bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Tunable Band Gap Energy of Mn‐Doped ZnO Nanoparticles Using the Coprecipitation Technique
Authors: Tan Tong Ling , Lai Chin Wei , Abd Hamid Sharifah Bee
Published: January 2014

A simple coprecipitation technique was introduced to form manganese (Mn) doped on zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles effectively. Based on our morphological studies, it was revealed that mean particle size was increased while bigger agglomeration of nanoparticles could be observed as the amount of concentration of Mn was increased. Interestingly, it was found that the position of the absorption spectra was shifted towards the lower wavelength (UV region) as correlated with the increasing of Mn dopants concentration into ZnO nanoparticles. This result inferred that optimum content of Mn doped into the ZnO nanoparticles was crucial in controlling the visible/UV‐responsive of samples. In the present study, 3 mol% of Mn dopants into the ZnO nanoparticles exhibited the better UV as well as visible light‐responsive as compared to the other samples. The main reason might be attributed to the modification of electronic structure of ZnO nanoparticles via lattice doping of Mn ions into the lattice, whereas excessive Mn dopants doped on ZnO nanoparticles caused the strong UV‐responsive due to the more 3d orbitals in the valence band.
Mesoporous Alumina Microfibers In Situ Transformation from AACH Fibers and the Adsorption Performance
Authors: Shi Xiaoqin , Yang Chen , Zhang Liang , Lu Zhongding , Zhu Yun , Tang Dayu , Cui Chong , Zeng Haibo
Published: January 2014

Well‐dispersed mesoporous γ‐alumina microfibers with high surface were prepared by thermal decomposition of the ammonium aluminum carbonate hydroxide (AACH) precursors. The as‐synthesized alumina retained the morphology of its precursor and exhibited memory effect. The structural, morphological, porous, and adsorptive properties of the samples were investigated by XRD, FTIR, TGA‐DSC, SEM, TEM, and UV‐vis spectroscopy. The prepared γ‐alumina microfibers exhibited excellent ability to remove organic pollutants from waste water because of their mesoporous structures. The γ‐alumina in situ converted from AACH synthesized without surfactant exhibited adsorption ability for Congo red as good as that synthesized with PEG2000 and better than PEG20000 that provided a facile method without surfactant to synthesize γ‐alumina with excellent adsorption performance.
Abdominal Cerclage in Twin Pregnancy after Radical Surgical Conization
Authors: Kyvernitakis Ioannis , Lotgering Fred , Arabin Birgit
Published: January 2014

Radical and repeated cone biopsies are associated with a high risk of spontaneous preterm birth. A 30-year-old gravida 1 presented with a spontaneous dichorionic twin pregnancy. She had a history of two radical surgical conizations. By speculum examination, no cervical tissue was detected. A history-indicated transabdominal cervicoisthmic cerclage was performed at 12 + 4/7 gestational weeks because of assumed cervicoisthmic insufficiency. The pregnancy continued until 34 + 3/7 weeks when the patient developed preeclampsia indicating Cesarean delivery. Transabdominal cerclage in twin pregnancy has rarely been described, but it may be considered in case of extreme cervical shortening after radical cervical surgery, as it would in singleton pregnancy.
Preferences of UK-Based Dentists When Undertaking Root Coverage and Regenerative Procedures: A Pilot Questionnaire Study
Authors: Siaili M. , Chatzopoulou D. , Gillam D. G.
Published: January 2014

Objectives. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the awareness and preferences of registered United Kingdom (UK) dentists specialising or with an interest in periodontics in root coverage and regenerative procedures.Methods. A cross-sectional postal survey of 366 dentists was conducted. The questionnaire was divided in two sections and most of the questions were giving the option of multiple answers. Frequencies and associations between the demographic profiles of the participants with their answers were evaluated.Results. 63% of dentists with an interest in periodontics and 32% of specialists returned the questionnaire. Guided tissue regeneration procedures and the use of enamel matrix derivatives were recommended for the reconstruction of bony defects and both subepithelial connective tissue graft and coronally advanced flap with or without enamel matrix derivatives were the most popular choices for root coverage. Smoking was considered a contraindication by most of the participants and conflicting responses were given regarding the use of antibiotics as part of the care following regenerative procedures.Conclusions. The participants incorporated both traditional and “novel” techniques and products in reconstructive procedures and appeared to be up to date with the evidence from the dental literature. However, it was evident that there was confusion regarding the role of antibiotics in regenerative procedures.
Mechanical Properties and Thermal Stability of TiN/Ta Multilayer Film Deposited by Ion Beam Assisted Deposition
Authors: Shang Hongfei , Li Jian , Shao Tianmin
Published: January 2014

TiN/Ta multilayer film with a modulation period of 5.6 nm and modulation ratio of 1 : 1 was produced by ion beam assisted deposition. Microstructure of the as-deposited TiN/Ta multilayer film was observed by transmission electron microscopy and mechanical properties were investigated. Residual stress in the TiN/Ta multilayer film was about 72% of that of a TiN monolayer film with equivalent thickness deposited under the same conditions. Partial residual stress was released in the Ta sublayers during deposition, which led to the decrease of the residual stress of the TiN/Ta multilayer film. Nanohardness (H) of the TiN/Ta multilayer film was 24 GPa, 14% higher than that of the TiN monolayer film. It is suggested that the increase of the nanohardness is due to the introduction of the Ta layers which restrained the growth of TiN crystal and led to the decrease of the grain size. A significant increase (3.5 times) of theH3/E2(Eelastic modulus) value indicated that the TiN/Ta multilayer film has higher elasticity than the TiN monolayer film. TheLc(critical load in nano-scratch test) value of the TiN monolayer film was 45 mN, which was far lower than that of the TiN/Ta multilayer film (around 75 mN). Results of the indentation test showed a higher fracture toughness of the TiN/Ta multilayer film than that of the TiN monolayer film. Results of differential scanning calorimetric (DSC) and thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA) indicate that the TiN/Ta multilayer film has better thermal stability than the TiN monolayer film.
Effect of Multijunction Approach on Electrical Measurements of Silicon and Germanium Alloy Based Thin-Film Solar Cell Using AMPS-1D
Authors: Chatterjee Somenath , Singh Sumeet , Pal Himangshu
Published: January 2014

