bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Wasserstein Blue Noise Sampling
Authors: Qin Hongxing , Chen Yi , He Jinlong , Chen Baoquan
Published: October 2017

In this article, we present a multi-class blue noise sampling algorithm by throwing samples as the constrained Wasserstein barycenter of multiple density distributions. Using an entropic regularization term, a constrained transport plan in the optimal transport problem is provided to break the partition required by the previous Capacity-Constrained Voronoi Tessellation method. The entropic regularization term cannot only control spatial regularity of blue noise sampling, but it also reduces conflicts between the desired centroids of Vornoi cells for multi-class sampling. Moreover, the adaptive blue noise property is guaranteed for each individual class, as well as their combined class. Our method can be easily extended to multi-class sampling on a point set surface. We also demonstrate applications in object distribution and color stippling.
T-junctions in Spline Surfaces
Authors: Karčiauskas Kȩstutis , Panozzo Daniele , Peters Jörg
Published: October 2017

T-junctions occur where surface strips start or terminate. This paper develops a new way to create smooth piecewise polynomial free-form spline surfaces from quad-meshes that include T-junctions. All mesh nodes are interpreted as control points of GT-splines, that is, geometrically smoothly joined piecewise polynomials. GT-splines are akin to and compatible with B-splines and cover simple T-junctions by two polynomial pieces of degree bi-4 and more complex ones by four such patches. They complement multi-sided surface constructions in generating free-form surfaces with adaptive layout.

Since GT-splines do not require a global coordination of knot intervals, GT-constructions are easy to deploy and can provide smooth surfaces with T-junctions where T-splines cannot have a smooth parameterization. GT-constructions display a uniform highlight linedistribution on input meshes where alternatives, such as Catmull-Clark subdivision, exhibit oscillations.
Welcome to AI matters, volume 3, issue 3
Authors: Eaton Eric , McGovern Amy
Published: October 2017

Welcome to the third issue in our third year of
AI Matters
! In the spring, ACM SIGAI sponsored a
student essay contest
on the "Responsible Use of AI Technologies." This issue features the first set of winning essays from the contest, with the second set of winning essays to appear in the next issue.
AI profiles
Authors: McGovern Amy , Eaton Eric
Published: October 2017

This column is the fourth in our series profiling senior AI researchers. This month we interview Maja Matarić.
AI buzzwords explained
Authors: Ma Hang , Koenig Sven
Published: October 2017

Kiva Systems was founded in 2003 to develop robot technology that automates the fetching of goods in order-fulfillment centers. It was acquired by Amazon in 2012 and changed its name to Amazon Robotics in 2014. Amazon order-fulfillment centers have inventory stations on the perimeter of the warehouse and storage locations in its center, see Figure
1
. Each storage location can store one inventory pod. Each inventory pod holds one or more kinds of goods. A large number of warehouse robots operate autonomously in the warehouse. Each warehouse robot is able to pick up, carry and put down one inventory pod at a time. The warehouse robots move inventory pods from their storage locations to the inventory stations where the needed goods are removed from the inventory pods (to be boxed and eventually shipped to customers) and then back to the same or different empty storage locations (
Wurman, D'Andrea, & Mountz, 2008
).
1
On the importance of monitoring and directing progress in AI
Authors: Prediger Lukas
Published: October 2017

This essay argues that the speed with which AI development proceeds will be an important factor for a beneficial adoption and thus should be closely monitored and controlled, if necessary. It also discusses privacy and manipulation, inequality of access and (value learning) superintelligence as major issues for all development trajectories.
How do we ensure that we remain in control of our autonomous weapons?
Authors: Verdiesen Ilse
Published: October 2017

'... our AI systems must do what we want them to do.''

This quote is mentioned in the Open Letter: Research Priorities for Robust and Beneficial Artificial Intelligence (AI) (Future of Life Institute, 2016) signed by over 8.600 people including Elon Musk and Stephan Hawking. This open letter received a lot of media attention with news headlines as: '
Musk, Wozniak and Hawking urge ban on warfare AI and autonomous weapons
' (Gibbs, 2015) and it fused the debate on this topic. Although this type of 'War of the Worlds' news coverage might seem exaggerated at first glance, the underlying question on how we ensure that our Autonomous Weapons remain under our control, is in my opinion one of the most pressing issues for AI technology at this moment in time.

To remain in control of our Autonomous Weapons and AI in general, meaning that its actions are intentional and according to our plans (Cushman, 2015), we should design it in a responsible manner and to do so I believe we must find a way incorporate our moral and ethical values into their design. The ART principle, an acronym for
Accountability, Responsibility
and
Transparency
can support a responsible design of AI. The Value-Sensitive Design (VSD) approach can be used to cover the ART principle. In this essay, I show how Autonomous Weapons can be designed responsibly by applying the VSD approach which is an iterative process that considers human values throughout the design process of technology (Davis & Nathan, 2015; Friedman & Kahn Jr, 2003).
Milestones in Computer Algebra (MICA 2016)
Authors: Lee Wen-shin
Published: October 2017

The workshop "Milestone in Computer Algebra 2016 (MICA 2016)" was in-cooperation of ACM and hosted by David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science at the University of Waterloo. The MICA 2016 took place from July 16 till 18, which was right before the annual premier computer algebra conference ISSAC 2016, also hosted in Waterloo by the nearby Wilfrid Laurier University from July 19 till 22.
Networked Cournot Competition in Platform Markets
Authors: Lin Weixuan , Pang John Z.F. , Bitar Eilyan , Wierman Adam
Published: October 2017

