bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Study of Driving Fatigue Alleviation by Transcutaneous Acupoints Electrical Stimulations
Authors: Wang Fuwang , Wang Hong
Published: September 2014

Driving fatigue is more likely to bring serious safety trouble to traffic. Therefore, accurately and rapidly detecting driving fatigue state and alleviating fatigue are particularly important. In the present work, the electrical stimulation method stimulating the Láogóng point (劳宫PC8) of human body is proposed, which is used to alleviate the mental fatigue of drivers. The wavelet packet decomposition (WPD) is used to extractθ,α, andβsubbands of drivers’ electroencephalogram (EEG) signals. Performances of the two algorithms (θ+α)/(α+β) andθ/βare also assessed as possible indicators for fatigue detection. Finally, the differences between the drivers with electrical stimulation and normal driving are discussed. It is shown that stimulating the Láogóng point (劳宫PC8) using electrical stimulation method can alleviate driver fatigue effectively during longtime driving.
A Synthesized Heuristic Task Scheduling Algorithm
Authors: Dai Yanyan , Zhang Xiangli
Published: September 2014

Aiming at the static task scheduling problems in heterogeneous environment, a heuristic task scheduling algorithm named HCPPEFT is proposed. In task prioritizing phase, there are three levels of priority in the algorithm to choose task. First, the critical tasks have the highest priority, secondly the tasks with longer path to exit task will be selected, and then algorithm will choose tasks with less predecessors to schedule. In resource selection phase, the algorithm is selected task duplication to reduce the interresource communication cost, besides forecasting the impact of an assignment for all children of the current task permits better decisions to be made in selecting resources. The algorithm proposed is compared with STDH, PEFT, and HEFT algorithms through randomly generated graphs and sets of task graphs. The experimental results show that the new algorithm can achieve better scheduling performance.
Intervention Effects of a School-Based Health Promotion Programme on Obesity Related Behavioural Outcomes
Authors: Kobel Susanne , Wirt Tamara , Schreiber Anja , Kesztyüs Dorothea , Kettner Sarah , Erkelenz Nanette , Wartha Olivia , Steinacker Jürgen M.
Published: September 2014

Studies have shown preventive effects of an active lifestyle during childhood on later life; therefore, health promotion has to start early. The programme “Join the Healthy Boat” promotes a healthy lifestyle in primary school children. In order to evaluate it, children’s behaviours in respect of increased physical activity (PA), a decrease in screen media use (SMU), more regular breakfast, and a reduction of the consumption of soft drinks (SDC) were investigated. 1943 children (7.1 ± 0.6 years) participated in the cluster-randomised study and were assessed at baseline and 1736 of them at follow-up. Teachers delivered lessons, which included behavioural contracting and budgeting of SMU and SDC. Daily SMU, PA behaviours, SDC, and breakfast patterns were assessed via parental questionnaire. After one-year intervention, significant effects were found in the intervention group for SMU of girls, children without migration background, and children with parents having a low education level. In the control group, second grade children skipped breakfast significantly more often. Tendencies but no significant differences were found for PA and SDC. This intervention seems to affect groups, which are usually hard to reach, such as children of parents with low education levels, which shows that active parental involvement is vital for successful interventions.
Thai Massage, and Thai Herbal Compress versus Oral Ibuprofen in Symptomatic Treatment of Osteoarthritis of the Knee: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Chiranthanut Natthakarn , Hanprasertpong Nutthiya , Teekachunhatean Supanimit
Published: September 2014

The aim of this study was to verify the clinical responses to Thai massage (TM) and Thai herbal compression (THC) for treating osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee in comparison to oral ibuprofen. This study was a randomized, evaluator-blind, controlled trial. Sixty patients with OA of the knee were randomly assigned to receive either a one-hour session of TM or THC (three times weekly) or oral ibuprofen (three times daily). The duration of treatment was three weeks. The clinical assessments included visual analog scale assessing pain and stiffness, Lequesne’s functional index, time for climbing up ten steps, and physician’s and patient’s overall opinions on improvement. In a within-group comparison, each treatment modality caused a significant improvement of all variables determined for outcome assessments. In an among group comparison, all modalities provided nearly comparable clinical efficacy after a three-week symptomatic treatment of OA of the knee, in which a trend toward greatest improvement was likely to be found in THC group. In conclusion, TM and THC generally provided comparable clinical efficacy to oral ibuprofen after three weeks of treatment and could be considered as complementary and alternative treatments for OA of the knee.
Security Considerations and Recommendations in Computer-Based Testing
Authors: Al-Saleem Saleh M. , Ullah Hanif
Published: September 2014

Many organizations and institutions around the globe are moving or planning to move their paper-and-pencil based testing to computer-based testing (CBT). However, this conversion will not be the best option for all kinds of exams and it will require significant resources. These resources may include the preparation of item banks, methods for test delivery, procedures for test administration, and last but not least test security. Security aspects may include but are not limited to the identification and authentication of examinee, the risks that are associated with cheating on the exam, and the procedures related to test delivery to the examinee. This paper will mainly investigate the security considerations associated with CBT and will provide some recommendations for the security of these kinds of tests. We will also propose a palm-based biometric authentication system incorporated with basic authentication system (username/password) in order to check the identity and authenticity of the examinee.
A Step Prior to REDD+ Implementation: A Socioeconomic Study
Authors: Bernard Anne , Gélinas Nancy
Published: September 2014

