bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Successful use of haemodialysis to treat phenobarbital overdose
Authors: Hoyland Kimberley , Hoy Michael , Austin Richard , Wildman Martyn
Published: November 2013

A 50-year-old woman presented with coma caused by a phenobarbital overdose, requiring intubation and admission to critical care. She was an international visitor and had been prescribed the drug for night-sedation. Phenobarbital is a long-acting barbiturate, which in an overdose can cause central nervous system depression, respiratory failure and haemodynamic instability; these patients can remain obtunded for many days. After initial supportive therapy, she was dialysed to help in the elimination of the drug. Haemodialysis resulted in a markedly reduced plasma level of phenobarbital, which decreased the length of intubation and stay in the critical care unit and aided full recovery.
Abdominopelvic actinomycosis mimicking disseminated peritoneal carcinomatosis
Authors: Hildyard Catherine A T , Gallacher Neil J , Macklin Philip S
Published: November 2013

We present a case of a 38-year-old woman who presented with symptoms suggestive of intra-abdominal or pelvic malignancy: marked weight loss, abdominal pain, altered bowel habit, anorexia and fatigue. The findings of multiple peritoneal deposits, adnexal and presacral masses on CT imaging and appearances on diagnostic laparotomy also suggested malignancy. However, the histological analysis was inconsistent with malignancy and revealed an infection withActinomyces israelii. The patient started a course of intravenous antibiotics and complete resolution is expected. An intrauterine contraceptive device was identified as the likely source of the infection.
Spontaneous subclavian artery dissection: a pain in the neck diagnosis
Authors: Marik Paul Ellis , Mclaughlin Matthew T
Published: November 2013

Isolated subclavian artery dissection is a very rare condition in the absence of trauma or procedures. A 36-year-old woman with a history significant for uncontrolled hypertension presented with a sudden onset of left shoulder and neck pain that woke the patient from sleep. A CT angiogram of the chest revealed a left subclavian artery dissection. The patient was admitted to the hospital for blood pressure control.
Prevalence of diabetes mellitus in outpatients with essential hypertension in China: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Liu Jun , Zhao Dong , Liu Jing , Qi Yue , Sun Jiayi , Wang Wei
Published: November 2013

Objectives

To investigate the prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) and new detection of DM using fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and 2 h plasma glucose (2-hPG) in hypertensive outpatients in China.

Design

Multicenter cross-sectional study.

Setting

46 hospitals in China.

Participants

Study patients were consecutively recruited from June to December 2009 from hypertension outpatient clinics in 46 hospitals in 22 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities in China. At least 100 consecutive patients were recruited in each hospital. FPG was measured for all patients and 2-hPG was measured in those without a history of DM. A total of 4942 hypertensive outpatients aged ≥20 years were included.

Results

Prevalence of DM was 24.3% (which included both previously and newly diagnosed cases). Among the 1202 patients with DM, 417 (34.7%) were newly detected. In patients aged <45 years, 52.6% of cases of DM were newly detected. Of the 417 cases of newly detected diabetes, 54.9% were identified using FPG tests and the remaining 45.1% by 2-hPG tests; 27.1% of patients with newly detected DM had FPG <6.1 mmol/L and 16.5% had FPG <5.6 mmol/L. Among the elderly patients (≥65 years), 32.4% had normal FPG (<6.1 mmol/L) and 24.5% had optimal FPG (<5.6 mmol/L).

Conclusions

Our findings showed a high prevalence of DM and newly detected DM among Chinese hypertensive outpatients. Application of additional 2-hPG testing to FPG assay can improve the detection rate of DM, especially in elderly patients.
Cross vascular risk for first and recurrent hospitalised atherothrombosis determined retrospectively from linked data
Authors: Briffa Tom G , Nedkoff Lee J , Knuiman Matthew W , Hankey Graeme J , Norman Paul E , Hung Joseph , Thompson Peter L , Hickling Siobhan , Bremner Alexandra , Sanfilippo Frank M
Published: November 2013

Objectives

To determine the sex-specific and age-specific risk ratios for the first-ever and recurrent hospitalisation for cerebrovascular, coronary and peripheral arterial disease in persons with other vascular history versus without other vascular history in Western Australia from 2005to 2007.

