bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of bandage contact lens wear and postoperative medical therapies on corneal healing rate after diamond burr debridement in dogs
Authors: Dees D. Dustin , Fritz Kevin J. , Wagner Lynsey , Paglia Danielle , Knollinger Amy M. , Madsen Richard
Published: August 2016

Purpose

To determine the effect of bandage contact lens wear and type of post‐operative medical treatment on corneal healing rates in dogs after diamond burr debridement.

Animals Studied

237 client‐owned dogs.

Procedures

Canine patients having undergone diamond burr debridement (DBD) for treatment of spontaneous chronic corneal epithelial defects (SCCEDs) were included. Patients were put into 1 of 12 different groups based on type of postoperative medical regimen and whether a bandage contact lens (BCL) was utilized. Each dog was examined on a routine basis until the cornea was fluorescein negative. Data points collected included age, sex, breed, diabetic status, eye affected, Schirmer tear test 1, rebound tonometry, type and frequency of topical antibiotic, use of topical sodium chloride, use and retention ofBCL, and days until healed.

Results

A total of 237 dogs, each contributing one eye to the study, underwentDBDforSCCEDs. All eyes treated had estimated median ± standard error (SE) days to heal of 9.37 ± 0.42 days. When sodium chloride andBCLwere utilized, ofloxacin had a significantly shorter median healing time when compared to oxytetracycline (adjustedP = 0.0158) and tobramycin (adjustedP = 0.0261).BCLuse significantly improved healing times (P = 0.0002). OverallBCLretention rate was 62.02% (80 of 129). PureVision lenses were retained more often compared to Acrivet lenses (P < 0.0001). Overall,BCLretention significantly improved healing rates (P = <0.0001).

Conclusions

Postdebridement antibiotic type or use of sodium chloride ointment had minor effects on healing rates. Bandage contact lens use and retention significantly improves healing times.
Keep it moving
Authors: Kashyap Purna
Published: August 2016

Colonic transit time correlates with microbial composition and metabolism in the gut.
In Vivo
Biotinylation of the
Toxoplasma
Parasitophorous Vacuole Reveals Novel Dense Granule Proteins Important for Parasite Growth and Pathogenesis
Authors: Nadipuram Santhosh M. , Kim Elliot W. , Vashisht Ajay A. , Lin Andrew H. , Bell Hannah N. , Coppens Isabelle , Wohlschlegel James A. , Bradley Peter J.
Published: August 2016

Toxoplasma gondii
is an obligate intracellular parasite that invades host cells and replicates within a unique parasitophorous vacuole. To maintain this intracellular niche, the parasite secretes an array of dense granule proteins (GRAs) into the nascent parasitophorous vacuole. These GRAs are believed to play key roles in vacuolar remodeling, nutrient uptake, and immune evasion while the parasite is replicating within the host cell. Despite the central role of GRAs in the
Toxoplasma
life cycle, only a subset of these proteins have been identified, and many of their roles have not been fully elucidated. In this report, we utilize the promiscuous biotin ligase BirA* to biotinylate GRA proteins secreted into the vacuole and then identify those proteins by affinity purification and mass spectrometry. Using GRA-BirA* fusion proteins as bait, we have identified a large number of known and candidate GRAs and verified localization of 13 novel GRA proteins by endogenous gene tagging. We proceeded to functionally characterize three related GRAs from this group (GRA38, GRA39, and GRA40) by gene knockout. While Δ
gra38
and Δ
gra40
parasites showed no altered phenotype, disruption of
GRA39
results in slow-growing parasites that contain striking lipid deposits in the parasitophorous vacuole, suggesting a role in lipid regulation that is important for parasite growth. In addition, parasites lacking
GRA39
showed dramatically reduced virulence and a lower tissue cyst burden
in vivo
. Together, the findings from this work reveal a partial vacuolar proteome of
T. gondii
and identify a novel GRA that plays a key role in parasite replication and pathogenesis.

IMPORTANCE
Most intracellular pathogens reside inside a membrane-bound vacuole within their host cell that is extensively modified by the pathogen to optimize intracellular growth and avoid host defenses. In
Toxoplasma
, this vacuole is modified by a host of secretory GRA proteins, many of which remain unidentified. Here we demonstrate that
in vivo
biotinylation of proximal and interacting proteins using the promiscuous biotin ligase BirA* is a powerful approach to rapidly identify vacuolar GRA proteins. We further demonstrate that one factor identified by this approach, GRA39, plays an important role in the ability of the parasite to replicate within its host cell and cause disease.
The Double-Stranded DNA Virosphere as a Modular Hierarchical Network of Gene Sharing
Authors: Iranzo Jaime , Krupovic Mart , Koonin Eugene V.
Published: August 2016

Virus genomes are prone to extensive gene loss, gain, and exchange and share no universal genes. Therefore, in a broad-scale study of virus evolution, gene and genome network analyses can complement traditional phylogenetics. We performed an exhaustive comparative analysis of the genomes of double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) viruses by using the bipartite network approach and found a robust hierarchical modularity in the dsDNA virosphere. Bipartite networks consist of two classes of nodes, with nodes in one class, in this case genomes, being connected via nodes of the second class, in this case genes. Such a network can be partitioned into modules that combine nodes from both classes. The bipartite network of dsDNA viruses includes 19 modules that form 5 major and 3 minor supermodules. Of these modules, 11 include tailed bacteriophages, reflecting the diversity of this largest group of viruses. The module analysis quantitatively validates and refines previously proposed nontrivial evolutionary relationships. An expansive supermodule combines the large and giant viruses of the putative order “Megavirales” with diverse moderate-sized viruses and related mobile elements. All viruses in this supermodule share a distinct morphogenetic tool kit with a double jelly roll major capsid protein. Herpesviruses and tailed bacteriophages comprise another supermodule, held together by a distinct set of morphogenetic proteins centered on the HK97-like major capsid protein. Together, these two supermodules cover the great majority of currently known dsDNA viruses. We formally identify a set of 14 viral hallmark genes that comprise the hubs of the network and account for most of the intermodule connections.

