bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Asymptomatic coronary artery spasm with acute pathological ST elevation on routine ECG: Is it common?
Authors: Mohammed Ishaq , Zaatari Mohamad Sadek El , Tyrogalas Nikos , Khalid M I
Published: August 2014

Asymptomatic spontaneous coronary artery spasm is rare and there are no case reports in literature presenting with acute ST elevation on routine ECG. We present the case of a 68-year-old Caucasian man who presented to a primary care physician for a routine ECG as part of hypertension follow-up. ECG revealed ST elevation in inferior leads II, III and aVF with reciprocal ST depression in leads I, aVL and also ST depression in anterior leads V1, V2 and V3 suggesting ongoing inferoposterior ST elevation myocardial infarction. The patient was completely well, stable and asymptomatic and he was rushed immediately to the coronary care unit via emergency ambulance. The patient was subjected to a battery of urgent investigations which were all normal. Also an urgent coronary angiogram was undertaken which showed completely normal coronary anatomy.
Beneficial effects of growth hormone therapy for ossification defects after bone distraction in X linked hypophosphataemic rickets
Authors: Cañete Ramón , Caballero-Villarraso Javier , Aguilar-Quintero María , Vázquez-Rueda Fernando
Published: August 2014

A report on two homozygous twin girls affected by X linked hypophosphataemic rickets. They were examined due to short stature and genu varum of both tibias. They were treated with calcitriol and Joulie's solution, whereon it was observed that serum parathyroid hormone and phosphaturia decreased while phosphataemia increased. They underwent a tibial osteotomy (by means of the insertion of Kirchner needles) at 7.7 years of age for correction of genu varum and a normal consolidation was reached 1 month later. Nonetheless, height was percentile <1 after menarche, so both sisters asked for bone lengthening. Because of this, at 15 years of age femoral distraction was performed, but no bone callus was observed 14 months later. Consequently, they were treated with subcutaneous growth hormone, showing bone callus at 6 months. Finally, the external fixators were removed due to ossification in the lengthened segments.
Severe agitation in depression precipitated by dasatinib
Authors: Sami Musa Basseer , Yousaf Farida , Fialho Antonio
Published: August 2014

We describe a case of a man with chronic myeloid leukaemia who achieved remission through dasatinib therapy after being unable to tolerate several tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) regimens due to severe physical side effects. However, this coincided with the onset of distressing agitation, insomnia and motor restlessness leading him to take a large zopiclone overdose. Start of appropriate therapy with a clonazepam, venlafaxine and mirtazapine combination led to a rapid improvement in symptomatology. We discuss the differential diagnosis and review the literature of neuropsychiatric complications of TKIs. This case serves as an illustrative reminder that in cases of complicated agitation referral to specialist mental health teams for rational psychopharmacological management is advised.
Scintigraphy and exogenous creatinine clearance to assess renal function in a Newfoundland dog with ureteral ectopia
Authors: Queau Yann , Larsen Jennifer A. , Johnson Eric G. , Westropp Jodi L.
Published: August 2014

A nine‐month‐old intact female Newfoundland dog was presented for evaluation of an ectopic ureter without lower urinary tract signs. Due to progression of the disease and periodic urinary infections, a nephrectomy and uretectomy were performed after assessment of global and individual renal function with complementary tools. Ectopic insertion of the left ureter with hydronephrosis was revealed by ultrasound, cystoscopy and contrast uretrogram. Individual glomerular filtration rate of the contralateral kidney estimated by plasma exogenous creatinine clearance and renal scintigraphy was deemed sufficient to remove the left kidney safely. A left nephrectomy and uterectomy were performed without complications, and periodic monitoring of the glomerular filtration rate revealed stable renal function during the follow‐up period of two years. The dog remained continent and free of urinary infections. In this case of ureteral ectopia in a dog, complementary diagnostic tools were used to assess renal function and plan interventional treatment.
Diagnosis of concurrent oesophageal and tracheal rupture in a horse
Authors: Findley Judith A. , Rubio‐Martinez Luis M.
Published: August 2014

This case report describes investigation of a nine‐year‐old gelding initially presented to the referring veterinary surgeon with swelling of the ventral neck following blunt trauma. Progressive inappetence and an episode of oesophageal obstruction prompted referral after two weeks. Diagnostic imaging including plain radiography, endoscopic evaluation of trachea and oesophagus, as well as ultrasonography were performed. A diagnosis of concurrent oesophageal and tracheal perforation was obtained. The initial medical management of the case involved placement of a tracheostomy tube and an indwelling nasogastric tube to allow for enteral feeding in conjunction with broad‐spectrum antimicrobials. The horse was euthanased as a result of extensive contamination of the soft tissues extending to the level of the thoracic inlet. Indications and options for surgical treatment of this condition are discussed.
Massive mandible osteolysis caused byHalicephalobus gingivalisin a mare
Authors: Roullet Alexia , Semin Marie‐Odile , Raymond‐Letron Isabelle , Cuevas‐Ramos Gabriel
Published: August 2014

Halicephalobus gingivalisinfects equines and humans and is reported to be usually fatal in equines. Generally, a diffuse granulomatous inflammation is seen with neurological signs. The authors here present the case of an infected mare that had to be euthanased due to extensive mandible osteolysis, with only bony remnants left. The nematode was clearly identified on histological kidney samples. Interestingly, the affected mare did not present any neurological or renal signs. The only sign noticed was severe mandible deformation, which led to the original referral for suspected mandible fracture. No previous reports describe such a massive mandible osteolysis provoked by this nematode.
Hyperlipaemia in a laminitic pony following imposition of dietary restriction and in‐feed medications
Authors: Dixon Claire E
Published: August 2014

