bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Murder by the book: using crime fiction as a bibliotherapeutic resource
Authors: Brewster Liz
Published: November 2016

Crime is a popular genre of fiction, widely read but sometimes seen as ‘throwaway’. Disregarding this type of fiction because it is seen as low quality does not take into account its value to readers. Reading has been established as a means of improving mental health and well-being—often known as bibliotherapy. This often focuses on fiction considered to have literary merit rather than genre fiction like crime. However, in framing therapeutic reading in this way, the impact of texts considered to have low cultural value such as crime has been concealed. Examining readers’ responses as a starting point identifies some reasons why crime fiction fulfils a need. Readers in an empirical study spoke about the strong narrative as a distraction, the predictability as a comfort and the safe distance from events as a reassurance that left them feeling that reading crime fiction was a refuge from the world. In exploring readers’ responses in relation to the academic literature, the paper argues that there is a need to think differently about how readers engage with texts and how they experience reading as therapeutic, with a role for fiction like crime.
Thrombogenicity of flow diverters in an ex vivo shunt model: effect of phosphorylcholine surface modification
Authors: Hagen Matthew W , Girdhar Gaurav , Wainwright John , Hinds Monica T
Published: November 2016

Background

Flow diverters offer a promising treatment for cerebral aneurysms. However, they have associated thromboembolic risks, mandating chronic dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT). Shield Technology is a phosphorylcholine surface modification of the Pipeline Embolization Device (PED) flow diverter, which has shown significant reductions in material thrombogenicity in vitro.

Objective

To compare the thrombogenicity of PED, PED with Shield Technology (PED+Shield), and the Flow-Redirection Endoluminal Device (FRED)—with and without single antiplatelet therapy and DAPT—under physiological flow.

Methods

An established non-human primate ex vivo arteriovenous shunt model of stent thrombosis was used. PED, PED+Shield, and FRED were tested without antiplatelet therapy, with acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) monotherapy, and with DAPT. Radiolabeled platelet deposition was quantified over 1 hour for each device and total fibrin deposition was also quantified.

Results

Cumulative statistical analysis showed significantly lower platelet deposition on PED compared with FRED. The same statistical model showed significant decreases in platelet deposition when ASA, clopidogrel, or Shield Technology was used. Direct comparisons of device performances within antiplatelet conditions showed consistent significant decreases in platelet accumulation on PED+Shield relative to FRED. PED+Shield showed significant reductions in platelet deposition compared with unmodified PED without antiplatelet therapy and with DAPT. PED accumulated minimal fibrin with and without Shield Technology.

Conclusions

In this preclinical model, we have shown that the Shield Technology phosphorylcholine modification reduces the platelet-specific thrombogenicity of a flow diverter under physiologically relevant flow with and without DAPT. We have further identified increased fibrin-driven thrombogenicity associated with FRED relative to PED.
Analysis of vertebral augmentation practice patterns: a 2016 update
Authors: Hirsch Joshua A , Chandra Ronil V , Pampati Vidsysagar , Barr John D , Brook Allan L , Manchikanti Laxmaiah
Published: November 2016

Objective

To evaluate procedure utilization patterns for vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty in the US Medicare population from 2004 to 2014.

Methods

The analysis was performed using the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services database of specialty utilization files for the fee for service (FFS) Medicare population.

Results

The FFS Medicare population increased by 28% with an annual increase of 2.5% from 2004 to 2014. Utilization of vertebroplasty procedures decreased by 63% with an average annual decrease of 9.5% from 2004 to 2014 per 100 000 FFS Medicare beneficiaries. During the same time period, kyphoplasty procedures decreased by a total of 10%, with an average annual decrease of 1.3%. For augmentation generally (combined vertebroplasty/kyphoplasty data) there was thus an overall decrease in the rate per 100 000 Medicare population of 32% from 2004 to 2014, with an average annual decrease of 4.8%. The majority of vertebroplasty procedures were performed by radiologists whereas the majority of kyphoplasties were performed by orthopedic surgeons and neurosurgeons.

Conclusions

There has been a significant decline in vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty procedures in the FFS Medicare population between 2004 and 2014.
Identification and characterization of genes on a single subgenome in the hexaploid wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) genotype ‘Chinese Spring’
Authors: Ma Jian , Zheng Zhi , Stiller Jiri , Lan Xiu-jin , Liu Yaxi , Deng Mei , Wang Penghao , Pu Zhien , Chen Guangdeng , Jiang Qian-tao , Wei Yuming , Zheng You-Liang
Published: November 2016

Gene loss during the formation of hexaploid bread wheat has been repeatedly reported. However, our knowledge on genome-wide analysis of the genes present on a single subgenome (SSG) in bread wheat is still limited. In this study, by analysing the ‘Chinese Spring’ chromosome arm shotgun sequences together with high-confidence gene models, we detected 433 genes on a SSG. Greater gene loss was observed in A and D subgenomes compared with B subgenome. More than 79% of the orthologs for these SSG genes were detected in diploid and tetraploid relatives of hexaploid wheat. Unexpectedly, no bias in expression breadth or in the distribution patterns of GO (gene ontology) terms for these genes was detected among the high-confidence genes. Further, network and KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) pathway analyses indicated that most of these genes were not functionally related to each other. Interestingly, 30.7% of these SSG genes were most highly expressed in root, showing biased distribution given the distribution of the whole high-confidence genes. Collectively, these results facilitate our understanding of the loss of the genes that were retained in a SSG during the formation of hexaploid wheat.
Spectrum monitoring with unmanned aerial vehicle carrying a receiver based on the core technology of cognitive radio – A software-defined radio design
Authors: Chen Wen-Tzu , Ho Chen-Hsun
Published: November 2016

