bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Potential role of lithospheric mantle composition in the Wilson cycle: a North Atlantic perspective
Authors: Chenin Pauline , Picazo Suzanne , Jammes Suzon , Manatschal Gianreto , Müntener Othmar , Karner Garry
Published: March 2018

Although the Wilson cycle is usually considered in terms of wide oceans floored with normal oceanic crust, numerous orogens result from the closure of embryonic oceans. We discuss how orogenic and post-orogenic processes may be controlled by the size/maturity of the inverted basin. We focus on the role of lithospheric mantle in controlling deformation and the magmatic budget. We describe the physical properties (composition, density, rheology) of three types of mantle: inherited, fertilized and depleted oceanic mantle. By comparing these, we highlight that fertilized mantle underlying embryonic oceans is mechanically weaker, less dense and more fertile than other types of mantle. We suggest that orogens resulting from the closure of a narrow, immature extensional system are essentially controlled by mechanical processes without significant thermal and lithological modification. The underlying mantle is fertile and thus has a high potential for magma generation during subsequent tectonic events. Conversely, the thermal state and lithology of orogens resulting from the closure of a wide, mature ocean are largely modified by subduction-related arc magmatism. The underlying mantle wedge is depleted, which may inhibit magma generation during post-orogenic extension. These end-member considerations are supported by observations derived from the Western Europe–North Atlantic region.
Quarrying Companies Royal Engineers in World War I: a geologically constrained innovation to support British armies on the Western Front
Authors: Rose Edward P. F.
Published: March 2018

Quarrying Companies were a new type of unit first raised within the Royal Engineers in World War I. Thirteen served in northern France, on the Western Front: two from late 1916 (198 and 199 Quarrying Companies) and 11 more from 1917 (320–329 and 348 Quarrying Companies). Recruited from Great Britain, Ireland and the Channel Island of Guernsey, each consisted of four officers and 264 soldiers; over 3000 men in total, assisted by
c.
4000 less skilled labourers. They were used to support the British Expeditionary Force by providing ‘stone’, mostly from existing quarries near Marquise, NE of the port of Boulogne. There they excavated Devonian and Carboniferous ‘limestones’ in the Ferques Inlier, relatively strong rocks within a region of wide Mesozoic and Cenozoic outcrop. As the British Expeditionary Force expanded to a peak of five armies and
c.
1.5 million troops, ‘stone’ was required for the enhancement or repair of the roads, railways and associated facilities that formed a crucial element of its infrastructure, essential for the efficient movement of soldiers and their copious supplies of food, stores and ammunition. The requirement ceased soon after the end of hostilities and all Quarrying Companies Royal Engineers were disbanded in 1919.
Tunnelling Companies Royal Engineers in World War II: excavation of bomb-proof facilities in France, Gibraltar, Malta and the UK
Authors: Rose Edward P. F.
Published: March 2018

170 Tunnelling Company Royal Engineers left England in January 1940 to excavate bomb-proof military headquarters in northern France. Expansion into companies 170, 171, 172 and 173 was delayed when the British Expeditionary Force was defeated and evacuated, but completed in England in July to excavate accommodation underground for regional headquarters and artillery batteries – mostly in Cretaceous chalk. Companies 178, 179 and 180 formed in England in May–June 1940, and 178 and 180 soon deployed to Gibraltar, joined by 170 in 1941 and successively by 1st and 2nd Tunnelling Companies Royal Canadian Engineers. They excavated a major complex of tunnels and chambers within Jurassic dolomitic limestone by October 1943 to help fortify the rocky peninsula, work completed by a single company (172) thereafter. Companies 183, 184 and 185 joined 179 in 1941 to emplace ‘Canadian pipe mines’ to inhibit the invasion of Britain. 173 served in Malta 1941–43, and 171 during 1943–45, excavating >50 bomb-proof facilities in Oligo-Miocene limestones, plus works to enhance the civilian water supply. By late 1943, all companies except 172 (Gibraltar) and 171 (Malta) were based in Britain. At least five were converted for general engineering use and no longer needed geological assistance.
The northern Atlantic Wall: German engineering geology work in Norway during World War II
Authors: Häusler Hermann
Published: March 2018

German forces occupied Norway from June 1940 to secure the strategically important iron ore railway from Lulea in Sweden to Narvik in Norway and to improve the German base for war against the UK. Increasing in number to a peak in 1943, by 1945 more than 60 German and Austrian military geoscientists had supported the army, air force and paramilitary construction agency, Organisation Todt, from 1942, mostly assisting fortification works along the Norwegian coast that formed part of the Atlantic Wall. In total, six military geology units (Wehrgeologenstellen) were deployed to support Army Headquarters Norway: WG18 and WG33 were assigned to the 17th Fortress Engineers in Oslo; WG22 to the 16th Fortress Engineers at Trondheim; WG3 and WG31 to the 15th Fortress Engineers at Narvik; and WG27, not for construction works, but to support the headquarters of Dietl's Lapland Army, operationally deployed SW of Murmansk. Engineering work at strategic locations also included airfields, U-boat pens, roads and railways. Military geologists contributed to tasks related both to the Precambrian/Paleozoic bedrock and to its locally thick Quaternary cover, notably pioneering applications of rock mechanics and soil mechanics for major excavations, and locating sources of raw materials and drinking water.
Trench construction and engineering geology on the Western Front, 1914–18
Authors: Doyle Peter
Published: March 2018

