bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Application of MRS- and ASL-guided navigation for biopsy of intracranial tumors
Authors: Jin Teng , Ren Yan , Zhang Hua , Xie Qian , Yao Zhenwei , Feng Xiaoyuan
Published: June 2018

Background

The diagnosis of a tumor depends on accurate identification of the target area for biopsy. However, tumor heterogeneity and the inability of conventional structural data for identifying the most malignant areas can reduce this accuracy.

Purpose

To evaluate the feasibility and practicality of magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS)- and arterial spin labeling (ASL)-guided MRI navigation for needle biopsy of intracranial tumors.

Material and Methods

Thirty patients with intracranial tumors who underwent intraoperative stereotactic biopsy were retrospectively analyzed. Contrast-enhanced 3D-BRAVO or 3D-T2FLAIR structural data, combined with MRS and ASL data, were used to identify the target area for biopsy. High-choline or high-perfusion sites were chosen preferentially, and then the puncture trajectory was optimized to obtain specimens for histopathologic examination.

Results

Twenty-two specimens were collected from 20 glioma patients (two specimens each were collected from two patients) and ten specimens were collected from ten lymphoma patients. The diagnosis rate after the biopsy was 93.3% (28/30). Two gliomas were initially diagnosed as gliosis and subsequently diagnosed correctly after the collection of a second biopsy specimen. Combined MRS and ASL helped target selection in 23 cases (76.7%), including three cases each of low-enhancing and non-enhancing gliomas. In two cases, the target selection decision was changed because the areas initially chosen on the basis of positron emission tomography data did not match the high-perfusion areas identified with ASL.

Conclusion

Compared with conventional MRI, combined MRS and ASL improved the accuracy of target selection for the stereotactic biopsy of intracranial tumors.
Undermining methodological nationalism: Cosmopolitan analysis and visualization of the North American hazardous waste trade
Authors: Moore Sarah A , Rosenfeld Heather , Nost Eric , Vincent Kristen , Roth Robert E
Published: June 2018

Drawing on a novel dataset of hazardous waste shipments among Canada, Mexico, and the United States, we seek to enhance dominant modes of understanding transnational trading and regulation at the scale of the nation-state. We argue that these, while valuable, are limited by methodological nationalism. This epistemological position identifies the nation-state as the most relevant unit of analysis in examining “transnational” phenomena. In the case of transboundary waste trading, tracking waste between nation-states has come at the expense of identification and analysis of specific sites within nations that receive hazardous materials or send them abroad, obscuring the ongoing proliferation of waste havens at a subnational level and related environmental justice concerns. Working against methodological nationalism entails an epistemological shift that we pursue in this article through a series of empirical, analytical, and representational practices. We propose three visualization tactics that undermine nation-centered imaginaries: (1) documenting waste havens within the understudied United States through identifying subnational sites importing hazardous waste for processing; (2) establishing connections through flow maps connecting importing and exporting localities transnationally trading specific hazardous wastes; and (3) analyzing the corporate networks dominating the transnational waste trade. We argue these tactics build toward an alternative conception of methodological cosmopolitanism that highlights alternative routes toward environmental justice.
Modeling the Impacts of Traffic Flow Arrival Profiles on Ramp Metering Queues
Authors: Yang Guangchuan , Yue Rui , Tian Zong , Xu Hao
Published: June 2018

An adequate queue storage length is critical for a metered on-ramp to prevent ramp queue spillback to the upstream signalized intersection. Previous research on queue length estimation or queue storage length design at metered ramps has not taken into account the potential impact of various on-ramp traffic flow arrival profiles on ramp queue lengths. This paper depicts the traffic flow arrival profiles and queue generation processes at three different metered ramp categories. Based on a large number of microscopic simulation runs, it is found that, under a given demand-to-capacity scenario, the queue at a metered ramp with two on-ramp feeding movements is more likely to be cleared in a cycle than at a metered ramp with three on-ramp feeding movements. Also, the platoon dispersion effect significantly reduces the ramp queue length, and hence the queue storage needs at a metered ramp. In addition, this paper reveals that ramp queue length tends to increase linearly with upstream signal cycle length. The design of queue storage length for a metered on-ramp hence needs to fully consider the various ramp configurations and upstream signal timing settings.
Freight Mode Choice: A Regret Minimization and Utility Maximization Based Hybrid Model
Authors: Keya Nowreen , Anowar Sabreena , Eluru Naveen
Published: June 2018

With the introduction of automated vehicles, the performance of the trucking industry is expected to be improved. In fact, this may impact the entire freight transportation system as trucks possess the highest mode share in freight transportation. To investigate this impact, a hybrid utility–regret-based mode choice model accommodating for shipper level unobserved heterogeneity is proposed in this study. It recognizes that not all attributes influencing shipment mode are evaluated following a homogenous decision rule (solely random utility maximization/solely random regret minimization). The proposed model system is developed using 2012 Commodity Flow Survey data. To demonstrate the applicability of the proposed model system, a detailed policy analysis is conducted considering several futuristic scenarios such as implementation of automation and controlled access of truck traffic to an urban region. The results indicate that introduction of automation in the freight industry would be more beneficial for long-haul hire truck mode than short-haul private truck mode. An increase in truck shipping time due to re-routing of truck traffic away from urban regions causes a modal shift from truck to parcel and “other” mode (rail, water or multiple modes).
Spatial Verification of Modulus for Pavement Foundation System
Authors: White David J. , Vennapusa Pavana , Tutumluer Erol , Vavrik William (Bill) , Moaveni Maziar , Gillen Steven
Published: June 2018

