bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Connectivity Evaluation and Planning of a River-Lake System in East China Based on Graph Theory
Authors: Chen Jing , Xiao Chenguang , Chen Dan
Published: July 2018

The connectivity of the stream network plays an important role in water-mediated transport and river environments, which are threatened by the rugged development process in China. In this study, based on graph theory, a connectivity evaluation index system was built, which includes the Edge Connectivity, Edge-Node rate, Connectivity Reliability, and Edge Weight. The new evaluation standard and calculation method of each index is presented. The river-lake system of Fenhu industrial park in Jiangsu China is simplified to an Edge-Node graph and evaluated by the index system as a case study. The results indicate that the river-lake system of the research area has low Edge Connectivity, a high Edge-Node rate, and high reliability in the current connectivity level. In addition, the Edge Weight index of several channels does not satisfy the standard of the Basic Edge Weight. To solve the connectivity problems, specific project plans include broadening the unqualified channel and building canals linked with the low-connectivity lakes. The results show that, after the planning, the connectivity of the stream network in Fenhu industrial park will increase, and the connectivity evaluation index system is useful in the study area.
Research on the Effect of DPSO in Team Selection Optimization under the Background of Big Data
Authors: Zhao Qian , Zhang Lian-ying
Published: July 2018

Team selection optimization is the foundation of enterprise strategy realization; it is of great significance for maximizing the effectiveness of organizational decision‐making. Thus, the study of team selection/team foundation has been a hot topic for a long time. With the rapid development of information technology, big data has become one of the significant technical means and played a key role in many researches. It is a frontier of team selection study by the means of combining big data with team selection, which has the great practical significance. Taking strategic equilibrium matching and dynamic gain as association constraints and maximizing revenue as the optimization goal, the Hadoop enterprise information management platform is constructed to discover the external environment, organizational culture, and strategic objectives of the enterprise and to discover the potential of the customer. And in order to promote the renewal of production and cooperation mode, a team selection optimization model based on DPSO is built. The simulation experiment method is used to qualitatively analyze the main parameters of the particle swarm optimization in this paper. By comparing the iterative results of genetic algorithm, ordinary particle swarm algorithm, and discrete particle swarm algorithm, it is found that the DPSO algorithm is effective and preferred in the study of team selection with the background of big data.
Some Recurrence Relations and Hilbert Series of Right-Angled Affine Artin Monoid M(D~n∞)
Authors: Kuwn Young Chel , Iqbal Zaffar , Nizami Abdul Rauf , Munir Mobeen , Riaz Sana , Kang Shin Min
Published: July 2018

We find the Hilbert series of the right-angled affine Artin monoid M(D~n∞). We also discuss its recurrence relation and the growth rate.
A Sequential Selection Normalized Subband Adaptive Filter with Variable Step-Size Algorithms
Authors: Shin JaeWook , Baek Hyun Jae , Park Bum Yong , Cho Jaegeol
Published: July 2018

This letter proposes a sequential selection normalized subband adaptive filter (SS-NSAF) in order to reduce the computational complexity. In addition, a variable step-size algorithm is also proposed using the mean-square deviation analysis of the SS-NSAF. To enhance the performance in terms of the convergence speed, we propose an improved variable step-size SS-NSAF using a two-stage concept. The simulation results show the low computational complexity and low misalignment errors using the proposed algorithm.
Probabilistic Analysis of Weathered Soil Slope in South Korea
Authors: Bong Taeho , Son Younghwan
Published: July 2018

Rainfall is a major trigger of shallow slope failures, and it is necessary to consider the spatial correlation of soil properties for probabilistic analysis of slope stability in heterogeneous soil. In this study, a case study of a weathered soil slope in Korea was performed to identify the rainfall‐induced landslides considering the spatial variability of the soil properties and the probabilistic rainfall intensity depending on the return period and the rainfall duration. Various laboratory tests were performed to determine the physical properties of the site, and an electrical resistivity survey was carried out to understand the soil strata. Cohesion, friction angle, and permeability were considered as random variables considering the spatial variability, and the probabilistic rainfall intensities for return period of 2, 5, 10, 50, 100, and 200 years were used to consider the effects of rainfall infiltration. The results showed that a probabilistic framework can be used to efficiently consider the spatial variability of soil properties, and various slope failure patterns were identified according to the spatial variability of the soil properties and the probabilistic rainfall intensity.
Successful Treatment of Methampyrone-Induced Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis with Therapeutic Plasma Exchange
Authors: Santosa  , Rumbiana A. , Wahab Z. , Kurniawan S. P. , Naibaho R. M. , Yogyartono P.
Published: July 2018

The toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) is a severe cutaneous adverse reaction frequently caused by drug exposure. A 58-year-old male was admitted to the hospital after administration of methampyrone. He developed sloughing of the total epidermis which rapidly extended over the trunk and limbs. The presumptive diagnosis was drug-induced TEN. Despite the treatment with pulsed glucocorticoid and cyclosporine, the skin lesions extended over the entire body. Strikingly, the progression of blistering was stopped by therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE). TPE was discontinued after the signs of skin inflammation had been overcome. He recovered in 8 days of hospitalization. We present here a case of a methampyrone-induced TEN which was successfully treated with TPE.
Optimal Condition to Create Femoral Tunnel Considering Combined Influence of Knee Flexion and Transverse Drill Angle in Anatomical Single-Bundle ACL Reconstruction Using Medial Portal Technique: 3D Simulation Study
Authors: Kim Sung-Hwan , Kim Sung-Jae , Choi Chong Hyuk , Kim Dohyun , Jung Min
Published: July 2018

