bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Aetiologies of non‐malaria febrile episodes in children under 5 years in sub‐Saharan Africa
Authors: Kiemde Francois , Spijker René , Mens Petra F. , Tinto Halidou , Boele Michael , Schallig Henk D. F. H.
Published: May 2016

Objectives

To provide an overview of the most frequent aetiologies found in febrile episodes of children under 5 years from sub‐Saharan Africa.

Methods

MEDLINE and EMBASE were searched for publications in English and French on non‐malaria fever episodes in African children under 5 years of age, which were published between January 1990 and July 2015. Case reports and conference abstracts were excluded.

Results

In total, 3851 titles and abstracts were reviewed, and 153 were selected for full screening of which 18 were included in the present review. Bloodstream infection (BSI) was most commonly investigated (nine of 18) followed by urinary tract infection (UTI) (four of 18) and respiratory tract infection (RTI) (two of 18). Few studies investigated BSI and UTI in the same children (two of 18), or BSI and gastrointestinal infection (GII) (one of 18). As for BSI, the most frequently isolated bacteria were E. coli (four of 12), Streptococcus pneumonia (four of 12), Salmonella spp (three of 12) and Staphylococcus aureus (two of 12) with a positive identification rate of 19.7–33.3%, 5.2–27.6%, 11.7–65.4% and 23.5–42.0%, respectively. As for UTI, the main bacteria isolated were E. coli (six of six) and Klebsiella spp (six of six) with a positive rate of 20.0–72.3% and 10.0–28.5%, respectively. No bacterium was isolated in RTI group, but Human influenzae A and B were frequently found, with the highest positive identification rate in Tanzania (75.3%). Dengue virus (two of 12) was the most frequently reported viral infection with a positive identification rate of 16.7–30.8%. Finally, only rotavirus/adenovirus (69.2% positive identification rate) was found in GII and no bacterium was isolated in this group.

Conclusions

The high prevalence of treatable causes of non‐malaria fever episodes requires a proper diagnosis of the origin of fever followed by an appropriate treatment, thereby reducing the under‐5 mortality in sub‐Saharan Africa and preventing the overprescription of antibiotics and thus circumventing the rise of antibiotic resistance.
Cytologic features of hepatic fibrosis in dogs: a retrospective study on 22 cases
Authors: Masserdotti Carlo , Bertazzolo Walter
Published: May 2016

Introduction

Liver cytology has diagnostic value for the identification of neoplastic and nonneoplastic hepatic diseases. However, so far the diagnosis of fibrotic changes has traditionally been restricted to histopathology.

Objectives

The aim of this study was to describe the cytologic features that may help in the recognition of hepatic fibrosis.

Materials and methods

Cytologic smears from the liver of dogs histologically diagnosed with hepatic fibrosis (Group A) were selected and compared to liver smears from dogs without hepatic fibrosis (Group B). A differential count of hepatocytes, spindle cells, mast cells, granulocytes, lymphocytes/plasma cells, and macrophages was documented for each case, and means for the fibrosis and nonfibrosis group were compared.

Results

The relative and total numbers of spindle cells and mast cells were significantly higher in the fibrosis group than in the nonfibrosis group. The optimal cutoff point for the spindle cells to hepatocytes ratio was 0.107 (ie, one spindle cell per 10 hepatocytes), with 95.5% sensitivity and 100% specificity for the cytologic diagnosis of hepatic fibrosis. The optimal cutoff point for the ratio mast cells to hepatocytes was 0.04 (ie, 4 mast cells per 100 hepatocytes) with 86.4% sensitivity and 90% specificity.

Discussion

The presence of relatively and absolutely increased numbers of spindle and mast cells in hepatic cytology provides a rational basis to identify fibrosis of hepatic parenchyma. Based on a reasonable sensitivity and specificity, the cytologic diagnosis of hepatic fibrosis seems feasible.
Retrospective evaluation of the administration of 25% human albumin to dogs with protein‐losing enteropathy: 21 cases (2003–2013)
Authors: Loyd Kimberly A. , Cocayne Christine G. , Cridland Julie M. , Hause Wayne R.
Published: May 2016

Objective

To describe the administration of 25% human serum albumin (HSA) to dogs diagnosed with idiopathic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and protein‐losing enteropathy (PLE). The secondary objectives were to report any acute and delayed adverse events and the effect of corticosteroids on the development of these reactions.

Design

Retrospective study (2003–2013).

Setting

Private referral hospital.

Animals

Twenty‐one client owned dogs diagnosed with PLE and idiopathic IBD that received ≥ 1 transfusion of 25% HSA. Dogs were included in the study if they had panhypoproteinemia, serum albumin concentration < 15.0 g/L [< 1.5 g/dL] or extravascular fluid accumulation, idiopathic IBD confirmed on histopathology, and complete medical records.

Interventions

None.

Main Results

Two of the 21 patients (9.5%) developed signs consistent with an acute reaction; 1 of these dogs was euthanized due to the severity of the reaction. Two patients (9.5%) showed signs consistent with a delayed reaction; 1 of these dogs was euthanized 5 days after the reaction, though it is unclear whether the reaction and the euthanasia were related. Corticosteroid administration did not appear to affect the occurrence of adverse reactions.

