bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
WO3Nanowires on Graphene Sheets as Negative Electrode for Supercapacitors
Authors: Liu Bo , Wang Yan , Jiang Hong-Wu , Zou Ben-Xue
Published: February 2017

WO3nanowires directly grown on graphene sheets have been fabricated by using a seed-mediated hydrothermal method. The morphologies and electrochemical performance of WO3films prepared by different process were studied. The results show that the precoated nanoseeds and graphene sheets on graphite electrode provide more reactive centers for the nucleation and formation of uniform WO3nanowires. The WO3nanowires electrode exhibits a high area specific capacitance of 800 mF cm−2over negative potential range from −1.0 V to 0 V versus SCE in 1 M Li2SO4solution. A high performance electrochemical supercapacitor assembled with WO3nanowires as negative electrode and PANI/MnO2as positive electrodes over voltage range of 1.6 V displays a high volumetric capacitance of 2.5 F cm−3, which indicate great potential applications of WO3nanowires on graphene sheets as negative electrode for energy storage devices.
Effect of Wnt Signaling on the Differentiation of Islet β-Cells from Adipose-Derived Stem Cells
Authors: Wang Hefei , Ren Yu , Hu Xiao , Ma Min , Wang Xiao , Liang Hao , Liu Dongjun
Published: February 2017

The Wnt signaling is critical for pancreatic development and islet function; however, its precise effects on the development and function of the β-cells remain controversial. Here we examined mRNA and protein expression of components of the Wnt signaling throughout the differentiation of islet β-cells from adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs). After induction, ADSCs expressed markers of β-cells, including the insulin, PDX1, and glucagon genes, and the PDX1, CK19, nestin, insulin, and C-peptide proteins, indicating their successful differentiation. Compared with pancreatic adult stem cells (PASCs), the quantities of insulin, GLUT2, and Irs2 mRNA decreased, whereas Gcg, Gck, and Irs1 mRNA increased. Over time, during differentiation, insulin mRNA and protein expression increased, Gcg and Gck mRNA expression increased, Irs1 mRNA expression decreased and then increased, and Irs2 mRNA increased and then decreased (all P<0.05). The expression of Dvl-2, LRP5, and GSK3β mRNA as well as the Dvl-2, GSK3β, and p-GSK3β proteins also increased (P<0.05). Expression of TCF7L2 (6–10 d) and β-catenin mRNA as well as the β-catenin protein increased but not significantly (P>0.05). Our results indicate that the Wnt signaling is activated during ADSC differentiation into islet β-cells, but there was no obvious enrichment of nonphosphorylated β-catenin protein.
An End User Development Approach for Mobile Web Augmentation
Authors: Bosetti Gabriela , Firmenich Sergio , Gordillo Silvia E. , Rossi Gustavo , Winckler Marco
Published: February 2017

The trend towards mobile devices usage has made it possible for the Web to be conceived not only as an information space but also as a ubiquitous platform where users perform all kinds of tasks. In some cases, users access the Web with native mobile applications developed for well-known sites, such as, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. These native applications might offer further (e.g., location-based) functionalities to their users in comparison with their corresponding Web sites because they were developed with mobile features in mind. However, many Web applications have no native counterpart and users access them using a mobile Web browser. Although the access to context information is not a complex issue nowadays, not all Web applications adapt themselves according to it or diversely improve the user experience by listening to a wide range of sensors. At some point, users might want to add mobile features to these Web sites, even if those features were not originally supported. In this paper, we present a novel approach to allow end users to augment their preferred Web sites with mobile features.We support our claims by presenting a framework for mobile Web augmentation, an authoring tool, and an evaluation with 21 end users.
Fault Diagnosis Method Based on Information Entropy and Relative Principal Component Analysis
Authors: Xu Xiaoming , Wen Chenglin
Published: February 2017

In traditional principle component analysis (PCA), because of the neglect of the dimensions influence between different variables in the system, the selected principal components (PCs) often fail to be representative. While the relative transformation PCA is able to solve the above problem, it is not easy to calculate the weight for each characteristic variable. In order to solve it, this paper proposes a kind of fault diagnosis method based on information entropy and Relative Principle Component Analysis. Firstly, the algorithm calculates the information entropy for each characteristic variable in the original dataset based on the information gain algorithm. Secondly, it standardizes every variable’s dimension in the dataset. And, then, according to the information entropy, it allocates the weight for each standardized characteristic variable. Finally, it utilizes the relative-principal-components model established for fault diagnosis. Furthermore, the simulation experiments based on Tennessee Eastman process and Wine datasets demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the new method.
A Descriptive Study of Open Fractures Contaminated by Seawater: Infection, Pathogens, and Antibiotic Resistance
Authors: Zhu Hongyi , Li Xingwei , Zheng Xianyou
Published: February 2017

