bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Relationship between Gingival Inflammation and Pregnancy
Authors: Wu Min , Chen Shao-Wu , Jiang Shao-Yun
Published: March 2015

An increase in the prevalence and severity of gingival inflammation during pregnancy has been reported since the 1960s. Though the etiology is not fully known, it is believed that increasing plasma sex steroid hormone levels during pregnancy have a dramatic effect on the periodontium. Current works of research have shown that estrogen and progesterone increasing during pregnancy are supposed to be responsible for gingivitis progression. This review is focused not only on epidemiological studies, but also on the effects of progesterone and estrogen on the change of subgingival microbiota and immunologic physiological mediators in periodontal tissue (gingiva and periodontal ligament), which provides current information about the effects of pregnancy on gingival inflammation.
On Continuum Damage Modeling of Fiber Reinforced Viscoelastic Composites with Microcracks in terms of Invariants
Authors: Usal Melek
Published: March 2015

A continuum damage model is developed for the linear viscoelastic behavior of composites with microcracks consisting of an isotropic matrix reinforced by two arbitrarily independent and inextensible fiber families. Despite the fact that the matrix material is isotropic, the model in consideration bears the characteristic of directed media included in the transverse isotropy symmetry group solely due to its fibers distributions and the existence of microcracks. Using the basic laws of continuum damage mechanics and equations belonging to kinematics and deformation geometries of fibers, the constitutive functions have been obtained. It has been detected as a result of the thermodynamic constraints that the stress potential function is dependent on two symmetric tensors and two vectors, whereas the dissipative stress function is dependent on four symmetric tensors and two vectors. To determine arguments of the constitutive functionals, findings relating to the theory of invariants have been used as a method because of the fact that isotropy constraint is imposed on the material. As a result the linear constitutive equations of elastic stress, dissipative stress, and strain energy density release rate have been written in terms of material coordinate description. Using these expressions, total stress has been found.
Active Structural Acoustic Control of Clamped Flat Plates Using a Weighted Sum of Spatial Gradients
Authors: Johnson William R. , Hendricks Daniel R. , Sommerfeldt Scott D. , Blotter Jonathan D.
Published: March 2015

The weighted sum of spatial gradients (WSSG) control minimization parameter is developed for use in active structural acoustic control (ASAC) on a clamped flat rectangular plate. The WSSG minimization parameter is measured using four accelerometers grouped closely together on the test structure. In previous work, WSSG was developed on a simply supported flat rectangular plate and showed promise as a control metric. The displacement on the clamped plate has been modeled using an approximate analytical solution assuming shape functions corresponding to clamped-clamped beams. From the analytical formulation, weights, which were found to be the reciprocal of the wave number squared, have been derived to produce a uniform WSSG field across the plate. In active control simulations, this quantity has been shown to provide better global control of acoustic radiation than volume velocity. Analysis is presented which shows that comparable control, regardless of the sensor location, can be achieved using WSSG. Experimental results are presented which demonstrate that WSSG works effectively in practice, with results similar to the simulations. The results show that minimization of WSSG can be used as an effective control objective on clamped rectangular plates to achieve attenuation of acoustic radiation.
LPV Control for the Full Region Operation of a Wind Turbine Integrated with Synchronous Generator
Authors: Cao Guoyan , Grigoriadis Karolos M. , Nyanteh Yaw D.
Published: March 2015

Wind turbine conversion systems require feedback control to achieve reliable wind turbine operation and stable current supply. A robust linear parameter varying (LPV) controller is proposed to reduce the structural loads and improve the power extraction of a horizontal axis wind turbine operating in both the partial load and the full load regions. The LPV model is derived from the wind turbine state space models extracted by FAST (fatigue, aerodynamics, structural, and turbulence) code linearization at different operating points. In order to assure a smooth transition between the two regions, appropriate frequency‐dependent varying scaling parametric weighting functions are designed in the LPV control structure. The solution of a set of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs) leads to the LPV controller. A synchronous generator model is connected with the closed LPV control loop for examining the electrical subsystem performance obtained by an inner speed control loop. Simulation results of a 1.5 MW horizontal axis wind turbine model on the FAST platform illustrates the benefit of the LPV control and demonstrates the advantages of this proposed LPV controller, when compared with a traditional gain scheduling PI control and prior LPV control configurations. Enhanced structural load mitigation, improved power extraction, and good current performance were obtained from the proposed LPV control.
Distributed Dynamic Traffic Modeling and Implementation Oriented Different Levels of Induced Travelers
Authors: Liu Yan , Yu Yao
Published: March 2015

In order to respond to the variable state of traffic network in time, a distributed dynamic traffic assignment strategy is proposed which can improve the intelligent traffic management. The proposed dynamic assignment method is based on utility theory and is oriented to different levels of induced users. A distributed model based on the marginal utility is developed which combines the advantages of both decentralized paradigm and traveler preference, so as to provide efficient and robust dynamic traffic assignment solutions under uncertain network conditions. Then, the solution algorithm including subroute update and subroute calculation is proposed. To testify the effectiveness of the proposed model in optimizing traffic network operation and minimizing traveler’s cost on different induced levels, a sequence numerical experiment is conducted. In the experiment, there are two test environments: one is in different network load conditions and the other is in different deployment coverage of local agents. The numerical results show that the proposed model not only can improve the running efficiency of road network but also can significantly decrease the average travel time.
Vector Borne Infections in Italy: Results of the Integrated Surveillance System for West Nile Disease in 2013
Authors: Napoli Christian , Iannetti Simona , Rizzo Caterina , Bella Antonino , Di Sabatino Daria , Bruno Rossana , Sauro Francesca , Martini Vanessa , Santucci Vincenzo Ugo , Declich Silvia , Calistri Paolo
Published: March 2015

