bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Emerging drugs and vaccines for Candidemia
Authors: Moriyama Brad , Gordon Lori A. , McCarthy Matthew , Henning Stacey A. , Walsh Thomas J. , Penzak Scott R.
Published: October 2014

Candidemia and other forms of invasive candidiasis are important causes of morbidity and mortality. The evolving challenge of antimicrobial resistance among fungal pathogens continues to highlight the need for potent, new antifungal agents. MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus and Web of Science searches (up to January 2014) of the English‐language literature were performed with the keywords ‘Candida’ or ‘Candidemia’ or ‘Candidiasis’ and terms describing investigational drugs with activity against Candida spp. Conference abstracts and the bibliographies of pertinent articles were also reviewed for relevant reports. ClinicalTrials.gov was searched for relevant clinical trials. Currently available antifungal agents for the treatment of candidemia are summarised. Investigational antifungal agents with potential activity against Candida bloodstream infections and other forms of invasive candidiasis and vaccines for prevention of Candida infections are also reviewed as are selected antifungal agents no longer in development. Antifungal agents currently in clinical trials include isavuconazole, albaconazole, SCY‐078, VT‐1161 and T‐2307. Further data are needed to determine the role of these compounds in the treatment of candidemia and other forms of invasive candidiasis. The progressive reduction in antimicrobial drug development may result in a decline in antifungal drug discovery. Still, there remains a critical need for new antifungal agents to treat and prevent invasive candidiasis and other life‐threatening mycoses.
Human enteric neurons: morphological, electrophysiological, and neurochemical identification
Authors: Carbone S. E. , Jovanovska V. , Nurgali K. , Brookes S. J. H.
Published: October 2014

Background

Access to tissue, difficulties with dissection, and poor visibility of enteric ganglia have hampered electrophysiological recordings of human enteric neurons. Here, we report a method to combine intracellular recording with simultaneous morphological identification of neurons in the intact myenteric plexus of human colon ex vivo.

Methods

Specimens of human colon were dissected into flat‐sheet preparations with the myenteric plexus exposed. Myenteric neurons were impaled with conventional microelectrodes containing 5% 5,6‐carboxyfluorescein in 20 mM Tris buffer and 1 M KCl.

Key Results

Electrophysiological recordings identified myenteric neurons with S and AH type properties (n = 13, N = 7) which were dye filled and classified during the recording as Dogiel type I (n = 10), Dogiel type II (n = 2), or filamentous (n = 1) cells. This classification was confirmed after fixation, in combination with immunohistochemical characterization.

Conclusions & Inferences

This method allows electrophysiological characterization with simultaneous identification of morphology. It can be used to identify recorded cells immediately after impalement and greatly facilitates recordings of human myenteric neurons in freshly dissected specimens of tissue. It can also be combined with immunohistochemical labeling of recorded cells.
On Japan and China: Taking a Stand, Not Taking Sides
Authors: EVANS GARETH
Published: October 2014

In 1990, right after the Berlin Wall fell, NPQ published our Spring edition, titled “The New World Disorder,” about the nationalistic chaos and up‐in‐theair sensibility of that fraught new historical moment.

Nearly a quarter of a century later, the regime of globalization that had supplanted the Cold War world of blocs is itself coming apart at the seams. Even Henry Kissinger these days says “the world order is crumbling.”

Will this New World Disorder 2.0 revert to a system of conflicting blocs, as during the Cold War, or will we be mature enough to save the interdependence of plural identities that is the foundation of a new global civilization?

In this section our contributors offer their perspectives on what the future holds.
Is Viktor Orbán Right That Liberal Democracy Has Failed? Is Italy Exhibit #1?
Authors: LO PRETE MARCO VALERIO
Published: October 2014

In 1990, right after the Berlin Wall fell, NPQ published our Spring edition, titled “The New World Disorder,” about the nationalistic chaos and up‐in‐theair sensibility of that fraught new historical moment.

Nearly a quarter of a century later, the regime of globalization that had supplanted the Cold War world of blocs is itself coming apart at the seams. Even Henry Kissinger these days says “the world order is crumbling.”

Will this New World Disorder 2.0 revert to a system of conflicting blocs, as during the Cold War, or will we be mature enough to save the interdependence of plural identities that is the foundation of a new global civilization?

In this section our contributors offer their perspectives on what the future holds.
Russia Has Already Invaded Ukraine
Authors: TALBOTT STROBE
Published: October 2014

In 1990, right after the Berlin Wall fell, NPQ published our Spring edition, titled “The New World Disorder,” about the nationalistic chaos and up‐in‐theair sensibility of that fraught new historical moment.

Nearly a quarter of a century later, the regime of globalization that had supplanted the Cold War world of blocs is itself coming apart at the seams. Even Henry Kissinger these days says “the world order is crumbling.”

Will this New World Disorder 2.0 revert to a system of conflicting blocs, as during the Cold War, or will we be mature enough to save the interdependence of plural identities that is the foundation of a new global civilization?