There has been no previous study using three-dimensional (3D) measurement on femoral tunnel characteristics according to the combined influence of various flexion angles of knee and transverse drill angles in single-bundle ACL reconstruction with transportal technique. The purpose of this study was to determine optimal condition of knee flexion angle and transverse drill angle to create secure femoral tunnel in single-bundle ACL reconstruction with transportal technique considering tunnel length, tunnel wall breakage, and graft bending angle. This study was conducted using simulation of 3D computed tomography of thirty subjects. Three variables of femoral tunnel changed according to combined influence of four flexion angles of knee and three transverse drill angles were measured: tunnel length, wall breakage, and graft bending angle. There was no case of short femoral tunnel less than 25 mm at 120° and 130° of flexion. There was no case of breakage of femoral tunnel at 120° of flexion with maximum transverse drill angle (MTA) and MTA-10° and at 130° of flexion. Considering effect on graft bending angle, decrease of flexion angle and transverse drill angle could be appropriate in creating femoral tunnel. Increased flexion angle and transverse drill angle secured femoral tunnel having sufficiently long length without wall breakage. However, avoiding excessive flexion angle and maximum transverse drill angle could be recommended because they tended to cause more acute graft bending angle.
Hydra‐Bite: Static Taint Immunity, Split, and Complot Based Information Capture Method for Android Device
Authors: Peng Ziru , Luo Xiangyang , Zhao Fan , Cheng Qingfeng , Liu Fenlin
Published: July 2018

In order to attract attention to the malicious use of large‐scale operation of applications, Hydra‐Bite, an Android device privacy leak path implemented by splitting traditional malicious application and restructuring to a collaborative application group, is proposed in this paper. For Hydra‐Bite, firstly, traditional privacy stealing Trojan is analyzed to obtain the permission set. And the permission set redundancy elimination splitting algorithm is subsequently adopted to extract the simplest key permission set and split the set by functions so as to form the collaborative application group. Then, a covert channel is adopted for the intergroup Apps to remove the information’s taint tagged by security methods. Meanwhile, a communication medium selection algorithm and an information normalization coding method are proposed to improve the efficiency and the concealing property for taints removal. Finally, collaborative external transmission of information is realized on the basis of intragroup Apps’ communication. The experimental results show that Hydra‐Bite could resist the detecting and killing of about 60 security engines such as Kaspersky, McAfee, and Qihoo‐360 in VirusTotal platform and capture the privacy information of the devices of different versions from Android 4.0 to Android 7.0. Hydra‐Bite can resist the killing of the following two methods, the typical detection tool Androguard based on “permission‐API” and the typical static taint tracking tool FlowDroid. Compared with traditional privacy stealing Trojan, Hydra‐Bite has higher information capture rate and stronger antikilling performance.
Characteristics of Orbit Determination with Short-Arc Observation by an Optical Tracking Network, OWL-Net
Authors: Choi Jin , Jo Jung Hyun , Roh Kyung-Min , Yim Hong-Suh , Choi Eun-Jung , Cho Sungki
Published: July 2018

An optical tracking network, the Optical Wide-field patroL Network (OWL-Net), has been developed to maintain the orbital ephemeris of 11 domestic low Earth orbit satellites. The schedule overlapped events were occurred in the scheduling of the OWL-Net with reduction of the optical observation chances. A short-arc observation strategy for the OWL-Net was tested to reduce schedule overlapped events with the optical observation simulation and the orbit determination. In the full-scale optical observation simulation from January 2014 to December 2016, the most frequent overlapped events were occurred 127, 132, and 116 times in the 4th, 34th, and 18th weeks of 2014, 2015, and 2016, respectively. The average number of overlapped event for three years was over 10% for the whole observation chances of five stations. Consequently, the short-arc observation strategy reduced the schedule overlapped events for every observation target of the OWL-Net. In case of the 5 s and 10 s cases, the most schedule overlapped events were removed. The test results of the orbit determination results show that the most maximum orbit prediction errors after seven days are maintained at <10 km in the in-track direction for the short-arc observation simulations. The results demonstrate that the short-arc optical observation strategy is more optimal to maintaining the accuracy of orbital ephemeris with more observation chances.
10-Year Cardiovascular Disease Risk Estimation Based on Lipid Profile-Based and BMI-Based Framingham Risk Scores across Multiple Sociodemographic Characteristics: The Malaysian Cohort Project
Authors: Borhanuddin Boekhtiar , Mohd Nawi Azmawati , Shah Shamsul Azhar , Abdullah Noraidatulakma , Syed Zakaria Syed Zulkifli , Kamaruddin Mohd Arman , Velu Chandralekah S. , Ismail Norliza , Abdullah Mohd Shaharom , Ahmad Kamat Salywana , Awang Afifah , Hamid Mariatul Akma , Jamal Rahman
Published: July 2018

