bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Hypospadias Repair: A Single Centre Experience
Authors: Khan Mansoor , Majeed Abdul , Hayat Waqas , Ullah Hidayat , Naz Shazia , Shah Syed Asif , Tahmeed Tahmeedullah , Yousaf Kanwal , Tahir Muhammad
Published: January 2014

Objectives. To determine the demographics and analyze the management and factors influencing the postoperative complications of hypospadias repair. Settings. Hayatabad Medical Complex Peshawar, Pakistan, from January 2007 to December 2011. Material and Methods. All male patients presenting with hypospadias irrespective of their ages were included in the study. The data were acquired from the hospital’s database and analyzed with Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Results. A total of 428 patients with mean age of 8.12 ± 5.04 SD presented for hypospadias repair. Midpenile hypospadias were the most common. Chordee, meatal abnormalities, cryptorchidism, and inguinal hernias were observed in 74.3%, 9.6%, 2.8%, and 2.1% cases, respectively. Two-stage (Bracka) and TIP (tubularized incised urethral plate) repairs were performed in 76.2% and 20.8% of cases, respectively. The most common complications were edema and urethrocutaneous fistula (UCF). The complications were significantly lower in the hands of specialists than residents (P-value = 0.0086). The two-stage hypospadias repair resulted in higher complications frequency than single-stage repair (P value = 0.0001). Conclusion. Hypospadias surgery has a long learning curve because it requires a great deal of temperament, surgical skill and acquaintance with magnifications. Single-stage repair should be encouraged wherever applicable due to its lower postoperative complications.
Managing Transition with Support: Experiences of Transition from Child and Adolescent Psychiatry to General Adult Psychiatry Narrated by Young Adults and Relatives
Authors: Lindgren Eva , Söderberg Siv , Skär Lisa
Published: January 2014

Young adults with mental illness who need continuing care when they turn 18 are referred from child and adolescent psychiatry to general adult psychiatry. During this process, young adults are undergoing multiple transitions as they come of age while they transfer to another unit in healthcare. The aim of this study was to explore expectations and experiences of transition from child and adolescent psychiatry to general adult psychiatry as narrated by young adults and relatives. Individual interviews were conducted with three young adults and six relatives and analysed according to grounded theory. The analysis resulted in a core category: managing transition with support, and three categories: being of age but not mature, walking out of security and into uncertainty, and feeling omitted and handling concerns. The young adults’ and relatives' main concerns were that they might be left out and feel uncertainty about the new situation during the transition process. To facilitate the transition process, individual care planning is needed. It is essential that young adults and relatives are participating in the process to be prepared for the changes and achieve a successful transition. Knowledge about the simultaneous processes seems to be an important issue for facilitating transition.
Two-Dimensional Simulation of Electrospun Nanofibrous Structures: Connection of Experimental and Simulated Results
Authors: Danwanichakul Panu , Danwanichakul Duangkamol
Published: January 2014

Nanofibrous mats were obtained from electrospinning Nylon-6 solutions with concentrations of 30 and 35 wt% and were tested for filtration of polystyrene particles in suspension. Some experimental results were compared with the simulated ones. In the simulation, the two-dimensional structures were constructed by randomly depositing a nanofiber, which was assumed as an ellipse with an aspect ratio of 100, one by one. The nanofiber size is assumed to be polydisperse. The results showed that simulated configurations resembled real nanofibers with polydisperse diameters. Fibers from higher solution concentration were larger, resulting in larger pore size, which was confirmed with simulations. Varying the size distribution around the same average value did not make any difference to the surface coverage but it affected 2D pore areas for the systems at low fiber density. In addition, the probability for a particle to pass through the porous structure was less when the fiber density was higher and the particle diameter was larger, which was consistent with the filtration test. Lastly, water flux measurement could yield the void volume fraction as well as the volume-averaged pore diameter, which was found to be greater than the averaged 2D pore diameter from SEM micrographs by the quantity related to the fiber size.
Travelling Wave Solutions for the Coupled IBq Equations by Using the tanh-coth Method
Authors: Gozukizil Omer Faruk , Akcagil Samil
Published: January 2014

Based on the availability of symbolic computation, the tanh-coth method is used to obtain a number of travelling wave solutions for several coupled improved Boussinesq equations. The abundant new solutions can be seen as improvement of the previously known data. The obtained results in this work also demonstrate the efficiency of the method.
Penalized Maximum Likelihood Algorithm for Positron Emission Tomography by Using Anisotropic Median‐Diffusion
Authors: He Qian , Huang Lihong
Published: January 2014

Nowadays, positron emission tomography (PET) is widely used in engineering. In this paper, a novel penalized maximum likelihood (PML) algorithm is presented for improving the quality of PET images. The proposed algorithm fuses an anisotropic median‐diffusion (AMD) filter to the maximum‐likelihood expectation‐maximization (MLEM) algorithm. The fusing algorithm shows its positive effect on image reconstruction and denoising. Experimental results present that the proposed method denoises and reconstructs images with high quality. Furthermore, by comparing with other classical reconstructing algorithms, this novel algorithm shows better performance in the edge preservation.
Understanding Contributor to Developer Turnover Patterns in OSS Projects: A Case Study of Apache Projects
Authors: Iqbal Aftab
Published: January 2014

