bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Fast chirality reversal of the magnetic vortex by electric current
Authors: Lim W. L. , Liu R. H. , Tyliszczak T. , Erokhin S. G. , Berkov D. , Urazhdin S.
Published: December 2014

The possibility of high-density information encoding in magnetic materials by topologically stable inhomogeneous magnetization configurations such as domain walls, skyrmions, and vortices has motivated intense research into mechanisms enabling their control and detection. While the uniform magnetization states can be efficiently controlled by electric current using magnetic multilayer structures, this approach has proven much more difficult to implement for inhomogeneous states. Here, we report direct observation of fast reversal of magnetic vortex by electric current in a simple planar structure based on a bilayer of spin Hall material Pt with a single microscopic ferromagnetic disk contacted by asymmetric electrodes. The reversal is enabled by a combination of the chiral Oersted field and spin current generated by the nonuniform current distribution in Pt. Our results provide a route for the efficient control of inhomogeneous magnetization configurations by electric current.
Chemistry Nobel honors developers of superresolution microscopy
Authors: Smart Ashley G.
Published: December 2014

By manipulating fluorescence, the three prizewinners brought the hidden machinery of living cells into view.
The changing width of Earth’s tropical belt
Authors: Birner Thomas , Davis Sean M. , Seidel Dian J.
Published: December 2014

The belt emerges as a fundamental climatic feature of atmospheric circulation patterns on a rotating and differentially heated planet. But locating its edges and discerning anthropogenic influences remain difficult research problems.
Cellular changes in the hamster testicular interstitium with ageing and after exposure to short photoperiod
Authors: Beltrán-Frutos E. , Seco-Rovira V. , Ferrer C. , Madrid J. F. , Sáez F. J. , Canteras M. , Pastor L. M.
Published: December 2014

The aim of this study was to evaluate the cellular changes that occur in the hamster testicular interstitium in two very different physiological situations involving testicular involution: ageing and exposure to a short photoperiod. The animals were divided into an ‘age group’ with three subgroups – young, adult and old animals – and a ‘regressed group’ with animals subjected to a short photoperiod. The testicular interstitium was characterised by light and electron microscopy. Interstitial cells were studied histochemically with regard to their proliferation, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT)-mediated dUTP in situ nick end labelling (TUNEL+) and testosterone synthetic activity. We identified two types of Leydig cell: Type A cells showed a normal morphology, while Type B cells appeared necrotic. With ageing, pericyte proliferation decreased but there was no variation in the index of TUNEL-positive Leydig cells. In the regressed group, pericyte proliferation was greater and TUNEL-positive cells were not observed in the interstitium. The testicular interstitium suffered few ultrastructural changes during ageing and necrotic Leydig cells were observed. In contrast, an ultrastructural involution of Leydig cells with no necrosis was observed in the regressed group. In conclusion, the testicular interstitium of Mesocricetus auratus showed different cellular changes in the two groups (age and regressed), probably due to the irreversible nature of ageing and the reversible character of changes induced by short photoperiod.
Bulk and particle properties of pine needle fuel beds – influence on combustion
Authors: Santoni P. A. , Bartoli P. , Simeoni A. , Torero J. L.
Published: December 2014

This paper presents a study to assess the influence of pine needle layer characteristics on combustion for three pine species of the Mediterranean region of France. It identifies the key parameters that explain the combustion of this fuel bed component. A relationship between permeability of the litter layer, fuel bed porosity and needle geometrical properties is presented. Although permeability was found to influence the rate of heat release from the combustion of litter independent of litter species, this was not the case for litter layers with similar mass and porosity. This study also stresses the important role of particle properties on their time to piloted ignition. The surface-to-volume ratio (SVR) of the species is the essential parameter driving the time to ignition as it defines the thermal thickness of single needles. This parameter also influences the combustion dynamics of litters under forced convection. In that case, the heat release rate of pine needle litters with the same permeability increases with the SVR of the species.
Reconstruction of Proto-Tai negators
Authors: Pittayaporn Pittayawat , Iamdanush Jakrabhop , Jampathip Nida
Published: December 2014

Based on comparative data from 64 modern Tai varieties, we propose that Proto-Tai had three distinct negators, namely *ɓawB, *miand *pajB. These morphemes were distinguished from each other in terms of aspect. Moreover, we show that the Old Thai language represented by the literary classicLilit Phra Lo, and the modern Tai dialect of Bao Yen are attestations of the reconstructed system. PT *ɓawB and *miwere probably used to negate stative verbs and dynamic verbs with volitional and habitual reading. In contrast, *pajB probably co-occurred with dynamic verbs as well as stative verbs interpreted as change of state. It is however unclear what the difference between *ɓawB and *miwas.
Importance of Ultrasonic Field Direction for Guiding Juvenile Blueback Herring Past Hydroelectric Turbines
Authors: Gurshin Christopher W. D. , Balge Matthew P. , Taylor Michael M. , Lenz Benjamin E.
Published: December 2014

