bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Piper cubebaL. Methanol Extract Has Anti-Inflammatory Activity Targeting Src/Syk via NF-κB Inhibition
Authors: Qomaladewi Nurinanda Prisky , Aziz Nur , Kim Mi-Yeon , Cho Jae Youl
Published: January 2019

Piper cubebaL. is a plant in the Piperaceae family that is generally found in tropical countries and acts as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent. Unfortunately, the molecular mechanism of the anti-inflammatory activity has not been fully investigated. In this study, we elucidated the anti-inflammatory mechanism by focusing on NF-κB signaling, which is considered a prototypical inflammatory signaling pathway in both innate and adaptive immune functions. Cellular activity and the molecular target of Pc-ME were identified in macrophage RAW264.7 cells and HEK293T cells by assessing NO production, cytokine expression by RT-PCR, luciferase gene reporter assay, and protein regulation in cytoplasm by Western blot upon NF-κB activation. Pc-ME reduced NO production without any cell toxicity; inhibited expression of proinflammatory cytokines such as iNOS and IL-6; downregulated NF-κB activation mediated by both MyD88 and TRIF; and diminished the phosphorylation of IκBα, IKKα/β, Akt, p85, Src, and Syk. Pc-ME inhibited Syk and Src autophosphorylation during overexpression in HEK cells, which confirmed our hypothesis that Syk and Src were signaling targets of Pc-ME. These findings indicate thatPiper cubebaL. has anti-inflammatory activity by targeting Src/Syk in the NF-κB pathway.
Implementation and Field Trials of OFDM-Based Digital Video Broadcasting System in Commercial Broadcasting Network for Multichannel UHD Service
Authors: Ra Sang-Jung , Baek Myung-Sun , Song Jin-Hyuk , Choi Dong-Joon , Jung Joon-Young , Kim Cheol-Sung
Published: January 2019

This paper describes design and implementation of an OFDM-based digital video broadcasting system test platform for multichannel ultra-high definition (UHD) broadcasting services. The developed digital video broadcasting system test platform has been installed in commercial broadcasting station, and trial broadcasting service of the system has been performed through the commercial in-service network. For the performance measurement, field test is also executed. To evaluate the practical performance of the implemented system, a commercial broadcasting set-top box is used. Furthermore, by using measurement receiver, various system performances have been evaluated such as BER, PER, and CNR. Because high efficiency video coding (HEVC) can successfully transmit multimedia contents with a raw data rate of 51.6 Mbps, a multichannel UHD service can be serviced in a single physical 6MHz channel.
Single-Round Pattern Matching Key Generation Using Physically Unclonable Function
Authors: Komano Yuichi , Ohta Kazuo , Sakiyama Kazuo , Iwamoto Mitsugu , Verbauwhede Ingrid
Published: January 2019

Paral and Devadas introduced a simple key generation scheme with a physically unclonable function (PUF) that requires no error correction, e.g., by using a fuzzy extractor. Their scheme, called a pattern matching key generation (PMKG) scheme, is based on pattern matching between auxiliary data, assigned at the enrollment in advance, and a substring of PUF output, to reconstruct a key. The PMKG scheme repeats a round operation, including the pattern matching, to derive a key with high entropy. Later, to enhance the efficiency and security, a circular PMKG (C-PMKG) scheme was proposed. However, multiple round operations in these schemes make them impractical. In this paper, we propose a single-round circular PMKG (SC-PMKG) scheme. Unlike the previous schemes, our scheme invokes the PUF only once. Hence, there is no fear of information leakage by invoking the PUF with the (partially) same input multiple times in different rounds, and, therefore, the security consideration can be simplified. Moreover, we introduce another hash function to generate a check string which ensures the correctness of the key reconstruction. The string enables us not only to defeat manipulation attacks but also to prove the security theoretically. In addition to its simple construction, the SC-PMKG scheme can use a weak PUF like the SRAM-PUF as a building block if our system is properly implemented so that the PUF is directly inaccessible from the outside, and, therefore, it is suitable for tiny devices in the IoT systems. We discuss its security and show its feasibility by simulations and experiments.
Manual Acupuncture for Optic Atrophy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Zhi Fang-Yuan , Liu Jie , Ma Xiao-Peng , Hong Jue , Zhang Ji , Zhang Dan , Zhao Yue , Wu Li-Jie , Yang Yan-Ting , Wu Dan-Yan , Xie Chen , Wu Ling-Xiang , Zhang Cui-Hong
Published: January 2019

