bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Continuation of Indoor Prescribed Antibiotics in the Outpatient Treatment of Neonatal Sepsis
Authors: Islam SM Rafiqul , Talukder Khurshid , Akter Monira
Published: June 2017

Neonatal sepsis is a common problem whose antibiotic treatment is usually recommended whilst admitted in hospital for at least 10-14 days. Families in Bangladesh however are reluctant to stay in hospital to complete the treatment for such a long time due to reasons such as financial difficulties and either or both are working parents. This leads to incomplete treatment of neonatal sepsis. We hypothesised that after initial improvement in neonatal sepsis with injectable antibiotics whilst admitted, the same treatment could be safely continued in the outpatient setting to complete the full course. This intervention study was carried out in 66 newborns (0-28 days) recruited at the time of admission with suspected sepsis in the Department of Paediatrics, Centre for Woman and Child Health (CWCH), Dhaka. After investigations, treatment was initiated with injectable antibiotics according to clinical diagnosis and severity. Families who agreed to stay and complete the treatment as inpatient were given the complete course of antibiotics in hospital as IPD group and those who wanted to shorten their stay in hospital, were discharged with injectable antibiotics and follow-up in the outpatient department as OPD group. Data were analysed on 59 neonates, 37 in the OPD and 22 in the IPD group, admitted to hospital between April 2014 and December 2015. There were no readmissions or complications in either group, but one newborn died in the IPD group. Cure rate was 100% in both OPD and IPD groups. Average duration of hospital stay was 3.95±1.76 days and 6.14±2.99 days in the OPD and IPD groups respectively. Treatment cost per patient was 5,823±3,752 Bangladesh Taka (BDT) and 7,082±6,520 BDT in the OPD and IPD groups respectively. Findings of this study suggest that early discharge with injectable antibiotics as an outpatient is a safe and cost effective option for neonatal sepsis.
Incidence of Negative Appendicectomy: Correlation Between Clinical, Peroperative and Histopathological Findings
Authors: Rahman Mohammad Zillur , Islam Johirul , Hasanuzzaman Md. , Habib Ahsan , Bhattachari Avisak
Published: June 2017

Appendicitis is one of the most difficult diagnostic problems to confront the emergency physician and it is the most common intra-abdominal condition requiring emergency surgery. The term Negative appendicectomy used for operation done for suspected appendicitis, in which the appendix is found to be normal on histological evaluation. The study aimed to find out the incidence of negative appendicectomy evaluating the correlation between clinical, per-operative and histopathological findings. It was a prospective study of 100 cases clinically diagnosed as acute appendicitis selected over a period of one year (July 2006 to June 2007) from different surgical ward of Mymensingh Medical College Hospital. The study revealed a negative appendicectomy rate of 12%. Moreover, in all cases of acute appendicitis, there was a well established bias towards male patients and young male patients constituted the majority of the cases. But the rate of negative appendicectomy found to be higher in female patients, which is 15.9% as compared to only 8.92% male patients. In addition, among female patients differential diagnostic difficulties encountered in females of reproductive age group. More emphasis on technology at the expense of clinical evaluation is certainly responsible for the diminish in accuracy of diagnosis. The diagnosis of acute appendicitis remains essentially clinical, requiring a mixture of observation, clinical acumen and accurate use of diagnostic tools.  A correct diagnosis is certainly important than a rapid diagnosis.
Fanconi Anaemia  A Rare Case Report
Authors: Aziz Md Abdul , Chowdhury Mesba Uddin , Khan Rafiquzzaman , Shah Md Salauddin , Islam Shafiqul
Published: June 2017

Fanconi anaemia is a rare and most common form of inherited aplastic anaemia. It is mostly autosmal (except one x link) recessive disorder characterized by diverse congenital malformations, progressive pancytopenia, and predisposition to both haematological malignancy and solid tumours. Congenital malformation varies from patient to patient and may affect the skeletal system as well as organ systems. Highly variable phenotypic  presentation with clinical menifestations makes difficult for diagnosis in some cases. Chromosomal breakage study induce by Mitomycin-C (MMC)/Diepoxybutane(DEB) provide a unique cellular marker for the diagnosis.The incidence of FA is approximately 1 to 5 per million. In Bangladesh, so far no study or even any case was reported. In this case report, a two years nine months old male child presented with generalized weakness , recurrent episodes of fever and physical deformities. It was found him short stature, microcephaly, trianguler face,generalized hyperpigmentation with café au lait spots,absent both thumbs with flexor deformity of both wrists. Peripheral smear found bicytopenia, bone marrow aspiration and biopsy showed hypoplastic marrow mildly elevated LDH, X-ray and USG showed bone and organ agenesis and chromosomal breakage study is also positive.
Low Serum Ferritin is a Risk for Febrile Convulsion in Children
Authors: Saha Aloke Kumar , Hassan Md Kamrul , Kundu Lakshman Chandra , Saha Shyamal Kumar , Begum Poly , Lucky Asrafunnahar
Published: June 2017

