bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis: report of two brothers with the same illness and review of literature
Authors: Al-Sardar Hussain , Al-Habbo Dhaher J S , Al-Hayali Rami M A
Published: March 2014

Pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis (PAM) is a rare lung disease characterised by extensive deposition of calpospherites within the alveoli. The disease is caused by mutations in the gene SLC34A2 encoding sodium-dependent phosphate co-transporter. It is an autosomal recessive disease with sporadic cases worldwide. Most patients are asymptomatic at the time of diagnosis. It may progress slowly over years to respiratory failure and cor pulmonale.
Empyema thoracis from an inhaled peanut
Authors: Linehan Laura , Hinchion John , O'Connor Terence M
Published: March 2014

A 77-year-old man with a history of pulmonary sarcoidosis was referred with persistent cough and reduced air entry on auscultation of the right lung base. He was an ex-smoker with a 40-pack-year history and his general practitioner was concerned about the possibility of bronchogenic carcinoma. A chest radiograph showed a right-sided pleural effusion with right mid-zone airspace opacification. Bronchoscopy revealed a peanut covered in mucus lodged in the right lower lobe bronchus. CT of the thorax demonstrated a multiloculated right pleural effusion with associated compressive atelectasis, consistent with chronic empyema. A chest drain was inserted but failed to fully clear the collection and the patient proceeded to a thoracoscopic decortication of a pleural empyema secondary to the right lower lobe obstruction from an inhaled peanut. His postoperative recovery was uncomplicated.
Chediak-Higashi syndrome in accelerated phase masquerading as severe acute malnutrition
Authors: Karande Sunil , Agarwal Shruti , Gandhi Bhaumik , Muranjan Mamta
Published: March 2014

A toddler presented with poor appetite, weight loss and frequent respiratory tract infections for the past 6 months, fever and increasing paleness for the past 2 months and bilateral pedal oedema for the past 1 month. Anthropometry confirmed severe acute malnutrition. Clinical and laboratory evaluation revealed that the child also had hypopigmented hair and skin, splenohepatomegaly, pancytopenia and hypoalbuminaemia. The coexistence of hypopigmentation and suspected low immunity prompted us to investigate the child's hair, peripheral blood smear and bone marrow. Hair under light microscopy showed evenly distributed, large melanin granules, suggestive of Chediak-Higashi syndrome (CHS). Peripheral blood smear and bone marrow aspirate examinations revealed abnormal large intracytoplasmic granules, which was diagnostic of CHS. The child's investigations revealed coexistent hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, confirming the diagnosis of CHS in ‘accelerated phase’, which is fatal if not treated. The parents prematurely took the child home against medical advice, before definitive therapy could be instituted.
Resveratrol in vitro amelioratestert-butyl hydroperoxide-induced alterations in erythrocyte membranes from young and older humans
Authors: Pandey Kanti Bhooshan , Rizvi Syed Ibrahim
Published: March 2014

Implication of reactive oxygen species/oxidative stress has been readily reported in etiology of aging and related manifestations. Plasma membrane as a regulator of numerous aspects of cell physiology including cell–cell interaction, solute transport, and signal transduction, provides structural integrity to the cells. The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of resveratrol administration in vitro, to evaluate the biological effect of this phytoalexin in oxidatively injured erythrocytes during aging. This study, carried out on 91 normal healthy subjects, provides experimental evidence that erythrocytes have increased oxidative damage with age. In vitro administration of resveratrol significantly attenuated deleterious effects of oxidative injury in erythrocytes from humans of all ages.
Transverse mixing of pollutants in streams: a review
Authors: Sharma H. , Ahmad Z.
Published: March 2014

Spilling or release of foreign particles in the flowing water is considered as pollution of water, and due to the inherent property of water to dissolve the substance, the particulate is well mixed in water. To monitor the extent of pollution in a stream it is essential to know how the pollutants mix in the river. It is observed that vertical mixing of pollutants is a very rapid process in the vertical directions and longitudinal mixing occurs very far from source of pollutant, which is generally out of reach of observations. Thus intermediate or transverse mixing zone is considered very important for water quality modeling. This paper is an attempt to summarize the phenomenon behind pollutant transport, reduction of three-dimensional advection–dispersion equation to two-dimensional equation, and factors causing and affecting transverse mixing of pollutants.
Inhomogeneous cosmological models and fine-tuning of the initial state
Authors: Sundell Peter , Vilja Iiro
Published: March 2014

Inhomogeneous cosmological models are often reported to suffer from a fine-tuning problem because of the observer's location. We study if this is a generic feature in the Lemaître–Tolman (LT) models, by investigating if there are models with freedom in the initial state. In these cases, the present fine-tuned location would be evolved from a non-fine-tuned initial state thus vanishing the problem. In this paper, we show that this is not a generic problem and we give the condition when the LT models do not have fine-tuned initial state. The physical meaning of this condition, however, requires more investigation. We investigate if this condition can be found from a special case: homogeneous models with matter, dark and curvature density as parameters. We found that with any reasonable density values, these models do not satisfy this condition and thus do not have freedom in the initial state. We interpret this to be linked with the fine-tuning problem of the initial state of the homogeneous models, when the early time inflation is not included to them. We discuss the condition in the context of non-homogeneous models.
Fourier Filtering for Minimizing the Periodic Trend Effects on Multifractal Diffusion Entropy Analysis
Authors: Huang Jingjing , Shang Pengjian
Published: March 2014

