bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Physiotherapy rehabilitation following lumbar spinal fusion: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials
Authors: Rushton Alison , Eveleigh Gillian , Petherick Emma-Jane , Heneghan Nicola , Bennett Rosalie , James Gill , Wright Chris
Published: July 2012

Objective

To evaluate the effectiveness of physiotherapy intervention following lumbar spinal fusion.

Design

Systematic review and meta-analysis. 2 independent reviewers searched information sources, assessed studies for inclusion and evaluated risk of bias. Quantitative synthesis using standardised mean differences was conducted on comparable outcomes across trials with similar interventions.

Information sources

Predefined terms were employed to search electronic databases. Additional studies were identified from key journals, reference lists, authors and experts.

Eligibility criteria for included studies

Randomised control trials published in English prior to 30 September 2011 investigating physiotherapy outpatient management of patients (>16 years), following lumbar spinal fusion, with measurements reported on one or more outcome of disability, function and health were included.

Results

2 Randomised control trials (188 participants) from two countries were included. Both trials included a behavioural and an exercise intervention. 1 trial was evaluated as high risk of bias and one as unclear. 159 participants were incorporated in the meta-analysis. Although evidence from both trials suggested that intervention might reduce back pain short term (6 months) and long term (12 months and 2 years), and a behavioural intervention might be more beneficial than an exercise intervention, the pooled effects (0.72, 95% CI −0.25 to 1.69 at 6 months; 0.52, 95% CI −0.45 to 1.49 at 12 months and 0.75, 95% CI −0.46 to 1.96 at 2 years) did not demonstrate statistically significant effects. There was no evidence that intervention changes pain in the short (6 months) or long term (12 months and 2 years). The wide CI for pooled effects indicated that intervention could be potentially beneficial or harmful. Considerable heterogeneity was evident.

Conclusions

Inconclusive, very low-quality evidence exists for the effectiveness of physiotherapy management following lumbar spinal fusion. Best practice remains unclear. Limited comparability of outcomes and retrieval of only two trials reflect a lack of research in this area that requires urgent consideration.
Evaluation of pulmonary function in European land tortoises using whole‐body plethysmography
Authors: Valente A. L. Schifino , Martínez‐Silvestre A. , García‐Guasch L. , Riera‐Tort A. , Marco I. , Lavin S. , Cuenca R.
Published: July 2012

The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of whole‐body plethysmography as a non‐invasive method to determine the respiratory parameters and profiles in two tortoise species belonging to the genus Testudo. Pulmonary functions and volumetric parameters were determined in 10 adults of Testudo hermanni and in seven Testudo marginata animals, using whole‐body plethysmography. A profile pattern was regularly observed: an inspiratory flow peak, an expiratory peak, an apnoea phase and a second expiratory peak, previous to the beginning of the next respiratory cycle. Positive and significant correlation was observed between the inspiratory time, weight and length of the tortoises. Larger tortoises showed a higher time of inhalation. The peak of inspiratory flow was correlated with the sex, being longer in the females. T. marginata had an inspiratory time longer than that of T. hermanii. In T. hermanii, differences related to the sex were observed in the tidal volume, peak inspiratory flow, peak expiratory flow, expiratory flow of 50 per cent and enhanced pause, which could be related to the smaller size of males. The results suggest that additional information on new technologies currently used in pet medicine or even in human medicine should be developed and adjusted as alternative ways to support the rehabilitation of turtles and tortoises.
Linkage between static and cyclic liquefaction of loose sand with a range of fines contents
Authors: Baki Md.A.L. , Rahman M.M. , Lo S.R. , Gnanendran C.T.
Published: July 2012

The underlying mechanism of static and cyclic liquefaction of loose contractant sandy soil is unstable behaviour associated with deviatoric strain-softening. Such unstable (strain-softening) behaviour has been referred to as static or cyclic instability depending on whether the loading condition is monotonic or cyclic. Past research into linkage between static instability and cyclic instability of sand with fines is based largely on comparing monotonic and one-way cyclic loading behaviour of specimens of the same void ratio and fines content. In this article, the authors attempt to link the condition that defines triggering of cyclic instability to that of static instability of specimens of different void ratios and fines contents. This is achieved by the proposed concept of equivalent granular state parameter. Two specimens are considered as equivalent if they have the same equivalent granular state parameters at the start of undrained shearing. The effective stress ratio at triggering of static instability can be used to predict impending cyclic instability of an equivalent specimen of different fines content and void ratio. This linkage between static and cyclic instability was evaluated for a wide range of fines contents, initial mean effective stresses, and types of cyclic loading. The last factor includes symmetrical and nonsymmetrical two-way cyclic loading.
Modelling leachate-induced clogging of porous media
Authors: Yu Yan , Rowe R. Kerry
Published: July 2012

A numerical model to predict biologically induced clogging of municipal solid waste leachate collection systems is described. The model simulates the accumulation of clog mass in the porous media by the growth of biomass and precipitation of minerals. In addition, the settling and deposition of suspended particles is modelled. A technique for modelling filter-separator layers between the waste and the coarse granular drainage material is described. The application of the model is illustrated for two series of laboratory mesocosm experiments: one where the waste was in direct contact with the underlying drainage layer and the second where there was a granular filter between the waste and the coarse gravel drainage layer. The modelling shows that the clogging of the gravel in the lower regions of the saturated drainage layer is estimated better by the advanced numerical model than the previously published model. In both cases, the calculated results are in encouraging agreement with the observed behaviour. It is concluded that this model has potential for use in modelling biologically induced clogging of municipal landfill leachate collection systems.
Stress-dependent behavior of saturated clay
Authors: Abdulhadi Naeem O. , Germaine John T. , Whittle Andrew J.
Published: July 2012