IMPORTANCE
Viruses and related mobile genetic elements are the dominant biological entities on earth, but their evolution is not sufficiently understood and their classification is not adequately developed. The key reason is the characteristic high rate of virus evolution that involves not only sequence change but also extensive gene loss, gain, and exchange. Therefore, in the study of virus evolution on a large scale, traditional phylogenetic approaches have limited applicability and have to be complemented by gene and genome network analyses. We applied state-of-the art methods of such analysis to reveal robust hierarchical modularity in the genomes of double-stranded DNA viruses. Some of the identified modules combine highly diverse viruses infecting bacteria, archaea, and eukaryotes, in support of previous hypotheses on direct evolutionary relationships between viruses from the three domains of cellular life. We formally identify a set of 14 viral hallmark genes that hold together the genomic network.
Outcome of adenotonsillectomy in children with Down syndrome and obstructive sleep apnoea
Authors: Maris Mieke , Verhulst Stijn , Wojciechowski Marek , Van de Heyning Paul , Boudewyns An
Published: August 2016

Objective

To evaluate the outcome of adenotonsillectomy (AT) in a cohort of children with Down syndrome (DS) and obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA).

Design

Retrospective, cross-sectional study.

Setting

Tertiary care centre.

Patients

Children with DS and OSA, without previous upper airway (UA) surgery.

Interventions

AT and full overnight polysomnography.

Main outcome results

A significant improvement of the obstructive apnoea-hypopnoea index (oAHI) after AT was obtained. No differences in sleep efficiency or sleep fragmentation were found postoperatively. Almost half of the children had persistent OSA (oAHI ≥5/hour).

Results

Data are presented as median (lower–upper quartile). Thirty-four children were included, median age 4.0 years (2.7–5.8), body mass index (BMI) z-score 0.81 (−0.46–1.76), and oAHI 11.4/hour (6.5–22.7). The majority presented with severe OSA (58.9%). AT was performed in 22 children, tonsillectomy in 10 and adenoidectomy in two. Postoperatively, a significant improvement of the oAHI was measured from 11.4/hour (6.5–22.7) to 3.6/hour (2.1–9.5) (p=0.001), with a parallel increase of the minimum oxygen saturation (p=0.008). Children with initially more severe OSA had significantly more improvement after UA surgery (p=0.001). Persistent OSA was found in 47.1% of the children.

Conclusions

AT results in a significant improvement of OSA in children with DS without a change in sleep efficiency or sleep stage distribution. Severe OSA was associated with a larger reduction of OSA severity. Almost half of the children had persistent OSA, which was not correlated to age, gender or BMI z-score.
Role of physician perception of patient smile on pretest probability assessment for acute pulmonary embolism
Authors: Kline Jeffrey A , Neumann Dawn , Hall Cassandra L , Capito Jacob
Published: August 2016

Background

Many clinicians use a global visual interpretation of patient appearance to decide if a patient looks sick or not. For patients with suspected acute pulmonary embolism (PE), we tested the relationship between visual appearance of a happy patient facial affect and probability of PE+ on CT pulmonary angiography (CTPA).

Methods

Eligible patients were selected by usual care to undergo CTPA, the criterion standard for PE+ or PE−. Prior to CTPA result, trained study personnel obtained physician pretest probability using the gestalt method (visual analogue scale, 0%–100%), the Wells score (0–12) and physicians’ impression of whether the patient smiled during the initial examination (smile+). Patients' faces were also video recorded and analysed with an automated neural network-based algorithm (Noldus FaceReader) for happy affect.

Results

Of the 208 patients enrolled, 27 were PE+ and smile+ was more frequent in patients with PE+ than PE−, a finding confirmed by the Noldus. The diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of smile was low, and physicians overestimated presence of an alternative diagnosis more likely to PE with smile+ than smile− patients in patients with true PE. As a result, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) was lower for the Wells score in smile+ patients. However, the physicians’ mean gestalt estimate of PE did not differ with smile status, nor did smile status affect the AUROC for gestalt.

