bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Night-time communication at Stanford University Hospital: perceptions, reality and solutions
Authors: Sun Andrew Jordan , Wang Libo , Go Minjoung , Eggers Zac , Deng Raymond , Maggio Paul , Shieh Lisa
Published: October 2017

Background

Resident work hour restrictions have led to the creation of the ‘night float’ to care for the patients of multiple primary teams after hours. These residents are often inundated with acute issues in the numerous patients they cover and are less able to address non-urgent issues that arise at night. Further, non-urgent pages may contribute to physician alarm fatigue and negatively impact patient outcomes.

Objective

To delineate the burden of non-urgent paging at night and propose solutions.

Methods

We performed a resident review and categorisation of 1820 pages to night floats between September 2014 and December 2014. Both attending and nursing review of 10% of pages was done and compared.

Results

Of reviewed pages, 62.1% were urgent and 27.7% were non-urgent. Attending review of random page samples correlated well with resident review. Common reasons for non-urgent pages were non-urgent patient status updates, low-priority order requests and non-critical lab values.

Conclusions

A significant number of non-urgent pages are sent at night. These pages likely distract from acute issues that arise at night and place an unnecessary burden on night floats. Both behavioural and systemic adjustments are needed to address this issue. Possible interventions include integrating low-priority messaging into the electronic health record system and use of charge nurses to help determine urgency of issues and batch non-urgent pages.
3D printing materials and their use in medical education: a review of current technology and trends for the future
Authors: Garcia Justine , Yang ZhiLin , Mongrain Rosaire , Leask Richard L , Lachapelle Kevin
Published: October 2017

3D printing is a new technology in constant evolution. It has rapidly expanded and is now being used in health education. Patient-specific models with anatomical fidelity created from imaging dataset have the potential to significantly improve the knowledge and skills of a new generation of surgeons. This review outlines five technical steps required to complete a printed model: They include (1) selecting the anatomical area of interest, (2) the creation of the 3D geometry, (3) the optimisation of the file for the printing and the appropriate selection of (4) the 3D printer and (5) materials. All of these steps require time, expertise and money. A thorough understanding of educational needs is therefore essential in order to optimise educational value. At present, most of the available printing materials are rigid and therefore not optimum for flexibility and elasticity unlike biological tissue. We believe that the manipuation and tuning of material properties through the creation of composites and/or blending materials will eventually allow for the creation of patient-specific models which have both anatomical and tissue fidelity.
BET 1: Does the use of emollients prevent frostbite to the face?
Authors: De Buck Emmy
Published: October 2017

A short cut review was carried out to establish whether routine use of emollients on the face reduced the incidence of frostbite in cold environments. 126 papers were found using the reported searches, of which three presented the best evidence to answer the clinical question. The author, date and country of publication, patient group studied, study type, relevant outcomes, results and study weaknesses of these papers are tabulated. It is concluded that the use of emollients on the face is not a good protection against frostbite and may even result in a higher risk
Comparison of elevated phosphorylated neurofilament heavy chains in serum and cerebrospinal fluid of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Authors: De Schaepdryver Maxim , Jeromin Andreas , Gille Benjamin , Claeys Kristl G , Herbst Victor , Brix Britta , Van Damme Philip , Poesen Koen
Published: October 2017

Objective

Phosphorylated neurofilament heavy chain (pNfH) levels are elevated in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Instead of CSF, we explored blood as an alternative source to measure pNfH in patients with ALS.

Methods

In this single centre retrospective study, 85 patients with ALS, 215 disease controls (DC) and 31 ALS mimics were included. Individual serum pNfH concentrations were correlated with concentrations in CSF and with several clinical parameters. The performance characteristics of pNfH in CSF and serum of patients with ALS and controls were calculated and compared using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves.

Results

CSF and serum pNfH concentrations in patients with ALS correlated well (r=0.652, p<0.0001) and were significantly increased compared with DC (p<0.0001) and ALS mimics (p<0.0001). CSF pNfH outperformed serum pNfH in discriminating patients with ALS from DC and ALS mimics (difference between area under the ROC curves: p=0.0001 and p=0.0005; respectively). Serum pNfH correlated inversely with symptom duration (r=−0.315, p=0.0033). CSF and serum pNfH were lower when the disease progression rate was slower (r=0.279, p<0.01 and r=0.289, p<0.01; respectively). Unlike CSF, serum pNfH did not correlate with the burden of clinical and electromyographic motor neuron dysfunction.

Conclusions

CSF and serum pNfH concentrations are elevated in patients with ALS and correlate with the disease progression rate. Moreover, CSF pNfH correlates with the burden of motor neuron dysfunction. Our findings encourage further pursuit of CSF and serum pNfH concentrations in the diagnostic pathway of patients suspected to have ALS.
Predictors of risk for sudden death in childhood hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: the importance of the ECG risk score
Authors: Östman-Smith Ingegerd , Sjöberg Gunnar , Rydberg Annika , Larsson Per , Fernlund Eva
Published: October 2017

Objective

To establish which risk factors are predictive for sudden death in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) diagnosed in childhood.

