bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Clasificación trófica de insectos acuáticos en ocho quebradas protegidas de la ecorregión cafetera colombiana
Authors: Chará-Serna Ana M. , Chará Julián D. , Zúñiga María Del Carmen , Pedraza Gloria X. , Giraldo Lina P.
Published: November 2015

Objective. To determine the trophic structure of an aquatic insect assembly associated to eight streams in the Colombian coffee-growing ecoregion. Materials and methods. Aquatic insects were collected in eight forested streams located in La Vieja river basin. The taxa collected were assigned to dietary groups according to a regional classification based on the gut content analysis of aquatic insects associated to forested streams of the Otún river basin. Results. 2019 individuals belonging to 73 taxa were collected and 60 were classified into dietary groups. The most abundant group was collectors (55%), followed by shredders (31%) and predators (10%). Scrapers represented only 0.05% of the sample and the remaining 3.95% could not be classified due to lack of information. Conclusions. The dominance of collectors and shredders reveals the importance of coarse particulate organic matter (leaf litter) as a food resource for the insect fauna. Similarities between the trophic structure of this community and other communities studied in similar streams, suggest the possibility of a common pattern for Andean streams. This study evidenced the absence of knowledge on trophic ecology of tropical aquatic insects; 50% of the taxa collected had no associated information for the tropics and 20% had no information neither for the tropics nor temperate zones.

Key words: Andean streams, aquatic insects, dietary groups, trophic structure, tropical ecosystems.
Evaluación de tres métodos para la inactivación de coliformes y Escherichia coli presentes en agua residual doméstica, empleada para riego
Authors: Rojas-Higuera Naydú , Sánchez-Garibello Andrea , Matiz-Villamil Adriana , Salcedo-Reyes Juan , Carrascal-Camacho Ana K. , Pedroza-Rodríguez Aura M.
Published: November 2015

 Objective. To describe a standardized flow cytometry protocol for the relative and absolute quantification of hematopoietic cell subpopulations from normal bone marrow, and to evaluate the expression of different lineage-specific cell markers with a reactivity associated to cell differentiation to be used as part of the routine quality control in cytometry laboratories. Materials and methods. The immunophenotypical analysis of different cell subpopulations was done with samples from normal bone marrow using a panel of monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies useful in the characterization of acute leukemias with four different fluorescences, by means of a protocol that combines cell labeling of membrane and cytoplasm antigens. Expression analysis was done in terms of mean fluorescence intensity (MFI). Fluorescent beads at a known concentration were added for calculating the absolute count of cells.  Results. The antibody panel used allowed the identification and quantification of different normal leukocyte subpopulations of lymphatic and myeloid origin, including CD34+ stem cells and more differentiated cell populations in the granulocytic, monocytic, and erythroid cell lines. We established reference values for cell populations and cell marker expression ranges as part of routine quality control of cytometry laboratories. Conclusion. Immunophenotypic patterns identified as well as absolute and relative reference values for the different normal leukocyte populations from bone marrow can be used by cytometry laboratories as a basis for establishing reference parameters in phenotypic analyses of hematologic neoplasia.

Key words: multiparametric flow cytometry, immunophenotype, hematologic neoplasia, normal bone marrow, reference values, quality control.
Staphylococcus aureus resistentes a meticilina (SARM) positivos para PVL aislados en individuos sanos de Montería-Córdoba
Authors: Lozano Dayan , Díaz Loly , Echeverry Marcela , Pineda Sara , Mattar Salim
Published: November 2015

Objective. To study SARM and PVL producing strains in healthy individuals of Montería city. Materials and methods. This was a descriptive, prospective and transversal study. A total of 253 samples from pharyngeal swabs in three communities were studied: 91 prisoners of the jail of Montería (19-58 years old), 100 young adult students of the University of Cordoba (17-30 years old) and 62 children in school age (4-9 years old) of the primary school of the University of Cordoba. Individuals analyzed had not been hospitalized, had not received any antimicrobial treatment and did not show any clinical signs or symptoms in the last months. The isolates were identified by conventional microbiological tests and the antimicrobial susceptibility was determined for different antibiotics with MicroScan™ kit 1A (SIMENS). For the detection of the nuc, mecA and PVL genes, we followed the protocols of Brakstad et al., Oliveira et al. and Gerard et al. respectively. Results. Of the 253 analyzed samples, 62 (24.5%) were positive for S. aureus, out of those 4 (6.45%) were resistant to methicillin and 2 (25%) of them were PVL positive; 58 (93.54%) were sensitive to methicillin and 6 (75%) positive for PVL. Conclusions.  Results obtained in this study show the colonization by SARM-AC of healthy individuals. Colonization was higher in young adults and children in school-age.