This paper studies network design and efficiency loss in open and discriminatory access platforms under networked Cournot competition. In open platforms, every firm connects to every market, while discriminatory platforms limit connections between firms and markets to improve social welfare. We provide tight bounds on the efficiency loss of both platforms; (i) that the efficiency loss at a Nash equilibrium under open access is bounded by 3/2, and (ii) for discriminatory access platforms, we provide a greedy algorithm for optimizing network connections that guarantees efficiency loss at a Nash equilibrium is bounded by 4/3, under an assumption on the linearity of cost functions.
GPGPU Power Estimation with Core and Memory Frequency Scaling
Authors: Wang Qiang , Chu Xiaowen
Published: October 2017

With the increasing installation of Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) in supercomputers and data centers, their huge electricity cost brings new environmental and economic concerns. Although Dynamic Voltage and Frequency Scaling (DVFS) techniques have been successfully applied on traditional CPUs to reserve energy, the impact of GPU DVFS on application performance and power consumption is not yet fully understood, mainly due to the complicated GPU memory system. This paper proposes a fast prediction model based on Support Vector Regression (SVR), which can estimate the average runtime power of a given GPU kernel using a set of profiling parameters under different GPU core and memory frequencies. Our experimental data set includes 931 samples obtained from 19 GPU kernels running on a real GPU platform with the core and memory frequencies ranging between 400MHz and 1000MHz. We evaluate the accuracy of the SVR-based prediction model by ten-fold cross validation. We achieve greater accuracy than prior models, being Mean Square Error (MSE) of 0.797 Watt and Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) of 3.08% on average. Combined with an existing performance prediction model, we can find the optimal GPU frequency settings that can save an average of 13.2% energy across those GPU kernels with no more than 10% performance penalty compared to applying the default setting.
Distributed Lagrangian Method for Tie-Line Scheduling in Power Grids under Uncertainty
Authors: Doan Thinh T. , Bose Subhonmesh , Beck Carolyn L.
Published: October 2017

System operators (SOs) manage the grid and its assets in different parts (areas) of an interconnected power network. One would ideally seek to co-optimize the grid assets across multiple areas by solving a centralized optimization problem. Gathering the dispatch cost structures and the network constraints from all areas for a centralized solution remains difficult due to technical, historical, and sometimes legal barriers. Motivated by the need for a distributed solution architecture for multi-area power systems, we propose a distributed Lagrangian algorithm in this paper.We establish convergence rates for our algorithm that solves the deterministic tie-line scheduling problem as well as its robust variant (with policy space approximations). Our algorithm does not need any form of central coordination. We illustrate its efficacy on IEEE test systems.
A First Look at Power Attacks in Multi-Tenant Data Centers
Authors: Islam Mohammad A. , Ren Shaolei , Wierman Adam
Published: October 2017

Oversubscription increases the utilization of expensive power infrastructure in multi-tenant data centers, but it can create dangerous emergencies and outages if the designed power capacity is exceeded. Despite the safeguards in place today to prevent power outages, this extended abstract demonstrates that multi-tenant data centers are vulnerable to well-timed power attacks launched by a malicious tenant (i.e., attacker). Further, we show that there is a physical side channel -- a thermal side channel due to hot air recirculation -- that contains information about the benign tenants' runtime power usage. We develop a state-augmented Kalman filter that guides an attacker to precisely time its power attacks at moments that coincide with the benign tenants' high power demand, thus overloading the designed power capacity. Our experimental results show that an attacker can capture 53% of all attack opportunities, significantly compromising the data center availability.
Computing the Impact of Disasters on Networks
Authors: Oostenbrink Jorik , Kuipers Fernando
Published: October 2017

In this paper, we consider the vulnerability of a network to disasters, in particular earthquakes, and we propose an efficient method to compute the distribution of a network performance measure, based on a finite set of disaster areas and occurrence probabilities. Our approach has been implemented as a tool to help visualize the vulnerability of a network to disasters. With that tool, we demonstrate our methods on an official set of Japanese earthquake scenarios.
Rack1 maintains intestinal homeostasis by protecting the integrity of the epithelial barrier
Authors: Cheng Zhuan-Fen , Cartwright Christine A.
Published: October 2017

Previously, we generated mouse models of Rack1 deficiency to identify key functions for Rack1 in regulating growth of intestinal epithelia: suppressing crypt cell proliferation and regeneration, promoting differentiation and apoptosis, and repressing development of neoplasia. However, other than low body weight, we did not detect an overt phenotype in mice constitutively deleted of Rack1 in intestinal epithelia ( vil-Cre: Rack1fl/fl mice), presumably because Rack1 was deleted in <10% of the total surface area of the epithelia. To assess the effect of Rack1 loss throughout the entire intestinal epithelia, we generated another mouse model of Rack1 deficiency, vil-Cre-ERT2: Rack1fl/fl. Within 5–10 days of the initial tamoxifen treatment, the mice lost over 20% of their body weight, developed severe diarrhea that for some was bloody, became critically ill, and died, if not euthanized. Necropsies revealed mildly distended, fluid-, gas-, and sometimes blood-filled loops of small and large bowel, inguinal lymphadenopathy, and thrombocytosis. Rack1 was deleted in nearly 100% of the epithelia in both the small intestine and colon when assessed by immunofluorescent or immunoblot analyses. Rack1 expression in other tissues and organs was not different than in control mice, indicating tissue specificity of the recombination. Histopathology revealed a patchy, erosive, hemorrhagic, inflammatory enterocolitis with denuded, sloughed off surface epithelium, and crypt hyperplasia. These results suggest a protective function for Rack1 in maintaining the integrity of intestinal epithelia and for survival.

