Deficits on self ordered tasks associated with hyperostosis frontalis interna

A 74 year old patient, EW, with dorsolateral frontal cortical compression due to hyperostosis frontalis interna, in the absence of the Morgagni or Stewart-Morel syndromes, is described. In addition to conventional neuropsychological measures EW was administered one nonspatial and two spatial self ordered working memory tasks, as well as a standard measure of fluid intelligence or g. She showed impaired performance on all three self ordered working memory tasks compared with a normal control group of 10 subjects matched for age, education, sex, and IQ. By contrast, her performance on the fluid intelligence test was comparable with that of the controls. It is concluded that the compression of dorsolateral frontal cortex accompanying hyperostosis frontalis interna may produce selective cognitive impairment.

Fire design rules for load bearing cold-formed steel frame walls exposed to realistic design fire curves

Light gauge Steel Frame (LSF) walls are extensively used in the building industry due to the many advantages they provide over other wall systems. Although LSF walls have been used widely, fire design of LSF walls is based on approximate prescriptive methods based on limited fire tests. Also these fire tests were conducted using the standard fire curve [1] and the applicability of available design rules to realistic design fire curves has not been verified. This paper investigates the accuracy of existing fire design rules in the current cold-formed steel standards and the modifications proposed by previous researchers. Of these the recently developed design rules by Gunalan and Mahendran [2] based on Eurocode 3 Part 1.3 [3] and AS/NZS 4600 [4] for standard fire exposure [1] were investigated in detail to determine their applicability to predict the axial compression strengths and fire resistance ratings of LSF walls exposed to realistic design fire curves. This paper also presents the fire performance results of LSF walls exposed to a range of realistic fire curves obtained using a finite element analysis based parametric study. The results from the parametric study were used to develop a simplified design method based on the critical hot flange temperature to predict the fire resistance ratings of LSF walls exposed to realistic fire curves. Finally, the stud failure times (fire resistance rating) obtained from the fire design rules and the simplified design method were compared with parametric study results for LSF walls lined with single and double plasterboards, and externally insulated with rock fibres under realistic fire curves.

QoE modelling for VP9 and H.265 videos on mobile devices

Current mobile devices and streaming video services support high definition (HD) video, increasing expectation for more contents. HD video streaming generally requires large bandwidth, exerting pressures on existing networks. New generation of video compression codecs, such as VP9 and H.265/HEVC, are expected to be more effective for reducing bandwidth. Existing studies to measure the impact of its compression on users’ perceived quality have not been focused on mobile devices. Here we propose new Quality of Experience (QoE) models that consider both subjective and objective assessments of mobile video quality. We introduce novel predictors, such as the correlations between video resolution and size of coding unit, and achieve a high goodness-of-fit to the collected subjective assessment data (adjusted R-square >83%). The performance analysis shows that H.265 can potentially achieve 44% to 59% bit rate saving compared to H.264/AVC, slightly better than VP9 at 33% to 53%, depending on video content and resolution.

Development of a new design expression for the in-plane shear capacity of the partially grouted concrete masonry walls

Partially grouted masonry walls subjected to in-plane shear exhibit a complex behaviour because of the influence of the aspect ratio, the pre-compression, the grouting pattern, the ratios of the horizontal and the vertical reinforcements, the boundary conditions and the characteristics of the constituent materials. The existing in-plane shear expressions for the partially grouted masonry are formulated as sum of strength of three parameters, namely, the masonry, the reinforcement and the axial force. The parameter ‘masonry’ includes the wall aspect ratio and the masonry compressive strength; the aspect ratio of the unreinforced panel inscribed into the grouted cores and bond beams are not considered, although failure is often dominated by these unreinforced masonry panels. This paper describes the dominance of these panels, particularly those that are squat, to the shear capacity of whole of shear walls. Further, the current design formulae are shown highly un-conservative by many researchers; this paper provides a potential reason for this un-conservativeness. It is shown that by including an additional term of the unreinforced panel aspect ratio a rational design formula could be established. This new expression is validated with independent test results reported in the literature – both Australian and overseas; the predictions are shown to be conservative.

