bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Direct endovascular thrombectomy and bridging strategies for acute ischemic stroke: a network meta-analysis
Authors: Phan Kevin , Dmytriw Adam A , Lloyd Declan , Maingard Julian M , Kok Hong Kuan , Chandra Ronil V , Brooks Mark , Thijs Vincent , Moore Justin M , Chiu Albert Ho Yuen , Selim Magdy , Goyal Mayank , Pereira Vitor Mendes , Thomas Ajith J , Hirsch Joshua A , Asadi Hamed , Wang Nelson
Published: October 2018

Objectives

The present Bayesian network meta-analysis aimed to compare the various strategies for acute ischemic stroke: direct endovascular thrombectomy within the thrombolysis window in patients with no contraindications to thrombolysis (DEVT); (2) direct endovascular thrombectomy secondary to contraindications to thrombolysis (DEVTc); (3) endovascular thrombectomy in addition to thrombolysis (IVEVT); and (4) thrombolysis without thrombectomy (IVT).

Methods

Six electronic databases were searched from their dates of inception to May 2017 to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing IVT versus IVEVT, and prospective registry studies comparing IVEVT versus DEVT or IVEVT versus DEVTc. Network meta-analyses were performed using ORs and 95% CIs as the summary statistic.

Results

We identified 12 studies (5 RCTs, 7 prospective cohort) with a total of 3161 patients for analysis. There was no significant difference in good functional outcome at 90 days (modified Rankin Scale score ≤2) between DEVT and IVEVT. There was no significant difference in mortality between all treatment groups. DEVT was associated with a 49% reduction in intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) compared with IVEVT (OR 0.51; 95% CI 0.33 to 0.79), due to reduction in rates of asymptomatic ICH (OR 0.47; 95% CI 0.29 to 0.76). Patients treated with DEVT had higher rates of reperfusion compared with IVEVT (OR 1.73; 95% CI 1.04 to 2.94).

Conclusions

To our knowledge, this is the first network meta-analysis to be performed in the era of contemporary mechanical thrombectomy comparing DEVT and DEVTc. Our analysis suggests the addition of thrombolysis prior to thrombectomy for large vessel occlusions may not be associated with improved outcomes.
Smokeless tobacco use and circulatory disease risk: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Rostron Brian L , Chang Joanne T , Anic Gabriella M , Tanwar Manju , Chang Cindy M , Corey Catherine G
Published: October 2018

Objective

Smokeless tobacco use is a public health issue throughout the world, but reviews and analyses of circulatory disease risks associated with smokeless tobacco use may be outdated or incomplete. This study provides a thorough and comprehensive review and meta-analysis of circulatory disease risks in high-income countries, including recently published study estimates.

Methods

We conducted a systematic review of studies of circulatory disease risks associated with smokeless tobacco use in Europe and North America that were identified from electronic databases and reference lists. Study estimates were extracted by region, smokeless tobacco use status, cigarette smoking status, and circulatory condition and combined in meta-analysis using a random-effects model. We used the Newcastle-Ottawa scale to assess study quality and risk of bias.

Results

We identified 17 relevant cohort studies, two pooled analyses, five case–control studies and one cross-sectional analysis. We found increased risk of heart disease (relative risk (RR) 1.17, 95% CI 1.09 to 1.27) and stroke (RR 1.28, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.62) among US smokeless tobacco users compared with non-users. Increased circulatory disease risk was not observed among Swedish smokeless tobacco users.

Conclusion

US smokeless tobacco users were found to have increased risk of heart disease and stroke.
Design and Implementation of Three-Winding Coupled Inductor and Switched Capacitor-Based DC–DC Converter Fed PV-TDVR
Authors: Kumar M. , Ramesh S.
Published: October 2018

This paper presents a three-winding coupled inductor-based high-gain DC–DC converter fed transformerless dynamic voltage restorer (TDVR) to compensate the voltage sag, voltage swell and interruption in the single-phase power distribution network. The TDVR supported by the cascaded DC–DC boost converters offers high boosting gain. The cascaded connection of DC–DC converters reduces the efficiency due to the usage of more active and passive devices. The proposed PV-TDVR is designed to provide higher efficiency by reducing the number of power conversion stages with reduced numbers of active and passive components. The operating modes of the proposed PV-TDVR are presented in a comprehensive way. The MATrix LABoratory (MATLAB) simulation and 1-kV prototype model results are presented to analyze the performance of PV-TDVR in mitigating the voltage disturbances in the single-phase power distribution network.
A Start-up Assisted Fully Differential Folded Cascode Opamp
Authors: Nagulapalli R. , Hayatleh K. , Barker S. , Yassine B. , Zourob S. , Raparthy S. , Yassine N.
Published: October 2018

This paper explains the hidden positive feedback in a two-stage fully differential amplifier through external feedback resistors and possible DC latch-up during the amplifier start-up. The biasing current selection among the cascade branches has been explained intuitively, with reference to previous literature. To avoid the latch-up problem, irrespective of the transistor bias currents, a novel hysteresis-based start-up circuit is proposed. An 87[Formula: see text]dB, 250[Formula: see text]MHz unity gain bandwidth amplifier has been developed in 65[Formula: see text]nm CMOS Technology and post-layout simulations demonstrate no start-up failures out of 1000 Monte-Carlo (6-Sigma) simulations. The circuit draws 126[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]A from a 1.2[Formula: see text]V supply and occupies the 2184[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]m2 area.
Boundary conservation from bulk symmetry
Authors: Fairoos C. , Ghosh Avirup , Sarkar Sudipta
Published: October 2018

