bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
From land to lake
Authors: Bonnichsen Bill , Boroughs Scott , Godchaux Martha M. , Wolff John
Published: May 2016

The western Snake River Plain (SRP) is a southeast-northwest–trending complex graben bounded on the SW by the Owyhee Front. This graben, which merges with the central SRP at its southeast end near Bruneau Canyon, is a subsidiary tectonic feature that resulted from southwest-northeast extension as the main SRP–Yellowstone hotspot trend evolved. Silicic volcanism during the late Miocene along the Owyhee Front and in the central SRP resulted in large welded-tuff and rhyolite lava flows being erupted; these are well exposed southwest of the western Snake River Plain (WSRP) and in the western Mount Bennett Hills, northeast of where the western and central SRP merge. As the WSRP graben developed, it held a large lake, into which some of the rhyolite units flowed. At various stops described in this field guide, the characteristics of rhyolite lavas versus rheomorphically deformed welded tuffs, and of subaerially deposited versus subaqueously deposited rhyolite units, are displayed. During Pliocene and Pleistocene time, basaltic volcanism partially filled the WSRP graben and developed a basalt plateau across much of the central SRP. At various stops described in this field guide, the characteristics of subaerial versus subaqueous basalt flows, and of phreatomagmatic vent complexes, are displayed. Altogether, the stops described provide a guide to the wide variety of rhyolitic and basaltic volcanism phenomena in the western SRP, Owhyee Front, western Mount Bennett Hills, and Bruneau Canyon areas.
Pre-Belt basement tour
Authors: Buddington Andrew M. , Wang Da , Doughty P. Ted
Published: May 2016

The Cougar Gulch area near Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, is a newly recognized Paleoproterozoic to Archean basement occurrence located in the southern Priest River complex. Here, a structural culmination exposes deeper levels of the core complex infrastructure, similar to where Archean basement is exposed in the northern portion of the complex near Priest River, Idaho. At Cougar Gulch, the basement rocks are composed of a variety of granitic orthogneisses and amphibolite, which are unconformably overlain by a graphite-bearing orthoquartzite. The orthoquartzite is in turn overlain by the Hauser Lake Gneiss. The similarity of structure, metamorphic fabrics, and kinematics here and in the northern portions of the complex is consistent with the Cougar Gulch area being the southern continuation of the Spokane dome mylonite zone.

Neoarchean amphibolites (2.65 Ga) have been identified as part of the basement sequence. These amphibolites had a basaltic protolith and can be distinguished geochemically from amphibolites found within the overlying Hauser Lake Gneiss (Mesoproterozoic, Lower Belt Group equivalent), which are metamorphosed Moyie sills. The Archean amphibolites have steeper REE (rare earth element) slopes and consistently higher REE values. Protoliths of the Paleoproterozoic orthogneisses (1.87–1.86 Ga) are calc-alkaline, “I-type” monzogranites and granodiorites, which exhibit subduction-related geochemical characteristics such as high LILE:HFSE (large ion lithophile element: high field strength element) concentrations, along with characteristic depletions in Nb, Ta, P, Ti, and Eu. A second distinctive geochemical unit of orthogneiss, the Kidd Creek tonalite, exhibits TTG (tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite) geochemical characteristics. The Kidd Creek tonalite has Sr/Y and La/Yb ratios, along with Y and HREE (heavy rare earth element) concentrations (no Eu anomalies) similar to Precambrian TTG compositions formed in subduction settings. Detrital zircon data from the orthoquartzite unit, along with characteristic graphite and its consistent stratigraphic level support correlation to the pre-Belt Gold Cup Quartzite in the northern part of the complex.
First presentation of Addison's disease as hyperkalaemia in acute kidney injury
Authors: Maki Sara , Kramarz Caroline , Maria Heister Paula , Pasha Kamran
Published: May 2016

Addison's disease is a rare endocrine disorder that frequently presents with non-specific symptoms, but may deteriorate rapidly into life-threatening Addisonian crisis if left untreated. Diagnosis can be difficult in patients without a suggestive medical history. We describe a case of a 37-year-old man who was admitted with acute kidney injury and hyperkalaemia, resistant to treatment with insulin/dextrose and calcium gluconate. On clinical examination, he was found to be hyperpigmented; a subsequent random serum cortisol of 49 nmol/L affirmed the preliminary diagnosis of Addison's disease. The patient's hyperkalaemia improved on treatment with hydrocortisone, and a follow-up morning adrenocorticotropic hormone of 1051 ng/L confirmed the diagnosis.
Bilateral dacryoadenitis as initial presentation of a locally aggressive and unresponsive limited form of orbital granulomatosis with polyangiitis
Authors: Lopes Caçola Rute , Morais Sandra Alves , Carvalho Rui , Môço Rui
Published: May 2016

