bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Climate warming alters competition between two highly invasive alien plant species and dominant native competitors
Authors: Verlinden M , De Boeck H J , Nijs I
Published: February 2014

Biological invasions and climate warming are two major threats to the world's biodiversity. To date, their impacts have largely been considered independently, despite indications that climate warming may increase the success of many invasive alien species. We therefore set up an experiment to study competition between native and invasive alien plant species and the effects of climate warming thereon. Two highly invasive alien plant species in Belgium, each with a native competitor that dominated in invaded sites, were grown either together (1:1 mixtures) or in isolation (monocultures) at ambient and elevated temperature (+3°C) in climate‐controlled chambers. To detect possible mechanisms underlying the effects of competition and elevated temperature, we conducted a combined growth and nitrogen uptake analysis. In one pair, Senecio inaequidens – Plantago lanceolata (alien invasive – native), the alien species dominated in mixture, while in the other pair, Solidago gigantea – Epilobium hirsutum, the native species dominated. Climate warming reduced the invader dominance in the first species pair, but stimulated the suppressed invader in the latter. Many of the biomass responses for these two species pairs could be traced to the root‐specific nitrogen uptake capacity. The responses of the native‐invasive interaction to warming could not always be extrapolated from the monoculture responses, pointing to the necessity for experiments that take into account species interactions.
Experiences and Attitudes Towards Evidence‐Informed Policy‐Making Among Research and Policy Stakeholders in the Canadian Agri‐Food Public Health Sector
Authors: Young I. , Gropp K. , Pintar K. , Waddell L. , Marshall B. , Thomas K. , McEwen S.A. , Rajić A.
Published: February 2014

Policy‐makers working at the interface of agri‐food and public health often deal with complex and cross‐cutting issues that have broad health impacts and socio‐economic implications. They have a responsibility to ensure that policy‐making based on these issues is accountable and informed by the best available scientific evidence. We conducted a qualitative descriptive study of agri‐food public health policy‐makers and research and policy analysts in Ontario, Canada, to understand their perspectives on how the policy‐making process is currently informed by scientific evidence and how to facilitate this process. Five focus groups of 3–7 participants and five‐one‐to‐one interviews were held in 2012 with participants from federal and provincial government departments and industry organizations in the agri‐food public health sector. We conducted a thematic analysis of the focus group and interview transcripts to identify overarching themes. Participants indicated that the following six key principles are necessary to enable and demonstrate evidence‐informed policy‐making (EIPM) in this sector: (i) establish and clarify the policy objectives and context; (ii) support policy‐making with credible scientific evidence from different sources; (iii) integrate scientific evidence with other diverse policy inputs (e.g. economics, local applicability and stakeholder interests); (iv) ensure that scientific evidence is communicated by research and policy stakeholders in relevant and user‐friendly formats; (V) create and foster interdisciplinary relationships and networks across research and policy communities; and (VI) enhance organizational capacity and individual skills for EIPM. Ongoing and planned efforts in these areas, a supportive culture, and additional education and training in both research and policy realms are important to facilitate evidence‐informed policy‐making in this sector. Future research should explore these findings further in other countries and contexts.
Paraphyly and budding speciation in the hairy snail (Pulmonata, Hygromiidae)
Authors: Kruckenhauser Luise , Duda Michael , Bartel Daniela , Sattmann Helmut , Harl Josef , Kirchner Sandra , Haring Elisabeth
Published: February 2014

Delimitation of species is often complicated by discordance of morphological and genetic data. This may be caused by the existence of cryptic or polymorphic species. The latter case is particularly true for certain snail species showing an exceptionally high intraspecific genetic diversity. The present investigation deals with the Trochulus hispidus complex, which has a complicated taxonomy. Our analyses of the COI sequence revealed that individuals showing a T. hispidus phenotype are distributed in nine highly differentiated mitochondrial clades (showing p‐distances up to 19%). The results of a parallel morphometric investigation did not reveal any differentiation between these clades, although the overall variability is quite high. The phylogenetic analyses based on 12S, 16S and COI sequences show that the T. hispidus complex is paraphyletic with respect to several other morphologically well‐defined Trochulus species (T. clandestinus, T. villosus, T. villosulus and T. striolatus) which form well‐supported monophyletic groups. The nc marker sequence (5.8S–ITS2–28S) shows only a clear separation of T. o. oreinos and T. o. scheerpeltzi, and a weakly supported separation of T. clandestinus, whereas all other species and the clades of the T. hispidus complex appear within one homogeneous group. The paraphyly of the T. hispidus complex reflects its complicated history, which was probably driven by geographic isolation in different glacial refugia and budding speciation. At our present state of knowledge, it cannot be excluded that several cryptic species are embedded within the T. hispidus complex. However, the lack of morphological differentiation of the T. hispidus mitochondrial clades does not provide any hints in this direction. Thus, we currently do not recommend any taxonomic changes. The results of the current investigation exemplify the limitations of barcoding attempts in highly diverse species such as T. hispidus.
Comparison and Assessment of the Creep-Fatigue Evaluation Methods With Notched Specimen Made of Mod.9Cr-1Mo Steel
Authors: Ando Masanori , Hirose Yuichi , Karato Takanori , Watanabe Sota , Inoue Osamu , Kawasaki Nobuchika , Enuma Yasuhiro
Published: February 2014

