bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Research on Protecting Formation Low-Damage Workover Fluid in Low Permeability Reservoir
Authors: Hanshi Zhang , Guancheng Jiang , Hongxun Bi , Kuanliang Zhu
Published: December 2018

During the workover treatment process, poorly compatible workover fluids infiltrating into reservoir could cause serious formation damage. To tackle the aformentioned issues, in this work, low-damage workover fluid was systematically studied. By investigating reservoir damage mechanisms, chemical property study, compatibility evaluation test and core flow test, we obtain three kinds of workover fluids suitable for different blocks in Nanpu oilfield. Attractively, JRYL workover fluid which contains antiswelling agents can effectively prevent water sensitivity, and the permeability recovery values of JRYL workover fluid to NP1-5 and PG2 core are 95.3% and 86.9%, respectively. JRYD workover fluid which contains antiswelling agents and anti-waterblocking agent can prevent both water sensitivity and water blocking damage, and the permeability recovery value of JRYD workover fluid to NP403X1 core is 89.4%. JRYJ workover fluid suitable for high pressure formation can prevent water sensitivity and water blocking damage, and the permeability recovery value of the JRYJ workover fluid to NP403X1 core is 95.1%. The actual field application in Nanpu oilfield indicates that these workover fluids can not only reduce the oil well recovery time after workover treatment, but also increase production recovery rate. These results display great potential to efficiently develop low permeability reservoirs.
Supervised Convolutional Matrix Factorization for Document Recommendation
Authors: Liu Huiting , Ling Chao , Yang Liangquan , Zhao Peng
Published: December 2018

Recently, document recommendation has become a very hot research area in online services. Since rating information is usually sparse with exploding growth of the numbers of users and items, conventional collaborative filtering-based methods degrade significantly in recommendation performance. To address this sparseness problem, auxiliary information such as item content information may be utilized. Convolution matrix factorization (ConvMF) is an appealing method, which tightly combines the rating and item content information. Although ConvMF captures contextual information of item content by utilizing convolutional neural network (CNN), the latent representation may not be effective when the rating information is very sparse. To address this problem, we generalize recent advances in supervised CNN and propose a novel recommendation model called supervised convolution matrix factorization (Super-ConvMF), which effectively combines the rating information, item content information and tag information into a unified recommendation framework. Experiments on three real-world datasets, two datasets come from MovieLens and the other one is from Amazon, show our model outperforms the state-of-the-art competitors in terms of the whole range of sparseness.
Effect of sulfur doping on the dielectric properties of Sb2Se3 system
Authors: Mahani Ragab , El-Sayad E. A.
Published: December 2018

In this paper, we report the effect of sulfur doping on the electrical and dielectric properties of semiconducting Sb2Se2S over wide ranges of temperatures (298–473[Formula: see text]K) and frequencies (42–106[Formula: see text]Hz). Sb2Se2S system has been prepared by the direct fusion and cooling cycle of a mixture of the constituent elements, in stoichiometric ratio and purity 99.999%, in vacuum-sealed silica tubes. X-ray analysis showed a decrease in the cell parameters [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] upon doping with sulfur. However, the pure and doped Sb2Se3 showed the single orthorhombic phase structure. The permittivity of Sb2Se2S showed a decrease with increasing frequency due to a decrease in the average bond strength. While, ac conductivity increased with the frequency increase, obeying the Jonscher’s universal dynamic law. The conductivity temperature dependence is well described by the correlated barrier hopping model. The activation energy calculated from DC conductivity is found at higher value (0.79[Formula: see text]eV) as compared to that reported in the literature for other antimony selenide compounds. Accordingly, a new Sb2Se2S compound is suggested which may be useful for electronic devices.
First-Principles Studies of Structural, Electronic and Magnetic Properties of the CrS, CrSe and CrTe Compounds
Authors: Belkadi A. , Obodo K. O. , Zaoui Y. , Moulkhalwa H. , Beldi L. , Bouhafs B.
Published: December 2018

Using first-principles calculation within the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) and [Formula: see text] (Hubbard Coulomb onsite correction), we investigated the structural, electronic and magnetic properties of CrS, CrSe and CrTe compounds in different phases. We found that the NaCl phase is the lowest energy structure in comparison to the other investigated phases within the [Formula: see text] approach for CrS, CrSe and CrTe compounds. The CrX compounds investigated in the NaCl phase are all half-metallic ferromagnets with a net magnetic moment of 4.0[Formula: see text][Formula: see text] within the [Formula: see text] approximation. From the density of states profile and charge density distribution, the observed half-metallic ferromagnetism in the CrS, CrSe and CrTe compounds is due to the spin polarized 3[Formula: see text] orbitals of the Cr atoms. The observed stable half-metallic ferromagnetism in the NaCl phase of the CrS, CrSe and CrTe compounds should motivate further experimental studies on the possible application of these compounds as spintronic materials.
Cooperative Task Assignment and Trajectory Planning of Unmanned Systems Via HFLC and PSO
Authors: Hafez Ahmed T. , Kamel Mohamed A.
Published: December 2018

