bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Improving weekend patient handover
Authors: Ashton Catherine
Published: November 2013

The Royal College of Physicians state that ‘handover, particularly of temporary ‘on-call’ responsibility, has been identified as a point at which errors are likely to occur’ [1].

Working a weekend on-call covering medical wards is often busy and stressful for all junior doctors, with added pressure in trying to identify patients and tasks amongst several different pieces of paper and making important care escalation.

All handover sheets from a random weekend were collected and studied. Only 57% of patients listed had the minimum expected 3 patient identifiers [2] included and just 11% had any indication of escalation planning. They were also often written on scrap pieces of paper and included varying levels of relevant patient background and information.

After liaison with junior doctors and the handover committee, involving senior medical clinicians, a new handover sheet was created and uploaded onto the trust intranet, to rectify some of the problems identified. Junior doctors were also educated about the changes to weekend handover.

At 2 months post-introduction, another set of weekend handover sheets were collected. All medical wards used the handover sheets for documentation of patients and tasks at a weekend and inclusion of 3 patient identifiers rose to 80%. There was also a big increase noted in clinical information and background included at weekend handover and anecdotally made weekend handover easier and less stressful. There was also increased consideration of escalation planning.

The handover sheet is now being rolled out trust-wide in medicine and introduced to surgical colleagues.
Improved outcomes with direct percutaneous CT guided lumbar synovial cyst treatment: advanced approaches and techniques
Authors: Ortiz A Orlando , Tekchandani Leena
Published: November 2013

Purpose

To determine if lumbar synovial cyst rupture in symptomatic patients results in improved clinical outcome when using direct tandem and/or coaxial percutaneous CT guided techniques.

Materials and methods

20 patients with unilateral lower extremity radiculopathy and/or low back pain underwent CT guided percutaneous treatment for their symptomatic lumbar synovial cysts. Cysts were identified with the use of a low osmolar non-ionic contrast agent via facet joint injection or through direct injection. Cyst rupture, using a direct tandem and/or coaxial technique, was attempted in all patients using an 18 gauge guide needle and a 22 gauge insert needle. Following attempted cyst aspiration, cyst rupture was performed using 1–3 mL of a mixture of methylprednisolone (2 mL, 80 mg) and bupivacaine (3 mL, 0.5%). All patients were followed-up in clinic for a minimum of 6 months after their procedures and up to a maximum of 24 months.

Results

11 patients were male and nine were female, with an average age of 65.6 years. 17 patients presented with severe unilateral lower extremity radiculopathy and three patients were experiencing low back pain. One of the patients had two synovial cysts, and therefore a total of 21 lumbar synovial cysts were treated in this group of patients. Direct cyst puncture was achieved using a tandem technique in nine patients, a coaxial interlaminar approach in seven patients, a coaxial transforaminal approach in two patients, and a coaxial trans-facet approach in three patients. Cyst rupture was documented in all cases, as evidenced by CT confirmation of cyst decompression and contrast agent extravasation into the epidural space. The mean surveillance period in these patients was 18 months. Six patients experienced their usual radicular pain within 2 months of their treatment. Four of these patients were re-treated for recurrent smaller cysts. These patients have not had a recurrence at 24 months of follow up. Two of these six patients elected to undergo open surgical decompression without symptomatic improvement. No treatment related complications were observed in this group of patients.

Conclusions

Direct tandem and/or coaxial percutaneous CT guided techniques for rupture and treatment of symptomatic lumbar synovial cysts reduces recurrence rates and therefore helps avoid more invasive open surgical procedures in this group of patients.
Transfer of vibrational coherence through incoherent energy transfer process in Förster limit
Authors: Mančal Tomáš , Dostál Jakub , Pšenčík Jakub , Zigmantas Donatas
Published: November 2013

We study transfer of coherent nuclear oscillations between an excitation energy donor and an acceptor in a simple dimeric electronic system coupled to an unstructured thermodynamic bath and some pronounced vibrational intramolecular mode. Our focus is on the nonlinear optical response of such a system, i.e., we study both excited state energy transfer and the compensation of the so-called ground-state bleach signal. The response function formalism enables us to investigate a heterodimer with monomers coupled strongly to the bath and by a weak resonance coupling to each other (Förster rate limit). Our work is motivated by recent observation of various vibrational signatures in two-dimensional coherent spectra of energy-transferring systems including large structures with a fast energy diffusion. We find that the vibrational coherence can be transferred from donor to acceptor molecules provided the transfer rate is sufficiently fast. The ground-state bleach signal of the acceptor molecules does not show any oscillatory signatures, and oscillations in ground-state bleaching signal of the donor prevail with the amplitude, which is not decreasing with the relaxation rate.
Examining the utility of alternative video monitoring metrics for indexing reef fish abundance
Authors: Schobernd Zeb H. , Bacheler Nathan M. , Conn Paul B.
Published: November 2013

