bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Gamification of Mobile Experience Sampling Improves Data Quality and Quantity
Authors: van Berkel Niels , Goncalves Jorge , Hosio Simo , Kostakos Vassilis
Published: September 2017

The Experience Sampling Method is used to capture high-quality in situ data from study participants. This method has become popular in studies involving smartphones, where it is often adapted to motivate participation through the use of gamification techniques. However, no work to date has evaluated whether gamification actually affects the quality and quantity of data collected through Experience Sampling. Our study systematically investigates the effect of gamification on the quantity and quality of experience sampling responses on smartphones. In a field study, we combine event contingent and interval contingent triggers to ask participants to describe their location. Subsequently, participants rate the quality of these entries by playing a game with a purpose. Our results indicate that participants using the gamified version of our ESM software provided significantly higher quality responses, slightly increased their response rate, and provided significantly more data on their own accord. Our findings suggest that gamifying experience sampling can improve data collection and quality in mobile settings.
XRec
Authors: Wang Xiao , Yu Tong , Zeng Ming , Tague Patrick
Published: September 2017

As smartphones and tablets become increasingly prevalent, more customers have multiple devices. The multi-user, multi-device interactions inspire many problems worthy of investigation, among which recognizing users across devices has significant implications on recommendation, advertising and user experience. Unlike the binary classification problem in user identification on a single device, cross-device user recognition is essentially a set partition problem. The app back-end aims to divide user activities on devices hosting the app into groups each associated with one user. In this paper, we present XRec which leverages user behavioral patterns, namely when, where and how a user uses the app, to achieve the recognition. To address the user-device partition problem, we propose a classification-plus-refinement algorithm. To validate our approach, we conduct a field study with an Android app. We instrument the app to collect usage data from real users. We provide proof-of-concept experimental results to demonstrate how XRec can provide added value to mobile apps, with the ability to correctly match a user across multiple devices with 70% recall and 90% precision.
CLSTERS
Authors: Wu Hao , Sun Weiwei , Zheng Baihua , Yang Li , Zhou Wei
Published: September 2017

Trajectory data generated by outdoor activities have great potential for location based services. However, depending on the localization technique used, certain trajectory data could contain large errors. For example, the error of trajectories generated by cellular-based localization techniques is around 100m which is ten times larger than that of GPS-based trajectories. Hence, enhancing the utility of those large-error trajectories becomes a challenge. In this paper we show how to improve the quality of trajectory data having large errors. Some existing works reduce the error through hardware which requires information such as the time of arrival (TOA), received signal strength indication (RSSI), the position of cell towers, etc. Moreover, different positioning techniques will result in different hardware-based solutions and different data formats, which limit the generalizablity. Other works study a related but different problem, i.e., map matching, with the aid of road network information, to reduce the uncertainty and the noise of trajectory data. However, most of these approaches are designed for the GPS-sampled data, and hence they might not be able to achieve a similar performance when applied directly to trajectories with large errors. Motivated by this, we propose a general error reduction system namely CLSTERS for trajectories with large scale of errors. Our system is hardware independent and only requires the coordinates and the time stamp of each sample point which makes it general and ubiquitous. We present results from experiments using three real-world datasets in three different cities generated by two different localization techniques and the results show that our approach outperforms existing solutions.
PupilScreen
Authors: Mariakakis Alex , Baudin Jacob , Whitmire Eric , Mehta Vardhman , Banks Megan A. , Law Anthony , Mcgrath Lynn , Patel Shwetak N.
Published: September 2017

Before a person suffering from a traumatic brain injury reaches a medical facility, measuring their pupillary light reflex (PLR) is one of the few quantitative measures a clinician can use to predict their outcome. We propose PupilScreen, a smartphone app and accompanying 3D-printed box that combines the repeatability, accuracy, and precision of a clinical device with the ubiquity and convenience of the penlight test that clinicians regularly use in emergency situations. The PupilScreen app stimulates the patient's eyes using the smartphone's flash and records the response using the camera. The PupilScreen box, akin to a head-mounted virtual reality display, controls the eyes' exposure to light. The recorded video is processed using convolutional neural networks that track the pupil diameter over time, allowing for the derivation of clinically relevant measures. We tested two different network architectures and found that a fully convolutional neural network was able to track pupil diameter with a median error of 0.30 mm. We also conducted a pilot clinical evaluation with six patients who had suffered a TBI and found that clinicians were almost perfect when separating unhealthy pupillary light reflexes from healthy ones using PupilScreen alone.
Cost-Sensitive Semi-Supervised Personalized Semantic Place Label Recognition Using Multi-Context Data
Authors: Wu Xiaojie , Chen Ling , Lv Mingqi , Han Mingrui , Chen Gencai
Published: September 2017

