bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Clinical Findings and Treatments of a Radially Deviated Type of Thumb Polydactyly
Authors: Suzuki Ayumi , Kawabata Hidehiko , Hayashi Junichiro , Tamura Daisuke
Published: February 2019

Background: Patients with some thumb polydactyly subtypes are regarded as having a high risk of secondary deformities or poor treatment outcomes. Radially deviated type is one of these subtypes, but its characteristics and definitive treatment outcomes remain unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the pre- and intraoperative findings and surgical outcomes of this subtype.

Methods: We identified eight patients with unilateral and proximal phalanx-type polydactyly. The mean age at surgery was 14.6 months, and the mean follow-up period was 7.2 years. We investigated the patients’ initial radiograms, surgical procedures and findings, changes in alignment of the retained thumb, and postoperative outcomes using the Japanese Society for Surgery of the Hand scoring system.

Results: Although the gross appearance of the thumb was a radial deviation, there was an ulnar deviation at the metacarpophalangeal joint on radiography. The ulnar proximal phalanges were delta phalanges in three patients and were connected with the radial proximal phalanges by cartilage in five patients. We retained the ulnar thumbs in all patients and corrected the alignment in seven cases; open wedge osteotomy was performed for three patients with a delta phalanx, and tendon transfers from the radial to ulnar thumb were performed for the other four. The mean outcome score was 17.6/20, with one patient with excellent, six with good, one with fair, and none with poor scores. One patient experienced recurrent radial deviation around the interphalangeal joint five years after surgery and underwent corrective osteotomy, but the other patients maintained good alignment.

Conclusions: Radially deviated thumb polydactyly is not simply radially deviated; the shape of the proximal phalanx of the ulnar thumb is important to determine the surgical procedure. However, our results indicated that the alignment is almost manageable, and the surgical outcome was comparable to that of patients with a proximal phalanx-type thumb polydactyly.
Hand and Wrist Injuries Related to Motocross Injuries: 5 Year Series
Authors: Singh Rohit , Chojnowski Adrian , Hay Stuart
Published: February 2019

Background: The increasingly fashionable sport of motocross is practiced worldwide by millions of people, but there is very little in the literature regarding its associated injuries and their prevention. We therefore present the first comprehensive, prospective study looking at hand and wrist injuries resulting from motocross injuries in the UK.

Methods: Data was prospectively collected over a 5-year period (from 2010 to 2015) at our regional trauma unit. We exclusively looked at motocross riders. Injuries sustained via motorcycle were excluded from our study.

Results: During the period studied (five years), 615 injuries were collected, including 240 patients with 265 hand and wrist injuries. Most of injuries were sustained in male patients. The patient’s age range was from 4–78 years with most injuries occurring during the spring and summer months. A total of 96 (40%) patients required operative treatment. The most common injury pattern was distal radius fractures (n = 53, 20%), followed by metacarpal fractures (n = 38, 14%) and phalangeal fractures (n = 36, 13.5%).

Conclusions: This study shows the impact and incidence of related hand and wrist injuries. Motocross is a globally fashionable sport. This study shows that the number of annual tournaments and racers have doubled in last 5 years. The number of hand and wrist related injuries and operative requirements have quadruples over the last five years. It is recognized as a high-risk sport despite the use of protective equipment and course adaptions. These injuries can have implications for nearby treating hospitals.
Current Smoking Is Associated with Delayed Wound Healing But Not with Improvement of Contracture after the Open Palm Technique for Dupuytren’s Disease
Authors: Sakai Akinori , Zenke Yukichi , Menuki Kunitaka , Yamanaka Yoshiaki , Tajima Takafumi , Uchida Soshi
Published: February 2019

Background: Some cases treated with open palm technique need relatively long wound healing time. This study aims to clarify whether the preoperative lifestyle-related diseases or factors are associated with surgical results after the open palm technique for Dupuytren’s contracture.

Methods: The study included 122 fingers of 84 hands of 84 consecutive male patients with Dupuytren’s contracture who were treated with McCash’s open palm technique at our hospital from 1980 to 2016. The average age of the patients was 68.0 years (range, 39–86). The follow-up period was at least 6 months (average, 36.3 months). Using multiple regression analysis, we investigated preoperative factors associated with surgical results. The factors examined were age, affected side, contracture of the little finger, number of contracted fingers, contracture of the proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joint, Meyerding classification, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, alcohol intake, and smoking. Surgical results were judged at 6 months after surgery and wound healing time was evaluated.

Results: According to Tubiana’s criteria, there were 59 excellent hands (70.2%), 18 good hands (21.4%), 5 fair hands (6.0%), and 2 poor hands (2.4%) at the final physical examination after surgery. The average of the percentage of improvement in contracture was 86.1%. The average number of days needed until complete open wound closure was 22.9 days. Multiple regression analysis revealed that the significant preoperative factors associated with the percentage of improvement in contracture were multiple contracted fingers and involvement of PIP joint contracture, and that the factor associated with delayed wound healing was current smoking.