Aims. In this work, the main objectives were to investigate the clinical characteristics and bacterial spectrum present in open fractures contaminated by seawater. Methods. We conducted a retrospective cohort study and included all patients with open fractures from 1st January, 2012, to 31st December, 2015, in our hospital. Patients were grouped based on the presence of seawater contamination in wounds. We compared the infection rate, bacterial spectrum, and antibiotic resistance between the two groups. Results. We totally included 1337 cases of open fracture. Wounds from 107 cases (8.0%) were contaminated by seawater. The wound infection rate of seawater-contaminated group was significantly higher in patients with Gustilo-Anderson Type II and Type III open fractures. The bacterial spectrum from seawater-contaminated wounds was remarkably different from that of the remaining. Antibiotic sensitivity tests revealed that more than 90% of infecting pathogens in seawater-contaminated wounds were sensitive to levofloxacin and ciprofloxacin. Conclusion. Cephalosporin in combination with quinolone was recommended in the early-stage management of open fractures contaminated by seawater.
Right Ventricular Compression Mimicking Brugada-Like Electrocardiogram in a Patient with Recurrent Pectus Excavatum
Authors: Ahn Jinhee , Choi Jong-Il , Shim Jaemin , Lee Sung Ho , Kim Young-Hoon
Published: February 2017

Pectus excavatum (PE), the most common skeletal anomaly of chest wall, sometimes requires a surgical correction but recurrent PE is not uncommon. PE usually has a benign course; however, this chest deformity may be associated with symptomatic tachyarrhythmias due to mechanical compression. We report a case of a patient with recurrent PE after surgical correction presenting with palpitation and electrocardiogram (ECG) showing ST-segment elevation on the right precordial leads, which could be mistaken for a Brugada syndrome (BrS).
Acu‐TENS Reduces Breathlessness during Exercise in People with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Authors: Ngai Shirley P. C. , Spencer Lissa M. , Jones Alice Y. M. , Alison Jennifer A.
Published: February 2017

Background. Exertional dyspnoea limits level of physical activity in people with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). This randomized, double‐blinded, crossover study evaluated the effect of Acu‐TENS, application of Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation on acupoints, on breathlessness during exercise in people with COPD. Methods. Twenty‐one participants, mean% predicted FEV1  50 ± 21%, attended assessment followed by two intervention days, one week apart. On each intervention day, participants performed two endurance shuttle walk tests (ESWT) (Walk 1 and Walk 2). Walk 1 was performed without intervention and Walk 2 was performed with either Acu‐TENS or Sham‐TENS, in random order, for 45 minutes before and during Walk 2. Duration of each ESWT and dyspnoea score at isotime of Walk 1 and Walk 2 on each intervention day were compared. Between‐group differences in ESWT duration and isotime dyspnoea were also compared. Results. At isotime of Walk 1 and Walk 2, Acu‐TENS showed significant reduction in dyspnoea of −0.8 point (95% CI −0.2 to −1.4) but not in Sham‐TENS [0.1 point (95% CI −0.4 to 0.6)]. Compared to Sham‐TENS, Acu‐TENS showed significant reduction in dyspnoea of −0.9 point (95% CI −0.2 to −1.6) while no between‐group significance was found in ESWT duration. Conclusion. Acu‐TENS alleviated dyspnoea during walking in people with COPD but did not increase walking duration.
Malignant Lymphoma in the Psoas Major Muscle
Authors: Akuzawa Nobuhiro , Hatori Takashi , Takase Aya , Aoki Jun , Sakurai Shinji , Kurabayashi Masahiko
Published: February 2017

An 84-year-old Japanese man taking warfarin to prevent cerebral infarction secondary to atrial fibrillation was admitted to our hospital for evaluation of a painless right back mass. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed an oval-shaped mass in the right psoas major muscle. The mass showed high intensity on T1-, T2-, and diffusion-weighted imaging and mimicked an acute-phase hematoma. However, it showed no chronological changes typical of a hematoma, and MRI revealed enlargement of the mass 1 week after admission. Histopathological examination of a biopsy specimen revealed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Although skeletal muscle lymphoma is rare, physicians should be familiar with its MRI characteristics. In addition, determination of the lymphoma subtype has important implications for the treatment of skeletal muscle lymphoma because DLCBL may have an especially poor prognosis.
Promising Therapeutic Strategies for Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Based Cardiovascular Regeneration: From Cell Priming to Tissue Engineering
Authors: Ji Seung Taek , Kim Hyunyun , Yun Jisoo , Chung Joo Seop , Kwon Sang-Mo
Published: February 2017

The primary cause of death among chronic diseases worldwide is ischemic cardiovascular diseases, such as stroke and myocardial infarction. Recent evidence indicates that adult stem cell therapies involving cardiovascular regeneration represent promising strategies to treat cardiovascular diseases. Owing to their immunomodulatory properties and vascular repair capabilities, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are strong candidate therapeutic stem cells for use in cardiovascular regeneration. However, major limitations must be overcome, including their very low survival rate in ischemic lesion. Various attempts have been made to improve the poor survival and longevity of engrafted MSCs. In order to develop novel therapeutic strategies, it is necessary to first identify stem cell modulators for intracellular signal triggering or niche activation. One promising therapeutic strategy is the priming of therapeutic MSCs with stem cell modulators before transplantation. Another is a tissue engineering-based therapeutic strategy involving a cell scaffold, a cell-protein-scaffold architecture made of biomaterials such as ECM or hydrogel, and cell patch- and 3D printing-based tissue engineering. This review focuses on the current clinical applications of MSCs for treating cardiovascular diseases and highlights several therapeutic strategies for promoting the therapeutic efficacy of MSCs in vitro or in vivo from cell priming to tissue engineering strategies, for use in cardiovascular regeneration.
A Rare Cause of Childhood Cerebellitis-Influenza Infection: A Case Report and Systematic Review of Literature
Authors: Gökçe Şule , Kurugol Zafer , Aslan Aslı
Published: February 2017