Phase 2 of the United Nations’ REDD+ climate change mitigation initiative is underway in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Meanwhile, activities are being implemented to assess the reduction of emissions from deforestation and forest degradation. REDD+ projects need to include a social dimension; thus, the aim of this research was to understand how land-use relationships vary across communities in an area where a REDD+ project is planned. Specifically, we aimed to identify the primary income-generating activities, the variation in access to land, the potential for the development of community projects, and the implementation of alternative income-generating activities. In the summer of 2013, we assessed a REDD+ pilot project in and around the Luki Biosphere Reserve, Bas-Congo Province. We used participatory rural appraisal (PRA) methods in four communities located both inside and outside the reserve. We found that current subsistence income activities led to the destruction of forest habitat due to population pressure and a lack of alternative income-generating activities. Customary land tenures overlay statutory rights, which can often mean that community rights are threatened. To achieve their targets, REDD+ projects should consider the actual land-use patterns of local communities in order to generate sustainable income from the land.
Extraction and Bioactivity Analysis of Major Flavones Compounds fromScutellaria baicalensisUsing In Vitro Assay and Online Screening HPLC-ABTS System
Authors: Lee Kwang Jin , Jung Pil Mun , Oh You-Chang , Song Na-Young , Kim Taesoo , Ma Jin Yeul
Published: September 2014

The extraction efficiency of a number of solvent compositions for the improvement of bioactive compounds yield fromS. baicalensishas been investigated. Also, free radical scavengers in the glycoside baicalin (BG), wogonoside (WG), aglycon baicalein (B), and wogonin (W) compounds ofS. baicalensiswere screened, identified, and quantified using coupled offline ABTS and online screening HPLC-ABTS assay. Increasing ethanol content fractions resulted in decreased extract yield of bioactive compounds. In this case, the best yield of 37.01 mg/g in BG, WG, B, and W compounds was obtained by a dipping method with an extraction time of 4 h. In addition, the yield (43.05%) and IC50(34.04 μg/mL) determined through ABTS assay of the 60% aqueous ethanol extract were the most satisfactory of all solvent solutions tested. This result shows that an online screening HPLC-ABTS assay can be a powerful technique for the rapid characterization of bioactivity compounds in plant extracts. Moreover, their anti-inflammatory activities were evaluated via analyzed inhibitory effect on NO and inflammatory cytokine production. Furthermore, WG and W exhibited the strong inhibitory effects on inflammatory mediator production including NO, IL-6, and IL-1βin LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages.
Intraosseous Inflammatory Myofibroblastic Tumor in the Mandible: A Rare Pathologic Case Report
Authors: Stringer Dale E. , Allen Chad N. , Nguyen Katina , Tandon Rahul
Published: September 2014

Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor (IMT) is an extremely rare lesion found in the maxillofacial region. Its frequency diminishes further when found in the bone. Although classification has varied throughout its history, the histologic features are often diagnostic, particularly with its strong association with anaplastic lymphoma kinase-1 (ALK-1) staining. The current mode of treatment for such a lesion is surgical removal with careful followup. In this rare case report, we describe the diagnosis and treatment in a 16-year-old male. Although this rare pathology can present as—and at times mimic—more serious pathologies, it is important for the attending surgeon to initially manage the pathology conservatively.
On the Incidence Energy of Some Toroidal Lattices
Authors: Liu Jia-Bao , Cao Jinde , Xie Jin
Published: September 2014

The incidence energyIE(G), defined as the sum of the singular values of the incidence matrix ofG, is a much studied quantity with well known applications in chemical physics. In this paper, we derived the closed-form formulae expressing the incidence energy of the 3.12.12 lattice, triangular kagomé lattice, andS(m,n)lattice, respectively. Simultaneously, the explicit asymptotic values of the incidence energy in these lattices are obtained by utilizing the applications of analysis method with the help of software calculation.
Minimizing the Number of Tardy Jobs on a Single Machine with an Availability Constraint
Authors: Molaee Ehsan , Moslehi Ghasem
Published: September 2014

Most scheduling problems are based on the assumption that machines work continuously during the planning horizon. This assumption is not true in many production environments because the machine may not be available during one or more periods such as during breakdowns or maintenance operations. In this paper, the problem of the single machine scheduling with one unavailability period and nonresumable jobs with the aim of minimizing the number of tardy jobs is studied. A number of theorems are proved and a heuristic procedure is developed to solve the problem. A branch-and-bound approach is also presented which includes upper and lower bounds and efficient dominance rules. Computational results for 2680 problem instances show that the branch-and-bound approach is capable of solving 98.7% of the instances optimally, bearing witness to the efficiency of the proposed procedure. Our results also indicate that the proposed approaches are more efficient when compared to other methods.
Locally Lipschitz Composition Operators in Space of the Functions of BoundedκΦ-Variation
Authors: Mejía Odalis , Merentes Díaz Nelson José , Rzepka Beata
Published: September 2014

