bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Tophus resolution with pegloticase: a prospective dual-energy CT study
Authors: Araujo Elizabeth G , Bayat Sara , Petsch Christina , Englbrecht Matthias , Faustini Francesca , Kleyer Arnd , Hueber Axel J , Cavallaro Alexander , Lell Michael , Dalbeth Nicola , Manger Bernhard , Schett Georg , Rech Juergen
Published: June 2015

Objective

To investigate the effect of intensive lowering of serum uric acid (SUA) levels by pegloticase on the resolution of tophi in patients with refractory gout.

Methods

Descriptive study in patients with refractory gout receiving pegloticase treatment. SUA levels were measured before and after each infusion. Dual-energy CT (DECT) scans were taken from all patients before the first infusion and after the last infusion. Computerised tophus volumes were calculated for the baseline and follow-up assessments and compared with each other.

Results

10 patients with refractory gout and baseline mean SUA level of 8.1 mg/dL were enrolled. Patients were treated for a mean of 13.3 weeks. Pegloticase effectively reduced tophi in all patients showing a decrease in volume by 71.4%. Responders, showing reduction of SUA level below 6 mg/dL during at least 80% of the treatment time, were virtually cleared from tophi (−94.8%). Dependent on their anatomical localisation, resolution of tophi showed different dynamics, with articular tophi showing fast, and tendon tophi slow, resolution.

Conclusions

Tophi are highly sensitive to pegloticase treatment, particularly when located at articular sites. Debulking of disease and a tophus-free state can be reached within a few months of pegloticase treatment. DECT allows for comprehensively assessing tophus burden and monitoring treatment responses.
Tibial Tuberosity Crown for the treatment of cranial cruciate ligament deficiency in three dogs
Authors: Niederhäuser Simone Katharina , Tepic Slobodan , Tepic Inja , Weber Urs
Published: June 2015

Three adult large‐breed dogs were evaluated because of pelvic limb lameness. Cranial cruciate ligament deficiency was confirmed by positive cranial tibial thrust and pain on palpation of the affected stifle joint. Radiography and MRI revealed findings consistent with cranial cruciate ligament pathology; no evidence of meniscal injury was detected. Each dog underwent patellar tendon advancement for stabilisation of the cranial cruciate ligament‐deficient stifle joint by use of Tibial Tuberosity Crown – a recently developed titanium implant, consisting of a self‐tapping anchor screw and a crown, which is inserted beneath the patellar tendon in order to maintain it in an advanced position. All dogs regained normal function of the affected pelvic limb. This pilot study describes a novel procedure of patellar tendon advancement for the treatment of cranial cruciate ligament deficiency. Tibial Tuberosity Crown closely emulates the mechanics of the well‐established tibial tuberosity advancement without need of an osteotomy.
Chinook salmon outmigration survival in wet and dry years in California’s Sacramento River
Authors: Michel Cyril J. , Ammann Arnold J. , Lindley Steven T. , Sandstrom Philip T. , Chapman Eric D. , Thomas Michael J. , Singer Gabriel P. , Klimley A. Peter , MacFarlane R. Bruce
Published: June 2015

Outmigration survival of acoustic-tagged, hatchery-origin, late-fall-run Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) smolts from the Sacramento River was estimated for 5 years (2007–2011) using a receiver array spanning the entire outmigration corridor, from the upper river, through the estuary, and into the coastal ocean. The first 4 years of releases occurred during below-average river flows, while the fifth year (2011) occurred during above-average flows. In 2011, overall outmigration survival was two to five times higher than survival in the other 4 years. Regional survival estimates indicate that most of the improved survival seen in 2011 occurred in the riverine reaches of the outmigration corridor, while survival in the brackish portions of the estuary did not significantly differ among the 5 years. For the 4 low-flow years combined, survival rate in the river was lower in the less anthropogenically modified upper reaches; however, across all regions, survival rate was lowest in the brackish portion of the estuary. Even in the high-flow year, outmigration survival was substantially lower than yearling Chinook salmon populations in other large rivers. Potential drivers of these patterns are discussed, including channelization, water flow, and predation. Finally, management strategies are suggested to best exploit survival advantages described in this study.
ESTIMATING A PREDICTION MODEL FOR THE EARLY IDENTIFICATION OF LOW EMPLOYABILITY GRADUATES IN MALAYSIA
Authors: AWANG-HASHIM ROSNA , LIM HOCK EAM , YATIM BIDIN , TENGKU ARIFFIN TENGKU FAEKAH , ZUBAIRI AINOL MADZIAH , YON HANIZA , OSMAN OMAR
Published: June 2015

This paper describes the development of a prediction model for the early identification of low employability graduates in Malaysia. A total of five proportional hazard models are estimated and using the criteria of percentage correctly and wrongly predicted, a prediction model is selected based on the percentage correctly predicted. The percentile of the predicted hazard rate is used as the employability index (EI). In the context of Malaysia, it is recommended that the 5th percentile graduates be considered as low employability graduates. With this early identification tool, specific intervention programs can be tailored for the right target groups.
Dynamic of astrophysical jets in the complex octonion space
Authors: Weng Zi-Hua
Published: June 2015

