bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
EFFECT OF GLASS POWDER ON ACID RESISTANCE OF ENAMEL COATING
Authors: SHU MINGYONG , YIN HAIYING , ZHONG QINGDONG , SHI XI , HAN HONGBO
Published: July 2016

Enamel glaze was added with glass powders of different sizes and masses and fired into enamel coatings on the surface of low-carbon steel. Acid resistance of the enamel coatings in H2SO4 solution was analyzed by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and mass loss of acid corrosion. As was discovered in research, the acid corrosion quantity in the enamel coatings decreased with the decrease in the particle size of the glass powder when the particle size of the additive glass powder reduced from 100[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]m to 1–2[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]m and heated the prepared enamel coatings in the H2SO4 solution until 80[Formula: see text]C and kept for 48[Formula: see text]h. When the additive amount of the glass powder increased from 5% to 20%, the surface of the enamel coating was smooth and flat with good glossiness and without defects like obvious bubbles and cracks, and the acid corrosion quantity decreased with increase in the additive amount of glass powder, which decreased from 43.24[Formula: see text]mg/cm[Formula: see text]d to 4.28[Formula: see text]mg/cm2.d, satisfying the acid-proof performance requirements of industrial enamel coatings.
SIMULATING THE EFFECTS OF ELEVATED INTRAOCULAR PRESSURE ON OCULAR STRUCTURES USING A GLOBAL FINITE ELEMENT MODEL OF THE HUMAN EYE
Authors: DAI PEISHAN , ZHAO YALI , SHENG HANWEI , LI LING , WU JING , HAN HAN
Published: July 2016

Elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) may be the primary risk factor to the development of glaucoma. Finite element (FE) modeling is commonly considered as an effective method to quantitatively analyze pathogenesis of glaucoma. Recent researches focus on establishing partial human eye models. A refined global human eye model was developed using ANSYS software to investigate the correlation between IOP elevation and biomechanical responses. First, the pressure transferring process according to IOP elevation in the whole eye was analyzed to simulate the effects of IOP elevation on glaucoma. Then, the biomechanical responses of the anterior eye segment under various pressure differences between the anterior and posterior chambers (AC and PC) were analyzed to simulate posterior nonadhesion of iris and posterior synechia. This global eye model not only simulated the responses of elevated IOP on ocular structures, but also revealed the process of pressure transferring among each tissue from the anterior eye segment to the optic nerve head (ONH) region. The local mechanical characteristics of the ocular structures obtained from the global model agreed with previous findings. This global model may shed light on the studies of multifactorial glaucoma.
IMPACT OF COMPETITIVE FLOW ON HEMODYNAMICS OF LIMA-LAD GRAFTING WITH DIFFERENT STENOSIS: A NUMERICAL STUDY
Authors: LI LANLAN , LIU YOUJUN , ZHAO XI , MAO BOYAN , ZHANG HUIXIA
Published: July 2016

Background and Aims: Competitive flow exists in the native coronary artery when using artery graft in the coronary artery bypass graft (CABG), and it is a major factor affecting the long-term patency of the arterial grafts. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of the competitive flow on hemodynamic characteristics of left internal mammary artery (LIMA). Materials and methods: Seven three-dimensional (3D) LIMA-left anterior decending (LAD) grafting models with different diameter stenoses at the trunk of LAD were reconstructed, including 25%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 75%, 90% and 100%. The boundary conditions of these models were provided by the same lumped parameter model (LPM; 0D sub-model) of cardiovascular circulatory system, which is based on 0D/3D coupling method. Results: The simulation results show that competitive flow decreases when the stenosis rate increases and backflow exists in LIMA during systole when the degree of stenosis is below 50%; the wall shear stress (WSS) of the graft increases from 0.85[Formula: see text]Pa to 1.79[Formula: see text]Pa with the increase of the native coronary stenosis degree, while the oscillatory shear index (OSI) decreases from 0.1557 to 0.00213. Conclusions: Competitive flow may produce adverse hemodynamic effects on artery graft, especially when the stenosis degree is below 50%, competitive flow will significantly lead the long-term patency of the artery graft worse because of the backflow, low WSS and high OSI, and the effect of OSI is more obvious than WSS.
Study on Stability and Electrochemical Properties of Nano-LiMn1.9Ni0.1O3.99S0.01-Based Li-Ion Batteries with Liquid Electrolyte Containing LiPF6
Authors: Bakierska Monika , Świętosławski Michał , Gajewska Marta , Majda Dorota , Drozdek Marek , Molenda Marcin
Published: July 2016

Herein, we report on the stability and electrochemical properties of nanosized Ni and S doped lithium manganese oxide spinel (LiMn1.9Ni0.1O3.99S0.01, LMN1OS) in relation to the most commonly used electrolyte solution containing LiPF6salt. The influence of electrochemical reaction in the presence of selected electrolyte on the LMN1OS electrode chemistry was examined. The changes in the structure, surface morphology, and composition of the LMN1OS cathode after 30 cycles of galvanostatic charging/discharging were determined. In addition, thermal stability and reactivity of the LMN1OS material towards the electrolyte system were verified. Performed studies revealed that no degradative effects, resulting from the interaction between the spinel electrode and liquid electrolyte, occur during electrochemical cycling. The LMN1OS electrode versus LiPF6-based electrolyte has been indicated as an efficient and electrochemically stable system, exhibiting high capacity, good rate capability, and excellent coulombic efficiency. The improved stability and electrochemical performance of the LMN1OS cathode material originate from the synergetic substitution of LiMn2O4spinel with Ni and S.
A Cost Optimization Model for Multiresource Leveling Problem without Project Duration Constraint
Authors: Yan Qingyou , Zhang Qian , Zou Xin
Published: July 2016

