bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Targeting BRK-Positive Breast Cancers with Small-Molecule Kinase Inhibitors
Authors: Jiang Jie , Gui Fu , He Zhixiang , Li Li , Li Yunzhan , Li Shunying , Wu Xinrui , Deng Zhou , Sun Xihuan , Huang Xiaoxing , Huang Wei , Han Shang , Zhang Ting , Wang Zheng , Jiao Bo , Song Siyang , Wang Hongrui , Chen Lanfen , Zhou Dawang , Liu Qiang , Ren Ruibao , Zhang Jianming , Deng Xianming
Published: October 2016

Approximately 80% of breast cancers overexpress the kinase breast tumor kinase (BRK)/protein tyrosine kinase 6, which has various oncogenic roles in breast cancer cell proliferation, survival, and migration. However, BRK inhibitors have yet to be explored as possible therapeutic tools. In this study, we used a parallel compound-centric approach to discover a new class of pharmaceutical agents, exemplified by XMU-MP-2, as potent and selective BRK inhibitors. XMU-MP-2 exhibited target-specific inhibition of BRK kinase activity and disrupted signaling pathways mediated by this activity, thereby reducing proliferation in BRK-positive breast cancer cells. In mouse xenograft models, XMU-MP-2 repressed the growth of tumors driven by oncogenic BRK, including BRK-transformed Ba/F3 cells and BRK-positive breast cancer cells. Notably, XMU-MP-2 cooperated strongly with HER2 inhibitor or ER blockade to block breast cancer cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo. Overall, our findings offer a preclinical proof of concept for therapeutic targeting of the BRK kinase in breast cancer. Cancer Res; 77(1); 175–86. ©2016 AACR.
Tie2 Expression on Macrophages Is Required for Blood Vessel Reconstruction and Tumor Relapse after Chemotherapy
Authors: Chen Lin , Li Jie , Wang Fei , Dai Chengliang , Wu Fan , Liu Xiaoman , Li Taotao , Glauben Rainer , Zhang Yi , Nie Guangjun , He Yulong , Qin Zhihai
Published: October 2016

Tumor relapse after chemotherapy is a major hurdle for successful cancer therapy. Chemotherapeutic drugs select for resistant tumor cells and reshape tumor microenvironment, including the blood supply system. Using animal models, we observed on macrophages in tumor tissue a close correlation between upregulated Tie2 expression and tumor relapse upon chemotherapy. Conditional deletion of Tie2 expression in macrophages significantly prohibited blood supply and regrowth of tumors. Tie2+ macrophages were derived from tumor-infiltrating Tie2−CD11b+ cells and hypoxia-induced Tie2 expression on these cells. Mechanistically, expression of Tie2 prevented macrophages from apoptosis in stress conditions via the AKT-dependent signaling pathway. Together, these results demonstrate that Tie2 expression by macrophages is necessary and sufficient to promote the reconstruction of blood vessels after chemotherapy, shedding new light on developing novel strategies to inhibit tumor relapse. Cancer Res; 76(23); 6828–38. ©2016 AACR.
Exploring Differences in the Aspirin–Colorectal Cancer Association by Sex and Race/Ethnicity: The Multiethnic Cohort Study
Authors: Park Song-Yi , Wilkens Lynne R. , Kolonel Laurence N. , Monroe Kristine R. , Haiman Christopher A. , Marchand Loïc Le
Published: October 2016

Background: Evidence has accumulated that long-term use of aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) protects against colorectal cancer. We tested whether the inverse associations between NSAIDs and colorectal cancer is similarly observed across sexes and five racial/ethnic groups (Japanese, Latino, African American, Native Hawaiian, and white) in the Multiethnic Cohort (MEC) Study.

Methods: During a mean follow-up of 16.1 years, we identified 4,882 invasive incident colorectal cancer cases among 183,199 eligible participants. Cox proportional hazards models were used to calculate HRs and 95% confidence intervals (CI).

Results: Use of aspirin and other NSAIDs was associated with a lower incidence of colorectal cancer in men (HR = 0.77; 95% CI, 0.69–0.86 for current vs. never users of aspirin) but not in women (Pinteraction = 0.005). Among male current users, a reduced risk was observed with ≥6 years of aspirin or total NSAID use. The inverse association with current NSAID use in men was observed in all racial/ethnic groups, except for Native Hawaiians, and was stronger in whites.

Conclusions: Our findings suggest that the benefit of NSAIDs for colorectal cancer may be strongest for white men and generalizes to African American, Japanese, and Latino, but not to Native Hawaiian men. The lack of inverse association observed in women and Native Hawaiian men in the MEC should be interpreted with caution.

Impact: As only very few ethnic/racial groups are likely to be represented in trials of NSAIDs and colorectal cancer, it is important to conduct prospective observational studies in various populations to test the generalizability of their results. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 26(2); 162–9. ©2016 AACR.
Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Phase II Study of Veliparib in Combination with Carboplatin and Paclitaxel for Advanced/Metastatic Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer
Authors: Ramalingam Suresh S. , Blais Normand , Mazieres Julien , Reck Martin , Jones C. Michael , Juhasz Erzsebet , Urban Laszlo , Orlov Sergey , Barlesi Fabrice , Kio Ebenezer , Keiholz Ulrich , Qin Qin , Qian Jiang , Nickner Caroline , Dziubinski Juliann , Xiong Hao , Ansell Peter , McKee Mark , Giranda Vincent , Gorbunova Vera
Published: October 2016

Purpose: PARP plays an important role in DNA repair. Veliparib, a PARP inhibitor, enhances the efficacy of platinum compounds and has been safely combined with carboplatin and paclitaxel. The primary endpoint of this phase II trial determined whether addition of veliparib to carboplatin and paclitaxel improved progression-free survival (PFS) in previously untreated patients with advanced/metastatic non–small cell lung cancer.