The paper aims to consider the strength gradient force as the dynamic of astrophysical jets, explaining the movement phenomena of astrophysical jets. J. C. Maxwell applied the quaternion analysis to describe the electromagnetic theory. This encourages others to adopt the complex quaternion and octonion to depict the electromagnetic and gravitational theories. In the complex octonion space, it is capable of deducing the field potential, field strength, field source, angular momentum, torque, force and so forth. As one component of the force, the strength gradient force relates to the gradient of the norm of field strength only, and is independent of not only the direction of field strength but also the mass and electric charge for the test particle. When the strength gradient force is considered as the thrust of the astrophysical jets, one can deduce some movement features of astrophysical jets, including the bipolarity, matter ingredient, precession, symmetric distribution, emitting, collimation, stability, continuing acceleration and so forth. The above results reveal that the strength gradient force is able to be applied to explain the main mechanical features of astrophysical jets, and is the competitive candidate of the dynamic of astrophysical jets.
Stock Options, Idiosyncratic Volatility, and Earnings Quality
Authors: Alam Pervaiz , Liu Min , Liu Zhefeng , Peng Xiaofeng
Published: June 2015

The value of stock options increases in both stock prices and volatility. It suggests that options might engender incentives for managers to increase both stock prices and volatility. Recent studies have documented a negative association between earnings quality and idiosyncratic volatility: Hence, the lower the earnings quality, the greater the idiosyncratic volatility, and the higher the value of stock options. This study investigates whether there is a link between CEO equity compensation and earnings quality. Using a simultaneous system of equations, we find negative correlations between the two, suggesting that managers have incentives to reduce earnings quality.
A New Enriched Finite Element Method with Application to Static Fracture Problems with Internal Fluid Pressure
Authors: Chen Zuorong
Published: June 2015

A new enriched finite element technique, for modeling crack problems within the framework of the extended finite element method, is presented. In this method, crack nodes with displacement discontinuity degrees of freedom have been defined and used to explicitly describe the crack geometry and deformation. The crack deformation is represented by these displacement discontinuity degrees of freedom which are associated with the crack nodes distributed along the crack path, and the crack path is determined by the coordinates of the crack nodes which are solution dependent. This enables a direct and efficient description of the crack. Moreover, the corresponding work-conjugate variables allow for directly modeling the forces on the crack surfaces. In addition, this formulation provides a convenient way to calculate the internal fluid pressure within the crack and its contribution to the crack deformation as occurs in hydraulically driven fractures. Numerical experiments of several static fracture problems are provided to demonstrate the performance, utility and accuracy of the new enriched finite element technique by comparing the numerical results with analytical solutions available in the literature.
Size Dependent Vibration Behavior of an AFM with Sidewall and Top-Surface Probes Based on the Strain Gradient Elasticity Theory
Authors: Abbasi Mohammad
Published: June 2015

In this paper, the size-dependent vibration behavior of an atomic force microscope with assembled cantilever probe (ACP) is analyzed utilizing the modified strain gradient elasticity theory. The proposed ACP comprises a horizontal cantilever, a vertical extension and two tips located at the free ends of the cantilever and extension. Because the vertical extension is located between the clamped and free ends of the microcantilever, the cantilever is modeled as two beams. The results of the current model are compared to those evaluated by both modified couple stress and classical beam theories. The results indicate that the resonant frequency and sensitivity of the proposed ACP is strongly size-dependent especially when the contact stiffness is very low or it is very high. The results also declare that utilizing the strain gradient theory is essential in the analysis of the vibration behavior of the proposed ACP.
Bigram Language Models and Reevaluation Strategy for Improved Recognition of Online Handwritten Tamil Words
Authors: Sundaram Suresh , Ramakrishnan A. G.
Published: June 2015

This article describes a postprocessing strategy for online, handwritten, isolated Tamil words. Contributions have been made with regard to two issues hardly addressed in the online Indic word recognition literature, namely, use of (1) language models exploiting the idiosyncrasies of Indic scripts and (2) expert classifiers for the disambiguation of confused symbols.

The input word is first segmented into its individual symbols, which are recognized using a primary support vector machine (SVM) classifier. Thereafter, we enhance the recognition accuracy by utilizing (i) a bigram language model at the symbol or character level and (ii) expert classifiers for reevaluating and disambiguating the different sets of confused symbols. The symbol-level bigram model is used in a traditional Viterbi framework. The concept of a character comprising multiple symbols is unique to Dravidian languages such as Tamil. This multi-symbol feature of Tamil characters has been exploited in proposing a novel, prefix-tree-based character-level bigram model that does not use Viterbi search; rather it reduces the search space for each input symbol based on its left context.

