bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A PDE-Based Approach for Fault Detection in Li-Ion Batteries
Authors: Ferdowsi Hasan , Lotfi Nima
Published: November 2017

Despite the widespread commercialization of Li-ion batteries in various markets including portable electronics, electrified transportation, and stationary energy storage systems, their safety and reliability still poses as a concern in the eyes of industry and general public. There has been great strides in the past few decades in the development of Battery Management Systems (BMSs). The majority of the efforts, however, avoid fault occurrence by conservative designs rather than directly incorporating fault diagnostics in the BMS. Such a functionality in the BMS would enable the detection of the occurrence, type, and location of the faults and therefore, a proper reaction to them. Realizing the need for such a feature in the BMSs, the development of a model-based fault detection scheme is proposed in this paper. This method is formulated based on the original PDEs describing a single particle electrochemical battery model. The use of PDEs in the fault detection scheme reduces uncertainties arising from the model approximation. Furthermore, the convergence of this PDE-based approach is proved using Lyapunov stability theorem. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed method in detecting various fault types ranging from incipient degradation mechanisms to abrupt faults is illustrated through simulations.
State sum invariants of three manifolds from spherical multi-fusion categories
Authors: Cui Shawn X. , Wang Zhenghan
Published: November 2017

We define a family of quantum invariants of closed oriented [Formula: see text]-manifolds using spherical multi-fusion categories (SMFCs). The state sum nature of this invariant leads directly to [Formula: see text]-dimensional topological quantum field theories ([Formula: see text]s), which generalize the Turaev–Viro–Barrett–Westbury ([Formula: see text]) [Formula: see text]s from spherical fusion categories. The invariant is given as a state sum over labeled triangulations, which is mostly parallel to, but richer than the [Formula: see text] approach in that here the labels live not only on [Formula: see text]-simplices but also on [Formula: see text]-simplices. It is shown that a multi-fusion category in general cannot be a spherical fusion category in the usual sense. Thus, we introduce the concept of a SMFC by imposing a weakened version of sphericity. Besides containing the [Formula: see text] theory, our construction also includes the recent higher gauge theory [Formula: see text]-[Formula: see text]s given by Kapustin and Thorngren, which was not known to have a categorical origin before.
Degrees containing members of thin Π10 classes are dense and co-dense
Authors: Downey Rodney G. , Wu Guohua , Yang Yue
Published: November 2017

In [Countable thin [Formula: see text] classes, Ann. Pure Appl. Logic 59 (1993) 79–139], Cenzer, Downey, Jockusch and Shore proved the density of degrees (not necessarily c.e.) containing members of countable thin [Formula: see text] classes. In the same paper, Cenzer et al. also proved the existence of degrees containing no members of thin [Formula: see text] classes. We will prove in this paper that the c.e. degrees containing no members of thin [Formula: see text] classes are dense in the c.e. degrees. We will also prove that the c.e. degrees containing members of thin [Formula: see text] classes are dense in the c.e. degrees, improving the result of Cenzer et al. mentioned above. Thus, we obtain a new natural subclass of c.e. degrees which are both dense and co-dense in the c.e. degrees, while the other such class is the class of branching c.e. degrees (See [P. Fejer, The density of the nonbranching degrees, Ann. Pure Appl. Logic 24 (1983) 113–130] for nonbranching degrees and [T. A. Slaman, The density of infima in the recursively enumerable degrees, Ann. Pure Appl. Logic 52 (1991) 155–179] for branching degrees).
Sobolev spaces of maps and the Dirichlet problem for harmonic maps
Authors: Pigola Stefano , Veronelli Giona
Published: November 2017

We give a self-contained treatment of the existence of a regular solution to the Dirichlet problem for harmonic maps into a geodesic ball on which the squared distance function from the origin is strictly convex. No curvature assumptions on the target are required. In this route we introduce a new deformation result which permits to glue a suitable Euclidean end to the geodesic ball without violating the convexity property of the distance function from the fixed origin. We also take the occasion to analyze the relationships between different notions of Sobolev maps when the target manifold is covered by a single normal coordinate chart. In particular, we provide full details on the equivalence between the notions of traced Sobolev classes of bounded maps defined intrinsically and in terms of Euclidean isometric embeddings.
SHARED VALUE STRATEGY: A SUSTAINABLE STAKEHOLDER APPROACH TO SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Authors: HAN HO SHELEN WAI
Published: November 2017

“In recent years, business increasingly has been viewed as a major cause of social, environmental and economic problems”. Shared value gurus Porter and Kramer (2011) argue that a big part of the problem lies with business being trapped in an outdated approach to value creation. They propose that the solution lies in the establishment of practices that enhance the competitiveness of a business while simultaneously advancing the economic and social conditions in the communities in which it operates. They popularize the concept of creating shared value (CSV) which has received enormous attention among management scholars and sophisticated business leaders. Yet, to date, the work on shared value has been largely conceptual and few empirical study has focused on how the concept can be implemented in practice.

