bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Investigating the interplay of lateral and height dimensions influencing neuronal processes on nanogrooves
Authors: Bastiaens Alex J. , Xie Sijia , Luttge Regina
Published: October 2018

In this work, nanogroove dimensions as a design input parameter for neuronal differentiation and neurite outgrowth in brain-on-a-chip (BOC) applications are investigated. Soft lithography in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is used extensively in organ-on-a-chip applications to create environments for in vitro models. As such, here it is used to fabricate cell culture substrates with nanogrooved patterns. Using a newly developed analysis method, the effect of the nanogrooved, biomimetic PDMS substrates is compared with lateral and height variations within the nanometer range as measured by means of atomic force microscopy (AFM). PDMS culture substrates were replicated from a cyclic olefin copolymer template, which was fabricated either directly by thermal nanoimprinting from a jet and flash imprint lithography (J-FIL) resist pattern (process I) on a polished silicon wafer or via an intermediate reactive ion etched all-silicon mold (process II) that was fabricated by using the J-FIL resist pattern as in process I as a mask. To study the interplay between the lateral and height dimensions of nanogrooves on the differentiation process of SH-SY5Y cells, which are a well-established model for neuronal cells that form networks in culture, the authors first characterized the feature sizes of the PDMS substrates received from both processes by AFM. On average, nanogrooved patterns from process I had a 1.8 ± 1.1% decrease in pattern period, a 15.5 ± 12.2% increase in ridge width compared to the designed dimensions, and a height of 95.3 ± 10.6 nm. Nanogrooved patterns for process II had a 1.7 ± 1.7% decrease in pattern period, a 43.1 ± 33.2% increase in ridge width, and a height of 118.8 ± 13.6 nm. Subsequently, they demonstrated that neurite outgrowth alignment was particularly strong if the pattern period was 600 nm or 1000 nm with the additional constraint for these patterns that the ridge width is <0.4 times the pattern period. Increasing pattern height increased the fraction of differentiated cells within the cell culture and increased neurite length, but had no direct impact on outgrowth alignment. This study forms the basis for optimization in the bottom-up engineering of neuronal network architecture, for which specific patterns can be selected to assist in neuronal cell differentiation and direct neurite growth and alignment. Such organized neuronal networks can aid in the design of in vitro assay systems for BOC applications by improving biological response readouts and providing a better understanding of the relationship between form and function of a neuronal network.
New insights on the chemistry of plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition of indium oxysulfide thin films and their use as buffer layers in Cu(In,Ga)Se2 thin film solar cell
Authors: Bugot Cathy , Bouttemy Muriel , Schneider Nathanaelle , Etcheberry Arnaud , Lincot Daniel , Donsanti Frédérique
Published: October 2018

A comparative chemical analysis of InxSy and In2(S,O)3 thin films grown by atomic layer deposition (ALD) and plasma-enhanced ALD, respectively, was performed to understand the challenges and issues related to the assistance of plasma, especially for the implementation of these films as ultrathin (<50 nm) interfacial buffer layers in copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) solar cells. The films were synthesized using indium acetylacetonate [In(acac)3], hydrogen sulfide, and an Ar/O2 plasma as indium, sulfur, and oxygen precursors. Film growth mechanisms and chemistries were studied using gas phase measurements by quadrupole mass spectrometry and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy for surface and in-depth characterizations. Distinctive signatures of thermal and plasma processes on the overall compositions of the films were evidenced, which were further discussed and explained. Added to this, the impact of the plasma on the underlying substrate, using silicon as a reference, was further investigated to identify its modification. This extensive study has led to a readjustment of the deposition conditions of In2(O,S)3 thin films and allowed promising implementation as buffer layers in CIGS solar cells.
Dynamic stabilization of the Rayleigh-Bénard instability by acceleration modulation
Authors: Swaminathan Anand , Garrett Steven L. , Poese Matthew E. , Smith Robert W. M.
Published: October 2018

This paper presents the results of an experimental investigation of the parametric stabilization of Rayleigh-Bénard convection through the imposition of sinusoidal vibration. The ability to dynamically stabilize Rayleigh-Bénard convection using acceleration modulation is of interest to groups who design and study thermoacoustic machines as the introduction of parasitic convection can have deleterious effects on the desired operation and thermodynamic efficiency of the device. These performance issues caused by suspected convective instability have been seen both in traveling wave thermoacoustic refrigerators and cryogenic pulse tube chillers. This paper reports the results of an experiment intended to determine the vibratory, fluidic, and geometric conditions under which a small, rectangular container of statically unstable fluid may be stabilized by vertical vibration with comparison to the computational methods of R. M. Carbo [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 135, 654–668 (2014)]. Measurements are obtained using a large-displacement kinematic shaker of an original design with the convecting gas characterized using both thermal transport measurements and flow visualization employing tracer particles illuminated by a diode laser light sheet phase-locked to the shaker. These experiments are believed to be the first demonstrating the suppression of convection through vibration in rectangular containers.
Masking release in temporally fluctuating noise depends on comodulation and overall level in Cope's gray treefrog
Authors: Bee Mark A. , Vélez Alejandro
Published: October 2018