Methods

A Swedish national cohort of patients with HCM diagnosed <19 years of age was collected between 1972 and 2014, consisting of 155 patients with available ECGs, with average follow-up of 10.9±(SD 9.0) years, out of whom 32 had suffered sudden death or cardiac arrest (SD/CA group). Previously proposed risk factors and clinical features, ECG and ultrasound measures were compared between SD/CA group and patients surviving >2 years (n=100), and features significantly more common in SD/CA group were further analysed with univariate and multivariate Cox hazard regression in the total cohort.

Results

Ranked according to relative risk (RR) the ECG risk score >5 points had an RR of 46.5 (95% CI 6.6 to 331), sensitivity of 97% (83% to 100%) and specificity of 80% (71% to 88%) (p<0.0001), and was the best ECG predictor, predicting a 5-year risk of SD/CA of 30.6%. The following are other features with importantly raised RR: Detroit wall thickness Z-score >4.5: 9.9 (3.1 to 31.2); septal thickness ≥190% of upper limit of normal for age (septum in % of 95th centile for age (SEPPER) ≥190%): 7.9 (3.2 to 19.4); ventricular tachycardia: 9.1 (3.6 to 22.8); ventricular ectopics on exercise testing: 7.4 (2.7 to 20.2); and left ventricular outflow gradient (left ventricular outflow tract obstruction (LVOTO)) >50 mm Hg: 6.6 (4.0 to 11.0). Family history was non-significant. Multivariate Cox hazard analysis gives the following as early predictors: limb-lead QRS amplitude sum (p=0.020), SEPPER ≥190% (p<0.001) and LVOTO at rest (p=0.054); and for late predictors: last ECG risk score (p=0.002) and last Detroit Z-score (p=0.001). Both early (p=0.028) and late (p=0.037) beta-blocker doses reduced risk in the models.

Conclusions

ECG phenotype as assessed by ECG risk score is important for risk of sudden death and should be considered for inclusion in risk stratification of paediatric patients with HCM.
Assessing the extent of non-aggressive cancer in clinically detected stage I non-small cell lung cancer
Authors: Kale Minal S , Sigel Keith , Mhango Grace , Wisnivesky Juan P
Published: October 2017

Background

Overdiagnosis among clinically detected lung cancers likely consists of cases that are non-aggressive and slowly progressive and will never disseminate, cause symptoms or be a threat to a subject’s survival, even if untreated. In this study, we estimate the prevalence of non-aggressive lung cancers from a large, population-based cancer registry.

Methods

We identified individuals ≥65 years with histologically confirmed, untreated stage I non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLCs) from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-Medicare registry. We estimated the rate of non-aggressive lung cancers by determining the point at which the cumulative lung cancer-specific survival curve no longer changed (ie, the slope approaches zero). At this point, there are no additional deaths due to progressive lung cancer observed among untreated patients after adjusting for deaths from competing risks (these long-term survivors can be considered ‘non-aggressive cases).

Results

The overall rate of non-aggressive cancers among 2197 clinically detected cases of untreated stage I NSCLC was 2.4%, 95% CI: 1.0% to 3.8%. The rate of non-aggressive cancer was 1.9% (95% CI: 0.0% to 4.9%) for women and 2.4% (95% CI: 0.7% to 4.1%) for men (p=0.84). When stratifying by tumour size, non-aggressive cancer rates were 10.2% (95% CI: 0.0% to 29.3%), 2.1% (95% CI: 0.0% to 9.2%), 4.9% (95% CI: 0.0% to 10.3%), 1.8% (95% CI: 0.0% to 5.2%) and 0.0% (95% CI: 0.0% to 1.0%) for tumour sizes <15 mm, 15–24 mm, 25–34 mm, 35–44 mm and ≥45 mm, respectively. In comparison with the smallest tumour sizes (<15 mm), the rates of non-aggressive cancers were not statistically significantly different for tumour sizes 15–24 mm (p=0.36), 25–34 mm (p=0.57), 35–44 mm (p=0.38) and tumour sizes >45 mm (p=0.30).

Discussion

We found relatively low rates of non-aggressive cancers among clinically detected, stage I NSCLC regardless of sex or size. Our findings suggest that most clinically diagnosed early stage cancers should be treated with curative intent.
Do elite breath-hold divers suffer from mild short-term memory impairments?
Authors: Billaut François , Gueit Patrice , Faure Sylvane , Costalat Guillaume , Lemaître Frédéric
Published: October 2017

