bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Flow distribution in diverging compound channels using improved independent subsection method
Authors: Das Bhabani Shankar , Devi Kamalini , Proust Sebastien , Khatua Kishanjit Kumar
Published: September 2018

Experiments have been conducted in three diverging compound channels for different flow conditions to study the flow distribution in floodplain, upper and lower main channel. In a compound channel, vertical apparent shear exists on the interface between the upper main channel and the floodplain, which generally accelerates the flow on the floodplain and resists the flow in the upper main channel. In addition, a horizontal apparent shear stress also occurs on the interface between the upper and lower main channels, which generally accelerates the flow in the lower one and resists the flow in the upper one. Therefore, it is essential to consider the exchanges of momentum at both vertical and horizontal shear layer regions. In this paper, an attempt is made to improve the classical independent subsection method (ISM) to determine the magnitudes of flow and velocities in both upper and lower main channels. Four subsections are created in improved ISM according to the vertical and horizontal division lines that correspond to the vertical interface between the main channel and floodplain and the horizontal interface between upper and lower main channels respectively. The improved ISM consists in a set of four coupled 1D momentum equations (instead three equations of classical ISM) for subsections and a mass conservation equation for the total cross-section. The computed results show that the method is well capable of predicting the discharge distributions in the floodplain and main channel (both at upper and lower main channel).
Velocity profile and depth-averaged to surface velocity in natural streams: A review over alarge sample of rivers
Authors: Hauet Alexandre , Morlot Thomas , Daubagnan Léa
Published: September 2018

For measuring flood discharge with non-intrusive methods, one should know the depth-averaged to surface velocity ratio α. In this paper, a large sample of gauging (3611 gaugings over 176 sites of EDF-DTG) realized with a current meter are analyzed to compute α with three methods: fitting of a log- and a power-law and using the measured surface velocity. Results show that the three methods give very similar results, with a mean value of α of about 0.8, with few dispersion (5th and 95th percentile values being about 0.7 and 0.9). A link between α and the water depth is established, as α increases with the hydraulic radius. The link between α and the bed roughness, or between α and the relative roughness (Rh/d50) is not clear. Results only shows that the mean value of α is 0.8 for natural rivers (sandy, pebbly or boulders rivers), and 0.9 for artificial concrete channels.
Bed-load measurements on large, sand-bed rivers in the United States
Authors: Abraham David , McAlpin Tate , Jones Keaton
Published: September 2018

The movement of bed forms (sand dunes) in large sand-bed rivers is being used to determine the transport rate of bed load. The ISSDOTv2 (Integrated Section Surface Difference Over Time version 2) methodology uses time sequenced differences of measured bathymetric surfaces to compute the bed-load transport rate. The method was verified using flume studies [1]. In general, the method provides very consistent and repeatable results, and also shows very good fidelity with most other measurement techniques. Over the last 7 years we have measured, computed and compiled what we believe to be the most extensive data set anywhere of bed-load measurements on large, sand bed rivers. Most of the measurements have been taken on the Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio and Snake Rivers in the United States. For cases where multiple measurements were made at varying flow rates, bed-load rating curves have been produced. This paper will provide references for the methodology, but is intended more to discuss the measurements, the resulting data sets, and current and potential uses for the bed-load data.
LiDAR resolution for catchment-inclusive hydrodynamic models
Authors: Smart Graeme
Published: September 2018

Hydrodynamic models are usually based on LiDAR but there is little information on the LiDAR resolution required for appropriate model accuracy. In this study, algorithms to prepare DEM and roughness grids suitable for hydrodynamic modelling of both catchment and floodplain are applied to low, medium and high point-density LiDAR. The medium resolution LiDAR (9 points/m2) provided elevation and roughness grids sufficiently accurate for hydrodynamic flood mapping of urban and rural floodplains. Low-resolution LiDAR (3 points/m2) is considered adequate for hill catchments. Attention is required where narrow-crested control structures exist. Mapping and upscaling are discussed.
Improvement of Uncertainty Assessment of Discharge Estimated by Velocity-Area Method
Authors: Kim Jongmin , Kim Dongsu , Son Geunsoo , Lee Duhan
Published: September 2018

The present study was conducted to re-estimate the factors needed for the velocity-area method previously provided by ISO through precise actual scale experiments in order to verify the appropriateness of the errors of the individual factors presented by ISO 748 and ISO 1088. For this, a steady-state flow of a flow velocity of approximately 1 m/s, 7 m wide, and 1 m deep, was maintained in the mild slope channel located at the River Experiment Center (Andong) of the Korea Institute of Construction Technology. Under this condition, the objective was to measure the flow velocity very precisely with respect to the space by using a micro-ADV having a high accuracy of flow velocity measurement. The water depth was precisely measured before the generation of the flow by using Total Station. The ISO regulations and the results of the present experiment were applied to three different conditions. The uncertainty assessed by applying the results of the present experiment exceeded twice that of the uncertainty estimated by applying the uncertainty factors provided by ISO. The uncertainty of the lateral gap between measurement lines and the number of measurement points in the depth direction was dependent on the scale of rivers. However, ISO may have presented the uncertainty factors analyzed from the data obtained from a wide range of river scales. Therefore, the discharge estimated by the velocity-area method may be dependent on the scale of rivers. The errors of the individual factors of the velocity-area method derived from the present study may be applied to the estimation of the uncertainty of the discharge calculated by the velocity-area method in small rivers.
Application of a new integrated optimization approach in sheet hydroforming process
Authors: Hashemi Abbas , Gollo Mohammad Hoseinpour , Seyedkashi S.M. Hossein
Published: September 2018

