bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Thyristor Controlled Rectifier Testing Using Scaling Theory
Authors: Gelman Vitaly
Published: June 2018

Thyristor Controlled Rectifiers offer numerous advantages for the traction applications: capital cost savings, increased system throughput, reduced maintenance and additional energy and cost savings for reversible controlled rectifiers. Yet the controlled rectifier usage has been limited, partially because of testing difficulties. The multi-megawatt power level makes testing at the test laboratory at full power impractical. Further exasperating the issue is a presence of control systems that can’t be tested completely while running with a shorted output. The paper proposes a way out of this conundrum through the testing at reduced voltage and current (scaling). The scaling allows reducing power requirements 50 to 400 times, making it practical to test both regulating system and power circuit performance with simulated train load current. The scaled voltage/current test verifies a dynamic response under realistic train behavior, voltage regulation curve, AC and DC harmonics. The paper proposes the scaling tests to verify both forward and reverse operation of controlled rectifier.
Investigation of Broken Cut Spikes on Elastic Fastener Tie Plates Using an Integrated Simulation Method
Authors: Gao Yin , McHenry Mike , Kerchof Brad
Published: June 2018

Cut spike fasteners, used with conventional AREMA rolled tie plates and solid sawn timber ties, are the most common tie and fastener system used on North American freight railroads. Cut spikes are also used to restrain tie plates that incorporate an elastic rail fastener — that is, an elastic clip that fastens the rail to the tie plate. Elastic fasteners have been shown to reduce gage widening and decrease the potential for rail roll compared to cut spike-only systems. For this reason, elastic fastener systems have been installed in high degree curves on many railroads. Recent observations on one Class I railroad have noted broken cut spikes when used with these types of tie plates in mountainous, high degree curve territory. Broken screw spikes and drive spikes on similar style plates have also been observed.

In this paper, a simulation method that integrates a vehicle-track system dynamics model, NUCARS®, with a finite element analysis model is used to investigate the root causes of the broken spikes. The NUCARS model consists of a detailed multibody train, wheel-rail contact parameters, and track model that can estimate the dynamic loading environment of the fastening system. For operating conditions in tangent and curve track, this loading environment is then replicated in a finite element model of the track structure — ties, tie plates, and cut spikes. The stress contours of the cut spikes generated in these simulations are compared to how cut spikes have failed in revenue service. The tuning and characterization of both the vehicle dynamics multibody model and the finite element models are presented. Additionally, the application of this approach to other types of fastening systems and spike types is discussed.

Preliminary results have identified a mechanism involving the dynamic unloading of the tie plate-to-tie interface due to rail uplift ahead of the wheel and the resulting transfer of net longitudinal and lateral forces into the cut spikes. Continued analysis will attempt to confirm this mechanism and will focus on the severity of these stresses, the effect of increased grade, longitudinal train dynamics, braking forces, and curvature.
Full-Scale Test and Simulation of Fittings Performance of a Current Crude Oil Tank Car
Authors: Gonzalez Francisco , Trent Robert , Gantoi Florentina M. , Prabhakaran Anand
Published: June 2018

A full-scale rollover crash test was performed on a CPC-1232 specification, crude oil tank car to document the base-case safety performance of the car top-fittings in a roll-over scenario. The specimen tank car was placed into a test fixture designed to roll the entire loaded and un-trucked carbody about a fixed pivot. A concrete surface target was used as the impacting surface of the top-fittings manway bonnet. At an impact speed of 7.8 mph, the manway bonnet deformed inward and sheared off completely. In addition, the vacuum relief valve sheared off and caused leakage of water through the connection. Reasonable correlation was observed between the pre-test simulations and the test results, which were further improved post-test.

The effort has highlighted an alternate failure mode, bolt shear, which seems to be initiated when the top fittings bonnet structures are strengthened by the use of thicker or higher strength materials, i.e., strengthening the bonnet structure moves the weakest link to the bolted connections, resulting in failure and lading release. The railroad industry can use the test generated structural performance and behavior data to improve top-fittings protection.
Dynamic Calibration of a Weigh in Motion System
Authors: Ding Yi , Cheng Li R.
Published: June 2018

The dynamic nature of a train in operation is caused by variables in rail condition, track smoothness, wheel defects, truck hunting and skewing, and coupler effects. These conditions can each cause perturbations that may affect the accuracy of the weight measured by a Weigh In Motion (WIM) system. China is the only country that has mandatory requirements to calibrate a WIM system dynamically after it is initially installed and every year after it’s in revenue service.

This paper talks about the importance of both static and dynamic calibrations to achieve the highest accuracy of a WIM system. This paper also describes the process of conducting a dynamic calibration, and the lessons learned in the past several years in the effort to improve the weight accuracy of a WIM system.
Improving the Safety Performance of Passenger Rail Car Glazing Systems
Authors: Gordon Jeffrey , Tyrell David , Llana Patricia , Radovich Matthew , Gantoi Florentina M. , Robitaille Andrew , Prabhakaran Anand
Published: June 2018

A review of past accident data shows that several fatalities have been attributed to passenger ejection through window openings during passenger train accidents. To study and address this issue, literature review and accident analyses were performed to investigate the safety aspects of passenger rail window glazing. A common failure mode is when the external gaskets that hold the glazing pane in place shear off and the windows are pushed inside the carbody during rollover derailments. This leads to passengers being ejected, often fatally, out of the train. Passenger containment was identified as the main improvement to be made to glazing systems. New or updated retention methods are thought to be necessary in the pursuit of safety.

