http://www.hindawi.com The latest articles from Hindawi Publishing Corporation © 2013 , Hindawi Publishing Corporation . All rights reserved. Fri, 24 May 2013 11:33:47 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/tswj/2013/468327/ The investigation on the structures, stabilities, and magnetism of (, ) clusters has been made by using first principles. We found some new ground-state structures which had not been found before. These mixed species prefer to adopt three-dimensional (3D) structures starting from four atoms. All the ground-state structures for the Ni-Al clusters are different from those of the corresponding pure Al clusters with the same number of atoms except for three atoms. The Mulliken population analysis shows that some charges transfer from the Al atoms to the Ni atoms. ( = odd number) cations, Ni2Al6 neutral, Ni2Al1 and Ni3Al cations and anions, and Ni3Al5 anion have the magnetic moments of 2 . The magnetic moments of NiAl4 and NiAl6 cluster neutrals and cations are 2  and 3 , respectively. All the other cluster neutrals and ions do not have any nontrivial magnetic moments. The 3d electrons in Ni atoms are mainly responsible for the magnetism of the mixed Ni-Al clusters. Xiao Zhang, Bao-Xing Li, Zhi-wei Ma, and Jiao-jiao Gu Copyright © 2013 Xiao Zhang et al. All rights reserved. Thu, 23 May 2013 16:26:20 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/tswj/2013/813249/ Several accurate experimental values of the and rotation-vibration interaction parameters and , , and vibrational constants have been extracted from the most recent high-resolution Fourier transform infrared, millimeter wave, and centimeter wave investigations in the spectra of the oblate symmetric top molecule 14NF3. The band-centres used are those of the four fundamental, the overtones, the combination, and hot bands identified in the region between 400 cm−1 and 2000 cm−1. Comparison of our constants with the ones measured previously, by infrared spectroscopy at low resolution, reveals orders of magnitude higher accuracy of the new values. The agreement between our values and those determined by ab initio calculations employing the TZ2Pf basis is excellent. Hamid Najib Copyright © 2013 Hamid Najib. All rights reserved. Thu, 23 May 2013 16:20:16 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/tswj/2013/493656/ Stretching is a stimulation of muscle growth. Stretching for hours or days has an effect on muscle hypertrophy. However, differences of continuous stretching and repetitive stretching to affect muscle growth are not well known. To clarify the difference of continuous and repetitive stretching within a short duration, we investigated the gene expression of muscle-related genes on stretched skeletal muscles. We used 8-week-old male Wistar rats () for this study. Animals medial gastrocnemius muscle was stretched continuously or repetitively for 15 min daily and 4 times/week under anesthesia. After stretching, muscles were removed and total RNA was extracted. Then, reverse transcriptional quantitative real-time PCR was done to evaluate the mRNA expression of MyoD, myogenin, and embryonic myosin heavy chain (MyHC). Muscles, either stretched continuously or repetitively, increased mRNA expression of MyoD, myogenin, and embryonic MyHC more than unstretched muscles. Notably, repetitive stretching resulted in more substantial effects on embryonic MyHC gene expression than continuous stretching. In conclusion, passive stretching for a short duration within a week is effective in increasing myogenic factor expression, and repetitive stretching had more effects than continuous stretching for skeletal muscle on muscle growth. These findings are applicable in clinical muscle-strengthening therapy. Yurie Kamikawa, Satoshi Ikeda, Katsuhiro Harada, Akihiko Ohwatashi, and Akira Yoshida Copyright © 2013 Yurie Kamikawa et al. All rights reserved. Thu, 23 May 2013 15:17:46 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/tswj/2013/126982/ CuO interlayers in the CuO/p-Si Schottky diodes were fabricated by using CBD and sol-gel methods. Deposited CuO layers were characterized by SEM and XRD techniques. From the SEM images, it was seen that the film grown by CBD method is denser than the film grown by sol-gel method. This result is compatible with XRD results which show that the crystallization in CBD method is higher than it is in sol-gel method. For the electrical investigations, current-voltage characteristics of the diodes have been studied at room temperature. Conventional and Norde’s methods were used in order to determine the ideality factor, barrier height, and series resistance values. It was seen that the morphological and structural analysis are compatible with the results of electrical investigations. S. Çetinkaya, H. A. Çetinkara, F. Bayansal, and