bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Aspect and slope influence plant community composition more than elevation across forest–tundra ecotones in subarctic Canada
Authors: Dearborn Katherine D. , Danby Ryan K.
Published: February 2017

Questions

How does tree line community composition vary between elevations, aspects and slope angles in the alpine subarctic and what are the specific abiotic factors governing this variability? How do species richness and rates of community turnover vary from low to high elevation across the forest–tundra ecotone? What do the results indicate about future vegetation change?

Location

Kluane Region, southwest Yukon, Canada.

Methods

We surveyed plant communities and measured key abiotic variables across forest–tundra ecotones in six alpine valleys, each with a north‐ and a south‐facing slope, in two mountain ranges of southwest Yukon. We used NMS to identify patterns in plant community composition and infer which abiotic variables drive these patterns. We calculated species richness and community dissimilarity at regular elevational intervals to assess trends in richness and rates of community turnover within the ecotone.

Results

Plant communities varied more with aspect and slope angle than they did with elevation. Aspect‐related differences were driven by warmer soil temperatures and deeper active layers on south‐ compared to north‐facing slopes, while differences related to slope angle occurred only on north‐facing slopes and were driven by soil moisture. Species richness increased with elevation on north‐facing slopes and showed no trend with elevation on south‐facing slopes. Rates of community turnover were higher on south‐facing than north‐facing slopes.

Conclusions

Plant community composition within the forest–tundra ecotone is driven primarily by soil temperature and, to a lesser extent, soil moisture, both of which vary more in relation to aspect and slope angle than they do between forest and tundra elevations. We recommend that models of vegetation change in subarctic alpine regions address the possibility of change occurring at different rates and in different directions depending on the topographic characteristics of each slope.
Gingival crevicular fluid levels of monocyte chemoattractant protein‐1 in patients with aggressive periodontitis
Authors: Gunpinar S , Alptekin NO , Dundar N
Published: February 2017

Objectives

The purpose of this study was to investigate the gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) levels of monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)‐1 in aggressive periodontitis (AgP) and whether GCF MCP‐1 levels differ among localized (L) AgP and generalized (G) AgP.

Material and Methods

A total of 160 subjects including 80 AgP and 80 age‐ and gender‐matched periodontally healthy (H) controls were recruited in this cross‐sectional study (NCT02927704). GCF samples were collected from 160 patients including 50 LAgP, 30 GAgP, and 80 H. Volume of GCF was measured by Periotron 8000®, and enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay was used to assess MCP‐1 levels.

Results

Compared to H controls, all clinical parameters and total amounts (pg 30 s−1) of MCP‐1 were significantly higher in subjects with LAgP and GAgP (P < 0.05). Although concentrations of GCF MCP‐1 did not differ between LAgP and GAgP (P > 0.05), total amounts of MCP‐1 were higher in GAgP than LAgP (P < 0.05).

Conclusion

It can be concluded that the total amount of MCP‐1 level in GCF may be a potential determinant in AgP subjects. Increased MCP‐1 levels in line with the degree of periodontal destruction in GAgP patients reveal that MCP‐1 can be used to understand the disease pathogenesis of LAgP and GAgP.
Time will tell: A longitudinal investigation of brain‐behavior relationships during reading development
Authors: Stites Mallory C. , Laszlo Sarah
Published: February 2017

ERPs are a powerful tool for the study of reading, as they are both temporally precise and functionally specific. These are essential characteristics for studying a process that unfolds rapidly and consists of multiple, interactive subprocesses. In work with adults, clear, specific models exist linking components of the ERP with individual subprocesses of reading including orthographic decoding, phonological processing, and semantic access (e.g., Grainger & Holcomb, 2009). The relationships between ERP components and reading subprocesses are less clear in development; here, we address two questions regarding these relationships. First, we ask whether there are ERP markers that predict future reading behaviors across a longitudinal year. Second, we ask whether any relationships observed between ERP components and reading behavior across time map onto the better‐established relationships between ERPs and reading subprocesses in adults. To address these questions, we acquired ERPs from children engaging in a silent reading task and then, a year later, collected behavioral assessments of their reading ability. We find that ERPs collected in Year 1 do predict reading behaviors a year later. Further, we find that these relationships do conform, at least to some extent, to relationships between ERP components and reading subprocesses observed in adults, with, for example, N250 amplitude in Year 1 predicting phonological awareness in Year 2, and N400 amplitude in Year 1 predicting vocabulary in Year 2.
Long and Short-term Volatility Comovements in the East Asian Stock
Authors: Yang Jin Yong , Lee Sang-Heon , Yeo In-Sung
Published: February 2017