Personalized semantic place label recognition is a promising research issue in ubiquitous computing. However, there are some problems existed in the current methods: 1) They use trajectory data to learn recognition model and ignore other context data that could reflect human behaviors over places. 2) They tend to maximize accuracy and ignore the imbalanced costs caused by the similarity between semantic place labels. 3) They use supervised learning, which cannot achieve a good performance when the number of labeled places is limited. In this paper, we exploit multi-context data to construct effective features and propose a method called CEMENT (Cost-sensitive sEmi-supervised personalized seMantic place labEl recogNiTion). On one hand, CEMENT is cost-sensitive, and it calculates misclassification costs according to the semantic similarity between place labels. On the other hand, CEMENT utilizes ensemble semi-supervised learning to leverage the unlabeled data to improve the performance. Experimental results show that the proposed method has superiority over state-of-the-art methods.
Glabella
Authors: Holz Christian , Wang Edward J.
Published: September 2017

We propose Glabella, a wearable device that continuously and unobtrusively monitors heart rates at three sites on the wearer’s head. Our glasses prototype incorporates optical sensors, processing, storage, and communication components, all integrated into the frame to passively collect physiological data about the user without the need for any interaction. Glabella continuously records the stream of reflected light intensities from blood flow as well as inertial measurements of the user’s head. From the temporal differences in pulse events across the sensors, our prototype derives the wearer’s pulse transit time on a beat-to-beat basis.

Numerous efforts have found a significant correlation between a person’s pulse transit time and their systolic blood pressure. In this paper, we leverage this insight to continuously observe pulse transit time as a proxy for the behavior of systolic blood pressure levels—at a substantially higher level of convenience and higher rate than traditional blood pressure monitors, such as cuff-based oscillometric devices. This enables our prototype to model the beat-to-beat fluctuations in the user’s blood pressure over the course of the day and record its short-term responses to events, such as postural changes, exercise, eating and drinking, resting, medication intake, location changes, or time of day.

During our in-the-wild evaluation, four participants wore a custom-fit Glabella prototype device over the course of five days throughout their daytime job and regular activities. Participants additionally measured their radial blood pressure three times an hour using a commercial oscillometric cuff. Our analysis shows a high correlation between the pulse transit times computed on our devices with participants’ heart rates (mean r = 0.92, SE = 0.03, angular artery) and systolic blood pressure values measured using the oscillometric cuffs (mean r = 0.79, SE = 0.15, angular-superficial temporal artery, considering participants’ self-administered cuff-based measurements as ground truth). Our results indicate that Glabella has the potential to serve as a socially-acceptable capture device, requiring no user input or behavior changes during regular activities, and whose continuous measurements may prove informative to physicians as well as users’ self-tracking activities.
HeartSense
Authors: Mohamed Reham , Youssef Moustafa
Published: September 2017

Heart rate is one of the most important vital signals for personal health tracking. A number of smartphone-based heart rate estimation systems have been proposed over the years. However, they either depend on special hardware sensors or suffer from the high noise due to the weakness of the heart signals, affecting their accuracy in many practical scenarios.

Inspired by medical studies about the heart motion mechanics, we propose the HeartSense heart rate estimation system. Specifically, we show that the gyroscope sensor is the most sensitive sensor for measuring the heart rate. To further counter noise and handle different practical scenarios, we introduce a novel quality metric that allows us to fuse the different gyroscope axes in a probabilistic framework to achieve a robust and accurate estimate.

We have implemented and evaluated our system on different Android phones. Results using 836 experiments on different subjects in practical scenarios with a side-by-side comparison with other systems show that HeartSense can achieve 1.03 bpm median absolute error for heart rate estimation. This is better than the state-of-the-art by more than 147% in median error, highlighting HeartSense promise as a ubiquitous system for medical and personal well-being applications.
Does this App Really Need My Location?
Authors: Chitkara Saksham , Gothoskar Nishad , Harish Suhas , Hong Jason I. , Agarwal Yuvraj
Published: September 2017

The enormous popularity of smartphones, their rich sensing capabilities, and the data they have about their users have lead to millions of apps being developed and used. However, these capabilities have also led to numerous privacy concerns. Platform manufacturers, as well as researchers, have proposed numerous ways of mitigating these concerns, primarily by providing fine-grained visibility and privacy controls to the user on a per-app basis. In this paper, we show that this per-app permission approach is suboptimal for many apps, primarily because most data accesses occur due to a small set of popular third-party libraries which are common across multiple apps. To address this problem, we present the design and implementation of ProtectMyPrivacy (PmP) for Android, which can detect critical contextual information at runtime when privacy-sensitive data accesses occur. In particular, PmP infers the purpose of the data access, i.e. whether the data access is by a third-party library or by the app itself for its functionality. Based on crowdsourced data, we show that there are in fact a set of 30 libraries which are responsible for more than half of private data accesses. Controlling sensitive data accessed by these libraries can therefore be an effective mechanism for managing their privacy. We deployed our PmP app to 1,321 real users, showing that the number of privacy decisions that users have to make are significantly reduced. In addition, we show that our users are better protected against data leakage when using our new library-based blocking mechanism as compared to the traditional app-level permission mechanisms.
FiDO
Authors: Vigil-Hayes Morgan , Belding Elizabeth , Zegura Ellen
Published: September 2017

