bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Relación entre los estilos interaccionales que establece el preescolar con el personal educativo en salas cuna y el desarrollo psicomotor: Un estudio longitudinal Chileno
Authors: Santelices Alvarez María Pía , Greve Carmen Gloria , Pereira Ximena
Published: September 2015

Diversos estudios indican que el nivel de desarrollo psicomotor se asocia, entre otras variables, con la calidad de las interacciones que establece el niño(a) con los adultos significativos, siendo uno de los principales predictores de su salud física y mental. El objetivo de esta investigación fue analizar el desarrollo psicomotor y el proceso de cambio en la interacción de los niños con el personal educativo en la sala cuna, evaluado en 4 mediciones en un período de 15 meses. Se estudió a un grupo de 97 niños entre 8 y 24 meses de edad (en su primera medición) y el personal educativo de la sala cuna con los instrumentos E.E.D.P (Rodríguez, Arancibia y Undurraga, 1998) y TEPSI (Haeussler y Marchant, 2008) y al personal educativo con el instrumento CARE-INDEX (Crittenden, 2005). Los resultados mostraron que la cooperatividad aumenta de forma significativa a lo largo del tiempo, presentándose diferencias por sexo. El desarrollo psicomotor por el contrario, no presenta cambio estadísticamente significativo ni está asociado con los estilos interaccionales de los niños.
Testing and Modeling of an Acoustic Instability in Pilot-Operated Pressure Relief Valves
Authors: Allison Timothy C. , Brun Klaus
Published: September 2015

Pressure relief valves (PRVs) are included as an essential element of many compressor piping systems in order to prevent overpressurization and also to minimize the loss of process gas during relief events. Failure of the valve to operate properly can result in excessive quantities of vented gas and/or catastrophic failure of the piping system. Several mechanisms for chatter and instability have been previously identified for spring-loaded relief valves, but pilot-operated relief valves are widely considered to be stable. In this paper, pilot-operated PRVs are shown to be susceptible to a dynamic instability under certain conditions where valve dynamics couple with upstream piping acoustics. This self-exciting instability can cause severe oscillations of the valve piston, damaging the valve seat, preventing resealing, and possibly causing damage to attached piping. Two case studies are presented, which show damaging unstable oscillations in a field installation and a blowdown rig, and a methodology is presented for modeling the instability by coupling a valve dynamic model with a 1D transient fluid dynamics simulation code. Modeling results are compared with measured stable and unstable operation in a blowdown rig to show that the modeling approach accurately predicts the observed behaviors.
Passive Mechanical Control With a Special Class of Positive Real Controllers: Application to Passive Vehicle Suspensions
Authors: Chen Michael Z. Q. , Hu Yinlong , Wang Fu-Cheng
Published: September 2015

This paper presents an efficient H2 optimization method for passive mechanical control problems with a special class of positive real controllers. In particular, the problem of designing passive vehicle suspensions based on a full-car model is taken as an example, where both the positive real constraint and the constraint imposed on the static stiffness are considered. An unconstrained nonlinear programming problem is formulated by using the structured H2 optimization framework, and the Lagrange matrix multiplier method is employed to derive a set of necessary conditions for the optimization so that the time-efficient gradient-based algorithms can easily be implemented. The proposed method can also effectively deal with the fixed static stiffness optimization problem and it is shown in the numerical examples that the proposed method cannot only recover the existing fixed-structure configuration, but also introduce new (optimal) configurations with respect to the specific weighting factors, which demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Thickness-dependent mobility in tetracene thin-film field-effect-transistors
Authors: Shi Jun , Jiang De-Tong , Dutcher John R. , Qin Xiao-Rong
Published: September 2015

The authors report the thickness-dependent mobility of tetracene field-effect transistors with silicon oxide as the gate dielectric. The lowest field-effect mobility starts at ∼3 monolayers (ML). The mobility increases with film thickness linearly and saturates at ∼0.38 cm2V−1 s−1 at the coverage of 8 ML. Surface morphology of tetracene films and possible mechanisms that could account for the dependence of the mobility on thickness are discussed.
Quality control for quantitative multicenter whole‐body PET/MR studies: A NEMA image quality phantom study with three current PET/MR systems
Authors: Boellaard Ronald , Rausch Ivo , Beyer Thomas , Delso Gaspar , Yaqub Maqsood , Quick Harald H. , Sattler Bernhard
Published: September 2015

Purpose:

Integrated positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance (PET/MR) systems derive the PET attenuation correction (AC) from dedicated MR sequences. While MR‐AC performs reasonably well in clinical patient imaging, it may fail for phantom‐based quality control (QC). The authors assess the applicability of different protocols for PET QC in multicenter PET/MR imaging.

Methods:

The National Electrical Manufacturers Association NU 2 2007 image quality phantom was imaged on three combined PET/MR systems: a Philips Ingenuity TF PET/MR, a Siemens Biograph mMR, and a GE SIGNA PET/MR (prototype) system. The phantom was filled according to the EANM FDG‐PET/CT guideline 1.0 and scanned for 5 min over 1 bed. Two MR‐AC imaging protocols were tested: standard clinical procedures and a dedicated protocol for phantom tests. Depending on the system, the dedicated phantom protocol employs a two‐class (water and air) segmentation of the MR data or a CT‐based template. Differences in attenuation‐ and SUV recovery coefficients (RC) are reported. PET/CT‐based simulations were performed to simulate the various artifacts seen in the AC maps (μ‐map) and their impact on the accuracy of phantom‐based QC.