The epidemiology of West Nile disease (WND) is influenced by multiple ecological factors and, therefore, integrated surveillance systems are needed for early detecting the infection and activating consequent control actions. As different animal species have different importance in the maintenance and in the spread of the infection, a multispecies surveillance approach is required. An integrated and comprehensive surveillance system is in place in Italy aiming at early detecting the virus introduction, monitoring the possible infection spread, and implementing preventive measures for human health. This paper describes the integrated surveillance system for WND in Italy, which incorporates data from veterinary and human side in order to evaluate the burden of infection in animals and humans and provide the public health authorities at regional and national levels with the information needed for a fine tune response.
Insight in the Chemistry of Laser‐Activated Dental Bleaching
Authors: De Moor Roeland Jozef Gentil , Verheyen Jeroen , Diachuk Andrii , Verheyen Peter , Meire Maarten August , De Coster Peter Jozef , Keulemans Filip , De Bruyne Mieke , Walsh Laurence James
Published: March 2015

The use of optical radiation for the activation of bleaching products has not yet been completely elucidated. Laser light is suggested to enhance the oxidizing effect of hydrogen peroxide. Different methods of enhancing hydrogen peroxide based bleaching are possible. They can be classified into six groups: alkaline pH environment, thermal enhancement and photothermal effect, photooxidation effect and direct photobleaching, photolysis effect and photodissociation, Fenton reaction and photocatalysis, and photodynamic effect.
The Development of a Customization Framework for the WRF Model over the Lake Victoria Basin, Eastern Africa on Seasonal Timescales
Authors: Argent R. , Sun X. , Semazzi F. , Xie L. , Liu B.
Published: March 2015

Lake Victoria, Africa, supports millions of people. To produce reliable climate projections, it is desirable to successfully model the rainfall over the lake accurately. An initial step is taken here with customization of the Weather, Research, and Forecast (WRF) model. Of particular interest is an asymmetrical rainfall pattern across the lake basin, due to a diurnal land-lake breeze. The main aim is to present a customization framework for use over the lake. This framework is developed by conducting several series of model runs to investigate aspects of the customization. The runs are analyzed using Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission rainfall data and Climatic Research Unit temperature data. The study shows that the choice of parameters and lake surface temperature initialization can significantly alter the results. Also, the optimal physics combinations for the climatology may not necessarily be suitable for all circumstances, such as extreme years. The study concludes that WRF is unable to reproduce the pattern across the lake. The temperature of the lake is too cold and this prevents the diurnal land-lake breeze reversal. Overall, this study highlights the importance of customizing a model to the region of research and presents a framework through which this may be achieved.
First-Principles Study on the Structural and Electronic Properties of N Atoms Doped-Rutile TiO2of Oxygen Vacancies
Authors: Zeng Zhong-Liang
Published: March 2015

For the propose of considering the actual situation of electronic neutral, a simulation has been down on the basis of choosing the position of dual N and researching the oxygen vacancy. It is found that the reason why crystal material gets smaller is due to the emergence of impurity levels. By introducing the oxygen vacancy to the structure, the results show that while the oxygen vacancy is near the two nitrogen atoms which have a back to back position, its energy gets the lowest level and its structure gets the most stable state. From its energy band structure and density, the author finds that the impurity elements do not affect the migration of Fermi level while the oxygen vacancy has been increased. Instead of that, the conduction band of metal atoms moves to the Fermi level and then forms the N-type semiconductor material, but the photocatalytic activity is not as good as the dual N-doping state.
Some Algorithms for Solving Third-Order Boundary Value Problems Using Novel Operational Matrices of Generalized Jacobi Polynomials
Authors: Abd-Elhameed W. M.
Published: March 2015

The main aim of this research article is to develop two new algorithms for handling linear and nonlinear third-order boundary value problems. For this purpose, a novel operational matrix of derivatives of certain nonsymmetric generalized Jacobi polynomials is established. The suggested algorithms are built on utilizing the Galerkin and collocation spectral methods. Moreover, the principle idea behind these algorithms is based on converting the boundary value problems governed by their boundary conditions into systems of linear or nonlinear algebraic equations which can be efficiently solved by suitable solvers. We support our algorithms by a careful investigation of the convergence analysis of the suggested nonsymmetric generalized Jacobi expansion. Some illustrative examples are given for the sake of indicating the high accuracy and efficiency of the two proposed algorithms.
Contribution of Microglia‐Mediated Neuroinflammation to Retinal Degenerative Diseases
Authors: Madeira Maria H. , Boia Raquel , Santos Paulo F. , Ambrósio António F. , Santiago Ana R.
Published: March 2015