This paper integrates scholarly literatures and the author’s decades of business experiences to study strategic initiatives that would bring about high shared value for enterprise and society in practice. An extensive empirical study at various project sites is initiated to prove relevancy of CSV theory in a real world context with the aim to contribute to the knowledge-base of shared value strategy. The paper discusses implementation plans for two of these project sites where an interventional tool from tactical urbanism movement is the shared value initiative. This paper also presents the rationale and the key elements for the strategic construct.
Proteomic Cinderella: Customized analysis of bulky MS/MS data in one night
Authors: Kiseleva Olga , Poverennaya Ekaterina , Shargunov Alexander , Lisitsa Andrey
Published: November 2017

Proteomic challenges, stirred up by the advent of high-throughput technologies, produce large amount of MS data. Nowadays, the routine manual search does not satisfy the “speed” of modern science any longer. In our work, the necessity of single-thread analysis of bulky data emerged during interpretation of HepG2 proteome profiling results for proteoforms searching. We compared the contribution of each of the eight search engines (X!Tandem, MS-GF[Formula: see text], MS Amanda, MyriMatch, Comet, Tide, Andromeda, and OMSSA) integrated in an open-source graphical user interface SearchGUI ( http://searchgui.googlecode.com ) into total result of proteoforms identification and optimized set of engines working simultaneously. We also compared the results of our search combination with Mascot results using protein kit UPS2, containing 48 human proteins. We selected combination of X!Tandem, MS-GF[Formula: see text] and OMMSA as the most time-efficient and productive combination of search. We added homemade java-script to automatize pipeline from file picking to report generation. These settings resulted in rise of the efficiency of our customized pipeline unobtainable by manual scouting: the analysis of 192 files searched against human proteome (42153 entries) downloaded from UniProt took 11[Formula: see text]h.
Strategic Aspects of Cyber Risk Information Sharing
Authors: Laube Stefan , Böhme Rainer
Published: November 2017

Cyber risk management largely reduces to a race for information between defenders of ICT systems and attackers. Defenders can gain advantage in this race by sharing cyber risk information with each other. Yet, they often exchange less information than is socially desirable, because sharing decisions are guided by selfish rather than altruistic reasons. A growing line of research studies these strategic aspects that drive defenders’ sharing decisions. The present survey systematizes these works in a novel framework. It provides a consolidated understanding of defenders’ strategies to privately or publicly share information and enables us to distill trends in the literature and identify future research directions. We reveal that many theoretical works assume cyber risk information sharing to be beneficial, while empirical validations are often missing.
Emerging NVM
Authors: Boukhobza Jalil , Rubini Stéphane , Chen Renhai , Shao Zili
Published: November 2017

There has been a surge of interest in Non-Volatile Memory (NVM) in recent years. With many advantages, such as density and power consumption, NVM is carving out a place in the memory hierarchy and may eventually change our view of computer architecture. Many NVMs have emerged, such as Magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM), Phase Change random access memory (PCM), Resistive random access memory (ReRAM), and Ferroelectric random access memory (FeRAM), each with its own peculiar properties and specific challenges. The scientific community has carried out a substantial amount of work on integrating those technologies in the memory hierarchy. As many companies are announcing the imminent mass production of NVMs, we think that it is time to have a step back and discuss the body of literature related to NVM integration. This article surveys state-of-the-art work on integrating NVM into the memory hierarchy. Specially, we introduce the four types of NVM, namely, MRAM, PCM, ReRAM, and FeRAM, and investigate different ways of integrating them into the memory hierarchy from the horizontal or vertical perspectives. Here, horizontal integration means that the new memory is placed at the same level as an existing one, while vertical integration means that the new memory is interleaved between two existing levels. In addition, we describe challenges and opportunities with each NVM technique.
Moment-Matching-Based Conjugacy Approximation for Bayesian Ranking and Selection
Authors: Zhang Qiong , Song Yongjia
Published: November 2017

We study the conjugacy approximation models in the context of Bayesian ranking and selection with unknown correlations. Under the assumption of normal-inverse-Wishart prior distribution, the posterior distribution remains a normal-inverse-Wishart distribution thanks to the conjugacy property when all alternatives are sampled at each step. However, this conjugacy property no longer holds if only one alternative is sampled at a time, an appropriate setting when there is a limited budget on the number of samples. We propose two new conjugacy approximation models based on the idea of moment matching. Both of them yield closed-form Bayesian prior updating formulas. We apply these updating formulas in Bayesian ranking and selection using the knowledge gradient method and show the superiority of the proposed conjugacy approximation models in applications of wind farm placement and computer model calibration.
Relationship between Smoking and Acute Mountain Sickness: A Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies
Authors: Masuet-Aumatell Cristina , Sánchez-Mascuñano Alba , Santangelo Fernando Agüero , Ramos Sergio Morchón , Ramon-Torrell Josep Maria
Published: November 2017

Aims. Previous epidemiological investigations of the relationship between smoking and acute mountain sickness (AMS) risk yielded inconsistent findings. Therefore, a meta-analysis of observational studies was performed to determine whether smoking is related to the development of AMS. Methods. Searches were performed on PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and Web of Science for relevant studies that were published before November 2016 reporting smoking prevalence and AMS. Two evaluators independently selected studies, extracted data, and assessed study quality. The pooled relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were obtained using random-effects models. Subgroup analyses were performed according to the type of participant, altitude, and study design. Results. A total of 11 observational studies involving 7,106 participants, 2,408 of which had AMS, were eligible for inclusion in this meta-analysis. The summary RR for AMS comparing smokers to nonsmokers was 1.02 (95% CI: 0.83 to 1.26). Specific analyses for altitude, type of participant, and study design yielded similar results. There was significant heterogeneity for all studies (Q=37.43; P<0.001; I2=73%, 95% CI: 51% to 85%). No publication bias was observed (Egger’s test: P=0.548, Begg’s test: P=0.418). Conclusions. The meta-analysis indicates that no difference was found in AMS risk with regard to smoking status.
Phylogenetic Diversity in Core Region of Hepatitis C Virus Genotype 1a as a Factor Associated with Fibrosis Severity in HIV-1-Coinfected Patients
Authors: Parra Micaela , Laufer Natalia , Manrique Julieta M. , Jones Leandro R. , Quarleri Jorge
Published: November 2017