Design

Cross-sectional linkage study.

Setting

Hospitalised population in a representative Australian State.

Participants

All persons aged 34–85 years between 1 January 2005 and 31 December 2007 were hospitalised with a principal diagnosis of atherothrombosis.

Data sources

Person-linked file of statutory-collected administrative morbidity and mortality records.

Main outcome measures

Sex-specific and age-specific risk ratios for the first-ever and recurrent hospitalisations for symptomatic atherothrombosis of the brain, coronary and periphery using a 15-year look-back period lead to the determining of prior events.

Results

Over 3 years, 40 877 (66% men; 55% first-ever) were hospitalised for atherothrombosis. For each arterial territory, age-specific recurrent rates were higher than the corresponding first-ever rates, with the biggest difference seen in the youngest age groups. For all types of first-ever atherothrombosis, the rates were higher in those with other vascular history and the risk ratios declined with an advancing age (trend: all p<0.0001) and remained significantly >1 even for 75–84 years old. However, for recurrent events, the rates were marginally higher in those with other vascular history and no risk ratio age trend was apparent with several not significantly >1 (trend: all p>0.13).

Conclusions

This study of hospitalised atherothrombosis suggests first-events predominate and that the risk of further events in the same or other arterial territory is very high for all ages and both sexes, accentuating the necessity for an early and sustained active prevention.
An implementation program targeted at non-physician, anaesthesia assistants improves the quality of laryngeal mask anaesthesia
Authors: Reed Isabelle , Walker Ellie , Oliver Rose Bernd
Published: November 2013

The laryngeal mask airway (LMA) is used to facilitate adequate ventilation in the majority of procedures requiring general anaesthesia in the UK. Excessive LMA cuff pressure and/or volume, generated by injection of air to form an adequate seal within the upper airway, has been associated with pharyngolaryngeal morbidity, an indicator of quality in anaesthetic practice. However, measurement of LMA cuff pressure to limit excessive cuff pressure is not routine practice, despite trial data showing this reduces adverse outcomes. Our aim was to reduce morbidity from the LMA through the implementation of an educational and interventional program targeted at anaesthetic nurses and operating department assistants (ODA), to alter their physician colleagues’ practice. LMA cuff pressure measurements were made, and postoperative outcomes recorded, in an observational cohort of surgical patients over an initial 2-month period. These results, including patient morbidity and the evidence for LMA cuff pressure measurement, were presented to anaesthesia providers and their assistants. An implementation plan to adjust pressures within recommended levels was then undertaken by anaesthesia assistants.

In 90 patients, >95% of LMA pressures were beyond the recommended level; higher volumes of injected air correlated with excess pressure (r=0.58; p<0.0001) and were associated with pharyngolaryngeal morbidity in 28% patients (P=0.04). There was no association with difficulty in LMA insertion, duration or type of surgical procedure. In the implementation cohort (102 patients), pharyngolaryngeal morbidity was reduced to 11% (P=0.001) in the 45 patients where LMA cuff pressure was reduced to within normal limits (absolute risk reduction: 38% (95% CI: 22-54%). LMA manometry in three patients (95% CI: 2-5) was required to prevent an episode of postoperative pharyngolaryngeal morbidity.

