bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Each to Their Own CURE: Faculty Who Teach Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experiences Report Why You Too Should Teach a CURE
Authors: Shortlidge Erin E. , Bangera Gita , Brownell Sara E.
Published: September 2017

Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) meet national recommendations for integrating research experiences into life science curricula. As such, CUREs have grown in popularity and many research studies have focused on student outcomes from CUREs. Institutional change literature highlights that understanding faculty is also key to new pedagogies succeeding. To begin to understand faculty perspectives on CUREs, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 61 faculty who teach CUREs regarding why they teach CUREs, what the outcomes are, and how they would discuss a CURE with a colleague. Using grounded theory, participant responses were coded and categorized as tangible or intangible, related to both student and faculty-centered themes. We found that intangible themes were prevalent, and that there were significant differences in the emphasis on tangible themes for faculty who have developed their own independent CUREs when compared with faculty who implement pre-developed, national CUREs. We focus our results on the similarities and differences among the perspectives of faculty who teach these two different CURE types and explore trends among all participants. The results of this work highlight the need for considering a multi-dimensional framework to understand, promote, and successfully implement CUREs.
Using Expectancy Value Theory as a Framework to Reduce Student Resistance to Active Learning: A Proof of Concept
Authors: Cooper Katelyn M. , Ashley Michael , Brownell Sara E.
Published: September 2017

There has been a national movement to transition college science courses from passive lectures to active learning environments. Active learning has been shown to be a more effective way for students to learn, yet there is concern that some students are resistant to active learning approaches. Although there is much discussion about student resistance to active learning, few studies have explored this topic. Furthermore, a limited number of studies have applied theoretical frameworks to student engagement in active learning. We propose using a theoretical lens of expectancy value theory to understand student resistance to active learning. In this study, we examined student perceptions of active learning after participating in 40 hours of active learning. We used the principal components of expectancy value theory to probe student experience in active learning: student perceived self-efficacy in active learning, value of active learning, and potential cost of participating in active learning. We found that students showed positive changes in the components of expectancy value theory and reported high levels of engagement in active learning, which provide proof of concept that expectancy value theory can be used to boost student perceptions of active learning and their engagement in active learning classrooms. From these findings, we have built a theoretical framework of expectancy value theory applied to active learning.
Microbial Murders Crime Scene Investigation: An Active Team-Based Learning Project that Enhances Student Enthusiasm and Comprehension of Clinical Microbial Pathogens
Authors: Steel J. Jordan
Published: September 2017

Microbial disease knowledge is a critical component of microbiology courses and is beneficial for many students’ future careers. Microbiology courses traditionally cover core concepts through lectures and labs, but specific instruction on microbial diseases varies greatly depending on the instructor and course. A common project involves students researching and presenting a disease to the class. This method alone is not very effective, and course evaluations have consistently indicated that students felt they lacked adequate disease knowledge; therefore, a more hands-on and interactive disease project was developed called Microbial Murders. For this team-based project, a group of students chooses a pathogen, researches the disease, creates a “mugshot” of the pathogen, and develops a corresponding “crime scene,” where a hypothetical patient has died from the microbe. Each group gives a presentation introducing the microbial pathogen, signs/symptoms, treatments, and overall characteristics. The students then visit each other’s crime scenes to match the pathogen with the correct crime scene by critically thinking through the clues. This project has shown remarkable success. Surveys indicate that 73% of students thought the project helped them understand the material and 84% said it was worth their time. Student participation, excitement, understanding, and application of microbial disease knowledge have increased and are evident through an increase in course evaluations and in student assessment scores. This project is easy to implement and can be used in a wide variety of biology, microbiology, or health classes for any level (middle school through college).
Implementing an Expressive Writing Intervention for Test Anxiety in a Large College Course
Authors: Doherty Jennifer H. , Wenderoth Mary Pat
Published: September 2017

Test anxiety is a widespread problem that negatively impacts student performance. The mechanism proposed to explain the deleterious effect is that anxious thoughts occupy space in working memory, thus diminishing cognitive capacity. Expressive writing is an intervention shown to decrease the impact of test anxiety. For this intervention, students respond to a prompt directing them to write-down their thoughts and feelings regarding the upcoming exam. To investigate the feasibility of using this intervention in college courses and to discern our students’ thoughts about taking exams, we implemented the intervention in our large introductory biology course.

The prompt was placed on the cover page of each exam and students were given five minutes to write. Students were then instructed to rip off, crumple up, and throw the page into the closest aisle and begin the exam. Even though they could not start the exam early, students only spent approximately two minutes writing. Clean up of papers was reasonably accomplished during the exam. Interestingly, crumpling and throwing papers seemed to dissipate tension and created a more relaxed atmosphere in the classroom evidenced by laughing and paper airplanes. We assigned the anonymous student writing into categories (e.g., doodling, pep talks, course content, anxious) as we were interested to see the variation in student responses and monitor if student feelings changed over time.

