bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Optimization of an M/M/∞ Queueing System with Free Experience Service
Authors: Shi Ying , Li Xin , Fan Ping
Published: November 2016

It is a common practice for online service providers to offer free experience service to attract new clients. However, providing experience service requires resources, which may negatively impact current service level and lead to customer turnover. Therefore, providers need to trade off between consequent benefits and costs. We consider a free experience service system where each arriving customer can start his service immediately without waiting, which is a typical situation of many online service platforms. A queueing model with infinite number of servers is employed to study such a service system. The closed forms of the expected numbers of informed and uninformed customers in steady-state are derived by solving nonhomogeneous linear partial differential equations. After that, the expected profit of the service provider is generated and maximized by determining the optimal price and service rates. Our numerical results suggest that with the increase of the market share and the serving cost for the informed customers, the service provider should lay more emphasis on offering the regular service for the informed customers.
Alternative Reductions and Axiomatizations of the Unit-Level-Core
Authors: Chung Ling-Yun , Liao Yu-Hsien , Hsieh Wen-Ying , Chen Tsu-Yin , Lin Chen-Kun
Published: November 2016

By simultaneously considering both the players and the participation levels, we introduce two alternative definitions of the reduced games. Further, several axiomatizations of the unit-level-core are also obtained by applying related properties of consistency and its converse.
Line Segment-Based Stitched Multipanel Figure Separation for Effective Biomedical CBIR
Authors: Santosh K. C. , Aafaque Aafaque , Antani Sameer , Thoma George R.
Published: November 2016

We present a novel technique to separate panels from stitched multipanel figures appearing in biomedical research articles. Since such figures may comprise images from different imaging modalities, separating them is a crucial first step for effective biomedical content-based image retrieval (CBIR): multimodal biomedical document classification and/or retrieval, for instance. The method applies local line segment detection based on the gray-level pixel changes. It then applies a line vectorization process that connects prominent broken lines along the panel boundaries while eliminating insignificant line segments within the panels. We validated our fully automatic technique on a set of stitched multipanel biomedical figures extracted from articles within the Open Access subset of PubMed Central® repository, and achieved precision and recall of 87.16% and 83.51%, respectively, in less than 0.461[Formula: see text]s per image, on average. We also reported the recent ImageCLEF 2015 competition results that highlight the usefulness of the proposed work.
Functional Itô versus Banach space stochastic calculus and strict solutions of semilinear path-dependent equations
Authors: Cosso Andrea , Russo Francesco
Published: November 2016

Functional Itô calculus was introduced in order to expand a functional [Formula: see text] depending on time [Formula: see text], past and present values of the process [Formula: see text]. Another possibility to expand [Formula: see text] consists in considering the path [Formula: see text] as an element of the Banach space of continuous functions on [Formula: see text] and to use Banach space stochastic calculus. The aim of this paper is threefold. (1) To reformulate functional Itô calculus, separating time and past, making use of the regularization procedures which match more naturally the notion of horizontal derivative which is one of the tools of that calculus. (2) To exploit this reformulation in order to discuss the (not obvious) relation between the functional and the Banach space approaches. (3) To study existence and uniqueness of smooth solutions to path-dependent partial differential equations which naturally arise in the study of functional Itô calculus. More precisely, we study a path-dependent equation of Kolmogorov type which is related to the window process of the solution to an Itô stochastic differential equation with path-dependent coefficients. We also study a semilinear version of that equation.
Local times for multifractional Brownian motion in higher dimensions: A white noise approach
Authors: Bock Wolfgang , da Silva José Luís , Suryawan Herry P.
Published: November 2016

We present the expansion of the multifractional Brownian motion (mBm) local time in higher dimensions, in terms of Wick powers of white noises (or multiple Wiener integrals). If a suitable number of kernels is subtracted, they exist in the sense of generalized white noise functionals. Moreover, we show the convergence of the regularized truncated local times for mBm in the sense of Hida distributions.
In-Plane Elastic Buckling Behavior of Circular Tied Cable-Arches
Authors: Qiu Minghong , Kang Houjun , Guo Tieding , Zhu Haiping
Published: November 2016

Cable-arch structures, having features of the flexibility of cable and rigidity of arch, have often been used in structural and bridge engineering. It is important to fully understand the behavior of such a structure under various conditions. For this purpose, in this paper, linear and nonlinear elastic buckling analysis of four cable-arch related structures, including tied cable-arch structure, pure arch, tied arch and cable-arch, were conducted using the finite element methods under different boundary and load conditions with the stability of these structures compared. Furthermore, the parametric analysis was carried out to investigate the influence of numbers and inclined angles of hangers and cables, materials of cables and stiffness of tie beam on the buckling behavior of tied cable-arch. The results indicate that the stability of pure arch and tied arch can be enhanced by anchoring cables on the arch rib due to the increase in stiffness. Moreover, the weaker the stiffness of an arch, the greater the cable’s contribution to structural stiffness. The stability of a tied cable-arch is quite sensitive to the inclined angle of hangers and cables, the number and materials of cables, and tie bar, but not to the fracture of two hangers. The study gives us a complete understanding of the elastic buckling behavior of circular tied cable-arch structures.
Experimental and Numerical Studies of a Damaged Bridge Considering Stochastic Traffic Flows and Road Roughness
Authors: Yin Xinfeng , Liu Yang , Kong Bo , Chen Suren
Published: November 2016