We give a necessary and sufficient condition on a functionh:R→Runder which the nonlinear composition operatorH, associated with the functionh,Hu(t)=h(u(t)), acts in the spaceκΦBV[a,b]and satisfies a local Lipschitz condition.
Impact of the Prolymphangiogenic Crosstalk in the Tumor Microenvironment on Lymphatic Cancer Metastasis
Authors: Schlereth Simona L. , Refaian Nasrin , Iden Sandra , Cursiefen Claus , Heindl Ludwig M.
Published: September 2014

Lymphangiogenesis is a very early step in lymphatic metastasis. It is regulated and promoted not only by the tumor cells themselves, but also by cells of the tumor microenvironment, including cancer associated fibroblasts, mesenchymal stem cells, dendritic cells, or macrophages. Even the extracellular matrix as well as cytokines and growth factors are involved in the process of lymphangiogenesis and metastasis. The cellular and noncellular components influence each other and can be influenced by the tumor cells. The knowledge about mechanisms behind lymphangiogenesis in the tumor microenvironmental crosstalk is growing and offers starting points for new therapeutic approaches.
Hesitant Fuzzy Linguistic Multicriteria Decision-Making Method Based on Generalized Prioritized Aggregation Operator
Authors: Wu Jia-ting , Wang Jian-qiang , Wang Jing , Zhang Hong-yu , Chen Xiao-hong
Published: September 2014

Based on linguistic term sets and hesitant fuzzy sets, the concept of hesitant fuzzy linguistic sets was introduced. The focus of this paper is the multicriteria decision-making (MCDM) problems in which the criteria are in different priority levels and the criteria values take the form of hesitant fuzzy linguistic numbers (HFLNs). A new approach to solving these problems is proposed, which is based on the generalized prioritized aggregation operator of HFLNs. Firstly, the new operations and comparison method for HFLNs are provided and some linguistic scale functions are applied. Subsequently, two prioritized aggregation operators and a generalized prioritized aggregation operator of HFLNs are developed and applied to MCDM problems. Finally, an illustrative example is given to illustrate the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed method, which are then compared to the existing approach.
Spatially Resolved Cathodoluminescence in the Vicinity of Defects in the High-Efficiency InGaN/GaN Blue Light Emitting Diodes
Authors: Doan Manh-Ha , Lee Jaejin
Published: September 2014

In addition to the standard 447 nm blue emission from the InGaN/GaN multiple quantum wells, a high-energy shoulder is clearly observed in cathodoluminescence spectra of the high-efficiency InGaN/GaN blue light emitting diodes grown on sapphire substrates by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. Monochromatic cathodoluminescence images of the samples measured at low temperature reveal a competition between the two emissions in the vicinity of the dislocations. The high-energy emission is dominant at the regions near the dislocation cores, while the blue emission is enhanced around the dislocation edges. The high-energy emission region is considered as a potential barrier that prevents the carriers for the blue emission from nonradiatively recombining at the dislocations.
Implementation of Mobile Target Positioning Technology Integrating SINS with WSN Measurements
Authors: Luo Chengming , Li Wei , Yang Hai , Ying Baohua , Xin Gaifang
Published: September 2014

Accurate and robust positioning technology is expected to promote management level and service efficiency in various industrial applications. The strap-down inertial navigation system (SINS) approach has short-term accurate positioning performance, but the SINS is known for its accumulative error over time. Meanwhile, wireless sensor networks (WSN) approach can keep the mobile target on effective tracking after a long time monitoring, but the WSN may have large positioning error in certain areas. In order to make the positioning method allow profit from their advantages, this paper proposes a positioning technology using SINS approach in conjunction with WSN approach. The measurement parameters by SINS and WSN approaches are used. Then the SINS, anchor nodes, mobile tags, XBee, and computer are applied to design the positioning system. The estimation results indicate that the proposed method can make up for the shortcomings by pure SINS or WSN method and can be available for some accurate and robust applications.
Performance Optimization of Force Feedback Control System in Virtual Vascular Intervention Surgery
Authors: Hu Zhi , Cai Ping , Qin Peng , Xie Le
Published: September 2014

In virtual surgery of minimally invasive vascular intervention, the force feedback is transmitted through the flexible guide wire. The disturbance caused by the flexible deformation would affect the fidelity of the VR (virtual reality) training. SMC (sliding mode control) strategy with delayed-output observer is adopted to suppress the effect of flexible deformation. In this study, the control performance of the strategy is assessed when the length of guide wire between actuator and the operating point changes. The performance assessment results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method and find the optimal length of guide wire for the force feedback control.
The Study of Analgesic Effects of Leonurus cardiaca L. in Mice by Formalin, Tail Flick and Hot Plate Tests
Authors: Rezaee-Asl Masoume , Sabour Mandana , Nikoui Vahid , Ostadhadi Sattar , Bakhtiarian Azam
Published: September 2014

Leonurus cardiaca, commonly known as motherwort, is a member of the Lamiaceae family. It has a number of interesting biological activities, for example, sedative and hypotensive, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial activities. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of alcoholic extract of aerial part of Leonurus cardiaca on nociceptive response using formalin, tail flick, and hot plate tests in mice. The acute treatment of mice with an ethanolic extract at doses of 500 and 250 mg/kg by intraperitoneal administration produced a significant antinociceptive in the first and second phases of formalin test, respectively. The hot plate and tail flick tests showed an increase in the antinociceptive effect at dose 500 mg/kg. These results suggest that Leonurus cardiaca possesses central and peripheral antinociceptive actions.
Multimodal Brain-Tumor Segmentation Based on Dirichlet Process Mixture Model with Anisotropic Diffusion and Markov Random Field Prior
Authors: Lu Yisu , Jiang Jun , Yang Wei , Feng Qianjin , Chen Wufan
Published: September 2014

