bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Macular capillary plexuses after epiretinal membrane surgery: an optical coherence tomography angiography study
Authors: Kim Yoon Jeon , Kim Seungmo , Lee Joo Yong , Kim June-Gone , Yoon Young Hee
Published: October 2017

Aims

To investigate macular vascular integrity using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) in patients undergoing vitrectomy for idiopathic epiretinal membrane (ERM) removal and to determine its association with structural and visual outcomes.

Methods

Forty-three patients with unilateral ERM who were followed for ≥6 months after surgery were included. Ophthalmological evaluations included best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and spectral-domain OCT (SD-OCT) before surgery and 6 months after surgery. We obtained en face OCTA images of the superficial capillary plexus (SCP) and deep capillary plexus (DCP) for both eyes 6 months after ERM removal. We compared eyes with ERM to unaffected fellow eyes as controls and used interocular differences in the analyses.

Results

Compared with the fellow eyes, eyes with ERM after surgery had a lower parafoveal vascular density (VD) and a smaller foveal avascular zone (FAZ) area in both SCP and DCP (all p<0.001). Interocular differences in the FAZ area and parafoveal VD were correlated with preoperative and postoperative central foveal thicknesses (all p<0.05). In addition, interocular differences in macular vascular integrity had a tendency to be correlated with SD-OCT parameters of the inner retinal layers. Finally, greater interocular differences in the FAZ area and parafoveal VD of both plexuses were significantly associated with worse postoperative BCVAs (all p<0.05).

Conclusions

Assessing macular capillary plexuses via OCTA may be useful to quantify structural changes of the inner retinal layer and predict visual function in patients undergoing ERM removal surgery.
Imaging muscle as a potential biomarker of denervation in motor neuron disease
Authors: Jenkins Thomas M , Alix James J P , David Charlotte , Pearson Eilish , Rao D Ganesh , Hoggard Nigel , O’Brien Eoghan , Baster Kathleen , Bradburn Michael , Bigley Julia , McDermott Christopher J , Wilkinson Iain D , Shaw Pamela J
Published: October 2017

Objective

To assess clinical, electrophysiological and whole-body muscle MRI measurements of progression in patients with motor neuron disease (MND), as tools for future clinical trials, and to probe pathophysiological mechanisms in vivo.

Methods

A prospective, longitudinal, observational, clinicoelectrophysiological and radiological cohort study was performed. Twenty-nine patients with MND and 22 age-matched and gender-matched healthy controls were assessed with clinical measures, electrophysiological motor unit number index (MUNIX) and T2-weighted whole-body muscle MRI, at first clinical presentation and 4 months later. Between-group differences and associations were assessed using age-adjusted and gender-adjusted multivariable regression models. Within-subject longitudinal changes were assessed using paired t-tests. Patterns of disease spread were modelled using mixed-effects multivariable regression, assessing associations between muscle relative T2 signal and anatomical adjacency to site of clinical onset.

Results

Patients with MND had 30% higher relative T2 muscle signal than controls at baseline (all regions mean, 95% CI 15% to 45%, p<0.001). Higher T2 signal was associated with greater overall disability (coefficient −0.009, 95% CI −0.017 to –0.001, p=0.023) and with clinical weakness and lower MUNIX in multiple individual muscles. Relative T2 signal in bilateral tibialis anterior increased over 4 months in patients with MND (right: 10.2%, 95% CI 2.0% to 18.4%, p=0.017; left: 14.1%, 95% CI 3.4% to 24.9%, p=0.013). Anatomically, contiguous disease spread on MRI was not apparent in this model.

Conclusions

Whole-body muscle MRI offers a new approach to objective assessment of denervation over short timescales in MND and enables investigation of patterns of disease spread in vivo. Muscles inaccessible to conventional clinical and electrophysiological assessment may be investigated using this methodology.
Circulatory disease in French nuclear fuel cycle workers chronically exposed to uranium: a nested case–control study
Authors: Zhivin Sergey , Guseva Canu Irina , Davesne Estelle , Blanchardon Eric , Garsi Jérôme-Philippe , Samson Eric , Niogret Christine , Zablotska Lydia B , Laurier Dominique
Published: October 2017

Objectives

There is growing evidence of an association between low-dose external γ-radiation and circulatory system diseases (CSDs), yet sparse data exist about an association with chronic internal uranium exposure and the role of non-radiation risk factors. We conducted a nested case–control study of French AREVA NC Pierrelatte nuclear workers employed between 1960 and 2005 to estimate CSD risks adjusting for major CSD risk factors (smoking, blood pressure, body mass index, total cholesterol and glycaemia) and external γ-radiation dose.

Methods

The study included 102 cases of death from CSD and 416 controls individually matched on age, gender, birth cohort and socio-professional status. Information on CSD risk factors was collected from occupational medical records. Organ-specific absorbed doses were estimated using biomonitoring data, taking into account exposure regime and uranium physicochemical properties. External γ-radiation was measured by individual dosimeter badges. Analysis was conducted with conditional logistic regression.

