bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Multicenter Phase II Study of Lenalidomide in Relapsed or Recurrent Adult T-Cell Leukemia/Lymphoma: ATLL-002
Authors: Ishida Takashi , Fujiwara Hiroshi , Nosaka Kisato , Taira Naoya , Abe Yasunobu , Imaizumi Yoshitaka , Moriuchi Yukiyoshi , Jo Tatsuro , Ishizawa Kenichi , Tobinai Kensei , Tsukasaki Kunihiro , Ito Shigeki , Yoshimitsu Makoto , Otsuka Maki , Ogura Michinori , Midorikawa Shuichi , Ruiz Wanda , Ohtsu Tomoko
Published: September 2016

Purpose

Few treatment options exist for adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL), and the prognosis for this disease is poor. A phase I study of lenalidomide demonstrated preliminary antitumor activity in patients with relapsed ATL. The current phase II study evaluated the efficacy and safety of lenalidomide monotherapy in patients with relapsed or recurrent ATL.

Patients and Methods

Patients 20 years of age or older with acute, lymphoma, or unfavorable chronic subtype ATL, who had received one or more prior anti-ATL systemic chemotherapy and achieved stable disease or better on their last anti-ATL therapy with subsequent relapse or recurrence, were eligible. Patients received oral lenalidomide 25 mg/d continuously until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. The primary end point was overall response rate; secondary end points included safety, tumor control rate (stable disease or better), time to response, duration of response, time to progression, progression-free survival, and overall survival.

Results

Objective responses were noted in 11 of 26 patients (overall response rate, 42%; 95% CI, 23% to 63%), including four complete responses and one unconfirmed complete response. The tumor control rate was 73%. The median time to response and duration of response were 1.9 months and not estimable, respectively, and the median time to progression was 3.8 months. The median progression-free survival and overall survival were 3.8 and 20.3 months, respectively. The most frequent grade ≥ 3 adverse events were neutropenia (65%), leukopenia (38%), lymphopenia (38%), and thrombocytopenia (23%), which were all manageable and reversible.

Conclusion

Lenalidomide demonstrated clinically meaningful antitumor activity and an acceptable toxicity profile in patients with relapsed or recurrent aggressive ATL, hinting at its potential to become a treatment option. Further investigations of lenalidomide in ATL and other mature T-cell neoplasms are warranted.
Cost Effectiveness of the Oncotype DX DCIS Score for Guiding Treatment of Patients With Ductal Carcinoma In Situ
Authors: Raldow Ann C. , Sher David , Chen Aileen B. , Recht Abram , Punglia Rinaa S.
Published: September 2016

Purpose

The Oncotype DX DCIS Score short form (DCIS Score) estimates the risk of an ipsilateral breast event (IBE) in patients with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) treated with breast-conserving surgery without adjuvant radiation therapy (RT). We determined the cost effectiveness of strategies using this test.

Materials and Methods

We developed a Markov model simulating 10-year outcomes for 60-year-old women eligible for the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group E5194 study (cohort 1: low/intermediate-grade DCIS, ≤ 2.5 cm; cohort 2: high-grade DCIS, ≤ 1 cm) with each of five strategies: (1) no testing, no RT; (2) no testing, RT only for cohort 2; (3) no RT for low-grade DCIS, test for intermediate- and high-grade DCIS, RT for intermediate- or high-risk scores; (4) test all, RT for intermediate- or high-risk scores; and (5) no testing, RT for all. We used utilities and costs extracted from the literature and Medicare claims to determine incremental cost-effectiveness ratios and examined the number of women needed to irradiate per IBE prevented.

Results

No strategy using the DCIS Score was cost effective. The most cost-effective strategy (RT for none or RT for all) was sensitive to small differences between the utilities of receiving or not receiving RT and remaining without recurrence. The numbers needed to irradiate per IBE prevented were 10.5, 9.1, 7.5, and 13.1 for strategies 2 to 5, respectively, relative to strategy 1.

Conclusion

Strategies using the DCIS Score lowered the proportion of women undergoing RT per IBE prevented. However, no strategy incorporating the DCIS Score was cost effective. The cost effectiveness of RT was exquisitely utility sensitive, highlighting the importance of engaging patient preferences in this decision. Physicians should discuss trade-offs associated with omitting or adding adjuvant RT with each patient to maximize quality-of-life outcomes.
Age- and Gender-Specific Risk of Thyroid Cancer in Patients With Familial Adenomatous Polyposis
Authors: Uchino Shinya , Ishikawa Hideki , Miyauchi Akira , Hirokawa Mitsuyoshi , Noguchi Shiro , Ushiama Mineko , Yoshida Teruhiko , Michikura Masahito , Sugano Kokichi , Sakai Toshiyuki
Published: September 2016

Context:

The cribriform-morula variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma (CMV-PTC) is a rare variant of PTC and is associated with familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP). However, the incidence and the nature of CMV-PTC among FAP patients have not been well characterized.

Objective:

The aim of this study was to determine the incidence and characteristics of thyroid cancer screened by neck ultrasonography for FAP patients.

