bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Assessment of the impact on time to complete medical record using an electronic medical record versus a paper record on emergency department patients: a study
Authors: Perry Jeffrey J , Sutherland Jane , Symington Cheryl , Dorland Katie , Mansour Marlene , Stiell Ian G
Published: August 2013

Background

Electronic medical records are becoming an integral part of healthcare delivery.

Objective

The goal of this study was to compare paper documentation versus electronic medical record for non-traumatic chest pain to determine differences in time for physicians to complete medical records using paper versus electronic mediums. We also assessed physician satisfaction with the electronic format.

Methods

We conducted this before-after study in a single large tertiary care academic emergency department. In the ‘Before Period’, stopwatches determined the time for paper medical recording. In the ‘After Period’, a template-based electronic medical record was introduced and the time for electronic recording was measured. The time to record in the before and after periods were compared using a two-sided t test. We surveyed physicians to assess satisfaction.

Results

We enrolled 100 non-traumatic patients with chest pain in the before period and 73 in the after period. The documentation time was longer using electronic charting, (9.6±5.9 min vs 6.1±2.5 min; p<0.001). 18 of 20 physicians participating in the after period completed surveys. Physicians were not satisfied with the electronic patient recording for non-traumatic chest pain.

Conclusions

This is the first study that we are aware of which compared paper versus electronic medical records in the emergency department. Electronic recording took longer than paper records. Physicians were not satisfied using this electronic record. Given the time pressures on emergency physicians, a solution to minimise the charting time using electronic medical records must be found before widespread uptake of electronic charting will be possible.
Fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP)-to-concrete joints anchored with FRP anchors: tests and experimental trends
Authors: Zhang Huawen , Smith Scott T.
Published: August 2013

This paper reports an investigation on the influence of anchors made from fibre-reinforced polymer (herein FRP anchors) when applied to FRP-to-concrete bonds. The experimental section of the paper consists of 44 tests on FRP-to-concrete joints of which 20 joints are unanchored controls and 24 joints are anchored with FRP anchors. The influence of plate width, plate thickness and plate elastic modulus are considered as these parameters have received little to no attention to date. An increase in plate width is shown to considerably enhance the joint strength although the influence of the anchor decreases. The other two test parameters are shown to be less influential. The analytical section of the paper involves regression modelling of components of a large test database on FRP-to-concrete joints anchored with FRP anchors compiled elsewhere by the authors. The models, which are calibrated in best-fit and design forms, allow experimental trends to be readily observed and quantified within the bounds of the experimental data for three influential parameters of plate length, angle of anchor insertion, and plate width. Finally, a combined regression model is proposed and it is evaluated with tests on FRP-to-concrete joints anchored with multiple anchors.
Ecological and genetic risks arising from reproductive interactions between wild and farmed Chinook salmon
Authors: Lehnert Sarah J. , Heath John W. , Heath Daniel D.
Published: August 2013

Escapes from aquaculture sites may threaten wild populations through ecological risks such as reproductive interference and genetic risks through successful hybridization. Mating studies examining wild–farmed interactions should quantify fertilization and reproductive success separately through genotyping of eggs and fry, respectively, to estimate ecological and genetic risks. We examined fertilization and reproductive success (fry survival to 158 and 201 days) of farmed (XY and XX males) and wild Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) males in competitive seminatural spawning channels with farmed females. XY and XX farmed males did not differ in fertilization and reproductive success. Farmed and wild males exhibited no difference in fertilization success; however, farmed males experienced significantly lower reproductive success relative to wild owing to differences in egg-to-fry survival because of competition with wild-sired offspring. Therefore, farmed males pose ecological risk to wild populations by removing reproductive opportunities from wild males, potentially reducing wild salmon productivity. However, low survival of farm-sired offspring will reduce further opportunities for interbreeding between wild and farm-raised fish. Nevertheless, research is needed to further quantify these genetic impacts.
FERMIONS VIA SPINOR-VALUED ONE-FORMS
Authors: TORRES-GOMEZ ALEXANDER , KRASNOV KIRILL
Published: August 2013

Spinor-valued one-forms (Rarita–Schwinger fields) are normally used in the context of supergravity, where they describe spin 3/2 particles (gravitinos). Indeed, when decomposed into irreducible representations of the Lorentz group such a field contains both a spin 1/2 and a spin 3/2 component, and the Rarita–Schwinger Lagrangian is designed to make only the spin 3/2 propagate. The opposite construction is also known to be possible. We propose and study a new simple spinor-valued one-form field Lagrangian that describes a propagating spin 1/2 particle.
LONG-RANGE INTERACTIONS IN THE HELICOIDAL DNA DYNAMICS
Authors: SAHA MIRABEAU , KOFANÉ TIMOLEON C.
Published: August 2013

In this paper, the comparison between power-law long-range interaction and Kac–Baker long-range interaction in the DNA molecule is investigated. This is done by employing an extended version of spin-like model of the DNA molecule with long-range interaction between intra-strand nucleotides and helicoidal coupling between inter-strand nucleotides when an RNA-polymerase binds to the DNA at biological temperature. Results show that LRIs have an undeniable effect on the DNA dynamics and that one is free to use either PLLRI or KBLRI to study DNA behaviors.
FPGA BASED OPC UA EMBEDDED INDUSTRIAL DATA SERVER IMPLEMENTATION
Authors: CUPEK RAFAL , ZIEBINSKI ADAM , FRANEK MACIEJ
Published: August 2013

