bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evaluating Turbine Compressor Coatings for Acidfied Environments
Authors: McMordie Bruce G. , Mosser Mark F.
Published: April 2015

Turbine compressor coatings are evaluated for use in acidified environments. In such environments, field performance shows poor correlation to results of neutral salt spray tests (ASTM B117). Tests which might better describe these low pH atmospheres are described and the copper accelerated acetic acid salt spray (ASTM B368) is selected as the most useful development tool. In addition, combining CASS exposure with thermal cycling is shown to be a useful procedure to further differentiate coatings for use in acidic environments. It is shown that, unlike the neutral salt spray, in CASS, highly sacrificial (i.e., galvanic) aluminum-filled ceramic overlay coatings fail more rapidly than do non sacrificial materials. Conventional barrier films represented by high performance polymeric coatings are prone to severe blistering in these acidic conditions. Preferred acid resistant coatings are described.
Quality Assurance in the Reconditioning of Gas Turbine and Compressor Blading Components
Authors: Koromzay T.
Published: April 2015

During the past several years, there has been a strong trend worldwide toward the extensive repair of used gas turbine blading components. The behavior of the marketplace, i.e., of customers, and that of insurance companies, presented manufacturers with two alternatives:

1. To allow the market to go its own way, thereby losing, in many cases, technological control over the blading components installed in their own turbines, or

2. To become active in the business of blade reconditioning.

This paper deals with the second of these alternatives.
Transonic Flow Along Arbitrary Stream Filament of Revolution Solved by Separate Computations With Shock Fitting
Authors: Baoguo Wang , Yaonan Hua , Xiaoyan Huang , Chung-Hua Wu
Published: April 2015

The transonic flow field in a cascade of blades lying on an S1 stream surface of revolution is solved by separate computations in the supersonic and the transonic region. The characteristics method is used to solve the supersonic flow upstream of the passage shock and the direct matrix method is used to solve the transonic flow downstream of the passage shock. The transonic stream-function equation in weak conservative form was discretized with respect to general non-orthogonal curvilinear coordinates. Using the artificial density technique and a new iteration scheme between the stream function and the density, the set of algebraic equations was solved by the direct matrix method.

A computer program has been developed and is applied to compute the flow field on several S1 stream surfaces of revolution for the DFVLR transonic axial compressor rotor. It is found that the thickness of the S1 stream filament and the variation of entropy along the streamlines have strong influence on calculation. The calculated result agrees with the experimental data fairly well.
Unsteady Flow Interaction Caused by Stator Secondary Vortices in a Turbine Rotor
Authors: Binder A. , Förster W. , Mach K. , Rogge H.
Published: April 2015

Nonintrusive measurements near and within the rotor of a cold-air turbine showed a sudden increase of turbulence energy when the wake portion of the incoming fluid entered the rotor. It has been suggested that this was due to the cutting of the passage vortices and trailing-edge shed vortices which emerge from the stator row. Since these secondary vortices are located very close to the stator wakes, it was very difficult to distinguish between the effects of shed vortex and passage vortex cutting on turbulence intensification. In the present paper, a method is shown which, with the help of time-distance diagrams, made it possible to attribute the turbulence increase to the breakdown of the secondary vortices. Further, the time-distance diagrams made it possible to locate the origin of the turbulence production and follow the spreading of the highly turbulent flow regions through the rotor channel.
Experimental Study on the Atomization of Plain Orifice Injector Under Uniform Cross Air Flow
Authors: Zhu J. Y. , Hou M. Y. , Chin J. S.
Published: April 2015

The effects of air velocity, fuel nozzle pressure drop, nozzle orifice diameter, axial and radial distance from the nozzle on a plain orifice injector atomization have been studied. The effect of interaction of two nozzles on atomization has been examined. The empirical correlation of Mass Median Diameter (MMD) of a plain orifice injector under uniform cross air flow is presented.
Steam Plant for Electricity Generation From Solid Urban Refuse With Gas-Turbine Blown Pressurized Fluidized Bed Combustion
Authors: Sciubba Enrico
Published: April 2015

An innovative gas turbine/steam turbine coupled process is described and evaluated. The process consists of a gas turbine-driven PFBC of the recirculating type, in which urban refuse can be burnt with a minimum of preprocessing. The hot exhaust from the PFBC is then used in a waste-heat boiler to produce steam for a conventional reheat steam turbine powerplant. The proposed process is evaluated from a conventional First-Law (energy balance) point of view, and shown to have a higher limit efficiency than comparable existing cycles. A Second-Law (exergy-) analysis is then performed to show that the Second-Law efficiency of this coupled cycle is also higher than that of comparable cycles; this means that the proposed process effectively reduces the intrinsic irreversibilities in the energy-transfer subcycles. Finally, a conservative, conventional economic analysis is performed to compute the global economic plant parameters of engineering interest. The simple payback, among others, is shown to be in the range considered feasible for cogeneration cycles.
Fully Loaded Factory Performance Test of the CW251B10 Gas Turbine Engine
Authors: Diakunchak Ihor S. , Nevin David R.
Published: April 2015

A fully loaded factory test of the CW251B10 41MW class industrial gas turbine was carried out at the Westinghouse Canada test facility. This gas turbine, which is the latest of the W251 engine series, represents an advancement in industrial gas turbine technology. One of the main objectives of the factory test was the verification of the engine performance. The test results demonstrated that the CW251B10 engine achieved its performance goals. This paper describes some of the results of the performance tests and includes engine component performance details.
AGT 100 Experimental Ceramic Component Test-Bed
Authors: Johnson R. A.
Published: April 2015

The AGT 100 is an advanced gas turbine designed for passenger car application. The most significant of its advanced features is the use of structural ceramic components for the hot section of the engine’s flow path. The engine was expressly designed for ceramic components; previously, ceramic materials were simply substituted for metal components. Early experimental builds of the AGT 100 contained many ceramic components and metal substitutes for the more complex ceramic components that were not yet fabricated.