OSS projects are dynamic in nature. Developers contribute to a project for a certain period of time and later leave the project or join other projects of high interest. Hence, the OSS community always welcomes members who can attain the role of a developer in a project. In this paper, we investigate contributions made by members who have attained the role of a developer. In particular, we study the contributions made by the members in terms of bugs reported, comments on bugs, source-code patch submissions, and their social relation with other members of an OSS community. Further, we study the significance of nondevelopers contribution and investigate if and to what extent they play a role in the long-term survival of an OSS project. Moreover, we investigate the ratio of contributions made by a member before and after attaining the role of a developer. We have outlined 4 research questions in this regard and further discuss our findings based on the research questions by taking into account data from software repositories of 4 different Apache projects.
Changing the Landscape of the HIV Epidemic among MSM in China: Results from Three Consecutive Respondent-Driven Sampling Surveys from 2009 to 2011
Authors: Li Xuefeng , Lu Hongyan , Cox Catherine , Zhao Yuejuan , Xia Dongyan , Sun Yanming , He Xiong , Xiao Yan , Ruan Yuhua , Jia Yujiang , Shao Yiming
Published: January 2014

This study assessed the changes of HIV incidence and its predictors among Beijing’s men who have sex with men (MSM). Three consecutive cross-sectional surveys were carried out using a consistent respondent-driven sampling (RDS) approach in 2009, 2010, and 2011, respectively. Structured-questionnaire based interviews were completed with computer-assisted self-administration. Incident infection was examined with BED capture enzyme immunoassay (BED-CEIA). The overall rate of HIV prevalence was 8.0% in the three years (95% confidence interval [CI]: 4.9%–11.2%). The overall rate of BED-CEIA incidence was 7.8/100 person years (PY) (95% CI: 5.5–10.1) with 6.8/100PY (95% CI: 3.4–10.2) in 2009, 11.2/100PY (95% CI: 6.2–16.3) in 2010, and 5.8/100PY (95% CI: 2.4–9.3) in 2011, respectively. Multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that, compared with HIV-negative MSM, recently infected MSM were more likely to be bisexual (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 2.1, 95% CI: 1.1–4.1), live in Beijing ≤3 years (AOR = 2.1, 95% CI: 1.2–4.0), and have a negative attitude towards safe sex (AOR = 1.1 per scale point, 95% CI: 1.0–1.1). This study demonstrated a disturbing rise of HIV infections among Beijing’s MSM. These findings underscored the urgency of scaling up effective and better-targeted intervention services to stop the rapid spread of the virus.
Hormonal Contraceptive Use and the Prevalence of Endometriotic Lesions at Different Regions within the Peritoneal Cavity
Authors: McKinnon Brett D. , Bertschi Dominic , Wanner Juilette , Bersinger Nick A. , Mueller Michael D.
Published: January 2014

Endometriosis is an estrogen-dependent disease that can lead to chronic pain and subfertility. Endometriotic lesions found in different locations are heterogeneous and may represent a collection of related but distinct conditions. Whether there is a relationship between hormonal contraceptive (HC) use and endometriosis is still controversial. The purpose of this study was to determine whether HC use affected the prevalence of endometriotic lesions differently based on lesion location. Data was retrospectively collected from 161 patients presenting to the Berne University Women’s Hospital between 2008 and 2012 for laparoscopic investigation. Women with histologically proven endometriosis were included in the study and patients were grouped according to lesion location and HC use. The results of the study indicate that HC users are significantly less likely to have endometriotic lesions on the ovaries, although in contrast, no difference was observed in the incidence of lesions in the rectovaginal septum (RVS) or peritoneal region. In addition, women using HC who were diagnosed with endometriotic lesions on the peritoneum were significantly younger than women with lesions in other locations. In conclusion, women with endometriosis who are currently using HC are less likely to have ovarian endometriotic lesions than in alternate locations.
Quantum-Spacetime Scenarios and Soft Spectral Lags of the Remarkable GRB130427A
Authors: Amelino-Camelia Giovanni , Fiore Fabrizio , Guetta Dafne , Puccetti Simonetta
Published: January 2014

We process the Fermi LAT data on GRB130427A using the Fermi Science Tools, and we summarize some of the key facts that render this observation truly remarkable. We then perform a search of spectral lags, of the type that has been of interest for its relevance in quantum-spacetime research. We do find some evidence of systematic soft spectral lags: when confining the analysis to photons of energies greater than 5 GeV there is an early hard development of minibursts within the burst. The effect is well characterized by a linear dependence, within such a miniburst, of the detection time on energy. We also observe that some support for these features is noticeable also in earlier Fermi-LAT GRBs. Some aspects of the comparison of these features for GRBs at different redshifts could be described within a quantum-spacetime picture, but taking into account results previously obtained by other studies we favour the interpretation as intrinsic properties of GRBs. Even if our spectral lags do turn out to have astrophysical origin their understanding will be important for quantum-spacetime research, since any attempt to reveal minute quantum-spacetime-induced spectral lags evidently requires a good understanding of intrinsic mechanisms at the sources that can produce spectral lags.
Analyzing the Effect of TCP and Server Population on Massively Multiplayer Games
Authors: Suznjevic Mirko , Saldana Jose , Matijasevic Maja , Fernández-Navajas Julián , Ruiz-Mas José
Published: January 2014