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) leads to high morbidity and mortality rate worldwide. Therefore, it is important to determine the risk of CVD across the sociodemographic factors to strategize preventive measures. The current study consisted of 53,122 adults between the ages of 35 and 65 years from The Malaysian Cohort project during recruitment phase from year 2006 to year 2012. Sociodemographic profile and physical activity level were assessed via self-reported questionnaire, whereas relevant CVD-related biomarkers and biophysical variables were measured to determine the Framingham Risk Score (FRS). The main outcome was the 10-year risk of CVD via FRS calculated based on lipid profile and body mass index (BMI) associated formulae. The BMI-based formula yielded a higher estimation of 10-year CVD risk than the lipid profile-based formula in the study for both males (median = 13.2% and 12.7%, respectively) and females (median = 4.3% and 4.2%, respectively). The subgroup with the highest risk for 10-year CVD events (based on both FRS formulae) was the Malay males who have lower education level and low physical activity level. Future strategies for the reduction of CVD risk should focus on screening via BMI-based FRS in this at-risk subpopulation to increase the cost-effectiveness of the prevention initiatives.
Tunneling Glashow-Weinberg-Salam Model Particles from Black Hole Solutions in Rastall Theory
Authors: Övgün Ali , Javed Wajiha , Ali Riasat
Published: July 2018

Using the semiclassical WKB approximation and Hamilton-Jacobi method, we solve an equation of motion for the Glashow-Weinberg-Salam model, which is important for understanding the unified gauge-theory of weak and electromagnetic interactions. We calculate the tunneling rate of the massive charged W-bosons in a background of electromagnetic field to investigate the Hawking temperature of black holes surrounded by perfect fluid in Rastall theory. Then, we study the quantum gravity effects on the generalized Proca equation with generalized uncertainty principle (GUP) on this background. We show that quantum gravity effects leave the remnants on the Hawking temperature and the Hawking radiation becomes nonthermal.
Why Do Some Ethiopian Women Give Birth at Home after Receiving Antenatal Care? Phenomenological Study
Authors: Mehretie Adinew Yohannes , Abera Assefa Netsanet , Mehretie Adinew Yimenu
Published: July 2018

Background. In Ethiopia, majority (62%) of pregnant women receive at least one antenatal follow-up, yet only 26% give birth in health facility. Understanding factors underlying this high uptake of antenatal care and low institutional delivery service is critical. Women had antenatal care follow-up means; by default they have access to health facilities. Thus, why do some give birth at home even after receiving antenatal care? Methods. Fourteen key informant interviews and six focused group discussions were held among purposively selected women who gave birth in the last 12 months without skilled attendance after receiving antenatal care. The study explored women’s perspectives on maternity care, care providers, and factors that influence place of delivery. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to examine various behaviors and beliefs of respondents. Results. Study participants described range of experiences and beliefs that made them give birth at home after receiving antenatal care at health facilities. Four themes emerged from women’s description: poor counseling during antenatal care service, traditions, early pregnancy symptoms, and lack of planning in advance for childbirth. Conclusion. Poor counseling during antenatal care is deterring women from seeking skilled attendance at birth. Thus, healthcare providers need to stress necessity of facility based delivery care during antenatal follow-up counseling.
Effect of Seismic Frequency Spectra on Surrounding Rock Damage Evolution of Large Underground Caverns
Authors: Zhang Yumin , Zhu Zeqi , Xu Rongchao , Huang Zhiquan
Published: July 2018

To explore the distribution and evolution of the surrounding rock of underground caverns of hydropower stations, the dynamic compression tests for granite sample were carried out and the dynamic constitutive relation suitable to computer programming was established in terms of strain‐based static elastic‐plastic damage constitutive relation. By inputting five earthquakes of various frequency spectra, the fully nonlinear dynamic analysis was performed for some large underground caverns in the gorge and mountain region in Sichuan Province in China with the explicit difference method. The simulation results show that, as the input seismic waves become strong gradually, the damage zone generally extends deeply from the middle of side walls. The damage zone reaches the maximum value in areas immediately after the seismic acceleration peak arrives and keeps constant thereafter. According to the initial analysis, if the dominant frequency of input wave approaches the natural frequency of underground caverns, the maximum area of damage zone will increase. Those findings may provide practical data for earthquake‐resistant design and construction.
Two Case Reports of Intravenous Leiomyomatosis with Hyaluronan Expression
Authors: Konishi Haruhisa , Koh Iemasa , Shiroma Noriyuki , Kidani Yukie , Urabe Satoshi , Tanaka Norifumi , Hirata Eiji , Arihiro Koji , Kudo Yoshiki
Published: July 2018

