bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A comparison study between endoscope‐assisted and the standard approach in the harvesting of the free rectus femoris muscle flap
Authors: Lee Jiunn‐Tat , Hsu Honda , Lin Chih‐Ming , Huang Chieh‐Chi , Chien Sou‐Hsin
Published: December 2017

Background

Endoscopic harvesting of muscle flaps is well described for gracilis, latissimus dorsi, gastrocnemius, and pectoralis major amongst others. So far there has been no description of endoscopic harvesting of the rectus femoris muscle as a free flap. The purpose of this study was to compare the perioperative outcomes of harvesting the free rectus femoris muscle flap endoscopically as compared to the standard approach.

Methods

Fifty patients with lower limb defects reconstructed with free rectus femoris muscle flap between January 2014 and December 2016 were included in this study. Their ages ranged from 37 years old to 92 years old. The flaps were harvested with both the standard and endoscopical method. Comparative data between the two methods collected included: age, gender, comorbid illnesses, flap size, defect size, reconstruction time, and flap survival rate

Results

Twenty patients underwent flap harvesting endoscopically and 30 were harvested with the standard technique. Their mean ages were 67 ± 9.4 and 65 ± 14 years old respectively (P = .47). The defect size was 96 ± 60 cm2 versus 81 ± 74 cm2 (P = .45). The flap size was 72 ± 34 cm2 in the endoscopic group and 60 ± 42 cm2 in the standard group (P = .52). The mean total reconstruction time in the endoscopic group was 228 ± 48 minutes and 216 ± 64 minutes in the standard group (P = .50). There was no significant difference between flap survival (P = N/A), complication rates (P = .33), and length of admission (P = .84) in the two groups.

Conclusion

Endoscope‐assisted harvesting of a free rectus femoris muscle flap is a feasible option and permits a small scar at the donor site.
The concept of control points in hybrid discontinuous Galerkin methods—Application to geometrically nonlinear crystal plasticity
Authors: Alipour Atefeh , Wulfinghoff Stephan , Bayat Hamid Reza , Reese Stefanie , Svendsen Bob
Published: December 2017

A new concept for hybrid discontinuous Galerkin (DG) methods is presented: control points. These are defined on the interelement boundaries. The concept makes it possible to formulate element shape functions without nodes. Moreover, the theory is not restricted to certain element shapes. Furthermore, one can formulate the discrete model such that the displacement is either continuous or discontinuous at the control points. Classical continuous isoparametric elements are included as special case. As an additional new feature, a regularization technique for very high strain rate sensitivity exponents up to 1000 in finite single crystal viscoplasticity is presented and implemented into the new hybrid DG framework. In addition, the numerical linearization used in an earlier work is carried out analytically in this work. To the knowledge of the authors, this work presents the first hybrid DG implementation of geometrically nonlinear plasticity, here in the context of single crystal plasticity. The regularization method in combination with the DG formulations facilitates a very simple implementation leading to a numerically efficient, robust, and locking‐free model. Two examples are investigated: the deformation of a planar double slip single crystal exhibiting localization in the form of shear bands and an oligocrystal under uniaxial load.
Revealing the glioma cancer stem cell interactome, one niche at a time
Authors: Silver Daniel J , Lathia Justin D
Published: December 2017

Glioblastoma (GBM) cancer stem cells (CSCs) are insidious. They extensively infiltrate brain tissue, resist radiotherapy and chemotherapy, and are thought to represent the ultimate drivers of disease progression. New research has identified CD109, a GPI‐anchored protein, on a population of perivascular CSCs. Investigation of primary human tumour tissue suggests a role for CD109‐expressing CSCs in the progression from low‐grade to high‐grade glioma, and animal modelling reveals a critical role for CD109 in the maintenance of the GBM CSC phenotype. Furthermore, CD109‐expressing CSCs appear to drive the proliferation of adjacent non‐stem tumour cells (NSTCs) in a rare example of CSC–NSTC cooperative interaction. With this Commentary, we highlight the newly revealed biology of CD109, and offer a synthesis of the published information on glioma CSCs in a variety of anatomical growth zones. We also discuss the landscape of interacting cells within GBM tumours, emphasizing the few reported examples of pro‐tumourigenic, interactive tumour cell partnerships, as well as a variety of tumour cell–non‐transformed neural cell interactions. Copyright © 2017 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Targeting DNA repair: the genome as a potential biomarker
Authors: Nesic Ksenija , Wakefield Matthew , Kondrashova Olga , Scott Clare L , McNeish Iain A
Published: December 2017