Iron deficiency anaemia and febrile seizures are two common diseases in children worldwide as well as in developing country. A prospective case-control study was carried out in the Department of Paediatrics, Faridpur Medical College Hospital. The study was done during the period from January'2015 to September'2015 with 50 children with first simple febrile seizure as cases and other 50 controls. There were no significant differences in terms of ESR, WBC, platelets, RBC, MCHC, and TIBC levels between the cases and the control group. HB, HCT, MCH, mean serum ferritin and serum iron, were significantly low in the febrile convulsion group as compared to control group.Faridpur Med. Coll. J. Jul 2016;11(2): 44-46
Incidence and Risk Factors of Postoperative Acute Kidney Injury in Non- Cardiac Major Surgery.
Authors: Mondal Swapan Kumar , Paul Bablu Kumar , Kar Shubharthi , Biswas Swapan Kumar , Parvin Zebunnesa , Islam MM Shahin Ul
Published: June 2017

Acute kidney injury (AKI) occurs in approximately 1-7% of all hospitalized patients. Those patients undergo major surgical procedures are at high risk for AKI due to high volume blood loss, electrolytes disturbance, development of preoperative infection or sepsis and presence of several co-morbidities that may impair renal function. However, published data on postoperative kidney injury are scarce outside the cardiovascular surgery setting. Therefore the study was designed to find out the incidence and risk factors of postoperative acute kidney injury in non-cardiac major surgery. A cross-sectional observational study was conducted in the department of nephrology, BSMMU, Dhaka from January 2014 to December 2014. In this study we found the overall incidence of postoperative AKI 6%. Among the risk factors-male sex, increased age, lengthy operation, exposure to general anesthesia, perioperative hypotension, blood transfusion and use of nephrotoxic drugs (NSAIDs, Aminoglycosides) are important.Faridpur Med. Coll. J. Jul 2016;11(2): 47-49
The Role of Combination of 20% Azelaic Acid with 0.05% Tretinoin Cream in the Treatment of Melasma - A study in FMCH.
Authors: Sen Krishna Gopal , Sarkar Sumitendra Kumar , Islam Md Shafiqul , Mostofa Md Kamal , Das Asit Ranjan , Khan Md Mesbah Uddin , Miah Md A Wadud , Alam Jahangir , Saha Shyamol Kumar , Akter Selina
Published: June 2017

Melasma is characterized by melanosis with sharply demarcated blotchy, brown macules usually in a symmetric distribution over the cheeks and forehead and sometimes on the upper lip and neck. It is most often seen in women during pregnancy, at menopause and while taking oral contraceptives; it occasionally occurs in women who are not pregnant or taking oral contraceptives, as well as men. So it is a great problem in our country. A clinical trial was conducted to find out the effect of the combination of 20% azelaic acid with 0.05% tretinoin cream in the treatment of melasma. Twenty clinically diagnosed cases of melasma attending the outpatient department of Dermatology and Venereology, Faridpur Medical College Hospital, Faridpur were enrolled. Majority of the study subjects (40%) were between 26 to 30 years of age and most of them (60%) were females. Regarding occupation, 60% were housewife. Out of the study subjects 75% were married and 60% were middle class. Around 60% cases had positive family history of melasma and maximum (90%) patient had no history of systemic drug and the maximum (80%) patients had no history of use of cosmetics. It was observed that highest (90%) number of patients had malar area involvement and 10% had centro-facial area involvement. The study showed moderate reduction of the severity of melasma after the treatment. Out of the study subjects, 40% and 20% developed burning sensation and erythema respectively. It could be concluded that combination of 20% azelaic acid and 0.05% tretinoin cream, has a moderate lightening effect in the treatment of melasma.Faridpur Med. Coll. J. Jul 2016;11(2): 50-53
Role of Immediate Release and Delayed Release Omeprazole in Patients with Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disease
Authors: Rahman Mahabub , Ahmed Dewan Saifuddin , Jannat Syeda Nur E , Islam MM Shahin Ul , Abdullah Abu Ahmed
Published: June 2017

Proton pump inhibitors are widely used for Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) treatment. This prospective double blind randomized cross over study was carried out in the Department of Gastroenterology, BSMMU from June 2007 to May 2008 to assess the efficacy of Immediate-release omeprazole (IR-OMEP) & Delayed-release Omeprazole (DR-OMEP) in relieving symptoms & healing of oesophagitis in GERD. All patients who fulfilled the inclusion criteria underwent upper gastrointestinal (UGI) endoscopy to be lebelled as nonerosive and erosive GERD. Among total 69 patients, 43 (62.3 %) had nonerosive and 26 (37.7 %) had erosive GERD. Patients were divided into group A (35) and group B (34) who received group A drugs (20 mg IR-OMEP bd) and group B drugs (20 mg DROMEP bd) from day 1-14 respectively. Then drugs were crossed over (group A: 20mg DR-OMEP bd; group B: 20 mg IR-OMEP bd) from day 15-28. Improvement of heartburn, regurgitation in each group were assessed in every week, during drug cross over and at the end and then compared between two groups. There was no significant difference in relieving heartburn and regurgitation between IR-OMEP and DR-OMEP either in erosive or nonerosive GERD (P>0.50). Patients with erosive GERD underwent UGI endoscopy at the end of treatment to see healing of esophagitis. Study showed significant healing of oesophagitis in group A after 4 weeks than group B (14%) (P<0.05) but there is no superiority of IR-OMEP over DR-OMEP in relieving symptoms of GERD.Faridpur Med. Coll. J. Jul 2016;11(2): 67-73
MULTIGRID METHOD FOR THE SOLUTION OF COMBINED EFFECT OF VISCOSITY VARIATION AND SURFACE ROUGHNESS ON THE SQUEEZE FILM LUBRICATION OF JOURNAL BEARINGS
Authors: Awati Vishwanath B. , Kengangutti Ashwini , N. Mahesh Kumar
Published: June 2017

