bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
2-Component links with genus two Heegaard splittings
Authors: Morimoto Kanji
Published: April 2019

In the present paper, we consider two types of 2-component links with genus two Heegaard splittings. One of them is an ordinary tunnel number one link, and the other is a somewhat different tunnel number one link. We will try to detect the differences between those two types. In fact, we will characterize composite tunnel number one links of the second type, and tunnel number one links of the second type with essential tori.
Phantom energy-dominated universe as a transient stage in f(R) cosmology
Authors: Moraes P. H. R. S. , Sahoo P. K. , Taori Barkha , Sahoo Parbati
Published: April 2019

The [Formula: see text] theories of gravity are the most popular, simple and well-succeeded extension of Einstein’s General Relativity. They can account for some observational issues of standard cosmology with no need for evoking the dark sector of the universe. In the present paper, we will investigate LRS Bianchi type-I spacetime in [Formula: see text] gravity theory within the phantom energy-dominated era. We show that in this formalism the phantom energy-dominated universe is a transient stage and in the further stage of the universe dynamics, it is dominated, once again, by dark energy. Such an important feature is obtained from the model, rather than imposed to it, and may have a relation to loop quantum cosmology.
A Customer Confusion Environment in Telecommunication Networks: Analysis and Policy Impact
Authors: Ait Omar Driss , Garmani Hamid , El Amrani Mohamed , Baslam Mohamed , Fakir Mohamed
Published: April 2019

In this paper, we have studied the impact of customer confusion on the decision-making strategies of Internet service providers (ISP) in the network and telecommunications market. This confusion may come from several factors, e.g. incomplete information on the offer, non-transparent advertising, the ability of the analysis, etc.; but that sure varies over time since yesterday’s customer is no longer today’s.

In this work, we have developed a simple oligopolistic model, using non-cooperative game theory, to formalize the interactions between service providers and end-users by considering that the rationality of customers varies over time. We assessed the impact of the dynamics of consumer confusion on the competition and profitability of service providers who are considered rational and competitive with one another to maximize their respective gains in the face of a confused fraction of consumers while others are not confused. We have shown the existence and uniqueness of the Nash equilibrium. We used the best response dynamic algorithm for learning Nash equilibrium. On the one hand, we have shown that when the number of confused customers is large, the ISP is interested in that and they offer moderately high prices with low quality of service. On the other hand, over time, rationality increases, forcing the ISPs to change their strategies by offering better services so that their demand increases. We also add that when customer behavior changes quickly, the ISPs follow clearer strategies with customer satisfactory services.
An Extended Simulated Annealing Based on the Memory Structure to Solve Redundancy Allocation Problem
Authors: Zaretalab Arash , Hajipour Vahid
Published: April 2019

One of the most practical optimization problems in the reliability field is the redundancy allocation problem (RAP). This problem optimizes the reliability of a system by adding redundant components to subsystems under some constraints. In recent years, various meta-heuristic algorithms applied to find a local or global optimum solution for RAP in which redundancy strategies are chosen. Among these algorithms, simulated annealing algorithm (SA) is a capable one and makes use of a mathematical analogue to the physical annealing process to finding the global optimum. In this paper, we present a new simulated annealing algorithm named knowledge-based simulated annealing (KBSA) to solve RAP for the series-parallel system when the redundancy strategy can be chosen for individual subsystems. In the KBSA algorithm, the SA part searches the solution space to find good solutions and knowledge model saves the knowledge of good solution and feed it back to the algorithm. In this paper, this approach achieves the optimal result for some instances in the literature. In order to evaluate the performance of the proposed algorithm, it is compared with well-known algorithms in the literature for different test problems. Finally, the results illustrate that the proposed algorithm has a good proficiency in obtaining desired results.
BUSINESS MODEL RECONFIGURATION AND INNOVATION IN SMEs: A MIXED-METHOD ANALYSIS FROM THE ELECTRONICS INDUSTRY
Authors: CLAUSS THOMAS , BOUNCKEN RICARDA B. , LAUDIEN SVEN , KRAUS SASCHA
Published: April 2019

Previous studies often assume that business model innovation (BMI) is reflected in an entrepreneurial business model design. We assume that business model reconfiguration (BMR) takes place in more nuanced types and does not always lead to (radical) BMI. By undertaking a mixed methods study with 213 respectively 16 SMEs from the electronic industry, we uncover six basically different types of BMRs and discuss their performance implications. By this, we shape the current understanding of BMR and shed light on variety and implications of different types of BMRs. Our configuration study indicates that firms achieve superior performance when implementing a radically new business model reflected in a new configuration of all three components of the business model: value creation, value proposition, and value capture. Second, BMR can take place in types where only some parts of the business model are extensively changed, while others are only slightly adapted.
Intracellular Pathogens: Host Immunity and Microbial Persistence Strategies
Authors: Thakur Aneesh , Mikkelsen Heidi , Jungersen Gregers
Published: April 2019

