bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Thermodynamic Control Systems for Cryogenic Propellant Storage During Long Missions
Authors: Thibault J-P. , Corre C. , Demeure L. , Mer S.
Published: December 2014

One of the key problems for space launcher, in the context of long duration missions using cryotechnic propulsion, is the pressure rise of the propellant tank due to residual thermal inputs (solar fluxes, mechanical connexions). In order to control self-pressurization and as an alternative to simple but propellant-consuming direct venting (DV) systems, a concept of thermodynamic venting systems (TVS) is considered. The main objective of the TVS concept is to control pressurization with a minimum penalty in mass and propellant losses. The present work combines 0-dimensional modelling and laboratory experiments to quantify the performance of the proposed control cycles. The TVS system relies on the following key ideas: some liquid propellant is removed from the tank, cooled down thanks to a pump and a heat exchanger and re-injected inside the tank as a spray in both vapour and liquid phases. This cold spray makes the vapour condense and homogenizes the liquid phase temperature by mixing. The real propellant (i.e. oxygen or hydrogen) is replaced in the experiment, close to room temperature and pressure, by a simulation fluid with a behaviour similar to that of real fluids in cryogenic conditions. This desirable feature is achieved in the experiments using a fluoroketone Novec by 3M. The geometry of the experiment is mostly a cylindrical tank containing the volatile fluid as a liquid and its vapour close to equilibrium. A regulated electrical heating simulates the thermal input. The tank wall temperature is carefully imposed by a constant temperature water loop such that the temperature control set point equals the inside fluid temperature. Consequently there is almost no heat exchange at the wall. Taking advantage of the easy-to-manage experimental conditions (compared to cryogenic ones), various operating conditions of the simulation tank can be imposed: constant volume, constant pressure, constant mass. The evolution of the control performance is analysed when changing control parameters such as: injection pressure and temperature, injection flow-rates. The 0-dimensional model can be applied with the same choice of parameters, which allows a detailed comparison between model predictions and measurements. A series of about 100 experiments on transient cooling and pressure control has been performed. The cross-comparison of 0-dimensional modelling simulations with measurements demonstrates the validity of the model but also evidences its limits.
Numerical Simulation of Solitary Wave Using the Fully Lagrangian Method of Moving Particle Semi Implicit
Authors: Nabian Mohammad Amin , Farhadi Leila
Published: December 2014

A mesh-less numerical approach, called the moving particle semi implicit method (MPS), is presented to solve inviscid Navier-Stokes equations in a fully Lagrangian form using a fractional step method. This method consists of splitting each time step in two steps. The fluid is represented with particles and the motion of each particle is calculated through interactions with neighboring particles by means of a kernel function. In this paper, the MPS method is used to simulate a dynamic system consisting of a heavy box sinking vertically into a water tank, known as Scott Russell’s wave generator problem. This problem is an example of a falling rock avalanche into natural or artificial reservoirs. The box sinks into water tank and as a result the water is heaved up to form a solitary wave and a reverse plunging wave which forms a vortex. This vortex follows the solitary wave down the water tank. The good agreement between the numerical simulation and the analytical solution confirms the accuracy of the model. This proves the applicability of the present model in simulating complex free surface problems. The number of particles on free surface is presented as an indicator of stability of the model.
Evaluation of intrinsic respiratory signal determination methods for 4D CBCT adapted for mice
Authors: Martin Rachael , Rubinstein Ashley , Ahmad Moiz , Court Laurence , Pan Tinsu
Published: December 2014

Purpose:

4D CT imaging in mice is important in a variety of areas including studies of lung function and tumor motion. A necessary step in 4D imaging is obtaining a respiratory signal, which can be done through an external system or intrinsically through the projection images. A number of methods have been developed that can successfully determine the respiratory signal from cone‐beam projection images of humans, however only a few have been utilized in a preclinical setting and most of these rely on step‐and‐shoot style imaging. The purpose of this work is to assess and make adaptions of several successful methods developed for humans for an image‐guided preclinical radiation therapy system.

Methods:

Respiratory signals were determined from the projection images of free‐breathing mice scanned on the X‐RAD system using four methods: the so‐called Amsterdam shroud method, a method based on the phase of the Fourier transform, a pixel intensity method, and a center of mass method. The Amsterdam shroud method was modified so the sharp inspiration peaks associated with anesthetized mouse breathing could be detected. Respiratory signals were used to sort projections into phase bins and 4D images were reconstructed. Error and standard deviation in the assignment of phase bins for the four methods compared to a manual method considered to be ground truth were calculated for a range of region of interest (ROI) sizes. Qualitative comparisons were additionally made between the 4D images obtained using each of the methods and the manual method.

Results:

4D images were successfully created for all mice with each of the respiratory signal extraction methods. Only minimal qualitative differences were noted between each of the methods and the manual method. The average error (and standard deviation) in phase bin assignment was 0.24 ± 0.08 (0.49 ± 0.11) phase bins for the Fourier transform method, 0.09 ± 0.03 (0.31 ± 0.08) phase bins for the modified Amsterdam shroud method, 0.09 ± 0.02 (0.33 ± 0.07) phase bins for the intensity method, and 0.37 ± 0.10 (0.57 ± 0.08) phase bins for the center of mass method. Little dependence on ROI size was noted for the modified Amsterdam shroud and intensity methods while the Fourier transform and center of mass methods showed a noticeable dependence on the ROI size.