Conclusions

In patients with suspected PE, physician recollection of patients’ smile+ was more common in PE+ patients, and was associated with a less accurate Wells score, primarily because physicians overestimated probability of alternative diagnosis. However, the overall diagnostic accuracy of physicians’ gestalt did not differ with perceived smile status. These data suggest that the patients’ smile had less effect on the numeric gestalt pretest probability assessment than on the binary decision about an alternative diagnosis.
Case study of use of falling weight deflectometer to investigate railway infrastructure constructed upon soft subgrades
Authors: Haji Abdulrazagh Parisa , Hendry Michael T.
Published: August 2016

Falling weight deflectometer (FWD) testing was conducted along with embankment and subgrade sampling over 210 km (130 miles) of Canadian National Railway’s Lac La Biche Subdivision, which runs between Edmonton and Fort McMurray, as a part of a larger investigation of the line for increased axle loads. The resulting measurements were evaluated for their ability to identify soft subgrades. Two analyses were conducted to this end. First, the statistical distribution of peak deflections recorded by the FWD was investigated for different types of subgrade material. Second, the properties of track substructure were studied by characterizing the deflection time histories using a dynamic model of a single mass on a viscoelastic foundation and least-squares curve fitting. Four characteristic types of deflection time histories were identified for differing substructure conditions. Simplified dynamic modelling of railway track substructure showed that where relatively thick embankment exists over subgrade, the response of track is overdamped behavior.
On the entropy variations and the Maxwell relations
Authors: Zadehgol Abed , Ashrafizaadeh Mahmud
Published: August 2016

In the present work, it is shown that the Maxwell relations can effectively be used to partially verify the thermodynamic consistency of the entropic lattice kinetic models. As an example, we consider the Constant Speed Kinetic Model (CSKM) which has recently been introduced in [J. Comp. Phys. 274, 803 (2014); Phys Rev. E 91, 063311 (2015)] and show that, for the quasi-equilibrium flows and at low Mach numbers, the entropy variations are proportional to the pressure variations. The entropy variations of the CSKM are logarithmic (given by the Burg entropy) while the pressure variations obey a nonlogarithmic equation of state. The proportionality of these variations, which is in accordance with the Maxwell relations, can be used to partially verify the thermodynamic consistency of the model. A similar treatment of the previously introduced entropic lattice kinetic models (e.g. of the conventional ELBM of [I. V. Karlin, A. Ferrante and H. C. Öttinger, Europhys. Lett. 47, 182 (1999)]), can provide a new ground for comparing the thermodynamic consistency of the existing entropic lattice kinetic models with each other.
Fighting for resources: Two leaders in the money addicted social hierarchies
Authors: Dybiec Bartłomiej
Published: August 2016

Building of hierarchy is inevitably associated with the constant competition for resources and attention. Here, we show how presence of two favored (leading) nodes affects properties of the network connecting individuals. In particular, we study how nodes characteristics depend on relative asymmetry between two leading nodes. It is shown that without strong and rigorous avoidance mechanism, individuals can support both dominating nodes. Slow redistribution of resources enhances this effect. Moreover, slow redistribution of resources results in development of social networks with a very limited number of layers.
ICCM2015: A Comparison of RANS and LES Computational Methods in Analyzing Ventilation Flow Through a Room Fitted with a Two-Sided Windcatcher
Authors: Niktash A. , Huynh B. P.
Published: July 2016

A windcatcher is a structure for providing natural ventilation using wind power; it is usually fitted on the roof of a building to exhaust the inside stale air to the outside and supplies the outside fresh air into the building interior space working by pressure difference between outside and inside of the building. In this paper, the behavior of free wind flow through a three-dimensional room fitted with a centered position two-canal bottom shape windcatcher model is investigated numerically, using a commercial computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software package and LES (Large Eddy Simulation) CFD method. The results have been compared with the obtained results for the same model but using RANS (Reynolds Averaged Navier–Stokes) CFD method. The model with its surrounded space has been considered in both method. It is found that the achieved results for the model from LES method are in good agreement with RANS method’s results for the same model.
Development of a Health Impact Assessment Screening Tool: A Value Versus Investment Approach
Authors: McCallum Lindsay C. , Ollson Christopher A. , Stefanovic Ingrid L.
Published: July 2016

The first step of any health impact assessment (HIA) is screening to determine whether an HIA is an appropriate assessment option. Although screening tools exist, there is no universally-applied, transparent method that includes consideration of costs (investment) and benefits (value) of the HIA process. An HIA screening tool was developed to help address this need through the use of a targeted scoring system to assess the value of conducting an HIA against the required investment. The tool was subject to both internal and external testing. Individuals from eight different countries agreed to participate in testing of the HIA tool. Overall, there was a high level of agreement amongst participants regarding the investment versus value scoring as well as the screening outcome. Ultimately, the iterative development process, along with internal and external testing of the HIA screening tool, proved successful and demonstrates its applicability to a variety of scenarios.
Optical temperature sensing of piezoelectric Er3+-doped (Ba0.97Ca0.03)(Sn0.06Ti0.94)O3 ceramic
Authors: Mao Wujian , Jia Yanmin , Wu Jiang , Xie Yunlong , Wu Zheng , Han Jinping , He Miao
Published: August 2016

The up-conversion optical emission temperature sensing of Er[Formula: see text]-doped (Ba[Formula: see text]Ca[Formula: see text])(Sn[Formula: see text]Ti[Formula: see text])O3 piezoelectric ceramic prepared via a conventional solid-state reaction method has been investigated in a range of 83–503[Formula: see text]K. There is a good linear relationship between the logarithm of the fluorescence intensity ratio of the green up-conversion emissions at 525[Formula: see text]nm and 550[Formula: see text]nm peaks (Ln([Formula: see text]/[Formula: see text])) and the inverse of temperature (1/[Formula: see text]). The maximum temperature sensitivity was found to be approximately 0.0051[Formula: see text]k[Formula: see text], suggesting that Er[Formula: see text]-doped (Ba[Formula: see text]Ca[Formula: see text])(Sn[Formula: see text]Ti[Formula: see text])O3 ceramic possesses potential application in optical non-contact temperature sensing.
On a special single-power cyclic hypergroup and its automorphisms
Authors: Al Tahan M. , Davvaz B.
Published: August 2016

