bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Comparative Study of Solvothermal and Sol‐Gel‐Derived Nanocrystalline Alumina Catalysts for Ethanol Dehydration
Authors: Wannaborworn Mingkwan , Praserthdam Piyasan , Jongsomjit Bunjerd
Published: December 2015

The ethanol dehydration to ethylene over alumina catalysts prepared by solvothermal and sol‐gel methods was investigated. Also, a commercial alumina was used for comparison purposes. The results showed that the catalytic activity depends on the properties of catalyst derived from different preparation methods and reaction temperature. The alumina synthesized by solvothermal method exhibited the highest activity. This can be attributed to the higher surface area and larger amount of acid site, especially the ratio of weak/strong acid strength as determined by N2 physisorption and NH3‐TPD studies. The solvothermal‐derived catalyst exhibited an excellent performance with complete ethanol conversion and 100% selectivity to ethylene at 350°C in comparison with other ones. In addition, we further studied the catalytic dehydration of alumina catalyst modified with Fe. The presence of 10 wt.% Fe decreased both conversion and ethylene selectivity. However, the acetaldehyde selectivity apparently increased. It was related to the dehydrogenation pathway that takes place on Fe species.
Experimental Analysis of the Mechanism of Hearing under Water
Authors: Chordekar Shai , Kishon-Rabin Liat , Kriksunov Leonid , Adelman Cahtia , Sohmer Haim
Published: December 2015

The mechanism of human hearing under water is debated. Some suggest it is by air conduction (AC), others by bone conduction (BC), and others by a combination of AC and BC. A clinical bone vibrator applied to soft tissue sites on the head, neck, and thorax also elicits hearing by a mechanism called soft tissue conduction (STC) or nonosseous BC. The present study was designed to test whether underwater hearing at low intensities is by AC or by osseous BC based on bone vibrations or by nonosseous BC (STC). Thresholds of normal hearing participants to bone vibrator stimulation with their forehead in air were recorded and again when forehead and bone vibrator were under water. A vibrometer detected vibrations of a dry human skull in all similar conditions (in air and under water) but not when water was the intermediary between the sound source and the skull forehead. Therefore, the intensities required to induce vibrations of the dry skull in water were significantly higher than the underwater hearing thresholds of the participants, under conditions when hearing by AC and osseous BC is not likely. The results support the hypothesis that hearing under water at low sound intensities may be attributed to nonosseous BC (STC).
Enhanced Nanohydroxyapatite Formation Using a Hydrolyzed Gelatin
Authors: Ding Ding , Yu Tengfei , Zhang Weijie , Liu Wei , Huang Yaqin
Published: December 2015

Hydroxyapatite (HAP) nanoparticles were synthesized at room temperature using hydrolyzed gelatin (HG) as an additive. The crystallinity of HAP particles can be effectively controlled by adjusting the concentration of HG additive and the pH value of reaction system. The synthesized product was analyzed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer, energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS), X‐ray diffractometry (XRD), and transmission electron microscope (TEM). Meanwhile, it was proved that, with HG additive, HAP can be prepared with the calcium‐phosphorus ratio of not only 1.67 but also 1.50. Conventionally, HAP particles need to be synthesized at high temperature with iCa/P = 1.67. Therefore, we believe that this study provides a novel strategy for the preparation of nano‐HAP.
Investigation of the Changes in Surface Area and FT-IR Spectra of Activated Carbons Obtained from Hazelnut Shells by Physicochemical Treatment Methods
Authors: Şencan Aziz , Kılıç Mehmet
Published: December 2015

In this study, raw hazelnut shells were used to obtain charcoal by pyrolysis at 250°C. The obtained material was subjected to physical, chemical, and physicochemical treatment methods to obtain activated carbons (ACs). Effect of the treatment procedures was determined by measuring the surface area of the produced ACs. In addition, changes in the functional groups of the obtained ACs during these treatments were determined with the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). To determine the most effective chemical agent, the charcoal samples were examined for Pb(II) adsorption from aqueous solutions under different pH conditions of 4 to 6. According to the results, the most effective chemical agent was determined as Ca(OCl)2. Effect of microwave and ultrasound treatments was also examined during Pb(II) adsorption by the chemically treated AC. The results showed that chemical treatment with Ca(OCl)2, microwave treatment for 5 minutes, ultrasound treatment for 20 minutes, and pyrolysis at 700°C together were the most suitable combination enhancing the surface area of the adsorbent. This combination increased the surface area and the adsorption capacity of the adsorbent by 202 and 4.76 times, respectively, when compared to those of the raw hazelnut shell.
Model for Sulfate Diffusion Depth in Concrete under Complex Aggressive Environments and Its Experimental Verification
Authors: Zhou Yingwu , Tian Hao , Cui Hongzhi , Xing Feng , Sui Lili
Published: December 2015