A systematic educational and interventional program targeted at the entire perioperative anaesthesia team, but implemented by anaesthesia assistants, can improve perioperative safety and quality.
Venous thromboembolism (VTE) risk assessment and prophylaxis in acute orthopaedic admissions: improving compliance with national guidelines
Authors: Watts Laura , Grant David
Published: November 2013

"Each year over 25,000 people die from Venous Thromboembolism (VTE) contracted in hospital. This is more than the combined total of deaths from breast cancer, AIDS and traffic accidents”. (1) Orthopaedic patients are at particular risk of VTE. In 2011, the project team carried out an audit into compliance with national VTE assessment guidelines on all acute trauma and orthopaedic admissions during a two week period at a District General Hospital. The study demonstrated that compliance was initially low, but showed a large improvement following the implementation of simple measures. The measures included: asking consultants to remind junior doctors, putting posters up in the trauma doctors office, asking nursing staff to check for a VTE assessment on admission to the ward, and putting reminders on the patient name board. The project team subsequently recommended an alteration to the hospital’s computer system to incorporate a check of VTE assessment and prophylaxis. A second assessment using the same methodology sought to assess whether the previous improvements were sustained and the impact of this computer system alteration. Overall, compliance with national VTE guidance improved further.
Do economic recessions during early and mid-adulthood influence cognitive function in older age?
Authors: Leist Anja K , Hessel Philipp , Avendano Mauricio
Published: November 2013

Background

Fluctuations in the national economy shape labour market opportunities and outcomes, which in turn may influence the accumulation of cognitive reserve. This study examines whether economic recessions experienced in early and mid-adulthood are associated with later-life cognitive function.

Method

Data came from 12 020 respondents in 11 countries participating in the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). Cognitive assessments in 2004/2005 and 2006/2007 were linked to complete work histories retrospectively collected in 2008/2009 and to historical annual data on fluctuations in Gross Domestic Product per capita for each country. Controlling for confounders, we assessed whether recessions experienced at ages 25–34, 35–44 and 45–49 were associated with cognitive function at ages 50–74.

Results

Among men, each additional recession at ages 45–49 was associated with worse cognitive function at ages 50–74 (b=−0.06, CI −0.11 to −0.01). Among women, each additional recession at ages 25–44 was associated with worse cognitive function at ages 50–74 (b25–34=−0.03, CI −0.04 to −0.01; b35–44=−0.02, CI −0.04 to −0.00). Among men, recessions at ages 45–49 influenced risk of being laid-off, whereas among women, recessions at ages 25–44 led to working part-time and higher likelihood of downward occupational mobility, which were all predictors of worse later-life cognitive function.

Conclusions

Recessions at ages 45–49 among men and 25–44 among women are associated with later-life cognitive function, possibly through more unfavourable labour market trajectories. If replicated in future studies, findings indicate that policies that ameliorate the impact of recessions on labour market outcomes may promote later-life cognitive function.
Decomposing social capital inequalities in health
Authors: Moore Spencer , Stewart Steven , Teixeira Ana
Published: November 2013

Background

Research has shown network social capital associated with a range of health behaviours and conditions. Little is known about what social capital inequalities in health represent, and which social factors contribute to such inequalities.

Methods

Data come from the Montreal Neighbourhood Networks and Healthy Aging Study (n=2707). A position generator was used to collect network data on social capital. Health outcomes included self-reported health (SRH), physical inactivity, and hypertension. Social capital inequalities in low SRH, physical inactivity, and hypertension were decomposed into demographic, socioeconomic, network and psychosocial determinants. The percentage contributions of each in explaining health disparities were calculated.

Results

Across the three outcomes, higher educational attainment contributed most consistently to explaining social capital inequalities in low SRH (% C=30.8%), physical inactivity (15.9%), and hypertension (51.2%). Social isolation, contributed to physical inactivity (11.7%) and hypertension (18.2%). Sense of control (24.9%) and perceived cohesion (11.5%) contributed to low SRH. Age reduced or increased social capital inequalities in hypertension depending on the age category.

