bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Leber’s hereditary optic neuropathy misdiagnosed as optic neuritis and Lyme disease in a patient with multiple sclerosis
Authors: Chang Melinda
Published: December 2018

A 28-year-old Caucasian man developed sudden painless vision loss in the right eye. He was diagnosed with optic neuritis. MRI showed white matter lesions consistent with multiple sclerosis (MS), but no optic nerve enhancement. Eight months later, the left eye was affected in the same manner. Examination showed right optic atrophy and apparent left optic disc swelling. Workup revealed positive Lyme IgG. Differential diagnosis included optic neuritis and Lyme optic neuropathy, and he was treated with intravenous steroids, intravenous immunoglobulin, plasmapheresis and intravenous ceftriaxone without improvement. Neuro-ophthalmology consultation led to identification of pseudo-optic disc oedema, and Leber’s hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) was suspected and confirmed by genetic testing. LHON may occur in association with MS, and should be considered in patients with MS with vision loss atypical for optic neuritis. This is especially important as new treatments for LHON (including gene therapy) are currently undergoing clinical trials.
Chronic meningoencephalitis with mixed pathology mimics progressive supranuclear palsy
Authors: Dale Marian L , Erten-Lyons Deniz , Bittner Frank , Woltjer Randy
Published: December 2018

We report a case of a progressive supranuclear palsy-like phenotype with rapidly progressive dementia and prominent language and executive dysfunction. Pathological examination revealed no midbrain or white matter tauopathy, but rather chronic meningoencephalitis and other mixed pathology. The cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in this case showed a novel antibody against central nervous system and renal tissue.
Crowbar impalement: the PHEM perspective
Authors: Jawaid Saad , Cody Dan
Published: December 2018

A man in his 50s suffered an impalement on a crowbar after falling from the roof of a domestic shed. A helicopter-based prehospital emergency medical service team was called to assist in the patient’s care. The crowbar had entered from the left-upper quadrant and was tenting the skin of the right iliac fossa. Analgesia and prehospital sedation were provided to facilitate extrication. A series of improvisations were carried out to support the logistics of transferring the patient using an air ambulance to the regional major trauma centre with the crowbar in situ. The patient was taken to the operating theatre without any imaging and a section of perforated bowel was removed. He made a full recovery and was discharged home 9 days postincident.
Recognising the return of nutritional deficiencies: a modern pellagra puzzle
Authors: Ng Elisabeth , Neff Madeleine
Published: December 2018

A 34-year-old previously well woman presented with a 4-week history of diffuse erythema and crusting of skin affecting all four limbs. Examination revealed erythematous skin plaques associated with ulceration and fissuring affecting sun-exposed areas of all four limbs primarily on the dorsal surfaces, and a body mass index of 17 kg/m2. She was admitted under the infectious diseases unit, and an autoimmune and infective screen was performed which returned unremarkable. Dietetic consultation led to the diagnosis of severe protein-energy malnutrition, consequent to a severely restricted, primarily vegan, diet. Analysis of the patient’s reported diet with nutritional software revealed grossly suboptimal caloric intake with risk of inadequacy for most micronutrients, vitamins and minerals, including niacin. Oral thiamine, multivitamin, iron supplementation and vitamin B complex were started, and a single intramuscular vitamin B12dose was administered. Marked improvement was seen after 6 weeks, with near-complete resolution of skin changes. These findings supported a diagnosis of pellagra.
Pericardial effusion as a complication of chronic graft versus host disease
Authors: Nasser Keaton , Joshi Kshipra , Starobinska Ella
Published: December 2018

A 24-year-old man with previous matched unrelated donor allogenic bone marrow transplant for aplastic anaemia and chronic graft versus host disease on steroid taper presented with progressively worsening anasarca. CT revealed large pericardial effusion, while echocardiogram was concerning for early tamponade physiology. He underwent emergent pericardiocentesis with pericardial drain placement. Extensive rheumatological and infectious work-up was unrevealing with patient’s presentation attributed to pericardial graft versus host disease. This highlights the need of physicians to be aware of pericardial serositis as a complication of graft versus host disease due to its life-threatening complications, which require immediate intervention.
Giant ’staghorn' rhinolith in a 15-year-old girl
Authors: Ali Mohiyuddin
Published: December 2018

We describe a case of a 15-year-old girl who presented to our clinic with long-standing right-sided rhinorrhoea which was occasionally foul-smelling and blood-stained with no other symptom of note. She had been treated many times with antibiotics. On examination, a rhinolith was discovered impacted posteriorly in right nasal cavity with mucopurulent discharge. Plain X-ray and later CT scan of paranasal sinuses confirmed the diagnosis but it was found to be large in size with irregular shape like a ‘staghorn’. It was removed under general anaesthesia and she recovered uneventfully. We also describe the review of literature.
Management of hypertriglyceridaemic pancreatitis in the acute setting and review of literature
Authors: Samarasinghe Suhaniya , Avari Parizad , Meeran Karim , Cegla Jaimini
Published: December 2018

Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a potentially life-threatening complication of severe hypertriglyceridaemia, which is the third most common cause of AP after gallstone disease and alcohol excess. Standard therapy involves the use of lipid-lowering agents, low-molecular-weight heparin and insulin infusion. In some cases, when standard medical therapies fail, non-pharmacological methods based on the removal of triglycerides with therapeutic plasma exchange can provide positive results in the acute phase. There are currently no guidelines covering management in the acute phase, however, these approaches should be considered in severe or very severe hypertriglyceridaemia. Here, we report the case of a 37-year-old man with recurrent AP due to hypertriglyceridaemia and review the literature.
Giant epidermal cyst of the arm: a rare presentation
Authors: Patel Shaan , Tsoi Key Yan , Joseph George
Published: December 2018

A giant epidermal cyst is a benign soft tissue mass commonly involving the trunk, hand and face. The authors report a rare presentation of a 69-year-old man who presented with a painful, slow-growing left arm mass for 30 years duration. Examination revealed a large, mobile, soft tissue mass of the lateral aspect of the left arm. MRI showed a large, cystic left arm soft tissue mass. The mass was excised and the diagnosis of a giant epidermal cyst was made based on imaging and histopathology after surgical resection. The mass measured 9.5 cm x 8 cm x 4 cm, which is the largest reported giant epidermal cyst of the upper extremity.
Tilting the balance: hemidiaphragm paralysis leading to right to left cardiac shunt
Authors: Ghani Ali Raza , Hamid Mohsin , Dhillon Puneet , Ullah Waqas
Published: December 2018

Patent foramen ovale (PFO) is a congenital abnormality present in 25%–30% of healthy adults and rarely leads to any sequelae.1 2It is associated with a left-to-right shunt which usually does not lead to any haemodynamic compromise. Occasionally, the shunt can get reversed; that is, right-to-left shunt occurs due to worsening pulmonary hypertension and can lead to persistent hypoxia. It is rare for the shunt reversal to happen in the absence of pulmonary hypertension. Here, we present an exceedingly rare case in a 61-year-old man presenting with hypoxia, was found to have shunt reversal due to unilateral diaphragmatic paralysis. He was successfully treated with PFO closure. The purpose of this report is to consider rare possibilities of PFO shunt reversal when the right-sided heart pressure is normal and to highlight that a simple chest X-ray can be a clue to the diagnosis.
Single right coronary artery with congenital absence of left coronary system
Authors: Upadhyaya Subramanya G N , Mughal Lal Hussain , Connolly Derek , Lip Gregory
Published: December 2018

Single coronary artery (SCA) is a very rare coronary anomaly. The accurate diagnosis of the entity requires multimodality imaging of the coronary anatomy. SCA is often incidentally diagnosed when patients are investigated for symptoms of suspected coronary artery disease with invasive or non-invasive coronary angiography. There are no established diagnostic electrocardiographic or echocardiographic criteria to identify the presence of SCA, which makes the diagnosis a far-reaching fruit. We present a young male patient presenting with a non-ST elevation myocardial infarction. He was found to have SCA on invasive coronary angiography, which was subsequently confirmed by CT coronary angiography.
Fungal infection after endothelial keratoplasty: association with hypothermic corneal storage
Authors: Lau Nicola , Hajjar Sesé Aida , Augustin Victor A , Kuit Geert , Wilkins Mark R , Tourtas Theofilos , Kruse Friedrich E , Højgaard-Olsen Klavs , Manuel Rohini , Armitage W John , Larkin Daniel F , Tuft Stephen J
Published: December 2018

Purpose

To compare the incidence of fungal infection after endothelial keratoplasty (EK) when donor tissue had been stored in hypothermic medium or organ culture.

Methods

We describe the clinical features of 10 cases of fungal infection (keratitis or endophthalmitis) following EK identified at three European centres. Case definition was the culture of fungus or a positive PCR from the host cornea or anterior chamber after EK. A survey of the incidence of infection after EK was conducted by the European Eye Bank Association. The main outcome measure was the number of cases in which donor tissue had been stored in hypothermic medium compared with organ culture.

Results

The 10 cases occurred between 2014 and 2017. All donor corneas had been stored in hypothermic medium sourced from three US eye banks. Three pairs of mate corneas caused infections in six recipients. Candida spp were identified from nine cases, with one isolate of Purpureocillium lilacinum. Data on 16 862 corneas supplied for EK were available from 16 European eye banks for the 5-year period from 2012. There were 17 reported cases of infection, of which 15 (88%) were fungal infections and 14 (82%) were Candida spp. Fungal infection was reported from 3 of 14 476 (0.02%) corneas supplied in organ culture compared with 12 of 2386 (0.50%) corneas supplied in hypothermic medium (p<0.0001). The incidence of infection after hypothermic storage was similar for material sourced from Europe (0.52%) or the USA (0.61%).

Conclusions

Infection after EK is strongly associated with Candida spp. The possible explanations for the higher incidence of infection when tissue is stored in hypothermic medium are discussed.
Influence of uveitis on Bruch’s membrane opening minimum rim width and retinal nerve fibre layer thickness measurements
Authors: Kriegel Matthias F , Heiligenhaus Arnd , Heinz Carsten
Published: December 2018

Background/aims

To assess the impact of papillary leakage and active inflammation on optical coherence tomography (OCT)-based retinal nerve fibre layer thickness (RNFLT) and Bruch’s membrane opening minimum rim width (BMO-MRW) measurements in uveitic eyes with and without secondary glaucoma.

Methods

Prospective, single-centre analysis of patients with uveitis. All patients included received a fluorescein angiography examination and an OCT scan measuring the BMO-MRW and the RNFLT in three concentric peripapillary ring scans.

