bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Direct inhibition of Re Du Ning Injection and its active compounds on human liver cytochrome P450 enzymes by a cocktail method
Authors: Kang Danyu , Geng Ting , Lian Yuanpei , Li Yanjing , Ding Gang , Huang Wenzhe , Ma Shiping , Wang Zhenzhong , Ma Zheng , Xiao Wei
Published: November 2016

The aim of this study was to investigate the direct inhibitory effects of Re Du Ning Injection (RDN) and its active compounds on the major cytochrome P450 enzyme (CYP) isoforms (CYP1A2, CYP2B6, CYP2C8, CYP2C9, CYP2C19, CYP2D6 and CYP3A4) of human liver microsomes by ‘a cocktail method’. The activity of each CYP isform was represented as the formation rate of the specific metabolite from relevant substrate. Then a sensitive and specific ultra‐performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC–MS/MS) method was developed and validated to simultaneously analyze the seven metabolites. RDN (0.035–2.26 mg/mL) showed a strong inhibitiory effect on CYP2C8, followed by CYP2C9, CYP2B6, CYP2C19, CYP1A2 and CYP3A4. The IC50 value for each enzyme was 0.19, 0.66, 0.72, 1.27, 1.66 and 2.13 mg/mL, respectively. RDN competitively inhibited the activities of CYP1A2 (Ki = 1.22 mg/mL), CYP2B6 (Ki = 0.65 mg/mL) and CYP3A4 (Ki = 0.88 mg/mL); it also exhibited mixed inhibition of CYP2C8, CYP2C9 and CYP2C19 with a Ki value of 0.26, 0.64 and 0.82 mg/mL, respectively. However, the activity of CYP2D6 was not significantly inhibited even by 2.26 mg/mL RDN. Moreover, the data of nine active compounds on the CYPs showed that cryptochlorogenin acid, sochlorogenic acid B and sochlorogenic acid C were the major contributors to the inhibitory effect of RDN on CYP2C8, while the inhibitory effect of RDN on CYP2C9 might be caused by sochlorogenic acid A and sochlorogenic acid C. Moreover, neochlorogenic acid might be the major contributor to the inhibitory effect on CYP2B6. All of the findings suggested that drug–drug interactions may occur and great caution should be taken when RDN is combined with drugs metabolized by these CYPs.
DLL4 overexpression increases gastric cancer stem/progenitor cell self‐renewal ability and correlates with poor clinical outcome via Notch‐1 signaling pathway activation
Authors: Miao Zhi‐Feng , Xu Hao , Xu Hui‐Mian , Wang Zhen‐Ning , Zhao Ting‐Ting , Song Yong‐Xi , Xu Ying‐Ying
Published: November 2016

Gastric cancer is one of the most common malignant diseases, and poses a serious threat to the quality of human life. Gastric cancer stem/progenitor cells (GCSPCs) have critical effects on tumor formation, affecting specific features of self‐renewal and differentiation and playing a critical role in metastasis. The Notch‐1 pathway is crucially important to GCSPCs and is regulated by DLL4. In this study, DLL4 and Nestin levels were measured in 383 gastric cancer tissue samples by immunohistochemistry, and the clinico‐pathological features of patients assessed. After DLL4 silencing in selected gastric cancer cell lines, the expression of GCSPC markers and colony formation ability were analyzed and the self‐renewal and differentiation capacities of the cells were evaluated. The relationship between DLL4 levels and Notch‐1 signaling pathway effector amounts was assessed via Western blotting and immunofluorescence. Finally, the tumor formation ability of the gastric cancer cells was evaluated with different levels of DLL4 and multiple cell densities in vivo. Our results indicate that DLL4 expression is associated with TNM stage and cancer metastasis, with high amounts of DLL4 leading to poor outcome. DLL4 silencing inhibited the self‐renewal ability of GCSPCs and increased their multidifferentiation capacity, resulting in reduced GCSPC ratios. DLL4 knockdown also blocked the Notch‐1 pathway, weakening invasion ability and resistance to 5‐FU chemotherapy. In vivo, DLL4 silencing inhibited the tumor formation ability of GCSPCs. In conclusion, DLL4 affects GCSPC stemness, altering their pathological behavior. DLL4 silencing inhibits GCSPC metastatic potential both in vitro and in vivo by impeding Notch‐1 signaling pathway activation, indicating that DLL4 may be a new potential therapeutic target.
Researcher–client and participant–therapist reflecting relationally on a research conversation
Authors: Partridge Naomi , Canavan Siobhan
Published: November 2016

What happens when a researcher engages her former therapist as a participant in her research? How do they transition to this new relationship as they encounter themselves, and one another, in conversation about therapy that ended eighteen months earlier? Written jointly by a doctoral researcher and her former therapist, this paper is a reflective account about their experiences during one such research conversation. Individual and shared accounts show how they brought themselves to a process that carried qualities of experiencing from their earlier therapeutic relationship, in addition to their identities as person‐centred practitioners and feminists. Separately written pieces of experiential writing, followed by short, jointly written reflective commentaries are used to foreground and explore the emotional and experiential processes of arriving at the research conversation and also two significant moments during that conversation. The paper illustrates how multiple aspects of identity were encountered, boundaries became more flexible and delicate shifts in power were made and experienced. Each person needed to hold their positions lightly, reflexively and in continuous dialogue. The authors found the presence of the empathic in each other facilitated a deepened understanding, enabling the selves of researcher, participant, client and counsellor to come into relationship in this new context. The paper challenges the conventional binary positioning of therapist and client in research about therapy. It also draws attention to the scarcity of accounts of therapy written by client and therapist together.
Surveillance versus adjuvant radiotherapy for patients with high‐risk stage I seminoma
Authors: Mortensen Mette S. , Bandak Mikkel , Kier Maria G. G. , Lauritsen Jakob , Agerbæk Mads , Holm Niels V. , von der Maase Hans , Daugaard Gedske
Published: November 2016

