bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of pH on the Hydrolytic Kinetics of Gamma-Glutamyl Transferase fromBacillus subtilis
Authors: Balakrishna Sharath , Prabhune Asmita
Published: February 2014

The effect of pH on the steady state kinetics of gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) fromBacillus subtiliswas examined using glutamyl-(3-carboxyl)-4-nitroanilide as the chromogenic reporter substrate. The enzyme was active in the pH range 7.0–11.0 with the optimum activity at pH 11.0. We noticed a pH dependent transformation in the nature of substrate consumption kinetics. The substrate saturation curves were hyperbolic in the pH range 7.0–9.0 but changed into sigmoid form at pH 10.0 and 11.0. Hill’s coefficients were >1. We also analysed the effect of pH on the structure of the enzyme. The circular dichroism spectra of the enzyme sample at pH 9.0 and 11.0 were coincidental in both far and near UV regions indicating conservation of the secondary and tertiary structures, respectively. The molecular weight of the enzyme sample was the same in both pH 7.0 and 11.0 indicating conservation of the quaternary structure. These results show that the kinetic transformation does not involve significant conformational changes. Cooperative binding of multiple substrate molecules may not be the basis for the sigmoid kinetics as only one substrate binding site has been noticed in the reported crystal structures ofB. subtilisGGT.
Effects of Emulsifiers on Preparing Spherical Urea‐Formaldehyde Paraffin Capsules Modified by β‐Cyclodextrin for Energy Storage
Authors: Yu Xin , Huang Zhanhua , Yu Kaixuan
Published: February 2014

Urea‐formaldehyde (UF) paraffin capsules (B‐UPCS) modified by β‐cyclodextrin (β‐CD) were successfully prepared with excellent energy storage capacity using different emulsifiers. B‐UPCS were characterized by FT‐IR, DSC SEM, optical microscopy, and laser particle size distribution analyzer. The effects of different emulsifiers and the stirring rate of emulsion on the microstructure, average particle diameter, and the content of paraffin were discussed in details. The results show that OP‐10 for use with PCMs as emulsifier has a better emulsifying capacity, thermal stability, and mechanical stirring stability than SDBS for use with PCMs as emulsifier. As a result, the optimum dosage of OP‐10 was 3% to 7%, and the suitable stirring rate of emulsion was 7500 to 12500 rpm. At this time, the spherical particle diameter of B‐UPCS was about 1.0 μm, the paraffin content was 78%, and the enthalpy of B‐UPCS can reach 161.0 J/g.
Antisideslip and Antirollover Safety Speed Controller Design for Vehicle on Curved Road
Authors: Lie Guo , Yi-bing Zhao , Lin-hui Li , Ping-shu Ge , Xiao-hui Huang
Published: February 2014

When the drivers cannot be aware of the existing of forthcoming curved roads and fail to regulate their safety speeds accordingly, sideslip or rollover may occur with high probability. The antisideslip and antirollover control of vehicle on curved road in automatic highway systems is studied. The safety speed warning system is set before entering the curved road firstly. The speed adhesion control is adopted to shorten the braking distance while decelerating and to guarantee the safety speed. The velocity controller when decelerating on the straight path and the posture controller when driving on curved road are designed, respectively, utilizing integral backstepping technology. Simulation results demonstrate that this control system is characterized by quick and precise tracking and global stability. Consequently, it is able to avoid the dangerous operating conditions, such as sideslip and rollover, and guarantee the safety and directional stability when driving on curved road.
Discussion on Generalized-(αψ,βφ)-Contractive Mappings via Generalized Altering Distance Function and Related Fixed Point Theorems
Authors: Berzig Maher , Karapınar Erdal , Roldán-López-de-Hierro Antonio-Francisco
Published: February 2014

We extend the notion of (αψ,βφ)-contractive mapping, a very recent concept by Berzig and Karapinar. This allows us to consider contractive conditions that generalize a wide range of nonexpansive mappings in the setting of metric spaces provided with binary relations that are not necessarily neither partial orders nor preorders. Thus, using this kind of contractive mappings, we show some related fixed point theorems that improve some well known recent results and can be applied in a variety of contexts.
Estimation of Diafenthiuron Residues in Cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum (L.) Maton) Using Normal Phase HPLC: Dissipation Pattern and Safe Waiting Period in Green and Cured Cardamom Capsules
Authors: Stanley Johnson , Chandrasekaran Subramanian , Preetha Gnanadhas , Kuttalam Sasthakutty , Jasmine R. Sheeba
Published: February 2014