Multijunction solar cells designed from silicon (Si)-germanium (Ge) alloy based semiconductor materials exhibit high theoretical efficiencies (19.6%) compared to the single junction one. The modeling calculations for all solar cells are done by AMPS 1D simulator. The structure of multi-junction i-layer is designed using heterolayers, starting from pure crystalline Si and increase of Ge mole fraction by 25% until pure Ge layer is reached. The top layer has the largest band gap, while the bottom layer has the smallest bandgap. This design allows less energetic photons to pass through the upper layer(s) and be absorbed by the layer below, which increases the overall efficiency of the solar cell. Material parameters required to model the absorber layers are calculated and incorporated in the AMPS 1D simulator for optimizing of solar cell parameter values. Simulation results show that considerable efficiency enhancement can be obtained from the addition of the multi-junction layer.
Working Memory and the Enactment Effect in Early Alzheimer’s Disease
Authors: Charlesworth Lara A. , Allen Richard J. , Morson Suzannah , Burn Wendy K. , Souchay Celine
Published: January 2014

This study examines the enactment effect in early Alzheimer’s disease using a novel working memory task. Free recall of action-object instruction sequences was measured in individuals with Alzheimer’s disease (n=14) and older adult controls (n=15). Instruction sequences were read out loud by the experimenter (verbal-only task) or read by the experimenter and performed by the participants (subject-performed task). In both groups and for all sequence lengths, recall was superior in the subject-performed condition than the verbal-only condition. Individuals with Alzheimer’s disease showed a deficit in free recall of recently learned instruction sequences relative to older adult controls, yet both groups show a significant benefit from performing actions themselves at encoding. The subject-performed task shows promise as a tool to improve working memory in early Alzheimer’s disease.
Simultaneous Production of Biosurfactants and Bacteriocins by ProbioticLactobacillus caseiMRTL3
Authors: Sharma Deepansh , Singh Saharan Baljeet
Published: January 2014

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are ubiquitous and well-known commensal bacteria in the human and animal microflora. LAB are extensively studied and used in a variety of industrial and food fermentations. They are widely used for humans and animals as adjuvants, probiotic formulation, and dietary supplements and in other food fermentation applications. In the present investigation, LAB were isolated from raw milk samples collected from local dairy farms of Haryana, India. Further, the isolates were screened for simultaneous production of biosurfactants and bacteriocins. Biosurfactant produced was found to be a mixture of lipid and sugar similar to glycolipids. The bacteriocin obtained was found to be heat stable (5 min at 100°C). Further, DNA of the strain was extracted and amplified by the 16S rRNA sequencing using universal primers. The isolateLactobacillus caseiMRTL3 was found to be a potent biosurfactant and bacteriocin producer. It seems to have huge potential for food industry as a biopreservative and/or food ingredient.
Prostate Biopsy Sampling Causes Hematogenous Dissemination of Epithelial Cellular Material
Authors: Ladjevardi Sam , Auer Gert , Castro Juan , Ericsson Christer , Zetterberg Anders , Häggman Michael , Wiksell Hans , Jorulf Håkan
Published: January 2014

The extent of epithelial cellular material (ECM) occurring in venous blood samples after diagnostic core needle biopsy (CNB) was studied in 23 patients with CNB diagnosed prostate cancer without provable metastases and 15 patients without cancer. The data show a significant increase of ECM in the peripheral blood sampled 20 seconds or 30 minutes after the last of 10 CNB procedures compared to the number of ECM detectable in the blood samples taken before the performance of CNB. The data indicate that diagnostic CNB of prostate cancer causes an extensive tissue trauma with a potential risk of cancer cell dissemination.
Crowd Event Perception Based on Spatiotemporal Weber Field
Authors: Su Zhou , Wei Hua , Wei Sha
Published: January 2014

Over the past decade, a wide attention has been paid to the crowd control and management in intelligent video surveillance area. Among the tasks of automatic video-based crowd management, crowd motion modeling is recognized as one of the most critical components, since it lays a crucial foundation for numerous subsequent analyses. However, it still encounters many unsolved challenges due to occlusions among pedestrians, complicated motion patterns in crowded scenarios, and so forth. Addressing these issues, we propose a novel spatiotemporal Weber field, which integrates both appearance characteristics and stimulus of crowd motion patterns, to recognize the large-scale crowd event. On the one hand, crowd motion is recognized as variations of spatiotemporal signal, and we then measure the variation based on Weber law. The result is referred to as spatiotemporal Weber variation feature. On the other hand, motivated by the achievements in crowd dynamics that crowd motion has a close relationship with interaction force, we propose a spatiotemporal Weber force feature to exploit the stimulus of crowd behaviors. Finally, we utilize the latent Dirichlet allocation model to establish the relationship between crowd events and crowd motion patterns. Experiments on PETS2009 and UMN databases demonstrate that our proposed method outperforms the previous methods for the large-scale crowd behavior perception.
The Renal Effects of Vanadate Exposure: Potential Biomarkers and Oxidative Stress as a Mechanism of Functional Renal Disorders—Preliminary Studies
Authors: Ścibior Agnieszka , Gołębiowska Dorota , Adamczyk Agnieszka , Niedźwiecka Irmina , Fornal Emilia
Published: January 2014