Systematic review and meta-analysis of the effects of exercise for those with cancer-related lymphedema

Objective: To evaluate the effects of exercise on cancer-related lymphedema and related symptoms, and to determine the need for those with lymphedema to wear compression during exercise. Data Sources: CINAHL, Cochrane, Ebscohost, MEDLINE, Pubmed, ProQuest Health and Medical Complete, ProQuest Nursing and Allied Health Source, Science Direct and SPORTDiscus databases were searched for trials published prior to 1 January, 2015. Study Selection: Randomised and non-randomised, controlled trials, and single group pre-post studies published in English-language were included. Twenty-one (exercise) and four (compression and exercise) studies met inclusion criteria. Data Extraction: Data was extracted into tabular format using predefined data fields by one reviewer and assessed for accuracy by a second reviewer. Study quality was evaluated using the Effective Public Health Practice Project assessment tool. Data Synthesis: Data was pooled using a random effects model to assess the effects of acute and long-term exercise on lymphedema and lymphedema-associated symptoms, with subgroup analyses for exercise mode and intervention length. There was no effect of exercise (acute or intervention) on lymphedema or associated symptoms with standardised mean differences from all analyses ranging between −0.2 and 0.1 (p-values ≥0.22). Findings from subgroup analyses for exercise mode (aerobic, resistance, mixed, other) and intervention duration (>12 weeks or ≤12 weeks) were consistent with these findings; that is, no effect on lymphedema or associated symptoms. There were too few studies evaluating the effect of compression during regular exercise to conduct a meta-analysis. Conclusions: Individuals with secondary lymphedema can safely participate in progressive, regular exercise without experiencing a worsening of lymphedema or related-symptoms. However, the results also do not suggest any improvements will occur in lymphedema. At present, there is insufficient evidence to support or refute the current clinical recommendation to wear compression garments during regular exercise.

New evidence of the reproductive organs of Glossopteris based on permineralized fossils from Queensland, Australia. II: pollen-bearing organ Ediea gen. nov

Ediea homevalensis H. Nishida, Kudo, Pigg & Rigby gen. et sp. nov. is proposed for permineralized pollen-bearing structures from the Late Permian Homevale Station locality of the Bowen Basin, Queensland, Australia. The taxon represents unisexual fertile shoots bearing helically arranged leaves on a central axis. The more apical leaves are fertile microsporophylls bearing a pair of multi-branched stalks on their adaxial surfaces that each supports a cluster of terminally borne pollen sacs. Proximal to the fertile leaves there are several rows of sterile scale-like leaves. The pollen sacs (microsporangia) have thickened and dark, striate walls that are typical of the Arberiella type found in most pollen organs presumed to be of glossopterid affinity. An examination of pollen organs at several developmental stages, including those containing in situ pollen of the Protohaploxypinus type, provides the basis for a detailed analysis of these types of structures, which bear similarities to both compression/impression Eretmonia-type glossopterid microsporangiate organs and permineralized Eretmonia macloughlinii from Antarctica. These fossils demonstrate that at least some Late Permian pollen organs were simple microsporophyll-bearing shoot systems and not borne directly on Glossopteris leaves.

FlexAnalytics: A flexible data analytics framework for big data applications with I/O performance improvement

Increasingly larger scale applications are generating an unprecedented amount of data. However, the increasing gap between computation and I/O capacity on High End Computing machines makes a severe bottleneck for data analysis. Instead of moving data from its source to the output storage, in-situ analytics processes output data while simulations are running. However, in-situ data analysis incurs much more computing resource contentions with simulations. Such contentions severely damage the performance of simulation on HPE. Since different data processing strategies have different impact on performance and cost, there is a consequent need for flexibility in the location of data analytics. In this paper, we explore and analyze several potential data-analytics placement strategies along the I/O path. To find out the best strategy to reduce data movement in given situation, we propose a flexible data analytics (FlexAnalytics) framework in this paper. Based on this framework, a FlexAnalytics prototype system is developed for analytics placement. FlexAnalytics system enhances the scalability and flexibility of current I/O stack on HEC platforms and is useful for data pre-processing, runtime data analysis and visualization, as well as for large-scale data transfer. Two use cases – scientific data compression and remote visualization – have been applied in the study to verify the performance of FlexAnalytics. Experimental results demonstrate that FlexAnalytics framework increases data transition bandwidth and improves the application end-to-end transfer performance.

Nanoindentation study of the mechanical behavior of TiO2 nanotube arrays

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanotube arrays are attracting increasing attention for use in solar cells, lithium-ion batteries, and biomedical implants. To take full advantage of their unique physical properties, such arrays need to maintain adequate mechanical integrity in applications. However, the mechanical performance of TiO2 nanotube arrays is not well understood. In this work, we investigate the deformation and failure of TiO2 nanotube arrays using the nanoindentation technique. We found that the load–displacement response of the arrays strongly depends on the indentation depth and indenter shape. Substrate-independent elastic modulus and hardness can be obtained when the indentation depth is less than 2.5% of the array height. The deformation mechanisms of TiO2 nanotube arrays by Berkovich and conical indenters are closely associated with the densification of TiO2 nanotubes under compression. A theoretical model for deformation of the arrays under a largeradius conical indenter is also proposed.

