bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Stochastic Responses for the Vibro‐Impact System under the Broadband Noise
Authors: Guan S. W. , Ling Q. , Xu M.
Published: January 2019

The stochastic averaging is applied to derive the random responses of the SDOF vibro‐impact system with one‐side wall under additive and multiplicative broadband noise, where the impact is described by the modified Hertzian contact model. Compared with the popular simplified “classical model” (i.e., ), the whole impact process is captured by the modified Hertzian contact model without any assumptions. One example is given to illustrate the proposed technique. The comparison between the analytical results and those from Monte Carlo simulations manifests the accuracy of the proposed technique. It should be pointed out that the technique proposed in this paper is powerful for the cases of weak excitation and big enough bandwidth of the broadband noise. Finally, the influences of various parameters are also discussed in detail.
A Case of Pregnancy Complicated with ATIII Deficiency in a Patient Who Developed Severe Venous Thromboembolism in Her Fourth Pregnancy and Had a Favourable Outcome in Her Subsequent Pregnancy with Careful Management of Anticoagulation Therapy including Edoxaban
Authors: Sakai Mie , Ogura Jumpei , Yamanoi Koji , Hirayama Takahiro , Ohara Tsutomu , Suzuki Haruka , Inayama Yoshihide , Yasumoto Koji , Suginami Koh
Published: January 2019

Congenital ATIII deficiency is one of the congenital thrombophilia diseases that can cause severe venous thromboembolism (VTE) in pregnant patients. A 30-year-old female, 4 gravida and 2 para, came to the emergency department with a complaint of oedema and pain in the left lower leg at 11 weeks of gestation. An inferior vena cava thrombus and pulmonary embolism were found. Because VTE was very severe, artificial abortion was performed, and VTE disappeared rapidly. She maintained oral administration of edoxaban (NOAC) and got pregnant naturally fifty-five weeks later after the abortion. Anticoagulation therapy was changed from NOAC to ATIII formulation and unfractionated heparin at 5 weeks of gestation. The course of pregnancy was good, and a healthy female newborn of 2310 g was delivered vaginally at 37 weeks 6 days of gestation. In puerperium, anticoagulation therapy was changed to warfarin. Currently one and one-half years had passed after delivery and no major adverse events or thrombosis has occurred. This case indicates that severe VTE can develop even in multipara pregnancy and that those who take NOAC may be able to continue pregnancy when they get pregnant.
Evaluation of Calibration Method for Field Application of UAV‐Based Soil Water Content Prediction Equation
Authors: Kim Donggeun , Son Younghwan , Park Jaesung , Kim Taejin , Jeon Jihun
Published: January 2019

The objective of this study is to monitor the water content of soil quickly and accurately using a UAV. Because UAVs have higher spatial and temporal resolution than satellites, they are currently becoming more useful in remote sensing areas. We developed a water content estimation equation using the color of the soil and suggested a calibration method for field application. Since the resolution of the images taken by the UAV is different according to the altitude, the water content estimation formula is developed by using the images taken at each altitude. In order to calibrate the color difference according to lighting conditions, the calibration method using field data were proposed. The results of the study showed an altitude‐specific estimation equation using RGB values of the UAV image through linear regression. The appropriate number of field data needed for calibration for site application of the estimation equation was found between 4 and 10. On‐site application results of the proposed calibration method showed RMSE accuracy of 1.8 to 2.9%. Thus, the water content estimation and calibration method proposed in this study can be used in effectively monitoring the water content of soil using UAVs.
Predicting the Route of the Longest Lifetime and the Data Packet Delivery Time between Two Vehicles in VANET
Authors: Nabil Mohamed , Hajami Abdelmajid , Haqiq Abdelkrim
Published: January 2019

Among the most critical issues in VANET are the frequent failures of the route caused by the high mobility of vehicles, the increase of the network overload caused by control messages, and the increase of the data packet delivery time. Short communication route lifetime often breaks down during data packet transmission between the source and the destination vehicles, which results in a relaunch of a new route reconstruction that becomes more frequent and depletes a significant amount of network resources. To face these issues, much research has considered the route stability and the route lifetime determination between source and destination vehicles as important factors to improve the quality of service in the VANET network. However, this research did not take into account the route that has the longest lifetime as the most stable route and assumes that vehicles move at a constant speed during a direct communication between them. Furthermore, it did not model the data packet delivery time between the source and the destination vehicles. For this reason, we propose two protocols that use vehicles density to predict the data packet delivery time before sending the data and use vehicles movement information to determine the longest lifetime route, taking into account the variation of the vehicles velocity for comfort applications on highway. Our schemes are evaluated in function of vehicles density by measuring the average route lifetime, the percentage of packets delivery, the control overhead, the average end-to-end delay, the throughput, and the average number of route failures generated during the transmission of data packets.
Polymorphisms of ACMSD-TMEM163, MCCC1, and BCKDK-STX1B Are Not Associated with Parkinson’s Disease in Taiwan
Authors: Chang Kuo-Hsuan , Chen Chiung-Mei , Chen Yi-Chun , Fung Hon-Chung , Wu Yih-Ru
Published: January 2019

