bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Development of Xanthomonas fragariae populations and disease progression in strawberry plants after spray‐inoculation of leaves
Authors: Kastelein P. , Krijger M. , Czajkowski R. , van der Zouwen P. S. , van der Schoor R. , Jalink H. , van der Wolf J. M.
Published: June 2013

Xanthomonas fragariae is the causative agent of angular leaf spot disease of strawberry. Greenhouse experiments were conducted using a X. fragariae isolate tagged with a green fluorescent protein (GFP) for detailed population dynamic studies in and on leaves after spray‐inoculation. The GFP‐tagged bacteria were monitored with dilution plating of leaf washings and leaf extracts, and analysis of intact leaves using a non‐invasive monitoring system called PathoScreen, based on laser radiation of fluorescent cells in plant tissues and signal recording with a sensitive camera. PathoScreen was also used to monitor bacteria grown on an agar medium after leaf printing. During the first 3 days after inoculation, bacterial populations washed off leaves rapidly decreased by at least a factor of 1000, after which populations remained stable until 14 days post‐inoculation (dpi), when symptoms first started to appear. Thereafter, populations increased to a level of 1012 colony‐forming units (CFU) g−1 of leaf material or higher. Similarly, densities in leaf extracts were low during the first 3 days after inoculation, at a level of 100–1000 CFU g−1 of leaf tissue. Gradually populations increased to a level of 109–1012 CFU g−1 at 28 dpi. Higher densities of epiphytic populations were found on the abaxial side than on the adaxial leaf side during the first 2 weeks after inoculation. After spray‐inoculation of leaves, bacterial populations released from infected plants remained low until symptoms appeared, after which plants became highly infectious, in particular under high humidity.
Interaction of cyclic mechanical stretch and toll‐like receptor 4‐mediated innate immunity in rat alveolar type II cells
Authors: Kuhn Hartmut , Petzold Katja , Hammerschmidt Stefan , Wirtz Hubert
Published: June 2013

Background and objective

In cases of infection‐induced acute lung injury, mechanical ventilation might be necessary to maintain oxygenation. Although low tidal volume ventilation is applied, alveolar over‐distension may occur and result in ventilator‐induced lung injury. In this study, we investigate (i) the influence of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation on high‐amplitude stretching; and (ii) the effect of stretching on LPS‐mediated immune response in isolated rat alveolar type II cells.

Methods

Type II cells were incubated with LPS and stretched for 24 h on elastic membranes. Initially we examined apoptosis and lactic acid dehydrogenase release in LPS‐treated stretched cells. Furthermore we determined toll‐like receptor (TLR) 4 expression, TLR4 signalling by analysis of nuclear factor κB (NF‐κB) activation and the secretion of inflammatory cytokines (monocyte chemoattractant protein‐1, macrophage inflammatory protein‐2, interleukin‐1 beta, tumour necrosis factor alpha).

Results

Our results show that LPS increases apoptosis and cytotoxicity in high amplitude stretched cells. Stretching and LPS activate NF‐κB. The LPS influence is the prevailing one while no synergistic effects were observed by additional stretching. LPS stimulates an increased secretion of the inflammatory mediators only. Stretching had no influence on cytokines secretion.

Conclusions

We conclude that activation of TLR4 mediated immunity intensifies cell damage caused by stretching whereas in return stretching had no influence on TLR4 mediated innate immunity.
Multiple Homoclinic Solutions for Second‐Order Perturbed Hamiltonian Systems
Authors: Ye Yiwei , Tang Chun‐Lei
Published: June 2013

In this paper, we study the second‐order perturbed Hamiltonian systems

urn:x-wiley:00222526:sapm12023:equation:sapm12023-math-0001where is a parameter, is positive definite for all but unnecessarily uniformly positive definite for , and W is either asymptotically quadratic or superquadratic in x as . Based on variational methods, we prove the existence of at least two nontrivial homoclinic solutions for the above system when small enough.
Endwall Loss and Mixing Analysis of a High Lift Low Pressure Turbine Cascade
Authors: Lyall M. Eric , King Paul I. , Sondergaard Rolf
Published: June 2013

A high lift low pressure turbine (LPT) profile designated L2A is used as a test bed for studying the origin of endwall mixing loss and the role of vortical structures in loss development. It is shown analytically and experimentally that the mixing forces within the endwall wake can be decoupled into either mean flow or turbulent forces and can be further classified as either reversible or irreversible. Among the irreversible forces, mean flow shear is negligible compared to turbulent shear, suggesting that turbulence dissipation is the dominant cause of loss generation. As a result, the mean flow components of the vortical structures do not generate significant mixing losses. Rather than mixing effects, the mean flow of the vortices causes the suction surface boundary layer to separate inside the passage, thereby generating the large low energy regions typical of endwall flows. Losses are generated as the low energy regions mix out. This vortex separation effect is demonstrated with an experiment using a profile fence and pressure surface modification near the endwall. The findings in this paper suggest that profile modifications near the endwall that suppress flow separation may provide loss reductions additive to modifications aimed at weakening vortical structures, such as endwall contouring.
Multi-Layer Mini-Channel and Ribbed Mini-Channel Based High Performance Cooling Configurations for Automotive Inverters—Part A: Design and Evaluation
Authors: Parida Pritish R. , Ekkad Srinath V. , Ngo Khai
Published: June 2013