After introducing the definition of hypergroups by Marty, the study of hyperstructures and its applications has been of great importance. In this paper, we find a link between hyperstructures and the infinite non-abelian group, braid group [Formula: see text]. This is the first connection to be done between these two different domains. First, we define a new hyperoperation ⋆ associated to [Formula: see text] and study its properties. Next, we prove that [Formula: see text] is a single-power cyclic hypergroup with infinite period. Then, we define an onto homomorphism from [Formula: see text] to another hypergroup. Finally, we determine the set of all automorphisms of [Formula: see text] and prove that it is a group under the operation of functions composition.
Review on Boil-Off Gas (BOG) Re-Liquefaction System of Liquefied CO2 Transport Ship for Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS)
Authors: Jeon Sang Hee , Choi Young Uk , Kim Min Soo
Published: August 2016

This paper presents the review on the boil-off gas re-liquefaction system of liquefied CO2 transport ship for carbon capture and sequestration (CCS). It is assumed that liquefied CO2 is transported between South Korea and Middle East for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) and enhanced gas recovery (EGR), which is similar to the oil and LNG transportation route. The concept of open re-liquefaction cycle which means that the boil-off CO2 is compressed, cooled, and expanded before being piped back into the tank is suggested. The effects of impurities on the re-liquefaction cycle is investigated under the condition of fixed cooling capacity in terms of cycle performance and reliability. Specifications of LCO2 transport ship about storage tank and re-liquefaction system is reviewed. In addition, economic feasibility is investigated. As for the case of the present study, negative effects of impurities on the cycle performance and reliability should be considered due to its considerable effects. Conservatively calculated internal rate of return (IRR) of the re-liquefaction system shows 4.1%, therefore, it can be guessed that the BOG re-liquefaction system will have economic validity in the future CCS chain.
A Four-DOF Laparo-Endoscopic Single Site Platform for Rapidly-Developing Next-Generation Surgical Robotics
Authors: Cubrich Lou , Reichenbach Mark A. , Carlson Jay D. , Pracht Andrew , Terry Benjamin , Oleynikov Dmitri , Farritor Shane
Published: July 2016

Minimally-invasive laparoscopic procedures have proven efficacy for a wide range of surgical procedures, but have notable shortcomings, including limited instrument motion and reduced dexterity. Endoscopic robots, like the intuitive surgical da Vinci system, have become an effective tool for many types of surgeries; however, these tools still have fundamental limitations with manipulator access, which reduces their effectiveness for many surgical procedures, like colectomy, cholecystectomy, and gynecologic oncology. Laparo-endoscopic single-site (LESS) robots operate in vivo, and overcome many of these limitations. Here, a four-degrees of freedom (DOF) surgical robot is presented as a tool to enable refinement of the LESS platform as a surgical tool, while also looking forward to applications in telesurgery and haptic feedback.
Dietary thylakoids reduce visceral fat mass and increase expression of genes involved in intestinal fatty acid oxidation in high-fat fed rats
Authors: Stenblom Eva-Lena , Egecioglu Emil , Montelius Caroline , Ramachandran Deepti , Bonn Britta , Weström Björn , Mansouri Abdelhak , Langhans Wolfgang , Erlanson-Albertsson Charlotte
Published: August 2016

Thylakoids reduce body weight gain and body fat accumulation in rodents. This study investigated whether an enhanced oxidation of dietary fat-derived fatty acids in the intestine contributes to the thylakoid effects. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed a high-fat diet with ( n = 8) or without thylakoids ( n = 8) for 2 wk. Body weight, food intake, and body fat were measured, and intestinal mucosa was collected and analyzed. Quantitative real-time PCR was used to measure gene expression levels of key enzymes involved in fatty acid transport, fatty acid oxidation, and ketogenesis. Another set of thylakoid-treated ( n = 10) and control rats ( n = 10) went through indirect calorimetry. In the first experiment, thylakoid-treated rats ( n = 8) accumulated 25% less visceral fat than controls. Furthermore, fatty acid translocase ( Fat/Cd36), carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1a ( Cpt1a), and mitochondrial 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA synthase 2 ( Hmgcs2) genes were upregulated in the jejunum of the thylakoid-treated group. In the second experiment, thylakoid-treated rats ( n = 10) gained 17.5% less weight compared with controls and their respiratory quotient was lower, 0.86 compared with 0.91. Thylakoid-intake resulted in decreased food intake and did not cause steatorrhea. These results suggest that thylakoids stimulated intestinal fatty acid oxidation and ketogenesis, resulting in an increased ability of the intestine to handle dietary fat. The increased fatty acid oxidation and the resulting reduction in food intake may contribute to the reduced fat accumulation in thylakoid-treated animals.
Phosphatase inhibition increases AQP2 accumulation in the rat IMCD apical plasma membrane
Authors: Ren Huiwen , Yang Baoxue , Ruiz Joseph A. , Efe Orhan , Ilori Titilayo O. , Sands Jeff M. , Klein Janet D.
Published: August 2016