Key words. Staphylococcus aureus, resistance, methicillin, PVL, community, Colombia.
Aislamiento y caracterización de células “stem” mesenquimales de médula ósea humana según criterios de la Sociedad Internacional de Terapia Celular
Authors: Rodríguez-Pardo Viviana Marcela , Fuentes-Lacouture María Fernanda , Aristizabal-Castellanos José Alejandro , Vernot Hernandez Jean Paul
Published: November 2015

 Bone marrow (BM) is an important source for isolating mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) useful in immunomodulation and tissue regeneration therapies. Objective. To isolate and characterize mesenchymal stem cells obtained from BM meeting the requirements of the International Society for Cellular Therapy. Materials and methods. BM samples were collected from volunteer donors attending the Orthopedics Service of the San Ignacio University Hospital (Bogotá, Colombia). Morphological characteristics were evaluated by inverted microscopy and the immunophenotype was determined by flow cytometry.  Protocols were developed for adipogenic, osteogenic and chondrogenic differentiation using the Oil Red O, alkaline phosphatase and safranin stains, respectively. Results. We collected 24 samples of BM from patients with total hip replacement (volume of BM sample: 5-45 ml). Cells with a fibroblastoid morphology were isolated from 21 BM samples (isolation efficiency: 87.5%). No statistical significant differences were found between the hematopoyetic antigens (CD34 and CD45, p>0.05) in the immunophenotypic evaluation (of MSC from BM); on the contrary, there were differences (p=0.006) between the hematopoyetic antigen CD45 and the mesenchymal antigens (CD13, CD44, CD73, CD90, CD105, HLA-I, and HLA-DR). Oil Red O stain revealed the presence of multilocular adipocytes, in the osteogenic induction we observed localized mineralization nodules, and chondrogenesis was positive as revealed by the safranin stain. Conclusion. MSC were satisfactorily isolated from BM and characterized according to the international standards.

Key words: stem cells, mesenchymal cells, flow cytometry, bone marrow, cell differentiation
Árboles de servicios ecológicos en Amazonía Brasileña.
Authors: Chaves de Oliveira Patrícia , Reis de Carvalho Cláudio José , Abreu Sá Tatiana
Published: November 2015

The metabolism of rhizospheres of plants that accumulate phosphorus (P) as Neea macrophylla and Cecropia palmata can exert certain influence on soil dynamics as a tolerance against environmental stresses, mostly in relation to phosphorus (P), aluminum (Al) and organic matter (MO) concentrations. The objective of this work was to characterize the profiles of the rhizospheres of selected species and to determine wood, leaf and total biomass as an alternative to the increment of the carbon produced. Materials and methods. We selected individual trees in two secondary forests (capoeiras), one enriched and another one only with natural vegetation in the Igarapé-Açú City, state of Pará, for measuring the concentrations of phosphorus (P), aluminium (Al) and organic matter (MO). Results. Soil adjacent to the rhizosphere of Neea showed higher concentrations of phosphorus and organic matter than Cecropia, however low concentrations of aluminium had been observed in soil under the influence of Cecropia. Conclusions. Trends of a reduction on phosphorus and organic matter concentrations in a potential scale with the increase of aluminium concentrations had been observed in all the rhizospheres. Leaf biomass did not differ between species, while wood biomass did differ between species.

Key words: ecological service, aluminium, forest.
Aspectos de la densidad poblacional e historia natural de Milvago chimachima (AVES: Falconidae) en el área urbana de Sincelejo (Sucre, Colombia)
Authors: De La Ossa V Jaime , De La Ossa-Lacayo Alejandro
Published: November 2015

Objective. Population assessment of Milvago chimachima (Falconidae), commonly known in Spanish as pigua, is a raptor species occurring in the urban area of Sincelejo, department of Sucre, Colombia. Materials and methods. Population density was calculated using a line transect. Knowledge on feeding and reproductive behavior was based on fixed-point observations. The home range of the species in the study area was estimated using parallel line transects after marking three individuals. Results. The obtained density was 4.9 individuals/Km2 and the home range was between 1.43 and 1.88 Km2/individual. Conclusions. The availability of preys like rats and mice, as well as carrion and organic waste of the city can influence the presence of the bird, although its density is comparatively low.

Key words: abundance, Colombia, density, home range, Milvago chimachima, Sincelejo, urban area.
Producción de ácido giberélico a partir de Gibberella fujikuroi utilizando lodo residual municipal como sustrato
Authors: Cuali-Álvarez Irene , Pavón-Romero Sergio H. , Colín-Cruz Arturo
Published: November 2015

Objective. To use municipal sewage sludge (LRM) from a wastewater treatment plant located in Toluca, State of Mexico, to grow the fungus Gibberella fujikuroi in submerged fermentation and to produce gibberellic acid (AG3). Materials and methods. We used Gibberella fujikuroi (CDBB: 268). To obtain AG3, production was verified using as a substrate the standard culture medium (MCE). Gibberellic acid determination was done with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with a Varian 9050.9012 equipment. We obtained 6 samples of sludge from a wastewater treatment plant in Toluca, State of Mexico, that were then characterized. Finally, both substrates (LRM and MCE) were used in submerged fermentation, and GA3 was obtained by extraction and quantified using HPLC. Results. The LRM characterization showed that the organic matter content (MO) is of 5.20% (w/v) and the total nitrogen content (NT) is of 0.25% (w/v). Such composition is within the range as a substrate for the production of AG3 by Gibberella fujikuroi. The fungus was cultivated for 3, 8, 13 and 30 days in sterile sewage sludge with a moisture content of 95.6% (w/v) and in standard culture medium (MCE). Samples were processed and analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Production of AG3 in the LRM was of 460.06 mg/L after 30 days in submerged fermentation at pH 4.0, and of 1,014.46 mg/L in the control. Conclusion. The nutrient content of LRM is suitable for the growth of the fungus Gibberella fujikuroi and for the production of GA3 when used as a substrate.

