bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Post‐Cervical Insemination does not Impair the Reproductive Performance of Primiparous Sows
Authors: Sbardella PE , Ulguim RR , Fontana DL , Ferrari CV , Bernardi ML , Wentz I , Bortolozzo FP
Published: July 2013

Contents

The study evaluated the reproductive performance of primiparous sows submitted to post‐cervical insemination (PCAI) compared with cervical artificial insemination (CAI). Difficulty with catheter introduction, the occurrence of bleeding or semen backflow during insemination, and volume and sperm cell backflow up to 60 min after insemination were also evaluated. Sows were homogenously distributed, according to body weight loss in lactation, lactation length, weaned piglets, weaning‐to‐oestrus interval and total born in previous farrowing, in two treatments: PCAI (n = 165) with 1.5 × 109 sperm cells in 45 ml (2.4 ± 0.04 doses per sow) and CAI (n = 165) with 3 × 109 sperm cells in 90 ml (2.5 ± 0.04 doses per sow). During PCAI, sows were inseminated in the absence of boars. Transabdominal real‐time ultrasonography was performed at oestrus onset, immediately before the first insemination and at 24 h after last insemination. There was no difference (P > 0.05) between treatments in farrowing rate (91.5% × 89.1%) and litter size (12.5 × 11.9 piglets born, respectively for PCAI and CAI sows). Successful passage of the intrauterine catheter in all the inseminations was possible in 86.8% (165/190) of sows initially allocated to PCAI treatment. Difficulty of introducing the catheter in at least one insemination did not affect the reproductive performance of PCAI sows (P > 0.05). Bleeding during insemination did not affect (P > 0.05) the farrowing rate in both treatments, but litter size was reduced in CAI and PCAI sows (P ≤ 0.06). Percentage of spermatozoa present in backflow within 1 h after insemination was greater in CAI than PCAI sows (P < 0.01). More than 85% of primiparous sows can be successfully post‐cervical inseminated with doses containing 1.5 × 109 sperm cells in the absence of the boar during insemination without impairing the reproductive performance.
Adverse Shocks and Economic Insecurity: Evidence from Chile and Mexico
Authors: Espinosa Javier , Friedman Jorge , Yevenes Carlos
Published: July 2013

This paper uses multinomial logit to analyze economic insecurity for Chile and Mexico from household surveys. It analyzes the effect changes in well‐being, age, health, wealth, employment status, gender, and education have on economic insecurity. The results show that the most significant variable is current exposure to adverse events, the second most significant is age, and the third is health. The current exposure to adverse events produces great anxiety and concern about and the inability to recover from these bad events. Older households assign higher probabilities to negative prospects and are thus subject to higher levels of economic insecurity. This also occurs when the household head is seriously ill. The effect of gender and wealth on negative expectations is very small, while education only affects Mexico, and self‐employment affects only Chile. Finally, the similarities between Chile and Mexico provide evidence of identifiable patterns for economic insecurity in Latin American countries.
Canine serum C‐reactive protein as a quantitative marker of the inflammatory stimulus of aseptic elective soft tissue surgery
Authors: Kjelgaard‐Hansen Mads , Strom Henriette , Mikkelsen Lars F. , Eriksen Thomas , Jensen Asger L. , Luntang‐Jensen Michael
Published: July 2013

Background

C‐reactive protein (CRP) is an established serum marker for the presence of systemic inflammation in dogs. Results from previous experimental and clinical studies suggest that CRP concentrations also quantitatively reflect the degree and progress of an inflammatory process, suggesting its use for inflammation monitoring.

Objectives

The objective was to investigate whether the canine CRP response in serum correlates with the amount of trauma and the consequent inflammatory response after 3 standard aseptic soft‐tissue surgical procedures in 3 groups of dogs.

Methods

A total of 24 client‐owned intact female dogs of various breeds were enrolled in a clinical study with random allocation into 2 surgical groups, for either conventional, open‐approach ovariohysterectomy (OVH; n = 14) or laparoscopic assisted OVH (n = 10). In addition, a group of 8 male Beagles from a laboratory animal facility underwent vasectomy, serving as the third and mildest surgical trauma group. Serum CRP was measured pre‐ and at 4, 8, 12, 23, and 27 hours postsurgery. Cumulative concentration over time and point concentrations of CRP were correlated with the surgical trauma impact level.

Results

There was a significant surgery trauma‐related difference in cumulative CRP concentrations among the 3 groups, and also in the 12 hours postsurgery concentration.

Conclusion

The CRP response varied according to the degree of surgical trauma on 3 standardized levels, thus supporting the use of canine serum concentrations of CRP as an inflammatory activity indicator and monitoring marker.
The role of Ca2+ in the pathophysiology of pancreatitis
Authors: Gerasimenko Julia V. , Gerasimenko Oleg V. , Petersen Ole H.
Published: July 2013

