bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Daily prednisone treatment in duchenne muscular dystrophy in southwest china
Authors: Hu Jun , Ye Yuanzhen , Kong Min , Hong Siqi , Cheng Li , Wang Qiao , Qin Jiaqiang , Zou Lin , Jiang Li
Published: March 2015

Introduction

In this study we aimed to determine the influence of daily prednisone treatment in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) by performing a prospective, randomized, placebo‐controlled trial in southwestern China.

Methods

Sixty‐six children with DMD (4–12 years of age) were divided randomly into prednisone and placebo groups. Efficacy and safety of daily prednisone at 0.75 mg/kg/day were evaluated over 12 months by muscle strength and function, quality of life (QoL), quantitative muscle ultrasound (QMUS), and side effects.

Results

Significant improvements in muscle strength and function, QoL, and QMUS were observed in the prednisone group compared with the placebo‐treated group (P < 0.05). Changes in body weight, height, body mass index, and diastolic blood pressure were similar in both groups (P > 0.05).

Conclusions

This pilot study in southwestern China found that daily prednisone at 0.75 mg/kg/day is suitable for children with DMD. It slowed disease progression and improved QoL and QMUS. Moderate side effects were generally well tolerated. Muscle Nerve 52: 1001–1007, 2015
Predictive accuracy of single‐ and multi‐slice MRI for the estimation of total visceral adipose tissue in overweight to severely obese patients
Authors: Schaudinn Alexander , Linder Nicolas , Garnov Nikita , Kerlikowsky Felix , Blüher Matthias , Dietrich Arne , Schütz Tatjana , Karlas Thomas , Kahn Thomas , Busse Harald
Published: March 2015

The quantification of visceral adipose tissue (VAT) is increasingly being considered for risk assessment and treatment monitoring in obese patients, but is generally time‐consuming. The goals of this work were to semi‐automatically segment and quantify VAT areas of MRI slices at previously proposed anatomical landmarks and to evaluate their predictive power for whole‐abdominal VAT volumes on a relatively large number of patients. One‐hundred and ninety‐seven overweight to severely obese patients (65 males; body mass index, 33.3 ± 3.5 kg/m2; 132 females; body mass index, 34.3 ± 3.2 kg/m2) underwent MRI examination. Total VAT volumes (VVAT‐T) of the abdominopelvic cavity were quantified by retrospective analysis of two‐point Dixon MRI data (active‐contour segmentation, visual correction and histogram analysis).VVAT‐Twas then compared with VAT areas determined on one or five slices defined at seven anatomical landmarks (lumbar intervertebral spaces, umbilicus and femoral heads) and corresponding conversion factors were determined. Statistical measures were the coefficients of variation and standard deviationsσ1andσ5of the difference between predicted and measured VAT volumes (Bland–Altman analysis).VVAT‐Twas 6.0 ± 2.0 L (2.5–11.2 L) for males and 3.2 ± 1.4 L (0.9–7.7 L) for females. The analysis of five slices yielded a better agreement than the analysis of single slices, required only a little extra time (4 minversus2 min) and was substantially faster than whole‐abdominal assessment (24 min). Best agreements were found at intervertebral spaces L3–L4 for females (σ5/1= 523/608 mL) and L2–L3 for males (σ5/1= 613/706 mL). Five‐slice VAT volume estimates at the level of lumbar disc L3–L4 for females and L2–L3 for males can be obtained within 4 min and were a reliable predictor for abdominopelvic VAT volume in overweight to severely adipose patients. One‐slice estimates took only 2 min and were slightly less accurate. These findings may contribute to the implementation of analytical methods for fast and reliable (routine) estimation of VAT volumes in obese patients. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Control of micro‐ and nanocellular structures in CO2 foamed PES/PEN blends
Authors: Sorrentino Luigi , Cafiero Livia , Iannace Salvatore
Published: March 2015

High performance thermoplastic blends based on polyethersulfone (PES) and poly(ethylene 2,6 naphthalate) (PEN) were foamed with supercritical CO2 to develop high‐performance foams with improved heat deflection temperature, extended processing range, and controlled cellular morphology. The cellular morphology resulted to be strongly influenced by the initial morphology of the blend. The presence of small amount of PES as dispersed phase in PEN based blends acted as blowing agent reservoir and allowed to extend the processing temperature range for obtaining low density foams. The presence of PEN droplets in PES based systems extended the foaming temperatures towards lower values and allowed the development of a bimodal micro/nanocellular morphology at a foaming temperature 60°C lower than the PES glass transition temperature. Furthermore, the presence of PEN droplets compensated for the reduced capability of the host matrix to generate a fine and diffuse porosity at low foaming temperatures. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 55:1281–1289, 2015. © 2015 Society of Plastics Engineers
The linear rheological responses of wedge‐type polymers
Authors: Hu Miao , Xia Yan , Daeffler Christopher S. , Wang Jinhua , McKenna Gregory B. , Kornfield Julia A. , Grubbs Robert H.
Published: March 2015

