bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Food taboo of taking pineapple and milk at a time
Authors: Rahman Md. Mahbubur
Published: February 2017

The purpose of this study was to assess whether potential toxic interactions occur between the pineapple and milk following oral administration in rats by comparing clinical signs, hematological and biochemical parameters with the normal control and toxic standard groups. Pineapple and milk solutions were made by 1:1 (PMS1) and 2:1 (PMS2) ratio, administered 12 mL/kg body weight. Forty rats were equally divided into 4 groups treated for 3 days: a) normal control (only vehicle treated); b) toxic standard (CCl4 was suspended in corn oil, 20% v/v; treated 1.25 mL/kg), c) PMS1 and d) PMS2 groups. CCl4 administration altered the normal behavior, changes gross and microscopic morphology. Toxicity related hematological and serum biochemistry changed significantly (p<0.05) than the normal group. However, all these clinical and pathological changes were completely absent in PMS treated groups. These results suggest that taking pineapple with milk is not toxic and this food taboo is wrong.
Atypical presentation of sickle cell disease
Authors: Aziz Md. Abdul , Sarkar Surozit Kumar , Rahman Farzana , Biswas Showrab , Baqi Saqi Md. Abdul , Begum Masuda
Published: February 2017

A 20 year old female presented with a history of frequent syncopal attack since her childhood. Each episode persisted 5-10 min without having any aggravating factor or prodrome. She had persistent generalized bodyache aggravating during the winter. She had jaundice and episodic abdominal pain. She received 1 unit of blood transfusion 4 months back and improved sympto-matically. Patient was mildly anemic, moderately icteric and had mild splenomegaly. Over these long periods of her illness she was thoroughly evaluated several times. Her biochemical and neurological evaluation revealed no abnormalities. But she was treated with anticonvulsant for long time empirically without significant improvement. Her CBC showed microcytic hypochromic anemia. She was negative for Wilsons disease. Reticulocyte count was high. Coombs test was negative. Osmotic fragility test was positive. Hemoglobin electrophoresis revealed Hb-S 60%. Sickling test was found positive. Finally it was diagnosed as a case of HbS/?+.
Vaginoplasty in vaginal agenesis associated with MRKH syndrome with tabularized peritoneal pull-through
Authors: Khadka Ravi Roshan , Islam Mohammad Saiful , Rahman Md. Shafiqur , Ali S. M. Yunus , Salam Mohammad Abdus , Hossain Mohammad , Hasan Md. Shajid
Published: February 2017

In this paper, a 16 year old girl who was  diagnosed as a case of Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser (MRKH) syndrome, underwent a combined laparotomy-peritoneal approach to create a neovagina by using tubularized peritoneal graft with uneventful postoperative period. Vaginal dilation was maintained with a vaginal mould daily for six months and three to four times weekly thereafter. She was followed-up after 2 and 4 weeks in the first month and three monthly for a duration of six months. On second follow-up, adequate vaginal length of 6-7 cm and width of 2.5-3 cm were achieved with healthy vaginal tissue. Hence, the laparotomy-peritoneal approach of using a peritoneal graft for creations of a neovagina can be  an effective approach  with  minimal  surgical morbidity to  create  a passageway for satisfactory intercourse.
Mitral valve replacement in a 12 year old boy with Marfan syndrome and severe mitral regurgitation
Authors: Alauddin Md. , Nahar Kamrun , Khan Golam Mokthader , Rai Karan , Rahman Mostafizur , Hoque Rezwanul
Published: February 2017

A 12 year old boy with Marfan syndrome associated with severe mitral regurgitation underwent successful mitral valve replacement. Careful evaluation of the cardiovascular system and specific surgical intervention help long-term survival of  patients.
Change in serum interleukin-6 levels in patients after pancreatoduodenectomy for periampullary cancer
Authors: Das Bidhan C. , Alam S. M. Khorshed , Nashid Zeba Fariha , Khan Arif Salam , Khan Zulfiquer Rahman
Published: February 2017

This study was undertaken to elucidate the changes in interleukin-6 concentrations in the systemic circulation of 20 patients following pancreatoduodenectomy and whether it had any predictive value for postoperative complications. Blood was drawn on the day before surgery, at fixed intervals immediately after closure of the abdomen, and on day 1, 3, 5 after surgery for the measurement of interleukin-6. Change in the serum interleukin-6 levels was observed before and after pancreatoduodenectomy and between patients with and without complications. There was no mortality, but morbidity occurred in 5 patients. Serum interleukin-6 levels peaked immediately after surgery and gradually declined to preoperative level on postoperative day 5, but it remained persistently higher in a patient who developed postoperative complication. The peak level of interleukin-6 was significantly correlated with body mass index, duration of jaundice, biliary decompression prior to surgery, operation time and hospital stay, but not with operative blood loss. In conclusion, interleukin-6 is an important stress marker for predicting the complications after pancreatoduodenectomy operation. Patient with good body mass index status, short duration of jaundice and without preoperative biliary decompression provides less operative stress, less chance of complications and shorter hospital stay.
Electron–ion collisions in strong electromagnetic fields
Authors: Balakin A A , Fraiman G M
Published: February 2017