The alterations in the levels/activities of selected biomarkers for detecting kidney toxicity and in the levels of some oxidative stress (OS) markers and elements were studied in male rats to evaluate biochemically the degree of kidney damage, investigate the role of OS in the mechanism of functional renal disorders, reveal potential biomarkers of renal function, and assess the renal mineral changes in the conditions of a 12-week sodium metavanadate (SMV, 0.125 mg V/mL) exposure. The results showed that OS is involved in the mechanism underlying the development of SMV-induced functional renal disturbances. They also suggest that the urinary cystatin C (CysCu) and kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1u) could be the most appropriate to evaluate renal function at the conditions of SMV intoxication when the fluid intake, excreted urinary volume (EUV), body weight (BW), and the urinary creatinine excretion (Creu) decreased. The use of such tests as the urinary lactate dehydrogenase, alkaline phosphatase,γ-glutamyltranspeptidase, and N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase (LDHu, ALPu, GGTPu, and NAGu) seems not to be valid given their reduced activities. The use of only traditional biomarkers of renal function in these conditions may, in turn, be insufficient because their alterations are greatly influenced by the changes in the fluid intake and/or BW.
Image Based Hair Segmentation Algorithm for the Application of Automatic Facial Caricature Synthesis
Authors: Shen Yehu , Peng Zhenyun , Zhang Yaohui
Published: January 2014

Hair is a salient feature in human face region and are one of the important cues for face analysis. Accurate detection and presentation of hair region is one of the key components for automatic synthesis of human facial caricature. In this paper, an automatic hair detection algorithm for the application of automatic synthesis of facial caricature based on a single image is proposed. Firstly, hair regions in training images are labeled manually and then the hair position prior distributions and hair color likelihood distribution function are estimated from these labels efficiently. Secondly, the energy function of the test image is constructed according to the estimated prior distributions of hair location and hair color likelihood. This energy function is further optimized according to graph cuts technique and initial hair region is obtained. Finally, K-means algorithm and image postprocessing techniques are applied to the initial hair region so that the final hair region can be segmented precisely. Experimental results show that the average processing time for each image is about 280 ms and the average hair region detection accuracy is above 90%. The proposed algorithm is applied to a facial caricature synthesis system. Experiments proved that with our proposed hair segmentation algorithm the facial caricatures are vivid and satisfying.
Up- and Downconversion Luminescence Properties of Nd3+Ions Doped in Bi2O3–BaO–B2O3Glass System
Authors: Ruamnikhom R. , Limsuwan P. , Horprathum M. , Chanthima N. , Kim H. J. , Ruengsri S. , Kaewkhao J.
Published: January 2014

Physical, optical, and luminescence properties of Nd3+ions in bismuth barium borate glass system were studied. The glasses prepared by a melt quenching method were doped at various Nd2O3concentrations in compositions (40-x)B2O3 : 40Bi2O3 : 20BaO : xNd2O3(wherex= 0.00, 0.50, 1.00, 1.50, 2.00, and 2.50 in mol%). Luminescence properties of the glasses were studied under two excitations of 585 and 750 nm for downconversion. From both excitations, the results show emission bands in NIR region corresponding to the transitions between4F3/2 → 4I9/2(900 nm),4F3/2 → 4I11/2(1,060 nm), and4F3/2 → 4I13/2(1,345 nm). The luminescence intensity obtained with 585 nm excitation was stronger than 750 nm, with the strongest NIR emission at 1,060 nm. The upconversion emission spectrum exhibits strong fluorescence bands in the UV region at 394 nm (λex=591 nm). The processes are associated with excited state absorption (ESA) from4F3/2level to4D3/2level and it is the radiative decay from the4D3/2to ground levels (4D3/2 → 4I13/2) which are responsible for the emission at 394 nm.
Partial Rectangular Metric Spaces and Fixed Point Theorems
Authors: Shukla Satish
Published: January 2014

The purpose of this paper is to introduce the concept of partial rectangular metric spaces as a generalization of rectangular metric and partial metric spaces. Some properties of partial rectangular metric spaces and some fixed point results for quasitype contraction in partial rectangular metric spaces are proved. Some examples are given to illustrate the observed results.
Augmented Twin-Nonlinear Two-Box Behavioral Models for Multicarrier LTE Power Amplifiers
Authors: Hammi Oualid
Published: January 2014

A novel class of behavioral models is proposed for LTE-driven Doherty power amplifiers with strong memory effects. The proposed models, labeled augmented twin-nonlinear two-box models, are built by cascading a highly nonlinear memoryless function with a mildly nonlinear memory polynomial with cross terms. Experimental validation on gallium nitride based Doherty power amplifiers illustrates the accuracy enhancement and complexity reduction achieved by the proposed models. When strong memory effects are observed, the augmented twin-nonlinear two-box models can improve the normalized mean square error by up to 3 dB for the same number of coefficients when compared to state-of-the-art twin-nonlinear two-box models. Furthermore, the augmented twin-nonlinear two-box models lead to the same performance as previously reported twin-nonlinear two-box models while requiring up to 80% less coefficients.
A Design of Parameter Optimal Iterative Learning Control for Linear Discrete-Time Systems
Authors: Kase Wataru
Published: January 2014