Repeated apneas are associated with severe hypoxemia that may ultimately lead to loss of consciousness in some breath-hold divers. Despite increasing number of practitioners, the relationship between apnea-induced hypoxia and neurocognitive functions is still poorly understood in the sport of free diving. To shed light onto this phenomenon, we examined the impact of long-term breath-hold diving training on attentional processing, short-term memory, and long-term mnesic and executive functions. Thirty-six men matched for age, height, and weight were separated into the following 3 groups: (i) 12 elite breath-hold divers (EBHD), mean static apnea best time 371 s, 105 months mean apnea experience; (ii) 12 novice breath-hold divers, mean best time 243 s, 8.75 months mean apnea experience; and (iii) 12 physical education students with no breath-hold diving experience; all of these participants performed varied written and computerized neuropsychological tasks. Compared with the 2 other groups, the EBHD group was slower to complete the interference card during a Stroop test (F[1,33]= 4.70, p < 0.05), and presented more errors on the interference card (F[1,33]= 2.96, p < 0.05) and a lower total interference score (F[1,33]= 5.64, p < 0.05). The time to complete the interference card test was positively correlated with maximal static apnea duration (r = 0.73, p < 0.05) and the number of years of breath-hold diving training (r = 0.79, p < 0.001). These findings suggest that breath-hold diving training over several years may cause mild, but persistent, short-term memory impairments.
Effect of bed roughness on velocity profile and water entrainment in a sedimentary density current
Authors: Kashefipour Seyed Mahmood , Daryaee Mehdi , Ghomeshi Mehdi
Published: October 2017

In this study, the effect of bed roughness on velocity profile and water entrainment in a sedimentary density current for Richardson numbers of 1.2–7 (subcritical flow conditions) was investigated. Experiments were carried out in a tilting flume with four different bed slopes, four roughness heights, and two fluid densities of sedimentary density currents. The results showed that bed roughness significantly affects the general shapes of velocity profiles, especially in the wall region. Two empirical equations were developed as the functions of the relative roughness for the wall and jet regions of velocity profile using the measured velocities of density currents. Water entrainment was also affected by bed roughness and an empirical equation was developed describing the relationship of this phenomenon with the Richardson number and relative roughness. Sensitivity analysis of this equation by using elasticity coefficient method showed that the effectiveness of the Richardson number is 3.9 times more than the effect of relative roughness on water entrainment.
THE EFFECTS OF U.S. UNCONVENTIONAL MONETARY POLICY ON ASIAN STOCK MARKETS
Authors: LEE CHIEN-CHIANG , CHEN MEI-PING , HUANG CHUN-CHIE
Published: October 2017

To assess the spillover effects of quantitative easing (QE) on return and volatility from the U.S. market to the selected Asian markets, this study applies dynamic correlation coefficient-generalized autoregressive conditional heteroscedasticity model to capture the time-varying nature of return and volatility spillovers during non-QE and QE periods of the sample countries. Furthermore, we incorporate the estimated time-varying correlation coefficients and country-specific factors to probe the determinants of the spillover. We find that the U.S. QE policies have significantly affected the correlations between the U.S. and some Asian countries, to which it performs significantly progressive decline in the correlations during the latest QE. Greater stock market liquidity remarkably increases their financial spillovers.
Fault Localizations Through Feature Selections
Authors: Pang Yulei , Xue Xiaozhen , Namin Akbar Siami
Published: October 2017

We introduce a novel application of feature ranking methods to the fault localization problem. We envision the problem of localizing causes of failures as instances of ranking program’s elements where elements are conceptualized as features. In this paper, we define features as program’s statements. However, in its fine-grained definition, the idea of program’s features can refer to any traits of programs. This paper proposes feature ranking-based algorithms. The algorithms analyze execution traces of both passing and failing test cases, and extract the bug signatures from the failing test cases. The proposed procedure extracts possible combinations of program’s elements when executed together from bug signatures. The feature ranking-based algorithms then order statements according to the suspiciousness of the combinations. When viewed as sequences, the combination of program’s elements produced and traced in bug signatures can be utilized to reason about the common longest subsequence. The common longest subsequence of bug signatures represents the common statements executed by all failing test cases and thus provides a means for identifying statements that contain possible faults. Our evaluation indicates that the proposed feature-based fault localization outperforms existing fault localization ranking schemes.
Entanglement entropy, scale-dependent dimensions and the origin of gravity
Authors: Arzano Michele , Calcagni Gianluca
Published: October 2017

We argue that the requirement of a finite entanglement entropy of quantum degrees of freedom across a boundary surface is closely related to the phenomenon of running spectral dimension, universal in approaches to quantum gravity. If quantum geometry hinders diffusion, for instance, when its structure at some given scale is discrete or too rough, then the spectral dimension of spacetime vanishes at that scale and the entropy density blows up. A finite entanglement entropy is a key ingredient in deriving Einstein gravity in a semi-classical regime of a quantum-gravitational theory and, thus, our arguments strengthen the role of running dimensionality as an imprint of quantum geometry with potentially observable consequences.
Recurrence analysis as a tool to study chaotic dynamics of extreme mass ratio inspiral in signal with noise
Authors: Lukes-Gerakopoulos Georgios , Kopáček Ondřej
Published: October 2017

Recurrence analysis is a well-settled method allowing to discern chaos from order and determinism from noise. We apply this tool to study time series representing geodesic and inspiraling motion of a test particle in a deformed Kerr spacetime, when deterministic chaos and different levels of stochastic noise are present. In particular, we suggest a recurrence-based criterion to reveal whether the time series comes from a deterministic source and find a noise-level threshold of its applicability.
ORGANISATIONAL CAPABILITIES FOR TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER: A STUDY OF R&D-INTENSIVE FIRMS IN GERMANY
Authors: BAUER UDO , ENDRES HERBERT , DOWLING MICHAEL , HELM ROLAND
Published: October 2017

