bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
V50 Ballistic Performance of Unidirectional Woven Basalt Fiber Laminated Composites
Authors: David N. V. , Roslan M. J. Jori , Amri M. Qhairul , Ryan I. Joel , Sundram Raja 
Published: January 2018

Ballistic fabrics made from high performance fibers such as para-aramid (synthetic) and basalt (natural) fibers, and composites utilizing these fabrics, are among the leading materials for soft body armor systems. Modern military and other law enforcement operations are technology-driven with weapons and ammunition that demand a flexible, damage- and moisture-resistant, and lightweight ballistic fabrics with superior energy absorbing capacity. Basalt fibers, which are extracted from igneous volcanic rocks, are natural fibers with mechanical and thermo-physical properties that are generally comparable or superior to glass and other synthetic fibers at a lower cost. This gives basalt-based composites an edge over contemporary materials for potential application as anti-ballistic body armor. The aim of the present study is to experimentally determine the V50 performance and penetration resistance of unidirectional woven basalt fiber laminated composites with three different combinations of ply orientations [0°, 45° and 90°] at both CW and CCW directions and number of layers namely, B1 (7 layers), B2 (12 layers) and B3 (16 layers). The V50 performance test was conducted in accordance to the MIL-STD-662F standard using the Universal Test Gun (Prototypa UZ-2002). The V50 ballistic velocity is computed based on a minimum of six shots including three complete penetrations (CP) and three partial penetrations. The MIL-STD-662F standard stipulates that the value of ballistic limit protection should be less than 38 m/s for the purpose of computing V50. The V50 value for sample B1, that yielded to CP at 192 m/s and 172 m/s clean through to the witness plate, could not be determined. The V50 for samples B2 and B3 are 117 m/s and 153 m/s, respectively.
The optimum number of layers of the basalt fabric to sustain the reference penetration velocity of 367 m/s corresponding to threat Level II of the NIJ Standard-0101.04 is calculated for each specimen for further study. The tensile properties and Shore-D hardness levels of the three samples are also measured and reported.
Deterministic Hazard Assessment for Petroleum Refinery Products Storage Tanks: Case Study of Tabriz Refinery
Authors: Pourghafari Mohammad , Pourgol-Mohammad Mohammad , Alizadeh Reza , Raheli Kaleibar Mojtaba , Soleimani Morteza 
Published: January 2018

The importance of safety regulations and risk assessments in the chemical process of industry has been doubled by the increasing number of accidents in petroleum storage facilities. Control of critical situations and conditions against risks require appropriate planning, collection of valid information of possible scenarios and utilization of proper assessment techniques.
In this study, by combining numerical simulation techniques, mathematical and experimental data and utilization of commercial software, the risks of a Tabriz refinery gasoline tank (as a case study) are investigated for a total release of the reservoir scenario within a specified period of time, as the worst case. The effect of the environment temperature is evaluated on the progression of the scenario. Based on comparison of the results of numerical simulations of pool fire, and vapor cloud explosion with simulation results based on empirical-mathematical models, it can be concluded that, there are significant differences between the results in the vicinity of the boundary conditions; however, with increasing distance from the center of the accident point, this difference decreases markedly.
Validation of a Methodology to Implement Lean Production in Textile and Clothing Industry
Authors: Costa Maia Laura , Alves Anabela C. , Leão Celina P. , Eira Rubén 
Published: January 2018

Lean Production is considered a management methodology that has been implemented in many industries and services. Nevertheless, Lean experts know that this is not only a management methodology; it is more a philosophy and a new way of life. This is the reason why it is difficult to implement but, even worst, to be successful and to be sustainable. A continuous effort of improvement must always be kept in mind. Attending to these factors, it is important to have a methodology that helps to implement Lean Production effectively. This methodology could be different from industry to industry in order to model the differences between them and, most important, to assure its sustainability.
This paper presents the validation of one such methodology for the Textile and Clothing Industry (TCI), based on three case studies (three Textile and Clothing companies located in North of Portugal). To validate it, different field procedures instruments such as interviews, questionnaires, and checklists were used. With these instruments, some validation results of the methodology were obtained, mainly, related with the diagnosis phase of Lean implementation. Results of two case studies were published in previous papers, being the results of a third case presented in this paper. Also, an analysis and discussion of the three case studies results, regarding their attitudes and difficulties are presented.
New Shuttle Vectors for Gene Cloning and Expression in Multidrug-Resistant Acinetobacter Species
Authors: Lucidi Massimiliano , Runci Federica , Rampioni Giordano , Frangipani Emanuela , Leoni Livia , Visca Paolo 
Published: January 2018