The linear rheological responses of a series of specially designed wedge‐type polymers synthesized by the polymerization of large molecular weight monomers have been measured. These wedge polymers contained large side groups which contained three flexible branch chains per polymer chain unit. The master curves for these polymers were obtained by time temperature superposition of dynamic data at different temperatures from the terminal flow regime to well below the glass transition temperature, Tg. While these polymers maintained a behavior similar to that of linear polymers, the influence of the large side group structure lead to low entanglement densities and extremely low rubbery plateau modulus values, being near to 13 kPa. The viscosity molecular weight dependence was also somewhat higher than that normally observed for linear polymers, tending toward a power law near to 4.2 rather than the typical 3.4 found in entangled linear chains. The glassy modulus of these branched polymers is also found to be extremely low, being less than 100 MPa at Tg −60 °C. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2015, 53, 899–906
Analysis of a blast due to inadvertant mixing of ammonium sulfate and sodium hyplochlorite
Authors: Norval Graeme W.
Published: March 2015

Ammonium sulfate and sodium hypochlorite are common industrial chemicals, often used together in water treatment. The consequences of mixing hypochlorite (chlorine) solution with ammonia solutions are well understood within the chlorine industry; detonable chloramines are produced. This knowledge is not well known in other industries; fortunately, few locations have both chemicals on site. These products were inadvertently mixed, resulting in an explosion, at a water treatment facility in Kitchener, Ontario on April 2, 2014. The chemistry of the incident is presented and discussed. Facilities that handle both chemicals, such as the water treatment industry need to have heightened sense of understanding of this particular reactive chemical hazard. © 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Process Saf Prog 35: 92–95, 2016
Thrombosis Preventive Potential of Chicory Coffee Consumption: A Clinical Study
Authors: Schumacher Edit , Vigh Éva , Molnár Valéria , Kenyeres Péter , Fehér Gergely , Késmárky Gábor , Tóth Kálmán , Garai János
Published: March 2015

The protective effects of plant polyphenol intake on cardiovascular morbidity and mortality are widely acknowledged. Caffeine‐free chicory coffee is a rich source of plant phenolics, including caffeic acid, which inhibits in vitro platelet aggregation, and also phenylpyruvate tautomerase enzymatic activity of the proinflammatory cytokine, macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF). To assess whether chicory coffee consumption might confer cardiovascular benefits a clinical intervention study was performed with 27 healthy volunteers, who consumed 300 mL chicory coffee every day for 1 week. The dietary intervention produced variable effects on platelet aggregation, depending on the inducer used for the aggregation test. Whole blood and plasma viscosity were both significantly decreased, along with serum MIF levels, after 1 week of chicory coffee consumption. Moreover, significant improvements were seen in red blood cell deformability. No changes in hematocrit, fibrinogen level or red blood cell counts were detected. The full spectrum of these effects is unlikely to be attributable to a single compound present in chicory coffee, nevertheless, the phenolics, including caffeic acid, are expected to play a substantial role. In conclusion, our study offers an encouraging starting‐point to delineate the antithrombotic and antiinflammatory effects of phenolic compounds found in chicory coffee. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Compass/BeiDou‐2 spaceborne clock performance assessment and its error detection, mitigation
Authors: Chen Maolin , Zhan Xingqun , Du Gang , Liu Meihong
Published: March 2015

The performance of a spaceborne atomic clock on a navigation satellite and the accuracy of the clock data in broadcast ephemeris are two critical factors for real‐time high‐accuracy global navigation satellite systems applications. A novel clock performance assessment method is proposed, which is indexed by the maximum clock error, clock rate, and clock drift rate, and the performance of the BeiDou‐2 satellite‐borne clock is assessed by this method compared to the GPS. To mitigate the negative effects of clock errors on pseudo‐range measurements and positioning results, an integrated clock prediction method is also presented in this paper based on polynomial modeling, wavelet denoising, and autoregressive integrated moving average modeling. An example is shown to test and verify the effectiveness of the integrated clock prediction method. Real data clock assessment results demonstrate the equivalent quality of BeiDou‐2 and GPS spaceborne clocks. The proposed clock prediction method can be used to detect and mitigate clock errors in broadcast ephemeris. © 2015 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Polynomial fuzzy controller design with disturbance observer using the SOS‐based approach
Authors: Han Hugang , Higaki Yuta
Published: March 2015

The polynomial fuzzy model is an effective model to design a fuzzy controller for nonlinear systems. In order to improve the control performance, a so‐called lumped disturbance is considered in the model. For countering the influence of the lumped disturbance, a new fuzzy disturbance observer (FDO) is proposed. Compared to the existing FDO, which is designed on the basis of an individual rule and whose estimate may not match the disturbance properly, the proposed method is able to follow the disturbance, in principle. As a result, the estimate of the new FDO is used directly to synthesize a part of controller along with the regular control input where such a disturbance is not considered. Finally, a set of conditions in the form of the sum of squares for the asymptotic stability of the closed‐loop system is provided. © 2015 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
ESOL Teachers as Advocates: An Important Role?
Authors: Linville Heather A.
Published: March 2015

