bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
TouchPower
Authors: Zhang Tengxiang , Yi Xin , Yu Chun , Wang Yuntao , Becker Nicholas , Shi Yuanchun
Published: September 2017

The trend toward ubiquitous deployment of electronic devices demands novel low maintenance power schemes to decrease the burden of maintaining such a large number of devices. In this paper, we propose Interaction-based Power Transfer (IPT): a novel power scheme for power-as-needed devices (i.e., devices that only require power during interaction). IPT allows for the removal of built-in batteries on these devices, and to instead be powered up through direct contact interaction with the user (e.g. gripping a mouse, holding a pen). We prove the concept and show the potential of IPT through our TouchPower prototype. TouchPower transfers on-body power to off-body power-as-needed devices through contact between electrodes on a glove worn by the user and those on the target device during the interaction process. We design TouchPower to automatically detect the contact topology at runtime to supply power accordingly, and place electrodes on the glove so that TouchPower is compatible with various interactions with different objects. We also show the methodology of placing electrodes on the device-end, and evaluate it on a mouse and a remote controller. Results show that during interaction, TouchPower is able to provide stable power supply to these devices with only a small sacrifice in regards to interaction naturalness. At last we demonstrate six applications of TouchPower, and discuss the limitations and potential of TouchPower and IPT systems.
Detecting Gaze Towards Eyes in Natural Social Interactions and Its Use in Child Assessment
Authors: Chong Eunji , Chanda Katha , Ye Zhefan , Southerland Audrey , Ruiz Nataniel , Jones Rebecca M. , Rozga Agata , Rehg James M.
Published: September 2017

Eye contact is a crucial element of non-verbal communication that signifies interest, attention, and participation in social interactions. As a result, measures of eye contact arise in a variety of applications such as the assessment of the social communication skills of children at risk for developmental disorders such as autism, or the analysis of turn-taking and social roles during group meetings. However, the automated measurement of visual attention during naturalistic social interactions is challenging due to the difficulty of estimating a subject’s looking direction from video. This paper proposes a novel approach to eye contact detection during adult-child social interactions in which the adult wears a point-of-view camera which captures an egocentric view of the child’s behavior. By analyzing the child’s face regions and inferring their head pose we can accurately identify the onset and duration of the child’s looks to their social partner’s eyes. We introduce the Pose-Implicit CNN, a novel deep learning architecture that predicts eye contact while implicitly estimating the head pose. We present a fully automated system for eye contact detection that solves the sub-problems of end-to-end feature learning and pose estimation using deep neural networks. To train our models, we use a dataset comprising 22 hours of 156 play session videos from over 100 children, half of whom are diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. We report an overall precision of 0.76, recall of 0.80, and an area under the precision-recall curve of 0.79, all of which are significant improvements over existing methods.
Camera Based Two Factor Authentication Through Mobile and Wearable Devices
Authors: Azimpourkivi Mozhgan , Topkara Umut , Carbunar Bogdan
Published: September 2017

We introduce Pixie, a novel, camera based two factor authentication solution for mobile and wearable devices. A quick and familiar user action of snapping a photo is sufficient for Pixie to simultaneously perform a graphical password authentication and a physical token based authentication, yet it does not require any expensive, uncommon hardware. Pixie establishes trust based on both the knowledge and possession of an arbitrary physical object readily accessible to the user, called trinket. Users choose their trinkets similar to setting a password, and authenticate by presenting the same trinket to the camera. The fact that the object is the trinket, is secret to the user. Pixie extracts robust, novel features from trinket images, and leverages a supervised learning classifier to effectively address inconsistencies between images of the same trinket captured in different circumstances.

Pixie achieved a false accept rate below 0.09% in a brute force attack with 14.3 million authentication attempts, generated with 40,000 trinket images that we captured and collected from public datasets. We identify master images, that match multiple trinkets, and study techniques to reduce their impact.

In a user study with 42 participants over 8 days in 3 sessions we found that Pixie outperforms text based passwords on memorability, speed, and user preference. Furthermore, Pixie was easily discoverable by new users and accurate under field use. Users were able to remember their trinkets 2 and 7 days after registering them, without any practice between the 3 test dates.
VibeBin
Authors: Zhao Yiran , Yao Shuochao , Li Shen , Hu Shaohan , Shao Huajie , Abdelzaher Tarek F.
Published: September 2017