Contemporary computer systems used in the industry are characterized by both an increase in the scale of supported industrial processes measured by the number of control devices and the increasing demand for information describing the underlying processes measured by the number of tags used in Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems and Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES). Classical industrial data servers based on the PC architecture are unreliable, expensive to operate and difficult to manage. The alternative is a new standard OPC UA communication interface that simplifies the communication protocol and increases the flexibility of the process data description which allow for the direct implementation of OPC UA servers in embedded devices. This paper presents an innovative approaches in the field of industrial data servers which are used for communication between control systems and SCADA or MES systems. The prototype industrial data server architecture has been implemented, run and tested on the platform of embedded system based on FPGA matrix with built-in FPGA Microblaze processor. The presented experimental results allow to evaluate the applicability of the proposed solution, the limits of the presented architecture and may be used for the improvement of the embedded industrial data servers' structure in subsequent implementations.
Preprocessing in Propositional Satisfiability Using Bounded (2, k)-Consistency on Regions with a Locally Difficult Constraint Setup
Authors: Surynek Pavel
Published: August 2013

A new type of partially global consistency derived from (2, k)-consistency called bounded (2, k)- consistency (B2C-consistency) is presented in this paper. It is designed for application in propositional satisfiability (SAT) as a building block for a preprocessing tool. Together with the new B2C-consistency a special mechanism for selecting regions of the input SAT instance with difficult constraint setup was also proposed. This mechanism is used to select suitable difficult sub-problems whose simplification through consistency can lead to a significant reduction in the effort needed to solve the instance. A new prototype preprocessing tool preprocessSIGMA which is based on the proposed techniques was implemented. As a proof of new concepts a competitive experimental evaluation on a set of relatively difficult SAT instances was conducted. It showed that our prototype preprocessor is competitive with respect to the existent preprocessing tools LiVer, NiVer, HyPre, blocked clause elimination (BCE), and Shatter with saucy 3.0.
THE CAPTURE OF NEGATIVE MUON BY HYDROGEN ATOMS IN EXCITED STATES USING THE TWO-STATE APPROXIMATION
Authors: REZAEI B. , JESRI S.
Published: August 2013

Muonic atoms formation in excited states is investigated. Using the two-state approximation (TSA), differential cross-sections for charge-transfer reaction as a(1s)+μ-(a = H, D, T) collisions are calculated in the energy range from 0.001 eV to 1 eV . Our results indicate that the distribution of the principal quantum number n for captured muons has a peak around n = 14. It is also shown that the dependence of the differential cross-section on l diminishes with increase of energy. The results are in agreement with other calculations.
Developing a Specific Knowledge Transfer Framework for Creating Knowledge Resources in the Area of Special Education
Authors: He Wu
Published: August 2013

There is a lack of discussion and case studies about the adoption and use of knowledge management (KM) in special education in literature. This paper applies the concept of KM to special education and develops a specific knowledge transfer framework of creating online knowledge resources for special education. The results from two special education projects are described to demonstrate the value of the developed framework. This paper provides concrete evidences to increase the awareness of the role and value of KM in the special education field.
MAXIMIZING GENUINE MULTIPARTITE ENTANGLEMENT OF N MIXED QUBITS
Authors: AGARWAL SHANTANU , HASHEMI RAFSANJANI SEYED MOHAMMAD
Published: August 2013

Beyond the simplest case of bipartite qubits, the composite Hilbert space of multipartite systems is largely unexplored. In order to explore such systems, it is important to derive analytic expressions for parameters which characterize the system's state space. Two such parameters are the degree of genuine multipartite entanglement and the degree of mixedness of the system's state. We explore these two parameters for an N-qubit system whose density matrix has an X form. We derive the class of states that has the maximum amount of genuine multipartite entanglement for a given amount of mixedness. We compare our results with the existing results for the N = 2 case. The critical amount of mixedness above which no N-qubit X-state possesses genuine multipartite entanglement is derived. It is found that as N increases, states with higher mixedness can still be entangled.
INFLUENCE OF WEATHER ON TEMPORARY AND PERMANENT MIGRATION IN RURAL INDIA
Authors: KAVI KUMAR K. S. , VISWANATHAN BRINDA
Published: August 2013

While a wide range of factors influence rural–rural and rural–urban migration in developing countries, there is significant interest in analyzing the role of agricultural distress and growing inter-regional differences in fueling such movement. This strand of research acquires importance in the context of climate change adaptation. In the Indian context, this analysis gets further complicated due to the significant presence of temporary migration. This paper analyzes how weather and its variability affects both temporary and permanent migration in India using National Sample Survey data for the year 2007–2008. The paper finds that almost all of the rural–urban migrants are permanent. Only temperature plays a role in permanent migration. In contrast, many temporary migrants are rural–rural and both temperature and rainfall explain temporary migration.
An Unusual Granular Cell Tumour of the Buttock and a Review of Granular Cell Tumours
Authors: Paul Sharad P. , Osipov Vladimir
Published: August 2013