Vasopressin triggers the phosphorylation and apical plasma membrane accumulation of aquaporin 2 (AQP2), and it plays an essential role in urine concentration. Vasopressin, acting through protein kinase A, phosphorylates AQP2. However, the phosphorylation state of AQP2 could also be affected by the action of protein phosphatases (PPs). Rat inner medullas (IM) were incubated with calyculin (PP1 and PP2A inhibitor, 50 nM) or tacrolimus (PP2B inhibitor, 100 nM). Calyculin did not affect total AQP2 protein abundance (by Western blot) but did significantly increase the abundances of pS256-AQP2 and pS264-AQP2. It did not change pS261-AQP2 or pS269-AQP2. Calyculin significantly enhanced the membrane accumulation (by biotinylation) of total AQP2, pS256-AQP2, and pS264-AQP2. Likewise, immunohistochemistry showed an increase in the apical plasma membrane association of pS256-AQP2 and pS264-AQP2 in calyculin-treated rat IM. Tacrolimus also did not change total AQP2 abundance but significantly increased the abundances of pS261-AQP2 and pS264-AQP2. In contrast to calyculin, tacrolimus did not change the amount of total AQP2 in the plasma membrane (by biotinylation and immunohistochemistry). Tacrolimus did increase the expression of pS264-AQP2 in the apical plasma membrane (by immunohistochemistry). In conclusion, PP1/PP2A regulates the phosphorylation and apical plasma membrane accumulation of AQP2 differently than PP2B. Serine-264 of AQP2 is a phosphorylation site that is regulated by both PP1/PP2A and PP2B. This dual regulatory pathway may suggest a previously unappreciated role for multiple phosphatases in the regulation of urine concentration.
Ligustrazine Inhibits Cartilage Endplate Hypertrophy via Suppression of TGF‐β1
Authors: Liu Shufen , Zhao Bizeng , Shi Huipeng , Liang Qianqian , Fu Yishan , Yang Zhu , Xu Leqin , Wang Yongjun , Bian Qin
Published: August 2016

CEP hypertrophy is one of the characteristics of intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD). LIG exerts a protective effect on IDD in animal model. The effect of LIG on CEP hypertrophy is further investigated in the present study. Cells were isolated from hypertrophic samples obtained from patients during vertebral fusion surgery. Cellular proliferation and the expression of type I collagen (Col I) and TGF‐β1 were tested. In the bipedal rats, the edges of the CEP and the sizes of noncartilaginous outgrowth, as well as the expression of osteogenic markers, Col1a, ALP, Runx2, and TGF‐β1, were detected. Within two passages, the condensed hypertrophic CEP cells exhibited osteogenic capacity by bony‐like nodules and ALP positive staining, along with increased expression of Col I and TGF‐β1. LIG inhibited proliferation of CEP cells and downregulated the expression of Col I and TGF‐β1 in vitro. Furthermore, LIG attenuated CEP hypertrophy on the lumbar spine of bipedal rats by reducing Col1a, ALP, Runx2, and TGF‐β1 mRNA expression and TGF‐β1 distribution in vivo. We concluded LIG exerted a preventive effect on CEP hypertrophy via suppression of TGF‐β1 levels. This information could be used to develop alternative therapeutic methods to treat spinal CEP hypertrophy.
Decentralized Event-Based Communication Strategy on Leader-Follower Consensus Control
Authors: Xie Duosi , Yin Xiaochun , Xie Jianquan
Published: July 2016

This paper addresses the leader-follower consensus problem of networked systems by using a decentralized event-based control strategy. The event-based control strategy makes the controllers of agents update at aperiodic event instants. Two decentralized event functions are designed to generate these event instants. In particular, the second event function only uses its own information and the neighbors’ states at their latest event instants. By using this event function, no continuous communication among followers is required. As the followers only communicate at these discrete event instants, this strategy is able to save communication and to reduce channel occupation. It is analytically shown that the leader-follower networked system is able to reach consensus by utilizing the proposed control strategy. Simulation examples are shown to illustrate effectiveness of the proposed control strategy.
Serum Magnesium Concentration Is Inversely Associated with Albuminuria and Retinopathy among Patients with Diabetes
Authors: Lu Jun , Gu Yuying , Guo Meixiang , Chen Peihong , Wang Hongtao , Yu Xuemei
Published: July 2016

Aim. To investigate the association between serum magnesium levels and microvascular complications among patients with diabetes.Methods. Patients with diabetes were recruited between April 2012 and January 2015. All patients received an assay of serum magnesium concentration, were screened for 24 h albumin excretion rate, and underwent nonmydriatic fundus photography. Albuminuria and retinopathy were defined accordingly. A total of 3,100 patients with normal serum magnesium levels were included in this study.Results. Patients with albuminuria and/or retinopathy had lower levels of serum magnesium than patients without these complications (P<0.001). The prevalence of isolated albuminuria, isolated retinopathy, and combined albuminuria and retinopathy decreased as the concentration of serum magnesium increased. Multiple logistic regression analysis indicated that the odds ratio for isolated albuminuria, isolated retinopathy, and concomitant albuminuria and retinopathy decreased by approximately 20% for every 0.1 mmol/L increase in serum magnesium concentration.Conclusion. Serum magnesium levels were negatively associated with the risk of diabetic microvascular complications among patients with serum magnesium levels within the normal range.
Effect of Quarry Waste on Self-Compacting Concrete Containing Binary Cementitious Blends of Fly Ash and Cement
Authors: Rai Baboo , Kumar Sanjay , Satish Kumar
Published: July 2016

