bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Serum Amino Acid Profiles in Normal Subjects and in Patients with or at Risk of Alzheimer Dementia
Authors: Corso Gaetano , Cristofano Adriana , Sapere Nadia , la Marca Giancarlo , Angiolillo Antonella , Vitale Michela , Fratangelo Roberto , Lombardi Teresa , Porcile Carola , Intrieri Mariano , Di Costanzo Alfonso
Published: May 2017

Background/Aims: Abnormalities in the plasma amino acid profile have been reported in Alzheimer disease (AD), but no data exist for the prodromal phase characterized by subjective memory complaint (SMC). It was our aim to understand if serum amino acid levels change along the continuum from normal to AD, and to identify possible diagnostic biomarkers. Methods: Serum levels of 15 amino acids and 2 organic acids were determined in 4 groups of participants – 29 with probable AD, 18 with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), 24 with SMC, and 46 cognitively healthy subjects (HS) – by electrospray tandem mass spectrometry. Results: Glutamate, aspartate, and phenylalanine progressively decreased, while citrulline, argi­ninosuccinate, and homocitrulline progressively increased, from HS over SMC and MCI to AD. The panel including these 6 amino acids and 4 ratios (glutamate/citrulline, citrulline/phenylalanine, leucine plus isoleucine/phenylalanine, and arginine/phenylalanine) discriminated AD from HS with about 96% accuracy. Other panels including 20 biomarkers discriminated SMC or MCI from AD or HS with an accuracy ranging from 88 to 75%. Conclusion: Amino acids contribute to a characteristic metabotype during the progression of AD along the continuum from health to frank dementia, and their monitoring in elderly individuals might help to detect at-risk subjects.
Prognostic Index for Survival in Patients with Advanced Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer Treated with Third-Generation Agents
Authors: Kogo Mari , Sunaga Tomiko , Nakamura Shoko , Akita Takahiro , Kurihara Tatsuya , Shikama Yusuke , Nakajima Hiroaki , Tobe Takashi , Yoneyama Keiichiro , Kiuchi Yuji
Published: May 2017

We retrospectively evaluated clinical data from patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with third-generation chemotherapy agents prior to treatment, to determine a reliable method for predicting prognosis in such patients. We analyzed 100 patients who received third-generation agents (paclitaxel, docetaxel, gemcitabine, irinotecan, and vinorelbine) for the treatment of advanced NSCLC. Factors significantly related to prognosis were evaluated using the Cox regression model, and the prognostic index (PI) was determined by combining these factors. The mean follow-up duration was 12.6 months (0.2-67.0 months). Multivariate analysis identified pleural effusion, absolute neutrophil count (ANC), and C-reactive protein (CRP) level as significant factors that independently contribute to prognosis in patients with advanced NSCLC treated with third-generation agents (p < 0.05). The PI was calculated using these 3 factors, according to the following formula: PI = 0.581 × pleural effusion + 0.125 × ANC + 0.105 × CRP. The death rate in the group with the highest PI scores was significantly higher than in the group with the lowest scores (p < 0.001). Pleural effusion, ANC, and CRP level were the most important factors that contributed to prognosis following chemotherapy with third-generation agents in patients with advanced NSCLC. The PI is suggested to be an appropriate index to predict the prognosis of patients with NSCLC.
Evaluation of the Effectiveness of a Multimodal Complementary Medicine Program for Improving the Quality of Life of Cancer Patients during Adjuvant Radiotherapy and/or Chemotherapy or Outpatient Aftercare
Authors: Domnick Martin , Domnick Manju , Wiebelitz Karl-Rüdiger , Beer André-Michael
Published: May 2017

Objectives: Evidence for complementary therapies as important strategies to relieve cancer treatment-associated symptoms is increasing. Mostly, these complementary therapies start at the end of adjuvant treatments, resulting in a long delay until the well-being of patients is addressed. Further, long distances between the rehabilitation center and the patients' residence hinder patients' compliance. Methods: The multimodal outpatient LOTUS Care Cure Project (LCCP) was tested in a randomized controlled trial including patients of various cancer entities and stages while on adjuvant chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy or outpatient aftercare. The intervention group received the LCCP additionally to the conventional treatment (LCCP group, n = 50). The control group (CG) was split into 2 groups, with (CG1, n = 33) and without (CG2, n = 17) weekly talks. The primary endpoint was quality of life (QoL) after 3 months. Results: In the LCCP group, QoL significantly improved after 3 months compared to CG2 (p = 0.022) but not compared to CG1. Other parameters showing a significant improvement were cognitive (p < 0.05, vs. CG1 and CG2) and social function (p < 0.05, vs. CG2). Conclusions: This pilot study describes a multimodal outpatient complementary therapy program conducted in parallel with conventional therapies and its potential to significantly improve QoL and reduce treatment-associated side effects. To substantiate these data, multicenter trials are needed.
Ten-Year Trends and Clinical Relevance of the Antimicrobial Resistance Genotype in Respiratory Isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae
Authors: Hagiwara Eri , Baba Tomohisa , Shinohara Takeshi , Kitamura Hideya , Sekine Akimasa , Komatsu Shigeru , Ogura Takashi
Published: May 2017