We suggest instructors consider using this intervention to decrease the impact of test anxiety. We found the implementation logistics manageable and reading students’ thoughts made us more empathetic with our students’ experiences.
Multi-Institutional, Multidisciplinary Study of the Impact of Course-Based Research Experiences
Authors: Mader Catherine M. , Beck Christopher W. , Grillo Wendy H. , Hollowell Gail P. , Hennington Bettye S. , Staub Nancy L. , Delesalle Veronique A. , Lello Denise , Merritt Robert B. , Griffin Gerald D. , Bradford Chastity , Mao Jinghe , Blumer Lawrence S. , White Sandra L.
Published: September 2017

Numerous national reports have called for reforming laboratory courses so that all students experience the research process. In response, many course-based research experiences (CREs) have been developed and implemented. Research on the impact of these CREs suggests that student benefits can be similar to those of traditional apprentice-model research experiences. However, most assessments of CREs have been in individual courses at individual institutions or across institutions using the same CRE model. Furthermore, which structures and components of CREs result in the greatest student gains is unknown. We explored the impact of different CRE models in different contexts on student self-reported gains in understanding, skills, and professional development using the Classroom Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) survey. Our analysis included 49 courses developed and taught at seven diverse institutions. Overall, students reported greater gains for all benefits when compared with the reported national means for the Survey of Undergraduate Research Experiences (SURE). Two aspects of these CREs were associated with greater student gains: 1) CREs that were the focus of the entire course or that more fully integrated modules within a traditional laboratory and 2) CREs that had a higher degree of student input and results that were unknown to both students and faculty.
Thiamine Acquisition Strategies Impact Metabolism and Competition in the Gut Microbe Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron
Authors: Costliow Zachary A. , Degnan Patrick H.
Published: September 2017

Variation in the ability of gut microbes to transport, synthesize, and compete for vitamin B
1
(thiamine) is expected to impact the structure and stability of the microbiota, and ultimately this variation may have both direct and indirect effects on human health. Our study identifies the diverse strategies employed by gut
Bacteroidetes
to acquire thiamine. We demonstrate how the presence or absence of thiamine biosynthesis or transport dramatically affects the abundance of
B. thetaiotaomicron
in a competitive environment. This study adds further evidence that altering the presence or concentrations of water-soluble vitamins such as thiamine may be an effective method for manipulating gut community composition. In turn, targeted thiamine delivery could be used therapeutically to alter dysbiotic communities linked to disease.
Fat attacks!: a case of fat embolisation syndrome postliposuction
Authors: Ali Adam , Theobald George , Arshad Mohammed Asif
Published: September 2017

Liposuction is a procedure commonly performed in the UK usually with a low incidence of serious sequelae; however with larger patients and increased volumes of lipoaspirate, complications have been reported more frequently. One of the rare but very serious complications postliposuction is fat embolism syndrome (FES), a life-threatening condition difficult to diagnose and limited in treatment.

The authors present the case of a 45-year-old woman who was admitted to the intensive care unit postelective liposuction for bilateral leg lipoedema. She presented with the triad of respiratory failure, cerebral dysfunction and petechial rash requiring a brief period of organ support. This case highlights that with the recent increase in liposuction procedures worldwide, FES is a differential to always consider. Although still a rare condition this article emphasises the importance of thinking outside the box and how to identify and manage such a life-threatening complication.
Effect of initial pore pressure on undrained shear behaviour of fine-grained gassy soil
Authors: Hong Y. , Wang L.Z. , Ng Charles W.W. , Yang B.
Published: September 2017

Many of the world reserves of fossil fuels are located at various water depths in fine-grained sediment under the seabed. The fine-grained sediment contains relatively large biogas bubbles, which has been posing challenges to the stability of offshore foundations supporting oil and gas platforms. Although fine-grained gassy soil was found to exhibit different undrained shear strengths (cu) by altering the initial pore pressure, ui (relevant to water depth), systematic studies concerning the effect of ui on undrained shear behaviours of the soil are still lacking. This study reports a series of undrained triaxial tests aiming to compare and investigate the responses of reconstituted fine-grained gassy soil with the same consolidation pressure ([Formula: see text]), but at a wide range of varying ui (0–1000 kPa). The shearing-induced excess pore pressure (Δu) in the gassy specimens highly depends on ui. It can be either smaller than that of the saturated specimen with the same [Formula: see text] (due to partial dissipation of Δu into relatively large bubbles at low ui) or larger than that of the saturated specimen (related to collapse of relatively small bubbles at high ui). Consequently, the presence of bubbles had beneficially increased cu at relatively low ui (ui/[Formula: see text] < 0.6), and vice versa. The critical stress ratio of the reconstituted fine-grained gassy soil, however, did not appear to be altered by ui.
Differences in Chemical Component and Anticancer Activity of Green and Ripe Forsythiae Fructus
Authors: Bao Jiaolin , Ding Ren-Bo , Liang Yeer , Liu Fang , Wang Kai , Jia Xuejing , Zhang Chao , Chen Meiwan , Li Peng , Su Huanxing , Wan Jian-Bo , Wang Yitao , He Chengwei
Published: September 2017

