bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Video Foreground Detection Algorithm Based on Fast Principal Component Pursuit and Motion Saliency
Authors: Chen Rui , Tong Ying , Yang Jie , Wu Minghu
Published: February 2019

Aiming at the shortcoming of being unsuitable for dynamic background and high computational complexity of the existing RPCA- (robust principal component analysis-) based block-sparse moving object detection method, this paper proposes a two-stage foreground detection framework based on motion saliency for video sequence. At the first stage, the observed image sequence is regarded as the sum of a low-rank background matrix and a sparse outlier matrix, and then the decomposition is solved by the RPCA method via fast PCP (principal component pursuit). At the second stage, the sparse foreground blocks are obtained according to the spectral residuals and the spatial correlation of the foreground region. Finally, the block-sparse RPCA algorithm through fast PCP is used to estimate foreground areas dynamically and to reconstruct the foreground objects. Extensive experiments demonstrate that our method can exclude the interference of background motion and change, simultaneously improving the detection rate of small targets.
Development of a Mechanistic Hypothesis Linking Compensatory Biomechanics and Stepping Asymmetry during Gait of Transfemoral Amputees
Authors: Mohamed Abeer , Sexton Andrew , Simonsen Kirsten , McGibbon Chris A.
Published: February 2019

Objective. Gait asymmetry is a common adaptation observed in lower-extremity amputees, but the underlying mechanisms that explain this gait behavior remain unclear for amputees that use above-knee prostheses. Our objective was to develop a working hypothesis to explain chronic stepping asymmetry in otherwise healthy amputees that use above-knee prostheses.Methods. Two amputees (both through-knee; one with microprocessor knee, one with hydraulic knee) and fourteen control subjects participated. 3D kinematics and kinetics were acquired at normal, fast, and slow walking speeds. Data were analyzed for the push-off and collision limbs during a double support phase. We examined gait parameters to identify the stepping asymmetry then examined the external work rate (centre of mass) and internal (joint) power profiles to formulate a working hypothesis to mechanistically explain the observed stepping asymmetry.Results. Stepping asymmetry at all three gait speeds in amputees was characterized by increased stance phase duration of the intact limb versus relatively normal stance phase duration for the prosthesis limb. The prosthesis limb contributed very little to positive and negative work during the double support phase of gait. To compensate, the intact leg at heel strike first provided aid to the deficient prosthetic ankle/foot during its push-off by doing positive work with the intact knee, which caused a delayed stance phase pattern. The resulting delay in toe-off of the intact limb then facilitated the energy transfer from the more robust intact push-off limb to the weaker colliding prosthesis side. This strategy was observed for both amputees.Conclusions. There is a sound scientific rationale for a mechanistic hypothesis that stepping asymmetry in amputee participants is a result of a motor adaptation that is both facilitating the lower-leg trajectory enforced by the prosthesis while compensating for the lack of work done by the prosthesis, the cost of which is increased energy expenditure of the intact knee and both hips.
A Meta-Analysis of Use of Serious Games in Education over a Decade
Authors: Zhonggen Yu
Published: February 2019

It seems necessary to review the literature to explore the effectiveness of serious games in education, since the number of studies on serious games is surging up. This study systematically reviewed the literature within around a recent decade. The trend of the number of publications related to use of serious games in education was firstly clarified based on the data retrieved from major databases. Secondly, various factors were determined that influenced the effect of serious game assisted learning. The major section identified both advantages and disadvantages of use of serious games in education. Use of serious games in medical science has been rising in a recent decade, which is thus highlighted in this study. Attitudes toward use of serious games in education were explored, as well as the new development of use of serious games in education. Future theoretical and practical exploration might need interdisciplinary cooperation.
Patient Health Seeking and Diagnostic Delay in Extrapulmonary Tuberculosis: A Hospital Based Study from Central India
Authors: Purohit Manju Raj , Purohit Rajvi , Mustafa Tehmina
Published: February 2019

Objective. We aimed to investigate the awareness, health care seeking behavior, and diagnostic delay in extrapulmonary tuberculosis (EPTB) in a resource-constrained setting from Central India. Setting and Method. Questionnaire based interview of 1220 EPTB patients ≥14 years of age was conducted between July 2004 and August 2012 at Ujjain charitable Hospital, Ujjain, India. Results. Only 15% of patients had ever heard about EPTB and 2-4% knew about its prevention or treatment. Only 12% patients first sought medical advice while 49% patients practiced self-medication, 28% consulted traditional healers and 11% drug store/pharmacy. The median patient delay was 8 weeks (4.6-21.4 weeks). Majority (78%) of patients visited ≥3 health centers. Thirty-eight percent patients first visited any government health facility. Majority (97%) who first visited district and primary public health center were referred to private sector for investigations and 82% patients changed the consultation to private doctor after initial visit to public hospital. The median health system delay was 7 weeks (0.6-16.4 weeks). Conclusion. Patients had very poor awareness of EPTB. Patients were referred from public to private sector in search of diagnostic facilities. Improvement of public awareness about EPTB and better public-private partnership may contribute towards reduction in diagnostic delay.
Fast and Simple LC-MS/MS Method for Rifampicin Quantification in Human Plasma
Authors: Temova Rakuša Žane , Roškar Robert , Klančar Andrejc Anita , Trdan Lušin Tina , Faganeli Nataša , Grabnar Iztok , Mrhar Aleš , Kristl Albin , Trontelj Jurij
Published: February 2019