Previous genome-wide association studies in Caucasian populations suggest that genetic loci in amino acid catabolism may be associated with Parkinson’s disease (PD). However, these genetic disease associations were limitedly reported in Asian populations. Herein, we investigated the effect of top three PD-associated genetic variants related to amino acid catabolism in Caucasians listed on the top risk loci identified by meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies in PDGene database, including aminocarboxymuconate-semialdehyde decarboxylase- (ACMSD-) transmembrane protein 163 (TMEM163) rs6430538, methylcrotonyl-CoA carboxylase 1 (MCCC1) rs12637471, and branched-chain ketoacid dehydrogenase kinase- (BCKDK-) syntaxin 1B (STX1B) rs14235, by genotyping 599 Taiwanese patients with PD and 598 age-matched control subjects. PD patients demonstrate similar allelic and genotypic frequencies in all tested genetic variants. These ethnic discrepancies of genetic variants suggest a distinct genetic background of amino acid catabolism between Taiwanese and Caucasian PD patients.
Ultrasensitive Detection of Pb2+ Based on a DNAzyme and Digital PCR
Authors: Zhang Tao , Liu Cong , Zhou Wuping , Jiang Keming , Yin Chenyu , Liu Cong , Zhang Zhiqiang , Li Haiwen
Published: January 2019

In this study, an ultrasensitive detection method for aqueous Pb2+ based on digital polymerase chain reaction (dPCR) technology and a Pb2+-dependent DNAzyme was developed. In the presence of Pb2+, the Gr-5 DNAzyme was activated and catalyzed the hydrolytic cleavage of the substrate strand, resulting in an increase in the amount of template DNA available for dPCR and a resultant change in the number of droplets showing a positive signal. Moreover, the detection system was found to be sensitive and stable in environmental sample detection. In summary, an ultrasensitive quantitative detection method for Pb2+ within environmental substrates was established.
The Hybrid Method of VMD‐PSR‐SVD and Improved Binary PSO‐KNN for Fault Diagnosis of Bearing
Authors: Fei Sheng-wei
Published: January 2019

Fault diagnosis of bearing based on variational mode decomposition (VMD)‐phase space reconstruction (PSR)‐singular value decomposition (SVD) and improved binary particle swarm optimization (IBPSO)‐K‐nearest neighbor (KNN) which is abbreviated as VPS‐IBPSOKNN is presented in this study, among which VMD‐PSR‐SVD (VPS) is presented to obtain the features of the bearing vibration signal (BVS), and IBPSO is presented to select the parameter K of KNN. In IBPSO, the calculation of the next position of each particle is improved to fit the evolution of the particles. The traditional KNN with different parameter K and trained by the training samples with the features based on VMD‐SVD (VS‐KNN) can be used to compare with the proposed VPS‐IBPSOKNN method. The experimental result demonstrates that fault diagnosis ability of bearing of VPS‐IBPSOKNN is better than that of VS‐KNN, and it can be concluded that fault diagnosis of bearing based on VPS‐IBPSOKNN is effective.
The Numerical Solution of Singularly Perturbed Nonlinear Partial Differential Equations in Three Space Variables: The Adaptive Explicit Inverse Preconditioning Approach
Authors: Lipitakis Anastasia-Dimitra
Published: January 2019

Critical comments on the complexity of computational systems and the basic singularly perturbed (SP) concepts are given. A class of several complex SP nonlinear elliptic equations arising in various branches of science, technology, and engineering is presented. A classification of complex SP nonlinear PDEs with characteristic boundary value problems is described. A modified explicit preconditioned conjugate gradient method based on explicit inverse preconditioners is presented. The numerical solution of a characteristic 3D SP nonlinear parabolic model is analytically given and numerical results for several model problems are presented demonstrating both applicability and efficiency of the new computational methods.
Antibacterial Potential of Aloe weloensis (Aloeacea) Leaf Latex against Gram-Positive and Gram-Negative Bacteria Strains
Authors: Emiru Yohannes Kelifa , Siraj Ebrahim Abdela , Teklehaimanot Tekleab Teka , Amare Gedefaw Getnet
Published: January 2019

Objective. To evaluate the antibacterial effects of the leaf latex of Aloe weloensis against infectious bacterial strains. Methods. The leaf latex of A. weloensis at different concentrations (400, 500, and 600 mg/ml) was evaluated for antibacterial activities using the disc diffusion method against some Gram-negative species such as Escherichia coli (ATCC 14700) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 35619) and Gram-positive such as Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 50080) and Enterococcus fecalis (ATCC 4623). Results. The tested concentrations of the latex ranging between 400 and 600 mg·mL−1 showed significant antibacterial activity against bacterial strain. The highest dose (600 mg/ml) of A. weloensis leaf latex revealed the maximum activity (25.93 ± 0.066 inhibition zone) followed by the dose 500 mg/ml against S. aureus. The lowest antibacterial activity was observed by the concentration 400 mg/ml (5.03 ± 0.03) against E. coli. Conclusion. The results of the present investigation suggest that the leaf latex of A. weloensis can be used as potential leads to discover new drugs to control some bacterial infections.
Automated Pulmonary Nodule Classification in Computed Tomography Images Using a Deep Convolutional Neural Network Trained by Generative Adversarial Networks
Authors: Onishi Yuya , Teramoto Atsushi , Tsujimoto Masakazu , Tsukamoto Tetsuya , Saito Kuniaki , Toyama Hiroshi , Imaizumi Kazuyoshi , Fujita Hiroshi
Published: January 2019