In components design at elevated temperature, creep-fatigue is one of the most important failure modes, and assessment of creep-fatigue life in structural discontinuities is an important issue in evaluating the integrity of components. Therefore, a lot of creep-fatigue life evaluation methods were proposed until now. To compare and assess the evaluation methods, a series of creep-fatigue test was carried out with notched specimens. All the specimens were made of Mod.9Cr-1Mo steel, which is a candidate material for primary and secondary heat transport system components of the Japan sodium-cooled fast reactor (JSFR). Mechanical creep-fatigue tests and thermal creep-fatigue test were performed by using a conventional uni-axial push–pull fatigue test machine and a thermal gradient generating system with an induction heating. The stress concentration levels were adjusted by varying the notch radius in the each test. The creep-fatigue lives, crack initiation, and propagation processes were monitored by a digital microscope and the replica method. A series of finite element analysis (FEA) was carried out to predict the number of cycles to failure by the several creep-fatigue life evaluation methods. Then, these predictions were compared with the test results. Several types of evaluation methods such are stress redistribution locus (SRL) method, simple elastic follow-up method and the methods described in the design and constriction code for fast reactor (FR) published by the Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers (JSME FRs code) were applied. Through the comparisons, it was appeared that SRL method gave rational conservative prediction of the creep-fatigue life when the factor of κ = 1.6 was applied for all conditions tested in this study. A comparison of SRL method and simple elastic follow-up method indicated that SRL method applied factor of κ = 1.6 gave the smallest creep-fatigue life in practicable stress range level. The JSME FRs code gave an evaluation 70–100 times conservative lives comparing with the test results.
On Irreversibility and Dissipation in Hyperelasticity With Softening
Authors: Volokh K. Y.
Published: February 2014

Bulk and interface material failures are often modeled via hyperelastic stored energy functions incorporating softening behavior. The softening is reversible due to the hyperelastic nature of the constitutive law and material can “heal” under unloading. To prevent this healing, special numerical procedures (like finite element deletion) are usually used in computer simulations. In the present work, we suggest an alternative: very simple analytical formulation, which makes failure irreversible when a critical stored energy is reached. This new notion is directly incorporated into the constitutive equations, consequently, relieving the need for preliminary discretization of the boundary-value problem.
Reliability-Based Design Guidance of Three-Dimensional Integrated Circuits Packaging Using Thermal Compression Bonding and Dummy Cu/Ni/SnAg Microbumps
Authors: Lee Chang-Chun , Lin Po Ting
Published: February 2014

In the latest microelectronics industry, the emerging three-dimensional (3D) chip stacking technique using through silicon via (TSV) enables higher integration density that allows greater numbers of interconnections in order to fulfill the urgent requirements of dimensional downscaling and electrical speed enhancement. A high-density pitch of microbumps associated with the wafer-level underfill (WLUF) under a thermal compressions process are utilized to prevent the thermomechanical failures of the microbumps due to variations of thermal expansions of different materials in the 3D package. The use of dummy microbumps has been proposed to find the acceptable thin-layer uniformity and the reliable mechanical performances of the entire packaging structure. The warpage and strain behavior of packaging structure has been simulated by finite element analysis (FEA) and compared with experimental results. The responses were parametrically modeled using Kriging model with respect to compressive force, the thickness of the top chip, and the location of the dummy microbumps. The deterministic design guidance for warpage and strain has been obtained from the Kriging model. Furthermore, the reliability of the design under uncertainty has been investigated. A reliability-based design guidance (RBDG) has been proposed to provide a safety boundary in terms of the allowable reliability index. The proposed method can be utilized as the reliability standard for high-throughput production of 3D integrated circuits (ICs) packaging.
Thrust Enhancement Through Bubble Injection Into an Expanding-Contracting Nozzle With a Throat
Authors: Singh Sowmitra , Fourmeau Tiffany , Choi Jin-Keun , Chahine Georges L.
Published: February 2014

This paper addresses the concept of thrust augmentation through bubble injection into an expanding-contracting nozzle with a throat. The presence of a throat in an expanding-contracting nozzle can result in flow transition from the subsonic regime to the supersonic regime (choked conditions) for a bubbly mixture flow, which may result in a substantial increase in jet thrust. This increase would primarily arise from the fact that the injected gas bubbles expand drastically in the supersonic region of the flow. In the current work, an analytical 1D model is developed to capture choked bubbly flow in an expanding-contracting nozzle with a throat. The study provides analytical and numerical support to analytical observations and serves as a design tool for nozzle geometries that can achieve efficient choked bubbly flows through nozzles. Starting from the 1D mixture continuity and momentum equations, along with an equation of state for the bubbly mixture, expressions for mixture velocity and gas volume fraction were derived. Starting with a fixed geometry and an imposed upstream pressure for a choked flow in the nozzle, the derived expressions were iteratively solved to obtain the exit pressures and velocities for different injected gas volume fractions. The variation of thrust enhancement with the injected gas volume fraction was also studied. Additionally, the geometric parameters were varied (area of the exit, area of the throat) to understand the influence of the nozzle geometry on the thrust enhancement and on the flow conditions at the inlet. This parametric study provides a performance map that can be used to design a bubble augmented waterjet propulsor, which can achieve and exploit supersonic flow. It was found that the optimum geometry for choked flows, unlike the optimum geometry under purely subsonic flows, had a dependence on the injected gas volume fraction. Furthermore, for the same injected gas volume fraction the optimum geometry for choked flows resulted in greater thrust enhancement compared to the optimum geometry for purely subsonic flows.
Strain and Stratification Effects on the Rapid Acceleration of a Turbulent Mixing Zone
Authors: Gréa Benoît-Joseph , Griffond Jérôme , Godeferd Fabien
Published: February 2014

