bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Growth, nutrient digestibility, ileal digesta viscosity, and energy metabolizability of growing turkeys fed diets containing malted sorghum sprouts supplemented with enzyme or yeast
Authors: Oke F. O. , Oso A. O. , Oduguwa O. O. , Jegede A. V. , Südekum K‐H. , Fafiolu A. O. , Pirgozliev V.
Published: November 2016

Growth, apparent nutrient digestibility, ileal digesta viscosity, and energy metabolizability of growing turkeys fed diets containing malted sorghum sprouts (MSP) supplemented with enzyme or yeast were investigated using 120, 28‐day‐old male turkeys. Six treatments were laid out in a 3 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments with three dietary inclusion levels of MSP (0, 50, and 100 g/kg) and supplemented with 200 mg/kg yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) or 200 mg/kg of a commercial enzyme. The experiment lasted for the starter (day 28–56) and grower phases (day 57–84) of the birds. Each treatment group consisted of 20 turkeys replicated four times with five birds each. Data were analysed using analysis of variance while polynomial contrast was used to determine the trends (linear and quadratic) of MSP inclusion levels. Irrespective of dietary supplementation with enzyme or yeast, final body weight (BW), total BW gain, and feed intake for turkey poults from day 29–56 was reduced (p < 0.05) with increasing inclusion level of MSP. Dietary supplementation with yeast resulted in increased (p < 0.05) feed intake while enzyme supplementation improved (p < 0.05) feed conversion ratio of the poults. Turkeys fed enzyme‐supplemented MSP diets had higher (p < 0.05) BW gain than their counterparts fed yeast‐supplemented MSP diets. Apparent ash digestibility reduced linearly (p < 0.05) with increasing inclusion levels of MSP. Apparent metabolizable energy (AME) did not vary significantly (p > 0.05) with MSP inclusion levels. Enzyme supplementation reduced (p < 0.05) ileal viscosity but had no effect (p > 0.05) on AME. Inclusion of MSP resulted in poor growth performance. This confirms earlier studies that utilization of MSP by poultry is rather poor. Supplementation with enzyme or yeast did not lead to any appreciable improvement in performance of turkeys in this study.
Effects of Astragalus membranaceus, Codonopsis pilosula and allicin mixture on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, faecal microbial shedding, immune response and meat quality in finishing pigs
Authors: Lan R. X. , Park J. W. , Lee D. W. , Kim I. H.
Published: November 2016

A 12‐week trial with 120 [(Landrace×Yorkshire)×Duroc] pigs (45.65 ± 1.93 kg) was conducted to evaluate the effects of Astragalus membranaceus, Codonopsis pilosula and allicin mixture (HM) supplementation on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, faecal microbial shedding, immune response and meat quality in finishing pigs. Pigs were allocated to one of three treatments with 0, 0.025% (HM1) and 0.05% (HM2) HM supplementation in a randomized complete block design according to sex and BW. Each treatment contained 10 replications with four pigs (two barrows and two gilts) per pen. Dietary HM resulted in a higher G:F (p < 0.05) than CON group during weeks 7 to 12 and the overall periods. Pigs fed HM2 diet had higher ADG than pigs fed CON diet. Pigs fed HM2 supplementation diet led to a higher (p < 0.05) apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of dry matter (DM) and gross energy (GE) than pigs fed CON diet at week 6, while the supplementation of HM led to a higher (p < 0.05) ATTD of DM and GE than pigs fed CON diet at week 12. The faecal E. coli counts were reduced, and Lactobacillus counts were increased by increasing HM supplementation (p < 0.05). Pigs fed HM1 diet had higher (p < 0.05) WBC concentration than those fed CON and HM2 diets at week 6. Pigs fed HM‐supplemented diet had higher (p < 0.05) IgG and IgA concentrations than those fed CON diet at week 12. Pigs fed HM diet noted better (p < 0.05) meat colour and redness value than pigs fed CON diet. Pig fed HM2 reduced (p < 0.05) the lightness value compared with CON group. In conclusion, dietary HM supplementation exerted beneficial effects on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, intestinal microbial balance (increased Lactobacillus counts and decreased E. coli counts), immune response and meat quality.
Supply Chain Personnel as Knowledge Resources for Innovation—A Contingency View
Authors: Turkulainen Virpi , Swink Morgan L.
Published: November 2016

The aim of this study is to assess contextualized operational effectiveness of involving internal supply chain personnel, referring to logistics and supply management, in a firm's product innovation activities. Building on the classical contingency theory argument, this study presents a careful contextualization of the performance effects of involving internal supply chain personnel in innovation activities (SCPII). Specifically, the authors argue that the effect of SCPII on operational effectiveness is moderated by the organization's technology context, the level of operational supplier integration, and the interaction of these two factors. These arguments are tested with survey responses from 203 firms. The results indicate that organizations' internal supply chain personnel are either sources or conduits of valuable innovation‐related knowledge when complemented with supplier integration, especially in high‐technology environments. Moreover, the results further support the argument for disaggregating operational performance as the complementary effects are highly dependent on the operational performance dimension. Although research has encouraged involving supply chain personnel in exploration‐oriented activities, an investigation of the actual performance benefits of such activities is needed. This study addresses the operational effectiveness of involving supply chain personnel in product innovation activities and establishes that the relationship is fundamentally context dependent by elaborating the mechanisms that link SCPII and performance.
Verbal Self‐Monitoring in the Second Language
Authors: Broos Wouter P. J. , Duyck Wouter , Hartsuiker Robert J.
Published: November 2016