Retinal degenerative diseases are major causes of vision loss and blindness worldwide and are characterized by chronic and progressive neuronal loss. One common feature of retinal degenerative diseases and brain neurodegenerative diseases is chronic neuroinflammation. There is growing evidence that retinal microglia, as in the brain, become activated in the course of retinal degenerative diseases, having a pivotal role in the initiation and propagation of the neurodegenerative process. A better understanding of the events elicited and mediated by retinal microglia will contribute to the clarification of disease etiology and might open new avenues for potential therapeutic interventions. This review aims at giving an overview of the roles of microglia‐mediated neuroinflammation in major retinal degenerative diseases like glaucoma, age‐related macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy.
A Fingerprint Encryption Scheme Based on Irreversible Function and Secure Authentication
Authors: Yang Yijun , Yu Jianping , Zhang Peng , Wang Shulan
Published: March 2015

A fingerprint encryption scheme based on irreversible function has been designed in this paper. Since the fingerprint template includes almost the entire information of users’ fingerprints, the personal authentication can be determined only by the fingerprint features. This paper proposes an irreversible transforming function (using the improved SHA1 algorithm) to transform the original minutiae which are extracted from the thinned fingerprint image. Then, Chinese remainder theorem is used to obtain the biokey from the integration of the transformed minutiae and the private key. The result shows that the scheme has better performance on security and efficiency comparing with other irreversible function schemes.
Impacts of a Saline Lake and Its Salinity on Local Precipitation
Authors: Wen Lijuan
Published: March 2015

In the study, the weather research and forecasting model coupled with the community land model (WRF-CLM) is used to investigate impacts of the GSL and its salinity from October 2001 to April 2002. A salinity parameterization scheme is incorporated into the lake scheme of CLM. The WRF-CLM model with the salinity parameterization scheme can better simulate temperature and precipitation compared to that without considering the salinity effects. The improvement of simulation is especially significant under cold weather condition. The precipitation caused by the GSL effect is always positive over the downwind area of the GSL during the study period. Increased precipitation is largely attributed to the warm lake surface temperature and high latent heat flux over the GSL, which are favorable for the development of strong convective activity and horizontal wind and moisture convergence. Such kind of GSL-induced forcing is the primary mechanism for the downstream GSL effect precipitation. The GSL effect precipitation is largely contributed by fresh water effect when the temperature is close to or higher than 0°C. However, with lower temperature, the salinity effect becomes dominant for the GSL effect precipitation.
Changes in Plasma Levels of N-Arachidonoyl Ethanolamine and N-Palmitoylethanolamine following Bariatric Surgery in Morbidly Obese Females with Impaired Glucose Homeostasis
Authors: Mallipedhi Akhila , Prior Sarah L. , Dunseath Gareth , Bracken Richard M. , Barry Jonathan , Caplin Scott , Eyre Nia , Morgan James , Baxter John N. , O’Sullivan Saoirse E. , Sarmad Sarir , Barrett David A. , Bain Stephen C. , Luzio Steve D. , Stephens Jeffrey W.
Published: March 2015

Aim. We examined endocannabinoids (ECs) in relation to bariatric surgery and the association between plasma ECs and markers of insulin resistance.Methods. A study of 20 participants undergoing bariatric surgery. Fasting and 2-hour plasma glucose, lipids, insulin, and C-peptide were recorded preoperatively and 6 months postoperatively with plasma ECs (AEA, 2-AG) and endocannabinoid-related lipids (PEA, OEA).Results. Gender-specific analysis showed differences in AEA, OEA, and PEA preoperatively with reductions in AEA and PEA in females postoperatively. Preoperatively, AEA was correlated with 2-hour glucose (r=0.55,P=0.01), HOMA-IR (r=0.61,P=0.009), and HOMA %S (r=-0.71,P=0.002). OEA was correlated with weight (r=0.49,P=0.03), waist circumference (r=0.52,P=0.02), fasting insulin (r=0.49,P=0.04), and HOMA-IR (r=0.48,P=0.05). PEA was correlated with fasting insulin (r=0.49,P=0.04). 2-AG had a negative correlation with fasting glucose (r=-0.59,P=0.04).Conclusion. Gender differences exist in circulating ECs in obese subjects. Females show changes in AEA and PEA after bariatric surgery. Specific correlations exist between different ECs and markers of obesity and insulin and glucose homeostasis.
Ge Nanoislands Grown by Radio Frequency Magnetron Sputtering: Comprehensive Investigation of Surface Morphology and Optical Properties
Authors: Samavati Alireza , Mustafa M. K. , Othaman Z. , Ghoshal S. K.
Published: March 2015

The comprehensive investigation of the effect of growth parameters on structural and optical properties of Si‐based single layer Ge nanoislands grown via Stranski‐Krastanov mechanism employing radio frequency magnetron sputtering due to its high deposition rate, easy procedure, economical cost, and safety is carried out. The estimated width and height of Ge nanoislands produced by this technique are in the range of ∼8 to ∼30 and ∼2 to 8 nm, respectively. Varieties parameters are manipulated to optimize the surface morphology and structural and optical behavior of Ge nanoislands. The resulted nanoislands are analyzed using various analytical techniques including atomic force microscope, X‐ray diffraction, energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy, room temperature photoluminescence, and Raman spectroscopy. The optimum parameters for growing high quality samples having high number density and homogenous and small size distribution are found to be 400°C for substrate temperature, 300 sec for deposition time, 10 sccm for Ar flow, and 100 W for radio frequency power. The excellent features of the results suggest that our systematic investigation on the organized growth factors and their effects on surface parameters and photoluminescence emission energy may constitute a basis for the tunable growth of Ge nanoislands (100) nanoislands suitable in nanophotonics.
Osteogenesis Imperfecta, Pseudoachalasia, and Gastric Cancer
Authors: Mizrak Dilsa , Alkan Ali , Erdogdu Batuhan , Utkan Gungor
Published: March 2015

Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is a rare, inherited skeletal disorder characterized by abnormalities of type 1 collagen. Malignancy is rarely reported in patients with OI and it was suggested that this disease can protect against cancer. Here, we report a 41-year-old woman with symptoms of achalasia where repeated treatment of pneumatic dilation and stent replacement was unsuccessful; therefore, surgery was performed. Pathology showed gastric adenocarcinoma unexpectedly. Chemotherapy was given after assessing dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) enzyme activity, which can be deficient in OI patients. This is the first report of gastric cancer mimicking achalasia in a patient with OI.
Adaptive Jamming Suppression in Coherent FFH System Using Weighted Equal Gain Combining Receiver over Fading Channels with Imperfect CSI
Authors: He Yishan , Cheng Yufan , Wu Gang , Dong Binhong , Li Shaoqian
Published: March 2015

Fast frequency hopping (FFH) is commonly used as an antijamming communication method. In this paper, we propose efficient adaptive jamming suppression schemes for binary phase shift keying (BPSK) based coherent FFH system, namely, weighted equal gain combining (W-EGC) with the optimum and suboptimum weighting coefficient. We analyze the bit error ratio (BER) of EGC and W-EGC receivers with partial band noise jamming (PBNJ), frequency selective Rayleigh fading, and channel estimation errors. Particularly, closed-form BER expressions are presented with diversity order two. Our analysis is verified by simulations. It is shown that W-EGC receivers significantly outperform EGC. As compared to the maximum likelihood (ML) receiver in conventional noncoherent frequency shift keying (FSK) based FFH, coherent FFH/BPSK W-EGC receivers also show significant advantages in terms of BER. Moreover, W-EGC receivers greatly reduce the hostile jammers’ jamming efficiency.
Spontaneous Duodenal Perforation as a Complication of Kawasaki Disease
Authors: Masoumi Kambiz , Forouzan Arash , Saidi Hossein , Javaherizadeh Hazhir , Khavanin Ali , Bahadoram Mohammad
Published: March 2015

Kawasaki disease is generally known as a systemic vasculitis that often concerns doctors due to its serious cardiac complications; however, other visceral organs may get involved as well. Surgical manifestations of the intestinal tract in Kawasaki disease are rare. In this report, we describe the case of a 2.5-year-old boy with typical Kawasaki disease who presented with GI bleeding and surgical abdomen. The diagnosis of duodenal perforation was confirmed.
Investigation Methodology of a Virtual Desktop Infrastructure for IoT
Authors: Jeong Doowon , Park Jungheum , Lee Sangjin , Kang Chulhoon
Published: March 2015

Cloud computing for IoT (Internet of Things) has exhibited the greatest growth in the IT market in the recent past and this trend is expected to continue. Many companies are adopting a virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) for private cloud computing to reduce costs and enhance the efficiency of their servers. As a VDI is widely used, threats of cyber terror and invasion are also increasing. To minimize the damage, response procedure for cyber intrusion on a VDI should be systematized. Therefore, we propose an investigation methodology for VDI solutions in this paper. Here we focus on a virtual desktop infrastructure and introduce various desktop virtualization solutions that are widely used, such as VMware, Citrix, and Microsoft. In addition, we verify the integrity of the data acquired in order that the result of our proposed methodology is acceptable as evidence in a court of law. During the experiment, we observed an error: one of the commonly used digital forensic tools failed to mount a dynamically allocated virtual disk properly.
Estimation of the Derivatives of a Function in a Convolution Regression Model with Random Design
Authors: Chesneau Christophe , Kachour Maher
Published: March 2015

A convolution regression model with random design is considered. We investigate the estimation of the derivatives of an unknown function, element of the convolution product. We introduce new estimators based on wavelet methods and provide theoretical guarantees on their good performances.
Experimental Study on Low-Strength Similar-Material Proportioning and Properties for Coal Mining
Authors: Chen Shaojie , Wang Hailong , Zhang Junwen , Xing Huilin , Wang Huaiyuan
Published: March 2015

Similar-material simulation test is an effective tool to study the practical problems in mining and civil engineering. This paper conducts an orthogonal study on low-strength similar materials comprising sand, fly ash, and plaster and analyses the sensitivity of the materials. The mechanical properties of the similar materials strongly depend on the proportioning ratio, and they can satisfy different similar-material simulation tests. The compression strength and elastic modulus of the similar material decrease as the sand-binder ratio or cement ratio increases. There are approximately linear relations between the compression strength/elastic modulus and sand-binder ratio and approximately power relations between the compression strength/elastic modulus and sand-binder ratio. Sensitivity analysis employing the range method shows that the effects of the cement ratio on the compression strength and elastic modulus are more obvious than the effects of the sand-binder ratio. Finally, one of similar materials is used in a simulation test of coal backfill mining.
A New Information Hiding Method Based on Improved BPCS Steganography
Authors: Sun Shuliang
Published: March 2015