We consider the problem of a turbulent mixing zone (TMZ), initially submitted to coupled effects of axisymmetric strain and stratification, then subsequently accelerated. The TMZ grows in the latter stage due to a rapid mixing induced by the Rayleigh-Taylor instability. It is shown that the short time dynamics is simply determined by only two parameters expressing the structure of the turbulent density field, one related to the mixing, the other to the dimensionality of the flow. These quantities are studied by rapid distortion theory and by several homogeneous direct numerical simulations performed in the moving frame of the mean flow. The implications for modeling are discussed, the influence of anisotropy is presented.
Energy Balance Associated With a Mixing Process at the Interface of a Two-Layer Longitudinal Atmospheric Model
Authors: Ibragimov Ranis N. , Villasenor Humberto
Published: February 2014

Several examples illustrating the energy balance associated with a mixing process at the interface of a planar dynamical model describing two-phase perfect fluid circulating around a circle with a sufficiently large radius within a central gravitational field are presented. The model is associated with the spatial and temporal structure of the zonally averaged global-scale atmospheric longitudinal circulation around the Earth. The fluid is supposed to be irrotational and pressure on a outer layer is constant. It is postulated that the total fluid depth is small compared to the radius of the circle and the gravity vector is directed to the center of the circle. Under these assumptions, this problem can be associated with a spatial and temporal structure of the zonally averaged global-scale atmospheric longitudinal circulation around equatorial plane. The model is the subject to the rigid lid approximation to the external boundary conditions for the outer fluid layer. One of the novelties in this work is the derivation of the nonlinear shallow water model by means of the average velocity. This introduction simplifies essentially further potential studies of mixing criteria associated with nonlinear mathematical models representing shallow water equations.
Simulations and Analysis of the Reshocked Inclined Interface Richtmyer–Meshkov Instability for Linear and Nonlinear Interface Perturbations
Authors: McFarland Jacob A. , Greenough Jeffrey A. , Ranjan Devesh
Published: February 2014

A computational study of the Richtmyer–Meshkov instability (RMI) is presented for an inclined interface perturbation in support of experiments being performed at the Texas A&M shock tube facility. The study is comprised of 2D, viscous, diffusive, compressible simulations performed using the arbitrary Lagrange Eulerian code, ARES, developed at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. These simulations were performed to late times after reshock with two initial interface perturbations, in the linear and nonlinear regimes each, prescribed by the interface inclination angle. The interaction of the interface with the reshock wave produced a complex 2D set of compressible wave interactions including expansion waves, which also interacted with the interface. Distinct differences in the interface growth rates prior to reshock were found in previous work. The current work provides in-depth analysis of the vorticity and enstrophy fields to elucidate the physics of reshock for the inclined interface RMI. After reshock, the two cases exhibit some similarities in integral measurements despite their disparate initial conditions but also show different vorticity decay trends, power law decay for the nonlinear and linear decay for the linear perturbation case.
Fluid Flow and Heat Transfer Characteristics of Microencapsulated Phase Change Material Slurry in Turbulent Flow
Authors: Taherian Hessam , Alvarado Jorge L. , Tumuluri Kalpana , Thies Curt , Park Chan-Hyun
Published: February 2014

Microencapsulated phase change material (MPCM) slurry is consisted of a base fluid in which MPCM is dispersed. Due to apparent high heat capacity associated with phase change process, MPCM slurry can be used as a viable heat transfer fluid (HTF) for turbulent flow conditions. Heat transfer and fluid flow properties of the slurry in turbulent flow (3000 < Re < 6000) were determined experimentally. Dynamic viscosity of the MPCM slurry was measured at different temperatures close to the melting point of the material (20–30 °C). Pressure drop measurements under turbulent flow conditions were recorded for 6 MPCM samples at various concentrations. The pressure drop of the MPCM slurry was comparable to that of water despite the higher viscosity of the slurry. The effect of heat flux, MPCM mass concentration, flow rate and the type of phase change material was investigated. The effective heat capacity of slurry at the location where phase change occurs was found to be considerably higher than that of water. A nondimensional Nusselt number correlation was proposed in order to facilitate design of heat transfer loops with MPCM slurries as working fluid.
Nonlinear Dynamical Systems, Their Stability, and Chaos
Authors: Marathe Amol , Govindarajan Rama
Published: February 2014