Background: Antimicrobial resistance of Streptococcus pneumoniae, especially against β-lactam antibiotics, is a global concern. We aimed to analyze a 10-year trend in the antimicrobial resistance genotype of respiratory isolates of S. pneumoniae and to clarify whether resistance genotypes were correlated with phenotypic drug susceptibility, pathogenicity, and host clinical background. Methods: Respiratory isolates of S. pneumoniae from 2003 to 2012 were analyzed with polymerase chain reaction for the presence of β-lactam resistance gene mutations on pbp1a, pbp2x, and pbp2b. Sixty-eight strains isolated from different patients in 2012 were particularly analyzed for the association between genotypes and clinical data. Results: The 10-year trend analysis showed a recent increase in gPRSP (genotypic penicillin-resistant S. pneumoniae) with all 3 β-lactam resistance genes (from 21.7 to 35.3% in 3 years) and a steady level of gPSSP (genotypic penicillin-susceptible S. pneumoniae) without any β-lactam resistance genes (13.2% in 2012). This resistance trend in genotypes was more prominent than resistance phenotypes determined with a drug susceptibility test. The probability of being a causative pathogen did not differ in gPSSP (55.6%), gPISP (genotypic penicillin-intermediate resistant S. pneumoniae; 54.3%), and gPRSP (54.2%). There was no significant difference in the ratio of patients who presented with respiratory failure in respiratory infection caused by gPSSP, gPISP, or gPRSP. Host clinical characteristics including age and gender were not different among resistance genotypes. Conclusions: There was no difference in pathogenicity or clinical background between gPSSP, gPISP, and gPRSP. Antimicrobial resistance in respiratory isolates of S. pneumoniae was more prevalent in genotypes than in phenotypes.
Multi-Infarct Dementia: A Historical Perspective
Authors: McKay Erin , Counts Scott E.
Published: May 2017

Background: Multi-infarct dementia (MID), a prominent subtype of vascular dementia (VaD), has only achieved recognition in the last 4 decades. Since its original description, the characterization, etiological understanding, and therapeutic direction of MID and other VaD subtypes has progressed at an astounding rate. Summary: This paper divides the landmark discoveries and emergence of new research strategies for MID into decade-defining patterns so that a condensed picture of the total history of MID and its eventual inclusion as a VaD subtype emerges. This paper follows the first descriptive decade, a shift to a preventative focus, a renewed interest coinciding with timely advances in research technology, and a hopeful return to treatment possibilities for VaD. Key Message: Concisely tracing the historical lineage of the modern understanding of MID, both as a singular entity and as part of the VaD con­stellation of disorders, provides a novel perspective on the foundation upon which future advances in combating vascular contributions to dementia will be based.
An Analysis of Transcobalamin II Gene Polymorphisms and Serum Levels of Homocysteine, Folate and Vitamin B12 in Chinese Patients with Crohn's Disease
Authors: Zheng Shuzi , Wu Chaoqun , Yang Wei , Xia Xuanping , Lin Xiuqing , Jiang Lijia , Ding Ran , Jiang Yi
Published: May 2017

Objectives: The study aimed to investigate the association of Crohn's disease (CD) with transcobalamin II (TCN2) polymorphisms and serum homocysteine, folate, and vitamin B12 levels. Methods:TCN2 (rs1801198, rs9606756) were genotyped by iMLDR in 389 CD patients and 746 controls. Furthermore, 102 CD patients and 153 controls were randomly selected for examination of serum homocysteine, folate, and vitamin B12 levels by enzymatic cycling assay and chemiluminescence immunoassay, respectively. Results: Mutant allele (G) and genotype (AG + GG) of (rs9606756) were higher in CD patients than in controls (both p < 0.05). So were they in ileocolonic CD patients and stricturing CD patients compared to controls (all p < 0.05). Mutant allele (G) and genotype (CG + GG) of (rs1801198) were more prevalent in stricturing CD patients than in controls (both p < 0.05). Compared to controls, average homocysteine level was enhanced in CD patients (p = 0.003), whereas average folate and vitamin B12 levels were reduced in CD patients (both p < 0.001). The prevalence of hyperhomocysteinemia, folate deficiency, and vitamin B12 deficiency was higher in CD patients than in controls (all p < 0.01). Both folate deficiency and vitamin B12 deficiency were independently related to risk of CD (both p < 0.01). Conclusion:TCN2 (rs1801198, rs9606756) polymorphisms as well as folate deficiency and vitamin B12 deficiency are correlated with CD.
Frontal Assessment Battery and Cerebrospinal Fluid Tap Test in Idiopathic Normal-Pressure Hydrocephalus
Authors: Ko Pan-Woo , Lee Ho-Won , Kang Kyunghun
Published: May 2017

Background and Purpose: Our aim in this study was to assess whether the frontal assessment battery (FAB) could contribute to the differential diagnosis of cerebrospinal fluid tap test (CSFTT) responders and nonresponders with the hypothesis that CSFTT nonresponders had greater frontal lobe dysfunction. We also explored whether a relationship exists between FAB scores and gait disturbance in idiopathic normal-pressure hydrocephalus (INPH) patients. Methods: INPH subjects were selected in a consecutive order from a prospectively enrolled INPH registry. Fifty-one INPH patients constituted the final sample for analysis. Results: Logistic regression analysis using the FAB score as independent variable showed a significant influence of the FAB on the differential diagnosis of CSFTT responders and nonresponders (p = 0.025; OR 1.186; 95% CI 1.022-1.377). The FAB scores were negatively correlated with the Timed Up and Go test score (r = -0.382; p = 0.007), 10-meter walking test score (r = -0.351; p = 0.014), Gait Status Scale score (r = -0.382; p = 0.007), and INPH Grading Scale gait score (r = -0.370; p = 0.009). Conclusions: Our ﬁndings may indicate a possibility for considering FAB scores in patients with ventriculomegaly as potential cognitive markers for the prediction of CSFTT response. Association between gait function and FAB scores suggests the involvement of similar circuits producing gait symptom and frontal lobe functions in INPH.
Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis: Molecular Endotypes of Fibrosis Stratifying Existing and Emerging Therapies
Authors: Magnini Daniele , Montemurro Giuliano , Iovene Bruno , Tagliaboschi Linda , Gerardi Rafael Emanuele , Lo Greco Erminia , Bruni Teresa , Fabbrizzi Alessio , Lombardi Francesco , Richeldi Luca
Published: May 2017