Design, Patients, and Intervention:

A total of 129 FAP patients were included in this study. Neck ultrasonography was performed using a 12.0-MHz transducer probe. Germline APC gene mutation was examined for by the protein truncation test or DNA sequencing methods.

Results:

Twenty-one patients (16.3%) had solid nodules, and 24 patients (18.6%) had benign cystic nodules. In total, PTC was found in 11 patients (16% of the women and 0% of the men), 8 of which were CMV-PTC and the rest were classical PTC. In 17 female patients with thyroid nodules, CMV-PTC occurred in 8 of 9 patients who were 35 years age or younger but in none of the 8 patients who were older than 35 (P = .0004 by Fisher’s exact test). The APC germline mutations in 8 patients with CMV-PTC were present at the 5′ side of the profuse type of FAP region (codons 1249–1330).

Conclusions:

The prevalence of CMV-PTC in FAP patients was higher than previously reported and this type of tumor was found preferentially in younger (under age 35) female patients with FAP in this cohort.
Exploring Inpatient Hospitalizations and Morbidity in Patients With Adrenal Insufficiency
Authors: Stewart Paul M. , Biller Beverly M. K. , Marelli Claudio , Gunnarsson Candace , Ryan Michael P. , Johannsson Gudmundur
Published: September 2016

Context:

Patients with adrenal insufficiency (AI) (primary AI [PAI], secondary AI due to a pituitary disorder [PIT] and congenital adrenal hyperplasia [CAH]) have reduced life expectancy; however, the underlying explanation remains unknown.

Objective:

To evaluate characteristics, comorbidities, and hospitalizations in AI patients.

Design:

Retrospective observational.

Setting and Population:

Using a United States-based national payer database comprising of more than 108 million members, strict inclusion criteria including diagnostic codes and steroid prescription records were used to identify 10 383 adults with AI; 1014 with PAI, 8818 with PIT, and 551 with CAH. Patients were matched 1:1 to controls, based on age (±5 y), gender, insurance, and region and followed for more than 12 months.

Intervention:

None.

Main Outcome Measures:

Demographic variables, comorbidities (diabetes mellitus [DM] types 1 and 2, depression, anxiety, hyperlipidemia, hypertension) and hospitalization incidence.

Results:

Compared with controls, patients with AI had higher odds of DM, hypertension, hyperlipidaemia, depression, and anxiety, ranging from an odds ratio (OR) of 1.51 for hyperlipidaemia in PAI to 3.85 for DM in CAH. Odds of having DM (OR, 3.85; 95% confidence interval, 2.52–5.90) or anxiety (OR, 2.99; 95% confidence interval, 2.02–4.42) compared with controls were highest in CAH, whereas depression was highest in PAI and PIT (OR, 2.40 and 2.55). ORs of hyperlipidaemia and hypertension (OR, 1.98 and 2.24) were highest in the PIT cohort. Inpatient admissions were more frequent in PAI (4.64:1; P < .0001) and PIT (4.00:1; P < .0001) than controls; infection was the most common cause for admission.

Conclusion:

Patients with AI carry a significant metabolic and psychiatric burden, with higher risk of comorbidities and hospital admissions than matched controls.
Implication of UGT2B15 Genotype Polymorphism on Postoperative Anxiety Levels in Patients Receiving Lorazepam Premedication
Authors: Mijderwijk Herjan , Klimek Markus , van Beek Stefan , van Schaik Ron H. N. , Duivenvoorden Hugo J. , Stolker Robert Jan
Published: September 2016

BACKGROUND:

Lorazepam is used as premedication for its anxiolytic properties. The UGT2B15 genotype is of importance for the metabolism of lorazepam. The clinical effect of genetic polymorphisms in UGT2B15 genotype on the treatment of anxiety levels in same-day surgery patients receiving lorazepam, however, is unknown.

METHODS:

Three hundred ninety-eight same-day surgery patients of mixed sex (from a previous double-blinded randomized controlled trial who were assigned to either lorazepam [n = 198] or placebo [n = 200]) were assessed for the UGT2B15*2 variant allele. Anxiety was measured preoperatively and postoperatively by the State part of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. The difference between these 2 measurements served as outcome of the study. Analysis of variance was used to assess the State part of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory difference for interactions among the following factors: UGT2B15 genotype status, treatment condition (lorazepam or placebo), patient sex, and preoperative anxiety score.

RESULTS:

The anxiety difference was complex in that the interaction of lorazepam and UGT2B15 genotype status also was dependent on the joint effect of patient sex and preoperative anxiety score (F = 7.15, P = .008). Further exploration showed clinical relevant results in patients with high preoperative anxiety scores. Striking was that females with high preoperative anxiety scores and genetically reduced lorazepam glucuronidation (UGT2B15*2 homozygotes) showed more postoperative anxiety reduction than males with the same genotype.

