bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Chondroblastic osteosarcoma: Cytomorphologic characteristics and differential diagnosis on FNA
Authors: VandenBussche Christopher J. , Sathiyamoorthy Srividya , Wakely Paul E. , Ali Syed Z.
Published: March 2016

BACKGROUND

Chondroblastic osteosarcoma (COS) is a uniformly fatal bone malignancy if not diagnosed and treated appropriately in a timely manner. Fine‐needle aspiration (FNA) of osseous lesions is routinely performed in major medical centers. Appropriate characterization of the tumor will significantly influence patient management and outcomes.

METHODS

A retrospective review of the cytopathology archives of 2 large tertiary care centers for a 15‐year period (2001‐2015) revealed 17 cases of COS (9 primary, 6 recurrent, and 2 metastatic cases) in 16 patients. Clinical outcome and histopathologic follow‐up were reviewed and correlated.

RESULTS

There were 9 male and 7 female patients (male‐to‐female ratio of approximately 1:1), ranging in age from 12 to 70 years (mean age, 29.2 years). The classic locations for osteosarcoma were commonly involved, such as the long bones around the region of the knee in 4 cases and the proximal humerus in 1 case. However, other “nonclassic” sites also were noted to be commonly involved, including the distal tibia or fibula (4 cases), sacroiliac region (4 cases), mandible (3 cases), and skull (1 case). Cytomorphologic characteristics were high cellularity; predominantly discohesive, single cells; small tissue fragments; background osteoid and chondroid matrix; spindled cells and plasmacytoid cells with moderate to abundant basophilic vacuolated cytoplasm and occasional multiple cytoplasmic processes; round to oval nuclei with anisonucleosis; and small to prominent nucleoli. There were scattered binucleated and multinucleated osteoclast‐like giant cells. Cases with high‐grade morphology demonstrated marked pleomorphism and abundant mitoses.

CONCLUSIONS

The differential diagnosis of COS includes chondroblastoma, chondrosarcoma, and chondroid chordoma. A definitive diagnosis can be made with clinical and radiological correlation. Cancer Cytopathol 2016;124:493–500. © 2016 American Cancer Society.
A model for estimating the out‐degree of nodes in associated semantic network from semantic feature view
Authors: Zhang Shunxiang , Wang Yin , Liu Weidong , Yin Xiaobo
Published: March 2016

Association Link Network (ALN) can organize massive news data to support many intelligent Web applications. The degree estimating of nodes in ALN, including out‐degree and in‐degree, is an important and significant research. It can provide effective support for some applications such as the control of network structure, the rapid positioning of Web resources in ALN. This paper proposes a model for estimating the out‐degree of any one node in ALN from semantic feature view, which can greatly reduce the searching scope for the rapid positioning of Web resources stored in large‐scale database. First, we explore the main factors of forming the out‐degree of any one node from semantic feature view by qualitative analysis. Then, based on the result of qualitative analysis, we propose the model for estimating the out‐degree of any one node in ALN, including the model framework, the first estimating theory and its further optimization method. Experimental results show that the proposed estimating model as well as the optimization method have a high precision. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Cloud Crawler: a declarative performance evaluation environment for infrastructure‐as‐a‐service clouds
Authors: Cunha M. , Mendonça N. C. , Sampaio A.
Published: March 2016

As the number of infrastructure‐as‐a‐service (IaaS) cloud offers in the market increases, selecting an appropriate configuration of cloud resources for a given application becomes a non‐trivial task even for experienced developers. Because cloud resources are relatively cheap, usually charged by the hour, developers could systematically evaluate the performance of their application using different resource types from different cloud providers, thus allowing them to accurately identify the best providers and resource types for their application. However, conducting systematic performance tests in multiple IaaS clouds may require a significant amount of planning and configuration effort from application developers. This paper presents Cloud Crawler, a declarative environment for specifying and conducting application performance tests in IaaS clouds. The environment includes a novel declarative domain‐specific language, Crawl, by means of which cloud users can describe, at a high abstraction level, a large variety of performance evaluation scenarios for a given application, and a scenario execution engine, Crawler, which automatically configures, executes, and collects the results of the scenarios described in Crawl. The paper also reports on how Cloud Crawler has been successfully used to systematically test the performance of two open‐source web applications in public IaaS clouds. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Water in Ionic Liquids: Correlation between Anion Hydrophilicity and Near‐Infrared Fingerprints
Authors: TomŠík Elena , Gospodinova Natalia
Published: March 2016

We show that fingerprints of the different states of water association can be clearly distinguished in the range of the first overtone of water′s symmetric O‐H stretching in the spectra of water‐saturated [EMIm]+‐based ionic liquids with anions of substantially different hydrophilicity, such as hydrophobic [(CF3SO2)2N]−, moderately hydrophilic [CF3SO3]−, and highly hydrophilic [HSO4]−.
Flow cytometry and single nucleus sorting for Cre‐based analysis of changes in transcriptional states
Authors: Samadder Partha , Weng Ning , Doetschman Thomas , Heimark Ronald L. , Galbraith David W.
Published: March 2016

