bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Estimation of the acoustic range of bat echolocation for extended targets
Authors: Stilz Wolfram-Peter , Schnitzler Hans-Ulrich
Published: September 2012

Extended natural structures of the bat environment such as trees, meadows, and water surfaces were ensonified in distances from 1 to 20 m and the echoes recorded using a mobile ultrasonic sonar system. By compensating the atmospheric attenuation, the attenuation of the reflected echo caused by diffraction, energy absorption of the target, and two-way-geometric spreading was calculated for each distance. For each target type the attenuation of the compensated echo sound pressure level was fitted over distance using a linear function which yields simple laws of reflection loss and geometric spreading. By adding to this function again variable atmospheric attenuation, the overall attenuation of a signal reflected from these targets can be estimated for various conditions. Given the dynamic range of a sonar system, the acoustic maximum detection distance can thus be estimated. The results show that the maximum range is dominantly limited by atmospheric attenuation. Energy loss in the reflecting surface is more variable than geometric spreading loss and accounts for most of the differences between the ensonified targets. Depending on atmospheric conditions, echolocation frequency, and the dynamic range of the sonar system, the maximum range for extended backgrounds such as a forest edge can be as short as 2.4 m.
Pulsed photoacoustic Doppler flowmetry using time-domain cross-correlation: Accuracy, resolution and scalability
Authors: Brunker Joanna , Beard Paul
Published: September 2012

The feasibility of making spatially resolved measurements of blood velocity using a pulsed photoacoustic Doppler technique in acoustic resolution mode has been investigated. Doppler time shifts were quantified via cross-correlation of photoacoustic waveform pairs generated within a blood-simulating phantom using pairs of light pulses. The phantom comprised micron-scale absorbers imprinted on an acetate sheet and moved at known velocities. The photoacoustic waves were detected using PZT ultrasound transducers operating at center frequencies of 20 MHz, 5 MHz and 3.5 MHz; measurements of velocity and resolution were calculated from the mean cross-correlation function of 25 waveform pairs. Velocities in the range ±0.15 to ±1.5 ms−1 were quantified with accuracies as low as 1%. The transducer focal beam width determines a maximum measurable velocity |Vmax| beyond which correlation is lost due to absorbers moving out of the focal beam between the two laser pulses. Below |Vmax| a measurement resolution of <4% of the measured velocity was achieved. Resolution and |Vmax| can be scaled to much lower velocities such as those encountered in microvasculature (< 50 mms−1). The advantage of pulsed rather than continuous-wave excitation is that spatially resolved velocity measurements can be made, offering the prospect of mapping flow within the microcirculation.
The relative importance of consonant and vowel segments to the recognition of words and sentences: Effects of age and hearing loss
Authors: Fogerty Daniel , Kewley-Port Diane , Humes Larry E.
Published: September 2012

This study investigated the ability to use cues contained within vowel and consonant segments by older listeners with normal or impaired hearing. Spectral shaping restored audibility for the hearing-impaired group. Word and sentence materials were processed to contain primarily consonants or vowels by replacing segments with low-level speech-shaped noise. The proportion of the total duration of preserved speech was varied by manipulating the amount of transitional information contained within vowel and consonant segments. Older listeners performed more poorly than young listeners on all conditions except when listening to sentences with only the vowels preserved. Results confirmed a greater contribution to intelligibility of vowel segments in sentences, but not in words, for young normal-hearing, older normal-hearing, and older hearing-impaired listeners. Older listeners received a greater benefit than young listeners from vowels presented in a sentence context. Correlation analyses among the older listeners demonstrated an association between consonant and vowel performance in isolated words but not in sentences. In addition, the use of vowel cues in sentences was relatively independent of age and auditory sensitivity when audibility is ensured. Combined, results argue that older listeners are able to use essential cues carried by vowels for sentence intelligibility.
Broadband measurement of translational and angular vibrations using a single continuously scanning laser Doppler vibrometer
Authors: Salman Muhammad , Sabra Karim G.
Published: September 2012

A continuous scanning laser Doppler velocimetry (CSLDV) technique is used to measure the low frequency broadband vibrations associated with human skeletal muscle vibrations (typically f < 100 Hz) by continuously varying the orientation of laser beam over distances that are short compared to the characteristic wavelengths of the vibrations. The high frequency scan (compared to the vibration frequency) enables the detection of broadband translational and angular velocities at a single point using amplitude demodulation of the CSDLV signal. For instance, linear scans allow measurement of the normal surface velocity and one component of angular velocity vector, while circular scans allow measurement of an additional angular velocity component. This CSLDV technique is first validated here using gel samples mimicking soft tissues and then applied to measure multiple degrees of freedom (DOF) of a subject’s hand exhibiting fatigue-induced tremor. Hence this CSLDV technique potentially provides a means for measuring multiple DOF of small human body parts (e.g., fingers, tendons, small muscles) for various applications (e.g., haptic technology, remote surgery) when the use of skin-mounted sensors (e.g. accelerometers) can be problematic due to mass-loading artifacts or tethering issues.
Application of the distributed point source method to rough surface scattering and ultrasonic wall thickness measurement
Authors: Jarvis A. J. C. , Cegla F. B.
Published: September 2012