Results

Workers were exposed to very low radiation doses (mean γ-radiation dose 2 and lung uranium dose 1 mGy). A positive but imprecise association was observed (excess OR per mGy 0.2, 95% CI 0.004 to 0.5). Results obtained after adjustment suggest that uranium exposure might be an independent CSD risk factor.

Conclusions

Our results suggest that a positive association might exist between internal uranium exposure and CSD mortality, not confounded by CSD risk factors. Future work should focus on numerous uncertainties associated with internal uranium dose estimation and on understanding biological pathway of CSD after protracted low-dose internal radiation exposure.
Correction of odds ratios in case-control studies for exposure misclassification with partial knowledge of the degree of agreement among experts who assessed exposures
Authors: Burstyn Igor , Gustafson Paul , Pintos Javier , Lavoué Jérôme , Siemiatycki Jack
Published: October 2017

Objectives

Estimates of association between exposures and diseases are often distorted by error in exposure classification. When the validity of exposure assessment is known, this can be used to adjust these estimates. When exposure is assessed by experts, even if validity is not known, we sometimes have information about interrater reliability. We present a Bayesian method for translating the knowledge of interrater reliability, which is often available, into knowledge about validity, which is often needed but not directly available, and applying this to correct odds ratios (OR).

Methods

The method allows for inclusion of observed potential confounders in the analysis, as is common in regression-based control for confounding. Our method uses a novel type of prior on sensitivity and specificity. The approach is illustrated with data from a case-control study of lung cancer risk and occupational exposure to diesel engine emissions, in which exposure assessment was made by detailed job history interviews with study subjects followed by expert judgement.

Results

Using interrater agreement measured by kappas (κ), we estimate sensitivity and specificity of exposure assessment and derive misclassification-corrected confounder-adjusted OR. Misclassification-corrected and confounder-adjusted OR obtained with the most defensible prior had a posterior distribution centre of 1.6 with 95% credible interval (Crl) 1.1 to 2.6. This was on average greater in magnitude than frequentist point estimate of 1.3 (95% Crl 1.0 to 1.7).

Conclusions

The method yields insights into the degree of exposure misclassification and appears to reduce attenuation bias due to misclassification of exposure while the estimated uncertainty increased.
Eemian estuarine record forced by glacio-isostasy (southern Iceland)—link with Greenland and deep sea records
Authors: Van Vliet-Lanoë Brigitte , Schneider Jean-Luc , Guðmundsson Águst , Guillou Hervé , Nomade Sébastien , Chazot Gilles , Liorzou Céline , Guégan Solène
Published: October 2017

Central southern Iceland is one of the main outlets of the Icelandic Ice Sheet where a MIS 5e sedimentary complex, the Rangá Formation, is extensively observed below the last deglaciation terminal moraines. Sedimentary facies demonstrate that the Rangá Formation is mostly tidal, up to 215 m (transgression I) and 168 m (transgression II) in altitude. The first highstand reworks a thick tephra from the Grimsvötn volcano, known in marine cores as 5e low/Bas-IV and positioned at ca. 127 Ka BP, the Eemian thermal optimum. This formation is related to a rapid deglaciation followed by two marine transgressions marked by the development of extended mud flats, which were separated by a complex regression phase, associated with loess deposition, ca. 9 Ka in duration. Palaeo jökulhlaups, basaltic flows, and tephra fallouts from the Hekla and Grimsvötn volcanoes affected the sedimentation. The Rangá Formation yields one of the first continuous and complete estuarine records of the Eemian interglacial in Iceland and probably for most of the northern terrestrial Atlantic. This estuarine infill records the distal signature of a complex glacial advance within the last interglacial, already well identified in northern and central Iceland. The glacial advance is attributed to the intra-Eemian cooling events (Greenland GS 26 or marine cold events M-C25-C26). It is followed by a warming and a glacial retreat corresponding to the Greenland GI 25 event. This formation allows, in connection with the timing of recognized volcanic periods, a better insight of the interconnections between sea-level, regional glacial extent, and Northern Hemisphere marine and ice core climatic records.
Maternal and offspring effects on the timing of parturition in western Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus)
Authors: Maniscalco John M. , Parker Pamela
Published: October 2017

Identifying factors that affect the timing of parturition among annual breeders is important to aid our understanding of how variations may adversely affect population trends over both short and long temporal scales. We investigated the effect of several parameters on the timing of parturition among individual Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus (Schreber, 1776)) over 6 years between 2005 and 2016 using an information–theoretic approach. In addition to the random effect of year, birth and care of a pup in the previous year had the largest effect on parturition, causing a 2.4 day delay. Maternal age was negatively correlated with timing of parturition and male pups were born nearly a day earlier than female pups, on average. There was limited support for effects of sex and mass, with heavier pups born marginally earlier than lighter ones. This study illustrates some of the complexity of variables that can influence the timing of birth in this species and which should be considered in models that attempt to identify long-term trends in changing marine ecosystems.
ECONOMIC GROWTH IN CHINA AND ITS POTENTIAL IMPACT ON AUSTRALIA–CHINA BILATERAL TRADE: A PROJECTION FOR 2025 BASED ON THE CGE ANALYSIS
Authors: SHENG YU , DRYSDALE PETER , CHEN CHUNLAI
Published: October 2017