A simple, fast, and cost-effective LC-MS/MS method for quantification of rifampicin in human plasma was developed and fully validated. The plasma samples containing rifampicin and isotopically labelled internal standard rifampicin D8, were cleaned up using a Captiva ND Lipids filtration plate. Chromatographic separation was achieved on an 1290 Infinity liquid chromatograph coupled to 6460 Triple Quadrupole operated in positive mode on a core-shell Kinetex C18 column (50 × 2.1 mm, 2.6 μm) by gradient elution using 0.1% formic acid in water and acetonitrile as a mobile phase. The proposed method is the fastest method published by now, both in terms of sample preparation (approximately one minute per sample) and chromatographic analysis (total run time 2.4 min). Another key benefit is the outstanding sensitivity and wide analytical range (5-40000 μg/L) with good linearity, accuracy, and precision. The method showed almost complete recovery (92%) and absence of any significant matrix effect as demonstrated by uniform responses from QC samples prepared in blood plasma from 6 volunteers (RSD <5%). The proposed method was successfully applied to rifampicin quantification in 340 patients’ plasma samples, thus demonstrating its suitability for both therapeutic drug monitoring and pharmacokinetic analysis.
Assessment of Baroreflex Sensitivity Using Time-Frequency Analysis during Postural Change and Hypercapnia
Authors: Kazimierska Agnieszka , Placek Michał M. , Uryga Agnieszka , Wachel Paweł , Burzyńska Małgorzata , Kasprowicz Magdalena
Published: February 2019

Baroreflex is a mechanism of short-term neural control responsible for maintaining stable levels of arterial blood pressure (ABP) in an ABP-heart rate negative feedback loop. Its function is assessed by baroreflex sensitivity (BRS)—a parameter which quantifies the relationship between changes in ABP and corresponding changes in heart rate (HR). The effect of postural change as well as the effect of changes in blood O2 and CO2 have been the focus of multiple previous studies on BRS. However, little is known about the influence of the combination of these two factors on dynamic baroreflex response. Furthermore, classical methods used for BRS assessment are based on the assumption of stationarity that may lead to unreliable results in the case of mostly nonstationary cardiovascular signals. Therefore, we aimed to investigate BRS during repeated transitions between squatting and standing in normal end-tidal CO2 (EtCO2) conditions (normocapnia) and conditions of progressively increasing EtCO2 with a decreasing level of O2 (hypercapnia with hypoxia) using joint time and frequency domain (TF) approach to BRS estimation that overcomes the limitation of classical methods. Noninvasive continuous measurements of ABP and EtCO2 were conducted in a group of 40 healthy young volunteers. The time course of BRS was estimated from TF representations of pulse interval variability and systolic pressure variability, their coherence, and phase spectra. The relationship between time-variant BRS and indices of ABP and HR was analyzed during postural change in normocapnia and hypercapnia with hypoxia. In normocapnia, observed trends in all measures were in accordance with previous studies, supporting the validity of presented TF method. Similar but slightly attenuated response to postural change was observed in hypercapnia with hypoxia. Our results show the merits of the nonstationary methods as a tool to study the cardiovascular system during short-term hemodynamic changes.
Automated Oxygen Delivery in Hospitalized Patients with Acute Respiratory Failure: A Pilot Study
Authors: Malli Foteini , Boutlas Stelios , Lioufas Nick , Gourgoulianis Konstantinos I.
Published: February 2019

Background and Objectives. Despite its’ proven benefits, oxygen therapy may be complicated with potential adverse events such as hypoxemia or hyperoxia-driven hypercapnia. Automated oxygen delivery systems may aid in avoiding these complications. The scope of the present study is to test the efficacy and safety of a new automated oxygen delivery device. Methods. This study included 23 patients with acute respiratory failure (ARF) hospitalized in the Respiratory Medicine Department of the University Hospital of Larissa. Both patients with purely hypoxemic or hypercapnic ARF were included. Automated oxygen administration was performed with Digital Oxygen Therapy, a new closed-loop system designed to automatically adjust oxygen flow according to target oxygen saturation (SpO2) of 88–92% for hypercapnic patients and 92–96% for purely hypoxemic patients with ARF. The device was applied for 4 hours. Arterial blood gas analysis was performed at 1 hour and 3 hours following the device application. Results. Mean age was 72.91 ± 13.91 years. Twelve patients were male, and 11 were female. The majority of patients suffered from hypercapnic respiratory failure (n=13, 56.5%). At 1 hour and 3 hours, SpO2 and PaO2 displayed excellent correlation (p<0.001, r = 0.943, and p<0.001, r = 0.954, respectively). We did not observe any adverse events associated with the device. Conclusions. Our results indicate that automated oxygen treatment is feasible and safe in hospitalized patients with acute respiratory failure. Further studies are required in order to assess the long-term effects of automated oxygen delivery systems.
Screening for Problematic Internet Use May Help Identify Impulse Control Disorders in Parkinson’s Disease
Authors: Kovács Márton , Makkos Attila , Pintér Dávid , Juhász Annamária , Darnai Gergely , Karádi Kázmér , Janszky József , Kovács Norbert
Published: February 2019

