bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Soil-water characteristics of compacted sandy and cemented soils with and without vegetation
Authors: Yan W.M. , Zhang Guanghui
Published: April 2015

Experiments were undertaken to study the soil-water characteristics of compacted sandy soil (SS) and cemented soil (CS) in field and laboratory conditions. The influence of vegetation and material density on the development of negative pore-water pressure (PWP) and degree of saturation (Sr) in the studied materials was investigated. The field planting experiments demonstrated a promising survival rate of Schefflera heptaphylla in both types of material, while the (SS) promoted better growth of the seedlings than the cemented one. In the field study, PWP and Srof the compacted SS responded noticeably and promptly to natural drying–wetting cycles. However, the responses in the CS were relatively mild. When subjected to the same drying–wetting cycles, PWP responded more slowly and to a smaller magnitude compared with that of the uncemented counterpart. In addition, Srchanged little in CS. An increase in the density of the SS promoted rapid development of negative PWP, while an opposite trend was observed for CS. Attempts have been made to explain the observations from the perspectives of material permeability and change in water content during a drying period in both soil types. Furthermore, in SS, the development of PWP (with a measurement limit of −90 kPa) was minimally affected by the presence of vegetation, while vegetation noticeably helped the development of negative PWP in CS. Bounds of the soil-water characteristic curve (SWCCs) of the studied materials were presented based on estimates from the drying and wetting scanning curves derived from the field monitoring. A corresponding laboratory study was carried out in an environmental chamber with controllable temperature and humidity. Monitoring results from the laboratory agreed qualitatively with those obtained from the field.
Measurement of the water droplet size in water-in-oil emulsions using low field nuclear magnetic resonance for gas hydrate slurry applications
Authors: Majid Ahmad A.A. , Saidian Milad , Prasad Manika , Koh Carolyn A.
Published: April 2015

Turbulent flow in oil and gas pipelines often results in the formation of a water-in-oil (W/O) emulsion. Small water droplets in the pipeline provide a large total surface area for hydrate formation at the water/gas saturated oil interface, which can lead to full conversion of water to gas hydrate. As a result, this may prevent the formation of large hydrate aggregates that can cause hydrate particle settling and eventually plugging. It is thus of particular interest to determine the water droplet size of an emulsion. Since water droplet size of the emulsion provides information about the hydrate particle size in the slurry, it is crucial to determine the water droplet size in a W/O emulsion. In this work, the water droplet size of model W/O emulsion systems was measured using two techniques, diffusion-transverse relaxation (T2) experiments using low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and optical microscopy image analysis techniques. The T2 distribution of the emulsion was also measured. The water volume fraction was varied from 10–70 vol%. The NMR and microscopy image analysis results show the droplet size ranging from 3.5 to 4.5 μm and 2 to 3 μm, respectively. Both techniques show a minimum size of 2 and 4 μm at 50 vol% water cut. There are two main reasons for the small difference in droplet size distribution (DSD) measured using these techniques: NMR provides DSD of the entire emulsion sample as opposed to the optical microscopy technique that only captures a small sample of the emulsion. In addition, since the NMR method does not require sample preparation, the characteristics and properties of the emulsion are maintained. Using microscopy images, the sample is compressed between two glass slides. This will disturb the properties of the emulsion. By combining the diffusion-T2 and T2 distributions, the surface relaxivity was determined to be 0.801 μm/s for the W/O emulsion. The DSD obtained from the NMR method in this work was compared with microscopy analysis, and results show there is reasonable agreement between the two methods. This paper provides a comparison of the two methods that can be used to determine the water droplet size of W/O emulsions. This study indicates that a relatively simple quantitative NMR method can be utilized to determine the water droplet size of W/O emulsions before gas hydrate formation and hence can be used to assess the gas hydrate slurry properties and plugging risk of W/O systems.
A biophysical approach to delineate a northern limit to commercial forestry: the case of Quebec’s boreal forest
Authors: Jobidon Robert , Bergeron Yves , Robitaille André , Raulier Frédéric , Gauthier Sylvie , Imbeau Louis , Saucier Jean-Pierre , Boudreault Catherine
Published: April 2015

The boreal forest ecosystem is one of the largest frontier forests of the world, providing many ecological services to society. Boreal forests are also economically important, but forest harvesting and management become increasingly difficult when one moves from south to north in boreal environments. An approach was thus developed to assess the suitability of land units for timber production in a sustainable forest management (SFM) context in the northern boreal forest of Quebec (Canada). This area includes all of Quebec’s spruce – feather moss bioclimatic domain (closed forest), as well as the southern portion of the spruce–lichen bioclimatic domain (open woodland). Four criteria specific to the biophysical aspects of SFM were evaluated in 1114 land districts: physical environment, timber production capacity, forest vulnerability to fire (e.g., probability that it reaches maturity), and conservation of biodiversity. Indicators and acceptability cutoff values were determined for each selected criterion, and a sequential analysis was developed to evaluate if a land district has the potential to be sustainably managed. This analytical process led to the classification of land districts into three categories: slightly sensitive (SFM possible); moderately sensitive (SFM possible under certain conditions); and highly sensitive (SFM not possible). The results show that 354 land districts were highly sensitive, 62 due to physical constraints (7.5% of the area), 130 due to insufficient potential productivity (15.4% of the area), 92 due to insufficient potential productivity to account for the fire risk (13.8% of the area), and 70 due to an insufficient proportion of tall and dense forest habitats (7.7% of the area — biodiversity criterion). This work provides scientific background to proposing a northern limit for forest management activities in Quebec. The developed approach could be useful in other jurisdictions to address similar issues.
Recruitment patterns and growth of high-elevation pines in response to climatic variability (1883–2013), in the western Great Basin, USA
Authors: Millar Constance I. , Westfall Robert D. , Delany Diane L. , Flint Alan L. , Flint Lorraine E.
Published: April 2015