This introduction to nonlinear systems is written for students of fluid mechanics, so connections are made throughout the text to familiar fluid flow systems. The aim is to present how nonlinear systems are qualitatively different from linear and to outline some simple procedures by which an understanding of nonlinear systems may be attempted. Considerable attention is paid to linear systems in the vicinity of fixed points, and it is discussed why this is relevant for nonlinear systems. A detailed explanation of chaos is not given, but a flavor of chaotic systems is presented. The focus is on physical understanding and not on mathematical rigor.
The Deviation Function Method of Rotary Engine Design by Geometric Parameters
Authors: Warren Rose Sarah , Yang Daniel C. H.
Published: February 2014

Rotary engines require seals inserted into each rotor apex to maintain contact with the housing and prevent leaks during internal combustion. These seals are called apex seals and their effectiveness directly influences the engine operation and efficiency. The deviation function (DF) method of rotary engine design has several advantages over the conventional design method with regard to the apex seals, and also finds many more possibilities. The DF method can be used to incorporate the profile of the apex seal into the design process and the rotor profile itself. In the DF method, the seal profile is used as a generating curve and the housing bore profile is a generated curve. The housing is conjugate to the apex seal, and therefore conforms to the seal profile, unlike the conventional rotary engine. Another advantage the DF method has over the conventional method is that different apex seal profiles can be used, resulting in a larger variety of rotary engine designs. This paper introduces the DF method of rotary engine design and selection by the geometric parameters rotor radius, R, and eccentricity, l. In conventional rotary (Wankel) engine design, these parameters are used as a ratio called the K factor. The K factor uniquely identifies a conventional rotary engine profile and is therefore used to associate performance criteria such as displacement, compression ratio, and apex sealing. The DF method can be used to employ the same ratio as a selection tool. Instead of a single profile for each K factor, there is a range of possible DF-designed engine profiles associated with each R/l ratio. The resulting design flexibility is shown using two example deviation functions and the design criteria swept area and maximum theoretical compression ratio. Furthermore, the R/l ratio is not an indication of apex sealing effectiveness because the DF method of rotary engine design and selection separates the engine profile geometry from the apex seal geometry. An apex sealing index is presented to show how the DF method can be used to quantify, analyze, and improve apex sealing.
Higher-Order Linear-Time Unconditionally Stable Alternating Direction Implicit Methods for Nonlinear Convection-Diffusion Partial Differential Equation Systems
Authors: Bruno Oscar P. , Jimenez Edwin
Published: February 2014

We introduce a class of alternating direction implicit (ADI) methods, based on approximate factorizations of backward differentiation formulas (BDFs) of order p≥2, for the numerical solution of two-dimensional, time-dependent, nonlinear, convection-diffusion partial differential equation (PDE) systems in Cartesian domains. The proposed algorithms, which do not require the solution of nonlinear systems, additionally produce solutions of spectral accuracy in space through the use of Chebyshev approximations. In particular, these methods give rise to minimal artificial dispersion and diffusion and they therefore enable use of relatively coarse discretizations to meet a prescribed error tolerance for a given problem. A variety of numerical results presented in this text demonstrate high-order accuracy and, for the particular cases of p=2,3, unconditional stability.
Design of the Curved Flank for the Star-Wheel Tooth in Single Screw Compressors
Authors: Wu Weifeng , Hao Xiuqing , He Zhilong , Li Jian
Published: February 2014

The wear of star-wheel teeth is an important problem in single screw compressors. In order to prolong the service life of star wheels, a new curved flank of the tooth is proposed. Section profile of the tooth flank is a curve, which could be elliptical, hyperbolic, involute, or new defined. The screw groove flank is the envelope surface corresponding to the surface of the tooth flank. During the tooth meshing with the groove, the contact line moves in the tooth flank area.
Orifice Flow Calculation: Comparison Between Fluid Meter Applications — 6th Edition 1971, ASME PTC 19.5-2004 and ISO 5167 2003
Authors: Hunter A. I. C. , Nyquist R. G. , Coller S. , Smith J. , Boice H.
Published: February 2014

This paper presents a comparison between existing flow calculations that are currently in use by the authors’ company in its Test Data Reduction System (TDRS) and the latest ASME flow measurement standard. Equations for the current system are referenced from Flow Meter Applications – 6th Edition 1971 [1] and updated equations are referenced from Flow measurement ASME PTC 19.5-2004 [2]. Comparisons were made between mass flow, expansion factor and orifice discharge coefficient calculations. The equations for mass flow and expansion remained unchanged between versions; however a variation in results exists between orifice discharge coefficients. For a diameter ratio, β range of 0.4 to 0.7, the updated 2004 equation for discharge coefficient provides a relatively small change over the 1971 equation. The 2004 equation was also found to be less sensitive to changes in pipe diameter and Reynolds number. A comparison between the ISO 5167 2003 and PTC 19.5-1971 flow calculations was also done. There was a significant difference in the calculation of expansion factor using ISO 5167 2003, which resulted in a significant mass flow variation between the two flow measurement standards.
The Case for a Public “Trust”
Nature's Trust:
Environmental Law for a New Ecological Age

by Mary Christina Wood

Cambridge University Press, New York, 2013. 460 pp. $115, £65. ISBN 9780521195133. Paper, $45, £27.99. ISBN 9780521144117.
Authors: Steinzor Rena
Published: February 2014