Many Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs) use TCP flows for communication between the server and the game clients. The utilization of TCP, which was not initially designed for (soft) real-time services, has many implications for the competing traffic flows. In this paper we present a series of studies which explore the competition between MMORPG and other traffic flows. For that aim, we first extend a source-based traffic model, based on player’s activities during the day, to also incorporate the impact of the number of players sharing a server (server population) on network traffic. Based on real traffic traces, we statistically model the influence of the variation of the server’s player population on the network traffic, depending on the action categories (i.e., types of in-game player behaviour). Using the developed traffic model we prove that while server population only modifies specific action categories, this effect is significant enough to be observed on the overall traffic. We find that TCPVegasis a good option for competing flows in order not to throttle the MMORPG flows and that TCP SACK is more respectful with game flows than other TCP variants, namely,Tahoe, Reno,andNew Reno. Other tests show that MMORPG flows do not significantly reduce their sending window size when competing against UDP flows. Additionally, we study the effect of RTT unfairness between MMORPG flows, showing that it is less important than in the case of network-limited TCP flows.
Controllability and Observability of Fractional Linear Systems with Two Different Orders
Authors: Xu Dengguo , Li Yanmei , Zhou Weifeng
Published: January 2014

This paper is concerned with the controllability and observability for a class of fractional linear systems with two different orders. The sufficient and necessary conditions for state controllability and state observability of such systems are established. The results obtained extend some existing results of controllability and observability for fractional dynamical systems.
Validation of ASTER Surface Temperature Data withIn SituMeasurements to Evaluate Heat Islands in Complex Urban Areas
Authors: Song Bonggeun , Park Kyunghun
Published: January 2014

This study compared Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) surface temperature data within situmeasurements to validate the use of ASTER data for studying heat islands in urban settings with complex spatial characteristics. Eight sites in Changwon, Korea, were selected for analyses. Surface temperature data were extracted from the thermal infrared (TIR) band of ASTER on four dates during the summer and fall of 2012, and correspondingin situmeasurements of temperature were also collected. Comparisons showed that ASTER derived temperatures were generally 4.27°C lower than temperatures collected byin situmeasurements during the daytime, except on cloudy days. However, ASTER temperatures were higher by 2.23–2.69°C on two dates during the nighttime. Temperature differences between a city park and a paved area were insignificant. Differences between ASTER derived temperatures and onsite measurements are caused by a variety of factors including the application of emissivity values that do not consider the complex spatial characteristics of urban areas. Therefore, to improve the accuracy of surface temperatures extracted from infrared satellite imagery, we propose a revised model whereby temperature data is obtained from ASTER and emissivity values for various land covers are extracted based onin situmeasurements.
Phenolic Composition and Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activities of Extracts Obtained fromCrataegus azarolusL. var.aronia(Willd.) Batt. Ovaries Calli
Authors: Bahri-Sahloul Radhia , Ben Fredj Radhia , Boughalleb Naima , Shriaa Jihène , Saguem Saâd , Hilbert Jean-Louis , Trotin Francis , Ammar Saida , Bouzid Sadok , Harzallah-Skhiri Fethia
Published: January 2014

Objective. Plant cell culture is an innovative technology to produce a variety of substances. Numerous plants synthesize among their secondary metabolites phenolic compounds which possess antioxidant and antimicrobial effects. Hawthorn (Crataegus) is one of these plants which has long been used in folk medicine and is widely utilized in pharmaceutical preparations mainly in neuro- and cardiosedative actions.Methods and Results. The production of polyphenol by fifty-two-week-oldCrataegus azarolusvar.aroniacalli was studied in relation to growth variation and antioxidant and antimicrobial capacity within a subcultured period. The DPPH and ABTS+assays were used to characterize the antioxidant actions of the callus cultures. Antimicrobial activity was tested by using disc diffusion and dilution assays for the determination of the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and the minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC) values of each active extract. High TEACDPPH, TEACABTS, and antimicrobial activity was observed when maximal growth was reached. An optimum of total phenol, proanthocyanidins, flavonoid, (−)-epicatechin, procyanidin B2, chlorogenic acid, and hyperoside was produced during this period.Conclusion. Antioxidant and antimicrobial activities were strongly correlated with total phenols and total flavonoids.Crataegus azarolusvar.aroniacells culture represents an important alternative source of natural antioxidants and antimicrobials.
Pain Prevalence and Management in an Internal Medicine Setting in Italy
Authors: Fabbian Fabio , De Giorgi Alfredo , Pala Marco , Mallozzi Menegatti Alessandra , Gallerani Massimo , Manfredini Roberto
Published: January 2014