Necessitated by the dwindling supply of petroleum resources, various new automotive technologies have been actively developed from the perspective of achieving energy security and diversifying energy sources. Hybrid electric vehicles and electric vehicles are a few such examples. Such diversification requires the use of power control units essentially for power control, power conversion, and power conditioning applications such as variable speed motor drives (dc–ac conversion), dc–dc converters and other similar devices. The power control unit of a hybrid electric vehicle or electric vehicle is essentially the brain of the hybrid system as it manages the power flow between the electric motor generator, battery and gas engine. Over the last few years, the performance of this power control unit has been improved and size has been reduced to attain higher efficiency and performance, causing the heat dissipation as well as heat density to increase significantly. Efforts are constantly being made to reduce this size even further. As a consequence, a better high performance cooler/heat exchanger is required to maintain the active devices temperature within optimum range. Cooling schemes based on multiple parallel channels are a few solutions which have been widely used to dissipate transient and steady concentrated heat loads and can be applied to existing cooling system with minor modifications. The aim of the present study has therefore been to study the various cooling options based on mini-channel and rib-turbulated mini-channel cooling for application in a hybrid electric vehicle and other similar consumer products, and perform a parametric and optimization study on the selected designs. Significant improvements in terms of thermal performance, reduced overall pressure drop, and volume reduction have been shown both experimentally and numerically. This paper is the first part in a two part submission and focuses on the design and evaluation of mini-channel and rib-turbulated mini-channel cooling configurations. The second part of this paper discusses the manufacturing and testing of the cooling device.
A Transient Immersed Coil Heat Exchanger Model
Authors: Logie William R. , Frank Elimar
Published: June 2013

The aim of this paper is to present a transient one-dimensional (1D) radial immersed coil heat exchanger model that accounts for the effect that geometry and operating conditions have on heat transfer performance. Insights gained through its use in both an analysis of experimental data and an implementation in the simulation environment TRNSYS are shown and discussed. While variation in the external convection coefficient of immersed coil heat exchangers has little effect on the annual solar fraction of a generic solar domestic hot water system, variation in collector side flow can influence the solar fraction as great as ±5%, in particular low collector side flow improves stratification inside the store.
Development of Scalable and Low-Cost Polymer Solar Cell Test Platform
Authors: Reeja-Jayan B. , Folse Nicholas , Manthiram Arumugam
Published: June 2013

The main advantage of organic or polymer solar cells is their compatibility with conventional printing and coating techniques, making them highly cost-effective and suitable for large scale manufacturing. This work describes a simple, scalable, low-cost platform designed to test polymer solar cell devices. Custom built instrumentation and software were developed to analyze the current–voltage characteristics and quantum efficiency (QE) of the solar cells. The test set-up is modular and can be adapted to test solar cells under varying atmospheres (inert and ambient). The solar energy source comprises of an Oriel 91160 300 W class C solar simulator with air mass (AM) 1.5 G filter for spectral shaping and solar intensity variation between 1 and 3 suns. Custom software developed using labview allows for testing to be carried out at high speeds reproducibly with minimal operator intervention. Software-controlled timer functionality allows programmable testing of solar cells over durations ranging from seconds to days, allowing for the evaluation of solar cell operational lifetimes. The facile design of the test set-up presented here provides an opportunity for different laboratories to set-up similar systems and tweak them for performing a host of photovoltaic measurements.
Numerical Simulation Coupled With MCRT Method to Study the Effect of Plug Diameter and Its Position on Outlet Temperature and the Efficiency of LS-2 Parabolic Trough Collector
Authors: Karimi Sadaghiyani Omid , pourmahmoud Nader , Mirzaee Iraj
Published: June 2013

Based on finite volume method, three-dimensional models are used to evaluate the effect of flow restriction device (plug) on outlet temperature and efficiency of LS-2 parabolic trough collector. In order to study the effect of plug, various positions of plug with different diameters are used as case-studies. In other hand, solar heat flux distribution on the outer wall of the receiver tube is calculated by Monte Carlo ray tracing method (MCRT). The MCRT method is applied and coupled with three-dimensional numerical methods, computational fluid dynamics (CFD), in order to study the effect of plug diameters and their positions on outlet temperature and efficiency of collector. The result of MCRT method shows nonuniform heat flux hits on outer wall of receiver tube. So, after simulation of absorber tube of LS-2 PTC, the nonuniform heat flux is applied in the computational code. In order to validate the numerical methods, the working fluid and physical simulated model and operating conditions are considered as Syltherm-800 and LS-2 parabolic trough collector which had been tested via Dudley et al. at Sandia National Research Laboratory (SNRL). After the validation of numerical method, several case-studies with variable plug diameter and plug positions are simulated. Other working fluids are also tested for modeling of mentioned case-studies too. Results show that if the amount of nondimensional displacement from center becomes +0.5, then outlet temperature will be gentler. It is independent of plug diameter and working fluid. Finally, the efficiency of each of cases is evaluated. Consider that, the evacuated receiver tube is utilized in simulation of parabolic trough concentrator (PTC) and therefore, the convective losses have been negligible.
Transient Receptor Potential Channels Function as a Coincidence Signal Detector Mediating Phosphatidylserine Exposure
Authors: Harper Matthew T. , Londoño Juan E. Camacho , Quick Kathryn , Londoño Julia Camacho , Flockerzi Veit , Philipp Stephan E. , Birnbaumer Lutz , Freichel Marc , Poole Alastair W.
Published: June 2013

