bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The characteristics of fracture networks in the Shiranish Formation of the Bina Bawi Anticline; comparison with the Taq Taq Field, Zagros, Kurdistan, NE Iraq
Authors: Awdal A.H. , Braathen A. , Wennberg O.P. , Sherwani G.H.
Published: May 2013

The Zagros Fold and Thrust Belt of NE Iraq hosts a prolific hydrocarbon system. Reservoirs are commonly found in fractured Cretaceous carbonates (Shiranish Formation) such as in the Taq Taq Field located in the Kirkuk Embayment of the Zagros foothills. Data providing information on fractures in the Taq Taq Field are core, image logs and flowmeters from wells, and surface observations. For comparison, an outcrop study has been undertaken around the Bina Bawi Anticline (10 km from Taq Taq Field), where the same stratigraphical unit is exposed in a continuous, lenticular-shaped belt. Fracture data have been collected using scanlines on bedding surfaces in the limbs and hinge of the anticlines.

Both the Bina Bawi Anticline and Taq Taq Field show a systematic relationship between fracture sets and fracture lineaments, with a dominance of NE–SW-oriented structures. This orientation is perpendicular to the major folds and parallel to the maximum horizontal
in situ
stress. There are three fracture populations in the Bina Bawi Anticline, classified according to their relationship with the fold axis and bedding: (i) NW–SE-striking fractures normal to bedding: (ii) NE–SW-striking fractures normal to bedding; and (iii) conjugate oblique fracture sets subnormal to bedding. Both fracture intensity and fracture terminations are controlled by the location within the anticline; the hinge zone displays the highest intensity and the most fracture-abutting terminations. Cross-cutting relationships suggest that a prefolding stage of NE–SW tensional fractures predates folding-related tensional and shear fractures. Few uplift fractures can be indicated. We propose that the former fracture set (joints) formed in a foreland setting and was controlled by the far-field stresses, whereas later fracturing occurred due to outer arc extension during flexing of the Bina Bawi and Taq Taq anticlines. Our comparative analysis of outcrop and well data underline the importance of representative analogue data for reservoir modelling and production strategies.
Mixin’ Up the ML Module System
Authors: Rossberg Andreas , Dreyer Derek
Published: May 2013

ML modules provide hierarchical namespace management, as well as fine-grained control over the propagation of type information, but they do not allow modules to be broken up into mutually recursive, separately compilable components. Mixin modules facilitate recursive linking of separately compiled components, but they are not hierarchically composable and typically do not support type abstraction. We synthesize the complementary advantages of these two mechanisms in a novel module system design we call MixML.

A MixML module is like an ML structure in which some of the components are specified but not defined. In other words, it unifies the ML structure and signature languages into one. MixML seamlessly integrates hierarchical composition, translucent ML-style data abstraction, and mixin-style recursive linking. Moreover, the design of MixML is clean and minimalist; it emphasizes how all the salient, semantically interesting features of the ML module system (and several proposed extensions to it) can be understood simply as stylized uses of a small set of orthogonal underlying constructs, with mixin composition playing a central role.

We provide a declarative type system for MixML, including two important extensions: higher-order modules, and modules as first-class values. We also present a sound and complete, three-pass type-checking algorithm for this system. The operational semantics of MixML is defined by an elaboration translation into an internal core language called LTG---namely, a polymorphic lambda calculus with single-assignment references and recursive type generativity---which employs a linear type and kind system to track definedness of term and type imports.
The Tapenade automatic differentiation tool
Authors: Hascoet Laurent , Pascual Valérie
Published: May 2013

Tapenade is an Automatic Differentiation (AD) tool which, given a Fortran or C code that computes a function, creates a new code that computes its tangent or adjoint derivatives. Tapenade puts particular emphasis on adjoint differentiation, which computes gradients at a remarkably low cost. This article describes the principles of Tapenade, a subset of the general principles of AD. We motivate and illustrate with examples the AD model of Tapenade, that is, the structure of differentiated codes and the strategies used to make them more efficient. Along with this informal description, we formally specify this model by means of data-flow equations and rules of Operational Semantics, making this the reference specification of the tangent and adjoint modes of Tapenade. One benefit we expect from this formal specification is the capacity to formally study the AD model itself, especially for the adjoint mode and its sophisticated strategies. This article also describes the architectural choices of the implementation of Tapenade. We describe the current performance of Tapenade on a set of codes that include industrial-size applications. We present the extensions of the tool that are planned in a foreseeable future, deriving from our ongoing research on AD.
An experimental study of cascading performance interference in a virtualized environment
Authors: Huang Qun , Lee Patrick P.C.
Published: May 2013

In a consolidated virtualized environment, multiple virtual machines (VMs) are hosted atop a shared physical substrate. They share the underlying hardware resources as well as the software virtualization components. Thus, one VM can generate performance interference to another co-resident VM. This work explores the adverse impact of performance interference from a security perspective. We present a new class of attacks, namely the cascade attacks, in which an adversary seeks to generate performance interference using a malicious VM. One distinct property of the cascade attacks is that when the malicious VM exhausts one type of hardware resources, it will bring "cascading" interference to another type of hardware resources. We present four different implementations of cascade attacks and evaluate their effectiveness atop the Xen virtualization platform. We show that a victim VM can see significant performance degradation (e.g., throughput drops in network and disk I/Os) due to the cascade attacks.
Two new economic models for privacy
Authors: Mahmood Shah , Desmedt Yvo
Published: May 2013

Private data is leaked more and more in our society. Wikileaks, Facebook, and identity theft are just three examples. So, modeling privacy is important. Cryptographers do not provide methods to address whether data should remain private or not. The use of entropy does not reflect the cost associated with the loss of private data.

