bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Understanding the structural origin of crystalline phase transformations in nepheline (NaAlSiO4)‐based glass‐ceramics
Authors: Deshkar Ambar , Marcial José , Southern Scott A. , Kobera Libor , Bryce David L. , McCloy John S. , Goel Ashutosh
Published: April 2017

Nepheline (Na6K2Al8Si8O32) is a rock‐forming tectosilicate mineral which is by far the most abundant of the feldspathoids. The crystallization in nepheline‐based glass‐ceramics proceeds through several polymorphic transformations — mainly orthorhombic, hexagonal, cubic — depending on their thermochemistry. However, the fundamental science governing these transformations is poorly understood. In this article, an attempt has been made to elucidate the structural drivers controlling these polymorphic transformations in nepheline‐based glass‐ceramics. Accordingly, two different sets of glasses (meta‐aluminous and per‐alkaline) have been designed in the system Na2O–CaO–Al2O3–SiO2 in the crystallization field of nepheline and synthesized by the melt‐quench technique. The detailed structural analysis of glasses has been performed by 29Si, 27Al, and 23Na magic‐angle spinning — nuclear magnetic resonance (MAS NMR), and multiple‐quantum MAS NMR spectroscopy, while the crystalline phase transformations in these glasses have been studied under isothermal and non‐isothermal conditions using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), and MQMAS NMR. Results indicate that the sequence of polymorphic phase transformations in these glass‐ceramics is dictated by the compositional chemistry of the parent glasses and the local environments of different species in the glass structure; for example, the sodium environment in glasses became highly ordered with decreasing Na2O/CaO ratio, thus favoring the formation of hexagonal nepheline, while the cubic polymorph was the stable phase in SiO2–poor glass‐ceramics with (Na2O+CaO)/Al2O3 > 1. The structural origins of these crystalline phase transformations have been discussed in the paper.
Thermally‐induced phase transformations in Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3–KNbO3 ceramics
Authors: Wang Ge , Li Yizhe , Murray Claire A. , Tang Chiu C. , Hall David A.
Published: April 2017

The structures and functional properties of Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3–xKNbO3 (NBT‐xKN) solid solutions, with x in the range from 0.01 to 0.09, were investigated using a combination of high‐resolution synchrotron X‐ray powder diffraction (SXPD) and ferroelectric property measurements. For low KN contents, an irreversible transformation from cubic to rhombohedral phases was observed after the application of a high electric field, indicating that the polar nanoregions (PNRs) in the unpoled state can be transformed into metastable long‐range ordered ferroelectric domains in the poled state. In contrast, the near‐cubic phase of the unpoled ceramics was found to be remarkably stable and was retained on cooling to a temperature of −175°C. Upon heating, the field‐induced metastable ferroelectric rhombohedral phase transformed back to the nanopolar cubic state at the structural transformation temperature, TST, which was determined as approximately 225°C and 125°C for KN contents of 3% and 5% respectively. For the field‐induced rhombohedral phase in the poled specimens, the pseudo‐cubic lattice parameter, ap, exhibited an anomalous reduction while the inter‐axial angle increased towards a value of 90° on heating, resulting in an overall increase in volume. The observed structural changes were correlated with the results of temperature‐dependent dielectric, ferroelectric and depolarization measurements, enabling the construction of a phase diagram to define the stable regions of the different ferroelectric phases as a function of composition and temperature.
Composition‐induced structural transitions and enhanced strain response in nonstoichiometric NBT‐based ceramics
Authors: Liu Xing , Li Feng , Zhai Jiwei , Shen Bo , Li Peng , Liu Baihui
Published: April 2017

In this work, the nonstoichiometric 0.99Bi0.505(Na0.8K0.2)0.5‐xTiO3‐0.01SrTiO3 (BNKST(0.5‐x)) ceramics with x=0‐0.03 were synthesized by conventional solid‐state reaction method. The composition‐induced structural transitions were investigated by Raman spectra, dielectric analyses, and electrical measurements. It is found that the relaxor phase can be induced through the modulation of the (Na, K) content. The (Na, K) deficiency in BNKST(0.5‐x) ceramics favors a more disordered local structure and can result in the loss of long‐range ferroelectricity. The x=0.015 critical composition possesses relatively high positive strain Spos of 0.42% and large signal piezoelectric constant d33* of 479 pm V−1 at 6 kV mm−1, along with the good temperature (25‐120°C) and frequency (1‐20 Hz) stability. The recoverable large strain responses in nonstoichiometric ceramics can be attributed to the reversible relaxor‐ferroelectric phase transition, which is closely related to the complex defects (, , and ) and the local random fields. This work may be helpful for the exploration of high‐performance NBT‐based lead‐free materials by means of A‐site compositional modification.
Current understanding and future research directions at the onset of the next century of sintering science and technology
Authors: Bordia Rajendra K. , Kang Suk‐Joong L. , Olevsky Eugene A.
Published: April 2017