The current status of the problem of electron–ion collisions in strong electromagnetic fields is presented. The collision operator is expressed in terms of an integral over test particle trajectories for an arbitrary alternating field. The equation for test particles is analyzed. It is shown that none of the energy processes involved (Joule heating, bremsstrahlung and fast electron generation) diminishes as the electromagnetic field amplitude increases. The collision frequency, the momentum distribution of fast electrons, and the electron–ion collision operator are calculated in the classical framework.
Addendum: Sommavilla, R. et al. Season, Transport Duration and Trailer Compartment Effects on Blood Stress Indicators in Pigs: Relationship to Environmental, Behavioral and Other Physiological Factors, and Pork Quality Traits. Animals 2017, 7, 8
Authors: Sommavilla Roberta , Faucitano Luigi , Gonyou Harold , Seddon Yolande , Bergeron Renée , Widowski Tina , Crowe Trever , Connor Laurie , Scheeren Marina , Goumon Sébastien , Brown Jennifer
Published: February 2017

The authors would like to add that “Sébastien Goumon was supported by Grant No MZERO0716 from the Czech Ministry of Agriculture” in the Acknowledgement Section of their paper published in Animals [...]
Exploring a New Security Framework for Remote Patient Monitoring Devices
Authors: Ondiege Brian , Clarke Malcolm , Mapp Glenford
Published: February 2017

Security has been an issue of contention in healthcare. The lack of familiarity and poor implementation of security in healthcare leave the patients’ data vulnerable to attackers. The main issue is assessing how we can provide security in an RPM infrastructure. The findings in literature show there is little empirical evidence on proper implementation of security. Therefore, there is an urgent need in addressing cybersecurity issues in medical devices. Through the review of relevant literature in remote patient monitoring and use of a Microsoft threat modelling tool, we identify and explore current vulnerabilities and threats in IEEE 11073 standard devices to propose a new security framework for remote patient monitoring devices. Additionally, current RPM devices have a limitation on the number of people who can share a single device, therefore, we propose the use of NFC for identification in Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) devices for multi-user environments where we have multiple people sharing a single device to reduce errors associated with incorrect user identification. We finally show how several techniques have been used to build the proposed framework.
Novel Dilute Bismide, Epitaxy, Physical Properties and Device Application
Authors: Wang Lijuan , Zhang Liyao , Yue Li , Liang Dan , Chen Xiren , Li Yaoyao , Lu Pengfei , Shao Jun , Wang Shumin
Published: February 2017

Dilute bismide in which a small amount of bismuth is incorporated to host III-Vs is the least studied III-V compound semiconductor and has received steadily increasing attention since 2000. In this paper, we review theoretical predictions of physical properties of bismide alloys, epitaxial growth of bismide thin films and nanostructures, surface, structural, electric, transport and optic properties of various binaries and bismide alloys, and device applications.
Quo Vadis Quasicrystals?
Authors: Maciá Barber Enrique
Published: February 2017

This Special Issue aims at gaining a deeper understanding on the relationship between the underlying structural order and the resulting physical properties in aperiodic systems, including quasicrystalline and related complex metallic alloys, photonic quasicrystals, and other structures exhibiting long-range aperiodic order. This Special Issue contains 12 papers which highlight recent developments in quasiperiodic crystal structure, photonic quasicrystals and related optical devices, the intrinsic electrical, thermal, and mechanical properties of icosahedral and decagonal metallic alloys, and the nature of chemical bonding in intermetallic compounds, from a multidisciplinary perspective. In light of the results presented in the contributions collected in this Special Issue, we can confidently expect that new insights into the interdisciplinary science of quasicrystals will be gained in the years to come, providing a sharper picture of their structures and related physical properties, and spurring further progress in practical issues related to both materials engineering science and nanotechnology.
Motion Sequence Decomposition-Based Hybrid Entropy Feature and Its Application to Fault Diagnosis of a High-Speed Automatic Mechanism
Authors: Wang Baoxiang , Pan Hongxia , Du Heng
Published: February 2017

High-speed automatic weapons play an important role in the field of national defense. However, current research on reliability analysis of automaton principally relies on simulations due to the fact that experimental data are difficult to collect in real life. Different from rotating machinery, a high-speed automaton needs to accomplish complex motion consisting of a series of impacts. In addition to strong noise, the impacts generated by different components of the automaton will interfere with each other. There is no effective approach to cope with this in the fault diagnosis of automatic mechanisms. This paper proposes a motion sequence decomposition approach combining modern signal processing techniques to develop an effective approach to fault detection in high-speed automatons. We first investigate the entire working procedure of the automatic mechanism and calculate the corresponding action times of travel involved. The vibration signal collected from the shooting experiment is then divided into a number of impacts corresponding to action orders. Only the segment generated by a faulty component is isolated from the original impacts according to the action time of the component. Wavelet packet decomposition (WPD) is first applied on the resulting signals for investigation of energy distribution, and the components with higher energy are selected for feature extraction. Three information entropy features are utilized to distinguish various states of the automaton using empirical mode decomposition (EMD). A gray-wolf optimization (GWO) algorithm is introduced as an alternative to improve the performance of the support vector machine (SVM) classifier. We carry out shooting experiments to collect vibration data for demonstration of the proposed work. Experimental results show that the proposed work in this paper is effective for fault diagnosis of a high-speed automaton and can be applied in real applications. Moreover, the GWO is able to provide a competitive diagnosis result compared with the genetic algorithm (GA) and the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm.
Thermoeconomic Evaluation of Modular Organic Rankine Cycles for Waste Heat Recovery over a Broad Range of Heat Source Temperatures and Capacities
Authors: Preißinger Markus , Brüggemann Dieter
Published: February 2017