Limited orbital granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) is uncommon and its diagnosis may be delayed, especially when isolated lacrimal involvement is the initial presentation, because clinical manifestations are non-specific and systemic diagnostic criteria are not applicable. Making an early diagnosis despite the absence of systemic progression is extremely important because in some cases the disease is locally destructive, with irreversible visual and functional loss, and it can be refractory to corticosteroids and conventional immunosuppressive drugs to induce remission. The authors report an unusual limited form of orbital GPA in a 35-year-old woman presenting with bilateral dacryoadenitis, evolving later to locally aggressive bilateral orbital pseudotumour leading to proptosis, extraocular myositis, diplopia and medial deviation of the nasal septum. She had never had systemic manifestations but her disease was persistently active and unresponsive to corticosteroids and immunosuppressors. The aim of this paper is to provide further evidence of aggressive and refractory limited forms of GPA.
Sports-related workload and injury risk: simply knowing the risks will not prevent injuries: Narrative review
Authors: Drew Michael K , Cook Jill , Finch Caroline F
Published: May 2016

Training loads contribute to sports injury risk but their mitigation has rarely been considered in a sports injury prevention framework. A key concept behind monitoring training loads for injury prevention is to screen for those at increased risk of injury so that workloads can be adjusted to minimise these risks. This review describes how advances in management of workload can be applied as a preventive measure. Primary prevention involves screening for preparticipation load risk factors, such as low training loads, prior to a training period or competition. Secondary prevention involves screening for workloads that are known to precede an injury developing so that modification can be undertaken to mitigate this risk. Tertiary prevention involves rehabilitation practices that include a graded return to training programme to reduce the risk of sustaining a subsequent injury. The association of training loads with injury incidence is now established. Prevention measures such as rule changes that affect the workload of an athlete are universal whereas those that address risk factors of an asymptomatic subgroup are more selective. Prevention measures, when implemented for asymptomatic individuals exhibiting possible injury risk factors, are indicated for an athlete at risk of developing a sports injury. Seven key indicated risks and associated prevention measures are proposed.
Syphilis among middle-aged female sex workers in China: a three-site cross-sectional study
Authors: Liu Hongjie , Dumenci Levent , Morisky Donald E , Xu Yongfang , Li Xiaojing , Jiang Baofa
Published: May 2016

Objectives

This study addresses the lack of empirical studies about the epidemic of syphilis among middle-aged female sex workers (FSWs). The objectives of this study were to investigate prevalence of syphilis, and its potential risk factors among middle-aged FSWs in China.

Design

A cross-sectional study with respondent-driven sampling (RDS).

Setting

A multisite study conducted at three Chinese cites (Nanning, Hefei, and Qingdao) with different levels of sexually transmitted diseases in 2014.

Participants

1245 middle-aged female sex workers who were over 35 years old (about 400 per study site).

Main outcome measures

Unprotected commercial sex, and syphilis and HIV infection were biologically tested and measured.

Results

The RDS-adjusted prevalence of active syphilis was 17.3% in Hefei, 9.9% in Qingdao, and 5.4% in Nanning. The RDS-adjusted prevalence of prevalent syphilis was between 6.8% and 33.6% in the three cities. The proportion of unprotected sex in the past 48 h verified by the prostate-specific antigen test (PSA) was between 27.8% and 42.4%. Multiple log-binomial regression analyses indicate that middle-aged FSWs who had 5 or more clients in the past week prior to interviews and engaged in unprotected sex were more likely to be active syphilitic cases. Middle-aged FSWs who had rural residency were less likely to be active syphilitic cases.

Conclusions

In contrast with previous studies that reported low prevalence of syphilis and high prevalence of protected sex among FSWs in China, both the prevalence of syphilis and unprotected sex were high among middle-aged FSWs. Evidence-based intervention programmes should be developed and evaluated among this vulnerable population in China and other countries with similar settings.
Does case management for patients with heart failure based in the community reduce unplanned hospital admissions? A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Huntley A L , Johnson R , King A , Morris R W , Purdy S
Published: May 2016

Objectives

The aim of this systematic review of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and controlled trials (non-RCTs, NRCTs) is to investigate the effectiveness and related costs of case management (CM) for patients with heart failure (HF) predominantly based in the community in reducing unplanned readmissions and length of stay (LOS).

Setting

CM initiated either while as an inpatient, or on discharge from acute care hospitals, or in the community and then continuing on in the community.

Participants

Adults with a diagnosis of HF and resident in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries.

Intervention

CM based on nurse coordinated multicomponent care which is applicable to the primary care-based health systems.

Primary and secondary outcomes

Primary outcomes of interest were unplanned (re)admissions, LOS and any related cost data. Secondary outcomes were primary healthcare resources.

Results

22 studies were included: 17 RCTs and 5 NRCTs. 17 studies described hospital-initiated CM (n=4794) and 5 described community-initiated CM of HF (n=3832). Hospital-initiated CM reduced readmissions (rate ratio 0.74 (95% CI 0.60 to 0.92), p=0.008) and LOS (mean difference −1.28 days (95% CI −2.04 to −0.52), p=0.001) in favour of CM compared with usual care. 9 trials described cost data of which 6 reported no difference between CM and usual care. There were 4 studies of community-initiated CM versus usual care (2 RCTs and 2 NRCTs) with only the 2 NRCTs showing a reduction in admissions.

