bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Impact of plerixafor (mozobil) on hospital efficiency: A single center experience
Authors: Azar Nabih , Ouzegdouh Maya , Choquet Sylvain , Leblond Véronique
Published: April 2017

Plerixafor (Mozobil) in combination with granulocyte colony‐stimulating factor (G‐CSF) has shown to increase mobilization of peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) as compared to G‐CSF alone in patients undergoing autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT). However, up to 25% of patients treated with G‐CSF alone still fail mobilization. Adding plerixafor to poor mobilizers allows to rescue these patients from mobilization failure and to reduce the number of apheresis sessions. The goal of this retrospective study was to capture the impact of plerixafor on treatment outcome and on apheresis department efficiency. The latter was measured in terms of time‐slots lost, that is, the number of apheresis sessions scheduled but not carried out due to poor mobilization, and the number of elective apheresis sessions performed for patients undergoing extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP). Hospital records of patients treated before and after introduction of plerixafor were collected and analyzed. With plerixafor, the mobilization failure rate dropped from 12% to 4% and the mean number of time‐slots lost per patient dropped from 1.39 to 0.89. Additional drug costs due to plerixafor were partially balanced by a reduction in apheresis sessions, resulting in an additional cost of 759€ per ASCT candidate. More importantly, with the use of plerixafor, the availability of time‐slots turned from erratic to predictable such that freed capacity could be dedicated to other apheresis procedures. As a result, the number of ECP sessions increased from 0 in 2005 to 685 sessions in 2014.
Open Probe fast GC–MS — combining ambient sampling ultra‐fast separation and in‐vacuum ionization for real‐time analysis
Authors: Keshet U. , Alon T. , Fialkov A. B. , Amirav A.
Published: April 2017

An Open Probe inlet was combined with a low thermal mass ultra‐fast gas chromatograph (GC), in‐vacuum electron ionization ion source and a mass spectrometer (MS) of GC–MS for obtaining real‐time analysis with separation. The Open Probe enables ambient sampling via sample vaporization in an oven that is open to room air, and the ultra‐fast GC provides ~30‐s separation, while if no separation is required, it can act as a transfer line with 2 to 3‐s sample transfer time. Sample analysis is as simple as touching the sample, pushing the sample holder into the Open Probe oven and obtaining the results in 30 s. The Open Probe fast GC was mounted on a standard Agilent 7890 GC that was coupled with an Agilent 5977A MS. Open Probe fast GC–MS provides real‐time analysis combined with GC separation and library identification, and it uses the low‐cost MS of GC–MS. The operation of Open Probe fast GC–MS is demonstrated in the 30‐s separation and 50‐s full analysis cycle time of tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabinol in Cannabis flower, sub 1‐min analysis of trace trinitrotoluene transferred from a finger onto a glass surface, vitamin E in canola oil, sterols in olive oil, polybrominated flame retardants in plastics, alprazolam in Xanax drug pill and free fatty acids and cholesterol in human blood. The extrapolated limit of detection for pyrene is <1 fg, but the concentration is too high and the software noise calculation is untrustworthy. The broad range of compounds amenable for analysis is demonstrated in the analysis of reserpine. The possible use with alternate standard GC–MS and Open Probe fast GC–MS is demonstrated in the analysis of heroin in its street drug powder. The use of Open Probe with the fast GC acting as a transfer line is demonstrated in <10‐s analysis without separation of ibuprofen and estradiol. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The Effects of Expansive Shrubs on Plant Species Richness and Soils in Semi‐arid Communal Lands, South Africa
Authors: Sholto‐Douglas Craig , Shackleton Charlie M. , Ruwanza Sheunesu , Dold Tony
Published: April 2017

Expansion by expansive species can have severe ecological, social and economic impacts through the reduction of ecosystem goods and services and species richness. However, expansion by expansive species may also offer benefits to ecosystems and humans, through the supply of ecosystem goods and services (such as firewood, fodder and fruits), as well as potentially offering refugia in heavily used landscapes. Here, we examine the effects of four expansive dwarf shrub species (Aspalathus subtingens, Dicerothamnus rhinocerotis, Pteronia incana and Oedera genistifolia) on plant species richness (at the point scale), vegetation cover, soil properties and whether the expansive species offer refugia to other species. Plant species richness, cover and soil properties were recorded in 1‐m2 quadrats located within a mosaic of expanded and non‐expanded patches for the four expansive shrub species. Plant species richness was significantly higher in the non‐expanded areas compared to the expanded ones for all four expansive species. Some of the expansive shrubs provided refugia to certain plant species and limited the frequency of other species. With regard to species composition, there was little separation of expanded and non‐expanded samples within sites, indicating that the site factors were stronger determinants of plant species richness and composition than expansion. Therefore, it is more likely that the reduction in species richness in expanded sites is caused by multiple drivers, including vegetation attributes cover, litter cover and soil nutrients (organic C, Zn and P) and soil compaction. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
NMR chemical shift and J coupling parameterization and quantum mechanical reference spectrum simulation for selected nerve agent degradation products in aqueous conditions
Authors: Koskela Harri , Anđelković Boban
Published: April 2017