Acute cerebellitis is a benign neurologic condition generally caused by viral or bacterial infections. Influenza associated cerebellitis is extremely rare; a 6-year-old boy with acute cerebellitis, who presented with fever, vomiting, weakness, febrile seizure, and acute cerebellar features, is discussed in this article.
Tangshen Formula Attenuates Colonic Structure Remodeling in Type 2 Diabetic Rats
Authors: Chen Pengmin , Zhao Jingbo , Zhang Haojun , Yang Xin , Zhao Tingting , Zhang Huicun , Yan Meihua , Pan Lin , Li Xin , Zhang Yun , Li Ping
Published: February 2017

Aim. This study investigated the effect and mechanism of the Chinese herbal medicine Tangshen Formula (TSF) on GI structure remodeling in the rat model of diabetes. Methods. Type 2 diabetic rats were used. Wet weight per unit length, layer thicknesses, levels of collagens I and III, nuclear factor kappa B (NF‐κB), interferon‐γ (IFN‐γ), interleukin‐6 (IL‐6), transforming growth factor‐β1 (TGF‐β1), and Smad2/3 expression in the rat colon were measured. Results. Compared with the control group animals, wet weight and layer thicknesses of the colon increased, and expressions of collagens I and III, NF‐κB, IFN‐γ, IL‐6, TGF‐β1, and Smad2/3 increased significantly in the diabetic animals. TSF inhibited increase in colonic wet weight and layer thicknesses, downregulated expressions of collagens I and III in the mucosal layer, and downregulated expressions of NF‐κB, IFN‐γ, IL‐6, TGF‐β1, and Smad2/3 in the colon wall. Furthermore, level of expression of NF‐κB was associated with those of TGF‐β1 and Smad2/3. Expression of TGF‐β1 was associated with the most histomorphometric parameters including colonic weight, mucosal and muscle thicknesses, and levels of collagens I and III in mucosal layer. Conclusion. TSF appears to attenuate colonic structure remodeling in type 2 diabetic rats through inhibiting the overactivated pathway of NF‐κB, thus reducing expressions of TGF‐β1.
Large‐Scale Portfolio Optimization Using Multiobjective Evolutionary Algorithms and Preselection Methods
Authors: Qu B. Y. , Zhou Q. , Xiao J. M. , Liang J. J. , Suganthan P. N.
Published: February 2017

Portfolio optimization problems involve selection of different assets to invest in order to maximize the overall return and minimize the overall risk simultaneously. The complexity of the optimal asset allocation problem increases with an increase in the number of assets available to select from for investing. The optimization problem becomes computationally challenging when there are more than a few hundreds of assets to select from. To reduce the complexity of large‐scale portfolio optimization, two asset preselection procedures that consider return and risk of individual asset and pairwise correlation to remove assets that may not potentially be selected into any portfolio are proposed in this paper. With these asset preselection methods, the number of assets considered to be included in a portfolio can be increased to thousands. To test the effectiveness of the proposed methods, a Normalized Multiobjective Evolutionary Algorithm based on Decomposition (NMOEA/D) algorithm and several other commonly used multiobjective evolutionary algorithms are applied and compared. Six experiments with different settings are carried out. The experimental results show that with the proposed methods the simulation time is reduced while return‐risk trade‐off performances are significantly improved. Meanwhile, the NMOEA/D is able to outperform other compared algorithms on all experiments according to the comparative analysis.
Tranexamic Acid (TXA) in Trauma Patients: Barriers to Use among Trauma Surgeons and Emergency Physicians
Authors: Alburaih Abdulaziz
Published: February 2017

Objective.Tranexamic Acid (TXA) is currently the only drug with prospective clinical evidence supporting its use in bleeding trauma patients. We sought to better understand the barriers preventing its use and elicit suggestions to further its use in trauma patients in the state of Maryland.Methods. This is a cross-sectional study.Results. The overall response rate was 38%. Half of all participants reported being familiar with the CRASH-2 trial and MATTERs study. Half reported being aware of TXA as part of their institution’s massive transfusion protocol. The majority of participants felt that TXA would have a significant positive impact on the survival of trauma patients. A majority also felt that the use of TXA would increase if its administration was the responsibility of both trauma surgeons and emergency physicians.Conclusion. Only half of responders reported being aware of TXA as being part of their institution’s massive transfusion protocol. Lack of awareness of the clinical data supporting its use is a major barrier. However, most trauma providers and emergency physicians do have a favorable view of TXA and support its incorporation into massive transfusion protocols. We believe that more studies of this kind on both state and national level are needed.
Balanced Transmissions Based Trajectories of Mobile Sink in Homogeneous Wireless Sensor Networks
Authors: Akbar Mariam , Javaid Nadeem , Abdul Wadood , Ghouzali Sanaa , Khan Abid , Niaz Iftikhar Azim , Ilahi Manzoor
Published: February 2017

