bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Better use and management of levees: reducing flood risk in a changing climate
Authors: Wenger Caroline
Published: February 2015

Many nations rely on dykes and levees to mitigate flood risk. However, a myriad of problems has prompted views that levees are ultimately maladaptive and should be used as a measure of last resort. This leads to questions not only about the place of levees in future flood risk management, but also whether anything can be done to reduce their impacts. A detailed review of flood events from Australia, China, the Netherlands, and the USA was used to develop a case study for each country. Case studies present existing levee problems, future flood threats, and national strategies to address them. These were used as a basis to analyse the transferability of adaptive flood approaches. While many countries are attempting to restore floodplain storage, thereby reducing their reliance on levees, others are increasing their investment in levee construction. This review explores factors that affect the transferability of adaptive approaches, including issues, such as problem recognition, affordability, and program delivery. It was found that countries vary in their ability to recognise levee problems, and the level at which decisions are made influences the likelihood of adaptive solutions being adopted. Analysis suggests that federal systems face particular challenges and their capacity to adopt adaptive approaches may be impaired if institutional barriers are not addressed. Regardless of the overall approach to manage flood risk, the experiences of all case study countries offer some broadly applicable lessons for improving the use and management of levees, reducing their adverse impacts, and improving the integration of natural flood mitigation.
Countries' Historical Emission Responsibilities: A Normative Perspective
Authors: LIU Changyi , PAN Jiahua , CHEN Ying , CHEN Mengmei
Published: February 2015

This paper raises six critical normative questions on accounting countries' historical emission responsibilities of climate change: (i) What should be the time period? What should be the start date and the end date? (ii) Should the Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use (AFOLU) and non- CO 2 gases be included or not? (iii) Should the embedded emissions in trade be accounted or not? (iv) Should countries be assigned responsibilities for emissions before 1990 or not? (v) Should the historical responsibilities be discounted or not? (vi) Should subsistence emissions be exempted or not? From the perspectives of ethics and justice, legal, economics, and politics, we think that (i) the contributions should include past, current, and future emissions, and responsibilities should be assigned for historical emissions before 1990; (ii) CO 2 and non- CO 2 emissions from the AFOLU sectors should be exempted from countries' responsibilities since they are subsistence emissions in order to satisfy basic needs; (iii) the historical emissions should be discounted based on both physical and economic reasons. Finally, we claim that the discounting approach is an innovative, systematic, and pragmatic method to solve the deadlock historical responsibilities, which can decrease the historical responsibility and financial responsibility to a reasonable level for the developed countries while insisting on the equity principles.
Avoiding Communication in Successive Band Reduction
Authors: Ballard Grey , Demmel James , Knight Nicholas
Published: February 2015

The running time of an algorithm depends on both arithmetic and communication (i.e., data movement) costs, and the relative costs of communication are growing over time. In this work, we present sequential and distributed-memory parallel algorithms for tridiagonalizing full symmetric and symmetric band matrices that asymptotically reduce communication compared to previous approaches.

The tridiagonalization of a symmetric band matrix is a key kernel in solving the symmetric eigenvalue problem for both full and band matrices. In order to preserve structure, tridiagonalization routines use annihilate-and-chase procedures that previously have suffered from poor data locality and high parallel latency cost. We improve both by reorganizing the computation and obtain asymptotic improvements. We also propose new algorithms for reducing a full symmetric matrix to band form in a communication-efficient manner. In this article, we consider the cases of computing eigenvalues only and of computing eigenvalues and all eigenvectors.
SciPAL
Authors: Kramer Stephan C. , Hagemann Johannes
Published: February 2015

We present
SciPAL
(scientific parallel algorithms library), a
C
++-based, hardware-independent open-source library. Its core is a domain-specific embedded language for numerical linear algebra. The main fields of application are finite element simulations, coherent optics and the solution of inverse problems. Using
SciPAL
algorithms can be stated in a mathematically intuitive way in terms of matrix and vector operations. Existing algorithms can easily be adapted to GPU-based computing by proper template specialization. Our library is compatible with the finite element library
deal
.II and provides a port of deal.II's most frequently used linear algebra classes to CUDA (NVidia's extension of the programming languages
C
and
C
++ for programming their GPUs).
SciPAL
's operator-based API for BLAS operations particularly aims at simplifying the usage of NVidia's CUBLAS. For non-BLAS array arithmetic
SciPAL
's expression templates are able to generate CUDA kernels at compile time. We demonstrate the benefits of
SciPAL
using the iterative principal component analysis as example which is the core algorithm for the spike-sorting problem in neuroscience.
Algorithm-Based Fault Tolerance for Dense Matrix Factorizations, Multiple Failures and Accuracy
Authors: Bouteiller Aurelien , Herault Thomas , Bosilca George , Du Peng , Dongarra Jack
Published: February 2015