The organs of eukaryotic organisms comprise complex interspersions of cell types, whose different molecular activities, and corresponding cellular states, cooperate during development to produce the final, functional organ. Dysfunction of organs in disease, particularly oncogenesis, initiates with changes of state of a minor subset of cells. It therefore is hard to detect early molecular indicators of disease within an overwhelming background of normal cells. Flow cytometry and sorting provides a convenient way to purify minority subpopulations, if a specific fluorophore can be unambiguously and exclusively associated with this subpopulation. We have generated a number of transgenic mouse lines expressing a nuclear‐localized version of the Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP), within which the production of a chimeric histone 2B‐GFP protein occurs under the control of a constitutively‐active, actin‐derived promoter, separated by a Floxed‐STOP sequence. In the presence of Cre recombinase, within F1 progeny of these mouse lines, excision of the STOP sequence activates transcription which results in the emergence of cells containing green fluorescent nuclei. We describe the characterization of these lines using a combination of microscopic imaging, flow cytometry and sorting, and Reverse‐Transcription polymerase chain reaction of transcripts within single sorted nuclei isolated from tissue homogenates. These lines should be particularly useful for analysis of transcriptional changes in oncogenesis. © 2016 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry
Stabilization of pre‐optimized multicolor antibody cocktails for flow cytometry applications
Authors: Chan Ray Chun‐Fai , Kotner Joshua S. , Chuang Christine Ming‐Hui , Gaur Amitabh
Published: March 2016

Background

Flow cytometry has a multitude of applications in nearly all fields of biology. Newly described biological markers enable the creation of novel reagents which then aid in the elucidation of unique subsets of cells and their potential role in health and disease. In order to enable the simultaneous detection of an even greater number of parameters, the future progress of flow cytometry relies on advances in instrument engineering and the parallel development of new fluorophores.

Methods

In order to address the issues of reagent reliability, reproducibility, and work‐flow optimization, we have used the freeze‐dry technique to stabilize pre‐mixed, pre‐optimized, multicolor ‘cocktails’ of antibodies within 12 × 75 mm flow cytometry tubes (Lyotube). In this study we describe several lyophilized stabilized reagent combinations that are functional for extended periods of time (18 months and beyond), and can be stored at ambient temperature, eliminating cold‐chain requirements during transportation and storage. This improves precision and reduces the redundant labor and error‐potential associated with mixing antibodies to create “home‐brew” cocktails.

Results

We have stained different types of samples including normal and leukemic whole blood, bone marrow, and PBMCs, as well as cell lines, directly with BD Lyotube reagents: The data show comparable and consistent performance of multiple batches of dehydrated, stabilized mixtures of antibodies and their liquid counterparts.

Conclusions

The approach we describe here, the Lyotube, facilitates the improvement and implementation of standardization measures in clinical settings and in multi‐site studies, a useful tool which can also be applied to determining the efficacy and safety of candidate therapeutics and vaccines. © 2016 International Clinical Cytometry Society
A novel distributed air index for efficient spatial query processing in road sensor networks on the air
Authors: Li Yanhong , Shu LihChyun , Zhu Rongbo , Li Li
Published: March 2016

Recent development of wireless technology and smart mobile devices has spurred intense research efforts to address spatial queries. In particular, an increasing interest for tackling spatial query processing in broadcast environments has been observed. To the best of our knowledge, most of the existing work on this problem has assumed an Euclidean space. However, for real applications, query clients move within a road sensor network, where the distance between a data object and a query is determined by the connectivity of the road sensor network. This paper explores the problem of spatial query processing in road sensor networks by means of wireless data broadcast. We present an efficient method to partition the record‐keeping information about the underlying road sensor network and its associated objects, by which we develop a fully distributed air index, called integrated exponential index, based on an extended version of the Hilbert curve. We also propose efficient client‐side algorithms to facilitate the processing of several kinds of spatial queries, including kNN query, CkNN query, and range query. Finally, extensive simulation experiments have been conducted to demonstrate the strengths of our proposed techniques. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A Study Regarding Failure Detection for String Monitoring Systems in Photovoltaics. Field Trial at the F Onomichi Photovoltaic Power Plant
Authors: KOGA HISAO , KAWABATA NAOHIRO
Published: March 2016

Solar power business has been expanding rapidly in Japan since the new feed‐in tariff began in July 2012. Generally, monitoring for failure detection and total electric generating capacity is performed by the power conditioning system (PCS) in a large‐scale photovoltaic (PV) power plant. Although PCS monitoring can detect its own failure or a reduction in power generation amount, it is difficult to monitor in a PV string/panel. In this paper, a new failure detection method effective for detection in PV strings, by collecting the current value of each string measured at each terminal and analyzing these data, is proposed. The data collection is performed utilizing the Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications wireless communication method, realizing easy installation in both existing and new PV power plants. Finally, the effectiveness of this proposed method is shown in real‐facility demonstration experiments using the F Onomichi PV power plant.
A Technique of Automatically Tuning Decision Parameters for Rule‐Based Defect Classifier
Authors: MIYAMOTO ATSUSHI , NAKAHIRA KENJI
Published: March 2016