Mobile Sink (MS) based routing strategies have been widely investigated to prolong the lifetime of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs). In this paper, we propose two schemes for data gathering in WSNs: (i) MS moves on random paths in the network (RMS) and (ii) the trajectory of MS is defined (DMS). In both the schemes, the network field is logically divided into small squares. The center point of each partitioned area is the sojourn location of the MS. We present three linear programming based models: (i) to maximize network lifetime, (ii) to minimize path loss, and (iii) to minimize end to end delay. Moreover, a geometric model is proposed to avoid redundancy while collecting information from the network nodes. Simulation results show that our proposed schemes perform better than the selected existing schemes in terms of the selected performance metrics.
Antidiabetic Effect of Fresh Nopal (Opuntia ficus-indica) in Low‐Dose Streptozotocin‐Induced Diabetic Rats Fed a High‐Fat Diet
Authors: Hwang Seung Hwan , Kang Il-Jun , Lim Soon Sung
Published: February 2017

The objective of the present study was to evaluate α‐glucosidase inhibitory and antidiabetic effects of Nopal water extract (NPWE) and Nopal dry power (NADP) in low‐dose streptozotocin‐ (STZ‐) induced diabetic rats fed a high‐fat diet (HFD). The type 2 diabetic rat model was induced by HFD and low‐dose STZ. The rats were divided into four groups as follows: (1) nondiabetic rats fed a regular diet (RD‐Control); (2) low‐dose STZ‐induced diabetic rats fed HFD (HF‐STZ‐Control); (3) low‐dose STZ‐induced diabetic rats fed HFD and supplemented with NPWE (100 mg/kg body weight, HF‐STZ‐NPWE); and (4) low‐dose STZ‐induced diabetic rats fed HFD and supplemented with comparison medication (rosiglitazone, 10 mg/kg, body weight, HF‐STZ‐Rosiglitazone). In results, NPWE and NADP had IC50 values of 67.33 and 86.68 μg/mL, both of which exhibit inhibitory activities but lower than that of acarbose (38.05 μg/mL) while NPWE group significantly decreased blood glucose levels compared to control and NPDP group on glucose tolerance in the high‐fat diet fed rats model (P < 0.05). Also, the blood glucose levels of HR‐STZ‐NPWE group were significantly lower (P < 0.05) than HR‐STZ‐Control group on low‐dose STZ‐induced diabetic rats fed HFD. Based on these findings, we suggested that NPWE could be considered for the prevention and/or treatment of blood glucose and a potential use as a dietary supplement.
Antifungal Activity of the Ethanol Extract from Flos Rosae Chinensis with Activity against Fluconazole‐Resistant Clinical Candida
Authors: Zhang Lulu , Lin Hui , Liu Wei , Dai Baodi , Yan Lan , Cao YongBing , Jiang Yuan-Ying
Published: February 2017

This study was designed to investigate the antifungal activity of a hydroalcoholic extract from Flos Rosae Chinensis (FRC) combined with fluconazole (FCZ) against clinical isolates of Candida albicans resistant to FCZ. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of FRC was determined using a checkerboard microdilution assay. The synergistic effects of the combination of FRC and FCZ against clinical isolates of C. albicans resistant to FCZ were further confirmed by constructing time‐growth curves and performing an agar diffusion test. FRC alone exerted efficient antifungal activities against C. albicans within a MIC80 ranging from 20 μg/ml to 40 μg/ml. FRC failed to enhance the effects of FCZ against sensitive C. albicans strains, although it rendered FCZ‐resistant C. albicans more sensitive. These results were further confirmed by the result of in vivo study. Our study is the first to discover that FRC can inhibit the growth of C. albicans to a certain degree. An FRC antifungal mechanism study showed that FRC strengthens FCZ to inhibit the action of ergosterol biosynthesis by promoting the transformation of lanosterol to eburicol, suggesting that the antifungal mechanism of FRC involves the inhibition of ergosterol biosynthesis.
Optimization of a Blind Speech Watermarking Technique against Amplitude Scaling
Authors: Nematollahi Mohammad Ali , Vorakulpipat Chalee , Gamboa Rosales Hamurabi
Published: February 2017

This paper presents a gain invariant speech watermarking technique based on quantization of the Lp-norm. In this scheme, first, the original speech signal is divided into different frames. Second, each frame is divided into two vectors based on odd and even indices. Third, quantization index modulation (QIM) is used to embed the watermark bits into the ratio of the Lp-norm between the odd and even indices. Finally, the Lagrange optimization technique is applied to minimize the embedding distortion. By applying a statistical analytical approach, the embedding distortion and error probability are estimated. Experimental results not only confirm the accuracy of the driven statistical analytical approach but also prove the robustness of the proposed technique against common signal processing attacks.
IL-10: A Multifunctional Cytokine in Viral Infections
Authors: Rojas José M. , Avia Miguel , Martín Verónica , Sevilla Noemí
Published: February 2017

The anti-inflammatory master regulator IL-10 is critical to protect the host from tissue damage during acute phases of immune responses. This regulatory mechanism, central to T cell homeostasis, can be hijacked by viruses to evade immunity. IL-10 can be produced by virtually all immune cells, and it can also modulate the function of these cells. Understanding the effects of this multifunctional cytokine is therefore a complex task. In the present review we discuss the factors driving IL-10 production and the cellular sources of the cytokine during antiviral immune responses. We particularly focus on the IL-10 regulatory mechanisms that impact antiviral immune responses and how viruses can use this central regulatory pathway to evade immunity and establish chronic/latent infections.
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Fosfomycin for Treatment of Uncomplicated Urinary Tract Infections in Ontario
Authors: Perrault Louise , Dahan Sybil , Iliza Ange Christelle , LeLorier Jacques , Zhanel George G.
Published: February 2017