Over the period 1883–2013, recruitment of subalpine limber pine (Pinus flexilis E. James) and Great Basin bristlecone pine (Pinus longaeva D.K. Bailey) above the upper tree line, below the lower tree line, and across middle-elevation forest borders occurred at localized sites across four mountain ranges in the western Great Basin. A synchronous pulse at all ecotones occurred between 1963 and 2000 (limber pine) and between 1955 and 1978 (bristlecone pine) when pines expanded 225 m beyond forest borders. Little recruitment occurred before this interval or in the 21st century. No obvious environmental factors distinguished recruitment locations from nonrecruitment locations. Where their ranges overlap, limber pine has leapfrogged above bristlecone pine by 300 m. Limber pine tree-ring chronologies, developed to compare radial-growth responses with recruitment, showed dominant pulses of increased growth during the same interval as recruitment. Significant climate correlations of growth and recruitment indicated lead and lag effects as much as 6 years and complex relationships with climate variables, corroborating the importance of cumulative climate effects relative to any single year. Water relations were the most important drivers of growth and recruitment and interacted with growing-season minimum and maximum temperatures. These results underscore the importance of studying ecotones at all margins when evaluating conifer response to climate change.
Transfer of live aspen root fragments, an effective tool for large-scale boreal forest reclamation
Authors: Landhäusser Simon M. , Wachowski Julia , Lieffers Victor J.
Published: April 2015

An operational-scale transfer of salvaged forest floor material (FFM) containing trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) roots was done to explore its feasibility for aspen forest restoration on heavily disturbed lands. This technique takes advantage of aspen’s ability of regenerate vegetatively from root fragments. Surface soils from an intact 4 ha aspen forest were salvaged at two depths (15 cm and 40 cm) and immediately placed onto a reclamation site of the same size and at the same two depths. Over the next two growing seasons, aspen sucker density, mortality, and height growth were assessed in relation to root fragment density, burial depth, and root fragment size. Sucker density, height growth, and survival increased with salvage and placement depth, likely related to the fact that deeper salvage depths allowed for more roots to be in good mineral soil contact and proportionately fewer roots to be placed close to the surface (0–5 cm), decreasing their risk of exposure. Large-diameter root fragments buried deeper than 20 cm did not produce viable suckers, so placement of FFM thicker than 20 cm cannot be recommended for the vegetative regeneration of aspen. However, if possible, a deeper salvage of the FFM that contains the aspen root system could allow the material containing the roots to be spread over a larger area and still achieve vegetative regeneration of aspen from suckering, although the overall root propagule density is lower.
Effects of superpositions of quantum states on quantum isoenergetic cycles: Efficiency and maximum power output
Authors: Niu X. Y. , Huang X. L. , Shang Y. F. , Wang X. Y.
Published: April 2015

Superposition principle plays a crucial role in quantum mechanics, thus its effects on thermodynamics is an interesting topic. Here, the effects of superpositions of quantum states on isoenergetic cycle are studied. We find superposition can improve the heat engine efficiency and release the positive work condition in general case. In the finite time process, we find the efficiency at maximum power output in superposition case is lower than the nonsuperposition case. This efficiency depends on one index of the energy spectrum of the working substance. This result does not mean the superposition discourages the heat engine performance. For fixed efficiency or fixed power, the superposition improves the power or efficiency respectively. These results show how quantum mechanical properties affect the thermodynamical cycle.
An Automatic Robust Image Registration Algorithm for Aerial Mapping
Authors: Javadi Mohammad Saleh , Kadim Zulaikha , Woon Hon Hock , Johari Khairunnisa Mohamed , Samudin Norshuhada
Published: April 2015

Aerial mapping is attracting more attention due to the development in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and their availability and also vast applications that require a wide aerial photograph of a region in a specific time. The cross-modality as well as translation, rotation, scale change and illumination are the main challenges in aerial image registration. This paper concentrates on an algorithm for aerial image registration to overcome the aforementioned issues. The proposed method is able to sample automatically and align the sensed images to form the final map. The results are compared with satellite images that shows a reasonable performance with geometrically correct registration.
Representations of Code Vertex Operator Superalgebras
Authors: Jiang Wei
Published: April 2015

We study the representations of code vertex operator superalgebras resulting from a binary linear code which contains codewords of odd weight. We also show that there exists only one set of seven mutually orthogonal conformal vectors with central charge 1/2 in the Hamming code vertex operator superalgebra [Formula: see text]. Furthermore, we classify all the irreducible weak [Formula: see text]-modules.
On Huppert's Conjecture for Alternating Groups of Low Degrees
Authors: Nguyen Hung Ngoc , Tong-Viet Hung P. , Wakefield Thomas P.
Published: April 2015