Experimental Design: Patients were randomized 2:1 to carboplatin and paclitaxel with either veliparib or placebo. Veliparib (120 mg) or placebo was given on days 1 to 7 of each 3-week cycle, with carboplatin (AUC = 6 mg/mL/min) and paclitaxel (200 mg/m2) administered on day 3, for a maximum of 6 cycles.

Results: Overall, 158 were included (median age, 63 years; male 68%, squamous histology 48%). Median PFS was 5.8 months in the veliparib group versus 4.2 months in the placebo group [HR, 0.72; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.45–1.15; P = 0.17)]. Median overall survival (OS) was 11.7 and 9.1 months in the veliparib and placebo groups, respectively (HR, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.54–1.18; P = 0.27). In patients with squamous histology, median PFS (HR, 0.54; 95% CI, 0.26–1.12; P = 0.098) and OS (HR, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.43–1.24; P = 0.24) favored veliparib treatment. Objective response rate was similar between groups (veliparib: 32.4%; placebo: 32.1%), but duration of response favored veliparib treatment (HR, 0.47; 95% CI, 0.16–1.42; P = 0.18). Grade III/IV neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, and anemia were comparable between groups.

Conclusions: Veliparib combination with carboplatin and paclitaxel was well-tolerated and demonstrated a favorable trend in PFS and OS versus chemotherapy alone. Patients with squamous histology had the best outcomes with veliparib combination. Clin Cancer Res; 23(8); 1937–44. ©2016 AACR.
Carbon Monoxide-Saturated Hemoglobin-Based Oxygen Carriers Attenuate High-Altitude-Induced Cardiac Injury by Amelioration of the Inflammation Response and Mitochondrial Oxidative Damage
Authors: Wang Qingshu , Hu Ling , Hu Yu , Gong Gu , Tan Hua , Deng Li , Sun Xiaoqin , Yi Xiaobo , Sun Yangyang , Wu Wei , Li Tao
Published: October 2016

Objective: To investigate the therapeutic effect of carbon monoxide (CO) on high-altitude hypoxia-induced cardiac damage. Methods: Forty male C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into 4 groups. The mice were exposed to normoxia or simulated 5,500-meter high-altitude hypoxia in a hypobaric chamber for 7 days. During the first 3 days, the mice were pretreated with CO-saturated hemoglobin (Hb)-based oxygen carrier (CO-HBOC), oxygen-saturated hemoglobin-based oxygen carrier (O2-HBOC) at a dose of 0.3 g Hb/kg/day or an equivalent volume of saline. The in vivo left ventricle function, cardiac enzyme release, histopathological changes, apoptosis and inflammation were also measured. Results: High-altitude hypoxia induced significant cardiac damage, as demonstrated by impaired cardiac function and increased proapoptotic, proinflammatory and pro-oxidant markers. Pretreatment with CO-HBOC significantly improved cardiac performance, reduced cardiac enzyme release and limited myocardial apoptosis. The increased inflammatory response was also suppressed. In addition to the preserved mitochondrial structure, hypobaric hypoxia-induced mitochondrial oxidative damage was remarkably attenuated. Moreover, these antiapoptotic and antioxidative effects were accompanied by an upregulated phosphorylation of Akt, ERK and STAT3. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that CO-HBOC provides a promising protective effect on high-altitude hypoxia-induced myocardial injury, which is mediated by the inhibition of inflammation and mitochondrial oxidative damage.
Evolving Concepts in Posterior Subthalamic Area Deep Brain Stimulation for Treatment of Tremor: Surgical Neuroanatomy and Practical Considerations
Authors: Ramirez-Zamora Adolfo , Smith Heather , Kumar Vignessh , Prusik Julia , Phookan Sujoy , Pilitsis Julie G.
Published: October 2016

Background: Although thalamic deep brain stimulation (DBS) has been established as an effective therapy for refractory tremor in Parkinson's disease and essential tremor, reports investigating the efficacy of posterior subthalamic area (PSA) DBS for severe, debilitating tremors continue to emerge. However, questions regarding the optimal anatomical target, surgical approach, programming paradigms and effectiveness compared to other targets remain. Objectives: In this report, we aimed to review the current literature to assess different stereotactic techniques, anatomical considerations, adverse effects and stimulation settings in PSA DBS. Methods: A comprehensive literature review was performed searching for articles discussing tremors and PSA stimulation. We performed a quantitative analysis comparing different DBS tremor targets. Results: Tremor improvement is consistently documented in most reports with an average reduction in tremor of 79% depending on the specific tremor syndrome. Tremor benefit in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) tremor was significantly higher than for other stimulation targets. Transient paresthesias, imbalance, dizziness and dysarthria are the most common side effects with PSA DBS. Conclusions: PSA DBS is an effective and safe treatment for tremor control and should be considered in patients with refractory tremors with associated cerebellar or dystonic features, proximal tremors and MS tremor.
Multifocal Toric Intraocular Lens for Traumatic Cataract in a Child
Authors: Zeng Yanfeng , Fan Licheng , Lu Peirong
Published: October 2016