Key words: gibberellic acid, Gibberella fujikuroi, sewage sludge
Obtención de la matriz de varianzas y covarianzas a través de los productos Kronecker en modelos balanceados de dos y tres vías con aplicaciones en R
Authors: Moya-Moya Luz Marina , Rueda-Varón Milton Januario
Published: November 2015

Objective. To present a methodology based on the concept of Kronecker products that facilitates the construction of the variance and covariance matrix for designs with balanced data structure for 2 and 3 ways, and an application ​​in R to facilitate its calculation and application in different areas. Materials and methods. We provide a starting point for people interested in using R in the analysis of variance. Results. We use an application made ​​in R for a methodology based on Kronecker products through which we build the covariance matrix for working with designs with balanced data structure developed by Moya (2003). We also present an application of the method with real data. Conclusions. With this methodology we can accelerate the development and solution of some practical problems. The proposed methodology can be applied to mixed models with fixed or random effects with any number of factors.

Key words: Kronecker products, variance and covariance matrix, balanced designs, linear models, R Gui.
Caracterización fenotípica de accesiones de especies de Rubus L. de los municipios de Pamplona y Chitagá, región Nororiental de Colombia
Authors: Cancino-Escalante Giovani Orlando , Sánchez-Montaño Luis Roberto , Quevedo-García Enrique , Díaz-Carvajal Claudia
Published: November 2015

Objective. To identify the cultivated and wild species of Rubus in 53 farms with commercial plantations of Rubus glaucus Benth, owned by four blackberry grower associations in the towns of Pamplona and Chitagá, (Norte de Santander, Colombia). Materials and methods. Three to five specimens were collected from each farm and along the roadside. Plants aged 9 to 12 months since their plantation in the commercial farms and wild materials with characteristics of Rubus were selected. Twenty two descriptors (fourteen quantitative and eight qualitative) were assessed. We considered the seventh and eighth branch buds both male and female (with five repetitions) and fruits and flowers of each material. Principal component analysis was done with the fourteen quantitative variables, to identify the descriptors that most contribute to the morphological differentiation of accessions. A conglomerate analysis was used for grouping accessions according to their similarity and dissimilarity. Results. Among the 147 accessions analyzed from the different farms, our study determined the presence of 6 different taxa: R. glaucus Benth (with and without spines), R. alpinus Macfad, R. adenotrichos Schltdl, R. rosifolius Sm., R. bogotensis Kunth and R. floribundus Kunth Conclusions. The descriptors that differentiated the species and discriminated them by groups by providing 77% of the information with the use of principal component analysis, were:  length and width of central and lateral leaflets, length of flower and leaf structures, apex shape and number of secondary veins.

Key words: Rubus glaucus Benth, identification, taxa, descriptors, principal component analysis, conglomerate analysis

 
El preocupante estado de Centronia mutisii (Melastomataceae)
Authors: León Olga Adriana , Cadena-Vargas Camilo Esteban , Acosta-Ortiz Mónica Saida
Published: November 2015

Objective. Our study was intended to detail aspects of Centronia mutisii such as its distribution, population status and propagation, due to the anthropogenic pressure on its habitat which is restricted to a localized area in Cundinamarca and the District Capital, and because it is listed as a vulnerable species (VU) by the IUCN. Materials and methods. We identified the potential distribution of C. mutisii (niche modeling), assessed the conservation status of the population, and applied plant propagation ex situ management treatments. Results. The potential geographic distribution is restricted and until now a single population has been recorded in a locality.  There is a marked edge effect on the population structure and propagation is difficult. Conclusions. We propose this species as a conservation priority due to its extremely localized distribution and population structure being affected by processes that affect its habitat, and also to begin a discussion on the reclassification of its current threat level. Decision makers should include C. mutisii in research and investment agendas to develop in situ and ex situ conservation strategies.

Key words: Sumapaz; IUCN; Maxent; Cundinamarca; Colombia
Influence of Mg2+ ions on the interaction between 3,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid and HTLV-I integrase
Authors: Peña Ángela , Yosa Juvenal , Cuesta-Astroz Yesid , Acevedo Orlando , Lareo Leonardo , García-Vallejo Felipe
Published: November 2015