Populations of Blueback Herring Alosa aestivalis, an important anadromous forage fish in the northeastern USA, have declined from historic levels. Measures to reduce mortality from many sources, including entrainment by hydroelectric turbines, are cited by fishery managers to be important to restoring populations. At the Crescent Hydroelectric Project (Crescent) on the Mohawk River, New York, pulsed ultrasound (122–128 kHz) was used to deter adult and juvenile Blueback Herring migrating out to sea from entering the intake channel to the headrace and turbines, where mortality may occur. To increase the deterrence rate, the sound field was extended further upriver to expose juvenile Blueback Herring to an increasing sound gradient as they migrate downriver and allow them more time to avoid the intake channel. When juvenile Blueback Herring were present upstream of Crescent and exposed to an ultrasound field, mean catch per unit effort (CPUE) by pelagic trawling in the main channel downriver of the ultrasound was 94% of the mean CPUE in the upriver trawl region and 250% of the mean CPUE in the intake channel. Repeated mobile echo sounder surveys revealed that the abundance of juvenile Blueback Herring averaged 35 times higher in the downriver main channel region than in the intake channel region. During the peak migration period of September 20 through October 14, 2012, continuous fixed-location horizontal echo sounding showed the percentage of net downstream passage of juvenile Blueback Herring that bypassed the intake channel significantly increased from 31.1% to 76.5% after redirecting the ultrasonic field upriver. These results demonstrate that pulsed ultrasound, when properly directed, can be used effectively as a fish deterrent system to provide safe downstream passage of juvenile Blueback Herring at hydropower dams. At Crescent, this could increase annual survival by tens of thousands of fish or more.

Received October 4, 2013; accepted August 26, 2014
So many pieces, one puzzle: cell type specification and visual circuitry in flies and mice
Authors: Wernet Mathias F. , Huberman Andrew D. , Desplan Claude
Published: December 2014

The visual system is a powerful model for probing the development, connectivity, and function of neural circuits. Two genetically tractable species, mice and flies, are together providing a great deal of understanding of these processes. Current efforts focus on integrating knowledge gained from three cross-fostering fields of research: (1) understanding how the fates of different cell types are specified during development, (2) revealing the synaptic connections between identified cell types (“connectomics”) by high-resolution three-dimensional circuit anatomy, and (3) causal testing of how identified circuit elements contribute to visual perception and behavior. Here we discuss representative examples from fly and mouse models to illustrate the ongoing success of this tripartite strategy, focusing on the ways it is enhancing our understanding of visual processing and other sensory systems.
The evolution of thymic lymphomas in p53 knockout mice
Authors: Dudgeon Crissy , Chan Chang , Kang Wenfeng , Sun Yvonne , Emerson Ryan , Robins Harlan , Levine Arnold J.
Published: December 2014

Germline deletion of the p53 gene in mice gives rise to spontaneous thymic (T-cell) lymphomas. In this study, the p53 knockout mouse was employed as a model to study the mutational evolution of tumorigenesis. The clonality of the T-cell repertoire from p53 knockout and wild-type thymic cells was analyzed at various ages employing TCRβ sequencing. These data demonstrate that p53 knockout thymic lymphomas arose in an oligoclonal fashion, with tumors evolving dominant clones over time. Exon sequencing of tumor DNA revealed that all of the independently derived oligoclonal mouse tumors had a deletion in the Pten gene prior to the formation of the TCRβ rearrangement, produced early in development. This was followed in each independent clone of the thymic lymphoma by the amplification or overexpression of cyclin Ds and Cdk6. Alterations in the expression of Ikaros were common and blocked further development of CD-4/CD-8 T cells. While the frequency of point mutations in the genome of these lymphomas was one per megabase, there were a tremendous number of copy number variations producing the tumors’ driver mutations. The initial inherited loss of p53 functions appeared to delineate an order of genetic alterations selected for during the evolution of these thymic lymphomas.
A rapid and cost‐effective quantitative microsatellite genotyping protocol to estimate intraspecific competition in protist microcosm experiments
Authors: Minter Ewan J. A. , Lowe Chris D. , Brockhurst Michael A. , Watts Phillip C.
Published: December 2014

High levels of intraspecific variation are commonly observed in natural microbial populations, yet the consequences of this variation for ecological and evolutionary processes remain poorly understood. Protists are excellent experimental models for investigating fundamental and applied questions in ecology and evolution, but studying intraspecific variation remains a challenge due to a lack of molecular resources to aid in quantifying and distinguishing strains during experiments.

Here we present a molecular method, quantitative microsatellite genotyping, to accurately quantify strain‐specific frequencies from microcosm experiments of the marine flagellate Oxyrrhis marina, both between many pairs of strains and between strains in a multistrain mixture.

We find that for pairs of strains, the method is effective for relative frequencies as low as 0·02 and with around 99% accuracy. The method is able to quantify four strains reasonably well, though less accurate than for pairs (range 92–97% accuracy).

