bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
MODELING MECHANICAL CELL DAMAGE IN THE BIOPRINTING PROCESS EMPLOYING A CONICAL NEEDLE
Authors: LI MINGGAN , TIAN XIAOYU , KOZINSKI JANUSZ A , CHEN XIONGBIAO , HWANG DAE KUN
Published: March 2015

Biofabrication technologies involve the incorporation of living cells into various bioproducts by employing different cell manipulation techniques. Among them, bioprinting, delivering cell suspension through a fine needle under pressurized air, has been widely used because of its capability of precise process control. In the cell-printing process of bioprinting, cells are exposed to fluid stresses due to the velocity gradient in the fine needle. If the stresses exceed a certain level, the cell membrane may be overstretched, leading to membrane failure and thus causing mechanical cell damage. Modeling the mechanical cell damage in the bioprinting process is a challenging task due to the complex fluid flow and cell deformation involved. This paper introduces a novel method based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to represent the mechanical cell damage in the bioprinting process using a conical needle. Specifically, the cell deformation and movement during the cell-fluid interaction processes were represented by the immersed boundary method (IBM). A strain energy density (SED)-based cell damage criterion was developed and used to determine cell damage. Experiments were performed by using 3T3 fibroblasts and the results agree well with the proposed model.
THE ROLE OF DEFAULTS IN PREVENTING INNOVATION REJECTION
Authors: KUESTER SABINE , HESS SILKE C. , HERRMANN ANDREAS
Published: March 2015

Innovation rejection remains a serious problem for companies introducing new products, as customers may overvalue products they already own and underestimate the innovation's advantage. Choice data from two experiments demonstrate that innovation rejection is determined by (dis)satisfaction with the status quo and that defaults are powerful instruments to overcome the status quo effect in innovation decision making. Innovation rejection decreases significantly if the innovation is implemented as a default, an option customers select unless they actively opt out. Furthermore, it is observed that implementing the innovation as the default significantly increases the perceived value and decreases the perceived risk of the innovation. Taking into account customer expertise, the authors detect that defaults are more effective in reducing innovation rejection for novices. The study derives managerial implications for new product launch management that aims at preventing innovation rejection.
Stability analysis of combined project of fish, broiler and ducks: Dynamical system in imprecise environment
Authors: De A. , Maity K. , Maiti M.
Published: March 2015

In this paper, we consider three species harvesting model and develop a solution procedure which is able to calculate the equilibrium points of the model where some biological parameters of the model are interval numbers. A parametric mathematical program is formulated to find the biological equilibrium of the model for different values of parameters. This interval-valued problem is converted into equivalent crisp model using interval operations. The main advantage of the proposed procedure is that we can present different characteristics of the model in a single framework. Analytically, the existence of steady state and stabilities are looked into. Using mathematical software, the model is illustrated and the results are obtained and presented in tabular and graphical forms.
Impacts of Room Temperature on the Performance of a Portable Propane Air Conditioner
Authors: Sharifian Ahmad , Siang Jeri Tangalajuk
Published: March 2015

The performance of a portable propane air conditioner system, in which the temperatures of the air passing over the condenser and evaporator are equal, has been experimentally investigated under different room temperatures and refrigerant charge levels. The research has been carried out in a range of room temperatures from 20°C to 35°C and in undercharge, standard charge and overcharge conditions. The results show that, at higher room temperatures, the refrigerant temperature in all parts of the system, the density of the refrigerant at the inlet and outlet of the condenser, mass of the refrigerant in the compressor, the mass flow rate of the refrigerant and the cooling capacity of the system in either the undercharge or full charge condition, the specific cooling capacity of the undercharge system, the useful work of the compressor, and the maximum pressure of the refrigerant increase. The increase in room temperature decreases the density of the refrigerant at the inlet and outlet of the capillary tube, the mass of the refrigerant in the capillary tube, the refrigerant subcooling at the inlet of the capillary tube, the maximum velocity of the refrigerant and the coefficient of performance. In addition, the increase in room temperature at overcharge condition causes an increase in the mass flow rate, cooling capacity and specific cooling capacity to a maximum value followed by their decrease. The most important difference between a portable air conditioner and a nonportable system is the increase in cooling capacity with an increase in room temperature in full charge condition.
Design and Implementation of a Thrust-Vectored Unmanned Tail-Sitter with Reconfigurable Wings
Authors: Ang Kevin Z. Y. , Cui Jin Q. , Pang Tao , Li Kun , Wang Kangli , Ke Yijie , Chen Ben M.
Published: March 2015