The evolution of the black-hole horizon can be effectively captured by a fictitious membrane fluid living on the stretched horizon. We show that the dynamics of this boundary matter arises from the invariance of the bulk action under local symmetries in the presence of the inner boundary. If general covariance is broken in a semi-classical treatment of a quantum field near a black-hole horizon, we argue that it can be restored by the inclusion of a quantum flux into the membrane conservation equation which is exactly equal to the Hawking flux.
Location–Price Competition in Mobile Operator Market
Authors: Mazalov Vladimir , Lukyanenko Andrey , Gurtov Andrei
Published: October 2018

In this paper, we propose a game-theoretic model of the mobile network market. The market is presented by three sides: primary mobile network operators (MNO), mobile virtual network operators (MVNO) and consumers of the services. MVNO are mobile operators without their own infrastructure. They buy resources from MNO and compete with other MVNO for the consumers selling a service in the mobile network market. We construct a two-stage game. In the first stage, MVNO (players) select the MNO, one or several, and then announce the price for their service for the consumers in this MNO. After the profile of prices is determined, the consumers are distributed among MVNOs following the logistic function. The equilibrium in this two-stage game is constructed. For identical consumers, the analytic formulas for the solution are derived.
Thermodynamic Properties of an In-Phase Flux Antiferromagnetic Spin Coupled Heisenberg Model on a Square Lattice
Authors: Mainimo E. , Ibrahim Famenyi N.
Published: October 2018

Using the two-dimensional Jordan–Wigner Fermionization procedure, we calculate the energy spectrum of the in-phase flux antiferromagnetically spin-1/2 coupled Heisenberg model in a square lattice, the formalism used introduces the notion of isotropic parameters. The energy spectrum is analyzed for various regimes of the exchange interactions and the isotropic parameters. The thermodynamic parameters of the lattice, notably the ground state energy, the free energy, mean energy, entropy and specific heat are calculated. It is seen that the specific heat undergoes a phase transition at a temperature below the critical temperature due to spontaneous magnetization. Its entropy for homogeneous and completely isotropic regime is compared for two regimes of the exchange interaction and it is observed that the entropy decreases with an increase in the coupling strength. All the thermodynamic parameters calculated for this spin model are seen to be in conformity with the principles and laws of Statistical Thermodynamics.
Fast Fourier transform-based micromechanics of interfacial line defects in crystalline materials
Authors: Berbenni Stéphane , Taupin Vincent
Published: October 2018

Spectral methods using Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) algorithms have recently seen a surge in interest in the mechanics community. The present contribution addresses the critical question of determining local mechanical fields using the FFT method in the presence of interfacial defects. Precisely, the present work introduces a numerical approach based on intrinsic discrete Fourier transforms for the simultaneous treatment of material discontinuities arising from the presence of disclinations, i.e., rotational discontinuities, and inhomogeneities. A centered finite difference scheme for differential rules are first used for numerically solving the Poisson-type equations in the Fourier space to get the incompatible elastic fields due to disclinations and dislocations. Second, centered finite differences on a rotated grid are chosen for the computation of the modified Fourier-Green’s operator in the Lippmann–Schwinger–Dyson type equation for heterogeneous media. Elastic fields of disclination dipole distributions interacting with inhomogeneities of varying stiffnesses, grain boundaries seen as DSUM (Disclination Structural Unit Model), grain boundary disconnection defects and phase boundary “terraces” in anisotropic bi-materials are numerically computed as applications of the method.
Mucins and Their Role in Shaping the Functions of Mucus Barriers
Authors: Wagner C.E. , Wheeler K.M. , Ribbeck K.
Published: October 2018

We review what is currently understood about how the structure of the primary solid component of mucus, the glycoprotein mucin, gives rise to the mechanical and biochemical properties of mucus that are required for it to perform its diverse physiological roles. Macroscale processes such as lubrication require mucus of a certain stiffness and spinnability, which are set by structural features of the mucin network, including the identity and density of cross-links and the degree of glycosylation. At the microscale, these same features affect the mechanical environment experienced by small particles and play a crucial role in establishing an interaction-based filter. Finally, mucin glycans are critical for regulating microbial interactions, serving as receptor binding sites for adhesion, as nutrient sources, and as environmental signals. We conclude by discussing how these structural principles can be used in the design of synthetic mucin-mimetic materials and provide suggestions for directions of future work in this field.
Studying the Regional Cyberspace by Exploiting Internet Sequential Information Flows
Authors: Jin Biao , Sha Jin-ming , Ji Jian-wan , Liu Yi-su , Yang Wu-heng
Published: October 2018

The study of cyberspace is faced with the challenge of the data shortage and model verification. This paper proposed a method to explore the regional cyberspace by employing Internet sequential information flows crawled from social network platforms. Compared with previous studies which only use one type of data sources for analysis, the main contribution of this manuscript is adopting the scheme that uses one kind of Internet information flow to extract cyberspace feature while relevant data collected from the other network platform is used for verification. Moreover, starting from measuring the informatization level of a region, a modified gravity model is designed by adding the value of informatization level to the traditional method. Then, an information association matrix based on the improved gravity model is constructed for analyzing the characteristics of cyberspace. To demonstrate the efficiency, Fuzhou city is considered as an interesting regional sample in this paper. The reasonable results indicate that the proposed approach is practical for regional cyberspace.
Increased CCR7loPD-1hiCXCR5+CD4+ T Cells in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells Are Correlated with Immune Activation in Patients with Chronic HBV Infection
Authors: Huang Ya-Xin , Zhao Qi-Yi , Wu Li-Li , Xie Dong-Ying , Gao Zhi-Liang , Deng Hong
Published: October 2018