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a specific form of chronic, progressive fibrosing interstitial pneumonia of unknown causes. Current diagnostic criteria are based on radiological, clinical, and histopathological features but, unfortunately, still many patients remain undiagnosed. Two currently approved therapies, pirfenidone and nintedanib, slow down disease progression but failed to block or revert it. On the other hand, many of the therapeutic agents tested in several clinical trials have not given satisfactory answers, probably due to the pathological heterogeneity of the disease. A growing number of studies show that IPF phenotype is the common clinical outcome of a variety of different pathophysiological mechanisms that identify disease subgroups characterised by specific genetic and molecular biomarkers (endotypes). The precision medicine approach is identifying and analysing the complex system of genetic, molecular, environmental, and behavioural variables underlying the development of the disease and the response to therapy. These molecular pathways are potential targets for novel agents and useful diagnostic, prognostic, and theragnostic biomarkers. We outline the status of knowledge in this field by discussing the complex pathogenetic pathways underlying different disease subgroups and assessing a stratification approach to novel therapeutic agents based on these endotypes.
Roles of the Exogenous H2S-Mediated SR-A Signaling Pathway in Renal Ischemia/ Reperfusion Injury in Regulating Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress-Induced Autophagy in a Rat Model
Authors: Ling Qing , Yu Xiao , Wang Tao , Wang Shao-Gang , Ye Zhang-Qun , Liu Ji-Hong
Published: May 2017

Objective: This study aims to explore the effects of the exogenous hydrogen sulfide (H2S)-mediated scavenger receptor A (SR-A) signaling pathway on renal ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI) by regulating endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-induced autophagy in rats. Methods: A total of 48 normal Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats and SR-A knockout rats were selected and divided into six groups (n = 8): wild-type (WT) + sham, WT + ischemia-reperfusion (I/R), WT + I/R + NaHS, SR-A-/- + sham, SR-A-/- + I/R and SR-A-/- + I/R + NaHS. The concentrations of urinary protein, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), serum creatinine (SCR), malondialdehyde (MDA) and H2S in renal tissue were detected. qRT-PCR and Western blotting were used to detect the mRNA and protein levels of IL-6, TGF-β, SR-A, LC3I, LC3II, P62, PERK, ATF6 and IRE1 pathway-related genes. A TUNEL assay was used to detect cell apoptosis. Electron microscopy was applied to observe the structure of renal autophagosomes. Results: Compared with the WT + sham group, in the rates of the WT + I/R group, the urine volume, urinary protein, BUN, SCR and MDA concentrations, the mRNA and protein expression of IL-6, TGF-β, LC3II/I, and ER stress pathway-related genes, the cell apoptosis index, and the number of autophagosomes were significantly increased 24 h after I/R, while P62 and SR-A protein expression and SOD and H2S concentrations were significantly decreased (all P < 0.05). The levels of renal injury, autophagy and ER stress pathway-related genes were decreased in the WT + I/R + NaHS group but were increased in the SR-A-/- + I/R group relative to the WT + I/R group. No significant differences were observed in the urine volume; the concentrations of urinary protein, BUN, SCR and MDA; the SOD activity; the mRNA and protein expression of IL-6, TGF-β, SR-A, GRP78, SR-A, GPR94, ATF4, IRE1, XBP1, ATF6, and eIF2α; the cell apoptosis index; or the number of autophagosomes in rats of the SR-A-/- + I/R and SR-A-/- + I/R + NaHS groups (all P > 0.05). Conclusion: These results demonstrate that the exogenous H2S-mediated SR-A signaling pathway reduces renal IRI injury by up-regulating ER stress-induced autophagy in rats.
The Long Non-Coding RNA CRNDE Promotes Colorectal Carcinoma Progression by Competitively Binding miR-217 with TCF7L2 and Enhancing the Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling Pathway
Authors: Yu Bo , Ye Xuan , Du Qiong , Zhu Bin , Zhai Qing
Published: May 2017