This paper presents the design and implementation of VibeBin, a low-cost, non-intrusive and easy-to-install waste bin level detection system. Recent popularity of Internet-of-Things (IoT) sensors has brought us unprecedented opportunities to enable a variety of new services for monitoring and controlling smart buildings. Indoor waste management is crucial to a healthy environment in smart buildings. Measuring the waste bin fill-level helps building operators schedule garbage collection more responsively and optimize the quantity and location of waste bins. Existing systems focus on directly and intrusively measuring the physical quantities of the garbage (weight, height, volume, etc.) or its appearance (image), and therefore require careful installation, laborious calibration or labeling, and can be costly. Our system indirectly measures fill-level by sensing the changes in motor-induced vibration characteristics on the outside surface of waste bins. VibeBin exploits the physical nature of vibration resonance of the waste bin and the garbage within, and learns the vibration features of different fill-levels through a few garbage collection (emptying) cycles in a completely unsupervised manner. VibeBin identifies vibration features of different fill-levels by clustering historical vibration samples based on a custom distance metric which measures the dissimilarity between two samples. We deploy our system on eight waste bins of different types and sizes, and show that under normal usage and real waste, it can deliver accurate level measurements after just 3 garbage collection cycles. The average F-score (harmonic mean of precision and recall) of measuring empty, half, and full levels achieves 0.912. A two-week deployment also shows that the false positive and false negative events are satisfactorily rare.
Malignant Mesothelioma, BAP1 Immunohistochemistry, and VEGFA: Does BAP1 Have Potential for Early Diagnosis and Assessment of Prognosis?
Authors: Pulford Emily , Huilgol Kalyani , Moffat David , Henderson Douglas W. , Klebe Sonja
Published: September 2017

Malignant mesothelioma (MM) is an aggressive malignancy of the serosal membranes. Early diagnosis and accurate prognostication remain problematic. BAP1 is a tumour suppressor gene commonly mutated in MM. Germline BAP1 mutation has been associated with early onset and less aggressive disease compared with sporadic MM. Sporadic BAP1 mutations are common and are associated with improved survival in MM, contrary to other malignancies. This study investigated the prognostic role of BAP1 in matched cytology and surgical specimens and aimed to investigate the association between BAP1 and the established prognostic marker VEGFA from a cohort of 81 patients. BAP1 mutation was found in 58% of histology and 59% of cytology specimens. Loss of BAP1 expression in both surgical and cytology specimens was significantly associated with poorer survival in a multivariate analysis when controlling for known prognostic indicators. Increased levels of VEGFA in pleural effusions were associated with poor survival. We conclude that the prognostic significance of BAP1 mutations in MM cannot be determined in isolation of other prognostic factors, which may vary between patients. Pathologists should employ caution when commenting on prognostic implications of BAP1 status of MM patients in diagnostic pathology reports, but it may be useful for early diagnosis.
Morphology, Microstructure, and Hydrogen Content of Carbon Nanostructures Obtained by PECVD at Various Temperatures
Authors: Acosta Gentoiu M. , Betancourt-Riera R. , Vizireanu S. , Burducea I. , Marascu V. , Stoica S. D. , Bita B. I. , Dinescu G. , Riera R.
Published: September 2017

Carbon nanostructures were obtained by acetylene injection into an argon plasma jet in the presence of hydrogen. The samples were synthesized in similar conditions, except that the substrate deposition temperatures TD were varied, ranging from 473 to 973 K. A strong dependence of morphology, structure, and graphitization upon TD was found. We obtained vertical aligned carbon nanotubes (VA-CNTs) at low temperatures as 473 K, amorphous carbon nanoparticles (CNPs) at temperatures from about 573 to 673 K, and carbon nanowalls (CNWs) at high temperatures from 773 to 973 K. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, elastic recoil detection analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy were used to substantiate the differences in these material types. It is known that hydrogen concentration modifies strongly the properties of the materials. Different concentrations of hydrogen-bonded carbon could be identified in amorphous CNP, VA-CNT, and CNW. Also, the H : C ratios along depth were determined for the obtained materials.
Optical and Magnetic Properties of Ni Doped ZnS Diluted Magnetic Semiconductors Synthesized by Hydrothermal Method
Authors: Wu Meirong , Wei Zhiqiang , Zhao Wenhua , Wang Xuan , Jiang Jinlong
Published: September 2017

Diluted magnetic semiconductors Zn1-xNixS with different consistency ratio (x = 0, 0.01, 0.03, 0.05, and 0.07) were successfully synthesized by hydrothermal method using ethylenediamine as a modifier. The influence of Ni doping concentration on the microstructure, morphology, and optical and magnetic properties of undoped and Ni doped ZnS nanocrystals was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), X-ray energy dispersive spectrometry (XEDS), ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-vis), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), photoluminescence spectra (PL), and the vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), respectively. The experiment results show the substitution of Ni2+ on Zn2+ sites without changing the hexagonal wurtzite structure of ZnS and generate single-phase Zn1-xNixS with good crystallization. The lattice constant causes distortion and decreases with the increase of Ni2+ doped concentration. The appearance of the samples is one-dimensional well-dispersed nanorods. UV-vis spectra reveal the band gap of all Zn1-xNixS samples greater than that of bulk ZnS (3.67 eV), and blue shift phenomenon occurs. The photoluminescence spectra of undoped and doped samples possess the broad blue emission band in the range of 400–650 nm; the PL intensities of Zn1-xNixS nanorods increase with the increase of Ni content comparing to pure ZnS and reach maximum for x = 0.03. Magnetic measurements indicated that the undoped ZnS samples are superparamagnetic, whereas the doped samples exhibit ferromagnetism.
Two Kinds of Classifications Based on Improved Gravitational Search Algorithm and Particle Swarm Optimization Algorithm
Authors: Hu Hongping , Cui Xiaxia , Bai Yanping
Published: September 2017

