bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Heterogeneous Oil Transesterification in a Single‐Phase Liquid Mixture using a Co‐Solvent for Improved Biofuels Production
Authors: Galli Federico , Bonfanti Luca , Capelli Sofia , Manenti Flavio , Bianchi Claudia L. , Patience Gregory S. , Pirola Carlo
Published: September 2015

CaO is an effective catalyst for the transesterification of vegetable oil with methanol, but reaction rates are lower than with homogeneous catalysts. Triglycerides are poorly miscible in methanol. To decrease the mass transfer resistance, we introduce a co‐solvent to form a single phase solution. The most effective solvents are tetrahydrofuran, ethyl acetate, chloroform, and dichloromethane. Using these, the reaction rates are superior to the homogeneous catalyst. Both fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) yields and reaction rates were lower for n‐heptane and acetone.
Immunomodulatory activity of essential oil from Tetrania riparia (Hochstetter) Codd in murine macrophages
Authors: Demarchi Izabel G. , Terron Mariana d‐S. , Thomazella Mateus V. , Pedroso Raíssa B. , Gazim Zilda C. , Cortez Diógenez A. Garcia , Aristides Sandra M. A. , Silveira Thaís G. Verzignassi , Lonardoni Maria V. C.
Published: September 2015

Tetradenia riparia is a plant that is used as a traditional medicine in South Africa to treat inflammatory and infectious diseases. The extracts and essential oil of this plant have shown antioxidant, anticarcinogenic, and antimicrobial properties. Some infections that resolve depend on the specific pathogens and host immune response balance, but only a few studies have screened the immunomodulatory effects of T.riparia. Thus, we studied the immunomodulatory effects of T. riparia essential oil (TrEO) on macrophages. Murine peritoneal macrophages were incubated with 30 ng/ml TrEO for 3, 6, and 24 h. Cytokine expression and production were determined by semiquantitative reverse‐transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and flow cytometry, respectively. TrEO affected cytokine synthesis at all time points, whereas mRNA expression was altered only at 3 and 6 h. Interleukin (IL)‐1β, IL‐12, IL‐17, and interferon‐γ expression were highly induced by TrEO at 3 h. Only IL‐1β expression was elevated at 6 h, and its production gradually increased until 24 h. IL‐2 was produced at high levels in the initial response, and granulocyte monocyte colony stimulating factor and IL‐17 were produced at high levels at 24 h. TrEO inhibited IL‐10. These results indicate that TrEO can modulate proinflammatory cytokines and downregulate IL‐10 and IL‐6. This profile is associated with stimulation of the innate cellular immune response and TH2 cell suppression. The essential oil from T. riparia may be an alternative therapy for carcinogenic, autoimmune, and infectious diseases in which cellular responses are critical for their resolution. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Using surface and borehole time‐lapse gravity to monitor CO2 in saline aquifers: a numerical feasibility study
Authors: Jacob Thomas , Rohmer Jérémy , Manceau Jean‐Charles
Published: September 2015

This numerical study focuses on the inversion of the CO2 plume shape and stored mass amount from both surface and borehole time‐lapse gravity simulated measurements in saline aquifers. Solving for the density distribution at depth and hence the shape of the plume is an ill‐posed inverse problem which requires regularization. We opt for regularized least‐square inversion, using both L‐Curve and general cross validation methods to obtain the regularization parameter. Numerical inversion experiments are set up by modeling the spatial distribution of injected gaseous CO2 using a 1D radial transport model, which allows testing for both injected mass amount and injection depth. We find that including surface data alone, the error on the position of the inverted plume is of the order of ∼30% for the shallowest aquifer depths of 800 to 1200 m and for injected CO2 mass larger than 10 Mt. The positioning error increases as depth increases and injection mass decreases. The addition of measurements from a single borehole to surface measurements, though stabilizing the inversion, only reduces the error on the position by a mere 5%. However, while the positioning error is high, the real CO2 mass within the inverted CO2 plume area is close to the total injected CO2 mass, with more than 90% of the injected mass being captured using surface and borehole data with the L‐Curve method. This relatively high mass ratio shows that this method can be used to detect the main bulk of the injected CO2 plume. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd
Characterization of kinetic limitations to atmospheric CO2 capture by solid sorbent
Authors: Wang Tao , Liu Jun , Lackner Klaus S. , Shi Xiaoyang , Fang Mengxiang , Luo Zhongyang
Published: September 2015

Scrubbing CO2 directly from the ambient air (air capture) by sorbent is an emerging technology to address climate change due to anthropic emission of greenhouse gases. A good understanding of thermodynamics and reaction kinetics under ultra‐low CO2 concentration and variable humidity is fundamental to the design of economic air capture. In this study, the adsorption kinetics of a novel moisture swing process for air capture is characterized. The variation of humidity alters not only the adsorption equilibrium but also the adsorption kinetics, due to a water involved chemical reaction. A heterogeneously structured sorbent sheet with strong based ion exchange resin inside as active constituent is employed to capture the atmospheric CO2 under different humidity. Traditional shrinking core model (SCM) is modified to reveal the mass transfer resistance inside of the sorbent for CO2 adsorption under ultra‐low CO2 concentration. The modified SCM reveals that, at most cases, the adsorption kinetics is controlled by diffusion inside of the sorbent particle. A transition from physical diffusion controlled kinetics to chemical reaction controlled kinetics is observed as humidity increases. Further kinetic analysis suggests that, among the optimization technologies such as seeking functional group with faster chemical reaction or fabricating thinner support layer, preparing sorbent particle with smaller size or higher porosity should have much more potential on the enhancement of air capture kinetics. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd
Sirtuin 4 Regulates Lipopolysaccharide Mediated Leydig Cell Dysfunction
Authors: Ramatchandirin Balamurugan , Sadasivam Mohanraj , Kannan Arun , Prahalathan Chidambaram
Published: September 2015

Bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is the most important contributing factor in pathogenesis of bacterial infection in male accessory glands; and it has shown to inhibit testicular steroidogenesis and induce apoptosis. The present study demonstrates that LPS causes mitochondrial dysfunction via suppression of sirtuin 4 (SIRT4); which in turn affects Leydig cell function by modulating steroidogenesis and apoptosis. LC‐540 Leydig cells treated with LPS (10µg/ml) showed impaired steroidogenesis and increased cellular apoptosis. The mRNA and protein expression of SIRT4 were decreased in LPS treated cells when compared to controls. The obtained data suggest that the c‐Jun N‐terminal kinase (JNK) activation suppresses SIRT4 expression in LPS treated Leydig cells. Furthermore, the overexpression of SIRT4 prevented LPS induced impaired steroidogenesis and cellular apoptosis by improving mitochondrial function. These findings provide valuable information that SIRT4 regulates LPS mediated Leydig cell dysfunction. J. Cell. Biochem. 117: 904–916, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Synthesis of 2‐14C‐iminothiolane and 2‐13C,15N‐iminothiolane (Traut's reagent)
Authors: Wallace Michael , Allentoff Alban J. , Brailsford John , Gong Sharon , Bonacorsi Samuel , Rinaldi Frank
Published: September 2015

2‐Iminothiolane has found utility in the growing area of antibody–drug conjugates by serving as a lysine‐thiolating agent and the junction between the antibody and the cytotoxic payload during random conjugation of a monoclonal antibody. 2‐14C‐Iminothiolane was prepared from commercially available [14C]KCN using a four‐step sequence in an overall 10% radiochemical yield. Stable‐labeled 2‐13C,15N‐iminothiolane was also prepared from [13C15N]KCN in a similar manner. The. labeled Traut's reagent produced by this sequence showed comparable reactivity as the commercially available unlabeled reagent with a representative monoclonal antibody and could serve as highly informative analytical tools to investigate antibody–drug conjugate formation via the random conjugation process.
Specific rhizobacterial resources: characterization and comparative analysis from contrasting coastal environments of Korea
Authors: You Young‐Hyun , Park Jong Myong , Park Jong‐Han , Kim Jong‐Guk
Published: September 2015

This study analyzed the rhizobacterial distribution from two coasts, which show contrasting climates and geographical and geological characteristics, to secure specific microbial resources. Furthermore, rhizobacteria were characterized and the results were comparatively analyzed with reference to the characteristics of two coastal environments. For this purpose, three representative halophyte species communities native to the Dokdo Islands and the East Sea coast of Korea were selected. Partial identification of rhizobacteria showed a clear difference between each sampling site and halophyte. Furthermore, isolates were characterized by their growth properties under NaCl or pH gradients related with previous geographical, geological, and climatic studies of the Dokdo Islands and the East Sea coast. A high proportion of the East Sea isolates showed halotolerance, but a high proportion of Dokdo isolates shared halophilic traits. Meanwhile, a higher proportion of East Sea isolates grew at a wider range of pH values than those of the Dokdo Islands. The results of our study suggest that unique rhizobacterial resources developed under specific rhizospheric conditions derived from halophytes interacting with their specific environment, even within the same coastal halophytic species. Therefore, this study proposes the necessity of securing characterized and unique microbial resources to apply to specific environments for the purpose of recovering and restoring sand dunes or salt‐damaged agricultural lands.
Climatology and trend of wind power resources in China and its surrounding regions: a revisit using Climate Forecast System Reanalysis data
Authors: Yu Lejiang , Zhong Shiyuan , Bian Xindi , Heilman Warren E.
Published: September 2015

The mean climatology, seasonal and interannual variability and trend of wind speeds at the hub height (80 m) of modern wind turbines over China and its surrounding regions are revisited using 33‐year (1979–2011) wind data from the Climate Forecast System Reanalysis (CFSR) that has many improvements including higher spatial resolution over previous global reanalysis products. Mean 80‐m wind speeds are consistently higher over China Seas and the ocean areas than over land, and inside China high winds are found in areas of Inner Mongolia and the Tibetan Plateau. There is a considerable seasonal variability that reflects primarily the influence of East and Southeast Asia Monsoon with generally higher speeds in winter followed by summer, and weaker winds in autumn, followed by spring. There is also a strong interannual variability, and regions of larger amplitude of variability coincide with regions of higher mean winds. A decreasing trend, dominated by a sharp decline beginning in 2005, is seen across China and the surrounding seas in summer and autumn, and the summer trends over land and over ocean appear to be related respectively to the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) and the East Asian summer monsoon. Trends are not consistent across the region in spring and winter, however, with positive trends over some areas in northeastern and northwestern China, Mongolia and tropical oceans whereas negative trends in other regions. Nearly all areas of China experience mean annual 80‐m wind speed less than 6.9 m s−1 (wind power classes of 1–2) except for some areas of Inner Mongolia where mean annual 80‐m wind speeds exceed 6.9 m s−1 (Classes 3 or higher, suitable for wind energy development). China Seas and ocean areas generally fall in Class 3 or above, with the Taiwan and Luzon Straights reaching the highest Class 7.
Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) for lymph node metastases in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Wu Huiyong , Liu Shuguang , Zheng Jinsong , Ji Guanglei , Han Jianjun , Xie Yinfa
Published: September 2015

Objective

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with regional lymph node metastases.

