bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Acquiring credentials in bedside ultrasound: a cross-sectional survey
Authors: Lewiss Resa E , Saul Turandot , Del Rios Marina
Published: September 2013

Objective

Although there are training guidelines to credential emergency physicians in bedside ultrasound, many faculty groups have members who completed residency without a mandatory curriculum. These physicians are therefore required to learn bedside ultrasound while out in practice. The objective of this descriptive report is to illustrate a single academic facility's experience with acquiring credentials for emergency physicians in bedside ultrasound and the faculty's impressions on the motivators of and barriers to completion of the requirements.

Design

Cross-sectional survey.

Setting

Two urban teaching hospitals with a combined volume of 170 000 visits a year.

Participants

41 emergency medicine attending physicians.

Intervention

Emergency medicine attending physicians underwent training and credentialing in the applications of aorta and pelvic ultrasound over a 9-month period.

Outcome measure

After the credentialing period, we conducted a survey to evaluate the physicians’ perceptions of this process.

Results

There were 41 faculty members during the credentialing survey period. 11 of the faculty members were exempt from ultrasound training. We asked attending physicians (N=41 exempt and non-exempt) to complete a web-based survey after the completion of the credentialing period. Questions about the potential barriers and incentives were listed and responders were asked to rank answers on a five-point Likert scale. Of the 31 respondents, 21 (67.7%) completed the credentialing requirements by the 9-month deadline. 19 of 26 emergency medicine residency trained physicians completed the requirements compared with 2/5 of those that were not emergency medicine residency trained. Our pilot study data suggest an association between fewer years in practice and completion of the requirements.

Conclusions

This is a report on a single academic institution's experience with a faculty credentialing programme in bedside ultrasound for physicians with a diversity of prior experience in bedside ultrasonography. We describe the success of the credentialing process and identify survey-based faculty characteristics associated with fulfilling the requirements.
Can action research strengthen district health management and improve health workforce performance? A research protocol
Authors: Mshelia C , Huss R , Mirzoev T , Elsey H , Baine S O , Aikins M , Kamuzora P , Bosch-Capblanch X , Raven J , Wyss K , Green A , Martineau T
Published: September 2013

Introduction

The single biggest barrier for countries in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) to scale up the necessary health services for addressing the three health-related Millennium Development Goals and achieving Universal Health Coverage is the lack of an adequate and well-performing health workforce. This deficit needs to be addressed both by training more new health personnelandby improving the performance of the existing and future health workforce. However, efforts have mostly been focused on training new staff and less on improving the performance of the existing health workforce. The purpose of this paper is to disseminate the protocol for the PERFORM project and reflect on the key challenges encountered during the development of this methodology and how they are being overcome.

Methods

The overall aim of the PERFORM project is to identify ways of strengthening district management in order to address health workforce inadequacies by improving health workforce performance in SSA. The study will take place in three districts each in Ghana, Tanzania and Uganda using an action research approach. With the support of the country research teams, the district health management teams (DHMTs) will lead on planning, implementation, observation, reflection and redefinition of the activities in the study. Taking into account the national and local human resource (HR) and health systems (HS) policies and practices already in place, ‘bundles’ of HR/HS strategies that are feasible within the context and affordable within the districts’ budget will be developed by the DHMTs to strengthen priority areas of health workforce performance. A comparative analysis of the findings from the three districts in each country will add new knowledge on the effects of these HR/HS bundles on DHMT management and workforce performance and the impact of an action research approach on improving the effectiveness of the DHMTs in implementing these interventions.

Discussion

Different challenges were faced during the development of the methodology. These include the changing context in the study districts, competing with other projects and duties for the time of district managers, complexity of the study design, maintaining the anonymity and confidentiality of study participants as well as how to record the processes during the study. We also discuss how these challenges are being addressed. The dissemination of this research protocol is intended to generate interest in the PERFORM project and also stimulate discussion on the use of action research in complex studies such as this on strengthening district health management to improve health workforce performance.
How effective is the Forestry Commission Scotland's woodland improvement programme—‘Woods In and Around Towns’ (WIAT)—at improving psychological well-being in deprived urban communities? A quasi-experimental study
Authors: Silveirinha de Oliveira Eva , Aspinall Peter , Briggs Andrew , Cummins Steven , Leyland Alastair H , Mitchell Richard , Roe Jenny , Ward Thompson Catharine
Published: September 2013

Introduction

There is a growing body of evidence that suggests that green spaces may positively influence psychological well-being. This project is designed to take advantage of a natural experiment where planned physical and social interventions to enhance access to natural environments in deprived communities provide an opportunity to prospectively assess impacts on perceived stress and mental well-being.

Study design and methods

A controlled, prospective study comprising a repeat cross-sectional survey of residents living within 1.5 km of intervention and comparison sites. Three waves of data will be collected: prephysical environment intervention (2013); postphysical environment intervention (2014) and postwoodland promotion social intervention (2015). The primary outcome will be a measure of perceived stress (Perceived Stress Scale) preintervention and postintervention. Secondary, self-report outcomes include: mental well-being (Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale), changes in physical activity (IPAQ-short form), health (EuroQoL EQ-5D), perception and use of the woodlands, connectedness to nature (Inclusion of Nature in Self Scale), social cohesion and social capital. An environmental audit will complement the study by evaluating the physical changes in the environment over time and recording any other contextual changes over time. A process evaluation will assess the implementation of the programme. A health economics analysis will assess the cost consequences of each stage of the intervention in relation to the primary and secondary outcomes of the study.

