Event prediction in social network through Twitter messages analysis.

Event detection using social media analysis has attracted researchers' attention. Prediction of events especially in the management of social crises can be of particular significance. In this study, events are predicted through analyzing Twitter messages and examining the changes in the rate of Tweets in a specified subject. In the proposed method, the Tweets are initially preprocessed in consecutive fixed-length time windows. Tweets are then categorized using the non-negative matrix factorization analysis and the distance dependent Chinese restaurant process incremental clustering. The categorization results show that a high rate of Tweets entering a cluster represents the occurrence of a new event in near future. Finally, a description of the event is presented in the form of some frequent words in each cluster. In this paper, investigations on a Tweet dataset during a 6-month period indicate that the rate of sending Tweets about predictable events considerably changes before their occurrence. The use of this feature can make it possible to predict events with high degrees of precision.

Synthesis and characterization of MFI-type borosilicate zeolites and evaluation of their efficiency as drug delivery systems.

MFI-type borosilicate zeolites with different Si/B ratio were synthesized by hydrothermal method using silicic acid and sodium tetraborate decahydrate as starting materials. The prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetry analysis (TGA/DTG) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). Different characterization techniques confirmed the incorporation of boron atoms into the zeolite framework. SEM images revealed that the particle size of zeolites and their morphology can be controlled by different synthesis parameters. The effect of different parameters such as crystallization time and temperature, pH value of initial gel and Si/B ratio on the crystallinity, morphology and incorporation of boron atoms into final products was investigated and discussed in detail. The efficiency of synthesized borosilicate zeolites as drug delivery systems was examined by loading and in vitro release of anticancer drug doxorubicin (DOX). The results demonstrated that DOX-loaded borosilicate samples show a pH-sensitive drug release feature with higher drug release rate in relatively lower pH values. In vitro cytotoxicity of DOX- loaded borosilicate was evaluated by MTT assay.

Microstructure and mechanical behavior of metallic glass fiber-reinforced Al alloy matrix composites.

Metallic glass-reinforced metal matrix composites are an emerging class of composite materials. The metallic nature and the high mechanical strength of the reinforcing phase offers unique possibilities for improving the engineering performance of composites. Understanding the structure at the amorphous/crystalline interfaces and the deformation behavior of these composites is of vital importance for their further development and potential application. In the present work, Zr-based metallic glass fibers have been introduced in Al7075 alloy (Al-Zn-Mg-Cu) matrices using spark plasma sintering (SPS) producing composites with low porosity. The addition of metallic glass reinforcements in the Al-based matrix significantly improves the mechanical behavior of the composites in compression. High-resolution TEM observations at the interface reveal the formation of a thin interdiffusion layer able to provide good bonding between the reinforcing phase and the Al-based matrix. The deformation behavior of the composites was studied, indicating that local plastic deformation occurred in the matrix near the glassy reinforcements followed by the initiation and propagation of cracks mainly through the matrix. The reinforcing phase is seen to inhibit the plastic deformation and retard the crack propagation. The findings offer new insights into the mechanical behavior of metal matrix composites reinforced with metallic glasses.

Effect of a long-term regular physical activity on hypertension and body mass index in type 2 diabetes patients.

AIM: Hypertension and overweight are prevalent problems in type 2 diabetic patients. The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of long term regular aerobic exercise training on blood pressure (BP) as well as body mass index (BMI) in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). METHODS: In a randomized, controlled trial, 60 patients with T2DM aged 40-65 years were randomly divided in two groups (30 subjects in exercise group and 30 subjects in control group). Supervised exercise program was performed three times per week for 3 years. Finally, 28 patients who completed the optimal sessions, entered in statistical analysis. RESULTS: Systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP, DBP) had no significant changes in control group (respectively 127.48±12.79 to 129.28±8.52 and 78.90±8.06 to 77.55±5.95). These changes were statistically significant in the exercise group (respectively 132.57±14.82 to 118.00±12.48 and 82.89±9.19 to 74.00±6.57; P<0.001). Furthermore, the BMI of exercise group reduced significantly (28±5.26 to 26.42±4.36; P<0.001) in comparison with control group that showed a significant increase in terms of this variable (30.02±4.79 to 31.05±4.84; P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The present study suggests that long term aerobic exercise has positive effects on systolic and diastolic blood pressure as well as heart rate of T2DM patients. We observed significant differences in levels of BMI in two groups after intervention.