Results

Overall, 95 eyes of 56 patients were enrolled. Papillary leakage and active inflammation were present in 39 (41%) and 57 (60%) eyes, respectively. Twenty-one eyes were classified as glaucomatous; 10 of those glaucomatous eyes showed papillary leakage. Both BMO-MRW and RNFLT measurements were significantly increased in eyes with papillary leakage (BMO-MRW: p=0.0001; RNFLT: first to third ring (p<0.0001)). Active inflammation led to a significantly thickened RNFLT (first ring: p=0.0026; second ring: p=0.0009; third ring: p=0.0002) while only a trend towards increased values could be observed in the BMO-MRW measurements (p=0.3063). Glaucomatous eyes with papillary leakage demonstrated significantly higher values on both BMO-MRW and RNFLT measurements than glaucomatous eyes without leakage (BMO-MRW: p=0.0159; RNFLT: first ring: p=0.0062; second ring: p=0.0037; third ring: p=0.0197). No significant difference could be observed between glaucomatous eyes with leakage and non-glaucomatous eyes without leakage (BMO-MRW: p=0.4132; RNFLT: first ring: p=0.5412; second ring: p=0.3208; third ring: p=0.1164).

Conclusions

The OCT scanning parameters BMO-MRW and RNFLT were significantly influenced by papillary leakage in uveitic eyes with and without glaucoma. RNFLT values were also significantly increased while active inflammation was present. In patients with uveitis, these OCT-based imaging tools should be interpreted with caution, especially in those with papillary leakage or active inflammation.
Clopidogrel plus aspirin versus aspirin alone for acute minor ischaemic stroke or high risk transient ischaemic attack: systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Hao Qiukui , Tampi Malavika , O’Donnell Martin , Foroutan Farid , Siemieniuk Reed AC , Guyatt Gordon
Published: December 2018

Objective

To assess the effectiveness and safety of dual agent antiplatelet therapy combining clopidogrel and aspirin to prevent recurrent thrombotic and bleeding events compared with aspirin alone in patients with acute minor ischaemic stroke or transient ischaemic attack (TIA).

Design

Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised, placebo controlled trials.

Data sources

Medline, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cochrane Library, ClinicalTrials.gov, WHO website, PsycINFO, and grey literature up to 4 July 2018.

Eligibility criteria for selecting studies and methods

Two reviewers independently screened potentially eligible studies according to predefined selection criteria and assessed the risk of bias using a modified version of the Cochrane risk of bias tool. A third team member reviewed all final decisions, and the team resolved disagreements through discussion. When reports omitted data that were considered important, clarification and additional information was sought from the authors. The analysis was conducted in RevMan 5.3 and MAGICapp based on GRADE methodology.

Results

Three eligible trials involving 10 447 participants were identified. Compared with aspirin alone, dual antiplatelet therapy with clopidogrel and aspirin that was started within 24 hours of symptom onset reduced the risk of non-fatal recurrent stroke (relative risk 0.70, 95% confidence interval 0.61 to 0.80, I2=0%, absolute risk reduction 1.9%, high quality evidence), without apparent impact on all cause mortality (1.27, 0.73 to 2.23, I2=0%, moderate quality evidence) but with a likely increase in moderate or severe extracranial bleeding (1.71, 0.92 to 3.20, I2=32%, absolute risk increase 0.2%, moderate quality evidence). Most stroke events, and the separation in incidence curves between dual and single therapy arms, occurred within 10 days of randomisation; any benefit after 21 days is extremely unlikely.

Conclusions

Dual antiplatelet therapy with clopidogrel and aspirin given within 24 hours after high risk TIA or minor ischaemic stroke reduces subsequent stroke by about 20 in 1000 population, with a possible increase in moderate to severe bleeding of 2 per 1000 population. Discontinuation of dual antiplatelet therapy within 21 days, and possibly as early as 10 days, of initiation is likely to maximise benefit and minimise harms.
A spectroscopic study of a cyclodextrin-based polymer and the “molecular accordion” effect
Authors: Karoyo Abdalla H. , Wilson Lee D.
Published: December 2018

The formation of host–guest complexes was studied for two hosts: β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) and a cross-linked polymer containing an equimolar ratio of β-CD and hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI), denoted as HDI-1. The thermodynamics of host–guest binding were studied with 1-anilinonaphthalene-8-sulfonic acid (1,8-ANS) using steady-state fluorescence spectroscopy in aqueous solution at variable temperature and ambient pH. The association of 1,8-ANS with β-CD and HDI-1 showed a fluorescence enhancement of ∼4 and 12 units, respectively. Greater fluorescence enhancement for the polymer/dye system indicates the presence of multiple binding sites (inclusion and interstitial). By contrast, the β-CD/dye system adopts trends that indicate the formation of well-defined inclusion complexes. HDI-1 has inclusion sites (β-CD) and interstitial domains (HDI) that afford dual binding with variable binding affinity. Simplified binding models employed herein address the role of inclusion binding without an explicit account for higher order or secondary binding equilibria. The approximate 1:1 binding constant (K1:1) for CD/1,8-ANS is about two-fold greater over the HDI-1/1,8-ANS system. HDI-1 displays cooperative effects among the polymer subunits, according to changes in relative fluorescence intensity due to structural transitions and binding site loci. The relative fluorescence intensities of the HDI-1/1,8-ANS system relate to a reversible temperature-driven structural transition (globular ⇌ extended) of the polymer between 5 °C and 60 °C, in contrast to the β-CD/1,8-ANS complex. The temperature- and guest-driven structural transition, described as the “molecular accordion” effect, is supported by new insight provided by complementary fluorescence and1H NMR spectral results in aqueous solution.
Dynamics of scalar potentials in theory of gravity
Authors: Zubair M. , Kousar Farzana , Waheed Saira
Published: December 2018

