bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Funduscopy: a forgotten art?
Authors: Roberts Elved , Morgan Rosemary , King Debra , Clerkin Louis
Published: February 2015

Funduscopy is an integral part of the physical examination, especially in older patients in whom visual problems and systemic diseases affecting the fundi (eg, diabetes mellitus) are more common. We have assessed the views of hospital doctors to funduscopy via a questionnaire survey, reviewed the case notes to see whether or not funduscopy is carried out on older patients, and assessed the views of older patients on vision via a questionnaire survey. Review of the case notes showed only three of 100 patients had had funduscopy. Most patients reported a visual problem on specific enquiry. Whilst most hospital doctors believed funduscopy was important, many felt they had insufficient training in this procedure and felt their skills could be improved. We conclude that older patients are missing out on routine funduscopy. Hospital doctors should be aware that not all patients complain of visual problems and specific enquiry should be made. The issue of training and encouragement to perform funduscopy needs to be addressed before funduscopy becomes a forgotten art.
Spuriously elevated plasma calcitonin in a patient with a thyroid nodule not associated with medullary thyroid carcinoma
Authors: Lamb E J , Heddle R M , Ellis A
Published: February 2015

An increase in plasma calcitonin concentration is widely regarded as a specific and sensitive indication of underlying medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC). We present a case in which the association of increased plasma calcitonin concentration and a thyroid nodule was not due to MTC. Subsequent measurement of plasma calcitonin by a variety of methods highlighted the variability that exists in calcitonin measurement and the potential for clinically misleading results. The rationale for investigation and treatment of MTC, including a recommendation to screen all patients with thyroid nodules using plasma calcitonin measurement, is based on the use of specific two-site calcitonin assays which are not universally used in the UK or USA.
Out-of-hours work in cardiothoracic surgery: implications of the New Deal and Calman for training
Authors: Kelty Clive , Duffy John , Cooper Graham
Published: February 2015

With the introduction of the New Deal and the Calman Report, the duration of higher specialist training will be halved. We have examined the effect of reduced on-call rotas on exposure to relatively uncommon out-of-hours emergencies in cardiothoracic surgery. Operations for post-infarction ventricular septal defect, aortic dissection or transection, oesophageal perforation and pulmonary embolus performed out-of-hours between 1990 and 1995 were identified from hospital records. Over 6 years, the period of higher specialist training in cardiothoracic surgery, a trainee would see seven aortic emergencies on a 1:2 rota, four on a 1:4 rota and two on a 1:6 rota. These figures provide a powerful argument in support of the English Clause which allows trainees to be available for 83 hours a week, equivalent to a 1:4 rota, rather than 56 hours a week, equivalent to a 1:6 rota under the New Deal. This may need supplementation by a mechanism whereby trainees are ‘on call for training’.
Intractable oesophageal variceal bleeding caused by splenic arteriovenous fistula: treatment by transcatheter arterial embolization
Authors: Hung C F , Tseng J H , Lui K W , Wan Y L , Tsai C C , Shem C H , Wu C S
Published: February 2015

We describe a rare case of splenic arteriovenous fistula and venous aneurysm which developed after splenectomy in a 40-year-old woman who presented with epigastralgia, watery diarrhoea, repeated haematemesis and melaena caused by hyperkinetic status of the portal system and bleeding of oesophageal varices. It was diagnosed by computed tomography and angiography, and obliterated with giant Gianturco steel coils.
Fish odour syndrome
Authors: Rehman H U
Published: February 2015

Fish odour syndrome (trimethylaminuria) is a metabolic syndrome caused by abnormal excretion of trimethylamine in the breath, urine, sweat, saliva and vaginal secretions. Trimethylamine is derived from the intestinal bacterial degradation of foods rich in choline and carnitine and is normally oxidised by the liver to odourless trimethylamine N-oxide which is then excreted in the urine. Impaired oxidation of trimethylamine is thought to be the cause of the fish odour syndrome and is responsible for the smell of rotting fish. Certain foods rich in choline exacerbate the condition and the patients have a variety of psychological problems. Recognition of the condition is important as dietary adjustments reduce the excretion of trimethylamine and may reduce the odour. Occasionally, a short course of metronidazole, neomycin and lactulose may suppress production of trimethylamine by reducing the activity of gut microflora.
Do Indo-Asians have smaller coronary arteries?
Authors: Lip G Y H , Rathore V S , Katira R , Watson R D S , Singh S P
Published: February 2015

There is a widespread belief that coronary arteries are smaller in Indo-Asians. The aim of the present study was to compare the size of atheroma-free proximal and distal epicardial coronary arteries of Indo-Asians and Caucasians. We analysed normal coronary angiograms from 77 Caucasians and 39 Indo-Asians. The two groups were comparable for dominance of the coronary arteries. Indo-Asian patients had generally smaller coronary arteries, with a statistically significant difference in the mean diameters of the left main coronary artery, proximal, mid and left anterior descending, and proximal and distal right coronary artery segments. There was a non-significant trend towards smaller coronary artery segment diameters for the distal left anterior descending, proximal and distal circumflex, and obtuse marginal artery segments. However, after correction for body surface area, none of these differences in size were statistically significant. Thus, the smaller coronary arteries in Indo-Asian patients were explained by body size alone and were not due to ethnic origin per se. This finding nevertheless has important therapeutic implications, since smaller coronary arteries may give rise to technical difficulties during bypass graft and intervention procedures such as percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty, stents and atherectomy. On smaller arteries, atheroma may also give an impression of more severe disease than on larger diameter arteries.
Systemic vasculitis and atypical infections: report of two cases
Authors: Chakravarty Kuntal , Merry Peter
Published: February 2015

