bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Calculation of Transient Potential Rise on the Wind Turbine Struck by Lightning
Authors: Xiaoqing Zhang
Published: August 2014

A circuit model is proposed in this paper for calculating the transient potential rise on the wind turbine struck by lightning. The model integrates the blade, sliding contact site, and tower and grounding system of the wind turbine into an equivalent circuit. The lightning current path from the attachment point to the ground can be fully described by the equivalent circuit. The transient potential responses are obtained in the different positions on the wind turbine by solving the circuit equations. In order to check the validity of the model, the laboratory measurement is made with a reduced-scale wind turbine. The measured potential waveform is compared with the calculated one and a better agreement is shown between them. The practical applicability of the model is also examined by a numerical example of a 2 MW Chinese-built wind turbine.
A Review of Feature Extraction Software for Microarray Gene Expression Data
Authors: Tan Ching Siang , Ting Wai Soon , Mohamad Mohd Saberi , Chan Weng Howe , Deris Safaai , Ali Shah Zuraini
Published: August 2014

When gene expression data are too large to be processed, they are transformed into a reduced representation set of genes. Transforming large-scale gene expression data into a set of genes is called feature extraction. If the genes extracted are carefully chosen, this gene set can extract the relevant information from the large-scale gene expression data, allowing further analysis by using this reduced representation instead of the full size data. In this paper, we review numerous software applications that can be used for feature extraction. The software reviewed is mainly for Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Independent Component Analysis (ICA), Partial Least Squares (PLS), and Local Linear Embedding (LLE). A summary and sources of the software are provided in the last section for each feature extraction method.
Backtracking Search Optimization Algorithm for Synthesis of Concentric Circular Antenna Arrays
Authors: Guney K. , Durmus A. , Basbug S.
Published: September 2014

A backtracking search optimization algorithm (BSA) is proposed for the synthesis of concentric circular antenna arrays (CCAAs) with the low sidelobe levels at a fixed beamwidth. Several numerical examples of CCAA patterns with the single, multiple, and broad nulls imposed at the directions of interference are also given to illustrate the performance and flexibility of the proposed algorithm. BSA is a relatively new population based evolutionary optimization algorithm. The numerical results show that the design of CCAA using BSA provides good sidelobe levels with a fixed beamwidth. The nulling patterns obtained by BSA are also very good. The quality of results obtained by the BSA is checked by comparing with that of several metaheuristic algorithms in the literature. BSA is also compared with differential search (DS) and bacterial foraging algorithms (BFA) in terms of iterative performances.
Newton’s Method for the Matrix Nonsingular Square Root
Authors: Li Chun-Mei , Shen Shu-Qian
Published: August 2014

Two new algorithms are proposed to compute the nonsingular square root of a matrixA. Convergence theorems and stability analysis for these new algorithms are given. Numerical results show that these new algorithms are feasible and effective.
Topological Embedding Feature Based Resource Allocation in Network Virtualization
Authors: Cui Hongyan , Tang Shaohua , Sun Fangfang , Xu Yue , Yang Xiaoli
Published: August 2014

Virtualization provides a powerful way to run multiple virtual networks on a shared substrate network, which needs accurate and efficient mathematical models. Virtual network embedding is a challenge in network virtualization. In this paper, considering the degree of convergence when mapping a virtual network onto substrate network, we propose a new embedding algorithm based on topology mapping convergence‐degree. Convergence‐degree means the adjacent degree of virtual network’s nodes when they are mapped onto a substrate network. The contributions of our method are as below. Firstly, we map virtual nodes onto the substrate nodes with the maximum convergence‐degree. The simulation results show that our proposed algorithm largely enhances the network utilization efficiency and decreases the complexity of the embedding problem. Secondly, we define the load balance rate to reflect the load balance of substrate links. The simulation results show our proposed algorithm achieves better load balance. Finally, based on the feature of star topology, we further improve our embedding algorithm and make it suitable for application in the star topology. The test result shows it gets better performance than previous works.
Subgeometric Ergodicity Analysis of Continuous-Time Markov Chains under Random-Time State-Dependent Lyapunov Drift Conditions
Authors: Lekgari Mokaedi V.
Published: August 2014

We investigate random-time state-dependent Foster-Lyapunov analysis on subgeometric rate ergodicity of continuous-time Markov chains (CTMCs). We are mainly concerned with making use of the available results on deterministic state-dependent drift conditions for CTMCs and on random-time state-dependent drift conditions for discrete-time Markov chains and transferring them to CTMCs.
High-Dimensional Medial Lobe Morphometry: An Automated MRI Biomarker for the New AD Diagnostic Criteria
Authors: Duchesne Simon , Valdivia Fernando , Mouiha Abderazzak , Robitaille Nicolas
Published: August 2014