Infectious diseases caused by pathogens including viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites are ranked as the second leading cause of death worldwide by the World Health Organization. Despite tremendous improvements in global public health since 1950, a number of challenges remain to either prevent or eradicate infectious diseases. Many pathogens can cause acute infections that are effectively cleared by the host immunity, but a subcategory of these pathogens called “intracellular pathogens” can establish persistent and sometimes lifelong infections. Several of these intracellular pathogens manage to evade the host immune monitoring and cause disease by replicating inside the host cells. These pathogens have evolved diverse immune escape strategies and overcome immune responses by residing and multiplying inside host immune cells, primarily macrophages. While these intracellular pathogens that cause persistent infections are phylogenetically diverse and engage in diverse immune evasion and persistence strategies, they share common pathogen type-specific mechanisms during host-pathogen interaction inside host cells. Likewise, the host immune system is also equipped with a diverse range of effector functions to fight against the establishment of pathogen persistence and subsequent host damage. This article provides an overview of the immune effector functions used by the host to counter pathogens and various persistence strategies used by intracellular pathogens to counter host immunity, which enables their extended period of colonization in the host. The improved understanding of persistent intracellular pathogen-derived infections will contribute to develop improved disease diagnostics, therapeutics, and prophylactics.
A Review on Structural Development of Magnetorheological Fluid Damper
Authors: Yuan Xianju , Tian Tianyu , Ling Hongtao , Qiu Tianyu , He Huanli
Published: April 2019

Owing to unique advantages, magnetorheological fluid (MRF) dampers have been widely adopted in different fields of vibration control. Significant differences of structures occur in diverse fields due to the respective requirements, thus obtaining a large number of MR dampers. Having a good understanding of types, technical characteristics, comprehensive performance, and developing trend and their dependencies on structures are extremely conducive to innovative developments and a market selection. While the fundamental and partial structures are summarized in an existing review, the classification, latest technologies, and developing trend are not involved clearly. Therefore, the current survey aims at a comprehensive supplement in such aspects. The review begins with an introduction of the development, application, and classification. Then, details of three technical routes are revealed, and the development of each type is roughly analyzed. Finally, reflecting through this review, structures including a novel flow mode and miniature bypass valves have represented the currently structural and technical features. Fully considering the latest technologies and future requirements, the developing trend and a variety of applications will be anticipated.
A Subtle Network Mediating Axon Guidance: Intrinsic Dynamic Structure of Growth Cone, Attractive and Repulsive Molecular Cues, and the Intermediate Role of Signaling Pathways
Authors: Ye Xiyue , Qiu Yan , Gao Yuqing , Wan Dong , Zhu Huifeng
Published: April 2019

A fundamental feature of both early nervous system development and axon regeneration is the guidance of axonal projections to their targets in order to assemble neural circuits that control behavior. In the navigation process where the nerves grow toward their targets, the growth cones, which locate at the tips of axons, sense the environment surrounding them, including varies of attractive or repulsive molecular cues, then make directional decisions to adjust their navigation journey. The turning ability of a growth cone largely depends on its highly dynamic skeleton, where actin filaments and microtubules play a very important role in its motility. In this review, we summarize some possible mechanisms underlying growth cone motility, relevant molecular cues, and signaling pathways in axon guidance of previous studies and discuss some questions regarding directions for further studies.
A Quantum Particle Swarm Optimization Algorithm with Teamwork Evolutionary Strategy
Authors: Liu Guoqiang , Chen Weiyi , Chen Huadong , Xie Jiahui
Published: April 2019

The quantum particle swarm optimization algorithm is a global convergence guarantee algorithm. Its searching performance is better than the original particle swarm optimization algorithm (PSO), but the control parameters are less and easy to fall into local optimum. The paper proposed teamwork evolutionary strategy for balance global search and local search. This algorithm is based on a novel learning strategy consisting of cross‐sequential quadratic programming and Gaussian chaotic mutation operators. The former performs the local search on the sample and the interlaced operation on the parent individual while the descendants of the latter generated by Gaussian chaotic mutation may produce new regions in the search space. Experiments performed on multimodal test and composite functions with or without coordinate rotation demonstrated that the population information could be utilized by the TEQPSO algorithm more effectively compared with the eight QSOs and PSOs variants. This improves the algorithm performance, significantly.
Stricture Prevention after Extensive Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection of Neoplastic Barrett’s Esophagus: Individualized Oral Steroid Prophylaxis
Authors: Probst Andreas , Ebigbo Alanna , Märkl Bruno , Schaller Tina , Anthuber Matthias , Messmann Helmut
Published: April 2019