Objectives. This systematic review aims to critically evaluate the efficacy of manual acupuncture for optic atrophy. Eight English and Chinese databases, including Cochrane Library, EMbase, PubMed, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Database, China Science and Technology Journal Database (VIP), and Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), as well as ongoing trials registered with the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform, were searched to identify eligible randomized controlled trials (RCTs) studying manual acupuncture for optic atrophy compared to medication alone. The quality of evidence was assessed using Cochrane Collaboration’s risk of bias tool. Meta-analysis was performed using Review Manager version 5.3. Nine studies were identified and included for meta-analysis. The meta-analysis showed significant differences in favor of manual acupuncture or manual acupuncture plus medication compared with medication alone in the following outcome measures: visual acuity (MD = 0.18, 95% CI [0.17, 0.20], P < 0.00001), mean sensitivity of visual field (MD = 2.11, 95% CI [1.90, 2.32], P < 0.00001), the latent period of P-VEP100 (MD = -6.80, 95% CI [-8.94, -4.66], P < 0.00001), the total effectiveness (264 eyes) (OR = 3.22, 95% CI [1.88, 5.51], P<0.0001), and the total effectiveness (344 participants) (OR = 4.29, 95% CI [2.56, 7.19], P < 0.00001). Despite statistical advantages of manual acupuncture in the literature, due to serious methodological flaws in study design, it cannot be concluded that manual acupuncture is more effective than medicine alone. It is essential that a properly controlled clinical trial is designed and controls are established to exclude placebo effects.
Analysis of Variance for Item Differences in Verification Data with Unknown Groups
Authors: Burr T. , Martin K. , Norman C. , Zhao K.
Published: January 2019

For sequentially collected data, this paper introduces a lag-one differencing method to estimate the random error standard deviation δR and then uses the estimate δ^R to calculate a change detection threshold in a moving window method to detect shifts in the short-term systematic error. Performance results on simulated and real data are presented. Fortunately, the impact of having to perform change detection on the estimated short-term systematic and random error variances is anticipated to be modest or small. The motivating example arises from facilities under nuclear safeguards agreements, where inspector data collected during International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) verifications are compared to corresponding operator data. The differences between the operator and inspector values are evaluated using an application of analysis of variance (ANOVA). Typically, it is assumed that short-term systematic errors change across inspection periods, so inspection periods form the groups used in the ANOVA. In some data sets, it appears that the short-term errors have changed at other times, so change detection methods could be used to detect the actual change times.
Effect of Imatinib on Bone Marrow Morphology and Angiogenesis in Chronic Myeloid Leukemia
Authors: Pandey Neetu , Yadav Geeta , Kushwaha Rashmi , Verma Shailendra Prasad , Singh Uma Shankar , Kumar Ashutosh , Mishra Prabhaker
Published: January 2019

Background and Objectives. Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is characterized by hyperproliferation of myeloid precursors, increased fibrosis, and neoangiogenesis in the bone marrow. Imatinib inhibits BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase produced due to reciprocal translocation t(9;22) in neoplastic CML cells. It reduces hyperproliferation of myeloid precursors and has been found to affect bone marrow fibrosis and angiogenesis. This study was done to assess the effect of imatinib on bone marrow morphology and angiogenesis in CML. Methods. 31 newly diagnosed CML patients were evaluated before and after 3 months of imatinib therapy. A marrow morphological response (MMR) score was used to assess marrow cytological and histological features including grade of fibrosis. Mean microvessel density (MVD) was also assessed. Hematological parameters and BCR-ABL transcript levels were assessed in the peripheral blood. Results. 86.21% of patients showed decrease in marrow cellularity with normalization of M:E ratio. 72.42% of patients had decrease in grade of fibrosis and 17.24% showed no change while 10.34% of patients showed progression of fibrosis grade. Patients with MMR score ≥ 2 (n=4) and those with progression of fibrosis grade (n=3) showed suboptimal molecular response (BCR-ABL transcripts > 10%). Pretherapy mean MVD of patients (14.69 ± 5.28) was higher than that of controls (6.32 ± 1.64). A significant reduction of 66.51% was observed in posttherapy mean MVD (4.98 ± 2.77) of CML patients (p<0.001). Conclusion. Imatinib therapy in CML not only decreases marrow cellularity, but also helps towards normalization of bone marrow microenvironment by reducing fibrosis and angiogenesis.
Joint Relay Selection and Power Allocation for the Physical Layer Security of Two-Way Cooperative Relaying Networks
Authors: Pan Lei , Li Zan , Wang Zhengyuan , Zhang Fenggan
Published: January 2019

In this paper, we investigate the physical layer security of cooperative two-way relay transmission systems using the amplify-and-forward (AF) protocol in the presence of an eavesdropper. A joint relay selection (RS) and power allocation (PA) scheme is proposed to protect the source-destination transmission against the eavesdropper. However, due to the high computational complexity, it is difficult to obtain the optimal solution for the system secrecy rate. Fortunately, an approximate optimal solution by using the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm is derived. In the simulations, we use random relay selection with optimal power allocation (RRS-OPA) and equal power allocation with optimal relay selection (EPA-ORS) as benchmark schemes to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method. The simulation results show that the proposed method outperforms both RRS-OPA and EPA-ORS and significantly improves the system performance with low complexity.
Association of CCL2, CCR5, ELMO1, and IL8 Polymorphism with Diabetic Nephropathy in Malaysian Type 2 Diabetic Patients
Authors: Yahya Mohd Jokha , Ismail Patimah binti , Nordin Norshariza binti , Akim Abdah binti Md , Yusuf Wan Shaariah binti Md. , Adam Noor Lita binti , Yusoff Maryam Jamielah
Published: January 2019

