bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pain education in pre-registration professional health courses: a protocol for a scoping review
Authors: Thompson Kate , Milligan James , Johnson Mark I , Briggs Michelle
Published: July 2016

Introduction

Pain is a global health concern causing significant health and social problems with evidence that patients experiencing pain are receiving inadequate care. The content of pain education in pre-registration professional health courses is thought to be lacking both in the UK and internationally which is unacceptable considering the prevalence of pain. Evaluating the effect of education is complex in that the outcome (improved healthcare) is some distance from the educational approach. Best evidence medical education has been proposed as a continuum between ‘opinion-based teaching’ and ‘evidence-based teaching’. Searching for evidence to inform best practice in health education is complex. A scoping review provides a practical and comprehensive strategy to locate and synthesise literature of varied methodology including reports from a variety of sources. The aim of this article is to describe a protocol for a scoping review that will locate, map and report research, guidelines and policies for pain education in pre-registration professional health courses. The extent, range and nature of reports will be examined, and where possible titles for potential systematic review will be identified.

Methods and analysis

Reports will be included for review that are directly relevant to the development of the pain curriculum in pre-registration professional health courses, eg nursing, medicine, physiotherapy. The search strategy will identify reports that include [pain] AND [pre-registration education or curriculum] AND [health professionals] in the title or abstract. Two authors will independently screen retrieved studies against eligibility criteria. A numerical analysis regarding the extent, nature and distribution of reports will be given along with a narrative synthesis to describe characteristics of relevant reports.

Ethics and dissemination

Formal ethical approval was not required to undertake this scoping review. Findings will be published in scientific peer-reviewed journals and via conference presentations.
Gut microbial translocation corrupts myeloid cell function to control bacterial infection during liver cirrhosis
Authors: Hackstein Carl-Philipp , Assmus Lisa Mareike , Welz Meike , Klein Sabine , Schwandt Timo , Schultze Joachim , Förster Irmgard , Gondorf Fabian , Beyer Marc , Kroy Daniela , Kurts Christian , Trebicka Jonel , Kastenmüller Wolfgang , Knolle Percy A , Abdullah Zeinab
Published: July 2016

Objective

Patients with liver cirrhosis suffer from increased susceptibility to life-threatening bacterial infections that cause substantial morbidity.

Methods

Experimental liver fibrosis in mice induced by bile duct ligation or CCl4application was used to characterise the mechanisms determining failure of innate immunity to control bacterial infections.

Results

In murine liver fibrosis, translocation of gut microbiota induced tonic type I interferon (IFN) expression in the liver. Such tonic IFN expression conditioned liver myeloid cells to produce high concentrations of IFN upon intracellular infection withListeriathat activate cytosolic pattern recognition receptors. Such IFN-receptor signalling caused myeloid cell interleukin (IL)-10 production that corrupted antibacterial immunity, leading to loss of infection-control and to infection-associated mortality. In patients with liver cirrhosis, we also found a prominent liver IFN signature and myeloid cells showed increased IL-10 production after bacterial infection. Thus, myeloid cells are both source and target of IFN-induced and IL-10-mediated immune dysfunction. Antibody-mediated blockade of IFN-receptor or IL-10-receptor signalling reconstituted antibacterial immunity and prevented infection-associated mortality in mice with liver fibrosis.

Conclusions

In severe liver fibrosis and cirrhosis, failure to control bacterial infection is caused by augmented IFN and IL-10 expression that incapacitates antibacterial immunity of myeloid cells. Targeted interference with the immune regulatory host factors IL-10 and IFN reconstitutes antibacterial immunity and may be used as therapeutic strategy to control bacterial infections in patients with liver cirrhosis.
Life history theory predicts long-term fish assemblage response to stream impoundment
Authors: Perkin Joshuah S. , Knorp Natalie E. , Boersig Thomas C. , Gebhard Amy E. , Hix Lucas A. , Johnson Thomas C.
Published: July 2016

Life history theory predictions for hydrologic filtering of fish assemblages are rarely tested with historical time series data. We retrospectively analyzed flow regime and fish assemblage data from the Sabine River, USA, to test relationships between life history strategies and hydrologic variability altered by impoundment construction. Downstream flow variability, but not magnitude, was altered by completion of Toledo Bend Reservoir (TBR) in 1966. Consistent with life history theory, occurrence of opportunistic strategists declined while equilibrium strategists increased as the fish assemblage was transformed between periods immediately after (1967–1973) and approximately one decade after (1979–1982) completion of TBR. Assemblage transformation was related to decline of opportunistic strategists throughout 250 km of river downstream of TBR. Temporal trajectories for opportunistic and intermediate strategist richness modelled as a function of flow variability converged 12 years postimpoundment. The spatiotemporal scaling of our study is novel among tests of life history theory, and results suggest impoundment-induced alteration to natural hydrologic filtering of fish assemblages can operate on the scale of hundreds of stream kilometres and manifest within approximately one decade.
Feeding patterns of two sympatric shark predators in coastal ecosystems of an oceanic island
Authors: Trystram Clément , Rogers Karyne M. , Soria Marc , Jaquemet Sébastien
Published: July 2016