Background. Impulse control disorders in Parkinson’s disease (PD) represent emerging problems with potentially devastating consequences. The standard screening methods for impulse control disorders are clinically imperfect. Although it is rarely reported, many patients utilize the Internet to fulfill their compulsive behaviors because of its easy accessibility. We designed a study to test the hypothesis that an active screening for excessive Internet use and Internet addiction might improve the sensitivity of identification of impulse control disorders. Methods. The standard screening method included the Questionnaire for Impulsive-Compulsive Disorders in Parkinson’s Disease and the modified Minnesota Impulsive Disorders Interview. In the second round, the Problematic Internet Use Questionnaire was also assessed for detecting excessive Internet use. Results. While the standard approach identified 19 patients out of 106 (17.9%) with any type of impulse control disorders, screening for the problematic Internet use detected 29 patients with impulse control disorders (27.4%) having significantly better efficacy over the standard method (p=0.004, the McNemar test). Conclusions. Our study suggests that the screening for problematic Internet use by the Problematic Internet Use Questionnaire is an effective, feasible, and easy-to-use add-on method for identifying PD patients with impulse control disorders more efficiently and probably at earlier stages.
Fast Mesh Simplification Method for Three-Dimensional Geometric Models with Feature-Preserving Efficiency
Authors: Wang Yongzhi , Zheng Jianwen , Wang Hui
Published: February 2019

To avoid excessive details, thus omitting less important content, of three-dimensional (3D) geometric models, this study proposes a fast mesh simplification method based on an energy-operator for 3D geometric models with salient feature-preserving efficiency. The energy-operator can evaluate the smoothness and complexity of the regional mesh in 3D models. Accordingly, it can be directly used to simultaneously reduce the candidate triangle and its three neighboring triangles. The proposed method can dramatically collapse the excessive details in relatively smooth areas and preserve more important salient features during the simplification process. It can also maintain a trade-off between time efficiency and salient feature-preserving accuracy. The effectiveness and efficiency of the new method are demonstrated by comparing it with OpenMesh, which is considered the most popular mesh operation software and is capable of achieving accurate mesh simplification models. The new mesh simplification method based on the energy-operator can provide accurate and concise models for interactive 3D rendering, calculating, simulating, and analyzing.
Effect of Fe2O3 on the Immobilization of High-Level Waste with Magnesium Potassium Phosphate Ceramic
Authors: Yang Hailin , Fu Mingjiao , Wu Bobo , Zhang Ying , Ma Ruhua , Qian Jueshi
Published: February 2019

For the proposed novel procedure of immobilizing HLW with magnesium potassium phosphate cement (MKPC), Fe2O3 was added as a modifying agent to verify its effect on the solidification form and the immobilization of the radioactive nuclide. The results show that Fe2O3 is inert during the hydration reaction. It slows down the hydration reaction and lowers the heat release rate of the MKPC system, leading to a 3°C-5°C drop in the mixture temperature during hydration. Early comprehensive strength of Fe2O3 containing samples decreased slightly while the long-term strength remained unchanged. For the sintering process, Fe2O3 played a positive role, lowering the melting point and aiding the formation of ceramic structure. CsFe(PO4)2, or CsFePO4, was generated by sintering at 900°C. These products together with the ceramic structure and absorption benefit the immobilization of Cs+. The optimal sintering temperature for heat treatment is 900°C; it makes the solidification form a fired ceramic-like structure.
Polymeric Composite Materials for the Detection of Barium Ions in Aqueous Solutions
Authors: Zaitsev Sergei Yu. , Tsarkova Marina S. , Zaitsev Ilia S.
Published: February 2019

The design of polymeric composite materials (PCM) for the optical control of chemical substances is currently one of the actively developing fields of science “at the junction” of polymer, organic, and analytical chemistry. The purpose of this work is the preparation of PCM containing derivatives of crown ethers for the optical determination of barium ions. The polymeric composite materials containing a novel optical molecular sensor have been obtained and investigated on the basis of a number of film-forming polymers. The best results have been obtained for PCM based on polyvinyl butyral films (since the fluorescence and absorption maxima shifted by 9 and 16 nm, respectively) in the fluorescence and absorption spectra of this PCM in the presence of barium ions. This makes the proposed PCM highly promising as sensor elements for the detection of the barium ions in the aqueous solutions.
Optimization for Nonlinear Uncertain Switched Stochastic Systems with Initial State Difference in Batch Culture Process
Authors: Yuan Jinlong , Xie Jun , Xu Honglei , Feng Enmin , Xiu Zhilong
Published: February 2019