Results:

Clinical MR‐AC protocols caused substantial errors and artifacts in the AC maps, resulting in underestimations of the reconstructed PET activity of up to 27%, depending on the PET/MR system. Using dedicated phantom MR‐AC protocols, PET bias was reduced to −8%. Mean and max SUV RC met EARL multicenter PET performance specifications for most contrast objects, but only when using the dedicated phantom protocol. Simulations confirmed the bias in experimental data to be caused by incorrect AC maps resulting from the use of clinical MR‐AC protocols.

Conclusions:

Phantom‐based quality control of PET/MR systems in a multicenter, multivendor setting may be performed with sufficient accuracy, but only when dedicated phantom acquisition and processing protocols are used for attenuation correction.
Nonuniform piezoelectric circular plate flexural transducers with underwater applications
Authors: Aronov Boris S.
Published: September 2015

An analytical treatment is presented for circular flexural plate transducers that have nonuniform electromechanically active-passive mechanical systems with particular interest in underwater applications. The analysis is made using the energy method that was previously applied to calculating parameters of uniform fully active (bimorph) circular plate transducers [B. S. Aronov, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 118(2), 627–637 (2005)]. It is shown that the vibration mode shapes remain sufficiently similar to those for uniform plates for a large range of relative dimensions of active and passive laminates of radially nonuniform mechanical systems, and they may be used for calculating transducer parameters. Therefore the transducers can be considered as having a single degree of freedom, and their operational characteristics can be determined using the same technique as previously used for uniform plates. Dependences of the resonance frequencies, effective coupling coefficients, and parameters of the equivalent electromechanical circuit on relative dimensions of active and passive laminates for several combinations of the active and passive materials are presented and compared with those parameters of uniform plates having the same overall dimensions. The results of experimental verification are in good agreement with theoretical predictions.
Optimal Balance Between Force and Velocity Differs Among World-Class Athletes
Authors: Giroux Caroline , Rabita Giuseppe , Chollet Didier , Guilhem Gaël
Published: September 2015

Performance during human movements is highly related to force and velocity muscle capacities. Those capacities are highly developed in elite athletes practicing power-oriented sports. However, it is still unclear whether the balance between their force and velocity-generating capacities constitutes an optimal profile. In this study, we aimed to determine the effect of elite sport background on the force–velocity relationship in the squat jump, and evaluate the level of optimization of these profiles. Ninetyfive elite athletes in cycling, fencing, taekwondo, and athletic sprinting, and 15 control participants performed squat jumps in 7 loading conditions (range: 0%–60% of the maximal load they were able to lift). Theoretical maximal power (Pm), force (F0), and velocity (v0) were determined from the individual force–velocity relationships. Optimal profiles were assessed by calculating the optimal force (F0th) and velocity (v0th). Athletic sprinters and cyclists produced greater force than the other groups (P < .05). F0 was significantly lower than F0th, and v0 was significantly higher than v0th for female fencers and control participants, and for male athletics sprinters, fencers, and taekwondo practitioners (P < .05). Our study shows that the chronic practice of an activity leads to differently balanced force–velocity profiles. Moreover, the differences between measured and optimal force–velocity profiles raise potential sources of performance improvement in elite athletes.
The Effect of Body Weight Support on Kinetics and Kinematics of a Repetitive Plyometric Task
Authors: Elias Audrey R.C. , Hammill Curt D. , Mizner Ryan L.
Published: September 2015

Though essential to athletic performance, the ability to land from a jump often remains limited following injury. While recommended, jump training is difficult to include in rehabilitation programs due to high impact forces. Body weight support (BWS) is frequently used in rehabilitation of gait following neurological and orthopedic injury, and may also allow improved rehabilitation of high-impact tasks. There is a differential effect of BWS on walking and running gaits, and the effect of BWS on movements with relatively large vertical displacement is unknown. The current study evaluates the effect of BWS on a replicable singleleg hopping task. We posited that progressive BWS would decrease limb loading while maintaining the joint kinematics of the task. Twenty-eight participants repetitively hopped on and off a box at each of four BWS levels. Peak vertical ground reaction forces decreased by 22.5% between 0% and 30% BWS (P < .001). Average hip, knee, and ankle internal moments decreased by 0.5 N·m/kg each. Slight kinematic changes across BWS levels were clinically insignificant. The high level of task specificity evidenced by consistent kinematics coupled with a similar reduction of internal moment at each joint suggests that BWS may be a useful strategy for rehabilitation of jumping tasks.
A light-reflecting balloon catheter for atraumatic tissue defect repair
Authors: Roche Ellen T. , Fabozzo Assunta , Lee Yuhan , Polygerinos Panagiotis , Friehs Ingeborg , Schuster Lucia , Whyte William , Casar Berazaluce Alejandra Maria , Bueno Alejandra , Lang Nora , Pereira Maria J. N. , Feins Eric , Wasserman Steven , O’Cearbhaill Eoin D. , Vasilyev Nikolay V. , Mooney David J. , Karp Jeffrey M. , del Nido Pedro J. , Walsh Conor J.
Published: September 2015