This study analyzed volatility comovement and contagion in the stock markets of four countries (China, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan) in East Asia, which are closely connected with each other geographically and economically in terms of short-term and long-term perspectives. The volatility of stock returns has complex properties of not only volatility clustering, but also long memory, regime change, and substantial outliers. This study reviewed the volatility comovement and contagion in a stock market from long-term and short-term perspectives with the Bivariate Markov Switching Multifractal (BMSM) volatility model that is known for explaining such characteristics well, in spite of using small number of parameters. The empirical analysis results are as follows: China has no significant correlation with the other three countries. Therefore, China stock market is regarded as isolated or segmented market. The influence of the financial crisis on East Asian countries varies depending on the country. Regardless of the starting point of the crisis, Korea and Taiwan are shown to be vulnerable to external impact, compared to China and Japan. From the perspective of the nature of crisis, financial crisis that occurred in 1997 in East Asia and South Europe in 2011 were identified as local shocks as they had an impact on only a few countries, while the global crisis in 2008 was identified as global shock because it caused significant short-term and/or mid and long-term volatility of all countries.
Evaluation of Some School Applications in Turkish National Education according to Students’ Viewpoints
Authors: Sözen Erol , Coşkun Mücahit
Published: February 2017

The purpose of this study is to evaluate students’ perspectives according to various variables about use of smart boards and tablet computers in class rooms, academic performance tasks, distribution of course books, and changes made in exam grading regulation at high schools which came into effect as of academic year 2013-2014 under Faith Project. Formulation and application of measurement techniques and data collection were performed with high school students in Düzce province. A correlational comparative survey method was applied with quantitative research approach in this study. Statistical Package Program SPSS 20.0 was used in data analysis. Descriptive statistics analysis was performed to evaluate frequency values, percentages and arithmetic average values, while, One-Way Variance Analysis (ANOVA) and t-test were used for unrelated sampling. A sample of 606 students was selected from various high schools in Düzce during academic year 2015-2016. Students’ viewpoints on the categories defined in measurement scale were determined generally as “I am indecisive” or “I agree”.Resultantly, no significant differences were found in students’ opinions according to gender and residential area variables. On the other hand, significant differences were detected in students’ perspectives on use of smart boards, performance tasks and course books distribution according to the school type variable. Use of smart board was found to be considered more positively in Anatolian high schools, while, performance task and course book distribution were considered more positively in vocational schools. Moreover, it was also found that students’ viewpoints on use of tablet computers and distribution of course books showed significant differences according to the variable of class size. Students’ viewpoints on use of smart board and tablet computers, performance task, and distribution of course books were found to be viewed more positively in classes with strength of 21-25 students.
Autocorrelation factors and intelligibility of Japanese monosyllables in individuals with sensorineural hearing loss
Authors: Shimokura Ryota , Akasaka Sakie , Nishimura Tadashi , Hosoi Hiroshi , Matsui Toshie
Published: February 2017

Some Japanese monosyllables contain consonants that are not easily discernible for individuals with sensorineural hearing loss. However, the acoustic features that make these monosyllables difficult to discern have not been clearly identified. Here, this study used the autocorrelation function (ACF), which can capture temporal features of signals, to clarify the factors influencing speech intelligibility. For each monosyllable, five factors extracted from the ACF [Φ(0): total energy; τ1 and ϕ1: delay time and amplitude of the maximum peak; τe: effective duration; Wϕ(0): spectral centroid], voice onset time, speech intelligibility index, and loudness level were compared with the percentage of correctly perceived articulations (144 ears) obtained by 50 Japanese vowel and consonant-vowel monosyllables produced by one female speaker. Results showed that median effective duration [(τe)med] was strongly correlated with the percentage of correctly perceived articulations of the consonants (r = 0.87, p < 0.01). (τe)med values were computed by running ACFs with the time lag at which the magnitude of the logarithmic-ACF envelope had decayed to −10 dB. Effective duration is a measure of temporal pattern persistence, i.e., the duration over which the waveform maintains a stable pattern. The authors postulate that low recognition ability is related to degraded perception of temporal fluctuation patterns.
Robotic Devices to Enhance Human Movement Performance
Authors: Ferris Daniel P. , Schlink Bryan R.
Published: February 2017

Robotic exoskeletons and bionic prostheses have moved from science fiction to science reality in the last decade. These robotic devices for assisting human movement are now technically feasible given recent advancements in robotic actuators, sensors, and computer processors. However, despite the ability to build robotic hardware that is wearable by humans, we still do not have optimal controllers to allow humans to move with coordination and grace in synergy with the robotic devices. We consider the history of robotic exoskeletons and bionic limb prostheses to provide a better assessment of the roadblocks that have been overcome and to gauge the roadblocks that still remain. There is a strong need for kinesiologists to work with engineers to better assess the performance of robotic movement assistance devices. In addition, the identification of new performance metrics that can objectively assess multiple dimensions of human performance with robotic exoskeletons and bionic prostheses would aid in moving the field forward. We discuss potential control approaches for these robotic devices, with a preference for incorporating feedforward neural signals from human users to provide a wider repertoire of discrete and adaptive rhythmic movements.
Meltdown
Authors: Kintisch Eli
Published: February 2017

As algae, detritus, and meltwater darken Greenland's ice, it is shrinking ever faster.
Why tolerance invites resistance
Authors: Lewis Kim , Shan Yue
Published: February 2017

Bacteria that encounter antibiotics first become tolerant and then resistant to them
Ceftaroline-Resistant, Daptomycin-Tolerant, and Heterogeneous Vancomycin-Intermediate Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Causing Infective Endocarditis
Authors: Nigo Masayuki , Diaz Lorena , Carvajal Lina P. , Tran Truc T. , Rios Rafael , Panesso Diana , Garavito Juan D. , Miller William R. , Wanger Audrey , Weinstock George , Munita Jose M. , Arias Cesar A. , Chambers Henry F.
Published: February 2017