Background/Aims: The long non-coding RNA colorectal neoplasia differentially expressed (CRNDE) contributes to the proliferation and migration of tumors. However, its molecular mechanism underlying gastric cancer remains unknown. In the present study, we investigated whether CRNDE was involved in the development of colorectal cancer via the binding of microRNA (miR)-217 with transcription factor 7-like 2 (TCF7L2) to enhance the Wnt signaling pathway. Methods: Quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to detect CRNDE, miR-217 and TCF7L2 in colorectal cancer tissues and cells. The CCK-8 assay, wound healing assay, and Transwell assay were used to detect cell proliferation, migration and invasion, respectively. Western blotting and luciferase activity assays were used to identify CRNDE and TCF7L2 as one of the direct targets of miR-217. The activity of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway was analyzed by the TOPflash assay, and the subcellular localization of β-catenin and TCF7L2 was analyzed by western blotting and confocal microscopy. Results: In this study, we found that high expression of CRNDE is negatively correlated with low expression of miR-217 in colorectal cancer tissue and colorectal cancer cells. The dual luciferase reporter analysis showed that miR-217 is bound to CRNDE and TCF7L2 and negatively regulate their expression. CRNDE down-regulation inhibited the cell proliferation, migration and invasion in vitro and in vivo and the inhibitions were both completely blocked after miR-217 inhibition or TCF7L2 overexpression. Finally, TOPflash analysis showed that the activity of Wnt/β-catenin signaling is inhibited by CRNDE down-regulation and rescued by TCF7L2 over-expression. Consistently immunostaining and western blotting analysis showed that the expression of b-catenin and TCF7L2 in the nucleus was significantly decreased by CRNDE down-regulation and was rescued by TCF7L2 over-expression. Conclusions: The present study suggest that CRNDE involves in the cell proliferation, migration and invasion of colorectal cancer cells via increasing the expression of TCF7L2 and activity of Wnt/β-catenin signaling through binding miR-217 competitively.
Text Independent Amharic Language Speaker Identification in Noisy Environments using Speech Processing Techniques
Authors: Mengistu Abrham Debasu , Melesew Alemayehu Dagnachew
Published: May 2017

In Ethiopia, the largest ethnic and linguistic groups are the Oromos, Amharas and Tigrayans. This paper presents the performance analysis of text-independent speaker identification system for the Amharic language in noisy environments. VQ (Vector Quantization), GMM (Gaussian Mixture Models), BPNN (Back propagation neural network), MFCC (Mel-frequency cepstrum coefficients), GFCC (Gammatone Frequency Cepstral Coefficients), and a hybrid approach had been use as techniques for identifying speakers of Amharic language in noisy environments. For the identification process, speech signals are collected from different speakers including both sexes; for our data set, a total of 90 speakers’ speech samples were collected, and each speech have 10 seconds duration from each individual. From these speakers, 59.2%, 70.9% and 84.7% accuracy are achieved when VQ, GMM and BPNN are used on the combined feature vector of MFCC and GFCC. 
BCG Artifact Removal Using Improved Independent Component Analysis Approach
Authors: B.M. Manjula , Sharma Chirag
Published: May 2017

Recent advancement in bio-medical field has attracted researchers toward BCG signal processing for monitoring the health activities. There have been various techniques for monitoring physical activities such as (SCG) Seismocardiography, Electrocardiography (ECG) etc. BCG signal is a measurement of reaction force applied for cardiac ejection of blood. Various measurement schemes and systems have been developed for BCG detection and measurement such as tables, beds, weighing scale and chairs. Weighing scales have been promising method for measurement of BCG signal because of less cost of implementation, smaller size etc. but these devices still suffer from the artifact which are induced due to subject movement or motion during signal acquisition or it can be caused due to floor vibrations. Artifact removal is necessary for efficient analysis and health monitoring. In this work we address the issue of artifact removal in BCG signal by proposing a novel method of signal processing. According to proposed approach raw signal is pre-processed and parsed to independent component analysis which provides the decomposed components and later k-means is applied to detect the components which are responsible for artifact and removed. Proposed approach is compared with existing method and shows better performance in terms of artifact removal.
Attacks of Denial-of-Service on Networks Layer of OSI Model and Maintaining of Security
Authors: Mohammed Abdul Azeem , Umar Syed
Published: May 2017

The emergence of wireless sensor networks as one of the technology trends in the coming years, and some special tests of safety. The event will be thousands of tiny sensors that cheap devices, memory, radio and make, in most cases, no access to the production and energy. Some great challenges of sensor networks are different; we focus on security in the form of wireless sensor networks. To some network wireless sensor network in order to optimize use of the sensor, so that the network can be as long as possible. But the management of the important mission of the sensor network, denial of service (DoS) attacks against the destruction of the efficient use of network resources and the vital functions of the network. DoS attacks can be one of the greatest threats to security threats be considered. In fact, there are many different layers of the OSI-DOS.
Data Integrity and Security [DIS] Based Protocol for Cognitive Radio Ad Hoc Networks
Authors: Mohammed Abdul Azeem , Umar Syed
Published: May 2017

In the CRN (cognitive Radio Networks) the main issues to be addressed are spectrum scarcity and inadequate usage of spectrum. The CRN can analyse the unused spectrum, so that CRN users can easily occupy the unused spectrum without blocking the existing Primary Users. In a CRN, routing is a complex issue because of channel diversity. The existing system mainly focuses on the performance analysis of Ad hoc On-Demand Distance Vector (AODV) and the Weight Cumulative Expected transmission time (WCETT). The performance of these protocols are measured and compared in various ways such as the throughput of single radio station multi-channels, equal number of radio stations and channels, multi-radio stations multi-channels. The limitation with these protocols is, whenever a route fails, there is issue to get connected with the other nodes, the other being data integrity, which maintains the no loss of data [LOD]. In our proposed DIS – CRAHN system we overcome these limitations by adding data security and integrity. Security is provided using the RSA algorithm while Integrity is ensured using the SHA algorithm. With the data security we can maintain the shortest path from source to destination and if any route failure occurs then immediate route establishment can be done and data encryption and decryption also be implemented using the random key generation. Results show an improved performance in delay with reasonable throughput, making the protocol an ideal choice for CRNs.
Expert System of Quail Disease Diagnosis using Forward Chaining Method
Authors: Hayadi B. Herawan , Rukun Kasman , Wulansari Rizky Ema , Herawan Tutut , Dahliyusmanto Dahliyusmanto , Setaiwan David , Safril Safril
Published: May 2017