Forsythiae Fructus, Lianqiao in Chinese, is one of the most fundamental herbs in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Both green Forsythia (GF) and ripe Forsythia (RF) are referred to Forsythiae Fructus in medicinal applications. In most cases, they are used without distinction. In this study, a metabolomics approach was performed to compare componential differences of two Forsythiae Fructus aqueous extracts subtypes. Principal component analysis (PCA) score plots from the UPLC-MS data showed clear separation between the two subtypes, indicating there are significant differences in the chemical components between GF and RF. Meanwhile, the anticancer activity of them was also compared. GF exhibited much stronger antitumor activity than RF against B16-F10 murine melanoma both in vitro and in vivo. 15 chemical compounds were identified as specific markers for distinguishing GF and RF. Among these marker compounds, forsythoside I, forsythoside A, forsythoside E and pinoresinol were demonstrated to be key important active compounds that account for the different anticancer efficacies of GF and RF. Our data suggest that GF and RF should be distinctively used in clinical applications, particularly in the anticancer formulas, in which GF should be preferentially prescribed.
VLSI Implementation of High Speed Energy-Efficient Truncated Multiplier
Authors: Vijeyakumar K. N. , Elango S. , Kalaiselvi S.
Published: September 2017

In this brief, we present the design and evaluation of a high speed and energy-efficient truncated multiplier for unsigned multiplication, such that the average absolute error due to truncation and rounding is kept minimal. The proposed algorithm eliminates a few least significant Partial Product (PP) bits and adds correction bias at appropriate PP bit positions to minimize the total error. From the literatures reviewed, it is clear that there is scope for reducing delay in multiplication using sutras of ancient vedic mathematics. This work uses a simple “crosswise and vertical sutra” of Vedic mathematics to generate PP bits. The proposed methodology groups the input into [Formula: see text]/2 bits, eliminates least subgroup multiplication ([Formula: see text]) and deletes few least significant bits in other subgroup multiplications to reduce area and power dissipation. In addition, correction biase are added at appropriate bit positions to reduce the overall absolute error due to the elimination of few PP bits and rounding of final product. Experimental evaluation of the proposed truncated design is carried out through structural level VHDL modeling and simulations using Synopsys design compiler. Performance analysis revealed Chip-Area Ratio (CAR%) to be 33.81% and Power-Delay Product (PDP) of 14.84[Formula: see text]pJ of proposed truncated design for an [Formula: see text] multiplication.
Cosmic screening of the gravitational interaction
Authors: Eingorn Maxim , Kiefer Claus , Zhuk Alexander
Published: September 2017

We study a universe filled with cold dark matter in the form of discrete inhomogeneities (e.g. galaxies) and dark energy in the form of a continuous perfect fluid. We develop a first-order scalar perturbation theory in the weak gravity limit around a spatially flat Friedmann universe. Our approach works at all cosmic scales and incorporates linear and nonlinear effects with respect to energy density fluctuations. The gravitational potential can be split into individual contributions from each matter source. Each potential is characterized by a Yukawa interaction with the same range, which is of the order of 3700 Mpc at the present time. The derived equations can form the theoretical basis for numerical simulations for a wide class of modern cosmological models.
Soft Computing Based Force Recovery Technique for Hypersonic Shock Tunnel Tests
Authors: Pallekonda Ramesh Babu , Nanda Soumya Ranjan , Dwivedy Santosha K. , Kulkarni Vinayak , Menezes Viren
Published: September 2017

A hemispherical model equipped with a three component accelerometer force balance has been tested in a shock tunnel at Mach 8.0 freestream conditions. A novel technique has been devised using the Artificial Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) for recovering the forces experienced by the model during the experiments. Implementation of this methodology in calibration of the force balance showed encouraging agreement with the impulse forces recovered from the calibration tests. The same recovery procedure is then adopted to obtain the time history of the forces for 0[Formula: see text] and 15[Formula: see text] angle of attack experiments. The drag recovered in steady state is found to agree well with the conventional methods with minor discrimination for the lift and pitching moment. In light of the limitation of the accelerometer force balance theory due to the unaccountability of model dynamics, the force recovery technique proposed herein is found simple to implement and can be opted as a tool for prediction of the aerodynamic coefficients and force time histories.
Verifications for Large-Scale Parallel Simulations of 3D Fluid–Structure Interaction Using Moving Particle Simulation (MPS) and Finite Element Method (FEM)
Authors: Zheng Hongjie , Shioya Ryuji
Published: September 2017

Fluid–Structure Interaction (FSI) is an important phenomenon in many fields. In this study, the Moving Particle Simulation (MPS) along with Finite Element Method (FEM) are coupled together. MPS-FEM coupled method is used as the numerical simulators to estimate the effects for structures by the fluid pressure of the tsunami. This simulator consists of two solvers: fluid analysis and structure analysis. The fluid analysis is based on MPS and the structural part is analyzed by using FEM. In this paper, for verification of the MPS-FEM coupled method, the problem of hydrostatic pressure on a structure is calculated. The results are compared with the theoretical values and the results obtained by the original FEM analysis. We confirmed that the MPS-FEM coupling method can achieve adequate accuracy. Furthermore, the MPS-FEM coupled simulation for the turbine building of Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Station Unit 1 has been done.
A Galerkin-Type Method to Solve One-Dimensional Telegraph Equation Using Collocation Points in Initial and Boundary Conditions
Authors: Yüzbaşı Şuayip , Karaçayır Murat
Published: September 2017