Methods

Forty‐eight patients with HCC and regional lymph node metastases were enrolled in this study. The patients were allocated into two groups: Group A (28 patients) underwent TACE for both intrahepatic tumors and lymph node metastasis and Group B (20 patients) received TACE for intrahepatic tumors only.

Results

The patients were followed‐up by contrast enhanced CT scan 6–8 weeks after TACE treatment. In Group A, seven and nine patients achieved complete and partial response for lymph node metastasis, respectively, with 1‐year and 2‐year overall survival rates of 60.7% and 35.7%, respectively. In contrast, none of the patients in Group B achieved a complete response, whereas four patients achieved a partial response. The 1‐year and 2‐year survival rates for the patients in Group B were 40% and 0%, respectively. The difference in survival between the two groups was statistically significant (P = 0.001).

Conclusions

TACE is an effective treatment to regional lymph node metastasis in HCC without significant side effects and could provide survival benefits to the patients with advanced HCC. J. Surg. Oncol. 2015; 112:372–376. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Coping Self‐Efficacy Moderates the Association Between Severity of Partner Violence and PTSD Symptoms Among Incarcerated Women
Authors: DeCou Christopher R. , Lynch Shannon M. , Cole Trevor T. , Kaplan Stephanie P.
Published: September 2015

Previous research indicates self‐efficacy may function as a protective factor for survivors of partner violence (PV), including coping self‐efficacy specific to domestic violence. We hypothesized that domestic violence coping self‐efficacy would moderate the association between recent PV and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in a sample of incarcerated women, such that the association between PV and PTSD would be strongest at low levels of domestic violence coping self‐efficacy. Participants (N = 102) were incarcerated women who reported PV in the year prior to incarceration. They were aged 19–55 years (M = 33.57, SD = 9.32), identified predominantly as European American (84.3%), American Indian (15.7%), and Hispanic (14.7%), with 80.4% completing high school or more in terms of education. Participants responded to self‐report measures of PV, trauma history, domestic violence coping self‐efficacy, and current PTSD symptoms. In a series of sequential regression analyses, PV (β = .65, sr2 = .06, p = .017) was significantly associated with current PTSD symptoms above and beyond past trauma history (β = .37, sr2 = .14, p < .001), and this association was moderated by domestic violence coping self‐efficacy (Domestic Violence Coping Self‐Efficacy × Partner Violence; β = −.54, sr2 = .03, p = .044). The relationship between PV and PTSD symptoms was greatest at low and average levels of domestic violence coping self‐efficacy and nonsignificant at high levels of domestic violence coping self‐efficacy. These findings highlight the importance of assessing domestic violence coping self‐efficacy in incarcerated women with recent PV, given that domestic violence coping self‐efficacy appeared to be protective against symptoms of PTSD.
Photo‐Reversible Supramolecular Hydrogels Assembled by α‐Cyclodextrin and Azobenzene Substituted Poly(acrylic acid)s: Effect of Substitution Degree, Concentration, and Tethered Chain Length
Authors: Wang Mingwei , Zhang Xiaojun , Li Li , Wang Junyou , Wang Jie , Ma Jun , Yuan Zhenyu , Lincoln Stephen F. , Guo Xuhong
Published: September 2015

Photo‐reversible supramolecular hydrogels based on the mixture of α‐cyclodextrin (α‐CD) and azobenzene (Azo) substituted poly(acrylic acid) s were prepared. Effects of substitution degree of Azo, polymer concentration and tethered chain length on the reversible sol–gel transition of these mixtures trigged by Ultraviolet–Visible (UV–Vis) radiation were investigated through rheology and UV–Vis spectroscopy. Their zero‐shear viscosities enhanced upon increasing substitution degree of Azo, polymer concentration, and the tethered chain length between Azo grafts and backbone, while the zero viscosities decreased upon adding free α‐CD. The binding constant between α‐cyclodextrin and azobenzene, which were determined by UV–Vis spectroscopy, showed a strong dependence on the length of tethered chain.
REM sleep behavior disorder, as assessed by questionnaire, in G2019S LRRK2 mutation PD and carriers
Authors: Saunders‐Pullman Rachel , Alcalay Roy N. , Mirelman Anat , Wang Cuiling , Luciano Marta San , Ortega Roberto A. , Glickman Amanda , Raymond Deborah , Mejia‐Santana Helen , Doan Nancy , Johannes Brooke , Yasinovsky Kira , Ozelius Laurie , Clark Lorraine , Orr‐Utreger Avi , Marder Karen , Giladi Nir , Bressman Susan B. ,   the AJ LRRK2 Consortium
Published: September 2015

Background

Rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder occurs with idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD) and often precedes PD. Its frequency inLRRK2‐PD and utility as a preclinical marker has not been established.