Introduction. Medial temporal lobe atrophy assessment via magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been proposed in recent criteria as anin vivodiagnostic biomarker of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, practical application of these criteria in a clinical setting will require automated MRI analysis techniques. To this end, we wished to validate our automated, high-dimensional morphometry technique to the hypothetical prediction of future clinical status from baseline data in a cohort of subjects in a large, multicentric setting, compared to currently known clinical status for these subjects.Materials and Methods. The study group consisted of 214 controls, 371 mild cognitive impairment (147 having progressed to probable AD and 224 stable), and 181 probable AD from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative, with data acquired on 58 different 1.5 T scanners. We measured the sensitivity and specificity of our technique in a hierarchical fashion, first testing the effect of intensity standardization, then between different volumes of interest, and finally its generalizability for a large, multicentric cohort.Results. We obtained 73.2% prediction accuracy with 79.5% sensitivity for the prediction of MCI progression to clinically probable AD. The positive predictive value was 81.6% for MCI progressing on average within 1.5 (0.3 s.d.) year.Conclusion. With high accuracy, the technique’s ability to identify discriminant medial temporal lobe atrophy has been demonstrated in a large, multicentric environment. It is suitable as an aid for clinical diagnostic of AD.
Evaluation of Corneal Biomechanical Properties Modification after Small Incision Lenticule Extraction Using Scheimpflug-Based Noncontact Tonometer
Authors: Mastropasqua Leonardo , Calienno Roberta , Lanzini Manuela , Colasante Martina , Mastropasqua Alessandra , Mattei Peter A. , Nubile Mario
Published: August 2014

Purpose.To quantify the effect of small incision lenticule extraction (SMILE) on the corneal biomechanics using Scheimpflug noncontact tonometer (Corvis ST).Methods.Twenty eyes of twenty patients, evaluated as eligible for surgery, with high myopia and/or moderate myopic astigmatism, underwent small incision lenticule extraction (SMILE). All patients underwent Corvis ST preoperatively and postoperatively after 1 week, and 1 and 3 months to observe alterations of corneal biomechanical properties. The main outcome measures were Deformation Amplitude, 1st-AT, and 2nd-AT. The relationship between the amount of stroma removed and the percentage variation of the measured parameters from baseline was evaluated with generalized linear model from each time point. For completeness also intraocular pressure (IOP), central corneal thickness (CCT), and their variations after surgery were evaluated.Results.The ratio between the amount of removed refractive error and, respectively, changes of Deformation Amplitude, 1st-AT, and 2nd-AT were significantly modified at the 1st week after surgery(P=0.005; P=0.001; P=0.024). At 1 and 3 months these values did not show statistically significant alterations. Intraocular pressure and central corneal thickness showed statistically significant changes during follow-up.Conclusions.No significant modifications in biomechanical properties were observed after SMILE so this procedure could induce only minimal transient alterations of corneal biomechanics.
Modelling of the Radiological Contamination of the RBMK-1500 Reactor Water Purification and Cooling System
Authors: Poskas G. , Zujus R. , Poskas P. , Miliauskas G.
Published: August 2014

This paper presents modelling results on the RBMK-1500 reactor water purification and cooling system (PCS) components contamination at Ignalina NPP Unit 1. The modelling was performed using a computer code LLWAA-DECOM (Tractebel Energy Engineering, Belgium), taking into consideration PCS components characteristics, parameters of the water flowing in circuits, system work regimes, and so forth. During the modelling, results on activity of PCS subsystems and components’ deposits and nuclide composition of deposits at the moment of the final shutdown of the reactor, as well as activity decay of the most contaminated PCS components’ deposits and dose rates after the final shutdown of the reactor, were obtained. Significant difference of contamination levels was revealed among PCS subsystems and subsystems components. The subsystem of nonpurified water is the most contaminated in PCS, and the activity of the least contaminated component in this subsystem is only 1.42% compared to the activity of the most contaminated component. The most contaminated and the least contaminated components of the purified water subsystem comprise 28.33% and 0.86% of activity, respectively, compared to the activity of the most contaminated PCS component.
Developing Blue Ocean Strategy of Sustainable Product Design and Development for Business Opportunities of BOP Groups in Taiwan
Authors: Tu Jui-Che , Shih Min-Chieh , Hsu Chuan-Ying , Lin Jian-Hao
Published: August 2014

This study expands the definition of the poor group and attempts to delve into and make known the phenomenon of poverty in Taiwan and aims to explore the goals and possibilities of the BOP consumer market. Through a questionnaire survey and expert interviews, this research adopts the concept of sustainability to discuss the lifestyle and consumption characteristics of the BOP group and establishes a design strategic norm of the sustainable products. The findings show that the BOP group in Taiwan is new poverty or working poor and high quality and common prices are the main requirements; these should be introduced into the development model of sustainable design.
The Application of the SCT and the ANP Model to Refine the Most Critical ICT Determinants in Minimizing the Digital Divide
Authors: Hsieh Ming-Yuan
Published: August 2014

This research cross‐employed the social cognition theory (SCT) and the analytical network process (ANP) model in qualitative analyses and the multiple criteria decision making (MCDM) methodology in quantitative measurements to comprehensively re‐identify the most critical information communication technology (ICT) determinants in minimizing the digital divide (DD). After measuring the complete importance of related priority weight w (eigenvector) from the survey results given to various experts, the complete synthetically comparative index numbers (SCIN) from the evaluation model used conveyed two distinct consequences. First, the highest SCIN scores for the ANP, F‐ANP, and G‐ANP models are 0.5516, 0.3771, and 0.4791, respectively, and are located in the “ICT can positively minimize the level of DD” (ICTCPMDD) column in the summarized results table. Secondly, the highest evaluated weighted score of assessed criteria of 0.5801 is located in the Diversified Mobile Applications (DMAPP) column. From these results, there are two contributive findings that can be deduced. First, ICT indeed proved the determinative influences and interplays in the level of DD which means that the undeveloped, developing, and emerging regions are apparently able to minimize the level of DD by means of the ICT development. Second, the Diversified Mobile Applications (DMAPP) is the most critical determinant of ICT in minimizing the level of digital divide.
An Automatic Decision‐Making Mechanism for Virtual Machine Live Migration in Private Clouds
Authors: Kao Ming-Tsung , Cheng Yu-Hsin , Kao Shang-Juh
Published: August 2014