A program of K0-consolidated undrained triaxial compression tests has been performed to investigate the effects of consolidation stress level on the compression and shear behavior of resedimented Boston blue clay (RBBC). Specimens were consolidated to maximum vertical effective stresses in the range 0.15–10 MPa and tested at three overconsolidation ratios (OCR): 1, 2, and 4. The results show that the virgin compression curves are essentially linear in e–log[Formula: see text] space over the consolidation stress range. However, the normally consolidated K0stress ratio increases with the level of consolidation stress. The stress–strain–strength properties measured in undrained shear are significantly affected by the consolidation stress level at each OCR and show indications of non-normalizable behavior. At high pressures, the undrained shear stress–strain behavior becomes more ductile, requiring larger strains to mobilize peak resistance and exhibiting less post-peak strain-softening. The undrained strength ratio (su/[Formula: see text]) is not uniquely controlled by OCR as suggested by the SHANSEP equation, but consistently decreases with increasing consolidation effective stress. There is notable reduction in the stiffness ratio (Eu/[Formula: see text]) with stress level, and significant decrease in the large-strain friction angle.
Effect of pressurized grouting on pullout resistance and group efficiency of compression ground anchor
Authors: Lee Seok-Won , Kim Tea-Seob , Sim Bo-Kyoung , Kim Jong-Sun , Lee In-Mo
Published: July 2012

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of pressurized grouting on pullout resistance and the group effect of the compression ground anchor by performing pilot-scale laboratory chamber tests and field tests. The laboratory test results show that the enlargement of the anchor body diameter estimated theoretically by combining the cavity expansion theory and grout penetration characteristics matches reasonably well with that obtained from experiments. The required injection time as a function of the coefficient of permeability of the ground is proposed. The results of a series of field anchor pullout tests show that the effect of pressurized grouting is more prominent in a softer ground with a smaller SPT-N value for an increase in both anchor body diameter and pullout resistance. The pressurized grouting effect in comparison with gravitational grouting was found to be almost zero if the SPT-N value is more than 50. Based on experimental results, a new equation to estimate the pullout resistance as a function of the SPT-N60value is proposed. In addition, based on in situ group anchor pullout test results, a new group effect equation is proposed.
ANALYSIS OF DRAIN CURRENT AND SWITCHING SPEED FOR SPDT SWITCH AND DPDT SWITCH WITH THE PROPOSED DP4T RF CMOS SWITCH
Authors: SRIVASTAVA VIRANJAY M. , YADAV K. S. , SINGH G.
Published: July 2012

Conventional CMOS switch uses NMOS as transistors in its main architecture requiring a control voltage of 5.0 V and a large resistance at the receivers and antennas (ANTs) to detect the signal. A CMOS integrated circuit switch uses FET transistors to achieve switching between multiple paths, because of its high value of control voltage. Hence it is not suitable for modern portable devices which demand lesser power consumption. Therefore, we proposed a new Double-Pole Four-Throw (DP4T) switch by using RF CMOS technology and analyzed its performance. Further, main objective is to provide a plurality of such switches arranged in a densely configured switch array, where the power and area could be reduced as compared to already existing switch configuration as SPDT and Double-Pole Double-Throw (DPDT) transceiver switches, which is simply a reduction of signal strength during transmission of the RF signals. The presented result for the proposed DP4T switch reveals the peak output currents (drain current) around 0.116–0.387 mA and a switching speed of 19–36 ps.
MULTIFUNCTION RNS MODULO 2n ± 1 MULTIPLIERS
Authors: JUANG TSO-BING , KUO CHAO-TSUNG , WU GO-LONG , HUANG JIAN-HAO
Published: July 2012

In this paper, multifunction residue number system (RNS) modulo (2n ± 1) multipliers are proposed. By adopting common circuits for summing up the partial products with extra controls, our proposed multipliers could perform both modulo (2n + 1) and (2n - 1) multiplications. The levels for summation of partial products are n + 1, which are same as the conventional modulo multipliers which with only one kind of modulo multiplications. The proposed multifunction modulo (2n ± 1) multipliers can save at least about 42.5% area under the same delay constraints and above 65.8% Area × Delay Product (ADP) compared with the one composed of modulo (2n + 1) and modulo (2n - 1) multiplication operations. Our proposed multipliers could be applied to ease the tremendous computation overload in the real-time processing applications.
AN EFFICIENT LOW-POWER SIGMA-DELTA MODULATOR FOR MULTI-STANDARD WIRELESS APPLICATIONS
Authors: SEYEDHOSSEINZADEH B. HODA , YAVARI MOHAMMAD
Published: July 2012