Sintering and accompanying microstructural evolution is inarguably the most important step in the processing of ceramics and hard metals. In this process, an ensemble of particles is converted into a coherent object of controlled density and microstructure at an elevated temperature (but below the melting point) due to the thermodynamic tendency of the particle system to decrease its total surface and interfacial energy. Building on a long development history as a major technological process, sintering remains among the most viable methods of fabricating novel ceramics, including high surface area structures, nanopowder‐based systems, and tailored structural and functional materials. Developing new and perfecting existing sintering techniques is crucial to meet ever‐growing demand for a broad range of technologically significant systems including, for example, fuel and solar cell components, electronic packages and elements for computers and wireless devices, ceramic and metal‐based bioimplants, thermoelectric materials, materials for thermal management, and materials for extreme environments. In this study, the current state of the science and technology of sintering is presented. This study is, however, not a comprehensive review of this extremely broad field. Furthermore, it only focuses on the sintering of ceramics. The fundamentals of sintering, including the thermodynamics and kinetics for solid‐state‐ and liquid‐phase‐sintered systems are described. This study summarizes that the sintering of amorphous ceramics (glasses) is well understood and there is excellent agreement between theory and experiments. For crystalline materials, attention is drawn to the effect of the grain boundary and interface structure on sintering and microstructural evolution, areas that are expected to be significant for future studies. Considerable emphasis is placed on the topics of current research, including the sintering of composites, multilayered systems, microstructure‐based models, multiscale models, sintering under external stresses, and innovative and novel sintering approaches, such as field‐assisted sintering. This study includes the status of these subfields, the outstanding challenges and opportunities, and the outlook of progress in sintering research. Throughout the manuscript, we highlight the important lessons learned from sintering fundamentals and their implementation in practice.
Low‐temperature crystal growth of Yb:Sr5F(PO4)3 without evident thermal runaway
Authors: Liu Yin , Li Yiyu , Wu Yiquan
Published: April 2017

Solid‐state single crystal conversion of laser crystal Yb:Sr5F(PO4)3 was investigated to demonstrate the ability to partially convert polycrystals into single crystals without sintering additives, at a temperature below the normal sintering temperature of the material. A threefold increase in crystal growth was observed with the application of an electric field. The enhanced densification was associated with excessive mold radiation and the seed crystal growth was facilitated by reduced grain‐boundary energy in the weak electric field.
A phylogenomic perspective on the biogeography of skinks in the Plestiodon brevirostris group inferred from target enrichment of ultraconserved elements
Authors: Bryson Robert W. , Linkem Charles W. , Pavón‐Vázquez Carlos J. , Nieto‐Montes de Oca Adrián , Klicka John , McCormack John E.
Published: April 2017

Aim

The aim of our study was to reconstruct ancestral geographic distributions from time‐calibrated phylogenies generated from phylogenomic data to answer three broad questions about the biogeography of skinks in the Plestiodon brevirostris group: (1) Are biogeographic patterns correlated with the formation of the Trans‐Mexican Volcanic Belt? (2) Do different methods of phylogenetic estimation result in different topologies? If so, (3) are biogeographic reconstructions impacted by the use of different phylogenetic trees?

Location

Mexico.

Methods

We used target enrichment of ultraconserved elements (UCEs) to obtain sequence data from 58 skinks representing 11 of the 13 described species in the group. We estimated time‐calibrated phylogenies using concatenated and multispecies coalescent phylogenetic approaches. We used these phylogenies to reconstruct ancestral geographic distributions.

Results

The final dataset contained 3,282 UCEs from each skink. Samples of each putative species formed well‐supported clades in phylogenetic trees. Time‐calibrated phylogenies estimated using concatenated and multispecies coalescent methods were generally congruent, but differed in the placement of one basal relationship. Divergences in the P. brevirostris group were temporally and spatially congruent with the pre‐Pleistocene formation of the Trans‐Mexican Volcanic Belt. The group most likely colonized the Mexican highlands from east to west during the Late Miocene and Pliocene. Inferences about the early biogeographic history of the group were confounded by the unresolved placement of a key phylogenetic relationship deep in the phylogeny.

Conclusions

Skinks in the P. brevirostris group represent another example of a widespread montane Mexican taxon with a long history of pre‐Pleistocene diversification associated with the primary formation of the Trans‐Mexican Volcanic Belt. This mountain range seems to have been both a cradle of diversification for P. brevirostris group species and a land bridge facilitating dispersal across the Mexican highlands. Our results highlight the probable existence of new species within the P. brevirostris complex and suggest that querying a large portion of the genome may be critically important for studying the biogeographic history of these skinks. However, inferred differences between the concatenated and multispecies coalescent phylogenies, and the different biogeographic histories of the P. brevirostris group reconstructed from these phylogenies, caution that methods of estimating phylogenetic trees used in biogeographic reconstructions need to be carefully considered.
Variation in the post‐mating fitness landscape in fruit flies
Authors: Fricke C. , Chapman T.
Published: April 2017