This paper investigates the problems of cooperative task assignment and trajectory planning for teams of cooperative unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). A novel approach of hierarchical fuzzy logic controller (HFLC) and particle swarm optimization (PSO) is proposed. Initially, teams of UAVs are moving in a pre-defined formation covering a specified area. When one or more targets are detected, the teams send a package of information to the ground station (GS) including the target’s degree of threat, degree of importance, and the separating distance between each team and each detected target. Based on the gathered information, the ground station assigns the teams to the targets. HFLC is implemented in the GS to solve the assignment problem ensuring that each team is assigned to a unique target. Next, each team plans its own path by formulating the path planning problem as an optimization problem. The objective in this case is to minimize the time to reach their destination considering the UAVs dynamic constraints and collision avoidance between teams. A hybrid approach of control parametrization and time discretization (CPTD) and PSO is proposed to solve this optimization problem. Finally, numerical simulations demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.
Type-Driven Gradual Security with References
Authors: Toro Matías , Garcia Ronald , Tanter Éric
Published: December 2018

In security-typed programming languages, types statically enforce noninterference between potentially conspiring values, such as the arguments and results of functions. But to adopt static security types, like other advanced type disciplines, programmers face a steep wholesale transition, often forcing them to refactor working code just to satisfy their type checker. To provide a gentler path to security typing that supports safe and stylish but hard-to-verify programming idioms, researchers have designed languages that blend static and dynamic checking of security types. Unfortunately, most of the resulting languages only support static, type-based reasoning about noninterference if a program is entirely statically secured. This limitation substantially weakens the benefits that dynamic enforcement brings to static security typing. Additionally, current proposals are focused on languages with explicit casts and therefore do not fulfill the vision of gradual typing, according to which the boundaries between static and dynamic checking only arise from the (im)precision of type annotations and are transparently mediated by implicit checks.

In this article, we present GSL
Ref
, a gradual security-typed higher-order language with references. As a gradual language, GSL
Ref
supports the range of static-to-dynamic security checking exclusively driven by type annotations, without resorting to explicit casts. Additionally, GSL
Ref
lets programmers use types to reason statically about termination-insensitive noninterference in
all
programs, even those that enforce security dynamically. We prove that GSL
Ref
satisfies all but one of Siek et al.’s criteria for gradually-typed languages, which ensure that programs can seamlessly transition between simple typing and security typing. A notable exception regards the dynamic gradual guarantee, which some specific programs must violate if they are to satisfy noninterference; it remains an open question whether such a language could fully satisfy the dynamic gradual guarantee. To realize this design, we were led to draw a sharp distinction between syntactic type
safety
and semantic type
soundness
, each of which constrains the design of the gradual language.
A Deep Bayesian Tensor-Based System for Video Recommendation
Authors: Lu Wei , Chung Fu-Lai , Jiang Wenhao , Ester Martin , Liu Wei
Published: December 2018

With the availability of abundant online multi-relational video information, recommender systems that can effectively exploit these sorts of data and suggest creatively interesting items will become increasingly important. Recent research illustrates that tensor models offer effective approaches for complex multi-relational data learning and missing element completion. So far, most tensor-based user clustering models have focused on the accuracy of recommendation. Given the dynamic nature of online media, recommendation in this setting is more challenging as it is difficult to capture the users’ dynamic topic distributions in sparse data settings as well as to identify unseen items as candidates of recommendation. Targeting at constructing a recommender system that can encourage more creativity, a deep Bayesian probabilistic tensor framework for tag and item recommendation is proposed. During the score ranking processes, a metric called Bayesian surprise is incorporated to increase the creativity of the recommended candidates. The new algorithm, called Deep Canonical PARAFAC Factorization (DCPF), is evaluated on both synthetic and large-scale real-world problems. An empirical study for video recommendation demonstrates the superiority of the proposed model and indicates that it can better capture the latent patterns of interactions and generates interesting recommendations based on creative tag combinations.
SIGMM annual report (2018)
Authors: Smeaton Alan , Sebe Nicu , Friedland Gerald
Published: December 2018

Each year SIGMM, like all ACM SIGs, produces an annual report summarising our activities which includes our sponsored and i-cooperation conferences and also the initiatives we are undertaking to support our community and broaden participation. The report also includes our significant papers, our awards given and the major issues that face us going forward. Below is the main text of the SIGMM report 2017-2018 which is augmented by further details on our conferences which is provided by the ACM Office. We hope you enjoy reading this ad learning about what SIGMM does.
Report from ACM MMSYS 2018
Authors: Simon Gwendal
Published: December 2018

While I was attending the MMSys conference (last June in Amsterdam), I tweeted about my personal highlights of the conference, in the hope to share with those who did not have the opportunity to attend the conference. Fortunately, I have been chosen as "Best Social Media Reporter" of the conference, a new award given by ACM SIGMM chapter to promote the sharing among researchers on social networks. To celebrate this award, here is a more complete report on the conference!
Quality of experience column
Authors: Hoßfeld Tobias , Timmerer Christian
Published: December 2018

Research on Quality of Experience (QoE) has advanced significantly in recent years and attracts attention from various stakeholders. Different facets have been addressed by the research community like subjective user studies to identify QoE influence factors for particular applications like video streaming, QoE models to capture the effects of those influence factors on concrete applications, QoE monitoring approaches at the end user site but also within the network to assess QoE during service consumption and to provide means for QoE management for improved QoE. However, in order to progress in the area of QoE, new research directions have to be taken. The application of QoE in practice needs to consider the entire QoE eco-system and the stakeholders along the service delivery chain to the end user.
ST Segment Elevation and Depressions in Supraventricular Tachycardia without Coronary Artery Disease
Authors: Habash Fuad , Albashaireh Arwa , Madmani Mohammed Eid , Paydak Hakan
Published: December 2018