Conclusions: Multiple contracted fingers and involvement of PIP joint contracture are associated with insufficient improvement of joint contracture. Current smoking is associated with delayed wound healing, but not with improvement of joint contracture, after the open palm technique for Dupuytren’s disease in men.
Did We Just Travel to the Past? Building and Evaluating With Cultural Presence Different Modes of VR-Mediated Experiences in Virtual Archaeology
Authors: Pujol-Tost Laia
Published: February 2019

Over the past years, Virtual Archaeology has introduced more experiential elements in virtual reconstructions, therefore going beyond the traditional visualization of 3D architectural models. In the case of dissemination, these experiences equate to a trip in time, in which users witness what the past was like and learn about it. However, due to a lack of explicit theoretical frameworks and/or systematic evaluation focusing on such experiential elements, it is uncertain whether the intended goals are achieved and why. Based on a novel theoretical framework arising from the concept of Cultural Presence, this article will investigate if and how current virtual environments achieve the feeling of traveling to the past. To that end, six different virtual reconstructions of the Neolithic site of Çatalhöyük (Turkey) were built and evaluated in a between-subjects experiment. The results support the role of content meaningfulness, responsive characters, enhanced interaction, and multisensory realism in the achievement of successful Virtual Reality--mediated experiences.
Code Authorship Attribution
Authors: Kalgutkar Vaibhavi , Kaur Ratinder , Gonzalez Hugo , Stakhanova Natalia , Matyukhina Alina
Published: February 2019

Code authorship attribution is the process of identifying the author of a given code. With increasing numbers of malware and advanced mutation techniques, the authors of malware are creating a large number of malware variants. To better deal with this problem, methods for examining the authorship of malicious code are necessary. Code authorship attribution techniques can thus be utilized to identify and categorize the authors of malware. This information can help predict the types of tools and techniques that the author of a specific malware uses, as well as the manner in which the malware spreads and evolves. In this article, we present the first comprehensive review of research on code authorship attribution. The article summarizes various methods of authorship attribution and highlights challenges in the field.
Interactive Search or Sequential Browsing? A Detailed Analysis of the Video Browser Showdown 2018
Authors: Lokoč Jakub , Kovalčík Gregor , Münzer Bernd , Schöffmann Klaus , Bailer Werner , Gasser Ralph , Vrochidis Stefanos , Nguyen Phuong Anh , Rujikietgumjorn Sitapa , Barthel Kai Uwe
Published: February 2019

This work summarizes the findings of the 7th iteration of the Video Browser Showdown (VBS) competition organized as a workshop at the 24th International Conference on Multimedia Modeling in Bangkok. The competition focuses on video retrieval scenarios in which the searched scenes were either previously observed or described by another person (i.e., an example shot is not available). During the event, nine teams competed with their video retrieval tools in providing access to a shared video collection with 600 hours of video content. Evaluation objectives, rules, scoring, tasks, and all participating tools are described in the article. In addition, we provide some insights into how the different teams interacted with their video browsers, which was made possible by a novel interaction logging mechanism introduced for this iteration of the VBS. The results collected at the VBS evaluation server confirm that searching for one particular scene in the collection when given a limited time is still a challenging task for many of the approaches that were showcased during the event. Given only a short textual description, finding the correct scene is even harder. In ad hoc search with multiple relevant scenes, the tools were mostly able to find at least one scene, whereas recall was the issue for many teams. The logs also reveal that even though recent exciting advances in machine learning narrow the classical semantic gap problem, user-centric interfaces are still required to mediate access to specific content. Finally, open challenges and lessons learned are presented for future VBS events.
Gaussian Processes for Rumour Stance Classification in Social Media
Authors: Lukasik Michal , Bontcheva Kalina , Cohn Trevor , Zubiaga Arkaitz , Liakata Maria , Procter Rob
Published: February 2019

Social media tend to be rife with rumours while new reports are released piecemeal during breaking news. Interestingly, one can mine multiple reactions expressed by social media users in those situations, exploring their stance towards rumours, ultimately enabling the flagging of highly disputed rumours as being potentially false. In this work, we set out to develop an automated, supervised classifier that uses multi-task learning to classify the stance expressed in each individual tweet in a conversation around a rumour as either supporting, denying or questioning the rumour. Using a Gaussian Process classifier, and exploring its effectiveness on two datasets with very different characteristics and varying distributions of stances, we show that our approach consistently outperforms competitive baseline classifiers. Our classifier is especially effective in estimating the distribution of different types of stance associated with a given rumour, which we set forth as a desired characteristic for a rumour-tracking system that will show both ordinary users of Twitter and professional news practitioners how others orient to the disputed veracity of a rumour, with the final aim of establishing its actual truth value.
Photorealistic Face Completion with Semantic Parsing and Face Identity-Preserving Features
Authors: Ma Ruijun , Hu Haifeng , Wang Weixuan , Xu Jia , Li Zhengming
Published: February 2019

Tremendous progress on deep learning has shown exciting potential for a variety of face completion tasks. However, most learning-based methods are limited to handle general or structure specified face images (e.g., well-aligned faces). In this article, we propose a novel face completion algorithm, called Learning and Preserving Face Completion Network (LP-FCN), which simultaneously parses face images and extracts face identity-preserving (FIP) features. By tackling these two tasks in a mutually boosting way, the LP-FCN can guide an identity preserving inference and ensure pixel faithfulness of completed faces. In addition, we adopt a global discriminator and a local discriminator to distinguish real images from synthesized ones. By training with a combined identity preserving, semantic parsing and adversarial loss, the LP-FCN encourages the completion results to be semantically valid and visually consistent for more complicated image completion tasks. Experiments show that our approach obtains similar visual quality, but achieves better performance on unaligned faces completion and fine detailed synthesis against the state-of-the-art methods.
Probabilistic Worst-Case Timing Analysis
Authors: Cazorla Francisco J. , Kosmidis Leonidas , Mezzetti Enrico , Hernandez Carles , Abella Jaume , Vardanega Tullio
Published: February 2019