The study of traditional resource leveling problem aims at minimizing the resource usage fluctuations and obtaining sustainable resource supplement, which is accomplished by adjusting noncritical activities within their start and finish time. However, there exist limitations in terms of the traditional resource leveling problem based on the fixed project duration. This paper assumes that the duration can be changed in a certain range and then analyzes the relationship between the scarce resource usage fluctuations and project cost. This paper proposes an optimization model for the multiresource leveling problem. We take into consideration five kinds of cost: the extra hire cost when the resource demand is greater than the resource available amount, the idle cost of resource when the resource available amount is greater than the resource demand, the indirect cost related to the duration, the liquidated damages when the project duration is extended, and the incentive fee when the project duration is reduced. The optimal objective of this model is to minimize the sum of the aforementioned five kinds of cost. Finally, a case study is examined to highlight the characteristic of the proposed model at the end of this paper.
Method for Improving Indoor Positioning Accuracy Using Extended Kalman Filter
Authors: Lee Seoung-Hyeon , Lim Il-Kwan , Lee Jae-Kwang
Published: July 2016

Beacons using bluetooth low-energy (BLE) technology have emerged as a new paradigm of indoor positioning service (IPS) because of their advantages such as low power consumption, miniaturization, wide signal range, and low cost. However, the beacon performance is poor in terms of the indoor positioning accuracy because of noise, motion, and fading, all of which are characteristics of a bluetooth signal and depend on the installation location. Therefore, it is necessary to improve the accuracy of beacon-based indoor positioning technology by fusing it with existing indoor positioning technology, which uses Wi-Fi, ZigBee, and so forth. This study proposes a beacon-based indoor positioning method using an extended Kalman filter that recursively processes input data including noise. After defining the movement of a smartphone on a flat two-dimensional surface, it was assumed that the beacon signal is nonlinear. Then, the standard deviation and properties of the beacon signal were analyzed. According to the analysis results, an extended Kalman filter was designed and the accuracy of the smartphone’s indoor position was analyzed through simulations and tests. The proposed technique achieved good indoor positioning accuracy, with errors of 0.26 m and 0.28 m from the average x- and y-coordinates, respectively, based solely on the beacon signal.
Robust Event-Triggered Energy-to-Peak Filtering for Polytopic Uncertain Systems over Lossy Network with Quantized Measurements
Authors: Wang Jidong , Han Kezhen
Published: July 2016

The event-triggered energy-to-peak filtering for polytopic discrete-time linear systems is studied with the consideration of lossy network and quantization error. Because of the communication imperfections from the packet dropout of lossy link, the event-triggered condition used to determine the data release instant at the event generator (EG) can not be directly applied to update the filter input at the zero order holder (ZOH) when performing filter performance analysis and synthesis. In order to balance such nonuniform time series between the triggered instant of EG and the updated instant of ZOH, two event-triggered conditions are defined, respectively, whereafter a worst-case bound on the number of consecutive packet losses of the transmitted data from EG is given, which marginally guarantees the effectiveness of the filter that will be designed based on the event-triggered updating condition of ZOH. Then, the filter performance analysis conditions are obtained under the assumption that the maximum number of packet losses is allowable for the worst-case bound. In what follows, a two-stage LMI-based alternative optimization approach is proposed to separately design the filter, which reduces the conservatism of the traditional linearization method of filter analysis conditions. Subsequently a codesign algorithm is developed to determine the communication and filter parameters simultaneously. Finally, an illustrative example is provided to verify the validity of the obtained results.
An Efficient FPGA Implementation of Optimized Anisotropic Diffusion Filtering of Images
Authors: Pal Chandrajit , Kotal Avik , Samanta Asit , Chakrabarti Amlan , Ghosh Ranjan
Published: July 2016

Digital image processing is an exciting area of research with a variety of applications including medical, surveillance security systems, defence, and space applications. Noise removal as a preprocessing step helps to improve the performance of the signal processing algorithms, thereby enhancing image quality. Anisotropic diffusion filtering proposed by Perona and Malik can be used as an edge-preserving smoother, removing high-frequency components of images without blurring their edges. In this paper, we present the FPGA implementation of an edge-preserving anisotropic diffusion filter for digital images. The designed architecture completely replaced the convolution operation and implemented the same using simple arithmetic subtraction of the neighboring intensities within a kernel, preceded by multiple operations in parallel within the kernel. To improve the image reconstruction quality, the diffusion coefficient parameter, responsible for controlling the filtering process, has been properly analyzed. Its signal behavior has been studied by subsequently scaling and differentiating the signal. The hardware implementation of the proposed design shows better performance in terms of reconstruction quality and accelerated performance with respect to its software implementation. It also reduces computation, power consumption, and resource utilization with respect to other related works.
Future Perspectives of ERAS: A Narrative Review on the New Applications of an Established Approach
Authors: Bugada Dario , Bellini Valentina , Fanelli Andrea , Marchesini Maurizio , Compagnone Christian , Baciarello Marco , Allegri Massimo , Fanelli Guido
Published: July 2016