Underwater video has become an important tool for monitoring reef fish populations worldwide because it is nonextractive and not strongly selective. A variety of approaches have been developed to enumerate fish on videos, but to our knowledge these metrics have not been tested to determine if they are proportional to true abundance. We compared the most commonly used metric, MaxN (i.e., the maximum number of fish in a single frame during the viewing interval), to a newly developed metric, MeanCount (i.e., the mean number of fish observed in a series of snapshots over a viewing interval), using simulations, a laboratory experiment, and an empirical study. MaxN was nonlinearly related to true abundance using all three approaches, providing increasingly dampened estimates of abundance with increasing true abundance (i.e., hyperstability). Therefore, MaxN may result in positively biased indices of abundance for declining fish stocks or negatively biased abundance indices when fish stocks are increasing. Alternatively, MeanCount was generally linearly related to true abundance and its variability was similar to MaxN, suggesting that MeanCount can be useful for indexing abundance of fish in underwater video surveys.
COMPLEX NETWORK ANALYSIS IN CRICKET: COMMUNITY STRUCTURE, PLAYER'S ROLE AND PERFORMANCE INDEX
Authors: MUKHERJEE SATYAM
Published: November 2013

This paper describes the applications of network methods for understanding interaction within members of sport teams. We analyze the interaction of batsmen in international cricket matches. We generate batting partnership network (BPN) for different teams and determine the exact values of clustering coefficient, average degree, average shortest path length of the networks and compare them with the Erdös–Rényi model. We observe that the networks display small-world behavior. We find that most connected batsman is not necessarily the most central and most central players are not necessarily the one with high batting averages. We study the community structure of the BPNs and identify each player's role based on inter-community and intra-community links. We observe that Sir DG Bradman, regarded as the best batsman in cricket history does not occupy the central position in the network — the so-called connector hub. We extend our analysis to quantify the performance, relative importance and effect of removing a player from the team, based on different centrality scores.
Chapter 16 The Lower Palaeozoic palaeobiogeography of Bivalvia
Authors: Cope John C. W. , Kříž Jiří
Published: November 2013

Bivalves first appeared in the Early Cambrian and were virtually cosmopolitan. These very small and insignificant molluscs were probably surface crawlers on the microbial mat floors of the Cambrian sea. They evolved little further in the Mid Cambrian and by the Late Cambrian had apparently disappeared from the fossil record. Their re-appearance in the Early Ordovician coincided with a major diversification in which all the principal bivalve clades evolved, but the class was confined to Gondwana; their habitat was now principally infaunal in siliciclastic sediments. In the Mid Ordovician a few forms reached Baltica and the eastern Laurentian margin, but it was the Late Ordovician before bivalves once again became cosmopolitan. This geographical dispersal allowed bivalves to colonize the low-latitude carbonate platforms and led to the development of diverse epifaunal faunas, although most remained as infaunal forms in siliciclastic sediments. The end-Ordovician regression occasioned by the Hirnantian glaciation caused major extinction of those epifaunal forms restricted to the carbonate platforms. The Silurian faunas were cosmopolitan and the major evolutionary event was caused by the appearance of a Gondwanan cephalopod limestone facies that provided sites for epibyssate praecardiidinid bivalves (=Nepiomorphia) that evolved rapidly and were able to withstand short periods of anoxia.
The Baltoscandian margin detrital zircon signatures of the central Scandes
Authors: Gee David G. , Ladenberger Anna , Dahlqvist Peter , Majka Jarosław , Be'eri-Shlevin Yaron , Frei Dirk , Thomsen Tonny
Published: November 2013

In central parts of the Scandinavian Caledonides, detrital zircon signatures provide evidence of the change in character of the Baltoscandian crystalline basement, from the characteristic Late Palaeoproterozoic granites of the Transscandinavian Igneous Belt (TIB,
c.
1650–1850 Ma) in the foreland Autochthon to the typical, mainly Mesoproterozoic-age profile (
c.
950–1700 Ma) of the Sveconorwegian Orogen of southwestern Scandinavia in the hinterland. Late Ediacaran to Early Cambrian shallow-marine Vemdal quartzites of the Jämtlandian Nappes (Lower Allochthon) provide strong bimodal signatures with TIB (1700–1800 Ma) and Sveconorwegian,
sensu stricto
(900–1150 Ma) ages dominant. Mid-Ordovician turbidites (Norråker Formation) of the Lower Allochthon in Sweden, sourced from the west, have unimodal signatures dominated by Sveconorwegian ages with peaks at 1000–1100 Ma, but with subordinate components of older Mesoproterozoic zircons (1200–1650 Ma). Latest Ordovician shallow-marine quartzites also yield bimodal signatures, but are more dispersed than in the Vemdal quartzites. In the greenschist facies lower parts of the Middle Allochthon, the Fuda (Offerdal Nappe) and Särv Nappe signatures are either unimodal or bimodal (950–1100 and/or 1700–1850 Ma), with variable dominance of the younger or older group, and subordinate other Mesoproterozoic components. In the overlying, amphibolite to eclogite facies lower part of the Seve Nappe Complex, where the metasediments are dominated by feldspathic quartzites, calcsilicate-rich psammites and marbles, most units have bimodal signatures similar to the Särv Nappes, but more dispersed; one has a unimodal signature very similar to the Ordovician turbidites of the Jämtlandian Nappes. In the overlying Upper Allochthon, Lower Köli (Baltica-proximal, Virisen Terrane), Late Ordovician quartzites provide unimodal signatures dominated by Sveconorwegian ages (
sensu stricto
). Further north in the Scandes, previously published zircon signatures in quartzites of the Lower Allochthon are similar to the Vemdal quartzites in Jämtland. Data from the Kalak Nappes at 70°N are in no way exotic to the Sveconorwegian Baltoscandian margin. They do show a Timanian influence (ages of
c.
560–610 Ma), as would be expected from the palinspastic reconstructions of the nappes. Thus the detrital zircon signatures reported here and published elsewhere provide supporting evidence for a continuation northwards of the Sveconorwegian Orogen in the Neoproterozoic, from type areas in the south, along the Baltoscandian margin of Baltica into the high Arctic.