Objective. Using molecular simulation, we studied the influence of Mg2+ ions on the binding mode of HTLV-I Integrase (IN) catalytic domain (modeled by homology) with the 3,5- Dicaffeoylquinic Acid (DCQA). HTLV-I Integrase homology model was built using template-like crystallographic data of the IN catalytic domain solved for Avian Sarcoma Virus (VSA, pdb: 1VSD). Materials and methods. In order to analyze the role of Mg2+ in the interaction or coupling between 3,5-DCQA and Integrase, three models were created: i) in the absence of Mg2+ ions, ii) with a Mg2+ ion coordinated at Asp15 and Asp72 and iii) model with two Mg2+ ions coordinated at Asp15-Asp72 and Asp72-Glu108. Coupling force and binding free energy between 3,5-DCQA and HTLV-I IN were assessed in the three models. Results. The lowest docking score and free energy binding were obtained for the second model. Mg2+ ion strongly affected the coupling of the inhibitor 3,5-DCQA with HTLV-I catalytic domain of Integrase, thus revealing a strong interaction in the ligand-protein complex regardless of the ligand-catalytic interaction sites for all three models. Conclusion. Altogether, these results strengthen the hypothesis that the presence of one Mg2+ ion could enhance the interaction in the complex by decreasing free energy, therefore increasing the affinity. Moreover, we propose 3, 5-DCQA as an important pharmacophore in the rational design of new antiretroviral drugs.

Key words: 3,5 -Dicaffeoylquinic Acid, Human T-Lymphotropic Type I (HTLV-1), Integrase (IN), Homology Model, Molecular Docking, Binding Free Energy, Mg2+ Ions.
Alteration of placental haemostatic mechanisms in idiopathic intrauterine growth restriction
Authors: García-Robles Reggie , Ayala-Ramírez Paola Andrea , Espinosa Alejandra , Olaya Mercedes , Rojas Juan Diego , Bermúdez Martha , Bernal Jaime Eduardo
Published: November 2015

Intrauterine growth restriction is a complication of pregnancy with a high probability of perinatal morbidity and mortality. It appears to be caused by abnormal development of placental vasculature. Haemostatic processes are important for the development of the placenta, and an imbalance between procoagulant and anticoagulant factors has been associated with risk of intrauterine growth restriction. Objective. To evaluate coagulation abnormalities in placenta of pregnancies complicated with idiopathic intrauterine growth restriction. Materials and methods. Five placentas from pregnancies with idiopathic intrauterine growth restriction were compared to 19 controls. We performed gross and histological examination of the placenta. Analysis was made of both mRNA expression by real-time PCR
and protein by ELISA of tissue factor and thrombomodulin in placental tissue. Results. Results based on histological evaluation were consistent with an increased prothrombotic state in placentas from pregnancies with idiopathic intrauterine growth restriction, and thrombosis of chorionic vessels was the most important finding. The study showed an increased expression of tissue factor protein (p=0.0411) and an increase in the ratio of tissue factor/thrombomodulin mRNA (p=0.0411) and protein (p=0.0215) in placentas from pregnancies with idiopathic intrauterine growth restriction. There were no statistically significant differences neither between cases and controls in the mRNA levels of tissue factor or thrombomodulin nor at the protein level of thrombomodulin. Conclusion. Evidence of alteration of local haemostatic mechanisms at the level of the placenta, including abnormal expression of tissue factor and tissue factor/thrombomodulin ratio, in pregnancies that occur with idiopathic intrauterine growth restriction is presented.
Key words: intrautherine growth restriction, tissue factor, thrombomodulin, placenta diseases.
p < 0,05, ¿Criterio mágico para resolver cualquier problema o leyenda urbana?
Authors: Monterrey Gutiérrez Pedro Monterrey Gutiérrez
Published: November 2015

Hypothesis testing is a well-known procedure for data analysis widely used in scientific papers but, at the same time, strongly criticized and its use questioned and restricted in some cases due to inconsistencies observed from their application. This issue is analyzed in this paper on the basis of the fundamentals of the statistical methodology and the different approaches that have been historically developed to solve the problem of statistical hypothesis analysis highlighting a not well known point: the P value is a random variable. The fundamentals of Fisher´s, Neyman-Pearson´s and Bayesian´s solutions are analyzed and based on them, the inconsistency of the commonly used procedure of determining a p value, compare it to a type I error value (usually 0.05) and get a conclusion is discussed and, on their basis, inconsistencies of the data analysis procedure are identified, procedure consisting in the identification of a P value, the comparison of the P-value with a type-I error value –which
is usually considered to be 0.05– and upon this the decision on the conclusions of the analysis. Additionally, recommendations on the
best way to proceed when solving a problem are presented, as well as the methodological and teaching challenges to be faced when analyzing correctly the data and determining the validity of the hypotheses.
Key words: Neyman-Pearson’s hypothesis tests, Fisher’s significance tests, Bayesian hypothesis tests, Vancouver norms, P-value, null-hypothesis.
Modelo molecular teórico del receptor serotoninérgico 5HT2A acoplado a proteína G
Authors: Malagón Bernal Rafael Eduardo , Fernández Navas Manuel Alejandro , Acevedo Sarmiento Orlando Emilio
Published: November 2015

