bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Establishing a cryopreservation protocol for patient‐derived xenografts of prostate cancer
Authors: Porter Laura H. , Lawrence Mitchell G. , Wang Hong , Clark Ashlee K , Bakshi Andrew , Obinata Daisuke , Goode David , Papargiris Melissa , MURAL  , Clouston David , Ryan Andrew , Norden Sam , Corey Eva , Nelson Peter S. , Isaacs John T. , Grummet Jeremy , Kourambas John , Sandhu Shahneen , Murphy Declan G. , Pook David , Frydenberg Mark , Taylor Renea A. , Risbridger Gail P. 
Published: June 2019

AbstractBackgroundSerially transplantable patient‐derived xenografts (PDXs) are invaluable preclinical models for studying tumor biology and evaluating therapeutic agents. As these models are challenging to establish from prostate cancer specimens, the ability to preserve them through cryopreservation has several advantages for ongoing research. Despite this, there is still uncertainty about the ability to cryopreserve PDXs of prostate cancer. This study compared three different cryopreservation protocols to identify a method that can be used to reproducibly cryopreserve a diverse cohort of prostate cancer PDX models.MethodsOne serially transplantable prostate cancer PDX from the Melbourne Urological Research Alliance cohort was used to compare three cryopreservation protocols: slow freezing in fetal calf serum (FCS) with 10% dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), FCS with 10% DMSO supplemented with the Rho‐associated kinase (ROCK) inhibitor Y‐27632 and vitrification. The efficiency of the slow freezing protocols was then assessed in 17 additional prostate cancer PDXs. Following cryopreservation, PDXs were re‐established in host mice that were either intact and supplemented with testosterone or castrated. Graft take rate, tumor growth, histological features, and transcriptome profiles before and after cryopreservation were compared.ResultsSlow freezing maintained the viability and histological features of prostate cancer PDXs, and the addition of a ROCK inhibitor increased their growth following cryopreservation. Using the slow freezing method, we re‐established 100% of PDXs grown in either testosterone‐supplemented or castrated host mice. Importantly, the long‐term tumor growth rate and transcriptome profile were maintained following cryopreservation.ConclusionThis study has identified a protocol to reliably cryopreserve and re‐establish a diverse cohort of serially transplantable PDXs of prostate cancer. This study has the potential to significantly improve the practicality of maintaining PDX models. Cryopreservation may also increase the accessibility of these important resources and provide new opportunities for preclinical studies on a broader spectrum of prostate tumors.
Robustness of asymptotic accelerated life test plans to small‐sample settings
Authors: King Caleb 
Published: June 2019

AbstractMuch of the statistical literature on optimal test planning for accelerated life testing utilize asymptotic methods to derive optimal test plans. While sufficient effort is made to assess the robustness of these test plans to the choice of design parameters and distribution assumptions, there is very little literature on the performance of asymptotic test plans relative to small samples (on the order of 10‐15 samples). An alternative concern is that the asymptotic test plans may not necessarily be the true “optimal” test plan for a given sample size. The purpose of this research is to present exact or “near‐exact” methods for developing test plans and compare the performance of these test plans with corresponding asymptotic test plans in small‐sample settings. The optimal location of design points and sample allocation is determined using each method for lognormal and Weibull lifetime distributions with both complete and Type 1 right‐censored data under two selected acceleration factor models. The investigations reveal that asymptotic test plans tend to corroborate quite well with exact test plans and thus are suitably robust to small‐sample settings in terms of optimal variance.
A low‐cost and efficient autonomous row‐following robot for food production in polytunnels
Authors: Le Tuan D. , Ponnambalam Vignesh R. , Gjevestad Jon G. O. , From Pål J. 
Published: June 2019

