bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
One‐Pot Multicomponent Synthesis of Novel 2‐Tosyloxyphenylpyrans under Green and Conventional Condition with Anti‐inflammatory Activity
Authors: Khodairy Ahmed , Ali Ali M. , Aboelez Moustafa O. , El‐Wassimy M. T.
Published: July 2016

A mild, efficient, and environmentally green protocol for the synthesis of 2‐tosyloxyphenylpyran derivatives 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 via reaction of 2‐tosyloxybenzaldehyde (1) with malononitrile and some ketonic reagents in one‐pot, three component reaction within few minutes under stirring in methanol in presence of ammonium hydroxide solution or ultrasonic irradiation. On the other hand, the same products 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 were obtained by traditional method, on treatment of 2‐tosyloxybenzilidinemalononitrile (2) with the same ketonic reagents in refluxing ethanol in presence of TEA. 2‐Tosyloxyphenylpyranopyrazoles 12 and 13 were obtained via treatment of compound 1 with malononitrile, hydrazine hydrate or phenyl hydrazine and ethyl acetoacetate, in one‐pot, multicomponent reaction (MCRs). The structures of the new compounds were elucidated by elemental and spectral analyses. The newly synthesized compounds showed promising anti‐inflammatory activity.
Analyzing slowly exchanging protein conformations by ion mobility mass spectrometry: study of the dynamic equilibrium of prolyl oligopeptidase
Authors: López Abraham , Vilaseca Marta , Madurga Sergio , Varese Monica , Tarragó Teresa , Giralt Ernest
Published: July 2016

Ion mobility mass spectrometry (IMMS) is a biophysical technique that allows the separation of isobaric species on the basis of their size and shape. The high separation capacity, sensitivity and relatively fast time scale measurements confer IMMS great potential for the study of proteins in slow (µs–ms) conformational equilibrium in solution. However, the use of this technique for examining dynamic proteins is still not generalized. One of the major limitations is the instability of protein ions in the gas phase, which raises the question as to what extent the structures detected reflect those in solution. Here, we addressed this issue by analyzing the conformational landscape of prolyl oligopeptidase (POP) – a model of a large dynamic enzyme in the µs–ms range – by native IMMS and compared the results obtained in the gas phase with those obtained in solution. In order to interpret the experimental results, we used theoretical simulations. In addition, the stability of POP gaseous ions was explored by charge reduction and collision‐induced unfolding experiments. Our experiments disclosed two species of POP in the gas phase, which correlated well with the open and closed conformations in equilibrium in solution; moreover, a gas‐phase collapsed form of POP was also detected. Therefore, our findings not only support the potential of IMMS for the study of multiple co‐existing conformations of large proteins in slow dynamic equilibrium in solution but also stress the need for careful data analysis to avoid artifacts. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Decitabine inhibits tumor cell proliferation and up‐regulates e‐cadherin expression in Epstein–Barr virus‐associated gastric cancer
Authors: Nakamura Munetaka , Nishikawa Jun , Saito Mari , Sakai Kouhei , Sasaki Sho , Hashimoto Shinichi , Okamoto Takeshi , Suehiro Yutaka , Yamasaki Takahiro , Sakaida Isao
Published: July 2016

The present study investigated the effect of a DNA demethylating agent, decitabine, against Epstein–Barr virus‐associated gastric cancer (EBVaGC). Decitabine inhibited cell growth and induced G2/M arrest and apoptosis in EBVaGC cell lines. The expression of E‐cadherin was up‐regulated and cell motility was significantly inhibited in the cells treated with decitabine. The promoter regions of p73 and RUNX3 were demethylated, and their expression was up‐regulated by decitabine. They enhanced the transcription of p21, which induced G2/M arrest and apoptosis through down‐regulation of c‐Myc. Decitabine also induced the expression of BZLF1 in SNU719. Induction of EBV lytic infection was an alternative way to cause apoptosis of the host cells. This study is the first report to reveal the effectiveness of a demethylating agent in inhibiting tumor cell proliferation and up‐regulation of E‐cadherin in EBVaGC. J. Med. Virol. 89:508–517, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Rotavirus vaccination and infection induce VP6‐specific IgA responses
Authors: Lappalainen Suvi , Blazevic Vesna , Malm Maria , Vesikari Timo
Published: July 2016

Rotavirus (RV) is the leading cause of severe gastroenteritis (GE) in young children, but RVGE has drastically been reduced with the introduction of live oral RV vaccines into childhood immunization program in many countries. Serum IgA antibody is a marker of clinical protection against severe RVGE after RV infection and vaccination. This study investigated VP6‐specificity of anti‐RV IgA antibody levels in Finnish children aged 6–23 months before and after introduction of RotaTeq® into national immunization program. Although RV inner capsid protein VP6 is considered as antigenic target in clinical and seroepidemiological studies, at present VP6 protein is not commonly employed as a primary ELISA‐antigen. Thus, sera from 20 unvaccinated and 19 vaccinated children were examined in ELISA with recombinant VP6 (rVP6) protein, and the VP6‐specific responses were compared to responses observed with human RV Wa and bovine RV WC3 cell culture antigens. Moreover, fecal antibodies were tested with rVP6 and Wa cell culture antigen. Equal levels of serum anti‐RV IgA antibodies were detected by the three antigens. Fecal IgA titers against rVP6 and Wa antigen showed a correlation with the corresponding serum levels. The results suggest that the IgA response measured by virus‐capture ELISA is mainly directed to VP6 protein, supporting the usage of rVP6 in detection of anti‐RV IgA antibodies. Natural RV infections and vaccinations induced similar levels of serum VP6‐specific IgA antibodies. Serum IgA antibodies after RotaTeq® vaccination showed sustained levels up to two years of age in line with long term protection. J. Med. Virol. 89:239–245, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Homogenisation of temperature and precipitation time series with ACMANT3: method description and efficiency tests
Authors: Domonkos P. , Coll J.
Published: July 2016

