bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Baseline autoantibodies preferentially impact abatacept efficacy in patients with rheumatoid arthritis who are biologic naïve: 6-month results from a real-world, international, prospective study
Authors: Alten Rieke , Nüßlein Hubert G , Mariette Xavier , Galeazzi Mauro , Lorenz Hanns-Martin , Cantagrel Alain , Chartier Melanie , Poncet Coralie , Rauch Christiane , Le Bars Manuela
Published: February 2017

Objectives

To determine the impact of baseline rheumatoid factor (RF) and anticyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) status on the clinical efficacy of intravenous abatacept in biologic-naïve patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) enrolled in the real-world ACTION study.

Methods

Clinical outcomes (European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) response, mean Clinical Disease Activity Index (CDAI) and Boolean remission) at 6 months were compared by baseline RF and anti-CCP status.

Results

Of 672 biologic-naïve patients, RF status was reported in 577 (86%) (412 (71%) positive) and anti-CCP status in 552 (82%) (364 (66%) positive); of 511 patients for whom data were available, 308/511 (60%) were double positive and 127/511 (25%) were double negative. Clinical outcomes were improved with RF-positive or anti-CCP-positive versus RF-negative/anti-CCP-negative status—good or moderate EULAR response: RF: 84.6 vs 72.9%, p=0.012; anti-CCP: 85.2 vs 74.2%, p=0.015; mean CDAI (calculated): RF: 10.8 vs 15.3, p<0.001; anti-CCP: 10.9 vs 14.3, p=0.002; and Boolean remission: RF: 13.3 vs 4.0%, p=0.008; anti-CCP: 12.5 vs 6.3%, p=0.096. Clinical outcomes were also improved with single or double RF-positive/anti-CCP-positive versus double-negative status.

Conclusions

In biologic-naïve patients with RA, RF-positive and/or anti-CCP-positive status is associated with greater efficacy of intravenous abatacept than seronegative status.

Trial registration number

NCT02109666.
Glossa — A Formal Language as a Mapping Mechanism of NL Sentences into SPN State Machine for Actions/Events Association
Authors: Psarologou Adamantia , Bourbakis Nikolaos
Published: February 2017

Natural Language Understanding (NLU) is an old and really challenging field with a variety of research work published on it. In this paper we present a formal language methodology based on a state machine for efficiently representing natural language events/actions and their associations in well-written documents. The methodology consists of the following steps. We firstly apply Anaphora Resolution (AR) to the pre-processing natural language text. Then we extract the kernel(s) of each sentence. These kernels are formally represented using a formal language, (Glossa) to map the language expressions (kernels) into Stochastic Petri Nets (SPN) graphs. Finally we apply a set of rules to combine the SPN graphs in order to achieve the associations of actions/events in time. Special emphasis of this paper is the mapping of kernels of NL sentences into SPN graphs. Note that this work does not cover all the aspects of the NLU. Examples of SPN graphs of different NL texts, produced by our proposed methodology are given.
Vibration Behavior of Gravity-Loaded Whirling Micro-Scale Shafts Influenced by an Axial Magnetic Field
Authors: Mustapha K. B. , Zhong Z. W. , Kashem S. B. A.
Published: February 2017

Some high-speed rotating micro-machines and micro-vibration devices rely on the use of whirling micro-shafts subject to the effect of gravity and magnetic fields. At present, the consequences of the interaction between the elastic deformation of such shafts and the magnetic/gravitational field effects remain unresolved. Focusing on micro-scale whirling shafts with very high torsional rigidity, this study presents a theoretical treatment grounded in the theory of micro-continuum elasticity to examine the ramification of this interaction. The differential transformation method (DTM) is used to obtain extensive numerical results for qualitative assessments of the magnetic-gravitational effects interaction on standing, hanging and horizontally positioned spinning micro-scale shafts. The influence of bearing-support flexibility on the response of the whirling micro-shaft is also considered with rotational and translational springs. The gravitational sag reduces the stability of whirling standing micro-shafts and increases that of the hanging micro-shafts. Further, for all the micro-shafts configurations investigated, the magnetic field is observed to stiffen the response of the shaft and favorably shifts the critical points of vibration of the whirling shafts forward.
Data-Driven Methods to Create Knowledge Maps for Decision Making in Academic Contexts
Authors: Moradi Rizan , Taheri Khalil , Mirian Maryam S.
Published: February 2017