This paper presents the results of the experimental work conducted to study the effect of quarry waste on self-compacting concrete containing binary cementitious blends of fly ash and cement. For this purpose nine trial mixes were prepared, where the percentage replacement of river sand by quarry waste was 0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 70%, and 100% to study the flowability characteristics of SCC. In all, 108 cube samples and 54 cylindrical samples were cast to study the strength parameters of SCC with and without quarry waste. The water to binder ratio was maintained at 0.36% while the dose of chemical admixture was 2.2% by weight of cement. For all trial mixes the fly ash percentage replacement to cement was kept constant at 30%. Based on the standard flowability test a visual stability index has been provided to all the trial mixes. Quarry waste replacement showed the desirable results that can suggest the usage in self-compacting concrete as well as in normally vibrated concrete.
Imbalanced Data Set CSVM Classification Method Based on Cluster Boundary Sampling
Authors: Li Peng , Liang Tian-ge , Zhang Kai-hui
Published: July 2016

This paper creatively proposes a cluster boundary sampling method based on density clustering to solve the problem of resampling in IDS classification and verify its effectiveness experimentally. We use the clustering density threshold and the boundary density threshold to determine the cluster boundaries, in order to guide the process of resampling more scientifically and accurately. Then, we adopt the penalty factor to regulate the data imbalance effect on SVM classification algorithm. The achievements and scientific significance of this paper do not propose the best classifier or solution of imbalanced data set and just verify the validity and stability of proposed IDS resampling method. Experiments show that our method acquires obvious promotion effect in various imbalanced data sets.
Low-Dose Steroid Therapy Is Associated with Decreased IL-12 Production in PBMCs of Severe Septic Patients
Authors: Wu Huang-Pin , Shih Chi-Chung , Chuang Duen-Yau , Chen Tien-Hsing
Published: July 2016

Background.Sepsis-induced immunosuppression may result in higher mortality rates in patients.Methods. We examined the relationship of cytokine responses from stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and monocyte human leukocyte antigen-DR (HLA-DR) expression (days 1 and 7) with low-dose steroid therapy in 29 septic patients. Patients were treated according to the guidelines. Thirty healthy controls were enrolled for validation.Results. Eighteen patients were prescribed low-dose steroids and 11 were not. Interleukin- (IL-) 12 responses in patients without low-dose steroid therapy on days 1 and 7 were higher than those with low-dose steroid therapy. Compared to day 1, IL-12 responses significantly increased on day 7 in patients without low-dose steroid therapy. After regression analysis, the change in the IL-12 response from day 7 to day 1 was found to be independently associated with the low-dose steroid therapy. There was no difference in monocyte HLA-DR expression between patients treated with and without low-dose steroid on day 1 or 7. No change in monocyte HLA-DR expression from day 7 to day 1 was observed in patients with or without low-dose steroid therapy.Conclusion. Decreased IL-12 response was associated with the low-dose steroid therapy in PBMCs of septic patients.
Explicit Solutions of the Boundary Value Problems for an Ellipse with Double Porosity
Authors: Bitsadze Lamara , Zirakashvili Natela
Published: July 2016

The basic two-dimensional boundary value problems of the fully coupled linear equilibrium theory of elasticity for solids with double porosity structure are reduced to the solvability of two types of a problem. The first one is the BVPs for the equations of classical elasticity of isotropic bodies, and the other is the BVPs for the equations of pore and fissure fluid pressures. The solutions of these equations are presented by means of elementary (harmonic, metaharmonic, and biharmonic) functions. On the basis of the gained results, we constructed an explicit solution of some basic BVPs for an ellipse in the form of absolutely uniformly convergent series.
Retrieval of Land Surface Model State Variables through Assimilating Screen Level Humidity and Temperature Measurements
Authors: Ren Diandong , Xue Ming
Published: July 2016

This study demonstrates successful variational retrieval of land surface states by assimilating screen level atmospheric measurements of specific humidity and air temperature. To this end, the land surface scheme is first validated against the Oklahoma Atmospheric Surface Layer Instrumentation System measurements with necessary refinements to the forward model implemented. The retrieval scheme involves a 1D land surface-atmosphere model, the corresponding adjoint codes, and a cost function that measures residuals between observed and modeled screen level atmospheric temperature and specific humidity. The retrieval scheme is robust when subjected to observational errors with magnitudes comparable to instrument accuracy and for initial guess errors larger than typical model forecast errors. Using varying assimilation window lengths centered on different periods of a day, the sampling strategy is assessed. The daytime observations are more informative compared to nocturnal observations. An assimilation window as narrow as four hours, if centered on local noon, contains comparable information to an expanded window covering the whole day. There exists an optimal assimilation window length resulting from the contest between degrading forecast accuracy and increasing information content. For an assimilation window less than two days, the “optimal” assimilation window length is inversely proportional to the data ingesting frequency.
West Africa Extreme Rainfall Events and Large-Scale Ocean Surface and Atmospheric Conditions in the Tropical Atlantic
Authors: Ta S. , Kouadio K. Y. , Ali K. E. , Toualy E. , Aman A. , Yoroba F.
Published: July 2016