Many animals communicate acoustically in large social aggregations. Among the best studied are frogs, in which males form large breeding choruses where they produce loud vocalizations to attract mates. Although chorus noise poses significant challenges to communication, it also possesses features, such as comodulation in amplitude fluctuations, that listeners may be evolutionarily adapted to exploit in order to achieve release from masking. This study investigated the extent to which the benefits of comodulation masking release (CMR) depend on overall noise level in Cope's gray treefrog (Hyla chrysoscelis). Masked signal recognition thresholds were measured in response to vocalizations in the presence of chorus-shaped noise presented at two levels. The noises were either unmodulated or modulated with an envelope that was correlated (comodulated) or uncorrelated (deviant) across the frequency spectrum. Signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) were lower at the higher noise level, and this effect was driven by relatively lower SNRs in modulated conditions, especially the comodulated condition. These results, which confirm that frogs benefit from CMR in a level-dependent manner, are discussed in relation to previous studies of CMR in humans and animals and in light of implications of the unique amphibian inner ear for considerations of within-channel versus across-channel mechanisms.
Evaluation of a near-end listening enhancement algorithm by combined speech intelligibility and listening effort measurements
Authors: Rennies J. , Pusch A. , Schepker H. , Doclo S.
Published: October 2018

Previous studies showed that near-end listening enhancement (NELE) algorithms can significantly improve speech intelligibility in noisy environments. This study investigates the benefit of the NELE algorithm AdaptDRC in normal-hearing listeners at signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) for which speech intelligibility is at ceiling, by evaluating listening effort for processed and unprocessed speech in the presence of speech-shaped and cafeteria noise. The results suggest that the NELE algorithm is able to reduce listening effort over a wide range of SNRs. Hence, listening effort seems to be applicable for evaluating NELE algorithms over a much wider SNR range than speech intelligibility.
ER-mitochondria cross-talk is regulated by the Ca
2+
sensor NCS1 and is impaired in Wolfram syndrome
Authors: Angebault Claire , Fauconnier Jérémy , Patergnani Simone , Rieusset Jennifer , Danese Alberto , Affortit Corentin A. , Jagodzinska Jolanta , Mégy Camille , Quiles Mélanie , Cazevieille Chantal , Korchagina Julia , Bonnet-Wersinger Delphine , Milea Dan , Hamel Christian , Pinton Paolo , Thiry Marc , Lacampagne Alain , Delprat Benjamin , Delettre Cécile
Published: October 2018

The Ca
2+
sensor NCS1 promotes ER-mitochondria contact and Ca
2+
transfer between these organelles.
Developing a Backup Plan: Implementing a Career-Planning Course for Undergraduate Biology Majors
Authors: Winters Julianne M. , Wang Haizhi , Duwel Laura E. , Spudich Elizabeth A. , Stanford Jennifer S.
Published: October 2018

Career-planning courses are known to be effective career interventions for undergraduates, but their effect on developing alternate career plans was previously unknown. Forming alternate career plans increases the likelihood that students have viable career options available to them upon graduation because it encourages students to realistically consider multiple possibilities. Here we describe a one-term career-planning course developed in the context of an undergraduate biology curriculum. We assessed whether this course promoted development of primary and alternate career plans using a pre/post survey. We saw a significant increase in the percentage of students indicating they had plans aimed at achieving primary (increase of 37%) and alternate (increase of 48%) career goals from the beginning to the end of the course. Preliminary outcomes suggest that implementation of this course correlates with an increase in the percentage of students who indicate they have a job after graduation (increase of 16%). This type of course could be implemented in many other contexts to support career development in diverse fields.
Functional Mapping of Transcription Factor Grf10 That Regulates Adenine-Responsive and Filamentation Genes in Candida albicans
Authors: Wangsanut Tanaporn , Tobin Joshua M. , Rolfes Ronda J.
Published: October 2018

Metabolic adaptation and morphogenesis are essential for
Candida albicans
, a major human fungal pathogen, to survive and infect diverse body sites in the mammalian host.
C. albicans
utilizes transcription factors to tightly control the transcription of metabolic genes and morphogenesis genes. Grf10, a critical homeodomain transcription factor, controls purine and one-carbon metabolism in response to adenine limitation, and Grf10 is necessary for the yeast-to-hypha morphological switching, a known virulence factor. Here, we carried out one-hybrid and mutational analyses to identify functional domains of Grf10. Our results show that Grf10 separately regulates metabolic and morphogenesis genes, and it contains a conserved protein domain for protein partner interaction, allowing Grf10 to control the transcription of multiple distinct pathways. Our findings contribute significantly to understanding the role and mechanism of transcription factors that control multiple pathogenic traits in
C. albicans
.
Using a mentorship model to localise the Practical Approach to Care Kit (PACK): from South Africa to Nigeria
Authors: Awotiwon Ajibola , Sword Charlie , Eastman Tracy , Ras Christy Joy , Ana Prince , Cornick Ruth Vania , Fairall Lara , Bateman Eric , Dube Audry , Curran Robyn , Udoekwere Inemesit , Essien Unyime-Obong , Assem Okorie , Edu Theresa Sylvester , Ismail Hajia Binta , Olubajo Olalekan Olugbenga , Ana Joseph
Published: October 2018