The iterative learning control algorithm proposed by Owens and Feng, which guarantees the monotonic convergence of the tracking error norms along with the trial, will be modified. The learning gain of the proposed method will be determined through a quadratic cost function. MIMO plant case will be also discussed. Numerical simulations will be presented to confirm the validity of the proposed design.
Neurodegeneration with Brain Iron Accumulation in an Eleven-Year-Old Jamaican Male
Authors: Johnson Peter , Melbourne-Chambers Roxanne , Desai Nilesh , Greenaway Emma
Published: January 2014

We present a case of an eleven-year-old boy presenting with progressive extrapyramidal signs and dementia. His imaging findings demonstrated the classic eye-of-the-tiger sign on T2W magnetic resonance imaging. He was diagnosed with pantothenate kinase-associated neurodegeneration (PKAN). This is a rare autosomal recessive inborn error of coenzyme A metabolism, caused by mutations inPANK2. This is the first reported case of PKAN from the Caribbean.
Effective Application of Improved Profit-Mining Algorithm for the Interday Trading Model
Authors: Hsieh Yu-Lung , Yang Don-Lin , Wu Jungpin
Published: January 2014

Many real world applications of association rule mining from large databases help users make better decisions. However, they do not work well in financial markets at this time. In addition to a high profit, an investor also looks for a low risk trading with a better rate of winning. The traditional approach of using minimum confidence and support thresholds needs to be changed. Based on an interday model of trading, we proposed effective profit-mining algorithms which provide investors with profit rules including information about profit, risk, and winning rate. Since profit-mining in the financial market is still in its infant stage, it is important to detail the inner working of mining algorithms and illustrate the best way to apply them. In this paper we go into details of our improved profit-mining algorithm and showcase effective applications with experiments using real world trading data. The results show that our approach is practical and effective with good performance for various datasets.
Integrated Assessment of PAH Contamination in the Czech Rivers Using a Combination of Chemical and Biological Monitoring
Authors: Blahova Jana , Divisova Lenka , Kodes Vit , Leontovycova Drahomira , Mach Samuel , Ocelka Tomas , Svobodova Zdenka
Published: January 2014

This study investigated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) pollution of selected rivers in the Czech Republic. Integrated evaluation was carried out using combination of chemical and biological monitoring, in which we measured content of 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHP) in chub bile and priority PAH in water samples obtained by exposing the semipermeable membrane devices at each location. The concentrations of 1-OHP in bile samples and sum of priority PAH in water sampler ranged from 6.8 ng mg protein−1to 106.6 ng mg protein−1and from 5.2 ng L−1to 173.9 ng L−1, respectively. The highest levels of biliary metabolite and PAH in water were measured at the Odra River (the Bohumín site), which is located in relatively heavily industrialized and polluted region. Statistically significant positive correlation between biliary 1-OHP and sum of PAH in water was also obtained (P<0.01,rs=0.806).
Antioxidant, Antibacterial, and Cytoprotective Activity of Agathi Leaf Protein
Authors: Zarena A. S. , Gopal Shubha , Vineeth R.
Published: January 2014

In the present study a protein termed agathi leaf protein (ALP) fromSesbania grandiflora Linn. (agathi) leaves was isolated after successive precipitation with 65% ammonium sulphate followed by purification on Sephadex G 75. The column chromatography of the crude protein resulted in four peaks of which Peak I (P I) showed maximum inhibition activity against hydroxyl radical. SDS-PAGE analysis of P I indicated that the molecular weight of the protein is≈29 kDa. The purity of the protein was 98.4% as determined by RP-HPLC and showed a single peak with a retention time of 19.9 min. ALP was able to reduce oxidative damage by scavenging lipid peroxidation against erythrocyte ghost (85.50 ± 6.25%), linolenic acid (87.67 ± 3.14%) at 4.33 μM, ABTS anion (88 ± 3.22%), and DNA damage (83 ± 4.20%) at 3.44 μM in a dose-dependent manner. The purified protein offered significant protection to lymphocyte (72% at 30 min) induced damage by t-BOOH. In addition, ALP showed strong antibacterial activity againstPseudomonas aeruginosa(20 ± 3.64 mm) andStaphylococcus aureus(19 ± 1.53 mm) at 200 μg/mL. The safety assessment showed that ALP does not induce cytotoxicity towards human lymphocyte at the tested concentration of 0.8 mg/mL.
PGE2-Driven Expression of c-Myc and OncomiR-17-92 Contributes to Apoptosis Resistance in NSCLC
Authors: Krysan Kostyantyn , Kusko Rebecca , Grogan Tristan , O'Hearn James , Reckamp Karen L. , Walser Tonya C. , Garon Edward B. , Lenburg Marc E. , Sharma Sherven , Spira Avrum E. , Elashoff David , Dubinett Steven M.
Published: January 2014

Aberrant expression of microRNAs (miRNA) with oncogenic capacities (oncomiRs) has been described for several different malignancies. The first identified oncomiR, miR-17-92, is frequently overexpressed in a variety of cancers and its targets include the tumor suppressor PTEN. The transcription factor c-Myc (MYC) plays a central role in proliferative control and is rapidly upregulated upon mitogenic stimulation. Expression of c-Myc is frequently deregulated in tumors, facilitating proliferation and inhibiting terminal differentiation. The c-Myc–regulated network comprises a large number of transcripts, including those encoding miRNAs. Here, prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) exposure rapidly upregulates the expression of the MYC gene followed by the elevation of miR-17-92 levels, which in turn suppresses PTEN expression, thus enhancing apoptosis resistance in non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells. Knockdown of MYC expression or the miR-17-92 cluster effectively reverses this outcome. Similarly, miR-17-92 levels are significantly elevated in NSCLC cells ectopically expressing COX-2. Importantly, circulating miR-17-92 was elevated in the blood of patients with lung cancer as compared with subjects at risk for developing lung cancer. Furthermore, in patients treated with celecoxib, miR-17-92 levels were significantly reduced. These data demonstrate that PGE2, abundantly produced by NSCLC and inflammatory cells in the tumor microenvironment, is able to stimulate cell proliferation and promote resistance to pharmacologically induced apoptosis in a c-Myc and miR-17-92–dependent manner.

