bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Minimally invasive direct pars repair with cannulated screws and recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein: case series and review of the literature
Authors: Ghobrial George M. , Crandall Kenneth M. , Lau Anthony , Williams Seth K. , Levi Allan D.
Published: August 2017

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to describe the use of a minimally invasive surgical treatment of lumbar spondylolysis in athletes by a fluoroscopically guided direct pars screw placement with recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein–2 (rhBMP-2) and to report on clinical and radiographic outcomes.

METHODS

A retrospective review was conducted of all patients treated surgically for lumbar spondylolysis via a minimally invasive direct pars repair with cannulated screws. Demographic information, clinical features of presentation, perioperative and intraoperative radiographic imaging, and postoperative data were collected. A 1-cm midline incision was performed for the placement of bilateral pars screws utilizing biplanar fluoroscopy, followed by placement of a fully threaded 4.0-mm-diameter titanium cannulated screw. A tubular table-mounted retractor was utilized for direct pars fracture visualization and debridement through a separate incision. The now-visualized pars fracture could then be decorticated, with care taken not to damage the titanium screw when using a high-speed drill. Local bone obtained from the curettage was then placed in the defect with 1.05 mg rhBMP-2 divided equally between the bilateral pars defects.

RESULTS

Nine patients were identified (mean age 17.7 ± 3.42 years, range 14–25 years; 6 male and 3 female). All patients had bilateral pars fractures of L-4 (n = 4) or L-5 (n = 5). The mean duration of preoperative symptoms was 17.22 ± 13.2 months (range 9–48 months). The mean operative duration was 189 ± 29 minutes (range 151–228 minutes). The mean intraoperative blood loss was 17.5 ± 10 ml (range 10–30 ml). Radiographic follow-up was available in all cases; the mean length of time from surgery to the most recent imaging study was 30.8 ± 23.3 months (range 3–59 months). The mean hospital length of stay was 1.13 ± 0.35 days (range 1–2 days). There were no intraoperative complications.

CONCLUSIONS

Lumbar spondylolysis treatment with a minimally invasive direct pars repair is a safe and technically feasible option that minimizes muscle and soft-tissue dissection, which may particularly benefit adolescent patients with a desire to return to a high level of physical activity.
Stereotactic navigation for the prepsoas oblique lateral lumbar interbody fusion: technical note and case series
Authors: DiGiorgio Anthony M. , Edwards Caleb S. , Virk Michael S. , Mummaneni Praveen V. , Chou Dean
Published: August 2017

The prepsoas retroperitoneal approach is a minimally invasive technique used for anterior lumbar interbody fusion. The approach may have a more favorable risk profile than the transpsoas approach, decreasing the risks that come with dissecting through the psoas muscle. However, the oblique angle of the spine in the prepsoas approach can be disorienting and challenging. This technical report provides an overview of the use of navigation in prepsoas oblique lateral lumbar interbody fusion in a series of 49 patients.
Cervical vertebroplasty for osteolytic metastases as a minimally invasive therapeutic option in oncological surgery: outcome in 14 cases
Authors: Stangenberg Martin , Viezens Lennart , Eicker Sven O. , Mohme Malte , Mende Klaus C. , Dreimann Marc
Published: August 2017

OBJECTIVE

The treatment of cervical spinal metastases represents a controversial issue regarding the type, extent, and invasiveness of interventions. In the lumbar and thoracic spine, kypho- and vertebroplasties have been established as minimally invasive procedures for patients with metastases to the vertebral bodies and without neurological deficit. These procedures show good results with respect to pain reduction and low complication rates. However, limited data are available for kypho- and vertebroplasties for cervical spinal metastases. In an effort to add to existing data, the authors here present a case series of 14 patients who were treated for osteolytic metastases of the cervical spine using vertebroplasty alone or in addition to another surgical procedure involving the cervical spine in a palliative setting to reduce pain and restore stability.

METHODS

Fourteen patients consisting of 8 males and 6 females, with a mean age of 64.7 years (range 44–85 years), were treated with vertebroplasty at the authors’ clinic between January 2015 and November 2016. In total, 25 vertebrae were treated with vertebroplasty: 10 C-2, 5 C-3, 2 C-4, 2 C-5, 3 C-6, and 3 C-7. Two patients had an additional posterior stabilization and 5 patients an additional anterior stabilization. In 13 cases, the surgical approach was a modified Smith-Robinson approach; in 1 case, the cement was injected into the corpus axis from posteriorly. Patients with osteolytic defects of the posterior wall of the vertebral body did not undergo surgery, nor did patients with neurological deficits. Preoperatively, on the 2nd day after surgery, and at the follow-up, neck pain was rated using the visual analog scale (VAS).

RESULTS

Twelve patients were examined at follow-up (mean 9 months). Neck pain was rated as a mean of 6.0 (range 3–8) preoperatively, 2.9 on Day 2 after surgery (range 0–5), and 0.5 at the follow-up (range 0–4), according to the VAS. The mean Neck Disability Index at follow-up was 3.6% (range 0%–18%).