Brain-tumor segmentation is an important clinical requirement for brain-tumor diagnosis and radiotherapy planning. It is well-known that the number of clusters is one of the most important parameters for automatic segmentation. However, it is difficult to define owing to the high diversity in appearance of tumor tissue among different patients and the ambiguous boundaries of lesions. In this study, a nonparametric mixture of Dirichlet process (MDP) model is applied to segment the tumor images, and the MDP segmentation can be performed without the initialization of the number of clusters. Because the classical MDP segmentation cannot be applied for real-time diagnosis, a new nonparametric segmentation algorithm combined with anisotropic diffusion and a Markov random field (MRF) smooth constraint is proposed in this study. Besides the segmentation of single modal brain-tumor images, we developed the algorithm to segment multimodal brain-tumor images by the magnetic resonance (MR) multimodal features and obtain the active tumor and edema in the same time. The proposed algorithm is evaluated using 32 multimodal MR glioma image sequences, and the segmentation results are compared with other approaches. The accuracy and computation time of our algorithm demonstrates very impressive performance and has a great potential for practical real-time clinical use.
Study on Effect of Number of Transparent Covers and Refractive Index on Performance of Solar Water Heater
Authors: Kalidasan B. , Srinivas T.
Published: September 2014

Liquid flat plate collector (solar flat plate collector) is one of the important applications in solar thermal system. The development in solar photovoltaic is an emerging challenge for the solar thermal system. In the current work an attempt has been made to optimize the number of transparent covers and refractive index to improve the optical efficiency and thermal efficiency for the collector. Performance of the liquid flat plate collector at VIT University Vellore has been simulated numerically for January 21st at an interval of half an hour with different numbers of transparent covers (0–3) and different refractive index values ranging from 1.1 to 1.7. The formulation and solutions are developed with simple software Microsoft Office Excel to result the performance characteristics. The result shows that the efficiency of the flat plate collector increases with an increase in number of covers and decreases after an optimum number of covers. It also decreases with an increase in refractive index. The combination of optimum number (two) and lower refractive index (1.1) results improved useful heat.
Triband Omnidirectional Circularly Polarized Dielectric Resonator Antenna with Top-Loaded Alford Loop
Authors: Cheng Chunxia , Zhang Fushun , Yao Yali , Zhang Fan
Published: September 2014

A triband omnidirectional circularly polarized dielectric resonator antenna with a top-loaded modified Alford loop for GSM, WLAN, and WiMAX applications is proposed. Fed by an axial probe, the DRA (dielectric resonator antenna) radiates like a vertically polarized electric monopole. The top-loaded modified Alford loop provides an equivalent horizontally polarized magnetic dipole mode at triband. Omnidirectional CP (circular polarized) fields can be obtained when the two orthogonally polarized fields are equal in amplitude with phase quadrature. The antenna has been successfully simulated, fabricated, and measured. The experimental and numerical results exhibit that the antenna can obtain usable CP bandwidths of 1.925–1.955 GHz, 2.36–2.48 GHz, and 3.502–3.53 GHz with return loss larger than 10 dB and axial ratio less than 3 dB. In addition, over the three bands, the antenna obtains very good omnidirectional CP radiation patterns in the azimuth plane. Moreover, an average CP gain in the azimuth plane of 1.2, 1.6, and −1.5 dBic for the lower, middle, and upper bands has been obtained.
RELAP5 Analyses of ROSA/LSTF Experiments on AM Measures during PWR Vessel Bottom Small-Break LOCAs with Gas Inflow
Authors: Takeda Takeshi
Published: September 2014

RELAP5 code posttest analyses were performed on ROSA/LSTF experiments that simulated PWR 0.2% vessel bottom small-break loss-of-coolant accidents with different accident management (AM) measures under assumptions of noncondensable gas inflow and total failure of high-pressure injection system. Depressurization of and auxiliary feedwater (AFW) injection into the secondary-side of both steam generators (SGs) as the AM measures were taken 10 min after a safety injection signal. The primary depressurization rate of 55 K/h caused rather slow primary depressurization being obstructed by the gas accumulation in the SG U-tubes after the completion of accumulator coolant injection. Core temperature excursion thus took place by core boil-off before the actuation of low-pressure injection (LPI) system. The fast primary depressurization by fully opening the relief valves in both SGs with continuous AFW injection led to long-term core cooling by the LPI actuation even under the gas accumulation in the SG U-tubes. The code indicated remaining problems in the predictions of break flow rate during two-phase flow discharge period and primary pressure after the gas inflow. Influences of the primary depressurization rate with continuous AFW injection onto the long-term core cooling were clarified by the sensitivity analyses.
Regulation of MicroRNAs by Natural Agents: New Strategies in Cancer Therapies
Authors: Phuah Neoh Hun , Nagoor Noor Hasima
Published: September 2014