This paper introduces a generalized diffusion entropy analysis method to analyze long-range correlation, then applies this method to stock volatility series, traffic congestion index and daily average temperature series of Beijing. The method uses the techniques of diffusion process and Rényi entropy to focus on the scaling behaviors of regular and extreme volatility of time series. However, crossovers arising from the extrinsic periodic trend make the scaling behavior difficult to analyze. Periodic trend is found to deeply affect correlation, as series present obscure scaling behavior while exhibiting obvious scaling behavior after the trend is removed. We introduce Fourier filtering method to eliminate the trend effects and systematically investigate the multifractal long-range correlation of traffic congestion index and daily average temperature series. For daily average temperature series of Beijing, regular volatility and extreme volatility both exhibit long-range persistence. For traffic congestion index series of Beijing, regular volatility exhibits un-correlation or short correlation, while extreme volatility reveals anti-persistence.
Copper Nanoparticles: Synthetic Strategies, Properties and Multifunctional Application
Authors: Tamilvanan A. , Balamurugan K. , Ponappa K. , Kumar B. Madhan
Published: March 2014

Copper nanoparticles received much attention due to its high electrical conductivity, high melting point, low electrochemical migration behavior and low cost. Top down (physical methods) and bottom up (chemical and biological) approaches adopted for the synthesis of copper nanoparticles are reported. The property of copper nanoparticles mainly depends on the synthesis route and their process parameters. The influence of process parameters on the morphology, growth and yield of the nanoparticles by adopting various synthesis methods are discussed in detail. From the earlier reports, it is proved that electrochemical and chemical reduction method have received much higher attention due to their simple operation, low cost, faster reaction rate, high yield, environment friendly and low energy consumption. The characterization techniques, advantages and limitations of each synthesis methods are also discussed. The extensive applications of copper nanoparticles in various fields are also highlighted.
A fractional-order model of HIV infection: Numerical solution and comparisons with data of patients
Authors: Arafa A. A. M. , Rida S. Z. , Khalil M.
Published: March 2014

In this paper, a fractional-order model which describes the human immunodeficiency type-1 virus (HIV-1) infection is presented. Numerical solutions are obtained using a generalized Euler method (GEM) to handle the fractional derivatives. The fractional derivatives are described in the Caputo sense. We show that the model established in this paper possesses non-negative solutions. Comparisons between the results of the fractional-order model, the results of the integer model and the measured real data obtained from 10 patients during primary HIV-1 infection are presented. These comparisons show that the results of the fractional-order model give predictions to the plasma virus load of the patients better than those of the integer model.
An Unsupervised Approach to Predict Functional Relations between Genes Based on Expression Data
Authors: Altaf-Ul-Amin Md. , Katsuragi Tetsuo , Sato Tetsuo , Ono Naoaki , Kanaya Shigehiko
Published: March 2014

This work presents a novel approach to predict functional relations between genes using gene expression data. Genes may have various types of relations between them, for example, regulatory relations, or they may be concerned with the same protein complex or metabolic/signaling pathways and obviously gene expression data should contain some clues to such relations. The present approach first digitizes the log-ratio type gene expression data ofS. cerevisiaeto a matrix consisting of 1, 0, and −1 indicating highly expressed, no major change, and highly suppressed conditions for genes, respectively. For each gene pair, a probability density mass function table is constructed indicating nine joint probabilities. Then gene pairs were selected based on linear and probabilistic relation between their profiles indicated by the sum of probability density masses in selected points. The selected gene pairs share many Gene Ontology terms. Furthermore a network is constructed by selecting a large number of gene pairs based on FDR analysis and the clustering of the network generates many modules rich with similar function genes. Also, the promoters of the gene sets in many modules are rich with binding sites of known transcription factors indicating the effectiveness of the proposed approach in predicting regulatory relations.
Autoregulatory Feedback Mechanism of P38MAPK/Caspase-8 in Photodynamic Therapy-Hydrophilic/Lipophilic Tetra-α-(4-carboxyphenoxy) Phthalocyanine Zinc-Induced Apoptosis of Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma Bel-7402 Cells
Authors: Wang Yu , Xia Chunhui , Chen Wei , Chen Yuhang , Wang Yiyi , Li Tao
Published: March 2014

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a novel and promising antitumor treatment. Our previous study showed that hydrophilic/lipophilic tetra-α-(4-carboxyphenoxy) phthalocyanine zinc- (TαPcZn-) mediated PDT (TαPcZn-PDT) inhibits the proliferation of human hepatocellular carcinoma Bel-7402 cells by triggering apoptosis and arresting cell cycle. However, mechanisms of TαPcZn-PDT-induced apoptosis of Bel-7402 cells have not been fully clarified. In the present study, therefore, effect of TαPcZn-PDT on apoptosis, P38MAPK, p-P38MAPK, Caspase-8, Caspase-3, Bcl-2, Bid, Cytochrome c, and mitochondria membrane potential in Bel-7402 cells without or with P38MAPK inhibitor SB203580 or Caspase-8 inhibitor Ac-IEFD-CHO was investigated by haematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining assay, flow cytometry analysis of annexin V-FITC/propidium iodide (PI) double staining cells and 5,5′,6,6′-tetrachloro-1,1′,3,3′-tetraethylbenzimidazolylcarbocyanine iodide (JC-1), and immunoblot assay. We found that TαPcZn-PDT resulted in apoptosis induction, activation of P38MAPK, Caspase-8, Caspase-3, and Bid, downregulation of Bcl-2, release of Cytochrome c from mitochondria, and disruption of mitochondrial membrane potential in TαPcZn-PDT-treated Bel-7402 cells. In contrast, SB203580 or Ac-IEFD-CHO attenuated induction of apoptosis, activation of P38MAPK, Caspase-8, Caspase-3, and Bid, downregulation of Bcl-2, release of Cytochrome c from mitochondria, and disruption of mitochondrial membrane potential in TαPcZn-PDT-treated Bel-7402 cells. Taken together, we conclude that Caspase-3, Bcl-2, Bid, and mitochondria are involved in autoregulatory feedback of P38MAPK/Caspase-8 during TαPcZn-PDT-induced apoptosis of Bel-7402 cells.
Impulsive Antiperiodic Boundary Value Problems for Nonlinearqk-Difference Equations
Authors: Zhang Lihong , Ahmad Bashir , Wang Guotao
Published: March 2014