For disambiguating confused symbols, a dynamic time-warping approach is proposed to automatically identify the parts of the online trace that discriminates between the confused classes. Fine classification of these regions by dedicated expert SVMs reduces the extent of confusions between such symbols. The integration of segmentation, prefix-tree-based language model and disambiguation of confused symbols is presented on a set of 15,000 handwritten isolated online Tamil words. Our results show recognition accuracies of 93.0% and 81.6% at the symbol and word level, respectively, as compared to the baseline classifier performance of 88.4% and 65.1%, respectively.
Reliability Estimation of Parameters of Helical Wind Turbine with Vertical Axis
Authors: Dumitrascu Adela-Eliza , Lepadatescu Badea , Dumitrascu Dorin-Ion , Nedelcu Anisor , Ciobanu Doina Valentina
Published: June 2015

Due to the prolonged use of wind turbines they must be characterized by high reliability. This can be achieved through a rigorous design, appropriate simulation and testing, and proper construction. The reliability prediction and analysis of these systems will lead to identifying the critical components, increasing the operating time, minimizing failure rate, and minimizing maintenance costs. To estimate the produced energy by the wind turbine, an evaluation approach based on the Monte Carlo simulation model is developed which enables us to estimate the probability of minimum and maximum parameters. In our simulation process we used triangular distributions. The analysis of simulation results has been focused on the interpretation of the relative frequency histograms and cumulative distribution curve (ogive diagram), which indicates the probability of obtaining the daily or annual energy output depending on wind speed. The experimental researches consist in estimation of the reliability and unreliability functions and hazard rate of the helical vertical axis wind turbine designed and patented to climatic conditions for Romanian regions. Also, the variation of power produced for different wind speeds, the Weibull distribution of wind probability, and the power generated were determined. The analysis of experimental results indicates that this type of wind turbine is efficient at low wind speed.
An Infected Urachal Cyst in an Adult Woman
Authors: Kaya Serdar , Bacanakgıl Besim Haluk , Soyman Zeynep , Kerımova Roya , Battal Havare Semiha , Kaya Başak
Published: June 2015

The urachus is an embryologic remnant which degenerates after the birth. Defective obliteration of the urachus leads to urachal abnormalities. An infected urachal cyst is one of the urachal abnormalities and this pathology is rare in adult women. We report a case of 33-year-old woman with pelvic pain and dysuria who was diagnosed with infected urachal cyst. Infected urachal cyst is a rare pathology in adult women and this pathology should be considered in the differential diagnosis of acute abdomen.
Zoological nomina in the century of extinctions: new proposals

Authors: Dubois Alain
Published: June 2015

The taxonomic urgency, caused by the combination of the taxonomic gap (wide incompleteness of the taxonomic inventory of living beings on earth) and the biodiversity crisis (major threats of extinction on a large part of the current biodiversity) imposes heavy responsibilities on the scientific community of biologists and particularly of taxonomists. In order to become more efficient in the work of description and naming of the species and other taxa, some changes in traditional working practices should be implemented. Among them, a simplification and standardisation of some nomenclatural Rules and practices, and in particular of the way of writing the scientific names of taxa (nomina) should be considered. Although traditionally considered important, authorship plays no role in the implementation of the nomenclatural Rules concerning availability, allocation and validity of nomina, and the traditional emphasis put on authorship in nomenclature plays in fact a negative role in taxonomy. Removing the names of authors, but not the date, from the nominal-complex by which each taxon is designated would de-emphasise the role of authorship in nomenclature. It would reduce the burden of nomenclatural taxonomic inflation and synonymy load due to nomenclatural mihilim and unwarranted descriptions of new taxa that will later have to be treated as synonyms. Other proposals regarding the standards and length of writing nominal-complexes in publications are offered, which should be beneficial not only to scientific publications using nomina of taxa, but also to the computerisation of nomenclatural information and its electronic diffusion. These proposed changes, some of which are drastic, should not be implemented at once, but in several steps, in order to be progressively adopted by the community of taxonomists.
Taxonomic revision of Plesianthidium Cameron (Apoidea: Megachilidae: Anthidiini), an endemic southern African bee genus
Authors: EARDLEY CONNAL , GRISWOLD TERRY
Published: June 2015

The southern African bee genus Plesianthidium Cameron is revised. It comprises twelve species. Two new species are described: Plesianthidium (Spinanthidium) richtersveldense sp. nov. (Namibia and South Africa) and P. (S.) namaquaense sp. nov. (South Africa). Two species, Plesianthidium calvini (Cockerell, 1932) and P. rufocaudatum (Friese, 1909), are reinstated as valid species. Keys for the identification of the species of Plesianthidium are given.
Molecular and morphological systematics of Doto Oken, 1851 (Gastropoda: Heterobranchia), with descriptions of five new species and a new genus
Authors: SHIPMAN CARISSA , GOSLINER TERRENCE
Published: June 2015

The nudibranch family Dotidae has been an extremely challenging group to study taxonomically due to their small body size, lack of distinct internal morphological differences and similar color patterns. This integrative systematic study of the Dotidae encompasses 29 individuals from the north Atlantic and Mediterranean, and 11 from the Indo-Pacific. Two mitochondrial genes, 16S, COI, and a nuclear gene, H3, were sequenced for 31 specimens and Bayesian and RAxML concatenated analyses were run. Dotidae is monophyletic and possesses strong geographic structure. Co-evolution between some of the north Atlantic taxa and their hydroid prey is apparent, thus supporting the hypothesis that speciation may be correlated with prey diversification. This study also supports the notion that the hydroid prey is a reliable indicator for distinguishing between cryptic species. Doto coronata Gmelin, the type species for the genus Doto, is re-described and a neotype, collected near Goes, Netherlands, is designated. From the molecular data, D. millbayana, D. dunnei, D. koenneckeri, D. maculata Lemche within the Doto coronata species complex, are confirmed to be distinct from D. coronata. Based on molecular data, specimens previously identified as D. coronata from South Africa are determined to represent a new species. It is described here and named Doto africoronata n. sp. Kabeiro n. gen. is introduced for the clade of elongate individuals from the Indo-Pacific, which diverges by 11.6% or greater in 16S from short-bodied Doto species. These elongate species are sister to all the short-bodied species and possess an enlarged pericardium, elongate cerata, a reproductive system with a pocketed prostate (penial gland), and an external tube-like digestive gland, which are absent in short-bodied Doto. Species of Kabeiro described here are: Kabeiro christianae n. sp., Kabeiro rubroreticulata n. sp., and Kabeiro phasmida n. sp. from the Philippines. The Indo-Pacific short-bodied species, Doto greenamyeri n. sp. from Papua New Guinea is also described.
A review of the genus Spanagonicus Berg (Hemiptera: Miridae: Phylinae: Nasocorini) with the description of novel antennal characters, the description of a new species from Central America, and a key to currently known taxa
Authors: MENARD KATRINA L.
Published: June 2015