Methods

One hundred forty‐four idiopathic PD, 142LRRK2G2019S mutation PD, 117 non‐manifesting carriers, 93 related noncarriers, and 40 healthy controls completed the Rapid eye movement sleep Behavior Disorder Screening Questionnaire.

Results

Cut scores were met by 30.6% idiopathic PD, 19.7%LRRK2‐PD, 6% nonmanifesting carriers, 20.4% related noncarriers, and 15% controls. The likelihood of abnormal scores was decreased inLRRK2‐PD versus idiopathic PD (odds ratio = 0.55,P= 0.03), nonmanifesting carriers versus related noncarriers (OR = 0.25,P< 0.01), and PD of less than 3 years' duration, 1 of 19LRRK2‐PD versus 14 of 41 idiopathic PD (P< 0.05).

Conclusions

A lower frequency of abnormal questionnaire scores is seen inLRRK2‐PD, especially in earlyLRRK2‐PD, and in nonmanifesting carriers. Therefore, the Rapid eye movement sleep Behavior Disorder Questionnaire is unlikely to serve as a preclinical marker for phenoconversion to PD. © 2015 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society
Chimerical anterolateral thigh flap for plantar reconstruction
Authors: Olivan Marcelo V. , Busnardo Fábio F. , Faria José C. , Coltro Pedro S. , Grillo Victor A. , Gemperli Rolf
Published: September 2015

Objective

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the results of reconstruction and rehabilitation of patients with plantar defects by using a chimerical flap of muscle and skin from anterolateral thigh.

Methods

Twenty‐five patients with plantar defects were reconstructed with a chimerical anterolateral thigh (ALT) flap, composed by a vastus lateralis muscle segment and a thinned skin island. Neurorrhaphy between lateral femoral cutaneous nerve and calcaneal nerve was performed in 7 patients. Evaluation of flap contour and stability and patient ambulation was performed 6 and 12 months after surgery. Evaluation of cutaneous sensiblity of ALT flap and contralateral thigh was performed 12 months after surgery using Pressure Specified Sensory Device™ (PSSD™).

Results

Flap viability was complete in 23 patients and 2 patients had complications with partial flap loss of its cutaneous component. Six months postoperatively, flap contour, and stability was considered good in 19 and 21 patients respectively, and all 25 patients presented good ambulation. Twelve months postoperatively, all 25 patients presented good flap contour and stability, as well as good ambulation. All 7 flaps undergoing to reinnervation partially recovered cutaneous sensibility in comparison to donor site (contralateral thigh). Cutaneous tactile thresholds (g/mm2) of static one‐point test and moving one‐point test from the ALT flap and the contralateral thigh presented statistically significant differences, for both comparisons (P = 0.009, P = 0.002).

Conclusion

This flap is suitable for reconstruction of plantar defects, with good flap contour and stability, proper patient ambulation and low complication rates. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microsurgery 35:546–552, 2015.
The role of genetically engineered pigs in xenotransplantation research
Authors: Cooper David KC , Ekser Burcin , Ramsoondar Jagdeece , Phelps Carol , Ayares David
Published: September 2015

There is a critical shortage in the number of deceased human organs that become available for the purposes of clinical transplantation. This problem might be resolved by the transplantation of organs from pigs genetically engineered to protect them from the human immune response. The pathobiological barriers to successful pig organ transplantation in primates include activation of the innate and adaptive immune systems, coagulation dysregulation and inflammation. Genetic engineering of the pig as an organ source has increased the survival of the transplanted pig heart, kidney, islet and corneal graft in non‐human primates (NHPs) from minutes to months or occasionally years. Genetic engineering may also contribute to any physiological barriers that might be identified, as well as to reducing the risks of transfer of a potentially infectious micro‐organism with the organ. There are now an estimated 40 or more genetic alterations that have been carried out in pigs, with some pigs expressing five or six manipulations. With the new technology now available, it will become increasingly common for a pig to express even more genetic manipulations, and these could be tested in the pig‐to‐NHP models to assess their efficacy and benefit. It is therefore likely that clinical trials of pig kidney, heart and islet transplantation will become feasible in the near future. Copyright © 2015 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Endoplasmic reticulum chaperone gp96 in macrophages is essential for protective immunity during Gram‐negative pneumonia
Authors: Anas Adam A , de Vos Alex F , Hoogendijk Arie J , van Lieshout Miriam HP , van Heijst Jeroen WJ , Florquin Sandrine , Li Zihai , van 't Veer Cornelis , van der Poll Tom
Published: September 2015