Implications: This study describes a novel mechanism, involving c-Myc and miR-17-92, which integrates cell proliferation and apoptosis resistance. Mol Cancer Res; 12(5); 765–74. ©2014 AACR.
Response of BRAF-Mutant Melanoma to BRAF Inhibition Is Mediated by a Network of Transcriptional Regulators of Glycolysis
Authors: Parmenter Tiffany J. , Kleinschmidt Margarete , Kinross Kathryn M. , Bond Simon T. , Li Jason , Kaadige Mohan R. , Rao Aparna , Sheppard Karen E. , Hugo Willy , Pupo Gulietta M. , Pearson Richard B. , McGee Sean L. , Long Georgina V. , Scolyer Richard A. , Rizos Helen , Lo Roger S. , Cullinane Carleen , Ayer Donald E. , Ribas Antoni , Johnstone Ricky W. , Hicks Rodney J. , McArthur Grant A.
Published: January 2014

Deregulated glucose metabolism fulfills the energetic and biosynthetic requirements for tumor growth driven by oncogenes. Because inhibition of oncogenic BRAF causes profound reductions in glucose uptake and a strong clinical benefit in BRAF-mutant melanoma, we examined the role of energy metabolism in responses to BRAF inhibition. We observed pronounced and consistent decreases in glycolytic activity in BRAF-mutant melanoma cells. Moreover, we identified a network of BRAF-regulated transcription factors that control glycolysis in melanoma cells. Remarkably, this network of transcription factors, including hypoxia-inducible factor-1α, MYC, and MONDOA (MLXIP), drives glycolysis downstream of BRAFV600, is critical for responses to BRAF inhibition, and is modulated by BRAF inhibition in clinical melanoma specimens. Furthermore, we show that concurrent inhibition of BRAF and glycolysis induces cell death in BRAF inhibitor (BRAFi)–resistant melanoma cells. Thus, we provide a proof-of-principle for treatment of melanoma with combinations of BRAFis and glycolysis inhibitors.

Significance: BRAFis suppress glycolysis and provide strong clinical benefit in BRAFV600 melanoma. We show that BRAF inhibition suppresses glycolysis via a network of transcription factors that are critical for complete BRAFi responses. Furthermore, we provide evidence for the clinical potential of therapies that combine BRAFis with glycolysis inhibitors. Cancer Discov; 4(4); 423–33. ©2014 AACR.

See related commentary by Haq, p. 390

This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 377
Hemodiafiltration Does Not Have Additional Benefits over Hemodialysis on Arterial Stiffness, Wave Reflections and Central Aortic Pressures
Authors: Georgianos Panagiotis I. , Sarafidis Pantelis A. , Karpetas Antonios , Kosmidis Dimitrios , Sioulis Athanasios , Liakopoulos Vassilios , Stamatiadis Dimitrios N. , Papagianni Aikaterini , Zebekakis Pantelis E. , Nikolaidis Pavlos , Lasaridis Anastasios N.
Published: January 2014

Background/Aims: The hypothesis that dialytic modality affects arterial stiffness was never investigated. This study includes comparative evaluation of hemodiafiltration versus hemodialysis on arterial function during first and second weekly dialysis sessions. Methods: 24 patients receiving hemodiafiltration and another 24 age- and sex-matched controls receiving hemodialysis were included. Patients were evaluated before and after first and second weekly dialysis sessions. Applanation tonometry of peripheral arteries was applied to determine aortic and brachial pulse wave velocity and heart rate-adjusted augmentation index (AIx(75)). Results: Hemodiafiltration and hemodialysis reduced AIx(75), but not aortic and brachial pulse wave velocity. Intradialytic reductions in AIx(75) did not differ between hemodiafiltration and hemodialysis in first and mid-week dialysis. In multivariate linear regression, predictors of intradialytic reduction in AIx(75) were changes in body weight and central aortic systolic blood pressure, but not dialytic modality. Conclusion: This study showed that hemodiafiltration has similar effects with hemodialysis on wave reflections and stiffness.
Association between Endotoxin Activity and Acute Kidney Injury in Cardiac Patients Undergoing Cardiopulmonary Bypass
Authors: Paternoster Gianluca , Rubino Gianni , Balducci Antonio , Maiorano Rosmunda , Brienza Nicola
Published: January 2014