Bit-plane complexity segmentation (BPCS) steganography is advantageous in its capacity and imperceptibility. The important step of BPCS steganography is how to locate noisy regions in a cover image exactly. The regular method, black-and-white border complexity, is a simple and easy way, but it is not always useful, especially for periodical patterns. Run-length irregularity and border noisiness are introduced in this paper to work out this problem. Canonical Cray coding (CGC) is also used to replace pure binary coding (PBC), because CGC makes use of characteristic of human vision system. Conjugation operation is applied to convert simple blocks into complex ones. In order to contradict BPCS steganalysis, improved BPCS steganography algorithm adopted different bit-planes with different complexity. The higher the bit-plane is, the smaller the complexity is. It is proven that the improved BPCS steganography is superior to BPCS steganography by experiment.
Evaluation of Marginal Integrity of Four Bulk‐Fill Dental Composite Materials: In Vitro Study
Authors: Orłowski Mirosław , Tarczydło Bożena , Chałas Renata
Published: March 2015

Objective. The aim of the study was to compare under in vitro conditions marginal sealing of 4 different bulk‐fill materials composite restorations of class II. Methods. Comparative evaluation concerned 4 composites of a bulk‐fill type: SonicFill, Tetric EvoCeram Bulk Fill, Filtek Bulk Fill, and SDR. The study used 30 third molars without caries. In each tooth 4 cavities of class II were prepared. The prepared tooth samples were placed in a 1% methylene blue solution for 24 h, and after that in each restoration the depth of dye penetration along the side walls was evaluated. Results. The highest rating (score 0, no dye penetration) was achieved by 93.33% of the restorations made of the SDR material, 90% of restorations of SonicFill system, 86.66% of restorations of the composite Filtek Bulk Fill, and 73.33% of restorations of the Tetric EvoCeram Bulk Fill. Conclusion. The performed study showed that bulk‐fill flowable or sonic‐activated flowable composite restorations have better marginal sealing (lack of discoloration) in comparison with bulk‐fill paste‐like composite.
Probabilistic Inference of Biological Networks via Data Integration
Authors: Rogers Mark F. , Campbell Colin , Ying Yiming
Published: March 2015

There is significant interest in inferring the structure of subcellular networks of interaction. Here we consider supervised interactive network inference in which a reference set of known network links and nonlinks is used to train a classifier for predicting new links. Many types of data are relevant to inferring functional links between genes, motivating the use of data integration. We use pairwise kernels to predict novel links, along with multiple kernel learning to integrate distinct sources of data into a decision function. We evaluate various pairwise kernels to establish which are most informative and compare individual kernel accuracies with accuracies for weighted combinations. By associating a probability measure with classifier predictions, we enable cautious classification, which can increase accuracy by restricting predictions to high-confidence instances, and data cleaning that can mitigate the influence of mislabeled training instances. Although one pairwise kernel (the tensor product pairwise kernel) appears to work best, different kernels may contribute complimentary information about interactions: experiments inS. cerevisiae(yeast) reveal that a weighted combination of pairwise kernels applied to different types of data yields the highest predictive accuracy. Combined with cautious classification and data cleaning, we can achieve predictive accuracies of up to 99.6%.
Modeling the Coordinated Operation between Bus Rapid Transit and Bus
Authors: Wu Jiaqing , Song Rui , Wang Youan , Chen Feng , Li Shubin
Published: March 2015

The coordination between bus rapid transit (BRT) and feeder bus service is helpful in improving the operational efficiency and service level of urban public transport system. Therefore, a coordinated operation model of BRT and bus is intended to develop in this paper. The total costs are formulated and optimized by genetic algorithm. Moreover, the skip-stop BRT operation is considered when building the coordinated operation model. A case of the existing bus network in Beijing is studied, the proposed coordinated operation model of BRT and bus is applied, and the optimized headway and costs are obtained. The results show that the coordinated operation model could effectively decrease the total costs of the transit system and the transfer time of passengers. The results also suggest that the coordination between the skip-stop BRT and bus during peak hour is more effective than non-coordination operation.
Herbal Mouthwash Containing Extracts of Baccharis dracunculifolia as Agent for the Control of Biofilm: Clinical Evaluation in Humans
Authors: Pedrazzi Vinícius , Leite Mateus Freire , Tavares Reisla Cristina , Sato Sandra , Nascimento Glauce Crivelaro do , Issa João Paulo Mardegan
Published: March 2015

Baccharis dracunculifolia DC (Asteraceae), popularly known as “alecrim‐do‐campo,” is largely distributed in South America, is shown to exhibit protective actions against gastric ulcers, has anti‐inflammatory properties, and is hepatoprotective. Several essential oils obtained from Baccharis species possess biological activities, such as antimicrobial and antivirus activities. This randomized controlled trial evaluated the efficacy of B. dracunculifolia in the reduction of dental biofilm, comparing this natural product with other mouthwashes already known in the dental market. In measuring the time after use of mouthwash (t = 1), there was no difference between products (P = 0.602); that is, subjects in the study had a similar PI after the first use. After one week (t = 2), there was no difference between the four products evaluated (P = 0.674), so, all research individuals completed the study with a similar reduction in dental biofilm between themselves but it was different from initial state (Friedman test). It is possible to conclude that B. dracunculifolia had the same efficiency of the materials used to oral hygiene in reduction of dental plaque and, consequently, prevention of dental caries. Thus, we can consider B. dracunculifolia as a good candidate for new material to be implemented in dental care.
Development of Urban Road Network Traffic State Dynamic Estimation Method
Authors: Wang Jiawen , Wang Yinsong , Yun Meiping , Yang Xiaoguang
Published: March 2015