Acute pancreatitis is a human disease in which the pancreatic pro‐enzymes, packaged into the zymogen granules of acinar cells, become activated and cause autodigestion. The main causes of pancreatitis are alcohol abuse and biliary disease. A considerable body of evidence indicates that the primary event initiating the disease process is the excessive release of Ca2+ from intracellular stores, followed by excessive entry of Ca2+ from the interstitial fluid. However, Ca2+ release and subsequent entry are also precisely the processes that control the physiological secretion of digestive enzymes in response to stimulation via the vagal nerve or the hormone cholecystokinin. The spatial and temporal Ca2+ signal patterns in physiology and pathology, as well as the contributions from different organelles in the different situations, are therefore critical issues. There has recently been significant progress in our understanding of both physiological stimulus–secretion coupling and the pathophysiology of acute pancreatitis. Very recently, a promising potential therapeutic development has occurred with the demonstration that the blockade of Ca2+ release‐activated Ca2+ currents in pancreatic acinar cells offers remarkable protection against Ca2+ overload, intracellular protease activation and necrosis evoked by a combination of alcohol and fatty acids, which is a major trigger of acute pancreatitis.
GaN metal–insulator–semiconductor high-electron-mobility transistor with plasma enhanced atomic layer deposited AlN as gate dielectric and passivation
Authors: Hwang Ya-Hsi , Liu Lu , Velez Camilo , Ren Fan , Gila Brent P. , Hays David , Pearton Stephen J. , Lambers Eric , Kravchenko Ivan I. , Lo Chien-Fong , Johnson Jerry W.
Published: July 2013

AlGaN/GaN based metal–insulator–semiconductor high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs) using a plasma enhanced atomic layer deposited 10 nm AlN as the gate insulator and passivation layer were demonstrated. A refractive index of 1.92 for the deposited AlN was measured using an ellipsometer, which was slightly lower than that of bulk AlN. The deviation of the refractive index from the ideal value was caused by AlN surface oxidation, and this was confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Auger depth profiling analyses. The HEMT drain current was modulated with gate voltages ranging from −3 to +4 V. The HEMT exhibited an on-off ratio of 3.3 × 108 due to the low gate leakage current and a maximum saturation drain current of 600 mA/mm. Beside reducing the gate leakage current, the effectiveness of the HEMT passivation was confirmed by gate pulse measurements, which showed only a 7% decrease of the drain current.
Phosphatidylcholine Transfer Protein Interacts with Thioesterase Superfamily Member 2 to Attenuate Insulin Signaling
Authors: Ersoy Baran A. , Tarun Akansha , D’Aquino Katharine , Hancer Nancy J. , Ukomadu Chinweike , White Morris F. , Michel Thomas , Manning Brendan D. , Cohen David E.
Published: July 2013

A phospholipid-binding protein and its interacting partner suppress insulin signaling through dual mechanisms.
Discovery of Cartilage-Forming Stem Cells
Authors: Gough Nancy R.
Published: July 2013

Analysis of a mouse model of a bone disorder results in the identification of a new class of progenitor cells and a pathway implicated in bone tumorigenesis.
Compromising Cellular Antioxidant Activity
Authors: Wong Wei
Published: July 2013

In cancer cells lacking fumarate hydratase, fumarate inhibits antioxidant activity instead of participating in the TCA cycle.
Bacterial Resistance Studies Using
In Vitro
Dynamic Models: the Predictive Power of the Mutant Prevention and Minimum Inhibitory Antibiotic Concentrations
Authors: Firsov Alexander A. , Strukova Elena N. , Shlykova Darya S. , Portnoy Yury A. , Kozyreva Varvara K. , Edelstein Mikhail V. , Dovzhenko Svetlana A. , Kobrin Mikhail B. , Zinner Stephen H.
Published: July 2013

In light of the concept of the mutant selection window, i.e., the range between the MIC and the mutant prevention concentration (MPC), MPC-related pharmacokinetic indices should be more predictive of bacterial resistance than the respective MIC-related indices. However, experimental evidence of this hypothesis remains limited and contradictory. To examine the predictive power of the ratios of the area under the curve (AUC
24
) to the MPC and the MIC, the selection of ciprofloxacin-resistant mutants of four
Escherichia coli
strains with different MPC/MIC ratios was studied. Each organism was exposed to twice-daily ciprofloxacin for 3 days at AUC
24
/MIC ratios that provide peak antibiotic concentrations close to the MIC, between the MIC and the MPC, and above the MPC. Resistant
E. coli
was intensively enriched at AUC
24
/MPCs from 1 to 10 h (AUC
24
/MIC from 60 to 360 h) but not at the lower or higher AUC
24
/MPC and AUC
24
/MIC ratios. AUC
24
/MPC and AUC
24
/MIC relationships of the areas under the time courses of ciprofloxacin-resistant
E. coli
(AUBC
M
) were bell-shaped. A Gaussian-like function fits the AUBC
M
-AUC
24
/MPC and AUBC
M
-AUC
24
/MIC data combined for all organisms (
r
2
= 0.69 and 0.86, respectively). The predicted anti-mutant AUC
24
/MPC ratio was 58 ± 35 h, and the respective AUC
24
/MIC ratio was 1,080 ± 416 h. Although AUC
24
/MPC was less predictive of strain-independent
E. coli
resistance than AUC
24
/MIC, the established anti-mutant AUC
24
/MPC ratio was closer to values reported for
Staphylococcus aureus
(60 to 69 h) than the respective AUC
24
/MIC ratio (1,080 versus 200 to 240 h). This implies that AUC
24
/MPC might be a better interspecies predictor of bacterial resistance than AUC
24
/MIC.
Evaluation of the Effect of Cobicistat on theIn VitroRenal Transport and Cytotoxicity Potential of Tenofovir
Authors: Stray Kirsten M. , Bam Rujuta A. , Birkus Gabriel , Hao Jia , Lepist Eve-Irene , Yant Stephen R. , Ray Adrian S. , Cihlar Tomas
Published: July 2013

