bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The unmet needs of informal carers of stroke survivors: a protocol for a systematic review of quantitative and qualitative studies
Authors: Denham Alexandra M J , Baker Amanda L , Spratt Neil , Guillaumier Ashleigh , Wynne Olivia , Turner Alyna , Magin Parker , Bonevski Billie
Published: February 2018

Introduction

Stroke events deeply affect not only the stroke survivor but also often the quality of life and physical and psychological health of the family and friends who care for them. There is a need for further information about the unmet needs of these informal carers in order to develop support services and interventions. The primary objective of this review is to report and synthesise the research describing the unmet needs of carers of stroke survivors.

Methods and analysis

A systematic review of quantitative and qualitative studies that report on the unmet needs of carers will be conducted. The following databases will be searched for relevant articles: MEDLINE, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, PsycINFO, EMBASE, Allied and Complementary Medicine Database and Scopus. No publication date constraints will be applied. Studies will be limited to those published in English and conducted among humans. Eligible studies will report on the unmet needs of informal carers of stroke survivors, defined as family members, friends and other unpaid caregivers. Studies which focus on formal, clinical or medical caregivers will be excluded. A narrative synthesis and pooled analysis of the main outcomes will be reported.

Ethics and dissemination

This review will be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal. Our findings are expected to provide new insights into the unmet needs of stroke survivors’ carers. Knowledge about the unmet needs of carers will inform the development and refinement of interventions and services to address these needs and better support carers of stroke survivors. The findings of this systematic review will be disseminated publicly and in peer-reviewed journals and may be the topic of research presentations.

Trial registration number

CRD42017067391.
Monocular and binocular visual impairment in the UK Biobank study: prevalence, associations and diagnoses
Authors: McKibbin Martin , Farragher Tracey M , Shickle Darren
Published: February 2018

Objective

To determine the prevalence of, associations with and diagnoses leading to mild visual impairment or worse (logMAR >0.3) in middle-aged adults in the UK Biobank study.

Methods and analysis

Prevalence estimates for monocular and binocular visual impairment were determined for the UK Biobank participants with fundus photographs and spectral domain optical coherence tomography images. Associations with socioeconomic, biometric, lifestyle and medical variables were investigated for cases with visual impairment and matched controls, using multinomial logistic regression models. Self-reported eye history and image grading results were used to identify the primary diagnoses leading to visual impairment for a sample of 25% of cases.

Results

For the 65 033 UK Biobank participants, aged 40–69 years and with fundus images, 6682 (10.3%) and 1677 (2.6%) had mild visual impairment or worse in one or both eyes, respectively. Increasing deprivation, age and ethnicity were independently associated with both monocular and binocular visual impairment. No primary diagnosis for the recorded level of visual impairment could be identified for 49.8% of eyes. The most common identifiable diagnoses leading to visual impairment were cataract, amblyopia, uncorrected refractive error and vitreoretinal interface abnormalities.

Conclusions

The prevalence of visual impairment in the UK Biobank study cohort is lower than for population-based studies from other industrialised countries. Monocular and binocular visual impairment are associated with increasing deprivation, age and ethnicity. The UK Biobank dataset does not allow confident identification of the causes of visual impairment, and the results may not be applicable to the wider UK population.
Correlation of immunohistochemical mismatch repair protein status between colorectal carcinoma endoscopic biopsy and resection specimens
Authors: O’Brien Odharnaith , Ryan Éanna , Creavin Ben , Kelly Michael E , Mohan Helen M , Geraghty Robert , Winter Des C , Sheahan Kieran
Published: February 2018

Background

Microsatellite instability is reflective of a deficient mismatch repair system (dMMR), which may be due to either sporadic or germline mutations in the relevant mismatch repair (MMR) gene. MMR status is frequently determined by immunohistochemistry (IHC) for mismatch repair proteins (MMRPs) on colorectal cancer (CRC) resection specimens. However, IHC testing performed on endoscopic biopsy may be as reliable as that performed on surgical resections.

Aim

We aimed to evaluate the reliability of MMR IHC staining on preoperative CRC endoscopic biopsies compared with matched-surgical resection specimens.

Methods

A retrospective search of our institution’s histopathology electronic database was performed. Patients with CRC who had MMR IHC performed on both their preoperative endoscopic biopsy and subsequent resection from January 2010 to January 2016 were included. Concordance of MMR staining between biopsy and resection specimens was assessed.

Results

From 2000 to 2016, 53 patients had MMR IHC performed on both their preoperative colorectal endoscopic biopsy and resection specimens; 10 patients (18.87%) demonstrated loss of ≥1 MMRP on their initial endoscopic tumour biopsy. The remainder (81.13%) showed preservation of staining for all MMRPs. There was complete agreement in MMR IHC status between the preoperative endoscopic biopsies and corresponding resection specimens in all cases (κ=1.000, P<0.000) with a sensitivity of 100% (95% CI 69.15 to 100) and specificity of 100% (95% CI 91.78 to 100) for detection of dMMR.

Conclusion

Endoscopic biopsies are a suitable source of tissue for MMR IHC analysis. This may provide a number of advantages to both patients and clinicians in the management of CRC.
How many people have been bitten by dogs? A cross-sectional survey of prevalence, incidence and factors associated with dog bites in a UK community
Authors: Westgarth Carri , Brooke Megan , Christley Robert M
Published: February 2018

Background

Dog bite studies are typically based on hospital records and may be biased towards bites requiring significant medical treatment. This study investigated true dog bite prevalence and incidence at a community-level and victim-related risk factors, in order to inform policy and prevention.

