bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Implementation of a colour-coded universal protocol safety initiative in Guatemala
Authors: Taicher Brad M , Tew Shannon , Figueroa Ligia , Hernandez Fausto , Ross Sherry S , Rice Henry E
Published: January 2018

Background

Universal protocol implementation can be challenging in low-income or middle-income countries, particularly when providers work together across language barriers. The aim of this quality improvement initiative was to test the implementation of a colour-coded universal protocol in a Guatemalan hospital staffed by US and Guatemalan providers.

Methods

From 2013 to 2016, a US and Guatemalan team implemented a universal protocol at a Guatemalan surgical centre for children undergoing general surgical or urologic procedures. The protocol was a two-step patient identification and documentation checklist, with the first step of all chart element verification in the preoperative area, after which a blue hat was placed on the patient as a visual cue that this was completed. The second step included checklist confirmation in the operating room prior to the procedure. We tested protocol implementation over three phases, identifying implementation barriers and modifying clinical workflow after each phase. We measured the error rate in documentation or other universal protocol steps at each phase and made modifications based on iterative analysis.

Results

Over the course of programme implementation, we substantially decreased the rate of errors in documentation or other universal protocol elements. After the first phase, 30/51 patients (58.8%) had at least one error. By the third phase, only 2/43 patients (4.6%) had any errors. All errors were corrected prior to surgery with no adverse outcomes.

Conclusions

Care teams of providers from different countries pose potential challenges with patient safety. Implementation of a colour-coded universal protocol in this setting can prevent and reduce errors that could potentially lead to patient harm.
Guidelines for risk management in forest planning — what is risk and when is risk management useful?
Authors: Eyvindson Kyle , Kangas Annika
Published: January 2018

Managing forest resources occurs under various sources of uncertainty. Depending on the management problem, this uncertainty may have a substantial impact on the quality of the solution. As our knowledge on the sources and magnitude of uncertainty improves, integrating this knowledge into the development of management plans becomes increasingly useful, as additional information can improve the decision-making process. This adjustment requires a fundamental shift in how planning problems are viewed: instead of interpreting risk management as a technique needed only for addressing problems with natural hazards, risk management should be an integral part of most planning problems. Managing risks can be linked to a variety of adaptive planning methods: to help mitigate risk, either plans should be revised as new information becomes available or the possibility of adaptation should be accounted for in preparing the plans. We conduct a brief examination of the key topics in risk management and highlight how risk management implies trade-offs. Several decision problems that incorporate risk management are analyzed, and alternative perspectives for the problem are suggested to better address risk management issues. We then provide a decision framework for considering how to integrate risk management practices into the forest planning process.
HAUSDORFF DIMENSION OF GENERALIZED FIBONACCI WORD FRACTALS
Authors: HOFFMAN TYLER , STEINHURST BENJAMIN
Published: January 2018

Fibonacci word fractals are a class of fractals that have been studied recently, though the words the fractals are generated from are well known in the combinatorics literature. The Fibonacci word can be used to draw a curve which possesses self-similarities determined by the recursive structure of the word. The Hausdorff dimension of the scaling limit of the finite Fibonacci word curves is computed for [Formula: see text]-Fibonacci curves and any drawing angle between [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text].
The Influence of Industry Association Involvement on Technology Decision-Making in Small Businesses
Authors: Woods Jeremy A. , Gottschall Richard , Matthews Charles H. , Carsrud Alan L.
Published: January 2018

Often owner/decision-makers in closely-held small businesses are overloaded with work and can become isolated from novel information that could improve their decisions and ultimately firm performance. These decision-makers become reliant on heuristics to ease their cognitive burdens and develop a strong bias for the status-quo. Research suggests that external counsel and/or informal advisors may help to encourage more thoughtful consideration of situations, thus exposing or alleviating status-quo bias. This paper contributes to the understanding of decision making in small firms by examining relationships between industry association membership and the willingness of decision-makers in such firms to adopt new technologies. Evidence is found suggesting that small firm owners’ access to decision-making information from business associations is related to a greater willingness to adopt new technologies. This is evidence of conscious decision-making that enables their small businesses to go beyond the status-quo.
Preconditions for Successful Knowledge Creation in the Context of Academic Innovation Projects
Authors: Vick Thais Elaine , Nagano Marcelo Seido
Published: January 2018

This paper assumes that the key to understanding successes and failures in knowledge creation (KC) by academic innovation teams in a scenario of university–industry relations is to identify and evaluate preconditions, needed for efforts to flourish. We examine the synergistic intervention of individual competence, information literacy, innovation culture and communication in academic project team work while KC occurs, resulting in technological innovation. Our in-depth research with 20 university project teams has led us to a more differentiated picture of KC in academic innovation projects. The qualitative technique of categorical content analysis was used. As the main contributions, we present in a four-dimensional perspective the resulting relationships between the knowledge created by the teams and the critical factors that influence its creation. Moreover, deriving from these relations, six patterns of behaviour were found in the study.
Commuting Solutions of a Quadratic Matrix Equation for Nilpotent Matrices
Authors: Dong Qixiang , Ding Jiu , Huang Qianglian
Published: January 2018