Due to the fact that English language learners (ELLs) often do not have the same educational opportunities or outcomes as non‐ELL students in the United States, the professional standards for initial certification for teaching English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) call on ESOL teachers to advocate for them. Yet little research exists on how ESOL teachers view this role or what advocacy actions they believe are important. In this study of preservice teachers in ESOL teacher education programs, the majority of participants rate the advocacy actions as important to the ESOL teacher role. Advocacy actions in the classroom and school are rated as more important than those outside the school in the community. The study also reveals two factors that are positively associated with beliefs about the importance of advocacy: more time in the teacher education program and having other teaching experience besides ESOL. Based on this research, the author suggests more clearly delineated advocacy actions to better prepare preservice ESOL teachers in teacher education programs for classroom and school‐based advocacy and to support in‐service ESOL teachers in different levels of advocacy (in the classroom and school or beyond) at different stages in their careers.
Monocyte-Derived Suppressor Cells in Transplantation
Authors: Ochando Jordi , Conde Patricia , Bronte Vincenzo
Published: March 2015

Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC) are cells of myeloid origin with enhanced suppressive function. They are negative regulators of the immune responses and comprise a heterogeneous mixture of immunosuppressive cells of monocytic (M-MDSC) and granulocytic (G-MDSC) origin. A more recent nomenclature proposes the term “suppressive monocyte derived cells” (suppressive MCs) to define CSF1/CSF2-dependent mouse suppressor cells that develop from common monocyte progenitors (cMoPs) after birth. Here, we review the literature about monocytic-derived cells with demonstrated suppressor function in vitro and in vivo within the context of solid organ transplantation.
A ubiquitin‐binding CUE domain in presenilin‐1 enables interaction with K63‐linked polyubiquitin chains
Authors: Duggan Stephen P. , Yan Run , McCarthy Justin V.
Published: March 2015

The presenilins (PS1 and PS2) are the catalytic component of the γ‐secretase intramembrane protease complex, involved in the regulated intramembrane proteolysis of numerous type I transmembrane proteins, including amyloid precursor protein (APP) and Notch. Herein, we describe the identification and characterization of a CUE (coupling of ubiquitin conjugation to endoplasmic reticulum degradation) ubiquitin‐binding domain (UBD) in PS1, and demonstrate that the CUE domain of PS1 mediates non‐covalent binding to Lysine 63‐linked polyubiquitin chains. Our results highlight a γ‐secretase‐independent function for non‐covalent ubiquitin signaling in the regulation of PS1, and add new insights into the structure and function of the presenilin proteins.
A web-based collaborative framework for facilitating decision making on a 3D design developing process
Authors: Nyamsuren Purevdorj , Lee Soo-Hong , Hwang Hyun-Tae , Kim Tae-Joo
Published: March 2015

Increased competitive challenges are forcing companies to find better ways to bring their applications to market faster. Distributed development environments can help companies improve their time-to-market by enabling parallel activities. Although, such environments still have their limitations in real-time communication and real-time collaboration during the product development process. This paper describes a web-based collaborative framework which has been developed to support the decision making on a 3D design developing process. The paper describes 3D design file for the discussion that contains all relevant annotations on its surface and their visualization on the user interface for design changing. The framework includes a native CAD data converting module, 3D data based real-time communication module, revision control module for 3D data and some sub-modules such as data storage and data management. We also discuss some raised issues in the project and the steps underway to address them.
THE NORMATIVITY OF MIND-WORLD RELATIONS: COMMENTS ON SOSA
Authors: Hazlett Allan
Published: March 2015

In these comments I discuss the account of action, perception, and knowledge presented in “Mind-World Relations,” with a focus on the implications of this account for the would-be normativity of action, perception, and knowledge.
A balloon bursting underwater
Authors: Vasel-Be-Hagh A. R. , Carriveau R. , Ting D. S.-K.
Published: March 2015

A buoyant vortex ring produced by an underwater bursting balloon was studied experimentally. The effect of dimensionless surface tension on characteristics including rise velocity, rate of expansion, circulation, trajectory, and lifetime of the vortex ring bubble was investigated. Results showed reasonable agreement with the literature on vortex rings produced by conventional approaches. It was observed that as the dimensionless surface tension increased, the rise velocity, the circulation and consequently the stability of the vortex ring bubble increased; however, the rate of expansion tends toward constant values. A semi-analytical model is proposed by modifying the drag-based model presented by Sullivan et al. (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 609, 2008, pp. 319–347) to make it applicable to buoyant vortex rings. The modified model suggests that the vortex ring expansion is essentially due to the buoyancy force. An expression is also derived for the circulation in terms of the initial volume of the balloon and the depth at which the balloon bursts.
In vitrocolonic metabolism of coffee and chlorogenic acid results in selective changes in human faecal microbiota growth
Authors: Mills Charlotte E. , Tzounis Xenofon , Oruna-Concha Maria-Jose , Mottram Don S. , Gibson Glenn R. , Spencer Jeremy P. E.
Published: March 2015