Trench warfare became associated with the First World War from late 1914. Where possible, British and German trenches were laid out by military engineers in line with the most recent military manuals. The effectiveness of individual trenches was to a large extent controlled by the nature of the ground conditions. Engineering geology had a major part to play in slope stability (because the ideal for trenches was to maintain slopes in an over-steepened condition relative to normal angle of repose) and drainage (because excess surface and ground waters not only weakened trench slopes, but also created untenable conditions for the troops occupying their positions). Recent archaeological investigations in Belgium and northern France provided opportunities to examine slope engineering and drainage solutions for trenches in Paleogene clay–silt sediments and Cretaceous chalk. In Flanders, the failure of slope engineering early in the war led to the creation of A-frames to support slopes at the required batter, with the provision of drainage channels beneath duckboard walkways. In northern France, where frost-shattered chalk was close to the surface, drainage and slope support was less of a problem, although trenches cut through thick Quaternary deposits similarly required imaginative solutions.
Spatial and temporal cross-cutting relationships between fault structures and slope failures along the outer Kumano Basin and Nankai accretionary wedge, SW Japan
Authors: Lackey J. K. , Moore G. F. , Strasser M. , Kopf A. , Ferreira C. S.
Published: March 2018

New, high-resolution multi-beam bathymetric data from RV
Sonne
cruise SO251 show a widely variable surface morphology along the southern Kumano Basin and Nankai accretionary prism off SW Japan. Combined with a three-dimensional seismic volume, these data provide insight into the ubiquitous and varied nature of faulting typical of accretionary prism settings, a high number of submarine landslides across the entire study area that vary both spatially and temporally, a pronounced absence of slide deposit bathymetric manifestations, widely varied slope angles and a potential subducted seamount scar. We have mapped scars of 442 primary and 184 secondary landslides and have measured the areas evacuated by these slides. Most of the slides are completely disintegrative, so surficial landslide deposits are almost absent. The incidence with which temporally sequential slope failures and fault structures cross-cut themselves and one another provides evidence of potential failure pre-conditioning such as gas hydrates, pore fluid overpressures and bottom current activity. Seismic loading and slope over-steepening are then the most likely final trigger mechanisms to slope failure. The majority of observed landslides (64%) occur seawards of the outer ridge, providing insight into the relationship between surficial landsliding and subsurface tectonic processes along this accretionary prism.
The nature of small to medium earthquakes along the Eastern Mediterranean passive continental margins, and their possible relationships to landslides and submarine salt-tectonic-related shallow faults
Authors: Katz Oded , Hamiel Yariv
Published: March 2018

We analysed here, for the first time, 278 small to medium earthquakes that have occurred since 1985 along a 200 km section of the Levant passive continental margins, offshore Israel. The earthquakes are spatially overlapping with numerous submarine landslides and thin-skinned salt-tectonic-related faults scarps, bisecting the continental slope. Thus, we focus on the genetic relationship between the earthquakes, the faults and the landslides.

We found that a subgroup of 55 earthquakes is spatially overlapping with the marine extension of the Carmel Fault and thus might be of tectonic origin. A second subgroup, hosting approximately 130 earthquakes, is spatially overlapping with the longshore salt-tectonic-related submarine faults. However, due to the non-shallow focal depth of most of these earthquakes, salt tectonics was ruled out as their possible seismic origin. Thus, the seismic source for theanalysed earthquakes is yet to be revealed.

We further found that the observed medium earthquakes (M > 4) have a calculated reoccurrence time of more than 10 years and they are capable of inducing submarine slope failure within the studied area. Hence, they might play a role in submarine mass-wasting processes along the studied continental slope, and must now be considered in future hazard analysis.
Genetic Algorithms for Solving Problems of Access Control Design and Reconfiguration in Computer Networks
Authors: Saenko Igor , Kotenko Igor
Published: March 2018

To create solutions for providing the required access control in computer networks it is not sufficient to have only tools and protocols in the network that are needed for it. It is necessary to create corresponding configuration, or scheme, of such tools, which will allow us to satisfy the existing security requirements. At the same time, the problems of creating an access control scheme, as a rule, are NP-complete and require heuristic models for their solving. In this article, we propose a unified approach to creation of control access schemes, based on usage of genetic algorithms. The approach is applied not only to original schemes configuration but to reconfiguration as well. Successful testing of the suggested approach on RBAC, VLAN, and VPN schemes allows us to suppose that it may be applied to other types of access control schemes as well. Experimental testing of suggested genetic algorithms, performed on a specially designed test bed, showed their sufficiently high efficiency.
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Authors: Jajodia Sushil , Park Noseong , Serra Edoardo , Subrahmanian V. S.
Published: March 2018

