bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Influence of Noncondensable Gases on Thermodynamic Control On-Ground Experiments Using a Substitute Fluid
Authors: Mer Samuel , Thibault Jean-Paul , Corre Christophe
Published: August 2017

A cryogenic propellant submitted to heat load during long duration space missions tends to vaporize to such an extent that the resulting pressure rise must be controlled to prevent storage failure. The thermodynamic vent system (TVS), one of the possible control strategies, has been investigated using on-ground experiments with NOVEC1230 as substitution fluid. Results obtained for self-pressurization (SP) and TVS control phases have been reported in a previous work. The unexpected inverse thermal stratification observed during these experiments is analyzed in the present work and related to the influence of noncondensable gases. Noncondensable gases, present inside the tank in the form of nitrogen—ten times lighter than the substitution fluid vapor—generate a concentration stratification in the ullage. Assuming the NOVEC1230 remains at saturation in the whole ullage, the density stratification which results from this concentration stratification can explain the observed inverse thermal stratification.
Sensitivity Analysis of a Bayesian Network
Authors: Li Chenzhao , Mahadevan Sankaran
Published: August 2017

In a Bayesian network (BN), how a node of interest is affected by the observation at another node is a main concern, especially in backward inference. This challenge necessitates the proposed global sensitivity analysis (GSA) for BN, which calculates the Sobol’ sensitivity index to quantify the contribution of an observation node toward the uncertainty of the node of interest. In backward inference, a low sensitivity index indicates that the observation cannot reduce the uncertainty of the node of interest, so that a more appropriate observation node providing higher sensitivity index should be measured. This GSA for BN confronts two challenges. First, the computation of the Sobol’ index requires a deterministic function while the BN is a stochastic model. This paper uses an auxiliary variable method to convert the path between two nodes in the BN to a deterministic function, thus making the Sobol’ index computation feasible. Second, the computation of the Sobol’ index can be expensive, especially if the model inputs are correlated, which is common in a BN. This paper uses an efficient algorithm proposed by the authors to directly estimate the Sobol’ index from input–output samples of the prior distribution of the BN, thus making the proposed GSA for BN computationally affordable. This paper also extends this algorithm so that the uncertainty reduction of the node of interest at given observation value can be estimated. This estimate purely uses the prior distribution samples, thus providing quantitative guidance for effective observation and updating.
Modeling consonant-context effects in a large database of spontaneous speech recordings
Authors: Kiefte Michael , Nearey Terrance M.
Published: July 2017

Given recent interest in the analysis of naturally produced spontaneous speech, a large database of speech samples from the Canadian Maritimes was collected, processed, and analyzed with the primary aim of examining vowel-inherent spectral change in formant trajectories. Although it takes few resources to collect a large sample of audio recordings, the analysis of spontaneous speech introduces a number of difficulties compared to that of laboratory citation speech: Surrounding consonants may have a large influence on vowel formant frequencies and the distribution of consonant contexts is highly unbalanced. To overcome these problems, a statistical procedure inspired by that of Broad and Clermont [(2014). J. Phon. 47, 47–80] was developed to estimate the magnitude of both onset and coda effects on vowel formant frequencies. Estimates of vowel target formant frequencies and the parameters associated with consonant-context effects were allowed to vary freely across the duration of the vocalic portion of a syllable which facilitated the examination of vowel-inherent spectral change. Thirty-five hours of recorded speech samples from 223 speakers were automatically segmented and formant-frequency values were measured for all stressed vowels in the database. Consonant effects were accounted for to produce context-normalized vowel formant frequencies that varied across time.
A comparison of acoustic and articulatory methods for analyzing vowel differences across dialects: Data from American and Australian English
Authors: Blackwood Ximenes Arwen , Shaw Jason A. , Carignan Christopher
Published: July 2017

In studies of dialect variation, the articulatory nature of vowels is sometimes inferred from formant values using the following heuristic: F1 is inversely correlated with tongue height and F2 is inversely correlated with tongue backness. This study compared vowel formants and corresponding lingual articulation in two dialects of English, standard North American English, and Australian English. Five speakers of North American English and four speakers of Australian English were recorded producing multiple repetitions of ten monophthongs embedded in the /sVd/ context. Simultaneous articulatory data were collected using electromagnetic articulography. Results show that there are significant correlations between tongue position and formants in the direction predicted by the heuristic but also that the relations implied by the heuristic break down under specific conditions. Articulatory vowel spaces, based on tongue dorsum position, and acoustic vowel spaces, based on formants, show systematic misalignment due in part to the influence of other articulatory factors, including lip rounding and tongue curvature on formant values. Incorporating these dimensions into dialect comparison yields a richer description and a more robust understanding of how vowel formant patterns are reproduced within and across dialects.
Next-Generation Probiotics Targeting Clostridium difficile through Precursor-Directed Antimicrobial Biosynthesis
Authors: Spinler Jennifer K. , Auchtung Jennifer , Brown Aaron , Boonma Prapaporn , Oezguen Numan , Ross Caná L. , Luna Ruth Ann , Runge Jessica , Versalovic James , Peniche Alex , Dann Sara M. , Britton Robert A. , Haag Anthony , Savidge Tor C.
Published: August 2017