Genomic instability and mutations are fundamental aspects of human malignancies, leading to progressive accumulation of the hallmarks of cancer. For some time, it has been clear that key mutations may be used as both prognostic and predictive biomarkers, the best‐known examples being the presence of germline BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations, which are not only associated with improved prognosis in ovarian cancer, but are also predictive of response to poly(ADP‐ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors. Although biomarkers as specific and powerful as these are rare in human malignancies, next‐generation sequencing and improved bioinformatic analyses are revealing mutational signatures, i.e. broader patterns of alterations in the cancer genome that have the power to reveal information about underlying driver mutational processes. Thus, the cancer genome can act as a stratification factor in clinical trials and, ultimately, will be used to drive personalized treatment decisions. In this review, we use ovarian high‐grade serous carcinoma (HGSC) as an example of a disease of extreme genomic complexity that is marked by widespread copy number alterations, but that lacks powerful driver oncogene mutations. Understanding of the genomics of HGSC has led to the routine introduction of germline and somatic BRCA1/2 testing, as well as testing of mutations in other homologous recombination genes, widening the range of patients who may benefit from PARP inhibitors. We will discuss how whole genome‐wide analyses, including loss of heterozygosity quantification and whole genome sequencing, may extend this paradigm to allow all patients to benefit from effective targeted therapies. Copyright © 2017 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Multispectral imaging for quantitative and compartment‐specific immune infiltrates reveals distinct immune profiles that classify lung cancer patients
Authors: Mezheyeuski Artur , Bergsland Christian Holst , Backman Max , Djureinovic Dijana , Sjöblom Tobias , Bruun Jarle , Micke Patrick
Published: December 2017

Semiquantitative assessment of immune markers by immunohistochemistry (IHC) has significant limitations for describing the diversity of the immune response in cancer. Therefore, we evaluated a fluorescence‐based multiplexed immunohistochemical method in combination with a multispectral imaging system to quantify immune infiltrates in situ in the environment of non‐small‐cell lung cancer (NSCLC). A tissue microarray including 57 NSCLC cases was stained with antibodies against CD8, CD20, CD4, FOXP3, CD45RO, and pan‐cytokeratin, and immune cells were quantified in epithelial and stromal compartments. The results were compared with those of conventional IHC, and related to corresponding RNA‐sequencing (RNAseq) expression values. We found a strong correlation between the visual and digital quantification of lymphocytes for CD45RO (correlation coefficient: r = 0.52), FOXP3 (r = 0.87), CD4 (r = 0.79), CD20 (r = 0.81) and CD8 (r = 0.90) cells. The correlation with RNAseq data for digital quantification (0.35–0.65) was comparable to or better than that for visual quantification (0.38–0.58). Combination of the signals of the five immune markers enabled further subpopulations of lymphocytes to be identified and localized. The specific pattern of immune cell infiltration based either on the spatial distribution (distance between regulatory CD8+ T and cancer cells) or the relationships of lymphocyte subclasses with each other (e.g. cytotoxic/regulatory cell ratio) were associated with patient prognosis. In conclusion, the fluorescence multiplexed immunohistochemical method, based on only one tissue section, provided reliable quantification and localization of immune cells in cancer tissue. The application of this technique to clinical biopsies can provide a basic characterization of immune infiltrates to guide clinical decisions in the era of immunotherapy. Copyright © 2017 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Monogenic diseases in respiratory medicine: Clinical perspectives
Authors: Yao Yao , Shen Kunling
Published: December 2017

With the increasing awareness of genetics in respiratory medicine and improvements in molecular diagnostic techniques, many complicated and rare diseases in respiratory medicine can be diagnosed. Most respiratory diseases have no specific phenotype. However, the clinical spectrum of monogenic diseases in respiratory medicine varies, from pulmonary disease to other inherited disorders that involve the lung. The genes that mediate some of these diseases have been identified. Certain monogenic diseases remain poorly characterized clinically. Because of the specificity of the phenotype of respiratory disease, a future challenge will be to correlate the phenotype and genotype and understand its phenotypic variability. With the development of precision medicine, research on monogenic disorders has been intensive and vigorous. In this article, we provide a brief clinical introduction to monogenic diseases in pediatrics.
Management and outcomes of congenital chylothorax in the neonatal intensive care unit: A case series
Authors: Healy Helen , Gipson Kevin , Hay Susanne , Bates Sara , Kinane Thomas Bernard
Published: December 2017

Importance

Congenital chylothorax is a rare condition with pulmonary and multiorgan system effects, for which there are no standardized treatment recommendations. Collective review of known cases offers some conclusions and suggestions for treatment.

Objective

The aim of this study was to present a case series of 5 patients who were treated in the neonatal intensive care unit with chylothorax.

Methods

We describe 5 infants who were diagnosed prenatally with hydrops fetalis and postnatally had clinically significant congenital chylothorax.

Results

Treatment guidelines specific to congenital forms of chylothorax have not yet been developed, although there are consistent trends across our cases. Four of the 5 infants in this study have survived to date. Chylothorax was treated with chest tube placement and chylous fluid drainage, scrupulous attention to fluid balance, mechanical ventilation, and nutritional management and, in 3 cases, with octreotide infusions. Some of the infants also required treatment for immunodeficiency and altered coagulation pathways. None of the infants underwent surgical thoracic duct ligation.

Interpretation

Aided by the advantage of prenatal diagnosis, many cases of congenital chylothorax can be successfully treated by a combination of nutritional and medical management as well as careful attention to fluid and electrolyte balance and avoidance of infection, thereby avoiding the need for surgical ligation of the thoracic duct.
Physical assessment and reference growth curves for children with 46, XY disorders of sex development
Authors: Wu Di , Chen Hui , Gong Chunxiu
Published: December 2017

Importance

Impaired growth is an important factor in patients with disorders of sex development (DSD).