A “noisy-rich” (NR) cyber-attacker (Lippmann et al. 2012) is one who tries all available vulnerabilities until he or she successfully compromises the targeted network. We develop an adversarial foundation, based on Stackelberg games, for how NR-attackers will explore an enterprise network and how they will attack it, based on the concept of a system vulnerability dependency graph. We develop a mechanism by which the network can be modified by the defender to induce deception by placing honey nodes and apparent vulnerabilities into the network to minimize the expected impact of the NR-attacker’s attacks (according to multiple measures of impact). We also consider the case where the adversary learns from blocked attacks using reinforcement learning. We run detailed experiments with real network data (but with simulated attack data) and show that Stackelberg Honey-based Adversarial Reasoning Engine performs very well, even when the adversary deviates from the initial assumptions made about his or her behavior. We also develop a method for the attacker to use reinforcement learning when his or her activities are stopped by the defender. We propose two stopping policies for the defender:
Stop Upon Detection
allows the attacker to learn about the defender’s strategy and (according to our experiments) leads to significant damage in the long run, whereas
Stop After Delay
allows the defender to introduce greater uncertainty into the attacker, leading to better defendability in the long run.
Combining Facial Parts For Learning Gender, Ethnicity, and Emotional State Based on RGB-D Information
Authors: Azzakhnini Safaa , Ballihi Lahoucine , Aboutajdine Driss
Published: March 2018

With the success of emerging RGB-D cameras such as the Kinect sensor, combining the shape (depth) and texture information to improve the quality of recognition became a trend among computer vision researchers. In this work, we address the problem of face classification in the context of RGB images and depth data. Inspired by the psychological results for human face perception, this article focuses on (i) finding out which facial parts are most effective at making the difference for some social aspects of face perception (gender, ethnicity, and emotional state), (ii) determining the optimal decision by combining the decision rendered by the individual parts, and (iii) extracting the promising features from RGB-D faces to exploit all the potential that this data provide. Experimental results on EurecomKinect Face and CurtinFaces databases show that the proposed approach improves the recognition quality in many use cases.
Designing Gesture-Based Applications for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities
Authors: Sharma Sumita , Varkey Blessin , Achary Krishnaveni , Hakulinen Jaakko , Turunen Markku , Heimonen Tomi , Srivastava Saurabh , Rajput Nitendra
Published: March 2018

Gesture interaction provides a multitude of benefits to individuals with developmental disabilities, from enhancing social, motor and cognitive skills to providing a safe and controlled environment for simulating real-world scenarios. As gesture-based applications gain ground in the special education domain, we study their potential in the Indian context. Together with Tamana, an NGO in New Delhi, we have been conducting a series of exploratory user studies since October 2013. This includes the design and evaluation of three gesture-based applications to impart social and life skills to individuals with developmental disabilities. The
Kirana
application employs socially appropriate gestures to teach the life skill of buying day-to-day items from a local Indian grocery.
Balloons
promotes joint attention skills through collaborative interaction. HOPE improves motor coordination and social and cognitive skills, with increasing levels of difficulty. Based on studies with these applications, this article presents guidelines for designing gesture-based applications for individuals with developmental disabilities. The guidelines focus on (a) designing applications that cater to a larger group of individuals to encourage collaboration and inclusion, for instance, providing easy and controllable transitions between different task levels, and balancing interaction and content complexity; (b) addressing the challenges in conducting research in this domain, with respect to ethical and procedural decisions; and (c) designing for technology acceptance within the Indian context, for example, by following a collaborative and stakeholder inclusive approach, and addressing apprehensions towards technology adoption. These guidelines aim to benefit other practitioners working in this domain and especially in the educational technology context of India.
Insights on Assistive Orientation and Mobility of People with Visual Impairment Based on Large-Scale Longitudinal Data
Authors: Kacorri Hernisa , Mascetti Sergio , Gerino Andrea , Ahmetovic Dragan , Alampi Valeria , Takagi Hironobu , Asakawa Chieko
Published: March 2018

Assistive applications for orientation and mobility promote independence for people with visual impairment (PVI). While typical design and evaluation of such applications involves small-sample iterative studies, we analyze large-scale longitudinal data from a geographically diverse population. Our publicly released dataset from
i
Move, a mobile app supporting orientation of PVI, contains millions of interactions by thousands of users over a year.

Our analysis (i) examines common functionalities, settings, assistive features, and movement modalities in
i
Move dataset and (ii) discovers user communities based on interaction patterns. We find that the most popular interaction mode is passive, where users receive more notifications, often verbose, while in motion and perform fewer actions. The use of built-in assistive features such as enlarged text indicate a high presence of users with residual sight. Users fall into three distinct groups: (C1) users interested in surrounding points of interest, (C2) users interacting in short bursts to inquire about current location, and (C3) users with long active sessions while in motion.
i
Move was designed with C3 in mind, and one strength of our contribution is providing meaningful semantics for unanticipated groups, C1 and C2. Our analysis reveals insights that can be generalized to other assistive orientation and mobility applications.
Canary Analysis Service
Authors: Davidovič Štěpán , Beyer Betsy
Published: March 2018

It is unreasonable to expect engineers working on product development or reliability to have statistical knowledge; removing this hurdle led to widespread CAS adoption. CAS has proven useful even for basic cases that don’t need configuration, and has significantly improved Google’s rollout reliability. Impact analysis shows that CAS has likely prevented hundreds of postmortem-worthy outages, and the rate of postmortems among groups that do not use CAS is noticeably higher.
Overview and History of Statistics for Equity Markets
Authors: Lehoczky John , Schervish Mark
Published: March 2018