In this study, a Galerkin-type approach is presented in order to numerically solve one-dimensional hyperbolic telegraph equation. The method includes taking inner product of a set of bivariate monomials with a vector obtained from the equation in question. The initial and boundary conditions are also taken into account by a suitable utilization of collocation points. The resulting linear system is then solved, yielding a bivariate polynomial as the approximate solution. Additionally, the technique of residual correction, which aims to increase the accuracy of the approximate solution, is discussed briefly. The method and the residual correction technique are illustrated with four examples. Lastly, the results obtained from the present scheme are compared with other methods present in the literature.
On total flexibility of local structures of Finsler tori without conjugate points
Authors: Chen Dong
Published: September 2017

We show that given a point on a Finsler surface, one can always find a neighborhood of the point and isometrically embed this neighborhood into a Finsler torus without conjugate points.
Pairwise disjoint maximal cliques in random graphs and sequential motion planning on random right angled Artin groups
Authors: González Jesús , Gutiérrez Bárbara , Mas Hugo
Published: September 2017

The clique number of a random graph in the Erdös–Rényi model [Formula: see text] yields a random variable which takes values asymptotically almost surely (as [Formula: see text]) within one of an explicit logarithmic function [Formula: see text]. We show that random graphs have, asymptotically almost surely, arbitrarily many pairwise disjoint cliques with [Formula: see text] vertices. Such a result is motivated by, and applied to, the multi-tasking version of Farber’s topological model to study the motion planning problem in robotics. Indeed, we study the behavior of all the higher topological complexities of Eilenberg–MacLane spaces of type [Formula: see text], where [Formula: see text] is a random right angled Artin group.
Heterogeneous HMC+DDRx Memory Management for Performance-Temperature Tradeoffs
Authors: Hajkazemi Mohammad Hossein , Tavana Mohammad Khavari , Mohsenin Tinoosh , Homayoun Houman
Published: September 2017

Three-dimensional DRAMs (3D-DRAMs) are emerging as a promising solution to address the memory wall problem in computer systems. However, high fabrication cost per bit and thermal issues are the main reasons that prevent architects from using 3D-DRAM alone as the main memory building block. In this article, we address this issue by proposing a heterogeneous memory system that combines a double data rate (DDRx) DRAM with an emerging 3D hybrid memory cube (HMC) technology. Bandwidth and temperature management are the challenging issues for this heterogeneous memory architecture. To address these challenges, first we introduce a memory page allocation policy for the heterogeneous memory system to maximize performance. Then, using the proposed policy, we introduce a temperature-aware algorithm that dynamically distributes the requested bandwidth between HMC and DDRx DRAM to reduce the thermal hotspot while maintaining high performance. We take into account the impact of both core count and HMC channel count on performance while using the proposed policies. The results show that the proposed memory page allocation policy can utilize the memory bandwidth close to 99% of the ideal bandwidth utilization. Moreover, our temperate-aware bandwidth adaptation reduces the average steady-state temperature of the HMC hotspot across various workloads by 4.5 K while incurring 2.5% performance overhead.
Social Immunity: Emergence and Evolution of Colony-Level Disease Protection
Authors: Cremer Sylvia , Pull Christopher D. , Fürst Matthias A.
Published: September 2017

Social insect colonies have evolved many collectively performed adaptations that reduce the impact of infectious disease and that are expected to maximize their fitness. This colony-level protection is termed social immunity, and it enhances the health and survival of the colony. In this review, we address how social immunity emerges from its mechanistic components to produce colony-level disease avoidance, resistance, and tolerance. To understand the evolutionary causes and consequences of social immunity, we highlight the need for studies that evaluate the effects of social immunity on colony fitness. We discuss the roles that host life history and ecology have on predicted eco-evolutionary dynamics, which differ among the social insect lineages. Throughout the review, we highlight current gaps in our knowledge and promising avenues for future research, which we hope will bring us closer to an integrated understanding of socio-eco-evo-immunology.
The Relationship Between Parsing and Generation
Authors: Momma Shota , Phillips Colin
Published: September 2017

Humans use their linguistic knowledge in at least two ways: on the one hand, to convey what they mean to others or to themselves, and on the other hand, to understand what others say or what they themselves say. In either case, they must assemble the syntactic structures of sentences in a systematic fashion, in accordance with the grammar of their language. In this article, we advance the view that a single mechanism for building sentence structure may be sufficient for structure building in comprehension and production. We argue that differing behaviors reduce to differences in the available information in either task. This view has broad implications for the architecture of the human language system and provides a useful framework for integrating largely independent research programs on comprehension and production by both constraining the models and uncovering new questions that can drive further research.
TRP Channels as Potential Drug Targets
Authors: Moran Magdalene M.
Published: September 2017