High hepatitis C virus (HCV) genetic diversity impacts infectivity/pathogenicity, influencing chronic liver disease progression associated with fibrosis degrees and hepatocellular carcinoma. HCV core protein is crucial in cell-growth regulation and host-gene expression. Liver fibrosis is accelerated by unknown mechanisms in human immunodeficiency virus-1- (HIV-1-) coinfected individuals. We aimed to study whether well-defined HCV-1a core polymorphisms and genetic heterogeneity are related to fibrosis in a highly homogeneous group of interferon-treated HIV-HCV-coinfected patients. Genetic heterogeneity was weighed by Faith’s phylogenetic diversity (PD), which has been little studied in HCV. Eighteen HCV/HIV-coinfected patients presenting different liver fibrosis stages before anti-HCV treatment-initiation were recruited. Sampling at baseline and during and after treatment was performed up to 72 weeks. At inter/intrahost level, HCV-1a populations were studied using molecular cloning and Sanger sequencing. Over 400 complete HCV-1a core sequences encompassing 573 positions of C were obtained. Amino acid substitutions found previously at positions 70 and 91 of HCV-1b core region were not observed. However, HCV genetic heterogeneity was higher in mild than in severe fibrosis cases. These results suggest a potential utility of PD as a virus-related factor associated with chronic hepatitis C progression. These observations should be reassessed in larger cohorts to corroborate our findings and assess other potential covariates.
Mediastinal Lymph Node Metastases in Thyroid Cancer: Characteristics, Predictive Factors, and Prognosis
Authors: Zhang Ting-ting , Qu Ning , Hu Jia-qian , Shi Rong-liang , Wen Duo , Sun Guo-hua , Ji Qing-hai
Published: November 2017

Background. Mediastinal lymph node metastases (MLNM) have not been extensively studied. The aim of this study is to investigate the characteristics, predictive factors, and prognosis of MLNM in thyroid cancer.Methods. This is a retrospective study based on the thyroid cancer patients with MLNM at our institution from 2008 to 2015.Results. In total, 73 thyroid cancer patients with positive MLNM were included in this study. It contained sixty patients (82.2%) with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), twelve (16.4%) with medullary thyroid carcinoma, and one (1.4%) with anaplastic thyroid carcinoma. Forty-eight patients had the surgery as initial treatment. Fifty-three (72.6%) patients remained disease-free, and fifteen (20.5%) developed a regional recurrence. Distant metastases occurred in four (5.5%) patients and five (6.8%) patients died. Five-year overall survival rate and disease-free survival (DFS) rate of the PTC patients for initial treatment are 95.4% and 77.2%, respectively. Extrathyroidal extension and multiple lymph nodes involved were associated with DFS in PTC patients.Conclusions. Initial therapeutic control is very important for the thyroid cancer patients. Extrathyroidal extension and multiple mediastinal lymph nodes involved were the influence factors of prognosis in the thyroid cancer patients with MLNM.
PID Controller Singularly Perturbing Impulsive Differential Equations and Optimal Control Problem
Authors: Witayakiattilerd Wichai
Published: November 2017

We study singular perturbation of impulsive system with a proportional-integral-derivative controller (PID controller) and solve an optimal control problem. The perturbation system comprises two important variables, a fast variable and a slow variable. Because of the complexity of the system, it is difficult to find its exact solution. This paper presents an approximation method for solving it. The aim of the approximation method is to reduce the complexity of the system by eliminating the fast variable. The solution of the method is expressed in an integral form, and it is called an approximated mild solution of the perturbed system. An example is provided to illustrate our result.
Icariin Prevents IL‐1β‐Induced Apoptosis in Human Nucleus Pulposus via the PI3K/AKT Pathway
Authors: Deng Xiangyu , Wu Wei , Liang Hang , Huang Donghua , Jing Doudou , Zheng Dong , Shao Zengwu
Published: November 2017

Purpose. To explore the effect and possible mechanism of icariin, a prenylated flavonol glycoside derived from the Chinese herb Epimedium sagittatum that was applied to IL‐1β pretreated human nucleus pulposus (NP) cells. Methods. Human NP cells were isolated from intervertebral discs of patients with scoliosis and lumbar spondylolisthesis. The cells were divided into five groups: A (blank control); B (20 ng/ml IL‐1β); C (20 ng/ml IL‐1β + 20 μM icariin); D (20 μM icariin + 20 ng/ml IL‐1β + 25 μM LY294002); E (20 ng/ml IL‐1β + 25 μM LY294002). For each of the five groups, the CCK8, apoptosis rates, ROS rates, and JC‐1 rates were determined and an electron micrograph was performed. Different expression levels of apoptosis proteins and proteins in the PI3K/AKT pathway were detected via western blot. Results. We found that the damage effects on human nucleus pulposus cells from 20 ng/ml of IL‐1β exposure were attenuated by icariin. When the PI3K/AKT pathway was blocked by LY294002, a specific inhibitor of this pathway, the protective effect of icariin was impaired. In summary, icariin might be a protective traditional Chinese medicine, which prevents inflammation‐induced degeneration of intervertebral discs partly through the PI3K/AKT pathway.
Adaptive Steganalysis Based on Selection Region and Combined Convolutional Neural Networks
Authors: Hu Donghui , Shen Qiang , Zhou Shengnan , Liu Xueliang , Fan Yuqi , Wang Lina
Published: November 2017