The New World genus Spanagonicus Berg, 1883 is reviewed. A new species, Spanagonicus schusterus sp. nov. is described from Central America. A key to all known species, as well as redescriptions for all species but S. tiquiensis Carvalho & Carpintero (which was unavailable for inspection), are provided. Characterization of the sexual dimorphism, morphology, and possible function of the newly discovered spatulate setae on the ventral surface of male antennae is also discussed. Color digital habitus images and genitalic illustrations are provided for both male and female specimens of Spanagonicus. Scanning electron and transmission electron micrographs of the second antennal segment of male and female specimens of S. albofasciatus are also included.
New Species of the Spider Genus Cheiracanthium from Continental Africa
(Araneae: Eutichuridae)
Authors: LOTZ L. N.
Published: June 2015

Eleven new species of Cheiracanthium, C. boendense sp. nov. (Democratic Republic of Congo), C. falcis sp. nov. (Gabon), C. foordi sp. nov. (South Africa), C. ghanaense sp. nov. (Ghana), C. kabalense sp. nov. (Uganda), C. kakamega sp. nov. (Kenya), C. kakumense sp. nov. (Democratic Republic of Congo, Ivory Coast, Ghana), C. lukiense sp. nov. (Democratic Republic of Congo), C. mayombense sp. nov. (Democratic Republic of Congo), C. shilabira sp. nov. (Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya) and C. tanzanense sp. nov. (Tanzania) are described. Males of C. punctipedellum Caporiacco, 1949, C. sansibaricum Strand, 1907 and C. schenkeli Caporiacco, 1949 are described for the first time.
Earthworms from Matsu, Taiwan with descriptions of new species of the genera Amynthas (Oligochaeta: Megascolecidae) and Drawida (Oligochaeta: Moniligastridae)
Authors: SHEN HUEI-PING , CHANG CHIH-HAN , CHIH WEN-JAY
Published: June 2015

In 2012, we conducted earthworm surveys in Matsu Islands, and described five new species of the genera Amynthas and Metaphire and reported two new records, Desmogaster sinensis Gates, 1930 and Ocnerodrilus occidentalis Eisen, 1878. This paper describes three new species, one of them with two new subspecies, Amynthas nanganensis nanganensis sp. nov. et ssp. nov. and Amynthas nanganensis beiganensis ssp. nov., Drawida beiganica sp. nov. and Drawida dongyinica sp. nov., provides a new record of Drawida koreana Kobayashi, 1938 from the remaining specimens collected in the surveys, reports DNA barcodes (the 5’ end sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 gene) from type specimens and further reference specimens of the new species, and lists a total of 27 earthworm species and subspecies found from Matsu Islands. Pheretimoid earthworms made up 66.7% of the total number of the species, with Metaphire matsuensis Shen, 2014 and Metaphire californica (Kinberg, 1867) the most dominant. Our findings indicate that the earthworm fauna of Matsu Islands is more closely related to that of warm temperate China than to Taiwan or tropical southern China.
Contribution to the eyed Sinella from China: two new species and additional reports on nine known species (Collembola: Entomobryidae)
Authors: DING YIN-HUAN , ZHANG FENG
Published: June 2015

Two new 1+1 eyed species of Sinella Brook, 1882, S. uniseta sp. nov. and S. abietis sp. nov., are described from China. New collection records are reported for nine known species: S. qufuensis Chen & Christiansen, 1993, S. quinocula Chen & Christiansen, 1993, S. affluens Chen & Christiansen, 1993, S. wui Wang & Christiansen, 2000, S. umesaoi Yosii, 1940, S. gei Pan, Zhang & Shi, 2012, S. sunae Pan, Zhang & Shi, 2012, S. gracilis Zhang, 2013 and S. transoculata Pan & Yuan, 2013. Additions to original description, such as clypeal chaetae, chaetae along cephalic groove, and S-chaetotaxy, are provided for above known species. A key to the eyed species of Sinella from China is given.
A new species and new records of Arrhopalitidae (Collembola: Symphypleona) from the Republic of Moldova
Authors: VARGOVITSH ROBERT S. , BUŞMACHIU GALINA
Published: June 2015