This article surveys the evolution of stock market trading over a 60-year period. It begins before 1960, when there was no database widely available to conduct a statistical analysis of stock price movements. This changed in the 1960s with the introduction of the Center for Research in Security Prices database. A major finding was the heavy-tailed nature of stock returns. The 1960s also brought major theoretical developments, including the martingale theory of stock price processes and the efficient market hypothesis. This hypothesis prevailed until the 1990s, when the discovery of market anomalies led to statistical arbitrage strategies. We describe the use of modern machine learning methods, such as AdaBoost and random forests, which can combine some of these strategies into an improved trading strategy. The twenty-first century was marked by the rapid evolution of electronic markets and the rise of computer-driven high-frequency trading based on computing technology, low latency access, and limit order book modeling.
Social Network Modeling
Authors: Amati Viviana , Lomi Alessandro , Mira Antonietta
Published: March 2018

The development of stochastic models for the analysis of social networks is an important growth area in contemporary statistics. The last few decades have witnessed the rapid development of a variety of statistical models capable of representing the global structure of an observed network in terms of underlying generating mechanisms. The distinctive feature of statistical models for social networks is their ability to represent directly the dependence relations that these mechanisms entail. In this review, we focus on models for single network observations, particularly on the family of exponential random graph models. After defining the models, we discuss issues of model specification, estimation and assessment. We then review model extensions for the analysis of other types of network data, provide an empirical example, and give a selective overview of empirical studies that have adopted the basic model and its many variants. We conclude with an outline of the current analytical challenges.
Targeted afferent renal denervation reduces arterial pressure but not renal inflammation in established DOCA-salt hypertension in the rat
Authors: Banek Christopher T. , Gauthier Madeline M. , Baumann Daniel C. , Van Helden Dusty , Asirvatham-Jeyaraj Ninitha , Panoskaltsis-Mortari Angela , Fink Gregory D. , Osborn John W.
Published: March 2018

Recent preclinical studies show renal denervation (RDNx) may be an effective treatment for hypertension; however, the mechanism remains unknown. We have recently reported total RDNx (TRDNx) and afferent-selective RDNx (ARDNx) similarly attenuated the development of deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA)-salt hypertension. Whereas TRDNx abolished renal inflammation, ARDNx had a minimal effect despite an identical antihypertensive effect. Although this study established that ARDNx attenuates the development of DOCA-salt hypertension, it is unknown whether this mechanism remains operative once hypertension is established. The current study tested the hypothesis that TRDNx and ARDNx would similarly decrease mean arterial pressure (MAP) in the DOCA-salt hypertensive rat, and only TRDNx would mitigate renal inflammation. After 21 days of DOCA-salt treatment, male Sprague-Dawley rats underwent TRDNx ( n = 16), ARDNx ( n = 16), or Sham ( n = 14) treatment and were monitored for 14 days. Compared with baseline, TRDNx and ARDNx decreased MAP similarly (TRDNx −14 ± 4 and ARDNx −15 ± 6 mmHg). After analysis of diurnal rhythm, rhythm-adjusted mean and amplitude of night/day cycle were also reduced in TRDNx and ARDNx groups compared with Sham. Notably, no change in renal inflammation, injury, or function was detected with either treatment. We conclude from these findings that: 1) RDNx mitigates established DOCA-salt hypertension; 2) the MAP responses to RDNx are primarily mediated by ablation of afferent renal nerves; and 3) renal nerves do not contribute to the maintenance of renal inflammation in DOCA-salt hypertension.
Regulation of fluid reabsorption in rat or mouse proximal renal tubules by asymmetric dimethylarginine and dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase 1
Authors: Bell Tracy , Araujo Magali , Luo Zaiming , Tomlinson James , Leiper James , Welch William J. , Wilcox Christopher S.
Published: March 2018

Nitric oxide prevents hypertension yet enhances proximal tubule Na+reabsorption. Nitric oxide synthase is inhibited by asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) that is metabolized by dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase (DDAH) whose type 1 isoform is expressed abundantly in the proximal tubule (PT). We hypothesize that ADMA metabolized by DDAH-1 inhibits fluid reabsorbtion (Jv) by the proximal tubule. S2 segments of the PT were microperfused between blocks in vivo to assess Jv in anesthetized rats. Compared with vehicle, microperfusion of ADMA or Nω-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (l-NAME) in the proximal tubule reduced Jv dose dependently. At 10−4mol/l both reduced Jv by ~40% (vehicle: 3.2 ± 0.7 vs. ADMA: 2.1 ± 0.5, P < 0.01 vs. l-NAME: 1.9 ± 0.4 nl·min−1·mm−1, P < 0.01; n = 10). Selective inhibition of DDAH-1 in rats with intravenous L-257 (60 mg/kg) given 2 h before and L-257 (10−5mol/l) perfused in the proximal tubule for 5 min reduced Jv by 32 ± 4% (vehicle: 3.2 ± 0.5 vs. L-257: 2.2 ± 0.5 nl·min−1·mm−1; P < 0.01) and increased plasma ADMA by ≈50% (vehicle: 0.46 ± 0.03 vs. L-257: 0.67 ± 0.03 µmol/l, P < 0.0001) without changing plasma symmetric dimethylarginine. Compared with nontargeted control small-interference RNA, knock down of DDAH-1 in mice by 60% with targeted small-interference RNAs (siRNA) reduced Jv by 29 ± 5% (nontargeted siRNA: 2.8 ± 0.20 vs. DDAH-1 knockdown: 1.9 ± 0.31 nl·min−1·mm−1, P < 0.05). In conclusion, fluid reabsorption in the proximal tubule is reduced by tubular ADMA or by blocking its metabolism by DDAH-1. L-257 is a novel regulator of proximal tubule fluid reabsorption.
“Capgras” Delusions Involving Belongings, Not People, and Evolving Visual Hallucinations Associated with Occipital Lobe Seizures
Authors: Lilly Brandon , Maynard Erika , Melvin Kelly , Holroyd Suzanne
Published: March 2018