This makes accessible a cheap and easy‐to‐implement method for quantifying strain (or allele) frequencies and is suitable for use in a broad range of single‐celled eukaryotes (protists) where copy number should correlate well with number of individuals (i.e. cells). This opens up the possibility of examining the role of intraspecific variation using experimental protist microcosms.
Haemostatic management of obstetric haemorrhage
Authors: Collis R. E. , Collins P. W.
Published: December 2014

The haemostatic management of major obstetric haemorrhage remains challenging, and current published guidance relies heavily on experience from the non‐pregnant population and expert opinion. In recent years, an interest in the implications of relative hypofibrinogenaemia, point‐of‐care monitoring of coagulation abnormalities, and the potential to give goal‐directed therapy to correct coagulopathies, have created the possibility of significantly challenging and changing guidance. There is evidence that the haemostatic impairment in the pregnant population is different from trauma‐induced bleeding, and the type and rate of onset of coagulopathies differ depending on the underlying cause. This review examines areas such as possible intervention points, describes evidence for over‐transfusion of fresh frozen plasma in some situations and challenges conventional thinking on formulaic management. It also examines the rationale for other therapeutic options, including fibrinogen concentrate and tranexamic acid.
Circulating anti‐Müllerian hormone levels in relation to nutritional status and selected adipokines levels in polycystic ovary syndrome
Authors: Olszanecka‐Glinianowicz Magdalena , Madej Paweł , Owczarek Aleksander , Chudek Jerzy , Skałba Piotr
Published: December 2014

Objective

The aim of the study was to analyse the relationship between nutritional status, selected adipokines and plasma anti‐Müllerian hormone (AMH) levels in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

Study Design Patients and Measurements

A prospective, cross‐sectional study, involving 87 PCOS (48 obese) women and 67 non‐PCOS women (36 obese). Anthropometric parameters were measured, and body composition was determined by the bioimpedance method. Fasting serum glucose, androgens, FSH, LH, SHBG, insulin, AMH, apelin‐36, adiponectin, leptin and omentin‐1 were measured.

Results

Plasma AMH levels were significantly higher in PCOS compared to the non‐PCOS group (7·8 ± 4·3 ng/ml vs 4·4 ± 2·4 ng/ml; P < 0·001). Furthermore, AMH levels were higher in both PCOS and non‐PCOS normal weight than in obese subgroups (8·9 ± 4·4 ng/ml vs 7·0 ± 4·0 ng/ml; P < 0·05 and 5·1 ± 2·4 ng/ml vs 3·9 ± 2·3 ng/ml; P < 0·05). There were negative correlations between AMH levels and anthropometric parameters (body mass, BMI, fat mass and percentage, as well as waist circumference) and plasma omentin‐1 concentrations (R = −0·28, P < 0·001; R = −0·30, P < 0·001; R = −0·36, P < 0·001; R = −0·34, P < 0·001; R = −0·23, P < 0·01; and R = −0·20, P < 0·05, respectively) in all study groups. In multiple regression analysis, circulating AMH level variability was explained by omentin‐1 levels and anthropometric parameters (excluding waist circumference).

Conclusions

In this observational study, nutritional status appears to be the main factor influencing circulating AMH levels independent of PCOS. The observed AMH association with omentin‐1 levels suggests that this adipokine may be a link between hormonal dysfunction of adipose tissue related to obesity and decreased AMH secretion.
Social Network Analysis to Assess the Impact of the CTSA on Biomedical Research Grant Collaboration
Authors: Nagarajan Radhakrishnan , Peterson Charlotte A. , Lowe Jane S. , Wyatt Stephen W. , Tracy Timothy S. , Kern Philip A.
Published: December 2014

Success of the Clinical Translational Science Award (CTSA) program implicitly demands team science efforts and well‐orchestrated collaboration across the translational silos (T1–T4). Networks have proven to be useful abstractions of research collaborations. Networks provide novel system‐level insights and exhibit marked changes in response to external interventions, making them potential evaluation tools that complement more traditional approaches. This study is part of our ongoing efforts to assess the impact of the CTSA on Biomedical Research Grant Collaboration (BRGC). Collaborative research grants are a complex undertaking and an outcome of sustained interaction among researchers. In this report, BRGC networks representing collaborations among CTSA‐affiliated investigators constructed from grants management system data at the University of Kentucky across a period of six years (2007–2012) corresponding to pre‐ and post‐CTSA are investigated. Overlapping community structure detection algorithms, in conjunction with surrogate testing, revealed the presence of intricate research communities rejecting random graphs as generative mechanisms. The deviation from randomness was especially pronounced post‐CTSA, reflecting an increasing trend in collaborations and team‐science efforts potentially as a result of CTSA. Intercommunity cross talk was especially pronounced post‐CTSA.
Degree of phosphorus saturation in agricultural loamy soils with a near‐neutral pH
Authors: Renneson M. , Vandenberghe C. , Dufey J. , Marcoen J. M. , Bock L. , Colinet G.
Published: December 2014

The degree of phosphorus saturation (DPS) represents the ratio of sorbed phosphorus (P) to the P sorption capacity (PSC) of soils. In some countries, DPS is used to evaluate the risk of P loss and surface water eutrophication. This study investigated DPS measurement and prediction in neutral loamy soils from Wallonia, Belgium. A total of 57 agricultural topsoil samples subject to diverse P management were evaluated. No satisfactory relationship could be found between PSC determined by a one‐point short‐term isotherm in the laboratory and the sum of aluminium and iron extracted by oxalate (Alox + Feox). The equation PSC = a Alox + b pHw appeared to be more appropriate for estimating PSC in the soils studied. These soils had a near‐neutral pH, and P fixation processes linked to the presence of calcium ions or carbonates were important. Comparisons of DPS with soil‐test P and water‐extracted P suggested that DPS could be a useful agronomic and/or environmental indicator. Our results also showed that DPS values between 20 and 30% corresponded to the agronomic optimum of soil P content. Consequently, DPS may be used as an indicator of P status in neutral soils, provided that the PSC assessment is adapted to the local soil characteristics.