Introduction. Endoscopic resection (ER) exceeding ≥75% of the esophageal circumference is accompanied with a high stricture risk regardless of the resection method. The ideal strategy for stricture prevention is not well defined today. Different approaches have been reported but data are limited to the resection of squamous cell neoplasia. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of an individualized oral steroid regimen to prevent strictures after extensive ER in neoplastic Barrett’s esophagus (NBE). Materials and Methods. Over a 50-month period, endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) was performed in 193 patients with NBE. 23 patients with resections exceeding 75% of the circumference were included. 19 resection ulcers were noncircumferential (NCR) while 4 were circumferential (CR). Stricture prevention was performed using oral prednisolone starting with a daily dose of 50 mg and standard tapering over 8 weeks (50/40/30/25/20/15/10/5 mg). Tapering was individualized according to the ulcer healing process (assessed endoscopically in the first tapering period and before stopping the steroids). Data were analyzed retrospectively. Results. Stricture rates were 5.3% (1/19) for NCR and 100% (4/4) for CR (p<0.001). The only stricture in the NCR group was seen in a patient who had stopped steroids without any reason after few days. 12/19 patients received standard tapering over 8 weeks (63.1%). According to the individual ulcer healing, treatment was prolonged to 9-10 weeks in 4/19 (21.1%) and shortened to 7 weeks in another 2/19 (10.5%). After CR, all patients needed endoscopic balloon dilatation (median 6.5 sessions; range 3-14 sessions for 8-40 weeks). Side effects of the steroid therapy were not noted. Conclusion. Oral prednisolone therapy with an endoscopy-based individualized tapering regimen is effective in avoiding strictures after NCR of Barrett’s neoplasia. After CR, the stricture risk is not sufficiently decreased. CR should be restricted to circumferential neoplasia which is a very rare scenario in neoplastic BE.
A Variable Structure Control Scheme Proposal for the Tokamak à Configuration Variable
Authors: Marco Aitor , Garrido Aitor J. , Coda Stefano , Garrido Izaskun , Team TCV
Published: April 2019

Fusion power is the most significant prospects in the long‐term future of energy in the sense that it composes a potentially clean, cheap, and unlimited power source that would substitute the widespread traditional nonrenewable energies, reducing the geographical dependence on their sources as well as avoiding collateral environmental impacts. Although the nuclear fusion research started in the earlier part of 20th century and the fusion reactors have been developed since the 1950s, the fusion reaction processes achieved have not yet obtained net power, since the generated plasma requires more energy to achieve and remain in necessary particular pressure and temperature conditions than the produced profitable energy. For this purpose, the plasma has to be confined inside a vacuum vessel, as it is the case of the Tokamak reactor, which consists of a device that generates magnetic fields within a toroidal chamber, being one of the most promising solutions nowadays. However, the Tokamak reactors still have several issues such as the presence of plasma instabilities that provokes a decay of the fusion reaction and, consequently, a reduction in the pulse duration. In this sense, since long pulse reactions are the key to produce net power, the use of robust and fast controllers arises as a useful tool to deal with the unpredictability and the small time constant of the plasma behavior. In this context, this article focuses on the application of robust control laws to improve the controllability of the plasma current, a crucial parameter during the plasma heating and confinement processes. In particular, a variable structure control scheme based on sliding surfaces, namely, a sliding mode controller (SMC) is presented and applied to the plasma current control problem. In order to test the validity and goodness of the proposed controller, its behavior is compared to that of the traditional PID schemes applied in these systems, using the RZIp model for the Tokamak à Configuration Variable (TCV) reactor. The obtained results are very promising, leading to consider this controller as a strong candidate to enhance the performance of the PID‐based controllers usually employed in this kind of systems.
Vitamin E Loaded Naringenin Nanoemulsion via Intranasal Delivery for the Management of Oxidative Stress in a 6-OHDA Parkinson’s Disease Model
Authors: Gaba Bharti , Khan Tahira , Haider Md Faheem , Alam Tausif , Baboota Sanjula , Parvez Suhel , Ali Javed
Published: April 2019

Purpose. The present study is an attempt to develop a vitamin E loaded naringenin (NRG) Nanoemulsion (NE) for direct nose-to-brain delivery for better management of Parkinson's disease (PD). Methods. The optimized NE was evaluated for efficacy in PD using multiple behavioral studies (including narrow beam test, muscular coordination test, grip strength test, forced swimming test, and akinesia test) in a rat model. Optimized formulation was evaluated for droplet size, polydispersity index (PDI), refractive index, transmittance, zeta potential, and viscosity. Results. Optimized NE had a droplet size of 38.70 ± 3.11nm, PDI of 0.14 ± 0.0024, refractive index of 1.43 ± 0.01, transmittance of 98.12 ± 0.07 %, zeta potential of − 27.4 ± 0.14 mV, and viscosity of 19.67 ± 0.25 Pa s. Behavioral studies showed that 6-OHDA induced PD in rats were successfully reversed when administered with NRG NE intranasally along with the levodopa. While the levels of GSH and SOD were significantly higher, levels of MDA were significantly lower in the group treated with NRG NE via intranasal route along with levodopa. Conclusion. Encouraging results from current study provide evidence for possible efficacy of a novel noninvasive intranasal delivery system of NRG for management of PD related symptoms.
Peer-Assisted Content Delivery to Reduce the Bandwidth of TSTV Service in IPTV System
Authors: Khabbiza El Hassane , El Alami Rachid , Qjidaa Hassan
Published: April 2019