This paper uses the Global Trade Analysis Project (GTAP) Static Model to predict the potential impact of economic growth in China on bilateral trade between China and Australia in 2025, under three different scenarios representing the business as usual, the successful reform and the stagnation cases, respectively. The results show that exports from Australia to China will continue to increase in both absolute and relative terms, irrespective of which economic growth path China takes, partly due to the strong complementary relationship of production between the two countries. The results also indicate that education service exports will become a new engine of bilateral trade in addition to agricultural and mineral products. Furthermore, comparing the results obtained from the three scenarios shows how successful reform will bring more benefits to both China and Australia in trade, which provides useful insights for policy making to facilitate bilateral economic relationship.
THE DETERMINANTS OF OUTWARD FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT STRATEGIES OF CHINESE ENERGY FIRMS
Authors: XU SHITENG , GOW JEFF , CHEN YOUZHI , ZHANG YAHUA , HUANG ZHIBIN
Published: October 2017

This paper investigates the location strategies of Chinese energy firms over the period 2003–2013. The results confirm that market-seeking and resource-seeking are two significant motivations behind Chinese energy firms’ outward foreign direct investment (OFDI). As expected, a higher level of the host country’s energy resource reserves attracts more energy resource related projects and the host country’s renewable energy output influences Chinese firms’ renewable energy investment. However, for OFDI in energy resources, the political stability of the host country is not a significant factor while when investing in renewable energy, it is a significant consideration. Interestingly, for OFDI in energy resources, trade integration measured by the share of exports sold in the host country in China’s total exports, is not statistically significant while for OFDI in renewable energy, trade integration affects the investment decision.
Analytical solutions for fermions on a thick brane with a piecewise and smooth warp factor
Authors: Landim R. R. , Tahim M. O. , Alencar G. , Costa Filho R. N.
Published: October 2017

In this paper, we study analytical solutions for fermion localization in Randall–Sundrum (RS) models. We show that there exist special couplings between scalar fields and fermions giving us discrete massive localizable modes. Besides this we obtain resonances in some models by analytical methods.
Low background techniques in NaI(Tl) setups
Authors: Bernabei R. , Incicchitti A.
Published: October 2017

The application of very low background techniques is fundamental in deep underground experiments dedicated to the investigation of rare processes. In this paper, the case of NaI(Tl) detectors is discussed mainly considering their crucial role for direct Dark Matter (DM) investigation. In particular, the DAMA/LIBRA apparatus, as a result of a long-standing activity focused on the optimization of NaI(Tl) detectors, is underlined.
Low background techniques in bolometers for double-beta decay search
Authors: Poda Denys , Giuliani Andrea
Published: October 2017

Bolometers are low temperature particle detectors with high energy resolution and detection efficiency. Some types of bolometric detectors are also able to perform an efficient particle identification. A wide variety of radiopure dielectric and diamagnetic materials makes the bolometric technique favorable for applications in astroparticle physics. In particular, thanks to their superior performance, bolometers play an important role in the worldwide efforts on searches for neutrinoless double-beta decay. Such experiments strongly require an extremely low level of the backgrounds that can easily mimic the process searched for. Here, we overview recent progress in the development of low background techniques for bolometric double-beta decay searches.
Feasibility Studies on Pyro-SFR Closed Fuel Cycle and Direct Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel in Line with the Latest National Policy and Strategy of Korea
Authors: Khan Muhammad Minhaj , Lee Jae Min , Cheong Jae Hak , Whang Joo Ho
Published: October 2017

With a view to providing supportive information for the decision-making on the direction of the future nuclear energy systems in Korea (i.e., direct disposal or recycling of spent nuclear fuel) to be made around 2020, quantitative studies on the spent nuclear fuel (SNF) including transuranic elements (TRUs) and a series of economic analyses were conducted. At first, the total isotopic inventory of TRUs in the SNF to be generated from all thirty-six units of nuclear power plants in operation or under planning is estimated based on the Korean government’s official plan for nuclear power development. Secondly, the optimized deployment strategies are proposed considering the minimum number of sodium cooled-fast reactors (SFRs) needed to transmute all TRUs. Finally, direct disposal and Pyro-SFR closed nuclear energy systems were compared using equilibrium economic model and considering reduction of TRUs and electricity generation as benefits. Probabilistic economic analysis shows that the assumed total generation cost for direct disposal and Pyro-SFR closed nuclear energy systems resides within the range of 13.60~33.94 mills/kWh and 11.40~25.91 mills/kWh, respectively. Dominant cost elements and the range of SFR overnight cost which guarantees the economic feasibility of the Pyro-SFR closed nuclear energy system over the direct disposal option were also identified through sensitivity analysis and break-even cost estimation.
Folate-Functionalized Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles as a Liver Tumor-Targeted Drug Delivery System to Improve the Antitumor Effect of Paclitaxel
Authors: Xu Xiaoyan , Wu Chao , Bai Andi , Liu Xuan , Lv Huiling , Liu Ying
Published: October 2017