Bertram Huppert conjectured in the late 1990s that the nonabelian simple groups are determined up to an abelian direct factor by the set of their character degrees. Although the conjecture has been established for various simple groups of Lie type and simple sporadic groups, it is expected to be difficult for alternating groups. In [5], Huppert verified the conjecture for the simple alternating groups An of degree up to 11. In this paper, we continue his work and verify the conjecture for the alternating groups of degrees 12 and 13.
Late-onset caloric restriction alters skeletal muscle metabolism by modulating pyruvate metabolism
Authors: Chen Chiao-nan (Joyce) , Lin Shang-Ying , Liao Yi-Hung , Li Zhen-jie , Wong Alice May-Kuen
Published: April 2015

Caloric restriction (CR) attenuates age-related muscle loss. However, the underlying mechanism responsible for this attenuation is not fully understood. This study evaluated the role of energy metabolism in the CR-induced attenuation of muscle loss. The aims of this study were twofold: 1) to evaluate the effect of CR on energy metabolism and determine its relationship with muscle mass, and 2) to determine whether the effects of CR are age dependent. Young and middle-aged rats were randomized into either 40% CR or ad libitum (AL) diet groups for 14 wk. Major energy-producing pathways in muscles, i.e., glycolysis and mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS), were examined. We found that the effects of CR were age dependent. CR improved muscle metabolism and normalized muscle mass in middle-aged animals but not young animals. CR decreased glycolysis and increased the cellular dependency for OXPHOS vs. glycolysis in muscles of middle-aged rats, which was associated with the improvement of normalized muscle mass. The metabolic reprogramming induced by CR was related to modulation of pyruvate metabolism and increased mitochondrial biogenesis. Compared with animals fed AL, middle-aged animals with CR had lower lactate dehydrogenase A content and greater mitochondrial pyruvate carrier content. Markers of mitochondrial biogenesis, including AMPK activation levels and SIRT1 and COX-IV content, also showed increased levels. In conclusion, 14 wk of CR improved muscle metabolism and preserved muscle mass in middle-aged animals but not in young developing animals. CR-attenuated age-related muscle loss is associated with reprogramming of the metabolic pathway from glycolysis to OXPHOS.
Network-Based Inference Methods for Drug Repositioning
Authors: Chen Hailin , Zhang Heng , Zhang Zuping , Cao Yiqin , Tang Wenliang
Published: April 2015

Mining potential drug-disease associations can speed up drug repositioning for pharmaceutical companies. Previous computational strategies focused on prior biological information for association inference. However, such information may not be comprehensively available and may contain errors. Different from previous research, two inference methods,ProbSandHeatS, were introduced in this paper to predict direct drug-disease associations based only on the basic network topology measure. Bipartite network topology was used to prioritize the potentially indicated diseases for a drug. Experimental results showed that both methods can receive reliable prediction performance and achieve AUC values of 0.9192 and 0.9079, respectively. Case studies on real drugs indicated that some of the strongly predicted associations were confirmed by results in the Comparative Toxicogenomics Database (CTD). Finally, a comprehensive prediction of drug-disease associations enables us to suggest many new drug indications for further studies.
Decidualized Ovarian Mass Mimicking Malignancy
Authors: Wong Lufee , Botolahy Vola , Carteret Thibault , Marty Marion , Brun Jean-Luc
Published: April 2015

Deciduosis classically occurs in the context of known endometriosis in the pelvis, most commonly in the ovaries, but also in the peritoneum. However, ovarian deciduosis outside the context of endometriosis is rare and makes diagnosis difficult, especially as the sonographic appearance suggests a malignant process. We report a case of decidualized ovarian mass in a patient without prior history of endometriosis that mimicked an ovarian malignancy. MRI may be a useful imaging modality to monitor these lesions and guide management. Consultation with a multidisciplinary team accustomed to such conditions will help to tailor the management to each individual.
Seismic Analysis of a Viscoelastic Damping Isolator
Authors: Huang Bo-Wun , Kuang Jao-Hwa , Tseng Jung-Ge , Wang Jyun-Cin , Qiu Yu-Xian
Published: April 2015

Seismic prevention issues are discussed much more seriously around the world after Fukushima earthquake, Japan, April 2011, especially for those countries which are near the earthquake zone. Approximately1.8×1012kilograms of explosive energy will be released from a magnitude 9 earthquake. It destroys most of the unprotected infrastructure within several tens of miles in diameter from the epicenter. People can feel the earthquake even if living hundreds of miles away. This study is a seismic simulation analysis for an innovated and improved design of viscoelastic damping isolator, which can be more effectively applied to earthquake prevention and damage reduction of high-rise buildings, roads, bridges, power generation facilities, and so forth, from earthquake disaster. Solidworks graphic software is used to draw the 3D geometric model of the viscoelastic isolator. The dynamic behavior of the viscoelastic isolator through shock impact of specific earthquake loading, recorded by a seismometer, is obtained via ANSYS finite element package. The amplitude of the isolator is quickly reduced by the viscoelastic material in the device and is shown in a time response diagram. The result of this analysis can be a crucial reference when improving the design of a seismic isolator.
Efficient Multiway Relaying for Data Sharing in Energy Harvesting Sensor Networks
Authors: Noori Moslem , Ardakani Masoud
Published: April 2015