The spectral parameters of selected nerve agent degradation products relevant to the Chemical Weapons Convention, namely, ethyl methylphosphonate, isopropyl methylphosphonate, pinacolyl methylphosphonate and methylphosphonic acid, were studied in wide range of pH conditions and selected temperatures. The pH and temperature dependence of chemical shifts and J couplings was parameterized using Henderson–Hasselbalch‐based functions. The obtained parameters allowed calculation of precise chemical shifts and J coupling constants in arbitrary pH conditions and typical measurement temperatures, thus facilitating quantum mechanical simulation of reference spectra in the chosen magnetic field strength for chemical verification. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Simulation of two‐ and three‐dimensional viscoplastic flows using adaptive mesh refinement
Authors: Cotela‐Dalmau Jordi , Rossi Riccardo , Larese Antonia
Published: April 2017

This paper presents a finite element solver for the simulation of steady non‐Newtonian flow problems, using a regularized Bingham model, with adaptive mesh refinement capabilities.

The solver is based on a stabilized formulation derived from the variational multiscale framework. This choice allows the introduction of an a posteriori error indicator based on the small scale part of the solution, which is used to drive a mesh refinement procedure based on element subdivision.

This approach applied to the solution of a series of benchmark examples, which allow us to validate the formulation and assess its capabilities to model 2D and 3D non‐Newtonian flows.
Epoxy resin modified maleic anhydride‐grafted‐liquid polybutadiene on the properties of short aramid fiber reinforced natural rubber composite
Authors: Luo Zhu , Chen Weilong , Jin Zhong , Dong Fuping , Yang Le , Zheng Qiang
Published: April 2017

A novel compatibilizer with high grafting degree (GD%) of maleic anhydride (MA) onto liquid polybutadiene (LPB) was synthesized via a solution method, in particular, very low gel rate was produced by the synergetic effects of acetanilide and epoxy resin (EP), and the GD% was improved by adding the EP resin and acetanilide. The structure and thermal stability of the MA‐grafted‐liquid polybutadiene (LPB‐g‐MA) were characterized by acid base titrations, FTIR, and TGA techniques. The results showed that both MA and EP resin have been grafted onto the macromolecular chains of LPB with a good thermal stability. Then, it was used as compatibilizer in short aramid fiber (AF) reinforcing natural rubber (NR)/carbon black (CB). The synthetic compatibilizer (LPB‐g‐MA) enhanced the interfacial interaction between the fiber and the rubber matrix with a lower swelling degree and lower peak of loss factor, and the mechanical properties including tensile strength, tensile modulus 100%, tear strength and elongation at break of the final composites increased with the increase of m (E51)/m (LPB). AF and CB had a synergistic effect to reinforce the properties of NR. The dynamic stiffness of the rubber was obviously improved by the short AF, especially in the presence of the compatibilizer. POLYM. COMPOS., 39:E2006–E2015, 2018. © 2017 Society of Plastics Engineers
Numerical predictions of fiber orientation and mechanical properties for injection‐molded long‐carbon‐fiber thermoplastic composites
Authors: Tseng Huan‐Chang , Chang Rong‐Yeu , Hsu Chia‐Hsiang
Published: April 2017

The use of long carbon fiber‐reinforced thermoplastic composites as lightweight automotive materials offers superior mechanical performance compared to glass fibers. However, the anisotropic fiber orientation distribution with shell–core structure is critical to determine mechanical properties. Recently, both theoretical models of fiber orientation—Anisotropic Rotary Diffusion and Reduced Strain Closure and Improved Anisotropic Rotary Diffusion and Retarding Principal Rate—have been significantly developed in the field of fiber suspension rheology. From injection molding simulations, numerical predictions of fiber orientation are derived with related experimental validations, while dramatic changes in orientation distribution are discussed at various fiber concentrations and different polymer matrices. More importantly, the reinforcing ability is discussed in regard to the tensile modulus and the stress–strain response for a variety of long carbon fiber composites. POLYM. COMPOS., 39:3726–3739, 2018. © 2017 Society of Plastics Engineers
Vibration behavior of magnetorheological‐filled functionally graded nanocomposite cylinders reinforced by carbon nanotube
Authors: Safari Setareh , Moradi‐Dastjerdi Rasool , Nezam Abadi Alireza , Tajdari Mehdi
Published: April 2017

In this article, free vibration and damping behavior of functionally graded (FG) nanocomposite cylinders reinforced by carbon nano tube (CNT) subjected to magnetic field are investigated by finite element method (FEM). The nanocomposite cylinders are filled by magnetorheological (MR) oil and are assumed combinations single‐walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and isotropic matrix. An extended rule of mixture based on micro mechanical model is used to estimate material properties of the nanocomposite. Uniform and three types of linear functionally graded distributions along the radial direction are assumed and compared. In this simulation, an axisymmetric model is used to investigate the effects of magnetic field, MR oil, cylinder dimension, CNT volume fraction, and CNT distribution are investigated on the vibrational behavior of the MR filled‐nanocomposite cylinders. It is shown that the frequency of cylinder is decreased dramatically when the cylinders are filled by MR oil. POLYM. COMPOS., 39:E1005–E1012, 2018. © 2017 Society of Plastics Engineers
Density functional theory study of interactions between carbon dioxide and functionalized polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes
Authors: Tezsevin Ilker , Demirtas Cansu , Onal Isik , Dilek Cerag
Published: April 2017

Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxanes (POSS) are cage‐structured inorganic–organic hybrid materials which can be used in various industrial applications. It is recently discovered that POSS structures with certain functional groups can be solubilized in supercritical CO2 allowing their applications in environmentally benign supercritical processing of materials. In this theoretical study, nature and energetics of the interactions of octatrifluoropropyl POSS, octatrifluoromethyl POSS, and octamethyl POSS with CO2 are investigated according to the principles of density functional theory (DFT) by use of Gaussian 09 software. Simulations show that CO2‐octamethyl POSS pair has hydrogen bonding between the O atom of CO2 and the H atom of the methyl group, and CO2‐octatrifluoromethyl POSS pair has interactions between the C atom of CO2 and the F atom of the trifluoromethyl group. CO2‐octatrifluoropropyl POSS pair is found to have both interaction types. The octamethyl, the octatrifluoromethyl and the octatrifluoropropyl POSS structures have interaction energies of −2.18 kcal/mol, −3.10 kcal/mol, and −3.77 kcal/mol, respectively. This shows that the presence of Lewis acid–Lewis base interaction between C and F instead of hydrogen bonding between O and H atoms enhances the interaction of the molecule with CO2, while the presence of both interactions between the octatrifluoropropyl POSS‐CO2 pair makes the intermolecular interaction even stronger.
Developing Advanced Skills in Practice Teaching
Authors: Smith Anne , McAskill Heather , Jack Kirsten
Published: April 2017

Taking a multiprofessional approach, this is the only book which provides practice teachers with the information they need to deal with students who are at advanced practice level
Evaluation of MALDI‐TOF/MS Technology in Olive Oil Adulteration
Authors: Jergović Ana‐Marija , Peršurić Željka , Saftić Lara , Kraljević Pavelić Sandra
Published: April 2017

Adulteration of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) by addition of other vegetable oils or lower‐grade olive oils is a common problem of the oil market worldwide. Therefore, we developed a fast protocol for detection of EVOO adulteration by mass spectrometry fingerprinting of triacylglycerol (TAG) profiles based on MALDI‐TOF/MS. For that purpose, EVOO TAG profiles were compared with those of edible sunflower oil and olive oil composed of refined olive oil and virgin olive oils. Adulteration of EVOO was simulated by addition of sunflower and mixture of refined olive oil and virgin olive oils at 1, 10 and 20% w/w. Results of mass spectrometry TAG profiling were compared with routinely assessed K values for identification of adulteration. MALDI‐TOF/MS technology coupled with statistical analysis was proven as useful for detection of adulteration in EVOO at a rate down to 1%. In contrast, standard spectrophotometric methods failed to identify minor adulterations. In addition, the ability of MALDI‐TOF/MS in detection of adulteration was tested on EVOO samples from different geographical regions. Results demonstrated that MALDI‐TOF/MS technology coupled with statistical analysis is able to distinguish adulterated oils from other EVOO.
Not Black-Alone: The 2008 Presidential Election and Racial Self-Identification among African Americans
Authors: Mason Patrick L.
Published: April 2017

This paper estimates a reduced form racial identity equation for a sample of African American survey respondents. The change in a state's fraction of white votes for Obama in 2008 relative to Kerry in 2004 provides an empirical proxy for a change in white antagonism toward African Americans. Using Current Population Survey data from 2003 to 2013, this paper finds that there is a positive and statistically significant Obama-effect on African American self-identification as mixed-race rather than as black-alone.
Integrated medical rehabilitation delivery in China
Authors: Xiao Yue , Zhao Kun , Ma Zhao‐Xia , Li Xue , Qiu Ying‐Peng
Published: April 2017

Currently, China has a growing need for rehabilitative care; however, rehabilitative care has been underdeveloped for decades. Since the end of 2010, pilot programs in 46 cities (districts) of 14 provinces have been initiated by the Ministry of Health in China to establish formal arrangements for facilitating the delivery of continuous medical rehabilitative care for local communities. After 2 years of pilot work, an evaluation was conducted by researchers. This paper reviews the current status of rehabilitative care in China and discusses the findings of the nationwide pilot program on the integrated rehabilitative service. Some key mechanisms and main issues were identified after analyzing the preliminary outcomes of some of the pilot programs.
Repetitive stress leads to impaired cognitive function that is associated with DNA hypomethylation, reduced BDNF and a dysregulated HPA axis
Authors: Makhathini Khayelihle B. , Abboussi Oualid , Stein Dan J. , Mabandla Musa V. , Daniels William M.U.
Published: April 2017

