http://www.hindawi.com The latest articles from Hindawi Publishing Corporation © 2013 , Hindawi Publishing Corporation . All rights reserved. Tue, 21 May 2013 19:10:05 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/crim/dentistry/2013/565721/ Ameloblastic fibroma (AF) is an uncommon mixed neoplasm of odontogenic origin frequently seen in the second decade of life. It mainly presents as an intrabony lesion but can even occur peripherally. Histologically, our case showed hypercellular areas, an uncommon feature seen in typical AF. Whether this benign lesion is treated by mode of enucleation and curettage or by extensive surgery is still a topic of debate. An extensive surgical treatment is suggested as the initial approach due to its high recurrence rate (18%) and the greater chances of recurrent AFs transforming into ameloblastic fibrosarcoma (45%), together with a long-term followup. We report a case of recurrent AF with hypercellular ectomesenchyme which developed a year after its conservative removal. We conclude that in recurrent AF sufficient sections of the pathological specimen are to be taken to rule out any malignant changes that might have begun in focal areas. Ravikumar S. Kulkarni, Amitabh Sarkar, and Sandeep Goyal Copyright © 2013 Ravikumar S. Kulkarni et al. All rights reserved. Tue, 21 May 2013 19:09:25 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/isrn/ai/2013/543607/ Nonlinear processes are very common in process industries, and designing a stabilizing controller is always preferred to maximize the production rate. In this paper, tuning of PID controller for a class of time delayed stable and unstable process models using Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm is discussed. The dimension of the search space is only three (, , and ); hence, a fixed weight is assigned for the inertia parameter. A comparative study is presented between various inertia weights such as 0.5, 0.75, and 1. From the result, it is evident that the proposed method helps to attain better controller settings with reduced iteration number. The efficacy of the proposed scheme has been validated through a comparative study with classical controller tuning methods and heuristic methods such as Genetic Algorithm (GA) and Ant Colony Optimization (ACO). Finally, a real-time implementation of the proposed method is carried on a nonlinear spherical tank system. From the simulation and real-time results, it is evident that the PSO algorithm performs well on the stable and unstable process models considered in this work. The PSO tuned controller offers enhanced process characteristics such as better time domain specifications, smooth reference tracking, supply disturbance rejection, and error minimization. K. Latha, V. Rajinikanth, and P. M. Surekha Copyright © 2013 K. Latha et al. All rights reserved. Tue, 21 May 2013 19:05:54 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/isrn/biochemistry/2013/238428/ The central nervous system, one of the most delicate microenvironments of the body, is protected by the blood-brain barrier (BBB) regulating its homeostasis. BBB is a highly complex structure that tightly regulates the movement of ions of a limited number of small molecules and of an even more restricted number of macromolecules from the blood to the brain, protecting it from injuries and diseases. However, the BBB also significantly precludes the delivery of drugs to the brain, thus, preventing the therapy of a number of neurological disorders. As a consequence, several strategies are currently being sought after to enhance the delivery of drugs across the BBB. Within this review, the recently born strategy of brain drug delivery based on the use of nanoparticles, multifunctional drug delivery systems with size in the order of one-billionth of meters, is described. The review also includes a brief description of the structural and physiological features of the barrier and of the most utilized nanoparticles for medical use. Finally, the potential neurotoxicity of nanoparticles is discussed, and future technological approaches are described. The strong efforts to allow the translation from preclinical to concrete clinical applications are worth the economic investments. Massimo Masserini Copyright © 2013 Massimo Masserini. All rights reserved. Tue, 21 May 2013 16:10:21 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jdr/2013/193461/ Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic metabolic disease, and its incidence is growing worldwide. The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is a central component of cellular functions and is involved in protein folding and trafficking, lipid synthesis, and maintenance of calcium homeostasis. The ER is also a sensor of both intra- and extracellular stress and thus participates in monitoring and maintaining cellular homeostasis. Therefore, the ER is one site of interaction between environmental signals and a cell’s biological function. The ER is tightly linked to autophagy, inflammation, and apoptosis, and recent evidence suggests that these processes are related to the pathogenesis of DM and its complications. Thus, the ER has been considered an intersection integrating multiple stress responses and playing an important role in metabolism-related diseases including DM. Here, we review the relationship between the ER and autophagy, inflammation, and apoptosis in DM to better understand the molecular mechanisms of this disease. Jing Su, Lei Zhou, Xiaoxia Kong, Xiaochun Yang, Xiyan Xiang, Yu Zhang, Xiaoning Li, and Liankun Sun Copyright © 2013 Jing Su et al. All rights reserved. Tue, 21 May 2013 15:36:40 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ogi/2013/536765/ Despite the available prevention and early detection strategies, squamous-cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix is still diagnosed as locally advanced disease in a considerable proportion of patients. As a potent sensitizer of cancer cells, cisplatin has been the “traditional partner” of external beam irradiation in this setting for more than two decades. Induction chemotherapy strategies followed by concurrent chemoradiation or surgery and preoperative concurrent chemoradiation have been recently implemented in clinical trials in an effort to optimize local control and to minimize the risk of distant metastases. In this context, cisplatin has been combined with a number of other potential radiosensitizers, including 5-fluorouracil, capecitabine, and gemcitabine. In patients resistant or intolerant to platinum compounds, numerous non-platinum-containing regimens have been developed, implementing various antimetabolites, taxanes, antineoplastic antibiotics, and topoisomerase II inhibitors. More recently, molecular agents targeting critical pathways in cervical malignant transformation are being assessed in early clinical trials in combination with external-beam irradiation. In the current work, we review the evolving role of cisplatin and other platinum compounds, either alone or in combination regimens, in the context of other potent radiosensitizers. The emerging role of molecular targeted agents, as candidate partners of external beam irradiation, is also discussed. Giannis Mountzios, Aspasia Soultati, Dimitrios Pectasides, Meletios A. Dimopoulos, and Christos A. Papadimitriou Copyright © 2013 Giannis Mountzios et al. All rights reserved. Tue, 21 May 2013 14:53:52 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jeph/2013/760259/ Objective. To explore how three different assumptions on demographics affect the health impact of Danish emitted air pollution in Denmark from 2005 to 2030, with health impact modeled from 2005 to 2050. Methods. Modeled air pollution from Danish sources was used as exposure in a newly developed health impact assessment model, which models four major diseases and mortality causes in addition to all-cause mortality. The modeling was at the municipal level, which divides the approximately 5.5 M residents in Denmark into 99 municipalities. Three sets of demographic assumptions were used: (1) a static year 2005 population, (2) morbidity and mortality fixed at the year 2005 level, or (3) an expected development. Results. The health impact of air pollution was estimated at 672,000, 290,000, and 280,000 lost life years depending on demographic assumptions and the corresponding social costs at 430.4 M€, 317.5 M€, and 261.6 M€ through the modeled years 2005–2050. Conclusion. The modeled health impact of air pollution differed widely with the demographic assumptions, and thus demographics and assumptions on demographics played a key role in making health impact assessments on air pollution. Esben Meulengracht Flachs, Jan Sørensen, Jakob Bønløkke, and Henrik Brønnum-Hansen Copyright © 2013 Esben Meulengracht Flachs et al. All rights reserved. Tue, 21 May 2013 14:50:55 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/isrn/ma/2013/989475/ We prove the asymptotic regularity of global solutions for a class of semilinear evolution equations in . Moreover, we study the long-time behavior of the solutions. It is proved that, under the natural assumptions, these equations possess the compact attractor which is bounded in , where the nonlinear term satisfies a critical exponential growth condition. Yongqin Xie, Zhufang He, Chen Xi, and Zheng Jun Copyright © 2013 Yongqin Xie et al. All rights reserved. Tue, 21 May 2013 13:18:55 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/mpe/2013/972174/ Recently, a closed-form approximated expression was derived by the same author for the achievable residual intersymbol interference (ISI) case that depends on the step-size parameter, equalizer’s tap length, input signal statistics, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and channel power. But this expression was obtained by assuming that the input noise is a white Gaussian process where the Hurst exponent (H) is equal to 0.5. In this paper, we derive a closed-form approximated expression (or an upper limit) for the residual ISI obtained by blind adaptive equalizers valid for fractional Gaussian noise (fGn) input where the Hurst exponent is in the region of . Up to now, the statistical behaviour of the residual ISI was not investigated. Furthermore, the convolutional noise for the latter stages of the deconvolutional process was assumed to be a white Gaussian process (). In this paper, we show that the Hurst exponent of the residual ISI is close to one, almost independent of the SNR or equalizer’s tap length but depends on the step-size parameter. In addition, the convolutional noise obtained in the steady state is a noise process having a Hurst exponent depending on the step-size parameter. Monika Pinchas Copyright © 2013 Monika Pinchas. All rights reserved. Tue, 21 May 2013 13:16:56 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jam/2013/565841/ This paper focuses on the identification problem of Wiener nonlinear systems. The application of the key-term separation principle provides a simplified form of the estimated parameter model. To solve the identification problem of Wiener nonlinear systems with the unmeasurable variables in the information vector, the least-squares-based iterative algorithm is presented by replacing the unmeasurable variables in the information vector with their corresponding iterative estimates. The simulation results indicate that the proposed algorithm is effective. Lincheng Zhou, Xiangli Li, and Feng Pan Copyright © 2013 Lincheng Zhou et al. All rights reserved. Tue, 21 May 2013 13:14:56 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/mrt/2013/398143/ Background. The common symptoms of malaria reduce the specificity of clinical diagnosis. Presumptive treatment is conventional but can lead to overdiagnosis of malaria, delay of appropriate treatment, overprescription of antimalarials, and drug resistance. Routine use of diagnostic tests can address many of these concerns. Though treatment is often procured from retailers, there is low availability of rapid diagnostic tests for malaria (MRDTs), a simple, inexpensive, and accurate diagnostic solution. We know little about the challenges to expanding access to diagnostics through these outlets. Methods. To understand the perceptions of the benefits and challenges to selling rapid diagnostic tests for malaria, we conducted focus group discussions with antimalarial retailers who serve the residents of the Webuye Health and Demographic Surveillance Site in western Kenya. Results. Medicine retailers perceived MRDTs to be beneficial to their customers and businesses but also included cost, fear of the tests, risks of self-treatment, and regulatory concerns among the challenges to using and selling MRDTs. Conclusion. MRDTs represent a viable approach to increase access to malaria diagnostic testing. Medicine retailers are eager for MRDTs to be made available to them. However, certain challenges remain to implementation in retail outlets and should be addressed in advance. Andria Rusk, Catherine Goodman, Violet Naanyu, Beatrice Koech, Andrew Obala, and Wendy Prudhomme O'Meara Copyright © 2013 Andria Rusk et al. All rights reserved. Tue, 21 May 2013 13:11:55 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/isrn/dentistry/2013/134210/ Objectives. The aim of this study was to investigate intrasurgical and after surgical, pain and the incidence of after surgical alteration of sensation in the mandible and lower lip when placing implants in the posterior mandible using ridge mapping, panoramic radiography, and infiltration anesthesia. Methods. This was a longitudinal clinical study of healthy patients needing implant placement in the posterior mandible. After thorough examination and treatment plan using ridge mapping and panoramic radiography, all patients received dental implants under local infiltration anesthesia. The patients were then given a questionnaire to assess the pain during anesthesia and implant surgery. Change of sensation in the lower lip was evaluated by standard neurosensory examination tests at 7 days and 1 and 4 months. Prosthetic treatment was carried out 4 months postsurgery and the patients were followed for an average of 28.5 months afterwards. Results. A total of 103 implants were placed in 62 patients. Patients reported very minor pain during injection. No pain was reported during either implant placement or bone grafting procedures. No alteration of sensation in the mandible or lower lip was recorded postsurgery. Conclusion. In most cases, ridge mapping, panoramic radiography, and infiltration anesthesia are sufficient for posterior mandibular implant placement without pain or complications. Ali Saad Thafeed AlGhamdi Copyright © 2013 Ali Saad Thafeed AlGhamdi. All rights reserved. Tue, 21 May 2013 13:10:20 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/crim/oncmed/2013/431743/ Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is an uncommon highly aggressive skin malignancy with an increased tendency to recur locally, invade regional lymph nodes, and metastasize distally to lung, liver, brain, bone, and skin. The sun-exposed skin of head and neck is the most frequent site of involvement (55%). We report the case of a 63-year-old Caucasian male patient who presented with a recurrent left inguinal mass for the third time after surgical resection with safe margins and no postoperative radio- or chemotherapy. The presented mass was excised, and pathological diagnosis revealed recurrent MCC. The patient underwent postoperative radiation therapy, and 6 months later, he developed a right groin mass which was resected and pathological diagnosis confirmed metastatic MCC. Six months later, patient developed an oropharyngeal mass which was unresectable, and pathological biopsy confirmed metastatic MCC. Patient was offered palliative radio- and chemotherapy. In this paper, we also present a brief literature review on MCC. Ahmed Abu-Zaid, Ayman Azzam, Ahmed Al-Wusaibie, Maraei Bin Makhashen, Abdulaziz Jarman, and Tarek Amin Copyright © 2013 Ahmed Abu-Zaid et al. All rights reserved. Tue, 21 May 2013 12:05:38 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/crim/rheumatology/2013/543953/ Ankylosing spondylitis is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by inflammatory lower back pain and morning stiffness and accompanied by spine and sacroiliac joint involvement. Klinefelter's syndrome is a genetic condition that only affects males. Affected males have an extra X chromosome. This paper reports a 30-years-old male on followup with the diagnosis of Klinefelters syndrome. The patient admitted with complaints of inflammatory lower back, and neck pain and morning stiffness and was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug and salazopyrine treatment resulted in significant regression in his complaints. Şenol Kobak, Murat Yalçin, Muamer Karadeniz, and Guray Oncel Copyright © 2013 Şenol Kobak et al. All rights reserved. Tue, 21 May 2013 12:03:54 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/crim/ophmed/2013/618367/ Background. Lacrimal infections by Actinomyces are rare and commonly misdiagnosed for long periods of time. They account for 2% of all lacrimal diseases. Case Report. We report a case of a 70-year-old female patient suffering from a para-canalicular abscess in the medial canthus of the left eye, beside the lower punctum lacrimale, resembling a chalazion. Purulence exited from the punctum lacrimale due to inflammation of the inferior canaliculus (canaliculitis). When pressure was applied to the mass, a second exit of purulence was also observed under the palpebral conjunctiva below the lacrimal caruncle. A surgical excision was performed followed by administration of local antibiotic therapy. The histopathological examination of the extracted mass revealed the existence of actinomycosis. Conclusion. Persistent or recurrent infections and lumps of the eyelids should be thoroughly investigated. Actinomyces as a causative agent should be considered. Differential diagnosis is broad and should include canaliculitis, chalazion, and multiple types of neoplasias. For this reason, in nonconclusive cases, a histopathological examination should be performed. Diamantis Almaliotis, Elias Nakos, Thomas Siempis, Triantafyllia Koletsa, Ioannis Kostopoulos, Maria Chatzipantazi, and Vasileios Karampatakis Copyright © 2013 Diamantis Almaliotis et al. All rights reserved. Tue, 21 May 2013 12:01:05 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ogi/2013/302952/ Preterm birth is defined as any delivery before 37 complete weeks of gestation. It is a universal challenge in the field of obstetrics owing to its high rate of mortality, long-term morbidity, associated human suffering and economic burden. In the United States, about 12.18% deliveries in 2009 were preterm, producing an exorbitant cost of $5.8 billion. Infection-associated premature rupture of membranes (PROM) accounts for 40% of extremely preterm births (<28 weeks of gestation). Major research efforts are directed towards improving the understanding of the pathophysiology of preterm birth and ways to prevent or at least postpone delivery. Endothelin-1 (ET-1) is a potent vasoconstrictor that plays a significant role in infection-triggered preterm birth. Its involvement in a number of pathological mechanisms and its elevation in preterm delivered amniotic fluid samples implicate it in preterm birth. Sphingosine kinase (SphK) is a ubiquitous enzyme responsible for the production of sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P). S1P acts as second messenger in a number of cell proliferation and survival pathways. SphK is found to play a key role in ET-1 mediated myometrial contraction. This review highlights SphK as a prospective target with great potential to prevent preterm birth. Vibhuti Vyas, Charles R. Ashby Jr., and Sandra E. Reznik Copyright © 2013 Vibhuti Vyas et al. All rights reserved. Tue, 21 May 2013 11:54:10 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/mpe/2013/273052/ Explicit analytical expressions for the temperature profile, fin efficiency, and heat flux in a longitudinal fin are derived. Here, thermal conductivity and heat transfer coefficient depend on the temperature. The differential transform method (DTM) is employed to construct the analytical (series) solutions. Thermal conductivity is considered to be given by the power law in one case and by the linear function of temperature in the other, whereas heat transfer coefficient is only given by the power law. The analytical solutions constructed by the DTM agree very well with the exact solutions even when both the thermal conductivity and the heat transfer coefficient are given by the power law. The analytical solutions are obtained for the problems which cannot be solved exactly. The effects of some physical parameters such as the thermogeometric fin parameter and thermal conductivity gradient on temperature distribution are illustrated and explained. Partner L. Ndlovu and Raseelo J. Moitsheki Copyright © 2013 Partner L. Ndlovu and Raseelo J. Moitsheki. All rights reserved. Tue, 21 May 2013 11:50:22 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/mpe/2013/312585/ Today developed and developing countries have to admit the fact that global warming is affecting the earth, but the fundamental problem of how to divide up necessary greenhouse gas reductions between developed and developing countries remains. In this paper, we propose cooperative and noncooperative stochastic differential game models to describe greenhouse gas emissions decision makings of developed and developing countries, calculate their feedback Nash equilibrium and the Pareto optimal solution, characterize parameter spaces that developed and developing countries can cooperate, design cooperative conditions under which participants buy the cooperative payoff, and distribute the cooperative payoff with Nash bargaining solution. Lastly, numerical simulations are employed to illustrate the above results. Wei Yu and Baogui Xin Copyright © 2013 Wei Yu and Baogui Xin. All rights reserved. Tue, 21 May 2013 11:48:28 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jnm/2013/125409/ As a direct bandgap semiconductor, Bi2S3 has the potential ability to improve the photocatalytic activity of nano-TiO2 due to its low energy gap ( eV). In this study, large-scale uniform Bi2S3 nanorods were synthesized by a hydrothermal treatment, using Bi[S2P(OC4H9)2]3 as the single-source precursor. Characterization results show that as-prepared samples belong to an orthorhombic phase of Bi2S3, and the products mainly crystallize in the form of nanorods which measure ca. 200 nm in length and ca. 50 nm in diameter. The photo-catalytic experiments for the degradation of methyl orange under visible irradiation revealed that a small amount of as-prepared Bi2S3 in our study would significantly improve the photo-catalytic activity of nano-TiO2, whether Bi2S3 is introduced by a physical way or a chemical way. However, excess Bi2S3 will lead to a decrease in the catalytic efficiency of TiO2 when Bi2S3 was introduced by a chemical way; it never happened when Bi2S3 was introduced by a physical way. Even so, among all as-prepared samples, the TiO2-based photo-catalyst with 3 wt.% Bi2S3 introduced by a chemical way exhibits the best catalytic performance under visible irradiation. Juan Lu, Zuoshan Wang, Ying Zhang, and Xiufeng Zhou Copyright © 2013 Juan Lu et al. All rights reserved. Tue, 21 May 2013 11:25:03 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/mpe/2013/642101/ Heavy metals are widely recognized as being hazardous to human health and environmentally aggressive. The literature reports different approaches for lead removal, for example, water hyacinths. Heavy metal sorption isotherm modeling represents an important tool towards the study of equilibrium conditions. Fractional calculus represents a novel approach and a growing research field for process modeling, based on derivatives of arbitrary order. Recently, a novel isotherm based on fractional calculus was proposed for lead sorption using water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes). This paper reports a general procedure on error analysis and its influence on parameter estimation. It was applied to mathematical models based on fractional differential equations, focusing on a heavy metal novel isotherm sorption model. Parameter variance was calculated by using two different approaches (with the complete Hessian matrix and with a simplified Hessian matrix), and joint parameter confidence regions were generated, being successfully able to show that the fractional nature of the model is statistically valid. Enrico M. Gomes, Rosana R. L. Araújo, Marcelo K. Lenzi, Fernanda R. G. B. Silva, and Ervin K. Lenzi Copyright © 2013 Enrico M. Gomes et al. All rights reserved. Tue, 21 May 2013 11:18:46 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ijfs/2013/719593/ An investigation to optimize the extraction yield and the radical scavenging activity from the agricultural by-product olive tree wood (Olea europaea L., cultivar Picual) using six different extraction protocols was carried out. Four olive wood samples from different geographical origin, and harvesting time have been used for comparison purposes. Among the fifty olive wood extracts obtained in this study, the most active ones were those prepared with ethyl acetate, either through direct extraction or by successive liquid-liquid partitioning procedures, the main components being the secoiridoids oleuropein and ligustroside. An acid hydrolysis pretreatment of olive wood samples before extractions did not improve the results. In the course of this study, two compounds were isolated from the ethanolic extracts of olive wood collected during the olives’ harvesting season and identified as (7′′R)-7′′-ethoxyoleuropein (1) and (7′′S)-7′′-ethoxyoleuropein (2). Mercedes Pérez-Bonilla, Sofía Salido, Adolfo Sánchez, Teris A. van Beek, and Joaquín Altarejos Copyright © 2013 Mercedes Pérez-Bonilla et al. All rights reserved. Tue, 21 May 2013 11:17:35 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jam/2013/620238/ The steady flow of an incompressible, third-grade fluid in helical screw rheometer (HSR) is studied by “unwrapping or flattening” the channel, lands, and the outside rotating barrel. The geometry is approximated as a shallow infinite channel, by assuming that the width of the channel is large as compared to the depth. The developed second-order nonlinear coupled differential equations are reduced to single differential equation by using a transformation. Using Adomian decomposition method, analytical expressions are calculated for the the velocity profiles and volume flow rates. The results have been discussed with the help of graphs as well. We observed that the velocity profiles are strongly dependant on non-Newtonian parameter (), and with the increase in , the velocity profiles increase progressively, which conclude that extrusion process increases with the increase in . We also observed that the increase in pressure gradients in x- and z-direction increases the net flow inside the helical screw rheometer, which increases the extrusion process. We noticed that the flow increases as the flight angle increase. M. Zeb, S. Islam, A. M. Siddiqui, and T. Haroon Copyright © 2013 M. Zeb et al. All rights reserved. Tue, 21 May 2013 11:15:11 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ecam/2013/195158/ Tao-Hong-Si-Wu decoction (TSD) is a famous traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and widely used for ischemic disease in China. TSD medicated serum was prepared after oral administration of TSD (1.6 g/kg) twice a day for 3 days in rats. TSD medicated serum induced human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) proliferation, VEGF secretion, and nitric oxide (NO) production. These promoted effects of TSD were partly inhibited by treatment with PI3K inhibitor (LY294002) or eNOS inhibitor (L-NAME), respectively, and completely inhibited by treatment with LY294002 and L-NAME simultaneously. Western blot analysis findings further indicated that TSD medicated serum upregulated p-Akt and p-eNOS expressions, which were significantly inhibited by LY294002 or L-NAME and completely inhibited by both LY294002 and L-NAME; these results indicated that TSD medicated serum induced HUVECs VEGF expression via PI3K/Akt-eNOS signaling. TSD medicated serum contains hydroxysafflor yellow A, ferulic acid, and ligustilide detected by UPLC with standards, so these effect of TSD medicated serum may be associated with these three active compounds absorbed in serum. DengKe