Considering feasibility, implementation time, likelihood of success, and the potential for retrofit, a few concepts including various methods of zip-strip protection, a revised zip-strip location, and recessed window glazing have been ideated and the top rated concepts are being developed further.

In the next phase of work, field tests and additional analyses will help determine the efficacy of the proposed solutions and the necessity for additional engineering design requirements.
Novel Insights for Railroad Maintenance Using Big Data Analytics
Authors: Albakay Naji , Hempel Michael , Sharif Hamid
Published: June 2018

Train accidents can be attributed to human factors, equipment factors, track factors, signaling factors, and Miscellaneous factors. Not only have these accidents caused damages to railroad infrastructure and train equipment leading to excessive maintenance and repair costs, but some of these have also resulted in injuries and loss of lives. Big Data Analytics techniques can be utilized to provide insights into possible accident causes, thus resulting in improving railroad safety and reducing overall maintenance expenses as well as spotting trends and areas of operational improvements. We propose a comprehensive Big Data approach that provides novel insights into the causes of train accidents and find patterns that led to their occurrence. The approach utilizes a combination of Big Data algorithms to analyze a wide variety of data sources available to the railroads, and is being demonstrated using the FRA train accidents/incidents database to identify factors that highly contribute to accidents occurring over the past years. The most important contributing factors are then analyzed by means of association mining analysis to find relationships between the cause of accidents and other input variables. Applying our analysis approach to FRA accident report datasets we found that railroad accidents are correlating strongly with the track type, train type, and train area of operation. We utilize the proposed approach to identify patterns that would lead to occurrence of train accidents. The results obtained using the proposed algorithm are compatible with the ones obtained from manual descriptive analysis techniques.
Safe Approach of Trains Into Terminal Stations
Authors: Moturu Sahith , Utterback Jeff
Published: June 2018

This paper focuses on the safety aspect of passenger trains approaching a terminal station with a bumper block/post. As evidenced by the recent collision of a commuter train at Hoboken terminal on September 29, 2016, the consequences of a collision with a bumper post could be catastrophic, however, railroads can take preventative measures to reduce the element of risk. Case studies obtained from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) involving similar bumper block accidents are analyzed to identify any potential common denominator.

The objective of this paper is to comprehensively present the various mitigation techniques that railroads can adopt to safeguard their systems against these types of accidents. Although some of the mitigation techniques presented in the paper may already be known in the industry generically, their application to specifically mitigating the hazard of bumper collisions is a novel attempt to focus systematically on this topic. Examples of mitigation techniques discussed here in include speed restricting devices, driver alerted features, bumper blocks with more impact tolerance, and organizational safety culture. The effect of newer technologies such as PTC (in USA only) and CBTC towards mitigating this hazard as well as the unique constraints presented at terminal stations is also assessed.
Ghost cytometry
Authors: Ota Sadao , Horisaki Ryoichi , Kawamura Yoko , Ugawa Masashi , Sato Issei , Hashimoto Kazuki , Kamesawa Ryosuke , Setoyama Kotaro , Yamaguchi Satoko , Fujiu Katsuhito , Waki Kayo , Noji Hiroyuki
Published: June 2018

Seeing ghosts

In fluorescence-activated cell sorting, characteristic target features are labeled with a specific fluorophore, and cells displaying different fluorophores are sorted. Ota
et al.
describe a technique called ghost cytometry that allows cell sorting based on the morphology of the cytoplasm, labeled with a single-color fluorophore. The motion of cells relative to a patterned optical structure provides spatial information that is compressed into temporal signals, which are sequentially measured by a single-pixel detector. Images can be reconstructed from this spatial and temporal information, but this is computationally costly. Instead, using machine learning, cells are classified directly from the compressed signals, without reconstructing an image. The method was able to separate morphologically similar cell types in an ultrahigh-speed fluorescence imaging–activated cell sorter.

Science
, this issue p.
1246
Retinal isomerization in bacteriorhodopsin captured by a femtosecond x-ray laser
Authors: Nogly Przemyslaw , Weinert Tobias , James Daniel , Carbajo Sergio , Ozerov Dmitry , Furrer Antonia , Gashi Dardan , Borin Veniamin , Skopintsev Petr , Jaeger Kathrin , Nass Karol , Båth Petra , Bosman Robert , Koglin Jason , Seaberg Matthew , Lane Thomas , Kekilli Demet , Brünle Steffen , Tanaka Tomoyuki , Wu Wenting , Milne Christopher , White Thomas , Barty Anton , Weierstall Uwe , Panneels Valerie , Nango Eriko , Iwata So , Hunter Mark , Schapiro Igor , Schertler Gebhard , Neutze Richard , Standfuss Jörg
Published: June 2018

Look fast

Organisms from bacteria to humans sense and react to light. Proteins that contain the light-sensitive molecule retinal couple absorption of light to conformational changes that produce a signal or move ions across a membrane. Nogly
et al.
used an x-ray laser to probe the earliest structural changes to the retinal chromophore within microcrystals of the ion pump bacteriorhodopsin (see the Perspective by Moffat). The excited-state retinal wiggles but is held in place so that only one double bond of retinal is capable of isomerizing. A water molecule adjacent to the proton-pumping Schiff base responds to changes in charge distribution in the chromophore even before the movement of atoms begins.

