bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Synchronization properties of coupled chaotic neurons: The role of random shared input
Authors: Kumar Rupesh , Bilal Shakir , Ramaswamy Ram
Published: June 2016

Spike-time correlations of neighbouring neurons depend on their intrinsic firing properties as well as on the inputs they share. Studies have shown that periodically firing neurons, when subjected to random shared input, exhibit asynchronicity. Here, we study the effect of random shared input on the synchronization of weakly coupled chaotic neurons. The cases of so-called electrical and chemical coupling are both considered, and we observe a wide range of synchronization behaviour. When subjected to identical shared random input, there is a decrease in the threshold coupling strength needed for chaotic neurons to synchronize in-phase. The system also supports lag–synchronous states, and for these, we find that shared input can cause desynchronization. We carry out a master stability function analysis for a network of such neurons and show agreement with the numerical simulations. The contrasting role of shared random input for complete and lag synchronized neurons is useful in understanding spike-time correlations observed in many areas of the brain.
Broadband microwave propagation in a novel large coaxial gridded hollow cathode helium plasma
Authors: Gao Ruilin , Yuan Chengxun , Liu Sha , Yue Feng , Jia Jieshu , Zhou Zhongxiang , Wu Jian , Li Hui
Published: June 2016

The broadband microwave propagating characteristics of a novel, large volume, coaxial gridded hollow cathode helium plasma is reported in this paper. The basic plasma parameters were determined using an Impedans Ltd. Langmuir probe under a variety of conditions. The transmission attenuation was recorded by using Scattering Parameters (S-parameters) of a vector network analyzer with the frequency range from 2 GHz to 18 GHz and a propagation model was established using the Z transform finite-difference time-domain method for simulating the transmission of microwave. The effects of both the gas pressure and the input power on the electromagnetic wave propagation are analyzed. The results showed that the computational and experimental results of transmission attenuation were in good agreements. Moreover, the electron density ne and the effective collision rate νc were found to play important roles in the propagation of microwave.
Double layers and double wells in arbitrary degenerate plasmas
Authors: Akbari-Moghanjoughi M.
Published: June 2016

Using the generalized hydrodynamic model, the possibility of variety of large amplitude nonlinear excitations is examined in electron-ion plasma with arbitrary electron degeneracy considering also the ion temperature effect. A new energy-density relation is proposed for plasmas with arbitrary electron degeneracy which reduces to the classical Boltzmann and quantum Thomas-Fermi counterparts in the extreme limits. The pseudopotential method is employed to find the criteria for existence of nonlinear structures such as solitons, periodic nonlinear structures, and double-layers for different cases of adiabatic and isothermal ion fluids for a whole range of normalized electron chemical potential, η0, ranging from dilute classical to completely degenerate electron fluids. It is observed that there is a Mach-speed gap in which no large amplitude localized or periodic nonlinear excitations can propagate in the plasma under consideration. It is further revealed that the plasma under investigation supports propagation of double-wells and double-layers the chemical potential and Mach number ranges of which are studied in terms of other plasma parameters. The Mach number criteria for nonlinear waves are shown to significantly differ for cases of classical with η0 < 0 and quantum with η0 > 0 regimes. It is also shown that the localized structure propagation criteria possess significant dissimilarities for plasmas with adiabatic and isothermal ions. Current research may be generalized to study the nonlinear structures in plasma containing positrons, multiple ions with different charge states, and charged dust grains.
Magneto-absorption effects in magnetic-field assisted laser ablation of silicon by UV nanosecond pulses
Authors: Farrokhi H. , Gruzdev V. , Zheng H. Y. , Rawat R. S. , Zhou W.
Published: June 2016

A constant magnetic field can significantly improve the quality and speed of ablation by nanosecond laser pulses. These improvements are usually attributed to the confinement of laser-produced plasma by the magnetic field and specific propagation effects in the magnetized plasma. Here we report a strong influence of constant axial magnetic field on the ablation of silicon by 20-ns laser pulses at wavelength 355 nm, which results in an increase of ablation depth by a factor of 1.3 to 69 depending on laser parameters and magnitude of the magnetic field. The traditional plasma effects do not explain this result, and magneto-absorption of silicon is proposed as one of the major mechanisms of the significant enhancement of ablation.
Mapping the sensitivity of split ring resonators using a localized analyte
Authors: Sharp Graham J. , Vilhena Henrique , Lahiri Basudev , McMeekin Scott. G. , De La Rue Richard M. , Johnson Nigel P.
Published: June 2016

Split ring resonator (SRR) based metamaterials have frequently been demonstrated for use as optical sensors of organic materials. This is made possible by matching the wavelength of the SRR plasmonic resonance with a molecular resonance of a specific analyte, which is usually placed on top of the metal structure. However, systematic studies of SRRs that identify the regions that exhibit a high electric field strength are commonly performed using simulations. In this paper we demonstrate that areas of high electric field strength, termed “hot-spots,” can be found by localizing a small quantity of organic analyte at various positions on or near the structure. Furthermore, the sensitivity of the SRR to the localized analyte can be quantified to determine, experimentally, suitable regions for optical sensing.
Multiscale simulations reveal key features of the proton-pumping mechanism in cytochrome
c
oxidase
Authors: Liang Ruibin , Swanson Jessica M. J. , Peng Yuxing , Wikström Mårten , Voth Gregory A.
Published: June 2016