Digital image steganalysis is the art of detecting the presence of information hiding in carrier images. When detecting recently developed adaptive image steganography methods, state-of-art steganalysis methods cannot achieve satisfactory detection accuracy, because the adaptive steganography methods can adaptively embed information into regions with rich textures via the guidance of distortion function and thus make the effective steganalysis features hard to be extracted. Inspired by the promising success which convolutional neural network (CNN) has achieved in the fields of digital image analysis, increasing researchers are devoted to designing CNN based steganalysis methods. But as for detecting adaptive steganography methods, the results achieved by CNN based methods are still far from expected. In this paper, we propose a hybrid approach by designing a region selection method and a new CNN framework. In order to make the CNN focus on the regions with complex textures, we design a region selection method by finding a region with the maximal sum of the embedding probabilities. To evolve more diverse and effective steganalysis features, we design a new CNN framework consisting of three separate subnets with independent structure and configuration parameters and then merge and split the three subnets repeatedly. Experimental results indicate that our approach can lead to performance improvement in detecting adaptive steganography.
Effects of Target Temperature Management on the Outcome of Septic Patients with Fever
Authors: Gao Ye , Zhu Jianjun , Yin Chenyu , Zhu Jianliang , Zhu Tao , Liu Lijun
Published: November 2017

Objectives. To investigate the effects of target temperature management on hemodynamic changes, inflammatory and immune factors, and clinical outcomes of sepsis patients with fever.Methods. Patients diagnosed with sepsis with a core temperature of ≥39°C were randomly divided into two groups: a low-temperature group (LT group: 36.5°C–38°C) and a high-temperature group (HT group: 38.5°C–39.5°C). A target core temperature was achieved within 6 hrs posttreatment and maintained for 24 hrs. Then, the hemodynamic changes, inflammatory and immune factors, and clinical outcomes were evaluated.Results. Compared with the HT group, C-reactive protein (CRP), procalcitonin (PCT), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α) showed a significant decrease in the LT group (P<0.05). In contrast, IL-4 and IL-10 were higher in the LT group than in the HT group (P<0.05). The CD4-T lymphocyte (CD4+), CD8-T lymphocyte (CD8+), and monocytic human leukocyte antigen-DR (mHLA-DR) in the LT group were higher than in the HT group (P<0.05). The ICU stay and the anti-infection treatment costs were higher in the LT group (P<0.05).Conclusion. Low-temperature management of patients resulted in a low level of proinflammatory cytokines. Excessive temperature control in sepsis patients with fever may be harmful.
A New PDR Navigation Device for Challenging Urban Environments
Authors: Ortiz Miguel , De Sousa Mathieu , Renaudin Valerie
Published: November 2017

The motivations, the design, and some applications of the new Pedestrian Dead Reckoning (PDR) navigation device, ULISS (Ubiquitous Localization with Inertial Sensors and Satellites), are presented in this paper. It is an original device conceived to follow the European recommendation of privacy by design to protect location data which opens new research toward self-contained pedestrian navigation approaches. Its application is presented with an enhanced PDR algorithm to estimate pedestrian’s footpaths in an autonomous manner irrespective of the handheld device carrying mode: texting or swinging. An analysis of real-time coding issues toward a demonstrator is also conducted. Indoor experiments, conducted with 3 persons, give a 5.8% mean positioning error over the 3 km travelled distances.
Numerical Studies of Propeller Exciting Bearing Forces under Nonuniform Ship’s Nominal Wake and the Influence of Cross Flows
Authors: Yao Huilan , Zhang Huaixin
Published: November 2017

Propeller exciting forces are the main causes of stern vibrations. In this paper, three-dimension exciting bearing forces of one blade and the whole propeller under nonuniform ship’s wake were predicted, and the influence of cross flows on these exciting forces was studied. All simulations were carried out using a commercial solver, STAR-CCM+. To obtain the nominal wake for studying propeller exciting forces, flow field around a bare hull was simulated. Numerical results were widely validated by measured data, especially the velocity field at the propeller plane. Harmonic characteristics of the nonuniform ship’s wake were studied. Then, a propeller under uniform inflow and nonuniform ship’s wake with/without cross flows was simulated. Free-water surface and hull boundary were considered using a specially designed dummy stern. Results show that the influence of cross flows on propeller exciting forces is obvious. As for the exciting forces of one blade, the cross flows have greater influence on the axial force. As for the exciting forces of the whole propeller, the cross flows have greater influence on the transverse and vertical forces, and if the cross flows in ship’s wake are not considered, the amplitudes of the main harmonics of transverse and vertical forces increase obviously.
Perceptions of Dietary Habits and Risk for Type 2 Diabetes among Congolese Immigrants
Authors: Ilunga Tshiswaka Daudet , Ibe-Lamberts Kelechi D. , Mulunda Dyna Miandabu , Iwelunmor Juliet
Published: November 2017