Supplementary material:

LA-ICP-MS U–Pb analyses are available at
http://www.geolsoc.org.uk/SUP18699
.
A kinematic model for the Grampian Orogeny, Scotland
Authors: Tanner P. W. G.
Published: November 2013

The NE–SW-trending Grampian Fold Belt has anomalous features that set it apart from other belts in the Caledonides. It consists mainly of polyphase-deformed (D1–D4) Neoproterozoic–early Ordovician rocks (Dalradian Supergroup), deposited in a basin that formed behind a microcontinent detached from Laurentia during Iapetus opening. Detailed cross-strike structural traverses through the D1/D2 Tay Nappe in the SW Highlands show that part of the Ligurian-type basin floor (Highland Border Complex) was obducted on to the Laurentian margin prior to orogenesis. On the top limb of the nappe, δ-porphyroclasts give a top-to-the-SE shear sense for the D1 stretching lineation, whereas D2 microlithons within a zone of non-coaxial strain on the lower limb indicate top-to-the-east. Subduction was initially orthogonal to the Belt but became oblique during D2. Synchroneity at
c.
470 Ma of deformation, regional metamorphism, magmatism, termination of sedimentation and formation of the Buchan Block was probably linked to subduction of the spreading ridge. The driving force was NW-directed Andean-type subduction of part of the basin floor, and later of the microcontinental margin. These events caused progressive, diachronous non-coaxial D1–D3 deformation of the hanging wall (Dalradian). Crustal thickening on the SE margin was balanced by thrusting on to the foreland.
Recent developments in product-focused software process improvement
Authors: Graziotin Daniel , Jedlitschka Andreas
Published: November 2013

This report summarizes the presentations and discussions that happened at PROFES 2013, the 14th International Conference on Product- Focused Software Process Improvement, which was held June 12-14, 2013 in Paphos, Cyprus. The main theme of PROFES is software process improvement (SPI) motivated by product, process, and service quality needs. PROFES 2013 addressed both quality engineering and management topics, divided into the areas of Decision Support in Software Engineering, Empirical Software Engineering, Managing Software Processes, Safety-Critical Software Engineering, Software Measurement, Software Process Improvement, and Software Maintenance.
Reliability prediction through system modeling
Authors: Singh Lalit Kumar , Vinod Gopika , Tripathi A. K.
Published: November 2013

Quantifying software reliability, such as performance and dependability, through stochastic behavior models (or labeled transition systems) is already a common practice in the software analysis community. However, those models are usually too fine grained to represent an accurate view of the software system by its stakeholders. Scenarios, on the other hand, are capable not only to describe the system traces as behavior models do but also depict very clearly the system components designed to provide the intended system behavior as well as to outline a high level architecture view of the system being described. In this paper, we introduce a case study of a safety critical computer based system that is running in an Indian Nuclear Power Plant. We define clear component interfaces, from which we analyze its software reliability.
Criticality analyzer and tester
Authors: Mala D. Jeya , Balamurugan S. , Nathan K. Sabari
Published: November 2013

Now a days, software industries satisfy users' needs through developing software. To satisfy their customers, the software developers need to identify the critical components that make serious impacts on users' requirements. Tracking critical components is an important and timeconsuming process. In this paper, we propose a novel approach, Criticality Analysis, which identifies the critical components of an application. The identified critical components are verified to ensure that they are failure-free using the intelligent search based optimization algorithm, Artificial Bee Colony.
Mobile Testing
Authors: Haller Klaus
Published: November 2013

Mobile apps are everywhere. Some apps entertain and others enable business transactions. Apps increasingly interact with complex IT landscapes. For example, a banking app on a mobile device acts as a front end that invokes services on a back-end server of the bank, which might contact even more servers. Mobile testing becomes crucial and challenging. This paper follows a user-centric testing approach. The app's architecture matters for testing, as does its user base and usage context. Addressing these factors ensures that test cases cover all relevant areas. Most apps need test automation for two reasons: agility and compatibly. Agile projects test frequently, such as every night, to detect bugs early. Compatibility tests ensure that an app runs on all relevant devices and operating system versions on the market. Thus, testers execute test scripts on many devices. This demands for a private device cloud and a mobile test automation framework. Swisscom IT Services followed this path, enabling us to address the major quality issues we identified for mobile apps: pre-usage failures (installation fails, app crashes during startup) and lack of basic regression testing (upgrades buggier than predecessor).
Engineering of requirements for a distributed teleteaching system
Authors: Dutta Animesh , Bhattacharjee Shrutilipi , Kanjilal Ananya , Dasgupta Ranjan , Bhattacharya Swapan
Published: November 2013