Sperm competition is pervasive and fundamental to determining a male's overall fitness. Sperm traits and seminal fluid proteins (Sfps) are key factors. However, studies of sperm competition may often exclude females that fail to remate during a defined period. Hence, the resulting data sets contain fewer data from the potentially fittest males that have most success in preventing female remating. It is also important to consider a male's reproductive success before entering sperm competition, which is a major contributor to fitness. The exclusion of these data can both hinder our understanding of the complete fitness landscapes of competing males and lessen our ability to assess the contribution of different determinants of reproductive success to male fitness. We addressed this here, using the Drosophila melanogaster model system, by (i) capturing a comprehensive range of intermating intervals that define the fitness of interacting wild‐type males and (ii) analysing outcomes of sperm competition using selection analyses. We conducted additional tests using males lacking the sex peptide (SP) ejaculate component vs. genetically matched (SP+) controls. This allowed us to assess the comprehensive fitness effects of this important Sfp on sperm competition. The results showed a signature of positive, linear selection in wild‐type and SP+ control males on the length of the intermating interval and on male sperm competition defence. However, the fitness surface for males lacking SP was distinct, with local fitness peaks depending on contrasting combinations of remating intervals and offspring numbers. The results suggest that there are alternative routes to success in sperm competition and provide an explanation for the maintenance of variation in sperm competition traits.
Oral submucous fibrosis: An update on pathophysiology of malignant transformation
Authors: Arakeri Gururaj , Patil Shekar Gowda , Aljabab Abdulsalam S. , Lin Kuan‐Chou , Merkx M. A. W. , Gao Shan , Brennan Peter A.
Published: April 2017

Oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) is a potentially malignant condition associated with areca nut chewing. Formerly confined to the Indian subcontinent, it is now often seen in Asian populations of the United Kingdom, USA and other developed countries, and is therefore a serious problem for global health. What makes it more sinister is the malignant transformation rate, which has been reported to be around 7.6% over a 17‐year period. In this concise article, we review the current trends in the pathophysiology of malignant transformation of OSMF.
The Effect of Nanostructured Chitosan and Chitosan‐thyme Essential Oil Coatings on Colletotrichum gloeosporioides Growth in vitro and on cv Hass Avocado and Fruit Quality
Authors: Correa‐Pacheco Zormy Nacary , Bautista‐Baños Silvia , Valle‐Marquina Miguel Ángel , Hernández‐López Mónica
Published: April 2017

In this study, nanostructured edible coatings based on chitosan nanoparticles (CSNPs) and chitosan‐thyme essential oil nanoparticles (CSTEO‐NPs) were characterized and evaluated on in vitro growth of Colletotrichum gloeosporioides and on inoculated avocado fruit cv. Hass, to evaluate their fungicidal activity and the effect on fruit quality. From TEM and particle size distribution characterization, the size of nanoparticles increased after thyme essential oil incorporation. Overall a synergistic effect between the chitosan and thyme essential oil (TEO) was observed. For in vitro evaluation, incorporation of this essential oil to CSNPs improved the control of C. gloeosporioides as there was a complete growth inhibition. CSNPs with concentrations of TEO at 3 and 5% had a fungicidal effect. The coating formulation with 55% CSTEO‐NPs notably reduced the incidence of C. gloeosporioides on avocado cv. Hass by up to 60%. Also, at the end of the 8‐day storage period, CSTEO‐NPs incorporation into the coating did not affect the quality of avocado; moreover, fruit firmness was better maintained than untreated fruit.
Significance of Microsclerotia in the Epidemiology of Black Pepper Anthracnose and an Approach for Disease Management in Nurseries
Authors: Biju Chakkiyanickal Narayanan , Ravindran Praveena , Peeran Mohammed Faisal , Darshana Chaliyanda Nanaiah , Jashmi Chinnappa Kaleyanda , Shettahalli Koppallu Javaraiah Ankegowda
Published: April 2017

Anthracnose incited by Colletotrichum gloeosporioides (Penz.) Penz. and Sacc. is a wide spread and economically important disease of black pepper. In the present study, role of microsclerotia (MS) in the trans‐seasonal perpetuation of C. gloeosporioides was investigated. Microscopical examination of the runner shoots exhibiting necrotic lesions revealed the presence of dark, melanized structures which resembled MS. The excised necrotic regions when subjected to high humidity produced acervulus with setae. Under in vitro conditions, C. gloeosporioides produced MS predominantly on the aerial surface as inseparable congregations, enmeshed in the mycelial mats in potato dextrose broth and as individual units 7–8 days after incubation on glass slides. Sequential events in the formation of MS included germination of conidia, formation of conidial anastomosis tubes, aggregation of hyphae, and the formation of melanized microsclerotial bodies. Three types of microsclerotial germination were observed under in vitro conditions viz., sporogenic, myceliogenic and both. PCR confirmation with CgInt species‐specific primer and ITS4 resulted in 450‐bp amplification. Since, runner shoots are predominantly used as propagating material in black pepper, an approach was devised to manage anthracnose under nursery conditions by treating the 2‐ to 3‐node cuttings (nursery planting material) with carbendazim (12%)—mancozeb (63%) @ 0.1% for 30 min. The results of the study suggests a new facet in the disease cycle of black pepper anthracnose, indicating that the pathogen survives as microsclerotia in planta and could act as a potential source of inoculum.
Prevalence and Mode of Inheritance of theDalBlood Group in Dogs in North America
Authors: Goulet S. , Giger U. , Arsenault J. , Abrams‐Ogg A. , Euler C.C. , Blais M.‐C.
Published: April 2017

Background

TheDalblood group system was identified a decade ago by the accidental sensitization of aDal−Dalmatian with aDal+ blood transfusion. SimilarDal‐related blood incompatibilities have been suspected in other Dalmatians, Doberman Pinschers, and other breeds.

Objectives

To determine the prevalence and mode of inheritance of theDalantigen expression in dogs.

Animals

A total of 1130 dogs including 128 Dalmatians, 432 Doberman Pinschers, 21 Shih Tzus, and 549 dogs of other breeds including 228 blood donors were recruited from North America between 2008 and 2015.

