bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A NOVEL STUDY ON SURFACE MODIFICATION OF PALMYRA FIBERS FOR ENHANCING MECHANICAL AND THERMAL PROPERTIES
Authors: RAGHAVENDRA T. , PANNEERSELVAM K.
Published: April 2019

Natural fiber reinforcing in engineering thermoplastics (Nylon melting point around 230∘C) is challenging, due to the lower degradation temperature ([Formula: see text]C) of lignocellulosic fibers. Further, increasing temperature (beyond 200∘C) results in weakening of its mechanical properties. In this investigation, camphor soot reinforced palmyra fibers (CSRPF) are manufactured by osmosis with the help of design of experiments (DOE) and are examined for different time (4, 8 and 12[Formula: see text]h), temperature (30∘C, 40∘C and 50∘C) and camphor soot concentrations (0.5, 1.0 and 1.5[Formula: see text]wt.%) using L9orthogonal array. The osmosis rate of modified fibers was calculated and tested for their tensile strength as the osmosis rate and tensile strength are the main objective functions. Based on DOE and taguchi-ANOVA analysis, optimal parameters were obtained through main effect plots and Anova results. Further, an optimal combination of parameters for CSRPF was characterized for thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier transform infrared radiation (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersion spectroscopy (EDS) to inspect and compare it with neat palmyra fibers. There was considerable improvement in the CSRPF tensile strength about 84[Formula: see text]Mpa with respect to neat palmyra fibers which is 58[Formula: see text]MPa. TGA reveals the degradation temperature of neat palmyra fiber is about 225∘C and it is enhanced in case of CSRPF about 265∘C which accounts for 15% enhanced thermal stability. The crystallinity index (CI) of CSRPF was reduced marginally compared to the neat palmyra fibers. FTIR analysis showed the peak drift marginally to the left in CSRPF due to the coating of camphor soot particles. The microstructure of both neat and CSRPF are examined using SEM and EDS which shows that 93.71% carbon was present in the cross section of CSRPF compared to the neat palmyra fiber (62.58%).
Experimental and Numerical Study of Cooling Performance of Air Conditioner Using R32/CO2 Refrigerant Mixture
Authors: Doiphode Pushpak , Lakshmanan Vignesh , Samanta Indraneel
Published: April 2019

Conventional refrigerants such as chlorofluorocarbons and hydrochlorofluorocarbons have high values of global warming potential (GWP) and ozone depletion (ODP). HVAC&R engineers and designers are exploring alternate refrigerants having low ODP and GWP. At present, R32 refrigerant is being considered as an alternative to the conventional refrigerants in domestic air conditioners by many manufacturers and countries. This study analyzes the steady-state cooling performance of a split air conditioner using R32(CH2F2) and R32/CO2 (Carbon Dioxide) mixture having lower GWP. The performance of the air conditioner with R32 and four different compositions of R32/CO2 mixture is studied experimentally and numerically. A comparative analysis of performance characteristics such as cooling capacity, total energy consumption, energy efficiency, operating pressures and temperatures is presented in this study.
Evolving Threat of Community Acquired Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Upper Extremity Infections in the South Pacific: 2011–2015
Authors: Abeysekera Nandoun , Wong Stephen , Jackson Bryce , Buchanan Derek , Heiss-Dunlop Wolfgang , Mathy Jon A.
Published: April 2019

Background: Community Acquired Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) rates have been increasing worldwide and contribute to a growing “global health security threat” as reported by the WHO. Our group previously reported an overall rate of 7% in CA-MRSA upper extremity infections between 2004–2009 at the Auckland Regional Hand Unit. This fell below the Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommendation for empiric antimicrobial cover once local rates exceed 10–15%. We examined prevalence and characteristics of CA-MRSA upper extremity infections in our region over a subsequent 5-year period.

Methods: One thousand two hundred and fifty-two patients with upper extremity infections requiring operative management between 2011 and 2015 inclusive were included in this study. Associated clinical characteristics were recorded including ethnicity, cultured organisms, antibiotic sensitivities, infection rate, and treatment practice.

Results: One hundred and fifty (12%) of patients had culture positive CA-MRSA upper extremity infections. There was an increasing annual trend. Of note, rates of CA-MRSA in the Maori and Pacific Island ethnic subpopulations exceeded 15% in 2014 and 2015. Susceptibilities, associated factors and patient demographics are reported.

Conclusions: Our unit enjoys significantly lower rates of CA-MRSA upper extremity infections than has been reported internationally. However, trends are increasing relative to our prior 6-year report, and the threshold for empiric treatment has been met within the Maori and Pacific Island ethnic subpopulations. This evolving threat is also highlighted by increasing cases of multi-drug resistant CA-MRSA. Evolving regional guidelines for empiric coverage of CA-MRSA among high-risk ethnic subpopulations identified by this study are underway.
Efficacy of Primary Repair in Professional Athletes with Chronic Radial Collateral Ligament Injuries of Thumb Metacarpophalangeal Joint
Authors: Wang Kemble K. , Boyce Glenn , Peters Tracy , Anderson Hamish , Hoy Greg
Published: April 2019

Background: Management of grade III injuries of the radial collateral ligament (RCL) of the thumb is controversial. These injuries are often treated with early surgery. However, early surgery may not be practical for the professional athlete. We report on the outcome of delayed primary repair of chronic RCL injuries without the use of tendon grafts or tendon transfers.