Résumé

Le degré de saturation en phosphore dans les sols agricoles limoneux avec un pH proche de la neutralité.

Le degré de saturation en phosphore (DPS) est un indicateur des risques de perte en phosphore (P) vers l'environnement utilisé dans de nombreux pays qui exprime la part de la capacité de sorption du P (PSC) réellement occupée par cet élément. L'objectif de cette étude est d'évaluer la faisabilité de l'utilisation du DPS pour les sols limoneux wallons présentant un pH proche de la neutralité. L'étude de 57 échantillons de surface de sols agricoles soumis à des modes de gestion contrastés n'a pas permis d'établir une bonne relation entre la PSC mesurée en laboratoire et la somme des teneurs en Al et Fe extraites à l'oxalate (Alox et Feox). L'utilisation d'une équation du type PSC = a Alox + b pHw semble plus appropriée dans les sols dont le pH est proche de la neutralité et où les carbonates de calcium interviennent dans la fixation du P. De plus, une comparaison du DPS avec les indicateurs agronomiques et environnementaux, P disponible et P extrait à l'eau, montre que DPS est compatible au système d'évaluation de la fertilité utilisé actuellement. Un DPS entre 20 et 30% correspond à une bonne fertilité du sol. Ainsi, le DPS peut être utilisé comme indicateur dans les sols neutres, à condition de préalablement adapter son calcul aux caractéristiques du sol.
Mandatory reporting of impaired medical practitioners: protecting patients, supporting practitioners
Authors: Bismark M. M. , Morris J. M. , Clarke C.
Published: December 2014

Taking action to protect patients from impaired colleagues is a long‐standing ethical and professional obligation. In 2010, this responsibility was codified in law with the introduction, across Australia, of a new mandatory reporting regimen. While several concerns remain to be addressed, mandatory reporting has the potential not only to reinforce the primacy of patient safety, but also to open internal dialogue about the profession's response to concerns about practitioner health and well‐being. Four years after the introduction of the scheme, key challenges include ensuring the reporting threshold is appropriately defined and clearly understood, improving access to evidence‐based health programmes for practitioners, and strengthening upstream protections to prevent and minimise impairment at its roots.
Life on the Edge
Authors: Owen Nisha
Published: December 2014

With large numbers of animals threatened with extinction and not enough money to go around, conservationists face the difficult choice of deciding which to save. An algorithm might help – one that ranks species based on their uniqueness. Nisha Owen explains
Discussion increases efficacy when training accurate perception of patients' affect
Authors: Ruben Mollie A. , Hall Judith A. , Curtin Elizabeth M. , Blanch‐Hartigan Danielle , Ship Amy N.
Published: December 2014

Patients benefit when their healthcare providers accurately recognize their affect. The efficacy of three short‐term training components, practice, practice with feedback, and discussion with practice and feedback, to improve accuracy for judging patients' affect was experimentally assessed. Undergraduate participants were randomly assigned in pairs to one of the training conditions or an untrained control condition and the effect of training was measured using the Test of Accurate Perception of Patients' Affect (TAPPA). Participants were significantly more accurate on the TAPPA in the discussion with feedback and practice condition compared with the control condition. There was a significant linear trend in accuracy across training elements. Results suggest that a 40‐min discussion with feedback and practice training can significantly improve interpersonal accuracy.
Outcome reporting in bariatric surgery: an in‐depth analysis to inform the development of a core outcome set, the BARIACT Study
Authors: Hopkins J. C. , Howes N. , Chalmers K. , Savovic J. , Whale K. , Coulman K. D. , Welbourn R. , Whistance R. N. , Andrews R. C. , Byrne J. P. , Mahon D. , Blazeby J. M. ,   By‐Band Trial Management Group
Published: December 2014

Outcome reporting in bariatric surgery needs a core outcome set (COS), an agreed minimum set of outcomes reported in all studies of a particular condition. The aim of this study was to summarize outcome reporting in bariatric surgery to inform the development of a COS. Outcomes reported in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and large non‐randomized studies identified by a systematic review were listed verbatim and categorized into domains, scrutinizing the frequency of outcome reporting and uniformity of definitions. Ninety studies (39 RCTs) identified 1,088 separate outcomes, grouped into nine domains with most (n = 920, 85%) reported only once. The largest outcome domain was ‘surgical complications’, and overall, 42% of outcomes corresponded to a theme of ‘adverse events’. Only a quarter of outcomes were defined, and where provided definitions, which were often contradictory. Percentage of excess weight loss was the main study outcome in 49 studies, but nearly 40% of weight loss outcomes were heterogeneous, thus not comparable. Outcomes of diverse bariatric operations focus largely on adverse events. Reporting is inconsistent and ill‐defined, limiting interpretation and comparison of published studies. Thus, we propose and are developing a COS for the surgical treatment of severe and complex obesity.
Emission of methane, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and short‐chain hydrocarbons from vegetation foliage under ultraviolet irradiation
Authors: FRASER WESLEY T. , BLEI EMANUEL , FRY STEPHEN C. , NEWMAN MARK F. , REAY DAVID S. , SMITH KEITH A. , MCLEOD ANDY R.
Published: December 2014

