bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pressure Drop and Heat Transfer of Nanofluid in Turbulent Pipe Flow Considering Particle Coagulation and Breakage
Authors: Lin Jian-Zhong , Xia Yi , Ku Xiao-Ke
Published: August 2014

Numerical simulations of Al2O3/water nanofluid in turbulent pipe flow are performed with considering the particle convection, diffusion, coagulation, and breakage. The distributions of particle volume concentration, the friction factor, and heat transfer characteristics are obtained. The results show that the initial uniform distributions of particle volume concentration become nonuniform, and increase from the pipe wall to the center. The nonuniformity becomes significant along the flow direction from the entrance and attains a steady state gradually. Friction factors increase with the increase of particle volume concentrations and particle diameter, and with the decrease of Reynolds number. The friction factors increase remarkably at lower volume concentration, while slightly at higher volume concentration. The presence of nanoparticles provides higher heat transfer than pure water. The Nusselt number of nanofluids increases with increasing Reynolds number, particle volume concentration, and particle diameter. The rate increase in Nusselt number at lower particle volume concentration is more than that at higher concentration. For a fixed particle volume concentration, the friction factor is smaller while the Nusselt number is larger for the case with uniform distribution of particle volume concentration than that with nonuniform distribution. In order to effectively enhance the heat transfer using nanofluid and simultaneously save energy, it is necessary to make the particle distribution more uniform. Finally, the expressions of friction factor and Nusselt number as a function of particle volume concentration, particle diameter and Reynolds number are derived based on the numerical data.
Blade Tip Carving Effects on the Aerothermal Performance of a Transonic Turbine
Authors: De Maesschalck C. , Lavagnoli S. , Paniagua G.
Published: August 2014

Tip leakage flows in unshrouded high speed turbines cause large aerodynamic penalties, induce significant thermal loads and give rise to intense thermal stresses onto the blade tip and casing endwalls. In the pursuit of superior engine reliability and efficiency, the turbine blade tip design is of paramount importance and still poses an exceptional challenge to turbine designers. The ever-increasing rotational speeds and pressure loadings tend to accelerate the tip flow velocities beyond the transonic regime. Overtip supersonic flows are characterized by complex flow patterns, which determine the heat transfer signature. Hence, the physics of the overtip flow structures and the influence of the geometrical parameters require further understanding to develop innovative tip designs. Conventional blade tip shapes are not adequate for such high speed flows and hence, potential for enhanced performances lays in appropriate tip shaping. The present research aims to quantify the prospective gain offered by a fully contoured blade tip shape against conventional geometries such as a flat and squealer tip. A detailed numerical study was conducted on a modern rotor blade (Reynolds number of 5.5 × 105 and a relative exit Mach number of 0.9) by means of three-dimensional (3D) Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) calculations. Two novel contoured tip geometries were designed based on a two-dimensional (2D) tip shape optimization in which only the upper 2% of the blade span was modified. This study yields a deeper insight into the application of blade tip carving in high speed turbines and provides guidelines for future tip designs with enhanced aerothermal performances.
Biot Number Analogy for Design of Experiments in Turbine Cooling
Authors: Gomatam Ramachandran Saiprashanth , Shih Tom I-P.
Published: August 2014

Cooling of turbine components that come in contact with the hot gases strongly affects the turbine's efficiency and service life. Designing effective and efficient cooling configurations requires detailed understanding on how geometry and operating conditions affect the way coolant cools the turbine materials. Experimental measurements that can reveal such information are difficult and costly to obtain because gas turbines operate at high temperatures (up to 2000 K), high pressures (30+ bar), and the dimensions of many key features in the cooling configurations are small (millimeters or smaller). This paper presents a method that enables experiments to be conducted at near room temperatures, near atmospheric pressures, and using scaled-up geometries to reveal the temperature and heat-flux distributions within turbine materials as if the experiments were conducted under engine operating conditions. The method is demonstrated by performing conjugate computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analyses on two test problems. Both problems involve a thermal barrier coating (TBC)-coated flat plate exposed to a hot-gas environment on one side and coolant flow on the other. In one problem, the heat transfer on the coolant side is enhanced by inclined ribs. In the other, it is enhanced by an array of pin fins. This conjugate CFD study is based on 3D steady Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) closed by the shear-stress-transport turbulence model for the fluid phase and the Fourier law for the solid phase. Results obtained show that, of the dimensionless parameters that are important to this problem, it is the Biot number that dominates. This study also shows that for two geometrically similar configurations, if the Biot number distributions on the corresponding hot-gas and coolant sides are nearly matched, then the magnitude and contours of the nondimensional temperature and heat-flux distributions in the material will be nearly the same for the two configurations—even though the operating temperatures and pressures differ considerably. Thus, experimental measurements of temperature and heat-flux distributions within turbine materials that are obtained under “laboratory” conditions could be scaled up to provide meaningful results under “engine” relevant conditions.
Performance of four commercial kits for laboratory diagnosis of urogenital mollicute infection
Authors: Machado Laís Del Prá Netto , Molinari Marcelo A. , dos Santos Larissa , de Cordova Caio M.M.
Published: August 2014