Sulfate attack is one of the most important factors that lead to the performance deterioration of concrete materials. The progress of the sulfate diffusion depth in concrete is an important index that quantitatively characterizes the rate of concrete damage, cracking, and spalling due to sulfate attacks. The progress of the diffusion depth of concrete to sulfate attack is systematically investigated in this paper by both theoretical and experimental study. A newly time-varying model of the diffusion depth is developed, which has comprehensively considered a mass of parameter of complex environments for the first time. On this basis, a method is further proposed for effectively predicting the residual life of in-service concrete structures subject to sulfate attack. Integrating the data from the self-designed high-temperature dry-wet accelerated corrosion test and a large amount of experimental data reported in the existing literatures, the effectiveness and accuracy of the time-varying model of the diffusion depth by sulfates are finally verified.
Velocity Control for Coning Motion Missile System Using Direct Discretization Method
Authors: Sun Rui-sheng , Ming Chao
Published: December 2015

This paper presents a new coning motion control methodology, which takes into account the terminal speed constraint to design the velocity control system for a missile. By using a direct discretization method to transform the optimal control problem into a nonlinear dynamic programming problem, the optimal trajectory and velocity profile are obtained to satisfy the design index requirement. In order to perform the velocity control, a virtual moving target is proposed for the missile to chase along the optimized trajectory. Consequently, after building velocity control model, a velocity control law and control parameters of the coning motion are completed through the dynamic inversion theory. The simulation results suggest that the proposed control law has a good performance and could be applied to the guidance for the missile with terminal speed control constraint.
Meshing Highly Regular Structures: The Case of Super Carbon Nanotubes of Arbitrary Order
Authors: Schröppel Christian , Wackerfuß Jens
Published: December 2015

Mesh generation is an important step in many numerical methods. We present the “Hierarchical Graph Meshing” (HGM) method as a novel approach to mesh generation, based on algebraic graph theory. The HGM method can be used to systematically construct configurations exhibiting multiple hierarchies and complex symmetry characteristics. The hierarchical description of structures provided by the HGM method can be exploited to increase the efficiency of multiscale and multigrid methods. In this paper, the HGM method is employed for the systematic construction of super carbon nanotubes of arbitrary order, which present a pertinent example of structurally and geometrically complex, yet highly regular, structures. The HGM algorithm is computationally efficient and exhibits good scaling characteristics. In particular, it scales linearly for super carbon nanotube structures and is working much faster than geometry‐based methods employing neighborhood search algorithms. Its modular character makes it conducive to automatization. For the generation of a mesh, the information about the geometry of the structure in a given configuration is added in a way that relates geometric symmetries to structural symmetries. The intrinsically hierarchic description of the resulting mesh greatly reduces the effort of determining mesh hierarchies for multigrid and multiscale applications and helps to exploit symmetry‐related methods in the mechanical analysis of complex structures.
EGCG Protects against 6-OHDA-Induced Neurotoxicity in a Cell Culture Model
Authors: Chen Dan , Kanthasamy Anumantha G. , Reddy Manju B.
Published: December 2015

Background. Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that causes severe brain dopamine depletion. Disruption of iron metabolism may be involved in the PD progression.Objective. To test the protective effect of (−)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) against 6-hydroxydopamine- (6-OHDA-) induced neurotoxicity by regulating iron metabolism in N27 cells.Methods. Protection by EGCG in N27 cells was assessed by SYTOX green assay, MTT, and caspase-3 activity. Iron regulatory gene and protein expression were measured by RT-PCR and Western blotting. Intracellular iron uptake was measured using55Fe. The EGCG protection was further tested in primary mesencephalic dopaminergic neurons by immunocytochemistry.Results. EGCG protected against 6-OHDA-induced cell toxicity. 6-OHDA treatment significantly (p<0.05) increased divalent metal transporter-1 (DMT1) and hepcidin and decreased ferroportin 1 (Fpn1) level, whereas pretreatment with EGCG counteracted the effects. The increased55Fe (by 96%,p<0.01) cell uptake confirmed the iron burden by 6-OHDA and was reduced by EGCG by 27% (p<0.05), supporting the DMT1 results. Pretreatment with EGCG and 6-OHDA significantly increased (p<0.0001) TH+cell count (~3-fold) and neurite length (~12-fold) compared to 6-OHDA alone in primary mesencephalic neurons.Conclusions. Pretreatment with EGCG protected against 6-OHDA-induced neurotoxicity by regulating genes and proteins involved in brain iron homeostasis, especially modulating hepcidin levels.
Wave Height Estimation from Shipborne X-Band Nautical Radar Images
Authors: Liu Xinlong , Huang Weimin , Gill Eric W.
Published: December 2015

A shadowing-analysis-based algorithm is modified to estimate significant wave height from shipborne X-band nautical radar images. Shadowed areas are first extracted from the image through edge detection. Smith’s function fit is then applied to illumination ratios to derive the root mean square (RMS) surface slope. From the RMS surface slope and the mean wave period, the significant wave height is estimated. A data quality control process is implemented to exclude rain-contaminated and low-backscatter images. A smoothing scheme is applied to the gray scale intensity histogram of edge pixels to improve the accuracy of the shadow threshold determination. Rather than a single full shadow image, a time sequence of shadow image subareas surrounding the upwind direction is used to calculate the average RMS surface slope. It has been found that the wave height retrieved from the modified algorithm is underestimated under rain and storm conditions and overestimated for cases with low wind speed. The modified method produces promising results by comparing radar-derived wave heights with buoy data, and the RMS difference is found be 0.59 m.
Effect of Acarbose on Long-Term Prognosis in Acute Coronary Syndromes Patients with Newly Diagnosed Impaired Glucose Tolerance
Authors: Yun Peng , Du Ai-ming , Chen Xue-jun , Liu Jing-cheng , Xiao Hu
Published: December 2015