Integration of antibiotic and probiotic therapy has the potential to lessen the public health burden of antimicrobial-associated diseases.
Clostridium difficile
infection (CDI) represents an important example where the rational design of next-generation probiotics is being actively pursued to prevent disease recurrence. Because intrinsic resistance to clinically relevant antibiotics used to treat CDI (vancomycin, metronidazole, and fidaxomicin) is a desired trait in such probiotic species, we screened several bacteria and identified
Lactobacillus reuteri
to be a promising candidate for adjunct therapy. Human-derived
L. reuteri
bacteria convert glycerol to the broad-spectrum antimicrobial compound reuterin. When supplemented with glycerol, strains carrying the
pocR
gene locus were potent reuterin producers, with
L. reuteri
17938 inhibiting
C. difficile
growth at a level on par with the level of growth inhibition by vancomycin. Targeted
pocR
mutations and complementation studies identified reuterin to be the precursor-induced antimicrobial agent. Pathophysiological relevance was demonstrated when the codelivery of
L. reuteri
with glycerol was effective against
C. difficile
colonization in complex human fecal microbial communities, whereas treatment with either glycerol or
L. reuteri
alone was ineffective. A global unbiased microbiome and metabolomics analysis independently confirmed that glycerol precursor delivery with
L. reuteri
elicited changes in the composition and function of the human microbial community that preferentially targets
C. difficile
outgrowth and toxicity, a finding consistent with glycerol fermentation and reuterin production. Antimicrobial resistance has thus been successfully exploited in the natural design of human microbiome evasion of
C. difficile
, and this method may provide a prototypic precursor-directed probiotic approach. Antibiotic resistance and substrate bioavailability may therefore represent critical new determinants of probiotic efficacy in clinical trials.
A Bacterial Stress Response Regulates Respiratory Protein Complexes To Control Envelope Stress Adaptation
Authors: Guest Randi L. , Wang Junshu , Wong Julia L. , Raivio Tracy L.
Published: August 2017

The Cpx envelope stress response mediates adaptation to stresses that affect protein folding within the envelope of Gram-negative bacteria. Recent transcriptome analyses revealed that the Cpx response impacts genes that affect multiple cellular functions predominantly associated with the cytoplasmic membrane. In this study, we examined the connection between the Cpx response and the respiratory complexes NADH dehydrogenase I and cytochrome
bo
3
in enteropathogenic
Escherichia coli
. We found that the Cpx response directly represses the transcription of the
nuo
and
cyo
operons and that Cpx-mediated repression of these complexes confers adaptation to stresses that compromise envelope integrity. Furthermore, we found that the activity of the aerobic electron transport chain is reduced in
E. coli
lacking a functional Cpx response despite no change in the transcription of either the
nuo
or the
cyo
operon. Finally, we show that expression of NADH dehydrogenase I and cytochrome
bo
3
contributes to basal Cpx pathway activity and that overproduction of individual subunits can influence pathway activation. Our results demonstrate that the Cpx response gauges and adjusts the expression, and possibly the function, of inner membrane protein complexes to enable adaptation to envelope stress.

IMPORTANCE
Bacterial stress responses allow microbes to survive environmental transitions and conditions, such as those encountered during infection and colonization, that would otherwise kill them. Enteric microbes that inhabit or infect the gut are exposed to a plethora of stresses, including changes in pH, nutrient composition, and the presence of other bacteria and toxic compounds. Bacteria detect and adapt to many of these conditions by using envelope stress responses that measure the presence of stressors in the outermost compartment of the bacterium by monitoring its physiology. The Cpx envelope stress response plays a role in antibiotic resistance and host colonization, and we have shown that it regulates many functions at the bacterial inner membrane. In this report, we describe a novel role for the Cpx response in sensing and controlling the expression of large, multiprotein respiratory complexes at the cytoplasmic membrane of
Escherichia coli
. The significance of our research is that it will increase our understanding of how these stress responses are involved in antibiotic resistance and the mechanisms used by bacteria to colonize the gut.
Embryonal carcinoma presenting as a calcified solitary testicular mass on ultrasound
Authors: Gerber Daniel , Wright Henry Collier , Sussman Rachael D , Stamatakis Lambros
Published: August 2017

A 24-year-old man presented with a 2-week history of a painless right testicular mass; ultrasound demonstrated a dense, solitary calcified mass. The patient elected observation after further workup showed no evidence of metastasis.

A repeat ultrasound 3 months later showed interval growth and the patient underwent right radical orchiectomy. Pathology was consistent with pure embryonal carcinoma of the testis. Calcified testicular masses are typically benign but do carry a differential of spermatic granuloma, large-cell calcifying Sertoli cell tumour, trauma, tuberculosis, filariasis, calcified Leydig cell tumour and burned-out testicular tumour.