In this section our contributors offer their perspectives on what the future holds.
Why is Rouhani Angry?
Authors: GANJI AKBAR
Published: October 2014

In 1990, right after the Berlin Wall fell, NPQ published our Spring edition, titled “The New World Disorder,” about the nationalistic chaos and up‐in‐theair sensibility of that fraught new historical moment.

Nearly a quarter of a century later, the regime of globalization that had supplanted the Cold War world of blocs is itself coming apart at the seams. Even Henry Kissinger these days says “the world order is crumbling.”

Will this New World Disorder 2.0 revert to a system of conflicting blocs, as during the Cold War, or will we be mature enough to save the interdependence of plural identities that is the foundation of a new global civilization?

In this section our contributors offer their perspectives on what the future holds.
How The Mideast Conflict Nourishes Anti‐Semitism
Authors: BEN JELLOUN TAHAR
Published: October 2014

In 1990, right after the Berlin Wall fell, NPQ published our Spring edition, titled “The New World Disorder,” about the nationalistic chaos and up‐in‐theair sensibility of that fraught new historical moment.

Nearly a quarter of a century later, the regime of globalization that had supplanted the Cold War world of blocs is itself coming apart at the seams. Even Henry Kissinger these days says “the world order is crumbling.”

Will this New World Disorder 2.0 revert to a system of conflicting blocs, as during the Cold War, or will we be mature enough to save the interdependence of plural identities that is the foundation of a new global civilization?

In this section our contributors offer their perspectives on what the future holds.
Distinct palisade tissue development processes promoted by leaf autonomous signalling and long‐distance signalling in Arabidopsis thaliana
Authors: MUNEKAGE YURI NAKAJIMA , INOUE SHIO , YONEDA YUKI , YOKOTA AKIHO
Published: October 2014

Plants develop palisade tissue consisting of cylindrical mesophyll cells located at the adaxial side of leaves in response to high light. To understand high light signalling in palisade tissue development, we investigated leaf autonomous and long‐distance signal responses of palisade tissue development using Arabidopsis thaliana. Illumination of a developing leaf with high light induced cell height elongation, whereas illumination of mature leaves with high light increased cell density and suppressed cell width expansion in palisade tissue of new leaves. Examination using phototropin1 phototropin2 showed that blue light signalling mediated by phototropins was involved in cell height elongation of the leaf autonomous response rather than the cell density increase induced by long‐distance signalling. Hydrogen peroxide treatment induced cylindrical palisade tissue cell formation in both a leaf autonomous and long‐distance manner, suggesting involvement of oxidative signals. Although constitutive expression of transcription factors involved in systemic‐acquired acclimation to excess light, ZAT10 and ZAT12, induced cylindrical palisade tissue cell formation, knockout of these genes did not affect cylindrical palisade tissue cell formation. We conclude that two distinct signalling pathways – leaf autonomous signalling mostly dependent on blue light signalling and long‐distance signalling from mature leaves that sense high light and oxidative stress – control palisade tissue development in A. thaliana.
The overwintering strategy of the anholocyclic aphid Cinara tujafilina
Authors: Durak Roma
Published: October 2014

The main strategy allowing aphids to survive winter is egg‐laying. However, anholocyclic species that breed parthenogenetically throughout the year are forced to overwinter as active morphs. Cinara tujafilina (del Guercio, 1909) (Hemiptera, Aphidoidea, Lachnidae) is an anholocyclic species infesting mainly the twigs of Thuja orientalis L. Laboratory and the field experiments reported in the present study contribute towards a description of the life strategy employed by this species in winter. In winter, C. tujafilina produces three to five generations that infest the roots of the host plant. During the growing season, nine or 10 generations that feed on the above‐ground parts of the plant are produced. The main factor that triggers C. tujafilina to change the feeding site is temperature. At 13 °C, aphids migrate from leaves to the main trunk. At 0 °C, first‐ and second‐stage nymphs descend underground and feed on roots. The developmental pattern of C. tujafilina on roots in winter shows that the growth, life span and fecundity of the winter generations do not differ significantly from the generations produced in spring and autumn. The third root‐infesting generation (G3) shows the highest developmental parameters, such as the highest fecundity, a longer reproduction period and no post‐reproduction, indicating the optimal adaptation to living in soil in winter. The life‐cycle strategy enables anholocyclic populations to survive winter and to infest plants very early in spring, which gives them an advantage over species that overwinter as eggs.
Epidemiological Description of Cystic Ovarian Disease in Argentine Dairy Herds: Risk Factors and Effects on the Reproductive Performance of Lactating Cows
Authors: Cattaneo L , Signorini ML , Bertoli J , Bartolomé JA , Gareis NC , Díaz PU , Bó GA , Ortega HH
Published: October 2014