Lung cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide. Although computed tomography (CT) examinations are frequently used for lung cancer diagnosis, it can be difficult to distinguish between benign and malignant pulmonary nodules on the basis of CT images alone. Therefore, a bronchoscopic biopsy may be conducted if malignancy is suspected following CT examinations. However, biopsies are highly invasive, and patients with benign nodules may undergo many unnecessary biopsies. To prevent this, an imaging diagnosis with high classification accuracy is essential. In this study, we investigate the automated classification of pulmonary nodules in CT images using a deep convolutional neural network (DCNN). We use generative adversarial networks (GANs) to generate additional images when only small amounts of data are available, which is a common problem in medical research, and evaluate whether the classification accuracy is improved by generating a large amount of new pulmonary nodule images using the GAN. Using the proposed method, CT images of 60 cases with confirmed pathological diagnosis by biopsy are analyzed. The benign nodules assessed in this study are difficult for radiologists to differentiate because they cannot be rejected as being malignant. A volume of interest centered on the pulmonary nodule is extracted from the CT images, and further images are created using axial sections and augmented data. The DCNN is trained using nodule images generated by the GAN and then fine-tuned using the actual nodule images to allow the DCNN to distinguish between benign and malignant nodules. This pretraining and fine-tuning process makes it possible to distinguish 66.7% of benign nodules and 93.9% of malignant nodules. These results indicate that the proposed method improves the classification accuracy by approximately 20% in comparison with training using only the original images.
Thermodynamic Stability Areas of Polyvanadates of Alkaline Earth Metals
Authors: Povar Igor , Zinicovscaia Inga , Spinu Oxana , Pintilie Boris
Published: January 2019

A thermodynamic method of the global Gibbs energy variation calculation for describing heterogeneous equilibria of transformations of calcium, strontium, and barium polyvanadates, that occur in systems MeO-V2O5-H2O, where Me is the alkaline earth element, has been developed and used. Its quintessence consists in the thermodynamic analysis of the real conditions of various processes on the basis of their total thermodynamic characteristics. On the basis of the selected thermodynamic data for involved species, the thermodynamic stability areas of solid polyvanadates towards the solution pH and vanadium and alkaline earth metal ion concentrations in heterogeneous mixtures have been established, taking into account the complex formation reactions in multicomponent heterogeneous systems. The existing experimental data confirm the results on the thermodynamic stability of polyvanadates obtained in this paper.
Total Phenolic Content and Antioxidant and Antibacterial Activities of Pereskia bleo
Authors: Johari Mas Athira , Khong Heng Yen
Published: January 2019

Different solvent extracts of Pereskia bleo leaves were evaluated for total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant activities based on the Folin–Ciocalteu test and DPPH scavenging activities. The antibacterial activities against four bacteria, namely, Gram-positive bacteria: Streptococcus pyogenes ATCC 19615 (SP) and Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29737 (SA) and Gram-negative bacteria: Escherichia coli ATCC 10536 (EC) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 9027 (PA), were also performed based on the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) assays. The findings demonstrated that both the methanolic and chloroform extracts displayed strong activities against SA, SP, EC, and PA while the hexane extract demonstrated the weakest activities towards all the four bacteria. The methanolic extract also exhibited higher TPC and possessed higher antioxidant activity with the IC50 value 33.83 µg/mL compared to the chloroform and hexane extracts. As such, the methanolic extract has a higher ability to scavenge free radical compared to other extracts. Due to the interesting result, activities are shown by the methanolic and chloroform crude extracts of P. bleo; hence, the study has been extended to the isolation of bioactive compounds to uncover its great potential as a natural source for antibacterial and antioxidant agents.
The Nehari Manifold for a Fractional p-Kirchhoff System Involving Sign-Changing Weight Function and Concave-Convex Nonlinearities
Authors: Zuo Jiabin , An Tianqing , Yang Libo , Ren Xiangsheng
Published: January 2019

In this paper, we are concerned with the following fractional p-Kirchhoff system with sign-changing nonlinearities: M(∫R2nux-uyp/x-yn+psdxdy)-Δpsu=λa(x)uq-2u+α/(α+β)f(x)uα-2uvβ,  in  Ω, M(∫R2n|v(x)-v(y)|p/|x-y|n+psdxdy)-Δpsv=μb(x)vq-2v+(β/α+β)f(x)uαvβ-2v,  in  Ω, and u=v=0,  in  Rn∖Ω, where Ω is a smooth bounded domain in Rn, n>ps, s∈(0,1), λ, μ are two real parameters, 1<q
0, l>0, h≥1,a(x),b(x)∈L(α+β)/(α+β-q)(Ω) are sign changing and either a±=max⁡{±a,0}≢0 or b±=max⁡{±b,0}≢0, f∈L(Ω¯) with f∞=1, and f≥0. Using Nehari manifold method, we prove that the system has at least two solutions with respect to the pair of parameters (λ,μ).
Pediatrics Ewing’s Sarcoma of the Sinonasal Tract: A Case Report and Literature Review
Authors: Aldandan Ahmed , Almomen Ali ‎ , Alkhatib Abdulrahman , Alazzeh Ghaleb
Published: January 2019