The transient receptor potential (TRP) superfamily of channels comprises a diverse group of cation channels. Four TRP channel subunits coassemble to form functional homo- or heterotetramers that pass sodium, calcium, or both in the inward direction. Modulating TRP channel activity provides an important way to impact cellular function by regulating both membrane excitability and intracellular calcium levels. The import of these channels is underscored by the number of genetic diseases caused when they are mutated: Skeletal, skin, sensory, ocular, cardiac, and neuronal disturbances all arise from aberrant TRP function. Not surprisingly, there has been significant pharmaceutical interest in targeting these fascinating channels. Compounds that modulate TRP vanilloid 1 (TRPV1), TRPV3, TRPV4, TRP ankyrin 1 (TRPA1), and TRP melastatin 8 (TRPM8) have all entered clinical trials. The goal of this review is to familiarize the readers with the rationale behind the pursuit of these channels in drug discovery and the status of those efforts.
Patterns of Progression in Metastatic Estrogen Receptor Positive Breast Cancer: An Argument for Local Therapy
Authors: Kelly Patrick , Ma Zhe , Baidas Said , Moroose Rebecca , Shah Nikita , Dagan Roi , Mamounas Eleftherios , Rineer Justin
Published: September 2017

Purpose. Despite advances in endocrine therapy (ET), metastatic estrogen receptor positive breast cancer (BrCA) remains incurable. Though the mechanisms of resistance to ET have been studied extensively, the anatomic pattern of disease progression remains poorly characterized. The purpose of this study was to characterize the pattern of progression for patients receiving ET for metastatic BrCA. Methods. The records of 108 patients with metastatic BrCA who progressed on ET were reviewed. Progression was characterized as follows: diffuse progression, progression in greater than 3 sites; oligoprogression, progression in fewer than 3 sites with prior diffuse metastases; and oligometastatic disease with progression, progression in 3 or fewer sites with prior limited metastases. Results. Seventy-four patients (69%) displayed only diffuse disease progression. Conversely, 23 patients (21%) displayed oligoprogression and 11 patients (10%) displayed oligometastases with progression at least once in their disease course. Further analysis of the patients with oligoprogression suggested that in 14 patients the sites of progression would have been amenable to local therapy. Conclusion. Oligoprogressive disease occurs in a significant subset of patients with metastatic BrCA treated with ET. These patients with oligoprogressive disease may be eligible for local therapy, potentially obviating the need to change of systemic therapy.
Fast Constrained Spectral Clustering and Cluster Ensemble with Random Projection
Authors: Liu Wenfen , Ye Mao , Wei Jianghong , Hu Xuexian
Published: September 2017

Constrained spectral clustering (CSC) method can greatly improve the clustering accuracy with the incorporation of constraint information into spectral clustering and thus has been paid academic attention widely. In this paper, we propose a fast CSC algorithm via encoding landmark-based graph construction into a new CSC model and applying random sampling to decrease the data size after spectral embedding. Compared with the original model, the new algorithm has the similar results with the increase of its model size asymptotically; compared with the most efficient CSC algorithm known, the new algorithm runs faster and has a wider range of suitable data sets. Meanwhile, a scalable semisupervised cluster ensemble algorithm is also proposed via the combination of our fast CSC algorithm and dimensionality reduction with random projection in the process of spectral ensemble clustering. We demonstrate by presenting theoretical analysis and empirical results that the new cluster ensemble algorithm has advantages in terms of efficiency and effectiveness. Furthermore, the approximate preservation of random projection in clustering accuracy proved in the stage of consensus clustering is also suitable for the weighted k-means clustering and thus gives the theoretical guarantee to this special kind of k-means clustering where each point has its corresponding weight.
Numerical Simulation of Fragment Separation during Rock Cutting Using a 3D Dynamic Finite Element Analysis Code
Authors: Lu Zhenguo , Wan Lirong , Zeng Qingliang , Zhang Xin , Gao Kuidong
Published: September 2017

To predict fragment separation during rock cutting, previous studies on rock cutting interactions using simulation approaches, experimental tests, and theoretical methods were considered in detail. This study used the numerical code LS-DYNA (3D) to numerically simulate fragment separation. In the simulations, a damage material model and erosion criteria were used for the base rock, and the conical pick was designated a rigid material. The conical pick moved at varying linear speeds to cut the fixed base rock. For a given linear speed of the conical pick, numerical studies were performed for various cutting depths and mechanical properties of rock. The numerical simulation results demonstrated that the cutting forces and sizes of the separated fragments increased significantly with increasing cutting depth, compressive strength, and elastic modulus of the base rock. A strong linear relationship was observed between the mean peak cutting forces obtained from the numerical, theoretical, and experimental studies with correlation coefficients of 0.698, 0.8111, 0.868, and 0.768. The simulation results also showed an exponential relationship between the specific energy and cutting depth and a linear relationship between the specific energy and compressive strength. Overall, LS-DYNA (3D) is effective and reliable for predicting the cutting performance of a conical pick.
Impacts of Microphysics Schemes and Topography on the Prediction of the Heavy Rainfall in Western Myanmar Associated with Tropical Cyclone ROANU (2016)
Authors: Maw Khin Win , Min Jinzhong
Published: September 2017