Speakers monitor their own speech for errors. To do so, they may rely on perception of their own speech (external monitoring) but also on an internal speech representation (internal monitoring). While there are detailed accounts of monitoring in first language (L1) processing, it is not clear if and how monitoring is different in a second language (L2). Here, we ask whether L1 and L2 monitoring differ and, if so, where the differences lie. L1 and L2 might differ in the speed with which monitoring is performed but also in their monitoring foci. We discuss studies on bilingual language control and suggest that self‐monitoring might function as a last‐resort control process. We conclude with speculation on the role self‐monitoring might play in L2 learning and suggestions for future research.
An Advantage for Perceptual Edges in Young Infants’ Memory for Speech
Authors: Hochmann Jean‐Rémy , Langus Alan , Mehler Jacques
Published: November 2016

Models of language acquisition are constrained by the information that learners can extract from their input. Experiment 1 investigated whether 3‐month‐old infants are able to encode a repeated, unsegmented sequence of five syllables. Event‐related‐potentials showed that infants reacted to a change of the initial or the final syllable, but not to a change of the third, internal, syllable. The information carried by the internal constituents of a continuous speech sequence remains thus largely inaccessible at 3 months, whereas the information carried by perceptual edges may play a major role in the early steps of language acquisition. In Experiment 2, the preliminary analysis of a corpus of infant‐directed speech showed that the statistical information carried at utterance edges does not differ substantially from that contained in the whole input. Focusing on perceptual edges may thus facilitate the extraction of statistical information, by highlighting a representative sample of the input.
Essential elements of the nursing practice environment in nursing homes: Psychometric evaluation
Authors: de Brouwer Brigitte Johanna Maria , Kaljouw Marian J. , Schoonhoven Lisette , van Achterberg Theo
Published: November 2016

Aims and objectives

To develop and psychometrically test the Essentials of Magnetism II in nursing homes.

Background

Increasing numbers and complex needs of older people in nursing homes strain the nursing workforce. Fewer adequately trained staff and increased care complexity raise concerns about declining quality. Nurses’ practice environment has been reported to affect quality of care and productivity. The Essentials of Magnetism II © measures processes and relationships of practice environments that contribute to productivity and quality of care and can therefore be useful in identifying processes requiring change to pursue excellent practice environments. However, this instrument was not explicitly evaluated for its use in nursing home settings so far.

Design

In a preparatory phase, a cross‐sectional survey study focused on face validity of the essentials of magnetism in nursing homes. A second cross‐sectional survey design was then used to further test the instrument's validity and reliability.

Methods

Psychometric testing included evaluation of content and construct validity, and reliability. Nurses (N = 456) working at 44 units of three nursing homes were included.

Results

Respondent acceptance, relevance and clarity were adequate. Five of the eight subscales and 54 of the 58 items did meet preset psychometric criteria.

Conclusions

All essentials of magnetism are considered relevant for nursing homes. The subscales Adequacy of Staffing, Clinically Competent Peers, Patient Centered Culture, Autonomy and Nurse Manager Support can be used in nursing homes without problems. The other subscales cannot be directly applied to this setting.

Implications for practice

The valid subscales of the Essentials of Magnetism II instrument can be used to design excellent nursing practice environments that support nurses’ delivery of care. Before using the entire instrument, however, the other subscales have to be improved.
Rising CO2 from historical concentrations enhances the physiological performance of Brassica napus seedlings under optimal water supply but not under reduced water availability
Authors: Faralli Michele , Grove Ivan G. , Hare Martin C. , Kettlewell Peter S. , Fiorani Fabio
Published: November 2016

The productivity of many important crops is significantly threatened by water shortage, and the elevated atmospheric CO2 can significantly interact with physiological processes and crop responses to drought. We examined the effects of three different CO2 concentrations (historical ~300 ppm, ambient ~400 ppm and elevated ~700 ppm) on physiological traits of oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) seedlings subjected to well‐watered and reduced water availability. Our data show (1) that, as expected, increasing CO2 level positively modulates leaf photosynthetic traits, leaf water‐use efficiency and growth under non‐stressed conditions, although a pronounced acclimation of photosynthesis to elevated CO2 occurred; (2) that the predicted elevated CO2 concentration does not reduce total evapotranspiration under drought when compared with present (400 ppm) and historical (300 ppm) concentrations because of a larger leaf area that does not buffer transpiration; and (3) that accordingly, the physiological traits analysed decreased similarly under stress for all CO2 concentrations. Our data support the hypothesis that increasing CO2 concentrations may not significantly counteract the negative effect of increasing drought intensity on Brassica napus performance.
Low‐dose propranolol for infantile hemangioma of the head and neck: Analysis of 23 consecutive patients
Authors: Ren Wenhao , Li Shaoming , Gao Ling , Huang Shuo , Zhang Linmei , Qiang Cui , Liu Chunxi , Zhi Keqian
Published: November 2016

Background

More and more infantile hemangiomas (IH) are being treated with propranolol, but the effectiveness, dosage, and treatment course are still in dispute. The aim of this observational study was to describe the therapeutic response, tolerance, and safety of low‐dose propranolol in 23 children with IH of the head and neck.