Intravenous leiomyomatosis (IVL) is a rare benign neoplasm. Herein, we describe two cases of IVL at different levels of progression. The tumor in Case 1 was extensive, invading the right atrium after a hysterectomy for a uterine myoma. The tumor temporarily responded to hormonal treatment; however, tumor regrowth occurred. In contrast, the tumor in Case 2 extended only to the pelvic veins and was revealed preoperatively. Hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy were performed, resulting in the complete surgical resection of the tumor. In Case 2, no recurrence has been observed. Tumor samples were evaluated for hyaluronan expression using Alcian blue staining (with and without hyaluronidase digestion). The tumor in Case 1 stained strongly positive for hyaluronan while the tumor in Case 2 stained weakly positive for hyaluronan. In contrast, a large non-IVL uterine leiomyoma (control) stained negative for hyaluronan. These results suggest a relationship between tumor hyaluronan expression and IVL progression, similar to that in other cancers.
On the Differentiability of Weak Solutions of an Abstract Evolution Equation with a Scalar Type Spectral Operator on the Real Axis
Authors: Markin Marat V.
Published: July 2018

Given the abstract evolution equation y′(t)=Ay(t),  t∈R, with scalar type spectral operator A in a complex Banach space, found are conditions necessary and sufficient for all weak solutions of the equation, which a priori need not be strongly differentiable, to be strongly infinite differentiable on R. The important case of the equation with a normal operator A in a complex Hilbert space is obtained immediately as a particular case. Also, proved is the following inherent smoothness improvement effect explaining why the case of the strong finite differentiability of the weak solutions is superfluous: if every weak solution of the equation is strongly differentiable at 0, then all of them are strongly infinite differentiable on R.
Synthesis and Characterization of Conductive Polypyrrole: The Influence of the Oxidants and Monomer on the Electrical, Thermal, and Morphological Properties
Authors: Yussuf Abdirahman , Al-Saleh Mohammad , Al-Enezi Salah , Abraham Gils
Published: July 2018

Conductive polymer, polypyrrole (PPy), was synthesized by chemical oxidative polymerization technique for a period of four hours at room temperature using pyrrole monomer (mPPy) in aqueous solution. Different oxidants such as ferric chloride (FeCl3) and ammonium persulphate (N2H8S2O8) and surfactant sodium dodecyl sulphate (C12H25NaO4S) were used. The produced PPy samples were characterized by using different techniques such as the electrical resistivity by four probe technique, thermogravimetry analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The performance of the oxidants has been investigated and compared. It was found that both oxidants, FeCl3 and N2H8S2O8, have decreased electrical resistivity as a function of temperature, which means increased conductivity. However, FeCl3 has achieved better performance than N2H8S2O8, where it has achieved a lower resistivity of about 60 ohms at room temperature, which indicates higher conductivity of PPy samples with FeCl3 as an oxidant. Similarly, further investigation of FeCl3 oxidant has been conducted by varying its concentration, and its influence on the final properties was reported. It has been observed that the morphology of PPy samples has a significant influence on the conductivity. It was found that 0.1 M and 0.05 M concentrations of FeCl3 oxidant and monomer, respectively, have achieved better thermal stability, which is FeCl3/mPPy ratio of 2 as an optimum value. FTIR and XRD results confirmed the structural formation of polypyrrole from pyrrole monomer during the synthesizing process.
Hydrogenotrophic Methanogenesis and Autotrophic Growth ofMethanosarcina thermophila
Authors: Lackner Nina , Hintersonnleitner Anna , Wagner Andreas Otto , Illmer Paul
Published: July 2018

Although Methanosarcinales are versatile concerning their methanogenic substrates, the ability ofMethanosarcina thermophilato use carbon dioxide (CO2) for catabolic and anabolic metabolism was not proven until now. Here, we show thatM. thermophilaused CO2to perform hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis in the presence as well as in the absence of methanol. During incubation with hydrogen, the methanogen utilized the substrates methanol and CO2consecutively, resulting in a biphasic methane production. Growth exclusively from CO2occurred slowly but reproducibly with concomitant production of biomass, verified by DNA quantification. Besides verification through multiple transfers into fresh medium, the identity of the culture was confirmed by 16s RNA sequencing, and the incorporation of carbon atoms from13CO2into13CH4molecules was measured to validate the obtained data. New insights into the physiology ofM. thermophilacan serve as reference for genomic analyses to link genes with metabolic features in uncultured organisms.
Women’s Awareness and Associated Factors on Preconception Folic Acid Supplementation in Adet, Northwestern Ethiopia, 2016: Implication of Reproductive Health
Authors: Goshu Yitayal Ayalew , Liyeh Tewachew Muche , Ayele Amare Simegn , Zeleke Liknaw Bewket , Kassie Yohannes Tesfahun
Published: July 2018