Gravitational Search Algorithm (GSA) is a widely used metaheuristic algorithm. Although fewer parameters in GSA were adjusted, GSA has a slow convergence rate. In this paper, we change the constant acceleration coefficients to be the exponential function on the basis of combination of GSA and PSO (PSO-GSA) and propose an improved PSO-GSA algorithm (written as I-PSO-GSA) for solving two kinds of classifications: surface water quality and the moving direction of robots. I-PSO-GSA is employed to optimize weights and biases of backpropagation (BP) neural network. The experimental results show that, being compared with combination of PSO and GSA (PSO-GSA), single PSO, and single GSA for optimizing the parameters of BP neural network, I-PSO-GSA outperforms PSO-GSA, PSO, and GSA and has better classification accuracy for these two actual problems.
Reliability of the Footscan® Platform System in Healthy Subjects: A Comparison of without Top-Layer and with Top-Layer Protocols
Authors: Xu Chao , Wen Xin-Xin , Huang Lu-Yu , Shang Lei , Yang Zhao , Yan Ya-Bo , Lei Wei
Published: September 2017

The Footscan platform is a useful tool for plantar pressure measurement. However, there is still controversy over whether or not the platform should be covered by top-layer during the test. This study was designed to compare the reliability of the Footscan platform and identify the differences of the foot loading parameters between without top-layer (WOT) and with top-layer (WT) protocols. Measurements were taken from thirty-two healthy subjects. Participants were tested with a Footscan platform using the WOT and WT protocols. Three trials were performed during two separate testing sessions with a 7-day interval. Peak pressure, contact time, contact area, and pressure-time integral at ten foot zones were recorded and calculated for intra- and intersession reliability using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) and coefficients of variation (CVs). The reliability and values of the analyzed parameters for the two protocols were compared. Both protocols produced a moderate to good level of intra- and intersession reliability. Compared with the WT protocol, the WOT protocol showed higher ICCs, lower CVs, and higher values in most of the parameters analyzed. The results suggest that the WOT protocol showed better reliability than the WT protocol. We recommend not using the top-layer when performing the plantar pressure test.
A New Sparse Gauss-Hermite Cubature Rule Based on Relative-Weight-Ratios for Bearing-Ranging Target Tracking
Authors: Peng Lijun , Duan Xiaojun , Zhu Jubo
Published: September 2017

A new sparse Gauss-Hermite cubature rule is designed to avoid dimension explosion caused by the traditional full tensor-product based Gauss-Hermite cubature rule. Although Smolyak’s quadrature rule can successfully generate sparse cubature points for high dimensional integral, it has a potential drawback that some cubature points generated by Smolyak’s rule have negative weights, which may result in instability for the computation. A relative-weight-ratio criterion based sparse Gauss-Hermite rule is presented in this paper, in which cubature points are kept symmetric in the input space and corresponding weights are guaranteed to be positive. The generation of the new sparse cubature points set is simple and meaningful for practice. The difference between our new sparse Gauss-Hermite cubature rule and other cubature rules is analysed. Simulation results show that, compared with Kalman filter with those types of full tensor-product based Gauss-Hermite rules, our new sparse Gauss-Hermite cubature rule based Kalman filter can lead to a substantially reduced number of cubature points, more stable computation capability, and maintaining the accuracy of integration at the same time.
Exploration of the Risk Factors of Generalized and Central Obesity among Adolescents in North Lebanon
Authors: El-Kassas Germine , Ziade Fouad
Published: September 2017

Adolescents’ obesity is an emerging public health problem globally and in the Arab countries. Alarming rates of overweight/obesity have been rising progressively in Lebanon. However, the risk factors for the development of adolescents’ obesity have not yet been thoroughly explored in North Lebanon. To determine the dietary and lifestyle risk factors associated with generalized and central obesity among adolescents living in Tripoli, a cross-sectional survey was conducted including a representative sample of 311 students aged 11–16 years from both sexes chosen from public and private schools in Tripoli. Data were collected using a standardized questionnaire to determine sociodemographic characteristics, dietary patterns, and physical activity and sedentary behaviors. Body mass index (BMI) was evaluated using the Center for Disease Control BMI for age percentiles. Central obesity was assessed using both waist-to-height ratio and gender-specific waist circumference for age indices. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that skipping breakfast and physical inactivity were the most significant independent risk factors associated with both generalized and central obesity. In addition, higher screen time and male gender were associated with increased risk for generalized and central obesity, respectively. Intervention strategies to prevent the development of obesity should be implemented among adolescent students to encourage regular breakfast intake and adopting healthy dietary and lifestyle behaviors.
Content Downloading with the Assistance of Roadside Cars for Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks
Authors: Gong Haigang , Yu Lingfei
Published: September 2017

Plenty of multimedia contents such as traffic images, music, and movies pose great challenges for content downloading due to the high mobility of vehicles and intermittent connectivity for vehicular ad hoc networks. Roadside units or APs can improve the efficiency of content downloading but with the cost of large investments. In this paper, an efficient content downloading scheme is proposed with the assistance of parking clusters, which are formed by roadside parked cars. After receiving the downloading request, the parking clusters, which the downloader will travel through according to the estimated trajectory, will make a download scheduling for the downloader. Then the downloader acquires the content chunks while it drives through the parking clusters. Simulation results show that the proposed scheme achieves better performance than intervehicle approach and RSU based approach.
Blockage of NOX2/MAPK/NF‐κB Pathway Protects Photoreceptors against Glucose Deprivation‐Induced Cell Death
Authors: Fan Bin , Wang Bei-Fen , Che Lin , Sun Ying-Jian , Liu Shu-Yan , Li Guang-Yu
Published: September 2017