In a wireless sensor network (WSN), sensors often need to share their measurements for applications like distributed estimation and detection or data aggregation. Here, we suggest using multiway relaying (MWR) for data sharing between energy harvesting sensors that cannot directly communicate with each other. We first start by studying the achievable data rate of amplify-and-forward (AF) MWR for energy harvesting sensors. Then, we show that, by backing off the transmit power at the sensors, not only better energy efficiency and longer lifetime are achieved, but also the data sharing rate increases. Based on this result, we further improve the performance of AF MWR in the assumed WSN by smartly adjusting the transmit power at the sensors. Our power allocation is devised in a way to improve the energy efficiency of MWR and increase the sum rate of data sharing between the sensors over the network lifetime. Simulation results are presented to verify the enhancement achieved by using our proposed power allocation technique.
Bioagriculture Outlier Elimination Based on 3D View ofX-YVariance and Leverage Measurement
Authors: Shen Weizheng , Kong Qingming , Wang Jianbo , Ji Nan , Su Zhongbin
Published: April 2015

Aiming at effective outlier elimination in the biological near-infrared spectral and achieving high accuracy predictive modeling, this paper proposes a novel outlier elimination method based onX-Yvariance and leverage analysis. Firstly, the characters of near-infrared spectral are summarized; then residual sampleX-variance, leverage, and residual sampleY-variance are concatenated as a divergence measurement. We further compared the proposed method withX-Yvariance, Mahalanobis distance, and HotellingT2statistical analysis; the experiment results demonstrate that the proposed methods have competitive outlier elimination and better performance in time complexity and accuracy. The proposed method can also be adopted for other outlier elimination tasks.
Apigenin Attenuates Atherogenesis through Inducing Macrophage Apoptosis via Inhibition of AKT Ser473 Phosphorylation and Downregulation of Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor-2
Authors: Zeng Ping , Liu Bin , Wang Qun , Fan Qin , Diao Jian-Xin , Tang Jing , Fu Xiu-Qiong , Sun Xue-Gang
Published: April 2015

Macrophage survival is believed to be a contributing factor in the development of early atherosclerotic lesions. Dysregulated apoptosis of macrophages is involved in the inflammatory process of atherogenesis. Apigenin is a flavonoid that possesses various clinically relevant properties such as anti-inflammatory, antiplatelet, and antitumor activities. Here we showed that apigenin attenuated atherogenesis inapoE-/-mice in anin vivotest.In vitroexperiments suggested that apigenin induced apoptosis of oxidized low density lipoprotein- (OxLDL-) loaded murine peritoneal macrophages (MPMs). Proteomic analysis showed that apigenin reduced the expression of plasminogen activator inhibitor 2 (PAI-2). PAI-2 has antiapoptotic effects in OxLDL-loaded MPMs. Enhancing PAI-2 expression significantly reduced the proapoptosis effects of apigenin. Molecular docking assay with AutoDock software predicted that residue Ser473 of Akt1 is a potential binding site for apigenin. Lentiviral-mediated overexpression of Akt1 wild type weakened the proapoptosis effect of apigenin in OxLDL-loaded MPMs. Collectively, apigenin executes its anti-atherogenic effects through inducing OxLDL-loaded MPMs apoptosis. The proapoptotic effects of apigenin were at least partly attributed to downregulation of PAI-2 through suppressing phosphorylation of AKT at Ser473.
Locomotion Strategy Selection for a Hybrid Mobile Robot Using Time of Flight Depth Sensor
Authors: Saudabayev Artur , Kungozhin Farabi , Nurseitov Damir , Varol Huseyin Atakan
Published: April 2015

The performance of a mobile robot can be improved by utilizing different locomotion modes in various terrain conditions. This creates the necessity of having a supervisory controller capable of recognizing different terrain types and changing the locomotion mode of the robot accordingly. This work focuses on the locomotion strategy selection problem for a hybrid legged wheeled mobile robot. Supervisory control of the robot is accomplished by the terrain recognizer, which classifies depth images obtained from a commercial time of flight depth sensor and selects different locomotion mode subcontrollers based on the recognized terrain type. For the terrain recognizer, a database is generated consisting of five terrain classes (Uneven, Level Ground, Stair Up, Stair Down, and Nontraversable). Depth images are enhanced using confidence map based filtering. The accuracy of the terrain classification using Support Vector Machine classifier for the testing database in five-class terrain recognition problem is 97%. Real-world experiments assess the locomotion abilities of the quadruped and the capability of the terrain recognizer in real-time settings. The results of these experiments show depth images processed in real time using machine learning algorithms can be used for the supervisory control of hybrid robots with legged and wheeled locomotion capabilities.
A Note on Continuity of Solution Set for Parametric Weak Vector Equilibrium Problems
Authors: Preechasilp Pakkapon , Wangkeeree Rabian
Published: April 2015

We consider the parametric weak vector equilibrium problem. By using a weaker assumption of Peng and Chang (2014), the sufficient conditions for continuity of the solution mappings to a parametric weak vector equilibrium problem are established. Examples are provided to illustrate the essentialness of imposed assumptions. As advantages of the results, we derive the continuity of solution mappings for vector optimization problems.
Vasorelaxant and Hypotensive Effects of Jaboticaba Fruit (Myrciaria cauliflora) Extract in Rats
Authors: Lobo de Andrade Daniela Medeiros , Reis Carolina de Fátima , Castro Patrícia Ferreira da Silva , Borges Leonardo Luiz , Amaral Nathalia Oda , Torres Ieda Maria Sapateiro , Rezende Stefani Garcia , Gil Eric de Souza , Cardoso da Conceição Edemilson , Pedrino Gustavo Rodrigues , Lavorenti Rocha Matheus
Published: April 2015