We solve the quadratic matrix equation AXA = XAX with a given nilpotent matrix A, to find all commuting solutions. We first provide a key lemma, and consider the special case that A has only one Jordan block to motivate the idea for the general case. Our main result gives the structure of all the commuting solutions of the equation with an arbitrary nilpotent matrix.
Double Derivations of n-Lie Superalgebras
Authors: Sun Bing , Chen Liangyun , Zhou Xin
Published: January 2018

Let 𝔤 be an n-Lie superalgebra. We study the double derivation algebra [Formula: see text] and describe the relation between [Formula: see text] and the usual derivation Lie superalgebra Der(𝔤). We show that the set [Formula: see text] of all double derivations is a subalgebra of the general linear Lie superalgebra gl(𝔤) and the inner derivation algebra ad(𝔤) is an ideal of [Formula: see text]. We also show that if 𝔤 is a perfect n-Lie superalgebra with certain constraints on the base field, then the centralizer of ad(𝔤) in [Formula: see text] is trivial. Finally, we give that for every perfect n-Lie superalgebra 𝔤, the triple derivations of the derivation algebra Der(𝔤) are exactly the derivations of Der(𝔤).
Partial Sum Minimization of Singular Values Representation on Grassmann Manifolds
Authors: Wang Boyue , Hu Yongli , Gao Junbin , Sun Yanfeng , Yin Baocai
Published: January 2018

Clustering is one of the fundamental topics in data mining and pattern recognition. As a prospective clustering method, the subspace clustering has made considerable progress in recent researches, e.g., sparse subspace clustering (SSC) and low rank representation (LRR). However, most existing subspace clustering algorithms are designed for vectorial data from linear spaces, thus not suitable for high-dimensional data with intrinsic non-linear manifold structure. For high-dimensional or manifold data, few research pays attention to clustering problems. The purpose of clustering on manifolds tends to cluster manifold-valued data into several groups according to the mainfold-based similarity metric. This article proposes an extended LRR model for manifold-valued Grassmann data that incorporates prior knowledge by minimizing partial sum of singular values instead of the nuclear norm, namely Partial Sum minimization of Singular Values Representation (GPSSVR). The new model not only enforces the global structure of data in low rank, but also retains important information by minimizing only smaller singular values. To further maintain the local structures among Grassmann points, we also integrate the Laplacian penalty with GPSSVR. The proposed model and algorithms are assessed on a public human face dataset, some widely used human action video datasets and a real scenery dataset. The experimental results show that the proposed methods obviously outperform other state-of-the-art methods.
Innovation from the edges
Authors: Greenstein Shane
Published: January 2018

How innovation originates from market participants with multiple perspectives about commercial value.
Community Detection Using Diffusion Information
Authors: Ramezani Maryam , Khodadadi Ali , Rabiee Hamid R.
Published: January 2018

Community detection in social networks has become a popular topic of research during the last decade. There exist a variety of algorithms for modularizing the network graph into different communities. However, they mostly assume that partial or complete information of the network graphs are available that is not feasible in many cases. In this article, we focus on detecting communities by exploiting their diffusion information. To this end, we utilize the Conditional Random Fields (CRF) to discover the community structures. The proposed method, community diffusion (CoDi), does not require any prior knowledge about the network structure or specific properties of communities. Furthermore, in contrast to the structure-based community detection methods, this method is able to identify the hidden communities. The experimental results indicate considerable improvements in detecting communities based on accuracy, scalability, and real cascade information measures.
Collaborative Filtering with Topic and Social Latent Factors Incorporating Implicit Feedback
Authors: HU Guang-Neng , Dai Xin-Yu , Qiu Feng-Yu , Xia Rui , Li Tao , Huang Shu-Jian , Chen Jia-Jun
Published: January 2018

Recommender systems (RSs) provide an effective way of alleviating the information overload problem by selecting personalized items for different users. Latent factors-based collaborative filtering (CF) has become the popular approaches for RSs due to its accuracy and scalability. Recently, online social networks and user-generated content provide diverse sources for recommendation beyond ratings. Although
social matrix factorization
(Social MF) and
topic matrix factorization
(Topic MF) successfully exploit social relations and item reviews, respectively; both of them ignore some useful information. In this article, we investigate the effective data fusion by combining the aforementioned approaches. First, we propose a novel model
MR3
to jointly model three sources of information (i.e., ratings, item reviews, and social relations) effectively for rating prediction by aligning the latent factors and hidden topics. Second, we incorporate the implicit feedback from ratings into the proposed model to enhance its capability and to demonstrate its flexibility. We achieve more accurate rating prediction on real-life datasets over various state-of-the-art methods. Furthermore, we measure the contribution from each of the three data sources and the impact of implicit feedback from ratings, followed by the sensitivity analysis of hyperparameters. Empirical studies demonstrate the effectiveness and efficacy of our proposed model and its extension.
Practical verification of peephole optimizations with Alive
Authors: Lopes Nuno P. , Menendez David , Nagarakatte Santosh , Regehr John
Published: January 2018

Compilers should not miscompile. Peephole optimizations, which perform local rewriting of the input program to improve the efficiency of generated code, are a persistent source of compiler bugs. We created Alive, a domain-specific language for writing optimizations and for automatically either proving them correct or else generating counterexamples. Furthermore, Alive can be automatically translated into C++ code that is suitable for inclusion in an LLVM optimization pass. Alive is based on an attempt to balance usability and formal methods; for example, it captures---but largely hides---the detailed semantics of the various kinds of undefined behavior. Alive has found numerous bugs in the LLVM compiler and is being used by LLVM developers.
Protecting the power grid, and finding bias in student evaluations
Authors: Arquilla John , Guzdial Mark
Published: January 2018

The
Communications
Web site, http://cacm.acm.org, features more than a dozen bloggers in the BLOG@CACM community. In each issue of
Communications
, we'll publish selected posts or excerpts.