Klebsiella pneumoniaeis among the most common Gram‐negative bacteria that cause pneumonia. Gp96 is an endoplasmic reticulum chaperone that is essential for the trafficking and function of Toll‐like receptors (TLRs) and integrins. To determine the role of gp96 in myeloid cells in host defence duringKlebsiellapneumonia, mice homozygous for the conditionalHsp90b1allele encoding gp96 were crossed with mice expressing Cre‐recombinase under control of theLysMpromoter to generateLysMcre‐Hsp90b1‐flox mice.LysMcre‐Hsp90b1‐flox mice showed absence of gp96 protein in macrophages and partial depletion in monocytes and granulocytes. This was accompanied by almost complete absence ofTLR2andTLR4on macrophages. Likewise, integrin subunitsCD11bandCD18were not detectable on macrophages, while being only slightly reduced on monocytes and granulocytes. Gp96‐deficient macrophages did not release pro‐inflammatory cytokines in response toKlebsiellaand displayed reduced phagocytic capacity independent ofCD18.LysMcre‐Hsp90b1‐flox mice were highly vulnerable to lower airway infection induced byK. pneumoniae, as reflected by enhanced bacterial growth and a higher mortality rate. The early inflammatory response inHsp90b1‐flox mice was characterized by strongly impaired recruitment of granulocytes into the lungs, accompanied by attenuated production of pro‐inflammatory cytokines, while the inflammatory response during late‐stage pneumonia was not dependent on the presence of gp96. BlockingCD18did not reproduce the impaired host defence ofLysMcre‐Hsp90b1‐flox mice duringKlebsiellapneumonia. These data indicate that macrophage gp96 is essential for protective immunity during Gram‐negative pneumonia by regulatingTLRexpression. Copyright © 2015 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Nanoparticles as structure‐directing agents for controlling the orientation of block copolymer microdomain in thin films
Authors: Kim Seyong , Wang Hyun Suk , Jang Se Gyu , Choi Soo‐Hyung , Kim Bumjoon J. , Bang Joona
Published: September 2015

Block copolymer/nanoparticle (BCP/NP) composites have attracted much attention due to their easiness of fabricating nanoscopic hierarchical structures, and significantly enhanced chemical and physical properties of the nanocomposites. Most of the focus in co‐assembly of BCPs and NPs has been placed on the controlled alignment of NPs, “passively,” in the BCP domain. However, NPs with carefully designed interfacial properties “actively” direct self‐assembled structure of BCP in a nonconventional route. Herein, we review recent investigations of the self‐assembly of BCP domains in thin films via the addition of structure‐directing organic and inorganic NPs. Understanding the phase behavior of BCP/NP co‐assembly along with the theoretical description can shed a light on the far‐reaching potentials to creating nonconventional nanostructures rarely obtained via traditional fabrication tools. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2016, 54, 118–127
Beta‐lactam versus beta‐ lactam/macrolide therapy in pediatric outpatient pneumonia
Authors: Ambroggio Lilliam , Test Matthew , Metlay Joshua P. , Graf Thomas R. , Blosky Mary Ann , Macaluso Maurizio , Shah Samir S.
Published: September 2015

Objective

The objective was to evaluate the comparative effectiveness of beta‐lactam monotherapy and beta‐ lactam/macrolide combination therapy in the outpatient management of children with community‐acquired pneumonia (CAP).

Methods

This retrospective cohort study included children, ages 1–18 years, with CAP diagnosed between January 1, 2008 and January 31, 2010 during outpatient management in the Geisinger Health System. The primary exposure was receipt of beta‐lactam monotherapy or beta‐lactam/macrolide combination therapy. The primary outcome was treatment failure, defined as a follow‐up visit within 14 days of diagnosis resulting in a change in antibiotic therapy. Logistic regression within a propensity score‐ restricted cohort was used to estimate the likelihood of treatment failure.

Results

Of 717 children in the analytical cohort, 570 (79.4%) received beta‐lactam monotherapy and 147 (20.1%) received combination therapy. Of those who received combination therapy 58.2% of children were under 6 years of age. Treatment failure occurred in 55 (7.7%) children, including in 8.1% of monotherapy recipients, and 6.1% of combination therapy recipients. Treatment failure rates were highest in children 6–18 years receiving monotherapy (12.9%) and lowest in children 6–18 years receiving combination therapy (4.0%). Children 6–18 years of age who received combination therapy were less likely to fail treatment than those who received beta‐lactam monotherapy (propensity‐adjusted odds ratio, 0.51; 95% confidence interval, 0.28, 0.95).

Conclusion

Children 6–18 years of age who received beta‐ lactam/macrolide combination therapy for CAP in the outpatient setting had lower odds of treatment failure compared with those who received beta‐lactam monotherapy. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2016;51:541–548. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Designing risk matrices to avoid risk ranking reversal errors
Authors: Baybutt Paul
Published: September 2015

Risk matrices are used in process safety to rate and rank risks of hazardous events to help with decision making on risk reduction for processes. For example, commonly they are used in process hazard analysis to rate the risks of hazard scenarios. Flaws in their theoretical framework and mathematical inconsistencies in their use have been identified in the risk analysis literature. These flaws pose potentially serious problems for the application of risk matrices in process safety. One of the most significant flaws is the potential for risk ranking reversals wherein an incorrect assignment of a higher risk event to a lower risk level and a lower risk event to a higher risk level may occur. This article discusses the nature of the problem and describes how it can be addressed for risk matrices used in process safety. © 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Process Saf Prog 35: 41–46, 2016
Output feedback quantized observer‐based synchronization of linear multi‐agent systems over jointly connected topologies
Authors: Meng Yang , Li Tao , Zhang Ji‐Feng
Published: September 2015