Nigeria, in its quest to strengthen its primary healthcare system, is faced with a number of challenges including a shortage of clinicians and skills. Methods are being sought to better equip primary healthcare clinicians for the clinical demands that they face. Using a mentorship model between developers in South Africa and Nigerian clinicians, the Practical Approach to Care Kit (PACK) for adult patients, a health systems strengthening programme, has been localised and piloted in 51 primary healthcare facilities in three Nigerian states. Lessons learnt from this experience include the value of this remote model of localisation for rapid localisation, the importance of early, continuous stakeholder engagement, the need expressed by Nigeria’s primary healthcare clinicians for clinical guidance that is user friendly and up-to-date, a preference for the tablet version of the PACK Adult guide over hard copies and the added value of WhatsApp groups to complement the programme of face-to-face continuous learning. Introduction of the PACK programme in Nigeria prompted uptake of evidence-informed recommendations within primary healthcare services.
Evaluation of the provision of helicopter emergency medical services in Europe
Authors: Jones Angharad , Donald Michael John , Jansen Jan O
Published: October 2018

Background

Helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) are a useful means of reducing inequity of access to specialist emergency care. The aim of this study was to evaluate the variations in HEMS provision across Europe, in order to inform the further development of emergency care systems.

Methods

This is a survey of primary HEMS in the 32 countries of the European Economic Area and Switzerland. Information was gathered through internet searches (May to September 2016), and by emailing service providers, requesting verification and completion of data (September 2016 to July 2017). HEMS provision was calculated as helicopters per million population and per 1000 km2land area, by day and by night, and per US$10 billion of gross domestic product (GDP), for each country.

Results

In 2016, the smallest and least prosperous countries had no dedicated HEMS provision. Luxembourg had the highest number of helicopters by area and population, day and night. Alpine countries had high daytime HEMS coverage and Scandinavia had good night-time coverage. Most helicopters carried a doctor. Funding of services varied from public to charitable and private. Most services performed both primary (from the scene) and secondary (interfacility) missions.

Conclusions

Within Europe, there is a large variation in the number of helicopters available for emergency care, regardless of whether assessed with reference to population, land area or GDP. Funding of services varied, and did not seem to be clearly related to the availability of HEMS.
Non-fatal self-inflicted versus undetermined intent injuries: patient characteristics and incidence of subsequent self-inflicted injuries
Authors: Peterson Cora , Xu Likang , Leemis Ruth W , Stone Deborah M , Ballesteros Michael F
Published: October 2018

Background

Non-fatal self-inflicted (SI) injuries may be underidentified in administrative medical data sources.

Objective

Compare patients with SI versus undetermined intent (UI) injuries according to patient characteristics, incidence of subsequent SI injury and risk factors for subsequent SI injury.

Methods

Truven Health MarketScan was used to identify patients’ (aged 10–64) first SI or UI injury in 2015 (index injury). Patient characteristics and subsequent SI within 1 year were assessed. A logistic regression model examined factors associated with subsequent SI.

Results

Among analysed patients (n=44 806; 36% SI, 64% UI), a higher proportion of patients with SI index injury were female, had preceding comorbidities (eg, depression), Medicaid (vs commercial insurance), treatment in an ambulance or hospital and cut/pierce or poisoning injuries compared with patients with UI index injury. Just 1% of patients with UI had subsequent SI≤1 year vs 16% of patients with SI. Among patients with UI index injury, incidence of and risk factors for subsequent SI injury were similar across assessed age groups (10–24 years, 25–44 years, 45–64 years). Severe injuries (eg, treated in emergency department), cut/pierce or poisoning injuries, mental health and substance use disorder comorbidities and Medicaid (among adult patients) were risk factors for subsequent SI among patients with UI index injuries.

Conclusions

Regardless of circumstances that influence clinicians’ SI vs UI coding decisions, information on incidence of and risk factors for subsequent SI can help to inform clinical treatment decisions when SI injury is suspected as well as provide evidence to support the development and implementation of self-harm prevention activities.
Mapping of breakpoints in balanced chromosomal translocations by shallow whole-genome sequencing points toEFNA5,BAHD1andPPP2R5Eas novel candidates for genes causing human Mendelian disorders
Authors: Murcia Pienkowski Victor , Kucharczyk Marzena , Młynek Marlena , Szczałuba Krzysztof , Rydzanicz Małgorzata , Poszewiecka Barbara , Skórka Agata , Sykulski Maciej , Biernacka Anna , Koppolu Agnieszka Anna , Posmyk Renata , Walczak Anna , Kosińska Joanna , Krajewski Paweł , Castaneda Jennifer , Obersztyn Ewa , Jurkiewicz Elżbieta , Śmigiel Robert , Gambin Anna , Chrzanowska Krystyna , Krajewska-Walasek Małgorzata , Płoski Rafał
Published: October 2018

Background

Mapping the breakpoints in de novo balanced chromosomal translocations (BCT) in symptomatic individuals provides a unique opportunity to identify in an unbiased way the likely causative genetic defect and thus find novel human disease candidate genes. Our aim was to fine-map breakpoints of de novo BCTs in a case series of nine patients.