Conclusions

Interventions that include strategies to reduce socioeconomic inequalities and increase actual and perceived social connectivity may be most successful in reducing social capital inequalities in health.
Reproducibility of near-infrared spectroscopy measurements of oxidative function and postexercise recovery kinetics in the medial gastrocnemius muscle
Authors: Southern William M. , Ryan Terence E. , Reynolds Mary A. , McCully Kevin
Published: November 2013

The purpose of this study was to assess the reproducibility of resting blood flow, resting oxygen consumption, and mitochondrial capacity in skeletal muscle using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). We also determined the influence of 2 exercise modalities (ergometer and rubber exercise bands) on the NIRS measurements. Fifteen young, healthy participants (5 female, 10 male) were tested on 2 nonconsecutive occasions within an 8-day period. The NIRS device was placed on the medial gastrocnemius. Venous and arterial occlusions were performed to obtain blood flow and oxygen consumption. A series of repeated arterial occlusions was used to measure the recovery kinetics of muscle oxygen consumption after ∼7–10 s of voluntary plantar flexion exercise. Resting blood flow had mean coefficients of variation (CV) of 42% and 38% for bands and ergometer, respectively, and resting metabolism had mean CVs of 17% and 12% for bands and ergometer, respectively. The recovery time constant of oxygen consumption (day 1 bands and ergometer: 23.2 ± 3.7 s, 27.6 ± 6.5 s, respectively; day 2 bands and ergometer: 25.5 ± 5.4 s, 25.0 ± 4.9 s, respectively) had mean CVs of 10% and 11% for bands and ergometer, respectively. We conclude that measurements of oxygen consumption and mitochondrial capacity using NIRS can be obtained with good reproducibility.
Endothelial cell TIMP-1 is upregulated by shear stress via Sp-1 and the TGFβ1 signaling pathways
Authors: Uchida Cassandra , Haas Tara L.
Published: November 2013

Laminar shear stress promotes vascular integrity by inhibiting proteolysis of the extracellular matrix (ECM) surrounding the microvasculature. We hypothesized that the matrix metalloproteinase inhibitor TIMP-1 would be upregulated in endothelial cells exposed to shear stress. Microvascular endothelial cells isolated from rat or mouse skeletal muscles were exposed to laminar shear stress for 2, 4, or 24 h. A biphasic increase in TIMP-1 protein was observed at 2 and 24 h of shear stress exposure. Sp-1 siRNA prevented the increase in TIMP-1 after 2, but not 24, hours of shear exposure. TGFβ production and Smad2/3 phosphorylation are increased by shear stress. Inhibition of TGFβ signaling, either by use of the TGFβ receptor 1 inhibitor SB-431542 or with Smad 2/3 siRNA, abrogated the shear stress-induced increase in TIMP-1 mRNA after 24 h of shear stress exposure. These results suggest that both acute and chronic elevated laminar shear stress act to maintain vessel integrity through increasing TIMP-1 production, but that the TGFβ signaling pathway is essential to maintain TIMP-1 expression during chronic shear stress.
Modeling regional and climatic variation of wood density and ring width in intensively managed Douglas-fir
Authors: Filipescu Cosmin N. , Lowell Eini C. , Koppenaal Ross , Mitchell Al K.
Published: November 2013

Characteristics of annual rings are reliable indicators of growth and wood quality in trees. The main objective of our study was to model the variation in annual ring attributes due to intensive silviculture and inherent regional differences in climate and site across a wide geographic range of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco). Ring specific gravity and ring width of Douglas-fir were examined at five long-term Levels-Of-Growing-Stock (LOGS) installations, three in the US and two in Canada, covering a latitudinal gradient between 43°N and 50°N. At each location, increment cores were collected from replicated plots with three levels of stocking: control (unthinned), lightly thinned (70% basal area retention), and heavily thinned (30% basal area retention). X-ray densitometry analysis provided ring specific gravity and width profiles for 5676 rings from 134 trees. The reduction of stand density through repeated entries resulted in decreased ring specific gravity and increased ring width. A four-parameter mixed-effects logistic model was used to predict ring specific gravity using cambial age, stand density (as number of stems per hectare), and two climatic variables: average temperature from March to May and total precipitation from April to August. A three-parameter mixed-effects logistic model was used to predict ring width using cambial age, stand density (as stand density index), and total climatic moisture deficit of June and July. Both models indicated significant site differences that were included in the models through indicator variables. Ring specific gravity increased slightly with increasing average temperature from March to May and decreasing total precipitation from April to August. Predictions of ring specific gravity of Douglas-fir appear to be more sensitive to changes in temperature compared with changes in precipitation.
GENERATION OF BRIGHT MATTER-WAVE SOLITON PATTERNS IN MIXTURES OF BOSE–EINSTEIN CONDENSATES WITH CUBIC AND QUINTIC NONLINEARITIES
Authors: BELOBO BELOBO DIDIER , BEN-BOLIE GERMAIN HUBERT , KOFANÉ TIMOLÉON CRÉPIN
Published: November 2013

