bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The role of circRNAs in cancers
Authors: Zhu Ling-Ping , He Yun-Jie , Hou Jun-Chen , Chen Xiu , Zhou Si-Ying , Yang Su-Jin , Li Jian , Zhang He-Da , Hu Jia-Hua , Zhong Shan-Liang , Zhao Jian-Hua , Tang Jin-Hai
Published: September 2017

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are recently regarded as a naturally forming family of widespread and diverse endogenous noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) that may regulate gene expression in mammals. At present, above 30000 circRNAs have already been found, with their unique structures to maintain stability more easily than linear RNAs. Several previous literatures stressed on the important role of circRNAs, whose expression was relatively correlated with patients’ clinical characteristics and grade, in the carcinogenesis of cancer. CircRNAs are involved in many regulatory bioprocesses of malignance, including cell cycle, tumorigenesis, invasion, metastasis, apoptosis, vascularization, through adsorbing RNA as a sponge, binding to RNA-binding protein (RBP), modulating transcription, or influencing translation. Therefore, it is inevitable to further study the interactions between circRNAs and tumors and to develop novel circRNAs as molecular markers or potential targets, which will provide promising applications in early diagnosis, therapeutic evaluation, prognosis prediction of tumors and even gene therapy for tumors.
Flexible UWB organic antenna for wearable technologies application
Authors: Hamouda Zahir , Wojkiewicz Jean‐luc , Pud Alexander A. , Kone Lamine , Bergheul Said , Lasri Tuami
Published: September 2017

New generations of printed flexible antennas are playing an important role in wireless communication systems. The ultra wide band and wearable possibilities are critical aspects of these kinds of antennas. In this study, the proposed antenna is an elliptical monopole fed by a coplanar waveguide; it uses a kapton substrate and it is optimised to work from 1 to 8 GHz. In the case of copper, a conductive nanocomposite material based on a polymer (polyaniline: PANI) and charged by multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) is exploited. The flexibility of both the kapton substrate and the nanocomposite (PANI/MWCNTs) provides the ability to crumple the antenna paving the way to potential applications for body‐worn wireless communications systems. In this study, the performance of the antenna is investigated in terms of return loss, radiation patterns and gain for both crumpled and uncrumpled antennas. The results confirm that performance remains at a good level when the antenna is crumpled.
The Role of Cortisol/ACTH Ratio for Screening of Subclinical Hypercortisolism in Patients with Adrenal Incidentalomas
Authors: Li Lele , Yang Guoqing , Dou Jingtao , Gu Weijun , Lv Zhaohui , Lu Juming , Mu Yiming
Published: September 2017

Introduction The cortisol/ACTH ratio was supposed to be helpful in the screening of subclinical hypercortisolism (SHC) in the published literatures. This study assessed the cortisol/ACTH ratio in patients with adrenal incidentaloma (AI) confirmed to have SHC and investigated its role for screening SCS in patients with AI.

Methods This descriptive retrospective study included 183 patients with AIs [45 with SHC and 138 with non-functional adenoma (NFA)]. Cortisol and ACTH levels were measured at 8:00, 16:00, and 0:00, and the cortisol/ACTH ratio was calculated. ROC curve was used to evaluate efficacy of the cortisol/ACTH ratio, explore the best cut-off value and its corresponding sensitivity and specificity.

Results The cortisol/ACTH ratios at all time points were significantly higher in the SHC group than the NFA group (P<0.05) and were significantly correlated with serum cortisol levels after the 1-mg dexamethasone suppression test (DST). Area Under the Curve (AUC) of the cortisol/ACTH ratio at 0:00 and midnight serum cortisol levels were 0.893 (0.843–0.943) and 0.831 (0.765–0.806), respectively. A cortisol/ACTH ratio at 0:00 cut-off of 32.18 nM/pM showed a sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 39.1%. The optimal cut-off was 68.83 nM/pM (sensitivity 86.7%, specificity 75.4%).

Conclusions Patients with SHC have a higher cortisol/ACTH ratio than those with NFAs. The cortisol/ACTH ratio is significantly correlated with serum cortisol after the 1-mg DST. The diagnostic performance of the cortisol/ACTH ratio at 0:00 is superior to midnight serum cortisol. Therefore, the cortisol/ACTH ratio at 0:00 may be a reliable parameter for SHC screening in patient with AI.
Optimising health economic evaluations for geriatric cancer
patients
Authors: Goettler Andrea , Kessel Tanja-Maria , Sonntag Diana
Published: September 2017

Aim Despite the growing number of elderly cancer patients, health economic
evaluations have not put enough attention on this patient group. We reflect on
the current state of health economic evaluations for geriatric patients and
present suggestions for improvements.

Method We reviewed the scientific literature on health economic
evaluations for geriatric patients in Germany and internationally. Additionally,
we conducted a scoping review on cost-utility analyses on cancer treatment for
older patients (> 60 years).

Results The literature review resulted in eight relevant studies. Besides
the paucity of economic evaluations for elderly patients, we also present
quality limitations. From the literature, we identify four recommendations
regarding cost calculation, geriatric assessment, patient decision-making and
quality of life on how to design better economic evaluations for geriatric
cancer treatment.

Conclusion The demographic change requires more attention regarding
elderly patients in health economics. Including patients above 70 years of age
in health economic evaluations and improving cost-utility analyses will help to
improve resource allocations and effective healthcare for the elderly.
Modernes interdisziplinäres Management einer uretero-iliakalen Fistel (Fallbericht)
Authors: Benedix D. , Meyer F. , Fischbach F. , Janitzky A. , Halloul Z.
Published: September 2017

Einleitung Pathologische Fistelungen des arteriellen Systems zu luminalen Organsystemen stellen eine Herausforderung in ihrem adäquaten Management dar.

