bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
International consensus statement on injury surveillance in cricket: a 2016 update
Authors: Orchard John W , Ranson Craig , Olivier Benita , Dhillon Mandeep , Gray Janine , Langley Ben , Mansingh Akshai , Moore Isabel S , Murphy Ian , Patricios Jon , Alwar Thiagarajan , Clark Christopher J , Harrop Brett , Khan Hussain I , Kountouris Alex , Macphail Mairi , Mount Stephen , Mupotaringa Anesu , Newman David , O'Reilly Kieran , Peirce Nicholas , Saleem Sohail , Shackel Dayle , Stretch Richard , Finch Caroline F
Published: June 2016

Cricket was the first sport to publish recommended methods for injury surveillance in 2005. Since then, there have been changes to the nature of both cricket and injury surveillance. Researchers representing the major cricket playing nations met to propose changes to the previous recommendations, with an agreed voting block of 14. It was decided that 10 of 14 votes (70%) were required to add a new definition element and 11 of 14 (80%) were required to amend a previous definition. In addition to the previously agreed ‘Match time-loss’ injury, definitions of ‘General time-loss’, ‘Medical presentation’, ‘Player-reported’ and ‘Imaging-abnormality’ injuries are now provided. Further, new injury incidence units of match injuries per 1000 player days, and annual injuries per 100 players per year are recommended. There was a shift towards recommending a greater number of possible definitions, due to differing contexts and foci of cricket research (eg, professional vs amateur; injury surveillance systems vs specific injury category studies). It is recommended that researchers use and report as many of the definitions as possible to assist both comparisons between studies within cricket and with those from other sports.
Factors associated with prolonged length of stay following cardiac surgery in a major referral hospital in Oman: a retrospective observational study
Authors: Almashrafi Ahmed , Alsabti Hilal , Mukaddirov Mirdavron , Balan Baskaran , Aylin Paul
Published: June 2016

Objectives

Two objectives were set for this study. The first was to identify factors influencing prolonged postoperative length of stay (LOS) following cardiac surgery. The second was to devise a predictive model for prolonged LOS in the cardiac intensive care unit (CICU) based on preoperative factors available at admission and to compare it against two existing cardiac stratification systems.

Design

Observational retrospective study.

Settings

A tertiary hospital in Oman.

Participants

All adult patients who underwent cardiac surgery at a major referral hospital in Oman between 2009 and 2013.

Results

30.5% of the patients had prolonged LOS (≥11 days) after surgery, while 17% experienced prolonged ICU LOS (≥5 days). Factors that were identified to prolong CICU LOS were non-elective surgery, current congestive heart failure (CHF), renal failure, combined coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) and valve surgery, and other non-isolated valve or CABG surgery. Patients were divided into three groups based on their scores. The probabilities of prolonged CICU LOS were 11%, 26% and 28% for group 1, 2 and 3, respectively. The predictive model had an area under the curve of 0.75. Factors associated with prolonged overall postoperative LOS included the body mass index, the type of surgery, cardiopulmonary bypass machine use, packed red blood cells use, non-elective surgery and number of complications. The latter was the most important determinant of postoperative LOS.

Conclusions

Patient management can be tailored for individual patient based on their treatments and personal attributes to optimise resource allocation. Moreover, a simple predictive score system to enable identification of patients at risk of prolonged CICU stay can be developed using data that are routinely collected by most hospitals.
Consumer concerns about paracetamol: a retrospective analysis of a medicines call centre
Authors: Lau Stephanie M , McGuire Treasure M , van Driel Mieke L
Published: June 2016

Objectives

To identify consumer information needs about paracetamol, the most commonly used analgesic and antipyretic worldwide.

Design

Retrospective analysis of medicines questions from the public.

Setting

Australian consumer medicines call centre.

Participants

Callers to National Prescribing ServiceMedicines Linebetween September 2002 and June 2010 (n=123 217).

Main outcome measures

Enquiry profile: demographics, enquiry type and concurrent medicines included in paracetamol calls; question themes derived from subset of call narratives.

Results

Paracetamol comprised part of the enquiry in 5.2% of calls (n=6367). The caller age distribution for paracetamol calls was skewed towards a younger cohort, with 45.2% made by those aged 25–44 vs 37.5% in ‘rest of calls’. Significantly more paracetamol-related calls were made for a child (23.7%) compared with ‘rest of calls’ (12.7%, p<0.001). The most frequent concurrently asked about medicines were codeine (11%, n=1521) and ibuprofen (6.4%, n=884). Questions underpinned by paracetamol risk (interaction, use in pregnancy/lactation or other safety concerns) predominated (55.8%). When individual paracetamol enquiry types were compared with ‘rest of calls’, efficacy was most frequent (24.9% vs 22.8%); however, interaction (21.5% vs 14.8%), administration (15.5% vs 11%) and pregnancy/lactation (13.8% vs 8.3%) categories were more prevalent for paracetamol calls (all p<0.001). Enquiry type frequency also varied by patient age group, with questions about administration more common in younger groups and efficacy dominating in those over 45. Narrative analysis of over-represented paracetamol enquiry types showed specific concerns relevant to life stages: young children, those of reproductive age and the elderly.