We have empirical evidence for the unsatisfactory performance of the most accessible commercial kits for mollicute culture. We aimed to evaluate the performance of the 4 commercial kits available for diagnosis of urogenital mollicute infections, compared with culture media (CMMC) produced in our research laboratory. We demonstrated that the NewProv kit had a sensitivity of 17% for Ureaplasma sp. and 33% for Mycoplasma hominis. The Laborclin kit presented a sensitivity of 25% for Ureaplasma sp., although M. hominis isolation was not observed during its evaluation. The kits from bioMérieux and International Microbio/Elitech each presented a sensitivity of 100% compared to the CMMC media. We also observed an important level of mollicute resistance (37.5%) to the main antibiotics used in treatment. The lack of diagnostic sensitivity of some commercial systems has consequences for antibiotic resistance, since it may lead to inadequate treatment of urogenital mollicute infections.
Signals of aging associated with lower growth rates inKluyveromyces lactiscultures under nitrogen limitation
Authors: Corrêa Lygia Fátima da Mata , Passos Frederico José Vieira , Viloria Marlene Isabel Vargas , Filho Olindo Assis Martins , de Carvalho Andréa Teixeira , Passos Flávia Maria Lopes
Published: August 2014

The effects of aging on the specific growth rate of Kluyveromyces lactis cultures, as a function of (NH4)2SO4concentration, were evaluated. The growth kinetic parameters maximum specific growth rate and saturation constant for (NH4)2SO4were calculated to be 0.44 h−1and 0.15 mmol·L−1, respectively. Batch cultures were allowed to age for 16 days without influence of cell density or starvation. The specific growth rates of these cultures were determined each day and decreased as the population aged at different nitrogen concentrations. Aging signals (N-acetylglucosamine content of the cell wall, cell dimensions, and apoptosis markers) were measured. Apoptosis markers were detected after 5 days at limiting (NH4)2SO4concentrations (0.57, 3.80, and 7.60 mmol·L−1) but only after 8 days at a nonlimiting (NH4)2SO4concentration (38.0 mmol·L−1). Similarly, continuous cultures of K. lactis performed under nitrogen limitation and, at lower dilution rates, accumulated cells exhibiting aging signals. The results demonstrate that aging affects growth rate and raise the question of whether nitrogen limitation accelerates aging. Because aging is correlated with growth rate, and each dilution rate of the continuous cultures tends to select and accumulate cells with a respective age, cultures growing at lower growth rates can be useful to investigate yeast physiological responses, including aging.
Antibacterial and synergic effects of gallic acid-grafted-chitosan with β-lactams against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)
Authors: Lee Dae-Sung , Eom Sung-Hwan , Kim Young-Mog , Kim Hye Seon , Yim Mi-Jin , Lee Sang-Hoon , Kim Do-Hyung , Je Jae-Young
Published: August 2014

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is spreading worldwide, emphasizing the need to search for new antibiotics. The anti-MRSA activities of gallic acid-grafted-chitosans (GA-g-chitosans) were investigated against 2 MRSA standards and 10 MRSA clinical isolates by determining the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs). GA-g-chitosan (I), which has the highest gallic acid content, exhibited the strongest anti-MRSA activities, with MICs of 32–64 μg/mL. A time-kill investigation revealed that GA-g-chitosan (I) exhibited a bactericidal effect at twice the MIC, also demonstrating good thermal and pH stability. Investigation of cell envelope integrity showed the release of intracellular components with an increasing absorbance value at 260 nm, indicating cell envelope damage caused by the GA-g-chitosan (I), which was further confirmed by transmission electron microscopy. When GA-g-chitosans were combined with β-lactams, including ampicillin and penicillin, synergistic effects were observed on the 2 standard MRSA strains and on the 10 clinical isolates, with fractional inhibitory indices ranging from 0.125 to 0.625. In the time-kill dynamic confirmation test, synergistic bactericidal effects were observed for the combinations of GA-g-chitosans with β-lactams, and over 4.0 log CFU/mL reductions were observed after 24 h when combination treatment was used. These results may prove GA-g-chitosans to be a potent agent when combined with ampicillin and penicillin for the elimination of MRSA.
A REGION DECOMPOSITION-BASED MULTI-OBJECTIVE PARTICLE SWARM OPTIMIZATION ALGORITHM
Authors: CHEN LEI , LIU HAI-LIN
Published: August 2014

In this paper, a novel multi-objective particle swarm optimization algorithm based on MOEA/D-M2M decomposition strategy (MOPSO-M2M) is proposed. MOPSO-M2M can decompose the objective space into a number of subregions and then search all the subregions using respective sub-swarms simultaneously. The M2M decomposition strategy has two very desirable properties with regard to MOPSO. First, it facilitates the determination of the global best (gbest) for each sub-swarm. A new global attraction strategy based on M2M decomposition framework is proposed to guide the flight of particles by setting an archive set which is used to store the historical best solutions found by the swarm. When we determine the gbest for each particle, the archive set is decomposed and associated with each sub-swarm. Therefore, every sub-swarm has its own archive subset and the gbest of the particle in a sub-swarm is selected randomly in its archive subset. The new global attraction strategy yields a more reasonable gbest selection mechanism, which can be more effective to guide the particles to the Pareto Front (PF). This strategy can ensure that each sub-swarm searches its own subregion so as to improve the search efficiency. Second, it has a good ability to maintain the diversity of the population which is desirable in multi-objective optimization. Additionally, MOPSO-M2M applies the Tchebycheff approach to determine the personal best position (pbest) and no additional clustering or niching technique is needed in this algorithm. In order to demonstrate the performance of the proposed algorithm, we compare it with two other algorithms: MOPSO and DMS-MO-PSO. The experimental results indicate the validity of this method.
A Turn-Off Fluorescent Nanosensor for Iron in Aqueous Solution Based on Fluorescent Carbon Nanoparticles
Authors: Zheng Yuchuan , Xu Dechen , Wei Kaiju , Zhao Daoli , Zhu Pingping , Liu Yangzhong
Published: August 2014