The unabated increase in the complexity of the hardware and software components of modern embedded real-time systems has given momentum to a host of research in the use of probabilistic and statistical techniques for timing analysis. In the last few years, that front of investigation has yielded a body of scientific literature vast enough to warrant some comprehensive taxonomy of motivations, strategies of application, and directions of research. This survey addresses this very need, singling out the principal techniques in the state of the art of timing analysis that employ probabilistic reasoning at some level, building a taxonomy of them, discussing their relative merit and limitations, and the relations among them. In addition to offering a comprehensive foundation to savvy probabilistic timing analysis, this article also identifies the key challenges to be addressed to consolidate the scientific soundness and industrial viability of this emerging field.
Influence of Visual Salience on Webpage Product Searches
Authors: Still Jeremiah , Still Mary
Published: February 2019

Visual salience can increase search efficiency in complex displays but does that influence persist when completing a specific search? In two experiments, participants were asked to search webpages for the prices of specific products. Those products were located near an area of high visual salience or low visual salience. In Experiment 1, participants were read the name of the product before searching; in Experiment 2, participants were shown an image of the exact product before searching. In both cases, participants completed their search more quickly in the high-salience condition. This was true even when there was no ambiguity about the visual characteristics of the product. Our findings suggest that salience guides users through complex displays under realistic, goal-driven task conditions. Designers can use this knowledge to create interfaces that are easier to search by aligning salience and task-critical elements.
Enhancing Speculative Execution With Selective Approximate Computing
Authors: Nongpoh Bernard , Ray Rajarshi , Das Moumita , Banerjee Ansuman
Published: February 2019

Speculative execution is an optimization technique used in modern processors by which predicted instructions are executed in advance with an objective of overlapping the latencies of slow operations.
Branch prediction
and
load value speculation
are examples of speculative execution used in modern pipelined processors to avoid execution stalls. However, speculative executions incur a performance penalty as an execution rollback when there is a misprediction. In this work, we propose to aid speculative execution with approximate computing by relaxing the execution rollback penalty associated with a misprediction. We propose a sensitivity analysis method for data and branches in a program to identify the data load and branch instructions that can be executed without any rollback in the pipeline and yet can ensure a certain user-specified quality of service of the application with a probabilistic reliability. Our analysis is based on statistical methods, particularly hypothesis testing and Bayesian analysis. We perform an architectural simulation of our proposed approximate execution and report the benefits in terms of CPU cycles and energy utilization on selected applications from the AxBench, ACCEPT, and Parsec 3.0 benchmarks suite.
Tigers of the World: Genomics and Conservation
Authors: Luo Shu-Jin , Liu Yue-Chen , Xu Xiao
Published: February 2019

Of all the big cats, or perhaps of all the endangered wildlife, the tiger may be both the most charismatic and most well-recognized flagship species in the world. The rapidly changing field of molecular genetics, particularly advances in genome sequencing technologies, has provided new tools to reconstruct what characterizes a tiger. Here we review how applications of molecular genomic tools have been used to depict the tiger's ancestral roots, phylogenetic hierarchy, demographic history, morphological diversity, and genetic patterns of diversification on both temporal and geographical scales. Tiger conservation, stabilization, and management are important areas that benefit from use of these genome resources for developing survival strategies for this charismatic megafauna both in situ and ex situ.
Spermatogonial Stem Cell Transplantation: Insights and Outlook for Domestic Animals
Authors: Giassetti Mariana I. , Ciccarelli Michela , Oatley Jon M.
Published: February 2019

The demand for food will increase to an unprecedented level over the next 30 years owing to human population expansion, thus necessitating an evolution that improves the efficiency of livestock production. Genetic gain to improve production traits of domestic animal populations is most effectively achieved via selective use of gametes from animals deemed to be elite, and this principle has been the basis of selective breeding strategies employed by humans for thousands of years. In modern-day animal agriculture, artificial insemination (AI) has been the staple of selective breeding programs, but it has inherent limitations for applications in beef cattle and pig production systems. In this review, we discuss the potential and current state of development for a concept termed Surrogate Sires as a next-generation breeding tool in livestock production. The scheme capitalizes on the capacity of spermatogonial stem cells to regenerate sperm production after isolation from donor testicular tissue and transfer into the testes of a recipient male that lacks endogenous germline, thereby allowing the surrogate male to produce offspring with the donor haplotype via natural mating. This concept provides an effective selective breeding tool to achieve genetic gain that is conducive for livestock production systems in which AI is difficult to implement.
Chondroitin sulfate attenuates acid-induced augmentation of the mechanical response in rat thin-fiber muscle afferents in vitro
Authors: Hotta Norio , Kubo Asako , Mizumura Kazue
Published: February 2019