The distributed point source method is commonly used to predict the complex acoustic field emitted by ultrasonic transducers. In this paper, it is presented as an alternative to conventional approaches often used when solving rough surface scattering problems. Surface shadowing and multiple scattering effects are inherently included in the mesh-free semi-analytical simulation method through matrix manipulation making it very efficient and simple to implement. Results are presented which illustrate the improvement in accuracy gained over the Kirchhoff approximation and the decrease in computational load over the finite element method, culminating in greater than an order of magnitude decrease in required simulation time. The method is applied to the practical problem of online wall thickness monitoring within corrosive environments, illustrating the variability in reflected pulse shape that could be expected from rough surfaces with similar statistics. Three commonly implemented time-of-flight algorithms are used to analyze a large number of simulated signals from which it is concluded that those based on first arrival time are more stable under increasing roughness conditions than those which are based on reflected pulse shape.
Generalized method of moments: A boundary integral framework for adaptive analysis of acoustic scattering
Authors: Nair N. V. , Shanker B. , Kempel L.
Published: September 2012

Boundary integral equations (BIEs) find applications in problems ranging from sonar to medical diagnostics. The two ingredients of the BIE solution technique are (1) representation of the domain and (2) design of approximation spaces to represent physical quantities on the domain. These, in concert, affect accuracy and convergence of the simulation. This paper presents a framework that permits the development of a scheme for refinement (of size and order) in both geometry and function representations. Further, this permits flexibility in the types of basis functions that can be used. Capabilities of the proposed framework are shown via a number of numerical examples.
Mitigation of temporal aliasing via harmonic modeling of laryngeal waveforms in high-speed videoendoscopy
Authors: Ikuma Takeshi , Kunduk Melda , McWhorter Andrew J.
Published: September 2012

High-speed videoendoscopy (HSV) enables the observation and measurement of vibratory behaviors of vocal folds by capturing the laryngeal imagery at high frame rates. The frame rates of commercially available HSVs, however, are still limited to carry out sample-based time-domain objective analyses. To mitigate the resulting lack of temporal resolution, existing studies have employed sum-of-harmonics parametric models to evaluate temporal vocal-fold behaviors. This paper focuses on the other weakness of HSV: its inherent susceptibility to temporal aliasing. Aliasing occurs when there are substantial harmonics above the Nyquist frequency of the HSV camera, and video cameras offer very little means to filter out these harmonics. Although the aliasing effect in HSV data minimally affects many of the laryngeal objective parameter measurements, some parameters, such as harmonics-to-noise ratio and derivative-based parameters, are sensitive to the aliased content. The use of a parametric model with a careful selection of the number of harmonics enables classification of the aliased harmonics as a part of the harmonic signal. Glottal area waveform examples are included to illustrate the modeling capability for cases of normal and disordered vocal folds.
Relationship between masking release in fluctuating maskers and speech reception thresholds in stationary noise
Authors: Christiansen Claus , Dau Torsten
Published: September 2012

In contrast to normal-hearing (NH) listeners, hearing-impaired (HI) listeners often show strongly reduced masking release (MR) in fluctuating interferers, which has commonly been associated with spectral and temporal processing deficits. However, it has recently been proposed that the reduced MR could result from an increased speech recognition threshold (SRT) in stationary noise [Bernstein and Grant, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 125, 3358–3372 (2009)]. This was tested by presenting noise-band vocoded as well as low-pass and high-pass filtered stimuli to NH listeners, thereby increasing their stationary-noise SRTs to those of the HI listeners. If the primary determinant of MR is the SRT in stationary noise then the amount of the MR should be independent of the type of processing used to obtain the stationary-noise SRT. However, the relation between the amount of MR and the stationary-noise SRT depended on the type of processing. For a fluctuating interferer, none of the processing conditions reduced the MR of the NH listeners to that of the HI listeners. In contrast, for an interfering talker, the results for vocoded stimuli were similar to those of the HI listeners. Overall, these results suggest that the observed MR is only partially related to the stationary-noise SRT.
A frequency-selective feedback model of auditory efferent suppression and its implications for the recognition of speech in noise
Authors: Clark Nicholas R. , Brown Guy J. , Jürgens Tim , Meddis Ray
Published: September 2012

The potential contribution of the peripheral auditory efferent system to our understanding of speech in a background of competing noise was studied using a computer model of the auditory periphery and assessed using an automatic speech recognition system. A previous study had shown that a fixed efferent attenuation applied to all channels of a multi-channel model could improve the recognition of connected digit triplets in noise [G. J. Brown, R. T. Ferry, and R. Meddis, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 127, 943–954 (2010)]. In the current study an anatomically justified feedback loop was used to automatically regulate separate attenuation values for each auditory channel. This arrangement resulted in a further enhancement of speech recognition over fixed-attenuation conditions. Comparisons between multi-talker babble and pink noise interference conditions suggest that the benefit originates from the model’s ability to modify the amount of suppression in each channel separately according to the spectral shape of the interfering sounds.
Bat wing air pressures may deflect prey structures to provide echo cues for detecting prey in clutter
Authors: Kuc Roman , Kuc Victor
Published: September 2012