Traffic state estimation is a key problem with considerable implications in modern traffic management. A simple, general, and complete approach to the design of urban network traffic state and phase estimator has been developed in this paper. A uniform traffic state dynamic estimation method structure is designed which consists of three steps. (1) Floating-car data and radio frequency identification data preprocessing method is proposed to remove the abnormal data and finish the map matching process. (2) Section speed estimation method is proposed based on the degree of confidence. (3) Traffic phase identification method is proposed based on the estimated section speed. A number of simulation and field investigations have been conducted to test the estimator performance. The investigation results indicate that the proposed approach is of high accuracy and smoothness on the section speed estimation and effectively eliminates the influence of abnormal data fluctuations and insufficient data. And the traffic phase identification method can effectively filter out the abnormal distortion of estimated section speed around the threshold value and modify the phase step of traffic status caused by abnormal data.
Analysis of Physiochemical Parameters to Evaluate the Drinking Water Quality in the State of Perak, Malaysia
Authors: Rahmanian N. , Ali Siti Hajar Bt , Homayoonfard M. , Ali N. J. , Rehan M. , Sadef Y. , Nizami A. S.
Published: March 2015

The drinking water quality was investigated in suspected parts of Perak state, Malaysia, to ensure the continuous supply of clean and safe drinking water for the public health protection. In this regard, a detailed physical and chemical analysis of drinking water samples was carried out in different residential and commercial areas of the state. A number of parameters such as pH, turbidity, conductivity, total suspended solids (TSS), total dissolved solids (TDS), and heavy metals such as Cu, Zn, Mg, Fe, Cd, Pb, Cr, As, Hg, and Sn were analysed for each water sample collected during winter and summer periods. The obtained values of each parameter were compared with the standard values set by the World Health Organization (WHO) and local standards such as National Drinking Water Quality Standard (NDWQS). The values of each parameter were found to be within the safe limits set by the WHO and NDWQS. Overall, the water from all the locations was found to be safe as drinking water. However, it is also important to investigate other potential water contaminations such as chemicals and microbial and radiological materials for a longer period of time, including human body fluids, in order to assess the overall water quality of Perak state.
Development of PET and SPECT Probes for Glutamate Receptors
Authors: Fuchigami Takeshi , Nakayama Morio , Yoshida Sakura
Published: March 2015

l‐Glutamate and its receptors (GluRs) play a key role in excitatory neurotransmission within the mammalian central nervous system (CNS). Impaired regulation of GluRs has also been implicated in various neurological disorders. GluRs are classified into two major groups: ionotropic GluRs (iGluRs), which are ligand‐gated ion channels, and metabotropic GluRs (mGluRs), which are coupled to heterotrimeric guanosine nucleotide binding proteins (G‐proteins). Positron emission tomography (PET) and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging of GluRs could provide a novel view of CNS function and of a range of brain disorders, potentially leading to the development of new drug therapies. Although no satisfactory imaging agents have yet been developed for iGluRs, several PET ligands for mGluRs have been successfully employed in clinical studies. This paper reviews current progress towards the development of PET and SPECT probes for GluRs.
Fixed Points for Multivalued Mappings inb-Metric Spaces
Authors: Jleli Mohamed , Samet Bessem , Vetro Calogero , Vetro Francesca
Published: March 2015

In 2012, Samet et al. introduced the notion ofα-ψ-contractive mapping and gave sufficient conditions for the existence of fixed points for this class of mappings. The purpose of our paper is to study the existence of fixed points for multivalued mappings, under anα-ψ-contractive condition of Ćirić type, in the setting of completeb-metric spaces. An application to integral equation is given.
Design, Materials, and Mechanobiology of Biodegradable Scaffolds for Bone Tissue Engineering
Authors: Velasco Marco A. , Narváez-Tovar Carlos A. , Garzón-Alvarado Diego A.
Published: March 2015

A review about design, manufacture, and mechanobiology of biodegradable scaffolds for bone tissue engineering is given. First, fundamental aspects about bone tissue engineering and considerations related to scaffold design are established. Second, issues related to scaffold biomaterials and manufacturing processes are discussed. Finally, mechanobiology of bone tissue and computational models developed for simulating how bone healing occurs inside a scaffold are described.
Challenges in Using Circulating miRNAs as Cancer Biomarkers
Authors: Tiberio Paola , Callari Maurizio , Angeloni Valentina , Daidone Maria Grazia , Appierto Valentina
Published: March 2015