Methods: Twelve elite professional athletes with 15 soft tissue RCL injuries who underwent delayed surgery (greater than 6 weeks) were included in this study. Athletes were managed with splinting and ongoing play during the sporting season, and underwent surgery at the conclusion of the season. Mean duration from injury to surgery was 5 months. Mean follow-up was 4.2 years after surgery. Patient-report outcome measures including pain, satisfaction rating, and disability of the arm, shoulder and hand (DASH) scores were collected. Examination findings including range of motion, laxity, and grip and pinch strength were also measured. Return-to-play data were collected for all athletes.

Results: The RCL was able to be primarily repaired with suture anchors in all cases. All twelve patients were able to return to competitive play at the same pre-injury professional level. Post-operative joint function such as range of motion and laxity were comparable to the unaffected contralateral side, as were grip and lateral pinch strengths. Tip-pinch strength is lower compared to the unaffected side, but is comparable to age and sex-matched reference group.

Conclusions: Delayed primary repair of the RCL is a viable option and results in satisfactory long-term outcomes. This option may be more preferable to the professional athlete who wishes to avoid surgery during the sporting season.
An Assessment of Sleep Disturbance in Patients before and after Carpal Tunnel Release
Authors: Erickson John , Polatsch Daniel , Beldner Steven , Melamed Eitan
Published: April 2019

Background: Night time numbness is a key characteristic of CTS and relief of night time symptoms is one of the outcomes most important to patients. This study tested the null hypothesis that there is no difference between sleep quality and night symptoms before and after carpal tunnel release (CTR).

Methods: Forty-four, English-speaking adult patients requesting open CTR for electrodiagnostically confirmed carpal tunnel syndrome completed questionnaires before and after surgery. Average age was 59, 24 patients were men and 20 were women. Patient with a primary or secondary sleep disorder were excluded. Before surgery, patients completed the Pittsburg Sleep Quality index (PSQI). At an average of 3 months after surgery, participants completed PSQI questionnaires. Onset of sleep quality improvement was specifically addressed. Differences between preoperative and postoperative sleep quality were evaluated using the paired t-test. Spearman correlations were used to assess the relationship between continuous variables.

Results: Of the 44 patients, 32 (72%) were classified as poor sleepers (PSQI > 5.5) prior to surgery. At 3 months follow up, there was a significant improvement PSQI global scores (7.8 ± 5.1 vs 4 ± 3.5, p < 0.001) as well as subdivisions. Daytime dysfunction (0.2 ± 0.4, p < 0.001) and medication use (1.0 ± 1.2 vs 0.9 ± 1.2, p < 0.045) secondary to sleep disturbance and was improved as well. In all patients, onset of improvement was within 24 hours of surgery.

Conclusions: CTR is associated with improvement in sleep quality at 3 months follow-up. CTR improves daytime dysfunction related to the sleep disturbance. The onset of sleep improvement is 24 hours after surgery in most cases.
Computational Simulation of Synovial Fluid Kinematics of the Scapholunate Joint
Authors: Wong Yoke-Rung , Huei Tay Sophie Sok , Mat Jais Ita Suzana , Leo Hwa-Liang , Lieu Chee-Fui , Tay Shian-Chao
Published: April 2019

Background: The interaction between wrist kinematics and synovial fluid pressure has yet to be studied. To our knowledge, this is the first study to determine the effect of scapholunate joint kinematics on synovial fluid pressure change using finite volume method.

Methods: The carpal bones of a cadaveric hand were obtained from Computed Tomography (CT) scans. CT images of the carpal bones were segmented and reconstructed into 3D model. The 3D synovial fluid model between the scaphoid and lunate was constructed and then used for computational simulations. The kinematics data of scapholunate joint obtained from radioulnar deviation of the wrist was investigated.

Results: It was found that the pressure in synovial fluid varied from -1.68 to 2.64 Pa with maximum pressure located at the scaphoid-fluid interface during the radial deviation. For ulnar deviation, the pressure increased gradually from the scaphoid-fluid interface towards the lunate-fluid interface (-1.37 to 0.37 Pa).

Conclusions: This new computational model provides a basis for the study of pathomechanics of ligament injury with the inclusion of synovial fluid.
Are Flexor Tendon Ruptures Ever Spontaneous? - A Literature Review on Closed Flexor Tendon Ruptures of the Little Finger
Authors: Lee Jasmin Shimin , McGrouther Duncan Angus
Published: April 2019

Background: When closed ruptures of flexor tendons of fingers occur, there is often an identifiable pathology, which should be addressed in the same surgical setting as the tendon repair. The concept of “spontaneous” tendon rupture, occurring in the absence of identified pathology, however, has also been reported in a significant number of papers. This controversy has prompted us to do a review of the existing literature.

Methods: We did a review of cases of closed ruptures of the flexor digitorum profundus (FDP) of the little finger in existing literature. Fifty-three publications were retrieved by searching “FDP tendon rupture” and “little finger” using PubMed database. We analyzed data such as the zone of rupture noted intra-operatively; and any precipitating factors, pathology or trauma. We also conducted a review on papers which discussed the concept of “spontaneous rupture”.