Objective. To investigate the effect of acarbose therapy on the long-term prognosis of patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS) complicating newly diagnosed impaired glucose tolerance (IGT).Methodology. 135 patients hospitalized for ACS who had been newly diagnosed with IGT were randomly assigned to acarbose group (150 mg/day,n=67) or control group (no acarbose,n=68). All cases in each group were given the same elementary treatment. Mean follow-up was 2.3 years. The incidence of major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE) and carotid intima-middle thickness (CIMT) were statistically analyzed.Results. During the mean follow-up of 2.3 years, the risk of recurrent MACE in acarbose group was decreased significantly compared with that in control group (26.67% versus 46.88%,P<0.05); at the same time, thickening of the CIMT was significantly slower than the control group ((1.28 ± 0.42) mm versus (1.51 ± 0.64) mm,P<0.05).Conclusions. Acarbose can effectively reduce the risk of MACE in ACS patients with newly diagnosed IGT, simultaneously retarding the progression of carotid intima-media thickness.
Modulating DDAH/NOS Pathway to Discover Vasoprotective Insulin Sensitizers
Authors: Lai Li , Ghebremariam Yohannes T.
Published: December 2015

Insulin resistance syndrome (IRS) is a configuration of cardiovascular risk factors involved in the development of metabolic disorders including type 2 diabetes mellitus. In addition to diet, age, socioeconomic, and environmental factors, genetic factors that impair insulin signaling are centrally involved in the development and exacerbation of IRS. Genetic and pharmacological studies have demonstrated that the nitric oxide (NO) synthase (NOS) genes are critically involved in the regulation of insulin-mediated glucose disposal. The generation of NO by the NOS enzymes is known to contribute to vascular homeostasis including insulin-mediated skeletal muscle vasodilation and insulin sensitivity. By contrast, excessive inhibition of NOS enzymes by exogenous or endogenous factors is associated with insulin resistance (IR). Asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) is an endogenous molecule that competitively inhibits all the NOS enzymes and contributes to metabolic perturbations including IR. The concentration of ADMA in plasma and tissue is enzymatically regulated by dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase (DDAH), a widely expressed enzyme in the cardiovascular system. In preclinical studies, overexpression of DDAH has been shown to reduce ADMA levels, improve vascular compliance, and increase insulin sensitivity. This review discusses the feasibility of the NOS/DDAH pathway as a novel target to develop vasoprotective insulin sensitizers.
An Edge-Preserved Image Denoising Algorithm Based on Local Adaptive Regularization
Authors: Guo Li , Chen Weilong , Liao Yu , Liao Honghua , Li Jun
Published: December 2015

Image denoising methods are often based on the minimization of an appropriately defined energy function. Many gradient dependent energy functions, such as Potts model and total variation denoising, regard image as piecewise constant function. In these methods, some important information such as edge sharpness and location is well preserved, but some detailed image feature like texture is often compromised in the process of denoising. For this reason, an image denoising method based on local adaptive regularization is proposed in this paper, which can adaptively adjust denoising degree of noisy image by adding spatial variable fidelity term, so as to better preserve fine scale features of image. Experimental results show that the proposed denoising method can achieve state-of-the-art subjective visual effect, and the signal-noise-ratio (SNR) is also objectively improved by 0.3–0.6 dB.
Effect of Periodic Granulocyte Colony‐Stimulating Factor Administration on Endothelial Progenitor Cells and Different Monocyte Subsets in Pediatric Patients with Muscular Dystrophies
Authors: Eljaszewicz Andrzej , Sienkiewicz Dorota , Grubczak Kamil , Okurowska-Zawada Bożena , Paszko-Patej Grażyna , Miklasz Paula , Singh Paulina , Radzikowska Urszula , Kulak Wojciech , Moniuszko Marcin
Published: December 2015

Muscular dystrophies (MD) are heterogeneous group of diseases characterized by progressive muscle dysfunction. There is a large body of evidence indicating that angiogenesis is impaired in muscles of MD patients. Therefore, induction of dystrophic muscle revascularization should become a novel approach aimed at diminishing the extent of myocyte damage. Recently, we and others demonstrated that administration of granulocyte colony‐stimulating factor (G‐CSF) resulted in clinical improvement of patients with neuromuscular disorders. To date, however, the exact mechanisms underlying these beneficial effects of G‐CSF have not been fully understood. Here we used flow cytometry to quantitate numbers of CD34+ cells, endothelial progenitor cells, and different monocyte subsets in peripheral blood of pediatric MD patients treated with repetitive courses of G‐CSF administration. We showed that repetitive cycles of G‐CSF administration induced efficient mobilization of above‐mentioned cells including cells with proangiogenic potential. These findings contribute to better understanding the beneficial clinical effects of G‐CSF in pediatric MD patients.
GNSS-R Delay-Doppler Map Simulation Based on the 2004 Sumatra-Andaman Tsunami Event
Authors: Yan Qingyun , Huang Weimin
Published: December 2015

