bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Chloroquine inhibits human retina pigmented epithelial cell growth and microtubule nucleation by downregulating p150glued
Authors: Chen Ting‐Yu , Lien Wei‐Chih , Cheng Hui‐Ling , Kuan Ta‐Shen , Sheu Shi‐Yuan , Wang Chia‐Yih
Published: November 2018

Chloroquine (CQ) is an antimalaria drug that has been used in clinical practice for several decades. One serious complication of CQ treatment is the macular retinopathy caused by the disruption of the retinal pigmented epithelium, leading to vision loss. Little is known about how CQ affects retinal pigmented epithelium. In this study, we found that cell proliferation was reduced by CQ treatment in time and dose‐dependent manners. No obvious cell death was detected; however, what was observed instead was G0/G1 arrest during which primary cilium started to grow in the presence of CQ. Pharmacological inhibition of primary cilium formation led to a reduction of cell viability suggesting that CQ‐induced primary cilium protected cells from death. In addition to cell growth, with the CQ treatment the retina pigmented epithelium (RPE) cells less flattened with the spindle‐like protrusion. When checking the microtubule networks, the microtubule nucleation activity was disrupted in the presence of CQ. The level of p150
glued, the largest subunit of dynactin, was reduced in CQ‐treated RPE1 cells, and depletion of p150
glued resulted in a phenotype reminiscent of CQ‐treated cells. Thus, CQ treatment reduced the expression of p150
glued, leading to reduced S phase entry and defective microtubule nucleation.
CircRNA circPDSS1 promotes the gastric cancer progression by sponging miR‐186‐5p and modulating NEK2
Authors: Ouyang Yiming , Li Yuejin , Huang Yingguang , Li Xing , Zhu Yu , Long Yaxin , Wang Yongzhi , Guo Xiaodong , Gong Kunmei
Published: November 2018

The aim of this study is to investigate the regulatory mechanism of circPDSS1/miR‐186‐5p/NEK2 axis on the viability and proliferation in gastric cancer (GC) cell line. Differentially expressed circRNAs, miRNAs, and mRNAs in GC tissues and paracarcinoma tissues were analyzed using gene chips GSE83521, GSE89143, and GSE93415. Then, the expression of circPDSS1, miR‐186‐5p, and NEK2 was analyzed via quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction (qRT‐PCR). Survival analysis was adopted to explore the association between the circPDSS1 expression and the prognosis of GC. The effect of circPDSS1 on GC cell cycle and apoptosis was verified with the flow cytometry. Targeting relationships among circPDSS1, miR‐186‐5p, and NEK2 were predicted via bioinformatics analysis and demonstrated by the dual‐luciferase reporter assay. Our results showed that circPDSS1 and NEK2 were high‐expressed whereas miR‐186‐5p was low‐expressed in GC tissues and cells. CircPDSS1 promoted GC cell cycle and inhibited apoptosis by sponging miR‐186‐5p, while miR‐186‐5p inhibited cell cycle and promoted apoptosis by targeting NEK2. Thus, circPDSS1 acts as a tumor promoter by regulating miR‐186‐5p and NEK2, which could be a potential biomarker and therapeutic target for the management of GC.
Exosomes derived from acute myeloid leukemia cells promote chemoresistance by enhancing glycolysis‐mediated vascular remodeling
Authors: Wang Bin , Wang Xiaoting , Hou Diyu , Huang Qian , Zhan Weiwu , Chen Canwei , Liu Jingru , You Ruolan , Xie Jieqiong , Chen Ping , Huang Huifang
Published: November 2018

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is the most common type of leukemia in adults. AML cells secrete angiogenic factors to remodel vasculature and acquire chemoresistance; however, antiangiogenic drugs are often ineffective in AML treatment. Cancer cell‐derived exosomes can induce angiogenesis, but their role in vascular remodeling during AML is unclear. Here, we found that exosomes secreted by AML cells promoted proliferation and migration and tube‐forming activity of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), whereas HUVECs conferred chemoresistance to AML cells. AML cell‐derived exosomes contained vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and VEGF receptor (VEGFR) messenger RNA and induced VEGFR expression in HUVECs. Furthermore, they enhanced glycolysis, which correlated with HUVEC proliferation, tube formation, and resistance to apoptosis. Thus, AML cells secrete VEGF/VEGFR‐containing exosomes that induce glycolysis in HUVECs leading to vascular remodeling and acquisition of chemoresistance. These findings may contribute to the development of novel therapeutic strategies targeting exosomes in AML.
Overexpression of novel lncRNA NLIPMT inhibits metastasis by reducing phosphorylated glycogen synthase kinase 3β in breast cancer
Authors: Jiang Yang , Lin Lili , Zhong Shen , Cai Yangjun , Zhang Fen , Wang Xiaobo , Miao Rongrong , Zhang Baodan , Gao Shenmeng , Hu Xiaoqu
Published: November 2018

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are considered as regulators of gene expression in cancers. However, cancer profiling has little focused on noncoding genes. Here, we reported that RP11–115N4.1 (here renamed novel lncRNA inhibiting proliferation and metastasis [NLIPMT]) was downregulated in breast cancer tissues. Ectopic expression of NLIPMT inhibited mammary cell proliferation, motility in vitro. Moreover, lnc‐NLIPMT reduced the growth of implanted MDA‐MB‐231 cells in vivo. Mechanistically, glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β) was identified as an effector protein regulated by lnc‐NLIPMT. Inhibition of GSK3β activity restored NLIPMT‐induced inhibition of proliferation and motility in breast cancer cells. These data reveal that lnc‐NLIPMT functions as a driver of breast cancer progression and might serve as a potential target for antimetastatic therapies.
Cancer stem cells (CSCs) in cancer progression and therapy
Authors: Najafi Masoud , Farhood Bagher , Mortezaee Keywan
Published: November 2018