Introduction. Preconception folic acid supplementation is the provision of folate for reproductive age group women who have a plan to be pregnant. According to different studies, in African countries, there is poor utilization of preconception folic supplementation. So this study aimed at assessing women’s awareness on preconception care and its associated factors in Adet, Northwestern Ethiopia.Methods. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from March 1 to April 1, 2016, among 422 reproductive age group women. Systematic random sampling was used to get the study unit, and the data were collected using pretested structured questionnaire via face-to-face interview. The collected data were entered, cleaned, checked using EpiData version 3.1, and finally analyzed using SPSS version 20. Descriptive summary of the data was presented in terms of percentage and frequency. Binary and multiple logistic regressions were used in order to identify predictors using odds ratio at 95% confidence interval.Result. In this study, a total of 422 reproductive age group women participated with a response rate of 100%. Of a total of 422 participants, 67 (15.9%) of the women had good awareness on preconception folic acid supplementation. Women’s awareness on preconception folic acid supplementation was affected by having a chronic health problem, monthly household income, educational status, and a history of family planning use. Women who were educated (AOR 4.77, CI 1.85–6.98), had a history of family planning use (AOR 3.89, CI 1.77–8.55), had a chronic health problem (AOR 3.47, CI 2.68–5.98), and had a better monthly income (AOR 2.6, CI 2.05–6.76) had good awareness than their counterparts.Conclusion and Recommendation. This study concluded that women’s awareness on preconception folic acid supplementation was low. This finding suggests that there is a need to give emphasis and deliver health education about preconception folic acid supplementation for women.
Robust Optimization Approximation for Ambiguous P-Model and Its Application
Authors: Jia Ru-Ru , Bai Xue-Jie
Published: July 2018

Robust optimization is a powerful and relatively novel methodology to cope with optimization problems in the presence of uncertainty. The positive aspect of robust optimization approach is its computational tractability that attracts more and more attention. In this paper, we focus on an ambiguous P-model where probability distributions are partially known. We discuss robust counterpart (RC) of uncertain linear constraints under two refined uncertain sets by robust approach and further find the safe tractable approximations of chance constraints in the ambiguous P-model. Because of the probability constraints embedded in the ambiguous P-model, it is computationally intractable. The advantage of our approach lies in choosing an implicit way to treat stochastic uncertainty models instead of solving them directly. The process above can enable the transformation of proposed P-model to a tractable deterministic one under the refined uncertainty sets. A numerical example about portfolio selection demonstrates that the ambiguous P-model can help the decision maker to determine the optimal investment proportions of various stocks. Sensitivity analyses explore the trade-off between optimization and robustness by adjusting parameter values. Comparison study is conducted to validate the benefit of our ambiguous P-model.
A Hybrid Orthogonal Forward-Backward Pursuit Algorithm for Partial Fourier Multiple Measurement Vectors Problem
Authors: Liu Haiqiang , Hua Gang , Zhu Aichun , Yin Hongsheng , Xu Yonggang
Published: July 2018

In solving the partial Fourier Multiple Measurement Vectors (FMMV) problem, existing greedy pursuit algorithms such as Simultaneous Orthogonal Matching Pursuit (SOMP), Simultaneous Subspace Pursuit (SSP), Hybrid Matching Pursuit (HMP), and Forward-Backward Pursuit (FBP) suffer from low recovery ability or need sparsity as a prior information. This paper combines SOMP and FBP to propose a Hybrid Orthogonal Forward-Backward Pursuit (HOFBP) algorithm. As an iterative algorithm, each iteration of HOFBP consists of two stages. In the first stage, α indices selected by SOMP are added to the support set. In the second stage, the support set is shrank by removing β indices. The choice of α and β is critical to the performance of this algorithm. The simulation results showed that, by using proper parameters, HOFBP has better performance than other greedy pursuit algorithms at the expense of more computing time in some cases. HOFBP does not need sparsity as a prior knowledge.
Effect of Pore-Scale Mineral Spatial Heterogeneity on Chemically Induced Alterations of Fractured Rock: A Lattice Boltzmann Study
Authors: Fazeli Hossein , Patel Ravi , Hellevang Helge
Published: July 2018

Fractures are the main flow path in rocks with very low permeability, and their hydrodynamic properties might change due to interaction with the pore fluid or injected fluid. Existence of minerals with different reactivities and along with their spatial distribution can affect the fracture geometry evolution and correspondingly its physical and hydrodynamic properties such as porosity and permeability. In this work, evolution of a fracture with two different initial spatial mineral heterogeneities is studied using a pore-scale reactive transport lattice Boltzmann method- (LBM-) based model. The previously developed LBM transport solver coupled with IPHREEQC in open-source Yantra has been extended for simulating advective-diffusive reactive transport. Results show that in case of initially mixed structures for mineral assemblage, a degraded zone will form after dissolution of fast-dissolving minerals which creates a resistance to flow in this region. This causes the permeability-porosity relationship to deviate from a power-law behavior. Results show that permeability will reach a steady-state condition which also depends on transport and reaction conditions. In case of initially banded structures, a comb-tooth zone will form and the same behavior as above is observed; however, in this case, permeability is usually less than that of mixed structures.
A Framework for Knowledge Discovery from Wireless Sensor Networks in Rural Environments: A Crop Irrigation Systems Case Study
Authors: González-Briones Alfonso , Castellanos-Garzón José A. , Mezquita Martín Yeray , Prieto Javier , Corchado Juan M.
Published: July 2018