The unique variants or biomarkers of individuals help to understand the pathogenesis as well as the potential risk of individuals or patients to diabetic nephropathy (DN). The aim of this study was to investigate the association of a genetic polymorphism of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (CCL2-rs3917887), chemokine receptor 5 (CCR5-rs1799987), engulfment and cell mortality (ELMO1-rs74130), and interleukin-8 (IL8-rs4073) with the development of DN among Malaysian type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients. More than one thousand diabetic patients were examined and a total of 652 T2DM patients were tested comprising 227 Malays (nonnephrotic=96 and nephrotic=131), 203 Chinese (nonnephrotic=95 and nephrotic=108), and 222 Indians (nonnephrotic=136 and nephrotic=86). DNA Sequenom mass ARRAY was employed to identify polymorphisms in CCL2, CCR5, ELMO1, and IL8 genes. DNA was extracted from the secondary blood samples taken from the T2DM patients. The alleles and genotypes were tested using four genetic models and the best mode of inheritance was chosen. CCR5 rs1799987 (G>A) showed strong association with the development of diabetic nephropathy only among the Chinese with OR=6.71 (2.55-17.68) 95% CI while IL8 rs4073 (T>A) showed association with nephropathy only among the Indians with OR=1.57 (0.66-3.71) 95% CI. The additive model was the best model for the mode of inheritance of all the genes. The contribution of genetic variants differs across ethnic groups or background. Further studies which involve environmental risk factors should be taken into consideration.
Based on Grid Reference Frame for SINS/CNS Integrated Navigation System in the Polar Regions
Authors: Lijun Song , Wanliang Zhao , Yuxiang Cheng , Xiaozhen Chen
Published: January 2019

As the inertial navigation system cannot meet the precision requirements of global navigation in the special geographical environment of the Polar Regions, this paper presents Strapdown Inertial Navigation System (SINS)/Celestial Navigation System (CNS) integrated navigation system of airborne based on Grid Reference Frame (GRF) and the simulation is carried out. The result of simulation shows that the SINS/CNS integrated navigation system is superior to the single subsystem in precision and performance, which not only effectively inhibits the error caused by gyro drift but also corrects the navigation parameters of system without delay. Comparing the simulation in the middle and low latitudes and in the Polar Regions, the precision of SINS/CNS integrated navigation system is the same in the middle and low latitudes and in the Polar Regions.
Hypoglycemic Activity of Medicinal Plants Used among the Cakchiquels in Guatemala for the Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes
Authors: Andrade-Cetto Adolfo , Cruz Elda Carola , Cabello-Hernández Christian Alan , Cárdenas-Vázquez René
Published: January 2019

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a major health problem worldwide. In this condition, the organism can produce insulin but becomes resistant to it; thus the insulin is ineffective. High blood glucose levels are a result of insulin resistance and insulin deficiency; they produce diabetes-associated complications such as kidney failure, blindness, cardiovascular disease, and lower-limb amputation. In Guatemala, there were over 752.700 cases of the disease in 2017 with prevalence of 8.4 (IDF, 2017). The use of plants for medicinal purposes has been practiced in the country since pre-Hispanic times. Among the Cakchiquels, the aerial parts of Hamelia patens Jacq., Neurolaena lobata (L.) R.Br. ex Cass., and Solanum americanum Mill. and the cortex of Croton guatemalensis Lotsy are used to treat type 2 diabetes. The aim of the present study was to confirm the hypoglycemic effect of the plants under normal conditions and under maltose and sucrose tolerance tests, as well as to test the activity of the plant extracts in vitro against alpha-glucosidases types I and II. In agreement with the traditional usage of the plants, in normal conditions without a sugar load, the extracts produced a statistically significant hypoglycemic effect similar to the control drug glibenclamide. When the sugar load was maltose, only Croton and Solanum produced a statistically significant (p < 0.05) hypoglycemic effect compared to the control drug, but when the sugar was sucrose, Croton and Hamelia produced a statistically significant effect (p < 0.05) beginning at 30 min compared to the control group, while Solanum did so at 60 min and Neurolaena at 90 min. In vitro assays showed that the extracts inhibited yeast alpha-glucosidases but not the rat intestinal ones. Of the tested plants, Croton exert an effect both under sugars' tests and under a normal tolerance test; these results suggest the potential use of this plant. The results presented here provided evidence based on the use of these plants as hypoglycemic agents in the treatment of type 2 diabetes.
Fixed Point Theory and Positive Solutions for a Ratio-Dependent Elliptic System
Authors: Liu Jingmei , Qian Aixia
Published: January 2019

We consider a ratio-dependent predator-prey model under zero Dirichlet boundary condition. By using topological degree theory and fixed index theory, we study the necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of positive solutions. Then we present the asymptotic behavior analysis of positive solutions, by bifurcation theory and energy estimates.
Environmental Chemical Contaminants in Food: Review of a Global Problem
Authors: Thompson Lesa A. , Darwish Wageh S.
Published: January 2019

Contamination by chemicals from the environment is a major global food safety issue, posing a serious threat to human health. These chemicals belong to many groups, including metals/metalloids, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), persistent organic pollutants (POPs), perfluorinated compounds (PFCs), pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs), radioactive elements, electronic waste, plastics, and nanoparticles. Some of these occur naturally in the environment, whilst others are produced from anthropogenic sources. They may contaminate our food—crops, livestock, and seafood—and drinking water and exert adverse effects on our health. It is important to perform assessments of the associated potential risks. Monitoring contamination levels, enactment of control measures including remediation, and consideration of sociopolitical implications are vital to provide safer food globally.
A Quality of Experience Management Framework for Mobile Users
Authors: Algar María Jesús , Martín de Diego Isaac , Fernández-Isabel Alberto , Monjas Miguel Ángel , Ortega Felipe , Moguerza Javier M. , Jacynycz Hektor
Published: January 2019