Ewing’s sarcoma (ES) is a highly malignant, small, round cell tumor that originates from the primitive neuroectodermal cells. Primary ES commonly occurs in early childhood or adolescence. It may present with skeletal and extraskeletal forms. The extraskeletal form is rarely encountered in the head and neck region and is extremely rare in the sinonasal tract. This is a case report of sinonasal ES in a 13-year-old female patient who presented with a 7-month history of right nasal obstruction, anosmia, intermittent epistaxis, snoring, and hearing loss. Clinical examination revealed a right nasal mass pushing the septum to the left side and extending to the nasopharynx. Endoscopic biopsy and histopathological analysis showed a small blue cell tumor suggestive of ES. The patient was treated with surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. After a follow-up of 5 years, the patient remains recurrence-free with excellent functional status and quality of life.
Effect of Temperature and Capping Agents on Structural and Optical Properties of Tin Sulphide Nanocrystals
Authors: Oluwalana Abimbola E. , Ajibade Peter A.
Published: January 2019

SnS nanocrystals were synthesized using bis(phenylpiperazine dithiocarbamate)tin(II) in oleic acid (OA) and octadecylamine (ODA) at three different temperatures (150, 190, and 230°C). XRD diffraction pattern confirms that OASnS and ODASnS nanoparticles are in the orthorhombic phase and the type of capping agent used affects the crystallinity. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images shows spherically shaped nanocrystals for oleic acid capped SnS (OASnS) while octadecylamine (ODASnS) are cubic. Monodispersed SnS of size range 10.67–17.74 nm was obtained at 150°C for OASnS while the biggest-sized nanocrystals were obtained at 230°C for ODASnS. Temperature and capping agents tuned the crystallite sizes and shapes of the as-prepared nanocrystals. Electron dispersive X-ray spectroscopy indicates the formation of tin sulphide with the presence of Sn and S peaks in the nanocrystals. Flowery and agglomerated spherical-like morphology were observed for ODASnS and OASnS nanocrystals, respectively, using a SEM (scanning electron microscope). Direct electronic band gaps of the synthesized SnS nanocrystals are 1.71–1.95 eV and 1.93–2.81 eV for OASnS and ODASnS nanocrystals, respectively.
On the Nature of Interplay among Major Flexibility Channels in Molecular Rotors
Authors: Abdel-Mottaleb M. S. A.
Published: January 2019

As a part of our interest in the excited-state dynamics of flexible materials, we have undertaken a theoretical investigation to the photo-induced reactions of 2-[4-(dimethylamino)benzylidene]malononitrile (BMN) by a combination of the density functional theory, its extended time-dependent (TD-DFT) single reference, and ab initio molecular dynamic (MD) simulations. The results showed that double-bond twisting and the neighbor single-bond twisting togetherness in the excited singlet state is the most important nonradiative deactivation channel to the ground state. Double- and single-bond twisting insert clear intersections among the potential energy surfaces of the singlet states (especially S1/S0) leading to fluorescence quenching. Furthermore, effects of molecular dynamic simulations on molecular properties in the femtosecond to picosecond time domain are studied to validate the results. In agreement with the experimental results, the findings conclude the existence of a flexible geometry-dependent single emission band. Such a study may give information on how the molecule could be externally modified/fixed to yield a desired effect, i.e., more fluorescence or more nonradiative decay.
Placental Expression of NEMO Protein in Normal Pregnancy and Preeclampsia
Authors: Sakowicz Agata , Lisowska Michalina , Biesiada Lidia , Płuciennik Elżbieta , Gach Agnieszka , Rybak-Krzyszkowska Magda , Huras Hubert , Sakowicz Bartosz , Romanowicz Hanna , Piastowska-Ciesielska Agnieszka W. , Grzesiak Mariusz , Pietrucha Tadeusz
Published: January 2019

Background. Preeclamptic pregnancies often present an intensified inflammatory state associated with the nuclear activity of NFκB. NEMO is an essential regulator of nuclear factor kappa B (NFκB) in cytoplasmic and nuclear cellular compartments. The aim of the present study is to examine the level and localization of the NEMO protein in preeclamptic and nonpreeclamptic placentas. Methods. The study includes 97 preeclamptic cases and 88 controls. NEMO distribution was analyzed immunohistochemically. Its localization in the nuclear and cytoplasmic fractions, as well as in total homogenates of placental samples, was studied by western blot and ELISA. Results. The western blot and ELISA results indicate a significant difference in NEMO concentration in the total and nuclear fractions between preeclamptic and control samples (p<0.01 and p<0.001, respectively). In the cytoplasmic complement, similar levels of NEMO were found in preeclamptic and control placentas. In addition, immunohistochemical staining revealed that the NEMO protein is mainly localized in the syncytiotrophoblast layer, with controls demonstrating a stronger reaction with NEMO antibodies. This study also shows that the placental level of NEMO depends on the sex of the fetus. Conclusions. The depletion of the NEMO protein in the cellular compartments of placental samples may activate one of the molecular pathways influencing the development of preeclampsia, especially in pregnancies with a female fetus. A reduction of the NEMO protein in the nuclear fraction of preeclamptic placentas may intensify the inflammatory state characteristic for preeclampsia and increase the level of apoptosis and necrosis within preeclamptic placentas.
Mechanical Characterization of Reduced Graphene Oxide Using AFM
Authors: Teklu Alem , Barry Canyon , Palumbo Matthew , Weiwadel Collin , Kuthirummal Narayanan , Flagg Jason
Published: January 2019