This study’s aim was to determine the effect of hydroalcoholic extract ofM. cauliflora(HEMC) on vascular tension and blood pressure in rats. In ourin vitrostudies using precontracted isolated aortas from rats, HEMC and acetylcholine (positive control) induced relaxation only in vessels with endothelium. Pretreatment with L-NAME (NO synthase inhibitor) or ODQ (soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC) inhibitor) abolished the HEMC-induced relaxation. The treatment with MDL-12,330A (adenylyl cyclase (AC) inhibitor) or diclofenac (COX inhibitor) reduced HEMC-induced vasorelaxation. The blockade of muscarinic andβ-adrenergic receptors (by atropine and propranolol, resp.) did not promote changes in HEMC-induced vasorelaxation. In ourin vivostudies, catheters were inserted into the right femoral vein and artery of anesthetized rats for HEMC infusion and the measurement of blood pressure, heart rate, and aortic blood flow. The intravenous infusion of HEMC produced hypotension and increased aortic blood flow with no changes in heart rate. These findings showed that HEMC induces endothelium-dependent vascular relaxation and hypotension with no alteration in heart rate. The NO/sGC/cGMP pathway seems to be the main cellular route involved in the vascular responsiveness.
Are Histrionic Personality Traits Associated with Irritability during Conscious Sedation Endoscopy?
Authors: Lee Sang Shin , Kim Hyung Hun , Park Hyo Jung
Published: April 2015

Aim. We aimed to evaluate whether histrionic personality traits are associated with irritability during conscious sedation endoscopy (CSE).Materials and Methods. A prospective cross-sectional study was planned. Irritability during CSE was classified into five grades: 0, no response; I, minimal movement; II, moderate movement; III, severe movement; IV, fighting against procedure. Patients in grades III and IV were defined as the irritable group. Participants were required to complete questionnaire sheet assessing the extent of histrionic personality traits, extraversion-introversion, and current psychological status. The present authors also collected basic sociodemographic data including alcohol use history.Results. A total of 32 irritable patients and 32 stable patients were analyzed. The histrionic personality trait score of the irritable group was higher than that of the stable group (9.5 ± 3.1 versus 6.9 ± 2.9;P= 0.001), as was the anxiety score (52.8 ± 8.6 versus 46.1 ± 9.6;P= 0.004). Heavy alcohol use was more frequently observed in the irritable group (65.6% versus 28.1%;P= 0.003). In multivariate analysis, all these three factors were independently correlated with irritability during CSE.Conclusion. This study revealed that histrionic personality traits, anxiety, and heavy alcohol use can affect irritability during CSE.
The Pre-Schwarzian Norm Estimate for Analytic Concave Functions
Authors: Sim Young Jae , Kwon Oh Sang
Published: April 2015

LetDdenote the open unit disk and letSdenote the class of normalized univalent functions which are analytic inD. LetCo(α)be the class of concave functionsf∈S, which have the condition that the opening angle off(D)at infinity is less than or equal toπα,α∈(1,2]. In this paper, we find a sufficient condition for the Gaussian hypergeometric functions to be in the classCo(α). And we define a classCo(α,A,B),(-1≤B<A≤1), which is a subclass ofCo(α)and we find the set of variabilities for the functional(1-|z|2)(f″(z)/f′(z))forf∈Co(α,A,B). This gives sharp upper and lower estimates for the pre-Schwarzian norm of functions inCo(α,A,B). We also give a characterization for functions inCo(α,A,B)in terms of Hadamard product.
Recognizing Cursive Typewritten Text Using Segmentation‐Free System
Authors: Khorsheed Mohammad S.
Published: April 2015

Feature extraction plays an important role in text recognition as it aims to capture essential characteristics of the text image. Feature extraction algorithms widely range between robust and hard to extract features and noise sensitive and easy to extract features. Among those feature types are statistical features which are derived from the statistical distribution of the image pixels. This paper presents a novel method for feature extraction where simple statistical features are extracted from a one‐pixel wide window that slides across the text line. The feature set is clustered in the feature space using vector quantization. The feature vector sequence is then injected to a classification engine for training and recognition purposes. The recognition system is applied to a data corpus which includes cursive Arabic text of more than 600 A4‐size sheets typewritten in multiple computer‐generated fonts. The system performance is compared to a previously published system from the literature with a similar engine but a different feature set.
African Flora Has the Potential to Fight Multidrug Resistance of Cancer
Authors: Kuete Victor , Efferth Thomas
Published: April 2015

Background. Continuous efforts from scientists of diverse fields are necessary not only to better understand the mechanism by which multidrug-resistant (MDR) cancer cells occur, but also to boost the discovery of new cytotoxic compounds to fight MDR phenotypes.Objectives. The present review reports on the contribution of African flora in the discovery of potential cytotoxic phytochemicals against MDR cancer cells.Methodology. Scientific databases such as PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus, Google Scholar, and Web of Knowledge were used to retrieve publications related to African plants, isolated compounds, and drug resistant cancer cells. The data were analyzed to highlight cytotoxicity and the modes of actions of extracts and compounds of the most prominent African plants. Also, thresholds and cutoff points for the cytotoxicity and modes of action of phytochemicals have been provided.Results. Most published data related to the antiproliferative potential of African medicinal plants were from Cameroon, Egypt, Nigeria, or Madagascar. The cytotoxicity of phenolic compounds isolated in African plants was generally much better documented than that of terpenoids and alkaloids.Conclusion. African flora represents an enormous resource for novel cytotoxic compounds. To unravel the full potential, efforts should be strengthened throughout the continent, to meet the challenge of a successful fight against MDR cancers.
Two-Agent Scheduling to Minimize the Maximum Cost with Position-Dependent Jobs
Authors: Wan Long
Published: April 2015