Laminitis remains an important and frequently encountered condition in first‐opinion practice. With obesity highly prevalent in the equine population and our understanding of the role of insulin resistance in laminitis, improving insulin sensitivity has become central to the management of many laminitis cases. This report presents a case of hyperlipaemia induced in a laminitic pony following changes in management. The mare had many of the risk factors associated with development of hyperlipaemia and displayed typical clinical signs. The mare was managed conservatively by encouraging feed intake with grass and recovered uneventfully. This case serves as a reminder that owners of obese animals should be warned to monitor for signs of sudden anorexia or decreased food intake below the level of imposed dietary restriction as this could be associated with the development of hyperlipaemia.
Treatment of cervical metaphyseal fractures due to delayed ossification in an adult dog with hypopituitarism
Authors: Iwata Munetaka , Hakozaki Takaharu , Hara Yasushi
Published: August 2014

A four‐year‐old male toy poodle presented with signs of cervical pain over a period of two years, with subsequent progression to tetraparesis. Neurological examination suggested a transverse myelopathy in the cervical spinal cord. Radiographs of the cervical spine showed fractured endplates of the third through the sixth cervical vertebrae and delayed growth plate closure of all skeletal structures. Total serum thyroid‐stimulating hormone and T4 concentrations were very low, indicating hypothyroidism. MRI revealed a pituitary gland cyst and spinal cord compression by fractured metaphysis which were displaced dorsally into the spinal canal. Surgical treatment resulted in marked improvement in clinical signs. Open physes were nearly closed 16 months after continuous administration of levothyroxine sodium hydrate. Based on these findings, a presumed diagnosis of Salter–Harris type III fractures of the vertebral endplates associated with delayed ossification of the growth plates due to hypothyroidism was made.
Unusual manifestation of bromide toxicity (bromism) in an idiopathic epileptic dog already treated with phenobarbital
Authors: Stabile Fabio , de Stefani Alberta , De Risio Luisa
Published: August 2014

A three‐year seven‐month‐old female spayed Cavalier King Charles spaniel was diagnosed with idiopathic epilepsy. Because of poor seizure control, the dog was started on oral treatment with potassium bromide as adjunctive treatment to phenobarbital. The dog presented eight days following bromide loading, having developed sedation, general proprioceptive ataxia and generalised appendicular repetitive myoclonus. The serum bromide concentration was 15.9 mg/ml (target range 1 mg/ml to 2.5 mg/ml), which was suggestive of a bromide overdose. The dog improved after reduction of bromide dosing and no similar episodes were reported by the owners at a follow up of 26 months. To the authors’ knowledge this is the first report describing generalised repetitive myoclonus related to bromide toxicity.
MRI findings of diffuse polioencephalopathy secondary to ethylene glycol intoxication in a dog
Authors: Pivetta Mauro , Beltran Elsa , Stewart Jennifer , Dennis Ruth
Published: August 2014

A six‐year‐old, female spayed German shepherd dog presented with an acute onset of disorientation, lethargy, polydipsia, vomiting and one episode of seizure activity. MRI of the brain revealed diffuse contrast enhancement of meninges and the grey matter in the cerebral hemispheres and cerebellum on T1‐weighted images. Abdominal ultrasonography showed bilateral renal changes. The dog deteriorated and was euthanised. On postmortem examination small oxalate crystals were identified in the kidneys, meningeal vessels and capillaries of the grey matter confirming ethylene glycol intoxication.
Congenital meningoencephalocoele in a rabbit
Authors: Shea Anita , Johnson Philippa , Pivetta Mauro , Beltran Elsa
Published: August 2014

A three‐week‐old rabbit was presented with a soft swelling on the dorsal aspect of the cranium and paroxysmal episodes. Ultrasonographic examination revealed that the soft tissue swelling appeared to be a fluid‐filled structure directly connecting to the right lateral ventricle. Due to deterioration of the clinical signs, the rabbit was euthanased. Postmortem MRI was consistent with severe hydranencephaly and meningoencephalocoele. Despite the limitations of ultrasonographic evaluation of the brain and postmortem MRI, these imaging modalities provided invaluable data regarding the in situ structure of the lesion as an adjunct to postmortem histopathological examination.
Secondary ivermectin poisoning in South American green snakes (Philodryas baroni)
Authors: Hahn Alicia , D'Agostino Jennifer , Cole Gretchen A
Published: August 2014

This report describes three captive South American green snakes (Philodryas baroni) that suffered secondary ivermectin toxicity after ingesting mice exposed to a mistakenly over‐concentrated medicated feed. Two snakes were found dead and the third was found moribund but revived with supportive care. Brain concentrations in mice and the two deceased snakes supported ivermectin toxicosis.
Metaldehyde intoxication in a red fox (Vulpes vulpes)
Authors: Sabater Mikel , Pérez Marisa , Calvo Carrasco Daniel
Published: August 2014