Conclusions

Consumers have many concerns about the use of paracetamol that may be under-recognised by healthcare providers, with the nature of enquiries differing across life stages. These concerns are not adequately addressed by available consumer information. Improving access to targeted information about paracetamol would promote the safe and effective use of this common medicine.
Viral diseases of reptiles
Authors: Marschang Rachel E.
Published: June 2016

As reptile medicine has grown and more is known about various diseases in these animals, the importance of some viruses in clinical reptile practice has become more widely understood. More and more studies have become available on the prevalence of infections with specific viruses in different reptiles, as well as clinical signs associated with these infections. An increasing body of knowledge on the genomes of specific viruses is available, which has also led to the development of more sensitive and more specific testing methods. The availability of new, high‐throughput sequencing methods has allowed the detection of previously unknown viruses that are associated with specific disease syndromes in the tissues of reptiles. All of this has led to a much expanded pallet of diagnostic tests available to practitioners, while knowledge of the interpretation of results may, in many cases, have lagged behind. This article describes some important viruses in reptiles that may be commonly seen in private practice, and how to diagnose them.
Visualising variation in mortality rates across the life course and by sex, USA and comparator states, 1933–2010
Authors: Vanderbloemen Laura , Dorling Danny , Minton Jonathan
Published: June 2016

Background

Previous research showed that younger adult males in the USA have, since the 1950s, died at a faster rate than females of the same age. In this paper, we quantify this difference, and explore possible explanations for the differences at different ages and in different years.

Methods

Using data from the Human Mortality Database (HMD), the number of additional male deaths per 10 000 female deaths was calculated for each year from 1933 to 2010, and for each year of age from 0 to 60 years, for the USA, and a number of other countries for comparison. The data were explored visually using shaded contour plots.

Results

Gender differences in excess mortality have increased. Coming of age (between the ages of 15 and 25 years of age) is especially perilous for men relative to women now compared with the past in the USA; the visualisations highlight this change as important.

Conclusions

Sex differences in mortality risks at various ages are not static. While women may today have an advantage when it comes to life expectancy, in the USA, this has greatly increased since the 1930s. Just as young adulthood for women has been made safer through safer antenatal and childbirth practices, changes in public policy can make the social environment safer for men.
The association of grip strength from midlife onwards with all-cause and cause-specific mortality over 17 years of follow-up in the Tromsø Study
Authors: Strand Bjørn Heine , Cooper Rachel , Bergland Astrid , Jørgensen Lone , Schirmer Henrik , Skirbekk Vegard , Emaus Nina
Published: June 2016

Background

Grip strength has consistently been found to predict all-cause mortality rates. However, few studies have examined cause-specific mortality or tested age differences in these associations.

Methods

In 1994, grip strength was measured in the population-based Tromsø Study, covering the ages 50–80 years (N=6850). Grip strength was categorised into fifths, and as z-scores. In this cohort study, models with all-cause mortality and deaths from specific causes as the outcome were performed, stratified by sex and age using Cox regression, adjusting for lifestyle-related and health-related factors.

Results

During 17 years of follow-up, 2338 participants died. A 1 SD reduction in grip strength was associated with HR=1.17 (95% CI 1.12 to 1.22) for all-cause mortality in a model adjusted for age, gender and body size. This association was similar across all age groups, in men and women, and robust to adjustment for a range of lifestyle-related and health-related factors. Results for deaths due to cardiovascular disease (CVD), respiratory diseases and external causes resembled those for all-cause mortality, while for cancer, the association was much weaker and not significant after adjustment for lifestyle-related and health-related factors.

Conclusions

Weaker grip strength was associated with increased all-cause mortality rates, with similar effects on deaths due to CVD, respiratory disease and external causes, while a much weaker association was observed for cancer-related deaths. These associations were similar in both genders and across age groups, which supports the hypothesis that grip strength might be a biomarker of ageing over the lifespan.
Effects of new urban motorway infrastructure on road traffic accidents in the local area: a retrospective longitudinal study in Scotland
Authors: Olsen Jonathan R , Mitchell Richard , Mackay Daniel F , Humphreys David K , Ogilvie David
Published: June 2016

Background

The M74 motorway extension, Glasgow, opened in June 2011. One justification for construction was an expectation that it would reduce road traffic accidents (RTAs) on local non-motorway roads. This study evaluated the impact of the extension on the number of RTAs, stratifying by accident severity.

Methods

Data for the period 1997–2014 were extracted from a UK database of reported RTAs involving a personal injury. RTA severity was defined by the level of injury: minor, severe or fatal. RTAs were assigned to (1) the local area surrounding the motorway extension, (2) a comparator area surrounding an existing motorway or (3) a control area elsewhere in the conurbation. Interrupted time-series regression with autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) errors was used to determine longitudinal between-area differences in change in the number of RTAs, which might indicate an intervention effect.