Results: Fifty-three publications were retrieved. There were 8 cases of ruptures in Zone I; 2 in Zone II; 30 in Zone III; 59 in Zone IV and 5 in Zone V. Majority of cases were associated with an element of trauma of varying severity, or pathology. A precipitating cause was not documented in 12 cases. Amongst all 36 cases of ruptures labelled as “spontaneous”, only 1 case was truly “spontaneous” without any associated trauma or pathology.

Conclusions: Most reports labeled as spontaneous rupture occurred in Zone III, where tendon ruptures are rare. There are documented pathological causes or evidence of trauma to most of these cases. We conclude these ruptures may have been mislabeled as spontaneous ruptures. Bearing in mind the propensity for tendon excursion, we suspect the lack of documentation of exploration in proximal zones contributed to this mislabeling. Understanding this concept of non-spontaneity to most tendon ruptures and the common sites of rupture or pathology is crucial for a surgeon to make strategic incisions and minimize future recurrence.
Bilateral Scaphocapitate Fracture Syndrome: A Case Report with Long-Term Follow up
Authors: Afshar Ahmadreza , Tabrizi Ali
Published: April 2019

Carpal bone fracture-dislocation is an uncommon wrist injury. Regarding limited prevalence of such injury, most of orthopedic surgeons have low experience in treatment and handling of these fractures and dislocations. A 25-year-old male worker with an uncommon carpal bone fracture-dislocation, namely bilateral scaphocapitate fracture syndrome, was described. Volar and dorsal approaches were used for reduction and fixation; complete stabilization was achieved after open reduction and fixation using Herbert screws into scaphoid and capitate. A 5-year follow-up showed satisfactory functional and radiographic results. In the case of scaphocapitate fracture syndrome open reduction and internal fixation by compression screws (rather than inserting multiple pins) leads to complete union in scaphoid and capitate. Restoration of normal anatomy in carpus bones can result in long-term satisfactory functional results while preventing possible complications.
Treatment of Capitellum Fracture with Chronic Radial Head Dislocation
Authors: Itou Junya , Iwakura Nahoko , Hatta Satoshi , Tanikawa Takafumi , Kanaya Koichi , Okazaki Ken
Published: April 2019

We encountered a case of capitellum fracture with radial head dislocation in which it was challenging to diagnose whether the dislocation was coincident with the fracture or this was chronic dislocation that presented before the fracture. Chronic radial head dislocation may be congenital or could occur in patients with untreated post-traumatic dislocation, although diagnosis is particularly challenging if the radial head dislocation is unilateral. Classical capitellum fracture involves anterosuperior bone fragment dislocation. However, in the present case, the bone fragment was present beneath the radial head, which suggests chronic radial head dislocation. When the bone fragment appears in a different position than usual, every effort should be made to understand the pathophysiology by reviewing the mechanism of onset, disease history, and imaging.
Motion-Aware Compression and Transmission of Mesh Animation Sequences
Authors: Yang Bailin , Zhang Luhong , Li Frederick W. B. , Jiang Xiaoheng , Deng Zhigang , Wang Meng , Xu Mingliang
Published: April 2019

With the increasing demand in using 3D mesh data over networks, supporting effective compression and efficient transmission of meshes has caught lots of attention in recent years. This article introduces a novel compression method for 3D mesh animation sequences, supporting user-defined and progressive transmissions over networks. Our motion-aware approach starts with clustering animation frames based on their motion similarities, dividing a mesh animation sequence into fragments of varying lengths. This is done by a novel temporal clustering algorithm, which measures motion similarity based on the curvature and torsion of a space curve formed by corresponding vertices along a series of animation frames. We further segment each cluster based on mesh vertex coherence, representing topological proximity within an object under certain motion. To produce a compact representation, we perform intra-cluster compression based on Graph Fourier Transform (GFT) and Set Partitioning In Hierarchical Trees (SPIHT) coding. Optimized compression results can be achieved by applying GFT due to the proximity in vertex position and motion. We adapt SPIHT to support progressive transmission and design a mechanism to transmit mesh animation sequences with user-defined quality. Experimental results show that our method can obtain a high compression ratio while maintaining a low reconstruction error.
Malhotra wins inaugural SIGHPC doctoral dissertation award
Authors: Maholtra Dhairya
Published: April 2019

SIGHPC is delighted to announce the first winner of its Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award: Dhairya Malhotra, who received his Ph.D. from The University of Texas at Austin in December 2017.
Advanced Spectroelectrochemical Techniques to Study Electrode Interfaces Within Lithium-Ion and Lithium-Oxygen Batteries
Authors: Cowan Alexander J. , Hardwick Laurence J.
Published: April 2019

Lithium battery technologies have revolutionized mobile energy storage, but improvements in the technology are still needed. Critical to delivering new light weight, high capacity, safe devices is an improved understanding of the dynamic processes occurring at the electrode-electrolyte interfaces. Therefore, alongside advances in materials there has been a parallel progression in advanced characterization methods. Herein, recent developments for operando spectro-electrochemical techniques centered on Raman, infrared, and sum frequency generation are described within the context of lithium-ion and non-aqueous lithium-oxygen battery research. In particular, shell-isolated nanoparticles for enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SHINERS), surface-enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy (SEIRAS), and near-field infrared are explained and critically evaluated, and future opportunities discussed. The aim is to introduce the wider community to the developing range of methodologies and tools now available in the hope that it encourages greater usage across the sector.
Evolution of Glucosinolate Diversity via Whole-Genome Duplications, Gene Rearrangements, and Substrate Promiscuity
Authors: Barco Brenden , Clay Nicole K.
Published: April 2019