Ethics and dissemination

Ethical approval has been given by the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh College of Art Research, Ethics and Knowledge Exchange Committee (ref. 19/06/2012). Findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications, national and international conferences and, at the final stage of the project, through a workshop for those interested in implementing environmental interventions.
Intron retention: a human DKC1 gene common splicing event
Authors: Turano Mimmo , Angrisani Alberto , Di Maio Nunzia , Furia Maria
Published: September 2013

Identification of alternatively spliced transcripts produced by a gene is a crucial step in deciphering the bulk of its biological roles and the overall processes that regulate its activity. By using a combination of bioinformatic and molecular approaches we identified, cloned, and characterized 3 novel alternative splice isoforms derived from human dyskeratosis congenita 1 (hDKC1), an essential human gene causative of the X-linked dyskeratosis congenita disease and involved in multiple functions related to cell growth, proliferation, and telomere maintenance. Expression of the new isoforms, all characterized by intron retention, was confirmed by RT-PCR in a panel of diverse cell lines and normal human tissues, and despite the presence of premature termination codons, was not down-regulated by the mechanism of nonsense-mediated decay. Accumulation of these transcripts fluctuated distinctly in the diverse tissues and during in vitro differentiation of Caco2 cells, suggesting that their ratio may contribute to the gene functional diversity across different cell types. Intriguingly, the structure of one isoform leads to exonize an intronically encoded small nucleolar RNA (snoRNA), highlighting an additional layer of complexity that can contribute to overall gene regulation.
Enhanced visible light photocatalytic activity of anatase TiO2 through C, N, and F codoping
Authors: Li Zongbao , Xia Wang , Jia Lichao
Published: September 2013

The electronic and optical properties of pure, C-doped, (C, F)-codoped, (C, N)-codoped, and (C, N, F)-codoped anatase TiO2 are investigated by using density functional theory (DFT). The results indicate that elemental doping creates a much more efficient and stable photocatalyst than pristine, which narrows the band gap of TiO2 and realizes its visible light response activity. With the incorporation of F into (C, N)-codoped TiO2, strong visible light absorption and photocatalytic activity are further increased. It also verifies the reliability of our calculations for good agreement with the experimental results in the optical absorption of (C, N)-codoped and (C, N, F)-codoped.
ADDITIVE-VETO MODELS FOR CHOICE AND RANKING MULTICRITERIA DECISION PROBLEMS
Authors: DE ALMEIDA ADIEL TEIXEIRA
Published: September 2013

Using additive models for aggregation of criteria is an important procedure in many multicriteria decision methods. This compensatory approach, which scores the alternatives straightforwardly, may have significant drawbacks. For instance, the Decision Maker (DM) may prefer not to select alternatives which have a very low performance in whatever criterion. In contrast, such an alternative may have the best overall evaluation, since the additive model may compensate this low performance in one of the criteria as a result of high performance in other criteria. Thus, additive-veto models are proposed with a view to considering the possibility of vetoing alternatives in such situations, particularly for choice and ranking problems. A numerical application illustrates the use of such models, with a detailed discussion related to real practical problems. Moreover, the results obtained from a numerical simulation show that it is not so rare for a veto of the best alternative to occur in the additive model. This is of considerable relevance depending on the DM's preference structure.
MISS ONE OUT: A CROSS-VALIDATION METHOD UTILIZING INDUCED TEACHER NOISE
Authors: ALPTEKIN AHMET , KURSUN OLCAY
Published: September 2013

Leave-one-out (LOO) and its generalization, K-Fold, are among most well-known cross-validation methods, which divide the sample into many folds, each one of which is, in turn, left out for testing, while the other parts are used for training. In this study, as an extension of this idea, we propose a new cross-validation approach that we called miss-one-out (MOO) that mislabels the example(s) in each fold and keeps this fold in the training set as well, rather than leaving it out as LOO does. Then, MOO tests whether the trained classifier can correct the erroneous label of the training sample. In principle, having only one fold deliberately labeled incorrectly should have only a small effect on the classifier that uses this bad-fold along with K - 1 good folds and can be utilized as a generalization measure of the classifier. Experimental results on a number of benchmark datasets and three real bioinformatics dataset show that MOO can better estimate the test set accuracy of the classifier.
“亚裔人”、 “黄种人”、 “名誉白人”？ 亚裔族群在美国种族分层制度中的社会定位和身份认同
Authors: 周敏
Published: September 2013