Methods

A cross-sectional study of a community of 1280 households in Cheshire, UK, surveyed 694 respondents in 385 households. Data included dog ownership and bite history, demographics, health and personality (Ten Item Personality Inventory (TIPI) brief measure). Multivariable logistic regression modelled risk factors for having ever been bitten by a dog, accounting for clustering of individuals within households.

Results

A quarter of participants (24.78%, 95% CI 21.72 to 28.13) reported having ever been bitten by a dog during their lifetime, with only a third of bites described requiring further medical treatment and 0.6% hospital admission. Incidence of dog bites was 18.7 (11.0–31.8) per 1000 population per year. Males were 1.81 times more likely to have been bitten in their lifetime than females (95% CI 1.20 to 2.72, P=0.005). Current owners of multiple dogs were 3.3 times more likely (95% CI 1.13 to 9.69, P=0.03) to report having been bitten than people not currently owning a dog. Regarding all bites described, most commonly people were bitten by a dog that they had never met before the incident (54.7%). Individuals scoring higher in emotional stability had a lower risk of having ever been bitten (OR=0.77 for 1 point change in scale between 1 and 7, 95% CI 0.66 to 0.9, P=0.001).

Conclusion

This study suggests that the real burden of dog bites is considerably larger than those estimated from hospital records. Further, many bites do not require medical treatment and hospital-based bite data are not representative of bites within the wider population. Victim personality requires further investigation and potential consideration in the design of bite prevention schemes.
Neurobehavioural symptoms and acute pesticide poisoning: a cross-sectional study among male pesticide applicators selected from three commercial farming systems in Ethiopia
Authors: Negatu Beyene , Vermeulen Roel , Mekonnen Yalemtshay , Kromhout Hans
Published: February 2018

Objective

To estimate prevalence of acute pesticide poisoning (APP) and its association with neurobehavioural symptoms in Ethiopian pesticide applicators.

Methods

We performed a cross-sectional survey among 256 pesticide applicators from small-scale irrigated farms, a large-scale open farm and large-scale greenhouses. APP was ascertained using a modified WHO case definition, and neurobehavioural symptoms were collected with a standardised questionnaire (Q16). Exposure to pesticides was estimated using detailed exposure algorithms specifically developed for Ethiopian farms. Multiple logistic regression models were used to estimate risk of APP and its association with neurobehavioural symptoms.

Results

Overall APP prevalence was 16%. Working as an applicator in greenhouses was strongly associated with APP (OR 3.00, 95% CI 1.38 to 6.54). Estimated annual pesticide exposure was also associated with APP (OR 1.14, 95% CI 1.00 to 1.20). Longer duration of employment appeared to be negatively associated with APP. Having had an APP was strongly associated with reporting more neurobehavioural symptoms (OR 2.15, 95% CI 1.01 to 4.58) independent of cumulative pesticide exposure. Cumulative exposure to pesticides appeared to be associated with neurobehavioural symptoms among applicators without and with APP.

Conclusions

We showed a substantial prevalence of APP that differed between farming systems and was strongly associated with neurobehavioural symptoms. Intensity of exposure was also clearly associated with these symptoms. Reduction and control of occupational exposure to pesticides is urgently needed in Ethiopia.
Atlantoaxial subluxation with complex occipitoatlantoaxial malformation in two domestic ferrets (Mustela putorius furo)
Authors: Jayson Stephanie L , Dennis Ruth , Mateo Isidro , Orioles Massimo , Sanchez‐Masian Daniel
Published: February 2018

Two cases of atlantoaxial subluxation secondary to occipitoatlantoaxial malformation in the domestic ferret are described. Clinical signs included cervical pain, tetraparesis and tetraplegia. Diagnosis was made using cervical radiographs, CT and, in one case, MRI. Non‐surgical management was initiated including application of a cervical brace. Motor function improved initially in one ferret but both ferrets were later euthanased due to deterioration or lack of further improvement in clinical signs.
Physico-chemical properties of purified fiber affect their in vitro fermentation characteristics and are linked to in vivo characteristics in pigs
Authors: Jha R. , Zijlstra R.T.
Published: February 2018

Fermentation characteristics of purified fiber differing in physico-chemical properties were investigated using an in vitro model. Fermentation characteristics and short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) profile differed (P < 0.001) among the fiber sources. Solubility and viscosity of fibers were correlated to in vitro fermentation kinetics, total gas production, and SCFA profile.
Temporal and spatial evolution of Northern Cascade Arc magmatism revealed by LA–ICP–MS U–Pb zircon dating
Authors: Mullen Emily K. , Paquette Jean-Louis , Tepper Jeffrey H. , McCallum I. Stewart
Published: February 2018