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short noncoding RNA which regulate gene expression by messenger RNA (mRNA) degradation or translation repression. The plethora of published reports in recent years demonstrated that they play fundamental roles in many biological processes, such as carcinogenesis, angiogenesis, programmed cell death, cell proliferation, invasion, migration, and differentiation by acting as tumour suppressor or oncogene, and aberrations in their expressions have been linked to onset and progression of various cancers. Furthermore, each miRNA is capable of regulating the expression of many genes, allowing them to simultaneously regulate multiple cellular signalling pathways. Hence, miRNAs have the potential to be used as biomarkers for cancer diagnosis and prognosis as well as therapeutic targets. Recent studies have shown that natural agents such as curcumin, resveratrol, genistein, epigallocatechin-3-gallate, indole-3-carbinol, and 3,3′-diindolylmethane exert their antiproliferative and/or proapoptotic effects through the regulation of one or more miRNAs. Therefore, this review will look at the regulation of miRNAs by natural agents as a means to potentially enhance the efficacy of conventional chemotherapy through combinatorial therapies. It is hoped that this would provide new strategies in cancer therapies to improve overall response and survival outcome in cancer patients.
CνB Damping of Primordial Gravitational Waves and the Fine-Tuning of the CγB Temperature Anisotropy
Authors: Bernardini A. E. , Santos J. F. G.
Published: September 2014

Damping of primordial gravitational waves due to the anisotropic stress contribution owing to the cosmological neutrino background (CνB) is investigated in the context of a radiation-to-matter dominated universe. Besides its inherent effects on the gravitational wave propagation, the inclusion of the CνB anisotropic stress into the dynamical equations also affects the tensor mode contribution to the anisotropy of the cosmological microwave background (CγB) temperature. The mutual effects on the gravitational waves and on the CγB are obtained through a unified prescription for a radiation-to-matter dominated scenario. The results are confronted with some preliminary results for the radiation dominated scenario. Both scenarios are supported by a simplified analytical framework, in terms of a scale independent dynamical variable,kη, that relates cosmological scales,k, and the conformal time,η. The background relativistic (hot dark) matter essentially works as an effective dispersive medium for the gravitational waves such that the damping effect is intensified for the universe evolving to the matter dominated era. Changes on the temperature variance owing to the inclusion of neutrino collision terms into the dynamical equations result in spectral features that ratify that the multipole expansion coefficientsClT’s die out forl~100.
Prophylactic Effects of Ethanolic Extract ofIrvingia gabonensisStem Bark against Cadmium-Induced Toxicity in Albino Rats
Authors: Ojo Oluwafemi Adeleke , Ajiboye Basiru Olaitan , Oyinloye Babatunji Emmanuel , Ojo Adebola Busola
Published: September 2014

The prophylactic effect of ethanolic extract ofIrvingia gabonensisstem bark on cadmium-induced oxidative damage in male albino rats’ liver was investigated. Male Wistar rats were divided into control, cadmium, and treatment groups. In the prophylactic experiment,Irvingia gabonensis(200 and 400 mg/kg body weight) was administered by oral gavage for 21 days before exposure to cadmium. Antioxidant marker enzymes such as reduced glutathione (GSH) levels, catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and lipid peroxidation (LPO) were determined in the liver and heart alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activities were monitored and histological examination was carried out. Results indicate that cadmium-induced rats had significantly increased relative weight of liver and heart when compared to controls. Treatment withIrvingia gabonensisat 200 and 400 mg/kg caused a significant decrease in relative weight of the organs. In cadmium-induced rats, serum ALT and AST activities and levels of LPO were increased whereas hepatic and cardiac marker enzymes significantly decreased. Furthermore, histological alteration in liver and aorta was observed in cadmium untreated rats and was ameliorated in cadmium rats treated withIrvingia gabonensis. In conclusion, the extract indicates antioxidant and hepatoprotective properties that eliminate the deleterious effects of toxic metabolites of cadmium.
Synthesis and Preclinical Characterization of [18F]FPBZA: A Novel PET Probe for Melanoma
Authors: Wu Shih-Yen , Huang Shih-Pin , Lo Yen-Chen , Liu Ren-Shyan , Wang Shyh-Jen , Lin Wuu-Jyh , Shen Chih-Chieh , Wang Hsin-Ell
Published: September 2014

Introduction. Benzamide can specifically bind to melanoma cells. A18F-labeled benzamide derivative, [18F]N-(2-diethylaminoethyl)-4-[2-(2-(2-fluoroethoxy) ethoxy)ethoxy]benzamide ([18F]FPBZA), was developed as a promising PET probe for primary and metastatic melanoma.Methods. [18F]FPBZA was synthesized via a one-step radiofluorination in this study. The specific uptake of [18F]FPBZA was studied in B16F0 melanoma cells, A375 amelanotic melanoma cells, and NB-DNJ-pretreated B16F0 melanoma cells. The biological characterization of [18F]FPBZA was performed on mice bearing B16F0 melanoma, A375 amelanotic melanoma, or inflammation lesion.Results. [18F]FPBZA can be prepared efficiently with a yield of 40–50%. The uptake of [18F]FPBZA by B16F0 melanoma cells was significantly higher than those by A375 tumor cells and NB-DNJ-pretreated B16F0 melanoma cells. B16F0 melanoma displayed prominent uptake of [18F]FPBZA at 2 h (7.81±0.82 %ID/g), compared with A375 tumor and inflammation lesion (3.00±0.71and1.67±0.56 %ID/g, resp.). [18F]FPBZA microPET scan clearly delineated B16F0 melanoma but not A375 tumor and inflammation lesion. In mice bearing pulmonary metastases, the lung radioactivity reached4.77±0.36 %ID/g at 2 h (versus1.16±0.23 %ID/g in normal mice).Conclusions. Our results suggested that [18F]FPBZA PET would provide a promising and specific approach for the detection of primary and metastatic melanoma lesions.
A Novel Adaptive Level Set Segmentation Method
Authors: Lin Yazhong , Zheng Qian , Chen Jiaqiang , Cai Qian , Feng Qianjin
Published: September 2014