T follicular helper cells (Tfh cells) affect essential immune pathogenesis in chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. The CCR7loPD-1hi Tfh subset has a partial Tfh effector phenotype and is associated with active Tfh differentiation, whereas the CCR7hiPD-1lo Tfh subset is a resting phenotype. We recruited 20 healthy volunteers and 77 patients with chronic HBV infection, including those in the immune tolerant (IT) phase (n=19), immune clearance (IC) phase (n=20), low replicative (LR) phase (n=18), and reactivation (RA) phase (n=20). The expression of CD4, CXCR5, PD-1, and CCR7 was detected in T cells from peripheral blood by flow cytometry. The frequency of the CCR7loPD-1hi T subset was significantly higher in the patients than in the healthy controls (14.92±4.87% vs 12.23±2.95%, p=0.018). The frequency of this Tfh subset in the IC group (18.42%±3.08) was increased compared with the IT group (11.94±2.87%, p=0.001) and LR group (13.65±4.93%, p=0.031) and was higher in the RA group than in the IT group (16.03±5.37% vs 11.94±2.87%, p=0.030). We observed a weak positive correlation between the CCR7loPD-1hi Tfh subset population and the alanine transaminase (ALT) level (r=0.370, p=0.001). The CCR7loPD-1h Tfh subset in the chronic HBV-infected patients was elevated to various degrees among the different immune phases. CCR7loPD-1hiCXCR5+CD4+ T cells are correlated with the immune status of chronic HBV infection patients and may be developed as a potential indicator for antiviral treatment.
A Comprehensive Algorithm for Evaluating Node Influences in Social Networks Based on Preference Analysis and Random Walk
Authors: Mao Chengying , Xiao Weisong
Published: October 2018

In the era of big data, social network has become an important reflection of human communications and interactions on the Internet. Identifying the influential spreaders in networks plays a crucial role in various areas, such as disease outbreak, virus propagation, and public opinion controlling. Based on the three basic centrality measures, a comprehensive algorithm named PARW‐Rank for evaluating node influences has been proposed by applying preference relation analysis and random walk technique. For each basic measure, the preference relation between every node pair in a network is analyzed to construct the partial preference graph (PPG). Then, the comprehensive preference graph (CPG) is generated by combining the preference relations with respect to three basic measures. Finally, the ranking of nodes is determined by conducting random walk on the CPG. Furthermore, five public social networks are used for comparative analysis. The experimental results show that our PARW‐Rank algorithm can achieve the higher precision and better stability than the existing methods with a single centrality measure.
Connection between Systemic Inflammation and Neuroinflammation Underlies Neuroprotective Mechanism of Several Phytochemicals in Neurodegenerative Diseases
Authors: Wang Jintang , Song Yuetao , Chen Zheng , Leng Sean X.
Published: October 2018

Oxidative damage, mitochondrial dysfunction, and neuroinflammation are strongly implicated in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD), and a substantial portion of elderly population at risk of these diseases requires nutritional intervention to benefit health due to lack of clinically relevant drugs. To this end, anti‐inflammatory mechanisms of several phytochemicals such as curcumin, resveratrol, propolis, polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), and ginsenosides have been extensively studied. However, correlation of the phytochemicals with neuroinflammation or brain nutrition is not fully considered, especially in their therapeutic mechanism for neuronal damage or dysfunction. In this article, we review the advance in antioxidative and anti‐inflammatory effects of phytochemicals and discuss the potential communication with brain microenvironment by improved gastrointestinal function, enhanced systemic immunity, and neuroprotective outcomes. These data show that phytochemicals may modulate and suppress neuroinflammation of the brain by several approaches: (1) reducing systemic inflammation and infiltration via the blood‐brain barrier (BBB), (2) direct permeation into the brain parenchyma leading to neuroprotection, (3) enhancing integrity of disrupted BBB, and (4) vagal reflex‐mediated nutrition and protection by gastrointestinal function signaling to the brain. Therefore, many phytochemicals have multiple potential neuroprotective approaches contributing to therapeutic benefit for pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases, and development of strategies for preventing these diseases represents a considerable public health concern and socioeconomic burden.
Effect of Seepage Velocity on Formation of Shaft Frozen Wall in Loose Aquifer
Authors: Lin Jian , Cheng Hua , Cai Hai-bing , Tang Bin , Cao Guang-yong
Published: October 2018