Diafenthiuron is an effective insecticide used for pest management in cardamom. Residues of diafenthiuron and its degradation/dissipation pattern in cardamom were determined to work out safe waiting period. Samples were collected after three sprays of diafenthiuron @ 400 and 800 g a.i ha−1 and the residues extracted in acetonitrile and quantified in normal phase HPLC in UV detector. Diafenthiuron was detected in 6.61±0.1 min. The limits of detection (LOD) and limits of quantification (LOQ) were determined to be 0.01 and 0.05 μgmL−1. The initial deposits were found to be 3.82 and 4.10 μg g−1 after sprays of diafenthiuron @ 400 g a.i ha−1 in the first and second experiments, respectively. Nearly cent percent of residues dissipated at 10 days after treatment in the recommended dose of diafenthiuron 400 g a.i ha−1 and the half life varied from 2.0 to 2.8 days with a waiting period of 5.5 to 6.7 days in green capsules of cardamom. The waiting period was 5.4 to 7.0 days in cured capsules of cardamom. With harvest being the focal point for enforcement of residue tolerances, the suggested waiting period of seven days is safe without the problem of pesticide residues in harvestable produce.
Carbapenemase Genes among Multidrug Resistant Gram Negative Clinical Isolates from a Tertiary Hospital in Mwanza, Tanzania
Authors: Mushi Martha F. , Mshana Stephen E. , Imirzalioglu Can , Bwanga Freddie
Published: February 2014

The burden of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is rapidly growing across antibiotic classes, with increased detection of isolates resistant to carbapenems. Data on the prevalence of carbapenem resistance in developing countries is limited; therefore, in this study, we determined the prevalence of carbapenemase genes among multidrug resistant gram negative bacteria (MDR-GNB) isolated from clinical specimens in a tertiary hospital in Mwanza, Tanzania. A total of 227 MDR-GNB isolates were analyzed for carbapenem resistance genes. For each isolate, five different PCR assays were performed, allowing for the detection of the major carbapenemase genes, including those encoding the VIM-, IMP-, and NDM-type metallo-beta-lactamases, the class A KPC-type carbapenemases, and the class D OXA-48 enzyme. Of 227 isolates, 80 (35%) were positive for one or more carbapenemase gene. IMP-types were the most predominant gene followed by VIM, in 49 (21.59%) and 28 (12%) isolates, respectively. Carbapenemase genes were most detected inK. pneumoniae24 (11%), followed byP. aeruginosa23 (10%), andE. coliwith 19 isolates (8%). We have demonstrated for the first time a high prevalence of MDR-GNB clinical isolates having carbapenem resistance genes in Tanzania. We recommend routine testing for carbapenem resistance among the MDR-GNB particularly in systemic infections.
Non-probabilistic Solution of Uncertain Vibration Equation of Large Membranes Using Adomian Decomposition Method
Authors: Tapaswini Smita , Chakraverty S.
Published: February 2014

This paper proposes a new technique based on double parametric form of fuzzy numbers to handle the uncertain vibration equation for very large membrane for different particular cases. Uncertainties present in the initial condition and the wave velocity of free vibration are modelled through Gaussian convex normalised fuzzy set. Using the single parametric form of fuzzy number, the original fuzzy vibration equation is converted first to an interval fuzzy vibration equation. Next this equation is transformed to crisp form by applying double parametric form of fuzzy numbers. Finally the same governing equation is solved by Adomian decomposition method (ADM) symbolically to obtain the uncertain bounds. The present methods are very simple and effective. Obtained results are depicted in terms of plots to show the efficiency and powerfulness of the present analysis. Results obtained by the methods with new techniques are compared with existing results in special cases.
Sampling Based Average Classifier Fusion
Authors: Hou Jian , Liu Wei-Xue , Karimi Hamid Reza
Published: February 2014

Classifier fusion is used to combine multiple classification decisions and improve classification performance. While various classifier
fusion algorithms have been proposed in literature, average fusion is almost always selected as the baseline for comparison. Little is done on exploring the potential of average fusion and proposing a better baseline. In this paper we empirically investigate the behavior of soft labels and classifiers in average fusion. As a result, we find that; by proper sampling of soft labels and classifiers, the average fusion performance can be evidently improved. This result presents sampling based average fusion as a better baseline; that is, a newly proposed classifier fusion algorithm should at least perform better than this baseline in order to demonstrate its effectiveness.
Improved Stability Criteria of Static Recurrent Neural Networks with a Time-Varying Delay
Authors: Ding Lei , Zeng Hong-Bing , Wang Wei , Yu Fei
Published: February 2014

This paper investigates the stability of static recurrent neural networks (SRNNs) with a time-varying delay. Based on the complete delay-decomposing approach and quadratic separation framework, a novel Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional is constructed. By employing a reciprocally convex technique to consider the relationship between the time-varying delay and its varying interval, some improved delay-dependent stability conditions are presented in terms of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). Finally, a numerical example is provided to show the merits and the effectiveness of the proposed methods.
TAZIs Highly Expressed in Gastric Signet Ring Cell Carcinoma
Authors: Yue Guofeng , Sun Xia , Gimenez-Capitan Ana , Shen Jie , Yu Lixia , Teixido Cristina , Guan Wenxian , Rosell Rafael , Liu Baorui , Wei Jia
Published: February 2014