Objective Build a theoretical molecular model of the tertiary structure of the Homo sapiens 5HT2A receptor from experimentally obtained structures as templates. Materials and methods In the construction of the theoretical model we considered the protocol established by Ballesteros and Weinstein for the construction of the G-protein coupled receptor, by the alignment of the amino acid sequence, hydrophobicity profiles, refinement of loops by spatial restrictions and energy minimization with the force field OPLS_2005. Results The resulting model was validated by the Ramachandran plot with 91.7% of amino acids within the limits set for angles phi and psi and a RMSD of 0.95 Å with respect to bovine rhodopsin. Conclusions We obtained a validated theoretical model useful in studies of ligand-receptor docking.
Key words: G protein receptor, hydrophobicity profile, Ramachandran plot, orthosteric site, molecular modelling.
Film Cooling Effectiveness Improvements Using a Nondiffusing Oval Hole
Authors: Issakhanian Emin , Elkins Christopher J. , Eaton John K.
Published: November 2015

The need for improvements in film cooling effectiveness over traditional cylindrical film cooling holes has led to varied shaped hole and sister hole designs of increasing complexity. This paper presents a simpler shaped hole design which shows improved film cooling effectiveness over both cylindrical holes and diffusing fan-shaped holes without the geometric complexity of the latter. Magnetic resonance imaging measurement techniques are used to reveal the coupled 3D velocity and coolant mixing from film cooling holes which are of a constant oval cross section as opposed to round. The oval-shaped hole yielded an area-averaged adiabatic effectiveness twice that of the diffusing fan-shaped hole tested. Three component mean velocity measurements within the channel and cooling hole showed the flow features and vorticity fields which explain the improved performance of the oval-shaped hole. As compared to the round hole, the oval hole leads to a more complex vorticity field, which reduces the strength of the main counter-rotating vortex pair (CVP). The CVP acts to lift the coolant away from the turbine blade surface, and thus strongly reduces the film cooling effectiveness. The weaker vortices allow the coolant to stay closer to the blade surface and to remain relatively unmixed with the main flow over a longer distance. Thus, the oval-shaped film cooling hole provides a simpler solution for improving film cooling effectiveness beyond circular hole and diffusing hole designs.
Hemodynamic Characterization of Geometric Cerebral Aneurysm Templates Treated With Embolic Coils
Authors: Nair Priya , Chong Brian W. , Indahlastari Aprinda , Ryan Justin , Workman Christopher , Haithem Babiker M. , Yadollahi Farsani Hooman , Baccin Carlos E. , Frakes David
Published: November 2015

Embolic coiling is one of the most effective treatments for cerebral aneurysms (CAs), largely due to the hemodynamic modifications that the treatment effects in the aneurysmal environment. However, coiling can have very different hemodynamic outcomes in aneurysms with different geometries. Previous work in the field of biofluid mechanics has demonstrated on a general level that geometry is a driving factor behind aneurysmal hemodynamics. The goal of this study was to relate two specific geometric factors that describe CAs (i.e., dome size (DS) and parent-vessel contact-angle (PV-CA)) and one factor that describes treatment (i.e., coil packing density (PD)) to three clinically relevant hemodynamic responses (i.e., aneurysmal root-mean-square velocity (Vrms), aneurysmal wall shear stress (WSS), and cross-neck flow (CNF)). Idealized models of basilar tip aneurysms were created in both virtual and physical forms to satisfy two-level multifactorial experimental designs. Steady and pulsatile flow hemodynamics were then evaluated in the virtual models using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) (before and after virtual treatment with finite element (FE) embolic coil models), and hemodynamics were also evaluated in the physical models using particle image velocimetry (PIV) (before and after treatment with actual embolic coils). Results showed that among the factors considered, PD made the greatest contributions to effects on hemodynamic responses in and around the aneurysmal sac (i.e., Vrms and WSS), while DS made the greatest contributions to effects on hemodynamics at the neck (i.e., CNF). Results also showed that while a geometric factor (e.g., PV-CA) may play a relatively minor role in dictating hemodynamics in the untreated case, the same factor can play a much greater role after coiling. We consider the significance of these findings in the context of aneurysmal recurrence and rupture, and explore potential roles for the proposed methods in endovascular treatment planning.
Fracture of Soft Elastic Foam
Authors: Ma Zhuo , Feng Xiangchao , Hong Wei
Published: November 2015

Consisting of stretchable and flexible cell walls or ligaments, soft elastic foams exhibit extremely high fracture toughness. Using the analogy between the cellular structure and the network structure of rubbery polymers, this paper proposes a scaling law for the fracture energy of soft elastic foam. To verify the scaling law, a phase-field model for the fracture processes in soft elastic structures is developed. The numerical simulations in two-dimensional foam structures of various unit-cell geometries have all achieved good agreement with the scaling law. In addition, the dependences of the macroscopic fracture energy on geometric parameters such as the network connectivity and spatial orientation have also been revealed by the numerical results. To further enhance the fracture toughness, a type of soft foam structures with nonstraight ligaments or folded cell walls has been proposed and its performance studied numerically. Simulations have shown that an effective fracture energy one order of magnitude higher than the base material can be reached by using the soft foam structure.
Modeling the Nonlinear Motion of the Rat Central Airways
Authors: Ibrahim G. , Rona A. , Hainsworth S. V.
Published: November 2015

