bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An emergency call system for patients in locked‐in state using an SSVEP‐based brain switch
Authors: Lim Jeong‐Hwan , Kim Yong‐Wook , Lee Jun‐Hak , An Kwang‐Ok , Hwang Han‐Jeong , Cha Ho‐Seung , Han Chang‐Hee , Im Chang‐Hwan
Published: July 2017

Patients in a locked‐in state (LIS) due to severe neurological disorders such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) require seamless emergency care by their caregivers or guardians. However, it is a difficult job for the guardians to continuously monitor the patients' state, especially when direct communication is not possible. In the present study, we developed an emergency call system for such patients using a steady‐state visual evoked potential (SSVEP)–based brain switch. Although there have been previous studies to implement SSVEP‐based brain switch system, they have not been applied to patients in LIS, and thus their clinical value has not been validated. In this study, we verified whether the SSVEP‐based brain switch system can be practically used as an emergency call system for patients in LIS. The brain switch used for our system adopted a chromatic visual stimulus, which proved to be visually less stimulating than conventional checkerboard‐type stimuli but could generate SSVEP responses strong enough to be used for brain‐computer interface (BCI) applications. To verify the feasibility of our emergency call system, 14 healthy participants and 3 patients with severe ALS took part in online experiments. All three ALS patients successfully called their guardians to their bedsides in about 6.56 seconds. Furthermore, additional experiments with one of these patients demonstrated that our emergency call system maintains fairly good performance even up to 4 weeks after the first experiment without renewing initial calibration data. Our results suggest that our SSVEP‐based emergency call system might be successfully used in practical scenarios.
Who Would Be Willing to Accept Disaster Debris in Their Backyard? Investigating the Determinants of Public Attitudes in Post‐Fukushima Japan
Authors: Aoki Naomi
Published: July 2017

In the wake of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami, the Ministry of Environment in Japan asked municipalities nationwide to accept and treat disaster waste. This call for cross‐jurisdictional waste treatment provoked considerable public controversy. To explore how the national and municipal governments can seek more public acceptance in the wake of future disasters, this study implemented a nationwide survey and addressed the question of what factors influence the public's willingness to support their municipalities’ plans to host disaster waste. Three strands of the literature—on risk perception, public dissent, and prosocial behavior—offer valuable insights into hypothesis building, although none has addressed the above question. Estimates from an ordered logistic regression (N = 1,063) reveal that the conditions of a nuclear accident and living with a small child in the household would lower the level of support for accepting disaster waste, although this does not mean that people would give their support in the absence of a nuclear accident. The results also suggest that the national and municipal governments should communicate more with the public about the risks, benefits, and costs associated with hosting disaster debris, and make efforts to improve public trust in the national government.
Gene polymorphism and HLA‐G expression in patients with childhood‐onset systemic lupus erythematosus: A pilot study
Authors: Cavalcanti A. , Almeida R. , Mesquita Z. , Duarte A. L. B. P. , Donadi E. A. , Lucena‐Silva N.
Published: July 2017

Human leukocyte antigen‐G (HLA‐G) presents inhibitory functions in immune cells and is located in a chromosomal region associated with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) susceptibility. Polymorphisms in 3′ untranslated region (3′UTR) of HLA‐G gene may influence protein expression. To date, no study analyzing HLA‐G polymorphism and expression in childhood‐onset systemic lupus erythematosus (cSLE) has been conducted. Therefore, we investigated the influence of HLA‐G 3′UTR polymorphisms in 50 cSLE patients and 144 healthy controls. For the expression analysis, the control group included 26 healthy individuals. No significant difference in allele, genotype, and haplotype frequencies was observed between patients and control group. However, both the 14 bp deletion allele (odds ratio [OR] = 2.76, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.17‐6.52, P = .028) and the 14 bp deletion‐deletion genotype (OR = 8.00, 95% CI = 1.57‐40.65, P = .006) showed an association with lupus nephritis. After Bonferroni correction, none P‐value remained statistically significant. Regarding HLA‐G expression, no significant difference was observed between plasma levels of cSLE patients (56.02 U/mL, interquartile range [IQR] = 37.54‐75.41) and control group (49.2 U/mL, IQR = 27.84‐154.4, P = .952). However, when the patients were stratified according to clinical manifestations, patients with hematological manifestations showed a lower plasma concentration of soluble HLA‐G (sHLA‐G) (47.08 U/mL, IQR = 34.15‐61.56) than patients with no hematological manifestations (65.26 U/mL, IQR = 47.69‐102.60, P = .013). These results suggest that HLA‐G polymorphism has small effect on cSLE susceptibility and that sHLA‐G may be involved in the pathogenesis of the disease.
Una literatura anfibia
Authors: Santiago Silviano
Published: July 2017

En Brasil, la literatura es un campo en el que la estética —su componente cosmopolita— es inseparable de la política —su componente nacional—. La naturaleza híbrida, o anfibia, de la literatura brasilera contemporánea puede tener como efecto la alienación de los lectores tanto en el país como en el extranjero. Para los escritores literarios, la ficción constituye simultáneamente la producción y la diseminación del conocimiento, por medio de principios tomados de la vanguardia. Este doble proyecto solo es consumido por unos pocos en Brasil, en virtud de la alta tasa de analfabetismo. Programas de televisión muchas veces sustituyen la lectura. El doble proyecto también encuentra pocos entusiastas en el extranjero, ya que los lectores de primer mundo tienden a privilegiar los textos exportados que denuncian las injusticias sociales por medio del uso de una retórica sentimental, muchas veces demagógica.
Transculturación y latinoamericanismo
Authors: Moraña Mabel
Published: July 2017