Dense matrix factorizations, such as LU, Cholesky and QR, are widely used for scientific applications that require solving systems of linear equations, eigenvalues and linear least squares problems. Such computations are normally carried out on supercomputers, whose ever-growing scale induces a fast decline of the Mean Time To Failure (MTTF). This article proposes a new hybrid approach, based on Algorithm-Based Fault Tolerance (ABFT), to help matrix factorizations algorithms survive fail-stop failures. We consider extreme conditions, such as the absence of any reliable node and the possibility of losing both data and checksum from a single failure. We will present a generic solution for protecting the right factor, where the updates are applied, of all above mentioned factorizations. For the left factor, where the panel has been applied, we propose a scalable checkpointing algorithm. This algorithm features high degree of checkpointing parallelism and cooperatively utilizes the checksum storage leftover from the right factor protection. The fault-tolerant algorithms derived from this hybrid solution is applicable to a wide range of dense matrix factorizations, with minor modifications. Theoretical analysis shows that the fault tolerance overhead decreases inversely to the scaling in the number of computing units and the problem size. Experimental results of LU and QR factorization on the Kraken (Cray XT5) supercomputer validate the theoretical evaluation and confirm negligible overhead, with- and without-errors. Applicability to tolerate multiple failures and accuracy after multiple recovery is also considered.
26
th
ACM International Conference on Hypertext and Social Media
Authors: Yesilada Yeliz , Celik Ilknur , Farzan Rosta , Houben Geert-Jan
Published: February 2015

Hypertext 2015 will be held in Cyprus from September 2 to 4. This newsletter article briey introduces the conference and also the venue.

We hope to meet you all in Cyprus in September!

http://ht.acm.org/ht2015/

https://www.facebook.com/Hypertext2015

https://twitter.com/Hypertext2015
"A context-driven subgraph model for literature-based discovery" by Delroy Cameron with Prateek Jain as coordinator
Authors: Cameron Delroy Huborn
Published: February 2015

Literature-Based Discovery (LBD) refers to the process of uncovering hidden connections that are implicit in scientific literature. Numerous hypotheses have been generated from scientific literature using the LBD paradigm, which influenced innovations in diagnosis, treatment, preventions and overall public health. However, much of the existing research on discovering hidden connections among concepts have used distributional statistics and graph-theoretic measures to capture implicit associations. Such metrics do not explicitly capture the semantics of hidden connections. Rather, they only allude to the existence of meaningful underlying associations. To gain in-depth insights into the meaning of hidden (and other) connections, complementary methods have often been employed. Some of these methods include: 1) the use of domain expertise for concept filtering and knowledge exploration, 2) leveraging structured background knowledge for context and to supplement concept filtering, and 3) developing heuristics a priori to help eliminate spurious connections.
"Towards higher relevance and serendipity in scholarly paper recommendation" by Kazunari Sugiyama and Min-Yen Kan with Martin Vesely as coordinator
Authors: Sugiyama Kazunari , Kan Min-Yen
Published: February 2015

Finding relevant scholarly papers is an important task for researchers. Such a literature search involves identifying drawbacks in existing works and proposing new approaches that address them. However, the growing number of scientific published papers results in information overload even for simple searches, such that researchers have difficulty in finding papers relevant to their interests. Recommendation systems can help address this problem to find relevant papers efficiently. In this article, we summarize our work on scholarly paper recommendation from both relevance and serendipitous perspectives. Experimental results on a publicly-available scholarly paper recommendation dataset show that our proposed approaches provides promising recommendations for researchers, outperforming the state-of-the-art with statistical significance.
"Shadow security" as a tool for the learning organization
Authors: Kirlappos Iacovos , Parkin Simon , Sasse M. Angela
Published: February 2015

Traditionally, organizations manage information security through policies and mechanisms that employees are expected to comply with. Non-compliance with security is regarded as undesirable, and often sanctions are threatened to deter it. But in a recent study, we identified a third category of employee security behavior:
shadow security.
This consists of workarounds employees devise to ensure primary business goals are achieved; they also devise their own security measures to counter the risks they understand. Whilst not compliant with official policy, and sometimes not as secure as employees think, shadow security practices reflect the working compromise staff find between security and "getting the job done". We add to this insight in this paper by discussing findings from a new interview study in a different organization. We identified additional shadow security practices, and show how they can be transformed into effective and productivity-enabling security solutions, within the framework of a learning organization.
Valuing data security and privacy using cyber insurance
Authors: Shah Anand , Dahake Shishir , J. Sri Hari Haran
Published: February 2015

What should be the minimum value of data security or privacy to a customer? We reason that at a minimum this value should be equal to the premium charged by an insurer for cyber insurance that compensates the customer for the claims resulting from the data security and privacy breaches. We calculate the premium for cyber insurance and the percentage coverage availed by a customer using Monte Carlo simulations.
A Compact Dual-Band RFID Tag Antenna Mountable on Metallic Objects
Authors: Mun Byeonggwi , Yoon Yonghyun , Lee Hyunwoo , Lee Hark-Yong , Lee Byungje
Published: February 2015

A compact (50 × 50 × 4 mm3) dual-band radio frequency identification (RFID) tag antenna mountable on metallic objects is proposed for the ultra-high frequency (UHF) band (917∼923.5 MHz) and the microwave (MW) band (2.4∼2.45 GHz). With the proximity-coupled feed loop, the proposed antenna consists of two symmetric planar inverted-F antenna (PIFA) elements for the UHF band passive tag and a meander microstrip patch antenna for the MW band active tag. The performance of the proposed antenna is verified by mounting it on the different sizes of the metallic object. Furthermore, the passive tag antenna in the UHF band furthermore may be used for energy harvesting techniques to improve the lifetime of the active tag in the MW band. The measured maximum read range is 5.50 m in the UHF band and 14.15 m in the MW band when the proposed tag antenna is mounted on the metallic objects. The total efficiency for all operating frequency bands is higher than 50%. High isolation (>12 dB) between tag antennas in the UHF band and the MW band is achieved.
A Case of Multicentric Carcinoid in a Patient with Psoriatic Spondyloarthropathy
Authors: George Nabil , Depala Archana , Al Sweedan Laith , Chakravarty Kuntal
Published: February 2015