Transcriptional coactivator with PDZ-binding motif (TAZ) is known to bind to a variety of transcription factors to control cell differentiation and organ development. We examinedTAZprotein levels in 146 stage II–IV gastric cancer using immunohistochemistry (IHC), whileTAZmRNA was confirmed by quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (QRT-PCR) in 84 samples with enough tissue.TAZprotein expression was positive in 113 out of 146 (77.4%) gastric cancer samples. In parallel,TAZmRNA expression was successfully detected in 81 of the 84 (96.4%) samples. Protein levels ofTAZwere positively correlated with its mRNA levels (P=0.018). High expression ofTAZprotein was observed with higher percentage in gastric cancer samples with histology of signet ring cell carcinoma (SRCC) than adenocarcinoma (85.7% versus 60.2%,P=0.001). Similarly,TAZmRNA level was higher in SRCC than in adenocarcinoma (P=0.003). When correlated with survival, the median overall survival (OS) is 14 months (95% CI: 12.2–15.8 months) in all patients. There was no significant association between survival and other clinical characteristics orTAZexpression levels. Our results show thatTAZis highly expressed in SRCC.TAZmight be considered as a target for the treatment of gastric SRCC in future.
Rainfall Estimation Using Specific Differential Phase for the First Operational Polarimetric Radar in Korea
Authors: You Cheol-Hwan , Lee Dong-In , Kang Mi-Young
Published: February 2014

To assess the performance of rainfall estimation using specific differential phase observed by Bislsan radar, the first polarimetric radar in Korea, three rainfall cases occurring in 2011 were selected, each caused by different conditions: the first is the Changma front and typhoon, the second is only the Changma front, and the third is only a typhoon. For quantitative use of specific differential phase (KDP), a data quality algorithm was developed for differential phase shift (ΦDP), composed of two steps; the first involves removal of scattered noise and the second is unfolding ofΦDP. This order of the algorithm is necessary so as not to remove unfolded areas, which are the real meteorological target. All noise was removed and the foldedΦDPwere unfolded successfully for this study.RKDPrelations for S-band radar were calculated for 84,754 samples of observed drop size distribution (DSD) using different drop shape assumptions. The relation for the Bringi drop shape showed the best statistics: 0.28 for normalized error, and 6.7 mm for root mean square error for rainfall heavier than 10 mm h-1. Because the drop shape assumption affects the accuracy of rainfall estimation differently for different rainfall types, such characteristics should be taken into account to estimate rainfall more accurately using polarimetric variables.
Modeling the Differences in Biochemical Capabilities ofPseudomonasSpecies by Flux Balance Analysis: How Good Are Genome-Scale Metabolic Networks at Predicting the Differences?
Authors: Babaei Parizad , Ghasemi-Kahrizsangi Tahereh , Marashi Sayed-Amir
Published: February 2014

To date, several genome-scale metabolic networks have been reconstructed. These models cover a wide range of organisms, from bacteria to human. Such models have provided us with a framework for systematic analysis of metabolism. However, little effort has been put towards comparing biochemical capabilities of closely related species using their metabolic models. The accuracy of a model is highly dependent on the reconstruction process, as some errors may be included in the model during reconstruction. In this study, we investigated the ability of threePseudomonasmetabolic models to predict the biochemical differences, namely, iMO1086, iJP962, and iSB1139, which are related toP. aeruginosaPAO1,P. putidaKT2440, andP. fluorescensSBW25, respectively. We did a comprehensive literature search for previous works containing biochemically distinguishable traits over these species. Amongst more than 1700 articles, we chose a subset of them which included experimental results suitable forin silicosimulation. By simulating the conditions provided in the actual biological experiment, we performed case-dependent tests to compare thein silicoresults to the biological ones. We found out that iMO1086 and iJP962 were able to predict the experimental data and were much more accurate than iSB1139.
Approaches for Recognizing Disease Genes Based on Network
Authors: Zou Quan , Li Jinjin , Wang Chunyu , Zeng Xiangxiang
Published: February 2014

Diseases are closely related to genes, thus indicating that genetic abnormalities may lead to certain diseases. The recognition of disease genes has long been a goal in biology, which may contribute to the improvement of health care and understanding gene functions, pathways, and interactions. However, few large-scale gene-gene association datasets, disease-disease association datasets, and gene-disease association datasets are available. A number of machine learning methods have been used to recognize disease genes based on networks. This paper states the relationship between disease and gene, summarizes the approaches used to recognize disease genes based on network, analyzes the core problems and challenges of the methods, and outlooks future research direction.
Some Recursive Definitions for Linear Values of Cooperative TU Games
Authors: Dragan Irinel
Published: February 2014

We give recursive definitions for the Banzhaf Value and the Semivalues of cooperative TU games. These definitions were suggested by the concept of potential for the Shapley Value due to Hart and Mas-Colell and by some results of the author who introduced the potentials of these values and the Power Game of a given game.
An EPQ Inventory Model with Allowable Shortages for Deteriorating Items under Trade Credit Policy
Authors: Molamohamadi Zohreh , Arshizadeh Rahman , Ismail Napsiah
Published: February 2014

This paper attempts to obtain the replenishment policy of a manufacturer under EPQ inventory model with backorder. It is assumed here that the manufacturer delays paying for the received goods from the supplier and the items start deteriorating as soon as they are being produced. Based on these assumptions, the manufacturer’s inventory model is formulated, and cuckoo search algorithm is applied then to find the replenishment time, order quantity, and selling price with the objective of maximizing the manufacturer’s total net profit. Besides, the traditional inventory system is shown as a special case of the proposed model in this paper, and numerical examples are given to demonstrate better performance of trade credit. These examples are also used to compare the results of cuckoo search algorithm with genetic algorithm and investigate the effects of the model parameters on its variables and net profit.
Global Stability of a Stage-Structured Predator-Prey Model with Stochastic Perturbation
Authors: Yang Liu , Zhong Shouming
Published: February 2014