Contents

To describe the epidemiology of cystic ovarian disease (COD), to find possible risk factors associated with the incidence of cysts and to analyse the impact of COD on the reproductive performance of dairy cows, databases from 22 dairy herds from the main dairy region in Argentina were retrospectively evaluated throughout a 3‐year period (2009–2011). A total of 248 COD cases over 9156 parturitions were recorded, resulting in a cumulative incidence rate of 2.7%. Cystic ovarian disease incidence density was lower during the first 100 days post‐partum (DPP) than during later stages of lactation. Seasonality had a significant influence on the disease presentation with higher incidence rates during winter and spring. Cows with a previous diagnosis of clinical mastitis showed 2.72 times more chances of developing ovarian cysts. Cystic cows had longer calving to first service and calving to conception intervals and lower conception rate than controls.
Tropical Agriculture: Is Africa Different?
Authors: Andzie‐Quainoo Lord , Grier Robin
Published: October 2014

We investigate the determinants of agricultural productivity in a panel of 27 tropical developing countries from 1984 to 2005 and test whether the coefficients of the right‐hand side variables are significantly different in sub‐Sahara Africa. We find evidence that the point estimates of fertilizer usage, telephones, tractor usage, rainfall and irrigation are positively and significantly related to agricultural productivity in the tropics. We also show that sub‐Saharan Africa is different in several respects. For instance, we find no evidence that fertilizer is associated with greater agricultural productivity in the African sample. Also, while the coefficient on infrastructure is positively associated with agricultural productivity in the full sample, its quantitative effect is smaller in sub‐Saharan Africa. As a robustness test, we experiment with an alternative measure of tropicality and find that the results are broadly similar.
Estimating the Income Gain of Seasonal Labor Migration
Authors: Liebensteiner Mario
Published: October 2014

Male seasonal labor migration has become an increasing phenomenon globally and particularly for Armenia. This study finds that the monthly income gains for seasonal migrants from Armenia to Russia are about US$480 relative to only US$50 in the case of non‐migration. Individual panel data based on a novel household survey allow controlling for a variety of socio‐economic characteristics. Propensity score matching combined with difference‐in‐differences addresses potential endogenous self‐selection into migration. This paper finds negative selection based on education, employment, and pre‐migration income. This is reflected by a low premium for skills in Russia relative to Armenia, luring seasonal migrants into low‐skill jobs, mainly in the construction sector. The results identify seasonal labor migration as an attractive opportunity to escape unemployment, especially for the unskilled labor force. Therefore, seasonal migration has become an increasingly important source of income for households (through remittances) from low‐income countries and helps eradicate poverty.
The Export Promoting Effect of Emigration: Evidence fromDenmark
Authors: Hiller Sanne
Published: October 2014

Ethnic networks exhibit the potential to lower barriers to trade. The paper identifies the export‐promoting effect of emigration on the firm‐level using Danish data for the year 2001. Accounting for taste similarity, self‐selection and unobserved heterogeneity, three main findings are established. First, the elasticity of manufacturing exports to emigration is robust and of similar size as the effect of immigration. Secondly, only immigration encourages market entry but not emigration, suggesting that variable cost reductions and demand for home‐country products are the driving force of emigrant network effects. Thirdly, benefits from emigration accrue exclusively to low‐productivity firms.
Effects of the Mexican Apple Tariff on the World Apple Market
Authors: Devadoss Stephen , Ridley William
Published: October 2014

In response to the USA blocking Mexican trucks from traveling to the inland part of the USA, Mexico imposed tariffs on US fresh apple exports. This study analyzes the impacts of the Mexican tariff on USA, Mexican and world apple markets by using theoretical analysis and developing a spatial equilibrium trade model. The results show that this tariff increases apple prices in Mexico, to the benefit of Mexican producers but harming Mexican consumers. Even though Mexico collects revenues from its tariff, the overall welfare impact is negative because consumers' loss outweighs producers' gain and tariff revenues. Since the USA exports less to Mexico, its prices and production decline, but consumption increases. To mitigate the export market loss to Mexico, the USA redirects its exports to other importing countries, displacing other apple exporting countries' trade with these importing countries.
FDI and Income Inequality—Evidence from Latin American Economies
Authors: Herzer Dierk , Hühne Philipp , Nunnenkamp Peter
Published: October 2014

This paper analyzes whether foreign direct investment (FDI) has contributed to the wide income gaps in Latin America. Panel cointegration techniques as well as regression analysis are performed to assess the impact of inward FDI stocks on income inequality among households in Latin American host countries. The panel cointegration analysis typically reveals a significant and positive effect on income inequality. There is no evidence for reverse causality. The findings are fairly robust to the choice of different estimation methods, sample selection and the period of observation.
Still a Man's World? Revisiting Men Who Do Women's Work
Authors: Harvey Wingfield Adia , Myles Ranell L.
Published: October 2014

In 1995, Christine Williams built on the well‐versed theory of tokenism and introduced the concept of the glass escalator to describe the social processes by which men maintain advantages in female‐dominated occupations. This paradigm has proven extraordinarily useful as a way of understanding the pathways that reproduce men's opportunities and benefits in culturally feminized jobs. In this paper, we review the literature in this area and consider how new perspectives have contributed to insightful and interesting ways of understanding the experiences of men who do “women's work.”
Thymoma‐associated lymphocytosis in a dog
Authors: Burton Andrew G. , Borjesson Dori L. , Vernau William
Published: October 2014