Objective. To explore the perceptions of dietary habits and type 2 diabetes risk among Congolese immigrants living in the US. Methods. Data were collected from 20 in-depth interviews and photo-elicitation techniques conducted with Congolese immigrants. The PEN-3 cultural model was used as a guide to analyze the data collected. Results. Participants identified positive, existential, and negative perceptions, enablers, and nurturers associated with dietary habits and type 2 diabetes risk. Participants also acknowledged intrinsic cultural ways of understanding and interpreting the interaction between dietary habits and type 2 diabetes risk among the Congolese people which may influence their health-seeking practices. Conclusions. The findings underscore the importance of culture and how sociocultural factors may play a role with designing culturally appropriate interventions aimed at addressing the risk for type 2 diabetes among Congolese immigrants in the US.
Prognostic Impact of Cirrhosis in Patients with Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma following Hepatic Resection
Authors: Jeong Seogsong , Gao Lei , Tong Ying , Xia Lei , Xu Ning , Sha Meng , Zhang Jianjun , Kong Xiaoni , Gu Jinyang , Xia Qiang
Published: November 2017

Background. Prognostic impact of cirrhosis in patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) upon hepatic resection remains unclear due to lack of studies in the literature.Methods. A total of 106 resected patients with ICC were reviewed, including 25 patients (23.6%) with cirrhosis and 81 noncirrhotic patients (76.4%). Subgroups of cirrhotic patients with and without hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection were studied.Results. The impact of cirrhosis on the overall survival (OS) (hazard ratio [HR], 0.901; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.510 to 1.592;P=0.720) and the relapse-free survival (RFS) (HR, 0.889; 95% CI, 0.509 to 1.552;P=0.678) revealed no statistical significance. Furthermore, HBV-associated cirrhotic patients and the other cirrhotic patients demonstrated no statistical difference on survival outcomes (1 yr OS, 60.0% versus 70.0%; 5 yr OS, 10.0% versus 0%;P=0.744; 1 yr RFS, 53.3% versus 30.0%; 5 yr RFS, 10.0% versus 0%;P=0.279). In patients with cirrhosis, tumor size larger than 5 cm was found to be the foremost factor that was independently associated with poor prognosis.Conclusion. The presence of liver cirrhosis did not significantly affect prognosis of patients with ICC after resection. Downstaging modality may be in need for patients with ICC underlying cirrhosis, which remains to be validated in future studies.
Hiatoplasty with Crura Buttressing versus Hiatoplasty Alone during Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy
Authors: Balla Andrea , Quaresima Silvia , Ursi Pietro , Seitaj Ardit , Palmieri Livia , Badiali Danilo , Paganini Alessandro M.
Published: November 2017

Introduction. In obese patients with hiatal hernia (HH), laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) with cruroplasty is an option but use of prosthetic mesh crura reinforcement is debated. The aim was to compare the results of hiatal closure with or without mesh buttressing during LSG. Methods. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) was assessed by the Health-Related Quality of Life (GERD-HRQL) questionnaire before and after surgery in two consecutive series of patients with esophageal hiatus ≤ 4 cm2. After LSG, patients in group A (12) underwent simple cruroplasty, whereas in group B patients (17), absorbable mesh crura buttressing was added. Results. At mean follow-up of 33.2 and 18.1 months for groups A and B, respectively (p=0.006), the mean preoperative GERD-HRQL scores of 16.5 and 17.7 (p=0.837) postoperatively became 9.5 and 2.4 (p=0.071). In group A, there was no difference between pre- and postoperative scores (p=0.279), whereas in group B, a highly significant difference was observed (p=0.002). The difference (Δ) comparing pre- and postoperative mean scores between the two groups was significantly in favor of mesh placement (p=0.0058). Conclusions. In obese patients with HH and mild-moderate GERD, reflux symptoms are significantly improved at medium term follow-up after cruroplasty with versus without crura buttressing during LSG.
Are Fusion Transcripts in Relapsed/Metastatic Head and Neck Cancer Patients Predictive of Response to Anti-EGFR Therapies?
Authors: Bossi Paolo , Siano Marco , Bergamini Cristiana , Cossu Rocca Maria , Sponghini Andrea P. , Giannoccaro Marco , Tonella Luca , Paoli Alessandro , Marchesi Edoardo , Perrone Federica , Pilotti Silvana , Locati Laura D. , Canevari Silvana , Licitra Lisa , De Cecco Loris
Published: November 2017

Prediction of benefit from combined chemotherapy and the antiepidermal growth factor receptor cetuximab is a not yet solved question in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). In a selected series of 14 long progression-free survival (PFS) and 26 short PFS patients by whole gene and microRNA expression analysis, we developed a model potentially predictive of cetuximab sensitivity. To better decipher the “omics” profile of our patients, we detected transcript fusions by RNA-seq through a Pan-Cancer panel targeting 1385 cancer genes. Twenty-seven different fusion transcripts, involving mRNA and long noncoding RNA (lncRNA), were identified. The majority of fusions (81%) were intrachromosomal, and 24 patients (60%) harbor at least one of them. The presence/absence of fusions and the presence of more than one fusion were not related to outcome, while the lncRNA-containing fusions resulted enriched in long PFS patients (P=0.0027). The CD274-PDCD1LG2 fusion was present in 7/14 short PFS patients harboring fusions and was absent in long PFS patients (P=0.0188). Among the short PFS patients, those harboring this fusion had the worst outcome (P=0.0172) and increased K-RAS activation (P=0.00147). The associations between HNSCC patient’s outcome following cetuximab treatment and lncRNA-containing fusions or the CD274-PDCD1LG2 fusion deserve validation in prospective clinical trials.
Optimization of Pesticide Spraying Tasks via Multi‐UAVs Using Genetic Algorithm
Authors: Luo He , Niu Yanqiu , Zhu Moning , Hu Xiaoxuan , Ma Huawei
Published: November 2017

