bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Endoscopic endonasal medial-to-lateral and transorbital lateral-to-medial optic nerve decompression: an anatomical study with surgical implications
Authors: Di Somma Alberto , Cavallo Luigi Maria , de Notaris Matteo , Solari Domenico , Topczewski Thomaz E. , Bernal-Sprekelsen Manuel , Enseñat Joaquim , Prats-Galino Alberto , Cappabianca Paolo
Published: October 2016

OBJECTIVE

Different surgical routes have been used over the years to achieve adequate decompression of the optic nerve in its canal including, more recently, endoscopic approaches performed either through the endonasal corridor or the transorbital one. The present study aimed to detail and quantify the amount of bone removal around the optic canal, achievable via medial-to-lateral endonasal and lateral-to-medial transorbital endoscopic trajectories.

METHODS

Five human cadaveric heads (10 sides) were dissected at the Laboratory of Surgical Neuroanatomy of the University of Barcelona (Spain). The laboratory rehearsals were run as follows: 1) preliminary preoperative CT scans of each specimen, 2) anatomical endoscopic endonasal and transorbital dissections and Dextroscope-based morphometric analysis, and 3) quantitative analysis of optic canal bone removal for both endonasal and transorbital endoscopic approaches.

RESULTS

The endoscopic endonasal route permitted exposure and removal of the most inferomedial portion of the optic canal (an average of 168°), whereas the transorbital pathway allowed good control of its superolateral part (an average of 192°). Considering the total circumference of the optic canal (360°), the transorbital route enabled removal of a mean of 53.3% of bone, mainly the superolateral portion. The endonasal approach provided bone removal of a mean of 46.7% of the inferomedial aspect. This result was found to be statistically significant (p < 0.05). The morphometric analysis performed with the aid of the Dextroscope (a virtual reality environment) showed that the simulation of the transorbital trajectory may provide a shorter surgical corridor with a wider angle of approach (39.6 mm; 46.8°) compared with the simulation of the endonasal pathway (52.9 mm; 23.8°).

CONCLUSIONS

Used together, these 2 endoscopic surgical paths (endonasal and transorbital) may allow a 360° decompression of the optic nerve. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first anatomical study on transorbital optic nerve decompression to show its feasibility. Further studies and, eventually, surgical case series are mandatory to confirm the effectiveness of these approaches, thereby refining the proper indications for each of them.
Tonsillobiventral fissure approach to the lateral recess of the fourth ventricle
Authors: Tayebi Meybodi Ali , Lawton Michael T. , Tabani Halima , Benet Arnau
Published: October 2016

OBJECTIVE

Surgical access to the lateral recess of the fourth ventricle (LR) is suboptimal with existing transvermian and telovelar approaches because of limited lateral exposure, significant retraction of the cerebellar tonsil, and steep trajectories near brainstem perforator arteries. The goal in this study was to assess surgical exposure of the tonsillobiventral fissure approach to the LR, and to describe the relevant anatomy.

METHODS

Two formaldehyde-fixed cerebella were used to study the anatomical relationships of the LR. Also, the tonsillobiventral fissure approach was simulated in 8 specimens through a lateral suboccipital craniotomy.

RESULTS

The pattern of the cerebellar folia and the cortical branches of the posterior inferior cerebellar artery were key landmarks to identifying the tonsillobiventral fissure. Splitting the tonsillobiventral fissure allowed a direct and safe surgical trajectory to the LR and into the cerebellopontine cistern. The proposed approach reduces cervical flexion and optimizes the surgical angle of attack.

CONCLUSIONS

The tonsillobiventral fissure approach is a feasible and effective option for exposing the LR. This approach has more favorable trajectories and positions for the patient and the surgeon, and it should be added to the armamentarium for lesions in this location.
Human gut microbiota and healthy aging: Recent developments and future prospective
Authors: Kumar Manish , Babaei Parizad , Ji Boyang , Nielsen Jens
Published: October 2016

The human gut microbiota alters with the aging process. In the first 2-3 years of life, the gut microbiota varies extensively in composition and metabolic functions. After this period, the gut microbiota demonstrates adult-like more stable and diverse microbial species. However, at old age, deterioration of physiological functions of the human body enforces the decrement in count of beneficial species (e.g. Bifidobacteria) in the gut microbiota, which promotes various gut-related diseases (e.g. inflammatory bowel disease). Use of plant-based diets and probiotics/prebiotics may elevate the abundance of beneficial species and prevent gut-related diseases. Still, the connections between diet, microbes, and host are only partially known. To this end, genome-scale metabolic modeling can help to explore these connections as well as to expand the understanding of the metabolic capability of each species in the gut microbiota. This systems biology approach can also predict metabolic variations in the gut microbiota during ageing, and hereby help to design more effective probiotics/prebiotics.
Romantic Film-Philosophy and the Notion of Philosophical Film Criticism
Authors: Wittusen Cato
Published: October 2016