In this paper, we design and make a prototype of an aerial spectrum monitoring system that consists of a ground control station and a four-rotor unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). This UAV carries a software-defined radio (SDR) receiver to perform spectrum monitoring tasks, including signal strength, frequency occupancy, and signal analysis. A light and low-cost SDR-based dongle consisting of RTL2832U chip and R820T tuner is employed as the monitoring receiver. A global positioning system and an electronic compass system are built on board to report the UAV’s position and direction. The open-source development platform GNU Radio is employed to design the radio monitoring system through the use of software-defined blocks. The proposed aerial monitoring system can detect radio signals in the frequency range of 25–1700 MHz that in practice covers the FM and DVB bands. With the prototype monitoring system, we have performed a few measurement tasks, including signal strength, waterfall display, and demodulation for identifying FM stations. Our proposed aerial monitoring system is more cost-effective than land-vehicle monitoring stations because of its much more flexible implementation.
Global embeddings and hydrodynamic properties of Kerr black hole
Authors: Hong Soon-Tae
Published: November 2016

In the presence of a rotating Kerr black hole, we investigate hydrodynamics of the massive particles and massless photons to construct relations among number density, pressure and internal energy density of the massive particles and photons around the rotating Kerr black hole and to study an accretion onto the black hole. On equatorial plane of the Kerr black hole, we investigate the bound orbits of the massive particles and photons around the black hole to produce their radial, azimuthal and precession frequencies. With these frequencies, we study the black holes GRO J1655-40 and 4U 1543-47 to explicitly obtain the radial, azimuthal and precession frequencies of the massive particles in the flow of perfect fluid. We next consider the massive particles in the stable circular orbit of radius of 1.0 ly around the supernovas SN 1979C, SN 1987A and SN 2213-1745 in the Kerr curved spacetime, and around the potential supermassive Schwarzschild black holes M87, NGC 3115, NGC 4594, NGC 3377, NGC 4258, M31, M32 and Galatic center, to estimate their radial and azimuthal frequencies, which are shown to be the same results as those in no precession motion. The photon unstable orbit is also discussed in terms of the impact parameter of the photon trajectory. Finally, on the equatorial plane of the Kerr black hole, we construct the global flat embedding structures possessing (9 + 3) dimensionalities outside and inside the event horizon of the rotating Kerr black hole. Moreover, on the plane, we investigate the warp products of the Kerr spacetime.
Quantization of the higher derivative Maxwell–Chern–Simons–Proca model based on BFT method
Authors: Sararu Silviu Constantin , Udristioiu Mihaela Tinca
Published: November 2016

Using the Batalin, Fradkin and Tyutin approach, the second-class higher derivative Maxwell–Chern–Simons–Proca model is converted into a mixed constrained one and then, the Hamiltonian path integral of the resulting mixed constrained system is constructed. The Hamiltonian path integral takes a manifestly Lorentz covariant form.
Reissner–Nordström solution from Weyl transverse gravity
Authors: Oda Ichiro
Published: November 2016

We study classical solutions in the Weyl-transverse (WTDiff) gravity coupled to an electromagnetic field in four spacetime dimensions. The WTDiff gravity is invariant under both the local Weyl (conformal) transformation and the volume preserving diffeomorphisms (transverse diffeomorphisms) and is known to be equivalent to general relativity at least at the classical level (perhaps even in the quantum regime). In particular, we find that only in four spacetime dimensions, the charged Reissner–Nordström black hole metric is a classical solution when it is expressed in the Cartesian coordinate system.
Measuring decay of praseodymium isotopes activated by a clinical LINAC
Authors: Boztosun Ismail , Đapo Haris , Karakoç Mesut
Published: November 2016

The decay of [Formula: see text]Pr produced by activation with a clinical LINAC was investigated. The sample was counted by a HPGe detector with 40% relative efficiency. Transitions created by beta decay of [Formula: see text]Pr were observed and corresponding energies lines and relative transition strengths were measured. In addition, half-life of [Formula: see text]Pr was obtained at 3.38 ± 0.06 min. The experimental results fitted nicely to the existing energy levels scheme of [Formula: see text]Pr. Notably, all results for transition energies are more accurate than the literature values, while the half-life and transition strengths showed accuracy similar to that of the literature.
A SPH Implementation with Ignition and Growth and Afterburning Models for Aluminized Explosives
Authors: Wang Guangyu , Liu Guirong , Peng Qing , De Suvranu
Published: November 2016

Aluminized explosives have been applied in military industry since decades ago. Compared with ideal explosives such as TNT, HMX, RDX, aluminized explosives feature both fast detonation and slow metal combustion chemistry, generating a complex multi-phase reactive flow. Though aluminized explosives have been employed for a long time, the mechanism underneath the chemical process is still not thoroughly understood. In this paper, a smooth particle hydrodynamics (SPH) method incorporated ignition and growth model, and afterburning model has been proposed for the simulation of aluminized explosive. Ignition and growth model is currently the most popular model for the simulation of high explosives, which is capable of accurately reproducing arrival time of detonation front and pressure history of high explosives. It has been integrated in commercial software such as ANSYS-LS DYNA. In addition, an afterburning model has been integrated in the SPH code to simulate the combustion of aluminum particles. Simulation is compared with experiment and good agreement is observed. The proposed mathematical model can be used to study the detonation of aluminized explosives.
A POD-Based Variational Multiscale Method for Large Eddy Simulation of Turbulent Channel Flows
Authors: Chen Lin-Feng , Hu Xu-Qu
Published: November 2016