Finding current environmental law dysfunctional, Wood builds a case for an approach based on the public trust doctrine.
Whole-Genome Sequencing of the Nonproteolytic Bacillus anthracis V770-NP1-R Strain Reveals Multiple Mutations in Peptidase Loci
Authors: Cohen-Gihon Inbar , Israeli Ofir , Beth-Din Adi , Levy Haim , Cohen Ofer , Shafferman Avigdor , Zvi Anat , Chitlaru Theodor
Published: February 2014

We report the draft whole-genome sequence of the nonproteolytic
Bacillus anthracis
V770-NP1-R strain. Compared to those of other
B. anthracis
strains, the genome exhibits unique mutations in multiple targets potentially affecting proteolytic functions. One of these mutations is a deletion that disrupts the NprR quorum-sensing regulator of the NprA protease.
Metastatic signet ring cell carcinoma of unknown primary source
Authors: O'Kane Dermot , Dean Kylie , Nightingale Rachael , Carlotto Simone
Published: February 2014

An elderly man presented to the emergency department following a motorbike accident. He had sustained chest injuries and a grade 1 splenic laceration. He had a moderate amount of free fluid and some omental standing on trauma CT, which was concerning for occult malignancy. A follow-up CT 4 weeks later showed a marked progression of the ascites and omental stranding. Ascitic tap was negative for malignancy. Tumour markers were normal. The patient developed a proximal small bowel obstruction which appeared to be related to this omental caking in the left upper quadrant on CT. Gastroduodenoscopy did not display any mass lesion. There was an external compression of the duodenum which could not be traversed with the scope. Laparoscopy showed a widespread peritoneal carcinomatosis. Biopsies of the omentum and peritoneum confirmed metastatic signet ring cell carcinoma (cytokeratin 7 and cytokeratin 20 positive). The patient was palliated but died 2 weeks after his diagnosis.
Republished: Recent advances: personalised use of current Crohn’s disease therapeutic options
Authors: Vermeire Séverine , Ferrante Marc , Rutgeerts Paul
Published: February 2014

Several aspects of the management of Crohn’s disease (CD) are shared between patients. The goal of all therapies should be to achieve clinical and endoscopic remission in a timely manner to avoid disease progression and abdominal resections. The way this goal is achieved may differ and predicting how the disease will evolve, what the most appropriate therapy with the highest chance of success will be, how long a therapy needs to be continued, and what the intensity of follow-up should be are more difficult questions and require an individualised approach. Clinical parameters have been suggested to aid in the therapeutic decision process but lack specificity. Although much promise has been put in molecular markers, these have not yet found their way to the clinic. More recently, clinicians have started to gain interest in drug level monitoring to adapt doses of immunomodulators and/or anti-tumour necrosis factor antibodies in an individualised manner. An increasing number of studies show that therapeutic drug monitoring can help physicians to improve and personalise the management of their patients. What is needed now are pharmaco-economic studies showing that personalised management of CD is cost effective.
STRONG MATCHING PRECLUSION OF PANCAKE GRAPHS
Authors: CHENG EDDIE , LU DAVID , XU BRIAN
Published: February 2014

The strong matching preclusion number of a graph is the minimum number of vertices and edges whose deletion results in a graph that has neither perfect matchings nor almost-perfect matchings. This is an extension of the matching preclusion problem that was introduced by Park and Ihm. In this paper, we examine the properties of pancake graphs by finding its strong matching preclusion number and categorizing all optimal solutions.
On the electrostatic properties of homodimeric proteins
Authors: Campbell Brandon , Petukh Marharyta , Alexov Emil , Li Chuan
Published: February 2014

A large fraction of proteins function as homodimers, but it is not always clear why the dimerization is important for functionality since frequently each monomer possesses a distinctive active site. Recent work (PLoS Computational Biology9(2):e1002924) indicates that homodimerization may be important for forming an electrostatic funnel in the spermine synthase homodimer which guides changed substrates toward the active centers. This prompted us to investigate the electrostatic properties of a large set of homodimeric proteins and resulted in an observation that in a vast majority of the cases the dimerization indeed results in specific electrostatic features, although not necessarily in an electrostatic funnel. It is demonstrated that the electrostatic dipole moment of the dimer is predominantly perpendicular to the axis connecting the centers of the mass of the monomers. In addition, the surface points with highest potential are located in the proximity of the interfacial plane of the homodimeric complexes. These findings indicate that frequent homodimerization provides specific electrostatic features needed for the function of proteins.
The improved Hagedorn wavepacket method for semiclassical Schrödinger equation
Authors: Li Xueyang , Xiao Aiguo
Published: February 2014