Advances in volumetric medical imaging techniques allowed the subject-specific modeling of the bronchial flow through the first few generations of the central airways using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). However, a reliable CFD prediction of the bronchial flow requires modeling of the inhomogeneous deformation of the central airways during breathing. This paper addresses this issue by introducing two models of the central airways motion. The first model utilizes a node-to-node mapping between the discretized geometries of the central airways generated from a number of successive computed tomography (CT) images acquired dynamically (without breath hold) over the breathing cycle of two Sprague-Dawley rats. The second model uses a node-to-node mapping between only two discretized airway geometries generated from the CT images acquired at end-exhale and at end-inhale along with the ventilator measurement of the lung volume change. The advantage of this second model is that it uses just one pair of CT images, which more readily complies with the radiation dosage restrictions for humans. Three-dimensional computer aided design geometries of the central airways generated from the dynamic-CT images were used as benchmarks to validate the output from the two models at sampled time-points over the breathing cycle. The central airway geometries deformed by the first model showed good agreement to the benchmark geometries within a tolerance of 4%. The central airway geometry deformed by the second model better approximated the benchmark geometries than previous approaches that used a linear or harmonic motion model.
Visible-light phototransistors based on InGaZnO and silver nanoparticles
Authors: Yu Jiin , Shin Seung Won , Lee Kwang-Ho , Park Jin-Seong , Kang Seong Jun
Published: November 2015

Visible-light phototransistors were fabricated using wide-bandgap indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO) and silver (Ag) nanoparticles (NPs). A bottom gate made of thin film transistors (TFTs) was fabricated with an amorphous IGZO film as the active channel. Ag NPs were then formed on the surface of the active channel region to be used as a visible-light absorption layer. The prepared Ag NPs were highly absorptive in the wavelength range of 450–600 nm, due to the plasmon effect. A detailed study of photoresponsivity and external quantum efficiency indicated that the TFTs with Ag NPs induced a large photocurrent upon illumination by visible light on the active region, while the TFTs without Ag NPs did not. This result indicates the presence of coupling between the localized plasmons and electrical carriers on the IGZO TFTs with Ag NPs.
Degradation of Reactive Black 5 dye by a newly isolated bacterium Pseudomonas entomophila BS1
Authors: Khan Sana , Malik Abdul
Published: November 2015

The textile and dye industries are considered as one of the major sources of environmental pollution. The present study was conducted to investigate the degradation of the azo dye Reactive Black 5 (RB 5) using a bacterium isolated from soil samples collected around a textile industry. The bacterial strain BS1 capable of degrading RB 5 was isolated and identified as Pseudomonas entomophila on the basis of 16S rDNA sequencing. The effects of different parameters on the degradation of RB 5 were studied to find out the optimal conditions required for maximum degradation, which was 93% after 120 h of incubation. Static conditions with pH in the range of 5–9 and a temperature of 37 °C were found to be optimum for degrading RB 5. Enzyme assays demonstrated that P. entomophila possessed azoreductase, which played an important role in degradation. The enzyme was dependent on flavin mononucleotide and NADH for its activity. Furthermore, a possible degradation pathway of the dye was proposed through gas chromatography – mass spectrometry analysis, which revealed that the metabolic products were naphthalene-1,2-diamine and 4-(methylsulfonyl) aniline. Thus the ability of this indigenous bacterial isolate for simultaneous decolorization and degradation of the azo dye signifies its potential application for treatment of industrial wastewaters containing azo dyes.
Signed Quasi-Clique Merger: A New Clustering Method for Signed Networks with Positive and Negative Edges
Authors: Qi Xingqin , Luo Ruth , Fuller Edgar , Luo Rong , Zhang Cun-Quan
Published: November 2015

Signed networks with both positive and negative links have gained considerable attention over the past several years. Community detection is among the main challenges for signed network analysis. It aims to find mutually antagonistic groups such that entities within the same group have as many positive relationships as possible and entities between different groups have as many negative relationships as possible. Most existing algorithms for community detection in signed networks aim to provide a hard partition of the network where any node should belong to a single community. However, overlapping communities, where a node is allowed to belong to multiple communities, widely exist in many real-world networks. Another disadvantage of some existing algorithms is that the number of final clusters k should be an input of the clustering process. It may however be the case that we do not know k in advance. In this paper, to offer improvements to existing algorithms, we propose a new clustering method for signed networks, the Signed Quasi-clique Merger (SQCM) algorithm. This algorithm detects the meaningful clusters (i.e. subgraphs with high friendly density) from the networks directly, where the friendly density of a subgraph [Formula: see text] is defined as [Formula: see text]. We construct a hierarchically nested system to illustrate their inclusion relationships. The output of SQCM is a smaller hierarchical tree, which clearly highlights meaningful clusters. During the clustering process, we do not need to know the number of final clusters k in advance; the algorithm is able to detect it on its own. Another important feature of SQCM is overlapping clustering or multi-membership. Its effectiveness is demonstrated through rigorous experiments involving both benchmark and randomly generated signed networks.
Action Recognition from Pose Signature in Static Image
Authors: Qian Yinzhong , Chen Wenbin , Shen I-fan
Published: November 2015