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are self‐renewable cell types that are identified in most types of liquid and solid cancers and contributed to tumor onset, expansion, resistance, recurrence, and metastasis after therapy. CSCs are identified from the expression of cell surface markers, which is tumor‐type dependent. The transition between CSCs with cancer cells and other non‐CSCs occurs in cancers, which is possibly under the control of signals from CSCs and tumor microenvironment (TME), including CSC niche. Cancer‐associated fibroblasts are among the most influential cells for promoting both differentiation of CSCs and dedifferentiation of non‐CSCs toward attaining a CSC‐like phenotype. WNT/β‐catenin, transforming growth factor‐β, Hedgehog, and Notch are important signals for maintaining self‐renewal in CSCs. An effective therapeutic strategy relies on targeting both CSCs and non‐CSCs to remove a possible chance of tumor relapse. There are multiple ways to target CSCs, including immunotherapy, hormone therapy, (mi)siRNA delivery, and gene knockout. Such approaches can be designed for suppressing CSC stemness, tumorigenic cues from TME, CSC extrinsic and/or intrinsic signaling, hypoxia or for promoting differentiation in the cells. Because of sharing a range of characteristics to normal stem/progenitor cells, CSCs must be targeted based on their unique markers and their preferential expression of antigens.
Clonal hematopoiesis: Genes and underlying mechanisms in cardiovascular disease development
Authors: Haybar Habib , Shahrabi Saeid , Ghanavat Majid , Khodadi Elahe
Published: November 2018

The clonal hematopoiesis when occurring without hematologic abnormalities is defined as clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP). Aging causes accumulation of somatic mutations, and hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) can develop clonal expansion of different lineages by these mutations. CHIP has a correlation with cancer and cardiovascular disease (CVD) through acquired mutations in genes. DNMT3A, TET2, ASXL1, and JAK2 genes as well as other genes are the most common somatic mutations causing CHIP and CVD in an older age. Other factors such as cholesterol level, laboratory tests and indexes also affect CVD. In addition, mutations in adenosine triphosphate–binding cassette transporters and also chronic stress in nervous system can result in HSCs proliferation and CVD. However, laboratory tests and indexes are not sensitive for CVD diagnosis. But the therapeutic interventions can be helpful to prevent CVD cases by targeting somatic mutations, chemokine receptors, and growth factors in HSCs. Also, new drugs can control CVD by targeting of cells and their signaling pathways in HSCs. Therefore, more investigations are needed and more questions should be answered for the relationship between CHIP and CVD as a challenging issue in future.
Optimal SSA‐based wideband digital differentiator design for cardiac QRS complex detection application
Authors: Nayak Chandan , Saha Suman Kumar , Kar Rajib , Mandal Durbadal
Published: November 2018

In this paper, a computationally efficient, highly accurate, wideband, stable, and minimum phase infinite impulse response type first‐order digital differentiator (DD) is designed by employing a swarm intelligence‐based search method called Salp Swarm Algorithm (SSA) for the QRS complex detection application. The optimal coefficients of the DD are computed by minimizing a suitable fitness function to meet the ideal differentiator magnitude response characteristics. The simulation results and the root mean square magnitude error metric justify the superiority of the proposed SSA‐based DD design as compared with all other differentiators employed in the QRS complex detection application, and the reported first‐order DDs based on the numerical methods and the other evolutionary algorithms. The electrocardiogram signal is preprocessed by the proposed DD to generate the feature signal corresponding to each QRS complex. The generated feature signal is used as a marker to identify the exact occurrence of the QRS complex by using an adaptive threshold‐based detection logic. The proposed DD‐based QRS detection approach achieves a sensitivity (Se), positive prediction (PP), detection error rate (DER), and accuracy (Acc) of 99.94%, 99.93%, 0.1279%, and 99.87%, respectively, when validated against MIT/BIH arrhythmia database. Also, against the QT database, the proposed QRS detector produces a Se of 99.93%, PP of 99.97%, DER of 0.09%, and Acc of 99.90%. The performance of the proposed QRS detection technique is compared with the methods already reported in the recent literature, and the superiority of the proposed approach is established with respect to different standard performance metrics. The noise tolerance capability of the proposed QRS detector is demonstrated against MIT/BIH noise stress test database.
Seasonal and spatial variation in the sediment bacterial community and diversity of Lake Bosten, China
Authors: Zhang Lei , Zhao Tingting , Shen Tingting , Gao Guang
Published: November 2018