Coffee is a relatively rich source of chlorogenic acids (CGA), which, as other polyphenols, have been postulated to exert preventive effects against CVD and type 2 diabetes. As a considerable proportion of ingested CGA reaches the large intestine, CGA may be capable of exerting beneficial effects in the large gut. Here, we utilise a stirred, anaerobic, pH-controlled, batch culture fermentation model of the distal region of the colon in order to investigate the impact of coffee and CGA on the growth of the human faecal microbiota. Incubation of coffee samples with the human faecal microbiota led to the rapid metabolism of CGA (4 h) and the production of dihydrocaffeic acid and dihydroferulic acid, while caffeine remained unmetabolised. The coffee with the highest levels of CGA (P< 0·05, relative to the other coffees) induced a significant increase in the growth ofBifidobacteriumspp. relative to the control vessel at 10 h after exposure (P< 0·05). Similarly, an equivalent quantity of CGA (80·8 mg, matched with that in high-CGA coffee) induced a significant increase in the growth ofBifidobacteriumspp. (P< 0·05). CGA alone also induced a significant increase in the growth of theClostridium coccoides–Eubacteriumrectalegroup (P< 0·05). This selective metabolism and subsequent amplification of specific bacterial populations could be beneficial to host health.
Responses in gut hormones and hunger to diets with either high protein or a mixture of protein plus free amino acids supplied under weight-loss conditions
Authors: Lobley Gerald E. , Holtrop Grietje , Horgan Graham W. , Bremner David M. , Fyfe Claire , Johnstone Alexandra M.
Published: March 2015

High-protein diets are an effective means for weight loss (WL), but the mechanisms are unclear. One hypothesis relates to the release of gut hormones by either protein or amino acids (AA). The present study involved overweight and obese male volunteers (n18, mean BMI 36·8 kg/m2) who consumed a maintenance diet for 7 d followed by fully randomised 10 d treatments with three iso-energetic WL diets, i.e. with either normal protein (NP, 15 % of energy) or high protein (HP, 30 %) or with a combination of protein and free AA, each 15 % of energy (NPAA). Psychometric ratings of appetite were recorded hourly. On day 10, plasma samples were taken at 30 min intervals over two consecutive 5 h periods (covering post-breakfast and post-lunch) and analysed for AA, glucose and hormones (insulin, total glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide, active ghrelin and total peptide YY (PYY)) plus leucine kinetics (first 5 h only). Composite hunger was 16 % lower for the HP diet than for the NP diet (P< 0·01) in the 5 h period after both meals. Plasma essential AA concentrations were greatest within 60 min of each meal for the NPAA diet, but remained elevated for 3–5 h after the HP diet. The three WL diets showed no difference for either fasting concentrations or the postprandial net incremental AUC (net AUCi) for insulin, ghrelin or PYY. No strong correlations were observed between composite hunger scores and net AUCifor either AA or gut peptides. Regulation of hunger may involve subtle interactions, and a range of signals may need to be integrated to produce the overall response.
Reciprocal crosses between two populations ofTrissolcus vassilievi(Mayr) (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) reveal maternal effects on thermal phenotypes
Authors: Iranipour S. , BenaMolaei P. , Asgari S. , Michaud J.P.
Published: March 2015

The egg parasitoidTrissolcus vassilievi(Mayr) (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) is a significant natural enemy of the sunn pest,Eurygaster integricepsPuton (Hemiptera: Scutelleridae), the most important pest of wheat in Iran. This study examined the developmental time and egg-to-adult survival of two geographically separate populations ofT. vassilievion two corresponding host populations at five constant temperatures ranging from 15.0 to 35.0±1°C. No wasps of either population emerged at 15.0°C and the temperature threshold for development was similar between populations, ranging from 13.1±0.3 to 13.8±0.4°C for males and 12.2±0.1 to 12.6±0.1°C for females, but the thermal constant varied with gender and parasitoid population. Development of wasps from the colder Tabriz location was slower, with thermal constants for males and females of 172.6±3.1 and 204.1±1.2 degree-days, respectively, compared to Varamin wasps with 164.7±3.0 and 195.6±1.3 degree-days, respectively. Based on genetic inheritance patterns, reciprocal crosses between the two populations were expected to result in females with thermal phenotypes intermediate to their parental populations, and males that resembled their mothers. However, female progeny of crosses more closely resembled their maternal population, indicating a maternal effect on thermal phenotype. Furthermore, the magnitude of the maternal effect on the thermal constant was asymmetric and was more strongly expressed by Varmin than Tabriz females. These results suggest the possibility of using selective crosses between wasp populations, in combination with artificial selection in the laboratory, to tune the thermal phenotype of parasitoids to specific regions prior to augmentative releases.
Host suitability analysis of the bark beetle Scolytus amygdali (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae)
Authors: Zeiri A. , Ahmed M.Z. , Braham M. , Braham M. , Qiu B.-L.
Published: March 2015

Scolytus amygdali is a polyphagous insect pest that feeds on fruit trees and forest trees. Our study assessed the host preference and reproductive potential of S. amygdali on four tree species: almond (Prunus dulcis), apricot (Prunus armeniaca), peach (Prunus persica), and plum (Prunus domestica). Females of S. amygdali produced maternal galleries that were longer on peach than the other three trees, and female fecundity was highest on peach. Females with longer maternal galleries produced more eggs, indicating a positive correlation between maternal gallery length and female fertility. The under-bark development time of S. amygdali is significantly shorter on plum (45 days) and almond (56 days) than on apricot (65 days) and peach (64 days). Despite this longer development time on peach, our results still suggest that, of the four types of tree tested, peach is the most preferred host for S. amygdali.
Response to conspecific and heterospecific semiochemicals by Sesamia nonagrioides (L.) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) gravid females
Authors: Cruz D. , Eizaguirre M.
Published: March 2015