Granular cell tumours, first described by Abrikossoff in 1926, are known to occur in skin, connective tissue, breast, gastrointestinal and genital tracts. While they are rare, they are more common in people of African descent and show a slight female preponderance, usually presenting as solitary and painless masses. Less than 10% of occurrences are multiple, and fewer than 3% of tumours behave in a malignant fashion. The mean age, at presentation, is 40–60 years. We report a case of granular cell tumour in a young white male presenting with a painful soft tissue tumour in his buttock. The presentation is unusual because of the age, patient demographic, body site, and clinical presentation. The clinical and histological aspects are reviewed in the context of this clinical case and the associated literature.
Position-Specific Analysis and Prediction of Protein Pupylation Sites Based on Multiple Features
Authors: Zhao Xiaowei , Dai Jiangyan , Ning Qiao , Ma Zhiqiang , Yin Minghao , Sun Pingping
Published: August 2013

Pupylation is one of the most important posttranslational modifications of proteins; accurate identification of pupylation sites will facilitate the understanding of the molecular mechanism of pupylation. Besides the conventional experimental approaches, computational prediction of pupylation sites is much desirable for their convenience and fast speed. In this study, we developed a novel predictor to predict the pupylation sites. First, the maximum relevance minimum redundancy (mRMR) and incremental feature selection methods were made on five kinds of features to select the optimal feature set. Then the prediction model was built based on the optimal feature set with the assistant of the support vector machine algorithm. As a result, the overall jackknife success rate by the new predictor on a newly constructed benchmark dataset was 0.764, and the Mathews correlation coefficient was 0.522, indicating a good prediction. Feature analysis showed that all features types contributed to the prediction of protein pupylation sites. Further site-specific features analysis revealed that the features of sites surrounding the central lysine contributed more to the determination of pupylation sites than the other sites.
Fabrication of Aluminium Nanowires by Differential Pressure Injection
Authors: Hashoosh A. , Hirshy H. , Brousseau E. B. , Moosa A.
Published: August 2013

The reported study aims to demonstrate the application of a simple technique, which is referred to as pressure differential injection, to prepare metallic nanowires. This technique relies on the difference in pressure between the inside of sealed nanochannels of an anodic aluminium oxide (AAO) substrate and the ambient atmosphere to inject a molten metal, which is previously deposited on the substrate, into the AAO pores. The application of this technique enabled the fabrication of nanowires in aluminium with diameters comprised between 55 nm and 65 nm.
Scientific Evaluation of Edible Fruits and Spices Used for the Treatment of Peptic Ulcer in Traditional Iranian Medicine
Authors: Farzaei Mohammad Hosein , Shams-Ardekani Mohammad Reza , Abbasabadi Zahra , Rahimi Roja
Published: August 2013

In traditional Iranian medicine (TIM), several edible fruits and spices are thought to have protective and healing effects on peptic ulcer (PU). The present study was conducted to verify anti-PU activity of these remedies. For this purpose, edible fruits and spices proposed for the management of PU in TIM were collected from TIM sources, and they were searched in modern medical databases to find studies that confirmed their efficacy. Findings from modern investigations support the claims of TIM about the efficacy of many fruits and spices in PU. The fruit of Phyllanthus emblica as a beneficial remedy for PU in TIM has been demonstrated to have antioxidant, wound healing, angiogenic, anti-H. pylori, cytoprotective, antisecretory, and anti-inflammatory properties. The fruit of Vitis vinifera has been found to be anti-H. pylori, anti-inflammatory, wound healing, angiogenic, cytoprotective, and antioxidant. The fruit and aril of seed from Myristica fragrans exert their beneficial effects in PU by increasing prostaglandin, modulation of nitric oxide and inflammatory mediators, wound healing, antisecretory, antacid, antioxidant, and anti-H. pylori activities, and improving angiogenesis. Pharmacological and clinical studies for evaluation of efficacy of all TIM fruits and spices in PU and their possible mechanisms of action are recommended.
Autonomous Planning of Multigravity-Assist Trajectories with Deep Space Maneuvers Using a Differential Evolution Approach
Authors: Abdelkhalik Ossama
Published: August 2013

The biologically inspired concept of hidden genes has been recently introduced in genetic algorithms to solve optimization problems where the number of design variables is variable. In multigravity-assist trajectories, the hidden genes genetic algorithms demonstrated success in searching for the optimal number of swing-bys and the optimal number of deep space maneuvers. Previous investigations in the literature for multigravity-assist trajectory planning problems show that the standard differential evolution is more effective than the standard genetic algorithms. This paper extends the concept of hidden genes to differential evolution. The hidden genes differential evolution is implemented in optimizing multigravity-assist space trajectories. Case studies are conducted, and comparisons to the hidden genes genetic algorithms are presented in this paper.
Adsorption of Hg(II) from Aqueous Solution Using Adulsa (Justicia adhatoda) Leaves Powder: Kinetic and Equilibrium Studies
Authors: Aslam Mohd , Rais Sumbul , Alam Masood , Pugazhendi Arulazhagan
Published: August 2013