A POD-based variational multiscale method (VMM) for large eddy simulation (LES) of turbulent channel flows is proposed. The incompressible Navier–Stokes equations are solved using a residual-based VMM technique, and the residual-based model coefficient is adopted from Taylor et al. [1998] “Finite element modeling of blood flow in arteries,” Comput. Methods in Appl. Mech. Eng. 158(1–2), 155–196. A generalized-[Formula: see text] method is applied for the temporal integration. Numerical results show that four or higher wall-normal modes need to be applied for reproducing most of the turbulent characteristics. Results of large vortex structures and the low velocity streaks prove that the turbulent channel flows are well estimated by the proposed approach. The statistical analysis of the turbulent velocities confirms its reliability in turbulent channel flows.
Formation and stability of porphyrin and phthalocyanine self-assembled monolayers on ZnO surfaces
Authors: Hakola Hanna , Sariola-Leikas Essi , Jäntti Paavo , Mokus Thomas , Stranius Kati , Efimov Alexander , Tkachenko Nikolai V.
Published: November 2016

Formation of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of three porphyrin and one phthalocyanine derivatives on thin ZnO film was studied by monitoring absorption spectra of the samples. The compounds were equipped with carboxylic or phosphate groups to bind to the surface. The SAM formation was found to be fast. The layer was formed in less than 15 min for all studied porphyrins, and 30 min was sufficient to form phthalocyanine layer. For porphyrins with different anchor groups the SAM formation was too fast to see any difference between the anchoring groups. The stability of SAMs was tested then by immersing the samples into neat solvents. Upon immersion the SAMs were gradually losing the absorbance for all the compounds with degradation trends being in line with p[Formula: see text] values of the binding groups of the same type. However, even for the weakest binding group the SAM was relatively stable after a few tens of minutes of washing, which was sufficient to remove physisorbed compounds but the SAM was essentially not destroyed. Comparison of SAMs on thin films with SAMs on ZnO nanorods and TiO2 nanoparticle films indicated the same fast layer formation but relatively weaker SAMs stability, showing 20–40% faster absorption losses during the washing.
On Fair Attribution of Costs Under Peak-Based Pricing to Cloud Tenants
Authors: Nasiriani Neda , Wang Cheng , Kesidis George , Urgaonkar Bhuvan , Chen Lydia Y. , Birke Robert
Published: November 2016

The costs incurred by cloud providers towards operating their data centers are often determined in large part by their peak demands. The pricing schemes currently used by cloud providers to recoup these costs from their tenants, however, do not distinguish tenants based on their contributions to the cloud’s overall peak demand. Using the concrete example of peak-based pricing as employed by many electric utility companies, we show that this “gap” may lead to unfair attribution of costs to the tenants. Simple enhancements of existing cloud pricing (e.g., analogous to the coincident peak pricing (CPP) used by some electric utilities) do not adequately address these shortcomings and suffer from short-term unfairness and undesirable oscillatory price-vs.-demand relationships offered to tenants. To overcome these shortcomings, we define an alternative pricing scheme to more fairly distribute a cloud’s costs among its tenants. We demonstrate the efficacy of our scheme under price-sensitive tenant demand response using a combination of (i) extensive empirical evaluation with recent workloads from commercial data centers operated by IBM and (ii) analytical [modeling] through non-cooperative game theory for a special case of tenant demand model.
Gaussian Random Number Generation
Authors: Malik Jamshaid Sarwar , Hemani Ahmed
Published: November 2016

Some excellent surveys of the Gaussian random number generators (GRNGs) from the algorithmic perspective exist in the published literature to date (e.g., Thomas et al. [2007]). In the last decade, however, advancements in digital hardware have resulted in an ever-decreasing hardware cost and increased design flexibility. Additionally, recent advances in applications like gaming, weather forecasting, and simulations in physics and astronomy require faster, cheaper, and statistically accurate GRNGs. These two trends have contributed toward the development of a number of novel GRNG architectures optimized for hardware design. A detailed comparative study of these hardware architectures has been somewhat missing in the published literature. This work provides the potential user a capsulization of the published hardware GRNG architectures. We have provided the method and theory, pros and cons, and a comparative summary of the speed, statistical accuracy, and hardware resource utilization of these architectures. Finally, we have complemented this work by describing two novel hardware GRNG architectures, namely, the CLT-inversion and the multihat algorithm, respectively. These new architectures provide high tail accuracy (6σand8σ, respectively) at a low hardware cost.
2.5D Inversion Algorithm of Frequency-Domain Airborne Electromagnetics with Topography
Authors: Xi Jianjun , Li Wenben
Published: November 2016