Eight species of the family Arrhopalitidae Stach, 1956 are listed from the Republic of Moldova. A new species, Arrhopalites prutensis sp. nov. is described. It belongs to the diversus group of species with 3, 2, 1, 1 anterior setae on dens, possesses neosminthuroid seta on the furca base region—a character rarely noted for the family. The new species is closely related to A. baccettii Dallai, 1969 and A. antonioi Giuga & Jordana, 2013 described from Sicily. Five species of the family are firstly recorded for the country.
Progressive failure modelling of impacted composite panels under compression
Authors: Shroff Sonell , Kassapoglou Christos
Published: June 2015

A numerical simulation is established to model low-speed impact damage of composite plates. A combination of the Hashin, and Puck failure criteria along with fracture mechanics are used in a quasi-static finite element model where material properties in affected elements are updated in accordance with the type of failure predicted by the failure criteria. Subsequently, a progressive failure approach is used to predict compression after impact by incrementally loading the plate under compression and tracking how the existing damage evolves until final collapse of the panel. Comparisons with test results and semi-analytical solutions show good agreement but also suggest additional improvements are needed for certain laminates. A strong dependence of damage size on boundary conditions and spacing of grid-type stiffeners was also found.
Can Hypocaloric, High‐Protein Nutrition Support Be Used in Complicated Bariatric Patients to Promote Weight Loss?
Authors: Beebe Mara Lee , Crowley Nina
Published: June 2015

Bariatric surgery, an effective treatment for morbid obesity, may result in complications that require nutrition support. Common goals for nutrition support in post–bariatric surgery patients include nutrition repletion, avoiding overfeeding, preserving lean body mass, and promoting wound healing. It is often questioned if continued weight loss can be part of the nutrition goals and if weight loss is safe for patients who become critically ill following bariatric surgery. Recent clinical practice guidelines from both the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (A.S.P.E.N.) and Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) have recommended the use of hypocaloric, high‐protein nutrition support in both critically and non–critically ill obese patients. Hypocaloric feedings of 50%–70% of estimated energy requirements based on predictive equations or <14 kcal/kg actual body weight, as well as high‐protein feedings of 1.2 g/kg actual weight or 2–2.5 g/kg ideal body weight, are suggested by A.S.P.E.N. in the 2013 clinical guidelines for nutrition support of hospitalized adult patients with obesity. Two small studies in complicated post–bariatric surgery patients requiring nutrition support have shown that the strategy of hypocaloric, high‐protein feedings can result in positive outcomes, including positive nitrogen balance, wound healing, weight loss, and successful transition to oral diets. Additional research, including large, randomized studies, is still needed to validate these findings. However, based on a review of available clinical practice guidelines, predictive equations, indirect calorimetry, case studies, and systematic reviews, hypocaloric, high‐protein nutrition support appears to at least be equal to eucaloric feedings and may be a useful tool for clinicians to achieve continued weight loss in complicated bariatric surgery patients requiring nutrition support.
Perfluorinated Alkyl Substances
Authors: Grandjean Philippe , Clapp Richard
Published: June 2015

Perfluorinated alkyl substances have been in use for over sixty years. These highly stable substances were at first thought to be virtually inert and of low toxicity. Toxicity information slowly emerged on perfluorooctanoic acid and perfluorooctane sulfonate. More than thirty years ago, early studies reported immunotoxicity and carcinogenicity effects. The substances were discovered in blood samples from exposed workers, then in the general population and in community water supplies near U.S. manufacturing plants. Only recently has research publication on perfluorooctanoic acid and perfluorooctane sulfonate intensified. While the toxicology database is still far from complete, carcinogenicity and immunotoxicity now appear to be relevant risks at prevalent exposure levels. Existing drinking water limits are based on less complete evidence that was available before 2008 and may be more than 100-fold too high. As risk evaluations assume that untested effects do not require regulatory attention, the greatly underestimated health risks from perfluorooctanoic acid and perfluorooctane sulfonate illustrate the public health implications of assuming the safety of incompletely tested industrial chemicals.
Kolmogorov type inequalities for the Marchaud fractional derivatives on the real line and the half-line
Authors: Babenko Vladislav F , Churilova Mariya S , Parfinovych Nataliia V , Skorokhodov Dmytro S
Published: June 2015

In this paper we establish some new Kolmogorov type inequalities for the Marchaud and Hadamard fractional derivatives of the functions defined on a real axis or semi-axis. Simultaneously we solve two related problems: the Stechkin problem on the best approximation of unbounded operators by bounded ones on a given class of elements and the problem of optimal recovery of an operator on elements from some class given with prescribed error.
Strong convergence theorems based on the viscosity approximation method for a countable family of nonexpansive mappings
Authors: Bagherboum Mozhgan , Razani Abdolrahman , Park Choonkil
Published: June 2015

In a real Hilbert space, an iterative scheme is considered to obtain a common fixed point for a countable family of nonexpansive mappings. In addition, strong convergence to the common fixed point of this sequence is investigated. As an application, an equilibrium problem is solved. We also state more applications of this procedure to obtain a common fixed point of W-mappings.