Este artículo analiza el papel que ha jugado la teoría de la transculturación en los campos de las ciencias sociales y de los estudios humanísticos referidos a América Latina. El texto realiza un resumido recuento de las distintas etapas de elaboración del concepto y su funcionalidad en debates actuales marcados por los conceptos y las experiencias de la migración, la fragmentación social, etc. Además, se pregunta sobre la utilidad de la elaboración sobre la transculturación en los escenarios de la postmodernidad.
SFTA-Based Approach for Safety/Reliability Analysis of Operational Use-Cases in Cyber-Physical Systems
Authors: Oveisi Shahrzad , Ravanmehr Reza
Published: July 2017

The software is often responsible for controlling the behavior of mechanical and electrical components, as well as interactions among these components in cyber-physical systems (CPS). The risks in CPS systems could result in losing tools, features, performance and even life. Therefore, safety analysis for software in these systems is a highly critical and serious issue. In general, safety and reliability approaches play a major role in a risk management process in CPS. In this paper, after reviewing the major techniques of software reliability and safety in CPS, an software fault tree analysis (SFTA)-based approach is presented for analysis of operational use-cases (UC) in a CPS system. In our approach, the events related to use-cases are extracted, and the related SFTA is then obtained using the proposed algorithm. Moreover, a semi-automatic method is presented in this paper to produce software failure mode and effects analysis (SFMEA) from SFTA. The results of our approach are applicable for software safety analysis in a real CPS system, including the control system of Iranian National Observatory telescope. Assessment of the suggested method is performed through numerous safety/reliability criteria and the qualitative/quantitative analysis based on these criteria.
Experimental estimation of in vacuo structural admittance using random sources in a non-anechoic room
Authors: Williams Earl G. , Tippmann Jeffery D. , Rakotonarivo Sandrine T. , Waters Zachary J. , Roux Philippe , Kuperman W. A.
Published: July 2017

Identification of unexploded ordinance buried in the sediment in the littoral waters throughout the world is a problem of great concern. When illuminated by low-frequency sonar some of these targets exhibit an elastic response that can be used to identify them. This elastic behavior is embodied and identified by a quantity called the in vacuo structural admittance matrix Ys, a relationship between the sonar-induced forces and resulting vibration on its surface. When it is known it can be combined with surface impedances to predict the three-dimensional bistatic scattering in any fluid-like media and for any burial state (depth and orientation). At the heart of this is the measurement of Ys and it is demonstrated in this paper that this can be accomplished by studying the target in a simple (acoustically unaltered) in-air laboratory environment. The target chosen in this study is a thick spherical shell that was illuminated by a nearly spatially isotropic array of remote loudspeakers. Ys is constructed from ensemble averages of the cross-correlations of eight collocated accelerometers and microphones placed on the surface of the object. The structural admittance determined from the data showed excellent agreement with theory.
Large, valley-exclusive Bloch-Siegert shift in monolayer WS
2
Authors: Sie Edbert J. , Lui Chun Hung , Lee Yi-Hsien , Fu Liang , Kong Jing , Gedik Nuh
Published: July 2017

Going way off resonance

Single atomic layers of transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) materials have two nonequivalent valleys in their electronic structure. When researchers shine visible light on these monolayers, left-circularly polarized light modifies the electronic levels in one valley but not the other. Sie
et al.
studied the material WS
2
. They found that in the infrared regime, if the frequency of the light was far away from the resonance, energy levels in both valleys were affected. The so-called Bloch-Siegert effect could explain the energy shift in the “wrong” valley. The findings should be important for the manipulation of valleytronic properties of TMDs.

Science
, this issue p.
1066
Metamaterials for perpetual cooling at large scales
Authors: Zhang Xiang
Published: July 2017

A glass-polymer film can cool structures by radiating heat, even under direct sunlight
Ethambutol Partitioning in Tuberculous Pulmonary Lesions Explains Its Clinical Efficacy
Authors: Zimmerman Matthew , Lestner Jodi , Prideaux Brendan , O'Brien Paul , Dias-Freedman Isabela , Chen Chao , Dietzold Jillian , Daudelin Isaac , Kaya Firat , Blanc Landry , Chen Pei-Yu , Park Steven , Salgame Padmini , Sarathy Jansy , Dartois Véronique
Published: July 2017

