bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Polarized actin and VE-cadherin dynamics regulate junctional remodelling and cell migration during sprouting angiogenesis
Authors: Cao Jiahui , Ehling Manuel , März Sigrid , Seebach Jochen , Tarbashevich Katsiaryna , Sixta Tomas , Pitulescu Mara E. , Werner Ann-Cathrin , Flach Boris , Montanez Eloi , Raz Erez , Adams Ralf H. , Schnittler Hans
Published: December 2017

VEGFR-2/Notch signalling regulates angiogenesis in part by driving the remodelling of endothelial cell junctions and by inducing cell migration. Here, we show that VEGF-induced polarized cell elongation increases cell perimeter and decreases the relative VE-cadherin concentration at junctions, triggering polarized formation of actin-driven junction-associated intermittent lamellipodia (JAIL) under control of the WASP/WAVE/ARP2/3 complex. JAIL allow formation of new VE-cadherin adhesion sites that are critical for cell migration and monolayer integrity. Whereas at the leading edge of the cell, large JAIL drive cell migration with supportive contraction, lateral junctions show small JAIL that allow relative cell movement. VEGFR-2 activation initiates cell elongation through dephosphorylation of junctional myosin light chain II, which leads to a local loss of tension to induce JAIL-mediated junctional remodelling. These events require both microtubules and polarized Rac activity. Together, we propose a model where polarized JAIL formation drives directed cell migration and junctional remodelling during sprouting angiogenesis.
Morphology of travel routes and the organization of cities
Authors: Lee Minjin , Barbosa Hugo , Youn Hyejin , Holme Petter , Ghoshal Gourab
Published: December 2017

The city is a complex system that evolves through its inherent social and economic interactions. Mediating the movements of people and resources, urban street networks offer a spatial footprint of these activities. Of particular interest is the interplay between street structure and its functional usage. Here, we study the shape of 472,040 spatiotemporally optimized travel routes in the 92 most populated cities in the world, finding that their collective morphology exhibits a directional bias influenced by the attractive (or repulsive) forces resulting from congestion, accessibility, and travel demand. To capture this, we develop a simple geometric measure, inness, that maps this force field. In particular, cities with common inness patterns cluster together in groups that are correlated with their putative stage of urban development as measured by a series of socio-economic and infrastructural indicators, suggesting a strong connection between urban development, increasing physical connectivity, and diversity of road hierarchies.
Author Correction: Mild hypothermia provides Treg stability
Authors: Marek- Trzonkowska Natalia , Piekarska Karolina , Filipowicz Natalia , Piotrowski Arkadiusz , Gucwa Magdalena , Vogt Katrin , Sawitzki Birgit , Siebert Janusz , Trzonkowski Piotr
Published: December 2017

A correction to this article has been published and is linked from the HTML version of this paper. The error has been fixed in the paper.
Universal in vivo Textural Model for Human Skin based on Optical Coherence Tomograms
Authors: Adabi Saba , Hosseinzadeh Matin , Noei Shahryar , Conforto Silvia , Daveluy Steven , Clayton Anne , Mehregan Darius , Nasiriavanaki Mohammadreza
Published: December 2017

Currently, diagnosis of skin diseases is based primarily on the visual pattern recognition skills and expertise of the physician observing the lesion. Even though dermatologists are trained to recognize patterns of morphology, it is still a subjective visual assessment. Tools for automated pattern recognition can provide objective information to support clinical decision-making. Noninvasive skin imaging techniques provide complementary information to the clinician. In recent years, optical coherence tomography (OCT) has become a powerful skin imaging technique. According to specific functional needs, skin architecture varies across different parts of the body, as do the textural characteristics in OCT images. There is, therefore, a critical need to systematically analyze OCT images from different body sites, to identify their significant qualitative and quantitative differences. Sixty-three optical and textural features extracted from OCT images of healthy and diseased skin are analyzed and, in conjunction with decision-theoretic approaches, used to create computational models of the diseases. We demonstrate that these models provide objective information to the clinician to assist in the diagnosis of abnormalities of cutaneous microstructure, and hence, aid in the determination of treatment. Specifically, we demonstrate the performance of this methodology on differentiating basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) from healthy tissue.
Biological characters of Trichogramma dendrolimi (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) reared in vitro versus in vivo for thirty generations
Authors: Lü Xin , Han Shichou , Li Zhigang , Li Liying
Published: December 2017

Trichogramma dendrolimi which is an economically important biological control agent were reared for 30 generations on a modified artificial medium and natural host. Biological characters were assessed and compared with parasitoids reared in vivo. Pupation rate and normal adults rate of in vitro–reared parasitoids were significantly higher compared with in vivo–reared parasitoids. The adult emergence rate, number of adults produced, and fecundity of T. dendrolimi reared in vitro were lower than those reared in vivo. The percentage of females and longevity did not vary between the two rearing methods. The overall fitness of the parasitoids reared artificially from the first to the 20th generation was higher than of those reared from the 21st generation onwards. No differences were observed in the fitness parameters of parasitoids reared in vivo across any of the 30 generations. The results suggest that the modified artificial medium used in this study is suitable for the continuous rearing of T. dendrolimi for at least 20 generations, and has the potential for the mass production of these parasitoids for use in biological control. Such a substrate could be examined for use in rearing other parasitoid species that are important in biological control.
The activity of myeloid cell-specific VHH immunotoxins is target-, epitope-, subset- and organ dependent
Authors: Bachran Christopher , Schröder Matthias , Conrad Lena , Cragnolini Juan J. , Tafesse Fikadu G. , Helming Laura , Ploegh Hidde L. , Swee Lee Kim
Published: December 2017