A once-daily single-tablet antiretroviral regimen containing tenofovir (TFV) disoproxil fumarate, emtricitabine (FTC), elvitegravir (EVG), and cobicistat (COBI) is an approved combination for the treatment of patients infected with HIV. COBI and TFV have been reported to interact with distinct transporters in renal proximal tubules; while TFV is renally eliminated by a combination of glomerular filtration and tubular secretion via anion transporters OAT1, OAT3, and MRP4, COBI inhibits renal cation transporters, particularly MATE1, resulting in a measurable decrease in the tubular secretion of creatinine. To investigate the potential for a renal drug-drug interaction between TFV and COBIin vitro, the uptake of TFV in the presence and absence of COBI was determined in fresh human renal cortex tissue and in cells expressing the relevant renal transporters. At concentrations exceeding clinical protein-unbound plasma levels, COBI did not significantly inhibit the transport of TFV by the anion transporters OAT1, OAT3, and MRP4 (50% inhibitory concentrations [IC50s] of >15, 6.6, and 8.5 μM, respectively). Conversely, TFV had little or no effect on the cation transporters OCT2 and MATE1 (IC50> 100 μM). Consistent with studies using individual transporters, no increase in the accumulation of TFV in freshly isolated human renal cortex tissue or renal proximal tubule cells (RPTECs) was observed in the presence of COBI. Finally, COBI alone or in combination with FTC and EVG did not affect the sensitivity to TFV of cultured primary RPTECs or cells coexpressing OAT1 and MRP4. These results illustrate that COBI and TFV interact primarily with distinct renal transporters and indicate a low potential for pharmacokinetic renal drug-drug interaction.
Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Linezolid and Daptomycin for Treatment of Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcal Bloodstream Infections
Authors: Whang Donald W. , Miller Loren G. , Partain Neil M. , McKinnell James A.
Published: July 2013

Bloodstream infections due to vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE-BSI) result in substantial patient mortality and cost. Daptomycin and linezolid are commonly prescribed for VRE-BSI, but there are no clinical trials to determine optimal antibiotic selection. We conducted a systematic review for investigations that compared daptomycin and linezolid for VRE-BSI. We searched Medline from 1966 through 2012 for comparisons of linezolid and daptomycin for VRE-BSI. We included searches of EMBASE, clinicaltrials.gov, and national meetings. Data were extracted using a standardized instrument. Pooled odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated using a fixed-effects model. Our search yielded 4,243 publications, of which 482 contained data on VRE treatment. Most studies (452/482) did not present data on BSI or did not provide information on linezolid or daptomycin. Among the remaining 30 studies, 9 offered comparative data between the two agents. None were randomized clinical trials. There was no difference in microbiologic (n= 5 studies, 517 patients; OR, 1.0; 95% CI, 0.4 to 1.7;P= 0.95) and clinical (n= 3 studies, 357 patients; OR, 1.2; 95% CI, 0.7 to 2.0;P= 0.7) cures between the two antibiotics. There was a trend toward increased survival with linezolid compared to daptomycin treatment (n= 9 studies, 1,074 patients; OR, 1.3; 95% CI, 1.1 to 1.8;I2= 0 [whereI2is a measure of inconsistency]), but this did not reach statistical significance (P= 0.054). There are limited data to inform clinicians on optimal antibiotic selection for VRE-BSI. Available studies are limited by small sample size, lack of patient-level data, and inconsistent outcome definitions. Additional research, including randomized clinical trials, is needed before conclusions can be drawn about treatment options for VRE therapy.
Inducing Humoral and Cellular Responses to Multiple Sporozoite and Liver-Stage Malaria Antigens Using Exogenous Plasmid DNA
Authors: Ferraro B. , Talbott K. T. , Balakrishnan A. , Cisper N. , Morrow M. P. , Hutnick N. A. , Myles D. J. , Shedlock D. J. , Obeng-Adjei N. , Yan J. , Kayatani A. K. K. , Richie N. , Cabrera W. , Shiver R. , Khan A. S. , Brown A. S. , Yang M. , Wille-Reece U. , Birkett A. J. , Sardesai N. Y. , Weiner D. B.
Published: July 2013

A vaccine candidate that elicits humoral and cellular responses to multiple sporozoite and liver-stage antigens may be able to confer protection againstPlasmodium falciparummalaria; however, a technology for formulating and delivering such a vaccine has remained elusive. Here, we report the preclinical assessment of an optimized DNA vaccine approach that targets fourP. falciparumantigens: circumsporozoite protein (CSP), liver stage antigen 1 (LSA1), thrombospondin-related anonymous protein (TRAP), and cell-traversal protein for ookinetes and sporozoites (CelTOS). Synthetic DNA sequences were designed for each antigen with modifications to improve expression and were delivered usingin vivoelectroporation (EP). Immunogenicity was evaluated in mice and nonhuman primates (NHPs) and assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), gamma interferon (IFN-γ) enzyme-linked immunosorbent spot (ELISpot) assay, and flow cytometry. In mice, DNA with EP delivery induced antigen-specific IFN-γ production, as measured by ELISpot assay and IgG seroconversion against all antigens. Sustained production of IFN-γ, interleukin-2, and tumor necrosis factor alpha was elicited in both the CD4+and CD8+T cell compartments. Furthermore, hepatic CD8+lymphocytes produced LSA1-specific IFN-γ. The immune responses conferred to mice by this approach translated to the NHP model, which showed cellular responses by ELISpot assay and intracellular cytokine staining. Notably, antigen-specific CD8+granzyme B+T cells were observed in NHPs. Collectively, the data demonstrate that delivery of gene sequences by DNA/EP encoding malaria parasite antigens is immunogenic in animal models and can harness both the humoral and cellular arms of the immune system.
Low Induction of Proinflammatory Cytokines Parallels Evolutionary Success of Modern Strains within the Mycobacterium tuberculosis Beijing Genotype
Authors: van Laarhoven Arjan , Mandemakers Jornt J. , Kleinnijenhuis Johanneke , Enaimi Mimount , Lachmandas Ekta , Joosten Leo A. B. , Ottenhoff Tom H. M. , Netea Mihai G. , van Soolingen Dick , van Crevel Reinout
Published: July 2013