Clinical trials and practice have shown that ethambutol is an important component of the first-line tuberculosis (TB) regime. This contrasts the drug's rather modest potency and lack of activity against nongrowing persister mycobacteria. The standard plasma-based pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic profile of ethambutol suggests that the drug may be of limited clinical value. Here, we hypothesized that this apparent contradiction may be explained by favorable penetration of the drug into TB lesions. First, we utilized novel
in vitro
lesion pharmacokinetic assays and predicted good penetration of the drug into lesions. We then employed mass spectrometry imaging and laser capture microdissection coupled to liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry (LCM and LC/MS-MS, respectively) to show that ethambutol, indeed, accumulates in diseased tissues and penetrates the major human-like lesion types represented in the rabbit model of TB disease with a lesion-to-plasma exposure ratio ranging from 9 to 12. In addition, ethambutol exhibits slow but sustained passive diffusion into caseum to reach concentrations markedly higher than those measured in plasma at steady state. The results explain why ethambutol has retained its place in the first-line regimen, validate our
in vitro
lesion penetration assays, and demonstrate the critical importance of effective lesion penetration for anti-TB drugs. Our findings suggest that
in vitro
and
in vivo
lesion penetration evaluation should be included in TB drug discovery programs. Finally, this is the first time that LCM with LC-MS/MS has been used to quantify a small molecule at high spatial resolution in infected tissues, a method that can easily be extended to other infectious diseases.
Characterization of the Complete Nucleotide Sequences of IncA/C
2
Plasmids Carrying In809-Like Integrons from Enterobacteriaceae Isolates of Wildlife Origin
Authors: Papagiannitsis Costas C. , Kutilova Iva , Medvecky Matej , Hrabak Jaroslav , Dolejska Monika
Published: July 2017

A total of 18
Enterobacteriaceae
(17 from gulls and 1 from a clinical sample) collected from Australia, carrying IncA/C plasmids with the IMP-encoding In809-like integrons, were studied. Seven plasmids, being representatives of different origins, plasmid sizes, replicon combinations, and resistance genes, were completely sequenced. Plasmid pEc158, identified in a clinical
Escherichia coli
ST752 isolate, showed extensive similarity to type 2 IncA/C
2
plasmids. pEc158 carried none of the
bla
CMY-2
-like region or ARI-B and ARI-A regions, while it contained a hybrid transposon structure. The six remaining plasmids, which were of wildlife origin, were highly similar to each other and probably were fusion derivatives of type 1 and type 2 A/C
2
plasmids. The latter plasmids contained an ARI-B region and hybrid transposon structures. In all plasmids, hybrid transposon structures containing In809-like integrons were inserted 3,434 bp downstream of the
rhs2
start codon. In all cases, the one outermost 38-bp inverted repeat (IR) of the transposon was associated with the Tn
1696 tnp
module, while the other outermost 38-bp IR of the transposon was associated with either a Tn
6317
-like module or a Tn
21 mer
module. However, the internal structure of the transposon and the resistance genes were different in each plasmid. These findings indicated that, for the specific periods of time and settings, different IncA/C
2
plasmid types carrying In809-like elements circulated among isolates of wildlife and clinical origins. Additionally, they provided the basis for speculations regarding the reshuffling of IncA/C
2
plasmids with In809-like integrons and confirmed the rapid evolution of IncA/C
2
plasmid lineages.
Menstrual hygiene management among Bangladeshi adolescent schoolgirls and risk factors affecting school absence: results from a cross-sectional survey
Authors: Alam Mahbub-Ul , Luby Stephen P , Halder Amal K , Islam Khairul , Opel Aftab , Shoab Abul K , Ghosh Probir K , Rahman Mahbubur , Mahon Therese , Unicomb Leanne
Published: July 2017

Background

Many adolescent girls in low-income and middle-income countries lack appropriate facilities and support in school to manage menstruation. Little research has been conducted on how menstruation affects school absence. This study examines the association of menstrual hygiene management knowledge, facilities and practice with absence from school during menstruation among Bangladeshi schoolgirls.

Methods

We conducted a nationally representative, cross-sectional study in Bangladeshi schools from March to June 2013 among girls 11 to 17 years old who reached menarche. We sampled 700 schools from 50 urban and 50 rural clusters using a probability proportional to size technique. We interviewed 2332 schoolgirls and conducted spot checks in each school for menstrual hygiene facilities. To assess factors associated with reported school absence, we estimated adjusted prevalence difference (APD) for controlling confounders’ effect using generalised estimating equations to account for school-level clustering.

Results

Among schoolgirls who reached menarche, 41% (931) reported missing school, an average of 2.8 missed days per menstrual cycle. Students who felt uncomfortable at school during menstruation (99% vs 32%; APD=58%; CI 54 to 63) and who believed menstrual problems interfere with school performance (64% vs 30%; APD=27; CI 20 to 33) were more likely to miss school during menstruation than those who did not. School absence during menstruation was less common among girls attending schools with unlocked toilet for girls (35% vs 43%; APD=−5.4; CI −10 to –1.6). School absence was more common among girls who were forbidden from any activities during menstruation (41% vs 33%; APD=9.1; CI 3.3 to 14).

Conclusion

Risk factors for school absence included girl’s attitude, misconceptions about menstruation, insufficient and inadequate facilities at school, and family restriction. Enabling girls to manage menstruation at school by providing knowledge and management methods prior to menarche, privacy and a positive social environment around menstrual issues has the potential to benefit students by reducing school absence.
Parental knowledge, attitudes and beliefs on fever: a cross-sectional study in Ireland
Authors: Kelly Maria , Sahm Laura J , Shiely Frances , O’Sullivan Ronan , de Bont Eefje G , Mc Gillicuddy Aoife , Herlihy Roisin , Dahly Darren , McCarthy Suzanne
Published: July 2017

Objectives

Fever is a common symptom of mostly benign illness in young children, yet concerning for parents. The aim of this study was to describe parental knowledge, attitudes and beliefs regarding fever in children aged ≤5 years of age.