This paper presents the results of a field study recently completed on an Illinois Tollway construction project, in which intelligent compaction (IC) measurements were calibrated on site with in situ elastic modulus (E), resilient modulus (Mr), modulus of subgrade reaction ( k), and California bearing ratio (CBR) testing. The purpose of the field calibration was to generate geo-referenced spatial modulus maps that can be used for field verification of design input parameters. E values were obtained using light weight deflectometer (LWD), stress-dependent Mr values and static k values were obtained using automated plate load testing (APLT), and CBR values were obtained using a dynamic cone penetrometer (DCP). The IC measurements were obtained using a vibratory smooth drum roller outfitted with an index measurement value system, and a roller outfitted with a retrofit kit programmed to produce validated integrated compaction (VIC) measurements through a process of field calibration. Results showed that VIC based calibration can produce correlations with R2 > 0.9 with Mr and k values, and the VIC maps can be reliably used for quality assurance/verification testing. Although the index based IC measurement values showed statistically significant relationships, the R2 values were lower (<0.6). An implementation framework that emphasizes an independent certification approach for field calibration is being developed based on these test results for the Illinois Tollway, to aid in the effective implementation of the modulus-based mapping approach for pavement design field verification.
Lessons Learned from 40 Years of Local Option Transportation Sales Taxes in California
Authors: Lederman Jaimee , Brown Anne , Taylor Brian D. , Wachs Martin
Published: June 2018

Jurisdictions across the United States have increasingly turned to local option sales taxes, or LOSTs, to fund transportation projects and programs. California is an enthusiastic adopter of these measures; since 1976, residents in over half of the state’s 58 counties have voted on 76 LOST measures. As of 2017, 24 counties, home to 88% of the state’s population, have LOST measures in place. Many counties have enacted multiple measures, with passage rates especially high among renewal and follow-on measures. This research is the first comprehensive analysis of LOST measures; drawing on measure expenditure plans to determine the range and frequency of transportation projects and services funded. This detailed review of expenditure plans across dozens of urban, suburban, and rural California counties offers insight on these measures and the projects and programs they fund. Overall, this study finds that LOSTs are heterogeneous, often including something for nearly every interest group. Almost all of the measures studied dedicate funding to a mix of transportation modes, including highways, public transit, local road maintenance, and active transportation. Expenditures on particular modes vary, reflecting transportation geography across counties. On average, 60% of LOST expenditures in California fund road projects and over 30% are allocated to public transit. Measures often dedicate a substantially larger share of revenue to transit relative to transit’s mode share. Finally, LOSTs typically appeal to diverse local interests by returning a portion of revenues to local jurisdictions to address local priority projects.
Performance Assessment of Urban Streets Addressing Improvement Issues for Automobile Mode of Transport
Authors: Jena Suprava , Chakraborty Abhishek , Bhuyan Prasanta Kumar
Published: June 2018

This paper focusses on modeling automobile drivers’ response patterns to assess urban-street service quality in developing countries. Several quality-of-service attributes affecting drivers’ riding quality were investigated, from 102 urban street segments under widely varying geometric and traffic conditions. Traffic volume, effective road width, travel speed, pavement condition, on-street parking turnover, land use, hindrance due to public transits, non-motorized vehicles, and encounters are found to significantly affect drivers’ comfort levels. Two novel artificial intelligence techniques, that is, artificial neural network (ANN) and functional linked artificial neural network (FLANN) were applied to predict automobile drivers’ level of satisfaction scores ( ALOS_score). The prediction performance of developed models is assessed in terms of various statistical parameters of a modified rank index. Bayesian regularization neural network has given the best fitted model in both training and testing data sets among the ANN models. However, application of the FLANN model shows better prediction performance in the present context, as no hidden layer exists. All input layer neurons are directly linked with output layer neurons with a lesser number of connections, which is advantageous over ANN in reducing accumulated error. The result shows 73% of studied segments are offering service category “C” or below. Sensitivity analyses reported that pavement condition is the most important variable, with relative importance of 26.78%, to influence drivers’ riding quality. Similarly, other parameters were ranked in decreasing order of their relative importance, which will help highway authorities to prioritize budgets of future investments for improving service quality.
Increasing Freeway Capacity by Efficiently Timing Its Nearby Arterial Traffic Signals
Authors: Kan Xingan (David) , Lu Xiao-Yun , Skabardonis Alexander
Published: June 2018