Exercise-induced tissue acidosis augments the exercise pressor reflex (EPR). One reason for this may be acid-induced mechanical sensitization in thin-fiber muscle afferents, which is presumably related to EPR. Acid-induced sensitization to mechanical stimulation has been reported to be attenuated in cultured primary-sensory neurons by exogenous chondroitin sulfate (CS) and chondroitinase ABC, suggesting that the extracellular matrix CS proteoglycan is involved in this sensitization. The purpose of this study was to clarify whether acid-induced sensitization of the mechanical response in the thin-fiber muscle afferents is also suppressed by exogenous CS and chondroitinase ABC using a single-fiber recording technique. A total of 88 thin fibers (conduction velocity <15.0 m/s) dissected from 86 male Sprague-Dawley rats were identified. A buffer solution at pH 6.2 lowered their mechanical threshold and increased their response magnitude. Five minutes after CS (0.3 and 0.03%) injection near the receptive field, these acid-induced changes were significantly reduced. No significant difference in attenuation was detected between the two CS concentrations. Chondroitinase ABC also significantly attenuated this sensitization. The control solution (0% CS) did not significantly alter the mechanical sensitization. Furthermore, no significant differences were detected in this sensitization and CS-based suppression between fibers with and without acid-sensitive channels [transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1), acid-sensing ion channel (ASIC)]. In addition, this mechanical sensitization was not changed by TRPV1 and ASIC antagonists, suggesting that these ion channels are not involved in the acid-induced mechanical sensitization of muscle thin-fiber afferents. In conclusion, CS administration has a potential to attenuate the acidosis-induced exaggeration of muscle mechanoreflex.

NEW & NOTEWORTHY We found that exogenous chondroitin sulfate attenuated acid-induced mechanical sensitization in thin-fiber muscle afferents that play a crucial role in the exercise pressor reflex. This finding suggests that extracellular matrix chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans may be involved in the mechanism of acid-induced mechanical sensitization and that daily intake of chondroitin sulfate may potentially attenuate this amplification of muscle mechanoreflex and therefore reduce muscle pain related to acidic muscle conditions.
Inspiratory muscle activation via ventral lower thoracic high-frequency spinal cord stimulation
Authors: Kowalski Krzysztof E. , Romaniuk Jaroslaw Richard , Kirkwood Peter A. , DiMarco Anthony F.
Published: February 2019

In animals, high-frequency spinal cord stimulation (HF-SCS) applied on the ventral epidural surface at the T2 level results in negative airway pressure generation consistent with inspiratory muscle activation. In the present study, in anesthetized dogs, we found that ventral HF-SCS (500 Hz) applied at all thoracic levels resulted in negative airway pressure generation. In the region of the lower thoracic spinal cord, negative airway pressure generation was most pronounced at the T9 level. At this level, airway pressure generation was monitored: 1) during ventral HF-SCS over a wide range of stimulus amplitudes (0.5–15 mA) and frequencies (50–1,000 Hz) and 2) following spinal sections at C8 (to assess potential diaphragm activation) and subsequently at T6 (to assess potential intercostal muscle activation). The application of low stimulus currents between 1 and 2 mA and high stimulus frequencies (>300 Hz) resulted in the development of large negative airway pressure generation. Stimulation with 1 mA, 500 Hz resulted in a highest negative airway pressure generation of 47 ± 2 cmH2O. Increasing stimulus current was associated with progressive reductions in the magnitude of negative airway pressure generation. HF-SCS (500 Hz) with 15 mA resulted in a negative airway pressure generation of 7 ± 3 cmH2O. C8 section markedly reduced negative airway pressure generation, and subsequent T6 section resulted in positive airway pressure generation after HF-SCS. Our results indicate the existence of pathways with connections to both the phrenic and inspiratory intercostal motoneuron pools in the ventral part of the lower thoracic spinal cord. We speculate that the circuits mediating the previously described excitatory intercostal-to-phrenic reflex mediate the observed responses.

NEW & NOTEWORTHY This study suggests that, in contrast to dorsal high-frequency spinal cord stimulation at the T9 spinal level, which results in positive pressure generation, ventral high-frequency spinal cord stimulation at the same spinal level results in large negative airway pressure generation with low stimulus currents. This method, therefore, may provide an alternative method to restore ventilation in ventilator-dependent spinal cord-injured patients.
Disuse-induced insulin resistance susceptibility coincides with a dysregulated skeletal muscle metabolic transcriptome
Authors: Mahmassani Ziad S. , Reidy Paul T. , McKenzie Alec I. , Stubben Chris , Howard Michael T. , Drummond Micah J.
Published: February 2019