Science
, this issue p.
eaat0094
; see also p.
127
A Kaposi's Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus Infection Mechanism Is Independent of Integrins α3β1, αVβ3, and αVβ5
Authors: TerBush Allison Alwan , Hafkamp Florianne , Lee Hee Jun , Coscoy Laurent
Published: June 2018

Our data reveal an integrin-independent route of KSHV infection and suggest that multiple Eph receptors besides EphA2 can promote and regulate infection. Since integrins and Eph receptors are large protein families with diverse expression patterns across cells and tissues, we propose that KSHV may engage with several proteins from both families in different combinations to negotiate successful entry into diverse cell types.
Should women aged 70–74 be invited to participate in screening mammography? A report on two Australian community juries
Authors: Degeling Chris , Barratt Alexandra , Aranda Sanchia , Bell Robin , Doust Jenny , Houssami Nehmat , Hersch Jolyn , Sakowsky Ruben , Entwistle Vikki , Carter Stacy M
Published: June 2018

Objective

To elicit informed views from Australian women aged 70–74 regarding the acceptability of ceasing to invite women their age to participate in government-funded mammography screening (BreastScreen).

Design

Two community juries held in 2017.

Setting

Greater Sydney, a metropolis of 4.5 million people in New South Wales, Australia.

Participants

34 women aged 70–74 with no personal history of breast cancer, recruited by random digit dialling and previously randomly recruited list-based samples.

Main outcomes and measures

Jury verdict and rationale in response to structured questions. We transcribed audio-recorded jury proceedings and identified central reasons for the jury’s decision.

Results

The women’s average age was 71.5 years. Participants were of diverse sociocultural backgrounds, with the sample designed to include women of lower levels of educational attainment. Both juries concluded by majority verdict (16–2 and 10–6) that BreastScreen should continue to send invitations and promote screening to their age group. Reasons given for the majority position include: (1) sending the invitations shows that society still cares about older women, empowers them to access preventive health services and recognises increasing and varied life expectancy; (2) screening provides women with information that enables choice and (3) if experts cannot agree, the conservative approach is to maintain the status quo until the evidence is clear. Reasons for the minority position were the potential for harms through overdiagnosis and misallocation of scarce health resources.

Conclusions

Preventive programmes such as mammography screening are likely to have significant symbolic value once they are socially embedded. Arguments for programme de-implementation emphasising declining benefit because of limited life expectancy and the risks of overdiagnosis seem unlikely to resonate with healthy older women. In situations where there is no consensus among experts on the value of established screening programmes, people may strongly prefer receiving information about their health and having the opportunity make their own choices.
Improved analgesia by correction of hypomagnesaemia?
Authors: Coyle Séamus , Monnery Daniel
Published: June 2018

The role of magnesium as an analgesic in patients is unclear. Hypomagnesaemia is a common electrolyte abnormality, in the chronic state symptoms are insidious and often non-specific. It is often undiagnosed and thus untreated. There is evidence from animal studies that magnesium is involved in pain control including an animal model of hyperalgesia induced by hypomagnesaemia. We report two cases of patients admitted for pain control which improved when hypomagnesaemia was treated. Each case had metastatic cancer. Both were found on admission to have asymptomatic hypomagnesaemia and were treated with intravenous magnesium. Treatment for hypomagnesaemia resulted in an improvement in pain control such that analgesia was decreased. The incidence of hypomagnesaemia in palliative patients is unknown although it is thought to be common. These cases suggest that treating hypomagnesaemia may improve pain control.
Long-term survival in recurrent adrenocortical cancer
Authors: Shuayb Md , Das Arunangshu , Uddin Mirza Nazim
Published: June 2018

Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) comprises approximately 0.02% of all malignant tumours, which are a very small fraction of a group of cancers that affect in 0.7 to 2 in 1 000 000 people per year. Recurrence is very common even after complete resection and prognosis is poor. We report a case of a sporadic form of ACC found in a 41-year-old Asian Bangladeshi man. His tumour was surgically excised completely with negative margins and he did not receive any adjuvant therapy. Four years later, adrenal adenoma was developed at his opposite side which was also excised. Then after a total duration of 7 years, he developed recurrence in both adrenal glands and extensive metastases to bilateral lungs, liver and abdominal wall. As per FIRM-ACT study, we started treatment with etoposide, doxorubicin, cisplatin plus mitotane (EDP-M), and the patient responded dramatically. He became symptom free and achieved radiological partial response just on completion of three cycles. To our knowledge, this is the first case of ACC in Bangladesh published in the literature. Managing rare cancers is always challenging due to the fact that clinicians lack practical experience in it. We believe that patient with a rare cancer with poor prognosis like ACC may also survive long, and extensive metastases can also be controlled.
Increasing HIV testing engagement through provision of home HIV self-testing kits for patients who decline testing in the emergency department: a pilot randomisation study
Authors: Patel Anuj V , Abrams Samuel M , Gaydos Charlotte A , Jett-Goheen Mary , Latkin Carl A , Rothman Richard E , Hsieh Yu-Hsiang
Published: June 2018

