bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of Cycle Frequency of a Reciprocating Magnetic Refrigerator Prototype on the Temperature Span and Cooling Capacity
Authors: Keawkamrop Thawatchai , Wongwises Somchai
Published: December 2018

Magnetic refrigeration is an environment-friendly cooling technology and an interesting potential replacement for the vapor compression refrigeration system. This paper presents a linear reciprocating magnetic refrigerator prototype that operates at room temperature by using gadolinium parallel plates under a maximum magnetic field intensity of 0.94[Formula: see text]T. The design, installation and preliminary results are reported. The temperature span and cooling capacity are studied in a function of cycle frequency, and the results show the cycle frequency effects on temperature span and cooling capacity. The maximum temperature span and cooling capacity for cycle frequency of 0.16[Formula: see text]Hz are 1.3[Formula: see text]K and 4.68[Formula: see text]W, respectively. The results from the experiment will be a guideline to determine the maximum performance of the magnetic refrigerator prototype.
Improvements of dielectric properties and energy storage performances in BaTiO3/PVDF nanocomposites by employing a thermal treatment process
Authors: Dang Yue-Mao , Zheng Ming-Sheng , Zha Jun-Wei
Published: December 2018

The influence of thermal treatment on the dielectric properties and energy storage performances of a classical dielectric nanocomposite system (barium titanate/polyvinylidene fluoride PVDF) was discussed systematically. The results demonstrated that the permittivity of thermal treated nanocomposites increased and dielectric loss decreased compared with the untreated system. In addition, the energy density was also greatly improved due to the inclined residual polarization. For example, the energy density of the treated nanocomposite with 50[Formula: see text]vol.% nanofillers was 3.14 times higher than the untreated nanocomposite at 50[Formula: see text]MV/m. Moreover, the charge–discharge efficiency was also promoted from 6.36% to 56.89%. According to the viewpoint of microstructure, the improvement of the dielectric and energy storage properties would be ascribed to the suppression on void defects in the interphase of dielectric nanocomposite by employing the thermal treatment process. Finally, thermal treatment turns out to be a simple and an effective method to improve the dielectric performances and energy storage properties in the dielectric nanocomposites.
The Polar Silk Road: China’s New Frontier of International Cooperation
Authors: Tillman Henry , Yang Jian , Nielsson Egill Thor
Published: December 2018

The introduction of the “Polar Silk Road (PSR)” into the first comprehensive white paper on Arctic policy is a historic step for China’s Arctic engagement. Over the past few years, China has achieved policy synergies and launched industrial, scientific and technological cooperation with Russia and Nordic countries. With enlarged interests and enhanced capabilities, China is becoming a preferred partner for Russia and Nordic countries in a number of infrastructure, energy and transportation projects within the Arctic region. The PSR framework to advance Arctic cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) presents both economic opportunities and social as well as environmental challenges for Chinese enterprises to balance the utilization and protection of the Arctic.
Evaluation of Worksite Wellness Nutrition and Physical Activity Programs and Their Subsequent Impact on Participants’ Body Composition
Authors: Sandercock Victoria , Andrade Jeanette
Published: December 2018

Background. Adult obesity is globally recognized as a public health concern. As adults spend most of their weekdays at work, worksite wellness programs may include topics of nutrition education and physical activity to improve an employee’s body composition. However, results are inconsistent with the impact they have on employees’ body composition.Objective. The purpose of this systematic review was to evaluate worksite wellness nutrition and physical activity programs and their subsequent impact on participants’ body composition.Methods. Extraction of articles was completed through 4 databases: PubMed, CINAHL, SCOPUS, and PsycINFO using keywords such as “nutrition and physical activity interventions/programs” and “weight.” A 9-point inclusion criterion was established. Evaluation of the articles was assessed using the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Evidence-Based Manual.Results. A total of 962 articles were identified. Twenty-three met the inclusion criterion. Seventeen studies resulted in a change in body composition (e.g., decreased BMI (kg/m2), waist circumference, and body fat percentage), and six studies did not show any changes. Programs that had professionals frequently interact with participants, regardless if the interactions were done daily, weekly, or monthly, led to a change in body composition. Additionally, programs that incorporated a motivation theory and provided content relevant to participants’ needs resulted in a change in body composition.Conclusion. Evidence supports that future worksite wellness programs that are designed using a motivational theory and content that is created relevant to participants’ needs and that has frequent interactions with participants may result in a change in body composition.
Application of SN-EMD in Mode Feature Extraction of Ship Radiated Noise
Authors: Niu Fang , Hui Juan , Zhao Anbang , Cheng Yue , Chen Yang
Published: December 2018

Due to the randomness of added noise, noise-assisted versions based on EMD (empirical mode decomposition) usually cause new “mode mixing” problem. In addition, these algorithms also have problems such as high time-consuming and large recovering error. For the reasons, a new method SN-EMD (Selective Noise-assisted EMD) is put forward in this paper. It determines whether to add noise as assistance by judging whether there is high frequency intermittent component contained in the signal or not. The new method was proved to have the optimal performance by comparing the performance parameters for evaluating the decomposition. In this paper, SN-EMD was used to decompose ship radiated noise. On account of the differences in the original information contained in each mode of radiated noise signals from different ship, we selected the first three modes for processing. Average instantaneous frequency, center frequency, energy density, and energy distribution ratio were extracted as mode feature of ship targets for classification and recognition. Spatial distribution of the feature quantities in three-dimensional space verified similarity of the same target and separability of different targets.
The Epidemiology and Economic Burden of Obesity and Related Cardiometabolic Disorders in the United Arab Emirates: A Systematic Review and Qualitative Synthesis
Authors: Radwan Hadia , Ballout Rami A. , Hasan Hayder , Lessan Nader , Karavetian Mirey , Rizk Rana
Published: December 2018