In this paper, we explore the nature of scalar field potential in [Formula: see text] gravity using a well-motivated reconstruction scheme for flat Friedmann–Robertson–Walker (FRW) geometry. The beauty of this scheme lies in the assumption that the Hubble parameter can be expressed in terms of scalar field and vice versa. Firstly, we develop field equations in this gravity and present some general explicit forms of scalar field potential via this technique. In the first case, we take the de Sitter universe model and construct some field potentials by taking different cases for the coupling function. In the second case, we derive some field potentials using the power law model in the presence of different matter sources like barotropic fluid, cosmological constant, and Chaplygin gas for some coupling functions. From graphical analysis, it is concluded that using some specific values of the involved parameters, the reconstructed scalar field potentials are cosmologically viable in both cases.
Nandrolone administration abolishes hippocampal fEPSP-PS potentiation and passive avoidance learning of adolescent male rats
Authors: Zarei Fatemeh , Moradpour Farshad , Moazedi Ahmad Ali , Pourmotabbed Ali , Veisi Mozhgan
Published: December 2018

Despite the chronic effects of nandrolone decanoate (ND), the acute effects of ND on passive avoidance learning (PAL) and memory and its mechanism have not been investigated. This research examines the acute effect of ND on PAL, CA1 synaptic plasticity, testosterone and corticosterone serum levels, and the role of androgenic receptors (ARs). Adolescent male rats were treated with ND, 30 min before training and retention and after training test. AR antagonist was applied 15 min before ND. Hippocampal slices were perfused by ND. ND administration had an inverted U-shape effect on acquisition of PAL and on testosterone and corticosterone serum levels. The consolidation was only affected by high dose of ND. ND significantly decreased the retention of PAL across all doses. The magnitude of field excitatory postsynaptic potential long term potentiation was lower than that of control slices. In addition, an attenuation of field excitatory postsynaptic potential population spike coupling was also observed. Nilutamide could nullify the ND impairment effect. We concluded although a single dose of ND could affect all stages of PAL, its effects were more potent on retrieval, possibly arising from the acute effect of ND on the alterations of CA1 synaptic plasticity. In addition, ND may induce its effects directly through ARs and indirectly through plasma testosterone and corticosterone.
Incremental Multi-Hop Localization Algorithm Based on Regularized Weighted Least Squares
Authors: Dou Ru-Lin , Hu Bo , Shi Wei-Juan
Published: December 2018

Incremental multi-hop localization algorithm applies to networks with broad range and low density of anchor nodes. However, during the localization process, it tends to be affected by accumulative errors and collinear problem between anchor nodes. We have proposed an incremental multi-hop localization algorithm based on regularized weighted least squares method, and the algorithm uses weighted least squares method to reduce the influence of accumulative errors and uses regularized method to weaken the collinear problem between anchor nodes. The results of both real experiment and simulative experiment show that compared to previous incremental multi-hop localization algorithms, the algorithm proposed in this paper can not only well solve the accumulated errors problem and obtain high localization accuracy, but it has also considered the influence of collinear problem on localization computation during the localization process. We evaluate our method based on various network scenes, and analyze its performance. We also compare our method with several existing methods, and demonstrate the high efficiency of our proposed method.
Convolutional Nonlinear Differential Recurrent Neural Networks for Crowd Scene Understanding
Authors: Zhuang Naifan , Kieu The Duc , Ye Jun , Hua Kien A.
Published: December 2018

With the growth of crowd phenomena in the real world, crowd scene understanding is becoming an important task in anomaly detection and public security. Visual ambiguities and occlusions, high density, low mobility, and scene semantics, however, make this problem a great challenge. In this paper, we propose an end-to-end deep architecture, convolutional nonlinear differential recurrent neural networks (CNDRNNs), for crowd scene understanding. CNDRNNs consist of GoogleNet Inception V3 convolutional neural networks (CNNs) and nonlinear differential recurrent neural networks (RNNs). Different from traditional non-end-to-end solutions which separate the steps of feature extraction and parameter learning, CNDRNN utilizes a unified deep model to optimize the parameters of CNN and RNN hand in hand. It thus has the potential of generating a more harmonious model. The proposed architecture takes sequential raw image data as input, and does not rely on tracklet or trajectory detection. It thus has clear advantages over the traditional flow-based and trajectory-based methods, especially in challenging crowd scenarios of high density and low mobility. Taking advantage of CNN and RNN, CNDRNN can effectively analyze the crowd semantics. Specifically, CNN is good at modeling the semantic crowd scene information. On the other hand, nonlinear differential RNN models the motion information. The individual and increasing orders of derivative of states (DoS) in differential RNN can progressively build up the ability of the long short-term memory (LSTM) gates to detect different levels of salient dynamical patterns in deeper stacked layers modeling higher orders of DoS. Lastly, existing LSTM-based crowd scene solutions explore deep temporal information and are claimed to be “deep in time.” Our proposed method CNDRNN, however, models the spatial and temporal information in a unified architecture and achieves “deep in space and time.” Extensive performance studies on the Violent-Flows, CUHK Crowd, and NUS-HGA datasets show that the proposed technique significantly outperforms state-of-the-art methods.
KaraMIR: A Project for Cover Song Identification and Singing Voice Analysis Using a Karaoke Songs Dataset
Authors: Maršík Ladislav , Martišek Petr , Pokorný Jaroslav , Rusek Martin , Slaninová Kateřina , Martinovič Jan , Robine Matthias , Hanna Pierre , Bayle Yann
Published: December 2018

