bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
SNP Selection in Genome-Wide Association Studies via Penalized Support Vector Machine with MAX Test
Authors: Kim Jinseog , Sohn Insuk , Kim Dennis (Dong Hwan) , Jung Sin-Ho
Published: September 2013

One of main objectives of a genome-wide association study (GWAS) is to develop a prediction model for a binary clinical outcome using single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) which can be used for diagnostic and prognostic purposes and for better understanding of the relationship between the disease and SNPs. Penalized support vector machine (SVM) methods have been widely used toward this end. However, since investigators often ignore the genetic models of SNPs, a final model results in a loss of efficiency in prediction of the clinical outcome. In order to overcome this problem, we propose a two-stage method such that the the genetic models of each SNP are identified using the MAX test and then a prediction model is fitted using a penalized SVM method. We apply the proposed method to various penalized SVMs and compare the performance of SVMs using various penalty functions. The results from simulations and real GWAS data analysis show that the proposed method performs better than the prediction methods ignoring the genetic models in terms of prediction power and selectivity.
Antimicrobial and Herbal Drug Resistance in Enteric Bacteria Isolated from Faecal Droppings of Common House Lizard/Gecko (Hemidactylus frenatus)
Authors: Singh Bhoj R. , Singh Vidya , Ebibeni N. , Singh Raj K.
Published: September 2013

From 194 faecal dropping samples of common house geckos collected from offices (60), houses (88), integrated farm units (IFS,18) and hostels, guest houses, and dining rooms of different canteen/mess (HGM, 28), 326 bacterial isolates of enteric bacteria belonging to 17 genera and 34 species were detected.Escherichia coliwere the most frequently (39) isolated followed byCitrobacter freundii(33),Klebsiella pneumonia(27),Salmonella indica(12),Enterobacter gergoviae(12), andEnt. agglomerans(11). Other important bacteria isolated from gecko droppings wereListonella damsela(2),Raoultella terrigena(3),S. salamae(2),S. houtenae(3),Edwardsiella tarda(4),Edwardsiella hoshinae(1), andKlebsiella oxytoca(2). Of the 223 isolates tested for antimicrobial drug sensitivity, 27 (12.1%) had multiple drug resistance (MDR). None of the salmonellae or edwardsiellae had MDR however, MDR strains were significantly more common amongEscherichiaspp. (P=1.9×10-5) and isolates from IFS units (P=3.58×10-23). The most effective herbal drug,Ageratum conyzoidesextract, inhibited growth of only 27.8% of strains tested followed by ethanolic extract ofZanthoxylum rhetsa(13.9%), eucalyptus oil (5.4%), patchouli oil (5.4%), lemongrass oil (3.6%), and sandalwood oil (3.1%), andArtemisia vulgarisessential oil (3.1%).
The Role of Biochar in Ameliorating Disturbed Soils and Sequestering Soil Carbon in Tropical Agricultural Production Systems
Authors: Mekuria Wolde , Noble Andrew
Published: September 2013

Agricultural soils in the tropics have undergone significant declines in their native carbon stock through the long-term use of extractive farming practices. However, these soils have significant capacity to sequester CO2through the implementation of improved land management practices. This paper reviews the published and grey literature related to the influence of improved land management practices on soil carbon stock in the tropics. The review suggests that the implementation of improved land management practices such as crop rotation, no-till, cover crops, mulches, compost, or manure can be effective in enhancing soil organic carbon pool and agricultural productivity in the tropics. The benefits of such amendments were, however, often short-lived, and the added organic matters were usually mineralized to CO2within a few cropping seasons leading to large-scale leakage. We found that management of black carbon (C), increasingly referred to as biochar, may overcome some of those limitations and provide an additional soil management option. Under present circumstances, recommended crop and land management practices are inappropriate for the vast majority of resource constrained smallholder farmers and farming systems. We argue that expanding the use of biochar in agricultural lands would be important for sequestering atmospheric CO2and mitigating climate change, while implementing the recommended crop and land management practices in selected areas where the smallholder farmers are not resource constrained.
Skyline-Based Aggregator Node Selection in Wireless Sensor Networks
Authors: Nasridinov Aziz , Ihm Sun-Young , Park Young-Ho
Published: September 2013

In order to achieve the equal usage of limited resources in the wireless sensor networks (WSNs), we must aggregate the sensor data before passing it to the base station. In WSNs, the aggregator nodes perform a data aggregation process. Careful selection of the aggregator nodes in the data aggregation process results in reducing large amounts of communication traffic in the WSNs. However, network conditions change frequently due to sharing of resources, computation load, and congestion on network nodes and links, which makes the selection of the aggregator nodes difficult. In this paper, we study an aggregator node selection method in the WSNs. We formulate the selection process as a top-k query problem, where we efficiently solve the problem by using a modified Sort-Filter-Skyline (SFS) algorithm. The main idea of our approach is to immediately perform a skyline query on the sensor nodes in the WSNs, which enables to extract a set of sensor nodes that are potential candidates to become an aggregator node. The experiments show that our method is several times faster compared to the existing approaches.
Modeling Reorientation Dynamics of Electrically Assisted Light-Induced Gliding of Nematic Liquid-Crystal Easy Axis
Authors: Pasechnik S. V. , Dubtsov A. V. , Shmeliova D. V. , Semerenko D. A. , Chigrinov V. G. , Sinenko M. A. , Kiselev Alexei D.
Published: September 2013