In automatic defect classification of semiconductor wafers using scanning electron microscope images, we propose a technique of tuning decision parameters for rule‐based defect classifiers. The proposed method adopts a coarse‐to‐fine search for reduction in processing time. However, due to search leakage, there is no guarantee that the same solutions as in a full parameter search can be obtained. In order to prevent leakage in the coarse search theoretically, the proposed method evaluates a candidate parameter set based on the estimated range of classification accuracy attained by not only the candidate but the surrounding solutions eliminated by the coarse search. Experiments on real image data demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. The proposed method can extract the same solutions as the full parameter search within almost the same processing time as the conventional coarse‐to‐fine search. When the sampling step of the coarse search is three to six, while the tuning time of the conventional coarse‐to‐fine search is 1 to 21 s, that of the proposed method is 5 to 35 s.
A Direct Drive θ‐Z Motor for Rotary and Linear Motion
Authors: MAKINO SHOGO , SHIKAYAMA TORU , MUROKITA IKUMA , YAHARA HARUKI , OHTO MOTOMICHI
Published: March 2016

A multidimensional positioning mechanism, along with high speed and high accuracy, is essential for an industrial machine. A positioning machine operates precisely in both vertical linear motion (z‐axis) and rotary motion (θ‐axis). A ball screw mechanism is used for the z‐axis whereas a servo motor is used for the θ‐axis. We developed a direct drive θ‐z motor for rotary and linear motion. Torque and thrust are generated directly by the mover. Thus, high speed and high accuracy as well as miniaturization are achieved without using machine elements such as a ball screw and belt. In this paper, we describe the structure and operating principle of the θ‐Z motor, and the sensor that can detect the θ‐axis and the z‐axis position. In addition, we consider a design method that minimizes copper loss by taking advantage of the shape of the permanent magnet and coil. Furthermore, using a prototype we evaluated the characteristics of torque, thrust, and repeatability.
Palladium‐Catalyzed Synthesis of Allylic Ureas via an Isocyanate Intermediate
Authors: Jay Lucien P. , Barker Timothy J.
Published: March 2016

A palladium‐catalyzed coupling of allylic carbonates with trimethylsilylisocyanate to provide allylic isocyanates is reported. Amines are added in a second step to yield allylic ureas in this one‐pot procedure. Use of a bidentate phosphine ligand with a large bite angle was found to be important in this transformation. The scope of allylic carbonates has been examined, as well as amines compatible with these reaction conditions.
Sedimentology and regional significance of the ‘argillite unit’, a probable Cryogenian map unit in southeast Yukon, Canada
Authors: MacNaughton Robert B. , Pigage Lee C. , Allen Tammy L.
Published: March 2016

An unnamed succession of volcaniclastic argillite, sandstone, and conglomerate (the ‘argillite unit’) is exposed in an inlier in southeastern Yukon (NTS 95C/5). These strata were hornfelsed during emplacement of the Pool Creek syenite (ca. 640–650 Ma) and are correlated with the late Cryogenian Hay Creek Group of the Mackenzie Mountains based on lithostratigraphic evidence and published constraints from detrital zircons. The unit preserves three argillite lithofacies, two sandstone lithofacies, and two conglomerate lithofacies. The argillite and sandstone can be grouped into three facies associations, reflecting differing volumes of sandstone and the presence or absence of chaotic bedding. Deposition was mainly from sediment‐gravity flows, particularly turbidity currents and debris flows. Post‐depositional slumping was common, and the succession is interpreted to have been deposited on a slope that trended NNW and dipped to the ENE. This orientation was subparallel to but facing towards the contemporaneous slope of the Hay Creek Group in the Mackenzie Mountains. Conglomeratic facies are dominated by angular to poorly rounded clasts of subalkali basalt that probably were entrained in debris flows during or soon after eruption and otherwise saw little transport or weathering. Geochemistry of the clasts is permissive of a rift‐related setting. Following deposition, but prior to deposition of overlying Cambro‐Ordovician strata, the argillite unit underwent compression that produced broad, open folds, consistent with recent proposals for late Neoproterozoic transtension–transpression on the present‐day northwest margin of Laurentia. The argillite unit provides a snapshot of the geological evolution of southeast Yukon during the late Cryogenian, providing a new data point for reconstructing the protracted and complex rifting history of Rodinia in western Canada. © 2016 Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada Geological Journal © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Use of medications that antagonize mediators of inflammatory responses may reduce the risk of delirium in older adults: a nested case–control study
Authors: Cole Martin G. , McCusker Jane , Wilchesky Machelle , Voyer Philippe , Monette Johanne , Champoux Nathalie , Vu Minh , Ciampi Antonio , Belzile Eric
Published: March 2016

Objective

The objective of this study is to explore whether the use of medications that antagonize mediators of inflammatory responses reduces the risk of delirium in older adults.

Methods

A nested case–control study was conducted using data from a prospective study of delirium in older long‐term care residents from 7 long‐term care facilities in Montreal and Quebec City, Canada. The Confusion Assessment Method was used to diagnose incident delirium. The use of medications that antagonize mediators of inflammatory responses was determined by examining facility pharmacy databases and coding medications received daily by each resident. Risk sets were built using incidence density sampling: each risk set consisted of a case with incident delirium and all controls without incident delirium at the same date and facility. Conditional logistic regression was used to assess the association of exposure to inflammation antagonist medications with the incidence of delirium.