CONCLUSIONS

Anterior vertebroplasty of the cervical spine via an anterolateral approach represents a safe and minimally invasive procedure with a low complication rate and appears suitable for reducing pain and restoring stability in cases of cervical spinal metastases. Vertebroplasties can be combined with other anterior and posterior operations of the cervical spine and, in the axis vertebra, can be performed transpedicularly from posteriorly. Thus, in cases in which the posterior wall of the vertebral body is intact, vertebroplasty represents a less invasive alternative to vertebral replacement in oncological surgery. Prospective randomized trials with a longer follow-up period and a larger patient cohort are needed to confirm the encouraging results of this case series.
Clinical and radiological outcomes of spinal endoscopic discectomy–assisted oblique lumbar interbody fusion: preliminary results
Authors: Heo Dong Hwa , Kim Jin-Sung
Published: August 2017

OBJECTIVE

Direct neural decompression cannot be achieved by performing lateral lumbar interbody fusion (LLIF). To overcome the indirect decompressive effect of LLIF, additional endoscopic discectomy with oblique lumbar interbody fusion (OLIF) has been attempted. The purpose of this study was to assess the clinical and radiological outcomes of patients who underwent OLIF with additional endoscopic discectomy.

METHODS

Spinal endoscopic discectomy–assisted OLIF was attempted to remove herniated disc material. Only patients with a follow-up time that exceeded 12 months were enrolled. Clinical parameters examined were the Oswestry Disability Index and visual analog scale scores of back and leg pain. Postoperative MRI was also performed.

RESULTS

Fourteen patients were enrolled. Central and foraminal disc herniations were evident in 8 and 6 patients, respectively. Concomitant central or foraminal herniated discs were removed completely after additional endoscopic discectomy, and disc removal was confirmed by postoperative MRI. Mean preoperative visual analog scale scores and Oswestry Disability Index scores improved postoperatively.

CONCLUSIONS

OLIF with additional endoscopic discectomy results in successful direct neural decompression without posterior decompressive procedures. Endoscopic assistance might overcome the limitations of LLIF.
Minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion with expandable versus static interbody devices: radiographic assessment of sagittal segmental and pelvic parameters
Authors: Hawasli Ammar H. , Khalifeh Jawad M. , Chatrath Ajay , Yarbrough Chester K. , Ray Wilson Z.
Published: August 2017

OBJECTIVE

Minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (MIS-TLIF) has been adopted as an alternative technique to hasten recovery and minimize postoperative morbidity. Advances in instrumentation technologies and operative techniques have evolved to maximize patient outcomes as well as radiographic results. The development of expandable interbody devices allows a surgeon to perform MIS-TLIF with minimal tissue disruption. However, sagittal segmental and pelvic radiographic outcomes after MIS-TLIF with expandable interbody devices are not well characterized. The object of this study is to evaluate the radiographic sagittal lumbar segmental and pelvic parameter outcomes of MIS-TLIF performed using an expandable interbody device.

METHODS

A retrospective review of MIS-TLIFs performed between 2014 and 2016 at a high-volume center was performed. Radiographic measurements were performed on lateral radiographs before and after MIS-TLIF with static or expandable interbody devices. Radiographic measurements included disc height, foraminal height, fused disc angle, lumbar lordosis, pelvic incidence, sacral slope, and pelvic tilt. Mismatch between pelvic incidence and lumbar lordosis were calculated for each radiograph.

RESULTS

A total of 48 MIS-TLIFs were performed, predominantly at the L4–5 level, in 44 patients. MIS-TLIF with an expandable interbody device led to a greater and more sustained increase in disc height when compared with static interbody devices. Foraminal height increased after MIS-TLIF with expandable but not with static interbody devices. MIS-TLIF with expandable interbody devices increased index-level segmental lordosis more than with static interbody devices. The increase in segmental lordosis was sustained in the patients with expandable interbody devices but not in patients with static interbody devices. For patients with a collapsed disc space, MIS-TLIF with an expandable interbody device provided superior and longer-lasting increases in disc height, foraminal height, and index-level segmental lordosis than in comparison with patients with static interbody devices. Using an expandable interbody device improved the Oswestry Disability Index scores more than using a static interbody device, and both disc height and segmental lordosis were correlated with improved clinical outcome. Lumbar MIS-TLIF with expandable or static interbody devices had no effect on overall lumbar lordosis, pelvic parameters, or pelvic incidence–lumbar lordosis mismatch.

CONCLUSIONS

Performing MIS-TLIF with an expandable interbody device led to a greater and longer-lasting restoration of disc height, foraminal height, and index-level segmental lordosis than MIS-TLIF with a static interbody device, especially for patients with a collapsed disc space. However, neither technique had any effect on radiographic pelvic parameters.
Complete anatomic reduction and monosegmental fusion for lumbar spondylolisthesis of Grade II and higher: use of the minimally invasive “rocking” technique
Authors: Rajakumar Deshpande V. , Hari Akshay , Krishna Murali , Sharma Ankit , Reddy Manjunatha
Published: August 2017

OBJECTIVE

Different surgical approaches have been described for treatment of spondylolisthesis, including in situ fusions, reductions of various degrees, and inclusion of healthy adjacent segments into the fusion construct. To the authors’ knowledge, there are only sparse reports describing consistent complete reduction and monosegmental transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion for spondylolisthesis using a minimally invasive technique. The authors assess the efficacy of this technique in the reduction of local deformity and correction of overall sagittal profile in single-level spondylolisthesis.