The phenomenological torque balance model previously introduced to describe the electrically assisted light-induced gliding is generalized to study the reorientation dynamics of the nematic liquid crystal easy axis at photoaligned azo-dye films under the combined action of in-plane electric field and reorienting UV light linearly polarized at varying polarization azimuth,φp. We systematically examine the general properties of the torque balance model by performing analysising the bifurcations of equilibria at different values of the polarization azimuth and apply for the model to interpret the experimental results. These involve observation of the pronounced purely photoinduced reorientation atφp≠0, as opposed to the case where the light polarization vector is parallel to the initial easy axis (φp=0), and the reorientation is almost entirely suppressed. In the regions between electrodes with nonzero electric field, the effects described by the model are that (a) the dynamics of reorientation slows down withφpand (b) the sense of easy axis rotation is independent of the sign ofφp.
Cellulose-Based Polymer Composite with Carbon Black for Tetrahydrofuran Sensing
Authors: Hernández-López Susana , Vigueras-Santiago Enrique , Mendoza Mora Miriam , Farias Mancilla José Rurik , Zaragoza Contreras Erasto Armando
Published: September 2013

This work focused on studying the sensing efficiency of tetrahydrofuran (THF) by composite films made of thin layers of a cellulose-based polymer and carbon black. We analyze the reproducibility, durability, desorption time, and the sensitivity percent as a function of the amount of solvent. Two types of experiments were conducted, (1) progressive sensing test (PST) which consisted of progressively increasing the amount of solvent from 0.1 mL increments up to 1.0 mL and (2) multiple sensing test (MST) where the layers were subjected to consecutive pulses of the same amount of solvent, with a minimum of 0.1 mL and a maximum of 0.4 mL. The response and desorption times were a few seconds, and the sensitivity percent ranged from 1% to 170% and was dependent on the solvent quantity.
A Double Power Reaching Law of Sliding Mode Control Based on Neural Network
Authors: Zhao Yu-Xin , Wu Tian , Ma Yan
Published: September 2013

For discrete system, the reaching law election and controller design are two crucial and important problems. In this paper, an improved double power reaching law of SMC and a controller combined with neural network have been investigated. Theory proves that this method can eliminate the chattering and increase the reaching rate. Furthermore, when there is a certain external interference, the regulating function of neural network can ensure strong robustness of the system. Simulation results show that compared with exponential reaching law, single power reaching law, and traditional double power reaching law, the proposed reaching law has faster convergence speed and better dynamic performance.
Synthesis, Characterization, and Low Temperature Sintering of Nanostructured BaWO4for Optical and LTCC Applications
Authors: Vidya S. , Solomon Sam , Thomas J. K.
Published: September 2013

Synthesis of nano-BaWO4by a modified combustion technique and its suitability for various applications are reported. The structure and phase purity of the sample analyzed by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform Raman, and infrared spectroscopy show that the sample is phase pure with tetragonal structure. The particle size from the transmission electron microscopy is 22 nm. The basic optical properties and optical constants of the nano BaWO4are studied using UV-visible absorption spectroscopy which showed that the material is a wide band gap semiconductor with band gap of 4.1 eV. The sample shows poor transmittance in ultraviolet region while maximum in visible-near infrared regions. The photoluminescence spectra show intense emission in blue region. The sample is sintered at low temperature of 810°C, without any sintering aid. Surface morphology of the sample is analyzed by scanning electron microscopy. The dielectric constant and loss factor measured at 5 MHz are 9 and1.56×10-3. The temperature coefficient of dielectric constant is −22 ppm/°C. The experimental results obtained in the present work claim the potential use of nano BaWO4as UV filters, transparent films for window layers on solar cells, antireflection coatings, scintillators, detectors, and for LTCC applications.
Bone Response to Surface-Modified Titanium Implants: Studies on the Early Tissue Response to Implants with Different Surface Characteristics
Authors: Larsson Wexell C. , Thomsen P. , Aronsson B.-O. , Tengvall P. , Rodahl M. , Lausmaa J. , Kasemo B. , Ericson L. E.
Published: September 2013

In a series of experimental studies, the bone formation around systematically modified titanium implants is analyzed. In the present study, three different surface modifications were prepared and evaluated. Glow-discharge cleaning and oxidizing resulted in a highly stoichiometric TiO2surface, while a glow-discharge treatment in nitrogen gas resulted in implants with essentially a surface of titanium nitride, covered with a very thin titanium oxide. Finally, hydrogen peroxide treatment of implants resulted in an almost stoichiometric TiO2, rich in hydroxyl groups on the surface. Machined commercially pure titanium implants served as controls. Scanning Auger Electron Spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy, and Atomic Force Microscopy revealed no significant differences in oxide thickness or surface roughness parameters, but differences in the surface chemical composition and apparent topography were observed. After surface preparation, the implants were inserted in cortical bone of rabbits and evaluated after 1, 3, and 6 weeks. Light microscopic evaluation of the tissue response showed that all implants were in contact with bone and had a large proportion of newly formed bone within the threads after 6 weeks. There were no morphological differences between the four groups. Our study shows that a high degree of bone contact and bone formation can be achieved with titanium implants of different surface composition and topography.
The Effect of Deposition Rate on Morphology and Structural Properties of Carbon-Nickel Composite Films
Authors: Elahi Smohammad , Dalouji Vali , Valedbagi Shahoo
Published: September 2013