We show the existence and uniqueness of solutions for an antiperiodic boundary value problem of nonlinear impulsiveqk-difference equations by applying some well-known fixed point theorems. An example is presented to illustrate the main results.
New Active Control Method Based on Using Multiactuators and Sensors Considering Uncertainty of Parameters
Authors: Karimpour Babak , Keyhani Ali , Alamatian Javad
Published: March 2014

New approach is presented for controlling the structural vibrations. The proposed active control method is based on structural dynamics theories in which multiactuators and sensors are utilized. Each actuator force is modeled as an equivalent viscous damper so that several lower vibration modes are damped critically. This subject is achieved by simple mathematical formulation. The proposed method does not depend on the type of dynamic load and it could be applied to control structures with multidegrees of freedom. For numerical verification of proposed method, several criterions such as maximum displacement, maximum kinetic energy, maximum drift, and time history of controlled force and displacement are evaluated in two- , five- , and seven-story shear buildings, subjected to the harmonic load, impact force, and the Elcentro base excitation. This study shows that the proposed method has suitable efficiency for reducing structural vibrations. Moreover, the uncertainty effect of different parameters is investigated here.
A Randomized Study on Postrelapse Disease‐Free Survival with Adjuvant Mistletoe versus Oral Etoposide in Osteosarcoma Patients
Authors: Longhi Alessandra , Reif Marcus , Mariani Erminia , Ferrari Stefano
Published: March 2014

Background. Osteosarcoma is a highly malignant bone tumour. After the second relapse, the 12‐month postrelapse disease‐free survival (PRDFS) rate decreases below 20%. Oral Etoposide is often used in clinical practice after surgery as an “adjuvant” outside any protocol and with only limited evidence of improved survival. Viscum album fermentatum Pini (Viscum) is an extract of mistletoe plants grown on pine trees for subcutaneous (sc) injection with immunomodulatory activity. Methods. Encouraged by preliminary findings, we conducted a study where osteosarcoma patients free from disease after second metastatic relapse were randomly assigned to Viscum sc or Oral Etoposide. Our goal was to compare 12‐month PRDFS rates with an equivalent historical control group. Results. Twenty patients have been enrolled, with a median age of 34 years (range 11–65) and a median follow‐up time of 38.5 months (3–73). The median PRDSF is currently 4 months (1–47) in the Etoposide and 39 months (2–73) in the Viscum group. Patients getting Viscum reported a higher quality of life due to lower toxicity. Conclusion. Viscum shows promise as adjuvant treatment in prolonging PRDFS after second relapse in osteosarcoma patients. A larger study is required to conclusively determine efficacy and immunomodulatory mechanisms of Viscum therapy in osteosarcoma patients.
Recent Progress on Nonlinear Schrödinger Systems with Quadratic Interactions
Authors: Li Chunhua , Hayashi Nakao
Published: March 2014

The study of nonlinear Schrödinger systems with quadratic interactions has attracted much attention in the recent years. In this paper, we summarize time decay estimates of small solutions to the systems under the mass resonance condition in 2-dimensional space. We show the existence of wave operators and modified wave operators of the systems under some mass conditions inn-dimensional space, wheren≥2. The existence of scattering operators and finite time blow-up of the solutions for the systems in higher space dimensions is also shown.
Looking for Celiac Disease in Italian Women with Endometriosis: A Case Control Study
Authors: Santoro Luca , Campo Sebastiano , D’Onofrio Ferruccio , Gallo Antonella , Covino Marcello , Campo Vincenzo , Palombini Guglielmo , Santoliquido Angelo , Gasbarrini Giovanni , Montalto Massimo
Published: March 2014

In the last years, a potential link between endometriosis and celiac disease has been hypothesized since these disorders share some similarities, specifically concerning a potential role of oxidative stress, inflammation, and immunological dysfunctions. We investigated the prevalence of celiac disease among Italian women with endometriosis with respect to general population. Consecutive women with a laparoscopic and histological confirmed diagnosis of endometriosis were enrolled; female nurses of our institution, without a known history of endometriosis, were enrolled as controls. IgA endomysial and tissue transglutaminase antibodies measurement and serum total IgA dosage were performed in both groups. An upper digestive endoscopy with an intestinal biopsy was performed in case of antibodies positivity. Presence of infertility, miscarriage, coexistence of other autoimmune diseases, and family history of autoimmune diseases was also investigated in all subjects. Celiac disease was diagnosed in 5 of 223 women with endometriosis and in 2 of 246 controls (2.2% versus 0.8%;P=0.265). Patients with endometriosis showed a largely higher rate of infertility compared to control group (27.4% versus 2.4%;P<0.001). Our results confirm that also in Italian population an increased prevalence of celiac disease among patients with endometriosis is found, although this trend does not reach the statistical significance.
Pd-Au Electrocatalysts for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction at Neutral pH
Authors: Chorbadzhiyska Elitsa , Mitov Mario , Hristov Georgi , Dimcheva Nina , Nalbandian Lori , Evdou Antigoni , Hubenova Yolina
Published: March 2014