Engine testing has continued to accumulate operating time on the ceramic components that have always been engine-worthy (combustor, regenerator, vanes, rings and spacers, piston ring). Recent engine tests have included both a ceramic turbine rotor and static structure (scroll, vanes, backplates, coupling). Each type and shape of ceramic component has now been engine tested. Development is continuing to improve them even further.
Role of RhoA/Rho kinase signaling pathway in microgroove induced stem cell myogenic differentiation
Authors: Li Huaqiong , Wen Feng , Wang Xincai , Tan Lay Poh
Published: April 2015

In our previous report, the authors have demonstrated that direct laser machined microchannels would trigger upregulation of myogenic markers in human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) through promotion of cell elongation. However, the molecular basis signaling pathways behind this observation remains unclear. In this work, three types of microchannels generated by femtosecond laser were utilized to investigate possible mechanisms behind the induction of hMSCs myogenesis by microchannels. The authors hypothesized that small G-proteins RhoA and Rac1 play a vital role on myogenesis of hMSCs through regulating cytoskeleton rearrangement, via cell tension signaling cascades. The RhoA and Rac1 activities were evaluated for cells cultured on the micropatterned substrates, using a flat unpatterned substrate as control. It was found that significant activation of RhoA GTPase was exhibited for cells cultured on narrow microchannels (20-20-20 and 30-30-20), while no obvious differences were obtained on wide ones (80-30-20). Meanwhile, no significant difference was found for Rac1 activities on all tested groups. To further deduce the role of RhoA signaling pathway in microchannel directed stem cell myogenesis, the effectors of Rho, Rho kinase (ROCK) was chosen to explore how cell shape regulate myogenesis of hMSCs cultured on laser micropatterned substrate. A pharmacological ROCK inhibitor, Y-27632, was used to treat the cells and the effect on RhoA activation was investigated. Our data on the role of RhoA/ROCK in regulating cell myogenic differentiation on lasered microchannels substrates may provide a mechanistic insight on hMSCs fate directed by substrate topography.
Physical Activity Predicts Higher Physical Function in Older Adults: The Osteoarthritis Initiative
Authors: Batsis John A. , Germain Cassandra M. , Vásquez Elizabeth , Zbehlik Alicia J. , Bartels Stephen J.
Published: April 2015

Objectives:

Physical activity reduces mobility impairments in elders. We examined the association of physical activity on risk of subjective and objective physical function in adults with and at risk for osteoarthritis (OA).

Methods:

Adults aged ≥ 60 years from the longitudinal Osteoarthritis Initiative, a prospective observational study of knee OA, were classified by sex-specific quartiles of Physical Activity Score for the Elderly scores. Using linear mixed models, we assessed 6-year data on self-reported health, gait speed, Late-Life Function and Disability Index (LLFDI) and chair stand.

Results:

Of 2252 subjects, mean age ranged from 66 to 70 years. Within each quartile, physical component (PCS) of the Short Form-12 and gait speed decreased from baseline to follow-up in both sexes (all P < .001), yet the overall changes across PASE quartiles between these 2 time points were no different (P = .40 and .69, males and females, respectively). Decline in PCS occurred in the younger age group, but rates of change between quartiles over time were no different in any outcomes in either sex. LLFDI scores declined in the 70+ age group. Adjusting for knee extensor strength reduced the strength of association.

Conclusions:

Higher physical activity is associated with maintained physical function and is mediated by muscle strength, highlighting the importance of encouraging physical activity in older adults with and at risk for OA.
Eggs' power plants energize new IVF debate
Authors: Couzin-Frankel Jennifer
Published: April 2015

Firm adding energy-generating mitochondria to egg cells has already produced human pregnancies.
MULT1plying cancer immunity
Authors: Steinle Alexander , Cerwenka Adelheid
Published: April 2015

A soluble ligand of an innate immunoreceptor arms natural killers for tumor attack

[Also see Report by

Deng
et al.