Carbon-nickel films were grown by radio frequency magnetron cosputtering on glass substrates. The films were deposited under different deposition times, from 50 to 600 sec, at room temperature. We noticed that up to 180 sec the sputtering occurs in more metal content mode and in greater than 180 sec it occurs in more nonmetal content mode. It is shown that the structural and morphological properties of carbon-nickel films were strongly influenced by this behavior.
Prosthetic Rehabilitation in Children: An Alternative Clinical Technique
Authors: Teixeira Marques Nádia Carolina , Gurgel Carla Vecchione , Fernandes Ana Paula , Lima Marta Cunha , Machado Maria Aparecida Andrade Moreira , Soares Simone , Oliveira Thais Marchini
Published: September 2013

Complete and partial removable dentures have been used successfully in numerous patients with oligodontia and/or anodontia. However, there is little information in the literature regarding the principles and guidelines to prosthetic rehabilitation for growing children. This case report describes the management of a young child with oligodontia as well as the treatment planning and the prosthetic rehabilitation technique.
An Investigation of Structural Damage Location Based on Ultrasonic Excitation-Fiber Bragg Grating Detection
Authors: Tan Yuegang , Cai Li , Peng Bei , Meng Lijun
Published: September 2013

With the continuous development of mechanical automation, the structural health monitoring techniques are increasingly high requirements for damage detection. So structural health monitoring (SHM) has been playing a significant role in terms of damage prognostics. The main contribution pursued in this investigation is to establish a detection system based on ultrasonic excitation and fiber Bragg grating sensing, which combines the advantages of the ultrasonic detection and fiber Bragg grating (FBG). Differencing from most common approaches, a new way of damage detection is based on fiber Bragg grating (FBG), which can easily realize distributed detection. The basic characteristics of fiber Bragg grating sensing system are analyzed, and the positioning algorithm of structural damage is derived in theory. On these bases, the detection system was used to analyze damage localization in the aluminum alloy plate of a hole with diameters of 6 mm. Experiments have been carried out to demonstrate that the sensing system was feasible and that the estimation method of the location algorithm was easy to implement.
A Parallel Encryption Algorithm Based on Piecewise Linear Chaotic Map
Authors: Wang Xizhong , Chen Deyun
Published: September 2013

We introduce a parallel chaos-based encryption algorithm for taking advantage of multicore processors. The chaotic cryptosystem is generated by the piecewise linear chaotic map (PWLCM). The parallel algorithm is designed with a master/slave communication model with the Message Passing Interface (MPI). The algorithm is suitable not only for multicore processors but also for the single-processor architecture. The experimental results show that the chaos-based cryptosystem possesses good statistical properties. The parallel algorithm provides much better performance than the serial ones and would be useful to apply in encryption/decryption file with large size or multimedia.
Experimental Behavior of Natural Fiber-Based Composites Used for Strengthening Masonry Structures
Authors: Codispoti Rosamaria , Oliveira Daniel V. , Fangueiro Raul , Lourenço Paulo B. , Olivito Renato S.
Published: September 2013

This paper deals with the experimental characterization of the tensile behavior of fiber-based composites and flexural strength of natural fiber-reinforced polymer (NFRP) sheets externally glued on masonry bricks, in terms of load capacity and stress distribution along the bonded length. The bricks adopted for this experimentation are solid clay bricks, typically used in ancient masonry structures. Nonimpregnated and impregnated flax, hemp, jute, and sisal fibers were examined. Two types of matrices have been used, polymer matrices and mortar-based matrices. Composite materials defined as NFRP (Natural Fiber Reinforced Polymer) and NFRG (Natural Fiber Reinforced Grout) were obtained.
Restoration of Strip Crown with a Resin-Bonded Composite Cement in Early Childhood Caries
Authors: Jeong Mi-ae , Kim Ah-hyeon , Shim Youn-soo , An So-youn
Published: September 2013

Background. Early childhood caries is a widely prevalent disease throughout the world. It is necessary to treat this condition in early childhood; however, child behavior management may be particularly challenging during treatment. To overcome this challenge, we used Carigel to remove caries and RelyX Unicem resin cement for strip crown restoration. It not only has the desired aesthetic effect but is also more effective for primary teeth, which are used for a shorter period than permanent teeth are.Case Presentation. We report a case of three pediatric patients with early childhood caries, in whom caries was removed by using Carigel to avoid the risk of pulpal exposure associated with high-speed handpieces. Subsequently, aesthetic restoration was performed using strip crown with RelyX Unicem self-adhesive resin cement.Conclusion. RelyX Unicem has the following advantages: (1) not requiring have any special skills for the dentist for performing the procedure, (2) decreased occurrence of bubbles during injection of the cement, and (3) overall short duration of the procedure. Thus, it is appropriate for the treatment of pediatric patients whose behavior is difficult to manage. However, further studies are required in order to establish the use of RelyX Unicem as a stable restorative material in early childhood caries.
Corrosion and Inhibition Effects of Mild Steel in Hydrochloric Acid Solutions Containing Organophosphonic Acid
Authors: Gupta Manish , Mishra Jyotsna , Pitre K. S.
Published: September 2013

