bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
In vitro methods to assess drug precipitation in the fasted small intestine – a PEARRL review
Authors: O'Dwyer Patrick J , Litou Chara , Box Karl J , Dressman Jennifer B , Kostewicz Edmund S , Kuentz Martin , Reppas Christos
Published: June 2018

Objectives

Drug precipitation in vivo poses a significant challenge for the pharmaceutical industry. During the drug development process, the impact of drug supersaturation or precipitation on the in vivo behaviour of drug products is evaluated with in vitro techniques. This review focuses on the small and full scale in vitro methods to assess drug precipitation in the fasted small intestine.

Key findings

Many methods have been developed in an attempt to evaluate drug precipitation in the fasted state, with varying degrees of complexity and scale. In early stages of drug development, when drug quantities are typically limited, small-scale tests facilitate an early evaluation of the potential precipitation risk in vivo and allow rapid screening of prototype formulations. At later stages of formulation development, full-scale methods are necessary to predict the behaviour of formulations at clinically relevant doses. Multicompartment models allow the evaluation of drug precipitation after transfer from stomach to the upper small intestine. Optimisation of available biopharmaceutics tools for evaluating precipitation in the fasted small intestine is crucial for accelerating the development of novel breakthrough medicines and reducing the development costs.

Despite the progress from compendial quality control dissolution methods, further work is required to validate the usefulness of proposed setups and to increase their biorelevance, particularly in simulating the absorption of drug along the intestinal lumen. Coupling results from in vitro testing with physiologically based pharmacokinetic modelling holds significant promise and requires further evaluation.
Psychopharmacological effects and safety of styryl-2-pyrones and dihydrostyryl-2-pyrones-rich fraction from Polygala sabulosa: absence of withdrawal syndrome and tolerance to anxiolytic-like and anticonvulsant effects
Authors: Duarte Filipe Silveira , Duzzioni Marcelo , Prim Rafael Luiz , Cardozo Alcíbia Maia , dos Santos Claudia Regina , da Silva Maria Goretti , Shiozawa Maria Beatriz Cacese , Mendes Beatriz Garcia , Tizziani Tiago , Brighente Inês Maria Costa , Pizzolatti Moacir Geraldo , de Lima Thereza Christina Monteiro
Published: June 2018

Objectives

To investigate whether mice develop tolerance to the anxiolytic-like and anticonvulsant effects of subchronic treatment with EA (the styryl-2-pyrones and dihydrostyryl-2-pyrones-rich fraction of Polygala sabulosa), as well as any withdrawal symptoms after abrupt discontinuation; to compare the effects of EA with those of diazepam (DZP) on withdrawal-induced anxiety; and to evaluate the toxicity of EA according to OECD guidelines.

Methods

Male or female mice were acutely or subchronically treated with EA or DZP, and their tolerance to anxiolytic (evaluated in the elevated plus maze, EPM) and anticonvulsant effects (measured against pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)-induced convulsions) were investigated. Other groups received EA or DZP for 28 days followed by withdrawal, being the anxiety-like behaviour evaluated in the EPM.

Key findings

Both acute and subchronic treatments with EA induced an anxiolytic effect in the EPM. The anticonvulsant activity of DZP, but not EA, was reduced by protracted treatment. EA withdrawal retained the anxiolytic profile, while DZP withdrawal induced anxiogenesis. EA counteracted the anxiogenic-like actions of DZP withdrawal. EA has low toxicity as it did not cause any changes in the biochemical, haematological and histopathological markers.

Conclusions

EA avoids the development of tolerance to its anxiolytic-like and anticonvulsant actions, and does not promote withdrawal syndrome. EA does not cause relevant toxic effects in rodents.
A cost‐based approach for calculating royalties for standard‐essential patents (SEPs)
Authors: Friedl Gunther , Ann Christoph
Published: June 2018

We propose and discuss a novel approach for calculating FRAND royalties based upon average total cost per patent plus a reasonable return for the patent holder. Our approach relies upon principles common in regulated industries such as telecommunication networks. Compared to existing approaches that use net sales or fractions thereof as the basis for royalty calculation, our approach has the advantage of arriving at an estimate for FRAND royalties without the need to rely upon comparable licensing transactions. Thus, our approach helps to more accurately define royalty ranges that are FRAND compliant.
Effects of Data‐Based Individualization for Students with Intensive Learning Needs: A Meta‐Analysis
Authors: Jung Pyung‐Gang , McMaster Kristen L. , Kunkel Amy K. , Shin Jaehyun , Stecker Pamela M.
Published: June 2018

We examined the mean effect of teachers’ use of data‐based individualization (DBI) on the performance of students with intensive learning needs across academic areas and factors influencing the effects of DBI on student achievement. A total of 57 effect sizes from 14 studies were categorized into two comparisons: DBI Only (comparisons between DBI and a business‐as‐usual control) and DBI Plus (comparisons in which DBI implementers had access to additional information on student performance while they implemented DBI, compared to a control). The mean effect of DBI Only on student performance was g = 0.37; the mean effect of DBI Plus was g = 0.38. Differential effects of DBI were found depending on the nature of CBM tasks, frequency of CBM administration, and type and frequency of supports provided to teachers. Findings support the use of DBI to enhance student outcomes across academic areas.
Metformin and risk of hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with type 2 diabetes
Authors: Tseng Chin‐Hsiao
Published: June 2018

Background

Whether metformin may reduce hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) risk requires confirmation.

