bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Effects of Ibogaine on Uterine Smooth Muscle Contractions: Relation to the Activity of Antioxidant Enzymes
Authors: Oreščanin-Dušić Zorana , Tatalović Nikola , Vidonja-Uzelac Teodora , Nestorov Jelena , Nikolić-Kokić Aleksandra , Mijušković Ana , Spasić Mihajlo , Paškulin Roman , Bresjanac Mara , Blagojević Duško
Published: February 2018

Ibogaine is an indole alkaloid originally extracted from the root bark of the African rainforest shrub Tabernanthe iboga. It has been explored as a treatment for substance abuse because it interrupts drug addiction and relieves withdrawal symptoms. However, it has been shown that ibogaine treatment leads to a sharp and transient fall in cellular ATP level followed by an increase of cellular respiration and ROS production. Since contractile tissues are sensitive to changes in the levels of ATP and ROS, here we investigated an ibogaine‐mediated link between altered redox homeostasis and uterine contractile activity. We found that low concentrations of ibogaine stimulated contractile activity in spontaneously active uteri, but incremental increase of doses inhibited it. Inhibitory concentrations of ibogaine led to decreased SOD1 and elevated GSH‐Px activity, but doses that completely inhibited contractions increased CAT activity. Western blot analyses showed that changes in enzyme activities were not due to elevated enzyme protein concentrations but posttranslational modifications. Changes in antioxidant enzyme activities point to a vast concentration‐dependent increase in H2O2 level. Knowing that extracellular ATP stimulates isolated uterus contractility, while H2O2 has an inhibitory effect, this concentration‐dependent stimulation/inhibition could be linked to ibogaine‐related alterations in ATP level and redox homeostasis.
Vascular Extraction Using MRA Statistics and Gradient Information
Authors: Zhao Shifeng , Tian Yun , Wang Xuesong , Xu Pengfei , Deng Qinqiong , Zhou Mingquan
Published: February 2018

Brain vessel segmentation is a fundamental component of cerebral disease screening systems. However, detecting vessels is still a challenging task owing to their complex appearance and thinning geometry as well as the contrast decrease from the root of the vessel to its thin branches. We present a method for segmentation of the vasculature in Magnetic Resonance Angiography (MRA) images. First, we apply volume projection, 2D segmentation, and back-projection procedures for first stage of background subtraction and vessel reservation. Those labeled as background or vessel voxels are excluded from consideration in later computation. Second, stochastic expectation maximization algorithm (SEM) is used to estimate the probability density function (PDF) of the remaining voxels, which are assumed to be mixture of one Rayleigh and two Gaussian distributions. These voxels can then be classified into background, middle region, or vascular structure. Third, we adapt the K-means method which is based on the gradient of remaining voxels to effectively detect true positives around boundaries of vessels. Experimental results on clinical cerebral data demonstrate that using gradient information as a further step improves the mixture model based segmentation of cerebral vasculature, in particular segmentation of the low contrast vasculature.
Effective Inertial Hand Gesture Recognition Using Particle Filtering Based Trajectory Matching
Authors: Wang Zuocai , Chen Bin , Wu Jin
Published: February 2018

Hand gesture recognition has become more and more popular in applications like intelligent sensing, robot control, smart guidance, and so on. In this paper, an inertial sensor based hand gesture recognition method is proposed. The proposed method obtains the trajectory of the hand by using a position estimator. The proposed method utilizes the attitude estimation to produce velocity and position estimation. A particle filter (PF) is employed to estimate the attitude quaternion from gyroscope, accelerometer, and magnetometer sensors. The improvement is based on the resampling method making the original filter much faster to converge. After smoothing, the trajectory is then converted to low-definition images which are further sent to a backpropagation neural network (BP-NN) based recognizer for matching. Experiments on real-world hardware are carried out to show the effectiveness and uniqueness of the proposed method. Compared with representative methods using accelerometer or vision sensors, the proposed method is proved to be fast, reliable, and accurate.
Influence of Solar Radiation and Wet Processing on the Final Quality of Arabica Coffee
Authors: Louzada Pereira Lucas , Carvalho Guarçoni Rogério , Soares Cardoso Wilton , Côrrea Taques Renato , Rizzo Moreira Taís , da Silva Samuel Ferreira , Schwengber ten Caten Carla
Published: February 2018

The coffee growing in the state of Espírito Santo has some peculiarities that differ from the other regions producing Arabica coffee in Brazil because it has a diversity of edaphoclimatic conditions that influence the final quality of the bean. This study aimed to demonstrate and quantify the effect of solar radiation and of different forms of wet process on the final quality of Arabica coffee in crops located in the altitude range of 950 meters, in order to understand what would be the best wet processing methods for the coffee cultivated to the East (sun-grown) and coffee cultivated to the South-Southeast (shade-grown). The results indicate that shading has a significant effect on the final quality of the Arabica coffee, as well as the type of wet process used to process the beans after harvest. Therefore, there is a need to study in depth the factors related to the processing, edaphoclimatic, and relief conditions inherent to mountain coffee cultivation.
PCA/SVM-Based Method for Pattern Detection in a Multisensor System
Authors: Lin Tsun-Kuo
Published: February 2018