In the last years, circulating miRNAs have emerged as a new class of promising cancer biomarkers. Independent studies have shown the feasibility of using these small RNAs as tools for the diagnosis and prognosis of different types of malignancies as well as for predicting and possibly monitoring treatment response. However, despite an initial enthusiasm for their possible clinical application, widespread inconsistencies have been observed among the studies, and miRNA-based tools still represent the object of research within clinical diagnostic or treatment protocols. The poor overlap of results could be explained, at least in part, by preanalytical and analytical variables and donor-related factors that could generate artefacts, impairing an accurate quantification of circulating miRNAs. In fact, critical issues are represented by nonuniform sample choice, handling, and processing, as well as by blood cell contamination in sample preparation and lack of consensus for data normalization. In this review, we address the potential technical biases and individual-related parameters that can influence circulating miRNA studies’ outcome. The exciting potential of circulating miRNAs as cancer biomarkers could confer an important advance in the disease management, but their clinical significance might not be proven without a global consensus of procedures and standardized protocols for their accurate detection.
Dietary Supplementation with the MicroalgaGaldieria sulphuraria(Rhodophyta) Reduces Prolonged Exercise-Induced Oxidative Stress in Rat Tissues
Authors: Carfagna Simona , Napolitano Gaetana , Barone Daniela , Pinto Gabriele , Pollio Antonino , Venditti Paola
Published: March 2015

We studied the effects of ten-day 1%Galdieria sulphurariadietary supplementation on oxidative damage and metabolic changes elicited by acute exercise (6-hour swimming) determining oxygen consumption, lipid hydroperoxides, protein bound carbonyls in rat tissue (liver, heart, and muscle) homogenates and mitochondria, tissue glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductase activities, glutathione content, and rates of H2O2mitochondrial release. Exercise increased oxidative damage in tissues and mitochondria and decreased tissue content of reduced glutathione. Moreover, it increased State 4 and decreased State 3 respiration in tissues and mitochondria.G. sulphurariasupplementation reduced the above exercise-induced variations. Conversely, alga supplementation was not able to modify the exercise-induced increase in mitochondrial release rate of hydrogen peroxide and in liver and heart antioxidant enzyme activities. The alga capacity to reduce lipid oxidative damage without reducing mitochondrial H2O2release can be due to its high content of C-phycocyanin and glutathione, which are able to scavenge peroxyl radicals and contribute to phospholipid hydroperoxide metabolism, respectively. In conclusion,G. sulphurariaability to reduce exercise-linked oxidative damage and mitochondrial dysfunction makes it potentially useful even in other conditions leading to oxidative stress, including hyperthyroidism, chronic inflammation, and ischemia/reperfusion.
α-Mangostin Improves Glucose Uptake and Inhibits Adipocytes Differentiation in 3T3-L1 Cells via PPARγ, GLUT4, and Leptin Expressions
Authors: Taher Muhammad , Mohamed Amiroudine Mohamed Zaffar Ali , Tengku Zakaria Tengku Muhamad Faris Syafiq , Susanti Deny , Ichwan Solachuddin J. A. , Kaderi Mohd Arifin , Ahmed Qamar Uddin , Zakaria Zainul Amiruddin
Published: March 2015

Obesity has been often associated with the occurrence of cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, and cancer. The development of obesity is also accompanied by significant differentiation of preadipocytes into adipocytes. In this study, we investigated the activity ofα-mangostin, a major xanthone component isolated from the stem bark ofG. malaccensis, on glucose uptake and adipocyte differentiation of 3T3-L1 cells focusing on PPARγ, GLUT4, and leptin expressions.α-Mangostin was found to inhibit cytoplasmic lipid accumulation and adipogenic differentiation. Cells treated with 50 μM ofα-mangostin reduced intracellular fat accumulation dose-dependently up to 44.4% relative to MDI-treated cells. Analyses of 2-deoxy-D-[3H] glucose uptake activity showed thatα-mangostin significantly improved the glucose uptake (P<0.05) with highest activity found at 25 μM. In addition,α-mangostin increased the amount of free fatty acids (FFA) released. The highest glycerol release level was observed at 50 μM ofα-mangostin. qRT-PCR analysis showed reduced lipid accumulation via inhibition ofPPARγgene expression. Induction of glucose uptake and free fatty acid release byα-mangostin were accompanied by increasing mRNA expression ofGLUT4andleptin. These evidences propose thatα-mangostin might be possible candidate for the effective management of obesity in future.
RecRWR: A Recursive Random Walk Method for Improved Identification of Diseases
Authors: Perdiz Arrais Joel , Oliveira José Luís
Published: March 2015

High-throughput methods such as next-generation sequencing or DNA microarrays lack precision, as they return hundreds of genes for a single disease profile. Several computational methods applied to physical interaction of protein networks have been successfully used in identification of the best disease candidates for each expression profile. An open problem for these methods is the ability to combine and take advantage of the wealth of biomedical data publicly available. We propose an enhanced method to improve selection of the best disease targets for a multilayer biomedical network that integrates PPI data annotated with stable knowledge from OMIM diseases and GO biological processes. We present a comprehensive validation that demonstrates the advantage of the proposed approach, Recursive Random Walk with Restarts (RecRWR). The obtained results outline the superiority of the proposed approach, RecRWR, in identifying disease candidates, especially with high levels of biological noise and benefiting from all data available.
Optimization Method of Intersection Signal Coordinated Control Based on Vehicle Actuated Model
Authors: Zhao-Meng Chen , Xiao-ming Liu , Wen-Xiang Wu
Published: March 2015