Methods

Shallow whole-genome mate pair sequencing (SGMPS) together with long-range PCR and Sanger sequencing. In one case (BCT disruptingBAHD1andRET) cDNA analysis was used to verify expression of a fusion transcript in cultured fibroblasts.

Results

In all nine probands 11 disrupted genes were found, that is,EFNA5, EBF3, LARGE, PPP2R5E, TXNDC5, ZNF423, NIPBL, BAHD1, RET, TRPS1andSLC4A10. Five subjects had translocations that disrupted genes with so far unknown (EFNA5, BAHD1, PPP2R5E, TXNDC5) or poorly delineated impact on the phenotype (SLC4A10,two previous reports of BCT disrupting the gene). The four genes with no previous disease associations (EFNA5, BAHD1, PPP2R5E, TXNDC5), when compared with all human genes by a bootstrap test, had significantly higher pLI (p<0.017) and DOMINO (p<0.02) scores indicating enrichment in genes likely to be intolerant to single copy damage. Inspection of individual pLI and DOMINO scores, and local topologically associating domain structure suggested thatEFNA5, BAHD1andPPP2R5Ewere particularly good candidates for novel disease loci. The pathomechanism forBAHD1may involve deregulation of expression due to fusion withRETpromoter.

Conclusion

SGMPS in symptomatic carriers of BCTs is a powerful approach to delineate novel human gene–disease associations.
Weakening the ethical distinction between euthanasia, palliative opioid use and palliative sedation
Authors: Riisfeldt Thomas David
Published: October 2018

Opioid and sedative use are common ‘active’ practices in the provision of mainstream palliative care services, and are typically distinguished from euthanasia on the basis that they do not shorten survival time. Even supposing that they did, it is often argued that they are justified and distinguished from euthanasia via appeal to Aquinas’ Doctrine of Double Effect. In this essay, I will appraise the empirical evidence regarding opioid/sedative use and survival time, and argue for a position of agnosticism. I will then argue that the Doctrine of Double Effect is a useful ethical tool but is ultimately not a sound ethical principle, and even if it were, it is unclear whether palliative opioid/sedative use satisfy its four criteria. Although this essay does not establish any definitive proofs, it aims to provide reasons to doubt—and therefore weaken—the often-claimed ethical distinction between euthanasia and palliative opioid/sedative use.
Partitioning and predicting forage biomass from total aboveground biomass of regenerating tree species using dimensional analyses
Authors: Morgan Quinn , Johnstone-Yellin Tamara L. , Pinchot Cornelia C. , Peters Matthew , Royo Alejandro A.
Published: October 2018

Foresters and wildlife biologists use biomass estimates as proxies of habitat structure, productivity, and carrying capacity. Determining biomass, however, is challenging without destructive harvests. We provide a dimensional analysis approach to partition browse biomass (BB) from total aboveground biomass (AGB) of six regenerating hardwoods in the Allegheny forests of Pennsylvania, USA. First, we determined the average diameter of browsed twigs for each species. Then, we created a subset of potential browsable twig and foliage biomass from total AGB in 439 individuals harvested within paired exclosure (fenced) and control (unfenced) plots at 15 sites. We fit species-specific allometric equations to estimate BB and AGB using basal diameter and height as predictors and tested the effects of fencing. Although overall stem height and BB were greater within exclosures, fencing did not significantly affect relationships between either predictor and BB or AGB, thereby enabling general and robust (R2 ≥ 0.80) equations for most species. Our work provides biomass equations for regionally dominant species and size classes that are underrepresented in the literature, yet critical to forest renewal and wildlife. Moreover, by sampling variable sites and levels of browse pressure, reported equations lessen site-specific biases. Finally, our methodology provides a template to generate forage biomass prediction equations for other plant and ungulate species.
Geochronological enigma of the HP–UHP rocks in the Himalayan orogen
Authors: Rehman Hafiz Ur
Published: October 2018

The subduction of Indian plate lithosphere during its collision with Asian plate in the Eocene resulted in a regional metamorphic belt along the strike of the Himalayan orogen. High-/ultrahigh-pressure (HP/UHP) metamorphic rocks (eclogites and host gneisses) confirm the metamorphic event in western Himalaya (Kaghan
c.
46 Ma and Tso Morari at
c.
47 Ma) at mantle depths (>90 km: coesite-stable). In contrast, HP/UHP rocks have not been reported from central and eastern Himalaya and only highly retrogressed eclogites and granulites (
c.
25 to 13 Ma) occur. The presence of UHP rocks in western Himalaya and highly retrogressed eclogites and granulites in central and eastern Himalaya was regarded as evidence for a diachronous India–Asia collision. Despite the along-strike regional homogeneity in major lithotectonic units of the Himalayan orogen, metamorphic diachroneity is enigmatic. It is unlikely to have a subduction-related prolonged progressive metamorphic event. In contrast, the age difference and preservation of UHP phases in the west and their transformation into granulites in central and eastern Himalaya could be associated with their prolonged residence times at crustal levels in the central and eastern Himalaya whereas the rocks exhumed rapidly in the west. The higher thermal events relating to melting of the subducting Indian lithosphere in central and eastern Himalaya evidenced from ultra-potasic volcanics in southern Tibet probably decompressed the early metabasites into granulitized eclogites, even resetting their geological clock, which is why eclogites and granulites in the east show younger ages compared with their UHP counterparts in the west.
The international fossil trade from the Paleozoic of the Anti-Atlas, Morocco
Authors: Gutiérrez-Marco Juan Carlos , García-Bellido Diego C.
Published: October 2018