Stomach contents and stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses (δ13C and δ15N) were used to investigate the trophic ecology of two apex predators, tiger sharks (Galeocerdo cuvier) and bull sharks (Carcharhinus leucas), from Reunion Island to describe their dietary habits at both the population and individual levels. In this oceanic island, the tiger and bull sharks were more piscivorous and teutophagous than noted in previous research from other localities. The δ13C values suggested that bull sharks depended on more neritic organic matter sources than tiger sharks, confirming a coastal habitat preference for bull sharks. Moreover, the total length of the bull shark influenced δ13C values, with smaller individuals being more coastal than larger individuals. All indicators suggest that there is a higher degree of similarity between individual tiger sharks compared with the more heterogeneous bull shark population, which is composed of individuals who specialize on different prey. These results suggest that the two species have different functions in these coastal habitats, and thus, they must be considered independently in terms of conservation and management.
Underestimation of boreal forest soil carbon stocks related to soil classification and drainage
Authors: Dalsgaard Lise , Lange Holger , Strand Line Tau , Callesen Ingeborg , Borgen Signe Kynding , Liski Jari , Astrup Rasmus
Published: July 2016

Soil organic carbon (C), accumulated over millennia, comprise more than half of the C stored in boreal and temperate forest landscapes. We used the Norwegian national forest inventory and soil survey network (n = 719, no deep organic soils) to explore the validity of a deterministic model representation of this pool (Yasso07). We statistically compared simulated and measured soil C stocks and related differences (measured – simulated) to site factors (drainage, topography, climate, vegetation, C-to-N ratio, and soil classification). Median C stocks were 5.0 kg C·m−2 (model) and 14.5 kg C·m−2 (measurements). Soil C differences related to site factors (r2 of 0.16 to 0.37). For Brunisols, Gleysols, and wet Organic soils, differences related primarily to topographic wetness. For Regosols, Podzols, and Dystric Eluviated Brunisols, they related to climate, profile depth, and, in some cases, drainage class and site index. We argue that soil moisture regimes in our study area overrule tree productivity effects in the determination of soil C stocks and present conditions for soil formation that the model cannot (and does not explicitly) account for. These are processes such as humification and podsolization that involve eluviation and illuviation of dissolved organic C (DOC) with sesquioxides to form spodic B horizons and carbon enrichment due to hampered decomposition in frequently anoxic conditions.
DNA barcodes identify medically important tick species in Canada
Authors: Ondrejicka Danielle A. , Morey Kevin C. , Hanner Robert H.
Published: July 2016

Medically important ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) are often difficult to identify morphologically. A standardized, molecular approach using a 658 base pair DNA barcode sequence (from the 5′ region of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene) was evaluated for its effectiveness in discriminating ticks in North America, with an emphasis on Canadian ticks. DNA barcodes were generated for 96 of 154 specimens representing 26 ixodid species. A genetic cluster analysis was performed on the barcode sequences, which separated specimens into haplogroups closely corresponding with morphologically identified species. The tree topology was further supported by a BIN analysis. COI sequences generated were found to have a mean maximum intraspecific divergence of 1.59% and a mean nearest neighbour divergence of 12.8%, indicating a significant “barcode gap”. This study also revealed possible cryptic diversity among specimens morphologically identified as Ixodes soricis and Ixodes texanus. A PCR-based test for Borrelia burgdorferi determined that 18.1% of Lyme-competent ticks in this study were positive. This study is also the first to record a B. burgdorferi-positive exoskeleton. In conclusion, DNA barcoding is a powerful tool that clinicians can use to determine the identification of tick specimens which can help them to suggest whether an attached tick is a potential health risk.
DNA-based identification of invasive alien species in relation to Canadian federal policy and law, and the basis of rapid-response management
Authors: Thomas Vernon G. , Hanner Robert H. , Borisenko Alex V.
Published: July 2016

Managing invasive alien species in Canada requires reliable taxonomic identification as the basis of rapid-response management. This can be challenging, especially when organisms are small and lack morphological diagnostic features. DNA-based techniques, such as DNA barcoding, offer a reliable, rapid, and inexpensive toolkit for taxonomic identification of individual or bulk samples, forensic remains, and even environmental DNA. Well suited for this requirement, they could be more broadly deployed and incorporated into the operating policy and practices of Canadian federal departments and should be authorized under these agencies’ articles of law. These include Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Transport Canada, Environment Canada, Parks Canada, and Health Canada. These efforts should be harmonized with the appropriate provisions of provincial jurisdictions, for example, the Ontario Invasive Species Act. This approach necessitates that a network of accredited, certified laboratories exists, and that updated DNA reference libraries are readily accessible. Harmonizing this approach is vital among Canadian federal agencies, and between the federal and provincial levels of government. Canadian policy and law must also be harmonized with that of the USA when detecting, and responding to, invasive species in contiguous lands and waters. Creating capacity in legislation for use of DNA-based identifications brings the authority to fund, train, deploy, and certify staff, and to refine further developments in this molecular technology.
Baicalein, a Constituent ofScutellaria baicalensis, Reduces Glutamate Release and Protects Neuronal Cell Against Kainic Acid-Induced Excitotoxicity in Rats
Authors: Chang Yi , Lu Cheng Wei , Lin Tzu Yu , Huang Shu Kuei , Wang Su Jane
Published: July 2016