One of the most widespread clades of
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
worldwide, the Beijing genotype family, consists of ancient (atypical) and modern (typical) strains. Modern Beijing strains outcompete ancient strains in terms of prevalence, while reserving a higher degree of genetic conservation. We hypothesize that their selective advantage lies in eliciting a different host immune response. Bead-disrupted lysates of a collection of different
M. tuberculosis
strains of the modern (
n
= 7) or ancient (
n
= 7) Beijing genotype, as well as the Euro-American lineage (
n
= 6), were used for induction of
ex vivo
cytokine production in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from 10 healthy individuals. Hierarchical clustering and multivariate regression analyses were used to study possible differences in production of nine cytokines. Modern and ancient
M. tuberculosis
Beijing genotypes induced different cytokine signatures. Overall induction of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), gamma interferon (IFN-γ), and IL-22 was 38 to 40% lower after stimulation with modern Beijing strains (corrected
P
values of <0.0001, 0.0288, and 0.0002, respectively). Euro-American reactivation strains induced 2-fold more TNF-α production than both types of Beijing strains. The observed differences in cytokine induction point to a reduction in proinflammatory cytokine response as a possible contributing factor to the evolutionary success of modern Beijing strains.
CD4 T Cell Memory and Antibody Responses Directed against the Pneumococcal Histidine Triad Proteins PhtD and PhtE following Nasopharyngeal Colonization and Immunization and Their Role in Protection against Pneumococcal Colonization in Mice
Authors: Khan M. N. , Pichichero M. E.
Published: July 2013

The present study was undertaken to understand the role of vaccine candidates PhtD and PhtE in pneumococcal nasopharyngeal (NP) colonization, their ability to induce CD4 T cell memory and antibody responses following primary NP colonization, and their contribution to protection against secondary pneumococcal colonization in mice. The study was also aimed at understanding the potential of immunization with PhtD and PhtE in eliciting qualitative CD4 T cell memory responses and protection against pneumococcal NP colonization in mice. PhtD and PhtE isogenic mutants in a TIGR4 background (TIGR4 ΔPhtD and TIGR4 ΔPhtE) were constructed and found to have a significantly reduced colonization density over time in the nasopharynges of mice compared to those of mice colonized with wild-type TIGR4. Mice with primary colonization by wild-type TIGR4, TIGR4 ΔPhtD, or TIGR4 ΔPhtE were protected against secondary colonization by wild-type TIGR4; nonetheless, the clearance of secondary colonization was slower in mice with primary colonization by either TIGR4 ΔPhtD or TIGR4 ΔPhtE than in mice with primary colonization by wild-type TIGR4. Colonization was found to be an immunizing event for PhtD and PhtE antigens (antibody response); however, we failed to detect any antigen (PhtD or PhtE)-specific CD4 T cell responses in any of the colonized groups of mice. Intranasal immunization with either PhtD or PhtE protein generated robust serum antibody and CD4 Th1-biased immune memory and conferred protection against pneumococcal colonization in mice. We conclude that PhtD and PhtE show promise as components in next-generation pneumococcal vaccine formulations.
Adaptive Strategies and Pathogenesis of Clostridium difficile fromIn VivoTranscriptomics
Authors: Janoir Claire , Denève Cécile , Bouttier Sylvie , Barbut Frédéric , Hoys Sandra , Caleechum Laxmee , Chapetón-Montes Diana , Pereira Fátima C. , Henriques Adriano O. , Collignon Anne , Monot Marc , Dupuy Bruno
Published: July 2013

Clostridium difficileis currently the major cause of nosocomial intestinal diseases associated with antibiotic therapy in adults. In order to improve our knowledge ofC. difficile-host interactions, we analyzed the genome-wide temporal expression ofC. difficile630 genes during the first 38 h of mouse colonization to identify genes whose expression is modulatedin vivo, suggesting that they may play a role in facilitating the colonization process. In the ceca of theC. difficile-monoassociated mice, 549 genes of theC. difficilegenome were differentially expressed compared to their expression duringin vitrogrowth, and they were distributed in several functional categories. Overall, our results emphasize the roles of genes involved in host adaptation. Colonization results in a metabolic shift, with genes responsible for the fermentation as well as several other metabolic pathways being regulated inversely to those involved in carbon metabolism. In addition, several genes involved in stress responses, such as ferrous iron uptake or the response to oxidative stress, were regulatedin vivo. Interestingly, many genes encoding conserved hypothetical proteins (CHP) were highly and specifically upregulatedin vivo. Moreover, genes for all stages of sporulation were quickly inducedin vivo, highlighting the observation that sporulation is central to the persistence ofC. difficilein the gut and to its ability to spread in the environment. Finally, we inactivated two genes that were differentially expressedin vivoand evaluated the relative colonization fitness of the wild-type and mutant strains in coinfection experiments. We identified a CHP as a putative colonization factor, supporting the suggestion that thein vivotranscriptomic approach can unravel newC. difficilevirulence genes.
Interleukin-25 (IL-25) Promotes Efficient Protective Immunity against Trichinella spiralis Infection by Enhancing the Antigen-Specific IL-9 Response
Authors: Angkasekwinai Pornpimon , Srimanote Potjanee , Wang Yui-Hsi , Pootong Anek , Sakolvaree Yuwaporn , Pattanapanyasat Kovit , Chaicumpa Wanpen , Chaiyaroj Sansanee , Dong Chen
Published: July 2013