Results

Glasgow and surrounding local authorities saw a 50.6% reduction in annual RTAs (n: 5901 to 2914) between 1997 and 2014. In the intervention area, the number of recorded RTAs decreased by 50.7% (n: 758 to 374), and that of fatal/severe RTAs by 57.4% (n: 129 to 55), with similar reductions in the comparator/control areas. The interrupted time-series analysis showed no significant between-area differences in temporal trends. The reduction of pedestrian casualties was attenuated in the intervention area relative to Glasgow and surrounding authorities.

Conclusions

Reduction in RTAs was not associated with the motorway extension. Our findings suggest that in planning future investment, it should not be taken for granted that new road infrastructure alone will reduce RTAs in local areas. Urbanisation is proceeding rapidly worldwide, and evidence of infrastructure changes is lacking; this novel study provides important findings for future developments.
Severe symptomatic aortic stenosis: medical therapy and transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI)—a real-world retrospective cohort analysis of outcomes and cost-effectiveness using national data
Authors: Freeman Phillip M , Protty Majd B , Aldalati Omar , Lacey Arron , King William , Anderson Richard A , Smith Dave
Published: June 2016

Objectives

Determine the real-world difference between 2 groups of patients with severe aortic stenosis and similar baseline comorbidities: surgical turn down (STD) patients, who were managed medically prior to the availability of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) following formal surgical outpatient assessment, and patients managed with a TAVI implant.

Design

Retrospective cohort study from real-world data.

Setting

Electronic patient letters were searched for patients with a diagnosis of severe aortic stenosis and a formal outpatient STD prior to the availability of TAVI (1999–2009). The second group comprised the first 90 cases of TAVI in South Wales (2009 onwards). 2 years prior to and 5 years following TAVI/STD were assessed. Patient data were pseudoanonymised, using the Secure Anonymized Information Linkage (SAIL) databank, and extracted from Office National Statistics (ONS), Patient-Episode Database for Wales (PEDW) and general practitioner databases.

Population

90 patients who had undergone TAVI in South Wales, and 65 STD patients who were medically managed.

Main outcome measures

Survival, hospital admission frequency and length of stay, primary care visits, and cost-effectiveness.

Results

TAVI patients were significantly older (81.8 vs 79.2), more likely to be male (59.1% vs 49.3%), baseline comorbidities were balanced. Mortality in TAVI versus STD was 28% vs 70% at 1000 days follow-up. There were significantly more hospital admissions per year in the TAVI group prior to TAVI/STD (1.5 (IQR 1.0–2.4) vs 1.0 IQR (0.5–1.5)). Post TAVI/STD, the TAVI group had significantly lower hospital admissions (0.3 (IQR 0.0–1.0) vs 1.2 (IQR 0.7–3.0)) and lengths of stay (0.4 (IQR 0.0–13.8) vs 11.0 (IQR 2.5–28.5), p<0.05). The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) for TAVI was £10 533 per quality-adjusted life year (QALY).

Conclusions

TAVI patients were more likely to survive and avoid hospital admissions compared with the medically managed STD group. The ICER for TAVI was £10 533 per QALY, making it a cost-effective procedure.
Load carriage, human performance, and employment standards
Authors: Taylor Nigel A.S. , Peoples Gregory E. , Petersen Stewart R.
Published: June 2016

The focus of this review is on the physiological considerations necessary for developing employment standards within occupations that have a heavy reliance on load carriage. Employees within military, fire fighting, law enforcement, and search and rescue occupations regularly work with heavy loads. For example, soldiers often carry loads >50 kg, whilst structural firefighters wear 20–25 kg of protective clothing and equipment, in addition to carrying external loads. It has long been known that heavy loads modify gait, mobility, metabolic rate, and efficiency, while concurrently elevating the risk of muscle fatigue and injury. In addition, load carriage often occurs within environmentally stressful conditions, with protective ensembles adding to the thermal burden of the workplace. Indeed, physiological strain relates not just to the mass and dimensions of carried objects, but to how those loads are positioned on and around the body. Yet heavy loads must be borne by men and women of varying body size, and with the expectation that operational capability will not be impinged. This presents a recruitment conundrum. How do employers identify capable and injury-resistant individuals while simultaneously avoiding discriminatory selection practices? In this communication, the relevant metabolic, cardiopulmonary, and thermoregulatory consequences of loaded work are reviewed, along with concomitant impediments to physical endurance and mobility. Also emphasised is the importance of including occupation-specific clothing, protective equipment, and loads during work-performance testing. Finally, recommendations are presented for how to address these issues when evaluating readiness for duty.
Towards best practice in physical and physiological employment standards
Authors: Petersen Stewart R. , Anderson Gregory S. , Tipton Michael J. , Docherty David , Graham Terry E. , Sharkey Brian J. , Taylor Nigel A.S.
Published: June 2016