This paper presents the design and development of an innovative multiagent system based on virtual organizations. The multiagent system manages information from wireless sensor networks for knowledge discovery and decision making in rural environments. The multiagent system has been built over the cloud computing paradigm to provide better flexibility and higher scalability for handling both small‐ and large‐scale projects. The development of wireless sensor network technology has allowed for its extension and application to the rural environment, where the lives of the people interacting with the environment can be improved. The use of “smart” technologies can also improve the efficiency and effectiveness of rural systems. The proposed multiagent system allows us to analyse data collected by sensors for decision making in activities carried out in a rural setting, thus, guaranteeing the best performance in the ecosystem. Since water is a scarce natural resource that should not be wasted, a case study was conducted in an agricultural environment to test the proposed system’s performance in optimizing the irrigation system in corn crops. The architecture collects information about the terrain and the climatic conditions through a wireless sensor network deployed in the crops. This way, the architecture can learn about the needs of the crop and make efficient irrigation decisions. The obtained results are very promising when compared to a traditional automatic irrigation system.
Clinical and Molecular Characteristics Associated with Survival in Advanced Melanoma Treated with Checkpoint Inhibitors
Authors: Badami Sunil , Upadhaya Sunil , Velagapudi Ravi Kanth , Mikkilineni Pushyami , Kunwor Ranju , Al Hadidi Samer , Bachuwa Ghassan
Published: July 2018

Background. We performed meta-analysis to gather more evidence regarding clinical-molecular subgroups associated with better overall survival (OS) in advanced melanoma treated with checkpoint inhibitors. Materials and Methods. We performed a systematic search of PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library, and clinical trial.gov. Randomized clinical trials that compared a checkpoint inhibitor (nivolumab or pembrolizumab) with investigator choice chemotherapy or ipilimumab were included in our study. Hazard ratios (HR) and confidence interval (CI) were calculated for progression-free survival (PFS) and OS for each subgroup using generic inverse model along with the random effect method. Results. A total of 6 clinical trials were eligible for the meta-analysis. OS was prolonged in wild BRAF subgroup (HR 0.65, 95% CI 0.49-0.85, p 0.002), Programmed cell death subgroup (PD-1+) (HR 0.57, 95% CI 0.41-0.80, p 0.001), and high lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) level subgroup (HR 0.60, 95% CI 0.38-0.95, p 0.03). Similarly, we found increased OS in eastern cooperative oncology group (ECOG) 1, males and age >65 years subgroups. Conclusions. Checkpoint inhibitors significantly increased OS in patients with wild BRAF, positive PD-1, and high LDH. However, results should be interpreted keeping in mind associated significant heterogeneity. The results of this study should help in designing future clinical trials.
Probability Analysis of Crane Load and Load Combination Actions
Authors: Yao Jitao , Gu Hui , Chen Liuzhuo
Published: July 2018

This study presents probability models of crane load and load combination actions for reliability analysis of the industry buildings. Crane load values are simplified here only varying in time, and load combination actions only vary in space. With the feasible survey program and K-S test, the Gumbel distribution is chosen as the probability distribution of the arbitrary point-in-time crane load values with the statistical investigation data. With the simple stationary binomial random process model hypothesis and the block maxima method, it determined that the maximum value of crane load during the design reference period also follows the Gumbel distribution, with the peaks-over-threshold method evaluation. For multiple crane load combination actions, the modified Turkstra rule is improved to determine the probability distribution of the actions as the Gumbel distribution by considering the occurrence probability, numbers, location, and values of each crane load acting on the influence line, evaluated by the Monte Carlo simulations. Design standard values for crane loads and load combination actions, as specified in building codes, are evaluated based on these distributions in probability significance. The calculation results illustrate that the design standard values for crane loads are relatively safe and conservative.
Positive Solutions for a System of Semipositone Fractional Difference Boundary Value Problems
Authors: Chen Cheng , Xu Jiafa , O’Regan Donal , Fu Zhengqing
Published: July 2018

Using the fixed point index, we establish two existence theorems for positive solutions to a system of semipositone fractional difference boundary value problems. We adopt nonnegative concave functions and nonnegative matrices to characterize the coupling behavior of our nonlinear terms.
Megestrol Acetate-Induced Symptomatic Hypogonadism in a Male Patient
Authors: Munshi Lubna Bashir , Tsushima Yumiko , Cheng Kwan , Brito Maria
Published: July 2018

The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis are very sensitive and can be affected by external factors like stress, starvation, and medication. Medication-induced suppression of these axes can cause adrenal insufficiency (AI) and hypogonadism. Exogenous glucocorticoid use is the most common cause of iatrogenic AI. Our aim is to bring attention to another broadly prescribed medication, megestrol acetate (MA), as the cause of suppression of both these axes. We report a case of symptomatic hypogonadism and asymptomatic AI in a male patient secondary to MA. The patient presented with decrease in testicular size and erectile dysfunction. His total testosterone and morning cortisol levels were low, but FH, LH, and TSH were normal. His pituitary MRI was unremarkable. Upon discontinuation of MA, the patient’s testosterone and cortisol levels normalized and his symptoms resolved. Hypogonadism and AI are known adverse effects of MA, but symptomatic hypogonadism as the primary manifestation has only been reported once in previous literature. Prolonged hypogonadism can lead to sarcopenia, depression, and osteoporosis, while asymptomatic AI carries the risk of becoming overt AI. Thus, heightened awareness of the impact of MA on both these axes is necessary.
Detecting Potential Insider Threat: Analyzing Insiders’ Sentiment Exposed in Social Media
Authors: Park Won , You Youngin , Lee Kyungho
Published: July 2018

