Cohesive Blocks Research Articles

NUT-CARCINOMA INVOLVING TRIGEMINAL NERVE - A CASE REPORT

NUT-carcinoma is a rare aggressive disease caused by BRD4/3‐NUT fusion that results in MYC upregulation. A 50-years-old male patient presented frontotemporal headache and paraesthesia, evolving with worsening headache, diplopia, ptosis and reduced visual acuity for at least 12 months. Clinical diagnosis was meningioma due to an expansive process in the right temporal fossa with hyperostosis and optic canal stenosis. Histological analysis revealed malignant neoplasm presenting cohesive blocks of basaloid cells with foci of abrupt keratinization and necrosis, with infiltration of dense connective tissue and bone marrow. Immunohistochemistry was positive for EMA, P63, INI1(retained), AE1/AE3, CK5/6, CK8-18, CD117 and NUT. In addition, Ki-67 was positive in 80% of the neoplasia. Therefore, the final diagnosis was NUT carcinoma. The patient is still alive at the last follow-up. This case highlights the importance of considering NUT-carcinoma in the provisional diagnosis for undifferentiated or poorly differentiated neoplasms and immunohistochemistry can aid diagnosis. NUT-carcinoma is a rare aggressive disease caused by BRD4/3‐NUT fusion that results in MYC upregulation. A 50-years-old male patient presented frontotemporal headache and paraesthesia, evolving with worsening headache, diplopia, ptosis and reduced visual acuity for at least 12 months. Clinical diagnosis was meningioma due to an expansive process in the right temporal fossa with hyperostosis and optic canal stenosis. Histological analysis revealed malignant neoplasm presenting cohesive blocks of basaloid cells with foci of abrupt keratinization and necrosis, with infiltration of dense connective tissue and bone marrow. Immunohistochemistry was positive for EMA, P63, INI1(retained), AE1/AE3, CK5/6, CK8-18, CD117 and NUT. In addition, Ki-67 was positive in 80% of the neoplasia. Therefore, the final diagnosis was NUT carcinoma. The patient is still alive at the last follow-up. This case highlights the importance of considering NUT-carcinoma in the provisional diagnosis for undifferentiated or poorly differentiated neoplasms and immunohistochemistry can aid diagnosis.

Cold-model numerical study of raceway shape and size effect on gas and fines flow behaviour in packed bed between the raceway and cohesive zone

ABSTRACT Operational stability and productivity of an iron-making blast furnace relies on the permeability of the bed, which is adversely affected by the accumulation of unburnt coal and fine coke powder resulting from Pulverised Coal Injection (PCI) and coke degradation. Stable operation at a high PCI rate necessitates an understanding of gas-fine powder distribution, which is affected by the cohesive zone, and raceway shape and size. A computational study of a laterally injected gas-fine powder flow through a tuyere, into a packed bed is conducted in the presence of raceway and cohesive layers. An experimental correlation is used to predict the static holdup. The effect of operational parameters such as gas flow rate, particle and fine properties, and structural parameters such as cohesive zone configuration, porosity, and tuyere protrusion are analysed. Sensitivity analysis shows raceway shape, size, and interaction with the cohesive blocks affects the distribution and accumulation of fine powder.

Rheology and breakdown energy of a shear zone undergoing flash heating in earthquake-like discrete element models