With great technologies, emerge new needs and requirements. The progress achieved in Access broadband rates accentuated the demand on IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) services specially Video on Demand (VOD) and Time Shift TV (TSTV) which led subsequently to a great need for efficiency in the use of bandwidth consumed by those services. Optimization solutions are considered by IPTV service providers to lighten the service load especially on Access Nodes uplinks. This paper describes an optimization of TSTV dedicated bandwidth based on a peer-assisting TSTV content delivery, a solution in which the users STBs (set-top-boxes) assist the central TSTV servers in the service fulfillment. For this purpose, for each TSTV request, the STB will be receiving the TSTV stream from a neighbor STB instead of the central server. By using this method, the unicast traffic will not pass through the IP network; it will be a peer-to-peer communication within the access network. Extensive simulation results were included to illustrate the validity of the proposed new solution.
Responsiveness, Minimal Clinically Important Difference, and Validity of the MoCA in Stroke Rehabilitation
Authors: Wu Ching-Yi , Hung Shuan-Ju , Lin Keh-chung , Chen Kai-Hua , Chen Poyu , Tsay Pei-Kwei
Published: April 2019

Objective. Persons with stroke frequently suffer from cognitive impairment. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), a recently developed screening tool, is sensitive to poststroke cognitive deficits. The present study assessed its psychometric and clinimetric properties (i.e., responsiveness, minimal clinically important difference (MCID), and criterion validity) in stroke survivors receiving rehabilitative therapy. Method. The MoCA and the Stroke Impact Scale (SIS) were administered to 65 stroke survivors before and after 4 to 5 weeks of therapy. The effect size and standardized response mean (SRM) were calculated for responsiveness. Anchor- and distribution-based methods were used to estimate the MCID. Criterion validity was measured with the Spearman correlation coefficient. Results. The responsiveness of the MoCA was moderate (SRM=0.67). Participants exceeding the MCID according to the anchor- and distribution-based approaches were 33 (50.77%) and 20 (30.77%), respectively. Fair to good concurrent validity was reported between the MoCA and the SIS communication subscale. The MoCA had satisfactory predictive validity with the SIS communication and memory subscales. Conclusion. This study may support the responsiveness, MCID, and criterion validity of the MoCA in stroke populations. Future studies with larger sample sizes are needed to validate the current findings.
Study of the Phosphorus Adsorption on the Sediments
Authors: Omari Hind , Dehbi Ali , Lammini Adil , Abdallaoui Abdelaziz
Published: April 2019

The objective of this work is to determine the reflection elements, allowing the understanding of the phosphorus fixation mechanisms. The samples were taken from Oued Boufekrane in the Meknes region (Northwest of Morocco). In fact, the sediment characterization was examined by the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) specific surface area and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy measurements. A series of experiments were then carried out to study the impact of some parameters on the adsorption capacity. Indeed, the effect of contact time, sediment mass, pH, initial concentration of potassium dihydrogen phosphate KH2PO4, and the temperature has been studied. The characterization of sediment by FTIR spectroscopy shows the existence of carbonates, iron hydroxides, and organic matter. The results obtained showed that the retention of phosphorus on the sediments studied is maximal at pH = 12 and increases with the temperature and the mass of sediments. Phosphorus adsorption kinetics of phosphorus on sediments studied follows the pseudo-second-order model, and the activation energy value (48.51 kJ/mol) indicates the predominance of chemical nature of adsorption (>40 kJ/mol). The experimental data of the adsorption isotherms are well interpreted by the Freundlich model. The values of the thermodynamic parameters ΔG°, ΔH°, and ΔS° indicate that the adsorption reaction is endothermic and occurs spontaneously on the surface of the sediments studied.
Prediction of Ship Cabin Noise Based on RBF Neural Network
Authors: Guo Jun , Wang Mei-ting , Kang You-wei , Zhang Yin , Gu Chen-xu
Published: April 2019

Prediction of cabin noise for new types of ships and offshore platforms, based on measurement or simulation databases, is a common problem that needs a solution at the beginning of the design process. In this paper, we explore the use of a radial basis function (RBF) neural network to study this problem. Within the framework of the RBF network, we implement and compare several algorithms to devise a fast and precise cabin noise prediction model. We select a combination of algorithms after training the RBF with noise measurement samples. The results show that the RBF neural network trained using the DE algorithm has better prediction accuracy, generalization, and robustness than the others. Our work provides a new method for preliminary noise assessment during the schematic design phase and enables rapid analysis of vibration and noise control schemes for ships and offshore platforms.
Automated Coregistration of Multisensor Orthophotos Generated from Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Platforms
Authors: Han Youkyung , Choi Jaewan , Jung Jinha , Chang Anjin , Oh Sungchan , Yeom Junho
Published: April 2019