ERAS approach (Enhanced Recovery After Surgery) is a multimodal, perioperative pathway designed to achieve early recovery after surgery. ERAS has shown documented efficacy in elective surgery, and the concept of “multimodal” and “multidisciplinary” approach seems still to be of higher importance than each single item within ERAS protocols. New perspectives include the use of ERAS in emergency surgery, where efficacy and safety on outcome have been documented, and flexibility of traditional items may add benefits for traditionally high-risk patients. Obstetric surgery, as well, may open wide horizons for future research, since extremely poor data are currently available, and ERAS benefits may translate even on the baby. Finally, the concept of “outcome” may be extended when considering the specific setting of cancer surgery, in which variables like cancer recurrence, early access to adjuvant therapies, and, finally, long-term survival are as important as the reduced perioperative complications. In this perspective, different items within ERAS protocols should be reinterpreted and eventually integrated towards “protective” techniques, to develop cancer-specific ERAS approaches keeping pace with the specific aims of oncologic surgery.
A Gyro Signal Characteristics Analysis Method Based on Empirical Mode Decomposition
Authors: Zeng Qinghua , Gu Shanshan , Liu Jianye , Liu Sheng , Chen Weina
Published: July 2016

It is difficult to analyze the nonstationary gyro signal in detail for the Allan variance (AV) analysis method. A novel approach in the time-frequency domain for gyro signal characteristics analysis is proposed based on the empirical mode decomposition and Allan variance (EMDAV). The output signal of gyro is decomposed by empirical mode decomposition (EMD) first, and then the decomposed signal is analyzed by AV algorithm. Consequently, the gyro noise characteristics are demonstrated in the time-frequency domain with a three-dimensional (3D) manner. Practical data of fiber optic gyro (FOG) and MEMS gyro are processed by the AV method and the EMDAV algorithm separately. The results indicate that the details of gyro signal characteristics in different frequency bands can be described with the help of EMDAV, and the analysis dimensions are extended compared with the common AV. The proposed EMDAV, as a complementary tool of the AV, which provides a theoretical reference for the gyro signal preprocessing, is a general approach for the analysis and evaluation of gyro performance.
Graphene Oxide Reinforced Polycarbonate Nanocomposite Films with Antibacterial Properties
Authors: Mahendran R. , Sridharan D. , Santhakumar K. , Selvakumar T. A. , Rajasekar P. , Jang J.-H.
Published: July 2016

The incorporation of carbonaceous nanofillers into polymers can result in significant materials with improved physicochemical properties and novel composite functionalities. In this study, we have fabricated antibacterial, lightweight, transparent, and flexible graphene oxide (GO) reinforced polycarbonate thin films by a facile and low-cost methodology. Solution blending is employed to get a homogeneous mixture of PC-GO composites at various loading of GO, and the thin films are prepared by dry-wet phase inversion technique. Thermal studies and micrographs of the films revealed the incorporation of GO in PC matrix. Microstructure of the thin films showed the homogeneous dispersion of GO at micro- and nanoscales; however, at higher loading of GO (0.7%), significant agglomeration is observed. More importantly, PC-GO composite films exhibited excellent antibacterial activities against E. coli and S. aureus, owing to the antibacterial nature of GO nanoparticles.
Design of Corrugated Plates for Optimal Fundamental Frequency
Authors: Alshabatat Nabeel
Published: July 2016

This paper investigates shifting the fundamental frequency of plate structures by corrugation. Creating corrugations significantly improves the flexural rigidities of plate and hence increases its natural frequencies. Two types of corrugations are investigated: sinusoidal and trapezoidal corrugations. The finite element method (FEM) is used to model the corrugated plates and extract the natural frequencies and mode shapes. The effects of corrugation geometrical parameters on simply supported plate fundamental frequency are studied. To reduce the computation time, the corrugated plates are modeled as orthotropic flat plates with equivalent rigidities. To demonstrate the validity of modeling the corrugated plates as orthotropic flat plates in studying the free vibration characteristics, a comparison between the results of finite element model and equivalent orthotropic models is made. A correspondence between the results of orthotropic models and the FE models is observed. The optimal designs of sinusoidal and trapezoidal corrugated plates are obtained based on a genetic algorithm. The optimization results show that plate corrugations can efficiently maximize plate fundamental frequency. It is found that the trapezoidal corrugation can more efficiently enhance the fundamental frequency of simply supported plate than the sinusoidal corrugation.
Small Mouse Islets Are Deficient in Glucagon-Producing Alpha Cells but Rich in Somatostatin-Secreting Delta Cells
Authors: Lau Joey , Grapengiesser Eva , Hellman Bo
Published: July 2016