Ziel Wissenschaftlicher Fallbericht zur kombiniert gefäßchirurgisch und interventionell-radiologischen Versorgung einer seltenen rechtsseitigen uretero-iliakalen Fistel unter Diskussion des Vorgehens und Zusammenfassung gewonnener klinischer Erfahrungen.

Fallkonstellation Stationäre Aufnahme eines 79-jährigen Patienten mit Hämaturie und Blasentamponade bei aktinisch bedingten Ureterstrikturen beidseits infolge neoadjuvanter Radiochemotherapie (im Rahmen der Vorbereitung einer abdominoperinealen Rektumexstirpation wegen suprasphinktären Karzinoms [ypT3ypN0M0]). Das Labor erbrachte eine Anämie, die transabdominale Sonografie eine Harnstauung bds. Die CT wies keine manifeste Blutung infolge wechselnder Hämorrhagieepisoden nach.

Interventionelle Maßnahmen Zunächst erfolgten Blasenspülung und Katheterwechsel in den Ureteren. Aufgrund der ausgelösten rechtsseitigen endoluminalen Blutung in den rechten Ureter wurde die kombiniert gefäßchirurgische/interventionell-radiologische Versorgung mit i) Amplatzer-Insertion (AMPLATZER™Vascular Plug II; St. Jude Medical, Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S.A.) in die A. iliaca interna dextra und ii) rechts-iliacalem Stenting durch „cross-over“-Manöver von links-femoral vorgenommen.

Verlauf Infolge einer Dissektion am arteriellen Zugang rechts-femoral erfolgte eine Gefäßdesobliteration und Intimarefixation in der A. femoralis superficialis dextra. Der Patient stabilisierte sich zeitgerecht (u. a. periinterventionelle ITS-Betreuung) bei Entlassung am 15. postinterventionellen Tag ohne Anhalt für lokales Rektumkarzinomrezidiv. Eine Re-Blutung war nicht aufgetreten. Weiterhin waren Doppel-J-Katheterwechsel erforderlich.
Zusammenfassung Die zügige Hybrid-Operation ist im präsentierten Fall als absolut indizierte und prognostisch aussichtsreiche Vorgehensweise für die rezidivierende arterielle Blutung einer uretero-iliakalen Fistel anzusehen.

Schlussfolgerung Das minimal-invasive Herangehen mittels Stenting ist die Methode der Wahl im stufenweisen und zeitgerechten Management der potenziell lebensbedrohlichen uretero-iliakalen Fistel bei arterieller endoluminaler Blutung und drohendem hämorrhagischen Schock.
Evaluation of the Interference of Hemoglobin Variant J-Bangkok on Glycated Hemoglobin (HbA1c) Measurement by Five Different Methods
Authors: Wen Dong-Mei , Xu Sheng-Nan , Wang Wei-Jia , Zhang Xiu-Ming , Suo Ming-Huan , Zhang De-Cai
Published: September 2017

Objective The interference of the hemoglobin variant (Hb J-Bangkok) was evaluated on 4 different glycated hemoglobin assays and compared with a reference immuno assay.

Methods An overall test of coincidence of 2 least-squares linear regression lines was performed to determine whether the presence of Hb J-Bangkok caused a statistically significant difference in HbA1c results compared with a reference immuno assay. Statistical analysis was performed on the difference of the estimated average glucose calculated from HbA1c values and fasting plasma glucose in the Hb J-Bangkok variant group using the different detection systems. Deming regression analysis was used to determinate whether Hb J-Bangkok had a significant interference on HbA1c results using an HbA1c±10% relative bias at 6% and 9% HbA1c as evaluation limits.

Results Turbidimetric inhibition immunoassay method, and enzymatic methods were not affected by Hb J-Bangkok. However, Hb J-Bangkok showed statistically significant interference to the two ion-exchange high-performance liquid chromatography methods.

Conclusion When performing HbA1c tests, clinical laboratory personnel should identify the Hb variant and select the appropriate methods or use alternative indicators.
Organerhaltende Verfahren zur Therapie des Nierenzellkarzinoms
Authors: Wülfing Christian
Published: September 2017

Die organerhaltende Therapie von Nierentumoren ist in den letzten Jahren zunehmend zur Standardtherapie erklärt worden. Internationale
Leitlinien empfehlen die operative Nierenteilresektion vor der radikalen Tumornephrektomie wann immer technisch möglich. Neben den
operativen Techniken, die zunehmend auch minimalinvasiv erfolgen, ergänzen die sogenannten ablativen Therapien, zu denen vor allem die
Radiofrequenzablation (RFA) und die Kryotherapie gezählt werden, das Therapiespektrum. Die ablativen Therapien sollen derzeit noch Patienten
hohen Alters oder Patienten mit erhöhter Komorbidität vorbehalten sein, weil die Datenlage noch keine gleichwertige evidenzbasierte
Empfehlung wie für die operative Nierenteilresektion zulässt. Schließlich ist auch die aktive Überwachung („Active Surveillance“) eine
wichtige Therapieoption, die insbesondere für Patienten mit kleinen Tumoren, langsamer Wachstumsgeschwindigkeit und erhöhtem Alter bzw.
erhöhter Komorbidität infrage kommt.
Primäre Offenwinkelglaukome
Authors: Hoffmann Esther , Prokosch-Willing Verena
Published: September 2017