Voice transmission is no longer the main usage of mobile phones. Data transmissions, in particular Internet access, are very common actions that we might perform with these devices. However, the spectacular growth of the mobile data demand in 5G mobile communication systems leads to a reduction of the resources assigned to each device. Therefore, to avoid situations in which the Quality of Experience (QoE) would be negatively affected, an automated system for degradation detection of video streaming is proposed. This approach is named QoE Management for Mobile Users (QoEMU). QoEMU is composed of several modules to perform a real-time analysis of the network traffic, select a mitigation action according to the information of the traffic and to some predefined policies, and apply these actions. In order to perform such tasks, the best Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for a given set of video traces are selected. A QoE Model is trained to define a global QoE for the set of traces. When an alert regarding degradation in the quality appears, a proper mitigation plan is activated to mitigate this situation. The performance of QoEMU has been evaluated over a degradation situation experiments with different video users.
Failure Analysis on 42CrMo Steel Bolt Fracture
Authors: Hongfei Guo , Yan Jianwei , Zhang Ru , He Zhihui , Zhao Zengqi , Qu Ting , Wan Ming , Liu Jingshun , Li Congdong
Published: January 2019

Fracture behaviors of 42CrMo ultrahigh strength steel-based bolt have been experimentally studied including macroscopic and microscopic fracture observation, metallographic test, mechanical property testing, and energy spectrum analysis. The results show that a large amount of structure defects, such as sulfide inclusions, band, and carbon depletion, appear in the fracture origin region and matrix of the bolt. Such defects reduce fatigue strength of materials and easily yields fatigue fracture origin. In addition, sulfide inclusions provide easy access to crack growth, gradually reducing the effective cross section of the bolt accompanying with increasing stress and finally causes fracture when stress exceeds the material fracture strength. The fracture mechanism is also explored based on fracture failure criterion and fatigue crack growth curve.
A Cloud Service Trust Evaluation Model Based on Combining Weights and Gray Correlation Analysis
Authors: Wang Yubiao , Wen Junhao , Wang Xibin , Tao Bamei , Zhou Wei
Published: January 2019

Cloud services are cloud computing resources and applications deployed on the Internet or cloud computing platform, and users can access the required cloud services at any time. However, users face the diversity and complexity of quality of service (QoS) when evaluating and selecting cloud services. Therefore, it is important to study and establish an effective and objective trust model to improve user satisfaction and interaction success rate. In this paper, a model based on combining weights and gray correlation analysis is proposed. Firstly, direct trust, recommendation trust, and reputation together form a comprehensive trust, resulting in a more accurate overall trust. Second, rough set theory and analytic hierarchy process (AHP)-based method are used for the direct trust. Meanwhile, the degree of similarity recommendation trust is calculated by a gray relational analysis method. In order to ensure the accuracy of direct trust, this paper proposes a dynamic trust update mechanism. Finally, the simulation experiment is carried out to verify that the cloud services trust evaluation model (CSTEM) is more robust than the other three methods. It protects against malicious entities; at the same time, it can increase user satisfaction and interaction success rate.
Differentially Private Release of the Distribution of Clustering Coefficients across Communities
Authors: Li Xiaoye , Yang Jing , Sun Zhenlong , Zhang Jianpei
Published: January 2019

Aiming to provide more information about the behaviors between groups or patterns between clusters in social networks, we propose a two-step differentially private method to release the distribution of clustering coefficients across communities. The DPLM algorithm improves a Louvain method to partition one network using an exponential mechanism. We introduce an absolute gain of modularity to sanitize neighboring communities. Otherwise, the algorithm is difficult to converge due to the randomness introduced. The DPCC algorithm charts the noisy distribution of clustering coefficients as a histogram, which presents the results in an intuitive manner. We conduct experiments on three real-world datasets to evaluate the proposed method. The experimental results indicate that the proposed method provides valuable distribution results while guaranteeing ε-differential privacy. Moreover, the DPLM algorithm can obtain better modularity for the networks.
Prediction Method of Asphalt Pavement Performance and Corrosion Based on Grey System Theory
Authors: Zhang Ding-bang , Li Xin , Zhang Yi , Zhang Hang
Published: January 2019