The adaptive distance preserving level set (ADPLS) method is fast and not dependent on the initial contour for the segmentation of images with intensity inhomogeneity, but it often leads to segmentation with compromised accuracy. And the local binary fitting model (LBF) method can achieve segmentation with higher accuracy but with low speed and sensitivity to initial contour placements. In this paper, a novel and adaptive fusing level set method has been presented to combine the desirable properties of these two methods, respectively. In the proposed method, the weights of the ADPLS and LBF are automatically adjusted according to the spatial information of the image. Experimental results show that the comprehensive performance indicators, such as accuracy, speed, and stability, can be significantly improved by using this improved method.
Comparison of Sampling Designs for Estimating Deforestation from Landsat TM and MODIS Imagery: A Case Study in Mato Grosso, Brazil
Authors: Zhu Shanyou , Zhang Hailong , Liu Ronggao , Cao Yun , Zhang Guixin
Published: September 2014

Sampling designs are commonly used to estimate deforestation over large areas, but comparisons between different sampling strategies are required. Using PRODES deforestation data as a reference, deforestation in the state of Mato Grosso in Brazil from 2005 to 2006 is evaluated using Landsat imagery and a nearly synchronous MODIS dataset. The MODIS-derived deforestation is used to assist in sampling and extrapolation. Three sampling designs are compared according to the estimated deforestation of the entire study area based on simple extrapolation and linear regression models. The results show that stratified sampling for strata construction and sample allocation using the MODIS-derived deforestation hotspots provided more precise estimations than simple random and systematic sampling. Moreover, the relationship between the MODIS-derived and TM-derived deforestation provides a precise estimate of the total deforestation area as well as the distribution of deforestation in each block.
Social Media in Nursing Education: The View of the Students
Authors: Tuominen Riikka , Stolt Minna , Salminen Leena
Published: September 2014

Social media usage in nursing education is limited and the active use of various new developed learning environments are left behind. The purpose of this research was to survey second-year nursing students’ social media usage in studies and in their free time. The research was also interested to know students' interest and skill level in using different social media applications. The research presented a descriptive survey research design. The data was collected from second-year nursing students (n=150) through electronic and paper questionnaire in 2012. The questionnaire contained 20 structured questions and was analyzed statistically. The response rate was 61.4%. Students used social media applications more in their free time than in their studies. The most used applications in studies were an e-learning environment. Web video and online community services were the most used applications in their free time. The least used application was online games, in studies and in free time. Students were evaluated as having an excellent skill level in using social media, and they felt that the social media application was interesting. The relationship between age and application skill level was statistically significant. Younger students had better skills in using social media applications than older students.
Experimental Studies on Wave Interactions of Partially Perforated Wall under Obliquely Incident Waves
Authors: Lee Jong-In , Kim Young-Taek , Shin Sungwon
Published: September 2014

This study presents wave height distribution in terms of stem wave evolution phenomena on partially perforated wall structures through three-dimensional laboratory experiments. The plain and partially perforated walls were tested to understand their effects on the stem wave evolution under the monochromatic and random wave cases with the various wave conditions, incident angle (from 10 to 40 degrees), and configurations of front and side walls. The partially perforated wall reduced the relative wave heights more effectively compared to the plain wall structure. Partially perforated walls with side walls showed a better performance in terms of wave height reduction compared to the structure without the side wall. Moreover, the relative wave heights along the wall were relatively small when the relative chamber width is large, within the range of the chamber width in this study. The wave spectra showed a frequency dependency of the wave energy dissipation. In most cases, the existence of side wall is a more important factor than the porosity of the front wall in terms of the wave height reduction even if the partially perforated wall was still effective compared to the plain wall.
Stress Signaling from Human Mammary Epithelial Cells Contributes to Phenotypes of Mammographic Density
Authors: DeFilippis Rosa Anna , Fordyce Colleen , Patten Kelley , Chang Hang , Zhao Jianxin , Fontenay Gerald V. , Kerlikowske Karla , Parvin Bahram , Tlsty Thea D.
Published: August 2014