A common critique directed at many philosophical readings of films is that they fall short of paying careful attention to film aesthetics. The film-philosopher Robert Sinnerbrink, who defends what he has dubbed ‘romantic film-philosophy’, is a notable exception on this score. Taking his cues from Stanley Cavell's writings on film, Sinnerbrink has developed and argued for a notion of philosophical criticism that takes aesthetic qualities of film into consideration. This paper attempts to relate Sinnerbrink's notion of philosophical criticism to recent conversations about the differences between academic writing on film and film criticism. I argue that some aspects of Sinnerbrink's approach make it natural to compare it with traditional film criticism. There are also elements of his approach that are comparable to the use of films to support and develop theoretical perspectives in some academic writings. Next, I consider whether Sinnerbrink succeeds in challenging the traditional hierarchy of philosophy over film and art. I argue that interpreting film with attention to how it contributes philosophically, as he recommends, doesn't entirely escape the philosophical disenfranchisement of film. In the final part of the paper, I argue that if we want to re-enfranchise film (and art in general), we should pay more attention to what film and other art forms offer us that we do not find in philosophy. In my discussion, I make use of André Bazin's notion of film criticism and Simone de Beauvoir's view on the metaphysical novel.
From Short Food Supply Chains to Sustainable Agriculture in Urban Food Systems: Food Democracy as a Vector of Transition
Authors: Chiffoleau Yuna , Millet-Amrani Sarah , Canard Arielle
Published: October 2016

In industrialized nations, local food networks have generally been analyzed through alternative food systems, in spite of the fact that they are much more diverse than this would imply. In France, ‘short food chains’ are both a continuation of a long tradition and a recent trend which now extends beyond activists, to consumers and producers as well. This paper will explore the conditions under which these chains can change the practices and knowledge of ordinary actors in urban food systems, from producers to urban consumers and policy-makers, in the area of agriculture and sustainability. It will consider the case study of the creation and development of an urban open-air market which has been analyzed using intervention research with input from economic sociology. We will highlight how personal relations, which are encouraged by a participatory context, support the evolution of practices and knowledge. We will also illustrate how a system of produce labelling has emerged as a mediation resource, and has increased changes as well as participation within the re-territorialization of the urban food system. By describing a concrete expression of food democracy which is spreading in France via a free collective trademark, and by showing its role in the transition of ‘ordinary’ actors towards a more sustainable agriculture, this paper will shine new light onto local food chains as well as traditional short food chains, and will call for more research on the subject.
Comparison of Grinding Characteristics of Converter Steel Slag with and without Pretreatment and Grinding Aids
Authors: Zhao Jihui , Wang Dongmin , Yan Peiyu , Li Wenping
Published: October 2016

The converter steel slag cannot be widely used in building materials for its poor grindability. In this paper, the grinding characteristics of untreated and pretreated (i.e., magnetic separation) steel slag were compared. Additionally, the grinding property of pretreated steel slag was also studied after adding grinding aids. The results show that the residues (i.e., oversize substance) that passed a 0.9 mm square-hole screen can be considered as the hardly grinding phases (HGP) and its proportion is about 1.5%. After the initial 20 min grinding, the RO phase (RO phase is a continuous solid solution which is composed of some divalent metal oxides, such as FeO, MgO, MnO, CaO, etc.), calcium ferrite, and metallic iron phase made up most of the proportion of the HGP, while the metallic iron made up the most component after 70 min grinding. The D50 of untreated steel slag could only reach 32.89 μm after 50 min grinding, but that of pretreated steel slag could reach 18.16 μm after the same grinding time. The grinding efficiency of steel slag was obviously increased and the particle characteristics were improved after using grinding aids (GA), especially the particle proportions of 3–32 μm were obviously increased by 7.24%, 7.22%, and 10.63% after 40 min, 50 min, and 60 min grinding, respectively. This is mainly because of the reduction of agglomeration and this effect of GA was evidenced by SEM (scanning electron microscope) images.
Characteristics of Particulate Carbon in Precipitation during the Rainy Season in Xiamen Island, China
Authors: Zhao Shuhui , Chen Liqi , Yan Jinpei , Shi Peng , Li Yun , Li Wei
Published: October 2016

Measuring wet deposition of organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) aerosol is crucial for the understanding of their circulation and climate effect. To further understand the wet deposition of particulate carbon (OC and EC), precipitation samples were collected from April to August 2014 on Xiamen Island in China. EC and water insoluble organic carbon (WIOC) concentrations were analyzed using a thermal optical method to investigate temporal variations and wet deposition fluxes. The average EC and WIOC concentrations were 7.3 μgC·L−1 and 495.3 μgC·L−1, respectively, which are both comparable to the results reported in European areas. EC and WIOC concentrations were higher in spring than in summer. Higher EC concentrations were found in April, which were probably associated with the transport of air masses from northern continental areas. Higher WIOC concentrations were found in May and were mainly attributed to air masses from the South China Sea. Lower concentrations of EC and WIOC in the summer were primarily due to the clean air masses transported from the ocean. The wet deposition flux was calculated as the product of concentration and precipitation amount. Average wet deposition fluxes of EC and WIOC were estimated to be 0.6 mgC·m−2·month−1 and 36.7 mgC·m−2·month−1, respectively. Wet deposition fluxes of EC and WIOC exhibited similar concentration trends. The largest flux in EC wet deposition occurred in April (1.8 mgC·m−2·month−1), while the largest flux in WIOC wet deposition occurred in May (63.1 mgC·m−2·month−1).
Vulnerabilities and Adapting Irrigated and Rainfed Cotton to Climate Change in the Lower Mississippi Delta Region
Authors: Anapalli Saseendran , Fisher Daniel , Reddy Krishna , Pettigrew William , Sui Ruixiu , Ahuja Lajpat
Published: October 2016