Homes located on tribal lands, particularly in rural areas of the United States, continue to lack access to broadband Internet and cellular connectivity [19]. Inspired by previous observations of community content similarity in tribal networks, we propose FiDO, a community-based Web browsing and content delivery system that takes advantage of user mobility, opportunistic connectivity, and collaborative filtering to provide relevant Web content to members of disconnected households via opportunistic contact with cellular base stations during a daily commute. We evaluate FiDO using trace-driven simulations with network usage data collected from a tribal-operated ISP that serves the Coeur d’Alene Indian Reservation in Western Idaho. By collecting data about household Web preferences and applying a collaborative filtering technique based on the Web usage patterns of the surrounding reservation community, we are able to opportunistically browse the Web on behalf of members of disconnected households, providing an average of 69.4 Web pages (all content from a specific URL, e.g., “http://gis.cdatribe-nsn.gov/LandBuyBack/”) crawled from 73% of their top 10 most visited Web domains (e.g., “cdatribe-nsn.gov” or “cnn.com/”) per day. Moreover, this content is able to be fetched and pushed to users even when the opportunistic data rate is limited to an average of only 0.99 Mbps (σ = 0.24 Mbps) and the daily opportunistic connection time is an average of 45.9 minutes (σ = 2.3 minutes). Additionally, we demonstrate a hybrid “search and browse” approach that allocates a percentage of opportunistic resources to the download of user-specified content. By dedicating only 10% of opportunistic windows of connectivity to the download of social media content, 51% of households were able to receive all of their daily expected social media content in addition to an average of 55.3 Web pages browsed on their behalf from an average of 4 different Web domains. Critically, we demonstrate the feasibility of a collaborative and community-based Web browsing model that extends access to Web content across the last mile(s) using existing infrastructure and rural patterns of mobility.
mp4 steganography
Authors: Ramirez Anthony , Fernandez Alfredo
Published: September 2017

The MP4 files have become the most used video media file available, and will mostly likely remain at the top for some time to come. This makes MP4 files an interesting candidate for steganography. With its size and structure, it offers a challenge to steganography developers. While some attempts have been made to create a truly covert file, few are as successful as Martin Fiedler's TCSteg. TCSteg allows users to hide a TrueCrypt hidden volume in an MP4 file. The structure of the file makes it difficult to identify that a volume exists. In our analysis of TCSteg, we will show how Fielder's code works and how we may be able to detect the existence of steganography. We will then implement these methods in hope that other steganography analysis can use them to determine if an MP4 file is a carrier file. Finally, we will address the future of MP4 steganography.
Ensemble Perception
Authors: Whitney David , Yamanashi Leib Allison
Published: September 2017

To understand visual consciousness, we must understand how the brain represents ensembles of objects at many levels of perceptual analysis. Ensemble perception refers to the visual system's ability to extract summary statistical information from groups of similar objects—often in a brief glance. It defines foundational limits on cognition, memory, and behavior. In this review, we provide an operational definition of ensemble perception and demonstrate that ensemble perception spans across multiple levels of visual analysis, incorporating both low-level visual features and high-level social information. Further, we investigate the functional usefulness of ensemble perception and its efficiency, and we consider possible physiological and cognitive mechanisms that underlie an individual's ability to make accurate and rapid assessments of crowds of objects.
Fast Image Segmentation Using Two-Dimensional Otsu Based on Estimation of Distribution Algorithm
Authors: Wang Wuli , Duan Liming , Wang Yong
Published: September 2017

Traditional two-dimensional Otsu algorithm has several drawbacks; that is, the sum of probabilities of target and background is approximate to 1 inaccurately, the details of neighborhood image are not obvious, and the computational cost is high. In order to address these problems, a method of fast image segmentation using two-dimensional Otsu based on estimation of distribution algorithm is proposed. Firstly, in order to enhance the performance of image segmentation, the guided filtering is employed to improve neighborhood image template instead of mean filtering. Additionally, the probabilities of target and background in two-dimensional histogram are exactly calculated to get more accurate threshold. Finally, the trace of the interclass dispersion matrix is taken as the fitness function of estimation of distributed algorithm, and the optimal threshold is obtained by constructing and sampling the probability model. Extensive experimental results demonstrate that our method can effectively preserve details of the target, improve the segmentation precision, and reduce the running time of algorithms.
Lump Solutions and Resonance Stripe Solitons to the (2+1)-Dimensional Sawada-Kotera Equation
Authors: Li Xian , Wang Yao , Chen Meidan , Li Biao
Published: September 2017

Based on the symbolic computation, a class of lump solutions to the (2+1)-dimensional Sawada-Kotera (2DSK) equation is obtained through making use of its Hirota bilinear form and one positive quadratic function. These solutions contain six parameters, four of which satisfy two determinant conditions to guarantee the analyticity and rational localization of the solutions, while the others are free. Then by adding an exponential function into the original positive quadratic function, the interaction solutions between lump solutions and one stripe soliton are derived. Furthermore, by extending this method to a general combination of positive quadratic function and hyperbolic function, the interaction solutions between lump solutions and a pair of resonance stripe solitons are provided. Some figures are given to demonstrate the dynamical properties of the lump solutions, interaction solutions between lump solutions, and stripe solitons by choosing some special parameters.
Steeper Iris Conicity Is Related to a Shallower Anterior Chamber: The Gutenberg Health Study
Authors: Schuster Alexander K. , Pfeiffer Norbert , Nickels Stefan , Schulz Andreas , Wild Philipp S. , Blettner Maria , Lackner Karl , Beutel Manfred E. , Münzel Thomas , Vossmerbaeumer Urs
Published: September 2017