Objective

To profile the growth of children with 46, XY DSD.

Methods

We compared heights between 46, XY DSD children and normal boys and obtained growth curves for DSD using the λ‐median coefficient of variation method. The study subjects were categorized into groups with good response and poor response to the human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG) test according to testosterone levels and were compared height standard deviation scores (HtSDS) with normal boys.

Results

A total of 571 children with noncongenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) 46, XY DSD were enrolled in this study. The overall HtSDS for the DSD subjects were −0.031 ± 1.202. The HtSDS of DSD boys were lower than those for normal boys among multiple age groups since early infancy. In children aged ≥12 years, the HtSDS values were significantly lower than the normal reference values for boys of the same age in both the good and poor response groups (P = .025 and P = .003, respectively).The HtSDS in the poor response group was generally lower than the normal reference value (P = .017). The average HtSDS values in the poor response groups were lower than those in the good response groups across multiple age groups.

Interpretation

Growth retardation was evident in boys with non‐CAH 46,XY DSD in early childhood and puberty. The level of growth retardation was related to testosterone level. DSD‐specific growth curves can improve our understanding of growth dynamics and minimize the scope for bias in the assessment of growth in these children.
Cabozantinib: A Multitargeted Oral Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor
Authors: Markowitz Jordan N. , Fancher Karen M.
Published: December 2017

Cabozantinib is an oral small‐molecule multitargeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) that may confer an advantage over other TKIs that target a single receptor. It was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of both advanced renal cell carcinoma and progressive metastatic medullary thyroid cancer, and it is being investigated for a wide array of other malignancies. Rationale for use, clinical trial data, and current recommendations for cabozantinib in renal cell cancer, thyroid cancer, prostate cancer, hepatocellular cancer, and lung cancer are detailed in this article. Common adverse events are reviewed, and management strategies for select adverse events are discussed. Implications for contemporary practitioners are also provided because use of this novel agent is likely to increase as more studies are completed.
Synthesis and characterization of highly conjugated side‐group‐substituted benzo[1,2‐b:4,5‐b′]dithiophene‐based copolymer for use in organic solar cells
Authors: Kim Jiyoung , Park Jong Baek , Lee Woo‐Hyung , Moon Jiwon , Kim Joonghan , Hwang Do‐Hoon , Kang In‐Nam
Published: December 2017

A new donor–acceptor (D–A) conjugated copolymer based on benzo[1,2‐b:4,5‐b′]dithiophene (BDT) and thieno[3,4‐c]pyrrole‐4,6‐dione (TPD) was synthesized via a Stille cross‐coupling reaction. A highly conjugated thiophene‐based side group, tris(thienylenevinylene) (TTV), was incorporated into each BDT unit to generate the two‐dimensional D–A copolymer (PBDT‐TTV). An alkoxy‐substituted BDT‐based TPD copolymer (PBDT‐OR) was synthesized using the same polymerization method for comparison. PBDT‐TTV thin films produced two distinct absorption peaks. The shorter wavelength absorption (458 nm) was attributed to the BDT units containing the TTV group, and the longer wavelength band (567–616 nm) was attributed to intramolecular charge transfer between the BDT donor and the TPD acceptor. The highest occupied molecular orbital energy levels of PBDT‐OR and PBDT‐TTV were calculated to be −5.53 and −5.61 eV, respectively. PBDT‐TTV thin films harvested a broad solar spectrum covering the range 300–700 nm. A comparison with the PBDT‐OR films revealed stronger interchain π–π interactions in the PBDT‐TTV films and, thus, a higher hole mobility. A polymer solar cell device prepared using PBDT‐TTV as the active layer was found to exhibit a higher power conversion efficiency than a device prepared using PBDT‐OR under AM 1.5 G (100 mW/cm2) conditions. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2018, 56, 653–660
Mechanical hysteresis, interface and filler–filler structural breakdowns in ethylene vinyl acetate organoclay composites internally lubricated via radiolytically degraded PTFE microparticles
Authors: Dubey Kumar Abhinav , Sastry Pulya Umamaheswara , Kumar Jitendra , Mondal Raj Kumar , Jayakrishnan Vaisyappattu Balakrishnan , Melo Jose Savio , Bhardwaj Yatinder Kumar , Varshney Lalit
Published: December 2017