This paper empirically investigates the performance effects of organisational capabilities for technology transfers, i.e., external technology acquisition and commercialisation, as well as the effect of cross-functional integration of departments involved in technology transfers. We study large, German R&D-intensive companies from the machinery, chemical/pharmaceutical, and electronic and semiconductor industries. Identification and realisation were identified as the two major capabilities required for both external technology acquisition and commercialisation. We found that the respective capabilities for technology transfer realisation have a significant positive effect on technology transfer performance, but the capabilities to identify technology transfer opportunities do not. There is no significant effect from organisational capabilities for external technology acquisition on outward technology transfer performance and vice versa. For cross-functional integration, a significant effect was only found for informal integration on external technology acquisition performance.
BUSINESS MODEL INNOVATION ALLIANCES: HOW TO OPEN BUSINESS MODELS FOR COOPERATION
Authors: SPIETH PATRICK , MEISSNER NÉE SCHUCHERT SVENJA
Published: October 2017

While rethinking their business model (BM), incumbents increasingly rely on alliance partners to provide additional resources. The resulting business model innovation alliance (BMIA) focusses on the joint commercialisation of the alliance results via a shared BM. Our findings from an in-depth case study show differences between BMIAs and more common types of alliances, such as development alliances, regarding three dimensions: dynamic, relational and architectural. On this basis, we developed an integrative framework, by combining our results, with Amit and Zott’s BM design framework that enables firms to open up their BM in order to exploit the full potential of BMIAs for BMI. In addition, we contribute to extant literature on BMI by introducing BMIAs as a means to BMI in established firms. Furthermore, we close the gap between open innovation and BMI literature by illustrating how to open up the BM in order to tackle the challenges arising from BMIAs.
On the Nonexistence of a Feasible Solution in the Context of the Differential Form of Eringen’s Constitutive Model: A Proposed Iterative Model Based on a Residual Nonlocality Formulation
Authors: Mahmoud Fatin F.
Published: October 2017

The motivation of this paper is to highlight and discuss critically the details of two main aspects related to Eringen’s nonlocal constitutive model. The first aspect is to point out the inconsistency of the integral and differential forms of Eringen’s nonlocal constitutive model. In addition, to point out the ill-posed form and physical infeasibility of the results which may be obtained by using the differential form of the model. The critical analysis focuses on the lack of consistency between the set of the boundary constraints required by the differential form of Eringen’s model and the set of the prescribed boundary conditions of the nonlocal static equilibrium problem. Because of this lack of consistency between the two constitutive forms, it can be concluded that the formulation in context of the differential form is ill-posed and the existence of a feasible solution is questionable and might not be admitted. The second aspect deals with the intractability of the analytical solution of the nonlocal continuum problems based on the integral form of Eringen’s nonlocal constitutive model (IENCM). In the meantime, it mentions the cumbersome of numerical work required by the direct computational methods such as the nonlocal finite element method. The complexity of using the integral form of Eringen’s constitutive model and the lack of existence of a feasible solution by using the differential form of Eringen’s constitutive model lead to the mandatory need for developing an efficient iterative computational approach based on the integral form of Eringen’s constitutive model. In this paper, an iterative computational method, based on the nonlocality residual formulation for nonlocal continuums, capable to investigate different elasticity problems, is proposed. The traditional local continuum solution is taken as an initial solution. To point out the inconsistences between the integral and differential forms of Eringen’s nonlocal constitutive model, and to illustrate the efficiency and capability of the proposed iterative model, four static bending of beam problems with different nature are solved.
Interaction of Antitumor Agent Mitoxantrone with Double Helical Synthetic Polyribonucleotides Poly(G)⋅Poly(C) and Poly(I)⋅Poly(C)
Authors: Babayan Yuri S. , Hakobyan Sergey N. , Ghazaryan Rusanna S. , Shahinyan Mariam A.
Published: October 2017

The interaction of antitumor drug mitoxantrone (MTX) with double-stranded synthetic RNA homopolymers has been studied by means of spectroscopic (UV-Visible absorption, circular dichroism) techniques. The results show a base specificity in this interaction: the association constant with poly(G)[Formula: see text]poly(C) is higher than with poly(I)[Formula: see text]poly(C).