Significance

The long-studied proton-pumping mechanism in cytochrome
c
oxidase (C
c
O) continues to be a source of debate. This work provides a comprehensive computational characterization of the internal proton transport dynamics, while explicitly including Grotthuss shuttling, that lead to both pumping and catalysis. Focusing on the first steps of oxidation of the fully reduced enzyme, our results show that the transfer of the pumped and chemical protons are thermodynamically driven by electron transfer, and explain how proton back-leakage is avoided by large back-leak barriers and kinetic gating. This work also explicitly characterizes the coupling of proton transport with hydration changes in the hydrophobic cavity and D-channel, thus advancing our understanding of proton transport in biomolecules in general.
Modular elements of the TPR domain in the Mps1 N terminus differentially target Mps1 to the centrosome and kinetochore
Authors: Marquardt Joseph R. , Perkins Jennifer L. , Beuoy Kyle J. , Fisk Harold A.
Published: June 2016

Significance

The importance of the Mps1 (monopolar spindle 1) protein kinase stems from its regulatory role in many important processes, among which are centrosome duplication and the spindle assembly checkpoint. Both of these processes help prevent mitotic errors that may lead to tumorigenesis, making it of great importance to elucidate how Mps1 is targeted to regulate two such spatially distinct processes. This study presents data that distinguish the separation of those two functions in the cell cycle and potentially help in the understanding of the different mechanisms by which Mps1 might influence tumorigenesis.
Governing citizen engagement
Authors: Lassen Inger , Horsbøl Anders
Published: June 2016

This chapter sets out to explore tensions between bottom-up and top-down processes
from a governmentality perspective. Using a discourse studies approach,
we investigate how forms of public participation in a local climate mitigation
project can be viewed as an instance of governmentality in the sense of how
the conduct of groups and individuals is influenced by other forces and how
groups and individuals influence the conduct of others through participation
and involvement. This implies that governmentality is analysed as emerging in
concrete, situated practices. Simultaneously, we investigate how a governmentality
approach may enrich our understanding of public participation, dialogue
and involvement, especially on the complex issue of sustainability and climate
change mitigation.
Diagnosing transnationality
Authors: Zhukova Klausen Julia
Published: June 2016

The chapter investigates the genealogy of a transnational ethics. That is, in
Foucauldian terms, how transnational living is constructed as an ethical substance,
the modes through which the actors become invited to problematise
their transnational conduct and the telos to which they are impelled to aspire.
Using multimodal discourse analysis, the chapter uncovers the discursive
technologies through which therapeutic practice (as well as the genres and
institutions implicated in it) is employed in using the individual’s relationship to
oneself to exercise and rationalise a transnational ethics. The analysis demonstrates
how discursive practices, dispersed across multiple modalities, participate
in the formation of alliances between diverse regimes of transnational
living, such as computer-mediated transnational spaces, diaspora communities,
national and para-national institutions and professional associations. In doing
so, the analysis makes visible how new agents and authorities become recruited
for administering transnational conduct. The chapter argues that these assemblages
and the transnational ethics made visible through the analysis prime
the mechanisms of transnational governmentality and prepare the basis for a
restrictive morality through which transnational conduct can be regulated.
Governmentality through intertextuality
Authors: Wallace Derek
Published: June 2016

In this chapter I analyse texts composed and exchanged within the New Zealand
tertiary education domain in order to explore the “will to govern” (Miller and
Rose 2008: 29) in its contemporary manifestation. Using intertextuality as the
principle framework, the analysis is grounded in a detailed case study of the use
of strategic planning as a technology of government. The investigation reveals
the considerable extent to which governments can govern through textual
means, notwithstanding a tightening of control over the period studied through
changes in regimes of compliance. Notable also in the universities’ enforced
adoption of strategic planning is the extent to which the discursive practices
that characterise strategic planning in a complex, multi-levelled environment
can enhance a liberal rationality of rule.
How are words related?
Authors: Spencer Andrew
Published: June 2016

I argue in favour of the notions ‘word (form)’, ‘lexeme’, ‘paradigm’ against Distributed Morphology claims that lexical roots are indexed only by their form. That approach entails there can be no suppletion in lexical items. In addition to the obvious counterexamples I point out more subtle cases such as Russian prefixed verbs. Following Spencer (2013) I propose that a lexical entry is identified with a unique lexemic index. Transpositions, such as participles, preserve their base verb’s lexemic index (cf inflected forms). They contrast with transpositional lexemes such as prepositional or participle-form adjectives such as interesting. They share their semantic content with their base verb yet they are distinct lexemes, hence, are furnished with a distinct lexemic index.
Phase domains at PF
Authors: Kilbourn-Ceron Oriana , Newell Heather , Noonan Máire B. , Travis Lisa deMena
Published: June 2016

This chapter investigates some implications of Spell-Out in a phase-based, realizational derivational system. It is argued that all operations on the PF branch within a phase, specifically Vocabulary Insertion and phonological rule, application are predicted to have isomorphic domains of application. This has implications for the proposals on how to extend suppletion domains found in Embick (2010) and Bobaljik & Wurmbrand (2013). Apparent mismatches in suppletive vs. phonological domains are examined in a number of languages, including English, Yiddish, Turkish, Ojibwe, Malagasy, and German. The data are argued to support modifications to both (i) certain theoretical proposals held in the literature, and (ii) the syntactic location of triggers for suppletion generally assumed.
Towards a Restricted Realization Theory
Authors: Haugen Jason D. , Siddiqi Daniel
Published: June 2016