Expert system applications were in great demand in various circles since 1950, with a coverage area that was large. Expert System on the organization was aimed at adding value, increasing productivity as well as the area of managerial can make decisions quickly and accurately. Neither with organizations that did business quail, which was very promising, but needed to be alert for the presence of disease in quail healthy, as in the case in birds quail were highly vulnerable to various kinds of diseases caused by viruses or bacteria. the benefits of the expert system that was able to diagnose quickly and accurately to the symptoms of the disease caused was expected to helped the farmers in of anticipation the many losses caused by disease. Required accuracy and the accuracy of the counting in diagnosing the symptoms of the disease in order to summarized the results by using forward chaining method.
Non-convex Economic Load Dispatch using Cuckoo Search Algorithm
Authors: Karthik N. , Parvathy A.K. , Arul R.
Published: May 2017

This paper presents cuckoo search algorithm (CSA) for solving non-convex economic load dispatch (ELD) problems of fossil fuel fired generators considering transmission losses and valve point loading effect. CSA is a new meta-heuristic optimisation technique inspired from the obligate brood parasitism of some cuckoo species by laying their eggs in the nests of other host birds of other species. The strength of the proposed meta-heuristic optimization technique CSA has been tested and validated on the standard IEEE 14-bus, 26-bus and 30-bus system with several heuristic load patterns. The results have indicated that the proposed approach is able to obtain significant economic load dispatch solutions than those of Firefly Algorithm (FFA) and other soft computing techniques reported in the literature.
Review of Dynamic Voltage Restorer Application for Compensation of Voltage Harmonics in Power Systems
Authors: Zadehbagheri Mahmoud , Ildarabadi Rahim , Baghaei Nejad Majid , Sutikno Tole
Published: May 2017

Power distribution networks are considered the main link between power industry and consumers and they are exposed to public judgment and evaluation more than any other section. Thus, it is essential to study power quality in distribution section. On the other hand, power distribution networks have always been exposed to traditional factors such as  voltage sag, voltage swell, harmonics and capacitor switching which destruct sinusoidal waveforms and decrease power quality as well as network reliability. One of the methods by which power quality problems might be addressed is to apply power electronic devices in the form of custom power devices. One of such devices is Dynamic Voltage Restorer (DVR) which is connected in series to distribution networks. At the same time, through injection of voltage to the network it is able to control voltage amplitude and phase. It is  adopted lend to compensate for voltage sags through injecting series and synchronous three phase voltage. This paper reviews on the application of DVR for Voltage Compensation in recent years and gives sets of information for each control of the DVR in distribution networks.
STATCOM with Battery and Super Capacitor Hybrid Energy Storage System for Enhancement of Voltage Stability
Authors: Renuka Tanneeru , Kesavarao Gattu
Published: May 2017

To maintain voltage stability of a power system STATCOM is better solution which can provide the required amount of reactive power under various disturbances. In previous work, STATCOM with various energy storage elements was discussed for voltage and power system stability. Apart from these previous works, this work proposes a new structure of hybrid energy storage system (HESS) for voltage stability by using battery and super capacitor. A new model of STATCOM with hybrid energy storage system is designed by using two bidirectional DC-DC converters and results are analyzed for conventional STATCOM and STATCOM with hybrid energy storage system. Results are also analyzed for STATCOM system with out any energy storage system, STATCOM with battery, STATCOM with super capacitor and STATCOM with HESS under sudden load changes by using MATLAB/Simulink.
OFDM System Performance Evaluation under Different Fading Channels and Channel Coding using Matlab Simulink
Authors: Manhas Pratima , Soni M.K
Published: May 2017

Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) is a form of Multicarrier Modulation (MCM) technique in which larger bandwidth is divided into parallel narrow bands each of which is modulated by different subcarriers. All the subcarriers are orthogonal to each other and hence it reduces the interference among various subcarriers. OFDM technique is an efficient modulation technique used in certain wired and wireless application. During transmission, the transmitted signal can travel from transmitter to receiver over multiple reflective paths in case of wireless communication system which results to multipath fading and produces variation in amplitude, phase and angle of the received signal. The signal which is transmitted from BTS (base transceiver station) may undergo multiple reflections from the buildings nearby, before reaching the mobile station. This paper discusses the performance of OFDM system using various fading channels and channel coding. The parameter which is known as Bit error rate (BER) is calculated for different fading channels (AWGN, Rayleigh and Rician) for different digital modulation (BPSK, QPSK and QAM) and Channel coding(linear/ Cyclic coding).The tool which is used to evaluate  the BER parameter is Matlab Simulink.
Optimal Placement and Sizing of Active Power Line Conditioners for Minimizing Power Quality Problems
Authors: M Swathisriranjani , K Mohananthini , M Ranjitha , S Baskar , D Kavitha
Published: May 2017