Acute energy failure is one of the critical factors contributing to the pathogenic mechanisms of retinal ischemia. Our previous study demonstrated that glucose deprivation can lead to a caspase‐dependent cell death of photoreceptors. The aim of this study was to decipher the upstream signal pathway in glucose deprivation‐ (GD‐) induced cell death. We mimicked acute energy failure by using glucose deprivation in photoreceptor cells (661W cells). GD‐induced oxidative stress was evaluated by measuring ROS with the DCFH‐DA assay and HO‐1 expression by Western blot analysis. The activation of NOX2/MAPK/NF‐κB signal was assessed by Western blot and immunohistochemical assays. The roles of these signals in GD‐induced cell death were measured by using their specific inhibitors. Inhibition of Rac‐1 and NOX2 suppressed GD‐induced oxidative stress and protected photoreceptors against GD‐induced cell death. NOX2 was an upstream signal in the caspase‐dependent cell death cascade, yet the downstream MAPK pathways were activated and blocking MAPK signals rescued 661W cells from GD‐induced death. In addition, GD caused the activation of NF‐κB signal and inhibiting NF‐κB significantly protected 661W cells. These observations may provide insights for treating retinal ischemic diseases and protecting retinal neurons from ischemia‐induced cell death.
Longitudinal Assessment of Transorbital Sonography, Visual Acuity, and Biomarkers for Inflammation and Axonal Injury in Optic Neuritis
Authors: Lochner Piergiorgio , Cantello Roberto , Fassbender Klaus , Lesmeister Martin , Nardone Raffaele , Siniscalchi Antonio , Clemente Nausicaa , Naldi Andrea , Coppo Lorenzo , Brigo Francesco , Comi Cristoforo
Published: September 2017

Background and Objective. To investigate the relationship between optic nerve sheath diameter, optic nerve diameter, visual acuity and osteopontin, and neurofilament heavy chain in patients with acute optic neuritis. Patients and Methods. Sonographic and visual acuity assessment and biomarker measurements were executed in 23 patients with unilateral optic neuritis and in 19 sex- and age-matched healthy controls. Results. ONSD was thicker on the affected side at symptom onset (median 6.3 mm; interquartile range 6.0–6.5) than after 12 months (5.3 mm; 4.9–5.6; p<0.001) or than in controls (5.2 mm; 4.8–5.5; p<0.001). OND was significantly increased in the affected side (3.4 mm; 2.9–3.8) compared to healthy controls (2.7 mm; 2.5–2.9; p<0.001) and was thicker at baseline than after 12 months (2.8 mm; 2.7–3.0; p<0.01). Visual acuity improved significantly after 12 months (1.00; 0.90–1.00) compared to onset of symptoms (0.80; 0.40–1.00; p<0.001). OPN levels were significantly higher in patients at presentation (median 6.44 ng/ml; 2.05–10.06) compared to healthy controls (3.21 ng/ml, 1.34–4.34; p<0.03). Concentrations of NfH were significantly higher in patients than in controls. Conclusion. ONSD and OND are increased in the affected eye. OPN and NfH are elevated in patients, confirming the presence of any underlying inflammation and axonal injury.
Synthesis of Propylene Carbonate from Epoxide and CO2 Catalyzed by Carbon Nanotubes Supported Fe1.5PMo12O40
Authors: Al-Garni Tahani , Al-Jallal Nada , Aouissi Ahmed
Published: September 2017

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were functionalized and were then used as supports of Fe1.5PMo12O40 (FePMo) Keggin heteropolyanions catalysts. The characterization of the resulting catalysts was investigated by inductively coupled plasma spectrometry (ICP), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra, X-ray diffraction (XRD), ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) light spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). FTIR and XRD results confirmed that FePMo was bounded on CNTs successfully and the Keggin structure was preserved. Characterization by TEM showed that solids with high FePMo content exhibited aggregation of FePMo in large particles. The as-prepared catalysts were tested in the synthesis of propylene carbonate (PC) from CO2 and propylene oxide (PO) in a solvent-free reaction and under mild conditions. Effects of various parameters, such as reaction temperature, reaction time, FePMo content on the support, and catalyst loading on the reaction, were investigated. It has been found that CNTs supported FePMo achieved 57.7% PO conversion and 99.0% PC selectivity, whereas unsupported FePMo led only to 8.5% conversion and 48.6% selectivity. The remarkable enhancement of the catalytic activity over the supported catalyst can be attributed mainly to the better dispersion and reactivity of the FePMo catalyst in the supported material.
Assessing the Risk of Contrast-Induced Nephropathy Using a Finger Stick Analysis in Recalls from Breast Screening: The CINFIBS Explorative Study
Authors: Houben I. P. L. , van Berlo C. J. L. Y. , Bekers O. , Nijssen E. C. , Lobbes M. B. I. , Wildberger J. E.
Published: September 2017