This paper presents a multivariate analysis framework for pattern detection in a multisensor system; the proposed principal component analysis (PCA)/support vector machine- (SVM-) based supervision scheme can identify patterns in the multisensory system. Although the PCA and SVM are commonly used in pattern recognition, an effective methodology using the PCA/SVM for multisensory system remains unexplored. Pattern detection in a multisensor system has long been a challenge. For example, object inspections in multisensor systems are difficult to perform because inspectors might fail to use multiple sensing devices when concurrently detecting different patterns. Therefore, to resolve this issue, this study proposes a novel framework for establishing indicators and corresponding thresholds to identify patterns in the system; it employs a feature-based scheme that integrates principal component analysis (PCA) with an SVM for effectively detecting patterns in the system. Experiments were conducted using a tactile and optical measurement system. The experimental results demonstrated that the proposed method can effectively identify patterns in multisensor systems by using a feature-based algorithm that combines PCA and SVM classification for detecting various patterns. Moreover, the proposed framework established alarm indicators and corresponding thresholds that can be used for pattern detection.
Lactic Acid Bacteria Isolated from Japanese Fermented Fish (Funa-Sushi) Inhibit Mesangial Proliferative Glomerulonephritis by Alcohol Intake with Stress
Authors: Yamada Yumiko , Endou Masumi , Morikawa Shunichi , Shima Jun , Komatshzaki Noriko
Published: February 2018

The aim of this study was to examine the effect of heat-killed Lactobacillus paracasei NFRI 7415 on kidney and bone in mice fed an ethanol-containing diet with stress. Eight-week-old Cril  :  CD1 mice were fed a control diet (CD), an alcohol diet (AD) (35.8% of total energy from ethanol), or an alcohol diet containing 20% heat-killed Lb. paracasei NFRI 7415 (107 CFU/g) (LD) for 4 weeks. Mice in the AD and LD groups also underwent restraint stress for two weeks from 13 days. The mice were placed in a 50 mL plastic tube, which had a small hole drilled around its base to allow ventilation, and restrained for 1 h every day. High final body weight was in the following order: CD, LD, and AD (p<0.05). The heat-killed Lb. paracasei NFRI 7415 lowered liver total cholesterol concentration and plasma glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT) level. In addition, fecal bile acids of the LD group were higher than in the AD group (p<0.05). The glomerulus of the kidney in the AD group was observed to be more fibrotic than in the CD and LD groups with azan stain. Immunostaining confirmed that brown areas indicating the existence of mesangial cells were increased in the AD group, but not in the CD and LD groups. These results indicated that the heat-killed Lb. paracasei NFRI 7415 inhibited mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis by alcohol intake with stress.
Improved Solutions for the Optimal Coordination of DOCRs Using Firefly Algorithm
Authors: Sulaiman Muhammad , Waseem  , Muhammad Shakoor , Khan Asfandyar
Published: February 2018

Nature‐inspired optimization techniques are useful tools in electrical engineering problems to minimize or maximize an objective function. In this paper, we use the firefly algorithm to improve the optimal solution for the problem of directional overcurrent relays (DOCRs). It is a complex and highly nonlinear constrained optimization problem. In this problem, we have two types of design variables, which are variables for plug settings (PSs) and the time dial settings (TDSs) for each relay in the circuit. The objective function is to minimize the total operating time of all the basic relays to avoid unnecessary delays. We have considered four models in this paper which are IEEE (3‐bus, 4‐bus, 6‐bus, and 8‐bus) models. From the numerical results, it is obvious that the firefly algorithm with certain parameter settings performs better than the other state‐of‐the‐art algorithms.
Characteristics of Patients with Colonic Polyps Requiring Segmental Resection
Authors: Mitchell Robert A. , Zhang Chaoran , Galorport Cherry , Walker Blair , Telford Jennifer , Enns Robert
Published: February 2018

Background. It is unclear if the availability of new techniques for removal of large colonic polyps has affected the use of segmental colon resection. We sought to evaluate the characteristics of polyps undergoing surgical resection, including involvement of therapeutic gastroenterologists (TG). Methods. 484 patients had a colonic resection; 165 (34%) were identified from the pathology database with polyp, adenoma, or mass in the clinical history field; these charts were reviewed. Results. 128 patients (mean age 68 yrs, 72% male) were included. The mean polyp size was 2.9 cm (0.4 cm–12.0 cm). Adenocarcinoma was diagnosed in 50 (39.1%). 97 (75.8%) patients had a polyp that was felt to be unresectable by EMR, and 31 (24.2%) underwent successful EMR followed by surgery for adenocarcinoma (n=29). The indication for surgery in those with unresectable polyps was variable and was not clearly documented in 51 (52.6%); only 17 of these patients (17.5%) had a TG involved. Conclusion. A high proportion of polyps managed by segmental resection did not contain adenocarcinoma. This data suggests that even in a tertiary care center where advanced endoscopic techniques are easily available, they are not always utilized. Educational endeavors to ensure that ideal pathways of intervention are utilized require implementation.
A Hierarchy of Architectural Design Elements for Energy Saving of Tower Buildings in Korea Using Green BIM Simulation
Authors: Lee Kweonhyoung , Choo Seungyeon
Published: February 2018