Experimental and numerical studies are performed to analyze a concrete bridge under moving vehicular loads considering the effects of the damage cracks, stochastic traffic flows, and bridge surface roughness. Specifically, (1) the crack zone in the concrete bridge is modeled by a damage function with three parameters, i.e. the length of damaged zone, the magnitude of the damage, and the variation of Young’s modulus of the material; (2) a cellular automation (CA) based traffic flow model is adopted, which can capture the basic features of the probabilistic traffic flows using realistic traffic rules; (3) a three-dimensional (3D) vehicle model and a single vehicle model are each used to simulate the vehicles in the traffic flow for computational efficiency; and (4) the bridge and vehicle coupled equations are established by combining those for the bridge and vehicles using the displacement and interaction force relationship at the contact patches. The experimental and numerical investigations are conducted to validate the proposed modeling methodology. As an illustration, a prototype concrete bridge structure with partial damage is studied. Finally, parametric studies are conducted to study the effects of damage cracks, stochastic traffic flows, and surface roughness on the dynamic displacement, impact factor, impact force, and dynamic load coefficient of the bridge.
Closed-Form Exact Solutions for Viscously Damped Free and Forced Vibrations of Longitudinal and Torsional Bars
Authors: Kang Jae-Hoon
Published: November 2016

This paper studies the viscously damped free and forced vibrations of longitudinal and torsional bars. The method is exact and yields closed form solution for the vibration displacement in contrast with the well-known eigenfunction superposition (ES) method, which requires expression of the distributed forcing functions and displacement response functions as infinite series sums of free vibration eigenfunctions. The viscously damped natural frequency equation and the critical viscous damping equation are exactly derived for the bars. Then the viscously damped free vibration frequencies and corresponding damped mode shapes are calculated and plotted, aside from the undamped free vibration and corresponding mode shapes typically computed and used in vibration problems. The longitudinal or torsional amplitude versus forcing frequency curves showing the forced response to distributed loadings are plotted for various viscous damping parameters. It is found that the viscous damping affects the natural frequencies and the corresponding mode shapes of longitudinal and torsional bars, especially for the fundamental frequency.
Elastic Stability of Concrete Beam-Columns
Authors: Sharma Mamta R. , Singh Arbind K. , Benipal Gurmail S.
Published: November 2016

In the first part of this paper, elastostatic stability of cracked conservative flanged concrete beam-columns has been analyzed. Using the derived expression for the lateral stiffness under constant axial force, their elastodynamic stability is investigated in this second part. As expected, the instantaneous values of the stiffness and the damping coefficients of the lumped-mass underdamped SDOF nonlinear structures are found to depend upon the vibration amplitude. The natural frequency has been found to vanish at the two critical axial loads defined in the first part. For axial load exceeding the second critical value, the concrete beam-columns in the second equilibrium state are shown to exhibit loss of dynamic stability by divergence. Depending upon the initial conditions, the phase plane has been partitioned into dynamically stable and unstable regions. Under harmonic excitations, the nonlinear dynamical systems exhibit subharmonic resonances and jump phenomena. Loss of dynamic stability has been predicted for some ranges of damping ratio as well as of peak sinusoidal force and forcing frequency. Sensitivity of dynamic stability to the initial conditions and the sense of the peak sinusoidal force have also been predicted. The theoretical significance and the methodology adopted in this paper are also discussed.
The (b,c)-inverse for products and lower triangular matrices
Authors: Ke Yuanyuan , Wang Zhou , Chen Jianlong
Published: November 2016

Let [Formula: see text] be a semigroup and [Formula: see text]. The concept of [Formula: see text]-inverses was introduced by Drazin in 2012. It is well known that the Moore–Penrose inverse, the Drazin inverse, the Bott–Duffin inverse, the inverse along an element, the core inverse and dual core inverse are all special cases of the [Formula: see text]-inverse. In this paper, a new relationship between the [Formula: see text]-inverse and the Bott–Duffin [Formula: see text]-inverse is established. The relations between the [Formula: see text]-inverse of [Formula: see text] and certain classes of generalized inverses of [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text], and the [Formula: see text]-inverse of [Formula: see text] are characterized for some [Formula: see text], where [Formula: see text]. Necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of the [Formula: see text]-inverse of a lower triangular matrix over an associative ring [Formula: see text] are also given, and its expression is derived, where [Formula: see text] are regular triangular matrices.
Distributed lossy compression for hyperspectral images based on multilevel coset codes
Authors: Xu Ke , Liu Bin , Nian Yongjian , He Mi , Wan Jianwei
Published: November 2016

This paper focuses on the problem of lossy compression for hyperspectral images and presents an efficient compression algorithm based on distributed source coding. The proposed algorithm employs a block-based quantizer followed by distributed lossless coding, which is implemented through the use of multilevel coset codes. First, a bitrate allocation algorithm is proposed to assign the rational bitrate for each block. Subsequently, the multilinear regression model is employed to construct the side information of each block, and the optimal quantization step size of each block is obtained under the assigned bitrate while minimizing the distortion. Finally, the quantized version of each block is encoded by distributed lossless compression. Experimental results show that the compression performance of the proposed algorithm is competitive with that of state-of-the-art transform-based compression algorithms. Moreover, the proposed algorithm provides both low encoder complexity and error resilience, making it suitable for onboard compression.
Teleparallel conformal Killing vector fields of LRS Bianchi type V spacetimes in teleparallel gravity
Authors: Khan Suhail , Hussain Tahir , Khan Gulzar Ali
Published: November 2016