The paper presents, the multigrid method for the solution of combined effect of surface roughness and viscosity variation on the squeeze film lubrication of a short journal bearing operating with micropolar fluid. The modified Reynolds equation which incorporates the variation of viscosity in micropolar fluid is analysed using Multigrid method. The governing modified Reynolds equation is solved numerically for the fluid film pressure and bearing characteristics viz. load carrying capacity and squeeze time. The analysis of the results predicts that, the viscosity variation factor decreases the load carrying capacity and squeeze film time, resulting into a longer bearing life. The results are compared with the corresponding analytical solutions.
ANALYSIS OF PERFORMANCE AND EMISSION CHARACTERISTICS OF A DIESEL ENGINE FUELLED WITH BIODIESEL
Authors: Raman R. Sundara , Narayanan G. Sankara , Manoharan N. , Sendilvelan S.
Published: June 2017

The rapid depletion in world petroleum reserves and uncertainty in petroleum supply due to political and economical reasons along with the sharp escalation in the petroleum prices have simulated the search for alternatives to petroleum based fuels especially diesel and gasoline. Moreover, bulks of petroleum fuels are being consumed by agriculture and transport sector for which diesel engine happens to be the prime mover. Though there are wide varieties of alternative fuels available the research has not yet provided the right renewable fuel to replace diesel. Vegetable oil due to their properties being close to diesel fuel may be a promising alternative for diesel engines. Due to their high viscosity, they cannot be directly used in a diesel engine. Transesterification is one method by which viscosity could be drastically reduced and the fuel could be adopted for use in diesel engine. Present investigation focuses on use of Rice Bran Oil in Diesel engine. Performance and exhaust emission characteristics of the engine have been evaluated. Esterified Rice Bran Oil has exhibited performance very close to that of diesel fuel. In the present work it is observed that, the NOX and unburned hydrocarbon emission decreases and carbon monoxide, particulate emission and smoke intensity increases with the use of biodiesel in diesel engine. When compared to non-esterified Rice Bran Oil, esterified Rice Bran Oil emits less smoke and therefore be regarded as an environment friendly fuel.
INVESTIGATION ON THE PERFORMANCE OF FLAXSEED BIODIESEL BLENDS WITH TIO2 COATED PISTON ON A FOUR STROKE DI DIESEL ENGINE
Authors: Reddy R. Bhaskar , Reddy S. Sunilkumar
Published: June 2017

Diesel engines are being used extensively for fuel economy but due to gradual depletion of Petroleum resources and increase in exhaust emissions, there is an urgent need for suitable alternative fuels for the diesel engines. As our country is an agricultural country, if the alternate fuels are produced by our farmers it will be beneficial for the country and the farmers also. In recent studies, researchers studied various vegetable oils like canola oil, alovera oil, soya been oil, flaxseed oil and hone oil etc. Out of all flaxseed oil play an important role as an alternative fuel. But the properties of flaxseed oil are not suitable for the usage in the existing diesel engines without blending with diesel fuel. The performance of the engine depends on the combustion phenomenon and it further depends on the amount of heat retained in the combustion chamber. Hence the present work is planned accordingly to develop an insulated engine by coating the piston with TIO2material. So that more amount of heat will be retained in the combustion chamber which aids the combustion. Further the performance of flaxseedbiodiesel blend namely B10, B20, B30 and B40 are tested and the results are mentioned accordingly.
Performance Analysis of a Forecasting Relocation Model for One-Way Carsharing
Authors: Alfian Ganjar , Rhee Jongtae , Ijaz Muhammad , Syafrudin Muhammad , Fitriyani Norma
Published: June 2017

A carsharing service can be seen as a transport alternative between private and public transport that enables a group of people to share vehicles based at certain stations. The advanced carsharing service, one-way carsharing, enables customers to return the car to another station. However, one-way implementation generates an imbalanced distribution of cars in each station. Thus, this paper proposes forecasting relocation to solve car distribution imbalances for one-way carsharing services. A discrete event simulation model was developed to help evaluate the proposed model performance. A real case dataset was used to find the best simulation result. The results provide a clear insight into the impact of forecasting relocation on high system utilization and the reservation acceptance ratio compared to traditional relocation methods.
Bridge Expansion Joint in Road Transition Curve: Effects Assessment on Heavy Vehicles
Authors: Di Mascio Paola , Loprencipe Giuseppe , Moretti Laura , Puzzo Lorenzo , Zoccali Pablo
Published: June 2017