Task allocation is the key factor in the spraying pesticides process using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and maximizing the effects of pesticide spraying is the goal of optimizing UAV pesticide spraying. In this study, we first introduce each UAV’s kinematic constraint and extend the Euclidean distance between fields to the Dubins path distance. We then analyze the two factors affecting the pesticide spraying effects, which are the type of pesticides and the temperature during the pesticide spraying. The time window of the pesticide spraying is dynamically generated according to the temperature and is introduced to the pesticide spraying efficacy function. Finally, according to the extensions, we propose a team orienteering problem with variable time windows and variable profits model. We propose the genetic algorithm to solve the above model and give the methods of encoding, crossover, and mutation in the algorithm. The experimental results show that this model and its solution method have clear advantages over the common manual allocation strategy and can provide the same results as those of the enumeration method in small‐scale scenarios. In addition, the results also show that the algorithm parameter can affect the solution, and we provide the optimal parameters configuration for the algorithm.
Generalized Hybrid One-Step Block Method Involving Fifth Derivative for Solving Fourth-Order Ordinary Differential Equation Directly
Authors: Alkasassbeh Mohammad , Omar Zurni
Published: November 2017

A general one-step three-hybrid (off-step) points block method is proposed for solving fourth-order initial value problems of ordinary differential equations directly. A power series approximate function is employed for deriving this method. The approximate function is interpolated atxn,xn+r,xn+s,xn+twhile its fourth and fifth derivatives are collocated at all pointsxi,i=0,r,s,t,1, in the interval of approximation. Several fourth-order initial value problems of ordinary differential equations are then solved to compare the performance of the proposed method with the derived methods. The analysis of the method reveals that the method is consistent and zero stable concluding that the method is also convergent. The numerical results demonstrate the superiority of the new method over the existing ones in terms of error.
Decreased Helios Expression in Regulatory T Cells in Acute Coronary Syndrome
Authors: Jiang Lili , Chen Feng , Hu Xiaofan , Hu Yingying , Wang Yange , Zhang Wenyong , Peng Yudong , Cheng Longxian
Published: November 2017

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) play an essential role in acute coronary syndrome (ACS). However, there is debate about which Treg subsets are truly critical to ACS. Helios, a transcription factor, was recently reported to be a bona fide marker for natural Tregs or activated Tregs with a suppression function, but little is known about its role in ACS. We therefore examined Helios+ Tregs in patients with ACS, patients with stable angina, and control subjects. 73 patients with ACS, 30 patients with stable angina, and 48 control subjects were enrolled. The frequencies and estimated absolute numbers of different Treg subsets in peripheral blood were measured by flow cytometry. Plasma cytokine level was measured by ELISA. The mRNA expression of Foxp3 and Helios in purified CD4+ T cells was determined by RT-PCR. Helios+ Tregs was decreased significantly in patients with ACS. The frequency and estimated absolute numbers of CD4+Foxp3+Helios+ Tregs were negatively correlated with IL-6 and positively correlated with circulating level of TGF-beta1 and HDL-C. The mRNA expression of Foxp3 and Helios was decreased in CD4+ T cells from patients with ACS. In summary, Helios+ Tregs was downregulated in patients with ACS and may play a role in ACS.
Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Suprapubic Cystostomy Site in a Patient with Long-Term Suprapubic Urinary Catheter
Authors: Subramaniam Sasikumar , Thevarajah Gowribahan , Kolitha Karunadasa , Namantha Nandasena
Published: November 2017

Patients with long-term suprapubic cystostomy can rarely develop squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the suprapubic cystostomy tract. In addition to the few reported cases in the literature, this paper reports a case of suprapubic cystostomy SCC in an 88-year-old man without bladder involvement. Vigilance about any abnormal lesion at the site of suprapubic cystostomy is important among health providers and patients for early detection of SCC.
DNA Damage as a Driver for Growth Delay: Chromosome Instability Syndromes with Intrauterine Growth Retardation
Authors: García-de Teresa Benilde , Hernández-Gómez Mariana , Frías Sara
Published: November 2017

DNA is constantly exposed to endogenous and exogenous mutagenic stimuli that are capable of producing diverse lesions. In order to protect the integrity of the genetic material, a wide array of DNA repair systems that can target each specific lesion has evolved. Despite the availability of several repair pathways, a common general program known as the DNA damage response (DDR) is stimulated to promote lesion detection, signaling, and repair in order to maintain genetic integrity. The genes that participate in these pathways are subject to mutation; a loss in their function would result in impaired DNA repair and genomic instability. When the DDR is constitutionally altered, every cell of the organism, starting from development, will show DNA damage and subsequent genomic instability. The cellular response to this is either uncontrolled proliferation and cell cycle deregulation that ensues overgrowth, or apoptosis and senescence that result in tissue hypoplasia. These diverging growth abnormalities can clinically translate as cancer or growth retardation; both features can be found in chromosome instability syndromes (CIS). The analysis of the clinical, cellular, and molecular phenotypes of CIS with intrauterine growth retardation allows inferring that replication alteration is their unifying feature.
Improved Road‐Network‐Flow Control Strategy Based on Macroscopic Fundamental Diagrams and Queuing Length in Connected‐Vehicle Network
Authors: Lin Xiaohui , Xu Jianmin , Lin Peiqun , Cao Chengtao , Liu Jiahui
Published: November 2017