Two cases of systemic vasculitis are described; one presenting with adult Henoch-Schonlein purpura secondary to a concomitantChlamydia infection and the other with leucocytoclastic vasculitis and mesangioproliferative glomerulonephritis secondary to a recent parvovirus B19 infection. Association of chlamydial infection has not previously been described with Henoch-Schonlein purpura and this infection should, perhaps, be added to the list of aetiologies of this disease. Parvovirus B19 causing significant urinary sediment abnormalities associated with mesangioproliferative glomerulonephritis and leucocytoclastic vasculitis has also not been described previously.
Surgical emphysema and pneumomediastinum in a child following minor blunt injury to the neck
Authors: Back G W , Banfield G
Published: February 2015

Largyngotracheal and pharyngoesophageal tears following minor blunt trauma to the neck are uncommon. A child with such an injury is reported and the modes of diagnosis and management are discussed. Patients may initially present with minimal signs and symptoms, but their condition may deteriorate rapidly or insidiously. In the absence of respiratory compromise, conservative management is appropriate, but all patients with significant blunt neck trauma should undergo early direct laryngoscopy under a general anaesthetic.
Ciprofloxacin-induced bone marrow depression
Authors: Dutta Tarun Kumar , Badhe Bhawana A
Published: February 2015

Ciprofloxacin, a broad-spectrum fluoroquinolone antibacterial agent, is generally considered to be a safe drug. However, occasionally it may have life-threatening complications. Two instances of bone marrow failure following use of ciprofloxacin are reported. In one case, the bone marrow reverted to normal following withdrawal of the drug. In the other case, the patient succumbed to irreversible bone marrow depression leading to severe thrombocytopenia and uncontrolled bleeding. This could have been an idiosyncratic reaction.
Oral presentation of an oesophageal mucosal tear
Authors: Uppal Sandeep , De P R
Published: February 2015

Tears of the oesophageal wall following sudden forceful vomiting are well documented in literature. In Boerhaave's syndrome there is transmural rupture associated with complications including pneumothorax, pneumomediastinum, surgical emphysema and shock. In Mallory-Weiss syndrome mucosal tears are associated with haematemesis and shock. In neither of these conditions has intraluminal obstruction been described as an aetiological factor. We present a case with similar pathophysiology where oesophageal obstruction by a meat bolus followed by forceful vomiting led to an oesophageal mucosal tear and presentation of a band of oesophageal mucosa in the oral cavity. The patient did not develop any complications and made an uneventful recovery following conservative management.
Follicular carcinoma in a functioning struma ovarii
Authors: Bhansali A , Jain V , Rajwanshi A , Lodha S , Dash R J
Published: February 2015

We describe a case of follicular carcinoma in a functioning struma ovarii, which presented as an ovarian mass in a patient who had undergone a near-total thyroidectomy for a benign lesion. She underwent bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy and received radiotherapy and l-thyroxine treatment with no evidence of metastases in 4 years follow-up.
Asthma precipitated by cessation of lithium treatment
Authors: Convery R P , Hendrick D J , Bourke S J
Published: February 2015

We report symptomatic asthma, associated with objective and highly significant increases in both airway responsiveness and airflow limitation, presenting de novo in a male patient 6 weeks after suddenly discontinuing lithium carbonate therapy.
Hypertensive encephalopathy in a patient with retroperitoneal fibrosis
Authors: Das D , Brigg J , Brown C M
Published: February 2015

A patient presented with retroperitoneal fibrosis but without any ureteric obstruction. The diagnosis was made by an abdominal CT scan and also at laparotomy. Post-operatively, she developed hypertensive encephalopathy. An isotope renogram with captopril was abnormal but not diagnostic of renal artery stenosis. The patient's condition improved with steroid and antihypertensive treatment. A follow-up CT scan showed complete resolution of peri-aortic thickening. A causative link is postulated between retroperitoneal fibrosis, trauma during laparotmy, and onset of acute hypertension.
A geospatial model to determine patterns of ice cover breakup along the Slave River
Authors: Lindenschmidt Karl-Erich , Das Apurba
Published: February 2015