Conclusions:

The modified Amsterdam shroud, Fourier transform, and intensity respiratory signal methods are sufficiently accurate to be used for 4D imaging on the X‐RAD system and show improvement over the existing center of mass method. The intensity and modified Amsterdam shroud methods are recommended due to their high accuracy and low dependence on ROI size.
Balance Control During the Delivery Stride in Competitive Older Age Lawn Bowlers
Authors: Sayers Mark G.L. , Tweddle Amanda L. , Morris Jessika
Published: December 2014

This project assessed dynamic balance and stability in aged lawn bowlers during the delivery stride. Participants were divided into two groups: aged 65 years or less (n = 14) and aged over 65 years (n = 16). Standard balance-based center of pressure (CoP) and ground reaction force variables were recorded and a Dynamic Postural Stability Index (DPSI) was used for calculating during ten deliveries. None of the balance variables correlated significantly with age although years of bowling experience correlated with DPSI scores (r = -.42, P = .019). The over 65 group had significantly greater variance in the mediolateral CoP movements, with no other significant differences in balance or postural stability variables between groups. Analysis of covariance indicated that the DPSI data were influenced significantly by bowling experience regardless of age group. It was concluded that in older aged lawn bowlers, playing experience rather than age is a key determinant of balance control during the lawn bowls delivery action.
A Comparison of Older Adults’ Subjective Experiences With Virtual and Real Environments During Dynamic Balance Activities
Authors: Proffitt Rachel , Lange Belinda , Chen Christina , Winstein Carolee
Published: December 2014

The purpose of this study was to explore the subjective experience of older adults interacting with both virtual and real environments. Thirty healthy older adults engaged with real and virtual tasks of similar motor demands: reaching to a target in standing and stepping stance. Immersive tendencies and absorption scales were administered before the session. Game engagement and experience questionnaires were completed after each task, followed by a semistructured interview at the end of the testing session. Data were analyzed respectively using paired t tests and grounded theory methodology. Participants preferred the virtual task over the real task. They also reported an increase in presence and absorption with the virtual task, describing an external focus of attention. Findings will be used to inform future development of appropriate game-based balance training applications that could be embedded in the home or community settings as part of evidence-based fall prevention programs.
Eating Psychopathology in Athletes and Nonathletes: The Effect of Situational and Dispositional Interpersonal Difficulties
Authors: Shanmugam Vaithehy , Jowett Sophia , Meyer Caroline
Published: December 2014

In the current study, we had two aims. First, we investigated the associations between eating psychopathology, situational interpersonal difficulties, and dispositional interpersonal difficulties among athletes and nonathletes. Second, we examined the mediating role of self-critical perfectionism, self-esteem, and depression in these associations. A total of 152 athletes and 147 nonathletes completed self-report instruments pertaining to relationship quality with significant others, as well as social anxiety, loneliness, self-critical perfectionism, self-esteem, depression, and eating psychopathology. Social anxiety and loneliness were found to be the only significant independent predictors of eating psychopathology among both athletes and nonathletes. However, such associations were indirectly mediated through depression for athletes and through self-critical perfectionism, self-esteem, and depression for nonathletes. The findings of this study suggest that the psychosocial mechanisms involved in the eating psychopathology of athletes are relatively similar to that of nonathletes. Thus, it can be tentatively proposed that treatments and interventions that target reducing interpersonal conflicts currently available for the general population should also be offered to athletes.
Florid urticarial vasculitis heralding a flare up of ulcerative colitis
Authors: Boules Evon , Lyon Calum
Published: December 2014

A 75-year-old man with ulcerative colitis (UC) and diet controlled diabetes mellitus presented with a 3-week history of slightly itchy, red plaques on both lower limbs ascending gradually to cover the trunk and arms. One week later, he developed a flare up of his UC. Routine blood tests showed modest drop in haemoglobin (122 g/L) and C reactive protein (85 mg/L). Serology was remarkable for high antiproteinase 3 (c-ANCA). Serum electrophoresis showed a mildly positive paraprotein band (γ region). Stool culture was negative. Urine analysis showed proteinuria. Skin biopsy showed features of urticarial vasculitis (UV). He underwent a flexible sigmoidoscopy after the flare up showed mildly active UC. The patient was given hydrocortisone for 7 days and then prednisolone. Both rash and UC subsided. Electrophoresis was repeated 4 weeks later showing normal pattern. Prednisolone has been gradually reduced. Although rare, UV can be considered as one of the skin manifestations of UC.
Haemoptysis in a teenager: late diagnosis of unnoticed foreign body aspiration
Authors: Kargl Simon , Frechinger Bettina , Pumberger Wolfgang
Published: December 2014

Chest X-ray in a 17-year-old boy, presenting with haemoptysis, revealed a radiopaque foreign body (FB) in the right lower lobe. There was no history of aspiration. CT located the needle-shaped FB in the right posterobasal lower lobe segment bronchus. In bronchoscopy, the FB turned out to be a pin, of which the radiolucent plastic head was embedded in the peribronchial tissue. Extraction by flexible and rigid bronchoscopy failed; finally, thoracotomy and bronchotomy had to be performed to remove the pin. In delayed diagnosis of a tracheobronchial FB, CT scan is not only necessary to localise the FB but also to depict or rule out secondary pulmonary changes. Nevertheless, radiolucent components of a metallic FB might be invisible even in CT, leading to underestimation of its size and extension. Late diagnosis complicates removal of tracheobronchial foreign bodies and may even necessitate open surgery, including pulmonary resections.
Oxymatrine inhibits lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammation by down-regulating Toll-like receptor 4/nuclear factor-kappa B in macrophages
Authors: Zhang Yu , Yan Ruhong , Hu Yae
Published: December 2014

