bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy: how low does the mesh go?
Authors: Wong V. , Guzman Rojas R. , Shek K. L. , Chou D. , Moore K. H. , Dietz H. P. 
Published: February 2016

ABSTRACTObjectiveLaparoscopic sacrocolpopexy is becoming an increasingly popular surgical approach for repair of apical vaginal prolapse. The aim of this study was to document the postoperative anterior mesh position after laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy and to investigate the relationship between mesh location and anterior compartment support.MethodsThis was an external audit of patients who underwent laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy for apical prolapse ≥ Stage 2 or advanced prolapse ≥ Stage 3, between January 2005 and June 2012. All patients were assessed with a standardized interview, clinical assessment using the International Continence Society Pelvic Organ Prolapse quantification and four‐dimensional transperineal ultrasound to evaluate pelvic organ support and mesh location. Mesh position was assessed with respect to the symphysis pubis whilst distal mesh mobility was assessed using the formula √[(XValsalva – Xrest)2 + (YValsalva – Yrest)2], where X is the horizontal distance and Y is the vertical distance between the mesh and the inferior symphyseal margin, measured at rest and on Valsalva.ResultsNinety‐seven women were assessed at a mean follow‐up of 3.01 (range, 0.13–6.87) years after laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy, 88% (85/97) of whom considered themselves to be cured or improved, and none had required reoperation. On clinical examination, prolapse recurrence in the apical compartment was not diagnosed in any patient; however, 60 (62%) had recurrence in the anterior compartment and 43 (44%) in the posterior compartment. On ultrasound examination, mesh was visualized in the anterior compartment in 60 patients. Both mesh position and mobility on Valsalva were significantly associated with recurrent cystocele on clinical and on ultrasound assessment (all P < 0.01). For every mm that the mesh was located further from the bladder neck on Valsalva, the likelihood of cystocele recurrence increased by 6–7%.ConclusionAt an average follow‐up of 3 years, laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy was highly effective for apical support; however, cystocele recurrence was common despite an emphasis on anterior mesh extension. Prolapse recurrence seemed to be related to mesh position and mobility, suggesting that the lower the mesh is from the bladder neck, the lower the likelihood of anterior compartment prolapse recurrence. Copyright © 2016 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
The Integration of Noninvasive Prenatal Screening into the Existing Prenatal Paradigm: a Survey of Current Genetic Counseling Practice
Authors: Suskin Emily , Hercher Laura , Aaron Kathleen Erskine , Bajaj Komal 
Published: February 2016

AbstractSince its introduction four years ago, noninvasive prenatal screening for fetal aneuploidy (NIPS) has been widely adopted as a screening tool for women at a high risk for fetal aneuploidy. As use expands into the general population, questions arise concerning the integration of NIPS into preexisting screening paradigms. This study aims to examine the use of NIPS in current practice among prenatal counselors, predominantly in the United States, in order to inform strategies for the optimal use of both new and existing screening techniques. We electronically surveyed 208 members of the National Society of Genetic Counselors to ascertain how NIPS is currently being used. Genetic counselors were also queried as to the advantages and disadvantages of offering NIPS to all patients regardless of a priori risk. Results indicate substantial variation in practice regarding which patients are offered NIPS and how counselors have incorporated this technology into existing screening routines. The majority of participants report offering NIPS in conjunction with another method of screening for fetal aneuploidy, indicating that NIPS is being used as an addition rather than as a replacement. These screening methods primarily include nuchal translucency (NT) (45.1 %, n = 78) and first trimester serum screening, with or without an NT (19.7 %, n = 34). Furthermore, the majority report that they would be concerned about losing the clinical value of an NT in a complete transition to NIPS (85.4 %, n = 164). Counselors are evenly split on the merits of expanding the use of NIPS to the general population (con: 55.3 %, n = 105; pro: 44.7 %, n = 85). The lack of consensus suggests that updated practice guidelines might benefit counselors. In addition, respondents emphasized the need to better educate patients and providers about the risks, benefits, and limitations of the test.
Estimation of the Performance of the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) Using Uniaxial Compressive Strength and Rock Mass Rating Classification (RMR) – A Case Study from the Deccan Traps, India
Authors: Jain P. , Naithani A. K. , Singh T. N. 
Published: February 2016