Spring floods have become less frequent along the Slave River and Slave River Delta. As a result, prolonged dry periods have occurred leading to an influx of invasive vegetation more tolerant to dry conditions (e.g., willows). Ice cover breakup and ice jamming can be important mechanisms in river flooding. A clear understanding of spatial and temporal patterns of the spring ice cover breakup along the Slave River could identify possible causes of reduced flood magnitude and frequency in the Slave River Delta. Few attempts have been made to examine the patterns of ice cover breakup along this river. A geospatial model has been introduced in this study to pinpoint the most likely areas of breakup initiation and persistent ice and ice cover at the end of the breakup period along the river. Relatively narrow river sections are responsible for initiation of breakup and relatively wide sections of the river have a strong predisposition for persistent ice along the Slave River. Daily time series of MODIS satellite images acquired from different years were used to examine the spatial and temporal patterns of ice breakup along the Slave River. In addition to geomorphological influence, air temperature and flow conditions also have strong impacts on the spatial and temporal patterns of the ice cover breakup.
Ground state energy, binding energy, and the impurity-specific heat of the Anderson–Holstein model
Authors: Raju Ch. Narasimha , Chatterjee Ashok
Published: February 2015

A single-level Anderson–Holstein model is studied using the Lang–Firsov transformation followed by a zero-phonon averaging and a Green function method within the framework of a mean-field approximation. The ground state energy of the system, the binding energy between the impurity and conduction electrons, and the impurity–electron spectral function are calculated. The effect of the electron–phonon interaction on the local moment as well as on the specific heat of the impurity electron is explored in the anti-adiabatic regime.
CR regular embeddings and immersions of compact orientable 4-manifolds into ℂ3
Authors: Slapar Marko
Published: February 2015

We show that a compact orientable 4-manifold M has a CR regular immersion into ℂ3 if and only if both its first Pontryagin class p1(M) and its Euler characteristic χ(M) vanish, and has a CR regular embedding into ℂ3 if and only if in addition the second Stiefel–Whitney class w2(M) vanishes.
Joint Channel Estimation and Data Detection for STBC MIMO-OFDM Wireless Communication System
Authors: Patil Gajanan R. , Kokate Vishwanath K.
Published: February 2015

This paper presents a joint channel estimation and data detection technique for multiple input multiple output (MIMO) orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) system. Initial estimate of the channel is obtained using semi-blind channel estimation (SBCE). The whitening rotation (WR)-based orthogonal pilot maximum likelihood (OPML) method is used to obtain the channel estimate. The estimate is further enhanced by extracting information through the received data symbols. The performance of the proposed estimator is studied under various channel models. The simulation study shows that this approach gives better performance over training-based channel estimation (TBCE) and OPML SBCE methods but at the cost of higher computational complexity.
Inequalities for eigenvalues of compact operators in a Hilbert space
Authors: Gil’ Michael
Published: February 2015

Let [Formula: see text] be a compact operator in a separable Hilbert space and [Formula: see text] be the eigenvalues of [Formula: see text] with their multiplicities enumerated in the non-increasing order of their absolute values. We prove the inequality [Formula: see text] where [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] are the singular values of [Formula: see text] and of [Formula: see text], respectively, enumerated with their multiplicities in the non-increasing order. This result refines the classical inequality [Formula: see text]
The lower bound to the concurrence for four-qubit W state under noisy channels
Authors: Espoukeh Pakhshan , Pedram Pouria
Published: February 2015

We study the dynamics of four-qubit W state under various noisy environments by solving analytically the master equation in the Lindblad form in which the Lindblad operators correspond to the Pauli matrices and describe the decoherence of states. Also, we investigate the dynamics of the entanglement using the lower bound to the concurrence. It is found that while the entanglement decreases monotonically for Pauli-Z noise, it decays suddenly for other three noises. Moreover, by studying the time evolution of entanglement of various maximally entangled four-qubit states, we indicate that the four-qubit W state is more robust under same-axis Pauli channels. Furthermore, three-qubit W state preserves more entanglement with respect to the four-qubit W state, except for the Pauli-Z noise.
Photocurrent enhancements in a porphyrin-viologen linked compound under plasmonic and magnetic fields
Authors: Yonemura Hiroaki , Niimi Tomoki , Yamada Sunao
Published: February 2015

Zinc-porphyrin( ZnP )–viologen(V2+) linked compound containing six methylene group ( ZnP (6) V )–silver nanoparticle ( AgNP ) composite films was fabricated by combining electrostatic layer-by-layer adsorption and the Langmuir–Blodgett method. The incident photo to photocurrent efficiency (IPCE) values of the ZnP (6) V – AgNP composite films are higher than those of the ZnP (6) V films and much higher than those of ZnP derivative films without V2+moiety as a reference. The large increase in the IPCE values of the ZnP (6) V – AgNP composite films likely comes from a combination of localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) from AgNPs and photoinduced intramolecular electron-transfer upon linking to a V2+moiety. The photocurrents of the ZnP (6) V – AgNP composite films and the ZnP (6) V films increase upon application of a magnetic field. Magnetic field effects (MFEs) were clearly observed for both ZnP (6) V – AgNP composite films and the ZnP (6) V films. Photocurrents increase with magnetic field under low magnetic fields (B ≤ 150–300 mT) and are constant under high magnetic fields (B > 150–300 mT). MFEs can be explained by a radical pair mechanism. The magnitude of the MFEs in the ZnP (6) V – AgNP composite films is higher than that in the ZnP (6) V films. A remarkable increase in photocurrent for the ZnP (6) V – AgNP composite films was observed because of LSPR from the AgNPs in the presence of a magnetic field when compared with the ZnP (6) V films in the absence of a magnetic field.
Spatial resource allocation via extremal optimization enhanced by cell-based local search
Authors: Sidiropoulos Epaminondas
Published: February 2015