Background. Since data on pain evaluation and management in patients admitted to internal medicine wards (IMWs) are limited, we aimed to evaluate these aspects in a cohort of internistic patients. Methods. We considered all patients consecutively admitted from June to December 2011 to our unit. Age, gender, and length-of-hospital-stay (LOS) were recorded. Comorbidities were arbitrarily defined, and pain severity was evaluated by Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) on admission and discharge. Results. The final sample consisted of 526 patients (mean age 74±14 years; 308 women). Significant pain (NRS ≥ 3) was detected in 63% of cases, and severe (NRS ≥ 7) in 7.6%. Pain was successfully treated, and NRS decreased from 4.65 ± 2.05 to 0.89 ± 1.3 (P<0.001). Compared with subjects with NRS < 3, those with significant pain were older (75.5 ± 13.9 versus 72.9 ± 14.5 years, P=0.038), and had a higher LOS (7.9 ± 6.1 versus 7.3 ± 6.8, P=0.048). Significant pain was independently associated with age (OR 0.984, P=0.018), cancer (OR 3.347, P<0.001), musculoskeletal disease (OR 3.054, P<0.0001), biliary disease (OR 3.100, P<0.01), and bowel disease (OR 3.100, P<0.003). Conclusion. In an internal medicine setting, multiple diseases represent significant cause of pain. Prompt pain evaluation and management should be performed as soon as possible, in order to avoid patients’ suffering and reduce the need of hospital stay.
Intelligent Platform for Model Updating in a Structural Health Monitoring System
Authors: Dan Danhui , Yang Tong , Gong Jiongxin
Published: January 2014

The main aim of this study is to develop an automated smart software platform to improve the time‐consuming and laborious process of model updating. We investigate the key techniques of model updating based on intelligent optimization algorithms, that is, accuracy judgment methods for basic finite element model, parameter choice theory based on sensitivity analysis, commonly used objective functions and their construction methods, particle swarm optimization, and other intelligent optimization algorithms. An intelligent model updating prototype software framework is developed using the commercial software systems ANSYS and MATLAB. A parameterized finite element modeling technique is proposed to suit different bridge types and different model updating requirements. An objective function library is built to fit different updating targets. Finally, two case studies are conducted to verify the feasibility of the techniques used by the proposed software platform.
Synthesis, Crystal Structure, and Thermal Decomposition of the Cobalt(II) Complex with 2-Picolinic Acid
Authors: Li Di , Zhong Guo-Qing
Published: January 2014

The cobalt(II) complex of 2-picolinic acid (Hpic), namely,[Co(pic)2(H2O)2]·2H2O, was synthesized with the reaction of cobalt acetate and 2-picolinic acid as the reactants by solid-solid reaction at room temperature. The composition and structure of the complex were characterized by elemental analysis, infrared spectroscopy, single crystal X-ray diffraction, and thermogravimetry-differential scanning calorimetry (TG-DSC). The crystal structure of the complex belongs to monoclinic system and space groupP2(1)/n, with cell parameters ofa=9.8468(7) Å,b=5.2013(4) Å,c=14.6041(15) Å,β=111.745(6)°,V=747.96(11) Å3,Z=2,Dc=1.666 g cm−3,R1=0.0297, andwR2=0.0831. In the title complex, the Co(II) ion is six-coordinated by two pyridine N atoms and two carboxyl O atoms from two 2-picolinic acid anions, and two O atoms from two H2O molecules, and forming a slightly distorted octahedral geometry. The thermal decomposition processes of the complex under nitrogen include dehydration and pyrolysis of the ligand, and the final residue is cobalt oxalate at about 450°C.
The Pain Frequency-Severity-Duration Scale as a Measure of Pain: Preliminary Validation in a Pediatric Chronic Pain Sample
Authors: Salamon Katherine S. , Davies W. Hobart , Fuentes Melissa R. , Weisman Steven J. , Hainsworth Keri R.
Published: January 2014

Typically, pain is measured by intensity and sensory characteristics. Although intensity is one of the most common dimensions of pain assessment, it has been suggested that measuring pain intensity in isolation is only capturing part of the pain experience and may not lead to an accurate measurement of how pain impacts a child’s daily functioning. The current study aimed to develop a measure that would capture pain intensity along with frequency and duration in a clinical sample of youth diagnosed with chronic pain. The pain-frequency-severity-duration (PFSD) scale was developed and data were collected from a multidisciplinary pain clinic at a large, midwestern children’s hospital. Validated measures of functional limitations and health related quality of life were also collected. Significant correlations were found between the PFSD composite score, functional limitations, and health related quality of life. Future research should continue to evaluate this questionnaire utilizing other validated pain measures and other areas potentially impacted by chronic pain and with more diverse samples. This initial finding suggests that the PFSD is a convenient self-reported measure and is strongly related to health related quality of life and functional disability.
Soluble Form of Receptor for Advanced Glycation End Products Is Associated with Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome in Adolescents
Authors: He Chih-Tsueng , Lee Chien-Hsing , Hsieh Chang-Hsun , Hsiao Fone-Ching , Kuo Philip , Chu Nain-Feng , Hung Yi-Jen
Published: January 2014

The aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate the relationship between soluble form of receptor for advanced glycation end products (sRAGE), obesity, and metabolic syndrome (MetS) in adolescents. A total of 522 male and 561 female adolescents were enrolled into the final analyses. Anthropometric parameters, blood pressure, blood biochemistry, fasting insulin, and plasma sRAGE levels were measured. In males, sRAGE was significantly and inversely correlated with waist circumference (WC), body mass index (BMI), systolic blood pressure, triglyceride (TG), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). Only WC and BMI were significantly and inversely correlated with sRAGE in females. Using linear regression analysis adjusting for age and gender, significant association was found between sRAGE and WC, BMI, TG, LDL-C, and HOMA-IR in adolescents of either gender (P<0.05). This association was abolished when further adjusting BMI. In addition, sRAGE was significantly and inversely correlated with the increasing number of components of MetS in males (Pfor trend = 0.006) but not in females (Pfor trend = 0.422). In conclusion, plasma sRAGE is associated with obesity and MetS among adolescents. BMI may be the most important determinant of sRAGE levels in adolescents.
Introducing Single Dose Liposomal Amphotericin B for the Treatment of Visceral Leishmaniasis in Rural Bangladesh: Feasibility and Acceptance to Patients and Health Staff
Authors: Maintz Eva-Maria , Hassan Mahbub , Huda M. Mamun , Ghosh Debashis , Hossain Md. Shakhawat , Alim Abdul , Kroeger Axel , Arana Byron , Mondal Dinesh
Published: January 2014

Background.For the treatment of visceral leishmaniasis in Bangladesh, single dose liposomal amphotericin B (ambisome) is supposed to be the safest and most effective treatment. Specific needs for application and storage raise questions about feasibility of its implementation and acceptance by patients and health staff.Methods.The study was carried out in the most endemic district of Bangladesh. Study population includes patients treated with ambisome or miltefosine, hospital staff, and a director of the national visceral leishmaniasis program. Study methods include direct observation (subdistrict hospitals), open interviews (heath staff and program personnel), structured questionnaires, and focus group discussions (patients).Results.Politicalcommitment for ambisome is strong; the general hospital infrastructure favours implementation but further strengthening is required, particularly for drug storage below 25°C (refrigerators), back-up energy (fuel for generators), and supplies for ambisome administration (like 5% dextrose solution). Ambisome created high satisfaction in patients and hospital staff, less adverse events, and less income loss for patients compared to miltefosine.Conclusions.High political commitment, general capacities of subdistrict hospitals, and high acceptability favour the implementation of ambisome treatment in Bangladesh. However, strengthening of the infrastructure and uninterrupted supplies of essential accessories is mandatory before introducing sLAB in Bangladesh.
Aerosol Effects on Instability, Circulations, Clouds, and Precipitation
Authors: Lee Seoung-Soo , Tao Wei-Kuo , Jung Chang-Hoon
Published: January 2014

It is well known that increasing aerosol and associated changes in aerosol-cloud interactions and precipitation since industrialization have been playing an important role in climate change, but this role has not been well understood. This prevents us from predicting future climate with a good confidence. This review paper presents recent studies on the changes in the aerosol-cloud interactions and precipitation particularly in deep convective clouds. In addition, this review paper discusses how to improve our understanding of these changes by considering feedbacks among aerosol, cloud dynamics, cloud and its embedded circulations, and microphysics. Environmental instability basically determines the dynamic intensity of clouds and thus acts as one of the most important controls on these feedbacks. As a first step to the improvement of the understanding, this paper specifically elaborates on how to link the instability to the feedbacks.
Four Different Methods Comparison for Extraction of Astaxanthin from Green AlgaHaematococcus pluvialis
Authors: Dong Shengzhao , Huang Yi , Zhang Rui , Wang Shihui , Liu Yun
Published: January 2014

Haematococcus pluvialisis one of the potent organisms for production of astaxanthin. Up to now, no efficient method has been achieved due to its thick cell wall hindering solvent extraction of astaxanthin. In this study, four different methods, hydrochloric acid pretreatment followed by acetone extraction (HCl-ACE), hexane/isopropanol (6 : 4, v/v) mixture solvents extraction (HEX-IPA), methanol extraction followed by acetone extraction (MET-ACE, 2-step extraction), and soy-oil extraction, were intensively evaluated for extraction of astaxanthin fromH. pluvialis. Results showed that HCl-ACE method could obtain the highest oil yield(33.3±1.1%)and astaxanthin content(19.8±1.1%). Quantitative NMR analysis provided the fatty acid chain profiles of total lipid extracts. In all cases, oleyl chains were predominant, and high amounts of polyunsaturated fatty acid chains were observed and the major fatty acid components were oleic acid (13–35%), linoleic acid (37–43%), linolenic acid (20–31%), and total saturated acid (17–28%). DPPH radical scavenging activity of extract obtained by HCl-ACE was73.2±1.0%, which is the highest amongst the four methods. The reducing power of extract obtained by four extraction methods was also examined. It was concluded that the proposed extraction method of HCl-ACE in this work allowed efficient astaxanthin extractability with high antioxidant properties.
Adaptive Neural Network Motion Control of Manipulators with Experimental Evaluations
Authors: Puga-Guzmán S. , Moreno-Valenzuela J. , Santibáñez V.
Published: January 2014

A nonlinear proportional-derivative controller plus adaptive neuronal network compensation is proposed. With the aim of estimating the desired torque, a two-layer neural network is used. Then, adaptation laws for the neural network weights are derived. Asymptotic convergence of the position and velocity tracking errors is proven, while the neural network weights are shown to be uniformly bounded. The proposed scheme has been experimentally validated in real time. These experimental evaluations were carried in two different mechanical systems: a horizontal two degrees-of-freedom robot and a vertical one degree-of-freedom arm which is affected by the gravitational force. In each one of the two experimental set-ups, the proposed scheme was implemented without and with adaptive neural network compensation. Experimental results confirmed the tracking accuracy of the proposed adaptive neural network-based controller.
Preliminary Analysis on the Global Features of the NCEP CFSv2 Seasonal Hindcasts
Authors: Silva Gyrlene A. M. , Dutra Lívia M. M. , da Rocha Rosmeri P. , Ambrizzi Tércio , Leiva Érico
Published: January 2014