Small and big mouse islets were compared with special reference to their content of glucagon-producingα-cells and somatostatin-producingδ-cells. Areas stained for glucagon and somatostatin were measured in the largest cross section of small (diameter < 60 μm) and big (diameter > 100 μm) islets. Comparison of the areas indicated proportionally moreδ- thanα-cells in the small islets. After isolation with collagenase these islets were practically devoid ofα-cells. We evaluated the functional importance of the islet size by measuring the Ca2+signal for insulin release. A majority of the small islets responded to the hyperpolarization action of somatostatin with periodic decrease of cytoplasmic Ca2+when glucose was elevated after tolbutamide blockade of theKATPchannels.
Analysis and Implementation of Noncontact Level Sensing for a Pressurized Cylinder
Authors: Wu Hsien-Huang P. , Hung Chung-Wen , Chang Shih-Hsin , Yang Zong-Hao
Published: July 2016

Fluid level detection for a sealed and pressurized mobile container is very useful for the provider to schedule the delivery of a new one before it runs out of the liquid. This study suggested using the frequencies of tone generated by knocking on the outside surface of the container to detect the liquid level inside. A detailed model based on Euler-Bernoulli beam theory has been proposed to study the feasibility of this method for a cylinder with complicated but practical structure. Household gas cylinders were used to validate the proposed model and the results show that experimental data agree well with the theoretical analysis. The results indicate that the proposed model can accurately explain the behavior of the vibratory frequencies under different liquid levels. An apparatus has been successfully implemented to automatically sense the near empty condition of the gas cylinder.
Impact of Different Static Air-Gap Eccentricity Forms on Rotor UMP of Turbogenerator
Authors: He Yu-Ling , Deng Wei-Qi , Tang Gui-Ji , Sheng Xiao-Ling , Wan Shu-Ting
Published: July 2016

Theoretical analysis and numerical FEM calculations, together with segmental experiment studies, are used to study the impact of the static air-gap eccentricity forms on the rotor unbalanced magnetic pull (UMP) of turbogenerator. The universal expression of the magnetic flux density under different forms of SAGE is firstly deduced, based on which the detailed UMP formulas for the normal condition and three SAGE cases are obtained, respectively. Then the exciting characteristics of the UMP for each SAGE form to generate vibrations are analyzed. Finally, numerical FEM calculations and segmental experiments are carried out to investigate the effect of SAGE forms on the rotor UMP, taking the SDF-9 type non-salient-pole fault simulating generator as the object. It is shown that, no matter what kind of SAGE occurs, amplitude increments at each even harmonic component of the UMP and the rotor vibration, especially the 2nd harmonic component, will be brought in. Meanwhile, the UMP keeps directing to the very position where the minimum radial air-gap is. Among the different SAGE forms, the rotor offset has the most sensitive effect on the rotor UMP and vibration, while the stator ellipse deformation has the weakest impact.
Performance Evaluation of Moving Small-Cell Network with Proactive Cache
Authors: Kwon Young Min , Shah Syed Tariq , Shin JaeSheung , Park Ae-Soon , Chung Min Young
Published: July 2016

Due to rapid growth in mobile traffic, mobile network operators (MNOs) are considering the deployment of moving small-cells (mSCs). mSC is a user-centric network which provides voice and data services during mobility. mSC can receive and forward data traffic via wireless backhaul and sidehaul links. In addition, due to the predictive nature of users demand, mSCs can proactively cache the predicted contents in off-peak-traffic periods. Due to these characteristics, MNOs consider mSCs as a cost-efficient solution to not only enhance the system capacity but also provide guaranteed quality of service (QoS) requirements to moving user equipment (UE) in peak-traffic periods. In this paper, we conduct extensive system level simulations to analyze the performance of mSCs with varying cache size and content popularity and their effect on wireless backhaul load. The performance evaluation confirms that the QoS of moving small-cell UE (mSUE) notably improves by using mSCs together with proactive caching. We also show that the effective use of proactive cache significantly reduces the wireless backhaul load and increases the overall network capacity.
Bilateral Breast Reconstruction with Abdominal Free Flaps: A Single Centre, Single Surgeon Retrospective Review of 55 Consecutive Patients
Authors: McAllister Peter , Teo Isabel , Chin Kuen , Makubate Boikanyo , Alexander Munnoch David
Published: July 2016

Breast reconstruction using free tissue transfer is an increasingly utilised oncoplastic procedure. The aim was to review all bilateral breast reconstructions using abdominal free flaps by a single surgeon over an 11-year period (2003–2014). A retrospective review was performed on all patients who underwent bilateral breast reconstruction using abdominal free flaps between 2003 and 2014 by the senior author (DAM). Data analysed included patient demographics, indication for reconstruction, surgical details, and complications. Fifty-five female patients (mean 48.6 years [24–71 years]) had bilateral breast reconstruction. The majority (41, 74.5%) underwent immediate reconstruction and DIEP flaps were utilised on 41 (74.5%) occasions. Major surgical complications occurred in 6 (10.9%) patients, all of which were postoperative vascular compromise of the flap. Failure to salvage the reconstruction occurred on 3 (5.5%) occasions resulting in a total flap failure rate of 2.7%. Obesity (>30 kg/m2) and age > 60 years were shown to have a statistically increased risk of developing postoperative complications (P<0.05). Our experience demonstrates that abdominal free flaps for bilateral breast reconstruction fares well, with a flap failure rate of 2.7%. Increased body mass index and patient age (>60 years) were associated with higher complication rates.
An Optimal SVM with Feature Selection Using Multiobjective PSO
Authors: Behravan Iman , Dehghantanha Oveis , Zahiri Seyed Hamid , Mehrshad Nasser
Published: July 2016