ST segment changes are well documented in literature during supraventricular tachycardias. We present a case of a 21-year-old male who presents with chest pain, shortness of breath, and dizziness with an ECG showing atrioventricular reentrant tachycardia and diffuse ST segment depressions. Patient spontaneously converted to sinus rhythm, but he was still complaining of crushing chest pain. ECG taken after conversion showed sinus rhythm at a rate of 65 and showed obvious persistence of ST depressions in majority of leads. Emergent left heart catheterization showed normal coronaries. Such ST depression is suggestive of global ischemia in small intracardiac vessels that cannot be evaluated by left heart catheterization.
Multistage Attack Graph Security Games: Heuristic Strategies, with Empirical Game-Theoretic Analysis
Authors: Nguyen Thanh H. , Wright Mason , Wellman Michael P. , Singh Satinder
Published: December 2018

We study the problem of allocating limited security countermeasures to protect network data from cyber-attacks, for scenarios modeled by Bayesian attack graphs. We consider multistage interactions between a network administrator and cybercriminals, formulated as a security game. This formulation is capable of representing security environments with significant dynamics and uncertainty and very large strategy spaces. We propose parameterized heuristic strategies for the attacker and defender and provide detailed analysis of their time complexity. Our heuristics exploit the topological structure of attack graphs and employ sampling methods to overcome the computational complexity in predicting opponent actions. Due to the complexity of the game, we employ a simulation-based approach and perform empirical game analysis over an enumerated set of heuristic strategies. Finally, we conduct experiments in various game settings to evaluate the performance of our heuristics in defending networks, in a manner that is robust to uncertainty about the security environment.
Gossypol Promotes Bone Formation in Ovariectomy-Induced Osteoporosis through Regulating Cell Apoptosis
Authors: Liang Jinqian , Chen Chong , Liu Hongzhe , Liu Xiangyang , Li Zheng , Hu Jianhua , Zhao Hong
Published: December 2018

Osteoporosis is among the most common forms of age-related diseases, especially for females, which has been a grave public health problem. Drug therapies have shown promising outcomes to promote bone formation and bone density. This study identified a novel potential drug, gossypol, for the treatment of osteoporosis. Treatments of ovariectomy-induced osteoporosis mice with gossypol significantly increased serum osteocalcin and osteoprotegerin (OPG) levels; meanwhile they decreased serum RANKL levels. Microcomputed tomography (microCT) analysis showed that treatment of gossypol improved bone density and strength and decreased bone postyield displacement for both medullar and cortical bones. In vitro experiments also showed that gossypol increased cell viability in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, incubation of the osteoblast MC3T3-E1 cells with gossypol inhibited cell apoptosis through intrinsic apoptotic pathway as evidenced by the Annexin V/PI assay, TUNEL assay, biochemical analysis, and western blot assays. Moreover, the classical Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway was found to be regulated by gossypol treatments. Inhibition of Wnt/β-catenin signaling reversed the prevention effects of gossypol in osteoporosis. Our findings provided novel clues for the treatment of osteoporosis in clinic.
Automated Region Extraction from Thermal Images for Peripheral Vascular Disease Monitoring
Authors: Gauci Jean , Falzon Owen , Formosa Cynthia , Gatt Alfred , Ellul Christian , Mizzi Stephen , Mizzi Anabelle , Sturgeon Delia Cassandra , Cassar Kevin , Chockalingam Nachiappan , Camilleri Kenneth P.
Published: December 2018

This work develops a method for automatically extracting temperature data from prespecified anatomical regions of interest from thermal images of human hands, feet, and shins for the monitoring of peripheral arterial disease in diabetic patients. Binarisation, morphological operations, and geometric transformations are applied in cascade to automatically extract the required data from 44 predefined regions of interest. The implemented algorithms for region extraction were tested on data from 395 participants. A correct extraction in around 90% of the images was achieved. The process of automatically extracting 44 regions of interest was performed in a total computation time of approximately 1 minute, a substantial improvement over 10 minutes it took for a corresponding manual extraction of the regions by a trained individual. Interrater reliability tests showed that the automatically extracted ROIs are similar to those extracted by humans with minimal temperature difference. This set of algorithms provides a sufficiently accurate and reliable method for temperature extraction from thermal images at par with human raters with a tenfold reduction in time requirement. The automated process may replace the manual human extraction, leading to a faster process, making it feasible to carry out large-scale studies and to increase the regions of interest with minimal cost. The code for the developed algorithms, to extract the 44 ROIs from thermal images of hands, feet, and shins, has been made available online in the form of MATLAB functions and can be accessed from http://www.um.edu.mt/cbc/tipmid.
One‐Dimensional Large‐Strain Nonlinear Consolidation of Overconsolidated Clays with a Threshold Hydraulic Gradient
Authors: Li Chuanxun , Xiao Jinyang , Yang Yang , Wu Wenbing
Published: December 2018