Based on the deterministic description of batch culture expressed in form of switched ordinary differential equations, we introduce a switched stochastic counterpart system with initial state difference together with uncertain switching instants and system parameters to model the process of glycerol biodissimilation to 1,3‐propanediol (1,3‐PD) induced by Klebsiella pneumoniae (K. pneumoniae). Important properties of the stochastic system are discussed. Our aim is to obtain the unified switched instants and system parameters under the condition of different initial states. To do this, we will formulate a system identification problem in which these uncertain switched instants and system parameters are regarded as decision variables to be chosen such that the relative error between experimental data and computational results is minimized. Such problem governed by the stochastic system is subject to continuous state inequality constraints and box constraints. By performing a time‐scaling transformation as well as introducing the constraint transcription and local smoothing approximation techniques, we convert such problem into a sequence of approximation subproblems. Considering both the difficulty of finding analytical solutions and the complex nature of these subproblems, we develop a parallelized differential evolution (DE) algorithm to solve these approximation subproblems. From an extensive simulation, we show that the obtained optimal switched instants and system parameters are satisfactory with initial state difference.
Gender Differences in Eating Disorder Risk among NCAA Division I Cross Country and Track Student-Athletes
Authors: Krebs Paul A. , Dennison Christopher R. , Kellar Lisa , Lucas Jeff
Published: February 2019

Purpose. This study compared gender differences in eating disorder risk among NCAA Division I cross country and track distance running student-athletes. Methods. Six hundred thirty-eight male and female student-athletes competing at distances of 800m or greater completed the Eating Disorder Screen for Primary Care (ESP). Scores on the ESP were used as the risk of eating disorders. Results. Females screened positive at higher rates for risk of eating disorders than males on the ESP at a cutoff of 2 (sensitivity 90-100%, specificity 71%) with rates of 45.95%±3.03 and 13.66%±1.80, respectively. Females were also screened positive at higher rates than males at a stricter cutoff of 3 (sensitivity 81%, specificity 92%), with rates of 21.69%±2.50 compared to 4.64%±1.10, respectively. Conclusion. This study highlights that, among distance runners, both males and females are at risk of eating disorders, with females being at higher risk. It also emphasizes the need for screening for risk of eating disorders in this population.
Policy Modeling and Applications: State‐of‐the‐Art and Perspectives
Authors: Furtado Bernardo A. , Fuentes Miguel A. , Tessone Claudio J.
Published: February 2019

The range of application of methodologies of complexity science, interdisciplinary by nature, has spread even more broadly across disciplines after the dawn of this century. Specifically, applications to public policy and corporate strategies have proliferated in tandem. This paper reviews the most used complex systems methodologies with an emphasis on public policy. We briefly present examples, pros, and cons of agent‐based modeling, network models, dynamical systems, data mining, and evolutionary game theory. Further, we illustrate some specific experiences of large applied projects in macroeconomics, urban systems, and infrastructure planning. We argue that agent‐based modeling has established itself as a strong tool within scientific realm. However, adoption by policy‐makers is still scarce. Considering the huge amount of exemplary, successful applications of complexity science across the most varied disciplines, we believe policy is ready to become an actual field of detailed and useful applications.
Stromal Fibrosis of the Breast: A Spectrum of Benign to Malignant Imaging Appearances
Authors: Nassar Lara , Baassiri Amro , Salah Fatima , Barakat Andrew , Najem Elie , Boulos Fouad , Berjawi Ghina
Published: February 2019

Objectives. The aim of this study is to demonstrate the various imaging appearances of stromal fibrosis on mammography, ultrasound, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Material and Methods. This study included 75 female patients who presented to the American University of Beirut Medical Center between January 2010 and October 2015 for breast imaging. 66 (88%) patients obtained a mammogram, 71 (95%) had an ultrasound, and 6 (8%) had an MRI. Patients included had stromal fibrosis proven on biopsy. Results. The most common finding on mammogram was calcifications which was present in 14 (21%) patients, while on ultrasound it was a mass which was present in 61 (86%) patients. A mass was detected on MRI in 2 (33.5%) patients. Most lesions detected had benign findings such as masses with circumscribed margins. We had a follow-up for 53 (71%) patients with an average follow-up interval of 28.5 months (range: 5 – 70). Increase in size of the index lesion was noted in only 2 patients; upon rebiopsy, pathology results read stromal fibrosis for one lesion and fibroadenoma for the other. The remaining lesions were either stable or decreased in size. The higher detection rate of a mass on ultrasound was statistically significant (p<0.001) in comparison to that of mammography. Conclusion. Stromal fibrosis can have various presentations on imaging from benign to suspicious for malignancy features. In the case of accurate targeted biopsy, when stromal fibrosis is diagnosed, the result can be considered concordant. Therefore, such lesions can be followed up by imaging to document stability and confirm benignity.
Assessing Treatment Fidelity within an Epilepsy Randomized Controlled Trial: Seizure First Aid Training for People with Epilepsy Who Visit Emergency Departments
Authors: Noble Adam J. , Snape Darlene , Ridsdale Leone , Morgan Myfanwy , Nevitt Sarah J. , Goodacre Steve , Marson Anthony
Published: February 2019