Support vector machine is a classifier, based on the structured risk minimization principle. The performance of the SVM depends on different parameters such as penalty factor, C, and the kernel factor, σ. Also choosing an appropriate kernel function can improve the recognition score and lower the amount of computation. Furthermore, selecting the useful features among several features in dataset not only increases the performance of the SVM, but also reduces the computational time and complexity. So this is an optimization problem which can be solved by heuristic algorithm. In some cases besides the recognition score, the reliability of the classifier’s output is important. So in such cases a multiobjective optimization algorithm is needed. In this paper we have got the MOPSO algorithm to optimize the parameters of the SVM, choose appropriate kernel function, and select the best feature subset simultaneously in order to optimize the recognition score and the reliability of the SVM concurrently. Nine different datasets, from UCI machine learning repository, are used to evaluate the power and the effectiveness of the proposed method (MOPSO-SVM). The results of the proposed method are compared to those which are achieved by single SVM, RBF, and MLP neural networks.
Testicular Signet-Ring Cell Metastasis from a Carcinoma of Unknown Primary Site: A Case Report and Literature Review
Authors: Kollas Aristomenes , Zarkavelis George , Goussia Anna , Kafantari Aikaterini , Batistatou Anna , Evangelou Zoi , Sintou Eva , Pavlidis Nicholas
Published: July 2016

Signet-ring cell carcinoma is a highly malignant adenocarcinoma consisting of cells characterized as cytoplasmic vacuoles filled with mucin. The most common primary location of this type of cancer is the stomach, but it may also be found in other organs such as prostate, testis, bladder, ovaries, or colon. To date, metastatic signet-ring cell carcinoma of unknown primary (CUP) site to the testis is an extremely rare entity in daily practice. Reviewing the literature, we have been able to detect only three cases of testicular metastases from CUP, two with histological diagnosis of a signet-ring cell carcinoma and one with an adenocarcinoma. In this short paper, we report a case of a 56-year-old man who presented to our Department with testicular mass and ascites. Following a standard diagnostic approach no primary tumor could be identified. CUP was the final clinical diagnosis, histologically characterized as poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma with signet-ring cells involving the peritoneum and the testicular structures.
Effects of Erythropoietin Administration on Adrenal Glands of Landrace/Large White Pigs after Ventricular Fibrillation
Authors: Faa Armando , Faa Gavino , Papalois Apostolos , Obinu Eleonora , Locci Giorgia , Pais Maria Elena , Lelovas Pavlos , Barouxis Dimitrios , Pantazopoulos Charalampos , Vasileiou Panagiotis V. , Iacovidou Nicoletta , Xanthos Theodoros
Published: July 2016

Aim.To evaluate the effects of erythropoietin administration on the adrenal glands in a swine model of ventricular fibrillation and resuscitation.Methods. Ventricular fibrillation was inducedviapacing wire forwarded into the right ventricle in 20 female Landrace/Large White pigs, allocated into 2 groups: experimental group treated with bolus dose of erythropoietin (EPO) and control group which received normal saline. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was performed immediately after drug administrationas perthe 2010 European Resuscitation Council (ERC) guidelines for Advanced Life Support (ALS) until return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) or death. Animals who achieved ROSC were monitored, mechanically ventilated, extubated, observed, and euthanized. At necroscopy, adrenal glands samples were formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded, and routinely processed. Sections were stained with hematoxylin-eosin.Results.Oedema and apoptosis were the most frequent histological changes and were detected in all animals in the adrenal cortex and in the medulla. Mild and focal endothelial lesions were also detected. A marked interindividual variability in the degree of the intensity of apoptosis and oedema at cortical and medullary level was observed within groups. Comparing the two groups, higher levels of pathological changes were detected in the control group. No significant difference between the two groups was observed regarding the endothelial changes.Conclusions. In animals exposed to ventricular fibrillation, EPO treatment has protective effects on the adrenal gland.
Round Randomized Learning Vector Quantization for Brain Tumor Imaging
Authors: Sheikh Abdullah Siti Norul Huda , Bohani Farah Aqilah , Nayef Baher H. , Sahran Shahnorbanun , Al Akash Omar , Iqbal Hussain Rizuana , Ismail Fuad
Published: July 2016

Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) classification into normal and abnormal is a critical and challenging task. Owing to that, several medical imaging classification techniques have been devised in which Learning Vector Quantization (LVQ) is amongst the potential. The main goal of this paper is to enhance the performance of LVQ technique in order to gain higher accuracy detection for brain tumor in MRIs. The classical way of selecting the winner code vector in LVQ is to measure the distance between the input vector and the codebook vectors using Euclidean distance function. In order to improve the winner selection technique, round off function is employed along with the Euclidean distance function. Moreover, in competitive learning classifiers, the fitting model is highly dependent on the class distribution. Therefore this paper proposed a multiresampling technique for which better class distribution can be achieved. This multiresampling is executed by using random selection via preclassification. The test data sample used are the brain tumor magnetic resonance images collected from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Center and UCI benchmark data sets. Comparative studies showed that the proposed methods with promising results are LVQ1, Multipass LVQ, Hierarchical LVQ, Multilayer Perceptron, and Radial Basis Function.
Sorghum [Sorghum bicolor(L.) Moench] Genotypes with Contrasting Polyphenol Compositions Differentially Modulate Inflammatory Cytokines in Mouse Macrophages
Authors: Rhodes Davina H. , Kresovich Stephen
Published: July 2016