In this paper, we present the development of a reconfigurable hybrid unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV): U-Lion [Ang et al., 11th IEEE Int. Conf. Control Automation (ICCA), pp. 750–755]. U-Lion is a small-scale UAV that is capable of vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) and fixed-wing Cruise modes through its unique mechanical design. Mainly built with carbon fiber and expanded polyolefin (EPO) foam, U-Lion is equipped with an array of avionic components which enable stable control of the UAV both in VTOL and Cruise modes. It was employed by the National University of Singapore (NUS) Unmanned System Research Group to participate in the 2013 UAV Grand Prix (UAVGP) competition held in Beijing, China. Its design adopts a reconfigurable wing and a tail-sitter structure, which combines the advantages of a fixed-wing plane and a rotor helicopter effectively. U-Lion could transit from vertical takeoff to a hovering stage before flying in Cruise mode to realize efficient long duration flight. The propulsion of U-Lion comes from a self-fabricated contra-rotating motor fixed on a gimbal mechanism which can change the direction of the motor for the required thrust. This thrust-vectored propulsion system primarily provides control in the VTOL mode but also enhances flight capabilities in Cruise mode. The maximum thrust provided by the motor can be as high as 40 N and it provides six degree of motion controls in VTOL mode. U-Lion has a few special internal designs to empower its capabilities: (1) Reconfigurable wings allow the U-Lion to adapt to different flying modes. (2) Adaptive center of gravity (CG) by adjusting the battery position to fulfill the different requirements of CG for VTOL mode and Cruise mode. (3) Unique contra-rotating thrust-vectored propulsion system. The detailed design and implementation procedure have been presented in this paper along with our computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation results, real flight tests and competition performance.
In vivo behavior of the human soleus muscle with increasing walking and running speeds
Authors: Lai Adrian , Lichtwark Glen A. , Schache Anthony G. , Lin Yi-Chung , Brown Nicholas A. T. , Pandy Marcus G.
Published: March 2015

The interaction between the muscle fascicle and tendon components of the human soleus (SO) muscle influences the capacity of the muscle to generate force and mechanical work during walking and running. In the present study, ultrasound-based measurements of in vivo SO muscle fascicle behavior were combined with an inverse dynamics analysis to investigate the interaction between the muscle fascicle and tendon components over a broad range of steady-state walking and running speeds: slow-paced walking (0.7 m/s) through to moderate-paced running (5.0 m/s). Irrespective of a change in locomotion mode (i.e., walking vs. running) or an increase in steady-state speed, SO muscle fascicles were found to exhibit minimal shortening compared with the muscle-tendon unit (MTU) throughout stance. During walking and running, the muscle fascicles contributed only 35 and 20% of the overall MTU length change and shortening velocity, respectively. Greater levels of muscle activity resulted in increasingly shorter SO muscle fascicles as locomotion speed increased, both of which facilitated greater tendon stretch and recoil. Thus the elastic tendon contributed the majority of the MTU length change during walking and running. When transitioning from walking to running near the preferred transition speed (2.0 m/s), greater, more economical ankle torque development is likely explained by the SO muscle fascicles shortening more slowly and operating on a more favorable portion (i.e., closer to the plateau) of the force-length curve.
Effective Semisupervised Community Detection Using Negative Information
Authors: Liu Dong , Duan Dequan , Sui Shikai , Song Guojie
Published: March 2015

The semisupervised community detection method, which can utilize prior information to guide the discovery process of community structure, has aroused considerable research interests in the past few years. Most of the former works assume that the exact labels of some nodes are known in advance and presented in the forms of individual labels and pairwise constraints. In this paper, we propose a novel type of prior information called negative information, which indicates whether a node does not belong to a specific community. Then the semisupervised community detection algorithm is presented based on negative information to efficiently make use of this type of information to assist the process of community detection. The proposed algorithm is evaluated on several artificial and real-world networks and shows high effectiveness in recovering communities.
Reproducing Kernel Particle Method for Radiative Heat Transfer in 1D Participating Media
Authors: Mu Lei , He Zhi-hong , Dong Shi-kui
Published: March 2015

The reproducing kernel particle method (RKPM), which is a Lagrangian meshless method, is employed for the calculation of radiative heat transfer in participating media. In the present method, for each discrete particle (i.e., spatial node) within a local support domain, the approximate formulas of the radiative intensity and its derivatives are constructed by the reproducing kernel interpolation function, and the residual function is obtained when these parameters are substituted into the radiative transfer equation. Then the least-squares point collocation technique (LSPCT) is introduced by minimizing the summation of residual function. Five test cases are considered and quantified to verify the meshless method, including isotropic scattering medium, first-order forward scattering medium, pure absorbing medium, absorbing scattering medium, and absorbing, scattering emitting medium. The results are in good agreement with the benchmark methods, showing the reproducing kernel particle method is an efficient, accurate, and stable method for the calculation of radiative transfer in participating media.
Effects of the ProbioticEnterococcus faeciumand PathogenicEscherichia coliStrains in a Pig and Human Epithelial Intestinal Cell Model
Authors: Lodemann Ulrike , Strahlendorf Julia , Schierack Peter , Klingspor Shanti , Aschenbach Jörg R. , Martens Holger
Published: March 2015

The aim of this study has been to elucidate the effect of the probioticEnterococcus faeciumNCIMB 10415 on epithelial integrity in intestinal epithelial cells and whether pre- and coincubation with this strain can reproducibly prevent damage induced by enterotoxigenic (ETEC) and enteropathogenicEscherichia coli(EPEC). Porcine (IPEC-J2) and human (Caco-2) intestinal epithelial cells were incubated with bacterial strains and epithelial integrity was assessed by measuring transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER) and mannitol flux rates.E. faeciumalone increased TEER of Caco-2 cells without affecting mannitol fluxes whereas theE. colistrains decreased TEER and concomitantly increased mannitol flux rates in both cell lines. Preincubation withE. faeciumhad no effect on the TEER decrease induced byE. coliin preliminary experiments. However, in a second set of experiments using a slightly different protocol,E. faeciumameliorated the TEER decrease induced by ETEC at 4 h in IPEC-J2 and at 2, 4, and 6 h in Caco-2 cells. We conclude thatE. faeciumpositively affected epithelial integrity in monoinfected Caco-2 cells and could ameliorate the damage on TEER induced by an ETEC strain. Reproducibility of the results is, however, limited when experiments are performed with living bacteria over longer periods.
Diabetic Foot Syndrome as a Possible Cardiovascular Marker in Diabetic Patients
Authors: Tuttolomondo Antonino , Maida Carlo , Pinto Antonio
Published: March 2015