Results

Of 254 residents, 95 developed incident delirium during 24 weeks (cases); each case was matched with up to 35 controls. Unadjusted and adjusted odds ratios (95% CI) of delirium for residents exposed to at least one inflammation antagonist medication were 0.53 (0.34, 0.81) and 0.60 (0.38, 0.92), respectively. Estimates of the risk of incident delirium associated with specific medications and medication classes were mostly protective but not statistically significant.

Conclusion

The use of medications that antagonize mediators of inflammatory responses may reduce the risk of delirium in older adults. Despite study limitations, the findings merit further investigation using larger patient samples, more precise measures of exposure and better control of potential confounding variables. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Differences Between Classical and Bayesian Estimates for Mixed Logit Models: A Replication Study
Authors: Elshiewy Ossama , Zenetti German , Boztug Yasemin
Published: March 2016

The mixed logit model is widely used in applied econometrics. Researchers typically rely on the free choice between the classical and Bayesian estimation approach. However, empirical evidence of the similarity of their parameter estimates is sparse. The presumed similarity is mainly based on one empirical study that analyzes a single dataset (Huber J, Train KE. 2001. On the similarity of classical and Bayesian estimates of individual mean partworths. Marketing Letters12(3): 259–269). Our replication study offers a generalization of their results by comparing classical and Bayesian parameter estimates from six additional datasets and specifically for panel versus cross‐sectional data. In general, our results suggest that the two methods provide similar results, with less similarity for cross‐sectional data than for panel data. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Placental Size Is Associated Differentially With Postnatal Bone Size and Density
Authors: Holroyd Christopher R , Osmond Clive , Barker David JP , Ring Sue M , Lawlor Debbie A , Tobias Jon H , Smith George Davey , Cooper Cyrus , Harvey Nicholas C
Published: March 2016

We investigated relationships between placental size and offspring adolescent bone indices using a population-based, mother–offspring cohort. The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) recruited pregnant women from the southwest of England between 1991 and 1993. There were 12,942 singleton babies born at term who survived at least the first 12 months. From these, 8933 placentas were preserved in formaldehyde, with maternal permission for their use in research studies. At the approximate age of 15.5 years, the children underwent a dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scan (measurements taken of the whole body minus head bone area [BA], bone mineral content [BMC], and areal bone mineral density [aBMD]). A peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT) scan (Stratec XCT2000L; Stratec, Pforzheim, Germany) at the 50% tibial site was performed at this visit and at approximately age 17.7 years. In 2010 a sample of 1680 placentas were measured and photographed. To enable comparison of effect size across different variables, predictor and outcome variables were standardized to Z-scores and therefore results may be interpreted as partial correlation coefficients. Complete placental, DXA, and pQCT data were available for 518 children at age 15.5 years. After adjustment for gender, gestational age at birth, and age at time of pQCT, the placental area was positively associated with endosteal circumference (β [95% CI]: 0.21 [0.13, 0.30], p < 0.001), periosteal circumference (β [95% CI]: 0.19 [0.10, 0.27], p < 0.001), and cortical area (β [95% CI]: 0.10 [0.01, 0.18], p = 0.03), and was negatively associated with cortical density (β [95% CI]: –0.11 [–0.20, –0.03], p = 0.01) at age 15.5 years. Similar relationships were observed for placental volume, and after adjustment for additional maternal and offspring covariates. These results suggest that previously observed associations between placental size and offspring bone development persist into older childhood, even during puberty, and that placental size is differentially related to bone size and volumetric density. © 2016 The Authors. Journal of Bone and Mineral Research Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR).
Behavioral variability in an evolutionary theory of behavior dynamics
Authors: Popa Andrei , McDowell J. J
Published: March 2016

McDowell’s evolutionary theory of behavior dynamics (McDowell, 2004) instantiates populations of behaviors (abstractly represented by integers) that evolve under the selection pressure of the environment in the form of positive reinforcement. Each generation gives rise to the next via low‐level Darwinian processes of selection, recombination, and mutation. The emergent patterns can be analyzed and compared to those produced by biological organisms. The purpose of this project was to explore the effects of high mutation rates on behavioral variability in environments that arranged different reinforcer rates and magnitudes. Behavioral variability increased with the rate of mutation. High reinforcer rates and magnitudes reduced these effects; low reinforcer rates and magnitudes augmented them. These results are in agreement with live‐organism research on behavioral variability. Various combinations of mutation rates, reinforcer rates, and reinforcer magnitudes produced similar high‐level outcomes (equifinality). These findings suggest that the independent variables that describe an experimental condition interact; that is, they do not influence behavior independently. These conclusions have implications for the interpretation of high levels of variability, mathematical undermatching, and the matching theory. The last part of the discussion centers on a potential biological counterpart for the rate of mutation, namely spontaneous fluctuations in the brain's default mode network.
Analytical modeling of Junctionless Accumulation Mode Cylindrical Surrounding Gate MOSFET (JAM‐CSG)
Authors: Trivedi Nitin , Kumar Manoj , Haldar Subhasis , Deswal S.S , Gupta Mridula , Gupta R. S.
Published: March 2016

