bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Improving the prehospital management of ST elevation myocardial infarction: a national quality improvement initiative
Authors: Howard Ian , Castle Nicholas , Al Shaikh Loua , Owen Robert
Published: June 2019

ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is a time-dependent clinical emergency. Early recognition and intervention in the clinical course of STEMI are key to reducing mortality and morbidity. As a result, the benefits of the prehospital management of patients presenting with STEMI are well supported by the literature. Given these benefits, much of the focus on the development of quality and performance measures for Emergency Medical Services has focused on STEMI care. Historically, within Qatar, however, no measures of prehospital STEMI care have previously existed and as such, little is understood regarding the quality of prehospital care delivered to patients with STEMI. The overall aim of this national initiative was to improve the effectiveness of the prehospital care of patients with STEMI, to a minimum compliance of 75%, as measured by four process measures and one bundle measure, over a 12-month period. Initial efforts were aimed at the development of relevant indicators to guide assessment and identifying an appropriate patient cohort to test improvement efforts. Using these measures and criteria, the project team highlighted several areas for potential improvement centred on three key domains within the service: clinical practice, training and clinical equipment/medication. There was significant and sustained improvement across all measures recorded. For the bundle measure, the median proportional compliance increased from 39% pre-improvement activities to 76% post-improvement activities and remained sustained at 12 months post-implementation. The initiative was successful in meeting all of its aims and furthermore showed sustained compliance at 12 months post-implementation, thanks in part to what were designed to be changes that were simple, yet pragmatic, and readily producible at scale. While a formal cost analysis was not conducted, the improvement activities capitalised on existing organisational structures and processes with the resultant cost perceived to be negligible.
Endovascular treatment of patients with high-risk symptomatic intracranial vertebrobasilar stenoses: long - term outcomes
Authors: Djurdjevic Tanja , Cunha André , Schulz Ursula , Briley Dennis , Rothwell Peter , Küker Wilhelm
Published: June 2019

Background and purpose

We present the long-term outcome after endovascular treatment of symptomatic intracranial posterior circulation stenoses.

Methods

30 patients with symptomatic intracranial posterior circulation stenoses exceeding 70% underwent endovascular treatment between 2006 and 2012. Data regarding presentation, follow-up, procedure details, complications and imaging follow-up were reviewed. All surviving patients underwent a phone interview to establish their current Modified Ranking Scales (MRS).

Results

Stenoses of the intracranial vertebral artery (24 patients) and basilar artery (6 patients) were treated with stents (10 patients), angioplasty alone (13 patients) or both (5 patients). Two procedures failed. One patient (3.3%) died after the procedure, two had stroke (6.6%) and one a subarachnoid haemorrhage without ensuing deficit. Two patients (6.7%) had asymptomatic complications (dissection and pseudoaneurysm). The median clinical follow-up time was 7 years. Of the 29 patients who survived the procedure, 6 died due to unrelated causes. Three patients (10%) had recurrent strokes and two (6.7%) a transient ischaemic attack in the posterior circulation. Two patients had subsequent middle cerebral artery strokes. Five (16.7%) patients had recurrent stenoses and three (10%) occlusions of the treated artery. Retreatment was performed in six patients, three (10%) with PTA and three (10%) with stenting. Current MRS scores were as follows: nine MRS 0, eight MRS 1, four MRS 2 and one MRS 4.

Conclusions

Long-term follow-up after endovascular treatment of high-risk symptomatic intracranial posterior circulation stenoses shows few stroke recurrences. Treatment of intracranial vertebral artery stenosis may be beneficial in appropriately selected patients.
Study to determine clinical decision thresholds in small animal veterinary practice
Authors: Guevara Natalie Toulme , Hofmeister Erik , Ebell Mark , Locatelli Isabella
Published: June 2019

This study aimed to determine clinical decision thresholds for six common conditions in small animal veterinary practice. Participants were provided with an online survey. Five questions described scenarios of canine patients with suspected panosteitis, hypothyroidism, urinary tract infection (UTI), mechanical gastrointestinal obstruction (GIO) and idiopathic epilepsy, and one question described a feline patient with suspected chronic kidney disease. A range of probabilities was applied to each scenario. Test and treatment threshold levels were computed for each scenario from 297 usable responses. The test and treatment thresholds were determined for UTI (test=12.8 per cent; 95 per centCI=1.1 to 20.7; treatment=82.0per cent; 95 per centCI=66.3 to 100) and GIO (test=3.2 per cent; 95 per cent CI=0 to 10.4; treatment=87.3 per cent; 95 per centCI=82.6 to 93.5). All other scenarios did not provide data that allowed interpretable test and treatment thresholds. This pilot study has used a new approach in determining clinical thresholds in small animal medicine. Thresholds were successfully determined for two common conditions—canine mechanical GIO and canine UTI. Future research should broaden investigation of methods to determine group clinical threshold levels among veterinarians, which may be used as the basis for clinical decision rules.
Economics of mixed-species forestry with ecosystem services
Authors: Tahvonen Olli , Rämö Janne , Mönkkönen Mikko
Published: June 2019

