bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Post-traumatic growth in the military: a systematic review
Authors: Mark Katharine M , Stevelink Sharon A M , Choi Jeesoo , Fear Nicola T
Published: October 2018

Background

Post-traumatic growth is defined as positive psychological, social or spiritual growth after a trauma.

Objectives

This systematic review aimed to identify studies that quantitatively measured post-traumatic growth among (ex-) military personnel, to determine whether there is evidence of growth in this context and whether such growth is associated with any sociodemographic, military, trauma or mental health factors.

Data sources

The electronic databases PsycInfo, OVIDmedline and Embase were searched for studies published between 2001 and 2017.

Study eligibility criteria and participants

Papers were retained if they involved military or ex-military personnel, where some had been deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan.

Study appraisal

Quality assessment was conducted on all studies.

Results

21 studies were retained. The Post-Traumatic Growth Inventory was employed by 14 studies: means ranged from 32.60 (standard deviation = 14.88) to 59.07 (23.48). The Post-Traumatic Growth Inventory Short Form was used by five studies: means ranged from 17.11 (14.88) to 20.40 (11.88). These values suggest moderate growth. Higher levels of social support, spirituality and rumination and minority ethnicity were most frequently associated with more post-traumatic growth.

Limitations

The involved studies may lack generalisability and methodological quality.

Conclusions

Overall, this paper confirms that negative reactions to trauma, particularly post-traumatic stress disorder, are not the only possible outcomes for service personnel, as moderate post-traumatic growth can also be observed.

Implications of key findings

Interventions aimed at helping current and former armed forces personnel to identify and promote post-traumatic growth post-conflict may be beneficial for their well-being.
A partial deciduous canopy, coupled with site preparation, produces excellent growth of planted white spruce
Authors: Lieffers Victor J. , Sidders Derek , Keddy Tim , Solarik Kevin A. , Blenis Peter
Published: October 2018

Survival and growth of planted white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss) were assessed at year 15 in boreal mixedwood stands of northern Alberta, Canada, in stands that were deciduous-dominated prior to logging or were conifer-dominated. Three overstory retention levels (0%, 50%, and 75% retention) and four site preparation treatments (mound, high speed mix, scalp, and no treatment) were evaluated. In deciduous-dominated stands, planted spruce performed best in the 50% retention; here, stem volume was at least double that of any other retention treatment after 15 years. In contrast, spruce had reduced growth in coniferous-dominated stands in both 50% and 75% retention treatments compared with the 0% retention. Survival of planted spruce was unaffected by level of retention, but survival was lower in coniferous-dominated stands than in deciduous-dominated stands; in the coniferous-dominated stands, survival was better with mounding and mixing and lowest with scalp treatments. All height variables tended to be greater in the mix and mound site preparation treatments. Finally, the best estimates of future total growth (regenerated spruce and deciduous combined) in the coniferous-dominated stands were in the clearcut treatment. In terms of regenerated spruce growth, the best estimates occurred in the deciduous-dominated – 50% retention stand planted with soil mixing–mounding treatments, where projected growth of spruce was comparable with that of open-grown and tended stands in Alberta’s boreal forests.
Investigation on the mechanism of ESIPT of 2-hydroxy-1-naphthaldehyde-(4-pyridinecarboxylic)-hydrazone and detection of Al3+ ion
Authors: Liu Songsong , Pan Jie , Wei Dongmei , Xu Jihua , Zhou Yong , Song Yuzhi
Published: October 2018

The sensing mechanism of 2-hydroxy-1-naphthaldehyde-(4-pyridinecarboxylic)-hydrazone for Al3+ is investigated based on the excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) and photo-induced electron transfer (PET) processes. Absorption and fluorescence spectra are calculated, which are consistent with experimental results. By analyzing the major bond parameters, infrared vibrational spectra as well as frontier molecular orbitals, it can be concluded that the hydrogen bond is enhanced in the first singlet excited state (S1), which can also be visualized by the reduced density gradient function. Potential energy curves are also scanned, which can elucidate that the ESIPT process is more likely to occur in the S1 state. Changes in molecular configuration and intensity of fluorescence emission confirmed that the ESIPT and PET processes are forbidden in the presence of Al3+.
Induced entangled state representations for generating fractional Fourier–Hankel transform
Authors: Lv Cui-Hong , Zhang Su-Qing , Fan Hong-Yi
Published: October 2018

Based on the fact that the quantum mechanical version of Hankel transform kernel (the Bessel function) is just the transform between [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text], two induced entangled state representations, and working with them, we derive fractional Fourier–Hankel transformation (FrFHT) caused by the operator [Formula: see text], where [Formula: see text] is named the core operator and is essential to the fractional transformation. The fractional property (additive rule) of the FrFHT can be explicitly proved.
A Full-Wave CMOS Rectifier with High-Speed Comparators for Implantable Medical Devices
Authors: Deylamani Mahnaz Janipoor , Abdi Fatemeh , Amiri Parviz
Published: October 2018