The water-soluble fluorescent carbon nanomaterials with low toxicity and high biocompatibility are considered as promising materials for biomedical and sensor applications. Here, we report that a nanosensor system has been developed to simultaneously detect two valence states of iron ( Fe 2+ and/or Fe 3+) in aqueous solution based on fluorescent carbon nanoparticles (FCNs). The nanosensor has high selectivity and sensitivity with a limit of detection (LOD) of 5 μM, which is equivalent to 0.3 mg/L (5.36 μM) of iron in drinking water by United States Environment Protection Agency (US-EPA). Furthermore, a distinguishable color change of solution, from pale yellow to red-brown, can be observed as iron concentration reaching 40 μM, which provides way for fast, visible detection of irons.
Planning Restoration of Vital Infrastructure Services Following Hurricane Sandy: Lessons Learned for Energy and Transportation
Authors: Zimmerman Rae
Published: August 2014

Hurricane Sandy arrived on October 29, 2012 with enormous adverse impacts on one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world, the New York region, including its electric power and transportation systems that disrupted the social and economic fabric of a wide geographic area. How these services were restored is an important basis for proactively designing robust public services not only in areas affected by Hurricane Sandy but also for many similar areas and events worldwide. Recovery rates are one important indicator of consequences of disaster. Selected physical and social measures of recovery are analyzed for New York City electricity and rail transit services following Hurricane Sandy to capture the ability of these services to be restored over various time periods, and to illustrate the use of indicators of restoration for infrastructure service resilience analyses for disaster management and planning. Electricity impacts and recovery are presented in user-oriented terms as the ratio of customers affected and restored to both customers without service and total customers served in the period following the hurricane. Results showed that restoration rates varied among the boroughs of NYC potentially reflecting differences in infrastructure resilience and exposure conditions. Rail transit impacts and recovery were analyzed in terms of both the restoration of the two dozen subway lines as a physical measure and ridership by station as a user or social measure. Line recovery analyses showed that within about a couple of weeks of the storm almost 80 percent of the lines were fully restored, almost 20 percent were partially restored, and complete suspensions were rare indicating a high degree of restoration capacity. Ridership measured at stations was compared to levels and rates of change over various time periods around the storm period, as well as from the previous year. High correlations in ridership between single days before and after the storm indicated little redistribution of ridership across stations between those time periods, however, rates of change indicated about a 14–16 percent decline in ridership system-wide within a two week period following the storm relative to the same time period the year before, recovering later, possibly reflecting slower rates of social recovery relative to the recovery of the physical transit systems. A longer period of service quality effects occurred due to lingering equipment damage potentially attributed for example to water damage and corrosion from saltwater. These findings point to the importance of recovery time as at least an initial guide to ways of systematizing service restoration measures and are a foundation for physical, social, and institutional adaptation strategies some of which are already being put in place. Larger considerations remain however in interpreting recovery restoration goals and who decides them.
Mesoscopic Numerical Simulation of Stratified Rock Failure Using Digital Image Processing
Authors: Li Ang , Shao Guo-jian , Yu Tian-tang , Su Jing-bo , Ding Sheng-yong
Published: August 2014

This paper presents a digital image processing (DIP) based finite difference method (FDM) and makes the first attempt to apply the new method to the failure process of stratified rocks from Chinese Jinping underground carves. In the method, the two-dimensional (2D) inhomogeneity and mesostructures of rock materials are first identified with the DIP technique. And then the binarization image information is used to generate the finite difference grids. Finally, the failure process of stratified rock samples under uniaxial compression condition is simulated by using the FDM. In the DIP, an image segmentation algorithm based on seeded region growing (SRG) is proposed, instead of the traditional threshold value method. And with the new method, we can fully acquire the inhomogeneous distributions and mesostructures of stratified rocks. The simulated macroscopic mechanical behaviors are in good agreement with the laboratory experimental observation. Numerical results show that the proposed DIP based FDM is suitable for the failure analysis of stratified rocks because it can fully take into account the material heterogeneity, and the anisotropy of stratified rocks is also disposed to some extent.
Genetics of Sub-Saharan African Human Population: Implications for HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria
Authors: Mboowa Gerald
Published: August 2014