We report a case of infective endocarditis (IE) caused by ceftaroline-resistant, daptomycin-tolerant, and heterogeneous vancomycin-intermediate methicillin-resistant
S. aureus
(MRSA). Resistance to ceftaroline emerged in the absence of drug exposure, and the E447K substitution in the active site of PBP2a previously associated with ceftaroline resistance was identified. Additionally, we present evidence of patient-to-patient transmission of the strain within the same unit. This case illustrates the difficulties in treating MRSA IE in the setting of a multidrug-resistant phenotype.
A Polymorphism within the Internal Fusion Loop of the Ebola Virus Glycoprotein Modulates Host Cell Entry
Authors: Hoffmann Markus , Crone Lisa , Dietzel Erik , Paijo Jennifer , González-Hernández Mariana , Nehlmeier Inga , Kalinke Ulrich , Becker Stephan , Pöhlmann Stefan
Published: February 2017

The large scale of the Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak in West Africa in 2013-2016 raised the question whether the host cell interactions of the responsible Ebola virus (EBOV) strain differed from those of other ebolaviruses. We previously reported that the glycoprotein (GP) of the virus circulating in West Africa in 2014 (EBOV2014) exhibited reduced ability to mediate entry into two nonhuman primate (NHP)-derived cell lines relative to the GP of EBOV1976. Here, we investigated the molecular determinants underlying the differential entry efficiency. We found that EBOV2014-GP-driven entry into diverse NHP-derived cell lines, as well as human monocyte-derived macrophages and dendritic cells, was reduced compared to EBOV1976-GP, although entry into most human- and all bat-derived cell lines tested was comparable. Moreover, EBOV2014 replication in NHP but not human cells was diminished relative to EBOV1976, suggesting that reduced cell entry translated into reduced viral spread. Mutagenic analysis of EBOV2014-GP and EBOV1976-GP revealed that an amino acid polymorphism in the receptor-binding domain, A82V, modulated entry efficiency in a cell line-independent manner and did not account for the reduced EBOV2014-GP-driven entry into NHP cells. In contrast, polymorphism T544I, located in the internal fusion loop in the GP2 subunit, was found to be responsible for the entry phenotype. These results suggest that position 544 is an important determinant of EBOV infectivity for both NHP and certain human target cells.

IMPORTANCE
The Ebola virus disease outbreak in West Africa in 2013 entailed more than 10,000 deaths. The scale of the outbreak and its dramatic impact on human health raised the question whether the responsible virus was particularly adept at infecting human cells. Our study shows that an amino acid exchange, A82V, that was acquired during the epidemic and that was not observed in previously circulating viruses, increases viral entry into diverse target cells. In contrast, the epidemic virus showed a reduced ability to enter cells of nonhuman primates compared to the virus circulating in 1976, and a single amino acid exchange in the internal fusion loop of the viral glycoprotein was found to account for this phenotype.
Use of optical coherence topography for objective assessment of fundus torsion
Authors: Sophocleous Sophocles
Published: February 2017

Objective assessment of fundus torsion is currently performed with indirect ophthalmoscopy or fundus photography. Using the infrared image of the macular scan of the optical coherence tomography one can assess the presence and amount of fundus torsion. In addition, the line scan through the fovea can be used as a reference to confirm the position of the foveal pit in relation to the optic nerve head. Two cases are used to demonstrate how to assess fundus torsion with the use of the optical coherence tomography.
Age-dependent shift in macrophage polarisation causes inflammation-mediated degeneration of enteric nervous system
Authors: Becker Laren , Nguyen Linh , Gill Jaspreet , Kulkarni Subhash , Pasricha Pankaj Jay , Habtezion Aida
Published: February 2017

Objective

The enteric nervous system (ENS) undergoes neuronal loss and degenerative changes with age. The cause of this neurodegeneration is poorly understood. Muscularis macrophages residing in close proximity to enteric ganglia maintain neuromuscular function via direct crosstalk with enteric neurons and have been implicated in the pathogenesis of GI motility disorders like gastroparesis and postoperative ileus. The aim of this study was to assess whether ageing causes alterations in macrophage phenotype that contributes to age-related degeneration of the ENS.

Design

Longitudinal muscle and myenteric plexus from small intestine of young, mid-aged and old mice were dissected and prepared for whole mount immunostaining, flow cytometry, Luminex immunoassays, western blot analysis, enteric neural stem cell (ENSC) isolation or conditioned media. Bone marrow derived macrophages were prepared and polarised to classic (M1) or alternative (M2) activation states. Markers for macrophage phenotype were measured using quantitative RT-PCR.

Results

Ageing causes a shift in macrophage polarisation from anti-inflammatory ‘M2’ to proinflammatory ‘M1’ that is associated with a rise in cytokines and immune cells in the ENS. This phenotypic shift is associated with a neural response to inflammatory signals, increase in apoptosis and loss of enteric neurons and ENSCs, and delayed intestinal transit. An age-dependent decrease in expression of the transcription factor FoxO3, a known longevity gene, contributes to the loss of anti-inflammatory behaviour in macrophages of old mice, and FoxO3-deficient mice demonstrate signs of premature ageing of the ENS.