To our knowledge, this is the first case report of pure embryonal carcinoma presenting as a solitary calcified testicular mass.
Non-atherosclerotic aortic mural thrombus: a rare source of embolism
Authors: Marin-Acevedo Julian A , Koop Andree H , Diaz-Gomez Jose L , Guru Pramod K
Published: August 2017

A 54-year-old man presented to the emergency department with acute left-sided chest pain and left upper quadrant abdominal pain. He had a significant history of squamous cell carcinoma of the lung previously treated with right pneumonectomy who ; is currently receiving adjuvant chemotherapy with cisplatin. Physical examination was remarkable for tachycardia, hypertension and mild abdominal tenderness. CT angiography revealed an aortic mural thrombus in the ascending aorta and aortic arch without dissection, aneurysm or tortuosity of the aorta. In addition, an infarction of the inferior spleen was reported. Given the high risk of surgery for this patient, he was treated conservatively with esmolol and heparin infusion. His subsequent hospital course was uneventful, and he was successfully discharged on enoxaparin therapy that was successively bridged to rivaroxaban treatment. Follow-up transesophageal echocardiography and CT angiography at one month showed no thrombus in the aorta.
Childhood hospitalisation and related deaths in Hanoi, Vietnam: a tertiary hospital database analysis from 2007 to 2014
Authors: Nguyen Nhung T T , Dien Tran Minh , Schindler Christian , Lien Nguyen T B , Probst-Hensch Nicole , Lan Vu T H , Künzli Nino , Perez Laura
Published: August 2017

Objective

To describe hospital admission and emergency visit rates and potential risk factors of prolonged hospitalisation and death among children in Hanoi.

Study design

A retrospective study reviewed 212 216 hospitalisation records of children (aged 0–17) who attended the Vietnam National Children's Hospital in Hanoi between 2007 and 2014. Four indicators were analysed and reported: (1) rate of emergency hospital visits, (2) rate of hospitalisation, (3) length of hospital stay and (4) number of deaths. The risk of prolonged hospitalisation was investigated using Cox proportion hazard, and the risk of death was investigated through logistic regressions.

Results

During 2007–2014, the average annual rate of emergency visits was 2.2 per 1000 children and the rate of hospital admissions was 13.8 per 1000 children. The annual rates for infants increased significantly by 3.9 per 1000 children during 2012–2014 for emergency visits and 25.1 per 1000 children during 2009–2014 for hospital admissions. Digestive diseases (32.0%) and injuries (30.2%) were common causes of emergency visits, whereas respiratory diseases (37.7%) and bacterial and parasitic infections (19.8%) accounted for most hospital admissions. Patients with mental and behavioural disorders remained in the hospital the longest (median=12 days). Morbidities related to the perinatal period dominated mortality causes (32.5% of deaths among those admitted to the hospital. Among the respiratory diseases, pneumonia was the leading cause of both prolonged hospitalisation and death.

Conclusions

Preventable health problems, such as common bacterial infections and respiratory diseases, were the primary causes of hospital admissions in Vietnam.
Protocol for a prospective longitudinal study of risk factors for hypertension incidence in a Mexico City population: the Tlalpan 2020 cohort
Authors: Colín-Ramírez Eloisa , Rivera-Mancía Susana , Infante-Vázquez Oscar , Cartas-Rosado Raúl , Vargas-Barrón Jesús , Madero Magdalena , Vallejo Maite
Published: August 2017

Introduction

Systemic hypertension (HTN) is a common risk factor for cardiovascular disease. In Mexico, HTN prevalence has increased over time and is currently 31%. Nonetheless, information about the country's HTN incidence and its associated risk factors is scarce. Understanding this condition is a priority for identifying the scope of primary prevention. The main objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of traditional and non-traditional risk factors on the incidence of HTN in a cohort of healthy Mexico City residents under biannual follow-up for 10 years.

Methods and analysis

A prospective longitudinal study is proposed in which clinically healthy residents of Mexico City between 20 and 50 years old will be recruited; the participants will be evaluated every 2 years over a period of 10 years or until they develop HTN. Evaluations regarding sociodemographic, clinical, anthropometric, biochemical, diet, physical activity, stress, sleep quality, alcohol and tobacco consumption factors will be performed. The participants will be recruited from the 16 municipalities of Mexico City through promotional strategies aimed at the community and will be clinically evaluated at a tertiary care institution, Instituto Nacional de Cardiología Ignacio Chávez (National Institute of Cardiology Ignacio Chavez), located in Mexico City, Mexico. Sample size estimated for this study is 3436, and the Cox proportional hazards model will be used to estimate HRs for the association between explanatory variables and HTN using both raw and adjusted data.