Background. Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are considered as a global health problem and considered as a public health priority with the more considerable increasing trend of obesity and cardiometabolic disorders rates in the Middle Eastern countries. This systematic review aims at assessing the prevalence, incidence rates, and trends, as well as the cost of obesity and related cardiometabolic disorders in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Methods. A highly sensitive strategy was used to retrieve original observational studies, addressing the epidemiology and cost of obesity and related cardiometabolic disorders in the UAE, irrespective of nationality (nationals and expatriates). The search was conducted on April 4, 2017, within numerous electronic databases and the grey literature. Standardized and validated methods were used for data extraction and analysis as well as quality assessment. Results. 6789 records were retrieved, of which 36 were deemed eligible. High prevalence rates were reported for obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and metabolic syndrome in all studies. However, the definitions and methods employed by the studies were highly variable. The risk of bias in the epidemiological studies ranged between low and medium. Only one study reported the cost of illness for diabetes. In this study, the estimated cost per patient was $2,015 (adjusted to the year 2015), and it became twofold and sixfold higher in patients with microvascular and macrovascular complications, respectively. Conclusions. Obesity and related cardiometabolic disorders are highly prevalent in the UAE, but quoting a precise prevalence for them is difficult given the methodological heterogeneity of the epidemiological studies addressing them. Nonetheless, we detected a 2-3-fold increase in the prevalence of overweight and obesity in the UAE between 1989 and 2017. It is hopeful that this systematic review will provide an insight into direct future studies, especially longitudinal studies exploring obesity and cardiometabolic risks and their costs.
Wireless TDMA‐Based Body Area Network Platform Gathering Multibiosignals Synchronized with Patient’s Heartbeat
Authors: Hwang Tae Min , Jeong Seol Young , Kang Soon Ju
Published: December 2018

In the application of a body area network in medical healthcare, the process of receiving, archiving, and analyzing multibiosignals simultaneously from different devices for each body is very important. For example, to diagnose sleep apnea symptoms, a patient must sleep with dozens of devices, including electroencephalography (EEG), electrocardiogram (ECG), photoplethysmogram (PPG), peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2), nasal cannula, and bands. Various wireless methods of body area network for acquisition and measurement of body signals have been introduced, but it is difficult to accurately diagnose various biosignals because their measurement frequencies are different from each other, and they are not guaranteed precise synchronization. Because each body biosignal is commonly synchronized with the heartbeat of the patient, precise synchronization of the heartbeat and other measuring cycles of each device is a critical attribute for analyzing the corelation of each biosignal in the body area network. However, it is difficult to guarantee the precise synchronization of multibiosignals by solely using carrier sense multiple access with collision detection‐ (CSMA/CD‐) based wireless protocols, which are mainly used in existing body area networks. This study proposes a method of creating a self‐organizing body area network based on wireless Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) to guarantee the synchronization of multibiosignals and compare its accuracy with the CSMA/CD method.
Genetic Impact on Clinical Features in Parkinson’s Disease: A Study on SNCA-rs11931074
Authors: Shu Li , Liang Dongxiao , Pan Hongxu , Xu Qian , Guo Jifeng , Sun Qiying , Tang Beisha , Yan Xinxiang
Published: December 2018

SNCA-rs11931074 had been demonstrated to be strongly correlated with PD risk. However, there was lack of comprehensive analysis of SNCA-rs11931074-related clinical features which may help explain clinical heterogeneity of PD. In our study, we performed association analyses on the relationship between SNCA-rs11931074 and motor symptoms, nonmotor symptoms, and comorbidities in PD. 611 rs11931074 carriers and 113 rs11931074 noncarriers were enrolled. In the clinical phenotype analyses, the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale part II (UPDRS II) and part III (UPDRS III) scores of rs11931074 carriers were lower than those of noncarriers (SC: −0.083, p=0.035; SC: −0.140, p≤0.001). The Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) score of carriers was lower than that of noncarriers (SC: −0.097, p=0.009). No significant statistical differences were found between the variant and other clinical features such as motor complications and nonmotor symptoms. The SNCA-rs11931074 carriers may present with more benign clinical profiles than noncarriers with less severe motor symptoms and comorbidity burden.
On an Application of the Absolute Stability Theory to Sampled-Data Stabilization
Authors: Churilov Alexander N.
Published: December 2018

A nonlinear Lur’e-type plant with a sector bound nonlinearity is considered. The plant is stabilized by a discrete-time feedback signal with a nonperiodic uncertain sampling. The sampling control function is nonlinear and also obeys some sectoral constraints at discrete (sampling) times. The linear matrix inequality (LMI) conditions for the stability of the closed-loop system are obtained.
Controllability and Observability Analysis of Nonlinear Positive Discrete Systems
Authors: Naim Mouhcine , Lahmidi Fouad , Namir Abdelwahed
Published: December 2018

