bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Towards Implicit User Modeling Based on Artificial Intelligence, Cognitive Styles and Web Interaction Data
Authors: Papatheocharous Efi , Belk Marios , Germanakos Panagiotis , Samaras George
Published: April 2014

A key challenge of adaptive interactive systems is to provide a positive user experience by extracting implicitly the users' unique characteristics through their interactions with the system, and dynamically adapting and personalizing the system's content presentation and functionality. Among the different dimensions of individual differences that could be considered, this work utilizes the cognitive styles of users as determinant factors for personalization. The overarching goal of this paper is to increase our understanding about the effect of cognitive styles of users on their navigation behavior and content representation preference. We propose a Web-based tool, utilizing Artificial Intelligence techniques, to implicitly capture and find any possible relations between the cognitive styles of users and their characteristics in navigation behavior and content representation preference by using their Web interaction data. The proposed tool has been evaluated with a user study revealing that cognitive styles of users have an effect on their navigation behavior and content representation preference. Research works like the reported one are useful for improving implicit and intelligent user modeling in engineering adaptive interactive systems.
Permanence of a diffusive Leslie–Gower predator–prey model incorporating a prey refuge
Authors: Yang Wensheng
Published: April 2014

The diffusive Leslie–Gower predator–prey model incorporating a prey refuge is reconsidered here. Sufficient and necessary conditions which guarantee the predator and the prey species to be permanent are obtained, and our results supplement earlier ones.
A Quality of Experience Model for Haptic Virtual Environments
Authors: Hamam Abdelwahab , Saddik Abdulmotaleb El , Alja'am Jihad
Published: April 2014

Haptic-based Virtual Reality (VR) applications have many merits. What is still obscure, from the designer's perspective of these applications, is the experience the users will undergo when they use the VR system. Quality of Experience (QoE) is an evaluation metric from the user's perspective that unfortunately has received limited attention from the research community. Assessing the QoE of VR applications reflects the amount of overall satisfaction and benefits gained from the application in addition to laying the foundation for ideal user-centric design in the future. In this article, we propose a taxonomy for the evaluation of QoE for multimedia applications and in particular VR applications. We model this taxonomy using a Fuzzy logic Inference System (FIS) to quantitatively measure the QoE of haptic virtual environments. We build and test our FIS by conducting a users' study analysis to evaluate the QoE of a haptic game application. Our results demonstrate that the proposed FIS model reflects the user's estimation of the application's quality significantly with low error and hence is suited for QoE evaluation.
Saving Energy in Mobile Devices for On-Demand Multimedia Streaming -- A Cross-Layer Approach
Authors: Hoque Mohammad Asharful , Siekkinen Matti , Nurminen Jukka K. , Tarkoma Sasu , Aalto Mika
Published: April 2014

This article proposes a novel energy-efficient multimedia delivery system called EStreamer. First, we study the relationship between buffer size at the client, burst-shaped TCP-based multimedia traffic, and energy consumption of wireless network interfaces in smartphones. Based on the study, we design and implement EStreamer for constant bit rate and rate-adaptive streaming. EStreamer can improve battery lifetime by 3x, 1.5x, and 2x while streaming over Wi-Fi, 3G, and 4G, respectively.
Decoupling noise and features via weighted ℓ
1
-analysis compressed sensing
Authors: Wang Ruimin , Yang Zhouwang , Liu Ligang , Deng Jiansong , Chen Falai
Published: April 2014

Many geometry processing applications are sensitive to noise and sharp features. Although there are a number of works on detecting noise and sharp features in the literature, they are heuristic. On one hand, traditional denoising methods use filtering operators to remove noise, however, they may blur sharp features and shrink the object. On the other hand, noise makes detection of features, which relies on computation of differential properties, unreliable and unstable. Therefore, detecting noise and features on discrete surfaces still remains challenging.

In this article, we present an approach for decoupling noise and features on 3D shapes. Our approach consists of two phases. In the first phase, a base mesh is estimated from the input noisy data by a global Laplacian regularization denoising scheme. The estimated base mesh is guaranteed to asymptotically converge to the true underlying surface with probability one as the sample size goes to infinity. In the second phase, an ℓ
1
-analysis compressed sensing optimization is proposed to recover sharp features from the residual between base mesh and input mesh. This is based on our discovery that sharp features can be sparsely represented in some coherent dictionary which is constructed by the pseudo-inverse matrix of the Laplacian of the shape. The features are recovered from the residual in a progressive way. Theoretical analysis and experimental results show that our approach can reliably and robustly remove noise and extract sharp features on 3D shapes.
Computing smooth surface contours with accurate topology
Authors: Bénard Pierre , Hertzmann Aaron , Kass Michael
Published: April 2014

This article introduces a method for accurately computing the visible contours of a smooth 3D surface for stylization. This is a surprisingly difficult problem, and previous methods are prone to topological errors, such as gaps in the outline. Our approach is to generate, for each viewpoint, a new triangle mesh with contours that are topologically equivalent and geometrically close to those of the original smooth surface. The contours of the mesh can then be rendered with exact visibility. The core of the approach is
Contour Consistency,
a way to prove topological equivalence between the contours of two surfaces. Producing a surface tessellation that satisfies this property is itself challenging; to this end, we introduce a type of triangle that ensures consistency at the contour. We then introduce an iterative mesh generation procedure, based on these ideas. This procedure does not fully guarantee consistency, but errors are not noticeable in our experiments. Our algorithm can operate on any smooth input surface representation; we use Catmull-Clark subdivision surfaces in our implementation. We demonstrate results computing contours of complex 3D objects, on which our method eliminates the contour artifacts of other methods.
Deformation embedding for point-based elastoplastic simulation
Authors: Jones Ben , Ward Stephen , Jallepalli Ashok , Perenia Joseph , Bargteil Adam W.
Published: April 2014