This paper describes the design and implementation of a reconfigurable low-power sigma-delta modulator (SDM) for multi-standard wireless communications in a 90 nm CMOS technology. Both architectural and circuital reconfigurations are used to adapt the performance of the modulator to multi-standard applications. The feasibility of the presented solution is demonstrated using system-level simulations as well as transistor-level simulations of the modulator. HSPICE simulation results show that the proposed modulator achieves 76.8/78.9/80.8/85/89.5 dB peak signal-to-noise plus distortion ratio (SNDR) within the standards WiFi, WiMAX, WCDMA, Bluetooth and GSM with the bandwidth of 12.5 MHz, 10 MHz, 1.92 MHz, 0.5 MHz, and 250 kHz, respectively, under the power consumption of 37/37/12/5/5 mW using a single 1 V power supply.
WINDOW WALKER — A MARKOV-BASED ADAPTIVE BIT WINDOW SELECTION FOR DSP BLOCKS
Authors: NORONHA TIAGO BAPTISTA , TRINDADE DIEGO VON BRIXEN MONTZEL , HALMENSCHLAGER VITOR , DE CASTRO MARIA CRISTINA FELIPPETTO , DE CASTRO FERNANDO CÉSAR COMPARSI , ARRUDA EDILSON FERNANDES
Published: July 2012

This paper presents a dynamic bit frame (window) selection algorithm to address the mismatch in the number of bits in the output of a digital signal processing and the bit range size of the input of the following block. The algorithm is designed to be a flexible tool to tackle general, possibly highly varying input signals in such a way that maintains the maximum signal power without introducing significant data loss. Numerical experiments are presented in the end of the paper to illustrate the behavior of the proposed algorithm.
AN EFFICIENT DYNAMIC WEAR LEVELING FOR HUGE-CAPACITY FLASH STORAGE SYSTEMS WITH CACHE
Authors: WANG WEI-NENG , NI KAI , MA JIAN-SHE , ZHAO YI , WANG ZONG-CHAO , PAN LONG-FA
Published: July 2012

Flash memory won its edge than other storage media for its advantages, such as shock resistance, low power consumption and high data transmission speed. However, new data is written out-of-place due to the characteristics of flash memory, which is diverse from traditional magnetic media. Out-of-place update results in the wear-leveling issue over flash memory for erasing blocks to reclaim invalid pages. This paper proposed a dynamic wear (DW)-leveling design without substantially increasing overhead and without modifying Flash Translation Layer (FTL) for huge-capacity flash storage systems with cache, which is based on segmentation threshold and Least Recently Used (LRU). Experimental results show that our design levels the wear of different physical blocks, reduces extra page coping and block erasing, and improves the read/write performance. Additionally, different thresholds impacting wear leveling are also discussed.
ELECTRONIC BALLAST IC WITH ADJUSTABLE PREHEAT TIME AND MINIMUM FREQUENCY FOR HOT FLUORESCENT LAMP
Authors: SHI L. F. , NIE H. Y. , HE H. S. , CHANG Y. J. , ZHAO Y. R.
Published: July 2012

A novel ballast control IC is presented, which fully satisfies specific needs of hot cathode fluorescent lamp and significantly simplifies the external circuit design with the great reliability, generality and practicability. Integrated with a simple multi-frequency oscillator, the IC obtains adjustable preheat-time by controlling frequency changing rate with an external capacitor, and adjusts the minimum frequency by controlling minimum charging current with an external resistor. And a steady dead-time can also be achieved. Based on 0.5 μm BCD process, the HSPICE simulation was done with 14 V voltage supply. While a 1 μF capacitor and a 100 kΩ resistor are utilized in the external circuit, this IC gives out a preheating frequency up to 175 kHz and the minimum working frequency is 75 kHz. A high frequency preheating time of 1 s and a steady dead-time of 2 μS can also be achieved.
DESIGN OF -1/2n ORDER ANALOG FRACTANCE APPROXIMATION CIRCUIT USING CONTINUED FRACTIONS DECOMPOSITION
Authors: LIU YAN , PU YI-FEI , ZHOU JI-LIU , SHEN XIAO-DONG
Published: July 2012

In order to solve the most important problem of the fractional calculus (FC) application, the realization of analog circuit of fractance, continued fraction theory is applied to design the -1/2n order analog fractance approximation circuit. The author presents a network function of ideal fractance and decomposes it in continued fractions (CFs) form to obtain the corresponding analog fractance approximation circuit. The new circuit consists of ordinary passive RC component through network synthesis method. Simulations are performed for the verification of the new circuit. Experimental evidence has proved that the performance of novel -1/2n order analog fractance approximation circuit is good in both amplitude-frequency response and phase-frequency response.
PHASE SPACE ANALYSIS ON ORIGIN OF ANISOTROPIC FLOW
Authors: JAIN ANUPRIYA , KUMAR SUNEEL
Published: July 2012

Using the isospin dependent quantum molecular dynamics model, we study the phase space distribution of the nucleons coming from participant matter that are contributing in flow. The distribution of nucleons and fragments is not symmetric around the beam axis. Our study shows that the nucleon which suffer maximum number of collisions are contributing in anisotropic flow.
STUDY ON GROUND STATE ENERGY BAND OF EVEN 114-124Cd ISOTOPES UNDER THE FRAMEWORK OF INTERACTING BOSON MODEL (IBM-1)
Authors: HOSSAIN I. , ABDULLAH HEWA. Y. , AHMED I. M. , SAEED M. A. , AHMAD S. T.
Published: July 2012

In this research, the ground state gamma ray bands of even 114-124 Cd isotopes are calculated using interacting boson model (IBM-1). The theoretical energy levels for Z = 48, N = 66–76 up to spin-parity 8+ have been obtained by using PHINT computer program. The values of the parameters in the IBM-1 Hamiltonian yield the best fit to the experimental energy spectrum. The calculated results of the ground state energy band are compared to the previous experimental results and the obtained theoretical calculations in IBM-1 are in good agreement with the experimental energy level.
QUANTUM STATE OF A FREE SPIN-½ PARTICLE AND THE INEXTRICABLE DEPENDENCE OF SPIN AND MOMENTUM UNDER LORENTZ TRANSFORMATIONS
Authors: DEBARBA TIAGO , VIANNA REINALDO O.
Published: July 2012