NEW & NOTEWORTHY Our findings reveal a novel function for Rack1 in maintaining intestinal homeostasis by protecting the epithelial barrier. Rack1 loss results in a patchy, erosive, hemorrhagic, inflammatory enterocolitis, which resembles that of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) in humans. Understanding mechanisms that protect barrier function in normal intestine and how loss of that protection contributes to the pathogenesis of IBD could lead to improved therapies for these and other erosive diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
Prevalence and Association of Obesity with Self-Reported Comorbidity: A Cross-Sectional Study of 1321 Adult Participants in Lasbela, Balochistan
Authors: Khan I. , Ul-Haq Z. , Taj A. S. , Iqbal A. Z. , Basharat S. , Shah B. H.
Published: October 2017

Association of fatness with chronic metabolic diseases is a well-established fact, and a high prevalence of risk factors for these disorders has increasingly been reported in the third world. In order to incorporate any preventive strategies for such risk factors into clinical practice, decision-makers require objective evidence about the associated burden of disease. A cross-sectional study of 1321 adults from one of the districts of Balochistan, among the most economically challenged areas of Pakistan, was carried out for the measures of fatness and self-reported comorbidities. Body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) were measured and demographic information and self-reported comorbidities were documented. The prevalence of obesity was 4.8% (95% CI: [3.8, 6.1]) and 21.7% (95% CI: [19.5, 24.0]), as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) international and Asia/Asia-Pacific BMI cut-offs, respectively. The proportion exhibiting comorbidity increased with increasing levels of fatness in a dose-response relationship (p value < .001). An interaction of weight status with gender was observed to produce a significantly (p=.033) higher comorbidity among overweight women (odds ratio (OR) = 6.1 [1.2, 31.7]) compared with overweight men (OR = 1.1 [0.48, 2.75], p=.762).
Teacher Informal Collaboration for Professional Improvement: Beliefs, Contexts, and Experience
Authors: Avalos-Bevan Beatrice , Bascopé Martín
Published: October 2017

The article presents results of a study on teachers’ views, beliefs, and experience on school‐based informal collaboration for professional improvement. It explores the relationship of teacher beliefs in the collective efficacy of their colleagues and school’s capital and culture with their beliefs and experience in school‐based collaborative learning. The key source of evidence used is a survey of 1025 primary and secondary teachers in three geographical regions of Chile. Main results show that teachers hold positive beliefs about the collective efficacy of their colleagues and students in their schools but more negative ones regarding the contribution of parents. In terms of collaboration, teachers hold positive beliefs in general about its role for professional learning but indeed engage more in the “weaker” types of collaboration such as “sharing ideas” and “talking about teaching problems” and less in the more demanding ones such as “mutual lesson observation” and “team teaching.” Differences in teachers’ views, beliefs, and experience were examined in terms of level of teaching (primary/secondary), urban/rural location, school type (public and private), and school size.
A Highly Parallel and Scalable Motion Estimation Algorithm with GPU for HEVC
Authors: Xue Yun-gang , Su Hua-you , Ren Ju , Wen Mei , Zhang Chun-yuan , Xiao Li-quan
Published: October 2017

We propose a highly parallel and scalable motion estimation algorithm, named multilevel resolution motion estimation (MLRME for short), by combining the advantages of local full search and downsampling. By subsampling a video frame, a large amount of computation is saved. While using the local full-search method, it can exploit massive parallelism and make full use of the powerful modern many-core accelerators, such as GPU and Intel Xeon Phi. We implanted the proposed MLRME into HM12.0, and the experimental results showed that the encoding quality of the MLRME method is close to that of the fast motion estimation in HEVC, which declines by less than 1.5%. We also implemented the MLRME with CUDA, which obtained 30–60x speed-up compared to the serial algorithm on single CPU. Specifically, the parallel implementation of MLRME on a GTX 460 GPU can meet the real-time coding requirement with about 25 fps for the 2560×1600 video format, while, for 832×480, the performance is more than 100 fps.
Herpes Simplex Virus and Human Papillomavirus Coinfections in Hyperimmunoglobulin E Syndrome Presenting as a Conjunctival Mass Lesion
Authors: Akbari Mitra , Elmi Ramin
Published: October 2017