Background and Objective. Bacterial resistance to antibiotics traditionally used to treat uncomplicated urinary tract infections (uUTIs) is rising in Canada. We compared the cost-per-patient in Ontario of including fosfomycin (an antibiotic with a low resistance profile) as an option for first-line empirical treatment of uUTIs with current cost of treatment with sulfonamides, fluoroquinolones, and nitrofurantoin.Methods. A decision-tree model was used to perform a cost-minimization analysis. All possible outcomes of a uUTI caused by bacterial species treated with either sulfonamides, fluoroquinolones, nitrofurantoin, or fosfomycin were included.Results. In the base case analysis, the cost-per-patient for treating uUTI with fosfomycin was $105.12. This is similar to the cost-per-patient for each of the other currently reimbursed antibiotics (e.g., $96.19 for sulfonamides, $98.85 for fluoroquinolones, and $99.09 for nitrofurantoins). The weighted average cost-per-patient for treating uUTI was not substantially elevated with the inclusion of fosfomycin in the treatment landscape ($98.41 versus $98.29 with and without fosfomycin, resp.). The sensitivity analyses revealed that most (88.34%) of the potential variation in cost was associated with the probability of progressing to pyelonephritis and hospitalization for pyelonephritis.Conclusion. Fosfomycin in addition to being a safe and effective agent to treat uUTI has a low resistance profile, offers a single-dose treatment administration, and is similar in cost to other reimbursed antibiotics.
AspergillusPericarditis with Tamponade in a Renal Transplant Patient
Authors: Biso Sylvia , Lekkham Rapeepat , Climaco Antoinette
Published: February 2017

Aspergilluspericarditis is a rare and life-threatening infection in immunosuppressed patients. It has nonspecific clinical manifestations that often mimic other disease entities especially in patients who have extensive comorbidities. Diagnosis is oftentimes delayed and rarely done antemortem. A high degree of suspicion in immunocompromised patients is necessary for evaluation and timely diagnosis. This is a case ofAspergilluspericarditis with cardiac tamponade in a renal transplant patient with liver cirrhosis. Two months after transplant, he developed decompensation of his cirrhosis from hepatitis C, acute cellular rejection, andKluyverabacteremia, followed by vancomycin-resistantEnterococcus faecium(VRE) bacteremia. Four months after transplant, the patient presented with lethargy and fluid overload. He subsequently developed shock and ventilator-dependent respiratory failure. An echocardiogram showed pericardial effusion with cardiac tamponade. He had emergent pericardiocentesis that showed purulent drainage. He was started on broad-spectrum antibiotics. Amphotericin B was initiated when the pericardial fluid grew mold that was later identified asAspergillus fumigatus. The patient quickly decompensated and expired.
Capacity Fast Prediction and Residual Useful Life Estimation of Valve Regulated Lead Acid Battery
Authors: He Qin , Zha Yabing , Sun Quan , Pan Zhengqiang , Liu Tianyu
Published: February 2017

The usable capacity of acid lead batteries is often used as the degradation feature for online RUL (residual useful life) estimation. In engineering applications, the “standard” fully discharging method for capacity measure is quite time‐consuming and harmful for the high‐capacity batteries. In this paper, a data‐driven framework providing capacity fast prediction and RUL estimation for high‐capacity VRLA (valve regulated lead acid) batteries is presented. These batteries are used as backup power sources on the ships. The relationship between fully discharging time and partially discharging voltage curve is established for usable capacity extrapolation. Based on the predicted capacity, the particle filtering approach is utilized to obtain battery RUL distribution. A case study is conducted with the experimental data of GFM‐200 battery. Results confirm that our method not only reduces the prediction time greatly but also performs quite well in prediction accuracy of battery capacity and RUL.
Awareness of Health Implications of Agrochemical Use: Effects on Maize Production in Ejura-Sekyedumase Municipality, Ghana
Authors: Mabe Franklin N. , Talabi Kwadwo , Danso-Abbeam Gideon
Published: February 2017

This study assessed factors that affect awareness of health implications of agrochemical use and its effects on maize production in Ejura-Sekyedumase Municipality of Ashanti Region, Ghana. One hundred and fifty-four (154) maize farmers were randomly sampled from the municipality. The study used awareness indicators to estimate an index representing farmers’ awareness levels of health implications of agrochemical use. An ordered logit compliment with multivariate linear regression model was used to identify the drivers of farmers’ awareness level of health implications of agrochemical use. Also, a multivariate linear regression model was used to analyze the effects of health implications of agrochemical use on maize output. On average, the respondents have the moderate awareness level of health implications of agrochemical use (0.578). The awareness level was significantly explained by education, the number of children in school, ownership of TV/radio, experience in agrochemicals use, and farm size. The multivariate linear regression results showed that awareness levels of health implications of agrochemical use increase maize output. It is therefore recommended that interventions aimed at increasing farmers’ awareness levels of health implications of agrochemicals use should focus on educating farmers through interactive radio discussion and training sessions on the field and incorporate safety use of agrochemical in our educational curriculum.
Carrageenan Based Bionanocomposites as Drug Delivery Tool with Special Emphasis on the Influence of Ferromagnetic Nanoparticles
Authors: Kalsoom Khan Abida , Saba Ain Us , Nawazish Shamyla , Akhtar Fahad , Rashid Rehana , Mir Sadullah , Nasir Bushra , Iqbal Furqan , Afzal Samina , Pervaiz Fahad , Murtaza Ghulam
Published: February 2017