Oxymatrine (OMT) is the quinolizidine alkaloid extracted from the Chinese herb Sophora flavescens Ait. that has many pharmacological effects and is used for the treatment of some inflammatory diseases. In this study, RAW264.7 cells and THP-1 differentiated macrophages were pretreated with various concentrations of OMT at 2 h prior to treatment with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) (1.0 μg/mL) for different durations. We detected the anti-inflammatory effect of OMT in LPS-stimulated macrophages and investigated the molecular mechanism. We showed that OMT pretreatment significantly inhibited the LPS-induced secretion of nitric oxide (NO), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) in supernatant, attenuated the mRNA levels of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), IL-1β, TNF-α, and Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), increased TLR4 and phosphorylation of inhibitor of kappa B-alpha (p-IBα) in cytosol, and decreased the nuclear level of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) p65 in macrophages. In conclusion, OMT exerts anti-inflammatory properties in LPS-stimulated macrophages by down-regulating the TLR4/NF-κB pathway.
An Approach for Summarizing Hindi Text Through a Hybrid Fuzzy Neural Network Algorithm
Authors: Anitha J. , Prasad Reddy P. V. G. D. , Prasad Babu M. S.
Published: December 2014

Text summarization is one of the most discussed topic in the field in information exchange and retrieval. Recently, the need for local language based text summarization methods are increasing. In this paper, a method for text summarization in Hindi language is plotted with help of extraction methods. The proposed approach is uses three major algorithms, fuzzy classifier, neural network and global search optimization (GSO). The fuzzy classifier and neural network are used for generating sentence score. The GSO algorithm is used with the neural network, in order to optimize the weights in the neural network. A hybrid score is generated from fuzzy method and neural network for each input sentences. Finally, based on the hybrid score from fuzzy classifier and neural network, the summary of the given input records are generated. An experimental analysis of the proposed approach will subjected based on the evaluation parameters precision, recall. Later on experimental analysis are conducted on the proposed approach in order to evaluate the performance. According to the experimental analysis, the proposed approach achieved an average precision rate 0.90 and average recall rate of 0.88 for compression rate 20%. The comparative analysis also provided reasonable results to prove the efficiency of the proposed approach.
Microwave-assisted synthesis of zinc 5-(4-carboxyphenyl)-10,15,20-triphenylporphyrin and zinc 5-(4-carboxyphenyl)-10,15,20-triphenylchlorin
Authors: Chouikrat Rima , Champion Aymeric , Vanderesse Régis , Frochot Céline , Moussaron Albert
Published: December 2014

The microwave-assisted synthesis of zinc 5-(4-carboxyphenyl)-10,15,20-triphenylporphyrin and zinc 5-(4-carboxyphenyl)-10,15,20-triphenylchlrorin are described and compared to classic conditions of synthesis in terms of time of reaction and yields obtained. The new experimental protocols are easy to implement required small amounts of reagents and solvents and lead to short reaction times. All compounds have been characterized by 1 H NMR, MS and spectroscopic techniques.
THE STRATEGIES FOR THE CONTROL AND PREVENTION OF FOOT-AND-MOUTH DISEASE
Authors: Yang Ping-Cheng , Shieh Happy K. , Chang Poa-Chun
Published: December 2014

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is a highly contagious disease of cloven-hoofed animals and the outbreak of this disease may result in a severe economic loss. The spread of FMD is controlled by measures including movement restriction, stamping-out policy, pre-emptive culling and emergency vaccination (either ring or blanket vaccination). This paper reviews the strategies used in different countries to control FMD during the outbreaks of the disease in 1997–2011. The subsequent outcomes achieved by different strategies and the points needed to be considered before choosing a strategy are discussed.
The Impact of Exchange Rate Uncertainty on Exports in South Africa
Authors: Aye Goodness C. , Gupta Rangan , Moyo Prudence S. , Pillay Nehrunaman
Published: December 2014

This paper examines the impact of real effective exchange rate uncertainty (REER) on aggregate exports of South Africa for the period 1986Q4–2013Q2. Using a bivariate framework where the structural vector autoregression (VAR) is modified to accommodate bivariate GARCH-in-Mean (GARCH-M) errors, we find that exchange rate uncertainty has a significant and negative effect on exports. Comparing the response of exports to a shock in exchange rate from a model that includes the REER uncertainty with results from a model that restricts the coefficient of the exchange rate uncertainty to zero, we find that the response is more pronounced in the former model. Furthermore, real exports respond asymmetrically to negative and positive shocks of REER of the same size.
Discriminative Training for Log-Linear Based SMT
Authors: Liu Lemao , Zhao Tiejun , Watanabe Taro , Cao Hailong , Zhu Conghui
Published: December 2014