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John Arquilla considers the growth of cyberattacks on infrastructure, while Mark Guzdial wonders how beginning computer science students can possibly evaluate their teachers fairly.
Going serverless
Authors: Savage Neil
Published: January 2018

Serverless computing lets businesses and application developers focus on the program they need to run, without worrying about the machine on which it runs, or the resources it requires.
Internalized Stigma among Patients with Mental Illness Attending Psychiatric Follow-Up at Dilla University Referral Hospital, Southern Ethiopia
Authors: Asrat Biksegn , Ayenalem Alem Eskeziya , Yimer Tenaw
Published: January 2018

Background. This study tried to reflect evidences regarding internalized stigma and assessed risk factors of internalized stigma. Objective. It aims to assess the magnitude, domains, and covariates of internalized stigma among patients with mental illness in southern Ethiopia. Methods. The study was carried out by using a cross-sectional study design at Dilla University Referral Hospital (DURH). A total of 317 patients with mental illness were involved. Internalized stigma was measured using Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness (ISMI) scale. Data analysis was done using SPSS version 20. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression were done. Result. The prevalence of internalized stigma was 32.1% among people living with mental illness in Dilla University Referral Hospital. Being female, medication nonadherence, and lack of family support were factors independently associated with internalized stigma. Conclusion. The results of this study found an intermediate prevalence of internalized stigma among people living with mental illness in Dilla University Referral Hospital (DURH). It revealed how much antistigma campaigns are so much important to tackle internalized stigma among people living with mental illness. Incorporating counseling and structured therapy played an important role in maximizing their quality of life.
Features of Surface Structures of Alumina and Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles Produced Using Different Synthesis Methods
Authors: Syzrantsev Vyacheslav , Paukshtis Evgenii , Larina Tatyana , Chesalov Yuriy , Bardakhanov Sergey , Nomoev Andrey
Published: January 2018

A comparative study of the scope and surface properties of alumina (Al2O3) and titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles, synthesized using different methods, was carried out using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), ultraviolet UV-Vis diffuse reflection spectroscopy (UV-Vis DRS), and Raman spectroscopy, as well as X-ray diffraction methods. It is shown that the differences in the synthesis methods can change the surface properties of the nanoparticles, while maintaining the phase composition of the material. The nanoparticles of each material are shown to exhibit unexpected properties. In particular, the special luminescence characteristics of TiO2, a photon-energy shift from the rutile region into that region typical for the anatase, and a significant difference in the Lewis center concentration values for the alumina γ-phase were observed. This variation in the properties indicates the necessity to involve a wider range of analysis techniques and the importance of precisely characterizing the surface properties. To identify those nanoparticle functional properties that determine their interactions with other materials, a comprehensive study of their phase compositions and surface properties must be completed.
Large Vaginal Varicosities in the Setting of Pregnancy without Known Hepatic or Vascular Risks: A Case Report and Review of the Literature
Authors: Sueyoshi Mark , Clevenger Steven , Hart Elaine
Published: January 2018

Pregnancy may cause the onset of vaginal or vulvar varicosities that may be a concern for hemorrhage risk during childbirth. A 38-year-old female G4P1112 at 34 weeks and 1 day was referred to an outpatient OB/Gyn clinic for evaluation of a large vaginal mass. The referring provider had concern for malignancy. Lesions of the vulva were biopsied and found to be benign. For two months prior to presentation, she was experiencing discomfort with walking, yellow vaginal discharge, and dysuria. Treatment with fluconazole showed no improvement. She denied any personal or family history of malignancies, varicosities, or hepatic issues. Past surgical history was significant for laparoscopic cholecystectomy and two cesarean sections. A large vaginal mass during pregnancy is a concern whether it is malignancy or large vaginal varicosities that may put the patient at risk of severe hemorrhage during childbirth. We concluded that the mass was large vaginal varicosities as there was no discernible etiology. A repeat cesarean section was recommended due to the risk of hemorrhage during childbirth. For long-term management, close observation postpartum was recommended. Spontaneous resolution is a potential outcome and this is what our patient experienced. Without an underlying etiology, supportive measures are the best options.
A Rare Central Venous Catheter Malposition in a 10-Year-Old Girl
Authors: Movafegh Ali , Saliminia Alireza , Atef-Yekta Reza , Azimaraghi Omid
Published: January 2018