Bats have remarkable echolocation capabilities to detect prey in darkness. While it is clear how bats do this for prey that is isolated, moving, or noisy, their ability to find still and quiet prey within clutter has remained a mystery. A video published by the ChiRoPing group shows the gleaning bat Micronycteris microtis capturing a still dragonfly specimen sitting on a leaf surface. While hovering over the dragonfly, the bat’s wings exert air forces that cause the dragonfly wings to deflect in synchrony with the bat’s wing beats. This paper illustrates that echoes from such deflecting wings vary in both amplitude and time-of-flight, producing robust echo cues that permit prey detection, even when the prey is embedded within clutter. Experiments with a dragonfly specimen mounted on a leaf driven by periodic air puffs produced wing deflections that were sensed with sonar pulses. Results demonstrate that echo variations synchronized with periodic air puffs are easily distinguishable from surrounding clutter, even when clutter produces the first echoes. These results suggest a strategy that bats can employ to detect still and silent prey embedded within cluttered environments.
The Membrane-Bound Enzyme CD38 Exists in Two Opposing Orientations
Authors: Zhao Yong Juan , Lam Connie Mo Ching , Lee Hon Cheung
Published: September 2012

The identification of two forms of a transmembrane enzyme suggests that flipping the catalytic domain from the outside to the inside of the cell may regulate its activity.
Network Analysis of the Focal Adhesion to Invadopodia Transition Identifies a PI3K-PKCα Invasive Signaling Axis
Authors: Hoshino Daisuke , Jourquin Jerome , Emmons Shane Weller , Miller Tyne , Goldgof Margalit , Costello Kaitlin , Tyson Darren R. , Brown Brandee , Lu Yiling , Prasad Nagendra K. , Zhang Bing , Mills Gordon B. , Yarbrough Wendell G. , Quaranta Vito , Seiki Motoharu , Weaver Alissa M.
Published: September 2012

The activity of the lipid kinase PI3K governs whether the protein kinase PKCα promotes invasive behavior of cancer cells.
Responding to Light and Heat
Authors: Vinson Valda
Published: September 2012

In rhodopsin, the transition state for thermal activation has the same electronic structure as that for photoexcitation.
Understanding a Broken Heart
Authors: Hurtley Stella M.
Published: September 2012

A myosin thick filament–associated sarcomeric protein modulates cardiac contractility in a phosphorylation-dependent manner.
Bacterial Traffic Jammers
Authors: Foley John F.
Published: September 2012

Effector proteins from bacteria inhibit Rab1 to disrupt vesicular functions and block immune responses.
MOLDing Childhood Asthma
Authors: Reznik Marina
Published: September 2012

Exposure during infancy to molds common to water-damaged homes is associated with development of childhood asthma.
An unusual presentation of an epidermoid brain tumour: a tale of two specialties
Authors: Wong Jen-jou , Huda Saif , Wieshmann Udo Carl
Published: September 2012

A 33-year-old right-handed lady was referred to the psychiatry and neurology services by her general practitioner. Previously, she was under psychiatric care for bipolar affective disorder. Recently, her mood had deteriorated prompting the re-referral to the psychiatrists. In addition she had strange attacks. These strange attacks seemed to her like ‘sensory overload’ or that the ‘brain just stops’. Other sensations throughout the attacks included feeling like she is in a ‘fish bowl’ and surrounding sights and sounds were distorted. She could not speak. After the attack she was hot and flustered, suffered memory loss and was tearful. Both the psychiatrist and the neurologist considered the possibility of these attacks being psychiatric in aetiology. However, the alternative possibility of a coexistence to epilepsy and depression was investigated and MRI demonstrated an epidermoid tumour with the supratentorial portion displacing the left temporal lobe.
Three-dimensional spectral domain optical coherence tomography of retina in choroidal metastasis due to uterine endometrial carcinoma
Authors: Saxena Sandeep , Jain Astha , Ramindar Sharma Shashi , Meyer Carsten H
Published: September 2012

Spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) three-dimensional (3D) imaging in choroidal metastasis, due to uterine endometrial carcinoma, is reported for the first time. SD-OCT revealed a dome-shaped elevation of the retina. Neurosensory detachment with splitting of the retinal layers, at some places, was observed. 3D SD-OCT allows evaluation of secondary retinal pigment epithelial and intraretinal changes due to metastatic choroidal lesion.
Dyke-Davidoff-Masson syndrome-like picture in a case of Takayasu arteritis: an enigma
Authors: Roy Krishnendu , Talukdar Arunansu , Ray Sayantan , Pal Partha
Published: September 2012