Yin, ZhuQing Liu, DaiYin Peng, Ye Yang, XiangDong Gao, Fan Xu, and Lan Han Copyright © 2013 DengKe Yin et al. All rights reserved. Tue, 21 May 2013 11:08:28 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/isrn/pathology/2013/419542/ In the last years, MR and CT techniques have been optimized for small bowel imaging and are playing an increasing role in the evaluation of small bowel disorders. In comparison to traditional barium fluoroscopic examinations, spatial and temporal resolution is now much more improved partially thanks to modern bowel distending agents. However, there is a global interest in implementing techniques that either reduce or eliminate radiation exposure. This is especially important in patients with chronic diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease who may require multiple studies over a lifetime. Owing to the excellent soft tissue contrast, direct multiplanar imaging capabilities, new ultrafast breath-holding pulse sequences, lack of ionizing radiation, and availability of a variety of oral contrast agents, MR is well suited to play a critical role in the imaging of small bowel disorders. Gabriele Masselli Copyright © 2013 Gabriele Masselli. All rights reserved. Tue, 21 May 2013 11:01:20 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ecam/2013/472704/ The primo vascular system (PVS) in a lymph system was observed mostly in large caliber ducts around the caudal vena cava of rabbits, rats, and mice. This required a severe surgery with laparectomy and massive removal of fat tissues in the abdomen to expose the lymph vessel. In the current brief report, we presented a new method to evade these shortcomings by observing the PVS in a less large caliber duct in the skin, that is, the lymph vessel from the inguinal to the axillary nodes. The Alcian blue injection into the inguinal node revealed the desired primo vessel in the target lymph vessel. This opened a new perspective for the investigation of the lymphatic PVS without severe damage to subject animals and for monitoring of the PVS in a long period of time. Seung Hwan Lee, Kyoung-Hee Bae, Geum Ock Kim, Min Ho Nam, Young Bok Choi, Hee-Min Kwon, Yeonhee Ryu, and Kwang-Sup Soh Copyright © 2013 Seung Hwan Lee et al. All rights reserved. Tue, 21 May 2013 10:54:00 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/crim/nephrology/2013/268401/ Introduction. Minimal Change Disease (MCD) is the most common cause of nephrotic syndrome in children, while IgA nephropathy is the most common cause of glomerulonephritis worldwide. MCD is responsive to glucocorticoids, while the role of steroids in IgA nephropathy remains unclear. We describe a case of two distinct clinical and pathological findings, raising the question of whether MCD and IgA nephropathy are separate entities or if there is a common pathophysiology. Case Report. A 19-year old man with no medical history presented to the Emergency Department with a 20-day history of anasarca and frothy urine, BUN 68 mg/dL, Cr 2.3 mg/dL, urinalysis 3+ RBCs, 3+ protein, and urine protein : creatinine ratio 6.4. Renal biopsy revealed hypertrophic podocytes on light microscopy, podocyte foot process effacement on electron microscopy, and immunofluorescent mesangial staining for IgA. The patient was started on prednisone and exhibited dramatic improvement. Discussion. MCD typically has an overwhelming improvement with glucocorticoids, while the resolution of IgA nephropathy is rare. Our patient presented with MCD with the uncharacteristic finding of hematuria. Given the improvement with glucocorticoids, we raise the question of whether there is a shared pathophysiologic component of these two distinct clinical diseases that represents a clinical variant. Brandon S. Oberweis, Aditya Mattoo, Ming Wu, and David S. Goldfarb Copyright © 2013 Brandon S. Oberweis et al. All rights reserved. Tue, 21 May 2013 10:48:16 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/isrn/ce/2013/609379/ A network of the feedforward-type artificial neural networks (ANNs) was used to predict the compressive strength of concrete made from crude oil contaminated soil samples at 3, 7, 14, 28, 56, 84, and 168 days at different degrees of contamination of 2.5%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20% and 25%. A total of 49 samples were used in the training, testing, and prediction phase of the modeling in the ratio 32 : 11 : 7. The TANH activation function was used and the maximum number of iterations was limited to 20,000 the model used a momentum of 0.6 and a learning rate of 0.031056. Twenty (20) different architectures were considered and the most suitable one was the 2-2-1. Statistical analysis of the output of the network was carried out and the correlation coefficient of the training and testing data is 0.9955712 and 0.980097. The result of the network has shown that the use of neural networks is effective in the prediction of the compressive strength of concrete made from crude oil impacted sand. W. O. Ajagbe, A. A. Ganiyu, M. O. Owoyele, and J. O. Labiran Copyright © 2013 W. O. Ajagbe et al. All rights reserved. Tue, 21 May 2013 10:46:48 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ijp/2013/465837/ Silicon wafer accounts for almost one-half the cost of a photovoltaic (PV) panel. A bifacial silicon solar cell is attractive due to its potential of enhancing power generation from the same silicon wafer in comparison with a conventional monofacial solar cell. The bifacial PV cell is able to capture solar radiation by back surface. This ability requires a suitable reflector appropriately oriented and separated from the cell’s rear surface. In order to optimize the bifacial solar cell performance with respect to an external back surface reflector, diffuse and semimirror reflectors were investigated at various angles and separations from the back surface. A simple bifacial solar panel, consisting of four monocrystalline Si solar cells, was designed and built. Reflection from the rear surface was provided by an extended semimirror and a white-painted diffuse reflector. Maximum power generation was observed at 30° with respect to ground for the semimirror reflector and 10° for diffuse reflector at an optimized reflector-panel separation of 115 mm. Output power enhancement of 20% and 15% from semimirror and diffuse reflectors, respectively, were observed. This loss from diffuse reflector is attributed to scattering of light beyond the rear surface capture cross-section of the bifacial solar panel. P. Ooshaksaraei, K. Sopian, R. Zulkifli, M. A. Alghoul, and Saleem H. Zaidi Copyright © 2013 P. Ooshaksaraei et al. All rights reserved. Tue, 21 May 2013 10:44:45 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ecam/2013/195631/ Background. The lumen of novel threadlike structures (NTSs) is enclosed by a single layer of endothelial cells surrounded by extracellular matrix (ECM). We hypothesized that collagen may be a component of the ECM associated with lymphatic NTSs. Methods. Six female New Zealand white rabbits were anesthetized, and the NTS structures within lymphatic vessels were identified by contrast-enhanced stereomicroscopy or alcian blue staining. Isolated NTS specimens were stained with acridine orange, YOYO-1, and 1,1′-dioctadecyl-3,3,3′,3′-tetramethylindocarbocyanine perchlorate (DiI). The structural and molecular composition of the ECM was investigated using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry, and proteomic analysis. Results. The lymph vessel wall was stained red by DiI, and rod-shaped nuclei were stained green by YOYO-1. The area surrounding the NTS was also stained red and contained green rod-shaped nuclei. TEM images showed that the NTS consisted of many ECM fibers and the ECM fibers appeared to be ~100 nm in diameter and had narrowly spaced striated bands. Proteomic analysis of the lymphatic NTS-associated ECM identified 4 proteins: keratin 10, cytokeratin 3, cytokeratin 12, and soluble adenylyl cyclase. Conclusion. The TEM study suggested that the lymphatic NTS-associated ECM did not contain collagen. This was confirmed by proteomic analysis, which showed that keratin was the major component of the ECM. Hyub Huh, Byung-Cheon Lee, Sang-Hyun Park, Ji Woong Yoon, Soo Jae Lee, Eun Jung Cho, and Seung Zhoo Yoon Copyright © 2013 Hyub Huh et al. All rights reserved. Tue, 21 May 2013 10:39:00 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jdr/2013/986906/ The development of new therapies for the treatment of type 2 diabetes requires robust, reproducible and well validated in vivo experimental systems. Mice provide the most ideal animal model for studies of potential therapies. Unlike larger animals, mice have a short gestational period, are genetically similar, often give birth to many offspring at once and can be housed as multiple groups in a single cage. The mouse model has been extensively metabolically characterized using different tests. This report summarizes how these tests can be executed and how arising data are analyzed to confidently determine changes in insulin resistance and insulin secretion with high reproducibility. The main tests for metabolic assessment in the mouse reviewed here are the glucose clamp, the intravenous and the oral glucose tolerance tests. For all these experiments, including some commonly adopted variants, we describe: (i) their performance; (ii) their advantages and limitations; (iii) the empirical formulas and mathematical models implemented for the analysis of the data arising from the experimental procedures to obtain reliable measurements of peripheral insulin sensitivity and beta cell function. Finally, a list of previous applications of these methods and analytical techniques is provided to better comprehend their use and the evidences that these studies yielded. G. Pacini, B. Omar, and B. Ahrén Copyright © 2013 G. Pacini et al. All rights reserved. Tue, 21 May 2013 10:38:42 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/crim/urology/2013/167635/ Calculi in the urethra are an uncommon entity. Giant calculi in prostatic urethra are extremely rare. The decision about treatment strategy of calculi depends upon the size, shape, and position of the calculus and the status of the urethra. If the stone is large and immovable, it may be extracted via the perineal or the suprapubic approach. In most of the previous reported cases, giant calculi were extracted via the transvesical approach and external urethrotomy. A 38-year-old male patient presented with complaints of lower urinary tract symptoms. Further investigations showed a giant urethral calculus secondary to stricture of bulbo-membranous part of the urethra. Surgical removal of calculus was done via transvesical approach. Two calculi were found and extracted. One was a huge dumbbell calculus and the other was a smaller round calculus. This case was reported because of the rare size and the dumbbell nature of the stone. Giant urethral calculi are better managed by open surgery. Vinod Kumar Prabhuswamy, Rahul Tiwari, and Ramakrishnan Krishnamoorthy Copyright © 2013 Vinod Kumar Prabhuswamy et al. All rights reserved. Tue, 21 May 2013 10:25:10 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/mi/2013/920214/ Identifying rare human metabolic disorders that result from a single-gene defect has not only enabled improved diagnostic and clinical management of such patients, but also has resulted in key biological insights into the pathophysiology of the increasingly prevalent metabolic syndrome. Insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes are linked to obesity and driven by excess caloric intake and reduced physical activity. However, key events in the causation of the metabolic syndrome are difficult to disentangle from compensatory effects and epiphenomena. This review provides an overview of three types of human monogenic disorders that result in (1) severe, non-syndromic obesity, (2) pancreatic beta cell forms of early-onset diabetes, and (3) severe insulin resistance. In these patients with single-gene defects causing their exaggerated metabolic disorder, the primary defect is known. The lessons they provide for current understanding of the molecular pathogenesis of the common metabolic syndrome are highlighted. Rinki Murphy, Richard W. Carroll, and Jeremy D. Krebs Copyright © 2013 Rinki Murphy 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. Tue, 21 May 2013 10:03:11 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jc/2013/749321/ Experiments on cofiring dried sewage sludge, wet sewage sludge with coal and polyethylene (PE) were carried out on a pilot scale 0.15MWt circulating fluidized bed combustion (CFBC) plant, and the influence of furnace temperatures, cofiring rates on N2O and NO emissions was investigated. Temperature is an effective parameter influencing N2O emission, and higher temperature leads to significant N2O reduction and decrease of conversion ratio of fuel-N to N2O. Increasing in cofiring rates leads to higher nitrogen content in the mixed fuel, which could result in higher NO and N2O emissions from combustion. With more sewage sludge addition, higher NO but lower N2O emissions are observed. N2O emission from cofiring wet sewage sludge with coal is higher than that from cofiring dried sewage sludge with coal and PE, and fuel-N conversion ratio to N2O and NO is much higher in cofiring wet sewage sludge with coal than that in cofiring dried sewage sludge with coal and PE. Zhiwei Li and Hongzhou He Copyright © 2013 Zhiwei Li and Hongzhou He. All rights reserved. Tue, 21 May 2013 10:02:23 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/chem/2013/540240/ A novel molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) powder designed for the selective removal of interfering chlorophyll pigment from heavily pigmented green plant extracts during pesticide residue analysis or analysis for bioactives in natural product research is reported. The polymer powder imprinted with chlorophyll was synthesized by copolymerizing the functional and cross-linking monomers, methacrylic acid (MAA) and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA), respectively. During batch rebinding experiments, the MIP effectively removed chlorophyll from neat chlorophyll standards, green medicinal plants, and spinach extracts with determined absorbance as high as 2.501 absorbance units (Au) to as low as 0.084 Au after the optimum quantity of the MIP (170 mg mL−1) was added as the adsorbent prior to instrumental analysis. The determined 0.084 Au absorbance was far below the absorbance of 2% chlorophyll (0.401 Au) regarded as the cut-off point for interfering chlorophyll. Thus the newly developed polymer presents itself as a suitable adsorbent for the selective removal of chlorophyll from heavily pigmented, chlorophyll containing extracts. Bareki Shima Batlokwa, Janes Mokgadi, Ronald Majors, Charlotta Turner, and Nelson Torto Copyright © 2013 Bareki Shima Batlokwa et al. All rights reserved. Tue, 21 May 2013 09:53:47 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ijfs/2013/158482/ Synthetic angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE-I) inhibitors can have undesirable side effects, while natural inhibitors have no side effects and are potential nutraceuticals. A protein-rich fraction from chia (Salvia hispanica L.) seed was hydrolyzed with an Alcalase-Flavourzyme sequential system and the hydrolysate ultrafiltered through four molecular weight cut-off membranes (1 kDa, 3 kDa, 5 kDa, and 10 kDa). ACE-I inhibitory activity was quantified in the hydrolysate and ultrafiltered fractions. The hydrolysate was extensive (DH = 51.64%) and had 58.46% ACE-inhibitory activity. Inhibition ranged from 53.84% to 69.31% in the five ultrafiltered fractions and was highest in the <1 kDa fraction (69.31%). This fraction’s amino acid composition was identified and then it was purified by gel filtration chromatography and ACE-I inhibition measured in the purified fractions. Amino acid composition suggested that hydrophobic residues contributed substantially to chia peptide ACE-I inhibitory strength, probably by blocking angiotensin II production. Inhibitory activity ranged from 48.41% to 62.58% in the purified fractions, but fraction F1 (1.5–2.5 kDa) exhibited the highest inhibition (IC50 = 3.97 μg/mL; 427–455 mL elution volume). The results point out the possibility of obtaining bioactive peptides from chia proteins by means of a controlled protein hydrolysis using Alcalase-Flavourzyme sequentional system. Maira Rubi Segura Campos, Fanny Peralta González, Luis Chel Guerrero, and David Betancur Ancona Copyright © 2013 Maira Rubi Segura Campos et al. All rights reserved. Tue, 21 May 2013 09:40:15 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/isrn/obgyn/2013/249357/ Objective. To describe the route of hysterectomy in a county hospital and evaluate the shift towards a minimal invasive approach. Design. Retrospective cohort study. Setting. A county hospital in Norway. Population. All women were scheduled for hysterectomy. Methods. Audit the route of hysterectomy in the period 2004–2012. Analyze the outcome of total laparoscopic hysterectomies. Main Outcome Measures. Complications after total laparoscopic hysterectomy. Results. A shift towards a minimal invasive approach has been achieved during the study period. In 2012 only 17.4% of the hysterectomies were performed abdominally, compared to yearly percentages of above 50% in the period 2004–2009. Laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomy was introduced in 2003, but the percentage of abdominal hysterectomy remained above 50% until total laparoscopic hysterectomy was introduced in 2010. Since the introduction of total laparoscopic hysterectomy in April 2010, 58 procedures have been performed. There have been no major complications. Two vaginal vault hematomas and one case of urinary tract infection were reported. Conclusions. It is possible for a county hospital to alter their praxis and perform mini-invasive hysterectomies, but it requires dedicated gynecologists. This change to an advanced procedure like total laparoscopic hysterectomy could be achieved without patients suffering from major complications. Christian Hoyer-Sorensen, Sigurd Hortemo, and Marit Lieng Copyright © 2013 Christian Hoyer-Sorensen et al. All rights reserved. Tue, 21 May 2013 09:40:00 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/bmri/2013/517698/ The inhibitory action and the possible mechanism of anticancer compound Sanguinarine (SAN) on vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in human mammary adenocarcinoma cells MCF-7 were evaluated in this study. We exposed MCF-7 to SAN for 24 h, then cell viability was assessed by using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) reduction assay. Human VEGF was measured using a paired antibody quantitative ELISA kit, relative expression of VEGF mRNA was calculated using the real-time PCR studies, and the effect of SAN on the reactive oxygen species (ROS) level was detected by the flow cytometer. Treatment with SAN remarkably inhibited growth of MCF-7 cells and induced cell apoptosis. We found that VEGF release was stimulated by subtoxic concentrations of SAN and inhibited by high dose of SAN, SAN-evoked VEGF release was mimicked by low concentration of H2O2, and SAN-regulated VEGF inhibition was accompanied by increasing of ROS; these changes were abolished by antioxidant. High concentration of SAN inhibited VEGF mRNA expression in MCF-7 cultures, suggesting an effect at transcriptional level, and was also abolished by antioxidant. The present findings indicated that the regulation of VEGF expression and release from MCF-7 cells were possibly through reactive oxygen species evoked by SAN. Xian-zhe Dong, Miao Zhang, Kun Wang, Ping Liu, Dai-hong Guo, Xiao-li Zheng, and Xiao-yue Ge Copyright © 2013 Xian-zhe Dong et al. All rights reserved. Tue, 21 May 2013 09:33:35 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ecam/2013/534960/ To elucidate the role of Fuzheng Huayu Capsule, a herbal formula, in the prevention of esophageal variceal bleeding in cirrhotic patients, a multicenter randomized and placebo-controlled trial was carried out. One hundred forty-six cirrhotic patients with esophageal varices were enrolled to compare the probability of upper gastrointestinal bleeding and survival between Fuzheng Huayu Capsule group and controlled group for the duration of 2 years. The results demonstrated that the FZHYC could effectively reduce the risk of variceal bleeding and improve survival rates for cirrhotic patients with varices, especially the combination of the capsule and Propranolol, which presented a better effect; FZHYC could reduce the varices size in patients with small ones. Its effect may be related to the amelioration of hepatic fibrosis. Jie Gu, Qin Zhang, Dongying Xue, Hong Cai, and Lieming Xu Copyright © 2013 Jie Gu et al. All rights reserved. Tue, 21 May 2013 09:32:22 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/insects/2013/504285/ Previously, the biology of the longhorn grasshopper Ruspolia differens Serville (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae) from northwest Tanzania was mainly inferred based on the morphological and behavioural characters with which its taxonomic status was delineated. The present study complements the previous analysis by examining the phylogenetic relationship of this insect based on the nuclear ribosomal molecular evidence. In the approach, the 18S rDNA of this insect was extracted, amplified, sequenced, and aligned, and the resultant data were used to reconstruct and analyze the phylogeny of this insect based on the catalogued data. Nicodemus D. Matojo and Keneth M. Hosea Copyright © 2013 Nicodemus D. Matojo and Keneth M. Hosea. All rights reserved. Tue, 21 May 2013 09:25:47 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/bmri/2013/202497/ Addressing safety concerns such as drug-induced kidney injury (DIKI) early in the drug pharmaceutical development process ensures both patient safety and efficient clinical development. We describe a unique adjunct to standard safety assessment wherein the metabolite profile of treated animals is compared with the MetaMap Tox metabolomics database in order to predict the potential for a wide variety of adverse events, including DIKI. To examine this approach, a study of five compounds (phenytoin, cyclosporin A, doxorubicin, captopril, and lisinopril) was initiated by the Technology Evaluation Consortium under the auspices of the Drug Safety Executive Council (DSEC). The metabolite profiles for rats treated with these compounds matched established reference patterns in the MetaMap Tox metabolomics database indicative of each compound’s well-described clinical toxicities. For example, the DIKI associated with cyclosporine A and doxorubicin was correctly predicted by metabolite profiling, while no evidence for DIKI was found for phenytoin, consistent with its clinical picture. In some cases the clinical toxicity (hepatotoxicity), not generally seen in animal studies, was detected with MetaMap Tox. Thus metabolite profiling coupled with the MetaMap Tox metabolomics database offers a unique and powerful approach for augmenting safety assessment and avoiding clinical adverse events such as DIKI. W. B. Mattes, H. G. Kamp, E. Fabian, M. Herold, G. Krennrich, R. Looser, W. Mellert, A. Prokoudine, V. Strauss, B. van Ravenzwaay, T. Walk, H. Naraoka, K. Omura, I. Schuppe-Koistinen, S. Nadanaciva, E. D. Bush, N. Moeller, P. Ruiz-Noppinger, and S. P. Piccoli Copyright © 2013 W. B. Mattes et al. All rights reserved. Tue, 21 May 2013 09:24:49 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/isrn/ac/2013/357807/ A simple and high sensitive preconcentration method based on micelle-mediated extraction followed by high performance liquid chromatography (LC-UV) was developed for preconcentration and determination of trace amounts of bisphenol A (BPA) in aqueous samples. The BPA was quantitatively extracted from aqueous samples in the presence of Triton X-114 as a nonionic surfactant and preconcentrated into the small volume (about 30 μL) of the surfactant-rich phase. Taguchi method, an orthogonal array design (OA16 (45)), was utilized to optimize the various factors affecting the micellar extraction of BPA. The maximum extraction efficiency of BPA was obtained at pH 3, 0.2% (w/v) Triton X-114, and 0.25 mol L−1 sodium acetate. For the preconcentration, the solutions were incubated in a thermostatic water bath at 50°C for 7 min. After centrifuge and separation of aqueous phase, the surfactant-rich phase was diluted with 100 μL acetone and injected in the chromatographic system. Under the optimum conditions, preconcentration factor of 34.9 was achieved for extraction from 10 mL of sample solution and the relative standard deviation (RSD%) of the method was lower than 6.6%. The calibration curve was linear in the range of 0.5–150 μg L−1 with reasonable linearity (). The limit of detection (LOD) based on = 3 was 0.13 μg L−1 for 10 mL sample volumes. The limit of quantification (LOQ) based on = 10 was 0.43 μg L−1 for 10 mL sample volumes. Finally, the applicability of the proposed method was evaluated by the extraction and determination of BPA in the real samples, and satisfactory results were obtained. Naghi Saadatjou, Shahab Shariati, and Mostafa Golshekan Copyright © 2013 Naghi Saadatjou et al. All rights reserved. Tue, 21 May 2013 09:13:38 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ecam/2013/175278/ In recent years, neuroimaging studies of acupuncture have explored extensive aspects of brain responses to acupuncture in finding its underlying mechanisms. Most of these studies have been performed on healthy adults. Only a few studies have been performed on patients with diseases. Brain responses to acupuncture in patients with the same disease at different pathological stages have not been explored, although it may be more important and helpful in uncovering its underlying mechanisms. In the present study, we used fMRI to compare brain responses to acupuncture in patients with Bell’s palsy at different pathological stages with normal controls and found that the brain response to acupuncture varied at different pathological stages of Bell’s palsy. The brain response to acupuncture decreased in the early stages, increased in the later stages, and nearly returned to normal in the recovered group. All of the changes in the brain response to acupuncture could be explained as resulting from the changes in the brain functional status. Therefore, we proposed that the brain response to acupuncture is dependent on the brain functional status, while further investigation is needed to provide more evidence in support of this proposition. Chuanfu Li, Jun Yang, Jinbo Sun, Chunsheng Xu, Yuanqiang Zhu, Qi Lu, Aihong Yuan, Yifang Zhu, Luoyi Li, Wei Zhang, Junping Liu, Jianjun Huang, Dongxiao Chen, Linying Wang, Wei Qin, and Jie Tian Copyright © 2013 Chuanfu Li et al. All rights reserved. Tue, 21 May 2013 09:07:13 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jam/2013/273758/ Most preferred ordered weighted average (MP-OWA) operator is a new kind of neat (dynamic weight) OWA operator in the aggregation operator families. It considers the preferences of all alternatives across the criteria and provides unique aggregation characteristics in decision making. In this paper, we propose the parametric form of the MP-OWA operator to deal with the uncertainty preference information, which includes MP-OWA operator as its special case, and it also includes the most commonly used maximum, minimum, and average aggregation operators. A special form of parametric MP-OWA operator with power function is proposed. Some properties of the parametric MP-OWA operator are provided and the advantages of them in decision making problems are summarized. The new proposed parametric MP-OWA operator can grasp the subtle preference information of the decision maker according to the application context through multiple aggregation results. They are applied to rank search engines considering the relevance of the retrieved queries. An search engine ranking example illustrates the application of parametric MP-OWA operator in various decision situations. Xiuzhi Sang and Xinwang Liu Copyright © 2013 Xiuzhi Sang and Xinwang Liu. All rights reserved. Tue, 21 May 2013 08:34:16 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/nri/2013/943914/ Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is characterized by bleeding into the subarachnoid space, often caused by ruptured aneurysm. Aneurysmal rupture occurs in 700,000 individuals per year worldwide, with 