Interest in the health benefits of flavonoids, particularly their effects on neurodegenerative disease, is increasing. This study evaluated the role of baicalein, a flavonoid compound isolated from the traditional Chinese medicine Scutellaria baicalensis, in glutamate release and glutamate neurotoxicity in the rat hippocampus. In the rat hippocampal nerve terminals (synaptosomes), baicalein inhibits depolarization-induced glutamate release, and this phenomenon is prevented by chelating the extracellular Ca[Formula: see text] ions and blocking presynaptic Cav2.2 (N-type) and Cav2.1 (P/Q-type) channel activity. In slice preparations, whole cell patch-clamp experiments revealed that baicalein reduced the frequency of miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents, without affecting their amplitude. In a kainic acid rat model, intraperitoneally administering baicalein to rats before the kainic acid intraperitoneal injection substantially attenuated kainic acid-induced neuronal cell death, c-Fos expression, and the activation of the mammalian target of rapamycin in the hippocampus. This study is the first to demonstrate that the natural compound baicalein inhibits glutamate release from hippocampal nerve terminals, and executes a protective action against kainic acid-induced excitotoxicity in vivo. The findings enhance the understanding of baicalein’s action in the brain, and suggest that this natural compound is valuable for treating brain disorders related to glutamate excitotoxicity.
Sesquiterpenes from Baizhu Stimulate Glucose Uptake by Activating AMPK and PI3K
Authors: Chao Chien-Liang , Huang Hui-Chi , Lin Hang-Ching , Chang Tsu-Chung , Chang Wen-Liang
Published: July 2016

Baizhu, the dried rhizome of Atractylodes Macrocephala Koidz (Compositae), is one of the most important traditional Chinese herbal medicines. Baizhu is generally used to treat digestive disorders and diabetes in Asian countries. This study investigates the activity of two sesquiterpenes isolated from Baizhu, atractylenolide I (AT-I) and atractylenolide II (AT-II), for their effects on glucose uptake in mouse skeletal muscle C2C12 cells, and the corresponding mechanism. These compounds show a significant stimulatory effect on glucose uptake in C2C12 myotubes. Both AT-I and AT-II significantly increased GLUT4 but not GLUT1 protein levels, and promoted GLUT4 translocation to the plasma membrane. The increased glucose uptake induced by these compounds is associated with activation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and PI3K/Akt pathways in these cells. Further studies have indicated that AT-I and AT-II ameliorate TNF-[Formula: see text]-induced insulin resistance in C2C12 myotubes. In summary, our findings highlight the insulin mimetic activity of Baizhu in myotubes, and provide insights into the action mechanism underlying these effects. Our findings may also prove highly relevant to the development of novel therapeutic applications for these compounds.
Myristica fragransSuppresses Tumor Growth and Metabolism by Inhibiting Lactate Dehydrogenase A
Authors: Kim Eun-Yeong , Choi Hee-Jung , Park Mi-Ju , Jung Yeon-Seop , Lee Syng-Ook , Kim Keuk-Jun , Choi Jung-Hye , Chung Tae-Wook , Ha Ki-Tae
Published: July 2016

Most cancer cells predominantly produce ATP by maintaining a high rate of lactate fermentation, rather than by maintaining a comparatively low rate of tricarboxylic acid cycle, i.e., Warburg’s effect. In the pathway, the pyruvate produced by glycolysis is converted to lactic acid by lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). Here, we demonstrated that water extracts from the seeds of Myristica fragrans Houtt. (MF) inhibit the in vitro enzymatic activity of LDH. MF effectively suppressed cell growth and the overall Warburg effect in HT29 human colon cancer cells. Although the expression of LDH-A was not changed by MF, both lactate production and LDH activity were decreased in MF-treated cells under both normoxic and hypoxic conditions. In addition, intracellular ATP levels were also decreased by MF treatment, and the uptake of glucose was also reduced by MF treatment. Furthermore, the experiment on tumor growth in the in vivo mice model revealed that MF effectively reduced the growth of allotransplanted Lewis lung carcinoma cells. Taken together, these results suggest that MF effectively inhibits cancer growth and metabolism by inhibiting the activity of LDH, a major enzyme responsible for regulating cancer metabolism. These results implicate MF as a potential candidate for development into a novel drug against cancer through inhibition of LDH activity.
Mass limits for the chiral color symmetry G′-boson from LHC dijet data
Authors: Frolov I. V. , Smirnov A. D.
Published: July 2016

The contributions of [Formula: see text]-boson predicted by the chiral color symmetry of quarks to the differential dijet cross-sections in pp-collisions at the large hadron collider (LHC) are calculated and analyzed in dependence on two free parameters of the model, the [Formula: see text] mass [Formula: see text] and mixing angle [Formula: see text]. The exclusion and consistency [Formula: see text] regions imposed by the ATLAS and CMS data on dijet cross-sections are found. Using the CT10 (MSTW2008) parton distribution function (PDF) set we show that the [Formula: see text]-boson for [Formula: see text], i.e. the axigluon, with the masses [Formula: see text] TeV and [Formula: see text] TeV is excluded at the probability level of 95% by the ATLAS and CMS dijet data, respectively. For the other values of [Formula: see text] the exclusion limits are more stringent. The [Formula: see text] regions consistent with these data at CL = 68% and CL = 90% are also found.
Finite Element Analysis of an Infinite Beam on a Viscoelastic Foundation Subjected to a Moving Vehicle
Authors: Yin Shih-Hsun , Yang Yeong-Bin
Published: July 2016