Sub-Saharan Africa has continued leading in prevalence and incidence of major infectious disease killers such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. Epidemiological triad of infectious diseases includes susceptible host, pathogen, and environment. It is imperative that all aspects of vertices of the infectious disease triad are analysed to better understand why this is so. Studies done to address this intriguing reality though have mainly addressed pathogen and environmental components of the triad. Africa is the most genetically diverse region of the world as well as being the origin of modern humans. Malaria is relatively an ancient infection in this region as compared to TB and HIV/AIDS; from the evolutionary perspective, we would draw lessons that this ancestrally unique population now under three important infectious diseases both ancient and exotic will be skewed into increased genetic diversity; moreover, other evolutionary forces are also still at play. Host genetic diversity resulting from many years of malaria infection has been well documented in this population; we are yet to account for genetic diversity from the trio of these infections. Effect of host genetics on treatment outcome has been documented. Host genetics of sub-Saharan African population and its implication to infectious diseases are an important aspect that this review seeks to address.
The Potential Use of Melatonin for Preventing Cisplatin Ototoxicity: An Insight for a Clinical Approach
Authors: Gusmão de Araujo Juliana , Sampaio André Luiz Lopes , Ramos Venosa Alessandra , Oliveira Carlos Augusto Costa Pires de
Published: August 2014

Cisplatin, one of the most effective and potent anticancer drugs, is used in the treatment of a wide variety of both pediatric and adult malignancies. However, the chemotherapeutic use of cisplatin is limited by its serious side effects, such as nephrotoxicity and ototoxicity. Ototoxicity produced by cisplatin is usually persistent, depending on the age of the patient, the cumulative number of doses, the number of chemotherapy cycles, the history of noise exposure, and deteriorating renal function. The mechanism of the ototoxicity caused by cisplatin is based on the generation of reactive oxygen species, which interfere with the antioxidant protection of the organ of Corti. Thus, protecting the cochlea with antioxidants ameliorates ototoxicity from cisplatin. In this context, melatonin appears as a therapeutic option for preventing the ototoxic effects of cisplatin, since the research in the last decade has proven its ability to be both a direct free radical scavenger and indirect antioxidant. In this sense, some of the evidence suggesting that melatonin is efficient for combating cisplatin-induced ototoxicity is summarized and discussed in this paper.
Stacking and Analysis of Melamine in Milk Products with Acetonitrile-Salt Stacking Technique in Capillary Electrophoresis
Authors: Kong Yu , Wei Chong , Hou Zhanwu , Wang Zilong , Yuan Jiaqiang , Yu Jiang , Zhao Yongxi , Tang Yuhai , Gao Meili
Published: August 2014

Melamine was measured in real milk products with capillary electrophoresis (CE) based on acetonitrile-salt stacking (ASS) method. Real milk samples were deproteinized with acetonitrile at a final concentration of 60% (v/v) and then injected hydrodynamically at 50 mBar for 40.0 s. The optimized buffer contains 80.0 mmol/L pH 2.8 phosphates. Melamine could be detected within 20.0 min at +10 kV with a low limit of detection (LOD) of 0.03 μmol/L. Satisfactory reproducibility (inter- and intraday RSD% both for migration time and peak area was lower than 5.0%) and a wide linearity range of 0.05 μmol/L ~ 10.0 μmol/L were achieved. The proposed method was suitable for routine assay of MEL in real milk samples that was subjected to a simple treatment step.
IgG4-Related Disease in a Urachal Tumor
Authors: Dum Travis W. , Zhang Da , Lee Eugene K.
Published: August 2014

IgG4-related disease is a newly recognized fibroinflammatory disorder that has the ability to affect nearly every organ system. It is characterized by tumefactive lesions and fibrosis and closely mimics neoplasms. Only one case of IgG4-related bladder mass has been reported in the literature, but there are no reports of IgG4-related disease in a urachal mass. Herein, we report a 26-year-old male who initially presented with symptoms of recurrent UTI. Work-up revealed a 6 cm urachal tumor, a 1.4 cm pulmonary lesion, and mediastinal lymphadenopathy; all metabolically active on PET scan and suspicious for urachal adenocarcinoma. Lung lesion fine needle aspiration and TURBT pathology revealed inflammation but no evidence of malignancy. The patient underwent a partial cystectomy and umbilectomy with pathology demonstrating dense plasmacytic cells, a high rate of immunohistochemistry staining positive for IgG4 plasma cells, a storiform pattern of fibrosis, and an obliterative phlebitis. Furthermore, the patient had an elevated serum IgG4 level of 227 mg/dL (range 2.4–121 mg/dL). IgG4-related disease is a newly recognized fibroinflammatory disorder that can mimic neoplastic processes and a high index of suspicion and accurate tissue pathology is necessary for an accurate diagnosis.
Morning/Evening Differences in Somatosensory Inputs for Postural Control
Authors: Bougard Clément , Davenne Damien
Published: August 2014

The underlying processes responsible for the differences between morning and afternoon measurements of postural control have not yet been clearly identified. This study was conducted to specify the role played by vestibular, visual, and somatosensory inputs in postural balance and their link with the diurnal fluctuations of body temperature and vigilance level. Nineteen healthy male subjects (mean age: 20.5 ± 1.3 years) participated in test sessions at 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. after a normal night’s sleep. Temperature was measured before the subjects completed a sign cancellation test and a postural control evaluation with eyes both open and closed. Our results confirmed that postural control improved throughout the day according to the circadian rhythm of body temperature and sleepiness/vigilance. The path length as a function of surface ratio increased between 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. This is due to a decrease in the centre-of-pressure surface area, which is associated with an increase in path length. Romberg’s index did not change throughout the day; however, the spectral analysis (fast Fourier transform) of the centre-of-pressure excursions (in anteroposterior and mediolateral directions) indicated that diurnal fluctuations in postural control may occur via changes in the different processes responsible for readjustment via muscle contractions.
Nanoparticle Albumin-Bound-Paclitaxel in the Treatment of Metastatic Urethral Adenocarcinoma: The Significance of Molecular Profiling and Targeted Therapy
Authors: Abaza Yasmin M. , Alemany Carlos
Published: August 2014