Inclusion of two or more distinct fillers (hybrid fillers) in a matrix is envisaged to entail synergetic advantages. This study reports synthesis and property evaluation of a novel hybrid filler‐based polymer composite containing two types of fillers with distinct attributes namely mechanical reinforcement and internal lubrication. Poly(tetrafluoroethylene) micro‐particles (PTFEMP) were synthesized via radiolytic‐mechanical degradation and used as an internal lubricant for organoclay (OC) reinforced ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) matrix. Mechanical hysteresis, nonlinear and linear small amplitude oscillatory shear rheology, morphology, small angle X‐ray scattering (SAXS), dynamic coefficient of friction (DCoF), surface wetting and thermoxidative stability of binary and ternary composites were investigated. In EVA/OC composites, PTFEMP acted as an internal lubricant and reduced DCoF in a volume fraction‐dependent fashion. OC and PTFEMP both increased the mechanical hysteresis of EVA; though the magnitude of hysteresis was much less in PTFEMP. Intriguingly, PTFEMP reduced mechanical hysteresis of EVA/OC composites that is work done during loading and unloading stress–strain cycles was considerably reduced with the inclusion of PTFEMP in EVA/OC composites. SAXS results revealed mass fractals and the presence of an interfacial layer in EVA/OC composites but not in EVA/PTFEMP composites. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2018, 56, 509–519
A Perspective on Proteomics of Infectious Diseases
Authors: Venkatesh Apoorva , Gil Concha , Fuentes Manuel , LaBaer Joshua , Srivastava Sanjeeva
Published: December 2017

Pneumonia, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and several other diseases caused by pathogens largely contribute to the enormous burden of infectious diseases. Over the last few decades, the impact of infectious diseases on a population has been drastic and remains a major health concern even today. Despite advances in science and technology in this era of health and development, there is a substantial knowledge gap in our understanding of the molecular basis of these infectious diseases. The availability of valuable genomic information for a number of pathogens and their hosts has improved our understanding of disease pathogenesis but has not always been useful in addressing important biological questions. The primary reason lies in the fact that genes do not best reflect the status of a cell. Proteins represent the functional molecules of a cell and are ultimately responsible for controlling most aspects of cellular function. Their existence as different isoforms owing to posttranslational modifications suggests that many proteins can be produced by the same gene. Furthermore, not all mRNAs are translated at all times justifying the need to develop additional tools to study proteins as separate molecular entities. Their presence or absence under disease conditions, varying levels, different forms, and functions need to be carefully studied to understand molecular alterations in response to a disease. Here, we describe the applications of proteomics‐based approaches to study infectious diseases with a note on the objectives of the Human Proteome Project (HPP)‐Human Infectious Diseases (HID) project under the HUPO's flagship program.
Effects of MgH2/Mg(BH4)2 Powders on the Mechanical Sensitivity of Conventional Explosive Compounds
Authors: Yao Miao , Ding Wen , Rao Guoning , Chen Liping , Peng Jinhua
Published: December 2017

MgH2 and Mg(BH4)2 powders were mixed with AN, TNT, RDX and a desensitized RDX(D‐RDX) in this work. The impact and friction sensitivities of the mixtures were measured by a drop hammer machine and a pendulum type friction machine. The result shows that MgH2 powder significantly increases the mechanical sensitivity of all the explosive compounds. The H50 of RDX/MgH2 mixture could be as low as 7.8 cm with a 2 kg weight hammer. D‐RDX/MgH2 mixture is even more sensitive to mechanical stimulates than pure RDX. By contrast, Mg(BH4)2 has a less influence on the mechanical sensitivity of the compounds. But still, it is not beneficial to the safety of the explosives. Vacuum stability tests were conducted to study the compatibility between MgH2/Mg(BH4)2 powders and the explosives. The result shows that MgH2 releases more gas product and has a higher reactivity with the compounds than Mg(BH4)2 at a temperature of 100 °C. The free hydrogen existed on the surface of MgH2 crystal lattice has been considered as a potential reason of high gas production at low temperature which could increase the number of hot spots. The hardness of MgH2 particles has also been thought to be the major reason of high mechanical sensitivity for the mixtures.
The impact of residential immobility and population turnover on the support networks of older people living in rural areas: Evidence from CFAS Wales
Authors: Burholt Vanessa , Sardani Alexandra Vanta
Published: December 2017

This article addresses two questions: Are “stayers”—defined as older people who were born in an area and lived there for 25 years or more prior to interview—more likely to have locally integrated or family dependent networks than other types of networks in the 21st century? Does population turnover influence the support networks of older people more strongly than being a “stayer”? A sample of 1,870 participants living in rural areas is drawn from cross‐sectional (Wave 1) data (version 2) from the Cognitive Function and Ageing Study (CFAS Wales). Five multinomial logistic regression models are used to establish how demographic covariates, cumulative population turnover, inflow, outflow, and stayer influence membership of family dependent, locally integrated, local self‐contained, wider community focused, and private restricted support networks. The results reveal significant differences in the distribution of network types between stayers and non‐stayers. Stayers were more likely to have locally integrated or family dependent networks and were less likely to have wider community focused or private restricted networks than non‐stayers. Gender, marital status, education, disability, childlessness, area deprivation, and cumulative population turnover, inflow, and outflow (by age group) also influence membership of different networks. The research has implications for planning of formal services in rural places characterised by “ageing in place” or as “ageing places” and comprising socially engaged and socially marginalised networks. In particular, providers of social care should take into account the different types of support that may be required to bolster socially marginalised support networks.
Comparison of the restricted mean survival time with the hazard ratio in superiority trials with a time‐to‐event end point
Authors: Huang Bo , Kuan Pei‐Fen
Published: December 2017

