bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Novel Method of the Generalized Interval-Valued Fuzzy Rough Approximation Operators
Authors: Xue Tianyu , Xue Zhan’ao , Cheng Huiru , Liu Jie , Zhu Tailong
Published: August 2014

Rough set theory is a suitable tool for dealing with the imprecision, uncertainty, incompleteness, and vagueness of knowledge. In this paper, new lower and upper approximation operators for generalized fuzzy rough sets are constructed, and their definitions are expanded to the interval-valued environment. Furthermore, the properties of this type of rough sets are analyzed. These operators are shown to be equivalent to the generalized interval fuzzy rough approximation operators introduced by Dubois, which are determined by any interval-valued fuzzy binary relation expressed in a generalized approximation space. Main properties of these operators are discussed under different interval-valued fuzzy binary relations, and the illustrative examples are given to demonstrate the main features of the proposed operators.
Effects of Dipeptidyl Peptidase-4 Inhibition with MK-0431 on Syngeneic Mouse Islet Transplantation
Authors: Juang Jyuhn-Huarng , Kuo Chien-Hung , Liu Ying-Hsiu , Chang Han-Ying , Chen Chiung-Tong
Published: August 2014

Dipeptidyl peptidase (DPP)-4 inhibitors increase circulating levels of glucagon-like peptide-1 and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide which may promoteβ-cell proliferation and survival. This study tested if DPP-4 inhibition with MK-0431 is beneficial for diabetic mice syngeneically transplanted with a marginal number of islets. We syngeneically transplanted 150 C57BL/6 mouse islets under the kidney capsule of each streptozotocin-diabetic mouse and then treated recipients with(n=21)or without(n=17)MK-0431 (30 mg/kg/day, po) for 6 weeks. After islet transplantation, blood glucose levels decreased in both MK-0431-treated and control groups. However, the blood glucose and area under the curve of the intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test at 2, 4, and 6 weeks were not significantly different between MK-0431-treated mice and controls. During 6 weeks, both groups exhibited increased body weights over time. However, the weight between two groups did not differ throughout the study period. At 6 weeks after transplantation, the graft beta-cell mass (0.024 ± 0.005 versus 0.023 ± 0.007 mg,P=0.8793) and insulin content (140 ± 48 versus 231 ± 63 ng,P=0.2939) were comparable in the MK-0431-treated group and controls. Our results indicate posttransplant DPP-4 inhibition with MK-0431 in the diabetic recipient with a marginal number of islets is not beneficial to transplantation outcome or islet grafts.
Baphia nitida Leaves Extract as a Green Corrosion Inhibitor for the Corrosion of Mild Steel in Acidic Media
Authors: Njoku V. O. , Oguzie E. E. , Obi C. , Ayuk A. A.
Published: August 2014

The inhibiting effect of Baphia nitida (BN) leaves extract on the corrosion of mild steel in 1 M H2SO4 and 2 M HCl was studied at different temperatures using gasometric and weight loss techniques. The results showed that the leaves extract is a good inhibitor for mild steel corrosion in both acid media and better performances were obtained in 2 M HCl solutions. Inhibition efficiency was found to increase with increasing inhibitor concentration and decreasing temperature. The addition of halides to the extract enhanced the inhibition efficiency due to synergistic effect which improved adsorption of cationic species present in the extract and was in the order KCl < KBr < KI suggesting possible role of radii of the halide ions. Thermodynamic parameters determined showed that the adsorption of BN on the metal surface is an exothermic and spontaneous process and that the adsorption was via a physisorption mechanism.
Clinical Factors Associated with Sperm DNA Fragmentation in Male Patients with Infertility
Authors: Komiya Akira , Kato Tomonori , Kawauchi Yoko , Watanabe Akihiko , Fuse Hideki
Published: August 2014

Objective. The clinical factors associated with sperm DNA fragmentation (SDF) were investigated in male patients with infertility.Materials and Methods. Fifty-four ejaculates from infertile Japanese males were used. Thirty-three and twenty-one were from the patients with varicoceles and idiopathic causes of infertility, respectively. We performed blood tests, including the serum sex hormone levels, and conventional and computer-assisted semen analyses. The sperm nuclear vacuolization (SNV) was evaluated using a high-magnification microscope. The SDF was evaluated using the sperm chromatin dispersion test (SCDt) to determine the SDF index (SDFI). The SDFI was compared with semen parameters and other clinical variables, including lifestyle factors.Results. The SDFI was 41.3 ± 22.2% (mean ± standard deviation) and did not depend on the cause of infertility. Chronic alcohol use increased the SDFI to 49.6 ± 23.3% compared with 33.9 ± 18.0% in nondrinkers. The SDFI was related to adverse conventional semen parameters and sperm motion characteristics and correlated with the serum FSH level. The SNV showed a tendency to increase with the SDFI. The multivariate analysis revealed that the sperm progressive motility and chronic alcohol use were significant predictors of the SDF.Conclusion. The SCDt should be offered to chronic alcohol users and those with decreased sperm progressive motility.
Predicting the Progress of Caustic Injury to Complicated Gastric Outlet Obstruction and Esophageal Stricture, Using Modified Endoscopic Mucosal Injury Grading Scale
Authors: Lu Lung-Sheng , Tai Wei-Chen , Hu Ming-Luen , Wu Keng-Liang , Chiu Yi-Chun
Published: August 2014