Purpose. To measure fidelity with which a group seizure first aid training intervention was delivered within a pilot randomized controlled trial underway in the UK for adults with epilepsy who visit emergency departments (ED) and informal carers. Estimates of its effects, including on ED use, will be produced by the trial. Whilst hardly ever reported for trials of epilepsy interventions—only one publication on this topic exists—this study provides the information on treatment fidelity necessary to allow the trial’s estimates to be accurately interpreted. This rare worked example of how fidelity can be assessed could also provide guidance sought by neurology trialists on how to assess fidelity. Methods. 53 patients who had visited ED on ≥2 occasions in prior year were recruited for the trial; 26 were randomized to the intervention. 7 intervention courses were delivered for them by one facilitator. Using audio recordings, treatment “adherence” and “competence” were assessed. Adherence was assessed by a checklist of the items comprising the intervention. Using computer software, competence was measured by calculating facilitator speech during the intervention (didacticism). Interrater reliability was evaluated by two independent raters assessing each course using the measures and their ratings being compared. Results. The fidelity measures were found to be reliable. For the adherence instrument, raters agreed 96% of the time, PABAK-OS kappa 0.91. For didacticism, raters’ scores had an intraclass coefficient of 0.96. In terms of treatment fidelity, not only were courses found to have been delivered with excellent adherence (88% of its items were fully delivered) but also as intended they were highly interactive, with the facilitator speaking for, on average, 55% of course time. Conclusions. The fidelity measures used were reliable and showed that the intervention was delivered as attended. Therefore, any estimates of intervention effect will not be influenced by poor implementation fidelity.
A Reinforcement Learning Based Auto‐Scaling Approach for SaaS Providers in Dynamic Cloud Environment
Authors: Wei Yi , Kudenko Daniel , Liu Shijun , Pan Li , Wu Lei , Meng Xiangxu
Published: February 2019

Cloud computing is an emerging paradigm which provides a flexible and diversified trading market for Infrastructure‐as‐a‐Service (IaaS) providers, Software‐as‐a‐Service (SaaS) providers, and cloud‐based application customers. Taking the perspective of SaaS providers, they offer various SaaS services using rental cloud resources supplied by IaaS providers to their end users. In order to maximize their utility, the best behavioural strategy is to reduce renting expenses as much as possible while providing sufficient processing capacity to meet customer demands. In reality, public IaaS providers such as Amazon offer different types of virtual machine (VM) instances with different pricing models. Moreover, service requests from customers always change as time goes by. In such heterogeneous and changing environments, how to realize application auto‐scaling becomes increasingly significant for SaaS providers. In this paper, we first formulate this problem and then propose a Q‐learning based self‐adaptive renting plan generation approach to help SaaS providers make efficient IaaS facilities adjustment decisions dynamically. Through a series of experiments and simulation, we evaluate the auto‐scaling approach under different market conditions and compare it with two other resource allocation strategies. Experimental results show that our approach could automatically generate optimal renting policies for the SaaS provider in the long run.
RoC: Robust and Low-Complexity Wireless Indoor Positioning Systems for Multifloor Buildings Using Location Fingerprinting Techniques
Authors: Maneerat Kriangkrai , Kaemarungsi Kamol
Published: February 2019

Most existing wireless indoor positioning systems have only success performance requirements in normal operating situations whereby all wireless equipment works properly. There remains a lack of system reliability that can support emergency situations when there are some reference node failures, such as in earthquake and fire scenarios. Additionally, most systems do not incorporate environmental information such as temperature and relative humidity level into the process of determining the location of objects inside the building. To address these gaps, we propose a novel integrated framework for wireless indoor positioning systems based on a location fingerprinting technique which is called the Robust and low Complexity indoor positioning systems framework (RoC framework). Our proposed integrated framework consists of two essential indoor positioning processes: the system design process and the localization process. The RoC framework aims to achieve robustness in the system design structure and reliability of the target location during the online estimation phase either under a normal situation or when some reference nodes (RNs) have failed. The availability of low-cost temperature and relative humidity sensors can provide additional information for the location fingerprinting technique and thereby reduce location estimation complexity by including this additional information. Experimental results and comparative performance evaluation revealed that the RoC framework can achieve robustness in terms of the system design structure, whereby it was able to provide the highest positioning performance in either fault-free or RN-failure scenarios. Moreover, in the online estimation phase, the proposed framework can provide the highest reliability of the target location under the RN-failure scenarios and also yields the lowest computational complexity in online searching compared to other techniques. Specifically, when compared to the traditional weighted k-nearest neighbor techniques (WKNN) under the 30% RN-failure scenario at Building B, the proposed RoC framework shows 74.1% better accuracy performance and yields 55.1% lower computational time than the WKNN.
Mechanism of Secondary Breakage in the Overlying Strata during Repetitious Mining of an Ultrathick Coal Seam in Design Stage
Authors: Li Hui , Zhang Dongsheng , Jiang Shuyin , Fan Gangwei , Xu Mengtang
Published: February 2019