A new method for simulating Global Navigation Satellite System-Reflectometry (GNSS-R) delay-Doppler maps (DDMs) of a tsunami-dominant sea surface is presented. In this method, the bistatic scattering Z-V model, the sea surface mean square slope model of Cox and Munk, and the tsunami-induced wind perturbation model are employed. The feasibility of the Cox and Munk model under a tsunami scenario is examined by comparing the Cox and Munk model based scattering coefficient with the Jason-1 measurement. A good consistency between these two results is obtained with a correlation coefficient of 0.93. After confirming the applicability of the Cox and Munk model for a tsunami-dominated sea, this study provides the simulations of the scattering coefficient distribution and the corresponding DDMs of a fixed region of interest before and during the tsunami. In the final analysis, by subtracting the simulation results that are free of tsunami from those with presence of tsunami, the tsunami-induced variations in scattering coefficients and DDMs can be clearly observed. As a result, the tsunami passage can be readily interpreted.
The Comparison of the Immunologic Properties of Stem Cells Isolated from Human Exfoliated Deciduous Teeth, Dental Pulp, and Dental Follicles
Authors: Yildirim Selin , Zibandeh Noushin , Genc Deniz , Ozcan Elif Merve , Goker Kamil , Akkoc Tunc
Published: December 2015

Aim. To compare the effects of various mesenchymal stem cells, those isolated from human exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHEDs), dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs), and dental follicle stem cells (DFSCs), on human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Method. Mesenchymal stem cells were isolated from three sources in the orofacial region. Characterization and PCR analyses were performed. Lymphocytes were isolated from healthy peripheral venous blood. Lymphocytes were cocultured with stem cells in the presence and absence of IFN‐γ and stimulated with anti‐CD2, anti‐CD3, and anti‐CD28 for 3 days. Then, lymphocyte proliferation, the number of CD4+FoxP3+ T regulatory cells, and the levels of Fas/Fas ligand, IL‐4, IL‐10, and IFN‐γ in the culture supernatant were measured. Results. The DFSCs exhibited an enhanced differentiation capacity and an increased number of CD4+FoxP3+ T lymphocytes and suppressed the proliferation and apoptosis of PBMCs compared with SHEDs and DPSCs. The addition of IFN‐γ augmented the proliferation of DFSCs. Furthermore, the DFSCs suppressed IL‐4 and IFN‐γ cytokine levels and enhanced IL‐10 levels compared with the other cell sources. Conclusion. These results suggest that IFN‐γ stimulates DFSCs by inducing an immunomodulatory effect on the PBMCs of healthy donors while suppressing apoptosis and proliferation and increasing the number of CD4+FoxP3+ cells.
Potential Role of Activating Transcription Factor 5 during Osteogenesis
Authors: Vicari Luisa , Calabrese Giovanna , Forte Stefano , Giuffrida Raffaella , Colarossi Cristina , Parrinello Nunziatina Laura , Memeo Lorenzo
Published: December 2015

Human adipose‐derived stem cells are an abundant population of stem cells readily isolated from human adipose tissue that can differentiate into connective tissue lineages including bone, cartilage, fat, and muscle. Activating transcription factor 5 is a transcription factor of the ATF/cAMP response element‐binding protein (CREB) family. It is transcribed in two types of mRNAs (activating transcription factor 5 isoform 1 and activating transcription factor 5 isoform 2), encoding the same single 30‐kDa protein. Although it is well demonstrated that it regulates the proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis, little is known about its potential role in osteogenic differentiation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the expression levels of the two isoforms and protein during osteogenic differentiation of human adipose‐derived stem cells. Our data indicate that activating transcription factor 5 is differentially expressed reaching a peak of expression at the stage of bone mineralization. These findings suggest that activating transcription factor 5 could play an interesting regulatory role during osteogenesis, which would provide a powerful tool to study bone physiology.
Resveratrol Regulates Mitochondrial Biogenesis and Fission/Fusion to Attenuate Rotenone‐Induced Neurotoxicity
Authors: Peng Kaige , Tao Yuan , Zhang Jun , Wang Jian , Ye Feng , Dan Guorong , Zhao Yuanpeng , Cai Ying , Zhao Jiqing , Wu Qiang , Zou Zhongmin , Cao Jia , Sai Yan
Published: December 2015

It has been confirmed that mitochondrial impairment may underlie both sporadic and familial Parkinson’s disease (PD). Mitochondrial fission/fusion and biogenesis are key processes in regulating mitochondrial homeostasis. Therefore, we explored whether the protective effect of resveratrol in rotenone‐induced neurotoxicity was associated with mitochondrial fission/fusion and biogenesis. The results showed that resveratrol could not only promote mitochondrial mass and DNA copy number but also improve mitochondrial homeostasis and neuron function in rats and PC12 cells damaged by rotenone. We also observed effects with alterations in proteins known to regulate mitochondrial fission/fusion and biogenesis in rotenone‐induced neurotoxicity. Therefore, our findings suggest that resveratrol may prevent rotenone‐induced neurotoxicity through regulating mitochondrial fission/fusion and biogenesis.
Challenges and Issues in Multisensor Fusion Approach for Fall Detection: Review Paper
Authors: Koshmak Gregory , Loutfi Amy , Linden Maria
Published: December 2015