AbstractIn this paper, we present an automatic motion planner for agricultural robots that allows us to set up a robot to follow rows without having to explicitly enter waypoints. In most cases, when robots are used to cover large agricultural areas, they will need waypoints as inputs, either as premeasured coordinates in an outdoor environment, or as positions in a map in an indoor environment. This can be a tedious process as several hundreds or even thousands of waypoints will be needed for large farms. In particular, we find that in unstructured environments such as the ones found on farms, the need for waypoints increases. In this paper, we present an approach that enables robots to safely traverse not only between straight rows but also through curved rows without the need for any predetermined waypoints. Most types of infrastructure found in agriculture, such as polytunnels, are built on uneven terrain, thus containing a mix of straight and curved plant rows, for which traditional methods of row following will fail. Different from traditional approaches of row following that only consider straight‐line‐of‐sight rows, our approach identifies the rows on each side with the goal of staying in the middle of the rows, even if the rows are not straight. Waypoints are only needed on the very extreme of the rows, and these will be automatically generated by the system. With our approach, the robot can just be placed in the corner of the field and will then determine the trajectory without further input from the user. We thus obtain an approach that can reduce the installation time from potentially hours to just a matter of minutes. The final autonomous system is low cost and efficient for various tasks that requires moving between plant rows inside a polytunnel. Several experiments were performed and the robot demonstrates 1.4% position drift over 21 m of navigation path.
Assessment of spatial and temporal properties of Ka/Q band earth‐space radio channel across Europe using Alphasat Aldo Paraboni payload
Authors: Ventouras Spiros , Martellucci Antonio , Reeves Richard , Rumi Emal , Fontan Fernando P. , Machado Fernando , Pastoriza Vicente , Rocha Armando , Mota Susana , Jorge Flavio , Panagopoulos Athanasios D. , Papafragkakis Apostolos Z. , Kourogiorgas Charilaos I. , Fiser Ondrej , Pek Viktor , Pesice Petr , Grabner Martin , Vilhar Andrej , Kelmendi Arsim , Hrovat Andrej , Vanhoenacker‐Janvier Danielle , Quibus Laurent , Goussetis George , Costouri Alexios , Nessel James 
Published: June 2019

SummaryThe upcoming migration of satellite services to higher bands, namely, the Ka‐ and Q/V‐bands, offers many advantages in terms of bandwidth and system capacity. However, it poses challenges as propagation effects introduced by the various atmospheric phenomena are particularly pronounced in these bands and can become a serious constraint in terms of system reliability and performance. This paper presents the goals, organisation, and preliminary results of an ongoing large‐scale European coordinated propagation campaign using the Alphasat Aldo Paraboni Ka/Q band signal payload on satellite, performed by a wide scientific consortium in the framework of a European Space Agency (ESA) project. The main objective of this activity is the experimental characterisation of the spatial and temporal correlation over Europe of the radio channel at Ka and Q band for future modelling activities and to collect data for development and testing of fading mitigation techniques.
Host‐Guest Complexes of l‐Borneol with Cucurbituril and Cyclodextrin and Its Potential Use in Analysis of Drugs
Authors: Tang Qing , Wang Cheng‐Hui , Xi Yun‐Yun , Huang Ying , Tao Zhu 
Published: June 2019

AbstractHost–guest inclusion of l‐borneol with cucurbit[7]uril, cucurbit[8]uril, β‐cyclodextrin and HP‐β‐cyclodextrin in aqueous solution was investigated by Isothermal titration calorimetry and 1H NMR spectroscopy. Furthermore, a supramolecular fluorescent probe between cucurbit[8]uril (Q[8]) and Proflavine (PF) (designated 2PF@Q[8]) showed a remarkable fluorescence enhancement to l‐borneol. The 2PF@Q[8] fluorescent probe can be used to detect l‐borneol with a detection limit of ∼10−8 mol/L. A good linear relationship of emission intensity at 514 nm for l‐borneol at concentrations of 0.1–3.0 μmol/L was observed. The proposed sensing mechanism was investigated using 1H NMR spectroscopy and ITC. Fluorescent cell imaging of prostate cancer (PC3) cells showed the that the 2PF@Q[8] fluorescent probe could be used to image l‐borneol in living cells.
Superior Hydrogen Evolution Reaction Performance in 2H‐MoS2 to that of 1T Phase
Authors: Zhang Wencui , Liao Xiaobin , Pan Xuelei , Yan Mengyu , Li Yanxi , Tian Xiaocong , Zhao Yan , Xu Lin , Mai Liqiang 
Published: June 2019