We revise the Dirac equation for a free particle and investigate Lorentz transformations on spinors. We study how the spin quantization axis changes under Lorentz transformations, and evince the interplay between spin and momentum in this context.
QUANTUM KEY EVOLUTION AND ITS APPLICATIONS
Authors: GUAN D. J. , WANG YUAN-JIUN , ZHUANG E. S.
Published: July 2012

Quantum key distribution (QKD) enables two authenticated parties to share a perfectly secure key. However, repeatedly using the same key to encrypt many different messages is not perfectly secure. A trivial method to update the key is to use QKD to re-establish a new key for each message. In this paper, we present a method, called quantum key evolution (QKE), to update the secret key using less qubits. Hence, it is more efficient for long messages. More precisely, we present a secure and efficient protocol, called quantum message transmission (QMT) protocol, to transmit long secret message using less qubits than the methods of incorporating QKD with one-time pad, as well as some quantum secure direct communication (QSDC) protocols.
AN EFFICIENT PROTOCOL FOR THE QUANTUM PRIVATE COMPARISON OF EQUALITY WITH A FOUR-QUBIT CLUSTER STATE
Authors: XU GUO-AI , CHEN XIU-BO , WEI ZHAN-HONG , LI MENG-JIAO , YANG YI-XIAN
Published: July 2012

In this paper, we further research the quantum private comparison protocol with the semi-honest participant, in which two parties can test the equality of their information without revealing the content to anyone. Considering both the success of protocol and the security of information, we first give a reasonable and significant description about the semi-honest model in quantum secure communications. Moreover, based on the feature of four-qubit cluster state which has the great robust against decoherence, we propose a new protocol for the quantum private comparison. Our protocol ingeniously utilizes the special symmetry of the four-qubit cluster state to enhance the efficiency of comparison. This new protocol is secure. The participants only know the result of comparison; cannot know each other's private information. TP cannot learn anything about the private information, even about the comparison result and the length of secret inputs.
ON THE ADIABATIC EVOLUTION OF ONE-DIMENSIONAL PROJECTOR HAMILTONIANS
Authors: SUN JIE , LU SONG-FENG
Published: July 2012

In this paper, we discuss the adiabatic evolution of one-dimensional projector Hamiltonians. Three kinds of adiabatic algorithms for this problem are shown, in which two of them provide a quadratic speedup over the other one. But when the ground state of the initial Hamiltonian and that of the final Hamiltonian have a zero overlap, the algorithms above all fail, in the sense of infinite time complexity. A corresponding revised method for this phenomenon through adding a driving Hamiltonian is also shown, from which a constant time complexity can be gained. But by a simple analysis, we find that the original time complexity for the adiabatic evolution is shifted to implement the driving Hamiltonian, which is supported by several early works in the literature.
COMPLEXITY MEASURE: A QUANTUM INFORMATION APPROACH
Authors: CAMPBELL-BORGES YURI CASSIO , PIQUEIRA JOSÉ ROBERTO CASTILHO
Published: July 2012

In the past decades, all of the efforts at quantifying systems complexity with a general tool has usually relied on using Shannon's classical information framework to address the disorder of the system through the Boltzmann–Gibbs–Shannon entropy, or one of its extensions. However, in recent years, there were some attempts to tackle the quantification of algorithmic complexities in quantum systems based on the Kolmogorov algorithmic complexity, obtaining some discrepant results against the classical approach. Therefore, an approach to the complexity measure is proposed here, using the quantum information formalism, taking advantage of the generality of the classical-based complexities, and being capable of expressing these systems' complexity on other framework than its algorithmic counterparts. To do so, the Shiner–Davison–Landsberg (SDL) complexity framework is considered jointly with linear entropy for the density operators representing the analyzed systems formalism along with the tangle for the entanglement measure. The proposed measure is then applied in a family of maximally entangled mixed state.
Diversity of Clathrin Function: New Tricks for an Old Protein
Authors: Brodsky Frances M.
Published: July 2012

Clathrin is considered the prototype vesicle coat protein whose self-assembly mediates sorting of membrane cargo and recruitment of lipid modifiers. Detailed knowledge of clathrin biochemistry, structure, and interacting proteins has accumulated since the first observation, almost 50 years ago, of its role in receptor-mediated endocytosis of yolk protein. This review summarizes that knowledge, and focuses on properties of the clathrin heavy and light chain subunits and interaction of the latter with Hip proteins, to address the diversity of clathrin function beyond conventional receptor-mediated endocytosis. The distinct functions of the two human clathrin isoforms (CHC17 and CHC22) are discussed, highlighting CHC22's specialized involvement in traffic of the GLUT4 glucose transporter and consequent role in human glucose metabolism. Analysis of clathrin light chain function and interaction with the actin-binding Hip proteins during bacterial infection defines a novel actin-organizing function for CHC17 clathrin. By considering these diverse clathrin functions, along with intracellular sorting roles and influences on mitosis, further relevance of clathrin function to human health and disease is established.
Axon Degeneration and Regeneration: Insights from Drosophila Models of Nerve Injury
Authors: Fang Yanshan , Bonini Nancy M.
Published: July 2012