This work proposes a graph based requirement analysis approach and its verification methodology to address the challenges of requirements engineering in the context of a distributed teleteaching system. Requirements are generally expressed in natural language and in the absence or limited use of the requirements elicitation phase, verification of requirements and traceability of requirements to different artifacts of the subsequent phases becomes difficult. In this work we use i* diagrams, the well known standard for agent based requirements analysis. Then we propose Extended Means Ends Analysis (EMEA) with the addition of some new constructs. Next we define a transformation algorithm to derive a conceptual graph (CG) and propose a method for conceptual graph based requirements specification and its verification. A metrics based evaluation for performance measurement of the proposed method in terms of requirements traceability is presented.
Measurement of composite reliability in research using partial least squares
Authors: Aguirre-Urreta Miguel I. , Marakas George M , Ellis Michael E.
Published: November 2013

The accurate estimation of reliability is of great importance to the conduct and interpretation of empirical research as it is used to judge the quality of reported research, often plays a role in publication decisions, and is a key element of meta-analytic reviews. When employing partial least squares (PLS) as the method of analysis, the reliability of the composites involved in the model is typically the parameter examined. In this research, we describe the existence of three important issues concerning the accuracy of composite reliability estimation in PLS analysis: the assumption of equal indicator weights, the bias in loading estimates, and the lack of independence between indicator loadings and weights. We subsequently present an alternative approach to correct these issues. Using a Monte Carlo simulation we provide a demonstration of both the effects of these issues on research decisions and the improved accuracy of the alternative method.
Parallelism in Ada
Authors: Moore Brad , Michell Stephen , Pinho Luis Miguel
Published: November 2013

Parallel programming is expected to become more the norm as multi-core and many-core processors gain more widespread use. Ada has always had excellent concurrency support, but could be improved in the area of parallel programming. Specifically, divide and conquer parallelism via parallel loops and subprograms are difficult to write without some sort of library support. In this paper we describe a proposal that combines the use of task pools and parallelism managers to provide parallelism capabilities to real-time Ada applications, including Ravenscar applications. This work complements the syntax enhancements that we previously proposed, so that together they facilitate the writing of parallel applications.
The Australasian chapter of SIGCSE
Authors: Simon
Published: November 2013

Australasia has a number of different meanings; but generally, and in the case of the SIGCSE chapter, it refers to Australia and New Zealand. The idea of ACM chapters seems to be to bring together members from a particular locality, so that they can take advantage of their geographical proximity to meet and discuss matters of common interest. In the case of a national chapter --- or a bi-national chapter such as ours --- this idea is not particularly practical, and the chapter has to work to define its purpose. Since its formation in 2007, the Australasian chapter of SIGCSE has been reasonably successful in doing this.
An energy-efficient self-provisioning approach for cloud resources management
Authors: Chihi Hanen , Chainbi Walid , Ghedira Khaled
Published: November 2013

In recent years, energy conservation has become a major issue in information technology. Cloud computing is an emerging model for distributed utility computing and is being considered as an attractive opportunity for saving energy through central management of computational resources. Obviously, a substantial reduction in energy consumption can be made by powering down servers when they are not in use. This work presents a resources provisioning approach based on an unsupervised predictor model in the form of an unsupervised, recurrent neural network based on a self-organizing map. Another unique feature of our work is a resources administration strategy for energy saving in the cloud. Such a strategy is implemented as a selfadministration module. We show that the proposed approach gives promising results.
A review of energy measurement approaches
Authors: Noureddine Adel , Rouvoy Romain , Seinturier Lionel
Published: November 2013

Reducing the energy footprint of digital devices and software is a task challenging the research in Green IT. Researches have proposed approaches for energy management, ranging from reducing usage of software and hardware, compilators optimization, to server consolidation and software migration. However, optimizing the energy consumption requires knowledge of that said consumption. In particular, measuring the energy consumption of hardware and software is an important requirement for efficient energy strategies. In this review, we outline the different categories of approaches in energy measurements, and provide insights into example of each category. We draw recommendations from our review on requirements on how to efficiently measure energy consumption of devices and software.
Enhanced expression and activity of Nox2 and Nox4 in the macula densa in ANG II-induced hypertensive mice
Authors: Zhang Jie , Chandrashekar Kiran , Lu Yan , Duan Yanhua , Qu Phillip , Wei Jin , Juncos Luis A. , Liu Ruisheng
Published: November 2013

NAD(P)H oxidase (Nox)2 and Nox4 are the isoforms of Nox expressed in the macula densa (MD). MD-derived superoxide (O2−), primarily generated by Nox2, is enhanced by acute ANG II stimulation. However, the effects of chronic elevations in ANG II during ANG II-induced hypertension on MD-derived O2− are unknown. We infused a slow pressor dose of ANG II (600 ng·min−1·kg−1) for 2 wk in C57BL/6 mice and found that mean arterial pressure was elevated by 22.3 ± 3.4 mmHg ( P < 0.01). We measured O2− generation in isolated and perfused MDs and found that O2− generation by the MD was increased from 9.4 ± 0.9 U/min in control mice to 34.7 ± 1.8 U/min in ANG II-induced hypertensive mice ( P < 0.01). We stimulated MMDD1 cells, a MD-like cell line, with ANG II and found that O2− generation increased from 921 ± 91 to 3,687 ± 183 U·min−1·105 cells−1, which was inhibited with apocynin, oxypurinol, or NS-398 by 46%, 14%, and 12%, respectively. We isolated MD cells using laser capture microdissection and measured mRNA levels of Nox. Nox2 and Nox4 levels increased by 3.7 ± 0.17- and 2.6 ± 0.15-fold in ANG II-infused mice compared with control mice. In MMDD1 cells treated with Nox2 or Nox4 small interfering (si)RNAs, ANG II-stimulated O2− generation was blunted by 50% and 41%, respectively. In cells treated with p22 phox siRNA, ANG II-stimulated O2− generation was completely blocked. In conclusion, we found that a subpressor dose of ANG II enhances O2− generation in the MD and that the sources of this O2− are primarily Nox2 and Nox4.
Analysis of Moving Object Imaging from Compressively Sensed SAR Data in the Presence of Dictionary Mismatch
Authors: Khwaja Ahmed Shaharyar , Naeem Muhammad , Anpalagan Alagan
Published: November 2013