Traditional timing green wave control with predetermined cycle, split, and offset cannot adapt for dynamic real-time traffic flow. This paper proposes a coordinated control method for variable cycle time green wave bandwidth optimization integrated with traffic-actuated control. In the coordinated control, green split is optimized in real time by the measured presence of arriving and/or standing vehicles in each intersection and simultaneously green waves along arterials are guaranteed. Specifically, the dynamic bound of green wave is firstly determined, and then green early-start and green late-start algorithms are presented respectively to accommodate the fluctuations in vehicle arrival rates in each phase. Numerical examples show that the proposed method improves green time, expands green wave bandwidth, and reduces queuing.
Synthesis of CuNi/C and CuNi/γ-Al2O3Catalysts for the Reverse Water Gas Shift Reaction
Authors: Lortie Maxime , Isaifan Rima , Liu Yun , Mommers Sander
Published: March 2015

A new polyol synthesis method is described in which CuNi nanoparticles of different Cu/Ni atomic ratios were supported on both carbon and gamma-alumina and compared with Pt catalysts using the reverse water gas shift, RWGS, reaction. All catalysts were highly selective for CO formation. The concentration of CH4was less than the detection limit. Cu was the most abundant metal on the CuNi alloy surfaces, as determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, XPS, measurements. Only one CuNi alloy catalyst, Cu50Ni50/C, appeared to be as thermally stable as the Pt/C catalysts. After three temperature cycles, from 400 to 700°C, the CO yield at 700°C obtained using the Cu50Ni50/C catalyst was comparable to that obtained using a Pt/C catalyst.
Molecular Docking Study Characterization of Rare Flavonoids at the Nac-Binding Site of the First Bromodomain of BRD4 (BRD4 BD1)
Authors: Dhananjayan Karthik
Published: March 2015

ε-N-Acetylation of lysine residues (Kac) is one of the most frequently occurring posttranslational modifications (PTMs) which control gene transcription and a vast array of diverse cellular functions. Bromodomains are epigenetic regulators involved in posttranslational modification. In silico docking studies were carried out to evaluate the binding potential of selected rare flavonoids on to Nac binding site of BD1 domain of BRD4 BET family proteins. Rare flavonoids like 3-O-acetylpinobanksin, naringenin triacetate, and kaempferol tetraacetate were found to occupy the WPF shelf and at the same time they exhibited a better binding affinity with multiple crystal structures of first bromodomain BRD4 (BRD4 BD1) when compared with the known inhibitors.
Assimilation of Chinese Doppler Radar and Lightning Data Using WRF-GSI: A Case Study of Mesoscale Convective System
Authors: Yang Yi , Wang Ying , Zhu Kefeng
Published: March 2015

The radar-enhanced GSI (version 3.1) system and the WRF-ARW (version 3.4.1) model were modified to assimilate radar/lightning-proxy reflectivity. First, cloud-to-ground lightning data were converted to reflectivity using a simple assumed relationship between flash density and reflectivity. Next, the reflectivity was used in the cloud analysis of GSI to adjust the cloud/hydrometeors and moisture. Additionally, the radar/lightning-proxy reflectivity was simultaneously converted to a 3D temperature tendency. Finally, the model-calculated temperature tendencies from the explicit microphysics scheme, as well as cumulus parameterization at 3D grid points at which the radar temperature tendency is available, were updated in a forward full-physics step of diabatic digital filter initialization in the WRF-ARW. The WRF-GSI system was tested using a mesoscale convective system that occurred on June 5, 2009, and by assimilating Doppler radar and lightning data, respectively. The forecasted reflectivity with assimilation corresponded more closely to the observed reflectivity than that of the parallel experiment without assimilation, particularly during the first 6 h. After assimilation, the short-range precipitation prediction improved, although the precipitation intensity was stronger than the observed one. In addition, the improvements obtained by assimilating lightning data were worse than those from assimilating radar reflectivity over the first 3 h but improved thereafter.
Fixed Point Theorems for Ćirić-Berinde Type Contractive Multivalued Mappings
Authors: Cho Seong-Hoon
Published: March 2015

We give a Ćirić-Berinde type contractive condition for multivalued mappings and analyze the existence of fixed point for these mappings.
Research on Congestion Pricing in Multimode Traffic considering Delay and Emission
Authors: Dai Hongna , Yao Enjian , Zhao Rui
Published: March 2015

Rapid development of urbanization and automation has resulted in serious urban traffic congestion and air pollution problems in many Chinese cities recently. As a traffic demand management strategy, congestion pricing is acknowledged to be effective in alleviating the traffic congestion and improving the efficiency of traffic system. This paper proposes an urban traffic congestion pricing model based on the consideration of transportation network efficiency and environment effects. First, the congestion pricing problem under multimode (i.e., car mode and bus mode) urban traffic network condition is investigated. Second, a traffic congestion pricing model based on bilevel programming is formulated for a dual-mode urban transportation network, in which the delay and emission of vehicles are considered. Third, an improved mathematical algorithm combining successive average method with the genetic algorithm is proposed to solve the bilevel programming problem. Finally, a numerical experiment based on a hypothetical network is performed to validate the proposed congestion pricing model and algorithm.