A 9‐year‐old female spayed English Springer Spaniel was evaluated for a cranial mediastinal mass and lymphocytosis. Flow cytometric immunophenotyping of peripheral blood lymphocytes revealed 97% asCD3 positive, confirming a T‐cell lineage. Additionally, T‐cell subset assessment showed 53.2% to be double‐negative T‐lymphocytes, expressing neitherCD4 norCD8 surface markers. The number of double‐negative lymphocytes in circulation coincided with the number of T‐cell receptor (TCR) γδ‐expressing T‐cells in circulation. Molecular T‐cell clonality analysis of TCR Gamma (TCRG) gene rearrangement showed a polyclonal expansion of T‐lymphocytes. Histopathology confirmed the mass to be a thymoma, supporting the diagnosis of thymoma‐associated T‐cell lymphocytosis. Resolution of the lymphocytosis after removal of the thymoma provided further evidence for this diagnosis. To the authors' knowledge, this case is only the second report of thymoma‐associated peripheral lymphocytosis in the veterinary literature, and is the first to report a confirmed thymoma‐associated peripheral γδ T‐cell lymphocytosis in a dog.
Immunohistochemical evidence of leptin and its receptor in the carpal glands of domestic pigs and wild boar
Authors: Dall'Aglio Cecilia , Mercati Francesca , Pascucci Luisa , Bazzucchi Cinzia , Ceccarelli Piero
Published: October 2014

Background

In recent years, the protein hormone leptin has been the subject of numerous studies designed to clarify and interpret its functional significance; it has been speculated that this goes well beyond the control of appetite and energy metabolism. In particular, the presence of leptin and its receptor has been observed in various glands anatomically and functionally related to the reproductive apparatus. This has led to the hypothesis that leptin may act directly in the functional control of these glands and, in general, the control of reproductive function.

Hypothesis/Objectives

The presence and distribution of leptin and its receptor in the carpal glands of domestic pigs and wild boar are examined, using immunohistochemical techniques.

Animals

Tissue samples were collected from five domestic pigs and five wild boar, following slaughter.

Results

The presence of leptin and its receptor was demonstrated in the glands, localized in the dark cells of the glandular secretory epithelium. In addition, no difference was observed between wild boar and domestic pigs.

Conclusions and clinical importance

We hypothesize that leptin may be produced by the carpal gland and may act on the gland's secretory epithelial cells with an autocrine/paracrine mechanism, thus affecting the secretory activity of the gland itself.
Monte Carlo calculations of electron beam quality conversion factors for several ion chamber types
Authors: Muir B. R. , Rogers D. W. O.
Published: October 2014

Purpose:

To provide a comprehensive investigation of electron beam reference dosimetry using Monte Carlo simulations of the response of 10 plane‐parallel and 18 cylindrical ion chamber types. Specific emphasis is placed on the determination of the optimal shift of the chambers’ effective point of measurement (EPOM) and beam quality conversion factors.

Methods:

The EGSnrc system is used for calculations of the absorbed dose to gas in ion chamber models and the absorbed dose to water as a function of depth in a water phantom on which cobalt‐60 and several electron beam source models are incident. The optimal EPOM shifts of the ion chambers are determined by comparing calculations of R50 converted from I50 (calculated using ion chamber simulations in phantom) to R50 calculated using simulations of the absorbed dose to water vs depth in water. Beam quality conversion factors are determined as the calculated ratio of the absorbed dose to water to the absorbed dose to air in the ion chamber at the reference depth in a cobalt‐60 beam to that in electron beams.

Results:

For most plane‐parallel chambers, the optimal EPOM shift is inside of the active cavity but different from the shift determined with water‐equivalent scaling of the front window of the chamber. These optimal shifts for plane‐parallel chambers also reduce the scatter of beam quality conversion factors, kQ, as a function of R50. The optimal shift of cylindrical chambers is found to be less than the 0.5 rcav recommended by current dosimetry protocols. In most cases, the values of the optimal shift are close to 0.3 rcav. Values of kecal are calculated and compared to those from the TG‐51 protocol and differences are explained using accurate individual correction factors for a subset of ion chambers investigated. High‐precision fits to beam quality conversion factors normalized to unity in a beam with R50 = 7.5 cm () are provided. These factors avoid the use of gradient correction factors as used in the TG‐51 protocol although a chamber dependent optimal shift in the EPOM is required when using plane‐parallel chambers while no shift is needed with cylindrical chambers. The sensitivity of these results to parameters used to model the ion chambers is discussed and the uncertainty related to the practical use of these results is evaluated.