Hyperimmunoglobulin E syndrome (HIES) or Job’s syndrome is a rare immunodeficiency disease with less than 200 cases reported worldwide, among which few cases are reported with lesions due to herpes simplex virus (HSV) or human papillomavirus (HPV). This case study presents a rare case of HIES with coinfection of HSV and HPV. A 12-year-old boy, previously diagnosed with HIES, presented with a large conjunctival mass lesion. The presence of HPV in the lesion was confirmed by biopsy and by using the line-probe assay method to detect the HPV genome. However, the mass lesion did not respond to anti-HPV therapy with topical interferon-α2b (IFN-α2b) and oral cimetidine but improved promptly after intravenous (IV) acyclovir, which is often administered for cutaneous herpetic lesions. This suggested the presence of HSV in the conjunctival mass. Review of pathology and HSV immunohistochemical staining confirmed the presence of HSV as a coinfection. The likelihood that the mass arose from an abnormal host response to HSV and HPV due to HIES was considered, but coexisting infection with these two viruses and HIES has not been reported in the literature; therefore, such cases require further investigation.
Effect of Ultraviolet Light Irradiation Combined with Riboflavin on Different Bacterial Pathogens from Ocular Surface Infection
Authors: Shen Jing , Liang Qingfeng , Su Guanyu , Zhang Yang , Wang Zhiqun , Liang Hong , Baudouin Christophe , Labbé Antoine
Published: October 2017

In order to study Staphylococcus epidermis and Staphylococcus aureus in vitro viability after the exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light and riboflavin, twelve strains of Staphylococcus epidermis and twelve strains of Staphylococcus aureus were isolated from patients with bacterial keratitis. The growth situation of Staphylococcus epidermidis and Staphylococcus aureus under different experimental conditions was qualitatively observed. The number of colonies surviving bacteria was counted under different UV light power and different exposure time. The experiment showed that there was no inhibition effect on the growth of bacteria using riboflavin alone. In UV alone group and UV-riboflavin group, inhibition effect on the bacteria growth was found. The UV-riboflavin combination had better inhibition effect on bacteria than UV irradiation alone. The amount of bacteria in the UV-riboflavin group was decreased by 99.1%~99.5% and 54.8%~64.6% in the UV alone group, when the UV light power was 10.052 mW/cm2 and the irradiation time was 30 min. Moreover, with the increase of the UV power or irradiation time, the survival rates of bacteria were rapidly reduced. Compared with Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermis was more easily to be killed under the action of UV light combined with riboflavin.
Determinants of Growth in Multiunit Housing Demand since the Great Recession: An Age-Period-Cohort Analysis
Authors: Mehrotra Shiv N. , Carter Douglas R.
Published: October 2017

Following the Great Recession (2007–2009), growth in multiunit housing starts has been exceptionally strong and sustained. In this study, we examine empirical evidence for three possible explanations, namely, the passage of Baby Boomers into senior years, the depressed economic conditions, and rising preference of recent birth cohorts for residing in urban cores. Applying Age-Period-Cohort analysis to census data on multiunit housing occupancy from 1970 to 2010, we find evidence to support the explanations that a sharp increase in demand from Millennials drawn to urban cores and retiring Baby Boomers are contributing to the growth in multiunit housing starts. The results provide weak evidence of a negative relationship between depressed economic conditions and demand for multiunit housing starts. Over the long term, demand for multiunit housing can be expected to moderate as a result of the projected aging of the population.
Enhancement in Tonically Active Glutamatergic Inputs to the Rostral Ventrolateral Medulla Contributes to Neuropathic Pain-Induced High Blood Pressure
Authors: Wang Wei , Zou Zui , Tan Xing , Zhang Ru-Wen , Ren Chang-Zhen , Yao Xue-Ya , Li Cheng-Bao , Wang Wei-Zhong , Shi Xue-Yin
Published: October 2017

Neuropathic pain increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases including hypertension with the characteristic of sympathetic overactivity. The enhanced tonically active glutamatergic input to the rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM) contributes to sympathetic overactivity and blood pressure (BP) in cardiovascular diseases. We hypothesize that neuropathic pain enhances tonically active glutamatergic inputs to the RVLM, which contributes to high level of BP and sympathetic outflow. Animal model with the trigeminal neuropathic pain was induced by the infraorbital nerve-chronic constriction injury (ION-CCI). A significant increase in BP and renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA) was found in rats with ION-CCI (BP, n=5, RSNA, n=7, p<0.05). The concentration of glutamate in the RVLM was significantly increased in the ION-CCI group (n=4, p<0.05). Blockade of glutamate receptors by injection of kynurenic acid into the RVLM significantly decreased BP and RSNA in the ION-CCI group (n=5, p<0.05). In two major sources (the paraventricular nucleus and periaqueductal gray) for glutamatergic inputs to the RVLM, the ION-CCI group (n=5, p<0.05) showed an increase in glutamate content and expression of glutaminase 2, vesicular glutamate transporter 2 proteins, and c-fos. Our results suggest that enhancement in tonically active glutamatergic inputs to the RVLM contributes to neuropathic pain-induced high blood pressure.
Delayed Trilateral Teleoperation of a Mobile Robot
Authors: Santiago D. , Slawiñski E. , Mut V.
Published: October 2017

This paper analyzes the stability of a trilateral teleoperation system of a mobile robot. This type of system is nonlinear, time‐varying, and delayed and includes a master‐slave kinematic dissimilarity. To close the control loop, three P + d controllers are used under a position master/slave velocity strategy. The stability analysis is based on Lyapunov‐Krasovskii theory where a functional is proposed and analyzed to get conditions for the control parameters that assure a stable behavior, keeping the synchronism errors bounded. Finally, the theoretical result is verified in practice by means of a simple test, where two human operators both collaboratively and simultaneously drive a 3D simulator of a mobile robot to achieve an established task on a remote shared environment.
Advantageous Reservoir Characterization Technology in Extra Low Permeability Oil Reservoirs
Authors: Luo Yutian , Yang Zhengming , Meng Lixin , Li Shutie
Published: October 2017