A child suffering from traumatic cataract and corneal astigmatism of 2.14 D had a phacoemulsification operation and implantation of a ReSTOR Toric intraocular lens (IOL) to correct the astigmatism. The primary outcome measurements were the uncorrected distance visual acuity (UDVA), uncorrected near vision at 40 cm, intraocular pressure, spherical equivalent refraction, residual astigmatism, corneal astigmatism, presence of unusual optical phenomena, and use of spectacles. At 7 months postoperatively, UDVA was maintained between 16/20 and 24/20, near vision was between J1 and J3, residual spherical refraction was 0–0.37 D, and residual refractive cylinder was between 0 and 0.67 D. A multifocal toric IOL can provide the possibility of satisfactory vision for both distant and near conditions without the use of spectacles to meet children’s needs when studying and doing sports. Additionally, binocular vision can be reconstructed. This intervention, therefore, seems to be a satisfactory alternative.
How Many for Lunch Today? Seasonal Fission-Fusion Dynamics as a Feeding Strategy in Wild Red-Capped Mangabeys (Cercocebus torquatus)
Authors: Dolado Ruth , Cooke Catherine , Beltran Francesc S.
Published: October 2016

For group-living primates, social organization hinges upon multiple factors, including group size, group cohesion, and the group's age and sex composition. Fission-fusion dynamics reduce the risks of living in a large group, which can include feeding competition related to the seasonality of resources. Here we report on the group dynamics (i.e. formation of parties) of a population of red-capped mangabeys (Cercocebus torquatus) located in Sentier Nature forest, South Loango National Park, Gabon, and examine the role of fruit availability in episodes of fission-fusion and shifting range use during the peak fruiting season of 2014. To assess fission-fusion dynamics, we obtained data on party type (i.e. number, size and age-sex composition), the effect of availability of fruit from 4 tree species on the home range and habitat used by parties, and the periodicity of these processes. The results show that red-capped mangabeys displayed seasonal fission-fusion dynamics related to fruit availability during the season under study.
Association between Beta-Fibrinogen C148T Gene Polymorphism and Risk of Ischemic Stroke in a North Indian Population: A Case-Control Study
Authors: Kumar Amit , Misra Shubham , Kumar Pradeep , Sagar Ram , Prasad Kameshwar
Published: October 2016

Background and Purpose: Stroke is a multifactorial disease influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. The aim of this case-control study was to determine the association between β-fibrinogen C148T (rs1800787) gene polymorphism and susceptibility to ischemic stroke (IS) in a North Indian population. Methods: In the present case-control study, genotyping was performed using the PCR-RFLP (polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism) method on 250 IS patients and 250 age- and sex-matched controls. Frequency distributions of genotypes and alleles were compared between the cases and controls by conditional logistic regression. Results: Hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, low socioeconomic status, and family history of stroke were found to be independent risk factors for IS. The mean age of the cases and controls was 52.83 ± 12.59 and 50.97 ± 12.70 years, respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed an independent association between β-fibrinogen C148T (rs1800787) polymorphism and risk of IS in dominant (OR = 2.19; 95% CI 1.23-3.90; p = 0.007) and allelic (OR = 1.66; 95% CI 1.19-2.33; p = 0.002) models. Based on the Trial of Org 10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment (TOAST) classification, an independent association of small vessel disease with risk of IS was observed in the dominant (OR = 2.09; 95% CI 1.10-3.96; p = 0.02) and allelic (OR = 1.75; 95% CI 1.12-2.75; p = 0.01) models, and a significant association of cardioembolic stroke with risk of IS was seen in the allelic model (OR = 2.11; 95% CI 1.07-4.17; p = 0.02). All the genotype frequencies observed were in accordance with Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in both cases and controls. Conclusion: The findings of the present study suggest that polymorphism in the C148T position of the β-fibrinogen gene might be a risk factor for IS mainly for the small vessel disease stroke subtype in a North Indian population. Further, large prospective studies are required to confirm these findings.
Cognitive Decline in Patients with Chronic Hydrocephalus and Normal Aging: ‘Growing into Deficits'
Authors: de Beer Marlijn H. , Scheltens Philip
Published: October 2016

Background/Aim: To explore the theory of ‘growing into deficits', a concept known from developmental neurology, in a series of cases with chronic hydrocephalus (CH). Methods: Patients were selected from the Amsterdam Dementia Cohort and underwent extensive dementia screening. Results: Twelve patients with CH were selected, in whom Alzheimer's disease was considered unlikely, based on biomarker information and follow-up. Mean Mini-Mental State Examination score was 24 (range 7-30). Most patients were functioning on a level of mild dementia [Clinical Dementia Rating score of 0.5 in 8/11 (66.7%) patients]. On neuropsychological examination, memory and executive functions, as well as processing speed were most frequently impaired. Conclusion: In our opinion, the theory of ‘growing into deficits' shows a parallel with the clinical course of CH and normal aging when Alzheimer's disease was considered very unlikely, because most of these patients were functioning well for a very large part of their lives. The altered cerebrospinal fluid dynamics might make the brain more vulnerable to aging-related changes, leading to a faster cognitive decline in CH patients compared to healthy subjects, especially in case of concomitant brain damage such as traumatic brain injury or meningitis.
A Clinical and Molecular Survey of 62 Cystic Fibrosis Patients from Umbria (Central Italy) Disclosing a High Frequency (2.4%) of the 2184insA Allele: Implications for Screening
Authors: Prontera Paolo , Isidori Ilenia , Mencarini Valeria , Pennoni Guido , Mencarelli Amedea , Stangoni Gabriela , Di Cara Giuseppe , Verrotti Alberto
Published: October 2016