Connected‐vehicles network provides opportunities and conditions for improving traffic signal control, and macroscopic fundamental diagrams (MFD) can control the road network at the macrolevel effectively. This paper integrated proposed real‐time access to the number of mobile vehicles and the maximum road queuing length in the Connected‐vehicles network. Moreover, when implementing a simple control strategy to limit the boundary flow of a road network based on MFD, we determined whether the maximum queuing length of each boundary section exceeds the road‐safety queuing length in real‐time calculations and timely adjusted the road‐network influx rate to avoid the overflow phenomenon in the boundary section. We established a road‐network microtraffic simulation model in VISSIM software taking a district as the experimental area, determined MFD of the region based on the number of mobile vehicles, and weighted traffic volume of the road network. When the road network was tending to saturate, we implemented a simple control strategy and our algorithm limits the boundary flow. Finally, we compared the traffic signal control indicators with three strategies: (1) no control strategy, (2) boundary control, and (3) boundary control with limiting queue strategy. The results show that our proposed algorithm is better than the other two.
Seasonal Variations of the Urban Thermal Environment Effect in a Tropical Coastal City
Authors: Yuan Yao , Xi Chen , Jing Qian , Felix Ndayisaba
Published: November 2017

Shenzhen city was selected to analyze the Surface Urban Heat Island (SUHI) variations based on land surface temperature (LST) in four different seasons of 2015. UHI intensity (UHII) as an indicator of SUHI was established and the method of density segmentation was utilized to classify the SUHI after LSTs were normalized. The gravity center model of UHII and Moran’s I (a spatial autocorrelation index) were used to analyze the spatiotemporal variations of SUHI. Results indicated that LST was higher in the west than in the east of the city. The values of UHII were higher in spring and summer and lower in autumn and winter. Five profiles were drawn to analyze the distribution of UHII in different seasons, and it was found that the No. 1 path profiles, corresponding to the western urban development axis, had higher UHII than other path profiles. The center of UHII gravity shifts converged in the Longhua, Baoan, and Nanshan Districts throughout the four seasons and Moran’s I values were higher in summer and spring. From the UHII’s spatial distribution pattern analysis, a spatially discontinuous pattern was observed in four seasons; there was a compact pattern of high temperature zones.
Deep Binary Representation for Efficient Image Retrieval
Authors: Lu Xuchao , Song Li , Xie Rong , Yang Xiaokang , Zhang Wenjun
Published: November 2017

With the fast growing number of images uploaded every day, efficient content-based image retrieval becomes important. Hashing method, which means representing images in binary codes and using Hamming distance to judge similarity, is widely accepted for its advantage in storage and searching speed. A good binary representation method for images is the determining factor of image retrieval. In this paper, we propose a new deep hashing method for efficient image retrieval. We propose an algorithm to calculate the target hash code which indicates the relationship between images of different contents. Then the target hash code is fed to the deep network for training. Two variants of deep network, DBR and DBR-v3, are proposed for different size and scale of image database. After training, our deep network can produce hash codes with large Hamming distance for images of different contents. Experiments on standard image retrieval benchmarks show that our method outperforms other state-of-the-art methods including unsupervised, supervised, and deep hashing methods.
Sport-Related Portal Vein Thrombosis: An Unusual Complication
Authors: Dumic Igor , Tankosic Nikola , Stojkovic Lalosevic Milica , Alempijevic Tamara
Published: November 2017

Portal vein thrombosis (PVT) is an uncommon condition usually associated with hypercoagulable states or liver cirrhosis. PVT due to sports-related injuries is rarely reported and, to the best of our knowledge, only two cases have been reported thus far. Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) is a form of martial arts and is considered very safe with minimal risk for injury. It has growing popularity worldwide. Here, we report the first case of PVT secondary to abdominal trauma related to the practice of (BJJ) in an otherwise healthy 32-year-old man with no other traditional risk factors for PVT.
Weighted Composition Operators between the Fractional Cauchy Spaces and the Bloch-Type Spaces
Authors: Hibschweiler R. A.
Published: November 2017

We characterize boundedness and compactness of weighted composition operators mapping the families of fractional Cauchy transforms into the Bloch-type spaces. Corollaries are obtained about composition operators and multiplication operators.
Neutrino Pair Cerenkov Radiation for Tachyonic Neutrinos
Authors: Jentschura Ulrich D. , Nándori István
Published: November 2017