A catheter-based technology reflects light to activate a photocurable adhesive for minimally invasive, atraumatic tissue defect closure.
JC polyomavirus mutants escape antibody-mediated neutralization
Authors: Ray Upasana , Cinque Paola , Gerevini Simonetta , Longo Valeria , Lazzarin Adriano , Schippling Sven , Martin Roland , Buck Christopher B. , Pastrana Diana V.
Published: September 2015

Deficient humoral immunity is a common aspect of PML pathogenesis that may be overcome by vaccination.
NK cells set sights on cancer stem cells
Authors: Beswick Ellen J.
Published: September 2015

NK cell immunotherapy shows potential for targeting cancer stem cells to protect against tumor repopulation and metastasis.
The importance of lipid for the Alzheimer's brain
Authors: Janson Christopher G.
Published: September 2015

In Alzheimer's disease, ependymal cells lining the cerebral ventricles accumulate oleic acid droplets, which decrease proliferation of nearby stem cells.
c-Type Cytochrome Assembly Is a Key Target of Copper Toxicity within the Bacterial Periplasm
Authors: Durand Anne , Azzouzi Asma , Bourbon Marie-Line , Steunou Anne-Soisig , Liotenberg Sylviane , Maeshima Akinori , Astier Chantal , Argentini Manuela , Saito Shingo , Ouchane Soufian
Published: September 2015

In the absence of a tight control of copper entrance into cells, bacteria have evolved different systems to control copper concentration within the cytoplasm and the periplasm. Central to these systems, the Cu+ATPase CopA plays a major role in copper tolerance and translocates copper from the cytoplasm to the periplasm. The fate of copper in the periplasm varies among species. Copper can be sequestered, oxidized, or released outside the cells. Here we describe the identification of CopI, a periplasmic protein present in many proteobacteria, and show its requirement for copper tolerance inRubrivivax gelatinosus. The ΔcopImutant is more susceptible to copper than the Cu+ATPasecopAmutant. CopI is induced by copper, localized in the periplasm and could bind copper. Interestingly, copper affects cytochromecmembrane complexes (cbb3oxidase and photosystem) in both ΔcopIandcopA-null mutants, but the causes are different. In thecopAmutant, heme and chlorophyll synthesis are affected, whereas in ΔcopImutant, the decrease is a consequence of impaired cytochromecassembly. This impact onc-type cytochromes would contribute also to the copper toxicity in the periplasm of the wild-type cells when they are exposed to high copper concentrations.

IMPORTANCECopper is an essential cation required as a cofactor in enzymes involved in vital processes such as respiration, photosynthesis, free radical scavenging, and pathogenesis. However, copper is highly toxic and has been implicated in disorders in all organisms, including humans, because it can catalyze the production of toxic reactive oxygen species and targets various biosynthesis pathways. Identifying copper targets, provides insights into copper toxicity and homeostatic mechanisms for copper tolerance. In this work, we describe for the first time a direct effect of excess copper on cytochromecassembly. We show that excess copper specifically affects periplasmic and membrane cytochromesc, thus suggesting that the copper toxicity targetsc-type cytochrome biogenesis.
Early Generation of New PrPSc on Blood Vessels after Brain Microinjection of Scrapie in Mice
Authors: Chesebro Bruce , Striebel James , Rangel Alejandra , Phillips Katie , Hughson Andrew , Caughey Byron , Race Brent
Published: September 2015

Aggregation of misfolded host proteins in the central nervous system is believed to be important in the pathogenic process in several neurodegenerative diseases of humans, including prion diseases, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease. In these diseases, protein misfolding and aggregation appear to expand through a process of seeded polymerization. Prion diseases occur in both humans and animals and are experimentally transmissible orally or by injection, thus providing a controllable model of other neurodegenerative protein misfolding diseases. In rodents and ruminants, prion disease has a slow course, lasting months to years. Although prion infectivity has been detected in brain tissue at 3 to 4 weeks postinfection (p.i.), the details of early prion replication in the brain are not well understood. Here we studied the localization and quantitation of PrPSc generation
in vivo
starting at 30 min postmicroinjection of scrapie into the brain. In C57BL mice at 3 days p.i., generation of new PrPSc was detected by immunohistochemistry and immunoblot assays, and at 7 days p.i., new generation was confirmed by real-time quaking-induced conversion assay. The main site of new PrPSc generation was near the outer basement membrane of small and medium blood vessels. The finding and localization of replication at this site so early after injection have not been reported previously. This predominantly perivascular location suggested that structural components of the blood vessel basement membrane or perivascular astrocytes might act as cofactors in the initial generation of PrPSc. The location of PrPSc replication at the basement membrane also implies a role for the brain interstitial fluid drainage in the early infection process.