Authors describe the case of a 16-year-old girl who presented with fever, tonic–clonic seizures, unequal arm blood pressures and pulselessness in the left upper limb. On examination, there was a systolic bruit over umbilical region, a pansystolic murmur of mitral regurgitation was found. Neurological examination was normal except for an asymmetry in brain hemicircumference one side compared with the other. She has borderline intelligence (IQ 70) according to Wechsler Adult Performance Intelligence Scale. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of brain revealed atrophic of left cerebral hemisphere with mildly ventricular dilatation, prominent paranasal and mastoid air cells, suggestive of Dyke-Davidoff-Masson syndrome (DDMS). Conventional angiography showed narrowed left internal carotid artery. There was also stenosed brachial artery, absent left renal artery with narrowed infrarenal abdominal aorta. The patient was put on antihypertensive drugs. We hypothesise that Takayasu arteritis and related vascular occlusion is the cause of her acquired cerebral changes.
Bilateral hypogeusia caused by a small lesion in the lower midbrain tegmentum
Authors: Hashimoto Takao , Doden Tadashi , Ono Yusuke , Uematsu Takashi
Published: September 2012

We report a case with multiple sclerosis which showed bilateral hypogeusia due to a small lesion in the lower midbrain tegmentum. Sweet taste was diminished only on the contralateral side in the territory of the chorda tympani, and salty, sour and bitter tastes were diminished bilaterally. All taste modalities were preserved in the territory of the greater petrosal nerve. The findings in our patient and in the literature suggest that the second gustatory fibres ipsilaterally ascend from the nucleus of the solitary tract to the midbrain and partially cross at the inferior border of the midbrain. The features of hypogeusia in our case suggest segregated channels in the gustatory pathway conveying taste perception of distinct taste modalities and from distinct innervation territories.
Spontaneous intraperitoneal haemorrhage during pregnancy
Authors: Al Qahtani Nourah Hasan
Published: September 2012

This is a case report of spontaneous haemoperitoneum caused by ruptured utero-ovarian vessels during the third trimester of pregnancy. The patient presented with acute abdominal pain and hypotension twice to the emergency room. The initial diagnosis was placental abruptio and the patient had emergency caesarean section. There was utero-ovarian plexus laceration and suture-ligation was performed. The maternal outcome was good. The infant had birth asphyxia and was extubated on the third day. Both mother and infant were discharged in good condition.
The relationship between ACL injuries and physical fitness in young competitive ski racers: a 10-year longitudinal study
Authors: Raschner Christian , Platzer Hans-Peter , Patterson Carson , Werner Inge , Huber Reinhard , Hildebrandt Carolin
Published: September 2012

Background

Epidemiological studies have shown a high incidence of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries among competitive alpine skiers. Little is known regarding modifiable risk factors in young skiers. There are still uncertainties in gender-related risk factors.

Objective

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between ACL injuries and internal risk factors.

Methods

Retrospective data analyses were performed based on a group of 175 female and 195 male alpine ski racers between the ages of 14 and 19 years. The athletes underwent physical testing annually from 1996 to 2006. Z score transformations normalised the age groups. Multivariate binary logistic regressions were calculated for men and women separately to detect significant predictors of ACL ruptures. t Tests were computed to reveal the differences in test scores between injured and non-injured athletes.

Results

A total of 57 (15%) ACL injuries occurred. The female−male risk ratio (RR) was higher in females (2.3, 95% CI 1.3 to 4.2). Z scores for relative leg force, ratio of absolute core flexion to extension force, relative core strength and reactive strength index were predictive variables for men. Z scores of all of these predictive variables except relative leg force were higher in the non-injured group. The ratios of absolute flexion to extension force and absolute core strength were predictive covariates for women. Z scores for absolute core strength were higher in the non-injured group.

Conclusions

The risk of ACL injury was greater in female athletes. The findings suggest that core strength is a predominant critical factor for ACL injuries in young ski racers.
COMPUTING THE DISCRETE FRÉCHET DISTANCE WITH IMPRECISE INPUT
Authors: AHN HEE-KAP , KNAUER CHRISTIAN , SCHERFENBERG MARC , SCHLIPF LENA , VIGNERON ANTOINE
Published: September 2012

We consider the problem of computing the discrete Fréchet distance between two polygonal curves when their vertices are imprecise. An imprecise point is given by a region and this point could lie anywhere within this region. By modelling imprecise points as balls in dimension d, we present an algorithm for this problem that returns in time 2O(d2) m2n2 log 2(mn) the minimum Fréchet distance between two imprecise polygonal curves with n and m vertices, respectively. We give an improved algorithm for the planar case with running time O(mn log 3(mn) + (m2+n2) log (mn)). In the d-dimensional orthogonal case, where points are modelled as axis-parallel boxes, and we use the L∞ distance, we give an O(dmn log (dmn))-time algorithm.

We also give efficient O(dmn)-time algorithms to approximate the maximum Fréchet distance, as well as the minimum and maximum Fréchet distance under translation. These algorithms achieve constant factor approximation ratios in "realistic" settings (such as when the radii of the balls modelling the imprecise points are roughly of the same size).
In search of a natural gesture
Authors: Lee Johnny Chung
Published: September 2012

While computing has advanced exponentially, almost explosively, since the 1970s, input devices have only just begun to change. Why?
Pen-based computing
Authors: Kurtenbach Gordon
Published: September 2012

Pens may seem old-fashioned, but some researchers think they are the future of interaction. Can they teach this old dog some new tricks?
IT for synthetic biology and DNA nanotechnology
Authors: Hagiya Masami , Tanaka Fumiaki , Kawamata Ibuki
Published: September 2012