While the scope of the term physical employment standards is wide, the principal focus of this paper is on standards related to physiological evaluation of readiness for work. Common applications of such employment standards for work are in public safety and emergency response occupations (e.g., police, firefighting, military), and there is an ever-present need to maximize the scientific quality of this research. Historically, most of these occupations are male-dominated, which leads to potential sex bias during physical demands analysis and determining performance thresholds. It is often assumed that older workers advance to positions with lower physical demand. However, this is not always true, which raises concerns about the long-term maintenance of physiological readiness. Traditionally, little attention has been paid to the inevitable margin of uncertainty that exists around cut-scores. Establishing confidence intervals around the cut-score can reduce for this uncertainty. It may also be necessary to consider the effects of practise and biological variability on test scores. Most tests of readiness for work are conducted under near perfect conditions, while many emergency responses take place under far more demanding and unpredictable conditions. The potential impact of protective clothing, respiratory protection, load carriage, environmental conditions, nutrition, fatigue, sensory deprivation, and stress should also be considered when evaluating readiness for work. In this paper, we seek to establish uniformity in terminology in this field, identify key areas of concern, provide recommendations to improve both scientific and professional practice, and identify priorities for future research.
The influence of the regression model and final speed criteria on the reliability of lactate threshold determined by the Dmax method in endurance-trained runners
Authors: Camargo Alves Júlio César , Segabinazi Peserico Cecília , Nogueira Geraldo Angelo , Machado Fabiana Andrade
Published: June 2016

Few studies verified the reliability of the lactate threshold determined by Dmax method (LTDmax) in runners and it remains unclear the effect of the regression model and the final speed on the reliability of LTDmax. This study aimed to examine the test–retest reliability of the speed at LTDmax in runners, considering the effects of the regression models (exponential-plus-constant vs third-order polynomial) and final speed criteria (complete vs proportional). Seventeen male, recreational runners performed 2 identical incremental exercise tests, with increments of 1 km·h–1 each for 3 min on treadmill to determine peak treadmill speed (Vpeak) and lactate threshold. Earlobe capillary blood samples were collected during rest between the stages. The Vpeak was defined as the speed of the last complete stage (complete final speed criterion) and as the speed of the last complete stage added to the fraction of the incomplete stage (proportional final speed criterion). Lactate threshold was determined from exponential-plus-constant and from third-order polynomial regression models with both complete and proportional final speed criteria and from fixed blood lactate level of 3.5 mmol·L−1 (LT3.5mM). The LTDmax obtained from the exponential-plus-constant regression model presented higher reliability (coefficient of variation (CV) ≤ 3.7%) than the LTDmax calculated from the third-order polynomial regression model (CV ≤ 5.8%) and LT3.5mM (CV = 5.4%). The proportional final speed criterion is more appropriate when using the exponential-plus-constant regression model, but less appropriate when using the third-order polynomial regression model. In conclusion, exponential-plus-constant using the proportional final speed criterion is preferred over LT3.5mM and over third-order polynomial regression model to determine a reliable LTDmax.
Higher spectral flow for Dirac operators with local boundary conditions
Authors: Yu Jianqing
Published: June 2016

We consider a one parameter family [Formula: see text] of families of fiberwise twisted Dirac type operators on a fibration with the typical fiber an even dimensional compact manifold with boundary, which verifies [Formula: see text] with [Formula: see text] being a smooth map from the fibration to a unitary group [Formula: see text]. For each [Formula: see text], we impose on [Formula: see text] a certain fixed local elliptic boundary condition [Formula: see text] and get a self-adjoint extension [Formula: see text]. Under the assumption that [Formula: see text] has vanishing [Formula: see text]-index bundle, we establish a formula for the higher spectral flow of [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text]. Our result generalizes a recent result of [A. Gorokhovsky and M. Lesch, On the spectral flow for Dirac operators with local boundary conditions, Int. Math. Res. Not. IMRN (2015) 8036–8051.] to the families case.
SINGLE VERSUS MULTIPLE BANKING RELATIONSHIPS-EVIDENCE FROM CHINESE LENDING MARKET
Authors: YIN WEI , MATTHEWS KENT
Published: June 2016

Using Chinese firm level data for 2003–2012, this paper determines the factors that drive firms to switch from single bank loan providers to multiple bank loan providers. The results show that large firms are more likely to switch from single to multiple lending relationships. This study finds that medium size and small firms of high quality are more likely to have a single borrower relationship while large and high quality firms are more likely to have multiple bank relationships. Increasing market competition decreases the probability of single bank-firm relationship.
Analytical and numerical study on cooling flow field designs performance of PEM fuel cell with variable heat flux
Authors: Afshari Ebrahim , Ziaei-Rad Masoud , Jahantigh Nabi
Published: June 2016