The ability of Adulsa leaves powder (ALP) to adsorb Hg(II) from aqueous solutions has been investigated through batch experiments. The ALP biomass was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The experimental parameters that were investigated in this study included pH, adsorbent dosage, and effect of contact time along with initial metal ion concentration. The adsorption process was relatively fast, and equilibrium was achieved after 40 min of contact time. The maximum removal of Hg(II), 97.5% was observed at pH 6. The adsorption data were correlated with Langmuir, Freundlich, and Temkin isotherms. Isotherms results were amply fitted by the Langmuir model determining a monolayer maximum adsorption capacity (qm) of ALP biomass equal to 107.5 mg g−1 and suggesting a functional group‐limited sorption process. The kinetic process of Hg(II) adsorption onto ALP biomass was tested by applying pseudofirst‐order, pseudosecond‐order, Elovich, and intraparticle‐diffusion models to correlate the experimental data and to determine the kinetic parameters. It was found that the pseudosecond order kinetic model for Hg(II) adsorption fitted very well. The rate determining step is described by intraparticle diffusion model. These studies considered the possibility of using Adulsa plant leaves biomass as an inexpensive, efficient, and environmentally safe adsorbent for the treatment of Hg(II) contaminated wastewaters.
Ex VivoRestimulation of Human PBMC Expands aCD3+CD4-CD8-γδ+T Cell Population That Can Confound the Evaluation of CD4 and CD8 T Cell Responses to Vaccination
Authors: Sedgmen B. J. , Papalia L. , Wang L. , Dyson A. R. , McCallum H. A. , Simson C. M. , Pearse M. J. , Maraskovsky E. , Hung D. , Eomois P. P. , Hartel G. , Barnden M. J. , Rockman S. P.
Published: August 2013

The measurement of vaccine-induced humoral andCD4+andCD8+cellular immune responses represents an important correlate of vaccine efficacy. Accurate and reliable assays evaluating such responses are therefore critical during the clinical development phase of vaccines. T cells play a pivotal role both in coordinating the adaptive and innate immune responses and as effectors. During the assessment of cell-mediated immunity (CMI) in subjects participating in a large-scale influenza vaccine trial, we identified the expansion of an IFN-γ-producingCD3+CD4-CD8-γδ+T cell population in the peripheral blood of 90/610 (15%) healthy subjects. The appearance ofCD3+CD4-CD8-γδ+T cells in the blood of subjects was transient and found to be independent of the study cohort, vaccine group, subject gender and ethnicity, andex vivorestimulation conditions. Although the function of this population and relevance to vaccination are unclear, their inclusion in the total vaccine-specific T-cell response has the potential to confound data interpretation. It is thus recommended that when evaluating the induction of IFN-γ-producingCD4+andCD8+immune responses following vaccination, theCD3+CD4-CD8-γδ+T cells are either excluded or separately enumerated from the overall frequency determination.
Diagnostic Genetics at a Distance: Von Hippel-Lindau Disease and a Novel Mutation
Authors: Brookes Clare , Prosser Debra O. , Love Jennifer M. , Gardner R. J. McKinlay , Love Donald R.
Published: August 2013

Genetic testing at a distance is commonplace where members of a family with a segregating germline mutation are geographically separated. For the most part, this challenge is addressed through the intervention of health professionals in taking and/or processing blood samples for subsequent couriering of DNA to a referral laboratory. In some circumstances, however, the collecting of pivotal clinical material may involve direct patient involvement. We describe such a situation where noninvasive saliva samples were provided by members of a family manifesting Von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease. The analysis identified a novel mutation in the VHL gene that was used to exclude other family members as being at risk of VHL disease.
The Impact of Hepatic Steatosis on Hepatic Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury in Experimental Studies: A Systematic Review
Authors: Chu Michael J. J. , Hickey Anthony J. R. , Phillips Anthony R. J. , Bartlett Adam S. J. R.
Published: August 2013

Background. The impact of hepatic steatosis on outcome following hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) remains controversial with conflicting clinical results. A number of experimental studies have been published examining the relationship between hepatic steatosis and IRI. This systematic review evaluates these experimental studies.Methods. An electronic search of the Medline and Embase databases (January 1946 to June 2012) was performed to identify studies that reported relevant outcomes in animal models of hepatic steatosis subjected to IRI.Results. A total of 1314 articles were identified, of which 33 met the predefined criteria and were included in the study. There was large variation in the type of animal model, duration, and type of IRI and reporting of histological findings. Increased macrovesicular steatosis (>30%) was associated with increased histological damage, liver function derangement, and reduced survival. Increased duration of warm or cold ischemia had a negative impact on all outcomes measured. Microvesicular steatosis did not influence outcome.Conclusions. Findings from this systemic review support the hypothesis that livers with >30% macrovesicular steatosis are less tolerant of IRI. Clinically, it is likely that these findings are applicable to patients undergoing hepatic resection, but further studies are required to confirm these data.
Fixed Point Results of Locally Contractive Mappings in Ordered Quasi‐Partial Metric Spaces
Authors: Shoaib Abdullah , Arshad Muhammad , Ahmad Jamshaid
Published: August 2013

Fixed point results for a self‐map satisfying locally contractive conditions on a closed ball in an ordered 0‐complete quasi‐partial metric space have
been established. Instead of monotone mapping, the notion of dominated mappings is applied. We have used weaker metric, weaker contractive conditions, and
weaker restrictions to obtain unique fixed points. An example is given which shows that how this result can be used when the corresponding results cannot. Our results generalize, extend, and improve several well‐known conventional results.
Vulva Fibroadenoma Associated with Lactating Adenoma in a 26-Year-Old Nigerian Female
Authors: Anunobi C. C. , Obiajulu F. J. N. , Banjo A. A. F. , Okonkwo A. O. E.
Published: August 2013