To explore the influence of seasonal and regional environmental factors on the bacterial community composition (BCC) and diversity in the sediments of Lake Bosten, the 16S rRNA gene of sediment bacteria in four samples from the lake center area and the macrophyte‐dominated area were sequenced using 454 pyrosequencing. According to the operational taxonomic units (OTUs), diversity index, relative abundance, and redundancy analysis (RDA) of the bacteria, the results showed that (i) the bacterial diversity of the lake center area was lower than that of the macrophyte‐dominated area, and it was higher in winter than that in summer as a whole; (ii) seasonal factors and geographical changes had obvious effects on the abundance of dominant bacteria, including Proteobacteria and Firmicutes; (iii) a large number of unclassified bacteria were detected in this study, and the dominant unclassified genera in both lake areas included unclassified Sva0485, unclassified Anaerolineaceae, and unclassified Nitrospiraceae; and (iv) TN and TOC were the main environmental factors influencing the sediment bacterial community in Lake Bosten, as determined by RDA analysis. The study provides a reference for the in‐depth understanding the impact with the change of time and space on sediment microbes in Lake Bosten.
A Review of Articles Using Observation Methods to Study Creativity in Education (1980–2018)
Authors: Katz‐Buonincontro Jen , Anderson Ross C.
Published: November 2018

This paper reports on an integrative literature review of published articles that used either quantitative or qualitative observation methods to research creativity in learning contexts. Observation is an empirical research method used in quantitative and qualitative naturalistic studies focused on understanding behavior and interactions as they unfold in real‐time, which makes it particularly salient for examining the processes associated with the generation and adoption of creative ideas. However, observation remains underutilized in the field of creativity studies, partly because data collection can be time and resource intensive, but also because there are a lack of protocols and recommended research practices for observing creative thinking and problem solving in an educational environment that covers all phases of design, collection, analysis, and reporting. Thirty‐seven articles from 1980–2018 were reviewed along seven dimensions: definition of creativity, unit of observation, observer role, observation sampling method, research design, data collection, and data analysis. The paper concludes with five recommendations for using observation to advance the state of research on creativity and education.
Gender Differences in the Creativity–Academic Achievement Relationship: A Study from China
Authors: Zhang Wenjing , Ren Ping , Deng Lifang
Published: November 2018

This study investigated gender differences in the relationship between creativity and academic achievement. A sample of 1082 primary students participated in this study in Beijing, China. Their age ranged between 8 and 15 years old (M = 10.41, SD = 0.99). Students’ creativity was measured by the Chinese version of the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking Figural Form A, and academic achievement was based on students’ self‐reported grades of last semester. Results revealed that there was a significantly positive relationship between creativity and academic achievement, ranging from r = .07 to r = .21. Gender differences regarding which aspects of creativity were related to academic achievement were also found. Plausible explanations and implications of the findings in creativity research and education are discussed.
Anterior laryngeal electrodes for recurrent laryngeal nerve monitoring during thyroid and parathyroid surgery: New expanded options for neural monitoring
Authors: Liddy Whitney , Lawson Bradley R. , Barber Samuel R. , Kamani Dipti , Shama Mohamed , Soylu Selen , Wu Che Wei , Chiang Feng‐Yu , Scharpf Joseph , Barczynski Marcin , Dralle Henning , Van Slycke Sam , Schneider Rick , Dionigi Gianlorenzo , Randolph Gregory W.
Published: November 2018

Objectives/Hypothesis

Intraoperative neural monitoring is a useful adjunct for the laryngeal nerve function assessment during thyroid and parathyroid surgery. Typically, monitoring is performed by measurement of electromyographic responses recorded by endotracheal tube (ETT) surface electrodes. Tube position alterations during surgery can cause displacement of the electrodes relative to the vocal cords, leading to false positive loss of signal. Numerous reports have denoted monitoring equipment–related issues, especially endotracheal tube displacement, as the dominant source of false positive error. The false positive error may result in inappropriate decisions by the surgeon. This study tests the hypothesis that anterior laryngeal electrodes (ALEs) can help reduce this error. Placement of ALEs directly onto the thyroid cartilage represent an adjunctive and possible alternative method to standard ETT surface electrodes.

Study Design

Retrospective review.

Methods

Fifteen consecutive patients undergoing thyroid and parathyroid surgery with intraoperative neuromonitoring using both ETT electrodes and ALEs were studied. Data collected included site of neural stimulation, laterality, and electromyographic parameters.

Results

With vagal and recurrent laryngeal nerve stimulation, the ALEs recorded mean vocalis muscle waveform amplitude within 83% of that recorded with standard ETT electrodes. The latency measurements with the anterior laryngeal and endotracheal electrodes were similar, with both electrodes recording significantly longer latency for the left vagus nerve as compared to the right vagus nerve. With superior laryngeal nerve stimulation, the ALEs recorded a 800% greater mean amplitude than the ETT electrodes. The ALEs demonstrated similar sensitivity to stimulation at low current as ETT electrodes and provided stable intraoperative monitoring information.

Conclusions

Compared to ETT surface electrodes, the ALEs provide similar and stable electromyographic responses with equal sensitivity for recording evoked responses during neural monitoring in thyroid and parathyroid surgery. The ALEs offer significantly more robust monitoring of the external branch of the superior laryngeal nerve. Furthermore, ALEs are contained within the operative field, are totally surgeon controlled, and are unaffected by the potential vicissitudes of ETT position during surgery.