The Faustmann–Hartman setup is widely established for specifying the economics of forest values besides timber, but it is criticized as restrictive for capturing diversity values. We show that extending the model to cover diversity attributes, i.e., mixed species and internal heterogeneity within species, is not enough to overcome these restrictions. Additionally, it is necessary to extend forest harvesting regimes to cover thinning, continuous cover forestry, and the management of commercially useless trees. Restrictions in the Faustmann–Hartman setup are first shown analytically with optimized thinning but without tree size structures. The empirical significance of these findings is shown by a model that includes four tree species, tree size structures, an extended set of forest management activities, a detailed description of harvesting costs, and a measure for stand diversity as a key factor behind ecosystem services. We show how an optimal harvesting regime, net revenues, wood output, and stand diversity depend on model flexibility, economic parameters, and the valuation of ecosystem services. In a setup allowing flexible management regimes, the costs of reaching a specified level of ecosystem services are negligible compared with those of the Faustmann–Hartman specification.
Differential expression of the Hsf family in cassava under biotic and abiotic stresses
Authors: Yu Xin-Yi , Yao Yuan , Hong Yu-Hui , Hou Peng-Yu , Li Chun-Xia , Xia Zhi-Qiang , Geng Meng-Ting , Chen Yin-Hua
Published: June 2019

Heat shock transcription factors (Hsfs) are important regulators of biotic and abiotic stress responses in plants. Currently, the Hsf gene family is not well understood in cassava, an important tropical crop. In the present study, 32 MeHsf genes were identified from the cassava genome database, which were divided into three types based on functional domain and motif distribution analyses. Analysis of the differential expression of the genes belonging to the Hsf family in cassava was carried out based on published cassava transcriptome data from tissues/organs (leaf blade, leaf midvein, lateral buds, organized embryogenic structures, friable embryogenic callus, fibrous roots, storage roots, stem, petiole, shoot apical meristem, and root apical meristem) under abiotic stress (cold, drought) or biotic stress (mealybugs. cassava brown streak disease, cassava bacterial blight). The results show the expression diversity of cassava Hsfs genes in various tissues/organs. The transcript levels of MeHsfB3a, MeHsfA6a, MeHsfA2a, and MeHsfA9b were upregulated by abiotic and biotic stresses, such as cold, drought, cassava bacterial blight, cassava brown streak disease, and mealybugs, indicating their potential roles in mediating the response of cassava plants to environment stresses. Further interaction network and co-expression analyses suggests that Hsf genes may interact with Hsp70 family members to resist environmental stresses in cassava. These results provide valuable information for future studies of the functional characterization of the MeHsf gene family.
Bifurcation of a Kind of 1D Piecewise Differential Equation and Its Application to Piecewise Planar Polynomial Systems
Authors: Huang Jianfeng , Jin Yuye
Published: June 2019

This paper deals with a kind of piecewise smooth equation which is linear in the dependent variable. We study the problem of lower bounds for the maximum number of limit cycles of such equations using Melnikov functions. First of all, using the first order Melnikov function, we prove that these differential equations have a sharp upper bound for the number of the limit cycles which bifurcate from the periodic orbits and cross the separation straight line. Furthermore, in some cases the maximum number of these limit cycles is three, up to any order analysis. In the end, we apply this result on a kind of piecewise smooth planar system which has a separation curve with [Formula: see text] up to homomorphism.
Mechanical and Self-Sensing Properties of Multiwalled Carbon Nanotube-Reinforced ECCs
Authors: Liu Chuanbo , Liu Guozhen , Ge Zhi , Guan Yanhua , Cui Zhiyong , Zhou Jian
Published: June 2019

This paper investigates the effect of type and dosage of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) on the mechanical and self-sensing properties of engineered cementitious composites (ECCs). Two types of MWCNTs (MWCNTa and MWCNTb) were employed. The tensile and flexural strengths of CNT-reinforced ECCs were improved compared with normal ECCs, while the ultimate tensile strain and midspan deflection were reduced. Compared with the dosage of MWCNTs, the type had less effect on these properties. The percolation threshold was around 0.3 wt.%. ECCs containing MWCNTs had good self-sensing ability under different loading conditions. When the midspan deflection increased from 0.1 to 0.6 mm, the fractional change in resistivity reached 9%. The dosage of MWCNTs had a significant effect on the self-sensing ability. As the MWCNT content increased, the amplitude of fractional change in resistivity decreased.
NaI Doping Effect on Photophysical Properties of Organic-Lead-Halide Perovskite Thin Films by Using Solution Process
Authors: Chang Chuangchuang , Zou Xiaoping , Cheng Jin , Yang Ying , Yao Yujun , Ling Tao , Ren Haiyan
Published: June 2019

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have been developed rapidly in recent years. How to modify the photophysical properties of perovskite films has become the critical issue, affecting device performance. In this paper, NaI doping into the perovskite layer is attempted to modulate the photophysical properties to improve the performance of PSCs. The perovskite layer was prepared by using the one-step solution spin coating method with doping different concentrations of NaI into the perovskite precursor solution and chlorobenzene employed as the antisolvent. Experimental results show that the absorption band edge and the peak position of the PL spectrum of the doped perovskite thin film were red shifted; thus, the band gap of the semiconductor film became narrow. Doping NaI into perovskite is an effective way, by which the photophysical properties of perovskite films are well modified, thus improving device performance.
Juvenile Fibromyalgia and Headache Comorbidity in Children and Adolescents: A Literature Review
Authors: Matera Emilia , Palumbi Roberto , Peschechera Antonia , Petruzzelli Maria Giuseppina , Sciruicchio Vittorio , de Tommaso Marina , Margari Lucia
Published: June 2019