We present thirty new laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry U–Pb zircon dates for intermediate to silicic plutons of the Northern Cascade Arc with emphasis on the Chilliwack batholith – Mount Baker magmatic focus, located in southwestern British Columbia and northern Washington. Chilliwack magmatism commenced at ∼35 Ma in southwestern British Columbia and the most voluminous plutons define a cluster at ∼32–29 Ma, documenting an early flare-up. During the same interval, the Index, Squire Creek, and Cascade Pass intrusions were emplaced south of the Chilliwack batholith. North of the Chilliwack, maximum pluton ages become progressively younger northward, tracking the northerly migration of the edge of the Farallon–Juan de Fuca–Explorer plate system relative to North America. Chilliwack magmatism continued from ∼29 Ma to 22 Ma at a slightly reduced flux, followed by a lull from 22 to 11 Ma during which magmatism shifted north to the Mount Barr batholith (18 Ma). Chilliwack magmatism resumed by 11 Ma but was intermittent and the intrusive flux was significantly lower. The temporal decrease in intrusive flux displayed by the Chilliwack batholith correlates with the declining convergence rate of the Juan de Fuca plate since arc inception. The 11 Ma-to-present magmatism extends a pattern of southwesterly migration of the magmatic focus previously identified from ∼4 Ma (Hannegan caldera) to the modern Mount Baker volcanic field. Crustal rotation accounts for the rate of the first ∼7 million years of migration. However, the migration rate more than doubled at ∼4 Ma, coinciding with separation of the Explorer plate and initiation of Juan de Fuca plate rollback.
Nonlinear effects in the laser-assisted scattering of a positron by a muon
Authors: Du Wen-Yuan , Wang Bing-Hong , Li Shu-Min
Published: February 2018

The scattering of a positron by a muon in the presence of a linearly polarized laser field is investigated in the first Born approximation. The theoretical results reveal: (1) At large scattering angle, an amount of multiphoton processes take place in the course of scattering. The photon emission processes predominate the photon absorption ones. (2) Some nonlinear phenomena about oscillations, dark angular windows, and asymmetry can be observed in angular distributions. We analyze the cause giving rise to dark windows and geometric asymmetry initially noted in the potential scattering. (3) We also analyze the total differential cross-section, the result shows that the larger the incident energy is, the smaller the total differential cross-section is. The reasons of these new results are analyzed.
Proving Sklar’s Theorem Via Zorn’s Lemma
Authors: Fernández-Sánchez Juan , Úbeda-Flores Manuel
Published: February 2018

In this note we provide a new proof of Sklar’s theorem by using Zorn’s lemma.
Gucci: Facing Growing Challenges in China
Authors: Chen Ivy S. N. , Luk Sherriff T. K.
Published: February 2018

High economic growth, increasing disposable incomes and an emerging middle class that was optimistic about the future had created a booming market for luxury goods in China. Growing wealth was accompanied by greater willingness to spend and travel. Many Chinese now had the opportunity to travel for business and leisure and this had increased their exposure to luxury brands and lifestyles overseas. The culture of gift giving for business as well as social reasons was also fuelling this demand. Luxury goods were also a symbol of success in this emerging market. Gucci had seen tremendous growth in China but of late, this growth had stagnated due to the slowing economy and the government’s crackdown on corruption. The preferences of Chinese consumers were also changing.

The case illustrates some problems luxury brands faced in China as the market matured and how environmental changes affect the marketing strategy of luxury brands. The case provides students the opportunity to suggest ways on how Gucci should move forward.
SoftBank’s Acquisition of Sprint Nextel Corporation
Authors: Jung Jae C. , Xiong Xiaomei Grazia
Published: February 2018

This case illustrates the cultural challenges that SoftBank, a Japanese corporation, experienced in the M&A integration of Sprint Next Corporation, the third largest US wireless telecommunications carrier in 2015. In the mind of Masayoshi Son, SoftBank’s maverick founder, the consolidation of SoftBank and Sprint was to create the world’s No. 1 company in the telecommunications industry. Although it seemed beneficial to SoftBank financially and strategically, differences in the business cultures of two corporations and countries where they were based raised concerns about the success of their integration. In addition to the cultural differences, SoftBank managers faced extra challenges from their Midwest counterparts through a series of changes in business strategies, marketing, human resources, and management since its acquisition of June 2013. How could SoftBank and Sprint increase the odds of success?
Corporate Social Responsibility in McDonald’s Australia
Authors: Lee Alvin , Lambert Claire
Published: February 2018

This case focuses on marketing public policy and legislation issues in the business environment. The Commonwealth Government of Australia wants to impose mandatory warning labels for fast-food served by quick-service chainrestaurants like McDonald’s. These warnings are to appear on fast-food packaging to warn diners of the possible harms arising from consuming fast-food. This is similar to the warnings that are used in Australia on tobacco product packages.

This highlights a turning point where legislators appear to be heeding calls of vocal pressure groups to curb and legislate the industry’s activities. The loudest calls have appeared in well-publicized legal cases and film documentaries like Super-Size Me.

McDonald’s has been well-aware of these challenges. The company continues to respond and fight legal challenges on these points. As a result, the company has improved its supply chain, employees’ work-conditions, their treatment of animals, their stores, food and customer service to offer leaner, healthier and more upmarket products.

The few vocal critics who have secured media coverage seem to rely on sensationalizing the issue — e.g., eating McDonald’s for 30 days makes you fat. They seem to ignore the results from other experiments where people who ate suitable portions of McDonald’s food for the same 30 day period actually lost weight.