This article studies the controllability and observability of nonlinear positive discrete systems. These properties play a fundamental role in system analysis before controller and observer design is engaged. We solve these problems by a technique based on the fixed point theory.
The Prognostic Value of Nanog Overexpression in Lung Cancer: A Meta-Analysis
Authors: Cheng Wei , Wang Hongzhi , Yuan Juanjuan , Cheng Ziwei , Xing Dongwei , Zhang Minguang
Published: December 2018

Background. Recent several studies have showed that the nanog overexpression leads to poor prognosis in some kinds of cancer including hepatocellular carcinoma and gastrointestinal luminal cancer. However, the correlations between prognosis and clinic-pathological features and nanog overexpression in lung cancer are still not well-known. Thus, we performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the role of nanog in lung cancer.Methods. An electronic retrieval for related studies was conducted in PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, EMBASE databases, Chinese CNKI, and the Chinese Wan Fang database up to May 2018. The relationships between nanog overexpression and overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) as well as clinic-pathological features in lung cancer were investigated. Pooled hazard ratios (HRs) and odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated by STATA12.Results.11 studies containing 1422 patients were identified in our meta-analysis. The overexpression of nanog showed decreased OS (HR = 1.83, 95% CI = 1.49-2.25,P≤ 0.001) and DFS (HR = 1.86, 95% CI = 1.2-2.9,P= 0.006). Moreover, overexpression of nanog was significantly related to differentiation (OR = 4.17, 95% CI = 2.17-6.43,P≤ 0.001), lymph node metastasis (OR = 1.76, 95% CI = 1.06-2.91,P= 0.028) and tumor size (OR = 1.93, 95% CI = 1.17-3.20,P= 0.010), and no correlation with T stage, TNM, stage, and gender.Conclusions.Our results suggested that nanog overexpression, a hazard factor of differentiation, lymph node metastasis, and tumor size, may predicate decreased OS and DFS for lung cancer.
Gas Exchange and Productivity in Temperate and Droughty Years of Four Eastern, Elite Loblolly Pine Genotypes Grown in the Western Gulf Region
Authors: Blazier Michael A. , Tyree Michael C. , Sword Sayer Mary Anne , KC Dipesh , Hood Wilson G. , Osbon Bradley S.
Published: December 2018

Loblolly pine plantations in the western portion of the species’ range are sometimes planted with genotypes from the eastern portion of its range to improve plantation productivity. Advances in loblolly pine breeding have led to the development of clonally propagated genotypes with higher potential growth rates and better form than more commonly planted half-sib genotypes. At a site in the western portion of the loblolly pine range, four genotypes from the eastern portion of the loblolly pine range were established. Two genotypes (HS756 and HS8103) were half-sib, and two genotypes (V9 and V93) were varieties. The V93 genotype was propagated from the HS756 genotype. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of genotype on seasonal trends in gas exchange parameters at the leaf and crown levels, growth, and biomass allocation patterns. During the two-year study, one year had precipitation and temperature trends similar to the long-term average and one year had extreme drought, with record heat. The HS756, V9, and V93 genotypes had the highest height growth throughout the study. The V93 genotype was sensitive to the drought; its leaf- and crown-levelAsatandgs, declined during the drought more markedly than those of the other genotypes. Although itsAsatandgswere affected by drought, height growth productivity of V93 may have been sustained during the drought by its biomass partitioning pattern of allocating higher proportions of its root biomass to small and fine roots and its aboveground biomass to foliage. These results suggest that a variety such as V93 could be more susceptible to changes in C fixation and water uptake with recurrent drought.
Valuation of the Vulnerable Option Price Based on Mixed Fractional Brownian Motion
Authors: Ouyang Yanmin , Yang Jingyuan , Zhou Shengwu
Published: December 2018

The pricing problem of a kind of European vulnerable option was studied. The mixed fractional Brownian motion and the jump process were used to characterize the evolution of stock prices. The closed-form solution to European option pricing was obtained by applying martingale measure transformation method. At the end of this paper, some numerical experiments were adopted to compare the new pricing formula introduced in this paper with the classical Black-Scholes pricing formula. The result showed that the new pricing formula conformed to the actual financial market. In fact, the option value is positively correlated with the underlying asset price and the company’s asset price and the jump process has significant influence on the value of option.
Experimental Investigation of Forchheimer Coefficients for Non-Darcy Flow in Conglomerate-Confined Aquifer
Authors: Zhang Tong , Zhao Yixin , Gan Quan , Yuan Liang , Zhu Guangpei , Cai Yongbo , Cao Bao
Published: December 2018