We presented a 2.5D inversion algorithm with topography for frequency-domain airborne electromagnetic data. The forward modeling is based on edge finite element method and uses the irregular hexahedron to adapt the topography. The electric and magnetic fields are split into primary (background) and secondary (scattered) field to eliminate the source singularity. For the multisources of frequency-domain airborne electromagnetic method, we use the large-scale sparse matrix parallel shared memory direct solver PARDISO to solve the linear system of equations efficiently. The inversion algorithm is based on Gauss-Newton method, which has the efficient convergence rate. The Jacobian matrix is calculated by “adjoint forward modelling” efficiently. The synthetic inversion examples indicated that our proposed method is correct and effective. Furthermore, ignoring the topography effect can lead to incorrect results and interpretations.
Spatial and Temporal Characterization of Indoor Millimeter Wave Propagation at 24 GHz
Authors: Min Seok-hwan , Kim Hayeon , Lee Haengseon , Byun Woo Jin , Kang Minsoo , Kim Kwangseon , Kim Bong-su , Song Myung-sun
Published: November 2016

Indoor millimeter wave propagation at the frequency of 24 GHz is studied by experimental methods. Measurements are performed to obtain temporal and spatial channel model using a channel sounder and rotating antennas in a corridor. The measured impulse responses are processed to obtain compact channel model following Saleh-Valenzuela’s model. The responses are compared with those of 5.3 GHz for the same test sites. Angular spread of 24 GHz is found to be smaller than that of 5.3 GHz, while echoes of 24 GHz are found to be longer than those of 5.3 GHz.
Radiation Dose Calculations for a Hypothetical Accident in Xianning Nuclear Power Plant
Authors: Cao Bo , Zheng Junxiao , Chen Yixue
Published: November 2016

Atmospheric dispersion modeling and radiation dose calculations have been performed for a hypothetical AP1000 SGTR accident by HotSpot code 3.03. TEDE, the respiratory time-integrated air concentration, and the ground deposition are calculated for various atmospheric stability classes, Pasquill stability categories A–F with site-specific averaged meteorological conditions. The results indicate that the maximum plume centerline ground deposition value of1.2E+2 kBq/m2occurred at about 1.4 km and the maximum TEDE value of1.41E-05 Sv occurred at 1.4 km from the reactor. It is still far below the annual regulatory limits of 1 mSv for the public as set in IAEA Safety Report Series number 115. The released radionuclides might be transported to long distances but will not have any harmful effect on the public.
Pigmentation Effect of Rice Bran Extracted Minerals Comprising Soluble Silicic Acids
Authors: Jang Hyun-Jun , Seo Young-Kwon
Published: November 2016

Our investigation focused on identifying melanogenesis effect of soluble minerals in rice bran ash extract (RBE) which include orthosilicic acid (OSA). Melanocytes were apparently normal in terms of morphology. It was, however, shown that they were stressed a little in the RBE and OSA added media in aspect of LDH activity. Melanin synthesis and intracellular tyrosinase activity were increased by treatment of RBE which is similar to that of OSA. The Western blotting results showed that TRP‐1, tyrosinase, and MITF expression levels were 2‐3 times higher in the OSA and RBE groups compared to the control group which promoted melanin synthesis through CREB phosphorylation. Moreover, histology and immunohistochemistry were shown to have similar result to that of protein expression. As a result, minerals which comprise orthosilicic acid has the potential to promote melanogenesis and both RBE and OSA have similar cell viability, protein expression, and immunostaining results, suggesting that RBE comprises specific minerals which promote melanin synthesis through increasing of MITF and CREB phosphorylation. Therefore, RBE could be used as a novel therapeutic approach to combat melanin deficiency related diseases by stimulating melanocytes via its soluble Si and mineral components.
Development of Au-Nanoprobes Combined with Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification for Detection of Isoniazid Resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Authors: Ckumdee Jutturong , Kaewphinit Thongchai , Chansiri Kosum , Santiwatanakul Somchai
Published: November 2016

Multidrug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is Mycobacterium tuberculosis that does not respond to isoniazid and rifampicin, so the condition worsens continuously and creates difficulties for treatment by public health control programmes, especially in developing countries. The real time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) combined with agarose gel electrophoresis or strip tests is useful molecular tools for diagnosis of MDR-TB. Novel loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) can also detect drug resistance, which is a one-point mutation, by designing inner primers of 5′ end specific with the mutant. Au-nanoprobes on hybridisation with LAMP products containing target-specific sequences remain red, whereas test samples without specific sequences in the probe turn purple due to salt-induced aggregation of the Au-nanoprobes. In this study, a strategy was designed based on the LAMP of a DNA sample coupled to specific Au-nanoprobes, which showed the potential to provide a rapid and sensitive method for detecting isoniazid resistance at katG gene position 315 (G→C). 46 clinical samples were tested and showed 100% specificity and sensitivity compared with Genotype® MDR-TB Plus. This method was advantageous because it is rapid, cheap, specific, and sensitive. Further, it does not require thermal cycles for MDR-TB detection.
Optical Properties of DMA-π-DCV Derivatives: A Theoretical Inspection under the DFT Microscope
Authors: Calbo Joaquín
Published: November 2016

