bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Bullous X linked retinoschisis: clinical features and prognosis
Authors: Hinds Anne-Marie , Fahim Abigail , Moore Anthony T , Wong Sui Chien , Michaelides Michel
Published: August 2017

Background/Aims

A subset of patients with X linked retinoschisis (XLRS) have bullous schisis cavities in the peripheral retina. This study describes the characteristics and prognosis of the bullous form of XLRS.

Methods

A retrospective case series was performed of nine patients with molecularly proven bullous XLRS seen at a single tertiary centre.

Results

All cases of bullous peripheral schisis were bilateral, with one unilateral case at presentation which developed into bilateral bullous schisis over time. The mean age of onset was 1.9 years (range: 1 month–7 years, SD: 2.1 years) and at clinical diagnosis was 5.9 years (range: 1 month–27 years, SD: 9.0 years). Mean follow-up was 11 years (range: 6 months–36 years, SD: 10.8 years). Strabismus was the most common presentation (n=7). Other presenting complaints included decreased vision, floaters and an irregularly shaped pupil. The most frequently associated ocular features were strabismus (100%), vitreous haemorrhage (4/18 eyes, 22%), nystagmus (2/9, 22%) and persistent fetal vasculature (1/18, 6%). Localised tractional detachment was seen in 2/18 (11%) eyes, total detachment that underwent surgical repair in 1/18 (6%) and pigmented demarcation lines in a further 22% of the eyes. There was one eye with exudative retinal detachment.

Conclusion

In XLRS, bullous schisis may be congenital or develop soon after birth and most commonly presents with strabismus. Cases may be complicated by some form of retinal detachment, which may be tractional or a Coats-like exudative detachment.
Hypothesis: lobe A (COG1–4)-CDG causes a more severe phenotype than lobe B (COG5–8)-CDG
Authors: Haijes Hanneke A , Jaeken Jaak , Foulquier François , van Hasselt Peter M.
Published: August 2017

The conserved oligomeric Golgi (COG) complex consists of eight subunits organized in two lobes: lobe A (COG1–4) and lobe B (COG5–8). The different functional roles of COG lobe A and lobe B might result in distinct clinical phenotypes in patients with COG-CDG (congenital disorders of glycosylation). This hypothesis is supported by three observations. First, knock-down of COG lobe A components affects Golgi morphology more severely than knock-down of COG lobe B components. Second, nearly all of the 27 patients with lobe B COG-CDG had bi-allelic truncating mutations, as compared with only one of the six patients with lobe A COG-CDG. This represents a frequency gap which suggests that bi-allelic truncating mutations in COG lobe A genes might be non-viable. Third, in support, large-scale exome data of healthy adults (Exome Aggregation Consortium (ExAC)) underline that COG lobe A genes are less tolerant to genetic variation than COG lobe B genes. Thus, comparable molecular defects are more detrimental in lobe A COG-CDG than in lobe B COG-CDG. In a larger perspective, clinical phenotypic severity corresponded nicely with tolerance to genetic variation. Therefore, genomic epidemiology can potentially be used as a photographic negative for mutational severity.
Disabling disability amid competing ideologies
Authors: Koch Tom
Published: August 2017

This paper critiques current arguments advancing the potential for transhumanism and a range of biological and pharmacological enhancements to better human flourishing. It does so from a historical perspective weighing the individualistic and competitive evolutionary theories of Darwin with the cooperative and communal theories of Prince Peter Kropotkin a generation later. In doing so it proposes the transhumanist and enhancement enthusiasts operate within a paradigm similar to Darwin’s, one that is atomist and individualistic. The critique, which considers the status of those with cognitive, sensory and physical limits, advances a vision of society as a cooperative and communal rather than individualistic and competitive. Within this framework the argument is not one of either/or but on the lexicographical superiority of the communal and social over the individualistic and competitive ethos underlying both Darwin and most contemporary transhumanist literature. This reordering of priorities, it is argued, reflects advances in contemporary biology and evolutionary thinking.
Reclaiming the value of pictorial health warning labels in Jordan
Authors: Obeidat Nour A , Al-Hadid Mai , Hatoqai Asma A , Shihab Rawan A , Hawari Feras I
Published: August 2017

Background

In Jordan, four non-graphic pictorial health warning labels (PHWLs) concerning a limited selection of tobacco-caused harms have been used since 2011; however, research suggests that they may be ineffective.

Objectives

To explore Jordanian smokers’ reactions to novel PHWLs featuring various health themes and/or graphic and symbolic imagery and to discuss existing PHWLs in light of the novel PHWLs.

Methods

We conducted 14 focus groups (FGs) with smokers who assessed 12 novel PHWLs and commented on four existing PHWLs. Data were analysed using an inductive approach.

Results

Six themes emerged from the FG discussions: understanding the overall meaning of PHWLs, the impact of graphic images, magnitude and controllability of harm, personal or vicarious experiences, the futility of quitting and fatalism. PHWLs depicting graphic respiratory and oral tobacco-caused harms resonated with most smokers. Smokers also sought direct, harm-specific taglines when trying to understand the overall PHWL. Some smokers viewed the PHWLs as exaggerated, and while the majority acknowledged that smoking was harmful, they felt that PHWLs would not accomplish their goal of inducing quitting.