We present compressed sensing (CS) synthetic aperture radar (SAR) moving target imaging in the presence of dictionary mismatch. Unlike existing work on CS SAR moving target imaging, we analyze the sensitivity of the imaging process to the mismatch and present an iterative scheme to cope with dictionary mismatch. We analyze and investigate the effects of mismatch in range and azimuth positions, as well as range velocity. The analysis reveals that the reconstruction error increases with the mismatch and range velocity mismatch is the major cause of error. Instead of using traditional Laplacian prior (LP), we use Gaussian-Bernoulli prior (GBP) for CS SAR imaging mismatch. The results show that the performance of GBP is much better than LP. We also provide the Cramer-Rao Bounds (CRB) that demonstrate theoretically the lowering of mean square error between actual and reconstructed result by using the GBP. We show that a combination of an upsampled dictionary and the GBP for reconstruction can deal with position mismatch effectively. We further present an iterative scheme to deal with the range velocity mismatch. Numerical and simulation examples demonstrate the accuracy of the analysis as well as the effectiveness of the proposed upsampling and iterative scheme.
Cosmic Dark Radiation and Neutrinos
Authors: Archidiacono Maria , Giusarma Elena , Hannestad Steen , Mena Olga
Published: November 2013

New measurements of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) by the Planck mission have greatly increased our knowledge about the universe. Dark radiation, a weakly interacting component of radiation, is one of the important ingredients in our cosmological model which is testable by Planck and other observational probes. At the moment, the possible existence of dark radiation is an unsolved question. For instance, the discrepancy between the value of the Hubble constant,H0, inferred from the Planck data and local measurements ofH0can to some extent be alleviated by enlarging the minimalΛCDM model to include additional relativistic degrees of freedom. From a fundamental physics point of view, dark radiation is no less interesting. Indeed, it could well be one of the most accessible windows to physics beyond the standard model, for example, sterile neutrinos. Here, we review the most recent cosmological results including a complete investigation of the dark radiation sector in order to provide an overview of models that are still compatible with new cosmological observations. Furthermore, we update the cosmological constraints on neutrino physics and dark radiation properties focusing on tensions between data sets and degeneracies among parameters that can degrade our information or mimic the existence of extra species.
Tectonic Control on Drainage Network Evolution in the Upper Narmada Valley: Implication to Neotectonics
Authors: Kothyari Girish Ch. , Rastogi B. K.
Published: November 2013

Convergence of the Indian plate towards Eurasia is reflected in neotectonics along several zones throughout the Indian plate. Neotectonics of the upper Narmada river basin following one of the active Son-Narmada Fault (SNF central part) zones in central Peninsular India has been studied through tectonic geomorphometric parameters. The study area is 175 km wide and 400 km long valley and catchment area of upper Narmada river basin in Madhya Pradesh state. High resolution ASTER data indicates neotectonic features like sudden changes in drop of Narmada river floor at two locations around Jabalpur formed by conjugate normal faults. Cross profiles indicate uplift of the entire area by a few hundred meters south of the Son-Narmada south fault. Basin asymmetry parameter indicates northward shifting of the river course from middle of the basin due to uplift of the southern block.
Resilient Multipath Routing Mechanism Based on Clustering with Intrusion Tolerance
Authors: Zhang Shukui , Zuo Hongyan , Fan Jianxi , Jia Juncheng
Published: November 2013

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) integrate sensor technology, communication technology and information processing technology; it is a synthetic discipline. WSNs have been applied into almost all walks of life. However, in many special fields, network security is a basic and important factor which we must concern for. This paper introduces the key management scheme after analyzing the security threats of LEACH protocol. At the same time, we adopt several related mechanisms to protect the communication among the sensor nodes and the confidentiality of the data transmission. Also, we use the mixed multipath mechanism among the clusters to improve the security of the network and strengthen the intrusion tolerance.
Application of Finite Volume Method to Structural Stochastic Dynamics
Authors: Chen Weidong , Yu Yanchun , Jia Ping , Wu Xiande , Zhang Fengchao
Published: November 2013

The stochastic dynamic problems were becoming more difficult after considering the influences of stochastic factors and the complexity of the dynamic problems. To this background, the finite volume method combined with Perturbation Method was proposed for the stochastic dynamic analysis. The equations of perturbation-finite volume method were derived; the explicit expressions between random response and basic random variables were given; the method of stochastic dynamic analysis was discussed; and the examples were presented to verify the perturbation-finite volume method. The results of perturbation-finite volume method were compared with the results of Monte Carlo Method, which proved that the proposed method was correct and accurate. Because the proposed method was simple and clear, the equations were easy to establish and the efficiency was improved. Meanwhile, the proposed method was successfully applied to the stochastic dynamic analysis of linear multibody system, which was verified through the example in this paper.
Ecodesigning with CAD Features: Analysis and Proposals
Authors: Gaha Raoudha , Benamara Abdelmajid , Yannou Bernard
Published: November 2013