We present a straightforward, easy-to-implement, point-based approach for animating elastoplastic materials. The core idea of our approach is the introduction of
embedded space
—the least-squares best fit of the material's rest state into three dimensions. Nearest-neighbor queries in the embedded space efficiently update particle neighborhoods to account for plastic flow. These queries are simpler and more efficient than remeshing strategies employed in mesh-based finite element methods. We also introduce a new estimate for the volume of a particle, allowing particle masses to vary spatially and temporally with fixed density. Our approach can handle simultaneous extreme elastic and plastic deformations. We demonstrate our approach on a variety of examples that exhibit a wide range of material behaviors.
Dissecting User Behaviors for a Simultaneous Live and VoD IPTV System
Authors: Liu Ning , Cui Huajie , Chan S.-H. Gary , Chen Zhipeng , Zhuang Yirong
Published: April 2014

IPTV services deployed nowadays often consist of both live TV and Video-on-Demand (VoD), offered by the same service provider to the same pool of users over the same managed network. Understanding user behaviors in such a setting is hence an important step for system modelling and optimization. Previous studies on user behavior on video services were on
either
live TV
or
VoD. For the first time, we conduct an in-depth large-scale behavior study for IPTV users offering simultaneously live TV and VoD choices at the same time. Our data is from the largest IPTV service provider in China, offering hundreds of live channels and hundreds of thousands of VoD files, with traces covering more than 1.9 million users over a period of 5 months. This large dataset provides us a unique opportunity to cross-compare user viewing behaviors for these services on the same platform, and sheds valuable insights on how users interact with such a simultaneous system.

Our results lead to new understanding on IPTV user behaviors which have strong implications on system design. For example, we find that the average holding time for VoD is significantly longer than live TV. live TV users tend to surf more. However, if such channel surfing is discounted, the holding times of both services are not much different. While users in VoD tend to view HD longer, channel popularity for live TV is much less dependent on its video quality. In contrast to some popular assumptions on user interactivity, the transitions among live TV, VoD, and offline modes are far from a Markov model.
Protecting the Content Integrity of Digital Imagery with Fidelity Preservation
Authors: Botta Marco , Cavagnino Davide , Pomponiu Victor
Published: April 2014

Fragile watermarking has attracted a lot of attention in the last decade. An interesting approach, presented in 2011 by Lin et al., results in very high quality of the watermarked images. However, after a thorough examination of the paper, a few improvements are proposed in our revised version of the algorithm in order to overcome some shortcomings. In particular, changes to the pseudocode and modifications to deal with pixel saturation are suggested, along with a way to improve the scheme security. Finally, a deeper analysis of the security is presented.
Experiments with Mobile Drama in an Instrumented Museum for Inducing Conversation in Small Groups
Authors: Callaway Charles , Stock Oliviero , Dekoven Elyon
Published: April 2014

Small groups can have a better museum visit when that visit is both a social and an educational occasion. The unmediated discussion that often ensues during a shared cultural experience, especially when it is with a small group whose members already know each other, has been shown by ethnographers to be important for a more enriching experience. We present DRAMATRIC, a mobile presentation system that delivers hour-long dramas to small groups of museum visitors. DRAMATRIC continuously receives sensor data from the museum environment during a museum visit and analyzes group behavior from that data. On the basis of that analysis, DRAMATRIC delivers a series of dynamically coordinated dramatic scenes about exhibits that the group walks near, each designed to stimulate group discussion. Each drama presentation contains small, complementary differences in the narrative content heard by the different members of the group, leveraging the tension/release cycle of narrative to naturally lead visitors to fill in missing pieces in their own drama by interacting with their fellow group members. Using four specific techniques to produce these coordinated narrative variations, we describe two experiments: one in a neutral, nonmobile environment, and the other a controlled experiment with a full-scale drama in an actual museum. The first experiment tests the hypothesis that narrative differences will lead to increased conversation compared to hearing identical narratives, whereas the second experiment tests whether switching from presenting a drama using one technique to using another technique for the subsequent drama will result in increased conversation. The first experiment shows that hearing coordinated narrative variations can in fact lead to significantly increased conversation. The second experiment also serves as a framework for future studies that evaluate strategies for similar adaptive systems.
Feeding a hungry world
Authors: Woldt Wayne , Frew Eric , Meyer George
Published: April 2014

The fusion of next generation sensors and advanced information systems, combined with advances in unmanned aircraft systems that have emerged through aerospace engineering technologies, will contribute to the challenge of feeding our future world in a sustainable manner. Without these advances, the world may find itself short of food and perhaps on the brink of global conflict.
Journalism with flying robots
Authors: Waite Matt
Published: April 2014