Objective

Up to 60% of patients decline routine HIV testing offer in US emergency departments (EDs). The objective of this study is to determine whether the provision of HIV self-testing (HIVST) kit would increase engagement of HIV testing among these HIV test ‘Decliners’.

Methods

Patients who declined a test offered in an ED-based triage nurse-driven HIV screening programme were enrolled and randomised to either the HIVST or the control group. The patients in the HIVST group received HIVST kits to take home, were encouraged to report test results to an established internet-based STI/HIV testing recruitment website ‘I Want the Kit’ (IWTK) and received five referral cards for their peers to request HIVST kits from IWTK. The control group received pamphlets about publicly available HIV testing sites. HIV testing from both groups after enrolment was determined via telephone follow-up at 1 month. Testing rate ratio (RR) was determined using χ2tests.

Results

Fifty-two patients were randomised to the HIVST group and 48 to the control group. Among all 64 patients completing any follow-up, 14/29 (48%) patients in the HIVST group tested themselves at home with the provided kit. Four of these had never had an HIV test. Only 2/35 (6%) in the control group reported having an HIV test after enrolment (RR: 8.45 (95% CI: 2.09 to 34.17)). 57% (8/14) in the HIVST group reported test results to IWTK.

Conclusion

Provision of HIVST kits supplements ED-based screening programme and significantly improved engagement of HIV testing among those test ‘Decliners’ in the ED.

Trial registration number

NCT03021005, results.
Review of the British Thoracic Society Winter Meeting 2017, 6–8 December 2017, London, UK
Authors: Singanayagam Aran , Woodcock Hannah V , Molyneaux Philip L , Jenkins Gisli
Published: June 2018

This article reviews the British Thoracic Society Winter Meeting 2017 and summarises the new developments in scientific and clinical research across the breadth of respiratory medicine. The article discusses a number of symposia and selected abstract presentations from the meeting.
Evaluation of installation effects on set-up of field displacement piles in sand
Authors: Anusic Ivana , Lehane Barry M. , Eiksund Gudmund R. , Liingaard Morten A.
Published: June 2018

The paper presents results from a new series of tests on displacement piles in sand, involving different installation modes, and combines these with results from previous tests at the same site as well as with test data at two other well-investigated sand sites to provide fresh insights into factors affecting “short-term” capacity and set-up of shaft friction. It is shown that the shaft capacity measured shortly after installation reduces systematically with the logarithm of the number of impact blows or jacking increments per unit shaft area imparted during installation. However, the degree of set-up of shaft friction for piles increases with an increase in the number of blows, and piles installed using a large number of blows can attain highest “long-term” shaft capacities, despite having the lowest short-term capacity. The tests indicated that the driving impact frequency had a relatively small influence on shaft friction, while piles installed by vibration attain short-term capacities comparable to driven impact piles, but showed negative set-up.
Vys: A Protocol for Commensal Fast Transient Searches and Data Processing at the Very Large Array
Authors: Pokorny Martin , Law Casey J. , Bower Geoffrey C. , Burke-Spolaor Sarah , Butler Bryan J. , Demorest Paul , Khudikyan S. E. , Lazio T. Joseph W. , Robnett James , Rupen Michael
Published: June 2018

We describe a new protocol deployed at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory’s Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) to support the distribution of data in support of commensal data analysis. The protocol, vys, is designed to provide access to a high time resolution data stream while a primary observation continues with the typical (lower) time resolution data stream. This form of dual time resolution, commensal observing has been implemented to enable the search for millisecond astrophysical transient events by a new, dedicated compute cluster located at the VLA. The fast transient detection system, realfast, performs real-time analysis in situ to detect events of interest and record relatively short duration data “cut-outs” of those events. By selectively recording high time resolution data, provided by vys at rates of up to 1.4[Formula: see text]GB[Formula: see text]s[Formula: see text], realfast will reduce the recorded data volume by an estimated factor of up to 1000. This makes it possible to search for transients commensally in a high data rate stream over the thousands of hours needed to find the rarest events.
Cooperative obstacle avoidance for heterogeneous unmanned systems during search mission
Authors: Harikumar K. , Bera Titas , Bardhan Rajarshi , Sundaram Suresh
Published: June 2018