Platelets use the ion channels TRPC3 and TRPC6 to detect simultaneous exposure to two prothrombotic signals.
Ensuring Effector Function
Authors: Foley John F.
Published: June 2013

Rather than using aerobic glycolysis to support their proliferation, activated T cells use this metabolic pathway to produce optimal amounts of interferon-γ.
Resistance Genes Underlying the LS
A
Phenotype of Staphylococcal Isolates from France
Authors: Tessé Sophie , Trueba François , Berthet Nicolas , Hot Chloé , Chesneau Olivier
Published: June 2013

There exist numerous genes disseminated by mobile elements that can confer cross-resistance to lincosamides and streptogramin A compounds in staphylococci. This study investigated the nature and means of dissemination of genes responsible for LS
A
resistance among 24 French clinical isolates screened for reduced susceptibility to lincomycin. The
vga
(A)
v
gene was found to be the most prevalent determinant of LS
A
resistance, while Tn
5406
appeared to be its exclusive gene support.
Characterization of TEM-1 β-Lactamase-Producing Kingella kingae Clinical Isolates
Authors: Banerjee Anushree , Kaplan Jeffrey B. , Soherwardy Amenah , Nudell Yoav , Mackenzie Grace A. , Johnson Shannon , Balashova Nataliya V.
Published: June 2013

Kingella kingae
is a human pathogen that causes pediatric osteoarticular infections and infective endocarditis in children and adults. The bacterium is usually susceptible to β-lactam antibiotics, although β-lactam resistance has been reported in rare isolates. This study was conducted to identify β-lactam-resistant strains and to characterize the resistance mechanism. Screening of a set of 90
K. kingae
clinical isolates obtained from different geographic locations revealed high-level resistance to penicillins among 25% of the strains isolated from Minnesota and Iceland. These strains produced TEM-1 β-lactamase and were shown to contain additional ≥50-kb plasmids. Ion Torrent sequencing of extrachromosomal DNA from a β-lactamase-producing strain confirmed the plasmid location of the

bla
TEM

gene. An identical plasmid pattern was demonstrated by multiplex PCR in all β-lactamase producers. The porin gene's fragments were analyzed to investigate the relatedness of bacterial strains. Phylogenetic analysis revealed 27 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the
por
gene fragment, resulting in two major clusters with 11 allele types forming bacterial-strain subclusters. β-Lactamase producers were grouped together based on
por
genotyping. Our results suggest that the β-lactamase-producing strains likely originate from a single plasmid-bearing
K. kingae
isolate that traveled from Europe to the United States, or vice versa. This study highlights the prevalence of penicillin resistance among
K. kingae
strains in some regions and emphasizes the importance of surveillance for antibiotic resistance of the pathogen.
Clinical Outcomes in Patients with Heterogeneous Vancomycin-Intermediate Staphylococcus aureus Bloodstream Infection
Authors: Casapao Anthony M. , Leonard Steven N. , Davis Susan L. , Lodise Thomas P. , Patel Nimish , Goff Debra A. , LaPlante Kerry L. , Potoski Brian A. , Rybak Michael J.
Published: June 2013

The prevalence of heterogeneous vancomycin-intermediate
Staphylococcus aureus
(hVISA) infections varies in the literature, a problem complicated by the lack of routine screening procedures; however, limited data suggest that hVISA has been associated with persistent bloodstream infections (BSI) and vancomycin failure, yet these studies have been confounded by design issues. We conducted this study to compare the characteristics of patients with BSI caused by hVISA with those with vancomycin-susceptible
Staphylococcus aureus
(VSSA) treated with vancomycin. This retrospective, multicenter matched (1:1) cohort study compared the clinical characteristics and outcomes of hVISA and VSSA. Patients with hVISA methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus
(MRSA) BSI from 2004 to 2012 were matched to VSSA-MRSA BSI patients. The primary outcome was failure of vancomycin treatment, defined as a composite of persistent bacteremia (≥7 days), persistent signs and symptoms, change of MRSA antibiotic, recurrent BSI, or MRSA-related mortality. We identified 122 matched cases. The overall vancomycin failure rate was 57% (82% hVISA versus 33% VSSA;
P
< 0.001). The individual components of failure in hVISA versus VSSA were persistent bacteremia, 59% versus 21% (
P
< 0.001); change in MRSA therapy, 54% versus 25% (
P
= 0.001); MRSA-related mortality, 21% versus 10% (
P
= 0.081); and recurrence of BSI, 26% versus 2% (
P
< 0.001). Using logistic regression analysis and adjusting for covariates, hVISA (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 11.1; 95% confidence interval [CI], 4.3 to 28.7) and intensive care unit (ICU) admission (aOR, 4.5; 95% CI, 1.8 to 11.6) were still independently associated with vancomycin failure. Relative to VSSA BSI, patients with hVISA were more likely to experience failure of vancomycin treatment, including persistent bacteremia and recurrence. Our results indicate that hVISA was responsible for considerable morbidity.
Vancomycin Use for Pediatric Clostridium difficile Infection Is Increasing and Associated with Specific Patient Characteristics
Authors: Schwenk Hayden T. , Graham Dionne A. , Sharma Tanvi S. , Sandora Thomas J.
Published: June 2013