When designing the mining of an ultrathick coal seam, the laws governing movement in the overlying strata during mining are a fundamental issue based on which several problems are addressed, including determining the mining method and the roadway arrangement, controlling the surrounding strata, and selecting the devices. The present paper considers possible problems related to strata overlying a large mining space subjected to repeated disturbances during the mining of an ultrathick coal seam, including repeatedly broken strata and the existence or inexistence of the structure. The BM coal seam in the No. 2 coal mine of the Dajing mining area in the East Junggar coalfield is studied. Physical simulations are performed on the movements of the overlying strata during slicing mining of the ultrathick coal seam, revealing the new feature of “break‐joint stability‐instability‐secondary breakage” in the overlying strata. Mechanical models are constructed of the secondary breakage of the overlying strata blocks under both static and impact loading, and mechanical criteria are proposed for such breakage. Based on the research findings, methods for controlling the surrounding strata during slicing mining of an ultrathick coal seam are proposed, including increasing the mining rate and designing reasonable heights for the slicing mining.
Fuzzy-Based Hybrid Location Algorithm for Vehicle Position in VANETs via Fuzzy Kalman Filtering Approach
Authors: An Jiyao , Yu Yingjun , Tang Jie , Zhan Jiawei
Published: February 2019

Location information is very critical to VANETs such as navigation, routing, network management, and road congestion. In this paper, the vehicle location problem under urban road conditions is investigated by employing the GPS, WiFi, and Cellular Network (CN) positioning systems and by developing neighbor vehicle utilization in VANETs. Since GPS is possibly affected by satellite signal in real urban environment, while WiFi is only suitable for urban and CN is affected by the number of Base Stations (BSs) and signal strength, then a fuzzy-based hybrid location algorithm is developed. The algorithm has some advantages that it can enhance these positioning features by establishing a new fuzzy-weighting location mechanism (FLM) and also can adjust dynamically the measurement noise covariance by making use of a novel fuzzy Kalman filtering method. Finally, experiment results are given to show effectiveness and merit of the proposed approach.
Differentiating False Loss of Resistance from True Loss of Resistance While Performing the Epidural Block with the CompuFlo® Epidural Instrument
Authors: Vaira Pasquale , Camorcia Michela , Palladino Tiziana , Velardo Matteo , Capogna Giorgio
Published: February 2019

Background. The occurrence of false losses of resistance may be one of the reasons for inadequate or failed epidural block. A CompuFlo® epidural instrument has been introduced to measure the pressure of human tissues in real time at the orifice of a needle and has been used as a tool to identify the epidural space. The aim of this study was to investigate the sensitivity and the specificity of the ability of CompuFlo® to differentiate the false loss of resistance from the true loss of resistance encountered during the epidural space identification procedure. Method. We performed epidural block with the CompuFlo® epidural instrument in 120 healthy women who requested labor epidural analgesia. The epidural needle was considered to have reached the epidural space when an increase in pressure (accompanied by an increase in the pitch of the audible tone) was followed by a sudden and sustained drop in pressure for more than 5 seconds accompanied by a sudden decrease in the pitch of the audible tone, resulting in the formation of a low and stable pressure plateau. We evaluate the sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of the ability of CompuFlo® recordings to correctly identify the true LOR from the false LOR. Results. The drop in pressure associated with the epidural space identification was significantly greater than that recorded after the false loss of resistance (73% vs 33%) (P=0.000001). The sensitivity was 0.83, and the AUC was 0.82. Discussion. We have confirmed the ability of CompuFlo® to differentiate the false loss of resistance from the true loss of resistance and established its specificity and sensitivity. Conclusion. An easier identification of dubious losses of resistance during the epidural procedure is essential to reduce the number of epidural attempts and/or needle reinsertions with the potential of a reduced risk of accidental dural puncture especially in difficult cases or when the procedure is performed by trainees.
High-Performance Parallel Simulation of Airflow for Complex Terrain Surface
Authors: Ono Kenji , Uchida Takanori
Published: February 2019

It is important to develop a reliable and high-throughput simulation method for predicting airflows in the installation planning phase of windmill power plants. This study proposes a two-stage mesh generation approach to reduce the meshing cost and introduces a hybrid parallelization scheme for atmospheric fluid simulations. The meshing approach splits mesh generation into two stages: in the first stage, the meshing parameters that uniquely determine the mesh distribution are extracted, and in the second stage, a mesh system is generated in parallel via an in situ approach using the parameters obtained in the initialization phase of the simulation. The proposed two-stage approach is flexible since an arbitrary number of processes can be selected at run time. An efficient OpenMP-MPI hybrid parallelization scheme using a middleware that provides a framework of parallel codes based on the domain decomposition method is also developed. The preliminary results of the meshing and computing performance show excellent scalability in the strong scaling test.
Combinatorial Approach to Improve Cancer Immunotherapy: Rational Drug Design Strategy to Simultaneously Hit Multiple Targets to Kill Tumor Cells and to Activate the Immune System
Authors: Joshi Shweta , Durden Donald L.
Published: February 2019