MSC:47H09, 47H10, 47J20.
Best possible inequalities for the harmonic mean of error function
Authors: Chu Yu-Ming , Li Yong-Min , Xia Wei-Feng , Zhang Xiao-Hui
Published: June 2015

In this paper, we find the least value r and the greatest value p such that the double inequality

erf
(

M
p

(
x
,
y
;
λ
)
)
≤
H
(
erf
(
x
)
,
erf
(
y
)
;
λ
)
≤
erf
(

M
r

(
x
,
y
;
λ
)
)

holds for all

x
,
y
≥
1

(or

0
<
x
,
y
<
1

) with

0
<
λ
<
1

, where

erf
(
x
)
=

2

π

∫
0
x

e

−

t
2

d
t

, and

M
p

(
x
,
y
;
λ
)
=

(
λ

x
p

+
(
1
−
λ
)

y
p

)

1
/
p

(

p
≠
0

) and

M
0

(
x
,
y
;
λ
)
=

x
λ

y

1
−
λ

are, respectively, the error function, and weighted power mean.

MSC:33B20, 26D15.
Morphology and magnetic properties of Fe3O4 nanodot arrays using template-assisted epitaxial growth
Authors: Guan Xiao-Fen , Chen Dan , Quan Zhi-Yong , Jiang Feng-Xian , Deng Chen-Hua , Gehring Gillian Anne , Xu Xiao-Hong
Published: June 2015

Arrays of epitaxial Fe3O4 nanodots were prepared using laser molecular beam epitaxy (LMBE), with the aid of ultrathin porous anodized aluminum templates. An Fe3O4 film was also prepared using LMBE. Atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy images showed that the Fe3O4 nanodots existed over large areas of well-ordered hexagonal arrays with dot diameters (D) of 40, 70, and 140 nm; height of approximately 20 nm; and inter-dot distances (D
int) of 67, 110, and 160 nm. The calculated nanodot density was as high as 0.18 Tb in.−2 when D = 40 nm. X-ray diffraction patterns indicated that the as-grown Fe3O4 nanodots and the film had good textures of (004) orientation. Both the film and the nanodot arrays exhibited magnetic anisotropy; the anisotropy of the nanoarray weakened with decreasing dot size. The Verwey transition temperature of the film and nanodot arrays with D ≥ 70 nm was observed at around 120 K, similar to that of the Fe3O4 bulk; however, no clear transition was observed from the small nanodot array with D = 40 nm. Results showed that magnetic properties could be tailored through the morphology of nanodots. Therefore, Fe3O4 nanodot arrays may be applied in high-density magnetic storage and spintronic devices.
Iterative methods for triple hierarchical variational inequalities and common fixed point problems
Authors: Sahu DR , Kang Shin Min , Sagar Vidya , Kumar Satyendra
Published: June 2015

The purpose of this paper is to introduce a new iterative scheme for approximating the solution of a triple hierarchical variational inequality problem. Under some requirements on parameters, we study the convergence analysis of the proposed iterative scheme for the considered triple hierarchical variational inequality problem which is defined over the set of solutions of a variational inequality problem defined over the intersection of the set of common fixed points of a sequence of nearly nonexpansive mappings and the set of solutions of the classical variational inequality. Our strong convergence theorems extend and improve some known corresponding results in the contemporary literature for a wider class of nonexpansive type mappings in Hilbert spaces.

MSC:47J20, 47J25.
Fixed points for mappings satisfying some multi-valued contractions with w-distance
Authors: Liu Zeqing , Wang Xiaochen , Kang Shin Min , Cho Sun Young
Published: June 2015

The existence of fixed points and iterative approximations for some nonlinear multi-valued contraction mappings in complete metric spaces with w-distance are proved. Two examples are included. The results presented in this paper extend, improve and unify many known results in recent literature.

MSC:54H25, 47H10.
White matter injury restoration after stem cell administration in subcortical ischemic stroke
Authors: Otero-Ortega Laura , Gutiérrez-Fernández María , Ramos-Cejudo Jaime , Rodríguez-Frutos Berta , Fuentes Blanca , Sobrino Tomás , Hernanz Teresa Navarro , Campos Francisco , López Juan Antonio , Cerdán Sebastián , Vázquez Jesús , Díez-Tejedor Exuperio
Published: June 2015

Introduction

Despite its high incidence, nerve fiber (axon and myelin) damage after cerebral infarct has not yet been extensively investigated. The aim of this study was to investigate white matter repair after adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cell (ADMSC) administration in an experimental model of subcortical stroke. Furthermore, we aimed to analyze the ADMSC secretome and whether this could be implicated in this repair function.

Methods

An animal model of subcortical ischemic stroke with white matter affectation was induced in rats by injection of endothelin-1. At 24 hours, 2 × 106 ADMSC were administered intravenously to the treatment group. Functional evaluation, lesion size, fiber tract integrity, cell death, proliferation, white matter repair markers (Olig-2, NF, and MBP) and NogoA were all studied after sacrifice (7 days and 28 days). ADMSC migration and implantation in the brain as well as proteomics analysis and functions of the secretome were also analyzed.

Results

Neither ADMSC migration nor implantation to the brain was observed after ADMSC administration. In contrast, ADMSC implantation was detected in peripheral organs. The treatment group showed a smaller functional deficit, smaller lesion area, less cell death, more oligodendrocyte proliferation, more white matter connectivity and higher amounts of myelin formation. The treated animals also showed higher levels of white matter-associated markers in the injured area than the control group. Proteomics analysis of the ADMSC secretome identified 2,416 proteins, not all of them previously described to be involved in brain plasticity.