Central venous catheters (CVCs) are placed in operating rooms worldwide via different approaches. Like any other medical procedure, CVC placement can cause a variety of complications. We report the case of an unexpected malposition of a catheter in the right internal jugular vein, where it looped back on itself during placement and went upward into the right internal jugular vein. CVC line placement should always be viewed as a procedure that could become complicated, even in the hands of the most experienced operators.
On a Nonlinear Wave Equation of Kirchhoff-Carrier Type: Linear Approximation and Asymptotic Expansion of Solution in a Small Parameter
Authors: Nhan Nguyen Huu , Ngoc Le Thi Phuong , Long Nguyen Thanh
Published: January 2018

We consider the Robin-Dirichlet problem for a nonlinear wave equation of Kirchhoff-Carrier type. Using the Faedo-Galerkin method and the linearization method for nonlinear terms, the existence and uniqueness of a weak solution are proved. An asymptotic expansion of high order in a small parameter of a weak solution is also discussed.
A Fuzzy Logic-Based Personalized Method to Classify Perceived Exertion in Workplaces Using a Wearable Heart Rate Sensor
Authors: Pancardo Pablo , Hernández-Nolasco J. A. , Acosta-Escalante Francisco
Published: January 2018

Knowing the perceived exertion of workers during their physical activities facilitates the decision-making of supervisors regarding the worker allocation in the appropriate job, actions to prevent accidents, and reassignment of tasks, among others. However, although wearable heart rate sensors represent an effective way to capture perceived exertion, ergonomic methods are generic and they do not consider the diffuse nature of the ranges that classify the efforts. Personalized monitoring is needed to enable a real and efficient classification of perceived individual efforts. In this paper, we propose a heart rate-based personalized method to assess perceived exertion; our method uses fuzzy logic as an option to manage imprecision and uncertainty in involved variables. We applied some experiments to cleaning staff and obtained results that highlight the importance of a custom method to classify perceived exertion of people doing physical work.
Antilisterial Effect ofRosa damascenaandNymphaea albainMus musculus
Authors: Batool Rida , Kalsoom Asma , Akbar Iqra , Arshad Najma , Jamil Nazia
Published: January 2018

The present study was proposed to investigate the toxicological and prophylactic potential of ethanolic extracts ofRosa damascenaandNymphaea albaand their mixture in albino mice. For toxicity study, three different doses of plant extracts were orally administrated to three groups of mice for 14 successive days. Blood biochemistry and histological examinations of liver and kidney revealed that these extracts had no harmful effects up to 1000 mg/kg. To determine the prophylactic effects ofRosa damascena,Nymphaea alba, and their mixture, an infection model ofListeria monocytogeneswas established in a pilot study. Establishment of infection was confirmed by changes in haematological parameters and reisolation ofListeria monocytogenesfrom different tissues. Results showed that these extracts alone or in combination could restrict the growth ofListeria monocytogenesin different organs. Neutrophils were high in positive control group but remained in normal range in all treated groups.Listeria monocytogeneswas recovered in low numbers from animals treated with extract of single plant but was negligible in group treated with mixture of extract of plants. Platelets count was increased in treated groups as compared to control. Results confirmed that these extracts are potent source of antimicrobial compounds and that they have synergistic effect in combined form.
Long-Acting Luteinizing Hormone-Releasing Hormone Agonist for Ovarian Hyperstimulation Induced by Tamoxifen for Breast Cancer
Authors: Kojima Nobue , Yamasaki Yui , Koh Houu , Miyashita Masaru , Morita Hiroki
Published: January 2018

Tamoxifen treatment for breast cancer may induce ovarian cysts and supraphysiological levels of serum estrogen. We report successful management with luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) agonist of ovarian hyperstimulation induced by tamoxifen. A 49-year-old woman was operated on for invasive ductal carcinoma of the right breast. She received breast irradiation and adjuvant tamoxifen therapy. After 2 years, she had a cystic ovarian mass, and her serum concentration of estradiol was 1280 pg/mL. She was treated with an injection of 11.25 mg leuprolide acetate, a long-acting LHRH agonist, without abandoning tamoxifen therapy. The levels of estradiol decreased to <10 pg/mL and the cystic mass disappeared 2 months later. Three-month depot treatment with LHRH agonists can be useful for patients receiving tamoxifen for breast cancer who have ovarian cysts and supraphysiological levels of estrogen.
Experimental Investigation of Unsaturated Silt‐Sand Soil Permeability
Authors: Nazari Samad , Hassanlourad Mahmoud , Chavoshi Elham , Mirzaii Ali
Published: January 2018

The permeability of unsaturated silt‐sand soil is important in many geotechnical and geoenvironmental challenges. Therefore, an appropriate method to evaluate silt‐sand soil permeability is important, particularly in Iran where it received little consideration. In this in vitro research, different amounts of fine silt were evaluated on behavior of an unsaturated silt‐sand soil with different grain size distribution using a new modified triaxial apparatus. Permeability was measured against matric suction and volumetric water content, and the results are compared against experimental models. The results indicated that the behavior of unsaturated sandy soil permeability could be determined as a function of matric suction, soil void size, and percentage of fine aggregate. Furthermore, the results appeared to imply that an increase of fine contents reduced the permeability, specifically at higher values of suction. This trend for the reduction of soil permeability was related to the increase in the amount of fine contents.
Game‐Theoretic Social‐Aware Resource Allocation for Device‐to‐Device Communications Underlaying Cellular Network
Authors: Wang Lei , Li Can , Zhang Yanbin , Gui Guan
Published: January 2018