This paper is concerned with a new predator-prey model with stage structure on prey, in which the immature prey and the mature prey are preyed on by predator. We think that the model is more realistic and interesting than the one in which only the immature prey or the mature prey is consumed by predator. Our work shows that the stochastic model and its corresponding deterministic system have a unique global positive solution and the positive solution is global asymptotic stability for each model. If the positive equilibrium point of the deterministic system is globally stable, then the stochastic model will preserve the nice property provided that the noise is sufficiently small. Results are analyzed with the help of graphical illustrations.
Minutiae Matching with Privacy Protection Based on the Combination of Garbled Circuit and Homomorphic Encryption
Authors: Li Mengxing , Feng Quan , Zhao Jian , Yang Mei , Kang Lijun , Wu Lili
Published: February 2014

Biometrics plays an important role in authentication applications since they are strongly linked to holders. With an increasing growth of e-commerce and e-government, one can expect that biometric-based authentication systems are possibly deployed over the open networks in the near future. However, due to its openness, the Internet poses a great challenge to the security and privacy of biometric authentication. Biometric data cannot be revoked, so it is of paramount importance that biometric data should be handled in a secure way. In this paper we present a scheme achieving privacy-preserving fingerprint authentication between two parties, in which fingerprint minutiae matching algorithm is completed in the encrypted domain. To improve the efficiency, we exploit homomorphic encryption as well as garbled circuits to design the protocol. Our goal is to provide protection for the security of template in storage and data privacy of two parties in transaction. The experimental results show that the proposed authentication protocol runs efficiently. Therefore, the protocol can run over open networks and help to alleviate the concerns on security and privacy of biometric applications over the open networks.
Effects of Various Antiepileptics Used to Alleviate Neuropathic Pain on Compound Action Potential in Frog Sciatic Nerves: Comparison with Those of Local Anesthetics
Authors: Uemura Yuhei , Fujita Tsugumi , Ohtsubo Sena , Hirakawa Naomi , Sakaguchi Yoshiro , Kumamoto Eiichi
Published: February 2014

Antiepileptics used for treating neuropathic pain have various actions including voltage-gated Na+and Ca2+channels, glutamate-receptor inhibition, andGABAA-receptor activation, while local anesthetics are also used to alleviate the pain. It has not been fully examined yet how nerve conduction inhibitions by local anesthetics differ in extent from those by antiepileptics. Fast-conducting compound action potentials (CAPs) were recorded from frog sciatic nerve fibers by using the air-gap method. Antiepileptics (lamotrigine and carbamazepine) concentration dependently reduced the peak amplitude of the CAP (IC50=0.44and 0.50 mM, resp.). Carbamazepine analog oxcarbazepine exhibited an inhibition smaller than that of carbamazepine. Antiepileptic phenytoin (0.1 mM) reduced CAP amplitude by 15%. On the other hand, other antiepileptics (gabapentin, sodium valproate, and topiramate) at 10 mM had no effect on CAPs. The CAPs were inhibited by local anesthetic levobupivacaine (IC50=0.23 mM). These results indicate that there is a difference in the extent of nerve conduction inhibition among antiepileptics and that some antiepileptics inhibit nerve conduction with an efficacy similar to that of levobupivacaine or to those of other local anesthetics (lidocaine, ropivacaine, and cocaine) as reported previously. This may serve to know a contribution of nerve conduction inhibition in the antinociception by antiepileptics.
A Class of Unbounded Fourier Multipliers on the Unit Complex Ball
Authors: Li Pengtao , Lv Jianhao , Qian Tao
Published: February 2014

We introduce a class of Fourier multiplier operatorsMbonn-complex unit sphere, where the symbolb∈Hs(Sω). We obtained the Sobolev boundedness ofMb. Our result implies that the operatorsMbtake a role of fractional differential operators on∂𝔹.
Behavior Identification Based on Geotagged Photo Data Set
Authors: Liu Guo-qi , Zhang Yi-jia , Fu Ying-mao , Liu Ying
Published: February 2014

The popularity of mobile devices has produced a set of image data with geographic information, time information, and text description information, which is called geotagged photo data set. The division of this kind of data by its behavior and the location not only can identify the user’s important location and daily behavior, but also helps users to sort the huge image data. This paper proposes a method to build an index based on multiple classification result, which can divide the data set multiple times and distribute labels to the data to build index according to the estimated probability of classification results in order to accomplish the identification of users’ important location and daily behaviors. This paper collects 1400 discrete sets of data as experimental data to verify the method proposed in this paper. The result of the experiment shows that the index and actual tagging results have a high inosculation.
Heat Conduction Modeling of Fiber Fuse in Single-Mode Optical Fibers
Authors: Shuto Yoshito
Published: February 2014