Das Glaukom gehört zu den häufigsten irreversiblen Erblindungsursachen weltweit und die alternde Gesellschaft in den westlichen Industrieländern impliziert ein hohes Risiko einer weiteren Zunahme. Das primäre Offenwinkelglaukom stellt den bei Weitem häufigsten Glaukomtyp des Erwachsenenalters dar. Die Therapie erfolgt zunächst konservativ mit einer Monotherapie, bei unzureichender Einstellung des Zieldruckbereichs sollte jedoch frühzeitig eine Glaukomoperation durchgeführt werden.
Ist Diabetes heilbar durch bariatrische Chirurgie? – Mechanismen der Verbesserung der diabetischen Stoffwechsellage durch chirurgische Adipositastherapie –
Authors: Weck Matthias
Published: September 2017

In den letzten Jahren wurden die Ergebnisse randomisierter kontrollierter Studien publiziert, die im 5-Jahres-Verlauf die metabolischen Effekte der bariatrischen Chirurgie mit konventionellen Formen der Gewichtsreduktion vergleichen. Diese Studien zeigen unisono, dass die bariatrische Chirurgie hinsichtlich der Besserung der diabetischen Stoffwechsellage den konventionellen Behandlungsformen signifikant überlegen ist. Die Diabetesremissionsraten variieren abhängig von Ausgangsparametern, Operationsmethode und Follow-up-Dauer zwischen 95 und 23 %.

Ist Diabetes heilbar durch bariatrische Chirurgie? Die klare Antwort muss lauten: Nein, aber

Insofern ist die bariatrische Chirurgie in Form von Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass (RYGB), Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy (LSG) und den neueren Verfahren wie Omega Loop Bypass („Mini-Bypass“) oder biliopankreatische Diversion (BPD) eine wirkungsvolle therapeutische Option in der Behandlung des Diabetes mellitus Typ 2 und verringert offenbar auch das Risiko des Auftretens von mikrovaskulären Diabetesfolgekomplikationen. Je früher im Krankheitsverlauf die bariatrische Chirurgie SSherangezogen wird, desto effektiver scheinen diese Verfahren zu sein.

Welche der Operationen für Patienten mit Typ-2-Diabetes am besten geeignet ist, ist derzeit nicht definitiv entschieden. Der RYGB scheint etwas effektiver zu sein. Die Verfahren der bariatrischen Chirurgie gehören in das Spektrum der differenzialtherapeutischen Überlegungen insbesondere bei adipösen Patienten mit Typ-2-Diabetes mit einem BMI > 35 kg/m².

Die Mechanismen der Verbesserung der diabetischen Stoffwechsellage durch bariatrische Operationen werden anhand der aktuellen Literatur detailliert beschrieben. Die Indikationen, Kontraindikationen, Komplikationen und Therapiealgorithmen der bariatrischen Chirurgie bei Typ-2-Diabetes sind in den entsprechenden Leitlinien ausführlich dargestellt und nicht Gegenstand dieser Publikation.
A nonmagnetic topological Weyl semimetal in quaternary Heusler compound CrAlTiV
Authors: Liu Xiaoxiong , Li Lei , Cui Yvgui , Deng Jianbo , Tao Xiaoma
Published: September 2017

We predict that the paramagnetic state of inversion-breaking quaternary Heusler alloy CrVTiAl is a Weyl semimetal candidate. There are 24 Weyl nodes (WN) appearing at the same energy in the first Brillouin zone without spin-orbit coupling (SOC). One WN splits into a pair of Weyl nodes (WN1 and WN2) of the same chirality when considering SOC because SOC removes the spin degeneracy. Clear surface state Fermi arc structures on the (111) surface are also obtained. The formation mechanism of the Weyl nodes is independent of point symmetries, i.e., the number and chirality of Weyl nodes are not affected when the point symmetries are broken slightly.
The diffusion of charged particles in the weakly ionized plasma with power-law kappa-distributions
Authors: Wang Lan , Du Jiulin
Published: September 2017

We study the diffusion of charged particles in the weakly ionized plasma with the power-law κ-distributions and without the magnetic field. The electrons and ions have different κ-parameters. We obtain the expressions of both diffusion and mobility coefficients of electrons and ions respectively in the plasma. We find that these new transport coefficient formulae depend strongly on the κ-parameters in the power-law distributed plasma. When we take κ→∞, these formulae reduce to the classical forms in the weakly ionized plasma with a Maxwellian distribution.
Fields of an ultrashort tightly focused radially polarized laser pulse in a linear response plasma
Authors: Salamin Yousef I.
Published: September 2017

Analytical expressions for the fields of a radially polarized, ultrashort, and tightly focused laser pulse propagating in a linear-response plasma are derived and discussed. The fields are obtained from solving the inhomogeneous wave equations for the vector and scalar potentials, linked by the Lorenz gauge, in a plasma background. First, the scalar potential is eliminated using the gauge condition, then the vector potential is synthesized from Fourier components of an initial uniform distribution of wavenumbers, and the inverse Fourier transformation is carried out term-by-term in a truncated series (finite sum). The zeroth-order term in, for example, the axial electric field component is shown to model a pulse much better than its widely used paraxial approximation counterpart. Some of the propagation characteristics of the fields are discussed and all fields are shown to have manifested the expected limits for propagation in a vacuum.
On the difference of cardiorespiratory synchronisation and coordination
Authors: Krause Harald , Kraemer Jan F. , Penzel Thomas , Kurths Jürgen , Wessel Niels
Published: September 2017