The development of Adapted Caussinus–Mestre Algorithm for homogenising Networks of Temperature series (ACMANT), one of the most successful homogenisation methods tested by the European project COST ES0601 (HOME) has been continued. The third generation of the software package ‘ACMANT3’ contains six programmes for homogenising temperature values or precipitation totals. These incorporate two models of the annual cycle of temperature biases and homogenisation either on a monthly or daily time scale. All ACMANT3 programmes are fully automatic and the method is therefore suitable for homogenising large datasets. This paper describes the theoretical background of ACMANT and the recent developments, which extend the capabilities, and hence, the application of the method. The most important novelties in ACMANT3 are: the ensemble pre‐homogenisation with the exclusion of one potential reference composite in each ensemble member; the use of ordinary kriging for weighting reference composites; the assessment of seasonal cycle of temperature biases in case of irregular‐shaped seasonal cycles. ACMANT3 also allows for homogenisation on the daily scale including for break timing assessment, gap filling and ANOVA application on the daily time scale. Examples of efficiency tests of monthly temperature homogenisation using artificially developed but realistic test datasets are presented. ACMANT3 can be characterized by improved efficiency in comparison with earlier ACMANT versions, high missing data tolerance and improved user friendliness. Discussion concerning when the use of an automatic homogenisation method is recommended is included, and some caveats in relation to how and when ACMANT3 should be applied are provided.
The Role of Posttraumatic Growth in a Randomized Controlled Trial of Cognitive–Behavioral Conjoint Therapy for PTSD
Authors: Wagner Anne C. , Torbit Lindsey , Jenzer Tiffany , Landy Meredith S. H. , Pukay‐Martin Nicole D. , Macdonald Alexandra , Fredman Steffany J. , Monson Candice M.
Published: July 2016

Posttraumatic growth (PTG) is defined as a positive psychological change that can emerge following a traumatic life event. Although documented in noninterventional studies of traumatized individuals, there are scant data on the potential for therapy to induce or improve PTG. Thus, the primary goal of this study was to examine changes in PTG in a controlled trial of cognitive–behavioral conjoint therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder versus waitlist (CBCT for PTSD; Monson & Fredman, 2012). We also examined whether pretreatment relationship satisfaction and PTSD symptomatology moderated change in PTG. There were 40 couples (75% with a female partner with PTSD) who were randomized to either immediate CBCT for PTSD or a 3‐month waitlist (WL). Compared to WL, individuals who received treatment immediately demonstrated a significant increase in PTG. There was a moderate effect size between‐group difference (Hedge's g = 0.45). There was a nonsignificant relationship with a moderate effect size (Hedge's g = 0.65) for the positive effect of pretreatment relationship satisfaction on the trajectory of PTG, but no effect of pretreatment PTSD symptoms. Results suggested that CBCT for PTSD facilitated PTG, even with a limited focus on PTG in this conjoint intervention. Future research should target PTG as a treatment goal and further examine the role of close others in facilitating development of PTG.
Predicting Carbon Stocks Following Reforestation of Pastures: A Sampling Scenario‐Based Approach for Testing the Utility of Field‐Measured and Remotely Derived Variables
Authors: Cavagnaro Timothy R. , Cunningham Shaun C.
Published: July 2016

Reforestation of agricultural lands is an important means of restoring land and sequestering carbon (C). At large scales, the labour and costs of direct measurement of ecosystem responses can be prohibitive, making the development of models valuable. Here, we develop a new sampling scenario‐based modelling approach coupled with Bayesian model averaging to build predictive models for absolute values in mixed‐species woody plantings and differences from their adjacent pasture, for litter stocks, soil C stocks and soil C:N ratios. Modelling scenarios of increasing data availability and effort were tested. These included variables that could be derived without a site visit (e.g. location, climate and management) that were sampled in the adjacent pasture (e.g. soil C and nutrients) or were sampled in the environmental planting (e.g. vegetation, litter properties, soil C and nutrients). The predictive power of models varied considerably among C variables (litter stocks, soil C stocks and soil C:N ratios in tree plantings and their differences to their adjacent pastures) and the model scenarios used. The use of a sampling scenario‐based approach to building predictive models shows promise for monitoring changes in tree plantings, following reforestation. The approach could also be readily adapted to other contexts where sampling effort for predictor variables in models is a major potential limitation to model utilization. This study demonstrates the benefit of exploring scenarios of data availability during modelling and will be especially valuable where the sampling effort differs greatly among variables. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Favorable longterm outcomes of liver transplant recipients treated de novo with once‐daily tacrolimus: Results of a single‐center cohort
Authors: Gastaca Mikel , Valdivieso Andrés , Bustamante Javier , Fernández José R. , Ruiz Patricia , Ventoso Alberto , Testillano Milagros , Palomares Ibone , Salvador Patricia , Prieto Mikel , Montejo Miguel , Suárez María J. , de Urbina Jorge Ortiz
Published: July 2016