IMPORTANCE
Neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and prion diseases, of humans are characterized by misfolding and aggregation of certain proteins, resulting in the destruction of brain tissue. In these diseases, the damage process spreads progressively within the central nervous system, but only prion diseases are known to be transmissible between individuals. Here we used microinjection of infectious prion protein (PrPSc) into the mouse brain to model early events of iatrogenic prion transmission via surgical instruments or tissue grafts. At 3 and 7 days postinjection, we detected the generation of new PrPSc, mostly on the outer walls of blood vessels near the injection site. This location and very early replication were surprising and unique. Perivascular prion replication suggested the transport of injected PrPSc via brain interstitial fluid to the basement membranes of blood vessels, where interactions with possible cofactors made by astrocytes or endothelia might facilitate the earliest cycles of prion infection.
A Highly Effective Component Vaccine against Nontyphoidal Salmonella enterica Infections
Authors: Ferreira Rosana B. R. , Valdez Yanet , Coombes Brian K. , Sad Subash , Gouw Joost W. , Brown Eric M. , Li Yuling , Grassl Guntram A. , Antunes L. Caetano M. , Gill Navkiran , Truong Mimi , Scholz Roland , Reynolds Lisa A. , Krishnan Laskshmi , Zafer Ahmed A. , Sal-Man Neta , Lowden Michael J. , Auweter Sigrid D. , Foster Leonard J. , Finlay B. Brett
Published: September 2015

Nontyphoidal
Salmonella enterica
(NTS) infections are a major burden to global public health, as they lead to diseases ranging from gastroenteritis to systemic infections and there is currently no vaccine available. Here, we describe a highly effective component vaccine against
S. enterica
serovar Typhimurium in both gastroenteritis and systemic murine infection models. We devised an approach to generate supernatants of
S. enterica
serovar Typhimurium, an organism that is highly abundant in virulence factors. Immunization of mice with this supernatant resulted in dramatic protection against a challenge with serovar Typhimurium, showing increased survival in the systemic model and decreased intestinal pathology in the gastrointestinal model. Protection correlated with specific IgA and IgG levels in the serum and specific secretory IgA levels in the feces of immunized mice. Initial characterization of the protective antigens in the bacterial culture supernatants revealed a subset of antigens that exhibited remarkable stability, a highly desirable characteristic of an effective vaccine to be used under suboptimal environmental conditions in developing countries. We were able to purify a subset of the peptides present in the supernatants and show their potential for immunization of mice against serovar Typhimurium resulting in a decreased level of colonization. This component vaccine shows promise with regard to protecting against NTS, and further work should significantly help to establish vaccines against these prevalent infections.

IMPORTANCE
Salmonella enterica
infections other than typhoid and paratyphoid fever are a major global health burden, as they cause high morbidity and mortality worldwide. Strategies that prevent
Salmonella
-related diseases are greatly needed, and there is a significant push for the development of vaccines against nontyphoidal
Salmonella enterica
serovars. In this work, we describe an
S
. Typhimurium supernatant-derived vaccine that is effective in reducing bacterial colonization in mouse models of gastroenteritis as well as invasive disease. This is a component vaccine that shows high stability to heat, a feature that is important for use under suboptimal conditions, such as those found in sub-Saharan Africa.
Virome Capture Sequencing Enables Sensitive Viral Diagnosis and Comprehensive Virome Analysis
Authors: Briese Thomas , Kapoor Amit , Mishra Nischay , Jain Komal , Kumar Arvind , Jabado Omar J. , Lipkin W. Ian
Published: September 2015

Insensitivity and technical complexity have impeded the implementation of high-throughput nucleic acid sequencing in differential diagnosis of viral infections in clinical laboratories. Here, we describe the development of a virome capture sequencing platform for vertebrate viruses (VirCapSeq-VERT) that increases the sensitivity of sequence-based virus detection and characterization. The system uses ~2 million probes that cover the genomes of members of the 207 viral taxa known to infect vertebrates, including humans. A biotinylated oligonucleotide library was synthesized on the NimbleGen cleavable array platform and used for solution-based capture of viral nucleic acids present in complex samples containing variable proportions of viral and host nucleic acids. The use of VirCapSeq-VERT resulted in a 100- to 10,000-fold increase in viral reads from blood and tissue homogenates compared to conventional Illumina sequencing using established virus enrichment procedures, including filtration, nuclease treatments, and RiboZero rRNA subtraction. VirCapSeq-VERT had a limit of detection comparable to that of agent-specific real-time PCR in serum, blood, and tissue extracts. Furthermore, the method identified novel viruses whose genomes were approximately 40% different from the known virus genomes used for designing the probe library. The VirCapSeq-VERT platform is ideally suited for analyses of virome composition and dynamics.

IMPORTANCE
VirCapSeq-VERT enables detection of viral sequences in complex sample backgrounds, including those found in clinical specimens, such as serum, blood, and tissue. The highly multiplexed nature of the system allows both the simultaneous identification and the comprehensive genetic characterization of all known vertebrate viruses, their genetic variants, and novel viruses. The operational simplicity and efficiency of the VirCapSeq-VERT platform may facilitate transition of high-throughput sequencing to clinical diagnostic as well as research applications.
Medication-induced acute dystonic reaction: the challenge of diagnosing movement disorders in the intensive care unit
Authors: Digby Geneviève , Jalini Shirin , Taylor Sean
Published: September 2015