Purpose. To report the distribution of iris conicity (steepness of the iris cone), investigate associated factors, and test whether pseudophakia allows the iris to sink back. Methods. A population-based cross-sectional study was carried out. Ophthalmological examination including objective refraction, biometry, noncontact tonometry, and Scheimpflug imaging (Pentacam®, Oculus) was performed including automated measurement of iris conicity. 3708 phakic subjects, 144 subjects with bilateral and 39 subjects with unilateral pseudophakia were included. Multivariable analyses were carried out to determine independently associated systemic and ocular factors for iris conicity in phakic eyes. Results. Mean iris conicity was 8.28° ± 3.29° (right eyes). Statistical analysis revealed associations between steeper iris conicity and shallower anterior chamber depth, thicker human lens and higher corneal power in multivariable analysis, while older age was related to a flatter iris conicity. Refraction, axial length, central corneal thickness, pupil diameter, and intraocular pressure were not associated with iris conicity. Pseudophakia resulted in a 5.82° flatter iris conicity than in the fellow phakic eyes. Conclusions. Associations indicate a correlation between iris conicity with risk factors for angle-closure, namely, shallower anterior chamber depth and thicker human lens. In pseudophakic eyes, iris conicity is significantly lower, indicating that cataract surgery flattens the iris.
Analysis of Stress Characteristics and the Engineering Application of the Self-Balancing Retaining Wall
Authors: Gan Fei , Ye XiaoMing , Yin Ke , Li Meilin , Bi Jing
Published: September 2017

A new type of retaining wall, the self-balance retaining wall, is introduced in this paper. Based on the stress analysis, the calculation model and method are advanced about the retaining wall. A comparative analysis related to traditional retaining wall is carried out on stress and cost combining with an actual project. The results show that the idea of using upper gravity retaining wall as the resistance of lower retaining wall is clever and reasonable that the self-balance retaining wall has a very wide scope of application relying on the anchor tensile conditions rarely and that the self-balance retaining wall has a great economic value with low cost. The cost of the self-balance retaining wall is 50% compared with the cantilever pile retaining wall under the same conditions which has a good economic effect and application prospect.
The Routine Use of Prophylactic Oxytocin in the Third Stage of Labor to Reduce Maternal Blood Loss
Authors: Kuzume Akiko , Sugimi So , Suga Sachie , Yamashita Hiroshi , Yasuhi Ichiro
Published: September 2017

Objective. To demonstrate whether or not the routine use of prophylactic oxytocin (RUPO) reduces the blood loss and incidence of postpartum hemorrhaging (PPH). Methods. We used a prospective cohort and a historical control in a tertiary perinatal care center in Japan. In the prospective cohort, we introduced RUPO in April 2012 by infusing 10 units of oxytocin per 500 mL of normal saline into a venous line after anterior shoulder delivery (RUPO group). In the historical control, oxytocin was administered via a case-selective approach (historical control group). We included completed singleton vaginal deliveries and compared the volume of blood loss and the incidence of PPH between the groups. Results. We found a significantly lower volume of blood loss (520±327 versus 641±375 mL, p<0.001) and a lower incidence of PPH (6.1% versus 14.0%, p<0.001) in the RUPO group (n=392) than in the control group (n=407). Although the oxytocin dose was significantly higher in the RUPO group (12.8±6.7 versus 10.1±8.0 IU, p<0.001), no adverse outcomes were observed to be associated with RUPO. Conclusions. The introduction of RUPO significantly reduced blood loss and the incidence of PPH during completed singleton vaginal deliveries without an increase in adverse effects.
Multisource Data Fusion Framework for Land Use/Land Cover Classification Using Machine Vision
Authors: Qadri Salman , Khan Dost Muhammad , Qadri Syed Furqan , Razzaq Abdul , Ahmad Nazir , Jamil Mutiullah , Nawaz Shah Ali , Shah Muhammad Syed , Saleem Khalid , Awan Sarfraz Ahmad
Published: September 2017

Data fusion is a powerful tool for the merging of multiple sources of information to produce a better output as compared to individual source. This study describes the data fusion of five land use/cover types, that is, bare land, fertile cultivated land, desert rangeland, green pasture, and Sutlej basin river land derived from remote sensing. A novel framework for multispectral and texture feature based data fusion is designed to identify the land use/land cover data types correctly. Multispectral data is obtained using a multispectral radiometer, while digital camera is used for image dataset. It has been observed that each image contained 229 texture features, while 30 optimized texture features data for each image has been obtained by joining together three features selection techniques, that is, Fisher, Probability of Error plus Average Correlation, and Mutual Information. This 30-optimized-texture-feature dataset is merged with five-spectral-feature dataset to build the fused dataset. A comparison is performed among texture, multispectral, and fused dataset using machine vision classifiers. It has been observed that fused dataset outperformed individually both datasets. The overall accuracy acquired using multilayer perceptron for texture data, multispectral data, and fused data was 96.67%, 97.60%, and 99.60%, respectively.
Post Mortem Leukocyte Scintigraphy in Juvenile Pigs with Experimentally Induced Osteomyelitis
Authors: Afzelius Pia , Nielsen Ole Lerberg , Jensen Svend Borup , Alstrup Aage Kristian Olsen
Published: September 2017