The problem of cooperative obstacle avoidance by a group of unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) and unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) during a typical search mission is addressed in this paper. The group of UAVs and UGVs are performing a search operation in the designated area. All the UAVs and UGVs are equipped with a vision sensor/LIDAR to identify the possible obstacles in the search space. Due to their operation on the ground, UGVs are more likely to encounter obstacles. The obstacle avoidance for UGV under the event of sensor failure is done with environment information from the nearest UAV. The UAV plans its trajectory according to the UGV’s expected future trajectory, leading towards the base station. The UGV replans its trajectory to avoid obstacles after obtaining the information from its nearest UAV. A simulation study is performed with 10 UAVs and five UGVs performing a search mission in 1[Formula: see text]km[Formula: see text][Formula: see text][Formula: see text]1[Formula: see text]km area. The proposed obstacle avoidance method is experimentally validated in the outdoor environment with an autonomous UAV equipped with a camera and an autonomous UGV navigating based on GPS localization and environment information from the UAV.
Persistent disruption of lateral junctional complexes and actin cytoskeleton in parotid salivary glands following radiation treatment
Authors: Wong Wen Yu , Pier Maricela , Limesand Kirsten H.
Published: June 2018

Xerostomia and hyposalivation are debilitating side effects for patients treated with ionizing radiation for head and neck cancer. Despite technological advances, collateral damage to the salivary glands remains a significant problem for patients and severely diminishes their quality of life. During the wound healing process, restoration of junctional contacts is necessary to maintain polarity, structural integrity, and orientation cues for secretion. However, little is known about whether these structural molecules are impacted following radiation damage and more importantly, during tissue restoration. We evaluated changes in adherens junctions and cytoskeletal regulators in an injury model where mice were irradiated with 5 Gy and a restoration model where mice injected postradiation with insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) are capable of restoring salivary function. Using coimmunoprecipitation, there is a decrease in epithelial (E)-cadherin bound to β-catenin following damage that is restored to untreated levels with IGF1. Via its adaptor proteins, β-catenin links the cadherins to the cytoskeleton and part of this regulation is mediated through Rho-associated coiled-coil containing kinase (ROCK) signaling. In our radiation model, filamentous (F)-actin organization is fragmented, and there is an induction of ROCK activity. However, a ROCK inhibitor, Y-27632, prevents E-cadherin/β-catenin dissociation following radiation treatment. These findings illustrate that radiation induces a ROCK-dependent disruption of the cadherin-catenin complex and alters F-actin organization at stages of damage when hyposalivation is observed. Understanding the regulation of these components will be critical in the discovery of therapeutics that have the potential to restore function in polarized epithelium.
Carotid Bodies and the Integrated Cardiorespiratory Response to Hypoxia
Authors: Lindsey Bruce G. , Nuding Sarah C. , Segers Lauren S. , Morris Kendall F.
Published: June 2018

Advances in our understanding of brain mechanisms for the hypoxic ventilatory response, coordinated changes in blood pressure, and the long-term consequences of chronic intermittent hypoxia as in sleep apnea, such as hypertension and heart failure, are giving impetus to the search for therapies to “erase” dysfunctional memories distributed in the carotid bodies and central nervous system. We review current network models, open questions, sex differences, and implications for translational research.
Effect of Chronic Kidney Disease on Changes in Vasopressin System Expression in the Kidney Cortex in Rats with Nephrectomy
Authors: Czarzasta Katarzyna , Cudnoch-Jedrzejewska Agnieszka , Niemczyk Longin , Wrzesien Robert , Tkaczyk Marzanna , Puchalska Liana , Saracyn Marek , Zmudzki Wawrzyniec , Niemczyk Stanisław
Published: June 2018

It is believed that the vasopressinergic system plays an important role in the pathogenesis of chronic kidney disease (CKD). The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of CKD on changes in vasopressin system expression in the kidney cortex in rats with nephrectomy. The study was performed on 4 groups of Sprague Dawley (SPRD) rats: a control group (CN), 1/2 nephrectomy (N1/2), 2/3 nephrectomy (N2/3), and 5/6 nephrectomy (N5/6). Blood and the kidney cortex were collected to evaluate plasma copeptin concentrations and mRNA expressions of V1a vasopressin receptors (V1aR) and V2 vasopressin receptors (V2R) and V1aR, V2R, and aquaporin 2 (AQP2) protein levels. V1aR and V2R mRNA expression in the kidney cortex was significantly lower in the CN group compared with the other groups. In contrast, the V1aR, V2R, and AQP2 protein levels were significantly higher in the CN group compared with all of the nephrectomized groups. Plasma copeptin concentration was significantly lower in the CN group than in the nephrectomized groups. CKD caused significant changes in the expression of the vasopressinergic system. Further research is needed to explain the mechanisms of the impact of the vasopressinergic system on the kidney in CKD.
Optimization of a Two-Echelon Location Lot-Sizing Routing Problem with Deterministic Demand
Authors: Kechmane Laila , Nsiri Benayad , Baalal Azeddine
Published: June 2018