The central role of myeloid cells in driving autoimmune diseases and cancer has raised interest in manipulating their function or depleting them for therapeutic benefits. To achieve this, antibodies are used to antagonize differentiation, survival and polarization signals or to kill target cells, for example in the form of antibody-drug conjugates (ADC). The action of ADC in vivo can be hard to predict based on target expression pattern alone. The biology of the targeted receptor as well as its interplay with the ADC can have drastic effects on cell apoptosis versus survival. Here we investigated the efficacy of CD11b or Ly-6C/Ly-6G-specific variable fragments of camelid heavy chain-only antibodies (VHH) conjugated to Pseudomonas exotoxin A to deplete myeloid cells in vitro and in vivo. Our data highlight striking differences in cell killing in vivo, depending on the cell subset and organs targeted, but not antigen expression level or VHH affinity. We observed striking differences in depletion efficiency of monocytes versus granulocytes in mice. Despite similar binding of Ly-6C/Ly-6G-specific VHH immunotoxin to granulocytes and monocytes, granulocytes were significantly more sensitive than monocytes to immunotoxins treatment. Our results illustrate the need of early, thorough in vivo characterization of ADC candidates.
Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate, Proteinuria, and Risk of Cardiovascular Diseases and All-cause Mortality in Diabetic Population: a Community-based Cohort Study
Authors: Wang Anxin , Chen Guojuan , Cao Yibin , Liu Xiaoxue , Su Zhaoping , Luo Yanxia , Zhao Zhan , Li Xia , Chen Shuohua , Wu Shouling , Guo Xiuhua
Published: December 2017

Data about associations between estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and proteinuria with cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and all-cause mortality among diabetic population is less described. We aimed to describe these associations in Chinese diabetic population, and investigate the difference between sexes. The study was based on 8,301 diabetic participants in the Kailuan study, who was free of CVDs at baseline. We used Cox proportional hazard models to examine the associations of eGFR and proteinuria with CVDs and all-cause mortality. A stratified analysis by gender was performed. During a median follow-up of 8.05 years, 917 deaths and 813 incident CVDs occurred. Adjusted for all potential confounders, eGFR was associated with all-cause mortality, but not associated with incidence of CVDs. Compared to those with eGFR ≥ 90 ml/min/1.73 m2, Participants with eGFR <45 ml/min/1.73 m2 had 1.50 fold higher risk of all-cause mortality. Adjusted for all potential confounders, proteinuria was associated with risk of both CVDs and all-cause mortality. Additionally, the risk of all-cause mortality by proteinuria was greater in women than that in men. Both lower eGFR and proteinuria are independent risk factors for all-cause mortality in the Chinese diabetic population. Proteinuria conferred excessive risk for CVDs, and especially in women.
Robust broad spectral photodetection (UV-NIR) and ultra high responsivity investigated in nanosheets and nanowires of Bi2Te3 under harsh nano-milling conditions
Authors: Sharma Alka , Srivastava A. K. , Senguttuvan T. D. , Husale Sudhir
Published: December 2017

Due to miniaturization of device dimensions, the next generation’s photodetector based devices are expected to be fabricated from robust nanostructured materials. Hence there is an utmost requirement of investigating exotic optoelectronic properties of nanodevices fabricated from new novel materials and testing their performances at harsh conditions. The recent advances on 2D layered materials indicate exciting progress on broad spectral photodetection (BSP) but still there is a great demand for fabricating ultra-high performance photodetectors made from single material sensing broad electromagnetic spectrum since the detection range 325 nm–1550 nm is not covered by the conventional Si or InGaAs photodetectors. Alternatively, Bi2Te3 is a layered material, possesses exciting optoelectronic, thermoelectric, plasmonics properties. Here we report robust photoconductivity measurements on Bi2Te3 nanosheets and nanowires demonstrating BSP from UV to NIR. The nanosheets of Bi2Te3 show the best ultra-high photoresponsivity (~74 A/W at 1550 nm). Further these nanosheets when transform into nanowires using harsh FIB milling conditions exhibit about one order enhancement in the photoresponsivity without affecting the performance of the device even after 4 months of storage at ambient conditions. An ultra-high photoresponsivity and BSP indicate exciting robust nature of topological insulator based nanodevices for optoelectronic applications.
Induced chirality and reversal of phosphomolybdate cluster via modulating its interaction with cyclodextrins
Authors: Zhang Bin , Guan Weiming , Yin Fangfang , Wang Jiaxu , Li Bao , Wu Lixin
Published: December 2017

Direct-induced chirality of a metal–oxide cluster by cyclodextrins was realized and the reversals of the induced Cotton signals were modulated by introducing a competitive guest and/or substituting by different cyclodextrins.
Fate and exposure modeling in regulatory chemical evaluation: new directions from retrospection
Authors: Bonnell Mark A. , Zidek Angelika , Griffiths Adam , Gutzman Don
Published: December 2017