Anthropogenic activities continue to emit potential greenhouse gases (GHG) into the atmosphere leading to a warmer climate over the earth. Predicting the impacts of climate change (CC) on food and fiber production systems in the future is essential for devising adaptations to sustain production and environmental quality. We used the CSM-CROPGRO-cotton v4.6 module within the RZWQM2 model for predicting the possible impacts of CC on cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) production systems in the lower Mississippi Delta (MS Delta) region of the USA. The CC scenarios were based on an ensemble of climate projections of multiple GCMs (Global Climate Models/General Circulation Models) for climate change under the CMIP5 (Climate Model Inter-comparison and Improvement Program 5) program, that were bias-corrected and spatially downscaled (BCSD) at Stoneville location in the MS Delta for the years 2050 and 2080. Four Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP) drove these CC projections: 2.6, 4.5, 6.0, and 8.5 (these numbers refer to radiative forcing levels in the atmosphere of 2.6, 4.5, 6.0, and 8.5 W·m−2), representing the increasing levels of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emission scenarios for the future, as used in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change-Fifth Assessment Report (IPCC-AR5). The cotton model within RZWQM2, calibrated and validated for simulating cotton production at Stoneville, was used for simulating production under these CC scenarios. Under irrigated conditions, cotton yields increased significantly under the CC scenarios driven by the low to moderate emission levels of RCP 2.6, 4.5, and 6.0 in years 2050 and 2080, but under the highest emission scenario of RCP 8.5, the cotton yield increased in 2050 but declined significantly in year 2080. Under rainfed conditions, the yield declined in both 2050 and 2080 under all four RCP scenarios; however, the yield still increased when enough rainfall was received to meet the water requirements of the crop (in about 25% of the cases). As an adaptation measure, planting cotton six weeks earlier than the normal (historical average) planting date, in general, was found to boost irrigated cotton yields and compensate for the lost yields in all the CC scenarios. This early planting strategy only partially compensated for the rainfed cotton yield losses under all the CC scenarios, however, supplemental irrigations up to 10 cm compensated for all the yield losses.
Fullerene-Based Electron Transport Layers for Semi-Transparent MAPbBr3 Perovskite Films in Planar Perovskite Solar Cells
Authors: Chen Lung-Chien , Tseng Zong-Liang , Huang Jun-Kai , Chen Cheng-Chiang , Chang Sheng
Published: October 2016

In this study, four kinds of structures—[6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM), PCBM/fullerene (C60), C60/bathocuproine (BCP), and PCBM/C60/BCP—were used as electron transport layers, and the structure, and optical and electronic behaviors of MAPbBr3 perovskite layers after annealing treatments were observed. The experimental results indicate that PCBM/C60 bi-layer structure is acceptable for MAPbBr3 planar perovskite solar cells due to electron step transporting. Low-temperature annealing is suitable for smooth and large grain MAPbBr3 films. The semi-transparent yellow C60/PCBM/MAPbBr3/PEDOT:PSS/ITO glass-structure solar cells exhibit the best performance with a power conversion efficiency of 4.19%. The solar cells are revealed to be suitable for application in building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) systems.
Skin Whitening Cosmetics: Feedback and Challenges in the Development of Natural Skin Lighteners
Authors: Burger Pauline , Landreau Anne , Azoulay Stéphane , Michel Thomas , Fernandez Xavier
Published: October 2016

With the public’s growing interest in skin whitening, lightening ingredients only used under dermatological supervision until recently, are more and more frequently incorporated into cosmetic formulas. The active agents that lighten skin tone are either natural or synthetic substances, and may act at various levels of melanogenesis. They are used to treat various skin pigmentation disorders or simply to obtain a lighter skin tone as whiter skin may be synonymous of wealth, health, youth, and/or beauty in different cultures. However, recent studies demonstrated the adverse effects of some of these ingredients, leading to their interdiction or restricted use under the European Directive and several other international regulations. After an overview of skin whitening practices and the associated risks, this article provides insight into the mechanisms involved in melanin synthesis and the biological assays available to attest the lightening activity of individual ingredients. The legislation dealing with the use of skin lighteners is then discussed. As traditional depigmenting agents such as hydroquinone and corticosteroids are of safety concern, the potential of natural extracts has been investigated more and more; finally, a synthesis of three years of research in our laboratory for such plant extracts will be given.
Oil Price and Economic Growth: A Long Story?
Authors: Gadea María , Gómez-Loscos Ana , Montañés Antonio
Published: October 2016