Diabetic foot ulcerations have been extensively reported as vascular complications of diabetes mellitus associated with a high degree of morbidity and mortality; in fact, some authors showed a higher prevalence of major, previous and new-onset, cardiovascular, and cerebrovascular events in diabetic patients with foot ulcers than in those without these complications. This is consistent with the fact that in diabetes there is a complex interplay of several variables with inflammatory metabolic disorders and their effect on the cardiovascular system that could explain previous reports of high morbidity and mortality rates in diabetic patients with amputations. Involvement of inflammatory markers such as IL-6 plasma levels and resistin in diabetic subjects confirmed the pathogenetic issue of the “adipovascular” axis that may contribute to cardiovascular risk in patients with type 2 diabetes. In patients with diabetic foot, this “adipovascular axis” expression in lower plasma levels of adiponectin and higher plasma levels of IL-6 could be linked to foot ulcers pathogenesis by microvascular and inflammatory mechanisms. The purpose of this review is to focus on the immune inflammatory features of DFS and its possible role as a marker of cardiovascular risk in diabetes patients.
Research of Chaotic Dynamics of 3D Autonomous Quadratic Systems by Their Reduction to Special 2D Quadratic Systems
Authors: Belozyorov Vasiliy
Published: March 2015

New results about the existence of chaotic dynamics in the quadratic 3D systems are derived. These results are based on the method allowing studying dynamics of 3D system of autonomous quadratic differential equations with the help of reduction of this system to the special 2D quadratic system of differential equations.
Numerical Investigations of the Effect of Nonlinear Quadratic Pressure Gradient Term on a Moving Boundary Problem of Radial Flow in Low-Permeable Reservoirs with Threshold Pressure Gradient
Authors: Liu Wenchao , Yao Jun
Published: March 2015

The existence of a TPG can generate a relatively high pressure gradient in the process of fluid flow in porous media in low-permeable reservoirs, and neglecting the QPGTs in the governing equations, by assuming a small pressure gradient for such a problem, can cause a significant error in predicting the formation pressure. Based on these concerns, in consideration of the QPGT, a moving boundary model of radial flow in low-permeable reservoirs with the TPG for the case of a constant flow rate at the inner boundary is constructed. Due to strong nonlinearity of the mathematical model, a numerical method is presented: the system of partial differential equations for the moving boundary problem is first transformed equivalently into a closed system of partial differential equations with fixed boundary conditions by a spatial coordinate transformation method; and then a stable, fully implicit finite difference method is used to obtain its numerical solution. Numerical result analysis shows that the mathematical models of radial flow in low-permeable reservoirs with TPG must take the QPGT into account in their governing equations, which is more important than those of Darcy’s flow; the sensitive effects of the QPGT for the radial flow model do not change with an increase of the dimensionless TPG.
Candidate Smoke Region Segmentation of Fire Video Based on Rough Set Theory
Authors: Zhao Yaqin
Published: March 2015

Candidate smoke region segmentation is the key link of smoke video detection; an effective and prompt method of candidate smoke region segmentation plays a significant role in a smoke recognition system. However, the interference of heavy fog and smoke-color moving objects greatly degrades the recognition accuracy. In this paper, a novel method of candidate smoke region segmentation based on rough set theory is presented. First, Kalman filtering is used to update video background in order to exclude the interference of static smoke-color objects, such as blue sky. Second, in RGB color space smoke regions are segmented by defining the upper approximation, lower approximation, and roughness of smoke-color distribution. Finally, in HSV color space small smoke regions are merged by the definition of equivalence relation so as to distinguish smoke images from heavy fog images in terms ofVcomponent value variety from center to edge of smoke region. The experimental results on smoke region segmentation demonstrated the effectiveness and usefulness of the proposed scheme.
PVT1: A Rising Star among Oncogenic Long Noncoding RNAs
Authors: Colombo Teresa , Farina Lorenzo , Macino Giuseppe , Paci Paola
Published: March 2015