Image coregistration is a key preprocessing step to ensure the effective application of very-high-resolution (VHR) orthophotos generated from multisensor images acquired from unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) platforms. The most accurate method to align an orthophoto is the installation of air-photo targets at a test site prior to flight image acquisition, and these targets were used as ground control points (GCPs) for georeferencing and georectification. However, there are time and cost limitations related to installing the targets and conducting field surveys on the targets during every flight. To address this problem, this paper presents an automated coregistration approach for orthophotos generated from VHR images acquired from multisensors mounted on UAV platforms. Spatial information from the orthophotos, provided by the global navigation satellite system (GNSS) at each image’s acquisition time, is used as ancillary information for phase correlation-based coregistration. A transformation function between the multisensor orthophotos is then estimated based on conjugate points (CPs), which are locally extracted over orthophotos using the phase correlation approach. Two multisensor datasets are constructed to evaluate the proposed approach. These visual and quantitative evaluations confirm the superiority of the proposed method.
MicroRNA in Acupuncture Studies: Does Small RNA Shed Light on the Biological Mechanism of Acupuncture?
Authors: Ko Jade Heejae , Kim Seung-Nam
Published: April 2019

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are the main regulators of diverse physiological processes. Recently, miRNAs have emerged as significant players related to the effect of acupuncture although the biological mechanisms connecting the function of these miRNAs with the effect of acupuncture are not well understood. In animal models of various diseases, such as neurological disease, cardiovascular disease, myopathy, and pain, a number of miRNAs were altered after administration of electroacupuncture or manual acupuncture. Nonetheless, there are a limited number of studies published so far. This paper reviewed and discussed whether miRNAs could elucidate potential biological mechanism of acupuncture in the future studies.
Biostatistical Assessment of Mutagenicity Studies: A Stepwise Confidence Procedure
Authors: Adjabui Michael J. , Howard Nathaniel K. , Akamba Mathias
Published: April 2019

The paper addresses the issue of identifying the maximum safe dose in the context of noninferiority trials where several doses of toxicological compounds exist. Statistical methodology for identifying the maximum safe dose is available for three-arm noninferiority designs with only one experimental drug treatment. Extension of this methodology for several experimental groups exists but with multiplicity adjustment. However, if the experimental or the treatment groups can be ordered a priori according to their treatment effect, then multiplicity adjustment is unneeded. Assuming homogeneity of variances across dose group in normality settings, we employed the generalized Fieller’s confidence interval method in a multiple comparison stepwise procedure by incorporating the partitioning principle in order to control the familywise error rate (FWER). Simulation results revealed that the procedure properly controlled the FWER in strong sense. Also, the power of our procedure increases with increasing sample size and the ratio of mean differences. We illustrate our procedure with mutagenicity dataset from a clinical study.
Numerical Simulation and Optimization of Wind Effects of Porous Parapets on Low‐Rise Buildings with Flat Roofs
Authors: Qiu Ye , San Bingbing , Zhao Youyi
Published: April 2019

This paper presents a procedure to optimize the porosity of parapets to improve the aerodynamic behavior of low‐rise buildings with flat roofs, by coupling an optimization algorithm and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. The performance of solid parapets to decrease the wind suctions on flat roofs induced by conical vortices was firstly studied, based on four turbulence closure models (standard k‐ε, RNG k‐ε, SST k‐ω, and RSM). The simulation results were validated by comparing with the wind tunnel data. Additionally, the porous parapet was treated as a momentum sink in the governing momentum equation, and the RSM turbulence model was employed. As a result, six optimization studies focusing on the highest mean suction minimization that consider parapet height were presented. The aim of this paper is to search for the best performing porosity through an automatic CFD‐based optimization methodology. At low relative heights (hp/H = 0.01∼0.05, hp is the parapet height, and H is the roof height), the porous parapet with optimal porosity in between 38.2% and 52.3% seems to be more effective than solid parapets in attenuating high corner suctions generated by conical vortices; however, the solid parapet gives the best performance in the reduction of wind suctions when hp/H ≥ 0.07.
Cellular and Molecular Level Mechanisms against Electrochemical Cancer Therapy
Authors: Gu Yeun-Hwa , Yamashita Takenori , Inoue Tota , Song Jin-Ho , Kang Ki-Mun
Published: April 2019