There is a great interest in building information modeling (BIM) and energy saving worldwide. In reality, however, insufficient studies have been conducted on the development of design methods to perform energy performance analysis. Thus, there is a problem that it is difficult to objectively obtain reliability in energy performance assessment of architectural designs such as scale and size of buildings. In addition, the energy performance analysis is considered as a different field from eco‐friendly design methods, and there is another problem that low‐carbon design methods more dependent on thermal insulation performance and heating ventilation and air‐conditioning (HVAC) system than on original design methods are mainly developed. In order to solve this problem, this study aims to develop design methods capable of considering energy performance from the early design stage. Designers are required to intuitively understand the results through energy performance analysis using BIM tools and to reflect them in design. To this end, this study analyzed the correlation with energy performance using only basic architectural design elements with mass buildings. This has the advantage of establishing more free mass design mass design considering energy performance even if design and main structure are yet to be determined.
A Case of Levamisole-Induced Agranulocytosis
Authors: Kassim Thamer , Chintalacheruvu Lakshmi , Bhatty Osman , Selim Mohammad , Diab Osama , Nayfeh Ali , Manikkam Umakanthan Jayadev , Gbadamosi-Akindele Maryam
Published: February 2018

A sixty-eight-year-old male with a past medical history of recurrent cocaine use presented to the emergency department with recurrent diarrhea and was found to have a white blood cell (WBC) count of 1.9 × 109/L with agranulocytosis (absolute neutrophil count (ANC) of 95 cell/mm3). At admission, the patient disclosed that he used cocaine earlier during the day, and a urine drug screen tested positive for this. On hospital day one, the patient was found to have a fever with a maximum temperature of 313.6 K. After ruling out other causes and noting the quick turnaround of his neutropenia after four days of cocaine abstinence, the patient’s neutropenia was attributed to levamisole-adulterated cocaine.
Characterizing the Use of Telepsychiatry for Patients with Opioid Use Disorder and Cooccurring Mental Health Disorders in Ontario, Canada
Authors: LaBelle Brittanie , Franklyn Alexandra M. , PKH Nguyen Vicky , Anderson Kathleen E. , Eibl Joseph K. , Marsh David C.
Published: February 2018

Rural patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) face a variety of barriers when accessing opioid agonist therapy (OAT) and psychiatric services, due to the limited supply of physicians and the vast geographic area. The telemedicine allows for contact between patients and their physician—regardless of physical distance. Objective. We characterize the usage of telemedicine to deliver psychiatric services to patients with OUD in Ontario, as well as traits of treatment-seeking patients with opioid dependence and concurrent psychiatric disorders. Methodology. A retrospective cohort study was conducted using an administrative database for patients who received psychiatric services via telemedicine between 2008 and 2014 and who also had OUD. Results. We identified 9,077 patients with concurrent opioid use and other mental health disorders who had received psychiatric services via telemedicine from 2008 to 2014; 7,109 (78.3%) patients lived in Southern Ontario and 1,968 (21.7%) in Northern Ontario. Telemedicine was used more frequently to provide mental health services to patients residing in Northern Ontario than Southern Ontario. Conclusion. Telemedicine is increasingly being utilized throughout Ontario for delivering mental health treatment. There is an opportunity to increase access to psychiatric services for patients with opioid dependence and concurrent psychiatric disorders through the use of the telemedicine.
On the Antijamming Performance of the NR-DCSK System
Authors: Nguyen Binh Van , Jung Hyoyoung , Kim Kiseon
Published: February 2018

This paper investigates the antijamming performance of the NR-DCSK system. We consider practical jamming environments including broadband jamming (BBJ), partial-time jamming (PTJ), tone jamming (TJ), and sweep jamming (SWJ). We first analytically derived the bit error rates of the system under the BBJ and the PTJ. Our results show that the system performances under these two jamming environments are enhanced as P increases, where P is the parameter of the NR-DCSK modulation scheme denoting the number of times a chaotic sample is repeated. In addition, our results demonstrate that, for the PTJ, the optimal value of the jamming factor is close to zero when the jamming power is small; however, it increases and approaches one as the jamming power enlarges. We then investigate the performance of the system under the TJ and the SWJ via Monte-Carlo simulations. Our simulations show that single-tone jamming causes a more significant performance degradation than multitone jamming. Moreover, we point out that the system performance is significantly degraded when the starting frequency of the sweep jammer is close to the carrier frequency of the transmitted signals, the sweep bandwidth is small, and the sweep time is half of the transmitted bit duration.
lncRNAs Regulate Innate Immune Responses and Their Roles in Macrophage Polarization
Authors: Wang Zhen , Zheng Ying
Published: February 2018

The innate immune system is the first line of defense against microbial pathogens. The activated innate immune system plays important roles in eliciting antimicrobial defenses. Despite the benefits of innate immune responses, excessive inflammation will cause host damage. Thus, tight regulation of these processes is required for the maintenance of immune homeostasis. Recently, a new class of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) has emerged as important regulators in many physiological and pathological processes. Dysregulated lncRNAs have been found to be associated with excessive or uncontrolled inflammation. In this brief review, we summarize the roles of functional lncRNAs in regulating innate immune responses. We also discuss the roles of lncRNAs in macrophage polarization, an important molecular event in the innate immune responses.
Optimization of the Physical and Mechanical Properties of a Spline Surface Fabricated by High-Speed Cold Roll Beating Based on Taguchi Theory
Authors: Cui Fengkui , Su Yongxiang , Xu Shaoke , Liu Fei , Yao Guolin
Published: February 2018

