bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Temporal cascade of inflammatory cytokines and cell-type populations in monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1)-mediated aneurysm healing
Authors: Hoh Brian L , Fazal Hanain Z , Hourani Siham , Li Mengchen , Lin Li , Hosaka Koji
Published: April 2017

Background

We have previously shown that monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) promotes aneurysm healing.

Objective

To determine the temporal cascade and durability of aneurysm healing.

Methods

Murine carotid aneurysms were treated with MCP-1-releasing or poly(lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA)-only coils. Aneurysm healing was assessed by quantitative measurements of intraluminal tissue ingrowth on 5 μm sections by blinded observers.

Results

Aneurysm healing occurred in stages characteristic of normal wound healing. The 1st stage (day 3) was characterized by a spike in neutrophils and T cells. The 2nd stage (week 1) was characterized by an influx of macrophages and CD45+ cells significantly greater with MCP-1 than with PLGA (p<0.05). The third stage (week 2–3) was characterized by proliferation of smooth muscle cells and fibroblasts (greater with MCP-1 than with PLGA, p<0.05). The fourth stage (3–6 months) was characterized by leveling off of smooth muscle cells and fibroblasts. M1 macrophages were greater at week 1, whereas M2 macrophages were greater at weeks 2 and 3 with MCP-1 than with PLGA. Interleukin 6 was present early and increased through week 2 (p<0.05 compared with PLGA) then decreased and leveled off through 6 months. Tumour necrosis factor α was present early and remained constant through 6 months. MCP-1 and PLGA treatment had similar rates of tissue ingrowth at early time points, but MCP-1 had a significantly greater tissue ingrowth at week 3 (p<0.05), which persisted for 6 months.

Conclusions

The sequential cascade is consistent with an inflammatory model of injury, repair, and remodeling.
Rib fixation: Who, What, When?
Authors: de Moya Marc , Nirula Ram , Biffl Walter
Published: April 2017

Rib fractures are among the most common traumatic injury found in ∼20% of all patients who suffer thoracic trauma. The majority of these are a result of a blunt mechanism and are often associated with other traumatic injuries. The most common associated injury is lung contusion. Rib fractures impart an increased morbidity and mortality with the highest mortality associated with a flail chest in the elderly population. Flail chest is defined radiographically as 3 or more consecutive ribs fractured in 2 or more places. This often translates to a clinical flail which is associated with paradoxical chest wall movement during respiratory cycles. The mainstay of treatment has been pain control and respiratory support with positive pressure ventilation. However, over the past 2 decades, there has been mounting evidence to suggest that open reduction and internal fixation of ribs benefits patients. The indications remain confined to the most severely injured patients with flail chest or chronic non-unions; however, there remains debate whether or not less severely injured patients would benefit as well. This article will review the current evidence and provide proposed indications based on available evidence and current expert opinion.
Ten‐minute chat
Authors: Cobner Andrew
Published: April 2017

To mark its 50th anniversary, the British Cattle Veterinary Association (BCVA) is attempting to raise £50,000 for the charity Send A Cow. The association's president Andrew Cobner explains what the charity does and who's involved in the fundraising.
Plasmonic resonances of nanoparticles from large-scale quantum mechanical simulations
Authors: Zhang Xu , Xiang Hongping , Zhang Mingliang , Lu Gang
Published: April 2017

Plasmonic resonance of metallic nanoparticles results from coherent motion of its conduction electrons, driven by incident light. For the nanoparticles less than 10 nm in diameter, localized surface plasmonic resonances become sensitive to the quantum nature of the conduction electrons. Unfortunately, quantum mechanical simulations based on time-dependent Kohn–Sham density functional theory are computationally too expensive to tackle metal particles larger than 2 nm. Herein, we introduce the recently developed time-dependent orbital-free density functional theory (TD-OFDFT) approach which enables large-scale quantum mechanical simulations of plasmonic responses of metallic nanostructures. Using TD-OFDFT, we have performed quantum mechanical simulations to understand size-dependent plasmonic response of Na nanoparticles and plasmonic responses in Na nanoparticle dimers and trimers. An outlook of future development of the TD-OFDFT method is also presented.
Microstructure and magnetic properties of Fe–6.5 wt.% Si/MnZn(Fe2O4)2 composites with core-shell structure prepared by spark plasma sintering
Authors: Yan Liang , Yan Biao
Published: April 2017

Fe–6.5 wt.% Si powder coated with 10 wt.% MnZn(Fe2O4)2 (MnZn ferrite) was successfully prepared by using dry-type stirring ball milling. The Fe–6.5 wt.% Si/MnZn(Fe2O4)2 soft magnetic composites were prepared by subsequent spark plasma sintering. This paper aims at analyzing the microstructure and magnetic properties of Fe–6.5 wt.% Si/MnZn(Fe2O4)2 soft magnetic composites (sintering temperature: 750[Formula: see text]C, sintering pressure: 50 MPa, holding time: 8 min, heating rate: 60 K/min). Based on X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy, microstructure and powder morphology were examined and magnetic measurements on bulk samples were conducted by vibrating sample magnetometer and impedance analyzer. According to the experiments results, Fe–6.5 wt.% Si/MnZn(Fe2O4)2 composites displayed a core-shell structure, and ceramic phase was observed after sintering. The Fe–6.5 wt.% Si/MnZn(Fe2O4)2 composites achieved high resistivity ([Formula: see text] m[Formula: see text]/cm) while maintaining excellent magnetic properties ([Formula: see text] emu/g). Core losses especially at medium and high frequencies were significantly reduced.
Microstructure evolution and mechanical properties of 5083 aluminum alloy joints by ultrasonic soldering
Authors: Han Dengquan , Li Yuanxing , He Yongpan , Qiu Sifu , Chen Hui
Published: April 2017