The aim of this paper is to explore teleparallel conformal Killing vector fields (CKVFs) of locally rotationally symmetric (LRS) Bianchi type V spacetimes in the context of teleparallel gravity and compare the obtained results with those of general relativity (GR). The general solution of teleparallel conformal Killing's equations is found in terms of some unknown functions of [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text], along with a set of integrability conditions. The integrability conditions are solved in some particular cases to get the final form of teleparallel CKVFs. It is observed that the LRS Bianchi type V spacetimes admit proper teleparallel CKVF in only one case, while in remaining cases the teleparallel CKVFs reduce to teleparallel Killing vector fields (KVFs). Moreover, it is shown that the LRS Bianchi type V spacetimes do not admit any proper teleparallel homothetic vector field (HVF).
HOW THE INDUSTRIAL INTERNET OF THINGS CHANGES BUSINESS MODELS IN DIFFERENT MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES
Authors: ARNOLD CHRISTIAN , KIEL DANIEL , VOIGT KAI-INGO
Published: November 2016

The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) poses large impacts on business models (BM) of established manufacturing companies within several industries. Thus, this paper aims at analyzing the influence of the IIoT on these BMs with particular respect to differences and similarities dependent on varying industry sectors. For this purpose, we employ an exploratory multiple case study approach based on semi-structured expert interviews in 69 manufacturing companies from the five most important German industries. Owing the lack of previous research, our study contributes to the current state of management literature by revealing the following valuable insights with regard to industry-specific BM changes: The machine and plant engineering companies are mainly facing changing workforce qualifications, the electrical engineering and information and communication technology companies are particularly concerned with the importance of novel key partner networks, and automotive suppliers predominantly exploit IIoT-inherent benefits in terms of an increasing cost efficiency.
THE EFFECTS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL CAPITAL AND TEAM STRAIN ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF NPD TEAMS: THE MODERATING ROLE OF PERCEIVED DIVERSITY CLIMATE
Authors: SUKOCO BADRI MUNIR , LEE LES TIEN-SHANG
Published: November 2016

The unlearning process in new product development (NPD) teams is a crucial one that leads to innovative products, but most related studies emphasise the variables embedded at the team level. This study focuses on how the characteristics of individuals, known as psychological capital (PsyCap), also contribute to the unlearning process. Moreover, this study argues that the effect of unlearning is moderated by the perceived diversity climate. To test the proposed hypotheses, 77 NPD team leaders and 298 members participated in the study. The results indicate that PsyCap has a positive influence on team unlearning and product innovation. This study also indicates that team strain negatively influences the unlearning process and product innovation. The positive effect of PsyCap on the unlearning process is strengthened when NPD teams perceive greater diversity climate, while the negative effect of team strain on the unlearning process and product innovation is weakened.
ORGANIZATIONAL INNOVATION, DESIGN AND NPD PERFORMANCE: THE ROLE OF CO-CREATION STRATEGY
Authors: HSU YEN
Published: November 2016

Within firms, procedures would be the site of a big pool of business assets that always take into account the preponderance of the firm’s physical and human capital. In enterprises, innovation, marketing, and product design should be closely coordinated. Most research has demonstrated that an effective connection among innovation R&D, marketing activities, and design pushes products into the marketplace and guarantees their success. However, empirical studies of the Co-creations among innovation, marketing, and design strategies in new product development (NPD) performance are rare. This gives an effective empirical contribution towards the emerging body of students developing the co-creation paradigm, mainly indicated by conceptual advances in strategic management logic. The overall aim of the paper is to unravel the nature of strategy processes of co-creation in innovation.

In this study, enterprises from the Taiwan Bicycle Exporter’s Association (TBEA) database were chosen randomly as subjects. In the first survey, the status of the marketing strategy, innovation strategy, and design strategy was determined. After a new product was marketed for one year, a second survey was conducted as an NPD performance check. After repeated contact, 188 enterprises (23.5%) responded. Major findings of the study are as follows. (1) The structural equation model (SEM) results demonstrate a great fit between your theoretical model and observed data for innovation, marketing, and design methods. (2) The NPD performance is affected by an enterprise’s innovation, marketing, and design methods. Furthermore, innovation and marketing methods also influence NPD performance through design strategy. For NPD performance, design technique is both a completely independent variable as well as an intervening variable. (3) The NPD performance could be strengthened when businesses struggle for innovation, marketing, and design methods. Controlling the co-creation process is really a complex endeavor. The research findings claim that managers of co-produced service improvements develop an interactive procedure for inducing and imagining innovative actions of the network stars.
ENTREPRENEURIAL TEAM DIVERSITY AND NEW VENTURE PERFORMANCE IN CAMEROON: THE MODERATING EFFECT OF CONFLICTS
Authors: MAZRA MATH
Published: November 2016