This paper investigates a single-machine two-agent scheduling problem to minimize the maximum costs with position-dependent jobs. There are two agents, each with a set of independent jobs, competing to perform their jobs on a common machine. In our scheduling setting, the actual position-dependent processing time of one job is characterized by variable function dependent on the position of the job in the sequence. Each agent wants to fulfil the objective of minimizing the maximum cost of its own jobs. We develop a feasible method to achieve all the Pareto optimal points in polynomial time.
Microsatellite Genotyping to Distinguish Somaticβ-HCG Secreting Carcinoma from Epithelioid Trophoblastic Tumor
Authors: Brett Mary Anne , Sur Monalisa , Daya Dean , Terry Jefferson , Lytwyn Alice
Published: April 2015

Objective. Morphologically,β-HCG secreting somatic carcinoma can be difficult to distinguish from epithelioid trophoblastic tumors (ETT). However, their distinction is critical due to their potentially differing prognoses and choice of chemotherapy. Presence of biparental alleles in ETT can be identified with molecular testing. We describe a patient who presented with metastatic carcinoma and elevated serumβ-HCG and contrast this to an ETT in another patient.Data and Results. A 32-year-old female with recent possible miscarriage presented with pulmonary emboli and was found to have an increased serumβ-HCG, a retroduodenal mass, and multiple nodules in her lungs, liver, and para-aortic lymph nodes. Biopsy showed aβ-HCG and p63 positive epithelioid neoplasm with otherwise noncontributory immunohistochemistry. Molecular testing for biparental alleles in repeated length polymorphisms was negative, consistent with somatic origin. The second patient was a 35-year-old pregnant female with increased serumβ-HCG and a uterine epithelioid tumor positive forβ-HCG. Clinical and pathologic findings were characteristic of ETT and molecular testing was not required. These 2 cases illustrate thatβ-HCG secreting tumors of different etiologies may have similar appearances, and when clinical and/or IHC findings are inconclusive, molecular testing may be useful.
Pulmonary Nocardiosis in an Immunocompetent Patient with Cystic Fibrosis
Authors: Schoen Lucy , Santoro Jonathan D. , Milla Carlos , Bhargava Sumit
Published: April 2015

Nocardiaspp. are bacteria of low virulence that cause infection classically in immunocompromised hosts with the lungs as the primary site of infection in the majority of cases. Patients with cystic fibrosis have pulmonary disease characterized by frequent and progressive bacterial infections. Reports ofNocardiaspp. isolation in CF are rare in the literature and may represent colonization or active infection, the significance and optimal treatment of which are unknown. We report the second case to date ofNocardia transvalensispulmonary infection in an immunocompetent patient with CF and the first in a child under the age of eighteen.
LLPi: Liverpool Lung Project Risk Prediction Model for Lung Cancer Incidence
Authors: Marcus Michael W. , Chen Ying , Raji Olaide Y. , Duffy Stephen W. , Field John K.
Published: April 2015

Identification of high-risk individuals will facilitate early diagnosis, reduce overall costs, and also improve the current poor survival from lung cancer. The Liverpool Lung Project prospective cohort of 8,760 participants ages 45 to 79 years, recruited between 1998 and 2008, was followed annually through the hospital episode statistics until January 31, 2013. Cox proportional hazards models were used to identify risk predictors of lung cancer incidence. C-statistic was used to assess the discriminatory accuracy of the models. Models were internally validated using the bootstrap method. During mean follow-up of 8.7 years, 237 participants developed lung cancer. Age [hazard ratio (HR), 1.04; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.02–1.06], male gender (HR, 1.48; 95% CI, 1.10–1.98), smoking duration (HR, 1.04; 95% CI, 1.03–1.05), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (HR, 2.43; 95% CI, 1.79–3.30), prior diagnosis of malignant tumor (HR, 2.84; 95% CI, 2.08–3.89), and early onset of family history of lung cancer (HR, 1.68; 95% CI, 1.04–2.72) were associated with the incidence of lung cancer. The LLPi risk model had a good calibration (goodness-of-fit χ2 7.58, P = 0.371). The apparent C-statistic was 0.852 (95% CI, 0.831–0.873) and the optimism-corrected bootstrap resampling C-statistic was 0.849 (95% CI, 0.829–0.873). The LLPi risk model may assist in identifying individuals at high risk of developing lung cancer in population-based screening programs. Cancer Prev Res; 8(6); 570–5. ©2015 AACR.
Impact of Auditory-Visual Bimodality on Lexical Retrieval in Alzheimer's Disease Patients
Authors: Simoes Loureiro Isabelle , Lefebvre Laurent
Published: April 2015