The modulational instability (MI) of binary condensates with cubic-quintic nonlinearities is investigated. Using a linear stability analysis, a gain of instability is derived then, effects of the quintic nonlinearities on the instability gain are identified. To be precise, attractive intraspecie quintic nonlinearities enhance the instability, while repulsive quintic intraspecie nonlinearities soften the instability. Besides, small attractive and large repulsive quintic inter-species nonlinearities increase the instability. Numerical experiments quite well corroborate the analytical predictions. Further numerical results show effects of the cubic and the quintic nonlinearities on the propagation of trains of bright solitons generated.
SELF-SIMILARITY PROPERTIES OF NAFIONIZED AND FILTERED WATER AND DEFORMED COHERENT STATES
Authors: CAPOLUPO A. , DEL GIUDICE E. , ELIA V. , GERMANO R. , NAPOLI E. , NICCOLI M. , TEDESCHI A. , VITIELLO G.
Published: November 2013

By resorting to measurements of physically characterizing observables of water samples perturbed by the presence of Nafion and by iterative filtration processes, we discuss their scale free, self-similar fractal properties. By use of algebraic methods, the isomorphism is proved between such self-similarity features and the deformed coherent state formalism.
ENTANGLEMENT CONCENTRATION WITH CROSS-KERR NONLINEARITY
Authors: ZHANG WEIFANG , LI DA-CHUANG , XIONG WEI , XU CUI-PING , QIU HAO , BAO DI
Published: November 2013

We propose a protocol for realizing two entanglement concentration scheme with cross-Kerr nonlinearity and double cross-phase modulation method. In our protocols, two remote parties do not require the accurate information of the less entangled state and the double cross-phase modulation is introduced to overcome the errors caused by the imperfect Kerr interaction. By this way, a single-photon entanglement is concentrated, and a three-photon polarized GHZ state is also achieved. Furthermore this protocol can be scaled to multiphoton polarized GHZ state concentration and the giant Kerr media is not needed, which makes our protocols more feasible in experiment.
THE CONCORDANCE GENUS OF 11-CROSSING KNOTS
Authors: KEARNEY M. KATE
Published: November 2013

The concordance genus of a knot is the least genus of any knot in its concordance class. It is bounded above by the genus of the knot, and bounded below by the slice genus, two well-studied invariants. In this paper we consider the concordance genus of 11-crossing prime knots. This analysis resolves the concordance genus of 533 of the 552 prime 11-crossing knots. The appendix to the paper gives concordance diagrams for 59 knots found to be concordant to knots of lower genus, including null-concordances for the 30 11-crossing knots known to be slice.
Capturing protein folding-relevant topology via absolute contact order variants
Authors: Wagaman Amy S. , Jaswal Sheila S.
Published: November 2013