Over several decades, glucosinolates have become a model system for the study of specialized metabolic diversity in plants. The near-complete identification of biosynthetic enzymes, regulators, and transporters has provided support for the role of gene duplication and subsequent changes in gene expression, protein function, and substrate specificity as the evolutionary bases of glucosinolate diversity. Here, we provide examples of how whole-genome duplications, gene rearrangements, and substrate promiscuity potentiated the evolution of glucosinolate biosynthetic enzymes, regulators, and transporters by natural selection. This in turn may have led to the repeated evolution of glucosinolate metabolism and diversity in higher plants.
RNA Sequencing Data: Hitchhiker's Guide to Expression Analysis
Authors: Van den Berge Koen , Hembach Katharina M. , Soneson Charlotte , Tiberi Simone , Clement Lieven , Love Michael I. , Patro Rob , Robinson Mark D.
Published: April 2019

Gene expression is the fundamental level at which the results of various genetic and regulatory programs are observable. The measurement of transcriptome-wide gene expression has convincingly switched from microarrays to sequencing in a matter of years. RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) provides a quantitative and open system for profiling transcriptional outcomes on a large scale and therefore facilitates a large diversity of applications, including basic science studies, but also agricultural or clinical situations. In the past 10 years or so, much has been learned about the characteristics of the RNA-seq data sets, as well as the performance of the myriad of methods developed. In this review, we give an overview of the developments in RNA-seq data analysis, including experimental design, with an explicit focus on the quantification of gene expression and statistical approachesfor differential expression. We also highlight emerging data types, such as single-cell RNA-seq and gene expression profiling using long-read technologies.
Consanguinity and Inbreeding in Health and Disease in North African Populations
Authors: Romdhane Lilia , Mezzi Nessrine , Hamdi Yosr , El-Kamah Ghada , Barakat Abdelhamid , Abdelhak Sonia
Published: April 2019

North Africa is defined as the geographical region separated from the rest of the continent by the Sahara and from Europe by the Mediterranean Sea. The main demographic features of North African populations are their familial structure and high rates of familial and geographic endogamy, which have a proven impact on health, particularly the occurrence of genetic diseases, with a greater effect on the frequency and spectrum of the rarest forms of autosomal recessive genetic diseases. More than 500 different genetic diseases have been reported in this region, most of which are autosomal recessive. During the last few decades, there has been great interest in the molecular investigation of large consanguineous North African families. The development of local capacities has brought a substantial improvement in the molecular characterization of these diseases, but the genetic bases of half of them remain unknown. Diseases of known molecular etiology are characterized by their genetic and mutational heterogeneity, although some founder mutations are encountered relatively frequently. Some founder mutations are specific to a single country or a specific ethnic or geographic group, and others are shared by all North African countries or worldwide. The impact of consanguinity on common multifactorial diseases is less evident.
Law and Civilization: Norbert Elias as a Regulation Theorist
Authors: van Krieken Robert
Published: April 2019

The German sociologist Norbert Elias developed a wide-ranging sociological analysis of the interconnections between processes of state formation, institutional dynamics, and individual subjectivity, or habitus, and the logic of their processes of transformation over time. His work has had significant impact on social scientific thought in a wide variety of fields, including the historical sociology of the self, violence, crime and punishment, organizations, emotions, sexuality, social control, and sport. His influence in legal scholarship, however, has concentrated in criminology, with only sporadic use of his ideas in relation to other topics in law and social science research. This review highlights the ways in which Elias can be read as a theorist of regulation by outlining ( a) the core elements of Elias's “process-figurational” sociology and his analysis of processes of civilization and decivilization; ( b) Elias's observations on law and state formation; ( c) a selection of the sociolegal research related to his sociological approach, in fields such as crime and punishment, evolving modes of regulation, and international relations; and ( d) the potential future directions in which Elias's process-figurational approach might move in sociolegal research and scholarship. These include the emotional dimensions of family law, human rights and humanitarianism, the intersections of legal evolution and broader processes of social change, legal pluralism and legal culture, tort law, constitutionalism, and the rule of law.
Loss of ACOT7 potentiates seizures and metabolic dysfunction
Authors: Bowman Caitlyn E. , Selen Alpergin Ebru S. , Ellis Jessica M. , Wolfgang Michael J.
Published: April 2019