A conglomerate-confined aquifer (CCA) plays an important role in affecting the safety and environmental protection during energy mining. In this study, the Forchheimer coefficients and associated seepage characteristics of the CCA were studied for different hydrogeological conditions via integrating theoretical analysis, hydromechanical experiment, and field investigation. Empirical models related to the intrinsic permeability (k) and inertial resistance (β) were developed based on theoretical and experimental solutions, governed by the parameters of particle size, initial porosity, and stress. The non-Darcy flow was obtained through experiments conducted with different ratios of the aggregate particle subjected to stress ranging from 1.43 MPa to 4.38 MPa, and a discharge model associated with k and β was proposed. The aggregate particle and filling material of the CCA presented positive and negative effects on the interconnected pores, respectively, accompanied by wedging and wall effects. Distribution state of the aggregate particle and the filling material was affected by the stress, resulting in the reduction of the hydraulic conductivity and the weakening of the wedging and wall effects in the CCA. In addition, the transportation effect and broken effect occurred for the lower and higher stress situations and contributed to the shrinkage of the interconnected pores. Finally, the models of the CCA were validated using a normalized objective function (NOF), a linear slope γ function, and field measurements.
Using IVIM-MRI and R2⁎ Mapping to Differentiate Early Stage Liver Fibrosis in a Rat Model of Radiation-Induced Liver Fibrosis
Authors: Liang Jianye , Song Xiubao , Xiao Zeyu , Chen Hanwei , Shi Changzheng , Luo Liangping
Published: December 2018

Rationale and Objectives. To investigate the utility of intravoxel incoherent motion MRI (IVIM-MRI) and R2⁎ mapping in diagnosing early stage liver fibrosis in a radiation-induced rat model.Materials and Methods. Thirty rats were randomly divided into three groups with 10 rats in each group. Liver fibrosis was induced by exposure of right lobe of liver in each animal to 20 Gy of radiation. MRI examination was conducted at baseline, one month, two months, and three months after radiation using T1WI, T2WI, IVIM-DWI, and R2⁎ sequences. The pathological examination included hematoxylin eosin, masson trichrome, and prussian blue staining. D, D⁎, f, and R2⁎ values were measured in both left and right lobes for quantitative analysis.Results. Regarding the surviving 23 rats, eight rats were diagnosed with stage F0, ten with stage F1, and five with stage F2 liver fibrosis using METAVIR Scores. The D values of right lobes decreased (P<0.05), and R2⁎ values increased (P<0.01) significantly as fibrosis levels increased. But there was no statistical difference in D⁎ (P=0.970) and f values (P=0.079). R2⁎ value showed a strong positive correlation (r=0.819, P<0.001), while D value showed a negative correlation with fibrosis stages (r=-0.424, P<0.001). D⁎ (r=0.029, P=0.744) and f values (r=-0.055, P=0.536) were poorly correlated with fibrosis levels.Conclusion. IVIM-MRI and R2⁎ mapping are useful techniques for evaluating the severity of liver fibrosis in a radiation-induced rat model, and R2⁎ value is the most sensitive parameter in detecting early stage fibrosis.
An Enriched Prediction Intervals Construction Method with Hybrid Intelligent Optimization
Authors: Lu Jiazheng , Zhang Guoyong , Li Bo , Liu Yu , Guo Jun
Published: December 2018

Prediction intervals (PIs), within which future observations of time series are expected to fall, are a powerful method for uncertainty modeling and forecasting. This paper presents the construction of optimal PIs using an enriched extreme learning machine (ELM)-based method. While quality evaluation indices for PIs on reliability and sharpness of prediction results have been defined in the literature, this paper proposes a new PIs evaluation index, robustness, which focuses on the forecasting error. Combined with the above three indices, a more comprehensive objective function is then formed for optimal PIs construction. The paper also proposes an efficient hybrid quantum-behaved particle swarm optimization method with bacterial foraging mechanism to optimize the parameters in the ELM model. The effectiveness of the additional robustness index and the proposed improved ELM approach in determining higher quality PIs is demonstrated by applying them to PIs constructions for the cases of prediction in different datasets.
Concentrations of Selected Adipokines, Interleukin-6, and Vitamin D in Patients with Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma in Respect to Thyroid Cancer Stages
Authors: Warakomski Jakub , Romuk Ewa , Jarząb Barbara , Krajewska Jolanta , Siemińska Lucyna
Published: December 2018

The relationships between thyroid cancer and obesity are not fully understood. Adipokines, proinflammatory cytokines, and vitamin D may mediate these associations. In this study, we estimated serum concentrations of leptin, adiponectin, chemerin, interleukin-6 (IL-6), and vitamin D in patients with papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). We searched for associations between the adipokines, IL-6, vitamin D, anthropometric parameters, and TNM AJCC/UICC 2017 classification in 177 patients diagnosed with PTC (151 women and 26 men). Normal weight patients were predominantly classified as clinical stage I. The prevalence of stages higher than I was significantly higher in PTC patients with BMI ≥ 25 or with metabolic syndrome. Using logistic regression waist circumference ≥ 88 cm in women and ≥102 cm in men, upper tertiles of IL-6 and leptin were associated with a higher clinical stage. There were no differences in the prevalence of microcarcinomas in analyzed groups (BMI ≥ 25 versus BMI < 25 and with metabolic syndrome presence versus without metabolic syndrome). No significant relationships between serum concentrations of leptin, adiponectin, chemerin, IL-6, vitamin D, and tumor size in PTC were found. Although insulin resistance represented by the HOMA index was associated with anthropometric variables and with serum leptin, adiponectin, chemerin, and IL-6 concentrations, in our study, no statistically significant relations with PTC staging were identified.
Real-Time Prediction of Lane-Based Queue Lengths for Signalized Intersections
Authors: Li Bing , Cheng Wei , Li Lishan
Published: December 2018