Aluminum alloy 5083 was joined with Sn–[Formula: see text]Zn ([Formula: see text], 5, 9, 30 and 60 wt.%) filler metal by ultrasonic soldering at 400[Formula: see text]C. The joint microstructure consisted of [Formula: see text]-Sn and [Formula: see text]-Al solid–solution phases when using pure Sn solder. Zn-rich phases were observed in the joints with Sn–Zn filler metal. The Zn-rich phases grew thicker and larger with the increase in Zn content in the filler metal. The joints soldered with Sn–30Zn filler metal reached a maximum shear strength of 70 MPa. Joint cracking occurred at the interface of pure Sn and Sn–9Zn solders as indicated by SEM observation of the fracture surfaces. The locations of the fracture surface moved from the interface to the seam when using the Sn–30Zn or Sn–60Zn filler metal. The coarse Zn-rich phases were also observed on the fracture surface using Sn–60Sn solder, which results in a shear strength reduction of the joints.
Microstructure and enhanced photoluminescence of ZnO/V2O5 composite
Authors: Zhan Xinghua , Chen Fei , Salcic Zoran , Wong Chee Cheong , Gao Wei
Published: April 2017

Submicron zinc oxide (ZnO) spheres prepared by a two-stage hydrothermal method were assembled into a layer on a substrate by vertical deposition. Vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) was deposited onto the top of ZnO spheres by magnetron sputtering followed by annealing in oxygen atmosphere at 500[Formula: see text]C for an hour. The microstructures and optical properties of the prepared samples were investigated. The photoluminescence (PL) results indicate that the intensity of PL in the annealed ZnO/V2O5 composite microstructures is dramatically improved compared to the constituent V2O5 and ZnO spheres. The intensity enhancement of light emission from the ZnO/V2O5 composite may be attributed to the special microstructure of ZnO particles and the coupling effect between ZnO and V2O5. This transition oxide composite may possibly be developed into a new type of high-efficiency light emitting material.
Structural and electrical properties of ZnO/Zn0.85Mg0.15O thin film prepared by pulsed laser deposition
Authors: Yang Jing-Jing , Wang Gang , Du Wen-Han , Xiong Chao
Published: April 2017

The electrical transport properties are the key factors to determine the performance of ZnO-based quantum effect device. ZnMgO is a typical material to regulate the band of ZnO. In order to investigate the electrical properties of the interface of ZnO/Zn[Formula: see text]Mg[Formula: see text]O films, three kinds of ZnO/Zn[Formula: see text]Mg[Formula: see text]O films have been fabricated with different thickness. After comparing the structural and electrical properties of the samples, we found that the independent Zn[Formula: see text]Mg[Formula: see text]O hexagonal wurtzite structure (002) peak can be detected in XRD spectra. Hall-effect test data confirmed that the two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) became lower because of the decrease of thickness of Zn[Formula: see text]Mg[Formula: see text]O films, increase of impurity scattering and lattice structure distortion caused by the increase of Mg content.
Resource management and scheduling policy based on grid for AIoT
Authors: Zou Yiqin , Quan Li
Published: April 2017

This paper has a research on resource management and scheduling policy based on grid technology for Agricultural Internet of Things (AIoT). Facing the situation of a variety of complex and heterogeneous agricultural resources in AIoT, it is difficult to represent them in a unified way. But from an abstract perspective, there are some common models which can express their characteristics and features. Based on this, we proposed a high-level model called Agricultural Resource Hierarchy Model (ARHM), which can be used for modeling various resources. It introduces the agricultural resource modeling method based on this model. Compared with traditional application-oriented three-layer model, ARHM can hide the differences of different applications and make all applications have a unified interface layer and be implemented without distinction. Furthermore, it proposes a Web Service Resource Framework (WSRF)-based resource management method and the encapsulation structure for it. Finally, it focuses on the discussion of multi-agent-based AG resource scheduler, which is a collaborative service provider pattern in multiple agricultural production domains.
Bilinear Bäcklund transformation, Lax pair and multi-soliton solution for a vector Ramani equation
Authors: Chen Junchao , Feng Bao-Feng , Chen Yong
Published: April 2017

In this paper, a vector Ramani equation is proposed by using the bilinear approach. With the help of the bilinear exchange formulae, bilinear Bäcklund transformation and the corresponding Lax pair for the vector Ramani equation are derived. Besides, multi-soliton solution expressed by pfaffian is given and proved by pfaffian techniques.
Wide angle and broadband perfect absorber with compact multilayer structures
Authors: Wang Jianguo , Yin Chaoyi , Zhu Meiping , Sun Jian , Yi Kui , Shao Jianda
Published: April 2017