Somewhere between the studies of information technology and organic chemistry, researchers are trying to make tiny robots out of DNA molecules.
Parallel computing with patterns and frameworks
Authors: Catanzaro Bryan , Keutzer Kurt
Published: September 2012

Exploiting parallelism may require developers to think differently about how their programs are written.
Getting and staying agile
Authors: Largent David L.
Published: September 2012

The human side of software development thrives on face-to-face interaction and teamwork.
Mathematics for the masses
Authors: Dyer Jason
Published: September 2012

Can human computation bring together people from diverse backgrounds to solve age-old math problems?
Ethics and tactics of professional crowdwork
Authors: Silberman M. Six , Irani Lilly , Ross Joel
Published: September 2012

Paid crowd workers are not just an API call---but all too often, they are treated like one.
Games for extracting randomness
Authors: Halprin Ran , Naor Moni
Published: September 2012

Two computer scientists have created a video game about mice and elephants that can make computer encryption properly secure---as long as you play it randomly.
The 'Internet of Things' and commerce
Authors: Harrison Mark
Published: September 2012

Everything, everywhere, tagged and tracked. How can this data be harnessed to deliver better products and services?
Let's split!
Authors: Sturges Dan
Published: September 2012

Going sustainable by dividing personal transportation into two categories.
In the dark, out in the cold
Authors: Dillahunt Tawanna , Mankoff Jennifer
Published: September 2012

For 30% of the population, lack of access to home-energy monitoring devices translates into a lack of power---in more ways than one.
OPOWER
Authors: Laskey Alex , Kavazovic Ogi
Published: September 2012

Energy efficiency through behavioral science and technology.
Mixing things up
Authors: Harrison Chris
Published: September 2012

We've been experimenting with a new editorial model. Previously, issues of
XRDS
have been directed by one or two Feature Editors, who have a particular interest in a subject area. For example, James Stanier headed up the "Changing Face of Programming" issue; Michael Bernstein and Inbal Talgam put together the "Comp-YOU-ter" issue on Human Computation. Being an
Issue Editor
means lots of conversations with the
XRDS
team to figure out themes, tracking down and inviting experts to contribute articles, and reviewing articles submitted through our online portal.
The sensorium
Authors: Peck Evan M. , Solovey Erin T.
Published: September 2012

Research teams from around the world reflect on their brain sensing setups.
Shared values, clashing goals
Authors: Cohen Sarah
Published: September 2012

The difference between aggregating public data and investigative journalism.
How can software engineers help make government better?
Authors: Montanez Luigi
Published: September 2012

Using their technical expertise to bring transparency to the federal government, developers are unlocking data one API at a time.
Recent ideas for circumventing internet filtering
Authors: Boneh Dan
Published: September 2012

Technical solutions can provide a skeleton key to unlocking the Internet.
Smarter Cities: Making societies smarter
Authors: McNerney Peter J. , Zhang Ning
Published: September 2012

In this article we outline the technological characteristics and features of "smart cities," describe how these are being implemented in the real-world, and explore some of the challenges these characteristics present to communications technologies.
Pseudorandomness and derandomization
Authors: Trevisan Luca
Published: September 2012

The computational theory of pseudorandomness and cryptography.
Future of computing
Authors: Shasha Dennis
Published: September 2012

The intersection of biology and computer science is pushing computation beyond its traditional limits---forget algorithms think evolution.
Designing good MapReduce algorithms
Authors: Ullman Jeffrey D.
Published: September 2012

An introduction to designing algorithms for the MapReduce framework for parallel processing of big data.
Big data in computational biology
Authors: Chan Cliburn
Published: September 2012

An invitation to the digital science of life.
The secret behind the Luhn-ie
Authors: Causley Broderick
Published: September 2012

A look at the Luhn algorithm and how it is used in the 21
st
century for error detection.
Dermatologic Toxicities from Monoclonal Antibodies and Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors against EGFR: Pathophysiology and Management
Authors: Abdullah Shaad E. , Haigentz Missak , Piperdi Bilal
Published: September 2012

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibition has now been well established as an effective treatment for various cancers. The EGFR belongs to the ErbB family of tyrosine kinase receptors which regulate tumor cell differentiation, survival and proliferation. Activation of EGFR drives tumorigenesis in lung, head and neck, colorectal and pancreatic cancers. Irrespective of the type of cancer being treated and the mechanism by which tumor EGFR drives tumorigenesis, the major side effect of EGFR inhibition is a papulopustular (also described as maculopapular or acneiform) rash which occurs in about two thirds of treated patients. Interestingly, this rash has been commonly correlated with better clinical outcomes (objective tumor response and patient survival). The pathophysiology of dermatological toxicity from EGFR inhibitors is an important area of clinical research, and the proper management of the rash is essential to increase the therapeutic index from this class of drugs. In this paper, we review the dermatologic toxicities associated with EGFR inhibitors with an emphasis on its pathophysiology and clinical management.
Distributed Energy-Efficient Topology Control Algorithm in Home M2M Networks
Authors: Lee Chao-Yang , Yang Chu-Sing
Published: September 2012