Ethics and dissemination

This study was approved by the Institutional Bioethics Committee of the Instituto Nacional de Cardiología Ignacio Chávez (National Institute of Cardiology Ignacio Chavez) under number 13-802. Findings from this study will be disseminated through scientific papers and research conferences.
The effect of dairy products consumed with high glycemic carbohydrate on subjective appetite, food intake, and postprandial glycemia in older adults
Authors: Law Marron , Lee Ying Ti , Vien Shirley , Luhovyy Bohdan L. , Anderson G. Harvey
Published: July 2017

The objective was to compare the effect of liquid, semi-solid, and solid dairy products and a nondairy beverage when consumed with glycemic carbohydrate on subjective appetite, food intake (FI), and post-prandial glycemia (PPG) in healthy older adults. Thirty healthy men and women (14 males and 16 females; age: 64.6 ± 2.4 y; BMI: 25.6 ± 2.5 kg/m2) participated in a randomized crossover study. Treatments were one of 250 mL of 2% fat milk and soy beverage, 175 g of 2% Greek yogurt, and 30 g of Cheddar cheese consumed as part of an isocaloric (380 kcal) meal with bread and jam. Water alone served as the energy-free control for subjective appetite. At 180 min after consumption, the participants were fed an ad libitum meal to measure FI. Subjective appetite, blood glucose, and insulin were measured at baseline and at intervals both before (post-treatment) and after the meal (postmeal). Cheese and yogurt resulted in lower post-treatment blood glucose than milk and soy beverage when consumed with carbohydrate (p < 0.0001), but no differences among any treatments were observed postmeal. Treatments led to similar insulin concentrations. Post-treatment appetite was lower than after the water control for all treatments but suppressed more by cheese and yogurt compared with milk (p < 0.0001). There were no differences in FI among treatments. Cheese and yogurt increase satiety and lower PPG more than milk or a soy beverage when consumed with carbohydrate.
An integrated system for modeling tree and stand survival
Authors: Cao Quang V.
Published: August 2017

Traditionally, separate models have been used to predict the number of trees per unit area (stand-level survival) and the survival probability of an individual tree (tree-level survival) at a certain age. This study investigated the development of integrated systems in which survival models at different levels of resolution are related in a mathematical structure. Two approaches for modeling tree and stand survival were considered: deriving a stand-level survival model from a tree-level survival model (approach 1) and deriving a tree survival model from a stand survival model (approach 2). Both approaches rely on finding a tree diameter that yields a tree survival probability equal to the stand-level survival probability. The tree and stand survival models from either approach are conceptually compatible with each other but not numerically compatible. Parameters of these models can be estimated either sequentially or simultaneously. Results indicated that approach 2, with parameters estimated sequentially (first from the stand survival model and then from the derived tree survival model), performed best in predicting both tree- and stand-level survival. Although disaggregation did not help improve prediction of tree-level survival, this method can be used when numerical consistency between stand and tree survival is desired.
The beneficial effects of resveratrol on steatosis and mitochondrial oxidative stress in HepG2 cells
Authors: Izdebska Magdalena , Piątkowska-Chmiel Iwona , Korolczuk Agnieszka , Herbet Mariola , Gawrońska-Grzywacz Monika , Gieroba Renata , Sysa Marcin , Czajkowska-Bania Klaudia , Cygal Marcelina , Korga Agnieszka , Dudka Jarosław
Published: July 2017

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is currently one of the most common chronic liver diseases, especially in developed countries. One group of substances with a potential use in the treatment of NAFLD are plant polyphenols, represented by resveratrol. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of resveratrol on steatosis and oxidative stress in HepG2 cells. The steatosis of cells was carried out using free fatty acids: oleic or palmitic acid and their mixtures. Steatosis was visualized using the intracellular lipid staining by Nile Red dye with a fluorescence microscope. This study also determined the viability of cells and mitochondrial membrane potential. The current study showed that fatty acids and their mixtures induced fat overloading in HepG2 cells. In the group of cells incubated with oleic acid (OA), observed changes were moderate with prevailing micro-vesicular steatosis. In case of cells incubated with palmitic acid (PA) and the mixtures of fatty acids, micro- and macro-vacuolar steatosis occurred in most of the cells. Resveratrol decreased steatosis in HepG2 cells induced by OA, PA, as well as their mixtures, and in most of experimental groups did not reduce cells viability. Resveratrol reduced the oxidative stress in HepG2 cells treated with fatty acids mixtures.
Controlling dynamical entanglement in a Josephson tunneling junction
Authors: Ziegler K.
Published: August 2017

We analyze the evolution of an entangled many-body state in a Josephson tunneling junction and its dependence on the number of bosons and interaction strength. A N00N state, which is a superposition of two complementary Fock states, appears in the evolution with sufficient probability only for a moderate many-body interaction on an intermediate time scale. This time scale is inversely proportional to the tunneling rate. Many-body interaction strongly supports entanglement: The probability for creating an entangled state decays exponentially with the number of particles without many-body interaction, whereas it decays only like the inverse square root of the number of particles in the presence of many-body interaction.
Modal analysis of double-walled carbon nanocones using the finite element method
Authors: Rouhi S. , Ansari R. , Nickabadi S.
Published: August 2017

The vibrational properties of double-walled carbon nanocones are investigated herein. The double-walled carbon nanocones with different geometries including apex angles and lengths are considered. The simply supported–simply supported, clamped-free and clamped–clamped boundary conditions are applied on the nanocones. A linear elastic beam-based finite element method is employed to obtain the frequencies of the double-walled carbon nanocones. Elastic beam elements are used to model the carbon–carbon bond in the structure of the nanocones. Besides, the spring elements are employed to describe the nonbonding van der Waals interactions between different layers. Natural frequencies and mode shapes of the double-walled carbon nanocones are extracted by solving the eigenvalue problem. It is observed that increasing the disclination angle of nanocones increases their natural frequency. However, increasing the nanocone’s height leads to decreasing the frequency.
DEFINITION AND CLASSIFICATION OF ONE-DIMENSIONAL CONTINUOUS FUNCTIONS WITH UNBOUNDED VARIATION
Authors: LIANG Y. S.
Published: July 2017