The original report that plants emit methane (CH4) under aerobic conditions caused much debate and controversy. Critics questioned experimental techniques, possible mechanisms for CH4 production and the nature of estimating global emissions. Several studies have now confirmed that aerobic CH4 emissions can be detected from plant foliage but the extent of the phenomenon in plants and the precise mechanisms and precursors involved remain uncertain. In this study, we investigated the role of environmentally realistic levels of ultraviolet (UV) radiation in causing the emission of CH4 and other gases from foliage obtained from a wide variety of plant types. We related our measured emissions to the foliar content of methyl esters and lignin and to the epidermal UV absorbance of the species investigated. Our data demonstrate that the terrestrial vegetation foliage sampled did emit CH4, with a range in emissions of 0.6–31.8 ng CH4 g−1 leaf DW h−1, which compares favourably with the original reports of experimental work. In addition to CH4 emissions, our data show that carbon monoxide, ethene and propane are also emitted under UV stress but we detected no significant emissions of carbon dioxide or ethane.
Regulation of pigmentation by microRNAs: MITF‐dependent microRNA‐211 targets TGF‐β receptor 2
Authors: Dai Xiaodan , Rao Chunbao , Li Huirong , Chen Yu , Fan Lilv , Geng Huiqin , Li Shuang , Qu Jia , Hou Ling
Published: December 2014

There is growing evidence that microRNAs are important regulators of gene expression in a variety of cell types. Using immortalized cell lines and primary neural crest cell explants, we show that microRNA‐211, previously implicated in the regulation of melanoma proliferation and invasiveness, promotes pigmentation in melanoblasts and melanocytes. Expression of this microRNA is regulated by the key melanocyte transcription factor MITF and regulates pigmentation by targeting the TGF‐β receptor 2. Transfection with pre‐miR‐211 precursor molecules in melb‐a and melan‐a cells leads to a decrease in the expression of TGF‐β receptor 2 and reduces the TGF‐β signaling‐mediated downregulation of two melanogenic enzymes, tyrosinase and tyrosinase‐related protein 1. Conversely, downregulation of microRNA‐211 using specific microRNA inhibitors has the opposite effects. It appears, therefore, that microRNA‐211 serves as a negative regulator of TGF‐β signaling which is known to play a important roles in vivo in melanocyte stem cell maintenance and pigmentation.
Unusual developmental pattern of brain lateralization in young boys with autism spectrum disorder: Power analysis with child‐sized magnetoencephalography
Authors: Hiraishi Hirotoshi , Kikuchi Mitsuru , Yoshimura Yuko , Kitagawa Sachiko , Hasegawa Chiaki , Munesue Toshio , Takesaki Natsumi , Ono Yasuki , Takahashi Tsutomu , Suzuki Michio , Higashida Haruhiro , Asada Minoru , Minabe Yoshio
Published: December 2014

Aims

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is often described as comprising an unusual brain growth pattern and aberrant brain lateralization. Although it is important to study the pathophysiology of the developing ASD cortex, examples of physiological brain lateralization in young children with ASD have yet to be well examined.

Methods

Thirty‐eight boys with ASD (aged 3–7 years) and 38 typically developing (TD) boys (aged 3–8 years) concentrated on video programs and their brain activities were measured non‐invasively. We employed a customized child‐sized magnetoencephalography system in which the sensors were located as close to the brain as possible for optimal recording in young children. To produce a credible laterality index of the brain oscillations, we defined two clusters of sensors corresponding to the right and left hemispheres. We focused on the laterality index ([left – right]/[left + right]) of the relative power band in seven frequency bands.

Results

The TD group displayed significantly rightward lateralized brain oscillations in the theta‐1 frequency bands compared to the ASD group.

Conclusions

This is the first study to demonstrate unusual brain lateralization of brain oscillations measured by magnetoencephalography in young children with ASD.
A case for stocking O D+ red blood cells in emergency room trauma bays
Authors: Meyer Erin , Uhl Lynne
Published: December 2014

Background

AABB Standard 5.27 requires transfusion services to have a process for urgent release of blood before completion of compatibility testing. Our institution endorses a policy for the emergency release of group O, D+ red blood cells (RBC; O+ RBC) to males and females at least 50 years of age. Our emergency department (ED) stocks 4 O− RBC units. To determine if O+ RBCs can replace ED O− RBCs, we performed a retrospective review.

Study Design and Methods

Patients admitted to the ED between January 2001 and August 2011 and transfused emergency‐release O− RBCs were identified. Data were collected on sex, age, length of stay, clinical status, ABO/Rh, RBC transfusions, and RBC antibody screen results.