The optical properties of a series of donor-acceptor N,N-dimethylaniline-π-dicyanovinylene (DMA-π-DCV) chromophores have been investigated under the density functional theory framework. Focus has been made on the low-lying charge-transfer (CT) electronic transitions for which experimental data is available. The effect of theπ-conjugated bridge length and type was analysed between the families of oligoene and oligoyne derivatives of increasing size. Theoretical calculations demonstrate that the ethylene bridge is a betterπ-communicator and allows for more delocalized frontier molecular orbitals compared to the acetylene spacer. TheΛdiagnostic test allowed rationalization of the orbital spatial overlap in the main CT excitations. The performance of different density functional rungs was assessed in the prediction of the lowest-lying CT electronic transition. Surprisingly, most modern long-range corrected functionals demonstrated to provide among the largest errors, whereas hybrid functionals showed the best performance. Solvatochromism was confirmed in both oligoene and oligoyne compounds. A donor-acceptor-donor triad based on tetrathiafulvalene was utilised as a test system for the prediction of its two CT bands of different nature, energy, and intensity. The hybrid PBE0 (or a similar hybrid analogue) consolidates as the best choice for the prediction of CT excitations in the DMA-π-DCV push-pull family.
Studies on the Ecological Adaptability of Growing Rice with Floating Bed on the Dilute Biogas Slurry
Authors: Kang Qun , Li Rui , Du Qi , Cheng Bowen , Liao Zhiqi , Sun Chengcheng , Li Zhaohua
Published: November 2016

This study aimed to explore the ecological adaptability and the possibility of growing rice with floating bed on the dilute biogas slurry. The results of the experiments show that the growth stage, rice plant height, and rice yield and quality were significantly affected by multiple dilutions; rice plants cultivated with 45 multiple dilutions had better ecological adaptability than others. In the 45 multiple dilutions’ group, the yield of rice was 13.3 g/bucket (8 rice plants), milled rice rate was 63.1%, and the content of crude protein in the rice was 6.3%. The concentrations of heavy metals in the rice cultivated with 30 multiple dilutions’ slurry, such as total lead, cadmium, mercury, chromium, and arsenic, were all below the national standard. The study shows that it is possible and safe to cultivate rice plants with no soil but diluted biogas slurry. In the experiments, the yield, milled rice rate, and crude protein of the rice cultivated with slurry were not as much as those of rice cultivated with regular way in soil. This study provides the basic theoretical support for the development of biogas projects and the potential achievement of organic farming in special agricultural facilities and circular economy.
Development of the Nonstationary Incremental Analysis Update Algorithm for Sequential Data Assimilation System
Authors: Ham Yoo-Geun , Song Hyo-Jong , Jung Jaehee , Lim Gyu-Ho
Published: November 2016

This study introduces a modified version of the incremental analysis updates (IAU), called the nonstationary IAU (NIAU) method, to improve the assimilation accuracy of the IAU while keeping the continuity of the analysis. Similar to the IAU, the NIAU is designed to add analysis increments at every model time step to improve the continuity in the intermittent data assimilation. However, unlike the IAU, the NIAU procedure uses time-evolved forcing using the forward operator as corrections to the model. The solution of the NIAU is superior to that of the forward IAU, of which analysis is performed at the beginning of the time window for adding the IAU forcing, in terms of the accuracy of the analysis field. It is because, in the linear systems, the NIAU solution equals that in an intermittent data assimilation method at the end of the assimilation interval. To have the filtering property in the NIAU, a forward operator to propagate the increment is reconstructed with only dominant singular vectors. An illustration of those advantages of the NIAU is given using the simple 40-variable Lorenz model.
Adsorbability Enhancement of Macroporous Resin by Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasma Treatment to Phenol in Water
Authors: Tang Shoufeng , Yuan Deling , He Jun
Published: November 2016

In order to enhance the adsorption efficiency and economize the use of macroporous resin, we have treated it with the dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma to improve its adsorbing capacity for phenol. The effects of operation conditions, for instance, applied voltage, treated time, and air flow rate on resin, were investigated by adsorption kinetics and isotherms. Results showed that the adsorption data were in good agreement with the pseudo-second-order and Freundlich equation. Experimental results showed that the modified resin was 156.5 mg/g and 39.2% higher than the untreated sample, when the modified conditions were conducted for discharge voltage 20 kV, treatment time 45 min, and air flow rate 1.2 L/min. The resin was characterized by FTIR and nitrogen adsorption isotherms before and after the DBD processes. It was found that the reason for the enhancement of resin adsorbability was attributed to the DBD plasma changing the surface physical and chemical structure.
Migration of BTEX and Biodegradation in Shallow Underground Water through Fuel Leak Simulation
Authors: Cheng Yaping , Chen Yudao , Jiang Yaping , Jiang Lingzhi , Sun Liqun , Li Liuyue , Huang Junyu
Published: November 2016

To provide more reasonable references for remedying underground water, fuel leak was simulated by establishing an experimental model of a porous-aquifer sand tank with the same size as that of the actual tank and by monitoring the underground water. In the tank, traditional gasoline and ethyl alcohol gasoline were poured. This study was conducted to achieve better understanding of the migration and distribution of benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene, and xylene (BTEX), which are major pollutants in the underground water. Experimental results showed that, compared with conventional gasoline, the content peak of BTEX in the mixture of ethyl alcohol gasoline appeared later; BTEX migrated along the water flow direction horizontally and presented different pollution halos; BTEX also exhibited the highest content level at 45 cm depth; however, its content declined at the 30 and 15 cm depths vertically because of the vertical dispersion effect; the rise of underground water level increased the BTEX content, and the attenuation of BTEX content in underground water was related to the biodegradation in the sand tank, which mainly included biodegradation with oxygen, nitrate, and sulfate.
Thermally Responsive Composite Hydrogel via Self-Assembly for Smart Window Applications
Authors: Feng Yibo , Zhang Qingquan , Li Hui , Chen Yongjin , Wang Cong
Published: November 2016

