bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
D-Wave and predecessors: From simulated to quantum annealing
Authors: Cohen Eliahu , Tamir Boaz
Published: June 2014

On May 2011, D-Wave Systems Inc. announced "D-Wave One", as "the world's first commercially available quantum computer". No wonder this adiabatic quantum computer based on 128-qubit chip-set provoked an immediate controversy. Over the last 40 years, quantum computation has been a very promising yet challenging research area, facing major difficulties producing a large scale quantum computer. Today, after Google has purchased "D-Wave Two" containing 512 qubits, criticism has only increased.

In this work, we examine the theory underlying the D-Wave, seeking to shed some light on this intriguing quantum computer. Starting from classical algorithms such as Metropolis algorithm, genetic algorithm (GA), hill climbing and simulated annealing, we continue to adiabatic computation and quantum annealing towards better understanding of the D-Wave mechanism.

Finally, we outline some applications within the fields of information and image processing. In addition, we suggest a few related theoretical ideas and hypotheses.
M/M(a, b)/(2,1) queueing system with servers repeated and delayed vacation
Authors: Baskar S. , Palaniammal S.
Published: June 2014

In queueing systems with multi-server models, every server goes on vacation irrespective of the availability of the server in the system. This creates inconvenience to the customers in places like computer network, communication network, hospitals, telegraph offices and telephone booths, etc., where at least one server must be available in the system for service. In this paper, an analysis has been carried out on a bulk service queueing system with two servers in which at least one server is available for service in the system always.
Multiresolution Tensor Decompositions with Mode Hierarchies
Authors: Schifanella Claudio , Candan K. Selçuk , Sapino Maria Luisa
Published: June 2014

Tensors (multidimensional arrays) are widely used for representing high-order dimensional data, in applications ranging from social networks, sensor data, and Internet traffic. Multiway data analysis techniques, in particular tensor decompositions, allow extraction of hidden correlations among multiway data and thus are key components of many data analysis frameworks. Intuitively, these algorithms can be thought of as
multiway clustering
schemes, which consider multiple facets of the data in identifying clusters, their weights, and contributions of each data element. Unfortunately, algorithms for fitting multiway models are, in general, iterative and very time consuming. In this article, we observe that, in many applications, there is a priori background knowledge (or metadata) about one or more domain dimensions. This metadata is often in the form of a hierarchy that clusters the elements of a given data facet (or mode). We investigate whether such single-mode data hierarchies can be used to boost the efficiency of tensor decomposition process, without significant impact on the final decomposition quality. We consider each domain hierarchy as a guide to help provide higher- or lower-resolution views of the data in the tensor on demand and we rely on these metadata-induced multiresolution tensor representations to develop a multiresolution approach to tensor decomposition. In this article, we focus on an alternating least squares (ALS)--based implementation of the two most important decomposition models such as the PARAllel FACtors (PARAFAC, which decomposes a tensor into a diagonal tensor and a set of factor matrices) and the Tucker (which produces as result a core tensor and a set of dimension-subspaces matrices). Experiment results show that, when the available metadata is used as a rough guide, the proposed multiresolution method helps fit both PARAFAC and Tucker models with consistent (under different parameters settings) savings in execution time and memory consumption, while preserving the quality of the decomposition.
A Review of Wireless-Sensor-Network-Enabled Building Energy Management Systems
Authors: Kazmi Aqeel H. , O'grady Michael J. , Delaney Declan T. , Ruzzelli Antonio G. , O'hare Gregory M. P.
Published: June 2014

Reducing energy consumption within buildings has been an active area of research in the past decade; more recently, there has been an increased influx of activity, motivated by a variety of issues including legislative, tax-related, as well as an increased awareness of energy-related issues. Energy usage both in commercial and residential buildings represents a significant portion of overall energy consumption; however, much of this may be categorized as waste, that is, energy usage that does not fulfil a definite purpose. In the past decade, the viability of Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) technologies has been demonstrated, leading to increased possibilities for novel services for building energy management. This development has resulted in numerous approaches being proposed for harnessing WSNs for energy management and conservation. This article surveys the state-of-the-art in building energy management systems. A generic architecture is proposed after which a detailed taxonomy of existing documented systems is presented. Gaps in the literature are highlighted and directions for future research identified.
Perceptual Evaluation of Motion Editing for Realistic Throwing Animations
Authors: Vicovaro Michele , Hoyet Ludovic , Burigana Luigi , O'sullivan Carol
Published: June 2014