The use of unmanned aerial drones will revolutionize news reporting, but many issues need to be resolved before things can really take off.
Immediate Effects of Neurodynamic Sliding versus Muscle Stretching on Hamstring Flexibility in Subjects with Short Hamstring Syndrome
Authors: Castellote-Caballero Yolanda , Valenza Maríe C. , Puentedura Emilio J. , Fernández-de-las-Peñas César , Alburquerque-Sendín Francisco
Published: April 2014

Background. Hamstring injuries continue to affect active individuals and although inadequate muscle extensibility remains a commonly accepted factor, little is known about the most effective method to improve flexibility.Purpose. To determine if an isolated neurodynamic sciatic sliding technique would improve hamstring flexibility to a greater degree than stretching or a placebo intervention in asymptomatic subjects with short hamstring syndrome (SHS).Study Design. Randomized double-blinded controlled trial.Methods. One hundred and twenty subjects with SHS were randomized to 1 of 3 groups: neurodynamic sliding, hamstring stretching, and placebo control. Each subject’s dominant leg was measured for straight leg raise (SLR) range of motion (ROM) before and after interventions. Data were analyzed with a3×2mixed model ANOVA followed by simple main effects analyses.Results. At the end of the study, more ROM was observed in the Neurodynamic and Stretching groups compared to the Control group and more ROM in the Neurodynamic group compared to Stretching group.Conclusion. Findings suggest that a neurodynamic sliding technique will increase hamstring flexibility to a greater degree than static hamstring stretching in healthy subjects with SHS.Clinical Relevance. The use of neurodynamic sliding techniques to improve hamstring flexibility in sports may lead to a decreased incidence in injuries; however, this needs to be formally tested.
Interactions between Identity and Emotional Expression in Face Processing across the Lifespan: Evidence from Redundancy Gains
Authors: Yankouskaya Alla , Rotshtein Pia , Humphreys Glyn W.
Published: April 2014

We tested how aging affects the integration of visual information from faces. Three groups of participants aged 20–30, 40–50, and 60–70 performed a divided attention task in which they had to detect the presence of a target facial identity or a target facial expression. Three target stimuli were used: (1) with the target identity but not the target expression, (2) with the target expression but not the target identity, and (3) with both the target identity and target expression (the redundant target condition). On nontarget trials the faces contained neither the target identity nor expression. All groups were faster in responding to a face containing both the target identity and emotion compared to faces containing either single target. Furthermore the redundancy gains for combined targets exceeded performance limits predicted by the independent processing of facial identity and emotion. These results are held across the age range. The results suggest that there is interactive processing of facial identity and emotion which is independent of the effects of cognitive aging. Older participants demonstrated reliably larger size of the redundancy gains compared to the young group that reflect a greater experience with faces. Alternative explanations are discussed.
Diagnosis of Rare Association of Orthotopic Multicystic Dysplasia with Crossed Fused Renal Ectopia
Authors: Tang Linnan , Koshy June , Spevak Melissa R. , Benson Jane E. , Bosemani Thangamadhan
Published: April 2014

Orthotopic multicystic dysplastic kidney with crossed fused ectopia is a rare congenital anomaly. This congenital anomaly may give an appearance of a solitary kidney morphology during the initial imaging evaluation. A solitary kidney should be carefully evaluated for the presence of duplication, horseshoe configuration, or crossed renal ectopy. Vesicoureteral reflux is a common finding associated with a multicystic dysplastic kidney. We present an infant with an orthotopic multicystic dysplastic kidney and an inferiorly placed crossed fused ectopic kidney. The presence of a complex congenital anomaly may warrant further evaluation with cross-sectional imaging to depict the anatomy and structure.
Optimal Design of a 3-DOF Cable-Driven Upper Arm Exoskeleton
Authors: Shao Zhu-Feng , Tang Xiaoqiang , Yi Wangmin
Published: April 2014

With outstanding advantages, such as large workspace, flexibility, and lightweight and low inertia, cable-driven parallel manipulator shows great potential for application as the exoskeleton rehabilitation robot. However, the optimal design is still a challenging problem to be solved. In this paper, the optimal design of a 3-DOF (3-degree-of-freedom) cable-driven upper arm exoskeleton is accomplished considering the force exerted on the arm. After analysis of the working conditions, two promising configurations of the cable-driven upper arm exoskeleton are put forward and design parameters are simplified. Then, candidate ranges of two angle parameters are determined with the proposed main workspace requirement. Further, global force indices are defined to evaluate the force applied to the arm by the exoskeleton, in order to enhance the system safety and comfort. Finally, the optimal design of each configuration is obtained with proposed force indices. In addition, atlases and charts given in this paper well illustrate trends of workspace and force with different values of design parameters.
Effect of Inflammatory Mediators on ATP Release of Human Urothelial RT4 Cells
Authors: Mansfield Kylie J. , Hughes Jessica R.
Published: April 2014