This paper presents physics based analytical model for center potential, electric field and subthreshold drain current of Junctionless Accumulation Mode Cylindrical Surrounding Gate MOSFET (JAM‐CSG). The expressions are derived from Poisson's equation in cylindrical co‐ordinate system based on parabolic potential approximation (PPA). The influence of technology parameter variations such as gate length, silicon pillar diameter and oxide thickness on electrical characteristics is studied in detail. Developed analytical model results are validated through the good agreement with simulated data obtained from ATLAS 3D simulator. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Alcohol‐related deficient fracture healing is associated with activation of FoxO transcription factors in mice
Authors: Roper Philip M. , Abbasnia Pegah , Vuchkovska Aleksandra , Natoli Roman M. , Callaci John J.
Published: March 2016

The process of fracture healing is complex, and poor or incomplete healing remains a significant health problem. Proper fracture healing relies upon resident mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) differentiation into chondrocytes and osteoblasts, which are necessary for callus formation and ossification. Alcohol abuse is a leading contributor to poor fracture healing. Although the mechanism behind this action is unknown, excessive alcohol consumption is known to promote systemic oxidative stress. The family of FoxO transcription factors is activated by oxidative stress, and FoxO activation antagonizes Wnt signaling, which regulates mesenchymal stem cell differentiation. We hypothesize that alcohol exposure increases oxidative stress leading to deficient fracture repair by activating FoxO transcription factors within the fracture callus which disrupts chondrogenesis of mesenchymal stem cells. Our laboratory has developed an experimental model of delayed fracture union in mice using ethanol administration. We have found that ethanol administration significantly decreases external, cartilaginous callus formation, and hallmarks of endochondral ossification, and these changes are concomitant with increases in FoxO expression and markers of activation in fracture callus tissue of these mice. We were able to prevent these alcohol‐induced effects with the administration of the antioxidant n‐acetyl cysteine (NAC), suggesting that alcohol‐induced oxidative stress produces the perturbed endochondral ossification and FoxO expression. © 2016 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 34:2106–2115, 2016.
Biomechanical characteristics of pedicle screws in osteoporotic vertebrae—comparing a new cadaver corpectomy model and pure pull‐out testing
Authors: Schulze Martin , Gehweiler Dominic , Riesenbeck Oliver , Wähnert Dirk , Raschke Michael J. , Hartensuer René , Vordemvenne Thomas
Published: March 2016

Currently, evaluation of the stability of spinal instrumentations often focuses on simple pull‐out or cyclic loading. However, the loading characteristics and the specimen alignment rarely simulate physiological loading conditions, or the clinical situation itself. The purpose of this study was to develop an alternative setup and parameters to compare static and dynamic characteristics of pedicle screws at the bone‐implant interface in lumbar osteoporotic cadavers. A corpectomy model development was based on ASTM‐1717 standard, allowing a deflection of the cranial and caudal element under loading. Twelve human osteoporotic vertebrae (L1–L4) were analyzed for morphological CT‐data and T‐Score. For group A (n = 6) loads were simulated as in vivo measurements during walking, representing 2 months postoperatively. A subsequent pull‐out was performed. Group B (n = 6) was tested with pure pull‐out. Screw loosening at the tip/head was optically measured and analyzed with respect to clinical patterns. Correlations between CT‐data, T‐Score, and in vitro parameters were determined. For group A, the subsidence for the head/tip was measured towards the upper/lower endplate, resulting in visible deflections. The progress of the subsidence was greatest within the first and last cycles until failure. The predominant patterns were pure rotation and toggling. However, the pull‐out between groups was not significantly different. Pedicle‐angle and cyclic‐subsidence correlated with R = 0.806/0.794. T‐Score and pull‐out correlated only in group A. With the corpectomy setup, clinically observed wipe effects and a loss of correction could be simulated. The presented parameters facilitate analysis of the complex changing load distributions and interactions between the left and right bone‐implant interface. © 2016 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 35:167–174, 2017.
The Future of Homosexuality in Christian Denominations
Authors: McAuliffe Christopher Michael
Published: March 2016

This article explores the current state of homosexuality in Christian denominations across the United States and gives reasonable implications for the direction institutions are moving. The biblical and sanctity of marriage arguments against homosexuals are accessed. When it comes to the sanctity of marriage, divorce is offered as a much worse force tainting the holiness of marriage. “If sanctity is the state of being holy or sacred, then divorce completely destroys marriage, and gay marriage in no way affects heterosexual divorce” (p. 6). Paul, who appears to be a source against homosexuals in many minds, is logically flipped to instead be an advocator for gay marriage. “A reasonable extrapolation of Paul's views can lead to the expectation that he would actually be in favor of gay marriage” (p. 4). The article goes on to discuss the view of homosexuals in various denominations and draws conclusions on where Christianity is headed.
How Moral Identity Influences Leadership Ethics: A Historical Case Study
Authors: Nunn Sandra G. , Avella John T.
Published: March 2016