Neurons uniquely antagonize fatty acid utilization by hydrolyzing the activated form of fatty acids, long chain acyl-CoAs, via the enzyme acyl-CoA thioesterase 7, Acot7. The loss of Acot7 results in increased fatty acid utilization in neurons and exaggerated stimulus-evoked behavior such as an increased startle response. To understand the contribution of Acot7 to seizure susceptibility, we generated Acot7 knockout (KO) mice and assayed their response to kainate-induced seizures. Acot7 KO mice exhibited potentiated behavioral and molecular indices of seizure severity following kainic acid administration, suggesting that fatty acid metabolism in neurons can be a critical regulator of neuronal activity. These data are consistent with the presentation of seizures in a human with genomic deletion of ACOT7 demonstrating the conservation of function across species. To further understand the metabolic complications arising from a deletion in Acot7, we subjected Acot7 KO mice to a high-fat diet. While the loss of Acot7 did not result in metabolic complications following a normal chow diet, a high-fat diet induced greater body weight gain, adiposity, and glucose intolerance in Acot7 KO mice. These data demonstrate that Acot7, a fatty acid metabolic enzyme highly enriched in neurons, regulates both brain-specific metabolic processes related to seizure susceptibility and the whole body response to dietary lipid.
Instructor Activity Recognition through Deep Spatiotemporal Features and Feedforward Extreme Learning Machines
Authors: Nida Nudrat , Yousaf Muhammad Haroon , Irtaza Aun , Velastin Sergio A.
Published: April 2019

Human action recognition has the potential to predict the activities of an instructor within the lecture room. Evaluation of lecture delivery can help teachers analyze shortcomings and plan lectures more effectively. However, manual or peer evaluation is time‐consuming, tedious and sometimes it is difficult to remember all the details of the lecture. Therefore, automation of lecture delivery evaluation significantly improves teaching style. In this paper, we propose a feedforward learning model for instructor’s activity recognition in the lecture room. The proposed scheme represents a video sequence in the form of a single frame to capture the motion profile of the instructor by observing the spatiotemporal relation within the video frames. First, we segment the instructor silhouettes from input videos using graph‐cut segmentation and generate a motion profile. These motion profiles are centered by obtaining the largest connected components and normalized. Then, these motion profiles are represented in the form of feature maps by a deep convolutional neural network. Then, an extreme learning machine (ELM) classifier is trained over the obtained feature representations to recognize eight different activities of the instructor within the classroom. For the evaluation of the proposed method, we created an instructor activity video (IAVID‐1) dataset and compared our method against different state‐of‐the‐art activity recognition methods. Furthermore, two standard datasets, MuHAVI and IXMAS, were also considered for the evaluation of the proposed scheme.
Identification of CTRP1 as a Prognostic Biomarker and Oncogene in Human Glioblastoma
Authors: Chen Liyan , Su Gang
Published: April 2019

Introduction. Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most frequent and malignant type of primary brain tumors in adults. The valuable prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets for GBM remain to be elucidated. The association of adipokines with cancer has been well documented. The C1q/TNF-related protein 1 (CTRP1), a novel adipokine, belongs to the CTRP family.Methods. In the present study, the expression and potential roles of CTRP1 in GBM were explored based on in silico evaluation, including GEPIA, the Pathology Atlas of the Human Protein Atlas, cBioPortal, TIMER, and SurvExpress. The CCK8, transwell, and wound healing assays were used to detect cell proliferation and migration.Results. It was found that mRNA expression levels ofCTRP1were significantly upregulated in GBM tissues compared with those in nontumor tissues according to the analysis on public dataset and immunohistochemical results of GBM tissues (P<0.05). CTRP1 was mainly localized in the cytoplasm and cell membrane of GBM cells. The genetic alterations of CTRP1 occurred at a low rate in GBM (2 of 591 sequenced cases/patients, 0.33%). The mRNA expression levels ofCTRP1were positively associated with the tumor-infiltrating macrophages and CCL2 in GBM (P<0.05, respectively). The higher mRNA expression levels ofCTRP1were significantly correlated with higher risk and shorter overall survival time in GBM (P<0.05). CTRP1 knockdown significantly inhibited the proliferation and migration in human GBM cells, suggesting the inhibition of CTRP1 on human GMB progression. Moreover, CTRP1 knockdown inhibited CCL2 expression, and CCL2 overexpression reversed the inhibition of cell proliferation and migration induced by CTRP1 knockdown, suggesting that CTRP1 promoted tumor progression by regulating CCL2 expression.Conclusions. These findings suggest that CTRP1 potentially indicates poor prognosis in GBM and promotes the progression of human GBM.
Tumor Mutation Load: A Novel Independent Prognostic Factor in Stage IIIA-N2 Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer
Authors: Kang Jingjing , Luo Yang , Wang Di , Men Yu , Wang Jianyang , Che Yi-Qun , Hui Zhouguang
Published: April 2019