Researches on entrepreneurship reach a conclusion that more and more companies are created by teams rather than by sole entrepreneurs (Klotz et al., 2014). According to the Cameroonian National Institute of Statistics (NIS, 2009), more than 66% of new ventures in Cameroon are Limited Liability Companies, representing the major jobs provider. However, in spite of their numerical and economical importance, creations in teams have not been subject to scientific interest despite their consistency. The purpose of this article is to analyse the effect of the entrepreneurial team diversity and conflicts among its members on the performance of new ventures. The results of our econometric analysis based on a sample of 184 new ventures show that gender, skills and experience diversity have a positive impact on the performance of these enterprises. The cognitive conflict positively moderates the effect of the team diversity, while the emotional conflict negatively affects this relationship. Ethnic or racial diversity has no significant impact on the performance of the new ventures.
A Multi-Phase Hybrid Metaheuristics Approach for the Exam Timetabling
Authors: Hmer Ali , Mouhoub Malek
Published: November 2016

We propose a Multi-Phase Hybrid Metaheuristics approach for solving the Exam Timetabling Problem (ETP). This approach is defined with three phases: pre-processing phase, construction phase and enhancement phase. The pre-processing phase relies on our variable ordering heuristic as well as a form of transitive closure for discovering implicit constraints. The construction phase uses a variant of the Tabu Search with conflicts dictionary. The enhancement phase includes Hill Climbing (HC), Simulated Annealing (SA) and our updated version of the extended “Great Deluge” algorithm. In order to evaluate the performance of the different phases of our proposed approach, we conducted several experiments on instances taken from ITC 2007 benchmarking datasets. The results are very promising and competitive with the well known ETP solvers.
Transmission electron microscopy characterization of protective La0.7Sr0.3MnO3−δ coatings prepared by electrostatic spray deposition on ferritic alloy
Authors: da Conceição Leandro , Lay Sabine , Robaut Florence , Renou Gilles , Muccillo E. N. S. , Djurado Elisabeth
Published: November 2016

The effect of La[Formula: see text]Sr[Formula: see text]MnO[Formula: see text] (LSM) coating on SS446 steel on air oxidation at 800[Formula: see text]C was investigated by transmission electron microscopy. Dense and crack free thin LSM films were prepared by electrostatic spray deposition. The microstructural characterization was carried out on coated and uncoated interconnectors. A thin chromia scale at the alloy interface along with two spinel phases were observed after long term oxidation in both cases. Specimens exhibit, in addition, an SiO2 layer at the interface with steel due to the high content of Si in the steel. Significant changes in the thickness, morphology and composition occurred in the reaction layer for the LSM coated steel. These effects are explained on the basis of changes in the diffusive fluxes during exposure to the oxidation treatment. The implications of these effects for the degradation mechanism of LSM-based interconnects are discussed.
The Genetics of Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli Virulence
Authors: Pearson Jaclyn S. , Giogha Cristina , Wong Fok Lung Tania , Hartland Elizabeth L.
Published: November 2016

In many parts of the world, enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) are a leading cause of death in children with diarrhea. Much of what we know about the pathogenesis of EPEC infections is based on the study of one or two prototypic strains that have provided deep insight into the precise mechanisms by which EPEC colonizes the intestine, evades host immunity, and spreads from person to person. In some cases, defining the biochemical activity of the host-interacting effector proteins from these prototypic strains has led to the discovery of novel post-translational protein modifications and new understandings of biology and host-pathogen interactions. However, genomic analysis of recent EPEC isolates has revealed that the EPEC pathotype is more diverse than previously appreciated. Although by definition all strains carry the locus of enterocyte effacement, the effector repertoires of different clonal groups are quite divergent, suggesting that there is still a great deal to learn about the genetic basis of EPEC virulence.
Vaccination via Chloroplast Genetics: Affordable Protein Drugs for the Prevention and Treatment of Inherited or Infectious Human Diseases
Authors: Daniell Henry , Chan Hui-Ting , Pasoreck Elise K.
Published: November 2016

Plastid-made biopharmaceuticals treat major metabolic or genetic disorders, including Alzheimer's, diabetes, hypertension, hemophilia, and retinopathy. Booster vaccines made in chloroplasts prevent global infectious diseases, such as tuberculosis, malaria, cholera, and polio, and biological threats, such as anthrax and plague. Recent advances in this field include commercial-scale production of human therapeutic proteins in FDA-approved cGMP facilities, development of tags to deliver protein drugs to targeted human cells or tissues, methods to deliver precise doses, and long-term stability of protein drugs at ambient temperature, maintaining their efficacy. Codon optimization utilizing valuable information from sequenced chloroplast genomes enhanced expression of eukaryotic human or viral genes in chloroplasts and offered unique insights into translation in chloroplasts. Support from major biopharmaceutical companies, development of hydroponic production systems, and evaluation by regulatory agencies, including the CDC, FDA, and USDA, augur well for advancing this novel concept to the clinic and revolutionizing affordable healthcare.
Delay between Onset of Symptoms and Seeking Physician Intervention Increases Risk of Diabetic Foot Complications: Results of a Cross-Sectional Population-Based Survey
Authors: Gavan Norina A. , Veresiu Ioan A. , Vinik Etta J. , Vinik Aaron I. , Florea Bogdan , Bondor Cosmina I.
Published: November 2016