The purpose of this study is to produce a desired hydroformed product under the optimal pressure profile. To achieve this purpose, a new adaptive optimization approach is proposed based on fuzzy logic control (FLC) integrated with simulated annealing (SA) optimization technique and ANSYS parametric design language (APDL). An intermediate MATLAB code was developed and used to manage data transfer automatically between FLC, SA and APDL, in which there would be no need for any interaction of user/designer during the optimization process execution. This method aims to find the optimal pressure loading profile, prevent wrinkling and necking failures, reduce unsuccessful iterations, and enhance convergence precision. This method is capable of adaptively changing the process parameters in order to reach the optimized values with higher accuracy in a more reasonable time. The results show a good agreement between the proposed optimization approach and experiments. The developed optimization approach is a practical and reliable design tool for industrial production of any symmetric shell cups using hydroforming process.
Der symptomatische Nierentumor beim metastasierten Nierenzellkarzinom – chirurgische Optionen
Authors: Gilbert Nils , Merseburger Axel , Kramer Mario
Published: September 2018

Jährlich erkranken in Deutschland über 14 000 Menschen an einem Nierenzellkarzinom. Bei 15 – 20 % liegen bei Diagnosestellung bereits Metastasen vor. Neben der medikamentösen Tumortherapie existieren auch chirurgische Konzepte bei der Behandlung des Primärtumors. Hierbei stehen die zytoreduktive sowie die palliative Nephrektomie (palliative nephrectomy, PN) im Vordergrund.

Abhängig vom Wandel der systemischen Tumortherapie wurde auch die Sinnhaftigkeit der zytoreduktiven Nephrektomie (cytoreductive nephrectomy, CN) diskutiert. In der „Zytokin-Ära” etablierte sich die CN gefolgt von einer Therapie mit Interferon basierend auf 2 prospektiven randomisierten Studien und deren kombinierter Metaanalyse. Durch die Etablierung von Targeted-Therapien ab 2005 und das reine Vorliegen von retrospektiven Studien mit teilweise großen Patientenzahlen wurde der Stellenwert der CN kritisch hinterfragt. Mit der Veröffentlichung der CARMENA-Daten liegen nun aktuell erstmalig Daten vor, die die alleinige Therapie mit Sunitinib mit der CN gefolgt von Sunitinib vergleichen. Hierbei konnte gezeigt werden, dass die alleinige medikamentöse Therapie der kombinierten Therapie nicht unterlegen war – zumindest in der Gruppe der intermediate- und poor-risk Patienten. Nichtsdestotrotz bleiben auch diese Daten aufgrund diverser Kritikpunkte, wie dem hohen Anteil von Patienten mit poor-risk Konstellation sowie dem höheren Anteil von lokal fortgeschrittenen Tumorstadien im CN + Sunitinib-Arm, auf dem Prüfstand.

Als Gründe für eine palliative Nephrektomie werden therapierefraktäre Schmerzen, Blutungen sowie schwere paraneoplastische Syndrome aufgeführt. Hierbei muss bei der Indikationsstellung berücksichtigt werden, dass gute supportive Therapiemaßnahmen und weniger invasive Therapien verfügbar sind. So können z. B. Blutungen durch Maßnahmen der interventionellen Radiologie in einer Vielzahl der Fälle adäquat kontrolliert werden.

Im Rahmen der Entscheidungsfindung ist es unerlässlich, neben den Therapiealternativen, den Lokalbefund des Primärtumors sowie individuelle Risikofaktoren zu evaluieren.

Rein technisch kann die palliative Nephrektomie offen oder laparoskopisch erfolgen und falls indiziert auch als Teilnephrektomie.
Dynamic Kinetic Resolution of Phosphinic Acid Derivatives via Nucleophilic­ Substitution at Phosphorus Center
Authors: Borowski Piotr , Stankevič Marek , Strzelecka Dorota , Bąk Olga
Published: September 2018

Reaction of racemic phosphinic acid derivatives with chiral alcohols proceeds with predominant formation of one diastereomer. The highest level of enrichment has been obtained for transesterfication of racemic methyl benzylphenylphosphinate (64% de). The outcome of the reaction depends on both the structure of chiral alcohol and the starting organophosphorus compound. The results strongly suggest that the nature of the observed phenomena is not a classical equilibration of intermediates found in dynamic kinetic resolution process but is a result of a different reactivity of both enantiomers of racemic substrate towards the same chiral nucleophile.
A General Protocol for the Synthesis of H-α-Hydroxyphosphinates
Authors: Deschamp Julia , Lecouvey Marc , Dussart Jade , Monteil Maelle , Gager Olivier , Migianu-Griffoni Evelyne
Published: September 2018

A general synthetic procedure was developed for H-α-hydroxyphosphinates via Abramov reaction. The present work is a complementary study to those reported till now. This methodology has the advantage that it can be applied to various aliphatic and (hetero)aromatic substrates. The H-α-hydroxyphosphinates were easily purified and obtained in good to excellent yields in shorter times. A 31P NMR spectroscopy study has shown that only 2 equivalents of a silylating agent were required.
New Programming Modes of Spinal Cord Stimulation for Chronic Pain: A Systematic Review of Outcomes with Burst and High-Frequency Technology
Authors: Bergman Jeffrey , Dupré Derrick , Tomycz Nestor
Published: September 2018

Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is a well-established, evidence-based treatment for chronic pain. For decades, implantation of tonic SCS systems has relied on epidural electric lead placement to overlap regions of pain with paresthesias to achieve maximal postoperative pain relief. During the course of tonic SCS treatment, tolerances to the stimulation frequency may develop, leading to reduced efficacy. Recent developments in novel programming modes, such as high-frequency 10 kHz (HF10) and burst, stray from tonic SCS in their electrical stimulation delivery patterns and unique ability to deliver SCS without engendering paresthesias. To date, no review has analyzed outcomes of both HF10 SCS and burst SCS for chronic back and limb pain. This article aims to review all HF10 and burst SCS prospective observational and randomized controlled trials for chronic back and limb pain. The literature search identified 21 papers—10 HF10 SCS papers, 9 burst SCS papers, and 2 papers assessing both HF10 and burst SCS concurrently. Burst SCS and HF10 SCS have been subjected to randomized controlled studies and have used similar patient pain score reporting on a visual analog scale (VAS) and numeric rating scale (NRS). Results from these studies have reported significant reductions in axial back pain and limb pain in patients sustained for up 20 months with burst SCS treatment and up to 36 months with HF10 SCS. Both novel programming modes show promise as viable treatments for those suffering from chronic pain and/or patients who may no longer be responders to tonic SCS.
Complications and Avoidance in Neurointerventional Surgery
Authors: Rajpal Girish , Basheer Noufal
Published: September 2018

Because neurointerventional surgery is a minimally invasive technique does not mean that it is qualified for complication-free procedures. Rather working about 2 m away from the three-dimensional (3D) target lesion and looking at two-dimensional (2D) images makes it one of the most complication-prone subspecialties. Advancement in hardwares, techniques, and technologies with continuous ability to learn and modify accordingly can only keep the complication rate low as compared with traditional vascular neurosurgery.
Investigation on aerodynamic characteristics of building augmented vertical axis wind turbine
Authors: Zhu Haitian , Li Chun , Hao Wenxing , Ding Qinwei , Yu Wan
Published: September 2018

In response to the requirement of sustainable buildings, there is growing interest in building integrated wind turbines (BIWTs). In this paper, a building augmented straight-bladed vertical axis wind turbine (BASB-VAWT), as a kind of BIWT, was designed and it was numerically investigated by using unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (URANS) in ANSYS FLUENT with a Realizable k−ε turbulence model and a non-equilibrium wall function. Compared to the data of experiment, the computational model of clean SB-VAWT was validated to be reasonable. In order to comprehensively seek for the best design parameters and the best operation parameters, the aerodynamic coefficients (power coefficient and torque coefficient), vorticity field around the blades of BASB-VAWTs, and power output are obtained. The results show that the aerodynamic performance of BASB-VAWTs is sensitive to the wind direction. The BASB-VAWTs are hard to start and generate power at the large included angle between the wind direction and flow channel direction. When included angle between the wind direction and flow channel direction is large, the BASB-VAWTs are hardly to start itself and generate power. It is also shown that different airfoils, solidities, and architectural configurations have a great influence on the aerodynamic performance of BASB-VAWTs. Generally, the BASB-VAWTs with a larger thickness of blades and larger solidity have priority to select. Angulate building diffusers lead to a large-scale vortex in the flow channel, resulting in the influence of the operation stability of BASB-VAWT.
NiMoO4 nanorods supported on nickel foam for high-performance supercapacitor electrode materials
Authors: Zhang Yong , Gao Hai-li , Jia Xiao-dong , Wang Shi-wen , Yan Ji , Luo He-wei , Gao Ke-zheng , Fang Hua , Zhang Ai-qin , Wang Li-zhen
Published: September 2018

Well-aligned hierarchical NiMoO4 nanorods are successfully grown on nickel foam by a facile hydrothermal method, which can be directly used as integrated electrodes for supercapacitors without the addition of other ancillary materials such as binders or additives to enhance electrode cycling stability or conductivity. The samples are characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared, galvanostatic charge-discharge, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements. The achieved NiMoO4 nanorods are uniformly grown on nickel foam with the average diameter of 100 nm and length of 3 μm. The results indicate that the NiMoO4 nanorod samples deliver high specific capacitances of 3412, 2490, 1740, and 1496 F/g at 1, 4, 7, and 10 A/g, respectively. Furthermore, the excellent rate capability of the NiMoO4 nanorod based supercapacitors has been obtained in the KOH electrolyte, demonstrating that the as-prepared products can be promising electrode materials for supercapacitors.
Economic optimization for distributed energy network with cooperative game
Authors: Gao Bingtuan , Liu Xiaofeng , Chen Chen , Li Yuanmei
Published: September 2018

Integrated energy systems (IESs) have attracted increasing attention in recent years due to the high energy efficiency and low emission of carbon dioxide. To deal with the limitation of single IES, distributed energy networks consisting of multi-IESs are proposed to improve the complementarity of both the energy supply and the demand. This paper mainly focuses on the day-ahead energy management of the whole energy network for the economic operation of the system, following which, a cooperative game is formulated to determine the optimal strategy of each IES to minimize the coalition daily cost. Meanwhile, an allocation mechanism is designed from the perspective of probability to allocate coalition cost to each IES. According to the results of the numerical study, the proposed approach can improve the economic performance of both the energy network and the individual IES by interchanging electrical and thermal energies in the network.
Discrete discontinuous basis projection method for large-scale electronic structure calculations
Authors: Xu Qimen , Suryanarayana Phanish , Pask John E.
Published: September 2018