A new treatment is presented for land use planning problems by means of extremal optimization (EO) in conjunction to cell-based neighborhood local search. EO, inspired by self-organized critical models of evolution has been applied mainly to the solution of classical combinatorial optimization problems. Cell-based local search has been employed by the author elsewhere in problems of spatial resource allocation in combination with genetic algorithms and simulated annealing. In this paper, it complements EO in order to enhance its capacity for a spatial optimization problem. The hybrid method thus formed is compared to methods of the literature on a specific resource allocation problem by taking into account both the development and the transportation cost. It yields better results both in terms of objective function values and in terms of compactness. The latter is an important quantity for spatial planning and its meaning is discussed. The appearance of significant compactness values as emergent results is investigated.
Thermal-Aware Scheduling in Green Data Centers
Authors: Chaudhry Muhammad Tayyab , Ling Teck Chaw , Manzoor Atif , Hussain Syed Asad , Kim Jongwon
Published: February 2015

Data centers can go green by saving electricity in two major areas: computing and cooling. Servers in data centers require a constant supply of cold air from on-site cooling mechanisms for reliability. An increased computational load makes servers dissipate more power as heat and eventually amplifies the cooling load. In thermal-aware scheduling, computations are scheduled with the objective of reducing the data-center-wide thermal gradient, hotspots, and cooling magnitude. Complemented by heat modeling and thermal-aware monitoring and profiling, this scheduling is energy efficient and economical. A survey is presented henceforth of thermal-ware scheduling and associated techniques for green data centers.
Moment-Based Methods for Parameter Inference and Experiment Design for Stochastic Biochemical Reaction Networks
Authors: Ruess Jakob , Lygeros John
Published: February 2015

Continuous-time Markov chains are commonly used in practice for modeling biochemical reaction networks in which the inherent randomness of the molecular interactions cannot be ignored. This has motivated recent research effort into methods for parameter inference and experiment design for such models. The major difficulty is that such methods usually require one to iteratively solve the chemical master equation that governs the time evolution of the probability distribution of the system. This, however, is rarely possible, and even approximation techniques remain limited to relatively small and simple systems. An alternative explored in this article is to base methods on only some low-order moments of the entire probability distribution. We summarize the theory behind such moment-based methods for parameter inference and experiment design and provide new case studies where we investigate their performance.
Profile-Based Summarisation for Web Site Navigation
Authors: Alhindi Azhar , Kruschwitz Udo , Fox Chris , Albakour M-Dyaa
Published: February 2015

Information systems that utilise contextual information have the potential of helping a user identify relevant information more quickly and more accurately than systems that work the same for all users and contexts. Contextual information comes in a variety of types, often derived from records of past interactions between a user and the information system. It can be individual or group based. We are focusing on the latter, harnessing the search behaviour of cohorts of users, turning it into a domain model that can then be used to assist other users of the same cohort. More specifically, we aim to explore how such a domain model is best utilised for
profile-biased summarisation
of documents in a
navigation
scenario in which such summaries can be displayed as hover text as a user moves the mouse over a link. The main motivation is to help a user find relevant documents more quickly. Given the fact that the
Web
in general has been studied extensively already, we focus our attention on
Web sites
and similar document collections. Such collections can be notoriously difficult to search or explore. The process of acquiring the domain model is not a research interest here; we simply adopt a biologically inspired method that resembles the idea of ant colony optimisation. This has been shown to work well in a variety of application areas. The model can be built in a continuous learning cycle that exploits search patterns as recorded in typical query log files. Our research explores different summarisation techniques, some of which use the domain model and some that do not. We perform task-based evaluations of these different techniques—thus of the impact of the domain model and profile-biased summarisation—in the context of Web site navigation.
Induced Sorting Suffixes in External Memory
Authors: Nong Ge , Chan Wai Hong , Hu Sheng Qing , Wu Yi
Published: February 2015

We present in this article an external memory algorithm, called disk SA-IS (DSA-IS), to exactly emulate the induced sorting algorithm SA-IS previously proposed for sorting suffixes in RAM. DSA-IS is a new disk-friendly method for sequentially retrieving the preceding character of a sorted suffix to induce the order of the preceding suffix. For a size
n
string of a constant or integer alphabet, given the RAM capacity Ω ((
nW
)
0.5
), where
W
is the size of each I/O buffer that is large enough to amortize the overhead of each access to disk, both the CPU time and peak disk use of DSA-IS are
O
(
n
). Our experimental study shows that on average, DSA-IS achieves the best time and space results of all of the existing external memory algorithms based on the induced sorting principle.
Optimization Modulo Theories with Linear Rational Costs
Authors: Sebastiani Roberto , Tomasi Silvia
Published: February 2015

In the contexts of automated reasoning (AR) and formal verification (FV), important
decision
problems are effectively encoded into Satisfiability Modulo Theories (SMT). In the last decade, efficient SMT solvers have been developed for several theories of practical interest (e.g., linear arithmetic, arrays, and bit vectors). Surprisingly, little work has been done to extend SMT to deal with
optimization
problems; in particular, we are not aware of any previous work on SMT solvers able to produce solutions that minimize cost functions over
arithmetical
variables. This is unfortunate, since some problems of interest require this functionality.