Animation budget constraints during the development of a game often call for the use of a limited set of generic motions. Editing operations are thus generally required to animate virtual characters with a sufficient level of variety. Evaluating the perceptual plausibility of edited animations can therefore contribute greatly towards producing visually plausible animations. In this article, we study observers’ sensitivity to manipulations of overarm and underarm biological throwing animations. In the first experiment, we modified the release velocity of the ball while leaving the motion of the virtual thrower and the angle of release of the ball unchanged. In the second experiment, we evaluated the possibility of further modifying throwing animations by simultaneously editing the motion of the thrower and the release velocity of the ball, using dynamic time warping. In both experiments, we found that participants perceived shortened underarm throws to be particularly unnatural. We also found that modifying the thrower's motion in addition to modifying the release velocity of the ball does not significantly improve the perceptual plausibility of edited throwing animations. In the third experiment, we modified the angle of release of the ball while leaving the magnitude of release velocity and the motion of the thrower unchanged, and found that this editing operation is efficient for improving the perceptual plausibility of shortened underarm throws. Finally, in Experiment 4, we replaced the virtual human thrower with a mechanical throwing device (a ramp) and found the opposite pattern of sensitivity to modifications of the release velocity, indicating that biological and physical throws are subject to different perceptual rules. Our results provide valuable guidelines for developers of games and virtual reality applications by specifying thresholds for the perceptual plausibility of throwing manipulations while also providing several interesting insights for researchers in visual perception of biological motion.
My Self and You
Authors: Mentis Helena M. , Laaksolahti Jarmo , Höök Kristina
Published: June 2014

There is a growing interest in designing systems for sharing experience through bodily interaction. To explore this design space, we built a probe system we named the Lega. In our 2-month-long research design process, we noted that the users’ attention was set on their own reflective experience, rather than attending to the person(s) with which they were sharing their experience. To explain these findings, we present an inductive analysis of the data through a phenomenological lens to pinpoint what causes such behavior. Our analysis extends our understanding of how to design for social embodied interaction, pointing to how we need to embrace the tension between self-reflection and shared experience, making inward listening and social expression visible acts, accessible to social construction and understanding. It entails experiencing our embodied self as others experience us in order to build a dialogue.
Spatial Dynamic Wideband Modeling of the MIMO Satellite-to-Earth Channel
Authors: Lehner Andreas , Steingaß Alexander
Published: June 2014

A novel MIMO (multiple input multiple output) satellite channel model that allows the generation of associated channel impulse response (CIR) time series depending on the movement profile of a land mobile terminal is presented in this paper. Based on high precise wideband measurements in L-band the model reproduces the correlated shadowing and multipath conditions in rich detail. The model includes time and space variant echo signals appearing and disappearing in dependence on the receive antenna position and movement, and the actual azimuths and elevations to the various signal sources. Attenuation and path delays relative to the hypothetical line of sight (LOS) ensure usability for ranging purposes. Parameters for car and pedestrian applications in urban and suburban environments are provided. The channel characteristics are determined independently of the transmitted signal. Therefore the usability, for example, for GPS and GALILEO, as well as wideband communication services from hovering platforms, is given.
The Frequency of Exfoliation Syndrome in the Central Anatolia Region of Turkey
Authors: Kılıç Raşit , Sezer Hafize , Çomçalı Sebile Ü. , Bayraktar Serdar , Göktolga Gökay , Çakmak Yasin , Çetin Abdi B. , Cumurcu Tongabay
Published: June 2014

Aim. The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency of exfoliation syndrome in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey and to evaluate its relationship with cardiovascular and ocular diseases.Methods. Patients over the age of 45 years who presented to the clinic were included in the study. All cases underwent a comprehensive ophthalmology examination. Exfoliation syndrome was diagnosed with the presence of exfoliative material on the lens anterior capsule or iris on slit lamp examination. The patients were divided into two groups as the exfoliation syndrome group and nonexfoliation syndrome group according to the presence of exfoliative material.Results. Exfoliative material was found in one or both eyes of 212 of the 2103 patients (10.1%) evaluated within the scope of the study. A significant relationship was found between exfoliation syndrome and increasing age and male gender. A significant relationship was found between exfoliation syndrome and glaucoma, cataracts, age-related macular degeneration, and phacodonesis. While no relationship was found between exfoliation syndrome and hypertension or diabetes mellitus, a significant relationship was found with coronary artery disease.Conclusion. The unilateral or bilateral exfoliation syndrome frequency was 10.1% in this hospital-based study. A statistically significant relationship was found between exfoliation syndrome and advancing age, gender, and coronary artery disease.
Challenges for Nerve Repair Using Chitosan-Siloxane Hybrid Porous Scaffolds
Authors: Shirosaki Yuki , Hayakawa Satoshi , Osaka Akiyoshi , Lopes Maria A. , Santos José D. , Geuna Stefano , Mauricio Ana C.
Published: June 2014

The treatment of peripheral nerve injuries remains one of the greatest challenges of neurosurgery, as functional recover is rarely satisfactory in these patients. Recently, biodegradable nerve guides have shown great potential for enhancing nerve regeneration. A major advantage of these nerve guides is that no foreign material remains after the device has fulfilled its task, which spares a second surgical intervention. Recently, we studied peripheral nerve regeneration using chitosan-γ-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane (chitosan-GPTMS) porous hybrid membranes. In our studies, these porous membranes significantly improved nerve fiber regeneration and functional recovery in rat models of axonotmetic and neurotmetic sciatic nerve injuries. In particular, the number of regenerated myelinated nerve fibers and myelin thickness were significantly higher in rat treated with chitosan porous hybrid membranes, whether or not they were used in combination with mesenchymal stem cells isolated from the Wharton’s jelly of the umbilical cord. In this review, we describe our findings on the use of chitosan-GPTMS hybrids for nerve regeneration.
Genetic Diagnosis of Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease in a Population by Next-Generation Sequencing
Authors: Høyer Helle , Braathen Geir J. , Busk Øyvind L. , Holla Øystein L. , Svendsen Marit , Hilmarsen Hilde T. , Strand Linda , Skjelbred Camilla F. , Russell Michael B.
Published: June 2014

Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease is the most prevalent inherited neuropathy. Today more than 40 CMT genes have been identified. Diagnosing heterogeneous diseases by conventional Sanger sequencing is time consuming and expensive. Thus, more efficient and less costly methods are needed in clinical diagnostics. We included a population based sample of 81 CMT families. Gene mutations had previously been identified in 22 families; the remaining 59 families were analysed by next-generation sequencing. Thirty-two CMT genes and 19 genes causing other inherited neuropathies were included in a custom panel. Variants were classified into five pathogenicity classes by genotype-phenotype correlations and bioinformatics tools. Gene mutations, classified certainly or likely pathogenic, were identified in 37 (46%) of the 81 families. Point mutations in known CMT genes were identified in 21 families (26%), whereas four families (5%) had point mutations in other neuropathy genes,ARHGEF10, POLG, SETX,andSOD1. Eleven families (14%) carried thePMP22duplication and one family carried aMPZduplication (1%). Most mutations were identified not only in known CMT genes but also in other neuropathy genes, emphasising that genetic analysis should not be restricted to CMT genes only. Next-generation sequencing is a cost-effective tool in diagnosis of CMT improving diagnostic precision and time efficiency.
Effect of Nourishing “Yin”‐Removing “Fire” Chinese Herbal Mixture on Hypothalamic NKB/NK3R Expression in Female Precocious Rats
Authors: Wang Shiran , Zhu Liting , Yu Jian , Tian Zhanzhuang
Published: June 2014

Aim. The present study aims to investigate the effects of nourishing “Yin”‐removing “Fire” Chinese herb mixture on the hypothalamic NKB/NK3R expression in female precocious model rats. Materials and Methods. Female Sprague‐Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups: normal (N), central precocious puberty (CPP) model (M), CPP fed with Chinese herbal mixture (CHM), and CPP fed with normal saline (MS). Rats on postnatal day 5 were given a single subcutaneous injection of 300 μg to establish CPP model rats. Rats of CHM and MS groups were continuously administered with nourishing “Yin”‐removing “Fire” Chinese herb mixture or saline since postnatal day 15. The expressions of hypothalamic NKB/NK3R were detected by means of real‐time PCR, western blot, and immunofluorescence histochemistry. Results. The day of vaginal opening and establishment of two regular estrous cycles were delayed in the CHM group compared with M and MS groups. The expression of hypothalamic NKB/NK3R mRNA and protein in the arcuate nucleus (ARC) and medial preoptic (MPO) area were decreased significantly in the CHM group compared with the M and MS groups on the day of onset‐puberty. Conclusions. These results indicate that the NKB/NK3R signaling pathway might be involved in the effect of herbal mixture treatment on CPP.
Optimal Installation Locations for Automated External Defibrillators in Taipei 7-Eleven Stores: Using GIS and a Genetic Algorithm with a New Stirring Operator
Authors: Huang Chung-Yuan , Wen Tzai-Hung
Published: June 2014

Immediate treatment with an automated external defibrillator (AED) increases out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patient survival potential. While considerable attention has been given to determining optimal public AED locations, spatial and temporal factors such as time of day and distance from emergency medical services (EMSs) are understudied. Here we describe a geocomputational genetic algorithm with a new stirring operator (GANSO) that considers spatial and temporal cardiac arrest occurrence factors when assessing the feasibility of using Taipei 7-Eleven stores as installation locations for AEDs. Our model is based on two AED conveyance modes, walking/running and driving, involving service distances of 100 and 300 meters, respectively. Our results suggest different AED allocation strategies involving convenience stores in urban settings. In commercial areas, such installations can compensate for temporal gaps in EMS locations when responding to nighttime OHCA incidents. In residential areas, store installations can compensate for long distances from fire stations, where AEDs are currently held in Taipei.
The Role of NBI HDTV Magnifying Endoscopy in the Prehistologic Diagnosis of Laryngeal Papillomatosis and Spinocellular Cancer
Authors: Lukes Petr , Zabrodsky Michal , Lukesova Eva , Chovanec Martin , Astl Jaromir , Betka Jaroslav A. , Plzak Jan
Published: June 2014

Narrow band imaging (NBI) HDTV (high definition television) magnifying endoscopy is considered to be superior for the accurate display of the microvascular patterns of superficial mucosal lesions. Observation of changes in intraepithelial papillary capillary loops (IPCL) can help distinguish benign from malignant lesions as part of an “optical biopsy.” However, IPCL changes in papillomas may be mistaken for spinocellular cancer (SCC). The aim of the study was to determine whether observing microvascular changes alone is sufficient for discriminating between laryngeal SCC and papillomatosis. An additional aim was to identify associated characteristics that could clarify the diagnosis. The study included 109 patients with a suspected laryngeal tumor or papilloma. HDTV NBI magnifying endoscopy was performed during direct laryngoscopy. It was possible to visualize IPCL changes in 82 out of 109 patients (75.2%). In 71 (86.6%) patients, the diagnosis was correctly determined. In 4 (4.9%) cases, the diagnosis of SCC was expressed on the basis of finding pathologic IPCL, but histology did not demonstrate malignancy. To achieve a correct diagnosis using HDTV NBI magnifying endoscopy, it is important not only to observe changes in the shape of IPCL but also to note possible papillary structures with central-axis capillaries typical of papillomatosis.
Waves in Microstructured Conducting Sheath Helix Embedded Optical Guides with Chiral Nihility and Chiral Materials
Authors: Iqbal N. , Baqir M. A. , Choudhury P. K.
Published: June 2014