Juvenile fibromyalgia (JFM) is a chronic pain syndrome with onset in developmental age, characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain associated with other neurological or nonneurological symptoms. Headache is one of the most frequent comorbid conditions with JFM, but this association is still poorly studied in the juvenile population. The literature review was conducted searching through PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science with a combination of the following free-text terms: “fibromyalgia,” “juvenile fibromyalgia,” “headache,” “primary headache,” “migraine,” “children,” “adolescents,” and “comorbidity.” The research resulted only in two specific studies regarding comorbidity JFM + Juvenile Headache (JH). From each study, we extracted data about sample features, clinical characteristics of both JFM and PH, and assessment tools. The clinical approach to JFM and JH should include a complete examination of the main causes of comorbid diseases, thus improving the therapeutic approach to the patient in developmental age.
Effect of Attending Pregnant Mothers Conference on Birth Preparedness and Complication Readiness Practice among Recently Delivered Women in Rural Libo Kemkem District, North West, Ethiopia: A Community-Based Comparative Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Asresie Melash Belachew , Abitew Dereje Berhanu , Bekele Habtamu Wondiye , Tesfaye Tadesse Dagget
Published: June 2019

Background. Birth preparedness and complication readiness strategies aimed to promote the timely utilization of skilled maternal health care. Pregnant mother conference is viewed as one of the needed interventions to reduce delays, by promoting obstetric danger sign awareness, family support, and decision-making power on a choice of place of delivery and the use of maternal health service. Objective. To compare the effect of attending a pregnant mother conference on birth preparedness and complication readiness practice among recently delivered women. Method. A community-based comparative cross-sectional study was conducted from February 15 to March 26, 2017, among mothers who gave birth in the past 12 months. Multistage simple random sampling method was implemented and 896 participants were contacted through a face-to-face interview. Descriptive, binary, and multiple logistic regression analysis was done. Results. Well-preparedness for birth and its complication among women who attended and did not attend the pregnant mother conference were 38.9% and 25.7%, respectively. Among the mothers who did not attend the conference, those who had four or more antenatal care visits (AOR=6.8, 95%CI 1.6, 29.8) and knew two or more danger signs of pregnancy (AOR=4.7, 95%CI:1.4, 15.6) were more likely being well-prepared for birth and its complication readiness, whereas among mothers who attended the conference, those who knew two or more danger signs of pregnancy (AOR=2.1, 95%CI:1.1, 4.3), those who had discussion with partners/families about place of delivery (AOR=11.4, 95%CI:3.1, 42.2), those who had previous delivery at health facility (AOR=2.4, 95%CI:1.2, 4.8), women who lived within one-hour walk to the nearest health facility (AOR=3.6, 95%CI:1.9, 6.9), and age of women within 19-34 years (AOR=6.8, 95%CI:1.7, 26.6) were significantly associated with birth preparedness and its complication readiness. Conclusion. Birth preparedness and complication readiness practice were higher among pregnant mother conference attendant women as compared to nonattendants. The health facility has to ensure encouraging women to participate in pregnant mother conference, promoting the utilization of antenatal care service, and counselling on obstetric danger sign. Moreover, the concerned bodies should promote interventions targeting the predisposing and reinforcing behavioral factors affecting the practice of birth preparedness and its complication readiness.
Yield Performance and Nutrient Uptake of Red Rice Variety (MRM 16) at Different NPK Fertilizer Rates
Authors: Masni Z. , Wasli M. E.
Published: June 2019

Global demand for high-quality rice and healthy food has increased, especially to the affluent and health-conscious consumers. Red rice has been consumed because of its health benefits. Red rice has met the concepts of productivity and quality that emerged to supply the demands for products that improve the eating pattern of its consuming population. Red rice is based on food industries especially for nutrition-based food products and baby food products. For the case on Malaysia, limited domestic supplies of red rice have led to full dependency on imported red rice supplies in the country. Recent statistics showed that the Sarawak state can be one of the potential areas for the development of red rice production due to its vast land resources; proper guidelines which suit the agroecosystem in Sarawak for cultivation of red rice are essential. As for rice production in general, proper application of fertilizers enhances the yield and to a certain extent sustains soil productivity. Considering the needs to establish a proper fertilizing program especially for red rice production in Sarawak, a preliminary study was conducted to evaluate the yield and yield components of red rice variety (MRM 16) with three levels of NPK fertilizers (Treatment 1, control; Treatment 2, 60 : 35 : 40; Treatment 3, 120 : 70 : 80; and Treatment 4, 180 : 105 : 120 (proportions of N, P2O5, and K2O·ha−1, respectively)). The experiment was conducted in the pot trial during main season 2016 (December 2016–April 2017). The yield parameters including rice yield, panicle no./m2, 1000-grain weight, spikelet number per panicle, and percentage of filled spikelets were collected. The results showed that yield was not significantly affected by the increment of the NPK fertilizer added at a rate of more than 60 kg/ha N, 35 kg/ha P, and 40 kg/ha K (T2). From the study, it was observed that the yield and yield components of red rice variety (MRM 16) were best in T2 (60 kg/ha N, 35 kg/ha P, and 40 kg/ha K).
Effect of Deep Slow Breathing on Pain-Related Variables in Osteoarthritis
Authors: Larsen Kalee L. , Brilla Lorrie R. , McLaughlin Wren L. , Li Ying
Published: June 2019