This paper addresses the difficult closure of a frozen wall in a coal mine shaft due to excessive seepage velocity in an aquifer when the aquifer is penetrated via the artificial freezing method. Based on hydrothermal coupling theory and considering the effect of decreased absolute porosity on seepage during the freezing process, a mathematical model of hydrothermal full‐parameter coupling with a phase change is created. A shaft is used as a prototype, and COMSOL multiphysics finite element software is employed to perform a numerical simulation of the shaft freezing process at various stratum seepage velocities. The numerical simulation results are verified via a comparison with field measurement data. Based on the numerical simulation results, the impact of various underground water seepage velocities on the artificial frozen wall formation process with the seepage‐temperature field coupling effect is analysed. Based on the analysis results, the recommended principles of the optimization design for a freezing plan are described as follows: first, the downstream area is closed to enable the water insulation effect, and second, the closure of the upstream area is expedited to reduce the total closure time of a frozen wall.
Using Compact Coevolutionary Algorithm for Matching Biomedical Ontologies
Authors: Xue Xingsi , Chen Jie , Chen Junfeng , Chen Dongxu
Published: October 2018

Over the recent years, ontologies are widely used in various domains such as medical records annotation, medical knowledge representation and sharing, clinical guideline management, and medical decision-making. To implement the cooperation between intelligent applications based on biomedical ontologies, it is crucial to establish correspondences between the heterogeneous biomedical concepts in different ontologies, which is so-called biomedical ontology matching. Although Evolutionary algorithms (EAs) are one of the state-of-the-art methodologies to match the heterogeneous ontologies, huge memory consumption, long runtime, and the bias improvement of the solutions hamper them from efficiently matching biomedical ontologies. To overcome these shortcomings, we propose a compact CoEvolutionary Algorithm to efficiently match the biomedical ontologies. Particularly, a compact EA with local search strategy is able to save the memory consumption and runtime, and three subswarms with different optimal objectives can help one another to avoid the solution’s bias improvement. In the experiment, two famous testing cases provided by Ontology Alignment Evaluation Initiative (OAEI 2017), i.e. anatomy track and large biomed track, are utilized to test our approach’s performance. The experimental results show the effectiveness of our proposal.
Two Iterative Methods for Solving Linear Interval Systems
Authors: Siahlooei Esmaeil , Shahzadeh Fazeli Seyed Abolfazl
Published: October 2018

Conjugate gradient is an iterative method that solves a linear system Ax=b, where A is a positive definite matrix. We present this new iterative method for solving linear interval systems Ãx̃=b̃, where Ã is a diagonally dominant interval matrix, as defined in this paper. Our method is based on conjugate gradient algorithm in the context view of interval numbers. Numerical experiments show that the new interval modified conjugate gradient method minimizes the norm of the difference of Ãx̃ and b̃ at every step while the norm is sufficiently small. In addition, we present another iterative method that solves Ãx̃=b̃, where Ã is a diagonally dominant interval matrix. This method, using the idea of steepest descent, finds exact solution x̃ for linear interval systems, where Ãx̃=b̃; we present a proof that indicates that this iterative method is convergent. Also, our numerical experiments illustrate the efficiency of the proposed methods.
Insecticides Resistance Status of An. gambiae in Areas of Varying Agrochemical Use in Côte D’Ivoire
Authors: Fodjo Behi K. , Koudou Benjamin G. , Tia Emmanuel , Saric Jasmina , N’dri Prisca B. , Zoh Marius G. , Gba Christabelle S. , Kropf Alida , Kesse Nestor B. , Chouaïbou Mouhamadou S.
Published: October 2018

Background. Insecticide resistance monitoring of the malaria vectors to different classes of insecticides is necessary for resistance management. Malaria vector control management approaches are essentially based on IRS and LLINs. However, insecticide resistance is caused by several sources of selection and in case the selection pressure is from agricultural practices, then measures need to be taken to avoid a failure of the control methods put in place. The current study was undertaken to monitor the susceptibility of vectors to different classes of insecticides in areas of varying agrochemical use patterns. Methods. A survey to determine the agricultural chemical use pattern was undertaken in ten localities across Côte d’Ivoire. In addition, WHO susceptibility tests were carried out on adults Anopheles gambiae s.l. mosquitoes emerging from collected larvae from the sites surveyed. Four insecticides from each class of the four classes of insecticides were evaluated using the standard susceptibility test methods. Furthermore, the target site mutations involved in resistance mechanisms were identified following the Taqman assay protocols and mosquito species were identified using SINE-PCR. Results. The mortalities of all the An. gambiae s.l populations were similar regardless of the pesticide use pattern. The vectors were resistant to DDT, deltamethrin, and bendiocarb in all localities. In contrast, mosquitoes showed high susceptibility to malathion. High frequency of the Kdr-West gene allele was observed (70-100%). A single Kdr-East mutation was identified in a mosquito that harboured both Ace-1 and Kdr-West genes. Conclusion. Cultivated marshlands representing good habitats for mosquito development may deeply contribute to the selection of resistance genes given the intensive use of agrochemical for crop protection. In view of these, special attention must be given to them to mitigate mosquito resistance to insecticides.
Effects of Dexmedetomidine Postconditioning on Myocardial Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury in Diabetic Rats: Role of the PI3K/Akt-Dependent Signaling Pathway
Authors: Cheng Xiangyang , Hu Jing , Wang Ya , Ye Hongwei , Li Xiaohong , Gao Qin , Li Zhenghong
Published: October 2018