Mammalian hosts often develop distinct immune response against the diverse parasitic helminths that have evolved for immune evasion. Interleukin-25 (IL-25), an IL-17 cytokine family member, plays a key role in initiating the protective immunity against several parasitic helminths; however, the involvement and underlying mechanisms by which IL-25 mediates immune response against
Trichinella spiralis
infection have not been investigated. Here we showed that IL-25 functions in promoting protective immunity against
T. spiralis
infection. Mice treated with IL-25 exhibited a lower worm burden and fewer muscle larvae in the later stage of
T. spiralis
infection. In contrast, mice treated with neutralizing antibody against IL-25 failed to expel
T. spiralis
effectively. During
T. spiralis
infection, intestinal IL-25 expression was rapidly elevated before the onset of IL-4 and IL-9 induction. While antigen-specific Th2 and Th9 immune responses were both developed during
T. spiralis
infection, an antigen-specific Th9 response appeared to be transiently induced in the early stage of infection. Mice into which antigen-specific T cells deficient in IL-9 were transferred were less effective in worm clearance than those given wild-type T cells. The strength of the antigen-specific Th9 immune response against
T. spiralis
could be enhanced or attenuated after treatment with IL-25 or neutralizing antibody against IL-25, respectively, correlating positively with the levels of intestinal mastocytosis and the expression of IL-9-regulated genes, including mast cell- and Paneth cell-specific genes. Thus, our study demonstrates that intestinal IL-25 promotes protective immunity against
T. spiralis
infection by inducing antigen-specific Th9 immune response.
Randomised trial comparing the recording ability of a novel, electronic emergency documentation system with the AHA paper cardiac arrest record
Authors: Grigg Eliot , Palmer Andrew , Grigg Jeffrey , Oppenheimer Peter , Wu Tim , Roesler Axel , Nair Bala , Ross Brian
Published: July 2013

Objective

To evaluate the ability of an electronic system created at the University of Washington to accurately document prerecorded VF and pulseless electrical activity (PEA) cardiac arrest scenarios compared with the American Heart Association paper cardiac arrest record.

Methods

16 anaesthesiology residents were randomly assigned to view one of two prerecorded, simulated VF and PEA scenarios and asked to document the event with either the paper or electronic system. Each subject then repeated the process with the other video and documentation method. Five types of documentation errors were defined: (1) omission, (2) specification, (3) timing, (4) commission and (5) noise. The mean difference in errors between the paper and electronic methods was analysed using a single factor repeated measures ANOVA model.

Results

Compared with paper records, the electronic system omitted 6.3 fewer events (95% CI −10.1 to −2.5, p=0.003), which represents a 28% reduction in omission errors. Users recorded 2.9 fewer noise items (95% CI −5.3 to −0.6, p=0.003) when compared with paper, representing a 36% decrease in redundant or irrelevant information. The rate of timing (Δ=−3.2, 95% CI −9.3 to 3.0, p=0.286) and commission (Δ=−4.4, 95% CI −9.4 to 0.5, p=0.075) errors were similar between the electronic system and paper, while the rate of specification errors were about a third lower for the electronic system when compared with the paper record (Δ=−3.2, 95% CI −6.3 to −0.2, p=0.037).

Conclusions

Compared with paper documentation, documentation with the electronic system captured 24% more critical information during a simulated medical emergency without loss in data quality.
Local variations in reporting deaths to the coroner in England and Wales: a postcode lottery?
Authors: Mclean Maxwell , Roach Jason , Armitage Rachel
Published: July 2013

Aims

In England and Wales, doctors are charged with a responsibility either to report a death to the coroner or issue a medical certificate specifying cause of death. A lack of formal prescriptive or presumptive oversight has resulted in the promulgation by individual coroners of local reporting regimes. The study reported here identified overall and gendered variations in local reporting rates to coroners across the jurisdictions of England and Wales, consistent over time.

Methods

Analysis was performed on Ministry of Justice (MOJ) data pertaining to the numbers and proportions of deaths reported to the coroner by jurisdiction over a 10-year period (2001–2010). Office of National Statistics (ONS) data provided the numbers of deaths registered in England and Wales over the same period to serve as a denominator for the calculation of proportions. Where coroner jurisdictions (and local authorities) had been amalgamated during this period, the combined reported and registered death figures have been included in line with the current jurisdiction areas.

Results

While reporting rates for individual jurisdictions were found to be stable over the 10-year period, wide local variations in reporting deaths to coroners were found with no obvious demographic explanation. The gender of the deceased was identified as a major factor in local variation.