This study is aimed at investigating the prognostic biomarkers of patients with stage IIIA-N2 non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and at analyzing the correlation between tumor mutation load (the frequency and number of tumor mutations) and prognosis. Clinical data of 35 patients with stage IIIA-N2 NSCLC were collected from Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. Whole blood samples from the peripheral vein were taken at different treatment periods, and the mutations of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) were detected. Multivariate analysis showed that smoking (P=0.0308), mutation number>2 (P=0.0283), and max mutation frequency>0.025 (P=0.0450) were associated with improved progression-free survival (PFS). The overall survival (OS) of well-differentiated NSCLC patients was better than that of poorly differentiated ones (P=0.0006). The rates of PFS, disease-free survival, local-regional recurrence-free survival, and local-regional progression-free survival were significantly higher in the group with a mutation number>2 than in the group with a mutation number≤2. The mutation number of the preoperation group was significantly higher than that of the postradiochemotherapy group (5 vs. 2.5, P=0.023), and the max mutation frequency change was approximately significant in the postradiochemotherapy group compared with the postoperation group (2.6% vs. 1.85%, P=0.067). The max mutation frequency is positively correlated with vascular invasion (21.13% vs. 3.62%, P=0.04). Furthermore, Met, ALK, APC, PTEN, ERBB4, NF1, and other genes, involving multiple tumor suppressor genes and lung cancer-driven genes, did not mutate in recurrence-free patients when compared with recurrent patients. In conclusion, differentiation, smoking, mutation frequency>0.025, and mutation number>2 are prognostic factors. The frequency and number of gene mutations in cfDNA are expected to be prognostic predictors of NSCLC.
Numerical Analysis on Shear Behavior of Joints under Low Confining and Eccentric Loads
Authors: Chen Gongfa , Fang Zhuangcheng , Wang Shaodi , Jiang Haibo , Liang Hualian
Published: April 2019

The joints of precast concrete segmental beams (PCSBs), which are in complex stress status and susceptible to failure, are very important parts of the structure. In this paper, a finite element model was established to study the shear performance of single‐keyed joints. The plastic damage model was used to simulate the cracking of specimens. Three types of single‐keyed joints were investigated, including the dry joint with normal concrete (NC), dry joint with steel fiber‐reinforced concrete (SFRC), and epoxied joint with NC. The cracking pattern, ultimate shear strength, and load‐displacement curve for these specimens were obtained. Based on these numerical simulation models, extended analyses in terms of low confining pressures and eccentric loads were performed. It has been found that the influence of fiber‐reinforced concrete should be considered. The ultimate shear strength of specimens reduced with the reduction of confining pressure. When an eccentric load was applied, a lower shear capacity would be obtained. Under the low confining stress, the AASHTO LRFD 2014 provision underestimated the shear strength of single‐keyed dry joints with both NC and SFRC, while the shear capacity of single‐keyed dry joints with both NC and SFRC has been overestimated under the eccentric loads.
State-of-the-Art Preclinical Photoacoustic Imaging in Oncology: Recent Advances in Cancer Theranostics
Authors: Gargiulo Sara , Albanese Sandra , Mancini Marcello
Published: April 2019

The optical imaging plays an increasing role in preclinical studies, particularly in cancer biology. The combined ultrasound and optical imaging, named photoacoustic imaging (PAI), is an emerging hybrid technique for real-time molecular imaging in preclinical research and recently expanding into clinical setting. PAI can be performed using endogenous contrast, particularly from oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin and melanin, or exogenous contrast agents, sometimes targeted for specific biomarkers, providing comprehensive morphofunctional and molecular information on tumor microenvironment. Overall, PAI has revealed notable opportunities to improve knowledge on tumor pathophysiology and on the biological mechanisms underlying therapy. The aim of this review is to introduce the principles of PAI and to provide a brief overview of current PAI applications in preclinical research, highlighting also on recent advances in clinical translation for cancer diagnosis, staging, and therapy.
Exposure Levels of Adult Patients during Radiographic Examinations: Sinuses and Coastal Grill Cases at the Ngaoundere Regional Hospital, Cameroon
Authors: Gnowe Guiswe , Ekobena Fouda H. P. , Mbo Amvene J. , Neossi Guena M.
Published: April 2019

Background. The purpose of this study was to estimate the doses delivered to adult patients during explorations of the sinuses and coastal grill whose attention in dosimetric terms is neglected because of the low demand for diagnosis. But yet dosimetric values are very high.Materials and Methods. The present study was transversely descriptive and was conducted between April and July 2016. The data were collected on 50 adult patients of mass of 70±10kg at the Regional Hospital of Ngaoundere (HRN). The dose at the entrance of the patients' skin was evaluated through the theoretical methods derived from the Davies model according to the 75th percentile calculations.Results and Discussion. The entrance skin doses obtained in mGy were, respectively, of 7.2±0.2 for sinuses and 5.27±0.1 for coastal grill. The present study found many variations in doses during radiological investigations. These variations allowed us to understand that the notions of quality of the radiographic image, insurance, and quality control of the radiological equipment are tributary, abstract, and often theoretical because doses delivered are not sufficiently optimized.Conclusion. The dosimetric analysis remains very worrying because the various procedures show that an improvement of the practices especially with respect to the technical parameters and the protocols must be considered. Therefore a strengthening of radiological protection skills of radiological manipulators (continuing education and retraining) would contribute to a better protection of patients.
Second-Generation Histamine H1 Receptor Antagonists Suppress Delayed Rectifier K+-Channel Currents in Murine Thymocytes
Authors: Saito Kazutomo , Abe Nozomu , Toyama Hiroaki , Ejima Yutaka , Yamauchi Masanori , Mushiake Hajime , Kazama Itsuro
Published: April 2019