Values of changes of the system enthalpy and entropy due to complex-formation were determined through the temperature dependence of the binding constant. Calculations show that due to the intercalation interaction of MTX, the values of changes of the system entropy and enthalpy differ from those obtained at ehtidium bromide interaction with synthetic polyribonucleotides, which shows that the intercalation interaction of MTX with double-stranded RNA significantly differs from that of ethidium bromide with RNA.
On the Stochastic Origin of Quantum Mechanics
Authors: Tsekov Roumen
Published: October 2017

The quantum Liouville equation, which describes the phase space dynamics of a quantum system of fermions, is analyzed from stochastic point of view as a particular example of the Kramers–Moyal expansion. Quantum mechanics is extended to relativistic domain by generalizing the Wigner–Moyal equation. Thus, an expression is derived for the relativistic mass in the Wigner quantum phase space presentation. The diffusion with an imaginary diffusion coefficient is discussed. An imaginary stochastic process is proposed as the origin of quantum mechanics.
Supervised Representation Learning with Double Encoding-Layer Autoencoder for Transfer Learning
Authors: Zhuang Fuzhen , Cheng Xiaohu , Luo Ping , Pan Sinno Jialin , He Qing
Published: October 2017

Transfer learning has gained a lot of attention and interest in the past decade. One crucial research issue in transfer learning is how to find a good representation for instances of different domains such that the divergence between domains can be reduced with the new representation. Recently, deep learning has been proposed to learn more robust or higher-level features for transfer learning. In this article, we adapt the autoencoder technique to transfer learning and propose a supervised representation learning method based on double encoding-layer autoencoder. The proposed framework consists of two encoding layers: one for embedding and the other one for label encoding. In the embedding layer, the distribution distance of the embedded instances between the source and target domains is minimized in terms of KL-Divergence. In the label encoding layer, label information of the source domain is encoded using a softmax regression model. Moreover, to empirically explore why the proposed framework can work well for transfer learning, we propose a new effective measure based on autoencoder to compute the distribution distance between different domains. Experimental results show that the proposed new measure can better reflect the degree of transfer difficulty and has stronger correlation with the performance from supervised learning algorithms (e.g., Logistic Regression), compared with previous ones, such as KL-Divergence and Maximum Mean Discrepancy. Therefore, in our model, we have incorporated two distribution distance measures to minimize the difference between source and target domains in the embedding representations. Extensive experiments conducted on three real-world image datasets and one text data demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed method compared with several state-of-the-art baseline methods.
Archaeology and Human–Animal Relations: Thinking Through Anthropocentrism
Authors: Boyd Brian
Published: October 2017

Archaeology is a field of research that relies largely on the remains of past humans and nonhuman animals and the traces of their interactions within a range of material conditions. In archaeology, as in sociocultural anthropology, the dominant analytical perspective on human–animal relations is ontologically anthropocentric: the study of the human use of nonhuman animals for the benefit of human beings, and scholarly inquiry that is largely for the sake of elucidating what nonhuman animals can tell us about the human condition. This review outlines the historical trajectory of Anglo-American archaeology's encounters with animal remains, and human–animal interactions, within this framework and considers recent attempts to move beyond anthropocentrism.
Physics of the Kitaev Model: Fractionalization, Dynamic Correlations, and Material Connections
Authors: Hermanns M. , Kimchi I. , Knolle J.
Published: October 2017

Quantum spin liquids have fascinated condensed matter physicists for decades because of their unusual properties such as spin fractionalization and long-range entanglement. Unlike conventional symmetry breaking, the topological order underlying quantum spin liquids is hard to detect experimentally. Even theoretical models are scarce for which the ground state is established to be a quantum spin liquid. The Kitaev honeycomb model and its generalizations to other tricoordinated lattices are chief counterexamples—they are exactly solvable, harbor a variety of quantum spin liquid phases, and are also relevant for certain transition metal compounds including the polymorphs of (Na,Li)2IrO3 iridates and RuCl3. In this review, we give an overview of the rich physics of the Kitaev model, including two-dimensional and three-dimensional fractionalization as well as dynamic correlations and behavior at finite temperatures. We discuss the different materials and argue how the Kitaev model physics can be relevant even though most materials show magnetic ordering at low temperatures.
Advances in Attract-and-Kill for Agricultural Pests: Beyond Pheromones
Authors: Gregg Peter C. , Del Socorro Alice P. , Landolt Peter J.
Published: October 2017

Attract-and-kill has considerable potential as a tactic in integrated management of pests of agricultural crops, but the use of sex pheromones as attractants is limited by male multiple mating and immigration of mated females into treated areas. Attractants for both sexes, and particularly females, would minimize these difficulties. Volatile compounds derived from plants or fermentation of plant products can attract females and have been used in traps for monitoring and control, and in sprayable attract-and-kill formulations or bait stations. Recent advances in fundamental understanding of insect responses to plant volatiles should contribute to the development of products that can help manage a wide range of pests with few impacts on nontarget organisms, but theory must be tempered with pragmatism in the selection of volatiles and toxicants and in defining their roles in formulations. Market requirements and regulatory factors must be considered in parallel with scientific constraints if successful products are to be developed.
Microfluidics to Mimic Blood Flow in Health and Disease
Authors: Sebastian Bernhard , Dittrich Petra S.
Published: October 2017

Throughout history, capillary systems have aided the establishment of the fundamental laws of blood flow and its non-Newtonian properties. The advent of microfluidics technology in the 1990s propelled the development of highly integrated lab-on-a-chip platforms that allow highly accurate replication of vascular systems' dimensions, mechanical properties, and biological complexity. Applications include the detection of pathological changes to red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets at unparalleled sensitivity and the efficacy assessment of drug treatment. Recent efforts have aimed at the development of microfluidics-based tests usable in a clinial environment or the replication of more complex diseases such as thrombosis. These microfluidic disease models enable the study of onset and progression of disease as well as the identification of key players and risk factors, which have led to a spectrum of clinically relevant findings.
Elastocapillarity: When Surface Tension Deforms Elastic Solids
Authors: Bico José , Reyssat Étienne , Roman Benoît
Published: October 2017