This study evaluated the effect of a six-week deep slow breathing (DSB) program on pain, physical function, and heart rate variability (HRV) in subjects with lower extremity joint pain. Twenty subjects were assigned into training (n = 10) and control (n = 10) groups. The training group participated in a six-week DSB program consisting of weekly training sessions and at-home breathing exercises. DSB exercises focused on prolonging the exhalation and the pause following exhalation. The Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) was used to assess pain and physical function, and HRV data were obtained before and after intervention. Results revealed no significant interactions between group and time for any of the variables. There was no significant main effect for group, but there was a significant main effect (p<0.025) and a large effect size for time on both pain (ηp2 = 0.454) and physical function (ηp2 = 0.506). There were no significant main effects (p>0.017) for group and time on LF power (group ηp2 = 0.039, time ηp2 = 0.061), HF power (group ηp2 = 0.039, time ηp2 = 0.039), and LF/HF ratio (group ηp2 = 0.036, time ηp2 = 0.169). Results indicated that the six-week DSB program was not sufficient to alleviate pain or improve physical function in subjects with lower extremity joint pain. Although the pain was not alleviated, other beneficial effects such as better coping with the pain were reported in the majority of training subjects. As this is the first study to examine the use of DSB for lower extremity joint pain and dysfunction, further research is needed to investigate the efficacy and applicability of DSB.
Periodontal Regenerative Treatment of Intrabony Defects Associated with Palatal Grooves: A Report of Two Cases
Authors: Corbella Stefano , Alberti Alice , Zotti Beatrice , Francetti Luca
Published: June 2019

A palatal radicular groove (PRG) is a morphological deformity, occurring during tooth development. It is usually located on the palatal aspect of maxillary incisors and frequently associated with periodontal or endodontic-periodontal lesions. Some treatment options were described for such lesions, including primary endodontic treatment and periodontal surgery and extraction with intentional replantation after removal of a PRG and endodontic treatment. The present paper reported two cases of PRG-associated deep intrabony defects, successfully treated with periodontal surgery with enamel matrix derivative (EMD) application and mechanical removal of PRGs, avoiding endodontic treatment or retreatment. The complexity of the diagnostic process was also discussed.
Rare Clinical Course of Immunoglobulin G4-Related Inflammatory Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm with Multiple Rare Complications
Authors: Naito Yuji , Miyatake Tsukasa , Iwasaki Manami , Okuyama Atsushi , Takada Akio , Chiba Koji , Obata Masahiko , Oba Junichi
Published: June 2019

Immunoglobulin G4- (IgG4-) related inflammatory abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) has been recognized as a manifestation of IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD). We experienced one patient with multiple consecutive manifestations before and after endovascular stent grafting for IgG4-related inflammatory AAA (IAAA). A 71-year-old man was diagnosed with IgG4-RD due to increased IgG4 serum concentration, typical findings of parotid gland biopsy, and periaortitis in another hospital 2 years and 7 months before visiting our hospital. He came to our hospital because of abdominal pain and IAAA. He developed paraplegia after hospitalization and underwent endovascular stent grafting for the IAAA. About one month after stent grafting, he developed perforation of the sigmoid colon due to enteritis. He also had myocardial infarction. Finally, he died of intestinal bleeding. Here, we describe this case with rare, multiple, consecutive manifestations of IgG4-RD, some of which might be caused by IgG4-related IAAA or side effects of treatments rather than by IgG4-RD itself. We report this case because the clinical course seemed rare for IgG4-RD or IgG4-related IAAA. For treating IgG4-RD with IgG4-related IAAA, we should consider factors causing the symptoms and carefully select the proper treatment.
Crosstalk between the Ketogenic Diet and Epilepsy: From the Perspective of Gut Microbiota
Authors: Fan Yuying , Wang Hua , Liu Xueyan , Zhang Junmei , Liu Gang
Published: June 2019

Given the association between a range of neurological disorders and changes in the gut microbiota, interest in the gut microbiota has recently increased. In particular, the significant involvement of the autoimmune processes in the development of epilepsy, one of the most serious and widespread neurological diseases, has led to a suggested link with the gut microbiome. Because the constitution of the gut microbiome can be influenced by diet, dietary therapy has been shown to have a positive impact on a wide range of conditions via alteration of the gut microbiota. An example of one such diet is the ketogenic diet (KD), which promotes a diet that contains high levels of fat, adequate levels of protein, and low levels of carbohydrate. Due to the near-total elimination of carbohydrates from the individual’s food in this ultra-high-fat diet, ketone bodies become an important source of energy. Although the ketogenic diet has proven successful in the treatment of refractory epilepsy and other illnesses, the underlying mechanisms of its neuroprotective effects have yet to be fully elucidated. Nevertheless, recent studies strongly indicate a role for the gut microbiota in the effective treatment of epilepsy with the ketogenic diet. The latest advances regarding the links between the ketogenic diet, gut microbiota, and epilepsy are reviewed in this article, with a particular focus on the role of the gut microbiota in the treatment outcome.
Frequent Sips of the Water for the Management of Gastroesophageal Reflux Induced Refractory Cough: A Case Report and Review of the Literature
Authors: Tariq Hassan , Makker Jasbir , Ahmed Rafeeq , Vakde Trupti , Patel Harish
Published: June 2019