This paper took extra low permeability reservoirs in Dagang Liujianfang Oilfield as an example and analyzed different types of microscopic pore structures by SEM, casting thin sections fluorescence microscope, and so on. With adoption of rate-controlled mercury penetration, NMR, and some other advanced techniques, based on evaluation parameters, namely, throat radius, volume percentage of mobile fluid, start-up pressure gradient, and clay content, the classification and assessment method of extra low permeability reservoirs was improved and the parameter boundaries of the advantageous reservoirs were established. The physical properties of reservoirs with different depth are different. Clay mineral variation range is 7.0%, and throat radius variation range is 1.81 μm, and start pressure gradient range is 0.23 MPa/m, and movable fluid percentage change range is 17.4%. The class IV reservoirs account for 9.56%, class II reservoirs account for 12.16%, and class III reservoirs account for 78.29%. According to the comparison of different development methods, class II reservoir is most suitable for waterflooding development, and class IV reservoir is most suitable for gas injection development. Taking into account the gas injection in the upper section of the reservoir, the next section of water injection development will achieve the best results.
Fuzzy Intelligent System for Patients with Preeclampsia in Wearable Devices
Authors: Espinilla Macarena , Medina Javier , García-Fernández Ángel-Luis , Campaña Sixto , Londoño Jorge
Published: October 2017

Preeclampsia affects from 5% to 14% of all pregnant women and is responsible for about 14% of maternal deaths per year in the world. This paper is focused on the use of a decision analysis tool for the early detection of preeclampsia in women at risk. This tool applies a fuzzy linguistic approach implemented in a wearable device. In order to develop this tool, a real dataset containing data of pregnant women with high risk of preeclampsia from a health center has been analyzed, and a fuzzy linguistic methodology with two main phases is used. Firstly, linguistic transformation is applied to the dataset to increase the interpretability and flexibility in the analysis of preeclampsia. Secondly, knowledge extraction is done by means of inferring rules using decision trees to classify the dataset. The obtained linguistic rules provide understandable monitoring of preeclampsia based on wearable applications and devices. Furthermore, this paper not only introduces the proposed methodology, but also presents a wearable application prototype which applies the rules inferred from the fuzzy decision tree to detect preeclampsia in women at risk. The proposed methodology and the developed wearable application can be easily adapted to other contexts such as diabetes or hypertension.
Contribution and Interactions of Hydroxycinnamic Acids Found in Bran and Wholegrain Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench): Effects on the Antioxidant Capacity and Inhibition of Human Erythrocyte Hemolysis
Authors: Salazar-López Norma Julieta , González-Aguilar Gustavo A. , Loarca-Piña Guadalupe , Cinco-Moroyoqui Francisco J. , Rouzaud-Sández Ofelia , Domínguez-Avila J. Abraham , Robles-Sánchez Maribel
Published: October 2017

An imbalance between free radicals and antioxidants is known as oxidative stress, and it promotes cellular aging and the development of chronic noncommunicable diseases. The bioactive compounds present in food play an important role in preventing oxidative stress. The aim of this study was to determine the contributions and interactions of the hydroxycinnamic acids found in the bran and whole grain of sorghum and to evaluate their effects on the antioxidant capacity and inhibition of the hemolysis of human erythrocytes. Results showed that the caffeic acid, p‐coumaric acid, and ferulic acid found in sorghum contributed to the scavenging of DPPH and ABTS radicals in various proportions. Ferulic acid, which was present in bound form in the bran and wholegrain sorghum, significantly inhibited the AAPH radical‐induced oxidation of the erythrocyte membranes by 78.0 and 4.3%, respectively. Combinations of two, three, or four hydroxycinnamic acids may interact in an antagonistic or synergistic manner, thereby altering each other’s bioactivities. The various interactions between the different sorghum bioactives can have a significant impact on their potential bioactivities. These results can be useful in the design of functional foods that aim to deliver bioactives to mitigate cellular aging or noncommunicable diseases.
Orthodeoxia without Platypnea in Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia in the Presence of a Cerebral Abscess and Multiple Pulmonary Arteriovenous Malformations: Unusual Complications and Transcatheter Endovascular Treatment
Authors: Salazar Carlos , Blank Jacky Bruce , Palmero Veronica
Published: October 2017

Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia is a rare autosomal-dominant condition affecting visceral blood vessel development. Cerebral and most commonly pulmonary arteriovenous malformations are found in the majority of symptomatic patients. The most common complications include embolic strokes and cerebral abscesses, which have been attributed to abnormal vessel communications. Platypnea orthodeoxia is a rare condition that presents dyspnea and oxygen desaturation when adopting an upright position and is relieved on decubitus. The association between hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia, pulmonary arteriovenous malformations, and platypnea orthodeoxia has been described in medical literature; however, orthodeoxia as a single entity without platypnea has not been described yet, especially associated with complications of this hereditary condition. We present the case of a 38-year-old male with persistent headaches, in whom a cerebral lesion was detected. Orthostatic tachycardia and severe orthodeoxia without platypnea were evidenced during physical examination. The patient was subsequently diagnosed with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia and underwent cerebral abscess drainage as well as transcatheter endovascular closure of multiple pulmonary arteriovenous malformations. For this reason, the concept of platypnea orthodeoxia syndrome needs further revision. Patients presenting refractory hypoxemia should warn physicians to initially evaluate their oxygen saturation measurements during standing and decubitus position, even though platypnea may not be present.
Medical Imaging Lesion Detection Based on Unified Gravitational Fuzzy Clustering
Authors: Vianney Kinani Jean Marie , Rosales Silva Alberto Jorge , Gallegos Funes Francisco , Mújica Vargas Dante , Ramos Díaz Eduardo , Arellano Alfonso
Published: October 2017