The aim of this study was to prepare and characterize an innovative hepatocellular carcinoma-targeted therapeutic drug delivery system based on folate-PEG-mesoporous silica nanoparticles (FA-PEG-MSNs) loaded with paclitaxel (PTX). In vitro cell experiments and an in vivo antitumor efficacy study demonstrated that FA-PEG-MSNs-PTX produced significantly higher tumor inhibition compared with pure PTX and mesoporous silica nanoparticles loaded with paclitaxel (MSNs-PTX). The biodistribution investigation of PTX in nude mice revealed that the FA-PEG-MSNs-PTX could accumulate in tumors. Folic acid functionalized MSNs resulted in a good targeting effect, confirming that FA-PEG-MSNs-PTX is a promising tumor-targeted drug delivery system for liver cancer chemotherapy.
The Influence of Anode Inner Contour on Atmospheric DC Plasma Spraying Process
Authors: Wen Kui , Liu Min , Zhou Kesong , Liu Xuezhang , Huang Renzhong , Mao Jie , Yang Kun , Zhang Xiaofeng , Deng Chunming , Deng Changguang
Published: October 2017

In thermal plasma spraying process, anode nozzle is one of the most important components of plasma torch. Its inner contour controls the characteristics of plasma arc/jet, determining the motion and heating behaviors of the in-flight particles and hence influencing the coating quality. In this study, the effects of anode inner contour, standard cylindrical nozzle, and cone-shaped Laval nozzle with conical shape diverging exit (CSL nozzle) on the arc voltage, net power, thermal efficiency, plasma jet characteristics, in-flight particle behaviors, and coating properties have been systematically investigated under atmospheric plasma spraying conditions. The results show that the cylindrical nozzle has a higher arc voltage, net power, and thermal efficiency, as well as the higher plasma temperature and velocity at the torch exit, while the CSL nozzle has a higher measured temperature of plasma jet. The variation trends of the plasma jet characteristics for the two nozzles are comparable under various spraying parameters. The in-flight particle with smaller velocity of CSL nozzle has a higher measured temperature and melting fraction. As a result, the coating density and adhesive strength of CSL nozzle are lower than those of cylindrical nozzle, but the deposition efficiency is greatly improved.
A Novel Approach to Reduce the Unicast Bandwidth of an IPTV System in a High-Speed Access Network
Authors: Khabbiza El Hassane , El Alami Rachid , Qjidaa Hassan
Published: October 2017

Channel change time is a critical quality of experience (QOE) metric for IP-based video delivery systems such as Internet Protocol Television (IPTV). An interesting channel change acceleration scheme based on peer-assisted delivery was recently proposed, which consists of deploying one FCC server (Fast Channel Change Server) in the IP backbone in order to send the unicast stream to the STB (Set-Top Box) before sending the normal multicast stream after each channel change. However, deploying such a solution will cause high bandwidth usage in the network because of the huge unicast traffic sent by the FCC server to the STBs. In this paper, we propose a new solution to reduce the bandwidth occupancy of the unicast traffic, by deploying the FCC server capabilities on the user STB. This means that, after each channel change request, the STB will receive the unicast traffic from another STB instead of the central server. By using this method, the unicast traffic will not pass through the IP network; it will be a peer-to-peer communication via the Access Network only. Extensive simulation results are presented to demonstrate the robustness of our new solution.
Why You Go Reveals Who You Know: Disclosing Social Relationship by Cooccurrence
Authors: Yi Feng , Li Hong , Wang Hongtao , Sun Limin
Published: October 2017

The popularity of location-based services (LBS) and the ubiquity of sensor device have resulted in rich spatiotemporal data. A large number of human behaviors had been recorded including cooccurrence which refers to the phenomenon that two people have been to the same places at the same time. These data enable attackers to infer people’s social relationship based on their cooccurrences and many attack models were proposed. However, current attack models still cannot effectively address the following two challenges: How to distinguish cooccurrences between acquaintances and strangers? What kind of cooccurrence contributes to strong social strength? In this paper, we present a novel social relationship attack model—the Mobility Intention-based Relationship Inference (MIRI) model—which can solve the above two issues. Firstly, we extract mobility intentions and adopt them to characterize cooccurrences. A classification model is trained for attacking social relationship. The experimental results on two real-world datasets demonstrate that the proposed MIRI model can properly differentiate cooccurrences by simultaneously considering spatial and temporal features. The comparison results also indicate that MIRI model significantly outperforms state-of-the-art social relationship attack models.
Impulsive Disturbances on the Dynamical Behavior of Complex-Valued Cohen-Grossberg Neural Networks with Both Time-Varying Delays and Continuously Distributed Delays
Authors: Xu Xiaohui , Zhang Jiye , Xu Quan , Chen Zilong , Zheng Weifan
Published: October 2017