Emergency situations associated with falls are a serious concern for an aging society. Yet following the recent development within ICT, a significant number of solutions have been proposed to track body movement and detect falls using various sensor technologies, thereby facilitating fall detection and in some cases prevention. A number of recent reviews on fall detection methods using ICT technologies have emerged in the literature and an increasingly popular approach considers combining information from several sensor sources to assess falls. The aim of this paper is to review in detail the subfield of fall detection techniques that explicitly considers the use of multisensor fusion based methods to assess and determine falls. The paper highlights key differences between the single sensor-based approach and a multifusion one. The paper also describes and categorizes the various systems used, provides information on the challenges of a multifusion approach, and finally discusses trends for future work.
Exosomes and Their Therapeutic Potentials of Stem Cells
Authors: Han Chao , Sun Xuan , Liu Ling , Jiang Haiyang , Shen Yan , Xu Xiaoyun , Li Jie , Zhang Guoxin , Huang Jinsha , Lin Zhicheng , Xiong Nian , Wang Tao
Published: December 2015

Exosomes, a group of vesicles originating from the multivesicular bodies (MVBs), are released into the extracellular space when MVBs fuse with the plasma membrane. Numerous studies indicate that exosomes play important roles in cell‐to‐cell communication, and exosomes from specific cell types and conditions display multiple functions such as exerting positive effects on regeneration in many tissues. It is widely accepted that the therapeutic potential of stem cells may be mediated largely by the paracrine factors, so harnessing the paracrine effects of stem and progenitor cells without affecting these living, replicating, and potentially pluripotent cell populations is an advantage in terms of safety and complexity. Ascending evidence indicated that exosomes might be the main components of paracrine factors; thus, understanding the role of exosomes in each subtype of stem cells is far‐reaching. In this review, we discuss the functions of exosomes from different types of stem cells and emphasize the therapeutic potentials of exosomes, providing an alternative way of developing strategies to cure diseases.
Monitoring Individual Wave Characteristics in the Inner Surf with a 2-Dimensional Laser Scanner (LiDAR)
Authors: Martins Kévin , Blenkinsopp Chris E. , Zang Jun
Published: December 2015

This paper presents an investigation into the use of a 2-dimensional laser scanner (LiDAR) to obtain measurements of wave processes in the inner surf and swash zones of a microtidal beach (Rousty, Camargue, France). The bed is extracted at the wave-by-wave timescale using a variance threshold method on the time series. Individual wave properties were then retrieved from a local extrema analysis. Finally, individual and averaged wave celerities are obtained using a crest-tracking method and cross-correlation technique, respectively, and compared with common wave celerity predictors. Very good agreement was found between the individual wave properties and the wave spectrum analysis, showing the great potential of the scanner to be used in the surf and swash zone for studies of nearshore waves at the wave-by-wave timescale.
Modulation Effect of Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor Agonists on Lipid Droplet Proteins in Liver
Authors: Zhu Yun-Xia , Zhang Ming-Liang , Zhong Yuan , Wang Chen , Jia Wei-Ping
Published: December 2015

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) agonists are used for treating hyperglycemia and type 2 diabetes. However, the mechanism of action of these agonists is still under investigation. The lipid droplet-associated proteins FSP27/CIDEC and LSDP5, regulated directly by PPARγand PPARα, are associated with hepatic steatosis and insulin sensitivity. Here, we evaluated the expression levels of FSP27/CIDEC and LSDP5 and the regulation of these proteins by consumption of a high-fat diet (HFD) or administration of PPAR agonists. Mice with diet-induced obesity were treated with the PPARγor PPARαagonist, pioglitazone or fenofibrate, respectively. Liver tissues fromdb/dbdiabetic mice and human were also collected. Interestingly, FSP27/CIEDC was expressed in mouse and human livers and was upregulated in obese C57BL/6J mice. Fenofibrate treatment decreased hepatic triglyceride (TG) content and FSP27/CIDEC protein expression in mice fed an HFD diet. In mice, LSDP5 was not detected, even in the context of insulin resistance or treatment with PPAR agonists. However, LSDP5 was highly expressed in humans, with elevated expression observed in the fatty liver. We concluded that fenofibrate greatly decreased hepatic TG content and FSP27/CIDEC protein expression in mice fed an HFD, suggesting a potential regulatory role for fenofibrate in the amelioration of hepatic steatosis.
The effect of acid drinking water on rumen protozoa in the blesbok (Damaliscus dorcas phillipsi)
Authors: BOOYSE D. G. , DEHORITY B. A. , MYBURGH J. G.
Published: December 2015