Knowledge is the primary asset of today’s organisations; thus, knowledge management has been focused on discovery, representation, modification, transformation, and creation of knowledge within an enterprise. A knowledge map is a knowledge management tool that makes organisational processes more visible, feasible, and practicable. It is a graphical representation of decision-related information. What happens, how various events can be managed, and why they happened: all can be demonstrated very precisely by a well-designed knowledge map. There are diverse knowledge-related roles; for example, each university dean’s office — as an instance of a knowledge-based organisation — usually relies upon their institutional memory to make daily decisions. However, utilising a knowledge map greatly facilitates any individual’s or group’s decision-making process, by proposing or establishing key required information. In this study, two important managerial roles — Associate Deans of Research and Education — were selected; then we reviewed their key managerial decisions and proposed three different techniques for supporting their decisions. The chief superiority of the approach offered here was in the creation of role-based knowledge maps, including an expertness map and a collaboration map for the Associate Dean of Research, which were formed using clustering, taxonomy formation, and information retrieval methods. A third map was created for the Associate Dean of Education, including a Bayesian reasoning map based on an Improved PC (IPC) algorithm, which learned the structure and the parameters of a Bayesian network to describe decision-making in the domain of education. To evaluate the proposed approaches, structural and functional evaluation measures and standard datasets (in the available cases) were chosen. The results found that the approaches were comparable to the selected benchmarks within the real data; even after considering the challenging nature of the real data, which included problems such as incomplete and unclean data extracted from the University of Tehran’s education and research management information systems.
IDENTIFYING LEAD USERS IN A B2B ENVIRONMENT BASED ON PATENT ANALYSIS — THE CASE OF THE CRANE INDUSTRY
Authors: MOEHRLE MARTIN G , PFENNIG IRINA , GERKEN JAN M
Published: February 2017

Lead users play an important role for innovation; not only in the interfaces between companies and consumers, but also in the interfaces between different companies (B2B). As for companies in many industries, the propensity to protect inventions by patenting is high, we suggest a new method for identifying lead user patents and illustrate it by means of the case of the crane industry. According to this method, we use the conceptual framework of the technology complex, conduct a first patent search with a high recall to generate a base set of patents, clean it, operationalise the technology complex in a way to separate the base set of patents into smaller sets, and inspect the remaining patent set to identify lead user patents. Doing so, we manage to find lead users from different industries, which clearly indicates that patent analysis is highly valuable for their identification in a B2B environment.
PARSEC3.0
Authors: Zhan Xusheng , Bao Yungang , Bienia Christian , Li Kai
Published: February 2017

Benchmarks play a very important role in accelerating the development and research of CMP. As one of them, the PARSEC suite continues to be updated and revised over and over again so that it can offer better support for researchers. The former versions of PARSEC have enough workloads to evaluate the property of CMP about CPU, cache and memory, but it lacks of applications based on network stack to assess the performance of CMPs in respect of network. In this work, we introduce PARSEC3.0, a new version of PARSEC suite that implements a user-level network stack and generates three network workloads with this stack to cover network domain. We explore the input sets of splash-2 and expand them to multiple scales, a.k.a, splash-2x. We integrate splash-2 and splash-2x into PARSEC framework so that researchers use these benchmark suite conveniently. Finally, we evaluate the u-TCP/IP stack and new network workloads, and analyze the characterizes of splash-2 and splash-2x
Effect of Human Myotubes-Derived Media on Glucose-Stimulated Insulin Secretion
Authors: Mizgier Maria L. , Cataldo Luis R. , Gutierrez Juan , Santos José L. , Casas Mariana , Llanos Paola , Contreras-Ferrat Ariel E. , Moro Cedric , Bouzakri Karim , Galgani Jose E.
Published: February 2017

Fasting to postprandial transition requires a tight adjustment of insulin secretion to its demand, so tissue (e.g., skeletal muscle) glucose supply is assured while hypo-/hyperglycemia are prevented. High muscle glucose disposal after meals is pivotal for adapting to increased glycemia and might drive insulin secretion through muscle-released factors (e.g., myokines). We hypothesized that insulin influences myokine secretion and then increases glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS). In conditioned media from human myotubes incubated with/without insulin (100 nmol/L) for 24 h, myokines were qualitatively and quantitatively characterized using an antibody-based array and ELISA-based technology, respectively. C57BL6/J mice islets and Wistar rat beta cells were incubated for 24 h with control and conditioned media from noninsulin- and insulin-treated myotubes prior to GSIS determination. Conditioned media from insulin-treated versus nontreated myotubes had higher RANTES but lower IL6, IL8, and MCP1 concentration. Qualitative analyses revealed that conditioned media from noninsulin- and insulin-treated myotubes expressed 32 and 23 out of 80 myokines, respectively. Islets incubated with conditioned media from noninsulin-treated myotubes had higher GSIS versus control islets(p<0.05). Meanwhile, conditioned media from insulin-treated myotubes did not influence GSIS. In beta cells, GSIS was similar across conditions. In conclusion, factors being present in noninsulin-stimulated muscle cell-derived media appear to influence GSIS in mice islets.
Complete Obstruction of Endotracheal Tube in an Infant with a Retropharyngeal and Anterior Mediastinal Abscess
Authors: Thapa Dennis B. , Greene Nathaniel H. , Udani Andrea G.
Published: February 2017

Intraoperative ventilatory failure is not an uncommon complication; however, acute endotracheal obstruction by a foreign body or blood clot can be difficult to quickly discriminate from other causes. Once the diagnosis is made, quick action is needed to restore ventilation. The ultimate solution is to exchange the endotracheal tube; however, there can be other ways of resolving this in situations where reintubation would be difficult or unsafe. This case report discusses such an event in an infant with multiple airway challenges including a retropharyngeal and anterior mediastinal abscess. We have also formulated a pathway based on various case reports involving complete ETT obstruction.
Metabolomic Biomarker Identification in Presence of Outliers and Missing Values
Authors: Kumar Nishith , Hoque Md. Aminul , Shahjaman Md. , Islam S. M. Shahinul , Mollah Md. Nurul Haque
Published: February 2017