The existence of the threshold hydraulic gradient in clays under a low hydraulic gradient has been recognized by many studies. Meanwhile, most nature clays to some extent exist in an overconsolidated state more or less. However, the consolidation theory of overconsolidated clays with the threshold hydraulic gradient has been rarely reported in the literature. In this paper, a one‐dimensional large‐strain consolidation model of overconsolidated clays with consideration of the threshold hydraulic gradient is developed, and the finite differential method is adopted to obtain solutions for this model. The influence of the threshold hydraulic gradient and the preconsolidation pressure of overconsolidated clay on consolidation behavior is investigated. The consolidation rate under large‐strain supposition is faster than that under small‐strain supposition, and the difference in the consolidation rate between different geometric suppositions increases with an increase in the threshold hydraulic gradient and a decrease in the preconsolidation pressure. If Darcy’s law is valid, the final settlement of overconsolidated clays under large‐strain supposition is the same as that under small‐strain supposition. For the existence of the threshold hydraulic gradient, the final settlement of the clay layer with large‐strain supposition is greater than that with small‐strain supposition.
Laboratory Leaching Tests to Investigate Mobilisation and Recovery of Metals from Geothermal Reservoirs
Authors: Osvald Máté , Kilpatrick Andrew D. , Rochelle Christopher A. , Szanyi János , Medgyes Tamás , Kóbor Balázs
Published: December 2018

The H2020 project “Combined Heat, Power and Metal extraction” (CHPM2030) aims at developing a novel technology which combines geothermal energy utilisation with the extraction of metals in a single interlinked process. In order to improve the economics of geothermal-based energy production, the project investigates possible technologies for the exploitation of metal-bearing geological formations with geothermal potential at depths of 3–4 km or deeper. In this way, the coproduction of energy and metals would be possible and could be optimized according to market demands in the future. This technology could allow the mining of deep ore bodies, particularly for critical metals, alongside power production, while minimizing environmental impact and costs. In this paper, we describe laboratory leaching experiments aimed at quantifying the relative rates and magnitudes of metal release and seeing how these vary with different fluids. Specific size fractions (250–500 μm) of ground mineralised rock samples were investigated under various pressures and temperatures up to 250 bar and 250°C. Initial experiments involved testing a variety of potential leaching fluids with various mineralised samples for a relatively long time (up to 720 h) in batch reactors in order to assess leaching effectiveness. Selected fluids were used in a flow-through reactor with shorter contact time (0.6 h). To ensure possible application in a real geothermal reservoir, a range of fluids were considered, from dilute mineral acid to relatively environmentally benign fluids, such as deionised water and acetic acid. The main findings of the study include fast reaction time, meaning that steady-state fluid compositions were reached in the first few hours of reaction and enhanced mobilisation of Ca, Cd, Mn, Pb, S, Si, and Zn. Some critical elements, such as Co, Sr, and W, were also found in notable concentrations during fluid-rock interactions. However, the amount of these useful elements released is much less compared to the common elements found, which include Al, Ca, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Pb, S, Si, and Zn. Even though concentrations of dissolved metals increased during the tests, some remained low, and this may present technical challenges for metal extraction. Future efforts will work toward attaining actual fluids from depth to more tightly constrain the effect of parameters such as salinity, which will also influence metal solubility.
A Foley Fallacy: A Case of Bladder Rupture after “Routine” Foley Catheter Placement
Authors: Poola Shiva , Mohan Arjun
Published: December 2018

Bladder injury is a rare condition mostly due to high-energy trauma. Bladder injury tends to be suspected during traumatic events in the setting of hematuria, pain, and voiding difficulty. Unfortunately, in end-stage renal disease patients who are oliguric or anuric these classic clinical findings would not be seen. We report a case of bladder rupture without a history of trauma or without a history of hematuria or voiding difficulties. To our knowledge this is the first case to describe such an injury with a lack of trauma history.
Monocular Clinical Outcomes and Range of Near Vision following Cataract Surgery with Implantation of an Extended Depth of Focus Intraocular Lens
Authors: Pandit Rahul T.
Published: December 2018

Importance. A full range of near and intermediate vision has not been clinically evaluated for the Symfony extended depth of focus intraocular lens (EDOF IOL).Background. To evaluate the monocular range of near visual acuity with an EDOF IOL.Design. Retrospective case series.Participants. Consecutive patients of a single surgeon from January 2017 through March 2018.Methods. Phacoemulsification with implantation of an EDOF IOL.Main Outcome Measures. Uncorrected distance visual acuity (UDVA), uncorrected near visual acuity (UNVA), corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA), distance-corrected near visual acuity (DCNVA), range of DCNVA, and optimal near focal length.Results. Seventy-six eyes of 48 patients (34 or 71% female, mean age: 68 years) were included with a mean follow-up of 68 days. Mean values were as follows: logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) UDVA 0.02 ± 0.09, logMAR UNVA 0.12 ± 0.09 at a mean distance of 51 cm, logMAR CDVA −0.05 ± 0.07, logMAR DCNVA 0.08 ± 0.07 at a mean distance of 51 cm, and a spherical equivalent of −0.16 diopters ±0.35. Percentage of eyes achieving DCNVA of 20/30 were 84% at 36 cm, 92% at 41 cm, 99% at 51 cm, 93% at 61 cm, and 74% at 71 cm. DCNVA of 20/40 or better was achieved in nearly 100% of eyes over a range of 35 cm.Conclusions and Relevance. The Symfony EDOF IOL achieved excellent distance visual acuity while providing a 35 cm range of near visual acuity at levels useful for many tasks in nearly all patients.
Existence of Positive Ground State Solution for the Nonlinear Schrödinger-Poisson System with Potentials
Authors: Xiao Lu , Qian Haiqin , Qu Mengmeng , Wang Jun
Published: December 2018

