bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Extracellular matrix protein Reelin promotes myeloma progression by facilitating tumor cell proliferation and glycolysis
Authors: Qin Xiaodan , Lin Liang , Cao Li , Zhang Xinwei , Song Xiao , Hao Jie , Zhang Yan , Wei Risheng , Huang Xiaojun , Lu Jin , Ge Qing
Published: March 2017

Reelin is an extracellular matrix protein that is crucial for neuron migration, adhesion, and positioning. We examined the expression of Reelin in a large cohort of multiple myeloma patients recorded in Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database and used over-expression and siRNA knockdown of Reelin to investigate the role of Reelin in myeloma cell growth. We find that Reelin expression is negatively associated with myeloma prognosis. Reelin promotes myeloma cell proliferation in vitro as well as in vivo. The Warburg effect, evidenced by increased glucose uptake and lactate production, is also enhanced in Reelin-expressing cells. The activation of FAK/Syk/Akt/mTOR and STAT3 pathways contributes to Reelin-induced cancer cell growth and metabolic reprogramming. Our findings further reveal that activated Akt and STAT3 pathways induce the upregulation of HIF1α and its downstream targets (LDHA and PDK1), leading to increased glycolysis in myeloma cells. Together, our results demonstrate the critical contributions of Reelin to myeloma growth and metabolism. It presents an opportunity for myeloma therapeutic intervention by inhibiting Reelin and its signaling pathways.
Bioconversion of stilbenes in genetically engineered root and cell cultures of tobacco
Authors: Hidalgo Diego , Martínez-Márquez Ascensión , Moyano Elisabeth , Bru-Martínez Roque , Corchete Purificación , Palazon Javier
Published: March 2017

It is currently possible to transfer a biosynthetic pathway from a plant to another organism. This system has been exploited to transfer the metabolic richness of certain plant species to other plants or even to more simple metabolic organisms such as yeast or bacteria for the production of high added value plant compounds. Another application is to bioconvert substrates into scarcer or biologically more interesting compounds, such as piceatannol and pterostilbene. These two resveratrol-derived stilbenes, which have very promising pharmacological activities, are found in plants only in small amounts. By transferring the human cytochrome P450 hydroxylase 1B1 (HsCYP1B1) gene to tobacco hairy roots and cell cultures, we developed a system able to bioconvert exogenous t-resveratrol into piceatannol in quantities near to mg L−1. Similarly, after heterologous expression of resveratrol O-methyltransferase from Vitis vinifera (VvROMT) in tobacco hairy roots, the exogenous t-resveratrol was bioconverted into pterostilbene. We also observed that both bioconversions can take place in tobacco wild type hairy roots (pRiA4, without any transgene), showing that unspecific tobacco P450 hydroxylases and methyltransferases can perform the bioconversion of t-resveratrol to give the target compounds, albeit at a lower rate than transgenic roots.
Wafer-scale Fabrication of Non-Polar Mesoporous GaN Distributed Bragg Reflectors via Electrochemical Porosification
Authors: Zhu Tongtong , Liu Yingjun , Ding Tao , Fu Wai Yuen , Jarman John , Ren Christopher Xiang , Kumar R. Vasant , Oliver Rachel A.
Published: March 2017

Distributed Bragg reflectors (DBRs) are essential components for the development of optoelectronic devices. For many device applications, it is highly desirable to achieve not only high reflectivity and low absorption, but also good conductivity to allow effective electrical injection of charges. Here, we demonstrate the wafer-scale fabrication of highly reflective and conductive non-polar gallium nitride (GaN) DBRs, consisting of perfectly lattice-matched non-polar (11–20) GaN and mesoporous GaN layers that are obtained by a facile one-step electrochemical etching method without any extra processing steps. The GaN/mesoporous GaN DBRs exhibit high peak reflectivities (>96%) across the entire visible spectrum and wide spectral stop-band widths (full-width at half-maximum >80 nm), while preserving the material quality and showing good electrical conductivity. Such mesoporous GaN DBRs thus provide a promising and scalable platform for high performance GaN-based optoelectronic, photonic, and quantum photonic devices.
Study on the differences in the oxidation characters of two chinese coals
Authors: Dou Guolan , Zhong Xiaoxing
Published: March 2017

The adiabatic oxidation test indicates that the self-heating rate of candle coal (YM) is higher than that of non-coking coal (DFS) in the initial stage, whereas it is lower than that of DFS coal in the later stage.
A green porous solid carbon source supports denitrification in low C/N salinity wastewater
Authors: Li Hua , Zhang Jiasong , Zhou Ziming , Liu Qingsong , Dong Hongbiao , Duan Yafei , Li Chunhou
Published: March 2017

A green porous composite, the nitrate removal rate of which could reach 98.8% on the first day of denitrification.
Understanding the structure and hydrogen bonding network of (H2O)32and (H2O)33: an improved Monte Carlo temperature basin paving (MCTBP) method and quantum theory of atoms in molecules (QTAIM) analysis
Authors: Rakshit Avijit , Yamaguchi Takamasa , Asada Toshio , Bandyopadhyay Pradipta
Published: March 2017

Large water clusters are of particular interest because of their connection to liquid water and the intricate hydrogen bonding networks they possess.
Designed construction of hierarchical NiCo2S4@polypyrrole core–shell nanosheet arrays as electrode materials for high-performance hybrid supercapacitors
Authors: Chen Shaojie , Yang Yefeng , Zhan Ziyue , Xie Jinlei , Xiong Jie
Published: March 2017