Design

A cross-sectional study using a previously validated questionnaire. Results were analysed using descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression.

Setting

Purposively selected primary schools (n=8) in Cork, Ireland, using a paper-based questionnaire. Data were collected from a cross-sectional internet-based questionnaire with a convenience sample of parents via websites and web pages (n=10) previously identified in an interview study.

Participants

Parents with at least one child aged ≤5 years were invited to participate in the study.

Main outcome measures

Parental knowledge, attitudes and beliefs when managing fever in children.

Results

One thousand one hundred and four parents contributed to this research (121 parents from schools and 983 parents through an online questionnaire). Almost two-thirds of parents (63.1%) identified temperatures at which they define fever that were either below or above the recognised definition of temperature (38°C). Nearly two of every three parents (64.6%) alternate between two fever-reducing medications when managing a child’s fever. Among parents, years of parenting experience, age, sex, educational status or marital status did not predict being able to correctly identify a fever, neither did they predict if the parent alternated between fever-reducing medications.

Conclusions

Parental knowledge of fever and fever management was found to be deficient which concurs with existing literature. Parental experience and other sociodemographic factors were generally not helpful in identifying parents with high or low levels of knowledge. Resources to help parents when managing a febrile illness need to be introduced to help all parents provide effective care.
Prevalence of metabolic syndrome, discrete or comorbid diabetes and hypertension in sub-Saharan Africa among people living with HIV versus HIV-negative populations: a systematic review and meta-analysis protocol
Authors: Todowede Olamide O , Sartorius Benn
Published: July 2017

Introduction

Metabolic disorder and high blood pressure are common complications globally, and specifically among people living with HIV (PLHIV). Diabetes, metabolic syndrome and hypertension are major risk factors for cardiovascular diseases and their related complications. However, the burden of metabolic syndrome, discrete or comorbid diabetes and hypertension in PLHIV compared with HIV-negative population has not been quantified. This review and meta-analysis aims to compare and analyse the prevalence of these trio conditions between HIV-negative and HIV-positive populations in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).

Methods and analysis

The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis statement guides the methods for this study. Eligibility criteria will be published original articles (English and French language) from SSA that present the prevalence of metabolic syndrome, discrete and/or comorbid diabetes, and hypertension comparisons between PLHIV and HIV-negative populations. The following databases will be searched from January 1990 to February 2017: PubMed/Medline, EBSCOhost, Web of Science, Google Scholar, Scopus, African Index Medicus and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Eligibility screening and data extraction will be conducted independently by two reviewers, and disagreements resolved by an independent reviewer. Methodological quality and risk of bias will be assessed for individual included studies, while meta-analysis will be used to estimate study outcomes prevalence according to subgroups. Sensitivity analysis will also be performed to further test the robustness of the findings.

Ethics and dissemination

This proposed study does not require ethical approval. The results will be published as a scientific article in a peer-reviewed journal, and presented at conferences and to relevant health agencies.

Trial registration number

PROSPERO registration number (CRD42016045727).
Deriving compatible taper functions from volume ratio equations based on upper-stem height
Authors: Lynch Thomas B. , Zhao Dehai , Harges Will , McTague John Paul
Published: July 2017

A very common model for prediction of tree stem volumes to upper-stem height or diameter limits is the use of a merchantable to total volume ratio function multiplied by a total stem volume function. Many users of these prediction systems also desire taper equations that can predict heights to upper-stem diameters. While taper equations compatible with volume ratio equations have been used for many years, compatible taper equations from volume ratio equations that are functions of upper-stem height have been used infrequently. Yet many studies have indicated that height-based ratio equations perform well and frequently have statistics of fit that are comparable with diameter-based volume ratio equations. Compatible taper equations derived from height-based ratio equations are presented here. The methodology that uses height-based merchantable to total volume ratios does not require the solution of a differential equation after differentiating the height-based volume ratio, as is necessary when using the method of deriving taper equations from diameter-based merchantable to total volume ratios. This could be an advantage depending on the complexity of the ratio function. Example taper equations fitted to loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) data from the southeastern USA and the state of Oklahoma, USA, indicate good fit to these data, whether fitted directly to taper data or implicitly by using parameters fitted to volume ratio data.
Black hole thermodynamics and heat engines in conformal gravity
Authors: Xu Hao , Sun Yuan , Zhao Liu
Published: July 2017

The extended phase-space thermodynamics and heat engines for static spherically symmetric black hole solutions of four-dimensional conformal gravity are studied in detail. It is argued that the equation of states (EOS) for such black holes is always branched, any continuous thermodynamical process cannot drive the system from one branch of the EOS into another branch. Meanwhile, the thermodynamical volume is bounded from above, making the black holes always super-entropic in one branch and may also be super-entropic in another branch in certain range of the temperature. The Carnot and Stirling heat engines associated to such black holes are shown to be distinct from each other. For rectangular heat engines, the efficiency always approaches zero when the rectangle becomes extremely narrow, and given the highest and lowest working temperatures fixed, there is always a maximum for the efficiency of such engines.
The Ferrar Large Igneous Province: field and geochemical constraints on supra-crustal (high-level) emplacement of the magmatic system
Authors: Elliot David H. , Fleming Thomas H.
Published: July 2017

