bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Doctors' perspectives on PSA testing illuminate established differences in prostate cancer screening rates between Australia and the UK: a qualitative study
Authors: Pickles Kristen , Carter Stacy M , Rychetnik Lucie , Entwistle Vikki A
Published: December 2016

Objectives

To examine how general practitioners (GPs) in the UK and GPs in Australia explain their prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing practices and to illuminate how these explanations are similar and how they are different.

Design

A grounded theory study.

Setting

Primary care practices in Australia and the UK.

Participants

69 GPs in Australia (n=40) and the UK (n=29). We included GPs of varying ages, sex, clinical experience and patient populations. All GPs interested in participating in the study were included.

Results

GPs' accounts revealed fundamental differences in whether and how prostate cancer screening occurred in their practice and in the broader context within which they operate. The history of prostate screening policy, organisational structures and funding models appeared to drive more prostate screening in Australia and less in the UK. In Australia, screening processes and decisions were mostly at the discretion of individual clinicians, and varied considerably, whereas the accounts of UK GPs clearly reflected a consistent, organisationally embedded approach based on local evidence-based recommendations to discourage screening.

Conclusions

The GP accounts suggested that healthcare systems, including historical and current organisational and funding structures and rules, collectively contribute to how and why clinicians use the PSA test and play a significant role in creating the mindlines that GPs employ in their clinic. Australia's recently released consensus guidelines may support more streamlined and consistent care. However, if GP mindlines and thus routine practice in Australia are to shift, to ultimately reduce unnecessary or harmful prostate screening, it is likely that other important drivers at all levels of the screening process will need to be addressed.
The active bacterial assemblages of the upper GI tract in individuals with and without Helicobacter infection
Authors: Schulz Christian , Schütte Kerstin , Koch Nadine , Vilchez-Vargas Ramiro , Wos-Oxley Melissa L , Oxley Andrew P A , Vital Marius , Malfertheiner Peter , Pieper Dietmar H
Published: December 2016

Objective

Patients infected with Helicobacter pylori develop chronic gastritis with a subgroup progressing to further complications. The role of microbiota from the oral cavity swallowed with saliva and either transiting the stomach or persisting in the gastric mucosa is uncertain. It is also not known whether the bacterial community differs in luminal and mucosal niches. A key question is whether H. pylori influences the bacterial communities of gastroduodenal niches.

Design

Saliva, gastric and duodenal aspirates as well as gastric and duodenal biopsies were collected during oesophagogastroduodenoscopy from 24 patients (m:9, f:15, mean age 52.2±SD 14.5 years). RNA was extracted and the V1–V2 region of the retrotranscribed bacterial 16S rRNA amplified and sequenced on the Illumina MiSeq platform.

Results

Overall, 687 bacterial phylotypes that belonged to 95 genera and 11 phyla were observed. Each individual comprised a unique microbiota composition that was consistent across the different niches. However, the stomach fluid enriched for specific microbiota components. Helicobacter spp were shown to dominate the mucosa-associated community in the stomach, and to significantly influence duodenal and oral communities.

Conclusions

The detailed analysis of the active global bacterial communities from the five distinct sites of the upper GI tract allowed for the first time the differentiation between host effects and the influence of sampling region on the bacterial community. The influence of Helicobacter spp on the global community structures is striking.
A historical perspective on crush syndrome: the clinical application of its pathogenesis, established by the study of wartime crush injuries
Authors: Peiris Dilini
Published: December 2016

Crush syndrome is a fine example of how pathology can play a direct role in revealing the best treatment and management for diseases. It can occur when crush injuries are sustained. Skeletal muscle becomes damaged under the weight of a heavy object, and victims experience severe shock and renal failure. The discovery of the pathology of crush syndrome belongs to two individuals: Seigo Minami and Eric Bywaters. They separately helped to define the pathogenesis of crush syndrome during World Wars I and II. Seigo Minami is believed to have been the first to record the pathogenesis of crush syndrome. In 1923, he described the cases of three soldiers who died of renal failure caused by crush injury during World War I. Using microscopic studies to investigate the pathology of their kidneys, he found the soldiers had died due to ‘autointoxication’ caused by rhabdomyolysis. This discovery was not known to Eric Bywaters, who described crush syndrome in 1941, having studied victims of the London Blitz during World War II. He defined the ‘autointoxication’ as the release of rhabdomyolysis products via reperfusion. He therefore established the need for emergency fluid replacement to treat crush syndrome. The findings made by Minami and Bywaters highlight a remarkable achievement in clinical pathology, despite the adversity of war. It is these findings on which current guidelines are based. By reviewing their work, it is hoped that the role of pathology can be better appreciated as a valuable resource for delineating the treatment and management of diseases.
Staged carotid artery angioplasty and stenting for patients with high-grade carotid stenosis with high risk of developing hyperperfusion injury: a retrospective analysis of 44 cases
Authors: Mo Dapeng , Luo Gang , Wang Bo , Ma Ning , Gao Feng , Sun Xuan , Xu Xiaotong , Miao Zhongrong
Published: December 2016

Background

Hyperperfusion syndrome (HPS) is a rare but potentially a life-threatening complication after carotid artery angioplasty and stenting (CAS). Staged CAS has been an alternative to prevent HPS.