This paper aims to solve a multiperiod location lot-sizing routing problem with deterministic demand in a two-echelon network composed of a single factory, a set of potential depots, and a set of customers. Solving this problem involves making strategic decisions such as location of depots as well as operational and tactical decisions which include customers’ assignment to the open depots, vehicle routing organization, and inventory management. A mathematical model is presented to describe the problem and a genetic algorithm combined with a local search procedure is proposed to solve it and is tested over three sets of instances.
Distributed Routing Strategy Based on Machine Learning for LEO Satellite Network
Authors: Na Zhenyu , Pan Zheng , Liu Xin , Deng Zhian , Gao Zihe , Guo Qing
Published: June 2018

As the indispensable supplement of terrestrial communications, Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite network is the crucial part in future space‐terrestrial integrated networks because of its unique advantages. However, the effective and reliable routing for LEO satellite network is an intractable task due to time‐varying topology, frequent link handover, and imbalanced communication load. An Extreme Learning Machine (ELM) based distributed routing (ELMDR) strategy was put forward in this paper. Considering the traffic distribution density on the surface of the earth, ELMDR strategy makes routing decision based on traffic prediction. For traffic prediction, ELM, which is a fast and efficient machine learning algorithm, is adopted to forecast the traffic at satellite node. For the routing decision, mobile agents (MAs) are introduced to simultaneously and independently search for LEO satellite network and determine routing information. Simulation results demonstrate that, in comparison to the conventional Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) algorithm, ELMDR not only sufficiently uses underutilized link, but also reduces delay.
Integrating “Hard” and “Soft” Infrastructural Resilience Assessment for Water Distribution Systems
Authors: Pagano Alessandro , Pluchinotta Irene , Giordano Raffaele , Fratino Umberto
Published: June 2018

Cities are highly dynamic systems, whose resilience is affected by the interconnectedness between “hard” and “soft” infrastructures. “Hard infrastructures” are the functional networks with physical elements providing goods or services. “Soft infrastructures” (culture, governance, and social patterns) encompass the social networks, make the hard infrastructures work, and are vital for understanding the consequences of disasters and the effectiveness of emergency management. Although the dynamic interactions between such infrastructures are highly complex in the case of the occurrence of hazardous events, it is fundamental to analyze them. The reliability of hard infrastructures during emergency management contributes to keep alive the social capital, while the community, its networks, and its own resilience influence the service provided by infrastructural systems. Resilience‐thinking frameworks overcome the limits of the traditional engineering‐oriented approaches, accounting for complexity of socio‐technical‐organizational networks, bridging the static and dynamic components of disasters across pre‐ and postevent contexts. The present work develops an integrated approach to operatively assess resilience for the hard and soft infrastructural systems, aiming at modeling the complexity of their interaction by adopting a graph theory‐based approach and social network analysis. The developed approach has been experimentally implemented for assessing the integrated resilience of the hard/soft infrastructures during the L’Aquila 2009 earthquake.
Pile‐Raft Settlements Prediction under Coupled Static‐Dynamic Loads Using Four Heuristic Regression Approaches
Authors: Kaloop Mosbeh R. , Hu Jong Wan , Elbeltagi Emad
Published: June 2018

One of the main driving factors for structures’ evaluation is the foundation settlement. Measuring structures’ settlement in field is costly especially when heavy loads are applied. Settlement prediction models can be used to avoid the high cost of settlement field tests. Four advanced heuristic regression methods are developed and applied in this study to estimate raft foundations’ settlement, namely, multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS), M5 model tree (M5Tree), generalized regression neural networks (GRNN), and support vector regression (SVR) techniques. Simulation of raft pile foundations is utilized to calculate the settlements of piles under the effect of static and dynamic loads. Previous studies are compared with the newly developed models. The results show that the four models can be used to accurately predict foundations’ settlements in the training stage. Also, the results reveal that the MARS and SVR models performed slightly better than the M5Tree and GRNN models in the testing stage and accordingly can be used to predict foundations’ settlement. The SVR model outperformed other models when few numbers of measurements are available.
Influence of the Uniaxial Hot-Pressing Sintering Condition on Bi4Ge3O12 Ceramic Scintillators
Authors: Matos Ivus L. O. , Andrade Adriano B. , Macedo Zélia S. , Valerio Mário E. G.
Published: June 2018

The production of high-density bismuth germanate (Bi3Ge4O12) ceramic scintillators by uniaxial hot pressing was investigated as a function of different applied pressure conditions. The X-ray diffraction showed that the sintering process was able to eliminate the undesirable secondary phase present in the nonsintered samples. The height changes from samples with higher applied pressure rate and applied pressure duration lead to a better relative density value, >95% for samples sintered under a pressure of 0.14 and 0.18 MPa. The radioluminescence results showed that all samples have the characteristic emission spectra of Bi3Ge4O12 and that the hot-pressed samples have higher radioluminescence emission efficiency.
Unsuspected Diagnosis of Uterine Leiomyosarcoma after Laparoscopic Myomectomy in an Isolated Bag
Authors: Salman Süleyman , Ketenci Gencer Fatma , Babaoğlu Bülent , Bestel Melih , Kumbasar Serkan , Tuna Guray , Güzel Esra , Yıldız Durkadın Elif , Kotancı Tuba , Yeniocak Ali Selçuk , Sögüt Özlem
Published: June 2018

