bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Expanding Paraphrase Lexicons by Exploiting Generalities
Authors: Fujita Atsushi , Isabelle Pierre
Published: January 2018

Techniques for generating and recognizing paraphrases, i.e., semantically equivalent expressions, play an important role in a wide range of natural language processing tasks. In the last decade, the task of automatic acquisition of subsentential paraphrases, i.e., words and phrases with (approximately) the same meaning, has been drawing much attention in the research community. The core problem is to obtain paraphrases of high quality in large quantity. This article presents a method for tackling this issue by systematically expanding an initial seed lexicon made up of high-quality paraphrases. This involves automatically capturing morpho-semantic and syntactic generalizations within the lexicon and using them to leverage the power of large-scale monolingual data. Given an input set of paraphrases, our method starts by inducing paraphrase patterns that constitute generalizations over corresponding pairs of lexical variants, such as “amending” and “amendment,” in a fully empirical way. It then searches large-scale monolingual data for new paraphrases matching those patterns. The results of our experiments on English, French, and Japanese demonstrate that our method manages to expand seed lexicons by a large multiple. Human evaluation based on paraphrase substitution tests reveals that the automatically acquired paraphrases are also of high quality.
News from the SIGs
Authors: Walker Ellen , Settle Amber , Zilora Steve
Published: January 2018

In this issue of News from the SIGs, we present news from SIGCSE and SIGITE. Amber Settle, Chair of SIGCSE highlights recent awards to SIGCSE members, and encourages members who meet the criteria to seek ACM Advanced Grades of Membership. Steven Zilora, chair of SIGITE, discusses lessons learned from SIGITE 2017 and how the Executive Board is looking to the future.
Detecting anomalies in the Cytochrome C Oxidase I amplicon sequences using minimum scoring segments
Authors: Belcaid Mahdi , Poisson Guylaine
Published: January 2018

The Cytochrome C Oxidase 1 (COI) gene is among the most popular markers for molecular biodiversity estimation. In essence, COI-based approaches for taxonomic identification rely on comprehensive reference databases to assign unknown sequences to known species and to enhance the identification of new species. As such, for COI-based methods to be effective, the accuracy and integrity of reference databases are critical. However, as COI repositories grow, it becomes challenging to curate and validate user-contributed data manually. This, in turn, propagates prediction errors, leading to future erroneous taxonomic assignments. Here, we propose a new computationally efficient approach for identifying anomalies which are either due to systematic biases (indels and chimeras) or to user error (mistranslation and misclassification). Our approach uses multiple sequence alignments to model insertions, deletions, and substitutions and flag sequences with incongruous fit to the model. Our analysis of a complete set of curated Insecta COI reference sequences identifies the presence of numerous anomalous sequences, which makes a strong case for the validity of our approach and for the importance of new strategies to screen publicly available COI references.
Ontology-based framework for internal-external quality trade-offs and tenant management in multi-tenant applications
Authors: Kalra Sumit , Prabhakar T. V.
Published: January 2018

Software Quality Attributes (QAs) can be categorized as either internal to the system as experienced by the developers or external to the system perceived by the end users. These QA categories have trade-off among them - an emphasis on internal QA may result in a compromise of an external QA. For example, there is a trade-off between maintainability and performance. Model-driven development approaches manage this trade-off and increase the degree of internal QA maintainability. In this work, we propose an ontology-based communication mechanism among software components to handle the trade-off. The approach increases the degree of internal QAs such as modifiability, maintainability, testability during the design and development phases without compromising the external QAs for the end users during the operation phase. We also evaluate a prototype system to validate the proposed approach using Software Architecture Analysis Method (SAAM). It is also easier to integrate into the software development lifecycle as compared to existing model-driven approaches. The internal quality attributes become more significant in a multi-tenant scenario than conventional software. It requires managing dynamic requirements of tenants continuously. The proposed approach also useful in such scenario to reduce the maintenance overhead without compromising the degree of multi-tenancy.
Chronic inhalation of e-cigarette vapor containing nicotine disrupts airway barrier function and induces systemic inflammation and multiorgan fibrosis in mice
Authors: Crotty Alexander Laura E. , Drummond Christopher A. , Hepokoski Mark , Mathew Denzil , Moshensky Alex , Willeford Andrew , Das Soumita , Singh Prabhleen , Yong Zach , Lee Jasmine H. , Vega Kevin , Du Ashley , Shin John , Javier Christian , Tian Jiang , Brown Joan Heller , Breen Ellen C.
Published: January 2018