]
Molecular recognition of ketamine by a subset of olfactory G protein–coupled receptors
Authors: Ho Jianghai , Perez-Aguilar Jose Manuel , Gao Lu , Saven Jeffery G. , Matsunami Hiroaki , Eckenhoff Roderic G.
Published: April 2015

The anesthetic ketamine activates G protein–coupled receptors involved in smell.
Effect of a High-Fat Meal on the Pharmacokinetics of 300-Milligram Posaconazole in a Solid Oral Tablet Formulation
Authors: Kersemaekers Wendy M. , Dogterom Peter , Xu Jialin , Marcantonio Eugene E. , de Greef Rik , Waskin Hetty , van Iersel Marlou L. P. S.
Published: April 2015

Posaconazole in oral suspension must be taken multiple times a day with food (preferably a high-fat meal) to ensure adequate exposure among patients. We evaluated the effect of food on the bioavailability of a new delayed-release tablet formulation of posaconazole at the proposed clinical dose of 300 mg once daily in a randomized, open-label, single-dose, two-period crossover study with 18 healthy volunteers. When a single 300-mg dose of posaconazole in tablet form (3 tablets × 100 mg) was administered with a high-fat meal, the posaconazole area under the concentration-time curve from 0 to 72 h (AUC
0–72
) and maximum concentration in plasma (
C
max
) increased 51% and 16%, respectively, compared to those after administration in the fasted state. The median time to
C
max
(
T
max
) shifted from 5 h in the fasted state to 6 h under fed conditions. No serious adverse events were reported, and no subject discontinued the study due to an adverse event. Six of the 18 subjects reported at least one clinical adverse event; all of these events were mild and short lasting. The results of this study demonstrate that a high-fat meal only modestly increases the mean posaconazole exposure (AUC), ∼1.5-fold, after administration of posaconazole tablets, in contrast to the 4-fold increase in AUC observed previously for a posaconazole oral suspension given with a high-fat meal.
Population Pharmacokinetics of Benznidazole in Adult Patients with Chagas Disease
Authors: Soy D. , Aldasoro E. , Guerrero L. , Posada E. , Serret N. , Mejía T. , Urbina J. A. , Gascón J.
Published: April 2015

The aim of the present study was to build a population pharmacokinetic (popPK) model to characterize benznidazole (BNZ) pharmacokinetics in adults with chronic Chagas disease. This study was a prospective, open-label, single-center clinical trial approved by the local ethics committee. Patients received BNZ at 2.5 mg/kg of body weight/12 h (Abarax, Elea Laboratory, Argentina) for 60 days. Plasma BNZ samples were taken several times during the study and analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography with UV-visible detection (HPLC-UV). The popPK analysis was done with NONMEMv.7.3. Demographic and biological data were tested as covariates. Intraindividual, interoccasion, and residual variabilities were modeled. Internal and external validations were completed to assess the robustness of the model. Later on, simulations were performed to generate BNZ concentration-time course profiles for different dosage regimens. A total of 358 plasma BNZ concentrations from 39 patients were included in the analysis. A one-compartment PK model characterized by clearance (CL/
F
) and the apparent volume of distribution (
V
/
F
), with first-order absorption (

K
a

) and elimination, adequately described the data (CL/
F
, 1.73 liters/h;
V
/
F
, 89.6 liters; and

K
a

, 1.15 h
−1
). No covariates were found to be significant for CL/
F
and
V
/
F
. Internal and external validations of the final model showed adequate results. Data from simulations revealed that a dose of 2.5 mg/kg/12 h might lead to overexposure in most patients. A lower dose (2.5 mg/kg/24 h) was able to achieve trough BNZ plasma concentrations within the accepted therapeutic range of 3 to 6 mg/liter. In summary, we developed a population PK model for BNZ in adults with chronic Chagas disease. Dosing simulations showed that a BNZ dose of 2.5 mg/kg/24 h will adequately keep BNZ trough plasma concentrations within the recommended target range for the majority of patients. (This study has been registered at EudraCT under number 2011-002900-34 and at ClinicalTrials.gov under number NCT01755403.)
Colonization with Escherichia coli Strains among Female Sex Partners of Men with Febrile Urinary Tract Infection
Authors: Ulleryd Peter , Sandberg Torsten , Scheutz Flemming , Clabots Connie , Johnston Brian D. , Thuras Paul , Johnson James R.
Published: April 2015

Of 23 unique
Escherichia coli
strains from 10 men with febrile urinary tract infections (UTIs) and their female sex partners, 6 strains (all UTI causing) were shared between partners. Molecularly, the 6 shared strains appeared more virulent than the 17 nonshared strains, being associated with phylogenetic group B2, sequence types ST73 and ST127, and multiple specific virulence genes. This indicates that UTIs are sometimes sexually transmitted.
Quantification of Hepatitis C Virus Cell-to-Cell Spread Using a Stochastic Modeling Approach
Authors: Graw Frederik , Martin Danyelle N. , Perelson Alan S. , Uprichard Susan L. , Dahari Harel
Published: April 2015

It has been proposed that viral cell-to-cell transmission plays a role in establishing and maintaining chronic infections. Thus, understanding the mechanisms and kinetics of cell-to-cell spread is fundamental to elucidating the dynamics of infection and may provide insight into factors that determine chronicity. Because hepatitis C virus (HCV) spreads from cell to cell and has a chronicity rate of up to 80% in exposed individuals, we examined the dynamics of HCV cell-to-cell spreadin vitroand quantified the effect of inhibiting individual host factors. Using a multidisciplinary approach, we performed HCV spread assays and assessed the appropriateness of different stochastic models for describing HCV focus expansion. To evaluate the effect of blocking specific host cell factors on HCV cell-to-cell transmission, assays were performed in the presence of blocking antibodies and/or small-molecule inhibitors targeting different cellular HCV entry factors. In all experiments, HCV-positive cells were identified by immunohistochemical staining and the number of HCV-positive cells per focus was assessed to determine focus size. We found that HCV focus expansion can best be explained by mathematical models assuming focus size-dependent growth. Consistent with previous reports suggesting that some factors impact HCV cell-to-cell spread to different extents, modeling results estimate a hierarchy of efficacies for blocking HCV cell-to-cell spread when targeting different host factors (e.g., CLDN1 > NPC1L1 > TfR1). This approach can be adapted to describe focus expansion dynamics under a variety of experimental conditions as a means to quantify cell-to-cell transmission and assess the impact of cellular factors, viral factors, and antivirals.