Nanoindentation coupled with Atomic Force Microscopy was used to study stiffness, hardness, and the reduced Young’s modulus of reduced graphene oxide. Oxygen reduction on the graphene oxide sample was performed via LightScribe DVD burner reduction, a cost-effective approach with potential for large scale graphene production. The reduction of oxygen in the graphene oxide sample was estimated to about 10 percent using FTIR spectroscopic analysis. Images of the various samples were captured after each reduction cycle using Atomic Force Microscopy. Elastic and spectroscopic analyses were performed on the samples after each oxygen reduction cycle in the LightScribe, thus allowing for a comparison of stiffness, hardness, and the reduced Young’s modulus based on the number of reduction cycles. The highest values obtained were after the fifth and final reduction cycle, yielding a stiffness of 22.4 N/m, a hardness of 0.55 GPa, and a reduced Young’s modulus of 1.62 GPa as compared to a stiffness of 22.8 N/m, a hardness of 0.58 GPa, and a reduced Young’s modulus of 1.84 GPa for a commercially purchased graphene film made by CVD. This data was then compared to the expected values of pristine single layer graphene. Furthermore, two RC circuits were built, one using a parallel plate capacitors made of light scribed graphene on a kapton substrate (LSGC) and a second one using a CVD deposited graphene on aluminum (CVDGC). Their RC time constants and surface charge densities were compared.
Incoming Work-In-Progress Prediction in Semiconductor Fabrication Foundry Using Long Short-Term Memory
Authors: Tin Tze Chiang , Chiew Kang Leng , Phang Siew Chee , Sze San Nah , Tan Pei San
Published: January 2019

Preventive maintenance activities require a tool to be offline for long hour in order to perform the prescribed maintenance activities. Although preventive maintenance is crucial to ensure operational reliability and efficiency of the tool, long hour of preventive maintenance activities increases the cycle time of the semiconductor fabrication foundry (Fab). Therefore, this activity is usually performed when the incoming Work-in-Progress to the equipment is forecasted to be low. The current statistical forecasting approach has low accuracy because it lacks the ability to capture the time-dependent behavior of the Work-in-Progress. In this paper, we present a forecasting model that utilizes machine learning method to forecast the incoming Work-In-Progress. Specifically, our proposed model uses LSTM to forecast multistep ahead incoming Work-in-Progress prediction to an equipment group. The proposed model's prediction results were compared with the results of the current statistical forecasting method of the Fab. The experimental results demonstrated that the proposed model performed better than the statistical forecasting method in both hit rate and Pearson’s correlation coefficient, r.
Neuropathic Pain Prevalence of Older Adults in an Urban Area of Iran: A Population-Based Study
Authors: Salman Roghani Reza , Delbari Ahmad , Asadi-Lari Mohsen , Rashedi Vahid , Lökk Johan
Published: January 2019

Background. Pain prevalence would increase as the population grows older, but the exact prevalence rate is not apparent in Iran. Objectives. This study, therefore, set out to reveal the prevalence of pain, especially neuropathic type and explore its associated comorbidities among Iranian older adults in a large urban population-based survey. Methods. 5326 older people, aged ≥ 60 years, were randomly chosen by a multistage, cluster sampling method. The selected people then were interviewed by using the following instruments: a standard questionnaire about pain, questions of interview part of Douleur Neuropathique 4 Questions (DN4) and its comorbidities, GHQ-28, and a sociodemographic checklist. Descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis were conducted to analyze the gathered data. Results. The average of the participants’ age was 68.92 ± 7.02 years. Of 5326 participants, 2529 (47.5%) of participants were male. About one-third of this population had chronic pain. Chronic neuropathic pain prevalence was 13.7% and nociceptive in 30%. Knee pain (20.6%) and feet dysesthesia (7.8%) were the most common sites of nociceptive and neuropathic pain, respectively. Results of multiple regression analysis revealed that the major comorbidities of chronic pain were osteoporosis, disability, diabetes mellitus, and stroke. Neuropathic pain experiences were significantly associated with GHQ-28 scores (t=-11.42, P<0.001). Conclusions. In addition to neuropathic pain, other subtypes of pain prevalence and the comorbidities are determined in the community-dwelling elder adults. This study highlights the importance of neuropathic pain and its adverse consequences and can be used to manage this populations’ needs in Iran effectively.
Batching Location Cloaking Techniques for Location Privacy and Safety Protection
Authors: Galdames Patricio , Gutierrez-Soto Claudio , Curiel Arturo
Published: January 2019

Location-based services (LBSs) have become a profitable market because they offer real-time and local information to their users. Although several benefits are obtained from the usage of LBSs, they have opened up many privacy and safety challenges because a user needs to release his/her location. To tackle these challenges, many location-cloaking techniques have been proposed. Even though these solutions are effective in protecting either location privacy or location safety, they do not provide unified protection. Furthermore, most of them do not address the potential bottleneck in the anonymity server as a high demand of location and safety protection is requested. Finally, they do not take into account the potential impact of processing a large amount of location-cloaked queries. This paper deals with the efficient construction of location-cloaking areas for many users, who have both privacy and safety requirements. To achieve this goal, the construction of location-cloaking areas is carried out in batches. The LBSs’ batch processing takes advantage of users who are close to each other and who have similar requirements. Two batching techniques to build cloaking regions are analyzed using simulations. Empirical results show our techniques are able to balance the anonymizer workload, quality of location privacy and safety protection, and LBS workload.
A Case Report of Successful Conservative Treatment for Infective Endocarditis Caused byGemella sanguinis
Authors: Emmanouilidou Georgia , Voukelatou Panagiota , Vrettos Ioannis , Aftzi Vasileia , Dodos Konstantinos , Koumpouli Despoina , Avgeropoulos George , Kalliakmanis Andreas
Published: January 2019