The Grey system theory is a new mathematical method to predict data changes in the poor data integrity. As a branch of Grey system theory, the GM (1, 1) model is widely used because only small sample data and simple calculations are needed in prediction of engineering project. It is a critical problem to effectively predict the performance and corrosion of asphalt pavement of highway construction due to the inadequacy of highway performance monitoring data. The smoothness, rut, and pavement skid resistance are three important indexes to evaluate the performance and corrosion of asphalt pavement. This paper has established the prediction model and derived prediction equation of asphalt pavement performance according to the GM (1, 1) model method and then listed the calculation equation of residual and the gray absolute correlation degree. Based on the experience of constructed Dalian-Guangzhou expressway in China, the vectors “a” and “b” in the prediction equation of smoothness, rut, and pavement skid resistance have been calculated by using the original monitoring data. The field monitoring data are compared with the predictive data for residual and the gray absolute correlation. The results reveal that the predicted data of the smoothness, rut, and skid resistance are mostly consistent with the monitoring data, the biggest residual of the above three indexes is smaller than 8.09%, and the gray absolute correlation degrees all exceed 0.9, which means the accuracy of the predicted equation is excellent. The calculation method based on GM (1, 1) model can effectively predict the changing performance index of asphalt pavement.
Phytochemical Constituents and Antioxidant Activity of Sweet Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) Essential Oil on Ground Beef from Boran and Nguni Cattle
Authors: Falowo Andrew Bamidele , Mukumbo Felicitas Esnart , Idamokoro Emrobowansan Monday , Afolayan Anthony Jide , Muchenje Voster
Published: January 2019

The global meat industry is characterised by a growing interest in natural preservative additives. This study determined the effect of sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) essential oil (SBEO) on colour and lipid oxidation in minced beef. The phytoconstituents of SBEO were analyzed by gas chromatography mass spectrometry. Thereafter, minced beef samples from Nguni and Boran cattle were treated with either no additives (control, C) or SBEO added at 2% (SB2), 4% (SB4), or 6% (SB6). The meat samples were aerobically packaged and stored (4 ± 1°C) for seven days for measurement of lightness (L⁎), redness (a⁎), yellowness (b⁎), hue, chroma, and lipid oxidation (acid-reactive substances, TBARS) on days 0, 4, and 7. Thirty-two bioactive compounds with reported antioxidant and antimicrobial and activities were identified in SBEO, including Estragole (41.40%), 1, 6-Octadien-3-ol, 3,7-dimethyl (29.49%), and trans-.alpha.-Bergamotene (5.32%). On days 0, 4, and 7, SB2, SB4, and SB6 had higher (P < 0.05) L⁎, a⁎, b⁎, hue, and chroma values; and on days 0 and 4 TBARS were lower (P < 0.05) in SB2 and SB4 than C and SB6. The addition of 2% and 4% SBEO improved colour and lipid oxidative stability, demonstrating potential for its use as a natural antioxidant additive in meat.
A Human-Computer Interaction System for Agricultural Tools Museum Based on Virtual Reality Technology
Authors: Yang Ying , Fan Yiyi , Sun Ruizhi
Published: January 2019

Traditional museums and most digital museums use window display to exhibit their collections. However, the agricultural tools are distinctive for their use value and wisdom contained. Therefore, this paper first proposes a method of virtual interactive display for agricultural tools based on virtual reality technology, which combines static display and dynamic use of agricultural tools vividly showing the agricultural tools. To address the problems of rigid interaction and terrible experience in the process of human-computer interaction, four human-computer interaction technologies are proposed to design and construct a more humanized system including intelligent scenes switching technology, multichannel introduction technology, interactive virtual roaming technology, and task-based interactive technology. The evaluation results demonstrate that the system proposed achieves good performance in fluency, instructiveness, amusement, and practicability. This human-computer interaction system can not only show the wisdom of Chinese traditional agricultural tools to the experiencer all over the world but also put forward a new method of digital museum design.
Fuzzy Linguistic Protoforms to Summarize Heart Rate Streams of Patients with Ischemic Heart Disease
Authors: Peláez-Aguilera María Dolores , Espinilla Macarena , Fernández Olmo María Rosa , Medina Javier
Published: January 2019

Cardiac rehabilitation is a key program which significantly decreases mortality rates in high‐risk patients with ischemic heart disease. Due to the huge lack of accessibility to such programs at Health Centers, outdoor‐based programs for cardiac rehabilitation have been proposed as an excellent tool to improve accessibility for patients at Health Centers. These outdoor‐based programs make use of wrist‐worn devices for real‐time monitoring of rehabilitation sessions based on clinical guidelines. In this way, a greater number of patients can fortunately gain access to the rehabilitation program. However, this advantage also means that the cardiac rehabilitation team has to monitor a greater number of sessions due to the increase of the number of benefited patients, so the team members spend a lot of time analyzing each patient’s sessions. In this paper, we present a methodology to evaluate heart rate streams of patients with ischemic heart disease using a linguistic approach. This innovative methodology manages relevant linguistic descriptions (protoforms) for the cardiac rehabilitation team to identify sessions with interest indicators by means of linguistic summaries. Therefore, the analysis process is automated in a comprehensible way, offering short linguistic descriptions to the cardiac rehabilitation team, who promptly provide feedback to their patients. In order to show the great efficiency and effectiveness of the proposed methodology, we have used and applied this methodology to real data provided by patients of an outdoor cardiac rehabilitation program run by the Health Council of the Andalusian Health Service (Spain).
Moringa peregrina Leaves Extracts Induce Apoptosis and Cell Cycle Arrest of Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Mansour Mohamed , Mohamed Magda F. , Elhalwagi Abeer , El-Itriby Hanaiya A. , Shawki Hossam H. , Abdelhamid Ismail A.
Published: January 2019