Industrial waste heat recovery by means of an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) can contribute to the reduction of CO2 emissions from industries. Before market penetration, high efficiency modular concepts have to be developed to achieve appropriate economic value for industrial decision makers. This paper aims to investigate modularly designed ORC systems from a thermoeconomic point of view. The main goal is a recommendation for a suitable chemical class of working fluids, preferable ORC design and a range of heat source temperatures and thermal capacities in which modular ORCs can be economically feasible. For this purpose, a thermoeconomic model has been developed which is based on size and complexity parameters of the ORC components. Special emphasis has been laid on the turbine model. The paper reveals that alkylbenzenes lead to higher exergetic efficiencies compared to alkanes and siloxanes. However, based on the thermoeconomic model, the payback periods of the chemical classes are almost identical. With the ORC design, the developed model and the boundary conditions of this study, hexamethyldisiloxane is a suitable working fluid and leads to a payback period of less than 5 years for a heat source temperature of 400 to 600 °C and a mass flow rate of the gaseous waste heat stream of more than 4 kg/s.
Contrasting Effects of Fire Severity on the Regeneration of Pinus halepensis Mill. and Resprouter Species in Recently Thinned Thickets
Authors: García‐Jiménez Ruth , Palmero‐Iniesta Marina , Espelta Josep
Published: February 2017

Many studies have outlined the benefits for growth and reproduction resulting from thinning extremely crowded young forests regenerating after stand replacing wildfires (“thickets”). However, scarce information is available on how thinning may influence fire severity and vegetation regeneration in case a new fire occurs. We investigated the relationship between thinning and fire severity in P. halepensis thickets, and the effects on the establishment of pine seedlings and resprouting vigour in resprouter species the year after the fire. Our results show a positive relationship between forest basal area and fire severity, and thus reserved pines in thinned stands suffered less fire damage than those in un‐thinned sites (respectively, 2.02 ± 0.13 vs. 2.93 ± 0.15 in a scale from 0 to 4). Ultimately, differences in fire severity influenced post‐fire regeneration. Resprouting vigour varied depending on the species and the size of individuals but it was consistently higher in thinned stands. Concerning P. halepensis, the proportion of cones surviving the fire decreased with fire severity. However, this could not compensate the much lower pine density in thinned stands and thus the overall seed crop was higher in un‐thinned areas. Establishment of pine seedlings was negatively affected by the slope and positively driven by the number of cones and thus it was higher in un‐thinned than in thinned stands (respectively, 2581 ± 649 vs. 898 ± 325 seedlings∙ha-1). Thinning decreases fire intensity, and thus it may facilitate fire suppression tasks, but retaining a higher density of pines would be necessary to ensure P. halepensis regeneration after a new fire event.
On Information Aggregation and Interim Efficiency in Networks
Authors: Jimenez-Martinez Antonio
Published: February 2017

This paper considers a population of agents that are engaged in a listening network. The agents wish to match their actions to the true value of some uncertain (exogenous) parameter and to the actions of the other agents. Each agent begins with some initial information about the parameter and, in addition, is able to receive further information from their neighbors in the network. I derive a closed expression for the (interim) social welfare loss that depends on the initial information structure and on the possible pieces of information that can be gathered under the network. Then, I explore how changes in the network may affect social welfare for extreme levels of complementarity in the agents’ actions. When the level of complementarity is very high, efficiency is achieved regardless of the network structure. For very low levels of complementarity in actions, efficiency can be either associated to more sparse or denser networks, depending on the size of the induced informative gains. The implications of this paper are relevant in security environments where agents are naturally interpreted as analysts who try to forecast the value of a parameter that describes a threat to security.
Targeting Splicing in the Treatment of Human Disease
Authors: Suñé-Pou Marc , Prieto-Sánchez Silvia , Boyero-Corral Sofía , Moreno-Castro Cristina , El Yousfi Younes , Suñé-Negre Josep , Hernández-Munain Cristina , Suñé Carlos
Published: February 2017