Methods

Data were collected from the medical charts of patients treated with low‐dose propranolol from December 2009 through November 2011. Oral dose was 1–1.5 mg/kg once per day. Blood pressure and heart rate were monitored during the first 24 h of treatment. In the absence of side‐effects, treatment was continued at home and the child was re‐evaluated every month.

Results

All patients had a good response, even if treated with corticosteroid previously. Color and growth changes within 1 week were noted. Treatment continued for a mean total duration of 6 months until the IH had totally disappeared or stabilized. There were no severe adverse reactions. Side‐effects were limited and mild, including blood pressure decrease, somnolence, and nausea. No relapse was noted.

Conclusions

Low‐dose propranolol appears to be effective and safe for IH, especially for those patients previously treated with corticosteroid and who had no response or severe side‐effects.
Clinical features of diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma with polyploidy
Authors: Shimono Joji , Miyoshi Hiroaki , Seto Masao , Teshima Takanori , Ohshima Koichi
Published: November 2016

Polyploidy, defined as more than two sets of homologous chromosomes, is found in a variety of malignant tumors and is thought to be related to disease pathogenesis. However, there have been no studies that have investigated polyploidy in diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Here we reviewed clinicopathological features of 16 cases of DLBCL with polypoidy, which was defined as DLBCL with either near‐tetraploid or greater number of chromosomes as detected by the G‐band method. The frequency of polyploid DLBCL was 2.9 % (16/544), including 15 near‐tetraploid and one near‐pentaploid case.

CD5, CD30 and EBER positive cases were 13 % (2/16), 13 % (2/16) and 6 % (1/16), respectively. Bcl2 positive cases were 75 % (12/16).

The numbers of huge and multinucleated cells were higher in polyploid than in non‐polyploid DLBCL (P = 0.0029 and P < 0.0001, respectively). Clinical features of polyploid DLBCL included reduced infiltration of extranodal sites (2/15, 13 %) and major lymph node infiltration. Of seven cases that received chemotherapy, six responded to treatment and survived. Our results suggest that polyploid DLBCL represents a clinicopathologically characteristic group of DLBCL. This knowledge can be useful for informing more personalized and targeted management of DLBCL patients.
Indigenous Claims: Hearings, Settlements, and Neoliberal Silencing
Authors: McCormack Fiona
Published: November 2016

This article investigates the double‐edged potentiality of the Waitangi Tribunal, an indigenous claims forum in New Zealand, and combines an ethnographic background to a recent claim with an anthropological interpretation of the meanings and outcomes of this encounter. I suggest that the legal justice framework of the claims proceedings and the political aspect of settlements are distinct yet contingent phenomena. Both are inherently embedded in the neoliberalization of society. I suggest that marae (meeting‐house complexes where tribunal hearings are held)—albeit symbolizing singular Māori spaces and distinctive loci where indigenous identity is reproduced—are equally sites where cultural and economic struggles articulate with neoliberal logics. I draw attention to the persistence of alienation in Māori society irrespective of the comparative generosity of the reparative justice program; I also consider the contradictory spaces opened for indigeneity under neoliberal governance and their unintended consequences, inventions, and creative hybridizations. I argue that a fruitful way to foreground the precarity of this engagement is by paying attention to silences. Such silences are multilevel, prefigure the claims process, are expressed as inequalities in the hearings, conscribe a particular version of a postcolonial economy, and reference a broader pattern of economic deprivation.
“We Follow Reason, Not the Law:” Disavowing the Law in Rural China
Authors: Pia Andrea E.
Published: November 2016

Recent debates about the moral climate in China have focused on its citizens’ purported loss of traditional values and interest in the public good. Chinese society, particularly in the countryside, is described in terms of a moral vacuum: the absence of shared values through which citizens’ public behavior might contribute to the nation's greater good. The Chinese state is reforming its judicial system with the aim of making it more accessible to its citizenry, so that law and legal rights create bonds between individuals and the collectivity. This approach envisions legal mediation as a vehicle to bring law to the countryside. This article, however, shows that in rural Yunnan, the law and legal rights are seen as instruments of disenfranchisement. This article demonstrates that Yunnanese rural society is better described as a moral “plenum” than as a “vacuum.” It also shows that Chinese law, via temporary use rights to local resources, is ousting alternative regimes of resource management. These alternative regimes are predicated on local villagers’ participation in and responsibility for the public good.
Kinship of Paper: Genealogical Charts as Bureaucratic Documents
Authors: Chelcea Liviu
Published: November 2016