In this paper, we present a CMOS full-wave rectifier with comparator-controlled switches for transmission of wireless power in implantable medical devices. It uses MOS transistors as low loss switches to provide high power conversion efficiency (PCE). The proposed fast comparator circuit, by controlling the switches in the rectifier, reduces the reverse leakage current in the negative cycle and increases the conduction time in the positive cycle so that more current flows into the output load and optimizes the rectifier power efficiency. The designed comparator does not require constant voltage source for its function and it is self-biased. The proposed rectifier is implemented using 0.18[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]m CMOS technology and provides 1.195[Formula: see text]V output DC voltage with a 190[Formula: see text][Formula: see text] load resistance and AC input signal with the frequency of 13.56[Formula: see text]MHz and peak-to-peak amplitude of 1.36[Formula: see text]V. Under these conditions, PCE and voltage conversion efficiency (VCE) values are 85.5% and 88%, respectively. The peak PCE and VCE increase with a decrease in operation frequency and dimensions of transistors are optimized using multiple simulations for intended frequency.
Synthesis of Fractional-Order Biquadratic Immittance Functions
Authors: Liang Guishu , Huo Xiaoyan
Published: October 2018

Passive network synthesis, as an important part of circuit and system theory, has been well developed in integer-order circuits. With the development of fractional-order calculus and fractional-order elements, the problem of using fractional-order passive networks to realize fractional-order immittance functions has drawn much attention. In this paper, the realization of a fractional-order biquadratic immittance function is considered. First, the form of a fractional-order biquadratic function and some theorems that could promote later research are introduced. Second, a detailed study for the realization of a fractional-order biquadratic immittance function is shown. Finally, through summarizing the realizability conditions of each network, we have obtained the scope of fractional biquadratic impedance functions that can be realized by this paper.
The Geikie Archive at Haslemere Educational Museum
Authors: Betterton John
Published: October 2018

The extensive archive of papers, illustrations, albums and specimens accumulated by Sir Archibald Geikie and held by the Haslemere Educational Museum is a rich resource for any appreciation of his professional life and achievements. This paper charts the history of the archive, highlights some of its particular treasures and discusses the key series of records it contains.
Learning to Adaptively Rank Document Retrieval System Configurations
Authors: Deveaud Romain , Mothe Josiane , Ullah Md Zia , Nie Jian-Yun
Published: October 2018

Modern Information Retrieval (IR) systems have become more and more complex, involving a large number of parameters. For example, a system may choose from a set of possible retrieval models (BM25, language model, etc.), or various query expansion parameters, whose values greatly influence the overall retrieval effectiveness. Traditionally, these parameters are set at a system level based on training queries, and the same parameters are then used for different queries. We observe that it may not be easy to set all these parameters separately, since they can be dependent. In addition, a global setting for all queries may not best fit all individual queries with different characteristics. The parameters should be set according to these characteristics. In this article, we propose a novel approach to tackle this problem by dealing with the entire
system configurations
(i.e., a set of parameters representing an IR system behaviour) instead of selecting a single parameter at a time. The selection of the best configuration is cast as a problem of ranking different possible configurations given a query. We apply learning-to-rank approaches for this task. We exploit both the query features and the system configuration features in the learning-to-rank method so that the selection of configuration is query dependent. The experiments we conducted on four TREC ad hoc collections show that this approach can significantly outperform the traditional method to tune system configuration globally (i.e., grid search) and leads to higher effectiveness than the top performing systems of the TREC tracks. We also perform an ablation analysis on the impact of different features on the model learning capability and show that query expansion features are among the most important for adaptive systems.
Random-Forest-Inspired Neural Networks
Authors: Wang Suhang , Aggarwal Charu , Liu Huan
Published: October 2018

Neural networks have become very popular in recent years, because of the astonishing success of deep learning in various domains such as image and speech recognition. In many of these domains, specific architectures of neural networks, such as convolutional networks, seem to fit the particular structure of the problem domain very well and can therefore perform in an astonishingly effective way. However, the success of neural networks is not universal across all domains. Indeed, for learning problems without any special structure, or in cases where the data are somewhat limited, neural networks are known not to perform well with respect to traditional machine-learning methods such as random forests. In this article, we show that a carefully designed neural network with random forest structure can have better generalization ability. In fact, this architecture is more powerful than random forests, because the back-propagation algorithm reduces to a more powerful and generalized way of constructing a decision tree. Furthermore, the approach is efficient to train and requires a small constant factor of the number of training examples. This efficiency allows the training of multiple neural networks to improve the generalization accuracy. Experimental results on real-world benchmark datasets demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed enhancements for classification and regression.
To Clean or Not to Clean
Authors: Roy Dwaipayan , Mitra Mandar , Ganguly Debasis
Published: October 2018