We describe the first case of a patient presenting with multicentric carcinoid occurring in the lung and subsequently in the rectum, with chronic psoriatic arthritis. Although reports have been published regarding carcinoid syndrome occurring alongside rheumatoid arthritis, no reports have been made on such a case. Initial presentation of carcinoid syndrome in this patient was insidious and atypical with few symptoms, including shortness of breath and long standing abdominal bloating. Several years later a sudden change in bowel habit prompted a colonoscopy with biopsy that revealed a carcinoid rectal polyp. The case we report describes a rare presentation of carcinoid syndrome in chronic psoriatic arthropathy.
Functionalized Activated Carbon Derived from Biomass for Photocatalysis Applications Perspective
Authors: Bagheri Samira , Muhd Julkapli Nurhidayatullaili , Bee Abd Hamid Sharifah
Published: February 2015

This review highlighted the developments of safe, effective, economic, and environmental friendly catalytic technologies to transform lignocellulosic biomass into the activated carbon (AC). In the photocatalysis applications, this AC can further be used as a support material. The limits of AC productions raised by energy assumption and product selectivity have been uplifted to develop sustainable carbon of the synthesis process, where catalytic conversion is accounted. The catalytic treatment corresponding to mild condition provided a bulk, mesoporous, and nanostructure AC materials. These characteristics of AC materials are necessary for the low energy and efficient photocatalytic system. Due to the excellent oxidizing characteristics, cheapness, and long-term stability, semiconductor materials have been used immensely in photocatalytic reactors. However, in practical, such conductors lead to problems with the separation steps and loss of photocatalytic activity. Therefore, proper attention has been given to develop supported semiconductor catalysts and certain matrixes of carbon materials such as carbon nanotubes, carbon microspheres, carbon nanofibers, carbon black, and activated carbons have been recently considered and reported. AC has been reported as a potential support in photocatalytic systems because it improves the transfer rate of the interface charge and lowers the recombination rate of holes and electrons.
Deep Brain Stimulation for Pantothenate Kinase-Associated Neurodegeneration
Authors: Garcia-Ruiz Pedro J. , Ayerbe Joaquin , Vela Desojo Lydia , Feliz Cici E. , del Val Fernandez Javier
Published: February 2015

Pantothenate kinase-associated neurodegeneration (PKAN) is usually associated with dystonia, which is typically severe and progressive over time. Pallidal stimulation (GPi DBS) has been carried out in selected cases of PKAN with drug-resistant dystonia with variable results. We report a 30-month follow-up study of a 30-year-old woman with PKAN-related dystonia treated with GPi DBS. Postoperatively, the benefit quickly became evident, as the patient exhibited a marked improvement in her dystonia, including her writing difficulty. This result has been maintained up to the present. GPi DBS should be considered in dystonic PKAN patients provided fixed contractures and/or pyramidal symptoms are not present.
Vertebral Stenting and Vertebroplasty Guided by an Angiographic 3D Rotational Unit
Authors: Víctor Hugo Escobar-de la Garma , Henry Luis Jorge-Barroso , Felipe Padilla-Vázquez , Luis Balderrama-Bañares Jorge
Published: February 2015

Introduction. Use of interventional imaging systems in minimally invasion procedures such as kyphoplasty and vertebroplasty gives the advantage of high-resolution images, various zoom levels, different working angles, and intraprocedure image processing such as three-dimensional reconstructions to minimize complication rate. Due to the recent technological improvement of rotational angiographic units (RAU) with flat-panel detectors, the useful interventional features of CT have been combined with high-quality fluoroscopy into one single machine. Intraprocedural 3D images offer an alternative way to guide needle insertion and the safe injection of cement to avoid leakages.Case Report. We present the case of a 72-year-old female patient with insidious lumbar pain. Computed tomography revealed a wedge-shaped osteoporotic compression fracture of T10 vertebrae, which was treated successfully with the installation of vertebral stenting system and vertebroplasty with methacrylate guided with a rotational interventional imaging system.Conclusion. Rotational angiographic technology may provide a suitable place for the realization of high-quality minimally invasive spinal procedures, such as kyphoplasty, vertebroplasty, and vertebral stenting. New software programs available nowadays offer the option to make three-dimensional reconstructions with no need of CT scans with the same degree of specificity.
The Psychosocial Consequences of Sports Participation for Individuals with Severe Mental Illness: A Metasynthesis Review
Authors: Soundy Andrew , Freeman Paul , Stubbs Brendon , Probst Michel , Roskell Carolyn , Vancampfort Davy
Published: February 2015