Based on daily precipitation from the Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP) data during April–October of the 1997–2014 period, the daily extreme rainfall trends and variability over West Africa are characterized using 90th-percentile threshold at each grid point. The contribution of the extreme rainfall amount reaches ~50–90% in the northern region while it is ~30–50% in the south. The yearly cumulated extreme rainfall amount indicates significant and negative trends in the 6°N–12°N; 6°N–12°N; 17°W–10°W and 4°N–7°N; 4°N–7°N; 6°E–10°E 4°N–7°N; 6°E–10°E 4°N–7°N; 6°E–10°E domains, while the number of days exhibits nonsignificant trends over West Africa. The empirical orthogonal functions performed on the standardized anomalies show four variability modes that include all West Africa with a focus on the Sahelian region, the eastern region including the south of Nigeria, the western part including Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea-Bissau, and finally a small region at the coast of Ghana and Togo. These four modes are influenced differently by the large-scale ocean surface and atmospheric conditions in the tropical Atlantic. The results are applicable in planning the risks associated with these climate hazards, particularly on water resource management and civil defense.
Uncertain Risk Assessment of Knowledge Management: Based on Set Pair Analysis
Authors: Yang Guibin , Gao Hongyu
Published: July 2016

Since the knowledge resource becomes an important part of enterprise resources, the knowledge management risks could significantly affect the enterprise operation efficiency. Controlling knowledge management risks is one of the enterprise management tasks; the managers and researchers focus on how to effectively evaluate the risks. This paper aims to solve this problem and puts forward an evaluation model of the uncertain risks of knowledge management. Based on set pair theory, a model is established to identify the knowledge management risk. Through the concept of connection number, knowledge management risk is divided into five levels. Meanwhile, the development trend of knowledge management risk is classified into same tendency, equal tendency, and contrary tendency by the concept of set pair theory. The application of this model is empirically verified with Chinese enterprises. Through both static and dynamic evaluations of the knowledge management risk, this paper can effectively analyze risk development trend and provide decision support for the enterprise manager about the uncertain risks of knowledge management.
IASM: A System for the Intelligent Active Surveillance of Malaria
Authors: Wang Xinlei , Yang Bo , Huang Jing , Chen Hechang , Gu Xiao , Bai Yuan , Du Zhanwei
Published: July 2016

Malaria, a life-threatening infectious disease, spreads rapidly via parasites. Malaria prevention is more effective and efficient than treatment. However, the existing surveillance systems used to prevent malaria are inadequate, especially in areas with limited or no access to medical resources. In this paper, in order to monitor the spreading of malaria, we develop an intelligent surveillance system based on our existing algorithms. First, a visualization function and active surveillance were implemented in order to predict and categorize areas at high risk of infection. Next, socioeconomic and climatological characteristics were applied to the proposed prediction model. Then, the redundancy of the socioeconomic attribute values was reduced using the stepwise regression method to improve the accuracy of the proposed prediction model. The experimental results indicated that the proposed IASM predicted malaria outbreaks more close to the real data and with fewer variables than other models. Furthermore, the proposed model effectively identified areas at high risk of infection.
A Facile Fabrication of Silver-Coated Copper Nanowires by Galvanic Replacement
Authors: He Xin , He Ruihui , Lan Qiuming , Duan Feng , Xiao Jundong , Song Mingxia , Zhang Mei , Chen Yeqing , Li Yang
Published: July 2016

We demonstrated a general strategy to fabricate silver-coated copper nanowires by a galvanic replacement, which is guided by the chemical principle that metal ions (silver ions) with a relatively high reduction potential can galvanically etch nanostructure made from a less metal (copper). Well-dispersed and high-yielded copper nanowires were initially synthesized and then introduced into silver-ammonia solution for the growth of silver nanocrystals on the nanowire surfaces under vigorous oscillation. The results of X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, and transmission electron microscope revealed that the silver nanocrystals were uniformly distributed on the copper nanowire surfaces to form Cu-Ag heterostructures. The concentration of silver-ammonia solution and the time of replacement reaction determine the size and density of the silver nanocrystals. Our investigation might pave the way to the synthesis of other bimetallic nanostructures via a facile, fast, and economical route.
Simultaneous Two-Vessel Subacute Stent Thrombosis Caused by Clopidogrel Resistance from CYP2C19 Polymorphism
Authors: Afzal Ashwad , Patel Bimal , Patel Neel , Sattur Sudhakar , Patel Vinod
Published: July 2016

Clopidogrel resistance from CYP2C19 polymorphism has been associated with stent thrombosis in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention with drug-eluting stents. We present a case of a 76-year-old male who received drug-eluting stents to the right coronary artery and left anterior descending artery for non-ST elevation myocardial infarction and was discharged on dual antiplatelet therapy with aspirin and clopidogrel. He subsequently presented with chest pain from anterior, anteroseptal, and inferior ST segment elevation myocardial infarction. An emergent coronary angiogram revealed acute stent thrombosis with 100% occlusion of RCA and LAD that was successfully treated with thrombus aspiration and angioplasty. Although he was compliant with his dual antiplatelet therapy, he developed stent thrombosis, which was confirmed as clopidogrel resistance from homozygous CYP2C19 polymorphism.
A New Parallel Method for Binary Black Hole Simulations
Authors: Yang Quan , Du Zhihui , Cao Zhoujian , Tao Jian , Bader David A.
Published: July 2016