A 62-year-old man presented with left middle cerebral artery stroke. 1 h postadministration of tissue plasminogen activator, he received a total of 4 mg of haloperidol for combativeness. He developed partial complex status epilepticus, requiring benzodiazepines, phenytoin, propofol and intubation. 5 h later, he developed recurrent stereotyped tonic movements involving arching of the back, extension of the arms and contraction of opposing muscle groups. Repeat CT scan of the head showed evolving insular infarct. Differential diagnoses for these movements included tonic/clonic seizures, extensor (decerebrate) posturing from haemorrhagic conversion, neuroleptic malignant syndrome, or dystonic reaction. Given the lack of response to antiseizure medications, the recent administration of haloperidol, and the prompt resolution of movements following diphenhydramine administration, an acute dystonic reaction was considered. This atypical case of a critically ill patient with stroke highlights the fact that these patients may have multiple abnormal movements requiring careful analysis to guide diagnosis-specific management.
IgG4-related inflammatory pseudotumour mimicking a hepatic abscess impending rupture
Authors: Mulki Ramzi , Garg Shivani , Manatsathit Wuttiporn , Miick Ronald
Published: September 2015

A 50-year-old man presenting with sudden onset right upper quadrant pain and no constitutional symptoms was found to have two necrotic liver masses on imaging, consistent with hepatic abscesses unresponsive to systemic antibiotics and percutaneous drainage. The patient deteriorated and developed symptoms consistent with impending rupture. He therefore subsequently underwent right hepatic segmentectomy. All cultures were negative and histopathology confirmed IgG4 related disease/inflammatory pseudotumour of the liver. Postoperatively, the patient was asymptomatic with no IgG4 disease activity in other organs.
Target excitation-dependent erratic fluctuation of pions in hadron–nucleus interactions
Authors: Mondal Mitali , Mondal Arindam , Ghosh Dipak , Deb Argha
Published: September 2015

In this paper we studied the target excitation dependence of erratic behavior of rapidity gaps in p–AgBr interactions at 400 GeV/c and π−–AgBr interactions at 200 and 350 GeV/c. We estimated the entropy-like quantity Sq. The study reveals a positive indication of the erratic nature of event-to-event fluctuations in relativistic hadron–nucleus interactions, and the fluctuation pattern depends on the degree of target excitation for all the interactions.
Quantum confinement in 1D systems through an imaginary-time evolution method
Authors: Roy Amlan K.
Published: September 2015

Quantum confinement is studied by numerically solving time-dependent (TD) Schrödinger equation (SE). An imaginary-time evolution technique is employed in conjunction with the minimization of an expectation value, to reach the global minimum. Excited states are obtained by imposing the orthogonality constraint with all lower states. Applications are made on three important model quantum systems, namely, harmonic, repulsive and quartic oscillators; enclosed inside an impenetrable box. The resulting diffusion equation is solved using finite-difference method. Both symmetric and asymmetric confinement are considered for attractive potential; for others only symmetrical confinement. Accurate eigenvalue, eigenfunction and position expectation values are obtained, which show excellent agreement with existing literature results. Variation of energies with respect to box length is followed for small, intermediate and large sizes. In essence, a simple accurate and reliable method is proposed for confinement in quantum systems.
Bose–Einstein condensation as an alternative to inflation
Authors: Das Saurya
Published: September 2015

It was recently shown that gravitons with a very small mass should have formed a Bose–Einstein condensate (BEC) in the very early universe, whose density and quantum potential can account for the dark matter (DM) and dark energy (DE) in the universe respectively. Here, we show that the condensation can also naturally explain the observed large scale homogeneity and isotropy of the universe. Furthermore, gravitons continue to fall into their ground state within the condensate at every epoch, accounting for the observed flatness of space at cosmological distance scales. Finally, we argue that the density perturbations due to quantum fluctuations within the condensate give rise to a scale invariant spectrum. This therefore provides a viable alternative to inflation, which is not associated with the well-known problems associated with the latter.
Cosmology and short-distance gravity
Authors: Gasperini M.
Published: September 2015

If the observed dark-energy density [Formula: see text] is interpreted as the net contribution of the energy density of the vacuum, [Formula: see text], and the corresponding vacuum length scale [Formula: see text] as the cutoff scale controlling the low-energy, effective field-theory limit of gravity, it follows that the conventional cosmological scenario based on the effective gravitational equations may be valid only up to the TeV energy scale. Such a possibility would be strongly disfavored by the existence of a relic background of primordial gravitational radiation of intensity compatible with present (or near future) experimental sensitivities.
Frequency of Scapholunate Ligament Injuries Associated with Distal Radius Shearing Fracture: Correlation of Fracture Patterns and Ligament Tear
Authors: Yoshida Shiro , Yoshida Kenji , Sakai Kensuke , Nakama Kenjiro , Shiba Naoto
Published: September 2015

Background: This retrospective study assessed the prevalence and outcome of intercarpal ligament injuries in non-osteoporotic patients with AO/ASIF classification type B distal radius shearing fractures treated with or without scapholunate temporary fixation.

Methods: Fifteen patients (mean age, 33 years) were analyzed according to their scapholunate ligament status at the time of injury and graded with a modified Geissler classification system. Each patient’s postoperative pain and occupational status were assessed in the context of the Modified Mayo wrist score. Second-look arthroscopy was performed for all cases.

Results: Scapholunate ligament injuries were present in 14 of 15 type B fractures. Surgical outcomes yielded an improvement in the Mayo wrist score with pinning in cases involving grade 3 or 4 scapholunate injuries. Two cases without pinning had a worse score, as well as a persistent scapholunate tear that was not healed at second-look arthroscopy after eight postoperative months. However, in grade 1 or 2 scapholunate injuries, the Mayo wrist score did not differ between those treated with and without pinning.