We present an approach to accelerate real-space electronic structure methods several fold, without loss of accuracy, by reducing the dimension of the discrete eigenproblem that must be solved. To accomplish this, we construct an efficient, systematically improvable, discontinuous basis spanning the occupied subspace and project the real-space Hamiltonian onto the span. In calculations on a range of systems, we find that accurate energies and forces are obtained with 8–25 basis functions per atom, reducing the dimension of the associated real-space eigenproblems by 1–3 orders of magnitude.
Broadband compact acoustic absorber with high-efficiency ventilation performance
Authors: Li Li-juan , Zheng Bin , Zhong Li-min , Yang Jing , Liang Bin , Cheng Jian-chun
Published: September 2018

The trade-off between the low-frequency sound absorption and ventilation efficiency in conventional acoustic absorbers limits their application potentials in many scenarios. Here, we design and experimentally implement a broadband compact acoustic absorber for absorbing low-frequency airborne sound, and the absorption coefficient above 0.5 ranges from 850 to 1000 Hz. We analytically analyze our proposed mechanism that uses double-layered perforated metastructure on each side to simultaneously lower the working frequency and ensures a high ventilation efficiency (with 70% cross-section open), which are verified both numerically and experimentally. Our work opens up possibilities for the design of acoustic absorbers working at a low frequency and may find practical applications such as noise control in small ventilating spaces.
FePc induced highly oriented PIID-BT conjugated polymer semiconductor with high bias-stress stability
Authors: Liu Lingyun , Du Yuchang , Ge Feng , Wang Xiaohong , Zhang Guobing , Lu Hongbo , Qiu Longzhen
Published: September 2018

Polymer semiconductors with high crystallinity and high molecular orientation have been demonstrated to be in favor of improving the bias-stress stability of organic field-effect transistors (OFETs). The isoindigo (IID)-bithiophene (BT) based conjugated polymer (PIID-BT) is a typical donor–acceptor polymer with higher hole mobility and can be used for the bias-stress stability study. In this work, we use a small organic molecule of FePc to optimize the morphology and structure of the PIID-BT semiconductor to improve the bias-stress stability of OFET devices. The high crystallinity and ordered morphology of the FePc-doped PIID-BT film are realized, and this as-obtained FePc-doped PIID-BT OFET shows more outstanding bias-stress stability, with a lower drain current decay of only 12% over a stressing time of 1000 s than that of ca. 50% for the pristine PIID-BT devices. The electronic structure features reveal the bind between FePc and PIID-BT molecules via the Fe-O coordination interaction, which would be responsible for the efficiently oriented growth of the PIID-BT polymer and eventually promote the bias-stress stability of PIID-BT based OFET devices.
Numerical investigation of the load reduction potential of trailing edge flap based on closed-loop control
Authors: Hao Wenxing , Li Chun , Ye Zhou , Zhu Haitian , Ding Qinwei
Published: September 2018

The ability of trailing edge flap (TEF) to mitigate ultimate and fatigue loads of wind turbine blades make the TEF receive many interests. In order to investigate the ability of TEF to mitigate the flapwise force (perpendicular to the wind turbine rotor plane) on the airfoil subject to unsteady inflows, a closed loop control system based on Computational Fluid Dynamics software ANSYS Fluent 17.0 was established using the User Defined Function embedded in the software. The flapwise force of the airfoil was calculated by 2D Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes equations with the Transition Shear-Stress Transport SST k-ω (T-SST) turbulence model. The unsteady inflows include step-up inflow, sinusoidal inflow, and random inflow. The influence of control parameters on flap performance was analyzed and the control parameters include control gain, control delay time, and speed limitation of flap deflection. The results showed that compared with the clean airfoil, the fluctuation amplitude of the flapwise force was reduced by 94.5% using TEF under the sinusoidal inflow. Under the random inflow, the standard deviation of the flapwise force was reduced by 99%. Properly increasing the gain and the speed limitation can enhance the TEF performance, but exorbitant speed limitation is not necessary. Moreover, exorbitant gain and delay time can reduce the TEF performance and system stability.
Photo-thermoelectric detection of cyclotron resonance in asymmetrically carrier-doped graphene two-terminal device
Authors: Kinoshita Kei , Moriya Rai , Arai Miho , Masubuchi Satoru , Watanabe Kenji , Taniguchi Takashi , Machida Tomoki
Published: September 2018

Graphene is known to show a significant photo-thermoelectric effect that can exceed its photovoltaic contribution. Here, by utilizing this effect, we demonstrate a photovoltage measurement of cyclotron resonance in a double-back-gated h-BN/graphene/h-BN two-terminal device. A graphite local bottom gate was fabricated in addition to a p-doped Si global back gate. By tuning the two gate voltages, an in-plane graphene junction having an asymmetric carrier-doping profile was created. With the help of this asymmetric structure, the photo-thermoelectric voltage generated in the vicinity of the metal-electrode/graphene junction was detected. At a low temperature and in the presence of a magnetic field, a photo-induced voltage was measured under the irradiation of an infrared laser (λ = 9.28–10.61 μm). We observed a strong enhancement of the photovoltage signal under the cyclotron resonance condition, at which the energy of excitation coincides with a transition between Landau levels. These results highlight the possibility of using the photo-thermoelectric effect in graphene for THz photo-detection.
Glass forming phase diagram and local structure of Kob–Andersen binary Lennard-Jones nanoparticles
Authors: Chen Zhongquan , Qi Weikai , Bowles Richard K.
Published: September 2018