This paper studies the global exponential stability for a class of impulsive disturbance complex-valued Cohen-Grossberg neural networks with both time-varying delays and continuously distributed delays. Firstly, the existence and uniqueness of the equilibrium point of the system are analyzed by using the corresponding property of M-matrix and the theorem of homeomorphism mapping. Secondly, the global exponential stability of the equilibrium point of the system is studied by applying the vector Lyapunov function method and the mathematical induction method. The established sufficient conditions show the effects of both delays and impulsive strength on the exponential convergence rate. The obtained results in this paper are with a lower level of conservatism in comparison with some existing ones. Finally, three numerical examples with simulation results are given to illustrate the correctness of the proposed results.
Dialysis Provision and Implications of Health Economics on Peritoneal Dialysis Utilization: A Review from a Malaysian Perspective
Authors: Abdul Manaf Mohd Rizal , Surendra Naren Kumar , Abdul Gafor Abdul Halim , Seong Hooi Lai , Bavanandan Sunita
Published: October 2017

End-stage renal disease (ESRD) is managed by either lifesaving hemodialysis (HD) and peritoneal dialysis (PD) or a kidney transplant. In Malaysia, the prevalence of dialysis-treated ESRD patients has shown an exponential growth from 504 per million population (pmp) in 2005 to 1155 pmp in 2014. There were 1046 pmp patients on HD and 109 pmp patients on PD in 2014. Kidney transplants are limited due to lack of donors. Malaysia adopts public-private financing model for dialysis. Majority of HD patients were treated in the private sector but almost all PD patients were treated in government facilities. Inequality in access to dialysis is visible within geographical regions where majority of HD centres are scattered around developed areas. The expenditure on dialysis has been escalating in recent years but economic evaluations of dialysis modalities are scarce. Evidence shows that health policies and reimbursement strategies influence dialysis provision. Increased uptake of PD can produce significant economic benefits and improve patients’ access to dialysis. As a result, some countries implemented a PD-First or Favored Policy to expand PD use. Thus, a current comparative costs analysis of dialysis is strongly recommended to assist decision-makers to establish a more equitable and economically sustainable dialysis provision in the future.
Numerical Simulation of an Offset Jet in Bounded Pool with Deflection Wall
Authors: Li Xin , Wang Yurong , Zhang Jianmin
Published: October 2017

The k‐ε turbulent model and VOF methods were used to simulate the three‐dimensional turbulence jet. Numerical simulations were carried out for three different kinds of jets in a bounded pool with the deflection wall with angles of 0°, 3°, 6°, and 9°. The numerical simulation agrees well with the experimental data. The studies show that the length of the potential core zone increases with the increase of the deflection angle. The velocity distribution is consistent with the Gaussian distribution and almost not affected by the deflection angle in potential core zone. The decay rates of flow velocity in the transition zone are 1.195, 1.281, 1.439, and 1.532 corresponding to the unilateral deflection angles, 0°, 3°, 6°, and 9°, respectively. The decay rates of velocity in the transition zone are 1.928 and 2.835 corresponding to the bilateral deflection angles 3° and 6°. It is also found that the spread of velocity is stronger in the vertical direction as the deflection angles become smaller. The spread rates of velocity with unilateral deflection wall are higher than those with bilateral deflection walls in the horizontal plane in the pool.
Experimental and Numerical Study of Failure Behavior and Energy Mechanics of Rock-Like Materials Containing Multiple Joints
Authors: Cao Ri-hong , Lin Hang
Published: October 2017

This paper investigates the influence of joint geometry parameters on the characteristic stress, failure pattern, and energy mechanism of multiple jointed rock-like specimens under uniaxial compression. Both the laboratory and numerical results show that the higher value of UCS occurs when α is around 0° and γ changes from 15° to 30° or when α is around 30° and γ changes from 45° to 75°. However, the lowest value appears when α is around 45° and γ changes from 15° to 30°. The CDiS (critical dilatancy stress) and CIS (crack initiation stress) show a similar tendency to UCS. Moreover, the specimens present different failure modes for various levels of α, γ, and k, and the failure mode can be classified into four categories: stepped path failure; failure through parallel plane; failure through cross plane; material failure. In addition, with higher strength, the input energy and strain energy are higher than those with lower strength. Dissipation energy is affected by the failure modes of the specimens. At the same time, when k changes from 0.2 to 0.6, the boundary energy, strain energy, and dissipation energy show a decreasing trend.
Immunohistopathological Findings of Severe Cutaneous Adverse Drug Reactions
Authors: Orime Mari
Published: October 2017

Diagnosis of severe cutaneous adverse drug reactions should involve immunohistopathological examination, which gives insight into the pathomechanisms of these disorders. The characteristic histological findings of erythema multiforme (EM), Stevens–Johnson syndrome (SJS), and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) provide conclusive evidence demonstrating that SJS/TEN can be distinguished from EM. Established SJS/TEN shows full-thickness, extensive keratinocyte necrosis that develops into subepidermal bullae. Drug-induced hypersensitivity syndrome (DIHS) and exanthema in drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) each display a variety of histopathological findings, which may partly correlate with the clinical manifestations. Although the histopathology of DRESS is nonspecific, the association of two or more of the four patterns—eczematous changes, interface dermatitis, acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis- (AGEP-) like patterns, and EM-like patterns—might appear in a single biopsy specimen, suggesting the diagnosis and severe cutaneous manifestations of DRESS. Cutaneous dendritic cells may be involved in the clinical course. AGEP typically shows spongiform superficial epidermal pustules accompanied with edema of the papillary dermis and abundant mixed perivascular infiltrates. Mutations in IL36RN may have a definite effect on pathological similarities between AGEP and generalized pustular psoriasis.
A Bilevel Stochastic Dynamic Programming Model to Assess the Value of Information on Actual Food Quality at Wholesale Markets
Authors: Hou Xiangyu , Haijema Rene , Liu Dacheng
Published: October 2017