Results

A total of 498 ED O− RBC units were transfused to 268 patients (168 male, 100 female). A total of 322 units were transfused to males and 114 to females at least 50 years of age. Thirty‐nine (14%) were D− with 18 receiving O+ RBCs. A total of 109 had follow‐up antibody screens; one D− patient developed alloanti‐D.

Conclusions

The findings support the placement of O+ RBCs in the ED. The majority of ED O− RBCs (88%) went to patients who qualified for O+ RBCs; a minority (1.5%) of patients were D− females less than 50 years of age. The rate of alloimmunization was low.
Dietary restriction in moderately obese rats improves body size and glucose handling without the renal and hepatic alterations observed with a high-protein diet
Authors: Devassy Jessay G. , Caligiuri Stephanie P.B. , Mayengbam Shyamchand , Ibrahim Naser H.M. , Zahradka Peter , Taylor Carla G. , House James D. , Aukema Harold M.
Published: December 2014

Obesity is increasing worldwide, and high-protein (HP) diets are widely used for weight loss. However, the overall safety of HP diets is not well established in obese individuals, who make up a significant proportion of the population. To evaluate the health effects of an HP diet in obesity, obesity-prone (OP) Sprague–Dawley rats were given high-fat diets for 12 weeks to induce obesity. Following this, for 8 more weeks, these rats were given either a normal-protein (NP) (15% of energy) or an HP (35% of energy) diet ad libitum, or the NP diet at a restricted level to achieve body weights similar to those of the HP group (pair-weighted (PW) group). Obesity-resistant (OR) control rats were also given the NP diet throughout the feeding period. The HP-OP group had higher food intake but lower body weight, improved glucose handling, and lowered serum haptoglobin compared with the NP-OP group. These benefits were also observed in PW-OP rats. In addition, PW-OP rats had less fat accumulation when compared with NP-OP rats, and an improved Lee index, lower liver size, and lower serum alanine aminotransferase when compared with HP-OP rats. On the other hand, kidney size, proteinuria, and serum homocysteine were increased in HP-OP rats compared with NP-OP rats, whereas PW-OP rats did not experience these effects. These results indicate that in obese rats, more benefits are obtained via dietary restriction with an NP diet and without some of the potentially detrimental effects of an HP diet.
Spectral brilliance of channeling radiation at the ASTA photoinjector
Authors: Sen Tanaji , Lynn Christopher
Published: December 2014

We study channeling radiation from electron beams with energies under 100 MeV. We introduce a phenomenological model of dechanneling, correct nonradiative transition rates from thermal scattering, and discuss in detail the population dynamics in low-order bound states. These are used to revisit the X-ray properties measured at the ELBE facility in Forschungszentrum Dresden–Rosenstock (FZDR), extract parameters for dechanneling states, and obtain satisfactory agreement with measured photon yields. The importance of rechanneling phenomena in thick crystals is emphasized. The model is then used to calculate the expected X-ray energies, linewidths and brilliance for forthcoming channeling radiation experiments at Fermilab's ASTA photoinjector.
Lyapunov control on quantum systems
Authors: Wang L. C. , Yi X. X.
Published: December 2014

We review the scheme of quantum Lyapunov control and its applications into quantum systems. After a brief review on the general method of quantum Lyapunov control in closed and open quantum systems, we apply it into controlling quantum states and quantum operations. The control of a spin-1/2 quantum system, driving an open quantum system into its decoherence free subspace (DFS), constructing single qubit and two-qubit logic gates are taken to illustrate the scheme. The optimalization of the Lyapunov control is also reviewed in this article.
Indirect Adaptive and Interconnection and Damping Assignment Passivity-Based Controller for Constant Power Control in Steady-State of Automotive HID Headlight Electronic Ballast
Authors: Dong P. , Cheng K. W. E. , Wang D. H.
Published: December 2014

A detailed controller design for indirect constant power regulation of high intensity discharge (HID) electronic ballast and the experimental implementation of an adaptive passivity-based constant power (PBC) controller has been extensively studied through simulation and the findings are reported in this paper. An indirect method to regulate the inductor current to ensure the lamp constant output power is proposed in order to overcome the difficulties in measuring the output power of the HID ballast. The controller is derived using passivity theory which guarantees global stability and asymptotic convergence of all state errors. The simulation and controller design are based on an average model using the Euler–Lagrange (EL) equations of the system. As the lamp resistance will inevitably change with ageing, an adaptive method is used to compensate for the lamp performance as the lamp ages. This equips the controller the power to adapt to load variations and there is no need to tune the design parameters values each time manually. Another interconnection and damping assignment (IDA)-PBC method is analyzed and simulation results are provided for comparison. Computer simulation and hardware implementation are carried out to verify the system model and to demonstrate the controller is robust.
ANALYSIS OF THE EFFECTS OF SPINE STABILIZATION EXERCISES USING A WHOLE BODY TILT DEVICE ON MUSCLE FORCES IN THE SPINE
Authors: HAN KAP-SOO , YU CHANG HO , KO MYOUNG-HWAN , KWON TAE KYU
Published: December 2014