We introduce KaraMIR, a musical project dedicated to karaoke song analysis. Within KaraMIR, we define Kara1k, a dataset composed of 1000 cover songs provided by Recisio Karafun application, and the corresponding 1000 songs by the original artists. Kara1k is mainly dedicated toward cover song identification and singing voice analysis. For both tasks, Kara1k offers novel approaches, as each cover song is a studio-recorded song with the same arrangement as the original recording, but with different singers and musicians. Essentia, harmony-analyser, Marsyas, Vamp plugins and YAAFE have been used to extract audio features for each track in Kara1k. We provide metadata such as the title, genre, original artist, year, International Standard Recording Code and the ground truths for the singer’s gender, backing vocals, duets, and lyrics’ language. KaraMIR project focuses on defining new problems and describing features and tools to solve them. We thus provide a comparison of traditional and new features for a cover song identification task using statistical methods, as well as the dynamic time warping method on chroma, MFCC, chords, keys, and chord distance features. A supporting experiment on the singer gender classification task is also proposed. The KaraMIR project website facilitates the continuous research.
Petrogenesis of plagiogranite and associated diorites and mafic rocks in the Habana–Matanzas ophiolites, northwestern half of central Cuba
Authors: Llanes Castro Angélica I. , Furnes Harald , Cruz Gámez Esther M. , Rodriguez Mirella Pérez , Cruz Olides López
Published: December 2018

Structural field relationships, petrography and geochemical features of plagiogranites and associated intermediate (diorite) to mafic rocks (basalt and gabbro) of the Habana–Matanzas ophiolites in northern Cuba suggest that these felsic and mafic rock units represent a boundary case between forearc and volcanic arc ophiolite types. Subduction-related basalts can be subdivided into back-arc, back-arc to forearc, forearc and volcanic arc types. The majority of the basalts plot in the oceanic arc (as well as joint oceanic arc–continental arc) field of the Th/Yb–Nb/Yb diagram. The samples that classify as volcanic arc basalts plot in the continental arc field of the Th/Yb–Nb/Yb diagram and within the island arc tholeiite and boninite fields in the V–Ti diagram. The Habana–Matanzas plagiogranites and associated basalts, diabases and gabbros display significantly negative Ta–Nb anomalies and are depleted in heavy rare earth elements.
40
Ar/
39
Ar whole-rock plateau ages of these plagiogranites reveal minimum crystallization ages of 98.11 ± 0.50 Ma, providing the first important time constraint for suprasubduction zone oceanic crust formation on the island of Cuba. Based on our petrogenetic modelling and geochemical characterization, we conclude that magmas of the plagiogranites and associated intermediate rocks of the Habana–Matanzas ophiolites were derived from partial melting of highly depleted, pre-existing crustal rocks (basalt and/or gabbro).

Thematic collection:
This article is part of the ‘Tethyan ophiolites and Tethyan seaways collection’ available at:
https://www.lyellcollection.org/cc/tethyan-ophiolites-and-tethyan-seaways
The importance of interfacial instability for viscous folding in mechanically heterogeneous layers
Authors: Moulas Evangelos , Schmalholz Stefan M.
Published: December 2018

Viscous folding in mechanically heterogeneous layers is modelled numerically in two dimensions for linear and power-law viscous fluids. Viscosity heterogeneities are expressed as circular-shaped variations of the effective viscosity inside and outside the layers. The layers are initially perfectly flat and are shortened in the layer-parallel direction. The viscosity heterogeneities cause a perturbation of the velocity field from the applied bulk pure shear, which perturb geometrically the initially flat-layer interfaces from the first numerical time step. This geometrical perturbation triggers interfacial instabilities, resulting in high-amplitude folding. We compare simulations with heterogeneities with corresponding simulations in which the heterogeneities are removed after the first time step, and, hence, only the initial small geometrical perturbations control wavelength selection and high-amplitude folding. Results for folding in heterogeneous and homogeneous layers are similar, showing that viscosity heterogeneities have a minor to moderate impact on fold wavelength selection and high-amplitude folding. Our results indicate that the interfacial instability is the controlling process for the generation of buckle folds in heterogeneous rock layers. Therefore, existing analytical and numerical solutions for folding in homogeneous layers, in which folding was triggered by geometrical perturbations, are useful and applicable to study folding in natural, heterogeneous rock layers.
Modeling Handover Signaling Messages in OpenFlow-Based Mobile Software-Defined Networks
Authors: Alotaibi Modhawi , Helmy Ahmed , Nayak Amiya
Published: December 2018