Conclusions

Our findings support the use of graphic imagery to communicate tobacco-caused harms (particularly respiratory ones) and the use of specific taglines explaining the mechanism of harm depicted.
Use of prescribed smoking cessation pharmacotherapy following release from prison: a prospective data linkage study
Authors: Puljević Cheneal , de Andrade Dominique , Carroll Megan , Spittal Matthew J , Kinner Stuart A
Published: August 2017

Background

A significant proportion of people who cycle through prisons express a desire to quit smoking, yet smoking rates in this population are two to four times higher than in the general community. Smoking cessation pharmacotherapy (SCP) is an important component of evidence-based cessation support, yet no studies have examined use of this pharmacotherapy after release from prison.

Methods

We linked data from a survey of 971 smokers who were within 8 weeks of release from prison in Queensland, Australia, with federal Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) records for the 2 years after release, to identify subsidised use of SCP (varenicline, bupropion and nicotine patches). We used Cox proportional hazards regression to identify independent predictors of SCP use.

Findings

According to PBS data, 86 participants (8.9%) accessed SCP in the 2 years following release from prison. Participants who were aged 25 years or older (HR 2.51, 95% CI 1.19 to 5.31), employed before prison (HR 1.93, 95% CI 1.14 to 3.28), highly nicotine dependent at baseline (HR 2.21, 95% CI 1.23 to 3.97) and using non-psychotropic medications in prison (HR 2.29, 95% CI 1.24 to 4.22) were more likely to use subsidised SCP during follow-up.

Conclusion

Despite a very high rate of tobacco use among people cycling through prisons and the very low cost of (subsidised) SCP in Australia, few ex-prisoners obtain pharmaceutical assistance with quitting smoking. Policy attention needs to focus on supporting former prisoners to access SCP, to reduce the high rate of tobacco-related morbidity and mortality in this profoundly marginalised population.
Defining burden and severity of disease for emergency general surgery
Authors: Miller Preston R
Published: August 2017

As general surgery trainees continue to enter specialty practice at a high rate, fewer and fewer are caring for emergency general surgery (EGS) patients. Thus EGS has become one of the cornerstones of the practice of acute care surgery. With the centralization of this area of surgical care in many areas of the country, a clear understanding of the issues associated with this becomes vital. Understanding the public health implications with respect to burden of care and cost will allow for appropriate planning and resource allocation in the future. In addition, the development of validated severity modeling will help with risk stratification in future study of these diseases.
Small-scale evaporation tests on clay: influence of drying rate on clayey soil layer
Authors: Tollenaar Roderick N. , van Paassen Leon A. , Jommi Cristina
Published: August 2017

Cracks in drying soils have detrimental effects on the integrity of geotechnical structures. The evaporation rate is recognized to play an important role in fracture generation, having a direct impact on the amount of cracks produced. This investigation examined the drying behaviour of a clay with different initial water contents and under different evaporative conditions. Small-scale evaporation experiments were carried out using a river clay and commercially available suction-measuring equipment. The results showed that the initial conditions have great influence on the drying performance of a soil, which can be partly attributed to the influence of the surface texture and the pore structure. It was observed that under certain circumstances, the evaporation of a soil surface can be higher than that of open water. The different evaporation rates had a marked effect on the water distributions with depth within the soil. The evaporation rate also produced a dynamic response of the soil-water retention curve.
Generating entangled state of Bose–Einstein condensate using electromagnetically induced transparency
Authors: Li Song-Song
Published: August 2017

We put forward a scheme on how to generate entangled state of Bose–Einstein condensate (BEC) using electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT). It is shown that we can rapidly generate the entangled state in the dynamical process and the entangled state maintained a long time interval. It is also shown that the better entangled state can be generated by decreasing coupling strengths of two classical laser fields, increasing two-photon detuning and total number of atoms.
Control of optical absorption nonlinearity in multi-layers quantum dots and rings
Authors: Solaimani M. , Lavaei Leila
Published: August 2017

In this paper, we study the effect of the number of wells, inner (R[Formula: see text]) and outer (R[Formula: see text]) quantum ring radiuses, and magnetic field as controlling tools to change the nonlinearity in optical properties of GaN/AlN constant radius multi-layer quantum dots and rings. It is seen that for small R[Formula: see text] and for fixed R[Formula: see text] and R[Formula: see text], by increasing the number of wells, the nonlinearity increases, while for greater R[Formula: see text] and for fixed R[Formula: see text] and R[Formula: see text], by increasing the number of wells the nonlinearity first decreases and then increases. For systems with greater R[Formula: see text], the nonlinearity continually increases by increasing the number of wells. For fixed R[Formula: see text], the critical well number, in which the nonlinearity changes its behavior, decreases by increasing the inner quantum ring radius R[Formula: see text]. The absorption coefficient does not undertake any blue or red shifts by changing the number of wells. In the systems with more number of wells, the nonlinearity reduces more rapidly by increasing the magnetic field. Finally, by increasing the radius R[Formula: see text], the nonlinearity increases.
FIRM FUNCTIONS AND THE NATURE OF COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE IN INTERNATIONALIZING SMEs
Authors: HAAPANEN LAURI , HURMELINNA-LAUKKANEN PIA , HERMES JAN
Published: August 2017