The objective of the study was to investigate the effects of 3D stabilization exercises using a whole body tilt device on forces in the trunk, such as individual muscle forces and activation patterns, maximum muscle activities and spine loads. For this sake, a musculoskeletal (MS) model of the whole body was developed, and an inverse dynamics analysis was performed to predict the forces on the spine. An EMG measurement experiment was conducted to validate the muscle forces and activation patterns. The MS model was rotated and tilted in eight different directions: anterior (A), posterior (P), anterior right (AR), posterior right (PR), anterior left (AL), posterior left (PL), right (R) and left (L), replicating the directions of the 3D spine balance exercise device, as performed in the experiment. The anterior directions of the tilt primarily induced the activation of long and superficial back muscles and the posterior directions activated the front muscles. However, deep muscles, such as short muscles and multifidi, were activated in all directions of the tilt. The resultant joint forces in the right and left directions of the tilt were the least among the directions, but higher muscle activations and more diverse muscle recruitments than other positions were observed. Therefore, these directions of tilt may be suitable for the elderly and rehabilitation patients who require muscle strengthening with less spinal loads. In the present investigation, it was shown that 3D stabilization exercises could provide considerable muscle exercise effects with a minimum perturbation of structure. The results of this study can be used to provide safety guidelines for muscle exercises using this type of tilting device. Therefore, the proposed direction of tilt can be used to strengthen targeted muscles, depending on the patients' muscular condition.
GREENWASHING: A PROPOSAL TO RESTRICT ITS SPREAD
Authors: MARKHAM DAVID , KHARE ANSHUMAN , BECKMAN TERRY
Published: December 2014

Recent years have seen a rapid rise in the number of firms publicly touting the environmental merits of their products or their operational practices. This is driven by the changing societal concern and public discourse around environmental issues. What was once an infrequent conversation has emerged as a moral obligation. While the number of "green" products available in the market has grown, these conditions have also resulted in firms deliberately misleading consumers about their environmental performance or the environmental benefits of their products, a condition commonly known as "greenwashing."

This paper will argue that the urgency to address our rapidly deteriorating environment requires that tangible steps be taken to control incidents of greenwashing. It examines the merits and drawbacks associated with government's taking an active role in the regulation of greenwashing and argues that the current regulatory instruments being used by governments to address greenwashing are not likely to be successful in addressing the problem. Finally, the paper proposes a new regulatory instrument where governments and interested stakeholders work together to collect and disseminate information on sustainable business practices and the impact of goods and service production on the environment.
Information Efficiency and Firm-Specific Return Variation
Authors: Kelly Patrick J.
Published: December 2014

Reasoning that private firm-specific information causes firm-specific return variation that drives down market-model R2s, [Morck et al., 2000, The Information Content of Stock Markets: Why do Emerging Markets have Synchronous Stock Price Movements? Journal of Financial Economics, 58, 215–260] begin a large body of research which interprets R2 as an inverse measure of price informativeness. Low-R2s or "synchronicity," as it is called in this literature, signal that prices more efficiently incorporate private firm-specific information, and high R2s indicate less. For this to be true, we would expect that low-R2 stocks have characteristics that facilitate private informed trade, i.e., lower information costs and fewer impediments to arbitrage. However, in this paper we document the opposite: Low-R2 stocks are small, young, and followed by few analysts, and have high bid-ask spreads, high price impact, greater short-sale constraints and are infrequently traded. In fact, microstructure measures suggest that private-information events are less likely for low-R2 stocks than high, and that differences in R2 are driven as much by firm-specific volatility on days without private news as by firm-specific volatility on days with private news. These results call into question prior research using R2 to measure the information content of stock prices.
The Racialized Impact of Study Abroad on US Students’ Subsequent Interracial Interactions
Authors: Lowe Maria R. , Byron Reginald A. , Mennicke Susan
Published: December 2014

Using an online survey of American undergraduate students, this paper serves as a case study of a liberal arts college located in the Southern United States (US) to explore the effects of studying abroad on students’ attitudes and behavior related to diversity upon their return to campus. We find that white students and students of color report significantly different study abroad experiences and distinct patterns related to their likelihood to engage with racial, but not other forms of, diversity when they return to their home university. Specifically, students of color are more likely than white students to report that their study abroad experiences have increased the likelihood that they interact more frequently with individuals from different racial backgrounds in a number of campus contexts. Utilizing existing literature and our qualitative data, we address possible reasons for these racialized patterns.
Energy Efficient Distributed Fault Identification Algorithm in Wireless Sensor Networks
Authors: Panda Meenakshi , Khilar P. M.
Published: December 2014

A distributed fault identification algorithm is proposed here to find both hard and soft faulty sensor nodes present in wireless sensor networks. The algorithm is distributed, self-detectable, and can detect the most common byzantine faults such as stuck at zero, stuck at one, and random data. In the proposed approach, each sensor node gathered the observed data from the neighbors and computed the mean to check whether faulty sensor node is present or not. If a node found the presence of faulty sensor node, then compares observed data with the data of the neighbors and predict probable fault status. The final fault status is determined by diffusing the fault information from the neighbors. The accuracy and completeness of the algorithm are verified with the help of statistical model of the sensors data. The performance is evaluated in terms of detection accuracy, false alarm rate, detection latency and message complexity.
An Automatic Quadrature Schemes and Error Estimates for Semibounded Weighted Hadamard Type Hypersingular Integrals
Authors: Bichi Sirajo Lawan , Eshkuvatov Z. K. , Nik Long N. M. A.
Published: December 2014