In statistical machine translation, the standard methods such as MERT tune a single weight with regard to a given development data. However, these methods suffer from two problems due to the diversity and uneven distribution of source sentences. First, their performance is highly dependent on the choice of a development set, which may lead to an unstable performance for testing. Second, the sentence level translation quality is not assured since tuning is performed on the document level rather than on sentence level. In contrast with the standard global training in which a single weight is learned, we propose novel local training methods to address these two problems. We perform training and testing in one step by locally learning the sentence-wise weight for each input sentence. Since the time of each tuning step is unnegligible and learning sentence-wise weights for the entire test set means many passes of tuning, it is a great challenge for the efficiency of local training. We propose an efficient two-phase method to put the local training into practice by employing the ultraconservative update. On NIST Chinese-to-English translation tasks with both medium and large scales of training data, our local training methods significantly outperform standard methods with the maximal improvements up to 2.0 BLEU points, meanwhile their efficiency is comparable to that of the standard methods.
Multiagent Reinforcement Social Learning toward Coordination in Cooperative Multiagent Systems
Authors: Hao Jianye , Leung Ho-Fung , Ming Zhong
Published: December 2014

Most previous works on coordination in cooperative multiagent systems study the problem of how two (or more) players can coordinate on Pareto-optimal Nash equilibrium(s) through fixed and repeated interactions in the context of cooperative games. However, in practical complex environments, the interactions between agents can be sparse, and each agent's interacting partners may change frequently and randomly. To this end, we investigate the multiagent coordination problems in cooperative environments under a social learning framework. We consider a large population of agents where each agent interacts with another agent randomly chosen from the population in each round. Each agent learns its policy through repeated interactions with the rest of the agents via social learning. It is not clear a priori if all agents can learn a consistent optimal coordination policy in such a situation. We distinguish two different types of learners depending on the amount of information each agent can perceive:
individual action learner and joint action learner
. The learning performance of both types of learners is evaluated under a number of challenging deterministic and stochastic cooperative games, and the influence of the information sharing degree on the learning performance also is investigated—a key difference from the learning framework involving repeated interactions among fixed agents.
Low-Rank Modeling and Its Applications in Image Analysis
Authors: Zhou Xiaowei , Yang Can , Zhao Hongyu , Yu Weichuan
Published: December 2014

Low-rank modeling generally refers to a class of methods that solves problems by representing variables of interest as low-rank matrices. It has achieved great success in various fields including computer vision, data mining, signal processing, and bioinformatics. Recently, much progress has been made in theories, algorithms, and applications of low-rank modeling, such as exact low-rank matrix recovery via convex programming and matrix completion applied to collaborative filtering. These advances have brought more and more attention to this topic. In this article, we review the recent advances of low-rank modeling, the state-of-the-art algorithms, and the related applications in image analysis. We first give an overview of the concept of low-rank modeling and the challenging problems in this area. Then, we summarize the models and algorithms for low-rank matrix recovery and illustrate their advantages and limitations with numerical experiments. Next, we introduce a few applications of low-rank modeling in the context of image analysis. Finally, we conclude this article with some discussions.
Welcome to AI Matters Issue 2
Authors: Wagstaff Kiri
Published: December 2014

Welcome to the second issue of AI Matters, the quarterly newsletter for SIGAI, the ACM Special Interest Group on Artificial Intelligence. This newsletter features ideas and announcements of interest to the AI community.
Student travel award recipients for the 2014 AAAI/SIGAI doctoral consortium
Authors: Brys Tim , Doucette John , Khazaei Taraneh , Taig Ran
Published: December 2014

AAAI and SIGAI annually co-organize the AAAI/ SIGAI Doctoral Consortium. The Doctoral Consortium (DC) provides an opportunity for a group of Ph.D. students to discuss and explore their research interests and career objectives with a panel of established researchers in artificial intelligence. SIGAI provides travel funding to support students from institutions outside the U.S., while the NSF provides funding for U.S. students. This year, SIGAI supported four international students to attend and present at the 19th AAAI/SIGAI Doctoral Consortium. These students provided testimonials reporting on their experiences at the DC.
Pandanus odoratissimus(Kewda): A Review on Ethnopharmacology, Phytochemistry, and Nutritional Aspects
Authors: Adkar Prafulla P. , Bhaskar V. H.
Published: December 2014

Pandanus odoratissimusLinn. (family: Pandanaceae) is traditionally recommended by the Indian Ayurvedic medicines for treatment of headache, rheumatism, spasm, cold/flu, epilepsy, wounds, boils, scabies, leucoderma, ulcers, colic, hepatitis, smallpox, leprosy, syphilis, and cancer and as a cardiotonic, antioxidant, dysuric, and aphrodisiac. It contains phytochemicals, namely, lignans and isoflavones, coumestrol, alkaloids, steroids, carbohydrates, phenolic compounds, glycosides, proteins, amino acids as well as vitamins and nutrients, and so forth. It is having immense importance in nutrition. A 100 g ediblePandanuspericarp is mainly comprised of water and carbohydrates (80 and 17 g, resp.) and protein (1.3 mg), fat (0.7 mg), and fiber (3.5 g).Pandanusfruits paste provides 321 kilocalories, protein (2.2 g), calcium (134 mg), phosphorus (108 mg), iron (5.7 mg), thiamin (0.04 mg), vitamin C (5 mg), and beta-carotene (19 to 19,000 μg) (a carotenoid that is a precursor to vitamin A).Pandanusfruit is an important source of vitamins C, B1, B2, B3, and so forth, usually prepared as aPandanusfloured drink. Traditional claims were scientifically evaluated by the various authors and the phytochemical profile of plant parts was well established. The methods for analytical estimations were developed. However, there is paucity of systematic compilation of scientifically important information about this plant. In the present review we have systematically reviewed and compiled information of pharmacognostic, ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry, pharmacology, nutritional aspects, and analytical methods. This review will enrich knowledge leading the way into the discovery of new therapeutic agents with improved and intriguing pharmacological properties.
An Image Dehazing Model considering Multiplicative Noise and Sensor Blur
Authors: Jidesh P. , Bini A. A.
Published: December 2014