The tightly regulated process of precursor messenger RNA (pre-mRNA) alternative splicing (AS) is a key mechanism in the regulation of gene expression. Defects in this regulatory process affect cellular functions and are the cause of many human diseases. Recent advances in our understanding of splicing regulation have led to the development of new tools for manipulating splicing for therapeutic purposes. Several tools, including antisense oligonucleotides and trans-splicing, have been developed to target and alter splicing to correct misregulated gene expression or to modulate transcript isoform levels. At present, deregulated AS is recognized as an important area for therapeutic intervention. Here, we summarize the major hallmarks of the splicing process, the clinical implications that arise from alterations in this process, and the current tools that can be used to deliver, target, and correct deficiencies of this key pre-mRNA processing event.
Genealogies and Challenges of Transcultural Studies
Authors: Fischer Bernd
Published: February 2017

My introductory essay discusses some of transculturalism’s enduring conceptual challenges from the perspective of the history of German cultural and political theory. I am particularly interested in the discursive space between Immanuel Kant’s individualism and Johann Gottfried Herder’s and Moses Mendelssohn’s concepts of cultural identity. My hope is that such a discussion can enrich some of our current questions, such as: Have culture studies placed too much emphasis on difference, rather than on commonality? Can a renewed interest in the cosmopolitan individual surpass the privileged position of academic or upper-class internationalism? Can concepts of transculturality avoid the pitfalls of homogenizing politics or overstretched individualism? After mentioning a few challenges to current conceptions of transculturalism that may arise in the wake of recent developments in the natural sciences, I end my remarks with a brief example of a possible intersection of literary studies and science. The essay engages three topics: (a) the question of culture; (b) transcultural participation; and (c) transcultural empathy and the sciences.
Occupational Safety and Health Conditions Aboard Small- and Medium-Size Fishing Vessels: Differences among Age Groups
Authors: Zytoon Mohamed , Basahel Abdulrahman
Published: February 2017

Although marine fishing is one of the most hazardous occupations, research on the occupational safety and health (OSH) conditions aboard marine fishing vessels is scarce. For instance, little is known about the working conditions of vulnerable groups such as young and aging fishermen. The objective of the current paper is to study the OSH conditions of young and aging fishermen compared to middle-aged fishermen in the small- and medium-size (SM) marine fishing sector. A cross-sectional study was designed, and 686 fishermen working aboard SM fishing vessels were interviewed to collect information about their safety and health. The associations of physical and psychosocial work conditions with safety and health outcomes, e.g., injuries, illnesses and job satisfaction, are presented. The results of the current study can be utilized in the design of effective accident prevention and OSH training programs for the three age groups and in the regulation of working conditions aboard fishing vessels.
Does the Prostate Health Index Depend on Tumor Volume?—A Study on 196 Patients after Radical Prostatectomy
Authors: Friedersdorff Frank , Groß Britt , Maxeiner Andreas , Jung Klaus , Miller Kurt , Stephan Carsten , Busch Jonas , Kilic Ergin
Published: February 2017

The Prostate Health Index (PHI) has been used increasingly in the context of prostate cancer (PCa) diagnostics since 2010. Previous studies have shown an association between PHI and a tumor volume of >0.5 cm3. The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between PHI and tumor volume as well as the Gleason score. A total of 196 selected patients with prostate cancer treated with radical prostatectomy at our institution were included in our study. The tumor volume was calculated and preoperative serum parameters total prostate-specific antigen (tPSA), free PSA (fPSA), [−2]proPSA, and PHI were evaluated. The association between the pathological findings such as Gleason score, pathological T-stage (pT stage), and tumor volume were evaluated. We further used logistic regression and Cox proportional hazard regression analyses for assessing the association between tumor volume and PHI and for predicting biochemical recurrence. With an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.79, PHI is the most accurate predictor of a tumor volumes >0.5 cm3. Moreover, PHI correlates significantly with the tumor volume (r = 0.588), which is significantly different (p = 0.008) from the correlation of the Gleason score with tumor volume (r = 0.385). PHI correlates more strongly with the tumor volume than does the Gleason score. Using PHI improves the prediction of larger tumor volume and subsequently clinically significant cancer.
Acceleration of Intended Pozzolanic Reaction under Initial Thermal Treatment for Developing Cementless Fly Ash Based Mortar
Authors: Kwon Yang-Hee , Kang Sung-Hoon , Hong Sung-Gul , Moon Juhyuk
Published: February 2017

Without using strong alkaline solution or ordinary Portland cement, a new structural binder consisting of fly ash and hydrated lime was hardened through an intensified pozzolanic reaction. The main experimental variables are the addition of silica fume and initial thermal treatment (60 °C for 3 days). A series of experiments consisting of mechanical testing (compressive and flexural strength, modulus of elasticity), X-ray diffraction, and measurements of the heat of hydration, pore structure, and shrinkage were conducted. These tests show that this new fly ash-based mortar has a compressive strength of 15 MPa at 91 days without any silica fume addition or initial thermal treatment. The strength increased to over 50 MPa based on the acceleration of the intensified pozzolanic reaction from the silica fume addition and initial thermal treatment. This is explained by a significant synergistic effect induced by the silica fume. It intensifies the pozzolanic reaction under thermal treatment and provides a space filling effect. This improved material performance can open a new pathway to utilize the industrial by-product of fly ash in cementless construction materials.
Development of the α-IGZO/Ag/α-IGZO Triple-Layer Structure Films for the Application of Transparent Electrode
Authors: Chen Kun-Neng , Yang Cheng-Fu , Wu Chia-Ching , Chen Yu-Hsin
Published: February 2017