S. Kahraman Copyright © 2013 S. Çetinkaya et al. All rights reserved. Thu, 23 May 2013 15:16:18 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/tswj/2013/951475/ Crimes forecasting is an important area in the field of criminology. Linear models, such as regression and econometric models, are commonly applied in crime forecasting. However, in real crimes data, it is common that the data consists of both linear and nonlinear components. A single model may not be sufficient to identify all the characteristics of the data. The purpose of this study is to introduce a hybrid model that combines support vector regression (SVR) and autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) to be applied in crime rates forecasting. SVR is very robust with small training data and high-dimensional problem. Meanwhile, ARIMA has the ability to model several types of time series. However, the accuracy of the SVR model depends on values of its parameters, while ARIMA is not robust to be applied to small data sets. Therefore, to overcome this problem, particle swarm optimization is used to estimate the parameters of the SVR and ARIMA models. The proposed hybrid model is used to forecast the property crime rates of the United State based on economic indicators. The experimental results show that the proposed hybrid model is able to produce more accurate forecasting results as compared to the individual models. Razana Alwee, Siti Mariyam Hj Shamsuddin, and Roselina Sallehuddin Copyright © 2013 Razana Alwee et al. All rights reserved. Thu, 23 May 2013 14:46:05 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/tswj/2013/698752/ Limited data are available on the ectomycorrhizae-induced changes in surface structure and composition of soil colloids, the most active portion in soil matrix, although such data may benefit the understanding of mycorrhizal-aided soil improvements. By using ectomycorrhizae (Gomphidius viscidus) and soil colloids from dark brown forest soil (a good loam) and saline-alkali soil (heavily degraded soil), we tried to approach the changes here. For the good loam either from the surface or deep soils, the fungus treatment induced physical absorption of covering materials on colloid surface with nonsignificant increases in soil particle size (). These increased the amount of variable functional groups (O–H stretching and bending, C–H stretching, C=O stretching, etc.) by 3–26% and the crystallinity of variable soil minerals (kaolinite, hydromica, and quartz) by 40–300%. However, the fungus treatment of saline-alkali soil obviously differed from the dark brown forest soil. There were 12–35% decreases in most functional groups, 15–55% decreases in crystallinity of most soil minerals but general increases in their grain size, and significant increases in soil particle size (). These different responses sharply decreased element ratios (C : O, C : N, and C : Si) in soil colloids from saline-alkali soil, moving them close to those of the good loam of dark brown forest soil. Yanhong Li, Huimei Wang, Wenjie Wang, Lei Yang, and Yuangang Zu Copyright © 2013 Yanhong Li et al. All rights reserved. Thu, 23 May 2013 14:41:58 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/tswj/2013/937935/ While rural living protects from asthma and allergies in many countries, results are conflicting in Latin America. We studied the prevalence of asthma and asthma symptoms in children from urban, semiurban, and rural sectors in south Chile. A cross-sectional questionnaire study was conducted in semiurban and rural sectors in the province of Valdivia () using the ISAAC (International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood) questionnaire. Results were compared to prevalence in urban Valdivia () by using data from ISAAC III study. Odds ratios (+95% confidence intervals) were calculated. No statistical significant differences were found for asthma ever and eczema symptoms stratified by residential sector, but a gradient could be shown for current asthma and rhinoconjunctivitis symptoms with urban living having highest and rural living having lowest prevalence. Rural living was inversely associated in a statistical significant way with current asthma (OR: 0.4; 95% CI: 0.2–0.9) and rhinoconjunctivitis symptoms (OR: 0.3; 95% CI: 0.2–0.7) in logistic regression analyses. Rural living seems to protect from asthma and respiratory allergies also in Chile, a South American country facing epidemiological transition. These data would be improved by clinical studies of allergic symptoms observed in studied sectors. Leonie Kausel, Anja Boneberger, Mario Calvo, and Katja Radon Copyright © 2013 Leonie Kausel et al. All rights reserved. Thu, 23 May 2013 14:40:08 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/tswj/2013/505840/ Fetal phonocardiography (fPCG) based