Conclusions:

These results will prove useful as electron beam reference dosimetry protocols are being updated. The analysis of this work indicates that cylindrical ion chambers may be appropriate for use in low‐energy electron beams but measurements are required to characterize their use in these beams.
Two-dimensional method for unconditionally stable elastic wave simulations
Authors: Shao Yu , An Myoung , Wang Shumin
Published: October 2014

The stability of the conventional staggered-grid finite-difference time-domain method for elastic wave simulations is limited by the Courant condition and material heterogeneity. Its computational efficiency is significantly hampered when the mesh size is much smaller than a wavelength (for geometric modeling accuracy) and/or with a high impedance contrast. An unconditionally stable alternating direction implicit method is proposed to overcome this issue. It is based on additive operator splitting that renders tri-diagonal matrices for the implicit update of selected field variables. Theoretical analysis of its stability and grid dispersion error are provided. Numerical examples further demonstrate its accuracy and efficiency.
Modeling dynamic acousto-elastic testing experiments: Validation and perspectives
Authors: Gliozzi A. S. , Scalerandi M.
Published: October 2014

Materials possessing micro-inhomogeneities often display a nonlinear response to mechanical solicitations, which is sensitive to the confining pressure acting on the sample. Dynamic acoustoelastic testing allows measurement of the instantaneous variations in the elastic modulus due to the change of the dynamic pressure induced by a low-frequency wave. This paper shows that a Preisach-Mayergoyz space based hysteretic multi-state elastic model provides an explanation for experimental observations in consolidated granular media and predicts memory and nonlinear effects comparable to those measured in rocks.
Effects of aging on audio-visual speech integration
Authors: Huyse Aurélie , Leybaert Jacqueline , Berthommier Frédéric
Published: October 2014

This study investigated the impact of aging on audio-visual speech integration. A syllable identification task was presented in auditory-only, visual-only, and audio-visual congruent and incongruent conditions. Visual cues were either degraded or unmodified. Stimuli were embedded in stationary noise alternating with modulated noise. Fifteen young adults and 15 older adults participated in this study. Results showed that older adults had preserved lipreading abilities when the visual input was clear but not when it was degraded. The impact of aging on audio-visual integration also depended on the quality of the visual cues. In the visual clear condition, the audio-visual gain was similar in both groups and analyses in the framework of the fuzzy-logical model of perception confirmed that older adults did not differ from younger adults in their audio-visual integration abilities. In the visual reduction condition, the audio-visual gain was reduced in the older group, but only when the noise was stationary, suggesting that older participants could compensate for the loss of lipreading abilities by using the auditory information available in the valleys of the noise. The fuzzy-logical model of perception confirmed the significant impact of aging on audio-visual integration by showing an increased weight of audition in the older group.
Effects of vibration characteristics on the walking discomfort of floating floors on concrete slabs
Authors: Kim Jae Ho , Jeon Jin Yong
Published: October 2014

In the present study, the vibration characteristics of floating floor systems and the discomfort in walking upon them have been studied in concrete slab structures through mock-up floors experiments. Seven types of floor systems, with panels of various sizes and supporting beams with different joist spacings, were constructed based on actual conditions. For the vibration measurement, an ISO rubber ball dropped from a height of 20 cm was used as an impact source to reproduce human walking. The vibration characteristics were evaluated by calculating the vibration acceleration values and the autocorrelation function parameters for the floor structures. Finally, a human walking experiment was conducted to investigate subjective responses to the vibration characteristics of floating floors. From the results, it was found that the vibration acceleration values and walking discomfort varied with the supporting conditions of the floors and that these were highly correlated with each other. It was also found that more than 75% of subjects accepted the floors when the vibration value of the floor in terms of vibration does value (VDV) is below 4.8 ms−1.75. In addition, a practical regression of the VDV was obtained and design guidelines for floating floors were suggested.
Investigation on the reproduction performance versus acoustic contrast control in sound field synthesis
Authors: Bai Mingsian R. , Wen Jheng-Ciang , Hsu Hoshen , Hua Yi-Hsin , Hsieh Yu-Hao
Published: October 2014

A sound reconstruction system is proposed for audio reproduction with extended sweet spot and reduced reflections. An equivalent source method (ESM)-based sound field synthesis (SFS) approach, with the aid of dark zone minimization is adopted in the study. Conventional SFS that is based on the free-field assumption suffers from synthesis error due to boundary reflections. To tackle the problem, the proposed system utilizes convex optimization in designing array filters with both reproduction performance and acoustic contrast taken into consideration. Control points are deployed in the dark zone to minimize the reflections from the walls. Two approaches are employed to constrain the pressure and velocity in the dark zone. Pressure matching error (PME) and acoustic contrast (AC) are used as performance measures in simulations and experiments for a rectangular loudspeaker array. Perceptual Evaluation of Audio Quality (PEAQ) is also used to assess the audio reproduction quality. The results show that the pressure-constrained (PC) method yields better acoustic contrast, but poorer reproduction performance than the pressure-velocity constrained (PVC) method. A subjective listening test also indicates that the PVC method is the preferred method in a live room.
Comparing shift-autocorrelation with cepstrum for detection of burst pulses in impulsive noise
Authors: Baggenstoss Paul M. , Kurth Frank
Published: October 2014