Short-term muscle disuse is characterized by skeletal muscle insulin resistance, although this response is divergent across subjects. The mechanisms regulating inactivity-induced insulin resistance between populations that are more or less susceptible to disuse-induced insulin resistance are not known. RNA sequencing was conducted on vastus lateralis muscle biopsies from subjects before and after bed rest ( n = 26) to describe the transcriptome of inactivity-induced insulin resistance. Subjects were separated into Low ( n = 14) or High ( n = 12) Susceptibility Groups based on the magnitude of change in insulin sensitivity after 5 days of bed rest. Both groups became insulin-resistant after bed rest, and there were no differences between groups in nonmetabolic characteristics (body mass, body mass index, fat mass, and lean mass). The High Susceptibility Group had more genes altered >1.5-fold (426 high versus 391 low) and more than twofold (73 high versus 55 low). Twenty-four genes were altered more than twofold in the High Susceptibility Group that did not change in the Low Susceptibility Group. 95 gene changes correlated with the changes in insulin sensitivity; 6 of these genes changed more than twofold in the High Susceptibility Group. Participants in the High Susceptibility Group were uniquely characterized with muscle gene responses described by a decrease in pathways responsible for lipid uptake and oxidation, decreased capacity for triglyceride export (APOB), increased lipogenesis (i.e., PFKFB3, FASN), and increased amino acid export (SLC43A1). These transcriptomic data provide a comprehensive examination of pathways and genes that may be useful biomarkers, or novel targets to offset muscle disuse-induced insulin resistance.

NEW & NOTEWORTHY Short-term muscle disuse results in skeletal muscle insulin resistance through mechanisms that are not fully understood. Following a 5-day bed rest intervention, subjects were divided into High and Low Susceptibility Groups to inactivity-induced insulin resistance. This was followed by a genome-wide transcriptional analysis on muscle biopsy samples to gain insight on divergent insulin sensitivity responses. Our primary finding was that the skeletal muscle of subjects who experienced the most inactivity-induced insulin resistance (high susceptibility) was characterized by a decreased preference for lipid oxidation, increased lipogenesis, and increased amino acid export.
Age-related differences in water and sodium handling after commercial hydration beverage ingestion
Authors: Wolf S. Tony , Stanhewicz Anna E. , Clarke Megan M. , Cheuvront Samuel N. , Kenefick Robert W. , Kenney W. Larry
Published: February 2019

Aging is associated with altered water, electrolyte, and glucose handling. Alternative beverages to those containing carbohydrate (CHO) should be considered for older adults. We hypothesized that reduced sodium (CNa+) and/or water (CH2O) clearance would underlie greater beverage retention in older compared with young adults, secondary to reduced glomerular filtration rate (GFR). We further hypothesized that amino acid (AA)- and CHO-based beverages would promote retention better than water. Over five visits, 12 young (23 ± 3 yr; 7 men, 5 women) and 12 older (67 ± 6 yr; 5 men, 7 women) subjects consumed 1 liter of distilled water or beverages with 6% CHO, 0.46 g/l Na+ [Gatorade (GAT)]; 2.5% CHO, 0.74 g/l Na+ [Pedialyte (PED)]; 5 AA, 1.04 g/l Na+ [enterade (ENT)-5]; or 8 AA, 1.38 g/l Na+ (ENT-8) over 30 min. Blood and urine were collected every hour for 4 h after ingestion; retention, CH2O, and CNa+ were calculated at 2 and 4 h. Additional calculations adjusted CH2O and CNa+ for estimated GFR (eGFR). Water yielded the lowest retention in both groups ( P ≤ 0.02). Retention was higher in older vs. young adults except for ENT-8 at 4 h ( P = 0.73). CH2O was higher for older vs. young adults for GAT at 2 h ( P < 0.01) and GAT and PED at 4 h ( P < 0.01) after ingestion but was otherwise similar between groups. CNa+ was lower in older vs. young adults except for ENT-8 ( P ≥ 0.19). Adjusting for eGFR resulted in higher CH2O for all beverages in older vs. young adults ( P < 0.05) but did not influence CNa+. Older adults may better retain beverages with less Na+ than young adults because of reduced CNa+. AA- and CHO-based electrolyte-rich beverages may similarly promote beverage retention.

NEW & NOTEWORTHY Commercially available amino acid (AA)-containing beverages may provide an alternative to traditional carbohydrate (CHO)-containing beverages, particularly for older adults with attenuated water, electrolyte, and glucose handling. We compared beverage retention and free water and sodium clearance between young and older adults after ingestion of water, two CHO-based beverages, and two AA-based beverages. Our data suggest that older adults better retain beverages with less sodium compared with young adults and that AA-based and CHO-based electrolyte-containing beverages similarly promote retention.
Comparison between Refractive Outcome of Primary Piggyback Intraocular Lens versus Secondary Lens Iris Claw Lens in Posterior Microphthalmos
Authors: Elhofi Abdelhamid , Helaly Hany Ahmed , Said Amr
Published: February 2019