In adults with
Clostridium difficile
infection (CDI), enteral vancomycin is considered the preferred initial regimen for severe disease; however, patterns of antimicrobial use for children with CDI are unknown. We sought to describe trends in and predictors of vancomycin use for the treatment of children with CDI admitted to tertiary-care children's hospitals in the United States. We used a database of freestanding children's hospitals to identify patients 1 to 18 years old with CDI between January 2006 and June 2011. The first hospitalization with a diagnosis of CDI for each patient was identified, and CDI-directed therapy was assessed. Generalized estimating equations were used to identify predictors of vancomycin receipt, controlling for clustering within hospitals. Vancomycin use has increased significantly (
P
= 0.005), with substantial variability between hospitals (0 to 16%). In multivariate analyses, vancomycin use was more common in children age 7 to 13 years old (versus children 1 to 2 years old: adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.57; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.13 to 2.18), 14 to 18 years old (AOR = 1.40; 95% CI = 1.11 to 1.76), in an ICU (AOR = 1.37; 95% CI = 1.05 to 1.80), or with chronic gastrointestinal conditions (AOR = 2.01; 95% CI = 1.44 to 2.81). Vancomycin use was less common in black (AOR = 0.53; 95% CI = 0.39 to 0.73) and Hispanic (AOR = 0.63; 95% CI = 0.47 to 0.84) patients and in children with malignancies (AOR = 0.57; 95% CI = 0.36 to 0.89). Despite a lack of empirical evidence to suggest superiority, vancomycin use for pediatric CDI is increasing. Furthermore, there is substantial variability in vancomycin use between hospitals. Further studies are needed to explore potential racial and ethnic differences in CDI management and to investigate clinicians' rationale for using vancomycin for initial therapy in selected populations.
Antibiotic Resistance in Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium Associates with CRISPR Sequence Type
Authors: DiMarzio Michael , Shariat Nikki , Kariyawasam Subhashinie , Barrangou Rodolphe , Dudley Edward G.
Published: June 2013

Salmonella enterica
subsp.
enterica
serovar Typhimurium is a leading cause of food-borne salmonellosis in the United States. The number of antibiotic-resistant isolates identified in humans is steadily increasing, suggesting that the spread of antibiotic-resistant strains is a major threat to public health.
S
. Typhimurium is commonly identified in a wide range of animal hosts, food sources, and environments, but little is known about the factors mediating the spread of antibiotic resistance in this ecologically complex serovar. Previously, we developed a subtyping method, CRISPR–multi-virulence-locus sequence typing (MVLST), which discriminates among strains of several common
S. enterica
serovars. Here, CRISPR-MVLST identified 22 sequence types within a collection of 76
S
. Typhimurium isolates from a variety of animal sources throughout central Pennsylvania. Six of the sequence types were identified in more than one isolate, and we observed statistically significant differences in resistance among these sequence types to 7 antibiotics commonly used in veterinary and human medicine, such as ceftiofur and ampicillin (
P
< 0.05). Importantly, five of these sequence types were subsequently identified in human clinical isolates, and a subset of these isolates had identical antibiotic resistance patterns, suggesting that these subpopulations are being transmitted through the food system. Therefore, CRISPR-MVLST is a promising subtyping method for monitoring the farm-to-fork spread of antibiotic resistance in
S
. Typhimurium.
Genome Sequence of an Environmental Isolate of the Bacterial Pathogen Legionella pneumophila
Authors: Ma Jian , He Yongqun , Hu Bijie , Luo Zhao-Qing
Published: June 2013

We report here the genomic sequence of
Legionella pneumophila
strain LPE509 from the water distribution system of a hospital in Shanghai, China. This is the first complete genome sequence of an environmental
L. pneumophila
isolate. Genomic analyses identified approximately 600 genes unique to LPE509 compared to those of the 7 available
L. pneumophila
genomes.
Microbleeds as a predictor of intracerebral haemorrhage and ischaemic stroke after a TIA or minor ischaemic stroke: a cohort study
Authors: Kwa Vincent I H , Algra Ale , Brundel Manon , Bouvy Willem , Kappelle L Jaap
Published: June 2013

Objectives

We examined whether patients with cerebral microbleeds on MRI, who started and continued antithrombotic medication for years, have an increased risk of symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH).

Design

Prospective cohort study.

Settings

Multicentre outpatient clinics in the Netherlands.

Participants

We followed 397 patients with newly diagnosed transient ischaemic attack (TIA) or minor ischaemic stroke receiving anticoagulants or antiplatelet drugs. 58% were men. The mean age was 65.3 years. 395 (99%) patients were white Europeans. MRI including a T2*-weighted gradient echo was performed within 3 months after start of medication. 48 (12%) patients had one or more microbleeds. They were followed every 6 months by telephone for a mean of 3.8 years.

Primary and secondary outcome measures

Primary outcome was a symptomatic ICH. Secondary outcome were all strokes, ischaemic stroke, myocardial infarct, death from all vascular causes, death from non-vascular causes and death from all causes.

Results

Five patients (1%) suffered from a symptomatic ICH. One ICH occurred in a patient with microbleeds at baseline (adjusted HR 2.6, 95% CI 0.3 to 27). The incidence of all strokes during follow-up was higher in patients with than without microbleeds (adjusted HR 2.3, 95% CI 1.0 to 5.3), with a dose–response relationship. The incidences of ischaemic stroke, vascular death, non-vascular death and death of all causes were higher in patients with microbleeds, but not statistically significant.