The aim of this work is to control the physical and mechanical properties of a spline surface and achieve a reasonable choice of high-speed cold roll-beating processing parameters. The surface residual stress and surface work hardening at the indexing circle serve as the main evaluation indices of the physical and mechanical properties of the spline surface. The influence degree of the processing parameters on each evaluation index is analyzed using Taguchi theory. An optimized model for improving the Taguchi process capability index that combines Taguchi theory with entropy theory is established, and the integral process capacity index is optimized via the generalized price reduction gradient method. The results of the optimization and the verification test are implemented in a high-speed cold roll forming test for comparison. The results show that the influence of processing parameters on the physical and mechanical properties of the splash surface of the cold roll can be ordered as follows: feed rate > roll round radius > cold roll-beating speed. In addition, the spline surface physical and mechanical properties of the optimal processing parameters were obtained for the combination of a cold rolling speed of 1581 r/mm, feed rate of 42 mm/min, and roll round radius of 2 mm.
Modeling of Temperature Effect on Modal Frequency of Concrete Beam Based on Field Monitoring Data
Authors: Shan Wenchen , Wang Xianqiang , Jiao Yubo
Published: February 2018

Temperature variation has been widely demonstrated to produce significant effect on modal frequencies that even exceed the effect of actual damage. In order to eliminate the temperature effect on modal frequency, an effective method is to construct quantitative models which accurately predict the modal frequency corresponding to temperature variation. In this paper, principal component analysis (PCA) is conducted on the temperatures taken from all embedded thermocouples for extracting input parameters of regression models. Three regression‐based numerical models using multiple linear regression (MLR), back‐propagation neural network (BPNN), and support vector regression (SVR) techniques are constructed to capture the relationships between modal frequencies and temperature distributions from measurements of a concrete beam during a period of forty days of monitoring. A comparison with respect to the performance of various optimally configured regression models has been performed on measurement data. Results indicate that the SVR exhibits a better reproduction and prediction capability than BPNN and MLR models for predicting the modal frequencies with respect to nonuniformly distributed temperatures. It is succeeded that temperature effects on modal frequencies can be effectively eliminated based on the optimally formulated SVR model.
Marker-Assisted Introgression of Saltol QTL Enhances Seedling Stage Salt Tolerance in the Rice Variety “Pusa Basmati 1”
Authors: Singh Vivek Kumar , Singh Brahma Deo , Kumar Amit , Maurya Sadhna , Krishnan Subbaiyan Gopala , Vinod Kunnummal Kurungara , Singh Madan Pal , Ellur Ranjith Kumar , Bhowmick Prolay Kumar , Singh Ashok Kumar
Published: February 2018

Marker-assisted selection is an unequivocal translational research tool for crop improvement in the genomics era. Pusa Basmati 1 (PB1) is an elite Indian Basmati rice cultivar sensitive to salinity. Here, we report enhanced seedling stage salt tolerance in improved PB1 genotypes developed through marker-assisted transfer of a major QTL, Saltol. A highly salt tolerant line, FL478, was used as the Saltol donor. Parental polymorphism survey using 456 microsatellite (SSR)/QTL-linked markers revealed 14.3% polymorphism between PB1 and FL478. Foreground selection was carried out using three Saltol-linked polymorphic SSR markers RM8094, RM493, and RM10793 and background selection by 62 genome-wide polymorphic SSR markers. In every backcross generation, foreground selection was restricted to the triple heterozygotes of foreground markers, which was followed by phenotypic and background selections. Twenty-four near isogenic lines (NILs), with recurrent parent genome recovery of 96.0–98.4%, were selected after two backcrosses followed by three selfing generations. NILs exhibited agronomic traits similar to those of PB1 and additional improvement in the seedling stage salt tolerance. They are being tested for per se performance under salt-affected locations for release as commercial varieties. These NILs appear promising for enhancing rice production in salinity-affected pockets of Basmati Geographical Indication (GI) areas of India.
Azimuthal Anisotropy in High-Energy Nuclear Collision: An Approach Based on Complex Network Analysis
Authors: Bhaduri Susmita , Ghosh Dipak
Published: February 2018

Recently, a complex network based method of visibility graph has been applied to confirm the scale-freeness and presence of fractal properties in the process of multiplicity fluctuation. Analysis of data obtained from experiments on hadron-nucleus and nucleus-nucleus interactions results in values of Power of Scale-Freeness of Visibility Graph (PSVG) parameter extracted from the visibility graphs. Here, the relativistic nucleus-nucleus interaction data have been analysed to detect azimuthal anisotropy by extending the visibility graph method and extracting the average clustering coefficient, one of the important topological parameters, from the graph. Azimuthal-distributions corresponding to different pseudorapidity regions around the central pseudorapidity value are analysed utilising the parameter. Here we attempt to correlate the conventional physical significance of this coefficient with respect to complex network systems, with some basic notions of particle production phenomenology, like clustering and correlation. Earlier methods for detecting anisotropy in azimuthal distribution were mostly based on the analysis of statistical fluctuation. In this work, we have attempted to find deterministic information on the anisotropy in azimuthal distribution by means of precise determination of topological parameter from a complex network perspective.
Quantification and Evaluation of Soil Erosion in the Estuaries of Cameroon, Gulf of Guinea: Case of Nylon Area
Authors: Mbiakouo-Djomo Eric Flavien , Njeugna Ebénézer , Tcheukam-Toko Denis , Fokwa Didier
Published: February 2018