40,000 cases taking place in the United States. Beyond the high mortality associated with SAH alone, morbidity and mortality are further increased with the occurrence of cerebral vasospasm, a pathologic constriction of blood vessels that can lead to delayed ischemic neurologic deficits (DIND). Treatment of cerebral vasospasm is a source of contention. One extensively studied therapy is Magnesium (Mg) as both a competitive antagonist of calcium at the N-methyl D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor, and a noncompetitive antagonist of both IP3 and voltage-gated calcium channels, leading to smooth muscle relaxation. In our literature review, several animal and human studies are summarized in addition to two Phase III trials assessing the use of intravenous Mg in the treatment of SAH (IMASH and MASH-2). Though many studies have shown promise for the use of Mg in SAH, there has been inconsistency in study design and outcomes. Furthermore, the results of the recently completed clinical trials have shown no significant benefit from using intravenous Mg as adjuvant therapy in the treatment of cerebral vasospasm. Mitchell J. Odom, Scott L. Zuckerman, and J Mocco Copyright © 2013 Mitchell J. Odom et al. All rights reserved. Tue, 21 May 2013 08:33:11 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ijdsn/2013/256852/ Wireless sensor networks consist of a great number of sensor nodes with strictly limited computation capability, storage, communication resources, and battery power. Because they are deployed in remote and hostile environments and hence are vulnerable to physical attacks, sensor networks face many practical challenges. Data confidentiality, data integrity, source authentication, and availability are all major security concerns. In this paper, we focus on the very problem of preserving data integrity and propose an Efficient Integrity-Preserving Data Aggregation Protocol (EIPDAP) to guarantee the integrity of aggregation result through aggregation in sensor networks. In EIPDAP, base station can immediately verify the integrity of aggregation result after receiving the aggregation result and corresponding authentication information. However, to check integrity, most existing protocols need an additional phase which will consume a lot of energy and cause network delay. Compared with other related schemes, EIPDAP reduces the communication overhead per node to , where is the degree of the aggregation tree for the network. To the best of our knowledge, EIPDAP has the most optimal upper bound on solving the integrity-preserving data aggregation problem. Liehuang Zhu, Zhen Yang, Meng Li, and Dan Liu Copyright © 2013 Liehuang Zhu et al. All rights reserved. Tue, 21 May 2013 08:27:58 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/crim/em/2013/526469/ Valproic acid (VPA) intoxication incidence is increasing, because of the use of VPA in psychiatric disorders. The most common finding of VPA intoxication is central nervous system depression which leads to coma and respiratory depression. Pancreatitis, hyperammonemia, metabolic, and bone marrow failure (thrombocytopenia and leukopenia) have also been described. Treatment is mainly supportive. We present the case of an 18-year-old female patient, who made an attempt to autolysis with VPA. Our patient's VPA plasma level was very high (924 μg/mL), confirming that it was a severe intoxication. Our treatment including levocarnitine (50 mg/kg per day for 3 days), and high-flux hemodialysis was performed for four hours. The patient's hemodynamic status and mental function improved in conjunction with the acute reduction in VPA concentrations. Her subsequent hospital course was complicated by transient thrombocytopenia and levocarnitine induced hypophosphatemia. By day 6, the patient's laboratory values had completely normalized, and she was transferred to an inpatient psychiatric facility for continuing therapy. V. Temel, Müge Arikan, and G. Temel Copyright © 2013 V. Temel et al. All rights reserved. Tue, 21 May 2013 08:25:42 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/nri/2013/329364/ The skin acts as a complex sensory organ. The emerging new data on peripheral pain mechanisms from within the skin is presented. This data has led to new insights into the potential pain mechanisms for various pain conditions including neuropathic pain (from small fiber neuropathies) and Complex Regional Pain Syndrome. The somatosensory neurons that innervate our skin constantly update our brains on the objects and environmental factors that surround us. Cutaneous sensory neurons expressing nociceptive receptors such as transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 channels and voltage-gated sodium channels are critical for pain transmission. Epidermal cells (such as keratinocytes, Langerhans cells, and Merkel cells) express sensor proteins and neuropeptides; these regulate the neuroimmunocutaneous system and participate in nociception and neurogenic inflammation. In the past two decades, there has been widespread use of modalities such as punch skin biopsies, quantitative sensory testing, and laser-evoked potentials to evaluate small caliber nerve fibers. This paper explores these laboratory techniques as well as the phenomenon of small fiber neuropathy. Treatment using transdermal drug delivery is discussed. There is potential for these findings to predict treatment outcomes in clinical practice and to develop new therapies for different pain conditions. These findings should enhance the physician's ability to evaluate and treat diverse types of pain. Edward A. Shipton Copyright © 2013 Edward A. Shipton. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 19:30:42 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ijo/2013/213684/ High-resolution atomic-beam diode-laser spectroscopy in Sm I has been performed. Zeeman spectra have been measured for the three optical transitions at different external magnetic fields and well resolved at the magnetic fields of stronger than 6.0 mT. Using the known precise Landé -factors of the ground multiplet, the Landé -factors of the upper 4f66s6p   and levels have been determined, and their precision has been improved compared with the reference values. Wei-Guo Jin and Tatsuya Minowa Copyright © 2013 Wei-Guo Jin and Tatsuya Minowa. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 19:04:44 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/crim/medicine/2013/935172/ Although clinical presentation of fibrillary glomerulonephritis is similar to most forms of glomerulonephritis, it is usually difficult to make the diagnosis. Clinical manifestations include proteinuria, microscopic haematuria, nephrotic syndrome, and impairment of renal function. A diagnosis of fibrillary glomerulonephritis is only confirmed by renal biopsy and it must comprise electronmicroscopy-verified ultrastructural findings. We report four cases between 45–50 years old with documented type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and arterial hypertension. All patients were found to have fibrils on kidney biopsy. The differential diagnosis of fibrils in the setting of diabetes mellitus is also discussed. Fayna González-Cabrera, Fernando Henríquez-Palop, Ana Ramírez-Puga, Raquel Santana-Estupiñán, Celia Plaza-Toledano, Gloria Antón-Pérez, Silvia Marrero-Robayna, Davinia Ramírez-Medina, Roberto Gallego-Samper, Nicanor Vega-Díaz, Rafael Camacho-Galan, and José C. Rodríguez-Pérez Copyright © 2013 Fayna González-Cabrera et al. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 19:00:57 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ijap/2013/649049/ Ultra wideband (UWB) systems are the most appropriate for high data rate wireless transmission with low power consumption. However, the antenna design for UWB has been a challenging task. Moreover, it is always desirable to have more freedom by designing different shape antennas with identical characteristics so that they can be used in either transmitter or receiver depending on other physical constraints such as area. To tackle these issues, in this paper, we have investigated a joint optimization of three different shape-printed monopole antennas, namely, printed square monopole antenna, printed circular monopole antenna and printed hexagonal monopole antenna, for UWB applications. More specifically, we have obtained the optimized geometrical parameters of these antennas by minimizing the mean-square-error for desired lower band edge frequency, quality factor, and bandwidth. The objective of joint optimization is to have identical frequency characteristics for the aforementioned three types of PMA which will give a freedom to interchangeably use them at either side, transmitting or receiving. Moreover, we employ particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm for our problem as it is well known in the literature that PSO performs well in electromagnetic and antenna applications. Simulation results are presented to show the performance of the proposed design. Muhammad Zubair and Muhammad Moinuddin Copyright © 2013 Muhammad Zubair and Muhammad Moinuddin. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 18:48:42 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/mpe/2013/367105/ We propose a scene classification method for speeding up the multisensor remote sensing image fusion by using the singular value decomposition of quaternion matrix and the kernel principal component analysis (KPCA) to extract features. At first, images are segmented to patches by a regular grid, and for each patch, we extract color features by using quaternion singular value decomposition (QSVD) method, and the grey features are extracted by Gabor filter and then by using orientation histogram to describe the grey information. After that, we combine the color features and the orientation histogram together with the same weight to obtain the descriptor for each patch. All the patch descriptors are clustered to get visual words for each category. Then we apply KPCA to the visual words to get the subspaces of the category. The descriptors of a test image then are projected to the subspaces of all categories to get the projection length to all categories for the test image. Finally, support vector machine (SVM) with linear kernel function is used to get the scene classification performance. We experiment with three classification situations on OT8 dataset and compare our method with the typical scene classification method, probabilistic latent semantic analysis (pLSA), and the results confirm the feasibility of our method. Ji Li and Zhen Liu Copyright © 2013 Ji Li and Zhen Liu. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 18:39:30 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/mpe/2013/713560/ A fault detection approach based on nonlinear robust observer is designed for the networked suspension control system of Maglev train with random induced time delay. First, considering random bounded time-delay and external disturbance, the nonlinear model of the networked suspension control system is established. Then, a nonlinear robust observer is designed using the input of the suspension gap. And the estimate error is proved to be bounded with arbitrary precision by adopting an appropriate parameter. When sensor faults happen, the residual between the real states and the observer outputs indicates which kind of sensor failures occurs. Finally, simulation results using the actual parameters of CMS-04 maglev train indicate that the proposed method is effective for maglev train. Yun Li, Guang He, and Jie Li Copyright © 2013 Yun Li et al. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 18:38:31 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/mpe/2013/424108/ One of the known methods for solving the problems with exponential time complexity such as NP-complete problems is using the brute force algorithms. Recently, a new parallel computational framework called Membrane Computing is introduced which can be applied in brute force algorithms. The usual way to find a solution for the problems with exponential time complexity with Membrane Computing techniques is by P System with active membrane using division rule. It makes an exponential workspace and solves the problems with exponential complexity in a polynomial (even linear) time. On the other hand, searching is currently one of the most used methods for finding solution for problems in real life, that the blind search algorithms are accurate, but their time complexity is exponential such as breadth-first search (BFS) algorithm. In this paper, we proposed a new approach for implementation of BFS by using P system with division rule technique for first time. The theorem shows time complexity of BSF in this framework on randomly binary trees reduced from to . Einallah Salehi, Siti Mariyam Shamsuddin, and Kourosh Nemati Copyright © 2013 Einallah Salehi et al. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 18:33:03 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/isrn/cmp/2013/843702/ Using tight-binding model with nearest neighbour interactions, the optical properties of carbon nanotubes under the influence of an external magnetic field are analyzed. First, dipole matrix elements for two cases of light polarized parallel as well as perpendicular to the nanotube axis are analyzed. A close form analytic expression for dipole matrix is obtained for carbon nanotubes with arbitrary chirality in the case of light polarized parallel to the nanotube axis. Then the diagonal and off-diagonal elements of the frequency-dependent susceptibility in the presence of an axial magnetic field are investigated. The off-diagonal elements are applied to calculate the interband Faraday rotation and the Verdet constant. These effects should be clearly detectable under realistic conditions using weak magnetic fields. Abbas Zarifi Copyright © 2013 Abbas Zarifi. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 17:50:35 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/cdr/2013/814059/ This study utilized data from over 9,300 youth from 11 national or within-nation ethnic groups to evaluate the relationship between youth religiosity and youth social outcomes (social initiative, antisocial behavior) and psychological outcomes (self-esteem and depression) considering the roles of religious tradition, national-ethnic group, and gender. We created national-ethnic group by religious tradition (NEG × RT) combinations, partitioned religiosity into between-group and within-group components, and performed a series of mixed model regressions for each outcome. The levels of all four outcomes of interest differed significantly across NEG × RT groups, and these differences were attributable to national-ethnic group rather than religious tradition. Youth reports of antisocial behavior and self-esteem were predicted by between-group religiosity. Additionally, within-group religiosity predicted all four outcomes, indicating that the protective role of religiosity functions in a comparative, or relative, manner with youth who are more religious than others in their group reaping the most benefits. Heidi E. Stolz, Joseph A. Olsen, Teri M. Henke, and Brian K. Barber Copyright © 2013 Heidi E. Stolz et al. 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 17:02:22 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/iji/2013/715645/ Patients who suffer from severe burns develop metabolic imbalances and systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) which can result in multiple organ failure and death. Research aimed at reducing the inflammatory process has yielded new insight into burn injury therapies. In this review, we discuss strategies used to curb inflammation in burn injuries and note that further studies with high quality evidence are necessary. Jayme A. Farina Jr., Marina Junqueira Rosique, and Rodrigo G. Rosique Copyright © 2013 Jayme A. Farina Jr. et al. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 17:01:37 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/mpe/2013/836058/ Magnetically suspended flywheel (MSFW) with gimballing capability fulfills requirements of precision and maneuvers for space applications. A novel reluctance force-type hybrid magnetic bearing (RFHMB) is presented based on analysis of demerits of Lorentz force-type magnetic bearing and common RFHMB. It features that radial and axial magnetic bearing units are integrated into a compact assembly with four separate biased permanent magnets and two conical stators; four radial poles with shoes and rotor made of iron-based amorphousness can reduce eddy loss. Equivalent magnetic circuits of permanent magnets and their control currents are presented. Simulation results indicate flux density fluctuates from 0.272 T to 0.41 T; rotor tilting does not affect the suspension force when rotor only tilts around -axis or -axis. When rotor drifts in , , or direction and tilts around -axis or -axis simultaneously, force in corresponding directions slightly increases with tilting angle’s enlargement, but the maximum change does not exceed 14%. Additional tilting torque mainly determined by uniformity of flux density in conical air gaps is 0.05 Nm which is far smaller than 11 Nm in common RFHMB; magnetic suspension force is effectively decoupled among , , and directions; results prove that MSFW with gimballing capability theoretically meets maneuvering requirement of spacecraft. Chun'e Wang and Jiqiang Tang Copyright © 2013 Chun'e Wang and Jiqiang Tang. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 16:57:10 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/aurt/2013/705895/ From early infancy onwards, young children appear motivated to engage reciprocally with others and share psychological states during dyadic interactions. Although poor reciprocity is one of the defining features of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), few studies have focused on the direct assessment of real-life reciprocal behavior; consequently, our knowledge of the nature and the development of this core feature of autism is still limited. In this study, we describe the phenomenon of reciprocity in infant-caregiver interaction by analyzing family movies taken during the first year of life of 10 infants with ASD and 9 infants with typical development (TD). We analyzed reciprocal behaviors by means of a coding scheme developed for this purpose (caregiver-infant reciprocity scale (CIRS)). Infants with ASD displayed less motor activity during the first semester and subsequently fewer vocalizations, compared to TD infants. Caregivers of ASD infants showed in the second semester shorter periods of involvement and a reduction of affectionate touch. These results suggest that from the first months of life a nonsynchronic motor-vocal pattern may interfere in different ways with the development of reciprocity in the primary relationship between infants later diagnosed with ASD and their caregivers. Fabio Apicella, Natasha Chericoni, Valeria Costanzo, Sara Baldini, Lucia Billeci, David Cohen, and Filippo Muratori Copyright © 2013 Fabio Apicella et al. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 16:56:25 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/nanoparticles/2013/527432/ A nanocomposite coating was formed by incorporating nanoalumina pigment in a waterborne polyurethane dispersion (WPUD) to different loading levels (0.1% and 1.0% by weight). Electrochemical performance of the nanocomposite coating was evaluated by applying these nanomodified coatings on mild steel substrate and exposing them to salt-spray, humidity, and accelerated UV weathering. The surface morphology of the composite coating was evaluated using various analytical techniques. SEM and AFM were used to investigate the dispersion of nanoalumina pigment and surface morphological changes of the nanomodified coating, before and after exposure to the test environment. Mechanical properties like scratch resistance were studied by using nanoscratch technique (Nanoindenter TI-900, Hysitron Inc, USA) and hardness using pencil hardness test method. The results showed an improvement in the corrosion, UV weathering, and mechanical properties of the coatings at lower concentration (0.1% by wt), indicating the positive effect of addition of nanoalumina pigment to the coating. Shailesh K. Dhoke, Narayani Rajgopalan, and A. S. Khanna Copyright © 2013 Shailesh K. Dhoke et al. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 16:54:43 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/cdi/2013/496974/ New-onset diabetes mellitus after transplantation (NODAT) may complicate 2–50% of kidney transplantation, and it is associated with reduced graft and patient survivals. In this retrospective study, we applied a conversion protocol to sirolimus in a cohort of kidney transplant recipients with NODAT. Among 344 kidney transplant recipients, 29 patients developed a NODAT (6.6%) and continued with a reduced dose of calcineurin inhibitors (CNI) (8 patients, Group A) or were converted to sirolimus (SIR) (21 patients, Group B). NODAT resolved in 37.5% and in 80% patients in Group A and Group B, respectively. In Group A, patient and graft survivals were 100% and 75%, respectively, not significantly different from Group B (83.4% and 68%, resp., ). Graft function improved after conversion to sirolimus therapy: serum creatinine was 1.8 ± 0.7 mg/dL at the time of conversion and 1.6 ± 0.4 mg/dL five years after conversion to sirolimus therapy (), while in the group of patients remaining with a reduced dose of CNI, serum creatinine was 1.7 ± 0.6 mg/dL at the time of conversion and 1.65 ± 0.6 mg/dL at five-year followup (). This study demonstrated that the conversion from CNI to SIR in patients could improve significantly the metabolic parameters of patients with NODAT, without increasing the risk of acute graft rejection. Massimiliano Veroux, Tiziano Tallarita, Daniela Corona, Nunziata Sinagra, Alessia Giaquinta, Domenico Zerbo, Carmela Guerrieri, Antonino D'Assoro, Sebastiano Cimino, and Pierfrancesco Veroux Copyright © 2013 Massimiliano Veroux et al. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 16:23:33 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/bmri/2013/387230/ Many studies have shown that several Greek ecosystems inhabit very interesting bacteria with biotechnological properties. Therefore Streptomyces isolates from diverse Greek habitats were selected for their antifungal activity against the common phytopathogenic fungus Fusarium oxysporum. The isolate encoded ACTA1551, member of Streptomyces genus, could strongly suppress the fungal growth when examined in antagonistic bioassays in vitro. The isolate was found phylogenetically relative to Streptomyces rochei after analyzing its 16S rDNA sequence. The influence of different environmental conditions, such as medium composition, temperature, and pH on the expression of the antifungal activity was thoroughly examined. Streptomyces rochei ACTA1551 was able to protect tomato seeds from F. oxysporum infection in vivo while it was shown to promote the growth of tomato plants when the pathogen was absent. In an initial effort towards the elucidation of the biochemical and physiological nature of ACTA1551 antifungal activity, extracts from solid streptomycete cultures under antagonistic or/and not antagonistic conditions were concentrated and fractionated. The metabolites involved in the antagonistic action of the isolate showed to be more than one and produced independently of the presence of the pathogen. The above observations could support the application of Streptomyces rochei ACTA1551 as biocontrol agent against F. oxysporum. Grammatiki S. Kanini, Efstathios A. Katsifas, Alexandros L. Savvides, and Amalia D. Karagouni Copyright © 2013 Grammatiki S. Kanini et al. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 16:20:58 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/isrn/vs/2013/593029/ Association of Mycoplasma mycoides subspecies capri (Mmc) with natural goat mastitis has been studied earlier largely by detecting the Mmc DNA using molecular methods. However, report on detection of cultivable Mmc isolates from natural goat-mastitis milk is still very rare. In this study, Mmc was isolated from milk samples () of goats with or without clinical signs of mastitis. Mmc isolates were further characterized by biochemical and species-specific PCR methods. Intra species strain variation was also studied by 16S amplified rDNA restriction analysis (16S ARDRA). The study recovered a total of 6 Mmc isolates (3.5%). Three types of intraspecies variants among the recovered Mmc isolates were found by 16S ARDRA. The study concluded that Mmc may be an etiological agent of mycoplasmal mastitis in Indian goat herds. Vijay Kumar, Rajneesh Rana, Somya Mehra, and Pramod Kumar Rout Copyright © 2013 Vijay Kumar et al. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 16:19:41 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jamc/2013/261648/ Water-soluble fluorescent Ag nanoclusters (NCs) were synthesized at room temperature with sodium dodecyl sulfonate (SDS) as a protective agent. The effects of synthetic conditions on the fluorescence properties of Ag NCs were investigated. The results show that the fluorescence intensity of Ag NCs strongly depends on the synthetic conditions, such as the molar ratio of AgNO3 versus SDS and sodium borohydride (NaBH4), the reaction time, and the pH value of the reaction solution. Under the optimum conditions, the as-prepared Ag NCs exist in face-centered-cubic phase with an average size of 2 nm. Fluorescence spectra of Ag NCs show emission peaks at 365 nm for different excitation wavelength. Resonant absorptions are observed at 203 nm and 277 nm in the absorption spectrum, which can be used to establish the electronic levels in the Ag NCs system. Chengzhi Zheng, Huiping Wang, Lingzhi Liu, Manjun Zhang, Jiangong Liang, and Heyou Han Copyright © 2013 Chengzhi Zheng et al. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 16:18:51 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/amse/2013/486253/ The development of a lightweight composite (LC) based on Portland cement concrete with waste lightweight aggregate (WLA) additive was carried out to improve the sustainability and environmental impact and to offer potential cost savings without sacrificing strength. Treatment of the surface of the LC exposed to environmental attack by coating with biopolymer based on waste cooking oil doped with titanium dioxide photocatalysis (TOP) with superhydrophilic property was found to affect the mechanical properties of the LC in a systematic way. The results of compressive strength showed that the composite achieved the minimum required strength for lightweight construction materials of 17.2 MPa. Scratch resistance measurements showed that the highest percentages loading of superhydrophilic particles (up to 2.5% of biomonomer weight) for LC's surface coating gave the highest scratch resistance while the uncoated sample showed the least resistances. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) pictures revealed the difference between the surface roughness for LC with and without TOP coating. TOP is also formulated to provide self-cleaning LC surfaces based on two principal ways: (1) the development by coating the LC with a photocatalytic superhydrophilic, (2) if such a superhydrophilic is illuminated by light, the grease, dirt, and organic contaminants will be decomposed and can easily be swept away by rain. Anika Zafiah M. Rus, S. R. Mohid, S. Nurulsaidatulsyida, and N. Marsi Copyright © 2013 Anika Zafiah M. Rus et al. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 16:17:51 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/chem/2013/947137/ Traditional approaches to the development of integrated circuits involve the use and/or manufacture of toxic materials that have a potential environmental impact. An extensive research has been done to design environmentally benign synthetic polymers containing nucleic acid bases, which can be used to enhance the photoresistor technologies. Water soluble, environmentally benign photopolymers of 1-(4-vinylbenzyl) thymine (VBT) and vinylphenyl sufonate (VPS) undergo a photodimerization reaction when exposed to low levels of ultraviolet irradiation leading to an immobilization of the copolymer on a variety of substrates. Plackett-Burman design (PBD) and central composite design (CCD) were applied to identify the significant factors influencing the polymer crosslinking and dye adsorption processes, which are relevant in the fabrication of copolymer films for potential photoresist use. The PBD results assigned a maximum absorption signal of 0.67, while optimal conditions obtained in this experiment following the CCD method predictions provided a response of 0.83 ± 0.03, being a solid foundation for further use of this methodology in the production of potential photoresistors. The pH effect was relevant for low concentrations but not significant for higher concentrations. To the best of our knowledge, this was the first report applying statistical experimental designs to optimize the crosslinking of thymine-based polymers. Julieta Ledesma, Santiago A. Bortolato, Carlos E. Boschetti, and Débora M. Martino Copyright © 2013 Julieta Ledesma et al. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 16:15:17 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/aaa/2013/652083/ With the rapid development of marine economy industry, the activities for exploring and exploiting the marine resources are increasing, and there are more and more marine construction projects, which contribute to the growing trend of eutrophication and frequent occurrence of red tide. Thus, seawater quality has become the topic which the people generally cared about. The seawater quality evaluation could be considered as an analysis process which combined the evaluation indexes with certainty and evaluation factors with uncertainty and its changes. This paper built a model for the assessment of seawater environmental quality based on the multiobjective variable fuzzy set theory (VFEM). The Qingdao marine dumping site in China is taken as an evaluation example. Through the quantitative research of water-quality data from 2004 to 2008, the model is more reliable than other traditional methods, in which uncertainty and ambiguity of the seawater quality evaluation are considered, and trade the stable results as the final results of seawater quality evaluation, which effectively solved the impact of the fuzzy boundary of evaluation standard and monitoring error, is more suitable for evaluation of a multi-index, multilevel, and nonlinear marine environment system and has been proved to be an effective tool for seawater quality evaluation. Lina Ke and Huicheng Zhou Copyright © 2013 Lina Ke and Huicheng Zhou. 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 15:47:22 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/crim/otolaryngology/2013/967536/ We report the case of a 51-year-old male smoker with diabetes mellitus and hyperlipidaemia and a long history of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection treated with various antiretroviral regimes, who was referred to the otolaryngology department with progressive dysphonia. Fibre-optic laryngoscopy showed a solitary, yellowish-white pedunculated polyp on the anterior third of the left cord, with no other abnormality. Pathological analysis revealed a polypoid laryngeal xanthoma that was immunoreactive against CD68, perilipin, and adipophilin. This unusual laryngeal lesion in the clinical context of our patient suggests a possible role of antiretroviral treatment in the pathogenesis of these xanthomas. Francisco Vera-Sempere, Diego Collado-Martín, and Beatriz Vera-Sirera Copyright © 2013 Francisco Vera-Sempere et al. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 15:41:54 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/crim/dentistry/2013/517145/ Sturge-Weber syndrome (SWS) is a sporadic disorder and is frequent among the neurocutaneous syndromes specifically with vascular predominance. This syndrome consists of constellation of clinical features like facial nevus, seizures, hemiparesis, intracranial calcifications, and mental retardation. It is characterized by focal port-wine stain, ocular abnormalities (glaucoma), and choroidal hemangioma and leptomeningeal angioma most often involving occipital and parietal lobes. The present paper reports three cases of SWS with oral manifestations and periodontal management, which included thorough scaling and root planing followed by gingivectomy with scalpel and laser in cases 1 and 3 consecutively to treat the gingival enlargement. However, the treatment in case 2 was deferred as the patient was not a candidate for periodontal surgery. Butchibabu Kalakonda, Koppolu Pradeep, Ashank Mishra, Krishnanjaneya Reddy, Tupili Muralikrishna, Vijaya Lakshmi, and Radhika Challa Copyright © 2013 Butchibabu Kalakonda 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 15:39:48 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/cmmm/2013/376152/ Phonocardiography has shown a great potential for developing low-cost computer-aided diagnosis systems for cardiovascular monitoring. So far, most of the work reported regarding cardiosignal analysis using multifractals is oriented towards heartbeat dynamics. This paper represents a step towards automatic detection of one of the most common pathological syndromes, so-called mitral valve prolapse (MVP), using phonocardiograms and multifractal analysis. Subtle features characteristic for MVP in phonocardiograms may be difficult to detect. The approach for revealing such features should be locally based rather than globally based. Nevertheless, if their appearances are specific and frequent, they can affect a multifractal spectrum. This has been the case in our experiment with the click syndrome. Totally, 117 pediatric phonocardiographic recordings (PCGs), 8 seconds long each, obtained from 117 patients were used for PMV automatic detection. We propose a two-step algorithm to distinguish PCGs that belong to children with healthy hearts and children with prolapsed mitral valves (PMVs). Obtained results show high accuracy of the method. We achieved 96.91% accuracy on the dataset (97 recordings). Additionally, 90% accuracy is achieved for the evaluation dataset (20 recordings). Content of the datasets is confirmed by the echocardiographic screening. Ana Gavrovska, Goran Zajić, Irini Reljin, and Branimir Reljin Copyright © 2013 Ana Gavrovska et al. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 15:39:02 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/crim/obgyn/2013/186230/ We present a case with the rare combination of thrombotic and hemorrhagic complications of oral contraceptives. A healthy 40-year-old woman suffered from cardiac arrest due to massive pulmonary embolism, caused by oral contraceptives and immobilization during a flight. After successful resuscitation, obstructive shock necessitated thrombolysis and thereafter heparin. Anticoagulation was complicated by internal bleeding from contraceptive related hepatic adenoma. She underwent arterial embolisation, and anticoagulation was continued. On day 18, she was discharged in a good condition. Hepatic adenomas are a potential source of internal bleeding in women using oral contraceptives requiring anticoagulation. Signs of internal bleeding in such patients should prompt immediate abdominal ultrasound examination. Saheed Khan, Yvo M. Smulders, Johanna I. P. de Vries, and Angélique M. E. Spoelstra-de Man Copyright © 2013 Saheed Khan et al. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 15:38:01 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/crim/cc/2013/138959/ Introduction. Calcium channel blockers (CCBs) drugs are widely used in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. CCB poisoning is associated with significant cardiovascular toxicity and is potentially fatal. Currently, there is no specific antidote and the treatment of CCB poisoning is supportive; however, this supportive therapy is often insufficient. We present a clinical case of severe diltiazem poisoning and the therapeutic approaches that were used. Case Report. A 55-year-old male was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) after voluntary multiple drug intake, including extended release diltiazem (7200 mg). The patient developed symptoms of refractory shock to conventional therapy and required mechanical ventilation, a temporary pacemaker, and renal replacement therapy. Approximately 17 hours after drug intake, hyperinsulinaemia-euglycaemia with lipid emulsion therapy was initiated, followed by progressive haemodynamic recovery within approximately 30 minutes. The toxicological serum analysis 12 h after drug ingestion revealed a diltiazem serum level of 4778 ng/mL (therapeutic level: 40–200 ng/mL). Conclusions. This case report supports the therapeutic efficacy of hyperinsulinaemia-euglycaemia and lipid emulsion in the treatment of severe diltiazem poisoning. Nadine Monteiro, Joana Silvestre, João Gonçalves-Pereira, Camila Tapadinhas, Vitor Mendes, and Pedro Póvoa Copyright © 2013 Nadine Monteiro et al. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 15:36:46 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ecam/2013/350519/ Morus alba L. (MA) is a natural source of many compounds with different biological effects. It has been described to possess anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and hepatoprotective activities. The aim of this study was to evaluate cytotoxicity of three flavonoids isolated from MA (kuwanon E, cudraflavone B, and -O-methylkuwanon E) and to determine their effects on proliferation of THP-1 cells, and on cell cycle progression of cancer cells. Anti-inflammatory effects were also determined for all three given flavonoids. Methods used in the study included quantification of cells by hemocytometer and WST-1 assays, flow cytometry, western blotting, ELISA, and zymography. From the three compounds tested, cudraflavone B showed the strongest effects on cell cycle progression and viability of tumor and/or immortalized cells and also on inflammatory response of macrophage-like cells. Kuwanon E and -O-methylkuwanon E exerted more sophisticated rather than direct toxic effect on used cell types. Our data indicate that mechanisms different from stress-related or apoptotic signaling pathways are involved in the action of these compounds. Although further studies are required to precisely define the mechanisms of MA flavonoid action in human cancer and macrophage-like cells, here we demonstrate their effects combining antiproliferative and anti-inflammatory activities, respectively. Peter Kollar, Tomáš Bárta, Jan Hošek, Karel Souček, Veronika Müller Závalová, Shushan Artinian, Rabih Talhouk, Karel Šmejkal, Pavel Suchý Jr., and Aleš Hampl Copyright © 2013 Peter Kollar et al. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 15:32:17 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/crim/orthopedics/2013/172352/ The use of intramedullary nails to treat trochanteric fractures of the femur has increased with the increasing size of the elderly population. The third generation Gamma nail is currently one of the most popular devices for the treatment of trochanteric fractures. Nail breakage is a rare complication, possibly resulting from fatigue fracture of the implant. We present the first reported case of breakage of a third generation Gamma nail that was not used to treat a pathological fracture. An 83-year-old woman with an unstable trochanteric fracture of the femur was treated using a third generation Gamma nail. She was referred to our hospital 14 months postoperatively with nail breakage at the opening for the lag screw. The breakage was secondary to nonunion, which was thought to be mainly due to insufficient reduction of the fracture. The broken nail was removed, and the patient underwent cemented bipolar hemiarthroplasty. At followup 18 months later, she was mobile with a walker and asymptomatic with no complications. This case shows that inadequate operation such as insufficient reduction of the trochanteric fracture may result in nonunion and implant breakage, even when using a high-strength, well-designed implant. Takashi Iwakura, Takahiro Niikura, Sang Yang Lee, Yoshitada Sakai, Kotaro Nishida, Ryosuke Kuroda, and Masahiro Kurosaka Copyright © 2013 Takashi Iwakura 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 15:27:57 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/pc/2013/398253/ Purpose. To determine whether Ski-interacting protein (SKIP) regulates TGF-β1-stimulated expression of urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA), matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), and uPA Inhibitor (PAI-1) in the androgen-independent human prostate cancer cell model. Materials and Methods. PC-3 prostate cancer cell line was used. The role of SKIP was evaluated using synthetic small interference RNA (siRNA) compounds. The expression of uPA, MMP-9, and PAI-1 was evaluated by zymography assays, RT-PCR, and promoter transactivation analysis. Results. In PC-3 cells TGF-β1 treatment stimulated uPA, PAI-1, and MMP-9 expressions. The knockdown of SKIP in PC-3 cells enhanced the basal level of uPA, and TGF-β1 treatment inhibited uPA production. Both PAI-1 and MMP-9 production levels were increased in response to TGF-β1. The ectopic expression of SKIP inhibited both TGF-β1-induced uPA and MMP-9 promoter transactivation, while PAI-1 promoter response to the factor was unaffected. Conclusions. SKIP regulates the expression of uPA, PAI-1, and MMP-9 stimulated by TGF-β1 in PC-3 cells. Thus, SKIP is implicated in the regulation of extracellular matrix degradation and can therefore be suggested as a novel therapeutic target in prostate cancer treatment. Victor Villar, Jelena Kocic, and Juan F. Santibanez Copyright © 2013 Victor Villar et al. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 15:16:54 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ijdsn/2013/407971/ Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are spreading rapidly due to their flexibility to communicate which demands a secure environment. The most important requirements of WSN security are confidentiality, authentication, and integrity. User authentication is necessary for legitimate access control in WSNs. Sensors have limited processing power, bandwidth, memory, and limited communication abilities. Significantly, the system must produce an authentication method to confirme if the user is legal or not. In this paper, we present a solution based on biometric and adapt it for a WSN environment. The proposed protocol involves simple operations and light computations. The main advantage of the proposed protocol is using the user's iris to regenerate the user’s key on-the-fly every time the user wants be authenticated which dramatically enhances security aspects in WSNs. The key used in this protocol is stronger than passwords and shorter than biometric data, which balances between security and performance. Our protocol uses much light computations and simple operations in both homogenous and heterogeneous environments; therefore, it is suitable to the WSNs. Ohood Althobaiti, Mznah Al-Rodhaan, and Abdullah Al-Dhelaan Copyright © 2013 Ohood Althobaiti et al. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 15:15:52 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/aaa/2013/748683/ Fluids subject to thermal gradients produce complex behaviors that arise from the competition with gravitational effects. Although such sort of systems have been widely studied in the literature for simple (Newtonian) fluids, the behavior of viscoelastic fluids has not been explored thus far. We present a theoretical study of the dynamics of a Maxwell viscoelastic fluid in a closed-loop thermosyphon. This sort of fluid presents elastic-like behavior and memory effects. We study the asymptotic properties of the fluid inside the thermosyphon and the exact equations of motion in the inertial manifold that characterizes the asymptotic behavior. We derive, for the first time, the mathematical derivations of the motion of a viscoelastic fluid in the interior of a closed-loop thermosyphon under the effects of natural convection and a given external temperature gradient. Justine Yasappan, Ángela Jiménez-Casas, and Mario Castro Copyright © 2013 Justine Yasappan et al. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 15:13:34 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ddns/2013/104173/ In fractional calculus, there are two approaches to obtain fractional derivatives. The first approach is by iterating the integral and then defining a fractional order by using Cauchy formula to obtain Riemann fractional integrals and derivatives. The second approach is by iterating the derivative and then defining a fractional order by making use of the binomial theorem to obtain Grünwald-Letnikov fractional derivatives. In this paper we formulate the delta and nabla discrete versions for left and right fractional integrals and derivatives representing the second approach. Then, we use the discrete version of the Q-operator and some discrete fractional dual identities to prove that the presented fractional differences and sums coincide with the discrete Riemann ones describing the first approach. Thabet Abdeljawad, Dumitru Baleanu, Fahd Jarad, and Ravi P. Agarwal Copyright © 2013 Thabet Abdeljawad et al. 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 15:02:07 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jnt/2013/939531/ One-dimensional BiFeO3 (BFO) nanofibers fabricated by electrospinning of a solution of Nylon6/BFO followed by calcination were used for photocatalytic degradation of contaminants in water. The BFO fibers were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and UV-Vis spectroscopy. The SEM images of the as-spun samples demonstrated the successful production of nanofibers and the SEM images of the samples after calcination confirmed the integrity of the continuous BFO nanofibers. XRD analysis indicated the dominant presence of BFO phase throughout the calcinated nanofibers. Photocatalytic activity of the nanofibers and their application in water purification were investigated against 4-chlorophenol (4CP) as a model water contaminant. The results of the UV-Vis spectroscopy show the degradation of the 4CP by means of the photocatalytic activity of the BFO nanofibers. The kinetics of the photodegradation of 4CP is believed to be governed by a pseudo-first-order kinetics model. Parmiss Mojir Shaibani, K. Prashanthi, Amirreza Sohrabi, and Thomas Thundat Copyright © 2013 Parmiss Mojir Shaibani et al. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 15:01:47 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ije/2013/976810/ The main aim of this study is to assess the inflammatory markers in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) by measuring some cytokines concentrations and lymphocytes subset and correlate them with other laboratory investigations. Fifty-seven patients with type-2 diabetes and 30 healthy volunteers were enrolled in this study. Data for the C-reactive protein (CRP), haemoglobin, HbA1c, and autoantibody levels were obtained from the patients files. The cytokine concentrations were measured in patient’s serum using commercially available ELISA assays. Lymphocytes subsets were measured by flow cytometric methods. The levels of IL-1, IL-6, IL-15, and TNF- were found to be decreased in T2DM patients, whereas the levels of IL-10, IFN-, and caspase-1 were increased, compared to normal controls. T2DM patients with hypertension show significantly decreased levels of IL-1 and caspase-1 compared to patients without hypertension. No significant differences in lymphocytes subset between cases and normal control were observed. Significant correlations were found between HbA1c and IL-6; body mass index (BMI) was significantly correlated with CRP, TNF-, and phosphate; the weight (Wt) was associated with CRP and IFN-. In conclusion, an alteration in the function of the immune system was observed in T2DM patient. Ahmed Al-Shukaili, Saif AL-Ghafri, Safia Al-Marhoobi, Said Al-Abri, Jawad Al-Lawati, and Masoud Al-Maskari Copyright © 2013 Ahmed Al-Shukaili et al. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 14:56:44 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/crim/pediatrics/2013/623102/ Pulmonary sequestration is a congenital abnormality consisting of a mass of pulmonary tissue that presents an abnormal connection with the tracheobronchial tree, with a blood supply coming from an anomalous artery derived from the systemic circulation. Extralobar pulmonary sequestration is characterized by having pleural coverings that are independent of the normal lungs, with vascular supply usually coming from the aorta or from one of its branches. This diagnosis can be suspected prenatally if an abdominal mass, generally below the diaphragm, is seen. Here, we present a case of a neonate on the second day of life, with ultrasonography showing extralobar pulmonary sequestration located above the left adrenal gland that prenatally simulated a neuroblastoma. Claudio Rodrigues Pires, Adriano Czapkowski, Edward Araujo Júnior, and Sebastião Marques Zanforlin Filho Copyright © 2013 Claudio Rodrigues Pires et al. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 14:53:43 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/oximed/2013/972913/ Glutathione (GSH) plays an important role in a multitude of cellular processes, including cell differentiation, proliferation, and apoptosis, and disturbances in GSH homeostasis are involved in the etiology and progression of many human diseases including cancer. While GSH deficiency, or a decrease in the GSH/glutathione disulphide (GSSG) ratio, leads to an increased susceptibility to oxidative stress implicated in the progression of cancer, elevated GSH levels increase the antioxidant capacity and the resistance to oxidative stress as observed in many cancer cells. The present review highlights the role of GSH and related cytoprotective effects in the susceptibility to carcinogenesis and in the sensitivity of tumors to the cytotoxic effects of anticancer agents. Nicola Traverso, Roberta Ricciarelli, Mariapaola Nitti, Barbara Marengo, Anna Lisa Furfaro, Maria Adelaide Pronzato, Umberto Maria Marinari, and Cinzia Domenicotti Copyright © 2013 Nicola Traverso et al. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 14:49:47 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/sci/2013/507301/ Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are currently defined as multipotent stromal cells that undergo sustained in vitro growth and can give rise to cells of multiple mesenchymal lineages, such as adipocytes, chondrocytes, and osteoblasts. The regenerative and immunosuppressive properties of MSCs have led to numerous clinical trials exploring their utility for the treatment of a variety of diseases (e.g., acute graft-versus-host disease, Crohn’s disease, multiple sclerosis, osteoarthritis, and cardiovascular diseases including heart failure and myocardial infarction). On the other hand, conventionally cultured MSCs reflect heterogeneous populations that often contain contaminating cells due to the significant variability in isolation methods and the lack of specific MSC markers. This review article focuses on recent developments in the MSC research field, with a special emphasis on the identification of novel surface markers for the in vivo localization and prospective isolation of murine and human MSCs. Furthermore, we discuss the physiological importance of MSC subtypes in vivo with specific reference to data supporting their contribution to HSC niche homeostasis. The isolation of MSCs using selective markers (combination of PDGFRα and Sca-1) is crucial to address the many unanswered questions pertaining to these cells and has the potential to enhance their therapeutic potential enormously. Yo Mabuchi, Diarmaid D. Houlihan, Chihiro Akazawa, Hideyuki Okano, and Yumi Matsuzaki Copyright © 2013 Yo Mabuchi 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 14:47:55 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/aop/2013/806267/ Objective. Posterior dynamic stabilization is an effective alternative to fusion in the treatment of chronic instability and degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the lumbar spine. This study was undertaken to investigate the efficacy of dynamic stabilization in chronic degenerative disc disease with Modic types 1 and 2. Modic types 1 and 2 degeneration can be painful. Classic approach in such cases is spine fusion. We operated 88 DDD patients with Modic types 1 and 2 via posterior dynamic stabilization. Good results were obtained after 2 years of followup. Methods. A total of 88 DDD patients with Modic types 1 and 2 were selected for this study. The patients were included in the study between 2004 and 2010. All of them were examined with lumbar anteroposterior (AP) and lateral X-rays. Lordosis of the lumbar spine, segmental lordosis, and ratio of the height of the intervertebral disc spaces (IVSs) were measured preoperatively and at 3, 12, and 24 months after surgery. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) analysis was carried out, and according to the data obtained, the grade of disc degeneration was classified. The quality of life and pain scores were evaluated by visual analog scale (VAS) score and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) preoperatively and at 3, 12, and 24 months after surgery. Appropriate statistical method was chosen. Results. The mean 3- and 12-month postoperative IVS ratio was significantly greater than that of the preoperative group (). However, the mean 1 and 2 postoperative IVS ratio was not significantly different (). Furthermore, the mean preoperative and 1 and 2 postoperative angles of lumbar lordosis and segmental lordosis were not significantly different (). The mean VAS score and ODI, 3, 12, and 24 months after surgery, decreased significantly, when compared with the preoperative scores in the groups (). Conclusion. Dynamic stabilization in chronic degenerative disc disease with Modic types 1 and 2 was effective. Olcay Eser, Cengiz Gomleksiz, Mehdi Sasani, Tunc Oktenoglu, Ahmet Levent Aydin, Yaprak Ataker, Tuncer Suzer, and Ali Fahir Ozer Copyright © 2013 Olcay Eser et al. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 14:47:35 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ecam/2013/621423/ The dominant paradigm of “one gene, one target, one disease” has influenced many aspects of drug discovery strategy. However, in recent years, it has been appreciated that many effective drugs act on multiple targets rather than a single one. As an integrated multidisciplinary concept, network pharmacology, which is based on system biology and polypharmacology, affords a novel network mode of “multiple targets, multiple effects, complex diseases” and replaces the “magic bullets” by “magic shotguns.” Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) has been recognized as one of the most important strategies in complementary and alternative medicine. Though CHM has been practiced for a very long time, its effectiveness and beneficial contribution to public health has not been fully recognized. Also, the knowledge on the mechanisms of CHM formulas is scarce. In the present review, the concept and significance of network pharmacology is briefly introduced. The application and potential role of network pharmacology in the CHM fields is also discussed, such as data collection, target prediction, network visualization, multicomponent interaction, and network toxicology. Furthermore, the developing tendency of network pharmacology is also summarized, and its role in CHM research is discussed. Gui-biao Zhang, Qing-ya Li, Qi-long Chen, and Shi-bing Su Copyright © 2013 Gui-biao Zhang et al. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 14:47:07 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jam/2013/680975/ Nonnegativity of the Moore-Penrose inverse of a perturbation of the form is considered when . Using a generalized version of the Sherman-Morrison-Woodbury formula, conditions for to be nonnegative are derived. Applications of the results are presented briefly. Iterative versions of the results are also studied. Shani Jose and K. C. Sivakumar Copyright © 2013 Shani Jose and K. C. Sivakumar. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 14:45:09 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/srcm/2013/520858/ A rare sclerosing variant of rhabdomyosarcoma characterized by prominent hyalinization and pseudovascular pattern has recently been described as a subtype biologically distinct from embryonal, alveolar, and pleomorphic forms. We present cytogenetic and molecular findings as well as experimental studies of an unusual case of sclerosing rhabdomyosarcoma. The primary lesion arose within the plantar subcutaneous tissue of the left foot of an otherwise healthy 23-year-old male who eventually developed pulmonary nodules despite systemic chemotherapy. Two genetic abnormalities identified in surgical and/or autopsy samples of the tumor were introduced into 10T1/2 murine fibroblasts to determine whether these genetic changes cooperatively facilitated transformation and growth. Cytogenetic analysis revealed a complex abnormal hyperdiploid clone, and MDM2 gene amplification was confirmed by fluorescence in situ hybridization. Cancer gene mutation screening using a combination of multiplexed PCR and mass spectroscopy revealed a PIK3CA exon 20 H1047R mutation in the primary tumor, lung metastasis, and liver metastasis. However, this mutation was not cooperative with MDM2 overexpression in experimental assays for transformation or growth. Nevertheless, MDM2 and PIK3CA are genes worthy of further investigation in patients with sclerosing rhabdomyosarcoma and might be considered in the enrollment of these patients into clinical trials of targeted therapeutics. Ken Kikuchi, George R. Wettach, Christopher W. Ryan, Arthur Hung, Jody E. Hooper, Carol Beadling, Andrea Warrick, Christopher L. Corless, Susan B. Olson, Charles Keller, and Atiya Mansoor Copyright © 2013 Ken Kikuchi et al. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 14:44:41 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/mpe/2013/530932/ Numerical solutions of the linear differential boundary issues are obtained by using a local polynomial estimator method with kernel smoothing. To achieve this, a combination of a local polynomial-based method and its differential form has been used. The computed results with the use of this technique have been compared with the exact solution and other existing methods to show the required accuracy of it. The effectiveness of this method is verified by three illustrative examples. The presented method is seen to be a very reliable alternative method to some existing techniques for such realistic problems. Numerical results show that the solution of this method is more accurate than that of other methods. Liyun Su, Tianshun Yan, Yanyong Zhao, and Fenglan Li Copyright © 2013 Liyun Su et al. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 14:43:38 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/mpe/2013/745637/ The Multiple Encounters Problem is described in the literature as the problem of finding trajectories for a spacecraft that leaves from a mother planet, describes a trajectory in the interplanetary space, and then goes back to the mother planet. The present paper extends the literature and the departure and arrival angles of the spacecraft are generalized to be nonsymmetrical. The solutions are shown in terms of the true () and eccentric anomaly (). The velocity variation () required for the transfer is also shown. Then, this study is generalized to consider the possibility that the spacecraft makes a close approach with the mother planet to change its energy in the return trip. The velocity () and energy variation () due to this passage are obtained. The topics studied here can be applied in missions that leave and come back to the Earth, with the goal of studying the interplanetary space, as well as for missions whose objective is to make an alteration in the energy of the space vehicle through a swing-by with the mother body. Denilson Paulo Souza dos Santos, Antônio Fernando Bertachini de Almeida Prado, and Evandro Marconi Rocco Copyright © 2013 Denilson Paulo Souza dos Santos et al. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 14:43:03 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jnm/2013/367510/ Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) based on a TiO2 photoanode have been considered as an alternative source in the field of renewable energy resources. In DSSCs, photoanode plays a key role to achieve excellent photo-to-electric conversion efficiency. The surface morphology, surface area, TiO2 crystal phase, and the dispersion of TiO2 nanoparticles are the most important factors influencing the properties of a photoanode. The smooth TiO2 surface morphology of the photoanode indicates closely packed arrangement of TiO2 particles which enhance the light harvesting efficiency of the cell. In this paper, a smooth TiO2 photoanode has been successfully prepared using a well-dispersed anatase TiO2 nanosol via a simple hydrothermal process. The above TiO2 photoanode was then compared with the photoanode made from commercial TiO2 nanoparticle pastes. The morphological and structural analyses of both the aforementioned photoanodes were comprehensively characterized by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis. The DSSC fabricated by using a-TiO2 nanosol-based photoelectrode exhibited an overall light conversion efficiency of 7.20% and a short-circuit current density of 13.34 mA cm−2, which was significantly higher than those of the DSSCs with the TiO2 nanoparticles-based electrodes. Sasipriya Kathirvel, Huei-Siou Chen, Chaochin Su, Hsiue-Hsyan Wang, Chung-Yen Li, and Wen-Ren Li Copyright © 2013 Sasipriya Kathirvel et al. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 14:41:25 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ijrm/2013/512674/ This paper shows a theoretical vibration analysis regarding the controller’s parameters and the gyroscopic effect, based on a simplified rotordynamic model. Combined with 600 Wh energy storage flywheel rotor system mathematical model, the Campbell diagram of the rotor system was obtained by the calculation of the whirl frequency under different parameters of the controller in MATLAB to analyze the effect of the controller parameter on the whirl frequency and to limit the operating speed and acceleration or deceleration of the rotor. The result of the analysis can be used to set the support position of the rotor system, limit the ratio of transverse moment of inertia and the polar moment of inertia, and direct the flywheel prototype future design. The presented simplified rotordynamic model can also be applied to rotating machines. Jing-na Liu, Zheng-yi Ren, Shan-wei Wu, and Yin-long Tang Copyright © 2013 Jing-na Liu et al. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 14:40:29 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jam/2013/291816/ This paper addresses the issue of approximate controllability for a class of control system which is represented by nonlinear fractional integrodifferential equations with nonlocal conditions. By using semigroup theory, p-mean continuity and fractional calculations, a set of sufficient conditions, are formulated and proved for the nonlinear fractional control systems. More precisely, the results are established under the assumption that the corresponding linear system is approximately controllable and functions satisfy non-Lipschitz conditions. The results generalize and improve some known results. R. Ganesh, R. Sakthivel, N. I. Mahmudov, and S. M. Anthoni Copyright © 2013 R. Ganesh et al. 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 14:37:19 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ame/2013/130750/ Engineering optimization problems usually contain various constraints and mixed integer-discrete-continuous types of design variables. We propose an efficient particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm for such problems. First, we transform the constrained optimization problem into an unconstrained problem without introducing problem-dependent or user-defined parameters such as penalty factors or Lagrange multipliers (such parameters are usually required in general optimization algorithms). Then, we extend the above PSO method to handle integer, discrete, and continuous design variables in a simple manner with a high degree of precision. The proposed PSO scheme is fairly simple and therefore easy to implement. To demonstrate the effectiveness of our method, several mechanical design optimization problems are solved, and the numerical results are compared with results reported in the literature. Semin Chun, Young-Tark Kim, and Tae-Hyoung Kim Copyright © 2013 Semin Chun et al. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 14:35:21 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ecam/2013/129315/ To help the clinicians prescribe acupoints easily and effectively, we developed one simple flow chart to select acupoints. This study aimed to evaluate the usefulness of flow chart to select acupoints in dogs. Total 102 dogs showing intervertebral disc disease (IVDD) (), vomiting (), diarrhea (), abdominal pain (), cough (), or epilepsy () received acupuncture treatment according to the chart, and its outcomes were evaluated as regards clinical symptoms, duration, treatment numbers, and recovery time. Dogs (8/8) with IVDD from grades I to III recovered over periods of 5 days to 6 weeks after 1–12 treatments, while 1/4 dogs with grade IV recovered over 7 weeks after 15 treatments. Vomiting dogs with acute/subacute () and chronic symptoms () required about 1 and 7 treatments to recover fully, respectively. All dogs () with abdominal pain showed fast relief within 24 hours after acupuncture. Two diarrhea cases recovered over 2–9 days after 1-2 treatments. Fifty-four of 66 coughing dogs were recovered by 1-2 treatments. And 5 of 6 epilepsy dogs under a regular acupuncture treatment had no epileptic episode during followup of 12 months. These results suggest that this flow chart can help the clinicians prescribe acupoints effectively. Jong-Ho Jeong, Joo-Young Song, Hyo-Gwon Jo, Ji-Min Kim, Samuel-S. Yoon, Chul Park, Seunghyun Kim, Seong-Soo Roh, Bong Hyo Lee, Chae Ha Yang, and Hee Young Kim Copyright © 2013 Jong-Ho Jeong et al. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 14:34:09 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ecam/2013/928129/ Cancer chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) often results in discontinuation of treatment with potentially useful anticancer drugs and may deteriorate the patient’s quality of life. This study investigated the effect of contact needle therapy (CNT) on CIPN caused by responsible chemotherapeutic agents as taxanes and oxaliplatin. Six patients with CIPN were treated with CNT. The severity of CIPN was evaluated using the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) version 4 and FACT/GOG-Ntx before and after CNT. After the treatment, all of the patients showed some improvement. Four patients showed apparent improvement in breakthrough pain. One of the cases had difficulty in walking because of CIPN in lower extremities, but after 2 times of CNT, he could walk without pain and could continue the chemotherapy. Although its putative mechanisms remain elusive, CNT has strong potential as an adjunctive therapy in CIPN. Well-designed clinical trials with adequate sample size and power are necessary to confirm the findings of this study. Keiko Ogawa, Masao Ogawa, Koji Nishijima, Masaki Tsuda, and Genichi Nishimura Copyright © 2013 Keiko Ogawa et al. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 14:28:03 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ijcb/2013/647975/ The prevalence of obesity has given rise to significant global concerns as numerous population-based studies demonstrate an incontrovertible association between obesity and breast cancer. Mechanisms proposed to account for this linkage include exaggerated levels of carbohydrate substrates, elevated levels of circulating mitogenic hormones, and inflammatory cytokines that impinge on epithelial programming in many tissues. Moreover, recently many scientists have rediscovered the observation, first described by Otto Warburg nearly a century ago, that most cancer cells undergo a dramatic metabolic shift in energy utilization and expenditure that fuels and supports the cellular expansion associated with malignant proliferation. This shift in substrate oxidation comes at the cost of sharp changes in the levels of the high energy intermediate, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH). In this review, we discuss a novel example of how shifts in the concentration and flux of substrates metabolized and generated during carbohydrate metabolism represent components of a signaling network that can influence epigenetic regulatory events in the nucleus. We refer to this regulatory process as “metabolic transduction” and describe how the C-terminal binding protein (CtBP) family of NADH-dependent nuclear regulators represents a primary example of how cellular metabolic status can influence epigenetic control of cellular function and fate. Jung S. Byun and Kevin Gardner Copyright © 2013 Jung S. Byun and Kevin Gardner. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 14:24:09 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ecam/2013/716094/ Objective. To evaluate clinical trial evidence of the effectiveness of qigong exercise on depressive and anxiety symptoms. Methods. Thirteen databases were searched from their respective inception through December 2012. Relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were included. Effects of qigong across trials were pooled. Standardized mean differences (SMDs) were calculated for the pooled effects. Heterogeneity was assessed using the I2 test. Study quality was evaluated using the Wayne Checklist. Results. Twelve RCTs met the inclusion criteria. The results of meta-analyses suggested a beneficial effect of qigong exercise on depressive symptoms when compared to waiting-list controls or usual care only (SMD = −0.75; 95% CI, −1.44 to −0.06), group newspaper reading (SMD = −1.24; 95% CI, −1.64 to −0.84), and walking or conventional exercise (SMD = −0.52; 95% CI, −0.85 to −0.19), which might be comparable to that of cognitive-behavioral therapy (). Available evidence did not suggest a beneficial effect of qigong exercise on anxiety symptoms. Conclusion. Qigong may be potentially beneficial for management of depressive symptoms, but the results should be interpreted with caution due to the limited number of RCTs and associated methodological weaknesses. Further rigorously designed RCTs are warranted. Chong-Wen Wang, Cecilia Lai Wan Chan, Rainbow T. H. Ho, Hector W. H. Tsang, Celia Hoi Yan Chan, and Siu-Man Ng Copyright © 2013 Chong-Wen Wang et al. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 14:21:08 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/mi/2013/863036/ To test the hypothesis that brain-derived neurotrophic factor-(BDNF-) mediated neuroprotection is reduced by high-mobility group box-1 (HMGB1) in diabetic retina, paired vitreous and serum samples from 46 proliferative diabetic retinopathy and 34 nondiabetic patients were assayed for BDNF, HMGB1, soluble receptor for advanced glycation end products (sRAGE), soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), and TBARS. We also examined retinas of diabetic and HMGB1 intravitreally injected rats. The effect of the HMGB1 inhibitor glycyrrhizin on diabetes-induced changes in retinal BDNF expressions was studied. Western blot, ELISA, and TBARS assays were used. BDNF was not detected in vitreous samples. BDNF levels were significantly lower in serum samples from diabetic patients compared with nondiabetics, whereas HMGB1, sRAGE, sICAM-1, and TBARS levels were significantly higher in diabetic serum samples. MCP-1 levels did not differ significantly. There was significant inverse correlation between serum levels of BDNF and HMGB1. Diabetes and intravitreal administration of HMGB1 induced significant upregulation of the expression of HMGB1, TBARS, and cleaved caspase-3, whereas the expression of BDNF and synaptophysin was significantly downregulated in rat retinas. Glycyrrhizin significantly attenuated diabetes-induced downregulation of BDNF. Our results suggest that HMGB1-induced downregulation of BDNF might be involved in pathogenesis of diabetic retinal neurodegeneration. Ahmed M. Abu El-Asrar, Mohd Imtiaz Nawaz, Mohammad Mairaj Siddiquei, Abdullah S. Al-Kharashi, Dustan Kangave, and Ghulam Mohammad Copyright © 2013 Ahmed M. Abu El-Asrar et al. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 14:15:07 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/aaa/2013/619068/ The existence and uniqueness of local strong solutions for a nonlinear equation are investigated in the Sobolev space provided that the initial value lies in with . Meanwhile, we prove the existence of global weak solutions in for the equation. Meng Wu Copyright © 2013 Meng Wu. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 14:12:57 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/mpe/2013/498385/ This paper presents an approach to bearing fault diagnosis based on the Teager energy operator (TEO) and Elman neural network. The TEO can estimate the total mechanical energy required to generate signals, thereby resulting in good time resolution and self-adaptability to transient signals. These attributes reflect the advantage of detecting signal impact characteristics. To detect the impact characteristics of the vibration signals of bearing faults, we used the TEO to extract the cyclical impact caused by bearing failure and applied the wavelet packet to reduce the noise of the Teager energy signal. This approach also enabled the extraction of bearing fault feature frequencies, which were identified using the fast Fourier transform of Teager energy. The feature frequencies of the inner and outer faults, as well as the ratio of resonance frequency band energy to total energy in the Teager spectrum, were extracted as feature vectors. In order to avoid a frequency leak error, the weighted Teager spectrum around the fault frequency was extracted as feature vector. These vectors were then used to train the Elman neural network and improve the robustness of the diagnostic algorithm. Experimental results indicate that the proposed approach effectively detects bearing faults under variable conditions. Hongmei Liu, Jing Wang, and Chen Lu Copyright © 2013 Hongmei Liu et al. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 14:10:13 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/crim/pathology/2013/201095/ We present the first description of amiodarone toxicity in the liver without phospholipidosis or steatosis. In doing so, we will review the various effects of amiodarone toxicity in various organs. The patient is a young adult who had cardiac reconstruction as a child for transposition of the great vessels. A needle biopsy was taken due to elevated liver enzymes. Her ALT was 188 U/L (5–50) and AST 162 U/L (5–50). Alkaline phosphatase, total bilirubin, protein, and albumin were within normal limits. A serologic panel for viral hepatitis was negative. Antinuclear antibodies were positive at 260; however, anti-smooth muscle antibody and anti-mitochondrial antibody were negative. A protein electrophoresis showed a slightly elevated beta globulin 2 level of 0.5. Quantitative immunoglobulin levels were within normal limits except for a slightly elevated IgA 409 mg/dL (60–350). Liver ultrasound was unremarkable. The clinical differential was broad and included hepatic congestion along with autoimmune hepatitis. Sections showed only ballooned hepatocytes with Mallory-Denk bodies and perisinusoidal fibrosis. Arrival to the diagnosis was possible only after careful review of the patient’s medications. After discontinuation of amiodarone, the patient’s liver enzymes returned to normal levels. Adela Cimic and Joseph Sirintrapun Copyright © 2013 Adela Cimic and Joseph Sirintrapun. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 14:09:48 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ecam/2013/257108/ Bioassay-guided isolation of the active hexane fractions of Curcuma zedoaria led to the identification of five pure compounds, namely, curzerenone (1), neocurdione (2), curdione (3), alismol (4), and zederone (5) and a mixture of sterols, namely, campesterol (6), stigmasterol (7), and β-sitosterol (8). Alismol has never been reported to be present in Curcuma zedoaria. All isolated compounds except (3) were evaluated for their cytotoxic activity against MCF-7, Ca Ski, and HCT-116 cancer cell lines and noncancer human fibroblast cell line (MRC-5) using neutral red cytotoxicity assay. Curzerenone and alismol significantly inhibited cell proliferation in human cancer cell lines MCF-7, Ca Ski, and HCT-116 in a dose-dependent manner. Cytological observations by an inverted phase contrast microscope and Hoechst 33342/PI dual-staining assay showed typical apoptotic morphology of cancer cells upon treatment with curzerenone and alismol. Both compounds induce apoptosis through the activation of caspase-3. It can thus be suggested that curzerenone and alismol are modulated by apoptosis via caspase-3 signalling pathway. The findings of the present study support the use of Curcuma zedoaria rhizomes in traditional medicine for the treatment of cancer-related diseases. Thus, two naturally occurring sesquiterpenoids, curzerenone and alismol, hold great promise for use in chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic strategies. Syarifah Nur Syed Abdul Rahman, Norhanom Abdul Wahab, and Sri Nurestri Abd Malek Copyright © 2013 Syarifah Nur Syed Abdul Rahman et al. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 14:07:38 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/isrn/obesity/2013/584547/ The recruitment of new fat cells through adipogenesis may prevent the development of obesity-related comorbidities. However, adipogenic capacity is markedly reduced in mature adults. This study examined how initiation of high-fat feeding at different phases of adulthood modified adipose tissue (AT) morphology and obesity phenotype in obese and diabetic Zucker Diabetic Sprague Dawley (ZDSD) rats. For this, rodents were provided high-fat diet (HFD) beginning at 63, 84, or 112 d after parturition until termination . At termination, ZDSD rats fed HFD beginning at 63 d after parturition (early adulthood) exhibited greater body fat and lower lean mass without significant changes to energy intake or body weight. Moreover, early high fat feeding increased adipocyte size and number, whereas these effects were absent at 84 or 112 d after parturition. At 126 d after parturition, there were no detectable transcript differences in PPARγ or C/EBPα. However, rodents provided HFD in early adolescence exhibited lower expression of canonical Wnt signaling intermediates. Corresponding with these changes was a marked reduction in AT-specific inflammation, as well as overall improvement in systemic glucose, lipid, and inflammatory homeostasis. Taken together, these data indicate that dietary regulation of adipocyte recruitment in adolescence may represent a major determinant of obesity phenotype. Jeremy E. Davis, James Cain, William J. Banz, and Richard G. Peterson Copyright © 2013 Jeremy E. Davis et al. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 13:59:53 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jnm/2013/718979/ A facile method was developed to synthesize Al(OH)3 nanostructures from Al(OH)3 microagglomerates by dissolution in 9.0 mol·L−1 NaOH at 115°C followed by dilution and aging of the solution at room temperature. The influence of Al(OH)3 nanoseed and surfactants as sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), polyethylene glycol 6000 (PEG6000), and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) on the formation of the Al(OH)3 nano-structures was investigated. The experimental results indicated that the Al(OH)3 microspheres composed of nanoparticles were prepared in the blank experiment, while dispersive Al(OH)3 nano-particles with a diameter of 80–100 nm were produced in the presence of Al(OH)3 nano-seed and CTAB. Bo Yu, Zhenhao Tian, Jie Xiong, and Lan Xiang Copyright © 2013 Bo Yu et al. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 13:42:30 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/np/2013/613197/ We assessed the effects of anodal/cathodal direct current stimulation (DCS) applied epidurally over the cerebellum. We studied the excitability of both the motor cortex and the anterior horn of the spinal cord in adult rats under continuous anesthesia. We also investigated the effects on the spatial representation of a couple of agonist/antagonist muscles on primary motor cortex. Moreover, we evaluated the effects on the afferent inhibition in a paradigm of conditioned corticomotor responses. Anodal DCS of the cerebellum (1) decreased the excitability of the motor cortex, (2) reduced the excitability of waves, as shown by the decrease of both mean /mean ratios and persistence of waves, (3) exerted a “smoothing effect” on corticomotor maps, reshaping the representation of muscles on the motor cortex, and (4) enhanced the afferent inhibition of conditioned motor evoked responses. Cathodal DCS of the cerebellum exerted partially reverse effects. DCS of the cerebellum modulates the excitability of both motor cortex and spinal cord at the level of the anterior horn. This is the first demonstration that cerebellar DCS tunes the shape of corticomotor maps. Our findings provide a novel mechanism by which DCS of the cerebellum exerts a remote neuromodulatory effect upon motor cortex. Nordeyn Oulad Ben Taib and Mario Manto Copyright © 2013 Nordeyn Oulad Ben Taib and Mario Manto. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 13:40:00 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/isrn/mp/2013/685736/ The modified simple equation (MSE) method is executed to find the traveling wave solutions for the coupled Konno-Oono equations and the variant Boussinesq equations. The efficiency of this method for finding exact solutions and traveling wave solutions has been demonstrated. It has been shown that the proposed method is direct, effective, and can be used for many other nonlinear evolution equations (NLEEs) in mathematical physics. Moreover, this procedure reduces the large volume of calculations. Kamruzzaman Khan and M. Ali Akbar Copyright © 2013 Kamruzzaman Khan and M. Ali Akbar. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 13:34:51 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/isrn/ac/2013/548296/ Seeds and skins derived from the small berries of “uva di Troia canosina” grape, a Vitis vinifera variety autochthonous of Apulia region (South Italy), collected at four different stages (“Tesi” 1–4) of the fermentation process were extracted by means of a maceration. The extracts were purified and analyzed, in order to study the influence of fermentation over grape seed and skin polyphenolic content. Seed extraction was performed by a multistep maceration with two solvents: ethanol and acetone, the former giving the best results; moreover, the extracts were purified with pure ethyl acetate in order to enrich their polyphenolic content. On the other hand, skin extraction was achieved by a single-step maceration in methanol and a purification with a brominated synthetic adsorbent resin. The evaluation of the extraction yield and polyphenolic content was carried out by TLC, UV/VIS, and LC/DAD analyses. In the seed extracts, the characteristic polyphenols (catechin, epicatechin, and procyanidin B1 and B2) useful for the development of a nutraceutical product, endowed with antioxidant properties, were present, while no resveratrol was detected in “uva di Troia canosina” grape skin extracts, even in an LC/MS-MS analysis. Daria Catalano, Sergio Fontana, Gabriella Roda, Lucia Dell'Acqua, Flavia La Forgia, Giuseppe Mustich, Giovanni Sorrenti, Serafino Suriano, Giacomo Luca Visconti, and Veniero Gambaro Copyright © 2013 Daria Catalano et al. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 13:28:22 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/mpe/2013/803462/ We develop the Fuzzy Improved Runge-Kutta Nystrom (FIRKN) method for solving second-order fuzzy differential equations (FDEs) based on the generalized concept of higher-order fuzzy differentiability. The scheme is two-step in nature and requires less number of stages which leads to less number of function evaluations in comparison with the existing Fuzzy Runge-Kutta Nystrom method. Therefore, the new method has a lower computational cost which effects the time consumption. We assume that the fuzzy function and its derivative are Hukuhara differentiable. FIRKN methods of orders three, four, and five are derived with two, three, and four stages, respectively. The numerical examples are given to illustrate the efficiency of the methods. Faranak Rabiei, Fudziah Ismail, Ali Ahmadian, and Soheil Salahshour Copyright © 2013 Faranak Rabiei et al. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 13:26:43 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/crim/rheumatology/2013/706738/ Sarcoidosis is a multisystem disease which is most commonly manifested in the pulmonary system. However, extrapulmonary manifestations have also been frequently reported. Isolated occurrence of sarcoidosis in the genital system is rare and poses a diagnostic and therapeutic dilemma. Uterine sarcoidosis can present with cervical erosions, endometrial polypoid lesions, and recurrent serometra. In majority of cases, it is diagnosed by endometrial curettage, but it has also been detected by examination of hysterectomy, polypectomy, and autopsy specimens. Nonnecrotizing granulomas are the characteristic pathologic finding of sarcoidosis. However, many infectious and noninfectious etiologies including certain neoplasms can produce similar granulomatous reactions in the female genital tract. These conditions affect the female genital tract more commonly than sarcoidosis, and therefore it is important to rule out these conditions first before making a diagnosis of sarcoidosis. Treatment of sarcoidosis is different from treating these other conditions and the most commonly used systemic or local corticosteroids can be hazardous if the underlying cause is infection. In this case report, the clinical presentation, histopathology, clinical course, and treatment of a patient with isolated uterine sarcoidosis are described, and a brief literature review of sarcoidosis of the female genital tract is provided. Creticus P. Marak, Narendrakumar Alappan, Amit Chopra, Olena Dorokhova, Sumita Sinha, and Achuta K. Guddati Copyright © 2013 Creticus P. Marak 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 13:17:59 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/isrn/re/2013/902053/ The present rate of economic growth is unsustainable without saving of fossil energy like crude oil, natural gas, or coal. There are many alternatives to fossil energy such as biomass, hydropower, and wind energy. Also, suitable waste management strategy is another important aspect. Development and modernization have brought about a huge increase in the production of all kinds of commodities, which indirectly generate waste. Plastics have been one of the materials because of their wide range of applications due to versatility and relatively low cost. The paper presents the current scenario of the plastic consumption. The aim is to provide the reader with an in depth analysis regarding the recycling techniques of plastic solid waste (PSW). Recycling can be divided into four categories: primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary. As calorific value of the plastics is comparable to that of fuel, so production of fuel would be a better alternative. So the methods of converting plastic into fuel, specially pyrolysis and catalytic degradation, are discussed in detail and a brief idea about the gasification is also included. Thus, we attempt to address the problem of plastic waste disposal and shortage of conventional fuel and thereby help in promotion of sustainable environment. Neha Patni, Pallav Shah, Shruti Agarwal, and Piyush Singhal Copyright © 2013 Neha Patni et al. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 13:15:12 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/mpe/2013/654845/ This study examines the available experiment data for a copper bromide vapor laser (CuBr laser), emitting in the visible spectrum at 2 wavelengths—510.6 and 578.2 nm. Laser output power is estimated based on 10 independent input parameters. The CART method is used to build a binary regression tree of solutions with respect to output power. In the case of a linear model, an approximation of 98% has been achieved and 99% for the model of interactions between predictors up to the the second order with an relative error under 5%. The resulting CART tree takes into account which input quantities influence the formation of classification groups and in what manner. This makes it possible to estimate which ones are significant from an engineering point of view for the development and operation of the considered type of lasers, thus assisting in the design and improvement of laser technology. Iliycho Petkov Iliev, Desislava Stoyanova Voynikova, and Snezhana Georgieva Gocheva-Ilieva Copyright © 2013 Iliycho Petkov Iliev et al. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 13:14:03 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/aaa/2013/514174/ In this paper we consider some analogs of the Korovkin approximation theorem via lacunary equistatistical convergence. In particular we study lacunary equi-statistical convergence of approximating operators on spaces, the spaces of all real valued continuous functions de…ned on and satisfying some special conditions. Yusuf Kaya and Nazmiye Gönül Copyright © 2013 Yusuf Kaya and Nazmiye Gönül. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 13:12:25 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/je/2013/510572/ An Interactive Artificial Bee Colony (IABC) Optimization based fuzzy (IABCF) to tune optimal gains of a Robust Proportional Integral Derivative (RPID) controller is proposed for the solution of multiarea automatic generation control (AGC) simulation problem in a restructured power system. One of the important problems in the proposed method is the exact tuning of the RPID parameters for achieving the desired level of robust performance. The problem of robustly tuning of RPID based AGC design is formulated as an optimization problem according to the time domain-based objective function, which is solved by the IABC technique that has a strong ability to find the most optimistic results. The robustness and effectiveness of the proffered method are shown on a two and four areas deregulated power system with possible contracted scenarios under large load demand and area disturbances in comparison with the other methods through FD and ITAE performance indices. The evaluation results show that the proposed control strategy achieves good robust performance for worldwide experience of automatic generation control in restructured systems parameters and load changes in the presence of system nonlinearities. Javad Javidan and Ali Ghasemi Copyright © 2013 Javad Javidan and Ali Ghasemi. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 13:07:56 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jam/2013/318786/ Errors-in-variables (EIV) model is a kind of model with not only noisy output but also noisy input measurements, which can be used for system modeling in many engineering applications. However, the identification for EIV model is much complicated due to the input noises. This paper focuses on the adaptive identification problem of real-time EIV models. Some derivation errors in an accuracy research of the popular Frisch scheme used for EIV identification have been pointed out in a recent study. To solve the same modeling problem, a new algorithm is proposed in this paper. A Moving Average (MA) process is used as a substitute for the joint impact of the mutually independent input and output noises, and then system parameters and the noise properties are estimated in the view of the time domain and frequency domain separately. A recursive form of the first step calculation is constructed to improve the calculation efficiency and online computation ability. Another advantage of the proposed algorithm is its applicableness to different input processes situations. Numerical simulations are given to demonstrate the efficiency and robustness of the new algorithm. Dan Fan and Kueiming Lo Copyright © 2013 Dan Fan and Kueiming Lo. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 13:06:23 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ijfs/2013/305407/ Replacement of wheat flour by other kinds of flour in bread making is economically important in South East Africa as wheat is mainly an imported commodity. Cassava is widely available in the region, but bread quality is impaired when large amounts of cassava are used in the bread formulation. Effect of differently processed cassavas (sun-dried, roasted and fermented) on composite cassava-wheat-maize bread quality containing cassava levels from 20 to 40% (w/w) was evaluated in combination with high-methylated pectin (HM-pectin) added at levels of 1 to 3% (w/w) according to a full factorial design. Addition of pectin to cassava flour made it possible to bake bread with acceptable bread quality even at concentration as high as 40%. In addition to cassava concentration, the type of cassava flour had the biggest effect on bread quality. With high level of cassava, bread with roasted cassava had a higher volume compared with sun-dried and fermented. The pectin level had a significant effect on improving the volume in high level roasted cassava bread. Crumb firmness similar to wheat bread could be obtained with sun-dried and roasted cassava flours. Roasted cassava bread was the only bread with crust colour similar to wheat bread. Maria Eduardo, Ulf Svanberg, Jorge Oliveira, and Lilia Ahrné Copyright © 2013 Maria Eduardo et al. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 12:08:23 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/psyche/2013/230601/ Microdontine syrphid flies are obligate social parasites of ants. Larvae prey on ant brood whereas adults live outside the nests. Knowledge of their interaction with their host is often scarce, as it is information about their natural enemies. Here we report the first case of parasitism of a species of microdontine fly by a myrmecophilous eurytomid wasp. This is also the first host record for Camponotophilus delvarei Gates, a recently described parasitic wasp discovered in Chiapas, Mexico, within the nests of the weaver ant, Camponotus sp. aff. textor Forel. Eleven pupal cases of a microdontine fly were found within a single nest of this ant, five of them being parasitized. Five adult C. delvarei females were reared from a puparium and 29 female and 2 male pupae were obtained from another one. The eurytomid is a gregarious, primary ectoparasitoid of larvae and pupae of Microdontinae, its immature stages developing within the protective puparium of the fly. The species is synovigenic. Adult females likely locate and parasitize their hosts within the ant nest. As some species of Microdontinae are considered endangered, their parasitoids are likewise threatened and in need of accurate and urgent surveys in the future. Gabriela Pérez-Lachaud, Michael W. Gates, and Jean-Paul Lachaud Copyright © 2013 Gabriela Pérez-Lachaud et al. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 12:07:17 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jcri/2013/289689/ The current investigation examines longitudinal differences between bullies, victims, and bully victims in terms of the quality of their relationship with their parents and school performance. We also investigate the transactional association between the quality of the parent-child relationship and bullying behavior, after taking into account the longitudinal association among bullying, victimization, and school performance. The sample consisted of 895 mothers and their children who participated in the NICHD Study of Early Child Care. According to the findings, children in the cooccurring bully victim group were at higher risk to experience continuous conflict with their mothers and to perform worse academically. The findings also offer support for the hypothesized transactional association between bullying and parent-child conflict and closeness. Further, a positive longitudinal transactional association between victimization and parent-child closeness was identified. Finally, school performance was positively related to victimization but was unrelated to bullying behavior. Kostas A. Fanti and Stelios N. Georgiou Copyright © 2013 Kostas A. Fanti and Stelios N. Georgiou. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 12:07:03 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/mpe/2013/932579/ The convertible bond is becoming one of the most important financial instruments for the company to raise capital fund since it was first issued by American New York Erie Company in 1843. In this paper, it is the first time to study the pricing problem for convertible bond whose underlying stocks pay dividends via the reflected backward stochastic differential equations. Associating the solutions of reflected BSDEs with the obstacle problems for nonlinear parabolic PDEs, we establish the pricing formulas for convertible bonds with continuous and discrete dividends by means of the viscosity solutions for some PDEs. Besides, we also derive the price of convertible bonds with higher borrowing rate which is realistic in the financial market. Then the numerical evaluations are provided by the radial basis functions method. Moreover, we discuss the influence of dividends paying as well as higher borrowing rate on the convertible bond price at last. Xu Guo and Haiyang Wang Copyright © 2013 Xu Guo and Haiyang Wang. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 11:57:20 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/amp/2013/890784/ A new method with a different auxiliary equation from the Riccati equation is used for constructing exact travelling wave solutions of nonlinear partial differential equations. The main idea of this method is to take full advantage of a different auxilliary equation from the Riccati equation which has more new solutions. More new solitary solutions are obtained for the RLW Burgers and Hirota Satsuma coupled equations. Bülent Kiliç and Hasan Bulut Copyright © 2013 Bülent Kiliç and Hasan Bulut. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 11:57:19 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ame/2013/156430/ A numerical modeling of bubble-driven flow patterns in a glass of champagne has been carried out for three champagne temperatures, by using the finite-volume method by CFD (computational fluid dynamics). In order to define source terms for flow regime and to reproduce accurately the bubble nucleation process responsible for champagne effervescence, specific subroutines for the gaseous phase have been added to the main numerical model. These subroutines allow the modeling of bubbles behavior based on semiempirical formulas relating to bubble diameter, mass transfer, velocity, and drag force. Both ascending bubble dynamics and bubble-driven flow patterns dynamics were examined, respectively, 60 s, 180 s, and 300 s after pouring champagne into the glass. Details and development of the various steps of modeling are presented in this paper, showing that the bubble-driven flow patterns velocities of the liquid phase significantly vary with the champagne temperature. Fabien Beaumont, Catalin Popa, Gérard Liger-Belair, and Guillaume Polidori Copyright © 2013 Fabien Beaumont et al. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 11:56:27 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ddns/2013/179401/ We focus on a system of a rational -order difference equation , , , where . We investigate the dynamical behavior of positive solution for the system. Banyat Sroysang Copyright © 2013 Banyat Sroysang. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 11:55:19 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/aaa/2013/152518/ The twisting bifurcations of double homoclinic loops with resonant eigenvalues are investigated in four-dimensional systems. The coexistence or noncoexistence of large 1-homoclinic orbit and large 1-periodic orbit near double homoclinic loops is given. The existence or nonexistence of saddle-node bifurcation surfaces is obtained. Finally, the complete bifurcation diagrams and bifurcation curves are also given under different cases. Moreover, the methods adopted in this paper can be extended to a higher dimensional system. Xiaodong Li, Weipeng Zhang, Fengjie Geng, and Jicai Huang Copyright © 2013 Xiaodong Li et al. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 11:53:25 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ijg/2013/269191/ Despite that goat is one of the best nonmodel systems for villus growth studies and hair biology, limited gene resources associated with skin or hair follicles are available. In the present study, using Illumina/Solexa sequencing technology, we de novo assembled 130 million mRNA-Seq reads into a total of 49,115 contigs. Searching public databases revealed that about 45% of the total contigs can be annotated as known proteins, indicating that some of the assembled contigs may have previously uncharacterized functions. Functional classification by KOG and GO showed that activities associated with metabolism are predominant in goat skin during anagen phase. Many signaling pathways was also created based on the mapping of assembled contigs to the KEGG pathway database, some of which have been previously demonstrated to have diverse roles in hair follicle and hair shaft formation. Furthermore, gene expression profiling of three skin types identified ~6,300 transcript-derived contigs that are differentially expressed. These genes mainly enriched in the functional cluster associated with cell cycle and cell division. The large contig catalogue as well as the genes which were differentially expressed in different skin types provide valuable candidates for further characterization of gene functions. Teng Xu, Xudong Guo, Hui Wang, Xiaoyuan Du, Xiaoyu Gao, and Dongjun Liu Copyright © 2013 Teng Xu et al. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 11:53:15 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ijdsn/2013/257801/ Cognitive radio (CR) has become an efficient approach for the utilization of scarce spectrum by enabling spectrum access in an opportunistic manner. With increasing wireless network service providers, users, and applications, it is indispensable to optimize usage of even parts of the spectrum that are licensed. Dynamic spectrum access (DSA) is an approach which facilitates the opportunistic use of licensed spectra, when they are idle. In this paper, a primary prioritized distributed DSA algorithm using continuous-time Markov chain (CTMC) model is proposed. In a distributed scheme, each secondary user needs to be aware of the statistics—arrival and service rates—of the other secondary users to optimize the throughput while maintaining fairness. A heuristics-based approach is formulated making use of the estimated spectrum idle probability and the interference each user experiences to iteratively update user statistics. This framework is also extended to incorporate the effects of imperfect spectrum sensing in the form of misdetection and false alarms. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm attains an overall throughput that is better than CSMA when the primary user spectrum utilization is around 45%. The degradation in throughput caused by imperfect sensing over perfect sensing is also analyzed. K. Muthumeenakshi and S. Radha Copyright © 2013 K. Muthumeenakshi and S. Radha. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 11:52:53 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/crim/dentistry/2013/497234/ Intraoral ossifying fibromas have been described in the literature since the late 1940s. Peripheral ossifying fibroma (POF) is usually a fibroma of the gingival which shows areas of calcification or ossification. It is a nonneoplastic enlargement of gingiva. Due to its clinical and histopathological similarities, some POFs are believed to develop initially as a pyogenic granuloma that undergoes fibrous maturation and subsequent calcification. It has been suggested that POF represents a separate clinical entity rather than a transitional form of pyogenic granuloma or irritation fibroma. This paper describes a case report of a 60-year-old female patient reported with growth on gingiva in the upper left front region of mouth three years ago. Meenakshi Bhasin, Vinny Bhasin, and Abhilasha Bhasin Copyright © 2013 Meenakshi Bhasin 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 11:51:22 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ecam/2013/435398/ The in vitro trypanocidal activity of a 1 : 4 mixture of lupenone and caryophyllene oxide confirmed a synergistic effect of the terpenoids against epimastigotes forms of T. cruzi ( μg/mL, FIC = 0.46). In addition, testing of the terpenoid mixture for its capacity to reduce the number of amastigote nests in cardiac tissue and skeletal muscle of infected mice showed a reduction of more than 80% at a dose level of 20.8 mg·kg−1·day−1. Glendy Polanco-Hernández, Fabiola Escalante-Erosa, Karlina García-Sosa, María E. Rosado, Eugenia Guzmán-Marín, Karla Y. Acosta-Viana, Alberto Giménez-Turba, Efraín Salamanca, and Luis M. Peña-Rodríguez Copyright © 2013 Glendy Polanco-Hernández et al. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 11:49:55 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/mpe/2013/980984/ This study proposes a slack-diversifying fuzzy-neural rule to improve job dispatching in a wafer fabrication factory. Several soft computing techniques, including fuzzy classification and artificial neural network prediction, have been applied in the proposed methodology. A highly effective fuzzy-neural approach is applied to estimate the remaining cycle time of a job. This research presents empirical evidence of the relationship between the estimation accuracy and the scheduling performance. Because dynamic maximization of the standard deviation of schedule slack has been shown to improve performance, this work applies such maximization to a slack-diversifying fuzzy-neural rule derived from a two-factor tailored nonlinear fluctuation smoothing rule for mean cycle time (2f-TNFSMCT). The effectiveness of the proposed rule was checked with a simulated case, which provided evidence of the rule’s effectiveness. The findings in this research point to several directions that can be exploited in the future. Toly Chen and Richard Romanowski Copyright © 2013 Toly Chen and Richard Romanowski. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 11:48:22 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/aaa/2013/747613/ This paper deals with the extinction and nonextinction properties of the fast diffusion equation of homogeneous Dirichlet boundary condition in a bounded domain of with . For , under appropriate hypotheses, we show that is the critical exponent of extinction for the weak solution. Furthermore, we prove that the solution either extinct or nonextinct in finite time depends strongly on the initial data and the first eigenvalue of with homogeneous Dirichlet boundary. Chunlai Mu, Li Yan, and Yi-bin Xiao Copyright © 2013 Chunlai Mu et al. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 11:46:44 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/aaa/2013/931493/ Nonhomogeneous system of linear differential equations of second order with multiple different delays and pairwise permutable matrices defining the linear parts is considered. Solution of corresponding initial value problem is represented using matrix polynomials. Josef Diblík, Michal Fečkan, and Michal Pospíšil Copyright © 2013 Josef Diblík et al. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 11:37:56 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/chem/2013/861021/ 1,3-Dialkylimidazolium-based ionic liquids were chemically synthesized and bonded on the surface of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) with easy one-step reaction. The obtained six kinds of ionic liquid modified MNPs were characterized with transmission electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, magnetization, and FTIR, which owned the high adsorption capacity due to the nanometer size and high-density modification with ionic liquids. Functionality of MNPs with ionic liquids greatly influenced the solubility of the MNPs with organic solvents depending on the alkyl chain length and the anions of the ionic liquids. Moreover, the obtained MNPs showed the specific extraction efficiency to organic pollutant, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, while superparamagnetic property of the MNPs facilitated the convenient separation of MNPs from the bulks water samples. Ying Li, Ning Tang, Fuyuhiko Inagaki, Chisato Mukai, and Kazuichi Hayakawa Copyright © 2013 Ying Li et al. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 11:34:12 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/isrn/aero.eng/2013/651617/ This paper presents a development, as well as an investigation of a Model Matching Controller (MMC) design based on the Self-Tuning Regulator (STR) framework for high performance aircraft with direct application to an F-16 aircraft flight control system. In combination with the Recursive Least Squares (RLS) identification, the MMC is developed and investigated for effectiveness on a detailed model of the aircraft. The popular robust Quantitative Feedback Theory (QFT) controller is also outlined and used to represent a baseline controller, for performance comparison during four simulated test flight maneuvers. In each of the four maneuvers, the proposed MMC provided consistently stable and satisfactory performance, including the challenging pull-up and pushover maneuvers. The baseline stationary controller has been found to become unstable in two of the four maneuvers tested. It also performs satisfactorily-to-arguably poorly in the remaining two as compared to the MMC. Simulation results presented in this investigation support a clear argument that the proposed MMC provides superior performance in the realm of automatic flight control. Adel A. Ghandakly and Jason A. Reed Copyright © 2013 Adel A. Ghandakly and Jason A. Reed. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 11:30:31 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ecam/2013/852648/ The rhizome of Dryopteris crassirhizoma has been used as a traditional herbal medicine for treating various inflammatory and infectious diseases such as tapeworm infestation and mumps. In the present study, we investigated the bone protective effect of water extract of the rhizome of Dryopteris crassirhizoma (WEDC). We found that WEDC inhibits osteoclast differentiation via directly acting on osteoclast precursors. In osteoclast precursors, WEDC inhibited receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand- (RANKL-) induced expression of c-Fos and nuclear factor of activated T cells cytoplasmic 1, a key downstream target of c-Fos during osteoclast differentiation. We found that WEDC inhibits RNAKL-induced activation of extracellular-regulated kinase and NF-κB that mediates c-Fos expression and osteoclast differentiation. In addition to the inhibitory effect of osteoclast differentiation, WEDC markedly suppressed bon-resorbing activity of mature osteoclasts, which was accompanied by disruption of actin ring structure. Furthermore, administration of WEDC suppressed RANKL-induced trabecular bone loss in mice. Collectively, our results demonstrate that WEDC inhibits not only osteoclast differentiation by inhibiting RANK signaling pathways in osteoclast precursors but also bone resorption by disrupting actin ring in mature osteoclasts, thereby contributing to its protective effect on bone loss. Hyunil Ha, Ki-Shuk Shim, Taesoo Kim, Hyosun An, and Jin Yeul Ma Copyright © 2013 Hyunil Ha et al. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 11:22:38 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jam/2013/302438/ We prove two new fixed point theorems in the framework of partially ordered metric spaces. Our results generalize and improve many recent fixed point theorems in the literature. Chi-Ming Chen, Jin-Chirng Lee, and Chao-Hung Chen Copyright © 2013 Chi-Ming Chen et al. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 11:20:36 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ecam/2013/748587/ Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a major cause of cancer treatment failure, relapse, and drug resistance and are known to be responsible for cancer cell invasion and metastasis. The Sonic hedgehog (Shh) signaling pathway is crucial to embryonic development. Intriguingly, the aberrant activation of the Shh pathway plays critical roles in developing CSCs and leads to angiogenesis, migration, invasion, and metastasis. Natural compounds and chemical structure modified derivatives from complementary and alternative medicine have received increasing attention as cancer chemopreventives, and their antitumor effects have been demonstrated both in vitro and in vivo. However, reports for their bioactivity against CSCs and specifically targeting Shh signaling remain limited. In this review, we summarize investigations of the compounds cyclopamine, curcumin, epigallocatechin-3-gallate, genistein, resveratrol, zerumbone, norcantharidin, and arsenic trioxide, with a focus on Shh signaling blockade. Given that Shh signaling antagonism has been clinically proven as effective strategy against CSCs, this review may be exploitable for development of novel anticancer agents from complementary and alternative medicine. Yu-Chuen Huang, K. S. Clifford Chao, Hui-Fen Liao, and Yu-Jen Chen Copyright © 2013 Yu-Chuen Huang et al. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 11:16:05 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/isrn/plasticsurgery/2013/348465/ Orofacial cleft is one of the commonest congenital abnormalities which impacts negatively on the life of the individual and to a large extent affects the family. Caused by the interaction of environmental and genetic factors, this abnormality brings about decreased quality of life. Management of this abnormality entails a team involving a cleft surgeon, speech therapist, dentist, orthodontists, and so forth. This study involves the review of the various literatures on orofacial clefts, discussing the problems on the genetic basis, associated syndromes, and their management. Counseling of prospective mothers should be promoted to ensure that the abnormality is prevented at the early stages. Education on orofacial clefts should be promoted to create awareness on its preventive measures. Much attention must be geared towards cleft genetics studies to identify potential risk factors which might be predisposing individuals to the anomaly. P. Agbenorku Copyright © 2013 P. Agbenorku. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 11:14:32 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ija/2013/324619/ Antonio M. De Ron, José I. Cubero, Shree P. Singh, and O. Mario Aguilar Copyright © 2013 Antonio M. De Ron et al. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 10:54:24 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/crim/medicine/2013/923129/ Introduction. DiGeorge syndrome is a developmental defect commonly caused by a microdeletion on the long arm of chromosome 22 or less frequently by a deletion of the short arm of chromosome 10. Case report. We report a case of a gentleman with mild dysmorphic features who presented with hypocalcaemia-induced seizures and an associated thyroid mass with a background of learning difficulties and abnormal immune function. Discussion. DiGeorge syndrome was initially described in 1967 by Angelo DiGeorge. The majority of cases are due to a novel mutation. The resulting learning difficulties, congenital heart disease, palatal abnormalities, hypoplasia/aplasia of the parathyroid and thymus glands, and immune deficiency generally lead to diagnosis in childhood. Presentation in adulthood is rare but must be borne in mind when dealing with cases of hypocalcaemia even in the absence of florid phenotypic features. A link with malignant disease has also been reported and should lead to prompt investigation of concerning masses. Adrian Zammit, Deborah Grech Marguerat, Josephine Psaila, and Alexander Attard Copyright © 2013 Adrian Zammit et al. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 10:53:29 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/aaa/2013/716593/ The aim of this study was to determine spatial distribution and volume of four commercial quartz grades, namely, silicon metal, ferrosilicon, aggregate, and kaolin (depending on content in impurities) in a quartz seam. The chemical and mineralogical composition of the reserves in the seam were determined from samples collected from outcrops, blasting operations, and exploratory drilling, and compositional kriging was used to calculate the volume and distribution of the reserves. A more accurate knowledge of the deposit ensures better mine planning, leading to higher profitability and an improved relationship with the environment. J. Taboada, Á. Saavedra, C. Iglesias, and E. Giráldez Copyright © 2013 J. Taboada et al. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 10:52:43 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jmath/2013/967045/ A fixed point theorem is presented for single-valued map with using generalized -weak contractive condition involving various combinations of on a complete metric space. Our result is an extension as well as a generalization of Alber and Guerre-Delabriere (1997) in particular. It also generalizes the results of Rhoades (2001), Choudhury and Dutta, (2000), and Dutta and Choudhury, (2008). Penumurthy Parvateesam Murthy and K. N. V. V. Vara Prasad Copyright © 2013 Penumurthy Parvateesam Murthy and K. N. V. V. Vara Prasad. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 10:47:07 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/mi/2013/864319/ This paper reviews the impact of genetic variability of drug metabolizing enzymes, transporters, receptors, and pathways involved in chronic pain perception on the efficacy and safety of analgesics and other drugs used for chronic pain treatment. Several candidate genes have been identified in the literature, while there is usually only limited clinical evidence substantiating for the penetration of the testing for these candidate biomarkers into the clinical practice. Further, the pain-perception regulation and modulation are still not fully understood, and thus more complex knowledge of genetic and epigenetic background for analgesia will be needed prior to the clinical use of the candidate genetic biomarkers. Svatopluk Světlík, Karolína Hronová, Hana Bakhouche, Olga Matoušková, and Ondřej Slanař Copyright © 2013 Svatopluk Světlík et al. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 09:44:53 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/bmri/2013/974819/ Recombinant adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors are powerful tools for both basic neuroscience experiments and clinical gene therapies for neurological diseases. Intravascularly administered self-complementary AAV9 vectors can cross the blood-brain barrier. However, AAV9 vectors are of limited usefulness because they mainly transduce astrocytes in adult animal brains and have restrictions on foreign DNA package sizes. In this study, we show that intracardiac injections of tyrosine-mutant pseudotype AAV9/3 vectors resulted in extensive and widespread transgene expression in the brains and spinal cords of adult mice. Furthermore, the usage of neuron-specific promoters achieved selective transduction of neurons. These results suggest that tyrosine-mutant AAV9/3 vectors may be effective vehicles for delivery of therapeutic genes, including miRNAs, into the brain and for treating diseases that affect broad areas of the central nervous system. Asako Iida, Naomi Takino, Hitomi Miyauchi, Kuniko Shimazaki, and Shin-ichi Muramatsu Copyright © 2013 Asako Iida et al. 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. Mon, 20 May 2013 09:38:27 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ijfs/2013/869362/ The study examines the effects of maltodextrins saccharified to various degrees on some rheological properties of potato starch dispersions. Pasting characteristics, flow curves, and mechanical spectra were determined for native potato starch and for its blends with potato maltodextrins having dextrose equivalents (DE) of 10.5, 18.4, and 26.5. The results showed that medium-saccharified maltodextrin (DE = 18.4) gave the strongest effect, manifesting itself as a considerable reduction in the viscosity at pasting, a decrease in apparent viscosity during flow, and a decrease in the storage and loss moduli. Addition of high-(DE = 26.5) or low-(DE = 10.5) saccharified maltodextrins had a markedly smaller effect on the rheological properties of starch. The differences in the effects produced by the maltodextrins are closely connected to the degree of polymerisation of the maltooligosaccharides in the systems. Lesław Juszczak, Dorota Gałkowska, Teresa Witczak, and Teresa Fortuna Copyright © 2013 Lesław Juszczak et al. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 09:30:25 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ecam/2013/606212/ Pomegranates have been known for hundreds of years for their multiple health benefits, including antimicrobial activity. The recent surge in multidrug-resistant bacteria and the possibility of widespread global virus pandemics necessitate the need for additional preventative and therapeutic options to conventional drugs. Research indicates that pomegranates and their extracts may serve as natural alternatives due to their potency against a wide range of bacterial and viral pathogens. Nearly every part of the pomegranate plant has been tested for antimicrobial activities, including the fruit juice, peel, arils, flowers, and bark. Many studies have utilized pomegranate peel with success. There are various phytochemical compounds in pomegranate that have demonstrated antimicrobial activity, but most of the studies have found that ellagic acid and larger hydrolyzable tannins, such as punicalagin, have the highest activities. In some cases the combination of the pomegranate constituents offers the most benefit. The positive clinical results on pomegranate and suppression of oral bacteria are intriguing and worthy of further study. Much of the evidence for pomegranates’ antibacterial and antiviral activities against foodborne pathogens and other infectious disease organisms comes from in vitro cell-based assays, necessitating further confirmation of in vivo efficacy through human clinical trials. Amy B. Howell and Doris H. D'Souza Copyright © 2013 Amy B. Howell and Doris H. D'Souza. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 08:39:41 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/cmmm/2013/470390/ A group of intrinsically disordered, hydrophilic proteins—Late Embryogenesis Abundant (LEA) proteins—has been linked to survival in plants and animals in periods of stress, putatively through safeguarding enzymatic function and prevention of aggregation in times of dehydration/heat. Yet despite decades of effort, the molecular-level mechanisms defining this protective function remain unknown. A recent effort to understand LEA functionality began with the unique application of phage display, wherein phage display and biopanning over recombinant Seed Maturation Protein homologs from Arabidopsis thaliana and Glycine max were used to retrieve client proteins at two different temperatures, with one intended to represent heat stress. From this previous study, we identified 21 client proteins for which clones were recovered, sometimes repeatedly. Here, we use sequence analysis and homology modeling of the client proteins to ascertain common sequence and structural properties that may contribute to binding affinity with the protective LEA protein. Our methods uncover what appears to be a predilection for protein-nucleic acid interactions among LEA client proteins, which is suggestive of subcellular residence. The results from this initial computational study will guide future efforts to uncover the protein protective mechanisms during heat stress, potentially leading to phage-display-directed evolution of synthetic LEA molecules. Rekha Kushwaha, A. Bruce Downie, and Christina M. Payne Copyright © 2013 Rekha Kushwaha et al. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 08:35:00 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jtr/2013/851326/ Observational studies have demonstrated that maternal thyroid dysfunction and thyroid autoimmunity in pregnancy may be associated with adverse obstetric and fetal outcomes. Treatment of overt maternal hyperthyroidism and overt hypothyroidism clearly improves outcomes. To date there is limited evidence that levothyroxine treatment of pregnant women with subclinical hypothyroidism, isolated hypothyroxinemia, or thyroid autoimmunity is beneficial. Therefore, there is ongoing debate regarding the need for universal screening for thyroid dysfunction during pregnancy. Current guidelines differ; some recommend an aggressive case-finding approach, whereas others advocate testing only symptomatic women or those with a personal history of thyroid disease or other associated medical conditions. Donny L. F. Chang and Elizabeth N. Pearce Copyright © 2013 Donny L. F. Chang and Elizabeth N. Pearce. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 08:32:17 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/isrn/parasitology/2013/610262/ Feral pigs (S. scrofa) were introduced to the Pantanal region around 200 years ago and the population appears to be in expansion. Its eradication is considered to be impossible. The population of feral pigs in the Pantanal wetlands is currently estimated at one million. Two scientific excursions were organized. The first was conducted during the dry season, when 21 feral pigs were captured and the second was during the wet season, when 23 feral pigs were captured. Ticks were collected and the oviposition and hatching process were studied to confirm the biological success of each tick species. Three tick species were found to be feeding on feral pigs: Amblyomma cajennense, A. parvum, and Ornithodoros rostratus. During the dry season, 178 adult A. cajennense were collected, contrasting with 127 A. cajennense specimens in the wet season. This suggests that the seasonality of these ticks in the Brazilian Pantanal wetlands could be different from other regions. The results indicate that A. parvum and A. cajennense are biologically successful parasites in relation to feral pigs. A. cajennense appears to have adapted to this tick-host relationship, as well as the areas where feral pigs are abundant, and could play a role in the amplification of this tick population. P. H. D. Cançado, J. L. H. Faccini, H. M. Herrera, L. E. R. Tavares, G. M. Mourão, E. M. Piranda, R. C. S. Paes, C. C. D. U. Ribeiro, T. C. Borghesan, A. K. Piacenti, M. A. Kinas, C. C. Santos, T. M. Ono, and F. Paiva Copyright © 2013 P. H. D. Cançado et al. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 08:31:01 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/isrn/physchem/2013/738932/ Cephalosporins are β-lactam antibiotics, and the important drugs of this group are cephalexin, cefadroxil and cephradine. In the present research, the kinetics and mechanism of oxidation of cephalexin (CEX), cefadroxil (CFL), and cephradine (CPD) with chloramine-T (CAT) in alkaline medium were investigated at 301 K. All the three oxidation reactions follow identical kinetics with a first-order dependence each on [CAT]o and [substrate]o. The reaction is catalyzed by hydroxide ions, and the order is found to be fractional. The dielectric effect is negative. Proton inventory studies in H2O-D2O mixtures with CEX as a probe have been made. Activation parameters and reaction constants have been evaluated. Oxidation products were identified by mass spectral analysis. An isokinetic relation was observed with β = 378 K, indicating that enthalpy factors control the rate. The rate increases in the following order: CPD > CFL > CEX. The proposed mechanism and the derived rate law are consistent with the observed kinetics. Anu Sukhdev, A. S. Manjunatha, and Puttaswamy Puttaswamy Copyright © 2013 Anu Sukhdev et al. All rights reserved. Sun, 19 May 2013 16:25:38 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/mpe/2013/192431/ The magnetic suspension system (MSS) is very important in many engineering applications. This paper proposes the dynamic output feedback control of a field-sensed MSS (FSMSS). Subsequently, the mathematical model of the MSS is described by discrete-time systems. Ideally, the coefficients of a nominal polynomial can precisely determine the Schur stability. But in reality, the coefficients may contain uncertainties due to reasons such as computational errors. Therefore, there is a need to address the problem of robust stability for discrete-time systems. In this paper, the size of allowable perturbation in polynomial coefficient space was estimated for the output feedback control of the MSS. The -norm and a lower bound for the size of the Schur stability hypercube are provided in this paper. Jen-Hsing Li and Juing-Shian Chiou Copyright © 2013 Jen-Hsing Li and Juing-Shian Chiou. All rights reserved. Sun, 19 May 2013 16:20:55 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jnm/2013/767249/ We elaborate on the cross-sectional deformation of carbon nanotubes embedded into a self-contracting host medium. The continuum elastic approach is used to formulate the mechanical energy of both the embedded nanotubes and the self-contracting outer medium with finite thickness. Our formula allows us to evaluate the critical radial pressure applied on the interface between the embedded nanotube and the outer contracting medium as well as the deformation mode that arises immediately above the critical pressure. An interesting mechanical implication of the embedding effect, that is, the power-law dependence of the critical pressure on the elastic modulus of the medium, is deduced by the theoretical approach established. Motohiro Sato, Hisao Taira, Tetsuro Ikeda, and Hiroyuki Shima Copyright © 2013 Motohiro Sato et al. All rights reserved. Sun, 19 May 2013 16:19:40 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ijps/2013/825296/ The optical and bactericidal properties of acetic and basic chitosan films were studied. By the ORD technique, we found that these films differed in the values of their specific optical rotation and of their rotary and dispersive constants. A sign inversion of was observed when the acetic chitosan films were heat-treated. The bactericidal activity of the initial and dehydrated acetic films was analyzed, and their moisture content and optical and biological activities were compared. A. B. Shipovskaya, V. I. Fomina, D. A. Rudenko, and S. Yu. Shchyogolev Copyright © 2013 A. B. Shipovskaya et al. All rights reserved. Sun, 19 May 2013 16:17:49 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/isrn/physiology/2013/854572/ The survivability and opportunity of successful development of an embryo are influenced directly or indirectly by factors controlling uterine microenvironment. Out of all factors, hormones such as prostaglandins (PGs) released during the preimplantation period influence molecular interactions involved in maintenance of pregnancy through reciprocal interactions between the conceptus and endometrium. PGs are important regulators of female reproductive functions, namely, ovulation, uterine receptivity, implantation, and parturition. Among different classes of PGs, prostaglandin F2α (PGF2α) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) are main prostanoids produced by human and bovine endometrium for successful growth and development of the posthatching blastocyst. In ruminants, PGF2α produced by endometrium is the major luteolytic agent, whereas PGE2 has luteoprotective and antiluteolytic properties. Therefore, the development and maintenance of the corpus luteum (CL), as well as establishment of pregnancy, depend on the balance of luteolytic PGF2α and luteotropic PGE2. In this review, we discussed the expression and function of genes which predominantly regulate the synthesis and their secretion of PGF2α and PGES, namely, PGFS (AKR1B5/AKR1C3), PGES, PGFR, and COX-2. Rohit Kumar, P. W. Ramteke, Amar Nath, R. Kumar Pramod, Satyendra P. Singh, Sanjeev Kumar Sharma, and Sandeep Kumar Copyright © 2013 Rohit Kumar et al. All rights reserved. Sun, 19 May 2013 15:38:32 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/aaa/2013/536910/ The parameter space associated to the parametric family of Chebyshev-Halley on quadratic polynomials shows a dynamical richness worthy of study. This analysis has been initiated by the authors in previous works. Every value of the parameter belonging to the same connected component of the parameter space gives rise to similar dynamical behavior. In this paper, we focus on the search of regions in the parameter space that gives rise to the appearance of attractive orbits of period two. Alicia Cordero, Juan R. Torregrosa, and Pura Vindel Copyright © 2013 Alicia Cordero et al. All rights reserved. Sun, 19 May 2013 15:37:37 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/cri/2013/464796/ A simple, precise, accurate, and reliable HPTLC method has been developed and validated for the analysis of EPE-Eperisone hydrochloride and PCM-Paracetamol in their combined dosage form. Identification and analysis were performed on 100 mm × 100 mm layer thickness 0.2 mm, precoated silica gel G60-F254 aluminum sheet, prewashed with methanol, and dried in an oven at 50°C for 5 min. Toluene : methanol : ethyl acetate : glacial acetic acid (4 : 3.5 : 2.5 : 0.05) (v/v/v/v) was used as mobile phase. Calibration plots were established showing the dependence of response (peak area) on the amount chromatographed. The validated calibration ranges were 200–700 ng/spot and 1300–4550 ng/spot for EPE and PCM with correlation coefficient (R2) 0.994 and 0.996, respectively. Average % recovery was between 98.61–100.94% and 99.18–100.57% for EPE and PCM, respectively. The spots were scanned at 248 nm in a reflectance mode. The proposed method was validated as per ICH guidelines and successfully applied to the estimation of EPE and PCM in their combined tablet dosage form. Nirav Uchadadiya, Falgun Mehta, and Pinak Sanchaniya Copyright © 2013 Nirav Uchadadiya et al. All rights reserved. Sun, 19 May 2013 15:35:44 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/operators/2013/154029/ We provide several characterizations of the bounded and the compact weighted composition operators from the Bloch space and the analytic Besov spaces (with ) into the Zygmund space . As a special case, we show that the bounded (resp., compact) composition operators from , , and to coincide. In addition, the boundedness and the compactness of the composition operator can be characterized in terms of the boundedness (resp., convergence to 0, under the boundedness assumption of the operator) of the Zygmund norm of the powers of the symbol. Flavia Colonna and Songxiao Li Copyright © 2013 Flavia Colonna and Songxiao Li. All rights reserved. Sun, 19 May 2013 15:09:47 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ahep/2013/790967/ We develop the connection of theory with new agegraphic and holographic dark energy models. The function is reconstructed regarding the theory as an effective description for these dark energy models. We show the future evolution of and conclude that these functions represent distinct pictures of cosmological eras. The cosmological parameters such as equation of state parameter, deceleration parameter, statefinder diagnostic, and analysis are investigated which assure the evolutionary paradigm of . M. Sharif and M. Zubair Copyright © 2013 M. Sharif and M. Zubair. All rights reserved. Sun, 19 May 2013 14:55:03 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jam/2013/368259/ This paper addresses the robust stability for a class of linear discrete-time stochastic systems with convex polytopic uncertainties. The system to be considered is subject to both interval time-varying delays and convex polytopic type uncertainties. Based on the augmented parameter-dependent Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional, new delay-dependent conditions for the robust stability are established in terms of linear matrix inequalities. An application to robust stabilization of linear discrete-time stochastic control systems is given. Numerical examples are included to illustrate the effectiveness of our results. P. Niamsup and G. Rajchakit Copyright © 2013 P. Niamsup and G. Rajchakit. 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 14:50:09 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/crim/orthopedics/2013/510901/ Schwannomas are rarely seen on the sciatic nerve and can cause sciatica. In this case report we aimed to present an unusual location of schwannoma along sciatic nerve that causes sciatica. A 60-years-old-man was admitted to us with complaints of pain on his thigh and paresthesia on his foot. Radiography of the patient revealed a solitary lesion on the sciatic nerve. The lesion was excised and the symptoms resolved after surgery. Yavuz Haspolat, Feyza Unlu Ozkan, Ismail Turkmen, Bahattin Kemah, Yalcin Turhan, Serhan Sarar, and Korhan Ozkan Copyright © 2013 Yavuz Haspolat et al. All rights reserved. Sun, 19 May 2013 14:31:59 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ecam/2013/183915/ The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of 3% ethanol extract of propolis (EEP) on hygiene, gingival and microbiological status of oral cavity in patients with cleft lip and palate treated with fixed orthodontic appliances. The study included forty-one nonsyndromic complete unilateral of bilateral cleft lip and palate subjects with fixed appliance on at least 10 teeth. Twenty-one subjects were instructed to brush their teeth three times a day using toothpaste with propolis. Control group included twenty subjects who were asked to brush their teeth three times a day using a toothpaste without propolis. API, OPI, GI, and supragingival bacterial plaque were taken from each subject twice: baseline and after using the toothpaste for 35 days. The final examinations showed statistically significant decrease in OPI, GI, and the percentage of the Actinomyces spp. and Capnocytophaga spp. compared with baseline in propolis group subjects. The improvement in oral health in these patients confirms antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and regenerative properties of propolis. Agnieszka Machorowska-Pieniążek, Tadeusz Morawiec, Anna Mertas, Marta Tanasiewicz, Arkadiusz Dziedzic, and Wojciech Król Copyright © 2013 Agnieszka Machorowska-Pieniążek et al. All rights reserved. Sun, 19 May 2013 14:25:21 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/isrn/sp/2013/928971/ We develop a multiexposure image fusion method based on texture features, which exploits the edge preserving and intraregion smoothing property of nonlinear diffusion filters based on partial differential equations (PDE). With the captured multiexposure image series, we first decompose images into base layers and detail layers to extract sharp details and fine details, respectively. The magnitude of the gradient of the image intensity is utilized to encourage smoothness at homogeneous regions in preference to inhomogeneous regions. Then, we have considered texture features of the base layer to generate a mask (i.e., decision mask) that guides the fusion of base layers in multiresolution fashion. Finally, well-exposed fused image is obtained that combines fused base layer and the detail layers at each scale across all the input exposures. Proposed algorithm skipping complex High Dynamic Range Image (HDRI) generation and tone mapping steps to produce detail preserving image for display on standard dynamic range display devices. Moreover, our technique is effective for blending flash/no-flash image pair and multifocus images, that is, images focused on different targets. Harbinder Singh, Vinay Kumar, and Sunil Bhooshan Copyright © 2013 Harbinder Singh et al. All rights reserved. Sun, 19 May 2013 14:20:41 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/je/2013/561651/ Quantum-dot cellular automata (QCA) is an efficient technology to create computing devices. QCA is a suitable candidate for the next generation of digital systems. Full adders are the main member of computational systems because other operations can be implemented by adders. In this paper, two QCA full adders are introduced. The first one is implemented in one layer, and the second one is implemented in three layers. Five-input majority gate is used in both of them. These full adders are better than pervious designs in terms of area, delay, and complexity. Mahdie Qanbari and Reza Sabbaghi-Nadooshan Copyright © 2013 Mahdie Qanbari and Reza Sabbaghi-Nadooshan. All rights reserved. Sun, 19 May 2013 14:16:45 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/cmmm/2013/137392/ The automatic detection of white blood cells (WBCs) still remains as an unsolved issue in medical imaging. The analysis of WBC images has engaged researchers from fields of medicine and computer vision alike. Since WBC can be approximated by an ellipsoid form, an ellipse detector algorithm may be successfully applied in order to recognize such elements. This paper presents an algorithm for the automatic detection of WBC embedded in complicated and cluttered smear images that considers the complete process as a multiellipse detection problem. The approach, which is based on the differential evolution (DE) algorithm, transforms the detection