In the era of Internet of Things (IoT), impact of social media is increasing gradually. With the huge progress in the IoT device, insider threat is becoming much more dangerous. Trying to find what kind of people are in high risk for the organization, about one million of tweets were analyzed by sentiment analysis methodology. Dataset made by the web service “Sentiment140” was used to find possible malicious insider. Based on the analysis of the sentiment level, users with negative sentiments were classified by the criteria and then selected as possible malicious insiders according to the threat level. Machine learning algorithms in the open-sourced machine learning software “Weka (Waikato Environment for Knowledge Analysis)” were used to find the possible malicious insider. Decision Tree had the highest accuracy among supervised learning algorithms and K-Means had the highest accuracy among unsupervised learning. In addition, we extract the frequently used words from the topic modeling technique and then verified the analysis results by matching them to the information security compliance elements. These findings can contribute to achieve higher detection accuracy by combining individual’s characteristics to the previous studies such as analyzing system behavior.
An Elitist Transposon Quantum‐Based Particle Swarm Optimization Algorithm for Economic Dispatch Problems
Authors: Wu Angus , Yang Zhen-Lun
Published: July 2018

Population‐based optimization algorithms are useful tools in solving engineering problems. This paper presents an elitist transposon quantum‐based particle swarm algorithm to solve economic dispatch (ED) problems. It is a complex and highly nonlinear constrained optimization problem. The proposed approach, double elitist breeding quantum‐based particle swarm optimization (DEB‐QPSO), makes use of two elitist breeding strategies to promote the diversity of the swarm so as to enhance the global search ability and an improved efficient heuristic handling technique to manage the equality and inequality constraints of ED problems. Investigating on 15‐unit, 40‐unit, and 140‐unit widely used test systems, through performance comparison, the proposed DEB‐QPSO algorithm is able to obtain higher‐quality solutions efficiently and stably superior than the other the state‐of‐the‐art algorithms.
A High-Precision Control Scheme Based on Active Disturbance Rejection Control for a Three-Axis Inertially Stabilized Platform for Aerial Remote Sensing Applications
Authors: Zhou Xiangyang , Yang Chao , Zhao Beilei , Zhao Libo , Zhu Zhuangsheng
Published: July 2018

This paper presents a high-precision control scheme based on active disturbance rejection control (ADRC) to improve the stabilization accuracy of an inertially stabilized platform (ISP) for aerial remote sensing applications. The ADRC controller is designed to suppress the effects of the disturbance on the stabilization accuracy that consists of a tracking differentiator, a nonlinear state error feedback, and an extended state observer. By the ADRC controller, the effects of both the internal uncertain dynamics and the external multisource disturbances on the system output are compensated as a total disturbance in real time. The disturbance rejection ability of the ADRC is analyzed by simulations. To verify the method, the experiments are conducted. The results show that compared with the conventional PID controller, the ADRC has excellent capability in disturbance rejection, by which the effect of main friction disturbance on the control system can be weakened seriously and the stabilization accuracy of the ISP is improved significantly.
Hydromechanical Structure of the Cochlea Supports the Backward Traveling Wave in the Cochlea In Vivo
Authors: Chen Fangyi , Zha Dingjun , Yang Xiaojie , Hubbard Allyn , Nuttall Alfred
Published: July 2018

The discovery that an apparent forward-propagating otoacoustic emission (OAE) induced basilar membrane vibration has created a serious debate in the field of cochlear mechanics. The traditional theory predicts that OAE will propagate to the ear canal via a backward traveling wave on the basilar membrane, while the opponent theory proposed that the OAE will reach the ear canal via a compression wave. Although accepted by most people, the basic phenomenon of the backward traveling wave theory has not been experimentally demonstrated. In this study, for the first time, we showed the backward traveling wave by measuring the phase spectra of the basilar membrane vibration at multiple longitudinal locations of the basal turn of the cochlea. A local vibration source with a unique and precise location on the cochlear partition was created to avoid the ambiguity of the vibration source in most previous studies. We also measured the vibration pattern at different places of a mechanical cochlear model. A slow backward traveling wave pattern was demonstrated by the time-domain sequence of the measured data. In addition to the wave propagation study, a transmission line mathematical model was used to interpret why no tonotopicity was observed in the backward traveling wave.
Policy-Combination Oriented Optimization for Public Transportation Based on the Game Theory
Authors: Zhu Wentao , Chen Mengwei , Wang Dianhai , Ma Dongfang
Published: July 2018