Conclusions

Hospital-initiated CM can be successful in reducing unplanned hospital readmissions for HF and length of hospital stay for people with HF. 9 trials described cost data; no clear difference emerged between CM and usual care. There was limited evidence for community-initiated CM which suggested it does not reduce admission.
Statewide retrospective study of low acuity emergency presentations in New South Wales, Australia: who, what, where and why?
Authors: Dinh Michael M , Berendsen Russell Saartje , Bein Kendall J , Chalkley Dane R , Muscatello David , Paoloni Richard , Ivers Rebecca
Published: May 2016

Objective

The present study aims to use a statewide population-based registry to assess the prevalence of low acuity emergency department (ED) presentations, describe the trend in presentation rates and to determine whether they were associated with various presentation characteristics such as the type of hospital as well as clinical and demographic variables.

Design and setting

This was a retrospective analysis of a population-based registry of ED presentations in New South Wales (NSW). Generalised estimating equations with log links were used to determine factors associated with low acuity presentations to account for repeat presentations and the possibility of clustering of outcomes.

Participants

Patients were included in this analysis if they presented to an ED between January 2010 and December 2014. The outcomes of interest were low acuity presentation, defined as those who self-presented (were not transported by ambulance), were assigned a triage category of 4 or 5 (semiurgent or non-urgent) and discharged back to usual residence from ED.

Results

There were 10.7 million ED presentations analysed. Of these, 45% were classified as a low acuity presentation. There was no discernible increase in the rate of low acuity presentations across NSW between 2010 and 2014. The strongest predictors of low acuity ED presentation were age <40 years of age (OR 1.77); injury or musculoskeletal administrative and non-urgent procedures (OR 2.96); ear, nose and throat, eye or oral (OR 5.53); skin or allergy-type presenting problems (OR 2.84).

Conclusions

Low acuity ED presentations comprise almost half of all ED presentations. Alternative emergency models of care may help meet the needs of these patients.
Irie Classroom Toolbox: a study protocol for a cluster-randomised trial of a universal violence prevention programme in Jamaican preschools
Authors: Baker-Henningham Helen , Vera-Hernández Marcos , Alderman Harold , Walker Susan
Published: May 2016

Introduction

We aim to determine the effectiveness of a school-based violence prevention programme implemented in Jamaican preschools, on reducing the levels of aggression among children at school, and violence against children by teachers.

Methods and analysis

This is a 2-arm, single-blind, cluster-randomised controlled trial with parallel assignment. Clusters are 76 preschools in Kingston, and all teachers and classrooms in the selected schools are included in the study. In addition, a random sample of up to 12 children in the 4-year-old classes have been selected for evaluation of child-level outcomes. The intervention involves training teachers in classroom behaviour management and in strategies to promote children's social-emotional competence. Training is delivered through five full-day workshops, monthly in-class coaching over 2 school terms, and weekly text messages. The primary outcome measures are: (1) observed levels of child aggression and (2) observed violence against children by teachers. Secondary outcomes include observations of the levels of children's prosocial behaviour and the quality of the classroom environment, teachers’ reports of their mental health, teacher-reported child mental health, direct tests of children's self-regulation and child attendance.

Ethics and dissemination

If this intervention were effective at improving the caregiving environment of young children in school, this would have significant implications for the prevention of child mental health problems, and prevention of violence against children in low and middle-income countries where services are often limited. The intervention is integrated into the school system and involves training existing staff, and thus, represents an appropriate strategy for large-scale implementation and benefits at the population level. Ethical consent for the study was given by the School of Psychology Ethics and Research Committee, Bangor University (ref: 2014-14167), and by the University of the West Indies Ethics Committee (ref: ECP 50,14/15).

Trial registration number

ISRCTN11968472; Pre-results.
A Quality Improvement Project to Assess Timing of Initial Investigations in Stroke Medicine
Authors: Thompson Sarah , Jones Rhian
Published: May 2016

There are several investigations that can be completed in the acute phase of admission for patients with suspected stroke.These include receiving a CT Head scan and also blood tests specific for stroke. The national guidelines regarding CT Head scans detail they should be completed within 12 hours of admission1and the trust guidelines, local to where this quality improvement project was based, advise a CT Head should be completed within four hours of admission.2

The current national guidelines do not specify exact stroke blood tests, however trust guidelines give a specific set of blood tests that would be appropriate to be taken when a patient presents to A&E with a suspected stroke. These included FBC, U&E, blood glucose, ESR, cholesterol, TFTs, and coagulation screen.2The aim of this quality improvement project was to assess the timing of CT Head scans and blood tests and to implement a tool to ensure these are done in a timely fashion, within the emergency care setting. The project was completed through three PSDA cycles. The first was undertaken in an A&E department, which was soon to be closed and moved to a different site. The second cycle was then completed at the new site, to assess if there had been any change in timings of these interventions. In the previous site it was found that 97% of patients audited received a CT Head scan within four hours. At the new site it was found 94% patients received a CT Head within four hours, therefore both meeting trust targets on the whole. A full set of stroke blood tests were completed at the old site in 53% of patients and this decreased to 22% of patients at the new site. At this point it was decided an intervention should be implemented to ensure this did not continue. The intervention used was updating a stroke panel on the trust computer system (an easy to use, one-click button entitled “Stroke/TIA”) with the correct blood tests and the use of this was promoted throughout the trust.