Metaldehyde toxicity has been commonly reported in different species, including dogs, cats, horses, livestock and wildlife, but the authors are not aware of previously described cases in red foxes. A juvenile red fox (Vulpes vulpes) intoxicated with metaldehyde was presented and successfully treated, allowing it to be released back into the wild. Clinical signs, diagnostic test results, treatment and evolution for this case are described and a review made about metaldehyde intoxication. Red foxes are abundant native species in the UK and metaldehyde is still used as a mollusc control measure. This case report is written to provide more information about metaldehyde intoxication in this species.
Leptospirosis and immune‐mediated haemolytic anaemia in a dog
Authors: Bovens C. , Fews D. , Cogan T. A.
Published: August 2014

Leptospirosis is a re‐emerging zoonotic bacterial disease. Having a high index of suspicion in all dogs with potentially consistent clinical signs is essential to reduce the risk of zoonotic transmission. Haemolytic anaemia is reported with leptospirosis in sheep and cattle and occasionally in humans, but is not common in canine leptospirosis. This report describes the case of a 10‐year‐old male neutered small Terrier cross living in an urban environment, which presented with severe anaemia, icterus and a hepatic mass. He was diagnosed with leptospirosis and immune‐mediated haemolytic anaemia (IMHA) presumed secondary to the leptospirosis. Leptospirosis should be considered a potential differential diagnosis in canine cases of IMHA, particularly if signs of renal or hepatic disease are present. Appropriate handling precautions are recommended in such cases to avoid disease transmission to veterinary staff, dog owners and other dogs until test results for leptospirosis are available.
Mesenteric haemangiopericytoma as a cause of ileal strangulation in a horse
Authors: Velloso Ana , Cuesta‐Garcia Nerea , Gracia Luis Alfonso , Gonzalez Jorge , Argüelles David
Published: August 2014

A case of ischaemic strangulation of the small intestine caused by a haemangiopericytoma in a 12‐year‐old horse is reported. An encapsulated, 4‐cm diameter mass was located in the mesentery adjacent to the wall of the ileum resulting in an ileal obstruction and a subsequent small intestinal volvulus. Surgical management of the case was performed and the horse was discharged from the hospital with no further complications and no recurrence during a 2‐year follow‐up period. After histopathological and immunohistochemical evaluation, the mass was characterised as a haemangiopericytoma. The only report of a haemangiopericytoma in a horse describes a mass located in the eyelid. In humans and dogs, haemangiopericytomas can be malignant with local recurrences after excision and metastasis. In our case, the tumour caused severe ileal obstruction, but no distant metastases were found, and there were no clinical signs of recurrence for a 2‐year follow‐up period after surgery.
Intestinal adenocarcinoma in a Shetland ewe
Authors: Crilly James Patrick , Smith Sionagh H , Sargison Neil Donald
Published: August 2014

A seven‐year‐old Shetland ewe presented with a history of chronic weight loss, abdominal distension and intermittent abdominal discomfort. Serum protein levels and abdominal ultrasonographic findings were suggestive of intestinal adenocarcinoma, and the diagnosis was confirmed on postmortem examination.
Predicting flowering phenology in a subarctic plant community
Authors: Lessard-Therrien Malie , Bolmgren Kjell , Davies T. Jonathan
Published: August 2014

Phenological studies are rarely reported from arctic and subarctic regions, but are essential to evaluate species’ response to climate change in these rapidly warming ecosystems. Here, we present a phylogenetic analysis of flowering phenology across an elevational gradient in the Canadian subarctic. We found that the timing of first flower was best explained by a combination of snowmelt, elevation, and growing degree-days. We also show that early flowering species have demonstrated lower intraspecific variability in their response to climate cues in comparison with late flowering species, such that individual flowering times of early species are more closely tied to environmental predictors. Previous work has suggested that early flowering species are more variable in their phenology. However, these studies have mostly examined variation in phenology over time, whereas we examined variation in phenology over space. We suggest that both patterns can be explained by the tighter coupling between phenology and climate cues for early flowering species. Thus, early flowering species have low intraspecific variance in flowering times within a single growing season as individuals respond more uniformly to a common set of cues in comparison with late flowering species. However, these same species may show large variance between years reflecting interannual variation in climate.
Diversity of early life-history traits in freshwater eels and the evolution of their oceanic migrations
Authors: Kuroki Mari , Miller Michael J. , Tsukamoto Katsumi
Published: August 2014

Early life-history traits of all 19 anguillid eel species and subspecies were examined to help understand the evolutionary processes of their oceanic migrations in comparison with their migration distances and the geography of their species ranges. Tropical species were found to have fewer myomeres, greater body depths, higher growth rates, shorter larval durations, and smaller maximum larval sizes than temperate species. The relationships among larval characteristics such as growth rate, age at metamorphosis, and maximum larval size differed among tropical and temperate species and corresponded with the maximum latitudes of their species ranges. Temperate eel leptocephali with slow growth and large maximum size with slender bodies appear to be specialized for long migrations and dispersal over a wide range of distances to higher latitudes, while having flexible sizes of metamorphosis and recruitment. Tropical species with faster growth metamorphose earlier at a relatively fixed size, which would facilitate larval retention near their species ranges at low latitudes. Changes in the early life-history traits of tropical eels appear to have occurred during the evolution of longer migrations as they entered temperate regions.
Open-book decompositions of 𝕊5 and real singularities
Authors: Aguilar-Cabrera Haydée
Published: August 2014