Device‐to‐Device communication underlaying cellular network can increase the spectrum efficiency due to direct proximity communication and frequency reuse. However, such performance improvement is influenced by the power interference caused by spectrum sharing and social characteristics in each social community jointly. In this investigation, we present a dynamic game theory with complete information based D2D resource allocation scheme for D2D communication underlaying cellular network. In this resource allocation method, we quantify both the rate influence from the power interference caused by the D2D transmitter to cellular users and rate enhancement brought by the social relationships between mobile users. Then, the utility function maximization game is formulated to optimize the overall transmission rate performance of the network, which synthetically measures the final influence from both power interference and sociality enhancement. Simultaneously, we discuss the Nash Equilibrium of the proposed utility function maximization game from a theoretical point of view and further put forward a utility priority searching algorithm based resource allocation scheme. Simulation results show that our proposed scheme attains better performance compared with the other two advanced proposals.
Pulmonary Edema and Diastolic Heart Failure in the Perioperative Period
Authors: Royce-Nagel Galen , Karamchandani Kunal
Published: January 2018

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFPEF) is a diagnosis encountered with increasing frequency in the aging population. We present a case of postoperative pulmonary edema in 63-year-old male with HFPEF. This patient highlights the gap in risk stratification with respect to diastolic heart failure.
Rivaroxaban Treatment for Warfarin-Refractory Thrombosis in a Patient with Hereditary Protein S Deficiency
Authors: Ameku Koken , Higa Mariko
Published: January 2018

Protein S (PS) deficiency, an autosomal dominant hereditary thrombophilia, is more prevalent in East Asian populations than in Caucasians. PS-deficient patients have historically been administered a heparin product followed by warfarin for the treatment and secondary prevention of venous thromboembolism (VTE). However, warfarin can be ineffective or causes detrimental effects in rare cases. While direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are being increasingly used for the treatment and prevention of VTE, their efficacy in PS-deficient patients has not been established. We describe a 91-year-old woman who presented with chronic bilateral lower leg swelling with VTE that was refractory to warfarin anticoagulation therapy for over 1 year. Her recurrent VTE was diagnosed as quantitative hereditary PS deficiency. Rivaroxaban was administered as maintenance therapy instead of warfarin; after 8 weeks, the severities of the patient’s leg swelling and venous ulcerations were significantly reduced with rivaroxaban compared to warfarin, thus demonstrating the efficacy of rivaroxaban for warfarin-refractory chronic VTE associated with hereditary PS deficiency. This case illustrates that rivaroxaban can potentially serve as therapeutic agents to treat warfarin-refractory VTE in PS-deficient patients. Further investigations are required to confirm the efficacy of rivaroxaban on the long term in this regard.
Investigating Efficiency of Vector‐Valued Intensity Measures in Seismic Demand Assessment of Concrete Dams
Authors: Alembagheri Mohammad
Published: January 2018

The efficiency of vector‐valued intensity measures for predicting the seismic demand in gravity dams is investigated. The Folsom gravity dam‐reservoir coupled system is selected and numerically analyzed under a set of two‐hundred actual ground motions. First, the well‐defined scalar IMs are separately investigated, and then they are coupled to form two‐parameter vector IMs. After that, IMs consisting of spectral acceleration at the first‐mode natural period of the dam‐reservoir system along with a measure of the spectral shape (the ratio of spectral acceleration at a second period to the first‐mode spectral acceleration value) are considered. It is attempted to determine the optimal second period by categorizing the spectral acceleration at the first‐mode period of vibration. The efficiency of the proposed vector IMs is compared with scalar ones considering various structural responses as EDPs. Finally, the probabilistic seismic behavior of the dam is investigated by calculating its fragility curves employing scalar and vector IMs considering the effect of zero response values.
Chronic Myelomonocytic Leukemia following Multicentric Castleman Disease
Authors: Li Feng , Zhang Xiaomei , Guo Yanting , Zhu Yuandong , Wu Yicun , Ling Yun
Published: January 2018

Multicentric Castleman disease (MCD) is a rare nonmalignant lymphoproliferative disorder presenting systemic symptoms such as fever, night sweats, fatigue, anemia, effusions, and multifocal lymphadenopathy. The etiology of MCD has not been clarified to date. The coexistence of MCD with chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) has been rarely reported. Although the pathogenesis remains unclear, this association probably reflects an incidental and fortuitous finding rather than the alteration of a common pluripotent stem cell precursor. Herein, we report on one case of MCD coexisting with CMML and elucidate the underlying mechanism of pathology in some aspects.
Acquired Perforating Dermatosis in a Patient on Peritoneal Dialysis: A Case Report and Review of the Literature
Authors: Imam Talha H. , Patail Hassan , Khan Nabeela , Hsu Phillip T. , Cassarino David S.
Published: January 2018