Primary urethral cancer is rare and accounts for only 0.003% of all malignancies arising from the female genitourinary tract. Due to the rarity of this disease, no consensus exists regarding the optimal therapeutic approach. Nanoparticle albumin-bound-paclitaxel has been shown to be effective in the treatment of a number of malignancies including metastatic breast, pancreatic, and bladder cancer. We present a 67-year-old woman with advanced metastatic urethral adenocarcinoma resistant to two lines of chemotherapy (ifosfamide/paclitaxel/cisplatin and irinotecan/5-fluorouracil/leucovorin) that showed a dramatic response to nanoparticle albumin-bound-paclitaxel. This is the first case report to document the use and efficacy of nanoparticle albumin-bound-paclitaxel in the treatment of unresectable metastatic urethral cancer.
Arthroscopic Debridement of the Posterior Compartment of the Knee after Total Knee Arthroplasty
Authors: Ohishi Tsuyoshi , Fujita Tomotada , Suzuki Daisuke , Yamamoto Kazufumi , Ushirozako Hiroki , Matsuyama Yukihiro
Published: August 2014

Arthroscopic debridement of the posterior compartment of the knee after total knee arthroplasty is difficult because it is tough to obtain intercondylar notch views. Herein, we performed arthroscopic debridement of the posterior compartment of an infected knee after total knee arthroplasty by using a transseptal portal in a 62-year-old woman with rheumatoid arthritis. Palpation of anatomical landmarks and posterior capsule protection are important for safe creation of a transseptal portal following to making 2 posterior portals.
Large-Scale Protein-Protein Interactions Detection by Integrating Big Biosensing Data with Computational Model
Authors: You Zhu-Hong , Li Shuai , Gao Xin , Luo Xin , Ji Zhen
Published: August 2014

Protein-protein interactions are the basis of biological functions, and studying these interactions on a molecular level is of crucial importance for understanding the functionality of a living cell. During the past decade, biosensors have emerged as an important tool for the high-throughput identification of proteins and their interactions. However, the high-throughput experimental methods for identifying PPIs are both time-consuming and expensive. On the other hand, high-throughput PPI data are often associated with high false-positive and high false-negative rates. Targeting at these problems, we propose a method for PPI detection by integrating biosensor-based PPI data with a novel computational model. This method was developed based on the algorithm of extreme learning machine combined with a novel representation of protein sequence descriptor. When performed on the large-scale human protein interaction dataset, the proposed method achieved 84.8% prediction accuracy with 84.08% sensitivity at the specificity of 85.53%. We conducted more extensive experiments to compare the proposed method with the state-of-the-art techniques, support vector machine. The achieved results demonstrate that our approach is very promising for detecting new PPIs, and it can be a helpful supplement for biosensor-based PPI data detection.
Rhubarb Tannins Extract Inhibits the Expression of Aquaporins 2 and 3 in Magnesium Sulphate-Induced Diarrhoea Model
Authors: Liu Chunfang , Zheng Yanfang , Xu Wen , Wang Hui , Lin Na
Published: August 2014

Tannins, a group of major active components of Chinese rhubarb and widely distributed in nature, have a significant antidiarrhoeal activity. Aquaporins (AQPs) 2 and 3 play important roles in regulating water transfer during diarrhoea. The present study aims to determine the effect of the total tannins extract of rhubarb on aquaporins (AQPs) 2 and 3 in diarrhoea mice and HT-29 cells both induced by magnesium sulphate (MgSO4). Our results showed that rhubarb tannins extract (RTE) significantly decreased the faecal water content in colon and evaluation index of defecation of diarrhoea mice. Interestingly, RTE could markedly reduce the mRNA and protein expression levels of AQPs 2 and 3 in apical and lateral mucosal epithelial cells in the colons of diarrhoea mice and HT-29 cells both induced by MgSO4in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, RTE suppressed the production of cyclic monophosphate- (cAMP-) dependent protein kinase A catalytic subunitsα(PKA C-α) and phosphorylated cAMP response element-binding protein (p-CREB, Ser133) in MgSO4-induced HT-29 cells. Our data showed for the first time that RTE inhibit AQPs 2 and 3 expressionin vivoandin vitrovia downregulating PKA/p-CREB signal pathway, which accounts for the antidiarrhoeal effect of RTE.
Computer-Assisted Sperm Analysis of Freezable and Nonfreezable Mithun (Bos frontalis) Semen
Authors: Perumal P. , Srivastava S. K. , Ghosh S. K. , Baruah K. K.
Published: August 2014