The impacts of different microphysics and boundary schemes and terrain settings on the heavy rainfall over western Myanmar associated with the tropical cyclone (TC) ROANU (2016) are investigated using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. The results show that the microphysics scheme of Purdue Lin (LIN) scheme produces the strongest cyclone. Six experiments with various combinations of microphysics and boundary schemes indicated that a combination of WRF Single-Moment 6-class (WSM6) scheme and Mellor-Yamada-Janjic (MYJ) best fits to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) data. WSM6-MYJ also performs the best for the track and intensity of rainfall and obtains the best statistics skill scores in the range of maximum rainfall intensity for 48-h. Sensitivity experiments on different terrain settings with Normal Rakhine Mountain (NRM), with Half of Rakhine Mountain (HRM), and Without Rakhine Mountain (WoRM) are designed with the use of WSM6-MYJ scheme. The track of TC ROANU moved northwestward in WoRM and HRM. Due to the presence of Rakhine Mountain, TC track moved into Myanmar and the peak rainfall occurred on the leeward side of the Mountain. In the absence of Rakhine Mountain, a shift in peak rainfall was observed in north side of the Mountain.
Indoor Self-Localization and Orientation Estimation of Smartphones Using Acoustic Signals
Authors: Sánchez-Hevia Héctor A. , Ayllón David , Gil-Pita Roberto , Rosa-Zurera Manuel
Published: September 2017

We propose a new acoustic self-localization and orientation estimation algorithm for smartphones networks composed of commercial off-the-shelf devices equipped with two microphones and a speaker. Each smartphone acts as an acoustic transceiver, which emits and receives acoustic signals. Node locations are found by combining estimates of the range and direction of arrival (DoA) between node pairs using a maximum likelihood (ML) estimator. A tailored optimization algorithm is proposed to simultaneously solve the DoA uncertainty problem that arises from the use of only 2 microphones per node and obtain the azimuthal orientation of each node without requiring an electronic compass.
A Compact Frequency Reconfigurable Hybrid DRA for LTE/Wimax Applications
Authors: Aqeel Sajid , Kamarudin M. R. , Khan Aftab Ahmad , Saleem Jawad , Nasir Jamal , Kazim Jalil-ur-Rehman , Owais Owais
Published: September 2017

A compact hybrid antenna structure with frequency reconfiguration capabilities is presented in this article. The proposed design employs a combination of a rectangular DR element and a coupling slot on the structure’s ground plane (GP). The slot shifts the fundamental DRA mode by introducing a slow wave effect and its resonant behavior helps to achieve an omnidirectional pattern at low frequencies. The slot is loaded with a series of PIN diode switches whose ON/OFF combinations alter the effective slot length. Slot loading with PIN diodes results in frequency reconfiguration of the proposed structure with a large tuning range of 76.2% (between 1.73 and 3.86 GHz). A parametric analysis was performed to investigate the effects of slot length, width, and position on the reflection coefficients of the proposed structure. A prototype of the proposed design was fabricated and results were measured. The measured results show a close agreement with the simulated ones. The proposed design is suitable for DCS 1800 MHz, PCS 1900 MHZ, UMTS, LTE 2500–2700 MHz, and Wimax 3.5 GHz.
Knockdown of SIRT1 Suppresses Bladder Cancer Cell Proliferation and Migration and Induces Cell Cycle Arrest and Antioxidant Response through FOXO3a-Mediated Pathways
Authors: Hu Qingxuan , Wang Gang , Peng Jianping , Qian Guofeng , Jiang Wei , Xie Conghua , Xiao Yu , Wang Xinghuan
Published: September 2017

Bladder cancer (BCa) is one of the most common tumors, but its underlying mechanism has not been fully clarified. Our transcriptome analysis suggested a close link of Sirtuins, Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor (PPAR), cell cycle regulation, reactive oxygen species (ROS) metabolism, and Forkhead Box Class O (FOXO) signaling pathway in BCa. SIRT1 is a key member of Sirtuins, playing important roles in aging and energy metabolism, which has been reported to be involved in various metabolic diseases and tumors. We observed that SIRT1 was upregulated in BCa tissues at both mRNA and protein levels. By establishing a SIRT1-knockdown BCa cell model, our results suggested that proliferation and viability were suppressed. Moreover, migration rate was inhibited as well, possibly via reduction of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). In addition, cell cycle arrest was significantly induced, consisting with strongly decreased proteins involved (CDK2/4/6). Furthermore, ROS production was slightly reduced, accompanied by increasing of antioxidant enzymes and total/acetylated FOXO3a. Consistently with our Path-net analysis, we observed no significant alteration of apoptosis in the SIRT1-knockdown BCa cells. Taken together, our results suggested that SIRT1 deficiency in BCa cells could suppress cell viability by activating antioxidant response and inducing cell cycle arrest possibly via FOXO3a-related pathways.
Clinical Presentation, Management, and Outcomes of Primary Hyperparathyroidism during Pregnancy
Authors: Hu Ya , Cui Ming , Sun Zhengyi , Su Zhe , Gao Xiang , Liao Quan , Zhao Yupei
Published: September 2017