Conclusions

This retrospective study demonstrated that the administration of 25% HSA to dogs with moderate to severe hypoalbuminemia from PLE was associated with occasional acute and delayed adverse events, some of which were severe or fatal.
Effects of Bearings and Housing on Mode Localization of a Nearly Cyclic Symmetric System
Authors: Chen Y. F. , Shen I. Y.
Published: May 2016

This technical brief is to study how flexible bearings and housing affect mode localization of a nearly cyclic symmetric system with mistuning. This study is conducted via finite-element analyses and deductive reasoning. A reference system studied is a bladed disk with two groups of 24 localized modes. When bearings and housing are introduced into the reference system, their presence changes natural frequencies, mode shapes, and the number of the localized modes. Moreover, the mistuning causes bearing forces to surge for all the localized modes. A deductive reasoning based on the existing literature supports the observation from the finite-element analyses.
Simultaneous extraction of endocardial and epicardial contours of the left ventricle by distance regularized level sets
Authors: Feng Chaolu , Zhang Shaoxiang , Zhao Dazhe , Li Chunming
Published: May 2016

Purpose:

Segmentation of the cardiac left ventricle (LV) is still an open problem and is challenging due to the poor contrast between tissues around the epicardium and image artifacts. To extract the endocardium and epicardium of the cardiac left ventricle accurately, the authors propose a two‐layer level set approach for segmentation of the LV from cardiac magnetic resonance short‐axis images.

Methods:

In the proposed method, the endocardium and epicardium are represented by two specified level contours of a level set function. Segmentation of the LV is formulated as a problem of optimizing the level set function such that these two level contours best fit the epicardium and endocardium, subject to a distance regularization (DR) term to preserve a smoothly varying distance between them. The DR term introduces a desirable interaction between the two level contours of a single level set function, which contributes to preserve the anatomical geometry of the epicardium and endocardium of the LV. In addition, the proposed method has an intrinsic ability to deal with intensity inhomogeneity in MR images, which is a common image artifact in MRI.

Results:

Their method is quantitatively validated by experiments on the datasets for the MICCAI 2009 grand challenge on left ventricular segmentation and the MICCAI 2013 challenge workshop on segmentation: algorithms, theory and applications (SATA). To overcome discontinuity of 2D segmentation results at some adjacent slices for a few cases, the authors extend distance regularized two‐layer level set to 3D to refine the segmentation results. The corresponding metrics for their method are better than the methods in the MICCAI 2009 challenge. Their method was ranked at the first place in terms of Hausdorff distance and the second place in terms of Dice similarity coefficient in the MICCAI 2013 challenge.

Conclusions:

Experimental results demonstrate the advantages of their method in terms of segmentation accuracy and consistency with the heart anatomy.
Durations required to distinguish noise and tone: Effects of noise bandwidth and frequency
Authors: Taghipour Armin , Moore Brian C. J. , Edler Bernd
Published: May 2016

Perceptual audio coders exploit the masking properties of the human auditory system to reduce the bit rate in audio recording and transmission systems; it is intended that the quantization noise is just masked by the audio signal. The effectiveness of the audio signal as a masker depends on whether it is tone-like or noise-like. The determination of this, both physically and perceptually, depends on the duration of the stimuli. To gather information that might improve the efficiency of perceptual coders, the duration required to distinguish between a narrowband noise and a tone was measured as a function of center frequency and noise bandwidth. In experiment 1, duration thresholds were measured for isolated noise and tone bursts. In experiment 2, duration thresholds were measured for tone and noise segments embedded within longer tone pulses. In both experiments, center frequencies were 345, 754, 1456, and 2658 Hz and bandwidths were 0.25, 0.5, and 1 times the equivalent rectangular bandwidth of the auditory filter at each center frequency. The duration thresholds decreased with increasing bandwidth and with increasing center frequency up to 1456 Hz. It is argued that the duration thresholds depended mainly on the detection of amplitude fluctuations in the noise bursts.
On the inseparability of slip and gap-error
Authors: Vleminckx Giovanni , Clasen Christian
Published: May 2016

In this paper, we demonstrate that it is principally not possible to separate a misalignment or gap error from an apparent slip length when employing a varying measuring gap analysis as the Kramer method or the Mooney analysis. Such error sources become important when utilizing parallel plates in rotational rheometry at low gap separation as for the determination of slip, for low sample volume availability, or for the study of confinement effects. While rheologists are generally aware that gap settings on the order of O(0.1 mm) and below can be affected by gap errors or nonparallelism, this is seldom discussed together with (or in comparison to) other error sources as slip, instabilities, compressibility, or normal stresses. However, other error sources such as slip lengths can easily be of the same order as the generally reported misalignment error of O(0.01 mm). We demonstrate with an experimental example that both error sources can be of similar order of magnitude, and can principally not be separated with a gap variation analysis. This should again raise awareness that, unless one of both effects can be ruled out or can be determined separately with an independent measurement technique, discussions of only slip velocities (or only gap error effects) should be taken with care if the results were obtained from a gap variation analysis.
A Case Study of the National Hockey League: The Question of Expansion
Authors: Cintron Alicia , Levine Jeffrey F. , Hambrick Marion E.
Published: May 2016