In PEM fuel cells, during electrochemical generation of electricity more than half of the chemical energy of hydrogen is converted to heat. This heat of reactions, if not exhausted properly, would impair the performance and durability of the cell. In general, large scale PEM fuel cells are cooled by liquid water that circulates through coolant flow channels formed in bipolar plates or in dedicated cooling plates. In this paper, a numerical method has been presented to study cooling and temperature distribution of a polymer membrane fuel cell stack. The heat flux on the cooling plate is variable. A three-dimensional model of fluid flow and heat transfer in cooling plates with 15 cm × 15 cm square area is considered and the performances of four different coolant flow field designs, parallel field and serpentine fields are compared in terms of maximum surface temperature, temperature uniformity and pressure drop characteristics. By comparing the results in two cases, the constant and variable heat flux, it is observed that applying constant heat flux instead of variable heat flux which is actually occurring in the fuel cells is not an accurate assumption. The numerical results indicated that the straight flow field model has temperature uniformity index and almost the same temperature difference with the serpentine models, while its pressure drop is less than all of the serpentine models. Another important advantage of this model is the much easier design and building than the spiral models.
Thermodynamics of defect subsystem in zinc telluride crystals
Authors: Horichok I. V. , Nykyruy L. I. , Parashchuk T. O. , Bardashevska S. D. , Pylyponuk M. P.
Published: June 2016

Using method on the base of minimizing of thermodynamic potential in “crystal-vapor” system as a function of defect concentration the equilibrium concentration of point defects and free charge carriers in zinc telluride (ZnTe) crystals have been calculated depending on the technological factors of two-temperature annealing (annealing temperature [Formula: see text] and vapor pressure [Formula: see text] of zinc or [Formula: see text] of tellurium). It is shown that the dominant defects are zinc vacancies the charge state of which depends on the technological conditions of annealing.
The influence of initial conditions during dissipative collapse
Authors: Naidu N. F. , Govender M.
Published: June 2016

Starting off with two distinct initially static stellar cores (i) Florides interior (constant density, vanishing radial pressure) and (ii) Wyman interior (constant density, nonvanishing radial pressure), we explore the dynamics of these two models once hydrostatic equilibrium is lost. We show that although the time of formation of horizon, evolution of the mass and proper radius are independent of the chosen initially static configurations, there is a significant difference in the temperature profiles of the radiating bodies as the collapse proceeds.
Strong convergence for reduced free products
Authors: Pisier Gilles
Published: June 2016

Using an inequality due to Ricard and Xu, we give a different proof of Paul Skoufranis’s recent result showing that the strong convergence of possibly non-commutative random variables [Formula: see text] is stable under reduced free product with a fixed non-commutative random variable [Formula: see text]. In fact we obtain a more general fact: assuming that the families [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] are ∗-free as well as their limits (in moments) [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text], the strong convergences [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] imply that of [Formula: see text] to [Formula: see text]. Phrased in more striking language: the reduced free product is “continuous” with respect to strong convergence. The analogue for weak convergence (i.e. convergence of all moments) is obvious. Our approach extends to the amalgamated free product, left open by Skoufranis.
Free probability aspect of irreducible meandric systems, and some related observations about meanders
Authors: Nica Alexandru
Published: June 2016

We consider the concept of irreducible meandric system introduced by Lando and Zvonkin. We place this concept in the lattice framework of [Formula: see text]. As a consequence, we show that the even generating function for irreducible meandric systems is the [Formula: see text]-transform of [Formula: see text], where [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] are classically (commuting) independent random variables, and each of [Formula: see text] has centred semicircular distribution of variance [Formula: see text]. Following this point of view, we make some observations about the symmetric linear functional on [Formula: see text] which has [Formula: see text]-transform given by the even generating function for meanders.
Parametric R-norm directed-divergence convex function
Authors: Garg Dhanesh , Kumar Satish
Published: June 2016

In this paper, we define parametric [Formula: see text]-norm directed-divergence convex function and discuss their special cases and prove some properties similar to Kullback–Leibler information measure. From [Formula: see text]-norm divergence measure new information measures have also been derived and their relations with different measures of entropy have been obtained and give its application in industrial engineering.
Dynamics Response Control of a Mindlin-Type Beam
Authors: Yildirim Kenan , Korpeoglu Seda G. , Kucuk Ismail
Published: June 2016

Optimal boundary control for damping the vibrations in a Mindlin-type beam is considered. Wellposedness and controllability of the system are investigated. A maximum principle is introduced and optimal control function is obtained by means of maximum principle. Also, by using maximum principle, control problem is reduced to solving a system of partial differential equations including state, adjoint variables, which are subject to initial, boundary and terminal conditions. The solution of the system is obtained by using MATLAB. Numerical results are presented in table and graphical forms.
The annihilation graphs of commutator posets and lattices with respect to an element
Authors: Mehdi-Nezhad Elham , Rahimi Amir M.
Published: June 2016

We propose a new, widely generalized context for the study of the zero-divisor type (annihilating-ideal) graphs, where the vertices of graphs are not elements/ideals of a commutative ring, but elements of an abstract ordered set [lattice] (imitating the lattice of ideals of a ring), equipped with a commutative (not necessarily associative) binary operation (imitating the product of ideals of a ring). We discuss, when [Formula: see text] (the annihilation graph of the commutator poset [lattice] [Formula: see text] with respect to an element [Formula: see text]) is a complete bipartite graph together with some of its other graph-theoretic properties. In contrast to the case of rings, we construct a commutator poset whose [Formula: see text] contains a cut-point. We provide some examples to show that some conditions are not superfluous assumptions. We also give some examples of a large class of lattices, such as the lattice of ideals of a commutative ring, the lattice of normal subgroups of a group, and the lattice of all congruences on an algebra in a variety (congruence modular variety) by using the commutators as the multiplicative binary operation on these lattices. This shows that how the commutator theory can define and unify many zero-divisor type graphs of different algebraic structures as a special case of this paper.
A shearlet-based fast thresholded Landweber algorithm for deconvolution
Authors: Grohs Philipp , Kereta Željko , Wiesmann Uwe
Published: June 2016