Methods

Prospectively, dogs were blood typed forDalapplying a gel column technique using polyclonal canine anti‐Dalsera. Pedigrees from 8 typed families were analyzed.

Results

The prevalence of theDal+blood type varied between 85.6 and 100% in Dalmatians and 43.3–78.6% in Doberman Pinschers depending on geographical area.Dal− dogs were identified mostly in Dalmatians (15/128; 11.7%), Doberman Pinschers (183/432; 42.4%), and Shih Tzus (12/21; 57.1%), and sporadically in mixed‐breed dogs (3/122; 2.5%), Lhasa Apsos (1/6) and Bichon Frises (1/3). Only 6/245 (2.4%) blood donors were found to beDal−, including 5 Doberman Pinschers. The mode of inheritance of theDal+ phenotype was determined to be autosomal dominant.

Conclusions and Clinical Importance

The high percentage ofDal− Doberman Pinchers, Dalmatians and Shih Tzus increases their risk of being sensitized by a blood transfusion from the commonDal+donor. ExtendedDaltyping is recommended in those breeds and in dogs when blood incompatibility problems arise after initial transfusions.
Body mass is less important than bird order in determining the molecular rate for bird mitochondrial DNA
Authors: Quillfeldt Petra
Published: April 2017

A negative relationship between body mass and molecular evolution rates has been suggested, and recently a correlation equation has been published based on mitochondrial genomic data of 475 bird species and their body masses. Here, we re‐analysed these data and show that the bird order as a proxy of monophyletic groups was a stronger predictor of the molecular rate than the body mass. We provide order‐specific molecular substitution rates. Only three orders (Galliformes, Gruiformes, Pelecaniformes) showed a very clear negative correlation, and specific correlation equations are given for these. The molecular rates of bird orders differed strongly at similar mean body masses, and we suggest that the previously described trend across all birds may arise as smaller species also tend to have characteristic life histories, namely faster turnover of generations, higher fecundity and shorter lifespans.
Synthesis, Photophysics and PDT Evaluation of Mono‐, Di‐, Tri‐ and Hexa‐PEG Chlorins for Pointsource Photodynamic Therapy
Authors: Bornhütter Tobias , Ghogare Ashwini A. , Preuß Annegret , Greer Alexander , Röder Beate
Published: April 2017

Pointsource photodynamic therapy (PSPDT) is a newly developed fiber optic method aimed at the delivery of photosensitizer, light and oxygen to a diseased site. Because of a need for developing photosensitizers with desirable properties for PSPDT, we have carried out a synthetic, photophysical and phototoxicity study on a series of PEGylated sensitizers. Chlorin and pheophorbide sensitizers were readily amenable to our synthetic PEGylation strategy to reach triPEG and hexaPEG galloyl pheophorbides and mono‐, di‐, triPEG chlorins. On screening these PEG sensitizers, we found that increasing the number of PEG groups, except for hexaPEGylation, increases phototoxicity. We found that three PEG groups but not less or more were optimal. Of the series tested, a triPEG gallyol pheophorbide and a triPEG chlorin were the most efficient at generating singlet oxygen, and produced the highest phototoxicity and lowest dark toxicity to Jurkat cells. A detailed kinetic analysis of the PEGylated sensitizers in solution and cell culture and media is also presented. The data provide us with steps in the development of PSPDT to add to the PDT tools we have in general.
Construction of Er3+:YAlO3/RGO/TiO2 Hybrid Electrode with Enhanced Photoelectrocatalytic Performance in Methylene Blue Degradation Under Visible Light
Authors: Zhou Xian , Zhang Jun , Ma Yue , Cheng Hanqing , Fu Shaozhu , Zhou Dandan , Dong Shuangshi
Published: April 2017

Much attention has been paid on doping TiO2 to narrow its band gap to promote the absorption of visible light and restrain the recombination of electron–hole pairs to improve its efficiency in photoelectrocatalysis (PEC) under visible‐light irradiation. However, the oxidation potential energy of photo‐induced holes for the modified catalysts by visible‐light excitation is lower than that without modification by UV excitation. In this work, we synthesized a co‐coupled TiO2 electrode (denoted ERT) with the Er3+:YAlO3 and reduced graphene oxide (RGO), achieving the synergetic effect of visible‐light‐to‐UV up‐conversion and response and great electron transfer ability. The effects of external bias voltage, electrolyte concentration and pH on the PEC activity were studied with the methylene blue (MB) as the target pollutant. The results indicated that PEC by the ERT electrode showed the highest MB removal compared with those by the electrodes coupled with RGO or Er3+:YAlO3 alone. In addition, the kinetic rate constant of the PEC process using the ERT electrode was higher than the sum of those of the photocatalytic and electrocatalytic processes. The optimal conditions for PEC by the ERT electrode were an external bias voltage of 1.0 V, 0.1 mol L−1 Na2SO4 and pH = 10.
Antibiotic prescriptions for inpatients having non-bacterial diagnosis at medicine departments of two private sector hospitals in Madhya Pradesh, India: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Landstedt Kristoffer , Sharma Ashish , Johansson Fredrik , Stålsby Lundborg Cecilia , Sharma Megha
Published: April 2017

Objectives

To present and compare antibiotic prescribing for inpatients among the most common non-bacterial diagnoses groups at medicine departments of a teaching (TH) and a non-teaching hospital (NTH) in central India.