BACKGROUND

The optimal treatment strategy for patients with clinical stage I (CS‐1) seminoma is controversial. The objective of the current study was to evaluate the outcomes for patients considered to be at high risk of disease recurrence with a tumor size ≥6 cm. Patients were treated with either adjuvant radiotherapy (RT) or followed with surveillance.

METHODS

From the Danish Testicular Cancer database, the authors identified 473 patients with CS‐1 seminoma with a tumor size ≥6 cm. Of these, 254 patients underwent adjuvant RT and 219 were followed with surveillance. Cumulative incidence function was applied to estimate the risk of disease recurrence, risk of second malignant neoplasm, and risk of receiving >1 line of treatment. Survival of the 2 groups was compared with the log‐rank test and Cox model including age at diagnosis.

RESULTS

No significant differences were found with regard to overall survival or risk of a second malignant neoplasm. Patients undergoing adjuvant RT received more treatments per patient than patients followed with surveillance, but there was no significant difference noted with regard to the risk of receiving >1 line of treatment. The 10‐year cumulative incidence of disease recurrence was 32% versus 2.8%, respectively, for patients followed with surveillance and adjuvant RT. In patients followed with surveillance who developed disease recurrence, there was a high incidence of second recurrences after RT.

CONCLUSIONS

The 10‐year overall survival was found to be similar irrespective of primary treatment. Adjuvant RT was found to effectively reduce the rate of disease recurrence but resulted in the overtreatment of approximately two‐thirds of the patients. The high incidence of second disease recurrences after RT in the patients followed with surveillance needs be addressed in future studies. Cancer 2017;123:1212–1218. © 2016 American Cancer Society.
Size differences of Arctic marine protists between two climate periods—using the paleoecological record to assess the importance of within‐species trait variation
Authors: Mousing Erik A. , Ribeiro Sofia , Chisholm Chelsea , Kuijpers Antoon , Moros Matthias , Ellegaard Marianne
Published: November 2016

Mean body size decreases with increasing temperature in a variety of organisms. This size–temperature relationship has generally been tested through space but rarely through time. We analyzed the sedimentary archive of dinoflagellate cysts in a sediment record taken from the West Greenland shelf and show that mean cell size decreased at both intra‐ and interspecific scales in a period of relatively warm temperatures, compared with a period of relatively cold temperatures. We further show that intraspecific changes accounted for more than 70% of the change in community mean size, whereas shifts in species composition only accounted for about 30% of the observed change. Literature values on size ranges and midpoints for individual taxa were in several cases not representative for the measured sizes, although changes in community mean size, calculated from literature values, did capture the direction of change. While the results show that intraspecific variation is necessary to accurately estimate the magnitude of change in protist community mean size, it may be possible to investigate general patterns, that is relative size differences, using interspecific‐level estimates.
Transition‐Metal‐Free Cross‐Coupling Reactions in Dynamic Thin Films To Access Pyrimidine and Quinoxaline Analogues
Authors: Ho Louisa A. , Raston Colin L. , Stubbs Keith A.
Published: November 2016

The vortex fluidic device (VFD) is effective in modulating the synthesis of pyrimidine and quinoxaline‐based compounds at room temperature and in high yield. The formation of the C–N bond occurs in the absence of a transition‐metal catalyst, which avoids the contamination of the products with trace amounts of a transition metal. The systematic investigation of the operating parameters for the microfluidic platform in the confined operation mode established an optimum tilt angle of 45° for a 10 mm diameter borosilicate glass tube rotating at 5000 rpm.
Time‐Varying Parameter Realized Volatility Models
Authors: Wang Yudong , Pan Zhiyuan , Wu Chongfeng
Published: November 2016

In this paper, we introduce the functional coefficient to heterogeneous autoregressive realized volatility (HAR‐RV) models to make the parameters change over time. A nonparametric statistic is developed to perform a specification test. The simulation results show that our test displays reliable size and good power. Using the proposed test, we find a significant time variation property of coefficients to the HAR‐RV models. Time‐varying parameter (TVP) models can significantly outperform their constant‐coefficient counterparts for longer forecasting horizons. The predictive ability of TVP models can be improved by accounting for VIX information. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Critical influence of the thymus on peripheral T cell homeostasis
Authors: Vianna Pedro Henrique Oliveira , Canto Fábio B. , Nogueira Jeane S. , Nunes Caroline Fraga Cabral Gomes , Bonomo Adriana César , Fucs Rita
Published: November 2016

Introduction

A tight balance between regulatory CD4+Foxp3+ (Treg) and conventional CD4+Foxp3− (Tconv) T cell subsets in the peripheral compartment, maintained stable throughout most of lifetime, is essential for preserving self‐tolerance along with efficient immune responses. An excess of Treg cells, described for aged individuals, may critically contribute to their reported immunodeficiency. In this work, we investigated if quantitative changes in thymus emigration may alter the Treg/Tconv homeostasis regardless of the aging status of the peripheral compartment.