IMPORTANCEThe ability of viruses to efficiently spread by direct cell-to-cell transmission is thought to play an important role in the establishment and maintenance of viral persistence. As such, elucidating the dynamics of cell-to-cell spread and quantifying the effect of blocking the factors involved has important implications for the design of potent antiviral strategies and controlling viral escape. Mathematical modeling has been widely used to understand HCV infection dynamics and treatment response; however, these models typically assume only cell-free virus infection mechanisms. Here, we used stochastic models describing focus expansion as a means to understand and quantify the dynamics of HCV cell-to-cell spreadin vitroand determined the degree to which cell-to-cell spread is reduced when individual HCV entry factors are blocked. The results demonstrate the ability of this approach to recapitulate and quantify cell-to-cell transmission, as well as the impact of specific factors and potential antivirals.
Morphogenesis of Endoplasmic Reticulum Membrane-Invaginated Vesicles during Beet Black Scorch Virus Infection: Role of Auxiliary Replication Protein and New Implications of Three-Dimensional Architecture
Authors: Cao Xiuling , Jin Xuejiao , Zhang Xiaofeng , Li Ying , Wang Chunyan , Wang Xianbing , Hong Jian , Wang Xiaofeng , Li Dawei , Zhang Yongliang
Published: April 2015

All well-characterized positive-strand RNA viruses[(+)RNA viruses] induce the formation of host membrane-bound viral replication complexes (VRCs), yet the underlying mechanism and machinery for VRC formation remain elusive. We report here the biogenesis and topology of the
Beet black scorch virus
(BBSV) replication complex. Distinct cytopathological changes typical of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) aggregation and vesiculation were observed in BBSV-infected
Nicotiana benthamiana
cells. Immunogold labeling of the auxiliary replication protein p23 and double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) revealed that the ER-derived membranous spherules provide the site for BBSV replication. Further studies indicated that p23 plays a crucial role in mediating the ER rearrangement. Three-dimensional electron tomographic analysis revealed the formation of multiple ER-originated vesicle packets. Each vesicle packet enclosed a few to hundreds of independent spherules that were invaginations of the ER membranes into the lumen. Strikingly, these vesicle packets were connected to each other via tubules, a rearrangement event that is rare among other virus-induced membrane reorganizations. Fibrillar contents within the spherules were also reconstructed by electron tomography, which showed diverse structures. Our results provide the first, to our knowledge, three-dimensional ultrastructural analysis of membrane-bound VRCs of a plant (+)RNA virus and should help to achieve a better mechanistic understanding of the organization and microenvironment of plant (+)RNA virus replication complexes.

IMPORTANCE
Assembly of virus replication complexes for all known positive-strand RNA viruses depends on the extensive remodeling of host intracellular membranes.
Beet black scorch virus
, a necrovirus in the family
Tombusviridae
, invaginates the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membranes to form spherules in infected cells. Double-stranded RNAs, the viral replication intermediate, and the viral auxiliary replication protein p23 are all localized within such viral spherules, indicating that these are the sites for generating progeny viral RNAs. Furthermore, the BBSV p23 protein could to some extent reorganize the ER when transiently expressed in
N. benthamiana
. Electron tomographic analysis resolves the three-dimensional (3D) architecture of such spherules, which are connected to the cytoplasm via a neck-like structure. Strikingly, different numbers of spherules are enclosed in ER-originated vesicle packets that are connected to each other via tubule-like structures. Our results have significant implications for further understanding the mechanisms underlying the replication of positive-strand RNA viruses.
Noncapped Alphavirus Genomic RNAs and Their Role during Infection
Authors: Sokoloski K. J. , Haist K. C. , Morrison T. E. , Mukhopadhyay S. , Hardy R. W.
Published: April 2015

Alphaviruses are enveloped positive-sense RNA viruses that exhibit a wide host range consisting of vertebrate and invertebrate species. Previously we have reported that the infectivity of Sindbis virus (SINV), the model alphavirus, was largely a function of the cell line producing the viral particles. Mammalian-cell-derived SINV particles, on average, exhibit a higher particle-to-PFU ratio than mosquito cell-derived SINV particles. Nevertheless, the outcome of nonproductive infection, the molecular traits that determine particle infectivity and the biological importance of noninfectious particles were, prior to this study, unknown. Here, we report that the incoming genomic RNAs of noninfectious SINV particles undergo rapid degradation following infection. Moreover, these studies have led to the identification of the absence of the 5′ cap structure as a primary molecular determinant of particle infectivity. We show that the genomic RNAs of alphaviruses are not universally 5′ capped, with a significant number of noncapped genomic RNA produced early in infection. The production of noncapped viral genomic RNAs is important to the establishment and maintenance of alphaviral infection.