Although negligible at large scales, capillary forces may become dominant for submillimetric objects. Surface tension is usually associated with the spherical shape of small droplets and bubbles, wetting phenomena, imbibition, or the motion of insects at the surface of water. However, beyond liquid interfaces, capillary forces can also deform solid bodies in their bulk, as observed in recent experiments with very soft gels. Capillary interactions, which are responsible for the cohesion of sandcastles, can also bend slender structures and induce the bundling of arrays of fibers. Thin sheets can spontaneously wrap liquid droplets within the limit of the constraints dictated by differential geometry. This review aims to describe the different scaling parameters and characteristic lengths involved in elastocapillarity. We focus on three main configurations, each characterized by a specific dimension: three-dimensional (3D), deformations induced in bulk solids; 1D, bending and bundling of rod-like structures; and 2D, bending and stretching of thin sheets. Although each configuration deserves a detailed review, we hope our broad description provides a general view of elastocapillarity.
Evidence of the Complexity of Gene Expression Analysis in Fish Wild Populations
Authors: Tine Mbaye
Published: October 2017

The present work examines the induction of theband 3 anion transport protein,mitogen-activated protein kinase, andlactate dehydrogenase, respectively related to osmolyte transport, cell volume regulation, and energy production in the gills of two tilapia strains exposed to either freshwater or hypersaline water. Overall, genes showed similar expression patterns between strains. However, a wild population survey across a range of natural habitats and salinities did not reveal the expected patterns. Although significant, the correlations between gene expression and salinity were slightly ambiguous and did not show any link with phenotypic differences in life history traits previously reported between the same populations. The differential expression was also not associated with the population genetic structure inferred from neutral markers. The results suggest that the differential expression observed is not the result of evolutionary forces such as genetic drift or adaptation by natural selection. Instead, it can be speculated that genes responded to various abiotic and biotic stressors, including factors intrinsic to animals. This study provides clear evidence of the complexity of gene expression analysis in wild populations and shows that more attention needs to be paid when selecting candidates as potential biomarkers for monitoring adaptive responses to a specific environmental perturbation.
Combined Effects of Sustained Loads and Wet-Dry Cycles on Durability of Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer Composites
Authors: Li Mengting , Wang Jun , Liu Weiqing , Liang Ruifeng , GangaRao Hota , Li Yang
Published: October 2017

This paper deals with durability of glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) composites under the combined effects of sustained tensile loads and wet-dry (WD) cycles. Two different solutions (distilled water and saltwater) were used to imitate the freshwater and marine environments, respectively. Tensile properties of the unconditioned and conditioned specimens were measured to study the durability of GFRP composites under these 2 effects. The response indicated that both tensile strength and elastic modulus increased initially upon WD cycles, which was attributed to both the postcuring of resin and the sustained tensile stress allowing for fastec cure. Further exposure to WD cycles in distilled water or saltwater led to a steady decrease in tensile strength and modulus. WD cycles of saltwater and distilled water have similar effects on the degradation of the tensile properties for unstressed specimens. However, the elastic modulus and elongation at rupture of stressed specimens under WD cycles of saltwater decreased more than those specimens under WD cycles of distilled water. Moreover, increase of sustained loads led to a decrease in tensile strength. Based on Arrhenius method, a prediction model which accounted for the effects of postcure processes was developed. The predicted results of tensile strength and elastic modulus agree well with those obtained from the experiments.
Circulating Clusterin and Osteopontin Levels in Asthma and Asthmatic Pregnancy
Authors: Dombai Brigitta , Ivancsó István , Bikov András , Oroszi Dóra , Bohács Anikó , Müller Veronika , Rigó János , Vásárhelyi Barna , Losonczy György , Tamási Lilla
Published: October 2017

Asthma in pregnancy poses a risk of adverse outcomes. Osteopontin and clusterin emerged as asthma biomarkers; however, their circulating levels during pregnancy are unknown yet. This cross-sectional study investigated peripheral osteopontin and clusterin levels and their relationship to disease control in 26 asthmatic pregnant (AP), 22 asthmatic nonpregnant (ANP), and 25 healthy pregnant (HP) women and 12 healthy controls (HNP). Osteopontin levels of ANP and HNP were similar (2.142[1.483–2.701]versus 2.075[1.680–2.331] ng/mL,p=0.7331). Pregnancy caused a marked elevation in both healthy (HP: 3.037[2.439–4.015] ng/ml,p=0.003versus HNP) and asthmatic (AP: 2.693[1.581–3.620] ng/ml) patients; thus the pregnant groups did not differ (p=0.3541). Circulating clusterin levels were comparable in ANP and HNP (109.2[95.59–116.3]versus 108.8[97.94–115.3] µg/mL,p=0.8730) and the level was lower in HP (98.80[84.26–105.5] µg/mL,p=0.0344versus HNP). In contrast, the level was higher in AP (111.7[98.84–125.6] µg/mL,p=0.0091versus HP). In ANP, a positive correlation of PEF (r=0.3405;p=0.0221) and a negative correlation ofRaw(r=-0.3723;p=0.0128) to clusterin level were detected. Circulating osteopontin level increases in pregnancy regardless of concomitant well-controlled asthma, indicating its gestational role. Clusterin level decreases in healthy but not in asthmatic pregnancy and correlates directly with lung function.
Study on Galloping Oscillation of Iced Catenary System under Cross Winds
Authors: Chen Guo , Yang Yiren , Yang Yang , Li Peng
Published: October 2017