A restoration model considering the data-dependent multiplicative noise, shift-invariant blur, and haze has been introduced in this paper. The proposed strategy adopts a two-step model to perform a single image dehazing under the blurred and noisy observations. The first step uses the well-known dark channel prior method to estimate the transmission of the medium and atmospheric light that signifies the global color of the haze and dehaze the images. The second step performs denoising and deblurring under a Gamma distributed noise setup and a linear blurring artefact. The restoration under the above mentioned setup has quite a few applications in satellite and long-distant telescopic imaging systems, where the captured images are noisy due to atmospheric pressure turbulence and hazy due to the presence of atmospheric dust formation; further they are blurred due to the common device artefacts. The proposed strategy is tested using a large amount of available image-sets and the performance of the model is analysed in detail in the results section.
Heterogeneous Metal Catalysts for Oxidation Reactions
Authors: Ali Md. Eaqub , Rahman Md. Motiar , Sarkar Shaheen M. , Hamid Sharifah Bee Abd
Published: December 2014

Oxidation reactions may be considered as the heart of chemical synthesis. However, the indiscriminate uses of harsh and corrosive chemicals in this endeavor are threating to the ecosystems, public health, and terrestrial, aquatic, and aerial flora and fauna. Heterogeneous catalysts with various supports are brought to the spotlight because of their excellent capabilities to accelerate the rate of chemical reactions with low cost. They also minimize the use of chemicals in industries and thus are friendly and green to the environment. However, heterogeneous oxidation catalysis are not comprehensively presented in literature. In this short review, we clearly depicted the current state of catalytic oxidation reactions in chemical industries with specific emphasis on heterogeneous catalysts. We outlined here both the synthesis and applications of important oxidation catalysts. We believe it would serve as a reference guide for the selection of oxidation catalysts for both industries and academics.
Acute Exercise-Induced Response of Monocyte Subtypes in Chronic Heart and Renal Failure
Authors: Van Craenenbroeck Amaryllis H. , Van Ackeren Katrijn , Hoymans Vicky Y. , Roeykens Johan , Verpooten Gert A. , Vrints Christiaan J. , Couttenye Marie M. , Van Craenenbroeck Emeline M.
Published: December 2014

Purpose. Monocytes (Mon1-2-3) play a substantial role in low-grade inflammation associated with high cardiovascular morbidity and mortality of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and chronic heart failure (CHF). The effect of an acute exercise bout on monocyte subsets in the setting of systemic inflammation is currently unknown. This study aims (1) to evaluate baseline distribution of monocyte subsets in CHF and CKD versus healthy subjects (HS) and (2) to evaluate the effect of an acute exercise bout. Exercise-induced IL-6 and MCP-1 release are related to the Mon1-2-3 response.Methods. Twenty CHF patients, 20 CKD patients, and 15 HS were included. Before and after a maximal cardiopulmonary exercise test, monocyte subsets were quantified by flow cytometry: CD14++CD16−CCR2+(Mon1), CD14++CD16+CCR2+(Mon2), and CD14+CD16++CCR2−(Mon3). Serum levels of IL-6 and MCP-1 were determined by ELISA.Results. Baseline distribution of Mon1-2-3 was comparable between the 3 groups. Following acute exercise, %Mon2 and %Mon3 increased significantly at the expense of a decrease in %Mon1 in HS and in CKD. This response was significantly attenuated in CHF (P<0.05). In HS only, MCP-1 levels increased following exercise; IL-6 levels were unchanged. Circulatory power was a strong and independent predictor of the changes in Mon1 (β=-0.461,P<0.001) and Mon3 (β=0.449,P<0.001); and baseline LVEF of the change in Mon2 (β=0.441,P<0.001).Conclusion. The response of monocytes to acute exercise is characterized by an increase in proangiogenic and proinflammatory Mon2 and Mon3 at the expense of phagocytic Mon1. This exercise-induced monocyte subset response is mainly driven by hemodynamic changes and not by preexistent low-grade inflammation.
A Case of Acute Myeloid Leukemia (FAB M2) with Inversion 16 Who Presented with Pelvic Myeloid Sarcoma
Authors: Çakan Mustafa , Koç Ahmet , Cerit Kıvılcım , Bozkurt Süheyla , Ergelen Rabia , Vural Irmak
Published: December 2014

Acute leukemias are the most common childhood cancer in all age groups. Acute myeloid leukemias (AML) constitute about 15–20% of acute leukemias. Fatigability, pallor, fever, and bleeding are the most common presenting symptoms of AML. Hepatosplenomegaly and lymphadenopathy are commonly encountered during physical examination. In rare instances eruptions due to skin involvement and localized tumor masses (myeloid sarcoma) may be found. Myeloid sarcoma is especially seen in AML-M2 subtype. By cytogenetic analysis, in AML-M2 subtype t(8;21) is often seen and it is more probable to find inversion 16 in AML-M4Eos subtype. Herein, we present a 15-year-old girl whose initial symptom was abdominal pain for three days and her pathological sign was a large abdominal mass which was verified by imaging studies and diagnosed as myeloid sarcoma by biopsy. On bone marrow examination, she had diagnosis of AML-M2 and by cytogenetic analysis inversion 16 was positive. She was treated with AML-BFM 2004 protocol and she is being followed up in remission on her ninth month of the maintenance therapy.
Special Bertrand Curves in 4D Galilean Space
Authors: Öztekin Handan
Published: December 2014