CONCLUSIONS:

UGT2B15 genotype contributes to postoperative anxiety reduction after lorazepam premedication. Future research that focuses on patients with high preoperative anxiety scores could help to gain a deeper understanding in the clinical relevance of the interaction between lorazepam and UGT2B15 genotype on postoperative anxiety levels.
Frailty, Aging, and Cardiovascular Surgery
Authors: Graham Antonio , Brown Charles H.
Published: September 2016

Older adults make up an ever-increasing number of patients presenting for surgery, and a significant percentage of these patients will be frail. Frailty is a geriatric syndrome that has been conceptualized as decreased reserve when confronted with stressors, although the precise definition of frailty has not been easy to standardize. The 2 most popular approaches to define frailty are the phenotypic approach and the deficit accumulation approach, although at least 20 tools have been developed, which has made comparison across studies difficult. In epidemiologic studies, baseline frailty has been associated with poor outcomes in both community cohorts and hospitalized patients. Specifically in cardiac surgery (including transcatheter aortic valve implantation procedures), frailty has been strongly associated with postoperative mortality and morbidity, and thus frailty likely improves the identification of high-risk patients beyond known risk scores. For perioperative physicians then, the question arises of how to incorporate this information into perioperative care. To date, 2 thrusts of research and clinical practice have emerged: (1) preoperative identification of high-risk patients to guide both patient expectations and surgical decision-making; and (2) perioperative optimization strategies for frail patients. However, despite the strong association of frailty and poor outcomes, there is a lack of well-designed trials that have examined perioperative interventions with a specific focus on frail patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Thus, in many cases, principles of geriatric care may need to be applied. Further research is needed to standardize and implement the feasible definitions of frailty and examine perioperative interventions for frail patients undergoing cardiac surgery.
MADS-domain transcription factors and the floral quartet model of flower development: linking plant development and evolution
Authors: Theißen Günter , Melzer Rainer , Rümpler Florian
Published: September 2016

The floral quartet model of floral organ specification poses that different tetramers of MIKC-type MADS-domain transcription factors control gene expression and hence the identity of floral organs during development. Here, we provide a brief history of the floral quartet model and review several lines of recent evidence that support the model. We also describe how the model has been used in contemporary developmental and evolutionary biology to shed light on enigmatic topics such as the origin of land and flowering plants. Finally, we suggest a novel hypothesis describing how floral quartet-like complexes may interact with chromatin during target gene activation and repression.
Deposition of collagen type I onto skeletal endothelium reveals a new role for blood vessels in regulating bone morphology
Authors: Ben Shoham Adi , Rot Chagai , Stern Tomer , Krief Sharon , Akiva Anat , Dadosh Tali , Sabany Helena , Lu Yinhui , Kadler Karl E. , Zelzer Elazar
Published: September 2016

Recently, blood vessels have been implicated in the morphogenesis of various organs. The vasculature is also known to be essential for endochondral bone development, yet the underlying mechanism has remained elusive. We show that a unique composition of blood vessels facilitates the role of the endothelium in bone mineralization and morphogenesis. Immunostaining and electron microscopy showed that the endothelium in developing bones lacks basement membrane, which normally isolates the blood vessel from its surroundings. Further analysis revealed the presence of collagen type I on the endothelial wall of these vessels. Because collagen type I is the main component of the osteoid, we hypothesized that the bone vasculature guides the formation of the collagenous template and consequently of the mature bone. Indeed, some of the bone vessels were found to undergo mineralization. Moreover, the vascular pattern at each embryonic stage prefigured the mineral distribution pattern observed one day later. Finally, perturbation of vascular patterning by overexpressing Vegf in osteoblasts resulted in abnormal bone morphology, supporting a role for blood vessels in bone morphogenesis. These data reveal the unique composition of the endothelium in developing bones and indicate that vascular patterning plays a role in determining bone shape by forming a template for deposition of bone matrix.
Continuous arterial PO2 profiles in unrestrained, undisturbed aquatic turtles during routine behaviors
Authors: Williams Cassondra L. , Hicks James W.
Published: September 2016

Mammals and birds maintain high arterial partial pressure of oxygen (PO2) values in order to preserve near complete hemoglobin (Hb) oxygen (O2) saturation. In diving mammals and birds, arterial O2 follows a primarily monotonic decline and then recovery quickly after dives. In laboratory studies of submerged freshwater turtles, arterial O2 depletion typically follows a similar pattern. However, in these studies, turtles were disturbed, frequently tethered to external equipment and either confined to small tanks or breathing holes. Aquatic turtles can alter cardiac shunting patterns, which will affect arterial PO2 values. Consequently, little is known about arterial O2 regulation and use in undisturbed turtles. We conducted the first study to continuously measure arterial PO2 using implanted microelectrodes and a backpack logger in undisturbed red-eared sliders during routine activities. Arterial PO2 profiles during submergences varied dramatically with no consistent patterns. Arterial PO2 was also lower than previously reported during all activities, with values rarely above 50 mmHg (85% Hb saturation). There was no difference in mean PO2 between five different activities: submerged resting, swimming, basking, resting at the surface and when a person was present. These results suggest significant cardiac shunting occurs during routine activities as well as submergences. However, the lack of relationship between PO2 and any activity suggests that cardiac shunts are not regulated to maintain high arterial PO2 values. These data support the idea that cardiac shunting is the passive by-product of regulation of vascular resistances by the autonomic nervous system.
Mitochondrial physiology in the skeletal and cardiac muscles is altered in torrent ducks, Merganetta armata, from high altitudes in the Andes
Authors: Dawson Neal J. , Ivy Catherine M. , Alza Luis , Cheek Rebecca , York Julia M. , Chua Beverly , Milsom William K. , McCracken Kevin G. , Scott Graham R.
Published: September 2016