In this paper we provide two economic models for privacy. Our first model is a lattice structured extension of attack graphs. Our second model is a stochastic almost combinatorial game, where two or more players can make stochastic moves in an almost combinatorial setup. In both models, a user can decide attempting transitions between states, representing a user's private information, based on multiple criterion including the cost of an attempt, the probability of success, the number of earlier attempts to obtain this private information and (possibly) the available budget.

In a variant of our models we use multigraphs. We use this when a transition between two states could be performed in different ways. To reduce the increase in complexity, we introduce a technique converting the multigraph to a simple directed graph. We discuss the advantages and disadvantages of this conversion. We also briefly discuss potential uses of our privacy models.
Mining heterogeneous information networks
Authors: Sun Yizhou , Han Jiawei
Published: May 2013

Most objects and data in the real world are of multiple types, interconnected, forming complex, heterogeneous but often semi-structured information networks. However, most network science researchers are focused on homogeneous networks, without distinguishing different types of objects and links in the networks. We view interconnected, multityped data, including the typical relational database data, as heterogeneous information networks, study how to leverage the rich semantic meaning of structural types of objects and links in the networks, and develop a structural analysis approach on mining semi-structured, multi-typed heterogeneous information networks. In this article, we summarize a set of methodologies that can effectively and efficiently mine useful knowledge from such information networks, and point out some promising research directions.
Mining large streams of user data for personalized recommendations
Authors: Amatriain Xavier
Published: May 2013

The Netflix Prize put the spotlight on the use of data mining and machine learning methods for predicting user preferences. Many lessons came out of the competition. But since then, Recommender Systems have evolved. This evolution has been driven by the greater availability of different kinds of user data in industry and the interest that the area has drawn among the research community. The goal of this paper is to give an up-to-date overview of the use of data mining approaches for personalization and recommendation. Using Netflix personalization as a motivating use case, I will describe the use of different kinds of data and machine learning techniques.

After introducing the traditional approaches to recommendation, I highlight some of the main lessons learned from the Netflix Prize. I then describe the use of recommendation and personalization techniques at Netflix. Finally, I pinpoint the most promising current research avenues and unsolved problems that deserve attention in this domain.
Studying the source code of scientific research
Authors: Cormode Graham , Muthukrishnan S. , Yan Jinyun
Published: May 2013

Just as inspecting the source code of programs tells us a lot about the process of programming, inspecting the "source code" of scientific papers informs on the process of scientific writing. We report on our study of the source of tens of thousands of papers from Computer Science and Mathematics.
The continuous distributed monitoring model
Authors: Cormode Graham
Published: May 2013

In the model of continuous distributed monitoring, a number of observers each see a stream of observations. Their goal is to work together to compute a function of the union of their observations. This can be as simple as counting the total number of observations, or more complex non-linear functions such as tracking the entropy of the induced distribution. Assuming that it is too costly to simply centralize all the observations, it becomes quite challenging to design solutions which provide a good approximation to the current answer, while bounding the communication cost of the observers, and their other resources such as their space usage. This survey introduces this model, and describe a selection results in this setting, from the simple counting problem to a variety of other functions that have been studied.
Marketplaces for data
Authors: Schomm Fabian , Stahl Florian , Vossen Gottfried
Published: May 2013

Data is becoming more and more of a commodity, so that it is not surprising that data has reached the status of tradable goods. An increasing number of data providers is recognizing this and is consequently setting up platforms for selling, buying, or trading data. We identify several categories and dimensions of data marketplaces and data vendors and provide a snapshot of the situation as of Summer 2012.
Atlas-Based Neuroinformatics via MRI: Harnessing Information from Past Clinical Cases and Quantitative Image Analysis for Patient Care
Authors: Mori Susumu , Oishi Kenichi , Faria Andreia V. , Miller Michael I.
Published: May 2013

With the ever-increasing amount of anatomical information radiologists have to evaluate for routine diagnoses, computational support that facilitates more efficient education and clinical decision making is highly desired. Despite the rapid progress of image analysis technologies for magnetic resonance imaging of the human brain, these methods have not been widely adopted for clinical diagnoses. To bring computational support into the clinical arena, we need to understand the decision-making process employed by well-trained clinicians and develop tools to simulate that process. In this review, we discuss the potential of atlas-based clinical neuroinformatics, which consists of annotated databases of anatomical measurements grouped according to their morphometric phenotypes and coupled with the clinical informatics upon which their diagnostic groupings are based. As these are indexed via parametric representations, we can use image retrieval tools to search for phenotypes along with their clinical metadata. The review covers the current technology, preliminary data, and future directions of this field.
Multifunctional Nanoparticles for Drug Delivery and Molecular Imaging
Authors: Bao Gang , Mitragotri Samir , Tong Sheng
Published: May 2013