We design and numerically investigate a wide angle and broadband perfect absorber with compact multilayer structures. The proposed structure is composed of three stacks of semiconductor films and one metal layer. The absorber presents a broadband absorption between 450 nm and 700 nm with an average absorption above 99.2%. For oblique incidence, the absorber shows an average absorption about 90% for a wide range of incident angles from 0[Formula: see text] to 60[Formula: see text] with p polarization and s polarization. The electrical field intensity distributions are also studied to disclose the broadband absorption mechanism. This designed broadband absorber appears to have very promising applications in solar thermal energy harvesting, thermal emitters and detection.
Elastic properties and electronic structure of Mo2FeB2 alloyed with Cr, Ni and Mn by first-principles calculations
Authors: Lin Yuan Hua , Tong Chuang Chuang , Pan Yong , Liu Wan Ying , Singh Ambrish
Published: April 2017

In this work, we have applied the first-principles calculations to investigate the structural stability, elastic properties and electronic structure of Mo2FeB2with alloying elements Cr, Ni and Mn. The calculated cohesive energy shows that Cr, Ni and Mn prefer to occupy the Fe atom of Mo2FeB2. However, only when Mn is doped at the Mo atom of Mo2FeB2, it is converted from dynamic unstable state to stable state. The calculated elastic modulus shows that Mo2FeB2will have better mechanical properties when alloying elements are at Fe site instead of Mo site. Moreover, Cr addition can improve the volume deformation resistance of Mo2FeB2, Mn addition can improve the shear deformation resistance for Mo2FeB2. The calculated B/G ratio shows that Ni addition can improve the brittleness of borides. Furthermore, the hardness of Mo2FeB2can be enhanced by adding Cr and Mn element. The calculated electronic structure indicates that the increasing of elastic modulus is attributed to the formation of Cr–B and Mn–B covalent bonds.
The atomic size effect on hybrid inorganic–organic perovskite CH3NH3BI3 (B = Pb, Sn) from first-principles study
Authors: Chen Qing-Yuan , Liu Ming-Yang , Huang Yang , Cao Chao , He Yao
Published: April 2017

The inorganic–organic perovskite CH3NH3PbI3 is a hot research material owing to its outstanding performances as one light absorbing layer of solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells. In this study, we focused on the atomic size effect on CH3NH3BI3 (B = Sn, Pb), provided the best atomic size with which CH3NH3BI3 absorbs widest range of different wavelengths of light, by first-principles calculation. We found that the halogen I–p states are mainly composed of the valence band maximum (VBM) of CH3NH3BI3, and the cation B–p states are primarily composed of the conduction band minimum (CBM). Besides, the bandgap of CH3NH3BI3 decreases and absorptive capacities of different wavelengths of light expand when we reduced the size of the atom and changed B atom from Pb to Sn during the change of suitable range. From all of the above, it is discovered that when the atomic size is 20% less than the normal size, CH3NH3PbI3 has the best optical properties, and its light-absorption range is the widest among all sizes of CH3NH3BI3 compounds. All these results reveal that the stress and strain on CH3NH3BI3 change the atomic size which leads to alteration of bandgap and optical properties in high-efficiency solar cells among all CH3NH3BI3 compounds, namely we can enhance the efficiency of the inorganic–organic perovskite solar cells by setting up suitable pressure on the material in future.
Fractional-Order Low- and High-Pass Filters Using UVCs
Authors: Koton Jaroslav , Kubanek David , Sladok Ondrej , Vrba Kamil , Shadrin Aleksandr , Ushakov Peter
Published: April 2017

In this paper, the application of universal voltage conveyors in the design of fractional-order frequency filters is presented. Using the continued fraction expansion approach, circuit solutions approximating the low- and high-pass fractional transfer function are proposed, analyzed and their behavior verified both by simulations and experimental measurements. The considered order of the filters is [Formula: see text], where [Formula: see text]. The proposed filters operate in the voltage-mode, are of minimal configuration and are easy to be connected in cascade as their output impedance is low, zero in theory.
Virtual crossings and a filtration of the triply graded link homology of a link diagram
Authors: Abel Michael , Rozansky Lev
Published: April 2017

A filtration of Soergel bimodules by virtual crossing bimodules extends to Rouquier’s complexes associated with braid words. We show that these complexes are invariant up to filtered homotopy with respect to the second Reidemeister move, and the filtration of the triply graded link diagram homology, constructed by Khovanov through the application of the Hochschild homology, is invariant under Markov moves. We also prove that the homotopy equivalence of the complexes of braid words related by the third Reidemeister move violates filtration by at most two units.
Facile Synthesis of Self-Assembled Flower-Like Mesoporous Zinc Oxide Nanoflakes for Energy Applications
Authors: Saranya P. E. , Selladurai S.
Published: April 2017

Flower-shaped self-assembled zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoflakes were successfully synthesized via a temperature-controlled hydrothermal method. The crystallinity and phase formation of the compound were determined from powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) result. Surface morphology investigations reveal the self-assembled ZnO nanoflakes to form a spherical flower-like structure. In addition, the particle size was determined from high-resolution transmission electron microscope measurement as 18[Formula: see text]nm which is in accord with XRD and UV results. X-ray photo electron spectroscopy studies reveal the chemical composition and oxidation state of the ZnO nanoparticle. The specific surface area was calculated, and mesoporous nature was confirmed using Brunauer–Emmett–Teller analysis. Results support the superior interaction between the electrode and electrolyte ions through surface pores. Capacitive performance of the ZnO electrode material was determined using cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge/discharge studies, and a maximum specific capacitance of 322[Formula: see text]F/g was obtained at 5[Formula: see text]mV/sec. Electrochemical impedance spectrum reveals the materials fast charge transfer kinetics.
The Vacuum Distributions of the Truncated Virasoro Fields are Products of Gamma Distributions
Authors: Accardi Luigi , Boukas Andreas , Lu Yun-Gang
Published: April 2017