Purpose. To evaluate whether a handheld point-of-care (POC) device is able to predict and discriminate patients at potential risk of contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) prior to iodine-based contrast media delivery. Methods and Materials. Between December 2014 and June 2016, women undergoing contrast-enhanced spectral mammography (CESM) with an iodine-based contrast agent were asked to have their risk of CIN assessed by a dedicated POC device (StatSensor CREAT) and a risk factor questionnaire based on national guidelines. Prior to contrast injection, a venous blood sample was drawn to compare the results of POC with regular laboratory testing. Results. A total of 351 patients were included; 344 were finally categorized as low risk patients by blood creatinine evaluation. Seven patients had a eGFR below 60 ml/min/1.73 m2, necessitating additional preparation prior to contrast delivery. The POC device failed to categorize six out of seven patients (86%), leading to (at that stage) unwanted contrast administration. Two patients subsequently developed CIN after 2–5 days, which was self-limiting after 30 days. Conclusion. The POC device tested was not able to reliably assess impairment of renal function in our patient cohort undergoing CESM. Consequently, we still consider classic clinical laboratory testing preferable in patients at potential risk for developing CIN.
The Fatty Acid Profile in Patients with Newly Diagnosed Diabetes: Why It Could Be Unsuspected
Authors: Castro-Correia C. , Sousa S. , Norberto S. , Matos C. , Domingues V. F. , Fontoura M. , Calhau C.
Published: September 2017

Context. Several studies have shown a link between proinflammatory activity and the presence or deficit of some fatty acids. Inflammation is associated with several diseases including diabetes.Objective. To characterize and compare the fatty acids profiles in children with inaugural type 1 diabetes, diabetic children (at least 1 year after diagnosis), and healthy children.Design. Plasma fatty acids profiles in children with inaugural diabetes, children with noninaugural diabetes, and controls, all of whom were prepubescent with a BMI < 85th percentile, were evaluated.Results. Omega-3 fatty acid levels were higher in recently diagnosed subjects with diabetes than in controls. The ratio of omega-6/omega-3 fatty acids was higher in the control population. Omega-6 fatty acid levels were higher in the nonrecent diabetic subjects than in the children with recently diagnosed diabetes, and the levels were higher in the nonrecent diabetes group compared to the control group.Conclusion. Our findings showed higher levels of alpha-linolenic acid, EPA, and DHA, as well as mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids, in diabetic children. These findings reinforce the importance of precocious nutritional attention and intervention in the treatment of diabetic children.
Free Vibration Analysis of the Unified Functionally Graded Shallow Shell with General Boundary Conditions
Authors: Shi Dongyan , Zha Shuai , Zhang Hong , Wang Qingshan
Published: September 2017

The free vibration analysis of the functionally graded (FG) double curved shallow shell structures with general boundary conditions is investigated by an improved Fourier series method (IFSM). The material properties of FG structures are assumed to vary continuously in the thickness direction, according to the four graded parameters of the volume distribution function. Under the current framework, the displacement and rotation functions are set to a spectral form, including a double Fourier cosine series and two supplementary functions. These supplements can effectively eliminate the discontinuity and jumping phenomena of the displacement function along the edges. The formulation is based on the first-order shear deformation theory (FSDT) and Rayleigh-Ritz technique. This method can be universally applied to the free vibration analysis of the shallow shell, because it only needs to change the relevant parameters instead of modifying the basic functions or adapting solution procedures. The proposed method shows excellent convergence and accuracy, which has been compared with the results of the existing literatures. Numerous new results for free vibration analysis of FG shallow shells with various boundary conditions, geometric parameter, material parameters, gradient parameters, and volume distribution functions are investigated, which may serve as the benchmark solution for future researches.
Chronic Variable Stress Is Responsible for Lipid and DNA Oxidative Disorders and Activation of Oxidative Stress Response Genes in the Brain of Rats
Authors: Herbet Mariola , Korga Agnieszka , Gawrońska-Grzywacz Monika , Izdebska Magdalena , Piątkowska-Chmiel Iwona , Poleszak Ewa , Wróbel Andrzej , Matysiak Włodzimierz , Jodłowska-Jędrych Barbara , Dudka Jarosław
Published: September 2017

Chronic environmental stress is associated with reactive oxygen species (ROS) overproduction and the pathogenesis of depression. The purpose of this study was to evaluate biochemical and molecular changes associated with ROS generation in the brains of rats submitted to chronic variable stress. Male Wistar rats (50–55 days old, weighing 200–250 g) were divided in two groups (n = 10): control and stressed. Rats in the stressed group were exposed to stress conditions for 40 days. The animals were decapitated and the brain samples were collected. In prefrontal cortex, we measured the following biochemical parameters: lipid peroxidation and concentration of glutathione—GSH, GSSG, GSH/GSSG ratio, glutathione peroxidase, and glutathione reductase activities. In the hippocampus marker of DNA, oxidative damage and expression of DNA‐repairing genes (Ogg1, MsrA) and gene‐encoding antioxidative transcriptional factor (Nrf2) were determined. The results demonstrate indirect evidence of ROS overproduction and presence of oxidative stress. They also reveal disruption of oxidative defense systems (decreased GR activity, diminished GSH/GSSG ratio, and decreased Nrf2 expression) and activation of the oxidative DNA repair system (increased Ogg1 and MsrA expression). Together, the presented data suggest that independent activation of oxidative stress response genes occurs in chronic variable stress conditions.
Dynamical Behavior of a Pseudoelastic Vibration Absorber Using Shape Memory Alloys
Authors: Oliveira Hugo De S. , De Paula Aline S. , Savi Marcelo A.
Published: September 2017