Minimally invasive techniques are generally applied for patients suspected of having benign fibroids if medical treatment is insufficient. On the other hand, sometimes some occult carcinomas of uterus like leiomyosarcomas may be reported for the patients’ applied morcellation. This condition is rare but outcomes are clinically significant. Fragmentation of occult sarcoma in the abdominal cavity without isolation bag results in widespread and poor survival. In this article, we report a case of 37-year-old woman suffering from pain due to unexpected leiomyosarcoma. Laparoscopic myomectomy was performed with power morcellation in an isolated bag. Although isolation bag is generally reported to be preventive, recurrence of sarcoma was seen at 5th month of follow-up. Even though morcellation within a bag seems to block wide spreading, dispersion of tumor cannot be stopped and more investigations have to be done.
Microbiota Composition in Upper Respiratory Tracts of Healthy Children in Shenzhen, China, Differed with Respiratory Sites and Ages
Authors: Wang Heping , Dai Wenkui , Feng Xin , Zhou Qian , Wang Hongmei , Yang Yonghong , Li Shuaicheng , Zheng Yuejie
Published: June 2018

The upper respiratory tract (URT) is home to various microbial commensals, which function as competitors to pathogens and help train the immune system. However, few studies have reported the normal microbiota carriage in the URT of healthy Chinese children. In this study, we performed a 16S rDNA gene sequencing analysis of 83 anterior nares (ANs), 60 nasopharynx (NP), and 97 oropharynx (OP) samples from 98 healthy children in Shenzhen, China (≤12 years of age). The microbiota in ANs and NP is the same at different ages and typical species in these sites include Moraxella, Staphylococcus, Corynebacterium, Streptococcus, and Dolosigranulum. By contrast, the OP is primarily colonized by Streptococcus, Prevotella, Neisseria, Veillonella, Rothia, Leptotrichia, and Haemophilus. Streptococcus and Rothia keep low abundance in OP microbiota of children ≤1 year old, whereas Prevotella, Neisseria, Haemophilus, and Leptotrichia amass significantly in individuals >1 year old. This work furnishes an important reference for understanding microbial dysbiosis in the URT of Chinese paediatric patients.
Management of Psychosis in a Patient with Probable Dopa-Responsive Dystonia
Authors: Wang Maggie , Sison Joseph I.
Published: June 2018

Dopa-responsive dystonia is a rare childhood neurological disorder characterized by asymmetric dystonia, predominantly of the lower limb, that responds excellently to levodopa replacement therapy. Although it is known that behavioral changes, such as depression, anxiety disorders, and sleep disturbances, typically follow onset of motor symptoms, there is limited literature on the psychiatric symptoms of this disorder. This report describes a novel case of a 20-year-old male with a history of dopa-responsive dystonia and schizoaffective disorder who presented with both dystonia and psychosis after a period of medication noncompliance. This case provides a reference for the management of psychosis in patients with dopa-responsive dystonia and highlights the need for more research on the nonmotor symptoms that accompany this neurological disorder.
A Brief Body‐Mind‐Spirit Group Therapy for Chinese Medicine Stagnation Syndrome: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Ng Siu-man , Leng Lingli , Ho Rainbow T. H. , Zhang Zhangjin , Wang Qi
Published: June 2018

Background. Stagnation syndrome, a diagnostic entity in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), is characterized by mind‐body obstruction‐like symptoms. Although TCM has long‐established symptom‐relief treatments, a comprehensive mind‐body intervention was called for. Purpose. The study evaluated the efficacy of a six‐session body‐mind‐spirit (BMS) group therapy for persons with stagnation syndrome. Method. A 2‐arm randomized controlled trial design was adopted. The control group received a parallel general TCM instruction course. Both groups completed a pretest (T0), posttest (T1), and 2‐month follow‐up assessment (T2). The measures included self‐report scales on stagnation, depression, anxiety, physical distress, daily functioning, and positive and negative affect; the other measure was of salivary cortisol, a biological marker of stress. Results. Data on 111 adults with stagnation syndrome were included in the analysis. Completion rates were high (over 87%) for both the intervention and control groups. Repeated‐measures multivariate MANOVA revealed a significant combined effect with large effect size (eta‐squared = 0.42). Repeated‐measures ANOVA further revealed that the intervention group showed significant improvements in stagnation, the primary outcome, with medium effect size (eta‐squared = 0.11). The intervention group also showed significant improvements in depression, physical distress, everyday functioning, and negative affect (eta‐squared = 0.06 to 0.13). Post hoc analysis revealed that the intervention group showed significant improvements over the control group in cortisol level at 2‐month follow‐up assessment (T0 versus T2) with small effect size (eta‐squared = 0.05), but not at posttest (T0 versus T1). Conclusions. Overall, the findings indicate that our brief BMS group therapy intervention for stagnation syndrome is efficacious. Moreover, the intervention resulted in a number of substantial improvements in the physical and mental health domains.
Antiobesity and Antioxidant Potentials of Selected Palestinian Medicinal Plants
Authors: Jamous Rana M. , Abu-Zaitoun Salam Y. , Akkawi Rola J. , Ali-Shtayeh Mohammed S.
Published: June 2018