We develop a swift, robust, and practical tool for detecting brain lesions with minimal user intervention to assist clinicians and researchers in the diagnosis process, radiosurgery planning, and assessment of the patient’s response to the therapy. We propose a unified gravitational fuzzy clustering-based segmentation algorithm, which integrates the Newtonian concept of gravity into fuzzy clustering. We first perform fuzzy rule-based image enhancement on our database which is comprised of T1/T2 weighted magnetic resonance (MR) and fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) images to facilitate a smoother segmentation. The scalar output obtained is fed into a gravitational fuzzy clustering algorithm, which separates healthy structures from the unhealthy. Finally, the lesion contour is automatically outlined through the initialization-free level set evolution method. An advantage of this lesion detection algorithm is its precision and its simultaneous use of features computed from the intensity properties of the MR scan in a cascading pattern, which makes the computation fast, robust, and self-contained. Furthermore, we validate our algorithm with large-scale experiments using clinical and synthetic brain lesion datasets. As a result, an 84%–93% overlap performance is obtained, with an emphasis on robustness with respect to different and heterogeneous types of lesion and a swift computation time.
Mapping and Estimation of Monthly Global Solar Irradiation in Different Zones in Souss-Massa Area, Morocco, Using Artificial Neural Networks
Authors: Nait Mensour O. , Bouaddi S. , Abnay B. , Hlimi B. , Ihlal A.
Published: October 2017

Solar radiation data play an important role in solar energy research. However, in regions where the meteorological stations providing these data are unavailable, strong mapping and estimation models are needed. For this reason, we have developed a model based on artificial neural network (ANN) with a multilayer perceptron (MLP) technique to estimate the monthly average global solar irradiation of the Souss-Massa area (located in the southwest of Morocco). In this study, we have used a large database provided by NASA geosatellite database during the period from 1996 to 2005. After testing several models, we concluded that the best model has 25 nodes in the hidden layer and results in a minimum root mean square error (RMSE) equal to 0.234. Furthermore, almost a perfect correlation coefficient R=0.988 was found between measured and estimated values. This developed model was used to map the monthly solar energy potential of the Souss-Massa area during a year as estimated by the ANN and designed with the Kriging interpolation technique. By comparing the annual average solar irradiation between three selected sites in Souss-Massa, as estimated by our model, and six European locations where large solar PV plants are deployed, it is apparent that the Souss-Massa area is blessed with higher solar potential.
Effects of Shrinkage Reducing Agent and Expansive Additive on Mortar Properties
Authors: Treesuwan Sarapon , Maleesee Komsan
Published: October 2017

This research is to study the effect of mortar mixed with shrinkage reducing agent (polyoxyalkylene alkyl ether type), expansive additive (CaO type), and fly ash (hereinafter “SRA,” “EX,” and “FA,” resp.). Moreover, steam curing was studied to improve the properties of mortar. The plastic shrinkage test was conducted by using the strain gauge embedded at 0.5 cm from the surface according to the ASTM C1579-06 standard within early age followed by the total shrinkage test and compressive strength test. The test results showed that mixing both the EX and SRA increases the plastic enlargement of the mortar during the early age more than using either the EX or SRA solely. The steam curing helps to reduce the plastic shrinkage when the mortar is added with the FA and SRA while adding the EX increases the enlargement compared to the normal curing. When the EX, SRA, and FA are all added to the mortar mixing, great attention should be paid due to the increase of greater enlargement. For the compressive strength view, the steam curing increases the compressive strength in all types of mixture. The steam curing significantly helps increasing the compressive strength of mortar with combination of EX, SRA, and FA. Nevertheless, the XRD and SEM tests explain such enlargement accordingly.
Detection of Pathological Changes in the Aorta during Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm Progression on Molecular Level
Authors: Rabajdová Miroslava , Urban Peter , Špaková Ivana , Panagiotis Artemiou , Ferenčáková Michaela , Rybár Dušan , Bobrov Nikita , Sabol František , Mareková Mária
Published: October 2017

The progression of thoracic aortic aneurysm depends on regulation of aortic wall homeostasis and on changes in the structural components of the extracellular matrix, which are affected by multiple molecular signalling pathways. We decided to correlate the diameter of ascending thoracic aneurysm with gene expression of inflammation markers (IL-6, CRP), cytokine receptors (IL-6R, TNFR1, and TNFR2), and extracellular matrix components (Emilin-1, MMP9, and TIMP) for detection of the degree of pathological process of TAA formation. The experimental group was divided into three groups according to the diameter of the aortic aneurysm. Whole blood and tissue samples were properly collected and used for nucleic acid, chromatin, and protein isolation. The mRNA levels were detected by qRT-PCR. For the detection of protein levels a Cytokine Array IV assay kit was used in combination with a biochip analyzer. In aortic tissue, significant positive correlations were found between increased mRNA levels of inflammatory cytokines (CRP and IL-6) on both mRNA levels in tissue and protein from the blood with maximum in stage 3. Changes of gene expression of selected genes can be used for the experimental study of the inflammatory receptor inhibitors during trials targeted on slowing down the progress of aortic wall aneurysm.
Mitochondria‐Targeted Antioxidant SkQ1 Prevents Anesthesia‐Induced Dry Eye Syndrome
Authors: Zernii Evgeni Yu. , Gancharova Olga S. , Baksheeva Viktoriia E. , Golovastova Marina O. , Kabanova Ekaterina I. , Savchenko Marina S. , Tiulina Veronika V. , Sotnikova Larisa F. , Zamyatnin Andrey A. , Philippov Pavel P. , Senin Ivan I.
Published: October 2017