A study has been made on the mechanism of corrosion of mild steel and the effect of nitrilo trimethylene phosphonic (NTMP) acid as a corrosion inhibitor in acidic medium, that is, 10% HC1 using the weight loss method and electrochemical techniques, that is, potentiodynamic and galvanostatic polarization measurements. Although corrosion is a long-time process, but it takes place at a faster rate in the beginning which goes on decreasing with due course of time. The above-mentioned methods of corrosion rate determination furnish an average value for a long-time interval. Looking at the versatility and minimum detection limit of the voltammetric method, the authors have developed a new voltammetric method for the determination of corrosion rate at short-time intervals. The results of corrosion of mild steel in 10% HC1 solution with and without NTMP inhibitor at short-time intervals have been reported. The corrosion inhibition efficiency of NTMP is 93% after 24 h.
Knowledge Mining Based on Environmental Simulation Applied to Wind Farm Power Forecasting
Authors: Niu Dongxiao , Ji Ling , Ma Qingguo , Li Wei
Published: September 2013

Considering the inherent variability and uncertainty of wind power generation, in this study, a self-organizing map (SOM) combined with rough set theory clustering technique (RST) is proposed to extract the relative knowledge and to choose the most similar history situation and efficient data for wind power forecasting with numerical weather prediction (NWP). Through integrating the SOM and RST methods to cluster the historical data into several classes, the approach could find the similar days and excavate the hidden rules. According to the data reprocessing, the selected samples will improve the forecast accuracy echo state network (ESN) trained by the class of the forecasting day that is adopted to forecast the wind power output accordingly. The developed methods are applied to a case of power forecasting in a wind farm located in northwest of China with wind power data from April 1, 2008, to May 6, 2009. In order to verify its effectiveness, the performance of the proposed method is compared with the traditional backpropagation neural network (BP). The results demonstrated that knowledge mining led to a promising improvement in the performance for wind farm power forecasting.
Selenium Status in Patients Receiving Short-Term Parenteral Nutrition: Frequency of Deficiency and Response to a Standard Supplementation Regimen
Authors: Walsh Julia , Karanjia Nariman D. , Taylor Andrew , Livingstone Callum
Published: September 2013

Background. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and correlates of Se deficiency in patients referred for parenteral nutrition (PN) and to assess the response to a standard supplementation regimen. Methods. Adult patients (53) were recruited prior to commencing a PN regimen delivering 32 µg (0.4 µmol) Se per 24–36 h. Serum Se concentrations were measured before and daily during PN. Results. At baseline 49 (92%) patients had serum Se concentrations below the reference range (0.9–1.65 μmol/L). Se concentrations climbed during PN from 0.49±0.23 (mean ± SD) to 0.57±0.22 μmol/L (P<0.05), but in 48 (91%) patients the concentrations remained low at post-PN. Taking a Se concentration below 0.6 μmol/L as indicative of depletion in the presence of an acute phase response (APR), 37 (70%) patients had Se depletion at baseline and in 27 (51%), levels remained low at post-PN. Baseline serum Se predicted the length of hospital stay (r=-0.36, P<0.05). Increased “malnutrition universal screening tool” score predicted low Se (r=-0.93, P<0.05). Conclusions. Patients referred for PN have a high prevalence of Se deficiency, even when the APR is taken into account. Se supplementation of 32 µg Se per 24–36 h is insufficient for most patients. Baseline serum Se may have prognostic value.
An Extension of Cross Redundancy of Interval Scale Outputs and Inputs in DEA
Authors: Hosseinzadeh-Lotfi Farhad , Jahanshahloo Gholam-Reza , Mohammadpour Mansour
Published: September 2013

It is well known that data envelopment analysis (DEA) models are sensitive to selection of input and output variables. As the number of variables increases, the ability to discriminate between the decision making units (DMUs) decreases. Thus, to preserve the discriminatory power of a DEA model, the number of inputs and outputs should be kept at a reasonable level. There are many cases in which an interval scale output in the sample is derived from the subtraction of nonnegative linear combination of ratio scale outputs and nonnegative linear combination of ratio scale inputs. There are also cases in which an interval scale input is derived from the subtraction of nonnegative linear combination of ratio scale inputs and nonnegative linear combination of ratio scale outputs. Lee and Choi (2010) called such interval scale output and input a cross redundancy. They proved that the addition or deletion of a cross-redundant output variable does not affect the efficiency estimates yielded by the CCR or BCC models. In this paper, we present an extension of cross redundancy of interval scale outputs and inputs in DEA models. We prove that the addition or deletion of a cross-redundant output and input variable does not affect the efficiency estimates yielded by the CCR or BCC models.
Female Genital Mutilation in Sierra Leone: Forms, Reliability of Reported Status, and Accuracy of Related Demographic and Health Survey Questions
Authors: Bjälkander Owolabi , Grant Donald S. , Berggren Vanja , Bathija Heli , Almroth Lars
Published: September 2013