Abstract:
The competency of any TBM in any geological condition is determined by a rock or rock mass breakage process. A 12.24 km long tunnel between Maroshi and Ruparel College was excavated by Brihanmumbai municipal corporation (BMC) to improve water supply system of greater Mumbai, India, using open-type hard rock tunnel boring machines (TBMs). In this paper an attempt has been made to establish the relationship between rock mass characteristics i.e. RMR and UCS of the Deccan trap rocks and TBMs performance characteristics for 5.83 km long Maroshi–Vakola tunnel section of the Maroshi–Ruparel college tunnel project. To analyze the effect of variable rock mass conditions on the TBM performance, the operating parameters i.e. thrust force, torque and RPM of the machine, were recorded and intact rock strength was determined. The effect of rock mass properties on machine penetration rate (PR) and the relation with other operational parameters were analyzed. The rock strength affects the rock behaviour under compression. When the rolling cutters indent the rock, the stress exerted must be higher than the rock strength i.e.; the rock strength is directly relevant to the performance of TBM. Studies show that the penetration rate decreases with increase in uniaxial compressive strength (UCS). The comparison of measured penetration rate with empirical model developed by Graham, in which, the penetration rate is computed using UCS and average thrust per cutter, showed good agreement with coefficient of determination (R2), i.e. 0.97. The study shows that the TBM performance was maximum in rock mass rating (RMR) range from 40 to 75, while slower penetration was recorded both in very poor and very good rock masses.
1D Geoelectrical Resistivity Survey for Groundwater Studies in Coastal Area: A Case Study from Pearl City, Tamil Nadu
Authors: Selvam S. 
Published: February 2016

Abstract:
Geoelectrical resistivity method involving vertical electrical sounding (VES) was carried out in a sedimentary environment to determine the suitability of the method for sub-surface groundwater investigations. The EC and TDS hydrochemical data in the study area clearly showed the influence of seawater intrusion. The abundance of the major cations and anions are in the following order, Na+ &gt; Ca2+ &gt; Mg 2+ &gt; K+ = Cl− &gt; HCO3− &gt; SO42− &gt; CO3 &gt; NO3 &gt; PO4. Results suggest that the groundwater in this study area is very hard and alkaline in nature. As indicated by Piper trilinear diagram, NaCl and Ca2+ - Mg2+ – Cl− - SO42- facies are the dominant hydrochemical facies in the groundwater of Pearl city. The VES method by Schlamberger electrode array was applied in 12 locations, which is expected to represent the whole area. The resistivity meter (aquameter CRM 5OO) was used to collect the VES data by employing a Schlumberger electrode configuration, with half current electrode spacing (AB/2) ranging from 2 to 180 m and the potential electrode (MN) from 1 to 50 m. The resistivity data is then interpreted by WINSEV 1-D inversion program geoelectric software to entirely describe the aquifer system as well as the occurrence of groundwater. The outputs of sub-surface layers with resistivities and thickness presented in contour maps and 2-D views by using SURFER software were created. Accordingly, three zones with different resistivity values were detected, corresponding to three different formations: (1) a transition zone of sandy soil (aeolian deposits) thick formation, (2) strata’s saturated with fresh groundwater in the east disturbed by the presence of sandy shell limestone horizons, (3) a water-bearing formation in the west containing low saltwater horizons. The bedrock is encountered at an average depth of 95m. This study indicates that the groundwater reservoirs are mainly confined to the alluvial aquifer.
Long-Term Trend Analysis of Water Table using ‘MAKESENS’ Model and Sustainability of Groundwater Resources in Drought Prone Barind Area, NW Bangladesh
Authors: Rahman ATM Sakiur , Kamruzzaman Md. , Jahan Chowdhury Sarwar , Mazumder Quamrul Hasan 
Published: February 2016