Over the past few years, considerable attention has been focused on carrageenan based bionanocomposites due to their multifaceted properties like biodegradability, biocompatibility, and nontoxicity. Moreover, these composites can be tailored according to the desired purpose by using different nanofillers. The role of ferromagnetic nanoparticles in drug delivery is also discussed here in detail. Moreover, this article also presents a short review of recent research on the different types of the carrageenan based bionanocomposites and applications.
Interferon-Gamma Release Assay Performance of Cerebrospinal Fluid and Peripheral Blood in Tuberculous Meningitis in China
Authors: Pan Liping , Liu Fei , Zhang Jinli , Yang Xinting , Zheng Shiqi , Li Jing , Jia Hongyan , Chen Xiaoyou , Gao Mengqiu , Zhang Zongde
Published: February 2017

The aim of this study was to examine the performance of T-SPOT.TB on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and peripheral blood (PB) in diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis (TBM) in China. Of 100 patients with presumed TBM prospectively enrolled from Sep 2012 to Oct 2014, 53 were TBM (21 definite and 32 probable TBM cases) and 37 were non-TBM cases; the other 10 patients were excluded from analysis due to inconclusive diagnosis, no sufficient CSF samples, or incomplete follow-up. T-SPOT.TB on CSF and PB and routine laboratory tests of CSF were performed simultaneously. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and cut-off value of CSF T-SPOT.TB and routine CSF parameters were established between TBM and non-TBM group. The area under ROC curve (AUC) of the T-SPOT.TB on CSF and PB was 0.81 and 0.89, which was higher than that of the routine CSF parameters (AUC 0.67–0.77). Although the sensitivity of CSF T-SPOT.TB was lower than that of PB T-SPOT.TB (60.8% versus 90.6%,P<0.001), the specificity of CSF T-SPOT.TB was significantly higher than that of PB T-SPOT.TB (97.2% versus 75.7%,P=0.007). These results indicated that the diagnostic accuracies of PB and CSF T-SPOT.TB are higher than routine laboratory tests. Furthermore, the higher specificity of CSF T-SPOT.TB makes it a useful rule-in test in rapid diagnosis of TBM.
Indigenous Uses and Pharmacological Activity of Traditional Medicinal Plants in Mount Taibai, China
Authors: Chang Na , Luo Ziwen , Li Dengwu , Song Huiying
Published: February 2017

This study was carried out to investigate the indigenous use and pharmacological activity of traditional medicinal plants of Mount Taibai, China. Pharmacological data were collected by conducting informal interviews with local experienced doctors practicing traditional Chinese medicine and via open‐ended questionnaires on villagers. We conclude that the residents of Mt. Taibai possess rich pharmacological knowledge. This study may help identify high‐value traditional medicinal plant species, promote economic development associated with local medicinal plants, and increase awareness from government departments.
Relation between the Atmospheric Boundary Layer and Impact Factors under Severe Surface Thermal Conditions
Authors: Ao Yinhuan , Li Jiangang , Li Zhaoguo , Lyu Shihua , Jiang Cailian , Wang Minzhong
Published: February 2017

This paper reported a comprehensive analysis on the diurnal variation of the Atmospheric Boundary Layer (ABL) in summer of Badain Jaran Desert and discussed deeply the effect of surface thermal to ABL, including the Difference in Surface-Air Temperature (DSAT), net radiation, and sensible heat, based on limited GPS radiosonde and surface observation data during two intense observation periods of experiments. The results showed that (1) affected by topography of the Tibetan Plateau, the climate provided favorable external conditions for the development of Convective Boundary Layer (CBL), (2) deep CBL showed a diurnal variation of three- to five-layer structure in clear days and five-layer ABL structure often occurred about sunset or sunrise, (3) the diurnal variation of DSAT influenced thickness of ABL through changes of turbulent heat flux, (4) integral value of sensible heat which rapidly converted by surface net radiation had a significant influence on the growth of CBL throughout daytime. The cumulative effect of thick RML dominated the role after CBL got through SBL in the development stage, especially in late summer, and (5) the development of CBL was promoted and accelerated by the variation of wind field and distribution of warm advection in high and low altitude.
Complexity Analysis of Electroencephalogram Dynamics in Patients with Parkinson’s Disease
Authors: Liu Guotao , Zhang Yanping , Hu Zhenghui , Du Xiuquan , Wu Wanqing , Xu Chenchu , Wang Xiangyang , Li Shuo
Published: February 2017

In this study, a new combination scheme has been proposed for detecting Parkinson’s disease (PD) from electroencephalogram (EEG) signal recorded from normal subjects and PD patients. The scheme is based on discrete wavelet transform (DWT), sample entropy (SampEn), and the three-way decision model in analysis of EEG signal. The EEG signal is noisy and nonstationary, and, as a consequence, it becomes difficult to distinguish it visually. However, the scheme is a well-established methodology in analysis of EEG signal in three stages. In the first stage, the DWT was applied to acquire the split frequency information; here, we use three-level DWT to decompose EEG signal into approximation and detail coefficients; in this stage, we aim to remove the useless and noise information and acquire the effective information. In the second stage, as the SampEn has advantage in analyzing the EEG signal, we use the approximation coefficient to compute the SampEn values. Finally, we detect the PD patients using three-way decision based on optimal center constructive covering algorithm (O_CCA) with the accuracy about 92.86%. Without DWT as preprocessing step, the detection rate reduces to 88.10%. Overall, the combination scheme we proposed is suitable and efficient in analyzing the EEG signal with higher accuracy.
Mesenchymal Stem Cell Administration in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: State of the Science
Authors: Cheng Shih-Lung , Lin Ching-Hsiung , Yao Chao-Ling
Published: February 2017