ABSTRACT

Understanding bacterial pathogenesis requires adequate genetic tools to assess the role of individual virulence determinants by mutagenesis and complementation assays, as well as for homologous and heterologous expression of cloned genes. Our knowledge of
Acinetobacter baumannii
pathogenesis has so far been limited by the scarcity of genetic tools to manipulate multidrug-resistant (MDR) epidemic strains, which are responsible for most infections. Here, we report on the construction of new multipurpose shuttle plasmids, namely, pVRL1 and pVRL2, which can efficiently replicate in
Acinetobacter
spp. and in
Escherichia coli
. The pVRL1 plasmid has been constructed by combining (i) the cryptic plasmid pWH1277 from
Acinetobacter calcoaceticus
, which provides an origin of replication for
Acinetobacter
spp.; (ii) a ColE1-like origin of replication; (iii) the gentamicin or zeocin resistance cassette for antibiotic selection; and (iv) a multilinker containing several unique restriction sites. Modification of pVRL1 led to the generation of the pVRL2 plasmid, which allows arabinose-inducible gene transcription with an undetectable basal expression level of cloned genes under uninduced conditions and a high dynamic range of responsiveness to the inducer. Both pVRL1 and pVRL2 can easily be selected in MDR
A. baumannii
, have a narrow host range and a high copy number, are stably maintained in
Acinetobacter
spp., and appear to be compatible with indigenous plasmids carried by epidemic strains. Plasmid maintenance is guaranteed by the presence of a toxin-antitoxin system, providing more insights into the mechanism of plasmid stability in
Acinetobacter
spp.
Microbial Diversity and Putative Opportunistic Pathogens in Dishwasher Biofilm Communities
Authors: Raghupathi Prem Krishnan , Zupančič Jerneja , Brejnrod Asker Daniel , Jacquiod Samuel , Houf Kurt , Burmølle Mette , Gunde-Cimerman Nina , Sørensen Søren J. 
Published: January 2018

ABSTRACT

Extreme habitats are not only limited to natural environments, but also exist in manmade systems, for instance, household appliances such as dishwashers. Limiting factors, such as high temperatures, high and low pHs, high NaCl concentrations, presence of detergents, and shear force from water during washing cycles, define microbial survival in this extreme system. Fungal and bacterial diversity in biofilms isolated from rubber seals of 24 different household dishwashers was investigated using next-generation sequencing. Bacterial genera such as
Pseudomonas
,
Escherichia
, and
Acinetobacter
, known to include opportunistic pathogens, were represented in most samples. The most frequently encountered fungal genera in these samples belonged to
Candida
,
Cryptococcus
, and
Rhodotorula
, also known to include opportunistic pathogenic representatives. This study showed how specific conditions of the dishwashers impact the abundance of microbial groups and investigated the interkingdom and intrakingdom interactions that shape these biofilms. The age, usage frequency, and hardness of incoming tap water of dishwashers had significant impact on bacterial and fungal community compositions. Representatives of
Candida
spp. were found at the highest prevalence (100%) in all dishwashers and are assumed to be one of the first colonizers in recently purchased dishwashers. Pairwise correlations in tested microbiomes showed that certain bacterial groups cooccur, as did the fungal groups. In mixed bacterial-fungal biofilms, early adhesion, contact, and interactions were vital in the process of biofilm formation, where mixed complexes of bacteria and fungi could provide a preliminary biogenic structure for the establishment of these biofilms.