In this work, we report the design and fabrication of hierarchical NiCo2S4@polypyrrole (PPy) core–shell hybrid nanosheet arrays as a novel battery-type electrode for high-performance hybrid supercapacitors.
Synthesis of new conjugated polymers with coordinated praseodymium complexes for polymer memory devices
Authors: Lv Wei , Liu Huijiao , Wang Wen , Yang E. , Zhen Hongyu , Ling Qidan
Published: March 2017

A series of novel praseodymium(Pr)-coordinated polymers with phthalimide moieties were synthesized. The effects of the phthalimide moiety and neutral Pr complex on the polymer memory device performance were investigated.
A unified understanding of charge transport in organic semiconductors: the importance of attenuated delocalization for the carriers
Authors: Liu Chuan , Huang Kairong , Park Won-Tae , Li Minmin , Yang Tengzhou , Liu Xuying , Liang Lijuan , Minari Takeo , Noh Yong-Young
Published: March 2017

The generalized Einstein relation (GER) can unify various theoretical models and predict charge transport in OSCs with various crystallinities, by altering the variance of the density of states and the delocalization degree in a Gaussian-distributed density of states.
Dissecting the structural basis for the intracellular delivery of OSW-1 by fluorescent probes
Authors: Hiraizumi M. , Komatsu R. , Shibata T. , Ohta Y. , Sakurai K.
Published: March 2017

Fluorescent derivatives of OSW-1 and its congeners reveal that the glycosylated cholestane scaffold defines their intracellular destination to the ER and Golgi apparatus.
3D dendritic-Fe2O3@C nanoparticles as an anode material for lithium ion batteries
Authors: Zhang Xiaohua , Zhou Zhongfu , Ning Jinyan , Nigar Salma , Zhao Tingkai , Lu Xionggang , Cao Huaqiang
Published: March 2017

3D dendritic Fe2O3 nanoparticles wrapped with carbon (denoted as 3DD-Fe2O3@C hereafter) were synthesized.
In situ formation of pH-responsive Prussian blue for photoacoustic imaging and photothermal therapy of cancer
Authors: Cheng Ming , Peng Wei , Hua Peng , Chen Zhengrong , Sheng Jia , Yang Juan , Wu Yongyou
Published: March 2017

Dual pH-responsive theranostic agent reduces the background signal in photoacoustic imaging and non-specific heating of normal tissues in photothermal therapy.
TET1 exerts its tumour suppressor function by regulating autophagy in glioma cells
Authors: Fu Rui , Ding Yan , Luo Jie , Yu Li , Li Cheng Lin , Li Dong Sheng , Guo Shi Wen
Published: March 2017

DNA methylation and demethylation play a critical role in the regulation of the molecular pathogenesis of gliomas. Tet methylcytosine dioxygenase 1 (TET1) catalyses the sequential oxidation of 5-methylcytosine (5mC) to 5-hydroxymethylcytosine, (5hmC) leading to eventual DNA demethylation. It has been reported that TET1 is a tumour suppressor in several cancers. However, whether TET1 plays a role in glioma development is largely unclear. Different glioma specimens and corresponding normal controls were collected to analyse the expression of TET1. At the same time, TET1 of glioma U251 cells was knocked down or overexpressed to observe its effect on glioma cell proliferation and invasion as well as autophagy level. Here, we reported that the expression of TET1 in glioma tissue was significantly lower than the corresponding non-tumour normal tissues, and the concentration of TET1 is negatively correlated with the glioma WHO classification. When TET1 gene in glioma U251 cells was knocked down by CRISPR/Caspase-9 system, the proliferation and invasive ability of U251 increased remarkably. But when TET1 was overexpressed in U251 cells, the proliferation and invasion were impaired. Following the down-expression of TET1, the level of autophagy in U251 cells decreased accordingly.However, when TET1 was overexpressed in U251 cells, the level of autophagy incraesed. Furthermore, bafilomycin A1 (Baf-A1) but not 3-methyladenine (3-MA) could decrease the autophagy level of TET1−/− U251 cells as the wild-type controls. It suggests that the tumour suppressor effect of TET1 seems to be mediated by regulating the level of autophagy, and the regulation of TET1 on autophagy is at an early stage.
Chronic microaspiration of bile acids induces lung fibrosis through multiple mechanisms in rats
Authors: Chen Bi , You Wen Jie , Liu Xue Qing , Xue Shan , Qin Hui , Jiang Han Dong
Published: March 2017