The tuned vibration absorber (TVA) provides vibration reduction of a primary system subjected to external excitation. The idea is to increase the number of system degrees of freedom connecting a secondary system to the primary system. This procedure promotes vibration reduction at its design forcing frequency but two new resonance peaks appear introducing critical behaviors that must be avoided. The use of shape memory alloys (SMAs) can improve the performance of the classical TVA establishing an adaptive TVA (ATVA). This paper deals with the nonlinear dynamics of a passive pseudoelastic tuned vibration absorber with an SMA element. In this regard, a single degree of freedom elastic oscillator is used to represent the primary system, while an extra oscillator with an SMA element represents the secondary system. Temperature dependent behavior of the system allows one to change the system response avoiding undesirable responses. Nevertheless, hysteretic behavior introduces complex characteristics to the system dynamics. The influence of the hysteretic behavior due to stress-induced phase transformation is investigated. The ATVA performance is evaluated by analyzing primary system maximum vibration amplitudes for different forcing amplitudes and frequencies. Numerical simulations establish comparisons of the ATVA results with those obtained from the classical TVA. A parametric study is developed showing the best performance conditions and this information can be useful for design purposes.
Characterization of Pectinase from Bacillus subtilis Strain Btk 27 and Its Potential Application in Removal of Mucilage from Coffee Beans
Authors: Oumer Oliyad Jeilu , Abate Dawit
Published: September 2017

The demand for enzymes in the global market is projected to rise at a fast pace in recent years. There has been a great increase in industrial applications of pectinase owing to their significant biotechnological uses. For applying enzymes at industrial scale primary it is important to know the features of the enzyme. Thus, this study was undertaken with aims of characterizing the pectinase enzyme from Bacillus subtilis strain Btk27 and proving its potential application in demucilisation of coffee. In this study, the maximum pectinase activity was achieved at pH 7.5 and 50°C. Also, the enzyme activity was found stimulated with Mg2+ and Ca2+ metal ions. Moreover, it was stable on EDTA, Trixton-100, Tween 80, and Tween 20. Since Bacillus subtilis strain Btk27 was stable in most surfactants and inhibitors it could be applicable in various industries whenever pectin degradation is needed. The enzyme Km and Vmax values were identified as 1.879 mg/ml and 149.6 U, respectively. The potential application of the enzyme for coffee processing was studied, and it is found that complete removal of mucilage from coffee beans within 24 hours of treatment indicates the potential application in coffee processing.
Vacuum-Assisted Abdominal Closure Is Safe and Effective: A Cohort Study in 74 Consecutive Patients
Authors: Jensen R. O. , Buchbjerg T. , Simonsen R. M. , Eckardt R. , Qvist N.
Published: September 2017

Background. Vacuum-assisted closure (VAC) has, in many instances, become the treatment of choice in patients with abdominal catastrophes. This study describes the use and outcome of ABThera KCI® VAC in the Region Southern Denmark covering a population of approximately 1.202 mill inhabitants.Method. A prospective multicenter study including all patients treated with VAC during an eleven-month period.Results. A total of 74 consecutive patients were included. Median age was 64.4 (9–89) years, 64% were men, and median body mass index was 25 (17–42). Duration of VAC treatment was median 4.5 (0–39) days with median 1 (0–16) dressing changes. Seventy per cent of the patients attended the intensive care unit. The 90-day mortality was 15%. A secondary closure of the fascia was obtained in 84% of the surviving patients. Only one patient developed an enteroatmospheric fistula. Patients with secondary closure were less likely to develop large hernias and had better self-evaluated physical health score (p< 0,05). No difference in mental health was found.Conclusion. The abdominal VAC treatment in patients with abdominal catastrophes is safe and with a relative low complication rate. Whether it might be superior to conventional treatment with primary closure when possible has yet to be proven in a randomized study.
Identification of Genes Involved in the Responses of Tangor(C. reticulata×C. sinensis)to Drought Stress
Authors: Xiao Jin-Ping , Zhang Lan-Lan , Zhang Hui-Qin , Miao Li-Xiang
Published: September 2017