Objective. The present study was designed to determine whether dexmedetomidine (DEX) exerts cardioprotection against myocardial I/R injury in diabetic hearts and the mechanisms involved. Methods. A total of 30 diabetic rats induced by high-glucose-fat diet and streptozotocin (STZ) were randomly assigned to five groups: diabetic sham-operated group (DM-S), diabetic I/R group (DM-I/R), diabetic DEX group (DM-D), diabetic DEX + Wort group (DM-DW), and diabetic Wort group (DM-W). Another 12 age-matched male normal SD rats were randomly divided into two groups: sham-operated group (S) and I/R group (I/R). All rats were subjected to 30 min myocardial ischemia followed by 120 min reperfusion except sham groups. Plasmas were collected to measure the malondialdehyde (MDA), creatine kinase isoenzymes (CK-MB), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity at the end of reperfusion. Pathologic changes in myocardial tissues were observed by H-E staining. The total and phosphorylated form of Akt and GSK-3β protein expressions were measured by western blot. The ratio of Bcl-2/Bax at mRNA level was detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Results. DEX significantly reduced plasma CK-MB, MDA concentration, and LDH level and increased SOD activity caused by I/R. The phosphorylation of Akt and GSK-3β was increased, Bcl-2 mRNA and the Bcl-2/Bax ratio was increased, and Bax mRNA was decreased in the DEX group as compared to the I/R group, while posttreatment with Wort attenuated the effects induced by DEX. Conclusion. The results of this study suggest that DEX postconditioning may increase the phosphorylation of GSK-3β by activating the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway and may inhibit apoptosis and oxidative stress of the myocardium, thus exerting protective effects in diabetic rat hearts suffering from I/R injury.
Zearalenone Changes the Diversity and Composition of Caecum Microbiota in Weaned Rabbit
Authors: Li Peng , Yang Shuhua , Zhang Xin , Huang Sheng , Wang Nan , Wang Mingyang , Long Miao , He Jianbin
Published: October 2018

Mycotoxins exhibit several severe effects on intestinal health, but few studies have assessed mycotoxins effect on the intestinal microflora and its repercussions to humans and animals. In this study, we evaluated the effect of zearalenone (ZEA), one of the most harmful mycotoxins on the structure of caecal microbiota in rabbits. Twenty-eight male weaned rabbits were randomly divided into four groups and orally given different concentrations of ZEA (400, 800, and 1600 μg/kg.b.w). Microbial communities in caecum samples of rabbits were analyzed for 16S rRNA by Illumina sequencing through Illumina Miseq platform after being fed for 28 days. The results showed that increasing ZEA doses increased the species richness but did not significantly increased the species diversity of the caecum microbiota in the rabbits. In addition, the caecum microbiota from the samples in different ZEA-treated groups was clustered according to their dosing regimens. At the phylum level, ZEA decreased the abundance of Actinobacteria and significantly increased the abundance of Cyanobacteria, Synergistetes, and Proteobacteria. At the genus level, there were declines in the abundance of Adlercreutzia, Blautia, Desulfitobacter, Lactobacillus, Oxalobacter, and p-75-a5. The decrease of abundance in Lactobacillus, Desulfitobacter, and p-75-a5 was particularly noticeable. In conclusion, zearalenone could increase α-diversity but significantly decrease the abundance of some bacteria with the important metabolic functions. These findings suggested that ZEA could modify the caecum microbiota.
Natural Antispasmodics: Source, Stereochemical Configuration, and Biological Activity
Authors: Martínez-Pérez Edith Fabiola , Juárez Zaida N. , Hernández Luis R. , Bach Horacio
Published: October 2018

Natural products with antispasmodic activity have been used in traditional medicine to alleviate different illnesses since the remote past. We searched the literature and compiled the antispasmodic activity of 248 natural compounds isolated from terrestrial plants. In this review, we summarized all the natural products reported with antispasmodic activity until the end of 2017. We also provided chemical information about their extraction as well as the model used to test their activities. Results showed that members of the Lamiaceae and Asteraceae families had the highest number of isolated compounds with antispasmodic activity. Moreover, monoterpenoids, flavonoids, triterpenes, and alkaloids were the chemical groups with the highest number of antispasmodic compounds. Lastly, a structural comparison of natural versus synthetic compounds was discussed.
Effect of Essential Oils from Ginger (Zingiber officinale) and Turmeric (Curcuma longa) Rhizomes on Some Inflammatory Biomarkers in Cadmium Induced Neurotoxicity in Rats
Authors: Akinyemi Ayodele Jacob , Adeniyi Philip Adeyemi
Published: October 2018

Studies have revealed that anti-inflammatory agents could provide beneficial effect in lowering the incidence/progression of neurological diseases. Hence, this study sought to investigate the effect of essential oils from Nigeria ginger and turmeric rhizomes on some cytokines in cadmium induced neurotoxicity. The result revealed that essential oil from ginger and turmeric rhizomes exerts anti-inflammatory effect by preventing alterations of some cytokines/inflammatory biomarkers (IL-6, IL-10 and TNF-Alpha) levels and inhibits both hippocampus and prefrontal cortex acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and adenosine deaminase (ADA) activities (important enzymes relevant in the management/prevention of neurodegenerative diseases) in Cd treated rats. In conclusion, essential oil from ginger and turmeric rhizomes exerts anti-inflammatory properties in Cd induced neurotoxicity. The observed effect could be due to the volatile compounds as revealed by GC-MS analysis.
Torticollis as Presentation for Atypical Kawasaki Disease Complicated by Giant Coronary Artery Aneurysms
Authors: Dyer Tracey , Dancey Paul , Martin John , Shah Suryakant
Published: October 2018

