard to their sexual and reproductive health. There is a prevailing social myth in Ghana that women with disabilities are asexual and cannot experience a positive motherhood experience. Although the World Health Organization recommends that research is conducted in this regard, community attitudes towards pregnant women living with disabilities remain largely unexplored. The purpose of this study was to explore community attitudes to pregnancy among women living with disabilities. Methodology. The study design was a mixed method cross-sectional study involving quantitative face-to-face individual interviews with 400 randomly selected community members (both males and females) in three communities in the Adaklu District of Volta Region in Ghana. In addition, in-depth interviews were held with five female PWDs. Simple and multiple logistic regression analysis were used to examine the factors associated with perceptions towards pregnant PWDs. Results. Majority of respondents agreed that pregnant women with disabilities should be kept in special institutions until delivery to prevent transmission of their disability to fetuses of pregnant women without disabilities. People also believed that pregnant PWDs are incapable of a safe motherhood experience. Among the strongly influencing factors for negative attitudes towards pregnancy of PWDs were educational status (p<0.001) and perceptions that the disability is caused by accidents (p<0.001) or spiritual issues (p<0.01). Regarding the relationship between perceived cause of disability and the resultant attitudes, respondents were three times more likely to have negative attitude and perceptions towards pregnant women with disabilities if their causes of disabilities were perceived to be spiritual compared to the cause being medical. Conclusion. Our findings indicate that there are generally negative societal attitudes towards pregnant PWDs. The evidence suggests that a degree of prejudice and misconceptions exists towards the pregnancy of women living with disabilities. Generally, there is a public perception that women living with disabilities cannot have a safe motherhood experience and are capable of transferring their disability to an unborn child of another pregnant woman.
Total HLA Class I Antigen Loss with the Downregulation of Antigen-Processing Machinery Components in Two Newly Established Sarcomatoid Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cell Lines
Authors: Lei Wei-Yi , Hsiung Shih-Chieh , Wen Shao-Hsuan , Hsieh Chin-Hsuan , Chen Chien-Lin , Wallace Christopher Glenn , Chang Chien-Chung , Liao Shuen-Kuei
Published: December 2018

Limited information is currently available concerning HLA class I antigen abnormalities in sarcomatoid hepatocellular carcinoma (sHCC). Here, we have analyzed the growth characteristics and HLA class I antigen status of four sHCC cell lines (sHCC29, sHCC63, sHCC74, and SAR-HCV); the first three were newly established in this study. Among the four, sHCC29 showed the highest growth ratein vitroand tumorigenicity in NOD-SCID mice. Unlike sHCC74 and SAR-HCV, both sHCC29 and sHCC63 had no detectable surface HLA class I antigen expression, alongside undetected intracellularβ2-microglobulin (β2m) and marked HLA class I heavy chain and selective antigen-processing machinery (APM) component downregulation. The loss ofβ2m in sHCC29 and sHCC63 was caused by a >49 kb deletion across theB2Mlocus, while their downregulation of APM components was transcriptional, reversible by IFN-γonly in several components.β2m was also undetected in the primary HCC lesions of the patients involved, indicating itsin vivorelevance. We report for the first time HLA class I antigen loss with underlyingB2Mgene deficiency and APM defects in 50% (2 of 4) of the sHCC cell lines tested. These findings may have implications for a proper design of T cell immunotherapy for the treatment of sHCC patients.
Effect of Dosage of Alkaline Activator on the Properties of Alkali‐Activated Slag Pastes
Authors: Jiao Zhenzhen , Wang Ying , Zheng Wenzhong , Huang Wenxuan
Published: December 2018

This study focused on the engineering properties of alkali‐activated slag (AAS) pastes prepared by mixing an activator consisting of sodium silicate and sodium hydroxide at room temperature. The water‐to‐slag ratio of AAS paste was kept constant at 0.35 by mass. AAS pastes were prepared using the activator with five different silicate moduli of 1, 1.2, 1.4, 1.6, and 1.8 and three different Na2O contents of 6%, 8%, and 10%. The results showed that both the silicate moduli and Na2O contents had significant effects on the engineering properties of AAS pastes. All the AAS pastes exhibited properties such as fast setting, good workability, and high early compressive strength. The final setting time varied from 9 to 36 min, and the fluidity was in the range of 147–226 mm. The 1 d compressive strength of all the AAS pastes, which could be easily achieved, had values above 55 MPa, whereas the highest strength obtained was 102 MPa with the silicate modulus of 1 and Na2O content of 8% at room temperature. The drying shrinkage increased as the silicate modulus increased. Furthermore, the hydration products and microstructures of AAS pastes were explained according to the microanalysis methods.
Dark Matter in the Standard Model Extension with Singlet Quark
Authors: Beylin Vitaly , Kuksa Vladimir
Published: December 2018

We analyze the possibility of hadron Dark Matter carriers consisting of singlet quark and the light standard one. It is shown that stable singlet quarks generate effects of new physics which do not contradict restrictions from precision electroweak data. The neutral and charged pseudoscalar low-lying states are interpreted as the Dark Matter particle and its mass-degenerated partner. We evaluate their masses and lifetime of the charged component and describe the potential asymptotes of low-energy interactions of these particles with nucleons and with each other. Some peculiarities of Sommerfeld enhancement effect in the annihilation process are also discussed.
A More Efficient Fully Homomorphic Encryption Scheme Based on GSW and DM Schemes
Authors: Wang Xun , Luo Tao , Li Jianfeng
Published: December 2018

Achieving both simplicity and efficiency in fully homomorphic encryption (FHE) schemes is important for practical applications. In the simple FHE scheme proposed by Ducas and Micciancio (DM), ciphertexts are refreshed after each homomorphic operation. And ciphertext refreshing has become a major bottleneck for the overall efficiency of the scheme. In this paper, we propose a more efficient FHE scheme with fewer ciphertext refreshings. Based on the DM scheme and another simple FHE scheme proposed by Gentry, Sahai, and Waters (GSW), ciphertext matrix operations and ciphertext vector additions are both applied in our scheme. Compared with the DM scheme, one more homomorphic NOT AND (NAND) operation can be performed on ciphertexts before ciphertext refreshing. Results show that, under the same security parameters, the computational cost of our scheme is obviously lower than that of GSW and DM schemes for a depth-2 binary circuit with NAND gates. And the error rate of our scheme is kept at a sufficiently low level.