A regulatory perspective on the application of fate and exposure modeling in the past and for the future.
Do environmental dynamics matter in fate models? Exploring scenario dynamics for a terrestrial and an aquatic system
Authors: Morselli Melissa , Terzaghi Elisa , Di Guardo Antonio
Published: December 2017

Most of the currently used risk assessment scenarios are based on steady scenario conditions which may not reflect environmental variations in time and space.
Vibrating droplet generation to assemble zwitterion-coated gold-graphene oxide stealth nanovesicles for effective pancreatic cancer chemo-phototherapy
Authors: Thapa Raj Kumar , Ku Sae Kwang , Choi Han-Gon , Yong Chul Soon , Byeon Jeong Hoon , Kim Jong Oh
Published: December 2017

A vibrating nozzle system to produce Au-GO@ZC-DOX nanovesicles possessed enhanced treatment effects for pancreatic cancers.
d-Penicillamine-coated Cu/Ag alloy nanocluster superstructures: aggregation-induced emission and tunable photoluminescence from red to orange
Authors: Kong Lingcan , Chu Xuefeng , Wang Chuanxi , Zhou Hong , Wu Yukang , Liu Wenwei
Published: December 2017

d-Penicillamine-coated Cu/Ag alloy nanocluster superstructures are prepared at room temperature with aggregation-induced emission and tunable photoluminescence from red to orange.
Enantioselective synthesis of novel pyrano[3,2-c]chromene derivatives as AChE inhibitorsviaan organocatalytic domino reaction
Authors: Zheng Jie , He Ming , Xie Baohua , Yang Lu , Hu Zhiye , Zhou Hai-Bing , Dong Chune
Published: December 2017

Novel optically active pyrano[3,2-c]chromenes have been synthesized (up to 94% yield, 99% ee) through an asymmetric catalytic domino reaction and identified as potent acetylcholinesterase inhibitors. In most cases, theS-enantiomers were superior toR-enantiomers.
Macroporous poly(ionic liquid)/ionic liquid gels via CO2-based emulsion-templating polymerization
Authors: Mathieu Kevin , Jérôme Christine , Debuigne Antoine
Published: December 2017

A high internal phase emulsion composed of ionic liquids and CO2 serves as a template for producing unprecedented macroporous poly(ionic liquid) gels.
Gated Word Recognition by Postlingually Deafened Adults With Cochlear Implants: Influence of Semantic Context
Authors: Patro Chhayakanta , Mendel Lisa Lucks
Published: December 2017

Purpose

The main goal of this study was to investigate the minimum amount of sensory information required to recognize spoken words (isolation points [IPs]) in listeners with cochlear implants (CIs) and investigate facilitative effects of semantic contexts on the IPs.

Method

Listeners with CIs as well as those with normal hearing (NH) participated in the study. In Experiment 1, the CI users listened to unprocessed (full-spectrum) stimuli and individuals with NH listened to full-spectrum or vocoder processed speech. IPs were determined for both groups who listened to gated consonant-nucleus-consonant words that were selected based on lexical properties. In Experiment 2, the role of semantic context on IPs was evaluated. Target stimuli were chosen from the Revised Speech Perception in Noise corpus based on the lexical properties of the final words.

Results

The results indicated that spectrotemporal degradations impacted IPs for gated words adversely, and CI users as well as participants with NH listening to vocoded speech had longer IPs than participants with NH who listened to full-spectrum speech. In addition, there was a clear disadvantage due to lack of semantic context in all groups regardless of the spectral composition of the target speech (full spectrum or vocoded). Finally, we showed that CI users (and users with NH with vocoded speech) can overcome such word processing difficulties with the help of semantic context and perform as well as listeners with NH.

Conclusion

Word recognition occurs even before the entire word is heard because listeners with NH associate an acoustic input with its mental representation to understand speech. The results of this study provide insight into the role of spectral degradation on the processing of spoken words in isolation and the potential benefits of semantic context. These results may also explain why CI users rely substantially on semantic context.
Compact and high selectivity dual‐mode microstrip BPF with frequency‐dependent source–load coupling
Authors: Deng Hong‐Wei , Liu Fei , Xu Tao , Sun Liang , Xue Yi‐Fan
Published: December 2017

In this letter, a dual‐mode microstrip bandpass filter (BPF) with compact size and high selectivity is designed with a short‐stub centred loaded resonator. Owing to the frequency‐dependent source–load coupling and the intrinsic characteristics of the short‐stub loaded resonator, three transmission zeros that are located near the passband edges and in the upper‐stopband can be generated to improve the selectivity. The compact BPF with fractional bandwidth of 3.5% located at 2.4 GHz for WLAN application has been designed and fabricated, and good agreement between simulation and measurement verifies the validity of this design methodology.
Potential threats mining methods based on correlation analysis of multi‐type logs
Authors: Qin Tao , Gao Yuli , Wei Lingyan , Liu Zhaoli , Wang Chenxu
Published: December 2017