Telomere malfunction and other types of DNA damage induce an activin A–dependent stress response in mortal nontumorigenic human mammary epithelial cells that subsequently induces desmoplastic-like phenotypes in neighboring fibroblasts. Some characteristics of this fibroblast/stromal response, such as reduced adipocytes and increased extracellular matrix content, are observed not only in tumor tissues but also in disease-free breast tissues at high risk for developing cancer, especially high mammographic density tissues. We found that these phenotypes are induced by repression of the fatty acid translocase CD36, which is seen in desmoplastic and disease-free high mammographic density tissues. In this study, we show that epithelial cells from high mammographic density tissues have more DNA damage signaling, shorter telomeres, increased activin A secretion and an altered DNA damage response compared with epithelial cells from low mammographic density tissues. Strikingly, both telomere malfunction and activin A expression in epithelial cells can repress CD36 expression in adjacent fibroblasts. These results provide new insights into how high mammographic density arises and why it is associated with breast cancer risk, with implications for the definition of novel invention targets (e.g., activin A and CD36) to prevent breast cancer. Cancer Res; 74(18); 5032–44. ©2014 AACR.
The Cytokinesis-Blocked Micronucleus Assay as a Strong Predictor of Lung Cancer: Extension of a Lung Cancer Risk Prediction Model
Authors: El-Zein Randa A. , Lopez Mirtha S. , D'Amelio Anthony M. , Liu Mei , Munden Reginald F. , Christiani David , Su Li , Tejera-Alveraz Paula , Zhai Rihong , Spitz Margaret R. , Etzel Carol J.
Published: August 2014

Background: There is an urgent need to improve lung cancer outcome by identifying and validating markers of risk. We previously reported that the cytokinesis-blocked micronucleus assay (CBMN) is a strong predictor of lung cancer risk. Here, we validate our findings in an independent external lung cancer population and test discriminatory power improvement of the Spitz risk prediction model upon extension with this biomarker.

Methods: A total of 1,506 participants were stratified into a test set of 995 (527 cases/468 controls) from MD Anderson Cancer Center (Houston, TX) and a validation set of 511 (239 cases/272 controls) from Massachusetts General Hospital (Boston, MA). An epidemiologic questionnaire was administered and genetic instability was assessed using the CBMN assay.

Results: Excellent concordance was observed between the two populations in levels and distribution of CBMN endpoints [binucleated-micronuclei (BN-MN), binucleated-nucleoplasmic bridges (BN-NPB)] with significantly higher mean BN-MN and BN-NPB values among cases (P < 0.0001). Extension of the Spitz model led to an overall improvement in the AUC (95% confidence intervals) from 0.61 (55.5–65.7) with epidemiologic variables to 0.92 (89.4–94.2) with addition of the BN-MN endpoint. The most dramatic improvement was observed with the never-smokers extended model followed by the former and current smokers.

Conclusions: The CBMN assay is a sensitive and specific predictor of lung cancer risk, and extension of the Spitz risk prediction model led to an AUC that may prove useful in population screening programs to identify the “true” high-risk individuals.

Impact: Identifying high-risk subgroups that would benefit from screening surveillance has immense public health significance. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 23(11); 2462–70. ©2014 AACR.
On-Target Effect of FK866, a Nicotinamide Phosphoribosyl Transferase Inhibitor, by Apoptosis-Mediated Death in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Cells
Authors: Gehrke Iris , Bouchard Eric D.J. , Beiggi Sara , Poeppl Armando G. , Johnston James B. , Gibson Spencer B. , Banerji Versha
Published: August 2014

Purpose: Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) remains incurable despite advances in therapy. In this study, we characterize the effect of nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT) inhibition by FK866 in primary CLL cells from patients with various clinical prognostic markers.

Experimental Design: CLL cells were treated with FK866 to assess viability by Annexin V/PI staining. Functional analysis of FK866 included time- and concentration-dependent evaluation of cellular NAD, ATP, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), reactive oxygen species (ROS), and apoptotic signaling. Chemosensitization potential by FK866 to fludarabine was also assessed. Prognostic markers were correlated with drug response.

Results: FK866 induced CLL cell death by depleting cellular NAD content by day 1, followed by a drop in ATP on day 2. We observed loss of MMP, ROS increase, and induction of apoptotic signaling at day 3. On-target activity of FK866 was confirmed by NAD-mediated rescue of NAD and ATP loss, apoptotic signaling, and viability. The response to FK866 was independent of most prognostic markers. Higher doses were required with short lymphocyte doubling time and positive CD38 status, whereas CLL cells resistant to fludarabine in vitro and from patients with del17p13.1 were equally sensitive to FK866. FK866 did not upregulate the p53-target p21, nor did the p53 activator Nutlin improve FK866-mediated cell death. Furthermore, fludarabine and FK866 were synergistic at clinically relevant concentrations.

Conclusions: NAMPT inhibition by FK866 may be a potential treatment for CLL, including patients with del17p13.1 or other high-risk features. FK866 may complement standard agents to enhance their efficacy and/or allow dose reduction for improved tolerability. Clin Cancer Res; 20(18); 4861–72. ©2014 AACR.
Deletion of Chromosome 9p21 Noncoding Cardiovascular Risk Interval in Mice Alters Smad2 Signaling and Promotes Vascular Aneurysm
Authors: Loinard Céline , Basatemur Gemma , Masters Leanne , Baker Lauren , Harrison James , Figg Nichola , Vilar José , Sage Andrew P. , Mallat Ziad
Published: September 2014

Background—

Vascular aneurysm is an abnormal local dilatation of an artery that can lead to vessel rupture and sudden death. The only treatment involves surgical or endovascular repair or exclusion. There is currently no approved medical therapy for this condition. Recent data established a strong association between genetic variants in the 9p21 chromosomal region in humans and the presence of cardiovascular diseases, including aneurysms. However, the mechanisms linking this 9p21 DNA variant to cardiovascular risk are still unknown.