Dry eye syndrome (DES) is an age‐related condition increasingly detected in younger people of risk groups, including patients who underwent ocular surgery or long‐term general anesthesia. Being a multifactorial disease, it is characterized by oxidative stress in the cornea and commonly complicated by ocular surface inflammation. Polyetiologic DES is responsive to SkQ1, a mitochondria‐targeted antioxidant suppressing age‐related changes in the ocular tissues. Here, we demonstrate safety and efficacy of topical administration of SkQ1 at a dosage of 7.5 μM for the prevention of general anesthesia‐induced DES in rabbits. The protective action of SkQ1 improves clinical state of the ocular surface by inhibiting apoptotic and prenecrotic changes in the corneal epithelium. The underlying mechanism involves the suppression of the oxidative stress supported by the stimulation of intrinsic antioxidant activity and the activity of antioxidant enzymes, foremost glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductase, in the cornea. Furthermore, SkQ1 increases antioxidant activity and stability of the tear film and produces anti‐inflammatory effect exhibited as downregulation of TNF‐α and IL‐6 and pronounced upregulation of IL‐10 in tears. Our data suggest novel features of SkQ1 and point to its feasibility in patients with DES and individuals at risk for the disease including those subjected to general anesthesia.
Seismic Fragility Assessment of an Isolated Multipylon Cable-Stayed Bridge Using Shaking Table Tests
Authors: Pang Yutao
Published: October 2017

In recent decades, cable-stayed bridges have been widely built around the world due to the appealing aesthetics and efficient and fast mode of construction. Numerous studies have concluded that the cable-stayed bridges are sensitive to earthquakes because they possess low damping characteristics and high flexibility. Moreover, cable-stayed bridges need to warrant operability especially in the moderate-to-severe earthquakes. The provisions implemented in the seismic codes allow obtaining adequate seismic performance for the cable-stayed bridge components; nevertheless, they do not provide definite yet reliable rules to protect the bridge. To date, very few experimental tests have been carried out on the seismic fragility analysis of cable-stayed bridges which is the basis of performance-based analyses. The present paper is aimed at proposing a method to derive the seismic fragility curves of multipylon cable-stayed bridge through shake table tests. Toward this aim, a 1/20 scale three-dimensional model of a 22.5 m cable-stayed bridge in China is constructed and tested dynamically by using the shaking table facility of Tongji University. The cable-stayed bridge contains three pylons and one side pier. The outcomes of the comprehensive shaking table tests carried out on cable-stayed bridge have been utilized to derive fragility curves based on a systemic approach.
Clinical Efficacy and Safety of Benjakul Remedy Extract for Treating Primary Osteoarthritis of Knee Compared with Diclofenac: Double Blind, Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Rachawat Patamaporn , Pinsornsak Piya , Kanokkangsadal Puritat , Itharat Arunporn
Published: October 2017

Background. The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical efficacy and safety of Benjakul (BJK) extract for treating primary osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee compared with diclofenac. Methods. A phase 2, double blind, randomized, and controlled study was conducted. The BJK group received 300 mg of BJK extract per day, while another group received 75 mg of diclofenac per day. All patients were followed up at 14 and 28 days. The changing of visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain, 100‐meter walking times, the modified Thai WOMAC index scores, and the global assessment were evaluated for efficacy. For safety issue, clinical signs and symptoms, complete physical examination, and renal and liver function were evaluated. Results. 39 and 38 patients for BJK extract group and diclofenac group were evaluated. For efficacy, all patients from both groups reported a decrease in the VAS pain score and 100‐meter walking times but only the diclofenac group showed significant reduction of both measurements when compared with day 0. The modified Thai WOMAC scores of both groups were significantly reduced from baseline. However, all efficacy outcomes were not significantly different for both groups. For safety outcomes, the patients from both groups had no severe adverse events reported and only BJK had no toxicity in renal and liver functions. Conclusions. The BJK remedy extract showed equal clinical efficacy in relieving symptoms of OA knee when compared with diclofenac.
Acute Asthma in the Pediatric Emergency Department: Infections Are the Main Triggers of Exacerbations
Authors: Dondi Arianna , Calamelli Elisabetta , Piccinno Valentina , Ricci Giampaolo , Corsini Ilaria , Biagi Carlotta , Lanari Marcello
Published: October 2017