Gastroesophageal reflux (GER) and microaspiration of duodenogastric refluxate have been recognized as a risk factor for pulmonary fibrosis. Recent evidence suggests that bile acid microaspiration may contribute to the development of lung fibrosis. However, the molecular evidence is scarce and the underlying mechanisms remain to be elucidated. We have recently demonstrated that bile acids induce activation of alveolar epithelial cells (AECs) and lung fibroblasts in vitro. In the present study, a rat model of bile acid microaspiration was established by weekly intratracheal instillation of three major bile acids including chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA), deoxycholic acid (DCA), and lithocholic acid (LCA). Repeated microaspiration of CDCA, DCA, and LCA caused fibrotic changes, including alveolar wall thickening and extensive collagen deposition, in rat lungs. Bile acid microaspiration also induced alveolar epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT), as indicated by up-regulation of mesenchymal markers α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and vimentin, as well as down-regulaton of epithelial markers E-cadherin and cytokeratin in alveolar epithelium of rat lungs. The expression of fibrogenic mediators, including transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and periostin, was significantly elevated in rat lungs exposed to microaspiration of bile acids. Furthermore, microaspiration of bile acids also induced p-Smad3 and farnesoid X receptor (FXR) expression in rat lungs. Our findings suggest that microaspiration of bile acids could promote the development of pulmonary fibrosis in vivo, possibly via stimulating fibrogenic mediator expression and activating TGF-β1/Smad3 signaling and FXR.
Phase unwrapping based on the phase‐gradient‐jump connections
Authors: Zhang Tao , Lv Xiaolei , Qian Jiang , Hong Jun , Yun Ye
Published: March 2017

A novel phase unwrapping method is proposed that can be used in digital holograms, magnetic resonance imaging and synthetic aperture radar interferometry. Phase unwrapping is often an essential task for images with periodic phases, and its result directly affects the measurement precision. However, the path‐independent unwrapped results generally cannot be obtained owing to the inconsistencies of phase gradients, i.e. residues. A simple and efficient approach is provided to determine the connections of opposite‐sign residues by analysing the relationship between the phase gradients and the residues’ generation. After the determination of the connections, integrated the phase map and obtained the path‐independent phase unwrapping result by not crossing the connections and residues. The proposed method has efficiently reduced the computational complexity when compared with the traditional phase unwrapping methods. The effectiveness of the proposed method was proved by experimental results based on real and simulated data.
Stable‐wavelength operation of europium‐doped GaN nanocolumn light‐emitting diodes grown by rf‐plasma‐assisted molecular beam epitaxy
Authors: Sekiguchi H. , Imanishi T. , Matsuzaki R. , Ozaki K. , Yamane K. , Okada H. , Kishino K. , Wakahara A.
Published: March 2017

For the first time, a rare‐earth‐doped GaN nanocolumn light‐emitting diode is fabricated on an n‐type (111) Si substrate, grown by rf‐plasma‐assisted molecular beam epitaxy. The nanocolumn structure remained in the n‐GaN and europium‐doped GaN active regions, but the lateral growth was enhanced in the p‐GaN region such that a continuous film was obtained. Clear diode characteristics and a sharp red luminescence with two dominant peaks at 620.3 and 633.8 nm were observed at room temperature. The shift in the wavelength with an increase in the injected current was <0.2 nm. Thus, this device has the potential for application as a stable‐wavelength optical device.
Resonant cavity‐based dielectric lens antenna for 60 GHz‐band wireless applications
Authors: Rabbani M.S. , Ghafouri‐Shiraz H.
Published: March 2017

A resonant cavity‐based dielectric lens antenna has been presented for 60 GHz‐band (57.24–65.88 GHz) wireless applications. The feeding element is a patch antenna designed with size improvement method for laboratory based fabrication with printed circuit board etching process. A semi‐sphere dielectric lens is placed in front of the feeding antenna at a distance equal to about half‐wavelength of the operating central frequency of 61 GHz. Simulation analysis has been performed on the cavity height and lens radius to obtain an optimised antenna design for its best performance in term of gain (20.1 dBi) and return loss (S11) bandwidth (6.14 GHz).
Physical‐layer security in Internet of Things based on compressed sensing and frequency selection
Authors: Wang Ning , Jiang Ting , Li Weiwei , Lv Shichao
Published: March 2017

Information security is a vital concern in Internet of Things (IoT). Traditional security method based on public or private key encryption scheme is limited by the trade‐off between low cost and high level of security. Among different security solutions, utilising compressed sensing (CS) in combination with the physical‐layer security to achieve the security is a remarkable method. However, in the current literatures, little attention has been given to the area of static environment, which will lead the risk of information leakage in the CS security model. In this study, the authors propose a new CS security model, in which circulant matrix is exploited to improve the generation efficiency of the measurement matrix, and binary resilient functions are utilised to enhance the security. Furthermore, considering the practical application, they present a feasible framework, named CS security scheme based on frequency‐selective, where the frequency‐selective feature of the wireless channel is applied to support the static environment. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed scheme, they conducted experiments and numerical simulations to evaluate the performance, and the results are satisfactory.
Second‐order sliding‐mode‐based global control scheme for wind turbine‐driven DFIGs subject to unbalanced and distorted grid voltage
Authors: Martinez Miren Itsaso , Susperregui Ana , Tapia Gerardo
Published: March 2017

Control algorithms for both the rotor‐ and grid‐side power converters of a wind turbine‐driven doubly‐fed induction generator (DFIG) are detailed, and tuning equations are also provided to assist adjustment of their gains and constants. Those algorithms are based on the second‐order sliding‐mode control (2‐SMC) approach, and they allow the wind turbine to satisfactorily operate under grid voltage non‐idealities, such as simultaneously distorted and unbalanced scenarios. The presented solution turns out to be robust against parameter deviations and disturbances, and of high‐performance dynamic response. Moreover, it drives the transistors of both power converters at a constant switching frequency, also avoiding decomposition in symmetrical sequences of either the grid voltage or currents. The controllers proposed for the two power converters are validated through experimentation on a 7‐kW DFIG test bench subject to a significantly unbalanced and harmonically distorted grid voltage. Their robustness in the presence of both substantial parameter mismatch and disturbances attributable to wind variability is also assessed.
Video stabilisation with total warping variation model
Authors: Wu Huicong , Xiao Liang , Shim Hiuk Jae , Tang Songze
Published: March 2017