This study sought to characterize and compare anti-inflammatory effects of twenty sorghum accessions with contrasting grain polyphenol concentrations but similar genetic backgrounds (based on a genomewide estimate of relatedness). Cell viability, tumor necrosis factor- (TNF-)α, and interleukin- (IL-) 6 were measured in RAW 264.7 macrophages treated with increasing doses (0, 15, 30, and 60 μg/mL) of sorghum ethanol extracts and stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Extract dose had a significant effect on TNF-αand IL-6, with a trend of cytokines decreasing between 0 μg/mL and 15 μg/mL of sorghum extract. Genotype also had a significant effect on the cytokines, with extracts from four accessions significantly decreasing TNF-αand/or IL-6. Cells treated with 3-deoxyanthocyanidin-containing accessions had less cytokine production than non-3-deoxyanthocyanidin accessions, whereas cells treated with proanthocyanidin-containing accessions had more cytokine production than cells treated with nonproanthocyanidin accessions. Additionally, there was a significant effect of theTannin1allele on TNF-αand IL-6. Our results demonstrate that sorghum genotypes differentially modulate induction of inflammatory cytokine production in RAW 264.7 macrophages and that specialty grain has the potential to be tailored by controlling traits at the nucleotide level. This study adds to our knowledge of sorghum health effects and contributes to efforts aimed at developing health-promoting sorghum grain.
Extensão Universitária na Graduação em Nutrição: Experiências de Produção de Vídeos Educativos
Authors: Daun Felipe , Gambardella Ana Maria Dianezi
Published: July 2016

Por iniciativa de alunos de graduação, foi criado o projeto USParódia, que desenvolve vídeos sobre educação nutricional e promoção da saúde dirigidos à população jovem. O presente trabalho se propõe a avaliar o desempenho dessa iniciativa e a contribuição dela para a formação dos graduandos em Nutrição. Toda a manutenção do USParódia foi atribuída aos alunos, que realizaram pesquisa na literatura científica, criaram mensagens educativas, elaboraram os roteiros, gravaram os vídeos e os divulgaram na internet. A fim de avaliar qualitativamente o aproveitamento dos discentes no projeto, foram realizadas quatro entrevistas individuais com alguns deles. Entre novembro de 2013 e março de 2016 foram produzidos 23 vídeos, abordando diversos temas sobre nutrição e saúde de maneira simples e comunicativa. Os vídeos alcançaram aproximadamente oitenta mil visualizações nesse período e apresentaram boa aceitabilidade nas redes sociais. Verificou-se que o projeto contribuiu para a ampliação da formação discente, apresentando novas ferramentas e abordagens de comunicação e didática. O estudo mostrou que o USParódia revelou-se enriquecedor bilateralmente, pois além da promoção da saúde na internet, contribuiu para a formação de seus integrantes.
A Semana de Recepção aos Calouros da Universidade de São Paulo
Authors: Crivello Junior Oswaldo , Bastos Filho Heliodoro Teixeira
Published: July 2016

A Semana de Recepção aos Calouros, atividade oficial da Universidade de São Paulo, é a forma mediante a qual a instituição recebe seus alunos ingressantes. Desde 1999, sublinha os valores que devem ser rapidamente assimilados pelos novos alunos: humanismo, solidariedade, responsabilidade social, ética e respeito absoluto ao ser humano. Atividades de diferentes naturezas promovem o congraçamento entre calouros, veteranos e toda a comunidade acadêmica. Atos violentos são proibidos, mas infelizmente, ainda persistem em alguns casos e devem ser denunciados por meio do serviço telefônico Disque-Trote.
PBL ou PBLs: a Customização do Mecanismo de Aprendizagem Baseada em Problemas na Educação Contábil
Authors: Frezatti Fábio , Martins Daiana Bragueto
Published: July 2016

O objetivo desta pesquisa é tratar da questão da customização de técnicas alternativas do Problem-based Learning (PBL) nos cursos de graduação e de especialização. A análise volta-se para experiências docentes em que as vertentes Problem-based Learning (One-day One-problem), Case-based Learning e Project-based Learning se apresentam como elementos adicionais para o aperfeiçoamento do ambiente educacional da área de negócios, particularmente, da contabilidade, respeitando o conhecimento previamente adquirido pelos alunos e proporcionando a integração com o seu contexto profissional. Nesse sentido, o artigo contribui para o entendimento dos vários tipos de mecanismos relacionados à utilização de problemas no ensino da contabilidade. A investigação empírica aconteceu a partir da utilização da abordagem action research em meio a casos constituídos por turmas de graduação de forma a evidenciar experiências vivenciadas em disciplinas de controle gerencial ofertadas tanto no curso de graduação em Ciências Contábeis da FEA-USP como em cursos de pós-graduação lato sensu (Master in Business Administration – MBA) no cenário brasileiro. Entre os resultados da pesquisa destacam-se os seguintes fatos: a literatura não é convergente em relação a aspectos estruturais, e a aplicação do PBL não deve ser feita de uma única maneira, mas sim com formatos diferentes de abordagem, observando a maturidade dos alunos, a complexidade dos elementos considerados, o tempo disponível para a disciplina e o objetivo em si (discussão e/ou implementação da solução).
Modernização do Ensino de Biologia Tecidual
Authors: Siviero Fábio , Oliveira Sérgio Ferreira de
Published: July 2016