Level of Evidence

4 Laryngoscope, 128:2910–2915, 2018
Chitosan as a green inhibitor for mild steel corrosion: Thermodynamic and electrochemical evaluations
Authors: Rabizadeh Taher , Khameneh Asl Shahin
Published: November 2018

In this research, the effects of chitosan on the corrosion behavior of mild steel in 0.1 M hydrochloric acid was investigated by different approaches. According to weight loss measurements, increasing the concentration of chitosan from 0.3 to 1.8 mM, significantly reduced the corrosion rate of mild steel, for example, from 95.5 ± 5 to 7.5 ± 5 mpy at 298 K. The thermodynamic calculations indicate an increase in the corrosion activation energy and the enthalpy of activation when 1.8 mM chitosan was added to the aggressive solution. The electrochemical polarization technique revealed a decrease in corrosion current density which is compatible with the observed increase in the charge transfer resistance measured by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The EDS spectra confirmed the adsorption of chitosan on mild steel. Analyzing the surface topography of the coupons by atomic force microscopy showed a remarkable decrease in the corrosion rate of the specimens in the presence of chitosan.
Mechanochemical Routes to Functionalized Graphene Nanofillers Tuned for Lightweight Carbon/Hydrocarbon Composites
Authors: Burk Laura , Gliem Matthias , Mülhaupt Rolf
Published: November 2018

Graphite exfoliation by shear‐induced dry and wet processes and especially mechanochemistry represent attractive routes to carbon nanofillers. Dry ball‐milling of graphite in a planetary mill under gas pressure is a scalable and environmentally benign one‐step process, which requires neither hazardous solvents nor tedious separate functionalization and purification steps. Gas type, pressure, and milling duration govern average particle size, shape, and functionalization. Ball‐milling under Ar yields hydroxylated spherical carbon particle agglomerates, whereas ball‐milling under CO2 affords functionalized nanoplatelets without encountering agglomeration problems and highly exothermic post‐milling reactions with air. The carboxylation of graphene nanoplatelets enhances their dispersibility in various media including polypropylene (PP) even in the absence of compatibilizers. Large amounts of carboxylated nanoplatelets are dispersed in PP without massive viscosity build‐up. Functionalized carbon nanoplatelet fillers enable tailoring of recyclable lightweight carbon/hydrocarbon composites exhibiting an improved balance of stiffness, strength, toughness, electrical, and thermal conductivity.
Geometry of the Fisher–Rao metric on the space of smooth densities on a compact manifold
Authors: Bruveris Martins , Michor Peter W.
Published: November 2018

It is known that on a closed manifold of dimension greater than one, every smooth weak Riemannian metric on the space of smooth positive densities that is invariant under the action of the diffeomorphism group, is of the form
urn:x-wiley:0025584X:media:mana201600523:mana201600523-math-0001for some smooth functions of the total volume . Here we determine the geodesics and the curvature of this metric and study geodesic and metric completeness.
Genus polynomials and crosscap‐number polynomials for ring‐like graphs
Authors: Chen Yichao , Gross Jonathan L.
Published: November 2018

An H‐linear graph is obtained by transforming a collection of copies of a fixed graph H into a chain. An H‐ring‐like graph is formed by binding the two end‐copies of H in such a chain to each other. Genus polynomials have been calculated for bindings of several kinds. In this paper, we substantially generalize the rules for constructing sequences of H‐ring‐like graphs from sequences of H‐linear graphs, and we give a general method for obtaining a recursion for the genus polynomials of the graphs in a sequence of ring‐like graphs. We use Chebyshev polynomials to obtain explicit formulas for the genus polynomials of several such sequences. We also give methods for obtaining recursions for partial genus polynomials and for crosscap‐number polynomials of a bar‐ring of a sequence of disjoint graphs.
Existence of normal Hall subgroups by means of orders of products
Authors: Beltrán Antonio , Sáez Azahara
Published: November 2018

Let G be a finite group, let π be a set of primes and let p be a prime. We characterize the existence of a normal Hall π‐subgroup in G in terms of the order of products of certain elements of G. This theorem generalizes a characterization of A. Moretó and the second author by using the orders of products of elements for those groups having a normal Sylow p‐subgroup . As a consequence, we also give a π‐decomposability criterion for a finite group also by means of the orders of products.
Recent Developments in the Area of Click‐Crosslinked Nanocarriers for Drug Delivery
Authors: Dai Yu , Chen Xin , Zhang Xiaojin
Published: November 2018

Click‐crosslinking has been widely used for the fabrication of nanocarriers in recent years. Crosslinking can enhance the stability of nanocarriers that have served as an emerging platform for drug delivery to achieve cancer diagnosis and therapy. In crosslinking methods, click reactions have attracted increasing attention owing to their high reaction specificity and physiologically stable products. These reports on click‐crosslinked nanocarriers are divided into four sections (nanogels, nanoparticles, micelles, and capsules) according to the types of nanocarriers. Click‐crosslinked nanocarriers enhance the solubility of hydrophobic drugs and improve the efficacy of drug delivery owing to their good stability. Stimuli‐responsive and targeted strategies can be introduced into click‐crosslinked nanocarriers to enhance drug accumulation in tumors.
Advanced Polymer Flocculants for Solid–Liquid Separation in Oil Sands Tailings
Authors: Gumfekar Sarang P. , Vajihinejad Vahid , Soares João B. P.
Published: November 2018