Background. Chronic cough is often associated with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). The role of gastroenterologist in the management of the chronic cough is to identify and manage GERD. Ineffective esophageal motility is often associated with GERD induced cough. Chronic cough is often refractory to medical and surgical management despite adequate acid control. Unresponsiveness warrants a thorough pulmonary evaluation. The pathophysiology of refractory cough in these patients is poorly understood, and hence management is often challenging. Case Presentation. A 75-year-old woman from Ghana was evaluated for GERD associated chronic cough. A 48-hour ambulatory pH study revealed acid exposure of 4.9% and high-resolution manometry showed decreased lower esophageal sphincter pressure, an inadequate response to medical and surgical management of GERD. Postfundoplication ambulatory pH testing demonstrated well-controlled acid reflux but her cough still persisted. Repeat manometry showed an ineffective motility disorder (IEM). Taking frequent sips of water eventually resolved her chronic cough. Conclusion. Frequent sips of water can be used in the management of the gastroesophageal reflux and ineffective motility induced cough. It results in increased esophageal clearance of acid, nonacid reflux, and ingested pharyngeal secretions, thus breaking the cycle of cough generated increased intra-abdominal pressure with reflux and more cough.
Socioeconomic Effect of Education on Pancreatic Cancer Risk in Western Europe: An Update on the EPIC Cohorts Study
Authors: Cirera Lluís , Huerta José María , Chirlaque María Dolores , Overvad Kim , Lindström Martin , Regnér Sara , Tjønneland Anne , Boutron-Ruault Marie-Christine , Rebours Vinciane , Fagherazzi Guy , Katzke Verena A. , Boeing Heiner , Peppa Eleni , Trichopoulou Antonia , Valanou Elissavet , Palli Domenico , Grioni Sara , Panico Salvatore , Tumino Rosario , Ricceri Fulvio , van Gils Carla , Vermeulen Roel C.H. , Skeie Guri , Braaten Tonje , Weiderpass Elisabete , Merino Susana , Sánchez María José , Larrañaga Nerea , Ardanaz Eva , Sund Malin , Khaw Kay-Tee , Key Timothy J. , Jenab Mazda , Naudin Sabine , Murphy Neil , Aune Dagfinn , Ward Heather , Riboli Elio , Bueno-de-Mesquita Bas , Navarro Carmen , Duell Eric J.
Published: June 2019

Background:

To analyze the potential effect of social inequality on pancreatic cancer risk in Western Europe, by reassessing the association within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) Study, including a larger number of cases and an extended follow-up.

Methods:

Data on highest education attained were gathered for 459,170 participants (70% women) from 10 European countries. A relative index of inequality (RII) based on adult education was calculated for comparability across countries and generations. Cox regression models were applied to estimate relative inequality in pancreatic cancer risk, stratifying by age, gender, and center, and adjusting for known pancreatic cancer risk factors.

Results:

A total of 1,223 incident pancreatic cancer cases were included after a mean follow-up of 13.9 (±4.0) years. An inverse social trend was found in models adjusted for age, sex, and center for both sexes [HR of RII, 1.27; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.02–1.59], which was also significant among women (HR, 1.42; 95% CI, 1.05–1.92). Further adjusting by smoking intensity, alcohol consumption, body mass index, prevalent diabetes, and physical activity led to an attenuation of the RII risk and loss of statistical significance.

Conclusions:

The present reanalysis does not sustain the existence of an independent social inequality influence on pancreatic cancer risk in Western European women and men, using an index based on adult education, the most relevant social indicator linked to individual lifestyles, in a context of very low pancreatic cancer survival from (quasi) universal public health systems.

Impact:

The results do not support an association between education and risk of pancreatic cancer.
Kinase Networks Regulate Metabolism: I'D(H1) Never Have Guessed!
Authors: Horton Sarah , Huntly Brian J.P.
Published: June 2019

Mutations in isoforms of isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) enzymes are described in multiple cancers and both mutant and wild-type IDH are important for the generation and maintenance of tumors, but how their activity is regulated is poorly understood. An article in this issue of Cancer Discovery identifies a novel posttranslational mechanism of IDH1 regulation involving phosphorylation of specific tyrosine residues by a network of kinases that alter the specificity of substrate and cofactor binding, dimer formation, and ultimately enzyme activity.

See related article by Chen et al., p. 756.
Activity and Safety of Standard and Prolonged Capecitabine/Temozolomide Administration in Patients with Advanced Neuroendocrine Neoplasms
Authors: Chatzellis Eleftherios , Angelousi Anna , Daskalakis Kosmas , Tsoli Marina , Alexandraki Krystallenia I. , Wachuła Ewa , Meirovitz Amichay , Maimon Ofra , Grozinsky-Glasberg Simona , Gross David , Kos-Kudła Beata , Koumarianou Anna , Kaltsas Gregory
Published: June 2019