The synchronization problem of linear over‐actuated multi‐agent systems with unmeasurable states is studied in this paper, under both limited communication data rate and switching topology flows. A class of adaptive quantized observer‐based encoding–decoding schemes and a class of certainty equivalence principle‐based control protocols are proposed. By developing the graph‐based space decomposition technique and analyzing the closed‐loop quantized dynamic equations, it is shown that if the network topology flow is jointly connected, the communication channels are periodic active, and the agent dynamics is observable, and with the orthogonal system matrix, the proposed communication and control protocols can ensure the closed‐loop system to achieve synchronization exponentially fast with finite bits of information exchange per step. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Microstructural Dependence of Tensile and Fatigue Properties of Compacted Graphite Iron in Diesel Engine Components
Authors: Ghodrat Sepideh , Kestens Leo A. I.
Published: September 2015

Engine components experience high temperatures during operation, which deteriorates the mechanical properties and induce an acceleration of fatigue damage. Compacted Graphite Iron (CGI) provides a combination of thermal and mechanical properties satisfying the requirements of diesel engine components of cylinder heads. In order to explore the effect of the microstructural state of CGI on the tensile properties and fatigue lifetime, an annealing treatment of 720 h at 420 °C is carried out to generate two additional initial conditions of the CGI microstructure: annealed in open atmosphere and annealed in vacuum, whereby these results are compared with the as‐cast condition. It is observed that the annealing treatments cause an increase in yield strength, and concurrently an increase in ductility during static tensile loading at room temperature. During cyclic loading at room temperature an increase of lifetime is observed. These variations are far more pronounced after vacuum annealing. As the stronger bond of the ferrite/graphite interface compared to the pearlite/graphite interface, provides the better resistance to delamination, it will strengthen the material both in static and dynamic loading. The change of the local microstructure at the interface of the graphite and the metal matrix explains the concurrent increase in strength and ductility.
Can Disease-Specific Funding Harm Health? in the Shadow of HIV/AIDS Service Expansion
Authors: Wilson Nicholas
Published: September 2015

This article examines the effect of introducing a new HIV/AIDS service—prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT)—on overall quality of prenatal and postnatal care. My results suggest that local PMTCT introduction in Zambia may have actually increased all-cause child mortality in the short term. There is some evidence that vaccinations may have declined in the short term in association with local PMTCT introduction, suggesting that the new service may have partly crowded out existing pediatric health services.
Opening our eyes to Global Health; a philosophy of universal values
Authors: Wass Val
Published: September 2015

Globalization is advancing at a pace. As we strive to introduce ‘Global Health’ into clinical curricula we risk fundamental misunderstandings unless we clearly define what we aim to achieve. Clinicians must be prepared for a life time of uncertainty, change and challenge. The fluctuating world arena will undoubtedly impact on their future work in ways we cannot predict. Population migration, climate change and shifts in cultural dominance are already at play. Global health risks being translated through the eyes of Western ideology as disease-based curricula focused paternalistically on ‘helping’ the developing world. We must not lack humility to open eyes to learning within the context of increasingly diverse environments and patient populations. Global health is as ‘local’ as it is ‘international’. It should be viewed, I argue, as a philosophy based on the values and expectations found within ourselves and our communities. Responding to globalization lies not only in knowledge but embraces human rights, justice and, most importantly, self-awareness. Knowledge is more easily translated into curriculum objectives. We risk letting future clinicians and their patients down if we ignore the other universal values.
The Monge–Ampère constraint: Matching of isometries, density and regularity, and elastic theories of shallow shells
Authors: Lewicka Marta , Mahadevan L. , Pakzad Mohammad Reza
Published: September 2015

The main analytical ingredients of the first part of this paper are two independent results: a theorem on approximation of

W^{2,2}

solutions of the Monge–Ampère equation by smooth solutions, and a theorem on the matching (in other words, continuation) of second order isometries to exact isometric embeddings of 2d surface in

\mathbb{R}^{3}

.

In the second part, we rigorously derive the Γ-limit of 3-dimensional nonlinear elastic energy of a shallow shell of thickness

h

, where the depth of the shell scales like

h^{\alpha }

and the applied forces scale like

h^{\alpha + 2}

, in the limit when

h\rightarrow 0

. We offer a full analysis of the problem in the parameter range

\alpha \in (1/ 2,1)

. We also complete the analysis in some specific cases for the full range

\alpha \in (0,1)

, applying the results of the first part of the paper.

On démontre d'abord deux résultats indépendants, l'un sur la densité des fonctions régulières dans l'ensemble des solutions de l'équation de Monge–Ampère, l'autre sur la construction d'isométries exactes par continuation à partir d'isométries infinitésimales d'ordre 2, pour des surfaces bidimensionelles.

On dérive ensuite un modèle nouveau pour les coques minces peu profondes d'épaisseur

h

et profondeur de l'ordre de

h^{\alpha }

départant de la théorie trois-dimensionnelle de l'élasticité nonlinéaire. Le modèle limite obtenu par la Gamma-convergence consiste à minimiser une énergie biharmonique sous une contrainte de type Monge–Ampère. Ce résultat s'applique au cas où les forces sont de l'order de

h^{\alpha + 2}

et

1/ 2 < \alpha < 1

. On peut l'étendre pour

\alpha \in (0,1)

dans certains cas spécifics, utilisant les résultats de la première partie de l'article.
The relationship between temperament and character and psychotic-like experiences in healthy children and adolescents
Authors: Nitzburg G.C. , Gopin C.B. , Peters B.D. , Karlsgodt K.H. , Malhotra AK , DeRosse P.
Published: September 2015

Background

Prior work by our group identified personality profiles associated with psychotic-like experiences (PLE's) in healthy adults that were strikingly similar to those found in schizophrenia patients, with the exception of two key differences. Specifically, higher levels of PLE's were linked to higher persistence and cooperativeness, suggesting that these characteristics might represent personality-based resilience factors. Notably, age and personality were significantly correlated in these data, raising questions about whether healthy children and adolescents would show similar results. To date, no study has examined personality profiles associated with both positive and negative PLE's in healthy children and adolescents using Cloninger's Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI). Thus, this study examined the relationship between TCI dimensions and PLE's in healthy children and adolescents.