The generation of tailings as a by product of the bitumen extraction process is one of the largest environmental footprints of oil sands operations. Most of the tailings treatment technologies use polymer flocculants to induce solid–liquid separation. However, due to the complex composition of tailings, conventional flocculants cannot reach the same performance achieved in other wastewater treatments. Over the last couple of decades, the oil sands industry has used acrylamide‐based flocculants to treat tailings, achieving major progress in process optimization and integration with mechanical operations, but they still could not reach the required land reclamation targets. Over the last 5 years, the group designed, synthesized, and tested several novel polymer flocculants tailored for oil sands tailings treatment. This feature article communicates recent developments in these innovative polymers. The article first provides a background on tailings generation and treatment, followed by the description of advanced polymer flocculants categorized according to their microstructures such as linear, branched, and graft. The other tailings remediation technologies and one of the initial works on modeling of tailings flocculation is discussed.
Sn‐Polyester/Polyimide Hybrid Flexible Free‐Standing Film as a Tunable Dielectric Material
Authors: Nasreen Shamima , Baczkowski Matthew L. , Treich Gregory M. , Tefferi Mattewos , Anastasia Caroline , Ramprasad Rampi , Cao Yang , Sotzing Gregory A.
Published: November 2018

Flexible films having high dielectric constants with low dielectric loss have promising application in the emerging area of high‐energy‐density materials. Here, for the first time, an organometallic, Sn‐polyester‐containing hybrid free‐standing film in polyimide matrix is reported. Polyimide, pBTDA‐HDA, is used with poly(dimethyltin glutarate) and poly(dimethyltin‐3,3‐dimethyglutarate) (pDMTDMG) for having a processable film with tunable dielectric properties. Hybrid film with 60% pDMTDMG and 40% PI (HB2) is found to have improved dielectric features over previously synthesized organic polyimide and organometallic Sn‐polyester homopolymers. These novel organometallic–organic hybrid systems expanded a new area of dielectrics for next‐generation electronics with superior overall electrical performance.
Sequentially Controlled Deformations of Patterned Hydrogels into 3D Configurations with Multilevel Structures
Authors: Ma Peiyuan , Niu Benfang , Lin Ji , Kang Ting , Qian Jin , Wu Zi Liang , Zheng Qiang
Published: November 2018

Sequential deformations of patterned hydrogels into 3D configurations with multilevel structures are reported, which are realized for the first time in self‐shaping materials. The periodically patterned single‐layer hydrogels with different polymers are fabricated by multi‐step photolithography. After swelling in water, the expansion of compartmentalized high‐swelling gels is constrained by the dispersed non‐swelling gels, resulting in out‐of‐plane buckling with high cooperativity and thus forming alternating concave–convex configuration. When the dispersed non‐swelling gels are partly replaced by thermoresponsive ones, the preformed overall flat, yet locally undulant, hydrogel deforms further into dome‐, saddle‐, or sandglass‐like configurations at elevated temperature. As such, multilevel 3D structures can be achieved via prebuilt mechanical/geometric cues in a sequentially controlled manner. This conceptual design and sequential deformation of patterned hydrogels to form 3D configurations with multilevel structures should enrich the deformation/functioning modes of morphing materials and broaden their applications in diverse areas.
Challenges and approaches in the discovery of human immunodeficiency virus type‐1 non‐nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors
Authors: Battini Leandro , Bollini Mariela
Published: November 2018

The type I human immunodeficiency virus (HIV‐1) pandemic affecting over 37 million people worldwide continues, with 1.8 million people newly infected each year. Highly active antiretroviral therapy is efficient at reducing viral load and nearly one‐half of the infected population is on treatment. One of the most successful approaches for the treatment of HIV infections is the use of inhibitors for human immunodeficiency virus type‐1 reverse transcriptase (HIV‐1 RT). At present, there are six nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs) approved for clinical use: nevirapine (NVP), delavirdine (DLV), efavirenz (EFV), etravirine (ETV), rilpivirine (RPV), and elsulfavirine. In this review, we will cover the development of different classes of NNRTIs over the last two decades. We will give an overview of traditional medicinal chemistry strategies for structural modification as bioisosterism principles, scaffold hopping, substitute decoration, and molecular hybridization. Furthermore, computer‐aid design as virtual screening, de novo design and free‐energy perturbation will be described in details.
Spatially almost periodic complex‐valued solutions of the Boussinesq equations
Authors: Li Chengrui
Published: November 2018

We extend several ideas developed in E. Dinaburg, Ya. G. Sinai and D. Li's papers (see Lemma , Remark  , Lemma , Remark  , Remark ) and construct a unique mild solution (u,θ) of the system satisfying with spatially almost periodic initial data
. Moreover, (u,θ) is also a spatially almost periodic complex‐valued mild solution. Assume further that
(see Definition ). Then, we overcome the difficulty in the work of Y. Giga et al. (see Introduction below) and show that the above mild solution also satisfies for all
.
Optimal strategy of vaccination and treatment in an SIRS model with Markovian switching
Authors: Mu Xiaojie , Zhang Qimin
Published: November 2018

Medical treatment and vaccination decisions are often sequential and uncertain. Markov decision process is an appropriate means to model and handle such stochastic dynamic decisions. This paper studies the near‐optimality of a stochastic SIRS epidemic model that incorporates vaccination and saturated treatment with regime switching. The stochastic model takes white noises and color noise into account. We first prove some priori estimates of the susceptible, infected, and recovered populations. Moreover, we establish some sufficient and necessary conditions of the near‐optimality by Pontryagin stochastic maximum principle. Our results show that the two kinds of environmental noises have great impacts on the infectious diseases. Finally, we illustrate our conclusions through numerical simulations.
A family of optimal fourth‐order methods for multiple roots of nonlinear equations
Authors: Zafar Fiza , Cordero Alicia , Torregrosa Juan R.
Published: November 2018