Because machine-to-machine (M2M) technology enables machines to communicate with each other without human intervention, it could play a big role in sensor network systems. Through wireless sensor network (WSN) gateways, various information can be collected by sensors for M2M systems. For home M2M networks, this study proposes a distributed energy-efficient topology control algorithm for both topology construction and topology maintenance. Topology control is an effective method of enhancing energy efficiency and prolonging network lifetime. During the topology construction phase, each node builds a new topology based on the best parent node. Nodes can extend the network lifetime by adjusting transmission power to control the topology. In the topology maintenance phase, each node monitors the energy status of neighbors and triggers topology construction as needed. By balancing energy consumption, topology maintenance also avoids the hot spot problem. Simulation results confirm the superior performance of the proposed algorithm for distributed energy-efficient topology control (DETC) in terms of energy efficiency and network lifetime in home M2M networks.
A Novel Approach Based on MEMS‐Gyro′s Data Deep Coupling for Determining the Centroid of Star Spot
Authors: Fei Xing , Nan Chen , Zheng You , Ting Sun
Published: September 2012

The traditional approach of star tracker for determining the centroid of spot requires enough energy and good shape, so a relatively long exposure time and stable three‐axis state become necessary conditions to maintain high accuracy, these limit its update rate and dynamic performance. In view of these issues, this paper presents an approach for determining the centroid of star spot which based on MEMS‐Gyro′s data deep coupling, it achieves the deep fusion of the data of star tracker and MEMS‐Gyro at star map level through the introduction of EKF. The trajectory predicted by using the angular velocity of three axes can be used to set the extraction window, this enhances the dynamic performance because of the accurate extraction when the satellite has angular speed. The optimal estimations of the centroid position and the drift in the output signal of MEMS‐Gyro through this approach reduce the influence of noise of the detector on accuracy of the traditional approach for determining the centroid and effectively correct the output signal of MEMS‐Gyro. At the end of this paper, feasibility of this approach is verified by simulation.
One-Step Synthesis of Hollow Titanate (Sr/Ba) Ceramic Fibers for Detoxification of Nerve Agents
Authors: Agarwal Satya R. , Sundarrajan Subramanian , Venkatesan Arunachalam , Ramakrishna Seeram
Published: September 2012

Poly(vinyl pyrrolidone)(PVP)/(strontium/barium acetate)/titanium isopropoxide composite fibers were prepared by electrospinning technique via sol-gel process. Diameters of fibers prepared by calcinations of PVP composite fibers were 80–140 nm (solid) and 1.2-2.2 μm (hollow fibers prepared by core-shell method). These fibers were characterized using scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and transmission electron microscope (TEM) analytical techniques. XRD results showed better crystalline nature of the materials when calcined at higher temperatures. SEM and TEM results clearly showed the formation of hollow submicrometer tubes. The surface area of the samples determined by BET analysis indicated that hollow fibers have ~20% higher surface area than solid fibers. The UV studies indicate better detoxification properties of the hollow fibers compared to solid fibers.
Learning from “Knocks in Life”: Food Insecurity among Low-Income Lone Senior Women
Authors: Green-LaPierre Rebecca J. , Williams Patricia L. , Glanville N. Theresa , Norris Deborah , Hunter Heather C. , Watt Cynthia G.
Published: September 2012

Building on earlier quantitative work where we showed that lone senior households reliant on public pensions in Nova Scotia (NS), Canada lacked the necessary funds for a basic nutritious diet, here we present findings from a qualitative study involving in-depth interviews with eight low-income lone senior women living in an urban area of NS. Using a phenomenological inquiry approach, in-depth interviews were used to explore lone senior women’s experiences accessing food with limited financial resources. Drawing upon Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory, we explored their perceived ability to access a nutritionally adequate and personally acceptable diet, and the barriers and enablers to do so; as well in light of our previous quantitative research, we explored their perceptions related to adequacy of income, essential expenses, and their strategies to manage personal finances. Seven key themes emerged: world view, income adequacy, transportation, health/health problems, community program use, availability of family and friends, and personal food management strategies. World view exerted the largest influence on seniors’ personal perception of food security status. The implications of the findings and policy recommendations to reduce the nutritional health inequities among this vulnerable subset of the senior population are considered.
A Cultural Algorithm for the Representation of Mitochondrial Population
Authors: Alexiou Athanasios , Vlamos Panayiotis
Published: September 2012

We propose a novel Cultural Algorithm for the representation of mitochondrial population in mammalian cells as an autonomous culture. While mitochondrial dysfunctions are highly associated with neurodegenerative diseases and related disorders, an alternative theoretical framework is described for the representation of mitochondrial dynamics. A new perspective of bioinspired algorithm is produced, combining the particle-based Brownian dynamics simulation and the combinatorial representation of mitochondrial population in the lattice, involving the optimization problem of ATP production in mammalian cells.
Estimating Maternal Mortality Level in Rural Northern Nigeria by the Sisterhood Method
Authors: Doctor Henry V. , Findley Sally E. , Afenyadu Godwin Y.
Published: September 2012