Conclusions

A shift by macrophages towards a proinflammatory phenotype with ageing causes inflammation-mediated degeneration of the ENS.
Assessing public commitment to endangered species protection: A Canadian case study
Authors: McCune J.L. , Carlsson Anja M. , Colla Sheila , Davy Christina , Favaro Brett , Ford Adam T. , Fraser Kevin C. , Martins Eduardo G.
Published: February 2017

Preventing the extinction of species will require limiting human activities in key areas, but it is unclear to what extent the public is committed to these limits and the associated costs. We commissioned an online survey of 1000 Canadians and asked them if it is important to prevent the extinction of wild species in Canada. We used specific scenarios illustrating the need for limits to personal activities, private property rights, and industrial development to further test their support. The respondents were strongly committed to species conservation in principle (89% agree), including the need to limit industrial development (80% agree). There was less support for limiting private property rights (63% agree), and more uncertainty when scenarios suggested potential loss of property rights and industry-based jobs. This highlights the high level of public concern regarding the economic impacts of preventing extinctions, and the need for more programs to encourage voluntary stewardship of endangered species on private land. Opinion polls that measure public support for conservation without acknowledging the concessions required may result in overly optimistic estimates of the level of support. Most Canadians in our sample supported endangered species conservation even when the necessity of limiting human activities was explicitly stated.
Bug Severity Assessment in Cross Project Context and Identifying Training Candidates
Authors: Singh V. B. , Misra Sanjay , Sharma Meera
Published: February 2017

The automatic bug severity prediction will be useful in prioritising the development efforts, allocating resources and bug fixer. It needs historical data on which classifiers can be trained. In the absence of such historical data cross project prediction provides a good solution. In this paper, our objective is to automate the bug severity prediction by using a bug metric summary and to identify best training candidates in cross project context. The text mining technique has been used to extract the summary terms and trained the classifiers using these terms. About 63 training candidates have been designed by combining seven datasets of Eclipse projects to develop the severity prediction models. To deal with the imbalance bug data problem, we employed two approaches of ensemble by using two operators available in RapidMiner: Vote and Bagging. Results show that k-Nearest Neighbour (k-NN) performance is better than the Support Vector Machine (SVM) performance. Naive Bayes f-measure performance is poor, i.e. below 34.25%. In case of k-NN, developing training candidates by combining more than one training datasets helps in improving the performances (f-measure and accuracy). The two ensemble approaches have improved the f-measure performance up to 5% and 10% respectively for the severity levels having less number of bug reports in comparison of major severity level. We have further motivated the paper with a cross project bug severity prediction between Eclipse and Mozilla products. Results show that Mozilla products can be used to build reliable prediction models for Eclipse products and vice versa in case of SVM and k-NN classifiers.
Predicting Future Technopreneurs Among Inventors
Authors: Dottore Antonio , Kassicieh Suleiman K.
Published: February 2017

High-technology new firms are an important source of strong economic value and spillovers. It is therefore theoretically and practically important to understand the antecedents to their creation. This study focuses on understanding attitudinal, situational and personal characteristics associated with entrepreneurial activity by academic inventors. We surveyed patent holders and examined differences between entrepreneur inventors (EIs) and non-entrepreneur inventors (NEIs) in many dimensions. In demographic variables, EIs are more likely male, who have had a career in academic institutions. They were actively involved in technology development with grants used to validate the commercial potential of the technology and in a large number of contacts in the industry. They were also involved in business activities outside of their employment that required technical skills. EIs who had commercialization support from their regions were more likely to become entrepreneurs. The ones who exhibited innovative behavior were also more likely to become entrepreneurs. We used these differences to predict inventors who were more likely to become entrepreneurs using these demographic, personal characteristics, situational and attitudinal descriptors using discriminant functions with very good success. The model to forecast the inventors’ likely path to commercializing their technologies can have practical implications for universities and public policy-makers.
Technology-Based Services Adoption: A Comparison of the Major Applications
Authors: Maria Tsourela , Manos Roumeliotis
Published: February 2017

A literature review in technology-based services (TBSs) revealed many research projects dealing with the attitudes of consumers towards technology-based service applications and the constructs influencing that relationship. However, there are still no reported research projects examining the differences on attitude and adoption of consumers towards different applications of technology-based services. This study addresses the gap in knowledge in point of the factors influencing consumer attitudes towards, and adoption of, technology-based services, by comparing four different applications of them. A conceptual model for the adoption process of technology-based services is developed and tested across four different applications of the e-service industry. Each survey respondent has to answer the same set of questions for all four categories. The results indicate that attitudes towards different technology-based service applications are separate and distinct from one another, and that attitude towards each technology-based service application differs, while it positively influences the actual future use in all of them.
Role of facies diversity and cyclicity on the reservoir quality of the mid-Cretaceous Mishrif Formation in the southern Mesopotamian Basin, Iraq
Authors: Mahdi Thamer A. , Aqrawi Adnan A. M.
Published: February 2017

An integrated sedimentological and petrophysical approach was implemented to define the role of facies diversity and cyclicity on the reservoir quality of the Mishrif Formation in several oil fields in southern Iraq. The reservoir quality in most regressive cycles was enhanced upwards from deep-marine facies towards the shallower shelf-margin facies. The change in reservoir quality could be detected in the facies stacked systematically within the regressive cycles, which was also easily recognized using the porosity logs. The impact of early diagenetic overprints was quite obvious in developing both reservoir and non-reservoir rock types within the Mishrif Formation in the study area. A simple rock-typing nomenclature was proposed based on the available data in order to classify the existing reservoir (R) and non-reservoir (S) rock types.