This study proposes a robust approach to stabilise videos with a new variational minimising model. In video stabilisation, accumulation error often occurs in cascaded transformation chain‐based methods. To alleviate accumulation error, a new total warping variation (TWV) model is proposed, which describes the smoothness of stabilised camera motion and calculates all the warping transformations efficiently. After estimating original motion parameters based on a 2D similarity transformation model, the corresponding warping parameters are calculated under the TWV minimising framework, where the separable property of the motion parameters is utilised to obtain a closed‐form solution. The proposed method provides robust, smooth and precise motion trajectories after stabilisation. Furthermore, an iterative TWV method is introduced to reduce high‐frequency jitters as well as low‐frequency motions. Moreover, an online TWV method is presented for a long video sequence streaming by adopting a sliding windowed approach. Experimental results on various shaky video sequences show the effectiveness of the proposed method.
WN‐based approach to melanoma diagnosis from dermoscopy images
Authors: Sadri Amir Reza , Azarianpour Sepideh , Zekri Maryam , Emre Celebi Mehmet , Sadri Saeid
Published: March 2017

A new computer‐aided diagnosis (CAD) system for detecting malignant melanoma from dermoscopy images based on a fixed grid wavelet network (FGWN) is proposed. This novel approach is unique in at least three ways: (i) the FGWN is a fixed WN which does not require gradient‐type algorithms for its construction, (ii) the construction of FGWN is based on a new regressor selection technique: D‐optimality orthogonal matching pursuit (DOOMP), and (iii) the entire CAD system relies on the proposed FGWN. These characteristics enhance the integrity and reliability of the results obtained from different stages of automatic melanoma diagnosis. The DOOMP algorithm optimises the network model approximation ability rapidly while improving the model adequacy and robustness. This FGWN is then used to build a CAD system, which performs image enhancement, segmentation, and classification. To classify the images, in the first stage, 441 features with respect to colour, texture, and shape of each lesion are extracted. By means of feature selection, these 441 features are then reduced to 10. The proposed CAD system achieved an accuracy of 91.82%, sensitivity of 92.61%, specificity of 91%, and area under the curve value of 0.944 on a challenging set of 1039 dermoscopy images.
Development of saliency‐based seamless image compositing using hybrid blending (SSICHB)
Authors: Pandey Achala , Pati Umesh Chandra
Published: March 2017

With the advancement in computer vision and graphics tools, digital compositing has become an integral part of the present computer‐generated visual effects. However, factors such as inaccurate mask generation, intensive user interaction, and the creation of boundary seams due to colour or texture difference, make it hard to achieve quality composites. Poisson editing efficiently generates seamless composites but results in undesirable colour bleeding. Multi‐resolution blending, in contrast, produces colour consistent composites; however often introduces blurry boundaries around the source object inserted. Motivated by these observations, the authors propose a colour consistent seamless compositing pipeline by integrating two new approaches. First, the authors use a visual attention algorithm based on the colour difference with increased edge weight using Gaussian filter bank (GFB) to ensure the least user interaction during mask generation. Second, the authors propose a hybrid framework by incorporating the goodness of the two different blending methods namely modified Poisson editing (MPE) and GFB‐based multi‐resolution blending to create colour consistent seamless composites. An extensive experiment has been carried out on challenging datasets to validate the proposed technique. Comparison with the state‐of‐the‐art techniques shows the efficacy of the authors’ algorithm in generating colour consistent, seamless, and natural‐looking composites for present image editing applications.
Effective geometric restoration of distorted historical document for large‐scale digitisation
Authors: Yang Po , Antonacopoulos Apostolos , Clausner Christian , Pletschacher Stefan , Qi Jun
Published: March 2017

Due to storage conditions and material's non‐planar shape, geometric distortion of the two‐dimensional content is widely present in scanned document images. Effective geometric restoration of these distorted document images considerably increases character recognition rate in large‐scale digitisation. For large‐scale digitisation of historical books, geometric restoration solutions expect to be accurate, generic, robust, unsupervised and reversible. However, most methods in the literature concentrate on improving restoration accuracy for specific distortion effect, but not their applicability in large‐scale digitisation. This study proposes an effective mesh based geometric restoration system (GRLSD) for large‐scale distorted historical document digitisation. In this system, an automatic mesh generation based dewarping tool is proposed to geometrically model and correct arbitrary warping historical documents. An XML‐based mesh recorder is proposed to record the mesh of distortion information for reversible use. A graphic user interface (GUI) toolkit is designed to visually display and manually manipulate the mesh for improving geometric restoration accuracy. Experimental results show that the proposed automatic dewarping approach efficiently corrects arbitrarily warped historical documents, with an improved performance over several state‐of‐the‐art geometric restoration methods. By using XML mesh recorder and GUI toolkit, the GRLSD system greatly aids users to flexibly monitor and correct ambiguous points of mesh for the prevention of damaging historical document images without distortions in large‐scale digitalisation.
Analysis of cascaded H‐bridge multilevel inverter configuration with double level circuit
Authors: Prabaharan Natarajan , Palanisamy Kaliannan
Published: March 2017