The present paper mainly investigates the definition and classification of one-dimensional continuous functions on closed intervals. Continuous functions can be classified as differentiable functions and nondifferentiable functions. All differentiable functions are of bounded variation. Nondifferentiable functions are composed of bounded variation functions and unbounded variation functions. Fractal dimension of all bounded variation continuous functions is 1. One-dimensional unbounded variation continuous functions may have finite unbounded variation points or infinite unbounded variation points. Number of unbounded variation points of one-dimensional unbounded variation continuous functions maybe infinite and countable or uncountable. Certain examples of different one-dimensional continuous functions have been given in this paper. Thus, one-dimensional continuous functions are composed of differentiable functions, nondifferentiable continuous functions of bounded variation, continuous functions with finite unbounded variation points, continuous functions with infinite but countable unbounded variation points and continuous functions with uncountable unbounded variation points. In the end of the paper, we give an example of one-dimensional continuous function which is of unbounded variation everywhere.
A Knowledge Management Architecture for Digital Cultural Heritage
Authors: Dragoni Mauro , Tonelli Sara , Moretti Giovanni
Published: July 2017

The increasing demand of technological facilities for galleries, museums, and archives has led to the need for designing practical and effective solutions for managing the digital life cycle of cultural heritage collections. These facilities have to support users in addressing several challenges directly related to the creation, management, preservation, and visualization of digital collections. Such challenges include, for example, the support for a collaborative management of the produced information, their curation from a multilingual perspective to break the language barriers and make collections available to different stakeholders, and the development of services for exposing structured version of data both to users and machines. Platforms satisfying all of these requirements have to support curators activities and, at the same time, provide facilities for engaging the virtual consumers of the produced data. In this article, we propose a description of an abstract architecture for managing digital collections built on a set of components, services, and APIs able to address the challenges mentioned previously. An instantiation of this architecture is discussed, and we present a use case concerning the management of a digital archive of verbo-visual art. Lessons learned from this experience are reported to outline future activities.
Sancus 2.0
Authors: Noorman Job , Bulck Jo Van , Mühlberg Jan Tobias , Piessens Frank , Maene Pieter , Preneel Bart , Verbauwhede Ingrid , Götzfried Johannes , Müller Tilo , Freiling Felix
Published: August 2017

The Sancus security architecture for networked embedded devices was proposed in 2013 at the USENIX Security conference. It supports remote (even third-party) software installation on devices while maintaining strong security guarantees. More specifically, Sancus can remotely attest to a software provider that a specific software module is running uncompromised and can provide a secure communication channel between software modules and software providers. Software modules can securely maintain local state and can securely interact with other software modules that they choose to trust.

Over the past three years, significant experience has been gained with applications of Sancus, and several extensions of the architecture have been investigated—both by the original designers as well as by independent researchers. Informed by these additional research results, this journal version of the Sancus paper describes an improved design and implementation, supporting additional security guarantees (such as confidential deployment) and a more efficient cryptographic core.

We describe the design of Sancus 2.0 (without relying on any prior knowledge of Sancus) and develop and evaluate a prototype FPGA implementation. The prototype extends an MSP430 processor with hardware support for the memory access control and cryptographic functionality required to run Sancus. We report on our experience using Sancus in a variety of application scenarios and discuss some important avenues of ongoing and future work.
A Novel Range Matching Architecture for Packet Classification Without Rule Expansion
Authors: Murugesan Shanmugakumar , Sk Noor Mahammad
Published: August 2017

The speed requirement for the routing table lookup and the packet classification is rapidly increasing due to the increase in the number of packets needed to be processed per second. The hardware-based packet classification relies on ternary content addressable memory (TCAM) to meet this speed requirement. However, TCAM consumes huge power and also supports only for longest prefix match and exact match, where the classification rule also has a range match (RM) field. Hence, it is mandatory to encode the RM into prefix match to accommodate the rule in TCAM. In the worst case, one rule is encoded into (2
W
-2)
2
rules (where
W
is a number of bits to represent range). This work proposes a novel RM architecture, and a detailed analysis about the range field on the standard dataset and the real-life classifier rules are presented. In the literature, the existing RM architecture is used to avoid the range to prefix conversion, but due to the serial operation, it lacks in performance. For constant time lookup, TCAM is the best option, but it does not support RM. The proposed architecture takes one clock cycle for RM and does not require any encoding/ conversion. Hence, there will be a single entry for every rule. It is observed that just 4% of the two-dimensional range rules are present in this dataset, and it will increase the rule set size by 4 times in the best case and nearly 30 times in the worst case. The proposed RM circuit is operated in parallel with TCAM without compromising the speed, and this circuit saves huge power around 70% and area around 61%, where the range to prefix conversion/encoding is completely avoided. The proposed architecture is well suited for current IPv4- and IPv6-based networks, as well as in software-defined networks in the near future.
The Potential Impacts of Climate Change on Biodiversity in Flowing Freshwater Systems
Authors: Knouft Jason H. , Ficklin Darren L.
Published: July 2017