Background. Vulva lactating adenoma is rare and may be misdiagnosed as adenocarcinoma in frozen section and aspiration cytology if breast tissue is not anticipated.Objective. To raise the awareness of lactating vulva ectopic breast lesion among clinicians and pathologists.Case Report. We present a case of vulva fibroadenoma associated with lactating adenoma in a 26-year-old Nigerian female.Conclusion. The rarity of vulva ectopic breast tissue can present a diagnostic challenge for both the clinician and the anatomical pathologist. Once excisional biopsy is done and the lesion confirmed histologically, the anxious patient can be reassured.
Initial Dose of Three Monthly Intravitreal Injections versus PRN Intravitreal Injections of Bevacizumab for Macular Edema Secondary to Branch Retinal Vein Occlusion
Authors: Ahn Seong Joon , Ahn Jeeyun , Woo Se Joon , Park Kyu Hyung
Published: August 2013

Purpose. To compare visual and anatomic outcomes of intravitreal bevacizumab injections administered as needed (PRN group) and initial treatment with 3 monthly injections followed by as-needed injections (3 monthly initial dose group) in patients with macular edema (ME) secondary to branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO).Methods. This retrospective study included 69 and 26 patients in the PRN and 3 monthly initial dose groups, respectively. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and central retinal thickness (CRT) were compared between the 2 groups 6 months after initial injection.Results. At month 6, BCVA change from baseline was-0.27±0.28(mean ± standard deviation) logMAR in the PRN group and-0.28±0.20 logMAR in the 3 monthly initial dose group. Mean CRT changes were-204±168in the PRN group and-161±149 μm in the 3 monthly initial dose group at month 6. There were no statistically significant differences in BCVA or CRT changes between groups at any time point. The number of intravitreal injections over 6 months was significantly lower in the PRN group (1.8±0.8injections) than in the 3 monthly initial dose group (3.4±0.5injections;P<0.001).Conclusions. Our results suggest that as-needed intravitreal bevacizumab injections are more tolerable for patients with ME secondary to BRVO.
Magnetic Behavior of Natural Fe2O3 from Lhoong Iron Ore Mining Area, Aceh Province, Indonesia
Authors: Rahwanto Adi , Yahya Mustanir , Jalil Zulkarnain
Published: August 2013

The mineral composition and magnetic behavior of nano-Fe2O3 of iron ore from Lhoong mining area, Aceh province, were studied. The iron ore was prepared by mechanical milling method. The mineral and chemical compositions of samples were investigated by XRD and XRF analysis tests. The XRF test showed that the Lhoong iron ore contains Fe2O3 (93.88%) in association with other isomorphous impurities, such as SiO2, MnO, and Al2O3, in varying proportions. Compared to XRD results, it was consistent with XRF; the phase compositions of iron ore were mainly hematite (Fe2O3). The XRD revealed that hematite was the major mineral component in the Lhoong iron ores. SEM observation showed fine crystalline structure of Lhoong iron ore after the milling process. The main mineral morphology was microcrystalline in agglomerate forms. The magnetic properties of the samples after milling showed the increasing in the remanent (Br) and coercivity (Hc). This increasing can be explained that nano-Fe2O3 phase after milling for 20 hours plays an important role in the magnetic behavior of Lhoong iron ore. It is understood that the longer milling time is sufficient to complete the transformation of hematite (Fe2O3) to magnetite (Fe3O4).
Solid‐State Synthesis, Characterization, and Biological Activity of the Bioinorganic Complex of Aspartic Acid and Arsenic Triiodide
Authors: Zhong Guo-Qing , Zhong Wen-Wei , Jia Rong-Rong , Jia Yu-Qing
Published: August 2013

The bioinorganic complex of aspartic acid and arsenic triiodide was synthesized by a solid‐state reaction at room temperature. The formula of the complex is AsI3[HOOCCH2CH(NH2)COOH]2.5. The crystal structure of the complex belongs to monoclinic system with lattice parameters: a = 1.0019 nm, b = 1.5118 nm, c = 2.1971 nm, and β = 100.28°. The infrared spectra can demonstrate the complex formation between the arsenic ion and aspartic acid, and the complex may be a dimer with bridge structure. The result of primary biological test indicates that the complex possesses better biological activity for the HL‐60 cells of the leukemia than arsenic triiodide.
Drug Resistance among Pulmonary Tuberculosis Patients in Calabar, Nigeria
Authors: Otu Akaninyene , Umoh Victor , Habib Abdulrazak , Ameh Soter , Lawson Lovett , Ansa Victor
Published: August 2013

Background. This study aimed to determine the pattern of drug susceptibility to first-line drugs among pulmonary TB patients in two hospitals in Calabar, Nigeria.Methods. This was a descriptive cross-sectional study carried out between February 2011 and April 2012. Sputum samples from consecutive TB patients in Calabar were subjected to culture on Lowenstein-Jensen (LJ) slopes followed by drug susceptibility testing (DST). The DST was performed on LJ medium by the proportion method.Results. Forty-two of the 100Mycobacterium tuberculosisstrains were found to be resistant to at least one drug. Resistance to only one drug (monoresistance) was found in 17 patients. No strains with monoresistance to rifampicin were found. Resistance to two drugs was found in 22 patients, while one patient was resistant to both three and four drugs. MDR TB was seen in 4% (4/100). The independent variables of HIV serology and sex were not significantly associated with resistance (P>0.05).Conclusion. There was a high prevalence of anti-TB drug resistance in Calabar.
Effects of Ion Beam Irradiation on NanoscaleInOxCooper-Pair Insulators
Authors: Milosavljević Srdjan , Lazarević Djordje , Stanković Koviljka , Pejović Milić , Vujisić Miloš
Published: August 2013