antenatal care system is economical and has a potential to use for long-term monitoring due to noninvasive nature of the system. The main limitation of this technique is that noise gets superimposed on the useful signal during its acquisition and transmission. Conventional filtering may result into loss of valuable diagnostic information from these signals. This calls for a robust, versatile, and adaptable denoising method applicable in different operative circumstances. In this work, a novel algorithm based on wavelet transform has been developed for denoising of fPCG signals. Successful implementation of wavelet theory in denoising is heavily dependent on selection of suitable wavelet basis function. This work introduces a new mother wavelet basis function for denoising of fPCG signals. The performance of newly developed wavelet is found to be better when compared with the existing wavelets. For this purpose, a two-channel filter bank, based on characteristics of fPCG signal, is designed. The resultant denoised fPCG signals retain the important diagnostic information contained in the original fPCG signal. Vijay S. Chourasia and Anil Kumar Tiwari Copyright © 2013 Vijay S. Chourasia and Anil Kumar Tiwari. All rights reserved. Thu, 23 May 2013 13:15:55 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/tswj/2013/931626/ The objective was to investigate the regulatory effect of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) on mRNA expression of key genes involved in homocysteine (Hcy) metabolism. Eighty male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into eight groups. The oils were orally administered daily for 8 weeks. Plasma Hcy, phospholipids fatty acids, and mRNA expression were determined. Compared with the control group, plasma Hcy was significantly decreased in the 22:6 and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) groups; mRNA expression of Mthfr was significantly upregulated in the 22:6, 20:5, and 18:3 groups and downregulated in the 18:2 and stearolic acid (SO) groups. Mat1a was upregulated in the 22:6, 20:5, 18:3, and CLA groups. In addition, Cbs was upregulated in the 22:6, 20:5, 18:3 and CLA groups while downregulated in 18:2 and SO groups. Dietary 22:6 and CLA decrease the plasma concentration of Hcy. mRNA expression of Mthfr, Mat1a, Cbs and Pemt, Gnmt, Mtrr, and Bad is upregulated by PUFA and downregulated by PUFA. CLA upregulates mRNA expression of Mat1a and Cbs. Tao Huang, Xiaojie Hu, Nicholas Khan, Jing Yang, and Duo Li Copyright © 2013 Tao Huang et al. All rights reserved. Thu, 23 May 2013 12:05:10 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/tswj/2013/787656/ This paper describes the design, development, and tests of a low cost ALS. It was designed for hearing-impaired student classrooms. It utilised digital wireless technology and was aimed to be an alternative to a popular FM ALS. Key specifications include transmitting in 2.4 GHz ISM band with eight selectable transmission channels, battery operated and chargeable, pocket size, and ranged up to thirty metres. Audio characteristics and user tests show that it is comparable to a commercial system, currently employed in our partner school. The results also show that wearing an ALS clearly improves hearing of hearing-impaired students. Long-term usage by school children will be monitored to evaluate the system robustness and durability. Setha Pan-ngum, Tharapong Soonrach, Sangvorn Seesutas, Anukool Noymai, and Pasin Israsena Copyright © 2013 Setha Pan-ngum et al. All rights reserved. Thu, 23 May 2013 08:29:09 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/tswj/2013/183212/ Anurans are ectothermic animals very sensitive to temperature, mainly during the embryonic stage. In addition, environmental temperature decreases with altitude, and the amphibian fauna changes. Therefore, we studied the relationship between the embryonic thermal tolerances of twelve species of anurans and the temperatures of their microhabitat along an altitudinal gradient from 430 m to 2600 m. We hypothesized that there is a strong thermal adjustment of embryos to their microhabitat and, consequently, that temperature could be a limiting factor of altitudinal distribution of the anurans. We also compared the embryonic thermal tolerances according to six postulated reproductive modes of the study species. We found a significant relationship between the maximum and minimum thermal tolerances of the anuran embryos and the maximum and minimum temperatures of their microhabitat and altitudinal distribution. We also found a wide range of embryonic thermal tolerances for aquatic breeding species and a narrower range for terrestrial breeding species. Particularly, embryos of direct development species were the most sensitive to temperature. These results show the strong