Conclusions

In our cohort of patients using antithrombotic drugs after a TIA or minor ischaemic stroke, we found that microbleeds on MRI are associated with an increased risk of future stroke in general, but we did not find an increased risk of symptomatic ICH.
Female sex work interventions and changes in HIV and syphilis infection risks from 2003 to 2008 in India: a repeated cross-sectional study
Authors: Arora Paul , Nagelkerke Nico J D , Moineddin Rahim , Bhattacharya Madhulekha , Jha Prabhat
Published: June 2013

Objectives

We examined if increased spending and coverage of female sex worker (FSW) interventions were associated with declines in HIV or syphilis risk among young pregnant women (as a proxy for new infections in the general population) in the high-burden southern states of India.

Design

Repeated cross-sectional analysis.

Setting

We used logistic regression to relate district-level spending, number of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) treated, FSWs reached or condoms distributed to the declines in the annual risk of HIV and syphilis from 2003 to 2008 among prenatal clinic attendees in the four high-HIV burden states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.

Participants

386 961 pregnant women aged 15–24 years (as a proxy for incident infections in the adult population).

Interventions

We examined National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) data on 868 FSW intervention projects implemented between 1995 and 2008.

Primary and secondary outcome measures

HIV or syphilis infection.

Results

HIV and syphilis prevalence declined substantially among young pregnant women. Each additional STI treated (per 1000 people) reduced the annual risk of HIV infection by −1.7% (95% CI −3.3 to −0.1) and reduced the annual risk of syphilis infection by −10.9% (95%CI −15.9 to −5.8). Spending, FSWs reached or condoms distributed did not reduce HIV risk, but each was significantly associated with reduced annual risk of syphilis infection. There were no major differences between the NACO-funded and Avahan-funded districts in the annual risk of either STI.

Conclusions

Targeted FSW interventions are associated with reductions in syphilis risk and STI treatment is associated with reduced HIV risk. Both more and less costly FSW interventions have comparable effectiveness.
What are the factors associated with HIV testing among male injecting and non-injecting drug users in Lashio, Myanmar: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Saw Yu Mon , Yasuoka Junko , Saw Thu Nandar , Poudel Krishna C , Tun Soe , Jimba Masamine
Published: June 2013

Objectives

HIV testing is an effective intervention for reducing HIV risk and providing information on HIV status. However, uptake of HIV testing is a major challenge within the drug-using population due to the stigma and discrimination associated with their illegal drug use behaviours. This study thus aimed to identify factors associated with HIV testing among injecting drug users (IDUs) and non-injecting drug users (NIDUs) in Lashio, Myanmar.

Design

A cross-sectional study was conducted from January 2010 to February 2010.

Setting

This study was carried out in Lashio city, Northern Shan State, Myanmar.

Participants

In total, 158 male IDUs and 210 male NIDUs were recruited using a respondent-driven sampling method.

Primary outcome measures

Proportion of both drug users who were ever tested for HIV and factors associated with HIV testing.

Results

Approximately 77% of IDUs and 46% of NIDUs were ever tested for HIV. The multivariate analysis revealed that having ever received drug treatment was positively associated with HIV testing among both IDUs (adjusted OR (AOR) 13.07; 95% CI 3.38 to 50.53) and NIDUs (AOR 3.58; 95% CI 1.38 to 9.24). IDUs who were married (AOR 0.24; 95% CI 0.06 to 0.94) and who injected at least twice daily (AOR 0.30; 95% CI 0.09 to 0.97) were less likely to undergo HIV testing. Among NIDUs, those who belonged to Shan (AOR 0.30; 95% CI 0.11 to 0.84) or Kachin (AOR 0.30; 95% CI 0.10 to 0.87) ethnicities were less likely to test for HIV.

Conclusions

IDUs and NIDUs who have received drug treatment are more likely to test for HIV. Integrating HIV testing into drug treatment programmes alongside general expansion of HIV testing services may be effective in increasing HIV testing uptake among both IDUs and NIDUs in the Northern Shan State of Myanmar.
Professionalisation and social attitudes: a protocol for measuring changes in HIV/AIDS-related stigma among healthcare students
Authors: Ahmadi Keivan , Reidpath Daniel D , Allotey Pascale , Hassali Mohamed Azmi Ahmad
Published: June 2013

Introduction

HIV/AIDS-related stigma affects the access and utilisation of health services. Although HIV/AIDS-related stigma in the health services has been studied, little work has attended to the relationship between professional development and stigmatising attitudes. Hence, in this study, we will extend earlier research by examining the relationship between the stage of professional development and the kinds of stigmatising attitudes held about people living with HIV/AIDS.

Methods and analysis

A serial cross-sectional design will be combined with a two-point in time longitudinal design to measure the levels of stigma among healthcare students from each year of undergraduate and graduate courses in Malaysia and Australia. In the absence of suitable measures, we will carry out a sequential mixed methods design to develop such a tool. The questionnaire data will be analysed using mixed effects linear models to manage the repeated measures.