In this study, a new multilevel inverter configuration which introduces a combination of cascaded H‐bridge multilevel inverter with a double level circuit is proposed. The double level circuit is a half‐bridge inverter when combined with a cascaded H‐bridge multilevel inverter, will increase the output voltage level to nearly twice that of a conventional cascaded H‐bridge multilevel inverter. The effectiveness of the proposed configuration is demonstrated with five different cases of cascaded H‐bridge multilevel inverter configurations. Phase disposition carriers arrangement with sinusoidal reference has been utilised in pulse width modulation for generating the gating signal of switches to achieve high‐quality output voltage waveform. A comparison is carried out with different parameters such as %total harmonic distortion, distortion factor, the maximum voltage step of output voltage level and peak inverse voltage. Analysis of power loss and theoretical calculation of %total harmonic distortion is described. Also, a new method for calculating the overall component count is discussed. As a result, the proposed configuration requires lesser component count for generating higher output voltage level with lower %total harmonic distortion. Selected simulation and experimental results are shown to verify and validate the proposed multilevel inverter configuration.
Performance of the least squares filter for passive radar interference cancellation applications
Authors: Tang Hui , Wan Xianrong , Yi Jianxin , Liu Yuqi , Ke Hengyu
Published: March 2017

For passive radar interference cancellation, least squares (LS) filter is a popularly used method, which projects the surveillance signal in a subspace orthogonal to interference subspace. Under the assumption of ideal reference signal reconstruction, LS filter is simple and effective to implement. However, there is a limited understanding of its performance in passive sensing environments with non‐negligible multipath and noise in reference signal. This study examines such effects on the performance of interference cancellation by LS filter. Since transmitted signal is beyond access in passive radar, modulation error rate (MER) is introduced to characterise the direct‐path signal noise ratio (SNR) of the reference signal. Closed‐form expression for cancellation loss ratio (CLR) is derived, which quantifies to what extent the SNR and interference noise ratio of reference signal and surveillance signal should be achieved to guarantee an acceptable SNR loss of interested target after interference cancellation. Moreover, a modified‐MER scheme is proposed to cope with the noise residual in the reconstructed reference signal so as to improve cancellation performance. Effectiveness is verified by both simulated and experimental collected passive radar data using digital terrestrial multimedia broadcasting waveform. These results are useful in practical data processing for passive radar sensing.
On a decomposition of regular domains into John domains with uniform constants
Authors: Friedrich Manuel
Published: March 2017

We derive a decomposition result for regular, two-dimensional domains into John domains with uniform constants. We prove that for every simply connected domainΩ⊂ ℝ2withC1-boundary there is a corresponding partitionΩ=Ω1⋃ … ⋃ΩNwith Σj=1NH1(∂Ωj\∂Ω)≤θsuch that each component is a John domain with a John constant only depending onθ. The result implies that many inequalities in Sobolev spaces such as Poincaré’s or Korn’s inequality hold on the partition ofΩfor uniform constants, which are independent ofΩ.
Rhodium-Catalysed Hydroboration of Terminal Alkynes Using Pinacolborane Promoted by Tri(2-furyl)phosphine
Authors: Wang Kongchen , Bates Roderick
Published: March 2017

Tri(2-furyl)phosphine is a superior ligand to triphenylphosphine in the rhodium-catalysed hydroboration of alkynes with pinacolborane to yield alkenylboronates. In general the reactions are faster and the products are cleaner.
A Novel Method of Neo-osseous Flap Prefabrication: Induction of Free Calvarial Periosteum with Bioactive Glass
Authors: Aliyev Ali , Ekin Ömer , Bitik Ozan , Korkusuz Petek , Yersal Nilgün , Çelik Hakan , Tunçbilek Gökhan
Published: March 2017

Background Reconstruction of craniofacial bone defects is a primary focus of craniofacial surgery. Although autogenous bone grafts remain as the gold standard, alloplastic materials have also gained widespread popularity due to their off-the-shelf availability, ease of use, and durability. In addition to replacing the missing bone, some of these alloplastic materials have also been found to induce new bone formation.

Objectives In this study, the phenomenon of neo-osseous induction with bioactive glass was investigated for different implant-soft tissue configurations.

Materials and Methods Thirty-two male, Wistar albino rats were divided into four equally numbered study groups. In group 1 (FP), adipofascial groin flaps were prefabricated with free periosteal grafts. In group 2 (FPB), adipofascial groin flaps were prefabricated with free periosteal grafts and bioactive glass. In group 3 (FB), adipofascial groin flaps were prefabricated with bioactive glass. In group 4 (control), adipofascial groin flaps were not prefabricated. Morphometric analyses of the prefabricated structures were performed using micro-CT. The histologic properties of the ectopic ossification were assessed by using a modified scoring system.

Results Group 1 (FP) showed the greatest rate of mature lamellar bone formation. Group 2 (FBP) showed the greatest amount of bone density and volume. However, the addition of bioactive glass in group 2 (FBP) decreased the rate of mature lamellar bone formation when compared with group 1 (FP). Ectopic ossification was not observed in the control group.