With the emergence of novel therapies exhibiting distinct mechanisms of action compared to traditional treatments, departure from the proportional hazard (PH) assumption in clinical trials with a time‐to‐event end point is increasingly common. In these situations, the hazard ratio may not be a valid statistical measurement of treatment effect, and the log‐rank test may no longer be the most powerful statistical test. The restricted mean survival time (RMST) is an alternative robust and clinically interpretable summary measure that does not rely on the PH assumption. We conduct extensive simulations to evaluate the performance and operating characteristics of the RMST‐based inference and against the hazard ratio–based inference, under various scenarios and design parameter setups. The log‐rank test is generally a powerful test when there is evident separation favoring 1 treatment arm at most of the time points across the Kaplan‐Meier survival curves, but the performance of the RMST test is similar. Under non‐PH scenarios where late separation of survival curves is observed, the RMST‐based test has better performance than the log‐rank test when the truncation time is reasonably close to the tail of the observed curves. Furthermore, when flat survival tail (or low event rate) in the experimental arm is expected, selecting the minimum of the maximum observed event time as the truncation timepoint for the RMST is not recommended. In addition, we recommend the inclusion of analysis based on the RMST curve over the truncation time in clinical settings where there is suspicion of substantial departure from the PH assumption.
Assimilation of SMOS L‐band wind speeds: impact on Met Office global NWP and tropical cyclone predictions
Authors: Cotton J. , Francis P. , Heming J. , Forsythe M. , Reul N. , Donlon C.
Published: December 2017

A new generation of L‐band sensors, such as the European Space Agency (ESA)'s Soil Moisture Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission, have the capability to provide information on the ocean surface wind speed under high wind and rain conditions. In this study we evaluate the use of SMOS wind speeds within Met Office numerical weather prediction (NWP). Observation minus model background (O−B) departure statistics are used to investigate SMOS error characteristics, quality flags, and develop a quality‐control method. Observation errors and spatial correlation distances are estimated using a statistical method. Observing system experiments are performed to diagnose the impact of SMOS on NWP forecasts and analyses, including tropical cyclone (TC) predictions.

The quality of SMOS retrievals appears reduced in the presence of sea ice, strong river plumes, and radio‐frequency interference (RFI) contamination. SMOS wind retrievals have reduced sensitivity at low–moderate winds speeds. Above 15 m s−1, SMOS winds tend to be faster than the model and have higher O−B variance compared to scatterometer winds from ASCAT. Above 30 m s−1, root‐mean‐square errors from SMOS are smaller than ASCAT. The impact of SMOS on TC predictions is sensitive to the use of the Met Office TC Central Pressure Initialisation Scheme (TCCPIS) which is confirmed to have a large, beneficial impact on intensity predictions. The assimilation of SMOS results in a small increase in TC intensity leading to a reduction in pressure/wind errors in the analysis and short‐range forecasts, but cannot replicate the impact from the TCCPIS. The spatial resolution of SMOS is a clear limitation for analysing TC structure. In the case of Hurricane Kilo, the analysed and short‐range forecast central pressures are closer to best‐track when the storm radius is large and the eye is resolved. The challenge is to extract the useful information on intensity whilst preserving storm structure.
A comparison of Mode‐S Enhanced Surveillance observations with other in situ aircraft observations
Authors: Stone E. K.
Published: December 2017

Observations from aircraft are an important element of the global observing network. A promising new observation source, deriving wind and temperature measurements from air traffic management data, has previously been reported on by a small number of groups. This article further investigates the error characteristics by comparing a year's worth of in situ observed winds and temperatures from a commercial British Airways Boeing 747 (B747) with the derived Mode‐Selective (Mode‐S) Enhanced Surveillance (EHS) observations from the Met Office network of Mode‐S receivers. It is shown that, whilst the winds and high‐altitude temperatures are of good quality, they show error profiles with altitude that are different for ascent and descent. The data show that the situation of the aircraft is critical to understand the biases; this is dependent on the aircraft, operator and airport, making corrections infeasible. Further understanding is gained by an intercomparison flight with the UK Facility for Airborne Atmospheric Measurement (FAAM) BAe 146 aircraft. This showed a good comparison with Mode‐S EHS winds, with a RMS difference between the FAAM data and B747 Mode‐S EHS data of 1.5 and 0.9 m/s for the u and v components respectively. Comparing the FAAM data and B747 flight data recorder (FDR) provided RMS differences of 0.6 and 1.4 m/s respectively. This suggests that the data quality from Mode‐S EHS is similar to that which can be achieved from a commercial aircraft. The temperature RMS differences were found to be 1.6 and 0.5 K when the FAAM data were compared to the Mode‐S EHS data and FDR data from the B747 respectively, suggesting that the temperature Mode‐S EHS data are of an inferior quality.
New control charts for monitoring the Weibull percentiles under complete data and Type‐II censoring
Authors: Wang Fu‐Kwun , Bizuneh Berihun , Cheng Xiao‐Bin
Published: December 2017