This paper addresses the problem of action recognition from body pose. Detecting body pose in static image faces great challenges because of pose variability. Our method is based on action-specific hierarchical poselet. We use hierarchical body parts each of which is represented by a set of poselets to demonstrate the pose variability of the body part. Pose signature of a body part is represented by a vector of detection responses of all poselets for the part. In order to suppress detection error and ambiguity we explore to use part-based model (PBM) as detection context. We propose a constrained optimization algorithm for detecting all poselets of each part in context of PBM, which recover neglected pose clue by global optimization. We use a PBM with hierarchical part structure, where body parts have varying granularity from whole body steadily decreasing to limb parts. From the structure we get models with different depth to study saliency of different body parts in action recognition. Pose signature of an action image is composed of pose signature of all the body parts in the PBM, which provides rich discriminate information for our task. We evaluate our algorithm on two datasets. Compared with counterpart methods, pose signature has obvious performance improvement on static image dataset. While using the model trained from static image dataset to label detected action person on video dataset, pose signature achieves state-of-the-art performance.
On bind maps for braids
Authors: Murao T.
Published: November 2015

We introduce a map, which we call the bind map, from the set of all classical braids to that of all trivalent braids. Then we define a notation for handlebody-links with a pair of a bind map and a classical braid. We show that isotopies and braid relations are equivalent for trivial handlebody-braids obtained from classical 3-braids with bind maps. We introduce two types of graphs for a classical braid, which indicate how the binding forms of the trivalent braids are transformed each other. We determine all patterns of the graphs for classical 3-braids.
Developing a Provenance Warehouse for the Systematic Brain Informatics Study
Authors: Chen Jianhui , Zhong Ning , Feng Jianhua
Published: November 2015

Aiming at the unstructured brain data and data-driven research process, provenances have become an important component of brain and health big data rather than the accessory of raw experimental data in the systematic Brain Informatics (BI) study. However, the existing file-based or transaction-database-based provenance queries cannot effectively support quickly understanding data and generating decisions or suppositions in the systematic BI study, which need multi-aspect and multi-granularity provenance information and a process of incremental modification. Inspired by studies on the data warehouse and online analytical processing (OLAP) technology, this paper proposes a BI provenance warehouse. The provenance cube and basic OLAP operations are defined. A complete Data-Brain-based development approach is also designed. Such a BI provenance warehouse represents a radically new way for developing the brain big data center, which regards raw experimental data, provenances and domain ontologies as different levels of brain big data for data sharing and mining.
A Low-Cost Nano/Micro Structured-Silicon-MWCNTs from Nano-Silica for Lithium Storage
Authors: Feng Xuejiao , Ding Tengda , Cui Hongmin , Yan Nanfu , Wang Fei
Published: November 2015

Despite the fact that silicon material can be synthesized from various sources, deriving them from silica resources is of strategic significance for the industrial processing. Here a low-cost nano/micro structure of Si–CNT was derived from nano-SiO2 and multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) with simple methods. By employing table salt (NaCl) as a heat scavenger for the magnesiothermic reduction, the nano/micro structure of the material was remained effective. Comparing to ball milling, a combination of SiO2, MWCNTs and NaCl by spray drying achieved the long cycle life for Si–CNT composite. This material presented a stable capacity above 968.1[Formula: see text]mAh g[Formula: see text] with excellent capacity retention of 85.4% at the 150th cycle versus the 2nd one. The Si nanoparticles, very small particle size in 10–20[Formula: see text]nm, homogenously dispersed in electronically conductive network of MWCNTS, which accommodate the volume change of Si and reinforce highly conductivity of the Si–CNT composite during repeated cycles. Combined with its low-cost and up-scaling technologies, Si–CNT composite is a promising anode material in rechargeable lithium batteries with high electrochemical performance.
On the graph of nilpotent matrix group of length one
Authors: Gupta C. K. , Shetty B. Shwetha , Lokesha V.
Published: November 2015

In this paper we construct a Cayley graph for multiplicative group of upper unitriangular [Formula: see text] matrices over [Formula: see text] mod [Formula: see text]. Also we find some topological indices, diameter, girth, spectra and energy of adjacency, Laplacian, normalized Laplacian and signless Laplacian matrix of the same graph.
Deep Borehole Heat Exchangers — A Conceptual and Comparative Review
Authors: Sapinska-Sliwa Aneta , Rosen Marc A. , Gonet Andrzej , Sliwa Tomasz
Published: November 2015

Borehole heat exchangers (BHEs) are used for transforming a rock mass into an underground heat storage. Usually, their depth does not exceed 200[Formula: see text]m, but some extend to a depth of almost 3000[Formula: see text]m. Underground heat storages can operate as part of heating and cooling systems, often economically. In winter they extract heat from the rock mass for space heating, while in summer the cooled rock mass is used for air conditioning. The heat extracted from buildings via air conditioning is transferred into the rock mass, thereby regenerating its condition for winter time. Deep borehole exchangers also may operate only in the heating mode. Then, the rock resource conditions are regenerated via heat transfer through neighboring rocks. If a groundwater flow is present, the heat can also be removed and the source conditions regenerated through convection.