Metabolomics is the sophisticated and high-throughput technology based on the entire set of metabolites which is known as the connector between genotypes and phenotypes. For any phenotypic changes, potential metabolite (biomarker) identification is very important because it provides diagnostic as well as prognostic markers and can help to develop new biomolecular therapy. Biomarker identification from metabolomics data analysis is hampered by the use of high-throughput technology that provides high dimensional data matrix which contains missing values as well as outliers. However, missing value imputation and outliers handling techniques play important role in identifying biomarker correctly. Although several missing value imputation techniques are available, outliers deteriorate the accuracy of imputation as well as the accuracy of biomarker identification. Therefore, in this paper we have proposed a new biomarker identification technique combining the groupwise robust singular value decomposition, t-test, and fold-change approach that can identify biomarkers more correctly from metabolomics dataset. We have also compared the performance of the proposed technique with those of other traditional techniques for biomarker identification using both simulated and real data analysis in absence and presence of outliers. Using our proposed method in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) dataset, we have also identified the four upregulated and two downregulated metabolites as potential metabolomic biomarkers for HCC disease.
Optimization of Rail Profiles to Improve Vehicle Running Stability in Switch Panel of High‐Speed Railway Turnouts
Authors: Wang Ping , Ma Xiaochuan , Wang Jian , Xu Jingmang , Chen Rong
Published: February 2017

A method for optimizing rail profiles to improve vehicle running stability in switch panel of high‐speed railway turnouts is proposed in this paper. The stock rail profiles are optimized to decrease the rolling radii difference (RRD). Such characteristics are defined through given rail profiles, and the target rolling radii difference is defined as a function of lateral displacements of wheel set. The improved sequential quadratic programming (SQP) method is used to generate a sequence of improving profiles leading to the optimum one. The wheel‐rail contact geometry and train‐turnout dynamic interaction of the optimized profiles and those of nominal profiles are calculated for comparison. Without lateral displacement of wheel set, the maximum RRD in relation to a nominal profile will be kept within 0.5 mm–1 mm, while that in relation to an optimized profile will be kept within 0.3 mm–0.5 mm. For the facing and trailing move of vehicle passing the switch panel in the through route, the lateral wheel‐rail contact force is decreased by 34.0% and 29.9%, respectively, the lateral acceleration of car body is decreased by 41.9% and 40.7%, respectively, and the optimized profile will not greatly influence the vertical wheel‐rail contact force. The proposed method works efficiently and the results prove to be quite reasonable.
Effects of Different Treatments on the Quality and Safety of Crayfish (Astacus leptodactylus)
Authors: Diler İbrahim , Genç İsmail Yüksel , Diler Abdullah
Published: February 2017

This study was aimed to determine the effect of different killing methods (frozen, mechanical, and traditional) on the quality, safety, and shelf life of crayfish that are aerobically stored under chilled conditions. The population of microorganisms (i.e., total mesophilic aerobic bacteria (TMAB), total psychrophilic aerobic bacteria (TPAB), and Enterobacteriaceae) was increased regarding to storage time (p<0.05). Significant differences (p>0.05) were not observed in pH values during storage time. In contrast to this, total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) values of the samples were increased significantly (p<0.05) during storage. Sensory results were highly correlated with the microbiological counts (r=-0.92 for TMAB × odour; r=-0.95 for TPAB × odour; and r=-0.96 for Enterobacteriaceae × odour). Fifteen different fatty acids and 5 biogenic amines were detected for the determination of initial quality and safety of crayfish. In conclusion, frozen killed samples were found to be effective and laborsaving method as an alternative to traditional killing methods by maintaining the quality and safety of crayfish at the beginning and during storage under chilled conditions.
Multisensors Cooperative Detection Task Scheduling Algorithm Based on Hybrid Task Decomposition and MBPSO
Authors: Liu Changyun , Guo Xiangke , Li Zhihui , Wang Yingying , Wei Gang
Published: February 2017

A multisensor scheduling algorithm based on the hybrid task decomposition and modified binary particle swarm optimization (MBPSO) is proposed. Firstly, aiming at the complex relationship between sensor resources and tasks, a hybrid task decomposition method is presented, and the resource scheduling problem is decomposed into subtasks; then the sensor resource scheduling problem is changed into the match problem of sensors and subtasks. Secondly, the resource match optimization model based on the sensor resources and tasks is established, which considers several factors, such as the target priority, detecting benefit, handover times, and resource load. Finally, MBPSO algorithm is proposed to solve the match optimization model effectively, which is based on the improved updating means of particle’s velocity and position through the doubt factor and modified Sigmoid function. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm is better in terms of convergence velocity, searching capability, solution accuracy, and efficiency.
Efficient Techniques for Solving the Periodic Projected Lyapunov Equations and Model Reduction of Periodic Systems
Authors: Hossain Mohammad-Sahadet , Uddin M. Monir
Published: February 2017