Conclusions: Scapholunate ligament injury is an important risk factor associated with high-energy distal radius shearing fractures. To prevent these problems, temporary scapholunate joint fixation is a recommended treatment for grade 3 or 4 scapholunate injuries.
Post Traumatic Avascular Necrosis of the Proximal Carpal Row - A Case Report
Authors: Manohara Ruben , Sebastin Sandeep Jacob , Puhaindran Mark Edward
Published: September 2015

We report a case of avascular necrosis of the scaphoid, lunate and triquetrum in a young 21- year- old patient, after a purely ligamentous peri-lunate dislocation of the wrist. He presented with a Mayfield III peri-lunate dislocation after a road traffic accident and underwent an open reduction and internal fixation. Post-operatively, the scapho-lunate gap widened after removal of the temporary K-wires, and he gradually developed avascular necrosis of the scaphoid, lunate and triquetrum, and osteoarthritis of his wrist. We present this unusual case of simultaneous avascular necrosis of multiple carpal bones and discuss the possible risk factors and subsequent management plans for this complex injury. Our patient has no identifiable contributing factors to developing avascular necrosis. We suspect that the violence of the injury and surgery may have compromised the circulation, and advise caution when treating and counseling these patients pre-operatively.
DETERMINATION OF THE ENHANCEMENT EFFECT AND DIAMETERS OF THE MAJOR ARTERIES OF AFRICAN GREY PARROTS USING A DUAL-HEAD POWER INJECTOR FOR COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHIC ANGIOGRAPHY
Authors: Lee Yen-Lin , Yu Pin-Huan , Chen Chia-Li , Wu Ying-Ling , Chi Chau-Hwa
Published: September 2015

The aim of the present study was to establish a computed tomographic angiography protocol using a dual-head power injector as well as measure the attenuation values and diameters of the major arteries in African Grey parrots (Psittacus erithacus). A 16-slice computed tomography (CT) scanner was used to measure the region of interest (ROI) in six major arteries. Before scanning, each bird underwent physical, blood, and cardiological examinations and were considered healthy. Each bird was sedated under general anesthesia during the CT-angiography (CT-A) procedure. A dual-head power injector with a saline chaser technique was used to administer the contrast medium and saline flush. We used a real-time bolus-tracking method and triggered the scan manually once the peak enhancement of ascending aorta was reached. All measurements were made by two double-blinded clinicians. The reference ranges before and after contrast medium administration via the body, pulmonary, and bone windows were set up accordingly. Inter-observer consistency in measurements was high in post-contrast values via the body window. Hence, the present study concluded that it is feasible to use saline chaser with dual-head power injector upon performing CT-A in parrots and analyze the image in a body window. Also, an anesthetic protocol during CT-A was also proved to be practical. However, further studies are needed to improve the diagnostic potential and utility of CT-A in parrots.
Functional changes in the uterine artery precede the hypertensive phenotype in a transgenic model of hypertensive pregnancy
Authors: Pulgar Victor M. , Yamaleyeva Liliya M. , Varagic Jasmina , McGee Carolynne , Bader Michael , Dechend Ralf , Brosnihan K. Bridget
Published: September 2015

The pregnant female human angiotensinogen (hAGN) transgenic rat mated with the male human renin (hREN) transgenic rat is a model of preeclampsia (TgA) with increased blood pressure, proteinuria, and placenta alterations of edema and necrosis at late gestation. We studied vascular responses and the role of COX-derived prostanoids in the uterine artery (UA) at early gestation in this model. TgA UA showed lower stretch response, similar smooth muscle α-actin content, and lower collagen content compared with Sprague-Dawley (SD) UA. Vasodilation to acetylcholine was similar in SD and TgA UA (64 ± 8 vs. 75 ± 6% of relaxation, P > 0.05), with an acetylcholine-induced contraction in TgA UA that was abolished by preincubation with indomethacin (78 ± 6 vs. 83 ± 11%, P > 0.05). No differences in the contraction to phenylephrine were observed (159 ± 11 vs. 134 ± 12 %KMAX, P > 0.05), although in TgA UA this response was greatly affected by preincubation with indomethacin (179 ± 16 vs. 134 ± 9 %KMAX, P < 0.05, pD25.92 ± 0.08 vs. 5.85 ± 0.03, P < 0.05). Endothelium-independent vasodilation was lower in TgA UA (92 ± 2 vs. 74 ± 5% preconstricted tone, P < 0.05), and preincubation with indomethacin restored the response to normal values (90 ± 3 vs. 84 ± 3%). Immunostaining showed similar signals for α-actin, COX-2, and eNOS between groups ( P > 0.05). Plasma thromboxane levels were similar between groups. In summary, TgA UA displays functional alterations at early gestation before the preeclamptic phenotype is established. Inhibition of COX enzymes normalizes some of the functional defects in the TgA UA. An increased role for COX-derived prostanoids in this model of preeclampsia may contribute to the development of a hypertensive pregnancy.
Evidence for a neural source of the precedence effect in sound localization
Authors: Brown Andrew D. , Jones Heath G. , Kan Alan , Thakkar Tanvi , Stecker G. Christopher , Goupell Matthew J. , Litovsky Ruth Y.
Published: September 2015