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have chronic, irreversible airway inflammation; currently, there is no effective or curative treatment and the main goals of COPD management are to mitigate symptoms and improve patients’ quality of life. Stem cell based therapy offers a promising therapeutic approach that has shown potential in diverse degenerative lung diseases. Preclinical studies have demonstrated encouraging outcomes of mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) therapy for lung disorders including emphysema, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, fibrosis, and acute respiratory distress syndrome. This review summarizes available data on 15 studies currently registered by the ClinicalTrials.gov repository, which used different stem cell therapy protocols for COPD; these included bone marrow mononuclear cells (BMMCs), bone marrow-derived MSCs, adipose-derived stem/stromal cells (ADSCs), and adipose-derived MSCs. Published results of three trials indicate that administering BMMCs or MSCs in the setting of degenerative lung disease is safe and may improve patients’ condition and quality of life; however, larger-scale studies are needed to evaluate efficacy. Results of another completed trial (NCT01872624) are not yet published, and eleven other studies are ongoing; these include MSCs therapy in emphysema, several studies of ADSCs in COPD, another in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, and plerixafor mobilization of CD117 stem cells to peripheral blood.
Dyslipidaemia and Medical Outcome (Health Related Quality of Life) in Patients with Schizophrenia Taking Antipsychotics in Enugu, Nigeria
Authors: Olose Emmanuel Omamurhomu , Edet John , Igwe Monday Nwite , Chukwujekwu Donald Chidozie , Aguocha Miriam Chinyere , Uwakwe Richard
Published: February 2017

Aim. Determine association between use (and type) of antipsychotics and dyslipidaemia in newly diagnosed schizophrenia patients attending Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Enugu.Methods. From sixty antipsychotic naive patients with schizophrenia and sixty first-degree relatives matched for gender and age, fasting blood lipid profiles were measured at baseline and after twelve weeks. Medical Outcome Study Short Form General Health Survey was administered to patients on both occasions. Fasting lipid profile changes of both groups were compared.Results. Mean endpoint of total cholesterol (TC), low density lipoprotein (LD), and triglycerides (TG) in mmol/l for cases was significantly higher than initial values (TC 4.5 versus 4.3,t=4.3,p<0.0001), (LDL 2.8 versus 2.6,t=14.3,p<0.0001), and (TG 1.3 versus 1.0,t=12.1,p<0.0001). Mean endpoint of high density lipoprotein (HDL) in mmol/l for cases was significantly lower than initial values (1.1 versus 1.2,t=12.1,p<0.0001). Prevalence of dyslipidaemia for cases was 13%. Mean endpoint of TC, LDL, TG, and HDL in mmol/l for controls was not significantly different from initial values (TC 4.30 versus 4.27,t=1.09,p=0.279), (LDL 2.49 versus 2.46,t=1.28,p=0.205), (TG 0.96 versus 0.94,t=1.27,p=0.207), and (HDL 1.37 versus 1.38,t=1.61,p=0.113). Subjects on atypical antipsychotics had higher risk for dyslipidaemia.Conclusion. Use of antipsychotics was significantly associated with dyslipidaemia.
Exploration of Nitrate Reductase Metabolic Pathway inCorynebacterium pseudotuberculosis
Authors: Almeida Sintia , Sousa Cassiana , Abreu Vinícius , Diniz Carlos , Dorneles Elaine M. S. , Lage Andrey P. , Barh Debmalya , Azevedo Vasco
Published: February 2017

Based on the ability of nitrate reductase synthesis,Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosisis classified into two biovars: Ovis and Equi. Due to the presence of nitrate reductase, the Equi biovar can survive in absence of oxygen. On the other hand, Ovis biovar that does not have nitrate reductase is able to adapt to various ecological niches and can grow on certain carbon sources. Apart from these two biovars, some other strains are also able to carry out the reduction of nitrate. The enzymes that are involved in electron transport chain are also identified by in silico methods. Findings about pathogen metabolism can contribute to the identification of relationship between nitrate reductase and theC. pseudotuberculosispathogenicity, virulence factors, and discovery of drug targets.
An Evolutionary Method for Financial Forecasting in Microscopic High-Speed Trading Environment
Authors: Huang Chien-Feng , Li Hsu-Chih
Published: February 2017

The advancement of information technology in financial applications nowadays have led to fast market-driven events that prompt flash decision-making and actions issued by computer algorithms. As a result, today’s markets experience intense activity in the highly dynamic environment where trading systems respond to others at a much faster pace than before. This new breed of technology involves the implementation of high-speed trading strategies which generate significant portion of activity in the financial markets and present researchers with a wealth of information not available in traditional low-speed trading environments. In this study, we aim at developing feasible computational intelligence methodologies, particularly genetic algorithms (GA), to shed light on high-speed trading research using price data of stocks on the microscopic level. Our empirical results show that the proposed GA-based system is able to improve the accuracy of the prediction significantly for price movement, and we expect this GA-based methodology to advance the current state of research for high-speed trading and other relevant financial applications.
On the Wind Energy Resource and Its Trend in the East China Sea
Authors: Osinowo Adekunle Ayodotun , Lin Xiaopei , Zhao Dongliang , Zheng Kaiwen
Published: February 2017