At the upcoming National Hockey League (NHL) owners’ meeting in Boca Raton, Florida, team owners are meeting to discuss franchise expansion. League executives believe adding two new franchises would increase viewership and popularity, generate higher revenues, and balance the Eastern and Western Conferences. However, it is unclear whether viable markets for two new franchises exist. Despite this concern, five ownership groups representing five distinct North American cities—Seattle, Washington; Las Vegas, Nevada; Kansas City, Missouri; Indianapolis, Indiana; and Québec City, Québec, Canada—have emerged as viable candidates for an expansion franchise. Given the five ownership groups, the NHL now needs to decide which cities to choose as the new homes for its two expansion teams, based on each city’s viability to host a professional team. Each ownership group will present a case on why its city should be the future home of a new NHL expansion team.
Gingival leiomyomatous hamartoma of the maxilla: a rare entity
Authors: Raghunath Vandana , Manjunatha Bhari Sharanesha , Al-Thobaiti Yasser
Published: May 2016

Hamartoma is a tumour-like malformation appearing as a focal overgrowth of normal cells. Leiomyomatous hamartomas (LHs) are rare in the oral cavity and commonly seen in the Japanese and less than 40 cases have been reported in the Japanese and English literature. The clinical differential diagnoses are irritational (traumatic) fibroma and congenital epulis. It has to be differentiated histopathologically from its neoplastic counterparts and mesenchymomas. Hence, we report such a case of LHs, which presented as a sessile gingival growth occurring in the midline in a 15-year-old girl. The final diagnosis was based on the histopathological appearance which was confirmed by immunohistochemical staining of various markers. A review of the literature of previous cases was also carried out.
Scrub typhus masquerading as acute pancreatitis
Authors: Chaturvedi Amit , Gupta Monica , Bhardwaj Shweta , Handa Dipti
Published: May 2016

The clinical spectrum of scrub typhus ranges from mild to fatal depending on the virulence of bacterial strain, susceptibility of the host and promptness with which treatment is started. We report a case of a 14-year-old child with scrub typhus who developed acute pancreatitis. On serological confirmation, doxycycline therapy was started. The patient responded well and had no complications on follow-up. This case report highlights the importance of recognising an uncommon presentation of this common tropical disease, and its prompt diagnosis and early treatment for prevention of serious complications of the condition.
Nambu–Goldstone theorem and spin-statistics theorem
Authors: Fujikawa Kazuo
Published: May 2016

On December 19–21 in 2001, we organized a yearly workshop at Yukawa Institute for Theoretical Physics in Kyoto on the subject of “Fundamental Problems in Field Theory and their Implications”. Prof. Yoichiro Nambu attended this workshop and explained a necessary modification of the Nambu–Goldstone theorem when applied to non-relativistic systems. At the same workshop, I talked on a path integral formulation of the spin-statistics theorem. The present essay is on this memorable workshop, where I really enjoyed the discussions with Nambu, together with a short comment on the color freedom of quarks.
Infinite horizon optimal control of forward–backward stochastic system driven by Teugels martingales with Lévy processes
Authors: Muthukumar P. , Deepa R.
Published: May 2016

In this paper, we consider the infinite horizon nonlinear optimal control of forward–backward stochastic system governed by Teugels martingales associated with Lévy processes and one dimensional independent Brownian motion. Our aim is to establish the sufficient and necessary conditions for optimality of the above stochastic system under the convexity assumptions. Finally an application is given to illustrate the problem of optimal control of stochastic system.
On limit theorems of some extensions of fractional Brownian motion and their additive functionals
Authors: Ouahra M. Ait , Moussaten S. , Sghir A.
Published: May 2016

This paper is divided into two parts. The first deals with some limit theorems to certain extensions of fractional Brownian motion like: bifractional Brownian motion, subfractional Brownian motion and weighted fractional Brownian motion. In the second part we give the similar results of their continuous additive functionals; more precisely, local time and its fractional derivatives involving slowly varying function.
Paxos Made Switch-y
Authors: Dang Huynh Tu , Canini Marco , Pedone Fernando , Soulé Robert
Published: May 2016

The Paxos protocol is the foundation for building many fault-tolerant distributed systems and services. This paper posits that there are significant performance benefits to be gained by implementing Paxos logic in network devices. Until recently, the notion of a switch-based implementation of Paxos would be a daydream. However, new flexible hardware is on the horizon that will provide customizable packet processing pipelines needed to implement Paxos. While this new hardware is still not readily available, several vendors and consortia have made the programming languages that target these devices public. This paper describes an implementation of Paxos in one of those languages, P4. Implementing Paxos provides a critical use case for P4, and will help drive the requirements for data plane languages in general. In the long term, we imagine that consensus could someday be offered as a network service, just as point-to-point communication is provided today.
Involvement of Cytokines in the Pathogenesis of Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis: Evaluation of Immunotherapeutic Measures in a Mouse Model
Authors: Denis Michel , Bédard Marie , Gagnon Jacques , Cormier Yvon , Laviolette Michel
Published: May 2016