Relatamos no presente artigo a mudança de paradigma no ensino de Biologia Tecidual advinda da adoção de tecnologias digitais como ferramentas de visualização e interação com o conteúdo a ser ministrado. Tal processo de modernização ocorreu no âmbito do Departamento de Biologia Celular e do Desenvolvimento da USP, onde já foi utilizado em diversas disciplinas e remodelou o ensino oferecido a milhares de estudantes, tornando-o mais eficiente e posicionando o aluno como um agente ativo no processo de aprendizado.
Avaliação Programática do Estudante: Estratégia Institucional para Melhor Cumprir as Funções da Avaliação Educacional
Authors: Troncon Luiz Ernesto De Almeida
Published: July 2016

Avaliar o estudante consiste em obter informações sobre o seu desempenho em diferentes domínios, tendo em vista que se cumpram três funções principais: tomar decisões sobre o progresso dele no curso (avaliação somativa), fomentar o aprendizado (avaliação formativa) e contribuir para o controle da qualidade do processo educacional (avaliação informativa). A avaliação programática do aluno de graduação constitui forma inovadora de aplicar com maior eficiência os princípios e métodos da avaliação educacional, para que esta realize com maior eficácia suas atribuições. Na avaliação programática, os procedimentos avaliativos são de responsabilidade da instituição, que define um programa de avaliação centralizado, abrangente e uniforme, no qual professores e coordenadores de disciplina desempenhem diferentes papéis. Este artigo discute as principais funções da avaliação do estudante e as dificuldades para cumpri-las, bem como trata das metas e características mais notáveis da avaliação programática. Consideram-se também aspectos relativos à implantação e ao funcionamento de sistemas estruturados para a avaliação programática do estudante de graduação e a evolução e o estado atual dessa nova prática.
Ciências Moleculares – um Curso de Excelência para a Formação de Cientistas
Authors: Tal Fabio Armando
Published: July 2016

Neste relato, descrevemos uma experiência de graduação multidisciplinar, o Curso de Ciências Moleculares da USP, criado há 25 anos. São discutidos os princípios que nortearam a criação do projeto, como se deu sua implementação, as dificuldades próprias de um curso que relaciona diferentes campos do conhecimento e os resultados obtidos até o momento.
Peer-instruction Usando Ferramentas On-line
Authors: Lima Bruno Sanches de , Santos Carlos Alberto Moreira dos
Published: July 2016

Peer-instruction é uma metodologia ativa de ensino-aprendizagem que auxilia professores a quantificar, em tempo real, a compreensão e o entendimento dos tópicos ministrados em sala de aula. Instituições que desejam adequar suas salas de aula com vistas à aplicação desse método devem investir em um sistema eletrônico capaz de coletar as respostas de cada estudante quando uma questão de múltipla escolha é lançada pelo professor. Este trabalho mostra que não é só possível, mas também vantajoso o uso do peer-instruction sem a compra e a instalação de sistemas eletrônicos complexos por meio da utilização apenas de uma conexão de internet sem fio, smartphones ou laptops, algumas ferramentas on-line e redes sociais.
The “Fitna” Concept within the Context of the Sultan Barquq (1382 – 1399) and the Karamanids Relations
Authors: Zelenev Evgeny I. , Iliushina Milana
Published: July 2016

The classic Mamluk era (mid-13th–early 16th century) was one of the brightest in the history of Egypt, as well as of the entire region of the Middle East. The reign of Sultan Burquq marked the beginning of what is known as the Burji or Circassian period (1382–1517). The fitna concept, which is the basic point of this article, holds a prominent place in the Islamic political doctrine, engaging with other key concepts, such as jihād and thaura. The significance of this notion and its application in the modern Arab-Islamic political culture require a detailed study of its connotations in the context of certain historical events.

The authors of the present paper trace the history of the fitna concept based on the thorough scrutiny of the relevant Arabic sources of the time. The analysis of rare epistolary artifacts of the Mamluk era forms novelty of the research. The main issue brought by the authors is to clearly discern two separate connotations of the fitna concept—as a historical and political phenomenon and, as a religious and legal notion.
Inventory of the freshwater fishes from a densely collected area in South America—a case study of the current knowledge of Neotropical fish diversity
Authors: BERTACO VINICIUS A. , FERRER JULIANO , CARVALHO FERNANDO R. , MALABARBA LUIZ R.
Published: July 2016