Pd-Au codeposits with different ratio of both metals were electrodeposited on carbon felt, characterized by scanning electron microscopy, and investigated as electrocatalysts towards hydrogen evolution reaction in neutral phosphate buffer solution. The quantities of the produced hydrogen gas with different electrocatalysts, estimated from data obtained by chronoamperometry, were confirmed by mass spectrometry analysis. The highest hydrogen evolution rate was achieved with the electrocatalysts, produced from electrolyte with equal Pd and Au content.
Lyophilized Kit for the Preparation of the PET Perfusion Agent [68Ga]-MAA
Authors: Amor-Coarasa Alejandro , Milera Andrew , Carvajal Denny , Gulec Seza , McGoron Anthony J.
Published: March 2014

Rapid developments in the field of medical imaging have opened new avenues for the use of positron emitting labeled microparticles. The radioisotope used in our research was 68Ga, which is easy to obtain from a generator and has good nuclear properties for PET imaging. Methods. Commercially available macroaggregated albumin (MAA) microparticles were suspended in sterile saline, centrifuged to remove the free albumin and stannous chloride, relyophilized, and stored for later labeling with 68Ga. Labeling was performed at different temperatures and times. 68Ga purification settings were also tested and optimized. Labeling yield and purity of relyophilized MAA microparticles were compared with those that were not relyophilized. Results. MAA particles kept their original size distribution after relyophilization. Labeling yield was 98% at 75°C when a 68Ga purification system was used, compared to 80% with unpurified 68Ga. Radiochemical purity was over 97% up to 4 hours after the labeling. The relyophilized MAA and labeling method eliminate the need for centrifugation purification of the final product and simplify the labeling process. Animal experiments demonstrated the high in vivo stability of the obtained PET agent with more than 95% of the activity remaining in the lungs after 4 hours.
Consecutive Rosochatius Deformations of the Garnier System and the Hénon-Heiles System
Authors: Xia Baoqiang , Zhou Ruguang
Published: March 2014

An algorithm of constructing infinitely many symplectic realizations of generalized sl(2) Gaudin magnet is proposed. Based on this algorithm, the consecutive Rosochatius deformations of integrable Hamiltonian systems are presented. As examples, the consecutive Rosochatius deformations of the Garnier system and the Hénon-Heiles system as well as their Lax representations, are obtained.
Dynamic Characteristic Analysis of Indirect Carbon Emissions Caused by Chinese Urban and Rural Residential Consumption Based on Time Series Input‐Output Tables from 2002 to 2011
Authors: Zhang Guoxing , Liu Mingxing , Gao Xiulin
Published: March 2014

Carbon emissions caused by residential consumption have become one of the main sources of carbon emission and revealed a huge growth trend in China. By processing data of Chinese input‐output tables available and relative Statistical Yearbook, this paper uses RAS method to update the input‐output tables to obtain the time series input‐output tables from 2002 to 2011. Then, we use input‐output method to make a contrastive analysis of changes in carbon emissions caused by Chinese rural and urban residents’ consumption. The results show that the indirect carbon emission caused by urban residents’ consumption is the main part of carbon emission caused by residents’ consumption, and the gap between carbon emission caused by urban and rural residents’ consumption is wider and wider. The annual per capita indirect carbon emissions in urban and rural areas increase by years, and the increment of the town is much greater than that of the country. At last, we analyze carbon emissions from residents’ consumption by sectors and obtain some meaningful results. In accordance with the above conclusions, the paper puts forward some countermeasures and suggestions from consumer behaviors, structure of consumption, energy usage, and so on.
Modeling and Application of Pedestrian Safety Conflict Index at Signalized Intersections
Authors: Cheng Wei , Zhang Ning , Li Wei , Xi Jianfeng
Published: March 2014

Traffic conflict between turning vehicles and pedestrians is the leading cause of pedestrian fatalities at signalized intersections. In order to provide a solution for evaluating intersection safety for vulnerable road users, this paper first determines the most important factors in analyzing pedestrian-vehicle conflict and puts forward a pedestrian safety conflict index (SCI) model to establish a quantitative standard for safety evaluation of two- or multiphase intersections. A safety level system is then designed based on SCI to help categorize and describe the safety condition of intersections applicable to the model. Finally, the SCI model is applied to the evaluation of two intersections in the city of Changchun, the result of which complies with expectation, indicating the model’s potential in providing an improved approach for pedestrian-vehicle conflict evaluation study.
90° Peel off Tests of Tissue Engineered Osteochondral Constructs: A New Method to Determine the Osteochondral Integration
Authors: Bürgin Vivienne , Daniels A. U. , Francioli Silvia , Schulenburg Jörg , Wirz Dieter
Published: March 2014