Log analysis is an efficiency way to detect threats by scrutinizing the events recorded by the operating systems and devices. However, it is more and more difficult to discover threats accurately due to the massive amount of logs and their various formats. Focusing on this problem, the authors propose a method for potential threats mining based on the correlation analysis of multi‐type logs. Firstly, they extract 12 features, including behavior‐related, attribute‐related and measurable features, from multi‐type logs based on the characteristics of known and potential attacks. They also propose normalization method to deal with these heterogeneous features. Secondly, focusing on solving the problem that analyzing a single type of log can only detect some specific attacks, they employ the logistic regression model to perform correlation analysis on multi‐type logs. Finally, they construct an anomaly detection platform integrated with parallel processing mechanism to process the massive records. The experimental results based on logs collected show that the proposed method has high detection accuracy and low computational complexity, which can be applied to mine potential threats and abnormal users from the massive logs in an actual network environment.
Ultra short‐term PV power forecasting based on ELM segmentation model
Authors: Jing Bo , Qian Zheng , Pei Yan , Wang Jingyi
Published: December 2017

With the rapid increase of the installed capacity of photovoltaic (PV) power plants, it is important to forecast PV power output in order to meet the requirements of power systems. Based on extreme learning machine (ELM), this study proposes a methodology of ultra short‐term PV power forecasting by using historical power output data, which can predict power output for a prediction horizon of 30 min with 10 min time step. Compared with auto‐regressive and moving average (ARMA) time series model and BPAQ3 neural network, ELM provides better prediction accuracy in each time horizons. To further enhance the model performance, the authors analyse the forecasting error distribution in different time intervals during each day, and according to the error expectation, divide the data set into two subsets, then train each subset separately to establish segmentation model. The result shows that ELM segmentation model based on error distribution provides a better performance than using ELM alone.
The evolution of young HII regions
Authors: Klaassen P. D. , Johnston K. G. , Urquhart J. S. , Mottram J. C. , Peters T. , Kuiper R. , Beuther H. , van der Tak F.F.S. , Goddi C.
Published: December 2017

Context. High-mass stars form in much richer environments than those associated with isolated low-mass stars, and once they reach a certain mass, produce ionised (HII) regions. The formation of these pockets of ionised gas are unique to the formation of high-mass stars (M > 8 M⊙), and present an excellent opportunity to study the final stages of accretion, which could include accretion through the HII region itself.

Aim. This study of the dynamics of the gas on both sides of these ionisation boundaries in very young HII regions aims to quantify the relationship between the HII regions and their immediate environments.

Methods. We present high-resolution (~0.5″) ALMA observations of nine HII regions selected from the red MSX source survey with compact radio emission and bolometric luminosities greater than 104 L⊙. We focus on the initial presentation of the data, including initial results from the radio recombination line H29α, some complementary molecules, and the 256 GHz continuum emission.

Results. Of the six (out of nine) regions with H29α detections, two appear to have cometary morphologies with velocity gradients across them, and two appear more spherical with velocity gradients suggestive of infalling ionised gas. The remaining two were either observed at low resolution or had signals that were too weak to draw robust conclusions. We also present a description of the interactions between the ionised and molecular gas (as traced by CS (J = 5 − 4)), often (but not always) finding the HII region had cleared its immediate vicinity of molecules.

Conclusions. Of our sample of nine, the observations of the two clusters expected to have the youngest HII regions (from previous radio observations) are suggestive of having infalling motions in the H29α emission, which could be indicative of late stage accretion onto the stars despite the presence of an HII region.
The cosmic evolution of dust-corrected metallicity in the
neutral gas
Authors: De Cia Annalisa , Ledoux Cédric , Petitjean Patrick , Savaglio Sandra
Published: December 2017

Interpreting abundances of damped Ly-α absorbers (DLAs) from absorption-line spectroscopy has typically been a challenge because of the presence of dust. Nevertheless, because DLAs trace distant gas-rich galaxies regardless of their luminosity, they provide an attractive way of measuring the evolution of the metallicity of the neutral gas with cosmic time. This has been done extensively so far, but typically not taking proper dust corrections into account. The aims of this paper are to: (i) provide a simplified way of calculating dust corrections, based on a single observed [X/Fe], (ii) assess the importance of dust corrections for DLA metallicities and their evolution, and (iii) investigate the cosmic evolution of iron for a large DLA sample. We have derived dust corrections based on the observed [Zn/Fe], [Si/Fe], or [S/Fe], and confirmed their robustness. We present dust-corrected metallicities in a scale of [Fe/H]tot for 236 DLAs over a broad range of z, and assess the extent of dust corrections for different metals at different metallicities. Dust corrections in DLAs are important even for Zn (typically of 0.1–0.2, and up to 0.5 dex), which is often neglected. Finally, we study the evolution of the dust-corrected metallicity with z. The DLA metallicities decrease with redshift, by a factor of 50–100 from today to ~12.6 billion years ago (z = 5). When including dust corrections, the average DLA metallicities are 0.4–0.5 dex higher than without corrections. The upper envelope of the relation between metallicity and z reaches solar metallicity at z ≲ 0.5, although some systems can have solar metallicity already out to z ~ 3.
Large-scale photospheric motions determined from granule tracking and helioseismology from SDO/HMI
data
Authors: Roudier Th. , Švanda M. , Ballot J. , Malherbe J. M. , Rieutord M.
Published: December 2017

Context. Large-scale flows in the Sun play an important role in the dynamo process linked to the solar cycle. The important large-scale flows are the differential rotation and the meridional circulation with an amplitude of km s−1 and few m s−1, respectively. These flows also have a cycle-related components, namely the torsional oscillations.