Purpose. To compare the refractive outcome of 2 different methods of intraocular lens implantation in cases of posterior microphthalmos, primary piggyback IOLs versus secondary iris claw lenses. Methods. This study was a retrospective interventional comparative study that included 60 eyes of 30 patients. The included patients had bilateral microphthalmos with high axial hyperopia and had undergone a lens-based surgical procedure for hyperopia correction. The included patients were equally divided into two groups. The first group had undergone refractive lens exchange (RLE) with primary piggyback IOL implantation. The second group undergone RLE with maximum available IOL power implanted followed by a secondary implantation of Artisan iris-fixated IOL (Ophtec B.V., Groningen, the Netherlands). Results. The 2 groups were highly comparable to each other regarding the mean age, axial length (AL), manifest refraction (MR), and K readings. Postoperatively, there was a statistically significant difference between the 2 groups regarding the manifest refraction spherical equivalent (MRSE), mean absolute error (MAE), and uncorrected distance visual acuity (UDVA). There was no significant difference between the 2 groups regarding the CDVA. At 36 months, 20% and 73% of the eyes were within ±0.5 D of intended refraction at 36 months in 1ry piggyback and 2ry Artisan groups, respectively. Fifty-three percent and 93% of the eyes were within ±1.0 D of intended refraction at 36 months in 1ry piggyback and 2ry Artisan groups, respectively (p=0.001). Conclusion. Secondary procedure with implantation of iris-fixated intraocular lens yielded very good results for treatment of axial hyperopia in cases of posterior microphthalmos. The primary piggyback IOL showed less satisfactory results with cases of under correction and the possible complication of interlenticular opacification. Both groups showed good safety parameters.
Relation of Redox and Structural Alterations of Rat Skin in the Function of Chronological Aging
Authors: Jankovic Aleksandra , Saso Luciano , Korac Aleksandra , Korac Bato
Published: February 2019

Accumulation of oxidative insults on molecular and supramolecular levels could compromise renewal potency and architecture in the aging skin. To examine and compare morphological and ultrastructural changes with redox alterations during chronological skin aging, activities of antioxidant defense (AD) enzymes, superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), glutathione reductase (GR), thioredoxin reductase (TR), and methionine sulfoxide reductase A (MsrA), and the markers of oxidative damage of biomolecules—4-hydroxynonenal (HNE) and 8-oxoguanine (8-oxoG)—were examined in the rat skin during life (from 3 days to 21 months). As compared to adult 3-month-old skin, higher activities of CAT, GSH-Px, and GR and a decline in expression of MsrA are found in 21-month-old skin. These changes correspond to degenerative changes at structural and ultrastructural levels in epidermal and dermal compartments, low proliferation capacity, and higher levels of HNE-modified protein aldehydes (particularly in basal lamina) and 8-oxoG positivity in nuclei and mitochondria in the sebaceous glands and root sheath. In 3-day-old skin, higher activities of AD enzymes (SOD, CAT, GR, and TR) and MsrA expression correspond to intensive postnatal development and proliferation. In contrast to 21-month-old skin, a high level of HNE in young skin is not accompanied by 8-oxoG positivity or any morphological disturbances. Observed results indicate that increased activity of AD enzymes in elderly rat skin represents the compensatory response to accumulated oxidative damage of DNA and proteins, accompanied by attenuated repair and proliferative capacity, but in young rats the redox changes are necessary and inherent with processes which occur during postnatal skin development. Мorphological and ultrastructurаl changes are in line with the redox profile in the skin of young and old rats.
Differentiation of Stem Cells from Human Exfoliated Deciduous Teeth into Retinal Photoreceptor-Like Cells and Their Sustainability In Vivo
Authors: Li Xiaoxia , Xie Jing , Zhai Yue , Fang Tengjiaozi , Rao Nanquan , Hu Shuang , Yang Liping , Zhao Yuming , Wang Yixiang , Ge Lihong
Published: February 2019

Retinal degeneration is characterized by the progressive loss of photoreceptors, and stem cell therapy has become a promising strategy. Many studies have reported that mesenchymal stem cell transplantation can sustain retinal structure and prolong retinal functions based on two mechanisms. One is cell replacement, and the other is the paracrine action of stem cells. Cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHEDs) show characteristics typical of mesenchymal stem cells. They are derived from the neural crest and are a potential cellular source for neural regeneration in stem cell therapy. In this study, we explored the potential of SHEDs to be induced towards the retinal photoreceptor phenotype and to be sustainable in an animal model of retinal degeneration. A factor-cocktail protocol was used to induce SHEDs towards retinal photoreceptors for 24 days, and the characteristics of the induced cells were identified in terms of morphological changes, biomarker expression and subcellular distribution, and calcium influx. SHEDs were labeled with firefly luciferase for in vivo tracking by bioluminescent imaging and then transplanted into the subretinal space of mice. Our results showed that SHEDs successfully transdifferentiated into photoreceptor-like cells, which displayed neuron-like morphology, and expressed specific genes and proteins associated with retinal precursors, photoreceptor precursors, and mature photoreceptors. In addition, calcium influx was significantly greater in the retinal-induced than in noninduced SHEDs. In vivo tracking confirmed at least 2 weeks of good survival by bioluminescent imaging and 3 months of sustainability of SHEDs by histological analysis. We conclude that SHEDs have the potential to transdifferentiate into retinal photoreceptor-like cells in vitro and maintain good viability in vivo after transplantation into mice with a normal immune system. This demonstrates preliminary success in generating photoreceptor-like cells from SHEDs and applying SHEDs in treating retinal degeneration.
False Gastric Diverticulum Arising from the Pylorus Associated with Gastric Outlet Obstruction
Authors: Jayarajah Umesh , Basnayake Oshan , Wijerathne Pradeep , Jayasinghe Jayan , Fernandopulle Nilesh , De Zoysa Ishan
Published: February 2019