The purpose of the current metasynthesis review was to explore the psychosocial benefits of sport and psychosocial factors which impact on sports participation for individuals with severe mental illness. AMED, CINAHL Plus, Medline, EMBASE, ProQuest Nursing & Allied Health Source, and Science Citation Index were searched from inception until January 2014. Articles included use qualitative methods to examine the psychosocial effects of sports participation in people with severe mental illness. Methodological quality was assessed using the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Studies and a case study tool. Included studies were analysed within a metasynthesis approach. Eight articles involving 56 patients met the inclusion criteria. The results identified the broader and direct psychosocial benefits of sport. Sport provided a “normal” environment and interactions that were not associated with an individual’s mental illness. Sport provided individuals with a sense of meaning, purpose, belonging, identity, and achievement. Other findings are discussed. Direct psychosocial benefits are a consequence of sports participation for the vast majority of individuals with severe mental illness. Further to this, sports participation was associated with a reduction in social isolation and an increase in social confidence, autonomy, and independence.
Expression of P450arom and Estrogen Receptor Alpha in the Oviduct of Chinese Brown Frog (Rana dybowskii) during Prehibernation
Authors: Weng Ji , Liu Yuning , Xu Ying , Hu Ruiqi , Zhang Haolin , Sheng Xia , Watanabe Gen , Taya Kazuyoshi , Weng Qiang , Xu Meiyu
Published: February 2015

One specific physiological phenomenon of Chinese brown frog (Rana dybowskii) is that its oviduct expands prior to hibernation instead of expanding during the breeding period. In this study, we investigated the expression of P450arom and estrogen receptorsαandβ(ERαand ERβ) in the oviduct ofRana dybowskiiduring the breeding period and prehibernation. The results of the present study showed that there were significant differences in both oviductal weight and size with values markedly higher in prehibernation than in the breeding period. P450arom was observed in stromal tissue in both the breeding period and prehibernation. ERαwas expressed in stromal tissue and epithelial cells in both periods, whereas ERβcould not be detected. The mean protein and mRNA levels of P450arom and ERαwere significantly higher in prehibernation as compared to the breeding period. Besides, oviductal content of 17β-estradiol was also higher in prehibernation than in the breeding period. These results suggested that estrogen may play autocrine/paracrine roles mediated by ERαin regulating the oviductal hypertrophy during prehibernation.
Potential of Biosynthesized Silver Nanoparticles as Nanocatalyst for Enhanced Degradation of Cellulose by Cellulase
Authors: Salunke Bipinchandra K. , Sawant Shailesh S. , Kang Tae Koo , Seo Deok Yun , Cha Youngjong , Moon Sun A. , Alkotaini Bassam , Sathiyamoorthi Ezhaveni , Kim Beom Soo
Published: February 2015

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) as a result of their excellent optical and electronic properties are promising catalytic materials for various applications. In this study, we demonstrate a novel approach for enhanced degradation of cellulose using biosynthesized AgNPs in an enzyme catalyzed reaction of cellulose hydrolysis by cellulase. AgNPs were synthesized through reduction of silver nitrate by extracts of five medicinal plants (Mentha arvensis var. piperascens, Buddleja officinalis Maximowicz, Epimedium koreanum Nakai, Artemisia messer-schmidtiana Besser, and Magnolia kobus). An increase of around twofold in reducing sugar formation confirmed the catalytic activity of AgNPs as nanocatalyst. The present study suggests that immobilization of the enzyme onto the surface of the AgNPs can be useful strategy for enhanced degradation of cellulose, which can be utilized for diverse industrial applications.
Influence of Vitamin C Supplementation on Oxidative Stress and Neutrophil Inflammatory Response in Acute and Regular Exercise
Authors: Popovic Ljiljana M. , Mitic Nebojsa R. , Miric Dijana , Bisevac Boban , Miric Mirjana , Popovic Brankica
Published: February 2015

Exercise induces a multitude of physiological and biochemical changes in blood affecting its redox status. Tissue damage resulting from exercise induces activation of inflammatory cells followed by the increased activity of myeloperoxidase (MPO) in circulation. Vitamin C readily scavenges free radicals and may thereby prevent oxidative damage of important biological macromolecules. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of vitamin C supplementation on oxidative stress and neutrophil inflammatory response induced by acute and regular exercise. Experiment was conducted on acute exercise group (performing Bruce Treadmill Protocol (BTP)) and regular training group. Markers of lipid peroxidation, malondialdehyde (MDA), MPO activity, and vitamin C status were estimated at rest and after BTP (acute exercise group) and before and after vitamin C supplementation in both groups. Our results showed increased postexercise Asc in serum independently of vitamin supplementation. They also showed that vitamin C can significantly decrease postexercise MDA level in both experimental groups. Increased postexercise MPO activity has been found in both groups and was not affected by vitamin C supplementation. We concluded that vitamin C supplementation can suppress lipid peroxidation process during exercise but cannot affect neutrophil inflammatory response in either exercise group.
The MLE of the Parameters of a Discrete Competitive System Subject to Environmental Noise
Authors: Xiang Huili , Liu Zhijun
Published: February 2015

A randomized discrete competitive system is investigated and the maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) of the parameters of the system is obtained. Also, a corresponding numerical simulation is offered to support our theoretical results.
On the Feasibility of Unlicensed Communications in the TV White Space: Field Measurements in the UHF Band
Authors: Fadda M. , Popescu V. , Murroni M. , Angueira P. , Morgade J.
Published: February 2015