Newton‐Raphson method has always remained as the widely used method for finding simple and multiple roots of nonlinear equations. In the past years, many new methods have been introduced for finding multiple zeros that involve the use of weight function in the second step, thereby, increasing the order of convergence and giving a flexibility to generate a family of methods satisfying some underlying conditions. However, in almost all the schemes developed over the past, the usual way is to use Newton‐type method at the first step. In this paper, we present a new two‐step optimal fourth‐order family of methods for multiple roots (m > 1). The proposed iterative family has the flexibility of choice at both steps. The development of the scheme is based on using weight functions. The first step can not only recapture Newton's method for multiple roots as special case but is also capable of defining new choices of first step. A stability analysis of some particular cases is also given to explain the dynamical behavior of the new methods around the multiple roots and decide the best values of the free parameters involved. Finally, we compare our methods with the existing schemes of the same order with a real life application as well as standard test problems. From the numerical results, we find that our methods can be considered as a better alternative for the existing procedures of same order.
Measurement of the electromagnetic properties of thin‐films using a microwave resonant cavity
Authors: Dib Radwan , Vincent Didier , Elrafhi Ahmad
Published: November 2018

Multilayer materials have specific electromagnetic (EM) properties and are becoming increasingly important in many industrial domains, such as radio‐communication. The EM characterization is important to determine the properties of thin‐films. This paper proposes an experimental approach to find the EM properties of these films using a resonant cavity method in microwave X‐band. From the dielectric and magnetic properties of bilayer structures, the EM properties of a specific layer can be extracted. Experimental results show a broad agreement with theoretical models for permittivity and permeability and complete other EM thin‐film characterizations.
Quantification of DNA double‐strand breaks using Geant4‐DNA
Authors: Chatzipapas Konstantinos P. , Papadimitroulas Panagiotis , Obeidat Mohammad , McConnell Kristen A. , Kirby Neil , Loudos George , Papanikolaou Niko , Kagadis George C.
Published: November 2018

Purpose

This study aims to standardize the simulation procedure in measuring DNA double‐strand breaks (DSBs), by using advanced Monte Carlo toolkits, and newly introduced experimental methods for DNA DSB measurement.

Methods

For the experimental quantification of DNA DSB, an innovative DNA dosimeter was used to produce experimental data. GATE in combination with Geant4‐DNA toolkit were exploited to simulate the experimental environment. The PDB4DNA example of Geant4‐DNA was upgraded and investigated. Parameters of the simulation such energy threshold (ET) for a strand break and base pair threshold (BPT) for a DSB were evaluated, depending on the dose.

Results

Simulations resulted to minimum differentiation in comparison to experimental data for ET = 19 ± 1 eV and BPT = 10 bp, and high differentiation for ET<17.5 eV or ET>22.5 eV and BPT = 10 bp. There was also small differentiation for ET = 17.5 eV and BPT = 6 bp. Uncertainty has been kept lower than 3%.

Conclusions

This study includes first results on the quantification of DNA double‐strand breaks. The energy spectrum of a LINAC was simulated and used for the first time to irradiate DNA molecules. Simulation outcome was validated on experimental data that were produced by a prototype DNA dosimeter.
Real‐time Triggered RAdial Single‐Shot Inversion recovery for arrhythmia‐insensitive myocardial T1 mapping: motion phantom validation and in vivo comparison
Authors: Gensler Daniel , Salinger Tim , Düring Markus , Lorenz Kristina , Jahns Roland , Wech Tobias , Frantz Stefan , Ertl Georg , Jakob Peter M. , Nordbeck Peter
Published: November 2018

Purpose

Cardiac T1 mapping has become an increasingly important imaging technique, contributing novel diagnostic options. However, currently utilized methods are often associated with accuracy problems because of heart rate variations and cardiac arrhythmia, limiting their value in clinical routine. This study aimed to introduce an improved arrhythmia‐related robust T1 mapping sequence called RT‐TRASSI (real‐time Triggered RAdial Single‐Shot Inversion recovery).

Methods

All measurements were performed on a 3.0T whole‐body imaging system. A real‐time feedback algorithm for arrhythmia detection was implemented into the previously described pulse sequence. A programmable motion phantom was constructed and measurements with different simulated arrhythmias arranged. T1 mapping accuracy and susceptibility to artifacts were analyzed. In addition, in vivo measurements and comparisons with 3 prevailing T1 mapping sequences (MOLLI, ShMOLLI, and SASHA) were carried out to investigate the occurrence of artifacts.

Results

In the motion phantom measurements, RT‐TRASSI showed excellent agreement with predetermined reference T1 values. Percentage scattering of the T1 values ranged from –0.6% to +1.9% in sinus rhythm and –1.0% to +3.1% for high‐grade arrhythmias. In vivo, RT‐TRASSI showed diagnostic image quality with only 6% of the acquired T1 maps including image artifacts. In contrast, more than 40% of the T1 maps acquired with MOLLI, ShMOLLI, or SASHA included motion artifacts.