Queue length is one of the most important traffic evaluation indexes for traffic signal control at signalized intersections. Most previous studies have focused on estimating queue length, which cannot be predicted effectively. In this paper, we applied the Lighthill–Whitham–Richards shockwave theory and Robertson’s platoon dispersion model to predict the arrival of vehicles in advance at intervals of 5 seconds. This approach fully described the relationship between disparate upstream traffic arrivals (as a result of vehicles making different turns) and the variation of incremental queue accumulation. It also addressed the shortcomings of the uniform arrival assumption in previous research. In addition, to predict the queue length of multiple lanes at the same time, we integrated the prediction of the traffic volume proportions in each lane using the Kalman filter. We tested this model in a field experiment, and the results showed that the model had satisfactory accuracy. We also discussed the limitations of the proposed model in this paper.
Sinusoidal Obstruction Syndrome (SOS) in Multiple Myeloma with Renal Failure
Authors: Shah Urvi A. , Viswanathan Sengottuvel , Agarwal Beamon , Shastri Aditi , Mantzaris Ioannis , Janakiram Murali , Kornblum Noah , Braunschweig Ira , Verma Amit , Shi Yang , Reinus John , Derman Olga
Published: December 2018

SOS is a rare complication of stem cell transplantation and has significant morbidity and mortality. We present three cases of SOS and highlight underlying risk factors for its development, such as impaired clearance of alkylating agents (especially melphalan) in patients with renal failure and prolonged infection. Although, melphalan and cyclophosphamide cause SOS less commonly than alkylating agents such as busulfan, physicians must use caution when administering these drugs to patients with underlying comorbidities such as renal failure that may increase the likelihood of development of SOS. This is due to unpredictable pharmacokinetics in patients with renal failure and therefore close drug monitoring is required. With the recent FDA approval of defibrotide in 2016, outcomes of SOS have improved and physician awareness is important for prompt diagnosis and treatment.
General Collaborative Filtering for Web Service QoS Prediction
Authors: Ma Wenming , Shan Rongjie , Qi Mingming
Published: December 2018

To avoid the expensive and time-consuming evaluation, collaborative filtering (CF) methods have been widely studied for web service QoS prediction in recent years. Among the various CF techniques, matrix factorization is the most popular one. Much effort has been devoted to improving matrix factorization collaborative filtering. The key idea of matrix factorization is that it assumes the rating matrix is low rank and projects users and services into a shared low-dimensional latent space, making a prediction by using the dot product of a user latent vector and a service latent vector. Unfortunately, unlike the recommender systems, QoS usually takes continuous values with very wide range, and the low rank assumption might incur high bias. Furthermore, when the QoS matrix is extremely sparse, the low rank assumption also incurs high variance. To reduce the bias, we must use more complex assumptions. To reduce the variance, we can adopt complex regularization techniques. In this paper, we proposed a neural network based framework, named GCF (general collaborative filtering), with the dropout regularization, to model the user-service interactions. We conduct our experiments on a large real-world dataset, the QoS values of which are obtained from 339 users on 5825 web services. The comprehensive experimental studies show that our approach offers higher prediction accuracy than the traditional collaborative filtering approaches.
Apigenin Protects the Brain against Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury via Caveolin‐1/VEGF In Vitro and In Vivo
Authors: Pang Qiongyi , Zhao Yun , Chen Xiang , Zhao Kaiyi , Zhai Qiongxiang , Tu Fengxia
Published: December 2018

Apigenin is a natural flavonoid found in several dietary plant foods as vegetables and fruits. To investigate potential anti‐ischemia/reperfusion injury properties of apigenin in vitro, cell proliferation assay, tube formation, cell migration, apoptosis, and autophagy were performed in human brain microvascular endothelial cells (HBMVECs) after oxygen‐glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R). The effect of apigenin was also explored in rats after middle cerebral artery occlusion/reperfusion (MCAO/R) via neurobehavioral scores, pathological examination, and measurement of markers involved in ischemia/reperfusion injury. Data in vitro indicated that apigenin could prompt cell proliferation, tube formation, and cell migration while inhibiting apoptosis and autophagy by affecting Caveolin‐1/VEGF, Bcl‐2, Caspase‐3, Beclin‐1, and mTOR expression. Results in vivo showed that apigenin significantly reduced neurobehavioral scores and volume of cerebral infarction while prompting vascular endothelial cell proliferation by upregulating VEGFR2/CD34 double‐labeling endothelial progenitor cell (EPC) number and affecting Caveolin‐1, VEGF, and eNOS expression in brain tissue of MCAO/R rats. All the data suggested that apigenin may be protective for the brain against ischemia/reperfusion injury by alleviating apoptosis and autophagy, promoting cell proliferation in HBMVECs of OGD/R, and attenuating brain damage and improved neurological function in rats of MCAO/R through the Caveolin‐1/VEGF pathway.
Splenic Infarction in Acute Cytomegalovirus and Human Parvovirus Concomitant Infection
Authors: Harada Tomoya , Sueda Yuriko , Okada Kensaku , Kitaura Tsuyoshi , Yamaguchi Kosuke , Makino Haruhiko , Nakamoto Masaki , Chikumi Hiroki , Yamasaki Akira
Published: December 2018