In this paper, we propose 3 new control charts for monitoring the lower Weibull percentiles under complete data and Type‐II censoring. In transforming the Weibull distribution to the smallest extreme value distribution, Pascaul et al (2017) presented an exponentially weighted moving average (EWMA) control chart, hereafter referred to as EWMA‐SEV‐Q, based on a pivotal quantity conditioned on ancillary statistics. We extended their concept to construct a cumulative sum (CUSUM) control chart denoted by CUSUM‐SEV‐Q. We provide more insights of the statistical properties of the monitoring statistic. Additionally, in transforming a Weibull distribution to a standard normal distribution, we propose EWMA and CUSUM control charts, denoted as EWMA‐YP and CUSUM‐YP, respectively, based on a pivotal quantity for monitoring the Weibull percentiles with complete data. With complete data, the EWMA‐YP and CUSUM‐YP control charts perform better than the EWMA‐SEV‐Q and CUSUM‐SEV‐Q control charts in terms of average run length. In Type‐II censoring, the EWMA‐SEV‐Q chart is slightly better than the CUSUM‐SEV‐Q chart in terms of average run length. Two numerical examples are used to illustrate the applications of the proposed control charts.
Endoscopic navigation system with extended field of view using augmented reality technology
Authors: Bong Jae Hwan , Song Hyun‐jong , Oh Yoojin , Park Namji , Kim Hyungmin , Park Shinsuk
Published: December 2017

Background

While endoscopic skull base surgery (ESBS) has emerged as an alternative surgical option, the limited field of view of the endoscope may lead to the surgeon's fatigue and discomfort.

Methods

The developed navigation system includes extended augmented reality (AR), which can provide an extended viewport to a conventional endoscopic view by overlaying 3D anatomical models generated from preoperative medical images onto endoscope images. To enhance the accuracy of the developed system, we adopted state‐of‐the‐art endoscopic calibration and tracking techniques based on an optical tracking system.

Results

The mean spatial errors of AR was ~1 mm, which falls in the acceptable range of accuracy for ESBS. For the simulated surgical tasks with the developed system, the number and duration of error events were decreased.

Conclusions

The results show that the human subject can perform the task more precisely and safely with the developed AR‐based navigation system than with the conventional endoscopic system.
Explained variation in shared frailty models
Authors: Gleiss Andreas , Gnant Michael , Schemper Michael
Published: December 2017

Explained variation measures the relative gain in predictive accuracy when prediction based on prognostic factors replaces unconditional prediction. The factors may be measured on different scales or may be of different types (dichotomous, qualitative, or continuous). Thus, explained variation permits to establish a ranking of the importance of factors, even if predictive accuracy is too low to be helpful in clinical practice. In this contribution, the explained variation measure by Schemper and Henderson (2000) is extended to accommodate random factors, such as center effects in multicenter studies. This permits a direct comparison of the importance of centers and of other prognostic factors. We develop this extension for a shared frailty Cox model and provide an SAS macro and an R function to facilitate its application. Interesting empirical properties of the variation explained by a random factor are explored by a Monte Carlo study. Advantages of the approach are exemplified by an Austrian multicenter study of colon cancer.
Junction‐Free Electrospun Ag Fiber Electrodes for Flexible Organic Light‐Emitting Diodes
Authors: Choi Junhee , Shim Yong Sub , Park Cheol Hwee , Hwang Ha , Kwack Jin Ho , Lee Dong Jun , Park Young Wook , Ju Byeong‐Kwon
Published: December 2017

Fabrication of junction‐free Ag fiber electrodes for flexible organic light‐emitting diodes (OLEDs) is demonstrated. The junction‐free Ag fiber electrodes are fabricated by electrospun polymer fibers used as an etch mask and wet etching of Ag thin film. This process facilitates surface roughness control, which is important in transparent electrodes based on metal wires to prevent electrical instability of the OLEDs. The transmittance and resistance of Ag fiber electrodes can be independently adjusted by controlling spinning time and Ag deposition thickness. The Ag fiber electrode shows a transmittance of 91.8% (at 550 nm) at a sheet resistance of 22.3 Ω □−1, leading to the highest OLED efficiency. In addition, Ag fiber electrodes exhibit excellent mechanical durability, as shown by measuring the change in resistance under repeatable mechanical bending and various bending radii. The OLEDs with Ag fiber electrodes on a flexible substrate are successfully fabricated, and the OLEDs show an enhancement of EQE (≈19%) compared to commercial indium tin oxide electrodes.
Label‐Free Imaging of Nanoparticle Uptake Competition in Single Cells by Hyperspectral Stimulated Raman Scattering
Authors: Huang Bin , Yan Shuai , Xiao Lin , Ji Rong , Yang Liuyan , Miao Ai‐Jun , Wang Ping
Published: December 2017

Imaging and quantification of nanoparticles in single cells in their most natural condition are expected to facilitate the biotechnological applications of nanoparticles and allow for better assessment of their biosafety risks. However, current imaging modalities either require tedious sample preparation or only apply to nanoparticles with specific physicochemical characteristics. Here, the emerging hyperspectral stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) microscopy, as a label‐free and nondestructive imaging method, is used for the first time to investigate the subcellular distribution of nanoparticles in the protozoan Tetrahymena thermophila. The two frequently studied nanoparticles, polyacrylate‐coated α‐Fe2O3 and TiO2, are found to have different subcellular distribution pattern as a result of their dissimilar uptake routes. Significant uptake competition between these two types of nanoparticles is further discovered, which should be paid attention to in future bioapplications of nanoparticles. Overall, this study illustrates the great promise of hyperspectral SRS as an analytical imaging tool in nanobiotechnology and nanotoxicology.
A Modularly Designable Vesicle for Sequentially Multiple Loading
Authors: Zhang Yiyang , Bao Dandan , Wang Shuo , Dong Yuancheng , Wu Fen , Li Haitao , Liu Dongsheng
Published: December 2017