Electronic (e)-cigarettes theoretically may be safer than conventional tobacco. However, our prior studies demonstrated direct adverse effects of e-cigarette vapor (EV) on airway cells, including decreased viability and function. We hypothesize that repetitive, chronic inhalation of EV will diminish airway barrier function, leading to inflammatory protein release into circulation, creating a systemic inflammatory state, ultimately leading to distant organ injury and dysfunction. C57BL/6 and CD-1 mice underwent nose only EV exposure daily for 3–6 mo, followed by cardiorenal physiological testing. Primary human bronchial epithelial cells were grown at an air-liquid interface and exposed to EV for 15 min daily for 3–5 days before functional testing. Daily inhalation of EV increased circulating proinflammatory and profibrotic proteins in both C57BL/6 and CD-1 mice: the greatest increases observed were in angiopoietin-1 (31-fold) and EGF (25-fold). Proinflammatory responses were recapitulated by daily EV exposures in vitro of human airway epithelium, with EV epithelium secreting higher IL-8 in response to infection (227 vs. 37 pg/ml, respectively; P < 0.05). Chronic EV inhalation in vivo reduced renal filtration by 20% ( P = 0.017). Fibrosis, assessed by Masson’s trichrome and Picrosirius red staining, was increased in EV kidneys (1.86-fold, C57BL/6; 3.2-fold, CD-1; P < 0.05), heart (2.75-fold, C57BL/6 mice; P < 0.05), and liver (1.77-fold in CD-1; P < 0.0001). Gene expression changes demonstrated profibrotic pathway activation. EV inhalation altered cardiovascular function, with decreased heart rate ( P < 0.01), and elevated blood pressure ( P = 0.016). These data demonstrate that chronic inhalation of EV may lead to increased inflammation, organ damage, and cardiorenal and hepatic disease.
Cross-talk inhibition between 5-HT2B and 5-HT7 receptors in phrenic motor facilitation via NADPH oxidase and PKA
Authors: Perim Raphael R. , Fields Daryl P. , Mitchell Gordon S.
Published: January 2018

Intermittent spinal serotonin receptor activation elicits phrenic motor facilitation (pMF), a form of spinal respiratory motor plasticity. Episodic activation of either serotonin type 2 (5-HT2) or type 7 (5-HT7) receptors elicits pMF, although they do so via distinct cellular mechanisms known as the Q (5-HT2) and S (5-HT7) pathways to pMF. When coactivated, these pathways interact via mutual cross-talk inhibition. Although we have a rudimentary understanding of mechanisms mediating cross-talk interactions between spinal 5-HT2 subtype A (5-HT2A) and 5-HT7 receptor activation, we do not know if similar interactions exist between 5-HT2 subtype B (5-HT2B) and 5-HT7 receptors. We confirmed that either spinal 5-HT2B or 5-HT7 receptor activation alone elicits pMF and tested the hypotheses that 1) concurrent activation of both receptors suppresses pMF due to cross-talk inhibition; 2) 5-HT7 receptor inhibition of 5-HT2B receptor-induced pMF requires protein kinase A (PKA) activity; and 3) 5-HT2B receptor inhibition of 5-HT7 receptor-induced pMF requires NADPH oxidase (NOX) activity. Selective 5-HT2B and 5-HT7 receptor agonists were administered intrathecally at C4 (3 injections, 5-min intervals) to anesthetized, paralyzed, and ventilated rats. Whereas integrated phrenic nerve burst amplitude increased after selective spinal 5-HT2B or 5-HT7 receptor activation alone (i.e., pMF), pMF was no longer observed with concurrent 5-HT2B and 5-HT7 receptor agonist administration. With concurrent receptor activation, pMF was rescued by inhibiting either NOX or PKA activity, demonstrating their roles in cross-talk inhibition between these pathways to pMF. This report demonstrates cross-talk inhibition between 5-HT2B- and 5-HT7 receptor-induced pMF and that NOX and PKA activity are necessary for that cross-talk inhibition.
Subclinical kidney injury induced by repeated cisplatin administration results in progressive chronic kidney disease
Authors: Sharp Cierra N. , Doll Mark A. , Megyesi Judit , Oropilla Gabrielle B. , Beverly Levi J. , Siskind Leah J.
Published: January 2018

Cisplatin is used to treat many solid cancers, but its dose-limiting side effect is nephrotoxicity, causing acute kidney injury in 30% of patients. Previously, we have developed a mouse model that better recapitulates the cisplatin dosing regimen humans receive and found that repeated dosing of cisplatin induces interstitial renal fibrosis. Chronic kidney disease is progressive and is characterized by chronic inflammation, worsening interstitial fibrosis, development of glomerulosclerosis, and endothelial dysfunction. To determine if damage caused by repeated cisplatin dosing results in bona fide chronic kidney disease, mice were treated with our repeated dosing regimen and then aged for 6 mo. These mice had progressive, chronic inflammation and worsened interstitial fibrosis compared with mice euthanized after day 24. Mice aged for 6 mo developed glomerular pathologies, and endothelial dysfunction was persistent. Mice treated with only two doses of cisplatin had little inflammation or kidney damage. Thus repeated dosing of cisplatin causes long-term effects that are characteristic of chronic kidney disease. This translational mouse model of cisplatin injury may better represent the 70% of patients that do not develop clinical acute kidney injury and can be used to identify both biomarkers for early injury, as well as novel therapeutic targets for the prevention of cisplatin-induced chronic kidney disease.
Similar nicotinic excitability responses across the developing hippocampal formation are regulated by small-conductance calcium-activated potassium channels
Authors: Chung Beryl Y.T. , Bailey Craig D.C.
Published: January 2018