SUMMARYWe study the initiation and growth of a dry granular shear zone subjected to seismic shearing and flash heating from the perspective of a discrete element method. For this purpose, we created a semi-periodic numerical shear test similar to a rotary shear machine in which a 2 mm ×1.5 mm sample composed of micrometric cohesive disks is sheared in between two rigid walls. The strength of cohesive bonds is defined according to an elasto-brittle contact law calibrated to simulate peak and residual strength envelopes derived from rock mechanics tests. The sample is traversed by a pre-existing fracture and subjected to a vertical confining pressure (e.g. 112.5 MPa) and a velocity step function (e.g. 1 m s–1) applied on the top and bottom walls, respectively. Slip along the fracture induces the growth of a shear zone, which thickens by progressive abrasion of damaged material from cohesive blocks. We carried out two parametric studies to determine the rheology and physical properties of the shear zone for slip velocities and confining pressures characteristic of shallow earthquakes and several flash-heating temperatures. According to parametric studies, the mechanical behavior of the shear zone exhibits three distinct phases. The initial phase of rupture initiation is characterized by the propagation of a shear instability generated by the velocity step (phase 1). During this phase, friction and dilatancy curves are approximated by asymmetric peak functions whose amplitude and geometry are controlled primarily by confining pressure. In the intermediate phase of shear-zone growth, the sample displays an initial transient stage that asymptotically approaches steady state at submelting temperatures (phase 2). According to the inertial number, seismic shearing occurs under quasi-static conditions despite high shear rates. Thus, friction and dilatancy observed in all simulations are roughly constant regardless of slip velocity, confining pressure, and gouge zone thickness. In the final phase of shear weakening, the model evolves toward a new steady state at flash-heating temperatures (phase 3). Average friction and dilatancy are represented by sigmoidal decreasing curves that approach steady-state values lower than for phase 2. Predictably, the thermally weakened friction in steady state (μss ∼ 0.1) is close to the strength of frictionless granular samples sheared in quasi-static conditions. We calculate breakdown energies for the gouge and damage zones and the fracture energy at intermediate and high confining pressures. We show that breakdown energy fundamentally differs from fracture energy commonly used in seismology. The breakdown energy of the damage zones shows long-period damped oscillations weakly correlated with shear-stress fluctuations around average decaying values. Our results suggest that dilatancy is the primary energy sink within the damage zones at steady-state values. The breakdown energy components of the gouge zone follow a similar decaying trend as the average fracture energy but over a longer critical distance. Decohesion and dilatancy are the major energy sinks linked to gouge formation at intermediate pressures. In contrast, dilatancy and debonding frictional energies predominate at high confining pressures. Breakdown energy is equivalent to a fraction of fracture energy that nearly triples when doubling the confining pressure.

Physical modeling of multivalent interactions in the nuclear pore complex

In the nuclear pore complex, intrinsically disordered proteins (FG Nups), along with their interactions with more globular proteins called nuclear transport receptors (NTRs), are vital to the selectivity of transport into and out of the cell nucleus. Although such interactions can be modeled at different levels of coarse graining, in vitro experimental data have been quantitatively described by minimal models that describe FG Nups as cohesive homogeneous polymers and NTRs as uniformly cohesive spheres, in which the heterogeneous effects have been smeared out. By definition, these minimal models do not account for the explicit heterogeneities in FG Nup sequences, essentially a string of cohesive and noncohesive polymer units, and at the NTR surface. Here, we develop computational and analytical models that do take into account such heterogeneity in a minimal fashion and compare them with experimental data on single-molecule interactions between FG Nups and NTRs. Overall, we find that the heterogeneous nature of FG Nups and NTRs does play a role in determining equilibrium binding properties but is of much greater significance when it comes to unbinding and binding kinetics. Using our models, we predict how binding equilibria and kinetics depend on the distribution of cohesive blocks in the FG Nup sequences and of the binding pockets at the NTR surface, with multivalency playing a key role. Finally, we observe that single-molecule binding kinetics has a rather minor influence on the diffusion of NTRs in polymer melts consisting of FG-Nup-like sequences.

Influence of the orientation of cohesive blocks upon the structural grain of fold-and-thrust belts: An appraisal by means of analogue modeling