The integration of environmental aspects in design frameworks has become a necessity for manufacturers to maintain their market position. This is especially true in the Computer Aided Design (CAD) phase, which is the last phase in the design process. At this stage, more than 80% of choices have been made. However, the environmental impacts generated by the remaining choices are significant. Features Technology (FT), the core of the CAD phase, is used to integrate environmental aspects. This paper presents a literature review of different works based on FT to ecodesign products. First, we present an overview of features in CAD systems. Second, we present a critical review of works done on ecodesigning with features that we divide into two subsections: the first one concerns CAD-Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) integration (methodologies, prototype tools, and commercial tools), and the second one, works using FT in CAD phase to reduce the environmental impact of one life cycle stage such as material selection or manufacturing. Finally, we propose an approach based on FT for ecodesigning products to promote simple new ecodesign tools which will help the inexperienced designer.
Suitability of Cell-Based Label-Free Detection for Cytotoxicity Screening of Carbon Nanotubes
Authors: Meindl Claudia , Absenger Markus , Roblegg Eva , Fröhlich Eleonore
Published: November 2013

Cytotoxicity testing of nanoparticles (NPs) by conventional screening assays is often complicated by interference. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are particularly difficult to assess. To test the suitability of cell-based label-free techniques for this application, a panel of CNTs with different diameters and surface functionalizations was assessed by impedance-based technique (xCELLigenceRTCA) and automated microscopy (Cell-IQ) compared to formazan bioreduction (MTS assay). For validation of the label-free systems different concentrations of ethanol and of amine (AMI) polystyrene NPs were used. CNTs were evaluated in various cell lines, but only endothelial EAhy926 cells and L929 and V79 fibroblasts could be evaluated in all systems. Polystyrene particles obtained similar results in all assays. All systems identified thin (<8 nm) CNTs as more cytotoxic than thick (>20 nm) CNTs, but detection byxCELLigencesystem was less sensitive to CNT-induced cytotoxicity. Despite advantages, such as continuous monitoring and more detailed analysis of cytotoxic effects, label-free techniques cannot be generally recommended for cytotoxicity screening of NPs.
A Compact CPW-Fed UWB Antenna with Dual Band-Notched Characteristics
Authors: Wu Aiting , Guan Boran
Published: November 2013

A compact CPW-fed planar UWB antenna with dual band-notched property is presented. The dual band rejection is achieved by etching a C-shaped slot on the radiation patch and two L-shaped parasitic strips in the ground plane. The experimental and measured results show that the proposed antenna exhibits an impedance bandwidth over an ultrawideband frequency range from 2.4 to 12.5 GHz with VSWR less than 2, except for two stopbands at 3.3 to 3.75 GHz and 5.07 to 5.83 GHz for filtering the WiMAX and WLAN signals, respectively. It also demonstrates a nearly omnidirectional radiation pattern. The fabricated antenna has a tiny size, only 32 mm × 32 mm × 0.508 mm. The simulated results are compared with the measured performance and show good agreement. The simple structure, compact size, and good characteristics make the proposed antenna an excellent candidate for UWB applications.
Paraneoplastic Limbic Encephalitis Resembling Acute Herpetic Encephalitis
Authors: Markakis Ioannis , Papathanasiou Athanasios , Papageorgiou Ermioni , Siarkos Kostantinos , Gkekas Georgios
Published: November 2013

Introduction. Paraneoplastic limbic encephalitis (PLE) is a rare disorder that typically follows a chronic or subacute course of personality changes, memory loss, seizures, and hallucinations. Early diagnosis is difficult and characteristic symptoms can be mimicked by a variety of conditions. We present a case of PLE, initially presenting as acute herpetic encephalitis.Case Presentation. A 56-year-old male was admitted for evaluation of acute onset headache, fever, and confusion. On neurological examination he was confused with MMSE score of 15/30. CSF analysis revealed marked lymphocytic pleocytosis. A possible diagnosis of acute herpetic encephalitis was rendered and patient was treated with acyclovir. CSF PCR was negative. Cranial MRI revealed bilateral hyperintense lesions in medial temporal lobes with contrast enhancement. Despite treatment with acyclovir patient was deteriorated; thus, a paraneoplastic syndrome was suspected. Chest CT showed a right paratracheal lymph node mass, while a biopsy revealed neuroendocrine lung cancer. Auto antibodies to Hu were also detected. The patient was treated with steroids and chemotherapy. Six months later, he had complete tumour remission and marked neurological improvement.Discussion. PLE can rarely invade acutely, being indistinguishable from herpetic encephalitis. Inclusion of PLE in the differential diagnosis of acute encephalitis is of great clinical significance.
Design and Evaluation of Photo-Induced Biofeedback Fabric for the Enhancement in Sleeping Sense
Authors: Chu Wei-Cheng , Lin Hsin-Ju , Chiu Shu-Ping
Published: November 2013