METHODS

This cohort study consists of a total of 36 consecutive patients treated over a period of 6 years. Patients with varying grades of lumbar spondylolisthesis (29 Meyerding Grade II and 7 Meyerding Grade III) were treated with operative reduction via minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (MIS-TLIF) in which the “rocking” technique was used. The clinical outcomes were measured using the visual analog scale (VAS) for pain and the Revised Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) for low-back pain/dysfunction. Meyerding grade, pelvic incidence (PI), lumbar lordosis (LL), disc space angle (DSA), pelvic tilt (PT), and sacral slope (SS) were assessed to measure the radiological outcomes. These were reviewed for each patient for a minimum of 2 years.

RESULTS

At most recent follow-up, 94% of patients were pain free. There were 2 patients (6%) who had moderate pain (which corresponded to higher-grade of listhesis), but all showed an improvement in pain scores (p < 0.05). The mean VAS score improved from 6.5 (SD 1.5) preoperatively to 1.6 (SD 1.3) and the mean ODI score improved from 53.7 (SD 13.1) preoperatively to 22.5 (SD 15.5) at 2-year follow-up.

All radiological parameters improved following surgery. Most significant improvement was noted for LL, DSA, and SS. Both LL and SS were found to decrease, while DSA increased postoperatively. PI remained relatively unchanged, while PT showed a mild increase, which was not significant. Good fusion was achieved with implants in situ at 2-year follow-up. A 100% complete reduction of all grades of spondylolisthesis was achieved. The overall sagittal profile improved dramatically. No major perioperative complications were encountered.

CONCLUSIONS

Minimally invasive monosegmental TLIF for spondylolisthesis reduction using this rocking technique is effective in the treatment of various grades of spondylolisthesis. Consistent complete reduction of the slippage as well as excellent correction of overall sagittal profile can be achieved, and the need for including healthy adjacent segments in the fusion construct can be avoided.
Tubular microdiscectomy: techniques, complication avoidance, and review of the literature
Authors: Clark Aaron J. , Safaee Michael M. , Khan Nickalus R. , Brown Matthew T. , Foley Kevin T.
Published: August 2017

OBJECTIVE

Microendoscopic discectomy is a minimally invasive surgery technique that was initially described in 1997. It allows surgeons to work with 2 hands through a small-diameter, operating table–mounted tubular retractor, and to apply standard microsurgical techniques in which a small skin incision and minimal muscle dissection are used. Whether the surgeon chooses to use an endoscope or a microscope for visualization, the technique uses the same type of retractor and is thus called tubular microdiscectomy. The goal in this study was to review the current literature, examine the level of evidence supporting tubular microdiscectomy, and describe surgical techniques for complication avoidance.

METHODS

The authors performed a systematic PubMed review using the terms “microdiscectomy trial,” “tubular and open microdiscectomy,” “microendoscopic open discectomy,” and “minimally invasive open microdiscectomy OR microdiskectomy.” Of 317 references, 10 manuscripts were included for analysis based on study design, relevance, and appropriate comparison of open to tubular discectomy.

RESULTS

Similar and very favorable clinical outcomes can be expected from tubular and standard microdiscectomy. Studies have demonstrated equivalent operating times for both procedures, with lower blood loss and shorter hospital stays associated with tubular microdiscectomy. Furthermore, postoperative analgesic usage has been shown to be significantly lower after tubular microdiscectomy. Overall rates of complications are no different for tubular and standard microdiscectomy.

CONCLUSIONS

Prospective randomized trials have been used to evaluate outcomes of common minimally invasive lumbar spine procedures. For lumbar discectomy, Level I evidence supports equivalently good outcomes for tubular microdiscectomy compared with standard microdiscectomy. Likewise, Level I data indicate similar safety profiles and may indicate lower blood loss for tubular microdiscectomy. Future studies should examine the comparative value of these procedures.
Relationships of Dietary Patterns, Foods, and Micro- and Macronutrients with Alzheimer’s Disease and Late-Life Cognitive Disorders: A Systematic Review
Authors: Solfrizzi Vincenzo , Custodero Carlo , Lozupone Madia , Imbimbo Bruno P. , Valiani Vincenzo , Agosti Pasquale , Schilardi Andrea , D’Introno Alessia , La Montagna Maddalena , Calvani Mariapaola , Guerra Vito , Sardone Rodolfo , Abbrescia Daniela I. , Bellomo Antonello , Greco Antonio , Daniele Antonio , Seripa Davide , Logroscino Giancarlo , Sabbá Carlo , Panza Francesco
Published: August 2017