In the present paper we study the existence of positive ground state solutions for the nonautonomous Schrödinger-Poisson system with competing potentials. Under some assumptions for the potentials we prove the existence of positive ground state solution.
Compartment Syndrome of the Flexor Compartment of the Arm Secondary to Pectoralis Major Tendon Rupture
Authors: Tranovich M. A. , Stirton J. B. , Maier J. C. , Tanios M. B. , Lea J. E. , Ebraheim N. A. , Miller J. D.
Published: December 2018

Case. Compartment syndrome following muscle rupture is a rare entity with few mentions in the literature. We present a case of pectoralis major rupture in a 38-year-old male that evolved into compartment syndrome of the anterior compartment of the arm. Rupture of the pectoralis is uncommon and most often occurs during weight lifting. Compartment syndrome secondary to this injury is extremely uncommon, with only one reported case in the pectoralis major itself and several cases of biceps compartment syndrome. Due to the potentially devastating consequences of a missed compartment syndrome, it is imperative that physicians maintain a high level of suspicion in patients with these unusual injuries presenting with severe swelling and pain.
The Antitumor Immunity and Tumor Responses of Chemotherapy with or without DC-CIK for Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer in China: A Meta-Analysis of 28 Randomized Controlled Trials
Authors: Xiao Zheng , Wang Cheng-qiong , Zhou Ming-hua , Li Na-na , Sun Yong-ping , Wang Yu-zhi , Liu Shi-yu , Yu Hong-song , Li Cheng-wen , Zeng Xian-tao , Chen Ling , Yao Xin-sheng , Feng Ji-hong
Published: December 2018

Objective. DC-CIK therapy included DC-CIK cells and Ag-DC-CIK cells. To further confirm whether DC-CIK reconstructs the antitumor immunity and improves the tumor responses and reveals its optimal usage and combination with chemotherapy, we systematically reevaluated all the related studies.Materials and Methods. All studies about DC-CIK plus chemotherapy for NSCLC were collected from the published and ongoing database as CBM, CNKI, VIP, Wanfang, ISI, Embase, MEDLINE, CENTRAL, WHO-ICTRP, Chi-CTR, and US clinical trials (established on June 2017). We evaluated their methodological bias risk according to the Cochrane evaluation handbook of RCTs (5.1.0), extracted data following the predesigned data extraction form, and synthesized the data using meta-analysis.Results. We included 28 RCTs (phase IV) with 2242 patients, but most trials had unclear bias risk. The SMD and 95% CI of meta-analysis for CD3+T cells, CD3+CD4+T cells, CD3+CD8+T cells, CD4+/CD8+T cell ratio, CIK cells, NK cells, and Treg cells were as follows: 1.85 (1.39 to 2.31), 0.87 (0.65 to 1.10), 1.04 (0.58 to 1.50), 0.75 (0.27 to 1.22), 3.87 (2.48 to 5.25), 1.51 (0.99 to 2.03), and −2.31(−3.84 to −0.79). The RR and 95% CI of meta-analysis for ORR and DCR were as follows: 1.38 (1.24 to 1.54) and 1.27 (1.20 to 1.34). All differences were statistically significant between DC-CIK plus chemotherapy and chemotherapy alone. Subgroup analysis showed that only DC-CIK cells could increase the CD3+T cells, CD3+CD4+T cells, CD3+CD8+T cells, and CD4+/CD8+T cell ratio. In treatment with one cycle or two cycles and combination with NP or GP, DC-CIK could increase the CD4+/CD8+T cell ratio. All results had good stability.Conclusions. DC-CIK therapy can simultaneously improve the antitumor immunity and tumor responses. DC-CIK therapy, especially DC-CIK cells, can improve antitumor immunity through increasing the T lymphocyte subsets, CIK cell, and NK cells in peripheral blood. The one cycle to two cycles may be optimal cycle, and the NP or GP may be optimal combination.
Experimental Study on Strain Penetration Effects in Fixed‐End Rotation of RC Beam‐Column Connections with High‐Strength Reinforcement
Authors: Li Ling , Zheng Wenzhong , Wang Ying , Ma Junke
Published: December 2018

The additional fixed‐end rotation resulting from the strain penetration of longitudinal reinforcement in a reinforced concrete beam‐column connection is a crucial factor for the plastic hinge rotation capacity. When it comes to high‐strength reinforcement, the effects of strain penetration on fixed‐end rotation become more obvious because of the increase in yield strength. In this study, 42 beam‐column connections with high‐strength hot rolled ribbed bars were designed and tested under monotonic loading at the beam end. The test results show that the rebar strains gradually decrease from the critical section towards the beam‐column connection, thereby proving the existence of strain penetration in the beam‐column connection. The slippage of the embedment reinforcement at the beam‐column interface and additional fixed‐end rotations were obtained from the test results. In addition, a parametric study involving the yield strength and diameter of reinforcement, concrete tensile strength, and embedment length in the beam‐column connection was performed to investigate the effects of various parameters on the additional fixed‐end rotation. Finally, a new simple and practical calculation model for predicting the additional fixed‐end rotation was proposed. The prediction shows good agreement with the experimental results.
The Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum) Compound Silibinin Inhibits Cardiomyogenesis of Embryonic Stem Cells by Interfering with Angiotensin II Signaling
Authors: Ali Enas Hussein , Sharifpanah Fatemeh , Taha Amer , Tsang Suk Ying , Wartenberg Maria , Sauer Heinrich
Published: December 2018