Cardiorespiratory phase synchronisation (CRS) is a type of cardiorespiratory coupling that manifests through a prediliction for heart beats to occur at specific points relative to the phase of the respiratory cycle. It has been under investigation for nearly 20 years, and while it seems to be mostly occurring in relaxed states such as deep sleep and anesthesia, no clear clinical implications have been established. Cardiorespiratory coordination (CRC) is a recent development in this field where the relationship between the respiratory onset and heart beat is analysed in the time domain and the possible relationship of each heart beat is considered for both the previous and the next respiratory onset. This ostensibly closely related effect must not only show relevant information content but also do so independent of CRS in order to be relevant for future studies. In this paper, we investigate CRC and its relation to CRS mainly using graphical and statistical methods on two exemplary datasets: measurements from a pregnant woman participating in a preeclampsia study and those from a man suffering from sleep apnea. We show fundamental differences between the results of both approaches and are able to show a formerly unknown dependency between the heart activity and respiratory rate, potentially indicating heartbeat-initiated inspiration. Despite their differences, methods developed for the quantification of CRS can be adapted to CRC. Completing the comparison is an investigation into the relationship between CRC and respiratory sinus arrhythmia. Similar to previous results for CRS, the two effects are found to be orthogonal, meaning that they can be observed independently or in conjunction.
A robust variant of block Jacobi-Davidson for extracting a large number of eigenpairs: Application to grid-based real-space density functional theory
Authors: Lee M. , Leiter K. , Eisner C. , Breuer A. , Wang X.
Published: September 2017

In this work, we investigate a block Jacobi-Davidson (J-D) variant suitable for sparse symmetric eigenproblems where a substantial number of extremal eigenvalues are desired (e.g., ground-state real-space quantum chemistry). Most J-D algorithm variations tend to slow down as the number of desired eigenpairs increases due to frequent orthogonalization against a growing list of solved eigenvectors. In our specification of block J-D, all of the steps of the algorithm are performed in clusters, including the linear solves, which allows us to greatly reduce computational effort with blocked matrix-vector multiplies. In addition, we move orthogonalization against locked eigenvectors and working eigenvectors outside of the inner loop but retain the single Ritz vector projection corresponding to the index of the correction vector. Furthermore, we minimize the computational effort by constraining the working subspace to the current vectors being updated and the latest set of corresponding correction vectors. Finally, we incorporate accuracy thresholds based on the precision required by the Fermi-Dirac distribution. The net result is a significant reduction in the computational effort against most previous block J-D implementations, especially as the number of wanted eigenpairs grows. We compare our approach with another robust implementation of block J-D (JDQMR) and the state-of-the-art Chebyshev filter subspace (CheFSI) method for various real-space density functional theory systems. Versus CheFSI, for first-row elements, our method yields competitive timings for valence-only systems and 4-6× speedups for all-electron systems with up to 10× reduced matrix-vector multiplies. For all-electron calculations on larger elements (e.g., gold) where the wanted spectrum is quite narrow compared to the full spectrum, we observe 60× speedup with 200× fewer matrix-vector multiples vs. CheFSI.
Mechanism underlying impaired cardiac pacemaking rhythm during ischemia: A simulation study
Authors: Bai Xiangyun , Wang Kuanquan , Yuan Yongfeng , Li Qince , Dobrzynski Halina , Boyett Mark R. , Hancox Jules C. , Zhang Henggui
Published: September 2017

Ischemia in the heart impairs function of the cardiac pacemaker, the sinoatrial node (SAN). However, the ionic mechanisms underlying the ischemia-induced dysfunction of the SAN remain elusive. In order to investigate the ionic mechanisms by which ischemia causes SAN dysfunction, action potential models of rabbit SAN and atrial cells were modified to incorporate extant experimental data of ischemia-induced changes to membrane ion channels and intracellular ion homeostasis. The cell models were incorporated into an anatomically detailed 2D model of the intact SAN-atrium. Using the multi-scale models, the functional impact of ischemia-induced electrical alterations on cardiac pacemaking action potentials (APs) and their conduction was investigated. The effects of vagal tone activity on the regulation of cardiac pacemaker activity in control and ischemic conditions were also investigated. The simulation results showed that at the cellular level ischemia slowed the SAN pacemaking rate, which was mainly attributable to the altered Na+-Ca2+ exchange current and the ATP-sensitive potassium current. In the 2D SAN-atrium tissue model, ischemia slowed down both the pacemaking rate and the conduction velocity of APs into the surrounding atrial tissue. Simulated vagal nerve activity, including the actions of acetylcholine in the model, amplified the effects of ischemia, leading to possible SAN arrest and/or conduction exit block, which are major features of the sick sinus syndrome. In conclusion, this study provides novel insights into understanding the mechanisms by which ischemia alters SAN function, identifying specific conductances as contributors to bradycardia and conduction block.
The high temperature impact response of tungsten and chromium
Authors: Dowd Deborah
Published: September 2017

Culmination of 20-year series of shock studies in metals leads to new and unexpected insights.
Small rainfall pulses affected leaf photosynthesis rather than biomass production of dominant species in semiarid grassland community on Loess Plateau of China
Authors: Xiong Peifeng , Shu Jiali , Zhang He , Jia Zhao , Song Jinxi , Palta Jairo A. , Xu Bingcheng
Published: September 2017

In the semiarid region Loess Plateau of China, rainfall events, typically characterised as pulses, affect photosynthesis and plant community characteristics. The response of dominant species and grassland community to rainfall pulses was evaluated through a simulation experiment with five pulse sizes (0, 5, 10, 20 and 30 mm) in the semiarid Loess Plateau of China in June and August of 2013. The study was conducted in a natural grassland community dominated by Bothrichloa ischaemum (L.)Keng and Lespedeza davurica (Lax.) Schindl. In June, the leaf photosynthetic rate (Pn), transpiration rate, stomatal conductance, intercellular CO2 concentration of both species and soil water content increased rapidly after rainfall pulses. B. ischaemum was more sensitive to the pulses and responded significantly to 5 mm rainfall, whereas L. davurica responded significantly only to rainfall events greater than 5 mm. The magnitude and duration of the photosynthetic responses of the two species to rainfall pulse gradually increased with rainfall sizes. The maximum Pn of B. ischaemum appeared on the third day under 30 mm rainfall, whereas for L. davurica it appeared on the second day under 20 mm rainfall. Soil water storage (0–50 cm) was significantly affected under 10, 20 and 30 mm rainfall. Only large pulses (20, 30 mm) increased community biomass production by 21.3 and 27.6% respectively. In August, the effect of rainfall on the maximum Pn and community characteristics was generally not significant. Rainfall pulses affected leaf photosynthesis because of a complex interplay between rainfall size, species and season, but might not induce a positive community-level feedback under changing rainfall patterns.
Modelling seasonal changes in the temperature-dependency of CO2 photosynthetic responses in two Vitis vinifera cultivars
Authors: Greer Dennis H.
Published: September 2017