IMPORTANCE
This report is of importance to the field of virology for three reasons. First, these studies demonstrate that noncapped Sindbis virus particles are produced as a result of viral RNA synthesis. Second, this report is, to our knowledge, the first instance of the direct measurement of the half-life of an incoming genomic RNA from a positive-sense RNA virus. Third, these studies indicate that alphaviral infection is likely a concerted effort of infectious and noninfectious viral particles.
How dangerous a toy can be? The magnetic effect
Authors: Shalaby Mohamed Sameh
Published: April 2015

During the last decade, there has been a significant increase in the number of magnetic toys available for children. Two or more magnets separate from each other along the gastrointestinal course can attract each other across bowel walls, resulting in pressure necrosis, bowel perforations and fistulas formation. This has led to an increasing number of case reports describing serious complications from ingesting more than one magnet. We report the ingestion of a large number of magnets from one toy (>60 pieces). Our patient presented with generalised peritonitis and shock. During emergency laparotomy, she was found to have gross abdominal contamination with multiple bowel perforations and fistulae. This report emphasises the danger of such toys and how important that parents, physicians and manufacturers are aware of such fatal hazards that can arise from ‘unsupervised’ ingestion of these ‘nice-looking’ toys.
Paravaginal aggressive angiomyxoma
Authors: Abu Saadeh Feras , Galvin Daniel , Alsharbaty Mohammed J , Gleeson Noreen
Published: April 2015

A 34-year-old nulliparous woman with a long-standing history of uterine fibroids and infertility had undergone prior open myomectomy, then uterine artery embolisation in treatment of an apparent large fibroid. Imaging on referral revealed an atypical 12×11×10 cm pelvic mass with the appearance of a fibroid. At laparotomy, the lesion was encapsulated but softer than a fibroid and located deep in the paravaginal space. The histopathological outcome was an aggressive angiomyxoma.
Phlegmasia cerulea dolens in a teenage boy found to have Factor V Leiden
Authors: Junck Emily , Shah Sachita
Published: April 2015

A 16-year-old boy with morbid obesity and asthma presented with 1 week of progressive right leg pain, swelling and discolouration that started 1 week after a minor fall. Ultrasound and then CT with contrast revealed a large occlusive deep venous thrombosis (DVT) extending from the calf through the inferior vena cava bifurcation. Heparin was initiated and catheter-directed thrombolysis with tissue plasminogen activator and balloon angioplasty were performed with good flow postprocedure, however, the clot reaccumulated after several days and the procedure had to be repeated. After this occurred twice more, finally a right common iliac and femoral vein stent was placed to prevent clot reaccumulation and vein stenosis. Hypercoagability testing revealed activated protein C resistance and genetic testing confirmed homozygous Factor V Leiden (FVL). Family history was significant for maternal lower extremity DVT at age 21 and possible DVT in the patient's maternal grandmother.
Diabetic ketoacidosis in the setting of HNF1A-maturity onset diabetes of the young
Authors: Egan Aoife M , Cunningham Aine , Jafar-Mohammadi Bahram , Dunne Fidelma P
Published: April 2015

A female patient was treated for type 1 diabetes following presentation at 12 years of age with hyperglycaemia, polydipsia and weight loss. Eleven years later, while screening relatives attending a genetic diabetes clinic, she was identified as potentially harbouring a mutation in thehepatocyte nuclear factor 1A (HNF1A)gene. Biochemical testing supported the diagnosis of HNF1A-maturity onset diabetes of the young (MODY) and genetic screening was positive for a heterozygous mutation in theHNF1Agene. The patient transitioned from insulin to sulfonylurea therapy. Three years later, in the setting of poor metabolic control, the patient presented to the emergency department with a history of nausea, vomiting and palpitations. A diagnosis of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) was confirmed and successfully treated. Although a diagnosis of HNF1A-MODY is rarely considered in a patient with a history of DKA, we demonstrate that DKA is possible in the setting of non-compliance with sulfonylurea therapy.
Blowfly strike: biology, epidemiology and control
Authors: Wall Richard , Lovatt Fiona
Published: April 2015

Blowfly strike is one of the most unpleasant yet familiar annual problems that sheep farmers need to deal with. Strike causes significant welfare problems for sheep and costs for farmers in terms of both time and money. The development of good prevention strategies is an important opportunity for sheep veterinarians to engage with their clients; this requires a clear understanding of the scope of the problem and the challenge it presents. This article explains the biology of the blowfly, the risk factors and how to control strike. It also considers the costs involved in managing this problem.
Total and partial intravenous anaesthesia of horses
Authors: White Kate
Published: April 2015

It is widely accepted that inhalant anaesthetics cause cardiopulmonary depression. In order to reduce the concentrations of inhalant administered to an anaesthetised horse, and thereby reduce the side effects, supplemental drugs can be administered by bolus or infusion. This article describes the techniques of using additional drugs with inhalants (partial intravenous anaesthesia [PIVA]) and also covers the techniques and recipes for total intravenous anaesthesia (TIVA).
Management of an anaphylactoid crisis due to mast cell degranulation in a dog during general anaesthesia
Authors: Harðardottir Hulda , Yool Donald , Lawrence Jessica , Duncan Juliet
Published: April 2015