In this paper we advance arguments in favor of a vocabulary-insertion-only program for non-lexicalist realizational models of morphology, Distributed Morphology (Halle & Marantz 1993) in particular. We claim that this end can be achieved through relatively simple and well-motivated proposals. We suggest that the vast majority of non-syntactic mechanisms can be obviated by the adoption of non-terminal insertion (Radkevich 2010; Svenonius 2012; Merchant 2013; Starke 2009; Caha 2009; see Embick & Marantz 2008 for a contrary argument)– specifically post-linearization spanning. We restrict our discussion here to whether weak suppletion must be the output of phonological processes (see e.g. Marantz 1997; Embick & Halle 2005; Harley & Tubino Blanco 2013) or simply listed (see, e.g., Bermúdez-Otero 2013), and whether the containment prediction (Embick & Marantz 2008; Embick 2012) is indeed fatal for non-terminal insertion. We also propose here that Siddiqi’s (2009) feature blocking system can be co-opted for the tasks typical of impoverishment.
Inner and Outer morphology in Greek adjectival participles
Authors: Anagnostopoulou Elena
Published: June 2016

I discuss the distribution of the suffixes -tos and -menos in Greek adjectival participles, and I propose that -tos is the default realization of the stativizing head Asp attaching at the root level (inner cycle) and -menos the default realization of Asp attaching above the little v head (outer cycle), following Embick’s (2003) analysis of the distribution or ‘regular’ and ‘irregular’ participial morphology in English. However, particular roots are never listed for -tos vs. -menos in the outer cycle in Greek, unlike English which has “irregular” participial morphology for specific roots in this cycle. I propose that this difference relates to the fact that root irregularity in Greek is systematically dependent on properties of Viewpoint Aspect, while root irregularity in English is dependent on the higher head Tense.
Chapter 14. Literary awareness in a high-school EFL learning environment
Authors: Zyngier Sonia , Viana Vander
Published: June 2016

This chapter discusses the teaching of literary awareness to high-school students of English as a foreign language (EFL). Dedicated to the topic of iconicity, the proposed pedagogical experience stimulates students to work out the connection between visual and linguistic representations, identify such links in a variety of texts, create their own concrete poems, and justify their stylistic choices. Three sources of data are used: (i) questionnaires detailing participants’ profiles, (ii) students’ answers and creative writing, and (iii) unit evaluation questionnaires. The data obtained enabled an evidence-based evaluation of the workshop from the participants’ viewpoint. We argue that evaluating students’ learning empirically should be part and parcel of any pedagogical experience.
“Decoupled” Farm Program Payments are Really Decoupled: The Theory
Authors: Chambers Robert G. , Voica Daniel C.
Published: June 2016

Lump‐sum transfers to farmers are commonly believed to affect the production choices of farmers in the presence of risk and uncertainty. This paper shows that if farmers have off‐farm investment and employment opportunities, production decisions are decoupled from lump‐sum subsidies in the presence of risk and uncertainty. Our results are reconciled with existing results by showing that previously identified production adjustments are portfolio adjustments.
Additional evidence for fisheries acoustics: small cameras and angling gear provide tilt angle distributions and other relevant data for mackerel surveys
Authors: Fernandes Paul G. , Copland Phillip , Garcia Rafael , Nicosevici Tudor , Scoulding Ben
Published: June 2016

Fisheries acoustics surveys are effective tools in marine resource assessment and marine ecology. Significant advances have occurred in recent years with the application of multiple and broadband frequencies to enable remote species identification. There is, however, still the need to obtain additional evidence for identification, and the estimation of the size and tilt angle distribution of fish, which influences their acoustic target strength. The former two requirements are usually met by obtaining simultaneous net samples: there are limited, if any, recognized successful techniques for the latter. Here, two alternative tools for obtaining evidence for all three requirements are examined: angling gear and small video cameras. These tools were deployed during surveys of Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus). In 2014, angling was actually more efficient than pelagic trawling (the standard technique) and over two survey periods (2012 and 2014) provided length frequency distributions that were not significantly different. A small video camera was deployed into mackerel schools, providing species identification and fish orientation. Image analysis was then applied, producing tilt-angle distributions of free swimming wild mackerel for the first time. Mean tilt angles from three deployments were very variable with 95% of observations falling between −70° and 39° with evidence of a multinomial frequency distribution. A video equipped lander was also deployed onto the type of rocky seabed where deployment of a trawl would be impossible: this confirmed the presence of Norway pout and suggested it was the dominant scatterer on this type of seabed. These techniques are complementary to traditional trawling methods, but provide additional insights into fish behaviour whilst satisfying standard requirements of identification and supplying biological samples. Crucially, the small cameras deployed approximate the size of the animals under observation and allow for measurement of behaviour (specifically tilt) that are more likely to represent those conditions encountered during surveying.
Water, methanol and dense gas tracers in the local ULIRG Arp 220: results from the new SEPIA Band 5 Science Verification campaign
Authors: Galametz M. , Zhang Z.-Y. , Immer K. , Humphreys E. , Aladro R. , De Breuck C. , Ginsburg A. , Madden S. C. , Møller P. , Arumugam V.
Published: June 2016