Setting

An observational cross-sectional study was conducted at two tertiary care settings in Ujjain district, Madhya Pradesh, India.

Data and participants

The data were collected manually, using a customised form. Complete records of all inpatients, who were >15 years of age and had stayed for at least one night in either of the hospitals during 2008–2011, were analysed.

Outcome measures

Inpatients were grouped according to the presence or absence of a bacterial infectious diagnosis, viral/malaria fever or cardiovascular disease. Classes of antibiotics prescribed to these groups and adherence to the available prescribing guidelines were compared between the hospitals using the notes from the patient files and the diagnoses.

Results

Of 20 303 inpatients included in the study, 66% were prescribed antibiotics. Trade name prescribing and use of broad-spectrum antibiotics were more frequent at the NTH than at the TH (p<0.001). At the TH a significantly higher proportion of patients having fever without registered bacterial infection were prescribed antibiotics (82%) compared with the NTH (71%, p<0.001). Patients admitted for cardiovascular diagnosis without registered bacterial infections received antibiotic prescriptions at both hospitals (NTH 47% and TH 37%) but this was significantly higher at the NTH (p<0.001). None of the diagnoses were confirmed by microbiology reports.

Conclusions

Prescribing antibiotics, including broad-spectrum antibiotics, to inpatients without bacterial infections—that is, viral fever, malaria and cardiovascular disease, was common at both hospitals, which increases the risk for development of bacterial resistance, a global public health threat. In view of the overprescribing of antibiotics, the main recommendations are development and implementation of local prescription guidelines, encouragement to use laboratory facilities and prescription analysis, with antibiotic stewardship programmes.
Is postoperative decrease of serum albumin an early predictor of complications after major abdominal surgery? A prospective cohort study in a European centre
Authors: Labgaa Ismail , Joliat Gaëtan-Romain , Kefleyesus Amaniel , Mantziari Styliani , Schäfer Markus , Demartines Nicolas , Hübner Martin
Published: April 2017

Objective

To test postoperative serum albumin drop (ΔAlb) as a marker of surgical stress response and early predictor of clinical outcomes.

Design

Prospective cohort study (NCT02356484). Albumin was prospectively measured in 138 patients undergoing major abdominal surgery. Blood samples were collected before surgery and on postoperative days 0, 1 2 and 3. ΔAlb was compared to the modified estimation of physiologic ability and surgical stress (mE-PASS) score and correlated to the performances of C reactive protein (CRP), procalcitonin (PCT) and lactate (LCT). Postoperative outcomes were postoperative complications according to Clavien classification and Comprehensive Complication Index (CCI), and length of hospital stay (LoS).

Setting

Department of abdominal surgery in a European tertiary centre.

Participants

Adult patients undergoing elective major abdominal surgery, with anticipated duration ≥2 hours. Patients on immunosuppressive or antibiotic treatments before surgery were excluded.

Results

The level of serum albumin rapidly dropped after surgery. ΔAlb correlated to the mE-PASS score (r=0.275, p=0.01) and to CRP increase (r=0.536, p<0.001). ΔAlb also correlated to overall complications (r=0.485, p<0.001), CCI (r=0.383, p<0.001) and LoS (r=0.468, p<0.001). A ΔAlb ≥10 g/L yielded a sensitivity of 77.1% and a specificity of 67.2% (AUC: 78.3%) to predict complications. Patients with ΔAlb ≥10 g/L on POD 1 showed a threefold increased risk of overall postoperative complications.

Conclusions

Early postoperative decrease of serum albumin correlated with the extent of surgery, its metabolic response and with adverse outcomes such as complications and length of stay. A decreased concentration of serum albumin ≥10 g/L on POD 1 was associated with a threefold increased risk of overall postoperative complications and may thus be used to identify patients at risk.
Study on the utility of a statewide counselling programme for improving mortality outcomes of patients withStaphylococcus aureusbacteraemia in Thuringia (SUPPORT): a study protocol of a cluster-randomised crossover trial
Authors: Weis S , Hagel S , Schmitz R P H , Scherag A , Brunkhorst F M , Forstner C , Löffler B , Pletz M W
Published: April 2017

Introduction

Staphylococcus aureusbacteraemia (SAB) is a frequent infection with high mortality rates. It requires specific diagnostic and therapeutic management such as prolonged intravenous administration of antibiotics and aggressive search for and control of infectious sources. Underestimation of disease severity frequently results in delayed or inappropriate management of patients with SAB leading to increased mortality rates. According to observational studies, patient counselling by infectious disease consultants (IDC) improves survival and reduces the length of hospital stay as well as complication rates. In many countries, IDC are available only in some tertiary hospitals. In this trial, we aim to demonstrate that the outcome of patients with SAB in small and medium size hospitals that do not employ IDC can be improved by unsolicited ID phone counselling. The SUPPORT trial will be the first cluster-randomised controlled multicentre trial addressing this question.

Methods and analysis

SUPPORT is a single-blinded, multicentre interventional, cluster-randomised, controlled crossover trial with a minimum of 15 centres that will include 250 patients with SAB who will receive unsolicited IDC counselling and 250 who will receive standard of care. Reporting of SAB will be conducted by an electronic real-time blood culture registry established for the German Federal state of Thuringia (ALERTSNet) or directly by participating centres in order to minimise time delay before counselling. Mortality, disease course and complications will be monitored for 90 days with 30-day all-cause mortality rates as the primary outcome. Generalised linear mixed modelling will be used to detect the difference between the intervention sequences. We expect improved outcome of patients with SAB after IDC.