This research aims at detecting the interactions between policy maker and travelers when making public transport policy and strategies to optimize relevant policy combination. In the two scenarios of whether to set a bus lane or not, travel cost functions of bus and car are proposed, respectively, with the in-vehicle comfort level of passengers considered. By introducing the bottleneck model and transit assignment model, travelers’ behaviors are revealed according to different travel mode. Focusing on minimizing the total cost of the system (TSC), Stackelberg game model is built to describe the dynamic interactions between the government, the bus company, and travelers. Finally, kriging surrogate method is proposed on account of numerical simulation to find solution to the game model and propose the optimal policy combination and resource allocation. The results show an effective performance: under the assumption that the travel distance is 20km, the optimized policy combination can reduce TSC by 8.59% and 9.82% in two scenarios, respectively, and reduce travel cost per person by 10.28% and 15.85%, respectively.
Neuronal Specificity of Acupuncture in Alzheimer’s Disease and Mild Cognitive Impairment Patients: A Functional MRI Study
Authors: Shan Yi , Wang Jing-Juan , Wang Zhi-Qun , Zhao Zhi-Lian , Zhang Mo , Xu Jian-Yang , Han Ying , Li Kun-Cheng , Lu Jie
Published: July 2018

Although acupuncture is considered to be effective and safe for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI), the mechanism underlying its therapeutic effect is still unknown. Most studies clarifying the neuronal pathway produced by acupuncture were still applied to healthy subjects with limited single acupuncture point stimulation, which was inconsistency with clinical practice. Thus, in our present study, we investigate the differences between brain activity changes in AD and MCI patients caused by multi‐acupuncture point Siguan (four gates), in order to provide visualized evidence for neuronal specificity of clinical acupuncture. Forty‐nine subjects were recruited, including 21 AD patients, 14 MCI patients, and 14 healthy controls (HC). AD and MCI patients were randomly divided into two groups, respectively: real acupuncture point group (14 AD and 8 MCI) and sham acupuncture point group (7 AD and 6 MCI). We adopted a 16‐minute, single‐block, experimental design for acquiring functional MRI images. We found, in AD and MCI patients, Siguan (four gates) elicited extensive activations and deactivations in cognitive‐related areas, visual‐related areas, the sensorimotor‐related area, basal ganglia, and cerebellum. Compared with HC, AD and MCI patients showed similar activations in cognitive‐related brain areas (inferior frontal gyrus, supramarginal gyrus, and rolandic operculum) as well as deactivations in cognitive‐related areas, visual‐related areas, basal ganglia, and cerebellum, which were not found in HC. Compared with sham acupuncture points, real acupuncture points produced more specific brain changes with both activated and deactivated brain activities in AD and MCI. The preliminary results in our study verified the objective evidence for neuronal specificity of acupuncture in AD and MCI patients.
Non-Nehari Manifold Method for Fractional p-Laplacian Equation with a Sign-Changing Nonlinearity
Authors: Luo Huxiao , Li Shengjun , He Wenfeng
Published: July 2018

We consider the following fractional p-Laplacian equation: -Δpαu+V(x)up-2u=f(x,u)-Γ(x)uq-2u,  x∈RN, where N≥2, pα⁎>q>p≥2, α∈(0,1), -Δpα is the fractional p-Laplacian, and Γ∈L∞(RN) and Γ(x)≥0 for a.e. x∈RN. f has the subcritical growth but higher than Γ(x)uq-2u; however, the nonlinearity f(x,u)-Γ(x)uq-2u may change sign. If V is coercive, we investigate the existence of ground state solutions for p-Laplacian equation.
Comparative Efficacy of Chinese Herbal Injections for Treating Acute Exacerbation of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Bayesian Network Meta‐Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
Authors: Duan Xiaojiao , Wu Jiarui , Huang Xingyue , Wang Kaihuan , Zhao Yi , Zhang Dan , Liu Xinkui , Zhang Xiaomeng
Published: July 2018

Introduction. Acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) imposes a huge economic burden on healthcare systems worldwide. Chinese herbal injections (CHIs) are widely used to treat AECOPD. In this study, we examined the efficacy of CHIs in the treatment of AECOPD using a network meta‐analysis (NMA). Methods. Literature search was conducted from electronic databases of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on CHIs plus Western medicine (WM) versus WM. WinBUGS 1.4.3 and STATA 12.0 were adopted to compute calculations and prepare graphs, respectively. Results. We included 155 RCTs with 13,218 patients. The results revealed that Danhong injection (DH) + WM had the greatest therapeutic potential in terms of rate of clinical efficacy (RCE). In addition, in comprehensively improving RCE and FEV1%, and RCE and C‐reactive protein, Huangqi injection (HQ) +WM was associated with preferable effects. Similarly, Xixinnao injection + WM, Reduning injection (RDN) +WM, and HQ+WM had a favorable effect on RCE and PaO2. The effect of RDN+WM was favorable in all outcomes except RCE. The safety of CHIs needs to be further assessed. Conclusions. Based on this NMA, DH+WM, HQ+WM, and RDN+WM were potential optimal therapies in AECOPD and their safety should be strictly monitored.
Femoral Embolization after Cardiac Gunshot
Authors: Toscano Leonardo , Terra Daniel , Salisbury Siul
Published: July 2018

Bullet embolism is an uncommon complication from heart gunshot injuries because most of the patients die immediately after trauma. The low frequency of this complication combined with the possible absence of symptoms makes the condition a challenge for the surgeon, delaying diagnostics and leading to severe complications or death. In this case, a small calibre bullet entered the left ventricle and then impacted the femoris artery.