The best-recognized reservoir rock types were rudistid microfacies with grain-dominated fabrics (including both grainstone (R1) and grain-dominated packstone (R2)), which were subjected to an early diagenetic dissolution process, usually located beneath discontinuity surfaces. Such reservoir units or rock types have a regional extent within the southern Mesopotamian Basin, as they have often developed during the Mishrif shelf-margin progradation. In addition, the other important reservoir rock type was a microbialite (i.e. peloidal mud-dominated packstone (R3)), which was additionally characterized by micropores within the mud-dominated portion of the facies. However, owing to the variable intensity of the diagenetic effects and differences in the depositional texture components, the reservoir quality in this rock type could vary regionally.

The regional distribution of the rudistid grainstone and grain-dominated packstone reservoir rock types (R1 and R2) was mostly related to the palaeogeographical highs that existed during deposition. However, such reservoir rock types could pinch out within the depositional sequences, showing their potential to become stratigraphic traps outside the structural crest of the field. The delineation of the reservoir rock types within a sequence-stratigraphic framework can be quite beneficial for reservoir prediction and exploration within and outside of the field.
Pterosaurs in Mesozoic food webs: a review of fossil evidence
Authors: Witton Mark P.
Published: February 2017

Understanding the ecological roles of pterosaurs is a challenging pursuit, but one aided by a growing body of fossil evidence for their dietary preferences and roles as food sources for other species. Pterosaur foraging behaviour is represented by preserved gut content, stomach regurgitates, coprolites and feeding traces. Pterosaurs being eaten by other species are recorded by tooth marks and teeth embedded in their fossil bones, consumer gut content and regurgitate, and their preservation entangled with predatory animals. This palaeoecological record has improved in recent years, but remains highly selective. The Jurassic rhamphorhynchid
Rhamphorhynchus
, Cretaceous ornithocheiroid
Pteranodon
and azhdarchid pterosaurs currently have the most substantial palaeoecological records. The food species and consumers of these taxa conform to lifestyle predictions for these groups.
Rhamphorhynchus
and
Pteranodon
ate and were eaten by aquatic species, matching expectations of these animals as sea-going, perhaps partly aquatic species. Possible azhdarchid pterosaur foraging traces alongside pterosaur tracks, and evidence that these animals were eaten by dinosaurs and Crocodyliformes, are consistent with hypotheses that azhdarchids foraged and lived in terrestrial settings. Fossil evidence of pterosaur palaeoecology remains rare: researchers are strongly encouraged to put specimens showing details of dietary preferences, foraging strategies or interactions with other animals on record.
Topotype specimens probably attributable to the giant azhdarchid pterosaur
Arambourgiania philadelphiae
(Arambourg 1959)
Authors: Martill David M. , Moser Markus
Published: February 2017

Six specimens accessioned to the Bavarian State Collection for Palaeontology and Geology in Munich, Germany, in 1966 are identified as coming from a gigantic pterodactyloid pterosaur. The previously undescribed material was obtained in 1955 by Jean Otto Haas and compares favourably in size with the type specimen of the Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) azhdarchid pterosaur
Arambourgiania philadelphiae
(Arambourg 1959) from the same locality/region. The material represents fragments of two cervical vertebrae, a neural arch, a left femur, a ?radius, and a metacarpal IV and bones of problematic identity, and does not duplicate the type material of
Arambourgiania
. The timing of its collection and its locality of Ruseifa, Jordan suggest it might pertain to the same individual as the holotype.
Endothelial colony-forming cells ameliorate endothelial dysfunction via secreted factors following ischemia-reperfusion injury
Authors: Collett Jason A. , Mehrotra Purvi , Crone Allison , Shelley W. Christopher , Yoder Mervin C. , Basile David P.
Published: February 2017

Damage to endothelial cells contributes to acute kidney injury (AKI) by leading to impaired perfusion. Endothelial colony-forming cells (ECFC) are endothelial precursor cells with high proliferative capacity, pro-angiogenic activity, and in vivo vessel forming potential. We hypothesized that ECFC may ameliorate the degree of AKI and/or promote repair of the renal vasculature following ischemia-reperfusion (I/R). Rat pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells (PMVEC) with high proliferative potential were compared with pulmonary artery endothelial cells (PAEC) with low proliferative potential in rats subjected to renal I/R. PMVEC administration reduced renal injury and hastened recovery as indicated by serum creatinine and tubular injury scores, while PAEC did not. Vehicle-treated control animals showed consistent reductions in renal medullary blood flow (MBF) within 2 h of reperfusion, while PMVEC protected against loss in MBF as measured by laser Doppler. Interestingly, PMVEC mediated protection occurred in the absence of homing to the kidney. Conditioned medium (CM) from human cultured cord blood ECFC also conveyed beneficial effects against I/R injury and loss of MBF. Moreover, ECFC-CM significantly reduced the expression of ICAM-1 and decreased the number of differentiated lymphocytes typically recruited into the kidney following renal ischemia. Taken together, these data suggest that ECFC secrete factors that preserve renal function post ischemia, in part, by preserving microvascular function.
Physical Activity, Aging, and Physiological Function
Authors: Harridge Stephen D. R. , Lazarus Norman R.
Published: February 2017