Infective endocarditis is defined as an infection of a native or prosthetic heart valve, the endocardial surface of the heart, or an indwelling cardiac device. Among the miscellaneous emerging opportunistic bacteria that can cause infective endocarditis isGemella sanguinisthat has been reported as a cause of infective endocarditis in nine cases in the past. All of the survivors received antimicrobial therapy and underwent prosthetic valve replacement surgery while, in general, a proportion of 40–50% of the patients with infective endocarditis underwent valve surgery. Our case illustrates that valve surgery, in combination with the administration of antibiotics, is not the only therapeutic option for infective endocarditis due toGemella sanguinisand that a conservative management with prolonged administration of parenteral antibiotics under close supervision of the patient can be an option.
Effect of Aging Treatment on Intergranular Corrosion Properties of Ultra-Low Iron 625 Alloy
Authors: Zhu Zhi-yuan , Sui Yi , Dai An-lun , Cai Yuan-fei , Xu Ling-Li , Wang Ze-xin , Chen Hong-mei , Shao Xing-ming , Liu Wei
Published: January 2019

The microstructures evolution of precipitations for an ultra-low iron Alloy 625 subjected to long term aging treatment at 750°C was investigated using scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The intergranular corrosion behaviors of Alloy 625 were evaluated by using ASTM G28A. The result shows that the precipitated phase γ′′-Ni3Nb was mainly precipitated at the grain boundaries and twin boundaries. The number and volume fraction of γ′′ increased with the prolonging of aging time. The transformation of γ′′ to δ-Ni3Nb occurred after aging periods of 200 h. The corrosion resistance of Alloy 625 was significantly reduced during aging treatment. The decrease in intergranular corrosion resistance of Alloy 625 was attributed to the dissolution of precipitated phase and chromium depleted zone. The mass loss rate of Alloy 625 after aging treatment is related to the volume of precipitated phase and can be simulated by Johnson-Mehl-Avrami equation.
The Interaction between Coffee: Caffeine Consumption, UCP2 Gene Variation, and Adiposity in Adults—A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Muhammad Harry Freitag Luglio , Sulistyoningrum Dian Caturini , Huriyati Emy , Lee Yi Yi , Manan Wan Muda Wan Abdul
Published: January 2019

Background. Coffee is suggested as an alternative option for weight loss but the relationship between coffee consumption and adiposity in population-based studies is still controversial. Therefore, this study was aimed at evaluating the relationship between coffee intake and adiposity in adults and to test whether uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2) gene variation was able to affect this relationship. Methods. This was a cross-sectional study conducted in male and female adults living in the urban area of Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Adiposity was determined based on body weight, body mass index (BMI), percent body fat, and waist and hip circumference. Data on coffee consumption and other dietary components were collected using a semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire along with other caffeine-containing beverages such as tea, chocolate, and other beverages. The −866 G/A UCP2 gene variation was analyzed using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. The correlation between coffee intake and adiposity was tested using linear regression test with adjustment for sex, age, energy intake, table sugar intake, and total caffeine intake. Results. In all subjects, coffee intake was inversely correlated with body weight (β = −0.122, p=0.028), BMI (β = −0.157, p=0.005), and body fat (β = −0.135, p=0.009). In subjects with AA + GA genotypes, coffee intake was inversely correlated with body weight (β = −0.155, p=0.027), BMI (β = −0.179, p=0.010), and body fat (β = −0.148, p=0.021). By contrast, in subjects with GG genotype, coffee intake was not correlated with body weight (β = −0.017, p=0.822), BMI (β = −0.068, p=0.377), and body fat (β = −0.047, p=0.504). Conclusion. We showed that coffee intake was negatively correlated with adiposity, and this was independent of total caffeine intake. Additionally, we showed that the −866 G/A UCP2 gene variation influences the relationship between coffee intake and adiposity.
Evaluating Dose- and Time-Dependent Effects of Vitamin C Treatment on a Parkinson’s Disease Fly Model
Authors: Man Anh Huynh , Linh Dao My , My Dung Vuu , Thi Phuong Thao Dang
Published: January 2019

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disorder and characterized by progressive locomotive defects and loss of dopaminergic neurons (DA neuron). Currently, there is no potent therapy to cure PD, and the medications merely support to control the symptoms. It is difficult to develop an effective treatment, since the PD onset mechanism of PD is still unclear. Oxidative stress is considered as a major cause of neurodegenerative diseases, and there is increasing evidence for the association between PD and oxidative stress. Therefore, antioxidant treatment may be a promising therapy for PD. Drosophila with knockdown of dUCH, a homolog of UCH-L1 which is a PD-related gene, exhibited PD-like phenotypes including progressive locomotive impairments and DA neuron degeneration. Moreover, knockdown of dUCH led to elevated level of ROS. Thus, dUCH knockdown flies can be used as a model for screening of potential antioxidants for treating PD. Previous studies demonstrated that curcumin at 1 mM and vitamin C at 0.5 mM could improve PD-like phenotypes induced by this knockdown. With the purpose of further investigating the efficiency of vitamin C in PD treatment, we used dUCH knockdown Drosophila model to examine the dose- and time-dependent effects of vitamin C on PD-like phenotypes. The results showed that although vitamin C exerted neuroprotective effects, high doses of vitamin C and long-term treatment with this antioxidant also resulted in side effects on physiology. It is suggested that dose-dependent effects of vitamin C should be considered when used for treating PD.
Therapeutic Targeting of the Proinflammatory IL-6-JAK/STAT Signalling Pathways Responsible for Vascular Restenosis in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
Authors: Moshapa Florah Tshepo , Riches-Suman Kirsten , Palmer Timothy Martin
Published: January 2019