We present a line survey of the ultraluminous infrared galaxy Arp 220, taken with the newly installed SEPIA (Swedish-European Southern Observatory PI receiver for APEX) Band 5 instrument on APEX (Atacama Pathfinder Experiment). We illustrate the capacity of SEPIA to detect the 183.3 GHz H2O 31,3–22,0 line against the atmospheric H2O absorption feature. We confirm the previous detection of the HCN(2–1) line, and detect new transitions of standard dense gas tracers such as HNC(2–1), HCO+(2–1), CS(4–3), C34S(4–3) and HC3N(20–19). We also detect HCN(2–1) v2 = 1 and the 193.5 GHz methanol (4–3) group for the first time. The absence of time variations in the megamaser water line compared to previous observations seems to rule out an AGN nuclear origin for the line. It could, on the contrary, favour a thermal origin instead, but also possibly be a sign that the megamaser emission is associated with star-forming cores washed out in the beam. We finally discuss how the new transitions of HCN, HNC and HCO+ refine our knowledge of the interstellar medium physical conditions in Arp 220.
The University of Michigan Experience with Veno-Venoarterial Hybrid Mode of Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation
Authors: Werner Nicole L. , Coughlin Megan , Cooley Elaine , Haft Jonathan W. , Hirschl Ronald B. , Bartlett Robert H. , Mychaliska George B.
Published: June 2016

The veno-venoarterial (VVA) mode of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is defined by having both venous and arterial reinfusion cannulas. It is purposed to improve upper body oxygenation as the venous reinfusion cannula is typically placed in the upper body. We performed a single-center retrospective review to better characterize the patients placed on this mode. Adults (n = 23) were 40.4 ± 14.7 years old and were supported with ECMO for a median of 141 (97, 253) hours, with VVA support 110 (63, 179) hours. Ten (43%) were initially cannulated VVA; reasons for conversion included cardiac failure (46%), North-South syndrome (38%), and worsening hypoxia (15%). Survival was 39% and neurological complications 13%. Pediatrics (n = 8) were 13.0 ± 2.4 years old and were supported with ECMO for a median of 258 (168, 419) hours, with VVA support 131 (98, 161) hours. One (12.5%) was initially cannulated VVA; reasons for conversion were North-South syndrome (42%), cardiac failure (29%), and worsening hypoxia (29%). Survival was 71% and neurological complications 29%. We concluded that there was neither survival advantage nor complication reduction with the VVA mode in this cohort; however, VVA does have value for unique clinical situations when conventional ECMO modes do not meet support needs.
Defining a Patient Population With Cirrhosis
Authors: Chang Edward K. , Yu Christine Y. , Clarke Robin , Hackbarth Andrew , Sanders Timothy , Esrailian Eric , Hommes Daniel W. , Runyon Bruce A.
Published: June 2016

Objectives:

The objective of this study was to use natural language processing (NLP) as a supplement to International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) and laboratory values in an automated algorithm to better define and risk-stratify patients with cirrhosis.

Background:

Identification of patients with cirrhosis by manual data collection is time-intensive and laborious, whereas using ICD-9 codes can be inaccurate. NLP, a novel computerized approach to analyzing electronic free text, has been used to automatically identify patient cohorts with gastrointestinal pathologies such as inflammatory bowel disease. This methodology has not yet been used in cirrhosis.

Study Design:

This retrospective cohort study was conducted at the University of California, Los Angeles Health, an academic medical center. A total of 5343 University of California, Los Angeles primary care patients with ICD-9 codes for chronic liver disease were identified during March 2013 to January 2015. An algorithm incorporating NLP of radiology reports, ICD-9 codes, and laboratory data determined whether these patients had cirrhosis. Of the 5343 patients, 168 patient charts were manually reviewed at random as a gold standard comparison. Positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), sensitivity, and specificity of the algorithm and each of its steps were calculated.

Results:

The algorithm’s PPV, NPV, sensitivity, and specificity were 91.78%, 96.84%, 95.71%, and 93.88%, respectively. The NLP portion was the most important component of the algorithm with PPV, NPV, sensitivity, and specificity of 98.44%, 93.27%, 90.00%, and 98.98%, respectively.

Conclusions:

NLP is a powerful tool that can be combined with administrative and laboratory data to identify patients with cirrhosis within a population.
Sedation Variability Increases Incidence of Delirium in Adult Medical Intensive Care Unit Patients at a Tertiary Academic Medical Center
Authors: Ritchie Brianne M. , Torbic Heather , DeGrado Jeremy R. , Reardon David P.
Published: June 2016

Background:

Variability in sedation may increase the incidence of delirium and mortality, as well as increased intensive care unit (ICU) and hospital lengths of stay (LOS), despite mean Richmond Agitation Sedation Scale (RASS) scores at goal. Coefficient of variation (CV) can be used to represent variability with a higher ratio indicating increased variability.

Study Question:

Do patients with an increased variability in sedation, as evaluated by CV in RASS, have an increased incidence of delirium?

Methods:

We conducted a retrospective chart review of adult medical ICU patients requiring mechanical ventilation (MV) for ≥24 hours between January and April 2013. Patients were excluded if intubated at an outside hospital, neuromuscularly blocked, suffering from anoxic brain injury, or had a goal RASS of −4 or −5. Outcomes assessed included the presence of delirium, as evaluated by the Confusion Assessment Method, RASS, CV in RASS, duration of MV, ICU, and hospital LOS, and survival.