Image deconvolution is an important problem, which has seen plenty of progress in the last decades. Due to its ill-posedness, a common approach is to formulate the reconstruction as an optimization problem[Formula: see text] regularized by an additional sparsity-enforcing term. This term is often modeled as an [Formula: see text] norm measured in the domain of a suitable signal transform. The resulting optimization problem can be solved by an iterative approach via Landweber iterations with soft thresholding of the transform coefficients. Previous approaches focused on thresholding in the wavelet-domain. In particular, recent work [C. Vonesch and M. Unser, A fast thresholded Landweber algorithm for wavelet-regularized multidimensional deconvolution, IEEE Trans. Image Process. 17(4) (2008) 539–549.] has shown that the use of Shannon wavelets results in particularly efficient reconstruction algorithms. The present paper extends this approach to Shannon shearlets, which we also introduce in this work. We show that for anisotropic blurring filters, such as the motion blur, the novel shearlet-based approach allows for further a improvement in efficiency. In particular, we observe that for such kernels using shearlets instead of wavelets improves the quality of image restoration and SERG, when compared after the same number of iterations.
Rediscovering the Economics of Keynes in an Agent-Based Computational Setting
Authors: Bruun Charlotte
Published: June 2016

The aim of this paper is to use agent-based computational economics to explore the economic thinking of Keynes. Taking his starting point at the macroeconomic level, Keynes argued that economic systems are characterized by fundamental uncertainty — an uncertainty that makes rule-based behavior and reliance on monetary magnitudes more optimal to the economic agent than profit — and utility optimization in the traditional sense. Unfortunately, more systematic studies of the properties of such a system were not possible at the time of Keynes. However, the system envisioned by Keynes holds a lot of properties in common with what we today call complex dynamic systems, and we may apply the method of agent-based computational economics to his ideas. The presented agent-based Keynesian model demonstrates, as argued by Keynes, that the economy can self-organize without relying on price movement as an equilibrating factor. In our implementation, self-organization, however, does not mean a steady long run equilibrium but a tendency to generate cycles.
Two-photon imaging of pancreatic beta cells in real time in vivo
Authors: Clardy Susan M. , Kohler Rainer H. , Vinegoni Claudio , Iwamoto Yoshiko , Keliher Edmund J. , Weissleder Ralph
Published: June 2016

Here we present the first generation of two-photon beta cell specific in vivo imaging probes based on GLP1R targeting peptides. Among the three compounds of potential interest, we found quite unexpectedly that a squarine-rotaxane conjugate (2PEx-647) had near ideal in vivo imaging characteristics.
The FOCAC Process and Sino-African Strategic Partnership
Authors: Shelton Garth
Published: June 2016

Historical records confirm that China’s increasing engagement with Africa through growing trade and investment has been a major boost for African economies. China’s comprehensive commitment to Africa through the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) has also made significant contribution to Africa’s overall economic development. The constructivist approach underpinning this paper suggests that FOCAC’s evolution can be positively shaped by all active participants toward increased mutual benefit and positive outcomes. With all the consensuses and commitments reached at the Johannesburg FOCAC summit (FOCAC VI) held in December 2015, a stronger Sino-African partnership is expected to take shape as both sides take efforts to enhance their win-win cooperation. The key future challenges for China and Africa are to implement the FOCAC VI Action Plan and develop a long-term FOCAC agenda which will broaden and strengthen win-win outcomes in the years to come. At the same time, Africa should try its best to ensure the successful implementation of FOCAC projects and facilitate China’s engagement, for a business-friendly environment in Africa, whether in policy, legal or social aspects, is the key to promoting the Sino-African strategic partnership and enhancing sustainable development of the African continent.
Tcf7l2 localization of putative stem/progenitor cells in mouse conjunctiva
Authors: Quan Yadan , Zhang Xinchun , Xu Siying , Li Kang , Zhu Feng , Li Qian , Cai Xianxian , Lu Rong
Published: June 2016

Conjunctival integrity and preservation is indispensable for vision. The self-renewing capacity of conjunctival cells controls conjunctival homeostasis and regeneration; however, the source of conjunctival self-renewal and the underlying mechanism is currently unclear. Here, we characterize the biochemical phenotype and proliferative potential of conjunctival epithelial cells in adult mouse by detecting proliferation-related signatures and conducting clonal analysis. Further, we show that transcription factor 7-like 2 (T-cell-specific transcription factor 4), a DNA binding protein expressed in multiple types of adult stem cells, is highly correlated with proliferative signatures in basal conjunctival epithelia. Clonal studies demonstrated that Transcription factor 7-like 2 (Tcf7l2) was coexpressed with p63α and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) in propagative colonies. Furthermore, Tcf7l2 was actively transcribed concurrently with conjunctival epithelial proliferation in vitro. Collectively, we suggest that Tcf7l2 may be involved in maintenance of stem/progenitor cells properties of conjunctival epithelial stem/progenitor cells, and with the fornix as the optimal site to isolate highly proliferative conjunctival epithelial cells in adult mice.
Leptin augments recruitment of IRF-1 and CREB to thrombospondin-1 gene promoter in vascular smooth muscle cells in vitro
Authors: Sahu Soumyadip , Ganguly Rituparna , Raman Priya
Published: June 2016