In this article, we study the topology of the family of real analytic germs F : (ℂ3, 0) → (ℂ, 0) given by [Formula: see text] with p, q, r ∈ ℕ, p, q, r ≥ 2 and (p, q) = 1. Such a germ has an isolated singularity at 0 and gives rise to a Milnor fibration [Formula: see text]. Moreover, it is known that the link LF is a Seifert manifold and that it is always homeomorphic to the link of a complex singularity. However, we prove that in almost all the cases the open-book decomposition of 𝕊5 given by the Milnor fibration of F cannot come from the Milnor fibration of a complex singularity in ℂ3.
Study of local density fluctuations in liquid and amorphous iron using molecular dynamics simulation
Authors: Kien P. H. , Hung P. K. , Thao N. T.
Published: August 2014

We have studied dynamics in the liquid and amorphous Fe by means of molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. A series of MD models containing 104 particles under periodic boundary conditions are prepared at temperatures from 290 K to 2250 K. It was shown that the second peak of the radial distribution function (RDF) appears to split when the liquid transforms to an amorphous solid. Further, we focus on local density fluctuations (LDF) which happen in simulated samples. We found that LDFs operate as a diffusion vehicle. The diffusion is performed by two types of LDFs. As the temperature decreases, LDFs are strongly correlated so that the fraction of I-type LDFs increases and the spatial distribution of LDFs is heterogeneous. We propose a new model for diffusion in liquid and amorphous solids which gives new insight into the dynamics slowdown below the melting point and diffusion mechanism in amorphous materials.
A review of nanographene: growth and applications
Authors: Meng Jianling , Shi Dongxia , Zhang Guangyu
Published: August 2014

Graphene's unique physical and chemical properties have attracted substantial interest for various potential applications for electronics, spintronics, optoelectronics, and so on. Nanographene not only has the properties of graphene, but also has the special properties of edge state. Direct growth of nanographene on arbitrary substrate without catalyst has advantage of simplicity in device fabrications. In this paper, we review our recent progress on direct growth of nanographene on various substrates and using these nanographene as building blocks for electronic devices. The growth process is catalyst-free, scalable, and of low-temperature. Strain sensor, charge trapping memory (CTM) and resistance random access memory (RRAM) with excellent performances are demonstrated by tuning the size and density of as-grown nanographene on substrates.
Enhancement of room-temperature ferromagnetism in manganese oxide thin films grown on Nb:SrTiO3 substrates
Authors: Hu P. , Wu S. X. , Li S. W.
Published: August 2014

In this paper, α- Mn 2 O 3 thin films were fabricated by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy on SrTiO 3 and Nb : SrTiO 3, respectively. The grown samples showed room temperature ferromagnetism (RFM) properties. All the experimental results manifested that the RFM properties in undoped thin films were induced by oxygen vacancies formed during the growth process. Even more, the ferromagnetism of thin films grown on Nb : SrTiO 3 were enhanced, and these results confirmed the fact that oxygen vacancies induced ferromagnetism. That is to say, more oxygen vacancies result the more unpaired electrons induced prominent abnormal spin causing ferromagnetism.
A COMPLETE SYSTEM FOR CANDIDATE POLYPS DETECTION IN VIRTUAL COLONOSCOPY
Authors: FIORI MARCELO , MUSÉ PABLO , SAPIRO GUILLERMO
Published: August 2014

We present a computer-aided detection pipeline for polyp detection in Computer tomographic colonography. The first stage of the pipeline consists of a simple colon segmentation technique that enhances polyps, which is followed by an adaptive-scale candidate polyp delineation, in order to capture the appropriate polyp size. In the last step, candidates are classified based on new texture and geometric features that consider both the information in the candidate polyp location and its immediate surrounding area. The system is tested with ground truth data, including flat and small polyps which are hard to detect even with optical colonoscopy. We achieve 100% sensitivity for polyps larger than 6 mm in size with just 0.9 false positives per case, and 93% sensitivity with 2.8 false positives per case for polyps larger than 3 mm in size.
Rectangular Seifert circles and arcs system
Authors: Ando Tatsuo , Hayashi Chuichiro , Hayashi Miwa
Published: August 2014

Rectangular diagrams of links are link diagrams in the plane ℝ2 such that they are composed of vertical line segments and horizontal line segments and vertical segments go over horizontal segments at all crossings. Cromwell and Dynnikov showed that rectangular diagrams of links are useful for deciding whether a given link is split or not, and whether a given knot is trivial or not. We show in this paper that an oriented link diagram D with c(D) crossings and s(D) Seifert circles can be deformed by an ambient isotopy of ℝ2 into a rectangular diagram with at most c(D) + 2s(D) vertical segments, and that, if D is connected, at most 2c(D) + 2 - w(D) vertical segments, where w(D) is a certain non-negative integer. In order to obtain these results, we show that the system of Seifert circles and arcs substituting for crossings can be deformed by an ambient isotopy of ℝ2 so that Seifert circles are rectangles composed of two vertical line segments and two horizontal line segments and arcs are vertical line segments, and that we can obtain a single circle from a connected link diagram by smoothing operations at the crossings regardless of orientation.
Investigation of shape phase transition in the U(5) ↔ SO(6) transitional region by catastrophe theory and critical exponents of some quantities
Authors: Fathi H. , Ghadami M. , Sabri H. , Fouladi N. , Jafarizadeh M. A.
Published: August 2014