The Ferrar Large Igneous Province forms a linear outcrop belt for 3250 km across Antarctica, which then diverges into SE Australia and New Zealand. The province comprises numerous sills, a layered mafic intrusion, remnants of extensive lava fields and minor pyroclastic deposits. High-precision zircon geochronology demonstrates a restricted emplacement duration (<0.4 myr) at
c.
182.7 Ma, and geochemistry demonstrates marked coherence for most of the Ferrar province. Dyke swarms forming magma feeders have not been recognized, but locally have been inferred geophysically. The emplacement order of the various components of the magmatic system at supra-crustal levels has been inferred to be from the top-down lavas first, followed by progressively deeper emplacement of sills. This order was primarily controlled by magma density, and the emptying of large differentiated magma bodies from depth. An alternative proposal is that the magma transport paths were through sills, with magmas moving upwards to eventually reach the surface to be erupted as extrusive rocks. These two hypotheses are evaluated in terms of field relationships and geochemistry in the five regional areas where both lavas and sills crop out. Either scenario is possible in one or more instances, but neither hypothesis applies on a province-wide basis.
Deriving User Preferences of Mobile Apps from Their Management Activities
Authors: Liu Xuanzhe , Ai Wei , Li Huoran , Tang Jian , Huang Gang , Feng Feng , Mei Qiaozhu
Published: July 2017

App marketplaces host millions of mobile apps that are downloaded billions of times. Investigating how people manage mobile apps in their everyday lives creates a unique opportunity to understand the behavior and preferences of mobile device users, infer the quality of apps, and improve user experience. Existing literature provides very limited knowledge about app management activities, due to the lack of app usage data at scale. This article takes the initiative to analyze a very large app management log collected through a leading Android app marketplace. The dataset covers 5 months of detailed downloading, updating, and uninstallation activities, which involve 17 million anonymized users and 1 million apps. We present a surprising finding that the metrics commonly used to rank apps in app stores do not truly reflect the users’ real attitudes. We then identify behavioral patterns from the app management activities that more accurately indicate user preferences of an app even when no explicit rating is available. A systematic statistical analysis is designed to evaluate machine learning models that are trained to predict user preferences using these behavioral patterns, which features an inverse probability weighting method to correct the selection biases in the training process.
Sending and Receiving Hedgehog Signals
Authors: Petrov Kostadin , Wierbowski Bradley M. , Salic Adrian
Published: July 2017

Communication between cells pervades the development and physiology of metazoans. In animals, this process is carried out by a relatively small number of signaling pathways, each consisting of a chain of biochemical events through which extracellular stimuli control the behavior of target cells. One such signaling system is the Hedgehog pathway, which is crucial in embryogenesis and is implicated in many birth defects and cancers. Although Hedgehog pathway components were identified by genetic analysis more than a decade ago, our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of signaling is far from complete. In this review, we focus on the biochemistry and cell biology of the Hedgehog pathway. We examine the unique biosynthesis of the Hedgehog ligand, its specialized release from cells into extracellular space, and the poorly understood mechanisms involved in ligand reception and pathway activation at the surface of target cells. We highlight several critical questions that remain open.
Climate and the Pace of Erosional Landscape Evolution
Authors: Perron J. Taylor
Published: July 2017

Earth's climate affects nearly all aspects of landscape evolution, from the breakdown of rock to the delivery of sediment to the oceans. Yet quantifying climate's influence on landscapes is a major challenge, not only because it is difficult to know how landscapes responded to past changes in climate, but also because landscapes are shaped by various processes that respond to climate in different ways. I review the current state of efforts to quantify climate's effects on the rates of the main processes that drive landscape evolution, with a focus on unglaciated landscapes formed by bedrock erosion. Although many uncertainties remain, recent research has clarified how the processes governing hillslopes, bedrock channels, and chemical erosion depend on major climate factors such as precipitation and temperature. A few themes emerge, including the importance of climatically mediated biological processes, the role of variability, and the value of natural experiments for revealing climate's effects.
The Impact of Systematic Conservation Planning
Authors: McIntosh Emma J. , Pressey Robert L. , Lloyd Samuel , Smith Robert J. , Grenyer Richard
Published: July 2017

Systematic conservation planning (SCP) is a rapidly advancing discipline aimed at providing decision support for choices between alternate conservation actions. SCP is often used to inform choices about areas to protect, in order to optimize outcomes for biodiversity while minimizing societal costs. Despite the widespread application of SCP approaches, there is limited understanding of the types of impacts resulting from related projects, and when and where it is most effective. This is compounded by the absence of a standardized approach to evaluating and reporting on the outcomes of SCP projects. We highlight the challenges of undertaking evaluations of complex planning processes, the current state of knowledge about the outcomes of SCP projects, and emerging opportunities to improve evaluation. There is a need for clarity around theories of change, definitions of SCP and impact, and standardized reporting and information sharing across the discipline.
Mitochondrial Respiration in Human Colorectal and Breast Cancer Clinical Material Is Regulated Differently
Authors: Koit Andre , Shevchuk Igor , Ounpuu Lyudmila , Klepinin Aleksandr , Chekulayev Vladimir , Timohhina Natalja , Tepp Kersti , Puurand Marju , Truu Laura , Heck Karoliina , Valvere Vahur , Guzun Rita , Kaambre Tuuli
Published: July 2017