We previously reported that high pathophysiological concentrations of leptin, the adipocyte-secreted peptide, upregulate the expression of a potent proatherogenic matricellular protein, thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1), in vascular smooth muscle cells. Moreover, this regulation was found to occur at the level of transcription; however, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unknown. The goal of the present study was to investigate the specific transcriptional mechanisms that mediate upregulation of TSP-1 expression by leptin. Primary human aortic smooth muscle cell cultures were transiently transfected with different TSP-1 gene (THBS1) promoter-linked luciferase reporter constructs, and luciferase activity in response to leptin (100 ng/ml) was assessed. We identified a long THBS1 promoter (−1270/+750) fragment with specific leptin response elements that are required for increased TSP-1 transcription by leptin. Promoter analyses, protein/DNA array and gel shift assays demonstrated activation and association of transcription factors, interferon regulatory factor-1 (IRF-1) and cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB), to the distal fragment of the THBS1 promoter in response to leptin. Supershift, chromatin immunoprecipitation, and coimmunoprecipitation assays revealed formation of a single complex between IRF-1 and CREB in response to leptin; importantly, recruitment of this complex to the THBS1 promoter mediated leptin-induced TSP-1 transcription. Finally, binding sequence decoy oligomer and site-directed mutagenesis revealed that regulatory elements for both IRF-1 (−1019 to −1016) and CREB (−1198 to −1195), specific to the distal THBS1 promoter, were required for leptin-induced TSP-1 transcription. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that leptin promotes a cooperative association between IRF-1 and CREB on the THBS1 promoter driving TSP-1 transcription in vascular smooth muscle cells.
Role of Nox4 and p67phox subunit of Nox2 in ROS production in response to increased tubular flow in the mTAL of Dahl salt-sensitive rats
Authors: Zheleznova Nadezhda N. , Yang Chun , Cowley Allen W.
Published: June 2016

Nox4 and Nox2 are the most abundant NADPH oxidases (Nox) in the kidney and have been shown to contribute to hypertension, renal oxidative stress, and injury in Dahl salt-sensitive (SS) hypertensive rats. The present study focused on the role of Nox4 and p67phox/Nox2 in the generation of H2O2and O2·−in the renal medullary thick ascending limb of Henle (mTAL) of SS rats in response to increasing luminal flow (from 5 to 20 nl/min). Nox4 and p67phox/Nox2 genes were found to be expressed in the mTAL of SS rats. Responses of SS rats were compared with those of SS rats with knockout of Nox4 (SSNox4−/−) or functional mutation of p67phox (SSp67phox−/−). Nox4 was the dominant source of increased intracellular H2O2production in response to increased luminal flow as determined using the fluorescent dye peroxyfluor 6-AM (PF6-AM). The rate of mitochondrial H2O2production [as determined by mitochondria peroxy yellow 1 (mitoPY1)] was also significantly reduced in SSNox4−/−compared with SS rats, but not in SSp67phox−/−rats. In contrast, intracellular superoxide (O2·−) production (the ratio of ethidium to dihydroethidium) in the mTAL of SSNox4−/−rats was nearly identical to that of SS rats in response to luminal flow, indicating that Nox4 made no measurable contribution. mTAL O2·−production was reduced in SSp67phox−/−compared with SS rats at the lower luminal flow of 5 nl/min and progressively increased when perfusion was changed to 20 nl/min. We conclude that increased mTAL luminal flow results in increases in intracellular and mitochondrial H2O2, which are dependent on the presence of Nox4, and that p67phox/Nox2 accounts solely for increases in O2·−production.
BIG: a large-scale data integration tool for renal physiology
Authors: Zhao Yue , Yang Chin-Rang , Raghuram Viswanathan , Parulekar Jaya , Knepper Mark A.
Published: June 2016

Due to recent advances in high-throughput techniques, we and others have generated multiple proteomic and transcriptomic databases to describe and quantify gene expression, protein abundance, or cellular signaling on the scale of the whole genome/proteome in kidney cells. The existence of so much data from diverse sources raises the following question: “How can researchers find information efficiently for a given gene product over all of these data sets without searching each data set individually?” This is the type of problem that has motivated the “Big-Data” revolution in Data Science, which has driven progress in fields such as marketing. Here we present an online Big-Data tool called BIG (Biological Information Gatherer) that allows users to submit a single online query to obtain all relevant information from all indexed databases. BIG is accessible at http://big.nhlbi.nih.gov/ .
Prediction of renal crystalline size distributions in space using a PBE analytic model. 2. Effect of dietary countermeasures
Authors: Kassemi Mohammad , Thompson David
Published: June 2016