Ethics and dissemination

We have received ethical approval from the Monash MBBS executive committee as well as the Monash University Human Research Ethics Committee. We will keep the data in a locked filing cabinet in the Monash University (Sunway campus) premises for 5 years, after which the information will be shredded and disposed of in secure bins, and digital recordings will be erased in accordance with Monash University's regulations. Only the principal investigator and the researcher will have access to the filing cabinet. We aim to present and publish the results of this study in national and international conferences and peer-reviewed journals, respectively.
Exploring adaptations to the modified shuttle walking test
Authors: Woolf-May Kate , Meadows Steve
Published: June 2013

Objective

The 10 m modified shuttle walking test (MSWT) is recommended to determine the functional capacity in older individuals and for patients entering cardiac rehabilitation. Participants are required to negotiate around cones set 1 m from the end markers. However, consistent comments indicate that for some individuals manoeuvring around the cones can be quite difficult. Therefore, the objective of this study was to explore differences within and between non-cardiac and postmyocardial infarction (MI) males during MSWT with and without the cones.

Design

Comparative study.

Participants

20 post-MI (64.8±6.6, range 51–74 years) and 20 non-cardiac male controls (64.1±5.7, range 52–74 years) participated.

Methods

Participants performed MSWT with and without cones. Throughout, the participants expired air, and the heart rate (bpm) (HR) and ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) were measured. Participant protocol preference was recorded verbatim.

Results

One-way analysis of variance found no significant difference in VO2peak (cones 20.4±5.1 vs no-cones 21.9±4.8 ml/kg/min, p=0.197) or distance ambulated (cones 631.8±132.9 m vs no-cones 662.4±164.1 m, p=0.371) between protocols or groups. Analysis comparing lines of regression showed a significant trajectory difference in VO2(ml/kg/min) (p<0.01) between protocols with higher HR (p<0.01) and respiratory exchange ratio (RER, p<0.001) values during cones. RPEs were higher for post-MIs versus controls during both protocols (p<0.05). Post-MIs taking β-blockers produce significantly lower HR values. The χ2analysis found no significant difference in protocol preference (no-cones: all n=25, 63%; post-MIs n=13, 65%; and controls n=12, 60%).

Conclusions

Post-MIs found both protocols subjectively harder than controls with no significant difference in the VO2peak. However, both groups worked at a lesser percentage of their anaerobic threshold during no-cones protocol as indicated by lower RER values. Importantly, for the post-MIs, this would reduce their risk of functional impairment. Therefore, though more research is required, indicators at present are more favourable for the use of the no-cones with post-MIs.
Corifollitropin α followed by menotropin for poor ovarian responders’ trial (COMPORT): a protocol of a multicentre randomised trial
Authors: Polyzos Nikolaos P , Camus Michel , Llacer Joaquin , Pantos Konstantinos , Tournaye Herman
Published: June 2013

Background

Poor response to ovarian stimulation affects a significant proportion of infertile couples undergoing in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment. Recently, the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology developed new criteria to define poor ovarian response, the so-called Bologna criteria. Although preliminary studies in these patients demonstrated very low pregnancy rates, a recent pilot study has shown promising results in women <40 years old fulfilling the criteria, after treatment with corifollitropin α followed by highly purified menotropin (hpHMG) in a gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonist setting. Corifollitropin α followed by menotropin for poor ovarian responders’ trial (COMPORT) is a randomised trial aiming to investigate whether this novel protocol is superior to treatment with recombinant follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) in an antagonist setting for young poor responders.

Methods/design

COMPORT is a multicentre, open label, phase III randomised trial using a parallel two-arm design. 150 patients <40 years old fulfilling the ‘Bologna criteria’ will be randomised to corifollitropin α followed by hpHMG (group A) or recombinant FSH (group B) in a GnRH antagonist protocol for IVF/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). The primary outcome is the ongoing pregnancy rate (defined as the presence of intrauterine gestational sac with an embryonic pole demonstrating cardiac activity at 9–10 weeks of gestation). Secondary outcomes are clinical and biochemical pregnancy rates and number of oocytes retrieved. Central randomisation will be performed using a computer-generated list and allocation concealment will be secured with the use of sealed-opaque envelopes. A sample size of 150 women is essential to detect a difference of 19.5% in ongoing pregnancy rates between group A (28%) and group B (8.5%) with a power of 85% and a level of significance at 0.05 using a two-sided Fisher's exact test.
EGFR mutation detection by microfluidic technology: a validation study
Authors: Malapelle Umberto , Russo Stefania , Pepe Francesco , Sgariglia Roberta , De Luca Caterina , Bellevicine Claudio , Pallante Pierlorenzo , Troncone Giancarlo
Published: June 2013

Advanced non-small cell lung cancer samples are tested for epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene mutations. Their detection by direct sequencing is time-consuming. Conversely, the length analysis of fluorescently labelled PCR products is easier. To avoid labelled primers and the automated capillary electrophoresis apparatus, we validated a fast and sensitive chip-based microfluidic technology. The limit of detection of fragment length assay on microfluidic device was 5%, more sensitive than direct sequencing (12.5%). The novel methodology showed high accuracy in the analysis of samples whose mutational status was known. The accuracy in quantifying mutated alleles (mA) was evaluated by PCR products subcloning; the mA% provided by direct sequencing of subcloned PCR products showed a close correlation with the mA% provided by the microfluidic technology for both exon 19 (R2=0.9) and 21 (R2=0.9). Microfluidic-based on-chip electrophoresis makes EGFR testing more rapid, sensitive and cost-effective.
CONGESTION AND EFFICIENCY IN COMPLEX TRAFFIC NETWORKS
Authors: ZHENG JIAN-FENG , ZHU ZHI-HONG , DU HAO-MING , GAO ZI-YOU
Published: June 2013