The recently introduced shift method is applied to detect and characterize burst-pulse vocalizations produced by marine mammals. To this end, burst pulses are modeled as sequences of click-like events that are repeated after a certain inter-click interval (ICI). The shift method is used to first emphasize events that repeat within an input signal. Afterwards, the ICI can be estimated. A qualitative comparison of the method is made against classical cepstrum using real data. The detection performance is measured using random trials of simulated data with impulsive noise. It is shown that although the cepstrum outperforms in Gaussian noise at low signal-to-noise ratio, the shift method performs significantly better in impulsive noise.
Melodic interval perception by normal-hearing listeners and cochlear implant users
Authors: Luo Xin , Masterson Megan E. , Wu Ching-Chih
Published: October 2014

The perception of melodic intervals (sequential pitch differences) is essential to music perception. This study tested melodic interval perception in normal-hearing (NH) listeners and cochlear implant (CI) users. Melodic interval ranking was tested using an adaptive procedure. CI users had slightly higher interval ranking thresholds than NH listeners. Both groups' interval ranking thresholds, although not affected by root note, significantly increased with standard interval size and were higher for descending intervals than for ascending intervals. The pitch direction effect may be due to a procedural artifact or a difference in central processing. In another test, familiar melodies were played with all the intervals scaled by a single factor. Subjects rated how in tune the melodies were and adjusted the scaling factor until the melodies sounded the most in tune. CI users had lower final interval ratings and less change in interval rating as a function of scaling factor than NH listeners. For CI users, the root-mean-square error of the final scaling factors and the width of the interval rating function were significantly correlated with the average ranking threshold for ascending rather than descending intervals, suggesting that CI users may have focused on ascending intervals when rating and adjusting the melodies.
Mouth gape angle has little effect on the transmitted signals of big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus)
Authors: Kloepper Laura N. , Gaudette Jason E. , Simmons James A. , Buck John R.
Published: October 2014

Bats perform high-resolution echolocation by comparing temporal and spectral features of their transmitted pulses to the received echoes. In complex environments with moving prey, dynamically adapting the transmitted pulses can increase the probability of successful target representation and interception. This study further investigates the adaptive vocal-motor strategies of big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus). During stationary target detection experiments, echolocation sounds were simultaneously recorded with high-speed, infrared video to examine the relationship of mouth position and movement to pulse characteristics among bats. All three bats produced strobe groups, but the proportion and frequency characteristics of the strobe group pulses differed for individual bats. Additionally, mouth gape angle had little effect on the emitted pulse characteristics, which suggests that laryngeal mechanisms drive changes in emitted pulses.
An osseointegrated human-machine gateway for long-term sensory feedback and motor control of artificial limbs
Authors: Ortiz-Catalan Max , Håkansson Bo , Brånemark Rickard
Published: October 2014

An osseointegrated interface allowed long-term stable and bidirectional communication between robotic prostheses and implanted neuromuscular electrodes for intuitive control with sensory feedback in one patient.
Translational Tectonics for Stents
Authors: Kolandaivelu Kumaran
Published: October 2014

Measuring the pressure drop caused by a coronary artery occlusion enhances the therapeutic benefits of stent-based treatment of stable coronary heart disease.
Type 2 Diabetes: Genotype-Based Therapy
Authors: Ostenson Claes-Goran
Published: October 2014

Targeting a genetic variant with an antagonist may restore insulin secretion in a subgroup of type 2 diabetes patients.
Bacterial Nucleoid-Associated Protein Uncouples Transcription Levels from Transcription Timing
Authors: Zwir Igor , Yeo Won-Sik , Shin Dongwoo , Latifi Tammy , Huang Henry , Groisman Eduardo A.
Published: October 2014

The histone-like nucleoid-structuring (H-NS) protein binds to horizontally acquired genes in the bacterium
Salmonella enterica
serovar Typhimurium, silencing their expression. We now report that overcoming the silencing effects of H-NS imposes a delay in the expression of genes activated by the transcriptional regulator PhoP. We determine that PhoP-activated genes ancestral to
Salmonella
are expressed before those acquired horizontally. This expression timing reflects the
in vivo
occupancy of the corresponding promoters by the PhoP protein. These results are surprising because some of these horizontally acquired genes reached higher mRNA levels than ancestral genes expressed earlier and were transcribed from promoters harboring PhoP-binding sites with higher
in vitro
affinity for the PhoP protein. Our findings challenge the often-made assumption that for genes coregulated by a given transcription factor, early genes are transcribed to higher mRNA levels than those transcribed at later times. Moreover, they provide a singular example of how gene ancestry can impact expression timing.