Ethnographies of groups who draw genealogical charts are relatively common in anthropology. Bringing the ethnographic gaze to bear on genealogical charts drawn up by bureaucratic and legal institutions, however, is a fairly rare methodological strategy in both the anthropology of bureaucracy and kinship studies. Hybridizing these two bodies of anthropological theory and using ethnographic material on post‐socialist housing restitution in Romania, I describe how bureaucratic and legal institutions co‐create genealogical charts and use them as tools to make the composition of kin networks legible and to verify and validate them. Several articles of the Civil Code strictly regulate inheritance, amounting to what might be called, after Malinowski, the state's bastard algebra of kinship. These legal prescriptions inscribe kinship in bureaucratic certificates, documents, and genealogical charts, which help state institutions reach legal certainty about the flow of inheritance rights. Rather than simply dismissing genealogical charts as false science, anthropologists might approach them as a mundane form of statecraft and as bureaucratic inscriptions able to author social worlds and make law active in everyday life.
Effects of supplemental dietary vitamin C on quality of semen from Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) breeders
Authors: Sarmento NLAF , Martins EFF , Costa DC , Silva WS , Mattioli CC , Luz MR , Luz RK
Published: November 2016

Contents

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of vitamin C on growth and quality of semen from Oreochromis niloticus breeders. One hundred and sixty males were fed with different levels of vitamin C (0, 261, 599 and 942 mg/kg diet). The higher weight values were recorded for 599 (166 g) and 942 (175 g) mg of vitamin C/kg diet. Sperm motility, vigour and concentration were higher with 599 and 942 mg of vitamin C/kg diet. The semen volume, gonadosomatic index and plasma protein data from the last week showed a direct relationship with increasing levels of vitamin C. No changes were observed in the hepatosomatic index and blood glucose. The haematocrit and erythrocyte showed higher values estimated by equations derived at 850 and 638 mg vitamin C/kg diet, respectively. The leucocytes were inversely proportional to the increasing levels of vitamin C. After 100 days of feeding, animals fed the diet containing 942 mg vitamin C/kg diet had higher sperm motility, linearity, curvilinear velocity, straight line velocity and average path velocity (p < .05). Higher values of beat cross‐frequency were observed in broodfish fed diets containing 942 and 599 mg vitamin C/kg. The different vitamin C levels did not cause differences in straightness, lateral head displacement and sperm morphology. For Nile tilapia males on intensive rearing and handling conditions, vitamin C levels between 599 and 942 mg/kg may be used for a better performance and quality of semen.
A Survey of Ismaili Studies Part 2: Post‐Fatimid and Modern Ismailism
Authors: Andani Khalil
Published: November 2016

This article continues to discuss the major scholarly issues and developments in the study of Ismaili Muslim history and thought in the post‐Fatimid and modern periods. In general, scholarly coverage of the Nizari Ismailis greatly outweighs that of the Tayyibis. Following the concealment of the Tayyibi Imams in the 12th century, the Tayyibida‘wahcontinued in Yemen under the leadership ofda‘isrepresenting the Imams and divided into two major groups – the Sulaymanis and Da'udis. The Nizari Imamat continued in Persia until the public emergence of their recent living Imams, the Aga Khans, in modern times. The scholarly issues and themes discussed in this article include the establishment of the Tayyibida‘wah,later Tayyibi cosmology, the 1164 Nizari declaration ofqiyamah, the survival of Nizari communities in Persia and South Asia after the Mongol invasion, and modern Ismaili leadership institutions and communities. The article concludes by briefly summarizing the state of research for different periods of Ismaili history/thought and proposing some future trajectories for the progress of Ismaili studies.
On the Spectral Stability of Kinks in 2D Klein–Gordon Model with Parity‐Time‐Symmetric Perturbation
Authors: Borisov D. I. , Dmitriev S. V.
Published: November 2016

In a series of recent works by Demirkaya et al., stability analysis for the static kink solutions to the one‐dimensional continuous and discrete Klein–Gordon equations with a ‐symmetric perturbation has been performed. In the present paper, we study two‐dimensional (2D) quadratic operator pencil with a small localized perturbation. Such an operator pencil is motivated by the stability problem for the static kink in 2D Klein–Gordon field taking into account spatially localized ‐symmetric perturbation, which is in the form of viscous friction. Viscous regions with positive and negative viscosity coefficient are balanced. For the considered operator pencil, we show that its essential spectrum has certain critical points generating eigenvalues under the perturbation. Our main results are sufficient conditions ensuring the existence or absence of such eigenvalues as well as the asymptotic expansions for these eigenvalues if they exist.
Assessment of macrovascular endothelial function using pulse wave analysis and its association with microvascular reactivity in healthy subjects
Authors: Ibrahim N. N. I. N. , Rasool A. H. G.
Published: November 2016

Background

Pulse wave analysis (PWA) and laser Doppler fluximetry (LDF) are non‐invasive methods of assessing macrovascular endothelial function and microvascular reactivity respectively. The aim of this study was to assess the correlation between macrovascular endothelial function assessed by PWA and microvascular reactivity assessed by LDF.

Method

297 healthy and non‐smoking subjects (159 females, mean age (±SD) 23.56 ± 4.54 years) underwent microvascular reactivity assessment using LDF followed by macrovascular endothelial function assessments using PWA.

Results

Pearson's correlation showed no correlation between macrovascular endothelial function and microvascular reactivity (r = −0.10, P = 0.12).