Conclusions

The decision to report a death to the coroner varies across jurisdictions. Implications for coronial investigations are discussed and the need for wider research into coroners’ decision-making is proposed.
A LATTICE BOLTZMANN SIMULATION OF THE RHONE RIVER
Authors: PARMIGIANI ANDREA , LATT JONAS , BEGACEM MOHAMED BEN , CHOPARD BASTIEN
Published: July 2013

We present a very detailed numerical simulation of the Rhone river in the Geneva area, using a Lattice Boltzmann (LB) modeling approach. The simulations of water ways are important to better predict and control their behavior when subject to exceptional event or new management strategies. Here, we investigate the current computing limits of using a three-dimensional (3D), free surface model to simulate a high resolution flow over a long section of the river, on a massively parallel computer. We argue that in a near future, computers will be powerful enough to tackle such a simulation. We also compare our results with a two-dimensional (2D) shallow water model to determine in which range a 3D free surface approach provides better insights. Finally, we discuss the advantage of a multi-scale approach for this type of problems.
Research Progress of Chinese Herbal MedicineRadix isatidis(Banlangen)
Authors: Zhou Wei , Zhang Xiao-Yan
Published: July 2013

Radix isatidis (R. isatidis) (Banlangen) is a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) famous for its broad antiviral activity. Its clinical medical history spans several thousands of years in China. Many scientists and scholars have conducted systematic research on this herb from its pharmacognosy to pharmaceuticals, especially in China. Through our research and literature reports, we inferred that the antiviral activity of R. isatidis mostly depended on the water-soluble part, including amino acids, IRPS, nucleosides, and sulfur-containing alkaloids. By playing a role in directly killing pathogenic viruses or regulating the immune system to enhance anti-virus ability, R. isatidis's biological activities mostly depend on the synergistic effect of its multiple components. This article aims to expand understanding of R. isatidis in the following aspects including medicinal resources, chemical constituents, pharmacological activities, clinical applications, and separation and analytical technologies.
Ligusticum chuanxiong Prevents Ovariectomy-Induced Liver and Vascular Damage in Rats
Authors: Li Chun-Mei , Wu Jian-Hong , Yang Ri-Fu , Dong Xiao-Li , He Zhen-Yu , Tian Xue-Lian , Guo De-Jian , Wong Man-Sau , Qiu Tai-Qiu , Chan Shun-Wan
Published: July 2013

Post-menopause, there is an increase in body weight, visceral adiposity, and risk of developing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which leads to various cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Some natural products have proven useful for counteracting the detrimental effects of menopause. The rhizome of Ligusticum chuanxiong Hort. (LC) is a well-known medicinal herb widely used in Chinese communities for the treatment of CVDs. The hepatic and vascular protective effects of LC ethanolic extract under postmenopausal conditions were investigated on ovariectomized (OVX) rats supplemented with or without LC ethanolic extract (600 mg/kg body weight/day, p.o.) or 17β-estradiol (1 mg/kg body weight/day, p.o.) for 12 weeks. The current findings demonstrated that consumption of LC ethanolic extract could reduce the body weight gain, improve serum lipid profile (lowering low density lipoprotein cholesterol but raising high density lipoprotein cholesterol), combat NAFLD, and protect vascular endothelium in the OVX rats. The beneficial effects of LC may be associated with its antioxidant or vasorelaxant compounds, which enhance the levels of hepatic antioxidant enzymes and up-regulate endothelial nitric oxide synthase mRNA expression, respectively. Taken together, LC may be a promising natural supplement for postmenopausal women to prevent NAFLD and CVDs.
Angiogenic Effects of Danshen and Gegen Decoction on Human Endothelial Cells and Zebrafish Embryos
Authors: Hu Fan , Chan Judy Yuet-Wa , Koon Chi-Man , Fung Kwok-Pui
Published: July 2013

Coronary artery diseases (CAD) are the most common diseases worldwide. Despite improvements in standard heart surgeries, many patients still progress to advanced stages. Recent clinical trials have shown encouraging results that pro-angiogenic treatment improved heart function recovery. Danshen and Gegen have been widely used in treating heart diseases for thousands of years in China. Our previous findings showed that a Danshen and Gegen decoction in weight ratio of 7 to 3 (DG) had a potential vasodilation effect and provided cardiac protection in patients with atherosclerosis. In the present study, we examine the therapeutic potential of Danshen and Gegen decoction (DG) in CAD. A screening using a transgenic zebrafish embryo model was performed to check vessel sprouting. In addition, human microvascular endothelial cells (HMEC-1) were used to explore underlying mechanisms. Our results revealed that DG enhanced the sprouting of sub-intestinal vessels (SIVs) of zebrafish embryos. Sprout intensity in the high concentration DG-treated group (500 μg/ml) was significantly higher than the control group. In vitro experiments showed that DG also induced HMEC-1 cell proliferation, migration, and tube formation. In conclusion, DG possesses pro-angiogenic properties by inducing endothelial cell activation, which may have therapeutic potential for the treatment of CAD.
Proteome Analysis of the Anti-inflammatory Response of Flavonoids Isolated from Korean Citrus aurantium L. in Lipopolysaccharide-Induced L6 Rat Skeletal Muscle Cells
Authors: Kim Jin-A , Park Hyeon-Soo , Park Kwang-Il , Hong Gyeong-Eun , Nagappan Arulkumar , Zhang Jue , Han Dae-Yong , Shin Sung-Chul , Won Chung-Gil , Kim Eun-Hee , Kim Gon-Sup
Published: July 2013