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is increasing worldwide, and it is associated with increased risk of coronary artery disease (CAD). For T2DM patients, the main surgical intervention for CAD is autologous saphenous vein grafting. However, T2DM patients have increased risk of saphenous vein graft failure (SVGF). While the mechanisms underlying increased risk of vascular disease in T2DM are not fully understood, hyperglycaemia, insulin resistance, and hyperinsulinaemia have been shown to contribute to microvascular damage, whereas clinical trials have reported limited effects of intensive glycaemic control in the management of macrovascular complications. This suggests that factors other than glucose exposure may be responsible for the macrovascular complications observed in T2DM. SVGF is characterised by neointimal hyperplasia (NIH) arising from endothelial cell (EC) dysfunction and uncontrolled migration and proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs). This is driven in part by proinflammatory cytokines released from the activated ECs and SMCs, particularly interleukin 6 (IL-6). IL-6 stimulation of the Janus kinase (JAK)/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT) pathway is a key mechanism through which EC inflammation, SMC migration, and proliferation are controlled and whose activation might therefore be enhanced in patients with T2DM. In this review, we investigate how proinflammatory cytokines, particularly IL-6, contribute to vascular damage resulting in SVGF and how suppression of proinflammatory cytokine responses via targeting the JAK/STAT pathway could be exploited as a potential therapeutic strategy. These include the targeting of suppressor of cytokine signalling (SOCS3), which appears to play a key role in suppressing unwanted vascular inflammation, SMC migration, and proliferation.
Diferencias en la percepción de violencia en niñas y niños de escuelas municipales, y su asociación con actitudes parentales
Authors: Vásquez Nicole , Gallego Francisco , Bedregal Paula
Published: January 2019

Introducción: La violencia es un problema de salud mental que se ha abordado poco en escolares respecto a sus diferencias por sexo. En particular, la percepción de violencia por escolares es de importancia para el diseño de intervenciones comunitarias en salud mental. Objetivo: Analizar las diferencias en la magnitud de la percepción de violencia según contexto y tipo de exposición por sexo y la asociación con actitudes parentales percibidas por estudiantes de básica de colegios municipales chilenos. Método: Se realizó un diseño transversal en 6879 escolares (45,5% hombres) de 4-6° básico de escuelas municipales de seis comunas de Chile. Se aplicó un cuestionario que incluyó variables sociodemográficas, la percepción de violencia en el hogar, barrio y colegio (observada y personalmente vivenciada); y actitudes parentales. Se analizaron puntajes y asociación de variables, y además, se realizó análisis de regresión. Resultados: El lugar de mayor percepción de violencia por escolares de ambos sexos es en el colegio. En todos los contextos y tipos de exposición los hombres perciben más violencia que las mujeres (p<0,001). Las mujeres perciben mejores actitudes parentales que los hombres (p<0,05). Se encontraron correlaciones negativas significativas entre percepción de violencia y algunas actitudes parentales como: apoyo emocional otorgado, preocupación por la escuela y por otros aspectos de la vida.  Conclusión: La alta frecuencia de percepción de violencia en diversos contextos y las diferencias por sexo encontradas nos abre a una reflexión en perspectiva de género, fundamental para la política pública.
The Prognostic Value and Regulatory Mechanisms of microRNA-145 in Various Tumors: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of 50 Studies
Authors: Xu Liangliang , Zhang Yanfang , Tang Jianwei , Wang Peng , Li Lian , Yan Xiaokai , Zheng Xiaobo , Ren Shengsheng , Zhang Ming , Xu Mingqing
Published: January 2019

Acting as an important tumor-related miRNA, the clinical significance and underlying mechanisms of miR-145 in various malignant tumors have been investigated by numerous studies. This study aimed to comprehensively estimate the prognostic value and systematically illustrate the regulatory mechanisms of miR-145 based on all eligible literature.

Relevant studies were acquired from multiple online databases. Overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were used as primary endpoints. Detailed subgroup analyses were performed to decrease the heterogeneity among studies and recognize the prognostic value of miR-145. All statistical analyses were performed with RevMan software version 5.3 and STATA software version 14.1. A total of 48 articles containing 50 studies were included in the meta-analysis. For OS, the pooled results showed that low miR-145 expression in tumor tissues was significantly associated with worse OS in patients with various tumors [HR = 1.70; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.46–1.99; P < 0.001). Subgroup analysis based on tumor type showed that the downregulation of miR-145 was associated with unfavorable OS in colorectal cancer (HR = 2.17; 95% CI, 1.52–3.08; P < 0.001), ovarian cancer (HR = 2.15; 95% CI, 1.29–3.59; P = 0.003), gastric cancer (HR = 1.78; 95% CI, 1.35–2.36; P < 0.001), glioma (HR = 1.65; 95% CI, 1.30–2.10; P < 0.001), and osteosarcoma (HR = 2.28; 95% CI, 1.50–3.47; P < 0.001). For PFS, the pooled results also showed that the downregulation of miR-145 was significantly associated with poor PFS in patients with multiple tumors (HR = 1.39; 95% CI, 1.16–1.67; P < 0.001), and the subgroup analyses further identified that the low miR-145 expression was associated with worse PFS in patients with lung cancer (HR = 1.97; 95% CI, 1.25–3.09; P = 0.003) and those of Asian descent (HR = 1.50; 95% CI, 1.23–1.82; P < 0.001). For the regulatory mechanisms, we observed that numerous tumor-related transcripts could be targeted by miR-145-5p or miR-145-3p, as well as the expression and function of miR-145-5p could be regulated by multiple molecules.