Conclusion Bioactive glass can be successfully used in the prefabrication of vascularized compound structures for the reconstruction of complex bone defects. However, interference with the periosteal induction of mature lamellar bone formation should be taken into consideration, especially in pediatric bone defects, which primarily rely on spontaneous osteogenesis through periosteal induction.
Residents' Learning Curve of Lumbar Transforaminal Epidural Steroid Injections
Authors: Haile Sarah , Hildebrandt Gerhard , Stienen Martin , Joswig Holger
Published: March 2017

Background and Study Aims There is a paucity of literature on beginners' training and on its connection with patient safety for transforaminal epidural steroid injections (TFESIs). This study retrospectively assessed the learning curves and associated complications of neurosurgery residents never previously exposed to TFESI and compared them with experienced board-certified faculty neurosurgeons (BCFNs).

Material and Methods Procedure time in minutes, dose-area product (DAP) in cGy*cm2, periprocedural observations, and complications in 354 TFESIs for radicular pain secondary to lumbar disk herniation or lumbar spinal stenosis were extracted from operative notes and the electronic infiltration logbook in the per-injection format. Learning curves for 238 residents and 116 BCFN TFESIs in terms of procedure time and DAP were estimated using monotone regression.

Results Residents' TFESI procedure time and DAP reached BCFN level (4.7 minutes and 140.2 Gy*cm2) after 67 and 68 cases, respectively. Residents' TFESIs were unsuccessful in 1.7%, mostly for severe obesity and hypertrophied facet joints, but no severe complications were noted. Obesity, however, did not result in increased procedure times or radiation exposure in general. Residents were faster and required less fluoroscopy in TFESI of the upper lumbar nerve roots than for L5 or S1 in particular.

Conclusion The residents' learning curve for TFESIs in terms of procedure time and radiation exposure can be overcome safely after < 70 TFESIs. An outcome analysis correlating to the interventionalist's training level would be worth investigating in future studies.
Point-of-Care Coagulation Tests Monitoring of Direct Oral Anticoagulants and Their Reversal Therapy: State of the Art
Authors: Bianchi Paolo , Ranucci Marco , Baryshnikova Ekaterina , Iapichino Giacomo
Published: March 2017

Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) exert similar anticoagulant effects to vitamin K antagonists and are increasingly used worldwide. Nevertheless, an evidence-based approach to patients receiving DOACs when any unplanned urgent surgery or bleeding (either spontaneous or traumatic) occurs is still missing. In this review, we investigate the role of point-of-care coagulation tests when other, more specific tests are not available. Indeed, thromboelastography and activated clotting time can detect dabigatran-induced coagulopathy, while their accuracy is limited for apixaban and rivaroxaban, mostly in cases of low drug plasma concentrations. These tests can also be used to guide the reversal of DOAC-induced coagulopathy providing a quick, before-and-after picture in case of therapeutic use of hemostatic compounds.
Postoperative Care of Patients with High-grade Glioma: Is There a Real Need for the Neurocritical ICU and Early CT Scan?
Authors: Altieri Roberto , Agnoletti Alessandro , Fornaro Riccardo , Ajello Marco , Zenga Francesco , Ducati Alessandro , Garbossa Diego , Cofano Fabio
Published: March 2017

Background Pressure on economic resources now requires a careful rationalization of services. For adult patients with supratentorial gliomas, there is no consensus on the real need for care in a postoperative neurocritical intensive care unit (NICU) and on the timing of a postsurgical computed tomography (CT) scan. In this retrospective nonrandomized study, we assessed if and when there is a real need for NICU and if an early CT scan could be justified in the absence of neurologic worsening.

Methods Of 264 patients, 21 were admitted to the NICU after the procedure as planned before the surgery for their clinical features (Karnofsky performance status < 70, American Society of Anesthesiologists score > 2, or Charlson Comorbidity Index > 5).

Results The mean stay in the NICU was 19.7 hours. One of these patients had developed a postoperative hematoma that was subsequently removed, and died afterward. The other 243 patients were followed clinically after the procedure: 219 underwent a cerebral CT scan 24 hours after the procedure and were discharged in good condition. The other 24 patients had a cerebral CT scan within 24 hours after the procedure. The early CT showed the presence of a local edema in five cases and a hematoma surgically treated with a subsequent admission to the NICU in two cases.

Conclusion Considering our data, we suggest that NICU should not always be used after craniotomy for supratentorial gliomas. Clinical observation was sufficient to predict early postoperative complications. A CT scan before 24 hours after surgery is not recommended in the absence of clinical worsening.
Conservative Treatment with Octreotide to Provide Early Recovery of Children with Esophageal Perforation
Authors: Turkyilmaz Zafer , Sonmez Kaan , Basaklar Abdullah , Karabulut Ramazan
Published: March 2017

Background The effectiveness of nonoperative treatment of esophageal perforation (EP) in children with octreotide is highlighted.

Methods Records of nine patients (seven boys and two girls with an average age of 5.83 ± 5.35 years) with EP were reviewed.

Results EP developed in six patients during dilation of esophageal stenosis (five of six caused by caustic burns). In the other three patients, EP developed after nasogastric placement, after endotracheal intubation, and during endoscopy for foreign body. The symptoms consisted of dyspnea in four patients, tachypnea in seven patients, fever in six patients, chest pain in two patients, and abdominal pain in one patient. Two patients had pneumomediastinum, four patients had pleural effusion, one patient had subcutaneous emphysema, four patients had pneumothorax, and two patients had severe sepsis. Eight of the perforations resolved spontaneously. Therapy included cessation of oral feedings, implementation of proper antibiosis, parenteral and/or enteral nutrition by gastrostomy, and drainage of pleural effusions or mediastinal abscesses if required. Though not recommended by literature, octreotide was administered to these patients. Only one patient was operated in another clinic and was lost during follow-up. The length of hospitalization stay had a median of 11 ± 6.59 days, ranging between 5 and 28 days. If the patient who was operated and did not receive octreotide therapy is excluded, the median hospitalization was only 8 days (5 to 12 days). All patients in our series (except patient 8) survived and still have their native esophagus.