Other challenges that have been found to be lies in courts of law include allegations of animal cruelty, unsafe food and food that makes people obese. Yet the public continue to believe these allegations. Can the industry do more, or do something different, to change people’s minds?
Petrogenesis of Early Paleozoic diorites and mafic–intermediate dykes from the eastern Qilian orogen, NE Tibetan Plateau: implication for lithospheric processes
Authors: Yang He , Zhang Hongfei , Luo Biji , Gao Zhong , Tao Lu
Published: February 2018

This paper presents an integrated study of petrology, geochronology, and geochemical and Sr–Nd–Hf isotopic compositions for the Jishishan medium- and fine-grained diorites and the Bamishan gabbroic and quartz dioritic dykes from the eastern Qilian orogen, to address their petrogenesis and the lithospheric evolution of the Qilian orogen. Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry U–Pb zircon analyses show that they formed at
c.
472–432 Ma. Geochemical and isotopic data suggest that the Jishishan diorites were derived from amphibole-bearing garnet-facies lithospheric mantle metasomatized by slab-derived fluids, whereas the Bamishan gabbroic dyke was derived from phlogopite-bearing garnet-facies lithospheric mantle enriched by sediment-derived melts. The Bamishan quartz dioritic dykes are high-potassic calc-alkaline and were predominantly derived from mafic lower crust. Based on available data, we suggest that the Jishishan diorites were generated during northward subduction of the South Qilian oceanic slab, whereas the Bamishan mafic–intermediate dykes formed in a post-collisional setting related to slab break-off. Moreover, we propose an integrated model for the Early Paleozoic tectonomagmatic evolution of the eastern Central Qilian, in which fluid-induced mantle metasomatism and melting characterized the oceanic subduction stage, whereas melting of varied sources (including subducted oceanic crust and overlying sediments, sediment melt-modified lithospheric mantle and the continental crust) was involved at the post-collisional stage.

Supplementary material:
Analytical methods, whole-rock geochemical and Sr–Nd isotopic compositions and zircon U–Pb and Lu–Hf isotopic data are available at
https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.3975447
Spatial organization of gold and alteration mineralogy in hydrothermal systems: wavelet analysis of drillcore from Sunrise Dam Gold Mine, Western Australia
Authors: Munro Mark A. , Ord Alison , Hobbs Bruce E.
Published: February 2018

The spatial distributions of mineralization and alteration in hydrothermal systems are complex and are often considered to be cryptic and problematic to quantify. We used wavelet analysis of conventional hyperspectral drillcore logs to demonstrate quantitatively that primary Au mineralization, common vein-hosted mineralogy (calcite and ankerite), host rock alteration mineralogy (sericite and chlorite) and regional-scale metamorphic assemblages (amphibole) organize spatially as multifractals. This documentation of multifractal spatial organization in Au and alteration mineralogy is sufficient to show that they are the result of underlying deterministic dynamic processes as opposed to random stochastic processes. The application of wavelets to three ore bodies (GQ, Vogue and Cosmo East) from the highly endowed Archaean Sunrise Dam hydrothermal Au system of Western Australia shows that the spatial organizations of Au and ankerite are more closely associated in GQ than in Vogue. The spatial organization of Au in Vogue is more strongly associated with calcite. Primary Au mineralization and infill carbonate mineralogy are more complexly organized than sericitic and chloritic host rock alteration. Although demonstrated here for a hydrothermal system, wavelet analysis is readily applicable to downhole or outcrop data from any deposit type.
Mining Redescriptions with Siren
Authors: Galbrun Esther , Miettinen Pauli
Published: February 2018

In many areas of science, scientists need to find distinct common characterizations of the same objects and, vice versa, to identify sets of objects that admit multiple shared descriptions. For example, in biology, an important task is to identify the bioclimatic constraints that allow some species to survive, that is, to describe geographical regions both in terms of the fauna that inhabits them and of their bioclimatic conditions. In data analysis, the task of automatically generating such alternative characterizations is called redescription mining.

If a domain expert wants to use redescription mining in his research, merely being able to find redescriptions is not enough. He must also be able to understand the redescriptions found, adjust them to better match his domain knowledge, test alternative hypotheses with them, and guide the mining process toward results he considers interesting. To facilitate these goals, we introduce Siren, an interactive tool for mining and visualizing redescriptions.

Siren allows to obtain redescriptions in an anytime fashion through efficient, distributed mining, to examine the results in various linked visualizations, to interact with the results either directly or via the visualizations, and to guide the mining algorithm toward specific redescriptions. In this article, we explain the features of Siren and why they are useful for redescription mining. We also propose two novel redescription mining algorithms that improve the generalizability of the results compared to the existing ones.
VisIRR
Authors: Choo Jaegul , Kim Hannah , Clarkson Edward , Liu Zhicheng , Lee Changhyun , Li Fuxin , Lee Hanseung , Kannan Ramakrishnan , Stolper Charles D. , Stasko John , Park Haesun
Published: February 2018