This study utilizes a 30-year (1980–2009) 10 m wind field dataset obtained from the European Center for Medium Range Weather Forecast to investigate the wind energy potential in the East China Sea (ECS) by using Weibull shape and scale parameters. The region generally showed good wind characteristics. The calculated annual mean of the wind power resource revealed the potential of the region for large-scale grid-connected wind turbine applications. Furthermore, the spatiotemporal variations showed strong trends in wind power in regions surrounding Taiwan Island. These regions were evaluated with high wind potential and were rated as excellent locations for installation of large wind turbines for electrical energy generation. Nonsignificant and negative trends dominated the ECS and the rest of the regions; therefore, these locations were found to be suitable for small wind applications. The wind power density exhibited an insignificant trend in the ECS throughout the study period. The trend was strongest during spring and weakest during autumn.
Pure Primary Ovarian Squamous Cell Carcinoma Perforating the Rectum
Authors: Mimura Kazuya , Okada Aiko , Haraguchi Naotsugu , Sawada Kenjiro , Tomimatsu Takuji , Kimura Tadashi
Published: February 2017

Rectal perforation is uncommon in ovarian cancer, even in advanced stages. Pure primary ovarian squamous cell carcinoma is a very rare subtype of ovarian cancer and has not been reported to cause rectal perforation. A 50-year-old woman presented with rectal bleeding. Rectosigmoidoscopy suggested perforation of a pelvic tumor into the rectum. Abdominopelvic magnetic resonance imaging revealed a 9 cm heterogeneous mass in the pouch of Douglas. We performed complete cytoreduction, including an en-bloc resection of the tumor and rectosigmoid colon. Histopathology showed squamous cell carcinoma of the left ovary penetrating the rectal wall. A common symptom of rectal bleeding was caused by a very rare entity of ovarian cancer penetrating the rectal wall, but thorough evaluation led to its accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment.
Automatic Segmentation for Plant Leaves via Multiview Stereo Reconstruction
Authors: Guo Jingwei , Xu Lihong
Published: February 2017

This paper presented a new method for automatic plant point cloud acquisition and leaves segmentation. Quasi‐dense point cloud of the plant is obtained from multiview stereo reconstruction based on surface expansion. In order to overcome the negative effects from complex natural light changes and to obtain a more accurate plant point cloud, the Adaptive Normalized Cross‐Correlation algorithm is used in calculating the matching cost between two images, which is robust to radiometric factors and can reduce the fattening effect around boundaries. In the stage of segmentation for each single leaf, an improved region growing method based on fully connected conditional random field (CRF) is proposed to separate the connected leaves with similar color. The method has three steps: boundary erosion, initial segmentation, and segmentation refinement. First, the edge of each leaf point cloud is eroded to remove the connectivity between leaves. Then leaves will be initially segmented by region growing algorithm based on local surface normal and curvature. Finally an efficient CRF inference method based on mean field approximation is applied to remove small isolated regions. Experimental results show that our multiview stereo reconstruction method is robust to illumination changes and can obtain accurate color point clouds. And the improved region growing method based on CRF can effectively separate the connected leaves in obtained point cloud.
Steady-State Therapy with Azithromycin or Low-Dose Prednisolone in Paediatric Cystic Fibrosis Patients: Inflammatory Markers and Disease Progression
Authors: Shmarina Galina , Pukhalsky Alexander , Avakian Lucine , Semykin Sergey , Pukhalskaya Daria , Alioshkin Vladimir
Published: February 2017

Background: Anti-inflammatory therapy is a logical approach to slowing the inevitable lung function deterioration in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. This study's aim was to evaluate inflammatory markers and disease progression in paediatric CF patients chronically treated with azithromycin or low-dose prednisolone. Methods: The study included 204 patients with CF and 100 healthy controls; 102 CF patients were treated with basic therapy only (without anti-inflammatory treatment; WAT), and 102 individuals received basic therapy along with azithromycin (n = 59) or low-dose prednisolone (n = 43). The median duration of therapy was 24 months (range 12-82) with azithromycin and 31 months (range 12-180) with prednisolone. A cross-sectional analysis of plasma and sputum biomarkers was performed. Results: Compared with the healthy controls, the WAT group showed elevated IFN-γ, IL-10 (total), and TGFβ1 concentrations, and decreased TNFα (total) and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) levels (all p < 0.05). Plasma TNFα (total) concentrations in azithromycin/prednisolone patients were significantly higher than those in WAT patients and similar to those of healthy children. In contrast, IL-10 (total) levels were significantly decreased in azithromycin/prednisolone-treated patients compared with WAT patients. Children from the azithromycin group demonstrated ACTH levels similar to those of healthy controls. Azithromycin-treated patients showed a significantly reduced rate of CF-related liver disease and a significantly increased incidence of glucose metabolism disturbances. Conclusions: Steady-state anti-inflammatory treatments may have a sustained immunomodulatory action at systemic and local levels in CF patients. Further investigations are needed to assess the effects of supportive azithromycin therapy on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and the incidence of non-pulmonary CF complications.