We present a case report of a 35-year-old woman who had splenic infarction. She had persistent high fever, systemic joint pain, and abnormal liver function. She was diagnosed with cytomegalovirus and human parvovirus B19 concomitant infection. Her coagulopathy test revealed no abnormal results. She was treated with intravenous ganciclovir for 13 days; consequently, her splenic infarction improved after 7 weeks. As per our knowledge, this is the first case of cytomegalovirus and parvovirus B19 coinfection complicated by splenic infarction. Cytomegalovirus and parvovirus B19 may induce a hypercoagulation state during the acute phase.
Minimum Energy Trajectory Optimization for Driving Systems of Palletizing Robot Joints
Authors: He Ying , Mei Jiangping , Fang Zhiwei , Zhang Fan , Zhao Yanqin
Published: December 2018

Palletizing robot is widely used in logistics operation. At present, people pay attention to not only the loading capacity and working efficiency of palletizing robots, but also the energy consumption in their working process. This paper takes MD1200-YJ palletizing robot as the research object and studies the problem of low energy consumption optimization of joint driving system from the perspective of trajectory optimization. Firstly, a multifactor dynamic model of palletizing robot is established based on the conventional inverse rigid body dynamic model of the robot, the Stribeck friction model and the spring balance torque model. And then based on joint torque, friction torque, motion parameter, and joule’s law, the useful work model, thermal loss model of joint motor, friction energy consumption model of joint system, and total energy consumption model of palletizing robot are established, and through simulation and experiment, the correctness of the multifactor dynamic model and energy consumption model is verified. Secondly, based on the Fourier series approximation method to construct the joint trajectory expression, the minimum total energy consumption as the optimization objective, with coefficients of Fourier series as optimization variables, the motion parameters of initial and final position, and running time constant as constraint conditions, the genetic algorithm is used to solve the optimization problem. Finally, through the simulation analysis the optimized Fourier series motion law and the 3-4-5 polynomial motion law are comprehensively evaluated to verify the effectiveness of the optimization method. Moreover, it provides the theoretical basis for the follow-up research and points out the direction of improvement.
Mesenchymal Stem Cells Ameliorate Hepatic Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury via Inhibition of Neutrophil Recruitment
Authors: Li Shihui , Zheng Xu , Li Hui , Zheng Jun , Chen Xiaolong , Liu Wei , Tai Yan , Zhang Yingcai , Wang Genshu , Yang Yang
Published: December 2018

Ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI) remains a major problem in organ transplantation, which represents the main cause of graft dysfunction posttransplantation. Hepatic IRI is characterized by an excessive inflammatory response within the liver. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been shown to be immunomodulatory cells and have the therapeutic action on IRI in several organs. However, the mechanism of regulatory effect of MSCs on IRI remains unclear. In the present study, we examined the impact of MSCs on hepatic inflammatory response such as neutrophil influx and liver damage in a rat model of 70% hepatic IRI. Treatment with MSCs protected rat against hepatic IRI, with significantly decreased serum levels of liver enzymes, attenuated hepatic neutrophil infiltration, reduced expression of apoptosis-associated proteins, and ameliorated liver pathological injury. MSCs also significantly enhanced the intracellular activation of p38 MAPK phosphorylation, which led to decreased expression of CXCR2 on the surface of neutrophils. In addition, MSCs significantly diminished neutrophil chemoattractant CXCL2 production by inhibiting NF-κB p65 phosphorylation in macrophages. These results demonstrate that MSCs significantly ameliorate hepatic IRI predominantly through its inhibitory effect on hepatic neutrophil migration and infiltration.
DR-Net: A Novel Generative Adversarial Network for Single Image Deraining
Authors: Li Chen , Guo Yecai , Liu Qi , Liu Xiaodong
Published: December 2018

Blurred vision images caused by rainy weather can negatively influence the performance of outdoor vision systems. Therefore, it is necessary to remove rain streaks from single image. In this work, a multiscale generative adversarial network- (GAN-) based model is presented, called DR-Net, for single image deraining. The proposed architecture includes two subnetworks, i.e., generator subnetwork and discriminator subnetwork. We introduce a multiscale generator subnetwork which contains two convolution branches with different kernel sizes, where the smaller one captures the local rain drops information, and the larger one pays close attention to the spatial information. The discriminator subnetwork acts as a supervision signal to promote the generator subnetwork to generate more quality derained image. It is demonstrated that the proposed method yields in relatively higher performance in comparison to other state-of-the-art deraining models in terms of derained image quality and computing efficiency.
A Flexible Polynomial Expansion Method for Response Analysis with Random Parameters
Authors: Gao Rugao , Zhou Keping , Lin Yun
Published: December 2018