In this paper, a problem of allocation and sizing of multiple active power-line conditioners (aplcs) in power systems is handled with novel formulation. The utilized objective function comprises two main factors such as reduction of total harmonic distortion and the total cost of active power-line conditioners (aplcs). The formulated problem is solved by optimization technique SHUFFLE FROG LEAP ALGORITHM(SHFLA) using MATLAB. To evaluate the competence of the proposed formulation, the IEEE 18-bus  distorted distribution test system is employed and investigated with various number of aplcs placement. These cases are based on the discrete and limited size for aplcs, requiring the optimization method to solve the constrained and discrete nonlinear problems. The comparison of results in this paper showed that the proposed SHFLA is the most effective result among others in determining optimum location and size of APLC in distribution systems.
Performance Characteristics of Six-Phase Induction Generator for Renewable Power Generation
Authors: Mohanty Alok Kumar , Yadav K B
Published: May 2017

This paper presents the performance behavior of a multi-phase induction generator operating in six-phase mode. An experimental analysis has been done to determine operating characteristics of the six-phase machine to illustrate the advantageous features of the machine as compared to its three phase counterpart. The machine is configured to operate as a standalone power source in conjunction with a DC prime mover. The multi-phase machine can operate with one three phase capacitor bank which does not lead to complete shutdown of the system during fault conditions across one of its two sets of its stator windings. In the analysis the machine is connected to different capacitor configuration and the influence of these connections on the machine performance during no load and load have been implemented. Experimental results include voltage build up of the machine with different excitation capacitors at both sets of stator windings with changing speed during no load condition, resistive load condition and resistive inductive load condition with simple shunt and short shunt configuration.
Performance Evaluation of Different Backoff Algorithms in IEEE 802.15.4 using Double Sensing
Authors: Rahaman Md. Mohibur , Khairul Islam Mohammad , Ashrafuzzaman Kazi , Chowdhury Mohammad Sanaullah
Published: May 2017

The IEEE 802.15.4 is the standard for Low Rate Wireless Personal Area network (LR-WPAN). It is widely used in many application areas. The standard uses Slotted CSMA/CA mechanism in its contention access period (CAP) for the beacon enabled mode. The protocol has two modes - single sensing (SS) and double sensing (DS). The protocol also adopts a binary exponential backoff (BEB) algorithm. In this paper, we explore the saturation throughput, delay and energy consumption of this standard with double sensing (DS) using the existing BEB algorithm. We also investigate three other backoff schemes - exponential increase exponential decrease (EIED), exponential increase linear decrease (EILD) and exponential increase multiplicative decrease (EIMD). From simulation results, it is found that the EIED, EILD, EIMD perform better than the BEB for higher loads. It shows that the EIED, EILD, EIMD have better throughput and lower delay than the BEB. The EIED outperforms the other schemes in terms of throughput, delay and energy for the higher loads.
Distribution Power Loss Minimization via Distributed Generation, Capacitor and Network Reconfiguration
Authors: Nabil Bin Muhtazaruddin Mohd , Aini Bani Nurul , Armiza Mohd Aris Siti , Mad Kaidi Hazilah , Yasser Abd Fatah Abdul , Jamani Jamia Jasrul , Muhammad-Sukki Firdaus , Hawa Abu-Bakar Siti
Published: May 2017

This paper presents a solution to solve the network reconfiguration, DG coordination (location and size) and capacitor coordination (location and size), simultaneously. The proposed solution will be determined by using Artificial Bee Colony (ABC). Various case studies are presented to see the impact on the test system, in term of power loss reduction and also voltage profiles. The proposed approach is applied to a 33-bus test system and simulate by using MATLAB programming. The simulation results show that combination of DG, capacitor and network reconfiguration gives a positive impact on total power losses minimization as well as voltage profile improvement compared to other case studies.
Active Node Detection in A Reconfigurable Microgrid using Minimum Spanning Tree Algorithms
Authors: Majee Anay , Nanda Souradeep , Swathika O.V Gnana
Published: May 2017

Microgrids are the solution to the growing demand for energy in the recent times. It has the potential to improve local reliability, reduce cost and increase penetration rates for distributed renewable energy generation. Inclusion of Renewable Energy Systems (RES) which have become the topic of discussion in the recent times due to acute energy crisis, causes the power flow in the microgrid to be bi-directional in nature. The presence of the RES in the microgrid system causes the grid to be reconfigurable. This reconfiguration might also occur due to load or utility grid connection and disconnection. Thus conventional protection strategies are not applicable to micro-grids and is hence challenging for engineers to protect the grid in a fault condition. In this paper various Minimum Spanning Tree (MST) algorithms are applied in microgrids to identify the active nodes of the current topology of the network in a heuristic approach and thereby generating a tree from the given network so that minimum number of nodes have to be disconnected from the network during fault clearance. In the paper we have chosen the IEEE-39 and IEEE-69 bus networks as our sample test systems.
Battery Charge Control by State of Health Estimation
Authors: O. Hadi Pradita , Fujita Goro
Published: May 2017

Battery lifetime is one of importance consideration in smart system with energy storage system, because it is shorter than others. Extended of battery lifetime can give benefit to entire system, especially to reduce cost. The lifetime is commonly estimated by State of Health (SOH). Decreasing of SOH indicates degradation of battery. It can be influenced by the battery operation, so that operational management is needed. This study proposes control block for charging battery by using decreasing value of SOH as reference. The control block is implemented in battery system that connected to DC bus by bidirectional chopper. Numerical simulation study is performed by using PSIM software version 10.0. The result shows that the proposed block control is successfully used. Moreover, the relative error is less than 2% for delta SOH and less than 1% for battery power. 
Current Steering Digital Analog Converter with Partial Binary Tree Network (PBTN)
Authors: Tafir Mustaffa Mohd , Cheng Lim Yong , Yan Teh Choon
Published: May 2017