Methods and Results—

Here, we show that deletion of the orthologous 70-kb noncoding interval on mouse chromosome 4 (chr4
Δ70kb/Δ70kb
mice) is associated with reduced aortic expression of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor genes
p19Arf
and
p15Inkb
. Vascular smooth muscle cells from chr4
Δ70kb/Δ70kb
mice show reduced transforming growth factor-β–dependent canonical Smad2 signaling but increased cyclin-dependent kinase–dependent Smad2 phosphorylation at linker sites, a phenotype previously associated with tumor growth and consistent with the mechanistic link between reduced canonical transforming growth factor-β signaling and susceptibility to vascular diseases. We also show that targeted deletion of the 9p21 risk interval promotes susceptibility to aneurysm development and rupture when mice are subjected to a validated model of aneurysm formation. The vascular disease of chr4
Δ70kb/Δ70kb
mice is prevented by treatment with a cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor.

Conclusions—

The results establish a direct mechanistic link between 9p21 noncoding risk interval and susceptibility to aneurysm and may have important implications for the understanding and treatment of vascular diseases.
Taxonomic revision of wasp-like richardiids, Neoidiotypa Osten-Sacken (Diptera, Tephritoidea, Richardiidae)
Authors: WENDT LISIANE DILLI , ALE-ROCHA ROSALY
Published: September 2014

Previously Neoidiotypa was a monotypic genus represented by a peculiar wasp-like richardiid from Cuba – N. appendiculata (Loew). In this work, five new species are described in this genus: N. mexicana sp. nov. from Mexico; N. alamagna sp. nov., N. flaviatra sp. nov., N. nigra sp. nov. and N. sticta sp. nov. from Costa Rica. New diagnostic characters for the genus are included. An identification key and illustrations for all species are provided.
A review of quill mites (Acari: Syringophilidae) parasitising Kenyan birds
Authors: KLIMOVIČOVÁ MIROSLAVA , MIKULA Peter , KAHURE NJOKI , HROMADA MARTIN
Published: September 2014

Two new species of quill mites (Acari: Prostigmata: Syringophilidae) collected from passeriform and coraciiform birds from Kenya are described : Neoaulonastus apalis sp. nov. from Apalis porphyrolaema Reichenow and Neumann (Passeriformes: Cisticolidae) and Peristerophila upupi sp. nov. from Upupa epops Linnaeus (Coraciiformes: Upupidae). Additionally, 3 new host species: Cisticola hunteri Shelley, 1889; Acrocephalus baeticatus (Vieillot, 1817) and Ploceus xanthops (Hartlaub, 1862) from Kenya and two new localities are recorded for genera: Aulobia Kethley, 1970; Neoaulonastus Skoracki, 2004 and Syringophiloidus Kethley, 1970. The previous and the latest knowledge about syringophilid mites from Kenya is summarized in tabular form.
Social attitudes towards welfare policies in Russia and other European countries
Authors: Salmina Alla
Published: September 2014

Based on the 2008 data from ESS, the article analyses the attitudes of Russians towards state social policy, and compares their opinions with those of populations in selected European countries. The research identifies the factors affecting social attitudes toward welfare policies. Results suggest that Russians believe that the majority of social support functions must be provided by the state stems from the severity of these problems in the country.
Preschool services for children: Cross-national analysis of factors affecting use
Authors: Pelikh Alina , Tyndik Alla
Published: September 2014

This article is based on research on preschool childcare services and analyses the issues of its provision in Russia in comparison to Western and Eastern European countries. A micro-level cross-sectional data analysis of the first waves of the Generations and Gender Survey (GGS) is performed. The results show that variations in using childcare services can be partly explained by the age and number of children in the family, mother’s education and characteristics of her employment.
Communities and social care in Russia: The role of Muslim welfare provision in everyday life in Russia’s Tatarstan region
Authors: Kuznetsova Irina , Round John
Published: September 2014

Based on large-scale surveys and in-depth interviews, this article discusses the role of religion in social welfare and social work in Russia’s Republic of Tatarstan, a majority Muslim region. It notes that there is relatively little formal social work provided by large-scale Islam-based groups. However, religious spaces are important as places where social networks are developed, facilitating social welfare provision within wider networks. Locally, mosques rarely provide immediate aid, such as cash transfers, but some engage in long-term targeted provision. The article concludes that as such schemes develop, trust in religious organizations will increase and more people will turn to them in times of need.
Glocalization processes in Russian social work
Authors: Romanov Pavel , Kononenko Rostislav
Published: September 2014

This article aims to identify the changes in institutions and discourses resulting from global/local interaction in social work in today’s Russia. We consider the contribution of international co-operation to the development of local institutions and discourses, focusing on emerging discrepancies and contradictions between international and local actors. Based on a review of relevant literature and mass media, survey data and interviews with social workers and managers in an industrial region of Russia, we conclude that when global social work values are embedded in local traditions, it can support the development of social work in Russia.