thermal adjustment of anuran embryos to their microhabitat and elevation and do not reject the hypothesis that temperature can be a limiting factor of their altitudinal distribution. Manuel Hernando Bernal and John D. Lynch Copyright © 2013 Manuel Hernando Bernal and John D. Lynch. All rights reserved. Wed, 22 May 2013 17:26:34 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/tswj/2013/703568/ Alternative splicing is a major diversification mechanism in the human transcriptome and proteome. Several diseases, including cancers, have been associated with dysregulation of alternative splicing. Thus, correcting alternative splicing may restore normal cell physiology in patients with these diseases. This paper summarizes several alternative splicing-related diseases, including cancers and their target genes. Since new cancer drugs often target spliceosomes, several clinical drugs and natural products or their synthesized derivatives were analyzed to determine their effects on alternative splicing. Other agents known to have modulating effects on alternative splicing during therapeutic treatment of cancer are also discussed. Several commonly used bioinformatics resources are also summarized. Jen-Yang Tang, Jin-Ching Lee, Ming-Feng Hou, Chun-Lin Wang, Chien-Chi Chen, Hurng-Wern Huang, and Hsueh-Wei Chang Copyright © 2013 Jen-Yang Tang et al. All rights reserved. Wed, 22 May 2013 15:59:47 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/tswj/2013/968652/ In this study was investigated the structure of pecten oculi in the ostrich, duck, pigeon, turkey, and starling. The pecten oculi of the ostrich was vaned type and made up primary, secondary, and few tertiary lamellae. However, duck, pigeon, turkey and starling had a pleated-type pecten oculi which displayed folded structure. The numbers of pleats of the pectens were 12, 13-14, 21-22, and 17 in duck, pigeon, turkey, and starling, respectively. Light microscopic investigation demonstrated that pecten oculi is basically composed of numerous capillaries, large blood vessels, and pigment cells in all investigating avian species. Capillaries were 20.23, 14.34, 11.78, 12.58, and 12.78 μm in diameter in ostrich, duck, pigeon, turkey, and starling, respectively. The capillaries are surrounded by thick basal membrane, and pigmented cells were observed around the capillaries. Mustafa Orhun Dayan and Tugba Ozaydın Copyright © 2013 Mustafa Orhun Dayan and Tugba Ozaydın. All rights reserved. Wed, 22 May 2013 15:55:52 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/tswj/2013/686752/ The present study deals with the cytological investigations on the meristematic root cells of carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus Linn.) grown in vivo and in vitro. Cellular parameters including the mitotic index (MI), chromosome count, ploidy level (nuclear DNA content), mean cell and nuclear areas, and cell doubling time (Cdt) were determined from the 2 mm root tip segments of this species. The MI value decreased when cells were transferred from in vivo to in vitro conditions, perhaps due to early adaptations of the cells to the in vitro environment. The mean chromosome number was generally stable () throughout the 6-month culture period, indicating no occurrence of early somaclonal variation. Following the transfer to the in vitro environment, a significant increase was recorded for mean cell and nuclear areas, from 26.59 ± 0.09 μm2 to 35.66 ± 0.10 μm2 and 142.90 ± 0.59 μm2 to 165.05 ± 0.58 μm2, respectively. However, the mean cell and nuclear areas of in vitro grown D. caryophyllus were unstable and fluctuated throughout the tissue culture period, possibly due to organogenesis or rhizogenesis. Ploidy level analysis revealed that D. caryophyllus root cells contained high percentage of polyploid cells when grown in vivo and maintained high throughout the 6-month culture period. Jamilah Syafawati Yaacob, Rosna Mat Taha, and Arash Khorasani Esmaeili Copyright © 2013 Jamilah Syafawati Yaacob et al. All rights reserved. Wed, 22 May 2013 14:02:20 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/tswj/2013/138916/ Water-protein interactions help to maintain flexible conformation conditions which are required for multifunctional protein recognition processes. The intimate relationship between the protein surface and hydration water can be analyzed by studying experimental water properties measured in protein systems in solution. In particular, proteins in solution modify the structure and the dynamics of the bulk water at the solute-solvent interface. The ordering effects of proteins on hydration water are extended for several angstroms. In this paper we propose a method for analyzing the dynamical properties of the water molecules present in the hydration shells of proteins. The approach is based on the