Web document collections such as WT10G, GOV2, and ClueWeb are widely used for text retrieval experiments. Documents in these collections contain a fair amount of non-content-related markup in the form of tags, hyperlinks, and so on. Published articles that use these corpora generally do not provide specific details about how this markup information is handled during indexing. However, this question turns out to be important: Through experiments, we find that including or excluding metadata in the index can produce significantly different results with standard IR models. More importantly, the effect varies across models and collections. For example, metadata filtering is found to be generally beneficial when using BM25, or language modeling with Dirichlet smoothing, but can significantly reduce retrieval effectiveness if language modeling is used with Jelinek-Mercer smoothing. We also observe that, in general, the performance differences become more noticeable as the amount of metadata in the test collections increase. Given this variability, we believe that the details of document preprocessing are significant from the point of view of reproducibility. In a second set of experiments, we also study the effect of preprocessing on query expansion using RM3. In this case, once again, we find that it is generally better to remove markup before using documents for query expansion.
Urban Transformation in the Context of Rail Transport Development: The Case of a Newly Built Railway Line in Gdańsk (Poland)
Authors: Połom Marcin , Tarkowski Maciej , Puzdrakiewicz Krystian
Published: October 2018

Development of railway transport systems is perceived as one of the most effective ways of shaping sustainable urban transportation. However, railway transportation systems can only compete with individual means of transportation when having properly developed infrastructure, especially in terms of the train stops accessibility. The main objective of this article is to discuss mutual relations between operation of a newly built railway line and spatial changes taking place in its closest vicinity which determine the accessibility to it. The research methods included the GIS tools, direct measurements of passenger exchange, and public opinion poll among the passengers taking the new line. The research area was the city of Gdańsk, one of the largest cities in Poland, where transportation problems are cumulating as a result of the urban sprawl. The new railway was opened in order to mitigate these problems. The research results have proved this strategy was only partially successful as the course of the line and location of the stops do not provide a large number of potential passengers. That is why it was necessary to connect the line to the already existing urban transportation system, yet this solution has not resolved the problem completely. However, the urban development plan assumes introduction of large housing projects in the areas surrounding the existing train stops what will allow using the new line more efficiently in the future.
Glimepiride Administered in Chow Reversibly Impairs Glucose Tolerance in Mice
Authors: Niedowicz Dana M. , Özcan Sabire , Nelson Peter T.
Published: October 2018

Sulfonylureas are a class of antidiabetes medications prescribed to millions of individuals worldwide. Rodents have been used extensively to study sulfonylureas in the laboratory. Here, we report the results of studies treating mice with a sulfonylurea (glimepiride) in order to understand how the drug affects glucose homeostasis and tolerance. We tested the effect of glimepiride on fasting blood glucose, glucose tolerance, and insulin secretion, using glimepiride sourced from a local pharmacy. We also examined the effect on glucagon, gluconeogenesis, and insulin sensitivity. Unexpectedly, glimepiride exposure in mice was associated with fasting hyperglycemia, glucose intolerance, and decreased insulin. There was no change in circulating glucagon levels or gluconeogenesis. The effect was dose-dependent, took effect by two weeks, and was reversed within three weeks after removal. Glimepiride elicited the same effects in all strains evaluated: four wild-type strains, as well as the transgenic Grn−/− and diabetic db/db mice. Our findings suggest that the use of glimepiride as a hypoglycemic agent in mice should proceed with caution and may have broader implications about mouse models as a proxy to study the human pharmacopeia.
A Bat-Inspired Sparse Recovery Algorithm for Compressed Sensing
Authors: Bao Wanning , Liu Haiqiang , Huang Dongbo , Hua Qianqian , Hua Gang
Published: October 2018

Compressed sensing (CS) is an important research area of signal sampling and compression, and the essence of signal recovery in CS is an optimization problem of solving the underdetermined system of equations. Greedy pursuit algorithms are widely used to solve this problem. They have low computational complexity; however, their recovery performance is limited. In this paper, an intelligence recovery algorithm is proposed by combining the Bat Algorithm (BA) and the pruning technique in subspace pursuit. Experimental results illustrate that the proposed algorithm has better recovery performance than greedy pursuit algorithms. Moreover, applied to the microseismic monitoring system, the BA can recover the signal well.
Detecting and Measuring Internal Anomalies in Tree Trunks Using Radar Data for Layer Identification
Authors: Xiao Xiayang , Wen Jian , Xiao Zhongliang , Li Weilin
Published: October 2018

Radar detection has proven to be an effective, nondestructive test for the determination of the quality of wood-based materials, especially in the wooden structures of ancient buildings and trees. However, the results are usually inaccurate, and it is difficult to interpret internal anomalies due to the moisture content of wood, individual differences, and other factors. In this paper, a new measurement method is proposed based on the use of ground-penetrating radar (GPR) for abnormality localization and imaging. Firstly, the time delay of the reflected signal in the inner trees is analyzed with matched filter and Hilbert detections. Secondly, the two approaches are compared with the use of a forward model, and the Hilbert algorithm is found to be more accurate. Thirdly, a laser scanner is used to collect contour data and determine the location and characteristics of internal tree anomalies. Lastly, the proposed method is tested on ancient willows at the Summer Palace. The results show that the error in the depth and area estimates of the anomalies was within 10% and 5%, respectively. Consequently, the GPR method for locating the anomalies in trees is feasible, and a laser scanner combined with contour data can present the size of the abnormal regions within the trees.
Bilateral Iris Mammillations in Amblyopic Eyes without Oculodermal Melanocytosis or Neurofibromatosis
Authors: Yamamoto Megumi , Mimura Tatsuya , Matsumoto Koichi , Hamano Shigeki , Nanba Hisataka , Ubukata Shoko , Watanabe Emiko , Mizota Atsushi
Published: October 2018