Prior literature suggests that dynamic capabilities enable, on the one hand, firms to respond successfully to the changes in the markets, and on the other hand, to embrace firms’ ability to shape their business environments. However, existing studies have not fully considered how some firms within the same industry are able to shape markets, and why others need to adapt to these changes in a Kirznerian manner. We make an attempt, based on contemporary literature on the microfoundations of dynamic capabilities, to explain how resource allocation between marketing and R&D function — as one of the microfoundations and as a central contributor to innovation — influences the sustainability of competitive advantage and, consequently, a firm’s ability to create or respond to exogenous shocks. Findings from our multiple-case study on internationalizing SMEs indicate that investments in marketing and R&D functions per se are a necessary though not sufficient condition for building dynamic capabilities and competitive advantage. Rather, the extent to which companies are able to follow their own strategies is closely tied to the microfoundations of dynamic capabilities.
Operating Energy-Neutral Real-Time Systems
Authors: Wägemann Peter , Distler Tobias , Janker Heiko , Raffeck Phillip , Sieh Volkmar , SchröDer-Preikschat Wolfgang
Published: August 2017

Energy-neutral real-time systems harvest the entire energy they use from their environment. In such systems, energy must be treated as an equally important resource as time, which creates the need to solve a number of problems that so far have not been addressed by traditional real-time systems. In particular, this includes the scheduling of tasks with both time and energy constraints, the monitoring of energy budgets, as well as the survival of blackout periods during which not enough energy is available to keep the system fully operational.

In this article, we address these issues presenting E
n
OS, an operating-system kernel for energy-neutral real-time systems. E
n
OS considers mixed time criticality levels for different energy criticality modes, which enables a decoupling of time and energy constraints when one is considered less critical than the other. When switching the energy criticality mode, the system also changes the set of executed tasks and is therefore able to dynamically adapt its energy consumption depending on external conditions. By keeping track of the energy budget available, E
n
OS ensures that in case of a blackout the system state is safely stored to persistent memory, allowing operations to resume at a later point when enough energy is harvested again.
What Does Affect the Correlation Among Evaluation Measures?
Authors: Ferro Nicola
Published: August 2017

Information Retrieval (IR)
is well-known for the great number of adopted evaluation measures, with new ones popping up more and more frequently. In this context, correlation analysis is the tool used to study the evaluation measures and to let us understand if two measures rank systems similarly, if they grasp different aspects of system performances or actually reflect different user models, if a new measure is well motivated or not. To this end, the two most commonly used correlation coefficients are the Kendall’s τ correlation and the AP correlation τ

AP

.

The goal of the article is to investigate the properties of the tool, that is, correlation analysis, we use to study evaluation measures. In particular, we investigate three research questions about these two correlation coefficients: (i) what is the effect of the number of systems and topics? (ii) what is the effect of removing low-performing systems? (iii) what is the effect of the experimental collections?

To answer these research questions, we propose a methodology based on
General Linear Mixed Model (GLMM)
and
ANalysis Of VAriance (ANOVA)
to isolate the effects of the number of topics, number of systems, and experimental collections and to let us observe expected correlation values, net from these effects, which are stable and reliable.

We learned that the effect of the number of topics is more prominent than the effect of the number of systems. Even if it produces different absolute values, the effect of removing low-performing systems does not seem to provide information substantially different from not removing them, especially when comparing a whole set of evaluation measures. Finally, we found out that both document corpora and topic sets affect the correlation among evaluation measures, the effect of the latter being more prominent. Moreover, there is a substantial interaction between evaluation measures, corpora and topic sets, meaning that the correlation between different evaluation measures can be substantially increased or decreased depending on the different corpora and topics at hand.
Toward Mining Stop-by Behaviors in Indoor Space
Authors: Teng Shan-Yun , Ku Wei-Shinn , Chuang Kun-Ta
Published: August 2017

In this article, we explore a new mining paradigm, called
Indoor Stop-by Patterns
(
ISP
), to discover user stop-by behavior in mall-like indoor environments. The discovery of
ISPs
enables new marketing collaborations, such as a joint coupon promotion, among stores in indoor spaces (e.g., shopping malls). Moreover, it can also help in eliminating the overcrowding situation. To pursue better practicability, we consider the cost-effective wireless sensor-based environment and conduct the analysis of indoor stop-by behaviors on real data. However, it is a highly challenging issue, in indoor environments, to retrieve frequent
ISPs
, especially when the issue of user privacy is highlighted nowadays. The mining of
ISPs
will face a critical challenge from spatial uncertainty. Previous work on mining indoor movement patterns usually relies on precise spatio-temporal information by a specific deployment of positioning devices, which cannot be directly applied. In this article, the proposed Probabilistic Top-
k
Indoor Stop-by Patterns Discovery (
PTkISP
) framework incorporates the probabilistic model to identify top-
k
ISPs
over uncertain data collected from sensing logs. Moreover, we develop an uncertain model and devise an Index 1-itemset (IIS) algorithm to enhance the accuracy and efficiency. Our experimental studies show that the proposed
PTkISP
framework can efficiently discover high-quality
ISPs
and can provide insightful observations for marketing collaborations.
Local refinement typing
Authors: Cosman Benjamin , Jhala Ranjit
Published: August 2017