The Hagedorn wavepacket method is an important numerical method for solving the semiclassical time-dependent Schrödinger equation. In this paper, a new semi-discretization in space is obtained by wavepacket operator. In a sense, such semi-discretization is equivalent to the Hagedorn wavepacket method, but this discretization is more intuitive to show the advantages of wavepacket methods. Moreover, we apply the multi-time-step method and the Magnus-expansion to obtain the improved algorithms in time-stepping computation. The improved algorithms are of the Gauss–Hermite spectral accuracy to approximate the analytical solution of the semiclassical Schrödinger equation. And for the given accuracy, the larger time stepsize can be used for the higher oscillation in the semiclassical Schrödinger equation. The superiority is shown by the error estimation and numerical experiments.
Honokiol Protected against Heatstroke-Induced Oxidative Stress and Inflammation in Diabetic Rats
Authors: Hsu Chuan-Chih , Chen Li-Fan , Lin Mao-Tsun , Tian Yu-Feng
Published: February 2014

We aimed at investigating the effect of honokiol on heatstroke in an experimental rat model. Sprogue-Dawley rats were divided into 3 groups: normothermic diabetic rats treated with vehicle solution (NTDR+V), heatstroke-diabetic rats treated with vehicle (HSDR+V), and heatstroke rats treated with konokiol (0.5–5 mg/ml/kg) (HSDR+H). Sixty minutes before the start of heat stress, honokiol or vehicle solution was administered. (HSDR+H) significantly (a) attenuated hyperthermia, hypotension and hypothalamic ischemia, hypoxia, and neuronal apoptosis; (b) reduced the plasma index of the toxic oxidizing radicals; (c) diminished the indices of hepatic and renal dysfunction; (d) attenuated the plasma systemic inflammatory response molecules; (e) promoted plasma levels of an anti-inflammatory cytokine; (f) reduced the index of infiltration of polymorphonuclear neutrophils in the serum; and (g) promoted the survival time fourfold compared with the (HSDR+V) group. In conclusion, honokiol protected against the outcome of heatstroke by reducing inflammation and oxidative stress-mediated multiple organ dysfunction in diabetic rats.
Insulin Receptor Substrate-1 (IRS-1) Gly927Arg: Correlation with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus in Saudi Women
Authors: Alharbi Khalid Khalaf , Khan Imran Ali , Abotalib Zeinab , Al-Hakeem Malak Mohammed
Published: February 2014

Pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) share a common pathophysiology associated with similar risk factors. Genetic variants used to determine the risk of developing T2DM might also be associated with the prevalence of GDM. The aim of the present study was to scrutinize the relationship between the G972R polymorphism of the insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1) gene with GDM in the Saudi female population. This is a case-control study that monitored 500 Saudi women. Subjects with GDM (n=200) were compared with non-GDM (n=300) controls. We opted to evaluate rs1801278 polymorphism in the IRS1 gene, which plays a critical role in the insulin-signaling pathway. Genotyping was performed with the Polymerase Chain Reaction-Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method. The frequency of the rs1801278 polymorphism was significantly higher in women with GDM than in women with non-GDM (for TT + CT versus CC:P=0.02). Additionally, there was a significant increase in the frequency of the Arg-encoding mutant allele from GDM to non-GDM (for T versus C:P=0.01). Our results suggest that the rs1801278 polymorphism in theIRS-1gene is involved in the occurrence of GDM in the Saudi population.
On the Performance of the Current MANET Routing Protocols for VoIP, HTTP, and FTP Applications
Authors: Jabbar Waheb A. , Ismail Mahamod , Nordin Rosdiadee
Published: February 2014

The recent advances of ensemble mobile environment of smart devices with embedded sensors have enabled the MANET to play a key role in the smart cities as well as WSN and WMN. However, these smart devices are still limited in terms of energy, processor, and memory. Moreover, the efficient routing for reliable network connectivity at anytime, anywhere, and about everything is still a challenge in multihop wireless networks. This paper evaluates the QoS and energy efficiency of three active routing protocols: (i) OLSRv2, a successor to OLSR, (ii) DYMO, a successor to both DSR and AODV, and (iii) MP-OLSR multipath extension to OLSRv2. In contrast to the related previous works which focused only on CBR traffic without considering the influence of specific traffic types on the performance of routing protocols, this work focused on this area from a different perspective. It evaluates the performance of three internet-based traffic types that can be used in the smart city applications: VoIP, HTTP, and FTP using different simulation models. The impact of the network density, load traffic, and nodes mobility on the considered protocols was evaluated by considering particular performance metrics for each traffic application. Based on the results, the study concludes by presenting useful recommendations for future work.
Chinese Patent Medicine Tongxinluo Capsule for Hypertension: A Systematic Review of Randomised Controlled Trials
Authors: Wang Jie , Xiong Xingjiang , Liu Wei
Published: February 2014