Analogue sand-box experiments have been set up to illustrate and analyze the control exerted by lithological heterogeneities on the evolution of a model fold-and-thrust belt (FTB). The structural architecture within many FTBs is highly sensitive to pretectonic obstacles (e.g., basement highs or intrusive bodies). To address FTB evolution with emphasis on the latter, we perform a series of experiments that include tabular cohesive blocks surrounded by a layered sandpack of negligible cohesion. Two degrees of cohesion are tested (low vs high cohesion) as well as different geometrical boundary conditions (longer axis parallel vs oblique relative to the main far-field stress). Modeling results show a tendency of sequential faults to avoid rigid obstacles, enhancing frontal accretion and propagation of the deformation front. Structural traces have arcuate patterns in map-view, strongly consistent with the geometry of the underlying block/obstacle. High-cohesion models show major deviations on the structural pattern with respect to models with low-cohesion blocks. We find that the rheological contrasts between rock types have an important effect on the structure of the upper crust, controlled by the degree of the contrast and the geometry (orientation) of the discordant block. An interesting aspect of our results is that orientation of the block plays a considerable role on whether new thrusts cut the block or stresses propagate towards the foreland through the cohesive body. Block obliquity also influences the generation of back-thrusts. These features are compared to natural cases as well as to other physical models of FTBs. We suggest that irregular structural patterns in FTBs may shed light on the presence of buried rock bodies (intrusive bodies, metamorphic complexes or crystalline basement highs) within the components of the deformed rock sequence.

Innovative Insulating Materials from Coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) Straw for Building Applications

Straw represents 60-80% of the aerial part of the coriander plant. Because of the increasing demand for vegetable oil from fruits for food, cosmetics or the chemical industry, the availability of straw will grow strongly in the future. Its high lignocellulose content (62%) makes this crop by-product an interesting raw material for producing bio-based building materials. Bulk materials can be obtained by refining the straw through twin-screw extrusion in the presence of water. The fiber aspect ratio of refined straw can be varied (22.9-26.5) by applying different liquid/solid ratios (0.4-1.0), leading to a variation in the tapped density of the resulting bulk material (110-61 kg/m3). For the lowest density, thermal conductivity is 47.3 mW/(m.K). Twin-screw refining can also be conducted from an aqueous borax solution. Refined straw thus becomes fire-proofed, making it usable as loose fill in housing. Insulation blocks of medium density, associating straw and a starch-based binder, can also be produced through compression molding. With a density of 155 kg/m3 and a thermal conductivity of 55.6 mW/(m.K), the optimal cohesive blocks (7.5 mm milled straw and 15% binder), cold-pressed at 87 kPa for 30 s, are promising alternatives for the thermal insulation of buildings (e.g., filling of walls, interior partitions, etc.).

Using social network analysis to assess play efficacy according to game patterns: a game-centred approach in high-level men’s volleyball

ABSTRACTMatch Analysis has provided valuable insights for understanding performance. Social Network Analysis has delivered powerful contributions, especially with its most recent game-centred approaches, coupled with the weighting of direct and indirect connections between game actions. The goal was to expand upon these applications, analysing whether different networks associate with distinct levels of play efficacy applied to high-level men’s volleyball. Eigenvector Centrality was used, and one network was created for each level of play efficacy: 0 (error), 1 (continuity) and 2 (scoring a point). The sample was composed by 1,618 game actions (9 matches from the 2015 World League Finals) of six functional game complexes (i.e. K0 to KV). Results showed similar networks for all efficacy levels, suggesting that game patterns may not be as relevant for discriminating efficacy as individual actions, and/or that the chosen variables were not sensitive enough to differentiate system dynamics. Overall, actions performed under non-ideal conditions were most central in almost all game complexes, which suggests that playing off-system is the rule instead of the exception. It is therefore important to promote tasks that stimulate playing under non-ideal conditions and expose the attackers to stressful conditions (e.g. cohesive blocks), potentially providing transfer from training to competing.

Using the DOM Tree for Content Extraction

The main information of a webpage is usually mixed between menus, advertisements, panels, and other not necessarily related information; and it is often difficult to automatically isolate this information. This is precisely the objective of content extraction, a research area of widely interest due to its many applications. Content extraction is useful not only for the final human user, but it is also frequently used as a preprocessing stage of different systems that need to extract the main content in a web document to avoid the treatment and processing of other useless information. Other interesting application where content extraction is particularly used is displaying webpages in small screens such as mobile phones or PDAs. In this work we present a new technique for content extraction that uses the DOM tree of the webpage to analyze the hierarchical relations of the elements in the webpage. Thanks to this information, the technique achieves a considerable recall and precision. Using the DOM structure for content extraction gives us the benefits of other approaches based on the syntax of the webpage (such as characters, words and tags), but it also gives us a very precise information regarding the related components in a block, thus, producing very cohesive blocks.