Based on overcoming the sleeping obstacle for people, the purpose of this study is to design a photo-induced biofeedback fabric which is a kind of optical fiber fabric with the function of enhancing sleeping sense and to evaluate its effect. The fabrics with two layers including background layer and pattern layer were designed firstly. The pattern layers with 3 kinds of wavelengths of sine waves and the light controller with 3 kinds of flashing frequencies were then prepared. Guiding the light into the optical fiber, it will emit out of the optical fiber and stimulate our visual system to change the form of brain wave. Finally, EEG and sleeping scale were applied to evaluate the effect of enhancing sleeping sense. The results were shown that human’s brain wave can be changed from sober status to shallow-sleeping status and the effect of enhancing sleeping sense can be achieved for all pattern layers in frequencies of 0, 5 and 10 Hz. Furthermore, female is more significant than male and participants age from 30 to 49 are the most significant. Besides, the stronger the participant’s stress is, the more significant the sleeping sense is.
Calcifying Epithelial Odontogenic Tumor
Authors: Pereira Olavo Hoston Gonçalves , de Carvalho Laura Priscila Barboza , Lacerda Brasileiro Junior Vilson , de Figueiredo Cláudia Roberta Leite Vieira
Published: November 2013

The calcifying epithelial odontogenic tumor (CEOT) is a rare benign epithelial odontogenic neoplasm of slow growth that is locally aggressive and tends to invade bone and adjacent soft tissue. Here is reported the case of a 21-year-old female patient with a CEOT in the left mandibular posterior region. The computerized tomography in coronal plane revealed a hypodense lesion in the posterior region of the left mandibular body with hyperdense areas inside and was associated with element 37. An incisional biopsy of the lesion was performed and the histopathological analysis revealed the presence of layers of epithelial odontogenic cells that formed prominent intercellular bridges. A large quantity of extracellular, eosinophilic, and amyloid-like material and an occasional formation of concentric calcifications (Liesegang rings) were also found. The histopathological diagnosis was a Pindborg tumor. Resection of the tumor with a safety margin was performed and after 6 months of follow-up there has been no sign of recurrence of the lesion.
Measurement of Neutrino Oscillations with Neutrino Telescopes
Authors: Brunner Jürgen
Published: November 2013

IceCube and ANTARES are the world-largest neutrino telescopes. They are successfully taking data, producing a wealth of scientific results. Whereas their main goal is the detection of cosmic neutrinos with energies in the TeV-PeV range, both have demonstrated their capability to measure neutrino oscillations by studying atmospheric neutrinos with energies of 10–50 GeV. After recalling the methods of these measurements and the first published results of these searches, the potential of existing, and planned low-energy extensions of IceCube and KM3Net are discussed. These new detectors will be able to improve the knowledge of the atmospheric neutrino oscillation parameters, and in particular they might help to understand the neutrino mass hierarchy. Such studies, which use atmospheric neutrinos, could be complemented by measurements in a long-baseline neutrino beam, which is discussed as a long-term future option.
An Embedded Cloud Design for Internet-of-Things
Authors: Laukkarinen Teemu , Suhonen Jukka , Hännikäinen Marko
Published: November 2013

Internet-of-Things (IoT) consists of interconnected heterogeneous devices that ubiquitously interact with physical world. The devices are often resource constrained in terms of energy, computation, and communication resources. Distributing processing between these heterogeneous devices could yield to better performance and sharing, and extending resources of the devices could yield to more intelligent ubiquitous applications. Such a design can be called as “embedded cloud”, which is defined in this paper. An embedded cloud design is presented that consists of distributable Process Description Language (PDL), Distributed Middleware (DiMiWa), and an infrastructure. As a result, PDL can execute distributed processes and share resources as services over heterogeneous IoT devices with help of DiMiWa and the infrastructure. The design is evaluated with a prototype implementation, where PDL and DiMiWa are executed on a small 8-bit microcontroller-based IoT device. The implementation requires only 5122 B of program memory (4% of the available), consumes under 1 ms of CPU time per process in the worst case, and allows over 100 simultaneous services per device.
Stochastic Regularization and Eigenvalue Concentration Bounds for Singular Ensembles of Random Operators
Authors: Chulaevsky Victor
Published: November 2013

We propose a simple approach allowing reducing the eigenvalue
concentration analysis of a class of random operator ensembles with singular
probability distribution to the analysis of an auxiliary ensemble with bounded probability density. Our results apply to the Wegner- and
Minami-type estimates for single- and multiparticle operators.
Novel Mechanism of MDA-7/IL-24 Cancer-Specific Apoptosis through SARI Induction
Authors: Dash Rupesh , Bhoopathi Praveen , Das Swadesh K. , Sarkar Siddik , Emdad Luni , Dasgupta Santanu , Sarkar Devanand , Fisher Paul B.
Published: November 2013