Methods

Type 2 diabetes patients newly diagnosed during 1999‐2005 and with 2 or more prescriptions of antidiabetic drugs were enrolled from the Taiwan’s National Health Insurance database. A total of 173 917 ever‐users and 21 900 never‐users of metformin were identified (unmatched cohort). A 1:1 matched‐pair cohort of 21 900 ever‐users and 21 900 never‐users based on a propensity score (PS) was created. Hazard ratios were estimated by Cox regression incorporated with the inverse probability of treatment weighting using the PS. In addition, interactions with aspirin and statin were evaluated.

Results

In the unmatched cohort, 619 never‐users and 2642 ever‐users developed HCC, with a respective incidence of 668.0 and 330.7 per 100 000 person‐years and an overall hazard ratio of 0.49 (95% confidence interval: 0.45‐0.54). The hazard ratios for the first (<25.7 months), second (25.7‐56.9 months) and third (>56.9 months) tertile of cumulative duration of metformin therapy were 0.89 (0.81‐0.98), 0.50 (0.46‐0.56) and 0.23 (0.21‐0.26) respectively. Analyses of the matched cohort showed an overall hazard ratio of 0.76 (0.67‐0.85), and the hazard ratios for the respective tertiles were 1.39 (1.19‐1.62), 0.77 (0.65‐0.91) and 0.37 (0.30‐0.45). Aspirin and statin were observed to have a significant interaction with metformin.

Conclusions

Metformin was associated with a reduced risk of HCC in a dose‐response pattern. Users of both metformin and aspirin or metformin and statin had the lowest risk.
Evaluation of three‐dimensional superimposition technique on parietal bone of the puberty beagle dogs
Authors: Yang Xin , Xiao Chang , Liu Fen , Jian Fan , Yang Li'an , Nie Hong , Wu Jianyong
Published: June 2018

Objectives

This study aimed to (a) evaluate the stability of the parietal bone of 6–9 months old beagles and (b) examine whether parietal regional superimposition can provide an atraumatic and effective solution for further maxillary expansion study.

Materials and Methods

Six prepubertal 6‐month‐old male beagles were included. Six miniscrew markers were inserted into the left and right sides of the parietal bone, and two of them were placed bilaterally near the palatal suture. The subjects were scanned with cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) at three time points of T0 (6 months old), T1 (7.5 months old) and T2 (9 months old), respectively. All skull models were analyzed by both the miniscrew superimposition and the parietal regional superimposition.

Results

The two superimposition methods had no significant difference (p > 0.05) in displacements of miniscrew markers between left and right first premolars (PM1). The maxillary superimposition between T0 and T2 indicated that the length and width of the maxillary as well as the width of the zygoma root increased significantly (p < 0.05), while the height of maxillary had no significant difference (p > 0.05) over the 3 months.

Conclusions

The parietal bone is relatively stable for beagles from 6 months old to 9 months old and thus can be used as a reference region for 3D skull model superimposition of the beagle dog.
Predictive validity of the R‐URICA
Authors: Tambling Rachel R. , Johnson Lee N.
Published: June 2018

Objectives

Measuring client motivation to change, and then using information from that assessment to plan and conduct treatment, has been of great interest to therapists. Researchers have modified a measure of motivation to change to develop the R‐URICA (Tambling & Johnson, 2012, Fam. J., 20, 59).

Design

This manuscript presents the results of an exploration of the validity of the R‐URICA in a sample of individuals in couple therapy. Sample included 581 couples from a treatment‐as‐usual sample of counselling clinic clients. This study presents the results of inquiry into the ways in which scores on the R‐URICA are modified over time in therapy, an indicator of the predictive validity of the instrument.

Measures

R‐URICA, RDAS.

Results

Results indicated that scores on the Action Subscale of the R‐URICA change over time, indicating that therapy positively impacts this aspect of motivation to change. Results also suggested that the aspects of the R‐URICA are related to where couples present for couple therapy and changes in dyadic adjustment in couple therapy.

Practitioner points

Practitioners should inquire about motivation to change at the outset of therapy. Further, practitioners should be sensitive to differences in motivation to change among families or couples as not all clients may be equally motivated.

Practitioners may wish to devote time to engagement of male partners in therapy as males are more variable in their motivation to change and seem to impact outcomes.