Content Extraction based on Hierarchical Relations in DOM Structures

This article introduces a new approach for content extraction that exploits the hierarchical inter-relations of the elements in a webpage. Content extraction is a technique used to extract from a webpage the main textual content. This is useful in order to filter out the advertisements and all the additional information that is not part of the main content. The main idea behind our approach is to use the DOM tree as an explicit representation of the inter-relations of the elements in a webpage. Using the information contained in the DOM tree we can identify blocks of content and we can easily determine what of the blocks contains more text. Thanks to this information, the technique achieves a considerable recall and precision. Using the DOM structure for content extraction gives us the benefits of other approaches based on the syntax of the webpage (such as characters, words and tags), but it also gives us a very precise information regarding the related components in a block, thus, producing very cohesive blocks.

Topic Segmentation and Evaluation Measures for Elearning based on Domain and Pedagogical Ontology

Block level segments obtained from e-learning material should form cohesive blocks of e-learning content not only from continuity perspective but also from concept coverage perspective. Therefore in this work two new evaluation measures specificity and proximity have been proposed to evaluate the segments from this concept coverage perspective. These two methods of segmentation have been compared using the standard evaluation measure pk and the two new proposed evaluation measures. Block level text segmentation for elearning material has been implemented using texttiling method based on domain and pedagogical ontology and this has been compared with hierarchical Latent Dirichlet Allocation based on domain and pedagogical ontology.

Slope failure dynamics and impacts from seafloor and shallow sub-seafloor geophysical data: case studies from the COSTA project

Holocene and slightly pre-Holocene submarine landslide are found both in high-latitude glacial-dominated margins and in lower latitude, river-dominated margins. This paper constitutes a major assessment on some of the best-studied submarine instabilities in the world. We review and update from original data and literature reports the current state of knowledge of Storegga, Traenadjupet and Finneidfjord slides from the mid-Norwegian margin, Afen Slide from the Faeroe-Shetland Channel, BIG'95 Slide and Central Adriatic Deformation Belt (CADEB) from continental slope and inner continental shelf settings off the Ebro and Po rivers in the Mediterranean Sea, Canary Slide west of the westernmost, youngest Canary Islands and Gebra Slide off the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula in the southern hemisphere, i.e. those studied in the Continental Slope Stability (COSTA) project. The investigated slides range in size from the gigantic 90,000 km 2 and almost 3000 km 3 Storegga Slide to the tiny 1 km 2 and 0.001 km 3 Finneidfjord Slide. Not only do individual submarine landslides rarely involve processes precisely fitting with pre-established categories, mostly based on subaerial research, but also they display complex mechanical behaviors within the elastic and plastic fields. Individual events can involve simultaneous or successive vertical to translational movements including block detachment, block gliding, debris flow, mud flow and turbidity currents. The need for an in-depth revision of the classification criteria, and eventually for a new classification system, based on the new imaging capabilities provided by modern techniques, is more than obvious. We suggest a new system, which, for the moment, is restricted to debris flows and debris avalanches. Volume calculation methods are critically reviewed and the relations between some key geomorphic parameters are established for the selected slides. The assumed volume missing from scar areas does not necessarily match the actual volume of sediment remobilised by an individual event since in situ sediment can be remoulded and eventually incorporated during the slide downslope journey. CADEB, a shore-parallel prodelta detached from its source, is the exception to the good correlation found between across slope width and alongslope length with slide area. Height drop measured from the headwall upper rim to its foot correlates with the debris deposit maximum thickness unless the slide moves into restricted areas, which prevent farther forward expansion of the deposit, such as Gebra and BIG'95. In such cases, “over-thickened” deposits are found. A particularly loose and fluid behavior can be deduced for slides showing an “over-thinned” character, such as the Canary Slide that traveled 600 km. Scar areas and slip planes have been investigated with particular emphasis. Although slide headwalls might present locally steep gradients (up to 23° for Storegga Slide), the slope gradients of both the failed segment margins and the main slip planes are very low (max. 2° and usually around 1° and less). An exception is the Finneidfjord Slide (20°–<5°) that occurred in 1996 because of a combination of climatic and anthropogenic factors leading to excess pore pressure and failure. Mechanically distinct, low permeable clayey “weak layers” often correspond to slip planes beyond the slide headwall. Since not only formation of these “weak layers” but also sedimentation rates are climatically controlled, we can state that slide pre-conditioning is climatically driven too. Run-out distances reflect the degree of disintegration of the failed mass of sediment, the total volume of initially failed material and transport mechanisms, including hydroplanning. Commonly, specific run-outs could be attributed to distinct elements, such as cohesive blocks and looser matrix, as nicely illustrated by the BIG'95 Slide. Total run-outs usually correspond to matrix run-outs since the coarser elements tend to rest at shorter distances. Outrunner blocks are, finally, a very common feature proving the ability of those elements to glide over long distances with independence of the rest of the failed mass. In addition to pre-conditioning factors related to geological setting and sedimentation conditions, a final trigger is required for submarine landslides to take place, which is most often assumed to be an earthquake. In high latitude margins, earthquake magnitude intensification because of post-glacial isostatic rebound has likely played a major role in triggering landslides. Although it cannot be totally ruled out, there is little proof, at least amongst the COSTA slides, that gas hydrate destabilisation or other processes linked to the presence of shallow gas have acted as final triggers.