In a recent paper, using a splitting formula for the multi-dimensional Heisenberg group, we derived a formula for the vacuum characteristic function (Fourier transform) of quantum random variables defined as self-adjoint sums of Fock space operators satisfying the multidimensional Heisenberg Lie algebra commutation relations. In this paper we use that formula to compute the characteristic function of quantum random variables defined as suitably truncated sums of the Virasoro algebra generators. By relating the structure of the Virasoro fields to the quadratic quantization program and using techniques developed in that context we prove that the vacuum distributions of the truncated Virasoro fields are products of independent, but not identically distributed, shifted Gamma-random variables.
Principles of sustainability and physics as a basis for the low-carbon energy transition
Authors: Ringrose Philip S.
Published: April 2017

Human society needs to achieve a low-carbon energy mix this century. To achieve this, we need: (a) an appreciation of the value of Earth's atmosphere; and (b) a sustainable approach for low-carbon energy. For sustainable developments, three pillars need to work together: the environment, social equity and economics. To address the societal aspects of the low-carbon energy transition, we need to appreciate that our future depends on protecting the Earth's atmosphere. By reviewing the discovery of the greenhouse gas effect over the last 200 years, we establish the essential motivation for changing human behaviour with regard to energy use. From this basis, we consider the challenge of how to achieve this energy transition or, more specifically, how to overcome the dissonances related to societal acceptance, economic hurdles and lack of progress with deployment of low-carbon energy options. The last decade has seen a significant growth in the renewable energy and natural gas sectors: however, CCS has made limited progress. This has to change if the human population is to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In order to accelerate reductions in global CO
2
emissions, all low-carbon energy options must be deployed at an increasing rate in the coming decades.
Data-Driven Synchronization for Internet-of-Things Systems
Authors: Bennett Terrell R. , Gans Nicholas , Jafari Roozbeh
Published: April 2017

The Internet of Things (IoT) is fueled by the growth of sensors, actuators, and services that collect and process raw sensor data. Wearable and environmental sensors will be a major component of the IoT and provide context about people and activities that are occurring. It is imperative that sensors in the IoT are synchronized, which increases the usefulness and value of the sensor data and allows data from multiple sources to be combined and compared. Due to the heterogeneous nature of sensors (e.g., synchronization protocols, communication channels, etc.), synchronization can be difficult. In this article, we present novel techniques for synchronizing data from multi-sensor environments based on the events and interactions measured by the sensors. We present methods to determine which interactions can likely be used for synchronization and methods to improve synchronization by removing erroneous synchronization points. We validate our technique through experiments with wearable and environmental sensors in a laboratory environment. Experiments resulted in median drift error reduction from 66% to 98% for sensors synchronized through physical interactions.
Low-Cost Standard Signatures for Energy-Harvesting Wireless Sensor Networks
Authors: Ateniese Giuseppe , Bianchi Giuseppe , Capossele Angelo T. , Petrioli Chiara , Spenza Dora
Published: April 2017

This work is motivated by a general question: can micro-scale energy-harvesting techniques be exploited to support low-cost
standard
security solutions on resource-constrained devices? We focus on guaranteeing integrity and authentication in Internet of Things (IoT) and Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) applications. In this article, we propose techniques to make ECDSA signatures low cost and implementable on resource-constrained devices. By combining precomputation techniques and energy-harvesting capabilities of modern sensor nodes, we achieve significant improvement over prior works. In addition, we show that the cost of ECDSA signatures can be reduced by up to a factor 10 by using harvesting-aware optimizations.
Outlier Detection over Massive-Scale Trajectory Streams
Authors: Yu Yanwei , Cao Lei , Rundensteiner Elke A. , Wang Qin
Published: April 2017

The detection of abnormal moving objects over high-volume trajectory streams is critical for real-time applications ranging from military surveillance to transportation management. Yet this outlier detection problem, especially along both the spatial and temporal dimensions, remains largely unexplored. In this work, we propose a rich taxonomy of novel classes of neighbor-based trajectory outlier definitions that model the anomalous behavior of moving objects for a large range of real-time applications. Our theoretical analysis and empirical study on two real-world datasets—the Beijing Taxi trajectory data and the Ground Moving Target Indicator data stream—and one generated Moving Objects dataset demonstrate the effectiveness of our taxonomy in effectively capturing different types of abnormal moving objects. Furthermore, we propose a general strategy for efficiently detecting these new outlier classes called the
minimal examination
(MEX) framework. The MEX framework features three core optimization principles, which leverage spatiotemporal as well as the predictability properties of the neighbor evidence to minimize the detection costs. Based on this foundation, we design algorithms that detect the outliers based on these classes of new outlier semantics that successfully leverage our optimization principles. Our comprehensive experimental study demonstrates that our proposed MEX strategy drives the detection costs 100-fold down into the practical realm for applications that analyze high-volume trajectory streams in near real time.
Pseudorandom Generators with Optimal Seed Length for Non-Boolean Poly-Size Circuits
Authors: Artemenko Sergei , Shaltiel Ronen
Published: April 2017