Severe caustic injury to the gastrointestinal tract carries a high risk of luminal strictures. The aim of this retrospective study was to identify predicting factors for progress of caustic injury to gastric outlet obstruction (GOO) and esophageal strictures (ES), using modified endoscopic mucosal injury grading scale. We retrospectively reviewed medical records of patients with caustic injuries to the gastrointestinal tract in our hospital in the past 7 years. We enrolled 108 patients (49 male, 59 female, mean age 50.1 years, range 18–86) after applying strict exclusion criteria. All patients received early upper gastrointestinal endoscopy within 24 hours of ingestion. Grade III stomach injuries were found in 58 patients (53.7%); 43 (39.8%) esophageal, and 13 (12%) duodenal. Of the 108 patients, 10 (9.3%) died during the acute stage. Age over 60 years (OR 4.725,P=0.029) was an independent risk factor of mortality for patients after corrosive injury. Among the 98 survivors, 36 developed luminal strictures (37.1%): ES in 18 patients (18.6%), GOO in 7 (7.2%), and both ES and GOO in 11 (11.3%). Grade III esophageal (OR 3.079,P=0.039) or stomach (OR 18.972,P=0.007) injuries were independent risk factors for obstructions. Age ≥60 years was the independent risk factor for mortality after corrosive injury of GI tract. Grade III injury of esophagus was the independent risk factor for development of ES. Grade III injury of stomach was the independent risk factor for development of GOO.
Use of Novel Polyurethane Microspheres in a Curcumin Delivery System
Authors: Hu Yongmei , Li Qingshan , Hong Wei , Xing Guangzhong , Jiang Qilong , Lv Wenfeng
Published: August 2014

Despite having a wide range of beneficial pharmacological effects, curcumin is characterized by poor water solubility and absorption. In this study, novel polyurethane microspheres containing curcumin (Cur-PUMs) were prepared using carboxymethyl cellulose sodium to improve the bioavailability and prolong the retention time of curcumin. The prepared Cur-PUMs were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope, and ultraviolet spectrophotometer. The sustained-release effects of Cur-PUMs were demonstrated using stability testsin vitroandin vivopharmacokinetic studies following oral administration. We found that the stability of Cur-PUMs was strongly affected by pH variation. Further, compared with free curcumin, Cur-PUMs showed significantly improved maximum concentration and half-life.
Reverse Abdominoplasty Flap in Reconstruction of Post-Bilateral Mastectomies Anterior Chest Wall Defect
Authors: Tiong William HC , Basiron Normala Hj
Published: August 2014

Reverse abdominoplasty was originally described for epigastric lift. Since the work by Baroudi and Huger in the 1970s, it has become clear that reverse abdominoplasty application can be extended beyond just aesthetic procedure. Through the knowledge of anterior abdominal wall vascularity, its application had included reconstructive prospect in the coverage of various chest wall defects. To date, reverse abdominoplasty flap has been used to reconstruct unilateral anterior chest wall defect or for larger defect but only in combination with other reconstructive techniques. Here, we presented a case where it is used as a standalone flap to reconstruct bilateral anterior chest wall soft tissue defect post-bilateral mastectomies in oncological resection. In conclusion, reverse abdominoplasty flap provided us with a simple, faster, and satisfactory reconstructive outcome.
Investigations on Agglomeration and Haemocompatibility of Vitamin E TPGS Surface Modified Berberine Chloride Nanoparticles
Authors: Vuddanda Parameswara Rao , Rajamanickam Vijayakumar Mahalingam , Yaspal Madhu , Singh Sanjay
Published: August 2014

The objective of the present study is to investigate the influence of surface modification on systemic stability of NPs. Vitamin E TPGS (1% w/v) was used for surface modification of berberine chloride nanoparticles. Naked and surface modified NPs were incubated in different SBFs (pH 6.8 and 7.4) with or without bile salts and human plasma. NPs were observed for particle agglomeration and morphology by particle size analyzer and TEM, respectively. The haemocompatibility studies were conducted on developed NPs to evaluate their safety profile. The surface modified NPs were stable compared to naked NPs in different SBFs due to the steric stabilization property of vitamin E TPGS. Particle agglomeration was not seen when NPs were incubated in SBF (pH 6.8) with bile salts. No agglomeration was observed in NPs after their incubation in plasma but particle size of the naked NPs increased due to adhesion of plasma proteins. The TEM images confirmed the particle size results. DSC and FT-IR studies confirmed the coexistence of TPGS in surface modified NPs. The permissible haemolysis, LDH release, and platelet aggregation revealed that NPs were compatible for systemic administration. Thus, the study illustrated that the surface modification is helpful in the maintenance of stability of NPs in systemic conditions.
Pairwise Comparison and Distance Measure of Hesitant Fuzzy Linguistic Term Sets
Authors: Huang Han-Chen , Yang Xiaojun
Published: August 2014