We introduce the FUSION algorithm for local refinement type inference, yielding a new SMT-based method for verifying programs with polymorphic data types and higher-order functions. FUSION is concise as the programmer need only write signatures for (externally exported) top-level functions and places with cyclic (recursive) dependencies, after which FUSION can predictably synthesize the most precise refinement types for all intermediate terms (expressible in the decidable refinement logic), thereby checking the program without false alarms. We have implemented FUSION and evaluated it on the benchmarks from the LiquidHaskell suite totalling about 12KLOC. FUSION checks an existing safety benchmark suite using about half as many templates as previously required and nearly 2 × faster. In a new set of theorem proving benchmarks FUSION is both 10 — 50 × faster and, by synthesizing the most precise types, avoids false alarms to make verification possible.
Compiling to categories
Authors: Elliott Conal
Published: August 2017

It is well-known that the simply typed lambda-calculus is modeled by any cartesian closed category (CCC). This correspondence suggests giving typed functional programs a variety of interpretations, each corresponding to a different category. A convenient way to realize this idea is as a collection of meaning-preserving transformations added to an existing compiler, such as GHC for Haskell. This paper describes such an implementation and demonstrates its use for a variety of interpretations including hardware circuits, automatic differentiation, incremental computation, and interval analysis. Each such interpretation is a category easily defined in Haskell (outside of the compiler). The general technique appears to provide a compelling alternative to deeply embedded domain-specific languages.
Staged generic programming
Authors: Yallop Jeremy
Published: August 2017

Generic programming libraries such as Scrap Your Boilerplate eliminate the need to write repetitive code, but typically introduce significant performance overheads.

This leaves programmers with the regrettable choice between writing succinct but slow programs and writing tedious but efficient programs.

Applying structured multi-stage programming techniques transforms Scrap Your Boilerplate from an inefficient library into a typed optimising code generator, bringing its performance in line with hand-written code, and so combining high-level programming with uncompromised performance.
Control Theoretic Models of Pointing
Authors: Müller Jörg , Oulasvirta Antti , Murray-Smith Roderick
Published: August 2017

This article presents an empirical comparison of four models from manual control theory on their ability to model targeting behaviour by human users using a mouse: McRuer’s Crossover, Costello’s Surge, second-order lag (2OL), and the Bang-bang model. Such dynamic models are generative, estimating not only movement time, but also pointer position, velocity, and acceleration on a moment-to-moment basis. We describe an experimental framework for acquiring pointing actions and automatically fitting the parameters of mathematical models to the empirical data. We present the use of time-series, phase space, and Hooke plot visualisations of the experimental data, to gain insight into human pointing dynamics. We find that the identified control models can generate a range of dynamic behaviours that captures aspects of human pointing behaviour to varying degrees. Conditions with a low index of difficulty (ID) showed poorer fit because their unconstrained nature leads naturally to more behavioural variability. We report on characteristics of human surge behaviour (the initial, ballistic sub-movement) in pointing, as well as differences in a number of controller performance measures, including
overshoot, settling time, peak time,
and
rise time
. We describe trade-offs among the models. We conclude that control theory offers a promising complement to Fitts’ law based approaches in HCI, with models providing representations and predictions of human pointing dynamics, which can improve our understanding of pointing and inform design.
Brown adipose tissue activation in a rat model of Parkinson’s disease
Authors: Wang Wenjuan , Meng Xiangzhi , Yang Chun , Fang Dongliang , Wang Xuemeng , An Jiaqiang , Zhang Jingyi , Wang Lulu , Lu Tao , Ruan Hai-Bin , Gao Yan
Published: August 2017

Loss of body weight and fat mass is one of the nonmotor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Weight loss is due primarily to reduced energy intake and increased energy expenditure. Whereas inadequate energy intake in PD patients is caused mainly by appetite loss and impaired gastrointestinal absorption, the underlying mechanisms for increased energy expenditure remain largely unknown. Brown adipose tissue (BAT), a key thermogenic tissue in humans and other mammals, plays an important role in thermoregulation and energy metabolism; however, it has not been tested whether BAT is involved in the negative energy balance in PD. Here, using the 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) rat model of PD, we found that the activity of sympathetic nerve (SN), the expression of Ucp1 in BAT, and thermogenesis were increased in PD rats. BAT sympathetic denervation blocked sympathetic activity and decreased UCP1 expression in BAT and attenuated the loss of body weight in PD rats. Interestingly, sympathetic denervation of BAT was associated with decreased sympathetic tone and lipolysis in retroperitoneal and epididymal white adipose tissue. Our data suggeste that BAT-mediated thermogenesis may contribute to weight loss in PD.
Plastics and cardiovascular health: phthalates may disrupt heart rate variability and cardiovascular reactivity
Authors: Jaimes Rafael , Swiercz Adam , Sherman Meredith , Muselimyan Narine , Marvar Paul J. , Posnack Nikki Gillum
Published: August 2017