A sampling procedure for a distribution
P
over {0, 1}
ℓ
is a function
C
: {0, 1}

n

→ {0, 1}
ℓ
such that the distribution
C
(

U
n

) (obtained by applying
C
on the uniform distribution

U
n

) is the “desired distribution”
P
. Let
n
>
r
≥ ℓ =
n
Ω(1)
. An ϵ-
nb-PRG
(defined by Dubrov and Ishai [2006]) is a function
G
: {0, 1}

r

→ {0, 1}

n

such that for every
C
: {0, 1}

n

→ {0, 1}
ℓ
in some class of “interesting sampling procedures,”
C
′(

U
r

) =
C
(
G
(

U
r

)) is ϵ-close to
C
(

U
n

) in
statistical distance
.

We construct poly-time computable nb-PRGs with
r
=
O
(ℓ) for poly-size circuits relying on the assumption that there exists β > 0 and a problem
L
in E = DTIME(2

O
(
n
)

) such that for every large enough
n
, nondeterministic circuits of size 2

β
n

that have NP-gates cannot solve
L
on inputs of length
n
. This assumption is a scaled nonuniform analog of (the widely believed) EXP ≠ Σ
2
P
, and similar assumptions appear in various contexts in derandomization. Previous nb-PRGs of Dubrov and Ishai have
r
= Ω(ℓ
2
) and are based on very strong cryptographic assumptions or, alternatively, on nonstandard assumptions regarding incompressibility of functions on random inputs. When restricting to poly-size circuits
C
: {0, 1}

n

→ {0, 1}
ℓ
with Shannon entropy
H
(
C
(

U
n

)) ⩽
k
, for ℓ >
k
=
n
Ω(1)
, our nb-PRGs have
r
=
O
(
k
). The nb-PRGs of Dubrov and Ishai use seed length
r
= Ω(
k
2
) and require that the probability distribution of
C
(

U
n

) is efficiently computable.

Our nb-PRGs follow from a notion of “conditional PRGs,” which may be of independent interest. These are PRGs where
G
(

U
r

) remains pseudorandom even when conditioned on a “large” event {
A
(
G
(

U
r

)) = 1}, for an arbitrary poly-size circuit
A
. A related notion was considered by Shaltiel and Umans [2005] in a different setting, and our proofs use ideas from that paper, as well as ideas of Dubrov and Ishai.

We also give an unconditional construction of poly-time computable nb-PRGs for poly(
n
)-size, depth
d
circuits
C
: {0, 1}

n

→ {0, 1}
ℓ
with
r
=
O
(ℓ · log

d
+
O
(1)

n
). This improves upon the previous work of Dubrov and Ishai that has
r
≥ ℓ
2
. This result follows by adapting a recent PRG construction of Trevisan and Xue [2013] to the case of nb-PRGs. We also show that this PRG can be implemented by a uniform family of constant-depth circuits with slightly increased seed length.
Exact Perfect Matching in Complete Graphs
Authors: Gurjar Rohit , Korwar Arpita , Messner Jochen , Thierauf Thomas
Published: April 2017

A
red-blue graph
is a graph where every edge is colored either red or blue. The exact perfect matching problem asks for a perfect matching in a red-blue graph that has exactly a given number of red edges. We show that for complete and bipartite complete graphs, the exact perfect matching problem is logspace equivalent to the perfect matching problem. Hence, an efficient parallel algorithm for perfect matching would carry over to the exact perfect matching problem for this class of graphs. We also report some progress in extending the result to arbitrary graphs.
Axiom
Authors: Tiloca Marco , Nikitin Kirill , Raza Shahid
Published: April 2017

This article presents Axiom, a DTLS-based approach to efficiently secure multicast group communication among IoT-constrained devices. Axiom provides an adaptation of the DTLS record layer, relies on key material commonly shared among the group members, and does not require one to perform any DTLS handshake. We made a proof-of-concept implementation of Axiom based on the tinyDTLS library for the Contiki OS and used it to experimentally evaluate performance of our approach on real IoT hardware. Results show that Axiom is affordable on resource-constrained platforms and performs significantly better than related alternative approaches.
Personalization of Context-Dependent Applications Through Trigger-Action Rules
Authors: Ghiani Giuseppe , Manca Marco , Paternò Fabio , Santoro Carmen
Published: April 2017

Our life is characterized by the presence of a multitude of interactive devices and smart objects exploited for disparate goals in different contexts of use. Thus, it is impossible for application developers to predict at design time the devices and objects users will exploit, how they will be arranged, and in which situations and for which objectives they will be used. For such reasons, it is important to make end users able to easily and autonomously personalize the behaviour of their Internet of Things applications, so that they can better comply with their specific expectations. In this paper, we present a method and a set of tools that allow end users without programming experience to customize the context-dependent behaviour of their Web applications through the specification of trigger-action rules. The environment is able to support end-user specification of more flexible behaviour than what can be done with existing commercial tools, and it also includes an underlying infrastructure able to detect the possible contextual changes in order to achieve the desired behaviour. The resulting set of tools is able to support the dynamic creation and execution of personalized application versions more suitable for users’ needs in specific contexts of use. Thus, it represents a contribution to obtaining low threshold/high ceiling environments. We also report on an example application in the home automation domain, and a user study that has provided useful positive feedback.
Educational Game and Intelligent Tutoring System
Authors: Long Yanjin , Aleven Vincent
Published: April 2017