Objective.To determine forms of female genital mutilation (FGM), assess consistency between self-reported and observed FGM status, and assess the accuracy of Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) FGM questions in Sierra Leone.Methods.This cross-sectional study, conducted between October 2010 and April 2012, enrolled 558 females aged 12–47 from eleven antenatal clinics in northeast Sierra Leone. Data on demography, FGM status, and self-reported anatomical descriptions were collected. Genital inspection confirmed the occurrence and extent of cutting.Results.All participants reported FGM status; 4 refused genital inspection. Using the WHO classification of FGM, 31.7% had type Ib; 64.1% type IIb; and 4.2% type IIc. There was a high level of agreement between reported and observed FGM prevalence (81.2% and 81.4%, resp.). There was no correlation between DHS FGM responses and anatomic extent of cutting, as 2.7% reported pricking; 87.1% flesh removal; and 1.1% that genitalia was sewn closed.Conclusion.Types I and II are the main forms of FGM, with labia majora alterations in almost 5% of cases. Self-reports on FGM status could serve as a proxy measurement for FGM prevalence but not for FGM type. The DHS FGM questions are inaccurate for determining cutting extent.
A 4-Mid-Node Plane Model of Base Force Element Method on Complementary Energy Principle
Authors: Liu Yinghua , Peng Yijiang , Zhang Lijuan , Guo Qing
Published: September 2013

Using the base forces as fundamental variables to describe the stress state and the displacement gradients that are the conjugate variables of the base forces to describe the deformation state for the two-dimensional elasticity problems, a 4-mid-node plane model of base force element method (BFEM) based on complementary energy principle is proposed. In this paper, the complementary energy of an element of the BFEM is constructed by using the base forces. The equilibrium conditions are released by the Lagrange multiplier method, and a modified complementary energy principle described by the base forces is obtained. The formulation of the 4-mid-node plane element of the BFEM is derived by assuming that the stress is uniformly distributed on each edge of the plane elements. A procedure of the BFEM on complementary energy principle is developed using MATLAB language. The numerical results of examples show that this model of the BFEM has high precision and is free from mesh sensitivity. This model shows good performances.
Immunology and Oxidative Stress in Multiple Sclerosis: Clinical and Basic Approach
Authors: Ortiz Genaro G. , Pacheco-Moisés Fermín P. , Bitzer-Quintero Oscar K. , Ramírez-Anguiano Ana C. , Flores-Alvarado Luis J. , Ramírez-Ramírez Viridiana , Macias-Islas Miguel A. , Torres-Sánchez Erandis D.
Published: September 2013

Multiple sclerosis (MS) exhibits many of the hallmarks of an inflammatory autoimmune disorder including breakdown of the blood-brain barrier (BBB), the recruitment of lymphocytes, microglia, and macrophages to lesion sites, the presence of multiple lesions, generally being more pronounced in the brain stem and spinal cord, the predominantly perivascular location of lesions, the temporal maturation of lesions from inflammation through demyelination, to gliosis and partial remyelination, and the presence of immunoglobulin in the central nervous system and cerebrospinal fluid. Lymphocytes activated in the periphery infiltrate the central nervous system to trigger a local immune response that ultimately damages myelin and axons. Pro-inflammatory cytokines amplify the inflammatory cascade by compromising the BBB, recruiting immune cells from the periphery, and activating resident microglia. inflammation-associated oxidative burst in activated microglia and macrophages plays an important role in the demyelination and free radical-mediated tissue injury in the pathogenesis of MS. The inflammatory environment in demyelinating lesions leads to the generation of oxygen- and nitrogen-free radicals as well as proinflammatory cytokines which contribute to the development and progression of the disease. Inflammation can lead to oxidative stress and vice versa. Thus, oxidative stress and inflammation are involved in a self-perpetuating cycle.
Immune Regulation and Oxidative Stress Reduction by Preimplantation Factor following Syngeneic or Allogeneic Bone Marrow Transplantation
Authors: Shainer Reut , Azar Yehudith , Almogi-Hazan Osnat , Bringer Rachel , Compton Susan R. , Paidas Michael J. , Barnea Eytan R. , Or Reuven
Published: September 2013

Bone marrow transplantation (BMT), a well-established treatment for hematological diseases, is frequently hampered by graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and/or by infections due to delay in immune restoration. Prelmplantation Factor (PIF) is an embryo-derived peptide whose physiological function is to regulate local and systemic immunity and promote transplant acceptance. Synthetic PIF’s effectiveness to regulate immune response following BMT was herein examined in murine model. PIF administration reduced GVHD following allogenic BMT, decreased skin, liver, and colon inflammation and down regulated GVHD-associated gene expression in the liver. iNOS gene expression was reduced both in liver and colon. In syngeneic BMT, PIF administration reduced proinflammatory genes expression and promoted mice weight recovery up to two months after transplantation. PIF immune-regulatory effects were mediated via interaction with monocytes, resulting in decreased iNOS expression and NO secretionin-vitro. Overall, we demonstrate that by regulating immune response after BMT, PIF reduces inflammation and oxidative stress, leading to transplant success.
Modeling Typhoon Event-Induced Landslides Using GIS-Based Logistic Regression: A Case Study of Alishan Forestry Railway, Taiwan
Authors: Chen Sheng-Chuan , Chang Chia-Chi , Chan Hsun-Chuan , Huang Long-Ming , Lin Li-Ling
Published: September 2013