Normal-hearing human listeners and a variety of studied animal species localize sound sources accurately in reverberant environments by responding to the directional cues carried by the first-arriving sound rather than spurious cues carried by later-arriving reflections, which are not perceived discretely. This phenomenon is known as the precedence effect (PE) in sound localization. Despite decades of study, the biological basis of the PE remains unclear. Though the PE was once widely attributed to central processes such as synaptic inhibition in the auditory midbrain, a more recent hypothesis holds that the PE may arise essentially as a by-product of normal cochlear function. Here we evaluated the PE in a unique human patient population with demonstrated sensitivity to binaural information but without functional cochleae. Users of bilateral cochlear implants (CIs) were tested in a psychophysical task that assessed the number and location(s) of auditory images perceived for simulated source-echo (lead-lag) stimuli. A parallel experiment was conducted in a group of normal-hearing (NH) listeners. Key findings were as follows: 1) Subjects in both groups exhibited lead-lag fusion. 2) Fusion was marginally weaker in CI users than in NH listeners but could be augmented by systematically attenuating the amplitude of the lag stimulus to coarsely simulate adaptation observed in acoustically stimulated auditory nerve fibers. 3) Dominance of the lead in localization varied substantially among both NH and CI subjects but was evident in both groups. Taken together, data suggest that aspects of the PE can be elicited in CI users, who lack functional cochleae, thus suggesting that neural mechanisms are sufficient to produce the PE.
Touch automatically upregulates motor readiness in humans
Authors: van Ede Freek , Winner Tobias , Maris Eric
Published: September 2015

Goal-directed movements require effective integration of tactile input with ongoing movement. Here we investigated the functional consequences of such integration in healthy humans by probing the influence of spatially congruent and incongruent tactile stimuli on performance in a speeded button-press task. In addition, using magnetoencephalography (MEG), we evaluated whether the modulation of somato-motor beta (13–30 Hz) oscillations following tactile input—which has been shown to propagate to motor areas—could underlie this influence. We demonstrate that congruent tactile stimuli, despite being irrelevant to the motor task, lead to both faster and more accurate responses. We further show that this automatic upregulation of lateralized motor readiness 1) is specific to tactile input, 2) is independent of the spatial separation of the hands in peripersonal space, and 3) lasts (and remains facilitatory) for up to a second after the tactile input. This pattern of behavioral results is in line with recent physiological investigations showing that somatosensory and motor areas directly influence each other's processing capacity through joint changes in brain state. At the same time, however, the tactile-induced modulation of beta oscillations (one particular index of such a somato-motor state change) could not account for the observed movement facilitation, because it had a different time course.
Cardiac and skeletal muscles show molecularly distinct responses to cancer cachexia
Authors: Shum Angie M. Y. , Fung David C. Y. , Corley Susan M. , McGill Max C. , Bentley Nicholas L. , Tan Timothy C. , Wilkins Marc R. , Polly Patsie
Published: September 2015

Cancer cachexia is a systemic, paraneoplastic syndrome seen in patients with advanced cancer. There is growing interest in the altered muscle pathophysiology experienced by cachectic patients. This study reports the microarray analysis of gene expression in cardiac and skeletal muscle in the colon 26 (C26) carcinoma mouse model of cancer cachexia. A total of 268 genes were found to be differentially expressed in cardiac muscle tissue, compared with nontumor-bearing controls. This was fewer than the 1,533 genes that changed in cachectic skeletal muscle. In addition to different numbers of genes changing, different cellular functions were seen to change in each tissue. The cachectic heart showed signs of inflammation, similar to cachectic skeletal muscle, but did not show the upregulation of ubiquitin-dependent protein catabolic processes or downregulation of genes involved in cellular energetics and muscle regeneration that characterizes skeletal muscle cachexia. Quantitative PCR was used to investigate a subset of inflammatory genes in the cardiac and skeletal muscle of independent cachectic samples; this revealed that B4galt1, C1s, Serpina3n, and Vsig4 were significantly upregulated in cardiac tissue, whereas C1s and Serpina3n were significantly upregulated in skeletal tissue. Our skeletal muscle microarray results were also compared with those from three published microarray studies and found to be consistent in terms of the genes differentially expressed and the functional processes affected. Our study highlights that skeletal and cardiac muscles are affected differently in the C26 mouse model of cachexia and that therapeutic strategies cannot assume that both muscle types will show a similar response.
Application of Molecular Modeling to Development of New Factor Xa Inhibitors
Authors: Sulimov Vladimir B. , Gribkova Irina V. , Kochugaeva Maria P. , Katkova Ekaterina V. , Sulimov Alexey V. , Kutov Danil C. , Shikhaliev Khidmet S. , Medvedeva Svetlana M. , Krysin Michael Yu. , Sinauridze Elena I. , Ataullakhanov Fazoil I.
Published: September 2015