C57BL/6 inbred strain mice were instilled intranasally with
150 μg/day of the actinomycete Faeni rectivirgula three days a week as a model of farmer′s lung disease.
Instilled mice developed a strong alveolitis manifested by a large increase in the number of cells in the
bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) (4.1 x 104 cells in saline controls versus 5.28x 105 cells in F rectivirgula‐instilled
mice). This influx was associated with a substantial release of pro‐inflanm1atory cytokine in the BAL; 170
U/mL of interleukin (IL)‐1 in instilled mice whereas saline instilled mice had undetectable levels of cytokines
in the BAL. In addition, pulmonary fibrosis was evident in challenged mice at three weeks (twofold increase
in lung hydroxyproline levels). Infusion of a rabbit antimouse tumour necrosis factor‐alpha was associated
with an almost complete abrogation of all markers of the disease. Also, administration of cyclosporine A
(50 mg/kg/day) partially prevented the alveolitis (P<0.01) and totally prevented cytokine release and lung
fibrosis in challenged mice. These findings underscore the tmmunological basis of hypersensitivity
pneumonitis, and suggest that antagonism of inflammatory cytokines may hold promise in the treatment
of this pathology.
Blood Borne Viral Infections in Transplantation: Hepatitis Viruses and Retroviruses
Authors: Larke RP Bryce
Published: May 2016

Hepatitis viruses B (HBV), C (HCV) and D (HDV) and the
retroviruses human immunodeficiency virus (HIV‐1) and human T celllymphotropic virus type I (HTLV‐1)
and type ll (HTLV‐11) have been transmitted from infected organ and tissue donors to allograft recipients.
Ascertainment of personal risk factors by health questionnaire may exclude volunteer blood donors recently
exposed to transmissible diseases who could be in the ′window period′ of the infection, when routine
serological screening tests are negative. Difficulty in obtaining historical evidence of possible recent
exposure from a critically ill prospective organ donor may make the residual risk of infection slightly higher
than the risk estimated per unit of transfused products from serologically screened volunteer blood donors.
Current estimates of residual risk from transfusion based on United States data are: one in 200,000 units
for HBV; one in 2000 to one in 6000 units for HCV; one in 40.000 lo one in 60,000 units for HIV‐1; and
one in 69,272 units for HTLV‐1/11. Despite recent improvements in anti‐HCV testing, current screening
assays underestimate the incidence of transmission and prevalence of HCV infection among immunosuppressed
organ recipients: evidence of ongoing HCV infection depends on detection of HCV RNA by
polymerase chain reaction. Determination of I‐IIV‐1 p24 antigen may facilitate identification of prospective
organ donors in ll1e window period of early infection and may enhance serological follow‐up of allograft
recipients al risk of transplantation‐associated HIV‐1 infection. Highly sensitive assays that can be
completed very rapidly are needed to ensure greater safely for the recipient of an emergency organ
transplant, where time to screen a prospective donor for infectious diseases may be extremely limited.
Prevention and Treatment of Cytomegalovirus Infection in Transplant Recipients
Authors: Preiksatis Jutta K
Published: May 2016

Over the past decade, significant progress has been made in the
understanding of the molecular biology of cytomegalovirus (CMV) and the pathogenesis of CMV infection
and disease. The introduction of antiviral agents with efficacy against CMV, coupled with rapid diagnostic
techniques in the laboratory, have resulted in the design of a number of regimens lo prevent, modify and
treat CMV infections in transplant recipients. Strategies for preventing CMV infection, including donorrecipient
matching, the use of CMV ′safe′ cellular blood products, passive and active immunization, and
prophylactic antiviral drugs are discussed. Clinical trials of antiviral drugs alone. or in combination with
immunoglobulin for the treatment of CMV disease are reviewed.
Canadian Guidelines for the Management of Acute Exacerbations of Chronic Bronchitis
Authors: Balter Meyer S , La Forge Jacques , Low Donald E , Mandell Lionel , Grossman Ronald F , the Chronic Bronchitis Working Group
Published: May 2016

Acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis (AECB) account for over 1.5 million physician visits annually in Canada and are a cause of significant morbidity and mortality. This document represents a joint effort between respirologists, microbiologists, infectious disease specialists and family physicians to update the Canadian AECB guidelines published in 1994. Treatment recommendations are graded on the strength of evidence in the published literature where possible. The role for oral corticosteroid therapy in preventing treatment failures, speeding up recovery and delaying the time to next exacerbation is discussed. Risk factors for treatment failure were used to stratify patients into risk groups to help guide antibiotic treatment recommendations. The importance of emerging antimicrobial resistance to current antibiotics is reviewed and strategies to prevent future AECB episodes are suggested.
Canadian Thoracic Society Recommendations for Management of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease – 2003
Authors: O’donnell Denis E , Aaron Shawn , Bourbeau Jean , Hernandez Paul , Marciniuk Darcy D , Balter Meyer , Ford Gordon , Gervais Andre , Goldstein Roger , Hodder Rick , Maltais Francois , Road Jeremy
Published: May 2016