A study of photosynthesis of two grapevine cultivars, Vitis vinifera L. cv. Chardonnay and cv. Merlot in relation to the seasonal climate and internal CO2 (Ci) concentration at leaf temperatures from 15 to 45°C was undertaken. Average rates of photosynthesis at saturating CO2 concentrations and all leaf temperatures were higher in Merlot compared with Chardonnay leaves. This was attributable to higher rates of ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate (RuBP) carboxylation (Vcmax) and regeneration (Jmax) in Merlot leaves. These differences in photosynthesis were extended as the season progressed, partly because rates of RuBP carboxylation and regeneration of Chardonnay leaves declined markedly whereas rates for Merlot leaves remained high. Although there was no cultivar difference in the seasonal average temperature optima for assimilation (34°C) and the underlying metabolism (40°C for Vcmax and 35°C for Jmax), for temperatures above 35°C, the Merlot leaves had 50% higher rates. Across the season, activation energies of the temperature sensitivity of Vcmax and Jmax declined in response to the seasonal climate but were consistently lower in Merlot than Chardonnay. This suggested some apparent differences in the biochemistry occurred between the two cultivars that limited assimilation in Chardonnay leaves, especially at higher temperatures, but did not limit assimilation in Merlot leaves.
Ant-inspired density estimation via random walks
Authors: Musco Cameron , Su Hsin-Hao , Lynch Nancy A.
Published: September 2017

Significance

Highly complex distributed algorithms are ubiquitous in nature: from the behavior of social insect colonies and bird flocks, to cellular differentiation in embryonic development, to neural information processing. In our research, we study biological computation theoretically, combining a scientific perspective, which seeks to better understand the systems being studied, with an engineering perspective, which takes inspiration from these systems to improve algorithm design. In this work, we focus on the problem of population density estimation in ant colonies, demonstrating that extremely simple algorithms, similar to those used by ants, solve the problem with strong theoretical guarantees and have a number of interesting computational applications.
Evaluation of nanocrystalline hafnium nitride coating exposed to molten uranium
Authors: Ravi Shankar A. , Chawla Vipin , Venkatesh P. , Prabhakara Reddy B. , Chandra Ramesh , Kamachi Mudali U.
Published: September 2017

Transition metal nitride films have a unique combination of properties and finds application as protective coatings. The present paper deals with the degradation behaviour of HfN coating deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering on high-density (HD) graphite and niobium (Nb) crucibles with molten uranium. Uranium melting experiments were carried out with uranium shots placed in HfN-coated crucibles and heated to 1573 K under ultra high purity argon gas for 25 min. The study showed delamination of HfN coating deposited on Nb and HD graphite crucibles. The degradation of HfN-coated niobium was attributed to partial melting and surface oxidation. Uranium melting of HfN-coated HD graphite crucible led to coating spallation that could be attributed to thermal expansion mismatch and also resulted in the formation of uranium–carbon mixture of unusual morphology. The paper highlights the results of the present investigation.
Muon capture on light isotopes in Double Chooz
Authors: Strait M
Published: September 2017

Using the Double Chooz reactor neutrino detector, we have measured the products of µ
− capture on 12C, 13C, 14N and 16O. Over a period of 490 days, we collected 2.3 × 106 stopping cosmic µ
−, of which 1.8 × 105 captured on these nuclei in the inner detector. The resulting isotopes were tagged using prompt neutron emission (when applicable), the subsequent beta decays, and, in some cases, β-delayed neutrons. Production of these βn isotopes, primarily 9Li, which are

ν
¯

e

backgrounds, was found at a significance of 5.5σ. The probability of 9Li production per capture on natC is (2.4 ± 0.9(stat) ± 0.1(syst)) × 10−4. We have made the most precise measurement of the rate of 12C(µ
−, ν)12B to date,

6.57

−
0.21

+
0.11

×

10

3

 
s

−
1

,
 
or
 

(

17.35

−
0.59

+
0.35

)

%

of nuclear captures. By tagging excited states emitting gammas, the ground state transition rate to 12B is found to be

5.68

−
0.23

+
0.14

×

10

3

 
s

−
1

.
Deformation of bichromatic wave groups based on third order side band solution of Benjamin-Bona-Mahony equation
Authors: Halfiani Vera , Ramli Marwan
Published: September 2017

This paper concerns on propagation of Benjamin Bona Mahony (BBM) wave groups. The previous results, experimental, analytical and numerical, show that nonlinear effects will deform wave groups and may lead to large waves with wave heights larger than twice the original input; the deformation may show itself as peaking and splitting. To investigate this, especially at which location the waves will achieve their maximum amplitude, and to determine the amplitude amplification factor, a concept called Maximal Temporal Amplitude (MTA) is applied. This quantity is a tool that can be used to measure the maximum amplitude of the waves over time. In this paper we will use Benjamin-Bona-Mahony (BBM) model and third order side band approximation theory to investigate the peaking and splitting phenomena of the wave groups which is initially in bichromatic signal. The bichromatic signal here is a signal that is described by superposition of two monochromatic signals with the same value in amplitude but slightly different in frequencies. We present that the waves undergo deformation in their propagation.
The epidemic of Tuberculosis on vaccinated population
Authors: Syahrini Intan , Sriwahyuni  , Halfiani Vera , Yuni Syarifah Meurah , Iskandar Taufiq , Rasudin  , Ramli Marwan
Published: September 2017