This study investigates changes in the relationship between oil prices and the US economy from a long-term perspective. Although neither of the two series (oil price and GDP growth rates) presents structural breaks in mean, we identify different volatility periods in both of them, separately. From a multivariate perspective, we do not observe a significant effect between changes in oil prices and GDP growth when considering the full period. However, we find a significant relationship in some subperiods by carrying out a rolling analysis and by investigating the presence of structural breaks in the multivariate framework. Finally, we obtain evidence, by means of a time-varying VAR, that the impact of the oil price shock on GDP growth has declined over time. We also observe that the negative effect is greater at the time of large oil price increases, supporting previous evidence of nonlinearity in the relationship.
Automating Plot-Level Stem Analysis from Terrestrial Laser Scanning
Authors: Xi Zhouxin , Hopkinson Christopher , Chasmer Laura
Published: October 2016

Terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) provides an accurate means of analyzing individual tree attributes, and can be extended to plots using multiple TLS scans. However, multiple TLS scans may reduce the effectiveness of individual tree structure quantification, often due to understory occupation, mutual tree occlusion, and other influences. The procedure to delineate accurate tree attributes from plot scans involves onerous steps and automated integration is challenging in the literature. This study proposes a fully automatic approach composed of ground filtering, stem detection, and stem form extraction algorithms, with emphasis on accuracy and feasibility. The delineated attributes can be useful to analyze terrain, tree biomass and fiber quality. The automation was experimented on a mature pine plot in Finland with both single scan (SS) and multiple scans (MS) datasets. With mensuration as reference, digital terrain models (DTM), stem locations, diameters at breast height (DBHs), stem heights, and stem forms of the whole plot were extracted and validated. Results of this study were best using the multiple scans (MS) dataset, where 76% of stems were detected (n = 49). Height extraction accuracy was 0.68 (r2) and 1.7 m (RMSE), and DBH extraction accuracy was 0.97 (r2) and 0.90 cm (RMSE). Height-wise stem diameter extraction accuracy was 0.76 (r2) and 2.4 cm (RMSE).
Anthropogenic Disturbances Create a New Vegetation Toposequence in the Gatineau River Valley, Quebec
Authors: Laflamme Jason , Munson Alison , Grondin Pierre , Arseneault Dominique
Published: October 2016

This study measured changes in forest composition that have occurred since the preindustrial era along the toposequence of the Gatineau River Valley, Quebec, Canada (5650 km2), based on survey records prior to colonization (1804–1864) and recent forest inventories (1982–2006). Changes in forest cover composition over time were found to be specific to toposequence position. Maple and red oak are now more frequent on upper toposequence positions (+26%, +21%, respectively), whereas yellow birch, eastern hemlock, and American beech declined markedly (−34% to −17%). Poplar is more frequent throughout the landscape, but particularly on mid-toposequence positions (+40%). In contrast, white pine, frequent on all toposequence positions in the preindustrial forest, is now confined to shallow and coarse-textured soils (−20%). The preindustrial forest types of the study area were mostly dominated by maple, yellow birch, and beech, with strong components of white pine, hemlock, and eastern white cedar, either as dominant or codominant species. In a context of ongoing anthropogenic disturbances and environmental changes, it is probably not possible to restore many of these types, except where targeted silvicultural interventions could increase the presence of certain species. The new forest types observed should be managed to ensure continuity of vital ecosystem services and functions as disturbance regimes evolve.
Enhancing Forest Growth and Yield Predictions with Airborne Laser Scanning Data: Increasing Spatial Detail and Optimizing Yield Curve Selection through Template Matching
Authors: Tompalski Piotr , Coops Nicholas , White Joanne , Wulder Michael
Published: October 2016

Accurate information on both the current stock and future growth and yield of forest resources is critical for sustainable forest management. We demonstrate a novel approach to utilizing airborne laser scanning (ALS)-derived forest stand attributes to determine future growth and yield of six attributes at a sub-stand (25 m grid cell) level of detail: dominant height (HMAX), Lorey’s height (HL), quadratic mean diameter (QMD), basal area (BA), whole stem volume (V), and trees per hectare (TPH). The approach is designed to find the most appropriate matching yield curve and project the attributes to the age of 80 years. Comparisons to conventional plot-level projections resulted in relative mean differences of 13.4% (HMAX), −27.1% (HL), 18.8% (QMD), 12.0% (BA), 18.6% (V), and −17.5% (TPH). The respective relative root mean squared difference values were: 31.1%, 38.4%, 19.8%, 19.8%, 21.8%, and 38.4%. Differences were driven mostly by stand-level age and site index. The uncertainty of cell-level yield curve assignment was used to refine stand-level summaries. The novel contribution of this study is in the application of growth and yield models at the cell level, combined with the use of ALS-derived attributes to optimize yield curve selection via template matching.
Recovery from the DNA Replication Checkpoint
Authors: Chaudhury Indrajit , Koepp Deanna
Published: October 2016