Exposure to repetitive stress has a negative influence on cognitive‐affective functioning, with growing evidence that these effects may be mediated by a dysregulated hypothalamic‐pituitary‐adrenal (HPA) axis, abnormal neurotrophic factor levels and its subsequent impact on hippocampal function. However, there are few data about the effect of repetitive stressors on epigenetic changes in the hippocampus. In the present study, we examine how repetitive restrain stress (RRS) affects cognitive‐affective functioning, HPA axis regulation, brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels, and global hippocampal DNA methylation. RRS was induced in rats by restraining the animals for 6 h per day for 28 days. The novel object recognition test (NORT) was used to assess cognitive functioning and the open field test (OFT) was performed to assess anxiety‐like behavior during the last week of stress. Hippocampal BDNF levels, glucocorticoid (GR) and mineralocorticoid (MR) receptor mRNA were assessed using real‐time PCR and confirmed with Western blot, while ELISAs were used to determine plasma corticosterone levels and the global methylation status of the hippocampus. Animals exposed to repetitive stress demonstrated significant alterations in the NORT and OFT, had significantly increased plasma corticosterone and significantly decreased hippocampal BDNF concentrations. The expression levels of GR and MR mRNA and protein levels of these genes were significantly decreased in the stressed group compared to control animals. The global DNA methylation of the hippocampal genome of stressed animals was also significantly decreased compared to controls. The data here are consistent with previous work emphasizing the role of the HPA axis and neurotrophic factors in mediating cognitive‐affective changes after exposure to repetitive stressors. Our findings, however, extend the literature by indicating that epigenetic alterations in the hippocampal genome may also play an important role in the development of hippocampus‐associated behavioral abnormalities.
Cerebral amyloid angiopathy in Down syndrome and sporadic and autosomal‐dominant Alzheimer's disease
Authors: Carmona‐Iragui María , Balasa Mircea , Benejam Bessy , Alcolea Daniel , Fernández Susana , Videla Laura , Sala Isabel , Sánchez‐Saudinós María Belén , Morenas‐Rodriguez Estrella , Ribosa‐Nogué Roser , Illán‐Gala Ignacio , Gonzalez‐Ortiz Sofía , Clarimón Jordi , Schmitt Frederick , Powell David K. , Bosch Beatriz , Lladó Albert , Rafii Michael S. , Head Elizabeth , Molinuevo José Luis , Blesa Rafael , Videla Sebastián , Lleó Alberto , Sánchez‐Valle Raquel , Fortea Juan
Published: April 2017

Introduction

We aimed to investigate if cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) is more frequent in genetically determined than in sporadic early‐onset forms of Alzheimer's disease (AD) (early‐onset AD [EOAD]).

Methods

Neuroimaging features of CAA, apolipoprotein (APOE), and cerebrospinal fluid amyloid β (Aβ) 40 levels were studied in subjects with Down syndrome (DS, n = 117), autosomal‐dominant AD (ADAD, n = 29), sporadic EOAD (n = 42), and healthy controls (n = 68).

Results

CAA was present in 31%, 38%, and 12% of cognitively impaired DS, symptomatic ADAD, and sporadic EOAD subjects and in 13% and 4% of cognitively unimpaired DS individuals and healthy controls, respectively. APOE ε4 genotype was borderline significantly associated with CAA in sporadic EOAD (P = .06) but not with DS or ADAD. There were no differences in Aβ040 levels between groups or between subjects with and without CAA.

Discussion

CAA is more frequently found in genetically determined AD than in sporadic EOAD. Cerebrospinal fluid Aβ40 levels are not a useful biomarker for CAA in AD.
Adaptive cardiac resynchronization therapy for dilated cardiomyopathy with functional mitral regurgitation
Authors: Nagata Yoshiki , Nakagawa Yoichiro , Takeda Yusuke , Emoto Kenji , Kinoshita Masaki , Chikata Akio , Maruyama Michiro , Usuda Kazuo
Published: April 2017

We report the case of a man in his 60s who had dilated cardiomyopathy with severe functional mitral regurgitation. Four years after a cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) device with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator was implanted, this device was replaced with an adaptive CRT device because of battery consumption. Seven months after replacement of this device, the left ventricular pacing to right ventricular activation and the atrioventricular delay from automatic adjustments contributed to less functional mitral regurgitation. The findings from our case suggest that optimal CRT, by measuring intracardiac conduction parameters, is effective for functional mitral regurgitation.
Information sharing for sales and operations planning: Contextualized solutions and mechanisms
Authors: Kaipia Riikka , Holmström Jan , Småros Johanna , Rajala Risto
Published: April 2017

We develop actionable design propositions for collaborative sales and operations planning (S&OP) based on the observation of contexts in which benefits are generated — or are absent — from retail information sharing. An information sharing pilot project in a real‐life setting of two product manufacturers and one retailer was designed. The project resulted in one manufacturer, serving a retailer from its local factory, developing a process for collaborative S&OP, while the other manufacturer serving a retailer from more distant regional factories abandoned the process. The evaluation of the outcomes experienced by the two manufacturers allows us to examine contexts in fine‐grained detail and explain why introducing information sharing in the S&OP processes produce — or fail to produce — benefits. The paper contributes to the supply chain information sharing literature by presenting a field tested and evolved S&OP design for non‐standard demand situations, and by a contextual analysis of the mechanisms that produce the benefits of retailer collaboration and information sharing in the S&OP process.
Electromyographic and Kinematic Analysis of Trunk and Limb Muscles During a Holding Task in Individuals With Chronic Low Back Pain and Healthy Controls
Authors: Jubany Júlia , Marina Michel , Angulo‐Barroso Rosa
Published: April 2017

Background

Chronic low back pain (CLBP) affects a large proportion of the population and has been associated with different muscle dysfunctions. However, there is no consensus regarding muscle electromyography and kinematic patterns during fatiguing tasks.

Objective

To examine whether trunk and limb muscle fatigability and activation patterns of individuals suffering CLBP differ from those of healthy participants during a holding task.