Conclusions

White matter integrity in subcortical stroke is in part restored by ADMSC treatment; this is mediated by repair molecular factors implicated in axonal sprouting, remyelination and oligodendrogenesis. These findings are associated with improved functional recovery after stroke.
Single-site laparoscopic colectomy for rectosigmoid cancer with middle aortic syndrome: report of a case
Authors: Tamai Koki , Takemasa Ichiro , Uemura Mamoru , Nishimura Junichi , Hata Taishi , Higashihara Hiroki , Osuga Keigo , Mizushima Tsunekazu , Yamamoto Hirofumi , Doki Yuichiro , Mori Masaki
Published: June 2015

Introduction

Single-site laparoscopic colectomy (SLC) is a promising minimally invasive and safe treatment for colorectal cancer. Improvements of the working instruments and procedures for SLC have helped to overcome challenges regarding the difficulty of operation, supporting the gradual acceptance of this technique. In contrast, narrow working space of the abdominal cavity sometimes prevents securing an adequate surgical view. To obtain precise anatomical information and enable complete mesocolic excision (CME), we routinely perform three-dimensional computed tomography prior to SLC.

Case presentation

A 69-year-old Japanese woman was clinically diagnosed with rectosigmoid cancer. Unexpectedly, preoperative examination revealed asymptomatic stenosis of the great artery, which was diagnosed as middle aortic syndrome. Because radical colectomy requires dissection of vessels that supply blood flow to the legs, a vascular stent was inserted prior to operation. We chose SLC due to the reduced risk of damaging epigastric arteries, which may eventually become collaterals in the event of stent re-stenosis. We accomplished SLC with CME, and the patient was discharged on the tenth day after operation without complications.

Conclusion

The present case is the first to proceed by SLC for colorectal cancer complicated by vascular obstructive disease. Preoperative imaging enabled us to identify an unexpected rare disease and to still accomplish SLC with CME, thus reinforcing the importance of preoperative imaging to optimize the use of SLC. In addition, SLC may become one of the most adequate procedures for patients complicated by vascular obstructive disease.
New fat-derived products for treating skin-induced lesions of scleroderma in nude mice
Authors: Serratrice Nicolas , Bruzzese Laurie , Magalon Jérémy , Véran Julie , Giraudo Laurent , Aboudou Houssein , Ould-Ali Djaffar , Nguyen Pierre Sébastien , Bausset Olivier , Daumas Aurélie , Casanova Dominique , Granel Brigitte , Andrac-Meyer Lucile , Sabatier Florence , Magalon Guy
Published: June 2015

Introduction

Scleroderma is characterized by cutaneous manifestations that mainly affect the hands, arms and face. As of today, there is no treatment for fibrotic skin lesions of scleroderma. Previously we generated and validated a model of scleroderma-like skin sclerosis in nude mice, appropriate to inject human derived products. We showed that the subcutaneous injection of micro-fat (MF), purified and injected using small caliber cannulas, have anti-fibrotic and pro-angiogenic effects and appears more suitable for the treatment of skin lesions of scleroderma compared to the gold standard (Coleman’s technique or macro-fat). Here we compared the long-term efficacy of micro-fat “enriched” with other therapeutic products including the stromal vascular fraction (SVF) of fat and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) from blood in our murine model of scleroderma.

Methods

We used 72 nude mice in this study. We formed six experimental groups: Macro-fat, MF, SVF, PRP, MF + SVF, MF + PRP. This project has three phases: i) Induction of skin sclerosis by daily subcutaneous injections of bleomycin (BLM) for 4 weeks in nude mice; ii) Purification and injection of the different cell therapy products; iii) Histological analyses done 8 weeks post-injections.

Results

MF + SVF and MF + PRP significantly reversed dermal and epidermal sclerosis (P <0.01). Macro-fat, SVF, PRP only corrected the dermal sclerosis (P <0.05). Epidermal sclerosis was reduced in treatments containing MF (P <0.01). MF was more stable. Products containing the SVF were associated with a significant increase of the local vascularization (P <0.01).

Conclusions

All tested substances were effective in treating skin-induced lesions of scleroderma with different levels of fibrosis and vascular improvement; MF derived products are more stable and SVF demonstrated better pro-angiogenic effects. The observed efficacy of this combination of products in the animal model provides a rationale for potential clinical applications to treat human disease.
Leukocyte transmigration into tissue-engineered constructs is influenced by endothelial cells through Toll-like receptor signaling
Authors: Bartaula-Brevik Sushma , Pedersen Torbjorn O , Blois Anna L , Papadakou Panagiota , Finne-Wistrand Anna , Xue Ying , Bolstad Anne Isine , Mustafa Kamal
Published: June 2015

Introduction

Inflammation plays a crucial role in tissue regeneration, wound healing, and the success of tissue-engineered constructs. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (ECs) on leukocyte transmigration when co-cultured with primary human bone marrow-derived multipotent stromal cells (MSCs).

Methods

MSCs with and without ECs were cultured in poly (L-lactide-co-1, 5-dioxepan-2-one) (poly (LLA-co-DXO)) scaffolds for 1 week in vitro in a bioreactor system, after which they were implanted subcutaneously in non-obese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficient mice. After 1 and 3 weeks, scaffolds were retrieved, and the mRNA expression of interleukin 1-beta (IL-1β), IL-6, IL-10, hypoxia-inducible factor 1-alpha (HIF-1α), HIF-1β, and mammalian target of rapamycin was examined by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Furthermore, immunofluorescent staining was performed for IL-1β, IL-6, neutrophils, and CD11b. In addition, Western blotting was done for IL-1β and IL-6. Leukocyte transmigration genes and genes in Toll-like receptor pathways, expressed by MSCs cultured in vitro with or without ECs, were further investigated with a microarray dataset.