Axon degeneration is the pivotal pathological event of acute traumatic neural injury as well as many chronic neurodegenerative diseases. It is an active cellular program and yet molecularly distinct from cell death. Much effort is devoted toward understanding the nature of axon degeneration and promoting axon regeneration. However, the fundamental mechanisms of self-destruction of damaged axons remain unclear, and there are still few treatments for traumatic brain injury (TBI) or spinal cord injury (SCI). Genetically approachable model organisms such as Drosophila melanogaster, the fruit fly, have proven exceptionally successful in modeling human neurodegenerative diseases. More recently, this success has been extended into the field of acute axon injury and regeneration. In this review, we discuss recent findings, focusing on how these models hold promise for accelerating mechanistic insight into axon injury and identifying potential therapeutic targets for TBI and SCI.
Legal History of Money
Authors: Kreitner Roy
Published: July 2012

The legal history of money is not a well-defined field with a canon and an accepted set of questions and conflicts. This review muses about the possible reasons for the late development of the field and then reviews three areas of scholarship in which a legal history of money is emerging: international political economy, studies of banking and central banking, and the constitutional approach to money. The constitutional approach brings together the best insights from the other two approaches and thematizes the mutual constitution of political and economic categories through money. The review closes by suggesting that the future of the legal history of money lies in development of the constitutional approach.
Identification of a Novel Biomarker for Biliary Tract Cancer Using Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry
Authors: Kikkawa Shintaro , Sogawa Kazuyuki , Satoh Mamoru , Umemura Hiroshi , Kodera Yoshio , Matsushita Kazuyuki , Tomonaga Takeshi , Miyazaki Masaru , Yokosuka Osamu , Nomura Fumio
Published: July 2012

Early diagnosis of biliary tract cancer (BTC) is important for curative surgical resection. Current tumor markers of BTC are unsatisfactory in terms of sensitivity and specificity. In a search for novel biomarkers for BTC, serum samples obtained from 62 patients with BTC were compared with those from patients with benign biliary diseases and from healthy controls, using the MALDI-TOF/TOF ClinProt system. Initial screening and further validation identified a peak at 4204 Da with significantly greater intensity in the BTC samples. The 4204 Da peak was partially purified and identified as a fragment of prothrombin by amino acid sequencing. The sensitivity of the 4204 Da peptide for detection of stage I BTC cancer was greater than those for CEA and CA19-9. Also, serum levels of the 4204 Da peptide were above the cut-off level in 15 (79%) of 19 cases in which the CEA and CA19-9 levels were both within their cut-off values. Receiver operating characteristic analysis showed that the combination of the 4204 Da peptide and CA19-9 was significantly more sensitive for detection of stage I BTC cancer compared to CEA and CA19-9. These results suggest that this protein fragment may be a promising biomarker for biliary tract cancer.
Nonmotor Symptoms in Parkinson’s Disease in 2012: Relevant Clinical Aspects
Authors: Bonnet Anne Marie , Jutras Marie France , Czernecki Virginie , Corvol Jean Christophe , Vidailhet Marie
Published: July 2012

Nonmotor symptoms (NMSs) of Parkinson’s disease (PD) are common, but they are often underrecognized in clinical practice, because of the lack of spontaneous complaints by the patients, and partly because of the absence of systematic questioning by the consulting physician. However, valid specific instruments for identification and assessment of these symptoms are available in 2012. The administration of the self-completed screening tool, NMSQuest, associated with questioning during the consultation, improves the diagnosis of NMSs. NMSs play a large role in degradation of quality of life. More relevant NMSs are described in this review, mood disorders, impulse control disorders, cognitive deficits, hallucinations, pain, sleep disorders, and dysautonomia.
Adaptive Method for Solving Optimal Control Problem with State and Control Variables
Authors: Kahina Louadj , Mohamed Aidene
Published: July 2012

The problem of optimal control with state and control variables is studied. The variables are: a scalar vector x and the control u(t); these variables are bonded, that is, the right‐hand side of the ordinary differential equation contains both state and control variables in a mixed form. For solution of this problem, we used adaptive method and technology of linear programming.
Preparation and Properties of SnO2Film Deposited by Magnetron Sputtering
Authors: Leng Dan , Wu Lili , Jiang Hongchao , Zhao Yu , Zhang Jingquan , Li Wei , Feng Lianghuan
Published: July 2012

Tin oxide SnO2films were prepared by RF magnetron sputtering. The effects of oxygen partial pressure percentage on the SnO2property have been investigated to obtain relatively high-resistivity SnO2films which could be used as buffer layers to optimize the performance of CdTe/CdS solar cells. The oxygen partial pressure percentage varied in the range of 1%~10%. The results show that the introduction of oxygen would suppress the deposition and growth of SnO2films. Electrical measurement suggests that the film resistivity decreases with the increase of oxygen pressure. The SnO2films with resistivity of 232 Ω cm were obtained in pure Ar atmosphere. All SnO2films fabricated with different oxygen partial pressure percentage have almost the same optical band gap.
Oxygen Absorption into Stirred Emulsions of n-Alkanes
Authors: Ngo Thanh Hai , Schumpe Adrian
Published: July 2012