Design

Cross‐sectional study.

Setting

Clinical research laboratory.

Participants

Twenty‐four participants with CLBP and 26 matched healthy controls.

Methods

Both groups performed a static holding task, in a semisquat position, until exhaustion. The performance variable was time to failure. Electromyography signs, such as median frequency and root mean square, were used to quantify fatigability by applying linear regression to each of the 3 successive test periods. Kinematic variables were monitored throughout the holding task.

Main Outcome Measurements

Independent t tests were used to compare time to failure. Electromyography‐based measures of muscle fatigability were examined through a two‐way, repeated‐measures analysis of variance (mixed‐model), whereas kinematic analysis was based on 2 multivariate analyses of variance.

Results

Although the groups differed in time to failure (healthy group: mean 201.6 seconds, SD 98.9 seconds; CLBP: mean 132.4 seconds, SD 78.9 seconds; P =.009), no statistically significant differences were found in electromyography‐based measures of muscle fatigability, except for the internal oblique muscle. Kinematic variables were similar in the 2 groups.

Conclusion

Despite similar electromyography fatigability in the 2 groups, individuals with CLBP seem to be more sensitive to certain effects of back muscle fatigue. Significant differences in electromyography measurements in the internal oblique muscle, both between groups and across periods, suggest that individuals with CLBP trigger a subtly different activation pattern to control the spine. In a holding task, compared with healthy people, this may represent a compensatory behavior aimed at adapting to certain deficits in spine control or pain.

Level of Evidence

II
A Framework for Decisions on Science and Policy
Authors: Bane Brendan
Published: April 2017

Human reasoning has helped us become one of the most successful species to populate the planet, but we still struggle with cognitive biases.
Low band-gap conjugated polymer based on diketopyrrolopyrrole units and its application in organic photovoltaic cells
Authors: Zhang Hao , Zhang Shaoqing , Gao Ke , Liu Feng , Yao Huifeng , Yang Bei , He Chang , Russell Thomas P. , Hou Jianhui
Published: April 2017

A new conjugated polymer utilizing diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP) and benzo[1,2-c:4,5-c′]dithiophene-4,8-dione (BDD) units as the backbone framework was designed, synthesized, and applied in polymer solar cells.
Global functions of extracellular, transmembrane and cytoplasmic domains of organic solute transporter β-subunit
Authors: Christian Whitney V. , Hinkle Patricia M.
Published: April 2017

Transport of bile acids across the basolateral membrane of the intestinal enterocyte is carried out by the organic solute transporter (Ost) composed of a seven-transmembrane domain (TMD) subunit (Ostα) and an ancillary single TMD subunit (Ostβ). Although previous investigations have demonstrated the importance of the TMD of Ostβ for its activity, further studies were conducted to assess the contributions of other regions of the Ostβ subunit. Transport activity was retained when Ostβ was truncated to contain only the TMD with 15 additional residues on each side and co-expressed with Ostα, whereas shorter fragments were inactive. To probe the broader functions of Ostβ segments, chimeric proteins were constructed in which N-terminal, TMD or C-terminal regions of Ostβ were fused to corresponding regions of receptor activity-modifying protein (RAMP1), a single TMD protein required by several seven-TMD G-protein-coupled receptors including the calcitonin receptor-like receptor (CLR). Ostβ/RAMP1 chimeras were expressed with Ostα and CLR. As expected, replacing the Ostβ TMD abolished transport activity; however, replacing either the entire N-terminal or entire C-terminal domain of Ostβ with RAMP1 sequences did not prevent plasma membrane localization or the ability to support [3H]taurocholate uptake. Co-immunoprecipitation experiments revealed that the C-terminus of Ostβ is a previously unrecognized site of interaction with Ostα. All chimeras containing N-terminal RAMP1 segments allowed co-expressed CLR to respond to agonists with strong increases in cyclic AMP. These results provide new insights into the structure and function of the heteromeric Ost transporter complex.
Non‐parametric variable step‐size diffusion LMS algorithm over adaptive networks
Authors: Han Hongyu , Zhang Sheng , Liang Hongbin
Published: April 2017

To address the conflicting requirement of fast convergence rate and low misadjustment, a new non‐parametric variable step‐size diffusion least mean squares (LMS) (NPVSSDifLMS) algorithm is presented. The non‐parametric variable step‐size scheme is obtained to cancel the influence of noise signals in the intermediate posteriori errors at every node. Simulation results show that this NPVSSDifLMS algorithm outperforms the DifLMS and VSSDifLMS algorithms.
Gain‐improved double‐slot TSA with Y‐shaped corrugated edges
Authors: Liu Ya Qiao , Liang Jian Gang , Wang Ya Wei
Published: April 2017

A novel bandwidth‐enhanced UWB tapered slot antenna with Y‐shaped corrugated edges is proposed. In the double‐slot structure, the two slots are separated by a V‐shaped metal surface with straight edges, which is beneficial to improve the directivity of the antenna. Meanwhile, an exponential Y‐shaped corrugated edge is designed. This novel corrugated edge not only enhances the impedance bandwidth, but also improves the gain by concentrating the energy near the tapered slot. The impedance bandwidth of the double‐slot TSA is from 2.5 to 28 GHz. The gain of the antenna is >10 dB from 3.5 to 25 GHz, and >8 dB in the whole operating band.
Interference‐aware multi‐hop path selection for device‐to‐device communications in a cellular interference environment
Authors: Yuan Hu , Guo Weisi , Jin Yanliang , Wang Siyi , Ni Minming
Published: April 2017