Practitioners may wish to consider the use of the R‐URICA as an alternative measure of motivation to change in therapy.
Anther smut disease caused by Microbotryum on berry campion Silene baccifera: endemic pathogen or host shift?
Authors: Tyson D. A. , Antonovics J. , Bruns E. L.
Published: June 2018

This research investigated whether anther smut disease caused by Microbotryum violaceum agg. on Silene baccifera in Europe is caused by a host‐specific lineage, or if it represents a host shift of the pathogen from a related species. Characterization of ITS sequences of anther smut from S. baccifera confirmed their strong similarity to the pathogen endemic on Silene latifolia. Cross‐inoculation studies showed that S. baccifera was susceptible to anther smut isolates from S. latifolia, S. dioica and S. vulgaris; conversely isolates from S. baccifera could cause disease on S. latifolia. In an experimental field study, spore transmission from diseased S. latifolia to healthy S. baccifera was rare relative to intraspecific transmission within S. latifolia. The distribution of anther smut in natural populations based on herbarium specimens indicated that disease occurrence on S. baccifera was very sporadic. These findings strongly suggest that anther smut disease on S. baccifera in Europe is usually a temporary host shift from the self‐sustaining populations of Microbotryum on other species.
Effects of five cryoprotectants on proliferation and differentiation‐related gene expression of frozen‐thawed bovine calf testicular tissue
Authors: Li Hao , Bian Yi‐Lin , Schreurs Nicola , Zhang Xiao‐Gang , Raza Sayed Haidar Abbas , Fang Qian , Wang Li‐Qiang , Hu Jian‐Hong
Published: June 2018

The cryopreservation of testicular tissue is a potential method for preserving male fertility. However, the effect of cryopreservation on bovine calf testicular tissue is scarce. This study investigated the effect of different cryoprotectants on bovine calf testicular tissue at the molecular level. Testicular tissue from ten immature bovine calves (6 months) was collected after slaughter and cryopreserved in an extender containing different concentrations of the following five cryopreservation solutions (CP): bovine serum albumin (BSA) with 5% dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), trehalose with 5% DMSO, DMSO and glycerol and ethylene glycol (EG). After 7‐day cryopreservation, the expression levels of three spermatogonial stem cell (SSC)‐related genes, octamer‐4 (OCT4), KIT ligand (MGF/SCF) and kit oncogene (C‐KIT), were investigated by quantitative PCR (qPCR). The cell viability was highest for the tissues preserved with 30 mg/ml BSA (77.82% ± 1.22) and 40 mg/ml trehalose (74.23% ± 1.16) compared with other groups (p < 0.05), and the level of expression of the three genes was highest with 30 mg/ml BSA (p < 0.05). Compared with other CPs, the 30 mg/ml BSA and 40 mg/ml trehalose have the better cryopreserve protection. The 30 mg/ml BSA is the most viable media for the cryopreservation of testicular tissue from cattle.
Canine cryptorchidism: An update
Authors: Khan Firdous A. , Gartley Cathy J. , Khanam Afroza
Published: June 2018

Contents

This review article is aimed at providing an update on canine cryptorchidism based on the research studies published in this area over the last 26 years. Although a majority of these research studies were directed at investigating the genetic and molecular basis of cryptorchidism, the mechanisms underlying this problem in dogs are still not clear. Future studies using advanced genomic and molecular approaches and including a larger number of dogs of multiple breeds are required to further our understanding of canine cryptorchidism. Diagnosis and treatment of cryptorchidism in dogs have not received much attention. Research advancements include investigation of ultrasonography and anti‐Müllerian hormone assay as potential diagnostic methods. Advancements in treatment include the use of laparoscopic‐assisted cryptorchidectomy. Based on the available literature, this method appears to be the best for removal of abdominal cryptorchid testes from dogs. However, future studies that compare laparoscopic‐assisted cryptorchidectomy with the traditional approaches are required for a more conclusive determination of the best method for cryptorchidectomy in dogs.
Advancing Risk‐Informed Decision Making in Managing Defense Nuclear Waste in the United States: Opportunities and Challenges for Risk Analysis
Authors: Greenberg Michael R. , Apostolakis George , Fields Timothy , Goldstein Bernard D. , Kosson David , Krahn Steven , Matthews R. Bruce , Rispoli James , Stewart Jane , Stewart Richard
Published: June 2018

An omnibus spending bill in 2014 directed the Department of Energy to analyze how effectively Department of Energy (DOE) identifies, programs, and executes its plans to address public health and safety risks that remain as part of DOE's remaining environmental cleanup liabilities. A committee identified two dozen issues and associated recommendations for the DOE, other federal agencies, and the U.S. Congress to consider, as well as other stakeholders such as states and tribal nations. In regard to risk assessment, the committee described a risk review process that uses available data, expert experience, identifies major data gaps, permits input from key stakeholders, and creates an ordered set of risks based on what is known. Probabilistic risk assessments could be a follow‐up from these risk reviews. In regard to risk management, the states, in particular, have become major drivers of how resources are driven. States use different laws, different priorities, and challenge DOE's policies in different ways. Land use decisions vary, technology choices are different, and other notable variations are apparent. The cost differences associated with these differences are marked. The net result is that resources do not necessarily go to the most prominent human health and safety risks, as seen from the national level.
How a terror attack affects right‐wing authoritarianism, social dominance orientation, and their relationship to torture attitudes
Authors: Lindén Magnus , Björklund Fredrik , Bäckström Martin
Published: June 2018