It is widely stated within the veterinary literature that manipulation of a mast cell tumour can lead to an anaphylactoid reaction; however, there is limited information on the frequency or management of such cases in companion animals. A nine‐year‐old, 38.4 kg, female neutered, labrador (retriever) presented for excision of a cutaneous mast cell tumour located on the left lower eyelid. This report describes a Grade III anaphylactoid crisis (hypotension, bradycardia and bronchospasm) that occurred when the dog was under general anaesthesia following mast cell degranulation. Prompt management following fluid resuscitation, administration of an aerosolised bronchodilator and intravenous atropine, successfully addressed the underlying pathophysiology of anaphylactoid crisis.
Pseudorabies in hunting dogs in Croatia with phylogenetic analysis of detected strains
Authors: Keros Tomislav , Jemeršić Lorena , Brnić Dragan , Prpić Jelena , Dežđek Danko
Published: April 2015

Pseudorabies virus (PrV) can persist within the wild boar population allowing them to be potential reservoirs of PrV for domestic pigs but also other animal species including hunting dogs. This article presents a case report of PrV infection in two hunting dogs from different central Croatian districts. Clinically, symptoms regarding the CNS and automutilation predominated in both animals, following their death. Histological evidence of perivascular infiltration of brain tissue, positive cytopathological changes after inoculation into cell culture and PCR confirmed the presence of PrV. Further sequencing of PrV gC genome fragment confirmed the presence of Clade A genotype, similar to strains derived previously from domestic pigs and wild boars in Croatia. The first description of pseudorabies in hunting dogs in Croatia confirming the possibility of viral transmission through contact from wild boars to hunting dogs has been presented.
Between-watershed movements of two anadromous salmonids in the Arctic
Authors: Jensen Arne Johan , Diserud Ola Håvard , Finstad Bengt , Fiske Peder , Rikardsen Audun Håvard
Published: April 2015

A long-term study in the River Halselva in the Arctic region of Norway demonstrated that movements between watersheds were considerably higher in anadromous brown trout (Salmo trutta) than anadromous Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus). Fourteen smolt year classes of both species were captured in a fish trap, individually tagged, and thereafter registered each time they passed the trap during their migration between the sea and fresh water every summer. Annual mean survival (i.e., recovery rate) after the first entry to sea as smolts was estimated as 31.4% in Arctic char and 26.6% in brown trout. Most surviving Arctic char returned to the River Halselva to overwinter after the same summer that they migrated to sea as smolts. However, several brown trout overwintered one to four times in other watersheds, mainly the considerably larger River Altaelva, before most eventually returned to the River Halselva upon maturation. The substantial difference in movement rate between watersheds between Arctic char (2.2%) and brown trout (39.6%) is expected to be a consequence of local geographic conditions combined with different habitat preferences of the two species.
Generalized two-point tree-level amplitude j f → j′ f′ in a magnetized medium
Authors: Kuznetsov A. V. , Rumyantsev D. A. , Shlenev D. M.
Published: April 2015

The tree-level two-point amplitudes for the transitions j f → j′ f′, where f is a fermion and j is a generalized current, in a constant uniform magnetic field of an arbitrary strength and in charged fermion plasma, for the j f f interaction vertices of the scalar, pseudoscalar, vector and axial-vector types have been calculated. The generalized current j could mean the field operator of a boson, or a current consisting of fermions, e.g. the neutrino current. The particular cases of a very strong magnetic field, and of the coherent scattering off the real fermions without change of their states (the "forward" scattering) have been analyzed. The contribution of the neutrino photoproduction process, [Formula: see text], to the neutrino emissivity has been calculated with taking account of a possible resonance on the virtual electron.
Path integral for (2+1)-dimensional Shape Dynamics
Authors: González A. , Ocampo H.
Published: April 2015

We studied the path integral quantization for the Shape Dynamics formulation of General Relativity in the 2+1 torus universe. We show that the Shape Dynamics path integral on the reduced phase space is equivalent with the previous results obtained for the ADM 2+1 gravity and we found that the Shape Dynamics Hamiltonian allows us to establish a straightforward relation between reduced systems in the (τ, V)-form and the τ-form through the York time gauge fixing.
Effects of high magnetic field annealing on the initial recrystallized texture in pure copper
Authors: He Tong , Wang Yan , Sun Wei , Zhao Xiang
Published: April 2015

The cold-rolled pure copper sheets were annealed with and without a high magnetic field of 12 T. The results showed that the magnetic annealing could promote the formation of the initial recrystallized cube texture. The magnetic annealing did not dramatically change the final annealing textures, but the intensity of the recrystallized cube texture is obviously different. The differences of the recrystallized cube orientation intensity between the specimens with and without the field annealing may be attributed to the effects of the magnetic field on the mobility of grain boundaries.
Corrosive characteristics of surface-modified stainless steel bipolar plate in solid polymer fuel cell
Authors: Zhang Xiaowen , Wang Lixia , Sun Juncai
Published: April 2015

In this paper, corrosion behavior of an AISI 304 stainless steel modified by niobium or niobium nitride (denoted as niobized 304 SS and Nb - N 304 SS, respectively) is investigated in simulated solid polymer fuel cell (SPFC) operating conditions. Potentiodynamic polarizations show that the corrosion potentials of surface modified 304 SS shift to positive direction while the corrosion current densities decrease greatly comparing with the bare 304 SS in simulated anodic SPFC environments. The order of corrosive resistance in corrosive potential, corrosive current density and pitting potential is: Nb - N 304 SS > niobized 304 SS > bare 304 SS. In the methanol-fueled SPFC operating conditions, the results show that the corrosion resistance of bare and niobized 304 SS increases with the methanol concentration increasing in the test solutions.
The smart IV stand design through human tracking mobile robot system by CDS cell
Authors: Jo Seong-Hyeon , Choe Jong-Hun , Seo Suk-Hyun , Kim Won-Hoe , Lee Hong-Kyu , Park Se-Ho
Published: April 2015