The vesicle is one of the most intriguing platforms for drug delivery, which is believed to improve drug efficacy. In the past few decades, a great deal of materials have been explored to make vesicles, including lipids, block copolymers, dendrons, erythrocyte membranes, and even DNA. Other than shape and size control, most efforts are focused on achieving certain functions, for example, an abundance of stimuli‐responsive features are introduced to vesicles, which can be applied to controllable release, such as pH, redox, light, radiation, enzyme etc. Besides, crosslinking or pegylation is used to increase vesicles' stability and elongate circulation time. By incorporating affinity ligands, vesicles can further accumulate to diseased cells or tissues to achieve targeting properties. Recently, multidrug delivery is believed to show a synergy effect in cancer therapy and has become a new direction in this field. However, coloading hydrophilic–hydrophobic small molecules, oligonucleotides, and peptides in the same size‐ and shape‐controlled vesicle through a stepwise manner with high efficiency is still challenging. Herein, a modularly designable vesicle is reported for sequential multiple loading based on frame‐guided assembly, which is believed to be an outstanding platform for drug delivery in the future.
Structural and Electronic Descriptors of Catalytic Activity of Graphene‐Based Materials: First‐Principles Theoretical Analysis
Authors: Sinthika S. , Waghmare Umesh V. , Thapa Ranjit
Published: December 2017

Characteristic features of the d‐band in electronic structure of transition metals are quite effective as descriptors of their catalytic activity toward oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). With the promise of graphene‐based materials to replace precious metal catalysts, descriptors of their chemical activity are much needed. Here, a site‐specific electronic descriptor is proposed based on the pz (π) orbital occupancy and its contribution to electronic states at the Fermi level. Simple structural descriptors are identified, and a linear predictive model is developed to precisely estimate adsorption free energies of OH (ΔGOH) at various sites of doped graphene, and it is demonstrated through prediction of the most optimal site for catalysis of ORR. These structural descriptors, essentially the number of ortho, meta, and para sites of N/B‐doped graphene sheet, can be extended to other doped sp2 hybridized systems, and greatly reduce the computational effort in estimating ΔGOH and site‐specific catalytic activity.
Response of reinforced concrete beams to high‐velocity fluid impact. Part II: Numerical modeling and simulation
Authors: Korucu Hasan , Irfanoglu Ayhan
Published: December 2017

Fluid impact tests on reinforced concrete beams with rectangular or circular transverse reinforcement were modeled and simulated using explicit finite element analysis software, LS‐DYNA. The mid‐span displacements were measured and compared with the results of simulations. The objective was to test the accuracy and fidelity of the numerical modeling and simulation approach and to confirm that damage caused by fluid impact on the beams can be estimated with a reasonable accuracy over a wide range of impact velocity.
System competence modelling: Theoretical foundation and empirical validation of a model involving natural, social and human‐environment systems
Authors: Mehren Rainer , Rempfler Armin , Buchholz Janine , Hartig Johannes , Ulrich‐Riedhammer Eva M.
Published: December 2017

Constituting a metacognitive strategy, system competence or systems thinking can only assume its assigned key function as a basic concept for the school subject of geography in Germany after a theoretical and empirical foundation has been established. A measurement instrument is required which is suitable both for supporting students and for the evaluation of methodical‐didactic measures. Such a tool is theoretically anchored in an empirically validated geography‐didactic and cognition‐psychological competence model, providing a differentiated representation of both the internal structure of a competency and the proficiency levels. The starting point of this foundation was the development of a normative‐theoretically derived model of geographic system competence. Its empirical validation was performed in different phases aimed at operationalising the competence model by means of test problems. In order to analyse the factor structure of the theoretical model, various item response models were estimated. The item levels of difficulty expected in the competence model were related to the empirical levels of difficulty and predicted by means of ordinary least squares regression to verify the model for proficiency levels. The two‐dimensional competence model – with the two dimensions ‘system organisation and behaviour’ and ‘system‐adequate intention to act’ – exhibits a better fit in reference to the model fit criteria than the one‐dimensional and three‐dimensional models. The correlations between the expected and empirical item difficulties are positive. Items that should be more difficult according to the competence model are actually shown to be more difficult. These findings suggest the reliability and validity of this new measurement instrument for diagnosing and promoting geographical system competence. It has to be implemented in practice as the next step.
Vector ordinal optimization theory based large‐scale multi‐objective unit commitment considering stochastic wind power
Authors: Xie Min , Yan Yuanyuan , Ke Shaojia , Liu Mingbo
Published: December 2017