Self‐reported level of right‐wing authoritarianism (RWA), the two facets of social dominance orientation (SDO‐Dominance and SDO‐Egalitarianism) and pro‐torture attitudes were measured both in the immediate aftermath (terror salience, N = 152) of the terror attacks in Paris and Brussels and when terrorism was not salient (non‐salience, N = 140). Results showed that RWA and pro‐torture attitudes, but not SDO‐Dominance and SDO‐Egalitarianism, were significantly higher immediately after. Furthermore, RWA and SDO both predicted pro‐torture attitudes more strongly under terror salience. We argue that the reason why RWA is higher under terror salience is a response to external threat, and that SDO‐Dominance may be more clearly related to acceptance of torture and other human‐rights violations, across context. Future research on the effects of terror‐related events on sociopolitical and pro‐torture attitudes should focus on person‐situation interactions and also attempt to discriminate between trait and state aspects of authoritarianism.
Participation in organized sports is associated with decreased likelihood of unhealthy lifestyle habits in adolescents
Authors: Torstveit Monica Klungland , Johansen Bjørn Tore , Haugland Siri Håvås , Stea Tonje Holte
Published: June 2018

Adolescence is a pivotal time for investing in both present and future health. Thus, it is important to identify arenas for promoting positive adolescent health behaviors and preventing negative ones. The aim of this study was to investigate the associations between organized sports participation (OSP) and a broad range of lifestyle habits in Norwegian adolescents. A comprehensive survey was completed by 13 269 junior high and high school students in southern Norway. Multivariable binary logistic regression models, adjusted for gender, age, and parental education, were used to investigate the associations between OSP and adolescent substance use, dietary habits, physical activity level, passive vs active transportation, screen time, and sleep duration. Inverse associations were found between OSP and adolescent substance use (odds ratio 0.40 [95% confidence interval 0.30‐0.52] to 0.68 [0.61‐0.76]), irregular consumption of main meals (0.58 [0.53‐0.63] to 0.78 [0.70‐0.89]), high intake of unhealthy food and beverages (0.55 [0.47‐0.65] to 0.86 [0.75‐0.98]), low intake of healthy food items (0.57 [0.51‐0.63] to 0.77 [0.70‐0.84]), low physical activity level (0.15 [0.14‐0.17]), high screen‐based activity (0.61 [0.55‐0.67]), passive vs active transportation (summer; 0.79 [0.72‐0.86] and winter; 0.84 [0.77‐0.92]), and short sleep duration, during both weekdays (0.57 [0.52‐0.63]) and weekends (0.79 [0.69‐0.89]). In conclusion, adolescents participating in organized sports had decreased odds for engaging in several unhealthy lifestyle habits compared with non‐participants, indicating that organized sports may be a relevant setting for promoting healthy behaviors among adolescents. Future studies are, however, needed to confirm a possible causal relationship.
Validity and reliability of methods to microscopically detect and quantify malaria parasitaemia
Authors: Mischlinger Johannes , Pitzinger Paul , Veletzky Luzia , Groger Mirjam , Zoleko‐Manego Rella , Adegnika Ayola A. , Agnandji Selidji T. , Lell Bertrand , Kremsner Peter G. , Mombo‐Ngoma Ghyslain , Mordmüller Benjamin , Ramharter Michael
Published: June 2018

Objectives

The recommended microscopy method by WHO to quantify malaria parasitaemia yields inaccurate results when individual leucocyte (WBC) counts deviate from 8000 leucocytes/μl. A method avoiding WBC count assumptions is the Lambaréné method (LAMBA). Thus, this study compared validity and reliability of the LAMBA and the WHO method.

Methods

Three methods for counting parasitaemia were applied in parallel in a blinded assessment: the LAMBA, the WHO method using a standard factor of 8000 leucocytes/μl [‘simple WHO method’ (sWHO)] and the WHO method using measured WBC counts [‘accurate WHO method’ (aWHO)]. Validity was assessed by comparing LAMBA and sWHO to the gold standard measurement of aWHO. Reliability was ascertained by computation of intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs).

Results

787 malaria‐positive thick smears were analysed. Parasitaemia as determined by LAMBA and sWHO increasingly deviated from aWHO the more patients’ WBCs diverged from 8000/μl. Equations of linear regression models assessing method deviation in percent from gold standard as function of WBC count were y = −0.00608x (95% CI −0.00693 to −0.00524) + 47.8 for LAMBA and y = −0.0125x (95% CI −0.01253 to −0.01247) + 100.1 for sWHO. Comparison of regression slopes showed that the deviation was twice as high for sWHO as for LAMBA (P < 0.001). ICCs were excellent (>90%) for both methods.

Conclusions

The LAMBA has higher validity than the sWHO and may therefore be preferable in resource‐limited settings without access to routine WBC‐evaluation.
The impact of common native language and immigration on imports
Authors: Egger Peter H. , Lassmann Andrea
Published: June 2018

This paper sheds light on the impact of common native language and immigration—both jointly and separately—on imports. Common native language and immigrant networks stimulate bilateral trade relationships by reducing transaction costs through both market creation and the removal of information asymmetries. Whereas evidence on the importance of weak links for trade provides support for the first channel, the need for additional immigrants does not decline, if the second mechanism proves to be a driver of trade relationships. For estimation of a causal and nonlinear effect of the two—common native language and immigration—on imports, we employ a flexible identification strategy, which allows common native language and migration to be endogenous. The results suggest that both common native language and immigration raise imports, but the impact of common native language is ever increasing with its level, whereas that of immigration is of declining importance as its level increases.
Musculoskeletal Pain and Headache in the Active Duty Military Population: An Integrative Review
Authors: Bader Christine E. , Giordano Nicholas A. , McDonald Catherine C. , Meghani Salimah H. , Polomano Rosemary C.
Published: June 2018

Background

Since 2001, the U.S. Armed Forces’ training and deployment have greatly increased, escalating the risk of injury and pain‐related issues both at home station and deployment environments.