The fossil trade of Paleozoic material from southern Morocco was estimated by some North American media to reach about US$ 40 million a year, and it supplies fossil shows and shops all over the world. In its initial stages of extraction, preparation and export, this trade constitutes the main source of income to more than 50 000 people in an area basically conscribed within the triangle made by Alnif–Erfoud–Taouz (eastern Anti-Atlas), and generated a true ‘fossil industry’. This includes diggers and miners, artisans that prepare and restore fossils (and others dedicated to making replicas with decorative purposes), quarries working on fossiliferous ornamental rocks, and numerous middlemen and Moroccan wholesalers who annually attend the large fossil fairs of Europe and the USA. More than 25 years of intensive exploitation of fossil resources in the Anti-Atlas has also produced important scientific discoveries, such as world-renowned fossil biotas like Fezouata and Tafilalt, and hundreds of new Paleozoic fossil taxa, in parallel with a worrying destruction of outcrops and many palaeontological sites. The new mining legislation also deals with the extraction, collection and trade of geological specimens, and a future specific legal framework for fossils and geological heritage will try to manage the existing industry. It will aim to restrain the constant deterioration of the rich Moroccan geological heritage, while enabling strategies of sustainable development so that the local population is not negatively affected.
Allocation with Traffic Spikes
Authors: Esfandiari Hossein , Korula Nitish , Mirrokni Vahab
Published: October 2018

Motivated by Internet advertising applications, online allocation problems have been studied extensively in various adversarial and stochastic models. While the adversarial arrival models are too pessimistic, many of the stochastic (such as i.i.d. or random-order) arrival models do not realistically capture uncertainty in predictions. A significant cause for such uncertainty is the presence of unpredictable traffic spikes, often due to breaking news or similar events. To address this issue, a simultaneous approximation framework has been proposed to develop algorithms that work well both in the adversarial and stochastic models; however, this framework does not enable algorithms that make good use of partially accurate forecasts when making online decisions. In this article, we propose a robust online stochastic model that captures the nature of traffic spikes in online advertising. In our model, in addition to the stochastic input for which we have good forecasting, an unknown number of impressions arrive that are adversarially chosen. We design algorithms that combine a stochastic algorithm with an online algorithm that adaptively reacts to inaccurate predictions. We provide provable bounds for our new algorithms in this framework. We accompany our positive results with a set of hardness results showing that our algorithms are not far from optimal in this framework. As a byproduct of our results, we also present improved online algorithms for a slight variant of the simultaneous approximation framework.
Unsupervised Similarity Learning through Rank Correlation and kNN Sets
Authors: Valem Lucas Pascotti , Oliveira Carlos Renan De , Pedronette Daniel Carlos Guimarães , Almeida Jurandy
Published: October 2018

The increasing amount of multimedia data collections available today evinces the pressing need for methods capable of indexing and retrieving this content. Despite the continuous advances in multimedia features and representation models, to establish an effective measure for comparing different multimedia objects still remains a challenging task. While supervised and semi-supervised techniques made relevant advances on similarity learning tasks, scenarios where labeled data are non-existent require different strategies. In such situations, unsupervised learning has been established as a promising solution, capable of considering the contextual information and the dataset structure for computing new similarity/dissimilarity measures. This article extends a recent unsupervised learning algorithm that uses an iterative re-ranking strategy to take advantage of different
k
-Nearest Neighbors (kNN) sets and rank correlation measures. Two novel approaches are proposed for computing the kNN sets and their corresponding top-
k
lists. The proposed approaches were validated in conjunction with various rank correlation measures, yielding superior effectiveness results in comparison with previous works. In addition, we also evaluate the ability of the method in considering different multimedia objects, conducting an extensive experimental evaluation on various image and video datasets.
ISOTOP
Authors: Madi Taous , Jarraya Yosr , Alimohammadifar Amir , Majumdar Suryadipta , Wang Yushun , Pourzandi Makan , Wang Lingyu , Debbabi Mourad
Published: October 2018

Multi-tenancy in the cloud is a double-edged sword. While it enables cost-effective resource sharing, it increases security risks for the hosted applications. Indeed, multiplexing virtual resources belonging to different tenants on the same physical substrate may lead to critical security concerns such as cross-tenants data leakage and denial of service. Particularly, virtual networks isolation failures are among the foremost security concerns in the cloud. To remedy these, automated tools are needed to verify security mechanisms compliance with relevant security policies and standards. However, auditing virtual networks isolation is challenging due to the dynamic and layered nature of the cloud. Particularly, inconsistencies in network isolation mechanisms across cloud-stack layers, namely, the infrastructure management and the implementation layers, may lead to virtual networks isolation breaches that are undetectable at a single layer. In this article, we propose an offline automated framework for auditing consistent isolation between virtual networks in OpenStack-managed cloud spanning over overlay and layer 2 by considering both cloud layers’ views. To capture the semantics of the audited data and its relation to consistent isolation requirement, we devise a multi-layered model for data related to each cloud-stack layer’s view. Furthermore, we integrate our auditing system into OpenStack, and present our experimental results on assessing several properties related to virtual network isolation and consistency. Our results show that our approach can be successfully used to detect virtual network isolation breaches for large OpenStack-based data centers in reasonable time.
Leximin Allocations in the Real World
Authors: Kurokawa David , Procaccia Ariel D. , Shah Nisarg
Published: October 2018