The unsteady-state thermal conduction process in single-mode optical fiber was studied theoretically with the explicit finite-difference method. We assumed that the vitreous silica optical fiber underwent pyrolysis at elevated temperatures to form SiOx (x~1). We also proposed a model in which the optical absorption coefficient of the core layer increased with increasing molar concentration of SiOx. The core-center temperature changed suddenly and reached over 3×104 K when a 1.064-μm laser power of 2 W was input into a short core layer of 40 μm length, which was heated at 2923 K. This thermal wave, that is, a fiber fuse, increased in size and propagated toward the light source at a rate of about 0.54 m/s. The calculated propagation velocity of the fiber fuse was in agreement with the experimental value. Moreover, the average temperature of the radiated region of the core layer gradually approached a temperature of about 5700 K. It was found that the final average temperature was close to the experimentally reported values.
Manipulation of MWCNT Concentration in MWCNT/TiO2Nanocomposite Thin Films for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell
Authors: Abdullah Huda , Razali Mohd Zikri , Shaari Sahbudin , Raihan Taha Mohd
Published: February 2014

Dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) using multiwalled carbon nanotube/titanium dioxide (MWCNT/TiO2) was successfully synthesized using sol-gel method. In this method, it has been performed under various acid treatments MWCNT concentration level at (a) 0.00 g, (b) 0.01 g, (c) 0.02 g, and (d) 0.03 g. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to study surface roughness of the MWCNT/TiO2thin films. The average roughness results for 0.00 g, 0.01 g, 0.02 g, and 0.03 g were 10.995, 18.308, 24.322, and 25.723 nm, respectively. High resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) analysis showned the inner structural design of the MWCNT/TiO2particles. The TiO2nanoparticles covered almost all the area of MWCNT particles. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) gave the morphological surface structure of the thin films. The thin films formed in good distribution with homogenous design. The DSSC with MWCNT/TiO2electrode containing 0.03 g MWCNT were resulted in the highest efficiency of 2.80% with short-circuit current densityJscof 9.42 mA/cm2and open-circuit voltageVocof 0.65 V.
Assessing the Impact of Policy Changes in the Icelandic Cod Fishery Using a Hybrid Simulation Model
Authors: Sigurðardóttir Sigríður , Johansson Björn , Margeirsson Sveinn , Viðarsson Jónas R.
Published: February 2014

Most of the Icelandic cod is caught in bottom trawlers or longliners. These two fishing methods are fundamentally different and have different economic, environmental, and even social effects. In this paper we present a hybrid-simulation framework to assess the impact of changing the ratio between cod quota allocated to vessels with longlines and vessels with bottom trawls. It makes use of conventional bioeconomic models and discrete event modelling and provides a framework for simulating life cycle assessment (LCA) for a cod fishery. The model consists of two submodels, a system dynamics model describing the biological aspect of the fishery and a discrete event model for fishing activities. The model was run multiple times for different quota allocation scenarios and results are presented where different scenarios are presented in the three dimensions of sustainability: environmental, social, and economic. The optimal allocation strategy depends on weighing the three different factors. The results were encouraging first-steps towards a useful modelling method but the study would benefit greatly from better data on fishing activities.
Biotechnological Production of Polyhydroxyalkanoates: A Review on Trends and Latest Developments
Authors: Singh Saharan Baljeet , Grewal Anita , Kumar Pardeep
Published: February 2014

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) producers have been reported to reside at various ecological niches which are naturally or accidently exposed to high organic matter or growth limited conditions such as dairy wastes, hydrocarbon contaminated sites, pulp and paper mill wastes, agricultural wastes, activated sludges of treatment plants, rhizosphere, and industrial effluents. Few among them also produce extracellular by-products like rhamnolipids, extracellular polymeric substances, and biohydrogen gas. These sorts of microbes are industrially important candidates for the reason that they can use waste materials of different origin as substrate with simultaneous production of valuable bioproducts including PHA. Implementation of integrated system to separate their by-products (intracellular and extracellular) can be economical in regard to production. In this review, we have discussed various microorganisms dwelling at different environmental conditions which stimulate them to accumulate carbon as polyhydroxyalkanoates granules and factors influencing its production and composition. A brief aspect on metabolites which are produced concomitantly with PHA has also been discussed. In conclusion, exploring of capabilities like of dual production by microbes and use of wastes as renewable substrate under optimized cultural conditions either in batch or continuous process can cause deduction in present cost of bioplastic production from stored PHA granules.
Asymptotic I-Equivalence of Two Number Sequences and Asymptotic I-Regular Matrices
Authors: Gumus Hafize , Connor Jeff , Nuray Fatih
Published: February 2014

We study I-equivalence of the two nonnegative sequences x=xk and y=yk. Also we define asymptotic I-regular matrices and obtain conditions for a matrix A=ajk to be asymptotic I-regular.
An Independence Test Based on Symbolic Time Series
Authors: Risso Wiston Adrián
Published: February 2014

An independence test based on symbolic time series analysis (STSA) is developed. Considering an independent symbolic time series there is a statistic asymptotically distributed as a CHI-2 withn-1degrees of freedom. Size and power experiments for small samples were conducted applying Monte Carlo simulations and comparing the results with BDS and runs test. The introduced test shows a good performance detecting independence in nonlinear and chaotic systems.
All-Optical 1-to-8 Wavelength Multicasting at 20 Gbit/s Exploiting Self-Phase Modulation in Dispersion Flattened Highly Nonlinear Photonic Crystal Fiber
Authors: Hui Zhan-Qiang
Published: February 2014