Ethics and dissemination

We obtained ethics approval from the Ethics committee of the Jena University Hospital and from the Ethics committee of the State Chamber of Physicians of Thuringia. Results will be published in a peer-reviewed journal and additionally disseminated through public media.

Trial registration number

DRKS00010135.
Association between baseline vitamin D metabolite levels and long-term cardiovascular events in patients with rheumatoid arthritis from the CIMESTRA trial: protocol for a cohort study with patient-record evaluated outcomes
Authors: Herly M , Stengaard-Pedersen K , Hørslev-Petersen K , Hetland M L , Østergaard M , Christensen R , Løgstrup B B , Vestergaard P , Pødenphant J , Junker P , Ellingsen T
Published: April 2017

Introduction

Cardiovascular morbidity and mortality is increased in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and among these patients, the prevalence of hypovitaminosis D is high. Moreover, low vitamin D levels have been associated with increased cardiovascular risk in healthy subjects.

Objective

To evaluate the long-term risk of cardiovascular events in patients having low total 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels at baseline compared with patients with normal levels, in an efficiently treated, closed cohort of patients with an early diagnosis of RA.

Methods and analysis

This study is a prospective, closed, blinded endpoint cohort study, based on secondary analyses from a previous randomised trial (CIMESTRA study;NCT00209859, approved September 1999) including 160 patients with an early diagnosis of RA from Danish University clinics. Primary outcome will be the proportion of patients with any cardiovascular event in the follow-up period, evaluated using systematic journal audits. Logistic regression models will test the hypothesis that there are more cardiovascular events in enrolled patients with a low level of vitamin D (< 50 nmol/L). Secondarily, Cox regression models, based on survival analysis, will determine the extent to which independent variables (including different levels of vitamin D at baseline) predict whether a cardiovascular event will occur, and also when this will be.

Ethics and dissemination

All patients have received verbal and written information before enrolment, and have given written consent at baseline. To disseminate comprehension of factors of prognostic importance to cardiovascular outcome in RA, we will attempt to have a first draft ready no later than 1 year after the adjudication process has finished. If low vitamin D levels can predict cardiovascular events in RA, it is relevant to take into account in a prediction model, to be considered by patients, physicians and other decision-makers.

Trial registration number

The parental controlled trial is registered asNCT00209859.
Comparison of the BCI Performance between the Semitransparent Face Pattern and the Traditional Face Pattern
Authors: Cheng Jiao , Jin Jing , Wang Xingyu
Published: April 2017

Brain-computer interface (BCI) systems allow users to communicate with the external world by recognizing the brain activity without the assistance of the peripheral motor nervous system. P300-based BCI is one of the most common used BCI systems that can obtain high classification accuracy and information transfer rate (ITR). Face stimuli can result in large event-related potentials and improve the performance of P300-based BCI. However, previous studies on face stimuli focused mainly on the effect of various face types (i.e., face expression, face familiarity, and multifaces) on the BCI performance. Studies on the influence of face transparency differences are scarce. Therefore, we investigated the effect of semitransparent face pattern (STF-P) (the subject could see the target character when the stimuli were flashed) and traditional face pattern (F-P) (the subject could not see the target character when the stimuli were flashed) on the BCI performance from the transparency perspective. Results showed that STF-P obtained significantly higher classification accuracy and ITR than those of F-P (p < 0.05).
Nontraumatic Laryngeal Fractures: Report of Two Cases and Review of the Literature
Authors: Santamaría Alfredo , Alarcón Ricardo , Sepúlveda Ilson , Fredes Felipe
Published: April 2017

Laryngeal fractures occur mainly in the context of cervical trauma, hanging, or strangulation. Nontraumatic laryngeal fractures are rare and there are few reports in the literature. We present two cases of nontraumatic laryngeal fractures evaluated in our service.
Low-Frequency Broadband Sound Transmission Loss of Infinite Orthogonally Rib-Stiffened Sandwich Structure with Periodic Subwavelength Arrays of Shunted Piezoelectric Patches
Authors: Zhang Zhifu , Zheng Weiguang , Huang Qibai
Published: April 2017

This paper studies low-frequency sound transmission loss (STL) of an infinite orthogonally rib-stiffened sandwich structure flexibly connected with periodic subwavelength arrays of finite shunted piezoelectric patches. A complete theoretical model is proposed by three steps. First, the panels and piezoelectric patches on both sides are equivalent to two homogeneous facesheets by effective medium method. Second, we take into account all inertia terms of the rib-stiffeners to establish the governing equations by space harmonic method, separating the amplitude coefficients of the equivalent facesheets through virtual work principle. Third, the expression of STL is reduced. Based on the two prerequisites of subwavelength assumption and convergence criterion, the accuracy and validity of the model are verified by finite element simulations, cited experiments, and theoretical values. In the end, parameters affecting the STL performance of the structure are studied. All of these results show that the sandwich structure can improve the low-frequency STL effectively and broaden the sound insulation bandwidth.
Increased Sensitization to Mold Allergens Measured by Intradermal Skin Testing following Hurricanes
Authors: Saporta Diego , Hurst David
Published: April 2017