Currently, arterial traffic signals adjacent to freeway on-ramps operate independent of freeway on-ramp metering. During peak periods, the traffic signals employ long signal cycles to maximize intersection capacity. This approach often results in long platoons of freeway-bound traffic advancing toward the on-ramp within a short period, which quickly fills up the on-ramp and causes spillback on the surface streets. Queue override is typically employed to prevent the queue spillback by suspending ramp metering or relaxing the metering rates. Unfortunately, this counteracts the objective of on-ramp metering, which is to prevent capacity drop at freeway merge bottlenecks. Significant benefits can be realized by integrating arterial signal timing with the adjacent ramp-metering system. A signal control strategy was developed and evaluated in this study. The algorithm takes available on-ramp storage and the freeway ramp-metering rate into account and dynamically adjusts the cycle length to prevent on-ramp queue spillback and activation of queue override. The proposed algorithm was tested through simulation and the results show that the proposed strategy reduces the freeway, arterial, and system-wide delay at a modest penalty for on-ramp bound traffic.
Parking Conditions for Residential Delivery in New York City: A Case Study Analysis
Authors: Escand Pierre , Chen Quanquan , Conway Alison
Published: June 2018

This study employed basic demand estimation, field observation, text analysis, and spatial analysis methods to examine the adequacy of the existing supply of commercial dedicated parking space in high-density areas of New York City to accommodate expected demand for direct-to-home deliveries. The study also examined the proximity of available commercial dedicated parking space to end delivery locations. The study estimated and mapped two performance metrics: (1) the share of on-street commercial dedicated parking demanded for expected U.S. Postal Service residential freight deliveries, and (2) the share of these package deliveries expected to occur within a reasonable walking distance of a commercial dedicated parking space. The study relies on a variety of open data sources and on limited field observations; owing to data limitations, and resulting assumptions for baseline analysis, sensitivity analysis was also conducted. Results suggest that there is currently both a spatial and temporal mismatch between the commercial dedicated parking supply and expected residential delivery demand, and that shifts toward express deliveries may exacerbate this mismatch. Future research needs are also discussed.
Incomplete Hub Location Model for Designing Van-Taxi Networks
Authors: Mohri Seyed Sina , Akbarzadeh Meisam
Published: June 2018

Compared with ordinary taxis, van taxis offer higher vehicle capacity. Therefore, where possible, accommodating taxi trips by van would enhance the productivity of urban transportation systems. The difficulty of boarding and alighting vans could be mitigated by designing limited stop services. Studying the spatial pattern of taxi trips is a prerequisite for designing effective van routes. In this study, an incomplete p-hub median location model in combination with the concordance analysis method is presented to select the most suitable locations of van-taxi hubs of a real urban network. Several scenarios are defined according to the desired number of hubs. The model satisfies the system and passengers’ expectations simultaneously. The objective function to be minimized is the vehicle-kilometers traveled by taxi and van. For satisfying the passengers’ utility, the origin–destination (OD) travel time for all OD pairs is bounded with respect to existing OD travel time. The number of hub stations, the number of required vans, and the reduction in vehicle-kilometers traveled in the van-taxi network are model outputs. These are used as inputs for evaluating the scenarios using the concordance analysis approach. The proposed model is implemented on the Isfahan (Iran) network. Data were extracted from the smart card system for Isfahan taxi fare collection. The results show that construction of two or three van-taxi stations is the best scenario and decreases the vehicle-kilometers traveled in the taxi network up to 25% and 19% for morning and evening peak period, respectively.
Operational Impacts of Platform Doors in Metros
Authors: Barron Alexander , Canavan Shane , Anderson Richard , Cohen Judith
Published: June 2018

Platform doors are increasingly installed by metros, primarily to improve safety. However, they have the potential for both positive and negative operational impacts, mostly by affecting dwell times at stations. Using data from the CoMET and Nova international metro benchmarking consortia of 33 metro systems, this paper seeks to understand and quantify these operational impacts. Overall, platform doors have a net negative impact on dwell times, leading to between 4 and 15 s of extra time per station stop. This is due to the additional time required for the larger doors to open and close, slower passenger movements due to the additional distance between platforms and trains, and, most importantly, extended departure delays after both sets of doors are closed caused by the need to ensure safety (that no one is trapped in the gap between the two sets of doors). This is a particular problem in mainland China, where metros conduct manual safety checks that require drivers to step out of trains onto platforms. However, despite longer dwell times, platform doors have a net positive impact on metro operations, largely due to the many safety benefits that also reduce delays and thereby improve service performance. There are also potential benefits regarding energy and ventilation. To mitigate the negative impacts, metros should seek to refine procedures and improve technology to reduce dwell time delays caused by platform doors. Reducing or eliminating these extra delays are essential to delivering efficient service and maximum capacity, provided that safety can be assured.
Bearing fault diagnosis method based on the generalized S transform time–frequency spectrum de-noised by singular value decomposition
Authors: Cai Jianhua , Xiao Yongliang
Published: June 2018

In view of the fact that the random noise interferes with the characteristic extraction of a rolling bearing fault signal, a new method of fault feature extraction is proposed based on the combination of the generalized S transform and singular value decomposition (SVD). Firstly, the 2D time–frequency spectrum bearing fault signal is obtained by applying the generalized S transform, and the time–frequency spectrum matrix is used as the objective matrix of SVD to solve the singular values. Then the K-means clustering algorithm is used to classify the singular value sequence, and the singular values for reconstruction are determined. Finally, the de-noised matrix is carried out the generalized S inversion transform to get the de-noised fault signal, and the power spectrum is calculated to finish the fault diagnosis. By analyzing the simulated signal and the actual bearing fault data, results show that the proposed method can effectively identify typical faults of rolling bearings and improve the diagnosis effect of rolling bearing faults. And it provides a new way to realize the fault diagnosis of rolling bearings under noise.
Transverse vibrations of transmission tower of variable geometrical structure
Authors: Iwaniec Joanna , Iwaniec Marek , Kasprzyk Stanisław
Published: June 2018