In the work described in this article we start filling this gap. We present and discuss two general procedures for leveraging SMT to handle the minimization of linear rational cost functions, combining SMT with standard minimization techniques. We have implemented the procedures within the MathSAT SMT solver. Due to the absence of competitors in the AR, FV, and SMT domains, we have experimentally evaluated our implementation against state-of-the-art tools for the domain of
Linear Generalized Disjunctive Programming (LGDP)
, which is closest in spirit to our domain, on sets of problems that have been previously proposed as benchmarks for the latter tools. The results show that our tool is very competitive with, and often outperforms, these tools on these problems, clearly demonstrating the potential of the approach.
Probabilistic Event Calculus for Event Recognition
Authors: Skarlatidis Anastasios , Paliouras Georgios , Artikis Alexander , Vouros George A.
Published: February 2015

Symbolic event recognition systems have been successfully applied to a variety of application domains, extracting useful information in the form of events, allowing experts or other systems to monitor and respond when significant events are recognised. In a typical event recognition application, however, these systems often have to deal with a significant amount of uncertainty. In this article, we address the issue of uncertainty in logic-based event recognition by extending the Event Calculus with probabilistic reasoning. Markov logic networks are a natural candidate for our logic-based formalism. However, the temporal semantics of the Event Calculus introduce a number of challenges for the proposed model. We show how and under what assumptions we can overcome these problems. Additionally, we study how probabilistic modelling changes the behaviour of the formalism, affecting its key property—the
inertia
of fluents. Furthermore, we demonstrate the advantages of the probabilistic Event Calculus through examples and experiments in the domain of activity recognition, using a publicly available dataset for video surveillance.
Exploring Big Data with Helix
Authors: Ellis Jason , Fokoue Achille , Hassanzadeh Oktie , Kementsietsidis Anastasios , Srinivas Kavitha , Ward Michael J.
Published: February 2015

While much work has focused on efficient processing of Big Data, little work considers how to understand them. In this paper, we describe Helix, a system for guided exploration of Big Data. Helix provides a unified view of sources, ranging from spreadsheets and XML files with no schema, all the way to RDF graphs and relational data with well-defined schemas. Helix users explore these heterogeneous data sources through a combination of keyword searches and navigation of linked web pages that include information about the schemas, as well as data and semantic links within and across sources. At a technical level, the paper describes the research challenges involved in developing Helix, along with a set of real-world usage scenarios and the lessons learned.
Isolation, Characterization, and RP-HPLC Estimation of P-Coumaric Acid from Methanolic Extract of Durva Grass (Cynodon dactylonLinn.) (Pers.)
Authors: Karthikeyan Ramadoss , Devadasu Chapala , Srinivasa Babu Puttagunta
Published: February 2015

P-coumaric acid is a nonflavonoid phenolic acid and is a major constituent of the speciesCynodon dactylonLinn. (Pers.). In this study isolation of P-coumaric acid was achieved by preparative TLC and the compound thus isolated was characterised by UV, mass, and H1NMR spectral analysis. An isocratic RP-HPLC method was developed for the estimation of P-coumaric acid from methanolic extracts of durva grass. The chromatographic separations were achieved by RP-C18column (250 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 μ), Shimadzu LC-20AT Prominence liquid chromatograph, and a mobile phase composed of water : methanol : glacial acetic acid (65 : 34 : 1 v/v). The flow rate was 1.0 mL/min and the analyses of column effluents were performed using UV-visible detector at 310 nm. Retention time of P-coumaric acid was found to be 6.617 min. This method has obeyed linearity over the concentration range of 2–10 μg/mL and the regression coefficient obtained from linearity plot for P-coumaric acid was found to be 0.999. RP-HPLC method was validated in pursuance of ICH guidelines.
Hyaluronidase in Clinical Isolates ofPropionibacterium acnes
Authors: Tyner Harmony , Patel Robin
Published: February 2015

Objectives. We sought to describe the prevalence of a hyaluronidase gene and hyaluronidase production in 197 clinical isolates ofP. acnes; we assessed kinetics of hyaluronidase production in a subset of three isolates.Methods. The hyaluronidase gene was detected using polymerase chain reaction. Hyaluronidase production was detected by growing isolates on BHI agar containing 400 μg/mL hyaluronic acid and 1% albumin and flooding plates with 2 N glacial acetic acid to precipitate unbound hyaluronic acid, with a zone of clearing representing a positive phenotype. Hyaluronidase production kinetics were measured as a function of hyaluronic acid digestion over time in a liquid medium.Results. A hyaluronidase gene and hyaluronidase production were detected in 100 and 97% ofP. acnesisolates, respectively. Hyaluronidase production in liquid medium was detectable after 96 hours of growth.Conclusions. Hyaluronidase production is nearly universal amongP. acnesisolates. Three days appear to be required for significant hyaluronidase production in a liquid medium. Detection of hyaluronidase in tissue specimens may be a strategy to differentiateP. acnesinfection from colonization whenP. acnesis isolated from a clinical specimen.
Resource Selection by an Endangered Ungulate: A Test of Predator-Induced Range Abandonment
Authors: Villepique Jeffrey T. , Pierce Becky M. , Bleich Vernon C. , Andic Aleksandra , Bowyer R. Terry
Published: February 2015