This paper investigates the degree of congestion and efficiency in complex traffic networks, by introducing congestion effects, which can be described by flow-based link cost functions. Different network topologies including random networks, small-world networks and scale-free networks are explored. The impact of different distributions of capacity and origin-destination traffic demand on the degree of congestion and efficiency in complex networks is mainly studied. A phase transition from free flow state to traffic jams can be uncovered. The relationship between congestion and efficiency in complex networks is also discussed.
HILBERT–PÓLYA CONJECTURE, ZETA FUNCTIONS AND BOSONIC QUANTUM FIELD THEORIES
Authors: ANDRADE JULIO C.
Published: June 2013

The original Hilbert and Pólya conjecture is the assertion that the nontrivial zeros of the Riemann zeta function can be the spectrum of a self-adjoint operator. So far no such operator was found. However, the suggestion of Hilbert and Pólya, in the context of spectral theory, can be extended to approach other problems and so it is natural to ask if there is a quantum mechanical system related to other sequences of numbers which are originated and motivated by Number Theory. In this paper, we show that the functional integrals associated with a hypothetical class of physical systems described by self-adjoint operators associated with bosonic fields whose spectra is given by three different sequence of numbers cannot be constructed. The common feature of the sequence of numbers considered here, which causes the impossibility of zeta regularizations, is that the various Dirichlet series attached to such sequences — such as those which are sums over "primes" of ( norm P)-s have a natural boundary, i.e. they cannot be continued beyond the line Re (s) = 0. The main argument is that once the regularized determinant of a Laplacian is meromorphic in s, it follows that the series considered above cannot be a regularized determinant. In other words, we show that the generating functional of connected Schwinger functions of the associated quantum field theories cannot be constructed.
STRUCTURAL, ELASTIC AND ELECTRONIC PROPERTIES OF OXYGEN SUBSTITUTION IN CUBIC Zr3N4 AND Ti3N4
Authors: CHEN YI-MING , CHENG WEI , LIAO BIN , ZHANG XU
Published: June 2013

The structural, elastic and electronic properties of O-doped and un-doped cubic Zr 3 N 4 and Ti 3 N 4 are studied by first principles calculations based on the density functional theory. The bulk and shear moduli, as well as Young's moduli, decrease after doping with oxygen, which is due to the lengthening of the metal-nitrogen bond as well as the inflation of the cell volume. The changes in elastic properties are consistent with available experimental results. Both nitrides change from brittle to ductile when doped with oxygen, and all materials can be regarded as being elastic isotropic. The band structure and density of states are calculated to discuss the electronic properties of O-doped cubic Zr 3 N 4 and Ti 3 N 4, the presence of oxygen has significant influence on the electronic structure near the Fermi level. The gap at Fermi level is vanished which confirms the metallic character when O is introduced into nitrides. It means that doping with oxygen will have important effects on the optical properties of Zr and Ti nitrides.
STRUCTURAL, ELECTRONIC, MAGNETIC AND OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF FERROMAGNETIC Pb1-xEuxSe AND Pb1-xEuxTe ALLOYS (x = 0, 0.25, 0.50, 0.75 AND 1)
Authors: ALAY-E-ABBAS S. M. , YOUNAS S. , HANIF S. , SHARIF M. , HUSSAIN IQBAL , GHULAM ABBAS S. M. , SHAUKAT A.
Published: June 2013

First-principles total energy calculations have been performed using full potential linear-augmented-plane-wave method within the framework of density functional theory to study the structural, electronic, magnetic and optical properties of the Pb 1-x Eu x Se and Pb 1-x Eu x Te (0 ≤ x ≤1) alloys in the ferromagnetic (FM) ordering. The calculations have been extended to treat the strongly localized f electrons of Eu atom by the self-interaction correction (SIC) approach. For structural optimization, the Wu and Cohen generalized gradient approximation (GGA) functional has been used, whereas for calculating electronic properties, the GGA parameterization scheme formulated by Engel and Vosko (EV) has also been utilized. It has been observed that the use of experimental value of Coulomb parameter (Uf- expt. ) within the SIC does not yield an accurate EuSe and EuTe energy band structure. The improvement in the electronic band structures of nonmagnetic PbSe / PbTe and ferromagnetic EuSe / EuTe have been achieved by considering the effects of spin–orbit coupling for Pb atoms, by a suitable choice of U and by treating the U values for Eu atom's f and d electrons as parameters. The electronic and optical properties of FM Pb 1-x Eu x Se in agreement with experiments can be achieved by combining EV GGA with a Hubbard U < Uf- expt. , however, a stronger and stable AFM coupling in EuTe leaves the above scheme unable to provide good electronic structure of FM Pb 1-x Eu x Te . In case of Pb 1-x Eu x Se the nonlinear behaviour of electronic structure is reflected in the optical properties of Eu -doped PbSe that have been studied in terms of incident photons' energy dependent complex dielectric function.
THE SEMIGROUPS B2AND B0ARE INHERENTLY NONFINITELY BASED, AS RESTRICTION SEMIGROUPS
Authors: JONES PETER R.
Published: June 2013