Rumen contents were collected from ten adult female blesbok, five from a mine area with only acid drinking water available and five from a control group consuming normal, non-polluted drinking water. The mean concentration of total protozoa in the normal water group was almost double that in the acid drinking water group, 24.9 x 103 versus 14.7 x 103 . Percent of Entodinium was higher and Diplodinium lower in those animals drinking the acid water. The number of different protozoa species present in animals from both locations was fairly similar. Diplodinium bubalidis, Ostracodinium gracile and Diplodinium consors were present in the highest percentage in the normal water group, 18.8, 18.4 and 17.7 %, respectively. The same three species, plus Entodinium dubardi, were also highest in the acid water group, O. gracile, 21.3 %; D. consors, 12.6 %; E. dubardi, 11.4 % and D. bubalidis, 10.3 %. Seventeen species of protozoa found in this study were a new host record for the blesbok, bringing the total number of species reported from the blesbok to 29.
Two new species of the syringophilid quill mites (Acari: Prostigmata: Syringophilidae) parasitizing apodiform birds (Aves: Apodiformes)
Authors: SKORAcki MACIEJ , Kaszewska Katarzyna , KAVETSKA KATARZYNA
Published: December 2015

Two new syringophilid species (Acariformes: Syringophilidae) are described, Apodisyringiana hirundapi sp. nov. from Hirundapus caudacutus (Latham) from Japan and Syringophiloidus apus sp. nov. from Apus melba (Linnaeus) from Chile.
Poor Concordance Between Elevated Blood Pressures in the Preschool Years
Authors: To Wendy J. , King Tonya S. , Sekhar Deepa L.
Published: December 2015

The 2013 US Preventive Services Task Force report found insufficient evidence for pediatric blood pressure screening. This retrospective study evaluated the reliability of successive annual blood pressure screening of children for hypertension at the 3-, 4-, and 5-year-old health maintenance visits (January 1, 2010 to June 18, 2014). Of 328 patients, 290 (88%) were normotensive at all 3 visits. All elevated blood pressures (≥95th percentile) were stage 1. No patient was hypertensive (3 elevated measures). The extended concordance correlation coefficient indicated poor agreement for systolic (0.19, 95% CI −0.49 to 0.72) and diastolic (0.11, 95% CI −0.39 to 0.56) measurements. Blood pressure at the 3-year (κ −0.008, 95% CI −0.11 to 0.09), 4-year (κ 0.09, 95% CI −0.06 to 0.24), or 5-year (κ 0.08, 95% CI −0.05 to 0.20) visit was not associated with elevated blood pressures at the other 2 time points. In the preschool years, stage 1 elevated blood pressures do not correlate with hypertension and may be better managed by watchful waiting and parental reassurance.
Teaching cultural aspects of trauma practice in a study abroad immersion course: Challenges and strategies
Authors: Berger Roni , Paul Marilyn S
Published: December 2015

Advantages, phases, challenges, and strategies related to the process and procedures involved in planning, implementing, and evaluating study abroad programs, and addressing emergencies have been discussed as being issues in teaching trauma and diversity content. However, very little has been written about study abroad programs dedicated to specific topics and no studies address teaching trauma content by means of international immersion courses. This article discusses pedagogical and logistic aspects of teaching about trauma in diverse cultural contexts using a recent intensive immersion study abroad course in Israel to illustrate the issues under discussion.
When Family Supportive Supervisors Meet Employees’ Need for Caring: Implications for Work–Family Enrichment and Thriving
Authors: Russo Marcello , Buonocore Filomena , Carmeli Abraham , Guo Liang
Published: December 2015

This article presents two studies that examine the moderated multiple mediation model between Family Supportive Supervisors Behaviors (FSSB) and individual’s thriving at work through psychological availability and work–family enrichment at conditional levels of need for caring. Drawing on the Resource-Gain-Development framework and self-determination theory, the results of the 6-month time-lagged data demonstrate, in Study 1 (Italian sample = 156), that FSSB is associated with greater individual thriving at work via work–family enrichment and that this indirect relationship is significant exclusively for those who perceive a higher need for caring. In Study 2 (Chinese sample = 356), the results demonstrate the relationship between FSSB and thriving at work is serially mediated by both psychological availability and work–family enrichment at the conditional level of need for caring. In particular, the results demonstrate that individuals with a higher need for caring responded more favorably to the presence of a family supportive supervisor than those experiencing a lower need for caring. Implications for research and practice are discussed.
MOGADOR revisited: Improving a genetic approach to multi-objective corridor search
Authors: Fournier Eric Daniel
Published: December 2015

The MOGADOR algorithm is a specialized heuristic approach to the shortest path problem, which employs genetic operators to the search for near optimal corridors within the context of multiple independent objectives. This article expands upon the work contained in the MOGADOR algorithm’s debut publication by introducing a set of refined techniques for initializing the algorithm, which are responsive to the characteristics of the problem specification, the desired runtime, and the global quality of the output solution set. A core component of these techniques is the introduction of a novel process for constructing so-called pseudo-random walks that is based on the repetitive sampling of a dynamically parameterized bivariate-normal distribution. Guidance is provided regarding the appropriate parameterization of the proposed initialization procedure for a variety of problem contexts. The article concludes with a prospective treatment of different approaches to the parallelization of the algorithm’s various components and references an open source library containing the source code for the various new algorithms introduced.
Age-Related Risk Factors for Revision Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction
Authors: Maletis Gregory B. , Chen Jason , Inacio Maria C.S. , Funahashi Tadashi T.
Published: December 2015

Background:

It is not clear whether risk factors for revision anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) are the same throughout patients’ lives.

Purpose:

To assess (1) the risk of revision ACLR by age and (2) age-specific risk factors for revision ACLR.