Background. This study was intended to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Tongxinluo capsule for hypertension. Search Strategy. We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) in the Cochrane Library, The PubMed, EMBASE, Chinese Bio‐Medical Literature Database (CBM), Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Chinese Scientific Journal Database, and Wan‐fang Data started from the first of database to October 28, 2013. No language restriction was applied. We included randomized clinical trials testing Tongxinluo capsule against western medicine, Tongxinluo capsule versus placebo, and Tongxinluo capsule combined with western medicine versus western medicine. Study selection, data extraction, quality assessment, and data analyses were conducted according to the Cochrane standards. Results. 25 trials with 1958 participants were included. The methodological quality of the included trials was evaluated as generally low. The blood pressure (BP) lowering effect of Tongxinluo capsule plus western medicine was significantly higher than that of western medicine (systolic blood pressure (SBP): −3.87, −5.32 to −2.41, P  <  0.00001; and diastolic blood pressure (DBP): −2.72, −4.19 to −1.24, P  =  0.0003). The BP also decreased significantly from baseline with Tongxinluo capsule than placebo (SBP: −9.40, −10.90 to −7.90, P  <  0.00001; and DBP: −11.80, −12.40 to −11.20, P  <  0.00001) or western medicine (SBP: −3.90, −4.93 to −2.87, P  <  0.00001; and DBP: −3.70, −3.83 to −3.57, P  <  0.00001). 12 trials reported adverse events without details. Conclusions. There is some but weak evidence about the effectiveness of TXL in treating patients with hypertension.
MPPT Algorithm for Photovoltaic Panel Based on Augmented Takagi-Sugeno Fuzzy Model
Authors: Abid Hafedh , Toumi Ahmed , Chaabane Mohamed
Published: February 2014

This paper deals with the Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) for photovoltaic energy system. It includes photovoltaic array panel, DC/DC converter, and load. The operating point for photovoltaic energy system depends on climatic parameters and load. For each temperature and irradiation pair, there exists only one optimal operating point which corresponds to the maximum power transmitted to the load. The photovoltaic energy system is described by nonlinear equations. It is transformed into an augmented system which is described with a Takagi-Sugeno (T-S) fuzzy model. The proposed MPPT algorithm which permits transfering the maximum power from the panel to the load is based on Parallel Distributed Compensation method (PDC). The control parameters have been computed based on Linear Matrix Inequalities tools (LMI). The Lyapunov approach has been used to prove the stability of the system. Some reliable simulation results are provided to check the efficiency of the proposed algorithm.
Investigation of the Novel Lead of Melanocortin 1 Receptor for Pigmentary Disorders
Authors: Tang Hsin-Chieh , Chen Calvin Yu-Chian
Published: February 2014

Knowing the role of MC1R in skin tanning can provide a brand new idea to resolve pigmentary disorders. αMSH has 13 amino acids and is the most essential pigmentary melanocortin responsible for melanin synthesis. One could utilize the compound library to find lead compounds by virtual screening from peptide database and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) database@Taiwan. Computational simulation provided a convenient technology to survey potential lead. Ligand‐based validation set up the reliable model for molecular dynamics simulation. Molecular dynamics simulation approved the binding affinity and stability of the peptides selected by virtual screening. Thus, we concluded that Glu‐Glu‐Lys‐Glu (EEKE), Glu‐Gly‐Gly‐Ser‐Val‐Glu‐Ser (EGGSVES), and Glu‐Glu‐Asp‐Cys‐Lys (EEDCK) were potent lead peptides for MC1R to resolve pigmentary disorders.
Comparative Neuroprotective Effects of Dexamethasone and Minocycline during Hepatic Encephalopathy
Authors: Gamal Maha , Abdel Wahab Zainab , Eshra Mohamed , Rashed Laila , Sharawy Nivin
Published: February 2014

Objective.Encephalopathy and brain edema are serious complications of acute liver injury and may lead to rapid death of patients. The present study was designed to investigate the role of the inflammatory mediators and oxidative stress in the cytotoxic brain oedema and the neuroprotective effects of both minocycline and dexamethasone.Methods.48 male albino rats were divided into 4 groups: control group, acute liver injury (ALI) group, minocycline pretreated ALI group, and dexamethasone pretreated ALI group. 24 hours after acute liver injury serum ammonia, liver enzymes, brain levels of heme oxygenase-1 gene, iNOS gene expression, nitrite/nitrate, and cytokines were measured. In addition, the grades of encephalopathy and brain water content were assessed.Results.ALI was associated with significant increases in all measured inflammatory mediators, oxidative stress, iNOS gene expression, and nitrite/nitrate. Both minocycline and dexamethasone significantly modulated the inflammatory changes and the oxidative/nitrosative stress associated with ALI. However, only minocycline but not dexamethasone significantly reduced the cytotoxic brain oedema.Conclusion.Both minocycline and dexamethasone could modulate inflammatory and oxidative changes observed in brain after ALI and could be novel preventative therapy for hepatic encephalopathy episodes.
Elliptic Travelling Wave Solutions to a Generalized Boussinesq Equation
Authors: El Achab Abdelfattah
Published: February 2014

Travelling wave solutions for the generalized Boussinesq wave equation are studied by using the Weierstrass elliptic function method. As a result, some previously known solutions are recovered, and at the same time some new ones are also given, as well as integrable ones.
Chemokines as Potential Markers in Pediatric Renal Diseases
Authors: Simões e Silva Ana Cristina , Pereira André Barreto , Teixeira Mauro Martins , Teixeira Antônio Lúcio
Published: February 2014