Background/Aims: Cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) has been thought to promote endotoxin translocation from the gut. Increased endotoxin activity (EA) has been related to a worsening of organ dysfunction, particularly acute kidney injury (AKI). This study aims to determine if CPB could influence EA after cardiac surgery, and if EA variations are associated with renal dysfunction following CPB. Methods: This was an observational study of patients subjected to complex cardiac surgery, likely to last for >120 min. Blood samples were obtained before, during and after CPB for EA analysis. AKI occurrence defined by the Acute Kidney Injury Network criteria was evaluated. Results: Eighteen patients were enrolled. EA significantly increased after 12 h following CPB. Variations of EA from baseline were significantly associated with variations of creatinine, i.e. AKI. Conclusion: Complex cardiac surgery requiring long CPB promotes EA increases that could be associated with variations of serum creatinine and AKI occurrence.
The Diagnostic Value of Transthoracic Ultrasonographic Features in Predicting Malignancy in Undiagnosed Pleural Effusions: A Prospective Observational Study
Authors: Bugalho Antonio , Ferreira Dalila , Dias Sara S. , Schuhmann Maren , Branco Jose C. , Marques Gomes Maria J. , Eberhardt Ralf
Published: January 2014

Background: Transthoracic ultrasound (US) is an important instrument to identify pleural effusions and safely conduct invasive procedures. It also allows systematic scanning of the pleural surface, though its value remains uncertain for differentiation between malignant (MPE) and nonmalignant pleural effusion (non-MPE) in routine clinical practice. Objectives: To evaluate the utility of US features to predict malignancy in undiagnosed pleural effusions in a real-life clinical setting. Methods: The US features of 154 consecutive patients with a pleural effusion were prospectively assessed. Anonymous images were recorded by an operator blinded to the clinical and radiological results. The US findings were classified by independent reviewers and compared to the final diagnosis. Results: A total of 133 patients were included (age 67 ± 16 years; BMI 25.1 ± 4.6; 54.1% females). The final diagnosis was MPE in 66 cases and non-MPE in 67 cases. US had an overall sensitivity of 80.3%, a specificity of 83.6%, and positive and negative predictive values of 82.8 and 81.2%, respectively, for the detection of malignancy. US accuracy was 81.9%. The presence of pleural/diaphragmatic nodules, pleural/diaphragmatic thickness >10 mm, and a swirling sign was significantly different between both groups (p < 0.001). Lung air bronchogram sign and a septated US pattern were more common in non-MPE patients (p < 0.01). The existence of nodularity and the absence of air bronchograms were more likely to indicate malignancy (OR 29.0, 95% CI 7.65-110.08 and OR 10.4, 95% CI 1.65-65.752, respectively). Conclusions: In the presence of an undiagnosed pleural effusion, US morphological characteristics can aid in differentiating MPE from non-MPE. Pleural/diaphragmatic nodularity was the most relevant feature although no finding was pathognomonic of MPE.
High Prevalence of Mild Cognitive Impairment in the Elderly: A Community-Based Study in Four Cities of the Hebei Province, China
Authors: Xu Shunjiang , Xie Bing , Song Mei , Yu Lulu , Wang Lan , An Cuixia , Zhu Qifeng , Han Keyan , Zhao Xiaochuan , Zhang Rui , Dong Ling , Chai Ning , Gao Yuanyuan , Zhang Qingfu , Wang Xueyi
Published: January 2014

Background: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) has been suggested as a term for a boundary area between normal aging and dementia. This study was designed to determine the prevalence of MCI in the elderly in the Hebei province, China, and explore its related factors. Methods: Participants included 2,601 community-dwelling people aged 60 years or older who resided in the four major cities of the Hebei province. In stage 1 of the study, the Mini-Mental State Examination and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment were administered for screening purposes. In stage 2, the subjects who screened positive were further examined by neurologists. The diagnosis of MCI was made according to Petersen's criteria. Results: The estimated prevalence of MCI was 21.3%. MCI was more prevalent at age 65-69 (28.3%), and its overall rates among men (24.1%) were higher than those of women (19.9%). The higher prevalence of MCI was associated with very old age (≥80 years old; OR = 2.457, 95% CI = 1.471-4.104), male gender (OR = 1.363, 95% CI = 1.097-1.694), low education level (OR = 2.439, 95% CI = 1.623-3.663), and poor economic status (OR = 2.882, 95% CI = 1.949-4.255). Conclusions: Our findings show a high prevalence of MCI in the elderly urban population in the Hebei province. Gender, education level, and economic status may have an important role in the etiology of MCI.
Identification of the 12q15 Amplicon within the Homogeneously Staining Regions in the Embryonal Rhabdomyosarcoma Cell Line RMS-YM
Authors: Kakazu N. , Yamane H. , Miyachi M. , Shiwaku K. , Hosoi H.
Published: January 2014

Gene amplification represents one of the molecular mechanisms of oncogene overexpression in many types of tumors. Homogeneously staining regions (HSRs) are cytogenetic hallmarks of gene amplification. Rhabdomyosarcoma is the most common malignant soft-tissue tumor in children. RMS-YM is an embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma cell line that possesses 3 HSRs. This cytogenetic finding suggests the presence of gene amplifications associated with tumor development or progression in RMS-YM. Here, using fluorescence in situ hybridization, we detected high amplification of the MDM2 gene in the HSRs of RMS-YM. We also refined the region of the amplicon and identified that the FRS2 gene and others are amplified in RMS-YM. MDM2 and FRS2 play important roles as a regulator of p53 and a mediator of FGF signaling, respectively, and thus are potential molecular targets for therapy in many different tumors. RMS-YM may be useful for studies of the molecular pathways of tumorigenesis and tumor progression in rhabdomyosarcoma and for in vitro evaluation of newly developed therapeutic agents that target MDM2 or FRS2.
Natriuretic Peptide Receptor-C Attenuates Hypertension in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats
Authors: Li Yuan , Sarkar Oli , Brochu Michèle , Anand-Srivastava Madhu B.
Published: January 2014