The software-defined networking (SDN) paradigm has become essential in tackling several issues and challenges in conventional networking, especially in mobile/cellular networks. In order to realize the benefits brought by SDN to mobility management, we study the effects of SDN in conjunction with OpenFlow protocol on the handover procedure. However, in this new setting, the handover still suffers from delay due to the exchange of OpenFlow signaling messages. In this paper, we focus on SDN in mobile networks and quantify the delays of handover-related OpenFlow messages in order to identify the performance measures as well as the underlying challenges. For our analysis, we provide an analytical model, using which we modeled two handover-related OpenFlow messages in such networks. To the best of our knowledge, no previous work has modeled OpenFlow messages other than Packet-in messages. In this paper, in addition to the Packet-in message, we model Port-status messages. Following our analysis, we propose a novel solution to make handover more efficient and less interruptive. Furthermore, we study our solution in an LTE architecture and compare it to an existing solution. We show that, in normal traffic conditions, our solution can decrease the handover delay as much as 20%.
Application of Temperature Prediction Based on Neural Network in Intrusion Detection of IoT
Authors: Liu Xuefei , Zhang Chao , Liu Pingzeng , Yan Maoling , Wang Baojia , Zhang Jianyong , Higgs Russell
Published: December 2018

The security of network information in the Internet of Things faces enormous challenges. The traditional security defense mechanism is passive and certain loopholes. Intrusion detection can carry out network security monitoring and take corresponding measures actively. The neural network-based intrusion detection technology has specific adaptive capabilities, which can adapt to complex network environments and provide high intrusion detection rate. For the sake of solving the problem that the farmland Internet of Things is very vulnerable to invasion, we use a neural network to construct the farmland Internet of Things intrusion detection system to detect anomalous intrusion. In this study, the temperature of the IoT acquisition system is taken as the research object. It has divided which into different time granularities for feature analysis. We provide the detection standard for the data training detection module by comparing the traditional ARIMA and neural network methods. Its results show that the information on the temperature series is abundant. In addition, the neural network can predict the temperature sequence of varying time granularities better and ensure a small prediction error. It provides the testing standard for the construction of an intrusion detection system of the Internet of Things.
Raet1e Polymorphisms Are Associated with Increased Risk of Developing Premature Coronary Artery Disease and with Some Cardiometabolic Parameters: The GEA Mexican Study
Authors: Posadas-Sánchez Rosalinda , Roque-Ramírez Bladimir , Rodríguez-Pérez José Manuel , Pérez-Hernández Nonanzit , Fragoso José Manuel , Villarreal-Molina Teresa , Coral-Vázquez Ramón , Tejero-Barrera Maria Elizabeth , Posadas-Romero Carlos , Vargas-Alarcón Gilberto
Published: December 2018

In an animal model, new evidence has been reported supporting the role of raet1e as an atherosclerosis-associated gene. Our objective was to establish if raet1e polymorphisms are associated with the risk of developing premature coronary artery disease (CAD) or with the presence of cardiometabolic parameters. After an informatic analysis, five polymorphisms were chosen and determined in 1158 patients with premature CAD and 1104 controls using 5′ exonuclease TaqMan genotyping assays. Standardized questionnaires were applied to all participants to obtain family medical history, demographic information, history of nutritional habits, physical activity, alcohol consumption, and pharmacological treatment. The functional effect of the rs7756850 polymorphism was analyzed by luciferase assays. Under different models, adjusted by age, gender, body mass index, current smoking, and type 2 diabetes mellitus, the rs6925151 (OR=1.250, pheterozygote=0.026; OR=1.268, pcodominant1=0.034), rs9371533 (OR=1.255, pheterozygote=0.024), rs7756850 (OR=1.274, pheterozygote=0.016; OR=1.294, pcodominant1=0.031), and rs9383921 (OR=1.232, pheterozygote=0.037) polymorphisms were associated with increased risk of premature CAD. When compared to the rs7756850 G allele, the C allele showed a decreased luciferase activity. In premature CAD patients, associations with low levels of adiponectin, with a high presence of hypertension, and with high levels of gamma-glutamyltransferase and total cholesterol were observed. In healthy controls, associations with a decrease in LDL pattern B, aspartate aminotransaminase, and hypo-α-lipoproteinemia were detected. An association of the raet1e polymorphisms with an increased risk of developing premature CAD and with cardiometabolic parameters has been shown for the first time. In addition, the functional effect of the rs7756850 polymorphism was defined.
The De Ritis and Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratios May Aid in the Risk Assessment of Patients with Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma
Authors: Kim Sung Han , Park Eun Young , Joo Jungnam , Chung Jinsoo
Published: December 2018

Purpose. This study aimed to determine whether baseline blood inflammatory markers can predict progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC).Methods. The study included 158 patients with mRCC treated with first-line targeted therapy between 2002 and 2016. A multivariable cox proportional hazards model identified inflammatory factors that predict PFS and OS. Using bootstrap method, new prognostic model compared with Heng and modified MSKCC risk model (mMSKCC). The effect of inflammatory factors were investigated by comparing increased C-index adding significant inflammatory factors to Heng and mMSKCC model.Results. On multivariable analysis, nephrectomy (HR 0.48), NLR (HR 1.04), were significant risk factors for PFS; nephrectomy (HR 0.38), hemoglobin (HR 1.71), alkaline phosphatase (HR 1.73), NLR (HR 1.01) and DRR (HR 1.34), were significant factors for OS (p<0.05). Our new model that incorporated NLR and DRR had higher (though insignificant) predictability (C-index=0.610) than mMSKCC risk model (C-index=0.569) in PFS and significantly better predictability (C-index=0.727) than Heng and mMSKCC risk model (C-index, 0.661, 0.612, respectively) in OS. Adding inflammatory factors to the Heng criteria (C-index, 0.697 for OS) and MSKCC (0.691 for OS) tended to improve their predictive abilities.Conclusions. The NLR and DRR may increase predictive ability compared to the established Heng and mMSKCC risk models in mRCC.
The Role of Circulating Regulatory T Cell Levels on Subclinical Atherosclerosis and Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Women with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Authors: García-Carrasco Mario , Soto-Santillán Pamela , Mendoza-Pinto Claudia , González-Ramírez Rebeca , López-Carmona Ana Lidia , Munguía-Realpozo Pamela , Etchegaray-Morales Ivet , Méndez-Martínez Socorro , Gálvez-Romero José Luis , López-Colombo Aurelio , Ruiz-Arguelles Alejandro
Published: December 2018