Recent advances in nanotechnology and growing needs in biomedical applications have driven the development of multifunctional nanoparticles. These nanoparticles, through nanocrystalline synthesis, advanced polymer processing, and coating and functionalization strategies, have the potential to integrate various functionalities, simultaneously providing (a) contrast for different imaging modalities, (b) targeted delivery of drug/gene, and (c) thermal therapies. Although still in its infancy, the field of multifunctional nanoparticles has shown great promise in emerging medical fields such as multimodal imaging, theranostics, and image-guided therapies. In this review, we summarize the techniques used in the synthesis of complex nanostructures, review the major forms of multifunctional nanoparticles that have emerged over the past few years, and provide a perceptual vision of this important field of nanomedicine.
The Pivotal Role of Vascularization in Tissue Engineering
Authors: Auger François A. , Gibot Laure , Lacroix Dan
Published: May 2013

Vascularization is one of the great challenges that tissue engineering faces in order to achieve sizeable tissue and organ substitutes that contain living cells. There are instances, such as skin replacement, in which a tissue-engineered substitute does not absolutely need a preexisting vascularization. However, tissue or organ substitutes in which any dimension, such as thickness, exceeds 400 μm need to be vascularized to ensure cellular survival. Consistent with the wide spectrum of approaches to tissue engineering itself, which vary from acellular synthetic biomaterials to purely biological living constructs, approaches to tissue-engineered vascularization cover numerous techniques. Those techniques range from micropatterns engineered in biomaterials to microvascular networks created by endothelial cells. In this review, we strive to provide a critical overview of the elements that must be considered in the pursuit of this goal and the major approaches that are investigated in hopes of achieving it.
Early-Life Health and Adult Circumstance in Developing Countries
Authors: Currie Janet , Vogl Tom
Published: May 2013

A growing literature documents the links between long-term outcomes and health in the fetal period, infancy, and early childhood. Much of this literature focuses on rich countries, but researchers are increasingly taking advantage of new sources of data and identification to study the long reach of childhood health in developing countries. Health in early life may be a more significant determinant of adult outcomes in these countries because health insults are more frequent, the capacity to remediate is more limited, and multiple shocks may interact. However, the underlying relationships may also be more difficult to measure, given significant mortality selection. We survey recent evidence on the adult correlates of early-life health and the long-term effects of shocks resulting from disease, famine, malnutrition, pollution, and war.
Simulating Mechanical Behavior of Ceramics Under Extreme Conditions
Authors: Szlufarska I. , Ramesh K.T. , Warner D.H.
Published: May 2013

The mechanical behavior of ceramics in extreme environments can be qualitatively different from that observed at ambient conditions and at typical loading rates. For instance, during shock loading the fracture of ceramics is not controlled by the largest flaw. Computer simulations play an increasingly important role in understanding and predicting material behavior, in particular under conditions in which experiments might be challenging or expensive. Here, we review the strengths and limitations of simulation techniques that are most commonly used to model the mechanical behavior of ceramics. We discuss specific application areas of simulations, focusing on the effects of high strain rate, confined deformation volume, altered material chemistry, and high temperature. We conclude by providing examples of future opportunities for modeling studies in this field.
Functional Organization of Neuronal and Humoral Signals Regulating Feeding Behavior
Authors: Schwartz Gary J. , Zeltser Lori M.
Published: May 2013

Energy homeostasis—ensuring that energy availability matches energy requirements—is essential for survival. One way that energy balance is achieved is through coordinated action of neural and neuroendocrine feeding circuits, which promote energy intake when energy supply is limited. Feeding behavior engages multiple somatic and visceral tissues distributed throughout the body—contraction of skeletal and smooth muscles in the head and along the upper digestive tract required to consume and digest food, as well as stimulation of endocrine and exocrine secretions from a wide range of organs. Accordingly, neurons that contribute to feeding behaviors are localized to central, peripheral, and enteric nervous systems. To promote energy balance, feeding circuits must be able to identify and respond to energy requirements, as well as the amount of energy available from internal and external sources, and then direct appropriate coordinated responses throughout the body.
Biology, Epidemiology, and Control ofHeterobasidionSpecies Worldwide
Authors: Garbelotto Matteo , Gonthier Paolo
Published: May 2013

Heterobasidion annosum sensu lato is a species complex comprising five species that are widely distributed in coniferous forests of the Northern Hemisphere and are each characterized by a distinct host preference. More than 1,700 papers have been published on these fungi in the past four decades, making them perhaps the most widely studied forest fungi. Heterobasidion species are at different levels on the saprotroph-necrotroph gradient, and the same individual can switch from one mode to the other. This offers a unique opportunity to study how genomic structure, gene expression, and genetic trade-offs may all interact with environmental factors to determine the life mode of the organism. The abilities of Heterobasidion spp. to infect stumps as saprotrophs and to spread to neighboring trees as pathogens have resulted in significant damages to timber production in managed forests. This review focuses on the current knowledge of the biology, ecology, evolution, and management of these species and is based on classical and modern studies.
Voluntary Approaches to Environmental Protection and Resource Management
Authors: Segerson Kathleen
Published: May 2013