Purpose. Iris mammillations are related to oculodermal melanosis and iris nevi. We report a rare case of bilateral simple iris mammillations without ocular melanosis or systemic neuronal disorders. Case Report. A healthy 10-year-old Japanese girl was found incidentally to have bilateral iris mammillations while being treated for amblyopia. The best-corrected visual acuity was 20/40 in both eyes. Ocular examination showed evenly spaced, uniform-size, iris protrusions completely covering the iris surface bilaterally. There were no other ocular or neurological abnormalities. Conclusion. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of bilateral iris mammillations in Japan. Our case emphasizes that iris mammillations can occur even without ocular melanocytosis or systemic diseases.
Consideration of Three-Dimensional Attitude and Position Control for a Free-Floating Rigid Body Using Three Thrusters
Authors: Matsuno Takashi , Yoshimura Yasuhiro , Hokamoto Shinji
Published: October 2018

The study examines the control algorithm of a three-dimensional attitude and position of a free-floating rigid body with three thruster forces in which the force directions are fixed with respect to the body. This study provides a theory to develop a control method of an underactuated satellite with the minimum thruster number. In the procedure, three switching controllers are used in conjunction with motion planning in the final angular-rate deceleration phase to individually control the six state variables to the target values. The switching controllers have a hierarchical structure by using invariant manifolds as switching surfaces. The state variables in higher class manifolds that include lower class ones are adjusted by repeatedly adding intentional disturbances while the lower class state variables are returned to the original values by using lower class invariant manifolds. This study describes methods to define the invariant manifolds and also the intentional disturbance for achieving the forementioned control strategy. Finally, the motion planning in the angular-rate deceleration phase from a remained single-axis rotation finalizes the six state values of the body to the target values. Numerical simulations verify the proposed method.
Valuation of Guaranteed Maximum Price Contracts in Korea Using the Collar Option Model
Authors: Lee Sanghyo , Jang Hyeongjae , Ahn Yonghan
Published: October 2018

This study assessed the levels of risk that contractors may be subject to while executing a GMP contract by applying a collar option model to the case study of an apartment project in Korea and identified implications for the application of GMP contracts in Korea. The payoff structure of the GMP contract was defined based on the collar option model and a profit sharing ratio calculated to evaluate the risks involved in GMP contracts. The results showed that an increase in the GMP and a decrease in the expected cost and cost range were accompanied by a decrease in the profit sharing ratio. The proposed valuation model for GMP contracts is expected to help clients and contractors in Korea negotiate reasonable contracts as it enables the contractor to utilize the proposed model as basic data, the client to evaluate the performance of the contractor, and both parties to agree a reasonable profit sharing ratio. Implementing GMP contracts with CMR is likely to have a number of positive effects on the Korean construction market. However, in order to maximize these effects, it is necessary to have the ability to evaluate cost uncertainty. Accordingly, it is very important to analyze the factors that influence cost volatility. In future work, the various factors that have an impact on the GMP must be studied to maximize the positive effects of the framework proposed in this paper. An analysis of the effect of each factor on the change in the GMP will help Korean construction companies who are attempting to introduce GMP contracts to perform their preconstruction services effectively.
Effect of Guide Vanes on Flow and Vibroacoustic in an Axial-Flow Pump
Authors: Li Guoping , Chen Eryun , Yang Ailing , Xie Zhibin , Zhao Gaiping
Published: October 2018

An effect of guide-vane numbers on pressure fluctuations and structural vibroacoustics induced by unsteady flow is performed by a hybrid numerical method. A 3D flow field is simulated in axial-flow pump with four impeller blades, in which three diffuser models with 5, 7, and 9 vanes are devised to match, respectively. A full scale structural vibroacoustics coupled model is solved using LMS acoustics software. The results show that the blade-passing frequency (BPF) is dominated frequency of the vibration acceleration of pump, which is consistent with frequency spectral characteristics of pressure pulsation. The unsteady pressure fluctuating becomes strong as the flow discharge decreases from 1.0Qv to 0.6Qv, the circumferential unsteady behavior of which is more severe due to flow nonuniformity induced by the suction elbow at partial operation. Generally, the pressure fluctuating increases slightly when the flow discharge increases from 1.0Qv to 1.3Qv. Moreover, pressure fluctuations amplitude on the pump with 9-vane diffuser is small relative to other two models and the vibrating accelerating and radiation sound field at BPF are also slight relatively, which indicates that appropriate guide-vane numbers contribute to suppress pressure fluctuations and vibroacoustics in axial-flow pump. The conclusions in the present paper can provide theoretical guidance for low vibration pump design.
A Case of Thyrotoxicosis due to Simultaneous Occurrence of Subacute Thyroiditis and Graves’ Disease
Authors: Kageyama Kazunori , Kinoshita Noriko , Daimon Makoto
Published: October 2018