We present a post hoc analysis of 17,530 questionnaires collected as part of the 2012 screening for neuropathy using Norfolk Quality of Life tool in patients with diabetes in Romania, to assess the impact on foot complications of time between the onset of symptoms of diabetes/its complications and the physician visit. Odds ratios (ORs) for self-reporting neuropathy increased from 1.16 (95% CI: 1.07–1.25) in those who sought medical care in 1–6 months from symptoms of diabetes/its complications onset to 2.27 in those who sought medical care >2 years after symptoms onset. The ORs for having a history of foot ulcers were 1.43 (95% CI: 1.26–1.63) in those who sought medical care in 1–6 months and increased to 3.08 (95% CI: 2.59–3.66) in those who sought medical care after >2 years from symptoms of diabetes/its complications onset. The highest ORs for a history of gangrene (2.49 [95% CI: 1.90–3.26]) and amputations (2.18 [95% CI: 1.60–2.97]) were observed in those who sought medical care after >2 years following symptoms onset. In conclusion, we showed that waiting for >1 month after symptoms onset dramatically increases the risk of diabetic foot complications. These results show the need for accessible educational programs on diabetes and its chronic complications and the need to avoid delays in reporting.
Fractal Video Coding Using Fast Normalized Covariance Based Similarity Measure
Authors: Chaudhari Ravindra E. , Dhok Sanjay B.
Published: November 2016

Fast normalized covariance based similarity measure for fractal video compression with quadtree partitioning is proposed in this paper. To increase the speed of fractal encoding, a simplified expression of covariance between range and overlapped domain blocks within a search window is implemented in frequency domain. All the covariance coefficients are normalized by using standard deviation of overlapped domain blocks and these are efficiently calculated in one computation by using two different approaches, namely, FFT based and sum table based. Results of these two approaches are compared and they are almost equal to each other in all aspects, except the memory requirement. Based on proposed simplified similarity measure, gray level transformation parameters are computationally modified and isometry transformations are performed using rotation/reflection properties of IFFT. Quadtree decompositions are used for the partitions of larger size of range block, that is, 16 × 16, which is based on target level of motion compensated prediction error. Experimental result shows that proposed method can increase the encoding speed and compression ratio by 66.49% and 9.58%, respectively, as compared to NHEXS method with increase in PSNR by 0.41 dB. Compared to H.264, proposed method can save 20% of compression time with marginal variation in PSNR and compression ratio.
Evaluation of Bone Metabolism in Critically Ill Patients Using CTx and PINP
Authors: Gavala Alexandra , Makris Konstantinos , Korompeli Anna , Myrianthefs Pavlos
Published: November 2016

Background. Prolonged immobilization, nutritional and vitamin D deficiency, and specific drug administration may lead to significant bone resorption. Methods and Patients. We prospectively evaluated critically ill patients admitted to the ICU for at least 10 days. Demographics, APACHE II, SOFA scores, length of stay (LOS), and drug administration were recorded. Blood collections were performed at baseline and on a weekly basis for five consecutive weeks. Serum levels of PINP, β-CTx, iPTH, and 25(OH)vitamin D were measured at each time-point. Results. We enrolled 28 patients of mean age 67.4 ± 2.3 years, mean APACHE II 22.2 ± 0.9, SOFA 10.1 ± 0.6, and LOS 31.6 ± 5.7 days. Nineteen patients were receiving low molecular weight heparin, 17 nor-epinephrine and low dose hydrocortisone, 18 transfusions, and 3 phenytoin. 25(OH)vitamin D serum levels were very low in all patients at all time-points; iPTH serum levels were increased at baseline tending to normalize on 5th week; β-CTx serum levels were significantly increased compared to baseline on 2nd week (peak values), whereas PINP levels were increased significantly after the 4th week. Conclusions. Our data show that critically ill patients had a pattern of hypovitaminosis D, increased iPTH, hypocalcaemia, and BTMs compatible with altered bone metabolism.
Convolution Model of a Queueing System with the cFIFO Service Discipline
Authors: Hanczewski Sławomir , Kaliszan Adam , Stasiak Maciej
Published: November 2016

This article presents an approximate convolution model of a multiservice queueing system with the continuous FIFO (cFIFO) service discipline. The model makes it possible to service calls sequentially with variable bit rate, determined by unoccupied (free) resources of the multiservice server. As compared to the FIFO discipline, the cFIFO queue utilizes the resources of a multiservice server more effectively. The assumption in the model is that the queueing system is offered a mixture of independent multiservice Bernoulli-Poisson-Pascal (BPP) call streams. The article also discusses the results of modelling a number of queueing systems to which different, non-Poissonian, call streams are offered. To verify the accuracy of the model, the results of the analytical calculations are compared with the results of simulation experiments for a number of selected queueing systems. The study has confirmed the accuracy of all adopted theoretical assumptions for the proposed analytical model.
Low Serum Levels of Prealbumin, Retinol Binding Protein, and Retinol Are Frequent in Adult Type 1 Diabetic Patients
Authors: Forga Luis , Bolado Federico , Goñi María José , Tamayo Ibai , Ibáñez Berta , Prieto Carlos
Published: November 2016