We conducted quantitative cellular respiration analysis on samples taken from human breast cancer (HBC) and human colorectal cancer (HCC) patients. Respiratory capacity is not lost as a result of tumor formation and even though, functionally, complex I in HCC was found to be suppressed, it was not evident on the protein level. Additionally, metabolic control analysis was used to quantify the role of components of mitochondrial interactosome. The main rate‐controlling steps in HBC are complex IV and adenine nucleotide transporter, but in HCC, complexes I and III. Our kinetic measurements confirmed previous studies that respiratory chain complexes I and III in HBC and HCC can be assembled into supercomplexes with a possible partial addition from the complex IV pool. Therefore, the kinetic method can be a useful addition in studying supercomplexes in cell lines or human samples. In addition, when results from culture cells were compared to those from clinical samples, clear differences were present, but we also detected two different types of mitochondria within clinical HBC samples, possibly linked to two‐compartment metabolism. Taken together, our data show that mitochondrial respiration and regulation of mitochondrial membrane permeability have substantial differences between these two cancer types when compared to each other to their adjacent healthy tissue or to respective cell cultures.
MUSE: An Efficient and Accurate Verifiable Privacy-Preserving Multikeyword Text Search over Encrypted Cloud Data
Authors: Xiangyang Zhu , Hua Dai , Xun Yi , Geng Yang , Xiao Li
Published: July 2017

With the development of cloud computing, services outsourcing in clouds has become a popular business model. However, due to the fact that data storage and computing are completely outsourced to the cloud service provider, sensitive data of data owners is exposed, which could bring serious privacy disclosure. In addition, some unexpected events, such as software bugs and hardware failure, could cause incomplete or incorrect results returned from clouds. In this paper, we propose an efficient and accurate verifiable privacy-preserving multikeyword text search over encrypted cloud data based on hierarchical agglomerative clustering, which is named MUSE. In order to improve the efficiency of text searching, we proposed a novel index structure, HAC-tree, which is based on a hierarchical agglomerative clustering method and tends to gather the high-relevance documents in clusters. Based on the HAC-tree, a noncandidate pruning depth-first search algorithm is proposed, which can filter the unqualified subtrees and thus accelerate the search process. The secure inner product algorithm is used to encrypted the HAC-tree index and the query vector. Meanwhile, a completeness verification algorithm is given to verify search results. Experiment results demonstrate that the proposed method outperforms the existing works, DMRS and MRSE-HCI, in efficiency and accuracy, respectively.
Plasma lncRNA GAS8-AS1 as a Potential Biomarker of Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma in Chinese Patients
Authors: Zhang Dongxue , Liu Xin , Wei Bojun , Qiao Guoliang , Jiang Tao , Chen Zhenwen
Published: July 2017

Background. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) were recently shown to have potential in the diagnosis and prognosis for numerous cancers. lncRNA GAS8-AS1 is decreased in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) tissue, but its plasma expression and clinical value in patients with PTC remain unknown. Materials and Methods. We investigated the expression profile of plasma GAS8-AS1 in 97 patients with PTC and 39 patients with nodular goiter by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Results. GAS8-AS1 expression in plasma was downregulated in patients with PTC in comparison with those in nodular goiters (P<0.001). A low level of plasma GAS8-AS1 expression was correlated with lymph node metastasis (LNM) (P<0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that a reduced GAS8-AS1 level in plasma was associated with LNM (P<0.05). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for GAS8-AS1 was 0.746 in LNM prediction (P<0.001). Conclusion. The present study indicates that circulating GAS8-AS1 is a potential biomarker for PTC diagnosis and LNM prediction.
Inflammatory Markers Are Positively Associated with Serumtrans-Fatty Acids in an Adult American Population
Authors: Mazidi Mohsen , Gao Hong-kai , Kengne Andre Pascal
Published: July 2017

Background and Aim. The relationship between serumtrans-fatty acids (TFAs) and systemic inflammation markers is unclear. We investigated the association of serum TFAs with high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and fibrinogen in adult Americans.Methods. The 1999 to 2000 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) participants with measured data on hs-CRP and fibrinogen were included. TFAs were measured via capillary gas chromatography and mass spectrometry using negative chemical ionization. Analysis of covariance and multivariable-adjusted linear regression models were used to investigate the associations between these parameters, accounting for the survey design.Results. Of the 5446 eligible participants, 46.8% (n=2550) were men. The mean age was 47.1 years overall: 47.8 years in men and 46.5 years in women (p=0.085). After adjustment for age and sex, mean serum TFAs rose with the increasing quarters of hs-CRP and fibrinogen (bothp<0.001). In linear regression models adjusted for age, sex, race, education, marital status, body mass index, and smoking, serum TFAs were an independent predictor of plasma hs-CRP and fibrinogen levels.Conclusion. A high level of TFAs appears to be a contributor to an unfavourable inflammatory profile. Because serum TFAs concentrations are affected by dietary TFA intake, these data suggest a possible contribution of TFAs intake modulation in the prevention of inflammation-related chronic diseases.
Hypoxic Modulation of HLA-G Expression through the Metabolic Sensor HIF-1 in Human Cancer Cells
Authors: Garziera Marica , Scarabel Lucia , Toffoli Giuseppe
Published: July 2017