Moringa grows in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. The genus Moringa belongs to family Moringaceae. It is found to possess various medicinal uses including hypoglycemic, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, hypolipidemic, and antioxidant activities. In this study, we investigated the antimicrobial and the anticancer activity of the Moringa peregrina as well as Moringa oleifera leaves extracts grown locally in Egypt. Results indicated that most of the extracts were found to possess high antimicrobial activity against gram-positive bacteria, gram-negative bacteria, and fungus. The survival rate of cancer cells was decreased in both hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) and breast carcinoma (MCF-7) cell lines when treated with Moringa leaves extracts. In addition, the cell cycle progression, apoptosis, and cancer-related genes confirmed its anticancer effect. The toxicity of each extract was also tested using the normal melanocytes cell line HFB4. The toxicity was low in both Moringa peregrina and Moringa oleifera leaves extracts. Furthermore, GC/MS analysis fractionized the phytochemicals content for each potential extract. In conclusion, results suggested that the Moringa peregrina and Moringa oleifera leaves extracts possess antimicrobial and anticancer properties which could be attributed to the bioactive phytochemical compounds present inside the extracts from this plant. These findings can be used to develop new drugs, especially for liver cancer chemotherapy.
Knowledge on Nonpharmacological Methods of Pain Management among Nurses at Bindura Hospital, Zimbabwe
Authors: Mwanza Estele , Gwisai Reginald Dennis , Munemo Chiratidzo
Published: January 2019

This study is a quantitative descriptive study, which was conducted with an aim to assess the knowledge on nonpharmacological methods of pain management among registered general nurses at Bindura Hospital. This is because most nurses focus more on pharmacological pain management than nonpharmacological therapies which are given less attention or accord. This study used a descriptive study design, which is a nonexperimental research design so as to obtain information about registered nurses knowledge on nonpharmacological pain management. A convenience sampling technique was utilised to select a sample of seventy-five participants. Data were collected by the researcher who distributed self-administered questionnaires to available registered nurses after obtaining informed consent at Bindura Provincial Hospital. The mean knowledge score for this study was 48.6% and was below a pass mark of 50% and far below 80% which is the minimal acceptable level of knowledge on the Nurses Knowledge and Attitude Scale. A minimum knowledge score of 16% was obtained from participants showing lack of knowledge on indications of nonpharmacological pain therapies and a maximum knowledge score of 97.3% was shown on knowledge on nonpharmacological techniques. The following conclusion was drawn from the research findings; the study showed that the nurses have poor knowledge regarding nonpharmacological pain management as indicated by mean knowledge score of 48.6%. The researcher therefore recommends that the nursing practice should take an initiative in ensuring that all practicing nurses practice the highest possible pain management nursing care and that opportunities should be made available for nurses to be educated in effective pain management utilising nonpharmacological therapies.
Retirement Consumption Puzzle in Malaysia: Evidence from Bayesian Quantile Regression Model
Authors: Alaudin Ros Idayuwati , Ismail Noriszura , Isa Zaidi
Published: January 2019

The objective of this study is to use the Bayesian quantile regression for studying the retirement consumption puzzle, which is defined as the drop in consumption upon retirement, using the cross-sectional data of the Malaysian Household Expenditure Survey (HES) 2009/2010. Three different measures of consumption, namely, total expenditure, work-related expenditure, and nonwork-related expenditure, are suggested for studying the retirement consumption puzzle. The results show that the drop in consumption upon retirement is significant and has a regressive distributional effect as indicated by larger drops at lower percentiles and smaller drops at higher percentiles. The smaller drops among higher consumption retirees (or higher income retirees) may imply that they have more savings and/or retirement benefits than the smaller consumption retirees (or lower income retirees). Comparison between the three types of consumption shows that the work-related expenditure has a uniform drop across the distribution. The drop under the nonwork-related expenditure varies across the distribution, implying that it is the source behind the variation of the consumption drop.
Review of the Empirical Evidence for Superluminal Particles and the 3 + 3 Model of the Neutrino Masses
Authors: Ehrlich Robert
Published: January 2019

A review is given of hypothetical faster-than-light tachyons and the development of the author’s 3+3 model of the neutrino mass states, which includes one tachyonic mass state doublet. Published empirical evidence for the model is summarized, including an interpretation of the mysterious Mont Blanc neutrino burst from SN 1987A as being due to tachyonic neutrinos having m2=-0.38eV2. This possibility requires an 8 MeV antineutrino line from SN 1987A, which a new dark matter model has been found to support. Furthermore, this dark matter model is supported by several datasets: γ-rays from the galactic center, and the Kamiokande-II neutrino data on the day of SN 1987A. The KATRIN experiment should serve as the unambiguous test of the 3+3 model and its tachyonic mass state.
A Community-Based Assessment of Knowledge and Practice of Breast Self-Examination and Prevalence of Breast Disease in Southwest Cameroon
Authors: Azemfac Kareen , Christie S. Ariane , Carvalho Melissa M. , Nana Theophile , Fonje Ahmed N. , Halle-Ekane Gregory , Dicker Rochelle , Chichom-Mefire Alain , Juillard Catherine
Published: January 2019