In the last decade, the association between diet and cognitive function or dementia has been largely investigated. In the present article, we systematically reviewed observational studies published in the last three years (2014–2016) on the relationship among dietary factors and late-life cognitive disorders at different levels of investigation (i.e., dietary patterns, foods and food-groups, and dietary micro- and macronutrients), and possible underlying mechanisms of the proposed associations. From the reviewed evidence, the National Institute on Aging–Alzheimer’s Association guidelines for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and cognitive decline due to AD pathology introduced some evidence suggesting a direct relation between diet and changes in the brain structure and activity. There was also accumulating evidence that combinations of foods and nutrients into certain patterns may act synergistically to provide stronger health effects than those conferred by their individual dietary components. In particular, higher adherence to a Mediterranean-type diet was associated with decreased cognitive decline. Moreover, also other emerging healthy dietary patterns such as the Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension (DASH) and the Mediterranean-DASH diet Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) diets were associated with slower rates of cognitive decline and significant reduction of AD rate. Furthermore, some foods or food groups traditionally considered harmful such as eggs and red meat have been partially rehabilitated, while there is still a negative correlation of cognitive functions with saturated fatty acids and a protective effect against cognitive decline of elevated fish consumption, high intake of monounsaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), particularly n-3 PUFA.
Detector-unit-dependent calibration for polychromatic projections of rock core CT
Authors: Li Mengfei , Zhao Yunsong , Zhang Peng
Published: August 2017

Computed tomography (CT) plays an important role in digital rock analysis, which is a new prospective technique for oil and gas industry. But the artifacts in CT images will influence the accuracy of the digital rock model. In this study, we proposed and demonstrated a novel method to restore detector-unit-dependent functions for polychromatic projection calibration by scanning some simple shaped reference samples. As long as the attenuation coefficients of the reference samples are similar to the scanned object, the size or position is not needed to be exactly known. Both simulated and real data were used to verify the proposed method. The results showed that the new method reduced both beam hardening artifacts and ring artifacts effectively. Moreover, the method appeared to be quite robust.
Obesity and adverse breast cancer risk and outcome: Mechanistic insights and strategies for intervention
Authors: Picon‐Ruiz Manuel , Morata‐Tarifa Cynthia , Valle‐Goffin Janeiro J. , Friedman Eitan R. , Slingerland Joyce M.
Published: August 2017

Answer questions and earn CME/CNE

Recent decades have seen an unprecedented rise in obesity, and the health impact thereof is increasingly evident. In 2014, worldwide, more than 1.9 billion adults were overweight (body mass index [BMI], 25‐29.9 kg/m2), and of these, over 600 million were obese (BMI ≥30 kg/m2). Although the association between obesity and the risk of diabetes and coronary artery disease is widely known, the impact of obesity on cancer incidence, morbidity, and mortality is not fully appreciated. Obesity is associated both with a higher risk of developing breast cancer, particularly in postmenopausal women, and with worse disease outcome for women of all ages. The first part of this review summarizes the relationships between obesity and breast cancer development and outcomes in premenopausal and postmenopausal women and in those with hormone receptor‐positive and ‐negative disease. The second part of this review addresses hypothesized molecular mechanistic insights that may underlie the effects of obesity to increase local and circulating proinflammatory cytokines, promote tumor angiogenesis and stimulate the most malignant cancer stem cell population to drive cancer growth, invasion, and metastasis. Finally, a review of observational studies demonstrates that increased physical activity is associated with lower breast cancer risk and better outcomes. The effects of recent lifestyle interventions to decrease sex steroids, insulin/insulin‐like growth factor‐1 pathway activation, and inflammatory biomarkers associated with worse breast cancer outcomes in obesity also are discussed. Although many observational studies indicate that exercise with weight loss is associated with improved breast cancer outcome, further prospective studies are needed to determine whether weight reduction will lead to improved patient outcomes. It is hoped that several ongoing lifestyle intervention trials, which are reviewed herein, will support the systematic incorporation of weight loss intervention strategies into care for patients with breast cancer. CA Cancer J Clin 2017;67:378–397. © 2017 The Authors. CA A Cancer Journal for Clinicians published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American Cancer Society. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution‐NonCommercial License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes.
‘What is this corpus about?’: using topic modelling to explore a specialised corpus
Authors: Murakami Akira , Thompson Paul , Hunston Susan , Vajn Dominik
Published: August 2017

This paper introduces topic modelling, a machine learning technique that automatically identifies ‘topics’ in a given corpus. The paper illustrates its use in the exploration of a corpus of academic English. It first offers the intuitive explanation of the underlying mechanism of topic modelling and describes the procedure for building a model, including the decisions involved in the model-building process. The paper then explores the model. A topic in topic models is characterised by a set of co-occurring words, and we will demonstrate that such topics bring us rich insights into the nature of a corpus. As exemplary tasks, this paper identifies the prominent topics in different parts of papers, investigates the chronological change of a journal, and reveals different types of papers in the journal. The paper further compares topic modelling to two more traditional techniques in corpus linguistics, semantic annotation and keywords analysis, and highlights the strengths of topic modelling. We believe that topic modelling is particularly useful in the initial exploration of a corpus.
Auxiliary Model Based Multi-Innovation Stochastic Gradient Identification Algorithm for Periodically Non-Uniformly Sampled-Data Hammerstein Systems
Authors: Xie Li , Yang Huizhong
Published: August 2017