The area of Nylon represents a sensible and vulnerable environment where water erosion is the cause of many soil losses contributing to the production and movement of sediments from the upstream to the lowest depths. The high level of rainfall in this town, soil texture (sand-clay-silt), and the anarchic occupation of the area play a part in the important deterioration of the bare ground on the upstream of the catchment area. This causes with time an instability of structures and living places which can lead to their progressive disappearance. In order to assess the quantities of displaced sediments, the studies on the quantification of soil moved annually by water erosion are carried out. A direct method is used consisting in using a minisimulator of rain (NEME) in order to understand the phenomena involved and assess the quantity of sediments which can be moved. It helps in assessing erosion caused by the rain and extrapolating results over the catchment area of the chosen field of study. USLE relation has permit to make an extrapolation of the quantity of soil affected, and the result shows that the average potential of loss of soil is 153.57 t/ha/annum.
Receptors That Inhibit Macrophage Activation: Mechanisms and Signals of Regulation and Tolerance
Authors: Ocaña-Guzman Ranferi , Vázquez-Bolaños Luis , Sada-Ovalle Isabel
Published: February 2018

A variety of receptors perform the function of attenuating or inhibiting activation of cells in which they are expressed. Examples of these kinds of receptors include TIM-3 and PD-1, among others that have been widely studied in cells of lymphoid origin and, though to a lesser degree, in other cell lines. Today, several studies describe the function of these molecules as part of the diverse mechanisms of immune tolerance that exist in the immune system. This review analyzes the function of some of these proteins in monocytes and macrophages and as well as their participation as inhibitory molecules or elements of immunological tolerance that also act in innate defense mechanisms. We chose the receptors TIM-3, PD-1, CD32b, and CD200R because these molecules have distinct functional characteristics that provide examples of the different regulating mechanisms in monocytes and macrophages.
An Improved Current-Doubler Rectifier for the Marine Controlled Source Electromagnetic Transmitter
Authors: Song Hongxi , Zhang Yiming , Zhang Yu
Published: February 2018

High power marine controlled source electromagnetic transmitters have gained interest with applications in marine geological survey and mineral resources exploration. The direct current to direct current (DC-DC) converter that is typically used in marine transmitters has some issues, as the insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) tube cannot achieve zero-voltage switching (ZVS). In particular, lagging-leg switching cannot easily achieve ZVS. The conversion efficiency of the heat converter requires improvement. This paper proposes an improved current-doubler rectifier for the marine controlled source electromagnetic transmitter (ICDR-MCSET). Resonant inductance is increased and a blocking capacitor is added to the converter (DC-DC) circuit, where the converter can achieve ZVS in a wide load range. This results in the effective decrease of the heating temperature and the improvement of transformation efficiency. Saber software simulation and a 20 KW electromagnetic transmitter are used to verify the results, which show that the method is feasible and effective.
Metabolic Pathway Genes Associated with Susceptibility Genes to Coronary Artery Disease
Authors: Lu Heng , Chen Yi , Li Linlin
Published: February 2018

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is one of the leading threats to global health. Previous research has proven that metabolic pathway disorders, such as high blood lipids and diabetes, are one of the risk factors that mostly cause CAD. However, the crosstalk between metabolic pathways and CAD was mostly studied on physiology processes by analyzing a single gene function. A canonical correlation analysis was used to identify the metabolic pathways, which were integrated as a unit to coexpress with CAD susceptibility genes, and to resolve additional metabolic factors that are related to CAD. Seven pathways, including citrate cycle, ubiquinone, terpenoid quinone biosynthesis, and N-glycan biosynthesis, were identified as an integrated unit coexpressed with CAD genes. These pathways could not be revealed as a coexpressed pathway through traditional methods as each single gene has weak correlation. Furthermore, sets of genes in these pathways were candidate markers for diagnosis and detection from patients’ serum.
Shape Effect on the Temperature Field during Microwave Heating Process
Authors: Zhang Zhijun , Su Tianyi , Zhang Shiwei
Published: February 2018

Aiming at improving the food quality during microwave process, this article mainly focused on the numerical simulation of shape effect, which was evaluated by microwave power absorption capability and temperature distribution uniformity in a single sample heated in a domestic microwave oven. This article only took the electromagnetic field and heat conduction in solid into consideration. The Maxwell equations were used to calculate the distribution of microwave electromagnetic field distribution in the microwave cavity and samples; then the electromagnetic energy was coupled as the heat source in the heat conduction process in samples. Quantitatively, the power absorption capability and temperature distribution uniformity were, respectively, described by power absorption efficiency (PAE) and the statistical variation of coefficient (COV). In addition, we defined the comprehensive evaluation coefficient (CEC) to describe the usability of a specific sample. In accordance with volume or the wave numbers and penetration numbers in the radial and axial directions of samples, they can be classified into different groups. And according to the PAE, COV, and CEC value and the specific need of microwave process, an optimal sample shape and orientation could be decided.
Ocular Manifestations of Biopsy-Proven Pulmonary Sarcoidosis in Korea
Authors: Choi Seung Yong , Lee Jae Hoon , Won Jae-Yon , Shin Jeong Ah , Park Young-Hoon
Published: February 2018