The representation of the CFSv2 ocean-atmosphere ensemble hindcasts is investigated during Dec-Jan-Feb (DJF) and Jun-Jul-Aug (JJA) from 1983 to 2010. The skill anomaly correlations showed that in some continents the forecasts do not have dependency with changes in the initial conditions. Also, in both seasons the model has a higher skill at the 0-month lead time with the largest spatial biases occurring over the North America, South America, and Oceania. Over the continents the largest biases in the nonlinearity of El Niño minus La Niña events are found over the eastern South Africa, part of Oceania, and central-southeastern parts of South America. During DJF the main biases are related to double-ITCZ, strengthening of SPCZ, and deepening of the Aleutian and Icelandic low pressures. The simulation of a warmer SST on the eastern of most austral oceans, the strengthening (weakening) of the Subtropical (Polar) Jet over the Southern Hemisphere, and the weakening of the zonal circulation near the Antarctic continent are also found in both seasons. Over the central-eastern Equatorial Pacific a cooler bias in SST is found during JJA. These biases are interpreted by analyses of the simulated global mean-state and their impact on the main patterns of variability.
Testing Spatial Symmetry Using Contingency Tables Based on Nearest Neighbor Relations
Authors: Ceyhan Elvan
Published: January 2014

We consider two types of spatial symmetry, namely, symmetry in the mixed or shared nearest neighbor (NN) structures. We use Pielou’s and Dixon’s symmetry tests which are defined using contingency tables based on the NN relationships between the data points. We generalize these tests to multiple classes and demonstrate that both the asymptotic and exact versions of Pielou’s first type of symmetry test are extremely conservative in rejecting symmetry in the mixed NN structure and hence should be avoided or only the Monte Carlo randomized version should be used. Under RL, we derive the asymptotic distribution for Dixon’s symmetry test and also observe that the usual independence test seems to be appropriate for Pielou’s second type of test. Moreover, we apply variants of Fisher’s exact test on the shared NN contingency table for Pielou’s second test and determine the most appropriate version for our setting. We also consider pairwise and one-versus-rest type tests in post hoc analysis after a significant overall symmetry test. We investigate the asymptotic properties of the tests, prove their consistency under appropriate null hypotheses, and investigate finite sample performance of them by extensive Monte Carlo simulations. The methods are illustrated on a real-life ecological data set.
Extended Endoscopic Endonasal Approaches for Cerebral Aneurysms: Anatomical, Virtual Reality and Morphometric Study
Authors: Di Somma Alberto , de Notaris Matteo , Stagno Vita , Serra Luis , Enseñat Joaquim , Alobid Isam , San Molina Joan , Berenguer Joan , Cappabianca Paolo , Prats-Galino Alberto
Published: January 2014

Introduction. The purpose of the present contribution is to perform a detailed anatomic and virtual reality three-dimensional stereoscopic study in order to test the effectiveness of the extended endoscopic endonasal approaches for selected anterior and posterior circulation aneurysms.Methods. The study was divided in two main steps: (1) simulation step, using a dedicated Virtual Reality System (Dextroscope, Volume Interactions); (2) dissection step, in which the feasibility to reach specific vascular territory via the nose was verified in the anatomical laboratory.Results. Good visualization and proximal and distal vascular control of the main midline anterior and posterior circulation territory were achieved during the simulation step as well as in the dissection step (anterior communicating complex, internal carotid, ophthalmic, superior hypophyseal, posterior cerebral and posterior communicating, basilar, superior cerebellar, anterior inferior cerebellar, vertebral, and posterior inferior cerebellar arteries).Conclusion. The present contribution is intended as strictly anatomic study in which we highlighted some specific anterior and posterior circulation aneurysms that can be reached via the nose. For clinical applications of these approaches, some relevant complications, mainly related to the endonasal route, such as proximal and distal vascular control, major arterial bleeding, postoperative cerebrospinal fluid leak, and olfactory disturbances must be considered.
Neuroanatomical Classification in a Population-Based Sample of Psychotic Major Depression and Bipolar I Disorder with 1 Year of Diagnostic Stability
Authors: Serpa Mauricio H. , Ou Yangming , Schaufelberger Maristela S. , Doshi Jimit , Ferreira Luiz K. , Machado-Vieira Rodrigo , Menezes Paulo R. , Scazufca Marcia , Davatzikos Christos , Busatto Geraldo F. , Zanetti Marcus V.
Published: January 2014