本文针对 “亚裔美国人真的已经变成白人了吗？” 这个问题展开讨论。近40年来，亚裔美国人从表面上看好像与其他早期的欧裔移民的后代一样，已经成功地融入了美国主流社会，逐渐地被处于主流社会核心的白人族群所接受，成为他们的一分子。由于亚裔在社会中取得相当于（甚至超过）白人平均水平的卓越成就而被誉为 “名誉白人” 和 “模范少数族裔” 。作者认为，不管 “名誉白人” 或 “模范少数族裔” ，其形象貌似正面，实质上是一个少数族裔的新的刻板形象，是美国种族分层制度中的一种新的社会隔离的机制，不但区分了亚裔族群与其他少数族裔群体，也把他们与白人族群区分开来。这个新的刻板形象的背后还隐藏着更鲜为人知的后果： 其一就是为美国社会的自由、平等、公正以及没有种族主义的市场等虚言提供有力依据；其二是提高美国社会衡量亚裔人的标准，致使亚裔美国人成为有别于非洲裔族群或拉美裔族群的一个新的 “异类” ，从而强化了亚裔群体在种族分层制度的夹心定位以及由此带来的社会不公。虽然亚裔美国人在社会中取得了令人瞩目的成就，但离白人族群的社会地位还有一大段距离，备受着美国种族分层制度的制约，被视为 “外国人” ，因此还必须不断努力地对其社会边缘化和种族歧视等问题进行不懈的抗争。
THE FORCING EDGE FIXING EDGE-TO-VERTEX MONOPHONIC NUMBER OF A GRAPH
Authors: JOHN J. , SAMUNDESVARI K. UMA
Published: September 2013

For a connected graph G = (V, E), a set Se ⊆ E(G)–{e} is called an edge fixing edge-to-vertex monophonic set of an edge e of a connected graph G if every vertex of G lies on an e – f edge-to-vertex monophonic path of G, where f ∈ Se. The edge fixing edge-to-vertex monophonic number mefev(G) of G is the minimum cardinality of its edge fixing edge-to-vertex monophonic sets of an edge e of G. A subset Me ⊆ Se in a connected graph G is called a forcing subset for Se, if Se is the unique edge fixing edge-to-vertex monophonic set of e of G containing Me. A forcing subset for Se of minimum cardinality is a minimum subset of Se. The forcing edge fixing edge-to-vertex monophonic number of G denoted by fefev(G) = min {fefev(Se)}, where the minimum is taken over all cardinality of a minimal edge fixing edge-to-vertex monophonic set of e of G. The forcing edge fixing edge-to-vertex monophonic number of certain classes of graphs is determined and some of its general properties are studied. It is shown that for every integers a and b with 0 ≤ a ≤ b, b ≥ 1, there exists a connected graph G such that fefev(G) = a, mefev(G) = b.
BTRFS
Authors: Rodeh Ohad , Bacik Josef , Mason Chris
Published: September 2013

BTRFS is a Linux filesystem that has been adopted as the default filesystem in some popular versions of Linux. It is based on copy-on-write, allowing for efficient snapshots and clones. It uses B-trees as its main on-disk data structure. The design goal is to work well for many use cases and workloads. To this end, much effort has been directed to maintaining even performance as the filesystem ages, rather than trying to support a particular narrow benchmark use-case.

Linux filesystems are installed on smartphones as well as enterprise servers. This entails challenges on many different fronts.

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Scalability
. The filesystem must scale in many dimensions: disk space, memory, and CPUs.

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Data integrity
. Losing data is not an option, and much effort is expended to safeguard the content. This includes checksums, metadata duplication, and RAID support built into the filesystem.

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Disk diversity
. The system should work well with SSDs and hard disks. It is also expected to be able to use an array of different sized disks, which poses challenges to the RAID and striping mechanisms.

This article describes the core ideas, data structures, and algorithms of this filesystem. It sheds light on the challenges posed by defragmentation in the presence of snapshots, and the tradeoffs required to maintain even performance in the face of a wide spectrum of workloads.
Empirical evidence on OCL formal specification-based metrics as a predictor of fault-proneness
Authors: Jalila A. , Jeya Mala D.
Published: September 2013

OCL formal specification has been widely used for precise software modeling. In general, it is used to express constraints on design documents. As a novel approach, its usage can be extended to support effective testing, such as testing fault-prone components to improve software quality. In this paper, CK (Chidamber and Kemerer) metrics that can be extracted from OCL expressions are validated against module complexity. Moreover, our study proposes a new metric suite that can be directly extracted from OCL expressions to quantify module complexity. A weight has been assigned to each metric to reflect its importance in fault-prone component identification. Our study shows that metrics collected from OCL specifications are good predictors of the fault-prone components of a system during design time. An early knowledge of fault-prone components of the system can be useful to distribute efforts required for software development and testing activities.
Online OLED dynamic voltage scaling for video streaming applications on mobile devices
Authors: Zhao Mengying , Chen Yiran , Chen Xiang , Xue Chun Jason
Published: September 2013

This work proposes an online DVS approach for OLED-based mobile video applications to reduce display power consumption. A time-efficient representative-region based DVS scheme is developed and applied in MPEG video streaming. Based on the proposed scheme, flexible DVS solutions can be adaptively derived according to timing constraints. Experimental results show a 26.9% power reduction while keeping 99.3% frames displayed in high quality.
In Scarcity and Abundance: Metabolic Signals Regulating Cell Growth
Authors: Saad Shady , Peter Matthias , Dechant Reinhard
Published: September 2013