The hippocampal formation forms a cognitive circuit that is critical for learning and memory. Cholinergic input to nicotinic acetylcholine receptors plays an important role in the normal development of principal neurons within the hippocampal formation. However, the ability of nicotinic receptors to stimulate principal neurons across all regions of the developing hippocampal formation has not been determined. We show in this study that heteromeric nicotinic receptors mediate direct inward current and depolarization responses in principal neurons across the hippocampal formation of the young postnatal mouse. These responses were found in principal neurons of the CA1, CA3, dentate gyrus, subiculum, and entorhinal cortex layer VI, and they varied in magnitude across regions with the greatest responses occurring in the subiculum and entorhinal cortex. Despite this regional variation in the magnitude of passive responses, heteromeric nicotinic receptor stimulation increased the excitability of active principal neurons by a similar amount in all regions. Pharmacological experiments found this similar excitability response to be regulated by small-conductance calcium-activated potassium (SK) channels, which exhibited regional differences in their influence on neuron activity that offset the observed regional differences in passive nicotinic responses. These findings demonstrate that SK channels play a role to coordinate the magnitude of heteromeric nicotinic excitability responses across the hippocampal formation at a time when nicotinic signaling drives the development of this cognitive brain region. This coordinated input may contribute to the normal development, synchrony, and maturation of the hippocampal formation learning and memory network.

NEW & NOTEWORTHY This study demonstrates that small-conductance calcium-activated potassium channels regulate similar-magnitude excitability responses to heteromeric nicotinic acetylcholine receptor stimulation in active principal neurons across multiple regions of the developing mouse hippocampal formation. Given the importance of nicotinic neurotransmission for the development of principal neurons within the hippocampal formation, this coordinated excitability response is positioned to influence the normal development, synchrony, and maturation of the hippocampal formation learning and memory network.
Analysis of variability in length of sleep state bouts reveals memory-free sleep subcomponents consistent among primary insomnia patients
Authors: Bizzotto Roberto , Zamuner Stefano
Published: January 2018

The statistical distributions of bout lengths for the different (macro) sleep states (wake, N1, N2, N3, and REM sleep) are essential to understanding whether any memory-free subcomponent (“micro state”) is involved in the organization of sleep. Micro state detection can be prevented by the fusion of data including various sources of variability, in particular by the differences in sleep architecture between individuals, along sleep time (or nighttime), or between different nights. In this analysis, a mathematical model of sleep was adopted to disentangle these features and advance the understanding of the dynamics and mechanisms of sleep and its states. The analysis involved 116 primary insomnia patients taking placebo before going to bed and undergoing polysomnography for one night. The individual sequences of macro sleep states had been previously modeled with a mixed-effect nonhomogeneous modified Markov chain model, from which individual conditional probability distributions for the bout durations were derived in this analysis as functions of sleep time. The probability distributions, affected by neither subject, night-time, nor multiple-night pooling, substantially changed at ¼ and ¾ sleep time, had modified exponential shape, and were best described as the sum of one to four exponentials, depending on the sleep state. The time constants and proportions of bouts contributing to each exponential were similar in the different subjects, changing over sleep time. Variability in bout durations thus indicated the presence of multiple memory-free sleep subcomponents whose mean residence times and access probabilities could be identified and shown to be consistent among the studied subjects.

NEW & NOTEWORTHY We present a new methodology for deriving, from polysomnography data, the individual conditional probability for the duration of the bouts of wake, N1, N2, N3, and REM sleep. We evaluated the variability of this probability within and between primary insomnia patients and along sleep time. The multiexponential shapes of the probability distributions within the individuals revealed memory-free mechanisms and sleep subcomponents with consistent features in the studied population.
Clinical Results of Total Hip Arthroplasty in Two Patients with Charcot Hip Joints due to Congenital Insensivity to Pain with Anhydrosis
Authors: Inoue Daisuke , Kabata Tamon , Kajino Yoshitomo , Taga Tadashi , Yamamoto Takashi , Takagi Tomoharu , Ohmori Takaaki , Tsuchiya Hiroyuki
Published: January 2018

Traditionally, Charcot arthropathy has been considered an absolute contraindication for total hip arthroplasty (THA). However, some recent reports have shown that good short- to mid-term results can be achieved by improving the durability of the implant. This paper reports the mid- to long-term results of THA in two patients with Charcot hip joints caused by congenital insensivity to pain with anhydrosis. Both patients suffered multiple posterior dislocations in the six months immediately following surgery. However, with the continuous use of a hard abduction brace, one patient was eventually able to walk with a lofstrand cane and the other with the use of one crutch. Although one patient experienced a dislocation five years after surgery, X-rays taken after nine years and five years, respectively, revealed no clinical signs of implant loosening. We conclude that, with careful planning and appropriate precautions, THA may be a viable treatment option for Charcot hip joints caused by congenital insensivity to pain with anhydrosis.
Using an Improved Artificial Bee Colony Algorithm for Parameter Estimation of a Dynamic Grain Flow Model
Authors: Wang He , Liang Hongbin , Gao Lei
Published: January 2018