Methods

We used two different protocols to modify the rate of thymus emigration: thymectomy of adult young (4–6 weeks old) mice and grafting of young thymus onto aged (18 months old) hosts. Additionally, lymphoid cells from young and aged B6 mice were intravenously transferred to B6.RAG2−/− mice. Alterations in Treg and Tconv peripheral frequencies following these protocols were investigated after 30 days by flow cytometry.

Results

Thymectomized young mice presented a progressive increase in the Treg cell frequency, while the grafting of a functional thymus in aged mice restored the young‐like physiological Treg/Tconv proportion. Strikingly, T cells derived from young or aged splenocytes colonized the lymphopenic periphery of RAG−/− hosts to the same extent, giving rise to similarly elevated Treg cell levels irrespective of the age of the donor population. In the absence of thymus output, the Treg subset seems to survive longer, as confirmed by their lower proportion of Annexin‐V+ cells.

Conclusions

Our data suggest that the thymus‐emigrating population, harboring an adequate proportion of Treg/Tconv lymphocytes, may be essential to keep the Treg cell balance, independently of age‐related shifts intrinsic to the peripheral environment or to the T cell biology.
Effective delivery of porphyrazine photosensitizers to cancer cells by polymer brush nanocontainers
Authors: Shilyagina Natalia Y. , Peskova Nina N. , Lermontova Svetlana A. , Brilkina Anna A. , Vodeneev Vladimir A. , Yakimansky Alexander V. , Klapshina Larisa G. , Balalaeva Irina V.
Published: November 2016

Efficient drug delivery can be assigned to tasks that attract the most acute attention of researchers in the field of anticancer drug design. We have reported the first case of using amphiphilic polymer brushes as nanocontainers for photosensitizer delivery to cancer cells. Regular graft‐copolymers of hydrophobic polyimides with hydrophilic polymethacrylic acid side chains were loaded with photosensitive dye tetra(4‐fluorophenyl)tetracyanoporphyrazine (Pz) providing a sufficiently stable homogeneous fraction of fluorescent Pz‐loaded nanoparticles with a size of 100–150 nm. Pz‐loaded polymer brushes were substantially more efficient for Pz delivery into cells compared with other types of particles examined, Pz‐polyethyleneglycol and Pz‐methylcellulose. In vivo, an efficient Pz delivery to tumor can also be expected since the Pz‐PB particle size is in the optimal range for passive targeting. Pz‐PB showed pronounced photodynamic activity, while, that is important, in the absence of irradiation the PB carrier itself was significantly less toxic than the dye itself.

Summing up, water‐soluble polymer brushes with polyimide backbones and polymethacrylic acid side chains can be regarded as a novel type of nanocontainers providing efficient intracellular drug delivery for photodynamic therapy of cancers.

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Summing up, water‐soluble polymer brushes with polyimide backbones and polymethacrylic acid side chains can be regarded as a novel type of nanocontainers providing efficient intracellular drug delivery for photodynamic therapy of cancers.
Acute mechanical hemolysis as a complication of extracorporeal photopheresis in a low‐weight child
Authors: DeSimone Robert A. , Wontakal Sandeep N. , Lyashchenko Alexander K. , Schwartz Joseph
Published: November 2016

Graft‐versus‐host disease (GVHD) is a complication of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation with high morbidity and mortality. Extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP) is an effective therapy for treating medication‐refractory GVHD, however, there is scant evidence of whether ECP can be safely performed in patients weighing less than 15 kg. Here, we report the implementation of a successful protocol to perform ECP in a 21‐month‐old, 10.6 kg female with medication‐refractory GVHD. Our initial ECP treatment resulted in significant hemolysis that was most likely mechanical. After procedural adjustments that included modifying the anticoagulation dose and whole blood:anticoagulant ratio, as well as whole blood processing time, the patient tolerated future procedures safely without hemolysis or other adverse events. With appropriate technical modifications, we provide a framework for safely performing ECP in children less than 15 kg.
Versatile Roles of Intracellularly Located TRPV1 Channel
Authors: Zhao Rui , Tsang Suk Ying
Published: November 2016