We investigated influences of risk of predation by mountain lions (Puma concolor), topographic metrics at multiple scales, and vegetation, land, and snow cover on resource selection by Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis sierrae), an endangered taxon, during winters 2002–2007, in the Sierra Nevada, California, USA. We hypothesized that those mountain ungulates would trade off rewards accrued from using critical low-elevation habitat in winter for the safety of areas with reduced risk of predation. Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep did not trade off benefits of forage for reduced risk of predation but selected areas of high solar radiation, a correlate of vegetation productivity, where risk of predation by mountain lions was greatest, while mitigating indirect risk of predation by selecting for steep, rugged terrain. Bighorn sheep selected more strongly for areas where mountain lions were active, than for low-elevation habitat in winter, likely because mountain lions were most active in those areas of bighorn sheep winter ranges overlapping ranges of mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), where both ungulates accrued forage benefits. We demonstrated reduced benefit of migration to low elevation during drought years, providing an alternative explanation to the predator-induced abandonment hypothesis for the disuse of low-elevation winter range observed during drought years.
Using the Natural Scenes’ Edges for Assessing Image Quality Blindly and Efficiently
Authors: Abdalmajeed Saifeldeen , Shuhong Jiao
Published: February 2015

Two real blind/no-reference (NR) image quality assessment (IQA) algorithms in the spatial domain are developed. To measure image quality, the introduced approach uses an unprecedented concept for gathering a set of novel features based on edges of natural scenes. The enhanced sensitivity of the human eye to the information carried by edge and contour of an image supports this claim. The effectiveness of the proposed technique in quantifying image quality has been studied. The gathered features are formed using both Weibull distribution statistics and two sharpness functions to devise two separate NR IQA algorithms. The presented algorithms do not need training on databases of human judgments or even prior knowledge about expected distortions, so they are real NR IQA algorithms. In contrast to the most general no-reference IQA, the model used for this study is generic and has been created in such a way that it is not specified to any particular distortion type. When testing the proposed algorithms on LIVE database, experiments show that they correlate well with subjective opinion scores. They also show that the introduced methods significantly outperform the popular full-reference peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) and the structural similarity (SSIM) methods. Besides they outperform the recently developed NR natural image quality evaluator (NIQE) model.
Effects of Tetrahydrocurcumin on Hypoxia-Inducible Factor-1αand Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Expression in Cervical Cancer Cell-Induced Angiogenesis in Nude Mice
Authors: Yoysungnoen Bhornprom , Bhattarakosol Parvapan , Patumraj Suthiluk , Changtam Chatchawan
Published: February 2015

Tetrahydrocurcumin (THC), one of the importantin vivometabolites of curcumin, inhibits tumor angiogenesis. Its effects on angiogenesis in cervical cancer- (CaSki-) implanted nude mice and its mechanisms on hypoxia-inducible factor-1αand vascular endothelial growth factor expression were investigated. Female BALB/c nude mice were divided into control (CON) and CaSki-implanted groups (CaSki group). One month after the injection with cervical cancer cells, mice were orally administered vehicle or 100, 300, and 500 mg/kg of THC daily for 30 consecutive days. The microvascular density (MVD) was evaluated using the CD31 expression. VEGF, VEGFR-2, and HIF-1αexpression were also detected by immunohistochemistry. The MVD in CaSki + vehicle group was significantly increased compared to the CON + vehicle group. Interestingly, when treated with THC at all doses, the CaSki group showed a significant smaller number of the MVD. The CaSki + vehicle group also showed significantly increased VEGF, VEGFR-2, and HIF-1αexpressions, but they were downregulated when mice were treated with THC at all doses. THC demonstrated an inhibitory effect against tumor angiogenesis in CaSki-implanted nude mice model. This effect is likely to be mediated by the downregulation of HIF-1-α, VEGF expression, and its receptor. THC could be developed into a promising agent for cancer therapy in the future.
Unusual Presentation of Pelizaeus-Merzbacher Disease: Female Patient with Deletion of the Proteolipid Protein 1 Gene
Authors: Brender Teva , Wallerstein Donna , Sum John , Wallerstein Robert
Published: February 2015

Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease (PMD) is neurodegenerative leukodystrophy caused by dysfunction of the proteolipid protein 1 (PLP1) gene on Xq22, which codes for an essential myelin protein. As an X-linked condition, PMD primarily affects males; however there have been a small number of affected females reported in the medical literature with a variety of different mutations in this gene. No affected females to date have a deletion like our patient. In addition to this, our patient has skewed X chromosome inactivation which adds to her presentation as her unaffected mother also carries the mutation.
The Effect of Tou Nong San on Transplanted Tumor Growth in Nude Mice
Authors: Fang Liang-Hua , Wang Rui-Ping , Hu Shou-You , Teng Yu-Hao , Xie Wei-Bing
Published: February 2015