The once‐daily prolonged‐release formulation of tacrolimus has been recently related with significant graft and patient mid‐term survival advantages; however, practical information on the de novo administration after liver transplantation and longterm outcomes is currently lacking. This study is a 5‐year retrospective analysis of a single‐center cohort of liver transplant recipients treated de novo with once‐daily tacrolimus (April 2008/August 2011). The study cohort consisted of 160 patients, including 23 with pretransplant renal dysfunction, with a median follow‐up of 57.6 months (interquartile range, 46.6‐69.0). Tacrolimus target trough levels were 5‐10 ng/mL during the first 3 months after transplant, reducing progressively to <7 ng/mL after the first posttransplant year. Once‐daily tacrolimus was withdrawn in 35 (21.8%) patients during follow‐up, mostly due to renal dysfunction and/or metabolic syndrome. The biopsy‐proven acute rejection rate was 12.5% with no cases of steroid‐resistant rejection. The cumulative incidence of de novo diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia were 16.9%, 31.2%, and 6.5%, respectively. Hepatocellular carcinoma recurrence rate was 2.8%. Renal function remained stable after the sixth month after transplant with a mean estimated glomerular filtration rate of 77.7 ± 19.6 mL/minute/1.73 m2 at 5 years. None of our patients developed chronic kidney disease stage 4 or 5. Patient survival at 1, 3, and 5 years was 96.3%, 91.9%, and 88.3%, respectively. Overall survival of patients with Model for End‐Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score > 25 points was not significantly different. In conclusion, our study suggests that immunosuppression based on de novo once‐daily tacrolimus is feasible in routine clinical practice, showing favorable outcomes and outstanding longterm survival even in patients with high MELD scores. Liver Transplantation 22 1391–1400 2016 AASLD.
The hidden sister of motor fluctuations in Parkinson's disease: A review on nonmotor fluctuations
Authors: Martínez‐Fernández Raul , Schmitt Emmanuelle , Martinez‐Martin Pablo , Krack Paul
Published: July 2016

Only a few years after the introduction of levodopa, the first descriptions of motor fluctuations and dyskinesia related to dopaminergic therapy appeared. In PD, attention turned to their management, that had dampened the euphoria of the “levodopa miracle.” It soon became clear that neuropsychiatric, autonomic, and sensory features also tend to develop fluctuations after chronic exposure to l‐dopa. The diversity of fluctuating nonmotor symptoms, their largely subjective nature, coupled with a frequent lack of insight led to difficulties in identification and quantification. This may explain why, despite the high impact of nonmotor symptoms on patient autonomy and quality of life, evaluation of nonmotor fluctuations is not part of clinical routine. In view of the lack of specific validated assessment tools, detailed anamnesis should ideally be coupled with an evaluation in both ON and OFF drug conditions. The mechanisms of nonmotor fluctuations are not well understood. It is thought that they share dopaminergic presynaptic pharmacokinetic and postsynaptic pharmacodynamic mechanisms with the classical motor complications, but involve different neural pathways. Although symptoms fluctuate with dopaminergic treatment, serotonine and norepinephrine denervation, as well as interactions between neurotransmitter systems, probably contribute to their diversity. The lack of validated tools for assessment of these phenomena explains the almost complete absence of treatment studies. Management, largely resulting from expert opinion, includes psychiatric follow‐up, nondopaminergic drugs, and advanced dopaminergic treatment, including drug delivery pumps and DBS. This review aims to provide a starting point for the understanding, diagnosis, and management of nonmotor fluctuations. © 2016 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society
Capacitated network design games with weighted players
Authors: Chassein André , Krumke Sven O. , Thielen Clemens
Published: July 2016

We consider network design games with weighted players and uniform edge capacities and study their Nash equilibria. In these games, each player has to choose a path from her source to her sink through a network subject to the constraint that the total weight of all players using an edge within their chosen path does not exceed the capacity of the edge. The fixed cost of each edge that is used by some player is shared among the players using the edge by charging each player a fraction of the edge's cost equal to the ratio of her weight to the total weight of all players using the edge. We show that there exist instances of capacitated network design games with weighted players and uniform capacities that do not admit a Nash equilibrium even in the case that all players share the same source and sink. Moreover, we show that it is strongly
‐hard to decide whether a given instance admits a Nash equilibrium even if a feasible solution for the underlying network design problem is guaranteed to exist. In contrast, we prove that, for series‐parallel graphs, there always exists a Nash equilibrium whose total cost equals the cost of an optimal solution of the corresponding network design problem and provide an (exponential‐time) algorithm to compute this equilibrium. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. NETWORKS, Vol. 68(2), 141–158 2016
Accelerated mesh sampling for the hyper reduction of nonlinear computational models
Authors: Chapman Todd , Avery Philip , Collins Pat , Farhat Charbel
Published: July 2016