Results

In vitro, genes involved in leukocyte transmigration and Toll-like receptor pathways were clearly influenced by the addition of ECs. Platelet/endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 (PECAM-1) and cadherin-5 (CDH5), both genes involved in leukocyte transmigration, were expressed significantly higher in the MSC/EC group.

In vivo, the MSC/EC group showed higher mRNA expression of hypoxia-inducible factors HIF-1α and HIF-1β. The mRNA expression of anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 showed no significant difference, whereas the mRNA and protein expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β and IL-6 were lower in the MSC/EC group. The quantitative analysis of immunofluorescent staining revealed a significant difference in the number of neutrophils migrating into constructs, with the highest density found in the MSC/EC group. The number of macrophages positive for IL-6 and CD11b was significantly reduced in the MSC/EC group.

Conclusions

The recruitment of leukocytes into tissue-engineered constructs with MSCs is strongly influenced by the addition of ECs via activation of leukocyte transmigration and Toll-like receptor pathways.
Reductions in behavioral deficits and neuropathology in the R6/2 mouse model of Huntington’s disease following transplantation of bone-marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells is dependent on passage number
Authors: Rossignol Julien , Fink Kyle D , Crane Andrew T , Davis Kendra K , Bombard Matthew C , Clerc Steven , Bavar Angela M , Lowrance Steven A , Song Cheng , Witte Steven , Lescaudron Laurent , Dunbar Gary L
Published: June 2015

Introduction

Huntington’s disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant disorder caused by an expanded CAG repeat (greater than 38) on the short arm of chromosome 4, resulting in loss and dysfunction of neurons in the neostriatum and cortex, leading to cognitive decline, motor dysfunction, and death, typically occurring 15 to 20 years after the onset of motor symptoms. Although an effective treatment for HD has remained elusive, current studies using transplants of bone-marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells provides considerable promise. This study further investigates the efficacy of these transplants with a focus on comparing how passage number of these cells may affect subsequent efficacy following transplantation.

Methods

In this study, mesenchymal stem cells isolated from the bone-marrow of mice (BM MSCs), were labeled with Hoechst after low (3 to 8) or high (40 to 50) numbers of passages and then transplanted intrastriatally into 5-week-old R6/2 mice, which carries the N-terminal fragment of the human HD gene (145 to 155 repeats) and rapidly develops symptoms analogous to the human form of the disease.

Results

It was observed that the transplanted cells survived and the R6/2 mice displayed significant behavioral and morphological sparing compared to untreated R6/2 mice, with R6/2 mice receiving high passage BM MSCs displaying fewer deficits than those receiving low-passage BM MSCs. These beneficial effects are likely due to trophic support, as an increase in brain derived neurotrophic factor mRNA expression was observed in the striatum following transplantation of BM MSCs.

Conclusion

The results from this study demonstrate that BM MSCs hold significant therapeutic value for HD, and that the amount of time the cells are exposed to in vitro culture conditions can alter their efficacy.
Service and quality of medical services
Authors: Данилина Елена , Danilina Elena , Яковлева Екатерина , Yakovleva Ekaterina , Бутова Татьяна , Butova Tatyana , Белобородов Алексей , Beloborodov Aleksey
Published: June 2015

The article defines the scientific and terminological problems of researching services in the field of services, the basic problems of the evaluation of services in health care organizations. On the basis of a systematic approach to the category of quality of medical services the article investigates patient satisfaction with the perceived quality of service, shows the role of consumer expectations in the evaluation of the perceived quality of services and finds that the requirements for the service in medical institutions are underestimated. On the basis of studies the authors identify behaviors of consumers of budgetary medical services organizations, develop a model of consumer activities, which differs from the existing ones that along with the economic component the model is complemented with communication components. The approbation of the authors´ model for health care services shows a characteristic pattern of consumer activity of budgetary organizations. The article highlights the factors of subjective judgment of health care consumers in assessing perceived quality. Based on the study of patient satisfaction the authors develop a hierarchical model of the perceived quality of health services, as well as the place of services defined in the model.
Service in the conditions of customized consumption
Authors: Вапнярская Ольга , Vapnyarskaya Olga
Published: June 2015

The definition of "service" is an object of research in the field of marketing, economics, sociology, philosophy, but scientists have not reached a consensus about its essence. There are approaches that involve the identification of service and services, service and value-added services together, the service definition as a phenomenon, etc. These approaches are presented in the materials of the article with their comparative benchmarking. The article also presents the author´s view on the phenomenon through the prism of customized service consumption. The author hypothesizes that the individualization of consumer demand has led to the widespread use of tools to customize not only in terms of the product itself, but also other processes that accompany its consumption: design, marketing and so forth. It is assumed that in these conditions the service is key tool to personalize the product and establish relationships "consumer-producer". The author proposes a definition of service as a set of tools to increase the value of consumption of the product, manage processes and environment relations arising in the manufacture, marketing and operation of a particular product.