The paper deals with the sustainment of electromagnetic waves in circularly cylindrical optical guide with chiral nihility and chiral materials in the core and the clad sections, respectively. A perfectly conducting tightly wound helix is introduced at the core‐clad interface. The eigenvalue relation for such a complex optical microstructured guide is deduced by applying suitable boundary conditions at the core‐clad interface, and the dispersion behavior is analyzed by varying the pitch angle of helix. The sustainment of energy flux density in such optical guides is estimated under various structural conditions, and the density patterns in core‐clad sections are anatomized analytically.
In VitroUltrastructural Changes of MCF-7 for Metastasise Bone Cancer and Induction of Apoptosis via Mitochondrial Cytochrome C Released by CaCO3/Dox Nanocrystals
Authors: Shafiu Kamba Abdullahi , Ismail Maznah , Tengku Ibrahim Tengku Azmi , Zakaria Zuki Abu Bakar , Hassan Gusau Lawal
Published: June 2014

Bones are the most frequent site for breast cancer cells to settle and spread (metastasise); bone metastasis is considered to have a substantial impact on the quality of patients with common cancers. However, majority of breast cancers develop insensitivity to conventional chemotherapy which provides only palliation and can induce systemic side effects. In this study we evaluated the effect of free Dox and CaCO3/Dox nanocrystal on MCF-7 breast cancer using MTT (3-[4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2, 5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide), neural red, and lactate dehydrogenase colorimetric assays while DNA fragmentation and BrdU genotoxicity were also examined. Apoptogenic protein Bax, cytochrome C, and caspase-3 protein were analysed. Morphological changes of MCF-7 were determined using contrast light microscope and scanning and transmission electron microscope (SEM and TEM). The findings of the analysis revealed higher toxicity of CaCO3/Dox nanocrystal and effective cells killing compared to free Dox, morphological changes such as formation of apoptotic bodies, membrane blebbing, and absent of microvilli as indicated by the SEM analysis while TEM revealed the presence of chromatin condensation, chromosomal DNA fragmentation, cell shrinkage, and nuclear fragmentation. Results of TUNEL assay verified that most of the cells undergoes apoptosis by internucleosomal fragmentation of genomic DNA whereas the extent of apoptotic cells was calculated using the apoptotic index (AI). Therefore, the biobased calcium carbonate nanocrystals such as Dox carriers may serve as an alternative to conventional delivery system.
Enhanced Performance by Time-Frequency-Phase Feature for EEG-Based BCI Systems
Authors: Xu Baolei , Fu Yunfa , Shi Gang , Yin Xuxian , Wang Zhidong , Li Hongyi , Jiang Changhao
Published: June 2014

We introduce a new motor parameter imagery paradigm using clench speed and clench force motor imagery. The time-frequency-phase features are extracted from mu rhythm and beta rhythms, and the features are optimized using three process methods: no-scaled feature using “MIFS” feature selection criterion, scaled feature using “MIFS” feature selection criterion, and scaled feature using “mRMR” feature selection criterion. Support vector machines (SVMs) and extreme learning machines (ELMs) are compared for classification between clench speed and clench force motor imagery using the optimized feature. Our results show that no significant difference in the classification rate between SVMs and ELMs is found. The scaled feature combinations can get higher classification accuracy than the no-scaled feature combinations at significant level of 0.01, and the “mRMR” feature selection criterion can get higher classification rate than the “MIFS” feature selection criterion at significant level of 0.01. The time-frequency-phase feature can improve the classification rate by about 20% more than the time-frequency feature, and the best classification rate between clench speed motor imagery and clench force motor imagery is 92%. In conclusion, the motor parameter imagery paradigm has the potential to increase the direct control commands for BCI control and the time-frequency-phase feature has the ability to improve BCI classification accuracy.
Ant Colony Optimization Analysis on Overall Stability of High Arch Dam Basis of Field Monitoring
Authors: Lin Peng , Liu Xiaoli , Chen Hong-Xin , Kim Jinxie
Published: June 2014

A dam ant colony optimization (D-ACO) analysis of the overall stability of high arch dams on complicated foundations is presented in this paper. A modified ant colony optimization (ACO) model is proposed for obtaining dam concrete and rock mechanical parameters. A typical dam parameter feedback problem is proposed for nonlinear back-analysis numerical model based on field monitoring deformation and ACO. The basic principle of the proposed model is the establishment of the objective function of optimizing real concrete and rock mechanical parameter. The feedback analysis is then implemented with a modified ant colony algorithm. The algorithm performance is satisfactory, and the accuracy is verified. Themgroups of feedback parameters, used to run a nonlinear FEM code, and the displacement and stress distribution are discussed. A feedback analysis of the deformation of the Lijiaxia arch dam and based on the modified ant colony optimization method is also conducted. By considering various material parameters obtained using different analysis methods, comparative analyses were conducted on dam displacements, stress distribution characteristics, and overall dam stability. The comparison results show that the proposal model can effectively solve for feedback multiple parameters of dam concrete and rock material and basically satisfy assessment requirements for geotechnical structural engineering discipline.
Powder-Bed Stabilization for Powder-Based Additive Manufacturing
Authors: Zocca Andrea , Gomes Cynthia M. , Mühler Thomas , Günster Jens
Published: June 2014