The ubiquitous expression in many organs throughout the body and the ability to respond to a wide variety of physical and chemical stimuli have brought transient receptor potential (TRP) channels to the vanguards of our sensory systems. TRP vanilloid‐1 (TRPV1) is the founding member of the TRPV subfamily. TRPV1 can be activated by noxious heat, protons, and vanilloids. Previous studies have shown that TRPV1 is located on the plasma membrane, serving to non‐selectively permeate calcium ion from the extracellular region to the cytoplasm. Interestingly, increasing evidence suggests that TRPV1 is also located intracellularly in various cell types such as neurons, myocytes, and numerous cancer cells. By immunocytochemistry and/or fractionation followed by Western blotting, TRPV1 was found to express on the endoplasmic reticulum/sarcoplasmic reticulum and the mitochondria. By using various pharmacological and molecular tools, intracellular TRPV1 was also found to functionally express to control calcium level both inside the organelles and in the cytoplasm. Recent studies have shown that intracellularly located TRPV1 serves versatile functions in various physiological and pathological conditions (e.g., exercise endurance and hypertrophy). In this review, we not only have summarized the well‐characterized roles of TRPV1, but also have highlighted the increasing importance of intracellular TRPV1‐mediated pathways. Lastly, we have pointed out future research direction for answering several important questions that have remained unanswered. Vigorous investigation of the emerging roles of intracellular TRPV1 can allow a better understanding of how TRPV1 controls the cellular calcium homeostasis and its role in various physiological and pathophysiological conditions. J. Cell. Physiol. 232: 1957–1965, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
NOR1 Suppresses Cancer Stem‐Like Cells Properties of Tumor Cells via the Inhibition of the AKT‐GSK‐3β‐Wnt/β‐catenin‐ALDH1A1 Signal Circuit
Authors: Wang Wei , Yi Mei , Chen Shengnan , Li Junjun , Zhang Haijing , Xiong Wei , Li Guiyuan , Li Xiaoling , Xiang Bo
Published: November 2016

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) play a key role in tumor radiotherapy and chemotherapy resistance, relapse, and metastasis, and are primarily maintained in a resting state in vivo. The failure of conventional therapies to target CSCs is the main cause of treatment failure. The discovery of CSCs in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) tumors is becoming more prevalent; however, the understanding of the mechanisms underlying the maintenance of tumor stemness is still limited. We previously cloned NOR1, a tumor suppressor gene downregulated in NPC cell lines and tissues. In this study, we demonstrate that Wnt/β‐catenin and ALDH1A1 form a signal circuit and that NOR1 antagonizes the tumor stem cell‐like phenotype in NPC cell lines: the ectopic overexpression of NOR1 reduced β‐catenin and ALDH1A1 expression; β‐catenin/TCF4 targeted the regulation of ALDH1A1 transcription in NPC cells; silencing ALDH1A1 reduced AKT (total and phosphorylated) and GSK‐3β (phosphorylated) expression; and eventually feedback decreased β‐catenin expression levels. We also found that NOR1 expression decreased cancer stem‐like cell properties of NPC cells, reduced their ability to form tumor spheroids in vitro, reduced tumorigenicity in nude mice in vivo, and increased sensitivity to chemotherapy agents. Taken together, our findings illustrated a new function of NOR1 that suppresses cancer stem‐like cell properties in tumor cells by inhibiting the AKT‐GSK‐3β‐Wnt/β‐catenin‐ALDH1A1 signal circuit. The study suggests that NOR1 deletion expression in NPC cells may be a potential molecular target for cancer stem cell therapy. J. Cell. Physiol. 232: 2829–2840, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Maximizing H‐Colorings of Connected Graphs with Fixed Minimum Degree
Authors: Engbers John
Published: November 2016

For graphs G and H, an H‐coloring of G is a map from the vertices of G to the vertices of H that preserves edge adjacency. We consider the following extremal enumerative question: for a given H, which connected n‐vertex graph with minimum degree δ maximizes the number of H‐colorings? We show that for nonregular H and sufficiently large n, the complete bipartite graph is the unique maximizer. As a corollary, for nonregular H and sufficiently large n the graph is the unique k‐connected graph that maximizes the number of H‐colorings among all k‐connected graphs. Finally, we show that this conclusion does not hold for all regular H by exhibiting a connected n‐vertex graph with minimum degree δ that has more ‐colorings (for sufficiently large q and n) than .
On the Existence of Tree Backbones that Realize the Chromatic Number on a Backbone Coloring
Authors: Araujo J. , Cezar A. A. , Silva A.
Published: November 2016

A proper k‐coloring of a graph is a function such that , for every . The chromatic number is the minimum k such that there exists a proper k‐coloring of G. Given a spanning subgraph H of G, a q‐backbone k‐coloring of is a proper k‐coloring c of such that , for every edge . The q‐backbone chromatic number is the smallest k for which there exists a q‐backbone k‐coloring of . In this work, we show that every connected graph G has a spanning tree T such that , and that this value is the best possible. As a direct consequence, we get that every connected graph G has a spanning tree T for which , if , or , otherwise. Thus, by applying the Four Color Theorem, we have that every connected nonbipartite planar graph G has a spanning tree T such that . This settles a question by Wang, Bu, Montassier, and Raspaud (J Combin Optim 23(1) (2012), 79–93), and generalizes a number of previous partial results to their question.
Artificial neural networks and geometric morphometric methods as a means for classification: A case‐study using teeth from Carcharhinus sp. (Carcharhinidae)
Authors: Soda K.J. , Slice D.E. , Naylor G.J.P.
Published: November 2016

Over the past few decades, geometric morphometric methods have become increasingly popular and powerful tools to describe morphological data while over the same period artificial neural networks have had a similar rise in the classification of specimens to preconceived groups. However, there has been little research into how well these two systems operate together, particularly in comparison to preexisting techniques. In this study, geometric morphometric data and multilayer perceptrons, a style of artificial neural network, were used to classify shark teeth from the genus Carcharhinus to species. Three datasets of varying size and species differences were used. We compared the performance of this combination with geometric morphometric data in a linear discriminate function analysis, linear measurements in a linear discriminate function analysis, and a preexisting methodology from the literature that incorporates linear measurements and a two‐layered discriminate function analysis. Across datasets, geometric morphometric data in a multilayer perceptron tended to yield modest accuracies but accuracies that varied less across species whereas other methods were able to achieve higher accuracies in some species at the expense of lower accuracies in others. Further, the performance of the two‐layered discriminate function analysis illustrates that constraining what material is classified can increase the accuracy of a method. Based on this tradeoff, the best methodology will then depend on the scope of the study and the amount of material available. J. Morphol. 278:131–141, 2017. ©© 2016 Wiley Periodicals,Inc.
Broadband scalable compact circuit model for on‐chip spiral inductors by neural network
Authors: Han Bo , Shi Xiaofeng , Li Jun
Published: November 2016