This meta-analysis indicated that downregulated miR-145 in tumor tissues or peripheral blood predicted unfavorable prognostic outcomes for patients suffering from various malignant tumors. In addition, miR-145 was involved in multiple tumor-related pathways and the functioning of significant biological effects. miR-145 is a well-demonstrated tumor suppressor, and its expression level is significantly correlated with the prognosis of patients with multiple malignant tumors.
Conscientiousness Is Associated with Lower Risk of Dementia among Black and White Older Adults
Authors: Kaup Allison R. , Harmell Alexandrea L. , Yaffe Kristine
Published: January 2019

Background: While some personality traits may reduce risk of dementia, this is controversial and has not been studied as much among diverse populations. We examined associations between 2 traits – Conscientiousness and Openness to Experience – and risk of dementia among black and white older adults. Methods: We studied 875 older adults (ages 71–82, 47% black) without prevalent dementia from the Health, Aging and Body Composition study, who completed the NEO Five-Factor Inventory for Conscientiousness and Openness to Experience. Incident dementia over 8 years (mean = 6.9 years) was determined by hospital records, medications, or ≥1.5 SD race-specific decline on the Modified Mini-Mental State Examination. In adjusted models, we investigated associations between each trait and risk of dementia, including for race interactions. Results: Associations between personality traits and dementia risk did not differ by race (interactions: p > 0.7). Higher Conscientiousness was associated with lower dementia risk (adjusted HR per 1SD = 0.78; 95% CI 0.65–0.94). There was no association for Openness to Experience (adjusted HR per 1SD = 0.88; 95% CI 0.71–1.08). Conclusions: Higher Conscientiousness is associated with lower dementia risk, even among diverse populations. Higher Conscientiousness may be protective, or lower Conscientiousness may be an early symptom of neurodegenerative disease.
Ten-Year Comparison Study of Type 1 and 2 Endometrial Cancers: Risk Factors and Outcomes
Authors: Feinberg Jacqueline , Albright Benjamin , Black Jonathan , Lu Lingeng , Passarelli Rachel , Gysler Stefan , Whicker Margaret , Altwerger Gary , Menderes Gulden , Hui Pei , Santin Alessandro D. , Azodi Masoud , Silasi Dan-Arin , Ratner Elena S. , Litkouhi Babak , Schwartz Peter E.
Published: January 2019

Aims: To compare baseline risk factors for type 1 vs. 2 endometrial cancers and analyze these risk factors for association with overall survival and time to recurrence. Methods: Retrospective review of 816 consecutive endometrial cancer cases was conducted with diagnosis from January 2005 to December 2010 and clinical course until 2016. Risk factors, treatment, recurrence, and death were compared using 2 sample t tests, χ2 test and Cox Regression models. Results: There were 550 cases of type 1 and 266 cases of type 2 cancer. Patients with type 2 disease were older (p < 0.001), less obese (p = 0.03), non-white (p < 0.001), and menopausal (p = 0.02). There was no difference in use of oral contraceptives, hormone replacement therapy (HRT), smoking, or major cardiovascular disease. Cox Regression models showed that type 2 disease (p < 0.001) and advanced stage (p = 0.001) were associated with recurrence. Conclusions: Consistent with previous literature, our analysis found that type 2 cancer is more common in non-white, older, and less obese patients and associated with higher mortality and recurrence. However, inconsistent with previous literature, we found no association between type 2 cancer and diabetes mellitus or use of HRT. These factors should be considered when approaching patients with endometrial cancer.
Could there be Haemodynamic Stress Effects on Pro-Inflammatory CD14+CD16+ Monocytes during Convective-Diffusive Treatments? A Prospective Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Bolasco Piergiorgio , Spiga Pierluigi , Arras Marcella , Murtas Stefano , La Nasa Giorgio
Published: January 2019

Background: The main aim is to compare the pro-inflammatory CD14+CD16+ monocytes blood levels in patient in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) undergoing Mixed online Haemodiafiltration (Mixed OL-HDF) vs. post-dilution OL-HDF and online high-efficiency haemodialysis. Methods: The study is a prospective double-blind randomized controlled cross-over trial. Dialysis monitor, membrane, duration and dialytic adequacy, volume ultrapure dialysate/infusion were the same in all treatments. Monocyte CD14+CD16+, CD14-CD16+, IL-2R, TNFα, IL-1β, IL-8, IL-6, IL-10, β2-microglobulin outcome were measured. Results: Mixed OL-HDF showed a less expression on the activated monocytes CD14+CD16+, CD14-CD16+ (–15.5%). There was no difference between cytokines and high sensitivity C-reactive protein and in other haemato-chemical inflammatory parameters except a significative decrease of TNF-α during Mixed OL-HDF. Conclusion: We found that Mixed OL-HDF could inhibit the CD14+CD16+ peripheral blood lymphocytes related to a less hemorheology stress inside capillary dialysis filter but in this study there is not still ascertainable its superiority compared to post OL-HDF and post OL-HEH.