Finite element analysis investigation of response of pumpkin tissue under uniaxial loading

Finite element analysis (FEA) models of uniaxial loading of pumpkin peel and flesh tissues were developed and validated using experimental results. The tensile model was developed for both linear elastic and plastic material models, the compression model was develop d only with the plastic material model. The outcomes of force versus time curves obtained from FEA models followed similar pattern to the experimental curves however the curve resulted with linear elastic material properties had a higher difference with the experimental curves. The values of predicted forces were determined and compared with the experimental curve. An error indicator was introduced and computed for each case and compared. Additionally Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) values were also calculated for each model and compared. The results of modelling were used to develop material model for peel and flesh tissues in FEA modelling of mechanical peeling of tough skinned vegetables.

Study on tracheal collapsibility, compliance, and stress by considering nonlinear mechanical property of cartilage

Tracheal cartilage has been widely regarded as a linear elastic material either in experimental studies or in analytic and numerical models. However, it has been recently demonstrated that, like other fiber-oriented biological tissues, tracheal cartilage is a nonlinear material, which displays higher strength in compression than in extension. Considering the nonlinearity requires a more complex theoretical frame work and costs more to simulate. This study aims to quantify the deviation due to the simplified treatment of the tracheal cartilage as a linear material. It also evaluates the improved accuracy gained by considering the nonlinearity. Pig tracheal rings were used to exam the mechanical properties of cartilage and muscular membrane. By taking into account the asymmetric shape of tracheal cartilage, the collapse behavior of complete rings was simulated, and the compliance of airway and stress in the muscular membrane were discussed. The results obtained were compared with those assuming linear mechanical properties. The following results were found: (1) Models based on both types of material properties give a small difference in representing collapse behavior; (2) regarding compliance, the relative difference is big, ranging from 10 to 40% under negative pressure conditions; and (3) the difference in determining stress in the muscular membrane is small too: <5%. In conclusion, treating tracheal cartilage as a linear material will not cause big deviations in representing the collapse behavior, and mechanical stress in the muscular part, but it will induce a big deviation in predicting the compliance, particularly when the transmural pressure is lower than -0.5 kPa. The results obtained in this study may be useful in both understanding the collapse behavior of trachea and in evaluating the error induced by the simplification of treating the tracheal cartilage as a linear elastic material.

Experimental measurement of the mechanical properties of carotid atherothrombotic plaque fibrous cap

Eleven carotid atherothrombotic plaque samples were harvested from patients. Three samples that were highly calcified were discarded, while eight yielded results. The elastic properties of the material were estimated by fitting the measured indentation response to finite element simulations. The methodology was refined and its accuracy quantified using a synthetic rubber. The neo-Hookean form of the material model gave a good fit to the measured response of the tissue. The inferred shear modulus μ was found to be in the range 7-100 kPa, with a median value of 11 kPa. A review of published materials data showed a wide range of material properties for human atherothrombotic tissue. The effects of anisotropy and time dependency in these published results were highlighted. The present measurements were comparable to the static radial compression tests of Lee et al, 1991 [Structure-dependent dynamic behaviour of fibrous caps from human atherosclerotic plaques. Circulation 83, 1764-1770].

Nonlinear mechanical property of tracheal cartilage: A theoretical and experimental study

Background: Despite being the stiffest airway of the bronchial tree, the trachea undergoes significant deformation due to intrathoracic pressure during breathing. The mechanical properties of the trachea affect the flow in the airway and may contribute to the biological function of the lung. Method: A Fung-type strain energy density function was used to investigate the nonlinear mechanical behavior of tracheal cartilage. A bending test on pig tracheal cartilage was performed and a mathematical model for analyzing the deformation of tracheal cartilage was developed. The constants included in the strain energy density function were determined by fitting the experimental data. Result: The experimental data show that tracheal cartilage is a nonlinear material displaying higher strength in compression than in tension. When the compression forces varied from -0.02 to -0.03 N and from -0.03 to -0.04 N, the deformation ratios were 11.03±2.18% and 7.27±1.59%, respectively. Both were much smaller than the deformation ratios (20.01±4.49%) under tension forces of 0.02 to 0.01 N. The Fung-type strain energy density function can capture this nonlinear behavior very well, whilst the linear stress-strain relation cannot. It underestimates the stability of trachea by exaggerating the displacement in compression. This study may improve our understanding of the nonlinear behavior of tracheal cartilage and it may be useful for the future study on tracheal collapse behavior under physiological and pathological conditions.