In practical unlicensed communications in TV band, radio devices have to identify, at first, the transmission opportunities, that is, the portion of the spectrum licensed for broadcasting services unoccupied in a certain region at certain time, that is, the so-called TV white space. In this paper the outcome of field measurements in the UHF TV band (470–860 MHz) conducted in EU is presented. To obtain empirical values for the parameters upon which unlicensed radio devices are able to distinguish in a real scenario between empty and occupied TV channels, signal power measurements have been performed in Italy, Spain, and Romania on rural, suburban, and urban sites, at different heights over the ground by using different analysis bandwidths. The aim of this work is to provide a set of practical parameters upon which harmless unlicensed communication in the UHF TV white space is feasible. The results have been analyzed with respect to the hidden node margin problem, spectrum sensing bandwidth, and occupancy threshold.
Ejaculate Oxidative Stress Is Related with Sperm DNA Fragmentation and Round Cells
Authors: Iommiello Valeria Maria , Albani Elena , Di Rosa Alessandra , Marras Alessandra , Menduni Francesca , Morreale Giovanna , Levi Shanti Lia , Pisano Benedetta , Levi-Setti Paolo Emanuele
Published: February 2015

Oxidative stress (OS) plays an essential role in male infertility aetiology by affecting sperm quality, function, and also the integrity of sperm DNA. The assessment of oxidative stress in semen may be an important tool to improve the evaluation of sperm reproductive capacity. The purpose of this study was the evaluation of any possible relation between the unbalance of oxidative stress caused by superoxide anion in the ejaculate with the presence of sperm DNA fragmentation and high concentration of round cells. 56 semen samples from males from couples suffering from infertility were evaluated according to World Health Organisation (WHO) 2010 guidelines. Oxidative stress levels from N1 (low) to N4 (high) were assessed in ejaculates using oxiSperm; DFI (sperm DNA fragmentation index) as assessed by the SCSA (Sperm Chromatin Structure Assay) was used for evaluation of sperm chromatin integrity. Our data show that high oxidative stress (N3-N4 levels) correlated positively with aDFI≥30%(P=0.0379)and round cells≥1.500.000/mL(P=0.0084). In conclusion, OS increases sperm DNA damage. Thus evaluation of semen OS extent of sperm DNA damage in infertile man could be useful to develop new therapeutic strategies and improve success of assisted reproduction techniques (ART).
Functionalization of Cellulose Fibres with Oxygen Plasma and ZnO Nanoparticles for Achieving UV Protective Properties
Authors: Jazbec Katja , Šala Martin , Mozetič Miran , Vesel Alenka , Gorjanc Marija
Published: February 2015

Low‐pressure oxygen plasma created by an electrodeless radiofrequency (RF) discharge was applied to modify the properties of cellulosic fibrous polymer (cotton) in order to improve adsorption properties towards zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles and to achieve excellent ultraviolet (UV) protective properties of cotton fabric. The chemical and physical surface modifications of plasma‐treated cotton fabric were examined by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The mechanical properties of plasma‐treated samples were evaluated, measuring strength and elongation of the fabrics. The quantity of zinc on the ZnO‐functionalized cotton samples was determined using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP‐MS) and the effectiveness of plasma treatment for UV protective properties of cotton fabrics was evaluated using UV‐VIS spectrometry, measuring the UV protection factor (UPF). The results indicated that longer plasma treatment times cause higher concentration of oxygen functional groups on the surface of fibres and higher surface roughness of fibres. These two conditions are crucial in increasing the content of ZnO nanoparticles on the fibres, providing excellent UV protective properties of treated cotton, with UPF factor up to 65.93.
Cytomegalovirus Colitis with Common Variable Immunodeficiency and Crohn’s Disease
Authors: Ünal Betül , Başsorgun Cumhur İbrahim , Çil Gönülcü Sinem , Uçar Aslı , Çelik Fatih , Elpek Gülsüm Özlem
Published: February 2015

Here we present an eleven-year-old male patient who had been diagnosed with common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) three years ago due to recurrent sinopulmonary infections. Two years later he had been diagnosed with Crohn’s disease (CD) due to diarrhea episodes which were unresponsive to the treatment. Depending on the active gastrointestinal bleeding and perforation he underwent total colectomy. Despite immunoglobulin and antiviral therapies, general condition of patient deteriorated and he died in the postoperative seventh day. Laboratory analysis was seronegative. CMV inclusion containing cells were detected in postmortem biopsies taken from liver, lungs, and lymph nodes.
Information Fusion Based Decoupling Control for Multivariable Nonlinear System
Authors: Zhen Ziyang , Jiang Ju , Wang Zhisheng , Wang Xinhua
Published: February 2015

A decoupling control method based on information fusion estimation for a nonlinear system is presented in the paper. For each main channel and its coupled channels of the system, according to the information fusion theorem, the estimation of the system future state is obtained by fusing the information of the desired output trajectory of the system. Furthermore, approximate optimal control rule is obtained by fusing the system future state information and the control energy soft constraint information. Then an information fusion based decoupling control (IFBDC) system is established for the nonlinear coupled multiple-input multiple-output systems. This system cannot only control every channel to track reference signals, but also control any channel to be decoupled with other channels. Finally, a robot manipulator system is given to investigate the effectiveness of the decoupling control strategy, analyze its key parameters, and analyze the computational cost. The simulation results show that the IFBDC method is characterized by adjustable decoupling degree and high control quality.
Temperature Variability over the Po Valley, Italy, according to Radiosounding Data
Authors: Petkov Boyan Hristozov
Published: February 2015