Background: Capecitabine and temozolomide combination (CAPTEM) is associated with high response rates in patients with advanced neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs). We evaluated the real-world activity and safety of CAPTEM from 3 NEN centers. Methods: Clinicopathological characteristics and outcomes of patients treated with CAPTEM for bulky or progressive disease (PD) were retrospectively analyzed. ­Results: Seventy-nine patients with gastroenteropancreatic (grades 1–2 [n = 38], grade 3 [n = 24]) and lung/thymic (n = 17) NENs were included. Median treatment duration was 12.1 months (range 0.6–55.6). Overall, partial responses (PRs) occurred in 23 (29.1%), stable (SD) in 24 (30.4%), and PD in 28 (35.4%) patients. Median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were 10.1 (6–14.2) and 102.9 months (43.3–162.5), respectively. On univariate analysis, NENs naive to chemotherapy and low Ki67 were associated with favorable responses (partial response [PR] + SD; p = 0.011 and 0.045), PFS (p < 0.0001 and 0.002) and OS (p = 0.005 and 0.001). Primary site (pancreas and lung/thymus) was also a significant prognostic factor for PFS (p < 0.0001) and OS (p < 0.0001). On multivariate analysis, gastrointestinal and unknown primary NENs (hazard ratio [HR] 0.3, 95% CI 0.1–0.8, p = 0.009 and p = 0.018) and prior surgery (HR 2.4, 95% CI 11–4.9, p = 0.021) were independent prognostic factors for PFS. Ki-67 was a poor predictor for favorable response in receiver operating characteristic analysis (area under the curve 0.678). Safety analysis of CAPTEM indicated rare events of serious (grades 3–4) toxicities (n = 4) and low discontinuation rates (n = 8) even in patients with prolonged administration (>12 months). Conclusions: CAPTEM treatment can be an effective and safe treatment even after prolonged administration for patients with NENs of various sites and Ki67 labeling index, associated with significant favorable responses and PFS.
DNA Methylation Status of SHOX-Flanking CpG Islands in Healthy Individuals and Short Stature Patients with Pseudoautosomal Copy Number Variations
Authors: Ogushi Kenichiro , Hattori Atsushi , Suzuki Erina , Shima Hirohito , Izawa Masako , Yagasaki Hideaki , Horikawa Reiko , Uetake Kimiaki , Umezawa Akihiro , Ishii Tomohiro , Muroya Koji , Namba Noriyuki , Tanaka Toshiaki , Hirano Yasuhiro , Yamamoto Hitoshi , Soneda Shun , Matsubara Keiko , Kagami Masayo , Miyado Mami , Fukami Maki
Published: June 2019

SHOX resides in the short arm pseudoautosomal region (PAR1) of the sex chromosomes and escapes X inactivation. SHOX haploinsufficiency underlies idiopathic short stature (ISS) and Leri-Weill dyschondrosteosis (LWD). A substantial percentage of cases with SHOX haploinsufficiency arise from pseudoautosomal copy number variations (CNVs) involving putative enhancer regions of SHOX. Our previous study using peripheral blood samples showed that some CpG dinucleotides adjacent to SHOX exon 1 were hypomethylated in a healthy woman and methylated in a woman with gross X chromosomal rearrangements. However, it remains unknown whether submicroscopic pseudoautosomal CNVs cause aberrant DNA methylation of SHOX-flanking CpG islands. In this study, we examined the DNA methylation status of SHOX-flanking CpG islands in 50 healthy individuals and 10 ISS/LWD patients with pseudoautosomal CNVs. In silico analysis detected 3 CpG islands within the 20-kb region from the translation start site of SHOX. Pyrosequencing and bisulfite sequencing of genomic DNA samples revealed that these CpG islands were barely methylated in peripheral blood cells and cultured chondrocytes of healthy individuals, as well as in peripheral blood cells of ISS/LWD patients with pseudoautosomal CNVs. These results, in conjunction with our previous findings, indicate that the DNA methylation status of SHOX-flanking CpG islands can be affected by gross X-chromosomal abnormalities, but not by submicroscopic CNVs in PAR1. Such CNVs likely disturb SHOX expression through DNA methylation-independent mechanisms, which need to be determined in future studies.
Effects of Bardoxolone Methyl on QT Interval in Healthy Volunteers
Authors: Chin Melanie P. , Rich Shannon , Goldsberry Angie , O'Grady Megan , Meyer Colin J.
Published: June 2019

Background: Bardoxolone methyl has been shown to increase eGFR in several clinical trials, including a phase 3 trial in patients with type 2 diabetes and stage 4 CKD (BEACON), which was terminated early due to an increase in heart failure events in bardoxolone methyl-treated patients. A separate, “thorough QT” study was conducted in parallel with BEACON to evaluate the cardiovascular safety of bardoxolone methyl in healthy subjects. Methods: Subjects in the “thorough QT” study were randomized to receive bardoxolone methyl 20 mg (therapeutic dose) or 80 mg (supratherapeutic dose), placebo, or moxifloxacin (400 mg; an active comparator). ECG results and supine blood pressure measurements were analyzed. The effects of bardoxolone methyl on QT interval changes from baseline were quantified compared to the effect of placebo by calculating mean, time-matched, placebo-corrected, baseline-adjusted QTcF values (ΔΔQTcF) after 6 days of daily administration of bardoxolone methyl. Results: The study was halted early due to emerging safety information from the BEACON trial; however, 142/179 patients received all doses of the study drug and completed the study. For both bardoxolone methyl-treated groups (20 and 80 mg), the upper limits of the 2-sided 90% confidence interval for ΔΔQTcF were less than the significance limit (10 ms) at all time points. Changes in blood pressure were similar in all treatment groups, and no serious adverse events were reported. Conclusions: In healthy subjects, treatment with 20 or 80 mg bardoxolone methyl did not affect the QTcF interval.
Intelligent Multi-coloured Lighting System Design with Fuzzy Logic Controller
Authors: Mutua Paul W. , Mbuthia Mwangi
Published: June 2019