Conclusion

There was no significant correlation between macrovascular endothelial function assessed by PWA and microvascular reactivity assessed by LDF in healthy subjects.
Investigating the association between perioperative blood transfusions and outcomes in children undergoing cytoreductive surgery with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy
Authors: Owusu‐Agyemang P. , Williams U. U. , Van Meter A. , Zavala A. M. , Rebello E. , Feng L. , Hayes‐Jordan A. , Cata J. P.
Published: November 2016

Background and Objectives

Studies indicate the perioperative transfusion of red blood cells during oncologic surgery may be associated with worse outcomes. In this study, we evaluated the impact of red blood cell transfusions on the short‐ and long‐term outcomes of children undergoing a major oncologic surgery.

Materials and Methods

A retrospective review of the medical records of children ≤18 years of age who had undergone cytoreductive surgery with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy was performed. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify factors influencing survival, complications and length of stay.

Results

Seventy‐five children were identified, 80% of whom had received a red blood cell transfusion. Children who received a red blood cell transfusion had a significantly longer length of stay (P = 0·0003). However, the association between red blood cell transfusions and recurrence‐free survival (HR: 1·307, 95% CI: 0·547–3·124; P = 0·55), overall survival (HR: 1·487, 95% CI: 0·585–3·780; P = 0·40) or the incidence of major complications (27·8 vs. 0% in non‐transfused children, P = 0·18) was not statistically significant.

Conclusion

This retrospective study of children undergoing major oncologic surgery did not demonstrate a significant association between red blood cell transfusions and worse outcomes.
IMAGING DIAGNOSIS—ULTRASOUND UNCOMMON FEATURES OF AN ABDOMINAL GOSSYPIBOMA IN A DOG
Authors: Louvet Arnaud , Duconseille Anne‐Carole
Published: November 2016

An abdominal mass was incidentally detected in a 12‐year‐old, neutered female, crossed breed dog. Abdominal ultrasonographic examination showed a well‐delineated, irregular, heterogeneous mass that did not generate any distal acoustic shadowing. Transcutaneous US‐guided biopsy of the mass were nonconclusive but raised the possibility of neoplasia. Surgery discovered a mass embedded in the omentum and a large quantity of surgical sponges were identified in cut section. To the authors’ knowledge, this represents the first published case of gossypiboma casting no characteristic distal acoustic shadowing.
Increased monocyte‐derived reactive oxygen species in type 2 diabetes: role of endoplasmic reticulum stress
Authors: Restaino Robert M. , Deo Shekhar H. , Parrish Alan R. , Fadel Paul J. , Padilla Jaume
Published: November 2016

New Findings

What is the central question of this study?

Patients with type 2 diabetes exhibit increased oxidative stress in peripheral blood mononuclear cells, including monocytes; however, the mechanisms remain unknown.

What is the main finding and its importance?

The main finding of this study is that factors contained within the plasma of patients with type 2 diabetes can contribute to increased oxidative stress in monocytes, making them more adherent to endothelial cells. We show that these effects are largely mediated by the interaction between endoplasmic reticulum stress and NADPH oxidase activity.

Recent evidence suggests that exposure of human monocytes to glucolipotoxic media to mimic the composition of plasma of patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) results in the induction of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress markers and formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). The extent to which these findings translate to patients with T2D remains unclear. Thus, we first measured ROS (dihydroethidium fluorescence) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from whole blood of T2D patients (n = 8) and compared the values with age‐matched healthy control subjects (n = 8). The T2D patients exhibited greater basal intracellular ROS (mean ± SD, +3.4 ± 1.4‐fold; P < 0.05) compared with control subjects. Next, the increase in ROS in PBMCs isolated from T2D patients was partly recapitulated in cultured human monocytes (THP‐1 cells) exposed to plasma from T2D patients for 36 h (+1.3 ± 0.08‐fold versus plasma from control subjects; P < 0.05). In addition, we found that increased ROS formation in THP‐1 cells treated with T2D plasma was NADPH oxidase derived and led to increased endothelial cell adhesion (+1.8 ± 0.5‐fold; P < 0.05) and lipid uptake (+1.3 ± 0.3‐fold; P < 0.05). Notably, we found that T2D plasma‐induced monocyte ROS and downstream functional effects were abolished by treating cells with tauroursodeoxycholic acid, a chemical chaperone known to inhibit ER stress. Collectively, these data indicate that monocyte ROS production with T2D can be attributed, in part, to signals from the circulating environment. Furthermore, an interplay between ER stress and NADPH oxidase activity contributes to ROS production and may be a mechanism mediating endothelial cell adhesion and foam cell formation in T2D.
The Ca2+ sensitizer CK‐2066260 increases myofibrillar Ca2+ sensitivity and submaximal force selectively in fast skeletal muscle
Authors: Hwee Darren T. , Cheng Arthur J. , Hartman James J. , Hinken Aaron C. , Lee Ken , Durham Nickie , Russell Alan J. , Malik Fady I. , Westerblad Håkan , Jasper Jeffrey R.
Published: November 2016

Key points

We report that the small molecule CK‐2066260 selectively slows the off‐rate of Ca2+ from fast skeletal muscle troponin, leading to increased myofibrillar Ca2+ sensitivity in fast skeletal muscle.

Rodents dosed with CK‐2066260 show increased hindlimb muscle force and power in response to submaximal rates of nerve stimulation in situ.

CK‐2066260 has no effect on free cytosolic [Ca2+] during contractions of isolated muscle fibres.