Temperature variations registered above the southeast part of the Po Valley, Italy, have been examined by applying the principal component analysis of radiosounding profiles recorded during the period from 1987 to 2010. Two datasets, considered to describe intra- and interannual oscillations, respectively, were extracted from the measurements data and the results show that both types of fluctuations can be projected onto four empirical orthogonal functions (EOFs), interpreted as vertical distributions of oscillation amplitudes and four uncorrelated time series that represent the evolution of corresponding EOFs. It was found that intra-annual oscillations composed of periods between 30 and 120 days, together with interannual variations of 1- to 7-year period contribute to the highest extent (about 70%) of the temperature oscillations up to 20 km, changing in both cases the phase in the tropopause region. The other three EOFs indicate prevailing weight of the oscillations in the upper troposphere-low stratosphere region and are characterised by longer periods in both types of fluctuations. The intra-annual variations can be accounted for an interaction between Madden-Julian and Arctic oscillations, while the spectral features of interannual fluctuations could be associated with those of Quasi Biennial, El Niño, and North Atlantic global oscillations.
Benefits and Limitations of Lab-on-a-Chip Method over Reversed-Phase High-Performance Liquid Chromatography Method in Gluten Proteins Evaluation
Authors: Živančev Dragan , Horvat Daniela , Torbica Aleksandra , Belović Miona , Šimić Gordana , Magdić Damir , Đukić Nevena
Published: February 2015

RP-HPLC (reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography) is widely used to determine the amounts of the different gluten protein types. However, this method is time-consuming, especially at early stages of wheat breeding, when large number of samples needs to be analyzed. On the other hand, LoaC (Lab-on-a-Chip) technique has the potential for a fast, reliable, and automatable analysis of proteins. In the present study, benefits and limitations of Lab-on-a-Chip method over RP-HPLC method in gluten proteins evaluation were explored in order to determine in which way LoaC method should be improved in order to make its results more compliant with the results of RP-HPLC method. Strong correlation (P≤0.001) was found between numbers of HMW glutenin peaks determined by LoaC and RP-HPLC methods. Significant correlations (P≤0.05) were obtained between percentages of HMW and LMW glutenin subunits calculated with regard to total HMW + LMW area. Even more significant correlation (P≤0.001) was found when percentages of individual HMW areas were calculated with regard to total HMW. RP-HPLC method showed superiority in determination of gliadins since larger number and better resolution of gliadin peaks were obtained by this method.
Continuous Dependence of the Solutions of Nonlinear Integral Quadratic Volterra Equation on the Parameter
Authors: Dudek Szymon , Olszowy Leszek
Published: February 2015

We prove results on the existence and continuous dependence of solutions of a nonlinear quadratic integral Volterra equation on a parameter. This dependence is investigated in terms of Hausdorff distance. The considerations are placed in the Banach space and the Fréchet space.
Right Atrial Metastatic Melanoma with Unknown Primaries
Authors: Kuriakose Robin , Melvani Rakhi , Gangadharan Venkataramanan , Cowley Michael
Published: February 2015

A 54-year-old male with history of anemia and rheumatoid arthritis presented with a three-month history of dyspnea on exertion and lower extremity edema. Patient was referred for a transthoracic echocardiogram that revealed a large right atrial mass with reduced ejection fraction of 40% and an incidental large liver mass. Subsequent cardiac MRI revealed a lobulated right atrial mass measuring 5.4 cm×5.3 cm with inferior vena cava compression and adjacent multiple large liver lesions confirmed to be malignant melanoma through biopsy. Interestingly, no primaries were found in the patient. PET/CT imaging displayed hypermetabolic masses within the right atrium and liver that likely represent metastases, as well as bilateral pleural effusions, most likely due to heart failure. Preoperative coronary angiogram demonstrated perfusion to the mass by a dense network of neovasculature arising from the mid right coronary artery. The cardiac melanoma was surgically removed, and the right atrium was reconstructed with a pericardial patch. After surgery, all cardiac chambers appeared normal in size and function with associated moderate tricuspid regurgitation. The patient is currently being administered ipilimumab for systemic therapy of metastatic melanoma.
Effects of Acupressure on Fatigue and Depression in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients Treated with Transcatheter Arterial Chemoembolization: A Quasi-Experimental Study
Authors: Lan Su-Chen , Lin Yueh-E , Chen Shu-Ching , Lin Yu-Fang , Wang Yu-Jen
Published: February 2015