A novel thermally responsive hydrogel (TRH) has been demonstrated by confining poly(ethylene oxide), poly(propylene oxide), and poly(ethylene oxide) triblock-copolymer (EPE) molecules into the pores of polymer framework. Aqueous EPE copolymer molecule had a tendency to aggregate to form clusters gradually and precipitated from water when the temperature is above a cloudy point. By adding EPE molecules into the acrylamide (AM) monomer solution, the mixture can be fabricated as uniform and transparent hydrogel via controlled radical polymerization. The polyacrylamide hydrogel is produced with a switchable optical property when subjecting to temperature variation. Such reversible thermally responsive material can be utilized as a functional material for smart window application. Additionally, the thermal responsive hydrogel is an inexpensive material, which is readily applicable as smart windows with significant reduction in material cost.
Electrochemical Study of Carbon Nanotubes/Nanohybrids for Determination of Metal Species Cu2+ and Pb2+ in Water Samples
Authors: Oliveira Silva Andréa Claudia , de Oliveira Luis Carlos Ferreira , Vieira Delfino Angladis , Meneghetti Mario Roberto , Caxico de Abreu Fabiane
Published: November 2016

The use of nanomaterials, such as nanoparticles and nanotubes, for electrochemical detection of metal species has been investigated as a way of modifying electrodes by electrochemical stripping analysis. The present study develops a new methodology based on a comparative study of nanoparticles and nanotubes with differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry (DPASV) and examines the simultaneous determination of copper and lead. The glassy carbon electrode modified by gold nanoparticles demonstrated increased sensitivity and decreased detection limits, among other improvements in analytical performance data. Under optimized conditions (deposition potential −0.8 V versus Ag/AgCl; deposition time, 300 s; resting time, 10 s; pulse amplitude, 50 mV; and voltage step height, 4 mV), the detection limits were 0.2279 and 0.3321 ppb, respectively, for determination of Pb2+ and Cu2+. The effects of cations and anions on the simultaneous determination of metal ions do not exhibit significant interference, thereby demonstrating the selectivity of the electrode for simultaneous determination of Pb2+ and Cu2+. The same method was also used to determine Cu2+ in water samples.
BET Inhibitors Suppress ALDH Activity by Targeting ALDH1A1 Super-Enhancer in Ovarian Cancer
Authors: Yokoyama Yuhki , Zhu Hengrui , Lee Jeong Heon , Kossenkov Andrew V. , Wu Sherry Y. , Wickramasinghe Jayamanna M. , Yin Xiangfan , Palozola Katherine C. , Gardini Alessandro , Showe Louise C. , Zaret Kenneth S. , Liu Qin , Speicher David , Conejo-Garcia Jose R. , Bradner James E. , Zhang Zhiguo , Sood Anil K. , Ordog Tamas , Bitler Benjamin G. , Zhang Rugang
Published: November 2016

The emergence of tumor cells with certain stem-like characteristics, such as high aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) activity due to ALDH1A1 expression, contributes to chemotherapy resistance and tumor relapse. However, clinically applicable inhibitors of ALDH activity have not been reported. There is evidence to suggest that epigenetic regulation of stem-related genes contributes to chemotherapy efficacy. Here, we show that bromodomain and extraterminal (BET) inhibitors suppress ALDH activity by abrogating BRD4-mediated ALDH1A1 expression through a super-enhancer element and its associated enhancer RNA. The clinically applicable small-molecule BET inhibitor JQ1 suppressed the outgrowth of cisplatin-treated ovarian cancer cells both in vitro and in vivo. Combination of JQ1 and cisplatin improved the survival of ovarian cancer–bearing mice in an orthotopic model. These phenotypes correlate with inhibition of ALDH1A1 expression through a super-enhancer element and other stem-related genes in promoter regions bound by BRD4. Thus, targeting the BET protein BRD4 using clinically applicable small-molecule inhibitors, such as JQ1, is a promising strategy for targeting ALDH activity in epithelial ovarian cancer. Cancer Res; 76(21); 6320–30. ©2016 AACR.
Insurance-Based Differences in Time to Diagnostic Follow-up after Positive Screening Mammography
Authors: Durham Danielle D. , Robinson Whitney R. , Lee Sheila S. , Wheeler Stephanie B. , Reeder-Hayes Katherine E. , Bowling J. Michael , Olshan Andrew F. , Henderson Louise M.
Published: November 2016

Background: Insurance may lengthen or inhibit time to follow-up after positive screening mammography. We assessed the association between insurance status and time to initial diagnostic follow-up after a positive screening mammogram.

Methods: Using 1995–2010 data from a North Carolina population-based registry of breast imaging and cancer outcomes, we identified women with a positive screening mammogram. We compared receipt of follow-up within 60 days of screening using logistic regression and evaluated time to follow-up initiation using Cox proportional hazards regression.

Results: Among 43,026 women included in the study, 73% were <65 years and 27% were 65+ years. Median time until initial diagnostic follow-up was similar by age group and insurance status. In the adjusted model for women <65, uninsured women experienced a longer time to initiation of diagnostic follow-up [HR, 0.47; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.25–0.89] versus women with private insurance. There were increased odds of these uninsured women not meeting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guideline for follow-up within 60 days (OR, 1.59; 95% CI, 1.31–1.94). Among women ages 65+, women with private insurance experienced a faster time to follow-up (adjusted HR, 2.09; 95% CI, 1.27–3.44) than women with Medicare and private insurance. Approximately 10% of women had no follow-up by 365 days.