The presence of psychotic features in the course of a depressive disorder is known to increase the risk for bipolarity, but the early identification of such cases remains challenging in clinical practice. In the present study, we evaluated the diagnostic performance of a neuroanatomical pattern classification method in the discrimination between psychotic major depressive disorder (MDD), bipolar I disorder (BD-I), and healthy controls (HC) using a homogenous sample of patients at an early course of their illness. Twenty-three cases of first-episode psychotic mania (BD-I) and 19 individuals with a first episode of psychotic MDD whose diagnosis remained stable during 1 year of followup underwent 1.5 T MRI at baseline. A previously validated multivariate classifier based on support vector machine (SVM) was employed and measures of diagnostic performance were obtained for the discrimination between each diagnostic group and subsamples of age- and gender-matched controls recruited in the same neighborhood of the patients. Based on T1-weighted images only, the SVM-classifier afforded poor discrimination in all 3 pairwise comparisons: BD-I versus HC; MDD versus HC; and BD-I versus MDD. Thus, at the population level and using structural MRI only, we failed to achieve good discrimination between BD-I, psychotic MDD, and HC in this proof of concept study.
MRI and PET Image Fusion Using Fuzzy Logic and Image Local Features
Authors: Javed Umer , Riaz Muhammad Mohsin , Ghafoor Abdul , Ali Syed Sohaib , Cheema Tanveer Ahmed
Published: January 2014

An image fusion technique for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) using local features and fuzzy logic is presented. The aim of proposed technique is to maximally combine useful information present in MRI and PET images. Image local features are extracted and combined with fuzzy logic to compute weights for each pixel. Simulation results show that the proposed scheme produces significantly better results compared to state-of-art schemes.
Necessity of Dark Energy from Thermodynamic Arguments
Authors: Moradpour H. , Sheykhi A. , Riazi N. , Wang B.
Published: January 2014

Considering the cosmic fluid as a quasi-static thermodynamic system, the status of the generalized second law of thermodynamics is investigated and the valid range of the equation of state parameter is derived for a few important cosmological models. Our study shows that the satisfaction of the laws of thermodynamics in these cosmological models requires the existence of some kind of energy in our universe withω<−1/3. In other words, the existence of a dark energy component, or equivalently modified gravity theory, is unavoidable if the cosmological model is to approach thermal equilibrium in late times.
Development ofβ-Lactamase as a Tool for Monitoring Conditional Gene Expression by a Tetracycline-Riboswitch inMethanosarcina acetivorans
Authors: Demolli Shemsi , Geist Miriam M. , Weigand Julia E. , Matschiavelli Nicole , Suess Beatrix , Rother Michael
Published: January 2014

The use of reporter gene fusions to assess cellular processes such as protein targeting and regulation of transcription or translation is established technology in archaeal, bacterial, and eukaryal genetics. Fluorescent proteins or enzymes resulting in chromogenic substrate turnover, likeβ-galactosidase, have been particularly useful for microscopic and screening purposes. However, application of such methodology is of limited use for strictly anaerobic organisms due to the requirement of molecular oxygen for chromophore formation or color development. We have developedβ-lactamase fromEscherichia coli(encoded bybla) in conjunction with the chromogenic substrate nitrocefin into a reporter system usable under anaerobic conditions for the methanogenic archaeonMethanosarcina acetivorans. By using a signal peptide of a putative flagellin fromM. acetivoransand different catabolic promoters, we could demonstrate growth substrate-dependent secretion ofβ-lactamase, facilitating its use in colony screening on agar plates. Furthermore, a series of fusions comprised of a constitutive promoter and sequences encoding variants of the synthetic tetracycline-responsive riboswitch (tc-RS) was created to characterize its influence on translation initiation inM. acetivorans. One tc-RS variant resulted in more than 11-fold tetracycline-dependent regulation ofblaexpression, which is in the range of regulation by naturally occurring riboswitches. Thus, tc-RS fusions represent the first solelycis-active, that is, factor-independent system for controlled gene expression in Archaea.
A General and Specific Utility-Based Adaptive Routing for Delay Tolerant Networks
Authors: You Lei , Li Jianbo , Wei Changjiang , Dai Chenqu , Xu Jixing
Published: January 2014

The nonexistence of an end-to-end path poses great challenges in directly adapting the traditional routing algorithms for ad hoc or mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) to delay tolerant networks (DTNs). In this paper, an adaptive routing protocol that makes use of both self-aware and destination-aware utility metrics to evaluate the potential throughput between every pair of nodes is proposed. We theoretically analyze the nodes’ spraying process and discover the relationship between the initial number of copies and the latency of the message distribution process, by which we can further control the expected latency under a certain level. Compared with Epidemic, Spray And Wait Spray, And Focus and Encounter-based routing, our proposed algorithm is the only one that achieves comparable performance under both Helsinki City Scenario and Cambridge-iMote Scenario.
A Novel Fuzzing Method for Zigbee Based on Finite State Machine
Authors: Cui Baojiang , Liang Shurui , Chen Shilei , Zhao Bing , Liang Xiaobing
Published: January 2014

With the extensive application of Zigbee, some bodies of literature were devoted into finding the vulnerabilities of Zigbee by fuzzing. According to earlier test records, the majority of defects were exposed due to a series of testing cases. However, the context of malformed inputs is not taken account into the previous algorithms. In this paper, we propose a refined structure-based fuzzing algorithm for Zigbee based on FSM, FSM-fuzzing. Any malformed input in FSM-Fuzzing is injected to the tested sensor against a specific initial state. If the sensor transferred to the next state of FMS or crashed, there would be a defect of Zigbee in dealing with the input under the state. The final state of the sensor is verified by an UIO sequence. After a round of tests, the sensor is regressed to the specific state to prepars for receiving the next mutation. All of the states would be traversed in FSM-fuzzing. A fuzzing tool, ZFSM-fuzzer, is designed for evaluating the performance of FSM-fuzzing. Experiment results show that there is a vulnerability of Zigbee in dealing with the frames without destination addresses. Further, the quality of cases of FSM-fuzzing is higher than the previous algorithms. Therefore, FSM-fuzzing is powerful in finding the vulnerabilities of Zigbee.
Moisture and Salinity Stress Induced Changes in Biochemical Constituents and Water Relations of Different Grape Rootstock Cultivars
Authors: Jogaiah Satisha , Ramteke Sahadeo D. , Sharma Jagdev , Upadhyay Ajay Kumar
Published: January 2014