The milk thistle (Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertn.) compound silibinin may be an inhibitor of the angiotensin II type 1 (AT1) receptor which is expressed in differentiating embryonic stem (ES) cells and is involved in the regulation of cardiomyogenesis. In the present study, it was demonstrated that silibinin treatment decreased the number of spontaneously contracting cardiac foci and cardiac cell areas differentiated from ES cells as well as contraction frequency and frequency of calcium (Ca2+) spiking. In contrast, angiotensin II (Ang II) treatment stimulated cardiomyogenesis as well as contraction and Ca2+ spiking frequency, which were abolished in the presence of silibinin. Intracellular Ca2+ transients elicited by Ang II in rat smooth muscle cells were not impaired upon silibinin treatment, excluding the possibility that the compound acted on the AT1 receptor. Ang II treatment activated extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2), c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK), and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways in embryoid bodies which were abolished upon silibinin pretreatment. In summary, our data suggest that silibinin inhibits cardiomyogenesis of ES cells by interfering with Ang II signaling downstream of the AT1 receptor.
Metabolic Syndrome and Its Components Predict the Risk of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in the Mainland Chinese: A 3-Year Cohort Study
Authors: Wang Kun , Yang Qun-Fang , Chen Xing-Lin , Liu Yu-Wei , Shan Sheng-Shuai , Zheng Hua-Bo , Zhao Xiao-Fang , Chen Chang-Zhong , Liu Cheng-Yun
Published: December 2018

Introduction. It has well established that metabolic syndrome (MetS) can predict the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in some population groups. However, limited evidence is available regarding the predictive effect of MetS for incident T2DM in mainland Chinese population. Methods. A 3-year cohort study was performed for 9735 Chinese without diabetes at baseline. MetS and its components were assessed by multivariable analysis using Cox regression. Prediction models were developed. Discrimination was assessed with area under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUCs), and performance was assessed by a calibration curve. Results. The 3-year cumulative incidence of T2DM was 11.29%. Baseline MetS was associated with an increased risk of T2DM after adjusting for age (HR = 2.68, 95% CI, 2.27–3.17 in males; HR = 2.59, 95% CI, 1.83–3.65 in females). Baseline MetS exhibited relatively high specificity (88% in males, 94% in females) and high negative predictive value (90% in males, 94% in females) but low sensitivity (36% in males, 23% in females) and low positive predictive value (31% in males and females) for predicting the 3-year risk of T2DM. AUCs, including age and components of MetS, for the prediction model were 0.779 (95% CI: 0.759–0.799) in males and 0.860 (95% CI: 0.836–0.883) in females. Calibration curves revealed good agreement between prediction and observation results in males; however, the model could overestimate the risk when the predicted probability is >40% in females. Conclusions. MetS predicts the risk of T2DM. The quantitative MetS-based prediction model for T2DM risk may improve preventive strategies for T2DM and present considerable public health benefits for the people in mainland China.
Minimally Invasive Bilateral Lung Resections and CABG through 5 Ports
Authors: Asemota N. , Rouhani M. J. , Harling L. , Raubenheimer H. , De Souza A. C. , Lim E.
Published: December 2018

Minimal access surgery is increasingly popular to reduce postoperative morbidity and enhance recovery. We present a case of a patient who underwent bilateral minimally invasive thoracic and cardiac surgery. An 81-year-old woman was diagnosed with T1aN0M0 left upper lobe small-cell lung cancer and underwent single-port left video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) upper lobectomy in 2016. She developed a contralateral right lower lobe nodule and underwent a single-port right VATS wedge resection of the lower lobe nodule, subsequently confirmed as necrotising granulomatous inflammation with acid-fast bacilli, consistent with previous tuberculosis (TB) infection. On postoperative day 1, she had an episode of self-reverting ventricular tachycardia and bradycardia. Subsequent myocardial perfusion scan and coronary angiogram showed significant LV dysfunction and severe coronary artery disease with a left main stem (LMS) lesion. After agreement at MDT, an Endo-ACAB (endoscopic atraumatic coronary artery bypass grafting) was performed, via 3 ports, with the left internal mammary artery anastomosed to left anterior descending artery. She recovered well postoperatively and was discharged. Multiple sequential minimally invasive procedures are now routine and can be performed safely in patients with a complex combination of pathologies. In this case, bilateral single-port (anatomic and nonanatomic) lung resections were undertaken followed by coronary revascularisation with a total of 5 minimal access ports.
Corrected QT Interval Prolongation in Psychopharmacological Treatment and Its Modulation by Genetic Variation
Authors: Corponi Filippo , Fabbri Chiara , Boriani Giuseppe , Diemberger Igor , Albani Diego , Forloni Gianluigi , Serretti Alessandro
Published: December 2018