Aims

This integrative review examines the incidence, prevalence, and risk factors for musculoskeletal pain (MSP) and headaches in active duty (AD) military populations.

Methods

Peer‐reviewed research published between 2001 and 2016 was identified relevant to MSP and headache in AD military personnel using MeSH terms in key biomedical databases. Inclusion criteria were: epidemiological studies examining MSP or headache as primary or secondary outcome; samples that included AD populations; and studies conducted in the theater of operations, at home station, and in military treatment or Veterans Health Administration facilities.

Results

Twenty‐six articles met inclusion criteria. Low back pain (LBP) was the most prevalent MSP diagnosis. The incidence of LBP was 40.5 per 1,000 person‐years and was comparable to nonmilitary populations. Inflammation and pain from overuse comprised the largest proportion of injury mechanism, accounting for about 82% of all injuries among nondeployed military personnel. The risk of MSP was greater for AD, female, Army, enlisted personnel, and those with greater time in a motor vehicle. Evidence suggests posttraumatic headache, occurring in up to 92% of military personnel who have sustained a mild traumatic brain injury, is associated with chronic daily headaches.

Implications

Nurses must recognize the consequences military service can have on the development of pain. Nurses have an opportunity to positively impact the health and well‐being of military and veteran populations through early recognition and treatment of pain.

Linking Evidence to Action

The findings from this review underscore considerable magnitude of MSP in military personnel and expose modifiable risk factors and potential targets for designing nurse‐led interventions to improve pain and symptoms in military subpopulations.
Wideband compressive beamforming tomography for drive-by large-scale acoustic source mapping
Authors: Tuna Cagdas , Jones Douglas L. , Zhao Shengkui , Nguyen Thi Ngoc Tho
Published: June 2018

Noise-mapping is an effective sound visualization tool for the identification of urban noise hotspots, which is crucial to taking targeted measures to tackle environmental noise pollution. This paper develops a high-resolution wideband acoustic source mapping methodology using a portable microphone array, where the joint localization and power spectrum estimation of individual sources sparsely distributed over a large region are achieved by tomographic imaging with the multi-frequency delay-and-sum beamforming power outputs from multiple array positions. Exploiting the fact that a wideband source has a common spatial signal-support across the frequency spectrum, two-dimensional tomographic maps are produced by applying compressive sensing techniques including group least absolute shrinkage selection operator formulation and sparse Bayesian learning to promote group sparsity over multiple frequency bands. The high-resolution mapping is demonstrated with experimental data recorded with a microphone array mounted atop an electric vehicle driven along a road while playing audio clips from a loudspeaker positioned within the adjacent open field.
Sparse sound field decomposition for super-resolution in recording and reproduction
Authors: Koyama Shoichi , Murata Naoki , Saruwatari Hiroshi
Published: June 2018

A sound field recording and reproduction method based on sparse sound field decomposition is proposed. Most current methods are based on plane-wave or harmonic decomposition of the pressure distribution obtained by microphones, which leads to spatial aliasing artifacts with severe effects. This paper proposes a method for sound field decomposition based on a generative model of the sound field consisting of near-field source components and far-field plane-wave components. Since the distribution of the near-field source components can be assumed to be spatially sparse, the pressure distribution obtained by the microphones can be decomposed into these two components using sparse decomposition algorithms. Using the proposed method, the sound field can be more accurately interpolated and super-resolution in recording and reproduction can be achieved. Experimental results show that the reproduction accuracy above the spatial Nyquist frequency determined by the microphone intervals was improved compared with that of the current methods.
Empirical Bayes based relative impulse response estimation
Authors: Giri Ritwik , Srikrishnan Tharun Adithya , Rao Bhaskar D. , Zhang Tao
Published: June 2018

Relative impulse responses (ReIRs) have several applications in speech enhancement, noise suppression and source localization for multi-channel speech processing in reverberant environments. Estimating the ReIRs can be reduced to a system identification problem. A system identification method using an empirical Bayes framework is proposed and its application for spatial source subtraction in audio signal processing is evaluated. The proposed estimator allows for incorporating prior structure information of the system into the estimation procedure, leading to an improved performance especially in the presence of noise. The estimator utilizes the sparse Bayesian learning algorithm with appropriate priors to characterize both the early reflections and reverberant tails. The mean squared error of the proposed estimator is studied and an extensive experimental study with real-world recordings is conducted to show the efficacy of the proposed approach over other competing approaches.
Resolution enhancement of two-dimensional grid-free compressive beamforming
Authors: Yang Yang , Chu Zhigang , Ping Guoli , Xu Zhongming
Published: June 2018