Genetic testing strategies and counseling in cystic fibrosis (CF) can be problematic due to its extreme allelic heterogeneity and the difficult clinical interpretation of rare variants. Since in a previous survey of Italian CF patients, Umbria (a small region with about 900,000 inhabitants) was excluded due to the low number of chromosomes tested (<50), we have performed a comprehensive retrospective clinical and molecular survey of 62 CF patients coming from this region. We have summarized all the genotypic and phenotypic data in a table, and we interviewed the older patients in order to obtain a comprehensive overview of their conditions. We found that the c.2052_2053insA (2184insA) variant, a class I mutation with high frequency in Eastern Europe but very rare in Italy, is the fourth most frequent allele in Umbria. The 2184insA variant was not included in the first-level regional screening, and we therefore suggest the implementation of this variant in the future.
Relationship between Fragmented QRS Complex and Aortic Stiffness in Chronic Hemodialysis Patients
Authors: Güçlü Aydın , Nar Gökay , İçli Atilla , Özhan Nail , Sezer Siren
Published: October 2016

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the correlation between fragmented QRS complex (fQRS), aortic stiffness, and diastolic dysfunction in hemodialysis patients. Subjects and Methods: A sample of 56 patients who received hemodialysis treatment was stratified into 2 groups according to their electrocardiography (ECG) patterns with or without fQRS. Baseline characteristics and laboratory parameters of patients were documented. Conventional echocardiographic and Doppler echocardiographic procedures were performed in all patients. The mean early (Em) diastolic and late (Am) diastolic myocardial velocities were calculated. These tests were performed before dialysis. The Student t test, Mann-Whitney U test, χ2 test, Spearman correlation, and multivariate linear regression analysis were used to analyze parameters where appropriate. Results: Of the 56 patients under hemodialysis, fQRS in ECG was detected in 26 (46.4%). Echocardiographic evaluation showed that deceleration time (237.57 ± 40.10 ms; p = 0.030), isovolumic relaxation time (126.84 ± 15.62 ms; p < 0.001), early (E)/late (A) ventricular filling velocity (E/A) ratio (1.15 ± 0.40; p ≤ 0.001), and aortic stiffness index value (9.62 ± 4.53; p = 0.016) exhibited a statistical increase in hemodialysis patients with fQRS compared to patients without fQRS. E (58.23 ± 19.96 m/s; p = 0.004), and Em (5.96 ± 2.08 cm/s; p = 0.023) velocity levels were significantly lower in hemodialysis patients with fQRS than patients without fQRS. Aortic stiffness closely correlated with diastolic dysfunction (deceleration time r = 0.273, p = 0.042; isovolumic relaxation time r = 0.497, p < 0.001; E/A ratio r = -0.449, p = 0.001). On multivariate linear regression analysis, fQRS and aortic stiffness were independently associated in hemodialysis patients (β = 0.321, p = 0.049). Conclusions: Increased aortic stiffness and left ventricular systolic dysfunction were observed more frequently in hemodialysis patients with fQRS than in patients without fQRS. fQRS is an important determinant of aortic stiffness in hemodialysis patients.
Vision-based Crack Identification on the Concrete Slab Surface using Fuzzy Reasoning Rules and Self-Organizing
Authors: Kim Kwang Baek , Park Hyun Jun , Song Doo Heon
Published: October 2016

Identifying cracks on the surface of concrete slab structure is important for structure stability maintenance. In order to avoid subjective visual inspection, it is necessary to develop an automated identification and measuring system by vision based method. Although there have been some intelligent computerized inspection methods, they are sensitive to noise due to the brightness contrast and objects such as forms and joints of certain size often falsely classified as cracks. In this paper, we propose a new fuzzy logic based image processing method that extracts cracks from concrete slab structure including small cracks that were often neglected as noise. We extract candidate crack areas by applying fuzzy method with three color channel values of concrete slab structure. Then further refinement processes are performed with Self Organizing Map algorithm and density based noise removal process to obtain basic crack characteristic attributes for further analysis. Experimental result verifies that the proposed method is sufficiently identified cracks with various sizes with high accuracy (97.3%) among 1319 ground truth cracks from 30 images.
Critical Analysis of Data Forwarding Routing Protocols Based on Single path for UWSN
Authors: Ahmed Mukhtiar , Salleh Mazleena , Channa Mohammad Ibrahim
Published: October 2016

In Underwater Wireless Sensor Network (UWSN); the sensor node is responsible to extract the valuable application based information from underwater environment. The application based information covers the applications like: tactical surveillance, assisted navigation, disaster prevention, offshore exploration, pollution monitoring and oceanographic data collection. The design of routing protocol in underwater environment is one of the challenging issues for researchers. This research article focuses the designing issues of the data forwarding routing protocols based on single path. In this article the designing of 2D and 3D architecture of routing protocols are discussed with their different issues. This article also focuses the analytical approach of proposed routing protocols with different parameters, the simulation scenarios of the single path routing protocols with critical analysis; and the open research issues; will help the researchers to further research in the field of routing protocols for UWSN.
Segmentation of Retail Mobile Market Using HMS Algorithm
Authors: Anusha Koyi , C Yashaswini , S Manishankar
Published: October 2016