Electrochemical treatment (ECT) is a promising new way to induce tumor regression by flowing direct current into the cancer tissue. ECT was applied to different kinds of tumors in clinical studies and showed good results. In addition, basic research has almost not been done in the field of evaluation of efficacy, dose-response, and cytotoxicity. Therefore, the objective is to study the cellular mechanism in the antitumor effect of ECT and to contribute data of basic research of ECT. In the cell-level study, tumor cells (Sarcoma-180, Scc-7, Ehrlich Carcinoma) were studied using ICR mice and C3H mice. In the study group, pH values of control, 10mA × 150secs, 10mA × 300secs, and 10mA × 600secs groups were measured five times each. In histological level studies, ECT was performed on tumors inoculated on the upper part of the right foot of C3H mice. In each group, mice were sacrificed by cervical dislocation 6, 12, and 24 hrs after ECT treatment, and tumors were removed. The excised tumor was fixed in tissue with 10% formalin, and HE staining and apoptosis antibody staining were carried out from the obtained tissue section and observation. In the study at the cellular level, statistically significant differences were observed in all ECT groups in Sarcoma in the tumor growth measurement study compared with the control group. Statistically significant differences were also observed in Scc-7 in all ECT groups compared to the control group. In the intratumoral pH measurement study, there was a statistically significant difference between the anode and the cathode in each group compared to the control group. In the examination at the histological level, microscopic observation of a slide stained with apoptosis antibody with a magnification of 400 times showed that 6hrs after ECT it was stronger and then decreased. By performing ECT, a weak current flows in the living body. As a result, changes in tissue pH, generation of gas, etc. occur. In this study, it was also confirmed that the intratumor pH value becomes strongly acidic on the anode side and strongly alkaline on the cathode side. In addition, this study confirmed the occurrence of gas during treatment of ECT. Changes in the pH and the like cause changes in the environment in the cell, denaturation of proteins, apoptosis, and necrosis. In this study, a significant increase in apoptosis was confirmed in each ECT group compared to the control group. Treatment effects by ECT were also observed in tumor growth measurement studies and tumor weight measurement studies. From these research results, ECT is considered to be effective as a tumor treatment method.
Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in CDKAL1 Gene Are Associated with Risk of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus in Chinese Population
Authors: Wang Keke , Chen Qiong , Feng Yongliang , Yang Hailan , Wu Weiwei , Zhang Ping , Wang Ying , Ko Jamie , Zhao Feng , Du Wenqiong , Yang Feifei , Han Tianbi , Wang Suping , Zhang Yawei
Published: April 2019

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a growing public health concern for many reasons, and its etiology remains unclear. Due to the similarity of its pathophysiology with type 2 diabetes (T2DM), we evaluated the relationship between published T2DM susceptibility genes and the risk of GDM. A total of 303 SNPs from genes including IRS1, IGF2BP2, CDKAL1, GCK, TCF7L2, KCNQ1, and KCNJ11 and the risk of GDM were examined in a nested case-control study with 321 GDM cases and 316 controls. The odds ratios (ORs) and their 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were estimated by unconditional logistical regression as a measure of the associations between genotypes and GDM in additive, recessive, dominant, and codominant models adjusting for maternal age, maternal BMI, parity, and family history of diabetes. At the gene level, CDKAL1 was associated with GDM risk. SNPs in the CDKAL1 gene including rs4712527, rs7748720, rs9350276, and rs6938256 were associated with reduced GDM risk. However, SNPs including rs9295478, rs6935599, and rs7747752 were associated with elevated GDM risk. After adjusting for multiple comparisons, rs9295478 and rs6935599 were still significant across the additive, recessive, and codominant models; rs7748720 and rs6938256 were significant in dominant and codominant models; and rs4712527 was only significant in the codominant model. Our study provides evidence for an association between the CDKAL1 gene and risk of GDM. However, its role in the GDM pathogenesis still needs to be verified by further studies.
Research on Taxi Pricing Model and Optimization for Carpooling Detour Problem
Authors: Zhang Wei , He Ruichun , Chen Yong , Gao Mingxia , Ma Changxi
Published: April 2019

This paper builds a multiobjective optimization model for solving the taxi carpooling with detour problem and designs a genetic algorithm to determine a fair pricing scheme for riders and drivers. The researches show that it is feasible to share a taxi with detour. It is the key to determine appropriate carpooling payment ratio and detour carpooling payment ratio. The ratio of detour distance to travel distance has an important influence on detour carpooling. It should be limited to less than certain values. Payment ratios and the maximum value of the ratio of detour distance to travel distance are determined by the method proposed in this paper. The method can ensure benefits of passengers and drivers, which makes detour carpooling a reality. These conclusions and the method have a certain guiding significance for formulating taxi policy.
Delay-Free Tracking Differentiator Design Based on Variational Mode Decomposition: Application on MEMS Gyroscope Denoising
Authors: Zhang Xi , Cao Huiliang , Wang Chenguang , Kou Zhiwei , Shao Xingling , Li Jie , Liu Jun , Shen Chong
Published: April 2019

This paper presents a delay-free tracking differentiator based on variational mode decomposition (VMD) for extracting the useful signal from a noisy measurement of gyroscope. Sigmoid function-based tracking differentiator (STD) is a novel tracking differentiator with the advantages of noise-attenuation ability and dynamical performance. However, there is a contradiction in STD; i.e., selecting a larger acceleration factor may cause faster convergence but bad random noise reduction whereas selecting a smaller acceleration factor may lead to signal delay but effective random noise reduction. Here, multiscale transformation is introduced to overcome the contradiction of STD. VMD is selected to decompose the noisy signal into multiscale components, and the correlation coefficients between each component and original signal are calculated, then the component with biggest correlation coefficient is reserved and other components are filtered by the proposed adaptive STD algorithm based on the correlation coefficient of each component, and finally the denoising result is obtained after reconstruction. The prominent advantages of the proposed algorithm are as follows: (i) compared to traditional tracking differentiators, better noise suppression ability can be achieved with suppression of time delay; (ii) compared to other widely used denoising methods, a simpler structure but better denoising ability can be obtained.
A Unique and Rare Presentation of Adult Congenital Heart Disease: Common Atrium Associated with Coronary Aneurysms and Fistula
Authors: Rawala Muhammad Shabbir , Munoz Alex , Pervaiz Mohammad Hassan
Published: April 2019