The generalization of Bertrand curves in Galilean 4‐space is introduced and the characterization of the generalized Bertrand curves is obtained. Furthermore, it is proved that no special curve is a classical Bertrand curve in Galilean 4‐space such that the notion of classical Bertrand curve is definite only in three‐dimensional spaces.
Determination ofβ-Cyano-L-alanine,γ-Glutamyl-β-cyano-L-alanine, and Common Free Amino Acids inVicia sativa(Fabaceae) Seeds by Reversed-Phase High-Performance Liquid Chromatography
Authors: Megías Cristina , Cortés-Giraldo Isabel , Girón-Calle Julio , Vioque Javier , Alaiz Manuel
Published: December 2014

A method for determination ofβ-cyano-L-alanine,γ-glutamyl-β-cyano-L-alanine and other free amino acids inVicia sativais presented. Seed extracts were derivatized by reaction with diethyl ethoxymethylenemalonate and analyzed by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. Calibration curves showed very good linearity of the response. The limit of detection and quantification was 0.15 and 0.50 μM, respectively. The method has high intra- (RSD = 0.28–0.31%) and interrepeatability (RSD = 2.76–3.08%) and remarkable accuracy with a 99% recovery in spiked samples. The method is very easy to carry out and allows for ready analysis of large number of samples using very basic HPLC equipment because the derivatized samples are very stable and have very good chromatographic properties. The method has been applied to the determination ofγ-glutamyl-β-cyano-L-alanine,β-cyano-L-alanine, and common free amino acids in eight wild populations ofV. sativafrom southwestern Spain.
Seropositivity of Dengue Antibodies during Pregnancy
Authors: Mohamed Ismail Nor Azlin , Wan Abd Rahim Wan Elly Rushima , Salleh Sharifah Azura , Neoh Hui-Min , Jamal Rahman , Jamil Muhammad Abdul
Published: December 2014

Purpose. Malaysia a dengue endemic country with dengue infections in pregnancy on the rise. The present study was aimed at determining dengue seroprevalence (IgG or IgM) during pregnancy and its neonatal transmission in dengue seropositive women.Methods. Maternal with paired cord blood samples were tested for dengue antibodies (IgG and IgM) using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Maternal age, parity, occupation, ethnic group, and gestational age were recorded. Data on neonatal Apgar score and admissions to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) were analyzed.Results. Out of 358 women recruited, about 128 (35.8%) patients were seropositive. Twelve patients (3.4%) had recent infections (IgM positive) and another 116 women (32.4%) were with past infections (IgG positive). All babies born to seropositive mothers had positive IgG paired cord blood; however, no IgM seropositivity was observed. All neonates had good Apgar scores and did not require NICU admission.Conclusion. In this study, 35.8% pregnant women were found to be dengue seropositive. However, transplacental transfer of IgG antibodies had no detrimental effect on the neonatal outcomes.
Synthesis Optimisation of Lysozyme Monolayer‐Coated Silver Nanoparticles in Aqueous Solution
Authors: Yakovlev A. V. , Golubeva O. Yu.
Published: December 2014

This paper presents an optimisation of the synthesis of silver nanoparticles encapsulated in a biological shell. The synthesis was carried out in an aqueous solution of silver nitrate. Sodium borohydride was used as a reducing agent. Lysozyme served as a bioactive coating agent. The samples produced were studied using dynamic light scattering, transmission electron microscopy, and UV‐Vis spectroscopy. The function of the dependence of the reagent ratio in obtained sols on optical properties is shown. Furthermore, the influence of the synthesis temperature, reactant ratio, and order of mixing on the particle size distribution parameters is shown. The optimal reagent mass ratio, NaBH4 : LYZ : AgNO3 = 0.22 : 0.77 : 1, is established. The resulting composition allows the synthesis of particles with a mean diameter of 18 nm and a bioshell thickness of ≈3.5 nm. Moreover, the necessity of the synthesis optimisation and precise parameter control is clearly demonstrated.
Bifurcation Problems for Generalized Beam Equations
Authors: Wang Fosheng
Published: December 2014

We investigate a class of bifurcation problems for generalized beam equations and prove that the one-parameter family of problems have exactly two bifurcation points via a unified, elementary approach. The proof of the main results relies heavily on calculus facts rather than such complicated arguments as Lyapunov-Schmidt reduction technique or Morse index theory from nonlinear functional analysis.
Noninvariant Hypersurfaces of a Nearly Trans-Sasakian Manifolds
Authors: Yadav Satya Prakash , Kishor Shyam
Published: December 2014

The present paper focuses on the study of noninvariant hypersurfaces of a nearly trans-Sasakian manifold equipped with(f,g,u,v,λ)-structure. Initially some properties of this structure have been discussed. Further, the second fundamental forms of noninvariant hypersurfaces of nearly trans-Sasakian manifolds and nearly cosymplectic manifolds with(f,g,u,v,λ)-structure have been calculated providedfis parallel. In addition, the eigenvalues offhave been found and proved that a noninvariant hypersurface with(f,g,u,v,λ)-structure of nearly cosymplectic manifold with contact structure becomes totally geodesic. Finally the paper has been concluded by investigating the necessary condition for totally geodesic or totally umbilical noninvariant hypersurface with(f,g,u,v,λ)-structure of a nearly trans-Sasakian manifold.
Evidence against the Presence ofWolbachiain a Population of the Crayfish SpeciesProcambarus clarkii
Authors: Heneghan Daniel A. , Hansen Immo A. , Boecklen William J. , James Avis C.
Published: December 2014