Subacute thyroiditis is an inflammatory disorder of the thyroid. Graves’ disease is an autoimmune thyroid disease in which thyroid hormones are overproduced. Here we present a rare case of thyrotoxicosis due to the simultaneous occurrence of both diseases. Prompt diagnosis and therapy are required to prevent complications in patients with thyrotoxicosis.
Gender Differences and Work-Family Conflicts among Emergency Physicians with Intention to Leave
Authors: Wu Yi-Fang , Wang Po-Chang , Chen Yi-Chuan
Published: October 2018

Backgrounds. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationships among intention to leave, emergency physician clinical activities, work-family conflicts, and gender differences in emergency physicians (EPs).Methods. The survey instrument was a self-administered questionnaire containing basic demographic information and characteristics of clinical activities. The work-family conflicts were assessed by the Chinese version of the work-family conflict (WIF) scale. The questionnaires were mailed to board-certified EPs between January 2014 and August 2014. Student’st-test, Chi-square test, and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to test the difference between subgroups. Logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the factors associated with intention to leave and gender differences.Results. The study included 222 respondents for analysis after exclusions. Compared with physicians not planning to leave, those planning to leave ED practice showed higher dissatisfaction with their clinical work hours (50.0% versus 31.4%, p = 0.035) and night/day shift ratio (52.9% versus 31.0%, p = 0.013) and tended to work with night/day shift ratio exceeding 40% (67.6% versus 45.7%, p = 0.019). Female physicians were more likely to leave ED practice (females versus males, 26.5% versus 10.1%, p = 0.008). A significantly higher level of WIF scale was noted in the group with intention to leave ED practice (3.7 ± 0.6 versus 3.3 ± 0.7, p = 0.001).Conclusions. Females and EPs with higher level of WIF scale were more likely to leave emergency clinical practice. Instead of the number of clinical practice hours, the satisfaction with the clinical work hours and night shift frequency were significantly associated with the intention to leave.
An Out-of-Season Case of Coxsackie B Myocarditis with Severe Rhabdomyolysis
Authors: Mehta Alaap , Larson Kali , Ganapathineedi Bindu Sarika , Villegas Esteffania , Dande Susmitha , Ahmed Wahaj , Sebro Nadew
Published: October 2018

A 21-year-old woman was found to have fulminant myocarditis as a result of Coxsackie B infection (a virus shown to exhibit summer-fall seasonality) in mid-December. In this case report, seasonality of enteroviruses is examined, as well as additional factors which may contribute to sporadic cases during winter months. The case report also discusses clinical criteria for endomyocardial biopsy, utility of PCR vs. antibody serological tests, coinfection with multiple serotypes, and rhabdomyolysis in Coxsackie B.
Relevance and Standardization of In Vitro Antioxidant Assays: ABTS, DPPH, and Folin–Ciocalteu
Authors: Abramovič Helena , Grobin Blaž , Poklar Ulrih Nataša , Cigić Blaž
Published: October 2018

Trolox, gallic acid, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, catechin, epigallocatechin gallate, and ascorbic acid are antioxidants used as standards for reaction with chromogenic radicals, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH⋅) and 2,2′-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzotiazolin-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS⋅+), and Folin–Ciocalteu (FC) reagent. The number of exchanged electrons has been analyzed as function of method and solvent. A majority of compounds exchange more electrons in FC assay than in ABTS and DPPH assays. In reaction with chromogenic radicals, the largest number of electrons was exchanged in buffer (pH 7.4) and the lowest reactivity was in methanol (DPPH) and water (ABTS). At physiological pH, the number of exchanged electrons of polyphenols exceeded the number of OH groups, pointing to the important contribution of partially oxidized antioxidants, formed in the course of reaction, to the antioxidant potential. For Trolox, small impact on the number of exchanged electrons was observed, confirming that it is more suitable as a standard compound than the other antioxidants.
Bilateral Total Hip and Unilateral Knee Arthroplasties in a Young Adult with Arthropathy-Associated Intestinal Epithelial Dysplasia (Tufting Enteropathy)
Authors: Ng Colin , Magri Kurt , Giordmaina Ryan , Whitwell Duncan
Published: October 2018

Intestinal epithelial dysplasia (tufting enteropathy) is an uncommon congenital disorder. Furthermore, its association with chronic inflammatory arthropathy is rarely documented in the literature. Low prevalence rates of 1 in 100,000 live births in Western Europe exist, with higher rates in North Africa and Middle Eastern countries. Malta, being a small Mediterranean island at the cusp between Europe and North Africa, has an anecdotal sevenfold prevalence rate. This is the first documented case report of a patient with both intestinal epithelial dysplasia and severe bilateral hip and knee arthropathy that required simultaneous bilateral hip followed by, after a short interval, unilateral knee arthroplasties. Our aim is to highlight the rapid progression of associated arthropathy as well as the successful treatment with joint arthroplasties in such extreme cases. Surgical treatment may be a necessity despite best medical efforts to halt the disease.
An Improved Sucker Rod Pumping System Model and Swabbing Parameters Optimized Design
Authors: Li Weicheng , Dong Shimin , Sun Xiurong
Published: October 2018