Educational games and intelligent tutoring systems (ITS) both support learning by doing, although often in different ways. The current classroom experiment compared a popular commercial game for equation solving,
DragonBox
and a research-based ITS,
Lynnette
with respect to desirable educational outcomes. The 190 participating 7th and 8th grade students were randomly assigned to work with either system for 5 class periods. We measured out-of-system transfer of learning with a paper and pencil pre- and post-test of students’ equation-solving skill. We measured enjoyment and accuracy of self-assessment with a questionnaire. The students who used
DragonBox
solved many more problems and enjoyed the experience more, but the students who used
Lynnette
performed significantly better on the post-test. Our analysis of the design features of both systems suggests possible explanations and spurs ideas for how the strengths of the two systems might be combined. The study shows that intuitions about what works, educationally, can be fallible. Therefore, there is no substitute for rigorous empirical evaluation of educational technologies.
A framework for technology design for emerging markets
Authors: Sambasivan Nithya , Jain Nibha , Checkley Garen , Baki Asif , Herr Taylor
Published: April 2017

This is a forum for perspectives on designing for communities marginalized by economics, social status, infrastructure, or policies. It will discuss design methods, theoretical and conceptual contributions, and methodological engagements for underserved communities.
--- Nithya Sambasivan, Editor
Understanding and researching through making
Authors: Schmidt Albrecht
Published: April 2017

Envisioning, designing, and implementing the user interface require a comprehensive understanding of interaction technologies. In this forum we scout trends and discuss new technologies with the potential to influence interaction design.
--- Albrecht Schmidt, Editor
Significance-Aware Program Execution on Unreliable Hardware
Authors: Parasyris Konstantinos , Vassiliadis Vassilis , Antonopoulos Christos D. , Lalis Spyros , Bellas Nikolaos
Published: April 2017

This article introduces a significance-centric programming model and runtime support that sets the supply voltage in a multicore CPU to sub-nominal values to reduce the energy footprint and provide mechanisms to control output quality. The developers specify the significance of application tasks respecting their contribution to the output quality and provide check and repair functions for handling faults. On a multicore system, we evaluate five benchmarks using an energy model that quantifies the energy reduction. When executing the least-significant tasks unreliably, our approach leads to 20% CPU energy reduction with respect to a reliable execution and has minimal quality degradation.
Motion Correlation
Authors: Velloso Eduardo , Carter Marcus , Newn Joshua , Esteves Augusto , Clarke Christopher , Gellersen Hans
Published: April 2017

Selection is a canonical task in user interfaces, commonly supported by presenting objects for acquisition by pointing. In this article, we consider
motion correlation
as an alternative for selection. The principle is to represent available objects by motion in the interface, have users identify a target by mimicking its specific motion, and use the correlation between the system’s output with the user’s input to determine the selection. The resulting interaction has compelling properties, as users are guided by motion feedback, and only need to copy a presented motion. Motion correlation has been explored in earlier work but only recently begun to feature in holistic interface designs. We provide a first comprehensive review of the principle, and present an analysis of five previously published works, in which motion correlation underpinned the design of novel gaze and gesture interfaces for diverse application contexts. We derive guidelines for motion correlation algorithms, motion feedback, choice of modalities, overall design of motion correlation interfaces, and identify opportunities and challenges identified for future research and design.
A Dual-Domain Perceptual Framework for Generating Visual Inconspicuous Counterparts
Authors: Su Zhuo , Zeng Kun , Li Hanhui , Luo Xiaonan
Published: April 2017

For a given image, it is a challenging task to generate its corresponding counterpart with visual inconspicuous modification. The complexity of this problem reasons from the high correlativity between the editing operations and vision perception. Essentially, a significant requirement that should be emphasized is how to make the object modifications hard to be found visually in the generative counterparts. In this article, we propose a novel dual-domain perceptual framework to generate visual inconspicuous counterparts, which applies the perceptual bidirectional similarity metric (PBSM) and appearance similarity metric (ASM) to create the dual-domain perception error minimization model. The candidate targets are yielded by the well-known PatchMatch model with the strokes-based interactions and selective object library. By the dual-perceptual evaluation index, all candidate targets are sorted to select out the best result. For demonstration, a series of objective and subjective measurements are used to evaluate the performance of our framework.
Caspase-11 promotes cisplatin-induced renal tubular apoptosis through a caspase-3-dependent pathway
Authors: Miao Naijun , Wang Bao , Xu Dan , Wang Yanzhe , Gan Xinxin , Zhou Li , Xue Hong , Zhang Wei , Wang Xiaoxia , Lu Limin
Published: April 2017