Due to the increasing number of computer hosts deployed in an enterprise, automatic management of electronic applications is inevitable. To provide diverse services, there will be increases in procurement, maintenance, and electricity costs. Virtualization technology is getting popular in cloud computing environment, which enables the efficient use of computing resources and reduces the operating cost. In this paper, we present an automatic mechanism to consolidate virtual servers and shut down the idle physical machines during the off‐peak hours, while activating more machines at peak times. Through the monitoring of system resources, heavy system loads can be evenly distributed over physical machines to achieve load balancing. By integrating the feature of load balancing with virtual machine live migration, we successfully develop an automatic private cloud management system. Experimental results demonstrate that, during the off‐peak hours, we can save power consumption of about 69 W by consolidating the idle virtual servers. And the load balancing implementation has shown that two machines with 80% and 40% CPU loads can be uniformly balanced to 60% each. And, through the use of preallocated virtual machine images, the proposed mechanism can be easily applied to a large amount of physical machines.
Hypolipidemic and Antioxidant Activity of Enoki Mushrooms (Flammulina velutipes)
Authors: Yeh Ming-Yei , Ko Wen-Ching , Lin Li-Yun
Published: August 2014

According to the literatures,Flammulina velutipescontains biologically active components such as dietary fiber, polysaccharide, and mycosterol, whose effects in reducing blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol have been proven. This study used the active components extracted fromFlammulina velutipespowder (FVP) andFlammulina velutipesextract (FVE) to investigate the impact of these active components on lipid metabolism of hamsters. The results show that the total dietary fiber content in FVP and FVE is 29.34 mg/100 g and 15.08 mg/100 g, respectively. The total mycosterol content is 46.57 ± 0.37 mg/100 g and 9.01 ± 0.17 mg/100 g, respectively. The male hamsters were subjected to lipid metabolism monitoring by adding 1, 2, and 3% FVP or FVE into their diets for a period of 8 weeks. The animal assay results show that the 3% FVP and FVE groups have the lowest concentration of TC (total cholesterol), TG (triacylglycerol), LDL (low density lipoprotein cholesterol), and LDL/HDL (high density lipoprotein cholesterol) in the serum and liver (P< 0.05). Our results demonstrate that the addition of 3% FVP or FVE has a significant effect on the lipid metabolism in hamsters whose increased level of HDL in the serum was induced by high fat diet.
Unilateral Hypoglossal Nerve Palsy after Use of the Laryngeal Mask Airway Supreme
Authors: Takahoko Kenichi , Iwasaki Hajime , Sasakawa Tomoki , Suzuki Akihiro , Matsumoto Hideki , Iwasaki Hiroshi
Published: August 2014

Purpose.Hypoglossal nerve palsy after use of the laryngeal mask airway (LMA) is an exceptionally rare complication. We present the first case of unilateral hypoglossal nerve palsy after use of the LMA Supreme.Clinical Features.A healthy 67-year-old female was scheduled for a hallux valgus correction under general anesthesia combined with femoral and sciatic nerve blocks. A size 4 LMA Supreme was inserted successfully at the first attempt and the cuff was inflated with air at an intracuff pressure of 60 cmH2O using cuff pressure gauge. Anesthesia was maintained with oxygen, nitrous oxide (67%), and sevoflurane under spontaneous breathing. The surgery was uneventful and the duration of anesthesia was two hours. The LMA was removed as the patient woke and there were no immediate postoperative complications. The next morning, the patient complained of dysarthria and dysphasia. These symptoms were considered to be caused by the LMA compressing the nerve against the hyoid bone. Conservative treatment was chosen and the paralysis recovered completely after 5 months.Conclusion.Hypoglossal nerve injury may occur despite correct positioning of the LMA under the appropriate intracuff pressure. A follow-up period of at least 6 months should be taken into account for the recovery.
Abnormal Functional Resting-State Networks in ADHD: Graph Theory and Pattern Recognition Analysis of fMRI Data
Authors: dos Santos Siqueira Anderson , Biazoli Junior Claudinei Eduardo , Comfort William Edgar , Rohde Luis Augusto , Sato João Ricardo
Published: August 2014