We have presented the efficient techniques for the solutions of large‐scale sparse projected periodic discrete‐time Lyapunov equations in lifted form. These types of problems arise in model reduction and state feedback problems of periodic descriptor systems. Two most popular techniques to solve such Lyapunov equations iteratively are the low‐rank alternating direction implicit (LR‐ADI) method and the low‐rank Smith method. The main contribution of this paper is to update the LR‐ADI method by exploiting the ideas of the adaptive shift parameters computation and the efficient handling of complex shift parameters. These approaches efficiently reduce the computational cost with respect to time and memory. We also apply these iterative Lyapunov solvers in balanced truncation model reduction of periodic discrete‐time descriptor systems. We illustrate numerical results to show the performance and accuracy of the proposed methods.
General Holmstedt’s Formulae for theK-Functional
Authors: Ahmed Irshaad , Karadzhov Georgi E. , Raza Ali
Published: February 2017

Explicit formulae for theK-functional for the general couple((A0,A1)Φ0,(A0,A1)Φ1), where(A0,A1)is a compatible couple of quasi-normed spaces, are proved. As a consequence, the corresponding reiteration theorems are derived.
Identification of Candidate Genes Related to Inflammatory Bowel Disease Using Minimum Redundancy Maximum Relevance, Incremental Feature Selection, and the Shortest-Path Approach
Authors: Yuan Fei , Zhang Yu-Hang , Kong Xiang-Yin , Cai Yu-Dong
Published: February 2017

Identification of disease genes is a hot topic in biomedicine and genomics. However, it is a challenging problem because of the complexity of diseases. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is an idiopathic disease caused by a dysregulated immune response to host intestinal microflora. It has been proven to be associated with the development of intestinal malignancies. Although the specific pathological characteristics and genetic background of IBD have been partially revealed, it is still an overdetermined disease and the blueprint of all genetic variants still needs to be improved. In this study, a novel computational method was built to identify genes related to IBD. Samples from two subtypes of IBD (ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease) and normal samples were employed. By analyzing the gene expression profiles of these samples using minimum redundancy maximum relevance and incremental feature selection, 21 genes were obtained that could effectively distinguish samples from the two subtypes of IBD and the normal samples. Then, the shortest-path approach was used to search for an additional 20 genes in a large network constructed using protein-protein interactions based on the above-mentioned 21 genes. Analyses of the 41 genes obtained indicate that they are closely associated with this disease.
Motor Recovery of the Affected Hand in Subacute Stroke Correlates with Changes of Contralesional Cortical Hand Motor Representation
Authors: Veldema Jitka , Bösl Kathrin , Nowak Dennis Alexander
Published: February 2017

Objective. To investigate the relationship between changes of cortical hand motor representation and motor recovery of the affected hand in subacute stroke. Methods. 17 patients with motor impairment of the affected hand were enrolled in an in-patient neurological rehabilitation program. Hand motor function tests (Wolf Motor Function Test, Action Research Arm Test) and neurophysiological evaluations (resting motor threshold, motor evoked potentials, motor map area size, motor map area volume, and motor map area location) were obtained from both hands and hemispheres at baseline and two, four, and six weeks of in-patient rehabilitation. Results. There was a wide spectrum of hand motor impairment at baseline and hand motor recovery over time. Hand motor function and recovery correlated significantly with (i) reduction of cortical excitability, (ii) reduction in size and volume of cortical hand motor representation, and (iii) a medial and anterior shift of the center of gravity of cortical hand motor representation within the contralesional hemisphere. Conclusion. Recovery of motor function of the affected hand after stroke is accompanied by definite changes in excitability, size, volume, and location of hand motor representation over the contralesional primary motor cortex. These measures may serve as surrogate markers for the outcome of hand motor rehabilitation after stroke.
Tumor Budding, uPA, and PAI-1 in Colorectal Cancer: Update of a Prospective Study
Authors: Märkl Bruno , Hardt Jochen , Franz Simon , Schaller Tina , Schenkirsch Gerhard , Kriening Bernadette , Hoffmann Reinhard , Rüth Stefan
Published: February 2017

Aims. The prognostic role of the proteases uPA and PAI-1, as well as tumor budding, in colon cancer, has been investigated previously.Methods. We provide 6-year follow-up data and results of the validation set. The initial test set and validation set consisted of 55 colon cancers and 68 colorectal cancers, respectively. Tissue samples were analyzed for uPA and PAI-1 using a commercially available Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). Tumor budding was analyzed on cytokeratin-stained slides. Survival analyses were performed using cut-offs that were determined previously.Results. uPA was not prognostic for outcome. PAI-1 showed a trend towards reduced cancer specific survival in PAI-1 high-grade cases (68 versus 83 months;P=0.091). The combination of high-grade PAI-1 and tumor budding was associated with significantly reduced cancer specific survival (60 versus 83 months;P=0.021). After pooling the data from both sets, multivariate analyses revealed that the factors pN-stage, V-stage, and a combination of tumor budding and PAI-1 were independently prognostic for the association with distant metastases.Conclusions. A synergistic adverse effect of PAI-1 and tumor budding in uni- and multivariable analyses was found. PAI-1 could serve as a target for anticancer therapy.
Polyhedral Star-Shaped Distributions
Authors: Richter Wolf-Dieter , Schicker Kay
Published: February 2017