The objective of this paper is to develop a finite element modeling procedure that is accurate for tackling vehicle–track interaction problems. This procedure enables us to compute the transient response of the vehicle when it accelerates over the track from rest and to investigate the applicability of using the vehicle response for identifying the foundation stiffness variation of railway tracks. To this end, a left half-infinite element, a general element subjected to a moving vehicle, other general elements under no vehicle, and a right half-infinite element were assembled to simulate an infinite beam on a viscoelastic foundation subjected to a moving vehicle. The system governing equations were solved by the Newmark average acceleration method to obtain the responses of rail and vehicle. First, a proper model discretization was investigated by comparing finite element results with available analytical solutions to constantly moving load, mass, or vehicle problems. Next, the dynamic response of the vehicle was explored when the vehicle accelerated from rest along the track. It was found that the initial response of the vehicle was influenced by boundary conditions in the model where the vehicle started to accelerate. Finally, the dynamic responses of the vehicle passing a healthy track and damaged tracks where foundation stiffness loss occurs were simulated. The results showed that the changes in the acceleration response of the unsprung mass of the vehicle due to the foundation stiffness loss can be used as an effective indicator for detecting the damage location, level and extent.
Open-Source Variable-Precision Floating-Point Library for Major Commercial FPGAs
Authors: Fang Xin , Leeser Miriam
Published: July 2016

There is increased interest in implementing floating-point designs for different precisions that take advantage of the flexibility offered by Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs). In this article, we present updates to the Variable-precision FLOATing Point Library (VFLOAT) developed at Northeastern University and highlight recent improvements in implementations for implementing reciprocal, division, and square root components that scale to double precision for FPGAs from the two major vendors: Altera and Xilinx. Our library is open source and flexible and provides the user with many options. A designer has many tradeoffs to consider including clock frequency, total latency, and resource usage as well as target architecture. We compare the generated cores to those produced by each vendor and to another popular open-source tool: FloPoCo. VFLOAT has the advantage of not tying the user’s design to a specific target architecture and of providing the maximum flexibility for all options including clock frequency and latency compared to other alternatives. Our results show that variable-precision as well as double-precision designs can easily be accommodated and the resulting components are competitive and in many cases superior to the alternatives.
Simulating Visual Contrast Reduction during Nighttime Glare Situations on Conventional Displays
Authors: Meyer Benjamin , Grogorick Steve , Vollrath Mark , Magnor Marcus
Published: July 2016

Bright glare in nighttime situations strongly decreases human contrast perception. Nighttime simulations therefore require a way to realistically depict contrast perception of the user. Due to the limited luminance of popular as well as specialized high-dynamic range displays, physical adaptation of the human eye cannot yet be replicated in a physically correct manner in a simulation environment. To overcome this limitation, we propose a method to emulate the adaptation in nighttime glare situations using a perception-based model. We implemented a postprocessing tone mapping algorithm that simulates the corresponding contrast reduction effect for a night-driving simulation with glares from oncoming vehicles headlights. During glare, tone mapping reduces image contrast in accordance with the incident veiling luminance. As the glare expires, the contrast starts to normalize smoothly over time. The conversion of glare parameters and elapsed time into image contrast during the readaptation phase is based on extensive user studies carried out first in a controlled laboratory setup. Additional user studies have then been conducted in field tests to ensure validity of the derived time-dependent tone-mapping function and to verify transferability onto real-world traffic scenarios.
Locality-Based Network Creation Games
Authors: Bilò Davide , Gualà Luciano , Leucci Stefano , Proietti Guido
Published: July 2016

Network creation games have been extensively studied, both by economists and computer scientists, due to their versatility in modeling individual-based community formation processes. These processes, in turn, are the theoretical counterpart of several economics, social, and computational applications on the Internet. In their several variants, these games model the tension of a player between the player’s two antagonistic goals: to be as close as possible to the other players and to activate a cheapest possible set of links. However, the generally adopted assumption is that players have a
common and complete
information about the ongoing network, which is quite unrealistic in practice. In this article, we consider a more compelling scenario in which players have only limited information about the network in whicy they are embedded. More precisely, we explore the game-theoretic and computational implications of assuming that players have a complete knowledge of the network structure only up to a given radius
k
, which is one of the most qualified
local-knowledge models
used in distributed computing. In this respect, we define a suitable equilibrium concept, and we provide a comprehensive set of upper and lower bounds to the price of anarchy for the entire range of values of
k
and for the two classic variants of the game, namely, those in which a player’s cost—besides the activation cost of the owned links—depends on the maximum/sum of all distances to the other nodes in the network, respectively. These bounds are assessed through an extensive set of experiments.
Survey
Authors: Kokkinos Panagiotis , Kalogeras Dimitris , Levin Anna , Varvarigos Emmanouel
Published: July 2016