The present study was undertaken to assess the motility and velocity parameters of sperm of freezable and nonfreezable ejaculates by computer-assisted sperm analyser (CASA) such as Hamilton-Thorne Semen Analyser IVOS 11 in mithun semen. Fifty ejaculates (twenty-five ejaculates each for freezable and nonfreezable semen ejaculates) were collected from ten matured mithun bulls. CASA parameters, motility parameters such as forward progressive motility (FPM) (%), nonprogressive motility (NPM) (%), total motility (TM) (%), and static sperms (SM) (%); velocity parameters such as curvilinear velocity (VCL) (μm/sec), straight line velocity (VSL) (μm/sec), average path velocity (VAP) (μm/sec), linearity (LIN) (%), straightness (STR) (%), wobble (WOB) (%), amplitude of lateral head displacement (ALH) (μm), and beat/cross-frequency (BCF) (Hz) were measured by CASA analyser. The result revealed that these parameters varied significantly (P<0.05) between the freezable and nonfreezable ejaculates and freezable ejaculates have significantly (P<0.05) higher value than nonfreezable ejaculates. It was concluded that most of the CASA parameters were significantly lower in nonfreezable ejaculates than in freezable ejaculates in mithun and confirmed that the CASA was effective for a quick and objective analysis of motility and velocity parameters in mithun semen.
Forgotten DJ Stent with a Large Calculus at Its Distal End in an Ileal Conduit Diversion
Authors: Puri Anurag , Priyadarshi Vinod , Raizada Nivedita , Pal Dilip Kumar
Published: August 2014

Calculus formation in an ileal conduit following cystectomy is a known complication. Encrustation and formation of calculus may also occur over a DJ stent retained for a long period; but this is never reported in patients with conduit diversion because of close surveillance of these patients. Here we report first case of a large calculus encrusted over a forgotten DJ stent within an ileal conduit in a man who had undergone urinary diversion following radical cystectomy for carcinoma urinary bladder 8 years earlier.
The Sequential Tissue Distribution of Duck Tembusu Virus in Adult Ducks
Authors: Wu Li , Liu Jinxiong , Chen Pucheng , Jiang Yongping , Ding Leilei , Lin Yuan , Li Qimeng , He Xijun , Chen Qiusheng , Chen Hualan
Published: August 2014

In 2010, a novel Tembusu virus (TMUV) that caused a severe decrease in the egg production of ducks was isolated in southeast China. Given the novelty of this duck pathogen, little information is available regarding its pathogenesis. Here, we systematically investigated the replication kinetics of TMUV PTD2010 in adult male and female ducks. We found that PTD2010 was detectable in most of the parenchymatous organs as well as the oviduct and intestinal tract from days 1 to 7 after inoculation. Viral titers were maintained at high levels for at least 9 days in the spleen, kidney, bursa of Fabricius, brain, and ovary. No virus was detected in any of these organs or tissues at 18 days after inoculation. PTD2010, thus, causes systemic infections in male and female ducks; its replication kinetics show similar patterns in most organs, with the exception of the ovaries and testes.
Link Sensing-Adaptive Passive Object Localization in Wireless Sensor Networks
Authors: Xing Tianzhang , Wang Ju , Chang Liqiong , Chen Xiaojiang , Fang Dingyi , Wu Chase Q.
Published: August 2014

The passive object localization (POL) problem in wireless sensor networks aims to determine the location of a target without any device attached for receiving or transmitting signal. This problem is challenging as there is very limited information available for deriving the target location. By combining the diffraction and scattering models, we propose a link sensing adaptive approach to POL, which first decides the target position attribute based on the signal strength and then localizes the target in different modes. We conduct rigorous localizability analyses and design a unit localization area scheme to achieve a higher level of localization accuracy. The efficacy of the proposed method is evaluated through comprehensive experiments in real life network environments.
An Improved Approach for Accurate and Efficient Measurement of Common Carotid Artery Intima-Media Thickness in Ultrasound Images
Authors: Li Qiang , Zhang Wei , Guan Xin , Bai Yu , Jia Jing
Published: August 2014

The intima-media thickness (IMT) of common carotid artery (CCA) can serve as an important indicator for the assessment of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). In this paper an improved approach for automatic IMT measurement with low complexity and high accuracy is presented. 100 ultrasound images from 100 patients were tested with the proposed approach. The ground truth (GT) of the IMT was manually measured for six times and averaged, while the automatic segmented (AS) IMT was computed by the algorithm proposed in this paper. The mean difference ± standard deviation between AS and GT IMT is 0.0231 ± 0.0348 mm, and the correlation coefficient between them is 0.9629. The computational time is 0.3223 s per image with MATLAB under Windows XP on an Intel Core 2 Duo CPU E7500 @2.93 GHz. The proposed algorithm has the potential to achieve real-time measurement under Visual Studio.
Graphical Evaluation of the Ridge-Type Robust Regression Estimators in Mixture Experiments
Authors: Erkoc Ali , Emiroglu Esra , Akay Kadri Ulas
Published: August 2014

In mixture experiments, estimation of the parameters is generally based on ordinary least squares (OLS). However, in the presence of multicollinearity and outliers, OLS can result in very poor estimates. In this case, effects due to the combined outlier-multicollinearity problem can be reduced to certain extent by using alternative approaches. One of these approaches is to use biased-robust regression techniques for the estimation of parameters. In this paper, we evaluate various ridge-type robust estimators in the cases where there are multicollinearity and outliers during the analysis of mixture experiments. Also, for selection of biasing parameter, we use fraction of design space plots for evaluating the effect of the ridge-type robust estimators with respect to the scaled mean squared error of prediction. The suggested graphical approach is illustrated on Hald cement data set.
Characterization of Fatty Acid Profile of Argan Oil and Other Edible Vegetable Oils by Gas Chromatography and Discriminant Analysis
Authors: Rueda Ascensión , Seiquer Isabel , Olalla Manuel , Giménez Rafael , Lara Luis , Cabrera-Vique Carmen
Published: August 2014