A new method of probabilistic modelling of polyhedrally contoured sample clouds is presented and applied to statistical reasoning for a real dataset. Various representations of the new class of polyhedral star-shaped distributions are derived and basic properties of the moments as well as characteristic and moment generating functions of these distributions are studied. Along with location-scale transformations, estimating and hypothesis testing are dealt with.
Comparison and Validation of Putative Pathogenicity-Related Genes Identified by T-DNA Insertional Mutagenesis and Microarray Expression Profiling inMagnaporthe oryzae
Authors: Wang Ying , Wáng Ying , Tan Qi , Gao Ying Nv , Li Yan , Bao Da Peng
Published: February 2017

High-throughput technologies of functional genomics such as T-DNA insertional mutagenesis and microarray expression profiling have been employed to identify genes related to pathogenicity inMagnaporthe oryzae. However, validation of the functions of individual genes identified by these high-throughput approaches is laborious. In this study, we compared two published lists of genes putatively related to pathogenicity inM. oryzaeidentified by T-DNA insertional mutagenesis (comprising 1024 genes) and microarray expression profiling (comprising 236 genes), respectively, and then validated the functions of some overlapped genes between the two lists by knocking them out using the method of target gene replacement. Surprisingly, only 13 genes were overlapped between the two lists, and none of the four genes selected from the overlapped genes exhibited visible phenotypic changes on vegetative growth, asexual reproduction, and infection ability in their knockout mutants. Our results suggest that both of the lists might contain large proportions of unrelated genes to pathogenicity and therefore comparing the two gene lists is hardly helpful for the identification of genes that are more likely to be involved in pathogenicity as we initially expected.
Antileishmanial Activity of Handroanthus serratifolius (Vahl) S. Grose (Bignoniaceae)
Authors: Costa Erica Vanessa Souza , Brígido Heliton Patrick Cordovil , Silva João Victor da Silva e , Coelho-Ferreira Marlia Regina , Brandão Geraldo Célio , Dolabela Maria Fâni
Published: February 2017

This study aimed to evaluate the leishmanicidal activity of ethanol extract, fractions, and isolated substance from Handroanthus serratifolius against Leishmania amazonensis. Furthermore, this activity was related to cytotoxicity, and the selectivity index was determined. The ethanol extract was obtained by maceration of the stem powder, and the extract was subjected to fractionation on chromatographic column. The lapachol was obtained by acid base extraction followed by purification in chromatographic column. The antipromastigote activity and cytotoxicity tests were carried out by the cell viability method (MTT). Modified THP‐1 cells were infected with L. amazonensis promastigotes and treated for 24 h with different concentrations of the extract, fractions, and lapachol. The ethanol extract, dichloromethane, and ethyl acetate fractions were not active against promastigotes (IC50 > 200 μg/mL) or cytotoxic (CC50 > 500 μg/mL), and the selectivity index (SI) was greater than 2.5. The ethyl acetate fraction was active only in promastigotes; it is not cytotoxic (CC50 > 500 μg/mL, SI > 5). The lapachol was selectively active only against amastigote (IS > 2.5, CC50 > 500 μg/mL). In summary, lapachol and ethyl acetate fraction are promising against amastigote and promastigote forms, respectively.
Channel Rectification and Signal Estimation Based on EIV Model in Massive MIMO System
Authors: Zhong Liang , Huang Li , Kong Zhengmin
Published: February 2017

The performance of Massive MIMO is severely limited by channel estimation error, which is caused by pilot contamination and channel aging. In this paper, we propose an estimation algorithm based on the weighted total least‐squares method with errors‐in‐variables (EIV) model to alleviate the influence of pilot contamination and channel aging. Then, a channel rectification method has been investigated to diminish the inaccuracy of channel estimation. Comparing with the traditional methods, it not only helps to make the signal estimation more accurate, but also provides opportunities to correct the channel model with estimation error and update the aged channel statement information. Simulations are provided to verify the efficacy of this method.
Lipomatous/Extensively Vacuolated Ependymoma with Signet-Ring Cell-Like Appearance: Analysis of a Case with Extensive Literature Review
Authors: Salazar Miguel Fdo. , Tena-Suck Martha Lilia , Ortiz-Plata Alma , Salinas-Lara Citlaltepetl , Rembao-Bojórquez Daniel
Published: February 2017

“Lipomatous” and “extensively vacuolated” are descriptive captions that have been used to portray a curious subset of ependymomas distinctively bearing cells with a large vacuole pushing the nucleus to the periphery and, thus, simulating a signet-ring cell appearance. Here, we would like to report the first ependymoma of this kind in a Latin American institution. A 16-year-old boy experienced cephalea during three months. Magnetic resonance imaging scans showed a left paraventricular tumour which corresponded to anaplastic ependymoma. Intriguingly, it was also composed of cells with single or multiple hollow cytoplasmic vacuoles sometimes giving a signet-ring cell-like configuration. Immunolabeling of these showed membrane positivity for GFAP, PS100, and CD99, while Ki-67 expression was null. Ultrastructural examination of retrieved paraffin-embedded tissue showed the presence of scarce microlumina filled with microvilli but failed to demonstrate any content in such optically empty vacuoles as only scant granulofibrillary debris was observed. A schism prevails at present regarding these unusual morphological variants, being either “lipomatous” or “vacuolated” based mainly on the EMA immunoprofile. This, however, is a misappropriate approaching. Could it be that perhaps we are dealing with the same histopathological entity or it may simply happen that fixation and artefacts cannot allow for their proper identification?
Ultrasound as an Alternative to Conventional Marination: Acceptability and Mass Transfer
Authors: González-González Leopolda , Luna-Rodríguez Lorena , Carrillo-López Luis M. , Alarcón-Rojo Alma D. , García-Galicia Iván , Reyes-Villagrana Raúl
Published: February 2017