Aim. Our attempt is to determine large-scale plasma flows on the solar surface by deriving horizontal flow velocities using the techniques of solar granule tracking, dopplergrams, and time–distance helioseismology.

Methods. Coherent structure tracking (CST) and time-distance helioseismology were used to investigate the solar differential rotation and meridional circulation at the solar surface on a 30-day HMI/SDO sequence. The influence of a large sunspot on these large-scale flows with a specific 7-day HMI/SDO sequence has been also studied.

Results. The large-scale flows measured by the CST on the solar surface and the same flow determined from the same data with the helioseismology in the first 1 Mm below the surface are in good agreement in amplitude and direction. The torsional waves are also located at the same latitudes with amplitude of the same order. We are able to measure the meridional circulation correctly using the CST method with only 3 days of data and after averaging between ± 15° in longitude.

Conclusions. We conclude that the combination of CST and Doppler velocities allows us to detect properly the differential solar rotation and also smaller amplitude flows such as the meridional circulation and torsional waves. The results of our methods are in good agreement with helioseismic measurements.
Bowel Obstruction: Decompressive Gastrostomies and Cecostomies
Authors: Mohan Prasoon , Tartaglione Robert , Narayanan Govindarajan , Miller Zoe
Published: December 2017

Over the past 30 years, image-guided placement of gastrostomies and cecostomies for gastrointestinal decompression has developed into a safe and effective treatment for symptomatic bowel obstruction. Gastrostomies and cecostomies relieve patient symptoms, can prevent serious complications such as colonic perforation, and may bridge patients to more definitive treatment for the underlying cause of obstruction. This article will review the history of decompressive gastrostomies and cecostomies as well as the indications, contraindications, technique, complications, and outcomes of these procedures.
Endoscopic Third Ventriculostomy before Posterior Fossa Tumor Surgery in Adult Patients
Authors: El Damaty Ahmed , Manwaring Jotham , El Refaee Ehab , Fleck Steffen , Fritsch Michael , Gaab Michael , Schroeder H.W.S. , Baldauf Jörg , Marx Sascha
Published: December 2017

Objective Obstructive hydrocephalus in patients with posterior fossa tumors is frequently seen. Treatment options include immediate tumor removal or prior cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) diversion procedures. The necessity and feasibility of an ETV in these situations has not yet been proven in adult patients.

Methods We retrospectively reviewed our prospectively maintained database for ETVs before surgery of posterior fossa tumors in adults. The primary focus of data analyses was the question of whether the ETV was suitable to treat the acute situation of hydrocephalus without an increased rate of complications due to the special anatomical situation with a posterior fossa tumor. We also analyzed whether any further CSF diverting procedures were necessary.

Results A total of 40 adult patients who underwent an ETV before posterior fossa tumor surgery were analyzed. Overall, 33 patients (82.5%) had clinical signs of hydrocephalus, and all of them improved in their clinical course after ETV. Seven patients (17.5%) did not demonstrate clinical signs of hydrocephalus, but ETV was performed with prophylactic or palliative intent in six patients and one patient, respectively. No complications were observed due to ETV itself. No permanent shunting procedure was necessary in a mean follow-up of 76.5 months. Early additional CSF diverting procedures (redo ETV, external ventricular drain) were performed in five patients (12.5%).

Conclusion The present series confirms the feasibility and safety of ETV before posterior fossa tumor surgery in adult patients. If patients had symptomatic hydrocephalus before tumor surgery, an ETV can be performed, followed by early elective tumor surgery. A prophylactic ETV in asymptomatic patients is not advised. Early elective tumor surgery should be performed in these patients.
Lacking Benefit of Intraoperative High-Dose Dexamethasone in Instrumented Surgery for Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy
Authors: Wiederhold Henrich , Geiger Matthias , Clusmann Hans , Müller Christian , Blume Christian
Published: December 2017

Background Our objective was to investigate the effect of intraoperative dexamethasone administration on wound healing, complications, and clinical outcome in patients with posterior surgery for cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM).

Methods We conducted a retrospective study of patients with CSM undergoing dorsal instrumentation and decompression of the cervical spine. The senior surgeon decided if administration of dexamethasone (40 mg intravenously) was indicated. Patients were divided into two groups: dexamethasone group (DG) and non-dexamethasone group (nDG). All patients were monitored for pre- and postoperative neurologic symptoms and complications. Clinical follow-up was evaluated with the Neck Disability Index (NDI) and the modified Japanese Orthopaedic Association (mJOA) score.

Results A total of 49 patients were included (DG, 25; nDG, 24). DG and nDG patients showed no significant differences in pre- and postoperative findings. Five patients in the DG had wound healing complications compared with patients in the nDG (p = 0.021), and one died due to infection. Apart from that, we did not observe any significant differences between the two groups regarding complications, neurologic symptoms, and follow-up (NDI and mJOA).