A post-intervention audit was completed three months after the tool was promoted and patients receiving the correct blood tests whilst in the A&E department increased to 75%. The amount of patients receiving a CT Head scan within four hours was 100% therefore meeting both trust and national guidelines. In conclusion, the stroke blood panel appears to have improved the amount of patients receiving the correct blood tests when admitted with suspected stroke and will continue to stay in place at the trust.
The influence of refugee status and secondary migration on preterm birth
Authors: Wanigaratne Susitha , Cole Donald C , Bassil Kate , Hyman Ilene , Moineddin Rahim , Urquia Marcelo L
Published: May 2016

Background

It is unknown whether the risk of preterm birth (PTB) is elevated for forced (refugee) international migrants and whether prolonged displacement amplifies risk. While voluntary migrants who arrive from a country other than their country of birth (ie, secondary migrants) have favourable birth outcomes compared with those who migrated directly from their country of birth (ie, primary migrants), secondary migration may be detrimental for refugees who experience distinct challenges in transition countries. Our objectives were (1) to determine whether refugee status was associated with PTB and (2) whether the relation between refugee status and PTB differed between secondary and primary migrants.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective population-based cohort study. Ontario immigration (2002–2010) and hospitalisation data (2002–2010) were linked to estimate adjusted cumulative odds ratios (ACOR) of PTB (22–31, 32–36, 37–41 weeks of gestation), with 95% CIs (95% CI) comparing refugees with non-refugees. We further included a product term between refugee status and secondary migration.

Results

Overall, refugees (N=12 913) had 17% greater cumulative odds of short gestation (ACOR=1.17, 95% CI 1.07 to 1.28) compared with non-refugees (N=110 640). Secondary migration modified the association between refugee status and PTB (p=0.007). Secondary refugees had 58% greater cumulative odds of short gestation (ACOR=1.58, 95% CI 1.25 to 2.00) than secondary non-refugees, while primary refugees had 12% greater cumulative odds of short gestation (ACOR=1.12, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.23) than primary non-refugee immigrants.

Conclusions

Refugee status, jointly with secondary migration, influences PTB among migrants.
Gout and diabetes: a common combination
Authors: Collier Andrew , Stirling Angus , Cameron Lyall , Hair Mario , Crosbie David
Published: May 2016

The aims of this cross-sectional study were to compare metabolic parameters in people with gout and diabetes with gout only and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) only. Fifty General Practices in NHS Ayrshire and Arran (population 340 377) contributed data. The sample was split into three groups, those with both gout and T2DM, those with gout only and those with T2DM only. The prevalence of gout in Ayrshire and Arran was 2.65%. The prevalence of gout in people with type 1 and 2 diabetes was 1.90% (p=0.30) and 10.12% (p<10−5), respectively. Patients with both conditions were significantly more likely to be male (p<10−5), older (p<10−5), have a higher mean body mass index (p<0.001), higher triglycerides (p<10−4), lower mean total, high-density lipoprotein- and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (p<10−5), lower estimated glomerular filtration rate (p<0.001), neuropathy (p=0.02), lower haemoglobin (p<0.001), to be prescribed more medications (p<10−5) and less likely to smoke (p<0.01). There was an association between lower haemoglobin A1c and increased prevalence of gout (p<0.001). 42.4% of patients with gout alone and 36.2% of those with both gout and diabetes had a urate measure. This study defines much more clearly the association between gout and T2DM. Of interest, in terms of lifestyle, both better glycaemic control and smoking are associated with a higher prevalence of gout.
Clinical presentation, diagnostic findings and long‐term survival in large breed dogs with meningoencephalitis of unknown aetiology
Authors: Cornelis I. , Volk H. A. , De Decker S.
Published: May 2016

Although several studies indicate that meningoencephalitis of unknown aetiology (MUA) might affect every dog breed at every age, little is known about clinical presentation, diagnostic findings and long‐term survival in large breed dogs. The aim of this study was therefore to compare the clinical presentation, diagnostic findings and long‐term survival between large and small/medium breed dogs diagnosed with MUA. One hundred and eleven dogs met the inclusion criteria. 28 (25 per cent) dogs were considered large breed dogs compared with 83 (75 per cent) small/medium breed dogs. Large breed dogs presented significantly more often with a decreased mentation. Age, gender, duration of clinical signs prior to diagnosis, presence of seizures or cluster seizures, variables on complete blood count and cerebrospinal fluid analysis, and all variables on MRI were not significantly different between small/medium and large breed dogs. Median survival time was 281 and 106 days for the large and small/medium breed dogs, respectively, with no significant difference in survival curves for both groups. Although considered not typically affected by MUA, 25 per cent of dogs included in this study were considered large breed dogs. Therefore, MUA should be included in the differential diagnosis for large breed dogs presenting with intracranial neurological signs. If diagnosed with MUA, large breed dogs also carried a guarded prognosis.
Food avoidance in athletes: FODMAP foods on the list
Authors: Lis Dana , Ahuja Kiran D.K. , Stellingwerff Trent , Kitic Cecilia M. , Fell James
Published: May 2016