Checkpoint recovery is integral to a successful checkpoint response. Checkpoint pathways monitor progress during cell division so that in the event of an error, the checkpoint is activated to block the cell cycle and activate repair pathways. Intrinsic to this process is that once repair has been achieved, the checkpoint signaling pathway is inactivated and cell cycle progression resumes. We use the term “checkpoint recovery” to describe the pathways responsible for the inactivation of checkpoint signaling and cell cycle re-entry after the initial stress has been alleviated. The DNA replication or S-phase checkpoint monitors the integrity of DNA synthesis. When replication stress is encountered, replication forks are stalled, and the checkpoint signaling pathway is activated. Central to recovery from the S-phase checkpoint is the restart of stalled replication forks. If checkpoint recovery fails, stalled forks may become unstable and lead to DNA breaks or unusual DNA structures that are difficult to resolve, causing genomic instability. Alternatively, if cell cycle resumption mechanisms become uncoupled from checkpoint inactivation, cells with under-replicated DNA might proceed through the cell cycle, also diminishing genomic stability. In this review, we discuss the molecular mechanisms that contribute to inactivation of the S-phase checkpoint signaling pathway and the restart of replication forks during recovery from replication stress.
Lung Cancer Mortality Trends in China from 1988 to 2013: New Challenges and Opportunities for the Government
Authors: Wang Lijun , Yu Chuanhua , Liu Yu , Wang Jun , Li Chunhui , Wang Quan , Wang Peigang , Wu Shaotang , Zhang Zhi-Jiang
Published: October 2016

Background: As lung cancer has shown a continuously increasing trend in many countries, it is essential to stay abreast of lung cancer mortality information and take informed actions with a theoretical basis derived from appropriate and practical statistical methods. Methods: Age-specific rates were collected by gender and region (urban/rural) and analysed with descriptive methods and age-period-cohort models to estimate the trends in lung cancer mortality in China from 1988 to 2013. Results: Descriptive analysis revealed that the age-specific mortality rates of lung cancer in rural residents increased markedly over the last three decades, and there was no obvious increase in urban residents. APC analysis showed that the lung cancer mortality rates significantly increased with age (20–84), rose slightly with the time period, and decreased with the cohort, except for the rural cohorts born during the early years (1909–1928). The trends in the patterns of the period and cohort effects showed marked disparities between the urban and rural residents. Conclusions: Lung cancer mortality remains serious and is likely to continue to rise in China. Some known measures are suggested to be decisive factors in mitigating lung cancer, such as environmental conservation, medical security, and tobacco control, which should be implemented more vigorously over the long term in China, especially in rural areas.
The Comparative Study on the Rapid Decolorization of Azo, Anthraquinone and Triphenylmethane Dyes by Anaerobic Sludge
Authors: Cui Daizong , Zhang Hao , He Rubao , Zhao Min
Published: October 2016

An anaerobic sludge (AS), capable of decolorizing a variety of synthetic dyes, was acclimated and is reported here. The sludge presented a much better dye decolorizing ability than that of different individual strains. A broad spectrum of dyes could be decolorized by the sludge. Continuous decolorization tests showed that the sludge exhibited the ability to decolorize repeated additions of dye. The chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal rate of the dye wastewater reached 52% after 12 h of incubation. Polymerase chain reaction and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) profiles revealed that the microbial community changed as a result of varying initial concentrations of dyes. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that microbial populations in the sludge belonged to the phyla Acidobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Chloroflexi and Proteobacteria. The degradation products of the three types of dye were identified. For azo dyes, the anaerobic sludge converted Methyl Orange to N,N-dimethylbenzene-1,4-diamine and 4-aminobenzenesulfonic acid; for triphenylmethane dyes, after Malachite Green was decolorized, the analyzed products were found to be a mixture of N,N-dimethylbenzenamine, 3-dimethyl-aminophenol and 4-dimethylaminobenzophenone; for anthraquinone dyes, two products (acetophenone and 2-methylbenzoic acid) were observed after Reactive Blue 19 decolorization. Together, these results suggest that the anaerobic sludge has promising potential for use in the treatment of industrial wastewater containing various types of dyes.
Drinking and Driving among Recent Latino Immigrants: The Impact of Neighborhoods and Social Support
Authors: Sanchez Mariana , Romano Eduardo , Dawson Christyl , Huang Hui , Sneij Alicia , Cyrus Elena , Rojas Patria , Cano Miguel , Brook Judith , De La Rosa Mario
Published: October 2016

Latinos are disproportionately impacted by drinking and driving arrests and alcohol-related fatal crashes. Why, and how, these disparities occur remains unclear. The neighborhood environments that recent Latino immigrants encounter in their host communities can potentially influence health behaviors over time, including the propensity to engage in drinking and driving. This cross-sectional study utilizes a sample of 467 documented and undocumented adult recent Latino immigrants in the United States to answer the following research questions: (a) How do neighborhood-level factors, combined with social support, impact drinking and driving risk behaviors?; and (b) Does acculturative stress moderate the effects of those associations? Results indicate neighborhood-level factors (informal social control and social capital) have protective effects against drinking and driving risk behaviors via the mediating mechanism of social support. Acculturative stress moderated associations between neighborhood informal social control and social support, whereby the protective effects of informal social control on social support were not present for those immigrants with higher levels of acculturative stress. Our findings contribute to the limited knowledge of drinking and driving among Latino immigrants early in the immigration process and suggest that, in the process of developing prevention programs tailored to Latino immigrants, greater attention must be paid to neighborhood-level factors.
Using Virtual Street Audits to Understand the Walkability of Older Adults’ Route Choices by Gender and Age
Authors: Brookfield Katherine , Tilley Sara
Published: October 2016