In the fresh produce wholesale market, the market price is determined by the total demand and supply. The price is stochastic, and either wholesaler or retailer has few influence on it. In the wholesaler’s inventory decision, the price’s uncertainty plays an important role as well as the uncertainty from the demand side: the wholesaler makes his decision based on the retailer’s ordering, which is influenced by the stochastic market price and the distribution of the consumer’s demand. In addition, when at the wholesale stage, the products show a similar quality of similar appearance. With more efforts being input, the wholesaler could detect and record more additional information than that reflected from the appearance. Based on this, he can classify the quality into different levels. No experience shows how the wholesaler could use the underlying quality information and how much this information could improve his profit. To describe and explore this problem, a bilevel dynamic programming approach is employed. We evaluate different strategies of using the underlying information, show the features of the optimal policy, develop heuristics, and discuss the influence of factors such as quality and market price. We also develop the managerial principles for the practical use.
Numerical Investigation of the Influences of Wellbore Flow on Compressed Air Energy Storage in Aquifers
Authors: Li Yi , Zhang Keni , Hu Litang , Wang Jinsheng
Published: October 2017

With the blossoming of intermittent energy, compressed air energy storage (CAES) has attracted much attention as a potential large-scale energy storage technology. Compared with caverns as storage vessels, compressed air energy storage in aquifers (CAESA) has the advantages of wide availability and lower costs. The wellbore can play an important role as the energy transfer mechanism between the surroundings and the air in CAESA system. In this paper, we investigated the influences of the well screen length on CAESA system performance using an integrated wellbore-reservoir simulator (T2WELL/EOS3). The results showed that the well screen length can affect the distribution of the initial gas bubble and that a system with a fully penetrating wellbore can obtain acceptably stable pressurized air and better energy efficiencies. Subsequently, we investigated the impact of the energy storage scale and the target aquifer depth on the performance of a CAESA system using a fully penetrating wellbore. The simulation results demonstrated that larger energy storage scales exhibit better performances of CAESA systems. In addition, deeper target aquifer systems, which could decrease the energy loss by larger storage density and higher temperature in surrounding formation, can obtain better energy efficiencies.
Advanced Image Enhancement Method for Distant Vessels and Structures in Capsule Endoscopy
Authors: Rukundo Olivier , Pedersen Marius , Hovde Øistein
Published: October 2017

This paper proposes an advanced method for contrast enhancement of capsule endoscopic images, with the main objective to obtain sufficient information about the vessels and structures in more distant (or darker) parts of capsule endoscopic images. The proposed method (PM) combines two algorithms for the enhancement of darker and brighter areas of capsule endoscopic images, respectively. The half-unit weighted-bilinear algorithm (HWB) proposed in our previous work is used to enhance darker areas according to the darker map content of its HSV’s component V. Enhancement of brighter areas is achieved thanks to the novel threshold weighted-bilinear algorithm (TWB) developed to avoid overexposure and enlargement of specular highlight spots while preserving the hue, in such areas. The TWB performs enhancement operations following a gradual increment of the brightness of the brighter map content of its HSV’s component V. In other words, the TWB decreases its averaged weights as the intensity content of the component V increases. Extensive experimental demonstrations were conducted, and, based on evaluation of the reference and PM enhanced images, a gastroenterologist (Ø.H.) concluded that the PM enhanced images were the best ones based on the information about the vessels, contrast in the images, and the view or visibility of the structures in more distant parts of the capsule endoscopy images.
Application of a Sparsity Pattern and Region Clustering for Near Field Sparse Approximate Inverse Preconditioners in Method of Moments Simulations
Authors: Delgado Carlos , Moreno Javier , Cátedra Felipe
Published: October 2017

This document presents a technique for the generation of Sparse Inverse Preconditioners based on the near field coupling matrices of Method of Moments simulations where the geometry has been partitioned in terms of regions. A distance parameter is used to determine the sparsity pattern of the preconditioner. The rows of the preconditioner are computed in groups at a time, according to the number of unknowns contained in each region of the geometry. Two filtering thresholds allow considering only the coupling terms with a significant weight for a faster generation of the preconditioner and storing only the most significant preconditioner coefficients in order to decrease the memory required. The generation of the preconditioner involves the computation of as many independent linear least square problems as the number of regions in which the geometry is partitioned, resulting in very good scalability properties regarding its parallelization.
Effect of Diazepam on 24-Hour Blood Pressure and Heart Rate in Healthy Young Volunteers
Authors: Costa Alfredo , Bosone Daniele , Zoppi Annalisa , D'Angelo Angela , Ghiotto Natascia , Guaschino Elena , Cotta Ramusino Matteo , Fogari Roberto
Published: October 2017