Torrent ducks inhabit fast-flowing rivers in the Andes from sea level to altitudes up to 4,500 m. We examined the mitochondrial physiology that facilitates performance over this altitudinal cline by comparing the respiratory capacities of permeabilized fibers, the activities of 16 key metabolic enzymes, and the myoglobin content in muscles between high- and low-altitude populations of this species. Mitochondrial respiratory capacities (assessed using substrates of mitochondrial complexes I, II, and/or IV) were higher in highland ducks in the gastrocnemius muscle – the primary muscle used to support swimming and diving – but were similar between populations in the pectoralis muscle and the left ventricle. The heightened respiratory capacity in the gastrocnemius of highland ducks was associated with elevated activities of cytochrome oxidase, phosphofructokinase, pyruvate kinase, and malate dehydrogenase (MDH). Although respiratory capacities were similar between populations in the other muscles, highland ducks had elevated activities of ATP synthase, lactate dehydrogenase, MDH, hydroxyacyl coA dehydrogenase, and creatine kinase in the left ventricle, and elevated MDH activity and myoglobin content in the pectoralis. Thus, while there was a significant increase in the oxidative capacity of the gastrocnemius that correlates with performance at high altitudes, the variation in metabolic enzyme activities in other muscles not correlated to respiratory capacity, such as the consistent up-regulation of MDH activity, may serve other functions that contribute to success at high altitudes.
Costs and benefits of vertical and horizontal transmission of Dengue virus
Authors: Ruiz-Guzmán Gloria , Ramos-Castañeda José , Hernández-Quintero Angélica , Contreras-Garduño Jorge
Published: September 2016

Parasites can be transmitted either or both, vertically or horizontally, but the costs or benefits for the host due to infection have only been tested after horizontal transmission. Here as far as we know, is reported for the first time the survival, reproduction and infection of Aedes aegypti during vertical and horizontal transmission of Dengue virus 2 (DENV-2). Females infected horizontally produced more eggs with a sex ratio skewed to males compared to uninfected controls. However, there was a not significant difference on the number of emerging adults or mothers survival. On the other hand, dengue infected female offspring (vertical transmission) had shorter lifespan but compared to controls, there were no significant differences the amounts of eggs or sex ratio. Finally, the corroboration of infection revealed that virus infected about 11.5 % and 8.8 % of pools of mothers and of daughters, respectively. These results suggest that the mode of infection and the contact with the virus has no reproductive costs on female mosquitoes, which may explain why both types of transmission are evolutionary maintained. In addition, we suggest that more attention should be paid on male contribution to virus dissemination within and among populations and as reservoirs of the infection for human diseases.
Subspine Hip Impingement: An Unusual Cause of Hip Pain in an Elite Weightlifter
Authors: Nabhan Dustin C. , Moreau William J. , McNamara Shannen C. , Briggs Karen K. , Philippon Marc J.
Published: September 2016

Anterior hip pain can be difficult to diagnose due to the many pathologies and overlapping pain patterns that exist in the hip region. Clinical findings of pain at the anterior inferior iliac spine with passive hip flexion, proximal quadriceps pain and weakness, and painful impingement tests of the hip may be indicative of subspine hip impingement. This report describes the diagnosis and treatment of anterior hip pain, including subspine impingement and femoroacetabular impingement in an elite weightlifter. This case also describes how with the correct diagnosis and treatment, the athlete returned to play to her previous level of sport 11 months after a complex hip injury.
Softball Pitching and Injury
Authors: Lear Aaron , Patel Niraj
Published: September 2016

The windmill softball pitch generates considerable forces about the athlete’s shoulder and elbow. The injury pattern of softball pitchers seems to be primarily overuse injury, and they seem not to suffer the same volume of injury that baseball pitchers do. This article will explore softball pitching techniques, kinetics and kinematics of the windmill pitch, epidemiology of softball pitchers, and discuss possible etiologies of softball pitching injuries.
AMSSM Position Statement on Cardiovascular Preparticipation Screening in Athletes: Current Evidence, Knowledge Gaps, Recommendations and Future Directions
Authors: Drezner Jonathan A. , O’Connor Francis G. , Harmon Kimberly G. , Fields Karl B. , Asplund Chad A. , Asif Irfan M. , Price David E. , Dimeff Robert J. , Bernhardt David T. , Roberts William O.
Published: September 2016