We conclude that fast skeletal muscle troponin sensitizers constitute a potential therapy to address an unmet need of improving muscle function in conditions of weakness and premature muscle fatigue.

Skeletal muscle dysfunction occurs in many diseases and can lead to muscle weakness and premature muscle fatigue. Here we show that the fast skeletal troponin activator, CK‐2066260, counteracts muscle weakness by increasing troponin Ca2+ affinity, thereby increasing myofibrillar Ca2+ sensitivity. Exposure to CK‐2066260 resulted in a concentration‐dependent increase in the Ca2+ sensitivity of ATPase activity in isolated myofibrils and reconstituted hybrid sarcomeres containing fast skeletal muscle troponin C. Stopped‐flow experiments revealed a ∼2.7‐fold decrease in the Ca2+ off‐rate of isolated troponin complexes in the presence of CK‐2066260 (6 vs. 17 s−1 under control conditions). Isolated mouse flexor digitorum brevis fibres showed a rapidly developing, reversible and concentration‐dependent force increase at submaximal stimulation frequencies. This force increase was not accompanied by any changes in the free cytosolic [Ca2+] or its kinetics. CK‐2066260 induced a slowing of relaxation, which was markedly larger at 26°C than at 31°C and could be linked to the decreased Ca2+ off‐rate of troponin C. Rats dosed with CK‐2066260 showed increased hindlimb isometric and isokinetic force in response to submaximal rates of nerve stimulation in situ producing significantly higher absolute forces at low isokinetic velocities, whereas there was no difference in force at the highest velocities. Overall muscle power was increased and the findings are consistent with a lack of effect on crossbridge kinetics. In conclusion, CK‐2066260 acts as a fast skeletal troponin activator that may be used to increase muscle force and power in conditions of muscle weakness.
Differential regulation of blood flow‐induced neovascularization and mural cell recruitment by vascular endothelial growth factor and angiopoietin signalling
Authors: Stone Oliver A. , Carter James G. , Lin P. Charles , Paleolog Ewa , Machado Maria J. C. , Bates David O.
Published: November 2016

Key points

Combining nitric oxide (NO)‐mediated increased blood flow with angiopoietin‐1–Tie2 receptor signalling induces arteriolargenesis – the formation of arterioles from capillaries – in a model of physiological angiogenesis.

This NO–Tie‐mediated arteriolargenesis requires endogenous vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) signalling.

Inhibition of VEGF signalling increases pericyte coverage in microvessels.

Together these findings indicate that generation of functional neovasculature requires close titration of NO–Tie2 signalling and localized VEGF induction, suggesting that the use of exogenous VEGF expression as a therapeutic for neovascularization may not be successful.

Signalling through vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptors and the tyrosine kinase with IgG and EGF domains‐2 (Tie2) receptor by angiopoietins is required in combination with blood flow for the formation of a functional vascular network. We tested the hypothesis that VEGF and angiopoietin‐1 (Ang1) contribute differentially to neovascularization induced by nitric oxide (NO)‐mediated vasodilatation, by comparing the phenotype of new microvessels in the mesentery during induction of vascular remodelling by over‐expression of endothelial nitric oxide synthase in the fat pad of the adult rat mesentery during inhibition of angiopoietin signalling with soluble Tie2 (sTie2) and VEGF signalling with soluble Fms‐like tyrosine kinase receptor‐1 (sFlt1). We found that NO‐mediated angiogenesis was blocked by inhibition of VEGF with sFlt1 (from 881 ± 98% increase in functional vessel area to 279 ± 72%) and by inhibition of angiopoietin with sTie2 (to 337 ± 67%). Exogenous angiopoietin‐1 was required to induce arteriolargenesis (8.6 ± 1.3% of vessels with recruitment of vascular smooth muscle cells; VSMCs) in the presence of enhanced flow. sTie2 and sFlt1 both inhibited VSMC recruitment (both 0%), and VEGF inhibition increased pericyte recruitment to newly formed vessels (from 27 ± 2 to 54 ± 3% pericyte ensheathment). We demonstrate that a fine balance of VEGF and angiopoietin signalling is required for the formation of a functional vascular network. Endogenous VEGF signalling prevents excess neovessel pericyte coverage, and is required for VSMC recruitment during increased nitric oxide‐mediated vasodilatation and angiopoietin signalling (NO–Tie‐mediated arteriogenesis). Therapeutic vascular remodelling paradigms may therefore require treatments that modulate blood flow to utilize endogenous VEGF, in combination with exogenous Ang1, for effective neovascularization.
Design of a model observer to evaluate calcification detectability in breast tomosynthesis and application to smoothing prior optimization
Authors: Michielsen Koen , Nuyts Johan , Cockmartin Lesley , Marshall Nicholas , Bosmans Hilde
Published: November 2016

Purpose:

In this work, the authors design and validate a model observer that can detect groups of microcalcifications in a four‐alternative forced choice experiment and use it to optimize a smoothing prior for detectability of microcalcifications.

Methods:

A channelized Hotelling observer (CHO) with eight Laguerre–Gauss channels was designed to detect groups of five microcalcifications in a background of acrylic spheres by adding the CHO log‐likelihood ratios calculated at the expected locations of the five calcifications. This model observer is then applied to optimize the detectability of the microcalcifications as a function of the smoothing prior. The authors examine the quadratic and total variation (TV) priors, and a combination of both. A selection of these reconstructions was then evaluated by human observers to validate the correct working of the model observer.