Skeletal muscle is an important organ in our body and a dynamic composite of proteins. Citrus aurantium L. has been widely used in oriental medicine in Eastern Asia for a long time. It contains over 100 bioactive compounds and flavonoids that regulate the inflammatory response and tumorigenesis, through various mechanisms. In the present study, we investigated changes in the protein pattern using two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) and matrix assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight mass spectroscopy (MALDI-TOF/MS) to assess the anti-inflammatory effect of flavonoids isolated from Korean C. aurantium L. in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced L6 cells. L6 skeletal muscle cells were pretreated with flavonoids for 1 h and stimulated with LPS for 24 h. Proteins from the L6 cells of the control, LPS treated and flavonoid treated groups were extracted and resolved by 2-DE using pH 4–7 IPG strips loaded with 150 μg of protein. Forty-one differentially expressed protein spots were identified (more than two-fold was considered significant, p < 0.05), and 18 were detected by MALDI-TOF/MS. These results suggest that proteomics can be used to identify changes in the expression of marker proteins and the anti-inflammatory effect of flavonoids isolated from Korean C. aurantium L.
Anti-inflammatory Activity of Ocimum americanum L. Essential Oil in Experimental Model of Zymosan-Induced Arthritis
Authors: Yamada Alciléia Nunes , Grespan Renata , Yamada Áureo Tatsumi , Silva Expedito Leite , Silva-Filho Saulo Euclides , Damião Marcio José , de Oliveira Dalalio Márcia Machado , Bersani-Amado Ciomar Aparecida , Cuman Roberto Kenji Nakamura
Published: July 2013

Essential oils are potential sources of novel components for medicinal use. The present study was performed to investigate the composition and anti-inflammatory activity of Ocimum americanum L. essential oil (OEO) and its components in an experimental model of zymosan-induced arthritis and paw edema. The essential oil was obtained by hydro-distillation and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Twenty-six components, representing 98.9% of the total oil, were characterized, with linalool (19.63%) and 1,8-cineole (17.27%) as the main components. The OEO and its two constituents inhibited leukocyte influx into the synovial space and reduced paw edema induced by zymosan. The OEO also inhibited interferon-γ levels but did not reduce transforming growth factor-β levels. Additionally, the OEO protected against leukocyte influx into the synovial membrane and cartilage destruction in knee joints in arthritic mice. These findings indicate that the essential oil of Ocimum americanum L. exerted significant anti-inflammatory effects, likely related to its main compounds.
REVIEW OF ASYMMETRIC DARK MATTER
Authors: PETRAKI KALLIOPI , VOLKAS RAYMOND R.
Published: July 2013

Asymmetric dark matter models are based on the hypothesis that the present-day abundance of dark matter has the same origin as the abundance of ordinary or "visible" matter: an asymmetry in the number densities of particles and antiparticles. They are largely motivated by the observed similarity in the mass densities of dark and visible matter, with the former observed to be about five times the latter. This review discusses the construction of asymmetric dark matter models, summarizes cosmological and astrophysical bounds, and touches on direct detection prospects and collider signatures.
COMPARATIVE NUMERICAL STUDY OF SINGLE-PHASE AND TWO-PHASE MODELS FOR BIO-NANOFLUID TRANSPORT PHENOMENA
Authors: BÉG O. ANWAR , RASHIDI M. M. , AKBARI M. , HOSSEINI A.
Published: July 2013

A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation of laminar convection of Al 2 O 3–water bio-nanofluids in a circular tube under constant wall temperature conditions was conducted, employing a single-phase model and three different two-phase models (volume of fluid (VOF), mixture and Eulerian). The steady-state, three-dimensional flow conservation equations were discretised using the finite volume method (FVM). Several parameters such as temperature, flow field, skin friction and heat transfer coefficient were computed. The computations showed that CFD predictions with the three different two-phase models are essentially the same. The CFD simulations also demonstrated that single-phase and two-phase models yield the same results for fluid flow but different results for thermal fields. The two-phase models, however, achieved better correlation with experimental measurements. The simulations further showed that heat transfer coefficient distinctly increases with increasing nanofluid particle concentration. The physical properties of the base fluid were considered to be temperature-dependent, while those of the solid particles were constant. Grid independence tests were also included. The simulations have applications in novel biomedical flow processing systems.
Precise memory leak detection for java software using container profiling
Authors: Xu Guoqing , Rountev Atanas
Published: July 2013

A memory leak in a Java program occurs when object references that are no longer needed are unnecessarily maintained. Such leaks are difficult to detect because static analysis typically cannot precisely identify these redundant references, and existing dynamic leak detection tools track and report fine-grained information about individual objects, producing results that are usually hard to interpret and lack precision.

In this article we introduce a novel
container-based
heap-tracking technique, based on the fact that many memory leaks in Java programs occur due to incorrect uses of containers, leading to containers that keep references to unused data entries. The novelty of the described work is twofold: (1) instead of tracking arbitrary objects and finding leaks by analyzing references to unused objects, the technique tracks only containers and directly identifies the source of the leak, and (2) the technique computes a confidence value for each container based on a combination of its memory consumption and its elements' staleness (time since last retrieval), while previous approaches do not consider such combined metrics. Our experimental results show that the reports generated by the proposed technique can be very precise: for two bugs reported by Sun, a known bug in SPECjbb 2000, and an example bug from IBM developerWorks, the top containers in the reports include the containers that leak memory.
Marple
Authors: Le Wei , Soffa Mary Lou
Published: July 2013