Properly-designed road surfaces provide a durable surface on which traffic can pass smoothly and safely. In fact, the main causes that determine the structural decay of the pavement and its parts are the traffic loads. These repeated actions can create undesirable unevennesses on the road surface, which induce vertical accelerations on vehicles, up to hindering contact between pavement and tire, with dangerous consequences on traffic safety. The dynamic actions transmitted by the vehicles depend on these irregularities: often, a bridge expansion joint (BEJ), introducing a necessary discontinuity between different materials, determines from the beginning a geometric irregularity in the running surface. Besides, some structural conditions could emphasize the problem (e.g., local cracking due to the settlement of the subgrade near the abutment or the discontinuity of stiffness due to the presence of different materials). When the BEJ is located in a transition curve, an inevitable vertical irregularity between road and joint can reach values of some centimeters, with serious consequences for the road safety. This paper deals with the analysis of a case study of a BEJ. Several test surveys were performed in order to fully characterize the effects on both vehicles and pavement. The three-dimensional representation of the pavement surface and the acceleration measurements on a heavy test vehicle were performed to analyze the joint behavior under traffic. Finally, a finite element model was implemented to evaluate the stress contribution on vehicle components induced by the vertical irregularities.
Endoscopic Laser-Based 3D Imaging for Functional Voice Diagnostics
Authors: Semmler Marion , Kniesburges Stefan , Parchent Jonas , Jakubaß Bernhard , Zimmermann Maik , Bohr Christopher , Schützenberger Anne , Döllinger Michael
Published: June 2017

Recently, we reported on the in vivo application of a miniaturized measuring device for 3D visualization of the superior vocal fold vibrations from high-speed recordings in combination with a laser projection unit (LPU). As a long-term vision for this proof of principle, we strive to integrate the further developed laserendoscopy as a diagnostic method in daily clinical routine. The new LPU mainly comprises a Nd:YAG laser source (532 nm/CW/2 ω ) and a diffractive optical element (DOE) generating a regular laser grid (31 × 31 laser points) that is projected on the vocal folds. By means of stereo triangulation, the 3D coordinates of the laser points are reconstructed from the endoscopic high-speed footage. The new design of the laserendoscope constitutes a compromise between robust image processing and laser safety regulations. The algorithms for calibration and analysis are now optimized with respect to their overall duration and the number of required interactions, which is objectively assessed using binary classifiers. The sensitivity and specificity of the calibration procedure are increased by 40.1% and 22.3%, which is statistically significant. The overall duration for the laser point detection is reduced by 41.9%. The suggested semi-automatic reconstruction software represents an important stepping-stone towards potential real time processing and a comprehensive, objective diagnostic tool of evidence-based medicine.
A Multi-Year Study on Rice Morphological Parameter Estimation with X-Band Polsar Data
Authors: Yuzugullu Onur , Erten Esra , Hajnsek Irena
Published: June 2017

Rice fields have been monitored with spaceborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) systems for decades. SAR is an essential source of data and allows for the estimation of plant properties such as canopy height, leaf area index, phenological phase, and yield. However, the information on detailed plant morphology in meter-scale resolution is necessary for the development of better management practices. This letter presents the results of the procedure that estimates the stalk height, leaf length and leaf width of rice fields from a copolar X-band TerraSAR-X time series data based on a priori phenological phase. The methodology includes a computationally efficient stochastic inversion algorithm of a metamodel that mimics a radiative transfer theory-driven electromagnetic scattering (EM) model. The EM model and its metamodel are employed to simulate the backscattering intensities from flooded rice fields based on their simplified physical structures. The results of the inversion procedure are found to be accurate for cultivation seasons from 2013 to 2015 with root mean square errors less than 13.5 cm for stalk height, 7 cm for leaf length, and 4 mm for leaf width parameters. The results of this research provided new perspectives on the use of EM models and computationally efficient metamodels for agriculture management practices.
NF-κB Signalling in Glioblastoma
Authors: Soubannier Vincent , Stifani Stefano
Published: June 2017

Nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) is a transcription factor regulating a wide array of genes mediating numerous cellular processes such as proliferation, differentiation, motility and survival, to name a few. Aberrant activation of NF-κB is a frequent event in numerous cancers, including glioblastoma, the most common and lethal form of brain tumours of glial cell origin (collectively termed gliomas). Glioblastoma is characterized by high cellular heterogeneity, resistance to therapy and almost inevitable recurrence after surgery and treatment. NF-κB is aberrantly activated in response to a variety of stimuli in glioblastoma, where its activity has been implicated in processes ranging from maintenance of cancer stem-like cells, stimulation of cancer cell invasion, promotion of mesenchymal identity, and resistance to radiotherapy. This review examines the mechanisms of NF-κB activation in glioblastoma, the involvement of NF-κB in several mechanisms underlying glioblastoma propagation, and discusses some of the important questions of future research into the roles of NF-κB in glioblastoma.
Immobilized Palladium Nanoparticles on Zirconium Carboxy-Aminophosphonates Nanosheets as an Efficient Recoverable Heterogeneous Catalyst for Suzuki–Miyaura and Heck Coupling
Authors: Kozell Vadym , Giannoni Tommaso , Nocchetti Morena , Vivani Riccardo , Piermatti Oriana , Vaccaro Luigi
Published: June 2017

Zirconium phosphate glycine diphosphonate nanosheets (ZPGly) have been used as support for the preparation of solid palladium nanoparticles, namely Pd@ZPGly. Thanks to the presence of carboxy-aminophosponate groups on the layer surface, ZPGly-based materials were able to stabilize a high amount of palladium (up to 22 wt %) also minimizing the amount of metal leached in the final products of representative important cross-coupling processes selected for proving the catalysts’ efficiency. The catalytic systems have been fully characterized and used in low amounts (0.1 mol %) in the Suzuki–Miyaura and Heck cross-couplings. Moreover, the protocols were optimized for the use of recoverable azeotropic mixtures (aq. EtOH 96% or aq. CH3CN 84%, respectively) and in the flow procedure allowing one to isolate the final pure products, without any purification step, with very low residual palladium content and with a very low waste production.
Potential of Pervaporation and Vapor Separation with Water Selective Membranes for an Optimized Production of Biofuels—A Review
Authors: Cannilla Catia , Bonura Giuseppe , Frusteri Francesco
Published: June 2017