An effective method is proposed to estimate the parameters of a dynamic grain flow model (DGFM). To this end, an improved artificial bee colony (IABC) algorithm is used to estimate unknown parameters of DGFM with minimizing a given objective function. A comparative study of the performance of the IABC algorithm and the other ABC variants on several benchmark functions is carried out, and the results present a significant improvement in performance over the other ABC variants. The practical application performance of the IABC is compared to that of the nonlinear least squares (NLS), particle swarm optimization (PSO), and genetic algorithm (GA). The compared results demonstrate that IABC algorithm is more accurate and effective for the parameter estimation of DGFM than the other algorithms.
Adolescent and Young Adult Testicular Germ Cell Tumors: Special Considerations
Authors: Saltzman Amanda F. , Cost Nicholas G.
Published: January 2018

While testicular germ cell tumors (T-GCTs) make up only 0.5% of pediatric malignancies and less than 2% of adult malignancies, they comprise 14% of adolescent malignancies, making it the most common solid tumor in this age group. The transition in incidence at this age is also accompanied by a transition in tumor histology with adolescents having mostly pure embryonal carcinoma and mixed nonseminomatous germ cell tumors. Similar to T-GCTs of all ages, surgical excision with orchiectomy is the standard initial step in treatment. Chemotherapy, retroperitoneal lymph node dissection, and targeted treatment of distant metastases make even widely disseminated disease treatable and curable. For this reason, in many ways, the future focus has expanded beyond survival alone to emphasize quality of life issues such as fertility and hypogonadism. However, adolescents remain the age group least studied or understood as they fall in between the ages included in most study designs. Also, they require the most psychosocial support because of the challenges unique to the adolescent period. In this review, we aim to highlight the known outcome data for T-GCTs in this population and also to discuss the unique aspects of treatment and support for this age group.
Impact Assessment of Phosphogypsum Leachate on Groundwater of Sfax-Agareb (Southeast of Tunisia): Using Geochemical and Isotopic Investigation
Authors: Melki Samira , Gueddari Moncef
Published: January 2018

The production of phosphoric acid by the Tunisian Chemical Group, in Sfax, Tunisia, led to the degradation of the groundwater quality of the Sfax-Agareb aquifer mainly by the phosphogypsum leachates infiltration. Spatiotemporal monitoring of the quality of groundwater was carried out by performing bimonthly sampling between October 2013 and October 2014. Samples culled in the current study were subject to physicochemical parameters measurements and analysis of the major elements, orthophosphates, fluorine, trace metals, and stable isotopes (18O,2H). The obtained results show that the phosphogypsum leachates infiltration has a major effect on the downstream part of the aquifer, where the highest values of conductivity,SO42-, Ortho-P, andF-, and the lowest pH were recorded. In addition, these results indicated that phosphogypsum leachates contained much higher amount of Cr, Cd, Zn, Cu, Fe, and Al compared to the groundwater. Spatiotemporal variation of the conductivity and concentrations of major elements is linked to the phosphogypsum leachates infiltration as well as to a wide range of factors such as the natural conditions of feeding and the water residence time. Contents ofO18and2H showed that the water of the Sfax-Agareb aquifer undergoes a large scale evaporation process originated from recent rainfall.
Changes in Flow Density Measured Using Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography after iStent Insertion in Combination with Phacoemulsification in Patients with Open-Angle Glaucoma
Authors: Alnawaiseh Maged , Müller Viktoria , Lahme Larissa , Merté Ralph Laurent , Eter Nicole
Published: January 2018

Purpose. To evaluate changes in flow density after the implantation of a trabecular microbypass stent (iStent) in combination with cataract surgery. Methods. A total of 48 eyes of 48 patients, who underwent either cataract surgery alone (cataract group) or cataract surgery with implantation of two iStent inject devices (iStent group), were prospectively included in this study. Intraocular pressure (IOP) and flow density data before and after surgery were extracted and analyzed. Results. In the iStent group, the mean IOP was 18.2 ± 3.3 mmHg prior to surgery and 13.2 ± 2.3 at follow-up, and this difference was statistically significant (p<0.001). The mean IOP in the cataract group also improved significantly after surgery (before: 17.1 ± 2.4; after: 15.1 ± 2.7 p=0.003). The flow density (whole en face) in the superficial and deep retinal OCT angiogram of the macula (superficial: p=0.002; deep: p=0.034) and in the ONH (p=0.011) improved significantly after surgery in the iStent group. The differences in the cataract group were not significant. Conclusions. Flow density of the macula and ONH, as measured by OCTA, improved significantly after cataract surgery with iStent. Noninvasive quantitative analyses of flow density provide a new parameter, which can help for the monitoring of therapy success after glaucoma surgery.
Regulation of Tumor Progression by Programmed Necrosis
Authors: Lee Su Yeon , Ju Min Kyung , Jeon Hyun Min , Jeong Eui Kyong , Lee Yig Ji , Kim Cho Hee , Park Hye Gyeong , Han Song Iy , Kang Ho Sung
Published: January 2018