Ongoing increases in air temperature and changing precipitation patterns are altering water temperatures and flow regimes in lotic freshwater systems, and these changes are expected to continue in the coming century. Freshwater taxa are responding to these changes at all levels of biological organization. The generation of appropriate hydrologic and water temperature projections is critical to accurately predict the impacts of climate change on freshwater systems in the coming decade. The goal of this review is to provide an overview of how changes in climate affect hydrologic processes and how climate-induced changes in freshwater habitat can impact the life histories and traits of individuals, and the distributions of freshwater populations and biodiversity. Projections of biological responses during the coming century will depend on accurately representing the spatially varying sensitivity of physical systems to changes in climate, as well as acknowledging the spatially varying sensitivity of freshwater taxa to changes in environmental conditions.
Creativity as a Stepping Stone towards Developing Other Competencies in Classrooms
Authors: Ahmadi Niluphar , Besançon Maud
Published: August 2017

Creativity, as a 21st‐century skill, has gained more interest these past years and has become one of the key competencies to be implemented in classrooms. However, some studies highlight teachers’ difficulties to integrate it in a classroom context. For instance, introducing creativity in overloaded school curricula may be a hindrance to developing it. Teachers have to implement other 21st‐century competencies (the 4Cs) at the same time as well. These educational objectives can be considerable in terms of time and means for teachers and thus do not encourage them to develop these competencies. The purpose of this article is to present links, essentially theoretical, made by researchers between creativity and other 21st‐century skills (e.g., critical thinking, metacognition, and collaboration). We considered that if creativity shares some characteristics with other competencies, it can be possible that, by applying only a teaching‐for‐creativity approach in classroom, we can also contribute to developing the other “C” as well. So choosing only creativity can be a way for teachers to develop their pupils’ skills without falling behind in their curriculum. In this article, we will also discuss our hypothesis taking into account limits from teachers’ classroom practices. Teachers’ training, evaluation, and everyday practices will be considered.
Two New Approximations for Variable-Order Fractional Derivatives
Authors: Du Ruilian , Liang Zongqi
Published: July 2017

We introduced a parameter σ(t) which was related to α(t); then two numerical schemes for variable-order Caputo fractional derivatives were derived; the second-order numerical approximation to variable-order fractional derivatives α(t)∈(0,1) and 3-α(t)-order approximation for α(t)∈(1,2) are established. For the given parameter σ(t), the error estimations of formulas were proven, which were higher than some recently derived schemes. Finally, some numerical examples with exact solutions were studied to demonstrate the theoretical analysis and verify the efficiency of the proposed methods.
Adipose Extracellular Matrix/Stromal Vascular Fraction Gel Secretes Angiogenic Factors and Enhances Skin Wound Healing in a Murine Model
Authors: Sun Mingliang , He Yunfan , Zhou Tao , Zhang Pan , Gao Jianhua , Lu Feng
Published: August 2017

Mesenchymal stem cells are an attractive cell type for cytotherapy in wound healing. The authors recently developed a novel, adipose-tissue-derived, injectable extracellular matrix/stromal vascular fraction gel (ECM/SVF-gel) for stem cell therapy. This study was designed to assess the therapeutic effects of ECM/SVF-gel on wound healing and potential mechanisms. ECM/SVF-gel was prepared for use in nude mouse excisional wound healing model. An SVF cell suspension and phosphate-buffered saline injection served as the control. The expression levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), and monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) in ECM/SVF-gel were analyzed at different time points. Angiogenesis (tube formation) assays of ECM/SVF-gel extracts were evaluated, and vessels density in skin was determined. The ECM/SVF-gel extract promoted tube formation in vitro and increased the expression of the angiogenic factors VEGF and bFGF compared with those in the control. The expression of the inflammatory chemoattractant MCP-1 was high in ECM/SVF-gel at the early stage and decreased sharply during the late stage of wound healing. The potent angiogenic effects exerted by ECM/SVF-gel may contribute to the improvement of wound healing, and these effects could be related to the enhanced inflammatory response in ECM/SVF-gel during the early stage of wound healing.
Dietary Genistein Influences Number of Acetylcholine Receptors in Female Diabetic Jejunum
Authors: Schacht Sydney , Masood Faisal , Catmull Shawn , Dolan Robert , Altabtabaee RussL , Grow Wade , Al-Nakkash Layla
Published: August 2017