This study was to examine the effects of acupressure on fatigue and depression in HCC patients undergoing TACE. A quasiexperimental study design was used. Patients were evaluated at five time points: before treatment (T1) and 2, 3, 4, and 5 days after treating TACE (T2, T3, T4, and T5). Fatigue and depression were assessed by a VAS fatigue scale and a VAS depression scale at each time point. TFRS and BDI were administered at T1 and T5. Patients’ fatigue and depression were significantly higher at T5 than at T1 in two groups. Fatigue and depression increased in both the experimental and control groups’ patients over the five days of hospitalization during which TACE and chemotherapy were administered. The experimental group had significantly less fatigue than the control group, with lower subscale scores on physical, psychosocial, daily, and overall fatigue. There were no differences between the groups on depression. At posttest, the experimental group experienced lower physical, psychosocial, daily, and overall fatigue than the control group. Acupressure can improve fatigue in HCC patients during treatment with TACE but did not alleviate depression. Discharge planning should include home care for management of fatigue and depression.
Optimal Locations of Bus Stops Connecting Subways near Urban Intersections
Authors: Cui Yuan , Chen Shao-kuan , Liu Jian-feng , Jia Wen-zheng
Published: February 2015

Unsuitable locations of bus stops which provide feeder transportation connecting subways near urban intersections usually lead to the low efficiency of public transport and level of passenger service. A multiobjective optimization model to distribute such stop locations is proposed to attain the shortest total walk distance of passengers and minimum delay time of cars through intersections and travel time of buses. The Pareto frontier and optimal solutions for the proposed model are given by the distance-based and enumerative methods. The Xizhimen bus stop is selected to implement case studies for verifying the validity of the proposed model. The analysis of sensitivity on possible solutions is also carried out in the case studies. The results show that the proposed model is capable of optimizing the locations of bus stops connecting subways near intersections and helpful to improve the level of passengers service and operational efficiency of public transportation.
SrAl2O4:Eu2+(,Dy3+) Nanosized Particles: Synthesis and Interpretation of Temperature-Dependent Optical Properties
Authors: Terraschke Huayna , Suta Markus , Adlung Matthias , Mammadova Samira , Musayeva Nahida , Jabbarov Rasim , Nazarov Mihail , Wickleder Claudia
Published: February 2015

SrAl2O4nanosized particles (NPs) undoped as well as doped with Eu2+and Dy3+were prepared by combustion synthesis for the discussion of their intensively debated spectroscopic properties. Emission spectra of SrAl2O4:Eu2+(,Dy3+) NPs are composed by a green band at 19 230 cm−1(520 nm) at room temperature, assigned to anomalous luminescence originated by Eu2+in this host lattice. At low temperatures, a blue emission band at 22 520 cm−1(444 nm) is observed. Contrary to most of the interpretations provided in the literature, we assign this blue emission band very reliably to a normal 4f6(7FJ)5d(t2g)→4f7(8S7/2) transition of Eu2+substituting the Sr2+sites. This can be justified by the presence of a fine structure in the excitation spectra due to the different7FJlevels (J=0⋯6) of the 4f6core. Moreover, Fano antiresonances with the6IJ(J=9/2,7/2) levels could be observed. In addition, the Stokes shifts (ΔES=1980 cm−1and 5 270 cm−1for the blue and green emission, resp.), the Huang-Rhys parameters ofS=2.5and 6, and the average phonon energies ofħω=480 cm-1and 470 cm−1coupled with the electronic states could be reliably determined.
A Further Finite Element Stress Analysis of Angled Abutments for an Implant Placed in the Anterior Maxilla
Authors: Wu Dong , Tian Kebin , Chen Jiang , Jin Hua , Huang Wenxiu , Liu Yuyu
Published: February 2015

To systematically measure and compare the stress distribution on the bone around an implant in the anterior maxilla using angled abutments by means of finite element analysis, three-dimensional finite element simplified patient-specific models and simplified models were created and analyzed. Systematically varied angled abutments were simulated, with angulation ranging from 0° to 60°. The materials in the current study were assumed to be homogenous, linearly elastic, and isotropic. Force of 100 N was applied to the central node on the top surface of the abutments to simulate the occlusal force. To simulate axial and oblique loading, the angle of loading was 0°, 15°, and 20° to the long axis of implant, respectively. There was the strong resemblance between the response curves for simplified patient-specific models and simplified models. Response curves under oblique loading were similar in both models. With abutments angulation increased, maximum von Mises stress firstly decreased to minimum point and then gradually increased to higher level. From a biomechanical point of view, favorable peri-implant stress levels could be induced by angled abutments under oblique loading if suitable angulation of abutments was selected.
Lyapunov Characterization for the Stability of Stochastic Control Systems
Authors: Abedi Fakhreddin , Leong Wah June , Abedi Mohammad
Published: February 2015

Lyapunov-like characterization for the problem of input-to-state stability in the probability of nonautonomous stochastic control systems is established. We extend the well-known Artstein-Sontag theorem to derive the necessary and sufficient conditions for the input-to-state stabilization of stochastic control systems. Illustrating example is provided.
Age-Related Impairment of Quality of Joint Motion in Vibroarthrographic Signal Analysis
Authors: Bączkowicz Dawid , Majorczyk Edyta , Kręcisz Krzysztof
Published: February 2015