Rapidly growing malignant tumors frequently encounter hypoxia and nutrient (e.g., glucose) deprivation, which occurs because of insufficient blood supply. This results in necrotic cell death in the core region of solid tumors. Necrotic cells release their cellular cytoplasmic contents into the extracellular space, such as high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), which is a nonhistone nuclear protein, but acts as a proinflammatory and tumor‐promoting cytokine when released by necrotic cells. These released molecules recruit immune and inflammatory cells, which exert tumor‐promoting activity by inducing angiogenesis, proliferation, and invasion. Development of a necrotic core in cancer patients is also associated with poor prognosis. Conventionally, necrosis has been thought of as an unregulated process, unlike programmed cell death processes like apoptosis and autophagy. Recently, necrosis has been recognized as a programmed cell death, encompassing processes such as oncosis, necroptosis, and others. Metabolic stress‐induced necrosis and its regulatory mechanisms have been poorly investigated until recently. Snail and Dlx‐2, EMT‐inducing transcription factors, are responsible for metabolic stress‐induced necrosis in tumors. Snail and Dlx‐2 contribute to tumor progression by promoting necrosis and inducing EMT and oncogenic metabolism. Oncogenic metabolism has been shown to play a role(s) in initiating necrosis. Here, we discuss the molecular mechanisms underlying metabolic stress‐induced programmed necrosis that promote tumor progression and aggressiveness.
Predictive and Prognostic Implications of Mutation Profiling and Microsatellite Instability Status in Patients with Metastatic Colorectal Carcinoma
Authors: Liu Jianhua , Zeng Weiqiang , Huang Chengzhi , Wang Junjiang , Yang Dongyang , Ma Dong
Published: January 2018

To investigate whether mutation profiling and microsatellite instability (MSI) status were associated with clinicopathological features and the prognosis in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), mutations in RAS (including KRAS, NRAS, and HRAS) and BRAF were determined by Sanger sequencing. Tumor mismatch repair proteins and MSI status were examined using immunohistochemistry and polymerase chain reaction, respectively. The clinical value of these abnormalities was statistically analyzed, and prognostic value of different treatment regimens was also evaluated. Among 461 mCRC patients, mutations in RAS, BRAF, and MSI-high (MSI-H) status were observed in 45.3% (209/461), 5.6% (26/461), and 6.5% (30/461) of cases, respectively. Brain metastasis and high carcinoembryonic antigen level were highly correlated with KRAS mutation (P=0.011 and P<0.001), and tumors from females or located in the right colon tended to harbor BRAF mutation (P=0.039 and P=0.001). RAS/BRAF mutations may predict brain and/or lung metastases. Although neither clinical nor prognostic importance of MSI status was identified in our study, KRAS and BRAF mutations were demonstrated to be independent prognostic factors for overall survival and progression-free survival. Besides, in wild-type group, patients treated with chemotherapy plus targeted therapy exhibited the most favorable prognosis. Therefore, RAS/BRAF mutations may serve as indicators for prognosis and treatment options in mCRC.
Physical Activity and Associated Socioeconomic Determinants in Rural and Urban Tanzania: Results from the 2012 WHO-STEPS Survey
Authors: Mashili Fredirick L. , Kagaruki Gibson B. , Mbatia Joseph , Nanai Alphoncina , Saguti Grace , Maongezi Sarah , Magimba Ayoub , Mghamba Janneth , Kamugisha Mathias , Mgina Eric , Mweya Clement N. , Kaushik Ramaiya , Mayige Mary T.
Published: January 2018

Background. Physical inactivity contributes to the rising prevalence of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). Given the rapidly increasing prevalence of NCDs in Low-Income Countries (LICs), comprehensive evaluation and documentation of physical activity (PA) status in this setting are crucial. Methods. We examined the demographic and social-economic antecedents of PA among adults (5398) from the 2012 Tanzania STEPS survey data. Statistical significance at the level of 0.05 was used to measure the strength of associations. Results. Majority of study participants attained the WHO-recommended levels of physical activity (96.7%). Levels were higher among those living in rural than in urban settings (98% versus 92%,  p<0.0001) and generally, urban residency, female gender, higher education achievement, and employment were significantly associated with low levels of PA. Participation in the different domains of PA (work, transport, and recreational) varied with living setting, levels of education, and employment status. Conclusion. These results describe PA status and associated social-economic determinants among adults in rural and urban Tanzania. The findings contribute to the growing evidence that implicates urbanization as a key driver for the growing prevalence of physical inactivity in LICs and underscore the need for tailored PA interventions based on demography and social-economic factors.
Prediction of the Strength Properties of Carbon Fiber‐Reinforced Lightweight Concrete Exposed to the High Temperature Using Artificial Neural Network and Support Vector Machine
Authors: Tanyildizi Harun
Published: January 2018

The artificial neural network and support vector machine were used to estimate the compressive strength and flexural strength of carbon fiber‐reinforced lightweight concrete with the silica fume exposed to the high temperature. Cement was replaced with three percentages of silica fumes (0%, 10%, and 20%). The carbon fibers were used in four different proportions (0, 2, 4, and 8 kg/m3). The specimens of each concrete mixture were heated at 20°C, 400°C, 600°C, and 800°C. After this process, the specimens were subjected to the strength tests. The amount of cement, the amount of silica fumes, the amount of carbon fiber, the amount of aggregates, and temperature were selected as the input variables for the prediction models. The compressive and flexural strengths of the lightweight concrete were determined as the output variables. The model results were compared with the experimental results. The best results were achieved from the artificial neural network model. The accuracy of the artificial neural network model was found at 99.02% and 96.80%.
Eustachian Valve Endocarditis: Echocardiographic Diagnosis in a Critical Care Patient
Authors: Alves Mariana , Faria Rita , Messias António , Meneses-Oliveira Carlos
Published: January 2018