IMPORTANCE
Worldwide demand for household appliances, such as dishwashers and washing machines, is increasing, as is the number of immunocompromised individuals. The harsh conditions in household dishwashers should prevent the growth of most microorganisms. However, our research shows that persisting polyextremotolerant groups of microorganisms in household appliances are well established under these unfavorable conditions and supported by the biofilm mode of growth. The significance of our research is in identifying the microbial composition of biofilms formed on dishwasher rubber seals, how diverse abiotic conditions affect microbiota, and which key microbial members were represented in early colonization and contamination of dishwashers, as these appliances can present a source of domestic cross-contamination that leads to broader medical impacts.
High-Quality Whole-Genome Sequences for 21 Enterotoxigenic
Escherichia coli
Strains Generated with PacBio Sequencing
Authors: Smith Peyton , Lindsey Rebecca L. , Rowe Lori A. , Batra Dhwani , Stripling Devon , Garcia-Toledo Lisley , Drapeau Daniel , Knipe Kristen , Strockbine Nancy 
Published: January 2018

ABSTRACT

Enterotoxigenic
Escherichia coli
(ETEC) is an important diarrheagenic pathogen. We report here the high-quality whole-genome sequences of 21 ETEC strains isolated from patients in the United States, international diarrheal surveillance studies, and cruise ship outbreaks.
Draft Whole-Genome Sequence of
Deinococcus
sp. UR1, a Putative Novel Species Isolated from an External Stainless Steel Surface in the Canadian Prairies
Authors: Suchan Danae M. , Steve Joel J. , Pierce Alexa J. , Olshefsky Stephen C. , Kirzinger Morgan W. B. , Perry Benjamin J. , Cameron Andrew D. S. , Yost Christopher K. 
Published: January 2018

ABSTRACT

Deinococcus
sp. strain UR1, a resilient bacterium isolated from the surface of a stainless steel sign located on the University of Regina campus in Saskatchewan, Canada, was sequenced to 56-fold coverage to produce 73 contigs with a consensus length of 4,472,838 bp and a G+C content of 69.37%.
First Draft Genome Sequences of Two
Bartonella tribocorum
Strains from Laos and Cambodia
Authors: Hadjadj Linda , Jiyipong Tawisa , Bittar Fadi , Morand Serge , Rolain Jean-Marc 
Published: January 2018

ABSTRACT

Bartonella tribocorum
is a Gram-negative bacterium known to infect animals, and rodents in particular, throughout the world. In this report, we present the draft genome sequences of two strains of
B. tribocorum
isolated from the blood of a rodent in Laos and a shrew in Cambodia.
Childhood asthma prevalence: cross-sectional record linkage study comparing parent-reported wheeze with general practitioner-recorded asthma diagnoses from primary care electronic health records in Wales
Authors: Griffiths Lucy J , Lyons Ronan A , Bandyopadhyay Amrita , Tingay Karen S , Walton Suzanne , Cortina-Borja Mario , Akbari Ashley , Bedford Helen , Dezateux Carol 
Published: January 2018

IntroductionElectronic health records (EHRs) are increasingly used to estimate the prevalence of childhood asthma. The relation of these estimates to those obtained from parent-reported wheezing suggestive of asthma is unclear. We hypothesised that parent-reported wheezing would be more prevalent than general practitioner (GP)-recorded asthma diagnoses in preschool-aged children.Methods1529 of 1840 (83%) Millennium Cohort Study children registered with GPs in the Welsh Secure Anonymised Information Linkage databank were linked. Prevalences of parent-reported wheezing and GP-recorded asthma diagnoses in the previous 12 months were estimated, respectively, from parent report at ages 3, 5, 7 and 11 years, and from Read codes for asthma diagnoses and prescriptions based on GP EHRs over the same time period. Prevalences were weighted to account for clustered survey design and non-response. Cohen’s kappa statistics were used to assess agreement.ResultsParent-reported wheezing was more prevalent than GP-recorded asthma diagnoses at 3 and 5 years. Both diminished with age: by age 11, prevalences of parent-reported wheezing and GP-recorded asthma diagnosis were 12.9% (95% CI 10.6 to 15.4) and 10.9% (8.8 to 13.3), respectively (difference: 2% (−0.5 to 4.5)). Other GP-recorded respiratory diagnoses accounted for 45.7% (95% CI 37.7 to 53.9) and 44.8% (33.9 to 56.2) of the excess in parent-reported wheezing at ages 3 and 5 years, respectively.ConclusionParent-reported wheezing is more prevalent than GP-recorded asthma diagnoses in the preschool years, and this difference diminishes in primary school-aged children. Further research is needed to evaluate the implications of these differences for the characterisation of longitudinal childhood asthma phenotypes from EHRs.
Fetal and early life antibiotics exposure and very early onset inflammatory bowel disease: a population-based study
Authors: Örtqvist Anne K , Lundholm Cecilia , Halfvarson Jonas , Ludvigsson Jonas F , Almqvist Catarina 
Published: January 2018