Absolute contact order is one of the simplest parameters used to predict protein folding rates. Many variants of contact order (CO) have been applied to highlight different aspects of contact neighborhoods and their relationship to folding. However, a systematic study of the influence of CO variants on correlation with folding rate has not been performed for a large combined set of multi- and two-state proteins. We explore different contact neighborhoods and resulting CO by varying the distance thresholds and weighting of sequence separation for heavy atom and residue-based counting methods for a set of 136 proteins diverse across folding and structural classes. We examine the changes in contact neighborhoods and compare correlations with our CO variants and the protein folding rates across our data set as well as by folding type and structural class. Different CO variants lead to the strongest correlations within each protein structural class. Our results demonstrate that backbone topology at a distance beyond where energetic interactions dominate is able to capture folding determinants, and suggest that more sensitive methods of characterizing contact relationships may improve ln kf prediction for diverse protein sets.
FINDING PROBLEM SPECIFIC SHANNON INFORMATION IN HIGH DIMENSIONAL INPUT SPACE FOR ARTIFICIAL NEURAL NETWORKS
Authors: BARR JOSEPH R. , DOBSON W. KURT
Published: November 2013

Artificial neural networks, due to their ability to find the underlying model even in complex highly nonlinear and highly coupled problems, have found significant use as prediction engines in many domains. However, in problems where the input space is of high dimensionality, there is the unsolved problem of reducing dimensionality in some optimal way such that Shannon information important to the prediction is preserved. The important Shannon information may be a subset of total information with an unknown partition, unknown coupling and linear or nonlinear in nature. Solving this problem is an important step in classes of machine learning problems and many data mining applications. This paper describes a semi-automatic algorithm that was developed over a 5-year period while solving problems with increasing dimensionality and difficulty in (a) flow prediction for a magnetically levitated artificial heart (13 dimensions), (b) simultaneous chemical identification/concentration in gas chromatography (22 detection dimensions with wavelet compressed time series of 180,000 points), and finally in (c) financial analytics portfolio prediction in credit card and sub-prime debt problems (80 to 300 dimensions of sparse data with a portfolio value of approximately US$300,000,000.00). The algorithm develops a map of input space combinations and their importance to the prediction. This information is used directly to construct the optimal neural network topology for a given error performance. Importantly, the algorithm also produces information that shows whether the space between input nodes is linear or nonlinear; an important parameter in determining the number of training points required in the reduced dimensionality of the training set. Software was developed in the MatLAB environment using the Artificial Neural Network Toolbox, Parallel and Distributed Computing toolboxes, and runs on Windows or Linux based supercomputers. Trained neural networks can be compiled and linked to server applications and run on normal servers or clusters for transaction or web based processing. In this paper, application of the algorithm to two separate financial analytics prediction problems with large dimensionality and sparse data sets are shown. The algorithm is an important development in machine learning for an important class of problems in prediction, clustering, image analysis, and data mining. In the first example application for subprime debt portfolio analysis, performance of the neural network provided a 98.4% prediction rate, compared to 33% rate using traditional linear methods. In the second example application regarding credit card debt, performance of the algorithm provided a 95% accurate prediction (in terms of match rate), and is 10% better than other methods we have compared against, primarily logistic regression.
Rapid determination of hyaluronic acid concentration in fermentation broth with near-infrared spectroscopy
Authors: Dong Qin , Zang Hengchang , Zang Lixuan , Liu Aihua , Shi Yanli , Zhang Hui
Published: November 2013

Hyaluronic acid (HA) concentration is an important parameter in fermentation process. Currently, carbazole assay is widely used for HA content determination in routine analysis. However, this method is time-consuming, environment polluting and has the risk of microbial contamination, as well as the results lag behind fermentation process. This paper attempted the feasibility to predict the concentration of HA in fermentation broth by using near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy in transmission mode. In this work, a total of 56 samples of fermentation broth from 7 batches were analyzed, which contained HA in the range of 2.35–9.69 g/L. Different data preprocessing methods were applied to construct calibration models. The final optimal model was obtained with first derivative using Savitzky–Golay smoothing (9 points window, second-order polynomial) and partial least squares (PLS) regression with leave-one-block-out cross validation. The correlation coefficient and Root Mean Square Error of prediction set is 0.98 and 0.43 g/L, respectively, which show the possibility of NIR as a rapid method for microanalysis and to be a promising tool for a rapid assay in HA fermentation.
Post-emplacement thermo-rheological history of a granite intrusion and surrounding rocks: the Monte Capanne pluton, Elba Island, Italy
Authors: Caggianelli Alfredo , Ranalli Giorgio , Lavecchia Alessio , Liotta Domenico , Dini Andrea
Published: November 2013