Human evolution suggests that the default position for health is to be physically active. Inactivity, by contrast, has serious negative effects on health across the lifespan. Therefore, only in physically active people can the inherent aging process proceed unaffected by disuse complications. In such individuals, although the relationship between age and physiological function remains complex, function is generally superior with health, well being, and the aging process optimized.
A Fatal Sepsis Caused by Hyaluronate Knee Injection: How Much the Medical History and the Informed Consent Might Be Important?
Authors: Manfreda F. , Rinonapoli G. , Nardi A. , Antinolfi P. , Caraffa A.
Published: February 2017

The incidence of Osteoarthritis (OA) is gradually increasing worldwide due to two main reasons: longer life expectation and increased functional demand. Several treatment options have been proposed for this disease. Conservative treatment has the goal to improve the quality of life, reduce pain, and prevent the progression of the disease. Hyaluronate viscosupplementation is one of the most used infiltrative treatments for OA, but, despite its common use, clinical efficacy is still under question. Though adverse reactions for this medical option are actually rare, septic arthritis is a very scaring complication. We present a case report of a 59-year-old man who has been submitted to only one knee hyaluronate injection and consequently reported a severe septic arthritis and systemic sepsis, which lead to the death of the patient. We recommend producing correct guidelines for a clean aseptic procedure of injection to obtain proper consensus from the patient and to pay attention to his clinical history and comorbidities before acting any kind of invasive treatment, including joint injection.
Early-Onset Signet-Ring Cell Adenocarcinoma of the Colon: A Case Report and Review of the Literature
Authors: Khan Maliha , Korphaisarn Krittiya , Saif Aneeqa , Foo Wai C. , Kopetz Scott
Published: February 2017

Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. While a decline has been observed in the older population, the occurrence of CRC in the adolescent and young adult (AYA) population has increased over the past two decades. The histopathologic characteristics and clinical behavior of CRC in AYA patients have been shown to be distinct from those of CRC in older adults. The rarer subtypes of CRC such as mucinous adenocarcinoma and signet-ring cell carcinoma are associated with a poorer prognosis compared to the more common subtypes. Here we report a case of a 20-year-old man who was diagnosed with stage IVB (T4 N2 M1, with peritoneal carcinomatosis) signet-ring cell adenocarcinoma of the colon. The scarcity of information on these rarer subtypes merits further study and investigation.
Could Early Surgery Get Beneficial in Adult Patients with Active Native Infective Endocarditis? A Meta-Analysis
Authors: Jia Liqun , Wang Zanxin , Fu Qiang , Bu Huaien , Wei Minxin
Published: February 2017

After a thorough search through the database as PubMed database and Embase database, the clinical experimental articles have been selected out on the effects of early surgery on the treatment of active native infective endocarditis. The quality of the trials included in this study was assessed by researcher according to the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions, version 5.1.0. A meta-analysis was carried out in terms of clinical efficacy criteria by RevMan 5.3 software. Based on the results, we cautiously conclude that early surgery used for active native infective endocarditis could reduce in-hospital mortality, follow-up mortality, and IE-related mortality.
Disaggregation of Annual to Monthly Streamflow: A Case Study of Kızılırmak Basin (Turkey)
Authors: Al-Zakar Shatha H. D. , Şarlak N. , Mahmood Agha Omar M. A.
Published: February 2017

This study utilizes a recent nonparametric disaggregation K-nearest neighbor (KNN) model, to resample monthly flows depending on annual flows at different sites. Both temporal and spatial approaches will be followed in this model while preserving the distributional statistics of the observed data. This model assumes that a set of aggregated annual streamflows at a key station is available and desired for disaggregation to a corresponding series of streamflow at key station (temporal disaggregation) as well as at tributary stations (spatial disaggregation). The model is applied to the annual streamflow data of particular stations in the Kızılırmak Basin, which is exposed to drought periods during the years (1970–1974 and 1994-1995). The aim of this study is to find the possibilities of using the nonparametric approaches as generators of monthly flows, with emphasis on the ability to reproduce the statistics related to drought and storage analysis for the selected stations in Turkey. The results show that the spatial disaggregation approach has the ability to reproduce the historical data better than the temporal approach for the tested sites and provides a variety of generated monthly sequence flows that can then be utilized to analyze the performance of the water resources planning system.
An Unusual Location of Subungual Warty Dyskeratoma: A Case Report and Review of the Literature
Authors: Vargas-Laguna Elena , Imbernón-Moya Adrián , Aguilar-Martínez Antonio , Burgos Fernando
Published: February 2017