Conclusion

Accuracy issues because of heart rate variability and arrhythmia are a prevailing problem in current cardiac T1 mapping techniques. With RT‐TRASSI, artifacts can be minimized because of the short acquisition time and effective real‐time feedback, avoiding potential data acquisition during systolic heart phase.
Predicting chemo‐brain in breast cancer survivors using multiple MRI features and machine‐learning
Authors: Chen Vincent Chin‐Hung , Lin Tung‐Yeh , Yeh Dah‐Cherng , Chai Jyh‐Wen , Weng Jun‐Cheng
Published: November 2018

Purpose

Breast cancer (BC) is the most common cancer in women worldwide. There exist various advanced chemotherapy drugs for BC; however, chemotherapy drugs may result in brain damage during treatment. When a patient's brain is changed in response to chemo drugs, it is termed chemo‐brain. In this study, we aimed to construct machine‐learning models to detect the subtle alternations of the brain in postchemotherapy BC patients.

Methods

Nineteen BC patients undergoing chemotherapy and 20 healthy controls (HCs) were recruited for this study. Both groups underwent resting‐state functional MRI and generalized q‐sampling imaging (GQI).

Results

Logistic regression (LR) with GQI indices in standardized voxel‐wise analysis, LR with mean regional homogeneity in regional summation analysis, decision tree classifier (CART) with generalized fractional anisotropy in voxel‐wise analysis, and XGBoost (XGB) with normalized quantitative anisotropy had formidable performances in classifying subjects into a chemo‐brain group or an HC group. Classifying the brain MRIs of HC and postchemotherapy patients by conducting leave‐one‐out cross‐validation resulted in the highest accuracy of 84%, which was attained by LR, CART, and XGB with multiple feature sets.

Conclusions

In our study, we constructed the machine‐learning models that were able to identify chemo‐brains from normal brains. We are hopeful that these results will be helpful in clinically tracking chemo‐brains in the future.
An enhanced ensemble Kalman filter scheme incorporating model error in sequential coupling between flow and geomechanics
Authors: Caballero Edison , Rochinha Fernando A. , Borges Marcio , Murad Marcio A.
Published: November 2018

In this work, we construct a new methodology for enhancing the predictive accuracy of sequential methods for coupling flow and geomechanics while preserving low computational cost. The new computational approach is developed within the framework of the fixed‐stress split algorithm procedure in conjunction with data assimilation based on the ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF). In this context, we identify the high‐fidelity model with the two‐way formulation where additional source term appears in the flow equation containing the time derivative of total mean stress. The iterative scheme is then interlaced with data assimilation steps, which also incorporate the modeling error inherent to the EnKF framework. Such a procedure gives rise to an “enhanced one‐way formulation,” exhibiting substantial improvement in accuracy compared with the classical one‐way method. The governing equations are discretized by mixed finite elements, and numerical simulation of a 2D slab problem between injection and production wells illustrate the tremendous achievement of the method proposed herein.
Evaluation of the impact of a clinical pathway on the progression of acute urinary retention
Authors: Gas Jérôme , Liaigre‐Ramos Aline , Caubet‐Kamar Natacha , Beauval Jean Baptiste , Lesourd Marine , Prudhomme Thomas , Huyghe Eric , Soulié Michel , Charpentier Sandrine , Gamé Xavier
Published: November 2018

Aims

The management of acute urinary retention (AUR) revolves around trial without catheter (TWOC) after prescription of an alpha‐blocker. This study evaluates the implementation of a clinical pathway for AUR.

Methods

Specific clinical pathways for AUR was established between the Emergency Department and the Department of Urology in order to reduce the duration of bladder drainage that included standard prescriptions, an information sheet, and a note to be faxed to scheduling nurses to organize the trial without catheter (TWOC). The main endpoint was the reduction in the time between the AUR episode and TWOC, without decreasing urination.

Results

Between April 2015 and December 2016, 248 patients were treated in the Emergency Department, and externally, for AUR. One hundred and seventy patients were enrolled in the pathway group and 78 in the control group. The mean duration of urinary catheterization decreased by 5.5 days as did the number of patients lost to follow‐up (32% vs 76%), without decreasing the successful voiding (46% vs 36%).

The duration of the urinary catheterization was not related to the chance of successful voiding regardless of the urine volume and a drainage time of over 10 days significantly reduced the chance of success (68%, n = 26 versus 42%, n = 76; P = 0.0038).

Conclusion

The implementation of a clinical pathway for AUR reduced the number of patients lost to follow‐up and the catheterization duration, thus optimizing the management of these patients.
An adaptive IgA‐BEM with hierarchical B‐splines based on quasi‐interpolation quadrature schemes
Authors: Falini Antonella , Giannelli Carlotta , Kanduč Tadej , Sampoli Maria Lucia , Sestini Alessandra
Published: November 2018

The isogeometric formulation of the boundary element method (IgA‐BEM) is investigated within the adaptivity framework. Suitable weighted quadrature rules to evaluate integrals appearing in the Galerkin BEM formulation of 2D Laplace model problems are introduced. The proposed quadrature schemes are based on a spline quasi‐interpolation (QI) operator and properly framed in the hierarchical setting. The local nature of the QI perfectly fits with hierarchical spline constructions and leads to an efficient and accurate numerical scheme. An automatic adaptive refinement strategy is driven by a residual‐based error estimator. Numerical examples show that the optimal convergence rate of the Galerkin solution is recovered by the proposed adaptive method.
Variance‐based simplex stochastic collocation with model order reduction for high‐dimensional systems
Authors: Giovanis D.G. , Shields M.D.
Published: November 2018