Tuberculosis is an infectious disease which has caused a large number of mortality in Indonesia. This disease is caused by Mycrobacterium tuberculosis. Besides affecting lung, this disease also affects other organs such as lymph gland, intestine, kidneys, uterus, bone, and brain. This article discusses the epidemic of tuberculosis through employing the SEIR model. Here, the population is divided into four compartments which are susceptible, exposed, infected and recovered. The susceptible population is further grouped into two which are vaccinated group and unvaccinated group. The behavior of the epidemic is investigated through analysing the equilibrium of the model. The result shows that administering vaccine to the susceptible population contributes to the reduction of the tuberculosis epidemic rate.
Real-time human respiration carbon dioxide measurement device for cardiorespiratory assessment
Authors: Singh Om Prakash , Howe Teo Aik , Malarvili MB
Published: September 2017

The development of a human respiration carbon dioxide (CO2) measurement device to evaluate cardiorespiratory status inside and outside a hospital setting has proven to be a challenging area of research over the few last decades. Hence, we report a real-time, user operable CO2 measurement device using an infrared CO2 sensor (Arduino Mega2560) and a thin film transistor (TFT, 3.5″), incorporated with low pass (cut-off frequency, 10 Hz) and moving average (span, 8) filters. The proposed device measures features such as partial end-tidal carbon dioxide (EtCO2), respiratory rate (RR), inspired carbon dioxide (ICO2), and a newly proposed feature—Hjorth activity—that annotates data with the date and time from a real-time clock, and is stored onto a secure digital (SD) card. Further, it was tested on 22 healthy subjects and the performance (reliability, validity and relationship) of each feature was established using (1) an intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), (2) standard error measurement (SEM), (3) smallest detectable difference (SDD), (4) Bland–Altman plot, and (5) Pearson’s correlation (r). The SEM, SDD, and ICC values for inter- and intra-rater reliability were less than 5% and more than 0.8, respectively. Further, the Bland–Altman plot demonstrates that mean differences ± standard deviations for a set limit were 0.30 ± 0.77 mmHg, −0.34 ± 1.41 mmHg and 0.21 ± 0.64 breath per minute (bpm) for CO2, EtCO2 and RR. The findings revealed that the developed device is highly reliable, providing valid measurements for CO2, EtCO2, ICO2 and RR, and can be used in clinical settings for cardiorespiratory assessment. This research also demonstrates that EtCO2 and RR (r, −0.696) are negatively correlated while EtCO2 and activity (r, 0.846) are positively correlated. Thus, simultaneous measurement of these features may possibly assist physicians in understanding the subject’s cardiopulmonary status. In future, the proposed device will be tested with asthmatic patients for use as an early screening tool outside a hospital setting.
AdS 3-manifolds and Higgs bundles
Authors: Alessandrini Daniele , Li Qiongling
Published: September 2017

In this paper we investigate the relationships between closed AdS

3
3

-manifolds and Higgs bundles. We have a new way to construct AdS structures that allows us to see many of their properties explicitly, for example we can recover the very recent formula by Tholozan for their volume.

We give natural foliations of the AdS structure with time-like geodesic circles and we use these circles to construct equivariant minimal immersions of the Poincaré disc into the Grassmannian of time-like 2-planes of

R

2
,
2

\mathbb {R}^{2,2}

.
Validation of a Commercial Assay and Decision Support Tool for Routine Paclitaxel Therapeutic Drug Monitoring (TDM)
Authors: Joerger Markus , Kraff Stefanie , Jaehde Ulrich , Hilger Ralf A. , Courtney Jodi B. , Cline Daniel J. , Jog Sonali , Baburina Irina , Miller M. Craig , Salamone Salvatore J.
Published: September 2017

Background:

The value of therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) for paclitaxel (PTX) was recently demonstrated in the largest TDM trial ever conducted in oncology. The trial demonstrated significant reduction in neuropathy when using TDM. Dose adjustment for PTX was based on time above a threshold concentration (Tc>0.05). Tc>0.05 must be calculated with a pharmacokinetic model and complex nonlinear mixed-effects software. The use of the software and chromatographic methods to measure PTX requires specialized expertise. User-friendly methods to quantitate PTX and calculate Tc>0.05 could simplify the introduction of TDM into routine clinical practice.

Methods:

The immunoassay (MyPaclitaxel) was used to quantitate PTX in samples from the clinical trial; the results were used to calculate Tc>0.05 using a stand-alone computer program with a simple, friendly graphical user interface for nonlinear mixed-effects pharmacokinetic calculations (MyCare Drug Exposure Calculator). The resulting dose recommendations from the calculated Tc>0.05 were compared with those using liquid chromatography–ultraviolet detection and NONMEM to examine the efficacy of the simpler tools for TDM.

Results:

There was a good agreement between the immunoassay and liquid chromatography–ultraviolet detection: Passing–Bablok regression slope was 1.045 and intercept was −6.00, R was 0.9757, and mean bias was −1.77 ng/mL (−2.07 nmol/L). Dosing recommendations were identical for 70% of the cycles and within 10% for 89% of the samples. All Tc>0.05 values were at the same or adjacent medical decision points.