This paper mainly aims at revealing the nature of the galloping oscillation of iced catenary system under cross winds. The aerodynamic force on the iced catenary system is assumed to be quasi-steady, and then the quasi-steady aerodynamic lift and drag coefficients are completed in FLUENT. By fitting the discrete simulation data, the expression of the vertical aerodynamic force is further obtained. According to the Den Hartog vertical galloping mechanism, the stability of iced catenary is discussed and the initial icing angle corresponding to the critical stability is obtained. On this basis, the dynamic model of the simple iced catenary system under cross winds is established. The partial differential vibration equation of the system is converted into the ordinary differential equation by the Galerkin method and then numerically solved. The condition of the unstable catenary motion in simulation is in agreement with that from theoretical stability analysis. In addition, the effects of structural damping, initial icing angle, and wind velocity on the system responses are investigated.
Study of Immune-Based Intrusion Detection Technology in Virtual Machines for Cloud Computing Environment
Authors: Zhang Ruirui , Xiao Xin
Published: October 2017

Cloud computing platforms are usually based on virtual machines as the underlying architecture; the security of virtual machine systems is the core of cloud computing security. This paper presents an immune-based intrusion detection model in virtual machines of cloud computing environment, denoted as IB-IDS, to ensure the safety of user-level applications in client virtual machines. In the model, system call sequences and their parameters of processes are used, and environment information in the client virtual machines is extracted. Then the model simulates immune responses to ensure the state of user-level programs, which can detect attacks on the dynamic runtime of applications and has high real-time performance. There are five modules in the model: antigen presenting module, signal acquisition module, immune response module, signal measurement module, and information monitoring module, which are distributed into different levels of virtual machine environment. Performance analysis and experimental results show that the model brings a small performance overhead for the virtual machine system and has a good detection performance. It is applicable to judge the state of user-level application in guest virtual machine, and it is feasible to use it to increase the user-level security in software services of cloud computing platform.
Cephalometric Soft Tissue Characteristics of Unilateral Cleft Lip and Palate Patients in Relation to Missing Teeth
Authors: Almoammar Khalid A. , Almarhoon Hala A. , Batwa Waeil , Alqahtani Nasser , Al-Jewair Thikriat , Albarakati Sahar
Published: October 2017

Objective. This study aimed to evaluate cephalometric soft tissue characteristics in individuals with unilateral complete cleft lip and palate (UCCLP) both with and without missing teeth. Design. A retrospective investigation of patient records, who are being treated at the cleft lip and palate (CLP) clinics at the College of Dentistry. Ninety-six consecutive records of nonsyndromic UCCLP subjects were recruited (33 subjects without missing teeth and 63 subjects with missing teeth). Linear and angular soft tissue measurements obtained from lateral cephalometric radiographs were evaluated and compared among the studied samples. Results. Lower lip was significantly retruded and shorter (p=0.037), p=0.015, respectively; in addition to the fact that shallower mentolabial sulcus (p=0.05) was found in the subjects with missing teeth, the rest of the soft tissue was not significantly different between the two groups. Conclusion. In subjects with a UCCLP anomaly, missing teeth have an effect on lower lip position and length, which influenced the mentolabial sulcus. Lower lip position and length differ between cleft patients who present with either multiple missing teeth or with no missing teeth, and this needs to be considered during orthodontic treatment planning and surgical management for the cleft defect.
Psychometric Properties of Diabetes Management Self-Efficacy in Thai Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients: A Multicenter Study
Authors: Sangruangake Monthida , Jirapornkul Chananya , Hurst Cameron
Published: October 2017

Objective. The aims of this study were to translate and psychometrically evaluate the Thai version of diabetes management self-efficacy scale (T-DMSES) and to examine its association with HbA1c control in diabetic individuals. Methods. This study recruited patients from outpatient diabetes clinics of both community and university hospitals. The first phases of this study involved translation of the existing DMSES into Thai, and in the second phase, we evaluated its psychometric properties. The construct validity was evaluated using confirmatory factor analysis. Criterion validity of DMSES was subsequently evaluated by examining DMSES’s association with HbA1c control. Results. The T-DMSES contains 20 items across four factors. Confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated the construct validity of T-DMSES (χ2=645.142, df = 164, p<0.001, CFI = 0.98, RMSEA = 0.065, TLI = 0.977, and AGFI = 0.981). The T-DMSES was also shown to be criterion valid with most subscales highly associated with HbA1c control. Conclusion. The T-DMSES was shown to have good psychometric properties. It is likely to provide valuable insights into the epidemiology of diabetes management self-efficacy and may also prove useful in evaluating interventions for raising diabetes management self-efficacy, which in turn, improve both patient self-management and blood sugar control.
Lingual Osseous Choristoma of the Tongue Base: Unusual Presentation of a Rare Entity
Authors: Heinz Matthew J. , Peters Scott M. , Caruana Salvatore M. , Yoon Angela J.
Published: October 2017