A hesitant fuzzy linguistic term set (HFLTS), allowing experts using several possible linguistic terms to assess a qualitative linguistic variable, is very useful to express people’s hesitancy in practical decision‐making problems. Up to now, a little research has been done on the comparison and distance measure of HFLTSs. In this paper, we present a comparison method for HFLTSs based on pairwise comparisons of each linguistic term in the two HFLTSs. Then, a distance measure method based on the pairwise comparison matrix of HFLTSs is proposed, and we prove that this distance is equal to the distance of the average values of HFLTSs, which makes the distance measure much more simple. Finally, the pairwise comparison and distance measure methods are utilized to develop two multicriteria decision‐making approaches under hesitant fuzzy linguistic environments. The results analysis shows that our methods in this paper are more reasonable.
Experimental and Numerical Study on Pressure Distribution of 90° Elbow for Flow Measurement
Authors: Feng Beibei , Wang Shiming , Li Shengqiang , Yang Xingtuan , Jiang Shengyao
Published: August 2014

Numerical simulation is performed to investigate the pressure distribution of helium gas under high pressure and high temperature for 10 MW High Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor (HTGR-10). Experimental studies are first conducted on a self-built test system to investigate the static pressure distribution of a 90° elbow and validate the credibility of the computational approach. The 90° elbow is designed and manufactured geometrically the same as HTGR-10. Based on the experimental data, comparison of static pressure of inner wall and outer wall of 90° elbow with numerical results is carried out to verify the numerical approach. With high agreement between experimental results and numerical results of water flowing through 90° elbow, flow characteristics of helium gas under high pressure and high temperature are investigated on the confirmed numerical approach for flow measurement. And wall pressure distribution of eight cross sections of 90° elbow is given in detail to represent the entire region of the elbow.
Indoor Positioning in Wireless Local Area Networks with Online Path-Loss Parameter Estimation
Authors: Bruno Luigi , Addesso Paolo , Restaino Rocco
Published: August 2014

Location based services are gathering an even wider interest also in indoor environments and urban canyons, where satellite systems like GPS are no longer accurate. A much addressed solution for estimating the user position exploits the received signal strengths (RSS) in wireless local area networks (WLANs), which are very common nowadays. However, the performances of RSS based location systems are still unsatisfactory for many applications, due to the difficult modeling of the propagation channel, whose features are affected by severe changes. In this paper we propose a localization algorithm which takes into account the nonstationarity of the working conditions by estimating and tracking the key parameters of RSS propagation. It is based on a Sequential Monte Carlo realization of the optimal Bayesian estimation scheme, whose functioning is improved by exploiting the Rao-Blackwellization rationale. Two key statistical models for RSS characterization are deeply analyzed, by presenting effective implementations of the proposed scheme and by assessing the positioning accuracy by extensive computer experiments. Many different working conditions are analyzed by simulated data and corroborated through the validation in a real world scenario.
Mouse Models Address Key Concerns Regarding Autophagy Inhibition in Cancer Therapy
Authors: Amaravadi Ravi , Debnath Jayanta
Published: August 2014

Summary: With multiple clinical trials under way targeting autophagy against cancer, Yang and colleagues and Karsli-Uzunbas and colleagues address important concerns regarding autophagy inhibition in patients with cancer, using genetically engineered mouse models that more accurately represent the tumor biology found in human patients with pancreatic and lung cancers. Cancer Discov; 4(8); 873–5. ©2014 AACR.

See related article by Yang et al., p. 905

See related article by Karsli-Uzunbas et al., p. 914
Vaccines for Cancer Prevention: A Practical and Feasible Approach to the Cancer Epidemic
Authors: Finn Olivera J.
Published: August 2014

Concerted efforts of tumor immunologists over more than two decades contributed numerous well-defined tumor antigens, many of which were promptly developed into cancer vaccines and tested in animal models and in clinical trials. Encouraging results from animal models were seldom recapitulated in clinical trials. The impediment to greater success of these vaccines has been their exclusive use for cancer therapy. What clinical trials primarily revealed were the numerous ways in which cancer and/or standard treatments for cancer could suppress the patient's immune system, making it very difficult to elicit effective immunity with therapeutic vaccines. In contrast, there is an extensive database of information from experiments in appropriate animal models showing that prophylactic vaccination is highly effective and safe. There are also studies that show that healthy people have immune responses against antigens expressed on tumors, some generated in response to viral infections and others in response to various nonmalignant acute inflammatory events. These immune responses do not appear to be dangerous and do not cause autoimmunity. Epidemiology studies have shown that these immune responses may reduce cancer risk significantly. Vaccines based on tumor antigens that are expressed differentially between tumors and normal cells and can stimulate immunity, and for which safety and efficacy have been proved in animal models and to the extent possible in therapeutic clinical trials, should be considered prime candidates for prophylactic cancer vaccines. Cancer Immunol Res; 2(8); 708–13. ©2014 AACR.
Immunomodulatory Roles of Lymphatic Vessels in Cancer Progression
Authors: Swartz Melody A.
Published: August 2014