The generalized Polynomial Chaos Expansion Method (gPCEM), which is a random uncertainty analysis method by employing the orthogonal polynomial bases from the Askey scheme to represent the random space, has been widely used in engineering applications due to its good performance in both computational efficiency and accuracy. But in gPCEM, a nonlinear transformation of random variables should always be used to adapt the generalized Polynomial Chaos theory for the analysis of random problems with complicated probability distributions, which may introduce nonlinearity in the procedure of random uncertainty propagation as well as leading to approximation errors on the probability distribution function (PDF) of random variables. This paper aims to develop a flexible polynomial expansion method for response analysis of the finite element system with bounded random variables following arbitrary probability distributions. Based on the large family of Jacobi polynomials, an Improved Jacobi Chaos Expansion Method (IJCEM) is proposed. In IJCEM, the response of random system is approximated by the Jacobi expansion with the Jacobi polynomial basis whose weight function is the closest to the probability density distribution (PDF) of the random variable. Subsequently, the moments of the response can be efficiently calculated though the Jacobi expansion. As the IJCEM avoids the necessity that the PDF should be represented in terms of the weight function of polynomial basis by using the variant transformation, neither the nonlinearity nor the errors on random models will be introduced in IJCEM. Numerical examples on two random problems show that compared with gPCEM, the IJCEM can achieve better efficiency and accuracy for random problems with complex probability distributions.
Healing of Oral Lichenoid Lesions following Replacement of Dental Amalgam Restorations with Feldspathic Ceramic Inlay-Onlay Restorations: Clinical Results of a Follow-Up Period Varied from Three Months up to Five Years
Authors: Karatasli Burcin , Karatasli Gokcen , Mete Ozgur , Erdem Mehmet Ali , Cankaya Abdulkadir Burak
Published: December 2018

Objective. Previous studies have shown the effect of amalgam removal on the healing of oral lichenoid lesions (OLLs); however, no specific replacement materials have been suggested. The present series evaluated long-term results following the complete replacement of amalgam restorations with feldspathic ceramic inlay-onlay restorations for a group of patients with OLLs whose lesions were suspected to be related to amalgam restorations.Materials and Methods. Twenty-four patients who had OLLs suspected to be related to their amalgam restorations were initially recruited. The patients underwent patch tests for a series of dental materials, in addition to clinical and histopathological examination. Sixteen (67%) of the 24 patients had their amalgam replaced with feldspathic ceramic inlay-onlay restorations and were examined within a follow-up period of 3 months to 5 years.Results. After 3 months of clinical follow-up, complete healing (63%) was noted in all patients with OLLs whose lesions were in only close contact with their amalgam restorations. Healing was significantly related to the combination of lesions with close contact with the amalgam restoration and a diagnosis of OLL (x2test, P=0.02).Conclusion. Feldspathic ceramic can be safely used as a replacement material for patients with OLLs to diminish adverse reactions to amalgam restorations.
Neutrophil Function in an Inflammatory Milieu of Rheumatoid Arthritis
Authors: Chen Weiqian , Wang Qin , Ke Yini , Lin Jin
Published: December 2018

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an inflammatory autoimmune disease characterized by the presence of autoantibodies against citrullinated protein antigens and proinflammatory cytokines which cause chronic synovitis, bone erosion, and eventual deformity; however, the precise etiology of RA is unclear. In the early stage of RA, neutrophils migrate into the articular cavity, become activated, and exert their function in an inflammatory process, suggesting an essential role of neutrophils in the initial events contributing to the pathogenesis of RA. Solid evidence exists that supports the contribution of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) to the production of autoantibodies against citrullinated proteins which can trigger the immune reaction in RA. Concurrently, proinflammatory cytokines regulate the neutrophil migration, apoptosis, and NET formation. As a result, the inflammatory neutrophils produce more cytokines and influence other immune cells thereby perpetuating the inflammatory condition in RA. In this review, we summarize the advances made in improving our understanding of neutrophil migration, apoptosis, and NET formation in the presence of an RA inflammatory milieu. We will also discuss the most recent strategies in modulating the inflammatory microenvironment that have an impact on neutrophil function which may provide alternative novel therapies for RA.
Chlorogenic Acid Functions as a Novel Agonist of PPARγ2 during the Differentiation of Mouse 3T3-L1 Preadipocytes
Authors: Peng Shu-guang , Pang Yi-lin , Zhu Qi , Kang Jing-he , Liu Ming-xin , Wang Zheng
Published: December 2018

Rosiglitazone (RG) is a well-known activator of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPARγ) and used to treat hyperglycemia and type 2 diabetes; however, its clinical application has been confounded by adverse side effects. Here, we assessed the roles of chlorogenic acid (CGA), a phenolic secondary metabolite found in many fruits and vegetables, on the differentiation and lipolysis of mouse 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. The results showed that CGA promoted differentiation in vitro according to oil red O staining and quantitative polymerase chain reaction assays. As a potential molecular mechanism, CGA downregulated mRNA levels of the adipocyte differentiation-inhibitor gene Pref1 and upregulated those of major adipogenic transcriptional factors (Cebpb and Srebp1). Additionally, CGA upregulated the expression of the differentiation-related transcriptional factor PPARγ2 at both the mRNA and protein levels. However, following CGA intervention, the accumulation of intracellular triacylglycerides following preadipocyte differentiation was significantly lower than that in the RG group. Consistent with this, our data indicated that CGA treatment significantly upregulated the expression of lipogenic pathway-related genes Plin and Srebp1 during the differentiation stage, although the influence of CGA was weaker than that of RG. Notably, CGA upregulated the expression of the lipolysis-related gene Hsl, whereas it did not increase the expression of the lipid synthesis-related gene Dgat1. These results demonstrated that CGA might function as a potential PPARγ agonist similar to RG; however, the impact of CGA on lipolysis in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes differed from that of RG.
Vibration Induced by Moving Cranes in High‐Tech Buildings due to Rail Pad Materials
Authors: Ju S. H. , Kuo H. H. , Ni S. H.
Published: December 2018