We investigated the structural, optical, and electrical properties of amorphous IGZO/silver/amorphous IGZO (α-IGZO/Ag/α-IGZO) triple-layer structures that were deposited at room temperature on Eagle XG glass and flexible polyethylene terephthalate substrates through the sputtering method. Thin Ag layers with different thicknesses were inserted between two IGZO layers to form a triple-layer structure. Ag was used because of its lower absorption and resistivity. Field emission scanning electron microscopy measurements of the triple-layer structures revealed that the thicknesses of the Ag layers ranged from 13 to 41 nm. The thickness of the Ag layer had a large effect on the electrical and optical properties of the electrodes. The optimum thickness of the Ag metal thin film could be evaluated according to the optical transmittance, electrical conductivity, and figure of merit of the electrode. This study demonstrates that the α-IGZO/Ag/α-IGZO triple-layer transparent electrode can be fabricated with low sheet resistance (4.2 Ω/□) and high optical transmittance (88.1%) at room temperature without postannealing processing on the deposited thin films.
Tunable Luminescence in Sr2MgSi2O7:Tb3+, Eu3+Phosphors Based on Energy Transfer
Authors: Li Minhong , Wang Lili , Ran Weiguang , Deng Zhihan , Shi Jinsheng , Ren Chunyan
Published: February 2017

A series of Tb3+, Eu3+-doped Sr2MgSi2O7 (SMSO) phosphors were synthesized by high temperature solid-state reaction. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns, Rietveld refinement, photoluminescence spectra (PL), and luminescence decay curves were utilized to characterize each sample’s properties. Intense green emission due to Tb3+ 5D4→7F5 transition was observed in the Tb3+ single-doped SMSO sample, and the corresponding concentration quenching mechanism was demonstrated to be a diople-diople interaction. A wide overlap between Tb3+ emission and Eu3+ excitationspectraresults in energy transfer from Tb3+ to Eu3+. This has been demonstrated by the emission spectra and decay curves of Tb3+ in SMSO:Tb3+, Eu3+ phosphors. Energy transfer mechanism was determined to be a quadrupole-quadrupole interaction. And critical distance of energy transfer from Tb3+ to Eu3+ ions is calculated to be 6.7 Å on the basis of concentration quenching method. Moreover, white light emission was generated via adjusting concentration ratio of Tb3+ and Eu3+ in SMSO:Tb3+, Eu3+ phosphors. All the results indicate that SMSO:Tb3+, Eu3+ is a promising single-component white light emitting phosphor.
A Five-Point Subdivision Scheme with Two Parameters and a Four-Point Shape-Preserving Scheme
Authors: Tan Jieqing , Wang Bo , Shi Jun
Published: February 2017

In order to improve the flexibility of curves, a new five-point binary approximating subdivision scheme with two parameters is presented. The generating polynomial method is used to investigate the uniform convergence and C k -continuity of this scheme. In a special case, the five-point scheme changes into a four-point scheme, which can generate C 3 limit curves. The shape-preserving properties of the four-point scheme are analyzed, and a few examples are given to illustrate the efficiency and the shape-preserving effect of this special case.
Antimalarials with Benzothiophene Moieties as Aminoquinoline Partners
Authors: Konstantinović Jelena , Videnović Milica , Srbljanović Jelena , Djurković-Djaković Olgica , Bogojević Katarina , Sciotti Richard , Šolaja Bogdan
Published: February 2017

Malaria is a severe and life-threatening disease caused by Plasmodium parasites that are spread to humans through bites of infected Anopheles mosquitoes. Here, we report on the efficacy of aminoquinolines coupled to benzothiophene and thiophene rings in inhibiting Plasmodium falciparum parasite growth. Synthesized compounds were evaluated for their antimalarial activity and toxicity, in vitro and in mice. Benzothiophenes presented in this paper showed improved activities against a chloroquine susceptible (CQS) strain, with potencies of IC50 = 6 nM, and cured 5/5 Plasmodium berghei infected mice when dosed orally at 160 mg/kg/day × 3 days. In the benzothiophene series, the examined antiplasmodials were more active against the CQS strain D6, than against strains chloroquine resistant (CQR) W2 and multidrug-resistant (MDR) TM91C235. For the thiophene series, a very interesting feature was revealed: hypersensitivity to the CQR strains, resistance index (RI) of <1. This is in sharp contrast to chloroquine, indicating that further development of the series would provide us with more potent antimalarials against CQR strains.
Prevalence and Determinants of Overweight and Obesity in Children and Adolescents from Migrant and Seasonal Farmworker Families in the United States—A Systematic Review and Qualitative Assessment
Authors: Lim Yuen , Song SuJin , Song Won
Published: February 2017