The framework of graph theory provides useful tools for investigating the neural substrates of neuropsychiatric disorders. Graph description measures may be useful as predictor variables in classification procedures. Here, we consider several centrality measures as predictor features in a classification algorithm to identify nodes of resting-state networks containing predictive information that can discriminate between typical developing children and patients with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The prediction was based on a support vector machines classifier. The analyses were performed in a multisite and publicly available resting-state fMRI dataset of healthy children and ADHD patients: the ADHD-200 database. Network centrality measures contained little predictive information for the discrimination between ADHD patients and healthy subjects. However, the classification between inattentive and combined ADHD subtypes was more promising, achieving accuracies higher than 65% (balance between sensitivity and specificity) in some sites. Finally, brain regions were ranked according to the amount of discriminant information and the most relevant were mapped. As hypothesized, we found that brain regions in motor, frontoparietal, and default mode networks contained the most predictive information. We concluded that the functional connectivity estimations are strongly dependent on the sample characteristics. Thus different acquisition protocols and clinical heterogeneity decrease the predictive values of the graph descriptors.
A Two-Layered Diffusion Model Traces the Dynamics of Information Processing in the Valuation-and-Choice Circuit of Decision Making
Authors: Piu Pietro , Fargnoli Francesco , Innocenti Alessandro , Rufa Alessandra
Published: August 2014

A circuit of evaluation and selection of the alternatives is considered a reliable model in neurobiology. The prominent contributions of the literature to this topic are reported. In this study, valuation and choice of a decisional process during Two-Alternative Forced-Choice (TAFC) task are represented as a two-layered network of computational cells, where information accrual and processing progress in nonlinear diffusion dynamics. The evolution of the response-to-stimulus map is thus modeled by two linked diffusive modules (2LDM) representing the neuronal populations involved in the valuation-and-decision circuit of decision making. Diffusion models are naturally appropriate for describing accumulation of evidence over the time. This allows the computation of the response times (RTs) in valuation and choice, under the hypothesis of ex-Wald distribution. A nonlinear transfer function integrates the activities of the two layers. The input-output map based on the infomax principle makes the 2LDM consistent with the reinforcement learning approach. Results from simulated likelihood time series indicate that 2LDM may account for the activity-dependent modulatory component of effective connectivity between the neuronal populations. Rhythmic fluctuations of the estimate gain functions in the delta-beta bands also support the compatibility of 2LDM with the neurobiology of DM.
SPONGY (SPam ONtoloGY): Email Classification Using Two-Level Dynamic Ontology
Authors: Youn Seongwook
Published: August 2014

Email is one of common communication methods between people on the Internet. However, the increase of email misuse/abuse has resulted in an increasing volume of spam emails over recent years. An experimental system has been designed and implemented with the hypothesis that this method would outperform existing techniques, and the experimental results showed that indeed the proposed ontology-based approach improves spam filtering accuracy significantly. In this paper, two levels of ontology spam filters were implemented: a first level global ontology filter and a second level user-customized ontology filter. The use of the global ontology filter showed about 91% of spam filtered, which is comparable with other methods. The user-customized ontology filter was created based on the specific user’s background as well as the filtering mechanism used in the global ontology filter creation. The main contributions of the paper are (1) to introduce an ontology-based multilevel filtering technique that uses both a global ontology and an individual filter for each user to increase spam filtering accuracy and (2) to create a spam filter in the form of ontology, which is user-customized, scalable, and modularized, so that it can be embedded to many other systems for better performance.
Complete Bilateral Gemination of Maxillary Incisors with Separate Root Canals
Authors: Mahendra Lodd , Govindarajan Sujatha , Jayanandan Muruganandhan , Shamsudeen Shaik Mohammed , Kumar Nalin , Madasamy Ramasamy
Published: August 2014

Developmental anomalies in the hard tissue are seen frequently in dental practice. Gemination and fusion are the most commonly encountered anomalies, and distinction between the two is always challenging. Gemination, also called double tooth, is an anomaly exhibiting two joined crowns and usually a single root. It represents an incomplete attempt of a single tooth germ to split. It is considered multifactorial in etiology, with genetic and environmental causes. This paper discusses a rare example of bilateral gemination (prevalence 0.04%) of maxillary central incisors with completely separated roots. Multidisciplinary care ensured a successful esthetic and functional outcome.
Exploration of Potential Roles of a New LOXL2 Splicing Variant Using Network Knowledge in Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Authors: Wu Bing-Li , Lv Guo-Qing , Zou Hai-Ying , Du Ze-Peng , Wu Jian-Yi , Zhang Pi-Xian , Xu Li-Yan , Li En-Min
Published: August 2014

LOXL2 (lysyl oxidase-like 2), an enzyme that catalyzes oxidative deamination of lysine residue, is upregulated in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). A LOXL2 splice variant LOXL2-e13 and its wild type were overexpressed in ESCC cells followed by microarray analyses. In this study, we explored the potential role and molecular mechanism of LOXL2-e13 based on known protein-protein interactions (PPIs), following microarray analysis of KYSE150 ESCC cells overexpressing a LOXL2 splice variant, denoted by LOXL2-e13, or its wild-type counterpart. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) of LOXL2-WT and LOXL2-e13 were applied to generate individual PPI subnetworks in which hundreds of DEGs interacted with thousands of other proteins. These two DEG groups were annotated by Functional Annotation Chart analysis in the DAVID bioinformatics database and compared. These results found many specific annotations indicating the potential specific role or mechanism for LOXL2-e13. The DEGs of LOXL2-e13, comparing to its wild type, were prioritized by the Random Walk with Restart algorithm. Several tumor-related genes such as ERO1L, ITGA3, and MAPK8 were found closest to LOXL2-e13. These results provide helpful information for subsequent experimental identification of the specific biological roles and molecular mechanisms of LOXL2-e13. Our study also provides a work flow to identify potential roles of splice variants with large scale data.
Multiobjective Optimization of PID Controller of PMSM
Authors: Xu Qingyang , Zhang Chengjin , Zhang Li , Wang Chaoyang
Published: August 2014