IMPORTANCE
We report that gene ancestry dictates the expression behavior of genes under the direct control of the
Salmonella
transcriptional regulator PhoP. That is, ancestral genes are transcribed before horizontally acquired genes. This reflects both the need to overcome silencing by the H-NS protein of the latter genes and the architecture of the corresponding promoters. Unexpectedly, transcription levels do not reflect transcription timing. Our results illustrate how a bacterium can exhibit an elaborate temporal expression behavior among genes coregulated by a transcription factor even though the products encoded by the target genes do not participate in a morphological or developmental pathway.
Absence of Patient-to-Patient Intrahospital Transmission of Staphylococcus aureus as Determined by Whole-Genome Sequencing
Authors: Long S. Wesley , Beres Stephen B. , Olsen Randall J. , Musser James M.
Published: October 2014

Nosocomial transmission of pathogens is a major health care challenge. The increasing spread of antibiotic-resistant strains represents an ongoing threat to public health. Previous
Staphylococcus aureus
transmission studies have focused on transmission of
S. aureus
between asymptomatic carriers or used low-resolution typing methods such as multilocus sequence typing (MLST) or
spa
typing. To identify patient-to-patient intrahospital transmission using high-resolution genetic analysis, we sequenced the genomes of a consecutive set of 398
S. aureus
isolates from sterile-site infections. The
S. aureus
strains were collected from four hospitals in the Houston Methodist Hospital System over a 6-month period. Importantly, we discovered no evidence of transmission of
S. aureus
between patients with sterile-site infections. The lack of intrahospital transmission may reflect a fundamental difference between day-to-day transmission events in the hospital setting and the more frequently studied outbreak scenarios.

IMPORTANCE
Previous studies have suggested that nosocomial transmission of
S. aureus
is common. Our data revealed an unexpected lack of evidence for intrahospital transmission of
S. aureus
between patients with invasive infections. This finding has important implications for hospital infection control and public health efforts. In addition, our data demonstrate that highly related pools of
S. aureus
strains exist in the community which may complicate outbreak investigations.
The impact of psychological readiness to return to sport and recreational activities after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction
Authors: Ardern Clare L , Österberg Annika , Tagesson Sofi , Gauffin Håkan , Webster Kate E , Kvist Joanna
Published: October 2014

Background

This cross-sectional study aimed to examine whether appraisal of knee function, psychological and demographic factors were related to returning to the preinjury sport and recreational activity following anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction.

Method

164 participants completed a questionnaire battery at 1–7 years after primary ACL reconstruction. The battery included questionnaires evaluating knee self-efficacy, health locus of control, psychological readiness to return to sport and recreational activity, and fear of reinjury; and self-reported knee function in sport-specific tasks, knee-related quality of life and satisfaction with knee function. The primary outcome was returning to the preinjury sport or recreational activity.

Results

At follow-up, 40% (66/164) had returned to their preinjury activity. Those who returned had more positive psychological responses, reported better knee function in sport and recreational activities, perceived a higher knee-related quality of life and were more satisfied with their current knee function. The main reasons for not returning were not trusting the knee (28%), fear of a new injury (24%) and poor knee function (22%). Psychological readiness to return to sport and recreational activity, measured with the ACL-Return to Sport after Injury scale (was most strongly associated with returning to the preinjury activity). Age, sex and preinjury activity level were not related.

Conclusions

Less than 50% returned to their preinjury sport or recreational activity after ACL reconstruction. Psychological readiness to return to sport and recreation was the factor most strongly associated with returning to the preinjury activity. Including interventions aimed at improving this in postoperative rehabilitation programmes could be warranted to improve the rate of return to sport and recreational activities.
Learning from adverse outcomes: guidelines on colonoscopic polypectomy in patients aged 85 years and older
Authors: Baker Graham , Valori Roland , Brooklyn Trevor
Published: October 2014

A patient between 80 and 90 years of age died following a polypectomy as part of a colonoscopy surveillance programme for previous polyps. As a consequence of this adverse event, we have amended our local guidelines. While perforation is a recognised complication of polypectomy, it was felt that the decision taken to remove the polyp was incorrect. The decision to remove a polyp should be at the endoscopist's clinical discretion and should depend on polyp size, the patient's age and comorbidities and their performance status. We recommend that polyps <20 mm in size should be regarded as low-risk polyps and that polypectomy of low-risk polyps are not essential in patients aged 85 years and older. Polypectomy of high-risk polyps in patients aged 85 years and older should only be undertaken by experienced endoscopists and with appropriate discussion with the patient prior to the procedure. Patients aged >80 years should be dissuaded from having further colonoscopic surveillance and should not be included in polyp detection rate reports to ensure that polypectomy decisions are not influenced by performance monitoring. We recommend other endoscopy units review their local practice and consider introducing these (or similar) guidelines to reduce risk to older patients. We also recommend that the British Society of Gastroenterology should include more specific guidance on surveillance and polypectomy in the older patient when the guidance is next reviewed.
Bidirectional strut method: out-of-plane strength of confined masonry walls
Authors: Moreno-Herrera Joel , Varela-Rivera Jorge , Fernandez-Baqueiro Luis
Published: October 2014