As part of a collaboration with a major California school district, we study the problem of
fairly
allocating unused classrooms in public schools to charter schools. Our approach revolves around the randomized
leximin mechanism
. We extend previous work to show that the leximin mechanism is proportional, envy-free, Pareto optimal, and group strategyproof, not only in our classroom allocation setting, but in a general framework that subsumes a number of settings previously studied in the literature. We also prove that the leximin mechanism provides a (worst-case) 4-approximation to the maximum number of classrooms that can possibly be allocated. Our experiments, which are based on real data, show that a non-trivial implementation of the leximin mechanism scales gracefully in terms of running time (even though the problem is intractable in theory), and performs extremely well with respect to a number of efficiency objectives. We establish the practicability of our approach, and discuss issues related to its deployment.
Learning What’s Going on
Authors: Blum Avrim , Mansour Yishay , Morgenstern Jamie
Published: October 2018

We consider a setting where
n
buyers, with combinatorial preferences over
m
items, and a seller, running a priority-based allocation mechanism, repeatedly interact. Our goal, from observing limited information about the results of these interactions, is to reconstruct both the preferences of the buyers and the mechanism of the seller. More specifically, we consider an online setting where at each stage, a subset of the buyers arrive and are allocated items, according to some unknown priority that the seller has among the buyers. Our learning algorithm observes only which buyers arrive and the allocation produced (or some function of the allocation, such as just which buyers received positive utility and which did not), and its goal is to predict the outcome for future subsets of buyers. For this task, the learning algorithm needs to reconstruct both the priority among the buyers and the preferences of each buyer. We derive mistake bound algorithms for additive, unit-demand and single-minded buyers. We also consider the case where buyers’ utilities for a fixed bundle can change between stages due to different (observed) prices. Our algorithms are efficient both in computation time and in the maximum number of mistakes (both polynomial in the number of buyers and items).
Team Performance with Test Scores
Authors: Kleinberg Jon , Raghu Maithra
Published: October 2018

Team performance is a ubiquitous area of inquiry in the social sciences, and it motivates the problem of
team selection
—choosing the members of a team for maximum performance. Influential work of Hong and Page has argued that testing individuals in isolation and then assembling the highest scoring ones into a team is not an effective method for team selection. For a broad class of performance measures, based on the expected maximum of random variables representing individual candidates, we show that tests directly measuring individual performance are indeed ineffective, but that a more subtle family of tests used in isolation can provide a constant-factor approximation for team performance. These new tests measure the “potential” of individuals, in a precise sense, rather than performance; to our knowledge they represent the first time that individual tests have been shown to produce near-optimal teams for a nontrivial team performance measure. We also show families of subdmodular and supermodular team performance functions for which
no
test applied to individuals can produce near-optimal teams, and we discuss implications for submodular maximization via hill-climbing.
Serum Uric Acid as an Independent Risk Factor for the Presence and Severity of Early-Onset Coronary Artery Disease: A Case-Control Study
Authors: Tian Ting-Ting , Li Hui , Chen Sheng-Jie , Wang Qing , Tian Qing-Wu , Zhang Bei-Bei , Zhu Jie , He Guo-Wei , Lun Li-Min , Xuan Chao
Published: October 2018

Serum uric acid (UA) is the final product of purine metabolism in humans. The present study is aimed at identifying the potential association between serum UA and early-onset coronary artery disease (EOCAD). The study population consisted of 1093 EOCAD patients aged ≤50 years, and 1117 age- and sex-matched apparently healthy people served as controls. The concentrations of UA were measured by uricase method. The severity of CAD was evaluated by Gensini score. The mean serum level of UA was 5.843 ± 1.479 mg/dl in EOCAD patients and 5.433 ± 1.529 mg/dl in controls. Serum UA levels were significantly higher in the EOCAD group than those in the control group (P<0.001) and was an independent risk factor for EOCAD (OR = 1.100, 95% CI: 1.022–1.185). The early-onset myocardial infarction patients with 3-vessel disease had higher serum UA levels than those with 1- or 2-vessel disease. The serum UA levels of EOCAD patients with acute coronary syndrome were significantly higher than those with chronic coronary artery disease. EOCAD patients with hyperuricemia had higher Gensini scores than those without hyperuricemia. In addition, the serum UA levels were affected by drinking (P<0.01) and were positively correlated with serum creatinine (r=0.323) and weight (r=0.327). Our results show that serum UA was an independent risk factor for EOCAD. The serum UA levels were associated with the presence and severity of EOCAD and suggested that UA may be involved in the progression of EOCAD.
Qi‐Deficiency Related Increases in Disease Susceptibility Are Potentially Mediated by the Intestinal Microbiota
Authors: Ma Ke , Chen Jieyu , Kuang Liuyan , Bi Jianlu , Cheng Jingru , Li Fei , Sun Xiaomin , Nie Xiaoli , Liu Yanyan , Luo Ren , Zhao Xiaoshan
Published: October 2018