Lymphatic vessels in the tumor microenvironment are known to foster tumor metastasis in many cancers, and they can undergo activation, hyperplasia, and lymphangiogenesis in the tumor microenvironment and in the tumor-draining lymph node. The mechanism underlying this correlation was originally considered as lymphatic vessels providing a physical route for tumor cell dissemination, but recent studies have highlighted new roles of the lymphatic endothelium in regulating host immunity. These include indirectly suppressing T-cell function by secreting immunosuppressive factors and inhibiting dendritic cell (DC) maturation, as well as directly driving T-cell tolerance by antigen presentation in the presence of inhibitory ligands. Furthermore, lymphatic endothelium scavenges and regulates transendothelial transport actively, controlling the sustained delivery of lymph-borne antigens from chronically inflamed tissues to draining lymph nodes where immature DCs, in the absence of danger signals, along with lymph node stromal cells present these antigens to T cells for maintenance of peripheral tolerance to self-antigens, a mechanism that may be hijacked by some tumors. This Masters of Immunology primer aims to present an overview of research in this area and highlight emerging evidence that suggests lymphatic vessels, and lymphangiogenesis, play important immunomodulatory roles in the tumor microenvironment. Cancer Immunol Res; 2(8); 701–7. ©2014 AACR.
Cancer Immunotherapy Highlights from the 2014 ASCO Meeting
Authors: Harshman Lauren C. , Drake Charles G. , Wargo Jennifer A. , Sharma Padmanee , Bhardwaj Nina
Published: August 2014

The promise of cancer immunotherapy was validated officially in March 2011 when the FDA approved Yervoy (ipilimumab; Bristol-Myers Squibb) for the treatment of unresectable or metastatic melanoma. The approval was based on results of a randomized, double-blind clinical trial establishing that ipilimumab (a humanized anti-CTLA-4 monoclonal antibody) treatment extended the overall survival of patients with advanced melanoma. CTLA-4 is a member of the so-called family of checkpoint regulators, which are expressed on immune cells that activate or inhibit an immune response. An increasing number of immune checkpoint regulators are now being identified and targeted for immunotherapy. At the 2014 meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), it was reported that checkpoint blockade as a monotherapy or combination therapy was used successfully to treat advanced melanoma and non–small cell lung cancer. Checkpoint blockade immunotherapy was also used successfully for the treatment of other cancers, most notably genitourinary cancers such as urothelial bladder cancer and metastatic renal cell carcinoma. This report is a compiled summary of cancer immunotherapy highlights presented at the 2014 ASCO meeting by various investigators. Cancer Immunol Res; 2(8); 714–9. ©2014 AACR.
AKAP9
Is a Genetic Modifier of Congenital Long-QT Syndrome Type 1
Authors: de Villiers Carin P. , van der Merwe Lize , Crotti Lia , Goosen Althea , George Alfred L. , Schwartz Peter J. , Brink Paul A. , Moolman-Smook Johanna C. , Corfield Valerie A.
Published: August 2014

Background—

Long-QT syndrome (LQTS), a cardiac arrhythmia disorder with variable phenotype, often results in devastating outcomes, including sudden cardiac death. Variable expression, independently from the primary disease-causing mutation, can partly be explained by genetic modifiers. This study investigates variants in a known LQTS-causative gene,
AKAP9
, for potential LQTS-type 1–modifying effects.

Methods and Results—

Members of a South African LQTS-type 1 founder population (181 noncarriers and 168 mutation carriers) carrying the identical-by-descent
KCNQ1
p.Ala341Val (A341V) mutation were evaluated for modifying effects of
AKAP9
variants on heart rate–corrected QT interval (QTc), cardiac events, and disease severity. Tag single nucleotide polymorphisms in
AKAP9
rs11772585, rs7808587, rs2282972, and rs2961024 (order, 5′-3′positive strand) were genotyped. Associations between phenotypic traits and alleles, genotypes, and haplotypes were statistically assessed, adjusting for the degree of relatedness and confounding variables. The rs2961024 GG genotype, always represented by CGCG haplotype homozygotes, revealed an age-dependent heart rate–corrected QT interval increase (1% per additional 10 years) irrespective of A341V mutation status (
P
=0.006). The rs11772585 T allele, found uniquely in the TACT haplotype, more than doubled (218%) the risk of cardiac events (
P
=0.002) in the presence of A341V; additionally, it increased disease severity (
P
=0.025). The rs7808587 GG genotype was associated with a 74% increase in cardiac event risk (
P
=0.046), whereas the rs2282972 T allele, predominantly represented by the CATT haplotype, decreased risk by 53% (
P
=0.001).

Conclusions—

AKAP9
has been identified as an LQTS-type 1–modifying gene. Variants investigated altered heart rate–corrected QT interval irrespective of mutation status, as well as cardiac event risk, and disease severity, in mutation carriers.
Prognostic Value of Quantitative Contrast-Enhanced Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance for the Evaluation of Sudden Death Risk in Patients With Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
Authors: Chan Raymond H. , Maron Barry J. , Olivotto Iacopo , Pencina Michael J. , Assenza Gabriele Egidy , Haas Tammy , Lesser John R. , Gruner Christiane , Crean Andrew M. , Rakowski Harry , Udelson James E. , Rowin Ethan , Lombardi Massimo , Cecchi Franco , Tomberli Benedetta , Spirito Paolo , Formisano Francesco , Biagini Elena , Rapezzi Claudio , De Cecco Carlo Nicola , Autore Camillo , Cook E. Francis , Hong Susie N. , Gibson C. Michael , Manning Warren J. , Appelbaum Evan , Maron Martin S.
Published: August 2014

Background—

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the most common cause of sudden death in the young, although not all patients eligible for sudden death prevention with an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator are identified. Contrast-enhanced cardiovascular magnetic resonance with late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) has emerged as an in vivo marker of myocardial fibrosis, although its role in stratifying sudden death risk in subgroups of HCM patients remains incompletely understood.