Conclusions: We found differences in time to initial diagnostic follow-up after a positive screening mammogram by insurance status and age group. Uninsured women younger than 65 years at a positive screening event had delayed follow-up.

Impact: Replication of these findings and examination of their clinical significance warrant additional investigation. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 25(11); 1474–82. ©2016 AACR.
Prevalence and Penetrance of Major Genes and Polygenes for Colorectal Cancer
Authors: Win Aung Ko , Jenkins Mark A. , Dowty James G. , Antoniou Antonis C. , Lee Andrew , Giles Graham G. , Buchanan Daniel D. , Clendenning Mark , Rosty Christophe , Ahnen Dennis J. , Thibodeau Stephen N. , Casey Graham , Gallinger Steven , Le Marchand Loïc , Haile Robert W. , Potter John D. , Zheng Yingye , Lindor Noralane M. , Newcomb Polly A. , Hopper John L. , MacInnis Robert J.
Published: November 2016

Background: Although high-risk mutations in identified major susceptibility genes (DNA mismatch repair genes and MUTYH) account for some familial aggregation of colorectal cancer, their population prevalence and the causes of the remaining familial aggregation are not known.

Methods: We studied the families of 5,744 colorectal cancer cases (probands) recruited from population cancer registries in the United States, Canada, and Australia and screened probands for mutations in mismatch repair genes and MUTYH. We conducted modified segregation analyses using the cancer history of first-degree relatives, conditional on the proband's age at diagnosis. We estimated the prevalence of mutations in the identified genes, the prevalence of HR for unidentified major gene mutations, and the variance of the residual polygenic component.

Results: We estimated that 1 in 279 of the population carry mutations in mismatch repair genes (MLH1 = 1 in 1,946, MSH2 = 1 in 2,841, MSH6 = 1 in 758, PMS2 = 1 in 714), 1 in 45 carry mutations in MUTYH, and 1 in 504 carry mutations associated with an average 31-fold increased risk of colorectal cancer in unidentified major genes. The estimated polygenic variance was reduced by 30% to 50% after allowing for unidentified major genes and decreased from 3.3 for age <40 years to 0.5 for age ≥70 years (equivalent to sibling relative risks of 5.1 to 1.3, respectively).

Conclusions: Unidentified major genes might explain one third to one half of the missing heritability of colorectal cancer.

Impact: Our findings could aid gene discovery and development of better colorectal cancer risk prediction models. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 26(3); 404–12. ©2016 AACR.
Survival of Lung Adenocarcinoma Patients Predicted from Expression of PD-L1, Galectin-9, and XAGE1 (GAGED2a) on Tumor Cells and Tumor-Infiltrating T Cells
Authors: Ohue Yoshihiro , Kurose Koji , Nozawa Ryohei , Isobe Midori , Nishio Yumi , Tanaka Tomonori , Doki Yoshinori , Hori Takashi , Fukuoka Junya , Oka Mikio , Nakayama Eiichi
Published: November 2016

The immune status of tumors varies, and this may affect the overall survival (OS) of patients. We examined tumors from 120 patients with lung adenocarcinomas with a tissue microarray for T-cell infiltration and the expression of PD-L1 and Galectin-9 (both ligands for inhibitory receptors on T cells), and cancer/testis (CT) antigen XAGE1 (GAGED2a; a tumor antigen often found on lung tumors) expression, to determine their relevance to OS. Patients defined as pStage I–IIIA could be grouped, based on the expression profiles of PD-L1, Galectin-9, and XAGE1, into cluster A, who had prolonged survival, and cluster B, who had shorter survival. The difference in survival of the clusters was confirmed separately for pStage I and pStage II–IIIA patients. Cluster A patients who also had CD4 and CD8 T-cell infiltration showed even better survival, as expected. The findings were confirmed by examining an independent validation cohort of 68 pStage I lung adenocarcinoma patients. Our data showed that PD-L1 expression was a positive indicator, whereas Galectin-9 and XAGE1 expression was negative. In vitro analyses suggested that PD-L1 expression was upregulated by IFNγ secreted from activated T cells in the tumor and Galectin-9 expression was counteracting those T cells. Thus, use of these immune markers enables the creation of a discriminant function with which to classify tumors and predict survival. Cancer Immunol Res; 4(12); 1049–60. ©2016 AACR.
Endogenous Neoantigen-Specific CD8 T Cells Identified in Two Glioblastoma Models Using a Cancer Immunogenomics Approach
Authors: Johanns Tanner M. , Ward Jeffrey P. , Miller Christopher A. , Wilson Courtney , Kobayashi Dale K. , Bender Diane , Fu Yujie , Alexandrov Anton , Mardis Elaine R. , Artyomov Maxim N. , Schreiber Robert D. , Dunn Gavin P.
Published: November 2016