In this article, we present an interactive visual information retrieval and recommendation system, called VisIRR, for large-scale document discovery. VisIRR effectively combines the paradigms of (1) a passive pull through query processes for retrieval and (2) an active push that recommends items of potential interest to users based on their preferences. Equipped with an efficient dynamic query interface against a large-scale corpus, VisIRR organizes the retrieved documents into high-level topics and visualizes them in a 2D space, representing the relationships among the topics along with their keyword summary. In addition, based on interactive personalized preference feedback with regard to documents, VisIRR provides document recommendations from the entire corpus, which are beyond the retrieved sets. Such recommended documents are visualized in the same space as the retrieved documents, so that users can seamlessly analyze both existing and newly recommended ones. This article presents novel computational methods, which make these integrated representations and fast interactions possible for a large-scale document corpus. We illustrate how the system works by providing detailed usage scenarios. Additionally, we present preliminary user study results for evaluating the effectiveness of the system.
Analysing Snapshot Isolation
Authors: Cerone Andrea , Gotsman Alexey
Published: February 2018

Snapshot isolation (SI) is a widely used consistency model for transaction processing, implemented by most major databases and some of transactional memory systems. Unfortunately, its classical definition is given in a low-level operational way, by an idealised concurrency-control algorithm, and this complicates reasoning about the behaviour of applications running under SI. We give an alternative specification to SI that characterises it in terms of transactional dependency graphs of Adya et al., generalising serialisation graphs. Unlike previous work, our characterisation does not require adding additional information to dependency graphs about start and commit points of transactions. We then exploit our specification to obtain two kinds of static analyses. The first one checks when a set of transactions running under SI can be chopped into smaller pieces without introducing new behaviours, to improve performance. The other analysis checks whether a set of transactions running under a weakening of SI behaves the same as when running under SI.
Excluded Grid Minors and Efficient Polynomial-Time Approximation Schemes
Authors: Fomin Fedorr V. , Lokshtanov Daniel , Saurabh Saket
Published: February 2018

Two of the most widely used approaches to obtain polynomial-time approximation schemes (PTASs) on planar graphs are the Lipton-Tarjan separator-based approach and Baker’s approach. In 2005, Demaine and Hajiaghayi strengthened both approaches using bidimensionality and obtained efficient polynomial-time approximation schemes (EPTASs) for several problems, including C
onnected
D
ominating
S
et
and F
eedback
V
ertex
S
et
. In this work, we unify the two strengthened approaches to combine the best of both worlds. We develop a framework allowing the design of EPTAS on classes of graphs with the subquadratic grid minor (SQGM) property. Roughly speaking, a class of graphs has the SQGM property if, for every graph
G
from the class, the fact that
G
contains no
t
×
t
grid as a minor guarantees that the treewidth of
G
is subquadratic in
t
. For example, the class of planar graphs and, more generally, classes of graphs excluding some fixed graph as a minor, have the SQGM property. At the heart of our framework is a decomposition lemma stating that for “most” bidimensional problems on a graph class G with the SQGM property, there is a polynomial-time algorithm that, given a graph G ϵ G as input and an ϵ > 0, outputs a vertex set
X
of size ϵ ċ OPT such that the treewidth of
G
-
X
is
f
(ϵ). Here, OPT is the objective function value of the problem in question and
f
is a function depending only on ϵ. This allows us to obtain EPTASs on (apex)-minor-free graphs for all problems covered by the previous framework as well as for a wide range of packing problems, partial covering problems and problems that are neither closed under taking minors nor contractions. To the best of our knowledge, for many of these problems—including C
ycle
P
acking
,
F
-P
acking
,
F
-D
eletion
, M
ax
L
eaf
S
panning
T
ree
, or P
artial
r
-D
ominating
S
et
—no EPTASs, even on planar graphs, were previously known.

We also prove novel excluded grid theorems in unit disk and map graphs without large cliques. Using these theorems, we show that these classes of graphs have the SQGM property. Based on the developed framework, we design EPTASs and subexponential time parameterized algorithms for various classes of problems on unit disk and map graphs.
Modeling Queries with Contextual Snippets for Information Retrieval
Authors: Chen Qin , Hu Qinmin , Huang Jimmy Xiangji , He Liang
Published: February 2018

Query expansion under the pseudo-relevance feedback (PRF) framework has been extensively studied in information retrieval. However, most expansion methods are mainly based on the statistics of single terms, which can generate plenty of irrelevant query terms and decrease retrieval performance. To alleviate this problem, we propose an approach that adapts the PRF-based contextual snippets into a context-aware topic model to enhance query representations. Specifically, instead of selecting a series of independent terms, we make full use of the query contextual information and focus on the snippets with the length ofnin the PRF documents. Furthermore, we propose a context-aware topic (CAT) model to mine the topic distributions of the query-relevant snippets, namely, fine contextual snippets. In contrast to the traditional topic models that infer the topics from the whole corpus, we establish a bridge between the snippets and the corresponding PRF documents, which can be used for modeling the topics more precisely and efficiently. Finally, the topic distributions of the fine snippets are used for context-aware and topic-sensitive query representations. To evaluate the performance of our approach, we integrate the obtained queries into a topic-based hybrid retrieval model and conduct extensive experiments on various TREC collections. The experimental results show that our query-modeling approach is more effective in boosting retrieval performance compared with the state-of-the-art methods.
PLCγ1-PKCε-IP3R1 signaling plays an important role in hypoxia-induced calcium response in pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells
Authors: Yadav Vishal R. , Song Tengyao , Mei Lin , Joseph Leroy , Zheng Yun-Min , Wang Yong-Xiao
Published: February 2018