Conclusion Intraoperative dexamethasone administration had no influence on the postoperative outcome and follow-up. A significantly higher rate of wound infections was detected in the DG. These data support the hypothesis that intraoperative dexamethasone bolus application in CSM lacks benefit.
How Reliable Is Pupillary Evaluation Following Subarachnoid Hemorrhage? Effect of Oculomotor Nerve Degeneration Secondary to Posterior Communicating Artery Vasospasm: First Experimental Study
Authors: Ozturk Cengiz , Ozdemir Nuriye , Aydin Mehmet , Findik Huseyin , Aydin Nazan , Kabalar Mehmet , Kazdal Hizir , Yolas Coskun , Baykal Orhan , Calik Muhammet , Kanat Ayhan
Published: December 2017

Background and Study Aim  Basic neurophysiologic principles of the light reflex are well known. However, the effects of degenerated axon densities of oculomotor nerves (OMNs) secondary to posterior communicating artery (PComA) vasospasm following subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) have not been investigated. Our aim was to study this subject.

Methods This study was conducted on 19 rabbits. There was a control group of five animals, a sham group of five animals in which saline was injected into the cisterna magna and a study group of nine animals in which homologous blood was injected into the cisterna magna. Pupillary diameters were measured for 1 week, then the animals were decapitated. The normal and degenerated axon densities of the OMNs were examined by stereological methods. Vasospasm indexes (VSIs) of posterior communicating arteries (PComAs) supplying OMNs were estimated and analyzed statistically.

Results The pupillary diameter was 5.439 ± 368 µm, and the mean axon density of the OMNs was 0.924 ± 324/mm3 in the control group. The pupillary diameter and degenerated axon density of the OMNs in animals of the sham group were 6.980 ± 0.370 µm and 36 ± 8/mm3, respectively. The pupillary diameter was 9.942 ± 653 µm, and degenerated axon density of the OMNs was 265 ± 57/mm3 in animals with SAH. The mean VSI values of PComAs were 0.927 ± 0.224 in the control group, 1.542 ± 0.257 in the sham group, and 2.321 ± 0.324 in the SAH group.

Conclusion We found a linear relationship between the axon density of the OMNs and pupillary diameters. High degenerated neuron density in the OMNs may be responsible for an unresponsive pupillary that has not been mentioned in the literature.
Comparison of Percutaneous Endoscopic Lumbar Diskectomy and Open Lumbar Microdiskectomy for Recurrent Lumbar Disk Herniation
Authors: Lee Jung-Sup , Pee Yong-Hun , Jang Jee-Soo , Jang Il-Tae , Kim Hyeun-Sung
Published: December 2017

Objective To establish the appropriateness of transforaminal percutaneous endoscopic lumbar diskectomy (PELD) by comparing it with open lumbar microdiskectomy (OLM) for surgical treatment of recurrent lumbar disk herniation.

Methods We retrospectively analyzed 83 patients who underwent revision surgery (group A: PELD, 35 cases; group B: OLM, 48 cases) for recurrent lumbar disk herniation between March 2009 and April 2014. All of the patients were followed > 12 months. To evaluate outcomes, we checked the leg and back visual analog scale (VAS), Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), complications, and recurrence for all patients.

Results The mean improvement of VAS for leg was 5.97 ± 0.98 for group A and 5.62 ± 1.42 for group B (p = 0.194). The mean improvement of VAS for back pain was 2.71 ± 1.30 for group A and 2.29 ± 1.41 for group B (p = 0.168). The mean improvement of ODI scores was 28.86 ± 3.93 for group A and 28.00 ± 4.22 for group B (p = 0.350). Total surgery-related complications were none for group A and nine for group B (p = 0.009). Group A had one subject with surgery-related neurologic symptoms and group B had four (p = 0.391). Recurrence occurred in two patients in group A and seven patients in group B (p = 0.291).

Conclusion PELD and OLM have favorable clinical outcomes in patients with recurrent lumbar disk herniation, and PELD results in fewer complications compared with OLM. Therefore, PELD may be a better alternative to OLM for patients with recurrent lumbar disk herniation.
Predictors of Poor Outcome after Successful Mechanical Thrombectomy in Patients with Acute Anterior Circulation Stroke
Authors: Tajima Yosuke , Hayasaka Michihiro , Ebihara Koichi , Kubota Masaaki , Suda Sumio
Published: December 2017

Successful revascularization is one of the main predictors of a favorable clinical outcome after mechanical thrombectomy. However, even if mechanical thrombectomy is successful, some patients have a poor clinical outcome. This study aimed to investigate the clinical, imaging, and procedural factors that are predictive of poor clinical outcomes despite successful revascularization after mechanical thrombectomy in patients with acute anterior circulation stroke. The authors evaluated 69 consecutive patients (mean age, 74.6 years, 29 women) who presented with acute ischemic stroke due to internal cerebral artery or middle cerebral artery occlusions and who were successfully treated with mechanical thrombectomy between July 2014 and November 2016. A good outcome was defined as a modified Rankin Scale score of 0 to 2 at 3 months after treatment. The associations between the clinical, imaging, and procedural factors and poor outcome were evaluated using logistic regression analyses. Using multivariate analyses, the authors found that the preoperative National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score (odds ratio [OR], 1.152; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.004–1.325; p = 0.028), the diffusion-weighted imaging Alberta Stroke Program Early Computed Tomography Score (DWI-ASPECTS) (OR, 0.604; 95% CI, 0.412–0.882; p = 0.003), and a Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction (TICI) 2b classification (OR, 4.521; 95% CI, 1.140–17.885; p = 0.026) were independent predictors of poor outcome. Complete revascularization to reduce the infarct volume should be performed, especially in patients with a high DWI-ASPECTS, to increase the likelihood of a good outcome.
Wo und wie wirkt Yoga? – Eine wissenschaftliche Bestandsaufnahme
Authors: Cramer Holger
Published: December 2017