Objective. To report on changes in sensitivity to mold allergens determined by changes in intradermal skin testing reactivity, after exposure to two severe hurricanes. Methods. A random, retrospective allergy charts review divided into 2 groups of 100 patients each: Group A, patients tested between 2003 and 2010 prior to hurricanes, and Group B, patients tested in 2014 and 2015 following hurricanes. Reactivity to eighteen molds was determined by intradermal skin testing. Test results, age, and respiratory symptoms were recorded. Chi-square test determined reactivity/sensitivity differences between groups. Results. Posthurricane patients had 34.6 times more positive results (p<0.0001) at weaker dilutions, all tested molds were found to be more reactive, and 95% had at least one positive test versus only 62% before the hurricanes (p<0.0001); average mold reactivity was 55% versus 16% while 17% of patients reacted to the entire panel versus none before the hurricanes (p<0.0001). The posthurricane population was younger (p<0.001) and included more patients with asthma or lower respiratory symptoms (p<0.05). Conclusion. Reactivity and sensitization to mold allergens increased compared to patients before the hurricanes. This supports climatologists’ hypothesis that environmental changes resulting from hurricanes can be a health risk as reflected in increased allergic sensitivities and symptoms and has significant implications for physicians treating patients from affected areas.
B-CD8+T Cell Interactions in the Anti-Idiotypic Response against a Self-Antibody
Authors: Martínez Darel , Pupo Amaury , Cabrera Lianet , Raymond Judith , Holodick Nichol E. , Hernández Ana María
Published: April 2017

P3 is a murine, germline, IgM mAb that recognizesN-glycolylated gangliosides and other self-antigens. This antibody is able to induce an anti-idiotypic IgG response and B-T idiotypic cascade, even in the absence of any adjuvant or carrier protein. P3 mAb immunization induces the expression of activation markers in a significant percentage of B-1a cells in vivo. Interestingly, transfer of both B-1a and B-2 to BALB/Xid mice was required to recover anti-P3 IgG response in this model. In fact, P3 mAb activated B-2 cells, in vitro, inducing secretion of IFN-γ and IL-4, although this activation was not detected ex vivo. Interestingly, naïve CD8+T cells increased the expression of activation markers and IFN-γ secretion in the presence of B-1a cells isolated from P3 mAb-immunized mice, even without in vitro restimulation. In contrast, B-2 cells were able to stimulate CD8+T cells only if P3 was added in vitro. Using bioinformatics, a MHC class I-binding peptide from P3 VHregion was identified. P3 mAb was able to induce a specific CTL response in vivo against cells presenting this peptide. Both humoral and CTL anti-idiotypic responses could be mechanisms to protect against the self-reactive antibody, contributing to keeping the tolerance to self-antigens.
Predicting the Types of Ion Channel-Targeted Conotoxins Based on AVC-SVM Model
Authors: Xianfang Wang , Junmei Wang , Xiaolei Wang , Yue Zhang
Published: April 2017

The conotoxin proteins are disulfide-rich small peptides. Predicting the types of ion channel-targeted conotoxins has great value in the treatment of chronic diseases, epilepsy, and cardiovascular diseases. To solve the problem of information redundancy existing when using current methods, a new model is presented to predict the types of ion channel-targeted conotoxins based on AVC (Analysis of Variance and Correlation) and SVM (Support Vector Machine). First, the F value is used to measure the significance level of the feature for the result, and the attribute with smaller F value is filtered by rough selection. Secondly, redundancy degree is calculated by Pearson Correlation Coefficient. And the threshold is set to filter attributes with weak independence to get the result of the refinement. Finally, SVM is used to predict the types of ion channel-targeted conotoxins. The experimental results show the proposed AVC-SVM model reaches an overall accuracy of 91.98%, an average accuracy of 92.17%, and the total number of parameters of 68. The proposed model provides highly useful information for further experimental research. The prediction model will be accessed free of charge at our web server.
Can Transabdominal Scan Predict a Short Cervix by Transvaginal Scan?
Authors: Nambiar Jayaraman Mavila , Pai Muralidhar Vaman , Reddy Arevidya , Kumar Pratap
Published: April 2017

Background. To determine whether transabdominal screening can be used to screen women with short cervix on transvaginal scan.Methods. The study was done between 18 and 20 weeks of gestation. Transabdominal scan was done and cervical length was measured. Transvaginal scan was also done and cervical length was measured. An attempt was made to find out whether transabdominal scan be used to predict a cervical length of 25 mm by transvaginal scan.Results. In our study the cut-off for transabdominal scan for detecting a short cervix of 25 mm by transvaginal scan was 29 mm. A transabdominal cervical length of 29 mm could predict a short cervix of 25 mm by transvaginal scan by 100% sensitivity and 92.4% sensitivity.Conclusion. A cut-off of 29 mm by transabdominal scan is very accurate in predicting a short cervix of 25 mm by transvaginal scan.
Subcutaneous Implants of a Cholesterol-Triglyceride-Buprenorphine Suspension in Rats
Authors: Guarnieri M. , Brayton C. , Sarabia-Estrada R. , Tyler B. , McKnight P. , DeTolla L.
Published: April 2017