In nonlinear model order reduction, hyper reduction designates the process of approximating a projection‐based reduced‐order operator on a reduced mesh, using a numerical algorithm whose computational complexity scales with the small size of the projection‐based reduced‐order model. Usually, the reduced mesh is constructed by sampling the large‐scale mesh associated with the high‐dimensional model underlying the projection‐based reduced‐order model. The sampling process itself is governed by the minimization of the size of the reduced mesh for which the hyper reduction method of interest delivers the desired accuracy for a chosen set of training reduced‐order quantities. Because such a construction procedure is combinatorially hard, its key objective function is conveniently substituted with a convex approximation. Nevertheless, for large‐scale meshes, the resulting mesh sampling procedure remains computationally intensive. In this paper, three different convex approximations that promote sparsity in the solution are considered for constructing reduced meshes that are suitable for hyper reduction and paired with appropriate active set algorithms for solving the resulting minimization problems. These algorithms are equipped with carefully designed parallel computational kernels in order to accelerate the overall process of mesh sampling for hyper reduction, and therefore achieve practicality for realistic, large‐scale, nonlinear structural dynamics problems. Conclusions are also offered as to what algorithm is most suitable for constructing a reduced mesh for the purpose of hyper reduction. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Very long survival in complete cytogenetic remission in an adolescent with lymphoid blast crisis of chronic myeloid leukemia after treatment with intensive ALL‐directed chemotherapy combined with continuous imatinib
Authors: Maschan Alexey , Novichkova Galina , Miakova Natalia , Persiantseva Marina
Published: July 2016

An 11‐year‐old male was diagnosed with chronic‐phase chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in 1998 and received therapy with interferon‐α2b and low‐dose cytarabine. In 6 years, he progressed to lymphoid blast crisis and received induction chemotherapy with prednisolone, vincristine, daunorubicin, andl‐asparaginase concomitantly with imatinib 400 mg/day, and continuation with vincristine + prednisolone, cytarabine + etoposide, vincristine +l‐asparaginase, cyclophosphamide + etoposide, and 6‐mercaptopurine + methotrexate. Complete molecular response (MR) was achieved and therapy was continued with imatinib 800 mg/day. He relapsed to chronic‐phase CML after interruption of imatinib and regained MR after its restart. The patient is alive 17.5 years after CML diagnosis and 11.5 years after lymphoid blast crisis.
Effect of peptide assay library size and composition in targeted data‐independent acquisition‐MS analyses
Authors: Parker Sarah J. , Venkatraman Vidya , Van Eyk Jennifer E.
Published: July 2016

The quantification of peptides using targeted analysis of data‐independent acquisition MS (DIA‐MS) is dependent on the size and characteristics of the assay library. We addressed several important questions on how library composition influences: (1) the number of peptides extracted from DIA‐MS datasets, (2) the quality of these peptides and proteins, and (3) the biological conclusions inferred. To answer these questions we constructed five libraries from mouse vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) lysate, each unique in depth, input sample complexity, data acquisition mode (DDA‐MS or DIA‐MS), and precursor fragmentation mode (TOF‐CID or Orbitrap HCD) and extracted them against the same eight DIA‐MS files of VSMCs treated with vehicle or transforming growth factor β‐1 (TGF‐β1). We found that along with differences in peptide and protein composition, the fragments representing a given peptide differed between the libraries. Collectively these differences impacted both peak group score profile and protein abundance estimates. Surprisingly, there was little overlap in the TGF‐β1 response proteome between libraries. We conclude that additional work is needed to optimize peptide assay library building for DIA‐MS applications, particularly in terms of selecting optimal peptides and their respective fragments for protein quantification.
Strategies for synthesis of epoxy resins from oleic acid derived from food wastes
Authors: Hayes Theodore , Hu Yingxue , Sanchez‐Vazquez Sandra A. , Hailes Helen C. , Aliev Abil E. , Evans Julian R. G.
Published: July 2016

The use of biomass‐sourced chemical feedstocks creates a conflict over land use between food and fuel/chemical production. Such conflict could be reduced by making use of the annual 1.3 Pg food waste resource. Oleic acid is available from seed oils such as pumpkin, grape, avocado and mango. Its esterification with diols 1,3‐propanediol, resorcinol and orcinol was used to form diesters and the naturally occurring norspermidine was used to prepare a diamide, all under ambient conditions. These compounds were then epoxidized and polymerized. When esterification was followed by epoxidation and subsequent curing at elevated temperature with p‐phenylenediamine or diethylenetriamine, hard insoluble resins were formed. When the sequence was changed such that the epoxidized oleic acid was first reacted with cis‐1,2‐cyclohexanedicarboxylic anhydride and then esterified with orcinol and resorcinol, insoluble crosslinked polymers were also obtained. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2016, 54, 3159–3170
Severe signal loss in diamond beam loss monitors in high particle rate environments by charge trapping in radiation‐induced defects
Authors: Kassel Florian , Guthoff Moritz , Dabrowski Anne , de Boer Wim
Published: July 2016