Conclusions:

MyPaclitaxel assay and MyCare Drug Exposure Calculator are convenient, user-friendly tools that may be suitable for routine TDM of PTX in clinical care.
Comparison of Biological Screening and Diagnostic Indicators to Detect In Utero Opiate and Cocaine Exposure Among Mother–Infant Dyads
Authors: Stabler Meagan , Giacobbi Peter , Chertok Ilana , Long Leann , Cottrell Lesley , Yossuck Panitan
Published: September 2017

Background:

Opioid and cocaine antenatal substance use can result in significant obstetric and pediatric health implications. Accurate detection of in utero–exposed neonates can improve patient care and health outcomes. Therefore, the effectiveness of mother–infant biological and diagnostic indicators collected at labor and delivery to provide accurate detection of in utero opiate and cocaine exposure was assessed.

Methods:

A retrospective medical chart review included 335 mother–infant dyads exposed to antenatal substances who were delivered between January 2009 and March 2014. Mother–infant dyads were a subset of a larger retrospective cohort of 560 substance-using mothers, who had a valid meconium drug screen (MDS) and anesthesia before delivery. Alternative biological and diagnostic indicators of maternal urine drug screens (UDS), maternal substance use International Classification of Disease, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) codes, and neonatal exposure diagnostic ICD-9-CM codes were compared against MDS. Data were analyzed using classification accuracy measures.

Results:

Compared with MDS, maternal UDS had the highest sensitivity [0.52, 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.39–0.65] and specificity (0.88, 95% CI, 0.79–0.97) to detect intrauterine opiate exposure. Maternal substance use diagnosis had the highest sensitivity (0.39, 95% CI, 0.16–0.61) and maternal UDS had the highest specificity (1.00, 95% CI, 0.99–1.00) to detect intrauterine cocaine exposure. Cocaine exposure had significantly higher accuracy scores across detection methods compared with opiate exposure.

Conclusions:

Alternative indicators collected at delivery were ineffective at identifying in utero substance exposure, especially neonatal-exposed ICD-9-CM codes. Low sensitivity scores indicate that many exposed neonates could be misdiagnosed or left untreated. Accurate antenatal exposure identification at delivery is an important form of tertiary assessment that warrants the development of improved screening methodology and standardization of hospital biological drug testing.
Immediate Nipple-Areolar Complex Reconstruction for Patients Undergoing Implant-Based Reconstruction or Therapeutic Mammoplasty
Authors: Highton Lyndsey R. , Murphy John A.
Published: September 2017

Background:

We report a technique of immediate nipple-areolar complex (NAC) reconstruction for patients undergoing skin-sparing mastectomy and implant-based breast reconstruction or therapeutic mammoplasty with central excision.

Methods:

Immediate nipple reconstruction is performed using a modified C-V flap planned along the edge of the incision. The areola is reconstructed using a full-thickness skin graft taken from skin usually discarded during the procedure. Immediate NAC reconstruction using this technique was performed on 32 breasts in 21 patients. This included 19 risk-reducing mastectomies, 9 therapeutic mastectomies, and 2 major revisions to existing implant reconstruction. Reconstruction was direct to implant in 29 breasts and by expander in 1 breast. The device was placed in a pre- or post-pectoral plane utilizing dermal sling and/or acellular dermal matrix as determined on a case-by-case basis. Immediate NAC reconstruction was also performed on 2 patients undergoing therapeutic mammoplasty with central excision.

Results:

Mean follow-up is 12 months (5–27 months), and cosmetic results have been good. There have been no significant complications, and no revisional surgery has been required.

Conclusion:

The application of simple techniques for NAC reconstruction in the primary procedure allows reconstruction of the whole breast in a single stage. There is an immediate focal point to the reconstruction to improve cosmesis, patient satisfaction, and psychosocial function without delay.
Septic Shock following Prostate Biopsy: Aggressive Limb Salvage for Extremities after Pressor-Induced Ischemic Gangrene
Authors: Lu Jocelyn , Elmarsafi Tammer , Lakhiani Chrisovalantis , Sher Sarah R. , Attinger Christopher , Evans Karen K.
Published: September 2017

Vasopressors used to treat patients with septic shock can cause ischemic necrosis of appendages such as the ears and nose, as well as the extremities. Cases of quadruple-extremity necrosis have high morbidity and mortality, and a profound negative impact on quality of life. This case report details the successful limb salvage and return to function using free tissue transfer as a means to salvage bilateral lower extremities in a patient who suffered vasopressor-induced ischemia of upper and lower extremities after prostate biopsy–induced septic shock. Septic shock following transrectal ultrasound–guided prostate biopsy is a rare, yet life-threatening complication. Successful treatment included thorough planning and staging of therapies such as awaiting tissue demarcation and serial surgical debridement to adequately prepare the tissue bed for free tissue transfer. Adjunctive treatments such as hyperbaric oxygen therapy, negative-pressure wound therapy, and meticulous wound care played a crucial role in wound healing. This vigilant planning and coordinated care resulted in the successful lower extremity salvage, consisting of bilateral transmetatarsal amputations and free tissue transfer to both limbs. We present our long-term follow-up of a functional ambulatory patient after catastrophic, life-threatening infection and appropriate multidisciplinary care.
Evaluation of 4 Outcomes Measures in Microtia Treatment: Exposures, Infections, Aesthetics, and Psychosocial Ramifications
Authors: Mandelbaum Rachel S. , Volpicelli Elizabeth J. , Martins Deborah B. , Park Sarah H. , Dubina Emily , Ishiyama Akira , Bradley James P. , Lee Justine C.
Published: September 2017

Background:

In craniofacial microsomia, microtia and canal atresia pose formidable reconstructive challenges. We review our institutional experience in treating microtia and atresia to identify variables associated with 4 outcomes measures: complications, surgical revisions, aesthetic outcomes, and psychosocial function.