Introduction. Despite the rising trend in breast cancer incidence and mortality across Sub-Saharan Africa, there remains a critical knowledge gap about the burden and patterns of breast disease and breast cancer screening practices at the population level. This study aimed to identify socioeconomic factors associated with knowledge and practice of breast self-examination (BSE) as well as assess the prevalence of breast disease symptoms among a mixed urban-rural population of women in the Southwest region of Cameroon. Methods. We conducted a household-level community-based study in Southwest Cameroon between January and March 2017, using a three-stage cluster sampling framework. We surveyed 1287 households and collected self-reported data on 4208 female subjects, 790 of whom were household representatives. Each household representative provided information on behalf of all female household members about any ongoing breast disease symptoms. Moreover, female household representatives were questioned about their own knowledge and practice of BSE. Results. Women demonstrated low frequency of knowledge of BSE, as 25% (n=201) of household representatives reported any knowledge of BSE; and among these only 15% (n=30) practiced BSE on a monthly basis. Age (aOR: 1.04), usage of Liquid Petroleum Gas fuel, a marker of higher socioeconomic status (aOR: 1.86), and speaking English as a primary language in the household (aOR: 1.59) were significant predictors of knowledge of BSE. Eleven women reported ongoing breast disease symptoms resulting in an overall prevalence of 2.3 cases of breast disease symptoms per 1000 women. Conclusions. Socioeconomic disparities in access to health education may be a determinant of knowledge of BSE. Community-based strategies are needed to improve dissemination of breast cancer screening methods, particularly for women who face barriers to accessing care.
Holographic Interferometer for the Study of Phase Media, Which Has Four Output Channels of Different Sensitivity
Authors: Ismanov Yusupzhan Kh. , Dzhamankyzov Nasipbek K.
Published: January 2019

Computer simulation of the interferometer combining properties of low-sensitive Talbot interferometer and high-sensitive holographic interferometer is considered. The interferometer has four output channels having different sensitivity. Channel sensibility can be varied by means of spatial filtration. The base of the interferometer is the holographic Talbot effect. The efficiency of this interferometer was verified by computer simulation method. Some results of the computer simulation are presented in the article. These results were compared with results obtained in optical experiments under the same conditions. A wide range of sensitivity of the interferometer makes it possible to use the interferometer to study complex phase objects, primarily dynamic media.
Outcomes of Programmed Cell Death Protein 1 (PD-1) and Programmed Death-Ligand 1(PD-L1) Inhibitor Therapy in HIV Patients with Advanced Cancer
Authors: Bari Shahla , Muzaffar Jameel , Chan Austin , Jain Sanjay R. , Haider Ahmad M. , Adams Curry Marjorie , Hostler Christopher J.
Published: January 2019

Due to HAART and consequent decline in mortality from infectious complications, HIV patients have an increasing burden of non-AIDS defining cancers. Data on their safety and efficacy is unknown as these patients were excluded from clinical trials due to concern of unforeseen side effects. Objectives. The main objective of our study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety profile of PD-1 and PD-L1 inhibitors in HIV patients being treated for advanced cancers and to assess the impact of these drugs on HIV status of the patients specifically CD4 count and HIV viral load. Materials and Methods. This was a retrospective analysis of data of 17 patients HIV treated with one of the PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors (Nivolumab, Pembrolizumab, Atezolizumab, Durvalumab, or Avelumab) for advanced cancer. Results. 10 out of 17 patients responded to therapy. 7 patients, all of whom had shown response to therapy, were alive and 4 were still on checkpoint inhibitor. 10 patients including all 7 nonresponders had died. Responders had minimum of 15 weeks of response while one had ongoing continued response at 34 weeks. Side effects were seen in 7 patients and only one patient needed cessation of therapy. CD4 counts were stable on treatment while HIV RNA remained undetectable. Conclusion. PD-1 and PD-L1 inhibitors appear to have comparable efficacy and tolerable side effect profile and have no effect on HIV markers when used in HIV patients with advanced cancers.
A New Approximate Analytical Solutions for Two- and Three-Dimensional Unsteady Viscous Incompressible Flows by Using the Kinetically Reduced Local Navier-Stokes Equations
Authors: Al-Saif Abdul-Sattar J. , Harfash Assma J.
Published: January 2019

In this work, the kinetically reduced local Navier-Stokes equations are applied to the simulation of two- and three-dimensional unsteady viscous incompressible flow problems. The reduced differential transform method is used to find the new approximate analytical solutions of these flow problems. The new technique has been tested by using four selected multidimensional unsteady flow problems: two- and three-dimensional Taylor decaying vortices flow, Kovasznay flow, and three-dimensional Beltrami flow. The convergence analysis was discussed for this approach. The numerical results obtained by this approach are compared with other results that are available in previous works. Our results show that this method is efficient to provide new approximate analytic solutions. Moreover, we found that it has highly precise solutions with good convergence, less time consuming, being easily implemented for high Reynolds numbers, and low Mach numbers.
Shubnikov–de Haas Oscillations in Semiconductors at the Microwave-Radiation Absorption
Authors: Gulyamov G. , Erkaboev U. I. , Gulyamov A. G.
Published: January 2019

Mathematical models for the Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations in semiconductors are obtained at the microwave-radiation absorption and its temperature dependence. Three-dimensional image of microwave magnetoabsorption oscillations in narrow-gap semiconductors is established. Using a mathematical model, the oscillations of the microwave magnetoabsorption are considered for different values of the electromagnetic field. The results of calculations are compared with experimental data. The proposed model explains the experimental results in HgSe at different temperatures.
Synthesis and Electrochemical Capacitor Characterization of Novel Composite Materials with p-Type Conductive Polymer
Authors: Ajami Narges
Published: January 2019