It is becoming increasingly clear that short and long noncoding RNAs critically participate in the regulation of cell growth, differentiation, and (mis)function. However, while the functional characterization of short non-coding RNAs has been reaching maturity, there is still a paucity of well characterized long noncoding RNAs, even though large studies in recent years are rapidly increasing the number of annotated ones. The long noncoding RNA PVT1 is encoded by a gene that has been long known since it resides in the well-known cancer risk region 8q24. However, a couple of accidental concurrent conditions have slowed down the study of this gene, that is, a preconception on the primacy of the protein-coding over noncoding RNAs and the prevalent interest in its neighbor MYC oncogene. Recent studies have brought PVT1 under the spotlight suggesting interesting models of functioning, such as competing endogenous RNA activity and regulation of protein stability of important oncogenes, primarily of the MYC oncogene. Despite some advancements in modelling the PVT1 role in cancer, there are many questions that remain unanswered concerning the precise molecular mechanisms underlying its functioning.
Evaluating Lignin-Rich Residues from Biochemical Ethanol Production of Wheat Straw and Olive Tree Pruning by FTIR and 2D-NMR
Authors: Santos José I. , Martín-Sampedro Raquel , Fillat Úrsula , Oliva José M. , Negro María J. , Ballesteros Mercedes , Eugenio María E. , Ibarra David
Published: March 2015

Lignin-rich residues from the cellulose-based industry are traditionally incinerated for internal energy use. The future biorefineries that convert cellulosic biomass into biofuels will generate more lignin than necessary for internal energy use, and therefore value-added products from lignin could be produced. In this context, a good understanding of lignin is necessary prior to its valorization. The present study focused on the characterization of lignin-rich residues from biochemical ethanol production, including steam explosion, saccharification, and fermentation, of wheat straw and olive tree pruning. In addition to the composition and purity, the lignin structures (S/G ratio, interunit linkages) were investigated by spectroscopy techniques such as FTIR and 2D-NMR. Together with the high lignin content, both residues contained significant amounts of carbohydrates, mainly glucose and protein. Wheat straw lignin showed a very low S/G ratio associated withp-hydroxycinnamates (p-coumarate and ferulate), whereas a strong predominance of S over G units was observed for olive tree pruning lignin. The main interunit linkages present in both lignins wereβ-O-4′ethers followed by resinols and phenylcoumarans. These structural characteristics determine the use of these lignins in respect to their valorization.
A Differential-Algebraic Model for the Once-Through Steam Generator of MHTGR-Based Multimodular Nuclear Plants
Authors: Dong Zhe
Published: March 2015

Small modular reactors (SMRs) are those fission reactors whose electrical output power is no more than 300 MWe. SMRs usually have the inherent safety feature that can be applicable to power plants of any desired power rating by applying the multimodular operation scheme. Due to its strong inherent safety feature, the modular high temperature gas-cooled reactor (MHTGR), which uses helium as coolant and graphite as moderator and structural material, is a typical SMR for building the next generation of nuclear plants (NGNPs). The once-through steam generator (OTSG) is the basis of realizing the multimodular scheme, and modeling of the OTSG is meaningful to study the dynamic behavior of the multimodular plants and to design the operation and control strategy. In this paper, based upon the conservation laws of mass, energy, and momentum, a new differential-algebraic model for the OTSGs of the MHTGR-based multimodular nuclear plants is given. This newly-built model can describe the dynamic behavior of the OTSG in both the cases of providing superheated steam and generating saturated steam. Numerical simulation results show the feasibility and satisfactory performance of this model. Moreover, this model has been applied to develop the real-time simulation software for the operation and regulation features of the world first underconstructed MHTGR-based commercial nuclear plant—HTR-PM.
Semiglobal Stabilization via Output-Feedback for a Class of Nontriangular Nonlinear Systems with an Unknown Coefficient
Authors: Liu Mengliang , Liu Yungang , Li Fengzhong
Published: March 2015

This paper is devoted to the semiglobal stabilization via output-feedback for a class of uncertain nonlinear systems. Remark that the systems in question contain an unknown control coefficient which inherently depends on the system output and allow larger-than-two order growing unmeasurable states which is the obstruction of global stabilization via output-feedback. By introducing a recursive reduced-order observer and combining with saturated state estimate, a desired output-feedback controller is explicitly constructed for the systems. Under the appropriate choice of design parameters, the controller can make the closed-loop system semiglobally attractive and locally exponentially stable at the origin. A simulation example is provided to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
Safety of Chinese Herbal Medicine for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Authors: Coyle Meaghan , Shergis Johannah Linda , Liu Shaonan , Wu Lei , Zhang Anthony Lin , Guo Xinfeng , Lu Chuanjian , Xue Charlie Changli
Published: March 2015

Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) is increasingly used by patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD); however, there has been no systematic evaluation of its safety. This review examined the adverse events (AEs) reported in clinical studies of CHM for COPD. Five English databases (PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, AMED, and CENTRAL) and four Chinese databases (CBM, CNKI, CQVIP, and Wanfang Data) were searched from inception to May 2013. Adverse event data, including nature, severity, author-assigned causality, management, and outcome, were extracted from included studies. Descriptive statistics were used for the rate of adverse events. Of the 152 included studies, AEs were reported in 47 studies. The rate of adverse events was slightly lower in the CHM groups compared with controls (84 events in 5,909 participants, 1.4% versus 102 events in 5,676 participants, 1.8%). The most frequently reported adverse event was nausea (28 cases in the CHM groups and 19 cases in the control groups), which was more common in studies where CHM was combined with pharmacotherapy to treat acute exacerbation of COPD. Other frequent adverse events were abdominal discomfort, dry mouth, and dizziness. Detailed information about the adverse events was scant. Overall, CHM appears to be well tolerated in people with COPD.
Temperature Dependent Viscosity of a Third Order Thin Film Fluid Layer on a Lubricating Vertical Belt
Authors: Gul T. , Islam S. , Shah R. A. , Khan I. , Dennis L. C. C.
Published: March 2015