Kawasaki disease (KD) is an acute systemic vasculitis of childhood. The diagnosis can be made in a patient who presents with a prolonged high fever and meeting at least four of five criteria including polymorphous rash, mucosal changes, extremity changes (including swelling and/or palmar and plantar erythema), bilateral nonsuppurative conjunctivitis, and unilateral cervical lymphadenopathy. Atypical KD refers to patients who have not met the full criteria and in whom atypical features may be present. We discuss a case of a 6-year-old male who presented to the Emergency Department with torticollis. A series of investigations for elevated inflammatory markers revealed dilated coronary artery aneurysms on echocardiogram, and thus he was diagnosed with atypical KD. His only other criteria were bilateral nonsuppurative conjunctivitis and a prior brief febrile illness. He was treated with high-dose intravenous immune globulin (IVIG) and low-dose aspirin. Low-molecular-weight heparin and atenolol were added due to the presence of giant aneurysms.
Green Supplier Selection for Process Industries Using Weighted Grey Incidence Decision Model
Authors: Quan Jing , Zeng Bo , Liu Dai
Published: October 2018

Proper supplier selection to meet production demand is a major aspect of all manufacturing and process industries. Green supplier selection has been one of the most critical factors for environmental protection on account of increasing consumption levels and for sustainable development as well. This paper aims at developing an applicable methodology for green supplier selection for the process industry. In this study, both economic and environmental criteria are considered and a comprehensive weighted grey incidence decision approach for green supplier evaluation and selection in a process industry is proposed. First, an overall green supplier selection index system for process industries is considered; then a weighted grey incidence decision‐making model with improved grey incidence coefficients and weighted degree of grey incidence is provided. Improved grey incidence coefficients are defined using transformation sequences of the initial data. To eliminate the ill effects from the use of equal weights, the maximum entropy method is used to determine the weights of the improved grey incidence coefficients. An application example is proposed with the data collected for the chemical processing industry, which provides acceptable results in determining the better supplier. In the end appendix, some theory regarding the weights for grey incidence coefficients is proposed. The empirical results indicate that the model is of great practical value for green supplier selection in the process industry.
The Native Monomer of Bacillus Pumilus Ribonuclease Does Not Exist Extracellularly
Authors: Ilinskaya Olga , Ulyanova Vera , Lisevich Irina , Dudkina Elena , Zakharchenko Nataliya , Kusova Alexandra , Faizullin Dzhigangir , Zuev Yuriy
Published: October 2018

Supported by crystallography studies, secreted ribonuclease ofBacillus pumilus(binase) has long been considered to be monomeric in form. Recent evidence obtained using native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and size-exclusion chromatography suggests that binase is in fact dimeric. To eliminate ambiguity and contradictions in the data we have measured conformational changes, hypochromic effect, and hydrodynamic radius of binase. The immutability of binase secondary structure upon transition from low to high protein concentration was registered, suggesting the binase dimerization immediately after translocation through the cell membrane and leading to detection of binase dimers only in the culture fluid regardless of ribonuclease concentration. Our results made it necessary to take a fresh look at the binase stability and cytotoxicity towards virus-infected or tumor cells.
The Mobile Charging Vehicle Routing Problem with Time Windows and Recharging Services
Authors: Cui Shaohua , Zhao Hui , Chen Hui , Zhang Cuiping
Published: October 2018

For the environmental friendliness of the technology on battery electric vehicles, there is growing attention on it. However, the market share of battery electric vehicles remains low due to the range anxiety. As a remedy, the mobile charging services could offer charging service at any time or locations requested. For profitability of the services, the operator should route the charging vehicles in a more efficient manner. For this consideration, we formulate the mobile charging vehicle routing problem as a mixed integer linear program based on the classical vehicle routing problem with time windows. To demonstrate the model, test instances are designed and computational results are presented. In order to examine the change of the number of mobile charging vehicles and travel distance, sensitivity analyses, such as battery capacity and recharging rate, are performed. The results show that larger battery capacity, quicker charging rate, or higher service efficiency could decrease the number of mobile charging vehicles and total traveled distances, respectively.
Analysis for the Influence of ABR Sensitivity on PTT-Based Cuff-Less Blood Pressure Estimation before and after Exercise
Authors: Xu Yang , Ping Peng , Wang Dong , Zhang Weigong
Published: October 2018

An accurate and continuous measurement of blood pressure (BP) is of great importance for the prognosis of some cardiovascular diseases in out-of-hospital settings. Pulse transit time (PTT) is a well-known cardiovascular parameter which is highly correlated with BP and has been widely applied in the estimation of continuous BP. However, due to the complexity of cardiovascular system, the accuracy of PTT-based BP estimation is still unsatisfactory. Recent studies indicate that, for the subjects before and after exercise, PTT can track the high-frequency BP oscillation (HF-BP) well, but is inadequate to follow the low-frequency BP variance (LF-BP). Unfortunately, the cause for this failure of PTT in LF-BP estimation is still unclear. Based on these previous researches, we investigated the cause behind this failure of PTT in LF-BP estimation. The heart rate- (HR-) related arterial baroreflex (ABR) model was introduced to analyze the failure of PTT in LF-BP estimation. Data from 42 healthy volunteers before and after exercise were collected to evaluate the correlation between the ABR sensitivity and the estimation error of PTT-based BP in LF and HF components. In the correlation plot, an obvious difference was observed between the LF and HF groups. The correlation coefficient r for the ABR sensitivity with the estimation error of systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) in LF was 0.817 ± 0.038 and 0.757 ± 0.069, respectively. However, those correlation coefficient r for the ABR sensitivity with the estimation error of SBP and DBP in HF was only 0.403 ± 0.145 and 0.274 ± 0.154, respectively. These results indicated that there is an ABR-related complex LF autonomic regulation mechanism on BP, PTT, and HR, which influences the effect of PTT in LF-BP estimation.
Yellow Laser Stimulation at GV2 Acupoint Mitigates Apoptosis, Oxidative Stress, Inflammation, and Motor Deficit in Spinal Cord Injury Rats
Authors: On-ong-arj Parichat , Wattanathorn Jintanaporn , Muchimapura Supaporn , Thukham-mee Wipawee
Published: October 2018