Inflammation is an important contributor to the aetiology of a number of bladder dysfunctions including interstitial cystitis, painful bladder syndrome, and overactive bladder. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of inflammatory mediators on urothelial ATP release. Human urothelial RT4 cells were exposed to normal buffer or varying concentrations of inflammatory mediators (bradykinin, histamine, and serotonin) in the presence or absence of hypotonic stretch stimuli (1 : 2 dilution of Krebs-Henseleit buffer). Others have demonstrated that bradykinin increased stretch-induced ATP release; however, we observed no change in control or stretch-induced ATP release with bradykinin. Pretreatment of RT4 cells with histamine or serotonin decreased stretch-induced ATP release (P=0.037,P=0.040, resp.). Previous studies have demonstrated increased ATP release in response to inflammation utilising whole bladder preparations in contrast to our simple model of cultured urothelial cells. The current study suggests that it is unlikely that there is a direct interaction between the release of inflammatory mediators and increased ATP release, but rather more complex interactions occurring in response to inflammation that lead to increased bladder sensation.
Adsorption of Reactive Black 5 on Synthesized Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles: Equilibrium Isotherm and Kinetic Studies
Authors: Shaheed Majeed A. , Hussein Falah H.
Published: April 2014

The synthesized titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2‐NPs) were used as adsorbent to remove reactive black 5 (RB 5) in aqueous solution. Various factors affecting adsorption of RB 5 aqueous solutions such as pH, initial concentration, contact time, dose of nanoparticles, and temperature were analyzed at fixed solid/solution ratio. Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms were used as model adsorption equilibrium data. Langmuir isotherm was found to be the most adequate model. The pseudo‐first‐order, pseudo‐second‐order, and intraparticle diffusion models were used to describe the adsorption kinetics. The experimental data was fitted to pseudo‐second‐order kinetics. The thermodynamic parameters such as Gibbs‐free energy, enthalpy, and entropy changes were determined. These parameters indicated the endothermic and spontaneity nature of the adsorption. The results demonstrated the fact that the TiO2‐NPs are promising adsorbent for the removal of RB 5 from aqueous solutions.
A Study of Sedentary Behaviour in the Older Finnish Twin Cohort: A Cross Sectional Analysis
Authors: Piirtola Maarit , Kaprio Jaakko , Ropponen Annina
Published: April 2014

The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of age, sex, and body mass index (BMI) on total sitting time among the Finnish twin cohort. Also, heritability and environmental factors were analysed. The final sample included 6713 twin individuals 53–67 years of age (46% men). Among them there were 1940 complete twin pairs (732 monozygotic [MZ] and 1208 dizygotic [DZ] twin pairs). Sedentary behaviour was queried with a self-reported questionnaire with multiple-choice questions about sitting time at different domains. The mean total sitting time per day was 6 hours 41 minutes (standard deviation: 2 hours 41 minutes). The total sitting time was less in women than in men (P=0.002). Older age was associated with less total sitting time (P<0.001). Those with higher body mass index had higher total sitting time in age and sex adjusted analysis (P<0.001). MZ pairs were more similar for sitting time than DZ pairs, with initial estimates of heritability for the total sitting time of 35%.The influence of shared environmental factors was negligible (1%), while most (64%) of the variation could be ascribed to unique environmental factors, the latter including measurement error.
Energy-Efficient Probabilistic Routing Algorithm for Internet of Things
Authors: Park Sang-Hyun , Cho Seungryong , Lee Jung-Ryun
Published: April 2014

In the future network with Internet of Things (IoT), each of the things communicates with the others and acquires information by itself. In distributed networks for IoT, the energy efficiency of the nodes is a key factor in the network performance. In this paper, we propose energy-efficient probabilistic routing (EEPR) algorithm, which controls the transmission of the routing request packets stochastically in order to increase the network lifetime and decrease the packet loss under the flooding algorithm. The proposed EEPR algorithm adopts energy-efficient probabilistic control by simultaneously using the residual energy of each node and ETX metric in the context of the typical AODV protocol. In the simulations, we verify that the proposed algorithm has longer network lifetime and consumes the residual energy of each node more evenly when compared with the typical AODV protocol.
Solvability and Optimal Controls of Semilinear Riemann-Liouville Fractional Differential Equations
Authors: Pan Xue , Li Xiuwen , Zhao Jing
Published: April 2014

We consider the control systems governed by semilinear differential equations with Riemann-Liouville fractional derivatives in Banach spaces. Firstly, by applying fixed point strategy, some suitable conditions are established to guarantee the existence and uniqueness of mild solutions for a broad class of fractional infinite dimensional control systems. Then, by using generally mild conditions of cost functional, we extend the existence result of optimal controls to the Riemann-Liouville fractional control systems. Finally, a concrete application is given to illustrate the effectiveness of our main results.
Application of MicroRNA in Diagnosis and Treatment of Ovarian Cancer
Authors: Banno Kouji , Yanokura Megumi , Iida Miho , Adachi Masataka , Nakamura Kanako , Nogami Yuya , Umene Kiyoko , Masuda Kenta , Kisu Iori , Nomura Hiroyuki , Kataoka Fumio , Tominaga Eiichiro , Aoki Daisuke
Published: April 2014

Ovarian cancer has a poor prognosis because early detection is difficult and recurrent ovarian cancer is usually drug-resistant. The morbidity and mortality of ovarian cancer are high worldwide and new methods of diagnosis and therapy are needed. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are posttranscriptional regulators of gene expression that are involved in carcinogenesis, metastasis, and invasion. Thus, miRNAs are likely to be useful as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers and for cancer therapy. Many miRNAs have altered expression in ovarian cancer compared to normal ovarian tissues and these changes may be useful for diagnosis and treatment. For example, deficiencies of enzymes including Dicer and Drosha that are required for miRNA biogenesis may be adverse prognostic factors; miRNAs such as miR-214 and miR-31, which are involved in drug resistance, and the miR-200 family, which is implicated in metastasis, may serve as biomarkers; and transfection of downregulated miRNAs and inhibition of upregulated miRNAs may be effective for treatment of ovarian cancer. Chemotherapy targeting epigenetic mechanisms associated with miRNAs may also be effective to reverse gene silencing.
Certain Spaces of Functions over the Field of Non-Newtonian Complex Numbers
Authors: Çakmak Ahmet Faruk , Başar Feyzi
Published: April 2014