In the modern world of marketing, analyzing the trends in market is a key point towards to scope of improvement of any company. Considering the analysis of a retail market where market trends change very frequently based on customer needs and interest is highly challenging. Market segmentation is one of the approaches included in analysis of market trends which gives a diverse view of the market.  The research here concentrates, especially on a case study based on fast moving consumable goods market and identifying market change patterns by applying a novel data mining approach. Data mining includes a wide variety of techniques and algorithm which can be effectively used in the process of market analysis. The research work carried out coins a new algorithm which combines various association rules and techniques, the HMS (Hybrid market segmentation) algorithm with some specialized criteria is used to support the market segmentation. The primary data needed for the analysis and operation are collected through a questionnaire based survey conducted on people from various demographic regions as well as various age groups. Used a quota based sampling approach for the research, The data mining approach here helps to study the large dataset collected and also to extract the useful information required to model the system. The system here is a learning system which improves the market segmentation functionality as data set improves, The paper implements a hybrid data mining approach which effectively segments the retail mobile market in to various customer and product groups and also provides a prediction and suggestion system for company as well as customer. 
Inferring Student's Chat Topic in Colloquial Arabic Text using Semantic Representation
Authors: Khamayseh Faisal T.
Published: October 2016

Since the colloquial Arabic is now widespread it is required to describe the collection and classification of a multi-dialectal corpus of Arabic. Nowadays, colloquial multi-dialectal comes in almost country based forms such as Egyptian, Iraqi, Levantine, Tunisian, etc. This paper discusses a new method for analyzing the conversation of the educational chat room using Corpus for Palestinian Arabic and Stanford Tagger. This method represents the key words using semantic net-like representation to obtain the main subjects of the conversation. The main subject of the chat is obtained using the proposed method which shows a high accuracy. Using Arabic Corpus, Stanford Tagger and percentage of words will add more accuracy. The study also examines the effect of pivot distribution based on occurrences and betweeness values of the pivots over the text. This study examines some of the characteristics of the texts written in colloquial Arabic dialect and analyzes the free expressive Arabic statements. The results of the paper show that the core can be determined by combining both the occurrences and the distribution of the word over the conversation.
A Zone Based Approach for Classification and Recognition Of Telugu Handwritten Characters
Authors: Rani N. Shobha , Verma Sanjay Kumar , Joseph Anitta
Published: October 2016

Realization of high accuracies and efficiencies in South Indian character recognition systems is one of the principle goals to be attempted time after time so as to promote the usage of optical character recognition (OCR) for South Indian languages like Telugu. The process of character recognition comprises pre-processing, segmentation, feature extraction, classification and recognition. The feature extraction stage is meant for uniquely recognizing each character image for the purpose of classifying it. The selection of a feature extraction algorithm is very critical and important for any image processing application and mostly of the times it is directly proportional to the type of the image objects that we have to identify. For optical technologies like South Indian OCR, the feature extraction technique plays a very vital role in accuracy of recognition due to the huge character sets. In this work we mainly focus on evaluating the performance of various feature extraction techniques with respect to Telugu character recognition systems and analyze its efficiencies and accuracies in recognition of Telugu character set.
Microstrip Line Fed Leaky Wave Antenna with Shorting Vias for Wideband Systems
Authors: Krishna T V Rama , Madhav B T P , Monica G , Janakiram V , Basha S Md Abid
Published: October 2016

In this work a complex structured shorted vias microstrip leaky wave antenna is designed and analysed. A Leaky wave antenna is a travelling wave structure with complex propagation constant. When shorting vias are loaded in a periodic structure the fundamental resonant mode shows some stop band characteristics and some of the modes will strongly attenuated. Three different types of iterations are examined in this work with and without defected ground structures. The defected ground structure based leaky wave antennas are showing better performance characteristics with respect to efficiency and phase. A micro strip line feeding with impedance of 50 ohms at both ports are providing excellent impedance matching to the conducting path on the microstrip surface. The shorting vias are suppressing certain higher order frequency bands and providing excellent wide band characteristics with low loss.
Neural Networks for Flow Bottom Hole Pressure Prediction
Authors: Awadalla Medhat , Yousef Hassan
Published: October 2016

Installation of down-hole gauges in oil wells to determine Flowing Bottom-Hole Pressure (FBHP) is a dominant process especially in wells lifted with electrical submersible pumps.  However, intervening a well occasionally is an exhaustive task, associated with production risk, and interruption. The previous empirical correlations and mechanistic models failed to provide a satisfactory and reliable tool for estimating pressure drop in multiphase flowing wells. This paper aims to find the optimum parameters of Feed-Forward Neural Network (FFNN) with back-propagation algorithm to predict the flowing bottom-hole pressure in vertical oil wells.  The developed neural network models rely on a large amount of available historical data measured from actual different oil fields. The unsurpassed number of neural network layers, the number of neurons per layer, and the number of trained samples required to get an outstanding performance have been obtained. Intensive experiments have been conducted and for the sake of qualitative comparison, Radial Basis neural and network and the empirical modes have been developed. The paper showed that the accuracy of FBHP estimation using FFNN with two hidden layer model is better than FFNN with single hidden layer model, Radial Basis neural network, and the empirical model in terms of data set used, mean square error, and the correlation coefficient error. With best results of 1.4 root mean square error (RMSE), 1.4 standard deviation of relative error (STD), correlation coefficient (R) 1.0 and 99.4% of the test data sets achieved less than 5% error. The minimum sufficient number of data sets used in training ANN model can be low as 12.5% of the total data sets to give 3.4 RMSE and 97% of the test data achieved 90% accuracy.
Comparison of Voltage-Vector Control based on Duty Cycle Analysis in Three-Phase Four-Leg System Active Filter
Authors: Yuniantoro Indriarto , Setiabudy Rudy , Gunawan Ridwan
Published: October 2016