In this paper, we have analyzed the critical behavior of even–even Ru and Pd isotopes between U(5) and SO(6) limits of interacting boson model via Catastrophe Theory in combination with a coherent state formalism to generate energy surfaces. The parameters of the Hamiltonian are determined via least-square fitting to the experimental data for different Ru and Pd isotopes. Our results suggest a second-order phase transition in these isotopic chains and propose the best candidates for E(5) critical symmetry. Also, the analogy between the critical exponents of ground state quantum phase transition and Landau values for the critical exponents of thermodynamic phase transitions are described.
Density functional theory study of transition metals doped B80 fullerene
Authors: Wang Jianguang , Ma Li , Liang Yanhua , Gao Meiling , Wang Guanghou
Published: August 2014

Density functional theory calculations have been carried out to investigate 3d, Pd and Pt transition metal (TM) atoms exohedrally and endohedrally doped B 80 fullerene. We find that the most preferred doping site of the TM atom gradually moves from the outer surface ( TM = Sc ), to the inner surface ( TM = Ti and V ) and the center ( TM = Cr , Mn , Fe and Zn ), then to the outer surface ( TM = Co , Ni , Cu , Pd , and Pt ) again with the TM atom varying from Sc to Pt . From the formation energy calculations, we find that doping TM atom can further improve the stability of B 80 fullerene. The magnetic moments of doped V , Cr , Mn , Fe , Co and Ni atoms are reduced from their free-atom values and other TM atoms are completely quenched. Charge transfer and hybridization between 4s and 3d states of TM and 2s and 2p states of B were observed. The energy gaps of TM @ B 80 are usually smaller than that of the pure B 80. Endohedrally doped B 80 fullerene with two Mn and two Fe atoms were also considered, respectively. It is found that the antiferromagnetic (AFM) state is more energetically favorable than the ferromagnetic (FM) state for Mn 2- and Fe 2@ B 80. The Mn and Fe atoms carry the residual magnetic moments of ~ 3 μB and 2 μB in the AFM states.
Induced three-forms on instanton moduli spaces
Authors: Ferreira Ana Cristina
Published: August 2014

In this note we study a correspondence between the space of three-forms on a four-manifold and the space of three-forms on the moduli space of instantons. We then specialize to the case where the base manifold is the four-sphere.
Axiomatization and the antimean function on paths
Authors: Ortega Oscar , Wang Y.
Published: August 2014

An antimean of a sequence π = ( x1, x2, …, xk) of elements of a finite metric space (X, d) is an element x for which [Formula: see text] is maximum. The function antimean with domain the set of all finite sequences on X and defined by AMean (π) = {x : x is an antimean of π} is called the antimean function on X. In this paper, the antimean function on finite paths is characterized.
Field of researches and applications domains for compact and large-scale DPF devices: Current assets, problems and essentials
Authors: Gribkov V. A.
Published: August 2014

Examination of the most important processes taking place in Dense Plasma Focus (DPF) device that lead to the production of very bright flashes of neutrons and X-rays is presented. It is shown that the current abruption (CA) phenomenon accompanied by the plasma-diode formation plays the key role in these events. Issues of matching of different primary loads with plasma inductive storage and subsequently with plasma diode are discussed. It is shown that at the intermediate energies it is possible to attain the perfect matching. Results in some applications of medium-sized DPF obtained recently in radiation material science, dynamic quality control, biology and medicine are presented. It is shown that for better matching at very high energies the classical intermediate energy compressing element can be used. Besides schemes with laser support switching are discussed. Extrapolations of DPF phenomena to very high and very low energies with their feasibility are examined. Envisioned applications of such huge and tiny DPF devices in power production, medicine and electronics are discussed.
Radiative signatures of Z-pinch plasmas at UNR: from X-pinches to wire arrays
Authors: Safronova A. S. , Kantsyrev V. L. , Esaulov A. A. , Safronova U. I. , Shlyaptseva V. V. , Shrestha I. , Osborne G. C. , Weller M. E. , Stafford A. , Lorance M. , Chuvatin A. S.
Published: August 2014

University-scale Z-pinch generators are able to produce High Energy Density (HED) plasmas in a broad range of plasma parameters under well-controlled and monitored experimental conditions suitable for radiation studies. The implosion of X-pinch and wire array loads at a 1 MA generator yields short (1-20 nsec) x-ray bursts from one or several bright plasma spots near the wire cross point (for X-pinches) or along and near Z-pinch axis (for wire arrays). Such X- and Z-pinch HED plasma with scales from a few µm to several mm in size emits radiation in a broad range of energies from 10 eV to 0.5 MeV and is subject of our studies during the last ten years. In particular, the substantial number of experiments with very different wire loads was performed on the 1 MA Zebra generator and analyzed: X-pinch, cylindrical, nested, and various types of the novel load, Planar Wire Arrays (PWA). Also, the experiments at an enhanced current of 1.5-1.7 MA on Zebra using Load Current Multiplier (LCM) were performed. This paper highlights radiative signatures of X-pinches and Single and Double PWAs which are illustrated using the new results with combined wire loads from two different materials.
High-current pulsed electron accelerator “Gamma-1” with output power up to 1.5 TW
Authors: Zavyalov N. V. , Gordeev V. S. , Punin V. T. , Grishin A. V. , Myskov G. A. , Nazarenko S. T. , Mikhailov E. S. , Kalashnikov D. A. , Kozachek A. V. , Pavlov V. S. , Strabykin K. V. , Glushkov S. L. , Puchagin S. Yu. , Mayornikova V. L. , Mayorov R. A. , Moiseevskikh M. A.
Published: August 2014