Policy makers around the world seem to have widely endorsed the use of voluntary approaches as a means to address concerns about environmental protection and resource degradation. Voluntary approaches have been adopted in many developed countries, as well as in a number of developing countries. However, economists have not uniformly endorsed this policy approach. The economic literature suggests that in some contexts voluntary approaches can be effective if carefully designed but are not likely to be effective otherwise. This article provides an overview of the economics of voluntary approaches, with a particular focus on issues related to design. It seeks to highlight the features that are important determinants of both their success in improving environmental outcomes and their efficiency. Although the discussion focuses on environmental protection, it is also relevant in other contexts such as conservation and fisheries management.
(Invited) High Sensitivity Optical Characterization of Thin Films with Embedded Si Nanocrystals
Authors: Petrik Peter , Agocs Emil
Published: May 2013

Optical techniques that use a spectral range of photon energies larger than the band gap are very sensitive for structural characterization of semiconductor nanocrystals. Techniques that can measure the change of polarization during reflection from bulk or thin film samples reveal high sensitivity for both the layer thickness and the refractive index. From one spectroscopic ellipsometric measurement performed in a range of 0.7-6.5 eV within 1 s using a standard multi-channel ellipsometer not only the thickness and the dielectric function of the film, but a range of derived material properties like the crystallinity or the size and volume fraction of nanocrystals can be determined indirectly. The quality of the measurement is not any more a question of instrumentation, but rather a question of interpretation and proper modeling. In this paper we summarize what parameters can be determined, and we present a method for the reliable fitting of numerous parameters.
New Mechanism for Incline Crystal Growth and Carrier Path Transistion in Extremely Highly Doped Polymorphous Silicon Thin Film Formated by Neutral Beam Assisted CVD Process Near Room Temperature
Authors: Jang Jin Nyoung , Lee Dong Hyeok , So Hyun Wook , Park Chang-Sun , Park Hyung-Ho , Hong MunPyo
Published: May 2013

The neutral beam assisted chemical vapor deposition (NBaCVD) system can control the crystalline phase and the doping efficiency simultaneously by the energy of impinge neutral particle beam. During the deposition process, energetic hydrogen (H) neutral atoms transport their energy to the surface of depositing film to enhance crystallization (crystal volume fraction (Xc) up to 85%) and dopant activation (~1X1020 #/cm3, ~30 cm2/Vs) with low H ratio at near room temperature on the substrate. The increase of H neutral beam flux induces transition of crystal orientation from [111] to [311] at constant Xc and changes the carrier transport path from “grain boundary path” to “grain-to-grain percolation path” and enhances bulk mobility of the Si thin film. The various analysis data of the thin films (XRD, Raman, temperature dependent conductivity, Hall measurement) represent the evidence of very high doping efficiency at near room temperature, obvious nano-crystalline embedded polymorphous phase, and mixed transport (band and percolation) characteristics.
Lessons Learned from Low-Frequency Noise Studies on Fully Depleted UTBOX Silicon-On-Insulator nMOSFETs
Authors: Simoen Eddy R. , Aoulaiche Marc , dos Santos S. D. , Martino J. A. , Strobel Vincent , Cretu Bogdan , Routoure Jean-Marc , Carin Regis , Luque Rodríguez A. , Jiménez Tajada Juan A. , Claeys Cor
Published: May 2013

The low-frequency (LF) noise behavior of Fully Depleted (FD) Ultrathin Buried Oxide (UTBOX) Silicon-on-Insulator (SOI) nMOSFETs is described from the perspective of the three major noise sources: 1/f-like or flicker noise, associated with carrier trapping/detrapping in the gate oxide; Generation-Recombination (GR) noise due to processing-induced defects in the thin silicon film and single-oxide-trap-related Random Telegraph Noise (RTN). It is shown that the fully depleted nature of the thin silicon films (<20 nm) offers the unique opportunity to study and demonstrate the front-back coupling of the 1/f noise. At the same time, a large variability is induced in the noise magnitude by the Lorentzian noise, related with GR events through defects in the silicon film. A method to discriminate oxide- from film-defects-related Lorentzian noise is pointed out. Finally, the implications for future fully depleted fin-type of devices will also be discussed.
Comparative Experimental Study between Tensile and Compressive Uniaxially Stressed nMuGFETs under X-ray Radiation Focusing on Analog Behavior
Authors: Peruzzi V. V. , Gimenez S. P. , Agopian Paula Ghedini Der , Silveira Marcilei A.G. , Martino Joao Antonio , Simoen Eddy , Claeys C.
Published: May 2013