PID controller is used in most of the current-speed closed-loop control of permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSM) servo system. However,Kp,Ki, andKdof PID are difficult to tune due to the multiple objectives. In order to obtain the optimal PID parameters, we adopt a NSGA-II to optimize the PID parameters in this paper. According to the practical requirement, several objective functions are defined. NSGA-II can search the optimal parameters according to the objective functions with better robustness. This approach provides a more theoretical basis for the optimization of PID parameters than the aggregation function method. The simulation results indicate that the system is valid, and the NSGA-II can obtain the Pareto front of PID parameters.
Implicit Damping Iterative Algorithm to Solve Elastoplastic Static and Dynamic Equations
Authors: Ma Huaifa , Zhou Jikai , Liang Guoping
Published: August 2014

This paper presents an implicit damping iterative algorithm to simultaneously solve equilibrium equations, yield function, and plastic flow equations, without requiring an explicit expression of elastoplastic stiffness matrices and local iteration for “return mapping” stresses to the yield surface. In addition, a damping factor is introduced to improve the stiffness matrix conformation in the nonlinear iterative process. The incremental iterative scheme and whole amount iterative scheme are derived to solve the dynamical and static and dynamical elastoplastic problems. To validate the proposed algorithms, computation procedures are designed and the numerical tests are implemented. The computational results verify the correctness and reliability of the proposed implicit iteration algorithms.
Optimal Acceleration-Velocity-Bounded Trajectory Planning in Dynamic Crowd Simulation
Authors: Yue-wen Fu , Meng Li , Jia-hong Liang , Xiao-qian Hu
Published: August 2014

Creating complex and realistic crowd behaviors, such as pedestrian navigation behavior with dynamic obstacles, is a difficult and time consuming task. In this paper, we study one special type of crowd which is composed of urgent individuals, normal individuals, and normal groups. We use three steps to construct the crowd simulation in dynamic environment. The first one is that the urgent individuals move forward along a given path around dynamic obstacles and other crowd members. An optimal acceleration-velocity-bounded trajectory planning method is utilized to model their behaviors, which ensures that the durations of the generated trajectories are minimal and the urgent individuals are collision-free with dynamic obstacles (e.g., dynamic vehicles). In the second step, a pushing model is adopted to simulate the interactions between urgent members and normal ones, which ensures that the computational cost of the optimal trajectory planning is acceptable. The third step is obligated to imitate the interactions among normal members using collision avoidance behavior and flocking behavior. Various simulation results demonstrate that these three steps give realistic crowd phenomenon just like the real world.
Congenital Deficiency of Distal Ulna and Dislocation of the Radial Head Treated by Single Bone Forearm Procedure
Authors: Gogoi Paragjyoti , Dutta Anshuman , Sipani Arun Kumar , Daolagupu Arup Kumar
Published: August 2014

Congenital deficiency of part of distal ulna affecting the distal radio-ulnar joint is a rare disorder. It is even rarer to find the association of proximal radio-ulnar joint dislocation along with distal ulnar deficiency. This type of congenital forearm anomaly is difficult to treat. Conversion to a single bone forearm in the expense of pronation-supination movement is a viable option. By doing so the elbow and wrist can be stabilized; however movement is possible in only one plane. We are describing here a girl of 8 years having proximal radio-ulnar joint dislocation along with deficiency of distal ulna treated by converting into a single bone forearm.
Report on a Large Collection ofMerope tuberNewman, 1838 (Mecoptera: Meropeidae), from Arkansas, with Notes on Collection Technique, Sex Ratio, and Male Clasper Size
Authors: Skvarla Michael J. , Hartshorn Jessica A. , Dowling Ashley P. G.
Published: August 2014

A large collection of earwigflies,Merope tuber, is reported from Arkansas, and flight period and sex ratio are discussed. In contrast to previous studies, earwigflies were caught more frequently in pan traps than in Malaise traps and male clasper size was found not to be bimodal.
CFD Analysis to Study Effect of Circular Vortex Generator Placed in Inlet Section to Investigate Heat Transfer Aspects of Solar Air Heater
Authors: Gawande Vipin B. , Dhoble A. S. , Zodpe D. B.
Published: August 2014