In this study, the effects of ultrasound- (US-) assisted beef marination on consumer perception and the homogeneity of the solute and mass transfer were evaluated. Marinated and US-treated meat samples (40 kHz, 11 W/cm2 for 20, 40, and 60 min, and storing at 4°C for 7 d) were evaluated by a group of consumers using a structured 9-point hedonic scale of satisfaction. The preferences were analyzed with XLSTAT-Sensory® software. The analysis was performed in conjunction with an energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopic study to evaluate the sodium transference. The perception analysis indicated that the use of US-assisted marination did not increase the beef acceptability. The sonicated samples showed a more homogeneous distribution of sodium. However, traditional marination (TM) stored for 7 d resulted in greater mass transfer than the US-assisted marination without storage.
Chaotic Behaviour Investigation of a Front Opposed-Hemispherical Spiral-Grooved Air Bearing System
Authors: Wang Cheng-Chi
Published: February 2017

In recent years, spiral-grooved air bearing systems have attracted much attention and are especially useful in precision instruments and machines with spindles that rotate at high speed. Load support can be multidirectional and this type of bearing can also be very rigid. Studies show that some of the design problems encountered are dynamic and include critical speed, nonlinearity, gas film pressure, unbalanced rotors, and even poor design, all of which can result in the generation of chaotic aperiodic motion and instability under certain conditions. Such irregular motion on a large scale can cause severe damage to a machine or instrument. Therefore, understanding the conditions under which aperiodic behaviour and vibration arise is crucial for prevention. In this study, numerical analysis, including the Finite Difference and Differential Transformation Methods, is used to study these effects in detail in a front opposed-hemispherical spiral-grooved air bearing system. It was found that different rotor masses and bearing number could cause undesirable behaviour including periodic, subperiodic, quasi-periodic, and chaotic motion. The results obtained in this study can be used as a basis for future bearing system design and the prevention of instability.
Factor Analysis Model Based on the Theory of the TOPSIS in the Application Research
Authors: Luo Guowang , Liu Yanmin , Mo Xiaoling
Published: February 2017

In view of the existing literature panel data factor analysis model in practical application of the deficiency, this paper established the model of factor analysis based on TOPSIS method, which is applied to the analysis of the panel data factor in practice. Compared with the generalized dynamic factor analysis model, the model does not need to satisfy the 4 assumptions of the generalized dynamic factor analysis model at the same time. The model is calculated with regard to every year’s cross section data factor composite scores the highest and lowest, respectively, for the best and worst vector. By TOPSIS theory, the optimal factor scheme approach degree of each research object is obtained. Take the development of China’s service industry as an example; use the optimal factor scheme proximity of model degree to depict the eastern, central, and western development of service industry. The study found that the development of service industry in eastern provinces and in central and western regions differs greatly. In total, China’s service industry has a great development space.
Two-Center Gaussian Potential Well for Studying Light Nucleus in Cluster Structure
Authors: Roshanbakht Nafiseh , Shojaei Mohammad Reza
Published: February 2017

The clustering phenomena are very important to determine structure of light nuclei and deformation of spherical shape is inevitable. Hence, we calculated the energy levels of two-center Gaussian potential well including spin-orbit coupling by solving the Schrödinger equation in the cylindrical coordinates. This model can predict the spin and parity of the light nuclei that have two identical cluster structures.
Prenatal and Peripartum Management of Patients with Hypofibrinogenemia Resulted in Two Successful Deliveries
Authors: Teraoka Yuko , Miyoshi Hiroshi , Oshima Kumi , Urabe Satoshi , Tanaka Norifumi , Kudo Yoshiki
Published: February 2017

Fibrinogen is an essential agent involved in maintaining pregnancy and coagulation. Since inherited fibrinogen disorders introduce greater risks for conditions such as placental abruption and postpartum hemorrhage, careful prenatal and perinatal management is essential for this patient population. We report two cases of successful deliveries in patients with hypofibrinogenemia. Case 1 is of a 26-year-old (gravida 1, para 1) woman. The patient’s fibrinogen level increased spontaneously to higher than 300 mg/dL during pregnancy, without treatment. She delivered at week 38 of gestation, with no complications. Case 2 is of a 30-year-old (gravida 3, para 1) woman. We performed repeated infusions of fibrinogen to maintain the level higher than 100 mg/dL during pregnancy and at least 200 mg/dL in the perioperative period; the patient delivered a healthy infant. We identified a new mutation, Hiroshima I (γ278Tyr→His). It is important to maintain appropriate fibrinogen levels in cases of inherited fibrinogen disorders for successful prenatal and peripartum management.
A Case of Bisphosphonate-Related Osteonecrosis of the Jaw in a Patient with Subpontic Osseous Hyperplasia
Authors: Tsuji Chiaki , Watanabe Hiroshi , Nakayama Hidenori , Goto Mitsuo , Kurita Kenichi
Published: February 2017