This paper is devoted to investigate some characteristic features of complex numbers and functions in terms of non-Newtonian calculus. Following Grossman and Katz, (Non-Newtonian Calculus, Lee Press, Piegon Cove, Massachusetts, 1972), we construct the fieldℂ*of*-complex numbers and the concept of*-metric. Also, we give the definitions and the basic important properties of*-boundedness and*-continuity. Later, we define the spaceC*(Ω)of*-continuous functions and state that it forms a vector space with respect to the non-Newtonian addition and scalar multiplication and we prove thatC*(Ω)is a Banach space. Finally, Multiplicative calculus (MC), which is one of the most popular non-Newtonian calculus and created by the famous exp function, is applied to complex numbers and functions to investigate some advance inner product properties and give inclusion relationship betweenC*(Ω)and the set ofC*′(Ω)*-differentiable functions.
Improvements in Chronic Primary Insomnia after Exercise Training Are Correlated with Changes in Metabolic and Hormonal Profile
Authors: de Souza Teixeira Alexandre Abilio , Passos Giselle Soares , Silva Ruiz Francieli , da Silva Alves Eduardo , Poyares Dalva , Gonçalves de Santana Marcos , Tufik Sergio , de Mello Marco Túlio
Published: April 2014

Objective. The objective of this study was to correlate metabolic and hormonal parameters before and after 8, 16, and 24 weeks (wk) of moderate aerobic training in individuals with chronic primary insomnia. Method. Four male and sixteen female volunteers (adults, sedentary, and healthy) performed exercise training for 24 weeks. Blood and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was obtained at baseline, 8, 16, and 24 wk of training. Results. PSQI scores decreased after 8, 16, and 24 wk of training regarding baseline values. Indeed, total sleep time (TST) increased after 16 and 24 wk of exercise training regarding baseline values. The correlations were analyzed using the delta (Δ) values (Δ1=8 wk less baseline; Δ2=16 wk less baseline; Δ3=24 wk less baseline). We have observed a negative correlation for Δ1 between TST and cortisol, a positive correlation for Δ3 between TST and growth hormone, a negative correlation for Δ1 between TST and VLDL, a negative correlation for Δ1 between TST and triacylglycerols, and a negative correlation for Δ1 and Δ2 between TST and thyroid-stimulating hormone. Conclusion. The exercise training improved the sleep quality of patients with chronic primary insomnia.
Activity Graph Feature Selection for Activity Pattern Classification
Authors: Park Kisung , Han Yongkoo , Lee Young-Koo
Published: April 2014

Sensor-based activity recognition is attracting growing attention in many applications. Several studies have been performed to analyze activity patterns from an activity database gathered by activity recognition. Activity pattern classification is a technique that predicts class labels of people such as individual identification, nationalities, and jobs. For this classification problem, it is important to mine discriminative features reflecting the intrinsic patterns of each individual. In this paper, we propose a framework that can classify activity patterns effectively. We extensively analyze activity models from a classification viewpoint. Based on the analysis, we represent activities as activity graphs by combining every combination of daily activity sequences in meaningful periods. Frequent patterns over these activity graphs can be used as discriminative features, since they reflect people's intrinsic lifestyles. Experiments show that the proposed method achieves high classification accuracy compared with existing graph classification techniques.
The Regulation of Inflammatory Mediators in Acute Kidney Injury via Exogenous Mesenchymal Stem Cells
Authors: Du Tao , Zhu Ying-Jian
Published: April 2014

Acute kidney injury (AKI) remains to be an independent risk factor for mortality and morbidity. Inflammation is believed to play a major role in the pathophysiology of AKI. Exogenous mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are now under extensive investigation as a potential therapy for AKI. Various preclinical studies indicated the beneficial effects of MSCs in alleviating renal injury and accelerating tissue repair. However the mechanisms responsible for these effects are incompletely understood. In the recent years, anti-inflammatory/immunoregulatory properties of MSCs have become one of the important issues in the treatment of AKI. This review will summarize the current literature on the regulation of inflammatory mediators via exogenous MSCs contributing to the recovery from AKI.
Multiple Results to Some Biharmonic Problems
Authors: Tang Xingdong , Zhang Jihui
Published: April 2014

We study a nonlinear elliptic problem defined in a bounded domain involving biharmonic operator together with an asymptotically linear term. We establish at least three nontrivial solutions using the topological degree theory and the critical groups.
Effect of W/C Ratio on Durability and Porosity in Cement Mortar with Constant Cement Amount
Authors: Kim Yun-Yong , Lee Kwang-Myung , Bang Jin-Wook , Kwon Seung-Jun
Published: April 2014