The Mediterranean corn borer, Sesamia nonagrioides, occurs sympatrically in the northeast of Spain with other lepidopteran pests such as Ostrinia nubilalis and Mythimna unipuncta. In this study, we evaluated the electrophysiological and behavioural response of mated and unmated females and males of S. nonagrioides to their own complete pheromone blend, to its own four components separately, and to the pheromone components of the sympatric species O. nubilalis and M. unipuncta. Results of the electroantennogram recordings revealed that females of S. nonagrioides can detect their own pheromone blend and its individual components. Moreover, our results show that unmated females and males of S. nonagrioides are more sensitive to the female pheromone, showing higher electrophysiological response than the mated females and males. Electroantennogram recordings showed that males and females can detect the major sexual pheromone component of O. nubilalis (Z)-11-tetradecenyl acetate and the minor component of the pheromone of M. unipuncta (Z)-9-hexadecenyl acetate. When the sex pheromone stimulus was presented in the dual-choice assays, gravid females of S. nonagrioides were attracted to both their own complete pheromone blend and one of their own minor pheromone components, (Z)-11-hexadecenal, but the major sexual pheromone component of O. nubilalis acts as a behavioural antagonist to the females.
THE FUTURE IS A FOREIGN COUNTRY
Authors: Hooper Hayley J.
Published: March 2015

IN R. (Lord Carlile) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2014] UKSC 60; [2014] 3 W.L.R. 1404, the Supreme Court held by a four to one majority (Lords Sumption, Clarke, Neuberger and Lady Hale, Lord Kerr dissenting) that the exclusion of an Iranian dissident from the UK was a proportionate interference with the Article 10 ECHR right to freedom of expression of both the dissident herself and the cross-party group of parliamentarians litigating on her behalf. The parliamentarians had wished to invite Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the exiled leader of the former terrorist group the People's Mojahedin Organisation of Iran, to the Palace of Westminster to speak about democracy and human rights in Iran. The Home Secretary had excluded the invitee on the basis of a risk assessment formulated in cooperation with the Foreign Office. The risk assessment had concluded that admission of Mrs. Rajavi might endanger foreign relations between Britain and Iran, and British national security because of the potential risk to the safety of British diplomatic personnel based in Iran. Lord Sumption put the matter succinctly: “the future is a foreign country” and the Courts should therefore be reticent to interfere with Executive predictions in the realm of “high policy” (at para. [46]). The judgment is of great interest not only for its background facts, which concern the often fraught and complicated diplomatic relationship between the UK and Iran, but principally because the decision engages central constitutional questions regarding the institutional competence of the courts in judicial review.
THE DIFFICULTY OF ENFORCING SURROGACY REGULATIONS
Authors: Fenton-Glynn Claire
Published: March 2015

OVER the past 15 years, international surrogacy has grown from a niche practice catering only to a few adventurous couples, to a convenient response to infertility for those who would otherwise be hindered by restrictive national regimes. While the Hague Conference Permanent Bureau continues to debate the desirability, and indeed viability, of an international convention in this area, governments and courts around the world have been confronted by the difficult question of whether to recognise an agreement that takes place legally in another jurisdiction, but which is contrary to their own laws. In this, England is no exception. With approximately 25%. of all surrogacy arrangements now taking place outside its borders, English courts are regularly being asked to confer parenthood on commissioning parents in circumstances in which the statutory requirements have not only not been met, but in some cases flagrantly breached. The latest development in this regard is Re X (A Child) (Surrogacy: Time Limit) [2014] EWHC 3135 (Fam), where the tension between public policy as evinced in the legislation, and the welfare of the child who will bear the burden of any refusal to recognise parenthood, once again came to a head.
SOVEREIGNTY, SCIENCE, AND CETACEANS: THE WHALING IN THE ANTARCTIC CASE
Authors: Plant Brendan
Published: March 2015

THE issue of whaling has been the subject of considerable controversy in recent years, as the international community remains divided as to how the world's marine resources should be managed: some states prioritise conservation, while others favour sustainable exploitation. Against this background, Australia initiated proceedings against Japan before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in May 2010, claiming that Japan's continuing whaling activities, carried out under the guise of scientific research, were in breach of its various obligations under the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (ICRW). New Zealand later intervened in the proceedings, exercising its right under Article 63 of the ICJ Statute, and oral pleadings involving the three states were held in June and July 2013. On 31 March 2014, the ICJ delivered its judgment in Whaling in the Antarctic (Australia v Japan, New Zealand Intervening), finding that Japan had violated three provisions of the ICRW – the moratorium on commercial whaling, the ban on factory ships, and the prohibition on whaling in the Southern Ocean Sanctuary – by authorising the killing of certain whale species as part of its JARPA II research programme. The decision has largely been welcomed, especially by environmental activists, for offering a measure of protection to endangered marine life, but the judgment carries broader significance for its treatment of a number of points of international law, including the standard of review exercised by international courts, the role of scientific reasoning in international dispute settlement, and the interpretation of treaties.
Contralateral cochlear implantation prior to vestibular nerve section for ‘drop attacks’ in the only hearing ear
Authors: Shi J , Kertesz T
Published: March 2015

Background:

A dilemma occurs in the treatment of second-sided Ménière's disease in the only hearing ear, particularly in patients with severe symptoms such as ‘drop attacks’. This paper describes a patient treated with contralateral cochlear implantation prior to vestibular nerve section of the symptomatic ear.