Results:

Of 45 included patients, 32 experienced delirium during their ICU admission and 13 did not. The groups were similar at baseline. There was no difference in mean RASS when comparing the delirium and nondelirium groups (−1.6 ± 1.3 vs. −1.8 ± 0.8, respectively; P = 0.61). Patients with delirium had a greater CV in RASS (0.3 ± 0.135 vs. 0.2 ± 0.105; P = 0.02), a longer MV duration [4 (2–8) vs. 3 (2–3) days; P = 0.045], and a trend toward increased ICU LOS [8 (5–12.25) vs. 4 (3–8) days; P = 0.096], but no difference in hospital LOS [13 (10–25) vs. 18 (9–39) days; P = 0.83] and survival (71.9% vs. 69.2%; P = 1.0).

Conclusion:

Medical ICU patients with delirium had a higher CV in RASS compared with patients without delirium, suggesting that greater variability in sedation may increase the incidence of delirium. Patients with delirium also had a greater duration of MV and a trend toward longer ICU LOS.
Oral Anticoagulants With Dual Antiplatelet Therapy Versus Clopidogrel in Patients After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: A Meta-Analysis
Authors: Palla Mohan , Briasoulis Alexandros , Kondur Ashok
Published: June 2016

Background:

In patients on oral anticoagulation (OAC), dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) is often indicated after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

Areas of Uncertainty:

We sought to investigate the effects of triple antithrombotic therapy (TT) versus dual therapy (DT) with OAC and clopidogrel on all-cause mortality, cardiovascular death, major bleeding, myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, and stent thrombosis.

Data Sources:

We systematically searched on MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CENTRAL for randomized controlled or cohort studies, which investigated the comparative effects of TT versus DT. We performed a meta-analysis of 6 studies (1 randomized control study and 5 cohort studies).

Results:

The included studies enrolled 7259 patients; 4630 (63.8%) were on TT and 2629 (36.2%) were on DT. The average follow-up time was 1.4 years. No significant differences were found between TT and DT in all-cause mortality (P = 0.70; I
2 = 64%), stent thrombosis (P = 0.41), myocardial infarction (P = 0.43; I
2 = 0%), stroke (P = 0.36; I
2 = 0%), and major bleeding (P = 0.43; I
2 = 0%).

Conclusions:

In patients who are on OAC with vitamin K antagonist and underwent percutaneous coronary intervention, no significant differences were found in mortality, ischemic, and hemorrhagic complications between the patients treated with TT and DT. Thus, tailored treatment based on individual thromboembolic and bleeding risk might be the most reasonable approach in these patients.
A Comparison of Diarrheal Severity Scores in the MAL‐ED Multisite Community‐Based Cohort Study
Authors: Lee Gwenyth O. , Richard Stephanie A. , Kang Gagandeep , Houpt Eric R. , Seidman Jessica C. , Pendergast Laura L. , Bhutta Zulfiqar A. , Ahmed Tahmeed , Mduma Estomih R. , Lima Aldo A. , Bessong Pascal , Jennifer Mats Steffi , Hossain Md. Iqbal , Chandyo Ram Krishna , Nyathi Emanuel , Lima Ila F. , Pascal John , Soofi Sajid , Ladaporn Bodhidatta , Guerrant Richard L. , Caulfield Laura E. , Black Robert E. , Kosek Margaret N. ,   MAL‐ED Network Investigators
Published: June 2016

Objectives:

There is a lack of consensus on how to measure diarrheal severity. Within the context of a multisite, prospective cohort study, we evaluated the performance of a modified Vesikari score (MAL‐ED), 2 previously published scores (Clark and CODA [a diarrheal severity score (Community DiarrheA) published by Lee et al]), and a modified definition of moderate‐to‐severe diarrhea (MSD) based on dysentery and health care worker diagnosed dehydration.

Methods:

Scores were built using maternally reported symptoms or fieldworker‐reported clinical signs obtained during the first 7 days of a diarrheal episode. The association between these and the risk of hospitalization were tested using receiver operating characteristic analysis. Severity scores were also related to illness etiology, and the likelihood of the episode subsequently becoming prolonged or persistent.

Results:

Of 10,159 episodes from 1681 children, 143 (4.0%) resulted in hospitalization. The area under the curve of each score as a predictor of hospitalization was 0.84 (95% confidence interval: 0.81, 0.87) (Clark), 0.85 (0.82, 0.88) (MAL‐ED), and 0.87 (0.84, 0.89) (CODA). Severity was also associated with etiology and episode duration. Although families were more likely to seek care for severe diarrhea, approximately half of severe cases never reached the health system.

Conclusions:

Community‐based diarrheal severity scores are predictive of relevant child health outcomes. Because they require no assumptions about health care access or utilization, they are useful in refining estimates of the burden of diarrheal disease, in estimating the effect of disease control interventions, and in triaging children for referral in low‐ and middle‐income countries in which the rates of morbidity and mortality after diarrhea remain high.
Environmental Enteric Dysfunction Is Associated With Poor Linear Growth and Can Be Identified by Host Fecal mRNAs
Authors: Ordiz Maria Isabel , Shaikh Nurmohammad , Trehan Indi , Maleta Ken , Stauber Jennifer , Shulman Robert , Devaraj Sridevi , Tarr Phillip I. , Manary Mark J.
Published: June 2016

Objective:

Environmental enteric dysfunction (EED) can be assessed by the lactulose:mannitol (L:M) test. Our objective was to determine if selected host fecal transcripts were correlated with EED, and whether transcripts and clinical characteristics could be used to predict EED in rural African children.