Aging is associated with degenerative changes in articular surfaces leading to quantitative and qualitative impairment of joint motion. Therefore, the aim of this study is to evaluate an age-related quality of the patellofemoral joint (PFJ) motion in the vibroarthrographic (VAG) signal analysis. Two hundred and twenty individuals were enrolled in this study and divided into five groups according to age. The VAG signals were collected during flexion/extension knee motion using an acceleration sensor and described using four parameters (VMS, P1, P2, andH). We observed that values of parameters VMS, P1, and P2 increase in accordance with the age, butHlevel decreases. The most significant differences were achieved between the youngest and the oldest participants’ groups. Moreover, we show that parameters VMS, P1, and P2 positively correlate with age, contrary to negatively associatedHparameter. Our results suggest that the impairment of joint motion is a result of age-related osteoarticular degenerative changes.
Gravity Matching Aided Inertial Navigation Technique Based on Marginal Robust Unscented Kalman Filter
Authors: Liu Ming , Chang Guobin
Published: February 2015

This paper is concerned with the topic of gravity matching aided inertial navigation technology using Kalman filter. The dynamic state space model for Kalman filter is constructed as follows: the error equation of the inertial navigation system is employed as the process equation while the local gravity model based on 9-point surface interpolation is employed as the observation equation. The unscented Kalman filter is employed to address the nonlinearity of the observation equation. The filter is refined in two ways as follows. The marginalization technique is employed to explore the conditionally linear substructure to reduce the computational load; specifically, the number of the needed sigma points is reduced from 15 to 5 after this technique is used. A robust technique based on Chi-square test is employed to make the filter insensitive to the uncertainties in the above constructed observation model. Numerical simulation is carried out, and the efficacy of the proposed method is validated by the simulation results.
A Novel Virtual Time Reversal Method for Passive Direction of Arrival Estimation
Authors: Fu Yongqing , Liu Wei , Bai Ruijie , Li Jingrui , Wang Jinlin
Published: February 2015

The paper presents a new method to estimate the two-dimensional (2D) direction of arrival (DOA) (the azimuth angle and the elevation angle) of electromagnetic signal emitted from a single communication station. This method is passive and accurate in the case of low signal-noise ratio (SNR) based on the virtual time reversal (VTR) theory. In order to illustrate its principle, the theoretical formulas of VTR direction finding with uniform circular array (UCA) are derived firstly. Based on these formulas, the implementation scheme for estimating azimuth angle and elevation angle passively is then provided. In the derivation, the strict mathematical proof for compressing planar search area to a curve line is proposed, reducing the complexity of VTR algorithm greatly. Finally, the simulation experiments are performed to validate the performance of VTR algorithm. The results show that the VTR method is effective and it delivers accurate DOA estimation in the case of low SNR.
Prevalence and Predictors of Undiagnosed Hypertension in an Apparently Healthy Western Indian Population
Authors: Shukla Anand N. , Madan Tarun , Thakkar Bhavesh M. , Parmar Meena M. , Shah Komal H.
Published: February 2015

This epidemiological study was designed to evaluate the prevalence of undetected hypertension in an apparently healthy western Indian population having no history of major illness. 3629 individuals of ≥18 years of age were included in the study. Hypertension (HTN) was defined as systolic blood pressure (SBP) ≥ 140 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) ≥ 90 mmHg and prehypertension (PHTN) as SBP ≥ 120–139 mmHg or DBP ≥ 80–89 mmHg, but without HTN. The prevalence of undiagnosed HTN in the total population was 26% and was 11% and 40% in the young (≤40-year) and old (>40-year) populations, respectively. The prevalence of PHTN, 40% in the overall population, was nearly the same in the young (39%) and the old population (42%). The risk factor most strongly associated with PHTN and HTN was obesity, showing the highest odds ratio in the overall (PHTN 2.14; 95% CI 1.20–3.81; HTN 2.72; 95% CI 1.53–4.85), the young (PHTN 2.29; 95% CI 1.25–4.21; HTN 2.92; 95% CI 1.59–5.35), and the old (PHTN 1.13; 95% CI 0.65–1.96; HTN 1.38; 95% CI 0.79–2.4) populations. Hypertension is a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases which must not be ignored, especially in the western Indian population.
Chinese Herbal Medicine for Myelosuppression Induced by Chemotherapy or Radiotherapy: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials
Authors: Jia Youji , Du Huihui , Yao Min , Cui Xuejun , Shi Qi , Wang Yongjun , Yang Yanping
Published: February 2015

Background. Myelosuppression is one of the major side effects of chemo- and radiotherapy in cancer patients and there are no effective interventions to prevent it currently. Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) may be helpful due to its multidrug targets.Objectives.This study was designed to evaluate effectiveness of CHM on preventing patients from experiencing myelosuppression by chemo- or radiotherapy.Search Methods.Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were retrieved from seven different databases from the date of database creation to April 2014. We assessed all included studies using Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions 5.1.0 and performed statistical analysis using RevMan 5.2.1.Results. Eight RCTs were included (818 patients). Pooled data showed that increase of white blood cells (WBCs) is higher with CHM plus chemotherapy/radiotherapy than with chemotherapy/radiotherapy only. Both CHM compared to placebo and CHM combined with chemotherapy/radiotherapy compared to chemotherapy/radiotherapy lacked significant differences in the peripheral platelets, red blood cells (RBCs), and hemoglobin changes.Conclusions.Our results demonstrated that CHM significantly protected peripheral blood WBCs from a decrease caused by chemotherapy or radiotherapy. There were no significant protective effects on peripheral RBCs, hemoglobin, or platelets, which may be related to low quality and small sample of included studies.