Aim.To determine the serum prealbumin (PA), retinol binding protein (RBP), and retinol levels in adult patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D) and to analyze some factors related to those levels.Methods.A total of 93 patients (47 women) were studied. Age, gender, BMI, duration of diabetes, chronic complications, HbA1c, lipid profile, creatinine, albumin, PA, RBP, and retinol were recorded. High and low parameter groups were compared by Mann–WhitneyUandχ2tests. Correlation between parameters was analyzed by Spearman’s test. Odds of low levels were analyzed by univariate logistic regression and included in the multivariate analysis when significant.Results.49.5%, 48.4%, and 30.1% of patients displayed serum PA, RBP, and retinol levels below normal values, respectively. A high correlation (Rho > 0.8) between PA, RBP, and retinol serum levels was found. Patients presenting low levels of any of them were predominantly women, normal-weighted, and with lower levels of triglycerides and serum creatinine. No differences in age, macrovascular complications, duration of diabetes, or HbA1c values were observed when comparing low and normal parameter groups.Conclusion.Low serum levels of PA, RBP, and retinol are frequent in T1D adult patients. This alteration is influenced by female sex and serum creatinine and triglyceride levels.
Plane Wave-Perturbative Method for Evaluating the Effective Speed of Sound in 1D Phononic Crystals
Authors: Flores Méndez J. , Salazar Villanueva M. , Ambrosio Lázaro R. C. , Calixto Sirene B. , Mota González M. L. , Candia García F.
Published: November 2016

A method for calculating the effective sound velocities for a 1D phononic crystal is presented; it is valid when the lattice constant is much smaller than the acoustic wave length; therefore, the periodic medium could be regarded as a homogeneous one. The method is based on the expansion of the displacements field into plane waves, satisfying the Bloch theorem. The expansion allows us to obtain a wave equation for the amplitude of the macroscopic displacements field. From the form of this equation we identify the effective parameters, namely, the effective sound velocities for the transverse and longitudinal macroscopic displacements in the homogenized 1D phononic crystal. As a result, the explicit expressions for the effective sound velocities in terms of the parameters of isotropic inclusions in the unit cell are obtained: mass density and elastic moduli. These expressions are used for studying the dependence of the effective, transverse and longitudinal, sound velocities for a binary 1D phononic crystal upon the inclusion filling fraction. A particular case is presented for 1D phononic crystals composed of W-Al and Polyethylene-Si, extending for a case solid-fluid.
The Potential Role of Graphene in Developing the Next Generation of Endomaterials
Authors: Patelis Nikolaos , Moris Demetrios , Matheiken Sean , Klonaris Chris
Published: November 2016

Graphene is the first 2-dimensional material and possesses a plethora of original properties. Graphene and its derivatives have exhibited a great potential in a number of fields, both medical and nonmedical. The aim of this review is to set the theoretical basis for further research in developing graphene-based endovascular materials. An extensive search was performed in medical and bioengineering literature. Published data on other carbon materials, as well as limited data from medical use of graphene, are promising. Graphene is a promising future material for developing novel endovascular materials. Certain issues as biocompatibility, biotoxicity, and biostability should be explored further.
Evaluation of the In Vivo Therapeutic Effects of Radix Paeoniae Rubra Ethanol Extract with the Hypoglycemic Activities Measured from Multiple Cell‐Based Assays
Authors: Chang Chia-Chuan , Yuan Wei , Lin Yun-Lian , Liu Ren-Shyan , Juan Yi-Chen , Sun Wan-Hua , Tsay Huey Jen , Huang Hsiu-Chen , Lee Yu-Ching , Liu Hui-Kang
Published: November 2016

Background. Radix Paeoniae Rubra (Chi Shao) contains several phytochemicals with hypoglycemic actions. Current research aims to explore potential insulinotropic effects and long‐term therapeutic efficacy of such herb against type 2 diabetes. Methods. Composition analysis for the ethanol extract (PRExt) was executed by high performance liquid chromatography. Polyphenol‐enriched fraction was characterized by high pressure size exclusion chromatography. Multiple cell platforms were employed to evaluate hypoglycemic bioactivities. In animal experiments, blood glucose, the homeostasis model assessment (HOMA)‐index assessment, glucose tolerance test, and in vivo glucose uptake were all measured. Additional effects of PRExt on obesity and hepatic steatosis were evaluated by serum and histological analysis. Results. PRExt provides multiple hypoglycemic effects including the enhancement of glucose‐mediated insulin secretion. Pentagalloylglucose and polyphenol‐enriched fraction are two insulinotropic constituents. Moreover, PRExt intraperitoneal injection causes acute hypoglycemic effects on fasted db/db mice. Oral administration of PRExt (200 mg/kg b.w.) gradually reduces blood glucose in db/db mice to the level similar to that in C57J/B6 mice after 30 days. The improvement of glucose intolerance, HOMA‐index, and in vivo glucose uptake is evident in addition to the weight loss effect and attenuation of hepatic steatosis. Conclusion. PRExt is an effective antidiabetic herbal extract with multiple hypoglycemic bioactivities.
Short Duration Small Sided Football and to a Lesser Extent Whole Body Vibration Exercise Induce Acute Changes in Markers of Bone Turnover
Authors: Bowtell J. L. , Jackman S. R. , Scott S. , Connolly L. J. , Mohr M. , Ermidis G. , Julian R. , Yousefian F. , Helge E. W. , Jørgensen N. R. , Fulford J. , Knapp K. M. , Krustrup P.
Published: November 2016