Materials and methods

44 of 908 patients with high-grade internal carotid artery stenosis or near occlusion were at risk of HPS because of poor collateral flow and impaired cerebral blood flow (CBF). They were treated with first (stage 1), followed by a full CAS (stage 2) 1 month later. Their 30-day outcomes were tabulated and analysed.

Results

During follow-up, 1 of the 44 (2.2%) patients developed HPS immediately, 3 (7%) had postprocedural HPS (ie, transcranial Doppler (TCD) >120%) without clinical symptoms and 3 (7%) required stenting at stage 1 for carotid dissections. After stage 1, there were significant improvement between the preprocedural and postprocedural CBF (0.98±0.06 vs 0.85±0.05, p<0.05), mean transit time (MTT; 1.05±0.05 vs 1.15±0.05, p<0.05), time to peak (TTP; 1.04±0.06 vs 1.20±0.06, p<0.05) on CT perfusion (CTP), and CBF (66.41±7.41 vs 44.44±6.43, p<0.05) on TCD. After stage 2, improvement was seen in CBF (1.01±0.07 vs 0.98±0.06, p<0.05), MTT (1.01±0.05 vs 1.05±0.05, p<0.05), TTP (0.99±0.06 vs 1.04±0.06, p<0.05) on CTP and CBF (66.41±7.41 vs 93.78±18.81, p<0.05) on TCD. 2 had postoperative increase of middle cerebral artery mean flow velocity of 120% after stage 2 without clinical symptoms.

Conclusion

Staged carotid artery stenting probably decreased the chance of developing HPS in this group of selected patients. Although requiring a 2-step intervention, staged CAS may be a safe and effective alternative.
2014 Canadian Geotechnical Colloquium: Landslide runout analysis — current practice and challenges
Authors: McDougall Scott
Published: December 2016

Flow-like landslides, such as debris flows and rock avalanches, travel at extremely rapid velocities and can impact large areas far from their source. When hazards like these are identified, runout analyses are often needed to delineate potential inundation areas, estimate risks, and design mitigation structures. A variety of tools and methods have been developed for these purposes, ranging from simple empirical–statistical correlations to advanced three-dimensional computer models. This paper provides an overview of the tools and methods that are currently available and discusses some of the main challenges that are currently being addressed by researchers, including the need for better guidance in the selection of model input parameter values, the challenge of translating model results into vulnerability estimates, the problem with too much initial spreading in the simulation of certain types of landslides, the challenge of accounting for sudden channel obstructions in the simulation of debris flows, and the sensitivity of models to topographic resolution and filtering methods.
Patterns of thermotolerance, chlorophyll fluorescence, and heat shock gene expression vary among fourBoecheraspecies andArabidopsis thaliana
Authors: Halter Gillian , Simonetti Nicole , Suguitan Cristy , Helm Kenneth , Soroksky Jessica , Waters Elizabeth R.
Published: December 2016

Thermotolerance is a property of all organisms, but owing to their sessile nature, this trait is particularly important in plants. Basal thermotolerance is based on inherent tolerance to heat stress. Acquired thermotolerance is attained through stress-induced gene expression, often of those genes encoding heat shock proteins (HSPs). Both basal and acquired thermotolerance have been extensively studied in model species such as Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh., but much less is known about thermotolerance in wild plant species. The aims of this study were to examine the basal and acquired thermotolerance of four species of Boechera, and of A. thaliana. Four species of Boechera native to California were collected and used for this study: B. arcuata (Nutt.) Windham & Al-Shehbaz, B. californica (Rollins) Windham & Al-Shehbaz, B. depauperata (A.Nelson & P.B.Kenn.) Windham & Al-Shehbaz, and B. perennans (S.Watson) W.A.Weber. Seedlings were exposed to both basal and acquired heat stress and then monitored for leaf damage, chlorophyll fluorescence, and gene expression of HsfA3, Hsp101, and four sHSP genes. Analysis of organismal responses to heat stress demonstrated that all four Boechera species are more thermotolerant than A. thaliana. Further we found that he species with the highest thermotolerance is B. depauperata.
Syntrichia norvegica shoots exhibit a complex inducible response to desiccation: separating the effects of rate of drying and water content
Authors: Stark Lloyd R. , Greenwood Joshua L. , Slate Mandy L. , Brinda John C.
Published: December 2016