Plastics have revolutionized medical device technology, transformed hematological care, and facilitated modern cardiology procedures. Despite these advances, studies have shown that phthalate chemicals migrate out of plastic products and that these chemicals are bioactive. Recent epidemiological and research studies have suggested that phthalate exposure adversely affects cardiovascular function. Our objective was to assess the safety and biocompatibility of phthalate chemicals and resolve the impact on cardiovascular and autonomic physiology. Adult mice were implanted with radiofrequency transmitters to monitor heart rate variability, blood pressure, and autonomic regulation in response to di-2-ethylhexyl-phthalate (DEHP) exposure. DEHP-treated animals displayed a decrease in heart rate variability (−17% SD of normal beat-to-beat intervals and −36% high-frequency power) and an exaggerated mean arterial pressure response to ganglionic blockade (31.5% via chlorisondamine). In response to a conditioned stressor, DEHP-treated animals displayed enhanced cardiovascular reactivity (−56% SD major axis Poincarè plot) and prolonged blood pressure recovery. Alterations in cardiac gene expression of endothelin-1, angiotensin-converting enzyme, and nitric oxide synthase may partly explain these cardiovascular alterations. This is the first study to show an association between phthalate chemicals that are used in medical devices with alterations in autonomic regulation, heart rate variability, and cardiovascular reactivity. Because changes in autonomic balance often precede clinical manifestations of hypertension, atherosclerosis, and conduction abnormalities, future studies are warranted to assess the downstream impact of plastic chemical exposure on end-organ function in sensitive patient populations. This study also highlights the importance of adopting safer biomaterials, chemicals, and/or surface coatings for use in medical devices.

NEW & NOTEWORTHY Phthalates are widely used in the manufacturing of consumer and medical products. In the present study, di-2-ethylhexyl-phthalate exposure was associated with alterations in heart rate variability and cardiovascular reactivity. This highlights the importance of investigating the impact of phthalates on health and identifying suitable alternatives for medical device manufacturing.
Efficacy and Predictors for Biofeedback Therapeutic Outcome in Patients with Dyssynergic Defecation
Authors: Yu Ting , Shen Xiaoxue , Li Miaomiao , Wang Meifeng , Lin Lin
Published: August 2017

Aim. To evaluate the short-term efficacy of biofeedback therapy (BFT) for dyssynergic defecation (DD) and to explore the predictors of the efficacy of BFT. Methods. Clinical symptoms, psychological state, and quality of life of patients before and after BFT were investigated. All patients underwent lifestyle survey and anorectal physiology tests before BFT. Improvement in symptom scores was considered proof of clinical efficacy of BFT. Thirty-eight factors that could influence the efficacy of BFT were studied. Univariate and multivariate analysis was conducted to identify the independent predictors. Results. Clinical symptoms, psychological state, and quality of life of DD patients improved significantly after BFT. Univariate analysis showed that efficacy of BFT was positively correlated to one of the 36-item Short-Form Health Survey terms, the physical role function (r=0.289; P=0.025), and negatively correlated to the stool consistency (r=−0.220; P=0.032), the depression scores (r=−0.333; P=0.010), and the first rectal sensory threshold volume (r=−0.297; P=0.022). Multivariate analysis showed depression score (β = −0.271; P=0.032) and first rectal sensory threshold volume (β = −0.325; P=0.013) to be independent predictors of BFT efficacy. Conclusion. BFT improves the clinical symptoms of DD patients. Depression state and elevated first rectal sensory threshold volume were independent predictors of poor outcome with BFT.
Temperature Distribution Measurement Using the Gaussian Process Regression Method
Authors: Mu Huaiping , Li Zhihong , Wang Xueyao , Liu Shi
Published: August 2017

The temperature distribution in real‐world industrial environments is often in a three‐dimensional space, and developing a reliable method to predict such volumetric information is beneficial for the combustion diagnosis, the understandings of the complicated physical and chemical mechanisms behind the combustion process, the increase of the system efficiency, and the reduction of the pollutant emission. In accordance with the machine learning theory, in this paper, a new methodology is proposed to predict three‐dimensional temperature distribution from the limited number of the scattered measurement data. The proposed prediction method includes two key phases. In the first phase, traditional technologies are employed to measure the scattered temperature data in a large‐scale three‐dimensional area. In the second phase, the Gaussian process regression method, with obvious superiorities, including satisfactory generalization ability, high robustness, and low computational complexity, is developed to predict three‐dimensional temperature distributions. Numerical simulations and experimental results from a real‐world three‐dimensional combustion process indicate that the proposed prediction method is effective and robust, holds a good adaptability to cope with complicated, nonlinear, and high‐dimensional problems, and can accurately predict three‐dimensional temperature distributions under a relatively low sampling ratio. As a result, a practicable and effective method is introduced for three‐dimensional temperature distribution.
Diagnostic Value of the Methylation of Multiple Gene Promoters in Serum in Hepatitis B Virus-Related Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Dong Xueyan , Hou Qiang , Chen Yueming , Wang Xianjun
Published: August 2017