Cancer immunotherapy, including immune checkpoint blockade and adoptive CAR T-cell therapy, has clearly established itself as an important modality to treat melanoma and other malignancies. Despite the tremendous clinical success of immunotherapy over other cancer treatments, this approach has shown substantial benefit to only some of the patients while the rest of the patients have not responded due to immune evasion. In recent years, a combination of cancer immunotherapy together with existing anticancer treatments has gained significant attention and has been extensively investigated in preclinical or clinical studies. In this review, we discuss the therapeutic potential of novel regimens combining immune checkpoint inhibitors with therapeutic interventions that (1) increase tumor immunogenicity such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and epigenetic therapy; (2) reverse tumor immunosuppression such as TAMs, MDSCs, and Tregs targeted therapy; and (3) reduce tumor burden and increase the immune effector response with rationally designed dual or triple inhibitory chemotypes.
Pioglitazone Ameliorates Atorvastatin-Induced Islet Cell Dysfunction through Activation of FFA1 in INS-1 Cells
Authors: Zhu Kongbo , Qian Linglin , Lin Yanshan , An Li , Mu Guangjian , Ma Genshan , Ren Liqun
Published: February 2019

Increasing evidence shows that statins increase the risk of new-onset diabetes mellitus, but the exact mechanism is not clearly known. Free fatty acid receptor 1 (FFA1) has been recognized to mediate insulin secretion, and pioglitazone has direct effects on glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in addition to the reversion of insulin resistance. In this study, we found that atorvastatin decreased potassium-stimulated insulin secretion and inhibited the expression of FFA1, PDX-1, and BETA2/NeuroD in INS-1 cells. Further study demonstrated that pioglitazone prevented the impairment of insulin secretion induced by atorvastatin and enhanced the expression of FFA1, PDX-1, and BETA2/NeuroD reduced by atorvastatin in INS-1 cells. In addition, the preventive effect of pioglitazone on atorvastatin-induced impairment of insulin secretion and the enhancement of the expression of PDX-1 and BETA2/NeuroD was abolished by knockdown of FFA1 using siRNA or the PLC inhibitor, U-73122, respectively. Ultimately, FFA1 may mediate the atorvastatin-induced pancreatic β-cell dysfunction and pioglitazone may ameliorate this deleterious effect through the upregulation of FFA1 expression.
Learning Force‐Relevant Skills from Human Demonstration
Authors: Gao Xiao , Ling Jie , Xiao Xiaohui , Li Miao
Published: February 2019

Many human manipulation skills are force relevant, such as opening a bottle cap and assembling furniture. However, it is still a difficult task to endow a robot with these skills, which largely is due to the complexity of the representation and planning of these skills. This paper presents a learning‐based approach of transferring force‐relevant skills from human demonstration to a robot. First, the force‐relevant skill is encapsulated as a statistical model where the key parameters are learned from the demonstrated data (motion, force). Second, based on the learned skill model, a task planner is devised which specifies the motion and/or the force profile for a given manipulation task. Finally, the learned skill model is further integrated with an adaptive controller that offers task‐consistent force adaptation during online executions. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is validated with two experiments, i.e., an object polishing task and a peg‐in‐hole assembly.
Resin-Dentin Bonding Interface: Mechanisms of Degradation and Strategies for Stabilization of the Hybrid Layer
Authors: Betancourt D. E. , Baldion P. A. , Castellanos J. E.
Published: February 2019

Several studies have shown that the dentin-resin interface is unstable due to poor infiltration of resin monomers into the demineralized dentin matrix. This phenomenon is related to the incomplete infiltration of the adhesive system into the network of exposed collagen fibrils, mainly due to the difficulty of displacement and subsequent replacement of trapped water between interfibrillar spaces, avoiding adequate hybridization within the network of collagen fibrils. Thus, unprotected fibrils are exposed to undergo denaturation and are susceptible to cyclic fatigue rupture after being subjected to repetitive loads during function. The aqueous inclusions within the hybrid layer serve as a functional medium for the hydrolysis of the resin matrix, giving rise to the activity of esterases and collagenolytic enzymes, such as matrix metalloproteinases, which play a fundamental role in the degradation process of the hybrid layer. Achieving better interdiffusion of the adhesive system in the network of collagen fibrils and the substrate stability in the hybrid layer through different strategies are key events for the interfacial microstructure to adequately function. Hence, it is important to review the factors related to the mechanisms of degradation and stabilization of the hybrid layer to support the implementation of new materials and techniques in the future. The enzymatic degradation of collagen matrix, together with resin leaching, has led to seeking strategies that inhibit the endogenous proteases, cross-linking the denudated collagen fibrils and improving the adhesive penetration removing water from the interface. Some of dentin treatments have yielded promising results and require more research to be validated. A longer durability of adhesive restorations could resolve a variety of clinical problems, such as microleakage, recurrent caries, postoperative sensitivity, and restoration integrity.
Automated Scanning Techniques Using UR5
Authors: Lopez-Hawa Homar , VanPelt Alexander , Emmanuel Suveen , Yihun Yimesker
Published: February 2019