Plants in the moss genus Syntrichia are considered to have constitutive desiccation tolerance (DT), as in, able to tolerate a rapid drying event without incurring significant damage upon rehydration. However, few researchers have considered the separate effects of rate of drying and water content, and incorporated fully dehardened (to DT) plants in the experiments. Plants of Syntrichia norvegica F.Weber were cultured under conditions of suprasaturation, and adult shoots were exposed to a range of drying rates and equilibrating relative humidities (RHs), rehydrated, and assessed for chlorophyll fluorescence and regeneration potential. Adult shoots exhibited severe damage across all drying rates when equilibrated at RHs <30%. However, an inducible response to desiccation was present across all water contents as the rate of drying was extended from 0 to 4 d. The least desiccation damage occurred at longer drying times and higher water contents (8 d at 75% RH). A constitutive phenotype for DT was not strictly evident in S. norvegica. Rather, we observed an incomplete pattern of environmentally inducible DT, coupled with heavy shoot damage at lower water contents. Rate of drying and equilibrating RH clearly interact in producing the pattern and strategy of DT for this species.
Bulk moduli of PbSxSe1−x, PbSxTe1−x and PbSexTe1−x from the combination of the cBΩ model with the modified Born theory compared to generalized gradient approximation
Authors: Sarlis Nicholas V. , Skordas Efthimios S.
Published: December 2016

The bulk moduli of PbS[Formula: see text]Se[Formula: see text], PbS[Formula: see text]Te[Formula: see text] and PbSe[Formula: see text]Te[Formula: see text] have been recently determined by employing a thermodynamical model, the so-called [Formula: see text] model, which has been found to give successful results in several applications of defects in solids. Here, we suggest an alternative procedure for this determination which combines the [Formula: see text] model with the modified Born theory. The results are in satisfactory agreement with those deduced independently by the generalized gradient approximation approach.
Cosmological consequences of a variable cosmological constant model
Authors: Azri Hemza , Bounames A.
Published: December 2016

We derive a model of dark energy which evolves with time via the scale factor. The equation-of-state is studied as a function of a parameter [Formula: see text] introduced in this model as [Formula: see text]. In addition to the recent accelerated expansion, the model predicts another decelerated phase. These two phases are studied via the parameter [Formula: see text]. The age of the universe is found to be almost consistent with the observation. In the limiting case, the cosmological constant model, we find that vacuum energy gravitates with a tiny gravitational constant which evolves with the scale factor, rather than with Newton’s constant. This enables degravitation of the vacuum energy which in turn produces the tiny observed curvature, rather than a 120 orders of magnitude larger value.
Inner Source Definition, Benefits, and Challenges
Authors: Capraro Maximilian , Riehle Dirk
Published: December 2016

Inner Source (IS) is the use of open source software development practices and the establishment of an open source-like culture within organizations. The organization may still develop proprietary software but internally opens up its development. A steady stream of scientific literature and practitioner reports indicates the interest in this research area. However, the research area lacks a systematic assessment of known research work: No model exists that defines IS thoroughly. Various case studies provide insights into IS programs in the context of specific organizations but only few publications apply a broader perspective. To resolve this, we performed an extensive literature survey and analyzed 43 IS related publications plus additional background literature. Using qualitative data analysis methods, we developed a model of the elements that constitute IS. We present a classification framework for IS programs and projects and apply it to lay out a map of known IS endeavors. Further, we present qualitative models summarizing the benefits and challenges of IS adoption. The survey provides the first broad review of IS literature and systematic arrangement of IS research results.
GPU-Accelerated Generation of Correctly Rounded Elementary Functions
Authors: Fortin Pierre , Gouicem Mourad , Graillat Stef
Published: December 2016

The IEEE 754-2008 standard recommends the correct rounding of some elementary functions. This requires solving the Table Maker’s Dilemma (TMD), which implies a huge amount of CPU computation time. In this article, we consider accelerating such computations, namely the Lefèvre algorithm on graphics processing units (GPUs), which are massively parallel architectures with a partial single instruction, multiple data execution.

We first propose an analysis of the Lefèvre hard-to-round argument search using the concept of continued fractions. We then propose a new parallel search algorithm that is much more efficient on GPUs thanks to its more regular control flow. We also present an efficient hybrid CPU-GPU deployment of the generation of the polynomial approximations required in the Lefèvre algorithm. In the end, we manage to obtain overall speedups up to 53.4 × on one GPU over a sequential CPU execution and up to 7.1 × over a hex-core CPU, which enable a much faster solution of the TMD for the double-precision format.
The Local Lemma Is Asymptotically Tight for SAT
Authors: Gebauer Heidi , Szabó Tibor , Tardos Gábor
Published: December 2016

The Local Lemma is a fundamental tool of probabilistic combinatorics and theoretical computer science, yet there are hardly any natural problems known where it provides an asymptotically tight answer. The main theme of our article is to identify several of these problems, among them a couple of widely studied extremal functions related to certain restricted versions of the
k
-SAT problem, where the Local Lemma does give essentially optimal answers.

As our main contribution, we construct unsatisfiable
k
-CNF formulas where every clause has
k
distinct literals and every variable appears in at most 2/e +
o
(1))

2
k
/
k

clauses. The Lopsided Local Lemma, applied with an assignment of random values according to counterintuitive probabilities, shows that this is asymptotically best possible. The determination of this extremal function is particularly important, as it represents the value where the corresponding
k
-SAT problem exhibits a complexity hardness jump: From having every instance being a YES-instance it becomes NP-hard just by allowing each variable to occur in one more clause.