CFD analysis of 2-dimensional artificially roughened solar air heater duct with additional circular vortex generator, inserted in inlet section is carried out. Circular transverse ribs on the absorber plate are placed as usual. The analysis is done to investigate the effect of inserting additional vortex generator on the heat transfer and flow friction characteristics inside the solar air heater duct. This investigation covers relative roughness pitch in the range of 10 ≤P/e≤ 25 and relevant Reynolds numbers in the range of 3800 ≤ Re ≤ 18000. Relative roughness height (e/D) is kept constant as 0.03 for analysis. The turbulence created due to additional circular vortex generator increases the heat transfer rate and at the same time there is also increase in friction factor values. For combined arrangement of ribs and vortex generator, maximum Nusselt number is found to be 2.05 times that of the smooth duct. The enhancement in Nusselt number with ribs and additional vortex generator is found to be 1.06 times that of duct using ribs alone. The maximum increase in friction factor with ribs and circular vortex generator is found to be 2.91 times that of the smooth duct. Friction factor in a combined arrangement is 1.114 times that in a duct with ribs alone on the absorber plate. The augmentation in Thermal Enhancement Factor (TEF) with vortex generator in inlet section is found to be 1.06 times more than with circular ribs alone on the absorber plate.
A Comparison of Maceral and Microlithotype Indices for Interpretation of Coals in the Samarinda Area, Lower Kutai Basin, Indonesia
Authors: Thuzar Win Chaw , Amijaya Donatus Hendra , Surjono Sugeng Sapto , Husein Salahuddin , Watanabe Koichiro
Published: August 2014

Strata of the Middle Miocene Balikpapan Formation from the Lower Kutai basin are well exposed in a section near the Samarinda city, East Kalimantan, Indonesia. The succession is characterized by thick sandstone bodies alternating with shales and coal beds. A 250 m thick composite section of exposed sediments (not including the soil interval) was measured, from which 25 coal samples were collected. Petrographic, microlithotype, and maceral analyses were performed in order to determine the depositional environment of the Samarinda coals. In order to assess the development of paleomires, coal facies diagrams were obtained from microlithotype and maceral composition. According to the organic petrologic results, the Samarinda coals represent a highly degraded humodetrinite-rich group deposited from terrestrial into telmatic condition of peat formation with vegetation characteristics of highly degraded woody forest type evolved under alternate oxic to anoxic moor conditions. These formed with intermittent moderate to high flooding as the paleopeat environment shifted from mesotrophic to ombrotrophic.
Gaussian Fibonacci Circulant Type Matrices
Authors: Jiang Zhaolin , Xin Hongxia , Lu Fuliang
Published: August 2014

Circulant matrices have become important tools in solving integrable system, Hamiltonian structure, and integral equations. In this paper, we prove that Gaussian Fibonacci circulant type matrices are invertible matrices forn>2and give the explicit determinants and the inverse matrices. Furthermore, the upper bounds for the spread on Gaussian Fibonacci circulant and left circulant matrices are presented, respectively.
Downscaling Maximum Temperatures to Subkilometer Resolutions in the Shenandoah National Park of Virginia, USA
Authors: Lee Temple R. , De Wekker Stephan F. J. , Wofford John E. B.
Published: August 2014

Downscaling future temperature projections to mountainous regions is vital for many applications, including ecological and water resource management. In this study, we demonstrate a method to downscale maximum temperatures to subkilometer resolutions using the Parameter-elevation Regression on Independent Slopes Model (PRISM). We evaluate the downscaling method with observations from a network of temperature sensors deployed along western and eastern slopes of Virginia’s Shenandoah National Park in the southern Appalachian Mountains. We find that the method overestimates mean July maximum temperatures by about 2°C (4°C) along the western (eastern) slopes. Based on this knowledge, we introduce corrections to generate maps of current and future maximum temperatures in the Shenandoah National Park.
Pharmacological Overview of Galactogogues
Authors: Penagos Tabares Felipe , Bedoya Jaramillo Juliana V. , Ruiz-Cortés Zulma Tatiana
Published: August 2014

Galactogogues are substances used to induce, maintain, and increase milk production, both in human clinical conditions (like noninfectious agalactias and hypogalactias) and in massification of production in the animal dairy industry. This paper aims to report the state of the art on the possible mechanisms of action, effectiveness, and side effects of galactogogues, including potential uses in veterinary and human medicine. The knowledge gaps in veterinary clinical practice use of galactogogues, especially in the standardization of the lactogenic dose in some pure drugs and herbal preparations, are reviewed.
Effect of the French Oak Wood Extract Robuvit on Markers of Oxidative Stress and Activity of Antioxidant Enzymes in Healthy Volunteers: A Pilot Study
Authors: Horvathova Martina , Orszaghova Zuzana , Laubertova Lucia , Vavakova Magdalena , Sabaka Peter , Rohdewald Peter , Durackova Zdenka , Muchova Jana
Published: August 2014

We examinedin vitroantioxidant capacity of polyphenolic extract obtained from the wood of oakQuercus robur(QR), Robuvit, using TEAC (Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity) method and the effect of its intake on markers of oxidative stress, activity of antioxidant enzymes, and total antioxidant capacity in plasma of 20 healthy volunteers. Markers of oxidative damage to proteins, DNA, and lipids and activities of Cu/Zn-superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) were determined in the erythrocytes. We have found anin vitroantioxidant capacity of Robuvit of 6.37 micromole Trolox equivalent/mg of Robuvit. One month intake of Robuvit in daily dose of 300 mg has significantly decreased the serum level of advanced oxidation protein products (AOPP) and lipid peroxides (LP). Significantly increased activities of SOD and CAT as well as total antioxidant capacity of plasma after one month intake of Robuvit have been shown. In conclusion, we have demonstrated for the first time that the intake of Robuvit is associated with decrease of markers of oxidative stress and increase of activity of antioxidant enzymes and total antioxidant capacity of plasmain vivo.
Effects of a New Flavonoid and Myo-Inositol Supplement on Some Biomarkers of Cardiovascular Risk in Postmenopausal Women: A Randomized Trial
Authors: D’Anna Rosario , Santamaria Angelo , Cannata Maria Letizia , Interdonato Maria Lieta , Giorgianni Grazia Maria , Granese Roberta , Corrado Francesco , Bitto Alessandra
Published: August 2014