Molecular dynamics simulation is used to study glass formation in Kob–Andersen binary Lennard-Jones nanoparticles and determine the glass forming phase diagram for the system as a function of composition. The radial distribution function, a Steinhardt bond–orientational order parameter, and favored local structure analysis are used to distinguish between glassy and ordered systems. We find that surface enrichment of the large atoms alters the nanoparticle core composition, leading to an overall shift of the glass forming region to lower small atom mole fractions, relative to the bulk system. At small atom mole fraction, xB = 0.1, the nanoparticles form a solid with an amorphous core, enriched with the small atoms, surrounded by a partially ordered surface region, enriched with the large atom component. The most disordered glass nanoparticles occur at xB ≈ 0.3, but the surface–core enrichment leads to the crystallization of the nanoparticle to the CsCl crystal above xB ≈ 0.35, which is lower than observed in the bulk. The glass transition temperatures of the nanoparticles are also significantly reduced. This allows the liquid to remain dynamic to low temperatures and sample the low energy inherent structure minima on the potential energy surface containing a high abundance of favoured local structures.
Health and nutrition in sheep receiving Bacillus thuringiensis
Authors: Campos F. C. , Corrêa P. S. , Abdalla Filho A. L. , Issakowicz J. , Monnerat R. G. , Mui T. S. , McManus C. M. , Abdalla A. L. , Louvandini H.
Published: September 2018

Performance, nutrient apparent digestibility, ruminal parameters, enteric methane (CH4) emission and blood parameters were studied in sheep receiving spores of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) in their diet. Twenty Santa Inês lambs (10 castrated males and 10 females) with 18.0 ± 3.50 kg initial bodyweight (BW) and 3 months of age were maintained in individual stalls in a completely randomised design. They were divided into two groups with five males and five females each (Bt 2036 group (n = 10) and control group (n = 10)). The animals of the Bt 2036 group received daily 2.5 × 106 spores of Bt 2036/kg BW and control animals received a placebo. The diet consisted of Tifton-85 (Cynodon spp.) hay ad libitum and 300 g/animal.day of concentrate mixture, which was adjusted according to growth requirements. During 53 days, animal performance was evaluated, with feed intake measured three times per week and lambs weighed fortnightly. Blood samples were taken every 15 days to evaluate hematological and biochemical parameters. Rumen fermentation was investigated in three stages (start, middle and end of the experimental period) using parameters such as pH, ammoniacal nitrogen, short chain fatty acids, and populations of Fibrobacter succinogenes, Ruminococcus flavefaciens, anaerobic fungi, methanogenic archaea and protozoa. At the end of the performance experiment, 18 lambs (Bt 2036 (n = 9), control (n = 9)) were selected for a digestibility trial, and placed in metabolic cages to estimate apparent nutrient digestibility, nitrogen balance and microbial protein synthesis. Ten male (Bt 2036 (n = 5), control (n = 5)) lambs were used to evaluate CH4 production using the hexafluoride tracer technique. There was no effect (P > 0.05) of Bt 2036 on any of the evaluated parameters. The daily addition of 2.5 × 106 spores/kg BW of Bt 2036 in the ruminant diet did not cause any negative effects on hematological traits or animal poisoning, nor did it interfere with fermentation by rumen microorganisms, apparent digestibility of nutrients or animal performance.
Evaluation of the primary healthcare program in Iran: a systematic review
Authors: Mehrolhassani Mohammad Hossein , Dehnavieh Reza , Haghdoost Ali Akbar , Khosravi Sajad
Published: September 2018

Evaluation of programs and determining its challenges to improve and implement reforms is essential in a healthcare system. A primary healthcare program was conducted since 1984 in Iran and faces various challenges after several decades of its life. The aim of this study is to evaluate Iran’s primary healthcare program and determine its challenges and weaknesses. In the present systematic review study, the published articles related to Iran’s primary healthcare were searched and collected from Iranian databases (SID, Magiran, Noormags and Irandoc) and international databases (Pubmed, Scopus, Web of Knowledge and Google Scholar). The Iranian grey literature was also explored. In total, from 336 papers identified, 25 papers were deemed relevant after the step-by-step review of articles and removal of non-related articles. The results of this study show that primary healthcare in Iran has different challenges and weaknesses. Most of these challenges and weaknesses relate to the structure and process of primary healthcare. The Iranian primary healthcare system has achieved many successes in community health promotion, but today, because of social, economic, political and environmental changes, it does not meet the needs of the people; therefore, this system requires structural reforms.
Elimination of the error signal in the superior colliculus impairs saccade motor learning
Authors: Kojima Yoshiko , Soetedjo Robijanto
Published: September 2018

Significance

Theories of cerebellar-dependent motor learning use the error between the desired and actual movement to correct the erroneous movement. To support this idea, several studies have tried to eliminate the error signal to the cerebellum and demonstrate an impairment of learning. However, such former approaches have not been successful because blocking the error signal also affected the movement to be learned. In this study, we selectively block an error signal for saccade adaptation, a type of cerebellar motor learning, by inactivating the source of the error signal in the superior colliculus without affecting the movement to be learned. Saccade adaptation was impaired. Thus, our study provides the first experimental evidence that an error signal is required for cerebellar motor learning.
Defective cortex glia plasma membrane structure underlies light-induced epilepsy in
cpes
mutants
Authors: Kunduri Govind , Turner-Evans Daniel , Konya Yutaka , Izumi Yoshihiro , Nagashima Kunio , Lockett Stephen , Holthuis Joost , Bamba Takeshi , Acharya Usha , Acharya Jairaj K.
Published: September 2018