Walking for physical activity can bring important health benefits to older adults. In this population, walking has been related to various urban design features and street characteristics. To gain new insights into the microscale environmental details that might influence seniors’ walking, details which might be more amenable to change than neighbourhood level factors, we employed a reliable streetscape audit tool, in combination with Google Street View™, to evaluate the ‘walkability’ of where older adults choose to walk. Analysis of the routes selected by a purposive sample of independently mobile adults aged 65 years and over living in Edinburgh, UK, revealed a preference to walk in more walkable environments, alongside a willingness to walk in less supportive settings. At times, factors commonly considered important for walking, including wayfinding and legibility, user conflict, kerb paving quality, and lighting appeared to have little impact on older adults’ decisions about where to walk. The implications for policy, practice, and the emerging technique of virtual auditing are considered.
Context-Aware Location Recommendation Using Geotagged Photos in Social Media
Authors: Huang Haosheng
Published: October 2016

Recently, the increasing availability of digital cameras and the rapid advances in social media have led to the accumulation of a large number of geotagged photos, which may reflect people’s travel experiences in different cities and can be used to generate location recommendations for tourists. Research on this aspect mainly focused on providing personalized recommendations matching a tourist’s travel preferences, while ignoring the context of the visit (e.g., weather, season and time of the day) that potentially influences his/her travel behavior. This article explores context-aware methods to provide location recommendations matching a tourist’s travel preferences and visiting context. Specifically, we apply clustering methods to detect touristic locations and extract travel histories from geotagged photos on Flickr. We then propose a novel context similarity measure to quantify the similarity between any two contexts and develop three context-aware collaborative filtering methods, i.e., contextual pre-filtering, post-filtering and modeling. With these methods, location recommendations like “in similar contexts, other tourists similar to you often visited …” can be provided to the current user. Results of the evaluation with a publicly-available Flickr photo collection show that these methods are able to provide a tourist with location recommendations matching his/her travel preferences and visiting context. More importantly, compared to other state-of-the-art methods, the proposed methods, which employ the introduced context similarity measure, can provide tourists with significantly better recommendations. While Flickr data have been used in this study, these context-aware collaborative filtering (CaCF) methods can also be extended for other kinds of travel histories, such as GPS trajectories and Foursquare check-ins, to provide context-aware recommendations.
AQP2 Plasma Membrane Diffusion Is Altered by the Degree of AQP2-S256 Phosphorylation
Authors: Arnspang Eva , Login Frédéric , Koffman Jennifer , Sengupta Prabuddha , Nejsum Lene
Published: October 2016

Fine tuning of urine concentration occurs in the renal collecting duct in response to circulating levels of arginine vasopressin (AVP). AVP stimulates intracellular cAMP production, which mediates exocytosis of sub-apical vesicles containing the water channel aquaporin-2 (AQP2). Protein Kinase A (PKA) phosphorylates AQP2 on serine-256 (S256), which triggers plasma membrane accumulation of AQP2. This mediates insertion of AQP2 into the apical plasma membrane, increasing water permeability of the collecting duct. AQP2 is a homo-tetramer. When S256 on all four monomers is changed to the phosphomimic aspartic acid (S256D), AQP2-S256D localizes to the plasma membrane and internalization is decreased. In contrast, when S256 is mutated to alanine (S256A) to mimic non-phosphorylated AQP2, AQP2-S256A localizes to intracellular vesicles as well as the plasma membrane, with increased internalization from the plasma membrane. S256 phosphorylation is not necessary for exocytosis and dephosphorylation is not necessary for endocytosis, however, the degree of S256 phosphorylation is hypothesized to regulate the kinetics of AQP2 endocytosis and thus, retention time in the plasma membrane. Using k-space Image Correlation Spectroscopy (kICS), we determined how the number of phosphorylated to non-phosphorylated S256 monomers in the AQP2 tetramer affects diffusion speed of AQP2 in the plasma membrane. When all four monomers mimicked constitutive phosphorylation (AQP2-S256D), diffusion was faster than when all four were non-phosphorylated (AQP2-S256A). AQP2-WT diffused at a speed similar to that of AQP2-S256D. When an average of two or three monomers in the tetramer were constitutively phosphorylated, the average diffusion coefficients were not significantly different to that of AQP2-S256D. However, when only one monomer was phosphorylated, diffusion was slower and similar to AQP2-S256A. Thus, AQP2 with two to four phosphorylated monomers has faster plasma membrane kinetics, than the tetramer which contains just one or no phosphorylated monomers. This difference in diffusion rate may reflect behavior of AQP2 tetramers destined for either plasma membrane retention or endocytosis.
Peculiarities of the Super-Folder GFP Folding in a Crowded Milieu
Authors: Stepanenko Olesya , Stepanenko Olga , Kuznetsova Irina , Uversky Vladimir , Turoverov Konstantin
Published: October 2016