Due to the lack of powerful model description methods, the identification of Hammerstein systems based on the non-uniform input-output dataset remains a challenging problem. This paper introduces a time-varying backward shift operator to describe periodically non-uniformly sampled-data Hammerstein systems, which can simplify the structure of the lifted models using the traditional lifting technique. Furthermore, an auxiliary model-based multi-innovation stochastic gradient algorithm is presented to estimate the parameters involved in the linear and nonlinear blocks. The simulation results confirm that the proposed algorithm is effective and can achieve a high estimation performance.
Recent Progress on BaTiO3-Based Piezoelectric Ceramics for Actuator Applications
Authors: Gao Jinghui , Xue Dezhen , Liu Wenfeng , Zhou Chao , Ren Xiaobing
Published: August 2017

Due to issues with Pb toxicity, there is an urgent need for high performance Pb-free alternatives to Pb-based piezoelectric ceramics. Although pure BaTiO3 material exhibits fairly low piezoelectric coefficients, further designing of such a material system greatly enhances the piezoelectric response by means of domain engineering, defects engineering, as well as phase boundary engineering. Especially after the discovery of a Ba(Zr0.2Ti0.8)O3–x(Ba0.7Ca0.3)TiO3 system with extraordinarily high piezoelectric properties (d33 > 600 pC/N), BaTiO3-based piezoelectric ceramics are considered as one of the promising Pb-free substitutes. In the present contribution, we summarize the idea of designing high property BaTiO3 piezoceramic through domain engineering, defect-doping, as well as morphotropic phase boundary (MPB). In spite of its drawback of low Curie temperature, BaTiO3-based piezoelectric materials can be considered as an excellent model system for exploring the physics of highly piezoelectric materials. The relevant material design strategy in BaTiO3-based materials can provide guidelines for the next generation of Pb-free materials with even better piezoelectric properties that can be anticipated in the near future.
E-Governance and Political Modernization: An Empirical Study Based on Asia from 2003 to 2014
Authors: Xia Shouzhi
Published: August 2017

This study aims to analyze whether E-governance matters for political modernization in Asia. According to the literature review, E-gcovernance can be operated by three elements: open data, online service, and E-participation. Political modernization can also be divided into three elements: the government’s transparency, the offline political participation, and the level of liberty. Analyzing second-hand data from several databases, this study draws such conclusions. Firstly, the development of E-governance will lead to the improvement of political modernization in Asia. Specifically, open data have a positive impact on the government’s transparency. E-participation has a positive impact on the offline political participation and the level of liberty. Secondly, it is difficult to confirm which aspect of E-governance has the greatest impact on political modernization, as open data and E-participation have an impact on different aspects of political modernization. Based on the result, Asian countries should emphasize the importance of E-governance so that political modernization in this region could be improved continuously.
Needle Segmentation in Volumetric Optical Coherence Tomography Images for Ophthalmic Microsurgery
Authors: Zhou Mingchuan , Roodaki Hessam , Eslami Abouzar , Chen Guang , Huang Kai , Maier Mathias , Lohmann Chris , Knoll Alois , Nasseri Mohammad
Published: August 2017

Needle segmentation is a fundamental step for needle reconstruction and image-guided surgery. Although there has been success stories in needle segmentation for non-microsurgeries, the methods cannot be directly extended to ophthalmic surgery due to the challenges bounded to required spatial resolution. As the ophthalmic surgery is performed by finer and smaller surgical instruments in micro-structural anatomies, specifically in retinal domains, difficulties are raised for delicate operation and sensitive perception. To address these challenges, in this paper we investigate needle segmentation in ophthalmic operation on 60 Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) cubes captured during needle injection surgeries on ex-vivo pig eyes. Furthermore, we developed two different approaches, a conventional method based on morphological features (MF) and a specifically designed full convolution neural networks (FCN) method, moreover, we evaluate them on the benchmark for needle segmentation in the volumetric OCT images. The experimental results show that FCN method has a better segmentation performance based on four evaluation metrics while MF method has a short inference time, which provides valuable reference for future works.
Thermal Energy Diffusion Incorporating Generalized Einstein Relation for Degenerate Semiconductors
Authors: Jyegal Jang
Published: August 2017

The currently used generalized Einstein relation for degenerate semiconductors with isotropic nonparabolic energy bands produces physically improper results, as well as losing numerical accuracy for large values of nonparabolicity parameters at room temperature. Therefore, a new generalized Einstein relation (a macroscopic equation and a formula) is derived from the semiclassical momentum balance equation based on a drift-diffusion approximation, by introducing a new concept of the effective temperature of a carrier gas for generalization of the classical kinetic theory for nonideal gases of carriers in semiconductors. The proposed formula takes into account the carrier thermal energy diffusion effect completely, so that it can accurately reflect the effect of band nonparabolicity on the ratio of the diffusion coefficient to the mobility for carriers in degenerate semiconductors. From the results evaluated with the formula, new and critically important nonparabolicity effects are observed. It is shown that the new generalized Einstein relation is valid for applied electrical fields of the full linear regime. In addition, useful figures are also presented, from which the ratio of the diffusion coefficient to mobility, as well as the Fermi energy, can be easily determined from the electron concentration, or doping density, for a given semiconductor material.
Removal of Crotamiton from Reverse Osmosis Concentrate by a TiO2/Zeolite Composite Sheet
Authors: Xiang Qun , Fukahori Shuji , Yamashita Naoyuki , Tanaka Hiroaki , Fujiwara Taku
Published: August 2017