Background and Aim. Cardiovascular risk is increased in women with menopause and metabolic syndrome. Aim of this study was to test the effect of a new supplement formula, combining cocoa polyphenols, myo-inositol, and soy isoflavones, on some biomarkers of cardiovascular risk in postmenopausal women with metabolic syndrome.Methods and Results. A total of 60 women were enrolled and randomly assigned (n=30per group) to receive the supplement (NRT: 30 mg of cocoa polyphenols, 80 mg of soy isoflavones, and 2 gr of myo-inositol), or placebo for 6 months. The study protocol included three visits (baseline, 6, and 12 months) for the evaluation of glucose, triglycerides, and HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C), adiponectin, visfatin, resistin, and bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (bone-ALP). At 6 months, a significant difference between NRT and placebo was found for glucose (96±7versus108±10 mg/dL), triglycerides (145±14versus165±18 mg/dL), visfatin (2.8±0.8versus3.7±1.1 ng/mL), resistin (27±7versus32±8 µg/L), and b-ALP (19±7versus15±5 µg/mL). No difference in HDL-C concentrations nor in adiponectin levels between groups was reported at 6 months.Conclusions.The supplement used in this study improves most of the biomarkers linked to metabolic syndrome. This Trial is registered withNCT01400724.
Advanced Placement Scores for Black Male Students from Connecticut, Florida, Maryland, Massachetts, and Texas
Authors: Wilson Jeanine L. , Slate John R. , Moore George W. , Barnes Wally
Published: August 2014

Differences in student performance were analyzed for Black males in Connecticut, Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, and Texas on the Advanced Placement English Language and Composition, Calculus AB, Biology, and United States History examinations from the 2001 through the 2012 exam years. All analyses included in the comparisons of overall examination scores and U.S. History examination scores were statistically significant. Of the 48 individual examination comparisons, 26 yielded evidence of a statistically significant difference among the Black male students from the selected states. Massachusetts was the state with the highest percentages of Black male students who achieved an AP score of 4 or 5. Conversely, Texas was the state with the highest percentages of Black male students who failed to achieve an AP score of 4 or 5. Implications for policy regarding advanced placement testing as an avenue for preparing students for college and recommendations for future research are discussed.
Association of vWA and TPOX Polymorphisms with Venous Thrombosis in Mexican Mestizos
Authors: Meraz-Ríos Marco Antonio , Majluf-Cruz Abraham , Santana Carla , Noris Gino , Camacho-Mejorado Rafael , Acosta-Saavedra Leonor C. , Calderón-Aranda Emma S. , Hernández-Juárez Jesús , Magaña Jonathan J. , Gómez Rocío
Published: August 2014

Objective. Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a multifactorial disorder and, worldwide, the most important cause of morbidity and mortality. Genetic factors play a critical role in its aetiology. Microsatellites are the most important source of human genetic variation having more phenotypic effect than many single nucleotide polymorphisms. Hence, we evaluate a possible relationship between VTE and the genetic variants in von Willebrand factor, human alpha fibrinogen, and human thyroid peroxidase microsatellites to identify possible diagnostic markers.Methods.Genotypes were obtained from 177 patients with VTE and 531 nonrelated individuals using validated genotyping methods. The allelic frequencies were compared; Bayesian methods were used to correct population stratification to avoid spurious associations.Results.The vWA-18, TPOX-9, and TPOX-12 alleles were significantly associated with VTE. Moreover, subjects bearing the combination vWA-18/TPOX-12 loci exhibited doubled risk for VTE (95% CI = 1.02–3.64), whereas the combination vWA-18/TPOX-9 showed an OR = 10 (95% CI = 4.93–21.49).Conclusions.The vWA and TPOX microsatellites are good candidate biomarkers in venous thromboembolism diseases and could help to elucidate their origins. Additionally, these polymorphisms could become useful markers for genetic studies of VTE in the Mexican population; however, further studies should be done owing that this data only show preliminary evidence.
Computational Experiment Study on Selection Mechanism of Project Delivery Method Based on Complex Factors
Authors: Ding Xiang , Sheng Zhaohan , Du Jianguo , Li Qian
Published: August 2014

Project delivery planning is a key stage used by the project owner (or project investor) for organizing design, construction, and other operations in a construction project. The main task in this stage is to select an appropriate project delivery method. In order to analyze different factors affecting the PDM selection, this paper establishes a multiagent model mainly to show how project complexity, governance strength, and market environment affect the project owner’s decision on PDM. Experiment results show that project owner usually choose Design‐Build method when the project is very complex within a certain range. Besides, this paper points out that Design‐Build method will be the prior choice when the potential contractors develop quickly. This paper provides the owners with methods and suggestions in terms of showing how the factors affect PDM selection, and it may improve the project performance.
A Phylogenomic Census of Molecular Functions Identifies Modern Thermophilic Archaea as the Most Ancient Form of Cellular Life
Authors: Nasir Arshan , Kim Kyung Mo , Caetano-Anollés Gustavo
Published: August 2014