The most successful additive manufacturing (AM) technologies are based on thelayer-by-layer depositionof a flowable powder. Although considered as the third industrial revolution, one factor still limiting these processes to become completely autonomous is the often necessary build-up of support structures. Besides the prevention of lateral shifts of the part during the deposition of layers, the support assures quality and stability to the built process. The loose powder itself surrounding the built object, or so-called powder-bed, does not provide this sustenance in most existent technology available. Here we present a simple but effective and economical method for stabilizing the powder-bed, preventing distortions in the geometry with no need for support structures. This effect, achieved by applying an air flow through the powder-bed, is enabling an entirely autonomous generation of parts and is a major contribution to all powder-based additive manufacturing technologies. Moreover, it makes powder-based AM independent of gravitational forces, which will facilitate crafting items in space from a variety of powdery materials.
The Relationship between Osteoporosis and Osteoarthritis of the Knee: A Report of 2 Cases with Suspected Osteonecrosis
Authors: Horikawa Akira , Miyakoshi Naohisa , Shimada Yoichi , Kodama Hiroyuki
Published: June 2014

Knee specimens of two osteoporotic patients who underwent unilateral knee arthroplasty for suspected osteonecrosis of the knee were examined histologically. Preoperative findings of magnetic resonance images in both patients were consistent with the diagnosis of osteonecrosis of the medial femoral condyles, although plain X-rays showed minimal degenerative changes. In both patients, preoperative bone mineral densities of the femoral condyle and proximal tibia of the affected side were lower than those of the unaffected side. Pathological examination of the resected femoral condyle and proximal tibia showed almost intact joint cartilage, healing of the collapsed subchondral bone, and significant trabecular bone loss. Histologically, no evidence of osteonecrosis, including empty lacunae of the trabecular bone, was observed. These findings indicated that subchondral bone collapse caused by osteoporosis, but not osteonecrosis, initiated the osteoarthritic change of the affected knee. This report emphasizes that there may be cases of progressive local osteoarthritis caused by fracture of subchondral bone because of osteoporosis.
Microcystic Variant of an Intraosseous Meningioma in the Frontal Area: A Case Report
Authors: Bujok Jan , Bienioszek Marek
Published: June 2014

Meningiomas located inside the bone of the calvaria belong to the group of rare types of tumours. The microcystic variant is the least common in this area. Due to their similarity to other tumours in this area, the imaging test of those tumours may constitute the source of an improper preoperative diagnosis. According to the records of the Department of Neurosurgery in Bielsko-Biała, 133 patients diagnosed with an intracranial meningioma confirmed by a histopathological test were operated in the last 10 years (2004–2014). In the histopathological test, three patients were diagnosed with the microcystic variant, which constitutes 2.25% of the cases. Only one variant of microcystic meningioma was located inside the bone, which constitutes 0.75% of all the meningiomas operated.
Histological, Histochemical, and Protein Changes after Induced Malocclusion by Occlusion Alteration of Wistar Rats
Authors: de Souza Guerra Carolina , Carla Lara Pereira Yamba , Issa João Paulo Mardegan , Galisteu Luiz Kelly , Del Bel Guimarães Elaine A. , Gerlach Raquel Fernanda , Iyomasa Mamie Mizusaki
Published: June 2014

Although disorders of the stomatognathic system are common, the mechanisms involved are unknown. Our objective was to study the changes in the masseter muscles after unilateral exodontia. Molar extraction was performed on Wistar rats (left side), and the animals were sacrificed after either 14 or 26 days. The masseter muscle was processed for histological analysis, conventional andin situzymography, and immunohistochemistry. The morphological analysis showed unique and specific characteristics for the experimental group. By conventional zymography no significant values of 72 kDa MMP-2 (P< 0.05) were found in both of the sides of masseter muscle after 14 and 26 days of unilateral extraction. Thein situzymography showed gelatinolytic activity on all deep masseter muscles, with significant increase on the contralateral side after 14 and 26 days (P< 0.05). The immunohistochemistry demonstrated greater expression of MMP-2 than MMP-9 and MMP-14 in all masseter muscles and there were few differences in the staining of 4 TIMPs. This knowledge about morphology and molecular masticatory muscle remodeling following environmental interventions can be used to develop clinically successful treatments.
On Macroscopic Quantum Phenomena in Biomolecules and Cells: From Levinthal to Hopfield
Authors: Raković Dejan , Dugić Miroljub , Jeknić-Dugić Jasmina , Plavšić Milenko , Jaćimovski Stevo , Šetrajčić Jovan
Published: June 2014