Qi‐deficiency (QX) is thought to promote the body’s susceptibility to disease, but the underlying mechanism through which this occurs is not clear. We surveyed the traditional Chinese medicine constitution (TCMC) of healthy college students to identify those that were PH (balanced TCMC constitution) and QX (unbalanced TCMC constitution). We then used high‐throughput sequencing of the 16SrRNA V3‐4 region in fecal microbiota samples to identify differences between those obtained from PH and QX individuals. Our results demonstrated that the alpha diversity of QX samples was significantly lower than that of PH samples (p < 0.05) and that beta diversity was remarkably different in QX and PH samples. Four and 122 bacterial taxa were significantly overrepresented in QX and PH groups, respectively. The genera Sphingobium, Clostridium, and Comamonas were enriched in the QX group and had a certain pathogenic role. The QX group also showed a statistically significant lack of probiotics and anti‐inflammatory bacteria such as Bifidobacterium and Bdellovibrio. The functional potential of QX bacterial taxa was reduced in fatty acid metabolism and butanoate metabolism. We contend that the imbalanced intestinal microbiota in QX and the following functional changes in metabolism influence immunity and energy metabolism, which could increase susceptibility to disease.
Effects of Digeda-4 Decoction on the CYP450 Activities in Rats Using a Cocktail Method by HPLC
Authors: Zhang Dong , Wu Guo-dong , Zhang Yan-dong , Xu Jian-ping , Zhen Hai-tao , Li Min-hui
Published: October 2018

Digeda-4 decoction is a traditional Mongolian medicine; its effects on cytochrome (CYP) enzymes are still unclear. CYP450 isoenzymes are the main drug metabolic enzymes, and their activities may be induced or inhibited by certain drugs, which lead to drug interactions in clinical use. Effects of Digeda-4 decoction on the activities of CYP450 subtype enzymes CYP1A2, CYP2C9, CYP2E1, CYP2C19, and CYP3A4 in rats were studied by cocktail method, and the pharmacokinetic parameters of five specific probe drugs (theophylline, tolbutamide, chlorzoxazone, omeprazole, and midazolam) were calculated by DAS software; changes of parameters can be used to evaluate the effects of Digeda-4 decoction on enzyme activities. The experimental rats were divided into three groups: control group, Digeda group, and positive group. Rats in Digeda group were given Digeda-4 decoction through continuous gavage for 14 days. After fasting for 12 hours, the mixed probes drug solution was injected into the tail vein; the blood samples were collected through the orbital vein at different time points. The concentrations of probe drugs in rat plasma were measured by HPLC. Compared with the control group, the half-life time (t1/2) of the pharmacokinetic parameters of theophylline, tolbutamide, omeprazole, and midazolam was prolonged, the area under the curve (AUC) increased, and the plasma clearance (CL) decreased in the Digeda group. Continuous gavage administration for 14 days may inhibit the activities of CYP450 subtype enzymes CYP1A2, CYP2C9, CYP2C19, and CYP3A4 of rats. Herb-drug interaction should be noted between Digeda-4 decoction and the drugs metabolized by CYP1A2, CYP2C9, CYP2C19, and CYP3A4.
Efficacy Comparison of Intravitreal Anti-VEGF Therapy for Three Subtypes of Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Li Jianqing , Xu Jiayi , Chen Yiyi , Zhang Jiaju , Cao Yihong , Lu Peirong
Published: October 2018

Purpose. Intravitreal antivascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) therapy has been widely used for the treatment of neovascularization (NV) secondary to age-related macular degeneration (AMD). This study aimed to compare the efficacy among different subtypes of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD). Methods. PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library were searched for eligible studies. We performed meta-analysis using Review Manager 5.3 and Stata/SE 12.0. Results. A total of 24 studies met our inclusion criteria and were included in the systematic review. At 3 months, the mean logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) improvements were −0.09, −0.18, and −0.23 for type 1, 2, and 3, respectively, while the mean macular thickness (MT) changes were −104.83, −130.76, and −196.29 μm. At 12 months, the mean changes in Early Treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) letters were 6.38, 8.12, and 9.37, while the MT decrease was 126.51, 126.52, and 139.85 μm, respectively. However, statistically significant difference was only found between type 1 and 3 in vision improvement, both in the short term (p=0.0002) and long term (p=0.01). Conclusions. The reactivity to VEGF inhibitors varied among different subtypes of nAMD. The efficacy of intravitreal anti-VEGF therapy in type 3 nAMD was statistically better than type 1 when considering vision improvement at 3 and 12 months. Thus, the lesion subtype is a predictor for the treatment outcome which can help guide prognosis.
Ossifying Renal Tumor of Infancy: Laparoscopic Treatment and Literature Review
Authors: Hajiran Ali , Jessop Morris , Werner Zachary , Crigger Chad , Barnard John , Vos Jeffrey , Ost Michael
Published: October 2018