The approximate solutions for the semibounded Hadamard type hypersingular integrals (HSIs) for smooth density function are investigated. The automatic quadrature schemes (AQSs) are constructed by approximating the density function using the third and fourth kinds of Chebyshev polynomials. Error estimates for the semibounded solutions are obtained in the class ofh(t)∈CN,α[-1,1]. Numerical results for the obtained quadrature schemes revealed that the proposed methods are highly accurate when the density functionh (t)is any polynomial or rational functions. The results are in line with the theoretical findings.
Recursive Dynamic Algorithm of Open‐Chain Multibody System
Authors: Lu Ming , Gu Wenbin , Liu Jianqing , Wang Zhenxiong , Jing Zhisheng , Qin Guowei , Tu Shanchao
Published: December 2014

Open‐chain multibody systems have been extensively studied because of their widespread application. Based on the structural characteristics of such a system, the relationship between its hinged bodies was transformed into recursive constraint relationships among the position, velocity, and acceleration of the bodies. The recursive relationships were used along with the Huston‐Kane method to select the appropriate generalized coordinates and determine the partial velocity of each body and to develop an algorithm of the entire system. The algorithm was experimentally validated; it has concise steps and low susceptibility to error. Further, the algorithm can readily solve and analyze open‐chain multibody systems.
A QFD-Based Mathematical Model for New Product Development Considering the Target Market Segment
Authors: Chen Liang-Hsuan , Chen Cheng-Nien
Published: December 2014

Responding to customer needs is important for business success. Quality function deployment provides systematic procedures for converting customer needs into technical requirements to ensure maximum customer satisfaction. The existing literature mainly focuses on the achievement of maximum customer satisfaction under a budgetary limit via mathematical models. The market goal of the new product for the target market segment is usually ignored. In this study, the proposed approach thus considers the target customer satisfaction degree for the target market segment in the model by formulating the overall customer satisfaction as a function of the quality level. In addition, the proposed approach emphasizes the cost-effectiveness concept in the design stage via the achievement of the target customer satisfaction degree using the minimal total cost. A numerical example is used to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed approach and its characteristics are discussed.
Porous and Nonporous Film-Shaped Magnetorheological Nanocomposites: Dielectric and Electrical Properties
Authors: Naimzad Aref , Hojjat Yousef , Ghodsi Mojtaba
Published: December 2014

This paper presents a brief experimental comparative study on electrical and dielectric properties of two sets of porous and nonporous MRNCs, each including five samples of film-shaped magnetorheological nanocomposites (MRNCs) based on room temperature vulcanized (RTV) silicone rubber and nanosized carbonyl iron particles (CIPs). The electrical and dielectric properties of porous and nonporous MRNCs were measured at five different filler concentrations. Several experiments were performed to measure the volume resistivity, dielectric constant, and dielectric loss. The MRNCs dielectric properties were analysed with respect to the parameters like frequency and CIPs loadings. The electrical conductivity was studied in terms of volume resistivity. The comparative investigation suggests the porous MRNCs for smart and light-weighted structures those benefits from a lower electrical property, dielectric losses, and dielectric constants.
Gynecologic Malignancies Post-LeFort Colpocleisis
Authors: Elkattah Rayan , Brooks Alicia , Huffaker R. Keith
Published: December 2014

Introduction. LeFort colpocleisis (LFC) is a safe and effective obliterative surgical option for older women with advanced pelvic organ prolapse who no longer desire coital activity. A major disadvantage is the limited ability to evaluate for post-LFC gynecologic malignancies.Methods. We present the first case of endometrioid ovarian cancer diagnosed after LFC and review all reported gynecologic malignancies post-LFC in the English medical literature.Results. This is the second reported ovarian cancer post-LFC and the first of the endometrioid subtype. A total of nine other gynecologic malignancies post-LFC have been reported in the English medical literature.Conclusions. Gynecologic malignancies post-LFC are rare. We propose a simple 3-step strategy in evaluating post-LFC malignancies.
Boundary Detection Method for Large-Scale Coverage Holes in Wireless Sensor Network Based on Minimum Critical Threshold Constraint
Authors: Jing Rong , Kong Lingfu , Kong Liang
Published: December 2014

The existing coverage hole boundary detection methods cannot detect large-scale coverage hole boundary in wireless sensor network quickly and efficiently. Aiming at this problem, a boundary detection method for large-scale coverage holes in wireless sensor network based on minimum critical threshold constraint is proposed. Firstly, the optimization problem of minimum critical threshold is highlighted, and its formulaic description is constructed according to probabilistic sensing model. On the basis of this, the distributed gradient information is used to approximately solve the optimization problem. After that, local-scale rough boundary detection algorithm incorporating the minimum critical threshold and its iterative thinning algorithm are proposed according to blocking flow theory. The experimental results show that the proposed method has low computational complexity and network overhead when detecting large-scale coverage hole boundary in wireless sensor network.