C-Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP)
4–23
, a ring deleted analog of ANP that specifically interacts with natriuretic peptide receptor-C (NPR-C), has been shown to decrease the enhanced expression of Giα proteins implicated in the pathogenesis of hypertension. In the present study, we investigated whether in vivo treatment of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) with C-ANP
4–23
could attenuate the development of high blood pressure (BP) and explored the underlying mechanisms responsible for this response. Intraperitoneal injection of C-ANP
4–23
at the concentration of 2 or 10 nmol/kg body weight to prehypertensive SHRs attenuated the development of high BP, and at 8 weeks it was decreased by ≈20 and 50 mm Hg, respectively; however, this treatment did not affect BP in Wistar-Kyoto rats. C-ANP
4–23
treatment of adult SHRs for 2 weeks also attenuated high BP, heart rate, and restored the impaired vasorelaxation toward control levels. In addition, the enhanced levels of superoxide anion (O
2
−
), peroxynitrite, NADPH oxidase activity, and the enhanced expression of Giα proteins, NOX4, p47
phox
, nitrotyrosine, and decreased levels of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS or NOS3) and NO in SHRs were attenuated by C-ANP
4–23
treatment; however, the altered levels of NPR-A/NPR-C were not affected by this treatment. In conclusion, these results indicate that NPR-C activation by C-ANP
4–23
attenuates the development of high BP in SHRs through the inhibition of enhanced levels of Giα proteins and nitroxidative stress and not through eNOS/cGMP pathway and suggest that NPR-C ligand may have the potential to be used as therapeutic agent in the treatment of cardiovascular complications including hypertension.
Mitochondrial tRNA Variants in Chinese Subjects With Coronary Heart Disease
Authors: Qin Yanwen , Xue Ling , Jiang Pingping , Xu Meifen , He Yiqun , Shi Suxue , Huang Yangyiyi , He Jiqiang , Mo Jun Qin , Guan Min‐Xin
Published: January 2014

Background

Coronary heart disease is the leading cause of death worldwide. Mitochondrial genetic determinants for the development of this disorder remain less explored.

Methods and Results

We performed a clinical and genetic evaluation and mutational screening of 22 mitochondrial
tRNA
genes in a cohort of 80 genetically unrelated Han
C
hinese subjects and 125 members of 4 families with coronary heart disease and 512
C
hinese control subjects. This analysis identified 16 nucleotide changes among 9
tRNA
genes. Of these, the T5592C mutation creates a highly conservative base pairing (5G‐68C) on the acceptor stem of
tRNA
Gln
, whereas the G15927A mutation destabilizes a highly conserved base pairing (28C‐42G) in the anticodon stem of
tRNA
Thr
. However, the other
tRNA
variants were polymorphisms. The pedigrees of BJH24 carrying the T5592C mutation, BJH15, and BJH45 harboring the G15927A mutation exhibited maternal transmission of coronary heart disease. Sequence analysis of their mitochondrial genomes revealed the presence of T5592C or G15927A mutation but the absence of other functionally significant mutations in all matrilineal relatives of these families.

Conclusions

Our previous observations showed that altered structures of
tRNA
s by these mt
DNA
mutations caused mitochondrial dysfunction. These may be the first evidence that mt
DNA
mutations increase the risk of coronary heart disease. Our findings may provide new insights into the pathophysiology of this disorder.
Symptomatic Intracranial Hemorrhage After Stroke Thrombolysis
Authors: Strbian Daniel , Michel Patrik , Seiffge David J. , Saver Jeffrey L. , Numminen Heikki , Meretoja Atte , Murao Kei , Weder Bruno , Forss Nina , Parkkila Anna-Kaisa , Eskandari Ashraf , Cordonnier Charlotte , Davis Stephen M. , Engelter Stefan T. , Tatlisumak Turgut
Published: January 2014

Background and Purpose—

Several prognostic scores have been developed to predict the risk of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH) after ischemic stroke thrombolysis. We compared the performance of these scores in a multicenter cohort.

Methods—

We merged prospectively collected data of patients with consecutive ischemic stroke who received intravenous thrombolysis in 7 stroke centers. We identified and evaluated 6 scores that can provide an estimate of the risk of sICH in hyperacute settings: MSS (Multicenter Stroke Survey); HAT (Hemorrhage After Thrombolysis); SEDAN (blood sugar, early infarct signs, [hyper]dense cerebral artery sign, age, NIH Stroke Scale); GRASPS (glucose at presentation, race [Asian], age, sex [male], systolic blood pressure at presentation, and severity of stroke at presentation [NIH Stroke Scale]); SITS (Safe Implementation of Thrombolysis in Stroke); and SPAN (stroke prognostication using age and NIH Stroke Scale)-100 positive index. We included only patients with available variables for all scores. We calculated the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC-ROC) and also performed logistic regression and the Hosmer–Lemeshow test.

Results—

The final cohort comprised 3012 eligible patients, of whom 221 (7.3%) had sICH per National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, 141 (4.7%) per European Cooperative Acute Stroke Study II, and 86 (2.9%) per Safe Implementation of Thrombolysis in Stroke criteria. The performance of the scores assessed with AUC-ROC for predicting European Cooperative Acute Stroke Study II sICH was: MSS, 0.63 (95% confidence interval, 0.58–0.68); HAT, 0.65 (0.60–0.70); SEDAN, 0.70 (0.66–0.73); GRASPS, 0.67 (0.62–0.72); SITS, 0.64 (0.59–0.69); and SPAN-100 positive index, 0.56 (0.50–0.61). SEDAN had significantly higher AUC-ROC values compared with all other scores, except for GRASPS where the difference was nonsignificant. SPAN-100 performed significantly worse compared with other scores. The discriminative ranking of the scores was the same for the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, and Safe Implementation of Thrombolysis in Stroke definitions, with SEDAN performing best, GRASPS second, and SPAN-100 worst.