Case report:

A 53-year-old man, with second-sided Ménière's disease and drop attacks in the only serviceable right ear, underwent successful left cochlear implantation 30 years after hearing loss, followed by right vestibular nerve section. The patient achieved control of Ménière's attacks and improved hearing. Although the patient experienced oscillopsia post-operatively, he was satisfied with his improved everyday functioning.

Conclusion:

Patients with severe second-sided Ménière's disease in the only hearing ear are a small but difficult treatment group. In those that are suitable for cochlear implantation in the non-serviceable ear, it is suggested that this be employed prior to surgical treatment of the Ménière's symptoms, even if the implanted ear has had no auditory stimulation for many years.
Cachexia: clinical features when inflammation drives malnutrition
Authors: Laviano Alessandro , Koverech Angela , Mari Alessia
Published: March 2015

Cachexia is a clinically relevant syndrome which impacts on quality of life, morbidity and mortality of patients suffering from acute and chronic diseases. The hallmark of cachexia is muscle loss, which is triggered by disease-associated inflammatory response. Cachexia is a continuum and therefore a staging system is needed. Initially, a three-stage system (i.e. pre-cachexia, cachexia and refractory cachexia) was proposed. More recent evidence supports the use of a five-stage classification system, based on patient's BMI and severity of weight loss, to better predict clinical outcome. Also, large clinical trials in cancer patients demonstrated that cachexia emerging during chemotherapy has greater influence on survival than weight loss at baseline. Therefore, becoming widely accepted is the importance of routinely monitoring patients’ nutritional status to detect early changes and diagnose cachexia in its early phases. Although cachexia is associated with the presence of anabolic resistance, it has been shown that sustained yet physiological hyperaminoacidaemia, as well as the use of specific nutrients, is able to overcome impaired protein synthesis and revert catabolism. More importantly, clinical evidence demonstrates that preservation of nutritional status during chemotherapy or improvement of body weight after weight loss is associated with longer survival in cancer patients.
Improved Correlator Peak Selection for GNSS Receivers in Urban Canyons
Authors: Xie Peng , Petovello Mark G.
Published: March 2015

Multipath arises from the reception of reflected or diffracted signals in addition to the Line-Of-Sight (LOS) signal. By using a block processing high sensitivity receiver scheme, this paper aims to obtain better positioning performance in urban canyon areas. Generally, the peak with the most power is utilised in high sensitivity receivers; however, this approach is not always optimal in multipath environments. Noting that signal correlation peaks may be separated in the Doppler domain by a long coherent integration time, a peak identification scheme is proposed in this work, which yields better positioning performance. It is shown that most of the multipath peaks are removed in the receiver after using the proposed algorithm.
Analysis of Collision Threat Parameters and Criteria
Authors: Lenart Andrzej S.
Published: March 2015

In this paper collision threat parameters such as the distance at closest point of approach and time to the closest point of approach are derived and analysed for special cases and features; collision criteria are analysed for limitations. A new collision threat parameter - time to safe distance - is proposed and its different applications to collision avoidance are presented. Time to safe distance can replace time to the closest point of approach, as it gives a safer time in a dangerous situation. It can be applied in Automatic Radar Plotting Aids (ARPAs) to detect dangerous objects and to display possible evasive manoeuvres.
Research on the Relative Positions-Constrained Pattern Matching Method for Underwater Gravity-Aided Inertial Navigation
Authors: Wu Lin , Wang Hubiao , Chai Hua , Hsu Houtse , Wang Yong
Published: March 2015

A Relative Positions-Constrained pattern Matching (RPCM) method for underwater gravity-aided inertial navigation is presented in this paper. In this method the gravity patterns are constructed based on the relative positions of points in a trajectory, which are calculated by Inertial Navigation System (INS) indications. In these patterns the accumulated errors of INS indicated positions are cancelled and removed. Thus the new constructed gravity patterns are more accurate and reliable while the process of matching can be constrained, and the probability of mismatching also can be reduced. Two gravity anomaly maps in the South China Sea were chosen to construct a simulation test. Simulation results show that with this RPCM method, the shape of the trajectory in gravity-aided navigation is not as restricted as that in traditional Terrain Contour Matching (TERCOM) algorithms. Moreover, the performance included matching success rates and position accuracies are highly improved in the RPCM method, especially for the trajectories that are not in straight lines. Thus the proposed method is effective and suitable for practical navigation.
A NOTE ON THE STABILITY OF SWIRLING FLOWS WITH RADIUS-DEPENDENT DENSITY WITH RESPECT TO INFINITESIMAL AZIMUTHAL DISTURBANCES
Authors: DATTU H. , SUBBIAH M.
Published: March 2015