In the context of the macroscopic quantum phenomena of the second kind, we hereby seek for a solution-in-principle of the long standing problem of the polymer folding, which was considered by Levinthal as (semi)classically intractable. To illuminate it, we applied quantum-chemical and quantum decoherence approaches to conformational transitions. Our analyses imply the existence of novel macroscopic quantum biomolecular phenomena, with biomolecular chain folding in an open environment considered as a subtle interplay between energy and conformation eigenstates of this biomolecule, governed by quantum-chemical and quantum decoherence laws. On the other hand, within an open biological cell, a system of all identical (noninteracting and dynamically noncoupled) biomolecular proteins might be considered as corresponding spatial quantum ensemble of these identical biomolecular processors, providing spatially distributed quantum solution to a single corresponding biomolecular chain folding, whose density of conformational states might be represented as Hopfield-like quantum-holographic associative neural network too (providing an equivalent global quantum-informational alternative to standard molecular-biology local biochemical approach in biomolecules and cells and higher hierarchical levels of organism, as well).
Effect of Processing Conditions on Calcium Content, Firmness, and Color of Papaya in Syrup
Authors: Lovera Nancy , Ramallo Laura , Salvadori Viviana
Published: June 2014

Calcium impregnation is used as a pretreatment in the processing of papaya in syrup. The effect of process temperature (30 and 45°C), calcium source (calcium gluconate and calcium lactate), calcium concentration (0.5 and 1.5% w/w), and pH (4.2 and 6) were studied. The mineral source affected significantly the calcium uptake and the fruit firmness, and therefore, the product quality maximum content of calcium in the fruit was 240 and 72 mg/100 g fresh fruit in 8 h of treatment with calcium lactate and calcium gluconate, respectively. Greater firmness was observed in samples impregnated with calcium lactate. Impregnation treatments did not affect the surface color of fruit. Finally, the effect of cooking in sucrose syrup on product quality attributes (calcium retention, firmness, and color) was analyzed. Cooking in syrup had a positive effect on tissue firmness, despite the decrease of calcium content. During cooking in syrup, calcium content of treated fruit decreased between 9% and 37%. However, the calcium content of fruit in syrup was up to 6 times higher than in fresh fruit. Moreover, the cooking stage had a strong influence on color parameters, leading to a processed product darker than fresh fruit.
A Hybrid Sales Forecasting Scheme by Combining Independent Component Analysis with K-Means Clustering and Support Vector Regression
Authors: Lu Chi-Jie , Chang Chi-Chang
Published: June 2014

Sales forecasting plays an important role in operating a business since it can be used to determine the required inventory level to meet consumer demand and avoid the problem of under/overstocking. Improving the accuracy of sales forecasting has become an important issue of operating a business. This study proposes a hybrid sales forecasting scheme by combining independent component analysis (ICA) with K-means clustering and support vector regression (SVR). The proposed scheme first uses the ICA to extract hidden information from the observed sales data. The extracted features are then applied to K-means algorithm for clustering the sales data into several disjoined clusters. Finally, the SVR forecasting models are applied to each group to generate final forecasting results. Experimental results from information technology (IT) product agent sales data reveal that the proposed sales forecasting scheme outperforms the three comparison models and hence provides an efficient alternative for sales forecasting.
A Large Cardiac Mass: Diagnosis of Caseous Mitral Annular Calcification and Determining Optimum Management Strategy
Authors: Shapera Emanuel A. , Karimi Afshin , Castellanos Luis R.
Published: June 2014

A 64-year-old woman with dizziness and blurry vision underwent an evaluation for a possible stroke with a head-neck CT scan and a transthoracic echocardiogram. The head-neck CT scan was unremarkable, but the echocardiogram was notable for a2.0×2.3 cm heterogeneous echodensity attached to the mitral valve. After a transesophageal echocardiogram and chest CT scan, the mass was determined to be a caseous mitral annular calcification, CMAC. This entity is a rare variant of MAC with an estimated prevalence of 0.068%. Echocardiographic techniques can distinguish CMAC from other intracardiac masses such as tumor, cyst, or abscess. CMAC is associated with cerebrovascular accidents; however, optimal treatment is controversial given the rarity of this clinical finding. Management strategies should be tailored based on the patient’s presentation, risk factors, and overall clinical circumstances.
Dielectric Studies on Fe3O4Nanodopedp-n-Alkyloxybenzoic Acids
Authors: Sastry S. Sreehari , Kumar L. Tanuj , Vishwam T. , Murthy V. R. K. , Lakshminaryana S. , Sie Tiong Ha
Published: June 2014

The stability of phase transition temperatures and textural changes for thermotropic pure and nanodopedp-n-alkyloxybenzoic acid mesogens were aimed to study at considerable time periods. Frequency and temperature dependent dielectric constant and dielectric loss for the pure and nanodoped liquid crystals were carried out. Significant anomalies in dielectric studies were observed near phase transitions when dielectric constant and dielectric loss had been measured as a function of temperature and frequency. Changes in dielectric constant and loss were observed and there were no apparent changes at high frequencies instead maintaining constant values. The variations in conductivity, activation energy, and relaxation times had also been studied in the nematic and smectic phases. The temperature dependent dielectric constant stability (temperature coefficient of dielectric constantτε) had shown shift in the observed frequency range of thermotropic liquid crystals corresponding to the change in the dielectric constant values.
Myocardial Reprogramming Medicine: The Development, Application, and Challenge of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells
Authors: Wang Yigang
Published: June 2014

Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) can be generated by reprogramming of adult/somatic cells. The somatic cell reprogramming technology offers a promising strategy for patient-specific cardiac regenerative medicine, disease modeling, and drug discovery. iPSCs are an ideal potential option for an autologous cell source, as compared to other stem/progenitor cells, because they can be propagated indefinitely and are able to generate a large number of functional cardiovascular cells. However, there are concerns about the specificity, efficiency, immunogenicity, and safety of iPSCs which are major challenges in current translational studies. In order to bring iPSC technology closer to clinical use, fundamental changes in this technique are required to ensure that therapeutic progenies are functional and nontumorigenic. It is therefore critical to understand and investigate the biology, genetic, and epigenetic mechanisms of iPSCs generation and differentiation. In this spotlight paper the discovery, history, and relative mechanisms of iPSC generation are summarized. The current technological improvements and potential applications are highlighted along with the important challenges and perspectives. Finally, emerging technologies are presented in which improvements to iPSC generation and differentiation approaches might warrant further investigation, such as integration-free approaches, direct reprogramming, and the development of iPSC banking.
Vegetable Oil Derived Solvent, and Catalyst Free “Click Chemistry” Thermoplastic Polytriazoles
Authors: Floros Michael C. , Leão Alcides Lopes , Narine Suresh S.
Published: June 2014

Azide-alkyne Huisgen “click” chemistry provides new synthetic routes for making thermoplastic polytriazole polymers—without solvent or catalyst. This method was used to polymerize three diester dialkyne monomers with a lipid derived 18 carbon diazide to produce a series of polymers (labelled C18C18, C18C9, and C18C4 based on monomer chain lengths) free of residual solvent and catalyst. Three diester dialkyne monomers were synthesized with ester chain lengths of 4, 9, and 18 carbons from renewable sources. Significant differences in thermal and mechanical properties were observed between C18C9 and the two other polymers. C18C9 presented a lower melting temperature, higher elongation at break, and reduced Young’s modulus compared to C18C4 and C18C18. This was due to the “odd-even” effect induced by the number of carbon atoms in the monomers which resulted in orientation of the ester linkages of C18C9 in the same direction, thereby reducing hydrogen bonding. The thermoplastic polytriazoles presented are novel polymers derived from vegetable oil with favourable mechanical and thermal properties suitable for a large range of applications where no residual solvent or catalyst can be tolerated. Their added potential biocompatibility and biodegradability make them ideal for applications in the medical and pharmaceutical industries.
Logistics Service Provider Selection through an Integrated Fuzzy Multicriteria Decision Making Approach
Authors: Akman Gülşen , Baynal Kasım
Published: June 2014

Nowadays, the demand of third-party logistics provider becomes an increasingly important issue for companies to improve their customer service and to decrease logistics costs. This paper presents an integrated fuzzy approach for the evaluation and selection of 3rd party logistics service providers. This method consists of two techniques: (1) use fuzzy analytic hierarchy process to identify weights of evaluation criteria; (2) apply fuzzy technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) method to evaluate and sequence alternatives and to make the final selection. Finally, an actual industrial application is performed in logistics department of a tire manufacturing company. For this, first, eight logistics supplier selection criteria were determined, and then the best alternative among seven logistics service provider companies was selected by the proposed method.
The Effect of 1,8‐Cineole Inhalation on Preoperative Anxiety: A Randomized Clinical Trial
Authors: Kim Ka Young , Seo Hyo Jin , Min Sun Seek , Park Mira , Seol Geun Hee
Published: June 2014

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of inhalation of eucalyptus oil and its constituents on anxiety in patients before selective nerve root block (SNRB). This study was a randomized controlled trial carried out in 62 patients before SNRB. The patients were randomized to inhale limonene, 1,8‐cineole, or eucalyptus oil, each at concentrations of 1% vol/vol in almond oil or almond oil (control). Anxiety‐visual analog scale (A‐VAS), state‐trait anxiety inventory (STAI), profile of mood states (POMS), pain‐visual analog scale (P‐VAS), blood pressure, and pulse rate were measured before and after inhalation prior to SNRB. Measures of anxiety, including A‐VAS (P < 0.001), STAI (P = 0.005), and POMS (P < 0.001), were significantly lower in 1,8‐cineole than in the control group and significantly greater in 1,8‐cineole than in the eucalyptus group in A‐VAS. P‐VAS was significantly lower after than before inhalation of limonene, 1,8‐cineole, and eucalyptus, despite having no significant difference in the four groups compared with control group. 1,8‐Cineole, a major constituent of eucalyptus, was effective in decreasing anxiety before SNRB. The present findings suggest that inhalation of 1,8‐cineole may be used to relieve anxiety before, during, and after various operations, in addition to SNRB.
Support Vector Regression Based on Grid-Search Method for Short-Term Wind Power Forecasting
Authors: Zhang Hong , Chen Lixing , Qu Yong , Zhao Guo , Guo Zhenwei
Published: June 2014