Hypoxia-induced pulmonary vasoconstriction (HPV) is attributed to an increase in intracellular Ca2+concentration ([Ca2+]i) in pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs). We have reported that phospholipase C-γ1 (PLCγ1) plays a significant role in the hypoxia-induced increase in [Ca2+]iin PASMCs and attendant HPV. In this study, we intended to determine molecular mechanisms for hypoxic Ca2+and contractile responses in PASMCs. Our data reveal that hypoxic vasoconstriction occurs in pulmonary arteries, but not in mesenteric arteries. Hypoxia caused a large increase in [Ca2+]iin PASMCs, which is diminished by the PLC inhibitor U73122 and not by its inactive analog U73433 . Hypoxia augments PLCγ1-dependent inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) generation. Exogenous ROS, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), increases PLCγ1 phosphorylation at tyrosine-783 and IP3production. IP3receptor-1 (IP3R1) knock-down remarkably diminishes hypoxia- or H2O2-induced increase in [Ca2+]i. Hypoxia or H2O2increases the activity of IP3Rs, which is significantly reduced in protein kinase C-ε (PKCε) knockout PASMCs. A higher PLCγ1 expression, activity, and basal [Ca2+]iare found in PASMCs, but not in mesenteric artery smooth muscle cells from mice exposed to chronic hypoxia (CH) for 21 days. CH enhances H2O2- and ATP-induced increase in [Ca2+]iin PASMCs and PLC-dependent, norepinephrine-evoked pulmonary vasoconstriction. In conclusion, acute hypoxia uniquely causes ROS-dependent PLCγ1 activation, IP3production, PKCε activation, IP3R1 opening, Ca2+release, and contraction in mouse PASMCs; CH enhances PASM PLCγ1 expression, activity, and function, playing an essential role in pulmonary hypertension in mice.
Reactive oxygen species induced Ca2+influx via TRPV4 and microvascular endothelial dysfunction in the SU5416/hypoxia model of pulmonary arterial hypertension
Authors: Suresh Karthik , Servinsky Laura , Jiang Haiyang , Bigham Zahna , Yun Xin , Kliment Corrine , Huetsch John , Damarla Mahendra , Shimoda Larissa A.
Published: February 2018

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a lethal disease characterized by elevations in pulmonary arterial pressure, in part due to formation of occlusive lesions in the distal arterioles of the lung. These complex lesions may comprise multiple cell types, including endothelial cells (ECs). To better understand the molecular mechanisms underlying EC dysfunction in PAH, lung microvascular endothelial cells (MVECs) were isolated from normoxic rats (N-MVECs) and rats subjected to SU5416 plus hypoxia (SuHx), an experimental model of PAH. Compared with N-MVECs, MVECs isolated from SuHx rats (SuHx-MVECs) appeared larger and more spindle shaped morphologically and expressed canonical smooth muscle cell markers smooth muscle-specific α-actin and myosin heavy chain in addition to endothelial markers such as Griffonia simplicifolia and von Willebrand factor. SuHx-MVEC mitochondria were dysfunctional, as evidenced by increased fragmentation/fission, decreased oxidative phosphorylation, and increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Functionally, SuHx-MVECs exhibited increased basal levels of intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i) and enhanced migratory and proliferative capacity. Treatment with global (TEMPOL) or mitochondria-specific (MitoQ) antioxidants decreased ROS levels and basal [Ca2]iin SuHx-MVECs. TEMPOL and MitoQ also decreased migration and proliferation in SuHx-MVECs. Additionally, inhibition of ROS-induced Ca2+entry via pharmacologic blockade of transient receptor potential vanilloid-4 (TRPV4) attenuated [Ca2]i, migration, and proliferation. These findings suggest a role for mitochondrial ROS-induced Ca2+influx via TRPV4 in promoting abnormal migration and proliferation in MVECs in this PAH model.
Effect of Hot-Water Blanching Pretreatment on Drying Characteristics and Product Qualities for the Novel Integrated Freeze-Drying of Apple Slices
Authors: Wang Hai-ou , Fu Qing-quan , Chen Shou-jiang , Hu Zhi-chao , Xie Huan-xiong
Published: February 2018

The effect of hot-water blanching (HWB) on drying characteristics and product qualities of dried apple slices with the novel integrated freeze-drying (NIFD) process was investigated by comparing with 3 different FD methods. Compared with the NIFD process without HWB pretreatment (VF-FD), the NIFD process with HWB pretreatment (HWB-VF-FD) resulted in a significantly higher mass loss and more sufficient freezing in vacuum-frozen samples, significantly higher rehydration ratio (RR), higher shrinkage ratio (SR), smaller Vitamin C (VC) content and lower hardness and better apparent shape in freeze-dried samples, and fewer change to the color of the dried or rehydrated samples (p<0.05). Compared with the conventional FD process with HWB pretreatment (HWB-PF-FD), HWB-VF-FD cost significantly less processing time and FD time and obtained significantly higher RR (p<0.05), almost the equivalent SR, VC content, and hardness, and similar appearance in dried samples. The microstructure of apple cell tissues was analyzed by transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy to interpret the above differences in drying characteristics and product qualities. The results suggested that the NIFD process of apple slices with HWB pretreatment was a promising alternative method to decrease drying time, achieve similar product quality, and simplify the process steps of the conventional FD technology.
Extension of Kirk-Saliga Fixed Point Theorem in a Metric Space with a Reflexive Digraph
Authors: Chaira Karim , Eladraoui Abderrahim , Kabil Mustapha , Lazaiz Samih
Published: February 2018