AbstractIn the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), energy‐level matching is a prerequisite for excellent electrocatalytic activity. Conventional strategies such as chemical doping and the incorporation of defects underscore the complicated process of controlling the doping species and the defect concentration, which obstructs the understanding of the function of band structure in HER catalysis. Accordingly, 2H‐MoS2 and 1T‐MoS2 are used to create electrocatalytic nanodevices to address the function of band structure in HER catalysis. Interestingly, it is found that the 2H‐MoS2 with modulated Fermi level under the application of a vertical electric field exhibits excellent electrocatalytic activity (as evidenced by an overpotential of 74 mV at 10 mA cm−2 and a Tafel slope of 99 mV per decade), which is superior to 1T‐MoS2. This unexpected excellent HER performance is ascribed to the fact that electrons are injected into the conduction band under the condition of back‐gate voltage, which leads to the increased Fermi level of 2H‐MoS2 and a shorter Debye screen length. Hence, the required energy to drive electrons from the electrocatalyst surface to reactant will decrease, which activates the 2H‐MoS2 thermodynamically.
Template‐Free, Surfactant‐Mediated Orientation of Self‐Assembled Supercrystals of Metal–Organic Framework Particles
Authors: Avci Civan , Liu Yang , Pariente Jose Angel , Blanco Alvaro , Lopez Cefe , Imaz Inhar , Maspoch Daniel 
Published: June 2019

AbstractMesoscale self‐assembly of particles into supercrystals is important for the design of functional materials such as photonic and plasmonic crystals. However, while much progress has been made in self‐assembling supercrystals adopting diverse lattices and using different types of particles, controlling their growth orientation on surfaces has received limited success. Most of the latter orientation control has been achieved via templating methods in which lithographic processes are used to form a patterned surface that acts as a template for particle assembly. Herein, a template‐free method to self‐assemble (111)‐, (100)‐, and (110)‐oriented face‐centered cubic supercrystals of the metal–organic framework ZIF‐8 particles by adjusting the amount of surfactant (cetyltrimethylammonium bromide) used is described. It is shown that these supercrystals behave as photonic crystals whose properties depend on their growth orientation. This control on the orientation of the supercrystals dictates the orientation of the composing porous particles that might ultimately facilitate pore orientation on surfaces for designing membranes and sensors.
Choosing the fitness function for the job: Automated generation of test suites that detect real faults
Authors: Salahirad Alireza , Almulla Hussein , Gay Gregory 
Published: June 2019

SummarySearch‐based unit test generation, if effective at fault detection, can lower the cost of testing. Such techniques rely on fitness functions to guide the search. Ultimately, such functions represent test goals that approximate—but do not ensure—fault detection. The need to rely on approximations leads to two questions—can fitness functions produce effective tests and, if so, which should be used to generate tests? To answer these questions, we have assessed the fault‐detection capabilities of unit test suites generated to satisfy eight white‐box fitness functions on 597 real faults from the Defects4J database. Our analysis has found that the strongest indicators of effectiveness are a high level of code coverage over the targeted class and high satisfaction of a criterion's obligations. Consequently, the branch coverage fitness function is the most effective. Our findings indicate that fitness functions that thoroughly explore system structure should be used as primary generation objectives—supported by secondary fitness functions that explore orthogonal, supporting scenarios. Our results also provide further evidence that future approaches to test generation should focus on attaining higher coverage of private code and better initialization and manipulation of class dependencies.
The need for awareness raising, advocacy, and capacity building in Integrated Water Resources Management toward sustainable development: A case study in Malaysia
Authors: Elfithri Rahmah , Mokhtar Mazlin Bin , Zakaria Salmah 
Published: June 2019