Although nutrient availability is a major driver of cell growth, and continuous adaptation to nutrient supply is critical for the development and survival of all organisms, the molecular mechanisms of nutrient sensing are only beginning to emerge. Here, we highlight recent advances in the field of nutrient sensing and discuss arising principles governing how metabolism might regulate growth-promoting pathways. In addition, we discuss signaling functions of metabolic enzymes not directly related to their metabolic activity.
Regulation of Luminal Acidification by the V-ATPase
Authors: Breton Sylvie , Brown Dennis
Published: September 2013

Specialized cells in the body express high levels of V-ATPase in their plasma membrane and respond to hormonal and nonhormonal cues to regulate extracellular acidification. Mutations in or loss of some V-ATPase subunits cause several disorders, including renal distal tubular acidosis and male infertility. This review focuses on the regulation of V-ATPase-dependent luminal acidification in renal intercalated cells and epididymal clear cells, which are key players in these physiological processes.
Functional Convergence in Bat and Toothed Whale Biosonars
Authors: Madsen P. T. , Surlykke A.
Published: September 2013

Echolocating bats and toothed whales hunt and navigate by emission of sound pulses and analysis of returning echoes to form a self-generated auditory scene. Here, we demonstrate a striking functional convergence in the way these two groups of mammals independently evolved the capability to sense with sound in air and water.
Exercise is the Real Polypill
Authors: Fiuza-Luces Carmen , Garatachea Nuria , Berger Nathan A. , Lucia Alejandro
Published: September 2013

The concept of a “polypill” is receiving growing attention to prevent cardiovascular disease. Yet similar if not overall higher benefits are achievable with regular exercise, a drug-free intervention for which our genome has been haped over evolution. Compared with drugs, exercise is available at low cost and relatively free of adverse effects. We summarize epidemiological evidence on the preventive/therapeutic benefits of exercise and on the main biological mediators involved.
The Mammalian Diving Response: An Enigmatic Reflex to Preserve Life?
Authors: Michael Panneton W.
Published: September 2013

The mammalian diving response is a remarkable behavior that overrides basic homeostatic reflexes. It is most studied in large aquatic mammals but is seen in all vertebrates. Pelagic mammals have developed several physiological adaptations to conserve intrinsic oxygen stores, but the apnea, bradycardia, and vasoconstriction is shared with those terrestrial and is neurally mediated. The adaptations of aquatic mammals are reviewed here as well as the neural control of cardiorespiratory physiology during diving in rodents.
Mapping and Modeling Gastrointestinal Bioelectricity: From Engineering Bench to Bedside
Authors: Cheng L. K. , Du P. , O'Grady G.
Published: September 2013

A key discovery in gastrointestinal motility has been the central role played by interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) in generating electrical slow waves that coordinate contractions. Multielectrode mapping and multiscale modeling are two emerging interdisciplinary strategies now showing translational promise to investigate ICC function, electrophysiology, and contractions in the human gut.
Temperature Variations Analysis for Condensed Matter Micro- and Nanoparticles Combustion Burning in Gaseous Oxidizing Media by DTM and BPES
Authors: Hatami M. , Ganji D. D. , Boubaker K.
Published: September 2013

Combustion process for iron particles burning in the gaseous oxidizing medium is investigated using the Boubaker polynomial expansion scheme (BPES) and the differential transformation method (DTM). Effects of thermal radiation from the external surface of burning particle and alterations of density of iron particle with temperature are considered. The solutions obtained using BPES technique and DTM are compared with those of the fourth-order Runge-Kutta numerical method. Results reveal that BPES is more accurate and reliable method than DTM. Also the effects of some physical parameters that appeared in mathematical section on temperature variations of particles as a function of time are studied.
Merkel Cell Carcinoma of the Retroperitoneum with No Identifiable Primary Site
Authors: Rossini Daniele , Caponnetto Salvatore , Lapadula Vittoria , De Filippis Lucilla , Del Bene Gabriella , Emiliani Alessandra , Longo Flavia
Published: September 2013

Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is an extremely rare primary neuroendocrine neoplasm of the skin that shows aggressive behavior and a poor prognosis. We report a case of a 67-year-old male with a Merkel cell carcinoma which initially presented itself as a large retroperitoneal mass. Pathological and immunohistochemical analysis revealed tissue consistent with neuroendocrine carcinoma. Despite complete medical workup, no other primary MCC could be detected. While being an atypical presentation, the tumor mass showed an excellent response to the combination of chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy.
Nonpharmacological Management of Gastroesophageal Reflux in Preterm Infants
Authors: Corvaglia Luigi , Martini Silvia , Aceti Arianna , Arcuri Santo , Rossini Roberto , Faldella Giacomo
Published: September 2013

Gastroesophageal reflux (GOR) is very common among preterm infants, due to several physiological mechanisms. Although GOR should not be usually considered a pathological condition, its therapeutic management still represents a controversial issue among neonatologists; pharmacological overtreatment, often unuseful and potentially harmful, is increasingly widespread. Hence, a stepwise approach, firstly promoting conservative strategies such as body positioning, milk thickening, or changes of feeding modalities, should be considered the most advisable choice in preterm infants with GOR. This review focuses on the conservative management of GOR in the preterm population, aiming to provide a complete overview, based on currently available evidence, on potential benefits and adverse effects of nonpharmacological measures. Nonpharmacological management of GOR might represent a useful tool for neonatologists to reduce the use of antireflux medications, which should be limited to selected cases of symptomatic babies.
An Abstract Description Method of Map-Reduce-Merge Using Haskell
Authors: Liu Lei , Liu Dongqing , Lü Shuai , Zhang Peng
Published: September 2013