Absorption of pure oxygen into aqueous emulsions of n-heptane, n-dodecane, and n-hexadecane, respectively, has been studied at 0 to 100% oil volume fraction in a stirred tank at the stirring speed of 1000 min−1. The volumetric mass transfer coefficient, , was evaluated from the pressure decrease under isochoric and isothermal (298.2 K) conditions. The O/W emulsions of both n-dodecane and n-hexadecane show a maximum at 1-2% oil fraction as reported in several previous studies. Much stronger effects never reported before were observed at high oil fractions. Particularly, all n-heptane emulsions showed higher mass-transfer coefficients than both of the pure phases. The increase is by upto a factor of 38 as compared to pure water at 50% n-heptane. The effect is tentatively interpreted by oil spreading on the bubble surface enabled by a high spreading coefficient. In W/O emulsions of n-heptane and n-dodecane increases with the dispersed water volume fraction; the reason for this surprising trend is not clear.
A Corporate Credit Rating Model Using Support Vector Domain Combined with Fuzzy Clustering Algorithm
Authors: Guo Xuesong , Zhu Zhengwei , Shi Jia
Published: July 2012

Corporate credit‐rating prediction using statistical and artificial intelligence techniques has received considerable attentions in the literature. Different from the thoughts of various techniques for adopting support vector machines as binary classifiers originally, a new method, based on support vector domain combined with fuzzy clustering algorithm for multiclassification, is proposed in the paper to accomplish corporate credit rating. By data preprocessing using fuzzy clustering algorithm, only the boundary data points are selected as training samples to accomplish support vector domain specification to reduce computational cost and also achieve better performance. To validate the proposed methodology, real‐world cases are used for experiments, with results compared with conventional multiclassification support vector machine approaches and other artificial intelligence techniques. The results show that the proposed model improves the performance of corporate credit‐rating with less computational consumption.
Successful Treatment of Double-Orifice Mitral Stenosis with Percutaneous Balloon Mitral Commissurotomy
Authors: Patted Suresh V. , Halkati Prabhu C. , Ambar Sameer S. , Sattur Ameet G.
Published: July 2012

Double-orifice mitral valve (DOMV) is an uncommon congenital anomaly, being present in 0.05% of the general population. The isolated occurrence of this anomaly is very rare and, to our knowledge, no data are currently available on the incidence of an isolated DOMV. A DOMV is characterized by a mitral valve with a single fibrous annulus with 2 orifices opening into the left ventricle (LV). Subvalvular structures, especially the tensor apparatus, invariably show various degrees of abnormality. It can substantially obstruct mitral valve inflow or cause mitral valve incompetence. We present a rare case of nineteen-year-old male who underwent percutaneous mitral balloon commissurotomy in stenotic DOMV.
Existence of Solutions for Nonhomogeneous A‐Harmonic Equations with Variable Growth
Authors: Fu Yongqiang , Guo Lifeng
Published: July 2012

We study the following nonhomogeneous A‐harmonic equations: d*A(x, du(x)) + B(x, u(x)) = 0,     x ∈ Ω,   u(x) = 0,   x ∈ ∂Ω, where Ω ⊂ ℝn is a bounded and convex Lipschitz domain, A(x, du(x)) and B(x, u(x)) satisfy some p(x)‐growth conditions, respectively. We obtain the existence of weak solutions for the above equations in subspace of .
Antioxidant Therapies for Alzheimer's Disease
Authors: Feng Ye , Wang Xiaochuan
Published: July 2012

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disease featuring progressive impairments in memory, cognition, and behavior and ultimately leads to death. The histopathological changes of Alzheimer’s disease include neuronal and synaptic loss, formation of extracellular senile plaques and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles in brain. Multiple lines of evidence indicate that oxidative stress not only strongly participates in an early stage of Alzheimer’s disease prior to cytopathology, but plays an important role in inducing and activating multiple cell signaling pathways that contribute to the lesion formations of toxic substances and then promotes the development of Alzheimer’s disease. Many years of studies show that antioxidant therapies have enjoyed general success in preclinical studies. Therefore, this paper mainly focuses on the recent developments of common used antioxidant therapies for Alzheimer’s disease and thus provides indications for future potential antioxidant therapeutic strategies of neurodegenerative diseases.
Fractional Fourier Transform for Ultrasonic Chirplet Signal Decomposition
Authors: Lu Yufeng , Kasaeifard Alireza , Oruklu Erdal , Saniie Jafar
Published: July 2012

A fractional fourier transform (FrFT) based chirplet signal decomposition (FrFT-CSD) algorithm is proposed to analyze ultrasonic signals for NDE applications. Particularly, this method is utilized to isolate dominant chirplet echoes for successive steps in signal decomposition and parameter estimation. FrFT rotates the signal with an optimal transform order. The search of optimal transform order is conducted by determining the highest kurtosis value of the signal in the transformed domain. A simulation study reveals the relationship among the kurtosis, the transform order of FrFT, and the chirp rate parameter in the simulated ultrasonic echoes. Benchmark and ultrasonic experimental data are used to evaluate the FrFT-CSD algorithm. Signal processing results show that FrFT-CSD not only reconstructs signal successfully, but also characterizes echoes and estimates echo parameters accurately. This study has a broad range of applications of importance in signal detection, estimation, and pattern recognition.
Strong Convergence of a Hybrid Iteration Scheme for Equilibrium Problems, Variational Inequality Problems and Common Fixed Point Problems, of Quasi‐ϕ‐Asymptotically Nonexpansive Mappings in Banach Spaces
Authors: Zhao Jing
Published: July 2012