Considering the impact of fluid flowing into pump on sucker rod pumping system (SRPS) dynamic behaviors, an improved SRPS model with new boundary model is presented, which is a fluid-solid coupled model with the interactions among surface transmission, rod string longitudinal vibration, plunger motion, and fluid flow. A uniform algorithm is adopted instead of the mixed iteration algorithm for the surface transmission and downhole rod string vibration submodels, to reduce the difficulties of solving the entire SRPS model. The dynamic response comparison is executed between the improved model and the current model, and the results show that it will bring a calculation error on pump load and pump fullness if the progress of fluid flowing into the pump (PFFP) is ignored. Based on this improved model, a multitarget optimization model is proposed and the dynamic behavior of SRPS is improved with the optimized swabbing parameters.
The Use of Nanominerals in Animal Nutrition as a Way to Improve the Composition and Quality of Animal Products
Authors: Konkol Damian , Wojnarowski Konrad
Published: October 2018

The demand for protein of animal origin and consumer awareness has been systematically increasing over recent years. This fact obliges breeders to provide animals with the best possible breeding conditions, which will condition the productivity of animals and the quality of products obtained from them. Nowadays, this is especially important because consumers are looking for food that is characterized by prohealth properties, a longer shelf life, and high sensory quality. Good results in improving the composition and quality of products of animal origin bring the use of nanominerals in animal nutrition. The purpose of this work was to collect and systematize knowledge related to the possibility of improving the composition and quality of animal products using minerals in the form of nanoparticles in animal nutrition.
mTOR Modulates Methamphetamine‐Induced Toxicity through Cell Clearing Systems
Authors: Lazzeri Gloria , Biagioni Francesca , Fulceri Federica , Busceti Carla L. , Scavuzzo Maria C. , Ippolito Chiara , Salvetti Alessandra , Lenzi Paola , Fornai Francesco
Published: October 2018

Methamphetamine (METH) is abused worldwide, and it represents a threat for public health. METH exposure induces a variety of detrimental effects. In fact, METH produces a number of oxidative species, which lead to lipid peroxidation, protein misfolding, and nuclear damage. Cell clearing pathways such as ubiquitin‐proteasome (UP) and autophagy (ATG) are involved in METH‐induced oxidative damage. Although these pathways were traditionally considered to operate as separate metabolic systems, recent studies demonstrate their interconnection at the functional and biochemical level. Very recently, the convergence between UP and ATG was evidenced within a single organelle named autophagoproteasome (APP), which is suppressed by mTOR activation. In the present research study, the occurrence of APP during METH toxicity was analyzed. In fact, coimmunoprecipitation indicates a binding between LC3 and P20S particles, which also recruit p62 and alpha‐synuclein. The amount of METH‐induced toxicity correlates with APP levels. Specific markers for ATG and UP, such as LC3 and P20S in the cytosol, and within METH‐induced vacuoles, were measured at different doses and time intervals following METH administration either alone or combined with mTOR modulators. Western blotting, coimmunoprecipitation, light microscopy, confocal microscopy, plain transmission electron microscopy, and immunogold staining were used to document the effects of mTOR modulation on METH toxicity and the merging of UP with ATG markers within APPs. METH‐induced cell death is prevented by mTOR inhibition, while it is worsened by mTOR activation, which correlates with the amount of autophagoproteasomes. The present data, which apply to METH toxicity, are also relevant to provide a novel insight into cell clearing pathways to counteract several kinds of oxidative damage.
The Wire Rendezvous and Chasing Wire Technique in the Bidirectional Approach for the Percutaneous Coronary Intervention for Chronic Total Occlusion with a Single Guiding Catheter
Authors: Nakabayashi Keisuke , Sunaga Daisuke , Kaneko Nobuhito , Matsui Akihiro , Tanaka Kazuhiko , Ando Hiroshi , Shimizu Minoru
Published: October 2018

A bidirectional approach for percutaneous coronary intervention for chronic total occlusion (CTO-PCI) using ipsilateral collaterals with a single guiding catheter limits procedural choices. The CTO of the left circumflex artery with ipsilateral collateral artery was treated by the bidirectional approach using a single guiding catheter. While the retrograde wire directly crossed the CTO lesion, the microcatheter could not pass the CTO lesion despite the conventional strategies. Therefore, we performed the wire rendezvous and chasing wire techniques. The wire rendezvous technique enables deeper retrograde guidewire progression, and the antegrade microcatheter can reach the CTO entry. The chasing wire technique enables the antegrade guidewire to pass the route made by the retrograde guidewire. These techniques might offer a possible solution for bidirectional CTO-PCI using a single guiding catheter. However, this technique should be considered as a last resort because of the risk of rapid reocclusion.
Thymoquinone Attenuates Cardiomyopathy in Streptozotocin‐Treated Diabetic Rats
Authors: Atta Mustafa S. , El-Far Ali H. , Farrag Foad A. , Abdel-Daim Mohamed M. , Al Jaouni Soad K. , Mousa Shaker A.
Published: October 2018