As a traditional health care system, yoga combines physical activity, breathing techniques and meditation. It is increasingly used as a preventive or therapeutic means. Yoga has been researched in hundreds of randomized controlled trials. Positive effects are especially found for chronic pain conditions, hypertension, depression and in supportive cancer care. While there are case reports of serious adverse events associated with yoga, the risk seems to be extremely low and comparable to other forms of physical activity. Yoga can thus be considered as a safe and effective adjunct therapy for a number of conditions.
Experimental confirmation of the atomic force microscope cantilever stiffness tilt correction
Authors: Gates Richard S.
Published: December 2017

The tilt angle (angle of repose) of an AFM cantilever relative to the surface it is interrogating affects the effective stiffness of the cantilever as it analyzes the surface. For typical AFMs and cantilevers that incline from 10° to 15° tilt, this is thought to be a 3%–7% stiffness increase correction. While the theoretical geometric analysis of this effect may have reached a consensus that it varies with cos−2 θ, there is very little experimental evidence to confirm this using AFM cantilevers. Recently, the laser Doppler vibrometry thermal calibration method utilized at NIST has demonstrated sufficient stiffness calibration accuracy, and precision to allow a definitive experimental confirmation of the particular trigonometric form of this tilt effect using a commercial microfabricated AFM cantilever specially modified to allow strongly tilted (up to 15°) effective cantilever stiffness measurements.
Enhanced bipolar resistive switching behavior in polar Cr-doped barium titanate thin films without electro-forming process
Authors: Thakre Atul , Kumar Ashok
Published: December 2017

An enhanced, repeatable and robust resistive switching phenomenon was observed in Cr substituted BaTiO3 polar ferroelectric thin films; fabricated and deposited by the sol-gel approach and spin coating technique, respectively. An enhanced bistable bipolar resistive switching (BRS) phenomenon without electro-forming process, low switching voltage (∼ 2 V) and moderate retention characteristics of 104 s along with a high Roff/Ron resistance ratio ∼103 was achieved. The current conduction analysis showed that the space charge limited conduction (SCLC) and Schottky emission conduction dominate in the high voltage range, while thermally active charge carriers (ohmic) in the lower voltage range. The impedance spectroscopy study indicates the formation of current conducting path and rupturing of oxygen vacancies during SET and RESET process.
Nonspherical sub-millimeter gas bubble oscillations: Parametric forcing and nonlinear shape mode coupling
Authors: Shaw Stephen J.
Published: December 2017

The nonspherical oscillations of a gas bubble being forced by a sinusoidal pressure field in an axisymmetric geometry are considered using an asymptotic model, which accounts for nonlinear shape mode interactions to third order, the effects of viscosity (in the absence of vorticity) to the same order, and weak compressibility. In particular, conditions by which a parametrically forced sub-millimeter sized bubble can achieve stable oscillatory shape deformation are studied in detail. It is found that a combination of the transfer of energy from the parametrically forced shape mode to the other modes through nonlinear shape mode coupling and viscous damping is key. Two transition regions in the spherical oscillations of the bubble are identified, the first being a consequence of the damping effects of compressibility and viscosity (with compressibility acting on a faster time scale) and the second due to nonlinear shape mode interactions. During this second transition time interval, the parametrically forced shape mode grows rapidly and nonlinearly excites other shape modes. For the moderate driving pressures considered, this growth is shown to peak and following a stabilizing transition region (only observed for the n ≥ 3 shape modes), the bubble thereafter undergoes stable, oscillatory shape deformation. Though the resultant shape deformation is dominated by the parametrically forced mode n = i, it is found to be a combination of a number of shapes modes, where the next most important mode is the second harmonic, n = 2i shape mode.
Optimal BP neural network algorithm for state of charge estimation of lithium-ion battery using PSO with PCA feature selection
Authors: Hossain Lipu M. S. , Hannan M. A. , Hussain Aini , Saad M. H. M.
Published: December 2017

The state of charge (SOC) is the residual capacity of a battery, which indicates the available charge left inside a battery to drive a vehicle. Accurate SOC estimation is of great significance for a lithium-ion battery to ensure its safe operation and to prevent it from over-charging or over-discharging. However, it is difficult to get an accurate value of SOC since it is an inner state of a battery cell, which cannot be directly measured. This paper presents an improved SOC estimation strategy for a lithium-ion battery using the back-propagation neural network (BPNN). Two algorithms, principal component analysis (PCA) and particle swarm optimization (PSO), are used to enhance the accuracy and robustness. PCA is utilized to select the most significant input features. The PSO algorithm is developed to determine the optimal value of hidden layer neurons and the learning rate since these parameters are the most critical factors in constructing an optimal BPNN model. The proposed model is tested and evaluated by using three electric vehicle drive cycles. The performance of the proposed model is compared with common BPNN and radial basis function neural network (RBFNN) models and verified based on the root mean square error (RMSE), mean square error (MSE), mean absolute error (MAE), mean absolute percentage error (MAPE), and SOC error. The validation results are very effective in predicting SOC with very narrow SOC error which demonstrates the model robustness. The results indicate that the proposed model computes RMSE to be 0.58%, 0.72%, and 0.47% for the Beijing Dynamic Stress Test (BJDST), Federal Urban Drive Schedule (FUDS), and US06, cycle, respectively.
Embedding cultural conceptualization within an adopted language
Authors: Malcolm Ian G.
Published: December 2017