Renal tubular injury is the hallmark of cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity. Caspase-11, a member of the caspase family, plays an important role in inflammation and cell death. However, its role in cisplatin-induced renal tubular injury remains unclear. In cisplatin-treated mice, caspase-11 expression was significantly elevated and the expression of caspase-11 was mainly located in renal tubule. Inhibition of caspase-11 by small-interference RNA or its inhibitor wedelolactone attenuated cisplatin-induced renal dysfunction and tubular injury. In cultured primary renal tubular epithelial cells, cisplatin significantly promoted the expression and activation of caspase-11. Inhibition of caspase-11 by small-interference RNA reduced cisplatin-induced cell apoptosis. Overexpression of caspase-11 promoted cell apoptosis by activating the caspase-3-related cell apoptosis. Furthermore, coimmunoprecipitation results showed there was a direct interaction between caspase-11 and caspase-3, and the interaction was enhanced by cisplatin. The fluorescence confocal microscopy results showed that caspase-11 and caspase-3 were colocalized in the cytoplasm of renal tubular epithelial cells. These results demonstrate that caspase-11 plays an important role in cisplatin-induced renal tubular injury. Caspase-11 promotes renal epithelial cell apoptosis by activating the caspase-3-dependent apoptotic pathway. Caspase-11 might be a potential target for therapeutic treatment against cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity.
Effect of acute physiological free fatty acid elevation in the context of hyperinsulinemia on fiber type-specific IMCL accumulation
Authors: Chow Lisa S. , Mashek Douglas G. , Wang Qi , Shepherd Sam O. , Goodpaster Bret H. , Dubé John J.
Published: April 2017

It is well described that increasing free fatty acids (FFAs) to high physiological levels reduces insulin sensitivity. In sedentary humans, intramyocellular lipid (IMCL) is inversely related to insulin sensitivity. Since muscle fiber composition affects muscle metabolism, whether FFAs induce IMCL accumulation in a fiber type-specific manner remains unknown. We hypothesized that in the setting of acute FFA elevation by lipid infusion within the context of a hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp, IMCL will preferentially accumulate in type 1 fibers. Normal-weight participants ( n = 57, mean ± SE: age 24 ± 0.6 yr, BMI 22.2 ± 0.3 kg/m2) who were either endurance trained or sedentary by self-report were recruited from the University of Minnesota ( n = 31, n = 15 trained) and University of Pittsburgh ( n = 26, n = 14 trained). All participants underwent a hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp in the context of a 6-h infusion of either lipid or glycerol control. A vastus lateralis muscle biopsy was obtained at baseline and end-infusion (6 h). The muscle biopsies were processed and analyzed at the University of Pittsburgh for fiber type-specific IMCL accumulation by Oil-Red-O staining. Regardless of training status, acute elevation of FFAs to high physiological levels (~400–600 meq/l) increased IMCL preferentially in type 1 fibers (+35 ± 11% compared with baseline, +29 ± 11% compared with glycerol control: P < 0.05). The increase in IMCL correlated with a decline in insulin sensitivity as measured by the hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp ( r = −0.32, P < 0.01) independent of training status. Regardless of training status, increase of FFAs to a physiological range within the context of hyperinsulinemia shows preferential IMCL accumulation in type 1 fibers.

NEW & NOTEWORTHY This novel human study examined the effects of FFA elevation in the setting of hyperinsulinemia on accumulation of fat in specific types of muscle fibers. Within the context of the hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp, we found that an increase of FFAs to a physiological range sufficient to reduce insulin sensitivity is associated with preferential IMCL accumulation in type 1 fibers.
Icariin Prevents H2O2‐Induced Apoptosis via the PI3K/Akt Pathway in Rat Nucleus Pulposus Intervertebral Disc Cells
Authors: Deng Xiangyu , Chen Sheng , Zheng Dong , Shao Zengwu , Liang Hang , Hu Hongzhi
Published: April 2017

Icariin is a prenylated flavonol glycoside derived from the Chinese herb Epimedium sagittatum. This study investigated the mechanism by which icariin prevents H2O2‐induced apoptosis in rat nucleus pulposus (NP) cells. NP cells were isolated from the rat intervertebral disc and they were divided into five groups after 3 passages: (A) blank control; (B) 200 μM H2O2; (C) 200 μM H2O2 + 20 μM icariin; (D) 20 μM icariin + 200 μM H2O2 + 25 μM LY294002; (E) 200 μM H2O2 + 25 μM LY294002. LY294002 is a selective inhibitor of the phosphoinositide 3‐kinase (PI3K)/Akt signaling pathway. NP cell viability, apoptosis rate, intracellular reactive oxygen species levels, and the expression of AKT, p‐AKT, p53, Bcl‐2, Bax, caspase‐3 were estimated. The results show that, compared with the control group, H2O2 significantly increased NP cell apoptosis and the level of intracellular ROS. Icariin pretreatment significantly decreased H2O2‐induced apoptosis and intracellular ROS and upregulated p‐Akt and BCL‐2 and downregulated caspase‐3 and Bax. LY294002 abolished the protective effects of icariin. Our results show that icariin can attenuate H2O2‐induced apoptosis in rat nucleus pulposus cells and PI3K/AKT pathway is at least partly included in this protection effect.
Buckling of Nonprismatic Column on Varying Elastic Foundation with Arbitrary Boundary Conditions
Authors: Ghadban Ahmad A. , Al-Rahmani Ahmed H. , Rasheed Hayder A. , Albahttiti Mohammed T.
Published: April 2017