Methods:

Demographic and sanitation characteristics, along with L:M testing and host fecal transcript analyses from 798 asymptomatic Malawian children aged 12 to 61 months were compared with linear growth over the subsequent 3 months. Fecal host mRNA analysis included quantification of expression of 18 transcripts associated with L:M. Permeability was categorized as normal (L:M ⩽ 0.15), moderate (0.15<L:M<0.45) and severe (L:M ≥ 0.45), and random forest predictive models were created.

Results:

L:M was inversely correlated with linear growth over the subsequent 3 months (r = −0.32, P < 0.001) and severe EED was associated with stunting (P < 0.0001). Age younger than 24 months, weight‐for‐height z score <0, domesticated animals in the child's sleep environment, lack of a pit latrine combined with a potentially contaminated water source, and a recent history of diarrhea were associated with severe EED. A random forest model using CD53, HLA‐DRA, MUC12, and TNF was 84% sensitive for severe EED and 83% sensitive for no EED.

Conclusions:

Selected host fecal transcripts can be used in a random forest model as a noninvasive biomarker for categories of EED in rural African children.
Clinical Presentation of Herpes Zoster in Immunocompetent and Immunocompromised Hospitalized Children Treated With Acyclovir
Authors: Kuchar Ernest , Szenborn Leszek , Lis Izabela , Jaroszewska Anna , Czeladzka Justyna
Published: June 2016

Herpes zoster, defined as the reactivation of a latent varicella-zoster virus (VZV) infection, used to be a serious disease in immunocompromised children until recently. The aim of this study was to describe the clinical presentation of herpes zoster in hospitalized immunocompromised children compared with hospitalized immunocompetent counterparts. We reviewed the hospital charts of 72 children aged 6 months to 18 years diagnosed with herpes zoster and treated with acyclovir in our department covering a 19-year period. Forty-six of the children were immunocompromised which was mainly due to hematologic diseases. There were no differences in the age at which herpes zoster occurred, length of hospitalization, and the location or extent of the skin eruption. General symptoms were observed more frequently in the hospitalized immunocompetent patients compared with the hospitalized immunocompromised children (80% vs. 56%). The average age at which primary VZV infection occurred was higher among the immunocompromised children than the immunocompetent children with the latter group suffering from significantly more primary VZV infections during infancy. The presentation of herpes zoster in immunocompromised children is similar to that of herpes zoster in hospitalized immunocompetent children.
Mitochondrial Encephalopathy and Optic Neuropathy Due to m.10158 MT-ND3 Complex I Mutation Presenting in an Adult Patient
Authors: Vodopivec Ivana , Cho Tracey A. , Rizzo Joseph F. , Frosch Matthew P. , Sims Katherine B.
Published: June 2016

Introduction:

Establishing a diagnosis of mitochondrial disease in adults remains a clinician’s challenge. We report a case of syndrome reminiscent of mitochondrial encephalomyopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke-like episodes (MELAS) in an adult patient who carries m.10158T>C mutation in complex I respiratory chain gene MT-ND3 (mitochondrially encoded NADH dehydrogenase 3).

Case Report:

This 26-year-old man from Thailand presented with new-onset headaches, seizures, stroke-like episodes, and poor vision due to optic neuropathy and cortical blindness. Instead of expected mutations in the mitochondrial tRNA gene that are frequently associated with MELAS, the mutation in MT-ND3 with variable tissue heteroplasmy (blood 5.3%, muscle 89.5%) was demonstrated. The patient’s clinical features, blood biomarkers, neuroimaging findings, muscle biopsy with histochemical and functional in vitro analysis, and genetic studies were analyzed and compared with all previously reported ND3 disease cases.

Conclusions:

ND3 disease due to m.10158T>C mutation was previously described only in patients with Leigh or Leigh-like syndrome. Our findings thus indicate that ND3 disease can manifest with atypical phenotype in adults. The diagnosis of mitochondrial disease caused by other than typical MELAS-associated mutations in adults with stroke-like episodes, headaches, and seizures should be considered. An analysis of tissue other than blood, which is more likely to harbor a tissue-specific mitochondrial DNA mutation at a measurable level, may be necessary for diagnosis.
Systematic analysis of transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation of metabolism in yeast
Authors: Gonçalves Emanuel , Raguz Zrinka , Zampieri Mattia , Wagih Omar , Ochoa David , Sauer Uwe , Beltrao Pedro , Saez-Rodriguez Julio
Published: June 2016