Map-Reduce-Merge is an improved parallel programming model based on Map-Reduce in cloud computing environment. Through the new Merge module, Map-Reduce-Merge can support processing multiple related heterogeneous datasets more efficiently. In order to demonstrate the validity and effectiveness of this new model, we present a rigorous description for Map-Reduce-Merge model using Haskell. Firstly, we describe the basic program skeleton of Map-Reduce-Merge programming model. Secondly, an abstract description for the Merge module is presented by analyzing the structure and function of the Merge module with Haskell as the description tool. Thirdly, we evaluate the Map-Reduce-Merge model on the basis of our description. We capture the functional characteristics of the Map-Reduce-Merge model by our abstract description, which can provide theoretical basis for designing more efficient parallel programming model to process join operation.
Studies on Z-Window Based FIR Filters
Authors: Pachauri Rahul , Saxena Rajiv , Sharma Sanjeev N.
Published: September 2013

As per classification of the window functions, the Z-windows are grouped in the category of steerable side-lobe dip (SSLD) windows. In this work, the application of these windows for the design of FIR filters with improved filter parameters has been explored. The numbers of dips with their respective positions in the side-lobe region have been compositely used to tailor the window shape. Filter design relationships have been established and included in this paper. Simultaneously, an application of these Z-window based FIR filters in designing two-channel quadrature mirror filter (QMF) bank has been presented. Better values of reconstruction and aliasing errors have been achieved in contrast to the Kaiser window based QMF bank.
How Fatigue Is Experienced and Handled by Female Outpatients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Authors: Beck Anne , Bager Palle , Jensen Peter Errboe , Dahlerup Jens F.
Published: September 2013

Background. Fatigue is a significant aspect of everyday life for patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and it influences their health-related quality of life. Little is known about fatigue from the patient’s perspective.Aim. To investigate how female IBD patients experience and handle fatigue.Methods. The study included 11 female outpatients. These patients were 40–59 years old and had IBD ≥ one year and a significantly increased fatigue score. Patients with severe active IBD, anaemia, comorbidity, or pregnancy were excluded. The included patients agreed to participate in a semistructured interview. The interviews were analysed using Malterud’s principles of systematic text condensation.Results. The patients described physical and mental symptoms of fatigue that led to social-, physical-, and work-related limitations with emotional consequences. To handle fatigue, the patients used planning, priority, acceptance, exercise, and support. Two of the eleven patients used exercise on a regular basis. Surprisingly, some patients indicated that they did not need to talk with professionals about their fatigue unless a cure was available. Conclusion. Fatigue in IBD includes physical and mental symptoms that limit the patients’ social-, physical-, and work-related lives. Despite this, some patients expressed that they had chosen to accept their fatigue.
Tongguan Capsule Protects against Myocardial Ischemia and Reperfusion Injury in Mice
Authors: Qi Jianyong , Yu Juan , Wang Lei , Guo Liheng , Ma Shiyu , Huang Donghui , Zhou Miao , Wu Jiashin , Zhang Minzhou
Published: September 2013

Myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) can induce lethal ventricular arrhythmia and myocardial infarction. One of the clinical strategies for managing patients with high risk of myocardial I/R is to prevent the occurrence of arrhythmias and limit the size of infarction following a coronary episode. Tongguan Capsule (TGC) is one of the popular herbal remedies in treating coronary artery disease in the clinics of Chinese medicine. However, the potential roles and mechanisms of TGC in reducing I/R injury are still unclear. The present study statistically assessed the effectiveness of TGC in reducing I/R injury by comparing the infarct size (IS), risk region (RR), and arrhythmia (in electrocardiogram) among four groups of surgically created mice models of myocardial I/R: SHAM, I/R, VER (I/R with verapamil 20 mg/kg pretreatment), and TGC (I/R with TGC 5 g/kg/d pretreatment). We found that IS was significantly smaller in the TGC and VER groups than I/R group, and the incidence of arrhythmias was reduced in the TGC group compared with I/R group, although there were no differences in RR among the four groups. We conclude that TGC is effective in reducing I/R injury in mice. These results provided an experimental basis for clinical application of TGC in reducing I/R injury.
A Sturm-Liouville Problem with a Discontinuous Coefficient and Containing an Eigenparameter in the Boundary Condition
Authors: Şen Erdoğan
Published: September 2013

We study a Sturm-Liouville operator with eigenparameter-dependent boundary conditions and transmission conditions at two interior points. We give an operator-theoretic formulation, construct fundamental solutions, investigate some properties of the eigenvalues and corresponding eigenfunctions of the discontinuous Sturm-Liouville problem and then obtain asymptotic formulas for the eigenvalues and eigenfunctions and find Green function of the discontinuous Sturm-Liouville problem.
Secure Encapsulation and Publication of Biological Services in the Cloud Computing Environment
Authors: Zhang Weizhe , Wang Xuehui , Lu Bo , Kim Tai-hoon
Published: September 2013