Ten grape rootstocks were subjected to moisture and salinity stress in two separate experiments. The influence of these stresses on gas exchange, water relation, and biochemical parameters was monitored at various stages of stress cycle. Both stresses indicated significant changes in the physiological and biochemical parameters studied. Some biochemical constituents increased by several folds in few rootstock cultivars which also recorded increased osmotic potential suggesting their role in osmotic adjustment. Some of the rootstock cultivars such as 110R, 1103P, 99R, Dogridge, and B2/56 recorded increased phenolic compounds under stressed conditions. The same rootstock also recorded increased water use efficiency. The increased accumulation of phenolic compounds in these cultivars may indicate the possible role of phenolic compounds as antioxidants for scavenging the reactive oxygen species generated during abiotic stresses thus maintaining normal physiological and biochemical process in leaves of resistant cultivars.
Effectiveness of Flashing Brake and Hazard Systems in Avoiding Rear-End Crashes
Authors: Li Guofa , Wang Wenjun , Li Shengbo Eben , Cheng Bo , Green Paul
Published: January 2014

Three experiments were conducted to examine the effectiveness of two forward crash warning systems, a flashing brake system and a flashing hazard system, using an advanced driving simulator. In Experiment 1, 20 subjects followed a lead vehicle with a desired time gap and braked when necessary. Results showed that time gap, velocity, and deceleration of the lead vehicle all significantly affected drivers’ brake response times. In Experiment 2, six brake response times to a sudden lead vehicle deceleration (0.6 g at 80 km/h) were measured for six time gaps. Results showed that flashing brake system and flashing hazard system reduced drivers' brake response times by 0.14~0.62 s and 0.03~0.95 s, respectively, in the various situations tested. The effects of flashing color and illuminated size on drivers' brake response times were examined in Experiment 3. Results showed that flashing amber lamps reduced drivers' brake response times significantly by 0.11 s (10%) on average compared with red lamps. These findings demonstrate the effectiveness of both flashing systems in reducing drivers' brake response times in urgent situations and may warrant further consideration by manufacturers.
Poly Meta-Aminophenol: Chemical Synthesis, Characterization and Ac Impedance Study
Authors: Gopalasamy Thenmozhi , Gopalswamy Mohanraj , Gopichand Madhusudhana , Raj Jayasanthi
Published: January 2014

The present work is an investigation of AC impedance behaviour of poly(meta-aminophenol). The polymer was prepared by oxidative chemical polymerization of meta-aminophenol in aqueous HCl using ammonium persulfate as an oxidant at 0–3°C. The synthesized polymer was characterized by GPC, Elemental analysis, UV-VIS-NIR, FT-IR, 1H NMR, XRD, SEM, and TGA-DTA. The AC conductivity and dielectric response were measured at a temperature range from 303 to 383 K in the frequency range of 20 Hz to 106 Hz. The AC conductivity data could be described by the relation σacω=AωS, where the parameter “S” and Rb values decrease in the entire range of study and hence follow Correlated Barrier Hopping conduction mechanism. Both dielectric constant and dielectric loss increase with the decrease of frequency exhibiting strong interfacial polarization at low frequency and the dissipation factor also decreases with frequency. Complex electric modulus and dissipation factor exhibit two relaxation peaks, indicating two-phase structure as indicated by a bimodal distribution of relaxation process. The activation energies corresponding to these two relaxation processes were found to be 0.07 and 0.1 eV.
Pharmacological Chaperone Design for Reducing Risk Factor of Parkinson’s Disease from Traditional Chinese Medicine
Authors: Huang Hung-Jin , Lee Cheng-Chun , Chen Calvin Yu-Chian
Published: January 2014

Dysfunction of β‐glucocerebrosidase (GCase) has no hydrolytic activity in patients of Gaucher′s disease and increasing the risk factor for Parkinson’s disease occurrence. Pharmacological chaperone design has been used to treat with misfolded protein in related disease, which utilized a small compound to cause protein folding correctly. This study employed the world largest traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) database for searching for potential lead compound as pharmacological chaperone, and we also performed molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to observe the stability of binding conformation between ligands and active site of GCase structure. The docking results from database screening show that N‐methylmescaline and shihunine have high binding ability to GCase than tetrahydroxyazepanes. From MD simulation analysis, tetrahydroxyazepanes displayed high opportunity of ligand migration instead of our TCM candidates, and H‐bonds number was decreased in the end of MD snapshot. Our result indicated that binding conformation of N‐methylmescaline and shihunine remains stable during MD simulation, demonstrating that the two candidates are suitable for GCase binding and might be potential as pharmacological chaperone for GCase folding correctly.