This study seeks to advance technologies pertaining to integration of low-cost collaborative robots to perform scanning operations where moderate accuracy is needed. Part inspection is an almost universal aspect of manufacturing which traditionally requires human observation. Advanced metrology techniques, such as scanning, allow greater inspection capabilities but still require a human operator and require significant capital investment. Using off-the-shelf line scanners in conjunction with small collaborative robots can completely automate the inspection process while minimizing cost. This project seeks to investigate the feasibility of utilizing a UR5 robot with a Keyence line scanner for scanning inspection in an industrial setting. Data from the line scanner is gathered, along with the position and orientation of the end-effector of the robot. The data are collected, combined, and analyzed in MATLAB to generate surface geometry. A user interface will allow viewing of the specific points gathered, expedite product inspection during manufacturing, and involve humans in higher skill-based decision-making tasks. A professional grade scan of the test part is used for comparison of experimentally gathered data. Feasibility is assessed on cost, effectiveness, ease of programming and operation, and development difficulty. In the preliminary result, it was found that the UR5 and line scanner provide a cheap and easily programmable and automated solution to line inspection. However, effectiveness and difficulty of development may pose challenges that require future research.
Inflammation and Kidney Injury in Diabetic African American Men
Authors: Cao Lei , Boston Ava , Jegede Olugbemiga , Newman Heather A. , Harrison Scott H. , Newman Robert H. , Ongeri Elimelda Moige
Published: February 2019

African Americans are disproportionately burdened by diabetic kidney disease (DKD). However, little is known about the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the onset and progression of DKD in this population. The goal of the current study was to determine the association between specific inflammation markers and kidney injury in diabetic African American men. To this end, we recruited diabetic patients either with (n=20) or without (n=87) diagnosed kidney disease along with age-matched nondiabetic controls (n=81). Urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratios (UACRs) and estimated glomerular filtration rates (eGFR) were used for biochemical assessment of kidney function. We then measured plasma and urinary levels of seven inflammatory markers, including adiponectin, C-reactive protein (CRP), tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α), TNF receptor 1 (TNFR1), TNF receptor 2 (TNFR2), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and intercellular cell adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1). Plasma levels of TNF-α, TNFR1, and TNFR2 were significantly higher in diabetics with macroalbuminuria compared to nondiabetic controls and diabetics with normoalbuminuria or microalbuminuria. Likewise, urinary levels of ICAM-1 were higher in diabetics with macroalbuminuria compared to the other groups. Indeed, urinary ICAM-1, plasma TNF-α, and adiponectin had moderate positive correlations with UACR while plasma TNFR1 and TNFR2 levels were strongly correlated with kidney injury, indicated by multiple biomarkers of kidney injury. In contrast, though plasma CRP was elevated in diabetic subjects relative to nondiabetic controls, its levels did not correlate with kidney injury. Together, these data suggest that inflammation, particularly that mediated by the TNF-α/NF-κB signaling axis, may play a role in the pathogenesis of DKD in African American men.
The Contribution of Complementary and Alternative Medicine to Reduce Antibiotic Use: A Narrative Review of Health Concepts, Prevention, and Treatment Strategies
Authors: Baars Erik W. , Zoen Eefje Belt-van , Breitkreuz Thomas , Martin David , Matthes Harald , Schoen-Angerer Tido von , Soldner Georg , Vagedes Jan , Wietmarschen Herman van , Patijn Olga , Willcox Merlin , Flotow Paschen von , Teut Michael , Ammon Klaus von , Thangavelu Madan , Wolf Ursula , Hummelsberger Josef , Nicolai Ton , Hartemann Philippe , Szőke Henrik , McIntyre Michael , Werf Esther T. van der , Huber Roman
Published: February 2019

Aim. The aim of this narrative review was to explore the potential contributions of CAM to reduce antibiotic use. Methods. We searched PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews with a specific, limited set of search terms and collected input from a group of expert CAM researchers to answer the question: What is known about the contribution of CAM health and health promotion concepts, infection prevention, and infection treatment strategies to reduce antibiotic use? Results. The worldview-related CAM health concepts enable health promotion oriented infection prevention and treatment aimed at strengthening or supporting the self-regulating ability of the human organism to cope with diseases. There is some evidence that the CAM concepts of health (promotion) are in agreement with current conceptualization of health and that doctors who practice both CAM and conventional medicine prescribe less antibiotics, although selection bias of the presented studies cannot be ruled out. There is some evidence that prevention and some treatment strategies are effective and safe. Many CAM treatment strategies are promising but overall lack high quality evidence. Conclusions. CAM prevention and treatment strategies may contribute to reducing antibiotic use, but more rigorous research is necessary to provide high quality evidence of (cost-)effectiveness.