The construction of our unsatisfiable CNF formulas is based on the binary tree approach of Gebauer [2012], and thus the constructed formulas are in the class MU(1) of minimal unsatisfiable formulas having one more clause than variables. The main novelty of our approach here comes in setting up an appropriate continuous approximation of the problem. This leads us to a differential equation, the solution of which we are able to estimate. The asymptotically optimal binary trees are then obtained through a discretization of this solution.

The importance of the binary trees constructed is also underlined by their appearance in many other scenarios. In particular, they give asymptotically precise answers for seemingly unrelated problems like the European Tenure Game introduced by Doerr [2004] and a search problem allowing a limited number of consecutive lies. As yet another consequence, we slightly improve the best-known bounds on the maximum degree and maximum edge-degree of a
k
-uniform Maker’s win hypergraph in the Neighborhood Conjecture of Beck.
Think like a vertex, behave like a function! a functional DSL for vertex-centric big graph processing
Authors: Emoto Kento , Matsuzaki Kiminori , Hu Zhenjiang , Morihata Akimasa , Iwasaki Hideya
Published: December 2016

The vertex-centric programming model, known as “think like a vertex”, is being used more and more to support various big graph processing methods through iterative
supersteps
that execute in parallel a user-defined vertex program over each vertex of a graph. However, the imperative and message-passing style of existing systems makes defining a vertex program unintuitive. In this paper, we show that one can benefit more from “Thinking like a vertex” by “Behaving like a function” rather than “Acting like a procedure” with full use of side effects and explicit control of message passing, state, and termination. We propose a functional approach to vertex-centric graph processing in which the computation at every vertex is abstracted as a higher-order function and present Fregel, a new domain-specific language. Fregel has clear functional semantics, supports declarative description of vertex computation, and can be automatically translated into Pregel, an emerging imperative-style distributed graph processing framework, and thereby achieve promising performance. Experimental results for several typical examples show the promise of this functional approach.
String diagrams for free monads (functional pearl)
Authors: Piróg Maciej , Wu Nicolas
Published: December 2016

We show how one can reason about free monads using their universal properties rather than any concrete implementation. We introduce a graphical, two-dimensional calculus tailor-made to accommodate these properties.
All sorts of permutations (functional pearl)
Authors: Christiansen Jan , Danilenko Nikita , Dylus Sandra
Published: December 2016

The combination of non-determinism and sorting is mostly associated with permutation sort, a sorting algorithm that is not very useful for sorting and has an awful running time. In this paper we look at the combination of non-determinism and sorting in a different light: given a sorting function, we apply it to a non-deterministic predicate to gain a function that enumerates permutations of the input list. We get to the bottom of necessary properties of the sorting algorithms and predicates in play as well as discuss variations of the modelled non-determinism. On top of that, we formulate and prove a theorem stating that no matter which sorting function we use, the corresponding permutation function enumerates all permutations of the input list. We use free theorems, which are derived from the type of a function alone, to prove the statement.
Call graphs for languages with parametric polymorphism
Authors: Petrashko Dmitry , Ureche Vlad , Lhoták Ondřej , Odersky Martin
Published: December 2016

The performance of contemporary object oriented languages depends on optimizations such as devirtualization, inlining, and specialization, and these in turn depend on precise call graph analysis. Existing call graph analyses do not take advantage of the information provided by the rich type systems of contemporary languages, in particular generic type arguments. Many existing approaches analyze Java bytecode, in which generic types have been erased. This paper shows that this discarded information is actually very useful as the context in a context-sensitive analysis, where it significantly improves precision and keeps the running time small. Specifically, we propose and evaluate call graph construction algorithms in which the contexts of a method are (i) the type arguments passed to its type parameters, and (ii) the static types of the arguments passed to its term parameters. The use of static types from the caller as context is effective because it allows more precise dispatch of call sites inside the callee.

Our evaluation indicates that the average number of contexts required per method is small. We implement the analysis in the Dotty compiler for Scala, and evaluate it on programs that use the type-parametric Scala collections library and on the Dotty compiler itself. The context-sensitive analysis runs 1.4x faster than a context-insensitive one and discovers 20% more monomorphic call sites at the same time. When applied to method specialization, the imprecision in a context-insensitive call graph would require the average method to be cloned 22 times, whereas the context-sensitive call graph indicates a much more practical 1.00 to 1.50 clones per method.

We applied the proposed analysis to automatically specialize generic methods. The resulting automatic transformation achieves the same performance as state-of-the-art techniques requiring manual annotations, while reducing the size of the generated bytecode by up to 5x.
Hoare-style specifications as correctness conditions for non-linearizable concurrent objects
Authors: Sergey Ilya , Nanevski Aleksandar , Banerjee Anindya , Delbianco Germán Andrés
Published: December 2016

Designing efficient concurrent objects often requires abandoning the standard specification technique of linearizability in favor of more relaxed correctness conditions. However, the variety of alternatives makes it difficult to choose which condition to employ, and how to compose them when using objects specified by different conditions.