Subpontic osseous hyperplasia (SOH) is a growth of bone occurring on the edentulous ridge beneath the pontics of fixed partial dentures (FPDs). This report describes a case of bisphosphonate- (BP-) related osteonecrosis of the jaw (BRONJ) in a SOH patient followed by deciduation of the bony lesion. A 73-year-old woman visited a dental clinic after experiencing pain and swelling beneath the pontics of a FPD that had been inserted 15 years ago. The pontics were removed, but the symptoms persisted and she was referred to our hospital. There was an osseous bulge and gum swelling around the edentulous ridge of teeth 18 and 19, as well as bone exposure. As she had been taking an oral BP for 6 years, we diagnosed this case as stage 2 BRONJ. Following BP withdrawal, the bony lesion detached from the mandible. The tissue was diagnosed as sequestrum based on the histopathological findings. Two months after deciduation, epithelialization over the area of exposed bone was achieved and no recurrence has been observed.
On Quasinormal Modes for Scalar Perturbations of Static Spherically Symmetric Black Holes in Nash Embedding Framework
Authors: Ulhoa Sergio C. , Amorim Ronni G. G. , Capistrano Abraão J. S.
Published: February 2017

In this paper we investigate scalar perturbations of black holes embedded in a five-dimensional bulk space. The quasinormal frequencies of such black holes are calculated using the third order of Wentzel, Kramers, and Brillouin (WKB) approximation for scalar perturbations. The high overtones of quasinormal modes indicate a resonant-like set of black holes suggesting a serious constraint of embedding models in five dimensions.
Combination Targeted Therapy to Disrupt Aberrant Oncogenic Signaling and Reverse Epigenetic Dysfunction in IDH2- and TET2-Mutant Acute Myeloid Leukemia
Authors: Shih Alan H. , Meydan Cem , Shank Kaitlyn , Garrett-Bakelman Francine E. , Ward Patrick S. , Intlekofer Andrew M. , Nazir Abbas , Stein Eytan M. , Knapp Kristina , Glass Jacob , Travins Jeremy , Straley Kim , Gliser Camelia , Mason Christopher E. , Yen Katharine , Thompson Craig B. , Melnick Ari , Levine Ross L.
Published: February 2017

Genomic studies in acute myeloid leukemias (AML) have identified mutations that drive altered DNA methylation, including TET2 and IDH2. Here, we show that models of AML resulting from TET2 or IDH2 mutations combined with FLT3ITD mutations are sensitive to 5-azacytidine or to the IDH2 inhibitor AG-221, respectively. 5-azacytidine and AG-221 treatment induced an attenuation of aberrant DNA methylation and transcriptional output and resulted in a reduction in leukemic blasts consistent with antileukemic activity. These therapeutic benefits were associated with restoration of leukemic cell differentiation, and the normalization of hematopoiesis was derived from mutant cells. By contrast, combining AG-221 or 5-azacytidine with FLT3 inhibition resulted in a reduction in mutant allele burden, progressive recovery of normal hematopoiesis from non-mutant stem-progenitor cells, and reversal of dysregulated DNA methylation and transcriptional output. Together, our studies suggest combined targeting of signaling and epigenetic pathways can increase therapeutic response in AML.

Significance: AMLs with mutations in TET2 or IDH2 are sensitive to epigenetic therapy through inhibition of DNA methyltransferase activity by 5-azacytidine or inhibition of mutant IDH2 through AG-221. These inhibitors induce a differentiation response and can be used to inform mechanism-based combination therapy. Cancer Discov; 7(5); 494–505. ©2017 AACR.

See related commentary by Thomas and Majeti, p. 459.

See related article by Yen et al., p. 478.

This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 443
Effect of Age on Liver Function in Patients Undergoing Partial Hepatectomy
Authors: Lodewick T.M. , Alizai P.H. , van Dam R.M. , Roeth A.A.J. , Schmeding M. , Heidenhain C. , Andert A. , Gassler N. , Dejong C.H.C. , Neumann U.P.
Published: February 2017

Background: Postresectional liver failure is the most frequent cause of fatal outcome following liver surgery. Diminished preoperative liver function in the elderly might contribute to this. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to evaluate preoperative liver function in patients <60 or >70 years of age scheduled for liver resection. Methods: All consecutive patients aged <60 or >70 years who are about to undergo elective liver surgery between 2011 and 2013 and underwent the methacetin breath liver function test (LiMAx) preoperatively were included. Histologic assessment of the resected liver gave insight into background liver disease. Correlation between age and liver function was calculated with Pearson's test. Results: Fifty-nine patients were included, 31 were aged <60 and 28 were aged >70 years. General patient characteristics and liver function LiMAx values (340 (137-594) vs. 349 (191-530) μg/kg/h, p = 0.699) were not significantly different between patients aged <60 and >70 years. Moreover, no correlation between age and preoperative liver function LiMAx values was found (R = 0.04, p = 0.810). Conclusion: Liver function did not seem to differ between younger and older patients.
The Straightened Splenic Vessels Method Improves Surgical Outcomes of Laparoscopic Distal Pancreatectomy
Authors: Nagakawa Yuichi , Sahara Yatsuka , Hosokawa Yuichi , Takishita Chie , Kasuya Kazuhiko , Tsuchida Akihiko
Published: February 2017