We have previously demonstrated that 111In-labeled autologous leukocyte scintigraphy is able to detect osteomyelitis in living juvenile pigs. In animal research studies, it may well be an advantage if the animals could be scanned after euthanasia. Applying traditional scanning of living animals to euthanized animals will render anaesthesia unnecessary and be ideal for obtaining good and reliable scans for the correct interpretation of imaging afterwards, since the animals do not move. The autologous leukocytes of the pigs were collected, marked with 111In, and reinjected into the pigs and allowed for homing to the site of infections as usual while the pigs were alive. In this study, we demonstrate that it is possible to perform SPECT/CT with 111In-labelled autologous leukocytes almost 24 hrs after euthanasia with the same detectability of osteomyelitic lesions as in living pigs (78% versus 79%). The pigs in this study had exactly the same experimental conditions as the living pigs and were examined in parallel with the living pigs except for euthanasia prior to the leukocyte scan and that no PET/CT scans were performed.
Indications and Morbidity of Reoperative Thyroid Surgeries in a Military Hospital of Senegal
Authors: Sy Abdou , Regonne Eric Joël , Fofana Aminata , Diandy Yves , Ndiaye Malick
Published: September 2017

Objectives. To describe reoperative thyroid surgeries in our department. Study Design. Retrospective cross-sectional and descriptive study at the Ouakam Military Hospital in Dakar (Senegal), over a period of eight and a half years. Methods. The study involved all records of patients who had a reoperative thyroidectomy regardless of the indication and time of the second surgery. Parameters evaluated for first and reoperative surgery were time interval between the two surgeries, operative indications, surgical procedures, intraoperative findings, pathological examination, and morbidity. Results. 30 records of patients were selected out of a total of 698 thyroidectomies (4.3%). Thyroid cancers diagnosed on first surgical specimens were the first indications of reoperations (46.67%) followed by neck hematoma (20%). Completion thyroidectomy with a prophylactic central lymph nodes dissection was the most performed surgical procedure (43.33%) followed by haemostasis (20%). During reoperation, we found active bleeding (20%), textiloma (6.67%), and fourth branchial cleft fistula (3.33%). The morbidity accounted for 10%: lymphorrhea, permanent hypocalcemia, and permanent recurrent nerve palsy, in one case, respectively. There were no statistically significant differences between the morbidity in patients reoperated on and the one for patients operated on once. Conclusion. We did not find an increased risk of postoperative morbidity after reintervention.
New Dandelion Algorithm Optimizes Extreme Learning Machine for Biomedical Classification Problems
Authors: Li Xiguang , Han Shoufei , Zhao Liang , Gong Changqing , Liu Xiaojing
Published: September 2017

Inspired by the behavior of dandelion sowing, a new novel swarm intelligence algorithm, namely, dandelion algorithm (DA), is proposed for global optimization of complex functions in this paper. In DA, the dandelion population will be divided into two subpopulations, and different subpopulations will undergo different sowing behaviors. Moreover, another sowing method is designed to jump out of local optimum. In order to demonstrate the validation of DA, we compare the proposed algorithm with other existing algorithms, including bat algorithm, particle swarm optimization, and enhanced fireworks algorithm. Simulations show that the proposed algorithm seems much superior to other algorithms. At the same time, the proposed algorithm can be applied to optimize extreme learning machine (ELM) for biomedical classification problems, and the effect is considerable. At last, we use different fusion methods to form different fusion classifiers, and the fusion classifiers can achieve higher accuracy and better stability to some extent.
The Effects of Morus alba and Acacia catechu on Quality of Life and Overall Function in Adults with Osteoarthritis of the Knee
Authors: Kalman Douglas S. , Hewlings Susan J.
Published: September 2017

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of UP1306 on discomfort and function in adults with osteoarthritis of the knee. In a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, parallel design, 135 subjects received UP1306, a standardized, proprietary extract of Morus alba and Acacia catechu, glucosamine chondroitin, or placebo for 12 weeks. Discomfort, stiffness, and activities of daily living measured by the WOMAC questionnaire and VAS (pain/discomfort) were improved within all groups. Range of motion and distance walked were improved. There were no changes in TNFα levels for any of the products. There was a significant difference in urinary C-telopeptides of type II collagen (CTX-II), a marker of cartilage degradation between UP1306, and placebo after 12 weeks (p=0.029). All efficacy measurements were improved from baseline to most time-points for UP1306, the comparator, and placebo without a significant association between the products. There was a significant difference between the changes of uCTX-II for UP1306 and placebo after 12 weeks. Early intervention with UP1306 aimed at reducing bone and cartilage degradation through reported inhibition of catabolic proinflammatory pathways may help to prevent joint cartilage damage. This study is registered with Clinical Trial ID ISRCTN15418623.
Adapting Lymphedema Treatment in Patients with a Mental Disability
Authors: de Fátima Guerreiro Godoy Maria , Maria Pereira de Godoy Lívia , Ocampos Troitino Rodrigo , Maria Pereira de Godoy José
Published: September 2017