The research concerns analysis of transverse vibrations of power line transmission tower of variable cross section (changing on its length). Such constructions are subjected simultaneously to internal and external loads, which results in transverse and longitudinal vibrations. These vibrations are described by two partial differential equations of distributed parameters depending on two independent variables. If vibrations are small, the terms connecting equations of transverse and longitudinal vibrations can be neglected as infinitely small with respect to other quantities. Consequently, each vibration can be considered separately.
Service provision in Scotland for people with an intellectual disability who have, or are at risk of developing, dementia
Authors: McKenzie Karen , Metcalfe Dale , Michie Amanda , Murray George
Published: June 2018

This research aimed to identify current national provision by health services in Scotland in relation to proactive screening and reactive assessment for people with an intellectual disability in Scotland who have, or are at risk of developing, dementia. Staff from 12 intellectual disability services, representing the 11 health board areas in Scotland, completed an online questionnaire which asked about proactive screening and reactive assessment for people with intellectual disability who had, or were at risk of developing, dementia as well as suggested areas for improvement. All of the areas provided services for people with intellectual disability who have, or are at risk of developing, dementia, but differed as to whether this was reactive, proactive or both. Nine services offered intervention following diagnosis. The most common elements used across both proactive screening and reactive assessment were conducting a health check, using a general dementia questionnaire designed for people with an intellectual disability and direct assessment with the person. Clinical psychology and community learning disability nurses were the professions most likely to be involved routinely in both proactive screening and reactive assessments. The psychometric properties of the most commonly used assessments of cognitive and behavioural functioning were mixed. The areas of improvement suggested by practitioners mainly related to ways of improving existing pathways. This research represents the first step in providing an overview of service provision in Scotland. There was some inconsistency in relation to the general and specific components which were involved in proactive screening and reactive assessment. Implications for service provision are discussed.
Aging and chromatoid body assembly: Are these two physiological events linked?
Authors: Santos Elisa G , Silva Maraisa A , Amorim Renata P , Giordano Leticia de Souza , Silva Dayana de Sales , Rasmussen Lucas T , Peruquetti Rita L
Published: June 2018

The chromatoid body is a cytoplasmic male germ cell structure that plays a role in the regulation of mRNA transcription during spermatogenesis. A proteomic analysis of this structure has identified the presence of its classic molecular markers (MVH and MIWI), as well as a significant number of transient proteins. Circadian locomotor output cycles protein kaput (CLOCK) and brain and muscle ARNT-like 1 (BMAL1), which are molecular components of the circadian clock, are likely located in the chromatoid body in a transient fashion. This study sought to determine whether aging produces morphological changes in the chromatoid bodies of round spermatids similar to those previously observed in BMAL1 knockout mice. A sample of 30 male mice was divided into three groups: juvenile mice (45 days old), adult mice (120 days old), and old mice (+180 days old). Aging was confirmed by viability and sperm count analyses and testosterone dosage. Squash slides prepared with fragments of seminiferous tubules were immunostained for MVH, MIWI, BMAL1, and CLOCK detection. In juvenile and adult specimens, single round chromatoid bodies were observed using MVH/BMAL1 and MIWI/CLOCK immunostaining. In old specimens, many chromatoid bodies displayed changes in number and morphology, as well as an increase in the interactions between MVH and BMAL1; MIWI and CLOCK. Changes in chromatoid body morphology increased interactions between the proteins analyzed herein, and decreased amounts of these proteins in seminiferous tubules of older mice may indicate that aging influences the assembly and physiology of chromatoid bodies, which may, in turn, affect fertility.

Impact statement

The results discussed in this paper indicate that aging compromises the structure and physiology of chromatoid bodies (CBs) in post-meiotic male cells. Since CB is a fundamental structure for the differentiation of the mature male germ cell it is possible that this imbalance in CB physiology may play a role in the reduction of fertility in older men. It is important to note that not only the classic CB markers (such as the MIWI and MVH proteins) were used to showcase the structural changes in the CBs but also the main components of circadian cycle control (the CLOCK and BMAL1 proteins), indicating that the reduction of circadian control in aged males may contribute to these changes in CBs as well. Therefore, it is intriguing to evaluate the hypothesis that controlling these physiological/structural changes in CBs may be a way of delaying the effects of aging in males.
Integrating models of long-term athletic development to maximize the physical development of youth
Authors: Pichardo Andrew W , Oliver Jon L , Harrison Craig B , Maulder Peter S , Lloyd Rhodri S
Published: June 2018