Cardiovascular screening in young athletes is widely recommended and routinely performed prior to participation in competitive sports. While there is general agreement that early detection of cardiac conditions at risk for sudden cardiac arrest and death (SCA/D) is an important objective, the optimal strategy for cardiovascular screening in athletes remains an issue of considerable debate. At the center of the controversy is the addition of a resting electrocardiogram (ECG) to the standard preparticipation evaluation using history and physical examination. The American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM) formed a task force to address the current evidence and knowledge gaps regarding preparticipation cardiovascular screening in athletes from the perspective of a primary care sports medicine physician. The absence of definitive outcomes-based evidence at this time precludes AMSSM from endorsing any single or universal cardiovascular screening strategy for all athletes, including legislative mandates. This statement presents a new paradigm to assist the individual physician in assessing the most appropriate cardiovascular screening strategy unique to their athlete population, community needs, and resources. The decision to implement a cardiovascular screening program, with or without the addition of ECG, necessitates careful consideration of the risk of SCA/D in the targeted population and the availability of cardiology resources and infrastructure. Importantly, it is the individual physician’s assessment in the context of an emerging evidence-base that the chosen model for early detection of cardiac disorders in the specific population provides greater benefit than harm. AMSSM is committed to advancing evidenced-based research and educational initiatives that will validate and promote the most efficacious strategies to foster safe sport participation and reduce SCA/D in athletes.
Brain biopsy in the diagnosis of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease with a history of prodromal psychiatric symptoms and catatonic behavior
Authors: Chrobak Adrian , Dudek Alicja , Wnuk Marcin , Łysiak Zofia , Siwek Marcin , Adamek Dariusz , Świerkosz Agata , Dudek Dominika
Published: September 2016

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a neurodegenerative disorder belonging to the group of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies. Transition of physiological, soluble, neuroprotective prion protein PrPc into its insoluble, misfolded isoform PrPSc remains the central pathogenic event in this disorder. Their progressive accumulation within the brain tissue results in spongiform degeneration and plethora of clinical symptoms. Typically, CJD manifests as progressive dementia with myoclonus, visual or cerebellar dysfunction, pyramidal/extrapyramidal signs or akinetic mutism. However, growing number of studies indicate that CJD may present with prodromal psychiatric manifestations including anhedonia, anxiety, irritability, depression, insomnia, psychosis and catatonic behaviour.
We present case of biopsy proven CJD with a history of prodromal psychiatric symptoms and catatonic behaviour.
Schema modes in cluster B personality disorders
Authors: Dadashzadeh Hossein , Hekmati Issa , Gholizade Hossein , Abdi Reza
Published: September 2016

Aim of the study

The present study aimed to investigate the role of schema modes in the cluster B personality disorders.

Subject or material and methods

Participants comprised of 220 individuals – 38 men and 137 women – selected from psychiatric and psychological clinics in Tabriz, Iran. Among the participants, 153 individuals were diagnosed with cluster B personality (44 with the borderline disorder, 16 with antisocial disorder, 56 with histrionic disorder and 37 with narcissistic personality disorder). Furthermore, 67 participants appeared to be without any personality disorders (PDs). The diagnosis of personality disorders was done by using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis II disorders (SCID-II). All participants (with or without PDs) were asked to answer the Millon Clinical Multi-axial Inventory-3 (MCMI-III) and the Schema Modes Inventory (SMI).

Results

Vulnerable, angry and impulsive child modes are predictors of the borderline personality disorder, and the schema modes of the angry child, self-soother and healthy adult are predictors of antisocial personality disorder. Also, the impulsive and happy child, the attack-bully and healthy adult schema modes predict histrionic personality disorder. Finally, the angry, happy child, self-soother and self-aggrandizer schema modes could predict narcissistic personality disorder (NPD).

Discussion

Special schema modes have roles in explaining cluster B personality disorders, and yet these disorders may overlap each other with regard to some dimensions, especially in terms of cognitions and beliefs among cluster B personality disorders. It can be interpreted as the lack of specificity in categorical classification systems like DSM.

Conclusions

the conclusion is made about the current and alternative models of personality disorders
Folding and Unfolding: Balancing Openness and Transparency in Open Source Communities
Authors: Shaikh Maha , Vaast Emmanuelle
Published: September 2016

Open source communities rely on the espoused premise of complete openness and transparency of source code and development process. Yet, openness and transparency at times need to be balanced out with moments of less open and transparent work. Through our detailed study of Linux Kernel development, we build a theory that explains that transparency and openness are nuanced and changing qualities that certain developers manage as they use multiple digital technologies and create, in moments of needs, more opaque and closed digital spaces of work. We refer to these spaces as digital folds. Our paper contributes to the extant literature by providing a process theory of how transparency and openness are balanced with opacity and closure in open source communities according to the needs of the development work; by conceptualizing the nature of digital folds and their role in providing quiet spaces of work; and, by articulating how the process of digital folding and unfolding is made far more possible by select elite actors’ navigating the line between the pragmatics of coding and the accepted ideology of openness and transparency.
Pruning Algorithms to Determine Reliable Paths on Networks with Random and Correlated Link Travel Times
Authors: Prakash A. Arun , Srinivasan Karthik K.
Published: September 2016