Background and Purpose. Mental disability is often characterized by significant limitations in adaptive skills. When this condition is associated with lymphedema, treatment requires greater commitment of the care team. The objective of this study is to report the treatment of lymphedema using only one therapeutic technique, a low-stretch grosgrain stocking. Case Report. We report the case of a 14-year-old mentally challenged female patient with lymphedema of the left leg, motor difficulties, and impaired speech and sight. According to the caregiver, lymphedema was present at birth; however, the patient had not been submitted to specific treatment. Thus, only one technique, an adapted low-stretch grosgrain compression stocking, was proposed as it could be used during daily life activities. The adaptation involved the grosgrain stocking, fastened using eyelets and cord up to the thigh, being sewn onto a pair of cotton shorts. The result was a clinical improvement with reductions in the perimeter and volume due to the compliance of the patient and the family to treatment. Conclusion. The use of a single treatment strategy in the form of a low-stretch stocking in such cases together with the involvement of a multidisciplinary team can lead to good treatment outcomes for chronic lymphedema.
Systemic Cystic Angiomatosis Mimicking Metastatic Cancer: A Case Report and Review of the Literature
Authors: Kumar Vivek , Meghal Trishala , Sun Yanyu Helen , Huang Yiwu
Published: September 2017

Systemic cystic angiomatosis is a rare benign disorder due to the maldeveloped vascular and lymphatic system with less than 50 cases reported in literature so far. We report here a case of systemic cystic angiomatosis (SCA) with multisystem involvement affecting the neck, thyroid, thoracic cavity, and skeletal system. The patient initially presented in her 4th decade of life with isolated lymphangioma in the neck requiring surgery. However, she experienced full-blown manifestations of SCA in her 6th decade which closely mimicked metastatic cancer. The diagnosis of SCA could only be established after multiple biopsies. The radiological and histological features of SCA with its course over 31 years in this patient have been described.
Posttransplant Lymphoproliferative Disorder in a Patient with Worsening Ascites after Liver Transplantation
Authors: Patel Harsh D. , Nevah Rubin Moises I.
Published: September 2017

Posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) is a spectrum of diseases that involves abnormal lymphoid and/or plasmacytic proliferation in patients with solid organ or hematopoietic cell transplantation. It is a condition with a low incidence of 3.5–4.3% in liver transplant (LT) recipients. This case involves a 63-year-old male with history of LT for chronic HCV induced cirrhosis who presented with abdominal distension related to worsening ascites. Cytological ascitic fluid analysis revealed EBV (+) malignant cells without a malignant focal point on imaging. Diagnosis of monomorphic PTLD with primary effusion lymphoma-like morphology and immunophenotype was established. This case highlights the complexity in diagnosis, different diagnostic modalities, and rare clinical presentations of PTLD.
Utilization of Liposuction for Delayed Morel-Lavallée Lesion: A Case Report and Review
Authors: Gardner Preston , Flis Diana , Chaiyasate Kongkrit
Published: September 2017

Morel-Lavallée lesions are irregularly occurring and often overlooked results of traumatic injuries, resulting in potential long-term encapsulation of fluid between soft-tissue layers. The objective in this review was to discuss the delayed presentation of a Morel-Lavallée lesion and operative utility of liposuction in the patient’s treatment and review literature with particular focus on diagnosis and therapeutic interventions. The reviewed case demonstrates the presentation and successful therapy of a young female presenting with a MLL and contour deformity.
The Role of Various Powders during the Hydration Process of Cement-Based Materials
Authors: Liu Shuhua , Wang Hongling , Wei Jianpeng
Published: September 2017

The role of various powders including glass powder (GP), limestone powder (LP), and steel slag powder (SSP) during the hydration process of cement-based materials was investigated by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and strength tests. GP has adverse impact on early strength, but the pozzolanic reaction at later stage enhances the strength development greatly. LP can significantly improve early strength. SSP has a good contribution to the early and later strength of the paste when its content is less than 15%. GP has little effect on the kind of hydration products but relatively large effects on the quantity. Calcium hydroxide (CH) content of GP paste decreases over curing age gradually, which is different from pure cement paste because its pozzolanic activity consumes more CH than that generated from the cement hydration. SSP and LP mainly play a role of filling effect at early stage. Nucleating effect of LP also promotes the early hydration of cement. The hydration of LP occurs at later stage and forms the calcium carboaluminate hydrates. The hydration of SSP is relatively slow, which generates CH at later stage and is effective in the strength development.
Experiment of Carbonate Dissolution: Implication for High Quality Carbonate Reservoir Formation in Deep and Ultradeep Basins
Authors: He Zhiliang , Ding Qian , Wo Yujin , Zhang Juntao , Fan Ming , Yue Xiaojuan
Published: September 2017