A scalable model combining the advantages of the compact model and space‐mapping neural network (SMNN) has been presented to characterize radio‐frequency behaviors of on‐chip spiral inductors. The physics‐based T equivalent circuit model has been used for constructing the proposed scalable SMNN model. All values of the T model elements are fast and accurately extracted based on the mathematical formulations derived by analyzing the resonant responses. A 4‐layer perceptron neural network has been applied for the space mapping of the T model and the measurement data. Compared with the conventional models of on‐chip spiral inductors, the proposed SMNN model not only preserves the accuracy of measurement data but also runs as fast as an approximate compact model. The presented SMNN model has been verified by a series of octagon spiral inductors fabricated by 130‐nm BiCMOS process of HHNEC. Excellent agreements are obtained between the measurement and simulation of the proposed SMNN model up to 40 GHz.
Where there is light, there is dark: A review of the detrimental outcomes of high organizational identification
Authors: Conroy Samantha , Henle Christine A. , Shore Lynn , Stelman Samantha
Published: November 2016

An extensive body of research on organizational identification has developed over the last 25 years. This work has typically taken the view that organizational identification is good for individuals and organizations. However, the underlying social identity processes of organizational identification do not suggest that only positive outcomes should be expected. We review the work addressing organizational identification's dark side. Our review suggests that organizational identification can lead to unethical behaviors, resistance to organizational change, lower performance, interpersonal conflict, negative emotions, and reduced well‐being. Conditions facilitating these undesirable outcomes include situation factors (e.g., identity threats, work characteristics) and person factors (e.g., morality, other identifications). By providing a counterpoint to the generally positive approach to organizational identification, we attempt to move the literature toward a more balanced view. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Signet ring cell carcinoma of resectable metastatic colorectal cancer has rare surgical value
Authors: Fu Jianfei , Wu Lunpo , Jiang Mengjie , Tan Yinuo , Li Dan , Chen Fei , Jiang Ting , Du Jinlin
Published: November 2016

Background and Objectives

Signet ring cell carcinoma (SRCC) is a uniquely separated subgroup in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). The aims are to investigate the value of resection in patients with resectable metastatic signet ring cell colorectal cancer.

Methods

Patients with mCRC who underwent resection in Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database during 1998–2010 were retrospectively analyzed. Kaplan–Meier and COX models were used to analyze the differences in the survival. Logistic regression models were used to evaluate the relationship between SRCC and other clinicopathological factors.

Results

Among the 3,568 patients, 94 (2.63%) patients had SRCC. The median survival time of patients with SRCC and non‐SRCC were 17 and 29 months, respectively (P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis indicated that SRCC was an independent prognostic factor for poor overall survival. Logistic regression model based on variables identified by univariate analysis indicated that younger age (≤50 years old) (P = 0.005), female (P < 0.001), location in colon (P = 0.012), and N positive status (P = 0.003) were independent variables correlated with the SRCC subgroup. SRCC had a dramatically higher invalid surgical outcome rate than non‐SRCC (P = 0.001).

Conclusion

SRCC patients might benefit little from the resection of primary and metastatic lesions with a high rate of undergoing invalid operations. J. Surg. Oncol. 2016;114:1004–1008. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Human Development and Tourism Specialization. Evidence from a Panel of Developed and Developing Countries
Authors: Biagi Bianca , Ladu Maria Gabriela , Royuela Vicente
Published: November 2016

In the present study, we analyze the relationship between tourism and human development for a selection of 63 countries from 1996 to 2008. Findings confirm that, on average, tourism is positively associated with human development. By decomposing the effect of tourism on each human development indicator, we find that literacy rate appears to be the most affected. This result suggests that the impact of tourism in the host country is much broader with respect to the purely economic effect. Furthermore, it suggests the need of further investigating the relationship between human development and tourism. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Landscape disturbance and sporadic hybridization complicate field identification of chipmunks
Authors: Frare Christina F. , Matocq Marjorie D. , Feldman Chris R. , White Angela M. , Manley Patricia N. , Jermstad Kathleen D. , Hekkala Evon R.
Published: November 2016