Significance

Approximately 1 in 100 people have epilepsy, and nearly 3% of epileptics have photosensitive epilepsy, which results in serious debilitating seizures. Despite these numbers, in 100 y of research, no clear single gene defect has been shown to be causative in photosensitive epilepsy in genetic models. Although sphingolipid defects have been shown to be causative for many lysosomal storage diseases in humans as well as animal models, our study shows an important connection to a neuronal disease, photosensitive epilepsy, using the fly system as a model. We show that in a
Drosophila
ceramide phosphoethanolamine synthase-null mutant cortical glial cells fail to establish plasma membrane processes required to encapsulate neuronal cell bodies, resulting in photosensitive epilepsy.
Rapid CLIP dissociation from MHC II promotes an unusual antigen presentation pathway in autoimmunity
Authors: Ito Yoshinaga , Ashenberg Orr , Pyrdol Jason , Luoma Adrienne M. , Rozenblatt-Rosen Orit , Hofree Matan , Christian Elena , Ferrari de Andrade Lucas , Tay Rong En , Teyton Luc , Regev Aviv , Dougan Stephanie K. , Wucherpfennig Kai W.
Published: September 2018

A number of autoimmunity-associated MHC class II proteins interact only weakly with the invariant chain–derived class II–associated invariant chain peptide (CLIP). CLIP dissociates rapidly from I-Ag7 even in the absence of DM, and this property is related to the type 1 diabetes–associated β57 polymorphism. We generated knock-in non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice with a single amino acid change in the CLIP segment of the invariant chain in order to moderately slow CLIP dissociation from I-Ag7. These knock-in mice had a significantly reduced incidence of spontaneous type 1 diabetes and diminished islet infiltration by CD4 T cells, in particular T cells specific for fusion peptides generated by covalent linkage of proteolytic fragments within β cell secretory granules. Rapid CLIP dissociation enhanced the presentation of such extracellular peptides, thus bypassing the conventional MHC class II antigen-processing pathway. Autoimmunity-associated MHC class II polymorphisms therefore not only modify binding of self-peptides, but also alter the biochemistry of peptide acquisition.
Lupus antibodies induce behavioral changes mediated by microglia and blocked by ACE inhibitors
Authors: Nestor Jacquelyn , Arinuma Yoshiyuki , Huerta Tomás S. , Kowal Czeslawa , Nasiri Elham , Kello Nina , Fujieda Yuichiro , Bialas Alison , Hammond Tim , Sriram Uma , Stevens Beth , Huerta Patricio T. , Volpe Bruce T. , Diamond Betty
Published: September 2018

Cognitive impairment occurs in 40–90% of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), which is characterized by autoantibodies to nuclear antigens, especially DNA. We discovered that a subset of anti-DNA antibodies, termed DNRAbs, cross reacts with the N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) and enhances NMDAR signaling. In patients, DNRAb presence associates with spatial memory impairment. In a mouse model, DNRAb-mediated brain pathology proceeds through an acute phase of excitotoxic neuron loss, followed by persistent alteration in neuronal integrity and spatial memory impairment. The latter pathology becomes evident only after DNRAbs are no longer detectable in the brain. Here we investigate the mechanism of long-term neuronal dysfunction mediated by transient exposure to antibody. We show that activated microglia and C1q are critical mediators of neuronal damage. We further show that centrally acting inhibitors of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) can prevent microglial activation and preserve neuronal function and cognitive performance. Thus, ACE inhibition represents a strong candidate for clinical trials aimed at mitigating cognitive dysfunction.
On zeros of paraorthogonal polynomials
Authors: Lun Yen
Published: September 2018

We prove some results concerning the behaviour of zeros of families of paraorthogonal polynomials on the unit circle. We establish an interlacing property of the zeros of some functions related to the paraorthogonal polynomials. Monotonicity with respect to a parameter is also discussed in detail. A Markov type theorem is proved, and the monotonicity is also considered from a spectral point of view.
Length of local cohomology of powers of ideals
Authors: Dao Hailong , Montaño Jonathan
Published: September 2018

Let

R
R

be a polynomial ring over a field

k
k

with irrelevant ideal

m

\mathfrak {m}

and dimension

d
d

. Let

I
I

be a homogeneous ideal in

R
R

. We study the asymptotic behavior of the length of the modules

H

m

i

⁡
(
R

/

I
n

)

\operatorname {H}^{i}_{\mathfrak {m}}(R/I^n)

for

n
≫
0

n\gg 0

. We show that for a fixed number

α
∈

Z

\alpha \in \mathbb {Z}

,
<mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="limit sup StartFraction lamda left-parenthesis normal upper H Subscript German m Superscript i Baseline left-parenthesis upper R slash upper I Superscript n Baseline right-parenthesis Subscript greater-than-or-slanted-equals minus alpha n Baseline right-parenthesis Over n Superscript d Baseline EndFraction greater-than normal infinity period">

lim sup

n
→
∞

λ
(

H

m

i

⁡
(
R

/

I
n

)

⩾
−
α
n

)

n
d

>
∞
.

\limsup _{n\rightarrow \infty }\frac {\lambda (\operatorname {H}^{i}_{\mathfrak {m}}(R/I^n)_{\geqslant -\alpha n}) }{n^d}>\infty .