Incivilities, place attachment and crime: Block and individual effects

The popular incivilities hypothesis suggests physical incivilities, such as unkempt lawns and litter, and weak social ties with neighbors encourage crime. Despite a strong impact on policing policies and public awareness, this hypothesis has seldom been tested. We extend this basic model to test whether place attachments protect from crime as well. In a suburban area facing decline, multilevel (hierarchical linear modeling) analyses reveal that renters, properties with more physical incivilities, and blocks with more physical incivilities experience more subsequent crimes. Although these actual physical incivilities were important predictors of crime, residents’ perceptions of incivilities were not, suggesting that environmental incivilities act directly upon offenders, not through non-offender resident perceptions. A cross-level interaction indicated incivilities predicted crime less well on socially cohesive blocks, suggesting that social cohesion can buffer the effects of the physical environment. Weaker block level place attachments also contributed independently to individuals’ risks of crime, demonstrating that place attachment merits greater attention in neighborhood revitalization and crime reduction interventions.

Bank‐toe processes in incised channels: the role of apparent cohesion in the entrainment of failed bank materials

AbstractNumerous processes may instigate bank retreat and the consequent collection of failed cohesive materials at the bank toe. Cohesion between the failed material and the substrate can provide additional strength to resist direct fluvial entrainment. Failed, cohesive material can act as a form of natural bank‐toe protection by consuming and diverting flow energy that may otherwise be used to further scour the basal zone of incising channels.Investigations in Goodwin Creek, Mississippi, have revealed the existence of apparent cohesion between failed, cohesive blocks and their underlying surface. The method used to assess this cohesion involved a pulley system mounted on a tripod and supporting a load cell. Mean and maximum apparent‐cohesion values of 1·08 kPa and 2·65 kPa, respectively, were measured in this way, identifying a source that bonds blocks to the underlying surface. Cohesion values and types vary spatially and temporally. Tensiometric tests beneath blocks suggest that cohesion resulting from matric suction alone may be as much as 3·5 kPa in summer and 1·8 kPa in winter.Apparent cohesion is believed to have been sufficient to help prevent removal of the largest blocks by a peak flow of 66·4m3&amp;#38;sol;s on 23 September 1997. Maximum excess shear stress required to entrain a D75 block can be augmented by as much as 97% by the presence of apparent cohesion at the block–substrate interface when compared with a condition with zero apparent cohesion at the block underside. Given these findings, it is no longer sufficient to estimate block entrainment in the basal area from block size or bed roughness alone, as in a Shields‐type approach. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.