Generally, a fault is a property violation at a program point along some execution path. To obtain the path where a fault occurs, we can either run the program or manually identify the execution paths through code inspection. In both of the cases, only a very limited number of execution paths can be examined for a program. This article presents a static framework, Marple, that automatically detects path segments where a fault occurs at a whole program scale. An important contribution of the work is the design of a demand-driven analysis that effectively addresses scalability challenges faced by traditional path-sensitive fault detection. The techniques are made general via a specification language and an algorithm that automatically generates path-based analyses from specifications. The generality is achieved in handling both
data-
and
control-centric
faults as well as both liveness and safety properties, enabling the exploitation of fault interactions for diagnosis and efficiency. Our experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of our techniques in detecting path segments of buffer overflows, integer violations, null-pointer dereferences, and memory leaks. Because we applied an interprocedural, path-sensitive analysis, our static fault detectors generally report better precision than the tools available for comparison. Our demand-driven analyses are shown scalable to deployed applications such as
apache
,
putty
, and
ffmpeg
.
Towards development of an analytical model relating FPGA architecture parameters to routability
Authors: Das Joydip , Wilton Steven J. E.
Published: July 2013

We present an analytical model relating FPGA architectural parameters to the routability of the FPGA. The inputs to the model include the channel width and the connection and the switch block flexibilities. The output is an estimate of the proportion of nets in a large circuit that can be expected to be successfully routed on the FPGA. We assume that the circuit is routed to the FPGA using a single-step combined global/detailed router. We show that the model correctly predicts routability trends. We also present an example application to demonstrate that this model may be a valuable tool for FPGA architects. When combined with the earlier works on analytical modeling, our model can be used to quickly predict the routability without going through any stage of an expensive CAD flow. We envisage that this model will benefit FPGA architecture designers and vendors to quickly evaluate FPGA routing fabrics.
Learning to predict reciprocity and triadic closure in social networks
Authors: Lou Tiancheng , Tang Jie , Hopcroft John , Fang Zhanpeng , Ding Xiaowen
Published: July 2013

We study how links are formed in social networks. In particular, we focus on investigating how a reciprocal (two-way) link, the basic relationship in social networks, is developed from a parasocial (one-way) relationship and how the relationships further develop into triadic closure, one of the fundamental processes of link formation.

We first investigate how geographic distance and interactions between users influence the formation of link structure among users. Then we study how social theories including homophily, social balance, and social status are satisfied over networks with parasocial and reciprocal relationships. The study unveils several interesting phenomena. For example, “friend's friend is a friend” indeed exists in the reciprocal relationship network, but does not hold in the parasocial relationship network.

We propose a learning framework to formulate the problems of predicting reciprocity and triadic closure into a graphical model. We demonstrate that it is possible to accurately infer 90% of reciprocal relationships in a Twitter network. The proposed model also achieves better performance (+20--30% in terms of F1-measure) than several alternative methods for predicting the triadic closure formation.
Multilabel relationship learning
Authors: Zhang Yu , Yeung Dit-Yan
Published: July 2013

Multilabel learning problems are commonly found in many applications. A characteristic shared by many multilabel learning problems is that some labels have significant correlations between them. In this article, we propose a novel multilabel learning method, called MultiLabel Relationship Learning (MLRL), which extends the conventional support vector machine by explicitly learning and utilizing the relationships between labels. Specifically, we model the label relationships using a label covariance matrix and use it to define a new regularization term for the optimization problem. MLRL learns the model parameters and the label covariance matrix simultaneously based on a unified convex formulation. To solve the convex optimization problem, we use an alternating method in which each subproblem can be solved efficiently. The relationship between MLRL and two widely used maximum margin methods for multilabel learning is investigated. Moreover, we also propose a semisupervised extension of MLRL, called SSMLRL, to demonstrate how to make use of unlabeled data to help learn the label covariance matrix. Through experiments conducted on some multilabel applications, we find that MLRL not only gives higher classification accuracy but also has better interpretability as revealed by the label covariance matrix.
Thin servers with smart pipes
Authors: Lim Kevin , Meisner David , Saidi Ali G. , Ranganathan Parthasarathy , Wenisch Thomas F.
Published: July 2013

Distributed in-memory key-value stores, such as memcached, are central to the scalability of modern internet services. Current deployments use commodity servers with high-end processors. However, given the cost-sensitivity of internet services and the recent proliferation of volume low-power System-on-Chip (SoC) designs, we see an opportunity for alternative architectures. We undertake a detailed characterization of memcached to reveal performance and power inefficiencies. Our study considers both high-performance and low-power CPUs and NICs across a variety of carefully-designed benchmarks that exercise the range of memcached behavior. We discover that, regardless of CPU microarchitecture, memcached execution is remarkably inefficient, saturating neither network links nor available memory bandwidth. Instead, we find performance is typically limited by the per-packet processing overheads in the NIC and OS kernel---long code paths limit CPU performance due to poor branch predictability and instruction fetch bottlenecks.

Our insights suggest that neither high-performance nor low-power cores provide a satisfactory power-performance trade-off, and point to a need for tighter integration of the network interface. Hence, we argue for an alternate architecture---Thin Servers with Smart Pipes (TSSP)---for cost-effective high-performance memcached deployment. TSSP couples an embedded-class low-power core to a memcached accelerator that can process GET requests entirely in hardware, offloading both network handling and data look up. We demonstrate the potential benefits of our TSSP architecture through an FPGA prototyping platform, and show the potential for a 6X-16X power-performance improvement over conventional server baselines.