Simulating binary black hole (BBH) systems are a computationally intensive problem and it can lead to great scientific discovery. How to explore more parallelism to take advantage of the large number of computing resources of modern supercomputers is the key to achieve high performance for BBH simulations. In this paper, we propose a scalable MPM (Mesh based Parallel Method) which can explore both the inter- and intramesh level parallelism to improve the performance of BBH simulation. At the same time, we also leverage GPU to accelerate the performance. Different kinds of performance tests are conducted on Blue Waters. Compared with the existing method, our MPM can improve the performance from 5x speedup (compared with the normalized speed of 32 MPI processes) to 8x speedup. For the GPU accelerated version, our MPM can improve the performance from 12x speedup to 28x speedup. Experimental results also show that when only enough CPU computing resource or limited GPU computing resource is available, our MPM can employ two special scheduling mechanisms to achieve better performance. Furthermore, our scalable GPU acceleration MPM can achieve almost ideal weak scaling up to 2048 GPU computing nodes which enables our software to handle even larger BBH simulations efficiently.
Data-Driven Handover Optimization in Next Generation Mobile Communication Networks
Authors: Lin Po-Chiang , Casanova Lionel F. Gonzalez , Fatty Bakary K. S.
Published: August 2016

Network densification is regarded as one of the important ingredients to increase capacity for next generation mobile communication networks. However, it also leads to mobility problems since users are more likely to hand over to another cell in dense or even ultradense mobile communication networks. Therefore, supporting seamless and robust connectivity through such networks becomes a very important issue. In this paper, we investigate handover (HO) optimization in next generation mobile communication networks. We propose a data-driven handover optimization (DHO) approach, which aims to mitigate mobility problems including too-late HO, too-early HO, HO to wrong cell, ping-pong HO, and unnecessary HO. The key performance indicator (KPI) is defined as the weighted average of the ratios of these mobility problems. The DHO approach collects data from the mobile communication measurement results and provides a model to estimate the relationship between the KPI and features from the collected dataset. Based on the model, the handover parameters, including the handover margin and time-to-trigger, are optimized to minimize the KPI. Simulation results show that the proposed DHO approach could effectively mitigate mobility problems.
Effects of Invariant NKT Cells on Parasite Infections and Hygiene Hypothesis
Authors: Yang Jun-Qi , Zhou Yonghua , Singh Ram Raj
Published: August 2016

Invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells are unique subset of innate-like T cells recognizing glycolipids. iNKT cells can rapidly produce copious amounts of cytokines upon antigen stimulation and exert potent immunomodulatory activities for a wide variety of immune responses and diseases. We have revealed the regulatory effect of iNKT cells on autoimmunity with a serial of publications. On the other hand, the role of iNKT cells in parasitic infections, especially in recently attractive topic “hygiene hypothesis,” has not been clearly defined yet. Bacterial and parasitic cell wall is a cellular structure highly enriched in a variety of glycolipids and lipoproteins, some of which may serve as natural ligands of iNKT cells. In this review, we mainly summarized the recent findings on the roles and underlying mechanisms of iNKT cells in parasite infections and their cross-talk with Th1, Th2, Th17, Treg, and innate lymphoid cells. In most cases, iNKT cells exert regulatory or direct cytotoxic roles to protect hosts against parasite infections. We put particular emphasis as well on the identification of the natural ligands from parasites and the involvement of iNKT cells in the hygiene hypothesis.
PD-1/PD-L1 Interaction Maintains Allogeneic Immune Tolerance Induced by Administration of Ultraviolet B-Irradiated Immature Dendritic Cells
Authors: Zhang Lanfang , Xia Chang-Qing
Published: July 2016

Our previous study demonstrated that transfusion of ultraviolet B-irradiated immature dendritic cells (UVB-iDCs) induced alloantigen-specific tolerance between two different strains of mice. Programmed death-1 (PD-1) and programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) have been suggested to play an important role in maintaining immune tolerance. In the present study, we seek to address whether PD-1/PD-L1 plays a role in the maintenance of UVB-iDC-induced tolerance. We first observe that the UVB-iDC-induced alloantigen-specific tolerance can be maintained for over 6 weeks. Supporting this, at 6 weeks after tolerance induction completion, alloantigen-specific tolerance is still able to be transferred to syngeneic naïve mice through adoptive transfer of CD4+ T cells. Furthermore, skin transplantation study shows that the survival of allogeneic grafts is prolonged in those tolerant recipients. Further studies show that PD-1/PD-L1 interaction is essential for maintaining the induced tolerance as blockade of PD-1/PD-L1 by anti-PD-L1 antibodies largely breaks the tolerance at both cellular and humoral immunological levels. Importantly, we show that PD-1/PD-L1 interaction in tolerant mice is also essential for controlling alloantigen-responding T cells, which have never experienced alloantigens. The above findings suggest that PD-1/PD-L1 plays a crucial role in maintaining immune tolerance induced by UVB-iDCs, as well as in actively controlling effector T cells specific to alloantigens.