Drought is the major abiotic stress with adverse effects on citrus, decreasing the agronomical yield and influencing the fruit quality. In this study, cDNA-amplified fragment length polymorphism (cDNA-AFLP) technique was used to investigate the transcriptional profile changes and identify drought-responsive genes in “Amakusa” tangor(C. reticulata×C. sinensis), a hybrid citrus sensitive to water stress. The 255 out of 6,245 transcript-derived fragments (TDFs) displayed altered expression patterns including (A) induction, (B) repression, (C) upregulation, and (D) downregulation. With BLAST search, the gene products of differentially expressed fragments (DEFs) could be classified into several categories: cellular processes, transcription, transport, metabolism, stress/stimuli response, and developmental processes. Downregulated genes were highly represented by photosynthesis and basic metabolism, while upregulated ones were enriched in genes that were involved in transcription regulation, defense, energy, and transport. Present result also revealed some transient and up- and then downregulated genes such as aquaporin protein and photosystem enzyme. Expression patterns of 17 TDFs among 18 homologous to function-known genes were confirmed by qRT-PCR analysis. The present results revealed potential mechanism of drought tolerance in fruit crop and also provided candidate genes for future experiments in citrus.
Modelling of Generalised Thermoelastic Wave Propagation of Multilayer Material under Thermal Shock Behaviour
Authors: Guo Pan , Wu Wen-Hua , Zhao Jun
Published: September 2017

This paper describes a time-discontinuous Galerkin finite element method (DGFEM-βc) for the generalised thermoelastic problem of multilayer materials subjected to a transient high-frequency heat source. The governing and constitutive relations are presented on the basis of the well-known Lord–Shulman (L–S) theory. A DGFEM-βc method is developed to allow the general temperature-displacement vector and its temporal gradient to be discontinuous at a fixed time t. A stiffness proportional artificial damping term is added to the final DG discretisation form to filter out the spurious numerical oscillations in the wave-after stage and at adjacent-layer interfaces. The numerical results show that the present DGFEM-βc provides much more accurate solutions for generalised thermoelastic coupled behaviour of multilayer structures. Compared with widely used traditional numerical methods (e.g., the Newmark method), the present DGFEM-βc can effectively capture the discontinuities behaviours of impulsive waves in space in the simulation of high modes and sharp gradients.
Serious Psychological Distress and Emergency Room Use among Adults with Multimorbidity in the United States
Authors: Alhussain Khalid , Meraya Abdulkarim M. , Sambamoorthi Usha
Published: September 2017

Objectives. (1) To examine the association between serious psychological distress (SPD) and emergency room (ER) use in the past 12 months among adults with multimorbidity in the United States (US) and (2) to investigate the association between SPD and the reasons for ER use. Methods. The current study used a cross-sectional design with retrospective data from the 2015 National Health Interview Survey. Logistic regression models were used to assess the association between SPD and ER use among adults with multimorbidity. Among ER users, adjusted logistic regression models were conducted to examine the association between SPD and the reasons for the ER use. Results. After controlling for other variables, adults with multimorbidity and SPD were more likely to use ER than those with multimorbidity and no SPD (AOR = 1.61, 95% CI = 1.26, 2.04). Among ER users, there were no significant associations between SPD and the reasons for ER use after controlling for other variables. Conclusion. Adults with multimorbidity and SPD were more likely to use ER as compared to those with multimorbidity and no SPD. Among adults with multimorbidity, routine screening for SPD may be needed to reduce the ER use.
Efficient Asymmetric Index Encapsulation Scheme for Anonymous Content Centric Networking
Authors: Ma Rong , Cao Zhenfu , Wang Xingkai
Published: September 2017

Content Centric Networking (CCN) is an effective communication paradigm that well matches the features of wireless environments. To be considered a viable candidate in the emerging wireless networks, despite the clear benefits of location-independent security, CCN must at least have parity with existing solutions for confidential and anonymous communication. This paper designs a new cryptographic scheme, called Asymmetric Index Encapsulation (AIE), that enables the router to test whether an encapsulated header matches the token without learning anything else about both of them. We suggest using the AIE as the core protocol of anonymous Content Centric Networking. A construction of AIE which strikes a balance between efficiency and security is given. The scheme is proved to be secure based on the DBDH assumption in the random oracle with tight reduction, while the encapsulated header and the token in our system consist of only three elements.
A Flexible Logistics Distribution Hub Model considering Cost Weighted Time
Authors: Ran Wenxue , Zhang Zhe , Liu Sen
Published: September 2017

The delivery time of order has become an important fact for customers to evaluate logistics services. Due to the diverse and large quantities of orders in the background of electronic commerce, how to improve the flexibility of distribution hub and reduce the waiting time of customers becomes one of the most challenging questions for logistics companies. With this in mind, this paper proposes a new method of flexibility assessment in distribution hub by introducing cost weighted time (CWT). The advantages of supply hub operation mode in delivery flexibility are verified by the approach: the mode has pooling effects and uniform distribution characteristics; these traits can reduce overlapping delivery time to improve the flexibility in the case of two suppliers. Numerical examples show that the supply hub operation mode is more flexible than decentralized distribution operation mode in multidelivery cycles.
Acinar Cell Cystadenocarcinoma of the Pancreas
Authors: Aoto Keita , Shimura Tatsuo , Kofunato Yasuhide , Okada Ryo , Yashima Rei , Kiko Yuichiro , Takenoshita Seiichi
Published: September 2017