ObjectiveEarlier studies on antibiotics exposure and development of IBD (Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC)) may have been biased by familial factors and gastroenteritis. We aimed to estimate the association between antibiotics during pregnancy or infantile age and very early onset (VEO) IBD.DesignIn this cohort study of 827 239 children born in Sweden between 2006 and 2013, we examined the link between exposure to systemic antibiotics and VEO-IBD (diagnosis <6 years of age), using Cox proportional hazard regression models. Information on antibiotics and IBD was retrieved from the nationwide population-based Swedish Prescribed Drug Register and the National Patient Register. We specifically examined potential confounding from parental IBD and gastroenteritis.ResultsChildren exposed to antibiotics during pregnancy were at increased risk of IBD compared with general population controls (adjusted HR (aHR) 1.93; 95% CI 1.06 to 3.50). Corresponding aHRs were 2.48 (95% CI 1.01 to 6.08) for CD and 1.25 (95% CI 0.47 to 3.26) for UC, respectively. For antibiotics in infantile age, the aHR for IBD was 1.11 (95% CI 0.57 to 2.15); for CD 0.72 (95% CI 0.27 to 1.92) and 1.23 (95% CI 0.45 to 3.39) for UC. Excluding children with gastroenteritis 12 months prior to the first IBD diagnosis retained similar aHR for antibiotics during pregnancy and CD, while the association no longer remained significant for IBD.ConclusionWe found that exposure to antibiotics during pregnancy, but not in infantile age, is associated with an increased risk of VEO-IBD regardless of gastroenteritis. The risk increase for exposure in pregnancy may be due to changes in the microbiota.
Radiation exposure, and procedure and fluoroscopy times in endovascular treatment of intracranial aneurysms: a methodological comparison
Authors: Cheung Nicholas K , Boutchard Michelle , Carr Michael W , Froelich Jens J 
Published: January 2018

BackgroundLimited data are available for radiation exposure, and procedure and fluoroscopy times in neuroendovascular treatment (NET) strategies.ObjectiveThis study establishes and compares related parameters between coil embolization (COIL), balloon assisted coil embolization (BAC), stent assisted coil embolization (SAC), and flow diverting technology (FDT) in NET of intracranial aneurysms.Materials and methodsBetween 2010 and 2017, 249 consecutive intracranial aneurysms underwent NET at a single center, all performed by the same operator. Dose area products (DAP), and procedure and fluoroscopy times were recorded and compared between COIL, BAC, SAC, and FDT techniques. Differences in parameters between cohorts were analyzed for significance using the Mann–Whitney U test, unpaired t test and χ2test. Additional subgroup analysis was performed for emergency and elective cases.Results83 aneurysms were treated with COIL (33%), 72 with BAC (29%), 61 with SAC (25%), and 33 with FDT (13%). Baseline characteristics were largely similar within these groups (P>0.05). Among COIL, BAC, and FDT cohorts, no significant difference was found for mean DAP, or procedure and fluoroscopy times (P>0.05). However, compared with all other cohorts, SAC was associated with a significantly higher DAP and longer procedure and fluoroscopy times (P<0.005). No significant difference was recorded for emergency and elective case subgroups.ConclusionCompared with other NET strategies, SAC was associated with a significantly higher DAP, and longer procedure and fluoroscopy times. This study provides an initial dataset regarding radiation exposure, and procedure and fluoroscopy times for common NET, and may assist ALARA (As Low As Reasonably Achievable) principles to reduce radiation risks.
A Study on Garbage Collection Algorithms for Big Data Environments
Authors: Bruno Rodrigo , Ferreira Paulo 
Published: January 2018