We study the virtual machine live migration (LM) and disaster recovery (DR) from a networking perspective, considering long-distance networks, for example, between data centers. These networks are usually constrained by limited available bandwidth, increased latency and congestion, or high cost of use when dedicated network resources are used, while their exact characteristics cannot be controlled. LM and DR present several challenges due to the large amounts of data that need to be transferred over long-distance networks, which increase with the number of migrated or protected resources. In this context, our work presents the way LM and DR are currently being performed and their operation in long-distance networking environments, discussing related issues and bottlenecks and surveying other works. We also present the way networks are evolving today and the new technologies and protocols (e.g., software-defined networking, or SDN, and flexible optical networks) that can be used to boost the efficiency of LM and DR over long distances. Traffic redirection in a long-distance environment is also an important part of the whole equation, since it directly affects the transparency of LM and DR. Related works and solutions both from academia and the industry are presented.
Formate: The Neglected Member of One-Carbon Metabolism
Authors: Brosnan Margaret E. , Brosnan John T.
Published: July 2016

Formate, the only non-tetrahydrofolate (THF)-linked intermediate in one-carbon metabolism, is produced in mammals from a variety of metabolic sources. It occurs in serum of adults at a concentration of approximately 30 μM. Its principal function lies as a source of one-carbon groups for the synthesis of 10-formyl-THF and other one-carbon intermediates; these are primarily used for purine synthesis, thymidylate synthesis, and the provision of methyl groups for synthetic, regulatory, and epigenetic methylation reactions. Although formate is largely produced in mitochondria, these functions mostly occur in the cytoplasm and nucleus. Formate plays a significant role in embryonic development, as evidenced by the effectiveness of formate in the pregnant dam's drinking water on the incidence of neural tube defects in some genetic models. High formate concentrations in fetal lambs may indicate a role in fetal development and suggest that extracellular formate may play a role in the interorgan distribution of one-carbon groups.
Understanding Age-Related Changes in Skeletal Muscle Metabolism: Differences Between Females and Males
Authors: Gheller Brandon J.F. , Riddle Emily S. , Lem Melinda R. , Thalacker-Mercer Anna E.
Published: July 2016

Skeletal muscle is the largest metabolic organ system in the human body. As such, metabolic dysfunction occurring in skeletal muscle impacts whole-body nutrient homeostasis. Macronutrient metabolism changes within the skeletal muscle with aging, and these changes are associated in part with age-related skeletal muscle remodeling. Moreover, age-related changes in skeletal muscle metabolism are affected differentially between males and females and are likely driven by changes in sex hormones. Intrinsic and extrinsic factors impact observed age-related changes and sex-related differences in skeletal muscle metabolism. Despite some support for sex-specific differences in skeletal muscle metabolism with aging, more research is necessary to identify underlying differences in mechanisms. Understanding sex-specific aging skeletal muscle will assist with the development of therapies to attenuate adverse metabolic and functional outcomes.
Lutein and Zeaxanthin Isomers in Eye Health and Disease
Authors: Mares Julie
Published: July 2016

Current evidence suggests lutein and its isomers play important roles in ocular development in utero and throughout the life span, in vision performance in young and later adulthood, and in lowering risk for the development of common age-related eye diseases in older age. These xanthophyll (oxygen-containing) carotenoids are found in a wide variety of vegetables and fruits, and they are present in especially high concentrations in leafy green vegetables. Additionally, egg yolks and human milk appear to be bioavailable sources. The prevalence of lutein, zeaxanthin, and meso-zeaxanthin in supplements is increasing. Setting optimal and safe ranges of intake requires additional research, particularly in pregnant and lactating women. Accumulating evidence about variable interindividual response to dietary intake of these carotenoids, based on genetic or metabolic influences, suggests that there may be subgroups that benefit from higher levels of intake and/or alternate strategies to improve lutein and zeaxanthin status.
The Perilipins: Major Cytosolic Lipid Droplet–Associated Proteins and Their Roles in Cellular Lipid Storage, Mobilization, and Systemic Homeostasis
Authors: Kimmel Alan R. , Sztalryd Carole
Published: July 2016

The discovery by Dr. Constantine Londos of perilipin 1, the major scaffold protein at the surface of cytosolic lipid droplets in adipocytes, marked a fundamental conceptual change in the understanding of lipolytic regulation. Focus then shifted from the enzymatic activation of lipases to substrate accessibility, mediated by perilipin-dependent protein sequestration and recruitment. Consequently, the lipid droplet became recognized as a unique, metabolically active cellular organelle and its surface as the active site for novel protein–protein interactions. A new area of investigation emerged, centered on lipid droplets' biology and their role in energy homeostasis. The perilipin family is of ancient origin and has expanded to include five mammalian genes and a growing list of evolutionarily conserved members. Universally, the perilipins modulate cellular lipid storage. This review provides a summary that connects the perilipins to both cellular and whole-body homeostasis.
Release of skeletal muscle peptide fragments identifies individual proteins degraded during insulin deprivation in type 1 diabetic humans and mice
Authors: Robinson Matthew M. , Dasari Surendra , Karakelides Helen , Bergen H. Robert , Nair K. Sreekumaran
Published: July 2016