Maternal mortality is one of the major challenges to health systems in sub Saharan Africa. This paper estimates the lifetime risk of maternal death and maternal mortality ratio (MMR) in four states of Northern Nigeria. Data from a household survey conducted in 2011 were utilized by applying the “sisterhood method” for estimating maternal mortality. Female respondents (15–49 years) were interviewed thereby creating a retrospective cohort of their sisters who reached the reproductive age of 15 years. A total of 3,080 respondents reported 7,731 maternal sisters of which 593 were reported dead and 298 of those dead were maternal-related deaths. This corresponded to a lifetime risk of maternal death of 9% (referring to a period about 10.5 years prior to the survey) and an MMR of 1,271 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births; 95% CI was 1,152–1,445 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births. The study calls for improvement of the health system focusing on strategies that will accelerate reduction in MMR such as availability of skilled birth attendants, access to emergency obstetrics care, promotion of facility delivery, availability of antenatal care, and family planning. An accelerated reduction in MMR in the region will contribute towards the attainment of the Millennium Development Goal of maternal mortality reduction in Nigeria.
Parameter Optimisation of Carbon Nanotubes Synthesis via Hexane Decomposition over Minerals Generated from Anadara granosa Shells as the Catalyst Support
Authors: Hussein M. Z. , Zakarya S. A. , Sarijo S. H. , Zainal Z.
Published: September 2012

The synthesis of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) by the chemical vapour deposition (CVD) method using natural calcite from Anadara granosa shells as the metal catalyst support was studied. Hexane and iron (Fe) were used as the carbon precursor and the active component of the catalyst, respectively. Response surface methodology (RSM) based on central composite design (CCD) was used to optimise the effect of total iron loading, the duration of reaction, and reaction temperature. The optimal conditions were total iron loading of 7.5%, a reaction time of 45 min, and a temperature of 850°C with a resulting carbon yield of 131.62%. Raman spectra, field‐emission‐scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analyses showed that the CNTs were of the multiwalled type (MWNTs).
Methicillin-ResistantStaphylococcus aureusInfections in Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Children and Adolescents
Authors: Siberry George K. , Frederick Toni , Emmanuel Patricia , Paul Mary E. , Bohannon Beverly , Wheeling Travis , Barton Theresa , Rathore Mobeen H. , Dominguez Kenneth L.
Published: September 2012

Background. Methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus(MRSA) infection incidence has increased in healthy US children. Our objective was to evaluate MRSA incidence and correlates in HIV-infected youth.Methods. The CDC-sponsored LEGACY study is a US multicenter chart abstraction study of HIV-infected youth. We identified MRSA infections among participants with ≥1 visit during 2006. We used bivariate and multivariable analyses to compare sociodemographic and HIV clinical factors between MRSA cases and noncases.Results. Fourteen MRSA infections (1 invasive, 12 soft tissue, 1 indeterminate) occurred among 1,813 subjects (11.1 infections/1,000 patient-years (PY), 95% CI: 11.06–11.14). Most (86%) isolates were clindamycin susceptible. Compared with noncases, MRSA cases were more likely older (17 versus 14 years), black (100% versus 69%), behaviorally HIV infected (43% versus 17%), and in Maryland (43% versus 7%) and had viral loads (VL) >1000 copies/mL (86% versus 51%) and lower mean CD4% (18% versus 27%) (allP<0.05). In multivariate analysis, independent risk factors were Maryland care site (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 9.0), VL >1000 copies/mL (aOR = 5.9), and black race (aOR undefined).Conclusions.MRSA occurred at a rate of 11.1 infections/1,000 PY in HIV-infected youth but invasive disease was uncommon. Geographic location, black race, and increased VL, but not immunosuppression, were independently associated with MRSA risk.
Efficacy of Fibrin Glue on Seroma Formation after Breast Surgery
Authors: Miri Bonjar Mahmood Reza , Maghsoudi Hemmat , Samnia Roya , Saleh Parviz , Parsafar Farhang
Published: September 2012

Background and Objectives. This study was designed to determine the effectiveness of fibrin glue plus conventional drain placement versus conventional drain placement in the prevention of seromas after breast procedures. Among methods employed to reduce seroma magnitude and duration, fibrin glue has been proposed in numerous studies, with controversial results.Design and Setting. A prospective, randomized, controlled study of subjects who were randomized into control and experimental groups was conducted.Methods. Collected data included age, surgeon, medical and surgical history, comorbidities, procedure performed, number of axillary nodes, number of positive axillary nodes collected, final pathologic diagnosis, cancer stage, hospital stay, postoperative day of drain removal, complications, incidence of seroma formation, interval to seroma resolution, and number of postoperative visits.Results. Analysis of 60 patients showed similarly matched groups. Seroma formation rate was 24.1% in the control group and 16.1% in the fibrin glue group. The rate of wound complications was similar.Conclusions. Although use of fibrin sealant resulted in a nonsignificant decrease in seroma formation rate compared with that of drain placement, the higher cost and cumbersome technique tend to indicate that there is no advantage to using fibrin glue over drain placement with the technique described.
Controllability of Second‐Order Semilinear Impulsive Stochastic Neutral Functional Evolution Equations
Authors: Zhang Lei , Ding Yongsheng , Wang Tong , Hu Liangjian , Hao Kuangrong
Published: September 2012