Eustachian valve endocarditis is rare. A literature review revealed that only 29 cases have been reported and, among them, there is only one mention of an intensive care unit (ICU) admission. We present an 82-year-old man without previous medical records who presented with septic shock with multiple organ dysfunction. The patient was admitted to the ICU and deteriorated with combined shock (septic + cardiogenic). A second ultrasound screen detected a prominent Eustachian valve with mobile multilobulated vegetation attached. Transesophageal echocardiography confirmed a 12 mm oscillating mass attached to a visible Eustachian valve.
Novel Combined Freeze-Drying and Instant Controlled Pressure Drop Drying for Restructured Carrot-Potato Chips: Optimized by Response Surface Method
Authors: Yi Jianyong , Hou Chunhui , Bi Jinfeng , Zhao Yuanyuan , Peng Jian , Liu Changjin
Published: January 2018

Combined freeze-drying and instant controlled pressure drop process (FD-DIC) for restructured carrot-potato chips was developed and its processing conditions were optimized using response surface methodology (RSM) with the purpose of improving the quality of products and reducing energy consumption. Three critical variables including the amount of carrot, the moisture content of the partially dried product before DIC treatment, and equilibrium temperature of DIC for the restructured chips were considered. Response parameters such as the final moisture content, color value (L, a, and b), and texture properties of restructured carrot-potato chips were investigated. The results showed that the graphical optimal ranges of FD-DIC drying process were as follows: the amount of carrot was 46–54% w/w, the moisture content of the partially dried product before DIC treatment was 0.20–0.35 g/g, and the equilibrium temperature of DIC was 85–95°C. Furthermore, the numerical optimization suggested that conditions were 47.43% w/w, 0.29 g/g, and 90.57°C, respectively. It could be concluded that the combined drying method of FD-DIC provided the restructured carrot-potato chips with higher quality, as compared to the freeze-dried chips. Considering the relatively high production cost of FD, this novel FD-DIC could be an alternative method for obtaining desirable restructured fruit and vegetable chips.
Learning Multimodal Deep Representations for Crowd Anomaly Event Detection
Authors: Huang Shaonian , Huang Dongjun , Zhou Xinmin
Published: January 2018

Anomaly event detection in crowd scenes is extremely important; however, the majority of existing studies merely use hand-crafted features to detect anomalies. In this study, a novel unsupervised deep learning framework is proposed to detect anomaly events in crowded scenes. Specifically, low-level visual features, energy features, and motion map features are simultaneously extracted based on spatiotemporal energy measurements. Three convolutional restricted Boltzmann machines are trained to model the mid-level feature representation of normal patterns. Then a multimodal fusion scheme is utilized to learn the deep representation of crowd patterns. Based on the learned deep representation, a one-class support vector machine model is used to detect anomaly events. The proposed method is evaluated using two available public datasets and compared with state-of-the-art methods. The experimental results show its competitive performance for anomaly event detection in video surveillance.
Subthreshold Photocoagulation Using Endpoint Management in the PASCAL® System for Diffuse Diabetic Macular Edema
Authors: Hamada Masafumi , Ohkoshi Kishiko , Inagaki Keiji , Ebihara Nobuyuki , Murakami Akira
Published: January 2018

We evaluated subthreshold photocoagulation using endpoint management (EPM) for the treatment of diabetic macular edema (DME). The study enrolled 10 eyes from 10 patients (6 men and 4 women) with DME. The entry criteria included central macular thickness (CMT) ≥ 300 μm and decimal visual acuity (VA) ≤ 0.5. The primary endpoints were VA (logMAR) and CMT at 6 months follow-up. Secondary endpoints included fundus autofluorescence, macular volume (MV), and macular sensitivity (MS). We used the PASCAL Streamline Yellow® (wavelength, 577 nm) system to perform grid pattern laser photocoagulation at 50% of the threshold (size, 100 μm; duration, 0.015 s; spacing, 0.5; and energy, 4.5–7.8 mJ). At 6 months posttreatment, CMT was significantly decreased, while there were no significant changes in macular sensitivity, mean BCVA (logMAR), or macular volume. Autofluorescence imaging revealed no changes after treatment in 6 of 10 eyes. No eyes exhibited subjective symptoms of scotoma after photocoagulation. Optical coherence tomography showed the complete resolution of macular edema in 4 eyes (40%) after a single treatment; MS was increased in all 4 of these eyes at 6 months posttreatment. In conclusion, subthreshold photocoagulation using EPM is safe and effective for DME treatment and preserves MS. This trial is registered with UMIN000012401.
A Rare Case of Progressive Palsy of the Lower Leg during Percutaneous Endoscopic Lumbar Discectomy via a Transforaminal Approach
Authors: Manabe Hiroaki , Higashino Kosaku , Sugiura Kosuke
Published: January 2018