This paper examines the effects of irradiating indium oxide films of nanoscale thickness by ion beams, when these films are in the Cooper-pair insulator state. Radiation effects are predicted on the basis of Monte Carlo simulations of ion transport. Results of numerical experiments are interpreted within the theoretical model of a Cooper-pair insulator. The study suggests that radiation-induced changes inInOxfilms exposed to ion beams could significantly alter their current-voltage characteristics and that a transition to a metallic state is possible, due to radiation-induced perturbation of the fine-tuned granular structure. Furthermore, incident and displaced ions can break up enough Cooper pairs inInOxfilms to cause dissolution of this specific insulating state.
Occurrence and Assessment of Chemical Contaminants in Drinking Water in Tunceli, Turkey
Authors: Demir Veysel , Ergin Sezai
Published: August 2013

The objective of this study was to analyze drinking water samples from 21 sites in the city center and seven municipalities of Tunceli, Turkey, in order to determine the presence of nitrate, nitrite, fluoride, bromate, pesticides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), trihalomethanes (THMs), and some other chemicals. In all locations, the concentrations of chemicals investigated were below the permissible limits set by local and international organizations for drinking water. Low levels of nitrate (4.79 ± 4.20 mg/L), fluoride (0.11 ± 0.08 mg/L), and THMs (6.63 ± 5.14 μg/L) were detected in all locations. A low level of tetra, chloroethane, which is suspected to be a human carcinogen, was also detected in 8 locations in the range of 0.26–0.43 μg/L. These contaminants may pose adverse health effects or minimum hazard due to long‐term exposure. In all locations, bromate, benzene, total PAH, 1‐2 dichloroethane, vinyl chloride, acrylamide, and epichloridine levels in drinking water samples were under detection limits.
Rehabilitation after ACL Injury: A Fluoroscopic Study on the Effects of Type of Exercise on the Knee Sagittal Plane Arthrokinematics
Authors: Norouzi Sadegh , Esfandiarpour Fateme , Shakourirad Ali , Salehi Reza , Akbar Mohammad , Farahmand Farzam
Published: August 2013

A safe rehabilitation exercise for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries needs to be compatible with the normal knee arthrokinematics to avoid abnormal loading on the joint structures. The objective of this study was to measure the amount of the anterior tibial translation (ATT) of the ACL-deficient knees during selective open and closed kinetic chain exercises. The intact and injured knees of fourteen male subjects with unilateral ACL injury were imaged using uniplanar fluoroscopy, while the subjects performed forward lunge and unloaded/loaded open kinetic knee extension exercises. The ATTs were measured from fluoroscopic images, as the distance between the tibial and femoral reference points, at seven knee flexion angles, from 0° to 90°. No significant differences were found between the ATTs of the ACL-deficient and intact knees at all flexion angles during forward lunge and unloaded open kinetic knee extension (). During loaded open kinetic knee extension, however, the ATTs of the ACL deficient knees were significantly larger than those of the intact knees at 0° (). It was suggested that the forward lunge, as a weight-bearing closed kinetic chain exercise, provides a safer approach for developing muscle strength and functional stability in rehabilitation program of ACL-deficient knees, in comparison with open kinetic knee extension exercise.
Bronchial and Nonbronchial Systemic Artery Embolization in Management of Hemoptysis: Experience with 348 Patients
Authors: Agmy Gamal M. , Wafy Safaa M. , Mohamed Sherif A. A. , Gad Yaser A. , Mustafa Hisham , Abd El-Aziz Abd El-Salam
Published: August 2013

Background. We aimed to report our experience with bronchial artery embolization (BAE) in the management of moderate recurrent and/or life-threatening hemoptysis. Methods. We evaluated the demographics, clinical presentation, radiographic studies, short- and long-term efficacy, and complications in patients Who underwent BAE, at a tertiary university hospital, from 2003 to 2012. Results. Three hundred forty-one patients underwent BAE for the management of moderate recurrent or life-threatening hemoptysis. Pulmonary TB and bronchiectasis were the most common etiologies for hemoptysis in our locality. The most common angiographic signs for hemoptysis were hypervascularity and systemic-pulmonary artery shunt. BAE was successful in controlling hemoptysis immediately in 95% of patients and at 1 month in 90% of patients. Recurrence of hemoptysis was observed in 9.6% of patients, and reembolization was indicated in 85% of those cases. Complications of BAE were self-limited acute and subacute complications, while chronic complications were not recorded during this study. Conclusions. TB and bronchiectasis are the commonest etiologies for moderate recurrent or life-threatening hemoptysis in our locality. Hypervascular lesions from the bronchial arteries and nonbronchial systemic arteries represented the major vascular abnormalities. Bronchial and nonbronchial systemic artery embolizations were effective to control both acute and chronic hemoptyses, with no serious complications.
Ultrasound as a Tool to Assess Body Fat
Authors: Wagner Dale R.
Published: August 2013