Water is often added to concrete placing for easy workability and finishability in construction site. The additional mixing water can help easy mixing and workability but causes increased porosity, which yields degradation of durability and structural performances. In this paper, cement mortar samples with 0.45 of W/C (water to cement) ratio are prepared for control case and durability performances are evaluated with additional water from 0.45 to 0.60 of W/C. Several durability tests including strength, chloride diffusion, air permeability, saturation, and moisture diffusion are performed, and they are analyzed with changed porosity. The changing ratios and patterns of durability performance are evaluated considering pore size distribution, total porosity, and additional water content.
Genotyping of ESBL Producing UropathogenicEscherichia coliin West of Iran
Authors: Mohajeri Parviz , Darfarin Gita , Farahani Abbas
Published: April 2014

Background and Objective.Urinary tract infection (UTI) is one of the most common bacterial infections in the world. Molecular fingerprinting of UTI isolates such as pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis using for Clonal distribution and determine of predominant type. The aim of the study was to determine genotyping of ESBL producing UPECs.Material and Methods.200 UPEC isolates from outpatients with UTI were obtained. Antimicrobial susceptibility and interpretation were performed by disk diffusion. Virulence factors for UPECs were screened by using PCR. UPECs were analyzed by Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis and images analyzed by Phoretix1DPro software.Results.A total of 200 isolates of UPECs, 24.5% (n=49) of isolates, were positive for ESBL production. Resistance ranged from 0% for amikacin and imipenem to over 93.9% for carbenicillin and ampicillin. Frequencies of haemagglutination, haemolysin, and hydrophobicity were 51%, 18.3%, and 14.28%, respectively. A total of 10 different genotypes were obtained, which include nine common clones and one single clone.Conclusion.We confirmed the prevalence of virulence phenotyping especially Haemagglutination among UPEC strains and that it can also contribute to virulence in these strains. Large diversity in genotypes was observed in the isolates that could be indicative of different sources of infection in community acquired.
Aerodigestive Foreign Bodies in Adult Ethiopian Patients: A Prospective Study at Tikur Anbessa Hospital, Ethiopia
Authors: Bekele Abebe
Published: April 2014

Introduction. Foreign bodies (FBs) in the aerodigestive tract are important causes of morbidity and mortality and pose diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. The best method of removal of an esophageal and tracheobronchial FB is endoscopic guided extraction.Objective. To present our experience of the removal of aerodigestive FBs in adult Ethiopian patients using rigid endoscopes.Methods. A hospital-based prospective study, at Tikur Anbessa Referral and Teaching Hospital, from January 2011 to December 2012 (over two years).Results. A total of 32 patients (18 males and 14 females) with a mean age of28.0±12.74years were treated for FB ingestion and aspiration at Tikur Anbessa Hospital. The FBs were impacted at the esophagus in 18 (56.2%) patients, at the pharynx in 7 (21.8%), and at the air way in 7 (21.8%) patients. Pieces of bones were the commonest objects found in the esophagus (17/18 of the cases) and the pharynx (4/7), while fractured tracheostomy tubes and needles were frequently seen in the air way (3/7 cases each). The foreign bodies were visible in plain radiographs of 26 (81.2%) patients. Successful extraction of FBs was achieved by using Mc gill forceps in 11 cases, rigid esophagoscopes in 9 patients, and bronchoscopes in 4 cases. Four cases required open surgery to remove the foreign bodies. Two complications (one pneumothorax and one esophageal perforation) occurred. All patients were discharged cured.Discussion and Recommendations. Aerodigestive FBs are not so rare in the hospital and timely diagnosis and removal of accidentally ingested and aspirated foreign body should be performed so as to avoid the potentially lethal complications associated. Rigid esophagoscopy requires general anesthesia and is associated with its own complications, but our experience and outcome of its use are encouraging.
Peroxynitrite and Peroxiredoxin in the Pathogenesis of Experimental Amebic Liver Abscess
Authors: Pacheco-Yepez Judith , Jarillo-Luna Rosa Adriana , Gutierrez-Meza Manuel , Abarca-Rojano Edgar , Larsen Bruce Allan , Campos-Rodriguez Rafael
Published: April 2014

The molecular mechanisms by whichEntamoeba histolyticacauses amebic liver abscess (ALA) are still not fully understood. Amebic mechanisms of adherence and cytotoxic activity are pivotal for amebic survival but apparently do not directly cause liver abscess. Abundant evidence indicates that chronic inflammation (resulting from an inadequate immune response) is probably the main cause of ALA. Reports referring to inflammatory mechanisms of liver damage mention a repertoire of toxic molecules by the immune response (especially nitric oxide and reactive oxygen intermediates) and cytotoxic substances released by neutrophils and macrophages after being lysed by amoebas (e.g., defensins, complement, and proteases). Nevertheless, recent evidence downplays these mechanisms in abscess formation and emphasizes the importance of peroxynitrite (ONOO−). It seems that the defense mechanism of amoebas against ONOO−, namely, the amebic thioredoxin system (including peroxiredoxin), is superior to that of mammals. The aim of the present text is to define the importance of ONOO−as the main agent of liver abscess formation during amebic invasion, and to explain the superior capacity of amoebas to defend themselves against this toxic agent through the peroxiredoxin and thioredoxin system.
Efficient Photocatalytic Degradation of Rhodamine B Dye by Aligned Arrays of Self‐Assembled Hydrogen Titanate Nanotubes
Authors: Chatterjee Sriparna , Tyagi Avesh K. , Ayyub Pushan
Published: April 2014