We aimed to study whether short-duration vibration exercise or football sessions of two different durations acutely changed plasma markers of bone turnover and muscle strain. Inactive premenopausal women (n=56) were randomized to complete a single bout of short (FG15) or long duration (FG60) small sided football or low magnitude whole body vibration training (VIB). Procollagen type 1 amino-terminal propeptide (P1NP) was increased during exercise for FG15 (51.6±23.0 to 56.5±22.5 μg·L−1, mean ± SD, P<0.05) and FG60 (42.6±11.8 to 50.2±12.8 μg·L−1, P<0.05) but not for VIB (38.8±15.1 to 36.6±14.7 μg·L−1, P>0.05). An increase in osteocalcin was observed 48 h after exercise (P<0.05), which did not differ between exercise groups. C-terminal telopeptide of type 1 collagen was not affected by exercise. Blood lactate concentration increased during exercise for FG15 (0.6±0.2 to 3.4±1.2 mM) and FG60 (0.6±0.2 to 3.3±2.0 mM), but not for VIB (0.6±0.2 to 0.8±0.4 mM) (P<0.05). Plasma creatine kinase increased by 55±63% and 137±119% 48 h after FG15 and FG60 (P<0.05), but not after VIB (26±54%, NS). In contrast to the minor elevation in osteocalcin in response to a single session of vibration exercise, both short and longer durations of small sided football acutely increased plasma P1NP, osteocalcin, and creatine kinase. This may contribute to favorable effects of chronic training on musculoskeletal health.
Transferrin ImpactsBacillus thuringiensisBiofilm Levels
Authors: Garner Bianca , Brown Elrica , Taplin Martha , Garcia Angel , Williams-Mapp Baracka
Published: November 2016

The present study examined the impact of transferrin onBacillus thuringiensisbiofilms. Three commercial strains, an environmental strain (33679), the type strain (10792), and an isolate from a diseased insect (700872), were cultured in iron restricted minimal medium. All strains produced biofilm when grown in vinyl plates at 30°C.B. thuringiensis33679 had a biofilm biomass more than twice the concentration exhibited by the other strains. The addition of transferrin resulted in slightly increased growth yields for 2 of the 3 strains tested, including 33679. In contrast, the addition of 50 μg/mL of transferrin resulted in an 80% decrease in biofilm levels for strain 33679. When the growth temperature was increased to 37°C, the addition of 50 μg/mL of transferrin increased culture turbidity for only strain 33679. Biofilm levels were again decreased in strain 33679 at 37°C. Growth ofB. thuringiensiscultures in polystyrene resulted in a decrease in overall growth yields at 30°C, with biofilm levels significantly decreased for 33679 in the presence of transferrin. These findings demonstrate that transferrin impacts biofilm formation in select strains ofB. thuringiensis. Identification of these differences in biofilm regulation may be beneficial in elucidating potential virulence mechanisms among the differing strains.
TNFαAffects Ciliary Beat Response to Increased Viscosity in Human Pediatric Airway Epithelium
Authors: González Claudia , Droguett Karla , Rios Mariana , Cohen Noam A. , Villalón Manuel
Published: November 2016

In airway epithelium, mucociliary clearance (MCC) velocity depends on the ciliary beat frequency (CBF), and it is affected by mucus viscoelastic properties. Local inflammation induces secretion of cytokines (TNFα) that can alter mucus viscosity; however airway ciliated cells have an autoregulatory mechanism to prevent the collapse of CBF in response to increase in mucus viscosity, mechanism that is associated with an increment in intracellular Ca+2level (Ca2+i). We studied the effect of TNFαon the autoregulatory mechanism that regulates CBF in response to increased viscosity using dextran solutions, in ciliated cells cultured from human pediatric epithelial adenoid tissue. Cultures were treated with TNFα, before and after the viscous load was changed. TNFαtreatment produced a significantly larger decrease in CBF in cultures exposed to dextran. Furthermore, an increment inCa2+iwas observed, which was significantly larger after TNFαtreatment. In conclusion, although TNFαhas deleterious effects on ciliated cells in response to maintaining CBF after increasing viscous loading, it has a positive effect, since increasingCa2+imay prevent the MCC collapse. These findings suggest that augmented levels of TNFαassociated with an inflammatory response of the nasopharyngeal epithelium may have dual effects that contribute to maintaining the effectiveness of MCC in the upper airways.
Application of Latitude Stripe Division in Satellite Constellation Coverage to Ground
Authors: Wang Maocai , Luo Xin , Dai Guangming , Chen Xiaoyu
Published: November 2016

Grid point technique is a classical method in computing satellite constellation coverage to the ground regions. Aiming at improving the low computational efficiency of the conventional method, a method using latitude stripe division is proposed, which has high efficiency, and we name it latitude stripe method. After dividing the target region into several latitude stripes, the coverage status of each latitude stripe is computed by means of the spherical geometry relationship in the first orbital period. The longitude coverage intervals in the remaining orbital periods are computed by sliding the coverage status in the first orbital period. Based on this method, the instantaneous and cumulative coverage in simulation time can be calculated more efficiently. As well, the relationship between the cumulative coverage and altitude can be computed fast by this method, which could be used in the optimized design of repeating sun-synchronous orbits. The comparison between the conventional grid point method and the latitude stripe method shows that the latitude stripe method has high efficiency and accuracy. Through various case studies, the optimization in repeating sun-synchronous orbits design is successfully represented.
Adipose Derived‐Mesenchymal Stem Cells Viability and Differentiating Features for Orthopaedic Reparative Applications: Banking of Adipose Tissue
Authors: Roato Ilaria , Alotto Daniela , Belisario Dimas Carolina , Casarin Stefania , Fumagalli Mara , Cambieri Irene , Piana Raimondo , Stella Maurizio , Ferracini Riccardo , Castagnoli Carlotta
Published: November 2016