The aim of this study was to generalize the positive impact of auditory-visual bimodality on lexical retrieval in Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients. In practice, the naming skills of healthy elderly persons improve when additional sensory signals are included. The hypothesis of this study was that the same influence would be observable in AD patients. Sixty elderly patients separated into three groups (healthy subjects, stage 1 AD patients, and stage 2 AD patients) were tested with a battery of naming tasks comprising three different modalities: a visual modality, an auditory modality, and a visual and auditory modality (bimodality). Our results reveal the positive influence of bimodality on the accuracy with which bimodal items are named (when compared with unimodal items) and their latency (when compared with unimodal auditory items). These results suggest that multisensory enrichment can improve lexical retrieval in AD patients.
Asynchronous Replication in Lymphocytes from Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis
Authors: Laish Ido , Biron-Shental Tal , Katz Hila , Liberman Meytal , Kitay-Cohen Yona , Konikoff Fred Meir , Amiel Aliza
Published: April 2015

Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are associated chronic inflammatory diseases with malignant potential. Loss of replication synchrony during the S-phase of the cell cycle has been shown to be linked to several malignant and premalignant states. This study evaluated temporal differences in replication timing between these diseases. The replication pattern of peripheral blood lymphocytes obtained from patients with PSC and IBD and healthy individuals was analyzed by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) in 2 pairs of alleles, in 15qter and 13qter. Asynchrony was determined by the presence of 1 single and 1 set of double dots in the same cell. Samples from subjects with PSC showed significantly greater temporal differences in replication timing, in contrast to the high level of synchrony observed in samples from healthy individuals (p = 0.045). Samples from IBD patients exhibited a nonsignificant increase in replication asynchrony. We believe that these results reflect impairment in the replication control of structural homologous loci in PSC, and that this phenomenon may be correlated with the inflammation-induced malignant potential of this condition.
Eccrine Angiomatous Hamartoma: A Clinicopathological Study of 26 Cases
Authors: Sanusi Tutyana , Li Yanqiu , Sun Lan , Wang Chunsen , Zhou Youwen , Huang Changzheng
Published: April 2015

Background: Eccrine angiomatous hamartoma (EAH) is a rare benign cutaneous tumor characterized by the proliferation of eccrine glands and capillaries. Objective: The aim of this study was to summarize the clinicopathological characteristics of EAH. Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed on all patients diagnosed with EAH from 1977 to 2012 in the Union Hospital, Wuhan, P.R. China, and the clinicopathological features were compared with the cases reported in the literature. Results: A total of 26 patients with EAH were identified. The male:female ratio was 1.2:1. EAH most commonly presents as a solitary (80.8%) plaque (50.0%) on the lower extremities (61.5%). Most patients presented with hyperhidrosis localizing to the lesion. Although most patients did not have major pain or anatomic deformity, one patient had severe pain as well as difficulty walking and moving, necessitating leg amputation. The histopathological findings showed typical features of EAH. Conclusion: EAH is a rare but characteristically benign skin hamartomatous condition. In rare occasions it can be associated with severe structural and functional impairment.
Infecções e emoções
Authors: Boulos Marcos
Published: April 2015

O presente artigo mostra através de revisão da literatura pertinente sobre a interação mente-corpo, de como as alterações emocionais como estresse, angústia, depressão, levam a alteração da imunidade com consequente predisposição ao surgimento de doença física.
Princípios do uso de antimicrobianos: perguntas e respostas
Authors: Levin Anna Sara S. , Kobata Cristina H. P. , Litvoc Marcelo N.
Published: April 2015

Para indicar o uso de antimicrobianos é necessário ter à mente várias informações sobre as drogas, tais como espectro de atividade da droga, dados de farmacocinética e farmacodinâmica, como distribuição tecidual, plasmática e excreção, efeitos adversos e é necessário ter várias informações sobre o quadro clínico do paciente e o tipo de infecção e seu agente etiológico, tais como sítio de infecção e sensibilidade antimicrobiana. Não é possível abarcar todos estes aspectos em um artigo e optamos por abordar os princípios gerais do tratamento antimicrobiano por meio de perguntas e respostas. O objetivo é prover os conceitos básicos do uso de antimicrobianos. Apresentamos as principais classes de antimicrobianos e o seu espectro de ação, conceitos como infecção, colonização e contaminação, interpretação de culturas, indicações e duração de tratamento, vias de administração, associação de drogas, critérios de resposta ao tratamento, e profilaxia antimicrobiana.
Susceptibilidade a infecções: imaturidade imunológica ou imunodeficiência?
Authors: Condino-Neto Antonio
Published: April 2015

As infecções são uma das principais áreas da medicina. Apesar da evolução tecnológica, a população humana ainda continua apresentando infecções e muitas vezes em situação de grande risco. O sistema imunológico joga um papel fundamental para o controle e erradicação das infecções. A seguir apresentamos considerações sobre o tema, enfocando o desenvolvimento imunológico humano e a ocorrência de imunodeficiências congênitas.
Catheter Ablation of Ventricular Tachycardia and Mortality in Patients With Nonischemic Dilated Cardiomyopathy
Authors: Dinov Borislav , Arya Arash , Schratter Alexandra , Schirripa Valentina , Fiedler Lukas , Sommer Philipp , Bollmann Andreas , Rolf Sascha , Piorkowski Christopher , Hindricks Gerhard
Published: April 2015

Background—

Data on outcomes after catheter ablation of ventricular tachycardia (VT) in patients with nonischemic dilated cardiomyopathy (NIDCM) are insufficient. We aimed to investigate the effects of successful catheter ablation of VT on cardiac mortality in patients with NIDCM.