This study develops a model for evaluating the hazard level of landslides at Alishan Forestry Railway, Taiwan, by using logistic regression with the assistance of a geographical information system (GIS). A typhoon event-induced landslide inventory, independent variables, and a triggering factor were used to build the model. The environmental factors such as bedrock lithology from the geology database; topographic aspect, terrain roughness, profile curvature, and distance to river, from the topographic database; and the vegetation index value from SPOT 4 satellite images were used as variables that influence landslide occurrence. The area under curve (AUC) of a receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve was used to validate the model. Effects of parameters on landslide occurrence were assessed from the corresponding coefficient that appears in the logistic regression function. Thereafter, the model was applied to predict the probability of landslides for rainfall data of different return periods. Using a predicted map of probability, the study area was classified into four ranks of landslide susceptibility: low, medium, high, and very high. As a result, most high susceptibility areas are located on the western portion of the study area. Several train stations and railways are located on sites with a high susceptibility ranking.
Fixed Point Results forα-ψλ-Contractions on Gauge Spaces and Applications
Authors: Jleli Mohamed , Karapınar Erdal , Samet Bessem
Published: September 2013

We extend the concept ofα-ψ-contractive mappings introduced recently by Samet et al. (2012) to the setting of gauge spaces. New fixed point results are established on such spaces, and some applications to nonlinear integral equations on the half-line are presented.
Wavelets-Computational Aspects of Sterian Realistic Approach to Uncertainty Principle in High Energy Physics: A Transient Approach
Authors: Toma Cristian
Published: September 2013

This study presents wavelets-computational aspects of Sterian-realistic approach to uncertainty principle in high energy physics. According to this approach, one cannot make a device for the simultaneous measuring of the canonical conjugate variables in reciprocal Fourier spaces. However, such aspects regarding the use of conjugate Fourier spaces can be also noticed in quantum field theory, where the position representation of a quantum wave is replaced by momentum representation before computing the interaction in a certain point of space, at a certain moment of time. For this reason, certain properties regarding the switch from one representation to another in these conjugate Fourier spaces should be established. It is shown that the best results can be obtained using wavelets aspects and support macroscopic functions for computing (i) wave-train nonlinear relativistic transformation, (ii) reflection/refraction with a constant shift, (iii) diffraction considered as interaction with a null phase shift without annihilation of associated wave, (iv) deflection by external electromagnetic fields without phase loss, and (v) annihilation of associated wave-train through fast and spatially extended phenomena according to uncertainty principle.
A Schistosomiasis Model with Mating Structure
Authors: Qi Longxing , Cui Jing-an
Published: September 2013

A schistosomiasis model is proposed including single schistosomes, paired schistosomes, snails, and the latent period of infected snails. A reasonable sex ratio of schistosomes and the minimum mating function are considered. A threshold condition determining the stability of the system is given, and the stability of equilibrium for the model is shown. The impact of the latent period of infected snails on schistosomiasis transmission can be found through numerical simulations. Finally, preferable control strategies are obtained by sensitivity analyses. Killing snails may be the preferred control measure. If we choose chemotherapy, we should use some drugs which are sufficient for reducing egg-associated pathology, since paired schistosomes are mostly harmful to definitive hosts.
Effects of Electric Field on the SHS Flame Propagation of the Si-C System, Examined by the Use of the Heterogeneous Theory
Authors: Makino Atsushi
Published: September 2013

Relevant to the self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS) process, an analytical study has been conducted to investigate the effects of electric field on the combustion behavior because the electric field is indispensable for systems with weak exothermic reactions to sustain flame propagation. In the present study, use has been made of the heterogeneous theory which can satisfactorily account for the premixed mode of the bulk flame propagation supported by the nonpremixed mode of particle consumption. It has been confirmed that, even for the SHS flame propagation under electric field, being well recognized to be facilitated, there exists a limit of flammability, due to heat loss, as is the case for the usual SHS flame propagation. Since the heat loss is closely related to the representative sizes of particles and compacted specimen, this identification provides useful insight into manipulating the SHS flame propagation under electric field, by presenting appropriate combinations of those sizes. A fair degree of agreement has been demonstrated through conducting an experimental comparison, as far as the trend and the approximate magnitude are concerned, suggesting that an essential feature has been captured by the present study.
Posterior Dislocation of the Hinge-Post Extension in a Rotating Hinge Total Knee Prosthesis
Authors: Manzano Givenchy , Schwarzkopf Ran
Published: September 2013