The human leukocyte antigen-G (HLA-G) is considered an immune checkpoint molecule involved in tumor immune evasion. Hypoxia and the metabolic sensor hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) are hallmarks of metastasization, angiogenesis, and intense tumor metabolic activity. The purpose of this review was to examine original in vitro studies carried out in human cancer cell lines, which reported data about HLA-G expression and HIF-1 mediated-HLA-G expression in response to hypoxia. The impact ofHLA-Ggenomic variability on the hypoxia responsive elements (HREs) specific for HIF-1 binding was also discussed. Under hypoxia, HLA-G-negative cell lines might transcribe HLA-G without translation of the protein while in contrast, HLA-G-positive cell lines, showed a reduced HLA-G transcriptional activity and protein level. HIF-1 modulation of HLA-G expression induced by hypoxia was demonstrated in different cell lines.HLA-GSNPs rs1632947 and rs41551813 located in distinct HREs demonstrated a prominent role of HIF-1 binding by DNA looping. Our research revealed a fine regulation of HLA-G in hypoxic conditions through HIF-1, depending on the cellular type andHLA-Ggenomic variability. Specifically, SNPs found in HREs should be considered in future investigations as markers with potential clinical value especially in metastatic malignancies.
Patch-Based Principal Component Analysis for Face Recognition
Authors: Jiang Tai-Xiang , Huang Ting-Zhu , Zhao Xi-Le , Ma Tian-Hui
Published: July 2017

We have proposed a patch-based principal component analysis (PCA) method to deal with face recognition. Many PCA-based methods for face recognition utilize the correlation between pixels, columns, or rows. But the local spatial information is not utilized or not fully utilized in these methods. We believe that patches are more meaningful basic units for face recognition than pixels, columns, or rows, since faces are discerned by patches containing eyes and noses. To calculate the correlation between patches, face images are divided into patches and then these patches are converted to column vectors which would be combined into a new “image matrix.” By replacing the images with the new “image matrix” in the two-dimensional PCA framework, we directly calculate the correlation of the divided patches by computing the total scatter. By optimizing the total scatter of the projected samples, we obtain the projection matrix for feature extraction. Finally, we use the nearest neighbor classifier. Extensive experiments on the ORL and FERET face database are reported to illustrate the performance of the patch-based PCA. Our method promotes the accuracy compared to one-dimensional PCA, two-dimensional PCA, and two-directional two-dimensional PCA.
The Effects of Diabetes Induction on the Rat Heart: Differences in Oxidative Stress, Inflammatory Cells, and Fibrosis between Subendocardial and Interstitial Myocardial Areas
Authors: Guido Maria C. , Marques Alyne F. , Tavares Elaine R. , Tavares de Melo Marcelo D. , Salemi Vera M. C. , Maranhão Raul C.
Published: July 2017

Diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) is characterized by cardiac remodeling and impaired diastolic function that may lead to heart failure. The aim of this study was to evaluate oxidative stress, inflammatory cells, and fibrosis in both subendocardial (SEN) and interstitial (INT) areas of the myocardium. Male Wistar rats were allocated to 2 groups of 9 animals, a control (CT) group and streptozotocin‐induced diabetes (DM). After 8 weeks, echocardiography morphometry, protein expression, and confocal microscopy in SEN and INT areas of the left ventricle (LV) were performed. The echocardiographic analysis showed that diabetes induction leads to cardiac dilation, hypertrophy, and LV diastolic dysfunction. As compared to CT, the induction of diabetes increased inflammatory cells and fibrosis in both SEN and INT areas of DM myocardium and increased ROS generation only in SEN. Comparing the SEN and INT areas in the DM group, inflammatory cells and fibrosis in SEN were greater than in INT. In conclusion, diabetic myocardium SEN area, wherein oxidative stress was more pronounced, is more susceptible to cardiac dysfunction than INT area. This finding can be important for the understanding of the heart remodeling process occurring in DCM and perhaps to engender targeted therapies to attenuate or revert DCM‐related diastolic dysfunction.
Uses, Limitations, and Validity of a Registry of Congenital Anomalies in Iran: A Critical Review
Authors: Stone David H. , Dastgiri Saeed , Heidarzadeh Mohammad , Abdollahi Hossein M. , Imani Shahin , Maher Mohammad H. K.
Published: July 2017

Background and Aims. Preventive strategies of congenital anomalies are basically relying on the systematic ongoing collection and analysis of data and timely dissemination of information. The aim of this paper is to briefly report a critical review of a surveillance system of congenital anomalies in a developing country, by describing the challenges and experience of the registry since it began. Methods. Tabriz Registry of Congenital Anomalies (TRoCA) was mainly set up based on the guidelines provided by the International Clearinghouse for Birth Defects Surveillance and Research (ICBDSR) for data collection, coding, process, analysis, use, and evaluation of the system. Findings. TRoCA has successfully achieved its main objective as a pilot model for setting up a nationwide registry of congenital anomalies in the country. The programme has too succeeded in relation to its regional objectives: epidemiological rates and data have been produced consistently for etiological investigations, methodological studies, service provision, and preventive measures for selected anomalies. Conclusions. Our successful experience, as a small registry in a developing country, might be of interest and useful to practitioners, policymakers of birth defects control programmes, and mainly those willing to set up a monitoring system of congenital anomalies in similar areas.
Study on Lesion Assessment of Cerebello-Thalamo-Cortical Network in Wilson’s Disease with Diffusion Tensor Imaging
Authors: Wang Anqin , Wu Hongli , Xu Chunsheng , Tang Lanfeng , Lee Jaeyoun , Wang Min , Jiang Man , Li Chuanfu , Lu Qi , Zhang Chunyun
Published: July 2017