Purpose. To investigate the clinical features and ocular manifestations of biopsy-proven pulmonary sarcoidosis in Korea. Methods. 55 patients diagnosed with pulmonary sarcoidosis by bronchoscopic or excisional biopsy were included. By retrospective clinical chart review, we investigated features of uveitis, ocular and systemic treatments, visual acuity, angiotensin-converting enzyme level, chest radiography, and pulmonary function tests. Clinical features were analyzed by presence of uveitis, site of biopsy, and first manifested sign of sarcoidosis. Results. The group with uveitis (n=39) presented with higher systemic (71.8%) and immunosuppressive treatment rates (35.9%) than the group without uveitis (31.3%, 0%, resp.) (P=0.007, P=0.005, resp.). There were no significant differences in clinical features, including systemic treatment rate, by type of biopsy. Of 39 patients with uveitis, the group with ocular manifestation as a first sign of sarcoidosis showed higher systemic and immunosuppressive treatment rates (88.9%, 55.6%) compared to the group with pulmonary manifestation as a first sign (57.1%, 19.0%) (P=0.037, P=0.018, resp.). Conclusions. In patients with biopsy-proven pulmonary sarcoidosis, the presence of ocular involvement and uveitis as a first sign could be significant factors associated with higher systemic treatment rate, especially with immunosuppressive agents. Biopsy site determined by location and size had no influence on clinical features.
A Pruning Neural Network Model in Credit Classification Analysis
Authors: Tang Yajiao , Ji Junkai , Gao Shangce , Dai Hongwei , Yu Yang , Todo Yuki
Published: February 2018

Nowadays, credit classification models are widely applied because they can help financial decision-makers to handle credit classification issues. Among them, artificial neural networks (ANNs) have been widely accepted as the convincing methods in the credit industry. In this paper, we propose a pruning neural network (PNN) and apply it to solve credit classification problem by adopting the well-known Australian and Japanese credit datasets. The model is inspired by synaptic nonlinearity of a dendritic tree in a biological neural model. And it is trained by an error back-propagation algorithm. The model is capable of realizing a neuronal pruning function by removing the superfluous synapses and useless dendrites and forms a tidy dendritic morphology at the end of learning. Furthermore, we utilize logic circuits (LCs) to simulate the dendritic structures successfully which makes PNN be implemented on the hardware effectively. The statistical results of our experiments have verified that PNN obtains superior performance in comparison with other classical algorithms in terms of accuracy and computational efficiency.
Effects of Walking in Bamboo Forest and City Environments on Brainwave Activity in Young Adults
Authors: Hassan Ahmad , Tao Jiang , Li Guo , Jiang Mingyan , Aii Liu , Zhihui Jiang , Zongfang Liu , Qibing Chen
Published: February 2018

Background. In Japan, “Shinrin‐yoku” or forest bathing (spending time in forests) is a major practice used for relaxation. However, its effects on promoting human mental health are still under consideration. The objective of this study was to investigate the physiological and psychological relaxation effects of forest walking on adults. Sixty participants (50% males; 50% females) were trained to walk 15‐minute predetermined courses in a bamboo forest and a city area (control). The length of the courses was the same to allow comparison of the effects of both environments. Blood pressure and EEG results were measured to assess the physiological responses and the semantic differential method (SDM) and STAI were used to study the psychological responses. Blood pressure was significantly decreased and variation in brain activity was observed in both environments. The results of the two questionnaires indicated that walking in the bamboo forest improves mood and reduces anxiety. Moreover, the mean meditation and attention scores were significantly increased after walking in a bamboo forest. The results of the physiological and psychological measurements indicate the relaxing effects of walking in a bamboo forest on adults.
Potential Applications of Some Indigenous Bacteria Isolated from Polluted Areas in the Treatment of Brewery Effluents
Authors: Oljira Temesgen , Muleta Diriba , Jida Mulissa
Published: February 2018

Biological wastewater treatment is economically feasible and ecofriendly. This study was aimed at isolating bacteria from brewery wastes and evaluating their bioremediation potential as individual isolate and/or their consortium in reducing the pollutants of brewery effluents. A total of 40 bacterial isolates were recovered and of these the three best isolates were selected. The selected bacteria were identified to genus level by using morphological and biochemical characteristics. Accordingly, the isolates were identified as Aeromonas sp., Pseudomonas sp., and Bacillus sp. After 12 days of incubation, the removal efficiency of these three isolates and their combinations for biological oxygen demand and chemical oxygen demand varied from 73.55% to 94.85% and 76.78% to 93.25%, respectively. Total nitrogen and phosphorus removal was within the range of 54.43% to 77.21% and 41.80% to 78.18%, respectively. Total suspended solid, total solid, and total dissolved solids removal ranged from 66.74% to 90.3%, 54.69% to 88.5%, and 53.02% to 88.2%, respectively. The pH and electrical conductivity values ranged from 6.81 to 8.65 and 3.31 mS/cm to 3.67 mS/cm, respectively. The treated effluent increased Beta vulgaris seeds germination from 80% to 100%, with mean germination time of 3.1 to 5.2 days and seedlings length of 2.3 cm to 6.3 cm. Therefore, the development of this finding into a large scale offers an attractive technology for brewery waste treatment.
Erpetogomphus oxybelis sp. nov. from Veracruz, Mexico (Odonata: Gomphidae)
Authors: ORTEGA-SALAS HÉCTOR
Published: February 2018