The beam condition monitoring leakage (BCML) system is a beam monitoring device in the compact muon solenoid (CMS) experiment at the large hadron collider (LHC). As detectors 32 poly‐crystalline (pCVD) diamond sensors are positioned in rings around the beam pipe. Here, high particle rates occur from the colliding beams scattering particles outside the beam pipe. These particles cause defects, which act as traps for the ionization, thus reducing the charge collection efficiency (CCE). However, the loss in CCE was much more severe than expected from low rate laboratory measurements and simulations, especially in single‐crystalline (sCVD) diamonds, which have a low initial concentration of defects. After an integrated luminosity of a few corresponding to a few weeks of LHC operation, the CCE of the sCVD diamonds dropped by a factor of five or more and quickly approached the poor CCE of pCVD diamonds. The reason why in real experiments the CCE is much worse than in laboratory experiments is related to the ionization rate. At high particle rates the trapping rate of the ionization is so high compared with the detrapping rate, that space charge builds up. This space charge reduces locally the internal electric field, which in turn increases the trapping rate and recombination and hence reduces the CCE in a strongly non‐linear way. A diamond irradiation campaign was started to investigate the rate‐dependent electrical field deformation with respect to the radiation damage. Besides the electrical field measurements via the transient current technique (TCT), the CCE was measured. The experimental results were used to create an effective deep trap model that takes the radiation damage into account. Using this trap model, the rate‐dependent electrical field deformation and the CCE were simulated with the software SILVACO TCAD. The simulation, tuned to rate‐dependent measurements from a strong radioactive source, was able to predict the non‐linear decrease of the CCE in the harsh environment of the LHC, where the particle rate was a factor 30 higher.
Stress relaxation mechanism in the Si‐SiO2 system and its influence on the interface properties
Authors: Kropman Daniel , Seeman Viktor , Dolgov Sergei , Heinmaa Ivo , Medvid Artur
Published: July 2016

The results of the investigation of stress relaxation by strain by means of EPR spectra, IR absorption spectra, SEM and samples deflection are presented. It has been shown that stress relaxation mechanisms depend on the oxidation conditions: temperature, cooling rate, oxide thickness. In the Si‐ SiO2‐Si3N4 system the stress relaxation by strain occur due to the opposite sign of the thermal expansion coefficient of Si‐SiO2 and Si3N4 on Si. Laser irradiation allows to modify the system stresses. (© 2016 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Relating phase transition heat capacity to thermal conductivity and effusivity in Cu2Se
Authors: Brown David R. , Heijl Richard , Borup Kasper A. , Iversen Bo B. , Palmqvist Anders , Snyder G. J.
Published: July 2016

Accurate measurement of thermal conductivity is essential to determine the thermoelectric figure‐of‐merit, zT. Near the phase transition of Cu2Se at 410 K, the transport properties change rapidly with temperature, and there is a concurrent peak in measured heat capacity from differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Interpreting the origin as a broad increase in heat capacity or as a transient resulted in a three‐fold difference in the reported zT in two recent publications. To resolve this discrepancy, thermal effusivity was deduced from thermal conductivity and diffusivity measurements via the transient plane source (TPS) method and compared with that calculated from thermal diffusivity and the two interpretations of the DSC data for heat capacity. The comparison shows that the DSC measurement gave the heat capacity relevant for calculation of the thermal conductivity of Cu2Se. The thermal conductivity calculated this way follows the electronic contribution to thermal conductivity closely, and hence the main cause of the zT peak is concluded to be the enhanced Seebeck coefficient. (© 2016 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH &Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Bacopa monnieri‐Induced Protective Autophagy Inhibits Benzo[a]pyrene‐Mediated Apoptosis
Authors: Das Durgesh Nandini , Naik Prajna Paramita , Nayak Aditi , Panda Prashanta Kumar , Mukhopadhyay Subhadip , Sinha Niharika , Bhutia Sujit K
Published: July 2016

Benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) is capable of inducing oxidative stress and cellular injuries leading to cell death and associates with a significant risk of cancer development. Prevention of B[a]P‐induced cellular toxicity with herbal compound through regulation of mitochondrial oxidative stress might protect cell death and have therapeutic benefit to human health. In this study, we demonstrated the cytoprotective role of Bacopa monnieri (BM) against B[a]P‐induced apoptosis through autophagy induction. Pretreatment with BM rescued the reduction in cell viability in B[a]P‐treated human keratinocytes (HaCaT) cells indicating the cytoprotective potential of BM against B[a]P. Moreover, BM was found to inhibit B[a]P‐mediated reactive oxygen species (ROS)‐induced apoptosis activation in HaCaT cells. Furthermore, BM was found to preserve mitochondrial membrane potential and inhibited release of cytochrome c in B[a]P‐treated HaCaT cells. Bacopa monnieri induced protective autophagy; we knocked down Beclin‐1, and data showed that BM was unable to protect from B[a]P‐induced mitochondrial ROS‐mediated apoptosis in Beclin‐1‐deficient HaCaT cells. Moreover, we established that B[a]P‐induced damaged mitochondria were found to colocalize and degraded within autolysosomes in order to protect HaCaT cells from mitochondrial injury. In conclusion, B[a]P‐induced apoptosis was rescued by BM treatment and provided cytoprotection through Beclin‐1‐dependent autophagy activation. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Dynamic Probability Control Limits for Lower and Two‐Sided Risk‐Adjusted Bernoulli CUSUM Charts
Authors: Zhang Xiang , Woodall William H.
Published: July 2016