Overweight and obesity (OW/OB) is a pressing health concern among migrant and seasonal farmworker (MSFW) families in the US. The limited number of previously reported research on MSFW families suggests that their unique sociodemographic characteristics and lifestyle predispose them to poor health outcomes including OW/OB. We aimed to synthesize and assess available data on the prevalence and modifiable health determinants of OW/OB in MSFW children and adolescents. Literature search, study selection, data extraction and synthesis, and qualitative assessment of selected studies were performed independently by two authors. Ten cross-sectional studies met the inclusion criteria: articles or dissertations investigating prevalence and association between health determinants and OW/OB in MSFW children and adolescents (<20 years) in the US. The prevalence of OW, OB, and OW/OB ranged from 10%–33%, 15%–37%, and 31%–73%, respectively. Children’s education, household food insecurity, parents’ weight status, parents’ distorted perception of their children’s weight status, and parents’ participation in the federal nutrition assistance program were significantly associated with the children’s and adolescents’ risk of OW/OB. Promotion of culturally relevant public health programs and implementation of a systematic health surveillance plan for MSFWs and their children should be emphasized to combat OW/OB among MSFW children and adolescents.
Correlation of Microstructure, Rheological and Morphological Characteristics of Synthesized Polypropylene (PP) Reactor Blends Using Homogeneous Binary Metallocene Catalyst
Authors: Vaezi Javid , Nekoomanesh Mehdi , Khonakdar Hossein , Jafari Seyed , Mojarrad Alireza
Published: February 2017

A novel binary homogeneous catalyst system based on (I): rac-Me2Si(2-Me-4-PhIn)2ZrCl2 and (II): (2-PhIn)2ZrCl2 catalysts at various molar ratios was utilized for the synthesis of polypropylene (PP) reactor blends with bimodal molecular weight distribution (MWD). The results of gel permeation chromatography analyses revealed that the catalyst (I) was responsible for the production of i-PP with high molecular weight (MW) while the individual use of catalyst (II) led to the production of an elastomeric PP with relatively low MW. However, application of the binary catalyst system led to high MW bimodal MWD products being highly dependent on the catalysts’ molar ratios. Increasing the molar ratio of catalyst (II) to catalyst (I) resulted in a notable enhancement of the products’ complex viscosity due to the increased MW, a higher level of chains’ entanglements and formation of amorphous blocks along the polymer chains. All products exhibited a single relaxation that shifted towards longer times upon changing the catalysts’ molar ratios. Scanning electron microscopy results revealed that the fracture surface of the blends, synthesized by the binary catalyst system, became more heterogeneous in comparison with the products obtained by the individual use of the catalyst (I). The observed heterogeneity was found to increase by increasing the amount of catalyst (II). Such morphological change was further corroborated by the dynamic rheological data, indicating a promising correlation between the linear rheological results and the morphological features of the synthesized PP reactor blends.
Influence of Substituent Chain Branching on the Transfection Efficacy of Cyclopropenium-Based Polymers
Authors: Brucks Spencer , Freyer Jessica , Lambert Tristan , Campos Luis
Published: February 2017

The realization of gene therapy relies on the development of delivery vectors with high efficiency and biocompatibility. With a multitude of structures accessible, the core challenge is precisely tuning vector structure to probe and optimize structure–property relationships. Employing a modular strategy, two pairs of cationic polymers based on the trisaminocyclopropenium (TAC) ion were synthesized where the substituents differ in the degree of alkyl chain branching. All TAC-based polymers exhibited higher transfection efficiencies than the untreated controls, with variable in vitro toxicities. Considering both cytotoxicity and transfection efficacy, an optimal nonviral vector was identified. Our studies highlight the importance of exercising precise control over polymer structure, both in terms of backbone identity and substituent nature, and the necessity of a robust, modular platform from which to study them.
Earth Observations for Geohazards: Present and Future Challenges
Authors: Tomás Roberto , Li Zhenhong
Published: February 2017

Earth Observations (EO) encompasses different types of sensors (e.g., Synthetic Aperture Radar, Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging, Optical and multispectral) and platforms (e.g., satellites, aircraft, and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) and enables us to monitor and model geohazards over regions at different scales in which ground observations may not be possible due to physical and/or political constraints. EO can provide high spatial, temporal and spectral resolution, stereo-mapping and all-weather-imaging capabilities, but not by a single satellite at a time. Improved satellite and sensor technologies, increased frequency of satellite measurements, and easier access and interpretation of EO data have all contributed to the increased demand for satellite EO data. EO, combined with complementary terrestrial observations and with physical models, have been widely used to monitor geohazards, revolutionizing our understanding of how the Earth system works. This Special Issue presents a collection of scientific contributions focusing on innovative EO methods and applications for monitoring and modeling geohazards, consisting of four Sections: (1) earthquake hazards; (2) landslide hazards; (3) land subsidence hazards; and (4) new EO techniques and services.
Temporal and Spatial Dynamics of Phytoplankton Primary Production in Lake Taihu Derived from MODIS Data
Authors: Deng Yubing , Zhang Yunlin , Li Deping , Shi Kun , Zhang Yibo
Published: February 2017