Erpetogomphus oxybelis sp. nov. is described and figured from Río Hondo, Veracruz State, Mexico (18.387 N, -96.174 W, 20 m a.s.l.), the holotype is deposited in the Frost Entomological Museum at Pennsylvania State University, USA [PSUC]. Relationship with members of the ophibolus group sensu Garrison are discussed.
Redescription of immature stages of central European fireflies, Part 2: Lamprohiza splendidula (Linnaeus, 1767) larva, pupa and notes on its life cycle and behaviour (Coleoptera: Lampyridae)
Authors: NOVÁK MARTIN
Published: February 2018

The mature larva of the firefly Lamprohiza splendidula (Linnaeus, 1767) is thoroughly redescribed and illustrated with detailed images, including scanning electron microscope figures. External sense organs, structure of tergal plates and their significance are discussed, as well as photic manifestation of the larvae and pupae and prey hunting in larvae. Male and female pupae are briefly described, with notes on their developmental changes and behaviour, and the life cycle outlined.
A new leaf-litter harvestman species of the genus Karos (Opiliones: Stygnopsidae: Karosinae), with a reanalysis of the morphological phylogeny of the genus
Authors: CRUZ-LÓPEZ JESÚS A.
Published: February 2018

Karos Goodnight & Goodnight, 1944 is the most diverse genus of the family Stygnopsidae. It contains seven micro-endemic species from the Huasteca region in eastern Mexico. In this paper, the new species Karos morronei sp. nov. is described based on the morphology of adults of both sexes. The new species is from Zacualtipán de Ángeles, Hidalgo State, which represents the southernmost record for the genus. Additionally, a reanalysis of the previous morphological phylogeny of the genus using both parsimony and maximum likelihood methods is provided. According to the morphological reanalysis, K. morronei sp. nov. exhibits an autapomorphy (males with femur IV thicker than females) and is the sister group of the clade that includes K. barbarikos, K. hexasetosus, K. monjarazi, K. parvus and K. singularis. Finally, information of barcoding (CO1) is provided for this new species.
A new species of spider mite, Oligonychus neocastaneae sp. nov. (Acari: Tetranychidae), from Japan
Authors: ARABULI TEA , GOTOH TETSUO
Published: February 2018

A new species Oligonychus neocastaneae sp. nov. is described and illustrated from Castanea crenata Sieb. et Zucc. (Fagaceae). The new species closely resembles Oligonychus castaneae Ehara & Gotoh, 2007, which inhabits the same host plant, Castanea crenata, but mainly differs by the aedeagus in having a longer distal portion which forms a small sigmoid and acuminate tip, instead of having a shorter distal portion which ends in a truncate tip. Several differences were also observed between the two species in the leg setal counts of tarsus II in the male and female; the number of tactile setae and solenidia (in parentheses) was 11(1) for the female and male in the new species, but in O. castaneae this count is 12(1) for the female and 12(2) for the male. A maximum likelihood tree based on the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) showed that O. neocastaneae sp. nov. was clearly separated from O. castaneae and other related species. A key to all species of the genus Oligonychus known in Japan is given.
Description of the final-instar larva and pupa of Neoneuromus ignobilis Navás, 1932 (Megaloptera: Corydalidae)
Authors: CAO CHENGQUAN , LIU FANGQING , TONG CHAO , FANG YAQIAN , XU HUIMIN , LI XIN , LIU XINGYUE
Published: February 2018

The immature stages of only one species of the dobsonfly genus Neoneuromus van der Weele are known. The final-instar larva and pupa of N. ignobilis Navás, 1932, the most common and widespread species of the genus, is herein described for the first time. Several morphological features of the larvae were found to distinguish N. ignobilis from other dobsonfly species with similar large-sized mature larvae.
Changes in Motor Coordination Induced by Local Fatigue during a Sprint Cycling Task
Authors: BRØCHNER NIELSEN NIELS-PETER , HUG FRANÇOIS , GUÉVEL ARNAUD , COLLOUD FLOREN , LARDY JULIEN , DOREL SYLVAIN
Published: February 2018

Purpose

This study investigated how muscle coordination is adjusted in response to a decrease in the force-generating capacity of one muscle group during a sprint cycling task.

Methods

Fifteen participants were tested during a sprint before and after a fatigue electromyostimulation protocol was conducted on the quadriceps of one leg. Motor coordination was assessed by measuring myoelectrical activity, pedal force, and joint power.

Results

The decrease in force-generating capacity of the quadriceps (−28.0% ± 6.8%) resulted in a decrease in positive knee extension power during the pedaling task (−34.4 ± 30.6 W; P = 0.001). The activity of the main nonfatigued synergist and antagonist muscles (triceps surae, gluteus maximus and hamstrings) of the ipsilateral leg decreased, leading to a decrease in joint power at the hip (−30.1 ± 37.8 W; P = 0.008) and ankle (−20.8 ± 18.7 W; P = 0.001). However, both the net power around the knee and the ability to effectively orientate the pedal force were maintained during the extension by reducing the coactivation and the associated negative power produced by the hamstrings. Adaptations also occurred in flexion phases in both legs, exhibiting an increased power (+17.9 ± 28.3 [P = 0.004] and +19.5 ± 21.9 W [P = 0.026]), associated with an improvement in mechanical effectiveness.