Abstract
In Bangladesh, agriculture plays a major role in the national economy. In the drought prone Barind area in NW Bangladesh, cropping intensity has increased almost double since late eighties of last century (from 1985) because of the introduction of groundwater irrigation. Long-term behavior of groundwater table (GWT) in the drought prone Barind area has been studied using MAKESENS model in the wake of massive installation of tube-wells. The study reveals that the maximum and minimum depths to GWT during 1991-2010 show on average declining trend of 4.51 m and 4.73 m. The long-term prediction for the period of 2020-50 assuming the current rate of groundwater withdrawal is that the declining trend will be 1.16 to 1.59 and 1.07 to 1.82 times more for maximum and minimum groundwater depths respectively in comparison to the present. The rigorous exploitation of groundwater for irrigation, decreasing rainfall and surface geological attributes lead towards declining trend of GWT. This will hamper the country’s food security and ultimately threaten its socio-economic sustainability. So the appropriate strategies for the management of groundwater resource on a sustainable basis should be the priority for maintaining agricultural productivity.
Application of Multi-criteria Decision Making Methods in Slope Stability Analysis of Open Pit Mines
Authors: Khakestar Marzieh Shademan , Hassani Hossein , Moarefvand Parvizz , Madani Hassan 
Published: February 2016

Abstract
Rock slope instabilities are a major hazard for human activities often causing economic losses, property damages and maintenance costs, as well as injuries or fatalities. For slope stability analysis of open pit mines, series of studies must be carried out in order to identify the criteria which should take into consideration. In this research geotechnical parameters; Geological Strength Index (GSI), Rock Quality Designation (RQD), Cohesion (C), angle of internal friction (φ), uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) and Rock mass deformation modulus (Em) which are obtained from data measured within geotechnical boreholes and pore pressure (U) are considered as the criteria to evaluate stability of pit No.1 of the Gole Gohar iron mine, located in Kerman province, south east of Iran. Since human judgments and preferences are often vague and complex and decision makers cannot estimate their preferences with an exact scale, we can only give linguistic assessments instead of exact ones. So fuzzy set theory introduced into Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). Fuzzy AHP (FAHP) is put forward to solve such uncertain problems. In this paper, FAHP method is used to determine the weights of the criteria by decision makers and then classification of the stability of blocks are determined by TOPSIS (Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution) method by the shortest distance to positive ideal solution (PIS) and the longest distance to negative ideal solution (NIS).
USING WEIGHTED DISTRIBUTIONS TO MODEL OPERATIONAL RISK
Authors: Afonso Lourdes B. , Corte Real Pedro 
Published: February 2016

AbstractThe quantification of operational risk has to deal with various concerns regarding data, much more than other types of risk which banks and insurers are obliged to manage. One of the main questions that worries both researchers and practitioners is the bias in the data on the operational losses amounts recorded. We support the assertions made by several authors and defend that this concern is serious when modeling operational losses data and, typically, is presented in all the databases. We show that it's possible, based on mild assumptions on the internal procedures put in place to manage operational losses, to make parametric inference using loss data statistics, that is, to estimate the parameters for the losses amounts, taking in consideration the bias that, not being considered, generates a two fold error in the estimators for the mean loss amount and the total loss amount, the former being overvalued and the last undervalued. In this paper, we do not consider the existence of a threshold for which, all losses above, are reported and available for analysis and estimation procedures. In this sense, we follow a different approach to the parametric inference. Here, we consider that the probability that a loss is reported and ends up recorded for analysis, increases with the size of the loss, what causes the bias in the database but, at the same time, we do not consider the existence of a threshold, above which, all losses are recorded. Hence, no loss has probability one of being recorded, in what we defend is a realist framework. We deduce the general formulae, present simulations for common theoretical distributions used to model (operational reported) losses amounts, estimate the impact for not considering the bias factor when estimating the value at risk and estimate the true total operational losses the bank incurred.
Experimental and computational studies of the aerodynamic performance of a flapping and passively rotating insect wing
Authors: Chen Yufeng , Gravish Nick , Desbiens Alexis Lussier , Malka Ronit , Wood Robert J. 
Published: February 2016