We extend the result of Kirk-Saliga and we generalize Alfuraidan and Khamsi theorem for reflexive graphs. As a consequence, we obtain the ordered version of Caristi’s fixed point theorem. Some concrete examples are given to support the obtained results.
Geometric Modeling of Cellular Materials for Additive Manufacturing in Biomedical Field: A Review
Authors: Savio Gianpaolo , Rosso Stefano , Meneghello Roberto , Concheri Gianmaria
Published: February 2018

Advances in additive manufacturing technologies facilitate the fabrication of cellular materials that have tailored functional characteristics. The application of solid freeform fabrication techniques is especially exploited in designing scaffolds for tissue engineering. In this review, firstly, a classification of cellular materials from a geometric point of view is proposed; then, the main approaches on geometric modeling of cellular materials are discussed. Finally, an investigation on porous scaffolds fabricated by additive manufacturing technologies is pointed out. Perspectives in geometric modeling of scaffolds for tissue engineering are also proposed.
Numerical Simulation of a One-Dimensional Water-Quality Model in a Stream Using a Saulyev Technique with Quadratic Interpolated Initial-Boundary Conditions
Authors: Samalerk Pawarisa , Pochai Nopparat
Published: February 2018

The one-dimensional advection-diffusion-reaction equation is a mathematical model describing transport and diffusion problems such as pollutants and suspended matter in a stream or canal. If the pollutant concentration at the discharge point is not uniform, then numerical methods and data analysis techniques were introduced. In this research, a numerical simulation of the one-dimensional water-quality model in a stream is proposed. The governing equation is advection-diffusion-reaction equation with nonuniform boundary condition functions. The approximated pollutant concentrations are obtained by a Saulyev finite difference technique. The boundary condition functions due to nonuniform pollutant concentrations at the discharge point are defined by the quadratic interpolation technique. The approximated solutions to the model are verified by a comparison with the analytical solution. The proposed numerical technique worked very well to give dependable and accurate solutions to these kinds of several real-world applications.
Patient Satisfaction and Associated Factors among Clients Admitted to Obstetrics and Gynecology Wards of Public Hospitals in Mekelle Town, Ethiopia: An Institution-Based Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Marama Taklu , Bayu Hinsermu , Merga Mulualem , Binu Wakgari
Published: February 2018

Background. To improve the quality of services, satisfying patients is the primary goal of the Ethiopian reform programme. Objectives. To assess patient satisfaction and associated factors among clients admitted to obstetrics and gynecology wards of public hospitals in Mekelle town. Method: Institution-based cross-sectional study design was conducted on 413 participants using systematic sampling methods. Data were collected from March 9 to May 8, 2016, using structured questionnaires. Data were entered and cleaned in Epidata 3.1 and analysed using SPSS V20 with binary logistic regression model. Result. The observed satisfaction rate was 79.7% at 95% CI (75.8%, 83.6%). Clients were dissatisfied towards well-describing side effects of medication, informing what the medication is used for before prescribing and administering, cleanness of toilet and washroom, and access to drinking water, latrine, and hand-washing facility. Respondents live in rural area, stayed < 4 days, admitted for the first time, admitted in Mekelle General Hospital, and who reported their feeling on ways privacy was assured were more likely satisfied than their counterparts. Conclusions. The observed satisfaction rate is high. So, policymakers, Regional Health Bureau, hospital managers, caregivers, and researchers should plan and work together to keep track of patient satisfaction. Areas patients are dissatisfied should also improve.
Chemical Composition and Porosity Characteristics of Various Calcium Silicate-Based Endodontic Cements
Authors: Chang Seok Woo
Published: February 2018

Chemical composition and porosity characteristics of calcium silicate-based endodontic cements are important determinants of their clinical performance. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the chemical composition and porosity characteristics of various calcium silicate-based endodontic cements: MTA-angelus, Bioaggregate, Biodentine, Micromega MTA, Ortho MTA, and ProRoot MTA. The specific surface area, pore volume, and pore diameter were measured by the porosimetry analysis of N2 adsorption/desorption isotherms. Chemical composition and powder analysis by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) were also carried out on these endodontic cements. Biodentine and MTA-angelus showed the smallest pore volume and pore diameter, respectively. Specific surface area was the largest in MTA-angelus. SEM and EDS analysis showed that Bioaggregate and Biodentine contained homogenous, round and small particles, which did not contain bismuth oxide.
ENO1 Overexpression in Pancreatic Cancer Patients and Its Clinical and Diagnostic Significance
Authors: Yin Hang , Wang Lei , Liu Hai-Lin
Published: February 2018

We investigated in this study the expression of ENO1 in tissues and plasma of PDAC patients to evaluate its clinicopathological and diagnostic significance. ENO1 protein expression was detected in tissue microarray of human PDAC and adjacent noncancer tissues. Electrochemiluminescence immunoassay and amplified luminescent proximity homogeneous assay (AlphaLISA) were performed to measure CA19-9 and ENO1 concentration in plasma from PDAC patients and healthy controls. We demonstrated that ENO1 overexpression is positively correlated with clinical stage, lymph node metastasis, and poor prognosis of PDAC; ENO1 may function as a hopeful candidate diagnostic marker in combination with CA19-9 in PDAC diagnosis.
Vital-SCOPE: Design and Evaluation of a Smart Vital Sign Monitor for Simultaneous Measurement of Pulse Rate, Respiratory Rate, and Body Temperature for Patient Monitoring
Authors: Sun Guanghao , Matsui Takemi , Watai Yasuyuki , Kim Seokjin , Kirimoto Tetsuo , Suzuki Satoshi , Hakozaki Yukiya
Published: February 2018