One promising treatment of localized osteochondral defects in the knee joint may be the implantation of in vitro tissue-engineered osteochondral constructs. A crucial aspect of this kind of osteochondral construct is the bonding between the bone-scaffold and scaffold-based chondral layer. Here, a 90° peel off test is proposed as an appropriate method to measure the integration of cartilage to bone in osteochondral constructs for different primary methods of bonding the cartilage scaffold to the bone scaffold, with and without seeded chondroblasts. The method was developed and then tested on tissue-engineered constructs. The force/displacement data obtained allow determination of both the maximum force and the total energy required to separate the two layers. The tests showed good reproducibility and good discrimination between measurements as a function of seeding times. Average maximum peel-off forces varied between 10 mN for fibrin glue only to 575 mN for constructs with cells after four weeks of incubation. Linear regression of the area under the curve (AUC) as a function of maximum force shows a high correlation between the two parameters with R2 = 0.97. The main limitation of the test is that the data provide only a modest ability to decide how uniform the bond is over the area between the two layers.
Ethanolic Extract of Butea monosperma Leaves Elevate Blood Insulin Level in Type 2 Diabetic Rats, Stimulate Insulin Secretion in Isolated Rat Islets, and Enhance Hepatic Glycogen Formation
Authors: Samad Mehdi Bin , Kabir Ashraf Ul , D′Costa Ninadh Malrina , Akhter Farjana , Ahmed Arif , Jahan Mohammad Rajib , Hannan J. M. A.
Published: March 2014

We measured a vast range of parameters, in an attempt to further elucidate previously claimed antihyperglycemic activity of Butea monosperma. Our study clearly negates the possibility of antidiabetic activity by inhibited gastrointestinal enzyme action or by reduced glucose absorption. Reduction of fasting and postprandial glucose level was reconfirmed (P < 0.05). Improved serum lipid profile via reduced low density lipoprotein (LDL), cholesterol, triglycerides (TG), and increased high density lipoprotein (HDL) was also reestablished (P < 0.05). Significant insulin secretagogue activity of B. monosperma was found in serum insulin assay of B. monosperma treated type 2 diabetic rats (P < 0.01). This was further ascertained by our study on insulin secretion on isolated rat islets (P < 0.05). Improved sensitivity of glucose was shown by the significant increase in hepatic glycogen deposition (P < 0.05). Hence, we concluded that antihyperglycemic activity of B. monosperma was mediated by enhanced insulin secretion and enhanced glycogen formation in the liver.
The Dual Role of HLA-G in Cancer
Authors: Rouas-Freiss Nathalie , Moreau Philippe , LeMaoult Joel , Carosella Edgardo D.
Published: March 2014

We here review the current data on the role of HLA-G in cancer based on recent findings of an unexpected antitumor activity of HLA-G in hematological malignancies. For the past decade, HLA-G has been described as a tumor-escape mechanism favoring cancer progression, and blocking strategies have been proposed to counteract it. Aside from these numerous studies on solid tumors, recent data showed that HLA-G inhibits the proliferation of malignant B cells due to the interaction between HLA-G and its receptor ILT2, which mediates negative signaling on B cell proliferation. These results led to the conjecture that, according to the malignant cell type, HLA-G should be blocked or conversely induced to counteract tumor progression. In this context, we will here present (i) the dual role of HLA-G in solid and liquid tumors with special emphasis on (ii) the HLA-G active structures and their related ILT2 and ILT4 receptors and (iii) the current knowledge on regulatory mechanisms of HLA-G expression in tumors.
On the Limit Cycles of a Class of Planar Singular Perturbed Differential Equations
Authors: Wu Yuhai , Zhou Jingjing
Published: March 2014

Relaxation oscillations of two-dimensional planar singular perturbed systems with a layer equation exhibiting canard cycles are studied. The canard cycles under consideration contain two turning points and two jump points. We suppose that there exist three parameters permitting generic breaking at both the turning points and the connecting fast orbit. The conditions of one (resp., two, three) relaxation oscillation near the canard cycles are given by studying a map from the space of phase parameters to the space of breaking parameters.
Some Properties of 1,2*-Locally Closed Sets
Authors: Bhattacharya Baby , Paul Arnab , Debnath Sudip
Published: March 2014

A new kind of generalization of (1, 2)*-closed set, namely, (1, 2)*-locally closed set, is introduced and using (1, 2)*-locally closed sets we study the concept of (1, 2)*-LC-continuity in bitopological space. Also we study (1, 2)*-contracontinuity and lastly investigate its relationship with (1, 2)*-LC-continuity.
Solving Fokker-Planck Equations on Cantor Sets Using Local Fractional Decomposition Method
Authors: Yan Shao-Hong , Chen Xiao-Hong , Xie Gong-Nan , Cattani Carlo , Yang Xiao-Jun
Published: March 2014

The local fractional decomposition method is applied to approximate the solutions for Fokker-Planck equations on Cantor sets with local fractional derivative. The obtained results give the present method that is very effective and simple for solving the differential equations on Cantor set.
Stability of Stochastic Differential Delay Systems with Delayed Impulses
Authors: Wu Yanlei
Published: March 2014

We investigate the stability of stochastic delay differential systems with delayed impulses by Razumikhin methods. Some criteria on thepth moment and almost sure exponential stability are obtained. It is shown that an unstable stochastic delay system can be successfully stabilized by delayed impulses. Moreover, it is also shown that if a continuous dynamic system is stable, then, under some conditions, the delayed impulses do not destroy the stability of the systems. The effectiveness of the proposed results is illustrated by two examples.
Mean-Square Exponential Stability Analysis of Stochastic Neural Networks with Time-Varying Delays via Fixed Point Method
Authors: Yao Tianxiang , Lai Xianghong
Published: March 2014