The natural cellular milieu is crowded by large quantities of various biological macromolecules. This complex environment is characterized by a limited amount of unoccupied space, limited amounts of free water, and changed solvent properties. Obviously, such a tightly packed cellular environment is poorly mimicked by traditional physiological conditions, where low concentrations of a protein of interest are analyzed in slightly salted aqueous solutions. An alternative is given by the use of a model crowded milieu, where a protein of interest is immersed in a solution containing high concentrations of various polymers that serve as model crowding agents. An expected outcome of the presence of such macromolecular crowding agents is their ability to increase conformational stability of a globular protein due to the excluded volume effects. In line with this hypothesis, the behavior of a query protein should be affected by the hydrodynamic size and concentration of an inert crowder (i.e., an agent that does not interact with the protein), whereas the chemical nature of a macromolecular crowder should not play a role in its ability to modulate conformational properties. In this study, the effects of different crowding agents (polyethylene glycols (PEGs) of various molecular masses (PEG-600, PEG-8000, and PEG-12000), Dextran-70, and Ficoll-70) on the spectral properties and unfolding–refolding processes of the super-folder green fluorescent protein (sfGFP) were investigated. sfGFP is differently affected by different crowders, suggesting that, in addition to the expected excluded volume effects, there are some changes in the solvent properties.
Different Susceptibilities between Apoe- and Ldlr-Deficient Mice to Inflammation-Associated Colorectal Carcinogenesis
Authors: Tanaka Takuji , Oyama Takeru , Sugie Shigeyuki , Shimizu Masahito
Published: October 2016

Hypercholesterolemia resulting in atherosclerosis is associated with an increased risk of ischemic heart disease and colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the roles of apoliprotein (Apo) E (Apoe) and low-density lipoprotein (Ldl) receptor (Ldlr) in colorectal carcinogenesis have not yet been investigated. In this study, we examined the susceptibility of Apoe-deficient and Ldlr-deficient mice, which are genetic animal models of atherosclerosis to azoxymethane (AOM)/dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced colorectal carcinogenesis. In Experiment 1, male Apoe-deficient (n = 20) and wild type (WT) mice (C57BL/6J, n = 21) were treated with a single intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of AOM (10 mg/kg body weight) and then given 1.5% DSS in drinking water for seven days. They were maintained up to week 20 and sacrificed for the histopathological examination of colorectal tumors. The mRNA expression of cyclooxygenase (Cox)-2, inducible nitric oxide synthase (Nos2), tumor necrosis factor (Tnf)-α interleukin (Il)-1β, and Il-6 was assayed in the colorectal mucosa. In Experiment 2, male Ldlr-deficient (n = 14) and WT mice (C57BL/6J, n = 10) were given a single i.p. injection of AOM (10 mg/kg body weight) and then given 2% DSS in drinking water for seven days. They were sacrificed at week 20 to evaluate their colorectum histopathologically. In Experiment 1, the multiplicity of CRCs was significantly higher in the Apoe-deficient mice (2.75 ± 1.48) than in the WT mice (0.62 ± 0.67). The serum lipoprotein levels in the Apoe-deficient mice were also significantly higher than in the WT mice. In Experiment 2, the incidence (29%) and multiplicity (0.50 ± 0.94) of CRCs in the Ldlr mice were significantly lower than in the WT mice (80% incidence and 3.10 ± 2.38 multiplicity). The mRNA expression of two inducible enzymes and certain pro-inflammatory cytokines in the colorectum of each genotype was greater than in the respective WT mice. The values in the Apoe-deficient mice were much greater than in the Ldlr mice. These findings suggest that Apoe-deficient mice showed increased susceptibility to inflammation-associated colorectal carcinogenesis due to their high reactivity to inflammatory stimuli.
The Gas6/TAM System and Multiple Sclerosis
Authors: Bellan Mattia , Pirisi Mario , Sainaghi Pier
Published: October 2016

Growth arrest specific 6 (Gas6) is a multimodular circulating protein, the biological actions of which are mediated by the interaction with three transmembrane tyrosine kinase receptors: Tyro3, Axl, and MerTK, collectively named TAM. Over the last few decades, many progresses have been done in the understanding of the biological activities of this highly pleiotropic system, which plays a role in the regulation of immune response, inflammation, coagulation, cell growth, and clearance of apoptotic bodies. Recent findings have further related Gas6 and TAM receptors to neuroinflammation in general and, specifically, to multiple sclerosis (MS). In this paper, we review the biology of the Gas6/TAM system and the current evidence supporting its potential role in the pathogenesis of MS.
Supporting Sensemaking of Complex Objects with Visualizations: Visibility and Complementarity of Interactions
Authors: Sedig Kamran , Parsons Paul , Liang Hai-Ning , Morey Jim
Published: October 2016