A multi-module multi-terawatt electrophysical facility “Gamma” is being developed at RFNCVNIIEF, Sarov, Russia. The facility will be used for conducting experiments in different fields of radiation physics. The first module of the facility – a high-current electron accelerator “Gamma-1” has been created. The output electric parameters of the module are as follows: electron energy ≤2.0 MeV, diode current 0.75 MA, maximal electric power 1.5 TW. Description of accelerator design and principles of its operation are presented. Results of experiments as well as further prospects on building a full-scale facility are given.
On prospects of powerful SXR pulse generation on “Gamma 4” facility
Authors: Gordeev V. S. , Grishin A. V. , Orlov A. P. , Mozgovoy A. L. , Repin B. G. , Glushkov S. L. , Puchagin S. Yu. , Strabykin K. V.
Published: August 2014

RFNC-VNIIEF is creating a multi-module multi-terawatt electro-physical facility “Gamma”, intended for research in the field of radiation physics. Up to now RFNC-VNIIEF created the first module of the facility – a high-current pulsed electron accelerator “Gamma-1”, having the following parameters: boundary energy of the electrons of ≤ 2.0 MeV, diode current of 0.75 MA, maximum electric power of 1.5 TW. Creation of the 4-module variant of the facility (Gamma-4) is the next stage of the work. This paper presents calculation research of expected characteristics of soft x-ray radiation output pulse at “Gamma-4” facility operation into a common load (Z-pinch).
High temperature ferromagnetic ordering in c-axis oriented ZnO:Mn nanoparticle thin films by tailoring substrate temperature
Authors: Ilyas Usman , Lee P. , Tan T. L. , Ramanujan R. V. , Zhang Sam , Chen R. , Sun H. D. , Rawat R. S.
Published: August 2014

This study reports the enhanced ferromagnetic ordering in ZnO:Mn nanoparticle thin films, grown at different substrate temperatures using pulsed laser deposition. The optimum growth conditions were deduced from X-ray, photoemission and magnetic measurements. The X-ray measurements reveal that there was an optimum substrate temperature where the thin films showed relatively stronger texture, better crystallinity and lower strain. Substrate temperature tuned the deep level recombination centers in ZnO:Mn , which changed the optical quality by altering the electronic structure. The M-H curves, in the present study, revealed superior ferromagnetic response of 20-nm sized particles in ZnO:Mn thin film grown at a substrate temperature of 450 °C. Ferromagnetic ordering becomes weaker at higher/lower substrate temperatures due to the activation of native defects in ZnO host matrix.
Iron oxide magnetic nanoparticles synthesized by atmospheric microplasmas
Authors: Wang Ying , Kaur Parvin , Tan Augustine Tuck Lee , Singh Rajveer , Lee Paul Choon Keat , Springham Stuart Victor , Ramanujan Raju V , Rawat R. S.
Published: August 2014

This paper presents the synthesis of iron oxide nanoparticles using the atmospheric microplasma (AMP). The properties of iron oxide nanoparticles synthesized using AMP are compared with particles (i) formed in as-prepared solution and (ii) prepared using thermal decomposition method. Iron oxide nanoparticles prepared by all the 3 treatment methods exhibit quite soft ferromagnetic properties with coercivities less than 10 G. The AMP synthesis technique was found to be more efficient and better than thermal decomposition method due to ultra-shorter experiment time (around 2.5 min) as compared to 90 min required for thermal decomposition method. Moreover, AMP synthesized nanoparticles are better isolated and of smaller size than thermal decomposition ones.

The effect of plasma discharge timings on synthesized nanoparticles has also been studied in this work. Coercivity of synthesized nanoparticles decreases with the increasing plasma discharge timings from 3 to 10 min. The nanoparticles synthesized using plasma discharge timing of 10 min exhibit the smallest coercivity of around 3 G. This suggests a high possibility of achieving super-paramagnetic nanoparticles by optimizing the plasma discharge timings of AMP.
Air trichloroethylene oxidation in a corona plasma-catalytic reactor
Authors: Masoomi-Godarzi S. , Ranji-Burachaloo H. , Khodadadi A. A. , Vesali-Naseh M. , Mortazavi Y.
Published: August 2014

The oxidative decomposition of trichloroethylene (TCE; 300 ppm) by non-thermal corona plasma was investigated in dry air at atmospheric pressure and room temperature, both in the absence and presence of catalysts including MnO x, CoO x. The catalysts were synthesized by a co-precipitation method. The morphology and structure of the catalysts were characterized by BET surface area measurement and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) methods. Decomposition of TCE and distribution of products were evaluated by a gas chromatograph (GC) and an FTIR. In the absence of the catalyst, TCE removal is increased with increases in the applied voltage and current intensity. Higher TCE removal and CO 2 selectivity is observed in presence of the corona and catalysts, as compared to those with the plasma alone. The results show that MnO x and CoO x catalysts can dissociate the in-plasma produced ozone to oxygen radicals, which enhances the TCE decomposition.
The effect of self-absorption in hollow cathode lamp on its temperature
Authors: Sobhanian Samad , Naghshara Hamid
Published: August 2014