This historical case study of U. S. Presidents Kennedy and Nixon explored how individual moral identity can influence leadership ethics in decision making. The study examined how four key influences of education, family, peers, and religion could affect a leader's ability to make ethical or unethical decisions. Data analysis determined emergent themes from these influences to establish positive or negative moral identity development. Study results contributed to the literature by demonstrating how moral identity influences that emphasize societal welfare versus a self‐focus can affect a leader's ability to make ethical or unethical decisions.
Acid‐Labile Amphiphilic PEO‐b‐PPO‐b‐PEO Copolymers: Degradable Poloxamer Analogs
Authors: Worm Matthias , Kang Biao , Dingels Carsten , Wurm Frederik R. , Frey Holger
Published: March 2016

Poly ((ethylene oxide)‐b‐(propylene oxide)‐b‐(ethylene oxide)) triblock copolymers commonly known as poloxamers or Pluronics constitute an important class of nonionic, biocompatible surfactants. Here, a method is reported to incorporate two acid‐labile acetal moieties in the backbone of poloxamers to generate acid‐cleavable nonionic surfactants. Poly(propylene oxide) is functionalized by means of an acetate‐protected vinyl ether to introduce acetal units. Three cleavable PEO‐PPO‐PEO triblock copolymers (Mn,total = 6600, 8000, 9150 g·mol−1; Mn,PEO = 2200, 3600, 4750 g·mol−1) have been synthesized using anionic ring‐opening polymerization. The amphiphilic copolymers exhibit narrow molecular weight distributions (Ð = 1.06–1.08). Surface tension measurements reveal surface‐active behavior in aqueous solution comparable to established noncleavable poloxamers. Complete hydrolysis of the labile junctions after acidic treatment is verified by size exclusion chromatography. The block copolymers have been employed as surfactants in a miniemulsion polymerization to generate polystyrene (PS) nanoparticles with mean diameters of ≈200 nm and narrow size distribution, as determined by dynamic light scattering and scanning electron microscopy. Acid‐triggered precipitation facilitates removal of surfactant fragments from the nanoparticles, which simplifies purification and enables nanoparticle precipitation “on demand.”

image
Research and application of city ventilation assessments based on satellite data and GIS technology: a case study of the Yanqi Lake Eco‐city in Huairou District, Beijing
Authors: Liu Yonghong , Fang Xiaoyi , Cheng Chen , Luan Qingzu , Du Wupeng , Xiao Xiaojun , Wang Huaisheng
Published: March 2016

ABSTRACT

A method of performing city‐scale ventilation assessments based on remote sensing (RS) and geographic information system (GIS) technology is proposed and applied effectively in an assessment of the local ventilation environment before and after the construction of the Yanqi Lake Eco‐city in Huairou District, Beijing. The ventilation environment of a city is dependent on its background wind environment and ventilation potential. The background wind environment can be assessed through meteorological statistical analyses or numerical simulations, whereas the ventilation potential can be estimated using the underlying surface dynamic roughness length (RL) and the surrounding sky view factor (SVF). Based on the principle of morphology, the RL of a vegetation area is determined mainly by the vegetation types, vegetation canopy area index and vegetation height, whereas the RL of an urban area is defined mainly by the building area coverage and building height. The SVF can be estimated according to high‐resolution digital raster elevation data. Based on the combination of the RL and SVF, the ventilation potential is graded, and the ventilation potential index (VPI) is defined and used to assess quantitatively the ventilation capacity of the city. The present study calculates the RL of the Yanqi Lake Eco‐city using Landsat‐TM5 satellite data from 26 July 2011, Geoscience Laser Altimeter System (GLAS) satellite data from 2005 and Beijing basic geographical data at 1:2000 from 2009. Subsequently, the RL and ventilation potential distribution of the Yanqi Lake Eco‐city is mapped at a 100 m spatial resolution. The ventilation conditions before and after the construction of the Yanqi Lake Eco‐city are evaluated using the VPI in combination with the background wind field. According to changes in the ventilation capacity, relevant policy suggestions for urban buildings and design factors for ventilated corridors are postulated.
Half hexagonal broadband high gain microstrip patch antenna for mobile and radar applications
Authors: Mondal Kalyan , Sarkar Partha Pratim
Published: March 2016

This article presents the design of a broadband microstrip patch antenna for wireless communication. The proposed antenna consists of a radiating patch on one side of a dielectric substrate which has a ground plane on the other side. A half hexagonal microstrip patch antenna is designed using PTFE substrate with dielectric constant 2.4 and thickness h = 1.6 mm. To enhance the bandwidth, rectangular slots are incorporated on the ground plane of the half hexagon patch. The proposed antenna works within the frequency range of 2.0–11.5 GHz which exhibits 141% bandwidth with a peak gain of 6.2 dBi. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 58:1028–1032, 2016
Bi‐band fresnel reflectarray for unmanned aerial system (UAS)‐satellite communication
Authors: Ba O. , Lanteri J. , Migliaccio C. , Menzel W.
Published: March 2016