We investigated the long-term variations in primary production in Lake Taihu using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data, based on the Vertically Generalized Production Model (VGPM). We firstly test the applicability of VGPM in Lake Taihu by comparing the results between the model-derived and the in situ results, and the results showed that a strong significant correlation (R2 = 0.753, p < 0.001, n = 63). Then, VGPM was used to map temporal-spatial distributions of primary production in Lake Taihu. The annual mean daily primary production of Lake Taihu from 2003 to 2013 was 1094.06 ± 720.74 mg·C·m−2·d−1. Long-term primary production maps estimated from the MODIS data demonstrated marked temporal and spatial variations. Spatially, the primary production in bays, especially in Zhushan Bay and Meiliang Bay, was consistently higher than that in the open area of Lake Taihu, which was caused by chlorophyll-a concentrations resulting from high nutrient concentrations. Temporally, the seasonal variation of primary production from 2003 to 2013 was: summer > autumn > spring > winter, with significantly higher primary production found in summer and autumn than in winter (p < 0.005, t-test), primarily caused by seasonal variations in water temperature. On a monthly scale, the primary production exerts a clear character of bimodality, increasing from January to May, decreasing in June or July, and finally reaching its highest value during August or September. Wind is another important factor that could affect the spatial variations of primary production in the large, eutrophic and shallow Lake Taihu.
Scalable Bag of Subpaths Kernel for Learning on Hierarchical Image Representations and Multi-Source Remote Sensing Data Classification
Authors: Cui Yanwei , Chapel Laetitia , Lefèvre Sébastien
Published: February 2017

The geographic object-based image analysis (GEOBIA) framework has gained increasing interest for the last decade. One of its key advantages is the hierarchical representation of an image, where object topological features can be extracted and modeled in the form of structured data. We thus propose to use a structured kernel relying on the concept of bag of subpaths to directly cope with such features. The kernel can be approximated using random Fourier features, allowing it to be applied on a large structure size (the number of objects in the structured data) and large volumes of data (the number of pixels or regions for training). With the so-called scalable bag of subpaths kernel (SBoSK), we also introduce a novel multi-source classification approach performing machine learning directly on a hierarchical image representation built from two images at different resolutions under the GEOBIA framework. Experiments run on an urban classification task show that the proposed approach run on a single image improves the classification overall accuracy in comparison with conventional approaches from 2% to 5% depending on the training set size and that fusing two images allows a supplementary 4% accuracy gain. Additional evaluations on public available large-scale datasets illustrate further the potential of SBoSK, with overall accuracy rates improvement ranging from 1% to 11% depending on the considered setup.
Bias Compensation for Rational Polynomial Coefficients of High-Resolution Satellite Imagery by Local Polynomial Modeling
Authors: Shen Xiang , Li Qingquan , Wu Guofeng , Zhu Jiasong
Published: February 2017

The Rational Function Model (RFM) is a widely used generic sensor model for georeferencing satellite images. Owing to inaccurate measurement of satellite orbit and attitude, the Rational Polynomial Coefficients (RPCs) provided by image vendors are commonly biased and cannot be directly used for high-precision remote-sensing applications. In this paper, we propose a new method for the bias compensation of RPCs using local polynomial models (including the local affine model and the local quadratic model), which provides the ability to correct non-rigid RPC deformations. Performance of the proposed approach was evaluated using a stereo triplet of ZY-3 satellite images and compared with conventional global-polynomial-based models (including the global affine model and the global quadratic model). The experimental results show that, when the same polynomial form was used, the correction residuals of the local model could be notably smaller than those of the global model, which indicates that the new method has great ability to remove complex errors existed in vendor-provided RPCs. In the experiments of this study, the accuracy of the local affine model was nearly 15% better than that of the global affine model. Performance of the local quadratic model was not as good as the local affine model when the number of Ground Control Points (GCPs) was less than 10, but it improved rapidly with an increase in the number of redundant observations. In the test scenario with 15 GCPs, the accuracy of the local quadratic model was about 9% and 27% better than those of the local affine model and the global quadratic model, respectively.
Optimal Divergence-Free Hatch Filter for GNSS Single-Frequency Measurement
Authors: Park Byungwoon , Lim Cheolsoon , Yun Youngsun , Kim Euiho , Kee Changdon
Published: February 2017

The Hatch filter is a code-smoothing technique that uses the variation of the carrier phase. It can effectively reduce the noise of a pseudo-range with a very simple filter construction, but it occasionally causes an ionosphere-induced error for low-lying satellites. Herein, we propose an optimal single-frequency (SF) divergence-free Hatch filter that uses a satellite-based augmentation system (SBAS) message to reduce the ionospheric divergence and applies the optimal smoothing constant for its smoothing window width. According to the data-processing results, the overall performance of the proposed filter is comparable to that of the dual frequency (DF) divergence-free Hatch filter. Moreover, it can reduce the horizontal error of 57 cm to 37 cm and improve the vertical accuracy of the conventional Hatch filter by 25%. Considering that SF receivers dominate the global navigation satellite system (GNSS) market and that most of these receivers include the SBAS function, the filter suggested in this paper is of great value in that it can make the differential GPS (DGPS) performance of the low-cost SF receivers comparable to that of DF receivers.
Dielectrophoresis for Biomedical Sciences Applications: A Review
Authors: Abd Rahman Nurhaslina , Ibrahim Fatimah , Yafouz Bashar
Published: February 2017