Subtraction hybridization combined with induction of cancer cell terminal differentiation in human melanoma cells identified melanoma differentiation–associated gene-7/interleukin-24 (mda-7/IL-24) and SARI (suppressor of AP-1, induced by IFN) that display potent antitumor activity. These genes are not constitutively expressed in cancer cells and forced expression of mda-7/IL-24 (Ad.mda-7) or SARI (Ad.SARI) promotes cancer-specific cell death. Ectopic expression of mda-7/IL-24 induces SARI mRNA and protein in a panel of different cancer cells, leading to cell death, without harming corresponding normal cells. Simultaneous inhibition of K-ras downstream extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 signaling in pancreatic cancer cells reverses the translational block of MDA-7/IL-24 and induces SARI expression and cell death. Using SARI-antisense-based approaches, we demonstrate that SARI expression is necessary for mda-7/IL-24 antitumor effects. Secreted MDA-7/IL-24 protein induces antitumor “bystander” effects by promoting its own expression. Recombinant MDA-7/IL-24 (His-MDA-7) induces SARI expression, supporting the involvement of SARI in the MDA-7/IL-24-driven autocrine loop, culminating in antitumor effects. Moreover, His-MDA-7, after binding to its cognate receptors (IL-20R1/IL-20R2 or IL-22R/IL-20R2), induces intracellular signaling by phosphorylation of p38 MAPK, leading to transcription of a family of growth arrest and DNA damage inducible (GADD) genes, culminating in apoptosis. Inhibition of p38 MAPK fails to induce SARI following Ad.mda-7 infection. These findings reveal the significance of the mda-7/IL-24-SARI axis in cancer-specific killing and provide a potential strategy for treating both local and metastatic disease. Cancer Res; 74(2); 563–74. ©2013 AACR.
MM-141, an IGF-IR– and ErbB3-Directed Bispecific Antibody, Overcomes Network Adaptations That Limit Activity of IGF-IR Inhibitors
Authors: Fitzgerald Jonathan B. , Johnson Bryan W. , Baum Jason , Adams Sharlene , Iadevaia Sergio , Tang Jian , Rimkunas Victoria , Xu Lihui , Kohli Neeraj , Rennard Rachel , Razlog Maja , Jiao Yang , Harms Brian D. , Olivier Kenneth J. , Schoeberl Birgit , Nielsen Ulrik B. , Lugovskoy Alexey A.
Published: November 2013

Although inhibition of the insulin-like growth factor (IGF) signaling pathway was expected to eliminate a key resistance mechanism for EGF receptor (EGFR)-driven cancers, the effectiveness of IGF-I receptor (IGF-IR) inhibitors in clinical trials has been limited. A multiplicity of survival mechanisms are available to cancer cells. Both IGF-IR and the ErbB3 receptor activate the PI3K/AKT/mTOR axis, but ErbB3 has only recently been pursued as a therapeutic target. We show that coactivation of the ErbB3 pathway is prevalent in a majority of cell lines responsive to IGF ligands and antagonizes IGF-IR–mediated growth inhibition. Blockade of the redundant IGF-IR and ErbB3 survival pathways and downstream resistance mechanisms was achieved with MM-141, a tetravalent bispecific antibody antagonist of IGF-IR and ErbB3. MM-141 potency was superior to monospecific and combination antibody therapies and was insensitive to variation in the ratio of IGF-IR and ErbB3 receptors. MM-141 enhanced the biologic impact of receptor inhibition in vivo as a monotherapy and in combination with the mTOR inhibitor everolimus, gemcitabine, or docetaxel, through blockade of IGF-IR and ErbB3 signaling and prevention of PI3K/AKT/mTOR network adaptation. Mol Cancer Ther; 13(2); 410–25. ©2013 AACR.
Selective Inhibition of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Cell Growth by the Mitotic MPS1 Kinase Inhibitor NMS-P715
Authors: Slee Roger B. , Grimes Brenda R. , Bansal Ruchi , Gore Jesse , Blackburn Corinne , Brown Lyndsey , Gasaway Rachel , Jeong Jaesik , Victorino Jose , March Keith L. , Colombo Riccardo , Herbert Brittney-Shea , Korc Murray
Published: November 2013

Most solid tumors, including pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), exhibit structural and numerical chromosome instability (CIN). Although often implicated as a driver of tumor progression and drug resistance, CIN also reduces cell fitness and poses a vulnerability that can be exploited therapeutically. The spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) ensures correct chromosome-microtubule attachment, thereby minimizing chromosome segregation errors. Many tumors exhibit upregulation of SAC components such as MPS1, which may help contain CIN within survivable limits. Prior studies showed that MPS1 inhibition with the small molecule NMS-P715 limits tumor growth in xenograft models. In cancer cell lines, NMS-P715 causes cell death associated with impaired SAC function and increased chromosome missegregation. Although normal cells appeared more resistant, effects on stem cells, which are the dose-limiting toxicity of most chemotherapeutics, were not examined. Elevated expression of 70 genes (CIN70), including MPS1, provides a surrogate measure of CIN and predicts poor patient survival in multiple tumor types. Our new findings show that the degree of CIN70 upregulation varies considerably among PDAC tumors, with higher CIN70 gene expression predictive of poor outcome. We identified a 25 gene subset (PDAC CIN25) whose overexpression was most strongly correlated with poor survival and included MPS1. In vitro, growth of human and murine PDAC cells is inhibited by NMS-P715 treatment, whereas adipose-derived human mesenchymal stem cells are relatively resistant and maintain chromosome stability upon exposure to NMS-P715. These studies suggest that NMS-P715 could have a favorable therapeutic index and warrant further investigation of MPS1 inhibition as a new PDAC treatment strategy. Mol Cancer Ther; 13(2); 307–15. ©2013 AACR.