It has been shown experimentally that even a small error in the calculation of the temperature inside the hollow-cathode lamp (HCL) and the current applied to the lamp, may cause a tremendous error in determination of the absorption ratio in optical resonance absorption (ORA) method. This effect is intensified nonlinearity for large absorption ratios. If a higher current is applied to a copper hollow cathode lamp, the copper density inside the lamp is increasing rapidly. Due to the cylindrical (axisymmetric) form of the lamp, the density of atoms around the main axis of the lamp becomes greater than that near the internal wall. In this case the auto-absorption (or self-absorption) is occurred and as its result, the emission spectrum produced by copper atoms is locally absorbed before going out from the lamp. This absorption is stronger near the main axis compared with the areas near the wall because of the Gaussian profile of the spectral line. Two different Cu atoms ground state lines with the similar lower state (327.4 nm and 324.7 nm) are used in this work as optical resonance absorption and the absorption coefficient is obtained for three different pressures (0.6, 4.5 and 14 µbar). The best values for copper HCL temperature and for maximum HCL current were found respectively 450 K, and 5mA.
Satisfiability Allows No Nontrivial Sparsification unless the Polynomial-Time Hierarchy Collapses
Authors: Dell Holger , Van Melkebeek Dieter
Published: August 2014

Consider the following two-player communication process to decide a language
L
: The first player holds the entire input
x
but is polynomially bounded; the second player is computationally unbounded but does not know any part of
x
; their goal is to decide cooperatively whether
x
belongs to
L
at small cost, where the cost measure is the number of bits of communication from the first player to the second player.

For any integer
d
 ≥ 3 and positive real
ε
, we show that, if satisfiability for
n
-variable
d
-CNF formulas has a protocol of cost
O
(
nd
 − 
ε
), then coNP is in NP/poly, which implies that the polynomial-time hierarchy collapses to its third level. The result even holds when the first player is conondeterministic, and is tight as there exists a trivial protocol for
ε
 = 0. Under the hypothesis that coNP is not in NP/poly, our result implies tight lower bounds for parameters of interest in several areas, namely sparsification, kernelization in parameterized complexity, lossy compression, and probabilistically checkable proofs.

By reduction, similar results hold for other NP-complete problems. For the vertex cover problem on
n
-vertex
d
-uniform hypergraphs, this statement holds for any integer
d
 ≥ 2. The case
d
 = 2 implies that no NP-hard vertex deletion problem based on a graph property that is inherited by subgraphs can have kernels consisting of
O
(
k
2 − 
ε
) edges unless coNP is in NP/poly, where
k
denotes the size of the deletion set. Kernels consisting of
O
(
k
2) edges are known for several problems in the class, including vertex cover, feedback vertex set, and bounded-degree deletion.
Interpreting Natural Language Instructions Using Language, Vision, and Behavior
Authors: Benotti Luciana , Lau Tessa , Villalba Martín
Published: August 2014

We define the problem of automatic instruction interpretation as follows. Given a natural language instruction, can we automatically predict what an instruction follower, such as a robot, should do in the environment to follow that instruction? Previous approaches to automatic instruction interpretation have required either extensive domain-dependent rule writing or extensive manually annotated corpora. This article presents a novel approach that leverages a large amount of unannotated, easy-to-collect data from humans interacting in a game-like environment. Our approach uses an automatic annotation phase based on artificial intelligence planning, for which two different annotation strategies are compared: one based on behavioral information and the other based on visibility information. The resulting annotations are used as training data for different automatic classifiers. This algorithm is based on the intuition that the problem of interpreting a situated instruction can be cast as a classification problem of choosing among the actions that are possible in the situation. Classification is done by combining language, vision, and behavior information. Our empirical analysis shows that machine learning classifiers achieve 77% accuracy on this task on available English corpora and 74% on similar German corpora. Finally, the inclusion of human feedback in the interpretation process is shown to boost performance to 92% for the English corpus and 90% for the German corpus.
Compression via Matroids
Authors: Kratsch Stefan , Wahlström Magnus
Published: August 2014

The Odd Cycle Transversal problem (OCT) asks whether a given undirected graph can be made bipartite by deleting at most
k
of its vertices. In a breakthrough result, Reed, Smith, and Vetta (Operations Research Letters, 2004) gave a
O
(4
k
kmn) time algorithm for it; this also implies that instances of the problem can be reduced to a so-called problem kernel of size
O
(4
k
). Since then, the existence of a polynomial kernel for OCT (i.e., a kernelization with size bounded polynomially in
k
) has turned into one of the main open questions in the study of kernelization, open even for the special case of planar input graphs.

This work provides the first (randomized) polynomial kernelization for OCT. We introduce a novel kernelization approach based on matroid theory, where we encode all relevant information about a problem instance into a matroid with a representation of size polynomial in
k
. This represents the first application of matroid theory to kernelization.
Alphabet-Independent Compressed Text Indexing
Authors: Belazzougui Djamal , Navarro Gonzalo
Published: August 2014

Self-indexes are able to represent a text asymptotically within the information-theoretic lower bound under thekth order entropy model and offer access to any text substring and indexed pattern searches. Their time complexities are not optimal, however; in particular, they are always multiplied by a factor that depends on the alphabet size. In this article, we achieve, for the first time,full alphabet independencein the time complexities of self-indexes while retaining space optimality. We also obtain some relevant byproducts.
Distributed Fault Estimation of Nonlinear Networked Systems: Application to Robotic Manipulator
Authors: Chen Juntong , Ling Rongyao , Ni Hongjie , Zhang Dan
Published: August 2014