The increase in cardiovascular disease (CVD) in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is not fully explained by traditional CVD risk factors. Regulatory T cells (Treg cells) are considered atheroprotective. We investigated the relationship between the absolute number of different phenotypes of Treg cells and abnormal carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) in women with SLE. Sixty-six women with SLE with no history of CV disease were included. Carotid IMT was quantified by ultrasound. Abnormal carotid IMT was defined as ≥0.8 mm and two groups were compared according to this definition. Flow cytometry was used to analyze Foxp3 and Helios expression in peripheral blood CD4 T cells. A significantly higher level of absolute CD4+CD25+FoxP3high T cells was present in patients with abnormal carotid IMT compared with those without (1.795±4.182 cells/μl vs. 0.274±0.784 cells/μl; p=0.003). However, no correlations were found between any Treg cell phenotypes and carotid IMT. Only the absolute number of CD4+CD45RA+FoxP3low T cells was significantly decreased in SLE patients with low HDL cholesterol compared with those with normal HDL cholesterol (0.609±2.362 cells/μl vs. 1.802±4.647 cells/μl; p=0.009 and 15.358±11.608 cells/μl vs. 28.274±34.139; p=0.012, respectively). In conclusion, in SLE women, diminished levels of Treg cells based on flow cytometry were not a good indicator of abnormal carotid IMT.
Detecting Spatial Clusters via a Mixture of Dirichlet Processes
Authors: Ray Meredith A. , Kang Jian , Zhang Hongmei
Published: December 2018

We proposed an approach that has the ability to detect spatial clusters with skewed or irregular distributions. A mixture of Dirichlet processes (DP) was used to describe spatial distribution patterns. The effects of different batches of data collection efforts were also modeled with a Dirichlet process. To cluster spatial foci, a birth-death process was applied due to its advantage of easier jumping between different numbers of clusters. Inferences of parameters including clustering were drawn under a Bayesian framework. Simulations were used to demonstrate and assess the method. We applied the method to an fMRI meta-analysis dataset to identify clusters of foci corresponding to different emotions.
The Effect of Support Surfaces on the Incidence of Pressure Injuries in Critically Ill Patients: A Randomized Clinical Trial
Authors: Bueno de Camargo Wesley Henrique , Pereira Rita de Cassia , Tanita Marcos T. , Heko Lidiane , Grion Isadora C , Festti Josiane , Mezzaroba Ana Luiza , Carvalho Grion Cintia Magalhães
Published: December 2018

Purpose. To analyze whether a viscoelastic mattress support surface can reduce the incidence of stage 2 pressure injuries compared to a standard hospital mattress with pyramidal overlay in critically ill patients. Method. A randomized clinical trial with intention-to-treat analysis was carried out recruiting patients with Braden scale ≤14 on intensive care unit admission from April 2016 to April 2017. Patients were allocated into two groups: intervention group (viscoelastic mattress) and control group (standard mattress with pyramidal overlay). The level of significance adopted was 5%. Results. A total of 62 patients were included in the study. There was a predominance of males (53%) and the mean age was 67.9 (SD 18.8) years. There were no differences in clinical or severity characteristics between the patients in the control group and the intervention group. Pressure injuries occurred in 35 patients, with a median time of 7 days (ITQ 4–10) from admission. The frequency of pressure injuries was higher in the control group (80.6%) compared to the intervention group (32.2%; p<0.001). Conclusions. Viscoelastic support surfaces reduced the incidence of pressure injuries in moderate or higher risk critically ill patients when compared to pyramidal support surfaces.
Homocysteine and Digestive Tract Cancer Risk: A Dose-Response Meta-Analysis
Authors: Xu Jun , Zhao Xin , Sun Shanwen , Ni Peng , Li Chujun , Ren Anjing , Wang Wei , Zhu Lingjun
Published: December 2018