The origins of diversified life remain mysterious despite considerable efforts devoted to untangling the roots of the universal tree of life. Here we reconstructed phylogenies that described the evolution of molecular functions and the evolution of species directly from a genomic census of gene ontology (GO) definitions. We sampled 249 free-living genomes spanning organisms in the three superkingdoms of life, Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya, and used the abundance of GO terms as molecular characters to produce rooted phylogenetic trees. Results revealed an early thermophilic origin of Archaea that was followed by genome reduction events in microbial superkingdoms. Eukaryal genomes displayed extraordinary functional diversity and were enriched with hundreds of novel molecular activities not detected in the akaryotic microbial cells. Remarkably, the majority of these novel functions appeared quite late in evolution, synchronized with the diversification of the eukaryal superkingdom. The distribution of GO terms in superkingdoms confirms that Archaea appears to be the simplest and most ancient form of cellular life, while Eukarya is the most diverse and recent.
Surface Water Quality Assessment of Wular Lake, A Ramsar Site in Kashmir Himalaya, Using Discriminant Analysis and WQI
Authors: Bhat Salim Aijaz , Pandit Ashok K.
Published: August 2014

Multivariate techniques, discriminant analysis, and WQI were applied to analyze a water quality data set including 27 parameters at 5 sites of the Lake Wular in Kashmir Himalaya from 2011 to 2013 to investigate spatiotemporal variations and identify potential pollution sources. Spatial and temporal variations in water quality parameters were evaluated through stepwise discriminant analysis (DA). The first spatial discriminant function (DF) accounted for 76.5% of the total spatial variance, and the second DF accounted for 19.1%. The mean values of water temperature, EC, total-N, K, and silicate showed a strong contribution to discriminate the five sampling sites. The mean concentration of NO2-N, total-N, and sulphate showed a strong contribution to discriminate the four sampling seasons and accounted for most of the expected seasonal variations. The order of major cations and anions was Ca2+>Mg2+> Na+>K+ and Cl->SO42->SiO22- respectively. The results of water quality index, employing thirteen core parameters vital for drinking water purposes, showed values of 49.2, 46.5, 47.3, 40.6, and 37.1 for sites I, II, III, IV, and V, respectively. These index values reflect that the water of lake is in good condition for different purposes but increased values alarm us about future repercussions.
Clock Synchronization in Wireless Sensor Networks: A New Model and Analysis Approach Based on Networked Control Perspective
Authors: Ting Wang , Chun-yang Cai , Di Guo , Xiao-ming Tang , Heng Wang
Published: August 2014

Motivated by the importance of the clock synchronization in wireless sensor networks (WSNs), this paper proposes a new research approach and model approach, which quantitatively analyzes clock synchronization from the perspective of modern control theory. Two kinds of control strategies are used as examples to analyze the effect of the control strategy on clock synchronization from different perspectives, namely, the single‐step optimal control and the LQG global optimal control. The proposed method establishes a state space model for clock relationship, thus making dimension extension and parameter identification easier, and is robust to changes under the condition of node failures and new nodes. And through the design of different control strategies and performance index functions, the method can satisfy various requirements of the synchronization precision, convergence speed, energy consumption and the computational complexity, and so on. Finally, the simulations show that the synchronization accuracy of the proposed method is higher than that of the existing protocol, and the former convergence speed of the synchronization error is faster.
Estimating Cancer Latency Times Using a Weibull Model
Authors: Nadler Diana L. , Zurbenko Igor G.
Published: August 2014

Mathematical models can be useful tools in exploring population disease trends over time and can be used to gain insight into the fundamental mechanisms of cancer development. In this paper, we provide a systematic comparison between the exact and the approximate solutions for estimating the length of time between the biological initiation of cancer and diagnosis through the development of a Weibull-like survival model. A total of 1,608,484 malignant primary cancers were used in the analysis using cancer incidence data obtained from the National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program. We find that the approximate solution provides a reliable comparison of the latency periods for different types of cancer and has no significant effect on the estimation accuracy, which differs from the exact solution by 0% to 11.3%. Thirty-five of the 44 cancers in this analysis were found to progress silently for 10 years or longer prior to detection representing 89% of the patients in this analysis. The results of this analysis differentiate cancer types that progress undetected over a period of years to identify new opportunities for early detection which increases the likelihood of successful treatment and alleviates the ever-growing cancer burden.
Network Anomaly Detection System with Optimized DS Evidence Theory
Authors: Liu Yuan , Wang Xiaofeng , Liu Kaiyu
Published: August 2014

Network anomaly detection has been focused on by more people with the fast development of computer network. Some researchers utilized fusion method and DS evidence theory to do network anomaly detection but with low performance, and they did not consider features of network—complicated and varied. To achieve high detection rate, we present a novel network anomaly detection system with optimized Dempster-Shafer evidence theory (ODS) and regression basic probability assignment (RBPA) function. In this model, we add weights for each senor to optimize DS evidence theory according to its previous predict accuracy. And RBPA employs sensor’s regression ability to address complex network. By four kinds of experiments, we find that our novel network anomaly detection model has a better detection rate, and RBPA as well as ODS optimization methods can improve system performance significantly.