As the most frontiers in petroleum geology, the study of dissolution-based rock formation in deep carbonate reservoirs provides insight into pore development mechanism of petroleum reservoir space, while predicting reservoir distribution in deep-ultradeep layers. In this study, we conducted dissolution-precipitation experiments simulating surface to deep burial environments (open and semiopen systems). The effects of temperature, pressure, and dissolved ions on carbonate dissolution-precipitation were investigated under high temperature and pressure (~200°C; ~70 Mpa) with a series of petrographic and geochemical analytical methods. The results showed that the window-shape dissolution curve appeared in 75~150°C in the open system and 120~175°C in the semiopen system. Furthermore, the dissolution weight loss of carbonate rocks in the open system was higher than that of semiopen system, making it more favorable for gaining porosity. The type of fluid and rock largely determines the reservoir quality. In the open system, the dissolution weight loss of calcite was higher than that of dolomite with 0.3% CO2as the reaction fluid. In the semiopen system, the weight loss from dolomitic limestone prevailed with 0.3% CO2as the reaction fluid. Our study could provide theoretical basis for the prediction of high quality carbonate reservoirs in deep and ultradeep layers.
Palliatives for Low Velocity Impact Damage in Composite Laminates
Authors: Ali Mubarak , Joshi S. C. , Sultan Mohamed Thariq Hameed
Published: September 2017

Fibre reinforced polymer laminated composites are susceptible to impact damage during manufacture, normal operation, maintenance, and/or other stages of their life cycle. Initiation and growth of such damage lead to dramatic loss in the structural integrity and strength of laminates. This damage is generally difficult to detect and repair. This makes it important to find a preventive solution. There has been abundance of research dealing with the impact damage evolution of composite laminates and methods to mitigate and alleviate the damage initiation and growth. This article presents a comprehensive review of different strategies dealing with development of new composite materials investigated by several research groups that can be used to mitigate the low velocity impact damage in laminated composites. Hybrid composites, composites with tough thermoplastic resins, modified matrices, surface modification of fibres, translaminar reinforcements, and interlaminar modifications such as interleaving, short fibre reinforcement, and particle based interlayer are discussed in this article. A critical evaluation of various techniques capable of enhancing impact performance of laminated composites and future directions in this research field are presented in this article.
Endovascular Management of Right Subclavian Artery Pseudoaneurysm due to War Injury in Adolescent Patient
Authors: Saydam Onur , Şerefli Deniz , Atay Mehmet , Sert Cengiz
Published: September 2017

Today there is a widespread use of endovascular treatment (EVT) for traumatic vascular injuries in adults, but there is lack of evidence of its use in adolescent patients with vascular injuries. With this case, we present successful EVT of 14-year-old adolescent with a right subclavian artery pseudoaneurysm (SAP) due to war injury. SAP was successfully excluded with deployment of6×50 mm flexible, self-expanding covered nitinol stent graft (The GORE® VIABAHN® Endoprosthesis (W.L. Gore & Associates, Flagstaff, AZ)). Patient was discharged from hospital 2 days after the procedure with dual antiplatelet therapy (clopidogrel and aspirin). 3 months after discharge control DUS showed patent stent graft without any residual lesions. As a result, EVT is an alternative approach to treatment of SAP. It is safe, effective, and less invasive therapy for SAP in adults as well as in adolescents. We aim to contribute to the literature with this first case report.
Multimodal Imaging Nanoparticles Derived from Hyaluronic Acid for Integrated Preoperative and Intraoperative Cancer Imaging
Authors: Payne William M. , Hill Tanner K. , Svechkarev Denis , Holmes Megan B. , Sajja Balasrinivasa R. , Mohs Aaron M.
Published: September 2017

Surgical resection remains the most promising treatment strategy for many types of cancer. Residual malignant tissue after surgery, a consequence in part due to positive margins, contributes to high mortality and disease recurrence. In this study, multimodal contrast agents for integrated preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and intraoperative fluorescence image-guided surgery (FIGS) are developed. Self-assembled multimodal imaging nanoparticles (SAMINs) were developed as a mixed micelle formulation using amphiphilic HA polymers functionalized with either GdDTPA for T1 contrast-enhanced MRI or Cy7.5, a near infrared fluorophore. To evaluate the relationship between MR and fluorescence signal from SAMINs, we employed simulated surgical phantoms that are routinely used to evaluate the depth at which near infrared (NIR) imaging agents can be detected by FIGS. Finally, imaging agent efficacy was evaluated in a human breast tumor xenograft model in nude mice, which demonstrated contrast in both fluorescence and magnetic resonance imaging.
Human Antibody Fusion Proteins/Antibody Drug Conjugates in Breast and Ovarian Cancer
Authors: Padayachee Eden R. , Biteghe Fleury Augustin Nsole , Malindi Zaria , Bauerschlag Dirk , Barth Stefan
Published: September 2017