All-optical multicasting of performing data routing from single node to multiple destinations in the optical domain is promising for next generation ultrahigh-peed photonic networks. Based on the self-phase modulation in dispersion flattened highly nonlinear photonic crystal fiber and followed spectral filtering, simultaneous 1-to-8 all-optical wavelength multicasting return-to-zero (RZ) signal at 20 Gbit/s with 100 GHz channel spaced is achieved. Wavelength tunable range and dynamic characteristic of proposed wavelength multicasting scheme is further investigated. The results show our designed scheme achieve operation wavelength range of 25 nm, OSNR of 32.01 dB andQfactor of 12.8. Moreover, the scheme has simple structure as well as high tolerance to signal power fluctuation.
Series Solutions of Lifting and Drainage Problems of a Nonisothermal Modified Second Grade Fluid Using a Vertical Cylinder
Authors: Farooq M. , Rahim M. T. , Islam S. , Arif M.
Published: February 2014

We studied the thin film flow for lifting and drainage problems using an incompressible, nonisothermal modified second grade fluid. We developed nonlinear differential equations from momentum and energy equations, respectively. Series solutions for both lifting and drainage problems are obtained. Expressions for the velocity profile, temperature distribution, volume flux, average film velocity, and shear stress on cylinder for both cases are obtained. Effects of different parameters on the flow problems are presented graphically.
On Uniqueness of Strong Solution of Stochastic Systems
Authors: Li Gang , Chen Ming
Published: February 2014

A kind of the well-known matrix Riccati equations which arise in certain stochastic optimal problems is investigated. With the aid of the operator spectrum and the generalized Lyapunov equation approach, we give a sufficient condition for existence and uniqueness of the strong solution related to the critical mean square stabilization of stochastic linear controlled systems, which proves Conjecture 10 in (Zhang et al. (2008)) to a large extent. In addition, we get some properties of the strong solution. At last, we give a kind of stochastic system which has only a strong solution by an example.
Structural, Electronic, and Vibrational Properties of Isoniazid and Its Derivative N-Cyclopentylidenepyridine-4-carbohydrazide: A Quantum Chemical Study
Authors: Pandey Anoop kumar , Bajpai Abhishek , Baboo Vikas , Dwivedi Apoorva
Published: February 2014

Isoniazid (Laniazid, Nydrazid), also known as isonicotinylhydrazine (INH), is an organic compound that is the first-line medication in prevention and treatment of tuberculosis. The optimized geometry of the isoniazid and its derivative N-cyclopentylidenepyridine-4-carbohydrazide molecule has been determined by the method of density functional theory (DFT). For both geometry and total energy, it has been combined with B3LYP functionals having LANL2DZ and 6-311 G (d, p) as the basis sets. Using this optimized structure, we have calculated the infrared wavenumbers and compared them with the experimental data. The calculated wavenumbers by LANL2DZ are in an excellent agreement with the experimental values. On the basis of fully optimized ground-state structure, TDDFT//B3LYP/LANL2DZ calculations have been used to determine the low-lying excited states of isoniazid and its derivative. Based on these results, we have discussed the correlation between the vibrational modes and the crystalline structure of isoniazid and its derivative. A complete assignment is provided for the observed FTIR spectra. The molecular HOMO, LUMO composition, their respective energy gaps, and MESP contours/surfaces have also been drawn to explain the activity of isoniazid and its derivative.
Bipolar Disorder in Children
Authors: Renk Kimberly , White Rachel , Lauer Brea-Anne , McSwiggan Meagan , Puff Jayme , Lowell Amanda
Published: February 2014

Although bipolar disorder historically was thought to only occur rarely in children and adolescents, there has been a significant increase in children and adolescents who are receiving this diagnosis more recently (Carlson, 2005). Nonetheless, the applicability of the current bipolar disorder diagnostic criteria for children, particularly preschool children, remains unclear, even though much work has been focused on this area. As a result, more work needs to be done to further the understanding of bipolar symptoms in children. It is hoped that this paper can assist psychologists and other health service providers in gleaning a snapshot of the literature in this area so that they can gain an understanding of the diagnostic criteria and other behaviors that may be relevant and be informed about potential approaches for assessment and treatment with children who meet bipolar disorder criteria. First, the history of bipolar symptoms and current diagnostic criteria will be discussed. Next, assessment strategies that may prove helpful for identifying bipolar disorder will be discussed. Then, treatments that may have relevance to children and their families will be discussed. Finally, conclusions regarding work with children who may have a bipolar disorder diagnosis will be offered.
An Improved Lumped Parameter Model for a Piezoelectric Energy Harvester in Transverse Vibration
Authors: Wang Guang-qing , Lu Yue-ming
Published: February 2014