Buckling of nonprismatic single columns with arbitrary boundary conditions resting on a nonuniform elastic foundation may be considered as the most generalized treatment of the subject. The buckling differential equation for such columns is extremely difficult to solve analytically. Thus, the authors propose a numerical approach by discretizing the column into a finite number of segments. Each segment has constants E (modulus of elasticity), I (moment of inertia), and β (subgrade stiffness). Next, an exact analytical solution is derived for each prismatic segment resting on uniform elastic foundation. These segments are then assembled in a matrix from which the critical buckling load is obtained. The derived formulation accounts for different end boundary conditions. Validation is performed by benchmarking the present results against analytical solutions found in the literature, showing excellent agreement. After validation, more examples are solved to illustrate the power and flexibility of the proposed method. Overall, the proposed method provides reasonable results, and the examples solved demonstrate the versatility of the developed approach and some of its many possible applications.
Apparent Surface Free Energy of Polymer/Paper Composite Material Treated by Air Plasma
Authors: Terpiłowski Konrad
Published: April 2017

Surface plasma treatment consists in changes of surface properties without changing internal properties. In this paper composite polymer/paper material is used for production of packaging in cosmetic industry. There are problems with bonding this material at the time of packaging production due to its properties. Composite surface was treated by air plasma for 1, 10, 20, and 30 s. The advancing and receding contact angles of water, formamide, and diiodomethane were measured using both treated and untreated samples. Apparent surface free energy was estimated using the hysteresis (CAH) and Van Oss, Good, Chaudhury approaches (LWAB). Surface roughness was investigated using optical profilometry and identification of after plasma treatment emerging chemical groups was made by means of the XPS (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy) technique. After plasma treatment the values of contact angles decreased which is particularly evident for polar liquids. Apparent surface free energy increased compared to that of untreated samples. Changes of energy value are due to the electron-donor parameter of energy. This parameter increases as a result of adding polar groups at the time of surface plasma activation. Changes of surface properties are combination of increase of polar chemical functional groups, increase on the surface, and surface roughness increase.
Circulating Cell-Free DNA to Guide Prostate Cancer Treatment with PARP Inhibition
Authors: Goodall Jane , Mateo Joaquin , Yuan Wei , Mossop Helen , Porta Nuria , Miranda Susana , Perez-Lopez Raquel , Dolling David , Robinson Dan R. , Sandhu Shahneen , Fowler Gemma , Ebbs Berni , Flohr Penny , Seed George , Rodrigues Daniel Nava , Boysen Gunther , Bertan Claudia , Atkin Mark , Clarke Matthew , Crespo Mateus , Figueiredo Ines , Riisnaes Ruth , Sumanasuriya Semini , Rescigno Pasquale , Zafeiriou Zafeiris , Sharp Adam , Tunariu Nina , Bianchini Diletta , Gillman Alexa , Lord Christopher J. , Hall Emma , Chinnaiyan Arul M. , Carreira Suzanne , de Bono Johann S.
Published: April 2017

Biomarkers for more precise patient care are needed in metastatic prostate cancer. We have reported a phase II trial (TOPARP-A) of the PARP inhibitor olaparib in metastatic prostate cancer, demonstrating antitumor activity associating with homologous recombination DNA repair defects. We now report targeted and whole-exome sequencing of serial circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) samples collected during this trial. Decreases in cfDNA concentration independently associated with outcome in multivariable analyses (HR for overall survival at week 8: 0.19; 95% CI, 0.06–0.56; P = 0.003). All tumor tissue somatic DNA repair mutations were detectable in cfDNA; allele frequency of somatic mutations decreased selectively in responding patients (χ2 P < 0.001). At disease progression, following response to olaparib, multiple subclonal aberrations reverting germline and somatic DNA repair mutations (BRCA2, PALB2) back in frame emerged as mechanisms of resistance. These data support the role of liquid biopsies as a predictive, prognostic, response, and resistance biomarker in metastatic prostate cancer.

Significance: We report prospectively planned, serial, cfDNA analyses from patients with metastatic prostate cancer treated on an investigator-initiated phase II trial of olaparib. These analyses provide predictive, prognostic, response, and resistance data with “second hit” mutations first detectable at disease progression, suggesting clonal evolution from treatment-selective pressure and platinum resistance. Cancer Discov; 7(9); 1006–17. ©2017 AACR.

See related commentary by Domchek, p. 937.

See related article by Kondrashova et al., p. 984.

See related article by Quigley et al., p. 999.

This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 920
Purification and Biochemical and Kinetic Properties of an Endo-Polygalacturonase from the Industrial Fungus Aspergillus sojae
Authors: Fratebianchi Dante , Cavello Ivana Alejandra , Cavalitto Sebastián Fernando
Published: April 2017

An endo-polygalacturonase secreted by Aspergillus sojae was characterized after being purified to homogeneity from submerged cultures with orange peel as the sole carbon source by gel filtration and ion-exchange chromatographies. According to SDS-PAGE and analytical isoelectric focusing analyses, the enzyme presents a molecular weight of 47 kDa and pI value of 4.2. This enzyme exhibits considerable stability under highly acidic to neutral conditions (pH 1.5-6.5) and presents a half-life of 2 h at 50°C. Besides its activity towards pectin and polygalacturonic acid, the enzyme displays pectin-releasing activity, acting best in a pH range of 3.3-5.0. Thin-layer chromatographic analysis revealed that tri-galacturonate is the main enzymatic end product of polygalacturonic acid hydrolysis, indicating that it is an endo-polygalacturonase. The enzyme exhibits Michaelis-Menten kinetics, with KM and VMAX values of 0.134 mg/mL and 9.6 µmol/mg/min, respectively, and remained stable and active in the presence of SO2, ethanol, and various cations assayed except Hg2+.