This article describes the design of a passive Bi‐band Fresnel reflectarray (20–30 GHz). It is focused on the design of the reflecting panel of the reflectarray. Two different primary feeds will be used at 20 and 30 GHz, respectively for demonstrating the proposed concept. Nevertheless, in the final design a switched primary feed will have to be used. The dual operation band is obtained with multiple resonant elementary cells. Although the paper deals with linearly polarized primary feed, an interesting property of these cells is that they also work with circular polarization. Moreover, a phase correction based on Fresnel zones is used in order to ensure the best tradeoff between simplicity and radiating performance. Finally, the reflecting panel is made and radiation pattern and gain measurements are shown. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 58:1025–1028, 2016
Compact Q‐band three‐conductors balun
Authors: Palombini Diego , Cavanna Tommaso , Arena Sergio , Limiti Ernesto
Published: March 2016

An extremely compact Q‐band three‐conductors balun is presented. The proposed structure exploits the increased line‐to‐line coupling to improve bandwidth and impedance transformation. Furthermore the insertion of open‐ended stubs makes the circuit suitable for EHF mixer application. The balun operates in the 38–50 GHz range with a typical 1‐dB amplitude error and 10° phase unbalance. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 58:1022–1025, 2016
Photoelectrical characteristics of TiO2‐N‐SI heterostructures
Authors: Kalygina V. M. , Egorova I. S. , Prudaev I. A. , Tolbanov O. P. , Atuchin V. V.
Published: March 2016

The TiO2 thin films have been deposited onto Si epi‐layer‐covered Si substrates by magnetron sputtering of a TiO2 target. The influence of thermal annealing conditions on the photoelectrical characteristics of TiO2–n‐Si structures has been studied. The photoresistive effect is observed for the films annealed in Ar at T = 500°C and 750ºC. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 58:1113–1116, 2016
Planar microstrip‐fed broadband circularly polarized antenna for UWB applications
Authors: Pratap L Bhanu , Kundu Debidas , Mohan Akhilesh
Published: March 2016

A microstrip‐fed UWB slot antenna with wide axial ratio is presented in this letter. The proposed antenna design comprises of an asymmetrical slot excited by an asymmetrical feed. The introduced asymmetrical nature alters the magnitude and phase of orthogonal E‐field components of the resonant modes generated. The asymmetry across the slot arms improves the axial ratio bandwidth (ARBW). The mechanism of obtaining circular polarization is discussed in detail and the steps taken for the improvement of ARBW is presented. The measured results of the proposed antenna have a wide impedance bandwidth (S11 < −10 dB) from 2.5 GHz to 12 GHz with ARBW of 81.1% (3.2 GHZ to 7.6 GHz). The antenna possesses the features like compact size (40 mm × 40 mm × 1.58 mm), low cost (FR4 substrate, ɛr = 4.4, tan δ = 0.02) and have easy integrability. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 58:1088–1093, 2016
Dual stopband frequency selective surface by using half rings and slots
Authors: Hussein M. , Zhou J. , Huang Y. , Kod M. , Sohrab A. P.
Published: March 2016

In this letter, a novel technique is proposed to design a dual stopband frequency selective surface (FSS) by combining a bandpass filter with its complementary structure in series. It displays flexibility to control the stopband frequencies which is the most attractive feature of this design. The proposed FSS filter is also very easy to fabricate, consisting of a single metal layer on a dielectric layer. A theoretical equivalent circuit model is proposed to characterize the structure. Explanation of the proposed filter response based on analysis of the equivalent circuit is discussed in detail. It is shown that the frequency response of the proposed FSS is almost the same for different incident angles. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 58:1136–1139, 2016
A wideband wide‐angle ultrathin low profile metamaterial microwave absorber
Authors: Sood Deepak , Tripathi C. C.
Published: March 2016

A simple design of wideband wide‐angle ultrathin low profile metamaterial microwave absorber has been presented. The unit cell of proposed design is composed of an inclined metallic hexagonal patch printed on a grounded dielectric substrate. The simulation result shows 10‐dB absorption bandwidth of 5.02 GHz from 8.81 to 13.83 GHz and the FWHM bandwidth is 7.56 GHz from 8.17 to 15.73 GHz under normal incidence. The performance of the absorber has been investigated under different oblique angles and polarization angles of the incident wave. The absorption mechanism of the proposed absorber is analyzed through optimization of its geometrical dimensions, surface current, and electromagnetic field distributions. The proposed absorber is fabricated and then experimentally verified for different oblique angles and polarization angles of the incident wave. The designed absorber is low profile (unit cell size 0.21 λ0 at the center frequency), ultrathin (only λ0/17 thick) and provide more than 70% absorptivity for a bandwidth of 4.15 GHz for incidence angle up to 60°. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 58:1131–1135, 2016
Miniaturized rat‐race hybrid incorporating six lumped‐element components
Authors: Tang Bo , Hayashi Hitoshi , Ueda Ryo
Published: March 2016

This letter presents the simulation and measurement results for a miniaturized rat‐race hybrid using six lumped‐element components. The hybrid was implemented on an FR4 substrate using chip inductors and chip capacitors. For the 530‐ to 620‐MHz frequency range, the rat‐race hybrid exhibited power splits of −3.4 ± 0.7 dB, return losses of >18 dB, an isolation between output ports of >24 dB, and errors in the desired relative phase difference between output ports of <5°. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 58:1125–1128, 2016
Systematic measurements of high isolation DC – 20 GHz miniature MEMS SPDT switch
Authors: Dey Sukomal , Koul Shiban. K.
Published: March 2016