Background. Intestinal dysfunction in theob/obmouse model of diabetes mimics that seen clinically.Methods. We determined the effects of a 4-week genistein diet (600 mg genistein/kg food) on intestinal function (contractility, morphology, AChR, and motility) in femaleob/oband lean mice.Results. Contractility of the jejunum in response to incrementally increasing concentrations of KCl was comparable inob/obfemales and lean controls regardless of a genistein-diet. There were no changes in the wall thickness measured. We assessed the number of clusters of AChR in the jejunum wall; AChR were decreased by 48% inob/obmice versus leans, and the genistein diet reversed this. In utilizing a video-imaging system to evaluate gastrointestinal motility, we determined that the distance between consecutive contractile events was significantly increased by 1.87-fold inob/obmice versus leans, and the genistein diet was without effect.Conclusions. These data suggest that slowed intestinal transit in the diabeticob/obmouse may be due in part to decreased AChR and decreased contraction events occurring per unit time. A genistein diet rescues the number of AChR to levels of leans yet did not change the number of contractile events. Feedingob/obmice a genistein-rich diet has potential therapeutic benefits towards improving the debilitating diabetes-related gastrointestinal dysfunction.
Expression and Clinical Significance of ILF2 in Gastric Cancer
Authors: Yin Zi-huan , Jiang Xing-wang , Shi Wu-bing , Gui Qian-le , Yu Dong-feng
Published: July 2017

The aim of this study is to investigate the expression levels and clinical significance of ILF2 in gastric cancer. The mRNA and protein expression levels of ILF2 were, respectively, examined by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and Western blot from 21 paired fresh frozen GC tissues and corresponding normal gastric tissues. In order to analyze the expression pattern of ILF2 in GC, 60 paired paraffin-embedded GC slides and corresponding normal gastric slides were detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC) assay. The correlation between ILF2 protein expression levels and clinicopathological parameters, overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), and clinical prognosis were analyzed by statistical methods. Significantly higher levels of ILF2 were detected in GC tissues compared with normal controls at both mRNA and protein level. High expression of ILF2 was tightly correlated with depth of invasion, lymph node metastasis, pathological stage, and histological differentiation. Log-rank test showed that high expression of ILF2 was positively associated with poor clinical prognosis. Multivariate analysis identified that ILF2 was an independent prognostic factor for OS and DFS. Our findings suggest that ILF2 may be a valuable biomarker and a novel potential prognosis predictor for GC patients.
Multiphase Calcite Cementation and Fluids Evolution of a Deeply Buried Carbonate Reservoir in the Upper Ordovician Lianglitag Formation, Tahe Oilfield, Tarim Basin, NW China
Authors: Liu Jiaqing , Li Zhong , Cheng Lijuan , Li Jiawei
Published: August 2017

Oil and gas have been found in the Upper Ordovician Lianglitag Formation carbonates in the Tahe Oilfield, Tarim Basin, NW China. This study documents the origin of diagenetic fluids by using a combination of petrology, SIMS, fluid inclusion, and radiogenic isotope analysis. Six stages of calcite cements were revealed. C1-C2 formed in marine to early burial environments. C3 has relatively low δ18OVPDB values (−8.45‰ to −6.50‰) and likely has a meteoric origin. Meteoric water probably fluxed into aquifers during the Early Paleozoic and Late Paleozoic uplift. C4 has δ18OVPDB values typically 3‰ higher than those of C3, and probably formed during shallow burial. C5 displays relatively negative δ18OVPDB values (−8.26‰ to −5.12‰), and the moderate-to-high fluid-inclusion temperatures imply that it precipitated in burial environments. C6 shows homogenization temperatures (up to 200°C) higher than the maximum burial and much lower salinities (<10.61 wt% NaCl), which may suggest that the fluid was deeply recycled meteoric water. The average 87Sr/86Sr ratios of fracture- and vug-filling calcite cements are much higher, indicative of incorporation of radiogenic Sr. Caves and fractures constitute the dominant reservoir spaces. A corresponding diagenesis-related reservoir evolution model was established that favors exploration and prediction.
A Novel Design of Rescue Capsule considering the Pressure Characteristics and Thermal Dynamic Response with Thermomechanical Coupling Action Subjected to Gas Explosion Load
Authors: Zhai Xiaowei , Wu Shibo , Wang Kai , Chen Xiaokun , Li Haitao
Published: July 2017

To ensure the structural safety and reliability of coal mine rescue capsule in disastrous surroundings after gas explosion, in this paper, the thermomechanical coupling effect on a certain structure subjected to gas explosion was analyzed, and then a novel rescue capsule with a combination of radius and square features was designed according to the underground surroundings and relevant regulations on mine rescue devices. Foremost, the coupling mechanism of thermal-fluid-solid interaction between gas explosion shock wave and rescue capsule and the thermal dynamic response of the capsule subjected to explosion load of gas/air mixture was investigated and revealed by employing LS-DYNA. The variation laws and characteristics of stress field, displacement field, and temperature field of the capsule were analyzed based on the simulation results. Results show that the structural safety, tightness, and reliability of the capsule meet the requirements of the national safety regulations. The design method presented in this work provides a new thought for design of coal mine rescue capsule.
Emotion Processing by ERP Combined with Development and Plasticity
Authors: Ding Rui , Li Ping , Wang Wei , Luo Wenbo
Published: July 2017