Comparison of voltage vector control in various forms of tetrahedron that result from switching combination on three-phase four-leg system active filter is presented especially asymmetric tetrahedron shape which is a projection pqr-coordinate into αβ0-coordinate. Parameter tetrahedrons such as modulation boundary-line, reference vector, switching duration time and duty cycle are described. Duty cycle analysis conducted on the Shen’s model, the Zhang’s model, the Perales’s model and asymmetric’s model are presented. The characteristics results showed that switching combination of each IGBT conductor especially its reviews on the neutral wire. Asymmetric tetrahedron can be proposed as control technique in three-phase four-leg system active filter.
Active LC Clamp dv/dt Filter for Voltage Reflection due to Long Cable in Induction Motor Drives
Authors: R Mini , Joshi Manjiri , Satheesh B. Hariram , M.N. Dinesh
Published: October 2016

This paper presents an active LC clamped dv/dt filter to mitigate the over voltages appearing across the motor terminals. The over voltages at motor terminal is due to voltage reflection effect of long motor cable connected between high frequency PWM inverter having high dv/dt switching waveforms and ac motor drives. The voltage reflection due to fast switching transients can be reduced by increasing the rise time and fall time of inverter output voltage pulses. The most commonly available mitigating technique is a passive dv/dt filter between inverter and cable.  Since, size, cost and losses of passive LC dv/dt filter is more, an active dv/dt filtering technique is used to reduce over voltage at motor terminals. Active LC clamp filtering technique used here consists of a small LC filter designed for a single motor cable length which can be used for any lengths of cable up to 1000m only by changing the active control of the PWM pulses to achieve the desired voltage slope during voltage transition period. The basic principle of active dv/dt filer used here is to charge and discharge the capacitor in the filter with modified PWM pulses to increase the rise time and fall time of output voltage pulses without any extra devices to handle the transient response of the LC filter. Detailed investigation is carried out by simulation using MATLAB-Simulink software with active control of common LC clamp dv/dt filter suitable for various cable lengths ranging from 100 m to 1000 m. Comparative analysis is done with active dv/dt filter designed with a common LC clamp filter and active LC clamp dv/dt filter designed for various cable lengths and also with diode clamped passive dv/dt filter. The results proves the effectiveness of the active common LC dv/dt filter to mitigate the over voltages at motor terminal for cable lengths up to 1000m.
A Feed forward Neural Network MPPT Control Strategy Applied to a Modified Cuk Converter
Authors: Makhloufi Mohamed Tahar , Abdessemed Yassine , Khireddine Mohamed Salah
Published: October 2016

This paper presents an intelligent control strategy that uses a feedforward artificial neural network in order to improve the performance of the MPPT (Maximum Power Point Tracker) MPPT photovoltaic (PV) power system based on a modified Cuk converter. The proposed neural network control (NNC) strategy is designed to produce regulated variable DC output voltage. The mathematical model of Cuk converter and artificial neural network algorithm is derived. Cuk converter has some advantages compared to other type of converters. However the nonlinearity characteristic of the Cuk converter due to the switching technique is difficult to be handled by conventional controller. To overcome this problem, a neural network controller with online learning back propagation algorithm is developed. The NNC designed tracked the converter voltage output and improve the dynamic performance regardless load disturbances and supply variations. The proposed controller effectiveness during dynamic transient response is then analyze and verified using MATLAB-Simulink. Simulation results confirm the excellent performance of the proposed NNC.
Monotherapy With Major Antihypertensive Drug Classes and Risk of Hospital Admissions for Mood Disorders
Authors: Boal Angela H. , Smith Daniel J. , McCallum Linsay , Muir Scott , Touyz Rhian M. , Dominiczak Anna F. , Padmanabhan Sandosh
Published: October 2016