Study Design:

Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2.

Methods:

A cohort study using patients having undergone primary ACLR who were registered in the Kaiser Permanente ACLR Registry (February 2005 to June 2013) was conducted. Aseptic revision was the main endpoint. Age was evaluated as a risk factor for revision. The cohort was stratified into 4 age groups: <21, 21-30, 31-40, and >40 years. Graft type, sex, body mass index (BMI), and race were assessed as revision risk factors within each group. Survival analyses were conducted.

Results:

Of the 21,304 patients evaluated, 7026 (33%) patients were aged <21 years, 5762 (27%) were 21-30 years, 4656 (22%) were 31-40 years, and 3860 (18%) were >40 years. Allografts were used in 8671 (41%) patients, hamstring autografts in 6823 (32%), and bone–patellar tendon–bone (BPTB) autografts in 5260 (25%). The 5-year revision probability was highest in patients <21 years old (9.0%; 95% CI, 8.0%-10.1%) and lowest in those >40 years old (1.9%; 95% CI, 1.3%-2.7%). Compared with patients aged >40 years, the adjusted revision risk for patients aged <21 years was 7.76 (95% CI, 5.52-10.90). In patients aged <21 years, a lower revision risk was seen in female patients (hazard ratio [HR], 0.76; 95% CI, 0.61-0.93) compared with male patients, patients with a BMI of 30-35 kg/m2 (HR, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.59-0.95) and BMI >35 kg/m2 (HR, 0.49; 95% CI, 0.34-0.70) compared with those with a BMI <30 kg/m2, and black patients (HR, 0.55, 95% CI, 0.36-0.85) compared with white patients. Sex, BMI, and race were not associated with the risk of revision in older patients. In patients ≤40 years old, those with allografts had a higher risk of revision than those with BPTB autografts (HR, 2.69, 2.35, and 3.04 for patients aged <21, 21-30, and 31-40 years, respectively). Patients <21 years old with hamstring autografts had a 1.61 times (95% CI, 1.20-2.17) higher risk of revision than did patients with BPTB autografts; these differences were not identified in older patients.

Conclusion:

Age at the time of ACLR surgery is a strong risk factor for revision ACLR. Other risk factors for revision ACLR, such as graft type, sex, race, and BMI, may vary in strength and significance over a patient’s life. Understanding the age-related risk factors associated with revision ACLR may help with appropriate patient counseling and optimal graft choice when performing ACLR.
The Influence of Academic Tracking on Adolescent Social Networks
Authors: Fisher Kim W. , Shogren Karrie A.
Published: December 2015

This study examined adolescents’ social capital, through social network analyses (i.e., ego network analyses), in two high schools where students were placed into academic tracks adopted by the schools and shaped by disability status (i.e., general education, co-taught, segregated special education classrooms). The impact of academic tracks, as well as the impact of personal and environmental characteristics, on ego networks was examined. Differences in ego network structural characteristics (i.e., network size, density, effective size, and efficiency) across academics tracks, differences in information communication technology (ICT) use, and participation in informal social activity for students in the segregated special education track are highlighted. Implications for research and practice, including supporting the use of ICT and ego network mapping during instruction, are provided.
Military Service and Lifetime Arrests: Examining the Effects of the Total Military Experience on Arrests in a Sample of Prison Inmates
Authors: Brooke Erika J. , Gau Jacinta M.
Published: December 2015

Service in the military is an important event that may shape veterans’ life trajectories. Research has shown that military service is associated with increased risk of alcohol and substance abuse, mental illness, and antisocial behaviors, yet it remains unclear whether service places veterans at elevated risk of criminal justice involvement. In addition, most prior research treats military service as a dichotomous variable and does not consider the specific components of the military experience that might affect the impact that service has upon veterans. In the present study, a large sample of state prison inmates is utilized to test for the potential impact of military service, by itself, as well as age of entry, length of service, combat exposure, discharge type, and branch status on lifetime arrests. Results have implications for both military and criminal justice policies in ensuring that veterans have the assistance they need as they re-enter civilian life.
Study of surface finish of fiber-reinforced composite molds
Authors: Chardon Grégory , Chanal Hélène , Duc Emmanuel , Garnier Thierry
Published: December 2015

One of the primary processes for the production of composite parts is the liquid composite molding process. This process is based on the injection of resin into a mold, which is usually metallic. Today, studies are being undertaken to produce these molds using Hextool™, a carbon fiber–reinforced thermosetting plastic. The molds, constructed by draping prepregs, must be finished by free-form machining to ensure the dimensional and surface quality requirements. An arithmetic roughness of 0.8 µm is required, and this quality is not attained by milling operations. Thus, a manual polishing operation is necessary. However, to minimize the time taken by this manual operation, it is necessary to verify the roughness obtained by milling. Thus, the work presented in this article consists first of a study of the capability of milling to produce molds from Hextool with given surface quality requirements. The conclusion of this study is to define values of radial depth of cut to attain a surface quality with minimum machining time. Second, this work highlights how to replace the manual polishing operation by a machining operation with an abrasive diamond tool. Thus, the capability of an abrasive diamond tool to machine a mold with high surface requirements is discussed.
A new congruency-based hysteresis modeling and compensating of a piezoactuator incorporating an adaptive neuron fuzzy inference system
Authors: Nguyen Phuong-Bac , Choi Seung-Bok , Song Byung-Keun
Published: December 2015