Background. Homocysteine, a key component in one-carbon metabolism, is of great importance in remethylation. Many epidemiologic studies have assessed the association between homocysteine and risk of digestive tract cancer, but the results are inconsistent.Objective. The objective of our meta-analysis is to assess the association between homocysteine and digestive tract cancer risk.Methods. Comprehensive searches were performed on the PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, and Web of Science databases up to September 25, 2018, to identify relevant studies. Thirteen studies were included in the meta-analysis. Odds ratios (ORs) and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were used to estimate the strength of the relationship between homocysteine and the risk of digestive tract cancer.Results. The pooled OR of digestive tract cancer risk for patients with the highest categories of blood homocysteine levels versus the lowest categories was 1.27 (95% CI, 1.15, 1.39) with no significant heterogeneity observed (P= 0.798,I2= 0.0%). Moreover, the dose-response analysis revealed that each 5μmol/L increase in homocysteine increased the incidence of digestive tract cancer by 7%.Conclusion. Generally, our results indicated that elevated homocysteine was associated with higher risk of digestive tract cancer. That is, homocysteine concentration may be a potential biomarker for occurrence of digestive tract cancer.
Environmental Factors Associated with Mosquito Vector Larvae in a Malaria-Endemic Area in Ratchaburi Province, Thailand
Authors: Chaiphongpachara Tanawat , Yusuk Prasit , Laojun Sedthapong , Kunphichayadecha Chaekki
Published: December 2018

Malaria is transmitted by female mosquitoes in the genus Anopheles and is a major public health issue. Different species of Anopheles mosquitoes have different epidemiological characteristics, behaviors, and ecological requirements, and so an understanding of their biology and ecology in a particular area is critical for successful disease control. The aim of this study was to determine which environmental factors are associated with Anopheles larvae in a malaria-endemic area in Ratchaburi Province, Thailand, which shares a border with Myanmar. In October 2016, we collected mosquito larvae and measured six environmental factors at 10 study sites located along Lam Pachi River, which flows through Huay Nam Nak village in Ratchaburi Province. We found two species of Anopheles larvae (An. subpictus sensu lato (s.l.) Grassi and An. barbirostris s.l. van der Wulp) at 7 of the 10 study sites, the numbers of which significantly differed between sites (p < 0.05). Pearson correlation analysis showed that the numbers of larvae of both species were significantly positively correlated with the dissolved oxygen level (p < 0.01) and significantly negatively correlated with the width of the river (p < 0.05) and pH (p < 0.01). By contrast, turbidity, water depth, and water temperature were not associated with larval abundance. Mosquito species which belong to genus Anopheles are considered to be of public health and medical importance. Therefore, Anopheles mosquito surveillance and control in the study sites are essential. This information will facilitate vector-borne disease control and improve our understanding of the biology of Anopheles vectors in rivers located along international borders, further reducing the number of patients in this malaria-endemic area.
Response in Ambient Low Temperature Plasma Ionization Compared to Electrospray and Atmospheric Pressure Chemical Ionization for Mass Spectrometry
Authors: Kiontke Andreas , Billig Susan , Birkemeyer Claudia
Published: December 2018

Modern technical evolution made mass spectrometry (MS) an absolute must for analytical chemistry in terms of application range, detection limits and speed. When it comes to mass spectrometric detection, one of the critical steps is to ionize the analyte and bring it into the gas phase. Several ionization techniques were developed for this purpose among which electrospray ionization (ESI) and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) are two of the most frequently applied atmospheric pressure methods to ionize target compounds from liquid matrices or solutions. Moreover, recent efforts in the emerging field of “ambient” MS enable the applicability of newly developed atmospheric pressure techniques to solid matrices, greatly simplifying the analysis of samples with MS and anticipating, to ease the required or even leave out any sample preparation and enable analysis at ambient conditions, outside the instrument itself. These developments greatly extend the range of applications of modern mass spectrometry (MS). Ambient methods comprise many techniques; a particular prominent group is, however, the plasma-based methods. Although ambient MS is a rather new field of research, the interest in further developing the corresponding techniques and enhancing their performance is very strong due to their simplicity and often low cost of manufacturing. A precondition for improving the performance of such ion sources is a profound understanding how ionization works and which parameters determine signal response. Therefore, we review relevant compound characteristics for ionization with the two traditional methods ESI and APCI and compare those with one of the most frequently employed representatives of the plasma-based methods, i.e., low temperature plasma ionization. We present a detailed analysis in which compound characteristics are most beneficial for the response of aromatic nitrogen-containing compounds with these three methods and provide evidence that desorption characteristics appear to have the main common, general impact on signal response. In conclusion, our report provides a very useful resource to the optimization of instrumental conditions with respect to most important requirements of the three ionization techniques and, at the same time, for future developments in the field of ambient ionization.
Crosstalk between the Tumor Microenvironment and Immune System in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma: Potential Targets for New Therapeutic Approaches
Authors: Parente Paola , Parcesepe Pietro , Covelli Claudia , Olivieri Nunzio , Remo Andrea , Pancione Massimo , Latiano Tiziana Pia , Graziano Paolo , Maiello Evaristo , Giordano Guido
Published: December 2018

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is a lethal disease for which radical surgery and chemotherapy represent the only curative options for a small proportion of patients. Recently, FOLFIRINOX and nab-paclitaxel plus gemcitabine have improved the survival of metastatic patients but prognosis remains poor. A pancreatic tumor microenvironment is a dynamic milieu of cellular and acellular elements, and it represents one of the major limitations to chemotherapy efficacy. The continued crosstalk between cancer cells and the surrounding microenvironment causes immunosuppression within pancreatic immune infiltrate increasing tumor aggressiveness. Several potential targets have been identified among tumor microenvironment components, and different therapeutic approaches are under investigation. In this article, we provide a qualitative literature review about the crosstalk between the tumor microenvironment components and immune system in pancreatic cancer. Finally, we discuss potential therapeutic strategies targeting the tumor microenvironment and we show the ongoing trials.