Warty dyskeratoma is an uncommon entity characterized by a solitary keratotic papule or nodule usually located in the head and neck of young adults. The histopathology shows a pattern of acantholytic dyskeratosis. We report a 32-year-old man who presented pain, serous exudation, a distal onycholysis with subungual hyperkeratosis, and roundish erythronychia in the nail plate of his left first toe 2 years ago. A histopathologic diagnosis of subungual warty dyskeratoma was made. When dealing with focal acantholytic dyskeratosis several differential diagnoses should be considered including Darier’s disease, transient focal acantholytic dyskeratosis or Grover disease, and Hailey-Hailey disease. We present an unusual location of warty dyskeratoma in the nail bed using a clinicohistopathological correlation for the diagnosis.
Spectrum of Endocrine Disorders in Central Ghana
Authors: Sarfo-Kantanka Osei , Sarfo Fred Stephen , Ansah Eunice Oparebea , Kyei Ishmael
Published: February 2017

Background.Although an increasing burden of endocrine disorders is recorded worldwide, the greatest increase is occurring in developing countries. However, the spectrum of these disorders is not well described in most developing countries.Objective.The objective of this study was to profile the frequency of endocrine disorders and their basic demographic characteristics in an endocrine outpatient clinic in Kumasi, central Ghana.Methods.A retrospective review was conducted on endocrine disorders seen over a five-year period between January 2011 and December 2015 at the outpatient endocrine clinic of Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital. All medical records of patients seen at the endocrine clinic were reviewed by endocrinologists and all endocrinological diagnoses were classified according to ICD-10.Results.3070 adults enrolled for care in the endocrine outpatient service between 2011 and 2015. This comprised 2056 females and 1014 males (female : male ratio of 2.0 : 1.0) with an overall median age of 54 (IQR, 41–64) years. The commonest primary endocrine disorders seen were diabetes, thyroid, and adrenal disorders at frequencies of 79.1%, 13.1%, and 2.2%, respectively.Conclusions.Type 2 diabetes and thyroid disorders represent by far the two commonest disorders seen at the endocrine clinic. The increased frequency and wide spectrum of endocrine disorders suggest the need for well-trained endocrinologists to improve the health of the population.
The Anaesthesiologist and Palliative Care in a Newborn with the Adam “Sequence”
Authors: Pantoja Alberto Vieira , Estevez Maria Emília Gonçalves , Pessoa Bruno Lima , Araújo Fernando de Paiva , Barcellos Bruno Mendonça , Floriani Ciro Augusto , Resende Marco Antonio Cardoso de
Published: February 2017

Reports focusing on biomedical principlism and the role of anaesthesiologists in palliative care are rare. We present the case of a newborn with multiple craniofacial anomalies and a diagnosis of ADAM “sequence,” in which surgical removal of placental adhesions to the dura mater and the correction of meningocele was not indicated due to the very short life expectancy. After 48 hours, the odor from the placenta indicted a necrotic process, which prevented the parents from being close to the child and increased his isolation. Urgent surgery was performed, after which the newborn was transported to the ICU and intubated under controlled mechanical ventilation. The patient died a week later. The principles of beneficence, nonmaleficence, justice, and respect for autonomy are simultaneously an inspiratory and regulatory framework for clinical practice. Although only necessary procedures are defended, which suggests a position contrary to invasive interventions at the end of life, sometimes they are the best palliative measures that can be taken in cases like the one described here.
An Electrochemical Study to Evaluate the Effect of Calcium Nitrite Inhibitor to Mitigate the Corrosion of Reinforcement in Sodium Chloride Contaminated Ca(OH)2Solution
Authors: Ryu Hwa-Sung , Singh Jitendra Kumar , Lee Han-Seung , Park Won-Jun
Published: February 2017

The effect of calcium nitrite (Ca(NO2)2) was assessed by electrochemical means such as open circuit potential (OCP), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and potentiodynamic studies in saturated Ca(OH)2solution contaminated with 0.99 and 7.91 g/L NaCl. The preliminary results of OCP showed that the potential is shifted towards positive (noble) side as content of inhibitor increased. The EIS results indicate that Ca(NO2)2works effectively in reduction and initiation of corrosion of steel rebar in NaCl contaminated Ca(OH)2solution. Potentiodynamic studies revealed the pitting tendency of steel rebar exposed in 0.99 g/L NaCl at [Cl−/NO2-] = 1.2 attributed to low conductivity of passive film which causes interference for Cl−ions attack during anodic polarization. The 85.75% efficiency is found in 0.99 g/L at [Cl−/NO2-] = 1.2. The Ca(NO2)2inhibitor transformed the unstable iron oxides/hydroxides into stable and protective oxides/hydroxides due to its strong oxidizing nature. Therefore, this inhibitor is sufficiently and significantly reducing the corrosion of steel rebar at even its low concentration with 0.99 and 7.91 g/L NaCl solution.
Osteoradionecrosis of the Temporal Bone Leading to Cerebellar Abscess
Authors: Layton Thomas B.
Published: February 2017