Acquired perforating dermatosis (APD) is a debilitating and itchy skin disease. Its diagnosis is based on biopsy and the treatment is not very clear. It is not well established as to how wide spread it is in patients on peritoneal dialysis (PD) and its implications in this population have not been well studied. Here we present a case of APD that developed in a patient on PD. Its pathology and treatment options are reviewed. More studies are needed to assess the prevalence of APD in PD population.
An Unusual Case of Pinna Squamous Cell Carcinoma Arising Shortly after Resection of Atypical Fibroxanthoma
Authors: Omakobia Eugene , Orabi Ahmad , Knights Richard
Published: January 2018

Objective. To report a unique case of pinna squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) arising shortly after resection of atypical fibroxanthoma (AFX) at the same site. Case report. An 81-year-old gentleman presented with a nodular right pinna lesion. This was excised, and histology confirmed AFX. Ten weeks later, an ulcerative lesion appeared at the resection site. This was confirmed to be SCC. Comparative analysis revealed no morphological resemblance between the initial AFX and new SCC lesion, and there was no evidence of initial misdiagnosis. Conclusion. SCC is the most common cancer involving the pinna. Whilst prolonged sun exposure is an important risk factor for SCC, chronic inflammation and wounds are other potential sources. We postulate whether SCC could have arisen from the previous scar tissue in a manner similar to Marjolin’s ulcer. This would be a highly unusual finding in the pinna and to our knowledge unprecedented in the English literature.
Chemical and Biological Investigation of Organic Wastes of Frying Oils and Beef Fats: Valorization for Biodiesel Production
Authors: Souissi Yasmine , Alouini Meha , Mnif Wissem
Published: January 2018

The present study investigates the different approaches of biodiesel production by exploiting low cost feedstocks such as organic wastes of frying oils (WFO) and wastes of beef fats (WBF). The aim was to compare not only two different sources of waste raw materials but also different approaches of biodiesel production. Biodiesel which refers to fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) was produced by both chemical and enzymatic transesterification. The characterization of the biodiesel produced by both approaches was performed according to the European standard EN 14214. The results showed that the biological method gave a richer FAME biodiesel through the catalysis of whole-cell lipase. However, for the chemical method, better biodiesel physicochemical properties were observed for the two raw materials. Therefore, it would be interesting to compromise by optimizing the biological biodiesel production approach in order to obtain a better quality in coherence with EN 14214 requirements.
Energy and Delay Optimization of Heterogeneous Multicore Wireless Multimedia Sensor Nodes by Adaptive Genetic‐Simulated Annealing Algorithm
Authors: Liu Xing , Zhou Haiying , Xiang Jianwen , Xiong Shengwu , Hou Kun Mean , de Vaulx Christophe , Wang Huan , Shen Tianhui , Wang Qing
Published: January 2018

Energy efficiency and delay optimization are significant for the proliferation of wireless multimedia sensor network (WMSN). In this article, an energy‐efficient, delay‐efficient, hardware and software cooptimization platform is researched to minimize the energy cost while guaranteeing the deadline of the real‐time WMSN tasks. First, a multicore reconfigurable WMSN hardware platform is designed and implemented. This platform uses both the heterogeneous multicore architecture and the dynamic voltage and frequency scaling (DVFS) technique. By this means, the nodes can adjust the hardware characteristics dynamically in terms of the software run‐time contexts. Consequently, the software can be executed more efficiently with less energy cost and shorter execution time. Then, based on this hardware platform, an energy and delay multiobjective optimization algorithm and a DVFS adaption algorithm are investigated. These algorithms aim to search out the global energy optimization solution within the acceptable calculation time and strip the time redundancy in the task executing process. Thus, the energy efficiency of the WMSN node can be improved significantly even under strict constraint of the execution time. Simulation and real‐world experiments proved that the proposed approaches can decrease the energy cost by more than 29% compared to the traditional single‐core WMSN node. Moreover, the node can react quickly to the time‐sensitive events.
Experimental Study on Fatigue Behaviour of BFRP‐Concrete Bond Interfaces under Bending Load
Authors: Xie Jianhe , Li Jianglin , Lu Zhongyu , Zhang Huan
Published: January 2018

Basalt fiber reinforced polymer (BFRP) composites are increasingly being used to retrofit concrete structures by external bonding. For such strengthened members, the BFRP‐concrete interface plays the crucial role of transferring stresses. This study aims to investigate the fatigue behaviour of the interface under bending load. A series of tests were conducted on BFRP‐concrete bonded joint, including static, fatigue, and postfatigue loading. The fatigue failure modes, the development of deflection, the evolution of BFRP strains, and the propagation of interfacial cracks were analysed. In addition, the debonding‐induced fatigue life of BFRP‐concrete bonded joints was studied. Finally, a new model of fatigue life was proposed by defining the effective fatigue bond stress. The results showed that the fatigue experience has a significant effect on the BFRP strength especially near the root of concrete transverse crack and on the bond performance of the adhesive near the interface crack tip. There are two main fatigue failure modes: BFRP rupture and BFRP debonding. The fatigue damage development of the bond interface has three stages: rapid, stable, and unstable growth. The proposed model for the debonding‐induced fatigue life is more conservative for the BFRP‐concrete bonded joints under pure shear load than for those under bending load.
Electroacupuncture at ST36 Increases Bone Marrow‐Derived Interstitial Cells of Cajal via the SDF‐1/CXCR4 and mSCF/Kit‐ETV1 Pathways in the Stomach of Diabetic Mice
Authors: Zhao Jiao , An Jing , Liu Shi
Published: January 2018