This paper is concerned with the distributed fault estimation for a class of nonlinear networked
systems, where the T‐S fuzzy model is utilized to approximate the nonlinear plant and the whole fault
estimation task is operated by a wireless sensor network. Due to the limited power in sensors, signal is
quantized before transmission. Based on the Lyapunov stability theory and the robust control approach, a
sufficient condition is obtained such that the estimation error system is asymptotic stable with a prescribed
H∞ performance level. Finally, a case study on the actuator fault estimation of robotic manipulator is
given to show the effectiveness of the proposed design.
Genome Sequencing of a Mung Bean Plant Growth Promoting Strain ofP. aeruginosawith Biocontrol Ability
Authors: Illakkiam Devaraj , Shankar Manoharan , Ponraj Paramasivan , Rajendhran Jeyaprakash , Gunasekaran Paramasamy
Published: August 2014

Pseudomonas aeruginosaPGPR2 is a mung bean rhizosphere strain that produces secondary metabolites and hydrolytic enzymes contributing to excellent antifungal activity againstMacrophomina phaseolina, one of the prevalent fungal pathogens of mung bean. Genome sequencing was performed using the Ion Torrent Personal Genome Machine generating 1,354,732 reads (6,772,433 sequenced bases) achieving ~25-fold coverage of the genome. Reference genome assembly using MIRA 3.4.0 yielded 198 contigs. The draft genome of PGPR2 encoded 6803 open reading frames, of which 5314 were genes with predicted functions, 1489 were genes of known functions, and 80 were RNA-coding genes. Strain specific and core genes ofP. aeruginosaPGPR2 that are relevant to rhizospheric habitat were identified by pangenome analysis. Genes involved in plant growth promoting function such as synthesis of ACC deaminase, indole-3-acetic acid, trehalose, mineral scavenging siderophores, hydrogen cyanide, chitinases, acyl homoserine lactones, acetoin, 2,3-butanediol, and phytases were identified. In addition, niche-specific genes such as phosphate solubilising 3-phytase, adhesins, pathway-specific transcriptional regulators, a diguanylate cyclase involved in cellulose synthesis, a receptor for ferrienterochelin, a DEAD/DEAH-box helicase involved in stress tolerance, chemotaxis/motility determinants, an HtpX protease, and enzymes involved in the production of a chromanone derivative with potent antifungal activity were identified.
Phosphoproteomic Analysis of Gossypol-Induced Apoptosis in Ovarian Cancer Cell Line, HOC1a
Authors: Jin Lixu , Chen Yuling , Mu Xinlin , Lian Qingquan , Deng Haiyun , Ge Renshan
Published: August 2014

Ovarian cancer is a major cause for death of gynecological cancer patients. The efficacy of traditional surgery and chemotherapy is rather compromised and platinum-resistant cancer recurs. Finding new therapeutic targets is urgently needed to increase the survival rate and to improve life quality of patients with ovarian cancer. In the present work, phosphoproteomic analysis was carried out on untreated and gossypol-treated ovarian cancer cell line, HOC1a. We identified approximately 9750 phosphopeptides from 3030 phosphoproteins, which are involved in diverse cellular processes including cytoskeletal organization, RNA and nucleotide binding, and cell cycle regulation. Upon gossypol treatment, changes in phosphorylation of twenty-nine proteins including YAP1 and AKAP12 were characterized. Western blotting and qPCR analysis were used to determine expression levels of proteins in YAP1-related Hippo pathway showing that gossypol induced upregulation of LATS1, which phosphorylates YAP1 at Ser 61. Furthermore, our data showed that gossypol targets the actin cytoskeletal organization through mediating phosphorylation states of actin-binding proteins. Taken together, our data provide valuable information to understand effects of gossypol on protein phosphorylation and apoptosis of ovarian cancer cells.
Epigallocatechingallate Inhibits Migration of Human Uveal Melanoma Cells via Downregulation of Matrix Metalloproteinase-2 Activity and ERK1/2 Pathway
Authors: Chang Chi-Wu , Hsieh Yi-Hsien , Yang Wei-En , Yang Shun-Fa , Chen Yueqin , Hu Dan-Ning
Published: August 2014

The effects of epigallocatechingallate (EGCG) on the migration and expression of MMP-2 of uveal melanoma cells have not been reported. We studied this effect and relevant signaling pathways in a human uveal melanoma cell line (M17). MTT study found that EGCG did not affect the cell viability of M17 cells up to 100 µM. Wound-healing assay showed that EGCG significantly reduced the migration of melanoma cells in a dose-dependent manner from 20 to 100 µM. Gelatin zymography showed that secreted MMP-2 activity was dose-dependently inhibited by EGCG, whereas the MMP-2 expression at protein and mRNA levels was not affected as determined by western blot and RT-PCR analysis. EGCG significantly increased the expressions of MMP-2 endogenous inhibitors (TIMP-2 and RECK) in M17 cells. Western blot analysis of MAPK signal pathways showed that EGCG significantly decreased phosphorylated ERK1/2 levels, but not p38 and JNK levels, in melanoma cells. ERK1/2 inhibitors also reduced the migration and activity of MMP-2 in M17 cells. The present study suggested EGCG at nontoxic levels could inhibit migration of melanoma cells via downregulation of activities of secreted MMP-2 through the inhibition of the ERK1/2 phosphorylation. Therefore, EGCG may be a promising agent to be explored for the prevention of metastasis of uveal melanoma.