We evaluated the antioxidant and porcine pancreatic lipase inhibition (PPLI) activities of 90 plants extracts. The antioxidant activity was measured using the free‐radical scavenging capacity (DPPH) and reducing power (RP) assays. The pancreatic lipase inhibition assay was used to determine the PPLI activity of plant extracts. Among the 90 plant extracts examined, 41.0 % crude extracts showed antilipase activity of more than 50%. The most active plants by means of IC50 value were Camellia sinensis (0.5 mg/ml), Ceratonia siliqua (leaves) (0.8 mg/mL), Curcuma longa (0.8 mg/mL), Sarcopoterium spinosum (1.2 mg/mL), and Mentha spicata (1.2 mg/mL). The antioxidant activity of plant extracts using the DPPH and RP assays reveals comparable results. The most active antioxidant extracts using both assays were the leaves and fruit epicarp of Rhus coriaria, areal parts of Sarcopoterium spinosum, and leaves of Ceratonia siliqua. Our results suggest natural resources that possess strong antioxidant and pancreatic lipase inhibitory activities with potential applications in the treatment and prevention of obesity and overweight. The extracts of Camellia sinensis, Ceratonia siliqua, Curcuma longa, Sarcopoterium spinosum, and Mentha spicata were proved to have a great potential as antioxidants and antiobesity agents.
Delaware Inland Bays and Market Oyster (Crassostrea virginica) Quality for Consumption
Authors: Ozbay Gulnihal , Karuna Chintapenta Lathadevi , Lingham Talaysha , Lumor Stephen , Lee Jung-lim , Taylor Bettina , Sriharan Shobha , Besong Samuel
Published: June 2018

Consumption of raw oysters is known to cause serious health conditions due to bioaccumulation of contaminants. As filter feeders, oysters ingest bacteria along with phytoplankton from their surrounding habitats. Ensuring seafood safety for human consumption is always a concern. Since oysters are consumed raw, disease causing organisms, environmental contaminants, toxins, chemicals, and even physical hazards such as soils and metals retained in the oysters can enter through feeding. The objective of this study was to determine the quality of oysters collected from Delaware Inland Bays (DIB) and compare them with market oysters. Environmental parameters were monitored from local waters of DIB classified as closed versus open for shellfish harvesting. Total aerobic bacteria and vibrio were higher in market oysters during the warmer months, with open water having the least microbial loads. There were no significant differences in total vibrio counts between the study sites (p=0.396), but significant differences were recorded over time (p=0.004). Water temperature and turbidity were directly proportional to total vibrio in oysters, and salinity was inversely related. Research findings in this study may help bring awareness of changes in bacterial loads due to seasonal changes and additional handling and storage.
SRM-MS Method Development for Hepcidin-25 Peptide
Authors: Cho Kyung-Cho , Cho Byoung-Kyu , Jung Jin Woo , Lee Ye Ji , Lee Eun Bong , Yi Eugene C.
Published: June 2018

As advanced mass spectrometry- (MS-) based hepcidin analysis offers to overcome the limitations in analytical methods using antihepcidin, further improvement of MS detection sensitivity for the peptide may enhance the diagnostic value of the hepcidin for various iron-related disorders. Here, improved MS detection sensitivity of hepcidin has been achieved by reducing the disulfide bonds in hepcidin, by which proton accessibility increased, compared to the intact hepcidin peptide. Comparing the ionization efficiencies of reduced and nonreduced forms of hepcidin, the reduced form of hepcidin showed an increase in ionization efficiency more than two times compared to the nonreduced form of hepcidin. We also demonstrated improved detection sensitivity of the peptide in SRM assay. We observed a significant improvement of detection sensitivity at the triple-quadrupole MS platform, that the ionization efficiency increased at least twice more, and that the limit of detection (LOD) increased more than 10 times in the concentration ranges of 1 fmol to 10 fmol of hepcidin. In this study, we demonstrated the usefulness of the hepcidin modification for overall enhancement of the ionization efficiencies of the hepcidin peptide in the MS-based quantitative measurement assay.
Novel Approaches to Acute Myeloid Leukemia Immunotherapy
Authors: Beyar-Katz Ofrat , Gill Saar
Published: June 2018

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a rapidly progressive, poor-prognosis malignancy arising from hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells. The long history of successful use of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (alloHCT) in AML indicates that this disease is immunoresponsive, leading to optimism that novel immunotherapies such as bispecific antibodies, chimeric antigen receptor T cells, and immune checkpoint inhibitors will generate meaningful disease control. However, emerging data on the immunoevasive tactics employed by AML blasts at diagnosis and at relapse indicate that optimism must be tempered by an understanding of this essential paradox. Furthermore, AML has a low mutational burden, thus presenting few neoantigens for attack by autologous T cells, even after attempted reversal of inhibitory receptor/ligand interactions. In this review, we outline the known AML targets, explore immune evasion mechanisms, and describe recent data and current clinical trials of single and combination immunotherapies. Clin Cancer Res; 24(22); 5502–15. ©2018 AACR.