Virgin argan oil is an emergent oil that is being introduced into specialized international markets as a healthy and luxury food. In order to compare the fatty acid composition of argan oil with that of the eleven other vegetable edible oils, a combination of gas chromatography as analytical technique and multivariate discriminant analysis was applied. This analysis takes into account the conjoint effect of all the variables analyzed in the discrimination between oils and also shows the contribution of each variable to oils characterization. The model correctly classified 100% oil samples. According to the fatty acid composition, argan oil showed closest similarity firstly with sesame oil and secondly with high oleic sunflower oil. Olive oil was close to avocado oil and almond oil, followed by argan oil. Thus, similarities and differences between vegetable oils based on their fatty acid profile were established by the application of multivariate discriminant analysis. This method was proven to be a useful tool to study the relationships between oils according to the fat composition and to determine the importance of the fatty acid variables on the oils classification.
Quality Characteristics, Nutraceutical Profile, and Storage Stability of Aloe Gel-Papaya Functional Beverage Blend
Authors: Ramachandran Pushkala , Nagarajan Srividya
Published: August 2014

Aloe veragel, well known for its nutraceutical potential, is being explored as a functional ingredient in a wide array of health foods and drinks. Processing of exotic fruits and herbal botanicals into functional beverage is an emerging sector in food industry. The present study was undertaken to develop a spiced functional RTS beverage blend using Aloe gel (AG) and papaya. Aloe gel (30%), papaya pulp (15%), spice extract (5%), and citric acid (0.1%) were mixed in given proportion to prepare the blend with TSS of 15 °Brix. The product was bottled, pasteurized, and stored at room temperature. The quality characteristics and storage stability of the spiced beverage blend (SAGPB) were compared with spiced papaya RTS beverage (SPB). Periodic analysis was carried out up to five months for various physicochemical parameters, sugar profile, bioactive compounds, microbial quality, instrumental color, and sensory acceptability. The SAGPB exhibited superior quality characteristics compared to SPB both in fresh and in stored samples. The SPB was acceptable up to four months and SAGPB for five months. The results indicate that nutraceutical rich AG could be successfully utilized to develop functional fruit beverages with improved quality and shelf life.
Oscillations in Difference Equations with Deviating Arguments and Variable Coefficients
Authors: Chatzarakis G. E. , Péics H. , Stavroulakis I. P.
Published: August 2014

New sufficient conditions for the oscillation of all solutions of difference equations with several deviating arguments and variable coefficients are presented. Examples illustrating the results are also given.
Generalized Scaling of Urban Heat Island Effect and Its Applications for Energy Consumption and Renewable Energy
Authors: Lee T.-W. , Choi Heung S. , Lee Jinoh
Published: August 2014

In previous work from this laboratory, it has been found that the urban heat island intensity (UHI) can be scaled with the urban length scale and the wind speed, through the time-dependent energy balance. The heating of the urban surfaces during the daytime sets the initial temperature, and this overheating is dissipated during the night-time through mean convection motion over the urban surface. This may appear to be in contrast to the classical work by Oke (1973). However, in this work, we show that if the population density is used in converting the population data into urbanized area, then a good agreement with the current theory is found. An additional parameter is the “urban flow parameter,” which depends on the urban building characteristics and affects the horizontal convection of heat due to wind. This scaling can be used to estimate the UHI intensity in any cities and therefore predict the required energy consumption during summer months. In addition, all urbanized surfaces are expected to exhibit this scaling, so that increase in the surface temperature in large energy-consumption or energy-producing facilities (e.g., solar electric or thermal power plants) can be estimated.
Radiation-Induced Secondary Malignancy in Prostate Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Jin Tao , Song Turun , Deng Shi , Wang Kunjie
Published: August 2014

Objective: To investigate the risk of radiation-induced secondary malignancy in patients with prostate cancer. Methods: We identified 690 references from PubMed, Embase and the Cochrane Library before August 1, 2012, that reported secondary malignancy in patients with prostate cancer after receiving radiation therapy (RT), and finally four studies were included. We calculated summary estimates using random-effects meta-analysis. Results: The overall standardized incidence ratio (SIR) of secondary malignancy in patients with prostate cancer receiving RT to the general population was 1.14 (95% CI 1.04-1.32). In the subgroup analysis, no increment in radiation-induced secondary malignancy risk was detected. In terms of SIR with different follow-up intervals, there was no difference in SIR (>6 months; <5 years) (SIR = 1.19, 95% CI 0.75-1.89) and SIR (>5 years; <10 years) (SIR = 1.39, 95% CI 0.87-2.23). When the follow-up extended to >10 years, a significantly increased secondary malignancy risk was observed (SIR = 1.45, 95% CI 1.23-1.72). There is no significantly increased secondary malignancy risk in patients receiving no RT. Conclusion: RT is associated with increased secondary malignancy in patients with prostate cancer; this effect only become conspicuous more than 10 years after treatment.
Immunoglobulin G4-Related Paratesticular Fibrous Pseudotumor and Retroperitoneal Fibrosis: A Case Report
Authors: Kim Ki Hwan , Sung Deuk Jae , Han Na Yeon , Park Beom Jin , Kim Min Ju , Cho Sung Bum , Kim Je Jong
Published: August 2014