Although a minority of Indigenous Australians still use their heritage languages, English has been largely adopted by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as their medium of communication both within and beyond their communities. In the period since English first reached Australia in 1788, a dialect has emerged, drawing on English, contact language, and Indigenous language sources, to enable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander speakers to maintain cultural conceptual continuity while communicating in a dramatically changed environment. In the perspective of Cultural Linguistics it can be shown that many of the modifications in the lexicon, grammar, phonology, and discourse of English as used by Indigenous Australians can be related to cultural/conceptual principles, of which five are illustrated here: interconnectedness, embodiment, group reference, orientation to motion, and orientation to observation. This is demonstrated here with data from varieties of Aboriginal English spoken in diverse Australian locations.1The understanding of Aboriginal English this gives has implications for cross-cultural communication and for education.
Matrimonial adverts in Indian English
Authors: Polzenhagen Frank , Frey Sandra
Published: December 2017

Our paper readdresses the Kachruvian notion of ‘contextualisation’ from a cultural-linguistic/cognitive-sociolinguistic perspective. We provide an exemplary analysis along these lines, using data from a corpus of Indian-English matrimonial advertisements as our empirical basis. Taking the dimensions of contextualisation distinguished in Kachru’s original framework as a matrix, we show that instances of nativisation detected in the data can be fruitfully spelled out in terms of their underlying cultural conceptualisations and are often interrelated against this background. Furthermore, we suggest that the notion of contextualisation can be profitably applied to entire text types. At a general level, we argue that an analysis that addresses cultural cognition at group level can overcome limitations of descriptive approaches in the study of L2-varieties and provide common ground for a joint endeavour of various research paradigms and disciplines.
A corpus-based analysis of cultural conceptualizations from the domains of family and money in Hong Kong English
Authors: Latić Denisa , Wolf Hans-Georg
Published: December 2017

Hong Kong culture blends paradoxes: In it, life and death, the real and the other world coexist in the traditions of its inhabitants, which eventually surface in the variety of English spoken in this Special Administrative Region of China. Our corpus-linguistic analysis, on the basis of ICE-HK and the GloWbE (Davies 2013) corpus,1 demonstrates the centrality of the family concept and its ramifications as well as its relation to the concept of money in Hong Kong English. The conceptualization children are an investment does not only show the conceptual network family and money belong to, but also lucidly shows the dynamics within the parent-child relationship, which is governed by filial piety and elderly care when the investment bears fruit. Collocations such as ‘hungry ghost,’ ‘hell money,’ and ‘worship ancestors’ are combinations of common core English terms that underwent semantic extension under the influence of the local Hong Kong cultural context. Our data shows how tightly language and culture are linked and that culture and cultural changes are the main factors to influence language and its development.
Cultural conceptualisations in Vietnamese English1
Authors: Dinh Thuy Ngoc
Published: December 2017

The fact that English has been used as a means of global communication appears to bring about the association of English with multiple cultural conceptualisations regardless of its roles in different contexts. The purpose of the present paper is to explore and argue for the existence of ‘Vietnamese English’, a variety developed by Vietnamese users of English with its own lexical specifics and underlying cultural conceptualisations. The most important areas of the study will include: (1) lexical innovations in Vietnamese English found in the data of the Vietnam Heritage Magazine and locally developed English textbooks in Vietnam; (2) the cultural schemas, categories and metaphors that are entrenched in instances of lexical innovation; and (3) a sample of documenting entries for a yet-to-be-compiled Vietnamese English Dictionary based on the findings.
The implications of demographic and economic projections on public pension spending in the European Union
Authors: Benítez-Aurioles Beatriz
Published: December 2017

This paper analyses the implications that demographic and economic projections have on public pension spending in the European Union (EU). Using some stylised facts, we study the aging trends of the population, as well as labour force and employment projections. Indices of both demographic and economic dependence are built. All of this is used to determine the impact on public pension spending in the EU. Although we detect substantial heterogeneity of circumstances, we show that the states in which aging of the population weights more in explaining public pension expenditure growth as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) are generally the ones that make greater efforts to control this spending. Given the limited capacity of policies to increase active population or employment to offset the effects of aging, measures aimed at diminishing the generosity of the public pension system and at promoting private schemes have gained relevance.
Mathematical Explanation and the Biological Optimality Fallacy
Authors: Wakil Samantha , Justus James
Published: December 2017

Pure mathematics can play an indispensable role explaining empirical phenomena if recent accounts of insect evolution are correct. In particular, the prime life cycles of cicadas and the geometric structure of honeycombs are taken to undergird an inference to the best explanation about mathematical entities. Neither example supports this inference or the mathematical realism it is intended to establish. Both incorrectly assume that facts about mathematical optimality drove selection for the respective traits and explain why they exist. We show how this problem can be avoided, identify limitations of explanatory indispensability arguments, and attempt to clarify the nature of mathematical explanation.