An improved lumped parameter model (ILPM) is proposed which predicts the output characteristics of a piezoelectric vibration energy harvester (PVEH). A correction factor is derived for improving the precisions of lumped parameter models for transverse vibration, by considering the dynamic mode shape and the strain distribution of the PVEH. For a tip mass, variations of the correction factor with PVEH length are presented with curve fitting from numerical solutions. The improved governing motion equations and exact analytical solution of the PVEH excited by persistent base motions are developed. Steady-state electrical and mechanical response expressions are derived for arbitrary frequency excitations. Effects of the structural parameters on the electromechanical outputs of the PVEH and important characteristics of the PVEH, such as short-circuit and open-circuit behaviors, are analyzed numerically in detail. Accuracy of the output performances of the ILPM is identified from the available lumped parameter models and the coupled distributed parameter model. Good agreement is found between the analytical results of the ILPM and the coupled distributed parameter model. The results demonstrate the feasibility of the ILPM as a simple and effective means for enhancing the predictions of the PVEH.
Altered Nitrogen Balance and Decreased Urea Excretion in Male Rats Fed Cafeteria Diet Are Related to Arginine Availability
Authors: Sabater David , Agnelli Silvia , Arriarán Sofía , Fernández-López José-Antonio , Romero María del Mar , Alemany Marià , Remesar Xavier
Published: February 2014

Hyperlipidic diets limit glucose oxidation and favor amino acid preservation, hampering the elimination of excess dietary nitrogen and the catabolic utilization of amino acids. We analyzed whether reduced urea excretion was a consequence of higherNOx; (nitrite, nitrate, and other derivatives) availability caused by increased nitric oxide production in metabolic syndrome. Rats fed a cafeteria diet for 30 days had a higher intake and accumulation of amino acid nitrogen and lower urea excretion. There were no differences in plasma nitrate or nitrite.NOxand creatinine excretion accounted for only a small part of total nitrogen excretion. Rats fed a cafeteria diet had higher plasma levels of glutamine, serine, threonine, glycine, and ornithine when compared with controls, whereas arginine was lower. Liver carbamoyl-phosphate synthetase I activity was higher in cafeteria diet-fed rats, but arginase I was lower. The high carbamoyl-phosphate synthetase activity and ornithine levels suggest activation of the urea cycle in cafeteria diet-fed rats, but low arginine levels point to a block in the urea cycle between ornithine and arginine, thereby preventing the elimination of excess nitrogen as urea. The ultimate consequence of this paradoxical block in the urea cycle seems to be the limitation of arginine production and/or availability.
Theoretical Study of the Effects of Carrier Transport, Capture, and Escape Processes on Solar Cells with Embedded Nanostructures
Authors: Tsai Chin-Yi
Published: February 2014

A theoretical model is proposed to study the effects of carrier transport, escape, and capture processes on solar cells with embedded nanostructures. The theoretical results clearly indicate that the carrier transport, escape, and capture times are important physical quantities affecting the performance of solar cells with embedded nanostructures and they should be fully considered in device design, such as the selection of the optimal band‐gap energy of the nanostructures. The beneficial results from the embedded nanostructures cannot be warranted. Slow escape processes and long transport time will make the nanostructures act as gigantic recombination sites and cause a detrimental effect on the bulk solar cell. The results show that solar cells embedded with nanostructures of very small band‐gap energy materials will suffer from extremely slow escape processes due to a very large potential difference between the nanostructures and the bulk host material; therefore, their output photocurrent could be inferior to their bulk counterparts without the nanostructures. The beneficial results from the embedded nanostructures to the solar cells can only be realized by their long carrier lifetime and fast escape time.
Nurses’ Knowledge, Practices, and Barriers in Care of Patients with Pressure Ulcers in a Ugandan Teaching Hospital
Authors: Mwebaza Ivan , Katende Godfrey , Groves Sara , Nankumbi Joyce
Published: February 2014

Pressure ulcers have been identified as a major burden of hospitalization worldwide, and nurses are at the forefront of prevention. The purpose of this study was to determine the nurses’ knowledge and practices regarding risk factors, prevention, and management of pressure ulcers at a teaching hospital in Uganda. The study employed a descriptive cross-sectional design. Fifty-six Ugandan registered practicing nurses were sampled. A composite self-administered questionnaire and an observation checklist were utilized. The nurses had limited knowledge about critical parameters of pressure ulcers. Prevention practices were observed to be unreliable and uncoordinated related to a significant shortage of staff and logistics for pressure ulcer prevention. Nurses had poor access to current literature on pressure ulcer prevention. Translation of nurses’ knowledge into practice is possible if barriers like staff shortage, pressure relieving devices provision, and risk assessment tools are addressed at Mulago.
Photocatalytic Property of Fe3O4/SiO2/TiO2 Core‐Shell Nanoparticle with Different Functional Layer Thicknesses
Authors: Li Junyang , Gao Libo , Zhang Qiang , Feng Ruiting , Xu Hongyan , Wang Jie , Sun Dong , Xue Chenyang
Published: February 2014

This study examined the different properties of Fe3O4/SiO2/TiO2 (FST) core‐shell nanoparticles encapsulated for one to five different times, represented as FST1 to FST5, respectively. These FST nanoparticles were obtained using the carbon reduction and sol‐gel methods, and their properties were characterized by various tools, such as scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X‐ray diffraction, vibratory sample magnetometer, laser granularity apparatus, and specific surface area analyzer. The relationship between irradiation time and decoloration ratio indicates that FST2 demonstrated significant efficiency in the decolorization of methyl orange (MO) under UV light. Further study on recycle activity showed that FST2 had a high decoloration rate after four cycles of photocatalysis, and its degradation of MO was well aligned with the apparent first‐order kinetic equation. Furthermore, FST2 exhibited the highest apparent rate in the first cycle. All these results demonstrate that the recoverable FST2 possessed excellent photocatalytic activity while maintaining outstanding stability for further applications, such as managing environmental pollution.
Arc-Eager Parsing with the Tree Constraint
Authors: Nivre Joakim , Fernández-González Daniel
Published: February 2014