Vision-based recognition of the object as a general interface gives us high cost and complicated problem. This research suggests human tracking system by Arduino, and Laser-CdS cell system track wire that pass laser line. In this paper, we review existing literature on application systems of recognition which involves many interdisciplinary studies. We conclude that our method can only reduce cost, but is easy way to trace people's location with the use of wire. Furthermore, we apply several recognition systems including CdS-based mobile robot that is applied IV stand used at the hospital effectively.
Modeling and control of an unmanned underwater vehicle using a mass moving system
Authors: Byun Seung-Woo , Kim Donghee , Choi Hyeung-Sik , Kim Joon-Young
Published: April 2015

This paper describes the mathematical modeling and control algorithms of an unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) named Minekiller. This UUV has two longitudinal thrusters, one vertical thruster, and an internal mass moving system, which can control the pitch rate. The UUV is equipped with a movable mass for pitch control. It is different from other common UUVs, in that it can maintain a static pitch angle. The UUV's 6-DOF (Degrees of Freedom) dynamics model is derived from the hydrodynamic forces and moments acting on it. We applied these hydrodynamic coefficients to dynamic modeling for numerical simulations by MATLAB/SIMULINK©. To compare the performance in various cases, we used a PID controller for depth and heading control. Also, the navigation controller can analyze the way-point tracking performance. These simulation results show the performance of the control algorithms and maneuvering performance of the underwater vehicle.
Localization–compensation algorithm based on the Mean kShift and the Kalman filter
Authors: Lee Dong Myung , Kim Tae Wan , Kim Yun-Hae
Published: April 2015

In this paper, we propose a localization simulator based on the random walk/waypoint mobility model and a hybrid-type location–compensation algorithm using the Mean kShift/Kalman filter (MSKF) to enhance the precision of the estimated location value of mobile modules. From an analysis of our experimental results, the proposed algorithm using the MSKF can better compensate for the error rates, the average error rate per estimated distance moved by the mobile node ( Err _ Rate DV ) and the error rate per estimated trace value of the mobile node ( Err _ Rate TV ) than the Mean shift or Kalman filter up to a maximum of 29% in a random mobility environment for the three scenarios.
Spin coated unsubstituted copper phthalocyanine thin films for nitrogen dioxide sensors
Authors: Chakane Sanjay , Datir Ashok , Koinkar Pankaj
Published: April 2015

Copper phthalocyanine ( CuPc ) is synthesized chemically and used for making CuPc thin films using spin coating technique. Films were prepared from trifluroacetic acid (TFA) and chlorobenzene mixed solution on the glass substrate. Spin coated films of unsubstituted CuPc films were heat annealed at 150°C for 2 h duration and were used to study NO 2 gas sensing characteristics. α-phase of CuPc is noted by UV-visible absorption spectra. IR spectra of undoped CuPc films and doped CuPc films with NO 2 revealed that, doping of nitrogen dioxide modifies and deletes some of the bands. The effect of NO 2 at various concentrations from 50 ppm to 500 ppm in atmospheric air at room temperature on the electrical conductivity of CuPc films was studied. Sensitivity, response time and repeatability of the CuPc sensor were discussed in this paper.
Polypyrrole nanostructures and their field emission investigations
Authors: Harpale Kashmira , More Mahendra A. , Koinkar Pankaj M. , Patil Sandip S. , Sonawane Kishor M.
Published: April 2015

Polypyrrole (PPy) nanostructures have been synthesized on indium doped tin oxide (ITO) substrates by a facile electrochemical route employing cyclic voltammetry (CV) mode. The morphology of the PPy thin films was observed to be influenced by the monomer concentration. Furthermore, FTIR revealed formation of electrically conducting state of PPy. Field emission investigations of the PPy nanostructures were carried out at base pressure of 1×10-8 mbar . The values of turn-on field, corresponding to emission current density of 1 μA/cm2 were observed to be 0.6, 1.0 and 1.2 V/μm for the PPy films characterized with rod-like, cauliflower and granular morphology, respectively. In case of PPy nanorods maximum current density of 1.2 mA/cm2 has been drawn at electric field of 1 V/μm. The low turn on field, extraction of very high emission current density at relatively lower applied field and good emission stability propose the PPy nanorods as a promising material for field emission based devices.
Surface modification of medium carbon steel by electron beam alloying
Authors: Yonekura Daisuke , Iida Kohei
Published: April 2015

An electron beam surface alloying was applied to a medium carbon steel disk using hBN, W and WC powders in order to examine the effect of these powder materials on the microstructure and hardness. The study reveals that, the surface hardness was improved by the electron beam irradiation with all powders and no surface cracks were observed due to the martensitic transformation and the surface alloying. However the influence of powder materials on the hardness was little. Thus, it was found the surface modification by the electron beam irradiation with various powders is effective way to improve the surface hardness as well as the prevention of surface cracking.
Characteristics of deposited boron doping diamond on tungsten carbide insert by MPECVD
Authors: Kim Jong Seok , Park Yeong Min , Kim Jeong Wan , Tulugan Kelimu , Kim Tae Gyu
Published: April 2015