Several antipsychotics and antidepressants have been associated with electrocardiogram alterations, the most clinically relevant of which is the heart rate-corrected QT interval (QTc) prolongation, a risk factor for sudden cardiac death. Genetic variants influence drug-induced QTc prolongation and can provide valuable information for precision medicine. The effect of genetic variants on QTc prolongation as well as the possible interaction between polymorphisms and risk medications in determining QTc prolongation were investigated. Medications were classified according to their known risk of inducing QTc prolongation (high-to-moderate, low, and no risk). QTc duration and risk of QTc > median value were investigated in a sample of 77 patients with mood or psychotic disorders being treated with antidepressants and antipsychotics, and who had at least 1 ECG recording. A secondary analysis considered QTc percentage change in patients (n = 25) with 2 ECG recordings. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms previously associated with QTc prolongation during treatment with psychotropic medications were investigated. No association survived after multiple-testing correction. The best results for modulation of QTc duration were identified for rs10808071 (the ABCB1 gene, nominal p = 0.007) when at least 1 medication with a moderate-to-high risk was prescribed, and for rs12029454 (the NOS1AP gene) in patients taking at least 1 medication with a cardiovascular risk (nominal p = 0.008). In the secondary analysis, rs2072413 (the KCNH2 gene) was the top finding for the modulation of QTc percentage change (nominal p = 0.001) when 1 drug with a moderate-to-high risk was added compared to baseline. Despite the limited power of this study, our results suggest that ABCB1, NOS1AP, and KCNH2 may play a role in QTc duration/prolongation during treatment with psychotropic drugs.
Biology-Based Surgery: The Extent of Lymphadenectomy in Cancer of the Colon
Authors: Willaert Wouter , Cosyns Sarah , Ceelen Wim
Published: December 2018

The progression of colon cancer (CC) involves hematogenous and lymphatic spread to locoregional lymph nodes (LN), distant LN, and metastatic sites including the liver. The biological mechanisms that govern CC progression remain elusive. The Halsted model assumes an orderly, stepwise progression from the primary tumor to nearby nodes, henceforth to anatomically more distant nodes, and ultimately to distant organs. The Fisher model, on the other hand, regards the release of metastatic cells as early and essentially random events. The underlying biology has important implications for the ideal extent of surgery: when the Fisher model is correct, efforts to remove apical (central), extramesenteric, or para-aortic LN are unlikely to affect the oncological outcome. Recent data from phylogenetic studies suggest that cancer cell populations differ genetically among different LN stations and from distant metastases. Circulating tumor cells and other liquid biomarkers can be detected in the circulation of patients with early-stage disease. Local recurrence in CC is uncommon, and it is associated with a high risk of systemic progression and poor survival. Clinical studies comparing standard colectomy with extensive surgery (high ligation of the inferior mesenteric artery, complete mesocolic excision, D3 dissection, and para-aortic or extramesenteric node dissection) show that these techniques increase the LN count, while any beneficial effect on the risk of local recurrence or disease-free survival is at present uncertain due to the lack of controlled trials. Ongoing randomized trials comparing extensive vs. standard surgery for CC will generate important answers.
Trends in Opioid Prescribing Among Hemodialysis Patients, 2007–2014
Authors: Daubresse Matthew , Alexander G. Caleb , Crews Deidra C. , Segev Dorry L. , McAdams-DeMarco Mara A.
Published: December 2018

Background: Hemodialysis (HD) patients frequently experience pain. Previous studies of HD patients suggest increased opioid prescribing through 2010. It remains unclear if this trend continued after 2010 or declined with national trends. Methods: Longitudinal cohort study of 484,745 HD patients in the United States Renal Data System/Medicare data. We used Poisson/negative binomial regression to estimate annual incidence rates of opioid prescribing between 2007 and 2014. We compared prescribing rates with the general US population using IQVIA’s National Prescription Audit data. Outcomes included the following: percent of HD patients receiving an opioid prescription, rate of opioid prescriptions, quantity, days supply, morphine milligram equivalents (MME) dispensed per 100 person-days, and prescriptions per person. Results: In 2007, 62.4% of HD patients received an opioid prescription. This increased to 63.2% in 2010 then declined to 53.7% by 2014. Opioid quantity peaked in 2011 at 73.5 pills per 100 person-days and declined to 62.6 pills per 100 person-days in 2014. MME peaked between 2010 and 2012 then declined through 2014. In 2014, MME rates were 1.8-fold higher among non-Hispanic patients and 1.6-fold higher among low-income patients. HD patients received 3.2-fold more opioid prescriptions per person compared to the general US population and were primarily prescribed oxycodone and hydrocodone. Between 2012 and 2014, HD patients experienced greater declines in opioid prescriptions per person (18.2%) compared to the general US population (7.1%). Conclusion: Opioid prescribing among HD patients declined between 2012 and 2014. However, HD patients continue receiving substantially more opioids than the general US population.
miR-192 Is Overexpressed and Promotes Cell Proliferation in Prostate Cancer
Authors: Chen Zhong-Jun  , Yan You-Ji , Shen Hao , Zhou Jia-Jie , Yang Guang-Hua , Liao Yi-Xiang , Zeng Jin-Min  , Yang Tao
Published: December 2018