This study sought to evaluate the diagnostic value of the methylation of multiple gene promoters in serum in hepatitis B virus- (HBV-) related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). A total of 343 participants were enrolled, including 98 patients with HCC, 75 patients with liver cirrhosis (LC), 90 patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB), and 80 healthy individuals. RASSF1A, APC, BVES, TIMP3, GSTP1, and HOXA9 were selected as the candidate genes. The MethyLight method was used to assay promoter methylation statuses. The diagnostic performances of markers were assessed by constructing receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. The prevalences of methylation for RASSF1A, APC, BVES, HOXA9, GSTP1, and TIMP3 were 52.04%, 36.73%, 29.59%, 20.41%, 17.35%, and 11.22%, respectively. APC methylation completely overlapped with RASSF1A methylation. The area under the curve (AUC) for RASSF1A methylation (0.718) was better than the corresponding AUC for AFP (0.609) in distinguishing HCC from CHB. When RASSF1A, BVES, HOXA9, and AFP were combined, the AUC was 0.852 (95% CI = 0.796–0.908, P=0.028), and the sensitivity and specificity were 83.7% and 78.9%, respectively. In conclusion, an assay that combines methylation of the RASSF1A, BVES, and HOXA9 gene promoters in serum and AFP could significantly improve HBV-related HCC diagnoses.
Vibration Analysis of a Piecewise-Smooth System with Negative Stiffness under Delayed Feedback Control
Authors: Huang Dongmei , Li Wei , Yang Guidong , He Meijuan , Dang Hong
Published: August 2017

The principal resonance of a delayed piecewise-smooth (DPWS) system with negative stiffness under narrow-band random excitation is investigated in aspects of multiscale analysis, design methodology of the controller, and response properties. The amplitude-frequency response and steady-state moments together with the corresponding stability conditions of the controlled stochastic system are derived, in which the degradation case is also under consideration. Then, from the perspective of the equivalent damping, the comparisons of the response characteristics of the controlled system to the uncontrolled system, such as the phenomenon of frequency island, are fulfilled. Furthermore, sensitivity of the system response to feedback gain and time delay is studied and interesting dynamic properties are found. Meanwhile, the classification of the steady-state solution is also discussed. To control the maximum amplitude, the feedback parameters are determined by the frequency response together with stability boundaries which must be utilized to exclude the combinations of the unstable parameters. For the case with small noise intensity, mean-square responses present the similar characteristics to what is discussed in the deterministic case.
Cold Atmospheric Plasma Induces Apoptosis and Oxidative Stress Pathway Regulation in T‐Lymphoblastoid Leukemia Cells
Authors: Turrini Eleonora , Laurita Romolo , Stancampiano Augusto , Catanzaro Elena , Calcabrini Cinzia , Maffei Francesca , Gherardi Matteo , Colombo Vittorio , Fimognari Carmela
Published: August 2017

Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) has shown its antitumor activity in both in vitro and in vivo systems. However, the mechanisms at the basis of CAP‐cell interaction are not yet completely understood. The aim of this study is to investigate CAP proapoptotic effect and identify some of the molecular mechanisms triggered by CAP in human T‐lymphoblastoid leukemia cells. CAP treatment was performed by means of a wand electrode DBD source driven by nanosecond high‐voltage pulses under different operating conditions. The biological endpoints were assessed through flow cytometry and real‐time PCR. CAP caused apoptosis in Jurkat cells mediated by p53 upregulation. To test the involvement of intrinsic and/or extrinsic pathway, the expression of Bax/Bcl‐2 and caspase‐8 was analyzed. The activation of caspase‐8 and the upregulation of Bax and Bcl‐2 were observed. Moreover, CAP treatment increased ROS intracellular level. The situation reverts after a longer time of treatment. This is probably due to compensatory cellular mechanisms such as the posttranscriptional upregulation of SOD1, CAT, and GSR2. According to ROS increase, CAP induced a significant increase in DNA damage at all treatment conditions. In conclusion, our results provide a deeper understanding of CAP potential in the oncological field and pose the basis for the evaluation of its toxicological profile.
The Glymphatic Hypothesis of Glaucoma: A Unifying Concept Incorporating Vascular, Biomechanical, and Biochemical Aspects of the Disease
Authors: Wostyn Peter , De Groot Veva , Van Dam Debby , Audenaert Kurt , Killer Hanspeter Esriel , De Deyn Peter Paul
Published: August 2017

The pathophysiology of primary open-angle glaucoma is still largely unknown, although a joint contribution of vascular, biomechanical, and biochemical factors is widely acknowledged. Since glaucoma is a leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide, exploring its underlying pathophysiological mechanisms is extremely important and challenging. Evidence from recent studies appears supportive of the hypothesis that a “glymphatic system” exists in the eye and optic nerve, analogous to the described “glymphatic system” in the brain. As discussed in the present paper, elucidation of a glymphatic clearance pathway in the eye could provide a new unifying hypothesis of glaucoma that can incorporate many aspects of the vascular, biomechanical, and biochemical theories of the disease. It should be stressed, however, that the few research data currently available cannot be considered as proof of the existence of an “ocular glymphatic system” and that much more studies are needed to validate this possibility. Even though nothing conclusive can yet be said, the recent reports suggesting a paravascular transport system in the eye and optic nerve are encouraging and, if confirmed, may offer new perspectives for the development of novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for this devastating disorder.
Comparison of Damage Detection Methods Depending on FRFs within Specified Frequency Ranges
Authors: Kim Yong-Su , Eun Hee-Chang
Published: August 2017