Aim: To assess the effects of evening chronic administration of diazepam on 24-h blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) in healthy young adults. Methods: This randomized double blind, cross-over study evaluated the effects of diazepam 5 mg or placebo, both ingested in the evening, on 24-h ambulatory BP and HR in healthy subjects aged 21–30. Results: A total of 30 subjects were included in the analysis. At the end of 4-week diazepam intake, an increase in 24-h HR mean values was found (+5.2 beats/min, p < 0.05). Analysis of subperiods showed that diazepam produced a 10.1% increase in night-time HR (+6.1 beats/min, p < 0.01) without affecting BP. A significant HR rise (+4.9 beats/min, p < 0.05) and SBP reduction (–3.8 mm Hg, p < 0.05) were observed in the morning hours. The HR increase persisted in day-time hours (+4.6 beats/min, p < 0.05), while BP values resulted unaffected. Conclusions: In healthy subjects, diazepam taken as a hypnotic agent induces a significant HR increase, possibly mediated by a decrease in vagal tone. This effect might be of clinical relevance due to the role that HR plays as an independent cardiovascular risk factor.
TRPML1 Participates in the Progression of Alzheimer’s Disease by Regulating the PPARγ/AMPK/Mtor Signalling Pathway
Authors: Zhang Lu , Fang Yu , Cheng Xuan , Lian Yajun , Xu Hongliang , Zeng Zhaoshu , Zhu Hongcan
Published: October 2017

Background: TRPML1 is reported to be involved in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) by regulating autophagy; however, the underlying mechanism is not completely clear. Methods: We developed an APP/PS1 transgenic animal model that presents with AD. TRPML1 was also overexpressed in these mice. Protein expression levels were determined by Western blot. Morris water maze (MWM) and recognition tasks were performed to characterize cognitive ability. TUNEL assays were analysed for the detection of neuronal apoptosis. Primary neurons were isolated and treated with the vehicle, Aβ1-42 or Aβ1-42 + mTOR activator, as well as infected with the recombinant adenovirus TRPML1 overexpression vector in vitro. Cell viability was measured by the MTS assay, and lysosomal Ca2+ was also measured. Results: In the APP/PS1 transgenic mice, TRPML1 was downregulated, the PPARγ/AMPK signalling pathway was activated, the mTOR/S6K signalling pathway was suppressed, and autophagic lysosome reformation (ALR)-related proteins were upregulated. TRPML1 overexpression or treatment with PPARγ and AMPK inhibitors or an mTOR activator reduced the expression levels of ALR-related proteins, rescued the memory and recognition impairments and attenuated neuronal apoptosis in mice with the APP/PS1 transgenes. In vitro experiments showed that TRPML1 overexpression or treatment with the mTOR activator propranolol attenuated the Aβ1-42-suppressed cell viability and the Aβ1-42-decreased lysosomal [Ca2+] ion concentration in primary neurons. TRPML1 overexpression or treatment with the mTOR activator propranolol also attenuated the Aβ1-42-inhibited mTOR/S6K signalling pathway and the Aβ1-42-induced ALR-related protein expression levels. Conclusion: TRPML1 is involved in the pathogenesis of AD by regulating autophagy at least in part through the PPARγ/AMPK/mTOR signallingpathway.
Maternally Expressed Gene 3 (MEG3) Enhances PC12 Cell Hypoxia Injury by Targeting MiR-147
Authors: Han Lili , Dong Zhiling , Liu Ningning , Xie Fei , Wang Ning
Published: October 2017

Background/Aims: Cerebral ischemia often leads to breakdown of blood–brain barrier (BBB) and vasogenic edema. It remains to be established whether MEG3 is responsible for the hypoxic damage in neural cells. This study aimed to investigate the role of MEG3 in the hypoxia-induced injuries of PC12 cells. Methods: The PC12 cells were seeded and cultured under hypoxia and normoxia culture conditions. The cell viability determined by trypan blue exclusion, apoptosis using propidium iodide (PI) and fluorescein isothiocynate (FITC)-conjugated Annexin V staining, cell-migration using a modified two-chamber migration assay with a pore size of 8 µM and invasion using 24-well Millicell Hanging Cell Culture inserts with 8 µM PET membranes. Results: Cell viability, relative migration and relative invasion decreased significantly in PC12 cells injured due to hypoxia as compared to control cells. An increase in apoptosis was also observed. The expression of MEG3 was up-regulated in hypoxia-injured PC12 cells. MEG3 overexpression enhanced hypoxia injuries, while MEG3 suppression attenuated the injuries. Meanwhile, MEG3 negatively regulated miR-147 expression. In addition, we found that the expression of Sox2 was increased in PC12 cells after hypoxia and miR-147 negatively regulated Sox2 expression through targets its 3’-UTR. Interesting, Sox2 activated NF-κB pathway and Wnt/β-catenin pathway in PC12 cells. Conclusion: Considering the observations in our study, we can conclude that MEG3 aggravated the hypoxial injury in PC12 cells by down-regulating miR-147 gene and miR-147 further negatively regulated Sox2 expression.
MicroRNA-194 Regulates Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Cell Viability by Inactivation of Nuclear Factor-κ B Pathway
Authors: Xie Fei  , Yang Lei , Han Lili , Yue Bin
Published: October 2017