Insulin regulates skeletal muscle protein degradation, but the types of proteins being degraded in vivo remain to be determined due to methodological limitations. We present a method to assess the types of skeletal muscle proteins that are degraded by extracting their degradation products as low-molecular weight (LMW) peptides from muscle samples. High-resolution mass spectrometry was used to identify the original intact proteins that generated the LMW peptides, which we validated in rodents and then applied to humans. We deprived insulin from insulin-treated streptozotocin (STZ) diabetic mice for 6 and 96 h and for 8 h in type 1 diabetic humans (T1D) for comparison with insulin-treated conditions. Protein degradation was measured using activation of autophagy and proteasome pathways, stable isotope tracers, and LMW approaches. In mice, insulin deprivation activated proteasome pathways and autophagy in muscle homogenates and isolated mitochondria. Reproducibility analysis of LMW extracts revealed that ∼80% of proteins were detected consistently. As expected, insulin deprivation increased whole body protein turnover in T1D. Individual protein degradation increased with insulin deprivation, including those involved in mitochondrial function, proteome homeostasis, nDNA support, and contractile/cytoskeleton. Individual mitochondrial proteins that generated more LMW fragment with insulin deprivation included ATP synthase subunit-γ (+0.5-fold, P = 0.007) and cytochrome c oxidase subunit 6 (+0.305-fold, P = 0.03). In conclusion, identifying LMW peptide fragments offers an approach to determine the degradation of individual proteins. Insulin deprivation increases degradation of select proteins and provides insight into the regulatory role of insulin in maintaining proteome homeostasis, especially of mitochondria.
Physiological processes underlying organ injury in alcohol abuse
Authors: Souza-Smith Flavia M. , Lang Charles H. , Nagy Laura E. , Bailey Shannon M. , Parsons Loren H. , Murray Gary J.
Published: July 2016

This review summarizes the American Physiological Society (APS) Presidential Symposium 1 entitled “Physiological Processes Underlying Organ Injury in Alcohol Abuse” at the 2016 Experimental Biology meeting. The symposium was organized by Dr. Patricia Molina, past president of the APS, was held on April 3 at the Convention Center in San Diego, CA, and was funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. The “Physiological Processes Underlying Organ Injury in Alcohol Abuse Symposium” assembled experts and leaders in the field and served as a platform to discuss and share knowledge on the latest developments and scientific advances on the mechanisms underlying organ injury in alcohol abuse. This symposium provided unique, interdisciplinary alcohol research, including several organs, liver, muscle, adipose, and brain, affected by excessive alcohol use.
Singularities for One-Parameter Null Hypersurfaces of Anti-de Sitter Spacelike Curves in Semi-Euclidean Space
Authors: Wang Yongqiao , Pei Donghe , Gao Ruimei
Published: July 2016

We consider one-parameter null hypersurfaces associated with spacelike curves. The spacelike curves are in anti-de Sitter 3-space while one-parameter null hypersurfaces lie in 4-dimensional semi-Euclidean space with index 2. We classify the generic singularities of the hypersurfaces, which are cuspidal edges and swallowtails. And we reveal the geometric meanings of the singularities of such hypersurfaces by the singularity theory.
Evaluation of Outflow StructuresIn Vivoafter the Phacocanaloplasty
Authors: Paulaviciute-Baikstiene Daiva , Vaiciuliene Renata , Jasinskas Vytautas , Januleviciene Ingrida
Published: July 2016

Purpose. To evaluate thein vivochanges in Schlemm’s canal (SC) and the trabecular meshwork (TM) in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) after phacocanaloplasty using anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT).Methods. Ten eyes of nine patients with POAG (6 men and 3 women) who underwent phacocanaloplasty. Preoperative and postoperative visual acuity (VA), intraocular pressure (IOP), and use of glaucoma medications were evaluated. The main outcome measures were the area of SC and TM thickness assessed using AS-OCT before and 12 months after surgery.Results. We found statistically significant reduction in IOP (from 26.4 (8.6) mmHg to 12.9 (2.5) (p<0.05) mmHg), increase in VA from 0.7 (0.4) to 0.9 (0.2), and decrease in glaucoma medication from 2.6 (1.2) to 1.1 (1.3) at 12 months postoperatively. There was a significant increase in the SC area (3081.7 (842.8) μm2versus 5098.8 (1190.5) μm2,p<0.001) and a decrease in mean TM thickness (91.2 (18.6) μm versus 81.3 (15.1) μm,p=0.001) after surgery. We found negative correlations between SC area and IOP before surgery (r=-0.67,p=0.03) and also between SC area before and IOP reduction 12 months after the phacocanaloplasty (r=-0.80,p=0.005).Conclusions. Our results showed statistically significant dilation of SC area and reduction of TM thickness after phacocanaloplasty in POAG patients. The degree of SC expansion was related to the IOP decrease.
Short-Term Wind Speed Forecasting Using the Data Processing Approach and the Support Vector Machine Model Optimized by the Improved Cuckoo Search Parameter Estimation Algorithm
Authors: Wang Chen , Wu Jie , Wang Jianzhou , Hu Zhongjin
Published: July 2016

Power systems could be at risk when the power-grid collapse accident occurs. As a clean and renewable resource, wind energy plays an increasingly vital role in reducing air pollution and wind power generation becomes an important way to produce electrical power. Therefore, accurate wind power and wind speed forecasting are in need. In this research, a novel short-term wind speed forecasting portfolio has been proposed using the following three procedures: (I) data preprocessing: apart from the regular normalization preprocessing, the data are preprocessed through empirical model decomposition (EMD), which reduces the effect of noise on the wind speed data; (II) artificially intelligent parameter optimization introduction: the unknown parameters in the support vector machine (SVM) model are optimized by the cuckoo search (CS) algorithm; (III) parameter optimization approach modification: an improved parameter optimization approach, called the SDCS model, based on the CS algorithm and the steepest descent (SD) method is proposed. The comparison results show that the simple and effective portfolio EMD-SDCS-SVM produces promising predictions and has better performance than the individual forecasting components, with very small root mean squared errors and mean absolute percentage errors.
The Predictability of Preoperative Pilocarpine-Induced Lens Shift on the Outcomes of Accommodating Intraocular Lenses Implanted in Senile Cataract Patients
Authors: Li Jin , Chen Qi , Lin Zhibo , Leng Lin , Huang Fang , Chen Ding
Published: July 2016