Wolbachiais a genus of intracellular alpha-Proteobacteria that is maternally inherited and is capable of inducing a variety of reproductive alterations in host species. The host range ofWolbachiais not determined completely but is known to contain a number of arthropod taxa, including crustaceans.Wolbachiahas not been reported in crayfish, but sampling has been limited to date. We examine a species of crayfish,Procambarus clarkii, forWolbachiainfection using a suite ofWolbachia-specific primers in PCR assays. All specimens yielded negative results forWolbachiainfection and mathematical analysis of sample size shows a near 100% probability of detection for populations with greater than 0.1% infection rate.
Epidemiology of Malocclusion and Assessment of Orthodontic Treatment Need for Nepalese Children
Authors: Singh Varun Pratap , Sharma Amita
Published: December 2014

Objective.To evaluate the prevalence of malocclusion and orthodontic treatment needs among 12- to 15-year-old schoolchildren in eastern Nepal and compare the findings with those of other populations.Methods.Two thousand seventy-four children (1149 males and 925 females) aged between 12 and 15 years were evaluated. Their orthodontic treatment need was assessed using the Index of Orthodontic Treatment Needs (IOTN) (dental health component (DHC)). Angle’s classes of malocclusion were also evaluated.Results.The prevalence of classes I, II, and III was 48.50%, 32.68%, and 4.32%, respectively. The IOTN showed that 21.59% had an extreme treatment need, 24.67% had severe treatment need, 24.07% had moderate treatment need, 14.7% had mild treatment need, and 15.02% had no treatment need.Conclusion.Class I malocclusion is the most common, while class III is the least prevalent in eastern Nepal. The majority of the children need orthodontic treatment.
Pediatric Stroke Presenting as a Seizure
Authors: Ahmadzadeh Katie L. , Bhardwaj Vartika , Johnson Steven A. , Kane Kathleen E.
Published: December 2014

Background.Childhood arterial ischemic stroke (AIS) is rare and may be difficult to diagnose. Management of acute stroke in any age group is time sensitive, so awareness of the manifestations and appropriate diagnostic procedures for pediatric AIS is vital to establishing care. We present a pediatric case of arterial ischemic stroke that presented to the emergency department (ED) after two seizures.Case Report.A five-year-old female with an existing seizure disorder presented to a pediatric ED after having two seizures. Postictal upon arrival, she underwent a computed tomography (CT) scan of her head. Family reported that she had complained of a severe headache and vomited; her seizures were described as different from those she had experienced in the past. Loss of grey white matter differentiation on the CT warranted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which demonstrated a right-sided stroke. After a complicated course in the hospital, the patient was discharged to a rehabilitation hospital.Why Should an Emergency Physician Be Aware of This?It is important that emergency physicians recognize that a seizure may be the initial symptom of a pediatric stroke regardless of an established seizure history. Pediatric seizures are relatively common; however consideration of the diagnosis of pediatric stroke may prevent unnecessary delays in treatment.
Composition Operators from Certainμ-Bloch Spaces toQPSpaces
Authors: Tan Chunyu , Wang Maofa
Published: December 2014

Some necessary and sufficient conditions are established for composition operatorsCφto be bounded or compact fromμ-Bloch type spacesBμtoQpspaces. Moreover, the boundedness, compactness, and Fredholmness of composition operators on little spacesQp,0are also characterized.
Gurzadyan’s Problem 5 and Improvement of Softenings for Cosmological Simulations Using the PP Method
Authors: Eingorn Maxim
Published: December 2014

This paper is devoted to different modifications of two standard softenings of the gravitational attraction (namely, the Plummer and Hernquist softenings), which are commonly used in cosmological simulations based on the particle-particle (PP) method, and their comparison. It is demonstrated that some of the proposed alternatives lead to almost the same accuracy as in the case of the pure Newtonian interaction, even despite the fact that the force resolution is allowed to equal half the minimum interparticle distance. The revealed way of precision improvement gives an opportunity to succeed in solving Gurzadyan’s Problem 5 and bring modern computer codes up to a higher standard.
Synthesis and X-Ray Structure of (1Z,2Z)-1,2-Bis(2-(phenylsulfonyl)-1-(4-tolyl)ethylidene)hydrazine
Authors: Abdel-Aziz Hatem A. , Ghabbour Hazem A. , Al-Rashood Khalid A. , Fun Hoong-Kun
Published: December 2014