We surveyed 910 athletes to assess behaviours towards self-selected food/ingredient avoidance to minimize gastrointestinal distress. Fifty-five percent eliminated at least 1 high fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols (FODMAP) food/category, with up to 82.6% reporting symptom improvement. In athletes indicating that high FODMAP foods trigger gastrointestinal symptoms, lactose (86.5%) was most frequently eliminated, followed by galactooligosaccharides (23.9%), fructose (23.0%), fructans (6.2%), and polyols (5.4%). Athletes avoid predominantly lactose and to a lesser extent other high FODMAP foods to reduce gastrointestinal distress.
Field calibration of blowfly-derived DNA against traditional methods for assessing mammal diversity in tropical forests
Authors: Lee Ping-Shin , Gan Han Ming , Clements Gopalasamy Reuben , Wilson John-James
Published: May 2016

Mammal diversity assessments based on DNA derived from invertebrates have been suggested as alternatives to assessments based on traditional methods; however, no study has field-tested both approaches simultaneously. In Peninsular Malaysia, we calibrated the performance of mammal DNA derived from blowflies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) against traditional methods used to detect species. We first compared five methods (cage trapping, mist netting, hair trapping, scat collection, and blowfly-derived DNA) in a forest reserve with no recent reports of megafauna. Blowfly-derived DNA and mist netting detected the joint highest number of species (n = 6). Only one species was detected by multiple methods. Compared to the other methods, blowfly-derived DNA detected both volant and non-volant species. In another forest reserve, rich in megafauna, we calibrated blowfly-derived DNA against camera traps. Blowfly-derived DNA detected more species (n = 11) than camera traps (n = 9), with only one species detected by both methods. The rarefaction curve indicated that blowfly-derived DNA would continue to detect more species with greater sampling effort. With further calibration, blowfly-derived DNA may join the list of traditional field methods. Areas for further investigation include blowfly feeding and dispersal biology, primer biases, and the assembly of a comprehensive and taxonomically-consistent DNA barcode reference library.
Chromosome aberrations induced by zebularine in triticale
Authors: Ma Xuhui , Wang Qing , Wang Yanzhi , Ma Jieyun , Wu Nan , Ni Shuang , Luo Tengxiao , Zhuang Lifang , Chu Chenggen , Cho Seong-Woo , Tsujimoto Hisashi , Qi Zengjun
Published: May 2016

Chromosome engineering is an important approach for generating wheat germplasm. Efficient development of chromosome aberrations will facilitate the introgression and application of alien genes in wheat. In this study, zebularine, a DNA methylation transferase inhibitor, was successfully used to induce chromosome aberrations in the octoploid triticale cultivar Jinghui#1. Dry seeds were soaked in zebularine solutions (250, 500, and 750 μmol/L) for 24 h, and the 500 μmol/L treatment was tested in three additional treatment times, i.e., 12, 36, and 48 h. All treatments induced aberrations involving wheat and rye chromosomes. Of the 920 cells observed in 67 M1 plants, 340 (37.0%) carried 817 aberrations with an average of 0.89 aberrations per cell (range: 0–12). The aberrations included probable deletions, telosomes and acentric fragments (49.0%), large segmental translocations (28.9%), small segmental translocations (17.1%), intercalary translocations (2.6%), long chromosomes that could carry more than one centromere (2.0%), and ring chromosomes (0.5%). Of 510 M2 plants analyzed, 110 (21.6%) were found to carry stable aberrations. Such aberrations included 79 with varied rye chromosome numbers, 7 with wheat and rye chromosome translocations, 15 with possible rye telosomes/deletions, and 9 with complex aberrations involving variation in rye chromosome number and wheat–rye translocations. These indicated that aberrations induced by zebularine can be steadily transmitted, suggesting that zebularine is a new efficient agent for chromosome manipulation.
INVESTIGATING LONG-RANGE DEPENDENCE IN AMERICAN TREASURY BILLS VARIATIONS AND VOLATILITIES DURING STABLE AND UNSTABLE PERIODS
Authors: LAHMIRI SALIM
Published: May 2016

Detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA) is used to examine long-range dependence in variations and volatilities of American treasury bills (TB) during periods of low and high movements in TB rates. Volatility series are estimated by generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity (GARCH) model under Gaussian, Student, and the generalized error distribution (GED) assumptions. The DFA-based Hurst exponents from 3-month, 6-month, and 1-year TB data indicates that in general the dynamics of the TB variations process is characterized by persistence during stable time period (before 2008 international financial crisis) and anti-persistence during unstable time period (post-2008 international financial crisis). For volatility series, it is found that; for stable period; 3-month volatility process is more likely random, 6-month volatility process is anti-persistent, and 1-year volatility process is persistent. For unstable period, estimation results show that the generating process is persistent for all maturities and for all distributional assumptions.
Tuned Sloshing Water Dampers as Displacement Response Reduction Device: Experimental Verification
Authors: Rai Nishant Kishore , Reddy G. R. , Venkatraj V.
Published: May 2016