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common cause of disability and death in Canada. Moreover, morbidity and mortality from COPD continue to rise and the economic burden is enormous. The main goal of the Canadian Thoracic Society (CTS) Evidence-Based Guidelines is to optimize early diagnosis, prevention and management of COPD in Canada. Targeted spirometry is strongly recommended to expedite early diagnosis in smokers and exsmokers who develop respiratory symptoms, and who are at risk for COPD. Smoking cessation remains the single most effective intervention to reduce the risk of COPD and to slow its progression. Education, especially self-management plans, are key interventions in COPD. Therapy should be escalated in accordance with the increasing severity of symptoms and disability. Long acting anticholinergics and beta2-agonist inhalers should be prescribed for patients who remain symptomatic despite short-acting bronchodilator therapy. Inhaled steroids should not be used as first line therapy in COPD, but have a role in preventing exacerbations in patients with more advanced disease who suffer recurrent exacerbations. Management strategies consisting of combined modern pharmacotherapy and nonpharmacotherapeutic interventions (eg, pulmonary rehabilitation/exercise training) can effectively improve symptoms, activity levels, and quality of life, even in patients with severe COPD. Acute exacerbations of COPD cause significant morbidity and mortality and should be treated promptly with bronchodilators and a short course of oral steroids; antibiotics should be prescribed for purulent exacerbations. Patients with advanced COPD and respiratory failure require a comprehensive management plan that incorporates structured end-of-life care.
Adult Asthma Consensus Guidelines Update 2003
Authors: Lemière Catherine , Bai Tony , Balter Meyer , Bayliff Charles , Becker Allan , Boulet Louis-Philippe , Bowie Dennis , Cartier André , Cave Andrew , Chapman Kenneth , Cowie Robert , Coyle Stephen , Cockcroft Donald , Ducharme Francine M , Ernst Pierre , Finlayson Shelagh , FitzGerald J Mark , Hargreave Frederick E , Hogg Donna , Kaplan Alan , Kim Harold , Kelm Cheryle , O’Byrne Paul , Sears Malcolm , Markham Andrea White ,   on behalf of the Canadian Adult Consensus Group of the Canadian Thoracic Society
Published: May 2016

BACKGROUND: Several sets of Canadian guidelines for the diagnosis and management of asthma have been published over the past 15 years. Since the last revision of the 1999 Canadian Asthma Consensus Report, important new studies have highlighted the need to incorporate new information into the asthma guidelines.

OBJECTIVES: To review the literature on adult asthma management published between January 2000 and June 2003; to evaluate the influence of the new evidence on the recommendations made in the 1999 Canadian Asthma Consensus Guidelines and its 2001 update; and to report new recommendations on adult asthma management.

METHODS: Three specific topics for which new evidence affected the previous recommendations were selected for review: initial treatment of asthma, add-on therapies in the treatment of asthma and asthma education. The resultant reviews were discussed in June 2003 at a meeting under the auspices of the Canadian Thoracic Society, and recommendations for adult asthma management were reviewed.

RESULTS: The present report emphasises the importance of the early introduction of inhaled corticosteroids in symptomatic patients with mild asthma; stresses the benefit of adding additional therapy, preferably long-acting beta2-agonists, to patients incompletely controlled on low doses of inhaled corticosteroids; and documents the essential role of asthma education.

CONCLUSION: The present report generally supports many of the previous recommendations published in the 1999 Canadian Asthma Consensus Report and provides higher levels of evidence for a number of those recommendations.
Canadian Thoracic Society Recommendations for Management of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease – 2007 Update
Authors: O’donnell Denis E , Aaron Shawn , Bourbeau Jean , Hernandez Paul , Marciniuk Darcy D , Balter Meyer , Ford Gordon , Gervais Andre , Goldstein Roger , Hodder Rick , Kaplan Alan , Keenan Sean , Lacasse Yves , Maltais Francois , Road Jeremy , Rocker Graeme , Sin Don , Sinuff Tasmin , Voduc Nha
Published: May 2016

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major respiratory illness in Canada that is both preventable and treatable. Our understanding of the pathophysiology of this complex condition continues to grow and our ability to offer effective treatment to those who suffer from it has improved considerably. The purpose of the present educational initiative of the Canadian Thoracic Society (CTS) is to provide up to date information on new developments in the field so that patients with this condition will receive optimal care that is firmly based on scientific evidence. Since the previous CTS management recommendations were published in 2003, a wealth of new scientific information has become available. The implications of this new knowledge with respect to optimal clinical care have been carefully considered by the CTS Panel and the conclusions are presented in the current document. Highlights of this update include new epidemiological information on mortality and prevalence of COPD, which charts its emergence as a major health problem for women; a new section on common comorbidities in COPD; an increased emphasis on the meaningful benefits of combined pharmacological and nonpharmacological therapies; and a new discussion on the prevention of acute exacerbations. A revised stratification system for severity of airway obstruction is proposed, together with other suggestions on how best to clinically evaluate individual patients with this complex disease. The results of the largest randomized clinical trial ever undertaken in COPD have recently been published, enabling the Panel to make evidence-based recommendations on the role of modern pharmacotherapy. The Panel hopes that these new practice guidelines, which reflect a rigorous analysis of the recent literature, will assist caregivers in the diagnosis and management of this common condition.
Montelukast as an Alternative to Low-Dose Inhaled Corticosteroids in the Management of Mild Asthma (the SIMPLE Trial): An Open-Label Effectiveness Trial
Authors: McIvor R Andrew , Kaplan Alan , Koch Caroline , Sampalis John S
Published: May 2016

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of montelukast as monotherapy for patients with mild asthma who remain uncontrolled or unsatisfied while on inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) monotherapy.