The title compound (1Z,2Z)-1,2-bis(2-(phenylsulfonyl)-1-(4-tolyl)ethylidene)hydrazine (5) was prepared, in 78% yield, by the reaction of 2-(phenylsulfonyl)-1-(4-tolyl)ethan-1-one (3) with hydrazine hydrate in acetic acid at 90°C under microwave irradiation in a closed vessel with power 100 W for 3 min. The structure of the newly synthesized compound was established under the basis of its IR, mass,1H NMR, and X-ray single crystal analysis. The crystal of5belongs to monoclinic space group,P21/c, witha=5.2944(3) Å,b=17.5748(9) Å,c=15.4701(8) Å,β=105.767(4)°,Z=2,V=1385.30(13) Å3,Dc=1.306 Mg m−3,μ=2.05 mm−1,F(000)=572,R=0.075, andwR=0.224for 1419 observed reflections withI>2σ(I). The asymmetric unit of compound5contains one molecule withZconfiguration about the C7=N1 and C7A=N1A double bond. ThisZconfiguration of5is stabilized by intramolecular hydrogen bonds C1–H1A⋯N1 and C1A–H1AA⋯N1A. The molecular packing in the crystal structure of5is stabilized by intermolecular interactions forming a three-dimensional network.
Characterization of Upper Airway Obstruction by Fiber-Optic Nasolaryngoscopy and MRI in Preoperative OSAHS Patients
Authors: Shi Song , Xia Yanghui , Zhu Minhui , Wei Kaixuan , Liu Fei , Chen Donghui , Chen Shicai , Zheng Hongliang
Published: December 2014

Objective: To investigate changes in the upper airway and its surrounding soft tissue and to characterize the extent and severity of upper airway obstruction in 136 obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) patients who were awake. Methods: OSAHS patients and healthy controls were evaluated by fiber-optic nasolaryngoscopy and MRI. The cross-sectional area and pharyngeal wall thickness of the retropalatal, retroglossal and epiglottic region were determined. Results: Ninety-five percent of the mild OSAHS subjects had single-plane obstruction (vs. severe OSAHS, p < 0.05), 5.0% of the mild OSAHS subjects had two-plane obstruction (p < 0.05) and none of them had three-plane obstruction (p < 0.05). The cross-sectional area of the retropalatal, retroglossal and epiglottic region progressively declined as the severity of OSAHS increased (severe OSAHS vs. controls, p < 0.05). The lateral pharyngeal wall was significantly thicker in OSAHS subjects than in healthy controls (p < 0.05). The cross-sectional area of the soft palate in moderate and severe OSAHS subjects was markedly larger than that of the healthy controls (p < 0.05) and positively correlated with the apnea/hypopnea index (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Moderate and severe OSAHS patients exhibit multi-plane obstruction of the upper airway, particularly in the retropalatal and retroglossal region. The severity of OSAHS negatively correlates with the thickness, length and cross-sectional area size of the soft palate.
In vitro Fertilization Outcome following Embryo Transfer with or without Preinstillation of Human Chorionic Gonadotropin into the Uterine Cavity: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Aaleyasin Ashraf , Aghahosseini Marzieh , Rashidi Mandana , Safdarian Leila , Sarvi Fatemeh , Najmi Zahra , Mobasseri Alireza , Amoozgar Behzad
Published: December 2014

Background: Intrauterine injection of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) at embryo transfer (ET) has been shown to improve the outcome of assisted reproductive techniques. The aim of this study was to confirm previous findings. Methods: In this randomized controlled trial, 483 infertile women who were candidates for in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF/ICSI) for the first time were randomly assigned to receive an intrauterine injection of 500 IU hCG or placebo (tissue culture media) before ET. The main outcome measures were implantation and clinical pregnancy rates. Results: Both the hCG-treated group (n = 240) and control group (n = 243) were similar at baseline in terms of demographic and obstetrical characteristics. There were significant differences between the two groups regarding the implantation rate (23.6 vs. 12.2%, p < 0.001), pregnancy rate (54.6 vs. 35.8%, p < 0.001), clinical pregnancy rate (50 vs. 32.1%, p < 0.001), ongoing pregnancy rate (15.3 vs. 9.2%, p < 0.001) and live delivery rate (14.3 vs. 8.4%, p < 0.001). The rate of fertilization and abortion rates were not statistically different. Conclusion: Intrauterine injection of hCG before ET improves implantation and pregnancy rates and may be considered an adjuvant in IVF/ICSI.
Magnetic Resonance-Visible Polypropylene Mesh for Pelvic Organ Prolapse Repair
Authors: Brocker Kerstin A. , Lippus Florian , Alt Céline D. , Hallscheidt Peter , Zsolt Fejér , Soljanik Irina , Lenz Florian , Bock Michael , Sohn Christof
Published: December 2014

Aim: To develop a magnetic resonance (MR)-visible mesh using iron oxides and prove visibility. Methods: In a phantom study, a suitable iron oxide, Fe3O4 [iron(II,III) oxide] and FeOOH [iron(III) oxide-hydroxide], concentration was determined using relaxometric MR measurements of the transverse relaxation rates R2 and R2*. Next, a nonabsorbable mesh was designed from the MR-visible threads woven into a polypropylene mesh. The mesh was implanted into a fresh female cadaver via the transobturator route, and MR visibility was assessed with various MR pulse sequences in a clinical 3-tesla system. Results: Optimal contrast was achieved with Fe3O4 at 0.2 weight-% in all imaging sequences, and the optimal contrast was achieved in a 3D spoiled gradient-echo (fast low-angle shot) acquisition. In this concentration range the apparent transverse relaxation rate R2* is below 10 ms. The mesh was visible in the cadaver on T1-weighted 3D spoiled gradient-echo images and T1-weighted fast spin-echo images. Conclusion: Mesh materials can be manufactured to be visible on MR with a negative contrast. Fe3O4 meshes could simplify follow-up examinations and help diagnose origins of postsurgical lesions after urogynecological procedures with mesh material.