DACs are essential devices in many digital systems which require high performance data converters. Thus, shrinking of supply voltage, budget constraints of test times, and rising bandwidth requirement causing DAC architectures to highly relying on matched components to perform data conversions. However, matched components are nearly impossible to fabricate; there are always mismatch errors which causes the difference between the designed and actual component value. Dynamic Element Matching (DEM) is one of the techniques that are commonly used to reduce component mismatch error. This technique is a randomization technique to select one of the appropriate codes for each of the digital input value before entering DAC block. Thus, in this research, a new DEM algorithm is proposed on Current-Steering DAC with Partial Binary Tree Network (PBTN) algorithm that utilizes a lower complexity circuit to produce output signals with less glitches. Simulation results for 6-bit 1-MSB PBTN DAC produces 0.3184LSB of DNL, 0.0062LSB of INL, and a power consumption of 14.13 mW, while using only 126 transmission gates.
Conductive and Inductive Coupling between Faulted Power Lines and Buried Pipeline by Considering the Effect of Soil Structure
Authors: I. El Gayar Ali , Abdul-Malek Zulkurnain , Imran M Mohammed , Leong Wooi Chin , Fawzi Elshami Ibtihal
Published: May 2017

The AC total interference of faulted power lines to gas pipelines sharing the same right of way, which may pose a threat to operating personnel and equipment, was studied. The main advantage of this work is to determine the effects of different soil structures on the induced voltage for various soil resistivities. Two main approaches were used to compute the induced voltages, namely the method of moment (MOM), which is based on electromagnetic field theory, and the circuit based method, which uses the circuit grounding analysis to compute the conductive interference and the circuit based models to compute the inductive interference. A 10-km-long parallel pipeline-transmission line model was developed. The soil resistivity was varied, and the induced voltages obtained from both approaches were compared. Soil resistivity and soil structure are important parameters that affect the AC interference level. The results of the study show that the earth potentials and the metal GPRS are independent. Higher soil resistivity causes the tower ground resistance to increase, thus making the shield wire’s attractiveness as a fault current return path to increase, which in turn forces the induced net EMF and the cumulative GPR in the pipeline to reduce.
Estimation of Turbidity in Water Treatment Plant using Hammerstein-Wiener and Neural Network Technique
Authors: S Gaya M. , A. Yusuf L. , Mustapha Mamunu , Muhammad Bashir , Sani Ashiru , Tijjani Aminu Tijjani Aminu , A. Wahab N. , T.M. Khairi M.
Published: May 2017

Turbidity is a measure of water quality. Excessive turbidity poses a threat to health and causes pollution. Most of the available mathematical models of water treatment plants do not capture turbidity. A reliable model is essential for effective removal of turbidity in the water treatment plant. This paper presents a comparison of Hammerstein Wiener and neural network technique for estimating of turbidity in water treatment plant. The models were validated using an experimental data from Tamburawa water treatment plant in Kano, Nigeria. Simulation results demonstrated that the neural network model outperformed the Hammerstein-Wiener model in estimating the turbidity. The neural network model may serve as a valuable tool for predicting the turbidity in the plant.
Prevalence of Tibial Artery and Pedal Arch Patency by Angiography in Patients With Critical Limb Ischemia and Noncompressible Ankle Brachial Index
Authors: Randhawa Mandeep Singh , Reed Grant W. , Grafmiller Kevin , Gornik Heather L. , Shishehbor Mehdi H.
Published: May 2017

Background—

Approximately 20% of patients undergoing ankle brachial index testing for critical limb ischemia have noncompressible vessels because of tibial artery calcification. This represents a clinical challenge in determining tibial artery patency. We sought to identify the prevalence of tibial artery and pedal arch patency by angiography in these patients.

Methods and Results—

One hundred twenty-five limbs (of 89 patients) with critical limb ischemia and ankle brachial index ≥1.4 who underwent lower extremity angiograms within 1 year were included. Reviewers of angiography were blinded to results of physiological testing. Tibial artery vessels were classified as completely occluded, significantly stenosed (≥50%), or patent (<50% stenosis). The sensitivity of toe brachial index and pulse volume recording to predict tibial artery disease was also determined. Of 125 limbs with noncompressible ankle brachial index, 72 (57.6%) anterior tibial and 80 (64%) posterior tibial arteries were occluded. Another 23 (18.4%) anterior tibial and 13 (10.4%) posterior tibial arteries had ≥50% stenosis. Pulse volume recording was moderate to severely dampened in 54 of 119 (45.4%) limbs. Toe brachial index <0.7 was found in 75 of 83 (90.4%) limbs. Moderate to severe pulse volume recording dampening was 43.6% sensitive, whereas toe brachial index <0.7 was 89.7% sensitive in diagnosing occluded or significantly stenotic tibial artery disease. The pedal arch was absent or incomplete in 86 of 103 (83.5%) limbs.