DESIGN: A multicentre, open-label study. Patients (six years of age or older) had ICS therapy discontinued and were treated with orally administered montelukast once daily for six weeks.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome measure was the rate at which asthma symptom control was achieved or maintained after six weeks of treatment. The secondary outcome measures were to compare compliance and physician satisfaction, and to further assess the safety and tolerability of montelukast.

RESULTS: Of the 534 patients enrolled, 481 (90.1%) completed the study. Mean (± SD) age was 27.8±19.0 years. The number of patients with uncontrolled symptoms decreased from 455 (85.2%) at baseline to 143 (26.8%) at week 6 (P<0.001), and mean Asthma Control Questionnaire score decreased from 1.4±0.8 to 0.6±0.6 (P<0.001), representing a clinically significant improvement. Of the 79 patients with controlled asthma symptoms at baseline, 73.4% maintained asthma control at week 6. Compliance to asthma therapy increased from 41% at baseline for ICS to 88% at week 6 for montelukast (P<0.001). Physician satisfaction with treatment increased from 43% to 85% (P<0.001) and patient satisfaction increased from 45% at baseline to 94% at week 6. No serious adverse events were reported over the course of the study.

CONCLUSION: Montelukast is an effective and well-tolerated alternative to ICS treatment in patients with mild asthma who are uncontrolled or unsatisfied with low-dose ICS therapy.
Challenges in Initiating Antiretroviral Therapy in 2010
Authors: Tremblay Cécile L , Baril Jean-Guy , Fletcher David , Kilby Donald , MacPherson Paul , Shafran Stephen D , Tyndall Mark W
Published: May 2016

Many clinical trials have shown that initiating antiretroviral therapy (ART) at higher rather than lower CD4 T cell-positive counts results in survival benefit. Early treatment can help prevent end-organ damage associated with HIV replication and can decrease infectivity. The mainstay of treatment is either a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor or a ritonavir-boosted protease inhibitor in combination with two nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors. While effective at combating HIV, ART can produce adverse alterations of lipid parameters, with some studies suggesting a relationship between some antiretroviral agents and cardiovascular disease. As the HIV-positive population ages, issues such as hypertension and diabetes must be taken into account when initiating ART. Adhering to ART can be difficult; however, nonoptimal adherence to ART can result in the development of resistance; thus, drug characteristics and the patient’s preparedness to begin therapy must be considered. Reducing the pill burden through the use of fixed-dose antiretroviral drug combinations can facilitate adherence.
Effect of Corilagin on the Proliferation and NF‐κB in U251 Glioblastoma Cells and U251 Glioblastoma Stem‐Like Cells
Authors: Yang Wen-Tao , Li Gen-Hua , Li Zheng-You , Feng Song , Liu Xue-Qin , Han Guang-Kui , Zhang Hao , Qin Xian-Yun , Zhang Ran , Nie Quan-Min , Jin Feng
Published: May 2016

Background. This study is to explore the effect of corilagin on the proliferation and NF‐κB signaling pathway in U251 glioblastoma cells and U251 glioblastoma stem‐like cells. Methods. CD133 positive U251 glioblastoma cells were separated by immunomagnetic beads to isolate glioblastoma stem‐like cells. U251 cells and stem‐like cells were intervened by different corilagin concentrations (0, 25, 50, and 100 μg/mL) for 48 h, respectively. Cell morphology, cell counting kit‐8 assay, flow cytometry, dual luciferase reporter assay, and a western blot were used to detect and analyze the cell proliferation and cell cycle and investigate the expression of IKBα protein in cytoplasm and NF‐κB/p65 in nucleus. Results. Corilagin inhibited the cell proliferation of U251 cells and their stem‐like cells and the inhibition role was stronger in U251 stem‐like cells (P < 0.05). The cell cycle was arrested at G2/M phase in the U251 cells following corilagin intervention; the proportion of cells in G2/M phase increased as the concentration of corilagin increased (P < 0.05). The U251 stem‐like cells were arrested at the S phase following treatment with corilagin; the proportion of cells in the S phase increased as the concentration of corilagin increased (P < 0.05). The ratio of dual luciferase activities of U251 stem‐like cells was lower than that of U251 cells in the same corilagin concentration. With increasing concentrations of corilagin, the IKBα expression in cytoplasm of U251 cells and U251 stem‐like cells was increased, but the p65 expression in nucleus of U251 cells and U251 stem‐like cells was decreased (P < 0.05). Conclusion. Corilagin can inhibit the proliferation of glioblastoma cells and glioblastoma stem‐like cells; the inhibition on glioblastoma stem‐like cell proliferation is stronger than glioblastoma cells. This different result indicates that the effect of corilagin on U251 cells and U251 stem‐like cells may have close relationships with mechanism of cell cycle and NF‐κB signaling pathway; however, the real antitumor mechanism of corilagin is not yet clear and requires further study.
Obtaining Thickness Maps of Corneal Layers Using the Optimal Algorithm for Intracorneal Layer Segmentation
Authors: Rabbani Hossein , Kafieh Rahele , Kazemian Jahromi Mahdi , Jorjandi Sahar , Mehri Dehnavi Alireza , Hajizadeh Fedra , Peyman Alireza
Published: May 2016

Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) is one of the most informative methodologies in ophthalmology and provides cross sectional images from anterior and posterior segments of the eye. Corneal diseases can be diagnosed by these images and corneal thickness maps can also assist in the treatment and diagnosis. The need for automatic segmentation of cross sectional images is inevitable since manual segmentation is time consuming and imprecise. In this paper, segmentation methods such as Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM), Graph Cut, and Level Set are used for automatic segmentation of three clinically important corneal layer boundaries on OCT images. Using the segmentation of the boundaries in three-dimensional corneal data, we obtained thickness maps of the layers which are created by these borders. Mean and standard deviation of the thickness values for normal subjects in epithelial, stromal, and whole cornea are calculated in central, superior, inferior, nasal, and temporal zones (centered on the center of pupil). To evaluate our approach, the automatic boundary results are compared with the boundaries segmented manually by two corneal specialists. The quantitative results show that GMM method segments the desired boundaries with the best accuracy.
Regenerative Potential of Mesenchymal Stromal Cells: Age‐Related Changes
Authors: Bruna Flavia , Contador David , Conget Paulette , Erranz Benjamín , Sossa Claudia L. , Arango-Rodríguez Martha L.
Published: May 2016

Preclinical and clinical studies have shown that a therapeutic effect results from mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) transplant. No systematic information is currently available regarding whether donor age modifies MSC regenerative potential on cutaneous wound healing. Here, we evaluate whether donor age influences this potential. Two different doses of bone marrow MSCs (BM‐MSCs) from young, adult, or old mouse donors or two doses of their acellular derivatives mesenchymal stromal cells (acd‐MSCs) were intradermally injected around wounds in the midline of C57BL/6 mice. Every two days, wound healing was macroscopically assessed (wound closure) and microscopically assessed (reepithelialization, dermal‐epidermal junction, skin appendage regeneration, granulation tissue, leukocyte infiltration, and density dermal collagen fibers) after 12 days from MSC transplant. Significant differences in the wound closure kinetic, quality, and healing of skin regenerated were observed in lesions which received BM‐MSCs from different ages or their acd‐MSCs compared to lesions which received vehicle. Nevertheless, our data shows that adult’s BM‐MSCs or their acd‐MSCs were the most efficient for recovery of most parameters analyzed. Our data suggest that MSC efficacy was negatively affected by donor age, where the treatment with adult’s BM‐MSCs or their acd‐MSCs in cutaneous wound promotes a better tissue repair/regeneration. This is due to their paracrine factors secretion.
MHDFS: A Memory-Based Hadoop Framework for Large Data Storage
Authors: Song Aibo , Zhao Maoxian , Xue Yingying , Luo Junzhou
Published: May 2016

Hadoop distributed file system (HDFS) is undoubtedly the most popular framework for storing and processing large amount of data on clusters of machines. Although a plethora of practices have been proposed for improving the processing efficiency and resource utilization, traditional HDFS still suffers from the overhead of disk-based low throughput and I/O rate. In this paper, we attempt to address this problem by developing a memory-based Hadoop framework called MHDFS. Firstly, a strategy for allocating and configuring reasonable memory resources for MHDFS is designed and RAMFS is utilized to develop the framework. Then, we propose a new method to handle the data replacement to disk when memory resource is excessively occupied. An algorithm for estimating and updating the replacement is designed based on the metrics of file heat. Finally, substantial experiments are conducted which demonstrate the effectiveness of MHDFS and its advantage against conventional HDFS.
The Pathogenesis of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: Interplay between Diet, Gut Microbiota, and Genetic Background
Authors: Yu Jinsheng , Marsh Sharon , Hu Junbo , Feng Wenke , Wu Chaodong
Published: May 2016

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common chronic liver disease in the world, and it comprises a spectrum of hepatic abnormalities from simple hepatic steatosis to steatohepatitis, fibrosis, cirrhosis, and liver cancer. While the pathogenesis of NAFLD remains incompletely understood, a multihit model has been proposed that accommodates causal factors from a variety of sources, including intestinal and adipose proinflammatory stimuli acting on the liver simultaneously. Prior cellular and molecular studies of patient and animal models have characterized several common pathogenic mechanisms of NAFLD, including proinflammation cytokines, lipotoxicity, oxidative stress, and endoplasmic reticulum stress. In recent years, gut microbiota has gained much attention, and dysbiosis is recognized as a crucial factor in NAFLD. Moreover, several genetic variants have been identified through genome-wide association studies, particularly rs738409 (Ile748Met) inPNPLA3and rs58542926 (Glu167Lys) inTM6SF2, which are critical risk alleles of the disease. Although a high-fat diet and inactive lifestyles are typical risk factors for NAFLD, the interplay between diet, gut microbiota, and genetic background is believed to be more important in the development and progression of NAFLD. This review summarizes the common pathogenic mechanisms, the gut microbiota relevant mechanisms, and the major genetic variants leading to NAFLD and its progression.
Modeling Left-Turn Driving Behavior at Signalized Intersections with Mixed Traffic Conditions
Authors: Li Hong , Li Sujian , Li Haijian , Qin Lingqiao , Li Shi , Zhang Zundong
Published: May 2016