This paper describes a detailed experimental comparative study between nMuGFETs implemented with tensile and compressive stresses when submitted to X-ray radiation, taking into account different doses and different channel widths and lengths of the devices. The experimental results show that the intrinsic voltage gain and the unit voltage gain frequency for tensile stressed devices always present a higher immunity to the X-ray radiation (up to 50 Mrad).
Determination of Effective Capacitance Area for Pseudo-MOSFET Based Characterization of Bare SOI Wafers by Split-C(V) Measurements
Authors: Fernandez Cristina , Rodriguez Noel , Ohata Akiko , Diab Amer , Gamiz Francisco , Cristoloveanu Sorin
Published: May 2013

In this work, we study the impact of the effective area of the Pseudo-Transistor when this method is combined with Split-C(V) measurements for the extraction of carrier mobility in bare SOI wafers. The dependence of the effective surface with the frequency of the AC signal and the probe inter-distance is analyzed. A model to calculate the area in single and multiple-needle configurations is proposed and discussed with experimental results.
(Invited) Cessation of Porous Layer Growth in n-InP Anodised in KOH
Authors: Lynch Robert Patrick , Quill Nathan , O'Dwyer Colm , Dornhege Monika , Rotermund Harm Hinrich , Buckley D. Noel
Published: May 2013

Anodisation of n-InP in KOH results in the formation of porous layers with a finite thickness. We propose the reason for the cessation of porous etching is the formation of insoluble precipitates within the pores. Electron micrographs of mature porous layers show significant precipitates within the porous structure. An in-situ microscopy study of the surface of InP electrode during anodisation reveals the formation of a layer on the surface. This layer emerges from a point on the surface and quickly spreads across it. A likely source of this layer is the spreading of precipitation from the etch-products saturated solution within the porous layer. However, as we explain, once a complete porous layer has formed, there should be no significant increase in mass transport requirements through the porous network, leaving the exact mechanism of the precipitation unclear.
Fragility of pulmonary capillaries
Authors: West John B.
Published: May 2013

Although the pulmonary capillaries were discovered in 1661, the ultrastructure of the wall was not elucidated until 60 years ago. Electron micrographs then showed that only 0.2 μm of tissue separated the capillary endothelium from the alveolar space over much of the area. In retrospect this vanishingly small protective layer should have alerted physiologists to the potential fragility of the capillaries, but this was not appreciated until almost 40 years later. This predicament is unique to pulmonary capillaries. No other capillaries in the body are shielded from the outside environment by such a minute amount of tissue. Reasons why the fragility of the capillaries was not recognized earlier include an inappropriate comparison with the properties of systemic capillaries, the mistaken view that the pulmonary capillary pressure is always low, and a misleading use of the Laplace equation. Evidence for the fragility comes from physiological, pathological, and laboratory observations. As expected from evolutionary considerations, the fragility only becomes evident in the normal lung under exceptional conditions. These include elite human athletes at maximal exercise and animals that have developed the capacity for extreme aerobic activity. However, lung and heart diseases frequently cause capillary disruption. Remodeling of pulmonary capillaries occurs in humans in whom the capillary pressure rises over a long period. Neonatal capillaries are extremely fragile, presumably because they have never been exposed to increased transmural pressures. The capillaries conform to the general biological rule that tissue adapts its structure to carry out its required function.
Analysis of patient-specific surgical ventricular restoration: importance of an ellipsoidal left ventricular geometry for diastolic and systolic function
Authors: Lee Lik Chuan , Wenk Jonathan F. , Zhong Liang , Klepach Doron , Zhang Zhihong , Ge Liang , Ratcliffe Mark B. , Zohdi Tarek I. , Hsu Edward , Navia Jose L. , Kassab Ghassan S. , Guccione Julius M.
Published: May 2013

Surgical ventricular restoration (SVR) is a procedure designed to treat heart failure by surgically excluding infarcted tissues from the dilated failing left ventricle. To elucidate and predict the effects of geometrical changes from SVR on cardiac function, we created patient-specific mathematical (finite-element) left ventricular models before and after surgery using untagged magnetic resonance images. Our results predict that the postsurgical improvement in systolic function was compromised by a decrease in diastolic distensibility in patients. These two conflicting effects typically manifested as a more depressed Starling relationship (stroke volume vs. end-diastolic pressure) after surgery. By simulating a restoration of the left ventricle back to its measured baseline sphericity, we show that both diastolic and systolic function improved. This result confirms that the increase in left ventricular sphericity commonly observed after SVR (endoventricular circular patch plasty) has a negative impact and contributes partly to the depressed Starling relationship. On the other hand, peak myofiber stress was reduced substantially (by 50%) after SVR, and the resultant left ventricular myofiber stress distribution became more uniform. This significant reduction in myofiber stress after SVR may help reduce adverse remodeling of the left ventricle. These results are consistent with the speculation proposed in the Surgical Treatment for Ischemic Heart Failure trial ( 20 ) for the neutral outcome, that “the lack of benefit seen with surgical ventricular reconstruction is that benefits anticipated from surgical reduction of left ventricular volume (reduced wall stress and improvement in systolic function) are counter-balanced by a reduction in diastolic distensibility.”
Synthesis, Spectroscopic, and Magnetic Studies of Mono- and Polynuclear Schiff Base Metal Complexes Containing Salicylidene-Cefotaxime Ligand
Authors: Anacona J. R. , Calvo Johan , Almanza Ovidio A.
Published: May 2013