Background/Aims. Voltage-dependent potassium channels (Kv1.3) are predominantly expressed in lymphocyte plasma membranes. These channels are critical for the activation and proliferation of lymphocytes. Since second-generation antihistamines are lipophilic and exert immunomodulatory effects, they are thought to affect the lymphocyte Kv1.3-channel currents. Methods. Using the patch-clamp whole-cell recording technique in murine thymocytes, we tested the effects of second-generation antihistamines, such as cetirizine, fexofenadine, azelastine, and terfenadine, on the channel currents and the membrane capacitance. Results. These drugs suppressed the peak and the pulse-end currents of the channels, although the effects of azelastine and terfenadine on the peak currents were more marked than those of cetirizine and fexofenadine. Both azelastine and terfenadine significantly lowered the membrane capacitance. Since these drugs did not affect the process of endocytosis in lymphocytes, they were thought to have interacted directly with the plasma membranes. Conclusions. Our study revealed for the first time that second-generation antihistamines, including cetirizine, fexofenadine, azelastine, and terfenadine, exert suppressive effects on lymphocyte Kv1.3-channels. The efficacy of these drugs may be related to their immunomodulatory mechanisms that reduce the synthesis of inflammatory cytokine.
Design and Dynamic Modelling of a Hybrid Power System for a House in Nigeria
Authors: Aghenta Lawrence O. , Iqbal M. Tariq
Published: April 2019

This paper presents the design and dynamic modelling of a hybrid power system for a house in Nigeria. Thermal modelling of the house under consideration is carried out using BEopt software to accurately study the heat loss through the walls, windows, doors, and roof of the house. The analysis of this thermal model is used to determine hourly load data. Design of an optimum hybrid power system for the house is done with HOMER Pro software. The hybrid power system is made up of a diesel generator and a stand-alone PV system. The proposed PV system consists of PV arrays, DC–DC boost converter, MPPT controller, single-phase full-bridge inverter, inverter voltage mode controller (PI controller), and single-phase step-up transformer. Dynamic simulation of the proposed PV system component of the hybrid power system is carried out in MATLAB/Simulink environment to study the power quality, harmonics, load impact, voltage transients, etc. of the system, and the simulation results are presented in the paper.
Executive Dysfunction and Language Deficits in a Pediatric Patient with OCD and MDD with Suicidality
Authors: Yuan Melissa
Published: April 2019

The role of neuropsychiatric testing in psychiatric disorders is becoming more prominent. Neuropsychological measures that are similar across symptom domains and phenomena such as suicidality may help clinicians guide treatment and tailor therapies to the patient in the most effective way possible. We report the case of a 16-year-old girl who presented with bizarre, intrusive suicidal thoughts in the setting of OCD and MDD. This case is unusual in that we have accurate neuropsychological determination of our patient’s language and executive function deficits, and we propose a link between them and her expression of suicidality in the context of OCD and MDD.
Unsupervised Negative Link Prediction in Signed Social Networks
Authors: Shen Pengfei , Liu Shufen , Wang Ying , Han Lu
Published: April 2019

It has been proved in a number of applications that it is useful to predict unknown social links, and link prediction has played an important role in sociological study. Although there has been a surge of pertinent approaches to link prediction, most of them focus on positive link prediction while giving few attentions to the problem of inferring unknown negative links. The inherent characteristics of negative relations present great challenges to traditional link prediction: (1) there are very few negative interaction data; (2) negative links are much sparser than positive links; (3) social data is often noisy, incomplete, and fast‐evolved. This paper intends to address this novel problem by solely leveraging structural information and further proposes the UN‐PNMF framework based on the projective nonnegative matrix factorization, so as to incorporate network embedding and user’s property embedding into negative link prediction. Empirical experiments on real‐world datasets corroborate their effectiveness.
Occult Cervical Avulsion: A Rare Cause of Intrapartum Vaginal Bleeding
Authors: Hulin Charity , Lang Brennan , Stanley Jennifer , Davidson Christina
Published: April 2019

Background. Cervical avulsion, complete or partial, is a rare intrapartum complication that can go unrecognized without proper physician vigilance. Cases. Case 1 is a 32-year-old multiparous woman admitted for induction of labor at 37 2/7 weeks for abnormal antenatal testing. Case 2 is a 22-year-old multiparous woman at 29 0/7 with spontaneous preterm labor 10 days after cerclage removal for preterm contractions. Vaginal bleeding and fetal heart rate decelerations complicated each patient’s intrapartum course. Annular cervical detachment noted at time of delivery resulted in partial or complete amputation of the cervix. Both women recovered well postpartum. Conclusion. This rare phenomenon should be considered in the differential of intrapartum vaginal bleeding to avoid a missed or delayed diagnosis.
Forecasting Parameters of Satellite Navigation Signal through Artificial Neural Networks for the Purpose of Civil Aviation
Authors: Krzykowska Karolina , Krzykowski Michał
Published: April 2019