Objective: Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the most prevalent types of cancer among men worldwide. The incidence of PCa is increasing in China. Therefore, there is an urgent need to identify novel diagnostic and prognostic markers for PCa to improve the treatment of the disease. Methods: The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and GEO database were used to analyze the expression of miR-192, and the relationship between miR-192 and the clinical features of patients with PCa. Cell cycle and cell proliferation assay were used to detect the functional roles of miR-192 in PCa. Bioinformatic analysis for miR-192–5p was performed using gene ontology and KEGG analysis. Results: By analyzing the dataset of TCGA, we found that miR-192 was overexpressed in PCa samples compared to normal tissues and was upregulated in high-grade PCa compared to low-grade PCa. We also observed that higher miR-192 expression was associated with a shorter biochemical recurrence-free survival time. Our results also demonstrated that miR-192 promoted PCa cell proliferation and cell cycle progression. Conclusion: These results suggest that miR-192 may be considered for use as a potential diagnostic and therapeutic target of PCa.
Two new Peruvian species of Brayopsis (Brassicaceae; Cruciferae), and a key to the species
Authors: AL-SHEHBAZ IHSAN A. , CANO ASUNCIÓN , TRINIDAD HUBER , GONZÁLES PAÚL , HUAMÁN ELLUZ
Published: December 2018

Two new Peruvian species of Brayopsis, B. limensis and B. cuscoensis, are described an illustrated, and their relationships and distinguishing characters from their nearest relatives are discussed. A key to the nine species of Brayopsis is presented.
Evaluation of diagnostic chemical and morphological characters in five Parmelia species (Parmeliaceae, lichenized Ascomycota) with special emphasis on the thallus pruinosity
Authors: OSSOWSKA EMILIA , GUZOW-KRZEMIŃSKA BEATA , DUDEK MAGDALENA , OSET MAGDALENA , KUKWA MARTIN
Published: December 2018

To test the taxonomic significance of secondary chemistry (particularly lobaric acid and fatty acids) and pruina in Parmelia ernstiae, P. saxatilis, P. serrana, P. submontana and P. sulcata in Europe, 3684 specimens were analysed morphologically and chemically, and 82 ITS rDNA sequences were prepared. A comparison of the resulting phylogram with the production of secondary metabolites (P. saxatilis group) and the intensity and presence of the thallus pruina (all five species) show that lobaric acid occurs in only three species, P. ernstiae, P. saxatilis and P. serrana, but its presence is variable within them. Fatty acids are restricted to P. ernstiae and P. serrana. All studied species can develop epruinose to strongly pruinose thalli, and therefore pruina is an uninformative character at species level. The traits reliable for the determination of the species are the type of vegetative propagules, their placement on the thallus, and the lobe shape. It was previously suggested that the development of pruina may depend on light intensity, but epruinose and pruinose thalli of the same species were often found growing side by side in exactly the same environmental conditions. Thalli differing in pruina intensity might contain different photobiont strains.
Periclimenes nevillei sp. nov. (Crustacea: Decapoda: Pontoniinae) from Vanuatu
Authors: BRUCE A. J.
Published: December 2018

A new species of pontoniine shrimp, Periclimenes nevillei, from Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu, is described and illustrated. The species is an associate of an antipatharian host, Cirripathes sp. A member of the Periclimenes brevicarpalis species group, to which a key is provided, it most closely resembles Periclimenes albolineatus Bruce & Coombes, 1997.
Meitingsunes, a new genus of quill mites (Acari: Cheyletoidea: Syringophilidae)
Authors: GLOWSKA ELIZA , SKORACKI MACIEJ
Published: December 2018

A new genus of syringophilid mites Meitingsunes gen. nov. (Acari: Cheyletoidea: Syringophilidae) inhabiting quills of columbiform birds is established. The new genus is closely related to Peristerophila Kethley but distinguished from it by the smooth hypostomal apex and divergent apodemes I not fused to apodemes II. This new genus includes one new species, M. aldwelles sp. nov. described from quills of Geotrygon frenata (Tschudi) from Colombia, and two named species moved from Peristerophila: M. tympanistria (Skoracki et Dabert, 2002) comb. nov. and M. zenadourae (Clark, 1964) comb. nov. [type species].
Two new species of Collembola: Friesea kariae sp. nov. (Neanuridae) and Stachia oregonensis sp. nov. (Odontellidae) from North America
Authors: SMOLIS ADRIAN
Published: December 2018

Two new species of genera Friesea Dalla Torre, 1895 and Stachia Folsom, 1932 are described and fully illustrated. Friesea kariae sp. nov. is easily distinguished by absence of eyes, presence of five anal spines, furcula in state 3 and retinaculum with 2+2 teeth. Stachia oregonensis sp. nov. is easily distinguished by its femoral and trochanteral chaetotaxy, presence of three rounded lobes in postantennal organ and setae a 1 on most thoracic and abdominal terga. Keys to the known eyeless members of the genus Friesea Dalla Torre, 1895 and all the species of Stachia Folsom, 1932 are also included.
Ancistrosyllis matlaensis n. sp. (Polychaeta: Pilargidae) from the Sundarban Estuarine System, India
Authors: MANDAL SUMIT , DEB SOUMYA
Published: December 2018

A new species of family Pilargidae, Ancistrosyllis matlaensis n. sp. is described from the Sundarban Estuarine System, India. The new species can be distinguished from its congeners by a combination of characters: absence of median antenna and eyes, shape of tentacular and dorsal cirri, structure of notopodia and neuropodia, and first appearance of notopodial hooks. The new species closely resembles Ancistrosyllis falcata.