Dielectrophoresis (DEP) is a label-free, accurate, fast, low-cost diagnostic technique that uses the principles of polarization and the motion of bioparticles in applied electric fields. This technique has been proven to be beneficial in various fields, including environmental research, polymer research, biosensors, microfluidics, medicine and diagnostics. Biomedical science research is one of the major research areas that could potentially benefit from DEP technology for diverse applications. Nevertheless, many medical science research investigations have yet to benefit from the possibilities offered by DEP. This paper critically reviews the fundamentals, recent progress, current challenges, future directions and potential applications of research investigations in the medical sciences utilizing DEP technique. This review will also act as a guide and reference for medical researchers and scientists to explore and utilize the DEP technique in their research fields.
Improved Accuracy of the Asymmetric Second-Order Vegetation Isoline Equation over the RED–NIR Reflectance Space
Authors: Miura Munenori , Obata Kenta , Taniguchi Kenta , Yoshioka Hiroki
Published: February 2017

The relationship between two reflectances of different bands is often encountered in cross calibration and parameter retrievals from remotely-sensed data. The asymmetric-order vegetation isoline is one such relationship, derived previously, where truncation error was reduced from the first-order approximated isoline by including a second-order term. This study introduces a technique for optimizing the magnitude of the second-order term and further improving the isoline equation’s accuracy while maintaining the simplicity of the derived formulation. A single constant factor was introduced into the formulation to adjust the second-order term. This factor was optimized by simulating canopy radiative transfer. Numerical experiments revealed that the errors in the optimized asymmetric isoline were reduced in magnitude to nearly 1/25 of the errors obtained from the first-order vegetation isoline equation, and to nearly one-fifth of the error obtained from the non-optimized asymmetric isoline equation. The errors in the optimized asymmetric isoline were compared with the magnitudes of the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) estimates reported for four specific sensors aboard four Earth observation satellites. These results indicated that the error in the asymmetric isoline could be reduced to the level of the SNR by adjusting a single factor.
A Novel Technique for Fetal ECG Extraction Using Single-Channel Abdominal Recording
Authors: Zhang Nannan , Zhang Jinyong , Li Hui , Mumini Omisore , Samuel Oluwarotimi , Ivanov Kamen , Wang Lei
Published: February 2017

Non-invasive fetal electrocardiograms (FECGs) are an alternative method to standard means of fetal monitoring which permit long-term continual monitoring. However, in abdominal recording, the FECG amplitude is weak in the temporal domain and overlaps with the maternal electrocardiogram (MECG) in the spectral domain. Research in the area of non-invasive separations of FECG from abdominal electrocardiograms (AECGs) is in its infancy and several studies are currently focusing on this area. An adaptive noise canceller (ANC) is commonly used for cancelling interference in cases where the reference signal only correlates with an interference signal, and not with a signal of interest. However, results from some existing studies suggest that propagation of electrocardiogram (ECG) signals from the maternal heart to the abdomen is nonlinear, hence the adaptive filter approach may fail if the thoracic and abdominal MECG lack strict waveform similarity. In this study, singular value decomposition (SVD) and smooth window (SW) techniques are combined to build a reference signal in an ANC. This is to avoid the limitation that thoracic MECGs recorded separately must be similar to abdominal MECGs in waveform. Validation of the proposed method with r01 and r07 signals from a public dataset, and a self-recorded private dataset showed that the proposed method achieved F1 scores of 99.61%, 99.28% and 98.58%, respectively for the detection of fetal QRS. Compared with four other single-channel methods, the proposed method also achieved higher accuracy values of 99.22%, 98.57% and 97.21%, respectively. The findings from this study suggest that the proposed method could potentially aid accurate extraction of FECG from MECG recordings in both clinical and commercial applications.
Surface EMG-Based Inter-Session Gesture Recognition Enhanced by Deep Domain Adaptation
Authors: Du Yu , Jin Wenguang , Wei Wentao , Hu Yu , Geng Weidong
Published: February 2017

High-density surface electromyography (HD-sEMG) is to record muscles’ electrical activity from a restricted area of the skin by using two dimensional arrays of closely spaced electrodes. This technique allows the analysis and modelling of sEMG signals in both the temporal and spatial domains, leading to new possibilities for studying next-generation muscle-computer interfaces (MCIs). sEMG-based gesture recognition has usually been investigated in an intra-session scenario, and the absence of a standard benchmark database limits the use of HD-sEMG in real-world MCI. To address these problems, we present a benchmark database of HD-sEMG recordings of hand gestures performed by 23 participants, based on an 8 × 16 electrode array, and propose a deep-learning-based domain adaptation framework to enhance sEMG-based inter-session gesture recognition. Experiments on NinaPro, CSL-HDEMG and our CapgMyo dataset validate that our approach outperforms state-of-the-arts methods on intra-session and effectively improved inter-session gesture recognition.