In this work, we propose a uniform alternative in the form of Hoare logic, which can explicitly capture--in the auxiliary state--the interference of environment threads. We demonstrate the expressiveness of our method by verifying a number of concurrent objects and their clients, which have so far been specified only by non-standard conditions of concurrency-aware linearizability, quiescent, and quantitative quiescent consistency. We report on the implementation of the ideas in an existing Coq-based tool, providing the first mechanized proofs for all the examples in the paper.
OrcO: a concurrency-first approach to objects
Authors: Peters Arthur Michener , Kitchin David , Thywissen John A. , Cook William R.
Published: December 2016

The majority of modern programming languages provide concurrency and object-orientation in some form. However, object-oriented concurrency remains cumbersome in many situations. We introduce the language OrcO, Orc with concurrent Objects, which enables a flexible style of concurrent object-oriented programming. OrcO extends the Orc programming language by adding abstractions for programming-in-the-large; namely objects, classes, and inheritance. OrcO objects are designed to be orthogonal to concurrency, allowing the concurrent structure and object structure of a program to evolve independently. This paper describes OrcO's goals and design and provides examples of how OrcO can be used to deftly handle events, object management, and object composition.
Precise and maximal race detection from incomplete traces
Authors: Huang Jeff , Rajagopalan Arun K.
Published: December 2016

We present RDIT, a novel dynamic technique to detect data races in multithreaded programs with incomplete trace information, i.e., in the presence of missing events. RDIT is both precise and maximal: it does not report any false alarms and it detects a maximal set of true traces from the observed incomplete trace. RDIT is underpinned by a sound BarrierPair model that abstracts away the missing events by capturing the invocation data of their enclosing methods. By making the least conservative abstraction that a missing method introduces synchronization only when it has a memory address in scope that overlaps with other events or other missing methods, and by formulating maximal thread causality as logical constraints, RDIT guarantees to precisely detect races with maximal capability. RDIT has been applied in seven real-world large concurrent systems and has detected dozens of true races with zero false alarms. Comparatively, existing algorithms such as Happens-Before, Causal- Precedes, and Maximal-Causality which are known to be precise all report many false alarms when missing synchronizations.
Directed synthesis of failing concurrent executions
Authors: Samak Malavika , Tripp Omer , Ramanathan Murali Krishna
Published: December 2016

Detecting concurrency-induced bugs in multithreaded libraries can be challenging due to the intricacies associated with their manifestation. This includes invocation of multiple methods, synthesis of inputs to the methods to reach the failing location, and crafting of thread interleavings that cause the erroneous behavior. Neither fuzzing-based testing techniques nor over-approximate static analyses are well positioned to detect such subtle defects while retaining high accuracy alongside satisfactory coverage.

In this paper, we propose a directed, iterative and scalable testing engine that combines the strengths of static and dynamic analysis to help synthesize concurrent executions to expose complex concurrency-induced bugs. Our engine accepts as input the library, its client (either sequential or concurrent) and a specification of correctness. Then, it iteratively refines the client to generate an execution that can break the input specification. Each step of the iterative process includes statically identifying sub-goals towards the goal of failing the specification, generating a plan toward meeting these goals, and merging of the paths traversed dynamically with the plan computed statically via constraint solving to generate a new client. The engine reports full reproduction scenarios, guaranteed to be true, for the bugs it finds.

We have created a prototype of our approach named MINION. We validated MINION by applying it to well-tested concurrent classes from popular Java libraries, including the latest versions of openjdk and google-guava. We were able to detect 31 real crashes across 10 classes in a total of 23 minutes, including previously unknown bugs. Comparison with three other tools reveals that combined, they report only 9 of the 31 crashes (and no other crashes beyond MINION). This is because several of these bugs manifest under deeply nested path conditions (observed maximum of 11), deep nesting of method invocations (observed maximum of 6) and multiple refinement iterations to generate the crash-inducing client.
The Web as a Creative Thinking Partner
Authors: DeSchryver Michael
Published: December 2016

This article outlines the development and application of the "Theory of Web-Mediated Knowledge Synthesis." This theory, essentially the application of creative thinking to online learning and reading comprehension, provides a roadmap to enable learners to use the web in more creative ways. This is an important consideration in both schools and the workspace as access to information is less a competitive advantage than what is done with that information and what value can be added to it. In addition to chronicling the foundations of theory development, this article also reports on current efforts to use it to scaffold more creative thinking on the web with graduate students.
Construction and Analysis of Binary Subdivision Schemes for Curves and Surfaces Originated from Chaikin Points
Authors: Hameed Rabia , Mustafa Ghulam
Published: December 2016