Capgras syndrome is characterized by the delusional belief that a familiar person has been replaced by a visually similar imposter or replica. Rarely, the delusional focus may be objects rather than people. Numerous etiologies have been described for Capgras to include seizures. Similarly, visual hallucinations, both simple and complex, can occur secondary to seizure activity. We present, to our knowledge, the first reported case of visual hallucinations and Capgras delusions for objects that developed secondary to new onset occipital lobe epilepsy. We then discuss the possible underlying neurologic mechanisms responsible for the symptomatology.
Time-Dependent Effects of Glaze Ice on the Aerodynamic Characteristics of an Airfoil
Authors: Tabatabaei Narges , Cervantes Michel J. , Trivedi Chirag
Published: March 2018

The main objective of this study is to estimate the dynamic loads acting over a glaze-iced airfoil. This work studies the performance of unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (URANS) simulations in predicting the oscillations over an iced airfoil. The structure and size of time-averaged vortices are compared to measurements. Furthermore, the accuracy of a two-equation eddy viscosity turbulence model, the shear stress transport (SST) model, is investigated in the case of the dynamic load analysis over a glaze-iced airfoil. The computational fluid dynamic analysis was conducted to investigate the effect of critical ice accretions on a 0.610 m chord NACA 0011 airfoil. Leading edge glaze ice accretion was simulated with flat plates (spoiler-ice) extending along the span of the blade. Aerodynamic performance coefficients and pressure profiles were calculated and validated for the Reynolds number of 1.83 × 106. Furthermore, turbulent separation bubbles were studied. The numerical results confirm both time-dependent phenomena observed in previous similar measurements: (1) low-frequency mode, with a Strouhal number Sth≈0,013–0.02, and (2) higher frequency mode with a Strouhal number StL≈0,059–0.69. The higher frequency motion has the same characteristics as the shedding mode and the lower frequency motion has the flapping mode characteristics.
Conceptualization of Vehicle‐to‐Grid Contract Types and Their Formalization in Agent‐Based Models
Authors: Park Lee Esther H. , Lukszo Zofia , Herder Paulien
Published: March 2018

Fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) have the potential to be used as flexible power plants in future energy systems. To integrate FCEVs through vehicle‐to‐grid (V2G), agreements are needed between the FCEV owners and the actor that coordinates V2G on behalf of them, usually considered the aggregator. In this paper, we argue that, depending on the purpose of providing V2G and the goal of the system or the aggregator, different types of contracts are needed, not currently considered in the literature. We propose price‐based, volume‐based, and control‐based contracts. Using agent‐based modeling and simulation we show how price‐based contracts can be applied for selling V2G in the wholesale electricity market and how volume‐based contracts can be used for balancing the local energy supply and demand in a microgrid. The models can provide a base to explore strategies in the market and to improve performance in a system highly dependent on V2G.
Electrochemical Determination of Hydrogen Entry to HSLA Steel during Pickling
Authors: Aromaa Jari , Pehkonen Antero , Schmachtel Sönke , Galfi Istvan , Forsén Olof
Published: March 2018

Pickling with hydrochloric acid is a standard method to clean steel surfaces before hot‐dip galvanizing. When normal low strength steels are pickled, hydrogen formed in pickling reactions does not have any significant harmful effect on the mechanical properties of steel. However, in pickling of steels with higher strength, the penetration of hydrogen into the steel may cause severe damages. The effect of pickling of high‐strength low‐alloy (HSLA) steels was investigated using a cell construction based on the Devanathan‐Stachurski method with modified anodic surface treatment and hydrogen production using acid. The penetration and the permeability of hydrogen were measured using an electrochemical cell with hydrochloric acid on the one side of the steel sample and a solution of NaOH on the other side. No protective coating, for example, palladium on the anodic side of the sample, is needed. The penetration rate of hydrogen into the steel and exit rate from the steel were lower for higher strength steel.
In Vivo and In Vitro Elution of Analgesics from Multilayered Poly(D,L)-lactide-co-glycolide Nanofibers Incorporated Ureteral Stents
Authors: Lin Yi-Chia , Liu Kuo-Sheng , Lee Demei , Li Min-Jhan , Liu Shih-Jung , Ito Hiroshi
Published: March 2018