Reverse osmosis (RO) concentrate from wastewater reuse facilities contains concentrated emerging pollutants, such as pharmaceuticals. In this research, a paper-like composite sheet consisting of titanium dioxide (TiO2) and zeolite was synthesized, and removal of the antipruritic agent crotamiton from RO concentrate was studied using the TiO2/zeolite composite sheet. The RO concentrate was obtained from a pilot-scale municipal secondary effluent reclamation plant. Effective immobilization of the two powders in the sheet made it easy to handle and to separate the photocatalyst and adsorbent from purified water. The TiO2/zeolite composite sheet showed excellent performance for crotamiton adsorption without obvious inhibition by other components in the RO concentrate. With ultraviolet irradiation, crotamiton was simultaneously removed through adsorption and photocatalysis. The photocatalytic decomposition of crotamiton in the RO concentrate was significantly inhibited by the water matrix at high initial crotamiton concentrations, whereas rapid decomposition was achieved at low initial crotamiton concentrations. The major degradation intermediates were also adsorbed by the composite sheet. This result provides a promising method of mitigating secondary pollution caused by the harmful intermediates produced during advanced oxidation processes. The cyclic use of the HSZ-385/P25 composite sheet indicated the feasibility of continuously removing crotamiton from RO concentrate.
A New Damage Assessment Method by Means of Neural Network and Multi-Sensor Satellite Data
Authors: Piscini Alessandro , Romaniello Vito , Bignami Christian , Stramondo Salvatore
Published: August 2017

Artificial Neural Network (ANN) is a valuable and well-established inversion technique for the estimation of geophysical parameters from satellite images. After training, ANNs are able to generate very fast products for several types of applications. Satellite remote sensing is an efficient way to detect and map strong earthquake damage for contributing to post-disaster activities during emergency phases. This work aims at presenting an application of the ANN inversion technique addressed to the evaluation of building collapse ratio (CR), defined as the number of collapsed buildings with respect to the total number of buildings in a city block, by employing optical and SAR satellite data. This is done in order to directly relate changes in images with damage that has occurred during strong earthquakes. Furthermore, once they have been trained, neural networks can be used rapidly at application stage. The goal was to obtain a general tool suitable for re-use in different scenarios. An ANN has been implemented in order to emulate a regression model and to estimate the CR as a continuous function. The adopted ANN has been trained using some features obtained from optical and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images, as inputs, and the corresponding values of collapse ratio obtained from the survey of the 2010 M7 Haiti Earthquake, i.e., as target output. As regards the optical data, we selected three change parameters: the Normalized Difference Index (NDI), the Kullback–Leibler divergence (KLD), and Mutual Information (MI). Concerning the SAR images, the Intensity Correlation Difference (ICD) and the KLD parameters have been considered. Exploiting an object-oriented approach, a segmentation of the study area into several regions has been performed. In particular, damage maps have been generated by considering a set of polygons (in which satellite parameters have been calculated) extracted from the open source Open Street Map (OSM) geo-database. The trained ANN has been proposed for the M6.0 Amatrice earthquake that occurred on 24 August 2016, in central Italy, by using the features extracted from Sentinel-2 and COSMO-SkyMed images as input. The results show that the ANN is able to retrieve a building collapse ratio with good accuracy. In particular, the fusion approach modelled the collapse ratio characterized by high values of CR (more than 0.5) over the historical center that agrees with observed damages. Since the technique is independent from different typologies of input data (i.e., for radiometric or spatial resolution characteristics), the study demonstrated the strength of the proposed approach for estimating damaged areas and its importance in near real time monitoring activities, owing to its fast application.
Categorically Closed Topological Groups
Authors: Banakh Taras
Published: August 2017

Let \({\overset{\rightarrow}{\mathcal{C}} }\) be a category whose objects are semigroups with topology and morphisms are closed semigroup relations, in particular, continuous homomorphisms. An object X of the category \({\overset{\rightarrow}{\mathcal{C}} }\) is called \({\overset{\rightarrow}{\mathcal{C}} }\)-closed if for each morphism \({\Phi\subset X\times Y}\) in the category \({\overset{\rightarrow}{\mathcal{C}} }\) the image \({\Phi(X)=\{y\in Y:\exists x\in X\;(x,y)\in\Phi\}}\) is closed in Y. In the paper we survey existing and new results on topological groups, which are \({\overset{\rightarrow}{\mathcal{C}} }\)-closed for various categories \({\overset{\rightarrow}{\mathcal{C}} }\) of topologized semigroups.
Performance of a RT-PCR Assay in Comparison to FISH and Immunohistochemistry for the Detection of ALK in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
Authors: Hout David , Schweitzer Brock , Lawrence Kasey , Morris Stephan , Tucker Tracy , Mazzola Rosetta , Skelton Rachel , McMahon Frank , Handshoe John , Lesperance Mary , Karsan Aly , Saltman David
Published: August 2017