Conclusions—

Among patients with critical limb ischemia and noncompressible ankle brachial index results, the prevalence of occlusive tibial and pedal arch disease is very high. Toe brachial index <0.7 is more sensitive in diagnosing occluded and significantly stenotic tibial artery disease in these patients compared with ankle pulse volume recording.
Peripheral Artery Disease Prevalence and Incidence Estimated From Both Outpatient and Inpatient Settings Among Medicare Fee‐for‐Service Beneficiaries in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study
Authors: Kalbaugh Corey A. , Kucharska‐Newton Anna , Wruck Lisa , Lund Jennifer L. , Selvin Elizabeth , Matsushita Kunihiro , Bengtson Lindsay G. S. , Heiss Gerardo , Loehr Laura
Published: May 2017

Background

Outpatient ascertainment of peripheral artery disease (
PAD
) is rarely considered in the measurement of
PAD
clinical burden; therefore, the clinical burden of
PAD
likely has been underestimated while contributing to a decreased awareness of
PAD
in comparison to other circulatory system disorders.

Methods and Results

The purpose of this study was to estimate the age‐standardized annual period prevalence and incidence of
PAD
in the outpatient and inpatient settings using data from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study linked with Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services claims. The majority (>70%) of all
PAD
encounters occurred in the outpatient setting. The weighted mean age‐standardized prevalence and incidence of outpatient
PAD
was 11.8% (95%
CI
11.5–12.1) and 22.4 per 1000 person‐years (95%
CI
20.8–24.0), respectively. Black patients had higher weighted mean age‐standardized prevalence (15.6%; 95%
CI
14.6–16.4) compared with white patients (11.4%; 95%
CI
11.1–11.7). Black women had the highest weighted mean age‐standardized prevalence (16.9%; 95%
CI
16.0–17.8). Black patients also had a higher incidence rate of
PAD
(31.3 per 1000 person‐years; 95%
CI
27.3–35.4) compared with white patients (25.4 per 1000 person‐years; 95%
CI
23.5–27.3).
PAD
prevalence and incidence did not differ by sex alone.

Conclusions

This study provides comprehensive estimates of
PAD
in the inpatient and outpatient settings where the majority of
PAD
burden was found.
PAD
is an important circulatory system disorder similar in prevalence to stroke and coronary heart disease.
Atrial Fibrillation Genetic Risk and Ischemic Stroke Mechanisms
Authors: Lubitz Steven A. , Parsons Owen E. , Anderson Christopher D. , Benjamin Emelia J. , Malik Rainer , Weng Lu-Chen , Dichgans Martin , Sudlow Cathie L. , Rothwell Peter M. , Rosand Jonathan , Ellinor Patrick T. , Markus Hugh S. , Traylor Matthew
Published: May 2017

Background and Purpose—

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a leading cause of cardioembolic stroke, but the relationship between AF and noncardioembolic stroke subtypes are unclear. Because AF may be unrecognized, and because AF has a substantial genetic basis, we assessed for predisposition to AF across ischemic stroke subtypes.

Methods—

We examined associations between AF genetic risk and Trial of Org 10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment stroke subtypes in 2374 ambulatory individuals with ischemic stroke and 5175 without from the Wellcome Trust Case-Control Consortium 2 using logistic regression. We calculated AF genetic risk scores using single-nucleotide polymorphisms associated with AF in a previous independent analysis across a range of preselected significance thresholds.

Results—

There were 460 (19.4%) individuals with cardioembolic stroke, 498 (21.0%) with large vessel, 474 (20.0%) with small vessel, and 814 (32.3%) individuals with strokes of undetermined cause. Most AF genetic risk scores were associated with stroke, with the strongest association (
P
=6×10
−
4
) attributed to scores of 944 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (each associated with AF at
P
<1×10
−
3
in a previous analysis). Associations between AF genetic risk and stroke were enriched in the cardioembolic stroke subset (strongest
P
=1.2×10
−
9
, 944 single-nucleotide polymorphism score). In contrast, AF genetic risk was not significantly associated with noncardioembolic stroke subtypes.

Conclusions—

Comprehensive AF genetic risk scores were specific for cardioembolic stroke. Incomplete workups and subtype misclassification may have limited the power to detect associations with strokes of undetermined pathogenesis. Future studies are warranted to determine whether AF genetic risk is a useful biomarker to enhance clinical discrimination of stroke pathogeneses.
The Etymology of Kallawaya
Authors: Hannß Katja
Published: May 2017

In this present paper, the etymological composition of Kallawaya, a mixed and secret language of Bolivia, will be discussed. I will argue that the lexicon of Kallawaya is more heterogeneous than has been assumed so far. In particular, the role of the allegedly main lexifier language Pukina will be critically re-assessed and I will suggest that only a minor part of the Kallawaya lexicon can be related to Pukina. The issues of secrecy and intentional borrowing will also be addressed.
Bisyndetic Contrast Marking in the Hindukush: Additional Evidence of a Historical Contact Zone
Authors: Liljegren Henrik , Svärd Erik
Published: May 2017

A contrastive (or antithetical) construction which makes simultaneous use of two separate particles is identified through a mainly corpus-based study as a typical feature of a number of lesser-described languages spoken in the Afghanistan-Pakistan borderland in the high Hindukush. The feature encompasses Nuristani languages (Waigali, Kati) as well as the Indo-Aryan languages found in their close vicinity (Palula, Kalasha, Dameli, Gawri), while it is not shared by more closely related Indo-Aryan languages spoken outside of this geographically delimited area. Due to a striking (although not complete) overlap with at least two other (unrelated) structural features, pronominal kinship suffixes and retroflex vowels, we suggest that a linguistic and cultural diffusion zone of considerable age is centred in the mountainous Nuristan-Kunar-Panjkora area.