Bank and near-bank processes in an incised channel

Gravitational forces acting on in situ bank material act in concert with hydraulic forces at the bank toe to determine rates of bank erosion. The interaction of these forces control streambank mechanics. Hydraulic forces exerted by flowing water on in situ bank-toe material and failed cohesive material at the bank toe are often sufficient to entrain materials at relatively frequent flows and to maintain steep lower-bank profiles. Seepage forces exerted on in situ bank material by groundwater, downward infiltration of rainwater and lateral seepage of streamflow into and out of the bank are critical in determining bank strength. Data from a study site on Goodwin Creek, MS, USA clearly show the temporal variability of seepage forces and the lag time inherent in reductions in shear strength due to losses of matric suction and generation of positive pore-water pressures. Negative pore-water pressures (matric suction) have also been shown to increase the resistance of failed cohesive blocks to entrainment by fluid shear. A stable bank can be transformed into an unstable bank during periods of prolonged rainfall through: 1. increase in soil bulk unit (specific) weight, 2. decrease or complete loss of matric suction, and, therefore, apparent cohesion, 3. generation of positive pore-water pressures, and, therefore, reduction or loss of frictional strength, 4. entrainment of in situ and failed material at the bank toe, and 5. loss of confining pressure during recession of stormflow hydrographs. Relatively small frequent flows during the winter have the ability to erode failed bank materials, maintain oversteepened, unstable bank surfaces and promote prolonged periods of bank retreat, channel migration and high yields of fine-grained sediment. Confining pressures provided by stormflow are not as significant in maintaining bank stability as the counteracting force of fluid shear on the bank toe, which steepens the bank. For example, more than 2 m of bank retreat occurred during the study period at the research site on Goodwin Creek, northern Mississippi. The loss of matric suction (negative pore pressures) due to infiltrating precipitation has been found to be as significant as the development of excess pore pressures in contributing to mass bank instability. Apparent cohesion, friction angle, soil bulk unit weight and moisture content were measured in situ. Matric suction was measured continuously, in situ with a series of five pressure-transducer tensiometers. A bank-failure algorithm, which combines the Mohr–Coulomb approach, for saturated conditions and the Fredlund modification for unsaturated conditions was developed for layered cohesive streambanks. The resulting equation has been used successfully to investigate the role of matric suction, positive pore-water pressures and confining pressure for layered streambanks composed of cohesive materials.

Therapeutic efficacy of salvage cystectomy Do results reflect natural history of bladder cancer?

In a retrospective review of patients who underwent salvage cystectomy, patients with muscle-invasive cancers who had initially presented with tumors that were pathologically T A or T 1 appeared to have a better prognosis than those who had muscle-invasive (T 2 or T 3) cancers on initial clinical presentation. Prognosis in each group appeared to correlate with the stage of tumor at initial clinical presentation rather than with stage of tumor at recurrence after radiation therapy. Prognosis also appeared to correlate with architectural configuration of the presenting tumor as well as the type of invasion. Thus, papillary lesions with muscle invasion by a broad front of histologically cohesive blocks of cells appeared to have a better prognosis than did solid or nodular lesions that appeared to invade the muscle wall in a tentacular fashion with fingerlike tumor cell extensions that seemed to percolate through the bladder wall. Taken together, the results of treatment in these patients may have represented the intrinsic nature of their particular tumors.

Cell Mixtures of Different Species and Strains of Cellular Slime Moulds

ABSTRACT The cells of various species and strains of cellular slime moulds have been mixed by making grafts at the aggregation stage and by thoroughly mixing the cells at the migration stage. Depending upon the strains used, varying degrees of cell compatibility or adhesion between the cells was observed. There was either (l)a complete separation of the strains; (2) a partial merger to form a double fruiting body, one standing on the sorus of the other; (3) a single fruiting body on which the pre-spores of both strains regrouped to form two cohesive blocks of cells within one sorus. This regrouping phenomenon is also characteristic of many dissociated animal cells where partially or completely differentiated cells will regroup with their kind. It is suggested that the basis of this regrouping phenomenon is the result of an intermediate degree of surface compatibility—not so great as to produce a complete separation of the cells, and not so little as to permit a random intermingling of the cells.