The development of processes based on the integration of new technologies is of growing interest to industrial catalysis. Recently, significant efforts have been focused on the design of catalytic membrane reactors to improve process performance. In particular, the use of membranes, that allow a selective permeation of water from the reaction mixture, positively affects the reaction evolution by improving conversion for all reactions thermodynamically or kinetically limited by the presence of water. In this paper, how pervaporation (PV) and vapor permeation (VP) technologies can improve the catalytic performance of reactions of industrial interest is considered. Specifically, technological approaches proposed in the literature are discussed with the aim of highlighting advantages and problems encountered in order to address research towards the optimization of membrane reactor configurations for liquid biofuel production in large scale.
Microcephaly
Authors: Hanzlik Emily , Gigante Joseph
Published: June 2017

Microcephaly is defined as a head circumference more than two standard deviations below the mean for gender and age. Congenital microcephaly is present at birth, whereas postnatal microcephaly occurs later in life. Genetic abnormalities, syndromes, metabolic disorders, teratogens, infections, prenatal, perinatal, and postnatal injuries can cause both congenital and postnatal microcephaly. Evaluation of patients with microcephaly begins with a thorough history and physical examination. In cases of worsening microcephaly or neurological signs or symptoms, neuroimaging, metabolic, or genetic testing should be strongly considered. Any further studies and workup should be directed by the presence of signs or symptoms pointing to an underlying diagnosis and are usually used as confirmatory testing for certain conditions. Neuroimaging with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is often the first diagnostic test in evaluating children with microcephaly. Genetic testing is becoming more common and is often the next step following neuroimaging when there is no specific evidence in the history or physical examination suggesting a diagnosis. Microcephaly is a lifelong condition with no known cure. The prognosis is usually worse for children who experienced an intrauterine infection or have a chromosomal or metabolic abnormality. Zika virus has rapidly spread since 2015, and maternal infection with this virus is associated with microcephaly and other serious brain abnormalities. Microcephaly has become much more prevalent in the news and scientific community with the recent emergence of Zika virus as a cause of congenital microcephaly.
Pediatric Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
Authors: Bush Haley , Golabi Pegah , Younossi Zobair M.
Published: June 2017

Abstract: With the increase in the prevalence of obesity, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become among the leading causes of chronic liver disease in the pediatric age group. Once believed to be a “two-hit process”, it is now clear that the actual pathophysiology of NAFLD is complex and involves multiple pathways. Moreover, NAFLD is not always benign, and patients with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) are at increased risk of developing advanced stages of liver disease. It has also been shown that NAFLD is not only a liver disease, but is also associated with multiple extrahepatic manifestations, including cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, and low bone mineral density. Although the data is scarce in the pediatric population, some studies have suggested that long-term mortality and the requirement of liver transplantation will continue to increase in patients with NAFLD. More studies are needed to better understand the natural history of NAFLD, especially in the pediatric age group.
Nitrogen Trapping Ability of Hydrogen-Induced Vacancy and the Effect on the Formation of AlN in Aluminum
Authors: Vo Duy , Lipnitskii Aleksey , Nguyen Truong , Nguyen Thoi
Published: June 2017

This paper presents the ternary interaction of N, H, and vacancy point defects and the nitrogen trapping ability of aluminum vacancies induced by hydrogen by means of DFT methods employed in VASP (Vienna Ab initio Simulation Package) and Abinit packages. The obtained vacancy formation energy of 0.65 eV is close to experimental values. Although the N–vacancy complex is unstable with the negative binding energy of −0.51 eV, the stability of H–vacancy–N is proved by the positive binding energy of 0.59 eV and the appearance of the orbital hybridization in the density of state (DOS) of atoms connecting to this complex. Moreover, Al vacancies can trap more than 4 N atoms, which prevents the formation of aluminum nitride and subsequently affects not only the hardness of the Al surface but also many practical applications of AlN coating.
Managing Traffic Flows for Cleaner Cities: The Role of Green Navigation Systems
Authors: Perez-Prada Fiamma , Monzon Andres , Valdes Cristina
Published: June 2017

Cities worldwide suffer from serious air pollution problems and are main contributors to climate change. Green Navigation systems have a great potential to reduce fuel consumption and exhaust emissions from traffic. This research evaluates the impacts of different percentages of green drivers on traffic, CO2, and NOx over the entire Madrid Region. A macroscopic traffic model was combined with an enhanced macroscopic emissions model and a GIS (Geographic Information Systems) to simulate emissions on the basis of average vehicle speeds and traffic intensity at the link level. NOx emissions are evaluated, taking into account not only the exhaust emissions produced by transport activity, but also the amount of the population exposed to these air pollutants. Results show up to 10.4% CO2 and 13.8% NOx reductions in congested traffic conditions for a 90% penetration of green drivers; however, the population’s exposure to NOx increases up to 20.2%. Moreover, while traffic volumes decrease by 13.5% for the entire region, they increase by up to 16.4% downtown. Travel times also increase by 28.7%. Since green drivers tend to choose shorter routes through downtown areas, eco-routing systems are an effective tool for fighting climate change, but are ineffective to reduce air pollution in dense urban areas.
Coordination and Determinants of Leaf Community Economics Spectrum for Canopy Trees and Shrubs in a Temperate Forest in Northeastern China
Authors: Jiang Feng , Xun Yanhan , Cai Huiying , Jin Guangze
Published: June 2017