It follows that
<mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="limit sup StartFraction lamda left-parenthesis normal upper H Subscript German m Superscript i Baseline left-parenthesis upper R slash upper I Superscript n Baseline right-parenthesis right-parenthesis Over n Superscript d Baseline EndFraction greater-than normal infinity">

lim sup

n
→
∞

λ
(

H

m

i

⁡
(
R

/

I
n

)
)

n
d

>
∞

\limsup _{n\rightarrow \infty }\frac {\lambda (\operatorname {H}^{i}_{\mathfrak {m}}(R/I^n)) }{n^d}>\infty

when

X
=
Proj
⁡
R

/

I

X = \operatorname {Proj} R/I

is locally a complete intersection (lci) and

i
⩽
dim
⁡
X

i\leqslant \dim X

. We also establish that the actual limit exists and is rational for certain classes of monomial ideals

I
I

such that the lengths of local cohomology of

I
n

I^n

are eventually finite. Our proofs use Gröbner deformation and Presburger arithmetic. Finally, we utilize more traditional commutative algebra techniques to show that
<mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="limit inf StartFraction lamda left-parenthesis normal upper H Subscript German m Superscript i Baseline left-parenthesis upper R slash upper I Superscript n Baseline right-parenthesis Over n Superscript d Baseline EndFraction greater-than 0">

lim inf

n
→
∞

λ
(

H

m

i

⁡
(
R

/

I
n

)

n
d

>
0

\liminf _{n\rightarrow \infty }\frac {\lambda (\operatorname {H}^{i}_{\mathfrak {m}}(R/I^n)}{n^d}>0

under certain conditions when

R

/

I

R/I

is either

F
F

-pure or lci.
Every genus one algebraically slice knot is 1-solvable
Authors: Davis Christopher , Martin Taylor , Otto Carolyn , Park JungHwan
Published: September 2018

Cochran, Orr, and Teichner developed a filtration of the knot concordance group indexed by half integers called the solvable filtration. Its terms are denoted by

F

n

\mathcal {F}_n

. It has been shown that

F

n

/

F

n
.5

\mathcal {F}_n/\mathcal {F}_{n.5}

is a very large group for

n
≥
0

n\ge 0

. For a generalization to the setting of links the third author showed that

F

n
.5

/

F

n
+
1

\mathcal {F}_{n.5}/\mathcal {F}_{n+1}

is non-trivial. In this paper we provide evidence for knots

F

0.5

=

F

1

\mathcal {F}_{0.5}=\mathcal {F}_1

. In particular we prove that every genus 1 algebraically slice knot is 1-solvable.
Lattice points counting and bounds on periods of Maass forms
Authors: Reznikov Andre , Su Feng
Published: September 2018

We provide a “soft” proof for nontrivial bounds on spherical, hyperbolic, and unipotent Fourier coefficients of a fixed Maass form for a general cofinite lattice

Γ
\Gamma

in

PGL
2

⁡
(

R

)

{\operatorname {PGL}_2(\mathbb {R})}

. We use the amplification method based on the Airy type phenomenon for corresponding matrix coefficients and an effective Selberg type pointwise asymptotic for the lattice points counting in various homogeneous spaces for the group

PGL
2

⁡
(

R

)

{\operatorname {PGL}_2(\mathbb {R})}

. This requires only

L
2

L^2

-theory. We also show how to use the uniform bound for the

L
4

L^4

-norm of

K
K

-types in a fixed automorphic representation of

PGL
2

⁡
(

R

)

{\operatorname {PGL}_2(\mathbb {R})}

in order to slightly improve these bounds.
When is the underlying space of an orbifold a manifold?
Authors: Lange Christian
Published: September 2018

We classify orthogonal actions of finite groups on Euclidean vector spaces for which the corresponding quotient space is a topological, homological, or Lipschitz manifold, possibly with boundary. In particular, our results answer the question of when the underlying space of an orbifold is a manifold.
Three-Dimensional Computed Tomographic Study on the Periorbital Branches of the Ophthalmic Artery: Arterial Variations and Clinical Relevance
Authors: Zhao Wei-Rui , Wang Hai-Bin , Luo Cheng-En , Kong Xiang-Xue , Zhan Wen-Feng , Luo Sheng-Kang
Published: September 2018

Background

Filler injection is a popular cosmetic procedure, but it can entail vascular complications. Periorbital injections have the highest risk within the entire injection area.

Objectives

The authors sought to systematically screen for periorbital arterial variations prior to treatment.

Methods

The external carotid arteries of 10 cadaveric heads were infused with adequate lead oxide contrast. The facial and superficial temporal arteries of another 11 cadaveric heads were injected with the contrast in sequential order. Computed tomography (CT) scanning was performed after injection of contrast, and 3-dimensional (3D) CT scans were reconstructed using validated algorithms.

Results

Three types of periorbital blood vessels were found to derive from the ophthalmic artery, including 30% directly originating from the ophthalmic artery, 65% originating from its trochlear branch, and 5% originating from its supraorbital branch. In the forehead, the ophthalmic artery, originating from the internal carotid arteries, formed anastomoses between the frontal branch of the superficial temporal artery, originating from the external carotid artery, with the deep and superficial branches of the supratrochlear and supraorbital arteries, respectively. The lateral orbit and malar plexus can be classified into 4 types based on the trunk artery: the zygomatic orbital artery (27%), the transverse facial artery (23%), the premasseteric branch of the facial artery (19%), and all 3 contributing equally (31%).