Chipmunks (Tamias spp.) in western North America are important for their numerical abundance, their role in pathogen transmission, and the composition and structure of food webs. As such, land management agencies (e.g., U.S. Forest Service) often conduct field surveys to monitor the diversity and abundance of chipmunk species as a measure of forest health. These small mammal communities often include several morphologically similar chipmunk species, some of which occasionally hybridize, which can make field identification of species difficult. However, species‐specific differences in both spatial distribution and habitat use make it imperative that biotic inventories correctly identify chipmunk species. We compared molecular‐based and field‐based, external phenotypic identifications of 4 chipmunk species in the Lake Tahoe Basin of the Sierra Nevada in California and Nevada, USA. Across all years and sites, we found an error rate of 14% for field‐based identifications with significantly lower rates of misidentification in relatively undisturbed wildlands in comparison to recently burned wildlands or urbanized sites. We also found evidence for sporadic hybridization between focal species, including cases of mito‐nuclear mismatch. Our study highlights the utility of molecular tools in corroborating field identifications of chipmunks in changing landscapes. © 2016 The Wildlife Society.
Human papillomavirus–induced oropharyngeal cancer in Hispanics in the United States
Authors: Thomas Giovana R. , Lo Kaming , Nwojo Raphael
Published: November 2016

Objectives/Hypothesis

Determine disparities in survival outcome and clinical presentation between Hispanic and non‐Hispanic white patients with human papillomavirus–positive oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma.

Study Design

Retrospective clinical research.

Methods

Clinical data on Hispanics and non‐Hispanic white patients with diagnosis of human papillomavirus/p16–positive oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma were drawn from a tumor registry from the University of Miami Hospitals and Clinics from 2008 to 2014.

Of 436 patients with oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma, 237 patents met inclusion criteria. Patient's age, gender, smoking history, alcohol history, race/ethnicity, tumor T stage, nodal N stage, and composite TNM stage were included in the analysis. Associations between race and other categorical variables were explored with χ2 test or Fisher exact test where appropriate. Survival curves were generated using the Kaplan‐Meier method.

Results

Significant differences in clinical presentation was detected between Hispanic (N = 70) and non‐Hispanic white (N = 167) patients. Hispanic human papillomavirus–positive oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma patients showed a higher proportion of women with disease, a higher proportion of patients presenting with tonsil rather than tongue base primary subsite cancer, and a higher proportion of patients who do not consume alcohol compared to non‐Hispanic white human papillomavirus–positive oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma patients. A statistically significant survival difference between these two ethnic groups was not detected in the current dataset.

Conclusions

Unique differences in clinical presentations between Hispanic patients and non‐Hispanic whites with human papillomavirus–positive oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma were detected. This may be the first study to report novel clinical presentation in Hispanic human papillomavirus–positive patients with oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma living in the United States.

Level of Evidence

4. Laryngoscope, 127:1097–1101, 2017
Revealing optical vortices with a small number of photons
Authors: Zhang Wuhong , Wang Jikang , Li Fangshu , Chen Lixiang , Karimi Ebrahim
Published: November 2016

Detecting the optical vortices of darkness hidden in an ultra‐weak background is a difficult task. Here we report an experiment demonstrating that the optical vortices can be directly visualized and identified with a smaller number of photons. Our method is based on the extension of the spiral phase contrast technique to incorporate vortex phase plates (VPP) of high‐order topological charges. In our experiment, we prepare optical vortex arrays of interesting structures such as Arabic numerals and the wings carrying various topological charges. By placing various VPP filters in the Fourier plane of a 4f imaging system, the embedded vortices of an incident ultra‐weak light field can be visualized, revealing both their positions and topological charges. It is found that a higher order vortex generally requires a smaller number of photons to be detected. Our method may find potential application in the fields of astronomical optics and biosensing in an ultra‐weak light environment.

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Tailorable second‐harmonic generation from an individual nanowire using spatially phase‐shaped beams
Authors: Turquet Léo , Kakko Joona‐Pekko , Zang Xiaorun , Naskali Liisa , Karvonen Lasse , Jiang Hua , Huhtio Teppo , Kauppinen Esko , Lipsanen Harri , Kauranen Martti , Bautista Godofredo
Published: November 2016

The ability to control the optical field in the vicinity of an individual nano‐object is an obvious stepping‐stone in the tailoring of light‐matter interactions at the nanoscale. Earlier reports on tailoring light fields in the vicinity of a nano‐object have been restricted by their dependence on cumbersome optical or fabrication techniques, have relied mostly on in‐plane electric field polarizations, and have been demonstrated only for bulk materials and structures with strong in‐plane anisotropies. In addition, traditional methods for manipulating the longitudinal electric fields are significantly hindered by the lack of appropriate probes that can be used to unambiguously measure or calibrate the light coupling efficiency to nano‐objects. Here, we demonstrate such a possibility for the specific case of optical second‐harmonic generation (SHG). Our technique relies on spatial phase‐shaping of a high‐order laser beam to tailor the longitudinal fields at the beam focus and allows SHG from an individual and well‐defined vertically‐aligned GaAs nanowire to be manipulated on demand. Our technique is applicable to tailoring the efficiency of nonlinear emission on the nanoscale and to arbitrary polarization control at the beam focus in general.