Long-term athletic development is important to prepare youth for sport and an active lifestyle. Several models have provided general frameworks for long-term athletic development from different perspectives that consider factors such as when to sample and specialize and what physical qualities to train and when. More recently, more specific models of long-term athletic development have emerged that focus on both specific modes of training and specific fitness qualities. This includes models focused on the development of speed, agility, power, and endurance as well as models devoted to resistance training, plyometric training, and weightlifting. These models incorporate factors such as technical competency, developmental stage, maturation, and training age to describe the long-term progression of athletic development. A challenge for the coach is to understand how these models inform one another and how they integrate into practice to allow the use of multiple modes of training to develop multiple components of fitness simultaneously throughout childhood and adolescence. This review will examine how information from various models can be integrated to maximize the physical long-term athletic development of youth.
Rhythm Versus Rate Control for Atrial Fibrillation: A Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
Authors: Ibrahim Abushouk Abdelrahman , Ashraf Ali Aya , Abdou Mohamed Ahmed , El-Sherif Loalo'a , Abdelsamed Mennat-Allah , Kamal Mohamed Mohamed , Kamal Sayed Merhan , Alaa Mohamed Nehal , Abdelbaset Osman Ahmed , M Shaheen Sameh , M. Abdel-Daim Mohamed
Published: June 2018

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common, sustained tachyarrhythmia, associated with an increased risk of mortality and thromboembolic events. We performed this meta-analysis to compare the clinical efficacy of rate and rhythm control strategies in patients with AF in a meta-analysis framework. A comprehensive search of PubMed, OVID, Cochrane-CENTRAL, EMBASE, Scopus, and Web of Science was conducted, using relevant keywords. Dichotomous data on mortality and other clinical events were extracted and pooled as risk ratios (RRs), with their 95% confidence-interval (CI), using RevMan software (version 5.3). Twelve studies (8451 patients) were pooled in the final analysis. The overall effect-estimate did not favor rate or rhythm control strategies in terms of all-cause mortality (RR= 1.13, 95% CI [0.88, 1.45]), stroke (RR= 0.97, 95% CI [0.79, 1.20]), thromboembolism (RR= 1.06, 95% CI [0.64, 1.76]), and major bleeding (RR= 1.10, 95% CI [0.90, 1.35]) rates. These findings were consistent in AF patients with concomitant heart failure (HF). The rate of rehospitalization was significantly higher (RR= 0.72, 95% CI [0.57, 0.92]) in the rhythm control group, compared to the rate control group. In younger patients (<65 years), rhythm control was superior to rate control in terms of lowering the risk of all-cause mortality (p=0.0003), HF (p=0.003) and major bleeding (p=0.02). In older AF patients and those with concomitant HF, both rate and rhythm control strategies have similar rates of mortality and major clinical outcomes; therefore, choosing an appropriate strategy should consider individual variations, such as patient preferences, comorbidities, and treatment cost.
Anti-Tumour Effect of two Persicaria Species Seeds on Colon and Prostate Cancers
Authors: Mohamed Mohamed Youssef Ahmed , Ahmed Said El-Swaify Zeinab
Published: June 2018

The active constituents present in Persicaria salicifolia and Persicaria senegalensis seeds may possess anti-tumour activity. Therefore, P. salicifolia and P. senegalensis seeds were extracted and analysed to identify their active constituents. Phytochemical compounds exist in 50 % methanol extracts of P. salicifolia and P. senegalensis seeds were identified through High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), Liquid Chromatography/ Mass Spectrometry (LC/MS), and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS). MTT assay was utilized to analyse the anti-tumour activity of P. salicifolia and P. senegalensis seeds compared to their aerial parts against CaCo-2 and PC3 cell lines. The constituents of Persicaria species seeds have phenolic acids, flavonoid, and lipid compounds. The cytotoxicity of aerial parts of P. salicifolia showed half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 1.1 ± 0.15 µg/ml and 0.5 ± 0.0011 µg/ml and the seeds were 0.6 ± 0.0018 µg/ml and 1.0 ± 0.009 µg/ml against PC3 and CaCO-2 cell lines, respectively. While, the aerial parts of P. senegalensis showed IC50 of 2.3 ± 0.03 µg/ml and 2.0 ± 0.03 µg/ml, and the seeds were 3.5 ± 0.06 µg/ml and 1.5 ± 0.03 µg/ml against PC3 and Caco-2, respectively. The results showed that there was a potential cytotoxicity of two Persicaria species seeds against two human cancer cell lines comparing to their aerial parts that have antitumor activity as it is confirmed by the literature.
Pharmacological Investigation of Solanum incanum against P. falciparum, L. infantum, T. cruzi and T. brucei : A Role of Antioxidant Effect and Clinical Overview
Authors: Anwar Sirajudheen
Published: June 2018