Osteoarthritis is characterized by loss of articular cartilage also due to reduced chondrogenic activity of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from patients. Adipose tissue is an attractive source of MSCs (ATD‐MSCs), representing an effective tool for reparative medicine, particularly for treatment of osteoarthritis, due to their chondrogenic and osteogenic differentiation capability. The treatment of symptomatic knee arthritis with ATD‐MSCs proved effective with a single infusion, but multiple infusions could be also more efficacious. Here we studied some crucial aspects of adipose tissue banking procedures, evaluating ATD‐MSCs viability, and differentiation capability after cryopreservation, to guarantee the quality of the tissue for multiple infusions. We reported that the presence of local anesthetic during lipoaspiration negatively affects cell viability of cryopreserved adipose tissue and cell growth of ATD‐MSCs in culture. We observed that DMSO guarantees a faster growth of ATD‐MSCs in culture than trehalose. At last, ATD‐MSCs derived from fresh and cryopreserved samples at −80°C and −196°C showed viability and differentiation ability comparable to fresh samples. These data indicate that cryopreservation of adipose tissue at −80°C and −196°C is equivalent and preserves the content of ATD‐MSCs in Stromal Vascular Fraction (SVF), guaranteeing the differentiation ability of ATD‐MSCs.
Traditional Chinese Medicine Huannao Yicong Decoction Extract Decreases Tau Hyperphosphorylation in the Brain of Alzheimer’s Disease Model Rats Induced by Aβ1–42
Authors: Cao Yu , Jia Xingxing , Wei Yun , Liu Meixia , Liu Jiangang , Li Hao
Published: November 2016

Objective. Huannao Yicong Decoction (HYD, 还脑益聪方) has been shown to improve the learning and memory capabilities of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) subjects. However, the underlying mechanism remains to be determined. Methods. Sixty Sprague‐Dawley rats were divided equally and randomly into five different groups including control, positive control, and HYD granules of low dose, medium dose, and high dose by daily gavage. The sham‐treated rats were also given the same volume of sterile water by gavage. Twelve SD rats were treated with the same amount of physiological saline. Twelve weeks later, learning and memory capabilities, Aβ content of the right brain and the expression of glycogen synthase kinase‐3β (GSK‐3β), total tau protein kinase (TTBK1), and cyclin‐dependent kinase‐5 (CDK‐5) were tested. Results. Our results showed that high dose HYD treatment significantly improved the learning and memory capability of the AD rats and decreased the expression of TTBK1, GSK‐3β, and CDK‐5 in the hippocampal CA1 region. Conclusions. HYD treatment for 12 weeks significantly improved spatial learning and memory and effectively inhibited Aβ deposition, likely via reducing tau protein kinase expression and thus tau hyperphosphorylation and inflammatory injury. Taken together, these results suggest that HYD could be an effective treatment for AD.
An Improved SPEA2 Algorithm with Adaptive Selection of Evolutionary Operators Scheme for Multiobjective Optimization Problems
Authors: Zhao Fuqing , Lei Wenchang , Ma Weimin , Liu Yang , Zhang Chuck
Published: November 2016

A fixed evolutionary mechanism is usually adopted in the multiobjective evolutionary algorithms and their operators are static during the evolutionary process, which causes the algorithm not to fully exploit the search space and is easy to trap in local optima. In this paper, a SPEA2 algorithm which is based on adaptive selection evolution operators (AOSPEA) is proposed. The proposed algorithm can adaptively select simulated binary crossover, polynomial mutation, and differential evolution operator during the evolutionary process according to their contribution to the external archive. Meanwhile, the convergence performance of the proposed algorithm is analyzed with Markov chain. Simulation results on the standard benchmark functions reveal that the performance of the proposed algorithm outperforms the other classical multiobjective evolutionary algorithms.
Childhood Hypopigmented Mycosis Fungoides: A Rare Diagnosis
Authors: Patraquim Cláudia , Gomes Maria Miguel , Garcez Carla , Leite Filipa , Oliva Tereza , Santos António , Pinto Armando
Published: November 2016

Primary cutaneous lymphomas (PCL) are rare in pediatrics. Mycosis fungoides (MF) is the most frequent PCL diagnosed in childhood. There are various clinical variants of MF, including the hypopigmented MF (HMF). We present a 5-year-old boy with an 18-month history of progressive, generalized, nonpruritic hypopigmented lesions with central lacy erythema. He had no improvement with emollients. Skin biopsy showed typical features of HMF. He was treated with topical corticosteroids and tacrolimus and narrow-band ultraviolet B (NBUVB) phototherapy, with good response. HMF may mimic multiple skin disorders. Unusual hypopigmented skin lesions should be biopsied. Though phototherapy is effective, recurrence is common.