Methods and Results—

We assessed the relation between LGE and cardiovascular outcomes in 1293 HCM patients referred for cardiovascular magnetic resonance and followed up for a median of 3.3 years. Sudden cardiac death (SCD) events (including appropriate defibrillator interventions) occurred in 37 patients (3%). A continuous relationship was evident between LGE by percent left ventricular mass and SCD event risk in HCM patients (
P
=0.001). Extent of LGE was associated with an increased risk of SCD events (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.46/10% increase in LGE;
P
=0.002), even after adjustment for other relevant disease variables. LGE of ≥15% of LV mass demonstrated a 2-fold increase in SCD event risk in those patients otherwise considered to be at lower risk, with an estimated likelihood for SCD events of 6% at 5 years. Performance of the SCD event risk model was enhanced by LGE (net reclassification index, 12.9%; 95% confidence interval, 0.3–38.3). Absence of LGE was associated with lower risk for SCD events (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.39;
P
=0.02). Extent of LGE also predicted the development of end-stage HCM with systolic dysfunction (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.80/10% increase in LGE;
P
<0.03).

Conclusions—

Extensive LGE measured by quantitative contrast enhanced CMR provides additional information for assessing SCD event risk among HCM patients, particularly patients otherwise judged to be at low risk.
Human–Robot Interaction by Understanding Upper Body Gestures
Authors: Xiao Yang , Zhang Zhijun , Beck Aryel , Yuan Junsong , Thalmann Daniel
Published: August 2014

In this paper, a human–robot interaction system based on a novel combination of sensors is proposed. It allows one person to interact with a humanoid social robot using natural body language. The robot understands the meaning of human upper body gestures and expresses itself by using a combination of body movements, facial expressions, and verbal language. A set of 12 upper body gestures is involved for communication. This set also includes gestures with human–object interactions. The gestures are characterized by head, arm, and hand posture information. The wearable Immersion CyberGlove II is employed to capture the hand posture. This information is combined with the head and arm posture captured from Microsoft Kinect. This is a new sensor solution for human-gesture capture. Based on the posture data from the CyberGlove II and Kinect, an effective and real-time human gesture recognition method is proposed. The gesture understanding approach based on an innovative combination of sensors is the main contribution of this paper. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed gesture recognition method, a human body gesture data set is built. The experimental results demonstrate that our approach can recognize the upper body gestures with high accuracy in real time. In addition, for robot motion generation and control, a novel online motion planning method is proposed. In order to generate appropriate dynamic motion, a quadratic programming (QP)-based dual-arms kinematic motion generation scheme is proposed, and a simplified recurrent neural network is employed to solve the QP problem. The integration of a handshake within the HRI system illustrates the effectiveness of the proposed online generation method.
A Study on High-Level Autonomous Navigational Behaviors for Telepresence Applications
Authors: Pang Wee Ching , Seet Gerald , Yao Xiling
Published: August 2014

This paper presents a framework enabling navigational autonomy for a mobile platform with application scenarios specifically requiring a humanoid telepresence system. The proposal promises a reduced operator workload and safety during robot motion. In addition, the framework enables the inhabitor (human controlling the platform) to provide inputs for head and arm gesticulation. This allows the inhabitor to focus on interactions at the remote environment, rather than being engrossed in controlling robot navigation. This paper discusses the development of higher-level, human-like navigational behaviors such as following, accompanying, and guiding a person autonomously. A color histogram comparison and position matching algorithm has been developed to track the person using the Kinect sensors. In addition to providing a safe and easy-to-use system, the high-level behaviors are also required to be human-like in that the mobile platform obeys the laws of proxemics and other human interaction norms such as walking speed. This facilitates a higher level of experience for other humans interacting with the robotic platform. An obstacle avoidance function has also been implemented using the virtual potential field method. A preliminary evaluation was also conducted to validate the algorithm and to support the claim of reducing operator cognitive load due to navigation. In general, it was shown that navigation over a given route was accomplished at a faster pace with no instances of collision with the environment.
Investigating Macroexpressions and Microexpressions in Computer Graphics Animated Faces
Authors: Queiroz Rossana B. , Musse Soraia R. , Badler Norman I.
Published: August 2014