A 46-year-old man with a past history of retroperitoneal fibrosis was admitted with an enlarged, hard right testis. The paratesticular lesion showed heterogeneous hypoechogenicity on ultrasonography, low signal intensity on T1- and T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and lack of diffusion restriction on diffusion-weighted MRI. Following steroid treatment, the paratesticular mass was decreased in size on follow-up computed tomography. The radiologic and clinical features are recognized as a manifestation of immunoglobulin G4-related sclerosing disease involving the paratesticular region and retroperitoneum.
Primary Urothelial Carcinoma of the Prostate with Glandular Differentiation: A Case Report
Authors: Lai Peng , Luo Ming , Hu Guanghui , Liu Huan , Xu Liang , Guo Zhuifeng , Xu Yunfei
Published: August 2014

A 53-year-old man presented to our department with acute urinary retention and an approximate 8-year history of frequent urination, dysuria, poor urinary stream and nocturia. His prostate-specific antigen (PSA) values were normal (<4 ng/ml) upon repeated testing. The patient was diagnosed with benign prostatic hyperplasia, although there was no significant improvement in his symptoms after treatment with oral finasteride and doxazosin. He then underwent transurethral resection of the prostate in February 2013, and histopathological examination showed adenocarcinoma of the prostate. His treatment regimen included daily oral bicalutamide and subcutaneous injection of Zoladex once per month. Three months later, radical prostatectomy was performed, and a prostate histopathological examination indicated primary urothelial carcinoma with glandular differentiation. His PSA values were normal (<4 ng/ml) before and after the radical prostatectomy. After the second operation, the patient received chemotherapy with gemcitabine and cisplatin. Two months later, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) indicated local tumor recurrence. The patient was treated with chemotherapy combined with radiotherapy for 2 months, and subsequent MRI results showed that the recurrent tumor volume was significantly reduced. As a result, radiotherapy was stopped. The patient remains alive, and his general condition has clearly improved.
The Impact of a Tumor Diagnosis on Patients' Attitudes toward Advance Directives
Authors: Pfirstinger Jochen , Kattner Daniel , Edinger Matthias , Andreesen Reinhard , Vogelhuber Martin
Published: August 2014

Background: Although advance care planning and the completion of advance directives (ADs) are important tools to avoid unwanted aggressive care once patients have lost their decision-making capacity, only a minority of cancer patients are admitted with completed ADs, and little is known about patients' wishes regarding AD consultations. Methods: For 1 year, every new patient admitted to the hematology/oncology outpatient clinic of the University Hospital Regensburg received a self-administered questionnaire comprising a self-evaluation of AD knowledge and questions about preferences regarding consultation partners and the time of consultation. Disease-related data were collected from medical records. Statistics were calculated with SPSS. Results: Of the 500 questionnaires handed out, 394 (75%) were evaluable and analyzed. Twenty-eight percent of the participants had completed an AD (living will or health care proxy). Ninety-two percent of the participants without ADs had never received a consultation offer from any professional involved. Only 20% perceived a clear relation between cancer and AD consultations. More than 50% of the participants without ADs were in favor of consultations ‘now' or ‘in a few weeks', while more than 40% objected to AD consultations. Conclusions: Oncology patients have a large unmet demand for AD consultations. However, a relevant percentage of these patients object to AD consultations. Structured and early AD consultation offers should be made, and early discussions about indications for aggressive treatment should take place.
Fetal Myelomeningocele Repair: The Post-MOMS Experience at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Authors: Moldenhauer Julie S. , Soni Shelly , Rintoul Natalie E. , Spinner Susan S. , Khalek Nahla , Martinez-Poyer Juan , Flake Alan W. , Hedrick Holly L. , Peranteau William H. , Rendon Norma , Koh Jamie , Howell Lori J. , Heuer Gregory G. , Sutton Leslie N. , Johnson Mark P. , Adzick N. Scott
Published: August 2014

Background: Fetal myelomeningocele (fMMC) repair has become accepted as a standard of care option in selected circumstances. We reviewed our outcomes for fMMC repair from referral and evaluation through surgery, delivery and neonatal discharge. Material and Methods: All patients referred for potential fMMC repair were reviewed from January 1, 2011 through March 7, 2014. Maternal and neonatal data were collected on the 100 patients who underwent surgery. Results: 29% of those evaluated met the criteria and underwent fMMC repair (100 cases). The average gestational age was 21.9 weeks at evaluation and 23.4 weeks at fMMC repair. Complications included membrane separation (22.9%), preterm premature rupture of membranes (32.3%) and preterm labor (37.5%). Average gestational age at delivery was 34.3 weeks and 54.2% delivered at ≥35 weeks. The perinatal loss rate was 6.1% (2 intrauterine fetal demises and 4 neonatal demises); 90.8% of women delivered at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and 3.4% received transfusions. With regard to the neonates, 2 received ventriculoperitoneal shunts prior to discharge; 71.1% of neonates had no evidence of hindbrain herniation on MRI. Of the 80 neonates evaluated, 55% were assigned a functional level of one or more better than the prenatal anatomic level. Conclusion: In an experienced program, maternal and neonatal outcomes for patients undergoing fMMC repair are comparable to results of the MOMS trial.