This study addresses various formulations of the optimal reliability path problem on stochastic networks. Robust-Cost is adopted as the measure of reliability, which is defined as a weighted combination of the mean and standard deviation of travel time. The principal problem solved is the Minimum Robust-Cost Path (MRCP) problem in the presence of Correlated link travel times. It is shown that the subpath optimality and subpath non-dominance principles, which are conventionally adopted in the literature, cannot be used to solve this problem. In this light, this study proposes an algorithm based on the subpath pruning approach, which eliminates nonoptimal subpaths by using a pruning criterion. We construct the novel pruning criterion, which depends on only two independent objectives, by transforming the network and using efficient shortest path algorithms. The correctness of the algorithm is established, and its good practical performance is demonstrated on real-world networks. Furthermore, the pruning procedure is generalized with suitable modifications to solve three related problems: (i) the MRCP problem with independent link travel times, (ii) the K-best Robust-Cost Paths problem, and (iii) the MRCP problem with stochastic nondominance constraints. These extensions demonstrate the potential wider applications of the proposed solution approach.
Clinical Next Generation Sequencing Outperforms Standard Microbiological Culture for Characterizing Polymicrobial Samples
Authors: Cummings Lisa A , Kurosawa Kyoko , Hoogestraat Daniel R , SenGupta Dhruba J , Candra Febrian , Doyle Michael , Thielges Stephanie , Land Tyler A , Rosenthal Christopher A , Hoffman Noah G , Salipante Stephen J , Cookson Brad T
Published: September 2016

BACKGROUND

Humans suffer from infections caused by single species or more complex polymicrobial communities. Identification of infectious bacteria commonly employs microbiological culture, which depends upon the in vitro propagation and isolation of viable organisms. In contrast, detection of bacterial DNA using next generation sequencing (NGS) allows culture-independent microbial profiling, potentially providing important new insights into the microbiota in clinical specimens.

METHODS

NGS 16S rRNA gene sequencing (NGS16S) was compared with culture using (a) synthetic polymicrobial samples for which the identity and abundance of organisms present were precisely defined and (b) primary clinical specimens.

RESULTS

Complex mixtures of at least 20 organisms were well resolved by NGS16S with excellent reproducibility. In mixed bacterial suspensions (107 total genomes), we observed linear detection of a target organism over a 4-log concentration range (500–3 × 106 genomes). NGS16S analysis more accurately recapitulated the known composition of synthetic samples than standard microbiological culture using nonselective media, which distorted the relative abundance of organisms and frequently failed to identify low-abundance pathogens. However, extended quantitative culture using selective media for each of the component species recovered the expected organisms at the proper abundance, validating NGS16S results. In an analysis of sputa from cystic fibrosis patients, NGS16S identified more clinically relevant pathogens than standard culture.

CONCLUSIONS

Biases in standard, nonselective microbiological culture lead to a distorted characterization of polymicrobial mixtures. NGS16S demonstrates enhanced reproducibility, quantification, and classification accuracy compared with standard culture, providing a more comprehensive, accurate, and culture-free analysis of clinical specimens.
Como medir a variação de acessibilidade causada pela implantação de um território gerador de viagens?
Authors: Lima Jessica Helena de , De Andrade Mauricio Oliveira , Maia Maria Leonor Alves
Published: September 2016

O aumento do número de deslocamentos causado pela implantação de um território gerador de viagens traz impactos ao ambiente urbano. A existência de uma ferramenta que torne possível mensurar essas variações indicando onde aconteceram com maior intensidade faz-se necessária a fim de indicar ao poder público para a necessidade de realização de investimentos em transportes no local. Este trabalho analisa o impacto causado pelo novo Complexo Industrial Portuário de Suape em Pernambuco, considerado um território gerador de viagens, através de indicadores de acessibilidade. Para isto foram utilizadas medições anteriores à existência do Complexo (1997), e da sua fase de implantação e operação de algumas indústrias em 2010. Foram observadas mudanças positivas e negativas na dinâmica local, como, por exemplo, o tempo de deslocamento dos moradores da região diminuiu, indicando que eles foram em parte absorvidos pelo Complexo, por outro lado aumentou muito para quem se dirige pendularmente à região, indicando que as infraestruturas de transportes disponíveis precisam ser melhoradas.
Avaliação ambiental da utilização de solo contaminado por derivados de petróleo (SCDP) em misturas asfálticas
Authors: Araujo Victor Mosca de Carvalho , Castelo Branco Verônica Teixeira Franco , De Lima Danielle Monteiro , Cavalcante Rivelino Martins
Published: September 2016

Com a necessidade de uma destinação final mais adequada a vários resíduos, a utilização destes na pavimentação surge como uma alternativa viável. O presente estudo investiga a viabilidade técnica e ambiental da utilização de Solo Contaminado por Derivados de Petróleo (SCDP) em misturas do tipo Areia Asfáltica (AA) usinadas à quente com adição de 30% em massa de SCDP, com e sem utilização da cal. As misturas asfálticas foram dosadas através da metodologia Superpave. Os materiais componentes das misturas asfálticas foram analisados através de ensaios convencionalmente requeridos pelas especificações do DNIT e através dos seguintes ensaios: (i) fluorescência por Raio-X, (ii) lixiviação (NBR – 10.005), e (iii) solubilização (NBR – 10.006). As amostras com resíduos foram avaliadas de três formas: puras, a partir de misturas asfálticas no estado solto, e a partir da água obtida após a percolação desta em Corpos de Provas (CPs) de misturas asfálticas com 30% de resíduo incorporado em massa. As misturas asfálticas foram caracterizadas mecanicamente por meio dos ensaios de módulo de resiliência, resistência à tração e vida de fadiga. A partir dos resultados encontrados nos ensaios mecânicos e ambientais, o uso do SCDP como componente de misturas do tipo AA se mostra como uma opção viável, pois, além desta mistura asfáltica ter apresentado propriedades mecânicas aceitáveis, a solução foi considerada ambientalmente aceitável e menos onerosa se comparada aquela comumente adotada pelas refinarias geradoras do resíduo.
Effects of Fabrication Technique on Tensile Properties of Fiber Reinforced Polymer
Authors: Pham T. M. , Hadi M. N. S. , Youssef J.
Published: September 2016