Currently, the suppression of oxidative stress and inflammation is considered as the treatment targets of spinal cord injury due to their roles on the hindrance of recovery process. Since laser acupuncture decreased oxidative stress and enhanced the survival of neurons from oxidative stress damage and GV2 stimulation was selected as one stimulated acupoint in order to enhance the recovery of spinal cord injury, we hypothesized that laser acupuncture at GV2 should enhance the recovery of spinal cord injury. To test this hypothesis, male Wistar rats were induced spinal cord injury at T10 level and they were exposed to a 10 minute‐stimulation at GV2 by yellow laser. Laser acupuncture was performed at 0.25 and 1, 2, 6, and 12 hours after spinal cord injury. Then, the stimulation was performed once daily for 7 days. Locomotor assessment was carried out on days 3 and 7 after injury. At the end of study period, the densities of polymorphonuclear of leukocyte, Bax, Caspase‐3, Bcl‐2, and BDNF positive stained cells in ventral horn of spinal cord were determined. Cyclooxygenase‐2 (COX‐2), interleukin‐6 (IL‐6), and oxidative stress status was also assessed. The results showed that laser acupuncture at GV2 increased BBB score, gross motor score, and densities of Bcl‐2 and BDNF positive stained cells but decreased density with polymorphonuclear leukocyte, the densities of Bax and Caspase‐3 positive stained cells, COX‐2 level, and oxidative stress status in ventral horn of the lesion spinal cord. The reduction of serum COX‐2 was also decreased. Therefore, GV2 stimulation by yellow laser might enhance the recovery of spinal cord via the increase in BDNF and the decrease in inflammation, apoptosis, and oxidative stress status in the lesion spinal cord.
Mechanical Performance of Zr‐Containing 354‐Type Al‐Si‐Cu‐Mg Cast Alloy: Role of Additions and Heat Treatment
Authors: Abdelaziz M. H. , Doty H. W. , Valtierra S. , Samuel F. H.
Published: October 2018

In this article, the volume fraction of intermetallic compounds in Zr‐containing 354‐type Al‐Si‐Cu‐Mg alloys, characteristics of eutectic Si particles, and tensile, hardness, and impact properties have been evaluated with varying Ni and Mn contents and combination. The results revealed that additions of Ni and Mn in different amounts and combinations increased the volume fraction of intermetallic compounds in the tailored alloys, compared to the base alloy (cf. 12.21% for 4% Ni‐containing alloy with 2.5% for base alloy), producing a significant effect on the mechanical performance. The proposed additions enhanced the mechanical performance of the alloys, namely, the ambient‐ and elevated‐temperature tensile properties, hardness values, and impact properties. For the Mn‐containing alloys, the improvement in properties was attributed to the formation of sludge particles in the form of blocky α‐Al15(Fe,Mn)3Si2 alongside the script‐like α‐iron phase that resisted crack propagation. The precipitation of Ni‐bearing phases such as Al9FeNi, Al3CuNi, and Al3Ni in the Ni‐containing alloys improved the mechanical properties through hindering cracks propagation. Interestingly, addition of 0.75 wt.% Mn to the base alloy proved to be competitive in strength values to the addition of 2 and 4 wt.% Ni, and better in terms of ductility values. The investigations showed that the variations in hardness and impact values follow the same trend as variations in the percentage volume fraction of intermetallic compounds, i.e., maximum property value is associated to the alloy with highest volume fraction of intermetallic compounds. Furthermore, the impact properties showed higher dependency on Al2Cu phase particles rather than the eutectic Si particles.
Malignant Spinal Cord Compression Syndrome as an Initial Presentation of Testicular Cancer
Authors: Salazar-Mejía Carlos Eduardo , Llerena-Hernández Edio , Hernández-Barajas David , Vidal-Gutiérrez Oscar , González-Gutiérrez Adriana , Martínez-Granados Rolando Jacob , Wimer-Castillo Blanca Otilia
Published: October 2018