Emotions important for survival and social interaction have received wide and deep investigations. The application of the fMRI technique into emotion processing has obtained overwhelming achievements with respect to the localization of emotion processes. The ERP method, which possesses highly temporal resolution compared to fMRI, can be employed to investigate the time course of emotion processing. The emotional modulation of the ERP component has been verified across numerous researches. Emotions, described as dynamically developing along with the growing age, have the possibility to be enhanced through learning (or training) or to be damaged due to disturbances in growth, which is underlain by the neural plasticity of emotion-relevant nervous systems. And mood disorders with typical symptoms of emotion discordance probably have been caused by the dysfunctional neural plasticity.
Knowledge of Human Cytomegalovirus Infection and Prevention in Pregnant Women: A Baseline, Operational Survey
Authors: Mazzitelli Maria , Micieli Mariella , Votino Carmela , Visconti Federica , Quaresima Paola , Strazzulla Alessio , Torti Carlo , Zullo Fulvio
Published: July 2017

Currently, the only efficient way to prevent human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection in pregnancy is primary prophylaxis through hygienic measures. So, we evaluated knowledge of HCMV and its prevention in a group of pregnant women. An anonymous questionnaire with multiple-choice answers was administered to all pregnant women who were followed up at the Obstetrics and Gynecology Unit of “Pugliese-Ciaccio Hospital,” a third-level hospital in Catanzaro (Southern Italy), from November 2015 to March 2016. Previously prescribed serology results for HCMV were also evaluated. Three hundred and fifty women participated in the study and the results clearly demonstrated that knowledge of pregnant women about HCMV is poor. Moreover, prescribed screening procedures need to be optimized, since one out of three pregnant women has not been tested for HCMV or the screening was not performed adequately. For this reason, it is important to implement informative campaign in both pregnant women and providing physicians.
Long Noncoding RNAs Act as Novel Biomarkers for Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Progress and Prospects
Authors: Bao Han , Su Hongying
Published: August 2017

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common cancers worldwide and confers a poor prognosis. Novel diagnostic or prognostic biomarkers and effective therapeutic targets for HCCs are urgently needed. Currently, dozens of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been identified as playing critical roles in cancer development and progression. Advanced studies have shown that several well-known lncRNAs are dysregulated in HCC tissue as compared to adjacent noncancerous tissue. Furthermore, highly stable cell-free circulating nucleic acids (cfCNAs), including lncRNAs, aberrantly expressed in the plasma of HCC patients, have been detected. In this review, we focus on the most extensively investigated lncRNAs in HCC and discuss the potential of HCC-related lncRNAs as novel biomarkers for early diagnosis and prognosis.
Clinical and Pathological Variation of Charcot-Marie-Tooth 1A in a Large Chinese Cohort
Authors: Wu Rui , Lv He , Zhang Wei , Wang Zhaoxia , Zuo Yuehuan , Liu Jing , Yuan Yun
Published: August 2017

Charcot-Marie-Tooth 1A (CMT1A) caused by peripheral myelin protein 22 (PMP22) gene duplication is the most common form of hereditary polyneuropathy. Twenty-four genetically confirmed CMT1A patients with sural nerve biopsies were enrolled in this study. The clinical picture included a great variability of phenotype with mean onset age of 22.2±14.5 years (1–55 years). Pathologically, we observed a severe reduction in myelinated fiber density showing three types of changes: pure onion bulb formation in 3 cases (12.5%), onion bulb formation with axonal sprouts in 10 cases (41.7%), and focally thickened myelin with onion bulb formation or/and axonal sprouts in 11 cases (45.8%). We observed no significant correlation between nerve fiber density and disease duration. There was no significant difference between the 3 pathological types in terms of clinical manifestations, nerve fiber density, and g-ratio. Our study indicates that there is marked variability in the age of onset of CMT1A, as well as significant pathological changes without deterioration with the development of the disease. Focally thickened myelin is another common morphological feature of demyelination.
Experimental Investigation on Cavitating Flow Induced Vibration Characteristics of a Low Specific Speed Centrifugal Pump
Authors: Gao Bo , Guo Pengming , Zhang Ning , Li Zhong , Yang Minguan
Published: July 2017

Cavitating flow developing in the blade channels is detrimental to the stable operation of centrifugal pumps, so it is essential to detect cavitation and avoid the unexpected results. The present paper concentrates on cavitation induced vibration characteristics, and special attention is laid on vibration energy in low frequency band, 10–500 Hz. The correlation between cavitating evolution and the corresponding vibration energy in 10–500 Hz frequency band is discussed through visualization analysis. Results show that the varying trend of vibration energy in low frequency band is unique compared with the high frequency band. With cavitation number decreasing, vibration energy reaches a local maximum at a cavitation number much larger than the 3% head drop point; after that it decreases. The varying trend is closely associated with the corresponding cavitation status. With cavitation number decreasing, cavitation could be divided into four stages. The decreasing of vibration energy, in particular cavitation number range, is caused by the partial compressible cavitation structure. From cavitation induced vibration characteristics, vibration energy rises much earlier than the usual 3% head drop criterion, and it indicates that cavitation could be detected in advance and effectively by means of cavitation induced vibration characteristics.