Methods and Results—

One hundred two patients with NIDCM (86 men; mean age, 58.8±15.2 years; mean ejection fraction, 33.3±11.9%) underwent VT ablation. After catheter ablation, a programmed ventricular stimulation to test for success was performed. Complete VT noninducibility was achieved in 62 (61%) patients and partial success or failure in 32 (31%) patients. During 2 years of follow-up, VT recurrence was observed in 33 patients (53%) without inducible VTs and in 24 patients (75%) with inducible VT inducible (
P
=0.041). VT inducibility was associated with higher VT recurrence (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.84; 95% confidence interval, 1.08–3.13;
P
=0.025). The primary end point of all-cause mortality was reached in 9 patients (15%) with noninducible VTs versus 11 patients (34%) with inducible sustained VTs (
P
=0.026). VT inducibility was associated with all-cause mortality (adjusted hazard ratio, 2.73; 95% confidence interval, 1.003–7.43;
P
=0.049).

Conclusions—

In patients with NIDCM and recurrent sustained VTs, a complete ablation of all inducible VTs may be achieved in 60% of the cases. The complete noninducibility may be a preferable end point of ablation because it was associated with better long-term success. Importantly, if possible to achieve through ablation, a complete VT noninducibility was associated with reduction of the likelihood for all-cause mortality in patients with NIDCM.
Alcohol and Incident Heart Failure Among Middle-Aged and Elderly Men
Authors: Dorans Kirsten S. , Mostofsky Elizabeth , Levitan Emily B. , Håkansson Niclas , Wolk Alicja , Mittleman Murray A.
Published: April 2015

Background—

Compared with no alcohol consumption, heavy alcohol intake is associated with a higher rate of heart failure (HF) whereas light-to-moderate intake may be associated with a lower rate. However, several prior studies did not exclude former drinkers, who may have changed alcohol consumption in response to diagnosis. This study aimed to investigate the association between alcohol intake and incident HF.

Methods and Results—

We conducted a prospective cohort study of 33 760 men aged 45 to 79 years with no HF, diabetes mellitus, or myocardial infarction at baseline participating in the Cohort of Swedish Men Study. We excluded former drinkers. At baseline, participants completed a food frequency questionnaire and reported other characteristics. HF was defined as hospitalization for or death from HF, ascertained by Swedish inpatient and cause-of-death records from January 1, 1998, through December 31, 2011. We constructed Cox proportional hazards models to estimate multivariable-adjusted incidence rate ratios. During follow-up, 2916 men were hospitalized for (n=2139) or died (n=777) of incident HF. There was a U-shaped relationship between total alcohol intake and incident HF (
P
=0.0004). There was a nadir at light-to-moderate alcohol intake: consuming 7 to <14 standard drinks per week was associated with a 19% lower multivariable-adjusted rate of HF compared with never drinking (incidence rate ratio, 0.81; 95% confidence interval, 0.69–0.96).

Conclusions—

In this cohort of Swedish men, there was a U-shaped relationship between alcohol consumption and HF incidence, with a nadir at light-to-moderate intake. Heavy intake did not seem protective.
Monitoring Vascular Permeability and Remodeling After Endothelial Injury in a Murine Model Using a Magnetic Resonance Albumin-Binding Contrast Agent
Authors: Lavin Begoña , Phinikaridou Alkystis , Lorrio Silvia , Zaragoza Carlos , Botnar René M.
Published: April 2015

Background—

Despite the beneficial effects of vascular interventions, these procedures may damage the endothelium leading to increased vascular permeability and remodeling. Re-endothelialization of the vessel wall, with functionally and structurally intact cells, is controlled by endothelial nitric oxide synthase (NOS3) and is crucial for attenuating adverse effects after injury. We investigated the applicability of the albumin-binding MR contrast agent, gadofosveset, to noninvasively monitor focal changes in vascular permeability and remodeling, after injury, in NOS3-knockout (NOS3
−/−
) and wild-type (WT) mice in vivo.

Methods and Results—

WT and NOS3
−/−
mice were imaged at 7, 15, and 30 days after aortic denudation or sham-surgery. T
1
mapping (R
1
=1/T
1
, s
−1
) and delayed-enhanced MRI were used as measurements of vascular permeability (R
1
) and remodeling (vessel wall enhancement, mm
2
) after gadofosveset injection, respectively. Denudation resulted in higher vascular permeability and vessel wall enhancement 7 days after injury in both strains compared with sham-operated animals. However, impaired re-endothelialization and increased neovascularization in NOS3
−/−
mice resulted in significantly higher R
1
at 15 and 30 days post injury compared with WT mice that showed re-endothelialization and lack of neovascularization (R
1
[s
−1
]=15 days:

NOS3

−/−
4.02 [interquartile range, IQR, 3.77–4.41] versus

WT

2.39 [IQR, 2.35–2.92]; 30 days:

NOS3

−/−
4.23 [IQR, 3.94–4.68] versus

WT

2.64 [IQR, 2.33–2.80]). Similarly, vessel wall enhancement was higher in NOS3
−/−
but recovered in WT mice (area [mm
2
]=15 days:

NOS3

−/−
5.20 [IQR, 4.68–6.80] versus

WT

2.13 [IQR, 0.97–3.31]; 30 days:

NOS3

−/−
7.35 [IQR, 5.66–8.61] versus

WT

1.60 [IQR, 1.40–3.18]). Ex vivo histological studies corroborated the MRI findings.

Conclusions—

We demonstrate that increased vascular permeability and remodeling, after injury, can be assessed noninvasively using an albumin-binding MR contrast agent and may be used as surrogate markers for evaluating the healing response of the vessel wall after injury.