The emission of a charged light lepton pair by a superluminal neutrino has been identified as a major factor in the energy loss of highly energetic neutrinos. The observation of PeV neutrinos by IceCube implies their stability against lepton pair Cerenkov radiation. Under the assumption of a Lorentz-violating dispersion relation for highly energetic superluminal neutrinos, one may thus constrain the Lorentz-violating parameters. A kinematically different situation arises when one assumes a Lorentz-covariant, space-like dispersion relation for hypothetical tachyonic neutrinos, as an alternative to Lorentz-violating theories. We here discuss a hitherto neglected decay process, where a highly energetic tachyonic neutrino may emit other (space-like, tachyonic) neutrino pairs. We find that the space-like dispersion relation implies the absence of a q2 threshold for the production of a tachyonic neutrino-antineutrino pair, thus leading to the dominant additional energy loss mechanism for an oncoming tachyonic neutrino in the medium-energy domain. Surprisingly, the small absolute values of the decay rate and energy loss rate in the tachyonic model imply that these models, in contrast to the Lorentz-violating theories, are not pressured by the cosmic PeV neutrinos registered by the IceCube collaboration.
A Prospective Multicenter Trial of the TransForm Occlusion Balloon Catheter: Trial Design and Results
Authors: Taqi M. Asif , Quadri Syed A. , Puri Ajit S. , Fitzsimmons Brian F. , Jin Jianhua Nancy , Rai Ansaar T. , Given 2nd Curtis A. , Masso Javier , Powers Ciaran J. , English Joey D. , Zaidat Osama O.
Published: November 2017

Background and Purpose: Adjunctive treatments like balloon-assisted coil embolization (BACE) and stent-assisted coil embolization play a major role in the treatment of wide-neck and large intracranial aneurysms. The TransForm™ Occlusion Balloon Catheter (TOBC) registry is intended to evaluate the safety, efficacy, and efficiency of BACE using the TOBC. Method and Study Design: The TOBC registry is a prospective multicenter registry trial. Seven sites in the USA and 1 site in Spain participated and enrolled 81 patients. Results: The performance and safety of the TOBC was evaluated based on scoring for different variables. Scores were measured using a semiquantitative rating scale (1 = excellent, 5 = poor). The mean scores for these variables were as follows: visibility under fluoroscopy, 1.8; ability to reach the intended site, 1.6; stability during first positioning, 1.5; stability during inflation, 1.6; stability during deflation, 1.6; ability to temporarily stop flow, 1.6; and ability to assist in coil embolization, 1.7. The mean inflation and deflation times were 4.9 and 5.6 s, respectively. Complete obliteration of the aneurysm (Raymond class I) was achieved in 69.4% of the BACE cases. Thrombus formation occurred in 4/81 (4.8%) of the cases. In all cases, the thrombus resolved with medications, no patient suffered an infarction, and an underlying hypercoagulable state from subarachnoid hemorrhage was considered a contributing factor. Vessel rupture occurred in 1/81 (1.2%) of the cases, but was unrelated to TOBC use. Conclusion: BACE using the TOBC is safe and effective. All variables assessed for performance showed good-to-excellent results.
Força de preensão manual em escolares de 9 a 18 anos
Authors: Hegg Raymond Victor , Bastos Flavia Da Cunha
Published: November 2017

As variações da força de preensão manual, em função de sexo e puberdade, foram estudadas em 899 escolares da cidade de São Paulo - 383 do sexo masculino e 516 do sexo feminino. Houve predominância dos valores médios do sexo masculino assim como diferenças significativas entre púberes e não púberes, decorrentes do surto pubertário em ambos os sexos
Introdução à biomecânica do esporte considerações sobre métodos de investigação
Authors: Amadio A. C.
Published: November 2017

Através de análise da literatura específica, discute-se o domínio da área de atuação da Biomecânica do Esporte, a interdisciplinaridade de Ciências Esportivas para a investigação do movimento e padronização conceituai, quanto à composição, classificação e metas na investigação. Quanto aos métodos de medidas, discutem-se os principais processos e suas características, visando a complexa investigação para a análise do movimento esportivo
Reaction time and the learning of an anticipatóry timing task in the elderly
Authors: Santos Suely , Tani Go
Published: November 2017

Parece que a “performance” motora em idosos está relacionada ao sistema efetor mais em termos dc controle do que de força muscular, particularmente com a velocidade de processamento de informações. Durante o envelhecimento há um aumento do tempo de resposta motora devido a modificações estruturais e funcionais do organismo. Entretanto, a identificação dos fatores envolvidos nesta lentidão e o efeito destes fatores na organização espacial e temporal dc movimentos ainda necessitam de maiores estudos. O objetivo deste estudo foi medir, inicialmente, o tempo dc reação (TR) dc indivíduos idosos e então verificar a sua influência na aprendizagem de uma tarefa dc “timing1 antccipatório. Trinta indivíduos entre 60 e 79 anos dc idade participaram do experimento. Para investigar o efeito do TR foram formados dois grupos experimentais: (TRC) tempo de reação curto: c (TRL) tempo dc reação longo. Os resultados foram analisados cm termos de erros absoluto, constante e variável, aplicando-se análise de variância, teste t de Student e teste dc Tukcy. Ambos os grupos mostraram uma diminuição gradativa de erros na fase de aquisição e mantiveram um nível dc desempenho semelhante na fase dc retenção. O efeito do TR curto ou longo foi diluído durante o processo de aprendizagem. Os resultados revelaram que mesmo partindo de estados iniciais diferentes, alcançou-se o mesmo patamar de desempenho (estado final semelhante), evidenciando a importância de se considerar as diferenças individuais no que se refere a adaptabilidade do idoso na aprendizagem motora