Percutaneous endoscopic discectomy (PED) for lumbar disc herniation is gaining popularity with the transforaminal (TF) approach preferred because it allows surgery under local anesthesia and preserves the spinal muscles. Although this procedure has some characteristic complications, it is rare for PED to be converted to conventional open surgery due to worsening of symptoms intraoperatively. Here, we report PED via the TF approach that required conversion to open surgery. A 20-year-old man with a large disc herniation at L3/4 developed severe progressive leg pain and muscle weakness of the left leg intraoperatively. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed that the size of the herniation was unchanged and the endoscope did not reach the herniated mass. We converted to open surgery, and the patient’s postoperative course was favorable. We discuss the reasons for failure of the approach and suggest planning for an appropriate foraminoplasty to avoid the potential need for conversion to open surgery.
Adaptive Reconstruction of a Dynamic Force Using Multiscale Wavelet Shape Functions
Authors: He Wen-Yu , Wang Yang , Zhu Songye
Published: January 2018

The shape function‐based method is one of the very promising time‐domain methods for dynamic force reconstruction, because it can significantly reduce the number of unknowns and shorten the reconstruction time. However, it is challenging to determine the optimum time unit length that can balance the tradeoff between reconstruction accuracy and efficiency in advance. To address this challenge, this paper develops an adaptive dynamic force reconstruction method based on multiscale wavelet shape functions and time‐domain deconvolution. A concentrated dynamic force is discretized into units in time domain and the local force in each unit is approximated by wavelet scale functions at an initial scale. Subsequently, the whole response matrix is formulated by assembling the responses induced by the wavelet shape function forces of all time units which are calculated by the structural finite element model (FEM). Then, the wavelet shape function‐based force‐response equation is established for force reconstruction. Finally, the scale of the force‐response equation is lifted by refining the wavelet shape function with high‐scale wavelets and dynamic responses with more point data to improve the reconstruction accuracy gradually. Numerical examples of different structural types are analyzed to verify the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method.
The Role of Moderate Aerobic Exercise as Determined by Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing in ALS
Authors: Braga Anna Caroline Marques , Pinto Anabela , Pinto Susana , de Carvalho Mamede
Published: January 2018

Introduction. The efficacy of cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) to determining exercise intensity has not been established in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). We studied this intervention. Methods. We included 48 ALS patients randomized in 2 groups: G1 (n=24), exercise intensity leveled by CPET; G2 (n=24), standard care limited by fatigue, during 6 months. ALS functional scale (ALSFRS-R) and forced vital capacity (FVC) were performed every 3 months; CPET was done at admission (T1) and 6 months later (T2). We registered oxygen uptake, carbon dioxide output, and ventilation at anaerobic threshold and at peak effort. Primary outcome was functional change. We used parametric statistics for comparisons and multiple regression analyses to identify independent predictors of functional decline. Results. At T1 both groups were identical, except for higher FVC in G1 (p=0.02). At T2, ALSFRS-R was higher (p=0.035) in G1. Gas exchange variables at T2 did not change in G1 but had significant differences in G2 (p<0.05). Multiregression analyses showed the Spinal ALSFRS-R slope and Intervention group (p<0.001) as significant predictors of ALSFRS-R at T2. Conclusion. Aerobic exercise defined by CPET is feasible and can improve functional outcome in ALS. This trial is registered with Clinical trials.gov ID: NCT03326622.
Dynamical Motor Control Learned with Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient
Authors: Shi Haibo , Sun Yaoru , Li Jie
Published: January 2018

Conventional models of motor control exploit the spatial representation of the controlled system to generate control commands. Typically, the control command is gained with the feedback state of a specific instant in time, which behaves like an optimal regulator or spatial filter to the feedback state. Yet, recent neuroscience studies found that the motor network may constitute an autonomous dynamical system and the temporal patterns of the control command can be contained in the dynamics of the motor network, that is, the dynamical system hypothesis (DSH). Inspired by these findings, here we propose a computational model that incorporates this neural mechanism, in which the control command could be unfolded from a dynamical controller whose initial state is specified with the task parameters. The model is trained in a trial-and-error manner in the framework of deep deterministic policy gradient (DDPG). The experimental results show that the dynamical controller successfully learns the control policy for arm reaching movements, while the analysis of the internal activities of the dynamical controller provides the computational evidence to the DSH of the neural coding in motor cortices.
Splenic Abscess: An Uncommon Entity with Potentially Life-Threatening Evolution
Authors: Lee Mei-Chun , Lee Chun-Ming
Published: January 2018