Background. Asthma exacerbations are a common reason for Emergency Department (ED) visits in children. Aim. To analyze differences among age groups in terms of triggering factors and seasonality and to identify those with higher risk of severe exacerbations. Methods. We retrospectively revised the files of children admitted for acute asthma in 2016 in our Pediatric ED. Results. Visits for acute asthma were 603/23197 (2.6%). 76% of the patients were <6 years old and 24% ≥6. Infections were the main trigger of exacerbations in both groups; 33% of the school-aged children had a triggering allergic condition (versus 3% in <6 years; p<.01). 191 patients had a previous history of asthma; among them, 95 were ≥6 years, 67% of whom were not using any controller medication, showing a higher risk of a moderate-to-severe exacerbation than those under long-term therapy (p<.01). Exacerbations peaked in autumn and winter in preschoolers and in spring and early autumn in the school-aged children. Conclusions. Infections are the main trigger of acute asthma in children of any age, followed by allergy in the school-aged children. Efforts for an improved management of patients affected by chronic asthma might go through individualized action plans and possibly vaccinations and allergen-avoidance measures.
The Involvement ofβ-Catenin/COX-2/VEGF Axis in NMDA-Caused Retinopathy
Authors: Ning Dan , Zhang Wei Kevin , Tian Han , Li Xiao-Jun , Liu Min , Li Yu-Sang , Tang He-Bin
Published: October 2017

NMDA, a molecule that is capable of producing the loss of retinal ganglia cells (RGCs), has been widely studied; however, the detailed mechanism is not yet clarified. Previously, Wnt/β-catenin signaling has been suggested to be involved in the NMDA-induced retinopathy. In addition, previous investigations in our group demonstrated the presence of a Wnt/β-catenin/COX-2 axis in dorsal root ganglions (DRGs). Therefore, here in this paper, we tested whether there is an association of such axis with NMDA-induced RGC loss. Rat retinal damage models generated by intravitreal injection of NMDA were used to measure the expression levels ofβ-catenin, COX-2, and VEGF in retinas, and the neuron numbers of the retinal GCL of rats were counted. Then, pharmacological tools (MK801, a NMDA receptor inhibitor; Dickkopf homolog 1, a specific inhibitor of the Wnt pathway; NS-398, a COX-2 inhibitor; and bevacizumab, IVB, a VEGF inhibitor) were introduced to evaluate the detailed roles of Wnt/β-catenin, COX-2, and VEGF in retinopathy of rats. Results demonstrated that all three factors in sequence are positively regulated neuronal loss induced by NMDA. These observations indicated that the Wnt pathway/COX-2/VEGF axis plays a pathogenic role in retinopathy and represented novel therapeutic targets.
Glutamine Addiction in Kidney Cancer Suppresses Oxidative Stress and Can Be Exploited for Real-Time Imaging
Authors: Abu Aboud Omran , Habib Samy L. , Trott Josephine , Stewart Benjamin , Liang Sitai , Chaudhari Abhijit J. , Sutcliffe Julie , Weiss Robert H.
Published: October 2017

Many cancers appear to activate intrinsic antioxidant systems as a means to counteract oxidative stress. Some cancers, such as clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), require exogenous glutamine for growth and exhibit reprogrammed glutamine metabolism, at least in part due to the glutathione pathway, an efficient cellular buffering system that counteracts reactive oxygen species and other oxidants. We show here that ccRCC xenograft tumors under the renal capsule exhibit enhanced oxidative stress compared with adjacent normal tissue and the contralateral kidney. Upon glutaminase inhibition with CB-839 or BPTES, the RCC cell lines SN12PM-6-1 (SN12) and 786-O exhibited decreased survival and pronounced apoptosis associated with a decreased GSH/GSSG ratio, augmented nuclear factor erythroid-related factor 2, and increased 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2'-deoxyguanosine, a marker of DNA damage. SN12 tumor xenografts showed decreased growth when treated with CB-839. Furthermore, PET imaging confirmed that ccRCC tumors exhibited increased tumoral uptake of 18F-(2S,4R)4-fluoroglutamine compared with the kidney in the orthotopic mouse model. This technique can be utilized to follow changes in ccRCC metabolism in vivo. Further development of these paradigms will lead to new treatment options with glutaminase inhibitors and the utility of PET to identify and manage patients with ccRCC who are likely to respond to glutaminase inhibitors in the clinic. Cancer Res; 77(23); 6746–58. ©2017 AACR.
DDB2 Is a Novel Regulator of Wnt Signaling in Colon Cancer
Authors: Huang Shuo , Fantini Damiano , Merrill Bradley J. , Bagchi Srilata , Guzman Grace , Raychaudhuri Pradip
Published: October 2017

Deregulation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway drives the development of colorectal cancer, but understanding of this pathway remains incomplete. Here, we report that the damage-specific DNA-binding protein DDB2 is critical for β-catenin–mediated activation of RNF43, which restricts Wnt signaling by removing Wnt receptors from the cell surface. Reduced expression of DDB2 and RNF43 was observed in human hyperplastic colonic foci. DDB2 recruited EZH2 and β-catenin at an upstream site in the Rnf43 gene, enabling functional interaction with distant TCF4/β-catenin–binding sites in the intron of Rnf43. This novel activity of DDB2 was required for RNF43 function as a negative feedback regulator of Wnt signaling. Mice genetically deficient in DDB2 exhibited increased susceptibility to colon tumor development in a manner associated with higher abundance of the Wnt receptor–expressing cells and greater activation of the downstream Wnt pathway. Our results identify DDB2 as both a partner and regulator of Wnt signaling, with an important role in suppressing colon cancer development. Cancer Res; 77(23); 6562–75. ©2017 AACR.