This work addresses the stability study for stochastic cellular neural networks with time-varying delays. By utilizing the new research technique of the fixed point theory, we find some new and concise sufficient conditions ensuring the existence and uniqueness as well as mean-square global exponential stability of the solution. The presented algebraic stability criteria are easily checked and do not require the differentiability of delays. The paper is finally ended with an example to show the effectiveness of the obtained results.
Minimal Wave Speed of Bacterial Colony Model with Saturated Functional Response
Authors: Zhang Tianran , Gou Qingming
Published: March 2014

By considering bacterium death and general functional response we develop previous model of bacterial colony which focused on the traveling speed of bacteria. The minimal wave speed for our model is expressed by parameters and the necessary and sufficient conditions for traveling wave solutions (TWSs) are given. To prove the existence of TWSs, an auxiliary system is introduced and the existence of TWSs for this auxiliary system is proved by Schauder’s fixed point theorem. The limit arguments show the existence of TWSs for original system. By introducingnegative one-sided Laplace transform, we prove the nonexistence of TWSs.
A Novel Nanomodified Cellulose Insulation Paper for Power Transformer
Authors: Yuan Yuan , Liao Ruijin
Published: March 2014

A novel cellulose insulation paper handsheet has successfully been modified with various contents of montmorillonite (MMT). Relative permittivity and breakdown strength were investigated. The microstructure of MMT in Kraft paper was observed with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X‐ray diffraction. The relative permittivity of the immersed oil Kraft‐MMT handsheets (K‐MMT) initially decreased with the increasing amount of MMT. For MMT concentration of 9 wt%, K‐9% MMT possessed the lowest relative permittivity of approximately 2.3 at 50 Hz. The breakdown voltage of the paper‐oil‐paper composite insulation system increased from 50.3 kV to 56.9 kV. The tensile strength of the paper handsheet was also measured.
Electromagnetic Imaging of Two-Dimensional Geometries by Multipulse Interference Using the Inverse FDTD Method
Authors: Okada Naoki , Cole James B.
Published: March 2014

The size, shape, and location of unknown objects in the ground and in the body can be estimated by an
electromagnetic imaging technique. An imaging approach to clear detection of two-dimensional geometries is
proposed in this paper. Based on the inverse finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method, a phase interference
technique using multidirectional pulses is employed. The advantage of the proposed method is that it can clearly
reconstruct the geometry in a simple calculation. Sample imaging results are demonstrated. The analysis of the
FDTD results shows that the detectable object size is limited by the incident wavelength and the measurement
spacing and illustrates the detectability of multiple objects.
Effects and Potential Mechanisms of Pioglitazone on Lipid Metabolism in Obese Diabetic KKAy Mice
Authors: Peng Jun , Huan Yi , Jiang Qian , Sun Su-juan , Jia Chun-ming , Shen Zhu-fang
Published: March 2014

This study aimed to analyze the effects and potential mechanisms of pioglitazone on triglyceride and cholesterol metabolism in obese diabetic KKAy mice. Pioglitazone was orally administered to KKAy mice over 30 days. Compared to C57BL/6J mice, KKAy mice developed obvious insulin resistance, hepatic steatosis, and hyperlipidemia. Pioglitazone treatment resulted in deteriorated microvesicular steatosis and elevated hepatic triglyceride levels, though plasma triglyceride and free fatty acid levels were reduced by the treatment, compared to nontreated KKAy mice. Plasma alanine aminotransferase activities were also significantly increased. Additionally, pioglitazone increased plasma concentrations of total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, and LDL-cholesterol but decreased hepatic cholesterol. Gene expression profiling revealed that pioglitazone stimulated hepatic peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma hyperactivity, and induced the upregulation of adipocyte-specific and lipogenesis-related genes but downregulated of genes involved in triglyceride lipolysis and fatty acidβ-oxidation. Pioglitazone also regulated the genes expression of hepatic cholesterol uptake and excretion, such as low density lipoprotein receptor (LDL-R) and scavenger receptor type-BI (SR-BI). These results suggested that pioglitazone could induce excessive hepatic triglyceride accumulation, thus aggravating liver steatosis and lesions in KKAy mice. Furthermore, pioglitazone may suppress the clearance of serum cholesterol from the liver predominantly through inhibition of LDL-R and SR-BI expression, thus increasing the plasma cholesterol.
Extended Auxiliary Equation Method and Its Applications to Three Generalized NLS Equations
Authors: Xu Gui-qiong
Published: March 2014

The auxiliary equation method proposed by Sirendaoreji is extended to construct new types of elliptic function solutions of nonlinear evolution equations. The effectiveness of the extended method is demonstrated by applications to the RKL model, the generalized derivative NLS equation and the Kundu-Eckhaus equation. Not only are the Jacobian elliptic function solutions are derived, but also the solitary wave solutions and trigonometric function solutions are obtained in a unified way.
Prediction of Human's Ability in Sound Localization Based on the Statistical Properties of Spike Trains along the Brainstem Auditory Pathway
Authors: Krips Ram , Furst Miriam
Published: March 2014