Purpose. To evaluate the predictability of lens shift induced by pilocarpine (LSPilo) on the outcomes of accommodating intraocular lens (Acc-IOL) implantation.Methods. Twenty-four eyes of 24 senile cataract patients who underwent phacoemulsification and Acc-IOL implantation were enrolled.LSPilowas evaluated with anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT). At 3 months postoperatively, the best corrected distance visual acuities (BCDVA), distance-corrected near visual acuities (DCNVA), and subjective and objective accommodations were measured. IOL shifts under accommodation stimulus (IOLSAcc) were evaluated with AS-OCT.Results. The meanLSPilowas 112.29 ± 30.72 µm.LSPilowas not associated with any preoperative parameters. The meanIOLSAccwas 130.46 ± 42.71 µm. The mean subjective and objective accommodation were 1.54 ± 0.39 D and 1.27 ± 0.41 D, respectively. The mean postoperative BCDVA and DCNVA (log MAR value) were 0.22 ± 0.11 and 0.24 ± 0.12, respectively.LSPilopositively correlated withIOLSAcc(r=0.541;P=0.006), subjective accommodation (r=0.412;P=0.022), and objective accommodation (r=0.466;P=0.045), respectively.Conclusion.LSPilois an independent preoperative parameter associated with the postoperative Acc-IOL mobility and pseudophakic accommodation. It may offer valuable information for ophthalmologists in determining the suitable candidates for Acc-IOL implantation.
Survey of Oxygen Delivery Practices in UK Paediatric Intensive Care Units
Authors: Raman Sainath , Ray Samiran , Peters Mark J.
Published: July 2016

Purpose.Administration of supplemental oxygen is common in paediatric intensive care. We explored the current practice of oxygen administration using a case vignette in paediatric intensive care units (PICU) in the united kingdom.Methods.We conducted an online survey of Paediatric Intensive Care Society members in the UK. The survey outlined a clinical scenario followed by questions on oxygenation targets for 5 common diagnoses seen in critically ill children.Results.Fifty-three paediatric intensive care unit members from 10 institutions completed the survey. In a child with moderate ventilatory requirements, 21 respondents (42%) did not follow arterial partial pressure of oxygen (PaO2) targets. In acute respiratory distress syndrome, cardiac arrest, and sepsis, there was a trend to aim for lower PaO2as the fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2) increased. Conversely, in traumatic brain injury and pulmonary hypertension, respondents aimed for normal PaO2even as the FiO2increased.Conclusions.In this sample of clinicians PaO2targets were not commonly used. Clinicians target lower PaO2as FiO2increases in acute respiratory distress syndrome, cardiac arrest, and sepsis whilst targeting normal range irrespective of FiO2in traumatic brain injury and pulmonary hypertension.
An Efficient Algorithm for Overcomplete Sparsifying Transform Learning with Signal Denoising
Authors: Hou Beiping , Zhu Zhihui , Li Gang , Yu Aihua
Published: July 2016

This paper deals with the problem of overcomplete transform learning. An alternating minimization based procedure is proposed for solving the formulated sparsifying transform learning problem. A closed-form solution is derived for the minimization involved in transform update stage. Compared with existing ones, our proposed algorithm significantly reduces the computation complexity. Experiments and simulations are carried out with synthetic data and real images to demonstrate the superiority of the proposed approach in terms of the averaged representation and denoising errors, the percentage of successful and meaningful recovery of the analysis dictionary, and, more significantly, the computation efficiency.
Mesenchymal Stromal Cells from Osteoarthritic Synovium Are a Distinct Population Compared to Their Bone‐Marrow Counterparts regarding Surface Marker Distribution and Immunomodulation of Allogeneic CD4+ T‐Cell Cultures
Authors: Hagmann Sebastien , Rimmele Claudia , Bucur Florin , Dreher Thomas , Zeifang Felix , Moradi Babak , Gotterbarm Tobias
Published: July 2016

Introduction. The participation of an inflammatory joint milieu has been described in osteoarthritis (OA) pathogenesis. Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) play an important role in modulating inflammatory processes. Based on previous studies in an allogeneic T‐cell coculture model, we aimed at further determining the role of synovial MSCs in OA pathogenesis. Methods. Bone‐marrow (BM) and synovial membrane (SM) MSCs from hip joints of late stage OA patients and CD4+ T‐cells from healthy donors were analysed regarding surface marker expression before and after coculture. Proliferation upon CD3/CD28 stimulation and cytokine analyses were compared between MSCs. Results. SM‐MSCs differed from BM‐MSCs in several surface markers and their osteogenic differentiation potential. Cocultures of both MSCs with CD4+ T‐cells resulted in recruitment of CD45RA+ FoxP3+ regulatory T‐cells. Upon stimulation, only SM‐MSCs suppressed CD4+ T‐cell proliferation, while both SM‐MSCs and BM‐MSCs modified cytokine profiles through suppressing IL‐2 and TNF‐α as well as increasing IL‐6 secretion. Conclusions. Synovial MSCs from OA joints are a unique fraction that can be distinguished from their bone‐marrow derived counterparts. Their unique ability to suppress CD3/CD28 induced CD4+ T‐cell proliferation makes them a potential target for future therapeutic approaches.
Icephobicity of Functionalized Graphene Surfaces
Authors: Zhang Xiang-Xiong , Chen Min
Published: July 2016