Existing structures can be retrofitted against earthquakes with tuned sloshing water dampers (TSWD). These dampers can be incorporated in the structure as displacement response reduction devices for avoiding failure of masonry panels while ensuring their structural function as diagonal struts. The proposal of retrofitting for an existing four story building with TSWDs has been examined through simulated experiments on a reduced scale model of the structure mounted with actual size TSWD. The effectiveness of the single frequency TSWD systems, optimally designed for response control of accurately assessed structures, against well-defined excitations, has been substantiated. Experiments have been conducted with multi-frequency TSWD systems for approximately assessed structures against broadband excitations. The multi-frequency sloshing water damper system exhibited a comparatively robust performance against broadband excitations for a reasonable range of structural frequencies. A retrofitting scheme for the structure has been proposed with multi-frequency TSWD systems.
A Comparative Study for Postural Synergy Synthesis Using Linear and Nonlinear Methods
Authors: Xu Kai , Liu Huan , Du Yuheng , Zhu Xiangyang
Published: May 2016

Human controls dozens of muscles for different hand postures in a coordinated manner. Such coordination is referred to as a postural synergy. Postural synergy has enabled an anthropomorphic robotic hand with many actuators to be applied as a prosthetic hand and controlled by two to three channels of biological signals. Principle component analysis (PCA) of the hand postures has become a popular way to extract the postural synergies. However, relatively big errors are often produced while the hand postures are reconstructed using these PCA-synthesized synergies due to the linearity nature of this method. This paper presents a comparative study in which the postural synergies are synthesized using both linear and nonlinear methods. Specifically, the Gaussian process latent variable model (GPLVM), as a nonlinear dimension reduction method, is implemented to produce nonlinear postural synergies and the hand postures can then be reconstructed from the two-dimensional synergy plane. Computational and experimental verifications show that the posture reconstruction errors are greatly reduced using this nonlinear method. The results suggest that the use of nonlinear postural synergies should be considered while applying a dexterous robotic hand as prosthesis. Versatile hand postures could be formed via only two channels of bio-signals.
Numerical Simulations of a Polydisperse Sedimentation Model by Using Spectral WENO Method with Adaptive Multiresolution
Authors: Vega Carlos A. , Arias Francisco
Published: May 2016

In this work, we apply adaptive multiresolution (Harten’s approach) characteristic-wise fifth-order Weighted Essentially Non-Oscillatory (WENO) for computing the numerical solution of a polydisperse sedimentation model, namely, the Höfler and Schwarzer model. In comparison to other related works, time discretization is carried out with the ten-stage fourth-order strong stability preserving Runge–Kutta method which is more efficient than the widely used optimal third-order TVD Runge–Kutta method. Numerical results with errors, convergence rates and CPU times are included for four and 11 species.
PUMI
Authors: Ibanez Daniel A. , Seol E. Seegyoung , Smith Cameron W. , Shephard Mark S.
Published: May 2016

The Parallel Unstructured Mesh Infrastructure (PUMI) is designed to support the representation of, and operations on, unstructured meshes as needed for the execution of mesh-based simulations on massively parallel computers. In PUMI, the mesh representation is
complete
in the sense of being able to provide any adjacency of mesh entities of multiple topologies in O(1) time, and
fully distributed
to support relationships of mesh entities across multiple memory spaces in a manner consistent with supporting massively parallel simulation workflows. PUMI's mesh maintains links to the high-level model definition in terms of a model topology as produced by CAD systems, and is specifically designed to efficiently support evolving meshes as required for mesh generation and adaptation. To support the needs of parallel unstructured mesh simulations, PUMI also supports a specific set of services such as the migration of mesh entities between parts while maintaining the mesh adjacencies, maintaining read-only mesh entity copies from neighboring parts (ghosting), repartitioning parts as the mesh evolves, and dynamic mesh load balancing.

Here we present the overall design, software structures, example programs, and performance results. The effectiveness of PUMI is demonstrated by its applications to massively parallel adaptive simulation workflows.
A Parallel Geometric Multifrontal Solver Using Hierarchically Semiseparable Structure
Authors: Wang Shen , Li Xiaoye S. , Rouet François-Henry , Xia Jianlin , De Hoop Maarten V.
Published: May 2016

We present a structured parallel geometry-based multifrontal sparse solver using hierarchically semiseparable (HSS) representations and exploiting the inherent low-rank structures. Parallel strategies for nested dissection ordering (taking low rankness into account), symbolic factorization, and structured numerical factorization are shown. In particular, we demonstrate how to manage two layers of tree parallelism to integrate parallel HSS operations within the parallel multifrontal sparse factorization. Such a structured multifrontal factorization algorithm can be shown to have asymptotically lower complexities in both operation counts and memory than the conventional factorization algorithms for certain partial differential equations. We present numerical results from the solution of the anisotropic Helmholtz equations for seismic imaging, and demonstrate that our new solver was able to solve 3D problems up to 600
3
mesh size, with 216M degrees of freedom in the linear system. For this specific model problem, our solver is both faster and more memory efficient than a geometry-based multifrontal solver (which is further faster than general-purpose algebraic solvers such as MUMPS and SuperLU_DIST). For the 600
3
mesh size, the structured factors from our solver need about 5.9 times less memory.
Dissertation Research Problems in Data Management and Related Areas
Authors: de Melo Gerard , Kacimi Mouna , Varde Aparna S.
Published: May 2016