Method

The TCI and the Community Assessment of Psychic Experiences (CAPE) were administered to 123 healthy children and adolescents aged 8–18. Multiple regression models were used to examine personality dimensions associated with overall severity of PLE's as well as severity of positive and negative PLE's separately.

Results

Positive, negative, and overall PLE severity were all associated with a personality pattern of higher harm avoidance and lower self-directedness. Negative PLE severity was also associated with lower persistence.

Conclusions

Personality correlates of PLE's in healthy children and adolescents were largely consistent with our past work on PLE's in healthy adults. However, our previously identified resilience factors were notably absent in this sample. These findings may suggest that these personality characteristics have not yet crystallized or emerged to aid in coping with PLE's.
Materiality and death: Visual arts and Northern Thai funerals
Authors: Hall Rebecca S.
Published: September 2015

Visual arts maintain a colourful presence at Buddhist funerals in Northern Thailand. These arts are not made for mere decoration but serve an active and essential role in the ceremonies that take place after death. They echo funerary themes of the impermanent nature of life and the importance of a life filled with merit. This article examines cremation structures and funeral banners of Northern Thailand and argues that these arts not only hold significance for the living and the dead, but that in giving form to abstract concepts they have the power to guide observers in their beliefs regarding the dynamics of life and death.
The microorganisms of cryoconite holes (algae, Archaea, bacteria, cyanobacteria, fungi, and Protista): a review
Authors: Kaczmarek Łukasz , Jakubowska Natalia , Celewicz-Gołdyn Sofia , Zawierucha Krzysztof
Published: September 2015

We provide a comprehensive list of microorganisms (algae, Archaea, bacteria, cyanobacteria, fungi, and Protista) inhabiting cryoconite holes on glaciers throughout the world, giving an updated taxonomy accompanied by geographic coordinates and localities. The list consists of 370 taxa reported from cryoconite holes (mostly from Arctic and Antarctic regions and European Alps). However, most of the taxa were not identified to the species level. Until now only 39 identified species or subspecies of bacteria and Archaea, 11 fungi, 17 cyanobacteria, 62 algae, and 13 Protista are known from cryoconite holes, which are only about 38% of total number of taxa reported from these ephemeral environments. Almost 62% of the taxa were marked ascf.(confer) or were identified only to the genera or even to the higher taxonomic units (such as families or orders). This wide and detailed review assists other scientists to identify the gaps in our knowledge about cryobionts and indicates directions for further zoogeographical and taxonomical studies in this unique freshwater habitat.
Prescribing of neuraminidase inhibitors for influenza in UK primary care since the 2009 pandemic
Authors: HARDELID P. , RAIT G. , GILBERT R. , PETERSEN I.
Published: September 2015

We determined prescribing rates of neuraminidase inhibitors (NIs) for influenza in UK primary care since 2009 in relation to national prescribing guidelines. All NI prescriptions issued during the influenza seasons between October 2010 and May 2013 were extracted from The Health Improvement Network (THIN), a large UK primary-care database. We calculated NI prescribing rates per 100 000 person-weeks (pw) by age group, sex, deprivation level, influenza season and presence of chronic conditions with 95% confidence intervals (CIs), and used negative binomial regression models to determine the independent association between these variables and NI prescribing. NI prescribing was rare. The prescribing rate was 1·7/100 000 pw (95% CI 1·7–1·8) during influenza-active periods, and 0·1/100 000 (95% CI 0·1–0·1) during non-active periods. Prescribing rates were highest in 25- to 44-year-olds in 2010/2011 and in persons aged ⩾85 years in 2011/2012 and 2012/2013. Individuals with chronic conditions had significantly higher prescribing rates than persons without (rate ratio 2·62, 95% CI 2·27–3·03). GPs are more likely to prescribe NIs to high-risk individuals and during influenza active periods, as per national guidelines. We could not assess the proportion of patients with influenza-like illness who were prescribed an NI.
Necessary Conditions for Morally Responsible Animal Research
Authors: DeGRAZIA DAVID , SEBO JEFF
Published: September 2015

In this article, we present three necessary conditions for morally responsible animal research that we believe people on both sides of this debate can accept. Specifically, we argue that, even if human beings have higher moral status than nonhuman animals, animal research is morally permissible only if it satisfies (1) an expectation of sufficient net benefit, (2) a worthwhile-life condition, and (3) a no-unnecessary-harm/qualified-basic-needs condition. We then claim that, whether or not these necessary conditions are jointly sufficient for justified animal research, they are relatively demanding, with the consequence that many animal experiments may fail to satisfy them.
Herod's Circus at Caesarea: a response to J. Patrich (JRA 14, 269-83)
Authors: Porath Y.
Published: September 2015

Over the last decade, a Herodian facility for chariot racing has been excavated at Caesarea Maritima by two different teams. A team of the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) under my direction has been responsible for excavating the cavea and most of the arena (fig. I), while the Combined Caesarea Expedition under J. Patrich has excavated the carceres and a small portion of the arena. Patrich recently published (JRA 14, 269-83) the archaeological evidence for the carceres, but some of his conclusions about how the facility as a whole operated, especially those relating to the larger area excavated by the IAA, are misleading, and I would like to discuss and correct them.