Due to varied personal, social, or even cultural situations, people sometimes conceal or mask their true emotions. These suppressed emotions can be expressed in a very subtle way by brief movements called microexpressions. We investigate human subjects' perception of hidden emotions in virtual faces, inspired by recent psychological experiments. We created animations with virtual faces showing some facial expressions and inserted brief secondary expressions in some sequences, in order to try to convey a subtle second emotion in the character. Our evaluation methodology consists of two sets of experiments, with three different sets of questions. The first experiment verifies that the accuracy and concordance of the participant's responses with synthetic faces matches the empirical results done with photos of real people in the paper by X.-b. Shen, Q. Wu, and X.-l. Fu, 2012, “Effects of the duration of expressions on the recognition of microexpressions,” Journal of Zhejiang University Science B, 13(3), 221–230. The second experiment verifies whether participants could perceive and identify primary and secondary emotions in virtual faces. The third experiment tries to evaluate the participant's perception of realism, deceit, and valence of the emotions. Our results show that most of the participants recognized the foreground (macro) emotion and most of the time they perceived the presence of the second (micro) emotion in the animations, although they did not identify it correctly in some samples. This experiment exposes the benefits of conveying microexpressions in computer graphics characters, as they may visually enhance a character's emotional depth through subliminal microexpression cues, and consequently increase the perceived social complexity and believability.
Checklist of Helminth parasites of Amphibians from South America
Authors: CAMPIÃO KARLA MAGALHÃES , MORAIS DRAUSIO HONORIO , DIAS OLÍVIA TAVARES , AGUIAR ALINE , TOLEDO GISLAYNE , TAVARES LUIZ EDUARDO ROLAND , DA SILVA REINALDO JOSÉ
Published: July 2014

Parasitological studies on helminths of amphibians in South America have increased in the past few years. Here, we present a list with summarized data published on helminths of South American amphibians from 1925 to 2012, including a list of helminth parasites, host species, and geographic records. We found 194 reports of helminths parasitizing 185 amphibian species from eleven countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Equador, French Guyana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela. Helminth biodiversity includes 278 parasite species of the groups Acanthocephala, Nematoda, Cestoda, Monogenea and Trematoda. A list of helminth parasite species per host, and references are also presented. This contribution aims to document the biodiversity of helminth parasites in South American amphibians, as well as identify gaps in our knowledge, which in turn may guide subsequent studies.
A re-description of rare alpheid shrimp Amphibetaeus jousseaumei (Coutière, 1896) and escription of a new species of the genus Athanopsis Coutière, 1897(Crustacea: Decapoda: Alpheidae) from Iranian coast of the Persian Gulf
Authors: MARIN IVAN , SHEIBANI RAHELEH , SARI ALIREZA
Published: August 2014

A new record of rare alpheid shrimp Amphibetaeus jousseaumei (Coutière, 1896) (Decapoda: Caridea: Alpheidae) is presented based on material collected from Qeshm Island, Iran, the Persian Gulf. This is the first record of the species for the Iranian waters as well as the second record and re-description of A. jousseaumei from its original description given by Coutière (1896). Besides, a new alpheid shrimp species Athanopsis tarahomii sp. nov. is described from the same locality. The new species can be clearly separated from all remaining species of the genus Athanopsis by deep rostrum curved downward and the presence of well marked blunt extra-cornea tooth on carapace.
Taxonomic utility of niche models in validating species concepts: A case study in Anthophora (Heliophila) (Hymenoptera: Apidae)
Authors: ORR MICHAEL C. , KOCH JONATHAN B. , GRISWOLD TERRY L. , PITTS JAMES P.
Published: August 2014

Taxonomy has far-reaching effects throughout biology, and incorrect taxonomy can be detrimental in many ways. Polymorphic species complexes, many of which exist in the bee genus Anthophora Latreille, lend themselves to such difficulties. This study employs environmental niche mapping (ENM) and traditional morphological analyses to investigate the validity of the subjective synonymy of Anthophora (Heliophila) curta Provancher with the senior synonym A. squammulosa Dours. Eleven of fifty morphological characters consistently differentiate the two putative species, with an additional five characters sometimes separating them. Additionally, based on over 1000 georeferenced museum specimens, the geographic ranges of the two taxa do not overlap. The two entities also react differently to the bioclimatic variables based on correlation analysis. We further tested the two-species hypothesis by constructing ENMs with informative bioclimatic variables associated with locality records. Their modelled distributions overlapped less than 1%, suggesting discrete environmental boundaries. The variables which contributed most to each species’ model also differed. These differences are explored in relation to their habitats. The combined morphological and biogeographic analysis indicates that A. curta and A. squammulosa are distinct species. Based on the accumulated evidence the synonymy is formally rejected and A. curta is recognized as a valid species. Five additional taxa (A. bispinosa Cockerell, A. franciscana Cockerell, A. usticauda Cockerell, A. u. cinerior Cockerell, A. zamoranella Cockerell) are newly synonymized with A. squammulosa and Anthophora curta var. melanops Cockerell is newly synonymized with A. curta. Implications outside of taxonomy are discussed.
Making Prisoners Accountable
Authors: Gendreau Paul , Listwan Shelley J. , Kuhns Joseph B. , Exum M. Lyn
Published: August 2014

There has been a renewed interest among some prison policy makers to hold inmates more accountable for their actions. The belief is that inmates require more structure and discipline in their daily activities and must demonstrate that they have earned privileges that can lead to their early release. A meta-analysis and narrative review was undertaken to determine the utility of contingency management (CM) programs for improving inmates’ performance (e.g., prison adjustment, educational/work skills) and to generate a list of program principles for managing CM programs effectively. The study finds that CM programs produce robust gains in a variety of behaviors (e.g., pro-social behaviors, education, work assignments, etc.) in prison settings. As a result, the authors provide a list of “what works” principles, categorized into implementation and treatment strategies for administering effective CM programs in prison.
Social and linguistic cues facilitate children’s register comprehension
Authors: Wagner Laura , Vega-Mendoza Mariana , Van Horn Suzanne
Published: August 2014