Wilson’s disease (WD) is a genetic disorder of copper metabolism with pathological copper accumulation in the brain and any other tissues. This article aimed to assess lesions in cerebello-thalamo-cortical network with an advanced technique of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in WD. 35 WD patients and 30 age- and sex-matched healthy volunteers were recruited to accept diffusion-weighted images with 15 gradient vectors and conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The DTI parameters, including fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusion (MD), were calculated by diffusion kurtosis estimator software. After registration, patient groups with FA mappings and MD mappings and normal groups were compared with 3dttest and receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, corrected with FDR simulations (p=0.001, α=0.05, cluster size = 326). We found that the degree of FA increased in the bilateral head of the caudate nucleus (HCN), lenticular nucleus (LN), ventral thalamus, substantia nigra (SN), red nucleus (RN), right dentate nucleus (DN), and decreased in the mediodorsal thalamus and extensive white matter. The value of MD increased in HCN, LN, SN, RN, and extensive white matter. The technique of DTI provides higher sensitivity and specificity than conventional MRI to detect Wilson’s disease. Besides, lesions in the basal ganglia, thalamus, and cerebellum might disconnect the basal ganglia-thalamo-cortical circuits or dentato-rubro-thalamic (DRT) track and disrupt cerebello-thalamo-cortical network finally, which may cause clinical extrapyramidal symptoms.
Impact of Ospemifene on Quality of Life and Sexual Function in Young Survivors of Cervical Cancer: A Prospective Study
Authors: De Rosa Nicoletta , Lavitola Giada , Giampaolino Pierluigi , Morra Ilaria , Nappi Carmine , Bifulco Giuseppe
Published: July 2017

Background.Cervical cancer (CC) treatments impact quality of life (QoL) and sexual function (SF) of survivors. Treatment options to reduce sexual dysfunction are limited. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of ospemifene in CC survivors with clinical signs and symptoms of vulvovaginal atrophy (VVA) focusing on their QoL and SF.Materials and Methods.Fifty-two patients with previous diagnosis of stage I-IIa CC suffering from VVA and treated with ospemifene were enrolled into a single arm prospective study. Patient underwent 6 months of therapy. At baseline and after 6 months all subjects performed Vaginal Health Index (VHI). The SF and QoL were measured by The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life Questionnaire (QLQ) and the Cervical Cancer Module (CXC-24).Results.After treatment a significant improvement of each parameter of VHI has been demonstrated. Global health status and emotional and social functioning scores improved significantly. On the contrary, general symptoms scales did not show significant difference from baseline data. Sexual activity, sexual vaginal functioning, body image, and sexual enjoyment scores increased significantly.Conclusion.Ospemifene seems to be effective in decreasing the VVA symptoms in CC survivors.
Bacterial Profile and Antibiotic Resistance in Patients with Diabetic Foot Ulcer in Guangzhou, Southern China: Focus on the Differences among Different Wagner’s Grades, IDSA/IWGDF Grades, and Ulcer Types
Authors: Xie Xiaoying , Bao Yunwen , Ni Lijia , Liu Dan , Niu Shaona , Lin Haixiong , Li Hongyu , Duan Chaohui , Yan Li , Huang Songyin , Luo Zhaofan
Published: July 2017

Objective. To understand the bacterial profile and antibiotic resistance patterns in diabetic foot infection (DFI) in different Wagner’s grades, IDSA/IWGDF grades, and different ulcer types in Guangzhou, in order to provide more detailed suggestion to the clinician about the empirical antibiotic choice. Methods. 207 bacteria were collected from 117 DFIs in Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital from Jan.1, 2010, to Dec.31, 2015. The clinical data and microbial information were analyzed. Results. The proportion of Gram-negative bacteria (GNB) was higher than Gram-positive bacteria (GPB) (54.1% versus 45.9%), in which Enterobacteriaceae (73.2%) and Staphylococcus (65.2%) were predominant, respectively. With an increasing of Wagner’s grades and IDSA/IWGDF grades, the proportion of GNB bacterial infection, especially Pseudomonas, was increased. Neuro-ischemic ulcer (N-IFU) was more susceptible to GNB infection. Furthermore, with the aggravation of the wound and infection, the antibiotic resistance rates were obviously increased. GPB isolated in ischemic foot ulcer (IFU) showed more resistance than the N-IFU, while GNB isolates were on the opposite. Conclusions. Different bacterial profiles and antibiotic sensitivity were found in different DFU grades and types. Clinician should try to stay updated in antibiotic resistance pattern of common pathogens in their area. This paper provided them the detailed information in this region.