An atrial septal defect is the second most common congenital heart disease found in adults with a female to male ratio of 4 : 1. However, it is rare to have a complete absence of the interatrial septum (IAS) to be diagnosed in an elderly patient associated with other coexisting anomalies. We present a case of a 60-year-old female presenting with common atrium, coronary arteriovenous fistula, and coronary artery aneurysms. This case highlights rare adult congenital cardiac anomalies and the importance of thorough workup to evaluate for the intracardiac shunt in a patient who has right heart enlargement and development of pulmonary disease in adulthood without a significant history of chronic smoking. A 60-year-old female patient presented with substernal chest pain. The nuclear stress test showed no reversible ischemia; however, right ventricle (RV) dilation was present. The patient underwent further evaluation for RV dilation with a transthoracic echocardiogram that demonstrated a complete absence of IAS and was confirmed by a positive bubble study. The patient had an invasive angiography that showed severely elevated RV pressure. Oxygen saturation in the right atrium was higher than in the inferior vena cava. Hence, an intracardiac shunt with a 10% increase in oxygen saturation was identified. It also identified aneurysmal coronary arteries (measuring 0.8 to 1.0 cm). Cardiac computed tomography angiogram was performed that identified all coronary arteries to be ectatic/aneurysmal measuring up to 8-10 mm, an absence of IAS, and a possible fistula between the distal left anterior descending and a coronary vein. To our knowledge, this is the first-ever presentation of a complete congenital absence of IAS in a patient who has survived into adulthood with the development of severe pulmonary hypertension without Eisenmenger syndrome. It is unclear at this point if surgical treatment to correct the anatomical defect (which would be probably palliative) would be superior to conservative medical therapy. Besides, the presence of coronary arteriovenous fistula would make the decision-making process more complex regarding surgical versus conservative management.
Infectivity ofMycobacterium tuberculosisGenotypes and Outcome of Contact Investigation in Classroom in Guangxi, China
Authors: Pan Dongxiang , Palittapongarnpim Prasit , Chaiprasert Angkana , Lin Mei , Lin Dingwen , Long Xi , Huang Liwen , Qin Huifang , McNeil Edward , Lan Rushu , Qiu Xiaoqiang , Chongsuvivatwong Virasakdi
Published: April 2019

Objective. To evaluate the infectivity ofMycobacterium tuberculosis(M.tb) genotypes of index cases in the classroom of adolescent schools in Guangxi, China.Methods. Adolescent school tuberculosis (TB) contact investigations were conducted for all reported index TB cases from November 2016 to December 2017 in Guangxi, China. Genotypes of index cases and contact cases were identified by 15-loci mycobacterial interspersed repetitive units–variable number tandem repeat and spoligotyping. Outcome variable was 5 levels’ order of tuberculin skin test (TST) results to new active TB [0-5 mm, 6-9 mm, 10-14 mm, ≥ 15 mm (without TB), and ≥15 mm (with TB)]. Multivariate ordered logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the independent effect of genotypes of index case on contact screening outcome.Results. Beijing genotype occurred more commonly in female index patients. One genotypic cluster of two index cases and one cluster of two contact cases were detected. The association between infectivity of Beijing genotype of index cases and outcome of contact investigation was statistically significant in univariate analysis but no so after adjustment for characteristics of contacts and sex of index cases (P value=0.057). Female index cases increased the chance for TB infection/being active TB among contacts (ordinal odds ratio = 1.39, 95% confidence interval: 1.21, 1.60). Contacts who studied in the middle school, who with non-Han ethnicity and who without BCG scar had increased risk for TB infection/being active TB.Conclusion. There was not enough evidence from our data to support that Beijing strains were more infective than non-Beijing strains in TB transmission in school setting.
Trends in Recently Emerged Leishmania donovani Induced Cutaneous Leishmaniasis, Sri Lanka, for the First 13 Years
Authors: Siriwardana Yamuna , Zhou Guofa , Deepachandi Bhagya , Akarawita Janaka , Wickremarathne Chandanie , Warnasuriya Wipula , Udagedara Chandanie , Ranawaka Ranthilaka R. , Kahawita Indira , Ariyawansa Dananja , Sirimanna Ganga , Chandrawansa P. H. , Karunaweera Nadira D.
Published: April 2019