Metal complexes of a Schiff base ligand derived from cefotaxime and salicylaldehyde were prepared. The salicilydene-cefotaxime ligand (H2L) and mononuclear [M(L)] (M(II) = Co, Ni and Cu), dinuclear [Ag2(L)(OAc)2], and tetranuclear metal complexes [M4(L)(OH)6] (M(II) = Ni, Cu) were characterized on the basis of analytical, thermal, magnetic, and spectral studies (IR, UV-visible,1H NMR,13C NMR, and EPR). The electronic spectra of the complexes and their magnetic moments suggesttetrahedral geometry for the isolated complexes. The complexes are nonelectrolytes and insoluble in water and common organic solvents but soluble in DMSO.
Efficient and Secure Routing Protocol Based on Encryption and Authentication for Wireless Sensor Networks
Authors: Zhou Jiliang
Published: May 2013

One concerned issue in the routing protocol for wireless sensor networks (WSNs) is how to provide with as much security to some special applications as possible. Another is how to make full use of the severely limited resource presented by WSNs. The existing routing protocols in the recent literatures focus either only on addressing security issues while expending much power or only on improving lifetime of network. None of them efficiently combine the above-mentioned two challenges to one integrated solutions. In this paper, we propose efficient and secure routing protocol based on encryption and authentication for WSNs: BEARP, which consists of three phases: neighbor discovery phase, routing discovery phase, and routing maintenance phase. BEARP encrypts all communication packets and authenticates the source nodes and the base station (BS), and it ensures the four security features including routing information confidentiality, authentication, integrity, and freshness. Furthermore, we still design routing path selection system, intrusion detection system, and the multiple-threaded process mechanism for BEARP. Thus, all the secure mechanisms are united together to effectively resist some typical attacks including selective forwarding attack, wormhole attacks, sinkhole attacks, and even a node captured. Our BEARP especially mitigates the loads of sensor nodes by transferring routing related tasks to BS, which not only maintains network wide energy equivalence and prolongs network lifetime but also improves our security mechanism performed uniquely by the secure BS. Simulation results show a favorable increase in performance for BEARP when compared with directed diffusion protocol and secure directed diffusion protocol in the presence of compromised nodes.
Actinomycosis of Cecum Associated withEntamoebaInfection Mimicking Perforated Colon Cancer
Authors: Böler Deniz Eren , Uras Cihan , Göksel Süha , Karaarslan Mehmet
Published: May 2013

Actinomycosis is a granulomatous disease caused byActinomycesthat mimics other intra-abdominal pathologies especially neoplasms. Correct diagnosis can be rarely established before radical surgery. On the other handEntamoebainfection affects a considerable number of people worldwide. To our knowledge only one case has been reported to be affected by both organisms. We report a man who has been operated for a mass in the cecum mimicking a perforated colon cancer. Abdominal CT revealed a mass with features of an invading neoplasm. After radical surgery, definitive pathology revealed that the mass was due to actinomycosis associated withEntamoebainfection. The postoperative period was uneventful and the patient was on long-course antibiotherapy. It is important to consider actinomycosis especially in patients with intra-abdominal masses with unusual aggressiveness to prevent unnecessary surgery. However, surgery can be unavoidable especially in the presence of complicated disease or high index of suspicion for malignancy.
Engagement of Facilities Management in Design Stage through BIM: Framework and a Case Study
Authors: Wang Ying , Wang Xiangyu , Wang Jun , Yung Ping , Jun Guo
Published: May 2013

Considering facilities management (FM) at the early design stage could potentially reduce the efforts for maintenance during the operational phase of facilities. Few efforts in construction industry have involved facility managers into the design phase. It was suggested that early adoption of facilities management will contribute to reducing the needs for major repairs and alternations that will otherwise occur at the operational phase. There should be an integrated data source providing information support for the building lifecycle. It is envisaged that Building Information Modelling (BIM) would fill the gap by acting as a visual model and a database throughout the building lifecycle. This paper develops a framework of how FM can be considered in design stage through BIM. Based on the framework, the paper explores how BIM will beneficially support FM in the design phase, such as space planning and energy analysis. A case study of using BIM to design facility managers’ travelling path in the maintenance process is presented. The results show that early adoption of FM in design stage with BIM can significantly reduce life cycle costs.
Power Analysis of C-TDT for Small Sample Size Genome-Wide Association Studies by the Joint Use of Case-Parent Trios and Pairs
Authors: Rajabli Farid , Inan Gul , Ilk Ozlem
Published: May 2013