The rotating hinge knee prosthesis is a popular intervention in patients lacking stability with highly constrained total knee arthroplasty. Despite improvements in design, nonmechanical and mechanical complications continue to be a problem. Dislocation of the hinge has been widely described, mainly due to the component fracture. Few reports describe isolated dislocation of the rotating stem. We report a case of isolated disengagement of the rotating hinge mechanism, due to severe flexion gap imbalance, leading to subsequent posterior dislocation of the hinge and anterior knee dislocation, in a patient with a history of multiple total knee arthroplasty revisions. This case suggests the importance of the soft tissue balancing, the adequate patellar tracking, and use of a long cylindrical, minimally tapered rotating stem in hinge arthroplasty to minimize hinge dislocation.
Active Drug-Using Women Use Female-Initiated Barrier Methods to Reduce HIV/STI Risk: Results from a Randomized Trial
Authors: Gollub Erica , Cyrus-Cameron Elena , Armstrong Kay , Boney Tamara , Mercer Delinda , Fiore Danielle , Chhatre Sumedha
Published: September 2013

Background. We tested an original, woman-focused intervention, based on body empowerment, and female-initiated barrier methods, including the female condom (FC) and cervical barriers. Methods. Eligible women were >= 18 years of age, HIV seronegative, and active drug users, reporting 30% or greater unprotected sex acts. Both controls (C) and intervention (I) participants received enhanced HIV/STI harm reduction counseling. I participants underwent 5 additional weekly group sessions. We compared change in frequency of unprotected vaginal intercourse across arms at 12 months. Results. Among 198 enrolled women, over 95% completed followup. Two-thirds were African-American; most of them used crack, had a primary partner, and reported sex exchange. In paired t-tests from baseline to followup, the frequency of unprotected vaginal sex dropped significantly for I (primary , nonprimary ) and C (primary , nonprimary ) arms with all partners. The difference in change across arms was of borderline significance for primary partner (); no difference was seen for nonprimary partner (). Use of male condom and FC increased with both partner types over time, but more consistently among I women. Conclusion: The “value-added” impact of the intervention was observed mainly with primary partners. Body knowledge with routine FC counseling should be incorporated into interventions for drug-using women.
Role of Pseudoexons and Pseudointrons in Human Cancer
Authors: Romano Maurizio , Buratti Emanuele , Baralle Diana
Published: September 2013

In all eukaryotic organisms, pre-mRNA splicing and alternative splicing processes play an essential role in regulating the flow of information required to drive complex developmental and metabolic pathways. As a result, eukaryotic cells have developed a very efficient macromolecular machinery, called the spliceosome, to correctly recognize the pre-mRNA sequences that need to be inserted in a mature mRNA (exons) from those that should be removed (introns). In healthy individuals, alternative and constitutive splicing processes function with a high degree of precision and fidelity in order to ensure the correct working of this machinery. In recent years, however, medical research has shown that alterations at the splicing level play an increasingly important role in many human hereditary diseases, neurodegenerative processes, and especially in cancer origin and progression. In this minireview, we will focus on several genes whose association with cancer has been well established in previous studies, such asATM,BRCA1/A2, andNF1. In particular, our objective will be to provide an overview of the known mechanisms underlying activation/repression of pseudoexons and pseudointrons; the possible utilization of these events as biomarkers of tumor staging/grading; and finally, the treatment options for reversing pathologic splicing events.
Natural Convection Heat and Mass Transfer Modeling for Cu/Water and CuO/Water Nanofluids
Authors: Popa C. V. , Kasaeian A. B. , Nasiri Sh. , Korichi A. , Polidori G.
Published: September 2013

A theoretical model based on the integral formalism approach for laminar external natural convection in the vicinity of a vertical wall is used to be extended to nanofluids. Two kinds of thermal boundary conditions including uniform wall temperature (UWT) and uniform heat flux (UHF) are used for this modeling. Two different nanofluids are tested, namely, Cu/water and CuO/water nanofluids for which both viscosity and thermal conductivity were determined using Brownian motion-based models. A close attention is focused on the influence due to increasing the volume fraction of nanoparticles on both the heat transfer and dynamic parameters. Results are presented only for particle volume fractions up to 4% to ensure a Newtonian behavior of the mixture. It has been found that natural convection heat transfer increases with the volume fraction for a fixed Grashof number, whatever the nanofluid is. Nevertheless, the enhancement of heat transfer is more pronounced in the case of Cu/water than for the CuO/water nanofluid. Moreover, this trend is also confirmed regarding the dynamical parameters such as the maximum velocity value within the dynamical boundary layer and the corresponding boundary layer thickness.
Molecular Identification ofAncylostoma caninumIsolated from Cats in Southern China Based on Complete ITS Sequence
Authors: Liu Yuanjia , Zheng Guochao , Alsarakibi Muhamd , Zhang Xinheng , Hu Wei , Lu Pengyun , Lin Liqin , Tan Liping , Luo Qin , Li Guoqing
Published: September 2013

Ancylostoma caninumis a blood-feeding parasitic intestinal nematode which infects dogs, cats, and other mammals throughout the world. A highly sensitive and species-specific PCR-RFLP technique was utilised to detect the prevalence ofA. caninumin cats in Guangzhou, southern China. Of the 102 fecal samples examined, the prevalence ofA. caninumin cats was 95.1% and 83.3% using PCR-RFLP and microscopy, respectively. Among them, the prevalence of single hookworm infection withA. caninumwas 54.90%, while mixed infections with bothA. caninumandA. ceylanicumwere 40.20%. Comparative analysis of three complete ITS sequences obtained from cat-derivedA. caninumshowed the same length (738 bp) as that of dog-derivedA. caninum. However, the sequence variation range was 98.6%–100%, where only one cat isolate (M63) showed 100% sequence similarity in comparison with two dog-derivedA. caninumisolates (AM850106, EU159416) in the same studied area. The phylogenetic tree revealedA. caninumderived from both cats and dogs in single cluster. Results suggest that cats could be the main host ofA. caninumin China, which may cause cross-infection between dogs and cats in the same area.
Deployment Support for Sensor Networks in Indoor Climate Monitoring
Authors: Yun Jaeseok , Kim Jaeho
Published: September 2013