A systematic measurement procedure of high isolation single‐pole‐double‐throw (SPDT) switch utilizing six metal contact switches using micro electromechanical systems (MEMS) is presented in this paper. A complete measurement procedure of a MEMS DC‐contact is outlined here including profile analysis, mechanical, electrical, switching/release time, temperature stability, power handling, intermodulation, IIP3, S‐parameter and reliability. Measured return loss of better than 20 dB with worst case insertion loss of 1.67 dB and isolation greater than 42 dB have been experimentally obtained from the SPDT switch up to 20 GHz within 1.25 mm2 area. Switch demonstrates temperature stability up to 70°C temperature and 0.1–1 W of RF power handling. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 58:1154–1159, 2016
Bandpass frequency selective surface using asymmetrical slot four arms star geometry
Authors: Gomes Neto Alfredo , Costa e Silva Jefferson , Nogueira de Carvalho Joabson , da Costa Andrécia P. , de Moura Leidiane Carolina M.
Published: March 2016

In this article, the authors proposed a bandpass frequency selective surface using the slot four arms star geometry. An expression to calculate the resonance frequency is introduced, for which results with difference <6%, when compared to measured ones, were obtained. The polarization dependence was discussed and a model based on two independent equivalent structures was successfully presented. Three prototypes were designed, fabricated, and characterized. A good agreement between simulated and measured results is observed. With the asymmetrical geometry, two bandpass bandwidths, separated by a notch band‐rejection, were achieved, a suitable characteristic to avoid co‐channel interferences. Furthermore, if an orthogonal polarization is applied, this notch band‐rejection can be converted to a bandpass bandwidth, providing a polarization filter behavior. The geometry simplicity and observed frequency response make the proposed FSS potentially attractive for many telecommunication systems. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 58:1105–1109, 2016
A compact short‐ended zor antenna with gain enhancement using EBG loading
Authors: Gupta Ashish , Kumar Chaudhary Raghvendra
Published: March 2016

A new compact CPW‐fed short ended antenna based on composite right/left handed (CRLH) resonant approach is presented in this article. The antenna is operated in series resonant mode and therefore zeroth order resonating (ZOR) frequency can be driven by series elements of the conventional CRLH‐TL. Proposed antenna is basically a symmetric ground plane CPW‐fed antenna, comprises of meandered line inductor, connected between patch and CPW ground planes. Series gaps are provided by means of an octagonal shaped interdigital capacitor. Proposed antenna shows ZOR property at 2.58–2.68 GHz with 2.74 dB gain at 2.64 GHz. It has been observed that high level of miniaturization leads to lowering the antenna gain, therefore EBG structures are employed on the signal patch to improve the antenna gain. Proposed antenna radiated omni‐directionally in xz‐ plane while bi‐directionally in yz‐ plane with cross polarization level is as low as −30 dB. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 58:1194–1197, 2016
Design, fabrication, and characterization of scaled and stacked layers metamaterial absorber in microwave region
Authors: Soheilifar M. R.
Published: March 2016

In this article, the design, fabrication, and characterization of a new shape of metamaterial absorber was investigated at X‐band. The primary structure has a thickness nearly of λ0/120 at their resonance frequency. The simulated results show that absorptivity occurs at 10.312 GHz with peak absorbance value of 99.90%. The absorber exhibits, a response with full width at half maxima bandwidth 5.200%. By the suitable arrangement, we achieve the absorption for multi peaks of incident electromagnetic wave. The scalability property of metamaterials was utilized. Moreover, the present study investigated another method for broadening the absorption bandwidth, that is, structures with different geometrical parameters are staked in multi‐layered metamaterial absorbers. In all cases, the experimental results are in excellent agreement with simulation. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 58:1187–1193, 2016
Design and simulation of Na2Nb4O11 dielectric resonator antenna added with Bi2O3 for microwave applications
Authors: Oliveira R.G.M. , Freitas D.B. , Romeu M.C. , Silva M.A.S. , Sales A. J. M. , Ferreira A.C. , Filho J.M.S. , Sombra A.S.B.
Published: March 2016

In this paper is reported an experimental and numerical investigation of the microwave dielectric properties of Na2Nb4O11 (NN), ceramic matrix added with (0, 2, 5, and 10 wt%) of Bi2O3, obtained through a new procedure based on the solid‐state method. The experimental and theoretical characteristics of the resonator like return loss, bandwidth, input impedance are in good agreement. The simulations of radiation patterns are presented. For NN reference sample, frequency response bandwidth is of 43MHz (simulated) and 35MHz (experimental) for frequency operation around 2.28 GHz. The NN reference sample showed a dielectric permittivity around 58.4, with loss around 7.3 × 10− 3. The adding of bismuth oxide (2 and 5 wt%) reduced the value of the dielectric permittivity, otherwise the adding of 10 wt% increases its value. The temperature coefficient of resonant frequency (τf) was also measured for all dielectric samples. The values obtained were in the range of −3378 to −250ppm/°C. The results obtained confirm the necessity of producing composites of this material with others positive τf materials for obtaining dielectric resonator antennas with τf = 0. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 58:1211–1217, 2016