The minimum audible angle test which is commonly used for evaluating human localization ability depends on interaural time delay, interaural level differences, and spectral information about the acoustic stimulus. These physical properties are estimated at different stages along the brainstem auditory pathway. The interaural time delay is ambiguous at certain frequencies, thus confusion arises as to the source of these frequencies. It is assumed that in a typical minimum audible angle experiment, the brain acts as an unbiased optimal estimator and thus the human performance can be obtained by deriving optimal lower bounds. Two types of lower bounds are tested: the Cramer-Rao and the Barankin. The Cramer-Rao bound only takes into account the approximation of the true direction of the stimulus; the Barankin bound considers other possible directions that arise from the ambiguous phase information. These lower bounds are derived at the output of the auditory nerve and of the superior olivary complex where binaural cues are estimated. An agreement between human experimental data was obtained only when the superior olivary complex was considered and the Barankin lower bound was used. This result suggests that sound localization is estimated by the auditory nuclei using ambiguous binaural information.
Frequencies of Blood Group Systems MNS, Diego, and Duffy and Clinical Phases of Carrion’s Disease in Amazonas, Peru
Authors: Acosta Oscar , Solano Luis , Escobar Jorge , Fernandez Miguel , Solano Carlos , Fujita Ricardo
Published: March 2014

Carrion’s disease (CD), is a human bartonellosis, that is, endemic in the Andes of Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia.Bartonella bacilliformis, a native hemotrophic bacteria, is the causative agent of CD, and the interaction with the host could have produced changes in the gene frequencies of erythrocyte antigens. The goal here is to investigate the relationship between allele frequencies of blood group systems MNS, Diego, and Duffy and the clinical phases of CD, within a genetic context. In this associative and analytical study, 76 individuals from Bagua Grande, the province of Utcubamba, and the department of Amazonas in Peru, were enrolled. Forty of them resided in Tomocho-Collicate-Vista Hermosa area (high prevalence of cases in chronic phase, verrucous, or eruptive phase, without previous acute phase). Thirty-six individuals were from the area of Miraflores (high prevalence of cases in acute phase only) and were evaluated for blood group systems MNS, Diego, and Duffy. This study constitutes one of the first attempts at evaluating the genetic factors and clinical phases of CD. No significant statistical differences(P>0.05)between allele frequencies of blood groups MNS, Diego, and Duffy and the prevalence of chronic and acute phases were detected in the two areas of Amazonas, Peru.
Structural, Surface Morphology and Optical Properties of ZnS Films by Chemical Bath Deposition at Various Zn/S Molar Ratios
Authors: Yu Fei-Peng , Ou Sin-Liang , Yao Pin-Chuan , Wu Bing-Rui , Wuu Dong-Sing
Published: March 2014

In this study, ZnS thin films were prepared on glass substrates by chemical bath deposition at various Zn/S molar ratios from 1/50 to 1/150. The effects of Zn/S molar ratio in precursor on the characteristics of ZnS films were demonstrated by X‐ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, optical transmittance, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectrometry. It was found that more voids were formed in the ZnS film prepared using the precursor with Zn/S molar ratio of 1/50, and the other ZnS films showed the denser structure as the molar ratio was decreased from 1/75 to 1/150. From the analyses of chemical bonding states, the ZnS phase was indeed formed in these films. Moreover, the ZnO and Zn(OH)2 also appeared due to the water absorption on film surface during deposition. This would be helpful to the junction in cell device. With changing the Zn/S molar ratio from 1/75 to 1/150, the ZnS films demonstrate high transmittance of 75–88% in the visible region, indicating the films are potentially useful in photovoltaic applications.
The Double-Edged Sword in Pathogenic Trypanosomatids: The Pivotal Role of Mitochondria in Oxidative Stress and Bioenergetics
Authors: Menna-Barreto Rubem Figueiredo Sadok , de Castro Solange Lisboa
Published: March 2014

The pathogenic trypanosomatidsTrypanosoma brucei,Trypanosoma cruzi, andLeishmaniaspp. are the causative agents of African trypanosomiasis, Chagas disease, and leishmaniasis, respectively. These diseases are considered to be neglected tropical illnesses that persist under conditions of poverty and are concentrated in impoverished populations in the developing world. Novel efficient and nontoxic drugs are urgently needed as substitutes for the currently limited chemotherapy. Trypanosomatids display a single mitochondrion with several peculiar features, such as the presence of different energetic and antioxidant enzymes and a specific arrangement of mitochondrial DNA (kinetoplast DNA). Due to mitochondrial differences between mammals and trypanosomatids, this organelle is an excellent candidate for drug intervention. Additionally, during trypanosomatids’ life cycle, the shape and functional plasticity of their single mitochondrion undergo profound alterations, reflecting adaptation to different environments. In an uncoupling situation, the organelle produces high amounts of reactive oxygen species. However, these species role in parasite biology is still controversial, involving parasite death, cell signalling, or even proliferation. Novel perspectives on trypanosomatid-targeting chemotherapy could be developed based on better comprehension of mitochondrial oxidative regulation processes.
Minimizing Thermal Stress for Data Center Servers through Thermal-Aware Relocation
Authors: Chaudhry Muhammad Tayyab , Ling T. C. , Hussain S. A. , Manzoor Atif
Published: March 2014