Squamous cell carcinoma of the temporal bone is a rare and destructive malignancy and represents both diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. The complex regional anatomy of the temporal bone requires equally intricate surgical techniques to adequately resect the tumour mass during surgical excision. Adjuvant radiotherapy is offered to patients with advanced disease and has been showed to confer a survival benefit in carefully selected patients. One feared complication of radiotherapy is osteoradionecrosis and is a major obstacle faced in the treatment of head and neck cancers. The case presented here is a rare example of a patient who was successfully treated for SCC of the temporal with both surgical resection and adjuvant radiotherapy who subsequently developed two major complications: first, osteoradionecrosis of the temporal bone that leads to penetrating osteomyelitis; second, the formation of a large cerebellar abscess that required surgical drainage. This case is a rare example of the complications that are possible following radiotherapy to the head and the close follow-up that is required in patients.
A Subpixel Matching Method for Stereovision of Narrow Baseline Remotely Sensed Imagery
Authors: Ma Ning , Sun Peng-fei , Men Yu-bo , Men Chao-guang , Li Xiang
Published: February 2017

In this paper, an accurate and efficient image matching method based on phase correlation is proposed to estimate disparity with subpixel precision, which is used for the stereovision of narrow baseline remotely sensed images. The multistep strategy is adopted in our technical frame; thus the disparity estimation is divided into two steps: integer‐pixel prematching and subpixel matching. Firstly, integer‐pixel disparity is estimated by employing a cross‐based local matching method. Then the relationship of corresponding points is established under the guidance of integer‐pixel disparity. The subimages are extracted through selecting the corresponding points as the center. Finally, the subpixel disparity is obtained by matching the subimages utilizing a novel variant of phase correlation approach. The experiment results show that the proposed method can match different kinds of large‐sized narrow baseline remotely sensed images and estimate disparity with subpixel precision automatically.
Hyperkalemia Induced Brugada Phenocopy: A Rare ECG Manifestation
Authors: Ameen Muhammad , Akbar Ghulam , Abbas Naeem , Mirrani Ghazi
Published: February 2017

Brugada syndrome (BrS) is an inherited disorder of cardiac ion channels characterized by peculiar ECG findings predisposing individuals to ventricular arrhythmias, syncope, and sudden cardiac death (SCD). Various electrolyte disturbances and ion channels blocking drugs could also provoke BrS ECG findings without genetic BrS. Clinical differentiation and recognition are essential for guiding the legitimate action. Hyperkalemia is well known to cause a wide variety of ECG manifestations. Severe hyperkalemia can even cause life threatening ventricular arrhythmias and cardiac conduction abnormalities. Most common ECG findings include peaked tall T waves with short PR interval and wide QRS complex. Since it is very commonly encountered disorder, physicians need to be aware of even its rare ECG manifestations, which include ST segment elevation and Brugada pattern ECG (BrP). We are adding a case to the limited literature about hyperkalemia induced reversible Brugada pattern ECG changes.
Prevalence of Impaired Kidney Function in the German Elderly: Results from the Berlin Aging Study II (BASE-II)
Authors: König Maximilian , Gollasch Maik , Demuth Ilja , Steinhagen-Thiessen Elisabeth
Published: February 2017

Background: In aging populations with an ever-growing burden of risk factors such as obesity, diabetes, and hypertension, chronic kidney disease (CKD) is on the rise. However, little is known about its exact prevalence among elderly adults, and often albuminuria is not included in the definition of CKD. Moreover, novel equations for the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) have recently emerged, which have not been applied comprehensively to older adults. Data on CKD awareness among the elderly are sparse. Objectives: To determine the prevalence of CKD among older adults by eGFR and albumin/creatinine ratio (ACR), compare the performance of 6 established and novel eGFR formulas, explore risk factors, and determine the awareness of CKD in a large cohort of community-dwelling elderly from Germany. Methods: A total of 1,628 subjects from the Berlin Aging Study II (BASE-II) were included in this analysis (mean age 68.7 years; 51.2% female). Extensive cross-sectional data on sociodemographics, lifestyle, medication, and diagnoses were inquired during structured interviews and a medical examination, and blood and urine parameters were measured. Results: In all, 77.1% of the subjects had hypertension, 12.4% had diabetes, and 18.3% were obese. The prevalence of CKD strongly depended on the eGFR equations used: 25.4% (full age spectrum [FAS] equation), 24.6% (Berlin Initiative Study), 23.1% (Lund-Malmö revised), 19.3% (Cockcroft-Gault), 16.4% (Chronic Kidney Disease-Epidemiology Collaboration [CKD-EPI]), and 14.7% (Modification of Diet in Renal Disease [MDRD]). Of the subjects with an eGFRFAS <60 mL/min/1.73 m2 and/or an ACR >30 mg/g, only 3.9% were aware of having CKD. Polypharmacy, age, BMI, coronary artery disease, non-HDL cholesterol, and female sex were independently associated with CKD. Conclusions: CKD is prevalent among older adults in Germany, but awareness is low. The FAS equation detects higher rates of CKD than MDRD and CKD-EPI, which are most widely used at present. Also, when CKD is defined based on eGFR and albuminuria, considerably more people are identified than by eGFR alone. Finally, polypharmacy is associated with an increased risk for CKD in the elderly.