Flapping wings are important in many biological and bioinspired systems. Here, we investigate the fluid mechanics of flapping wings that possess a single flexible hinge allowing passive wing pitch rotation under load. We perform experiments on an insect-scale (${\approx}1$ cm wing span) robotic flapper and compare the results with a quasi-steady dynamical model and a coupled fluid–structure computational fluid dynamics model. In experiments we measure the time varying kinematics, lift force and two-dimensional velocity fields of the induced flow from particle image velocimetry. We find that increasing hinge stiffness leads to advanced wing pitching, which is beneficial towards lift force production. The classical quasi-steady model gives an accurate prediction of passive wing pitching if the relative phase difference between the wing stroke and the pitch kinematics,${\it\delta}$, is small. However, the quasi-steady model cannot account for the effect of${\it\delta}$on leading edge vortex (LEV) growth and lift generation. We further explore the relationships between LEV, lift force, drag force and wing kinematics through experiments and numerical simulations. We show that the wing kinematics and flapping efficiency depend on the stiffness of a passive compliant hinge. Our dual approach of running at-scale experiments and numerical simulations gives useful guidelines for choosing wing hinge stiffnesses that lead to efficient flapping.
The Origin and Evolution of Transition Discs: Successes, Problems, and Open Questions
Authors: Owen James E. 
Published: February 2016

AbstractTransition discs are protoplanetary discs that show evidence for large holes or wide gaps (with widths comparable to their radii) in their dust component. These discs could be giving us clues about the disc destruction mechanism or hints about the location and time-scales for the formation of planets. However, at the moment there remain key gaps in our theoretical understanding. The vast majority of transition discs are accreting onto their central stars, indicating that—at least close to the star—dust has been depleted from the gas by a very large amount. In this review, we discuss evidence for two distinct populations of transition discs: mm-faint—those with low mm-fluxes, small holes (≲ 10 AU), and low accretion rates (~ 10−10 − 10−9 M⊙ yr−1) and mm-bright—discs with large mm-fluxes, large holes (≳ 20 AU), and high accretion rates ~ 10−8 M⊙ yr−1. MM-faint transition discs are consistent with what would naively be expected from a disc undergoing dispersal; however, mm-bright discs are not, and are likely to be rare and long-lived objects. We discuss the two commonly proposed mechanisms for creating transition discs: photoevaporation and planet–disc interactions, with a particular emphasis on how they would evolve in these models, comparing these predictions to the observed population. More theoretical work on explaining the lack of optically thick, non-accreting transition discs is required in both the photoevaporation and planetary hypothesis, before we can start to use transition discs to constrain models of planet formation. Finally, we suggest that the few discs with primordial looking spectral energy distribution, but serendipitously imaged showing large cavities in the mm (e.g. MWC758 and WSB 60) may represent a hidden population of associated objects. Characterising and understanding how these objects fit into the overall paradigm may allow us to unravel the mystery of transition discs.
Invalidation of the Intracavity Optogalvanic Method for Radiocarbon Detection
Authors: Carson Cantwell G , Stute Martin , Ji Yinghuang , Polle Roseline , Reboul Arthur , Lackner Klaus S 
Published: February 2016