We study the stability of inviscid, incompressible swirling flows of variable density with respect to azimuthal, normal mode disturbances. We prove that the wave velocity of neutral modes is bounded. A further refinement of Fung’s semi-elliptical instability region is given. This new instability region depends not only on the minimum Richardson number, and the lower and upper bounds for the angular velocity like Fung’s semi-ellipse, but also on the azimuthal wave number and the radii of the inner and outer cylinders. An estimation for the growth rate of unstable disturbances is obtained and it is compared to some of the recent asymptotic results.
A novel quadri-polarization-agile microstrip antenna with polarization synthesizing feeding network
Authors: Chi Yu-Jen , Chen Fu-Chiarng
Published: March 2015

This paper proposes planar antennas with quadri-polarization diversity using a pair of orthogonal linear polarizations and a pair of orthogonal circular polarizations (CP). A novel feeding network with four input ports and four output ports is presented, allowing antenna polarization diversity by selecting different input ports, which can generate right-handed CP, left-handed CP, horizontal linear polarization, and vertical linear polarization. The first design uses two square patch resonators to synthesize the four polarizations; the second design comprises four circularly polarized patches to synthesize the four polarizations with an improved axial-ratio (the ratio of orthogonal components of an E-field) bandwidth. The proposed designs do not require for embedding PIN diodes and DC-biasing circuits, making them suitable for use in higher-frequency applications where using lump elements would be difficult. The novel antennas provide potential polarization diversity features which can be used for many applications. Details of the antenna design are shown, and the measurement and simulation results are also provided to validate the proposed concept.
Benitez-Nelson Receives 2014 Sulzman Award for Excellence in Education and Mentoring
Authors:   AGU
Published: March 2015

Claudia Benitez-Nelson received the 2014 Sulzman Award for Excellence in Education and Mentoring at the 2014 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, held 15–19 December in San Francisco, Calif. The award is given for "significant contributions by a mid-career female scientist as a role model and mentor for the next generation of biogeoscientists."
White House Science Fair Features Top Student Projects
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: March 2015

President Obama mixes praise for student scientists with criticism of congressional budget proposals at the fifth annual White House Science Fair.
Bax deficiency extends the survival of Ku70 knockout mice that develop lung and heart diseases
Authors: Ngo J , Matsuyama M , Kim C , Poventud-Fuentes I , Bates A , Siedlak S L , Lee H-g , Doughman Y Q , Watanabe M , Liner A , Hoit B , Voelkel N , Gerson S , Hasty P , Matsuyama S
Published: March 2015

Ku70 (Lupus Ku autoantigen p70) is essential in nonhomologous end joining DNA double-strand break repair, and ku70−/− mice age prematurely because of increased genomic instability and DNA damage responses. Previously, we found that Ku70 also inhibits Bax, a key mediator of apoptosis. We hypothesized that Bax-mediated apoptosis would be enhanced in the absence of Ku70 and contribute to premature death observed in ku70−/− mice. Here, we show that ku70−/−bax+/− and ku70−/−bax−/− mice have better survival, especially in females, than ku70−/− mice, even though Bax deficiency did not decrease the incidence of lymphoma observed in a Ku70-null background. Moreover, we found that ku70−/− mice develop lung diseases, like emphysema and pulmonary arterial (PA) occlusion, by 3 months of age. These lung abnormalities can trigger secondary health problems such as heart failure that may account for the poor survival of ku70−/− mice. Importantly, Bax deficiency appeared to delay the development of emphysema. This study suggests that enhanced Bax activity exacerbates the negative impact of Ku70 deletion. Furthermore, the underlying mechanisms of emphysema and pulmonary hypertension due to PA occlusion are not well understood, and therefore ku70−/− and Bax-deficient ku70−/− mice may be useful models to study these diseases.
D-2-Hydroxyglutarate does not mimic all the IDH mutation effects, in particular the reduced etoposide-triggered apoptosis mediated by an alteration in mitochondrial NADH
Authors: Oizel K , Gratas C , Nadaradjane A , Oliver L , Vallette F M , Pecqueur C
Published: March 2015

Somatic mutations in isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH)-1 and -2 have recently been described in glioma. This mutation leads to a neomorphic enzymatic activity as the conversion of isocitrate to alpha ketoglutarate (αKG) is replaced by the conversion of αKG to D-2-hydroxyglutarate (D-2HG) with NADPH oxidation. It has been suggested that this oncometabolite D-2HG via inhibition of αKG-dioxygenases is involved in multiple functions such as epigenetic modifications or hypoxia responses. The present study is aimed at deciphering how the mutant IDH can affect cancer pathogenesis, in particular with respect to its associated oncometabolite D-2HG. We show that the overexpression of mutant IDH in glioma cells or treatment with D-2HG triggered an increase in cell proliferation. However, although mutant IDH reduced cell sensitivity to the apoptotic inducer etoposide, D-2HG exhibited no effect on apoptosis. Instead, we found that the apoptotic effect was mediated through the mitochondrial NADH pool reduction and could be inhibited by oxamate. These data show that besides D-2HG production, mutant IDH affects other crucial metabolite pools. These observations lead to a better understanding of the biology of IDH mutations in gliomas and their response to therapy.
Testes-specific protease 50 promotes cell invasion and metastasis by increasing NF-kappaB-dependent matrix metalloproteinase-9 expression
Authors: Song Z B , Ni J-S , Wu P , Bao Y L , Liu T , Li M , Fan C , Zhang W J , Sun L G , Huang Y X , Li Y X
Published: March 2015