Secure encapsulation and publication for bioinformatics software products based on web service are presented, and the basic function of biological information is realized in the cloud computing environment. In the encapsulation phase, the workflow and function of bioinformatics software are conducted, the encapsulation interfaces are designed, and the runtime interaction between users and computers is simulated. In the publication phase, the execution and management mechanisms and principles of the GRAM components are analyzed. The functions such as remote user job submission and job status query are implemented by using the GRAM components. The services of bioinformatics software are published to remote users. Finally the basic prototype system of the biological cloud is achieved.
Effectiveness of a Novel Device in the Reduction of Cesarean Deliveries
Authors: Burns Daniel A.
Published: September 2013

Objective. To test the hypothesis that the use of the HEM-AVERT Perianal Stabilizer will result in a reduction of cesarean births and shorter duration of second-stage labor. Study Design. In a prospective controlled trial, 102 women scheduled for vaginal delivery were randomized to either the HEM-AVERT investigational device or control group. Ninety eight (98) patients completed the study. A chi-square test was used to evaluate the difference in the number of cesarean deliveries between the investigational and control groups. Duration of second-stage labor was assessed as a secondary outcome. Results. Six (6) of the 50 patients in the investigational group (12%) failed to deliver vaginally and required cesarean delivery. Comparatively, 19 of the 48 control patients (39.6%) required cesarean delivery. Duration of second-stage labor was shorter in the investigational group, but the difference was not statistically significant. Results from 4 patients were excluded due to protocol violations. Conclusion. The HEM-AVERT device effectively reduced the incidence rate of cesarean deliveries in the investigational group when compared to women who delivered without use of the device. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01739543.
Development and Characterization of Novel Polyurethane Films Impregnated with Tolfenamic Acid for Therapeutic Applications
Authors: Istanbullu Hilal , Ahmed Sofia , Sheraz Muhammad Ali , Rehman Ihtesham ur
Published: September 2013

The present study deals with the preparation of polyurethane (PU) films impregnated with a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, tolfenamic acid (TA). Solvent evaporation technique has been employed for the preparation of TA-PU films in two different ratios of 1 : 2 and 1 : 5 in Tetrahydrofuran (THF) or THF-ethanol mixtures. The prepared films were characterized using X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and release studies. The results indicate transformation of crystalline TA to its amorphous form. The degree of crystallinity changes both by increasing the polymer concentration and solvent used for the film preparations. The release profiles of TA were also found to be affected, showing a decrease from approximately 50% to 25% from 1 : 2 to 1 : 5 ratios, respectively.
Research of Nanosized Inhomogeneities in H-Bonded Liquids Using Sophisticated Light Scattering Techniques
Authors: Kuzkova Nataliia , Yakunov Andrey
Published: September 2013

Hydrogen bonded (H-bonded) liquids can be considered as mediums that have nanosized heterogeneities. Previously, it was shown that the light scattering by acoustic phonons is accompanied by fluctuations of intensity of light with power spectral density   () that reflects the phonon energy fluctuations. In this work fluctuations of light scattering in H-bonded liquids have been investigated. We consider two mechanisms of -process forming: fluctuations of phonon energy and fluctuations caused by dynamical inhomogeneities, predicted by percolation model. The variability can be explained by different contributions of both scattering mechanisms, which form an overall picture of low-frequency fluctuations of scattering light intensity in complex liquids.
Primary Immunodeficiency Diseases at Reference and High-Specialty Hospitals in the State of Guanajuato, Mexico
Authors: Guaní-Guerra Eduardo , García-Ramírez Ulises Noel , Jiménez-Romero Ana Isabel , Velázquez-Ávalos José Manuel , Gallardo-Martínez Gabriela , Mendoza-Espinoza Francisco-Javier
Published: September 2013

Background. In general, primary immunodeficiency diseases (PIDs) are underdiagnosed in most countries. The objective of this study was to describe the frequency and clinical spectrum of PID in the most important tertiary hospitals in our region.Methods. An observational, cross-sectional, with retrospective chart, review study was conducted. A total of 26 patients were included and grouped according to the updated classification of PIDs.Results. PIDs spectra were as follows: predominantly antibody deficiency diseases were the most common category (65.38%), followed by other well-defined immunodeficiency syndromes (11.55%), congenital defects of phagocyte number and/or function (7.69%), complement deficiencies (3.85%), combined T- and B-cell immunodeficiencies (3.85%), and defects in innate immunity (3.85%). The mean time elapsed from the onset of symptoms to the reference and diagnosis by a tertiary hospital was of 4.65 ± 6.95 years.Conclusions. Predominant antibody deficiency disease was the most common group of PIDs, agreeing with international reports. Awareness of underdiagnosis by physicians is crucial for a prompt diagnosis and treatment, which in turn should improve the quality of life among patients with PIDs.
Use of an Intubating Stylet as a Guide to Complete Uterine Curettage Complicated by Uterine Perforation
Authors: Baum Jonathan D. , Sherlock Douglas J. , Atkinson Andrew L.
Published: September 2013