Tarsal tunnel syndrome: A narrative literature review

Background Tarsal tunnel syndrome is classified as a focal compressive neuropathy of the posterior tibial nerve or one of its associated branches individually or collectively. The tunnel courses deep to fascia, the flexor retinaculum and within the abductor hallucis muscle of the foot/ankle. The condition is rare and regularly under-diagnosed leading to a range of symptoms affecting the plantar margins of the foot. There are many intervention strategies for treating tarsal tunnel syndrome with limited robust evidence to guide the clinical management of this condition. The role of conservative versus surgical interventions at various stages of the disease process remains unclear, and there is a need for a structured, step-wise approach in treating patients with this syndrome based on derived empirical evidence. This narrative review attempts to scrutinize the literature to date by clarifying initial presentation, investigations and definitive treatment for the purpose of assisting future informed clinical decision and prospective research endeavours. Process The literature searches that have been incorporated in compiling a rigorous review of this condition have included: the Cochrane Neuromuscular Group's Specialized Register (Cochrane Library 2013), the databases of EMBASE, AMED, MEDLINE, CINAHL, Physiotherapy evidence database (PEDRO), Biomed Central, Science Direct and Trip Database (1972 to the present). Reference listings of located articles were also searched and scrutinized. Authors and experts within the field of lower-limb orthopaedics were contacted to discuss applicable data. Subject-specific criteria searches utilizing the following key terms were performed across all databases: tarsal tunnel syndrome, tibial neuralgia, compression neuropathy syndromes, tibial nerve impingement, tarsal tunnel neuropathy, entrapment tibial nerve, posterior tibial neuropathy. These search strategies were modified with differing databases, adopting specific sensitivity-searching tools and functions unique to each. This search strategy identified 88 journal articles of relevance for this narrative literature review. Findings This literature review has appraised the clinical significance of tarsal tunnel syndrome, whilst assessing varied management interventions (non-surgical and surgical) for the treatment of this condition in both adults and children. According to our review, there is limited high-level robust evidence to guide and refine the clinical management of tarsal tunnel syndrome. Requirements for small-scaled randomized controlled trials in groups with homogenous aetiology are needed to analyse the effectiveness of specific treatment modalities. Conclusions It is necessary that further research endeavours be pursued for the clinical understanding, assessment and treatment of tarsal tunnel syndrome. Accordingly, a structured approach to managing patients who have been correctly diagnosed with this condition should be formulated on the basis of empirical evidence where possible.

On the leakage resilience of secure channel establishment

Secure communication channels are typically constructed from an authenticated key exchange (AKE) protocol, which authenticates the communicating parties and establishes shared secret keys, and a secure data transmission layer, which uses the secret keys to encrypt data. We address the partial leakage of communicating parties' long-term secret keys due to various side-channel attacks, and the partial leakage of plaintext due to data compression. Both issues can negatively affect the security of channel establishment and data transmission. In this work, we advance the modelling of security for AKE protocols by considering more granular partial leakage of parties' long-term secrets. We present generic and concrete constructions of two-pass leakage-resilient key exchange protocols that are secure in the proposed security models. We also examine two techniques--heuristic separation of secrets and fixed-dictionary compression--for enabling compression while protecting high-value secrets.

Understanding how axial loads on the spine influence segmental biomechanics for idiopathic scoliosis patients: A magnetic resonance imaging study

Background Segmental biomechanics of the scoliotic spine are important since the overall spinal deformity is comprised of the cumulative coronal and axial rotations of individual joints. This study investigates the coronal plane segmental biomechanics for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients in response to physiologically relevant axial compression. Methods Individual spinal joint compliance in the coronal plane was measured for a series of 15 idiopathic scoliosis patients using axially loaded magnetic resonance imaging. Each patient was first imaged in the supine position with no axial load, and then again following application of an axial compressive load. Coronal plane disc wedge angles in the unloaded and loaded configurations were measured. Joint moments exerted by the axial compressive load were used to derive estimates of individual joint compliance. Findings The mean standing major Cobb angle for this patient series was 46°. Mean intra-observer measurement error for endplate inclination was 1.6°. Following loading, initially highly wedged discs demonstrated a smaller change in wedge angle, than less wedged discs for certain spinal levels (+ 2,+1,− 2 relative to the apex, (p < 0.05)). Highly wedged discs were observed near the apex of the curve, which corresponded to lower joint compliance in the apical region. Interpretation While individual patients exhibit substantial variability in disc wedge angles and joint compliance, overall there is a pattern of increased disc wedging near the curve apex, and reduced joint compliance in this region. Approaches such as this can provide valuable biomechanical data on in vivo spinal biomechanics of the scoliotic spine, for analysis of deformity progression and surgical planning.