In consequence of the key role of factor Xa in the clotting cascade and absence of its activity in the processes that do not affect coagulation, this protein is an attractive target for development of new blood coagulation inhibitors. Factor Xa is more effective and convenient target for creation of anticoagulants than thrombin, inhibition of which may cause some side effects. This study is aimed at finding new inhibitors of factor Xa by molecular computer modeling including docking SOL and postdocking optimization DISCORE programs. After validation of molecular modeling methods on well-known factor Xa inhibitors the virtual screening of NCI Diversity and Voronezh State University databases of ready-made low molecular weight species has been carried out. Seventeen compounds selected on the basis of modeling results have been tested experimentallyin vitro. It has been found that 12 of them showed activity against factor Xa (IC50= 1.8–40 μM). Based on analysis of the results, the new original compound was synthesized and experimentally verified. It shows activity against factor Xa with IC50value of 0.7 μM.
Novel Electrochemical Synthesis of Polypyrrole/Ag Nanocomposite and Its Electrocatalytic Performance towards Hydrogen Peroxide Reduction
Authors: Gupta Ruma , Jayachandran Kavitha , Gamare J. S. , Rajeshwari B. , Gupta Santosh K. , Kamat J. V.
Published: September 2015

A simple electrochemical method of synthesis of polypyrrole/silver (PPy/Ag) nanocomposite is presented. The method is based on potentiodynamic polymerization of pyrrole followed by electrodeposition of silver employing a single potentiostatic pulse. The synthesized PPy film has embedded Ag nanocubes. The morphology and structure of the resulting nanocomposite were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. Electron paramagnetic resonance studies showed that silver nanoparticle deposition on polypyrrole leads to an increase in carrier density, indicative of enhanced conductivity of the resulting composite. Electrocatalytic performance of the prepared composite was examined for reduction of hydrogen peroxide and was compared with corresponding PPy film and bare glassy carbon electrode.
Improving Consumer Satisfaction with Addiction Treatment: An Analysis of Alumni Preferences
Authors: Sanghani Ruchi M. , Moler Alexander K.
Published: September 2015

Objective. The primary objective of this investigation is to determine which individual and aggregate factors of residential addiction treatment centers are most significant influencers of alumni satisfaction.Design. Survey targeted alumni of residential addiction treatment facilities. Alumni were queried through a survey, which utilized Likert-scale matrices and binary response options: 379 respondents met the completion threshold. Alumni rated amenities and individual and group counseling factors; additionally, respondents provided feedback on two satisfaction proxies: cost worthiness and future recommendations. Descriptive and relational analyses were conducted, with the latter utilizing logistic regression models.Results. Individual factors’ scores of group counseling, and overall aggregate group counseling score, are most enthusiastically positive. Group counseling is also the most significant influencer of satisfaction. Other significant influencers of satisfaction are met expectations for individual counseling and psychiatric care offerings.Conclusions. While individual counseling and facility amenities should not be ignored, group counseling may be the most significant influencer of alumni satisfaction. Long-term outcomes are not single-faceted; however, treatment providers should be encouraged to invest in high-quality group counseling offerings in order to best satisfy, and thereby empower, clients.
Acoustical Source Tracing Using Independent Component Analysis and Correlation Analysis
Authors: Cheng Wei , Zhang Zhousuo , Zhang Jie , Lu Jiantao
Published: September 2015

Acoustical signals from mechanical systems reveal the operating conditions of mechanical components and thus benefit for machinery condition monitoring and fault diagnosis. However, the acoustical signals directly measured by the sensors in essential are the mixed signals of all the sources, and normally it is very difficult to be used for source identification or operating feature extraction. Therefore, this paper studies the acoustical source tracing problem using independent component analysis (ICA) and identifies the sources using correlation analysis: the measured acoustical signals are separated into independent components by independent component analysis method, and thus all the independent information of all the sources is obtained; these independent components are identified based on the prior information of the sources and correlation analysis. Therefore, all the source information contained in the measured acoustical signals can be independently separated and traced, which can provide more purer source information for condition monitoring and fault diagnosis.
Curcuma aromaticaWater Extract Attenuates Ethanol-Induced Gastritis via Enhancement of Antioxidant Status
Authors: Jeon Woo-Young , Lee Mee-Young , Shin In-Sik , Jin Seong Eun , Ha Hyekyung
Published: September 2015

Curcuma aromaticais an herbal medicine and traditionally used for the treatment of various diseases in Asia. We investigated the effects ofC. aromaticawater extract (CAW) in the stomach of rats with ethanol-induced gastritis. Gastritis was induced in rats by intragastric administration of 5 mL/kg body weight of absolute ethanol. The CAW groups were given 250 or 500 mg of extract/kg 2 h before administration of ethanol, respectively. To determine the antioxidant effects of CAW, we determined the level of lipid peroxidation, the level of reduced glutathione (GSH), the activities of catalase, degree of inflammation, and mucus production in the stomach. CAW reduced ethanol-induced inflammation and loss of epithelial cells and increased the mucus production in the stomach. CAW reduced the increase in lipid peroxidation associated with ethanol-induced gastritis (250 and 500 mg/kg,p<0.01, resp.) and increased mucosal GSH content (500 mg/kg,p<0.01) and the activity of catalase (250 and 500 mg/kg,p<0.01, resp.). CAW increased the production of prostaglandin E2. These findings suggest that CAW protects against ethanol-induced gastric mucosa injury by increasing antioxidant status. We suggest that CAW could be developed for the treatment of gastritis induced by alcohol.