Conclusion

These results demonstrate that the nervous system readily adapts coordination in response to peripheral fatigue by (i) decreasing the activation of adjacent nonfatigued muscles to maintain an effective pedal force orientation (despite reducing pedal power) and (ii) increasing the neural drive to muscles involved in the flexion phases such that the decrease in total pedal power is limited.
Classification of Intensity in Team Sport Activity
Authors: POLGLAZE TED , HOGAN CRUZ , DAWSON BRIAN , BUTTFIELD ALEC , OSGNACH CRISTIAN , LESTER LEANNE , PEELING PETER
Published: February 2018

Purpose

This study aimed to assess the efficacy of critical metabolic power derived from variable-speed movement for classifying intensity in team sport activity.

Methods

Elite male hockey players (n = 12) completed a series of time trials (100 yards, 400 yards, 1500 yards) and a 3-min all-out test to derive both critical speed (CS) and critical power (CP). Heart rate (HR), blood lactate, and rating of perceived exertion were measured during each protocol. Participants (n = 10) then played two competitive hockey matches. Time spent greater than 85% of maximum HR was compared with time spent above CS (from the time trials) and CP (from the 3-min test).

Results

Between protocols, there was a moderate and nonsignificant association for CS (r = 0.359, P = 0.252) and a very large association for CP (r = 0.754, P = 0.005); the association was very large for peak HR (r = 0.866, P < 0.001), large for blood lactate (r = 0.506, P = 0.093), and moderate for rating of perceived exertion (rho = 0.441, P = 0.152). Time trials produced higher CS (4.3 vs 2.0 m·s−1, P < 0.001) and CP (18.3 vs 10.5 W·kg−1, P < 0.001) values than did the 3-min test. In matches, there was a very large association between time spent above 85% of maximum HR and time spent above both CS (r = 0.719, P < 0.001) and CP (r = 0.867, P < 0.001). This relationship was stronger for CP compared with CS (Z = 3.29, P = 0.0007).

Conclusions

Speed is not an appropriate parameter for the classification of team sport activity comprising continual changes in speed and direction; however, critical metabolic power derived from variable-speed activity seems useful for this purpose.
Digital interaction as opening space for aesthetics of consciousness
Authors: Younes Elhem , Lioret Alain , Bardakos Ioannis
Published: February 2018

In this research we will examine the paradox nature of self-reference. This concept appears in the form of pure feedback loops in language and mathematics and naturally extends towards many different domains such as biology, sociology, art and philosophy. The basic elements of human experience show the manifestations of such loops. Their results are noticeable in internal or external, mental or body processes. Our interest with these loops focuses on the domain of brain processes in observing, thinking and interpreting as it is meticulously analysed in the books Gödel Escher Bach and I Am a Strange Loop. Through the interactive artistic experiments ‘Ouroboros VR Self-Reference Apparatus’ by John Bardakos (2015) and ‘Anima’ by Elhem Younes (2016) we explore applied and theoretical concepts and experiences in logic, dream aesthetics and the human creativity. These experiments were conducted using ‘perception’ as a natural model of aesthetics generator via self-reference. Within this model, the loops were enriched with an artistic metamorphose of data from measurements of the human space to the aesthetic objects in the virtual space. Through the quantifiable perception feedback loop and the digital interaction, the spectator changes his role and becomes an active artist expressing himself or herself to a digital output with the support of data. The now post-conscious artist, with the use of visual and audio-visual tool sets, observes the fusion of art technology and aesthetics being transformed into basic elements that form consciousness.
Avoid setup: Insights and implications of generative cinema
Authors: Grba Dejan
Published: February 2018

Motivated by the unconventional views on film and art in general, and often unrestrained by the commercial imperatives, generative artists engage the poetic and expressive potentials of film playfully and efficiently, with explicit or implicit critique of cinema in a broader cultural context. This article looks at the creative incentives, insights and implications of generative cinema. In six interrelated categories, it presents the art projects of generative cinema, which in various ways point to the algorithmic models for parametric, analytical and/or synthetic generation of the cinematic structure, narrative, composition, editing, presentation and interaction. The article states that the algorithmic essence of generative cinema significantly expands the realm of creative methodologies for the artists working with film, but also provides a platform for critical assessment of the algorithmic strategies and overall creativity in contemporary film industry. Exploring the algorithms on a multitude of levels, generative cinema is on its way of becoming the supreme art of the moving image in the early twenty-first century. Its poetic divergence, technical fluency and conceptual cogency successfully demonstrate that the authorship evolves towards ever more abstract reflection and cognition that equally treats the existing creative achievements as inspirations, knowledge sources and tools.
Phasmagraphy: A potential future for artistic imaging
Authors: Reinhuber Elke
Published: February 2018

In recent years, a rising interest in scientific imaging has become apparent, in art production and in thematic exhibitions, as well as in popular media and advertising. Images captured by, and supposedly read through, machines open up a new era – not only for an as-yet-undefined aesthetic journey, but also to reveal insight into a normally invisible layer of reality. A wide range of techniques is already well established – not only in science, but also in an artistic context. Based on an overview of different media and their applications, the term phasmagraphy is introduced to be applied to the expanded boundaries of the visible photographic spectrum to the adjacent wavelengths beyond full-spectrum photography.