This paper proposes a new approach to modeling and compensating for a rate-independent hysteresis of a piezoactuator. The model—namely, congruency-based hysteresis—is developed based on two very important characteristics of the hysteresis. These are congruency and wipe-out. The proposed approach consists of two branches for cases of monotonic increase and monotonic decrease of input excitation. In order to realize this model, datasets of first-order minor-loop values should be determined in advance. This can be done using the adaptive neuron fuzzy system (ANFIS) technique and experimental data. With this technique, an input-output relationship of first-order minor-loop values is estimated effectively. In addition, the ANFIS technique is also used in constructing datasets of inverse first-order minor-loop values, which are essential parts of a congruency-based hysteresis compensator. Several experiments in modeling and open-loop control are conducted to show the effectiveness of the proposed approach. In addition, a comparative work between the proposed approach and one of previous works is undertaken to demonstrate the benefit of the proposed method.
Continuum damage-healing constitutive modeling for concrete materials through stress spectral decomposition
Authors: Shahsavari H , Baghani M , Sohrabpour S , Naghdabadi R
Published: December 2015

Self-healing concrete materials have the capability to recover a part of the weakened mechanical properties induced by damage. In this paper, a constitutive model is proposed to investigate damage and healing phenomena in concrete materials. In order to consider the different behavior of concretes in tension and compression, a spectral decomposition of the stress is utilized. In addition, employing the Clausius–Duhem inequality and considering the irreversible thermodynamics, conjugate forces of the damage and healing are expressed. The Gibbs potential energy is decomposed into three parts: elastic, damage and healing. In this regard, damage and healing behavior are distinguished from the elastic behavior via the damage and healing surfaces [Formula: see text]. Evolution equations of damage and healing variables are proposed based on these surfaces. Validity of the proposed model is shown in uniaxial tension and compression loading conditions compared to the experimental data available in the literature. Finally, parametric studies are applied on the healing parameters to show the response of the self-healing concrete materials in tension and compression.
The Effects of Emotional Appeals and Gain Versus Loss Framing in Communicating Sea Star Wasting Disease
Authors: Lu Hang
Published: December 2015

In response to the recent sea star wasting disease event and the growing concern over the negative consequences of eco-depression regarding environmental crises, this study investigated the effects of two emotional appeals (sadness and hope) and their interaction with gain versus loss framing on information seeking, policy support, and pro-environmental behavioral intentions. Overall, the results suggest that the sadness appeal was an effective approach in promoting information seeking and policy support, whereas the impacts of the hope appeal were limited in this context. In addition, this study provides initial evidence that a sadness appeal will be more effective when it is accompanied by gain framing and that a hope appeal tends to have greater impacts when it is juxtaposed with loss framing. Future implications and limitations are also discussed.
Powell’s method-based nonlinear least-squares data fitting for the Mittag-Leffler relaxation function
Authors: Fang Changqing , Sun Huiyu , Gu Jianping
Published: December 2015

The Mittag-Leffler relaxation function, [Formula: see text], with [Formula: see text], plays an important role in the fractional viscoelastic models. The Mittag-Leffler function is an infinite series whose analytic derivatives are unexplored, thus a direct search method based on Powell’s method is introduced to solve the minimization problem of nonlinear least-squares data fitting for Mittag-Leffler relaxation function in this paper. A simple and effective method is provided for the determination of the initial values and an acceleration strategy is proposed for this direct search method. Numerical results show this direct search method is efficient in the parameter estimation of the Mittag-Leffler relaxation function. Furthermore, the acceleration strategy proves to be conducive to improving the computational efficiency of this direct search method.
Finite element analysis of tilted thrust pad bearings of various recesses shapes considering thrust pad flexibility
Authors: Yadav Saurabh K , Sharma Satish C
Published: December 2015

The performance characteristics of capillary compensated tilted pad hydrostatic bearing operating with Newtonian lubricant and cubic law lubricant are studied numerically considering the flexibility of pad. The two-dimensional Reynolds equation coupled with three-dimensional equilibrium equations governing the deformation of thrust pad has been solved by using finite element method. The results indicate the influence of tilt parameter and bearing deformation on bearing performance characteristics parameters. In the analysis, four different types of recess shapes such as rectangular, circular, elliptical, and square have been chosen for the analysis. The results show that the consideration of bearing pad deformation significantly increases the value of fluid-film stiffness coefficient and decreases the value of fluid-film damping coefficient. The fluid-film pressure distributions also compared for circular, elliptical, square, and rectangular bearing.
Effective Pedagogical Strategies for Millennial University Students in Communication Sciences and Disorders
Authors: Roseberry-McKibbin Celeste , Pieretti Robert , Haberstock Keith , Estrada Jovany
Published: December 2015

University instructors nationwide have been recognizing the increased importance of updating classroom teaching strategies to accommodate the needs of the millennial student generation. This article shares results of surveys of 323 university students in communication sciences and disorders and what they view as effective pedagogical strategies that meet their needs in university classrooms.