Device‐to‐device (D2D) communications are widely seen as an efficient network capacity scaling technology. The co‐existence of D2D with conventional cellular (CC) transmissions causes unwanted interference. Existing techniques have focused on improving the throughput of D2D communications by optimising the radio‐resource management and power allocation. However, very little is understood about the impact of the route selection of the users and how optimal routing can reduce interference and improve the overall network capacity. In fact, traditional wisdom indicates that minimising the number of hops or the total path distance is preferable. Yet, when interference is considered, the authors show that this is not the case. In this study, they show that by understanding the location of the user an interference‐aware‐routing (IAR) algorithm can be devised. They propose an adaptive IAR algorithm that on average achieves a 30% increase in hop distance, but can improve the overall network capacity by 50% whilst only incurring a minor 2% degradation to the CC capacity. The analysis framework and the results open up new avenues of research in location‐dependent optimisation in wireless systems, which is particularly important for increasingly dense and semantic‐aware deployments.
Multiuser energy harvesting relaying system with direct links
Authors: Lai Xiazhi , Zou Wanxin , Li Xutao , Fan Lisheng
Published: April 2017

In this study, the authors study an energy harvesting relaying system with multiuser, in which the relay node is capable of harvesting radio‐frequency energy and retransmitting data with harvested energy by employing the power splitting strategy. The joint impact of direct and relaying links is taken into account in the process of user selection, and furthermore exploited for data transmission by using the selection combing receiver. To evaluate the system performance, analytical outage probabilities regarding both amplify‐and‐forward (AF) and decode‐and‐forward (DF) relaying have been derived under Rayleigh fading channel. Furthermore, they calculate the asymptotic expressions of outage probability, and they confirm that AF relaying as well as DF relaying approaches the system diversity order of , where N denotes the user number. Numerical results are demonstrated to validate the proposed analysis as well.
Improved min‐sum algorithm based on density evolution for low‐density parity check codes
Authors: Wang Xiumin , Cao Weilin , Li Jun , Shan Liang , Cao Haiyan , Li Jinsong , Qian Fanglei
Published: April 2017

In this study, the authors present an improved min‐sum (MS) algorithm based on density evolution (DE) called the DE MS algorithm for low‐density parity check codes. First, they use DE theory to calculate the probability density function of the check‐to‐variable message of the belief propagation (BP) algorithm and the MS/normalised MS (NMS) algorithm and furthermore to calculate the normalised factor α. Then, α is modified further by using the weighted average. Finally, in order to ensure the decoding performance and reduce the hardware complexity, the same α is used for different signal‐to‐noise ratios. The simulation results show that a gain of about 0.2 dB can be achieved in comparison with the classical NMS algorithm. In addition, this algorithm can obtain the same decoding performance compared with the Linear Minimum Mean Square Error (LMMSE) MS algorithm whose decoding performance is very close to that of the BP algorithm, and it also saves around 24.57% of logic elements and 34.33% of memory bits compared with the LMMSE MS algorithm at the same time.
Multicamera rig calibration by double‐sided thick checkerboard
Authors: Marcon Marco , Sarti Augusto , Tubaro Stefano
Published: April 2017

A multi‐camera rig calibration algorithm based on a double sided planar target is proposed. Due to their inherently simple realisation, low cost and accuracy, planar calibration targets came out as one of the most largely adopted calibration tools both for intrinsic and extrinsic camera parameters. However, concerning the estimation of extrinsic parameters, one of the major drawbacks of these targets is their requirement for distinct target visibility from both cameras. This prevents many configurations from being adopted where, e.g. two cameras are facing each other. An inexpensive solution could be based on printing/pasting a planar pattern on both target sides, however, the relative misalignment between the patterns on the two sides and the target thickness could be unknown. The authors propose a solution where double‐sided target displacement error is estimated together with the extrinsic parameters allowing the reuse of all the available planar calibration tools in less constrained configurations. To assess their approach the authors tested the system in two scenarios, one using two professional 4K cameras and one using two smartphones.
Large margin relative distance learning for person re‐identification
Authors: Dong Husheng , Gong Shengrong , Liu Chunping , Ji Yi , Zhong Shan
Published: April 2017

Distance metric learning has achieved great success in person re‐identification. Most existing methods that learn metrics from pairwise constraints suffer the problem of imbalanced data. In this study, the authors present a large margin relative distance learning (LMRDL) method which learns the metric from triplet constraints, so that the problem of imbalanced sample pairs can be bypassed. Different from existing triplet‐based methods, LMRDL employs an improved triplet loss that enforces penalisation on the triplets with minimal inter‐class distance, and this leads to a more stringent constraint to guide the learning. To suppress the large variations of pedestrian's appearance in different camera views, the authors propose to learn the metric over the intra‐class subspace. The proposed method is formulated as a logistic metric learning problem with positive semi‐definite constraint, and the authors derive an efficient optimisation scheme to solve it based on the accelerated proximal gradient approach. Experimental results show that the proposed method achieves state‐of‐the‐art performance on three challenging datasets (VIPeR, PRID450S, and GRID).
Background modelling using discriminative motion representation
Authors: Zhong Zuofeng , Xu Yong , Li Zuoyong , Zhao Yinnan
Published: April 2017