Conclusion The initiation of octreotide treatment in the early period after diagnosis of EP without surgical intervention leads to early improvement in children.
Did King Philip II of Ancient Macedonia Suffer a Zygomatico-Orbital Fracture? A Maxillofacial Surgeon's Approach
Authors: Stathopoulos Panagiotis
Published: March 2017

Philip II, father of Alexander the Great, succeeded his brother, Perdiccas III, to the throne of Macedonia in 360 BC. He has been described by historians as a generous king and military genius who managed to achieve his ambitious plans by expanding the Macedonian city-state over the whole Greek territory and the greater part of the Balkan Peninsula. The aim of our study was to present the evidence with regard to the facial injury of King Philip II of Macedonia and discuss the treatment of the wound by his famous physician, Critobulos. We reviewed the literature for historical, archaeological, and paleopathological evidence of King Philip's facial injury. We include a modern reconstruction of Philip's face based on the evidence of his injury by a team of anatomists and archaeologists from the Universities of Bristol and Manchester. In the light of the archaeological findings by Professor Andronikos and the paleopathological evidence by Musgrave, it can be claimed with confidence that King Philip II suffered a significant injury of his zygomaticomaxillary complex and supraorbital rim caused by an arrow as can be confirmed in many historical sources. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first attempt to present the trauma of King Philip II from a maxillofacial surgeon's point of view.
Kunstherzpatienten im Rettungswesen
Authors: Panholzer Bernd , Haneya Assad
Published: March 2017

Unter dem Begriff Kunstherztherapie versteht man die Implantation von Herzunterstützungssystemen (Ventricular Assist Devices, VAD), zumeist im linken Ventrikel (LVAD), seltener rechts (RVAD) oder biventrikulär (BVAD). Diese Systeme agieren zusätzlich – also unterstützend – zum eigenen Herzen. Die Patienten werden inzwischen i. d. R. postoperativ nach Hause entlassen, und so wird auch der Rettungsdienst zunehmend mit diesen Patienten konfrontiert.
Experimental studies of the NaCs 12(0+) [71Σ+] state: Spin-orbit and non-adiabatic interactions and quantum interference in the 12(0+) [71Σ+] and 11(0+) [53Π] emission spectra
Authors: Faust C. , Jones J. , Huennekens J. , Field R. W.
Published: March 2017

We present results from experimental studies of the 11(0+) and 12(0+) electronic states of the NaCs molecule. An optical-optical double resonance method is used to obtain Doppler-free excitation spectra. Selected data from the 11(0+) and 12(0+) high-lying electronic states are used to obtain Rydberg-Klein-Rees and Inverse Perturbation Approach potential energy curves. Interactions between these two electronic states are evident in the patterns observed in the bound-bound and bound-free fluorescence spectra. A model, based on two separate interaction mechanisms, is presented to describe how the wavefunctions of the two states mix. The electronic parts of the wavefunctions interact via spin-orbit coupling, while the individual rotation-vibration levels interact via a second mechanism, which is likely to be non-adiabatic coupling. A modified version of the BCONT program was used to simulate resolved fluorescence from both upper states. Parameters of the model that describe the two interaction mechanisms were varied until simulations were able to adequately reproduce experimental spectra.
Millimeter distance effects of surface plasmon polaritons in electroformed Al-Al2O3-Ag diodes
Authors: Hickmott T. W.
Published: March 2017

Electroforming of metal-insulator-metal diodes is a soft dielectric breakdown that changes the high resistance of as-prepared diodes to a low resistance state. Electroforming of Al-Al2O3-metal diodes with anodic Al2O3 results in voltage-controlled negative resistance in the current-voltage (I-V) characteristics, electroluminescence (EL), and electron emission into vacuum (EM). EL is due to electrons injected at the Al-Al2O3 interface combining with radiative defects in Al2O3. Surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) are electromagnetic waves that can be excited by photons or electrons. SPPs are confined to a metal-dielectric interface, cause large electric fields in the metal and dielectric, and have ranges of micrometers. The temperature dependence of I-V curves, EL, and EM of a group of electroformed Al-Al2O3-Ag diodes with Al2O3 thicknesses between 12 nm and 20 nm, group A, was measured between 200 K and 300 K. After a sequence of temperature measurements, the Al-Al2O3-Ag diodes, the Al-Al2O3 regions between diodes, and portions of the Ag on the glass region that provides contacts to the diodes are darkened. The range of darkening is >7 mm in a diode with 12 nm of Al2O3 and 2.0–3.5 mm in diodes with Al2O3 thicknesses between 14 nm and 20 nm. Darkening is attributed to the occurrence of SPPs generated by EL photons at the Ag-Al2O3 and Al-Al2O3 interfaces. The results are compared to a second group of Al-Al2O3-Ag diodes with identical Al2O3 thicknesses, group B, that were prepared in the same way as the diodes of group A except for a difference in the deposition of Al films for the two groups. Al-Al2O3-Ag diodes of group B exhibit enhanced EL, which is attributed to spontaneous emission of recombination centers in Al2O3 being enhanced by large electromagnetic fields that are due to SPPs that are generated by EL photons.
Analysis of Raman scattering of self-focused Gaussian laser beam in plasma without WKB approximation
Authors: Ghaffari-Oskooei Sara S. , Aghamir Farzin M.
Published: March 2017