Patrich calls the stone-built facility for chariot racing a “hippodrome/stadium”, although that is not a commonly accepted term among the types of ancient entertainment buildings. The sources and archaeological evidence make it clear that an entertainment building belonging to a particular building type could house a wider variety of performances than just those chiefly associated with that type. Thus, in addition to chariot races, a circus could legitimately hold athletic contests typical of the stadium in front of the longitudinal sections of the cavea, and it might even hold performances typical of theatre and amphitheatre in its semicircular end opposite the start.
Un edificio del centro monumental deCarthago Nova:Análisis arquitectónico-decorativo e hipótesis interpretativas
Authors: Noguera Celdrán José Miguel
Published: September 2015

En los últimos decenios del s. I a.C. acaeció enCarthago Novaun intenso proceso de renovación urbanístico-arquitectónica, que probablemente encuentre su más remota génesis en los años posteriores a la fundación de la colonia y tras el viaje de inspección de César y Octaviano del año 45 a.C, momento en que el enclave asumió el nombre delulia, pasando a denominarsecolonia Urbs lulia Nova Carthago. El proceso afectó buena parte de la ciudad y encuentra sus más elocuentes expresiones a nivel arquitectónico en los nuevos proyectos y equipamientos monumentales alzados en sus sectores centro-occidentales, tales como el teatro, parte de los edificios del foro y, quizá, el anfiteatro. Sin embargo, el proyecto de monumentalización del centro urbano debió perdurar algunos decenios, prosiguiendo en las primeras décadas del s. I d.C. Buena muestra de ello son las estructuras, muy arrasadas, del edificio central de una composición arquitectónica de carácter monumental constatada en la calle Caballero; la excavación arqueológica ha posibilitado la recuperación casi íntegra de la planimetría del referido edificio que constaba de varias estancias (básicamente un vestíbulo y una sala interna) y debía estar emplazado al fondo de un pequeño atrio o patio, cuyos caracteres morfológicos y arquitectónicos son difíciles de precisar. El complejo se ubicaba en las inmediaciones de la plaza foral de la colonia, si bien su alineación respecto a ella y la presumible orientación hacia el NW de sus estructuras de acceso son indicios que no debía abrirse directamente a la plaza sino, más probablemente, a una presumible arteria de comunicación que desembocaría en ella de forma tangencial a su eje axial.
A model of demographic and economic change in Roman Egypt after the Antonine plague
Authors: Scheidel Walter
Published: September 2015

Demography has long been an essential ingredient of economic history. Students of the “ancient economy”, by contrast, have been late to give demography its due weight, and attempts to illustrate the potential relevance of population issues have been rare.1 This case-study of Roman Egypt aims to interpret empirical evidence of economic change with reference to demographic factors. I will argue that in the late 2nd c. A.D. a severe mortality crisis triggered price and wage shocks, and that during the following century the resultant population loss contributed to a decrease in the return on land and to a rise in the real wages of workers. I must stress at the outset that my model is deductive in so far as it predicts specific developments based on the internal logic of economic and demographic relationships as illustrated or corroborated by comparative evidence from other periods, and also in that it seeks to situate and explain disparate samples of empirical data within a preconceived unifying interpretative framework. In this it is my goal to provide the most economical and internally consistent explanation for the largest possible amount of the available data. No explanatory model can ever be “complete” or even “correct” to the extent that it would accommodate every single artifact of historical information, eliminate the need for complementary explanations, or fully disentangle the complexity of historical events; rather, it needs to be judged in terms of whether it exceeds (actual or potential) comparably comprehensive alternative models in its capacity to interpret and explain the evidence in a logically coherent and historically plausible fashion.
The effects of plague: model and evidence
Authors: Bagnall Roger S.
Published: September 2015

In the foregoing article, W. Scheidel builds on earlier work, most notably that of R. P. Duncan-Jones in JRA 9, to offer a model for the predicted effects of the Antonine plague and to argue that the model fits the evidence from Roman Egypt reasonably well within the limits of the quantity and quality of the latter. In his second footnote, he encourages critical response, suggesting that it “may either corroborate or undermine my interpretation.” The following pages are intended as a contribution to that discussion, but with lesser ambitions than either corroborating or undermining the model as a whole. They offer some of both, in fact, but more in the direction of undermining it.

There are three reasons for not claiming too much at this point and not offering any general conclusion (as I do not). The first is that I do not have any fixed views on the degree to which the plague was the prime mover behind the changes visible in late 2nd- and 3rd-c. Egypt. In the absence of any concerted attempt to formulate and test other hypotheses about the engines of social and economic change, it is hard to say if the degree of fit of evidence to model is impressive or not. The most obvious counter-candidate is the increased municipalization of Egypt during just this period, especially from A.D. 200 onward. It would be useful to generate a model of economic change from this force and see if it is equally capable of accounting for the evidence.