Cells react to extracellular perturbations with complex and intertwined responses. Systematic identification of the regulatory mechanisms that control these responses is still a challenge and requires tailored analyses integrating different types of molecular data. Here we acquired time-resolved metabolomics measurements in yeast under salt and pheromone stimulation and developed a machine learning approach to explore regulatory associations between metabolism and signal transduction. Existing phosphoproteomics measurements under the same conditions and kinase-substrate regulatory interactions were used to estimate the enzymatic activity of signalling kinases. Our approach identified informative associations between kinases and metabolic enzymes capable of predicting metabolic changes. We extended our analysis to two studies containing transcriptomics, phosphoproteomics and metabolomics measurements across a comprehensive panel of kinases/phosphatases knockouts and time-resolved perturbations to the nitrogen metabolism, conveying a total of 143 unique conditions. Our approach accurately estimated the change in activity of transcription factors, kinases and phosphatases and these were capable of building predictive models to infer the metabolic adaptations of previously unseen conditions across different dynamic experiments. Time-resolved experiments were significantly more informative than genetic perturbations to infer metabolic adaptation. This difference may be due to the indirect nature of the associations and of general cellular states that can hinder the identification of causal relationships. This work provides a novel genome-scale integrative analysis to propose putative transcriptional and post-translational regulatory mechanisms of metabolic processes.
One critic, two actors: Evidence for covert learning in the basal ganglia
Authors: Topalidou Meropi , Kase Daisuke , Boraud Thomas , Rougier Nicolas P.
Published: June 2016

This paper introduces a new hypothesis concerning the dissociated role of the basal ganglia in the selection and the evaluation of action that has been formulated using a theoretical model and confirmed experimentally in monkeys. To do so, prior to learning, we inactivated the internal part of the Globus Pallidus (GPi, the main output structure of the BG) with injections of muscimol and we tested monkeys on a variant of a two-armed bandit task where two stimuli are associated with two distinct reward probabilities (0.25 and 0.75 respectively). Unsurprisingly, performance in such condition are at the chance level because the output of basal ganglia is suppressed and they cannot influence behaviour. However, the theoretical model predicts that in the meantime, values of the stimuli are nonetheless covertly evaluated and learned. This has been tested and confirmed on the next day, when muscimol has been replaced by a saline solution: monkeys instantly showed significantly improved performances (above chance level), hence demonstrating they have covertly learned the relative value of the two stimuli. This tends to suggest a competition takes place in the Cortex-BG loop between two actors, one of whom being sensitive to criticism and the other not. Ultimately, the actual choice is valuated, independently of the origin of the decision.
Hierarchical effects of pro-inflammatory cytokines on the post-influenza susceptibility to pneumococcal coinfection
Authors: Duvigneau Stefanie , Sharma-Chawla Niharika , Boianelli Alessandro , Stegemann-Koniszewski Sabine , Nguyen Van Kinh , Bruder Dunja , Hernandez-Vargas Esteban A.
Published: June 2016

In the course of influenza A virus (IAV) infections, a secondary bacterial infection frequently leads to serious respiratory conditions provoking high hospitalization and death tolls. Although abundant pro-inflammatory responses have been reported as key contributing factors for these severe dual infections, the relative contribution of cytokines remain largely unclear.

In the current study, mathematical modelling onin vivoexperimental data highlight IFN-γas a decisive candidate responsible for impaired bacterial clearance, thereby promoting bacterial growth and systemic dissemination during acute IAV infection. Moreover, we found a time-dependent detrimental role of IL-6 in curtailing bacterial outgrowth which was however not as distinct as for IFN-γ. Importantly, our results furthermore challenge current beliefs that the TNF-αresponse or the increased availability of nutrients modulated by IAV infection have a central role to the bacterial outgrowth. Ultimately, our findings contribute to a detailed understanding of the mechanisms underlying impaired bacterial clearance following influenza infection.
Genome-wide screen of cell-cycle regulators in normal and tumor cells identifies a differential response to nucleosome depletion
Authors: Sokolova Maria , Turunen Mikko , Mortusewicz Oliver , Kivioja Teemu , Herr Patrick , Vähärautio Anna , Björklund Mikael , Taipale Minna , Helleday Thomas , Taipale Jussi
Published: June 2016

To identify cell cycle regulators that enable cancer cells to replicate DNA and divide in an unrestricted manner, we performed a parallel genome-wide RNAi screen in normal and cancer cell lines. In addition to many shared regulators, we found that tumor and normal cells are differentially sensitive to loss of the histone genes transcriptional regulator CASP8AP2. In cancer cells, loss of CASP8AP2 leads to a failure to synthesize sufficient amount of histones in the S-phase of the cell cycle, resulting in slowing of individual replication forks. Despite this, DNA replication fails to arrest, and tumor cells progress in an elongated S-phase that lasts several days, finally resulting in death of most of the affected cells. In contrast, depletion of CASP8AP2 in normal cells triggers a response that arrests viable cells in S-phase. The arrest is dependent on p53, and preceded by accumulation of markers of DNA damage, indicating that nucleosome depletion is sensed in normal cells via a DNA-damage-like response that is defective in tumor cells.
A discrete event simulation to evaluate the cost effectiveness of germlineBRCA1andBRCA2testing in UK women with ovarian cancer
Authors: Eccleston Anthony , Bentley Anthony , Dyer Matthew , Strydom Ann , Vereecken Wim , George Angela , Rahman Nazneen
Published: June 2016

Objectives

The objective of this study was to evaluate the long-term cost-effectiveness of germlineBRCA1andBRCA2(collectively termed ‘BRCA’) testing in women with epithelial ovarian cancer, and testing for the relevant mutation in first and second degree relatives of BRCA mutation-positive individuals, compared with no testing. Female BRCA mutation-positive relatives of ovarian cancer patients could undergo risk-reducing mastectomy and/or bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy.

Methods

A discrete event simulation model was developed that included the risks of breast and ovarian cancer, the costs, utilities and effects of risk-reducing surgery on cancer rates, and the costs, utilities and mortality rates associated with cancer.