AbstractThe intracavity optogalvanic spectroscopy (ICOGS) method has been reported to quantify radiocarbon at subambient levels (<1 part per trillion). ICOGS uses a gas sample that is ionized in a low-pressure glow discharge located inside a 14CO2 laser cavity to detect changes in the discharge current under periodic modulation of the laser power to determine the 14CO2 concentration of the sample. When claims of detection thresholds below ambient levels were not verified by other researchers, we constructed a theoretical analysis to resolve differences between these conflicting reports and built and tested an ICOGS system to establish a lower limit of detection. Using a linear absorbance model of the background contribution of 12CO2 and data from the HITRAN database, we estimate that the limit of detection (3σx) is close to 1.5×104 Modern. By measuring a 1.5×104 Modern enriched CO2 sample in a cavity modulation ICOGS system without a clear signal, we conclude that for this system the limit of detection for ICOGS must be above 1.5×104. The implications for previous ICOGS reports are discussed.
Comparative Company Law: New Perspectives
Authors: Hornstein George D. 
Published: February 2016

It is a signal honour to have been invited to lecture at this world-renowned University—located, as some geographers would have it, at the very centre of the world. Certainly all eyes are concentrated on it at the moment. And it is an exhilarating thought that perhaps this new Law Centre will generate new legal approaches which we all seek, far transcending the limited legal problem and its solutions which we discuss tonight.Let me say at once that in comparing Israeli and United States company law, I speak about your half of the subject—Israeli law—with much diffidence, although I am emboldened by the realization that every student of comparative law inevitably feels somewhat insecure in his grasp of law outside his own country. Still when I pondered what would be the most useful area for this lecture, I was struck by a fundamental similarity—for although we are separated geographically by half the world, the basic concerns of corporate investors are the same the world over: (1) an agreed-upon allocation of the rewards, if the corporate venture prove successful, and (2) control over management of the enterprise into which they have put their capital. Of first concern then is the law governing the corporate structure since this is what determines the investors' financial and voting rights, and secondly, the law protecting the investor against an unresponsive or irresponsible management. The legal sanctions here involved—statute law or case law—are a matter of concern to foreign capital. The reaction of foreign investors should be of special interest to you because Israel's social, economic, and political goals cannot be achieved without a substantial influx of capital investment from the outside. Foreign investors can operate either through foreign corporations doing business in Israel or through Israeli-formed companies. Tonight, because of time limitations, we confine ourselves to Israeli-formed companies. Other problems for a foreign investor, such as foreign exchange controls, do merit more than passing reference—but we cannot take time to elaborate them.
Criminal Jurisdiction Over Aircraft Hijacking.
Authors: Dinstein Yoram 
Published: February 2016

Aircraft hijacking projects a vexing problem of criminal jurisdiction. In order to comprehend the ramifications of the problem fully let us take a model case. Suppose that the control over a commercial aircraft—registered in Brazil and leased to an Israeli airline—is forcibly seized, in the course of flight over France, by an Arab nationalist who is a citizen of Jordan, and the aircraft is hijacked to Algeria. The act described is an international offence, as defined by Article 1 of the 1970 Hague Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Seizure of Aircraft:
Any person who on board an aircraft in flight:
(a) unlawfully, by force or threat thereof, or by any other form of intimidation, seizes, or exercises control of, that aircraft, or attempts to perform any such act, or
(b) is an accomplice of a person who performs or attempts to perform any such act
commits an offence (hereinafter referred to as ‘the offence’).
Insider Trading in Israel and England, Part II
Authors: Yoran Aharon 
Published: February 2016

It is submitted that even if the hapless outsider cannot bring an action for damages because of the existing state of the law regarding fiduciary duties and breach of statutory duties, he still has an equitable remedy of rescission of the contract based on quasi-contractual principles. The crime of fraud, under secs. 13 and 54, respectively, would be made the basis of setting the contract (of sale or purchase) aside. To support this proposition we shall explore the quasi-contractual principles which enable one contracting party, the victim of a crime committed by the other party in entering the contract, to defeat this contract.In Browning v. Morris, in an oft-quoted statement by Lord Mansfield, the following principle was declared: But, where contracts or transactions are prohibited by positive statutes, for protecting one set of men from another set of men; the one, from their situation and condition, being liable to be oppressed or imposed upon by the other; there, the parties are not in pan delicto; and in furtherance of these statutes, the person injured, after the transaction is finished and completed, may bring an action and defeat the contract.