Reconstructing the acoustic source distribution via imposing a sparsity constraint on a continuum, the atomic norm minimization (ANM) based grid-free compressive beamforming can eliminate the basis mismatch of conventional grid-based compressive beamforming. However, it works well only for sufficiently separated sources, which prohibits high resolution. The drawback arises because it uses an atomic norm to measure the source sparsity, while the atomic norm is not a direct sparse metric and its minimization is equivalent to the sparsity constraint only when the sources are sufficiently separated. This paper devotes itself to overcoming the drawback for the two-dimensional ANM based grid-free compressive beamforming. First, a sparse metric that can promote sparsity to a greater extent than the atomic norm is proposed. Then, using this metric a minimization problem is formulated and the majorization−minimization (MM) solving algorithm is introduced. MM iteratively conducts atomic norm minimization with a sound reweighting strategy, and therefore the developed method can be termed as iterative reweighted atomic norm minimization (IRANM). Both simulations and experiments demonstrate that whether a standard uniform rectangular array or a non-uniform array constituted by a small number of microphones is utilized, IRANM can overcome the drawback and thus enhance the resolution.
Reconstruction of the sound field in a room using compressive sensing
Authors: Verburg Samuel A. , Fernandez-Grande Efren
Published: June 2018

Capturing the impulse or frequency response functions within extended regions of a room requires an unfeasible number of measurements. In this study, a method to reconstruct the response at arbitrary points based on compressive sensing (CS) is examined. The sound field is expanded into plane waves and their amplitudes are estimated via CS, obtaining a spatially sparse representation of the sound field. The validity of the CS assumptions are discussed, namely, the assumption of the wave field spatial sparsity (which depends strongly on the properties of the specific room), and the coherence of the sensing matrix due to different spatial sampling schemes. An experimental study is presented in order to analyze the accuracy of the reconstruction. Measurements with a scanning robotic arm make it possible to circumvent uncertainty due to positioning and transducer mismatch, and examine the accuracy of the reconstruction over extended regions of space. The results indicate that near perfect reconstructions are possible at low frequencies, even from a limited set of measurements. In addition, the study shows that it is possible to reconstruct damped room responses with reasonable accuracy well into the mid-frequency range.
Time delay estimation based on log-sum and lp-norm penalized minor component analysis
Authors: Lim Jun-Seok , Pang Hee-Suk , Lee Keunhwa
Published: June 2018

Time-delay estimation (TDE), which measures the relative time delay between different receivers, is a fundamental approach for identifying, localizing, and tracking radiating sources. The generalized cross-correlation method is the most popular and is well explained in a landmark paper by Knapp and Carter [(1976). IEEE Trans. Acoust. Speech Signal Process. 24(4), 320–327]. Adaptive eigenvalue decomposition- (EVD) based algorithms have also been developed to improve TDE performance, especially in reverberant environments. This paper extends the adaptive EVD algorithm to utilize the sparsity in transfer channel between source and receivers. Two estimation algorithms based on the log-sum and lp-norm penalized minor component analysis by excitatory and inhibitory learning rules is proposed. In addition, simulations with uncorrelated, correlated noise and reverberation for several signal-to-noise ratios are performed to show the improved estimation performance in noise and reverberation.
Statistics on noise covariance matrix for covariance fitting-based compressive sensing direction-of-arrival estimation algorithm: For use with optimization via regularization
Authors: Paik Ji Woong , Hong Wooyoung , Ahn Jae-Kyun , Lee Joon-Ho
Published: June 2018

A covariance fitting algorithm for the estimation of direction-of-arrivals of multiple incident signals is addressed in this paper. The scheme takes advantage of the fact that the incident signals are spatially sparse. A previous study has presented the regularization parameters of the covariance fitting for a very large number of snapshots. In this paper, a strategy on how to determine the regularization constant of the covariance fitting for a general number of snapshots is presented. The strategy essentially exploits the norm of the noise covariance matrix. The proposed algorithm has been validated via numerical simulations.
Sequential adaptive elastic net approach for single-snapshot source localization
Authors: Tabassum Muhammad Naveed , Ollila Esa
Published: June 2018

This paper proposes efficient algorithms for accurate recovery of direction-of-arrivals (DoAs) of sources from single-snapshot measurements using compressed beamforming (CBF). In CBF, the conventional sensor array signal model is cast as an underdetermined complex-valued linear regression model and sparse signal recovery methods are used for solving the DoA finding problem. A complex-valued pathwise weighted elastic net (c-PW-WEN) algorithm is developed that finds solutions at the knots of penalty parameter values over a path (or grid) of elastic net (EN) tuning parameter values. c-PW-WEN also computes least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) or weighted LASSO in its path. A sequential adaptive EN (SAEN) method is then proposed that is based on c-PW-WEN algorithm with adaptive weights that depend on previous solution. Extensive simulation studies illustrate that SAEN improves the probability of exact recovery of true support compared to conventional sparse signal recovery approaches such as LASSO, EN, or orthogonal matching pursuit in several challenging multiple target scenarios. The effectiveness of SAEN is more pronounced in the presence of high mutual coherence.
Sparse broadband time varying acoustic response modeling and estimation from an undersampled vertical array with application to underwater communications
Authors: Gendron Paul J.
Published: June 2018