Major depressive and bipolar disorders predispose to atherosclerosis, and there is accruing data from animal model, epidemiological, and genomic studies that commonly used antihypertensive drugs may have a role in the pathogenesis or course of mood disorders. In this study, we propose to determine whether antihypertensive drugs have an impact on mood disorders through the analysis of patients on monotherapy with different classes of antihypertensive drugs from a large hospital database of 525 046 patients with follow-up for 5 years. There were 144 066 eligible patients fulfilling the inclusion criteria: age 40 to 80 years old at time of antihypertensive prescription and medication exposure >90 days. The burden of comorbidity assessed by Charlson and Elixhauser scores showed an independent linear association with mood disorder diagnosis. The median time to hospital admission with mood disorder was 847 days for the 299 admissions (641 685 person-years of follow-up). Patients on angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers had the lowest risk for mood disorder admissions, and compared with this group, those on β-blockers (hazard ratio=2.11; [95% confidence interval, 1.12–3.98];
P
=0.02) and calcium antagonists (2.28 [95% confidence interval, 1.13–4.58];
P
=0.02) showed higher risk, whereas those on no antihypertensives (1.63 [95% confidence interval, 0.94–2.82];
P
=0.08) and thiazide diuretics (1.56 [95% confidence interval, 0.65–3.73];
P
=0.32) showed no significant difference. Overall, our exploratory findings suggest possible differential effects of antihypertensive medications on mood that merits further study: calcium antagonists and β-blockers may be associated with increased risk, whereas angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers may be associated with a decreased risk of mood disorders.
Challenging Achievement of Bidirectional Block After Linear Ablation Affects the Rhythm Outcome in Patients With Persistent Atrial Fibrillation
Authors: Kim Tae‐Hoon , Park Junbeom , Uhm Jae‐Sun , Kim Jong‐Youn , Joung Boyoung , Lee Moon‐Hyoung , Pak Hui‐Nam
Published: October 2016

Background

It is not clear whether bidirectional block (
BDB
) of linear ablations reduces atrial fibrillation (
AF
) recurrence after radiofrequency catheter ablation. We hypothesized that
BDB
of linear ablation has prognostic significance after
radiofrequency catheter ablation
for persistent
AF
.

Methods and Results

Among 1793 consecutive patients in the Yonsei
AF
ablation cohort, this observational cohort study included 398 patients with persistent AF (75.6% male; age, 59.8±10.3 years) who underwent catheter ablation with a consistent ablation protocol of the Dallas lesion set: circumferential pulmonary vein isolation; cavotricuspid isthmus ablation (
CTI
); roof line (
RL
); posterior‐inferior line (
PIL
); and anterior line (
AL
).
BDB
rates of de novo ablation lines were 100% in circumferential pulmonary vein isolation, 100% in
CTI
, 84.7% in
RL
, 44.7% in
PIL
, and 63.6% in
AL
. During 29.0±18.4 months of follow‐up, 31.7% (126/398) of the patients showed clinical recurrence. Left atrial posterior wall (
LAPW
) isolation (
BDB
s of
RL
and
PIL
) was independently associated with lower clinical
AF
/atrial tachycardia recurrence (hazard ratio, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.47–0.98;
P
=0.041; log‐rank,
P
=0.017), whereas
BDB
s of
RL
or
AL
were not (log‐rank,
P
=0.178 for
RL;
P
=0.764 for
AL
). Among 52 patients who underwent repeat procedures (23.0±16.1 months after de novo procedure), the
BDB
maintenance rates for
CTI
,
RL
,
PIL
, and
AL
were 94.2% (49 of 52), 63.5% (33 of 47), 62.1% (18 of 29), and 61.8% (21 of 34), respectively.

Conclusions

Although
PIL
crosses the esophageal contact area,
LAPW
isolation is important for better clinical outcome in catheter ablation with a linear ablation strategy for patients with persistent AF.
Prognostic Effect of Isolated Nocturnal Hypertension in Chinese Patients With Nondialysis Chronic Kidney Disease
Authors: Wang Cheng , Li Yan , Zhang Jun , Ye Zengchun , Zhang Qunzi , Ma Xinxin , Peng Hui , Lou Tanqi
Published: October 2016

Background

Isolated nocturnal hypertension (
INH
) has been studied among the general population and hypertensive patients. However, little insight is available on the prognostic effect of
INH
in patients with chronic kidney disease (
CKD
). This study investigated the prognostic effect of
INH
in a cohort of Chinese patients with nondialysis
CKD
.

Methods and Results

A total of 588 Chinese
CKD
patients who were admitted to the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat‐Sen University were enrolled in this study. We monitored blood pressure (
BP
) throughout the day and followed health outcomes in the 588
CKD
patients admitted to our hospital division. We recorded time to total mortality, cardiovascular mortality, renal events, and cardiovascular events. A total of 370 (62.92%) individuals had nocturnal hypertension, which included 136 (23.13%) patients with
INH
. Multivariable Cox regression analyses showed that nocturnal
BP
was a significant risk factor for renal events and cardiovascular events in
CKD
patients, even when adjusted for clinic
BP
, 24‐hour
BP
, or daytime
BP
. Patients with nocturnal hypertension showed a worse prognosis compared with patients with nocturnal normotension (
P
<0.05), and nocturnal hypertension (versus nocturnal normotension) was associated with an increased risk for renal events (hazard ratio [
HR
], 3.81; 95%
CI
, 1.74–8.36) and cardiovascular events (
HR
, 8.34; 95%
CI
, 1.98–35.07). In addition, patients with
INH
had a worse prognosis than patients with normotension (
P
<0.017), whereas
INH
(versus normotension) was associated with a higher risk of renal events (
HR
, 2.78; 95%
CI
, 1.16–6.65) and cardiovascular events (
HR
, 6.82; 95%
CI
, 1.52–30.63).