Tou Nong San (TNS) is a traditional Chinese medicinal decoction used to treat sores and carbuncles. It contains four herbal drugs and one animal medicine: Radix Astragaliseu Seu Hedysari,Angelica sinensis, Ligustici Chuanxiong, Spina Gleditsiae, and stir-baked Squama Manis. Previous studies have shown that it has anticancer effects. This report validatesin vivoantitumor properties of TNS. The compounds contained in TNSE were confirmed by liquid chromatographmass spectrometer (LC-MS) analysis. Thein vivoantitumor activity of TNS extract (TNSE) was tested by feeding it to athymic mice harboring a human colonic tumor subcutaneous xenograft. Toxicity was monitored by recording behavior and weight parameters. Seven compounds were detected in TNSE by LC-MS. TNSE was fed to athymic mice for 2 weeks. No adverse reactions were reported. Compared to the control group, administration of TNSE to tumor bearing mice significantly reduced both tumor weight and volume. The expressions of p-PI3K, p-AKT, p-mTOR, p-p70s6k1, VEGF, and CD31 were significantly reduced, the expression levels of cleaved Caspase-9 and cleaved Caspase-3 were significantly increased in the TNSE groups compared to the control group as determined by western blot and immunohistochemistry. TNSE produced anticolonic cancer effects and the underlying mechanisms involved inhibition of the PI3K/AKT signal transduction pathway, inhibition of angiogenesis, and promotion of apoptotic proteins.
A Novel Scheme to Minimize Hop Count for GAF in Wireless Sensor Networks: Two-Level GAF
Authors: Soni Vaibhav , Mallick Dheeresh K.
Published: February 2015

In wireless sensor networks, geographic adaptive fidelity (GAF) is one of the most popular energy-aware routing protocols. It conserves energy by identifying equivalence between sensors from a routing perspective and then turning off unnecessary sensors, while maintaining the connectivity of the network. Nevertheless, the traditional GAF still cannot reach the optimum energy usage since it needs more number of hops to transmit data packets to the sink. As a result, it also leads to higher packet delay. In this paper, we propose a modified version of GAF to minimize hop count for data routing, called two-level GAF (T-GAF). Furthermore, we use a generalized version of GAF called Diagonal-GAF (DGAF) where two diagonal adjacent grids can also directly communicate. It has an advantage of less overhead of coordinator election based on the residual energy of sensors. Analysis and simulation results show significant improvements of the proposed work comparing to traditional GAF in the aspect of total hop count, energy consumption, total distance covered by the data packet before reaching the sink, and packet delay. As a result, compared to traditional GAF, it needs 40% to 47% less hop count and consumes 27% to 35% less energy to extend the network lifetime.
Impact of Nanoparticles on Nematic Ordering in Square Wells
Authors: Slavinec M. , Klemenčič E. , Ambrožič M. , Krašna M.
Published: February 2015

Nematic liquid crystalline structures within square wells are studied numerically using both Lebwohl-Lasher lattice semimicroscopic and the Landau-de Gennes mesoscopic approach. At lateral boundary wall strong planar anchoring is enforced. The cell thicknesshalong thezCartesian coordinate is assumed to be smaller than the characteristic square well sizeR. Using semimicroscopic modelling we restrict to effectively two-dimensional systems which we study in terms of the tensor nematic order parameter. We consider impact of appropriate nanoparticles (NPs) on nematic configuration for cases whereRbecomes comparable to the biaxial order parameter correlation length. In this case a star-like order reconstruction biaxial profile could be formed in absence of NPs. We demonstrate existence of a rich variety of different nematic structures, including topological defects, which are enabled by presence of appropriate NPs.
Benzene as a Chemical Hazard in Processed Foods
Authors: Salviano dos Santos Vânia Paula , Medeiros Salgado Andréa , Guedes Torres Alexandre , Signori Pereira Karen
Published: February 2015

This paper presents a literature review on benzene in foods, including toxicological aspects, occurrence, formation mechanisms, and mitigation measures and analyzes data reporting benzene levels in foods. Benzene is recognized by the IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer) as carcinogenic to humans, and its presence in foods has been attributed to various potential sources: packaging, storage environment, contaminated drinking water, cooking processes, irradiation processes, and degradation of food preservatives such as benzoates. Since there are no specific limits for benzene levels in beverages and food in general studies have adopted references for drinking water in a range from 1–10 ppb. The presence of benzene has been reported in various food/beverage substances with soft drinks often reported in the literature. Although the analyses reported low levels of benzene in most of the samples studied, some exceeded permissible limits. The available data on dietary exposure to benzene is minimal from the viewpoint of public health. Often benzene levels were low as to be considered negligible and not a consumer health risk, but there is still a need of more studies for a better understanding of their effects on human health through the ingestion of contaminated food.
Robust Localization Algorithm Based on the RSSI Ranging Scope
Authors: Huang Yan , Zheng Jianying , Xiao Yang , Peng Miao
Published: February 2015