Because of its advantages of design, performance, and effectiveness in reducing the effect of patients' prior risks, the risk‐adjusted Bernoulli cumulative sum (CUSUM) chart is widely applied to monitor clinical and surgical outcome performance. In practice, it is beneficial to obtain evidence of improved surgical performance using the lower risk‐adjusted Bernoulli CUSUM charts. However, it had been shown that the in‐control performance of the charts with constant control limits varies considerably for different patient populations. In our study, we apply the dynamic probability control limits (DPCLs) developed for the upper risk‐adjusted Bernoulli CUSUM charts to the lower and two‐sided charts and examine their in‐control performance. The simulation results demonstrate that the in‐control performance of the lower risk‐adjusted Bernoulli CUSUM charts with DPCLs can be controlled for different patient populations, because these limits are determined for each specific sequence of patients. In addition, practitioners could also run upper and lower risk‐adjusted Bernoulli CUSUM charts with DPCLs side by side simultaneously and obtain desired in‐control performance for the two‐sided chart for any particular sequence of patients for a surgeon or hospital.
Multiple Response Optimization for Higher Dimensions in Factors and Responses
Authors: Lu Lu , Chapman Jessica L. , Anderson‐Cook Christine M.
Published: July 2016

When optimizing a product or process with multiple responses, a two‐stage Pareto front approach is a useful strategy to evaluate and balance trade‐offs between different estimated responses to seek optimum input locations for achieving the best outcomes. After objectively eliminating non‐contenders in the first stage by looking for a Pareto front of superior solutions, graphical tools can be used to identify a final solution in the second subjective stage to compare options and match with user priorities. Until now, there have been limitations on the number of response variables and input factors that could effectively be visualized with existing graphical summaries. We present novel graphical tools that can be more easily scaled to higher dimensions, in both the input and response spaces, to facilitate informed decision making when simultaneously optimizing multiple responses. A key aspect of these graphics is that the potential solutions can be flexibly sorted to investigate specific queries, and that multiple aspects of the solutions can be simultaneously considered. Recommendations are made about how to evaluate the impact of the uncertainty associated with the estimated response surfaces on decision making with higher dimensions. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Charge Transport through Ferrocene 1,1′‐Diamine Single‐Molecule Junctions
Authors: Kanthasamy Karthiga , Ring Markus , Nettelroth Dennes , Tegenkamp Christoph , Butenschön Holger , Pauly Fabian , Pfnür Herbert
Published: July 2016

The charge transport through ferrocene 1,1′‐diamine (FDA) molecules between gold electrodes is investigated using the mechanically controllable break junction technique combined with a theoretical framework of density functional theory simulations to understand the physics of these molecular junctions. The characteristic conductances of the molecule are measured at low bias as well as current–voltage (IV) characteristics. By fitting the IV characteristics to the single‐level model, the values for the position of the molecular level, mainly responsible for the transport, and its coupling to the leads, are obtained. The influence of the binding sites, molecular conformation, and electrode distance are systematically studied from a theoretical perspective. While a strong dependence of conductance on the adsorption geometry is found, the decrease of conductance as a function of electrode distance arises mainly from a decrease of coupling strength of the molecular electronic orbitals through a reduced overlap and, to a lesser extent, from a shift of their alignment with respect to the Fermi energy.
The impact of mobile payment on payment choice
Authors: Trütsch Tobias
Published: July 2016

This paper investigates the effect of mobile payment on the adoption and use of traditional payment instruments such as cash, checks, and credit, debit and prepaid cards at the point of sale (POS). Data are from a 2012 representative survey on consumer payment choice in the United States. Using discrete-choice random utility models to simulate consumer behavior, the estimation provides two major findings. First, mobile payment does not replace physical payment cards, but is likely to substitute for paper-based payment methods such as cash and checks at the adoption stage. Second, mobile payment does not statistically significantly influence the choice of payment means at the POS in terms of usage. However, there is suggestive evidence that it is complementary to card payments and a substitute for paper-based payment instruments. The findings highlight the potential social welfare gains of mobile payment and provide key insights into challenging issues for the private industry sector. This paper furthermore offers novel evidence on the impact of mobile payment on the use and adoption of existing payment instruments and contributes to the literature on consumer payment choice.
More than words: The association of childhood emotional abuse and suicidal behavior
Authors: de Araújo R.M.F. , Lara D.R.
Published: July 2016

Background

All types of abuse and neglect have been associated with suicide attempts. However, the association between the level of each type of childhood trauma and suicidal behavior severity (including the progression from ideation to attempts), adjusting for their co-occurrence, is not yet clear.

Methods

We used a cross-sectional web-based survey collected from the Brazilian Internet Study on Temperament and Psychopathology (BRAINSTEP) to investigate the isolated effects of each type of childhood trauma on suicidal behavior severity. The sample consisted of 71,429 self-selected volunteers assessed with the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) and the following key question: “Have you ever thought about or attempted to kill yourself?” (Suicidal Behavior Questionnaire, SBQ-17).