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Olfactory Impairment Predicts Underlying Dopaminergic Deficit in Presumed Drug‐Induced Parkinsonism
Authors: Morley James F. , Cheng Gang , Dubroff Jacob G. , Wood Stephanie , Wilkinson Jayne R. , Duda John E.
Published: November 2016

Drug‐induced parkinsonism (DIP) is common, and the motor symptoms can be indistinguishable from Parkinson's disease (PD). When symptoms persist after drug withdrawal, this may represent “unmasking” of underlying PD. We previously reported that hyposmia, a common nonmotor feature of PD, was associated with persistent DIP. Here, we report on a series of 33 consecutive patients who underwent dopamine transporter imaging to evaluate DIP. We examined the clinical correlates of underlying dopaminergic denervation by comparing subjects with normal and abnormal scans. Imaging was abnormal in 7 of 33 (21%) cases. Motor features were similar in patients with normal and abnormal scans. Olfactory testing was available for 30 subjects and was concordant with imaging in 27 of 30 (odds ratio = 63; 95% confidence interval: 4.8–820; P = 0.002). Olfactory testing may be a simple screen to help identify DIP patients with underlying dopaminergic denervation, consistent with unmasking of incipient PD.
Bayesian assessment of site‐specific performance of geotechnical design charts with unknown model uncertainty
Authors: Wang Y. , Zhao T.
Published: November 2016

Soil properties are indispensable input parameters in geotechnical design and analysis. In engineering practice, particularly for projects with relatively small or medium sizes, soil properties are often not measured directly, but estimated from geotechnical design charts using results of some commonly used laboratory orin situtests. For example, effective friction angle ϕ′ of soil is frequently estimated using standard penetration test (SPT)Nvalues and design charts relating SPTNvalues to ϕ′. Note that directly measured ϕ′ data are generally not available when (and probably why) the use of design charts is needed. Because design charts are usually developed from past observation data, on either empirical or semi‐theoretical basis, uncertainty is unavoidably involved in the design charts. This situation leads to two important questions in engineering practice:how good or reliable are the soil properties estimated in a specific site when using the design charts? (or how to measure the performance of the design charts in a specific site?); andhow to incorporate rationally the model uncertainty when estimating soil properties using the design charts? This paper aims to address these two questions by developing a Bayesian statistical approach. In this paper, the second question is firstly addressed (i.e., soil properties are probabilistically characterized by rationally incorporating the model uncertainty in the design chart). Then, based on the characterization results obtained, an index is proposed to evaluate the site‐specific performance of design charts (i.e., to address the first question). Equations are derived for the proposed approach, and the proposed approach is illustrated using both real and simulated SPT data. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Probing metabolite diffusion at ultra‐short time scales in the mouse brain using optimized oscillating gradients and “short”‐echo‐time diffusion‐weighted MRS
Authors: Ligneul Clémence , Valette Julien
Published: November 2016

Measuring diffusion at ultra‐short time scales may yield information about short‐range intracellular structure and cytosol viscosity. However, reaching such time scales usually requires oscillating gradients, which in turn imply long echo times TE. Here we propose a new kind of stretched oscillating gradient that allows us to increase diffusion‐weighting b while preserving spectral and temporal properties of the gradient modulation. We used these optimized gradients to measure metabolite diffusion in the mouse brain down to effective diffusion times of 1 ms while keeping TE relatively short (60 ms). At such TE, a significant macromolecule signal could still be observed and used as an internal reference of approximately null diffusivity, which proved critical to discard datasets corrupted by some motion artifact. The methods introduced here may be useful to improve the accuracy and precision of metabolite apparent diffusion coefficient measurements with oscillating gradients.
Prepregnancy obesity and the racial disparity in infant mortality
Authors: Lemon Lara S. , Naimi Ashley I. , Abrams Barbara , Kaufman Jay S. , Bodnar Lisa M.
Published: November 2016

Objective

To estimate the extent to which prepregnancy obesity explains the Black‐White disparity in stillbirth and infant mortality.

Methods

A population‐based study of linked Pennsylvania birth‐infant death certificates (2003‐2011; n = 1,055,359 births) and fetal death certificates (2006‐2011; n = 3,102 stillbirths) for all singleton pregnancies in non‐Hispanic (NH) White and NH Black women was conducted. Inverse probability weighted regression was used to estimate the role of prepregnancy obesity in explaining the race‐infant/fetal death association.

Results

Compared with NH White women, NH Black women were more likely to have obesity (≥30 kg/m2) and experienced a higher rate of stillbirth (8.3 vs. 3.6 stillbirths per 1,000 live‐born and stillborn infants) and infant death (8.5 vs. 3.0 infant deaths per 1,000 live births). When the contribution of prepregnancy obesity was removed, the difference in risk between NH Blacks and NH Whites decreased from 6.2 (95% CI: 5.6‐6.7) to 5.5 (95% CI: 4.9‐6.2) excess stillbirths per 1,000 and 5.8 (95% CI: 5.3‐6.3) to 5.2 (95% CI: 4.7‐5.7) excess infant deaths per 1,000.

Conclusions

For every 10,000 live births in Pennsylvania (2003‐2011), 6 of the 61 excess infant deaths in NH Black women and 5 of the 44 excess stillbirths (2006‐2011) were attributable to prepregnancy obesity.
Cortisol in human milk predicts child BMI
Authors: Hahn‐Holbrook Jennifer , Le Tran Bao , Chung Anna , Davis Elysia Poggi , Glynn Laura M.
Published: November 2016

Objective

Breastfeeding has been linked to lower rates of childhood obesity. Human milk contains cortisol, known to regulate glucose storage and metabolism. The aim of this study was to to test the hypothesis that early exposure to cortisol in human breast milk helps to modulate infant body mass index (BMI) trajectories over the first 2 years of life.

Methods

Growth curve modeling was used to examine whether infant exposure to cortisol in human milk at 3 months predicted changes in child body mass index percentile (BMIP) at 6, 12, and 24 months of age in 51 breastfeeding mother–child pairs.