Wireless signal can be easily influenced by the environment in the propagation process. The signal propagation model is the most appropriate model for current indoor environment to ensure the ranging accuracy based on received signal strength indicator (RSSI). In this paper, we propose a robust localization algorithm based on the RSSI ranging scope by which the RSSI ranging error caused by using a fixed parameter in signal propagation model is dramatically eliminated. Our contributions in this paper are twofold. First, the influence of RSSI ranging error on positioning accuracy is well discussed in detail in the scope of the wireless signal propagation model. Second, we develop a robust localization algorithm which creates a one-to-one mapping between the RSSI value and the distance scope based on the value scope of path loss exponent in the signal propagation model. Simulation results indicate that the proposed localization algorithm based on the RSSI ranging scope is robust under different environments, when the real path loss exponent is difficult to measure accurately.
What Are the Risk Factors Associated with Urinary Retention after Orthopaedic Surgery?
Authors: Sung Ki Hyuk , Lee Kyoung Min , Chung Chin Youb , Kwon Soon-Sun , Lee Seung Yeol , Ban Yoon Seong , Park Moon Seok
Published: February 2015

This study investigates the overall rate of urinary retention in a large cohort of unselected orthopaedic patients who had either general or regional anesthesia and defines the risk factors for postoperative urinary retention in that cohort of patients. A total of 15,681 patients who underwent major orthopaedic surgery with general or spinal/epidural anesthesia were included. Postoperative urinary retention was defined as any patient who required a postoperative consultation to the urologic department regarding voiding difficulty. Age at surgery, sex, type of surgery, medical history including hypertension and diabetes mellitus, and type of anesthesia were analyzed as potential predictor variables. There were 365 postoperative patients who required urology consults for urinary retention (2.3%). Older age at surgery (OR, 1.035;P<0.0001), male sex (OR, 1.522;P=0.0004), type of surgery (OR, 1.506;P=0.0009), history of hypertension (OR, 1.288;P=0.0436), and history of diabetes mellitus (OR, 2.038;P<0.0001) were risk factors for urinary retention after orthopaedic surgery. Advanced age, male sex, joint replacement surgery, history of hypertension, and diabetes mellitus significantly increased the risk of urinary retention. In patients with these risk factors, careful postoperative urological management should be performed.
Turbulent Kinetic Energy Production in the Vane of a Low-Pressure Linear Turbine Cascade with Incoming Wakes
Authors: Michelassi V. , Wissink J. G.
Published: February 2015

Incompressible large eddy simulation and direct numerical simulation of a low-pressure turbine atRe=5.18×104and1.48×105with discrete incoming wakes are analyzed to identify the turbulent kinetic energy generation mechanism outside of the blade boundary layer. The results highlight the growth of turbulent kinetic energy at the bow apex of the wake and correlate it to the stress-strain tensors relative orientation. The production rate is analytically split according to the principal axes, and then terms are computed by using the simulation results. The analysis of the turbulent kinetic energy is followed both along the discrete incoming wakes and in the stationary frame of reference. Both direct numerical and large eddy simulation concur in identifying the same production mechanism that is driven by both a growth of strain rate in the wake, first, followed by the growth of turbulent shear stress after. The peak of turbulent kinetic energy diffuses and can eventually reach the suction side boundary layer for the largest Reynolds number investigated here with higher incidence angle. As a consequence, the local turbulence intensity outside the boundary layer can grow significantly above the free-stream level with a potential impact on the suction side boundary layer transition mechanism.
Complete Remission of Anaplastic Thyroid Carcinoma after Concomitant Treatment with Docetaxel and Radiotherapy
Authors: Abe Ichiro , Karasaki Satoko , Matsuda Yayoi , Sakamoto Shohei , Nakashima Torahiko , Yamamoto Hidetaka , Kawate Hisaya , Ohnaka Keizo , Nakashima Hisashi , Kobayashi Kunihisa , Oda Yoshinao , Nomura Masatoshi , Takayanagi Ryoichi
Published: February 2015

Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) although rare is the most lethal form of thyroid cancer. The mortality rate for ATC is very high, with a median survival time of only 5 months; the survival rate at 1 year after diagnosis is <20%. Management of ATC is extremely difficult and rife with uncertainties. Herein, we describe a 75-year-old woman who presented with ATC and was successfully treated using concomitant treatment with docetaxel and high-dose radiotherapy. This case appears to be the first to have been reported in the literature involving complete remission of ATC confirmed by autopsy, suggesting the therapeutic potential of this combination.
The Use of ATR-FTIR Spectroscopy for Quantification of Adsorbed Compounds
Authors: Rytwo Giora , Zakai Roee , Wicklein Bernd
Published: February 2015

Quantification of adsorbed amounts requires in most cases several assumptions. Adsorption of organic compounds, for example, is usually measured indirectly, by mass balance calculations based on the evaluation of the remaining chemical in solution. Such procedure might yield overestimates when precipitation or degradation of the adsorbate occurs and underestimates when separation of the sorbent material (e.g., clay particles) with the adsorbed chemical is not effective. This study presents a simple quantification procedure based on the ratio between IR absorption bands of the sorbate and the adsorbate. The advantages of the procedure are (a) direct evaluation of the adsorbed amount and (b) accurate measurement of chemicals that are hard to quantify, as those that do not absorb light in the UV-Visible range, or require expensive chromatography procedures.