Background. Primary hyperparathyroidism (pHPT) in pregnancy is a rare event, but it poses a significant risk to mothers and fetuses. The optimal treatment strategy remains controversial. Methods. We present a consecutive series of twelve pregnant women with pHPT. Results. Twelve women were diagnosed with pHPT during pregnancy or in the postpartum period. Four of them presented no symptoms or mild symptoms. Four patients experienced serious complications, including hypercalcaemic crisis, acute pancreatitis, and eclampsia. Another four patients were identified postpartum as the result of neonatal convulsion with hypocalcaemia. Minimally invasive parathyroidectomy (MIP) under cervical plexus block was successfully performed in 11 of them during pregnancy or postpartum. The serum levels of ionized calcium and intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) were much higher in patients with severe complications in this cohort than those in the group of patients with no symptoms or mild symptoms and patients who were diagnosed postpartum. Conclusions. MIP under cervical plexus block might be a safe and effective treatment for pregnant women with pHPT. Even though both conservative and surgical treatments are applicable for most mothers and fetuses with asymptomatic and mild hyperparathyroidism, serious complications may have catastrophic consequences for both.
Authenticated Location-Aware Publish/Subscribe Services in Untrusted Outsourced Environments
Authors: Yan Han , Cheng Xiang , Su Sen , Zhang Siyao
Published: September 2017

Location-aware publish/subscribe is an important location-based service based on server-initiated model. Often times, the owner of massive spatio-textual messages and subscriptions outsources its location-aware publish/subscribe services to a third-party service provider, for example, cloud service provider, who is responsible for delivering messages to their relevant subscribers. The issue arising here is that the messages delivered by the service provider might be tailored for profit purposes, intentionally or not. Therefore, it is essential to develop mechanisms which allow subscribers to verify the correctness of the messages delivered by the service provider. In this paper, we study the problem of authenticating messages in outsourced location-aware publish/subscribe services. We propose an authenticated framework which not only can deliver the messages efficiently but also can make the subscribers’ authentication available with low cost. Extensive experiments on a real-world dataset demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of our proposed authenticated framework.
Prevalence and Relevance of Pruritus in Pregnancy
Authors: Szczęch Justyna , Wiatrowski Artur , Hirnle Lidia , Reich Adam
Published: September 2017

Pregnant women are at greater risk to suffer from chronic pruritus, but data on this symptom in this group is very limited. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence, clinical characteristics, and the importance of pruritus in pregnant women. A total of 292 consecutive pregnant women at the 33.0±6.1 weeks of gestation (WoG) were recruited into this prospective, cross-sectional study. All patients underwent thorough anamnesis and detailed physical examination with the special emphasis on pruritus. Pruritus was assessed according to Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). Quality of life was measured with the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI). The point prevalence of pruritus was 20.2% (n=59), while pruritus prevalence during the entire pregnancy was 38.0% (n=111). Pruritus started on average at the 27.2±7.6 WoG; it was significantly more common among women in third trimester. The mean VAS was 4.8 (±2.4) points. The DLQI scoring significantly correlated with VAS (r=0.52, p<0.001). Based on the results of our study about one-third of women suffer from pruritus during pregnancy. Many of them find it a very distressing and disturbing symptom.
A Greedy Clustering Algorithm Based on Interval Pattern Concepts and the Problem of Optimal Box Positioning
Authors: Nersisyan Stepan A. , Pankratieva Vera V. , Staroverov Vladimir M. , Podolskii Vladimir E.
Published: September 2017

We consider a clustering approach based on interval pattern concepts. Exact algorithms developed within the framework of this approach are unable to produce a solution for high-dimensional data in a reasonable time, so we propose a fast greedy algorithm which solves the problem in geometrical reformulation and shows a good rate of convergence and adequate accuracy for experimental high-dimensional data. Particularly, the algorithm provided high-quality clustering of tactile frames registered by Medical Tactile Endosurgical Complex.
Rapidly Progressive Disseminated Sporotrichosis as the First Presentation of HIV Infection in a Patient with a Very Low CD4 Cell Count
Authors: de Oliveira-Esteves Isis Cristine Morávia Ribeiro , Almeida Rosa da Silva Guilherme , Eyer-Silva Walter de Araujo , Basílio-de-Oliveira Rodrigo Panno , de Araujo Luciana Ferreira , Martins Carlos José , Neves-Motta Rogério , Velho Mendes de Azevedo Marcelo Costa , Signorini Dario José Hart Pontes , Francisco da Cunha Pinto Jorge , Moura Lívia Machado , Laterça Rafael Jacyntho , Pereira Diogo Raphael Garcia de Oliveira , do Lago Isabela Vieira , Raphael de Almeida Ferry Fernando
Published: September 2017