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the short-term wind power forecasting. STWPF is a typically complex issue, because it is affected by many factors such as wind speed, wind direction, and humidity. This paper attempts to provide a reference strategy for STWPF and to solve the problems in existence. The two main contributions of this paper are as follows. (1) In data preprocessing, each encountered problem of employed real data such as irrelevant, outliers, missing value, and noisy data has been taken into account, the corresponding reasonable processing has been given, and the input variable selection and order estimation are investigated by Partial least squares technique. (2) STWPF is investigated by multiscale support vector regression (SVR) technique, and the parameters associated with SVR are optimized based on Grid-search method. In order to investigate the performance of proposed strategy, forecasting results comparison between two different forecasting models, multiscale SVR and multilayer perceptron neural network applied for power forecasts, are presented. In addition, the error evaluation demonstrates that the multiscale SVR is a robust, precise, and effective approach.
Different Trichoscopic Features of Tinea Capitis and Alopecia Areata in Pediatric Patients
Authors: El-Taweel Abd-Elaziz , El-Esawy Fatma , Abdel-Salam Osama
Published: June 2014

Background. Diagnosis of patchy hair loss in pediatric patients is often a matter of considerable debate among dermatologists. Trichoscopy is a rapid and noninvasive tool to detect more details of patchy hair loss. Like clinical dermatology, trichoscopy works parallel to the skin surface and perpendicular to the histological plane; like the histopathology, it thus allows the viewing of structures not discovered by the naked eye.Objective. Aiming to compare the different trichoscopic features of tinea capitis and alopecia areata in pediatric patients.Patients and Methods. This study included 40 patients, 20 patients with tinea capitis and 20 patients with alopecia areata. They were exposed toclinical examination, laboratory investigations (10% KOH and fungal culture), and trichoscope examination.Results. Our obtained results reported that, in tinea capitis patients, comma shaped hairs, corkscrew hairs, and zigzag shaped hairs are the diagnostic trichoscopic features of tinea capitis. While in alopecia areata patients, the most trichoscopic specific features were yellow dots, exclamation mark, and short vellus hairs.Conclusion. Trichoscopy can be used as a noninvasive tool for rapid diagnosis of tinea capitis and alopecia areata in pediatric patients.
Massive Exploration of Perturbed Conditions of the Blood Coagulation Cascade through GPU Parallelization
Authors: Cazzaniga Paolo , Nobile Marco S. , Besozzi Daniela , Bellini Matteo , Mauri Giancarlo
Published: June 2014

The introduction of general-purpose Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) is boosting scientific applications in Bioinformatics, Systems Biology, and Computational Biology. In these fields, the use of high-performance computing solutions is motivated by the need of performing large numbers ofin silicoanalysis to study the behavior of biological systems in different conditions, which necessitate a computing power that usually overtakes the capability of standard desktop computers. In this work we present coagSODA, a CUDA-powered computational tool that was purposely developed for the analysis of a large mechanistic model of the blood coagulation cascade (BCC), defined according to both mass-action kinetics and Hill functions. coagSODA allows the execution of parallel simulations of the dynamics of the BCC by automatically deriving the system of ordinary differential equations and then exploiting the numerical integration algorithm LSODA. We present the biological results achieved with a massive exploration of perturbed conditions of the BCC, carried out with one-dimensional and bi-dimensional parameter sweep analysis, and show that GPU-accelerated parallel simulations of this model can increase the computational performances up to a 181× speedup compared to the corresponding sequential simulations.
Medical Image Segmentation Based on a Hybrid Region-Based Active Contour Model
Authors: Liu Tingting , Xu Haiyong , Jin Wei , Liu Zhen , Zhao Yiming , Tian Wenzhe
Published: June 2014

A novel hybrid region-based active contour model is presented to segment medical images with intensity inhomogeneity. The energy functional for the proposed model consists of three weighted terms: global term, local term, and regularization term. The total energy is incorporated into a level set formulation with a level set regularization term, from which a curve evolution equation is derived for energy minimization. Experiments on some synthetic and real images demonstrate that our model is more efficient compared with the localizing region-based active contours (LRBAC) method, proposed by Lankton, and more robust compared with the Chan-Vese (C-V) active contour model.
Landmark-Centric Routing for Wireless Sensor Networks in Mobile Delay Tolerant Environments
Authors: Chen Jiaxu , Tang Yazhe , Hu Chengchen , Li Xun , Wang Huanzhao
Published: June 2014

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) have wide applications in many fields sharing common grounds as their major technical challenges. This paper focuses on a high-level information association issue and designs an efficient routing protocol accordingly for delay tolerant mobile sensor networks (DTMSNs). In this paper, after making an analysis about the effect of social network theory on forwarding scheme and node mobility, we exploit landmark, a new social-aware metric indicating the geographical location corresponding to a node interest or a node community. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work in which landmark is utilized to assist message forwarding in DTMSNs. Additionally, we propose the landmark-centric routing protocol utilizing the metric to accurately predict node mobility geographically. We can take full advantage of node mobility in our protocol while preserving the positive effects of existing social-aware metrics on protocol performance. Simulation results show that the proposed protocol achieves the highest packet delivery ratio outperforming SocialCast and doubling SGBR with more than 50% delivery cost reducing.