This paper aims to study the influence of heat transfer on thin film flow of a reactive third order fluid with variable viscosity and slip boundary condition. The problem is formulated in the form of coupled nonlinear equations governing the flow together with appropriate boundary conditions. Approximate analytical solutions for velocity and temperature are obtained using Adomian Decomposition Method (ADM). Such solutions are also obtained by using Optimal Homotopy Asymptotic Method (OHAM) and are compared with ADM solutions. Both of these solutions are found identical as shown in graphs and tables. The graphical results for embedded flow parameters are also shown.
Market Share Delegation in a Bertrand Duopoly: Synchronisation and Multistability
Authors: Fanti Luciano , Gori Luca , Mammana Cristiana , Michetti Elisabetta
Published: March 2015

This paper tackles the issue of local and global analyses of a duopoly game with price competition and market share delegation. The dynamics of the economy is characterised by a differentiable two-dimensional discrete time system. The paper stresses the importance of complementarity between products as a source of synchronisation in the long term, in contrast to the case of their substitutability. This means that when products are complements, players may coordinate their behaviour even if initial conditions are different. In addition, there exist multiple attractors so that even starting with similar conditions may end up generating very different dynamic patterns.
CNTNAP3 Associated ATG16L1 Expression and Crohn’s Disease
Authors: Qiao Yu Qi , Huang Mei Lan , Zheng Qing , Wang Tian Rong , Xu An Tao , Cao Yuan , Zhao Di , Ran Zhi Hua , Shen Jun
Published: March 2015

Autophagy is a common physiological process in cell homeostasis and regulation. Autophagy‐related gene mutations and autophagy disorders are important in Crohn’s disease (CD). The nucleotide oligomerization domain 2–autophagy genes autophagy 16‐like 1 (NOD2–ATG16L1) signaling axis disorder contributes to the dysfunction of autophagy. This paper is focused on the relationship between contactin associated protein‐like 3 (CNTNAP3) and ATG16L1 expression in Crohn’s disease. The results indicated that the expression of ATG16L1 is higher in some CD patients compared to normal controls. ATG16L1 was well correlated with the C‐reactive protein (CRP) in some CD patients. In vitro study revealed that CNTNAP3 could upregulate the expression of ATG16L1 and increase autophagy vacuoles.
VEGF Correlates with Inflammation and Fibrosis in Tuberculous Pleural Effusion
Authors: Bien Mauo-Ying , Wu Ming-Ping , Chen Wei-Lin , Chung Chi-Li
Published: March 2015

Objective. To investigate the relationship among angiogenic cytokines, inflammatory markers, and fibrinolytic activity in tuberculous pleural effusion (TBPE) and their clinical importance. Methods. Forty‐two patients diagnosed with TBPE were studied. Based on chest ultrasonography, there were 26 loculated and 16 nonloculated TBPE patients. The effusion size radiological scores and effusion vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), interleukin‐ (IL‐) 8, plasminogen activator inhibitor type‐1 (PAI‐1), and tissue type plasminogen activator (tPA) were measured. Treatment outcome and pleural fibrosis, defined as radiological residual pleural thickening (RPT), were assessed at 6‐month follow‐up.
Results. The effusion size and effusion lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), VEGF, IL‐8, PAI‐1, and PAI‐1/tPA ratio were significantly higher, while effusion glucose, pH value, and tPA were significantly lower, in loculated than in nonloculated TBPE. VEGF and IL‐8 correlated positively with LDH and PAI‐1/tPA ratio and negatively with tPA in both loculated and nonloculated TBPE. Patients with higher VEGF or greater effusion size were prone to develop RPT (n = 14; VEGF, odds ratio 1.28, P = 0.01; effusion size, odds ratio 1.01, P = 0.02), and VEGF was an independent predictor of RPT in TBPE (receiver operating characteristic curve AUC = 0.985, P < 0.001). Conclusions. Effusion VEGF correlates with pleural inflammation and fibrosis and may be targeted for adjunct therapy for TBPE.
The Study for Saving Energy and Optimization of LED Street Light Heat Sink Design
Authors: Hsieh Chi-Chang , Li Yan-Huei
Published: March 2015

LED lamps are characterized by high energy efficiency, high luminance, and long lifespans. However, the heat radiation problem caused by the extra high power shortens the lifespan and reduces the luminous efficiency of such lamps. This study introduced the development of a novel cooling fin structure for LED lamps and compared its performance with those of commercially available products. The objective of the design was to reduce the maximum temperature and temperature difference on the fin, the amount of aluminum required for fin manufacturing, and CO2emissions to save energy. The study employed the Taguchi method for experiment planning and used gray relational analysis and principal component analysis to determine the optimal parameter combination for cooling fins. The results showed that the maximum temperature on the fin surface dropped by 2.62°C in environments without forced convection, which indicated improved lighting efficiency. Furthermore, the amount of aluminum used per unit volume for fins was reduced by 15%, which effectively reduced CO2emissions during the manufacturing process.
Prevalence of Nontuberculous Mycobacteria among Extrapulmonary Tuberculosis Cases in Tertiary Care Centers in Northern India
Authors: Maurya A. K. , Nag V. L. , Kant S. , Kushwaha R. A. S. , Kumar M. , Singh A. K. , Dhole T. N.
Published: March 2015