We present a new variant of Lane-Riesenfeld algorithm for curves and surfaces both. Our refining operator is the modification of Chaikin/Doo-Sabin subdivision operator, while each smoothing operator is the weighted average of the four/sixteen adjacent points. Our refining operator depends on two parameters (shape and smoothing parameters). So we get new families of univariate and bivariate approximating subdivision schemes with two parameters. The bivariate schemes are the nontensor product schemes for quadrilateral meshes. Moreover, we also present analysis of our families of schemes. Furthermore, our schemes give cubic polynomial reproduction for a specific value of the shape parameter. The nonuniform setting of our univariate and bivariate schemes gives better performance than that of the uniform schemes.
Assessing Partnership Alternatives in an IT Network Employing Analytical Methods
Authors: Salamat Vahid Reza , Aliahmadi Alireza , Pishvaee Mir Saman , Hafeez Khalid
Published: December 2016

One of the main critical success factors for the companies is their ability to build and maintain an effective collaborative network. This is more critical in the IT industry where the development of sustainable competitive advantage requires an integration of various resources, platforms, and capabilities provided by various actors. Employing such a collaborative network will dramatically change the operations management and promote flexibility and agility. Despite its importance, there is a lack of an analytical tool on collaborative network building process. In this paper, we propose an optimization model employing AHP and multiobjective programming for collaborative network building process based on two interorganizational relationships’ theories, namely, (i) transaction cost theory and (ii) resource-based view, which are representative of short-term and long-term considerations. The five different methods were employed to solve the formulation and their performances were compared. The model is implemented in an IT company who was in process of developing a large-scale enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. The results show that the collaborative network formed through this selection process was more efficient in terms of cost, time, and development speed. The framework offers novel theoretical underpinning and analytical solutions and can be used as an effective tool in selecting network alternatives.
Effect of Temperature on Permeability and Mechanical Characteristics of Lignite
Authors: Shao Jixi , Hu Yaoqing , Meng Tao , Song Su , Jin Peihua , Feng Gan
Published: December 2016

Underground in situ pyrolysis and gasification is an important method to enable clean utilization of lignite in China. In this study, using the high-temperature triaxial permeability test equipment for different ranges of temperature and pore pressure, the permeability and mechanical characteristics of lignite from the Pingzhuang Mine Area in Chifeng have been examined. The results show that, at constant confining pressure, the elastic modulus of lignite decreases with increasing temperature. For temperature up to approximately 75°C, the elastic modulus is close to the modulus under the uniaxial state. As the temperature increases, the stress-strain curves during loading and unloading are different. The differences between the curves during loading and unloading are greater at higher temperature due to the greater residual deformation. In addition, in different temperature ranges (i.e., 150–650°C), the triaxial creep curves of lignite are different. In particular, at 300–450°C, the triaxial creep curve of lignite alternates between the accelerated creep and the steady creep. Moreover, the permeability change rule in the lignite is complex, and it is governed by the temperature and pore pressure. Hence, for different temperature range and pore pressure, the variations in the permeability are different. In fact, as the temperature increases, the permeability of lignite fluctuates.
Bifurcation Study of Thin Plate with an All-Over Breathing Crack
Authors: Chen Lihua , Xue Jian , Zhang Zhijie , Zhang Wei
Published: December 2016

An all-over breathing crack on the plate surface having arbitrary depth and location is assumed to be nonpropagating and parallel to one side of the plate. Based on a piecewise model, the nonlinear dynamic behaviors of thin plate with the all-over breathing crack are studied to analyze the effect of external excitation amplitudes and frequencies on cracked plate with different crack parameters (crack depth and crack location). Firstly, the mode shape functions of cracked thin plate are obtained by using the simply supported boundary conditions and the boundary conditions along the crack line. Then, natural frequencies and mode functions of the cracked plate are calculated, which are assessed with FEM results. The stress functions of thin plate with large deflection are obtained by the equations of compatibility in the status of opening and closing of crack, respectively. To compare with the effect of breathing crack on the plate, the nonlinear dynamic responses of open-crack plate and intact plate are analyzed too. Lastly, the waveforms, bifurcation diagrams, and phase portraits of the model are gained by the Runge-Kutta method. It is found that complex nonlinear dynamic behaviors, such as quasi-periodic motion, bifurcation, and chaotic motion, appear in the breathing crack plate.
Fracture Risk in Type 2 Diabetes: Current Perspectives and Gender Differences
Authors: Russo Giuseppina T. , Giandalia Annalisa , Romeo Elisabetta L. , Nunziata Morabito , Muscianisi Marco , Ruffo Maria Concetta , Catalano Antonino , Cucinotta Domenico
Published: December 2016