Malignant spinal cord compression syndrome (MSCCS) occurs in 2.5 to 5% of all oncological patients. In 20% of the cases, it is the initial manifestation. This syndrome is a rare event among germ cell tumors (GCT), occurring in only 1.7% of the patients. We present the case of a 24-year-old man who arrived at the emergency department with dysesthesia and paraparesis as well as urinary incontinence. Imaging studies showed an infiltrative lesion in the left testicle, pulmonary and hepatic metastatic disease, and a large retroperitoneal ganglionar conglomerate that infiltrated the spinal cord through the intervertebral foramina of the vertebra level T11 with displacement of the L1 vertebral body. A postoperative biopsy showed a pure embryonal carcinoma. In the initial approach of a young man who presents spinal cord compression, the presence of MSCCS associated with GCT should be considered as a possible cause. A high level of suspicion is required to achieve a timely diagnosis, to grant the patient the best possible outcome.
Evidence of Insecticide Resistance to Pyrethroids and Bendiocarb in Anopheles funestus from Tsararano, Marovoay District, Madagascar
Authors: Rakotondranaivo Tsiriniaina , Randriamanarivo Solohery Fanomezana , Tanjona Mihajarilala Rakotoniaina , Vigan-Womas Inès , Randrianarivelojosia Milijaona , Ndiath Mamadou Ousmane
Published: October 2018

Introduction. In Madagascar, malaria control relies on the countrywide use of long lasting insecticide treated bed nets (LLINs) and on indoor residual spraying (IRS) in the central highland area as well as a small area on the eastern coast. We tested insecticide resistance mechanisms of Anopheles funestus from Tsararano, a malaria endemic village in the coastal health district of Marovoay. Methods. Insecticide susceptibility bioassays were done in July 2017 on first-generation Anopheles funestus (F1) to assess (i) the susceptibility to permethrin (0.05%), deltamethrin (0.05%), DDT (4%), malathion (5%), fenitrothion (1%), and bendiocarb (0.1%); (ii) the effect of preexposure to the piperonyl butoxide (PBO) synergist; and (iii) the enzymatic activities of cytochrome P450, esterases, and glutathione S-transferases (GST). Results. Our results demonstrated that An. funestus was phenotypically resistant to pyrethroids and bendiocarb, with a mortality rate (MR) of 33.6% (95%CI: 24.5-43.7%) and 86% (95%CI: 77.6-92.1%), respectively. In contrast, An. funestus were 100% susceptible to DDT and organophosphates (malathion and fenitrothion). Preexposure of An. funestus to PBO synergist significantly restored the susceptibility to bendiocarb (MR=100%) and increased the MR in the pyrethroid group, from 96% (95%CI: 90.0-98.9%) to 100% for deltamethrin and permethrin, respectively (χ2 = 43, df = 3, P< 0.0001). Enzymatic activities of cytochrome P450 and α-esterases were significantly elevated among An. funestus compared with the IPM reference strain (Mann-Whitney U= 30, P<0.0001; U = 145.5, P <0.0001, respectively). No significant differences of β-esterases activities compared to the IPM reference strain were observed (Mann-Whitney U = 392.5, P = 0.08). Conclusion. In Tsararano, despite the absence of an IRS programme, there is evidence of high levels of insecticide resistance to pyrethroids and bendiocarb in An. funestus. Biochemical data indicated that a metabolic resistance mechanism through the cytochrome P450 genes is operating in the An. funestus population.
A Brief Overview of TiO2 Photocatalyst for Organic Dye Remediation: Case Study of Reaction Mechanisms Involved in Ce-TiO2 Photocatalysts System
Authors: Pawar Milind , Topcu Sendoğdular S. , Gouma Perena
Published: October 2018

The ever-increasing world population and the rapid growth of industrialization globally make necessary the development of clean technologies and affordable materials for remediating environmental pollution from petroleum-based hydrocarbons and dyes, among others. Advanced photocatalytic materials may provide an excellent solution for environmental cleanup without generating toxic byproducts as they allow for the complete oxidation of the pollutants and their conversion to benign species. In this review, the basic principle of photocatalyst operation and the importance of bandgap engineering are discussed. TiO2 has been the default photocatalyst although it has several shortcomings. Doping of TiO2 with Ce has been explored extensively in the literature as a way to enable visible-light-activated photocatalysis and enhanced efficiency. Recent advances in the synthesis of Ce-modified TiO2 photocatalytic materials along with photocatalytic reaction mechanisms are summarized.
Automatic Global Level Set Approach for Lumbar Vertebrae CT Image Segmentation
Authors: Li Yang , Liang Wei , Zhang Yinlong , Tan Jindong
Published: October 2018

Vertebrae computed tomography (CT) image automatic segmentation is an essential step for Image-guided minimally invasive spine surgery. However, most of state-of-the-art methods still require human intervention due to the inherent limitations of vertebrae CT image, such as topological variation, irregular boundaries (double boundary, weak boundary), and image noise. Therefore, this paper intentionally designed an automatic global level set approach (AGLSA), which is capable of dealing with these issues for lumbar vertebrae CT image segmentation. Unlike the traditional level set methods, we firstly propose an automatically initialized level set function (AILSF) that comprises hybrid morphological filter (HMF) and Gaussian mixture model (GMM) to automatically generate a smooth initial contour which is precisely adjacent to the object boundary. Secondly, a regularized level set formulation is introduced to overcome the weak boundary leaking problem, which utilizes the region correlation of histograms inside and outside the level set contour as a global term. Ultimately, a gradient vector flow (GVF) based edge-stopping function is employed to guarantee a fast convergence rate of the level set evolution and to avoid level set function oversegmentation at the same time. Our proposed approach has been tested on 115 vertebrae CT volumes of various patients. Quantitative comparisons validate that our proposed AGLSA is more accurate in segmenting lumbar vertebrae CT images with irregular boundaries and more robust to various levels of salt-and-pepper noise.