Diamond-coated cutting tools are used primarily for machining non-ferrous materials such as aluminum–silicon alloys, copper alloys, fiber-reinforced polymers, green ceramics and graphite. Because the tool life of cemented carbide cutting tool is greatly improved by diamond coating, and typically more than 10 times of the tool life is obtained. However, research of boron-doped diamond (BDD) coating tool has not been fully researched yet. In this study, we have succeeded to make boron-doped microcrystalline and nanocrystalline diamond-coated Co -cemented tungsten carbide (WC– Co ) inserts. Microcrystalline BDD thin film is deposited on WC– Co insert by using microwave plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (MPECVD) method. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Raman spectroscopy are used to characterize the as-deposited diamond films.1,2
An extended helicopter's rescuing model with multiple points
Authors: Tang Tie-Qiao , Shi Wei-Fang , Yang Shi-Chun , Shang Hua-Yan
Published: April 2015

In this paper, we propose an extended helicopter's rescuing model to explore the effects of multiple rescuing points on each helicopter's flying behavior during the whole rescuing process from the numerical perspective. The numerical results show that the proposed model can describe the qualitative effects of multiple rescuing points on each helicopter's speed, running trail and safe region.
Functional Hubs in Mild Cognitive Impairment
Authors: Navas Adrián , Papo David , Boccaletti Stefano , Del-Pozo F. , Bajo Ricardo , Maestú Fernando , Martínez J. H. , Gil Pablo , Sendiña-Nadal Irene , Buldú Javier M.
Published: April 2015

We investigate how hubs of functional brain networks are modified as a result of mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a condition causing a slight but noticeable decline in cognitive abilities, which sometimes precedes the onset of Alzheimer's disease. We used magnetoencephalography (MEG) to investigate the functional brain networks of a group of patients suffering from MCI and a control group of healthy subjects, during the execution of a short-term memory task. Couplings between brain sites were evaluated using synchronization likelihood, from which a network of functional interdependencies was constructed and the centrality, i.e. importance, of their nodes was quantified. The results showed that, with respect to healthy controls, MCI patients were associated with decreases and increases in hub centrality respectively in occipital and central scalp regions, supporting the hypothesis that MCI modifies functional brain network topology, leading to more random structures.
Experimental and Numerical Studies on the Dynamics of X-Band Gunn Oscillator Based Angle Modulator–Demodulator System with Chaotic Modulating Signal
Authors: Sarkar Bishnu Charan , Sarkar Suvra , Guin Arun Kanti , Koley Chaitali
Published: April 2015

We have studied the performance of a Gunn oscillator (GO) based angle modulator–demodulator system in transmitting chaotic signals in the X-band microwave frequency channel. The principle of bias tuning of a GO is employed to implement the angle modulator used in the transmitter. The said GO is operated in a free running condition and then in a frequency synchronized condition to an external microwave signal, thus generating frequency modulated (FM) and phase modulated (PM) signals, respectively. The demodulator circuit is implemented with a GO phase synchronized to the incoming modulated signal, followed by a microwave mixer multiplying the input and the output signals of the GO and a low pass filter. The response of the system is analytically established, numerically examined and experimentally verified. The obtained results confirm that in the limit of low modulation index and in the linear range of operation of the bias tuned modulator and the phase synchronized detector, a chaos signal can be transmitted and recovered through a microwave channel using the technique of angle modulation.
ON THE FUNDAMENTAL THEOREM OF CALCULUS FOR FRACTAL SETS
Authors: BONGIORNO DONATELLA , CORRAO GIUSEPPA
Published: April 2015

The aim of this paper is to formulate the best version of the Fundamental theorem of Calculus for real functions on a fractal subset of the real line. In order to do that an integral of Henstock–Kurzweil type is introduced.
Three-party quantum summation without a trusted third party
Authors: Zhang Cai , Sun Zhi-Wei , Huang Xiang , Long Dong-Yang
Published: April 2015

In this paper, we propose a quantum summation protocol, in which the genuinely maximally entangled six-qubit states found by Borras et al., are employed. Because of the excellent properties of the genuinely maximally entangled six-qubit states, the presented protocol allows three participants to compute the summation of their inputs without the help of a trusted third party and preserve the privacy of their inputs, respectively. The participants do not need any unitary operations. In addition, the proposed protocol utilizes the one-step quantum transmission and therefore is congenitally free from Trojan horse attacks. We have also shown that our protocol is secure against other well-known attacks over lossy and noisy quantum channels.
Catch-Up of Chinese Pharmaceutical Firms Facing Technological Complexity
Authors: Hu Hao , Zhang Liming
Published: April 2015

Technological complexity is an inevitable challenge for latecomer firms aiming to upgrade themselves. Applying a perspective of firms within sectoral system of innovation, this paper studies the catch-up efforts of the leading Chinese pharmaceutical firms in the past few decades. The findings show that technological complexity tends to lengthen catch-up process, raise capability requirement, require more networking, and demand complicated institution design, which asks for a more evolutionary catch-up strategy with self-investment into system capability and network competence. The findings of this article provide references for catch-up efforts in other industries of technological complexity.