Results:

The authors found a clear maximum for the detectability of microcalcification when using the total variation prior with weight βTV = 35. Detectability only varied over a small range for the quadratic and combined quadratic‐TV priors when weight βQ of the quadratic prior was changed by two orders of magnitude. Spearman correlation with human observers was good except for the highest value of β for the quadratic and TV priors. Excluding those, the authors found ρ = 0.93 when comparing detection fractions, and ρ = 0.86 for the fitted detection threshold diameter.

Conclusions:

The authors successfully designed a model observer that was able to predict human performance over a large range of settings of the smoothing prior, except for the highest values of β which were outside the useful range for good image quality. Since detectability only depends weakly on the strength of the combined prior, it is not possible to pick an optimal smoothness based only on this criterion. On the other hand, such choice can now be made based on other criteria without worrying about calcification detectability.
Is the tautochrone curve unique?
Authors: Terra Pedro , de Melo e Souza Reinaldo , Farina C.
Published: November 2016

We show that there are an infinite number of tautochrone curves in addition to the cycloid solution first obtained by Christiaan Huygens in 1658. We begin by reviewing the inverse problem of finding the possible potential energy functions that lead to periodic motions of a particle whose period is a given function of its mechanical energy. There are infinitely many such solutions, called “sheared” potentials. As an interesting example, we show that a Pöschl-Teller potential and the one-dimensional Morse potentials are sheared relative to one another for negative energies, clarifying why they share the same oscillation periods for their bounded solutions. We then consider periodic motions of a particle sliding without friction over a track around its minimum under the influence of a constant gravitational field. After a brief historical survey of the tautochrone problem we show that, given the oscillation period, there is an infinity of tracks that lead to the same period. As a bonus, we show that there are infinitely many tautochrones.
Quantum thermodynamics and work fluctuations with applications to magnetic resonance
Authors: Ribeiro Wellington L. , Landi Gabriel T. , Semião Fernando L.
Published: November 2016

In this paper, we give a pedagogical introduction to the ideas of quantum thermodynamics and work fluctuations, using only basic concepts from quantum and statistical mechanics. After reviewing the concept of work as usually taught in thermodynamics and statistical mechanics, we discuss the framework of non-equilibrium processes in quantum systems together with some modern developments, such as the Jarzynski equality and its connection to the second law of thermodynamics. We then apply these results to the problem of magnetic resonance, where all calculations can be done exactly. It is shown in detail how to build the statistics of the work, both for a single particle and for a collection of non-interacting particles. We hope that this paper will serve as a tool to bring the new student up to date on the recent developments in non-equilibrium thermodynamics of quantum systems.
Aging and the effect of target-masker alignment
Authors: Helfer Karen S. , Merchant Gabrielle R. , Freyman Richard L.
Published: November 2016

Similarity between target and competing speech messages plays a large role in how easy or difficult it is to understand messages of interest. Much research on informational masking has used highly aligned target and masking utterances that are very similar semantically and syntactically. However, listeners rarely encounter situations in real life where they must understand one sentence in the presence of another (or more than one) highly aligned, syntactically similar competing sentence(s). The purpose of the present study was to examine the effect of syntactic/semantic similarity of target and masking speech in different spatial conditions among younger, middle-aged, and older adults. The results of this experiment indicate that differences in speech recognition between older and younger participants were largest when the masker surrounded the target and was more similar to the target, especially at more adverse signal-to-noise ratios. Differences among listeners and the effect of similarity were much less robust, and all listeners were relatively resistant to masking, when maskers were located on one side of the target message. The present results suggest that previous studies using highly aligned stimuli may have overestimated age-related speech recognition problems.
Tropical littoral ambient noise probability density function model based on sea surface temperature
Authors: Asolkar Piyush , Das Arnab , Gajre Suhas , Joshi Yashwant
Published: November 2016

Ambient noise variability in tropical shallow water presents a critical challenge for sonar designers and operators due to site-specific sea surface fluctuations. Sea surface temperature (SST) is a direct measure of energy balance defining the local climate of the region and hence ambient noise characteristics. In this work, an ambient noise probability density function (pdf) model for a spectral band of 3–10 kHz has been designed based on the statistical distribution of SST and validated using real field data. This will enable early ambient noise prediction compared to existing wind speed based models to facilitate structured mitigation strategies for improving sonar performance.
Adventures of an expeditionary biologist: Neuroethology of ultrasonic communication in amphibians
Authors: Narins Peter M.
Published: November 2016

Animal communication occurs when a signal generated by one individual is transmitted through an appropriate channel and results in a behavioral change in a second individual. We have explored specific morphological, physiological, and behavioral adaptations in a wide variety of taxa that appear to have evolved specifically to tailor and sculpt intraspecific communication systems. In this lecture, I will review one of these adaptational studies that involves two distantly related organisms: the concave-eared torrent frog (Odorrana tormota), calling near fast-flowing mountain streams of Anhui Province, Central China, and the endemic Bornean frog, Huia cavitympanum, living in a very similar riverine habitat in Sarawak, Malaysia. In addition to the high-pitched audible components, these species’ calls contain previously unreported ultrasonic harmonics. Our studies of these two Asian frogs revealed that they communicate acoustically using ultrasound and that their auditory systems are sensitive up to 34-38 kHz. This extraordinary upward extension into the ultrasonic range of both the harmonic content of the advertisement calls and the frogs’ hearing sensitivity is likely to have coevolved in response to the intense, predominately low-frequency ambient noise from local streams.
The model for echolocation of insects by using bat-like sounds
Authors: Matsuo Ikuo
Published: November 2016