A gastric diverticulum is an outpouching from the stomach wall. It is usually seen in the posterior gastric wall and the gastric antrum. Diverticula arising from the pyloric region are extremely rare. A 59-year-old female presented with progressively worsening symptoms of gastric outlet obstruction associated with dyspepsia and vague abdominal pain for 5 years. A large, thin-walled, wide-mouthed, false gastric diverticulum (filled with undigested food) arising from the pylorus associated with gastric outlet stenosis was found by endoscopy and CT imaging. Multiple biopsies from the region excluded a gastric malignancy. A gastrojejunostomy and jejunojejunostomy were performed to bypass the obstruction which successfully relieved the symptoms. This is an unusual site for gastric diverticula, and when associated with gastric outlet obstruction, further distention of the diverticulum may cause more obstruction with worsening symptoms.
Performance Evaluation of IEEE 802.11ad in Evolving Wi-Fi Networks
Authors: Nguyen Kien , Golam Kibria Mirza , Ishizu Kentaro , Kojima Fumihide
Published: February 2019

The IEEE 802.11ad technology, which allows wireless devices to communicate in the unlicensed 60 GHz ISM band, promisingly provides multi-Gbps data rates for bandwidth-intensive applications. After years of research and development, we are now observing an increasing number of commodity IEEE 802.11ad radios that motivate researchers to exploit the IEEE 801.11ad capability for applications. This work first conducts an empirical study on the IEEE 802.11ad performance. In particular, we characterize the performance of IEEE 802.11ad links considering the variation of network parameters and interference. Secondly, we investigate the possibility of introducing IEEE 802.11ad to an evolving Wi-Fi network. The evaluation results show that our off-the-shelf IEEE 802.11ad hardware can achieve the Gbps level throughput of the transmission control protocol (TCP) and user datagram protocol (UDP). However, the evolvement is not trivial since the hardware can not well maintain the 60 GHz link. The main reason is lacking the fast switchover function between an IEEE 802.11ad and a legacy Wi-Fi link. We then seek the potential of multipath TCP (MPTCP) for the expected switchover. The default MPTCP, which enables data transmissions on both the IEEE 802.11ad and Wi-Fi links, is harmful to the IEEE 802.11ad throughput. Meanwhile, the backup mode of MPTCP, in which the Wi-Fi link acts as a backup for IEEE 802.11ad one, can maintain the comparable performance. Therefore, we propose to adopt MPTCP with the backup mode in the evolving Wi-Fi networks. The efficiency of MPTCP-based switchover is confirmed by conducting real experiments.
Neural Network for Solving SOCQP and SOCCVI Based on Two Discrete‐Type Classes of SOC Complementarity Functions
Authors: Sun Juhe , Wu Xiao-Ren , Saheya B. , Chen Jein-Shan , Ko Chun-Hsu
Published: February 2019

This paper focuses on solving the quadratic programming problems with second‐order cone constraints (SOCQP) and the second‐order cone constrained variational inequality (SOCCVI) by using the neural network. More specifically, a neural network model based on two discrete‐type families of SOC complementarity functions associated with second‐order cone is proposed to deal with the Karush‐Kuhn‐Tucker (KKT) conditions of SOCQP and SOCCVI. The two discrete‐type SOC complementarity functions are newly explored. The neural network uses the two discrete‐type families of SOC complementarity functions to achieve two unconstrained minimizations which are the merit functions of the Karuch‐Kuhn‐Tucker equations for SOCQP and SOCCVI. We show that the merit functions for SOCQP and SOCCVI are Lyapunov functions and this neural network is asymptotically stable. The main contribution of this paper lies on its simulation part because we observe a different numerical performance from the existing one. In other words, for our two target problems, more effective SOC complementarity functions, which work well along with the proposed neural network, are discovered.
Killing Two Angry Birds with One Stone: Autophagy Activation by Inhibiting Calpains in Neurodegenerative Diseases and Beyond
Authors: Weber Jonasz Jeremiasz , Pereira Sena Priscila , Singer Elisabeth , Nguyen Huu Phuc
Published: February 2019

Proteolytic machineries execute vital cellular functions and their disturbances are implicated in diverse medical conditions, including neurodegenerative diseases. Interestingly, calpains, a class of Ca2+-dependent regulatory proteases, can modulate the degradational system of autophagy by cleaving proteins involved in this pathway. Moreover, both machineries are common players in many molecular pathomechanisms and have been targeted individually or together, as a therapeutic strategy in experimental setups. In this review, we briefly introduce calpains and autophagy, with their roles in health and disease, and focus on their direct pathologically relevant interplay in neurodegeneration and beyond. The modulation of calpain activity may comprise a promising treatment approach to attenuate the deregulation of these two essential mechanisms.
Solving the Manufacturing Cell Design Problem through Binary Cat Swarm Optimization with Dynamic Mixture Ratios
Authors: Soto Ricardo , Crawford Broderick , Aste Toledo Angelo , Fuente-Mella Hanns de la , Castro Carlos , Paredes Fernando , Olivares Rodrigo
Published: February 2019