Structural damage can be detected using frequency response function (FRF) measured by an impact and the corresponding responses. The change in the mechanical properties of dynamic system for damage detection can seldom be estimated using FRF data extracted from a very limited frequency range. Proper orthogonal modes (POMs) from the FRFs extracted in given frequency ranges and their modified forms can be utilized as damage indices to detect damage. The POM-based damage detection methods must be sensitive to the selected FRFs. This work compares the effectiveness of the damage detection approaches taking the POMs estimated by the FRFs within five different frequency ranges including resonance frequency and antiresonance frequency. It is shown from a numerical example that the POMs extracted from the FRFs within antiresonance frequency ranges provide more explicit information on the damage locations than the ones within resonance frequency ranges.
Worldwide Status of CCUS Technologies and Their Development and Challenges in China
Authors: Liu H. J. , Were P. , Li Q. , Gou Y. , Hou Z.
Published: August 2017

Carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) is a gas injection technology that enables the storage of CO2 underground. The aims are twofold, on one hand to reduce the emissions of CO2 into the atmosphere and on the other hand to increase oil/gas/heat recovery. Different types of CCUS technologies and related engineering projects have a long history of research and operation in the USA. However, in China they have a short development period ca. 10 years. Unlike CO2 capture and CO2-EOR technologies that are already operating on a commercial scale in China, research into other CCUS technologies is still in its infancy or at the pilot-scale. This paper first reviews the status and development of the different types of CCUS technologies and related engineering projects worldwide. Then it focuses on their developments in China in the last decade. The main research projects, international cooperation, and pilot-scale engineering projects in China are summarized and compared. Finally, the paper examines the challenges and prospects to be experienced through the industrialization of CCUS engineering projects in China. It can be concluded that the CCUS technologies have still large potential in China. It can only be unlocked by overcoming the technical and social challenges.
Time Coefficient Estimation for Hourly Origin-Destination Demand from Observed Link Flow Based on Semidynamic Traffic Assignment
Authors: Fujita Motohiro , Yamada Shinji , Murakami Shintaro
Published: August 2017

Day-long origin-destination (OD) demand estimation for transportation forecasting is advantageous in terms of accuracy and reliability because it is not affected by hourly variations in the OD distribution. In this paper, we propose a method to estimate the time coefficient of day-long OD demand to estimate hourly OD demand and to predict hourly traffic for urban transportation planning of a large-scale road network that lacks discrete-time rich traffic data. The model proposed estimates the time coefficients from observed link flows given a proven day-long OD demand based on a bilevel formulation of the generalized least square and semidynamic traffic assignment (OD-modification approach). The OD-modification approach is formulated as a static user-equilibrium assignment with elastic demand, based on the residual demand at the end of each period. Our model does not require setting many parameters regarding the OD demand matrices and the discrete-time dynamic traffic assignments. Applying the model to large-scale road network demonstrates that it efficiently improves estimation accuracy because the 24-hour time coefficients of survey data are slightly biased and may be modified properly. In addition, the methods that partially relax the assumption of OD-modification approach and transform the estimated demand into demand based on departure time are examined.
Effect of Neodymium Nanoparticles on Elastic Properties of Zinc-Tellurite Glass System
Authors: Awshah Abdulbaset A. Abdulla , Kamari Halimah Mohamed , Tim Chan Kar , Shah Nurisya Mohd , Alazoumi S. H. , Aliyu Umar Saad , Abd Azis Muhammad Noorazlan
Published: August 2017

The aim of this work is to determine the effect of neodymium nanoparticles concentration on the elastic properties of zinc-tellurite glass. A series of neodymium nanoparticles doped zinc-tellurite glass systems (NdNPsZT) of composition [(TeO2)0.70(ZnO)0.30]1-x(Nd2O3 NPs)(x), x=0.01, 0.02, 0.03, 0.04, and 0.05, were synthesized by using conventional melt-quenching method. The amorphous nature of the glass system was confirmed by using XRD analysis. The density of the glass system was determined by Archimedes method. The elastic properties were calculated from the measured density and ultrasonic velocity at 5 MHz frequency. The experimental results showed that the elastic properties rely upon the composition of the glass systems and the impact of neodymium nanoparticles (Nd2O3 NPs) within the glass network. The increase in ultrasonic velocities is due to the increase in rigidity and change in structural units of the glass system. The softening temperature and the microhardness increased with the increase in Nd3+ ions concentration from 0.1 to 0.2 mol and decreased when the Nd3+ ions concentration increased from 0.2 to 0.5 mol. Poisson’s ratio and Debye’s temperature decreased with the increase in the Nd3+ ions concentration from 0.1 to 0.2 mol and increased when the Nd3+ ions concentration was increased from 0.2 to 0.5 mol.
Hysteroscopic Morcellation of Submucous Myomas: A Systematic Review
Authors: Vitale Salvatore Giovanni , Sapia Fabrizio , Rapisarda Agnese Maria Chiara , Valenti Gaetano , Santangelo Fabrizia , Rossetti Diego , Chiofalo Benito , Sarpietro Giuseppe , La Rosa Valentina Lucia , Triolo Onofrio , Noventa Marco , Gizzo Salvatore , Laganà Antonio Simone
Published: August 2017