We develop novel analgesic-eluting nanofiber-incorporated ureteral stents that offer sustained release of lidocaine and ketorolac for local drug delivery. Lidocaine and poly(D,L)-lactide-co-glycolide (PLGA) were dissolved in hexafluoroisopropanol and were electrospun into nonwoven nanofibers onto the surface of ureteral stents. This was followed by electrospinning of another layer of PLGA nanofibers containing ketorolac. Electrospun drug-loaded nanofibers were then characterized using scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and water contact angle analysis. In addition, the elution behavior characteristics of the analgesics, both in vivo and in vitro, from the nanofiber-incorporated stents were evaluated. Experimental results indicate that the analgesic-eluting ureteral stents could liberate high strengths of analgesics in vitro and in vivo for at least 50 and 30 days, respectively. The analgesic-eluting nanofiber-incorporated ureteral stents are potentially applicable for alleviating the discomfort associated with stent implant.
Multiobjective Order Acceptance and Scheduling on Unrelated Parallel Machines with Machine Eligibility Constraints
Authors: Wang Bailin , Wang Haifeng
Published: March 2018

This paper studies the order acceptance and scheduling problem on unrelated parallel machines with machine eligibility constraints. Two objectives are considered to maximize total net profit and minimize the makespan, and the mathematical model of this problem is formulated as multiobjective mixed integer linear programming. Some properties with respect to the objectives are analysed, and then a classic list scheduling (LS) rule named the first available machine rule is extended, and three new LS rules are presented, which focus on the maximization of the net profit, the minimization of the makespan, and the trade-off between the two objectives, respectively. Furthermore, a list-scheduling-based multiobjective parthenogenetic algorithm (LS-MPGA) is presented with parthenogenetic operators and Pareto-ranking and selection method. Computational experiments on randomly generated instances are carried out to assess the effectiveness and efficiency of the four LS rules under the framework of LS-MPGA and discuss their application environments. Results demonstrate that the performance of the LS-MPGA developed for trade-off is superior to the other three algorithms.
Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in a Patient with Right-Sided Heart: Invert the Views?
Authors: López Hidalgo Miguel , Rampersad Risshi D.
Published: March 2018

Situs inversus totalis considered a malposition syndrome is a very rare condition, occurring in 1 : 8000 births, usually without associated structural congenital heart disease. The diagnosis is often incidental as in this case, which presented with an acute coronary syndrome as a manifestationof multivessel coronary artery disease. Here, we present the challenges encountered during the diagnosis and management of this entity via percutaneous intervention.
Spectroscopic Characteristics of Treated-Color Natural Diamonds
Authors: Wang Meili , Shi Guanghai , Yuan Joe C. C. , Han Wen , Bai Qing
Published: March 2018

With the increasing availability of treated-color diamonds on the market, their characterization is becoming more and more critical to the jewelry testers and customers. In this investigation, ten color diamonds treated by irradiation (4 pieces), HPHT (3 pieces), and multiprocess (3 pieces) were examined by spectroscopic methods. These diamonds are classified to be type Ia according to their FTIR characteristics. Using microscope and DiamondView, the internal features (such as distinctive color zoning and graphitized inclusions) and complex natural growth structures were observed, which show that the samples are more likely artificially colored natural diamonds. Through photoluminescence spectroscopy, a combination of optical centers was detected, including N-V0 at 575 nm, N-V− at 637 nm, H3 at 503 nm, H2 at 986 nm, and GR1 at 741 and 744 nm. Combining with the previous studies, treatment conditions for the studied diamonds were estimated depending on the presence and/or absence of the optical centers. In addition, the coloration mechanism of the samples (blue, green, and red) during the treatment process was also discussed. It is suggested that a number of techniques should be combined in order to make a reliable identification for such diamonds.
Expansion of Gammadelta T Cells from Cord Blood: A Therapeutical Possibility
Authors: Berglund Sofia , Gaballa Ahmed , Sawaisorn Piamsiri , Sundberg Berit , Uhlin Michael
Published: March 2018

Gammadelta (γδ) T cells are found in both blood and tissues and have antiviral and antitumor properties. The frequency ofγδT cells in umbilical cord blood (UCB) is low, and the majority expressδ1, in contrast to blood, whereas the main subset is δ2γ9 T cells. UCB γδ T cells are functionally immature, which together with their scarcity complicates the development of UCBγδT cell therapies. We aimed to develop an effective expansion protocol for UCB γδT cells based on zoledronate and IL-2. We found that culture with 5 μM zoledronate and 200 IU IL-2/ml medium for 14 days promoted extensive proliferation. The majority of the cultured cells wereγ9δ2 T cells. The fold expansion of this, originally infrequent, subset was impressive (median and maximum fold change 253 and 1085, resp.). After culture, the cells had a polyclonalγδT cell repertoire and the main memory subset was central memory (CD45RO+CD27+). The cells produced cytokines such as IL-1B, IL-2, and IL-8 and displayed significant tumor-killing capacity. These results show that development ofin vitroexpanded UCBγδT cell therapies is feasible. It could prove a valuable treatment modality for patients after umbilical cord blood transplantation.
Environmental and Genetic Variables Influencing Mitochondrial Health and Parkinson’s Disease Penetrance
Authors: Zanon Alessandra , Pramstaller Peter P. , Hicks Andrew A. , Pichler Irene
Published: March 2018