In many developing countries, mixed traffic is the most common type of urban transportation; traffic of this type faces many major problems in traffic engineering, such as conflicts, inefficiency, and security issues. This paper focuses on the traffic engineering concerns on the driving behavior of left-turning vehicles caused by different degrees of pedestrian violations. The traffic characteristics of left-turning vehicles and pedestrians in the affected region at a signalized intersection were analyzed and a cellular-automata-based “following-conflict” driving behavior model that mainly addresses four basic behavior modes was proposed to study the conflict and behavior mechanisms of left-turning vehicles by mathematic methodologies. Four basic driving behavior modes were reproduced in computer simulations, and a logit model of the behavior mode choice was also developed to analyze the relative share of each behavior mode. Finally, the microscopic characteristics of driving behaviors and the macroscopic parameters of traffic flow in the affected region were all determined. These data are important reference for geometry and capacity design for signalized intersections. The simulation results show that the proposed models are valid and can be used to represent the behavior of left-turning vehicles in the case of conflicts with illegally crossing pedestrians. These results will have potential applications on improving traffic safety and traffic capacity at signalized intersections with mixed traffic conditions.
Research on the Impact of 3D Printing on the International Supply Chain
Authors: Chen Zhen
Published: May 2016

In recent years 3D printing technology is developing rapidly. In the foreseeable future, when 3D printing is widely used, the world’s industrial structure will be greatly changed. Based on the actual data, this paper constructs an international supply chain model using system dynamics method. And it simulates the reconstruction trend of the supply chain after 3D printing application. The conclusion shows that the universal application of 3D printing will lead to the worldwide transport volume shrinking dramatically. The manufacturing activities will gradually outflow to the countries which are closer to the final customers. The relevant countries should carry out feasible measures to face this opportunity and challenge. The measures include the reform of logistics facilities, the logistics cooperation with the origin of 3D printing materials, and the matched transportation of 3D printing materials and traditional processing ones.
Remote Sensing of Grassland Biophysical Parameters in the Context of the Sentinel-2 Satellite Mission
Authors: Sakowska Karolina , Juszczak Radoslaw , Gianelle Damiano
Published: May 2016

This study investigates the potential of the Sentinel-2 satellite for monitoring the seasonal changes in grassland total canopy chlorophyll content (CCC), fraction of photosynthetically active radiation absorbed by the vegetation canopy (FAPAR), and fraction of photosynthetically active radiation absorbed only by its photosynthesizing components (GFAPAR). Reflectance observations were collected on a continuous basis during growing seasons by means of a newly developed ASD-WhiteRef system. Two models using Sentinel-2 simulated data (linear regression-vegetation indices (VIs) approach and multiple regression (MR) reflectance approach) were tested to estimate vegetation biophysical parameters. To assess whether the use of full solar spectrum reflectance data is able to provide an added value in CCC and GFAPAR estimation accuracy, a third model based on partial least squares regression (PLSR) and the ASD-WhiteRef reflectance data was tested. The results showed that FAPAR remained quite stable during the reproduction and senescence stages, and no significant relationships between FAPAR and VIs were found. On the other hand, GFAPAR showed clearer seasonal trends. The comparison of the three models revealed no significant differences in the accuracies of CCC and GFAPAR predictions and demonstrated a strong contribution of SWIR bands to the explained variability of investigated parameters. The promising results highlight the potential of the Sentinel-2 satellite for retrieving biophysical parameters from space.
Regularized Embedded Multiple Kernel Dimensionality Reduction for Mine Signal Processing
Authors: Li Shuang , Liu Bing , Zhang Chen
Published: May 2016

Traditional multiple kernel dimensionality reduction models are generally based on graph embedding and manifold assumption. But such assumption might be invalid for some high-dimensional or sparse data due to the curse of dimensionality, which has a negative influence on the performance of multiple kernel learning. In addition, some models might be ill-posed if the rank of matrices in their objective functions was not high enough. To address these issues, we extend the traditional graph embedding framework and propose a novel regularized embedded multiple kernel dimensionality reduction method. Different from the conventional convex relaxation technique, the proposed algorithm directly takes advantage of a binary search and an alternative optimization scheme to obtain optimal solutions efficiently. The experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method for supervised, unsupervised, and semisupervised scenarios.
Design of an L-Band Cross-Dipole Phased Array Feed for FAST
Authors: Han Yubing , Zhong Luoqing
Published: May 2016

The Five-Hundred-Meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST) is a Chinese megascience project that aims to build the largest single dish radio telescope in the world. Given its multiple simultaneous beam formation, phased array feed (PAF) is widely used to extend the field of view and enhance the survey speed of the radio telescope. In this study, a broadband and low cost PAF element using cross-dipole antenna at L-band is designed based on the requirement of the FAST. The antenna is fed by two microstrip baluns which have high performance and is easy to manufacture compared to the traditional coaxial balun. A simple system model is also introduced to evaluate the PAF performance. The measured results of the fabricated element and the simulations of the system performance validate the effectiveness of element design.