Background: In laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy (LDP), isolating the splenic artery and vein requires advanced techniques. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of a novel method termed the ‘straightened splenic vessels' (SSV) method for isolating the splenic vessels in LDP. Methods: In SSV, to adjust the instrument axis, the splenic artery was straightened by grasping 2 points of its nerve sheath. Then, the layer between the splenic artery's nerve sheath and the pancreatic parenchyma was dissected. Next, the pancreas was mobilized from body to tail, and the splenic vein was straightened by 3-point retraction before isolation. To evaluate this method's efficacy, we investigated 51 patients who underwent LDP. Results: In 39 patients who underwent LDP with splenectomy, the mean operating time was significantly shorter in the SSV group than in the conventional group (p = 0.004). In 12 patients who underwent LDP with preserving the splenic vessels, the mean intraoperative blood loss in the SSV group was 27.6 ml, which was significantly lower than that in the conventional group (p = 0.012). Conclusion: This method may be applied as a standard procedure with little blood loss and short operation time for LDP. Larger prospective studies are needed to further evaluate the feasibility.
Introduction of Robotic Surgery into a Community Hospital Setting: A Prospective Comparison of Robotic and Open Colorectal Resection for Cancer
Authors: Zawadzki Marek , Krzystek-Korpacka Małgorzata , Rząca Marek , Czarnecki Roman , Obuszko Zbigniew , Witkiewicz Wojciech
Published: February 2017

Purpose: The aim of this study was to compare robotic colorectal surgery (RCS) performed by a team having limited expertise in robotic surgery with open colorectal surgery (OCS) performed by experienced colorectal surgeons. Methods: This was a prospective comparative nonrandomized study. Results: Between March 2013 and June 2015, 79 patients with colon and rectal adenocarcinoma were enrolled into the study. Of these, 41 patients underwent OCS and 38 underwent RCS. The groups were comparable in terms of demographics and type of procedure. The RCS took significantly longer in the operating room than the OCS (222 vs. 141 min, p < 0.001). The rate of major complications was similar for both RCS and OCS (5.3 vs. 9.8%, p = 0.454). Wound infections were less frequent in the RCS group (10.5 vs. 29.3%, p = 0.039). The mean hospital stay was 1 day shorter in the RCS group than in the OCS group (5.7 vs. 6.7 days, p = 0.176). The lymph nodes harvested was comparable (14.7 RCS vs. 15.5 OCS, p = 0.596). Conclusions: This study confirmed that the surgical team with limited expertise in minimally invasive surgery can still safely introduce robotic surgery into their colorectal practice. When compared to the open approach, the robotic approach reduces hospital stay, as well as the rate of surgical site infection.
Differences in Presentation and Outcomes Between Children With Familial Dilated Cardiomyopathy and Children With Idiopathic Dilated Cardiomyopathy
Authors: Rusconi Paolo , Wilkinson James D. , Sleeper Lynn A. , Lu Minmin , Cox Gerald F. , Towbin Jeffrey A. , Colan Steven D. , Webber Steven A. , Canter Charles E. , Ware Stephanie M. , Hsu Daphne T. , Chung Wendy K. , Jefferies John L. , Cordero Christina , Lipshultz Steven E.
Published: February 2017

Background—

Research comparing the survival of children with familial dilated cardiomyopathy (FDCM) to that of children with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (IDCM) has produced conflicting results.

Methods and Results—

We analyzed data from children with FDCM or IDCM using the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute-funded Pediatric Cardiomyopathy Registry. Compared to children with IDCM (n=647), children with FDCM (n=223) were older (mean 6.2 versus 4.5 years,
P
<0.001), less often had heart failure (64% versus 78%,
P
<0.001), had less-depressed mean left ventricular fractional shortening
z
scores (−7.85±3.98 versus −9.06±3.89,
P
<0.001) and lower end-diastolic dimension
z
scores (4.12±2.61 versus 4.91±2.57,
P
<0.001) at diagnosis. The cumulative incidence of death was lower for patients with FDCM compared with IDCM (
P
=0.04; hazard ratio 0.64,
P
=0.06), but no difference in risk of transplant or the combined death or transplant outcome. There was no difference in the proportion of children with echocardiographic normalization at 3 years of follow-up (FDCM, 30% versus IDCM, 26%;
P
=0.33). Multivariable analysis showed no difference in outcomes between FDCM and IDCM but for both groups older age, congestive heart failure, and increased left ventricular end-systolic dimension
z
score at diagnosis were independently associated with an increased risk of death or heart transplantation (all
P
s<0.001).

Conclusions—

There was no survival difference between FDCM and IDCM after adjustment for other factors. Older age, congestive heart failure, and greater left ventricular dilation at diagnosis were independently associated with increased risk of the combined end point of death or transplantation.

Clinical Trial Registration—

URL:
https://clinicaltrials.gov
. Unique identifier: NCT00005391