Conclusions

INH
was associated with a poor prognosis in Chinese nondialysis
CKD
patients.
Evolutionary Design of Classifiers Made of Droplets Containing a Nonlinear Chemical Medium
Authors: Gizynski Konrad , Gruenert Gerd , Dittrich Peter , Gorecki Jerzy
Published: October 2016

Unconventional computing devices operating on nonlinear chemical media offer an interesting alternative to standard, semiconductor-based computers. In this work we study in-silico a chemical medium composed of communicating droplets that functions as a database classifier. The droplet network can be “programmed” by an externally provided illumination pattern. The complex relationship between the illumination pattern and the droplet behavior makes manual programming hard. We introduce an evolutionary algorithm that automatically finds the optimal illumination pattern for a given classification problem. Notably, our approach does not require us to prespecify the signals that represent the output classes of the classification problem, which is achieved by using a fitness function that measures the mutual information between chemical oscillation patterns and desired output classes. We illustrate the feasibility of our approach in computer simulations by evolving droplet classifiers for three machine learning datasets. We demonstrate that the same medium composed of 25 droplets located on a square lattice can be successfully used for different classification tasks by applying different illumination patterns as its externally supplied program.
The Ramellian Bookwheel
Authors: Considine John
Published: October 2016

Agostino Ramelli’s theatre of machines of 1588 includes a design for a bookwheel, a machine rotating on a horizontal axle which would hold a number of large books open simultaneously in such a way that a reader could bring each into view in turn. Since the 1990s, the Ramellian bookwheel has become an icon of early modern techniques of reading. This paper gives an account of Ramelli’s design and its fortuna; surveys the history of rotating reading machines before Ramelli (all of which pivoted on vertical axles); gives an account of all the known bookwheels constructed on Ramellian and similar principles from the early seventeenth century to the end of the eighteenth century; and argues that these machines appear to have been used as catalogue stands or displayed as prestige objects in great libraries rather than to have aided the reading of learned individuals.
Parasitic copepods infesting the olfactory sacs of skates from the southwestern Atlantic with the description of a new species of Kroeyerina Wilson, 1932
Authors: IRIGOITIA MANUEL M. , CANTATORE DELFINA M.P. , INCORVAIA INÉS S. , TIMI JUAN T.
Published: October 2016

The olfactory sacs of 488 specimens belonging to 18 species of rajid and arhynchobatid skates from the Argentine Sea were sampled for parasites. No parasitic copepods were found in 11 host species, but siphonostomatoid specimens referable to Kroeyerina Wilson, 1932 (Kroyeriidae) and Brianella corniger Wilson, 1915 (Lernaeopodidae) were found on the spotback skate Atlantoraja castelnaui (Miranda Ribeiro, 1907), the smallnose fanskate Sympterygia bonapartii Müller & Henle, 1841, the bignose fanskate Sympterygia acuta Garman, 1877 and the zipper sand skate Psammobatis extenta (Garman, 1913) (Rajiformes: Arhynchobatidae). Additionally, specimens of B. corniger were found in the olfactory sacs of the Rio skate Rioraja agassizii (Müller & Henle, 1841) and attached to the pectoral fins of the Magellan skate Bathyraja magellanica (Philippi, 1902) and the smallthorn sand skate Psammobatis rudis Günther, 1870. A new species, Kroeyerina sudamericana sp. nov., is described and illustrated. The new species most closely resembles Kroeyerina nasuta Wilson, 1932, but can be distinguished from it by the different armature of the antennule, a proportionally shorter genital complex and the chela of the antenna which, when closed, leaves a gap between the corpus and claw, the latter having no spines. The new species represents the first record of Kroeyerina in South American marine waters. The present study also extends the distribution range of B. corniger, previously known only from the Pacific, to include Atlantic waters, and records seven new host species, all of which are members of the Arhynchobatidae.
Lernanthropid copepods parasitic on marine fishes in Turkish waters, including two new records
Authors: ÖZAK ARGUN AKİF , DEMİRKALE İBRAHIM , YANAR ALPER
Published: October 2016

A review of Lernanthropidae (Copepoda: Siphonostomatoida) recorded on marine fish species in the Mediterranean and Turkish seas is presented together with the first records of two species of the genus Lernanthropus de Blainville, 1822 that are new to the Turkish coasts. The newly recorded parasites are: Lernanthropus gisleri van Beneden, 1852 from the gill filaments of Umbrina cirrosa (Linnaeus, 1758) and Lernanthropus callionymicola El-Rashidy & Boxshall, 2012 from the gill filaments of the Red Sea immigrant dragonet Callionymus filamentosus Valenciennes, 1837. General morphology, measurements and key diagnostic characters of both species are presented, based on light and scanning electron microscopy. In addition, some contradictions are noted in previous descriptions of L. gisleri and some newly observed structural details of L. callionymicola are also presented.
Colobomatus kimi sp. nov. (Copepoda: Philichthyidae) parasitic in the dwarf goatfish Upeneus parvus Poey, 1852 (Perciformes: Mullidae) in the South Atlantic Ocean
Authors: PASCHOAL FABIANO , PEREIRA ALDENICE N. , LUQUE JOSÉ LUIS
Published: October 2016

A new species of copepod, Colobomatus kimi sp. nov., belonging to the cyclopoid family Philichthyidae Vogt, 1877, is proposed based on female specimens collected from the pores of the cephalic sensory system of the dwarf goatfish, Upeneus parvus Poey from the southeastern Brazilian coastal zone. The new species can be distinguished from its closest congeners by the unique combination of characters displayed by the female, including the forked caudal rami, the position of the midventral cephalic process shorter in relation to the lateral cephalic processes, and the presence of paired genital processes. The new species is the first member of Colobomatus Hesse, 1873 found to parasitize mullids of the genus Upeneus