AbstractMalaysia has, since the turn of the 21st century, formally adopted Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) as the way forward to sustainably manage its water resources. This paradigm shift has also been embodied in the National Water Resources Policy formally launched in March 2012. The adoption of IWRM marks a clear shift away from past fragmented and sectoral management practices. The recent endorsement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by Malaysia has further reiterated that IWRM will be implemented at all levels by the year 2030. Despite the formal declaration and adoption of the IWRM policy, its implementation to‐date has yet to gain adequate traction on a national scale. Fragmented management of the water sector both at the Federal and State levels is a legacy from the past which continues as the institutional norm. There is a need for IWRM awareness raising, advocacy, and capacity building. This includes training and education programs, modular and material development, communication, and delivery system, facilities establishment, and appropriate governance mechanisms to improve the current water management system and practices in Malaysia, as well as ensure local participation and governance. This approach will also polish the shortcoming through the mobilization of all institutional and community stakeholders toward the implementation of the IWRM agenda nation‐wide.
Surgical Residents’ Proficiency and Turnover May Affect the Overall Efficiency in an Emergency Department
Authors: Mongelli Francesco , Fischer Henning , Stickel Michael , Patella Miriam , Heeren Nickolaus , Christ Michael , Gass Markus 
Published: June 2019

AbstractBackgroundWithin Emergency Department (ED), problem responsiveness and organizational capacity are extremely important for providing acute care. The “July effect” has been described as the period when junior doctors start new turnovers, possibly reflecting on hospital and ED efficiency. The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of residents’ turnover on ED efficiency at a Swiss teaching hospital.MethodsWe retrospectively evaluated patients presenting with surgical needs to ED from June 2014 to January 2019. Data regarding gender, age, length of stay (LOS), resident doctors and level of urgency were collected and analyzed.ResultsWe identified 27,767 surgical admissions treated by 92 residents. The LOS analysis within residents’ period in the ED showed a progressive reduction over time, with 80% of proficiency achieved after 98 patients. The mean LOS was 257.3 and 237.6 min during and after the learning curve (p < 0.0001), although no difference was noted in triage level 1 patients (p = 0.813). By replacing 40–70% of residents (January and July), the LOS raised from 243.1 to 259.7 min (absolute difference 16.6 min, p < 0.001), but if only 10–20% of residents newly started, no difference was detected (p = 0.071).ConclusionsOur study demonstrates that surgical residents’ turnover within the ED could affect the overall efficiency. The training period for new resident physicians was a caseload of 98 patients, respectively, 3 weeks of work. The impact of trainees’ turnover was only relevant if more than 40% of the resident team is replaced at one time and only less urgent cases were affected.
The $$M^{X}/M/c$$ Bernoulli feedback queue with variant multiple working vacations and impatient customers: performance and economic analysis
Authors: Bouchentouf Amina Angelika , Guendouzi Abdelhak 
Published: June 2019

AbstractThe present paper deals with an $$M^{X}/M/c$$

M
X

/
M
/
c

Bernoulli feedback queueing system with variant multiple working vacations and impatience timers which depend on the states of the servers. Whenever a customer arrives at the system, he activates an random impatience timer. If his service has not been completed before his impatience timer expires, the customer may abandon the system. Using certain customer retention mechanism, the impatient customer can be retained in the system. After getting incomplete or unsatisfactory service, with some probability, each customer may comeback to the system as a Bernoulli feedback. Using the probability generating functions (PGFs), we derive the steady-state solution of the model. Then, we obtain useful performance measures. Moreover, we carry out an economic analysis. Finally, numerical study is performed to explore the effects of the model parameters on the behavior of the system.
Objective napping, cognitive decline, and risk of cognitive impairment in older men
Authors: Leng Yue , Redline Susan , Stone Katie L. , Ancoli‐Israel Sonia , Yaffe Kristine 
Published: June 2019

AbstractIntroductionLittle is known about the longitudinal association between napping and cognitive impairment in older adults.MethodsWe used wrist actigraphy to measure naps in 2751 community‐dwelling older men. Cognition was assessed repeatedly over 12 years, and clinically significant cognitive impairment was determined by physician diagnosis, Alzheimer's medication use or a significant cognitive decline.ResultsAfter adjustment for all covariates, men with longer napping duration had greater cognitive decline and higher risk of cognitive impairment. Men who napped for ≥120 min/day (vs. <30 min/day) were 66% more likely to develop cognitive impairment (odds ratio = 1.66, 95% CI: 1.09–2.54) in 12 years. Further adjustment for nighttime sleep quality did not appreciably alter the results. The association between napping and cognitive impairment was more pronounced among those with higher sleep efficiency and average sleep duration.DiscussionNapping might be useful as an early marker of cognitive impairment in the elderly, and its cognitive effects may differ by nighttime sleep.
Which healthcare workers work with acute respiratory illness? Evidence from Canadian acute-care hospitals during 4 influenza seasons: 2010–2011 to 2013–2014
Authors: Jiang Lili , McGeer Allison , McNeil Shelly , Katz Kevin , Loeb Mark , Muller Matthew P. , Simor Andrew , Powis Jeff , Kohler Philipp , Di Bella Julia M. , Coleman Brenda L. ,   for the Canadian Healthcare Worker Study Group
Published: June 2019