Glomerular diseases and obstructive uropathies are the two most frequent causes of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in children. Recently, biomarkers have become a focus of clinical research as potentially useful diagnostic tools in pediatric renal diseases. Among several putative biomarkers, chemokines emerge as promising molecules since they play relevant roles in the pathophysiology of pediatric renal diseases. The evaluation of these inflammatory mediators might help in the management of diverse renal diseases in children and the detection of patients at high risk to develop CKD. The aim of this paper is to revise general aspects of chemokines and the potential link between chemokines and the most common pediatric renal diseases by including experimental and clinical evidence.
Contact Frequency, Travel Time, and Travel Costs for Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis
Authors: Sørensen Jan , Linde Louise , Hetland Merete Lund
Published: February 2014

Objectives. To investigate travel time, and travel cost related to contacts with health care providers for patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) during a three-month period.Methods. Patient-reported travel time and travel cost were obtained from 2847 patients with RA. Eleven outpatient clinics across Denmark recruited patients to the study. Data collected included frequency, travel time and travel costs for contacts at rheumatology outpatient clinics, other outpatient clinics, general practitioners, privately practicing medical specialists, inpatient hospitals and accident and emergency departments.Results. Over a 3-month period, patients with RA had on average 4.4 (sd 5.7) contacts with health care providers, of which 2.8 (sd 4.0) contacts were with rheumatology outpatient clinics. Private car and public travel were the most frequent modes of travel. The average patient spent 63 minutes and 13 € on travelling per contact, corresponding to a total of 4.6 hours and 56 € during the 3-month period. There was great variation in patient travel time and costs, but no statistically significant associations were found with clinical and sociodemographic characteristics.Conclusion. The results show that patients with RA spend private time and costs on travelling when they seek treatment. These findings are particularly important when analyzing social costs associated with RA.
An Adaptive Evolutionary Algorithm for Traveling Salesman Problem with Precedence Constraints
Authors: Sung Jinmo , Jeong Bongju
Published: February 2014

Traveling sales man problem with precedence constraints is one of the most notorious problems in terms of the efficiency of its solution approach, even though it has very wide range of industrial applications. We propose a new evolutionary algorithm to efficiently obtain good solutions by improving the search process. Our genetic operators guarantee the feasibility of solutions over the generations of population, which significantly improves the computational efficiency even when it is combined with our flexible adaptive searching strategy. The efficiency of the algorithm is investigated by computational experiments.
Nanocatalysis: Academic Discipline and Industrial Realities
Authors: Olveira Sandro , Forster Simon P. , Seeger Stefan
Published: February 2014

Nanotechnology plays a central role in both academic research and industrial applications. Nanoenabled products are not only found in consumer markets, but also importantly in business to business markets (B2B). One of the oldest application areas of nanotechnology is nanocatalysis—an excellent example for such a B2B market. Several existing reviews illustrate the scientific developments in the field of nanocatalysis. The goal of the present review is to provide an up-to-date picture of academic research and to extend this picture by an industrial and economic perspective. We therefore conducted an extensive search on several scientific databases and we further analyzed more than 1,500 nanocatalysis-related patents and numerous market studies. We found that scientists today are able to prepare nanocatalysts with superior characteristics regarding activity, selectivity, durability, and recoverability, which will contribute to solve current environmental, social, and industrial problems. In industry, the potential of nanocatalysis is recognized, clearly reflected by the increasing number of nanocatalysis-related patents and products on the market. The current nanocatalysis research in academic and industrial laboratories will therefore enable a wealth of future applications in the industry.
Smoking and Breast Cancer Recurrence after Breast Conservation Therapy
Authors: Bishop Jennifer D. , Killelea Brigid K. , Chagpar Anees B. , Horowitz Nina R. , Lannin Donald R.
Published: February 2014

Background. Prior studies have shown earlier recurrence and decreased survival in patients with head and neck cancer who smoked while undergoing radiation therapy. The purpose of the current study was to determine whether smoking status at the time of partial mastectomy and radiation therapy for breast cancer affected recurrence or survival.Method. A single institution retrospective chart review was performed to correlate smoking status with patient demographics, tumor characteristics, and outcomes for patients undergoing partial mastectomy and radiation therapy.Results. There were 624 patients who underwent breast conservation surgery between 2002 and 2010 for whom smoking history and follow-up data were available. Smoking status was associated with race, patient age, and tumor stage, but not with grade, histology, or receptor status. African American women were more likely to be current smokers (22% versus 7%,P<0.001). With a mean follow-up of 45 months, recurrence was significantly higher in current smokers compared to former or never smokers (P=0.039). In a multivariate model adjusted for race and tumor stage, recurrence among current smokers was 6.7 times that of never smokers (CI 2.0–22.4).Conclusions. Although the numbers are small, this study suggests that smoking may negatively influence recurrence rates after partial mastectomy and radiation therapy. A larger study is needed to confirm these observations.
Multiple Periodic Solutions of Generalized Gause-Type Predator-Prey Systems with Nonmonotonic Numerical Responses and Impulse
Authors: Luo Zhenguo , Luo Liping , Zeng Yunhui
Published: February 2014

We consider an impulsive periodic generalized Gause-type predator-prey model with nonmonotonic numerical responses. Using the continuation theorem of coincidence degree theory, we present an easily verifiable sufficient condition on the existence of multiple periodic solutions. As corollaries, some applications are listed. In particular, our results extend and improve some known criteria.