An analytic Population Balance Equation model is used to assess the efficacy of citrate, pyrophosphate, and augmented fluid intake as dietary countermeasures aimed at reducing the risk of renal stone formation for astronauts. The model uses the measured biochemical profile of the astronauts as input and predicts the steady-state size distribution of the nucleating, growing, and agglomerating renal calculi subject to biochemical changes brought about by administration of these dietary countermeasures. Numerical predictions indicate that an increase in citrate levels beyond its average normal ground-based urinary values is beneficial but only to a limited extent. Unfortunately, results also indicate that any decline in the citrate levels during space travel below its normal urinary values on Earth can easily move the astronaut into the stone-forming risk category. Pyrophosphate is found to be an effective inhibitor since numerical predictions indicate that even at quite small urinary concentrations, it has the potential of shifting the maximum crystal aggregate size to a much smaller and plausibly safer range. Finally, our numerical results predict a decline in urinary volume below 1.5 liters/day can act as a dangerous promoter of renal stone development in microgravity while urinary volume levels of 2.5–3 liters/day can serve as effective space countermeasures.
Stochastic slowly adapting ionic currents may provide a decorrelation mechanism for neural oscillators by causing wander in the intrinsic period
Authors: Norman Sharon E. , Butera Robert J. , Canavier Carmen C.
Published: June 2016

Oscillatory neurons integrate their synaptic inputs in fundamentally different ways than normally quiescent neurons. We show that the oscillation period of invertebrate endogenous pacemaker neurons wanders, producing random fluctuations in the interspike intervals (ISI) on a time scale of seconds to minutes, which decorrelates pairs of neurons in hybrid circuits constructed using the dynamic clamp. The autocorrelation of the ISI sequence remained high for many ISIs, but the autocorrelation of the ΔISI series had on average a single nonzero value, which was negative at a lag of one interval. We reproduced these results using a simple integrate and fire (IF) model with a stochastic population of channels carrying an adaptation current with a stochastic component that was integrated with a slow time scale, suggesting that a similar population of channels underlies the observed wander in the period. Using autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) models, we found that a single integrator and a single moving average with a negative coefficient could simulate both the experimental data and the IF model. Feeding white noise into an integrator with a slow time constant is sufficient to produce the autocorrelation structure of the ISI series. Moreover, the moving average clearly accounted for the autocorrelation structure of the ΔISI series and is biophysically implemented in the IF model using slow stochastic adaptation. The observed autocorrelation structure may be a neural signature of slow stochastic adaptation, and wander generated in this manner may be a general mechanism for limiting episodes of synchronized activity in the nervous system.
Decisions in motion: vestibular contributions to saccadic target selection
Authors: Rincon-Gonzalez L. , Selen L. P. J. , Halfwerk K. , Koppen M. , Corneil B. D. , Medendorp W. P.
Published: June 2016

The natural world continuously presents us with many opportunities for action, and thus a process of target selection must precede action execution. While there has been considerable progress in understanding target selection in stationary environments, little is known about target selection when we are in motion. Here we investigated the effect of self-motion signals on saccadic target selection in a dynamic environment. Human subjects were sinusoidally translated (f = 0.6 Hz, 30-cm peak-to-peak displacement) along an interaural axis with a vestibular sled. During the motion two visual targets were presented asynchronously but equidistantly on either side of fixation. Subjects had to look at one of these targets as quickly as possible. With an adaptive approach, the time delay between these targets was adjusted until the subject selected both targets equally often. We determined this balanced time delay for different phases of the motion in order to distinguish the effects of body acceleration and velocity on saccadic target selection. Results show that acceleration (or position, as these are indistinguishable during sinusoidal motion), but not velocity, affects target selection for saccades. Subjects preferred to look at targets in the direction of the acceleration—the leftward target was preferred when the sled accelerated to the left, and vice versa. Saccadic reaction times mimicked this selection bias by being reliably shorter to targets in the direction of acceleration. Our results provide evidence that saccade target selection mechanisms are modulated by self-motion signals, which could be derived directly from the otolith system.
Design of Nanoparticle-Based Carriers for Targeted Drug Delivery
Authors: Yu Xiaojiao , Trase Ian , Ren Muqing , Duval Kayla , Guo Xing , Chen Zi
Published: June 2016

Nanoparticles have shown promise as both drug delivery vehicles and direct antitumor systems, but they must be properly designed in order to maximize efficacy. Computational modeling is often used both to design new nanoparticles and to better understand existing ones. Modeled processes include the release of drugs at the tumor site and the physical interaction between the nanoparticle and cancer cells. In this paper, we provide an overview of three different targeted drug delivery methods (passive targeting, active targeting, and physical targeting) and compare methods of action, advantages, limitations, and the current stages of research. For the most commonly used nanoparticle carriers, fabrication methods are also reviewed. This is followed by a review of computational simulations and models on nanoparticle-based drug delivery.