Databases and related fields such as Information Retrieval, Data Mining and Knowledge Management offer many topics of interest for dissertation research. Specific areas include, for instance, big data, social networks, Web question answering and interactive knowledge discovery. In this article, we provide a summary and critique of research problems presented in these and related areas at a workshop on dissertation proposals and early doctoral research.
Tissue Tregs
Authors: Panduro Marisella , Benoist Christophe , Mathis Diane
Published: May 2016

The immune system is responsible for defending an organism against the myriad of microbial invaders it constantly confronts. It has become increasingly clear that the immune system has a second major function: the maintenance of organismal homeostasis. Foxp3+CD4+regulatory T cells (Tregs) are important contributors to both of these critical activities, defense being the primary purview of Tregs circulating through lymphoid organs, and homeostasis ensured mainly by their counterparts residing in parenchymal tissues. This review focuses on so-called tissue Tregs. We first survey existing information on the phenotype, function, sustaining factors, and human equivalents of the three best-characterized tissue-Treg populations—those operating in visceral adipose tissue, skeletal muscle, and the colonic lamina propria. We then attempt to distill general principles from this body of work—as concerns the provenance, local adaptation, molecular sustenance, and targets of action of tissue Tregs, in particular.
Reduced intestinal lipid absorption and body weight-independent improvements in insulin sensitivity in high-fat diet-fed Park2 knockout mice
Authors: Costa Diana K. , Huckestein Brydie R. , Edmunds Lia R. , Petersen Max C. , Nasiri Ali , Butrico Gina M. , Abulizi Abudukadier , Harmon Daniel B. , Lu Canying , Mantell Benjamin S. , Hartman Douglas J. , Camporez João-Paulo G. , O'Doherty Robert M. , Cline Gary W. , Shulman Gerald I. , Jurczak Michael J.
Published: May 2016

Mitochondrial dysfunction is associated with many human diseases and results from mismatch of damage and repair over the life of the organelle. PARK2 is a ubiquitin E3 ligase that regulates mitophagy, a repair mechanism that selectively degrades damaged mitochondria. Deletion of PARK2 in multiple in vivo models results in susceptibility to stress-induced mitochondrial and cellular dysfunction. Surprisingly, Park2 knockout (KO) mice are protected from nutritional stress and do not develop obesity, hepatic steatosis or insulin resistance when fed a high-fat diet (HFD). However, these phenomena are casually related and the physiological basis for this phenotype is unknown. We therefore undertook a series of acute HFD studies to more completely understand the physiology of Park2 KO during nutritional stress. We find that intestinal lipid absorption is impaired in Park2 KO mice as evidenced by increased fecal lipids and reduced plasma triglycerides after intragastric fat challenge. Park2 KO mice developed hepatic steatosis in response to intravenous lipid infusion as well as during incubation of primary hepatocytes with fatty acids, suggesting that hepatic protection from nutritional stress was secondary to changes in energy balance due to altered intestinal triglyceride absorption. Park2 KO mice showed reduced adiposity after 1-wk HFD, as well as improved hepatic and peripheral insulin sensitivity. These studies suggest that changes in intestinal lipid absorption may play a primary role in protection from nutritional stress in Park2 KO mice by preventing HFD-induced weight gain and highlight the need for tissue-specific models to address the role of PARK2 during metabolic stress.
Lack of mitochondria-generated acetyl-CoA by pyruvate dehydrogenase complex downregulates gene expression in the hepatic de novo lipogenic pathway
Authors: Mahmood Saleh , Birkaya Barbara , Rideout Todd C. , Patel Mulchand S.
Published: May 2016

During the absorptive state, the liver stores excess glucose as glycogen and synthesizes fatty acids for triglyceride synthesis for export as very low density lipoproteins. For de novo synthesis of fatty acids from glucose, the mitochondrial pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC) is the gatekeeper for the generation of acetyl-CoA from glucose-derived pyruvate. Here, we tested the hypothesis that limiting the supply of PDC-generated acetyl-CoA from glucose would have an impact on expression of key genes in the lipogenic pathway. In the present study, although the postnatal growth of liver-specific PDC-deficient (L-PDCKO) male mice was largely unaltered, the mice developed hyperinsulinemia with lower blood glucose levels in the fed state. Serum and liver lipid triglyceride and cholesterol levels remained unaltered in L-PDCKO mice. Expression of several key genes ( ACL, ACC1) in the lipogenic pathway and their upstream regulators ( LXR, SREBP1, ChREBP) as well as several genes in glucose metabolism ( Pklr, G6pd2, Pck1) and fatty acid oxidation ( FAT, Cpt1a) was downregulated in livers from L-PDCKO mice. Interestingly, there was concomitant upregulation of lipogenic genes in adipose tissue from L-PDCKO mice. Although, the total hepatic acetyl-CoA content remained unaltered in L-PDCKO mice, modified acetylation profiles of proteins in the nuclear compartment suggested an important role for PDC-generated acetyl-CoA in gene expression in de novo fatty acid synthesis in the liver. This finding has important implications for the regulation of hepatic lipid synthesis in pathological states.
Sympathetic β-adrenergic mechanism in pudendal inhibition of nociceptive and non-nociceptive reflex bladder activity
Authors: Kadow Brian T. , Lyon Timothy D. , Zhang Zhaocun , Lamm Vladimir , Shen Bing , Wang Jicheng , Roppolo James R. , de Groat William C. , Tai Changfeng
Published: May 2016