Completion of uterine curettage may be challenging following uterine perforation even under sonographic and laparoscopic monitoring. This report illustrates the use of a flexible intubating stylet as a guide to place the suction curette into the uterine cavity when sonography and laparoscopy alone are not successful. Use of a malleable instrument such as an intubating stylet as a guide should be considered an option when insertion of the suction curette into the uterine cavity is complicated by anatomic variation and uterine perforation.
Characterization of Ladle Furnace Slag from Carbon Steel Production as a Potential Adsorbent
Authors: Rađenović Ankica , Malina Jadranka , Sofilić Tahir
Published: September 2013

A promising type of steel slag for applications is the ladle furnace (LF) slag, which is also known as the basic slag, the reducing slag, the white slag, and the secondary refining slag. The LF slag is a byproduct from further refining molten steel after coming out of a basic oxygen furnace (BOF) or an electric arc furnace (EAF). The use of the LF slag in further applications requires knowledge of its characteristics. The LF slag characterization in this paper has been performed using the following analytical methods: chemical analysis by energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS), mineralogical composition by X-ray diffraction (XRD), surface area properties by the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) and the Barrett-Joyner-Halenda (BJH) methods, surface chemistry by infrared absorption (FTIR) spectroscopy, and morphological analysis by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results showed that the main compounds are calcium, silicon, magnesium, and aluminium oxides, and calcium silicates under their various allotropic forms are the major compounds in the LF slag. Surface area properties have shown that the LF slag is a mesoporous material with relatively great BET surface area. The ladle furnace slag is a nonhazardous industrial waste because the ecotoxicity evaluation by its eluate has shown that the LF slag does not contain constituents which might in any way affect the environment harmfully.
Femtoscopic and Nonfemtoscopic Two-Particle Correlations inA+Aandp+pCollisions at RHIC and LHC Energies
Authors: Sinyukov Yu. M. , Akkelin S. V. , Karpenko Iu. A. , Shapoval V. M.
Published: September 2013

The theoretical review of the last femtoscopy results for the systems created in ultrarelativisticA+A,p+p, andp+Pbcollisions is presented. The basic model, allowing to describe the interferometry data at SPS, RHIC, and LHC, is the hydrokinetic model. The model allows one to avoid the principal problem of the particlization of the medium at nonspace-like sites of transition hypersurfaces and switch to hadronic cascade at a space-like hypersurface with nonequilibrated particle input. The results for pion and kaon interferometry scales inPb+PbandAu+Aucollisions at LHC and RHIC are presented for different centralities. The new theoretical results as for the femtoscopy of small sources with sizes of 1-2 fm or less are discussed. The uncertainty principle destroys the standard approach of completely chaotic sources: the emitters in such sources cannot radiate independently and incoherently. As a result, the observed femtoscopy scales are reduced, and the Bose-Einstein correlation function is suppressed. The results are applied for the femtoscopy analysis ofp+pcollisions ats=7 TeV LHC energy andp+Pbones ats=5.02 TeV. The behavior of the corresponding interferometry volumes on multiplicity is compared with what is happening for centralA+Acollisions. In addition the nonfemtoscopic two-pion correlations in proton-proton collisions at the LHC energies are considered, and a simple model that takes into account correlations induced by the conservation laws and minijets is analyzed.
Asymptotic Behavior for a Class of Nonclassical Parabolic Equations
Authors: Zhang Yanjun , Ma Qiaozhen
Published: September 2013

This paper is devoted to the qualitative analysis of a class of nonclassical parabolic equations ut-εΔut-ωΔu+f(u)=g(x) with critical nonlinearity, where ε∈[0,1] and ω>0 are two parameters. Firstly, we establish some uniform decay estimates for the solutions of the problem for g(x)∈H-1(Ω), which are independent of the parameter ε. Secondly, some uniformly (with respect to ε∈[0,1]) asymptotic regularity about the solutions has been established for g(x)∈L2(Ω), which shows that the solutions are exponentially approaching a more regular, fixed subset uniformly (with respect to ε∈[0,1]). Finally, as an application of this regularity result, a family {ℰε}ε∈[0,1] of finite dimensional exponential attractors has been constructed. Moreover, to characterize the relation with the reaction diffusion equation (ε=0), the upper semicontinuity, at ε=0, of the global attractors has been proved.
Optimal Control of a Delay-Varying Computer Virus Propagation Model
Authors: Ren Jianguo , Xu Yonghong , Zhang Chunming
Published: September 2013

By incorporating the objective of keeping a low number of infected nodes and a high number of recovered nodes at a lower cost into a known computer virus model (the delay-varying SIRC model) extended by introducing quarantine, a novel model is described by means of the optimal control strategy and theoretically analyzed. Through the comparison of simulation results, it is shown that the propagation of computer virus with varying latency period can be suppressed effectively by the optimal control strategy.
Selecting Summary Statistics in Approximate Bayesian Computation for Calibrating Stochastic Models
Authors: Burr Tom , Skurikhin Alexei
Published: September 2013