Diabetic cardiomyopathy is a diabetic complication due to oxidative stress injuries. This study examined the protecting influence of thymoquinone (TQ) on diabetes‐caused cardiac complications. The intracellular means by which TQ works against diabetes‐caused cardiac myopathy in rats is not completely understood. In this study, Wistar male rats (n = 60) were assigned into four groups: control, diabetic (diabetes induced by IP infusion of streptozotocin, 65 mg/kg), diabetic + TQ (diabetic rats given TQ (50 mg/kg) administered once per day by stomach gavage), and TQ (50 mg/kg) for 12 weeks. TQ supplementation appreciably recovered the cardiac parameters alongside significant declines in plasma nitric oxide concentrations and total superoxide dismutase (T.SOD) activities. Importantly, TQ downgraded expression of cardiac‐inducible nitric oxide synthase in addition to significantly upregulating vascular endothelial growth factor and erythropoietin genes and nuclear factor‐erythroid‐2‐related factor 2 (Nrf2) protein. TQ normalized plasma triacylglycerol and low‐density lipoprotein‐cholesterol and significantly improved the high‐density lipoprotein‐cholesterol levels. Additionally, TQ administration improved the antioxidant ability of cardiac tissue via significantly increased cardiac T.SOD and decreased cardiac malondialdehyde levels. Oral supplementation with TQ prevented diabetic‐induced cardiomyopathy via its inhibitory effect on the E‐selectin level, C‐reactive protein, and interleukin‐6. The TQ protecting effect on the heart tissue was shown by normalization of the plasma cardiac markers troponin I and creatine kinase. This experiment shows the aptitude of TQ to protect cardiac muscles against diabetic oxidative stress, mainly through upregulation of Nrf2, which defeated oxidative damage by improvement of the antioxidant power of cardiac muscle that consequently protected the cardiac muscles and alleviated the inflammatory process.
An Adaptive Window Size Selection Method for Differentially Private Data Publishing over Infinite Trajectory Stream
Authors: Jo Geonhyoung , Jung Kangsoo , Park Seog
Published: October 2018

Recently, various services based on user's location are emerging since the development of wireless Internet and sensor technology. VANET (vehicular ad hoc network), in which a large number of vehicles communicate using wireless communication, is also being highlighted as one of the services. VANET collects and analyzes the traffic data periodically to provide the traffic information service. The problem is that traffic data contains user’s sensitive location information that can lead to privacy violations. Differential privacy techniques are being used as a de facto standard to prevent such privacy violation caused by data analysis. However, applying differential privacy to traffic data stream which has infinite size over time makes data useless because too much noise is inserted to protect privacy. In order to overcome this limitation, existing researches set a certain range of windows and apply differential privacy to windowed data. However, previous researches have set a fixed window size do not consider a traffic data’s property such as road structure and time-based traffic variation. It may lead to insufficient privacy protection and unnecessary data utility degradation. In this paper, we propose an adaptive window size selection method that consider the correlation between road networks and time-based traffic variation to solve a fixed window size problem. And we suggest an adjustable privacy budget allocation technique for corresponding to the adaptive window size selection. We show that the proposed method improves the data utility, while satisfying the equal level of differential privacy as compared with the existing method through experiments that is designed based on real-world road network.
Energy-Efficient Scheduling for a Job Shop Using Grey Wolf Optimization Algorithm with Double-Searching Mode
Authors: Jiang Tianhua , Zhang Chao , Zhu Huiqi , Deng Guanlong
Published: October 2018

Workshop scheduling has mainly focused on the performances involving the production efficiency, such as times and quality, etc. In recent years, environmental metrics have attracted the attention of many researchers. In this study, an energy-efficient job shop scheduling problem is considered, and a grey wolf optimization algorithm with double-searching mode (DMGWO) is proposed with the objective of minimizing the total cost of energy-consumption and tardiness. Firstly, the algorithm starts with a discrete encoding mechanism, and then a heuristic algorithm and the random rule are employed to implement the population initialization. Secondly, a new framework with double-searching mode is developed for the GWO algorithm. In the proposed DMGWO algorithm, besides of the searching mode of the original GWO, a random seeking mode is added to enhance the global search ability. Furthermore, an adaptive selection operator of the two searching modes is also presented to coordinate the exploration and exploitation. In each searching mode, a discrete updating method of individuals is designed by considering the discrete characteristics of the scheduling solution, which can make the algorithm directly work in a discrete domain. In order to further improve the solution quality, a local search strategy is embedded into the algorithm. Finally, extensive simulations demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed DMGWO algorithm for solving the energy-efficient job shop scheduling problem based on 43 benchmarks.
A New Feature Extraction Algorithm Based on Orthogonal Regularized Kernel CCA and Its Application
Authors: Guo Xinchen , Fan Xiuling , Xi Xiantian , Zeng Fugeng
Published: October 2018