This paper describes the design of an intelligent energy efficient lighting system that uses multi-coloured LEDs and a fuzzy logic controller to produce light of the required luminance level and colour in a typical room space. The lighting system incorporates automatic control of a room’s window shade opening, conveniently harvesting daylight. Appropriate room occupancy sensors were set to dim off the LEDs if there are no people in the room. A movement sensor was also considered for dimming the LEDs if the persons in the room are asleep. A colour decoder was included in the control system, to determine the LEDs’ output light colour and dim them off if the colour requirement is not selected. The colour decoder also closes the window shade if required light colour is not white. Two Fuzzy Logic controllers were used in the system; one to control opening of the room’s window shade via microcontroller, and the other to control the LEDs’ output luminance. The study was limited to simulation of the design in a MATLAB software environment using Fuzzy Logic Toolbox and Simulink blocks. The simulation test results confirmed that the LEDs’ output luminance decreases as the amount of daylight entering the room increases. The designed system intelligently saves lighting electrical energy while maintaining the room’s comfortable illumination levels and colour requirements.
Estimation of multipath propagation and fade margin over Coastal area
Authors: Falodun Falodun , Omotoso Omotoso , Ashidi Ashidi
Published: June 2019

Atmospheric weather parameter is dynamic in nature, hence the need for continuous investigation of the anomalous propagation phenomenon. The coastal region is more unique in its characteristics due to the rapid and continuous variation in the weather parameters. This paper presents the results from 10 years (2006 – 2015) of reanalysis data of meteorological parameters (temperature, relative humidity and atmospheric pressure) obtained from European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). The data covers some selected stations in the coastal region of Nigeria namely: Port-Harcourt, Warri, Calabar, Arogbo, Oron, Yenagoa and Lagos Island at four synopsies hours of the day (6 hrs, 12 hrs, 18 hrs and 24 hrs). The resolution of the ECMWF data is 0.25 by 0.25. Radio refractivity, refractivity gradient, point refractivity and geoclimatic factor are estimated from the data. Subsequently, the results were used to deduce percentage of fade depth exceedance. The overall resultsa will assist to ascertain the level of signal degradation due to multipath fading and fade depth over the coastal regions of Nigeria
An enhanced hybrid Pareto metaheuritic algorithm-based multicast tree estimation for reliable multicast routing in VANETs
Authors: Janakiraman Sengathir
Published: June 2019

Prompt and reliable data dissemination among the vehicular nodes of the network is indispensable as its mobility rate and limited coverage characteristics introduce the possibility of frequent topology changes. The effective and efficient sharing of critical information in the event of emergency necessitates either direct interaction or Road Side Units (RSUs)-based vehicular communication in the primitive place. Multicast routing is confirmed to be the significant scheme of data transfer since they establish reliable data dissemination between the source and destination vehicular nodes by estimating an optimal multicast tree. Moreover, QoS-constraint enforced meta-heuristic approaches are considered to be excellent for determining optimal multicast tree under multicasting. An Enhanced Hybrid Pareto Metaheuritic Algorithm-based Multicast Tree Estimation Scheme (EHPMA-MTES) is contributed for reliable multicast routing. The proposed EHPMA-MTES is confirmed to reduce the cost of transmission by 28% through the minimization of the multicast tree count formed during the process of multicast routing.
Research trends and solutions for secure traffic management of SDN
Authors: Shankar Pandey Ravi , Srivastava Vivek , Yadav Lal Babu
Published: June 2019

Software Defined Network (SDN) decouples the responsibilities of route management and data transmission of network devices present in network infrastructure. It integrates the control responsibility at the centralized software component which is known as controller. This centralized aggregation of responsibilities may result the single point of failure in the case malicious attack at the controller side. These attacks may also affect the traffic flow and network devices. The security issues due to such malicious attacks in SDN are dominating challenges in the implementation and utilization of opportunities provided by this new paradigm. In this paper we have investigated the several research papers related to proposal of new research trends for security and suggestions which fulfil the security requirements like confidentiality, integrity, availability, authenticity, authorization, nonrepudiation, consistency, fast responsiveness and adaptation. We have also investigated the new future research for creating the attack free environment for implementing the SDN.
High dimensional data clustering
Authors: Pavithra M. , Parvathi R.M.S.
Published: June 2019