Sri Lanka reports a large epidemic of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) caused by an atypical L. donovani while regional leishmaniasis elimination drive aims at achieving its targets in 2020. Visceralization, mucotrophism, and CL associated poor treatment response were recently reported. Long-term clinico-epidemiological trends (2001-2013) in this focus were examined for the first time. Both constant and changing features were observed. Sociodemographic patient characteristics that differ significantly from those of country profile, microchanges within CL profile, spatial expansion, constant biannual seasonal variation, and nondependency of clinical profile on age or gender were evident. Classical CL remains the main clinical entity without clinical evidence for subsequent visceralization indicating presence of parasite strain variation. These observations make a scientific platform for disease control preferably timed based on seasonal variation and highlights the importance of periodic and continued surveillance of clinic-epidemiological and other characteristics.
Treatment of AO/OTA 43-C3 Pilon Fracture: Be Aware of Posterior Column Malreduction
Authors: Guan Junjie , Huang Moran , Wang Qiuke , Chen Yunfeng , Wang Lei
Published: April 2019

Treatment of pilon fractures remains challenging due to the difficulty of fracture reduction and associated soft tissue complications. The aim of this study was to evaluate the pitfalls and strategies of posterior column reduction in the treatment of complex tibial pilon fractures (AO/OTA 43-C3). Thirteen AO/OTA classification 43-C3 type pilon fractures treated between January 2013 and January 2016 were retrospectively analyzed. Nine cases were treated by external fixation within 26 hours (range, 6–56 hours) after injury. The definitive open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) was performed after the wound was healed without infection and soft tissue swelling had subsided. During the delayed/second-stage operation, the articular surface of the distal tibial plafond was reduced through the posterolateral and anterior approaches. X-ray and CT scans were performed pre- or postoperatively. The reduction quality was evaluated using Burwell–Charnley’s radiographic criteria. The follow-up was performed routinely and all complications were recorded. Ankle function was evaluated using the American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) ankle-hindfoot score. During the delayed/second-stage operation, primary reduction of the posterior column was performed entirely through posterolateral approaches. However, poor posterior column reduction was revealed by fluoroscopy in four cases, three of which were readjusted through the posterolateral and anterior approaches, and the fourth was adjusted directly through the anterior approach. Postoperative CT scan revealed that the step-off of the articular surface was less than 2 mm in 12 cases, and in only one case the step-off was greater than 2 mm but less than 5 mm. The satisfactory rate was 92.3% according to Burwell–Charnley’s reduction criteria. Eleven patients were followed up regularly; superficial infections occurred in two cases but healed after wound care treatment in 3 and 5 weeks, respectively. All eleven fractures were healed within an average of 3.6 months (range, 2.6–5 months). The average range of ankle motion was 19° of dorsiflexion and 28° of plantar-flexion. The mean AOFAS ankle-hindfoot score was 82 (range, 61–92). In our opinion, we suggest that the reduction of the articular surface should be performed through combined posterolateral and anterior approaches in a delayed operation, with flexible fixation of the posterior column. If the posterior column is poorly reduced, the articular surface can easily be manipulated through anterior approaches. According to this strategy, satisfactory outcomes of AO/OTA C3 pilon fractures would be anticipated.
Buyang Huanwu Decoction Exerts Cardioprotective Effects through Targeting Angiogenesis via Caveolin-1/VEGF Signaling Pathway in Mice with Acute Myocardial Infarction
Authors: Zhu Jia-Zhen , Bao Xiao-Yi , Zheng Qun , Tong Qiang , Zhu Peng-Chong , Zhuang Zhuang , Wang Yan
Published: April 2019

Background. Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The idea of therapeutic angiogenesis in ischemic myocardium is a promising strategy for MI patients. Buyang Huanwu decoction (BHD), a famous Chinese herbal prescription, exerted antioxidant, antiapoptotic, and anti-inflammatory effects, which contribute to cardio-/cerebral protection. Here, we aim to investigate the effects of BHD on angiogenesis through the caveolin-1 (Cav-1)/vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) pathway in MI model of mice. Materials and Methods. C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into 3 groups by the table of random number: (1) sham-operated group (sham, n=15), (2) AMI group (AMI+sham, n=20), and (3) BHD-treated group (AMI+BHD, n=20). 2,3,5-Triphenyltetrazolium chloride solution stain was used to determine myocardial infarct size. Myocardial histopathology was tested using Masson staining and hematoxylin-eosin staining. CD31 immunofluorescence staining was used to analyze the angiogenesis in the infarction border zone. Western blot analysis, immunofluorescence staining, and/or real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction was applied to test the expression of Cav-1, VEGF, vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2), and/or phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (p-ERK). All statistical analyses were performed using the SPSS 20.0 software and GraphPad Prism 6.05. Values of P<0.05 were considered as statistically significant. Results and Conclusion. Compared with the AMI group, the BHD-treated group showed a significant improvement in the heart weight/body weight ratio, echocardiography images, cardiac function, infarct size, Mason staining of the collagen deposition area, and density of microvessel in the infarction border zone (P<0.05). Compared with the AMI group, BHD promoted the expression of Cav-1, VEGF, VEGFR2, and p-ERK in the infarction border zone after AMI. BHD could exert cardioprotective effects on the mouse model with AMI through targeting angiogenesis via Cav-1/VEGF signaling pathway.