The high mortality in breast cancer is often associated with metastatic progression in patients. Previously we have demonstrated that testes-specific protease 50 (TSP50), an oncogene overexpressed in breast cancer samples, could promote cell proliferation and tumorigenesis. However, whether TSP50 also has a key role in cell invasion and cancer metastasis, and the mechanism underlying the process are still unclear. Here we found that TSP50 overexpression greatly promoted cell migration, invasion, adhesion and formation of the stellate structures in 3D culture system in vitro as well as lung metastasis in vivo. Conversely, TSP50 knockdown caused the opposite changes. Mechanistic studies revealed that NF-κB signaling pathway was required for TSP50-induced cell migration and metastasis, and further results indicated that TSP50 overexpression enhanced expression and secretion of MMP9, a target gene of NF-κB signaling. In addition, knockdown of MMP9 resulted in inhibition of cell migration and invasion in vitro and lung metastasis in vivo. Most importantly, immunohistochemical staining of human breast cancer samples strongly showed that the coexpression of TSP50 and p65 as well as TSP50 and MMP9 were correlated with increased metastasis and poor survival. Furthermore, we found that some breast cancer diagnosis-associated features such as tumor size, tumor grade, estrogen receptors (ER) and progesterone receptors (PR) levels, were correlated well with TSP50/p65 and TSP50/MMP9 expression status. Taken together, this work identified the TSP50 activation of MMP9 as a novel signaling mechanism underlying human breast cancer invasion and metastasis.
Nifuroxazide induces apoptosis and impairs pulmonary metastasis in breast cancer model
Authors: Yang F , Hu M , Lei Q , Xia Y , Zhu Y , Song X , Li Y , Jie H , Liu C , Xiong Y , Zuo Z , Zeng A , Li Y , Yu L , Shen G , Wang D , Xie Y , Ye T , Wei Y
Published: March 2015

Breast carcinoma is the most common female cancer with considerable metastatic potential. Signal transducers and activators of the transcription 3 (Stat3) signaling pathway is constitutively activated in many cancers including breast cancer and has been validated as a novel potential anticancer target. Here, we reported our finding with nifuroxazide, an antidiarrheal agent identified as a potent inhibitor of Stat3. The potency of nifuroxazide on breast cancer was assessed in vitro and in vivo. In this investigation, we found that nifuroxazide decreased the viability of three breast cancer cell lines and induced apoptosis of cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, western blot analysis demonstrated that the occurrence of its apoptosis was associated with activation of cleaved caspases-3 and Bax, downregulation of Bcl-2. Moreover, nifuroxazide markedly blocked cancer cell migration and invasion, and the reduction of phosphorylated-Stat3Tyr705, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) MMP-2 and MMP-9 expression were also observed. Furthermore, in our animal experiments, intraperitoneal administration of 50 mg/kg/day nifuroxazide suppressed 4T1 tumor growth and blocked formation of pulmonary metastases without detectable toxicity. Meanwhile, histological and immunohistochemical analyses revealed a decrease in Ki-67-positive cells, MMP-9-positive cells and an increase in cleaved caspase-3-positive cells upon nifuroxazide. Notably, nifuroxazide reduced the number of myeloid-derived suppressor cell in the lung. Our data indicated that nifuroxazide may potentially be a therapeutic agent for growth and metastasis of breast cancer.
Induction of COX-2-PGE2 synthesis by activation of the MAPK/ERK pathway contributes to neuronal death triggered by TDP-43-depleted microglia
Authors: Xia Q , Hu Q , Wang H , Yang H , Gao F , Ren H , Chen D , Fu C , Zheng L , Zhen X , Ying Z , Wang G
Published: March 2015

Neuroinflammation is a striking hallmark of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other neurodegenerative disorders. Previous studies have shown the contribution of glial cells such as astrocytes in TDP-43-linked ALS. However, the role of microglia in TDP-43-mediated motor neuron degeneration remains poorly understood. In this study, we show that depletion of TDP-43 in microglia, but not in astrocytes, strikingly upregulates cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) production through the activation of MAPK/ERK signaling and initiates neurotoxicity. Moreover, we find that administration of celecoxib, a specific COX-2 inhibitor, greatly diminishes the neurotoxicity triggered by TDP-43-depleted microglia. Taken together, our results reveal a previously unrecognized non-cell-autonomous mechanism in TDP-43-mediated neurodegeneration, identifying COX-2-PGE2 as the molecular events of microglia- but not astrocyte-initiated neurotoxicity and identifying celecoxib as a novel potential therapy for TDP-43-linked ALS and possibly other types of ALS.