Patients with lung cancers harboring an activating anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) rearrangement respond favorably to ALK inhibitor therapy. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) are validated and widely used screening tests for ALK rearrangements but both methods have limitations. The ALK RGQ RT-PCR Kit (RT-PCR) is a single tube quantitative real-time PCR assay for high throughput and automated interpretation of ALK expression. In this study, we performed a direct comparison of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) lung cancer specimens using all three ALK detection methods. The RT-PCR test (diagnostic cut-off ΔCt of ≤8) was shown to be highly sensitive (100%) when compared to FISH and IHC. Sequencing of RNA detected full-length ALK transcripts or EML4-ALK and KIF5B-ALK fusion variants in discordant cases in which ALK expression was detected by the ALK RT-PCR test but negative by FISH and IHC. The overall specificity of the RT-PCR test for the detection of ALK in cases without full-length ALK expression was 94% in comparison to FISH and sequencing. These data support the ALK RT-PCR test as a highly efficient and reliable diagnostic screening approach to identify patients with non-small cell lung cancer whose tumors are driven by oncogenic ALK.
Effect of Water Clustering on the Activity of Candida antarctica Lipase B in Organic Medium
Authors: Dutta Banik Sindrila , Nordblad Mathias , Woodley John , Peters Günther
Published: August 2017

The effect of initial water activity of MTBE (methyl tert-butyl ether) medium on CALB (Candida antarctica lipase B) catalyzed esterification reaction is investigated using experimental methods and classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The experimental kinetic studies show that the initial reaction rate of CALB-catalyzed esterification reaction between butyric acid and ethanol decreases with increasing initial water activity of the medium. The highest rate of esterification is observed at the lowest water activity studied. MD simulations were performed to gain a molecular insight on the effect of initial water activity on the rate of CALB-catalyzed reaction. Our results show that hydration has an insignificant effect on the structure and flexibility of CALB. Rather, it appears that water molecules bind to certain regions (“hot spots”) on the CALB surface and form clusters. The size of the water clusters at these hot spot regions gradually increase and expand with increasing water activity. Consequently, the surface area of CALB covered by the water molecules also increases. Specifically, our results indicate that a particular water cluster located close to the active site partially cover the binding pocket of substrate at high water activity. As a consequence, the effective concentration of substrate at the catalytic site decreases. Therefore, the reaction rate slows down with increasing water activity, which correlates well with the observed decrease in the experimentally determined initial reaction rate.
Numerical Verification of Gallium Nitride Thin-Film Growth in a Large MOCVD Reactor
Authors: Hu Chih-Kai , Chen Chun-Jung , Wei Ta-Chin , Li Tomi T. , Huang Chih-Yung , Chao Chu-Li , Lin Yi-Jiun
Published: August 2017

A numerical verification procedure and the effects of operating conditions in a large, vertical, and close-spaced reactor for metalorganic chemical vapor deposition are investigated through simulation and analysis. A set of epitaxy experiments are presented for verifying the growth rate of the gallium nitride (GaN) mechanism reported in our previous study. The full governing equations for continuity, momentum, energy, and chemical reaction are solved numerically. The results show that the real operating parameters (susceptor temperature: 1188 °C or 1238 °C; pressure: 100–300 torr) affect thin-film uniformity, and the predicted growth rates agree reasonably well with the experimental data, indicating the accuracy of the projected chemical reaction mechanisms.
Tidal Analysis Using Time–Frequency Signal Processing and Information Clustering
Authors: M. Lopes Antonio , Tenreiro Machado Jose
Published: August 2017

Geophysical time series have a complex nature that poses challenges to reaching assertive conclusions, and require advanced mathematical and computational tools to unravel embedded information. In this paper, time–frequency methods and hierarchical clustering (HC) techniques are combined for processing and visualizing tidal information. In a first phase, the raw data are pre-processed for estimating missing values and obtaining dimensionless reliable time series. In a second phase, the Jensen–Shannon divergence is adopted for measuring dissimilarities between data collected at several stations. The signals are compared in the frequency and time–frequency domains, and the HC is applied to visualize hidden relationships. In a third phase, the long-range behavior of tides is studied by means of power law functions. Numerical examples demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach when dealing with a large volume of real-world data.
A Fuzzy Comprehensive Evaluation Method Based on AHP and Entropy for a Landslide Susceptibility Map
Authors: Zhao Hongliang , Yao Leihua , Mei Gang , Liu Tianyu , Ning Yuansong
Published: August 2017

Landslides are a common type of natural disaster in mountainous areas. As a result of the comprehensive influences of geology, geomorphology and climatic conditions, the susceptibility to landslide hazards in mountainous areas shows obvious regionalism. The evaluation of regional landslide susceptibility can help reduce the risk to the lives of mountain residents. In this paper, the Shannon entropy theory, a fuzzy comprehensive method and an analytic hierarchy process (AHP) have been used to demonstrate a variable type of weighting for landslide susceptibility evaluation modeling, combining subjective and objective weights. Further, based on a single factor sensitivity analysis, we established a strict criterion for landslide susceptibility assessments. Eight influencing factors have been selected for the study of Zhen’an County, Shan’xi Province: the lithology, relief amplitude, slope, aspect, slope morphology, altitude, annual mean rainfall and distance to the river. In order to verify the advantages of the proposed method, the landslide index, prediction accuracy P, the R-index and the area under the curve were used in this paper. The results show that the proposed model of landslide hazard susceptibility can help to produce more objective and accurate landslide susceptibility maps, which not only take advantage of the information from the original data, but also reflect an expert’s knowledge and the opinions of decision-makers.
The Effect of Hydrogen Addition on the Combustion Characteristics of RP-3 Kerosene/Air Premixed Flames
Authors: Zeng Wen , Liu Jing , Liu Yu , Chen Baodong , Liu Aiguo
Published: August 2017