analysis of the effects of protein-solvent interactions on water protons NMR relaxation parameters. NMR relaxation parameters, especially the nonselective ( ) and selective ( ) spin-lattice relaxation rates of water protons, are useful for investigating the solvent dynamics at the macromolecule-solvent interfaces as well as the perturbation effects caused by the water-macromolecule interactions on the solvent dynamical properties. In this paper we demonstrate that Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy can be used to determine the dynamical contributions of proteins to the water molecules belonging to their hydration shells. Silvia Martini, Claudia Bonechi, Alberto Foletti, and Claudio Rossi Copyright © 2013 Silvia Martini et al. All rights reserved. Tue, 21 May 2013 10:04:46 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/tswj/2013/814080/ We investigate the Lyapunov control of finite-dimensional quantum systems with impulsive control fields, where the studied quantum systems are governed by the Schrödinger equation. By three different Lyapunov functions and the invariant principle of impulsive systems, we study the convergence of quantum systems with impulsive control fields and propose new results for the mentioned quantum systems in the form of sufficient conditions. Two numerical simulations are presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed control method. Wei Yang and Jitao Sun Copyright © 2013 Wei Yang and Jitao Sun. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 17:43:20 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/tswj/2013/158263/ Objectives. To study cognitive test profiles with a focus on processing speed in a representative group of preschool children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and relate processing speed to adaptive functioning. Methods. Cognitive assessments were performed in 190 3.6–6.6-year-old children (164 boys and 26 girls) with ASD, using either Griffiths' developmental scales () or the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence-Third Edition (WPPSI-III) (). Cognitive data were related to adaptive functioning as measured by Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales (VABS). Results. Cognitive profiles were characterized by low verbal skills. Low processing speed quotients (PSQs) were found in 66 (78%) of the 85 children who were able to participate in the processing speed subtests. Except for Socialization, all VABS domains (Communication, Motor Skills, Daily Living Skills, and Adaptive Behavior Composite scores) correlated significantly with PSQ. Multiple regression analysis showed that PSQ predicted 38%, 35%, 34%, and 37% of the variance for Communication, Daily Living Skills, Motor Skills, and total Adaptive Composite scores, respectively. Conclusion. Preschool children with ASD had uneven cognitive profiles with low verbal skills, and, relatively, even lower PSQs. Except for Socialization, adaptive functioning was predicted to a considerable degree by PSQ. Åsa Hedvall, Elisabeth Fernell, Anette Holm, Jakob Åsberg Johnels, Christopher Gillberg, and Eva Billstedt Copyright © 2013 Åsa Hedvall et al. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 16:07:50 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/tswj/2013/173794/ Vulnerability to climate change of the Moldavian part of the Dniester river was assessed as the function of exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity of its basin’s natural and socioeconomic systems. As a spatial “scale” of the assessment, Moldova’s administrative-territorial units (ATUs) were selected. The exposure assessment was based on the climatic analysis of baseline (1971–2000) temperature and precipitation and projections of their changes in 2021–2050, separately for cold and warm periods. The sensitivity assessment included physiographical and socioeconomic characteristics, described by a set of specific indicators. The adaptive capacity was expressed by general economic and agricultural indicators, taking into consideration the medical provision and housing conditions. Through a ranking approach, the relative vulnerability of each ATU was calculated by summing its sensitivity and adaptive capacity ranks; the latter were obtained as combinations of their primary indicator ranks, arranged in an increasing and decreasing order, respectively. Due to lack of sound knowledge on these components' importance in overall assessment of vulnerability, their weights were taken as conventionally equal. Mapping of vulnerability revealed that ATUs neighboring to municipalities are the most vulnerable and need special attention in climate change adaptation. The basin’s “hotspots” were discussed with public participation. Roman Corobov, Igor Sîrodoev, Sonja Koeppel, Nickolai Denisov, and Ghennadi Sîrodoev Copyright © 2013 Roman Corobov et al. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 15:41:31 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/tswj/2013/896056/ Noise can compromise the extraction of some fundamental and important features from biomedical signals and hence prohibit accurate analysis of these signals. Baseline wander in electrocardiogram (ECG) signals is one such example, which can be caused by factors such as respiration, variations in electrode impedance, and excessive body movements. Unless baseline wander is effectively removed, the accuracy of any feature extracted from the ECG, such as timing and duration of the ST-segment, is compromised. This paper approaches this filtering task from a novel standpoint by assuming that the ECG baseline wander comes from an independent and unknown source. The technique utilizes a hierarchical method including a blind source separation (BSS) step, in particular independent component analysis, to eliminate the effect of the baseline wander. We examine the specifics of the components causing the baseline wander and the factors that affect the separation process. Experimental results reveal the superiority of the proposed algorithm in removing the baseline wander. Yurong Luo, Rosalyn H. Hargraves, Ashwin Belle, Ou Bai, Xuguang Qi, Kevin R. Ward, Michael Paul Pfaffenberger, and Kayvan Najarian Copyright © 2013 Yurong Luo et al. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 15:29:50 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/tswj/2013/850193/ In 2008, the positive effects of propranolol on infantile hemangiomas (IH) have been discovered serendipitously by Léauté-Labrèze and her coworkers. Since then, propranolol has been in use in allday clinical practice worldwide for treatment of IH. It even caused some kind of paradigm shift in the overall management of these lesions, though propranolol is still not FDA approved, respectively, in “off-label” use for this indication in the majority of institutions. Thus, the aim of this communication is to evaluate the literature for current evidence regarding guidelines for preassessment and standards of care before initiation of therapy. Andreas Fette Copyright © 2013 Andreas Fette. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 15:03:09 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/tswj/2013/935604/ A number of key agreement schemes based on wireless channel characteristics have been proposed recently. However, previous key agreement schemes require that two nodes which need to agree on a key are within the communication range of each other. Hence, they are not suitable for multihop wireless networks, in which nodes do not always have direct connections with each other. In this paper, we first propose a basic multihop key agreement scheme for wireless ad hoc networks. The proposed basic scheme is resistant to external eavesdroppers. Nevertheless, this basic scheme is not secure when there exist internal eavesdroppers or Man-in-the-Middle (MITM) adversaries. In order to cope with these adversaries, we propose an improved multihop key agreement scheme. We show that the improved scheme is secure against internal eavesdroppers and MITM adversaries in a single path. Both performance analysis and simulation results demonstrate that the improved scheme is efficient. Consequently, the improved key agreement scheme is suitable for multihop wireless ad hoc networks. Zhuo Hao, Sheng Zhong, and Nenghai Yu Copyright © 2013 Zhuo Hao et al. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 14:49:17 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/tswj/2013/914981/ We have fabricated poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT)/copper phthalocyanine (CuPc)/fullerene (C60) ternary blend films. This photoactive layer is sandwiched between an indium tin oxide (ITO)/poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT/PSS) photoanode and a bathocuproine (BCP)/aluminium photocathode. The thin films have been characterized by atomic force microscope (AFM) and ultraviolet/visible spectroscopy in order to study the influence of P3HT doping on the morphological and optical properties of the photoactive layer. We have also compared the characteristics of three different organic solar cells: ITO/PEDOT:PSS/CuPc0.5:C600.5/BCP/Al and ITO/PEDOT:PSS/P3HT0.3:CuPc0.3:C600.4/BCP/Al with and without annealing. Both structures show good photovoltaic behaviour. Indeed, the incorporation of P3HT into CuPc:C60 thin film improves all the photovoltaic characteristics. We have also seen that thermal annealing significantly improves the optical absorption ability and stabilizes the organic solar cells making it more robust to chemical degradation. H. Derouiche and A. B. Mohamed Copyright © 2013 H. Derouiche and A. B. Mohamed. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 14:39:34 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/tswj/2013/163582/ Background. Conjunctivitis is one of the most frequently occurring hospital-acquired infections among neonates, although it is less studied than potentially life-threatening infections, such as sepsis and pneumonia. Objectives. The aims of our work were to identify epidemiologic characteristics, pathogens, and susceptibility patterns of bacterial hospital-acquired conjunctivitis (HAC) in a level III neonatal unit. Materials and Methods. Data were collected retrospectively from patient charts and laboratory databases. Hospital-acquired conjunctivitis was defined in accordance with the Centers for Disease Control/National Healthcare Safety Network (CDC/NHSN) diagnostic criteria. Results. One or more episodes of HAC were diagnosed in 4,0% () of 1492 neonates admitted during the study period. Most of the episodes involved premature (75,4%) and low birth weight (75,4%) neonates. Infection rates were higher among patients undergoing noninvasive mechanical ventilation (46,7%), parenteral nutrition (13,6%), and phototherapy (6,8%). Predominant pathogens included Serratia marcescens (27,9%), Escherichia coli (23%), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (18%). Susceptibility patterns revealed bacterial resistances to several antibiotic classes. Gentamicin remains the adequate choice for empirical treatment of HAC in our NICU. Conclusion. It is important to know the local patterns of the disease in order to adjust prevention strategies. Our work contributes to the epidemiological characterization of a sometimes overlooked disease. Catarina Dias, Márcia Gonçalves, and Anabela João Copyright © 2013 Catarina Dias et al. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 13:22:01 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/tswj/2013/205275/ We established some theorems under the aim of deriving variants of the Banach contraction principle, using the classes of inner contractions and outer contractions, on the structure of fuzzy modular spaces. Kittipong Wongkum, Parin Chaipunya, and Poom Kumam Copyright © 2013 Kittipong Wongkum et al. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 11:51:43 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/tswj/2013/579460/ Particle size distribution (PSD) is a fundamental physical property of soils. Traditionally, the PSD curve was generated by hand from limited data of particle size analysis, which is subjective and may lead to significant uncertainty in the freehand PSD curve and graphically estimated cumulative particle percentages. To overcome these problems, a log-cubic method was proposed for the generation of PSD curve based on a monotone piecewise cubic interpolation method. The log-cubic method and commonly used log-linear and log-spline methods were evaluated by the leave-one-out cross-validation method for 394 soil samples extracted from UNSODA database. Mean error and root mean square error of the cross-validation show that the log-cubic method outperforms two other methods. What is more important, PSD curve generated by the log-cubic method meets essential requirements of a PSD curve, that is, passing through all measured data and being both smooth and monotone. The proposed log-cubic method provides an objective and reliable way to generate a PSD curve from limited soil particle analysis data. This method and the generated PSD curve can be used in the conversion of different soil texture schemes, assessment of grading pattern, and estimation of soil hydraulic parameters and erodibility factor. Songhao Shang Copyright © 2013 Songhao Shang. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 09:42:02 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/tswj/2013/947876/ Recent clinical reports have indicated that myocardial bridge and mural coronary artery complex (MB-MCA) might cause major adverse cardiac events. 256-slice CT angiography (256-slice CTA) is a newly developed CT system with faster scanning and lower radiation dose compared with other CT systems. The objective of this study is to evaluate the morphological features of MB-MCA and determine its changes from diastole to systole phase using 256-slice CTA. The imaging data of 2462 patients were collected retrospectively. Two independent radiologists reviewed the collected images and the diagnosis of MB-MCA was confirmed when consistency was obtained. The length, diameter, and thickness of MB-MCA in diastole and systole phases were recorded, and changes of MB-MCA were calculated. Our results showed that among the 2462 patients examined, 336 have one or multiple MB-MCA (13.6%). Out of 389 MB-MCA segments, 235 sites were located in LAD2 (60.41%). The average diameter change of MCA in LAD2 