Background/Purpose. Splenic abscess is rare with potentially life-threatening evolution. The aim of this study is to review the clinical features, microbiological etiologies, treatment, and outcomes of patients with splenic abscess. Methods. We reviewed the admitted patients with suspected splenic abscess and made the diagnosis of splenic abscess. The clinical characteristics, underlying diseases, treatment course, organism spectra, abscess number and size, therapeutic methods, and clinical outcome at a tertiary medical center in Taiwan over a period of 5 years were analyzed. Results. Of 16 patients with splenic abscess, the male to female ratio was 1 : 1. Common presentations were fever (11 patients, 68.7%), diffuse abdominal pain (6 patients, 37.5%), left upper quadrant pain or tenderness (6 patients, 37.5%), and left-sided pleural effusions (8 patients, 50%). Antimicrobial therapy was administered in all patients. Fourteen (87.5%) patients recovered under medical treatment. One (6.2%) patient underwent splenectomy, four (25%) patients performed percutaneous drainage of their splenic abscess, and 11 (68.7%) patients received antimicrobial therapy alone. Conclusion. We noted that mortality may be more related to patients with underlying immunodeficiency. Patients with splenic abscesses receiving antimicrobial therapy alone were in a relatively high proportion and got a good prognosis especially in patients with small and multiple abscesses.
Dynamic Characteristics Analysis and Test of Dual-Driving Feed System Driven by Center of Gravity
Authors: Lu Hong , Fan Wei , Zhang Xinbao , Zhang Yongquan , Wang Shaojun , Duan Meng
Published: January 2018

Dual-driving feed system (DDFS) driven by center of gravity (DCG) has been widely used in advanced manufacturing machine for its high rigidity and precision. However, the DCG technology requires that the joint force coincides with the center of gravity of the sliding stage. The dual-driving synchronization and tracking performance will be affected by the change of center of gravity of the sliding stage. Therefore, this paper proposes dynamic characteristics modeling, identification, and control scheme for DDFS driven by center of gravity (DCG). Firstly, a redundancy dynamic model including rotation and pitch vibration caused by the change of the position of center of gravity is presented for DDFS DCG based on the Lagrange method. The model parameters are identified by system identification experiment, and the predictive natural frequencies and vibration modes by the proposed dynamic model are compared by modal experiment. Moreover, the dynamic model-based cross-coupled sliding mode control (CCSMC) is proposed for DDFS DCG. Then, the proposed dynamic model-based CCSMC has been compared with normal cross-coupled sliding mode control (NCCSMC). Both the simulation and experimental results show that the proposed dynamic characteristics analysis and test scheme of DDFS DCG are validated effectively by comparisons.
Antitumor T-cell Reconditioning: Improving Metabolic Fitness for Optimal Cancer Immunotherapy
Authors: Rivadeneira Dayana B. , Delgoffe Greg M.
Published: January 2018

With the rapid rise of immunotherapy for cancer treatment, attention has focused on gaining a better understanding of T-cell biology in the tumor microenvironment. Elucidating the factors underlying changes in their function will allow for the development of new therapeutic strategies that could expand the patient population benefiting from immunotherapy, as well as circumvent therapy resistance. Cancers go beyond avoiding immune recognition and inducing T-cell dysfunction through coinhibitory molecules. Recent work has demonstrated that the tumor microenvironment elicits metabolic changes in T cells that dampen their ability to respond and that manipulating these metabolic changes can strengthen an antitumor immune response. Here we review the metabolic status of various types of T cells, the energetic state of the tumor microenvironment, and proposed modalities for improvement of immunotherapy through metabolic remodeling. Clin Cancer Res; 24(11); 2473–81. ©2018 AACR.
Metastasis Seeding Cells: Lone Invaders or Mass Migrators?
Authors: Gerlinger Marco
Published: January 2018

Lymph node metastases are among the best predictors of recurrence and of cancer-related death in early-stage colorectal cancers. Yet, despite their clinical and biological relevance, it remains elusive how lymph node metastases develop and whether metastatic seeding is a major bottleneck that restrains genetic heterogeneity of metastatic disease. Clin Cancer Res; 24(9); 2032–4. ©2018 AACR.

See related article by Ulintz et al., p. 2214
Chronic Kidney Disease Elicits an Intestinal Inflammation Resulting in Intestinal Dysmotility Associated with the Activation of Inducible Nitric Oxide Synthesis in Rat
Authors: Yu Chao , Tan Shanjun , Wang Zhen , Deng Bingqing , Li Jin , Wang Qiang , Zhou Chunyu , Kang Xin , Yu Zhen , Zhuang Shougang
Published: January 2018

This study was conducted to investigate whether chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects intestinal inflammation and intestinal motility and the underlying mechanisms. Rats were randomized into control group and uremic group. Uremia rats were induced by the 5/6 kidney resection, while the control went through the same procedures but without any kidney resection. Intestinal motility was assessed by charcoal transport assay; intestinal inflammation was assessed by analyses of levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-6, and IL-10 in the ileum tissue. The inducible nitric oxide synthesis (iNOS) activity was assessed in the ileum tissue. The results showed that the intestinal motility in uremic group was significantly decreased compared with that in the control group on postoperative weeks 8 and 10. Meanwhile, the uremic group presented significantly higher concentrations of TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-10 than control group on postoperative weeks 8 and/or 10, and higher gene expression on postoperative weeks 6, 8, and 10. Furthermore, the intestinal iNOS activity in the uremic group was significantly increased compared with that in control group on postoperative weeks 8 and 10. These results suggest that CKD could induce intestinal inflammation and lead to intestinal dysmotility, which may be associated with iNOS activation in the intestine.