Results

Infants exposed to higher milk cortisol levels at 3 months were less likely to exhibit BMIP gains over the first 2 years of life, compared with infants exposed to lower milk cortisol. By age 2, infants exposed to higher milk cortisol levels had lower BMIPs than infants exposed to lower milk cortisol. Milk cortisol was a stronger predictor of BMIP change in girls than boys.

Conclusions

Cortisol exposure through human milk may help to program metabolic functioning and childhood obesity risk. Further, because infant formula contains only trace amounts of glucocorticoids, these findings suggest that cortisol in milk is a novel biological pathway through which breastfeeding may protect against later obesity.
Sample preparation method considerations for integrated transcriptomic and proteomic analysis of tumors
Authors: Bhat Anupama Rajan , Gupta Manoj Kumar , Krithivasan Priya , Dhas Kunal , Nair Jayalakshmi , Reddy Ram Bhupal , Sudheendra Holalugunda Vittalamurthy , Chavan Sandip , Vardhan Harsha , Darsi Sujatha , Balakrishnan Lavanya , Katragadda Shanmukh , Kekatpure Vikram , Suresh Amritha , Tata Pramila , Panda Binay , Kuriakose Moni A. , Sirdeshmukh Ravi
Published: November 2016

Sample processing protocols that enable compatible recovery of differentially expressed transcripts and proteins are necessary for integration of the multiomics data applied in the analysis of tumors. In this pilot study, we compared two different isolation methods for extracting RNA and protein from laryngopharyngeal tumor tissues and the corresponding adjacent normal sections. In Method 1, RNA and protein were isolated from a single tissue section sequentially and in Method 2, the extraction was carried out using two different sections and two independent and parallel protocols for RNA and protein. RNA and protein from both methods were subjected to RNA‐seq and iTRAQ‐based LC‐MS/MS analysis, respectively. Analysis of data revealed that a higher number of differentially expressed transcripts and proteins were concordant in their regulation trends in Method 1 as compared to Method 2. Cross‐method comparison of concordant entities revealed that RNA and protein extraction from the same tissue section (Method 1) recovered more concordant entities that are missed in the other extraction method (Method 2) indicating heterogeneity in distribution of these entities in different tissue sections. Method 1 could thus be the method of choice for integrated analysis of transcriptome and proteome data.
Influence of glass composition on secondary ion mass spectrometry instrumental mass fractionation for Si and Ca isotopic analyses
Authors: Tissandier Laurent , Rollion‐Bard Claire
Published: November 2016

Rationale

In situ secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) analysis requires the use of standards to unravel the instrumental mass fractionation (IMF) induced by the analytical procedures. Part of this IMF might be caused by the nature of the sample and the differences in composition and structure between the sample and the standards. This “matrix effect” has been tentatively corrected for by using standards with chemical compositions equivalent to the samples, or by the empirical use of chemical parameters. However, these corrections can only be applied to a narrow compositional range and fail to take proper account of the matrix effect when a wider chemical field is tested.

Methods

We synthesized a series of glasses whose compositions span a very large part of the NCMAS (Na2O‐CaO‐MgO‐Al2O3‐SiO2) system. Si and Ca isotopic analyses were performed on two ion microprobes (Cameca IMS‐1270 and IMS‐1280).

Results

The matrix effect observed may reach 20‰ between extreme compositions and cannot be accounted for by the previously used “chemical” parameters (e.g. SiO2, SiO2/(SiO2 + Al2O3)) nor by the NBO/T parameter. It therefore appears necessary to consider not only the structure of the glasses, but also the nature of the different atoms. Consequently, we assessed the use of another concept, the optical basicity, based on the electronegativities of the constitutive elements of glass.

Conclusions

We show that this parameter significantly improves the efficiency of the matrix‐effect correction and that it can be applied across the entire NCMAS compositional range studied here. Furthermore, the use of optical basicity reduces the number of glass standards required for a reliable isotopic study, and it can also be used to probe the structure of the glass. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Provably secure three‐factor authentication and key agreement scheme for session initiation protocol
Authors: Challa Sravani , Das Ashok Kumar , Kumari Saru , Odelu Vanga , Wu Fan , Li Xiong
Published: November 2016

Session initiation protocol (SIP) is a widely used authentication protocol for the Voice over IP communications. Over the years, several protocols have been proposed in the literature to strengthen the security of SIP. In this paper, we present an efficient elliptic curve cryptography (ECC)‐based provably secure three‐factor authentication and session key agreement scheme for SIP, which uses the identity, password, and personal biometrics of a user as three factors. Our scheme aims to resolve the security weaknesses and drawbacks in existing SIP authentication protocols. In addition, our scheme supports password and biometric update phase without involving the server and the user mobile device revocation phase in case the mobile device is lost/stolen. Formal security analysis under the standard model and the broadly accepted Burrows–Abadi–Needham logic ensures that the proposed scheme can withstand several known security attacks. The proposed scheme has also been analyzed informally. Simulation for formal security verification using the widely known automated validation of internet security protocols and applications tool shows the replay, and the man‐in‐the‐middle attacks are protected by the scheme. High security and low communication and computation costs make the proposed scheme more suitable for practical application as compared with other existing related ECC‐based schemes. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.