from systole phase to diastole phase was  mm, and 34.9% of MCA have more than 50% diameter stenosis in systole phase. This study suggested that 256-slice CTA multiple-phase reconstruction technique is a reliable method to determine the changes of MB-MCA from diastole to systole phase. En-sen Ma, Guo-lin Ma, Hong-wei Yu, Wang Wu, and Kefeng Li Copyright © 2013 En-sen Ma et al. All rights reserved. Sun, 19 May 2013 14:52:09 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/tswj/2013/213070/ Based on the Yishan Metro Station Project of Shanghai Metro Line number 9, a centrifugal model test was conducted to investigate the behavior of stratified settlement and rebound (SSR) of Shanghai soft clay caused by dewatering in deep subway station pit. The soil model was composed of three layers, and the dewatering process was simulated by self-invention of decompressing devise. The results indicate that SSR occurs when the decompression was carried out, and only negative rebound was found in sandy clay, but both positive and negative rebound occurred in the silty clay, and the absolute value of rebound in sandy clay was larger than in silty clay, and the mechanism of SSR was discussed with mechanical sandwich model, and it was found that the load and cohesive force of different soils was the main source of different responses when decompressed. Jianxiu Wang, Tianrong Huang, and Dongchang Sui Copyright © 2013 Jianxiu Wang et al. All rights reserved. Sun, 19 May 2013 08:40:45 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/tswj/2013/648106/ Since the inception of (the Global Elimination of Blinding Trachoma) GET 2020 in 1997 and the implementation of the SAFE strategy a year later, much progress has been made toward lowering the prevalence of trachoma worldwide with elimination of the disease in some countries. However, high recurrence of trichiasis after surgery, difficulty in controlling the reemergence of infection after mass distribution of azithromycin in some communities, the incomplete understanding of environment in relation to the disease, and the difficulty in establishing the prevalence of the disease in low endemic areas are some of the issues still facing completion of the GET 2020 goals. In this narrative review, literature was searched from 1998 to January 2013 in PubMed for original studies and reviews. Reasons for these ongoing problems are discussed, and several suggestions are made as avenues for exploration in relation to improving the SAFE strategy with emphasis on improving surgical quality and management of the mass treatment with antibiotics. In addition, more research needs to be done to better understand the approach to improve sanitation, hygiene, and environment. The main conclusion of this review is that scale-up is needed for all SAFE components, and more research should be generated from communities outside of Africa and Asia. Diane K. Lavett, Van C. Lansingh, Marissa J. Carter, Kristen A. Eckert, and Juan C. Silva Copyright © 2013 Diane K. Lavett et al. All rights reserved. Thu, 16 May 2013 19:02:47 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/tswj/2013/965230/ A remarkable flexibility is observed in biological membranes, which allows them to form the structures of different curvatures. We addressed the question of intrinsic ability of phospholipid membranes to form highly curved structures and the role of cholesterol in this process. The distribution of cholesterol in the highly curved asymmetric DOPC/DOPS lipid bilayer was investigated by the coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations in the membrane patches with large aspect ratio. It is shown that cholesterol induces uneven membrane curvature promoting the formation of extended flattened regions of the membrane interleaved by sharp bends. It is shown that the affinity of cholesterol to anionic DOPS or neutral DOPC lipids is curvature dependent. The cholesterol prefers DOPS to DOPC in either planar or highly curved parts of the membrane. In contrast, in the narrow interval of moderate membrane curvatures this preference is inverted. Our data suggest that there is a complex self-consistent interplay between the membrane curvature and cholesterol distribution in the asymmetric lipid bilayers. The suggested new function of cholesterol may have a biological relevance. S. O. Yesylevskyy, A. P. Demchenko, S. Kraszewski, and C. Ramseyer Copyright © 2013 S. O. Yesylevskyy et al. All rights reserved. Thu, 16 May 2013 14:46:34 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/tswj/2013/150130/ The aim of this paper is to present new existence theorems for solutions of vector equilibrium problems, by using weak interior type conditions and weak convexity assumptions. Capătă Adela Elisabeta Copyright © 2013 Capătă Adela Elisabeta. All rights reserved.