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is associated with an increased risk of osteoporotic fractures, resulting in disabilities and increased mortality. The pathophysiological mechanisms linking diabetes to osteoporosis have not been fully explained, but alterations in bone structure and quality are well described in diabetic subjects, likely due to a combination of different factors. Insulin deficiency and dysfunction, obesity and hyperinsulinemia, altered level of oestrogen, leptin, and adiponectin as well as diabetes-related complications, especially peripheral neuropathy, orthostatic hypotension, or reduced vision due to retinopathy may all be associated with an impairment in bone metabolism and with the increased risk of fractures. Finally, medications commonly used in the treatment of T2DM may have an impact on bone metabolism and on fracture risk, particularly in postmenopausal women. When considering the impact of hypoglycaemic drugs on bone, it is important to balance their potential direct effects on bone quality with the risk of falling-related fractures due to the associated hypoglycaemic risk. In this review, experimental and clinical evidence connecting bone metabolism and fracture risk to T2DM is discussed, with particular emphasis on hypoglycaemic treatments and gender-specific implications.
Quantitative Classification of Quartz by Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy in Conjunction with Discriminant Function Analysis
Authors: Ali A. , Khan M. Z. , Rehan I. , Rehan K. , Muhammad R.
Published: December 2016

A responsive laser induced breakdown spectroscopic system was developed and improved for utilizing it as a sensor for the classification of quartz samples on the basis of trace elements present in the acquired samples. Laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) in conjunction with discriminant function analysis (DFA) was applied for the classification of five different types of quartz samples. The quartz plasmas were produced at ambient pressure using Nd:YAG laser at fundamental harmonic mode (1064 nm). We optimized the detection system by finding the suitable delay time of the laser excitation. This is the first study, where the developed technique (LIBS+DFA) was successfully employed to probe and confirm the elemental composition of quartz samples.
Bark Thickness Equations for Mixed-Conifer Forest Type in Klamath and Sierra Nevada Mountains of California
Authors: Zeibig-Kichas Nickolas E. , Ardis Christopher W. , Berrill John-Pascal , King Joseph P.
Published: December 2016

We studied bark thickness in the mixed-conifer forest type throughout California. Sampling included eight conifer species and covered latitude and elevation gradients. The thickness of tree bark at 1.37 m correlated with diameter at breast height (DBH) and varied among species. Trees exhibiting more rapid growth had slightly thinner bark for a given DBH. Variability in bark thickness obscured differences between sample locations. Model predictions for 50 cm DBH trees of each species indicated that bark thickness was rankedCalocedrus decurrens>Pinus jeffreyi>Pinus lambertiana>Abies concolor>Pseudotsuga menziesii>Abies magnifica>Pinus monticola>Pinus contorta. We failed to find reasonable agreement between our bark thickness data and existing bark thickness regressions used in models predicting fire-induced mortality in the mixed-conifer forest type in California. The fire effects software systems generally underpredicted bark thickness for most species, which could lead to an overprediction in fire-caused tree mortality in California. A model for conifers in Oregon predicted that bark was 49% thinner inAbies concolorand 37% thicker inPseudotsuga menziesiithan our samples from across California, suggesting that more data are needed to validate and refine bark thickness equations within existing fire effects models.
Infantile Cortical Hyperostosis: Report of a Case with Observations on Clinical Manifestations, Radiology, and Pathology with a Late Follow-Up of Eight Years
Authors: Pinheiro Pedro Carlos M. Sarmento , Aymore Ierecê Lins , Amoedo Armando Rocha , Hemais Paulo Miguel
Published: December 2016

Purpose. The purpose of our study was to investigate clinical manifestations, roentgen images, histopathological studies, and evolution of the disease in patient displaying infantile cortical hyperostosis.Methods. Roentgenograms were made to evaluate a neonatal patient presenting multiple soft-tissue swellings. The initial radiographs insinuated that the disease had been present for some timein utero. Bone puncture biopsy of the tibia for histopathological observation and diagnosis conclusions was performed.Results. The disease was demonstrated radiographically by massive cortical diaphyseal thickening and also extensive periosteal new bone formation surrounding several bones. Results in blood count were as follows: discrete anemia, moderate leukocytosis, and elevated sedimentation rate. Histological pattern of tissue removed from tibia showed lamellar cortical bones and hyperplasia. Biopsy studies disclosed no evidence of neoplasia as well as of bacterial infection.Comments. Clinical manifestations in a neonatal patient displaying infantile cortical hyperostosis have gradually decreased. Radiograph findings have demonstrated complete recovery of bones manifested by the disease. The pathologic findings are in accordance with previous microscopic examination summarized by the literature. Total patient cure, without sequels, could be demonstrated.
Boundary Conditions in 2D Numerical and 3D Exact Models for Cylindrical Bending Analysis of Functionally Graded Structures
Authors: Tornabene F. , Brischetto S. , Fantuzzi N. , Bacciocchi M.
Published: December 2016

The cylindrical bending condition for structural models is very common in the literature because it allows an incisive and simple verification of the proposed plate and shell models. In the present paper, 2D numerical approaches (the Generalized Differential Quadrature (GDQ) and the finite element (FE) methods) are compared with an exact 3D shell solution in the case of free vibrations of functionally graded material (FGM) plates and shells. The first 18 vibration modes carried out through the 3D exact model are compared with the frequencies obtained via the 2D numerical models. All the 18 frequencies obtained via the 3D exact model are computed when the structures have simply supported boundary conditions for all the edges. If the same boundary conditions are used in the 2D numerical models, some modes are missed. Some of these missed modes can be obtained modifying the boundary conditions imposing free edges through the direction perpendicular to the direction of cylindrical bending. However, some modes cannot be calculated via the 2D numerical models even when the boundary conditions are modified because the cylindrical bending requirements cannot be imposed for numerical solutions in the curvilinear edges by definition. These features are investigated in the present paper for different geometries (plates, cylinders, and cylindrical shells), types of FGM law, lamination sequences, and thickness ratios.
A Simple Outdoor Environment Obstacle Detection Method Based on Information Fusion of Depth and Infrared
Authors: Zhu Yaguang , Yi Baomin , Guo Tong
Published: December 2016