We present an unusual case of a rare ossifying renal tumor of infancy. A 6-month-old male initially presented with gross hematuria and without any palpable abdominal mass. Renal ultrasound and MRI showed a right lower pole, calcified, endophytic renal mass. Laparoscopic radical nephrectomy was performed without complications. Pathology demonstrated an ossifying renal tumor of infancy. We report this case, in addition to a review of the literature for similar cases, to highlight a rare renal tumor in infancy that can be managed laparoscopically.
Developing a Contextually Personalized Hybrid Recommender System
Authors: Bozanta Aysun , Kutlu Birgul
Published: October 2018

It is hard to choose places to go from an endless number of options for some specific circumstances. Recommender systems are supposed to help us deal with these issues and make decisions that are more appropriate. The aim of this study is to recommend new venues to users according to their preferences. For this purpose, a hybrid recommendation model is proposed to integrate user-based and item-based collaborative filtering, content-based filtering together with contextual information in order to get rid of the disadvantages of each approach. Besides that, in which specific circumstances the user will like a specific venue is predicted for each user-venue pair. Moreover, threshold values determining the user’s liking toward a venue are determined separately for each user. Results are evaluated with both offline experiments (precision, recall, F-1 score) and a user study. Both the experimental evaluation with a real-world dataset and a user study of the proposed system showed improvement upon the baseline approaches.
FTIR Spectrophotometry as a Green Tool for Quantitative Analysis of Drugs: Practical Application to Amoxicillin
Authors: Fanelli Stefany , Zimmermann Alexander , Totóli Eliane Gandolpho , Salgado Hérida Regina Nunes
Published: October 2018

Amoxicillin is an antimicrobial agent that belongs to the penicillin compounds. Its bactericidal action causes a destruction of the cell wall of bacteria. It is widely used in clinical practice, and it belongs to the Brazilian National List of Essential Drugs (RENAME). In literature, there are some green analytical methods for the amoxicillin analysis; however, none of them is focused on its quantification in capsules. Therefore, the aim of this study was to validate an environmentally friendly analytical method for the analysis of this antimicrobial action in capsules, using spectrophotometry in the mid-infrared region. The analyses were performed in the spectral range of 1815–1736 cm−1, and the samples were analyzed as potassium bromide pellets. The method was validated according to the ICH guidelines and Brazilian legislation. Linearity, selectivity, precision, accuracy, and robustness were evaluated and showed adequate results for method validation, in a concentration range of 0.5–1.5 mg/pellet. Thus, it is concluded that the validated spectrophotometric method is able to quantify amoxicillin in capsules. In addition, it is a fast, economical, and environmentally friendly method, since it does not use organic solvents, and it can be used for quality control of routine analysis of this drug.
Analysis of the RDEU Game Model in Mass Emergencies with Maintained Legal Rights by Emotion
Authors: Jing Kunpeng , Shi Rui
Published: October 2018

The emotional factor in mass emergencies with maintained legal rights significantly influences the decision-making of the powerful and vulnerable groups and the course of events. In this paper, we established the game model of rank-dependent expected utility for the powerful and vulnerable groups in mass emergencies with maintained legal rights. And we also explored the influence of different emotional states on the results of strategic equilibrium of both sides of a game. Results show that the behaviours of the powerful or vulnerable groups are not only affected by the choice of their other strategies, but also influenced by the degree of emotion. The more optimistic they are, the more inclined they are to solve the mass emergencies with maintained legal rights; the more pessimistic they are, the more inclined they are to take extreme resistance behaviours and the more likely pessimism is to adversely affect the two groups’ behaviour choices. The numerical simulation with MATLAB further validates this conclusion. Therefore, the emotions of both sides should be controlled and understood when managing mass emergencies to solve problems effectively and reasonably.
Investigation on the Non-Uniform Temperature Distribution of Large-Diameter Concrete Silos under Solar Radiation
Authors: Zhao Liang , Yang Zhiyong , Wang Lijie
Published: October 2018

There is a growing demand for silos with large diameters and volumes; hence, the stresses induced by the temperature differences between the inner and the outer surfaces of the concrete walls of the large silos become significant. Sunshine is the main source of the temperature differences; and it is necessary to investigate the influences of sunshine on large concrete silos and ensure their safety and durability. In this paper, the temperature distribution of a concrete silo exposed to the sunshine was measured on site. A finite element (FE) model was built to analyze the temperature distribution under the sunshine, and the FE model was validated by comparing the yielded temperature field with that obtained on site. Based on the temperature field yielded in the FE model, the internal forces of the silo were determined by performing a structural analysis. After that, the FE model was extended and used for a parametrical study, and the influences induced by the factors like meteorological parameters, dimension of silos, and reference temperature on the temperature effects of the silo were investigated. The simulation results showed that the temperature gradient exhibited significant nonlinearities along the wall thickness. The performance of a steady-state analytical method was evaluated, which is conventionally used for the design of silos. It was found that, for the silos with the thicknesses of more than 30 centimeters, the steady-state method overestimated the temperature effects. It is suggested here that nonlinear temperature gradients should be employed for considering the temperature effects of large silos.