An analytical method to determine the out-of-plane strength of confined masonry walls is developed. The method is called the “bidirectional strut method.” Walls with and without openings subjected to combined out-of-plane and axial loads are considered. The method is based on two-way arching action. Masonry compressive strut forces are transferred eccentrically to the concrete confining elements. Flexural and torsional effects, together with the variation of displacements along these elements, are considered. Analytical strengths of confined walls are determined using this method. These strengths are compared with experimental and other analytical strengths. A sensitivity analysis of the strength is carried out considering different variables. It is concluded that the bidirectional strut method accurately predicts the strength of the walls studied. The main variables that affect the strength are the wall aspect ratio, wall slenderness ratio, and the stiffness of the confining elements.
Cartier and Weil divisors on varieties with quotient singularities
Authors: Artal Bartolo Enrique , Martín-Morales Jorge , Ortigas-Galindo Jorge
Published: October 2014

It is well-known that the notions of Weil and Cartier Q-divisors coincide for V-manifolds. The main goal of this paper is to give a direct constructive proof of this result providing a procedure to express explicitly a Weil divisor as a rational Cartier divisor. The theory is illustrated on weighted projective spaces and weighted blow-ups.
Wormholes in Wyman's solution
Authors: Formiga J. B. , Almeida T. S.
Published: October 2014

The most general solution of the Einstein field equations coupled with a massless scalar field is known as Wyman's solution. This solution is also present in the Brans–Dicke theory and, due to its importance, it has been studied in detail by many authors. However, this solutions has not been studied from the perspective of a possible wormhole. In this paper, we perform a detailed analysis of this issue. It turns out that there is a wormhole. Although we prove that the so-called throat cannot be traversed by human beings, it can be traversed by particles and bodies that can last long enough.
Dependent Interval 2-Tuple Linguistic Aggregation Operators and Their Application to Multiple Attribute Group Decision Making
Authors: Liu Hu-Chen , Lin Qing-Lian , Wu Jing
Published: October 2014

Consider the various types of uncertain preference information provided by the decision makers and the importance of determining the associated weights for the aggregation operator, the multiple attribute group decision making (MAGDM) methods based on some dependent interval 2-tuple linguistic aggregation operators are proposed in this paper. Firstly some operational laws and possibility degree of interval 2-tuple linguistic variables are introduced. Then, we develop a dependent interval 2-tuple weighted averaging (DITWA) operator and a dependent interval 2-tuple weighted geometric (DITWG) operator, in which the associated weights only depend on the aggregated interval 2-tuple arguments and can relieve the influence of unfair arguments on the aggregated results by assigning low weights to them. Based on the DITWA and the DITWG operators, some approaches for multiple attribute group decision making with interval 2-tuple linguistic information are proposed. Finally, an illustrative example is given to demonstrate the practicality and effectiveness of the proposed approaches.
A 3D MODEL FOR MURAL-CELL-MEDIATED DESTRUCTIVE REMODELING DURING EARLY DEVELOPMENT OF A CEREBRAL ANEURYSM
Authors: NABAEI MALIKEH , FATOURAEE NASSER
Published: October 2014

Development of a diagnostic tool for predicting the behavior of cerebral aneurysms was the inspiration of many research groups in recent years. In the present study a fluid–solid-growth (FSG) model for the early development of a cerebral aneurysm was presented in a 3D model of the internal carotid artery (ICA). This model is the result of two parallel mechanisms: first, defining arterial wall as a living tissue with the ability of degradation, growth and remodeling and second, full coupling of the wall and the blood flow. Taking into account the shear dependent nature of elastin degradation and mural-cell-mediated destructive activities, here, the degradation process has been linked to high effective stress of the vascular wall. The evolving properties of the elastinous and collagenous constituents have been predicted during the early development of the aneurysm and the code is applicable to more complicated aneurismal growth models.
Supervised learning method for predicting chromatin boundary associated insulator elements
Authors: Bednarz Paweł , Wilczyński Bartek
Published: October 2014

In eukaryotic cells, the DNA material is densely packed inside the nucleus in the form of a DNA-protein complex structure called chromatin. Since the actual conformation of the chromatin fiber defines the possible regulatory interactions between genes and their regulatory elements, it is very important to understand the mechanisms governing folding of chromatin. In this paper, we show that supervised methods for predicting chromatin boundary elements are much more effective than the currently popular unsupervised methods. Using boundary locations from published Hi-C experiments and modEncode tracks as features, we can tell the insulator elements from randomly selected background sequences with great accuracy. In addition to accurate predictions of the training boundary elements, our classifiers make new predictions. Many of them correspond to the locations of known insulator elements. The key features used for predicting boundary elements do not depend on the prediction method. Because of its miniscule size, chromatin state cannot be measured directly, we need to rely on indirect measurements, such as ChIP-Seq and fill in the gaps with computational models. Our results show that currently, at least in the model organisms, where we have many measurements including ChIP-Seq and Hi-C, we can make accurate predictions of insulator positions.