This study investigated the effects of fabrication technique on the tensile properties of fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) flat coupon tests. A total of 20 FRP flat coupons were prepared by two different techniques, which were tested in tension until failure. The first technique of preparing the FRP coupons was based on the recommendation of ASTM D7565/D7565M-10, named the “Cutting Technique,” while the second technique, named the “Folding Technique,” was proposed by this study. Experimental results from this study indicated that preparing FRP coupons using the Cutting Technique resulted in a reduction in the tensile properties as compared to coupons prepared by the proposed Folding Technique. Most notably, the tensile force per unit width obtained by the FRP flat coupons prepared using the Folding Technique was up to 8 % higher than that obtained by coupons prepared using the Cutting Technique. In addition, the effect of the % bending on the tensile properties was also studied. It was found that the % bending about the thickness plane was greater than that of the % bending about the width plane. Furthermore, the tensile properties of the FRP coupons were not sensitive to its % bending.
Assessing Gaseous Hydrogen Assisted Fatigue Crack Growth Susceptibility of Pipeline Steel Weld Fusion Zones and Heat Affected Zones
Authors: Ronevich J. A. , Somerday B. P.
Published: September 2016

The objective of this work was twofold: (1) measure reliable fatigue crack growth relationships for X65 steel and its girth weld in high-pressure hydrogen gas to enable structural integrity assessments of hydrogen pipelines, and (2) evaluate the hydrogen accelerated fatigue crack growth susceptibility of the weld fusion zone and heat-affected zone relative to the base metal. Fatigue crack growth relationships (da/dN versus ΔK) were measured for girth welded X65 pipeline steel in high pressure hydrogen gas (21 MPa) and in air. Hydrogen assisted fatigue crack growth was observed for the base metal (BM), fusion zone (FZ), and heat-affected zone (HAZ), and was manifested through crack growth rates reaching nearly an order of magnitude acceleration over rates in air. At higher ΔK values, crack growth rates of BM, FZ, and HAZ were coincident; however, at lower ΔK, the fatigue crack growth relationships exhibited some divergence with the fusion zone having the highest crack growth rates. These relative fatigue crack growth rates in the BM, FZ, and HAZ were provisional, however, since both crack closure and residual stress contributed to the crack-tip driving force in specimens extracted from the HAZ. Despite the relatively high applied R-ratio (R = 0.5), crack closure was detected in the heat affected zone tests, in contrast to the absence of crack closure in the base metal tests. Crack closure corrections were performed using the adjusted compliance ratio method and the effect of residual stress on Kmax was determined by the crack-compliance method. Crack-tip driving forces that account for closure and residual stress effects were quantified as a weighted function of ΔK and Kmax (i.e., Knorm), and the resulting da/dN versus Knorm relationships showed that the HAZ exhibited higher hydrogen accelerated fatigue crack growth rates than the BM at lower Knorm values.
Introducing a Special Issue on Food Stuffs: Materialities, Meanings, and Embodied Encounters
Authors: Abbots Emma-Jayne
Published: September 2016

This essay introduces a special issue on food stuffs—meaning both food's material components and the objects through which food is transacted and mediated. Through interdisciplinary dialogue and a range of case studies situated across time and space, it explores the theoretical possibilities and limitations that renewed attention to the materiality of food and embodied encounters can bring to the critical study of food and eating. In so doing, it works to illuminate the myriad ways that materiality and meaning intersect in the context of food.
The Market as Mediator: The Corporate Creation of Portuguese Wine
Authors: Domingos Nuno
Published: September 2016

This article focuses on how market analysis professionals aim to materially and symbolically shape a product like wine. More specifically, I deal with the case of the strategy for marketing Portuguese wines in British and North American markets, outlined by an international multinational consulting firm in 2004. In a market defined by uncertainty, market experts’ strategies to turn Portuguese wine into a more effective commodity demanded an adjustment in light of the dominant tendencies that support the wine industry. Before tradition, method, taste, and place, the market should dictate what kind of wines the Portuguese ought to produce. This aim involved a number of articulated levels of specialization and expertise, from the production phase to the symbolic representation that seeks to influence the experience of taste. This imaginary established a dialogue with the lifestyles and social aspirations of selected target markets. At the same time, these promotional efforts are tools that interfere with consumers’ perceptions of space, society, and history, as they propose categories that are used to understand and represent the world.
To Love Sugar One Does Not Have to Eat It
Authors: Holtzman Jon
Published: September 2016