Consistent vital sign monitoring is critically important for early detection of clinical deterioration of patients in hospital settings. Mostly, nurses routinely measure and document the primary vital signs of all patients 2‐3 times daily to assess their condition. To reduce nurse workload and thereby improve quality of patient care, a smart vital sign monitor named “Vital‐SCOPE” for simultaneous measurement of vital signs was developed. Vital-SCOPE consists of multiple sensors, including a reflective photo sensor, thermopile, and medical radar, to be used in simultaneous pulse rate, respiratory rate, and body temperature monitoring within 10 s. It was tested in laboratory and hospital settings. Bland-Altman and Pearson’s correlation analyses were used to compare the Vital-SCOPE results to those of reference measurements. The mean difference of the respiratory rate between respiratory effort belt and Vital-SCOPE was 0.47 breaths per minute with the 95% limit of agreement ranging from −7.4 to 6.5 breaths per minute. The Pearson’s correlation coefficient was 0.63 (P<0.05). Moreover, the mean difference of the pulse rate between electrocardiogram and Vital-SCOPE was 3.4 beats per minute with the 95% limit of agreement ranging from −13 to 5.8 beats per minute; the Pearson’s correlation coefficient was 0.91 (P<0.01), indicating strong linear relationship.
Clinical, Serological, and Molecular Observations from a Case Series Study during the Asian Lineage Zika Virus Outbreak in Grenada during 2016
Authors: Brenciaglia Marco , Noël Trevor P. , Fields Paul J. , Bidaisee Satesh , Myers Todd E. , Nelson William M. , Venkateswaran Neeraja , Venkateswaran Kodumudi , Parameswaran Nishanth , Bahadoor Avi , Yearwood Katherine , Mapp-Alexander Veronica , Mitchell George , LaBeaud A. Desiree , Macpherson Calum N. L.
Published: February 2018

This paper describes the spatial and temporal distribution of cases, demographic characteristics of patients, and clinical manifestations of Zika virus (ZIKV) during the 2016 outbreak in Grenada. The first reported case was recorded in St. Andrew Parish in April, and the last reported case was seen in November, with peak transmission occurring in the last week of June, based on test results. Data were collected from a total of 514 patients, of whom 207 (40%) tested positive for ZIKV. No evidence was found that testing positive for ZIKV infection was related to age, gender, or pregnancy status. Clinical presentation with rash (OR = 2.4, 95% CI = 1.5 to 3.7) or with lymphadenopathy (OR = 1.7, 95% CI = 1.0 to 2.9) were the only reported symptoms consistent with testing positive for ZIKV infection. During the Zika outbreak, the infection rate was 20 clinical cases per 10,000 in the population compared to 41 cases per 10,000 during the chikungunya outbreak in Grenada in 2014 and 17 cases per 10,000 during the dengue outbreak in 2001-2002. Even though the country has employed vector control programs, with no apparent decrease in infection rates, it appears that new abatement approaches are needed to minimize morbidity in future arbovirus outbreaks.
Development of Regression Models considering Time‐Lag and Aerosols for Predicting Heating Loads in Buildings
Authors: Lim Hong Soo , Kim Gon
Published: February 2018

Building automation systems is becoming more vital, especially in regard to reduced building energy consumption. However, the accuracy of such systems in calculating building thermal loads is limited as they are unable to predict future thermal loads based on prevailing environmental factors. The current paper therefore seeks to improve the understanding of the interactions between outdoor meteorological data and building energy consumption through a statistical analysis. Using weather data collected by the Korean Meteorological Agency (KMA) over a period of three years (2011–2014), prediction models that are able to predict heating thermal loads considering the time‐lag phenomenon are developed. In addition, the study develops different prediction models for buildings of different sizes. The results confirm the existence of the time‐lag phenomenon: the heating load experienced by a building at a given time is better explained by a regression model developed using the climatic conditions that existed two hours before. As such, conventional building simulation programs must endeavor to include time‐lag as well as Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) data as important factors in the prediction of building heating loads.
A Four-Dimensional Hyperchaotic Finance System and Its Control Problems
Authors: Cao Lin
Published: February 2018

The construction and several control problems of a new hyperchaotic finance system are investigated in this paper. Firstly, a new four-dimensional hyperchaotic finance system is introduced, based on which a new hyperchaos is then generated by setting parameters. And the qualitative analysis is numerically studied to confirm the dynamical processes, for example, the bifurcation diagram, Poincaré sections, Lyapunov exponents, and phase portraits. Interestingly, the obtained results show that this new system can display complex characteristics: chaotic, hyperchaotic, and quasiperiodic phenomena occur alternately versus parameters. Secondly, three single input adaptive controllers are designed to realize the control problems of such system: stabilization, synchronization, and coexistence of antisynchronization and complete synchronization, respectively. It is noted that the designed controllers are simpler than the existing ones. Finally, numerical simulations are provided to demonstrate the validity and the effectiveness of the proposed theoretical results.