We introduce an iterative algorithm for finding a common element of the set of common fixed points of a finite family of closed quasi‐ϕ‐asymptotically nonexpansive mappings, the set of solutions of an equilibrium problem, and the set of solutions of the variational inequality problem for a γ‐inverse strongly monotone mapping in Banach spaces. Then we study the strong convergence of the algorithm. Our results improve and extend the corresponding results announced by many others.
Effect of Weld Properties on the Crush Strength of the PWR Spacer Grid
Authors: Song Kee-nam , Lee Sang-hoon
Published: July 2012

Mechanical properties in a weld zone are different from those in the base material because of different microstructures. A spacer grid in PWR fuel is a structural component with an interconnected and welded array of slotted grid straps. Previous research on the strength analyses of the spacer grid was performed using base material properties owing to a lack of mechanical properties in the weld zone. In this study, based on the mechanical properties in the weld zone of the spacer grid recently obtained by an instrumented indentation technique, the strength analyses considering the mechanical properties in the weld zone were performed, and the analysis results were compared with the previous research.
Extra-Adrenal Myelolipoma Presenting as Efferent Limb Obstruction
Authors: Conley Alexandria , Klein Elizabeth , Edhayan E. , Berri Richard
Published: July 2012

Myelolipomas are rare benign lesions composed of mature adipose tissue and immature hematopoetic cells. The adrenal gland is the most common location for these lesions, but cases of extra-adrenal myelolipomas have been described. The predominant location for extra-adrenal myelolipomas is the retroperitoneum, and very few reported cases describe these lesions in the peritoneal cavity. Typically these lesions are incidental findings and asymptomatic, but occasionally can present with symptoms secondary to mass effect. We present the case of a 72 year old man presenting with a gastric outlet obstruction secondary to an epigastric mass. The mass was resected and pathology was consistent with myelolipoma. This case illustrates an atypical location and presentation of a myelolipoma. These are rare tumors with only 5 intra-abdominal myelolipomas reported in the literature. This article is a review of the surgical literature and a discussion on myelolipomas. Knowledge of these rare entities can help ensure proper management of these patients, which may include early surgical intervention.
Effect of Non-Anticoagulant N-Desulfated Heparin on Basic Fibroblast Growth Factor Expression, Angiogenesis, and Metastasis of Gastric Carcinoma In Vitro and In Vivo
Authors: Chen Jin-Lian , Fan Jing , Chen Ming-Xiang , Dong Ying , Gu Jian-Zhong
Published: July 2012

Objective. The present study was performed to investigate the effect of N-desulfated heparin on basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) expression, tumor angiogenesis and metastasis of gastric carcinoma.Methods. Human gastric cancer SGC-7901 tissues were orthotopically implanted into the stomach of NOD SCID mice. Twenty mice were randomly divided into two groups which received either intravenous injection of 0.9% NaCl solution (normal saline group) or 10 mg/kg N-desulfated heparin (N-desulfated heparin group) twice weekly for three weeks. In vitro, human gastric carcinoma SGC-7901 cells were treated with N-desulfated heparin in different concentration (0.1 mg/mL, 1 mg/mL, N-desulfated heparin group), and treated with medium (control group).Results. In vivo, the tumor metastasis rates were 9/10 in normal saline group and 2/10 in N-desulfated heparin group (P<0.05). The intratumoral microvessel density was higher in normal saline group than in N-desulfated heparin group (P<0.05). bFGF expression in gastric tissue was inhibited by N-desulfated heparin (P<0.05). There was no bleeding in N-desulfated heparin group. In vitro, N-desulfated heparin inhibited significantly bFGF protein and mRNA expression of gastric carcinoma cells (P<0.05).Conclusions. N-desulfated heparin can inhibit the metastasis of gastric cancer through inhibiting tumor bFGF expression and tumor angiogenesis with no obvious anticoagulant activity.
Novel Insights into the Genetic Controls of Primitive and Definitive Hematopoiesis from Zebrafish Models
Authors: Sood Raman , Liu Paul
Published: July 2012

Hematopoiesis is a dynamic process where initiation and maintenance of hematopoietic stem cells, as well as their differentiation into erythroid, myeloid and lymphoid lineages, are tightly regulated by a network of transcription factors. Understanding the genetic controls of hematopoiesis is crucial as perturbations in hematopoiesis lead to diseases such as anemia, thrombocytopenia, or cancers, including leukemias and lymphomas. Animal models, particularly conventional and conditional knockout mice, have played major roles in our understanding of the genetic controls of hematopoiesis. However, knockout mice for most of the hematopoietic transcription factors are embryonic lethal, thus precluding the analysis of their roles during the transition from embryonic to adult hematopoiesis. Zebrafish are an ideal model organism to determine the function of a gene during embryonic-to-adult transition of hematopoiesis since bloodless zebrafish embryos can develop normally into early larval stage by obtaining oxygen through diffusion. In this review, we discuss the current status of the ontogeny and regulation of hematopoiesis in zebrafish. By providing specific examples of zebrafish morphants and mutants, we have highlighted the contributions of the zebrafish model to our overall understanding of the roles of transcription factors in regulation of primitive and definitive hematopoiesis.
Use of Lipid-Lowering Medications and the Likelihood of Achieving Optimal LDL-Cholesterol Goals in Coronary Artery Disease Patients
Authors: Karalis Dean G. , Victor Brett , Ahedor Lilian , Liu Longjian
Published: July 2012