Speakers must command different linguistic registers to index various social-discourse elements, including the identity of the addressee. Previous work found that English-learning children could link registers to appropriate addressees by 5 years. Two experiments found that better cues to the linguistic form or to the social meaning of register could improve 3-year-old children’s ability to access their knowledge of register. Experiment 1 contrasted children acquiring English and Spanish, as Spanish provides more consistent grammatical cues to register through its pronoun system than English does. The Spanish-learning children showed earlier success in a forced-choice comprehension task. Experiment 2 provided English-learning children with enhanced cues to register’s social meaning and also found improved performance. These results suggest that the underlying knowledge about register is available from an early age, but can be accessed only with sufficiently strong cues.
BIMSTEC at 17: An Assessment of its Potential
Authors: Kundu Sampa
Published: August 2014

Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation, the inter-regional mechanism which was initiated primarily as a combination of India’s Look East Policy and Thailand’s Look West Policy, need to be reviewed in terms of achievements and difficulties faced so far as it has already completed first 16 years of existence. This article aims to identify its shortfalls and positive aspects in order to understand its potential, if there are any.
Coping with Climate Change: India–EU Cooperation on Renewable Energy and Clean Technology
Authors: Upadhyay Dinoj Kumar
Published: August 2014

Promotion of renewable energy and application of clean technology are essential for limiting emissions of GHG and facilitating environmentally compatible development. Although India and the European Union (EU) recognise their vulnerability to climate change, they differ on their ‘normative claims’ of the global climate change regime. India and the EU do not agree on emission cut targets. They can cooperate in multiple ways in the areas of clean technologies, renewable energy, research and development and sharing knowledge for sustainable development planning, etc. India has adopted a comprehensive National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC), which comprises of both mitigation and adaptation measures to climate change. The implementation of the NPACC would be crucial in shaping a policy for inclusive and sustainable development. Hence, cooperation between India and the EU can take place in areas of the NAPCC that would help not only in coping with climate change, but also in enhancing India’s economic relations as well as development partnership with the EU.
Book Review: Tayal, Skand R., 2014. India and the Republic of Korea: Engaged Democracies
Authors: Budhwar Prem K.
Published: August 2014

Tayal, Skand R., India and the Republic of Korea: Engaged Democracies (New Delhi: Routledge, 2014). Pp. 316, Price: ₹ 795.
The strategic organization of the entrepreneurial established firm
Authors: Foss Nicolai J , Lyngsie Jacob
Published: August 2014

The entrepreneurship field predominantly focuses on start-ups, opportunity discovery and single individual. These overall characteristics mean that the field has difficulties conceptualizing and theorizing the entrepreneurial activities of established firms. In particular, the links between organizational designs, the various entrepreneurial activities of organizational members and firm-level entrepreneurial entrepreneurial outcomes are not well-understood. We sketch a research program for understanding the strategic organization of the entrepreneurial established firms.
Strategic management and the person
Authors: Powell Thomas C
Published: August 2014

The empirical world of strategy and organization is populated by living, thinking, feeling persons, but the intellectual history of strategic management theory is one of creeping impersonalism, both in the questions we ask and our answers to them. The past 30 years have seen the field drift steadily away from human-scale problems like goal-setting, problem solving, and decision making, to mass abstractions like strategic factor markets and dynamic capabilities. This essay explores the causes and consequences of impersonalism and calls for a personalist rebalancing in strategic management research. I argue that a return to personalism will bring better theorizing and more rigorous empirical research, while allowing the field to recapture the lost connection between strategy and moral responsibility.
Building Bridges
Authors: Nesheim Nicole E. , Moran Clarice M. , Pendleton Melissa
Published: August 2014

The cases presented describe two levels of struggle. One level identifies two student teachers (ST) and their mentors failing to meet one another’s expectations. Another level presents school administration as it seeks to find ways of meeting STs’ needs while maintaining a positive and productive school climate. Relevant research is presented to help guide possible explanations for how these issues can be ameliorated for STs, mentors, and school administrators.
The Porter Douglass Case
Authors: Jaeger Audrey J. , Grantham Ashley , Lynch Terry
Published: August 2014

Mixing political appointments and university operations can prove challenging and, in this case, caused the resignation of three senior officials at State University. Bolman and Deal’s four frames provide a structure for analyzing this complex case. The political frame and issues of power and coalitions offer a particularly useful lens to understand a volatile university situation.
Tackling Long Delays in Transcript and Certificate Production in Higher Education
Authors: Savage Angela Ruth
Published: August 2014

Provision of transcripts and certificates at the time of graduation, a normal expectation in higher education in developed countries, was a challenge in the case-study university, which risked affecting stakeholder satisfaction and student enrollment. A group problem-solving method was used to identify the scope of the problem, the goal, and to decide on an appropriate process. The process enabled distribution of student documents close to the time of graduation and earned much positive feedback. Subsequent group evaluation of the process allowed for refinement of the process with the aims of reducing errors and increasing program coverage.
Responsibility to report: The politics of British press reporting of the Darfur humanitarian crisis
Authors: Tsatsou Panayiota , Armstrong Charlotte Dawn
Published: August 2014