In this paper, an orthogonal regularized kernel canonical correlation analysis algorithm (ORKCCA) is proposed. ORCCA algorithm can deal with the linear relationships between two groups of random variables. But if the linear relationships between two groups of random variables do not exist, the performance of ORCCA algorithm will not work well. Linear orthogonal regularized CCA algorithm is extended to nonlinear space by introducing the kernel method into CCA. Simulation experimental results on both artificial and handwritten numerals databases show that the proposed method outperforms ORCCA for the nonlinear problems.
A Pilot Study on Parameter Setting of VisiTag™ Module during Pulmonary Vein Isolation
Authors: Wang Yu-Chuan , Huang Bo , Li Kang , He Peng-Kang , Chen Er-Dong , Xia Yu-Long , Jiang Jie , Sheng Qin-Hui , Zhou Jing , Ding Yan-Sheng
Published: October 2018

Objectives. To identify optimal predefined criteria (OPC) for filters of the VisiTag™ module in the CARTO 3 system during pulmonary vein isolation (PVI). Methods. Thirty patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) who experienced PVI first were enrolled. PVI was accomplished by using a Thermocool SmartTouch catheter. Ablation lesions were tagged automatically as soon as predefined criteria of the VisiTag™ module were met. OPC should be that ablation with the setting resulting in the conduction gap (CG) as few as possible, while contiguous encircling ablation line (CEAL) without the tag gap (TG) on the 3D anatomic model as much as possible. Result(s). When ablation with parameter setting is being catheter movement with a 3 mm distance limit for at least 20 s and force over time (FOT) being off, there were 60 CEAL without TG on the 3D anatomic model. However, 26 CGs were found. After changing FOT setting to be a minimal force of 5 g with 50% stability time, 22 TGs were displayed. Of them, 20 TGs were accompanied by CGs. On reablation at sites of TG with changed parameter setting, 18 CGs were eliminated when 20 TGs disappeared. When reablation with FOT is being a minimal force of 10 g with 50% stability time, 6 remaining CGs were eliminated. However, there was no CEAL. With a mean of follow-up 10.93 months, 2 patients with persistent AF suffered AF recurrence. Conclusion. A 3 mm distance limit for at least 20 s and FOT being a minimal force of 5 g with 50% stability time might be OPC for the VisiTag™ module.
Resveratrol Decreases Oxidative Stress by Restoring Mitophagy and Improves the Pathophysiology of Dystrophin‐Deficient mdx Mice
Authors: Sebori Rio , Kuno Atsushi , Hosoda Ryusuke , Hayashi Takashi , Horio Yoshiyuki
Published: October 2018

We previously showed that treatment with resveratrol (3,5,4 ′‐trihydroxy‐trans-stilbene), an activator of the NAD+‐dependent deacetylase SIRT1 at 4 g/kg food for 32 weeks, significantly decreased the muscular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and ameliorated the pathology of mdx mice, an animal model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Here, we treated mdx mice with various doses of resveratrol (0.04, 0.4, and 4 g/kg food) for 56 weeks and examined the effects on serum creatine kinase levels and physical activities. Because resveratrol promotes autophagy, we also investigated whether autophagy including mitochondrial autophagy (mitophagy) is involved in resveratrol’s effects. Autophagy/mitophagy‐related genes and autophagic flux were downregulated in the muscle of mdx mice, and these phenomena were reversed by resveratrol with significant ROS reduction. Resveratrol at 4 g/kg food reduced the number of immature myofibers containing central nuclei and fine fibers < 400 μm2 and increased that of thicker myofibers in the quadriceps, suggesting that resveratrol decreased myofiber wasting and promoted muscular maturation. Accordingly, resveratrol at 0.4 g/kg food reduced the creatine kinase levels to one‐third of those in untreated mdx mice and significantly increased the animals’ physical activities. In C2C12 myoblast cells, resveratrol promoted mitophagy and eliminated mitochondria containing high superoxide levels. The clearance of damaged mitochondria and ROS reduction by resveratrol was completely suppressed by an autophagy inhibitor (chloroquine) and by knocking down Atg5 or Pink1, essential genes for autophagy and mitophagy, respectively. Thus, resveratrol is a potential therapeutic agent for DMD, and the clearance of damaged mitochondria probably contributes to its action.
Consolidated and Undrained Ring Shear Tests on the Sliding Surface of the Hsien-du-shan Landslide in Taiwan
Authors: Lin Hung-Ming , Wu Jian-Hong , Sunarya Erik
Published: October 2018

A new consolidated undrained ring shear test capable of measuring the pore pressures is presented to investigate the initiation mechanism of the Hsien-du-shan rock avalanche, triggered by Typhoon Morakot, in southern Taiwan. The postpeak state of the landslide surface between the Tangenshan sandstone and the remolded landslide gouge is discussed to address the unstable geomorphological precursors observed before the landslide occurred. Experimental results show that the internal friction angle of the high water content sliding surface in the total stress state, between 25.3 and 26.1°, clarifies the reason of the stable slope prior to Typhoon Morakot. In addition, during the ring shear tests, it is observed that the excess pore pressure is generated by the shear contractions of the sliding surface. The remolded landslide gouge, sheared under the high normal stress, rendered results associated with high shear strength, small shear contraction, low hydraulic conductivity, and continuous excess pore pressure. The excess pore pressure feedback at the sliding surface may have accelerated the landslide.