Clustering becomes difficult due to the increasing sparsity of such data, as well as the increasing difficulty in distinguishing distances between data points. The proposed method called “kernel trick” and “Collective Neighbour Clustering”, which takes as input measures of correspondence between pairs of data points. Real-valued hubs are exchanged between data points until a high-quality set of patterns and corresponding clusters gradually emerges [2]. To validate our theory by demonstrating that hubness is a high-quality measure of point centrality within a high dimensional information cluster, and by proposing several hubness-based clustering algorithms, showing that main hubs can be used effectively as cluster prototypes or as guides during the search for centroid-based cluster patterns [4]. Experimental results demonstrate the good performance of our proposed algorithms in manifold settings, mainly focused on large quantities of overlapping noise. The proposed methods are modified mostly for detecting approximately hyper spherical clusters and need to be extended to properly handle clusters of arbitrary shapes [6]. For this purpose, we provide an overview of approaches that use quality metrics in high-dimensional data visualization and propose systematization based on a thorough literature review. We carefully analyze the papers and derive a set of factors for discriminating the quality metrics, visualization techniques, and the process itself [10]. The process is described through a reworked version of the well-known information visualization pipeline. We demonstrate the usefulness of our model by applying it to several existing approaches that use quality metrics, and we provide reﬂections on implications of our model for future research. High-dimensional data arise naturally in many domains, and have regularly presented a great challenge for traditional data-mining techniques, both in terms of effectiveness and efficiency [7]. Clustering becomes difficult due to the increasing sparsity of such data, as well as the increasing difficulty in distinguishing distances between data points. In this paper we take a novel perspective on the problem of clustering high-dimensional data [8]. Instead of attempting to avoid the curse of dimensionality by observing a lower-dimensional feature subspace, we embrace dimensionality by taking advantage of some inherently high-dimensional phenomena. More speciﬁcally, we show that hubness, i.e., the tendency of high-dimensional data to contain points (hubs) that frequently occur in k-nearest neighbour lists of other points, can be successfully exploited in clustering. We validate our hypothesis by proposing several hubness-based clustering algorithms and testing them on high-dimensional data. Experimental results demonstrate good performance of our algorithms in multiple settings, particularly in the presence of large quantities of noise [9].
An Improved Approximation Algorithm for Co-location Mining in Uncertain Data Sets using Probabilistic Approach
Authors: Sheshikala M. , Rao D. Rajeswara , Ali Kadampur Md.
Published: June 2019

In this paper we investigate colocation mining problem in the context of uncertain data. Uncertain data is a partially complete data. Many of the real world data is Uncertain, for example, Demographic data, Sensor networks data, GIS data etc.,. Handling such data is a challenge for knowledge discovery particularly in colocation mining. One straightforward method is to find the Probabilistic Prevalent colocations (PPCs). This method tries to find all colocations that are to be generated from a random world. For this we first apply an approximation error to find all the PPCs which reduce the computations. Next find all the possible worlds and split them into two different worlds and compute the prevalence probability. These worlds are used to compare with a minimum probability threshold to decide whether it is Probabilistic Prevalent colocation (PPCs) or not. The experimental results on the selected data set show the significant improvement in computational time in comparison to some of the existing methods used in colocation mining.
Speech Scrambling Based on Chaotic Mapping and Random Permutation for Modern Mobile Communication Systems
Authors: G Dhanya , Jayakumari J
Published: June 2019

The expanding significance of securing data over the network has promoted growth of strong encryption algorithms. To enhance the information protection in network communications, this paper presents a Random permutation, chaotic mapping and pseudo random binary scrambling. It involves transforming the intelligible speech signal into an unintelligible form to protect it from interrupters. In this report, suggest a simple and secure procedure to secure the speech signal. The speech scrambling process makes use of two Permutations. In the first step, Random permutation algorithm is used to swap the rows of the original speech followed by swapping of rows using chaotic Bernoulli mapping. This produces an intermediary scrambled speech. In the second measure, pseudo random binary generator is used to make the final scrambled signal. Various analysis tests are then executed to determine the quality of the encrypted image. The test results determine the efficiency of the proposed speech scrambling process.
Effects of credit rating changes on capital structure of Latin American firms
Authors: Paschoal Thiago Botta , Gomes Matheus da Costa , Valle Mauricio Ribeiro do
Published: June 2019

This study investigates whether non-financial Latin American firms adjust their capital structure in order to maintain certain rating levels. The credit rating-capital structure (CR-CS) hypothesis suggests that firms assume less debt after rating downgrades, aiming to retrieve necessary conditions to restore a better rating. Through panel data analysis for the 2000-2014 period and by using the generalized method of moments (GMM), we show that a rating downgrade does not accelerate the speed of adjustment to the target, indicating that firms do not target minimum rating levels, as predicted by the CR-CS hypothesis. Although, rating changes are related to firms’ capital structure, we conclude that Latin American firms do not adjust their capital structure to maintain certain rating levels.
O RESSURGIMENTO DO PIRARUNGÁUA: CAMINHOS E DESCAMINHOS DAS ÁGUAS URBANAS
Authors: Freitas Juliana Maria de Souza , Franco Maria de Assunção Ribeiro
Published: June 2019

O presente trabalho busca promover a reflexão a respeito das transformações na relação das cidades com seus rios, relação esta moldada a partir do sistema de crenças e valores de cada época. Para isso constrói um breve panorama da evolução da dialética rios-sociedade no intuito de compreender o ambiente com sua historicidade e explora dois estudos de casos, sendo o primeiro sobre o córrego Cheong-Gye, em Seul, Coréia do Sul, e o segundo, o córrego Pirarungáua, em São Paulo, Brasil. Como critério para a escolha dos casos, optou-se pela diversidade, tanto em relação aos motivos que nortearam o projeto, quanto ao seu caráter e contexto de inserção urbana.