The present study explored the functional role of microRNA (miR)-194 in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced lung cell injury, along with the underlying mechanisms and to reveal the potential role in infantile pneumonia. Human fibroblasts WI38 cells were transfected with miR-194 mimic or miR-194 inhibitor, and the transfection efficiency was confirmed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Thereafter, the cells were treated with or without LPS, and then cell viability, cell apoptosis and mRNA and protein expressions of key proteins of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) pathway including inhibitor of NF-κB (IκB) α, p-65, and B-cell CLL/lymphoma (Bcl) 3 were analyzed. Results showed that overexpression and suppression of miR-194 was effective. Administration of LPS significantly decreased the cell viability and statistically promoted the percentages of apoptotic cells and increased the mRNA and protein expressions of p-65 and Bcl-3 but downregulated IκBα compared to the control group (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). LPS in combination with miR-194 suppression further enhanced the effects of LPS on cell viability and cell apoptosis compared to the LPS group (P < 0.05). In contrast, LPS in combination with miR-194 overexpression observably reversed the effects of LPS on cell viability, cell apoptosis and mRNA and protein expressions of the key proteins (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). In conclusion, miR-194 increases the LPS-induced the inhibition of cell viability and increasing of the cell apoptosis by inhibition of NF-κB pathway in WI38 cells. MiR-194 might be a potential targeted therapy for treatment of infantile pneumonia.
MiR-142-5p Suppresses Tumorigenesis by Targeting PIK3CA in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
Authors: Wang Zhao , Liu Zhimin , Fang Xiaojie , Yang Han
Published: October 2017

Background/Aims: Numerous studies have demonstrated that aberrant microRNA (miRNA) expression is involved in human disease including cancer. To date, the potential miRNAs regulating lung cancer growth and progression are not fully identified yet. Methods: In this study, the expression of miR-142-5p was measured in non-small cell lung cancer tissue and cell lines by qRT-PCR. The functional assays including the cell viability, colony formation, cell migration and invasion were performed in miR-142-5p mimic or inhibitor transfected cell lines (in vitro) and the cell tumorigenesis in nude mice (in vivo). The fluorescence ratios of cell viability were recorded using a multi-plate reader (Synergy 2, BioTek, Winooski, VT, USA) and the colonies were counted using an ELIspot Bioreader 5000 (BIO-SYS, Karben, GE). Results: MiR-142-5p was significantly downregulated in non-small cell lung cancer tissue and cell lines compared to normal human lung tissues. Overexpression of miR-142-5p resulted in decreased expression of PIK3CA (phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate 3-kinase, catalytic subunit alpha) at both mRNA and protein levels. We found that miR-142-5p overexpression markedly suppressed cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo. Conversely, inhibition of miR-142-5p promoted lung cancer growth. Mechanistic studies showed that PIK3CA was a potential target of miR-142-5p and it mediated reduction of PIK3CA resulting in suppression of PI3K/Akt pathway. Conclusions: Our results demonstrate that miR-142-5p functions as a growth suppressive miRNA and plays an important role in inhibiting the tumorigenesis through targeting PIK3CA in non-small cell lung cancer.
Remote Ischemia Preconditioning Attenuates Blood-Spinal Cord Barrier Breakdown in Rats Undergoing Spinal Cord Ischemia Reperfusion Injury: Associated with Activation and Upregulation of CB1 and CB2 Receptors
Authors: Jing Na , Fang Bo , Wang Zhi-Lin , Ma Hong
Published: October 2017

Background/Aims: Remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPC) has protective effects on spinal cord ischemia reperfusion (I/R) injury, but the potential mechanisms remain unclear. In our study, the effects and underlying mechanisms of RIPC on blood-spinal cord barrier (BSCB) breakdown following I/R injury were investigated. Methods: animals underwent intraperitoneal administration with cannabinoid-1 (CB1) receptor antagonist AM251, cannabinoid-2 (CB2) receptor antagonist AM630 or vehicle 15 minutes before three 3-minute occlusion-reperfusion cycles on the right femoral artery or a sham operation. 30 minutes after the preconditioning, aortic arch was exposed with or without 14-minute occlusion. Neurological function was assessed with Tarlov scoring system. The disruption of BSCB was assessed by measuring Evans Blue (EB) extravasation. The expression of tight junction protein occludin was determined by western blot analyses. The expression and localization of CB1 and CB2 receptors were assessed by western blot and immunofluorescence. Results: RIPC attenuated the motor dysfunction, BSCB disruption and downregulation of occludin after I/R injury, which were impaired by blocking CB1 and CB2 receptors. Moreover, RIPC upregulated the elevated perivascular expression of CB1 and CB2 receptors following I/R injury. Conclusions: These results indicated that RIPC, through activation and upregulation of CB1 and CB2 receptors, was involved in preserving the integrity of BSCB after spinal cord I/R injury.