The reports of nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) associated with extrapulmonary diseases are increasing in tertiary care hospitals. Despite a significant increase in knowledge about NTM infections, they still represent a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. The aim of this study is to know the prevalence of NTN among extrapulmonary tuberculosis cases in tertiary care centers in Northern India. A total of 227 culture positive isolates from 756 cases were tested for niacin production and catalase assay. BIO-LINE SD Ag MPT64 TB test and final identification and differentiation between MTBC and different species of NTM were further confirmed by GenoType Mycobacterium CM/AS assay. 71 cases (9.3%) were positive for AFB by ZN staining and 227 cases (30.1%) were positive for mycobacteria by culture. Niacin production and catalase activity were negative in 62/227 (27.4%) strains and after using a panel of different biochemicals and final confirmation by GenoType Mycobacterium CM assay. Out of 227 cultures tested, 165 (72.6%) strains were confirmed asM. tuberculosiscomplex, and 62 (27.4%) were confirmed as NTM. The most common NTM species identified wereM. fortuitum17 (27.5%) andM. intracellulare13 (20.9%). The rapid identification of NTM species may help in targeted therapy and management of the diseases.
Thoracic Block Technique Associated with Positive End-Expiratory Pressure in Reversing Atelectasis
Authors: Pereira Luciana Carnevalli , de Souza Netto Ana Paula , da Silva Fernanda Cordeiro , Pereira Silvana Alves , Moran Cristiane Aparecida
Published: March 2015

A preschool four-year-old male patient had been admitted to the Mandaqui Hospital with a diagnosis of lobar pneumonia, pleural effusion, and right lung atelectasis. Treatment consisted of antibiotics and physiotherapy sessions, using a technique described in the literature as Insufflation Technique to Reverse Atelectasis (ITRA), which consists of a thoracic block of healthy lung tissue, leaving only the atelectasis area free, associated with the use of invasive or noninvasive mechanical ventilation with positive airway pressure for reversal of atelectasis. Two physiotherapy sessions were conducted daily. The sessions lasted 20 minutes and were fractionated into four series of five minutes each. Each series bilateral thoracic block was performed for 20 seconds with a pause lasting for the same time. Associated with the thoracic block, a continuous positive airways pressure was used using a facial mask and 7 cm H2O PEEP provided via CPAP.Conclusion. ITRA technique was effective in reversing atelectasis in this patient.
Estimating Latent Attentional States Based on Simultaneous Binary and Continuous Behavioral Measures
Authors: Chen Zhe
Published: March 2015

Cognition is a complex and dynamic process. It is an essential goal to estimate latent attentional states based on behavioral measures in many sequences of behavioral tasks. Here, we propose a probabilistic modeling and inference framework for estimating the attentional state using simultaneous binary and continuous behavioral measures. The proposed model extends the standard hidden Markov model (HMM) by explicitly modeling the state duration distribution, which yields a special example of the hidden semi-Markov model (HSMM). We validate our methods using computer simulations and experimental data. In computer simulations, we systematically investigate the impacts of model mismatch and the latency distribution. For the experimental data collected from a rodent visual detection task, we validate the results with predictive log-likelihood. Our work is useful for many behavioral neuroscience experiments, where the common goal is to infer the discrete (binary or multinomial) state sequences from multiple behavioral measures.
Existence of Electrically Charged Structures with Regular Center in Nonlinear Electrodynamics Minimally Coupled to Gravity
Authors: Dymnikova Irina , Galaktionov Evgeny , Tropp Eduard
Published: March 2015

We address the question of correct description of Lagrange dynamics for regular electrically charged structures in nonlinear electrodynamics coupled to gravity. Regular spherically symmetric configuration satisfying the weak energy condition has obligatory de Sitter center in which the electric field vanishes while the energy density of electromagnetic vacuum achieves its maximal value. The Maxwell weak field limitLF→Fasr→∞requires vanishing electric field at infinity. A field invariantFevolves between two minus zero in the center and at infinity which makes a LagrangianLFwith nonequal asymptotic limits inevitably branching. We formulate the appropriate nonuniform variational problem including the proper boundary conditions and present the example of the spherically symmetric Lagrangian describing electrically charged structure with the regular center.
Combination of Evidence with Different Weighting Factors: A Novel Probabilistic-Based Dissimilarity Measure Approach
Authors: Ma Mengmeng , An Jiyao
Published: March 2015

To solve the invalidation problem of Dempster-Shafer theory of evidence (DS) with high conflict in multisensor data fusion, this paper presents a novel combination approach of conflict evidence with different weighting factors using a new probabilistic dissimilarity measure. Firstly, an improved probabilistic transformation function is proposed to map basic belief assignments (BBAs) to probabilities. Then, a new dissimilarity measure integrating fuzzy nearness and introduced correlation coefficient is proposed to characterize not only the difference between basic belief functions (BBAs) but also the divergence degree of the hypothesis that two BBAs support. Finally, the weighting factors used to reassign conflicts on BBAs are developed and Dempster’s rule is chosen to combine the discounted sources. Simple numerical examples are employed to demonstrate the merit of the proposed method. Through analysis and comparison of the results, the new combination approach can effectively solve the problem of conflict management with better convergence performance and robustness.
Jaw Dysfunction Is Associated with Neck Disability and Muscle Tenderness in Subjects with and without Chronic Temporomandibular Disorders
Authors: Silveira A. , Gadotti I. C. , Armijo-Olivo S. , Biasotto-Gonzalez D. A. , Magee D.
Published: March 2015