Upscaling the leaf economics spectrum (LES) from the species level to community level is an important step to understand how assemblages are constructed based on functional traits and how these coordinated traits for a community respond to the environmental gradients and climate change. In a 9-ha temperate forest dynamics plot located in northeastern China, we collected four LES traits and three other leaf traits from 28 tree species and 13 shrub species. We then related the LES traits at the community level to topographical and soil factors. We observed that the coordination of LES at the community level was stronger than at the species level. Soil nutrients were the primary drivers of distribution of leaf community economics spectrum with acquisition strategy communities in the resource-rich locations. We also observed that different environmental factors affected the distributions of leaf community economics spectrums for trees and shrubs. Our results provided novel evidence for the existence of leaf community economics spectrum in the continental monsoon climate zone. Both abiotic filtering and niche differentiation determined their distributions across different growth forms at the local spatial scale.
Succinic Acid: Technology Development and Commercialization
Authors: Nghiem Nhuan , Kleff Susanne , Schwegmann Stefan
Published: June 2017

Succinic acid is a precursor of many important, large-volume industrial chemicals and consumer products. It was once common knowledge that many ruminant microorganisms accumulated succinic acid under anaerobic conditions. However, it was not until the discovery of Anaerobiospirillum succiniciproducens at the Michigan Biotechnology Institute (MBI), which was capable of producing succinic acid up to about 50 g/L under optimum conditions, that the commercial feasibility of producing the compound by biological processes was realized. Other microbial strains capable of producing succinic acid to high final concentrations subsequently were isolated and engineered, followed by development of fermentation processes for their uses. Processes for recovery and purification of succinic acid from fermentation broths were simultaneously established along with new applications of succinic acid, e.g., production of biodegradable deicing compounds and solvents. Several technologies for the fermentation-based production of succinic acid and the subsequent conversion to useful products are currently commercialized. This review gives a summary of the development of microbial strains, their fermentation, and the importance of the down-stream recovery and purification efforts to suit various applications in the context of their current commercialization status for biologically derived succinic acid.
Energy Efficient Power Allocation for the Uplink of Distributed Massive MIMO Systems
Authors: Wang Xinhua , Yang Yan , Sheng Jinlu
Published: June 2017

In this paper, an energy efficient power allocation scheme is proposed for a distributed massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system with a circular antenna array. Single-antenna users simultaneously transmit signal to the base station (BS) with a large number of distributed antennas. The tight approximation of the energy efficiency (EE) is derived in closed form expressions. Through jointly optimizing the power allocation and the antenna number of BS, an NP-hard problem is formulated to maximize the EE. The equal power allocation is proved to be optimal given the total transmit power and the number of antennas. Finally, the optimal antenna number is determined by one dimension search. It is noteworthy that the NP-hard problem is solved by one dimension search. Simulation results validate the accuracy and the low-complexity of our proposed scheme.
Effect of Calcination Temperature on NO–CO Decomposition by Pd Catalyst Nanoparticles Supported on Alumina Nanofibers
Authors: Shin Hyeon , Abutaleb Ahmed , Lolla Dinesh , Chase George
Published: June 2017

In this work, palladium (Pd) nanoparticles were blended into a solution of a sacrificial polymer and an aluminum sol gel precursor to form alumina fibers containing the palladium particles. The polymer solution was electrospun into template submicron fibers. These fibers were calcined at temperatures between 650 °C and 1150 °C to remove the polymer and oxidize the aluminum. The internal crystalline morphologies of the calcined fibers transformed with change in the calcination temperature. The calcined fibers were formed into fibrous mats and further tested for their catalytic performances. The Pd particles had a size ranging from 5–20 nm and appeared randomly distributed within and near the surfaces of the alumina fibers. The final metal loading of all Pd/Al2O3 samples ranged from 4.7 wt % to 5.1 wt %. As calcination temperature increased the alumina crystal structure changed from amorphous at 650 °C to alpha crystal structure at 1150 °C. With the increase of calcination temperature, the average fiber diameters and specific surface areas decreased. The catalyst supported fiber media had good conversion of NO and CO gases. Higher calcination temperatures led to higher reaction temperatures from 250 to about 450 °C for total conversion, indicating the effective reactivity of the fiber-supported catalysts decreased with increase in calcination temperature. The fibers formed at the 650 °C calcination temperature had the highest reaction activity.
Occlusal Features and Caries Experience of Hong Kong Chinese Preschool Children: A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Zhang Shinan , Lo Edward , Chu Chun
Published: June 2017