Sporotrichosis is a human and animal disease caused by species of theSporothrix schenckiicomplex. It is classically acquired through traumatic inoculation of fungal elements. Most frequently, sporotrichosis presents as a fixed cutaneous or as a lymphocutaneous form. A much smaller number of cases occur as cutaneous disseminated and disseminated forms. These cases require immediate diagnosis and management to reduce morbidity and mortality. We present the case of a 34-year-old male patient in whom the first presentation of HIV infection was a rapidly progressive sporotrichosis with multiple cutaneous lesions, a high fungal burden in tissues, and pulmonary involvement. He had an extremely low CD4 cell count (06/mm3). Treatment with amphotericin B deoxycholate led to complete clinical resolution. Sporotrichosis remains a neglected opportunistic infection among HIV-infected patients in Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil, and awareness of this potentially fatal infection is of utmost importance if treatment is not to be delayed and if potentially devastating complications are to be avoided.
Identification of Potent Chloride Intracellular Channel Protein 1 Inhibitors from Traditional Chinese Medicine through Structure-Based Virtual Screening and Molecular Dynamics Analysis
Authors: Wang Wei , Wan Minghui , Liao Dongjiang , Peng Guilin , Xu Xin , Yin Weiqiang , Guo Guixin , Jiang Funeng , Zhong Weide , He Jianxing
Published: September 2017

Chloride intracellular channel 1 (CLIC1) is involved in the development of most aggressive human tumors, including gastric, colon, lung, liver, and glioblastoma cancers. It has become an attractive new therapeutic target for several types of cancer. In this work, we aim to identify natural products as potent CLIC1 inhibitors from Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) database using structure-based virtual screening and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. First, structure-based docking was employed to screen the refined TCM database and the top 500 TCM compounds were obtained and reranked by X-Score. Then, 30 potent hits were achieved from the top 500 TCM compounds using cluster and ligand-protein interaction analysis. Finally, MD simulation was employed to validate the stability of interactions between each hit and CLIC1 protein from docking simulation, and Molecular Mechanics/Generalized Born Surface Area (MM-GBSA) analysis was used to refine the virtual hits. Six TCM compounds with top MM-GBSA scores and ideal-binding models were confirmed as the final hits. Our study provides information about the interaction between TCM compounds and CLIC1 protein, which may be helpful for further experimental investigations. In addition, the top 6 natural products structural scaffolds could serve as building blocks in designing drug-like molecules for CLIC1 inhibition.
Lactobacillus gasseri Causing Bilateral Empyema
Authors: Esquibel Angela , Dababneh Ala S. , Palraj Bharath Raj
Published: September 2017

Lactobacilli are common commensal bacteria found in the gastrointestinal and genitourinary tract. Although they are usually thought to be nonpathogenic, there have been several cases that demonstrate severe infections caused by these microorganisms. This is a case of a 49-year-old male with previously undiagnosed type two diabetes mellitus who presented with a 3-month history of cough and was found to have right sided Lactobacillus gasseri empyema for which he underwent video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) with chest tube placement. He subsequently developed a left sided pleural empyema for which the aspiration also grew out L. gasseri. The patient made a complete recovery and was seen for four months in follow-up after his initial presentation.
Low‐Rank and Sparse Based Deep‐Fusion Convolutional Neural Network for Crowd Counting
Authors: Tang Siqi , Pan Zhisong , Zhou Xingyu
Published: September 2017

This paper proposes an accurate crowd counting method based on convolutional neural network and low‐rank and sparse structure. To this end, we firstly propose an effective deep‐fusion convolutional neural network to promote the density map regression accuracy. Furthermore, we figure out that most of the existing CNN based crowd counting methods obtain overall counting by direct integral of estimated density map, which limits the accuracy of counting. Instead of direct integral, we adopt a regression method based on low‐rank and sparse penalty to promote accuracy of the projection from density map to global counting. Experiments demonstrate the importance of such regression process on promoting the crowd counting performance. The proposed low‐rank and sparse based deep‐fusion convolutional neural network (LFCNN) outperforms existing crowd counting methods and achieves the state‐of‐the‐art performance.
LncRNA NEAT1 Regulates Cell Viability and Invasion in Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma through the miR-129/CTBP2 Axis
Authors: Li Yong , Chen Dong , Gao Xiang , Li Xiaohui , Shi Gongning
Published: September 2017

Background. Long noncoding RNA nuclear paraspeckle assembly transcript 1 (NEAT1) was reported to be aberrantly upregulated and promote esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) cell progression. Nevertheless, the molecular mechanism of NEAT1 involved in the competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) regulatory network in ESCC progression remains poorly defined. Methods. The expressions of NEAT1, miR-129, and C-terminal-binding protein 2 (CTBP2) in ESCC cells were examined by qRT-PCR. The effects of NEAT1 knockdown and miR-129 overexpression, or along with CTBP2 upregulation, on ESCC cell viability and invasion were explored by CCK-8 and transwell invasion assays, respectively. Luciferase reporter assay in combination with RIP was performed to confirm the interaction between NEAT1, miR-129, and CTBP2. Results. NEAT1 and CTBP2 were upregulated and miR-129 was downregulated in ESCC cells. Either NEAT1 knockdown or miR-129 overexpression suppressed ESCC cell viability and invasion. Moreover, NEAT1 functioned as an endogenous sponge to downregulate miR-129 by competitively binding to miR-129, thereby leading to the derepression of CTBP2, a target of miR-129. CTBP2 restoration overturned cell viability and invasion suppression mediated by NEAT1 knockdown or miR-129 overexpression. Conclusion. LncRNA NEAT1 regulated ESCC cell viability and invasion via the miR-129/CTBP2 axis, contributing to the better understanding of the molecular mechanism of ESCC pathogenesis and progression.