A rise in inlet air temperature may lower the rate of heat dissipation from air cooled computing servers. This introduces a thermal stress to these servers. As a result, the poorly cooled active servers will start conducting heat to the neighboring servers and giving rise to hotspot regions of thermal stress, inside the data center. As a result, the physical hardware of these servers may fail, thus causing performance loss, monetary loss, and higher energy consumption for cooling mechanism. In order to minimize these situations, this paper performs the profiling of inlet temperature sensitivity (ITS) and defines the optimum location for each server to minimize the chances of creating a thermal hotspot and thermal stress. Based upon novel ITS analysis, a thermal state monitoring and server relocation algorithm for data centers is being proposed. The contribution of this paper is bringing the peak outlet temperatures of the relocated servers closer to average outlet temperature by over 5 times, lowering the average peak outlet temperature by 3.5% and minimizing the thermal stress.
Global Existence of Solutions for a Nonstrictly Hyperbolic System
Authors: Zheng De-yin , Lu Yun-guang , Song Guo-qiang , Lu Xue-zhou
Published: March 2014

We obtain the global existence of weak solutions for the Cauchy problem of the nonhomogeneous, resonant system. First, by using the technique given in Tsuge (2006), we obtain the uniformly boundedL∞estimatesz(ρδ,ε,uδ,ε)≤B(x)andw(ρδ,ε,uδ,ε)≤βwhena(x)is increasing (similarly,w(ρδ,ε,uδ,ε)≤B(x)andz(ρδ,ε,uδ,ε)≤βwhena(x)is decreasing) for theε-viscosity andδ-flux approximation solutions of nonhomogeneous, resonant system without the restrictionz0(x)≤0orw0(x)≤0as given in Klingenberg and Lu (1997), wherezandware Riemann invariants of nonhomogeneous, resonant system;B(x)>0is a uniformly bounded function ofxdepending only on the functiona(x)given in nonhomogeneous, resonant system, andβis the bound ofB(x). Second, we use the compensated compactness theory, Murat (1978) and Tartar (1979), to prove the convergence of the approximation solutions.
Spontaneous Emission of an Excited Atom in a Dusty Unmagnetized Plasma Medium
Authors: Alinejad Naser , Pishbin Noushin
Published: March 2014

Investigation of spontaneous decay of an excited atom in dusty unmagnetized plasma is presented in this paper. The transverse contribution to the decay rate is normally associated with spontaneous emission. The rate of spontaneous emission can be obtained by Fermi’s golden rule. In this calculation, the transverse contribution to dielectric permittivity and Green function technique are used. Calculation of the decay rate of atoms is applicable to understand the particular structure of the vacuum state of the electromagnetic field.
Vague Soft Hypergroups and Vague Soft Hypergroup Homomorphism
Authors: Selvachandran Ganeshsree , Salleh Abdul Razak
Published: March 2014

We introduce and develop the initial theory of vague soft hyperalgebra by introducing the novel concept of vague soft hypergroups, vague soft subhypergroups, and vague soft hypergroup homomorphism. The properties and structural characteristics of these concepts are also studied and discussed.
User Localization in Complex Environments by Multimodal Combination of GPS, WiFi, RFID, and Pedometer Technologies
Authors: Dao Trung-Kien , Nguyen Hung-Long , Pham Thanh-Thuy , Castelli Eric , Nguyen Viet-Tung , Nguyen Dinh-Van
Published: March 2014

Many user localization technologies and methods have been proposed for either indoor or outdoor environments. However, each technology has its own drawbacks. Recently, many researches and designs have been proposed to build a combination of multiple localization technologies system which can provide higher precision results and solve the limitation in each localization technology alone. In this paper, a conceptual design of a general localization platform using combination of multiple localization technologies is introduced. The combination is realized by dividing spaces into grid points. To demonstrate this platform, a system with GPS, RFID, WiFi, and pedometer technologies is established. Experiment results show that the accuracy and availability are improved in comparison with each technology individually.
Controlled Synthesis of Water‐Soluble NaYF4:Yb3+, Er3+ Nanoparticles with Surfactant Dependent Properties
Authors: Zhao Junwei , Jia Tiekun , Wang Xiaofeng , Kong Xianggui
Published: March 2014

Water‐soluble NaYF4:Yb3+, Er3+ nanoparticles (NPs) are successfully prepared by a solvothermal reaction using branched polyethylenimine (PEI) with different chain lengths as the surfactants in a water/diethylene glycol (DEG) mixed solution. It is shown that the size of NaYF4 NPs prepared with high molecular weight PEI (HPEI) is smaller than that of the NPs prepared with low molecular weight (LPEI), while small‐sized NPs exhibit more intense upconversion luminescence intensities than large‐sized NPs in the same excitation power of 980 nm. It is found that HPEI is conducive to the formation of smaller NP with high crystallinity. Small‐sized NaYF4:Yb3+, Er3+ NPs with intense upconversion luminescence and improved crystallinity were related to their growth process. A possible growth mechanism of the samples is proposed. The results of this study can provide new insights into the controlled synthesis of novel NPs.
An Efficient Method for Automatic Video Annotation and Retrieval in Visual Sensor Networks
Authors: Feng Jiangfan , Zhou Wenwen
Published: March 2014

Automatic video annotation has become an important issue in visual sensor networks, due to the existence of a semantic gap. Although it has been studied extensively, semantic representation of visual information is not well understood. To address the problem of pattern classification in video annotation, this paper proposes a discriminative constraint to find a solution to approach the sparse representative coefficients with discrimination. We study a general method of discriminative dictionary learning which is independent of the specific dictionary and classifier learning algorithms. Furthermore, a tightly coupled discriminative sparse coding model is introduced. Ultimately, the experimental results show that the provided method offers a better video annotation method that cannot be achieved with existing schemes.