Acinar cell cystadenocarcinoma is a rare malignant epithelial neoplasm of the pancreas with a diffusely cystic, gross architecture in which the cysts are lined with neoplastic epithelial cells that demonstrate evidence of pancreatic exocrine enzyme production. This is the 10th case that has been reported in the literature. A 77-year-old male complaining of left hypochondrial pain was referred to our hospital for treatment of a pancreatic tumor. A huge, honeycomb-structured tumor was detected in the pancreatic tail. Distal pancreatectomy with total resection of the residual stomach and partial resection of the transverse colon were performed. Microscopically, there were variably sized cystic lesions in the tumor. Immunohistochemical examinations revealed that tumor cells were positive for alpha 1-antichymotrypsin and alpha 1-trypsin, showing that tumor cells had features of pancreatic acinar cells. Thus, the tumor was diagnosed as acinar cell cystadenocarcinoma. Herein, we report a rare case with acinar cell cystadenocarcinoma, which is the 10th case reported in the literature based on a PubMed search. We managed to resect the tumor completely by distal pancreatectomy with total resection of the residual stomach and partial resection of the transverse colon. The patient is still alive 26 months after surgery without any recurrence after 1 year of adjuvant chemotherapy with S-1.
Pachyderma in Primary Cutaneous NK and T-Cell Lymphoma and Leukemia Cutis
Authors: Lebas Eve , Chian Cesar , Nikkels-Tassoudji Nazli , Arrese Jorge E. , Nikkels Arjen F.
Published: September 2017

Background: Pachyderma is defined as severely thickened skin with deep folds and is occasionally observed with primary cutaneous NK and T-cell lymphoma (pCNKTCL), primary cutaneous B-cell lymphoma (pCBCL), and leukemia cutis (LC). Aim: To describe the clinical, histological, and therapeutic particularities of a series of pCNKTCL, pCBCL, and LC patients with pachyderma. Results: In a series of pCNKTCL (n = 70), pCBCL (n = 12), and LC (n = 2) patients followed up during 9 years, 6 cases of pachyderma were observed. Pachyderma occurred on the arms (n = 2), thighs (n = 1), forehead (n = 1), and face (n = 2). The mean age of the patients was 69 years (51–82). The stages were erythrodermic (T4) mycosis fungoides (MF) (n = 1), folliculotropic MF (FMF) (n = 2), classic (T2) MF (n = 2), and chronic myeloid leukemia (n = 1). The erythrodermic MF patient with acute pachyderma on the right arm responded rapidly to oral steroids. The other cases were indolent, appeared progressively, and were highly treatment resistant. Histology revealed dense dermal neoplastic infiltration. The immunohistological profile of the pachydermic lesions was similar to common MF and LC. Conclusion: Pachyderma is an atypical manifestation of MF and LC and may occur on the face (FMF) or the extremities (MF). The rapidly appearing pachyderma may be transitory and responds readily to oral steroids.
Conduction Disturbances After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement
Authors: Auffret Vincent , Puri Rishi , Urena Marina , Chamandi Chekrallah , Rodriguez-Gabella Tania , Philippon François , Rodés-Cabau Josep
Published: September 2017

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has become a well-accepted option for treating patients with aortic stenosis at intermediate to high or prohibitive surgical risk. TAVR-related conduction disturbances, mainly new-onset left bundle-branch block and advanced atrioventricular block requiring permanent pacemaker implantation, remain the most common complication of this procedure. Furthermore, improvements in TAVR technology, akin to the increasing experience of operators/centers, have translated to a major reduction in periprocedural complications, yet the incidence of conduction disturbances has remained relatively high, with perhaps an increasing trend over time. Several factors have been associated with a heightened risk of conduction disturbances and permanent pacemaker implantation after TAVR, with prior right bundle-branch block and transcatheter valve type and implantation depth being the most commonly reported. New-onset left bundle-branch block and the need for permanent pacemaker implantation may have a significant detrimental association with patients’ prognosis. Consequently, strategies intended to reduce the risk and to improve the management of such complications are of paramount importance, particularly in an era when TAVR expansion toward treating lower-risk patients is considered inevitable. In this article, we review the available evidence on the incidence, predictive factors, and clinical association of conduction disturbances after TAVR and propose a strategy for the management of these complications.
Representation of Linguistic Form and Function in Recurrent Neural Networks
Authors: Kádár Ákos , Chrupała Grzegorz , Alishahi Afra
Published: September 2017

We present novel methods for analyzing the activation patterns of recurrent neural networks from a linguistic point of view and explore the types of linguistic structure they learn. As a case study, we use a standard standalone language model, and a multi-task gated recurrent network architecture consisting of two parallel pathways with shared word embeddings: The Visual pathway is trained on predicting the representations of the visual scene corresponding to an input sentence, and the Textual pathway is trained to predict the next word in the same sentence. We propose a method for estimating the amount of contribution of individual tokens in the input to the final prediction of the networks. Using this method, we show that the Visual pathway pays selective attention to lexical categories and grammatical functions that carry semantic information, and learns to treat word types differently depending on their grammatical function and their position in the sequential structure of the sentence. In contrast, the language models are comparatively more sensitive to words with a syntactic function. Further analysis of the most informative n-gram contexts for each model shows that in comparison with the Visual pathway, the language models react more strongly to abstract contexts that represent syntactic constructions.