Approximate Bayesian computation (ABC) is an approach for using measurement data to calibrate stochastic computer models, which are common in biology applications. ABC is becoming the “go-to” option when the data and/or parameter dimension is large because it relies on user-chosen summary statistics rather than the full data and is therefore computationally feasible. One technical challenge with ABC is that the quality of the approximation to the posterior distribution of model parameters depends on the user-chosen summary statistics. In this paper, the user requirement to choose effective summary statistics in order to accurately estimate the posterior distribution of model parameters is investigated and illustrated by example, using a model and corresponding real data of mitochondrial DNA population dynamics. We show that for some choices of summary statistics, the posterior distribution of model parameters is closely approximated and for other choices of summary statistics, the posterior distribution is not closely approximated. A strategy to choose effective summary statistics is suggested in cases where the stochastic computer model can be run at many trial parameter settings, as in the example.
A Mutual-Evaluation Genetic Algorithm for Numerical and Routing Optimization
Authors: Lin Chih-Hao , He Jiun-De
Published: September 2013

Many real-world problems can be formulated as numerical optimization with certain objective functions. However, these objective functions often contain numerous local optima, which could trap an algorithm from moving toward the desired global solution. To improve the search efficiency of traditional genetic algorithms, this paper presents a mutual-evaluation genetic algorithm (MEGA). A novel mutual-evaluation approach is employed so that the merit of selected genes in a chromosome can be determined by comparing the fitness changes before and after interchanging with those in the mating chromosome. According to the determined genome merit, a therapy crossover can generate effective schemata to explore the solution space efficiently. The computational experiments for twelve numerical problems show that the MEGA can find near optimal solutions in all test benchmarks and achieve solutions with higher accuracy than those obtained by eight existing algorithms. This study also uses the MEGA to find optimal flow-allocation strategies for multipath-routing problems. Experiments on quality-of-service routing scenarios show that the MEGA can deal with these constrained routing problems effectively and efficiently. Therefore, the MEGA not only can reduce the effort of function analysis but also can deal with a wide spectrum of real-world problems.
Optical Properties of the Self-Assembling Polymeric Colloidal Systems
Authors: Mocanu Alexandra , Rusen Edina , Diacon Aurel
Published: September 2013

In the last decade, optical materials have gained much interest due to the high number of possible applications involving path or intensity control and filtering of light. The continuous emerging technology in the field of electrooptical devices or medical applications allowed the development of new innovative cost effective processes to obtain optical materials suited for future applications such as hybrid/polymeric solar cells, lasers, polymeric optical fibers, and chemo- and biosensing devices. Considering the above, the aim of this review is to present recent studies in the field of photonic crystals involving the use of polymeric materials.
Hyperthermia as Adjunct to Intravesical Chemotherapy for Bladder Cancer
Authors: Owusu Richmond A. , Abern Michael R. , Inman Brant A.
Published: September 2013

Nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer remains a very costly cancer to manage because of high recurrence rates requiring long-term surveillance and treatment. Emerging evidence suggests that adjunct and concurrent use of hyperthermia with intravesical chemotherapy after transurethral resection of bladder tumor further reduces recurrence risk and progression to advanced disease. Hyperthermia has both direct and immune-mediated cytotoxic effect on tumor cells including tumor growth arrest and activation of antitumor immune system cells and pathways. Concurrent heat application also acts as a sensitizer to intravesical chemotherapy agents. As such the ability to deliver hyperthermia to the focus of tumor while minimizing damage to surrounding benign tissue is of utmost importance to optimize the benefit of hyperthermia treatment. Existing chemohyperthermia devices that allow for more localized heat delivery continue to pave the way in this effort. Current investigational methods involving heat-activated drug delivery selectively to tumor cells using temperature-sensitive liposomes also offer promising ways to improve chemohyperthermia efficacy in bladder cancer while minimizing toxicity to benign tissue. This will hopefully allow more widespread use of chemohyperthermia to all bladder cancer patients, including metastatic bladder cancer.
Risk Factor Analysis and Microbial Etiology of Surgical Site Infections following Lower Segment Caesarean Section
Authors: De Devjani , Saxena Sonal , Mehta Geeta , Yadav Reena , Dutta Renu
Published: September 2013

Background. Lower segment caesarean section (LSCS) is a common mode of delivery now and surgical site infection is the second most common infectious complication in these patients. This study was planned with this background to have a comprehensive approach to SSI following LSCS.Methods. 500 consecutive patients undergoing LSCS, irrespective of indication, were studied. A questionnaire was developed to assess the risk factors associated with development of SSI. All patients were followed up from day one of surgery till discharge and then up till the postoperative day 30 after discharge.Results. SSI was identified in 121 (24.2%) out of 500 patients. In all age groups, Gram-negative bacilli were the commonest finding. The commonest isolate wasAcinetobacterspecies (32.03%) followed byStaphylococcus aureusand coagulase negativeStaphylococcus(21.09%). 23.8% ofStaphylococcus aureusstrains were MRSA. By multivariate logistic regression premature rupture of membrane (PROM), antibiotics given earlier than 2 hours and increased duration of stay in the hospital were found to be significant.Conclusions. A proper assessment of risk factors that predispose to SSI and their modification may help in reduction of SSI rates. Also, frequent antimicrobial audit and qualitative research could give an insight into the current antibiotic prescription practices and the factors affecting these practices.