Purpose. Tender points in the neck are common in patients with temporomandibular disorders (TMD). However, the correlation among neck disability, jaw dysfunction, and muscle tenderness in subjects with TMD still needs further investigation. This study investigated the correlation among neck disability, jaw dysfunction, and muscle tenderness in subjects with and without chronic TMD.Participants. Forty females between 19 and 49 years old were included in this study. There were 20 healthy controls and 20 subjects who had chronic TMD and neck disability.Methods. Subjects completed the neck disability index and the limitations of daily functions in TMD questionnaires. Tenderness of the masticatory and cervical muscles was measured using an algometer.Results. The correlation between jaw disability and neck disability was significantly high (r=0.915,P<0.05). The correlation between level of muscle tenderness in the masticatory and cervical muscles with jaw dysfunction and neck disability showed fair to moderate correlations (r=0.32–0.65).Conclusion. High levels of muscle tenderness in upper trapezius and temporalis muscles correlated with high levels of jaw and neck dysfunction. Moreover, high levels of neck disability correlated with high levels of jaw disability. These findings emphasize the importance of considering the neck and its structures when evaluating and treating patients with TMD.
Effect of NaNO2and C6H15NO3Synergistic Admixtures on Steel-Rebar Corrosion in Concrete Immersed in Aggressive Environments
Authors: Okeniyi Joshua Olusegun , Popoola Abimbola Patricia Idowu , Loto Cleophas Akintoye , Omotosho Olugbenga Adeshola , Okpala Stanley Okechukwu , Ambrose Idemudia Joshua
Published: March 2015

This paper studies effect of different combinations of NaNO2(sodium nitrite) and C6H15NO3(triethanolamine (TEA)), as synergistic admixtures in concrete immersed in NaCl and in H2SO4test environments, on the corrosion of the concrete reinforcing steel (rebar). Although statistically analysed electrochemical test results confirmed NaNO2effectiveness, synergistic combinations of 4 g NaNO2+ 4 g C6H15NO3in NaCl medium and of 2 g NaNO2+ 6 g C6H15NO3in H2SO4medium were also highly effective at inhibiting rebar corrosion. Synergistic parameter analyses showed that the effective synergistic admixtures that inhibited concrete steel-rebar corrosion in their respective medium were the NaNO2and C6H15NO3combinations that exhibited synergistic interactions of cooperative adsorption on steel-rebar. These support the suitability of requisite concentration of triethanolamine as additive admixture with sodium nitrite for steel-rebar corrosion mitigation, which is potent with reduced environmental effects, in concrete immersed in NaCl and in H2SO4corrosive media.
Modeling Heavy Metal Sorption Kinetics Using Fractional Calculus
Authors: Friesen V. C. , Leitoles D. P. , Gonçalves G. , Lenzi E. K. , Lenzi M. K.
Published: March 2015

Heavy metals are commonly regarded as environmentally aggressive and hazardous to human health. Among the different metals, lead plays an important economic role due to its large use in the automotive industry, being an essential component of batteries. Different approaches have been reported in the literature aimed at lead removal, and among them a very successful one considers the use of water hyacinths for sorption-based operation. The modeling of the metal sorption kinetics is a fundamental step towards in-depth studies and proper separation equipment design and optimization. Fractional calculus represents a novel approach and a growing research field for process modeling, which is based on the successful use of derivatives of arbitrary order. This paper reports the modeling of the kinetics of lead sorption by water hyacinths (Eichhornia crassipes) using a fractional calculus. A general procedure on error analysis is also employed to prove the actual fractional nature of the proposed model by the use of parametric variance analysis, which was carried out using two different approaches (with the complete Hessian matrix and with a simplified Hessian matrix). The joint parameter confidence regions were generated, allowing to successfully show the fractional nature of the model and the sorption process.
Survival of Mexican Children with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia under Treatment with the Protocol from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute 00-01
Authors: Jiménez-Hernández Elva , Jaimes-Reyes Ethel Zulie , Arellano-Galindo José , García-Jiménez Xochiketzalli , Tiznado-García Héctor Manuel , Dueñas-González María Teresa , Martínez Villegas Octavio , Sánchez-Jara Berenice , Bekker-Méndez Vilma Carolina , Ortíz-Torres María Guadalupe , Ortíz-Fernández Antonio , Marín-Palomares Teresa , Mejía-Aranguré Juan Manuel
Published: March 2015