Conclusions

Postmortem 3D CT can map periorbital arterial variations. The branching pattern of the ophthalmic artery, the ophthalmic angiosome in the forehead, and the distribution of the lateral orbit and malar plexus were identified at high resolution to guide clinical practice.
Calibrating general posterior credible regions
Authors: Syring Nicholas , Martin Ryan
Published: September 2018

Calibration of credible regions derived from under- or misspecified models is an important and challenging problem. In this paper, we introduce a scalar tuning parameter that controls the posterior distribution spread, and develop a Monte Carlo algorithm that sets this parameter so that the corresponding credible region achieves the nominal frequentist coverage probability.
Mortality and adverse events with brand and generic clopidogrel in the US Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System
Authors: Serebruany Victor L , Hall Trygve S , Atar Dan , Agewall Stefan , Hyun Kim Moo , Geudelin Bernard , Lomakin Nikita , Marciniak Thomas A
Published: September 2018

Aims

Clopidogrel is commonly used even after expiring patents. The brand clopidogrel (BC) was dealt by single company, while numerous manufacturers produce generic clopidogrel (GC). There are no convincing data to compare the safety of different formulations. Therefore, the data yielded from international, uniform, government-mandated registries may be useful.

Methods and results

We assessed primary causative adverse events (PCAE) after BC and GC in the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). The outcomes were divided into death, cardiac, thrombotic/embolic, haemorrhagic, and rash/dermal complications. These primary endpoints were then examined by proportional reporting ratios (PRR) and chi-square (χ2). Among total FAERS (n = 9 466 679) reports, overall BC (n = 88 863) cases were more common than after GC (n = 36 559). When triaged by PCAE role, BC (n = 18 328) was also more abundant than GC (n = 3987). The reported death rates were more than doubled after BC [18.4% vs. 7.0%; PRR = 0.38; 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.32–0.43; χ2=369.7; P<0.0001] for total FAERS, and consistent for late 2010–2017 (17.6% vs. 7.0% PRR = 0.40; 95% CI 0.37–0.45; χ2=286.2; P<0.004) PCAE cases. In contrast, GC trended to co-report more cardiac (14.6% vs. 13.3%; PRR = 1.12; 95% CI 1.0–1.25; χ2=3.5; P<0.06). The haemorrhagic (40.9% vs. 32.3%; PRR = 1.45; 95% CI 1.33–1.57; χ2=75.8; P<0.0001), and rash/dermal (5.4% vs. 4.6%; PRR = 1.20; 95% CI 1.0–1.44; χ2=3.75; P<0.05) events were also more common for GC. Thrombotic/embolic events were reported equally (at 7.0%) after each formulation.

Conclusion

The PCAE profiles differ with BC and GC in FAERS. While deaths reports were higher, the rates of cardiac, haemorrhagic, and skin complications were less common for BC. Despite expected reporting bias, this may indicate that the manufacturers of GC are reluctant to report deaths to the FDA. However, the overall adverse event profile suggests potentially better safety of BC over GC formulations.
Form—Function—Content
Authors: Arndt Matthew
Published: September 2018

Arnold Schoenberg’s concept of formal function, as formulated by Erwin Ratz, has become a staple of music theory since it was reimagined and systematized by William E. Caplin. However, this concept has been criticized for not speaking to the content of a piece of music, its particularity and meaning. By defining formal components, parts, and functions in line with the conceptual metaphors that underlie musical form, one may establish the inseparability of form and content. The definitions proposed here apply to art music from the eighteenth to the early twentieth centuries, the latter demonstrated through an analysis of Schoenberg’s Op. 11, No. 1.
Biomarkers of Exposure Among “Dual Users” of Tobacco Cigarettes and Electronic Cigarettes in Canada
Authors: Czoli Christine D , Fong Geoffrey T , Goniewicz Maciej L , Hammond David
Published: September 2018

Introduction

“Dual use” refers to the concurrent use of tobacco cigarettes (smoking) and electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes; vaping). Although dual use is common among e-cigarette users, there is little evidence regarding biomarkers of exposure among dual users and how these change under different conditions of product use.

Methods

A nonblinded within-subjects crossover experiment was conducted with adult daily dual users (n = 48) in Ontario, Canada. Participants completed three consecutive 7-day periods in which the use of tobacco cigarettes and e-cigarettes was experimentally manipulated, resulting in four study conditions: Dual use, Tobacco cigarette use, E-cigarette use, and No product use. Repeated measures models were used to examine changes in product use and biomarkers of exposure.

Results

Compared to dual use, cotinine remained stable when participants exclusively smoked (p = .524), but significantly decreased when they exclusively vaped (p = .027), despite significant increases in e-cigarette consumption (p = .001). Levels of biomarkers of exposure to toxicants, including carbon monoxide (CO), 1-hydroxypyrene (1-HOP), and 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanol (NNAL), were significantly lower when participants exclusively vaped than when they engaged in dual use (CO = −41%, p < .001; 1-HOP = −31%, p = .025; NNAL = −30%, p = .017). Similar findings were observed among participants abstaining from both products as compared to dual use (CO: −26%, p < .001; 1-HOP = −14% [ns]; NNAL = −35%, p = .016). In contrast, levels of biomarkers of exposure increased when participants exclusively smoked as compared to dual use (CO = +21%, p = .029; 1-HOP = +23%, p = .048; NNAL = +8% [ns]).

Conclusions

Although dual use may reduce exposure to tobacco smoke constituents to some extent, abstaining from smoking is the most effective way to reduce such exposure.

Implications

Public health authorities should clearly communicate the relative risk of e-cigarettes and tobacco cigarettes to the general public, focusing on two salient points: (1) e-cigarettes are not harmless, but they are less harmful than tobacco cigarettes; and (2) using e-cigarettes while smoking may not necessarily reduce health risks; therefore, consumers should stop smoking completely to maximize potential health benefits.