We show that an aligned array of hydrothermally grown, multiwalled hydrogen titanate (H2Ti3O7) nanotubes—anchored to both faces of a metallic Ti foil—acts as an efficient photocatalyst. We studied the degradation of rhodamine B dye in the presence of the nanostructured photocatalyst under UV irradiation, by monitoring the optical absorption of the dye. Rhodamine B was chosen as a representative—and particularly harmful—industrial pollutant dye. The inner and outer diameters of the H2Ti3O7 nanotubes were 5 nm and 10 nm, respectively. The nanotube array catalyst is recyclable and structurally stable. Most importantly, it shows comparable or higher photodecomposition rate constant than those of both H2Ti3O7 nanotube powder and P‐25 (Degussa). The enhanced photocatalytic performance may be ascribed to the nanotube array having a superhydrophilic surface with a high accessible surface area.
Weak Projective Synchronization in Drive-Response Dynamical Networks with Time-Varying Delay and Parameter Mismatch
Authors: Xu Jiang , Zheng Song
Published: April 2014

This paper investigates the problem of projective synchronization in drive-response dynamical networks (DRDNs) with time-varying delay and parameter mismatch via impulsive control. Owing to projective factor and parameter mismatch, complete projective synchronization cannot be achieved. Therefore, a weak projective synchronization scheme is proposed to ensure that the DRDNs are in a state of synchronization with an error level. Based on the stability analysis of the impulsive functional differential equations, a general method of the weak projective synchronization with the error level is derived in DRDNs. Numerical simulations are provided to verify the correctness and effectiveness of the proposed method and results.
Implementation and Evaluation of Large-Scale Video Surveillance System Based on P2P Architecture and Cloud Computing
Authors: Lo Win-Tsung , Chang Yue Shan , Sheu Ruey-Kai , Yang Chao-Tung , Juang Tong-Ying , Wu Yu-Sheng
Published: April 2014

Video surveillance system (VSS) is increasingly becoming important part in daily life. For traditional VSS, each camera stores streaming data to a centralized server. It will create a great volume of video data for a large VSS and may raise some issues in keeping daily video data to centralized server, such as limited bandwidth and storage insufficiency of server and lower reliability and scalability. In order to solve the problem, we have proposed an architecture for VSS based on well-developed peer-to-peer technique and emerging cloud computing. In this paper, we implement a large-scale VSS (LVSS) and propose an evaluation framework based on the proposed architecture. We implement the LVSS exploits inherent characteristics of P2P and cloud computing to provide an economic, scalable, reliable, and efficient approach to store streaming video. We conducted some experiments to evaluate effectiveness and efficiency of the system. The result shows that the proposed architecture outperforms traditional VSS in terms of effectiveness, efficiency, reliability, and scalability.
Transcriptional Response of Selenopolypeptide Genes and Selenocysteine Biosynthesis Machinery Genes inEscherichia coliduring Selenite Reduction
Authors: Tetteh Antonia Y. , Sun Katherine H. , Hung Chiu-Yueh , Kittur Farooqahmed S. , Ibeanu Gordon C. , Williams Daniel , Xie Jiahua
Published: April 2014

Bacteria can reduce toxic selenite into less toxic, elemental selenium (Se0), but the mechanism on how bacterial cells reduce selenite at molecular level is still not clear. We usedEscherichia colistrain K12, a common bacterial strain, as a model to study its growth response to sodium selenite (Na2SeO3) treatment and then used quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) to quantify transcript levels of threeE. coliselenopolypeptide genes and a set of machinery genes for selenocysteine (SeCys) biosynthesis and incorporation into polypeptides, whose involvements in the selenite reduction are largely unknown. We determined that 5 mM Na2SeO3treatment inhibited growth by∼50% while 0.001 to 0.01 mM treatments stimulated cell growth by∼30%. Under 50% inhibitory or 30% stimulatory Na2SeO3concentration, selenopolypeptide genes (fdnG,fdoG, andfdhF) whose products require SeCys but not SeCys biosynthesis machinery genes were found to be induced ≥2-fold. In addition, one sulfur (S) metabolic geneiscSand two previously reported selenite-responsive genessodAandgutSwere also induced ≥2-fold under 50% inhibitory concentration. Our findings provide insight about the detoxification of selenite inE. colivia induction of these genes involved in the selenite reduction process.
Determination of Coefficients of High-Order Schemes for Riemann-Liouville Derivative
Authors: Wu Rifang , Ding Hengfei , Li Changpin
Published: April 2014

Although there have existed some numerical algorithms for the fractional differential equations, developing high-order methods (i.e., with convergence order greater than or equal to 2) is just the beginning. Lubich has ever proposed the high-order schemes when he studied the fractional linear multistep methods, where he constructed thepth order schemes(p=2,3,4,5,6)for theαth order Riemann-Liouville integral andαth order Riemann-Liouville derivative. In this paper, we study such a problem and develop recursion formulas to compute these coefficients in the higher-order schemes. The coefficients of higher-order schemes(p=7,8,9,10)are also obtained. We first find that these coefficients are oscillatory, which is similar to Runge’s phenomenon. So, they are not suitable for numerical calculations. Finally, several numerical examples are implemented to testify the efficiency of the numerical schemes forp=3,…,6.
Pancreatic Tuberculosis or Autoimmune Pancreatitis
Authors: Salahuddin Ayesha , Saif Muhammad Wasif
Published: April 2014