The “cancer immunogenomics” paradigm has facilitated the search for tumor-specific antigens over the last 4 years by applying comprehensive cancer genomics to tumor antigen discovery. We applied this methodology to identify tumor-specific “neoantigens” in the C57BL/6-derived GL261 and VM/Dk-derived SMA-560 tumor models. Following DNA whole-exome and RNA sequencing, high-affinity candidate neoepitopes were predicted and screened for immunogenicity by ELISPOT and tetramer analyses. GL261 and SMA-560 harbored 4,932 and 2,171 nonsynonymous exome mutations, respectively, of which less than half were expressed. To establish the immunogenicities of H-2Kb and H-2Db candidate neoantigens, we assessed the ability of the epitopes predicted in silico to be the highest affinity binders to activate tumor-infiltrating T cells harvested from GL261 and SMA-560 tumors. Using IFNγ ELISPOT, we confirmed H-2Db–restricted Imp3D81N (GL261) and Odc1Q129L (SMA-560) along with H-2Kb–restricted E2f8K272R (SMA-560) as endogenous tumor-specific neoantigens that are functionally immunogenic. Furthermore, neoantigen-specific T cells to Imp3D81N and Odc1Q129L were detected within intracranial tumors as well as cervical draining lymph nodes by tetramer analysis. By establishing the immunogenicities of predicted high-affinity neoepitopes in these models, we extend the immunogenomics-based neoantigen discovery pipeline to glioblastoma models and provide a tractable system to further study the mechanism of action of T cell–activating immunotherapeutic approaches in preclinical models of glioblastoma. Cancer Immunol Res; 4(12); 1007–15. ©2016 AACR.
Immunological Mechanisms Underneath the Efficacy of Cancer Therapy
Authors: Galluzzi Lorenzo , Zitvogel Laurence , Kroemer Guido
Published: November 2016

Accumulating preclinical and clinical evidence indicates that the success of several anticancer agents—including some conventional chemotherapeutics, targeted anticancer agents as well as specific forms of radiotherapy—depends (at least in part) on their ability to stimulate anticancer immune responses. Such immunostimulatory effects can be “on-target,” i.e., they originate within cancer cells, or “off-target,” i.e., they develop from a heretofore unsuspected interaction between cancer therapy and the immune system. Here, we briefly discuss the immunologic mechanisms that underlie the efficacy of some forms of cancer therapy, as we highlight the rationale for combining these treatment modalities with immunotherapy to achieve superior therapeutic effects. Cancer Immunol Res; 4(11); 895–902. ©2016 AACR.
Abstract A005: Tumor- and host-intrinsic RIG-I signaling promote anticancer immunity by CTLA-4 blockade
Authors: Heidegger Simon , Wintges Alexander , Kreppel Diana , Bek Sarah , Bscheider Michael , Schmickl Martina , Brink Marcel R.M. van den , Peschel Christian , Haas Tobias , Poeck Hendrik
Published: November 2016

Introduction: Targeting inhibitory T-cell receptors such as CTLA-4 has shown great promise in cancer therapy. However, strong inter-individual variation in clinical response to checkpoint inhibitors remains a major challenge. Expression of viral defense genes in human melanomas including the cytosolic RNA receptor RIG-I (DDx58) has recently been associated with clinical benefit to CTLA-4 blockade.

Methods: Using CRISPR/Cas9 technology to generate B16 melanoma cells lines that lack nucleic acid receptors or downstream signaling molecules (RIG-I, STING, IRF3/7) together with available genetically deficient mouse models, we address the importance of nucleic acid receptor signaling for the efficacy of anti-CTLA-4 immunotherapy.

Results: We provide experimental proof that anti-CTLA-4 immunotherapy indeed relies on tumor cell-intrinsic RIG-I/MAVS but not cGAS/STING signaling. Consistently, therapeutic targeting of RIG-I with the specific ligand 5'‑triphosphate-RNA (3pRNA) potently augments the efficacy of CTLA-4 checkpoint blockade. In situ vaccination by intratumoral 3pRNA injection enhanced cross-presentation of tumor-associated antigens by CD103+ migratory DCs in local draining lymph nodes. Subsequent expansion of tumor-specific CD8+ T cells resulted in control of local and distant tumors, otherwise resistant to anti-CTLA‑4 monotherapy. These processes were critically dependent on tumor cell-intrinsic RIG-I-mediated immunogenic cell death (ICD), but not tumor-derived type I IFN release. In such, the synergistic therapeutic effect of RIG-I activation and anti-CTLA-4 was restricted to tumor models that showed susceptibility to RIG‑I-mediated ICD. Furthermore, systemic antitumor immunity following anti-CTLA-4 +/- 3pRNA treatment required RIG-I signaling in both tumor and non-malignant host cells.

Conclusion: Our study identifies a hitherto unrecognized role of RIG-I signaling in tumors and their microenvironment as a crucial component for checkpoint inhibitor-mediated immunotherapy of cancer. Therapeutic targeting of RIG-I using specific agonists strongly augments the efficacy of anti-CTLA-4 blockade and may thus serve as the basis for new combinatorial approaches.

Citation Format: Simon Heidegger, Alexander Wintges, Diana Kreppel, Sarah Bek, Michael Bscheider, Martina Schmickl, Marcel R.M. van den Brink, Christian Peschel, Tobias Haas, Hendrik Poeck. Tumor- and host-intrinsic RIG-I signaling promote anticancer immunity by CTLA-4 blockade [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Second CRI-CIMT-EATI-AACR International Cancer Immunotherapy Conference: Translating Science into Survival; 2016 Sept 25-28; New York, NY. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Immunol Res 2016;4(11 Suppl):Abstract nr A005.