The arc-eager system for transition-based dependency parsing is widely used in natural language processing despite the fact that it does not guarantee that the output is a well-formed dependency tree. We propose a simple modification to the original system that enforces the tree constraint without requiring any modification to the parser training procedure. Experiments on multiple languages show that the method on average achieves 72% of the error reduction possible and consistently outperforms the standard heuristic in current use.
Regions of Mid-level Human Visual Cortex Sensitive to the Global Coherence of Local Image Patches
Authors: Mannion Damien J. , Kersten Daniel J. , Olman Cheryl A.
Published: February 2014

The global structural arrangement and spatial layout of the visual environment must be derived from the integration of local signals represented in the lower tiers of the visual system. This interaction between the spatially local and global properties of visual stimulation underlies many of our visual capacities, and how this is achieved in the brain is a central question for visual and cognitive neuroscience. Here, we examine the sensitivity of regions of the posterior human brain to the global coordination of spatially displaced naturalistic image patches. We presented observers with image patches in two circular apertures to the left and right of central fixation, with the patches drawn from either the same (coherent condition) or different (noncoherent condition) extended image. Using fMRI at 7T (n = 5), we find that global coherence affected signal amplitude in regions of dorsal mid-level cortex. Furthermore, we find that extensive regions of mid-level visual cortex contained information in their local activity pattern that could discriminate coherent and noncoherent stimuli. These findings indicate that the global coordination of local naturalistic image information has important consequences for the processing in human mid-level visual cortex.
The Moon Illusion and Size–Distance Scaling—Evidence for Shared Neural Patterns
Authors: Weidner Ralph , Plewan Thorsten , Chen Qi , Buchner Axel , Weiss Peter H. , Fink Gereon R.
Published: February 2014

A moon near to the horizon is perceived larger than a moon at the zenith, although—obviously—the moon does not change its size. In this study, the neural mechanisms underlying the “moon illusion” were investigated using a virtual 3-D environment and fMRI. Illusory perception of an increased moon size was associated with increased neural activity in ventral visual pathway areas including the lingual and fusiform gyri. The functional role of these areas was further explored in a second experiment. Left V3v was found to be involved in integrating retinal size and distance information, thus indicating that the brain regions that dynamically integrate retinal size and distance play a key role in generating the moon illusion.
The Effect of FEF Microstimulation on the Responses of Neurons in the Lateral Intraparietal Area
Authors: Premereur Elsie , Vanduffel Wim , Janssen Peter
Published: February 2014

The macaque FEFs and the lateral intraparietal area (LIP) are high-level cortical areas involved in both spatial attention and oculomotor behavior. Stimulating FEF at a level below the threshold for evoking saccades increases fMRI activity and gamma power in area LIP, but the precise effect exerted by the FEF on LIP neurons is unknown. In our study, we recorded LIP single-unit activity during a visually guided saccade task with a peripherally presented go signal during microstimulation of FEF. We found that FEF microstimulation increased the LIP spike rate immediately after the highly salient go signal inside the LIP receptive field when both target and go signal were presented inside the receptive field, and no other possible go cues were present on the screen. The effect of FEF microstimulation on the LIP response was positive until at least 800 msec after microstimulation had ceased, but reversed for longer trial durations. Therefore, FEF microstimulation can modulate the LIP spike rate only when attention is selectively directed toward the stimulated location. These results provide the first direct evidence for LIP spike rate modulations caused by FEF microstimulation, thus showing that FEF activity can be the source of top–down control of area LIP.
A Functional Polymorphism of the MAOA Gene Is Associated with Neural Responses to Induced Anger Control
Authors: Denson Thomas F. , Dobson-Stone Carol , Ronay Richard , von Hippel William , Schira Mark M.
Published: February 2014

Aggressiveness is highly heritable. Recent experimental work has linked individual differences in a functional polymorphism of the monoamine oxidase-A gene (MAOA) to anger-driven aggression. Other work has implicated the dorsal ACC (dACC) in cognitive-emotional control and the amygdala in emotional arousal. The present imaging genetics study investigated dACC and amygdala reactivity to induced anger control as a function of MAOA genotype. A research assistant asked 38 healthy male undergraduates to control their anger in response to an insult by a rude experimenter. Men with the low-expression allele showed increased dACC and amygdala activation after the insult, but men with the high-expression allele did not. Both dACC and amygdala activation independently mediated the relationship between MAOA genotype and self-reported anger control. Moreover, following the insult, men with the high-functioning allele showed functional decoupling between the amygdala and dACC, but men with the low-functioning allele did not. These results suggest that heightened dACC and amygdala activation and their connectivity are neuroaffective mechanisms underlying anger control in participants with the low-functioning allele of the MAOA gene.