Navigation is a key element influencing fluent, rapid, and safe transport of people and goods. During the last years, special attention was paid to satellite navigation, which is a part of radionavigation where positioning is done thanks to artificial satellites. Issues of application and development of satellite navigation systems in civil aviation are the subject of numerous research and scientific studies in the world. The quality of satellite signal determined by parameters such as accuracy, continuity, availability, and integrity determines possibility of its operational use. Particular attention of scientific research is therefore devoted to the requirements and limitations imposed on satellite systems prior to their implementation in aviation. This extremely important aspect justified undertaking of the aforementioned problem in this article. The paper attempts to answer the question on how to facilitate selection of navigation techniques for the aircraft operator, taking into account factors determining the accuracy, continuity, availability, and integrity of the satellite signal. As a result, the purpose of the work was defined as development of a method for forecasting the values of satellite navigation signal parameters used in air transport by artificial neural networks, taking into account selected atmospheric conditions. Results included in the work indicate further directions of satellite navigation system development. Due to authors’ opinion, the researches should focus especially on the analysis of real-time satellite signal parameter performance or creating applications for UAVs automatically deciding about used techniques of navigation.
Development of a New Inflatable Controlled Anchor System and Experimental Study of pull‐out Capacity
Authors: Yang Xuexiang , Jia Shanpo , Wen Caoxuan , Liu Yuanjie
Published: April 2019

Considering the deficiency of traditional anchors, we propose a new type of inflatable controlled anchor system in this paper. The working mechanism and its structural composition of newly designed inflatable controlled device are discussed in detail. To investigate the performance and pull‐out capacity of this new anchor system, a series of field tests were carried out under different inflation pressure conditions. By comparing these test results with those of traditional grouting anchors, a full‐process constitutive model of anchor‐soil interface is proposed to depict the pull‐out characteristics of the inflatable controlled anchor. The results show that the ultimate bearing capacity of the inflatable controlled anchor is greater than that of the traditional grouting anchor when the inflation pressure is greater than 0.2 MPa and the ultimate bearing capacity of this new anchor improves obviously with the increase of inflation pressure. When the inflation pressure reaches 0.4 MPa, the ultimate bearing capacity of the inflatable controlled anchor is 2.08 times that of the traditional grouting anchor. Through comparison with the experimental curves, the results of model calculation indicate that the proposed anchor‐soil interface constitutive equation can describe the pull‐out characteristics of the inflatable controlled anchor. The designed controlled anchor has the advantages of no grouting, recyclability, rapid formation of anchoring force, and adjustable anchoring force.
Laparoscopic Surgery for Ovarian Cyst Infection with Avoidance of Ureteral Injury and Uterine Perforation following Intrauterine Insemination after Abdominal Modified Radical Trachelectomy
Authors: Iijima Moito , Hayashi Shigenori , Kobayashi Yusuke , Tsuji Kosuke , Tominaga Eiichiro , Banno Kouji , Aoki Daisuke
Published: April 2019

Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) sometimes develops after intrauterine insemination (IUI). We herein present a case of PID which developed after IUI performed after abdominal modified radical trachelectomy (AmRT) and was treated with laparoscopic surgery. To our knowledge, this is the first case report of laparoscopic surgery for PID that occurred after AmRT in Japan. A 39-year-old woman who was diagnosed with cervical cancer stage IA1 with lymphovascular invasion underwent AmRT and pelvic lymphadenectomy. At 3 years and 6 months after the surgery, she had fever and pain in her left lower abdomen 10 days after IUI. She was diagnosed with PID with left ovarian cyst infection and underwent laparoscopic left ovarian cystectomy. Before surgery, bilateral ureteral catheters were inserted because of possible difficulty identifying the ureters. During surgery, severe adhesion was seen in the pelvic cavity. By moving the catheters manually back and forth from outside the body, we were able to identify the ureters visually. A uterine manipulator was inserted during surgery, rather than before surgery, to avoid the risk of uterine perforation. Laparoscopic surgery with ureteral catheters and a uterine manipulator can be applied safely for such cases after AmRT even when severe intraperitoneal adhesion is present.
Synthesis, X-Ray Crystal Structures, and Preliminary Antiproliferative Activities of New s-Triazine-hydroxybenzylidene Hydrazone Derivatives
Authors: Barakat Assem , El-Senduny Fardous F. , Almarhoon Zainab , Al-Rasheed Hessa H. , Badria Farid A. , Al-Majid Abdullah Mohammed , Ghabbour Hazem A. , El-Faham Ayman
Published: April 2019

We herein report a new small library of Schiff-base compounds that encompasses s-triazine and (2 or 4)-hydroxylbenzylidene derivatives. These compounds were synthesized through a hydrazone linkage connecting both the s-triazine and hydroxybenzylidene derivatives. The synthetic strategy adopted allowed the synthesis of the target compounds with excellent yields and purities as observed from their NMR (1H and 13C) and elemental analysis. Furthermore, 4f, 5b, and 5f were further confirmed by X-ray single crystal diffraction technique. The preliminary antiproliferative activities for the synthesized compounds were tested against two different cancer cell lines including breast cancer (MCF-7) and colon cancer (HCT-116). From the eighteen compounds, which have been examined, only two derivatives having piperidine moiety showed more selectivity against the two cell lines MCF-7 and HCT-116, while the others showed very weak activity. The position of the hydroxyl group in the benzylidine ring and the substituent on the s-triazine moiety has great effect on the activity of the prepared compounds. The IC50 values for the two derivatives 4a and 5a evaluated against breast cancer cells, very close to those for the chemotherapeutic drug cisplatin, are 27 µM (13.3 µg/mL), 17 µM (8.4 µg/mL), and 20 µM (6 µg/mL) for 4a, 5a, and cisplatin, respectively. These results propose the preliminary antiproliferative activity of these two derivatives may deserve further consideration for development of new derivatives as potent anticancer agents.