task into an optimization problem whose individuals represent candidate ellipses. An objective function evaluates if such candidate ellipses are actually present in the edge map of the smear image. Guided by the values of such function, the set of encoded candidate ellipses (individuals) are evolved using the DE algorithm so that they can fit into the WBCs which are enclosed within the edge map of the smear image. Experimental results from white blood cell images with a varying range of complexity are included to validate the efficiency of the proposed technique in terms of its accuracy and robustness. Erik Cuevas, Margarita Díaz, Miguel Manzanares, Daniel Zaldivar, and Marco Perez-Cisneros Copyright © 2013 Erik Cuevas et al. All rights reserved. Sun, 19 May 2013 14:08:54 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/isrn/otolaryngology/2013/941757/ The mammalian ear has an extraordinary capacity to detect very low-level acoustic signals from the environment. Sound pressures as low as a few μPa (−10 dB SPL) can activate cochlear hair cells. To achieve this sensitivity, biological noise has to be minimized including that generated by cardiovascular pulsation. Generally, cardiac pressure changes are transmitted to most peripheral capillary beds; however, such signals within the stria vascularis of the cochlea would be highly disruptive. Not least, it would result in a constant auditory sensation of heartbeat. We investigate special adaptations in cochlear vasculature that serve to attenuate cardiac pulse signals. We describe the structure of tortuous arterioles that feed stria vascularis as seen in corrosion casts of the cochlea. We provide a mathematical model to explain the role of this unique vascular anatomy in dampening pulsatile blood flow to the stria vascularis. Mattia Carraro, Jaina Negandhi, Jafri Kuthubutheen, Evan J. Propst, Lukas Kus, Vincent Y. W. Lin, and Robert V. Harrison Copyright © 2013 Mattia Carraro et al. All rights reserved. Sun, 19 May 2013 13:58:29 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jam/2013/501421/ Considering the effects of external perturbations on the state vector and the output of the original system, this paper proposes a new adaptive integral observer method to deal with chaos synchronization between the drive and response systems with unknown parameters. The analysis and proof are given by means of the Lyapunov stability theorem and Barbalat lemma. This approach has fewer constraints because many parameters related to chaotic system can be unknown, as shown in the paper. Numerical simulations are performed in the end and the results show that the proposed method is not only suitable to the representative chaotic systems but also applied to some neural network chaotic systems. Xiuchun Li, Jianhua Gu, and Wei Xu Copyright © 2013 Xiuchun Li et al. All rights reserved. Sun, 19 May 2013 13:57:29 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jam/2013/845072/ We give some characterizations of Fourier frames and tilings and obtain a more general form of characterizations of spectra and tilings. Dao-Xin Ding and Hai-Xiong Li Copyright © 2013 Dao-Xin Ding and Hai-Xiong Li. All rights reserved. Sun, 19 May 2013 13:56:41 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ddns/2013/681689/ Social distancing, vaccination, and medical treatments have been extensively studied and widely used to control the spread of infectious diseases. However, it is still a difficult task for health administrators to determine the optimal combination of these strategies when confronting disease outbreaks with limited resources, especially in the case of interconnected populations, where the flow of individuals is usually restricted with the hope of avoiding further contamination. We consider two coupled populations and examine them independently under two variants of well-known discrete time disease models. In both examples we compute approximations for the control levels necessary to minimize costs and quickly contain outbreaks. The main technique used is simulated annealing, a stochastic search optimization tool that, in contrast with traditional analytical methods, allows easy implementation to any number of patches with different kinds of couplings and internal dynamics. Geisel Alpízar and Luis F. Gordillo Copyright © 2013 Geisel Alpízar and Luis F. Gordillo. All rights reserved. Sun, 19 May 2013 13:52:01 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/janth/2013/324264/ The present cross-sectional study was conducted among two male tribal groups Munda () and Oraon () aged 18–73 years of Paschim Medinipur, West Bengal. Objective was to evaluate the health status based on body mass index (BMI) and percent body fat (PBF). Measurements of weight, height, circumferences, and skinfolds were recorded. Results revealed that mean age of Mundas () and Oraons () in years were similar. Significant () ethnic differences in mean chest circumference and anterior thigh skinfold were observed. Both Munda (50.0%) and Oraon (46.2%) males suffered from very high degree of chronic energy deficiency (CED) based on BMI. Similarly, for percent body fat (PBF), Mundas (29.3%) and Oraons (35.4%) had unhealthy (too low) PBF (i.e., ≤5%) levels. Significantly negative correlations were observed between age and BMI and positive correlations between age, waist-hip ratio (WHR), and conicity index (CI) (only Mundas) among Mundas and Oraons. In Linear regression, age had a significant impact on all derived central and overall adiposity measures. Prospective studies are required to determine the associations between health status and PBF as well as nutrition status and BMI in different indigenous ethnic groups of India and elsewhere. Subal Das, Bigitendriya Debsharma, and Kaushik Bose Copyright © 2013 Subal Das et al. All rights reserved. Sun, 19 May 2013 13:45:48 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/mpe/2013/342548/ We consider bimodal linear systems consisting of two linear dynamics acting on each side of a given hyperplane, assuming continuity along the separating hyperplane. We prove that the study of controllability can be reduced to the unobservable case, and for these ones we obtain a simple explicit characterization of controllability for dimensions 2 and 3, as well as some partial criteria for higher dimensions. Josep Ferrer, Juan R. Pacha, and Marta Peña Copyright © 2013 Josep Ferrer et al. All rights reserved. Sun, 19 May 2013 13:43:06 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/mpe/2013/251935/ This paper presents the modeling and control of a magnetorheological (MR) damper, installed in Chevron configuration, at the base of a 20-story benchmark building. The building structural model is created using the commercial software package ETABS. The MR damper model is derived from Bouc-Wen hysteresis model which provides the critical nonlinear dynamics that best represents the MR damper under a wide range of operating conditions. System identification is used to derive a low-order nonlinear model that best mimics the nonlinear dynamics of the actual MR damper. Dynamic behavior of this low-order model is tested and validated over a range of inputs. The damper model has proven its validity to a high degree of accuracy against the nonlinear model. A Kalman filter is designed to best estimate the state of the structure-damper system for feedback implementation purposes. Using the estimated states, an LQG-based compensator is designed to control the MR damper under earthquake loads. To demonstrate the effectiveness of this control strategy, four historical earthquakes are applied to the structure. Controlled and uncontrolled floor accelerations and displacements at key locations are compared. Results of the optimally controlled model demonstrate superior performance in comparison to the uncontrolled model. Ameen H. El-Sinawi, Mohammad H. AlHamaydeh, and Ali A. Jhemi Copyright © 2013 Ameen H. El-Sinawi et al. All rights reserved. Sun, 19 May 2013 13:38:52 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ijp/2013/616139/ Nitrogen-doped TiO2 powders have been prepared using technical guanidine hydrochloride, titanyl sulfate, and urea as precursors via a mild hydrothermal method under initial pressure of 3MPa, holding for 2h without any postheat treatment for crystallization. The nanocrystalline N-doped TiO2 powders were composed of anatase TiO2 by XRD. The grain size was estimated as about 10 nm, and the BET specific surface area of the powder was measured as 154.7 m2/g. The UV-visible absorption spectra indicated that the absorption edge of the N-doped TiO2 powders had been red shifted into the visible light region. The photocatalytic performance of the synthesized powders was evaluated by degradation of phenol under visible light irradiation. And the effects of the catalyst load and the initial pH value on the photodegradation were also investigated. Junna Xu, Feng Wang, Wenxiu Liu, and Wenbin Cao Copyright © 2013 Junna Xu et al. All rights reserved. Sun, 19 May 2013 13:31:48 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/aaa/2013/528281/ We consider the low-rank approximation problem arising in the generalized Karhunen-Loeve transform. A sufficient condition for the existence of a solution is derived, and the analytical expression of the solution is given. A numerical algorithm is proposed to compute the solution. The new algorithm is illustrated by numerical experiments. Xue-Feng Duan, Qing-Wen Wang, and Jiao-Fen Li Copyright © 2013 Xue-Feng Duan et al. All rights reserved. Sun, 19 May 2013 13:29:30 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ijap/2013/279070/ A new modeling method of cabin path loss prediction based on support vector machine (SVM) is proposed in this paper. The method is trained with the path loss values of measured points inside the cabin and can be used to predict the path loss values of the unmeasured points. The experimental results demonstrate that our modeling method is more accurate than the curve fitting method. This SVM-based path loss prediction method makes the prediction much easier and more accurate, which covers performance traditional methods in the channel propagation modeling. Xiaonan Zhao, Chunping Hou, and Qing Wang Copyright © 2013 Xiaonan Zhao et al. All rights reserved. Sun, 19 May 2013 13:19:48 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jnm/2013/468105/ To perform single-molecule studies of the T7 RNA polymerase, it is crucial to visualize an individual T7 RNA polymerase, for example, through a fluorescent signal. We present a novel complex combining two different molecular functions, an active T7 RNA polymerase and a highly luminescent nanoparticle, a quantum dot. The complex has the advantage of both constituents: the complex can traffic along DNA and simultaneously be visualized, both at the ensemble and at the single-molecule level. The labeling was mediated through an in vivo biotinylation of a His-tagged T7 RNA polymerase and subsequent binding of a streptavidin-coated quantum dot. Our technique allows for easy purification of the quantum dot labeled T7 RNA polymerases from the reactants. Also, the conjugation does not alter the functionality of the polymerase; it retains the ability to bind and transcribe. Mette Eriksen, Peter Horvath, Michael A. Sørensen, Szabolcs Semsey, Lene B. Oddershede, and Liselotte Jauffred Copyright © 2013 Mette Eriksen et al. All rights reserved. Sun, 19 May 2013 12:47:07 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/mis/2013/283438/ Introduction. Single-incision laparoscopic colectomy (SILC) is a viable and safe technique; however, there are no single-institution studies comparing outcomes of SILC for colon cancer with well-established minimally invasive techniques. We evaluated the short-term outcomes following SILC for cancer compared to a group of well-established minimally invasive techniques. Methods. Fifty consecutive patients who underwent SILC for colon cancer were compared to a control group composed of 50 cases of minimally invasive colectomies performed with either conventional multiport or hand-assisted laparoscopic technique. The groups were paired based on the type of procedure. Demographics, intraoperative, and postoperative outcomes were assessed. Results. With the exception of BMI, demographics were similar between both groups. Most of the procedures were right colectomies () and anterior resections (). There were no significant differences in operative time (127.9 versus 126.7 min), conversions (0 versus 1), complications (14% versus 8%), length of stay (4.5 versus 4.0 days), readmissions (2% versus 2%), and reoperations (2% versus 2%). Oncological outcomes were also similar between groups. Conclusions. SILC is an oncologically sound alternative for the management of colon cancer and results in similar short-term outcomes as compared with well-established minimally invasive techniques. Rodrigo Pedraza, Ali Aminian, Javier Nieto, Chadi Faraj, T. Bartley Pickron, and Eric M. Haas Copyright © 2013 Rodrigo Pedraza et al. All rights reserved. Sun, 19 May 2013 12:18:29 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/hormones/2013/386306/ The structurally similar neuropeptides and hormones oxytocin (OT) and arginine vasopressin (AVP) play significant and complex roles in modulating a range of social behaviours, including social recognition and bond formation. Although OT has well-known roles in facilitating prosocial behaviors and enhancing emotion recognition, AVP has received increasing interest for diverging effects on social cognition behaviour most notably in males. The current study aimed to determine whether AVP also modulates the ability to understand emotion. Using a randomised double blind procedure, 45 healthy young males received either an AVP or placebo nasal spray and completed the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET). In contrast to previous findings, there were no significant differences observed in performance on the RMET between AVP and placebo groups, even after examining items separated by task difficulty, emotional valence, and gender. This study provides diverging evidence from previous findings and adds to the growing body of research exploring the influence of neuropeptide hormones in social behaviour. It demonstrates that in this sample of participants, AVP does not enhance the ability to understand higher order emotion from others. Implications and suggestions for future AVP administration studies are discussed. Amanda R. Kenyon, Gail A. Alvares, Ian B. Hickie, and Adam J. Guastella Copyright © 2013 Amanda R. Kenyon et al. All rights reserved. Sun, 19 May 2013 11:55:35 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/msi/2013/756564/ Balance impairment and falls are frequent in patients with multiple sclerosis (PwMS), and they may occur even at the earliest stage of the disease and in minimally impaired patients. The introduction of computer-based force platform measures (i.e., static and dynamic posturography) has provided an objective and sensitive tool to document both deficits and improvements in balance. By using more challenging test conditions, force platform measures can also reveal subtle balance disorders undetectable by common clinical scales. Furthermore, posturographic techniques may also allow to reliably identify PwMS who are at risk of accidental falls. Although force platform measures offer several theoretical advantages, only few studies extensively investigated their role in better managing PwMS. Standardised procedures, as well as clinical relevance of changes detected by static or dynamic posturography, are still lacking. In this review, we summarized studies which investigated balance deficit by means of force platform measures, focusing on their ability in detecting patients at high risk of falls and in estimating rehabilitation-induced changes, highlighting the pros and the cons with respect to clinical scales. Luca Prosperini and Carlo Pozzilli Copyright © 2013 Luca Prosperini and Carlo Pozzilli. All rights reserved. Sun, 19 May 2013 11:43:08 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/cmmm/2013/375641/ Bairong Shen, Hong-Bin Shen, Tianhai Tian, Qiang Lü, and Guang Hu Copyright © 2013 Bairong Shen et al. All rights reserved. Sun, 19 May 2013 11:39:22 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ijdsn/2013/167575/ Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) consist of sensor nodes deployed in a manner to collect information about surrounding environment. Their distributed nature, multihop data forwarding, and open wireless medium are the factors that make WSNs highly vulnerable to security attacks at various levels. Intrusion Detection Systems (IDSs) can play an important role in detecting and preventing security attacks. This paper presents current Intrusion Detection Systems and some open research problems related to WSN security. Nabil Ali Alrajeh, S. Khan, and Bilal Shams Copyright © 2013 Nabil Ali Alrajeh et al. All rights reserved. Sun, 19 May 2013 11:39:04 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/mpe/2013/871815/ Geometrically nonlinear static analysis of edge cracked cantilever Timoshenko beams composed of functionally graded material (FGM) subjected to a nonfollower transversal point load at the free end of the beam is studied with large displacements and large rotations. Material properties of the beam change in the height direction according to exponential distributions. The cracked beam is modeled as an assembly of two subbeams connected through a massless elastic rotational spring. In the study, the finite element of the beam is constructed by using the total Lagrangian Timoshenko beam element approximation. The nonlinear problem is solved by using incremental displacement-based finite element method in conjunction with Newton-Raphson iteration method. The convergence study is performed for various numbers of finite elements. In the study, the effects of the location of crack, the depth of the crack, and various material distributions on the nonlinear static response of the FGM beam are investigated in detail. Also, the difference between the geometrically linear and nonlinear analysis of edge cracked FGM beam is investigated in detail. Şeref Doğuşcan Akbaş Copyright © 2013 Şeref Doğuşcan Akbaş. All rights reserved. Sun, 19 May 2013 11:35:34 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ijg/2013/972852/ Salinity is one of the major abiotic stresses that affect crop productivity. Identification of the potential novel genes responsible for salt tolerance in barley will contribute to understanding the molecular mechanism of barley responses to salt stress. We compared changes in transcriptome between Hua 11 (a salt-tolerant genotype) and Hua 30 (a salt sensitive genotype) in response to salt stress at the seedling stage using barley cDNA microarrays. In total, 557 and 247 salt-responsive genes were expressed exclusively in the shoot and root tissue of the salt-tolerant genotype, respectively. Among these genes, a number of signal-related genes, transcription factors and compatible solutes were identified and some of these genes were carefully discussed. Notably, a LysM RLK was firstly found involved in salt stress response. Moreover, key enzymes in the pathways of jasmonic acid biosynthesis, lipid metabolism and indole-3-acetic acid homeostasis were specifically affected by salt stress in salt tolerance genotype. These salt-responsive genes and biochemical pathways identified in this study could provide further information for understanding the mechanisms of salt tolerance in barley. Runhong Gao, Ke Duan, Guimei Guo, Zhizhao Du, Zhiwei Chen, Liang Li, Ting He, Ruiju Lu, and Jianhua Huang Copyright © 2013 Runhong Gao et al. All rights reserved. Sun, 19 May 2013 11:34:27 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ijp/2013/784743/ Nanostructured amorphous carbon (a-C) solar cells were successfully deposited via a self-designed aerosol-assisted chemical vapor deposition (AACVD). The fabricated solar cell with the configuration of Au/p-C/n-Si/Au achieved efficiency () of % for device deposited at 500°C, % for 450°C, and % for 400°C. Photoresponse characteristic was highlighted under illumination (AM 1.5 illuminations: 100 mW/cm2, 25°C), where conductivity increased when the sample was being hit by light. Transmittance spectrum exhibits a large transmittance value (85%) and absorption coefficient value of  cm−1 at the visible range from 390 to 790 nm. The nanostructured a-C thin film deposited at higher temperature possesses lower transmittance due to higher absorption as a result of the higher content of sp2-bonded carbon atoms. From Tauc’s plot, optical band gap () was determined, and decreased as deposition temperature increased (1.2 eV, 1.0 eV, 0.7 eV). On the other hand, FESEM images exhibited a nanostructured sized a-C with the particle size less than 100 nm. To the best of our knowledge, the presence of nanostructured particle of a-C by a self-prepared AACVD has not frequently been reported. A. N. Fadzilah, K. Dayana, and M. Rusop Copyright © 2013 A. N. Fadzilah et al. All rights reserved. Sun, 19 May 2013 11:28:12 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ddns/2013/816382/ Xiang Li, Chen Zhou, and Xiaochen Sun Copyright © 2013 Xiang Li et al. All rights reserved. Sun, 19 May 2013 11:27:06 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/amse/2013/124365/ Polyaniline (PAN) was prepared by using a technique of chemical synthesis to obtain the insulating emeraldine base form. And then PAN was doped with toluenesulfonic acid (TSA), HCl, or camphor sulfonic acid (CSA) to protonate it into conducting salt form. The morphologies and electrical property of PAN under atmospheric pressure were investigated. Subsequently, the high pressure using a Bridgman anvil cell was applied on the doped PAN, and the effect of high pressure on the properties of doped PAN was analyzed. At normal pressure, the conductivity of PAN increases as the PH value increases. While at high pressures, the conductivity of PAN increases, and then it becomes independent of pressure. The results indicate that the conductivity of PAN is related to the presence of the polaron band, and the doped PAN under high pressure will be enhanced strongly in conductivity because of overlap of polaron band and band. However, with the further increase of the applied pressure, scattering mechanisms of carriers limit the conductivity of PAN. Daihui Huang, Dong Xie, Jingjing Gao, Wangchun Lv, and Shiming Hong Copyright © 2013 Daihui Huang et al. All rights reserved. Sun, 19 May 2013 11:24:48 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ad/2013/621417/ Kamal D. Moudgil, Stephen J. Thompson, Fabiana Geraci, Boel De Paepe, and Yehuda Shoenfeld Copyright © 2013 Kamal D. Moudgil et al. All rights reserved. Sun, 19 May 2013 11:17:38 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/aaa/2013/635265/ Several new existence theorems on positive, negative, and sign-changing solutions for the following fourth-order beam equation are obtained: ,   ;  , where . In particular, an infinitely many sign changing solution theorem is established. The method of the invariant set of decreasing flow is employed to discuss this problem. Ying Wu and Guodong Han Copyright © 2013 Ying Wu and Guodong Han. All rights reserved. Sun, 19 May 2013 10:24:34 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ahep/2013/180610/ Bogdan Mitrica, Maury Goodman, and Jacek Szabelski Copyright © 2013 Bogdan Mitrica et al. All rights reserved. Sun, 19 May 2013 10:15:22 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/np/2013/176183/ Matteo Caleo, Giorgio M. Innocenti, and Maurice Ptito Copyright © 2013 Matteo Caleo et al. All rights reserved. Sun, 19 May 2013 10:10:19 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jam/2013/249726/ Traffic congestion is a major concern for many cities throughout the world. In a general traffic light controller, the traffic lights change at a constant cycle time. Hence it does not provide an optimal solution. Many traffic light controllers in current use are based on the “time-of-the-day” scheme, which use a limited number of predetermined traffic light patterns and implement these patterns depending upon the time of the day. These automated systems do not provide an optimal control for fluctuating traffic volumes. In this paper, the fuzzy traffic light controller is used to optimize the control of fluctuating traffic volumes such as oversaturated or unusual load conditions. The problem is solved by genetic algorithm, and a new defuzzification method is introduced. The performance of the new defuzzification method (NDM) is compared with the centroid point defuzzification method (CPDM) by using ANOVA. Finally, an illustrative example is presented to show the competency of proposed algorithm. N. Shahsavari Pour, H. Asadi, and M. Pour Kheradmand Copyright © 2013 N. Shahsavari Pour et al. All rights reserved. Sun, 19 May 2013 10:05:14 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/bmri/2013/241721/ Thymosin β4 (Tβ4) is one of the most promising thymosins for future clinical applications, and it is anticipated that commercial demand for Tβ4 will increase. In order to develop a new approach to produce recombinant Tβ4, a 168 bp DNA (termed Tβ4) was designed based on the Tβ4 protein sequence and used to express a 4 × Tβ4 concatemer (four tandem copies of Tβ4, termed 4 × Tβ4) together with a histidine tag (6 × His) in E. coli (strain BL21). SDS-PAGE and western blot analysis were used to confirm that a recombinant 4 × Tβ4 protein of the expected size (30.87 kDa) was produced following the induction of the bacterial cultures with isopropyl β-D-thiogalactoside (IPTG). The E. coli-derived 4 × Tβ4 was purified by Ni-NTA resin, and its activities were examined with regard to both stimulating proliferation of the mice spleen cells in vitro and in vivo wound healing. The results demonstrate that these activities of the E. coli-derived recombinant 4 × Tβ4 were similar or even better than existing commercially obtained Tβ4. This production strategy therefore represents a potentially valuable approach for future commercial production of recombinant Tβ4. Xiaolei Wang, Guihua Yang, Shanshuang Li, Meifeng Gao, Pangfeng Zhao, and Lingxia Zhao Copyright © 2013 Xiaolei Wang et al. All rights reserved. Sun, 19 May 2013 10:05:02 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/grp/2013/643109/ Background. The association of gallstones with Helicobacter pylori has been investigated but not clearly demonstrated. In this study, the presence of H. pylori in the gallbladder mucosa of patients with symptomatic gallstones was investigated. Method. Ninety-four consecutive patients with symptomatic gallstone disease were enrolled for the study. Gastroscopy and gastric H. pylori urease test were done before cholecystectomy to all patients who accepted. After cholecystectomy, the gallbladder tissue was investigated in terms of H. pylori by urease test, Giemsa, and immunohistochemical stain. Results. Overall 35 patients (37%) gallbladder mucosa tested positive for H. pylori with any of the three tests. Correlation of the three tests Giemsa, IHC, and rapid urease test was significant : 0590, . Rapid urease test was positive in the gastric mucosa in 47 (58.7%) patients, and it was positive in the gallbladder mucosa in 21 patients (22%). In 15 patients both gastric and gallbladder tested positive with the urease test. There was significant correlation of rapid urease test in both of gallbladder and gastric mucosa . Conclusion. Study demonstrates the presence of H. pylori in the gallbladders of 37% of patients with symptomatic gallstones. Wafi Attaallah, Nese Yener, M. Umit Ugurlu, Manuk Manukyan, Ebru Asmaz, and A. Ozdemir Aktan Copyright © 2013 Wafi Attaallah et al. All rights reserved. Sun, 19 May 2013 09:00:41 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/crim/surgery/2013/510813/ Perianal Paget’s disease only rarely presents with a synchronous invasive anal or rectal cancer. The purpose of this study is to present a case of an otherwise healthy patient who developed perianal Paget’s disease. He was then found to have an invasive rectal adenocarcinoma, after having undergone an extensive resection and reconstruction with a bilateral V-to-Y reconstruction. This report describes an overview of perianal Paget’s disease, the management of this disease in association with anal or rectal cancer, and our patient’s outcome. Margaret E. Clark, Andrew T. Schlussel, and Ronald A. Gagliano Jr. Copyright © 2013 Margaret E. Clark et al. All rights reserved.