Sugar holds a special place in both public policy and scientific debate, each of which frequently attributes to it a unique, intrinsic power. A rather deterministic view of sugar is asserted in a range of scholarly fields, including findings of parallels between the brain's response to sugar and opiates, widespread suggestions of a hardwired human attraction to sweetness, and public health claims that increased access to affordable sugar inevitably leads to epidemic increases in rates of obesity around the globe. Japan poses an important counterpoint to such approaches because—despite high wealth levels and affordable access to sugary foods—it is a striking outlier to global obesity trends. Yet, surprisingly, while Japan's per capita consumption of sugar is much lower than other wealthy nations, the intensity of interest and cultural elaboration around sweet foods is arguably far greater than in the United States and Europe. Through an examination of attitudes, experiences, and patterns of use concerning sweet foods in Japan, this paper considers the conundrum of how and why Japanese tend to love sweet foods more but consume them less, furthering our understanding of the interplay of materiality and meaning in food and eating, while also addressing key questions regarding sugar and sweetness that have implications for issues of public health and nutrition.
Alternative Proteins and the (Non)Stuff of “Meat”
Authors: Sexton Alexandra
Published: September 2016

Beyond Meat, a food technology company based in California, is currently developing a range of plant-based proteins that aim to provide more sustainable, ethical, and healthful alternatives to conventional meat. Its products are also aiming to be viscerally equivalent in terms of their meatlike taste, texture, and overall sensory experience. These alternative proteins (APs) are not, however, intended merely as a substitute for conventional meat. Instead they are viewed and marketed by their developers as meat, made simply from a different raw material and via different methods. Yet as animal meat has become increasingly linked with environmental, health, and ethical concerns, Beyond Meat is having to negotiate a careful balance between positioning its products as meatlike in some respects and not meatlike in others in order to gain consumer adoption. To become “meat” in consumer thinking not only depends on the things these APs are made of—both material and ideological—but also the things that are actively excluded; as such, their materiality is made of purposefully chosen “stuff” and “non-stuff.” The article explores this decision-making via my fieldwork encounters with Beyond Meat's products. Using a visceral-autoethnographic approach, I discuss how certain (non)stuff was “made to matter and not matter” (Evans and Miele 2012) to me during these encounters, and how this careful balancing of stuff can create new and problematic imaginaries, moral politics, and misguided understandings of what constitutes “better” foods and “better” eaters. The observations made contribute to existing discussions on visceral methodologies, perceptions of (novel) foods, embodied consumption practices, and the ways in which bodies are made as eaters and things as food.
Skin, Clothing, and Dwelling
Authors: Ekici Didem
Published: September 2016

Gottfried Semper is often credited with originating the concept of the building as skin in architectural theory, but an alternative trajectory of this idea can be found in the mid-nineteenth-century science of hygiene. In Skin, Clothing, and Dwelling: Max von Pettenkofer, the Science of Hygiene, and Breathing Walls, Didem Ekici explores the affinity of skin, clothing, and dwelling in nineteenth-century German thinking, focusing on a marginal figure in architectural history, physician Max von Pettenkofer (1818–1901), the “father of experimental hygiene.” Pettenkofer's concept of clothing and dwelling as skins influenced theories of architecture that emphasized the environmental performance of the architectural envelope. This article examines Pettenkofer's writings and contemporary works on hygiene, ethnology, Kulturgeschichte (cultural history), and linguistics that linked skin, clothing, and dwelling. From nineteenth-century “breathing walls” to today's high-performance envelopes, theories of the building as a regulating membrane are a testament to the unsung legacy of Pettenkofer and the science of hygiene.
Evocations of Byzantium in Zenitist Avant-Garde Architecture
Authors: Bogdanović Jelena
Published: September 2016

Evocations of Byzantium in Zenitist Avant-Garde Architecture considers references to Byzantium in the architecture and philosophy of Zenitism, an Eastern European avant-garde movement founded by Ljubomir Micić in 1921. In this article, Jelena Bogdanović analyzes the visionary projects for the Zeniteum, designed by the only architect member of the Zenitist group, Jo Klek (Josip Seissel), as a singular example of Byzantine-modernist architecture, which incorporated aspects of Byzantine total design, spirituality, and aesthetics of dematerialization. She outlines the ways Zenitist theories and visionary drawings privileged the “Byzantine” dichotomy of a dome and a wall over Western European trabeated architecture while also deviating from the historicist, neo-Byzantine architectural style popular in Eastern Europe. Zenitism used indirect evocations of the Byzantine to create a dynamic Byzantine-modernist architecture, the study of which enriches discourse on tradition and the avant-garde in architecture.
Philip Johnson
Authors: Whiting Cécile
Published: September 2016

In the late 1950s and 1960s, before it became a norm to situate contemporary art in public spaces, Philip Johnson employed a model for relating contemporary architecture and art, proposing mutual enhancement based on juxtaposition and contrast over independence or integration. In Philip Johnson: The Whence and Whither of Art in Architecture, Cécile Whiting examines two examples of Johnson's use of contemporary art: the New York State Theater at Lincoln Center and the New York State Pavilion at the 1964–65 New York World's Fair. Whiting discusses the ways in which the commissioned art contrasted with the structures and orchestrated the movement of visitors. Johnson's use of painting and sculpture in and on these two buildings blurred lines—not only the line between art and architecture but also that between high art and popular commerce. As demonstrated in these works, modern art and architecture could engage in a rapprochement without effacing the creative tension between them.