Background. The loss of interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) is observed in diabetic gastroparesis. Electroacupuncture (EA) maintains ICC networks, but the effects and mechanisms of EA on ICC of bone marrow derivation in the stomach have not been investigated. Methods. C57BL/6 mice were randomized into six groups: control, diabetic (DM), bone marrow transplantation (BMT) + DM, BMT + DM + sham EA (SEA), BMT + DM + low‐frequency EA (LEA), and BMT + DM + high‐frequency (HEA). c‐Kit+GFP+ cells in the stomach were detected by immunofluorescence staining. Western blotting and qRT‐PCR were employed to determine c‐Kit, GFP, SDF‐1, CXCR4, mSCF, pERK, and ETV1 expression. Results. (1) c‐Kit+GFP+ cells were elevated in the BMT + DM + LEA and HEA groups. (2) The mRNA and protein levels of GFP, SDF‐1, and CXCR4 were increased in the BMT + DM + LEA and BMT + DM + HEA groups. (3) The mRNA and protein levels of mSCF, c‐Kit, pERK, and ETV1 were significantly reduced in the DM group but markedly elevated in the BMT + DM + LEA and HEA groups. Conclusion. EA at ST36 increases bone marrow‐derived ICC in the stomach of diabetic mice via the SDF‐1/CXCR4 and mSCF/c‐Kit‐ETV1 pathways.
The Assessment of Systemic Risk in the Kenyan Banking Sector
Authors: Fan Hong , Amalia Allan Alvin Lee Lukaya , Gao Qian Qian
Published: January 2018

The present paper aims to assess the systemic risk of the Kenyan banking system. We propose a theoretical framework to reveal the time evolution of the systemic risk using sequences of financial data and use the framework to assess the systemic risk of the Kenyan banking system that is regarded as the largest in the East and Central African region. Firstly, we estimate the bilateral exposures matrix using aggregate financial data on loans and deposits from annual reports and analyze the interconnectedness in the market using network centrality measures. Next, we extend the Eisenberg–Noe method to a multiperiod setting to the systemic risk of the Kenyan banking system, in which the multiperiod includes the dynamic evolutions of the Kenyan banking system of every bank and the structure of the interbank network system. We apply this framework to assess dynamically the systemic risk of the Kenyan banking system between 2009 and 2015. The main findings are the following. The theoretical network analysis using network centrality measures showed several banks displaying characteristics of systematically important banks (SIBs). The theoretical default analysis showed that a bank suffering a basic default will trigger a contagious default that caused several other banks in the sector to go bankrupt. Further stress test proved that the KCB bank theoretically caused a few contagious defaults due to an unusually high interconnectedness. This methodology can contribute by being part of monitoring system of the Central Bank of Kenya (regulatory body) as well as the implementation of policies (such as bank‐internal stress tests) that assist in preventing default contagion.
Low-Density Lipoprotein Uptake Inhibits the Activation and Antitumor Functions of Human Vγ9Vδ2 T Cells
Authors: Rodrigues Neidy V. , Correia Daniel V. , Mensurado Sofia , Nóbrega-Pereira Sandrina , deBarros Ana , Kyle-Cezar Fernanda , Tutt Andrew , Hayday Adrian C. , Norell Haakan , Silva-Santos Bruno , Dias Sérgio
Published: January 2018

Vγ9Vδ2 T cells, the main subset of γδ T lymphocytes in human peripheral blood, are endowed with antitumor functions such as cytotoxicity and IFNγ production. These functions are triggered upon T-cell receptor–dependent activation by non-peptidic prenyl pyrophosphates (“phosphoantigens”) that are selective agonists of Vγ9Vδ2 T cells, and which have been evaluated in clinical studies. Because phosphoantigens have shown interindividual variation in Vγ9Vδ2 T-cell activities, we asked whether metabolic resources, namely lipids such as cholesterol, could affect phosphoantigen-mediated Vγ9Vδ2 T-cell activation and function. We show here that Vγ9Vδ2 T cells express the LDL receptor upon activation and take up LDL cholesterol. Resulting changes, such as decreased mitochondrial mass and reduced ATP production, correlate with downregulation of Vγ9Vδ2 T-cell activation and functionality. In particular, the expression of IFNγ, NKG2D, and DNAM-1 were reduced upon LDL cholesterol treatment of phosphoantigen-expanded Vγ9Vδ2 T cells. As a result, their capacity to target breast cancer cells was compromised both in vitro and in an in vivo xenograft mouse model. Thus, this study describes the role of LDL cholesterol as an inhibitor of the antitumor functions of phosphoantigen-activated Vγ9Vδ2 T cells. Our observations have implications for therapeutic applications dependent on Vγ9Vδ2 T cells. Cancer Immunol Res; 6(4); 448–57. ©2018 AACR.
Dose-Response Effects of Early Vitamin D Supplementation on Neurodevelopmental and Respiratory Outcomes of Extremely Preterm Infants at 2 Years of Age: A Randomized Trial
Authors: Salas Ariel A. , Woodfin Taylor , Phillips Vivien , Peralta-Carcelen Myriam , Carlo Waldemar A. , Ambalavanan Namasivayam
Published: January 2018