Introduction. Isolated pancreatic and peripancreatic tuberculosis is a challenging diagnosis due to its rarity and variable presentation. Pancreatic tuberculosis can mimic pancreatic carcinoma. Similarly, autoimmune pancreatitis can appear as a focal lesion resembling pancreatic malignancy. Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration provides an effective tool for differentiating between benign and malignant pancreatic lesions. The immune processes involved in immunoglobulin G4 related systemic diseases and tuberculosis appear to have some similarities.Case Report. We report a case of a 59-year-old Southeast Asian male who presented with fever, weight loss, and obstructive jaundice. CT scan revealed pancreatic mass and enlarged peripancreatic lymph nodes. Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration confirmed the presence ofmycobacterium tuberculosis. Patient also had high immunoglobulin G4 levels suggestive of autoimmune pancreatitis. He was started on antituberculosis medications and steroids. Clinically, he responded to treatment. Follow-up imaging showed findings suggestive of chronic pancreatitis.Discussion. Pancreatic tuberculosis and autoimmune pancreatitis can mimic pancreatic malignancy. Accurate diagnosis is imperative as unnecessary surgical intervention can be avoided. Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration seems to be the diagnostic test of choice for pancreatic masses. Long-term follow-up is warranted in cases of chronic pancreatitis.
Mesostructural Design and Manufacturing of Open-Pore Metal Foams by Investment Casting
Authors: Matz Alexander Martin , Mocker Bettina Stefanie , Müller Daniel Wyn , Jost Norbert , Eggeler Gunther
Published: April 2014

The present paper describes the manufacturing process of open-pore metal foams by investment casting and the mesostructural/morphological evolution resulting from a new technique of modifying the precursor. By this technique, the precursor is coated with a polymer layer whereby a thickening of the struts occurs. Relative densities in the range of1.85≤ρrel≤25%of open-pore metal foams can be achieved with high accuracy. The samples investigated have pore densities ofρP=7 ppi, 10 ppi, and 13 ppi. The relevant processing parameters needed for a homogenous formation of the polymer layer are determined for two different coating materials and the resulting open-pore foam’s mesostructure is characterized qualitatively and quantitatively. The alloy used for investment casting open-pore metal foamsis AlZn11. The microstructural evolution of these foams is evaluated as a function of the mesostructure. Differences in the microstructure are observed for foams with low and high relative densities and discussed in terms of cooling subsequent to investment casting.
Reconfigurable Charge Pump Circuit with Variable Pumping Frequency Scheme for Harvesting Solar Energy under Various Sunlight Intensities
Authors: Kim Jeong Heon , Byeon Sang Don , Mo Hyun-Sun , Min Kyeong-Sik
Published: April 2014

We propose variable pumping frequency (VPF) scheme which is merged with the previous reconfigurable charge pump (RCP) circuit that can change its architecture according to a given sunlight condition. Here, merging the VPF scheme with the architecture reconfiguration can improve percentage output currents better by 21.4% and 22.4% than RCP circuit with the fixed pumping frequencies of 7 MHz and 15 MHz, respectively. Comparing the VPF scheme with real maximum power points (MPP), the VPF can deliver 91.9% of the maximum amount of output current to the load on average. In terms of the power and area overheads, the VPF scheme proposed in this paper consumes the power by 0.4% of the total power consumption and occupies the layout area by 1.61% of the total layout area.
Association of Acute Interstitial Nephritis with Carnivora, a Venus Flytrap Extract, in a 30-Year-Old Man with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
Authors: Ziolkowski Susan , Moore Catherine
Published: April 2014

Acute interstitial nephritis (AIN) is a common cause of acute kidney injury and has been associated with a variety of medications. This is the case of 30-year-old man with Hodgkin’s lymphoma who on routine labs before chemotherapy was found to have acute nonoliguric renal failure. A kidney biopsy was performed and confirmed the diagnosis of acute interstitial nephritis. The patient had taken several medications including a higher dose of Carnivora, a Venus flytrap extract, composed of numerous amino acids. The medication was discontinued and kidney function improved towards the patient’s baseline indicating that this may be the possible cause of his AIN. Proximal tubular cell uptake of amino acids increasing transcription of nuclear factor-kappaB is a proposed mechanism of AIN from this compound.
Applications of Dendrimers in Drug Delivery Agents, Diagnosis, Therapy, and Detection
Authors: Noriega-Luna B. , Godínez Luis A. , Rodríguez Francisco J. , Rodríguez A. , Zaldívar-Lelo de Larrea G. , Sosa-Ferreyra C. F. , Mercado-Curiel R. F. , Manríquez J. , Bustos E.
Published: April 2014

In recent years, the application of dendrimers in biomedicine attracted much attention from scientists. Dendrimers are interesting for biomedical applications because of their characteristics, including: a hyperbranching, well‐defined globular structures, excellent structural uniformity, multivalency, variable chemical composition, and high biological compatibility. In particular, the three‐dimensional architecture of dendrimers can incorporate a variety of biologically active agents to form biologically active conjugates. This review of dendrimers focuses on their use as protein mimics, drug delivery agents, anticancer and antiviral therapeutics, and in biomedical diagnostic applications such as chemically modified electrodes.