Conclusions—

SPAN-100 had the worst predictive power, and SEDAN constantly the highest predictive power. However, none of the scores had better than moderate performance.
A new genus and new bromelicolous species of Cicadellini (Insecta: Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) from Southeastern Brazil
Authors: MEJDALANI GABRIEL , QUINTAS VICTOR , CARVALHO RACHEL A. , TAKIYA DANIELA M.
Published: January 2014

A new genus, Cavichiana, is described for a new species of Cicadellini, C. bromelicola, from Southeastern Brazil (states of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo). The new genus can be distinguished from other genera of the Cicadellini by the following combination of features: (1) head deltoid, strongly produced anteriorly; (2) ocelli located distinctly anterad of anterior eye angles; (3) aedeagus tubular, elongate, its apex with a conspicuous crown of spines; (4) paraphyses with both stalk and rami elongate, rami slender and each with basidorsal dentiform projection. The new species has a distinctive color pattern. The dorsum is dark brown to black with contrasting blue to white spots. The anterior half of the fore wings has a large, circular transcommissural yellow macula bordered by a blue to white border, the anterior portion of this macula covering the scutellum. Specimens of the new species were found on leaves of bromeliads in areas of restinga (sand dune vegetation) of the Atlantic Forest of Southeastern Brazil. Other cases of association between hemipterans and bromeliads are listed and briefly discussed.
Cyrtodactylus samroiyot, a new limestone-dwelling Bent-toed Gecko (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from Prachuap Khiri Khan Province, peninsular Thailand
Authors: PAUWELS OLIVIER S. G. , SUMONTHA MONTRI
Published: January 2014

We describe Cyrtodactylus samroiyot sp. nov. from a limestone relief in Sam Roi Yot District, Prachuap Khiri Khan Province, peninsular Thailand. It is characterized by a maximal known SVL of 66.9 mm; 17–18 longitudinal rows of dorsal tubercles; 33–34 longitudinal rows of ventrals across the abdomen between the ventrolateral skin folds; a continuous series of seven precloacal pores in males (six shallow precloacal pits in females); a series of slightly enlarged, poreless and pitless femoral scales; no precloacal groove nor depression; median row of transversely enlarged subcaudal scales; a complete nuchal loop; and a dorsal pattern consisting of three long dark brown bands, one above shoulders and two above abdomen.
Characterizing the Climate Feedback Pattern in the NCAR CCSM3-SOM Using Hourly Data
Authors: Song Xiaoliang , Zhang Guang J. , Cai Ming
Published: January 2014

The climate feedback–response analysis method (CFRAM) was applied to 10-yr hourly output of the NCAR Community Climate System Model, version 3, using the slab ocean model (CCSM3-SOM), to analyze the strength and spatial distribution of climate feedbacks and to characterize their contributions to the global and regional surface temperature Ts changes in response to a doubling of CO2. The global mean bias in the sum of partial Ts changes associated with the CO2 forcing, and each feedback derived with the CFRAM analysis is about 2% of Ts change obtained directly from the CCSM3-SOM simulations. The pattern correlation between the two is 0.94, indicating that the CFRAM analysis using hourly model output is accurate and thus is appropriate for quantifying the contributions of climate feedback to the formation of global and regional warming patterns. For global mean Ts, the largest contributor to the warming is water vapor feedback, followed by the direct CO2 forcing and albedo feedback. The albedo feedback exhibits the largest spatial variation, followed by shortwave cloud feedback. In terms of pattern correlation and RMS difference with the modeled global surface warming, longwave cloud feedback contributes the most. On zonal average, albedo feedback is the largest contributor to the stronger warming in high latitudes than in the tropics. The longwave cloud feedback further amplifies the latitudinal warming contrast. Both the land–ocean warming difference and contributions of climate feedbacks to it vary with latitude. Equatorward of 50°, shortwave cloud feedback and dynamical advection are the two largest contributors. The land–ocean warming difference on the hemispheric scale is mainly attributable to longwave cloud feedback and convection.
Evaluation and Parameter-Sensitivity Study of a Single-Layer Urban Canopy Model (SLUCM) with Measurements in Nanjing, China
Authors: Zhao Wenjing , Zhang Ning , Sun Jianning , Zou Jun
Published: January 2014

An offline single-layer urban canopy model (SLUCM) was driven by the surface energy balance observations in winter in Nanjing, China, to evaluate the capability of the model to simulate the urban surface energy balance. The results of the evaluation suggest that the simulated daytime net radiation is approximately 20% lower than the observed and display relatively high systematic error, which is due to the relatively poor capacity of the model to simulate the daytime longwave radiation (which is underestimated by approximately 35%). By contrast, the simulated sensible heat flux shows mainly unsystematic error. Moreover, the one-at-a-time method is used to conduct a sensitivity analysis of the model parameters. The sensitivity analysis demonstrates that the major factors affecting the surface energy balance are the albedo, the thermal conductivity, and the roof and wall volumetric heat capacity. The influences of the shape of the street canyon and the average height of buildings are relatively weaker. The effects of the albedo on the fluxes are nearly linear. The effects of the thermal parameters are approximately logarithmic. Furthermore, the simulated sensible heat flux in the SLUCM is insensitive to the morphological parameters of the buildings.