In family-based genetic association studies, it is possible to encounter missing genotype information for one of the parents. This leads to a study consisting of both case-parent trios and case-parent pairs. One of the approaches to this problem is permutation-based combined transmission disequilibrium test statistic. However, it is still unknown how powerful this test statistic is with small sample sizes. In this paper, a simulation study is carried out to estimate the power and false positive rate of this test across different sample sizes for a family-based genome-wide association study. It is observed that a statistical power of over 80% and a reasonable false positive rate estimate can be achieved even with a combination of 50 trios and 30 pairs when 2% of the SNPs are assumed to be associated. Moreover, even smaller samples provide high power when smaller percentages of SNPs are associated with the disease.
Prevalence of 10-Year Risk of Cardiovascular Diseases and Associated Risks in Canadian Adults: The Contribution of Cardiometabolic Risk Assessment Introduction
Authors: Setayeshgar Solmaz , Whiting Susan J. , Vatanparast Hassanali
Published: May 2013

Background. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in adult Canadians. Cardiometabolic risk (CMR) derived from 10-year risk of cardiovascular diseases and metabolic syndrome (MetS) needs to be evaluated in Canadian adults.Objective. To determine CMR among Canadian adults by sociodemographic and lifestyle characteristics.Subjects and Methods. Data from the Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS), Cycle 1, 2007–2009, was used. Framingham Risk Score (FRS) was implemented to predict 10-year risk of CVD, and metabolic syndrome was identified using the most recent criteria. The 10-year risk of CVD was multiplied by 1.5 in individuals with MetS to obtain CMR. Data were weighted and bootstrapped to be able to generalize the results nationally.Results and Conclusion. CMR gave more accurate estimation of 10-year risk of CVD in Canadian adults from 30 to 74 years than using only FRS. The 10-year risk of CVD in Canadian adults significantly increased when CMR was taken into account from 8.10% to 9.86%. The CVD risk increased by increase in age, decrease in education, and decrease in physical activity and in smokers. Canadians with medium risk of CVD consumed significantly less fruit and vegetable juice compared to Canadians with low risk. No other dietary differences were found.
Validation of a Chinese Version of the Self-Efficacy for Managing Chronic Disease 6-Item Scale in Patients with Hypertension in Primary Care
Authors: Hu Huanhuan , Li Gang , Arao Takashi
Published: May 2013

The aim of this study was to validate a Chinese version of the Self-Efficacy for Managing Chronic Disease 6-Item Scale (SES6C). In 2012, a cross-sectional study was conducted in a community clinic, in Beijing, China. A total of 262 hypertension patients participated in this study. Concurrent validity was validated by Pearson’s correlations between the SES6C and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) were performed to evaluate test-retest reliability of the scale. Related factors of self-efficacy were explored in linear regression models. The results of our study display acceptable psychometric properties: the scale was two-dimensional, reproducible (ICC = 0.78; 95% CI, 0.70–0.84), and the reliability was good (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.88). Significant (r=-0.30; P<0.001) correlation was found between the level of self-efficacy and the level of psychological distress. In multivariable analysis, the factors significantly associated with self-efficacy were regular exercise (β=0.659, P<0.01), HADS total score (β=-0.076, P<0.001) and health status (β=-0.530, P<0.001). The study provides evidence that the SES6C is acceptable, valid and repeatable for hypertension patients.
Immunisation with BCG in the Maringue District, Sofala Province, Mozambique
Authors: Consonni Dario , Montenegro Agorostos Karagianis Marina Margarida , Bufardeci Giuseppe
Published: May 2013

Objectives. We evaluated immunisation with Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) among newborns in 2011 in the Maringue District, Sofala Province, Mozambique, which includes seven health units. The study was motivated by the fact that in official reports, immunisation coverage was unreliable (more than 100%).Methods. The office of maternal-child health of the central Maringué-Sede health unit provided the number of live newborns in 2011 at the maternal clinics of the seven health units and an estimate of the number of home deliveries. From vaccination registers, we abstracted records of BCG vaccinations administered in the period 01/01/2011–30/06/2012 to children born in 2011.Results. The number of live newborns was 3,353. Overall, the number of BCG vaccinations administered was 2,893, with a coverage of 86.3%.Conclusion. In this study, we could only calculate an approximate coverage estimate, because of unavailability of adequate individual information. Recording practices should be changed in order to allow use of individual information and linkage across different information sources and thus a more precise vaccination coverage assessment.
TiO2
Photocatalysis of the Organophosphorus Fenamiphos: Insight into the Degradation Mechanism
Authors: Mountacer H. , Nemmaoui S. M. , Rafqah S. , Voyard G. , Sarakha M.
Published: May 2013

The photocatalytic degradation of the organophosphorus fenamiphos (FN) was studied using titanium dioxide as a photocatalyst and 365 nm as an excitation wavelength. Under our experimental conditions and in aerated solutions, the irradiation in the presence of TiO2 P25 (1.0 g L−1) permitted the evaluation of the half lifetime to 9.5 minutes. Laser flash photolysis experiments showed the formation of an initial species owing to the attack of the hydroxyl radical on FN. It was identified as the adduct OH•-FN. The second order rate constant for its formation was evaluated to 7.3×109 moL−1 L s−1. All the products are formed via the formation of such transient intermediate. They were identified by means of HPLC/MS using electrospray in positive mode (ESI+). Two main processes are responsible for FN photocatalytic transformation: (i) hydroxylation on the aromatic structure and (ii) the scission of the C–O bond. A mechanistic scheme was proposed for the photocatalytic process of FN using titanium dioxide. An efficient mineralization was observed within 24 hours by using a suntest setup.
Evaluation of Image Quality Improvements When Adding Patient Outline Constraints into a Generalized Scatter PET Reconstruction Algorithm
Authors: Sun Hongyan , Pistorius Stephen
Published: May 2013