Automatic recognition of personal comfort is critical in realizing autonomous control of building utilities. We can infer human comfort level based on indoor environmental conditions, such as temperature and humidity, collected through sensor networks. However, the majority of methods for optimally deploying sensor networks in indoor climate monitoring mainly focused on achieving accurate measurements such as temperature distribution map with the minimum cost. Indeed, for automatic recognition of comfort using machine learning, we need to collect datasets preserving as much of the discriminatory information for inferring personal comfort with the minimum cost. In this paper, we present a novel method of placing and minimizing sensor nodes for sensor networks in smart energy systems. We have developed ZigBee-based sensor nodes and collected temperature, humidity, and illumination dataset from 13 nodes for a week. Using the dataset, we group the sensor nodes into coherent clusters, and then select a representative node which has the maximum value of RSSI for each cluster and remove the other redundant sensors, reducing the number of sensor nodes deployed. To show the feasibility of the proposed method, we perform a classification analysis of building environment. The recognition accuracy decreased by 13 percent with 6 selected sensor nodes, compared to the result with all 13 sensor nodes.
Identification of Code-Switched Sentences and Words Using Language Modeling Approaches
Authors: Yu Liang-Chih , He Wei-Cheng , Chien Wei-Nan , Tseng Yuen-Hsien
Published: September 2013

Globalization and multilingualism contribute to code-switching—the phenomenon in which speakers produce utterances containing words or expressions from a second language. Processing code-switched sentences is a significant challenge for multilingual intelligent systems. This study proposes a language modeling approach to the problem of code-switching language processing, dividing the problem into two subtasks: the detection of code-switched sentences and the identification of code-switched words in sentences. A code-switched sentence is detected on the basis of whether it contains words or phrases from another language. Once the code-switched sentences are identified, the positions of the code-switched words in the sentences are then identified. Experimental results show that the language modeling approach achieved anF-measure of 80.43% and an accuracy of 79.01% for detecting Mandarin-Taiwanese code-switched sentences. For the identification of code-switched words, the word-based and POS-based models, respectively, achievedF-measures of 41.09% and 53.08%.
Comparative Study of Resistorless Filters Using Differential Voltage Current Controlled Current Feedback Operational Amplifiers and Differential Voltage Current Controlled Current Conveyors
Authors: Laoudias Costas , Psychalinos Costas
Published: September 2013

Differential Voltage Current Controlled Current Feedback Operational Amplifier is an attractive active element for realizing resistorless filters with a minimum active component count. This is verified through a design example, where a 3rd-order leapfrog filter has been realized using the AMS 0.35 μm CMOS process design kit. The performance of the Differential Voltage Current Controlled Current Feedback Operational Amplifier filter is evaluated and compared with that obtained by the corresponding filter, where Differential Voltage Current Controlled Current Conveyors have been employed.
Pattern Dynamics in a Spatial Predator-Prey System with Allee Effect
Authors: Sun Gui-Quan , Li Li , Jin Zhen , Zhang Zi-Ke , Zhou Tao
Published: September 2013

We investigate the spatial dynamics of a predator-prey system with Allee effect. By using bifurcation analysis, the exact Turing domain is found in the parameters space. Furthermore, we obtain the amplitude equations and determine the stability of different patterns. In Turing space, it is found that predator-prey systems with Allee effect have rich dynamics. Our results indicate that predator mortality plays an important role in the pattern formation of populations. More specifically, as predator mortality rate increases, coexistence of spotted and stripe patterns, stripe patterns, spotted patterns, and spiral wave emerge successively. The results enrich the finding in the spatial predator-prey systems well.
Mixing Energy Models in Genetic Algorithms for On-Lattice Protein Structure Prediction
Authors: Rashid Mahmood A. , Newton M. A. Hakim , Hoque Md. Tamjidul , Sattar Abdul
Published: September 2013

Protein structure prediction (PSP) is computationally a very challenging problem. The challenge largely comes from the fact that the energy function that needs to be minimised in order to obtain the native structure of a given protein is not clearly known. A high resolution20×20energy model could better capture the behaviour of the actual energy function than a low resolution energy model such as hydrophobic polar. However, the fine grained details of the high resolution interaction energy matrix are often not very informative for guiding the search. In contrast, a low resolution energy model could effectively bias the search towards certain promising directions. In this paper, we develop a genetic algorithm that mainly uses a high resolution energy model for protein structure evaluation but uses a low resolution HP energy model in focussing the search towards exploring structures that have hydrophobic cores. We experimentally show that this mixing of energy models leads to significant lower energy structures compared to the state-of-the-art results.