Robustness is an important factor for background modelling on various scenarios. Current pixel‐based adaptive segmentation method cannot effectively tackle diverse objects simultaneously. To address this problem, in this study, a background modelling method using discriminative motion representation is proposed. Instead of simple usage of intensity to construct the background model, the proposed method extracts a new local descriptor which uses a weighted combination of differential excitations for each pixel to enhance the discriminability of pixels. On the basis of this background model, different categories of objects can be quickly identified by a simple but effective classification rule and accurately be represented in background model by a smart selection of updating strategies. Therefore, the authors’ background modelling method can generate complete representation for static objects and decrease false detection caused by dynamic background or illumination variations. Extensive experiments have been conducted to demonstrate that the proposed method obtains more advantages of foreground detection than the state‐of‐the‐art methods. In addition, the proposed method provides a computational efficient algorithm for foreground detection tasks.
Effect of the GICs on magnetic saturation of asymmetric three‐phase transformer
Authors: Aboura Faouzi , Touhami Omar
Published: April 2017

The most commonly used models in geomagnetic‐induced currents (GICs) studies neglect the hysteresis phenomenon. In relation to this, the authors present an approach to integrate the hysteresis phenomenon to the finite‐element model (2D‐FEM) for the effects of the GIC which considers the current, as an input quantity. These currents are obtained by a dynamic electromagnetic model that the authors developed, and are compared with the results obtained by experimentation. This is the first time that this phenomenon has been shown in three‐phase transformers with load. They also provide other practical responses in relation to other papers in which their studies concern the imbalance GIC bias on the asymmetric three‐phase transformers with no‐load while the majority of the transformers operate on load.
Origin of resonance noise and analysis of randomising turn‐on angle method in switched reluctance motor
Authors: Guo Xiao‐qiang , Zhong Rui , Ding De‐sheng , Zhang Ming‐shu , Shao Wei‐jian , Sun Wei‐feng
Published: April 2017

Radial vibration and torque ripple are the most two important factors to acoustic noise, especially when resonance is excited. This study focuses on radial vibration, which is composed of vibration impulse and fundamental vibration. The respective influence of the two components to resonance noise is analysed. It is experimentally demonstrated that fundamental vibration is more significant to resonance noise compared with vibration impulse. Accordingly, based on the already proposed randomising turn‐on angle method, the reduction effect of the method is analysed in detail using different control parameters like different variation range of turn‐on angle and different overlapping. The resonance noise is substantially reduced, which verifies the effectiveness of the randomising turn‐on angle. In addition, it is found that the reduction effect is almost the same by different control parameters, which shows the flexibility of the method.
Introductory assessment of a novel high‐torque density axial flux switched reluctance machine
Authors: Ebrahimi Yousef , Feyzi Mohammad Reza
Published: April 2017

A novel structure of switched reluctance machines (SRMs) is proposed in this study. The proposed structure uses the advantages of the axial flux path, short flux path, segmental rotor, and flux reversal free stator machines all together to improve the torque density of the SRMs. The main geometrical, electrical and physical specifications are presented. In addition, some features of the proposed structure are compared with those of a state‐of‐the‐art radial flux SRM, considered as a reference machine. Achieved results reveal that, compared with the reference machine, the proposed machine delivers about the same torque, albeit employing considerably lower volume and active material mass. These make the proposed structures a potentially proper candidate for traction and propulsion applications demanding high‐torque density machines.
Hybrid controller for mid‐power audio application
Authors: Joshi Sridhar , Sensarma Parthasarathi
Published: April 2017

Driving current of a moving coil loudspeaker, fed from a switched voltage‐mode audio amplifier, display non‐ideal transfer characteristic relative to the reference audio signal. This is chiefly due to the effective speaker voice coil electrical impedance and phase lag provided by the output filter. This study investigates the deviation in the transfer characteristics from the ideal constant gain and zero‐lag properties and proposes a hybrid controller to mitigate the drawback. The hybrid controller comprises a sliding‐mode controlled amplifier (SMCA) which has a non‐linear control law and ensures maximal command following among voltage‐mode algorithms, realisable under switching frequency and filter size constraints. Additionally, a linear controller fine‐tunes the speaker current and its design is based on the transfer function of the SMCA and loudspeaker, which are least‐square approximated from experimental frequency response data. A 20 W amplifier, driving a 4 Ω speaker load, is developed and experimental results obtained there from establishing the improved electric to acoustic signal conversion using the hybrid controller.
New grounded immittance simulators employing a single CFCC
Authors: Singh Alok Kumar , Kumar Pragati , Senani Raj
Published: April 2017

In this study, a number of new immittance simulators employing a single current follower current conveyor (CFCC) and three passive components are proposed. First, six new circuit configurations have been introduced which can simulate lossy immittances of different types using a single CFCC along with a canonical number of passive and active components. Subsequently, with a little modification in the hardware of the CFCC, three other new circuits have been introduced which can simulate a variety of lossless immittances without any component matching constraints or requirement of additional active elements. When the passive resistors are replaced with complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) voltage controlled resistors, electronic tunability of the simulated immittances is available in all the cases. Several application examples of some of the proposed simulated immittance circuits have been presented and their workability has been verified using PSPICE simulations based on CFCC implementable in 0.18 μm CMOS technology.
Photoresponsive wettability switching of TiO2‐coated micropillar arrays with different geometries of overhang roofs
Authors: Kobayashi Taizo , Maeda Hironobu , Konishi Satoshi
Published: April 2017