Hysteroscopic surgery is the actual gold standard treatment for several types of intrauterine pathologies, including submucous myomas (SMs). To date, the availability of Hysteroscopic Tissue Removal systems (HTRs) opened a new scenario. Based on these elements, the aim of this article is to review the available evidence about HTRs for the management of SMs. We included 8 papers (3 prospective studies and 5 retrospective studies). A total of 283 women underwent intrauterine morcellation of SM: 208 were treated using MyoSure and 75 using Truclear 8.0. Only 3 articles reported data about procedures performed in outpatient/office setting. Only half of the included studies included type 2 SMs. HTRs significantly reduced operative time compared to traditional resectoscopy in some studies, whereas others did not find significant differences. Despite the availability of few randomized controlled trials and the cost of the instrument, according to our systematic review, the use of HTRs seems to be a feasible surgical option in terms of operative time and complications. Nevertheless, the type of SM still remains the biggest challenge: type 0 and 1 SMs are easier to manage with respect to type 2, reflecting what already is known for the “classic” hysteroscopic myomectomy.
The Impact of Volatile Anesthetic Choice on Postoperative Outcomes of Cardiac Surgery: A Meta-Analysis
Authors: Zorrilla-Vaca Andres , Núñez-Patiño Rafael A. , Torres Valentina , Salazar-Gomez Yudy
Published: August 2017

Objectives. To evaluate the impact of volatile anesthetic choice on clinically relevant outcomes of patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Methods. Major databases were systematically searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing volatile anesthetics (isoflurane versus sevoflurane) in cardiac surgery. Study-level characteristics, intraoperative events, and postoperative outcomes were extracted from the articles. Results. Sixteen RCTs involving 961 patients were included in this meta-analysis. There were no significant differences between both anesthetics in terms of intensive care unit length of stay (SMD −0.07, 95% CI −0.38 to 0.24, P=0.66), hospital length of stay (SMD 0.06, 95% CI −0.33 to 0.45, P=0.76), time to extubation (SMD 0.29, 95% CI −0.08 to 0.65, P=0.12), S100β (at the end of surgery: SMD 0.08, 95% CI −0.33 to 0.49, P=0.71; 24 hours after surgery: SMD 0.21, 95% CI −0.23 to 0.65, P=0.34), or troponin (at the end of surgery: SMD −1.13, 95% CI −2.39 to 0.13, P=0.08; 24 hours after surgery: SMD 0.74, 95% CI −0.15 to 1.62, P=0.10). CK-MB was shown to be significantly increased when using isoflurane instead of sevoflurane (SMD 2.16, 95% CI 0.57 to 3.74, P=0.008). Conclusions. The volatile anesthetic choice has no significant impact on postoperative outcomes of patients undergoing cardiac surgery.
Impact of Pyrotechnics over the Architectonic Heritage
Authors: Lloret Angel T. , Sendra Sandra , Lloret Jaime , Louis Cereceda Miguel , Alba Jesus
Published: August 2017

The use of pyrotechnics near to the historical heritage such as walls, facades, church, or fortifications of a city is nowadays a topic of discussion. There is not a clear legislation about the use of pyrotechnics near to these buildings and how they can be affected by the expansive wave generated by the use of harquebusiers, fireworks, and cannons during the simulation of a battle. For this reason, this paper presents some practical tests that measure the vibroacoustic effect when these types of pyrotechnics are used near to the architectonical heritage. In order to collect these data, we have used several sound level meters and accelerometers placed on two different scenarios. The first one was placed near to the beach and the other one was placed in a building of a narrow alley. The tests were carried out during the festival of Moors and Christians of Villajoyosa (Spain) which is a famous festival. Along these tests, we reproduce the worse cases that may affect the building, using harquebusiers shots, fireworks, and cannons shots. Results show that the house placed near to the beach does not suffer important vibroacoustic impacts. However, the old building placed in the alley is very affected.
Generating Human-Like Velocity-Adapted Jumping Gait from sEMG Signals for Bionic Leg’s Control
Authors: Yu Weiwei , Ma Weihua , Feng Yangyang , Wang Runxiao , Madani Kurosh , Sabourin Christophe
Published: August 2017

In the case of dynamic motion such as jumping, an important fact in sEMG (surface Electromyogram) signal based control on exoskeletons, myoelectric prostheses, and rehabilitation gait is that multichannel sEMG signals contain mass data and vary greatly with time, which makes it difficult to generate compliant gait. Inspired by the fact that muscle synergies leading to dimensionality reduction may simplify motor control and learning, this paper proposes a new approach to generate flexible gait based on muscle synergies extracted from sEMG signal. Two questions were discussed and solved, the first one concerning whether the same set of muscle synergies can explain the different phases of hopping movement with various velocities. The second one is about how to generate self-adapted gait with muscle synergies while alleviating model sensitivity to sEMG transient changes. From the experimental results, the proposed method shows good performance both in accuracy and in robustness for producing velocity-adapted vertical jumping gait. The method discussed in this paper provides a valuable reference for the sEMG-based control of bionic robot leg to generate human-like dynamic gait.