The self-focusing and propagation of intense Gaussian laser beams in plasmas are investigated, and the explicit form of intensity of self-focused laser beams is derived without the use of WKB approximation. Propagation of self-focused laser beams in plasmas is strongly affected by Raman scattering and Brillouin scattering that are expected for hohlraum targets in inertial confinement fusion. The intensity of Raman and Brillouin scattered waves is derived in paraxial approximation where the effect of plasma temperature and Landau damping is considered through the kinetic theory of plasmas. The effect of plasma temperature and its density, as well as laser wavelength and its intensity, on self-focusing and spatial growth of scattered waves is considered.
Explaining the MoVO4− photoelectron spectrum: Rationalization of geometric and electronic structure
Authors: Thompson Lee M. , Jarrold Caroline C. , Hratchian Hrant P.
Published: March 2017

Attempts to reconcile simulated photoelectron spectra of MoVO4− clusters are complicated by the presence of very low energy barriers in the potential energy surfaces (PESs) of the lowest energy spin states and isomers. Transition state structures associated with the inversion of terminal oxygen ligands are found to lie below, or close to, the zero point energy of associated modes, which themselves are found to be of low frequency and thus likely to be significantly populated in the experimental characterization. Our simulations make use of Boltzmann averaging over low-energy coordinates and full mapping of the PES to obtain simulations in good agreement with experimental spectra. Furthermore, molecular orbital analysis of accessible final spin states reveals the existence of low energy two-electron transitions in which the final state is obtained from a finite excitation of an electron along with the main photodetachment event. Two-electron transitions are then used to justify the large difference in intensity between different bands present in the photoelectron spectrum. Owing to the general presence of terminal ligands in metal oxide clusters, this study identifies and proposes a solution to issues that are generally encountered when attempting to simulate transition metal cluster photoelectron spectroscopy.
How predictable is plastic damage at the atomic scale?
Authors: Li D. , Bucholz E. W. , Peterson G. , Reich B. J. , Russ J. C. , Brenner D. W.
Published: March 2017

The title of this letter implies two questions: To what degree is plastic damage inherently predictable at the atomic scale, and can this predictability be quantified? We answer these questions by combining image analysis with molecular dynamics (MD) simulation to quantify similarities between atomic structures of plastic damage in a database of strained copper bi-crystals. We show that a manifold of different outcomes can originate ostensibly from the same initial structure, but that with this approach complex plastic damage within this manifold can be statistically connected to the initial structure. Not only does this work introduce a powerful approach for analyzing MD simulations of a complex plastic damage but also provides a much needed and critical framework for analyzing and organizing atomic-scale microstructural databases.
Controlled nanocrystallinity in Gd nanobowls leads to magnetization of 226 emu/g
Authors: Ertas Y. N. , Bouchard L.-S.
Published: March 2017

Gadolinium (Gd) metal is of great interest in applications such as contrast-enhanced MRI and magnetic cooling. However, it is generally difficult to produce oxide-free and highly magnetic Gd nanoparticles due to the aggressively reactive nature of Gd with oxygen. Herein, we utilized a nanofabrication route and optimization of experimental conditions to produce highly magnetic air-stable oxide-free Gd nanoparticles. The nanobowls displayed the highest saturation magnetization to date for Gd, reaching 226.4 emu/g at 2 K. The crystalline composition of Gd is found to affect the observed magnetization values: the higher magnetization is observed for nanoparticles that have a lower content of the paramagnetic face-centered cubic (fcc) phase and a greater content of the ferromagnetic hexagonal close-packed (hcp) phase. The relative fcc content was found to depend on the deposition rate of the Gd metal during the nanofabrication process, thereby correlating with altered magnetization.
Pool boiling inversion through bubble induced macroconvection
Authors: Jaikumar A. , Kandlikar S. G.
Published: March 2017

While numerous surface geometries have been explored to achieve enhancements in pool boiling critical heat flux and heat transfer coefficient (HTC), their mechanistic contributions towards the characteristics of the pool boiling curve are not clear. Recently reported pool boiling curves in literature have shown a trend where an increase in heat flux leads to a decrease in wall superheat. Consequently, a negative slope in the pool boiling curve accompanied by a sharp increase in HTC, termed here as boiling inversion, is observed. We demonstrate that this inversion is due to vapor stream induced reinforcement of an impinging liquid jet over the non-boiling regions. This behavior is characteristic of surfaces developed using separate liquid-vapor pathways and macroconvection enhancement mechanism resulting in a highly efficient self-sustained boiling configuration. The increased jet impingement velocities lead to higher HTCs with lower wall superheats. The analytical models available in literature are employed to quantitatively explain this trend. Furthermore, a self-adjusting boiling mechanism is seen at play wherein a reduction in nucleation activity due to lowering of wall superheat counters the increase in HTC induced by the macroconvective currents.