Osseous lesions of the tongue, also referred to as osseous choristomas, are benign growths of bony tissue. These lesions are not true neoplasms but rather represent growth of normal tissue at an abnormal location. Clinically, they appear as exophytic masses of the tongue, and they are treated by surgical excision. Lingual osseous choristomas are rare entities, with only 71 reported cases in the literature. We present the case of a lingual osseous choristoma of the tongue base in a 21-year-old female. Of the cases of lingual osseous choristoma reported in the literature, ours is only the fifth case to involve this location.
A Look into Stem Cell Therapy: Exploring the Options for Treatment of Ischemic Stroke
Authors: Reis Cesar , Wilkinson Michael , Reis Haley , Akyol Onat , Gospodarev Vadim , Araujo Camila , Chen Sheng , Zhang John H.
Published: October 2017

Neural stem cells (NSCs) offer a potential therapeutic benefit in the recovery from ischemic stroke. Understanding the role of endogenous neural stem and progenitor cells under normal physiological conditions aids in analyzing their effects after ischemic injury, including their impact on functional recovery and neurogenesis at the site of injury. Recent animal studies have utilized unique subsets of exogenous and endogenous stem cells as well as preconditioning with pharmacologic agents to better understand the best situation for stem cell proliferation, migration, and differentiation. These stem cell therapies provide a promising effect on stimulation of endogenous neurogenesis, neuroprotection, anti-inflammatory effects, and improved cell survival rates. Clinical trials performed using various stem cell types show promising results to their safety and effectiveness on reducing the effects of ischemic stroke in humans. Another important aspect of stem cell therapy discussed in this review is tracking endogenous and exogenous NSCs with magnetic resonance imaging. This review explores the pathophysiology of NSCs on ischemic stroke, stem cell therapy studies and their effects on neurogenesis, the most recent clinical trials, and techniques to track and monitor the progress of endogenous and exogenous stem cells.
Effect of the Lifting Velocity and Container Shape on Angle of Repose of Iron Ore Particles
Authors: Li Tongqing , Peng Yuxing , Zhu Zhencai , Yu Zhangfa , Yin Zixin
Published: October 2017

To investigate the impact of lifting velocity and container shape on angle of repose, the fixed-base cylinder method was performed using three types of container shape. The container shape was lifted a series of lifting velocities. Six size fractions of iron ore particles ranging from coarser to fine particles were used as the test materials. And the sand-pile calibration method was then used to calibrate the contact parameters of iron ore particles. Results show angle of repose decreased exponentially with the lifting velocity, while it appeared approximately to be invariant to particle shape, for all size fractions. The sand pile highly depends on the container shape at a low lifting velocity but appears to be invariant to particle size for a high lifting velocity. And then a predictive equation is established and a very close agreement between the predicted and measured angle of repose is attained. Finally, a series of DEM simulations considering the irregular particle shape are conducted by means of sphere clump method to calibrate the contact parameters and are in good visual agreement with the experimental results, indicating the “tuned” contact parameters as well as the applicability of the predicted equation.
Osteogenic Differentiation of hDPSCs on Biogenic Bone Apatite Thin Films
Authors: Bianchi Michele , Pisciotta Alessandra , Bertoni Laura , Berni Matteo , Gambardella Alessandro , Visani Andrea , Russo Alessandro , de Pol Anto , Carnevale Gianluca
Published: October 2017

A previous study reported the structural characterization of biogenic apatite (BAp) thin films realized by a pulsed electron deposition system by ablation of deproteinized bovine bone. Thin films annealed at 400°C exhibited composition and crystallinity degree very close to those of biogenic apatite; this affinity is crucial for obtaining faster osseointegration compared to conventional, thick hydroxyapatite (HA) coatings, for both orthopedics and dentistry. Here, we investigated the adhesion, proliferation, and osteogenic differentiation of human dental pulp stem cells (hDPCS) on as-deposited and heat-treated BAp and stoichiometric HA. First, we showed that heat-treated BAp films can significantly promote hDPSC adhesion and proliferation. Moreover, hDPSCs, while initially maintaining the typical fibroblast-like morphology and stemness surface markers, later started expressing osteogenic markers such as Runx-2 and OSX. Noteworthy, when cultured in an osteogenic medium on annealed BAp films, hDPSCs were also able to reach a more mature and terminal commitment, with respect to HA and as-deposited films. Our findings suggest that annealed BAp films not only preserve the typical biological properties of stemness of, hDPSCs but also improve their ability of osteogenic commitment.