There is strong evidence that impairment of mitochondrial function plays a key role in the pathogenesis of PD. The two key PD genes related to mitochondrial function are Parkin (PARK2) and PINK1 (PARK6), and also mutations in several other PD genes, includingSNCA,LRRK2,DJ1,CHCHD2, andPOLG, have been shown to induce mitochondrial stress. Many mutations are clearly pathogenic in some patients while carriers of other mutations either do not develop the disease or show a delayed onset, a phenomenon known as reduced penetrance. Indeed, for several mutations in autosomal dominant PD genes, penetrance is markedly reduced, whereas heterozygous carriers of recessive mutations may predispose to PD in a dominant manner, although with highly reduced penetrance, if additional disease modifiers are present. The identification and validation of such modifiers leading to reduced penetrance or increased susceptibility in the case of heterozygous carriers of recessive mutations are relevant for a better understanding of mechanisms contributing to disease onset. We discuss genetic and environmental factors as well as mitochondrial DNA alterations and protein-protein interactions, all involved in mitochondrial function, as potential causes to modify penetrance of mutations in dominant PD genes and to determine manifestation of heterozygous mutations in recessive PD genes.
On the Creation of Solitons in Amplifying Optical Fibers
Authors: Mahnke Christoph , Hause Alexander , Mitschke Fedor
Published: March 2018

We treat the creation of solitons in amplifying fibers. Strictly speaking, solitons are objects in an integrable setting while in real-world systems loss and gain break integrability. That case usually has been treated in the perturbation limit of low loss or gain. In a recent approach fiber-optic solitons were described beyond that limit, so that it became possible to specify how and where solitons are eventually destroyed. Here we treat the opposite case: in the presence of gain, new solitons can arise from an initially weak pulse. We find conditions for that to happen for both localized and distributed gain, with no restriction to small gain. By tracing the energy budget we show that even when another soliton is already present and copropagates, a newly created soliton takes its energy from radiation only. Our results may find applications in amplified transmission lines or in fiber lasers.
Identification and Validation of Stromal Immunotype Predict Survival and Benefit from Adjuvant Chemotherapy in Patients with Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer
Authors: Fu Hangcheng , Zhu Yu , Wang Yiwei , Liu Zheng , Zhang Junyu , Xie Huyang , Fu Qiang , Dai Bo , Ye Dingwei , Xu Jiejie
Published: March 2018

Purpose: This study aims to construct the stromal immunotype, which could improve the prediction of postsurgical survival and adjuvant platinum-based chemotherapy in muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC).

Experimental Design: A total of 118 patients with MIBC from Shanghai Cancer Center, 140 patients with MIBC from Zhongshan Hospital, and 287 patients with MIBC from TCGA cohort were included in the study. Immune cell infiltration was evaluated by IHC staining or CIBERSORT method. Five immune features were selected out of 22 immune features to construct immunotypes based on the LASSO Cox regression model.

Results: Using the LASSO model, we classified patients with MIBC into stromal immunotype A subgroup (CTLhighNKhighTreglowMacrophagelowMClow) and stromal immunotype B subgroup (CTLlowNKlowTreghighMacrophagehighMChigh). Significant differences were found between immunotype A and immunotype B in the combined cohort with 5-year overall survival (OS, 76.0% vs. 44.0%; P < 0.001) and 5-year disease-free survival (DFS, 62.8% vs. 48.3%; P < 0.001). Stromal immunotype was revealed to be an independent prognostic indicator in multivariate analysis in all cohorts separately. Either OS or DFS was not improved by adjuvant chemotherapy (ACT) in pT2 stage patients or pT3+pT4 patients, but further analysis revealed that OS and disease-free was significantly improved by ACT in pT3+pT4 patients (P = 0.016 and P = 0.006, respectively). Finally, stromal immunotype A showed higher immune checkpoint molecules (PD-L1, PD-1, and CTLA-4) expression.

Conclusions: The stromal immunotypes could effectively predict survival and recurrence of MIBC. Furthermore, the immunotypes might be a practical predictive tool to identify pT3+pT4 patients who would benefit from ACT. Clin Cancer Res; 24(13); 3069–78. ©2018 AACR.
Long-Term Influence of C1-C2 Pedicle Screw Fixation on Occipitoatlantal Angle and Subaxial Cervical Spine in the Pediatric Population
Authors: Tang Xiangsheng , Dong Liang , Tan Mingsheng , Yi Ping , Yang Feng , Hao Qingying
Published: March 2018

Objective: The goal of this study was to evaluate the impact of C1-C2 pedicle screw fixation on the occipitoatlantal angle and subaxial cervical spine for a pediatric population, and the clinical efficacy and adjacent-segment degeneration after C1-C2 pedicle screw fixation with a minimum of 2 years of follow-up. Methods: Twenty-two pediatric patients with atlantoaxial dislocation who were enrolled in this study underwent atlantoaxial pedicle screw fixation. The correlation between C0-C1, C2-C7, and C1-C2 pre- and postoperative sagittal angles was assessed using plain radiographs, and adjacent-segment degeneration (ASD) and JOA scores (Japanese Orthopaedic Association scores) were evaluated after atlantoaxial pedicle screw fixation. Results: The C1-C2 angle increased from 16.1 ± 13.37 to 28.1 ± 5.1° (p < 0.01). The pre- and postoperative C1-C2 angles were negatively correlated with the pre- and postoperative C0-C1 and C2-C7 angles, respectively. In accordance with the optimal atlantoaxial fusion angle (25-30°) obtained from the literature, postoperative JOA scores were greater in the groups with angles of more than 30° and less than 25°, although the difference in ASD was not statistically significant. Postoperative JOA scores were not relevant to the postoperative C1-C2 angle; however, there was a positive correlation between JOA improvement rate and the change of the C1-C2 angle postoperatively. Conclusion: Atlantoaxial pedicle screw fixation can be used easily to reduce atlantoaxial dislocation in the pediatric population; however, outside the range of the optimal atlantoaxial fusion angle it can change the occipitoatlantal angle and subaxial alignment, which induces ASD and influences the clinical efficacy. It is necessary to achieve an optimal atlantoaxial angle when using atlantoaxial pedicle screw fixation.
Effects of Gene Variants Controlling Vitamin D Metabolism and Serum Levels on Hepatic Steatosis
Authors: Jamka Małgorzata , Arslanow Anita , Bohner Annika , Krawczyk Marcin , Weber Susanne N. , Grünhage Frank , Lammert Frank , Stokes Caroline S.
Published: March 2018