Results

BRCA testing all women with epithelial ovarian cancer each year is cost-effective at a UK willingness-to-pay threshold of £20,000/QALY compared with no testing, with an ICER of £4,339/QALY. The result was primarily driven by fewer cases of breast (142) and ovarian (141) cancer and associated reductions in mortality (77 fewer deaths) in relatives over the subsequent 50 years. Sensitivity analyses showed that the results were robust to variations in the input parameters. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis showed that the probability of germline BRCA mutation testing being cost-effective at a threshold of £20,000/QALY was 99.9%.

Conclusions

Implementing germline BRCA testing in all ovarian cancer patients would be cost-effective in the UK. The consequent reduction of future cases of breast and ovarian cancer in relatives of mutation-positive individuals would ease the burden of cancer treatments in subsequent years and result in significantly better outcomes and reduced mortality rates for these individuals.
Crystal structure of the tetragonal polymorph of bis(1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium) tetrabromidocadmate
Authors: Đorđević Tamara , Gerger Sabrina , Karanović Ljiljana
Published: June 2016

Both unique Cd atoms in the tetragonal polymorph of bis(1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium) tetrabromidocadmate, (C6H11N2)2[CdBr4], occupy special positions (site symmetry -4). The crystal structure consists of isolated tetrahedral [CdBr4]2−anions which are surrounded by 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium cations. The methyl and ethyl side chains of the cations show positional disorder in a 0.590 (11):0.410 (11) ratio. In the crystal, (C6H11N2)+cations display three weak C—H...Br hydrogen-bond interactions through the imidazolium ring H atoms with the Br−ligands of the surrounding complex anions. The alkyl groups of the side chains are not involved in hydrogen bonding.
Di-μ-chlorido-bis({4-[bis(trimethylsilyl)amino]-6-chloro-2,2,8,8-tetramethyl-5,7-bis(trimethylsilyl)-3,5,7-triaza-4,6-diphospha-2,8-disilanon-3-en-4-ido-κ2P,P′}palladium(II)) diethyl ether disolvate
Authors: Höhne Martha , Müller Bernd H. , Spannenberg Anke , Rosenthal Uwe
Published: June 2016

The title compound, [Pd2(C18H54Cl2N4P2Si6)2Cl2]·2C4H10O, features a dinuclear chloride-bridged palladium complex bearing two equivalents of the novel monoanionic mixed valent (λ3-P)—N—(λ5-P) ligand. A metal catalyzed coupling of two aminoiminophosphines and a shift of one chlorine from the metal to the phosphorus results in the (λ3-P)—N—(λ5-P) ligand. The molecule contains a planar bimetallic Pd2Cl2core with a crystallographic centre of inversion at the mid-point of the Pd...Pd line. The Pd atoms are in a distorted square-planar arrangement, where the P/Pd/P and Cl/Pd/Cl planes are twisted with respect to each other by a dihedral angle of 7.57 (4)°. The P—Pd—P bite angle is 71.380 (18)°. Intramolecular C—H...Cl interactions are observed. In the crystal, the diethyl ether solvent molecule is disordered over two sites, with an occupancy ratio of 0.788 (5):0.212 (5).
(4S,5R)-3-(4-Chlorophenyl)-5-(4-methoxyphenyl)-4-methyl-1-phenyl-4,5-dihydro-1H-pyrazole
Authors: Ben Soumane Yahya , Baouid Abdesselam , El Hadrami El Mestafa , El Ammari Lahcen , Saadi Mohamed , Berraho Moha
Published: June 2016

The title compound, C23H21ClN2O, was obtainedviathe condensation oftransanethole [systematic name: (E)-1-Methoxy-4-(1-propenyl)benzene] with diarylnitrilimine. In the molecule, the pyrazole ring adopts a twisted conformation. Dihedral angles between the pyrazole group and the three aromatic subunits (chlorophenyl, methoxyphenyl and phenyl) are 9.44 (14), 83.14 (1) and 20.86 (15)°, respectively. In the crystal, no classic hydrogen bonds are found; however C—H...π interactions link the molecules into chains parallel to thecaxis.
Spinoffs and their endowments: beyond knowledge inheritance theory
Authors: Furlan Andrea , Grandinetti Roberto
Published: June 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to integrate knowledge inheritance theory with the social capital perspective to explain the initial endowments of spinoffs.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors maintain that social capital plays a crucial part, both as a mechanism supporting the generation of intellectual capital prior to a spinoff’s foundation, and as an endowment that complements this capital once the spinoff is founded. Knowledge inheritance remains a fundamental mechanism for the formation of a spinoff’s intellectual capital. Its other endowment, social capital, derives from three types of relationship that future entrepreneurs develop within, through and outside their parent firm, all three of which are crucial to the formation of a spinoff’s intellectual capital.

Findings

– The first result of the theoretical research is an integrative framework of a spinoff’s endowments. Moreover, the authors apply this framework to address two key research questions in the spinoff literature, i.e. whether spinoffs can differ from their parents in terms of intellectual capital; and why spinoffs tend to co-locate near their parents, in geographical clusters. The integrative approach helps to tackle these questions.

Originality/value

– This conceptual paper offers a more comprehensive explanation of the emergence of spinoffs in terms of their initial endowments than the knowledge inheritance theory.