AbstractBackground:Healthcare workers (HCWs) are at risk of acquiring and transmitting respiratory viruses while working in healthcare settings.Objectives:To investigate the incidence of and factors associated with HCWs working during an acute respiratory illness (ARI).Methods:HCWs from 9 Canadian hospitals were prospectively enrolled in active surveillance for ARI during the 2010–2011 to 2013–2014 influenza seasons. Daily illness diaries during ARI episodes collected information on symptoms and work attendance.Results:At least 1 ARI episode was reported by 50.4% of participants each study season. Overall, 94.6% of ill individuals reported working at least 1 day while symptomatic, resulting in an estimated 1.9 days of working while symptomatic and 0.5 days of absence during an ARI per participant season. In multivariable analysis, the adjusted relative risk of working while symptomatic was higher for physicians and lower for nurses relative to other HCWs. Participants were more likely to work if symptoms were less severe and on the illness onset date compared to subsequent days. The most cited reason for working while symptomatic was that symptoms were mild and the HCW felt well enough to work (67%). Participants were more likely to state that they could not afford to stay home if they did not have paid sick leave and were younger.Conclusions:HCWs worked during most episodes of ARI, most often because their symptoms were mild. Further data are needed to understand how best to balance the costs and risks of absenteeism versus those associated with working while ill.
Understanding ultraviolet light surface decontamination in hospital rooms: A primer
Authors: Boyce John M. , Donskey Curtis J. 
Published: June 2019

AbstractOngoing challenges in maintaining optimum manual cleaning and disinfection of hospital rooms have created increased interest in “no-touch” decontamination technologies including the use of ultraviolet light (UV). Trials have shown that some UV devices can decrease surface contamination and reduce healthcare-associated infections. Despite substantial marketing of these devices for use in healthcare settings, few data are available regarding the doses of UV-C necessary to yield desired reductions in healthcare pathogens and the ability of mobile devices to deliver adequate doses to various surfaces in patient rooms. This review summarizes the physical aspects of UV that affect the doses delivered to surfaces, the UV-C doses needed to yield 3 log10reductions of several important healthcare-associated pathogens, the doses of UV-C that can be achieved in various locations in patient rooms using mobile UV-C devices, and methods for measuring UV doses delivered to surfaces.
Hegemonic dividend and workforce diversity: The case of ‘biat’ and meritocracy in nation branding in Turkey
Authors: Ozbilgin Mustafa F. , Yalkin Cagri 
Published: June 2019

AbstractWe introduce and explore the notion of hegemonic dividend in the context of a country which does not have hierarchy attenuating means such as legal measures to protect workforce diversity. This paper explains the consequences of two hierarchy enhancing ideologies on workforce diversity in Turkey; meritocracy, an ideology that privileges merit, and ‘biat’, an ideology of subservience to the structures of power. We illustrate how these two ideologies operate as a duality, as meritocracy vanes with dire circumstances for workforce diversity in nation-branding efforts of Turkey. Drawing on Bourdieu and Gramsci, we illustrate hegemonic dividend in the increasingly hegemonic system in which journalism, as a state apparatus, is embedded in Turkey, where privileged few are sustaining and advancing their positions of power by appealing to and submitting themselves to the revisioned nation brand. We focus on the news industry as it commands a special position of power in terms of creating, modifying and controlling the discourses of a nation brand. We argue that failing to protect and promote workforce diversity with hierarchy attenuating measures exposes nation branding practices to discriminatory and hierarchy enhancing ideologies that negate efforts to achieve humanisation and democratisation of work.