Sparse broadband time varying acoustic response functions associated with horizontally stratified environments can be well estimated from an undersampled vertical array. The sparsity of the arrivals here is captured by means of a two component Gaussian mixture model. The implied posterior expectation of the bifrequency function serves to attenuate low amplitude non-coherent arrivals while leaving coherent arrivals at the array unchanged. This estimate of the acoustic response specifies a time varying increment operator that unravels the time varying motion between the source and receiver array allowing for a further sparsification of the response. This additional improved sparsity allows for improved coherent multipath combining at the receiver. The model is applied to a three element vertical array during a set of broadband acoustic observations in the shallow waters of Buzzard's Bay, MA. M-ary orthogonal spread spectrum acoustic transmissions at 32.5 kHz center frequency and 25 kHz bandwidth are considered. With M = 4, throughput rates of 95 bps are tested. At 2 km and at a receive signal-to-noise ratio per element of −15.5 dB, a 3 element undersampled vertical array achieved bit error rates less than 10−5.
Processor dependent bias of spatial spectral estimates from coprime sensor arrays
Authors: Bautista Radienxe , Buck John R.
Published: June 2018

Coprime sensor arrays (CSAs) can estimate the directions of arrival of O(MN) narrowband plane wave sources using only O(M+N) sensors with the CSA product processor. Processing data from a finite aperture array effectively smears the true spatial power spectral density (PSD) with a kernel function determined by both the array geometry and the processing of the signals observed by the array. This paper examines the asymptotic behaviors of the kernel functions resulting from two different processors applied to a CSA sampling geometry in the limit of large aperture. The kernel functions of the product processed CSA and conventionally beamformed coprime sensor arrays (CBF CSA) are compared to the baseline of the kernel of a densely populated uniform line array (ULA) of similar aperture. At the limit of large aperture, the product processed CSA estimate is asymptotically unbiased like the ULA, while the CBF CSA estimate is not. The PSD estimates computed from the CSA processors are compared when spatially correlated Gaussian noise is an input to the array to highlight the bias issues.
Compressive acoustic holography with block-sparse regularization
Authors: Fernandez-Grande Efren , Daudet Laurent
Published: June 2018

Sparse reconstruction methods, such as Compressive Sensing, are powerful methods in acoustic array processing, as they make wideband reconstruction possible. However, when addressing sound fields that are not necessarily sparse (e.g., in acoustic near-fields, reflective environments, extended sources, etc.), the methods can lead to a poor reconstruction of the sound field. This study examines the use of sparse analysis priors to promote block-sparse solutions. In particular, a Fused Total Generalized Variation (F-TGV) method is developed, to analyze the sound field in the near-field of acoustic sources. The method promotes sparsity both on the spatial derivatives of the solution and on the solution itself, thus seeking solutions where the non-zero coefficients are grouped together. The performance of the method is examined numerically and experimentally, and compared with established methods. The results indicate that the F-TGV method is suitable to examine both compact and spatially extended sources. The method is promising for its generality, robustness to noise, and the capability to provide a wideband reconstruction of sound fields that are not necessarily sparse.
Comparison between adaptive and adjustment procedures for binaural loudness balancing
Authors: Van Eeckhoutte Maaike , Spirrov Dimitar , Francart Tom
Published: June 2018

Binaural loudness balancing is performed in research and clinical practice when fitting bilateral hearing devices, and is particularly important for bimodal listeners, who have a bilateral combination of a hearing aid and a cochlear implant. In this study, two psychophysical binaural loudness balancing procedures were compared. Two experiments were carried out. In the first experiment, the effect of procedure (adaptive or adjustment) on the balanced loudness levels was investigated using noise band stimuli, of which some had a frequency shift to simulate bimodal hearing. In the second experiment, the adjustment procedure was extended. The effect of the starting level of the adjustment procedure was investigated and the two procedures were again compared for different reference levels and carrier frequencies. Fourteen normal hearing volunteers participated in the first experiment, and 38 in the second experiment. Although the final averaged loudness balanced levels of both procedures were similar, the adjustment procedure yielded smaller standard deviations across four test sessions. The results of experiment 2 demonstrated that in order to avoid bias, the adjustment procedure should be conducted twice, once starting from below and once from above the expected balanced loudness level.
Sparse regularization for reconstructing transient sources with time domain nearfield acoustical holography
Authors: Attendu Jean-Michel , Ross Annie
Published: June 2018

In this paper, the ℓ1-norm sparse regularization method is applied to the time domain reconstruction of transient acoustic fields such as impulse noise. This method properly reconstructs the back-propagated sound field where its amplitude should be null: for transient sources, this occurs mostly for positions and times that precede the arrival of the first wave front. Therefore, it significantly reduces causal errors typically found in time domain reconstruction when standard Tikhonov regularizations is applied. The reconstructions obtained from both Tikhonov and sparse regularization methods are compared using a transient baffled piston model, and show that the global root-mean-square (RMS) error is significantly reduced when using sparse regularization. The improvement provided depends on the level of sparsity of the reconstructed signal. For the studied cases, it can represent a reduction of the global RMS error by up to a factor of 3. The performance of Pareto frontier curve for predicting the optimal sparse regularization parameter is examined; it leads to accurate predictions especially for lower noise levels. Finally, sparse regularization is applied to experimental data over time and spatial domains in order to obtain an accurate reconstruction of the transient sound field produced by an impacted plate.
Introduction to compressive sensing in acoustics
Authors: Gerstoft Peter , Mecklenbräuker Christoph F. , Seong Woojae , Bianco Michael
Published: June 2018