The in vitro antiprotozoal and cytotoxic activity of the Solanum incanum leaves and fruit extract of Albaha region was assessed against Plasmodium falciparum (chloroquine resistant K1 strain), Leishmania infantum, two Trypanosoma (T. cruzi and T. brucei) and MRC-5 cell-lines respectively. Additionally, ethnomedicinal studies by survey and interview, antioxidant potential by DPPH assay was studied for Solanum incanum. Results indicated that the S. incanum fruit was inactive (IC50: >64 µg/mL) against P.falcipuram but leaves had shown low activity (IC50: 47 µg/mL), against L.infantum both fruit (IC50: 27.3 µg/mL) and leaves (IC50: 27.3 µg/mL) had good activity, against T.brucei both fruit (IC50: 34.1 µg/mL) and leaves (IC50: 32.7 µg/mL) had moderate activity. S incanum fruits (IC50: 9.3 µg/mL) had pronounced activity against T. cruzi but leaves (IC50: 6.0 µg/mL) had pronounced activity against T .cruzi with selectivity index > 1. Solanum incanum fruits had stronger antioxidant activity (IC50: 98.7 µg/mL ) than leaves (IC50 : 293.2 µg/mL) but both fruit and leaves had lower antioxidant activity than standards (Ascorbic acid IC50: 19.1 µg/mL; Trolox IC50: 19.5 µg/mL). Our results demonstrate that S incanum leaves has promising activity against T .cruzi possibly active constituents like flavonoid, solasonine and solamargine are contributing for this effect. Furthermore previous reports demonstrate that T .cruzi infection is inhibited by antioxidant effects through NRF2 upregulation, possibly our extracts inhibited T .cruzi through antioxidant pathway.
Immunohistochemical Study of the Ameliorative Effect of Vitamin E on Liver Regeneration after Different Periods of Partial Hepatectomy
Authors: M. Halawani Mervat , S. Abdul Aziz Gamal , A. Amin Hanan , N. Mustafa Hesham , A. Elhaggagy Amira
Published: June 2018

The liver is almost unique in its capacity for regeneration after hepatectomy but the exact mechanisms are not yet fully clarified. Antioxidants have been shown to promote liver regeneration after major hepatectomy. The present study evaluated the ameliorative effect of vitamin E administration on the liver regeneration after different periods of partial hepatectomy (PH) in rats. Fifty-six adult male albino rats were divided into three groups: Control sham operated group; partially hepatectomized group which were divided into three subgroups sacrificed at 1day, 3 days and 7days after the operation respectively; Partially Hepatectomized group with vitamin E pretreatment before PH where the rats were given a daily oral dose of vitamin E until the time of sacrifice of the rats. Immunohistochemical detection of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and labeling index were demonstrated. After PH, the PCNA positive hepatocytes and the PCNA labeling indices were significantly high after the 1st day and then much decreased after the 3rd day, to be followed by a slight increase at the 7th day. Vitamin E pretreatment in PH rats resulted in a decrease in PCNA positive cells and its labeling indices in the 1st day with a gradual increase in the 3rd and 7th days. Vitamin E has an inhibitory effect in the first 24 hours on liver regeneration followed by stimulatory effect at the third and seventh days after PH. These data indicated that vitamin E pretreatment has an important role in regulation and enhancement of liver regeneration after PH.
CT Image Denoising Based on Thresholding in Shearlet Domain
Authors: Diwakar Manoj , Lamba Sumita , Gupta Himanshu
Published: June 2018

Computed tomography (CT) is a powerful tool for medical diagnosis. Due to acquisition and transmission in CT imaging, the noise appears that leads to poor image quality. Noise reduction technique is applied in CT images where noise is reduced with preserving all clinical information. In this paper, original noisy CT images are thresholded using bayes shrinkage rule in Shearlet domain. The proposed framework is compared with existing methods and it is observed that performance of proposed method is superior to existing methods in terms of visual quality, Image Quality Index (IQI) and Peak Signal-to-noise Ratio (PSNR).
Determination of Grading for Maxillary and Mandibular Tori- an in Vivo study
Authors: kalaignan Parithimar , Shree Mohan Jaya , Jayakumar Arun
Published: June 2018

To establish a definitive grading system & derive classification of maxillary &mandibular tori based on shape . A cluster sample of 72 patients who sought treatment at the dental college with maxillary and/or Mandibular tori were selected, alginate impression were made for each patient and the stone casts poured were evaluated based on the following criteria; shape, prominence and dimensions (length, width, height) to surface a new grading system for the tori. From a total sample size of 72 patients with tori, 38 (52.8%) patients were dentulous (either fully or partially dentulous), and remaining 34 (47.2%) patients were edentulous. A total of 5 patients only had both maxillary and mandibular tori simultaneously present at the time of inspection, while all other 67 patients had only maxillary tori. From the 72 patients who presented with torus palatinus, in relation to the tori shape, 10 (13.9%) were flat, 43 (59.7%) were lobular, 16(22.2%) were spindle shaped and only 3 (4.2%) were of nodular shape. From the 5 patients who presented with torus mandibularis, 3 presented with tori of mild prominence, and 2 others presented with a moderately prominent mandibular tori.In relation to torus palatinus dimension, the width of tori varied widely from 4.0mm to 25.0mm, while the length too had a wide variation from 10.0mm to 37.0mm. The height however hadn’t as much variation, ranging from 0.5mm to 5.0mm. A successful grading system was accomplished in relation to maxillary tori and its effect on the prognosis of maxillary denture stability and retention could be determined from this grading system; however this was not successful for mandibular tori due to insufficient sample size of patients in this category. The grading system devised in our study was reasonable for use by dental graduates, though the study had short comings in few aspects that were not looked upon on initiation, it would be a stepping stone towards more research in this field in relation to maxillary and mandibular tori.. From this study, it is anticipated that Prosthodontist can have a precise idea of the tori to prosthesis relationship when faced with such patients in their day to day practice.
Molecular and Phylogenetic Analysis of Human Papillomavirus Using L1 Gene in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Patients in Baghdad, Iraq
Authors: Kadhim Al-Malkey Maysaa , Abdul Jabbar Aldhaher Zainab , Abbas Azeez Rasha , Ibrahim Hussein Sumaiah , Waleed Mohammed Sinai , Ch Ismeeal Munira , Ibrahim Mesheal Khawla
Published: June 2018