In this research, we present a Binary Cat Swarm Optimization for solving the Manufacturing Cell Design Problem (MCDP). This problem divides an industrial production plant into a certain number of cells. Each cell contains machines with similar types of processes or part families. The goal is to identify a cell organization in such a way that the transportation of the different parts between cells is minimized. The organization of these cells is performed through Cat Swarm Optimization, which is a recent swarm metaheuristic technique based on the behavior of cats. In that technique, cats have two modes of behavior: seeking mode and tracing mode, selected from a mixture ratio. For experimental purposes, a version of the Autonomous Search algorithm was developed with dynamic mixture ratios. The experimental results for both normal Binary Cat Swarm Optimization (BCSO) and Autonomous Search BCSO reach all global optimums, both for a set of 90 instances with known optima, and for a set of 35 new instances with 13 known optima.
Sign Prediction on Unlabeled Social Networks Using Branch and Bound Optimized Transfer Learning
Authors: Yuan Weiwei , Pang Jiali , Guan Donghai , Tian Yuan , Al-Dhelaan Abdullah , Al-Dhelaan Mohammed
Published: February 2019

Sign prediction problem aims to predict the signs of links for signed networks. Currently it has been widely used in a variety of applications. Due to the insufficiency of labeled data, transfer learning has been adopted to leverage the auxiliary data to improve the prediction of signs in target domain. Existing works suffer from two limitations. First, they cannot work if there is no target label available. Second, their generalization performance is not guaranteed due to that fact that the solution of their objective functions is not global optimal solution. To solve these problems, we propose a novel sign prediction on unlabeled social networks using branch and bound optimized transfer learning (SP_BBTL) sign prediction model. The main idea of SP_BBTL is to use target feature vectors to reconstruct source domain feature vectors based on relationship projection, which is a complicated optimal problem and is solved by proposed optimization based on branch and bound that can obtain global optimal solution. With this design, the target domain label information is not required for classifier. Finally, the experimental results on the large scale social signed networks validate the superiority of the proposed model.
Expression of Leptin Receptor and Effects of Leptin on Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma Cells
Authors: Celano Marilena , Maggisano Valentina , Lepore Saverio Massimo , Sponziello Marialuisa , Pecce Valeria , Verrienti Antonella , Durante Cosimo , Maranghi Marianna , Lucia Piernatale , Bulotta Stefania , Damante Giuseppe , Russo Diego
Published: February 2019

Background. Obesity has been hypothesized to contribute to the aggressiveness of thyroid cancer through the production of abnormal levels of serum adipokines. Leptin receptor (OB-R) expression has also been documented in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). Aim. In this translational study, we analyzed in vitro the effects of leptin on the growth and migration of thyroid cancer cells (TPC-1 and K1), the molecular mechanisms underlying leptin’s action, and the influence of prolonged leptin exposure on cell response to a protein kinase inhibitor lenvatinib. The expression levels of OB-R mRNA and protein were also investigated in vivo in a series of aggressive PTCs divided into two groups based on the presence of the BRAF mutation. Results. In TPC-1 and K1 cells, prolonged treatment with leptin (500 ng/ml for 96 h) resulted in a mild increase in the proliferation (about 20% over control only in K1 cells, p<0.05) and in the migration of both cancer cell lines. Immunoblot analysis revealed a slight increase in the phosphorylation of AKT, but no effect on β-catenin and phospho-ERK expressions. The inhibitory effects of lenvatinib on the viability of both cell lines were not influenced by the leptin treatment. OB-R transcript (in fresh tissues) and proteins (in formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded specimens) were expressed in all PTC tissues examined, with no significant differences between BRAF-mutated and BRAF-wild-type tumors. Conclusions. These results demonstrate leptin’s role in mildly increasing the aggressive phenotype of PTC cells but without influencing the action of lenvatinib. Further studies will clarify whether it is possible to target OB-R, expressed in all aggressive PTCs, as an adjuvant treatment approach for these malignancies.
Antierythropoietin Antibody Production Is Not Associated with Malaria and Malaria-Related Anaemia in Humans
Authors: Addai-Mensah Otchere , Gyamfi Daniel , Amponsah Francis Agyei , Annani-Akollor Max Efui , Danquah Kwabena Owusu , Boateng Lillian , Owiredu Eddie-Williams , Afriyie Edward Y. , Duneeh Richard Vikpebah , Asare Renate , Ofosu Ntiamoah David , Boateng Richard
Published: February 2019

Introduction. The pathophysiology of malaria-related anaemia is not fully understood although increased destruction of parasitized and nonparasitized erythrocytes, as well as inadequate erythropoiesis, has been proposed. Circulating antierythropoietin (anti-EPO) antibodies have also been implicated in malaria and malaria-related anaemia in mice. However, studies on this association have not been investigated in humans. This study therefore determined the prevalence of anti-EPO antibody production and assessed its association with malaria and malaria-related anaemia in humans.Methods. A total of 86 children aged 1-10 years (57 children with malaria serving as the case group and 29 healthy children serving as control), all residents of Duayaw Nkwanta, Ghana, were recruited for this case-control study. Venous blood was collected for thick and thin films for malaria microscopy, full blood count by automated haematology analyzer, and antierythropoietin antibody and erythropoietin estimation by sandwich ELISA method.Results. Out of the 86 participants recruited, only 3 (3.5%) were positive for anti-EPO antibody; 2.3% of the case group; and 1.2% of the control group. There was no association between the cases and the controls in the production of anti-EPO antibodies. Erythropoietin concentration was significantly higher in malaria-related anaemic subjects (p=0.032).Conclusion. Antierythropoietin antibodies are not associated with malaria infection and malaria-related anaemia in humans. Erythropoietin concentration is associated with malaria-related anaemia.