This study investigated the role of the hypogastric nerve and β-adrenergic mechanisms in the inhibition of nociceptive and non-nociceptive reflex bladder activity induced by pudendal nerve stimulation (PNS). In α-chloralose-anesthetized cats, non-nociceptive reflex bladder activity was induced by slowly infusing saline into the bladder, whereas nociceptive reflex bladder activity was induced by replacing saline with 0.25% acetic acid (AA) to irritate the bladder. PNS was applied at multiple threshold (T) intensities for inducing anal sphincter twitching. During saline infusion, PNS at 2T and 4T significantly ( P < 0.01) increased bladder capacity to 184.7 ± 12.6% and 214.5 ± 10.4% of the control capacity. Propranolol (3 mg/kg iv) had no effect on PNS inhibition, but 3-[(2-methyl-4-thiazolyl)ethynyl]pyridine (MTEP; 1–3 mg/kg iv) significantly ( P < 0.05) reduced the inhibition. During AA irritation, the control bladder capacity was significantly ( P < 0.05) reduced to ∼22% of the saline control capacity. PNS at 2T and 4T significantly ( P < 0.01) increased bladder capacity to 406.8 ± 47% and 415.8 ± 46% of the AA control capacity. Propranolol significantly ( P < 0.05) reduced the bladder capacity to 276.3% ± 53.2% (at 2T PNS) and 266.5 ± 72.4% (at 4T PNS) of the AA control capacity, whereas MTEP (a metabotropic glutamate 5 receptor antagonist) removed the residual PNS inhibition. Bilateral transection of the hypogastric nerves produced an effect similar to that produced by propranolol. This study indicates that hypogastric nerves and a β-adrenergic mechanism in the detrusor play an important role in PNS inhibition of nociceptive but not non-nociceptive reflex bladder activity. In addition to this peripheral mechanism, a central nervous system mechanism involving metabotropic glutamate 5 receptors also has a role in PNS inhibition.
What Is the Role of Beta‐Agonist Bronchodilators in the Day‐to‐Day Treatment of Chronic Asthma?
Authors: Ernst Pierre
Published: May 2016

The reported links of asthma morbidity and mortality to the use of in haled beta‐agonist bronchodilators are reviewed. Reports from the Saskatchewan Asthma Epidemiology Project (SAEP) suggest that it is excessive use that is linked to life‐threatening asthma and that patients at highest risk can be identified by their increasing use of these medications. This is the major justification for prescribing short acting beta‐agonists on an as needed basis, though there is both clinical and experimental evidence suggesting regular use of these agents may not be beneficial. New longer acting inhaled beta‐agonists designed for regular use are being introduced and their exact role remains to be defined. Provisionally, they appear to be useful in patients whose asthma is not well controlled with optimal doses of inhaled corticosteroids. The use of these newer agents for the relief of acute bronchospasm is contraindicated because of their slow onset of action.
Beta2‐Agonists and Asthma in Children
Authors: Lapierre Guy
Published: May 2016

Due to the growing prevalence and morbidity of asthma in children in the past few years, Canadian physicians have addressed several issues concerning the correct use of beta2‐agonists for the treatment of asthma. These issues include the optimum delivery systems for beta2‐agonists, their appropriate dosages in children, infants and toddlers, and
whether tachyphylaxis occurs with their chronic use.
Asthma Treatments for Children and Adolescents: Strategies for a Global Approach
Authors: Thivierge Robert L
Published: May 2016

Strategies for a global approach to the management of asthma in children and adolescents are described. Such an approach requires the physician to explain to the patient the pathophysiology of asthma, to evaluate and, whenever possible, change predisposing environmental factors, to establish a written plan of action and to maintain a close follow‐up of the patient to ensure compliance.
Toward a Nationwide Mobile-Based Public Healthcare Service System with Wireless Sensor Networks
Authors: Shen Chien-wen , Hsu Chin-Hsing , Chou Ching-chih , Tsai Tzu-Chun
Published: May 2016

This paper describes the development of a nationwide public healthcare service system with the integration of cloud technology, wireless sensor networks, and mobile technology to provide citizens with convenient and professional healthcare services. The basic framework of the system includes the architectures for the user end of wireless physiological examinations, for the regional healthcare cloud, and for national public healthcare service system. Citizens with chronic conditions or elderly people who are living alone can use the wireless physiological sensing devices to keep track of their health conditions and get warning if the system detects abnormal signals. Through mobile devices, citizens are able to get real-time health advice, prompt warning, health information, feedback, personalized support, and intervention ubiquitously. With the long-term tracking data for physiological sensing, reliable prediction models for epidemic diseases and chronic diseases can be developed for the government to respond to and control diseases immediately. Besides, such a nationwide approach enables government to have a holistic understanding of the public health information in real time, which is helpful to establish effective policies or strategies to prevent epidemic diseases or chronic diseases.