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common malignant neoplasm of the oral mucosa. Human papillomavirus (HPV) virus cause a broad scope of diseases from benign to invasive tumors, types 16 and 18 classified as carcinogenic to humans. This study aimed to provide the first molecular characterization of HPV types in Iraq. Thirty-five unstimulated whole saliva samples were collected from histopathologically confirmed patients with oral cancer were enrolled in this study. Genomic DNA was extracted from exfoliating cells to amplify HPV-DNA using HPV-L1 gene sequence primers by polymerase chain reaction method (PCR), the viral genotyping was performed using direct sequencing method. HPV genotypes identified were deposited in GenBank. HPV DNA was detected in 20 of 35 OSCC patients representing (57%).The most frequent HPV genotypes were HPV-18 accounting for (75%) (15 out of 20 patients) followed by HPV-16 accounting for (20%) (4 out of 20), and HPV-11 accounting for (5%) (5 out of 20 patients). This study highlights the high-risk HPV genotypes in OSCC patients and their phylogenetic analysis tree and their homology to the ancestral sequence which may indicate emerging of a new biological entity of HPV-positive OSCC with a potential sexually transmission.
The Effect of Giving Extract Etanol of Kepok Banana Peel (Musa Acuminata) toward total Cholesterol Level on Male Mice (Mus Musculus L.) Strain Deutschland-denken-yoken (ddy) Obese
Authors: Nisa Berawi Khairun , Bimandama M. Azzaky
Published: June 2018

Obesity is excess of weight due to accumulation of fat which can cause dyslipidemia. One of dyslipidemia sign is increasing of total cholesterol level. The saponin, tannin and flavonoid as antioxidants components within kepok banana peel are predicted could decrease total cholesterol level. This study aims to determine whether saponin, tannin and flavonoid in kepok banana peels are effective against total cholesterol level in obese mice. This study was a true experimental using 20 obese male mice (Mus musculus L.) strain Deutschland-Denken-Yoken (ddY) and divided in four groups, which are normal control group (K1), obese control group (K2), and groups that were given extract of kepok banana peel treatment with dose 8,4 mg/day (KP1) and 16,8 mg/day (KP2). The treatment were given in 14 days. Total cholesterol level of each group was measured by spectrophotometer. The results obtained p=0,000, in one-way ANOVA test. Furthermore, in the Post Hoc Test generally found that there was significant differences between groups. There is effect of giving kepok banana peel to decreased total cholesterol level of obese mice. The effect of kapok Banana peel extract level of 8.4 mg/day more effectively lower total cholesterol level compared to banana peel extract level of 16.8 mg / day. The anti-cholesterol effect of banana fiber ethanol extract proved to decrease total cholesterol in obesity male mice (Mus musculus L.) strain ddY.
Prevalence and Determinants of Blood Pressure Control among Hypertensive Patients in Primary Care Centers, Najran, Saudi Arabia
Authors: Mohammed Al-Qahtani Awad
Published: June 2018

Hypertension is a typical example of long-term condition posing formidable challenges to health care. Among hypertensive patients, insufficient adherence to drug therapy is one of the common causes of poor control of blood pressure. The objective of our study was to estimate the prevalence of blood pressure control among hypertensive patients and their determinants in primary care centers in Najran area. We conducted a retrospective analysis of administrative data from adult patients with hypertension followed in primary care clinics in Najran area. A representative sample of patients was randomly selected among eligible hypertensive patients from primary care clinics in Najran area. A total of 382 patients completed the survey and had data available for a 1 year medical record review. Their mean age was 62.71±14.16 years, 51.8% were male. The majority of the studied populations were married (96.6%). More than 50% of them were analphabetic (56.2%). The prevalence of patients with controlled blood pressure was 51.3% among the studied population despite ongoing hypertension treatments. Older age more than 60 years was a significant predictor of non-controlled hypertension. We conclude that targeted intervention to improve management of hypertension in primary care setting could make a substantial difference in the improvement of hypertensive patient prognosis.
Centella Asiatica Increased the Body Length Through the Modulation of Antioxidant in Rotenone-Induced Zebrafish Larvae
Authors: Khotimah Husnul , Darwitri Darwitri , Yuliyani Tri , Nuraenah Een , Zahara Evi , Kalsum Umi , Nurdiana Nurdiana , Muljohadi Ali Mohammad
Published: June 2018