Making sense of complex objects is difficult, and typically requires the use of external representations to support cognitive demands while reasoning about the objects. Visualizations are one type of external representation that can be used to support sensemaking activities. In this paper, we investigate the role of two design strategies in making the interactive features of visualizations more supportive of users’ exploratory needs when trying to make sense of complex objects. These two strategies are visibility and complementarity of interactions. We employ a theoretical framework concerned with human–information interaction and complex cognitive activities to inform, contextualize, and interpret the effects of the design strategies. The two strategies are incorporated in the design of Polyvise, a visualization tool that supports making sense of complex four-dimensional geometric objects. A mixed-methods study was conducted to evaluate the design strategies and the overall usability of Polyvise. We report the findings of the study, discuss some implications for the design of visualization tools that support sensemaking of complex objects, and propose five design guidelines. We anticipate that our results are transferrable to other contexts, and that these two design strategies can be used broadly in visualization tools intended to support activities with complex objects and information spaces.
Optimizing a Test Method to Evaluate Resistance of Pervious Concrete to Cycles of Freezing and Thawing in the Presence of Different Deicing Salts
Authors: Tsang Chehong , Shehata Medhat , Lotfy Abdurrahmaan
Published: October 2016

The lack of a standard test method for evaluating the resistance of pervious concrete to cycles of freezing and thawing in the presence of deicing salts is the motive behind this study. Different sample size and geometry, cycle duration, and level of submersion in brine solutions were investigated to achieve an optimized test method. The optimized test method was able to produce different levels of damage when different types of deicing salts were used. The optimized duration of one cycle was found to be 24 h with twelve hours of freezing at −18 °C and twelve hours of thawing at +21 °C, with the bottom 10 mm of the sample submerged in the brine solution. Cylinder samples with a diameter of 100 mm and height of 150 mm were used and found to produce similar results to 150 mm-cubes. Based on the obtained results a mass loss of 3%–5% is proposed as a failure criterion of cylindrical samples. For the materials and within the cycles of freezing/thawing investigated here, the deicers that caused the most damage were NaCl, CaCl 2 and urea, followed by MgCl 2 , potassium acetate, sodium acetate and calcium-magnesium acetate. More testing is needed to validate the effects of different deicers under long term exposures and different temperature ranges.
Chemical Synthesis and Oxide Dispersion Properties of Strengthened Tungsten via Spark Plasma Sintering
Authors: Ding Xiao-Yu , Luo Lai-Ma , Chen Hong-Yu , Zhu Xiao-Yong , Zan Xiang , Cheng Ji-Gui , Wu Yu-Cheng
Published: October 2016

Highly uniform oxide dispersion-strengthened materials W–1 wt % Nd2O3 and W–1 wt % CeO2 were successfully fabricated via a novel wet chemical method followed by hydrogen reduction. The powders were consolidated by spark plasma sintering at 1700 °C to suppress grain growth. The samples were characterized by performing field emission scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy analyses, Vickers microhardness measurements, thermal conductivity, and tensile testing. The oxide particles were dispersed at the tungsten grain boundaries and within the grains. The thermal conductivity of the samples at room temperature exceeded 140 W/m·K. The tensile tests indicated that W–1 wt % CeO2 exhibited a ductile–brittle transition temperature between 500 °C and 550 °C, which was a lower range than that for W–1 wt % Nd2O3. Surface topography and Vickers microhardness analyses were conducted before and after irradiations with 50 eV He ions at a fluence of 1 × 1022 m−2 for 1 h in the large-powder material irradiation experiment system. The grain boundaries of the irradiated area became more evident than that of the unirradiated area for both samples. Irradiation hardening was recognized for the W–1 wt % Nd2O3 and W–1 wt % CeO2 samples.
Influence of Processing Techniques on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of a Biodegradable Mg-3Zn-2Ca Alloy
Authors: Doležal Pavel , Zapletal Josef , Fintová Stanislava , Trojanová Zuzanka , Greger Miroslav , Roupcová Pavla , Podrábský Tomáš
Published: October 2016

New Mg-3Zn-2Ca magnesium alloy was prepared using different processing techniques: gravity casting as well as squeeze casting in liquid and semisolid states. Materials were further thermally treated; thermal treatment of the gravity cast alloy was additionally combined with the equal channel angular pressing (ECAP). Alloy processed by the squeeze casting in liquid as well as in semisolid state exhibit improved plasticity; the ECAP processing positively influenced both the tensile and compressive characteristics of the alloy. Applied heat treatment influenced the distribution and chemical composition of present intermetallic phases. Influence of particular processing techniques, heat treatment, and intermetallic phase distribution is thoroughly discussed in relation to mechanical behavior of presented alloys.
Effect of Ultrasonic Treatment on the Solidification Microstructure of Die-Cast 35CrMo Steel
Authors: Liang Gen , Shi Chen , Zhou Yajun , Mao Daheng
Published: October 2016

The effects of ultrasonic treatment (UST) on the solidification microstructure of a 35CrMo steel cast ingot were investigated. To avoid the erosion of a high-temperature melt, a T-shaped ultrasonic waveguide unit was used to introduce ultrasonic vibrations into a 35CrMo steel die casting melt. The experimental results show that the microstructure of the ingot was refined by ultrasonic treatment. While the microstructure of untreated 35CrMo steel is coarse dendritic grains, after the introduction of ultrasonic treatment, the solidification microstructure transforms from coarse dendritic to equiaxed grains, and the dendrites are also refined. Samples from different positions of the ingots were subjected to different ultrasonic effects, and the effects on grain refinement also varied due to the severe attenuation of the ultrasound in the melt. The mechanisms of grain refinement using ultrasonic treatment for 35CrMo steel melt are presented.