Scattered coincidences degrade image contrast and compromise quantitative accuracy in positron emission tomography (PET). A number of approaches to estimating and correcting scattered coincidences have been proposed, but most of them are based on estimating and subtracting a scatter sinogram from the measured data. We have previously shown that both true and scattered coincidences can be treated similarly by using Compton scattering kinematics to define a locus of scattering which may in turn be used to reconstruct the activity distribution using a generalized scatter maximum-likelihood expectation maximization (GS-MLEM) algorithm. The annihilation position can be further confined by taking advantage of the patient outline (or a geometrical shape that encompasses the patient outline). The proposed method was tested on a phantom generated using GATE. The results have shown that for scatter fractions of 10–60% this algorithm improves the contrast recovery coefficients (CRC) by 4 to 28.6% for a source and 5.1 to 40% for a cold source while the relative standard deviation (RSD) was reduced. Including scattered photons directly into the reconstruction eliminates the need for (often empirical) scatter corrections, and further improvements in the contrast and noise properties of the reconstructed images can be made by including the patient outline in the reconstruction algorithm as a constraint.
Revision Arthroplasty in the Haemophiliac Patient
Authors: Molloy A. P. , O'Neill B. J. , Molloy L. , White B. , Smyth H. , Carthy T. Mc.
Published: May 2013

Arthroplasty in the haemophiliac patient is associated with higher rates of infection and is traditionally performed in a younger age group. Despite this there is little evidence in the literature regarding revision arthroplasty in this cohort of patients. We describe the case of a periprosthetic fracture in a haemophiliac patient requiring revision arthroplasty, who did not consent to receiving blood products due to religious beliefs, with a successful outcome.
Strain Distribution in a Kennedy Class I Implant Assisted Removable Partial Denture under Various Loading Conditions
Authors: Shahmiri Reza , Aarts John M. , Bennani Vincent , Das Raj , Swain Michael V.
Published: May 2013

Purpose. This in vitro study investigates how unilateral and bilateral occlusal loads are transferred to an implant assisted removable partial denture (IARPD).Materials and Methods. A duplicate model of a Kennedy class I edentulous mandibular arch was made and then a conventional removable partial denture (RPD) fabricated. Two Straumann implants were placed in the second molar region, and the prosthesis was modified to accommodate implant retained ball attachments. Strain gages were incorporated into the fitting surface of both the framework and acrylic to measure microstrain (μStrain). The IARPD was loaded to 120Ns unilaterally and bilaterally in three different loading positions. Statistical analysis was carried out using SPSS version 18.0 (SPSS, Inc., Chicago, IL, USA) with an alpha level of 0.05 to compare the maximumμStrain values of the different loading conditions.Results. During unilateral and bilateral loading the maximumμStrain was predominantly observed in a buccal direction. As the load was moved anteriorly theμStrain increased in the mesial area. Unilateral loading resulted in a twisting of the structure and generated a strain mismatch between the metal and acrylic surfaces.Conclusions. Unilateral loading created lateral and vertical displacement of the IARPD. The curvature of the dental arch resulted in a twisting action which intensified as the unilateral load was moved anteriorly.
Cardiac Fibroblast-Derived Extracellular Matrix (Biomatrix) as a Model for the Studies of Cardiac Primitive Cell Biological Properties in Normal and Pathological Adult Human Heart
Authors: Castaldo Clotilde , Di Meglio Franca , Miraglia Rita , Sacco Anna Maria , Romano Veronica , Bancone Ciro , Della Corte Alessandro , Montagnani Stefania , Nurzynska Daria
Published: May 2013

Cardiac tissue regeneration is guided by stem cells and their microenvironment. It has been recently described that both cardiac stem/primitive cells and extracellular matrix (ECM) change in pathological conditions. This study describes the method for the production of ECM typical of adult human heart in the normal and pathological conditions (ischemic heart disease) and highlights the potential use of cardiac fibroblast-derived ECM forin vitrostudies of the interactions between ECM components and cardiac primitive cells responsible for tissue regeneration. Fibroblasts isolated from adult human normal and pathological heart with ischemic cardiomyopathy were cultured to obtain extracellular matrix (biomatrix), composed of typical extracellular matrix proteins, such as collagen and fibronectin, and matricellular proteins, laminin, and tenascin. After decellularization, this substrate was used to assess biological properties of cardiac primitive cells: proliferation and migration were stimulated by biomatrix from normal heart, while both types of biomatrix protected cardiac primitive cells from apoptosis. Our model can be used for studies of cell-matrix interactions and help to determine the biochemical cues that regulate cardiac primitive cell biological properties and guide cardiac tissue regeneration.