Methods:

Craniofacial microsomia patients treated at the University of California Los Angeles Craniofacial Clinic between 2008 and 2014 greater than 13 years of age (n = 68) were reviewed for microtia and atresia treatment and outcomes.

Results:

In total, 91.2% of patients diagnosed with craniofacial microsomia presented with microtia, affecting 75 ears. Both a male and right-sided predominance were observed. Fifty-six patients (90.3%) underwent autologous external ear reconstruction at an average age of 8.5 years. Age, type of incision, and size of cartilage framework did not predict total number of surgeries or complications. Severity of ear anomalies correlated with increased number of surgeries (P < 0.001) and decreased aesthetic outcomes (P < 0.001) but not complications. In total, 87.1% of patients with microtia had documented hearing loss, of which the majority were conductive and 18.5% were mixed sensorineural and conductive. Hearing deficits were addressed in 70.4% of patients with external hearing aids, bone anchored hearing aids, or canaloplasty. Of all variables, improvement of psychosocial function was correlated only to hearing loss treatment of any type (P = 0.01).

Conclusions:

On evaluation of surgical and patient characteristics, severity of microtia predicted the total number of surgical revisions performed and aesthetic ratings. In addition, we found that the only factor that correlated with improved patient and parent-reported psychosocial outcomes was treatment of hearing loss.
Age-Related Changes in Ocular Aberrations and the Yamagata Study (Funagata)
Authors: Namba Hiroyuki , Kawasaki Ryo , Sugano Akira , Murakami Takanori , Nishitsuka Koichi , Kato Takeo , Kayama Takamasa , Yamashita Hidetoshi
Published: September 2017

Human vision quality is influenced by ocular aberrations, including astigmatism and higher-order aberrations (HOAs), in combination with other optical factors. In this study, we introduce the results and perceptions of previous studies investigating these aberrations. We also introduce our results obtained as part of the Yamagata Study (Funagata), a population-based epidemiologic study. To investigate the astigmatic change with age, researchers have used the power vector analysis, allowing incorporation of the magnitude and axis of astigmatism into statistical analyses. It was found that the axes of refractive astigmatism shift from with-the-rule toward against-the-rule with aging. It was demonstrated that the change in corneal curvature causes this shift. It was further reported that HOA increase is associated with deterioration of visual function. Some authors described that HOA increases with age in adults and that aging disrupts compensation between corneal and internal aberrations. Our study confirmed these results after considering possible confounding factors. HOA decreased from childhood to early adulthood and then increased with age, as modeled by a second-order polynomial regression. It is possible that the reduction in HOA is involved in emmetropization. In addition to age, HOA is known to be influenced by several factors, including pupil diameter, accommodation, and pupil shift. Although HOA increases with aging, the increase may be compensated by decreasing the pupil diameter. Better understanding of the causes of optical alterations with aging will improve the maintenance of vision quality.
Trajectories of pain severity in juvenile idiopathic arthritis: results from the Research in Arthritis in Canadian Children Emphasizing Outcomes cohort
Authors: Shiff Natalie J. , Tupper Susan , Oen Kiem , Guzman Jaime , Lim Hyun , Lee Chel Hee , Bryce Rhonda , Huber Adam M. , Boire Gilles , Dancey Paul , Feldman Brian , Laxer Ronald , Miettunen Paivi , Schmeling Heinrike , Watanabe Duffy Karen , Levy Deborah M. , Turvey Stuart , Bolaria Roxana , Bruns Alessandra , Cabral David A. , Campillo Sarah , Chédeville Gaëlle , Feldman Debbie Ehrmann , Haddad Elie , Houghton Kristin , Johnson Nicole , Jurencak Roman , Lang Bianca , Larche Maggie , Morishita Kimberly , Ramsey Suzanne , Roth Johannes , Schneider Rayfel , Scuccimarri Rosie , Spiegel Lynn , Stringer Elizabeth , Tse Shirley M. , Yeung Rae , Duffy Ciarán M. , Tucker Lori B.
Published: September 2017

We studied children enrolled within 90 days of juvenile idiopathic arthritis diagnosis in the Research in Arthritis in Canadian Children Emphasizing Outcomes (ReACCh-Out) prospective inception cohort to identify longitudinal trajectories of pain severity and features that may predict pain trajectory at diagnosis. A total of 1062 participants were followed a median of 24.3 months (interquartile range = 16.0-37.1 months). Latent trajectory analysis of pain severity, measured in a 100-mm visual analogue scale, identified 5 distinct trajectories: (1) mild-decreasing pain (56.2% of the cohort); (2) moderate-decreasing pain (28.6%); (3) chronically moderate pain (7.4%); (4) minimal pain (4.0%); and (5) mild-increasing pain (3.7%). Mean disability and quality of life scores roughly paralleled the pain severity trajectories. At baseline, children with chronically moderate pain, compared to those with moderate-decreasing pain, were older (mean 10.0 vs 8.5 years, P = 0.01) and had higher active joint counts (mean 10.0 vs 7.2 joints, P = 0.06). Children with mild-increasing pain had lower joint counts than children with mild-decreasing pain (2.3 vs 5.2 joints, P < 0.001). Although most children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis in this cohort had mild or moderate initial levels of pain that decreased quickly, about 1 in 10 children had concerning pain trajectories (chronically moderate pain and mild-increasing pain). Systematic periodic assessment of pain severity in the months after diagnosis may help identify these concerning pain trajectories early and lay out appropriate pain management plans. Focused research into the factors leading to these concerning trajectories may help prevent them.