This article aims to establish whether the news media adopt a responsibility to report when covering humanitarian crises. It explores British press coverage of the genocide in Darfur and finds that the British press maintains traditional and ethnocentric frameworks that undermine the need for responsible reporting. Ultimately, the news values of negativity, elite people and elite nations have determined coverage of the Darfur crisis, and official and Western sources have been used to maintain credibility and a sense of identification with the domestic setting. Geopolitical biases continue to determine what stories are newsworthy, and political context remains scant. Sparse use of foreign correspondents and meagre inclusion of personal experiences suggest that journalists remain detached from the crisis, urging political rather than humanitarian intervention. This article concludes that the British press maintains institutionalised approaches to reporting humanitarian crises by avoiding attachment.
Synchronization of a class of uncertain stochastic discrete-time delayed neural networks
Authors: Chen Zhong , Xiao Bing , Lin Jianming
Published: August 2014

The global asymptotical synchronization problem is discussed for a general class of uncertain stochastic discrete-time neural networks with time delay in this paper. Time delays include time-varying delay and distributed delay. Based on the drive-response concept and the Lyapunov stability theorem, a linear matrix inequality (LMI) approach is given to establish sufficient conditions under which the considered neural networks are globally asymptotically synchronized in the mean square. Therefore, the global asymptotical synchronization of the stochastic discrete-time neural networks can easily be checked by utilizing the numerically efficient Matlab LMI toolbox. Moreover, the obtained results are dependent not only on the lower bound but also on the upper bound of the time-varying delays, that is, they are delay-dependent. And finally, a simulation example is given to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed synchronization scheme.
Covalently modified magnetite nanoparticles with PEG: preparation and characterization as nano-adsorbent for removal of lead from wastewater
Authors: Sadati Behbahani Nejat , Rostamizadeh Kobra , Yaftian Mohammad Reza , Zamani Abbasali , Ahmadi Hamideh
Published: August 2014

Background

Lead is one of the hazardous materials which is associated with pollution and toxicity problems. This paper describes a novel approach for removal of lead from wastewater. Although naked magnetic nanoparticles have been applied for removal of different pollutants from wastewater, there was no research on employment of covalently PEG modified magnetic nanoparticles for such purpose.

Results

A magnetic nano-adsorbent was prepared by chemically modification of magnetite nanoparticles (MNPs) with polyethylene glycol (PEG) for removal of lead ions. The surface of MNPs was coated covalently with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) and PEG. Modified MNPs (MNPs-APTES-PEG) were characterized by FT-IR, XRD, SEM, and particle size analysis. Compared to the oleic acid coated MNPs, MNPs-APTES-PEG exhibited significant higher uptake capability for Pb(II) ions. The effective parameters on the extent of adsorption (time, temperature, Pb(II) concentration, contact time and pH) were studied and optimized by response surface methodology. Maximum uptake of MNPs-APTES-PEG for Pb(II) was determined to be 81.39 ± 2.5%. The results showed that the kinetic data was best described by Pseudo-second order model as evidenced by the relatively high value of determination coefficient (R2 = 0.9998). Successful removal of Pb(II) from industrial wastewater was also accomplished by MNPs-APTES-PEG.

Conclusions

The results revealed high capability and excellent efficiency of developed nano-adsorbents in removal of lead contaminants from industrial wastewater.
Effect of spent turmeric on kidney glycoconjugates in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats
Authors: Kumar Gurusiddaiah Suresh , Salimath Paramahans Veerayya
Published: August 2014

Background

Curcumin known to have number of medicinal use and masked the fiber containing ukonan like active polysaccharide in turmeric and its pharmacological effect will be addressed on diabetic nephropathy particularly the glycoconjugates of extracellular components viz., glycoproteins and glycosaminoglycans - heparan sulfate (HS).

Methods

Male Wistar rats were maintained on AIN-76 diet containing 10% spent turmeric and were grouped into control and STZ induced diabetes SFC/TFC and SFD/TFD, respectively. Diabetic status was monitored using blood and urine, and at the end, harvested kidneys were used to study the amelioration of glycoprotiens (collagen) and HS by enzymatic digestion, spectrophotometric, hydroxyproline and agarose electrophoretic methods.

Results

In the present study spent turmeric (10%) fed diabetic rats showed improved glomerular filtration rate (50%), kidney enlargement (60%) and other glycoconjugate metabolism in kidney. Increased collagen content in diabetic group was observed by hydroxyproline estimation (24%) and periodic acid-Schiff’s (PAS) staining. Furthermore, elevated activities of enzymes involved in the synthesis and degradation of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) were significantly lowered in spent turmeric fed diabetic group. Improvement in total GAGs (43%) and sulfate content (18%) followed by fractionation of GAGs using specific enzymes led to HS (28%) in the spent turmeric fed diabetic group, when compared to starch fed diabetic group and was further confirmed by electrophoresis of GAG.

Conclusion

These results clearly indicate beneficial role of spent turmeric in controlling glycoconjugates such as glycoproteins and heparan sulfate related kidney complications during diabetes.