In allusion to the existing low recognition rate and robustness problem in obstacle detection; a simple but effective obstacle detection algorithm of information fusion in the depth and infrared is put forward. The scenario is segmented by the mean-shift algorithm and the pixel gradient of foreground is calculated. After pretreatment of edge detection and morphological operation, the depth information and infrared information are fused. The characteristics of depth map and infrared image in edge detection are used for the raised method, the false rate of detection is reduced, and detection precision is improved. Since the depth map and infrared image are not affected by natural sunlight, the influence on obstacle recognition due to the factors such as light intensity and shadow is effectively reduced and the robustness of the algorithm is also improved. Experiments indicate that the detection algorithm of information fusion can accurately identify the small obstacle in the view and the accuracy of obstacle recognition will not be affected by light. Hence, this method has great significance for mobile robot or intelligent vehicles on obstacle detection in outdoor environment.
The Markers of Glutamate Metabolism in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells and Neurological Complications in Lung Cancer Patients
Authors: Michalak Slawomir , Rybacka-Mossakowska Joanna , Ambrosius Wojciech , Gazdulska Joanna , Gołda-Gocka Iwona , Kozubski Wojciech , Ramlau Rodryg
Published: December 2016

Objective. To evaluate the involvement of glutamate metabolism in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) in the development of neurological complications in lung cancer and during chemotherapy.Methods. The prospective study included 221 lung cancer patients treated with chemotherapeutics. Neurological status and cognitive functions were evaluated at baseline and after 6-month follow-up. Glutamate level, the activities of glutaminase- (GLS-) glutamate synthetizing enzyme, glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH), and glutamate decarboxylase catalyzing glutamate degradation were analyzed in PBMC and in sera of lung cancer patients by means of spectrophotometric and colorimetric methods.Results. Chemotherapy of lung neoplasms induced increase of glutamate content in PBMC and its concentration in serum increased the activity of GDH in PBMC and decreased activity of glutaminase in PBMC. The changes in glutamate metabolism markers were associated with initial manifestation of neurological deficit in lung cancer patients and with new symptoms, which appear as a complication of chemotherapy. Moreover, the analyzed parameters of glutamate control correlated with a spectrum of cognitive functions measures in lung cancer patients.Conclusion. We have demonstrated dysregulation in glutamate and glutamate metabolism controlling enzymes as promising indicators of risk for chemotherapy-induced neurological complications in lung cancer patients with particular emphasis on cognitive impairment.
Frosted Branch Angiitis Secondary to Familial Mediterranean Fever Resembling Central Retinal Vein Occlusion
Authors: Ozates Serdar , Ozdal Pınar Çakar , Teke Mehmet Yasin
Published: December 2016

Purpose. To report a case of unilateral frosted branch angiitis (FBA) resembling central retinal vein occlusion associated with Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF).Case Report. A 32-year-old woman presented with progressive, painless vision loss in her left eye lasting for 2 days. She was clinically diagnosed with FMF 2 months ago. The best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 20/20 in her right eye and there was light perception in the left. Ophthalmologic examination revealed severe retinal vasculitis showing clinical features of FBA in the left eye. 64 mg/day oral methylprednisolone was started. A significant improvement in retinal vasculitis was observed in two weeks. However, BCVA did not increase significantly due to subhyaloid premacular hemorrhage. Argon laser posterior hyaloidotomy was performed. One week after hyaloidotomy, visual acuity improved to 20/20 and intravitreal hemorrhage disappeared. Four months after the first attack, FBA recurred. Oral methylprednisolone dosage was increased to 64 mg/day and combined with azathioprine 150 mg. At the end of 12-month follow-up, the BCVA was 20/25 and development of epiretinal membrane was observed in the left eye.Conclusions. Frosted branch angiitis may occur with gene abnormalities as an underlying condition. Our case showed that FMF might be a causative disease.
Pseudothrombocytopenia due to Platelet Clumping: A Case Report and Brief Review of the Literature
Authors: Tan Geok Chin , Stalling Melissa , Dennis Gretchen , Nunez Maria , Kahwash Samir B.
Published: December 2016

Platelet clumping is a common laboratory phenomenon that complicates or precludes reporting of platelet count. It is often, but not always, a phenomenon commonly caused by the anticoagulant EDTA. Herein, we discuss a case of a 14-year-old girl who was found to have platelet clumping and discuss the work-up she underwent to investigate her pseudothrombocytopenia.