Our aim in this paper is to describe the results of treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) in Mexican children treated from 2006 to 2010 under the protocol from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) 00-01. The children were younger than 16 years of age and had a diagnosis of ALL denovo. The patients were classified as standard risk if they were 1–9.9 years old and had a leucocyte count <50 × 109/L, precursor B cell immunophenotype, no mediastinal mass, CSF free of blasts, and a good response to prednisone. The rest of the patients were defined as high risk. Of a total of 302 children, 51.7% were at high risk. The global survival rate was 63.9%, and the event-free survival rate was 52.3% after an average follow-up of 3.9 years. The percentages of patients who died were 7% on induction and 14.2% in complete remission; death was associated mainly with infection (21.5%). The relapse rate was 26.2%. The main factor associated with the occurrence of an event was a leucocyte count >100 × 109/L. The poor outcomes were associated with toxic death during induction, complete remission, and relapse. These factors remain the main obstacles to the success of this treatment in our population.
Face Recognition Using Double Sparse Local Fisher Discriminant Analysis
Authors: Wang Zhan , Ruan Qiuqi , An Gaoyun
Published: March 2015

Local Fisher discriminant analysis (LFDA) was proposed for dealing with the multimodal problem. It not only combines the idea of locality preserving projections (LPP) for preserving the local structure of the high-dimensional data but also combines the idea of Fisher discriminant analysis (FDA) for obtaining the discriminant power. However, LFDA also suffers from the undersampled problem as well as many dimensionality reduction methods. Meanwhile, the projection matrix is not sparse. In this paper, we propose double sparse local Fisher discriminant analysis (DSLFDA) for face recognition. The proposed method firstly constructs a sparse and data-adaptive graph with nonnegative constraint. Then, DSLFDA reformulates the objective function as a regression-type optimization problem. The undersampled problem is avoided naturally and the sparse solution can be obtained by adding the regression-type problem to al1penalty. Experiments on Yale, ORL, and CMU PIE face databases are implemented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Stability Outcomes following Computer-Assisted ACL Reconstruction
Authors: Christino Melissa A. , Vopat Bryan G. , Mayer Alexander , Matson Andrew P. , Reinert Steven E. , Shalvoy Robert M.
Published: March 2015

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to determine whether intraoperative prereconstruction stability measurements and/or patient characteristics were associated with final knee stability after computer-assisted ACL reconstruction.Methods. This was a retrospective review of all patients who underwent computer-assisted single-bundle ACL reconstruction by a single surgeon. Prereconstruction intraoperative stability measurements were correlated with patient characteristics and postreconstruction stability measurements. 143 patients were included (87 male and 56 female). Average age was 29.8 years (SD ± 11.8).Results. Females were found to have significantly more pre- and postreconstruction internal rotation than males (P< 0.001 andP= 0.001, resp.). Patients with additional intra-articular injuries demonstrated more prereconstruction anterior instability than patients with isolated ACL tears (P< 0.001). After reconstruction, these patients also had higher residual anterior translation (P= 0.01). Among all patients with ACL reconstructions, the percent of correction of anterior translation was found to be significantly higher than the percent of correction for internal or external rotation (P< 0.001).Conclusion. Anterior translation was corrected the most using a single-bundle ACL reconstruction. Females had higher pre- and postoperative internal rotation. Patients with additional injuries had greater original anterior translation and less operative correction of anterior translation compared to patients with isolated ACL tears.
Feasibility of Non-Anesthesiologist-Administered Propofol Sedation for Emergency Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography
Authors: Ikeuchi Nobuhito , Itoi Takao , Gotoda Takuji , Kusano Chika , Kono Shin , Kamada Kentaro , Tsuchiya Takayoshi , Tominaga Naoyuki , Mukai Shuntaro , Moriyasu Fuminori
Published: March 2015

Background. The safety of non-anesthesiologist-administered propofol (NAAP) sedation in emergent endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) has not been fully clarified. Thus, the aim of this study was to assess the safety of NAAP sedation in emergent ERCP.Materials and Methods. We retrospectively analyzed 182 consecutive patients who had obstructive jaundice and who underwent ERCP under NAAP sedation. The patients were divided into Group A (with mild acute cholangitis or without acute cholangitis) and Group B (moderate or severe acute cholangitis). And technical safety and adverse events were assessed.Results. The adverse events were hypoxia (31 cases), hypotension (26 cases), and bradycardia (2 cases). There was no significant difference in the rate of each adverse event of hypoxia and bradycardia in either group. Although the rate of transient hypotension associated in Group B was higher than that in Group A, it was immediately improved with conservative treatment. Moreover, there were no patients who showed delayed awakening, or who developed other complications.Conclusions. In conclusion, NAAP sedation is feasible even in emergent ERCP. Although some transient adverse events (e.g., hypotension) were observed, no serious adverse events occurred. Thus, propofol can be used in emergent ERCP but careful monitoring is mandatory.
Investigation of Photovoltaic Assisted Misting System Application for Arbor Refreshment
Authors: Esen Hikmet , Tuna Omer
Published: March 2015

In this study, for the first time in the literature, solar assisted cooler with misting system established on an arbor with an area of 24 m2and georeferenced in Elazig (38.6775° N, 39.1707° E), Turkey, is presented. Here, we present a system that reduces interior temperature of the arbor while increasing humidity. Also, the system generates required electricity with a solar photovoltaic module to power pressurized water pump through an inverter and stores it in a battery for use when there is no sunlight. The model of the photovoltaic module was implemented using a Matlab program. As a result of being an uncomplicated system, return on investment for the system is 3.7 years.