The unit commitment problem of a large power system with the popularity of large‐scale wind power is complex and difficult to solve. Vector ordinal optimization (VOO) is a new method to solve multi‐objective optimization problems with complex calculation burdens which can obtain a satisfactory solution at a high enough probability. Our objective is to develop a new technique for optimal design with stochastic wind power. In this paper, we select coal consumption, power purchase costs and SO2 emissions as the objective functions. Based on the scenario method, the stochastic wind power generation is taken into account. A real provincial power system with a large‐scale wind farm is taken as a numerical example, in which hydropower, nuclear power, biomass energy, gas turbines, thermal power and other complex power structures are considered. The results show that the VOO based method proposed in this paper is effective in solving large‐scale multi‐objective unit commitment problems considering stochastic wind power. © 2017 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Battery‐lifetime‐conscious energy management strategy based on SP‐SDP for commuter plug‐in hybrid electric vehicles
Authors: Xu Fuguo , Jiao Xiaohong , Wang Yuying , Jing Yuan
Published: December 2017

The energy management strategy used to split the energy flow among different energy resources of hybrid electric vehicles plays a critically important role in achieving fuel economy. Additionally, battery degradation and high production cost lead to the necessary consideration of the battery lifetime in the energy management strategy design for a plug‐in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV). This paper investigates the PHEV energy management problem taking into consideration battery lifetime on how to distribute power between the engine and the electric equipment during the driving cycle to achieve the whole economy for a commuter PHEV. Shortest path stochastic dynamic programming (SP‐SDP) is employed to address this energy management problem, which is formulated as a stochastic optimal control problem with the minimization of a weighted combination of the fuel and electricity consumption and the battery degradation rate for a stochastic process model with the statistic characteristics captured from the historical traffic speed profiles. The solution of this optimization problem, derived from a modified policy iteration algorithm, is a time‐invariant, state‐dependent power split strategy, which can be directly applied on the actual running vehicle. Simulation results carried on a PHEV Prius model in MATLAB/Simulink environment over some driving cycles are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed energy management strategy. © 2017 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Deterministic crowding introducing the distribution of population for template matching
Authors: Sato Junya , Akashi Takuya
Published: December 2017

This paper explains deterministic crowding (DC), introducing the distribution of population for template matching. We apply a simple genetic algorithm (GA) to template matching because this approach is effectively able to optimize geometric transformation parameters, such as parallel transformation, scaling, and in‐plane rotation. However, since the simple GA can obtain only one global optimum, detecting multiple objects is difficult. This is not of practical use. In order to detect multiple objects, we focus on DC, which is a multimodal optimization method and able to obtain multiple global and local solutions. In DC, there is a drawback where many individuals converge to one object and, hence, some objects cannot be detected. In order to solve this problem, the proposed method introduces the distribution of population. In experiments, the proposed method, DC, and crowding are applied to template matching and compared. The results confirm that the proposed method is better when an optimal threshold, which is used to create a cluster, is set. © 2017 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Further results on adaptive robust state observers of a class of dynamical systems with nonlinear uncertainties and external disturbances
Authors: Wang Yuchao , Wu Hansheng , Xu Lijia , Zou Zhiyong
Published: December 2017

The problem of adaptive robust observer design is considered for a class of nonlinear systems with completely unknown nonlinear uncertainties and external disturbances. It is assumed that the external disturbances are continuous and have unknown upper bounds, and that the completely unknown nonlinear uncertainty can be approximated by neural networks or fuzzy logic. Particularly, in the actual observation process, approximation will not be used. For such a class of uncertain dynamical systems, a new adaptive robust state observer with a rather simpler structure is proposed. It is shown that the observation error between the state estimate and the true state can be guaranteed to converge asymptotically to zero. Finally, as a numerical example, a Chua circuit is given to demonstrate the validity of the results. © 2017 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Optical fiber‐triggered solid‐state switch applied in power cables damped AC voltages test system
Authors: Jiang Jun , Luo Dingping , Yu Miao , Ma Guoming , Li Chengrong
Published: December 2017

The damped AC voltage (DAC) cable partial discharge test system is an effective approach to diagnose offline cross‐linked polyethylene (XLPE) power cables. The high‐voltage solid‐state switch, as its core component, should meet the requirements of withstanding the high voltage, short conduction time, and low resistance. This paper reports the development of a solid‐state switch for 35 kV DAC test system using insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) connected in series. To improve the synchronization of the trigger signal, a trigger circuit based on optical fiber is designed. In order to solve the unbalanced voltage distribution of multilevel IGBTs in series, an RCD (resistor–capacitor–diode) snubber circuit is designed and utilized. Especially, lithium batteries were used to drive the trigger circuit, thereby avoiding the problem of isolation of power supplies. Besides, the problem of high‐voltage insulation was solved by designing a reasonable structure and layout. Test results show that the proposed solid‐state switch, with partial discharge inception voltage >62.5 kV, conduction time <320 ns, and conduction resistance <3.31 Ω, meets the special demands of the 35 kV DAC test system. It is demonstrated that the solid‐state switch based on optical‐fiber‐triggered IGBTs in series can be effectively applied in the DAC test system. © 2017 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.