Objective: To study occlusal features and their relation to caries experience in Hong Kong Chinese preschool children. Methods: Seven kindergarten classes in Hong Kong were selected using a stratified random sampling method, and the 4- and 5-year-old Chinese kindergarten children were invited to join the survey. Two calibrated dentists performed the clinical examinations in the kindergartens. Occlusion features, including incisal overjet; canine and molar relationship; median diastema; and primate space as well as malocclusion features, including crossbite; anterior open bite; and scissor bite, were recorded. Caries experience was recorded with the dmft index. Results: A total of 538 children were invited to participate in the study, and finally 495 children were examined (92%). Approximately half (52%) had a normal incisor relationship. Most children had a class I canine relationship (left-79%; right-75%). Approximately two-thirds had a flush terminal plane (left-64%; right-65%). Most children (76%) had a maxillary primate space, and 47% had a mandibular primate space. The prevalence of median diastema, anterior crossbite, and unilateral posterior crossbite was 30%, 12% and 1%, respectively. No bilateral posterior crossbite or scissor bite was found. Approximately half (49%) had caries experience. The mean dmft score was 2.1. Gender and age were not associated with either the studied occlusal features or the mean dmft score (p > 0.05). Conclusion: Approximately half of the Hong Kong preschool children studied had a normal occlusion, and two-thirds of them had a flush terminal plane. About three-quarters of them had a maxillary primate space, and half of them had a mandibular primate space. Their occlusal traits were not associated with caries experience and prevalence.
Geospatial Analysis of Earthquake Damage Probability of Water Pipelines Due to Multi-Hazard Failure
Authors: Eskandari Mohammad , Omidvar Babak , Modiri Mahdi , Nekooie Mohammad , Alesheikh Ali
Published: June 2017

The main purpose of this study is to develop a Geospatial Information System (GIS) model with the ability to assess the seismic damage to pipelines for two well-known hazards, including ground shaking and ground failure simultaneously. The model that is developed and used in this study includes four main parts of database implementation, seismic hazard analysis, vulnerability assessment and seismic damage assessment to determine the pipeline’s damage probability. This model was implemented for main water distribution pipelines of Iran and tested for two different earthquake scenarios. The final damage probability of pipelines was estimated to be about 74% for water distribution pipelines of Mashhad including 40% and 34% for leak and break, respectively. In the next step, the impact of each earthquake input parameter on this model was extracted, and each of the three parameters had a huge impact on changing the results of pipelines’ damage probability. Finally, the dependency of the model in liquefaction susceptibility, landslide susceptibility, vulnerability functions and segment length was checked out and specified that the model is sensitive just to liquefaction susceptibility and vulnerability functions.
Right- vs. Left-Sided Metastatic Colorectal Cancer: Differences in Tumor Biology and Bevacizumab Efficacy
Authors: Ulivi Paola , Scarpi Emanuela , Chiadini Elisa , Marisi Giorgia , Valgiusti Martina , Capelli Laura , Casadei Gardini Andrea , Monti Manlio , Ruscelli Silvia , Frassineti Giovanni , Calistri Daniele , Amadori Dino , Passardi Alessandro
Published: June 2017

There is evidence of a different response to treatment with regard to the primary tumor localization (right-sided or left-sided) in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). We analyzed the different outcomes and biomolecular characteristics in relation to tumor localization in 122 of the 370 patients with metastatic colorectal cancer enrolled onto the phase III prospective multicenter “Italian Trial in Advanced Colorectal Cancer (ITACa)”, randomized to receive first-line chemotherapy (CT) or CT plus bevacizumab (CT + B). RAS and BRAF mutations; baseline expression levels of circulating vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX2), ephrin type-B receptor 4 (EPHB4), hypoxia-inducible factor 1-alpha (HIF-1α), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and high-sensitivity C reactive protein (hs-CRP); and inflammatory indexes such as the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, platelet-lymphocyte rate and systemic immune-inflammation index were evaluated. Patients with right-sided tumors showed a longer median progression-free survival in the CT + B arm than in the CT group (12.6 vs. 9.0 months, respectively, p = 0.017). Baseline inflammatory indexes were significantly higher in left-sided tumors, whereas eNOS and EPHB4 expression was significantly higher and BRAF mutation more frequent in right-sided tumors. Our data suggest a greater efficacy of the CT + B combination in right-sided mCRC, which might be attributable to the lower inflammatory status and higher expression of pro-angiogenic factors that appear to characterize these tumors.
The Implication of Substance P in the Development of Tendinopathy: A Case Control Study
Authors: Han Soo-Hong , Choi Wonchul , Song Jiye , Kim Jaehee , Lee Seungyong , Choi Youngrak , Byun Seong-Eun , Ahn Taekeun , Ahn Heejung , Ding Catherine , Baik Lloyd , Ward Spencer , Ting Kang , Lee Soonchul
Published: June 2017

It was reported that substance P had beneficial effects in the healing of acute tendon injury. However, the relationship between substance P and degenerative tendinopathy development remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to determine the role of substance P in the pathogenesis of tendinopathy. Healthy and tendinopathy tendon were harvested from human and tenocytes were cultured individually. The expression levels of genes associated with tendinopathy were compared. Next, substance P was exogenously administered to the healthy tenocyte and the effect was evaluated. The results showed that tendinopathy tenocytes had higher levels of COL3A1, MMP1, COX2, SCX, ACTA2, and substance P gene expression compared to healthy tenocytes. Next, substance P treatment on the healthy tenocyte displayed similar changes to that of the tendinopathy tenocytes. These differences between the two groups were also determined by Western blot. Additionally, cells with substance P had the tendinopathy change morphologically although cellular proliferation was significantly higher compared to that of the control group. In conclusion, substance P enhanced cellular proliferation, but concomitantly increased immature collagen (type 3 collagen). Substance P plays a crucial role in tendinopathy development and could be a future therapeutic target for treatment.
Allogrooming, Self-Grooming, and Touching Behavior: Contamination Routes of Leaf-Cutting Ant Workers Using a Fat-Soluble Tracer Dye
Authors: Camargo Roberto , Puccini Carolina , Forti Luiz , De Matos Carlos
Published: June 2017