Experimental studies have been performed to investigate the effects of hydrogen addition on the combustion characteristics of Chinese No.3 jet fuel (RP-3 kerosene/air premixed flames. Experiments were carried out in a constant volume chamber and the influences of the initial temperatures of 390 and 420 K, initial pressures of 0.1 and 0.3 MPa, equivalence ratios of 0.6–1.6 and hydrogen additions of 0.0–0.5 on the laminar burning velocities, and Markstein numbers of Hydrogen (H2)/RP-3/air mixtures were investigated. The results show that the flame front surfaces of RP-3/air mixtures remain smooth throughout the entire flame propagation process at a temperature of 390 K, pressure of 0.3 MPa, equivalence ratio of 1.3 and without hydrogen addition, but when the hydrogen addition increases from 0.0 to 0.5 under the same conditions, flaws and protuberances occur at the flame surfaces. It was also found that with the increase of the equivalence ratio from 0.9 to 1.5, the laminar burning velocities of the mixtures increase at first and then decrease, and the highest laminar burning velocity was measured at an equivalence ratio of 1.2. Meanwhile, with the increase of hydrogen addition, laminar burning velocities of H2/RP-3/air mixtures increase. However, the Markstein numbers of H2/RP-3/air mixtures decrease with the increase of hydrogen addition, which means that the flames of H2/RP-3/air mixtures become unstable with the increase of hydrogen addition.
Evaporation and Ignition Characteristics of Water Emulsified Diesel under Conventional and Low Temperature Combustion Conditions
Authors: Wang Zhaowen , Wu Shang , Huang Yuhan , Chen Yulin , Shi Shuguo , Cheng Xiaobei , Huang Ronghua
Published: August 2017

The combination of emulsified diesel and low temperature combustion (LTC) technology has great potential in reducing engine emissions. A visualization study on the spray and combustion characteristics of water emulsified diesel was conducted experimentally in a constant volume chamber under conventional and LTC conditions. The effects of ambient temperature on the evaporation, ignition and combustion characteristics of water emulsified diesel were studied under cold, evaporating and combustion conditions. Experimental results showed that the ambient temperature had little effect on the spray structures, in terms of the liquid core length, the spray shape and the spray area. However, higher ambient temperature slightly reduced the Sauter Mean Diameter (SMD) of the spray droplets. The auto-ignition delay time increased significantly with the decrease of the ambient temperature. The ignition process always occurred at the entrainment region near the front periphery of the liquid core. This entrainment region was evolved from the early injected fuel droplets which were heated and mixed by the continuous entrainment until the local temperature and equivalence ratio reached the ignition condition. The maximum value of integrated natural flame luminosity (INFL) reduced by 60% when the ambient temperature dropped from 1000 to 800 K, indicating a significant decrease of the soot emissions could be achieved by LTC combustion mode than the conventional diesel engines.
Characterization of Particle and Gaseous Emissions from Marine Diesel Engines with Different Fuels and Impact of After-Treatment Technology
Authors: Zhou Jinxi , Zhou Song , Zhu Yuanqing
Published: August 2017

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) and some countries have gradually strengthened the laws regulating ship exhaust emissions. The aim of this paper is to estimate the impact of an after-treatment technology exhaust gas cleaning (EGC) system on marine diesel engine emissions and the cost advantage compared to using low-sulfur fuel oil. The emission characteristics of SO2 and particulate matter (PM) produced from high sulfur oil and low sulfur oil in a low-speed two-stroke marine diesel engine were also presented. The removal efficiency of SO2 has been tested and the PM removal efficiency was also predicted in this study. When using high sulfur oil, the emission factor of SO2 and PM were from 8.73 g/kWh to 11.6 g/kWh and 2.0 g/kWh to 2.7 g/kWh, respectively. These values are significantly higher than the emission values from using low sulfur oil. The fuel sulfur content (FSC) was the key factor affecting the emission factors of SO2 and PM. The fuel change could reduce the mass emission factor of PM, which is above 90% for the total particle emission with the two fuels. When using the EGC system, the desulfurization efficiencies were above 99%. The pH values at a 25, 39, 53, and 67% load were also stabilized to be around 7.5, 7.6, 7.7, and 8, respectively. The EGC system can also capture part of the primary PM and secondary PM formed from SO2. The EGC system was more effective for PM of the size larger than 1 μm. Thus, according to this study, the usage of low sulfur oil and EGC will also substantially decrease the emission of currently unregulated hazardous chemical species in the exhaust gas of ships in addition to satisfying future emissions regulations of ship. Furthermore, the EGC system also had a significant cost advantage compared to using low-sulfur fuel oil.