Centella asiatica (CA) is herbal medicine that used as traditional medicine including ayurvedic theraphy since hundreds years ago. This herb containa of pentacyclic triterpenoids such as asiaticoside, madecassoside, Asiatic acid and brahmoside that proved had anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. This research aims to know the effect of ethanolic extract of CA extract against the length of rotenone-induced zebrafish larvae through the free radicals.mechanism. This research used zebrafish larvae until 6 dpf that consists of 5 groups (controls, rotenon 12.5 ppb on 2 hpf-3 dpf, and group treatment given rotenone 12.5 ppb 2 hpf-3 dpf and 5 µg/mL extract with long exposure to start 2 hpf to 4, 5 and 6 dpf respectively). The body length measured on 3-6 dpf using software Image Raster v 3.0 from optilab v 2.0. Malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide Dismutase (SOD), catalase were measured by ELISA on 6 dpf. The results showed rotenon can inhibit the growth of length > 2 standard deviation (SD) and CA extract may increased ithe body in 6 dpf which correction value was 99.6%. CA extract significantly decreased the levels of MDA, and increased the level of SOD and catalase (p=0.000). Ethanol extract of Centella asiatica may increase in length through the modulation of oxidative stress.
Non-Collagen Protein in the Dentin Tissue – The Role in the Process of Dentinogenesis
Authors: Surdilovic Dusan , Manickam Natarajan Prabhu , Ille Tatjana , Ram Shetty Shisir
Published: June 2018

Collagen forms the major organic constituent of human tooth dentin with non-collagen proteins and proteoglycans contributing for minor fragment. Studies involving the nature of non–collagen proteins are comparatively rarer than the other dentinal components. With this background the authors conducted the present study. To identify the specific and unspecific non-collagen proteins in the dentin. Samples of teeth tissue prepared using guanine hydrochloride in natrium acetate and then subjected to polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The samples were visualized using Coomassie Blue coloring technique. The pattern of electrophoresis of dentin fraction indicated large protein component. The mass spectrometric analysis results of the two gel parts confirmed the presence of dentin sialoprotein and bone sialoprotein in the dentin fraction. Difference in the molecular mass was evident between the two protien fractions. The authors suggest that since dentin sialoprotein is specific to dentin and not identified in any other tissue, it may be a unique constituent and may play a critical role in formation of dentin.
Role of Psychological Stress on Interferon-Gamma (IFN-γ) in Atopic Dermatitis
Authors: Wardhana Made , Suryawati Sudarmajaya , Rusyati L. M.
Published: June 2018

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease, with itching predominant symptom, which usually develope in infancy and associated with an increase in serum IgE and history of atopies, such as allergic rhinitis or bronchial asthma. The etiology of AD remains unclear. However, there are many predisposing factors, such as genetic, immunological disorders, infections, foods, irritants, and psychological stress. Many research has conclude that stress is one of the risk factor for AD, but the current understanding for the underlying mechanism remain unclear. Recent research shows that stress can suppress interferon gamma (IFN-γ), which plays an important role in the pathogenesis of AD. This study aims to determine the role of stress and serum levels of IFN-γ to AD. Study design using a case-control study with a sample consisting of 31 cases and 28 controls. Stress indexes were measured using Holmes & Rahe Stress Scale and serum IFN-γ levels were examined. Statistical analysis was performed to determine the differences between the mean stress index and serum IFN-γ level between cases and controls, the magnitude of psychological stress as a risk factor for AD, and the correlation between psychological stress and serum IFN-γ level against the severity of AD. This study concluded that stress is a risk factor for AD with an odds ratio of 5.3, and the stress index is positively correlated with the severity of AD. Serum IFN-γ levels were significantly lower in cases group. There was a strong negative correlation between IFN-γ with the severity of AD (r = -0.905; p <0.05). Current study conclude that psychological stress is a risk factor for AD and stress can suppress serum IFN-γ levels.
3D Lorenz Map Governs DNA Rule in Encrypting DICOM Images
Authors: Kumari Abinaya , Akshaya B. , Umamaheswari B. , Thenmozhi K. , Amirtharajan Rengarajan , Praveenkumar Padmapriya
Published: June 2018

This paper introduces a framework for the secure encryption of healthcare images. The objective of this paper is to encrypt medical images based on Deoxyribo Nucleic Acid (DNA), 3D Lorenz chaotic map, BITXOR operations. The different keys are employed to provide confusion, permutation, encoding and diffusion operations in the encryption procedure to provide uncorrelated image pixels. The proposed algorithm uses 3D Lorenz attractor as chaotic system for encrypting colour Digital Imaging and Communication in Medicine (DICOM) images. Further the encrypted image will be validated using encryption quality to evaluate the security analysis.
Turbulence in the View of Wavelets: Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm’s ECG Signal Analysis as an Illustrative Example
Authors: Agarwal Ruchi , Salimath C.S. , Alam Khursheed
Published: June 2018

Turbulence can occur anywhere including our human body, some phenomenon describe it well. One of them is Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm. Therefore, as an illustration in this article, wavelet analysis of electrocardiographic (ECG) signal of a subject is performed to study the effect of complex phenomenon turbulence in human body part. This article deals with different perspective of turbulence, main emphasis is on wavelet analysis. Therefore, different wavelet family members are employed to get various views of analysis at different decomposition levels. Turbulent flows are generally modeled with the help of Navier-Stokes equation. Different numerical techniques for solving Navier-Stokes equations using adaptive wavelet bases are also pondered.