Considerable research efforts have been dedicated to understanding ovarian and breast cancer mechanisms, but there has been little progress translating the research into effective clinical applications. Hence, personalized/precision medicine has emerged because of its potential to improve the accuracy of tumor targeting and minimize toxicity to normal tissue. Targeted therapy in both breast and ovarian cancer has focused on antibodies, antibody drug conjugates (ADCs), and very recently the introduction of human antibody fusion proteins. Small molecule inhibitors and monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are used in conjunction with chemotherapeutic drugs as a form of treatment but problems arise from a board expression of the target antigen in healthy tissues. Also, insufficient tumor penetration due to tight binding affinity and macromolecular size of mAbs compromise the efficacy of these ADCs. A more targeted approach is thus needed, and ADCs were designed to meet this need. However, in ADCs the method of conjugation of drug to antibody is >1, altering the structure of the drug which leads to off-target effects. Random conjugation also causes the drug to affect the pharmokinetics and biodistribution of the antibody and may cause nonspecific binding and internalization. Recombinant therapeutic proteins achieve controlled conjugation reactions and combine cytotoxicity and targeting in one molecule. They can also be engineered to extend half-life, stability and mechanism of action, and offer novel delivery routes. SNAP-tag fusion proteins are an example of a theranostic recombinant protein as they provide a unique antibody format to conjugate a variety of benzyl guanine modified labels, e.g. fluorophores and photosensitizers in a 1:1 stoichiometry. On the one hand, SNAP tag fusions can be used to optically image tumors when conjugated to a fluorophore, and on the other hand the recombinant proteins can induce necrosis/apoptosis in the tumor when conjugated to a photosensitizer upon exposure to a changeable wavelength of light. The dual nature of SNAP-tag fusions as both a diagnostic and therapeutic tool reinforces its significant role in cancer treatment in an era of precision medicine.
Effects of Mucuna pruriens on Free Fatty Acid Levels and Histopathological Changes in the Brains of Rats Fed a High Fructose Diet
Authors: Akgun Bekir , Sarı Aysel , Ozturk Sait , Erol Fatih Serhat , Ozercan Ibrahim Hanifi , Ulu Ramazan
Published: September 2017

Objective: To investigate free fatty acid levels and histopathological changes in the brain of rats fed a high fructose diet (HFrD) and to evaluate the effects of Mucuna pruriens, known to have antidiabetic activity, on these changes. Materials and Methods: The study comprised 28 mature female Wistar rats. The rats were divided into 4 groups, each included 7 rats. Group 1: control; group 2: fed an HFrD; group 3: fed normal rat chow and M. pruriens; group 4: fed an HFrD and M. pruriens for 6 weeks. At the end of 6 weeks, the rats were decapitated, blood and brain tissues were obtained. Serum glucose and triglyceride levels were measured. Free fatty acid levels were measured in 1 cerebral hemisphere of each rat and histopathological changes in the other. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare quantitative continuous data between 2 independent groups, and the Kruskal-Wallis test was used to compare quantitative continuous data between more than 2 independent groups. Results: Arachidonic acid and docosahexaenoic acid levels were significantly higher in group 2 than in group 1 (p < 0.05). Free arachidonic acid and docosahexaenoic acid levels in group 4 were significantly less than in group 2 (p < 0.05). Histopathological examination of group 2 revealed extensive gliosis, neuronal hydropic degeneration, and edema. In group 4, gliosis was much lighter than in group 2, and edema was not observed. Neuronal structures in group 4 were similar to those in group 1. Conclusions: The HFrD increased the levels of free arachidonic acid and docosahexaenoic acid probably due to membrane degradation resulting from possible oxidative stress and inflammation in the brain. The HFrD also caused extensive gliosis, neuronal hydropic degeneration, and edema. Hence, M. pruriens could have therapeutic effects on free fatty acid metabolism and local inflammatory responses in the brains of rats fed an HFrD.
Personalized Management of Cardiovascular Disorders
Authors: Jain Kewal K.
Published: September 2017

Personalized management of cardiovascular disorders (CVD), also referred to as personalized or precision cardiology in accordance with general principles of personalized medicine, is selection of the best treatment for an individual patient. It involves the integration of various “omics” technologies such as genomics and proteomics as well as other new technologies such as nanobiotechnology. Molecular diagnostics and biomarkers are important for linking diagnosis with therapy and monitoring therapy. Because CVD involve perturbations of large complex biological networks, a systems biology approach to CVD risk stratification may be used for improving risk-estimating algorithms, and modeling of personalized benefit of treatment may be helpful for guiding the choice of intervention. Bioinformatics tools are helpful in analyzing and integrating large amounts of data from various sources. Personalized therapy is considered during drug development, including methods of targeted drug delivery and clinical trials. Individualized recommendations consider multiple factors - genetic as well as epigenetic - for patients' risk of heart disease. Examples of personalized treatment are those of chronic myocardial ischemia, heart failure, and hypertension. Similar approaches can be used for the management of atrial fibrillation and hypercholesterolemia, as well as the use of anticoagulants. Personalized management includes pharmacotherapy, surgery, lifestyle modifications, and combinations thereof. Further progress in understanding the pathomechanism of complex cardiovascular diseases and identification of causative factors at the individual patient level will provide opportunities for the development of personalized cardiology. Application of principles of personalized medicine will improve the care of the patients with CVD.