Manipulating the ice nucleation ability of liquid water by solid surface is of fundamental importance, especially in the design of icephobic surfaces. In this paper, the icephobicity of graphene surfaces functionalized by sodium ions, chloride ions, or methane molecules is investigated using molecular dynamics simulations. The icephobicity of the surface is evaluated by the freezing temperature. The freezing temperature on surface functionalized by methane molecules decreases at first and then increases as a function of the number groups, while the freezing temperature increases monotonically as a function of the number groups upon surfaces functionalized by sodium ions or chloride ions. The difference can be partially explained by the potential morphologies near the surfaces. Additionally, the validity of indicating the ice nucleation ability of water molecules using the number of six rings in the system is examined. Current study shows that the ice nucleation upon functionalized surfaces is inhibited when compared with smooth graphene substrate, which proves the feasibility of changing the icephobicity of the surfaces by functionalizing with certain ions or molecules.
Parametric Investigation and Thermoeconomic Optimization of a Combined Cycle for Recovering the Waste Heat from Nuclear Closed Brayton Cycle
Authors: Luo Lihuang , Gao Hong , Liu Chao , Xu Xiaoxiao
Published: July 2016

A combined cycle that combines AWM cycle with a nuclear closed Brayton cycle is proposed to recover the waste heat rejected from the precooler of a nuclear closed Brayton cycle in this paper. The detailed thermodynamic and economic analyses are carried out for the combined cycle. The effects of several important parameters, such as the absorber pressure, the turbine inlet pressure, the turbine inlet temperature, the ammonia mass fraction, and the ambient temperature, are investigated. The combined cycle performance is also optimized based on a multiobjective function. Compared with the closed Brayton cycle, the optimized power output and overall efficiency of the combined cycle are higher by 2.41% and 2.43%, respectively. The optimized LEC of the combined cycle is 0.73% lower than that of the closed Brayton cycle.
Effect of Insecticide Seed Treatment on Safening Rice from Reduced Rates of Glyphosate and Imazethapyr
Authors: Miller M. R. , Scott R. C. , Lorenz G. , Hardke J. , Norsworthy J. K.
Published: July 2016

Field experiments were conducted in 2013 and 2014 to evaluate the effect of insecticide seed treatments on exposure of young conventional rice to reduced rates of glyphosate and imazethapyr. During the two-year study, “Roy J” rice seed was treated with CruiserMaxx® Rice, thiamethoxam plus fungicide, or a fungicide-only treatment. Subsequently, glyphosate (Roundup PowerMax®) at 39.42, 78.76, or 157.54 g ae/ha or imazethapyr (Newpath®) at 4.39, 8.74, or 17.49 g ai/ha was applied at the 2- to 3-leaf growth stage of rice. Results in 2013 indicated that rice plants from seed treated with CruiserMaxx Rice exhibited significantly less injury 1, 3, and 6 weeks after either imazethapyr or glyphosate was applied in comparison to the plants having fungicide-only treated seed. The addition of an insecticide seed treatment also resulted in higher yields when both herbicides were applied compared to the fungicide-only seed treatment receiving the same herbicide treatments. In 2014, an overall decrease in injury from both herbicides was observed when rice seed was treated with CruiserMaxx Rice compared to receiving a fungicide-only seed treatment. Significant yield loss from low rates of glyphosate or imazethapyr was not observed in 2014, with or without a seed treatment. Based on the positive effects observed from the CruiserMaxx Rice seed treatment in reducing injury and maintaining rice yields, the insecticide seed treatment appears to provide some safening to rice against low rates of glyphosate and imazethapyr.
High Order QCD Predictions for Inclusive Production ofWBosons inppCollisions ats=13 TeV
Authors: Ogul Hasan , Dilsiz Kamuran , Tiras Emrah , Tan Ping , Onel Yasar , Nachtman Jane
Published: July 2016

Predictions of fiducial cross sections, differential cross sections, and lepton charge asymmetry are presented for the production ofW±bosons with leptonic decay up to next-to-next-to-leading order (NNLO) in perturbative QCD. Differential cross sections ofW±bosons andWboson lepton charge asymmetry are computed as a function of lepton pseudorapidity for a defined fiducial region inppcollisions ats=13 TeV. Numerical results of fiducialW±cross section predictions are presented with the latest modern PDF models at next-to-leading order (NLO) and NNLO. It is found that the CT14 and NNPDF 3.0 predictions with NNLO QCD corrections are about 4% higher than the NLO CT14 and NNPDF 3.0 predictions while MMHT 2014 predictions with NLO QCD corrections are smaller than its NNLO QCD predictions by approximately 6%. In addition, the NNLO QCD corrections reduce the scale variation uncertainty on the cross section by a factor of 3.5. The prediction of central values and considered uncertainties are obtained using FEWZ 3.1 program.