Background/Aims: Common genetic variations in vitamin D metabolism are associated with liver stiffness. Whether these genes are implicated in hepatic steatosis remains unclear. Here we aimed to analyse the association of common vitamin D pathway gene variants with liver steatosis. Methods: Liver steatosis was assessed non-invasively in 241 patients with chronic liver conditions by controlled attenuation parameter (CAP). The following polymorphisms were genotyped using TaqMan assays: group-specific component (GC) rs7041, 7-dehydrocholesterol reductase (DHCR7) rs12785878, cytochrome P450 2R1 (CYP2R1) rs10741657, ­vitamin D receptor (VDR) rs7974353. Chemiluminescence immunoassay determined serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH) D) concentrations. Results: Vitamin D deficiency (defined by 25(OH)D concentrations <20 ng/mL) occurred in 66% of patients. Median CAP was 296 (100–400) dB/m. Patients with advanced steatosis (CAP ≥280 dB/m) had significantly (p = 0.033) lower 25(OH)D levels as compared to patients with CAP <280 dB/m. Moreover, the rare allele [T] in GC rs7041 was significantly (p = 0.018) associated with higher 25(OH)D levels in patients with CAP <280 dB/m. However, GC, DHCR7, CYP2R1, and VDR polymorphisms were not related to liver steatosis and obesity traits. Conclusions: Higher CAP values are associated with low serum 25(OH)D concentrations but not with common vitamin D pathway gene variants.
Implementation of the Neonatal Sepsis Calculator in an Australian Tertiary Perinatal Centre
Authors: Strunk Tobias , Buchiboyina Ashok , Sharp Mary , Nathan Elizabeth , Doherty Dorota , Patole Sanjay
Published: March 2018

Background: Early-onset sepsis (EOS) is a potentially fatal condition that affects about 0.3–0.8/1,000 infants born at ≥35 weeks’ gestation in developed countries. Current EOS management algorithms result in 8–15% of infants receiving antibiotics for suspected sepsis. The Neonatal Sepsis Calculator provides evidence-based estimates of individual sepsis risk, but data on its clinical application is limited. Objectives: To evaluate the feasibility, safety, and effect on the newborn infants that were investigated and that received antibiotic treatment for suspected EOS following the introduction of the Neonatal Sepsis Calculator. Methods: This was a prospective, observational, single-centre cohort study comparing the rates of newborn infants born at ≥35 weeks’ gestation requiring evaluation and/or treatment for suspected EOS in a large tertiary perinatal centre before versus after the prospective introduction of the Neonatal Sepsis Calculator (Epoch 1: October 2014 to January 2015 vs. Epoch 2: July to December 2016). Results: There were 1,732 and 2,502 eligible infants born during Epochs 1 and 2, respectively. Of these, 425 (24.2%) and 530 (21.2%), respectively, were admitted to the neonatal unit. The proportion of infants investigated for sepsis decreased from 15.2 to 11.1%, and that of infants treated with antibiotics from 12.0 to 7.6%. One case of EOS occurred during each Epoch. Conclusions: The implementation of the Neonatal Sepsis Calculator was feasible and safe in our unit. Application of this clinical decision support tool may reduce the number of infants undergoing investigations and empirical treatment for suspected EOS.
Prostate Basal Cell Carcinoma: A Case Report
Authors: Ninomiya Sahoko , Kawahara Takashi , Iwashita Hiromichi , Iwamoto Genta , Takamoto Daiji , Mochizuki Taku , Kuroda Shinnosuke , Takeshima Teppei , Izumi Koji , Teranishi Jun-ichi , Yumura Yasushi , Miyoshi Yasuhide , Asai Takuo , Uemura Hiroji
Published: March 2018

Prostate basal cell carcinoma (PBCC) accounts for 0.01% of all prostate cancers. A 68-year-old man complained of dysuria for 5 years on his initial visit. His PSA level was 3.87 ng/mL. Due to a diagnosis of benign prostate hyperplasia, he underwent transurethral resection of the prostate. A pathological examination revealed that basal cell-like atypical cells made alveolar with palisadal layout. Immunohistochemical analysis showed positive 34β12, P63, and Ki-67. Based on these findings, PBCC was diagnosed. Then, we performed radical prostatectomy. He was free from recurrence 22 months after the operation. We herein report an extremely rare case of PBCC.