In this work, micropillar array structures with overhang roofs which increase the switching range of the TiO2 photoresponsive wettability, have been fabricated. The liquid droplet placed on the micropillar array exhibits the Cassie–Baxter superhydrophobic state because of the receding of the liquid–air interface to the pillar top, when its contact angle (θTiO2) on the TiO2 surface exceeds than the geometrical angle (ψ) between the overhang roof and the vertical micropillar shaft. The Cassie–Baxter state can be transformed into the Wenzel state at a relatively large surface area of the micropillar array when the magnitude of θTiO2 becomes smaller than ψ after ultraviolet irradiation due to the photoinduced superhydrophilicity of TiO2. The rutile TiO2‐coated micropillar array with a small ψ exhibits faster reverse wettability transformation from the Wenzel state to the Cassie–Baxter state despite the relatively small θTiO2 increase in the dark. In addition, the wettability reversal time was shortened from 180 to 6 min after decreasing ψ from 51° to 9°.
Current Trends of Hypertension Treatment in the United States
Authors: Shah Shreya J , Stafford Randall S
Published: April 2017

BACKGROUND

To examine current patterns of hypertension (HTN) treatment in the United States, including blood pressure (BP) control, prevalence of different antihypertensive agents, and variations in treatment associated with patient and physician characteristics.

METHODS

We used data from the National Disease and Therapeutic Index (NDTI), a nationally representative physician survey produced by QuintilesIMS. We selected patients with a diagnosis of HTN and identified those prescribed antihypertensive therapies. We analyzed the type of antihypertensive agents prescribed. Extent of BP control, and associated patient and physician characteristics. We calculated 95% confidence intervals that accounted for the multistage NDTI sampling design.

RESULTS

Among those treated for HTN in 2014, BP control varied: systolic BP (SBP) ≥160 (15%) vs. SBP 150–159 (9%) vs. SBP 140–149 (19%) vs. SBP 130–139 (26%) vs. SBP <130 (32%). Of those treated for HTN, 29% used of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs); 24%, thiazide-like diuretics; 22%, angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), 21%, calcium-channel blockers (CCBs); and 19% beta-blockers. Newer drugs had very limited uptake; no drugs approved after 2002 were used in more than 5% of patients. Selection of agents varied only modestly by patient and physician characteristics.

CONCLUSIONS

The treatment of HTN in 2014 predominantly involved older medications in 5 major classes of drugs: ACEIs, thiazide diuretics, ARBs, CCBs, and beta-blockers. Selection of antihypertensive agents showed limited variation by age, gender, race, and insurance type. Although 58% of treated patients had SBP <140, 24% had poorly controlled HTN with SBP ≥150, indicating the need for improved treatment.
STOPGAP: a database for systematic target opportunity assessment by genetic association predictions
Authors: Shen Judong , Song Kijoung , Slater Andrew J , Ferrero Enrico , Nelson Matthew R
Published: April 2017

We developed the STOPGAP (Systematic Target OPportunity assessment by Genetic Association Predictions) database, an extensive catalog of human genetic associations mapped to effector gene candidates. STOPGAP draws on a variety of publicly available GWAS associations, linkage disequilibrium (LD) measures, functional genomic and variant annotation sources. Algorithms were developed to merge the association data, partition associations into non-overlapping LD clusters, map variants to genes and produce a variant-to-gene score used to rank the relative confidence among potential effector genes. This database can be used for a multitude of investigations into the genes and genetic mechanisms underlying inter-individual variation in human traits, as well as supporting drug discovery applications.

Availability and implementation

Shell, R, Perl and Python scripts and STOPGAP R data files (version 2.5.1 at publication) are available at https://github.com/StatGenPRD/STOPGAP. Some of the most useful STOPGAP fields can be queried through an R Shiny web application at http://stopgapwebapp.com.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Clonal Expansion of Human Immunodeficiency Virus–Infected Cells and Human Immunodeficiency Virus Persistence During Antiretroviral Therapy
Authors: Mullins James I. , Frenkel Lisa M.
Published: April 2017

The latent HIV-1 reservoir in blood decays very slowly, even during prolonged suppression of viral replication by antiretroviral therapy (ART). Mechanisms for reservoir persistence include replenishment through low-level viral replication, longevity and homeostatic proliferation of memory T cells, and most recently appreciated, clonal expansion of HIV-infected cells. Clonally expanded cells make up a large and increasing fraction of the residual infected cell population on ART, and insertion of HIV proviruses into certain host cellular genes has been associated with this proliferation. That the vast majority of proviruses are defective clouds our assessment of the degree to which clonally expanded cells harbor infectious viruses, and thus the extent to which they contribute to reservoirs relevant to curing infection. This review summarizes past studies that have defined our current understanding and the gaps in our knowledge of the mechanisms by which proviral integration and clonal expansion sustain the HIV reservoir.