The need to process and store massive amounts of data—Big Data—is a reality. In areas such as scientific experiments, social networks management, credit card fraud detection, targeted advertisement, and financial analysis, massive amounts of information are generated and processed daily to extract valuable, summarized information. Due to its fast development cycle (i.e., less expensive to develop), mainly because of automatic memory management, and rich community resources, managed object-oriented programming languages (e.g., Java) are the first choice to develop Big Data platforms (e.g., Cassandra, Spark) on which such Big Data applications are executed.
However, automatic memory management comes at a cost. This cost is introduced by the garbage collector, which is responsible for collecting objects that are no longer being used. Although current (classic) garbage collection algorithms may be applicable to small-scale applications, these algorithms are not appropriate for large-scale Big Data environments, as they do not scale in terms of throughput and pause times.
In this work, current Big Data platforms and their memory profiles are studied to understand why classic algorithms (which are still the most commonly used) are not appropriate, and also to analyze recently proposed and relevant memory management algorithms, targeted to Big Data environments. The scalability of recent memory management algorithms is characterized in terms of throughput (improves the throughput of the application) and pause time (reduces the latency of the application) when compared to classic algorithms. The study is concluded by presenting a taxonomy of the described works and some open problems, with regard to Big Data memory management, that could be addressed in future works.
Electrophysiological correlates of incidentally learned expectations in human vision
Authors: Hall Michelle G. , Mattingley Jason B. , Dux Paul E. 
Published: January 2018

The human visual system is remarkably sensitive to environmental regularities, which can facilitate behavioral performance when sensory events conform to past experience. The point at which prior knowledge is integrated during visual perception is unclear, particularly for incidentally learned associations. One possibility is that expectation shapes neural activity prospectively, in an anticipatory fashion, allowing prior knowledge to affect the earliest stages of sensory processing. Alternatively, cognitive processes underlying object recognition and conflict detection may be necessary precursors, constraining effects to later stages of processing. Here we used electroencephalography (EEG) to uncover neural activity that distinguishes between visual stimuli that match prior exposure and those that deviate from it. Participants identified visual targets that were associated with possible target locations; each location was associated with a high-probability target and a low-probability target. Alongside a behavioral cost for stimuli that had occurred infrequently at a cued location compared with those that had occurred frequently, we observed a focal modulation of the evoked EEG response at 250 ms after target onset. Relative to likely targets, unlikely targets evoked an enhanced negativity at midline frontal electrodes, and individual differences in the magnitude of this effect were correlated with the response time difference between likely and unlikely targets. In contrast, the evoked response at the latency of the P1, a correlate of early sensory processing, was indistinguishable for likely and unlikely targets. Together, these results point to postperceptual processes as a key stage at which experience modulates visual processing. NEW & NOTEWORTHY We combined electroencephalography with an incidental learning paradigm to investigate whether prior knowledge of environmental regularities modulates visual processing at early or late stages of sensory analysis. Our results reveal that modulations of neural activity arising at midlevel processing stages predict behavioral costs for unexpected stimuli rather than effects at early stages of sensory encoding.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Symptoms are Common in Patients in Opioid Maintenance Treatment
Authors: Fiksdal Abel Kristine , Ravndal Edle , Clausen Thomas , Bramness Jørgen G. 
Published: January 2018

<b><i>Introduction and Aims:</i></b> Knowledge of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms among patients in opioid maintenance treatment (OMT) is important for treatment optimization and yet limited. We investigated the prevalence of ADHD symptoms, and factors associated with high ADHD symptom burden in a group of Norwegian OMT patients. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> We interviewed individuals entering OMT across Norway in 2 steps between 2012 and 2016. ADHD symptoms were measured by the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS; <i>n</i> = 175). We compared 2 groups of individuals who scored above or below the clinical cutoff score. Mental distress was measured with the General Symptom Index (GSI) of the Hopkin’s Symptom Check-List-25. <b><i>Results:</i></b> A total of 33% of the OMT patients screened positively for ADHD on the ASRS. Participants who scored above the clinical cutoff were younger, and reported more severe substance use and mental distress. When controlling for other significant variables in a logistic regression analysis, scoring above cutoff on the ASRS was associated with higher GSI (OR 1.61; 95% CI 1.03–2.50) and use of stimulants (OR 2.55; 1.13–5.76). <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> ADHD symptoms were common in these OMT patients. High ADHD symptom burden was associated with higher mental distress and use of stimulants. This underlines a need of more systematic focus on ADHD in OMT to plan treatment accordingly.