Background: Many extremely preterm infants have low vitamin D concentrations at birth, but early childhood outcomes after vitamin D supplementation have not been reported. Objective: To determine a dose-response relationship between increasing doses of enteral vitamin D in the first 28 days after birth and cognitive scores at 2 years of age. Methods: In this phase II double-blind dose-response randomized trial, infants with gestational ages between 23 and 27 weeks were randomly assigned to receive placebo or a vitamin D dose of 200 or 800 IU/day from day 1 of enteral feeding to postnatal day 28. The primary outcome of this follow-up study was Bayley III cognitive score at 22-26 months of age. Results: Seventy of 80 survivors had a follow-up evaluation at 2 years of age (88%). There were no significant differences in cognitive scores between supplementation groups (p = 0.47). Cognitive scores did not differ between the higher vitamin D dose group and the placebo group (median difference favoring the 800 IU group: +5 points; 95% CI: −5 to 15; p = 0.23). The linear trend between increasing doses of vitamin D and reduction of neurodevelopmental impairment (placebo group: 54%; 200 IU group: 43%; 800 IU group: 30%; p = 0.08) or language impairment (placebo group: 64%; 200 IU group: 57%; 800 IU group: 45%; p = 0.15) was not statistically significant. Respiratory outcomes at 2 years of age (need for supplemental oxygen or asthma medications) did not differ between groups. Conclusion: In extremely preterm infants, early vitamin D supplementation did not significantly improve cognitive scores. Though underpowered for clinically meaningful differences in early childhood outcomes, this trial may help determine dosing for further investigation of vitamin D supplementation.
Risk Factors for Distant Metastasis in Patients with Oral Cavity Squamous Cell Carcinoma Undergoing Surgical Treatment
Authors: Aires Felipe Toyama , Lin Chin Shien , Matos Leandro Luongo , Kulcsar Marco Aurélio Vamondes , Cernea Claudio Roberto
Published: January 2018

Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate the clinical and pathological factors related to distant metastasis in patients with oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OCSCC) undergoing surgery. Study Design: A retrospective data review was conducted on patients who underwent primary surgery for OCSCC at the Instituto do Cancer do Estado de São Paulo (ICESP) between 2009 and 2015. Distant metastasis rates were calculated and predictive factors were determined by the Cox proportional-hazards model. Results: There was a total of 274 patients, including 210 (76.6%) men and 64 (23.4%) women, with a mean age of 59.9 ± 10.9 years. The incidence of distant metastasis was 9.6%, with the lung being the most common site. The mean time interval between surgical treatment and the diagnosis of distant metastasis was 12 months (range 2–40 months). In the multivariate analysis, angiolymphatic invasion (HR = 2,87; p = 0.023), contralateral cervical metastasis (HR = 3.3; p = 0,007), tumor thickness >25 mm (HR = 3.50; p = 0.009), and locoregional recurrence (HR = 6.59; p < 0.0001) were the only independent risk factors for distant metastasis. Conclusion: Patients with OCSCC who have contralateral lymph node metastasis, tumors with a thickness >25 mm, angiolymphatic invasion, or locoregional recurrence after surgical treatment have a greater risk of developing distant metastasis.
Mutans Streptococci and Dental Caries: A New Statistical Modeling Approach
Authors: Ghazal Tariq S. , Levy Steven M. , Childers Noel K. , Carter Knute D. , Caplan Daniel J. , Warren John J. , Cavanaugh Joseph E. , Kolker Justine
Published: January 2018

Survival analyses have been used to overcome some of the limitations encountered with other statistical analyses. Although extended Cox hazard modeling with time-dependent variables has been utilized in several medical studies, it has never been utilized in assessing the complex relationship between mutans streptococci (MS) acquisition (time-dependent covariate) and time to having dental caries (outcome). This study involved secondary analyses of data from a prospective study conducted at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Low socioeconomic status, African-American preschool children from Perry County, AL, USA (n = 95) had dental examinations at age 1 year and annually thereafter until age 6 years by three calibrated dentists. Salivary MS tests were done at ages 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, and 4 years. The patterns of and relationship between initial MS detection (time-dependent covariate) and dental caries experience occurrence were assessed, using extended Cox hazard modeling. The median time without MS acquisition (50% of the children not having positive MS test) was 2 years. Approximately 79% of the children had positive salivary MS tests by the age of 4 years. The median caries experience survival (50% of the children not having dental caries) was 4 years. During the follow-up period, 65 of the children (68.4%) had their initial primary caries experience. Results of the extended Cox hazard modeling showed a significant overall/global relationship between initial caries experience event at any given time during the follow-up period and having a positive salivary MS test at any time during the follow-up period (hazard ratio = 2.25, 95% CI 1.06-4.75). In conclusion, the extended Cox modeling was used for the first time and its results showed a significant global/overall relationship between MS acquisition and dental caries. Further research using causal mediation analysis with survival data is necessary, where the mediator “presence of MS” is treated as a time-dependent variable.