In this work, an appropriate rail pad is proposed to reduce the vibration induced by moving cranes near the source location in high‐tech buildings. Using a simple two‐degrees‐of‐freedom model and laboratory experiments, we found that a low‐cost rubber pad is effective to reduce crane‐induced vibration. A number of finite element analyses with the full model are then performed for a high‐tech factory and a moving crane. The results show that a decrease in the stiffness of the rail pad can decrease crane‐induced vibration, and it is obvious that the proposed low‐stiffness rubber rail pad with significant damping is an appropriate material to reduce crane‐induced vibration by as much as five dB. In addition, the displacement field using the rubber pad is still much smaller than 2 mm, which is the working requirement for moving cranes.
Anti-Dengue, Cytotoxicity, Antifungal, and In Silico Study of the Newly Synthesized 3-O-Phospo-α-D-Glucopyranuronic Acid Compound
Authors: Abu-Izneid Tareq , Rauf Abdur , Bawazeer Saud , Wadood Abdul , Patel Seema
Published: December 2018

The aim of the current study was to synthesize new bioactive compounds and evaluate their therapeutic relevance. The chemical structure of compound 7 (methyl 3-O-phospo-α-D-glucopyranuronic acid was elucidated by physical and advance spectral technique. Also, this compound was assessed for various in vitro biological screening. The results showed that compound 7 has promising antifungal activity against selected fungal strains. Computational study was also carried out to find antimalarial efficacy of the synthesized compounds. Compounds (2-7) were tested for cytotoxicity by MTT assay, and no considerable cytotoxicity was observed. Molecular docking study was performed to predict the binding modes of new compound (7). The docking results revealed that the compound has strong attraction towards the target protein, as characterized by good bonding networks. On the basis of the acquired results, it can be predicted that compound (7) might show good inhibitory activity against dengue envelope protein.
Application of Optimal Homotopy Asymptotic Method to Some Well-Known Linear and Nonlinear Two-Point Boundary Value Problems
Authors: Khan Muhammad Asim , Ullah Shafiq , Mohd Ali Norhashidah Hj.
Published: December 2018

The objective of this paper is to obtain an approximate solution for some well-known linear and nonlinear two-point boundary value problems. For this purpose, a semianalytical method known as optimal homotopy asymptotic method (OHAM) is used. Moreover, optimal homotopy asymptotic method does not involve any discretization, linearization, or small perturbations and that is why it reduces the computations a lot. OHAM results show the effectiveness and reliability of OHAM for application to two-point boundary value problems. The obtained results are compared to the exact solutions and homotopy perturbation method (HPM).
Larvicidal Potential of Five Selected Dragonfly Nymphs in Sri Lanka over Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus) Larvae under Laboratory Settings
Authors: Samanmali Chathurika , Udayanga Lahiru , Ranathunge Tharaka , Perera Sandun J. , Hapugoda Menaka , Weliwitiya Chathura
Published: December 2018

Introduction. Limitations in breeding source reduction practices, development of insecticide resistance in mosquitoes, and ill effects of chemical controlling methods on human and ecosystem health have motivated Sri Lankan authorities working for dengue control to seek for alternative, ecofriendly, and sustainable approaches for controlling of Aedes vectors, to manage dengue epidemics. The present study attempted to investigate the predation efficiency of locally available dragonfly nymphs over Aedes aegypti under laboratory conditions, aiming to evaluate the potential of using dragonflies as biocontrol agents against dengue. Methods. Nymphal stages of five locally abundant dragonfly species were collected from different stagnated water bodies in Belihuloya area. After morphological identification, a well grown individual of each species was starved for 12 hours and introduced into a glass tank containing 1L of pond water with 200 larvae (4th instar) of Aedes aegypti. Number of larvae survived in the tank was enumerated hourly up to 48 hours. In case where >75% of larvae are consumed by dragonfly nymphs, additional Ae. aegypti larvae were introduced into such tanks. Experiment was repeated for five times. Same procedure was followed with different stages of growth of the dragonfly nymphs characterized by the highest predation rate. General Linear Model followed by Tukey’s pairwise comparison was used for statistical analysis. Results. The predation rates of different dragonfly species varied significantly (p<0.05), whereby Anax indicus (110±7.14 per day) indicated the highest, followed by Pantala flavescens (54.07±5.15) and Gynacantha dravida (49.00±11.89), while Tholymis tillarga (23.47±2.48) had the lowest. Further, significant variations in the larval predation were found among different maturity stages (10–20; 25-35; and 35–45 mm in body length) of Ana. indicus (p<0.05). Regardless of statistical significance, a relatively higher larvicidal activity was observed at dusk than in dawn. Conclusion. Ana. indicus, which is characterized by the highest predation rate, and P. flavescens that has the widest geographical distribution within Sri Lanka along with a notable predation efficacy could be recommended as potential candidates for field trials in biological control of dengue outbreaks via suppression of Ae. aegypti larvae.