Results

After adjusting for demographic variables, and childhood trauma subtypes, severe emotional abuse (EA) was associated with suicidal ideation and attempts, mainly for serious suicide attempts (OR, 22.71; 95% CI, 2.32–222.05). We found associations of smaller magnitude for severe emotional neglect (EN) with serious suicide attempts, and for severe physical neglect (PN) and sexual abuse (SA) with attempts without really meaning to die. No meaningful trend for physical abuse (PA) was found. Using as reference group ideators, EA was associated with serious suicide attempts, with a peak at the 95th percentile (OR, 4.39; 95% CI, 2.04–9.41). We found associations of smaller magnitude for PN and SA, and no meaningful trend for EN and PA.

Conclusions

Suicidal behavior was strongly associated with emotional abuse in childhood, even when compared with ideators, suggesting that it is a relevant factor for the progression from ideation to attempts.
Health-related quality of life of primary care patients with depressive disorders
Authors: Riihimäki K. , Sintonen H. , Vuorilehto M. , Jylhä P. , Saarni S. , Isometsä E.
Published: July 2016

Background

Depressive disorders are known to impair health-related quality of life (HRQoL) both in the short and long term. However, the determinants of long-term HRQoL outcomes in primary care patients with depressive disorders remain unclear.

Methods

In a primary care cohort study of patients with depressive disorders, 82% of 137 patients were prospectively followed up for five years. Psychiatric disorders were diagnosed with SCID-I/P and SCID-II interviews; clinical, psychosocial and socio-economic factors were investigated by rating scales and questionnaires plus medical and psychiatric records. HRQoL was measured with the generic 15D instrument at baseline and five years, and compared with an age-standardized general population sample (n = 3707) at five years.

Results

Depression affected the 15D total score and almost all dimensions at both time points. At the end of follow-up, HRQoL of patients in major depressive episode (MDE) was particularly low, and the association between severity of depression (Beck Depression Inventory [BDI]) and HRQoL was very strong (r = −0.804). The most significant predictors for change in HRQoL were changes in BDI and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) scores. The mean 15D score of depressive primary care patients at five years was much worse than in the age-standardized general population, reaching normal range only among patients who were in clinical remission and had virtually no symptoms.

Conclusions

Among depressive primary care patients, presence of current depressive symptoms markedly reduces HRQoL, with symptoms of concurrent anxiety also having a marked impact. For HRQoL to normalize, current depressive and anxiety symptoms must be virtually absent.
Central-Line–Associated Bloodstream Infections in Québec Intensive Care Units: Results from the Provincial Healthcare-Associated Infections Surveillance Program (SPIN)
Authors: Li Lynne , Fortin Elise , Tremblay Claude , Ngenda-Muadi Muleka , Quach Caroline ,   for SPIN-BACC
Published: July 2016

BACKGROUND

Following implementation of bundled practices in 2009 in Quebec and Canadian intensive care units (ICUs), we describe CLABSI epidemiology during the last 8 years in the province of Québec (Canada) and compare rates with Canadian and American benchmarks.

METHODS

CLABSI incidence rates (IRs) and central venous catheter utilization ratios (CVCURs) by year and ICU type were calculated using 2007–2014 data from the Surveillance Provinciale des Infections Nosocomiales (SPIN) program. Using American and Canadian surveillance data, we compared SPIN IRs to rates in other jurisdictions using standardized incidence ratios (SIRs).

RESULTS

In total, 1,355 lab-confirmed CLABSIs over 911,205 central venous catheter days (CVC days) were recorded. The overall pooled incidence rate (IR) was 1.49 cases per 1,000 CVC days. IRs for adult teaching ICUs, nonteaching ICUs, neonatal ICUs (NICUs), and pediatric ICUs (PICUs) were 1.04, 0.91, 4.20, and 2.15 cases per 1,000 CVC days, respectively. Using fixed SPIN 2007–2009 benchmarks, CLABSI rates had decreased significantly in all ICUs except for PICUs by 2014. Rates declined by 55% in adult teaching ICUs, 52% in adult nonteaching ICUs, and 38% in NICUs. Using dynamic American and Canadian CLABSI rates as benchmarks, SPIN adult teaching ICU rates were significantly lower and adult nonteaching ICUs had lower or comparable rates, whereas NICU and PICU rates were higher.

CONCLUSION

Québec ICU CLABSI surveillance shows declining CLABSI rates in adult ICUs. The absence of a decrease in CLABSI rate in NICUs and PICUs highlights the need for continued surveillance and analysis of factors contributing to higher rates in these populations.

Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2016;1–9
A vortex force study for a flat plate at high angle of attack
Authors: Li Juan , Wu Zi-Niu
Published: July 2016

The vortex force is studied for a flat plate at arbitrarily large angle of attack. A suitable vortex force approach, adapted from a previous work, is used to study the vortex force and to build a vortex force line map to identify the force effect of any potential vortex. This map can be used exactly for a potential point vortex and approximately for a concentrated leading-edge vortex (LEV) or trailing-edge vortex (TEV); the latter are shown to have a non-potential vortex core. By means of this map, we identify a force-producing critical region, due to pressure suction, above the front and rear parts of the plate for an LEV and a TEV, respectively. The impulsively started flow problem is used as an application, with validation by computational fluid dynamics. The force variation in time is decomposed into four repeatable stages (force release, force enhancement, stall and force recovery) in close relation to the individual and combined effect by an LEV and a TEV. A pressure distribution analysis shows that force enhancement is due to pressure suction by an LEV, while stall and force recovery are respectively due to the upwash effect (which reduces the pressure below the plate) of a new TEV right off the plate and the pressure suction of this TEV having now moved above the plate. A viscous effect causes a small-amplitude oscillation on the force curves by promoting multiple small-scale LEVs.
Data-enabled prediction of streak breakdown in pressure-gradient boundary layers
Authors: Hack M. J. Philipp , Zaki Tamer A.
Published: July 2016