Geometric frustration of icosahedron in metallic glasses.

Icosahedral order has been suggested as the prevalent atomic motif of supercooled liquids and metallic glasses for more than half a century, because the icosahedron is highly close-packed but is difficult to grow, owing to structure frustration and the lack of translational periodicity. By means of angstrom-beam electron diffraction of single icosahedra, we report experimental observation of local icosahedral order in metallic glasses. All the detected icosahedra were found to be distorted with partially face-centered cubic symmetry, presenting compelling evidence on geometric frustration of local icosahedral order in metallic glasses.

Structural investigation and mechanical properties of a representative of a new class of materials: nanograined metallic glasses.

A new class of materials: Au-based nanograined metallic glasses (NGMGs) were synthesized using magnetron sputtering with powder targets. A detailed study by x-ray diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM) documents the unique nanoscale granular structure of the Au-based NGMG. This material inherited the good mechanical properties of metallic glasses, showing a high hardness of ∼5.3 GPa and a low elastic modulus of ∼79 GPa. In addition, in contrast to most MGs the nanoglassy particles can deform along the loading direction, exhibiting unique tensile elongation up to 100%. During thermal crystallization of NGMG material, even smaller sized Au solid solution nanocrystals are formed within the glassy nanograins, offering a new way for production of the nanocomposites with tailored structural length scales.

RETRACTED: VIS/NIR hyper-spectroscopy technique for the measurement of moisture and fat contents of breaded-fried chicken nuggets.

This article has been retracted: please see Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal (http://www.elsevier.com/locate/withdrawalpolicy). This article has been retracted at the request of the Editor-in-Chief. The authors have plagiarized significant parts of a thesis published online in 2005: Quality Evaluation of Frying Oil and Chicken Nuggets Using Visible/Nearinfrared Hyper-spectral Analysis by Samira Kazemi Sangdehi (http://webpages.mcgill.ca/staff/deptshare/FAES/066-Bioresource/Theses/theses/339SamiraKazemi2005/339SamiraKazemi2005.pdf). One of the conditions of submission of a paper for publication is that authors declare explicitly that their work is original and has not appeared in a publication elsewhere. Re-use of any data should be appropriately cited. As such this article represents a severe abuse of the scientific publishing system. The scientific community takes a very strong view on this matter and apologies are offered to readers of the journal that this was not detected during the submission process.

The effect of aerobic exercise on glycosylated hemoglobin values in type 2 diabetes patients.

AIM: The changes of glycosylated hemoglobin A1c values have been considered as an important marker of glucose control over time. On the other hand, benefit of exercise in the control of glycemia is well known. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the influence of aerobic exercise program on A1c values and glycemic control in type 2 diabetic patients. METHODS: In this randomized, controlled trial, 65 participants aged 40 to 65 years with type 2 diabetes were randomly divided into 2 groups (30 controls and 35 exercises). The exercise training group performed aerobic training for 16 weeks (3 days/week, 90 min, 50-80%VO2max) and the control group did not perform any exercise. Finally, 60 subjects completed the program, and their results were analyzed to assess the A1c changes. RESULTS: After a 16-week aerobic exercise program the mean A1c value significantly reduced in the exercise training group in comparison with the control group (-0.73±1.4% vs. +0.28±0.60%, P<0.001). No serious adverse event was observed in the training sessions. As secondary outcomes, changes of baseline parameters (i.e. fasting blood glucose, body mass index, and blood pressure) were statistically significant. The reduction of blood pressure in control group was also significant. CONCLUSION: In patients with type 2 diabetes, significant improvement in A1c value and better glycemic control could be achieved by a regular exercise program as an intervention.

Anomalous coronary origin: the challenge in preventing exercise-related sudden cardiac death.

The sudden cardiac death (SCD) of a young athlete is a catastrophic event, particularly in the absence of prodromal warning symptoms. Anomalous coronary origin (ACO) is a well-described cause of cardiac symptoms and SCD, but the diagnosis is usually missed by conventional non-invasive investigations designed to identify myocardial ischaemia. SCD is preventable by correction of the anomaly. A tragic case of a promising young athlete who had underlying ACO and who presented with prodromal symptoms with multiple "negative" investigations is described to highlight the typical clinical features and outline the difficulties encountered in accurate premortem diagnosis.