Considering the importance of conductive polymer nanocomposite, the present paper attempts to create a method for increasing the conductivity of poly(o-aminophenol). Nanocomposite MnO2/poly(o-aminophenol) thin film was synthesized by using pulse potential electrodeposition technique on a graphite electrode. In this research, nanoparticles of MnO2 are used after synthesis to prepare polymer nanocomposites in one-step. Appending of MnO2 to polymer matrix increases the current. This current growth could be ascribed to the synergistic MnO2 nanostructure, which presents the superior surface area and smaller particle size that is increasingly acting sites. Morphology or samples composition was investigated by the scanning electron microscope and the UV-Vis method, which clearly indicate the formation of nanocomposites. The findings show that the capacitive behavior of MnO2-poly(o-aminophenol) is superior to poly(o-aminophenol), especially at high potential high temperatures. The results showed that MnO2/poly(o-aminophenol) had a higher level of activity and the electron transfer capability was faster than pure polymer film. The doped MnO2 polymer also has excellent cyclic performance and load discharge features. Additional electrochemical properties of these polymer composites were observed against pure polymer so that capacity of 645 Fg−1 has been designated.
Existence of Nontrivial Solutions for Fractional Differential Equations with p-Laplacian
Authors: Zhang Li , Wang Fanglei , Ru Yuanfang
Published: January 2019

Combining the properties of the Green function with some point theorems, we consider the existence of nontrivial solutions for fractional equations with p-Laplacian operator D0+βϕp[D0+α(ptu′(t))]+f(t,u(t))=0,  0<t<1, au(0)-bp0u′(0)=0, and cu(1)+dp1u′(1)=0, D0+αptu′tt=0=0, where a,b,c,d are constants and p(·):[0,1]→(0,+∞) is continuous.
Analysis on Nonlinear Dynamic Characteristic of Synchronous Generator Rotor System
Authors: Wang Xiaodong , Song Caiqin
Published: January 2019

This paper focuses on the swing oscillation process of the synchronous generator rotors in a three‐machine power system. With the help of bifurcation diagram, time history, phase portrait, Poincaré section, and frequency spectrum, the complex dynamical behaviors and their evolution process are detected clearly in this power system with varying perturbation related parameters and different system parameters. Furthermore, combining the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of the chaotic motion, different paths leading to chaos coexisting in this system have been found. The Wolf method has been introduced to calculate the corresponding largest Lyapunov exponent, which is used to verify the occurrence of chaotic motion. These results obtained in this paper will contribute to a better understanding of nonlinear dynamic behaviors of synchronous generator rotors in a three‐machine power system.
Water Extract of Acori Graminei Rhizoma Attenuates Features of Rheumatoid Arthritis in DBA/1 Mice
Authors: Nho Jong-Hyun , Kim A-Hyeon , Jung Ho-Kyung , Lee Mu-Jin , Jang Ji-Hun , Yang Beo-Dul , Lee Hyun-Ju , Lee Ki-Ho , Woo Kyeong-Wan , Cho Hyun-Woo
Published: January 2019

The dry rhizome of Acorus gramineus Solander, known as Acori Graminei Rhizoma, is used to treat dementia, stroke, eczema, and indigestion in traditional Chinese medicine, traditional Korean medicine, and traditional Japanese Kampo medicine. Previous studies have reported that Acori Graminei Rhizoma extract ameliorated cognitive impairment in Aβ1-42 injected mice. However, the effect of Acori Graminei Rhizoma on type II collagen induced arthritis (CIA) has not been elucidated. Thus, we evaluated the water extract of Acori Graminei Rhizoma (WAG) in CIA mice models. Male DBA/1 mice were separated into five groups (NOR; n=10, CON; n=10, CIA + methotrexate (MTX); n=10, CIA + 100 mg/kg WAG; n=10, CIA + 500 mg/kg WAG; n=10). CIA was induced by injecting the mice with bovine type II collagen, after which the mice were treated with WAG and/or MTX. Hematological parameters and liver and kidney serum toxicity markers were analyzed. Further, serum levels of interleukin (IL)-6, TNF-α, and type II collagen IgG were analyzed via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Treatment with 500 mg/kg WAG decreased serum levels of IL-6, TNF-α, and collagen IgG in a CIA model. Moreover, WAG treatment decreased CIA-induced swelling of mouse hind legs, infiltration of inflammatory cells into the synovial membrane, and blood neutrophil levels. WAG administration did not influence hematological parameters or kidneys and liver toxicity markers. WAG may be used to treat arthritis by reducing the inflammation indicators. However, further experiments are required to determine how WAG affects inflammation mechanisms in vitro and in vivo.
The Quasi-Sure Limit of Convex Combinations of Nonnegative Measurable Functions
Authors: Fan Yulian
Published: January 2019

This study shows that, for a sequence of nonnegative valued measurable functions, a sequence of convex combinations converges to a nonnegative function in the quasi-sure sense. This can be used to prove some existence results in multiprobabilities models, and an example application in finance is discussed herein.