The five-element Brandt semigroup B2and its four-element subsemigroup B0, obtained by omitting one nonidempotent, have played key roles in the study of varieties of semigroups. Regarded in that fashion, they have long been known to be finitely based. The semigroup B2carries the natural structure of an inverse semigroup. Regarded as such, in the signature {⋅,-1}, it is also finitely based. It is perhaps surprising, then, that in the intermediate signature of restriction semigroups — essentially, "forgetting" the inverse operation x ↦ x-1and retaining the induced operations x ↦ x+= xx-1and x ↦ x* = x-1x — it is not only nonfinitely based but inherently so (every locally finite variety that contains it is also nonfinitely based). The essence of the nonfinite behavior is actually exhibited in B0, which carries the natural structure of a restriction semigroup, inherited from B2. It is again inherently nonfinitely based, regarded in that fashion. It follows that any finite restriction semigroup on which the two unary operations do not coincide is nonfinitely based. Therefore for finite restriction semigroups, the existence of a finite basis is decidable "modulo monoids".

These results are consequences of — and discovered as a result of — an analysis of varieties of "strict" restriction semigroups, namely those generated by Brandt semigroups and, more generally, of varieties of "completely r-semisimple" restriction semigroups: those semigroups in which no comparable projections are related under the generalized Green relation 𝔻. For example, explicit bases of identities are found for the varieties generated by B0and B2.
NUMERICAL ANALYSIS OF PARTICLE DEPOSITION IN ASYMMETRICAL HUMAN UPPER AIRWAYS UNDER DIFFERENT INHALATION CYCLES
Authors: LAI T. C. , MORSI Y. S. , DAS S. , OWIDA A.
Published: June 2013

It is recognised that knowledge of air flow characteristics in the tracheo-bronchial tree is essential to the understanding of airway resistance, intrapulmonary gas mixing and deposition of airborne particles. Numerical and mathematical methods have previously been used extensively to obtain particle deposition patterns inside a single airway and various regions of the human lung for a range of physiological conditions. However, detailed analysis of particle deposition, in asymmetrical human upper airways, under transient conditions, has not been uncovered in published literature at the time this research commenced. In this research study, a commercial CFD package, called "CFX Workbench 11" was deployed to analyse flow fields, transient flow and particle deposition. This research work was an extension to earlier research published in 2008 by the present authors. The airway geometry applied in this current research was created by closely following the values published by another researcher (Horsfield), where the transient flows for three different breathing cycles were used as the input boundary conditions. The findings of the modelling presented herein indicated that the release position did not vary significantly at different time steps or with changes in particle size, but varied significantly with breathing patterns. Moreover, the rate of particle deposition at the wall was found to increase with the rising of the branching angles.
IN SILICO MODELING OF TUMOR GROWTH
Authors: GOLNESHAN A. A. , NEMATI H.
Published: June 2013

Tumor growth is strongly coupled with both residual stress generated during the growth process and also biochemical factors. Several models have already been proposed to capture tumor growth considering either diffusion of nutrients concentration or residual stresses inside a tumor. In this work, a new method was proposed to model the generated residual stress in a growing solid using the continuum framework. This method was coupled with energy metabolism to predict the behavior of a soft tissue tumor. Moreover, it was shown that the main reason of vascular collapse in the middle of a tumor or vascular reopening in the tumor core can be the residual stress, generated during the growth.
DEVELOPMENT OF AN INCARNATE ANNOUNCING ROBOT SYSTEM USING EMOTIONAL INTERACTION WITH HUMANS
Authors: AHN HO SEOK , LEE DONG-WOOK , CHOI DONGWOON , LEE DUK-YEON , LEE HO-GIL , BAEG MOON-HONG
Published: June 2013

Human-like appearance and movement of social robots is important in human–robot interaction. This paper presents the hardware mechanism and software architecture of an incarnate announcing robot system called EveR-1. EveR-1 is a robot platform to implement and test emotional expressions and human–robot interactions. EveR-1 is not bipedal but sits on a chair and communicates information by moving its upper body. The skin of the head and upper body is made of silicon jelly to give a human-like texture. To express human-like emotion, it uses body gestures as well as facial expressions decided by a personality model. EveR-1 performs the role of guidance service in an exhibition and does the oral narration of fairy tales and simple conversation with humans.
HIERARCHICAL DOMAIN DECOMPOSITION WITH PARALLEL MESH REFINEMENT FOR BILLIONS-OF-DOF SCALE FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSES
Authors: MUROTANI KOHEI , SUGIMOTO SHIN-ICHIRO , KAWAI HIROSHI , YOSHIMURA SHINOBU
Published: June 2013

This paper describes a parallel fast generation method of large-scale meshes for a hierarchical domain decomposition method implemented in the open source parallel finite element software ADVENTURE. Since large-scale meshes need to be generated in order to perform various analyses in Japan's Petaflops Supercomputer, nicknamed the "K computer", a mesh refinement function and a communication table generation function without communication are newly developed and implemented for the hierarchical domain decomposition tool named ADVENTURE_Metis. The developed new version is named ADVENTURE_Metis Ver.2. Since a generation cost of a communication table for sending and receiving data among computational nodes becomes so expensive for the refined large-scale mesh, the present authors have newly developed a parallel algorithm such that the communication tables of vertices, edges and faces are updated each other during mesh refinement after the initial communication tables of vertices, edges and faces are generated for an initial mesh. As a result, the generation of a refined mesh model over billions degrees of freedom (DOFs) from an initial medium-size mesh model of about a million DOFs can be performed in a parallel computer in a short time.