In this work, an adaptive simplex stochastic collocation method is introduced in which sample refinement is informed by variability in the solution of the system. The proposed method is based on the concept of multi‐element stochastic collocation methods and is capable of dealing with very high‐dimensional models whose solutions are expressed as a vector, a matrix, or a tensor. The method leverages random samples to create a multi‐element polynomial chaos surrogate model that incorporates local anisotropy in the refinement, informed by the variance of the estimated solution. This feature makes it beneficial for strongly nonlinear and/or discontinuous problems with correlated non‐Gaussian uncertainties. To solve large systems, a reduced‐order model (ROM) of the high‐dimensional response is identified using singular value decomposition (higher‐order SVD for matrix/tensor solutions) and polynomial chaos is used to interpolate the ROM. The method is applied to several stochastic systems of varying type of response (scalar/vector/matrix) and it shows considerable improvement in performance compared to existing simplex stochastic collocation methods and adaptive sparse grid collocation methods.
Associations of Organizational Justice and Job Characteristics with Work Engagement Among Nurses in Hospitals in China
Authors: Wan Qiaoqin , Zhou Weijiao , Li Zhaoyang , Shang Shaomei
Published: November 2018

Work engagement of nurses has a great effect on their productivity, patient outcomes, and organizational performance. It is important to explore what can be done to facilitate nurse engagement. In this study, we surveyed a total of 1,065 nurses chosen from seven hospitals in China by random cluster sampling to explore the state of nurse engagement and its associations with organizational justice and job characteristics. The mean score for nurse engagement was 3.5 (SD = 1.5) on a 0–6 scale, and in hierarchical multiple regression analyses we found that nurse engagement had statistically significant relationships with the two organizational justice dimensions of distributive justice (β = 0.13, p < .01) and informational justice (β = 0.17, p < .05); and the three job characteristic dimensions of task significance (β = 0.15, p < .01), job feedback (β = 0.10, p < .01), and skill variety (β = .08, p < .05). Hence, work engagement of nurses was not at a high level, and nursing leaders should consider enhancing their engagement through creating motivational job characteristics and improving nurses’ perception of organizational justice.
Weight Trends in Veterans With and Without Diabetes, 2000 to 2014
Authors: Tamas Margery J. , Khakharia Anjali , Rothenberg Richard B. , Phillips Lawrence S.
Published: November 2018

Objective

The aim of this study was to assess weight trends and diabetes prevalence among US veterans.

Methods

Information from the Veterans Affairs Informatics and Computing Infrastructure Corporate Data Warehouse was used to construct data sets that included demographic data, diabetes status, and weight observations for males and females. Secular and longitudinal trends in mean weight were analyzed.

Results

A total of 4,527,865 patients born from 1915 to 1984 with weight data during 2000 to 2014 were included; 36.8% had diabetes. Mean weight at baseline was higher in men and women with diabetes (97 kg and 88 kg, respectively) than in men and women without diabetes (86 kg and 76 kg, respectively). Mean weight increased from 2000 to 2014 (P < 0.001) at rates of 0.36 kg/y in women without diabetes, 0.28 kg/y in men with diabetes, 0.25 kg/y in men without diabetes, and 0.22 kg/y in women with diabetes. Weight decreased in those born before 1940, was stable in those born between 1940 and 1949, and increased in those born since 1950.

Conclusions

Among contemporary veterans, women without diabetes are gaining weight more rapidly than women with diabetes or men. Younger veterans are gaining weight more rapidly than older veterans. Further efforts are needed to prevent weight gain in veterans, especially among women.
Effect of Mussel‐Inspired Poly(Dopamine)‐Functionalized Carbon Nanotubes/Graphene Nanohybrids on Interfacial Adhesion of Soy Protein‐Based Nanocomposites
Authors: Li Kuang , Jin Shicun , He Jing , Chen Hui , Li Jianzhang
Published: November 2018

The demands for strong integrated biopolymer materials have substantially increased across various industries. In this study, a biomimic strategy was proposed to prepare the poly(dopamine)‐functionalized carbon nanotubes (PDCNTs) via mussel‐inspired chemistry. The graphene dispersion was prepared in aqueous bovine serum albumin solution by ultrasonic treatment through a facile and green approach. Inspired by the excellent integration of mechanical properties and hierarchical nano/microscale structure of natural nacre, we fabricated soy isolate protein (SPI)‐based nanocomposite film with 2D graphene nanosheets and 1D surface‐functionalized PDCNTs through a layer‐by‐layer assembly process. The morphology and thickness of graphene nanosheets were analyzed by atomic force microscopy. The successful surface modification of PDCNTs was confirmed by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The cross‐linking hierarchical structure of the SPI hybrid film was observed in scanning electron microscopy images. A combination of multiple interfacial interactions and enhanced adhesion between the PDCNTs‐graphene conjugation and SPI matrix resulted in a remarkable improvement in the mechanical properties of the SPI‐based nanocomposites. When compared with the unmodified film, the tensile strength and elongation at break of the hybrid film were simultaneously increased by 158.93 and 78.67%, respectively. As a result of the enhanced tortuosity effect, the water vapor permeability was significantly reduced by 33.65%. In addition, the resultant film also possessed favorable water resistance, thermal stability, and ultraviolet–visible light barrier behavior. This work provided a novel bio‐inspired interfacial toughening strategy for constructing high performance biopolymer nanocomposites. POLYM. COMPOS., 40:E1649–E1661, 2019. © 2018 Society of Plastics Engineers