Compressive sensing (CS) in acoustics has received significant attention in the last decade, and thus motivates this special issue. CS emerged from the signal processing and applied math community and has since generated compelling results in acoustics. This special issue primarily addresses the acoustics CS topics of compressive beamforming and holography. For a sound field observed on a sensor array, CS reconstructs the direction of arrival of multiple sources using a sparsity constraint. Similarly, in holography a sparsity constraint gives improved sound field reconstruction over conventional ℓ2-regularization. Other topics in this issue include sparse array configurations (as co-arrays) and sparse sensing in acoustic communication.
Maternal Soluble Fiber Diet during Pregnancy Changes the Intestinal Microbiota, Improves Growth Performance, and Reduces Intestinal Permeability in Piglets
Authors: Cheng Chuanshang , Wei Hongkui , Xu Chuanhui , Xie Xiaowei , Jiang Siwen , Peng Jian
Published: June 2018

Although the direct effects of dietary soluble fiber on gut microbiota have been extensively studied, the more indirect effects of maternal nutrition solely during pregnancy on the development of the offspring's intestine are until now largely unexplored. Our data show that a maternal soluble fiber diet during pregnancy is independently associated with changes in the intestinal microbiota composition and metabolism of suckling piglets. These findings have direct implications for refining dietary recommendations in pregnancy. Moreover, a maternal soluble fiber diet reduces intestinal permeability and prevents intestinal inflammation and an excessive systemic immune response of suckling piglets. Therefore, the suckling piglets' resistance to disease was enhanced, diarrhea was reduced, and weight gain was raised. Additionally, the changes in gut microbiota in response to a maternal soluble fiber diet may also be directly correlated with the offspring's growth and gut development.
Plasmodium vivax Merozoite Surface Protein 1 Paralog as a Mediator of Parasite Adherence to Reticulocytes
Authors: Han Jin-Hee , Cho Jee-Sun , Cheng Yang , Muh Fauzi , Yoo Won Gi , Russell Bruce , Nosten Francois , Na Sunghun , Ha Kwon-Soo , Park Won Sun , Hong Seok-Ho , Han Eun-Taek
Published: June 2018

Plasmodium vivax
parasites preferentially invade reticulocytes in human beings.
P. vivax
merozoite surface protein 1 (PvMSP1) and PvMSP1 paralog (PvMSP1P) may have important functions in reticulocyte adherence during invasion.
The Protozoan Parasite Toxoplasma gondii Selectively Reprograms the Host Cell Translatome
Authors: Leroux Louis-Philippe , Lorent Julie , Graber Tyson E. , Chaparro Visnu , Masvidal Laia , Aguirre Maria , Fonseca Bruno D. , van Kempen Léon C. , Alain Tommy , Larsson Ola , Jaramillo Maritza
Published: June 2018

The intracellular parasiteToxoplasma gondiipromotes infection by targeting multiple host cell processes; however, whether it modulates mRNA translation is currently unknown. Here, we show that infection of primary murine macrophages with type I or IIT. gondiistrains causes a profound perturbation of the host cell translatome.
Transgenic Eimeria tenella Expressing Profilin of Eimeria maxima Elicits Enhanced Protective Immunity and Alters Gut Microbiome of Chickens
Authors: Tang Xinming , Suo Jingxia , Li Chao , Du Mengze , Wang Chaoyue , Hu Dandan , Duan Chunhui , Lyu Yanli , Liu Xianyong , Suo Xun
Published: June 2018

Coccidiosis is one of the most serious diseases of livestock and birds in the world. Vaccination with live-parasite anticoccidial vaccines with genetic manipulation improving the immunogenicity of vaccine strains would be the best means for controlling coccidiosis in breeder and layer stocks, even in fast-growing broilers.
Magnesium Suppresses Defects in the Formation of 70S Ribosomes as Well as in Sporulation Caused by Lack of Several Individual Ribosomal Proteins
Authors: Akanuma Genki , Yamazaki Kotaro , Yagishi Yuma , Iizuka Yuka , Ishizuka Morio , Kawamura Fujio , Kato-Yamada Yasuyuki
Published: June 2018

We previously reported that an increase in cellular Mg
2+
content can suppress defects in 70S ribosome formation and growth rate caused by the absence of ribosomal protein L34. In the present study, we demonstrated that, even in mutants lacking individual ribosomal proteins other than L34 (L1, L23, L36, and S6), an increase in the cellular Mg
2+
content could restore 70S ribosome formation. Moreover, the defect in sporulation caused by the absence of L1 was also suppressed by an increase in the cellular Mg
2+
content. These findings indicate that at least part of the function of these ribosomal proteins can be complemented by Mg
2+
, which is essential for all living cells.