Bats use frequency-modulated echolocation to identify and capture flying insects in real three dimensional space. Experimental evidence indicates that bats are capable of locating static objects with a range accuracy of less than 1 μs. A previously introduced model could localize objects in two-dimensional space by accurately estimating the object’s range at each timepoint by extracting temporal changes from the time-frequency pattern and interaural range differences while echoes were measured at two receiving points by intermittently emitting LFM sounds. In addition, this model was shown to localize moving objects in two-dimensional space by accurately estimating the object’s range under the influences of the Doppler shift, which was dependent on the movements. However, it was not evaluated whether this model could detect and localize small sized objects, e.g., small moths, whose echoes were weak. In this presentation, the echoes were measured from two kinds of moth, Spodoptera litura and Helicoverpa armigera. The accuracies of estimated range and direction were examined while echoes were measured from flying moths by intermittently emitting bat-like sounds.
Specialized facial muscles support sonar beam-forming by free-tailed bats
Authors: Trent Samantha , Smotherman Michael
Published: November 2016

Echolocating bats may be able to manipulate the acoustic projection pattern of their sonar pulse emissions, but the mechanism(s) for this and potential constraints are unexplored. The Mexican free-tailed bat (Tadarida brasiliensis) appears to achieve this by finely adjusting the shape of its mouth cavity (beam-forming) in a behavior akin to supralaryngeal speech motor control by humans. Flying Tadarida raise their nose and lips preceding each echolocation pulse with a hypertrophied set of specialized facial muscles (levator labii complex). We investigated 1) muscle complex activity patterns during sonar performance, 2) whether the muscles tissue displayed necessary fast-twitch specializations to accommodate echolocation, and 3) how manipulations of mouth shape altered 3D beam patterns. First, EMG recordings from awake echolocating bats confirmed the muscles were activated in precise temporal coordination with pulse emissions. Second, we describe the anatomical connectivity of the muscle complex, origin and insertions, and innervation pattern. Histochemical analyses confirmed they were highly aerobic, fast-twitch muscles. Last, direct measures revealed that raising the nose tip alone created a small aperture and wide-angle beam, and simultaneously raising the front and side lips created a wider aperture with narrower beam. These results indicate that Tadarida possesses a specialized neuromuscular apparatus for sonar beam-forming.
Neural representation of sonar emissions and echoes in the auditory midbrain of the echolocating bat, Eptesicus fuscus
Authors: Warnecke Michaela , Casper Brandon C. , Simmons Andrea M. , Simmons James A.
Published: November 2016

Local field potentials and multi-unit responses were recorded from the auditory brainstem of the anesthetized big brown bat, Eptesicus fuscus, in response to FM sweeps modeled on those the bat would receive from its broadcasts and also their echoes. Tungsten microelectrodes were inserted at an angle into the inferior colliculus (IC), and responses were recorded at progressively deeper sites in the IC and into the area of the cochlear nucleus (CN). Waveforms of the averaged field potentials varied with depth and recording site, with amplitude and latency of the largest peak in each response consistent with transmission time from the cochlea to the CN and then to the IC. For these responses, values of amplitude-latency trading are consistent with those from previous work. Simulated broadcasts followed by sequences of echoes that mimic reflections from complex sonar scenes evoked sequences of distinct responses. Their latencies were affected by amplitude and also by intersound intervals, creating a dynamic pattern of peaks across time. Latencies tracked the shortening of delay that simulates movement through the scene, providing a data set that can be used as steering inputs to a guidance model. [Work supported by ONR, Capita Foundation.]
Impacts of environment-dependent acoustic propagation on passive acoustic monitoring of cetaceans
Authors: Binder Carolyn , Hines Paul C.
Published: November 2016

Significant effort has been made over the last few decades to develop automated passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) systems capable of classifying cetaceans at the species level; however, these systems often require tuning when deployed in different environments. Anecdotal evidence suggests that this requirement to adjust a PAM system’s parameters is partially due to differences in the propagation characteristics. The environment-dependent propagation characteristics create variation in how a cetacean vocalization is distorted after it is emitted. If this is not accounted for, it could reduce the accuracy and precision of automated PAM systems. An aural classifier developed at Defence R&D Canada (DRDC) has successfully been used for inter-species discrimination of cetaceans. It achieves accurate results by using perceptual signal features that model the features employed by the human auditory system. To quantify the impacts of propagation on the perceptual features, an experiment was conducted in which bowhead and humpback whale vocalizations were transmitted over 1-20 km ranges during a two-day sea trial in the Gulf of Mexico. The experimental results will be presented and strategies will be discussed for training the classifier so that it is capable of operating in numerous acoustic environments with minimal adjustment of the classifier’s parameters.