We herein analyse the history of the description of the freshwater fish fauna from three drainages in one of the most densely collected areas of Brazil, and possibly of South America, the Rio Grande do Sul State, southern Brazil. An updated inventory of the freshwater fish species from rio Uruguay (partial) in Brazil, Laguna dos Patos (complete) and rio Tramandaí basins (complete) is presented. We found the number of new species described in these drainages increased nearly 56% since 1981, reaching a total of 422 species, but even now 10% of this number still corresponds to undescribed species. This rate of species description suggests that previous estimates of the Neotropical fish fauna are low, and we predict a final number of Neotropical fishes larger than the largest prediction estimate (8,000 species), after other regions of South and Central Americas become densely sampled. We discuss and attempt to demonstrate that species diversity knowledge is historically and strictly related to collecting efforts. We also demonstrate that the ecoregions in eastern South America with the highest density of species per area correspond to the areas more densely sampled in collections, and this may represent a bias in such kinds of analyses. This uneven sampling in Brazilian regions is apparently associated with the uneven distribution of Zoological research centers in different regions of the country. Small-sized species represents an important source of new species, along with little explored regions or little explored habitats, sometimes associated with restricted range species, and species complexes that need revisionary work. In contrast to other Neotropical regions, Atheriniformes are relatively diverse, sharing the fifth place in species richness with Gymnotiformes, and there is a remarkably high number of species of Rivulidae. Eight species are endemic to the rio Tramandaí drainage, 68 to the Laguna dos Patos system, and 78 to the rio Uruguay drainage. Almost 10% of the freshwater fish species are “Critically Endangered”, “Endangered” or “Vulnerable” according to the IUCN criteria, with Rivulidae as the family with the largest number of threatened species.
A revision of the subgenus Xizicus (Paraxizicus) Liu, 2004 (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae: Meconematinae)
Authors: FENG JIYUAN , CHANG YANLIN , SHI FUMING
Published: July 2016

The paper reviews the subgenus Xizicus (Paraxizicus) Liu, 2004, and describes one new species, i.e. Xizicus (Paraxizicus) furcistylus sp. nov. A key to the species and the distribution data are provided, as well as illustrations of important morphological characters of Xizicus (Paraxizicus) biprocerus (Shi & Zhang,1996) and Xizicus (Paraxizicus) anisocercus Liu, 2004 are given.
Revision of the Neotropical genus Carvalhoiella De Carlo (Heteroptera: Nepomorpha: Naucoridae)
Authors: RODRIGUES HIGOR D. D. , SITES ROBERT W. , GIEHL NUBIA F. S.
Published: July 2016

The genus Carvalhoiella De Carlo, 1963 includes saucer bugs (Heteroptera: Naucoridae) that live predominantly on the vertical rocks next to falls and cascades of waterfalls. Thus far, it has been recorded only in South America and includes three described species. In the present paper, based on type specimens and additional material, we present detailed distributions and diagnostic information of the three described species of Carvalhoiella and the descriptions of two new species from central-western Brazil: C. acuminata sp. nov. and C. helenae sp. nov. An illustrated taxonomic key also is presented.
A cryptic new species of Indigo Snake (genus Drymarchon) from the Florida Platform of the United States
Authors: KRYSKO KENNETH L. , GRANATOSKY MICHAEL C. , NUÑEZ LEROY P. , SMITH DANIEL J.
Published: July 2016

Indigo Snakes (genus Drymarchon) occur from northern Argentina northward into to the United States, where they inhabit southern Texas and disjunct populations in Mississippi, Florida and Georgia. Based on allopatry and morphological differences Collins (1991) hypothesized that the two United States taxa—the Western Indigo Snake, D. melanurus erebennus (Cope, 1860), and the Eastern Indigo Snake, D. couperi (Holbrook, 1842)—deserved full species recognition. Building upon this hypothesis with molecular and morphological analyses we illustrate that D. couperi is split into two distinct lineages. Based on the General Lineage Concept of Species, we describe the lineage that occurs along the Gulf coast of Florida and Mississippi as a new species, Drymarchon kolpobasileus. The new species is distinguished from D. couperi by a suite of morphological features, including a shorter and shallower head, deeper and shorter 7th infralabial scales, and shorter temporal scales. Overall, the presence of a deep 7th infralabial scale provides the best univariate identifier of D. kolpobasileus sp. nov. This study illustrates the usefulness of using both morphological and genetic data in refining accurate descriptions of geographical distributions.
Two-Layer Stratified Flow past a Valley
Authors: Rotunno Richard , Lehner Manuela
Published: July 2016

Observations and models of nocturnal katabatic winds indicate strong low-level stability with much weaker stability aloft. When such winds encounter an embedded depression in an otherwise smooth sloping plane, the flow responds in a manner that is largely describable by the inviscid fluid dynamics of stratified flow. Building on earlier work, the present study presents a series of numerical simulations based on the simplest nontrivial idealization relevant to the observations: the height-independent flow of a two-layer stratified fluid past a two-dimensional valley. Stratified flow past a valley has received much less attention than the related problem of stratified flow past a hill. Hence, the present paper gives a detailed review of existing theory and fills a few gaps along the way. The theory is used as an interpretive guide to an extensive set of numerical simulations. The solutions exhibit a variety of behaviors that depend on the nondimensional input parameters. These behaviors range from complete flow through the valley to valley-flow stagnation to situations involving internal wave breaking, lee waves, and quasi-stationary waves in the valley. A diagram is presented that organizes the solutions into flow regimes as a function of the nondimensional input parameters.