A Target Animal Safety protocol was used to examine adverse events in male and female Fischer F344/NTac rats treated with increasing doses of a subcutaneous implant of a lipid suspension of buprenorphine. A single injection of 0.65 mg/kg afforded clinically significant blood levels of drug for 3 days. Chemistry, hematology, coagulation, and urinalysis values with 2- to 10-fold excess doses of the drug-lipid suspension were within normal limits. Histopathology findings were unremarkable. The skin and underlying tissue surrounding the drug injection were unremarkable. Approximately 25% of a cohort of rats given the excess doses of 1.3, 3.9, and 6.5 mg/kg displayed nausea-related behavior consisting of intermittent and limited excess grooming and self-gnawing. These results confirm the safety of cholesterol-triglyceride carrier systems for subcutaneous drug delivery of buprenorphine in laboratory animals and further demonstrate the utility of lipid-based carriers as scaffolds for subcutaneous, long-acting drug therapy.
Association Study of Gut Flora in Coronary Heart Disease through High-Throughput Sequencing
Authors: Cui Li , Zhao Tingting , Hu Haibing , Zhang Wen , Hua Xiuguo
Published: April 2017

Objectives.We aimed to explore the impact of gut microbiota in coronary heart disease (CHD) patients through high-throughput sequencing.Methods.A total of 29 CHD in-hospital patients and 35 healthy volunteers as controls were included. Nucleic acids were extracted from fecal samples, followed byαdiversity and principal coordinate analysis (PCoA). Based on unweighted UniFrac distance matrices, unweighted-pair group method with arithmetic mean (UPGMA) trees were created.Results.After data optimization, an average of121312±19293reads in CHD patients and234372±108725reads in controls was obtained. Reads corresponding to 38 phyla, 90 classes, and 584 genera were detected in CHD patients, whereas 40 phyla, 99 classes, and 775 genera were detected in controls. The proportion of phylum Bacteroidetes (56.12%) was lower and that of phylum Firmicutes was higher (37.06%) in CHD patients than those in the controls (60.92% and 32.06%,P<0.05). PCoA and UPGMA tree analysis showed that there were significant differences of gut microbial compositions between the two groups.Conclusion.The diversity and compositions of gut flora were different between CHD patients and healthy controls. The incidence of CHD might be associated with the alteration of gut microbiota.
Clinical Challenges in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Temporal Bone Osteomyelitis
Authors: Kornilenko Liubov , Rocka Saulius , Balseris Svajunas , Arechvo Irina
Published: April 2017

Temporal bone osteomyelitis is a serious life-threatening condition—a quick and proper diagnosis is needed to start treatment and reduce morbidity and mortality. Changing trends of the disease make a differential diagnosis difficult. To emphasize the importance of a clinical suspicion of this dangerous condition, our experience with three difficult cases is presented. The diagnosis was based on clinical symptoms, otoscopic findings, and findings on computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging. Neoplasm and granulomatous inflammation were excluded by multiple biopsies. The disease can develop in nondiabetic patients. The disorder might be related to the initial inflammatory process in the middle ear with further direct spreading of infection through defects in the bony walls to deep temporal bone structures. Imaging should be performed early to detect osteolytic lesions of the skull base. Surgery was used for the presence of bone sequestra and infratemporal abscess.
Cytokines as Biomarkers and Their Respective Clinical Cutoff Levels
Authors: Monastero Rebecca N. , Pentyala Srinivas
Published: April 2017

Cytokines, including interleukins, interferons, tumor necrosis factors, and chemokines, have a variety of pro- and anti-inflammatory effects in the body through a number of biochemical pathways and interactions. Stimuli, actions, interactions, and downstream effects of cytokines have been investigated in more depth in recent years, and clinical research has also been conducted to implicate cytokines in causal patterns in certain diseases. However, particular cutoffs of cytokines as biomarkers for disease processes have not been well studied, and this warrants future work to potentially improve diagnoses for diseases with inflammatory markers. A limited number of studies in this area are reviewed, considering diseases correlated with abnormal cytokine profiles, as well as specific cutoffs at which cytokines have been deemed clinically useful for diagnosing those diseases through Receiver Operator Characteristics modeling. In light of studies such as those discussed in this review, cytokine testing has the potential to support diagnosis due to its lack of invasiveness and low cost, compared to other common types of testing for infections and inflammatory diseases.
A Unidirectional Total Variation and Second‐Order Total Variation Model for Destriping of Remote Sensing Images
Authors: Wang Min , Huang Ting-Zhu , Zhao Xi-Le , Deng Liang-Jian , Liu Gang
Published: April 2017

Remote sensing images often suffer from stripe noise, which greatly degrades the image quality. Destriping of remote sensing images is to recover a good image from the image containing stripe noise. Since the stripes in remote sensing images have a directional characteristic (horizontal or vertical), the unidirectional total variation has been used to consider the directional information and preserve the edges. The remote sensing image contaminated by heavy stripe noise always has large width stripes and the pixels in the stripes have low correlations with the true pixels. On this occasion, the destriping process can be viewed as inpainting the wide stripe domains. In many works, high‐order total variation has been proved to be a powerful tool to inpainting wide domains. Therefore, in this paper, we propose a variational destriping model that combines unidirectional total variation and second‐order total variation regularization to employ the directional information and handle the wide stripes. In particular, the split Bregman iteration method is employed to solve the proposed model. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.