Streaks in pre-transitional boundary layers are analysed and their properties are extracted from direct numerical simulation data. Streaks that induce breakdown to turbulence via secondary instability are shown to differ from the remainder of the population in various attributes. Conditionally averaged flow fields establish that they are situated farther away from the wall, and have a larger cross-sectional area and higher peak amplitude. The analysis also shows that the momentum thickness acts as a similarity parameter for the properties of the streaks. Probability density functions of the streak amplitude, area, and shear along the streaks, collapse among the various pressure gradients when plotted as a function of the momentum thickness. A prediction scheme for laminar–turbulent transition based on artificial neural networks is presented, which can identify the streaks that will eventually induce the formation of turbulent spots. In comparison to linear stability theory, the approach achieves a higher prediction accuracy at considerably lower computational cost.
Neutralization of a spray of electrically charged droplets by a corona discharge
Authors: Higuera F. J.
Published: July 2016

The neutralization of a dilute spray of electrically charged droplets by ions of the opposite polarity generated by a corona discharge at a wire ring is analysed numerically. A Lagrangian description of the spray and Eulerian descriptions of the gas and the ions are used to deal with this two-way coupled problem. A model of the corona consisting of a line of charge and a distribution of ion sources is proposed. In the configuration that is analysed, neutralization usually begins at the shroud of the spray and extends to inner regions when the corona current increases. The number density of droplets is large at the shroud due to neutralized droplets that are no longer pushed by the electric field. These droplets can be dragged towards a collector surface by a weak forced flow that overcomes the ionic wind due to the force of the ions on the gas. The fraction of the spray charge that is neutralized increases with the corona current, but the value of this current required for full neutralization is several times larger than the inlet electric current of the spray owing to loss of ions to the boundaries of the system. The electric field induced by the charge of the droplets opposes the field due to the voltage applied between the wire ring and the extractor through which the droplets are injected, and thus reduces the threshold voltage of the corona and significantly affects its current–voltage characteristic, which may become multivalued. In turn, the electric field due to the applied voltage and the space charge of the ions affects the shape of the spray and the velocity of the droplets.
The impact of equol-producing status in modifying the effect of soya isoflavones on risk factors for CHD: a systematic review of randomised controlled trials
Authors: Birru Rahel L. , Ahuja Vasudha , Vishnu Abhishek , Evans Rhobert W. , Miyamoto Yoshihiro , Miura Katsuyuki , Usui Takeshi , Sekikawa Akira
Published: July 2016

Recent studies suggest that the ability to produce equol, a metabolite of the soya isoflavone daidzein, is beneficial to coronary health. Equol, generated by bacterial action on isoflavones in the human gut, is biologically more potent than dietary sources of isoflavones. Not all humans are equol producers. We investigated whether equol-producing status is favourably associated with risk factors for CHD following an intervention by dietary soya isoflavones. We systematically reviewed randomised controlled trials (RCT) that evaluated the effect of soya isoflavones on risk factors for CHD and that reported equol-producing status. We searched PubMed, EMBASE, Ovid Medline and the Cochrane Central Register for Controlled Trials published up to April 2015 and hand-searched bibliographies to identify the RCT. Characteristics of participants and outcomes measurements were extracted and qualitatively analysed. From a total of 1671 studies, we identified forty-two articles that satisfied our search criteria. The effects of equol on risk factors for CHD were mainly based on secondary analyses in these studies, thus with inadequate statistical power. Although fourteen out of the forty-two studies found that equol production after a soya isoflavone intervention significantly improved a range of risk factors including cholesterol and other lipids, inflammation and blood pressure variables, these results need further verification by sufficiently powered studies. The other twenty-eight studies primarily reported null results. RCT of equol, which has recently become available as a dietary supplement, on CHD and its risk factors are awaited.
A neural network approach to the calibration of a flush air data system
Authors: Crowther W. J. , Lamont P. J.
Published: July 2016

A flush air data system uses surface pressure measurements to obtain speed and aerodynamic orientation of a flight vehicle. This paper investigates the use of a neural network to calibrate the air data system on a low-observable aircraft forebody with 22 pressure tappings. Wind tunnel data were obtained for between 0 and 25° angle of attack, 0 to 10° sideslip for speeds of 32, 37 and 45ms-1. Experimental data were used to train multilayer perceptron neural networks. A calibration accuracy of 0·322ms-1, 0·811° and 0·552° for speed, alpha and beta respectively was achieved just using the first five tappings on the nose cone. Increasing the number of tappings used as inputs to the neural network reduces the calibration error. A neural network with 22 inputs gives a best accuracy of 0·095ms-1, 0·15° and 0·085° for speed, α and β respectively. Trained networks show poor robustness to single sensor failures. Robustness is improved by preprocessing input data with an autoassociative network or by introducing sensor redundancy.