Ultrasound has been used effectively to assess body fat for nearly 5 decades, yet this method is not known as well as many other body composition techniques. The purpose of this review is to explain the technical principles of the ultrasound method, explain the procedures for taking a measurement and interpreting the results, evaluate the reliability and validity of this method for measuring subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissue, highlight the advantages and limitations of ultrasound relative to other body composition methods, consider its utility to clinical populations, and introduce new body composition-specific ultrasound technology. The focus of this review is adipose, although various tissue thicknesses (e.g., muscle and bone) can be measured with ultrasound. Being a portable imaging device that is capable of making fast regional estimates of body composition, ultrasound is an attractive assessment tool in instances when other methods are limited. Furthermore, much of the research suggests that it is reliable, reproducible, and accurate. The biggest limitations appear to be a lack of standardization for the measurement technique and results that are highly dependent on operator proficiency. New ultrasound devices and accompanying software designed specifically for the purpose of body composition assessment might help to minimize these limitations.
Novel Surgical Treatment for Refractory Heel Ulcers in Werner’s Syndrome
Authors: Oe Keisuke , Miwa Masahiko , Sakai Yoshitada , Kurosaka Masahiro
Published: August 2013

Patients with Werner’s syndrome frequently develop chronic leg ulcers that heal poorly. We present a patient who suffered from this rare syndrome and developed typical heel ulcers. Treatment of the ulcer is challenging, as flap options are limited over the lower third of the leg and skin grafting is not easy as there is a lack of healthy granulations. We successfully treated the ulcer with osteomyelitis by drilling the bone and applying an ultrathin split thickness skin graft with the thigh skin as the donor site.
Assessment of Endothelial Dysfunction: The Role of Symmetrical Dimethylarginine and Proinflammatory Markers in Chronic Kidney Disease and Renal Transplant Recipients
Authors: Memon Lidija , Spasojevic-Kalimanovska Vesna , Bogavac-Stanojevic Natasa , Kotur-Stevuljevic Jelena , Simic-Ogrizovic Sanja , Giga Vojislav , Dopsaj Violeta , Jelic-Ivanovic Zorana , Spasic Slavica
Published: August 2013

Objectives. The study was designed to evaluate associations between symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA), inflammation, and superoxide anion (O2∙-) with endothelial function and to determine their potential for screening of endothelial dysfunction in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and renal transplant (RT) recipients.Materials and Methods. We included 64 CKD and 52 RT patients. Patients were stratified according to brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD).Results. Logistic regression analysis showed that high SDMA and high sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) were associated with impaired FMD in CKD and RT patients, after adjustment for glomerular filtration rate. The ability of inflammation, SDMA, andO2∙-to detect impaired FMD was investigated by receiving operative characteristic analysis. Hs-CRP (area under the curves (AUC) = 0.754,P<0.001), IL-6 (AUC = 0.699,P=0.002), and SDMA (AUC = 0.689,P=0.007) had the highest ability to detect impaired FMD. SDMA in combination with inflammatory parameters and/orO2∙-had better screening performance than SDMA alone.Conclusions. Our results indicate a strong predictable association between hs-CRP, SDMA, and endothelial dysfunction in CKD patients and RT recipients. The individual marker that showed the strongest discriminative ability for endothelial dysfunction is hs-CRP, but its usefulness as a discriminatory marker for efficient diagnosis of endothelial dysfunction should be examined in prospective studies.
Some Results on Strict Graded Categorical Groups
Authors: Tien Quang Nguyen , Thi Kim Phung Che
Published: August 2013

We present some applications of strict graded categorical groups to the construction of the obstruction of an equivariant kernel and to the classification of equivariant group extensions which are central ones. The composition of a graded categorical group and an equivariant group homomorphism is also determined.
Performance Evaluation of Concurrent Multipath Video Streaming in Multihomed Mobile Networks
Authors: Nightingale James , Wang Qi , Grecos Christos
Published: August 2013

High-quality real-time video streaming to users in mobile networks is challenging due to the dynamically changing nature of the network paths, particularly the limited bandwidth and varying end-to-end delay. In this paper, we empirically investigate the performance of multipath streaming in the context of multihomed mobile networks. Existing schemes that make use of the aggregated bandwidth of multiple paths can overcome bandwidth limitations on a single path but suffer an efficiency penalty caused by retransmission of lost packets in reliable transport schemes or path switching overheads in unreliable transport schemes. This work focuses on the evaluation of schemes to permit concurrent use of multiple paths to deliver video streams. A comprehensive streaming framework for concurrent multipath video streaming is proposed and experimentally evaluated, using current state-of-the-art H.264 Scalable Video Coding (H.264/SVC) and the next generation High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) standards. It provides a valuable insight into the benefit of using such schemes in conjunction with encoder specific packet prioritisation mechanisms for quality-aware packet scheduling and scalable streaming. The remaining obstacles to deployment of concurrent multipath schemes are identified, and the challenges in realising HEVC based concurrent multipath streaming are highlighted.
Muscle Relaxant and Sedative‐Hypnotic Activities of Extract of Viola betonicifolia in Animal Models Supported by Its Isolated Compound, 4‐Hydroxy Coumarin
Authors: Muhammad Naveed , Saeed Mohammad , Khan Haroon , Adhikari Achyut , Khan Khalid Mohammed
Published: August 2013