Here, an overview of the use and operation of deep BHEs around the world is provided. Special emphasis is placed on the Carpathians, where numerous analyses of geothermal heat use have been performed since 1999. Examples of calculations for old oil and gas wells as well as negative exploration boreholes are given. Such analyses have been performed for boreholes in Poland and the Ukraine. However, little research has been published on this subject to date, for reasons described herein.
A Constraint Approach to Pivot-Based Bilingual Dictionary Induction
Authors: Wushouer Mairidan , Lin Donghui , Ishida Toru , Hirayama Katsutoshi
Published: November 2015

High-quality bilingual dictionaries are very useful, but such resources are rarely available for lower-density language pairs, especially for those that are closely related. Using a third language to link two other languages is a well-known solution and usually requires only two input bilingual dictionaries
A-B
and
B-C
to automatically induce the new one,
A-C
. This approach, however, has never been demonstrated to utilize the complete structures of the input bilingual dictionaries, and this is a key failing because the dropped meanings negatively influence the result. This article proposes a constraint approach to pivot-based dictionary induction where language
A
and
C
are closely related. We create constraints from language similarity and model the structures of the input dictionaries as a Boolean optimization problem, which is then formulated within the Weighted Partial Max-SAT framework, an extension of Boolean Satisfiability (SAT). All of the encoded CNF (Conjunctive Normal Form), the predominant input language of modern SAT/MAX-SAT solvers, formulas are evaluated by a solver to produce the target (output) bilingual dictionary. Moreover, we discuss alternative formalizations as a comparison study. We designed a tool that uses the Sat4j library as the default solver to implement our method and conducted an experiment in which the output bilingual dictionary achieved better quality than the baseline method.
Description of the Chinese-to-Spanish Rule-Based Machine Translation System Developed Using a Hybrid Combination of Human Annotation and Statistical Techniques
Authors: Costa-Jussà Marta R. , Centelles Jordi
Published: November 2015

Two of the most popular Machine Translation (MT) paradigms are rule based (RBMT) and corpus based, which include the statistical systems (SMT). When scarce parallel corpus is available, RBMT becomes particularly attractive. This is the case of the Chinese--Spanish language pair.

This article presents the first RBMT system for Chinese to Spanish. We describe a hybrid method for constructing this system taking advantage of available resources such as parallel corpora that are used to extract dictionaries and lexical and structural transfer rules.

The final system is freely available online and open source. Although performance lags behind standard SMT systems for an in-domain test set, the results show that the RBMT’s coverage is competitive and it outperforms the SMT system in an out-of-domain test set. This RBMT system is available to the general public, it can be further enhanced, and it opens up the possibility of creating future hybrid MT systems.
Design and Experimental Implementation of a Beam-Type Twin Dynamic Vibration Absorber for a Cantilevered Flexible Structure Carrying an Unbalanced Rotor: Numerical and Experimental Observations
Authors: Özer Abdullah , Ghodsi Mojtaba , Sekiguchi Akio , Saleem Ashraf , Al-Sabari Mohammed Nasser
Published: November 2015

This paper presents experimental and numerical results about the effectiveness of a beam-type twin dynamic vibration absorber for a cantilevered flexible structure carrying an unbalanced rotor. An experimental laboratory prototype setup has been built and implemented in our laboratory and numerical investigations have been performed through finite element analysis. The proposed system design consists of a primary cantilevered flexible structure with an attached dual-mass cantilevered secondary dynamic vibration absorber arrangement. In addition, an unbalanced rotor system is attached to the tip of the flexible cantilevered structure to inspect the system response under harmonic excitations. Numerical findings and experimental observations have revealed that significant vibration reductions are possible with the proposed dual-mass, cantilevered dynamic vibration absorber on a flexible cantilevered platform carrying an unbalanced rotor system at its tip. The proposed system is efficient and it can be practically tuned for variety of design and operating conditions. The designed setup and the results in this paper can serve for practicing engineers, researchers and can be used for educational purposes.
Predicting 30-Day Readmissions: Performance of the LACE Index Compared with a Regression Model among General Medicine Patients in Singapore
Authors: Low Lian Leng , Lee Kheng Hock , Hock Ong Marcus Eng , Wang Sijia , Tan Shu Yun , Thumboo Julian , Liu Nan
Published: November 2015

The LACE index (length of stay, acuity of admission, Charlson comorbidity index, CCI, and number of emergency department visits in preceding 6 months) derived in Canada is simple and may have clinical utility in Singapore to predict readmission risk. We compared the performance of the LACE index with a derived model in identifying 30-day readmissions from a population of general medicine patients in Singapore. Additional variables include patient demographics, comorbidities, clinical and laboratory variables during the index admission, and prior healthcare utilization in the preceding year. 5,862 patients were analysed and 572 patients (9.8%) were readmitted in the 30 days following discharge. Age, CCI, count of surgical procedures during index admission, white cell count, serum albumin, and number of emergency department visits in previous 6 months were significantly associated with 30-day readmission risk. The final logistic regression model had fair discriminative abilityc-statistic of 0.650 while the LACE index achievedc-statistic of 0.628 in predicting 30-day readmissions. Our derived model has the advantage of being available early in the admission to identify patients at high risk of readmission for interventions. Additional factors predicting readmission risk and machine learning techniques should be considered to improve model performance.