We consider a class of impulsive neutral second‐order stochastic functional evolution equations. The Sadovskii fixed point theorem and the theory of strongly continuous cosine families of operators are used to investigate the sufficient conditions for the controllability of the system considered. An example is provided to illustrate our results.
Diabetic Retinopathy Grading by Digital Curvelet Transform
Authors: Hajeb Mohammad Alipour Shirin , Rabbani Hossein , Akhlaghi Mohammad Reza
Published: September 2012

One of the major complications of diabetes is diabetic retinopathy. As manual analysis and diagnosis of large amount of images are time consuming, automatic detection and grading of diabetic retinopathy are desired. In this paper, we use fundus fluorescein angiography and color fundus images simultaneously, extract 6 features employing curvelet transform, and feed them to support vector machine in order to determine diabetic retinopathy severity stages. These features are area of blood vessels, area, regularity of foveal avascular zone, and the number of micro-aneurisms therein, total number of micro-aneurisms, and area of exudates. In order to extract exudates and vessels, we respectively modify curvelet coefficients of color fundus images and angiograms. The end points of extracted vessels in predefined region of interest based on optic disk are connected together to segment foveal avascular zone region. To extract micro-aneurisms from angiogram, first extracted vessels are subtracted from original image, and after removing detected background by morphological operators and enhancing bright small pixels, micro-aneurisms are detected. 70 patients were involved in this study to classify diabetic retinopathy into 3 groups, that is, (1) no diabetic retinopathy, (2) mild/moderate nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy, (3) severe nonproliferative/proliferative diabetic retinopathy, and our simulations show that the proposed system has sensitivity and specificity of 100% for grading.
Use of Chinese Herb Medicine in Cancer Patients: A Survey in Southwestern China
Authors: Liu Tai-Guo , Xiong Shao-Quan , Yan Yan , Zhu Hong , Yi Cheng
Published: September 2012

Chinese herb medicine (CHM) is the most commonly reported traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) modality. This study aimed to assess the prevalence and associated factors of CHM use in cancer patients in southwestern China. Cancer patients from eleven comprehensive cancer centers were asked to complete a structured questionnaire. Of 587 available replies, 53.0% used CHM. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that educational level, stage of disease, duration of cancer since diagnosis, marital status, and previous use of CHM were strongly associated with CHM use after cancer diagnosis. The source of information about CHM was mainly from media and friends/family. CHM products were used without any consultation with a TCM practitioner by 67.5% of users. The majority used CHM to improve their physical and emotional well-beings and to reduce cancer therapy-induced toxicities. About 4.5% patients reported side effects of CHM. This survey revealed a high prevalence of CHM use among cancer patients. However, these patients did not get sufficient consultation about the indications and contradictions of these drugs. It is imperative for oncologists to communicate with their cancer patients about the usage of CHM so as to avoid the potential side effects.
Human-Mobility-Based Sensor Context-Aware Routing Protocol for Delay-Tolerant Data Gathering in Multi-Sink Cell-Phone-Based Sensor Networks
Authors: Shah M. B. , Merchant S. N. , Desai U. B.
Published: September 2012

Ubiquitous use of cell phones encourages development of novel applications with sensors embedded in cell phones. The collection of information generated by these devices is a challenging task considering volatile topologies and energy-based scarce resources. Further, the data delivery to the sink is delay tolerant. Mobility of cell phones is opportunistically exploited for forwarding sensor generated data towards the sink. Human mobility model shows truncated power law distribution of flight length, pause time, and intercontact time. The power law behavior of inter-contact time often discourages routing of data using naive forwarding schemes. This work exploits the flight length and the pause time distributions of human mobility to design a better and efficient routing strategy. We propose a Human-Mobility-based Sensor Context-Aware Routing protocol (HMSCAR), which exploits human mobility patterns to smartly forward data towards the sink basically comprised of wi-fi hot spots or cellular base stations. The simulation results show that HMSCAR significantly outperforms the SCAR, SFR, and GRAD-MOB on the aspects of delivery ratio and time delay. A multi-sink scenario and single-copy replication scheme is assumed.
A Prevalence of Imprinted Genes within the Total Transcriptomes of Human Tissues and Cells
Authors: Anisimov Sergey V.
Published: September 2012

Genomic imprinting is an epigenetic phenomenon that causes a differential expression of paternally and maternally inherited alleles of a subset of genes (the so-called imprinted genes). Imprinted genes are distributed throughout the genome and it is predicted that about 1% of the human genes may be imprinted. It is recognized that the allelic expression of imprinted genes varies between tissues and developmental stages. The current study represents the first attempt to estimate a prevalence of imprinted genes within the total human transcriptome. In silico analysis of the normalized expression profiles of a comprehensive panel of 173 established and candidate human imprinted genes was performed, in 492 publicly available SAGE libraries. The latter represent human cell and tissue samples in a variety of physiological and pathological conditions. Variations in the prevalence of imprinted genes within the total transcriptomes (ranging from 0.08% to 4.36%) and expression profiles of the individual imprinted genes are assessed. This paper thus provides a useful reference on the size of the imprinted transcriptome and expression of the individual imprinted genes.