The crude methanolic extract of the whole plant of Viola betonicifolia (VBME) was investigated for anxiolytic, muscle relaxant, sleep induction, antidepressant, and sedative activities) to ascertain its scientific values. VBME showed a significant (P < 0.05) dose dependent anxiolytic action in staircase test. In muscle relaxant paradigms, a dose dependent muscle relaxation was observed. For phenobarbitone sleep induction test, VBME notably (P < 0.05) reduced the latency time and increased total sleeping duration. Our tested extract was found free of any antidepressant activity, while the movement was significantly (P < 0.05) shortened in locomotor activity. The whole plant of V. betonicifolia led to the isolation of 4‐hydroxyl coumarin (4HC) which showed substantial safety profile in acute toxicity test. When challenged in Traction and Chimney tests, it showed significant (P < 0.05) muscle relaxant effect in both muscle relaxant paradigms at 20 and 30 mg/kg during various assessment times. Nevertheless, 4HC was devoid of sedative and hypnotic potentials. In conclusion, VBME had strong muscle relaxant and sedative‐hypnotic properties, while its isolated compound, 4HC, possessed a significant muscle relaxant action with substantial safety profile without sedative‐hypnotic effects.
Trans Fatty Acids in the Hong Kong Food Supply
Authors: Chung Stephen W. C. , Tong S. K. , Lin Violette F. P. , Chen Melva Y. Y. , Ma Janny K. M. , Xiao Y. , Ho Y. Y.
Published: August 2013

This study aimed to examine trans fatty acids (TFA) content of 142 individual food items, including bakery, fast food, and other fatty food that may contain high level of TFA. TFA was detected in all samples, except for four samples including one plain bread, one sponge cake, and two batter‐made foods (egg roll and eggette) samples. For those found to contain detectable TFA, the content ranged up to 4.7 g/100 g of food or 17.3% of total lipids. On a per 100 grams of food basis, the highest mean TFA content among the 18 food subgroups was the doughnuts/French toast subgroup (0.95 g), followed by the other pastries subgroup (0.49 g) and the bread with filling/topping subgroup (0.44 g). Among the samples, the highest TFA content is from a doughnut (4.7 g/100 g), followed by two cream‐filled bread with shredded coconut (1.8 and 1.4 g/100 g) and a sweetheart cake (1.7 g/100 g). Only consuming one whole piece of doughnut would have reached 100% of the maximum daily TFA intake as recommended by WHO based on a 2000 kcal diet. About 78% of samples had TFA ≤0.3 g/100 g food. For the majority of the food samples available in Hong Kong, if TFA was present, C18:1 trans would possibly be the predominant one.
Corrosion Behaviour of a Highly Alloyed Austenitic Alloy UB6 in Contaminated Phosphoric Acid
Authors: Boudalia M. , Guenbour A. , Bellaouchou A. , Fernandez-Domene R. M. , Garcia-Anton J.
Published: August 2013

The influence of temperature (20–80°C) on the electrochemical behaviour of passive films anodically formed on UB6 stainless steel in phosphoric acid solution (5.5 M H3PO4) has been examined by using potentiodynamic curves, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and Mott-Schottky analysis. UB6 stainless steel in contaminated phosphoric acid is characterised by high interfacial impedance, thereby, illustrating its high corrosion resistance. The obtained results show that the films behave as n-type and p-type semiconductors in the potential range above and below the flat band potential, respectively. This behaviour is assumed to be the consequence of the semiconducting properties of the iron oxide and chromium oxide regions which compose the passive film.
An Exploration of Responses to Drug Conditioned Stimuli during Treatment for Substance Dependence
Authors: Goddard Benjamin , Son Hing Leanne S. , Leri Francesco
Published: August 2013

Although it is well established that drug conditioned stimuli produce a variety of conditioned responses, it is not known whether such stimuli can also reinforce an arbitrary operant response and thus serve as conditioned reinforcers. Volunteers (n=39) recruited from a residential treatment center for substance dependence were tested on a task in which presses on computer keys activated images of drugs/drug paraphernalia on a progressive ratio schedule of reinforcement. They also completed a personalized craving questionnaire and a personalized Implicit Association Test. A significant bias in responding was found for images of preferred drugs/route of drug administration. Craving, however, was low and the images generated negative evaluative reactions. Two additional studies were performed to ascertain the generalizability of the effects to a different population of drug-using individuals (i.e., students who drink) and to incentive stimuli of a different nature (i.e., sexual). The additional studies partially replicated and extended the central findings of the main study. Therefore, although these data should be considered preliminary in light of small group sizes, it is concluded that cue specificity and availability of the unconditioned stimuli (drugs and sex) plays a role in modulating responding maintained by conditioned reinforcers.
Improving Energy Conversion Efficiency by means of Power Splitting in Dual Drive Train EV Applications
Authors: Roscher Michael A. , Michel Roland , Leidholdt Wolfgang
Published: August 2013

The limited amount of energy stored on board of battery electric vehicles (BEV) spurs research activities in the field of efficiency optimization for electric drive train applications in order to achieve an enhanced mileage. In this work a control method for BEV applications with two drive trains (e.g., one at the front and one at the rear axle) is presented. Herein, a simple optimization algorithm is introduced enabling to operate the two drives with different torque values, depending on the instantaneous operation point, leading to a reduction of apparent power losses on board. Simulations on a virtual BEV yield a decrease in the cumulated energy consumptions during typical BEV operation, leading to an increase in the achievable mileage.