Background. In clinical practice, most coronary artery disease patients are not achieving their recommend LDL-cholesterol goal of <70 mg/dL. Methods. We conducted a retrospective analysis of outpatient electronic health records and the most recent lipid profile, lipid-lowering medications and doses were collected. Results. We identified 9950 coronary artery disease patients. Only 37% on a statin alone achieved an LDL-cholesterol of <70 mg/dL, and most were on moderate-to-high-potency statins. The intensity of statin therapy did not improve LDL-cholesterol goal attainment. Among patients on combination therapy, 41% on statin plus ezetimibe and 46% on statin plus niacin achieved an LDL-cholesterol of <70 mg/dL ( and <0.0001 versus statin alone). If patients were switched to a high-potency statin LDL-cholesterol goal attainment of <70 mg/dL would increase to 46% and would increase up to 72% with combination therapy. Conclusions. Most coronary artery disease patients in clinical practice do not attain an LDL-cholesterol of <70 mg/dL, even among patients on high potency statins. The combination of statin plus either ezetimibe or niacin is the most effective regimen to achieve an LDL-cholesterol of <70 mg/dL, however, these drug combinations are used infrequently in clinical practice.
Development of a Refined Quarter Car Model for the Analysis of Discomfort due to Vibration
Authors: Thite A. N.
Published: July 2012

In the automotive industry, numerous expensive and time-consuming trials are used to “optimize” the ride and handling performance. Ideally, a reliable virtual prototype is a solution. The practical usage of a model is linked and restricted by the model complexity and reliability. The object of this study is development and analysis of a refined quarter car suspension model, which includes the effect of series stiffness, to estimate the response at higher frequencies; resulting Maxwell's model representation does not allow straightforward calculation of performance parameters. Governing equations of motion are manipulated to calculate the effective stiffness and damping values. State space model is arranged in a novel form to find eigenvalues, which is a unique contribution. Analysis shows the influence of suspension damping and series stiffness on natural frequencies and regions of reduced vibration response. Increase in the suspension damping coefficient beyond optimum values was found to reduce the modal damping and increase the natural frequencies. Instead of carrying out trial simulations during performance optimization for human comfort, an expression is developed for corresponding suspension damping coefficient. The analysis clearly shows the influence of the series stiffness on suspension dynamics and necessity to incorporate the model in performance predictions.
Proinflammatory Soluble Interleukin-15 Receptor Alpha Is Increased in Rheumatoid Arthritis
Authors: Machado Diaz Ana Cecilia , Chico Capote Araceli , Arrieta Aguero Celia Aurora , Rodríguez Alvarez Yunier , García del Barco Herrera Diana , Estévez del Toro Miguel , Guillen Nieto Gerardo E. , Santos Savio Alicia
Published: July 2012

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune and inflammatory disease in which many cytokines have been implicated. In particular, IL-15 is a cytokine involved in the inflammatory processes and bone loss. The aim of this study was to investigate the existence in synovial fluid of soluble IL-15Rα, a private receptor subunit for IL-15 which may act as an enhancer of IL-15-induced proinflammatory cytokines. Soluble IL-15Rαwas quantified by a newly developed enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in samples of synovial fluid from patients with RA and osteoarthritis (OA). The levels of IL-15Rαwere significantly increased in RA patients compared to OA patients. Also, we studied the presence of membrane-bound IL-15 in cells from synovial fluids, another element necessary to induce pro-inflammatory cytokines through reverse signaling. Interestingly, we found high levels of IL-6 related to high levels of IL-15Rαin RA but not in OA. Thus, our results evidenced presence of IL-15Rαin synovial fluids and suggested that its pro-inflammatory effect could be related to induction of IL-6.
Dynamics of Mutualism‐Competition‐Predator System with Beddington‐DeAngelis Functional Responses and Impulsive Perturbations
Authors: Fan Xiaoming , Wang Zhigang , Jiang Fuquan
Published: July 2012

We explore the dynamics of a class of mutualism‐competition‐predator interaction models with Beddington‐DeAngelis functional responses and impulsive perturbations. Sufficient conditions for existence of positive periodic solution are established by using a continuation theorem in coincidence degree theory, which have been extensively applied in studying existence problems in differential equations and difference equations. In addition, sufficient criteria are given for the global stability and the globally exponential stability of system by employing comparison principle and Lyapunov method.
Fuzzy Logic Unmanned Air Vehicle Motion Planning
Authors: Sabo Chelsea , Cohen Kelly
Published: July 2012

There are a variety of scenarios in which the mission objectives rely on an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) being capable of maneuvering in an environment containing obstacles in which there is little prior knowledge of the surroundings. With an appropriate dynamic motion planning algorithm, UAVs would be able to maneuver in any unknown environment towards a target in real time. This paper presents a methodology for two-dimensional motion planning of a UAV using fuzzy logic. The fuzzy inference system takes information in real time about obstacles (if within the agent's sensing range) and target location and outputs a change in heading angle and speed. The FL controller was validated, and Monte Carlo testing was completed to evaluate the performance. Not only was the path traversed by the UAV often the exact path computed using an optimal method, the low failure rate makes the fuzzy logic controller (FLC) feasible for exploration. The FLC showed only a total of 3% failure rate, whereas an artificial potential field (APF) solution, a commonly used intelligent control method, had an average of 18% failure rate. These results highlighted one of the advantages of the FLC method: its adaptability to complex scenarios while maintaining low control effort.