The aim of this study was to determine whether worker self-grooming, allogrooming, and direct contact promotes the dispersal of substances among members of the colony. For this purpose, a tracer (Sudan III dye) was applied topically to a worker ant and the social interactions between the worker with the tracer and workers without the tracer were studied. Additionally, the worker heads were dissected to visualize whether or not the post-pharyngeal gland was stained. The post-pharyngeal glands from 50% to 70% of workers were stained depending on the size of the group. With the increase in the experimental group size, the frequency of interactions between workers increased, with touching being the most frequent behavior. The tracer dye was probably passed on by direct contact between workers, followed by self-grooming and allogrooming. These behaviors are responsible for the rapid dispersal of substances among colony members as observed in our experiment. The results therefore support the hypothesis that contact with substances promotes the contamination of nestmates, even in the absence of feeding, serving as a model for further studies on the contamination of workers with the active ingredients of insecticides.
Renin Inhibition with Aliskiren: A Decade of Clinical Experience
Authors: Pantzaris Nikolaos-Dimitrios , Karanikolas Evangelos , Tsiotsios Konstantinos , Velissaris Dimitrios
Published: June 2017

The renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) plays a key role in the pathophysiology of arterial hypertension as well as in more complex mechanisms of cardiovascular and renal diseases. RAAS-blocking agents like angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers, have long been key components in the treatment of essential hypertension, heart failure, diabetic nephropathy, and chronic kidney disease, showing benefits well beyond blood pressure reduction. Renin blockade as the first step of the RAAS cascade finally became possible in 2007 with the approval of aliskiren, the first orally active direct renin inhibitor available for clinical use and the newest antihypertensive agent on the market. In the last decade, many clinical trials and meta-analyses have been conducted concerning the efficacy and safety of aliskiren in comparison to other antihypertensive agents, as well as the efficacy and potential clinical use of various combinations. Large trials with cardiovascular and renal endpoints attempted to show potential benefits of aliskiren beyond blood pressure lowering, as well as morbidity and mortality outcomes in specific populations such as diabetics, heart failure patients, and post-myocardial infarction individuals. The purpose of this review is to present the currently available data regarding established and future potential clinical uses of aliskiren.
A Review on Remote Sensing of Urban Heat and Cool Islands
Authors: Rasul Azad , Balzter Heiko , Smith Claire , Remedios John , Adamu Bashir , Sobrino José , Srivanit Manat , Weng Qihao
Published: June 2017

The variation between land surface temperature (LST) within a city and its surrounding area is a result of variations in surface cover, thermal capacity and three-dimensional geometry. The objective of this research is to review the state of knowledge and current research to quantify surface urban heat islands (SUHI) and surface urban cool islands (SUCI). In order to identify open issues and gaps remaining in this field, we review research on SUHI/SUCI, the models for simulating UHIs/UCIs and techniques used in this field were appraised. The appraisal has revealed some great progress made in surface UHI mapping of cities located in humid and vegetated (temperate) regions, whilst few studies have investigated the spatiotemporal variation of surface SUHI/SUCI and the effect of land use/land cover (LULC) change on LST in arid and semi-arid climates. While some progress has been made, models for simulating UHI/UCI have been advancing only slowly. We conclude and suggest that SUHI/SUCI in arid and semi-arid areas requires more in-depth study.
Structure and Photocatalytic Properties of Mn-Doped TiO2 Loaded on Wood-Based Activated Carbon Fiber Composites
Authors: Ma Xiaojun , Zhou Wanru , Chen Yin
Published: June 2017

Mn-doped TiO2 loaded on wood-based activated carbon fiber (Mn/TiO2-WACF) was prepared by sol–gel and impregnation method using MnSO4·H2O as manganese source. The structure of Mn/TiO2–WACF was characterized by SEM, XRD, FTIR, N2 adsorption and UV–Vis, and its photocatalytic activity for methylene blue degradation was investigated. Results show that Mn-doped TiO2 were loaded on the surface of wood-based activated carbon fiber with high-development pore structures. The crystallite sizes of Mn-doped TiO2 in composites were smaller than that of the undoped samples. With an increase of Mn doping content, Ti–O bending vibration intensity of Mn/TiO2–WACF increased and then decreased. Moreover, Ti–O–Ti and Ti–O–Mn absorption peaks increased upon doping of Mn. Mn/TiO2–WACF with low specific surface area, and pore volume was improved at 3.5–6.0 nm of mesopore distributions due to the Mn-doped TiO2 load. In addition, the UV–Vis showed that Mn/TiO2–WACF (photodegradation rate of 96%) has higher photocatalytic activity than the undoped samples for methylene blue degradation under visible light irradiation.