A thermo-rheological model of the Monte Capanne pluton, Elba Island, Italy is proposed as having general relevance for the thermal and tectonic evolution of upper crustal granites and their surrounding rocks in extensional regions. The thermal evolution of the pluton and country rocks is followed for 1 myr after emplacement, which occurred at
c.
6.9 Ma. The pluton completely crystallized in
c.
210 kyr (±20%). The adjacent rocks reached a thermal peak of 550 °C (±10%), maintaining a temperature higher than 500 °C for
c.
100 kyr.

The temperature distribution is used to construct a model for the time-dependent rheology of the pluton and surrounding rocks. A series of 2D cross-sections shows an upward migration of the regional brittle−ductile transition, and the formation of a ductile horizon above the pluton. The former is a combined effect of unroofing and middle crust heating; the latter is the result of temperature increase in rheologically weak country rocks. This ductile horizon has a potential role in the tectonic evolution of the region, since it could favour the formation of upper crustal shear zones and listric faults rooting in the transient brittle−ductile transition and playing a major role in further post-emplacement extension.
Regulation of renal phosphate transport by FGF23 is mediated by FGFR1 and FGFR4
Authors: Gattineni Jyothsna , Alphonse Priyatharshini , Zhang Qiuyu , Mathews Nisha , Bates Carlton M. , Baum Michel
Published: November 2013

Fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) is a bone-derived hormone that acts on the proximal tubule to decrease phosphate reabsorption and serum levels of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3[1,25(OH)2Vitamin D3]. Abnormal FGF23 metabolism has been implicated in several debilitating hypophosphatemic and hyperphosphatemic disorders. The renal receptors responsible for the phosphaturic actions of FGF23 have not been elucidated. There are four fibroblast growth factor receptors (FGFR); 1–4 with “b” and “c” isoforms for receptors 1, 2, and 3. FGFR1, 3, and 4 are expressed in the mouse proximal tubule, and deletion of any one receptor did not affect serum phosphate levels, suggesting that more than one receptor is involved in mediating the phosphaturic actions of FGF23. To determine the receptors responsible for the phosphaturic actions of FGF23, we studied Fgfr1 (kidney conditional) and Fgfr4 (global) double mutant mice ( Fgfr1−/−/Fgfr4−/−). Fgfr1−/−/Fgfr4−/−mice have higher FGF23 levels than their wild-type counterparts (108.1 ± 7.3 vs. 4,953.6 ± 675.0 pg/ml; P < 0.001). Despite the elevated FGF23 levels, Fgfr1−/−/Fgfr4−/−mice have elevated serum phosphorus levels, increased brush-border membrane vesicle (BBMV) phosphate transport, and increased Na-Picotransporter 2c (NaPi-2c) protein expression compared with wild-type mice. These data are consistent with FGFR1 and FGFR4 being the critical receptors for the phosphaturic actions of FGF23.
Effect of vastus lateralis fatigue on load sharing between quadriceps femoris muscles during isometric knee extensions
Authors: Bouillard Killian , Jubeau Marc , Nordez Antoine , Hug François
Published: November 2013

The present study aimed to investigate the effects of selective fatigue (i.e., one muscle of the quadriceps) on load sharing strategies during submaximal knee extensions. Shear wave elastography was used to measure muscle shear elastic modulus, as this is considered to be an index of individual muscle force. Sixteen participants attended two experimental sessions that each involved six 10-s knee extensions at 20% of maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) followed by a sustained submaximal isometric knee extension at 20% of MVC, until task failure (Tlim). Between the 10-s contractions and Tlim, participants were required to rest (5 min) for the control session or underwent 5 min of electromyostimulation (EMS) on vastus lateralis (EMS session). Compared with the control session, vastus lateralis shear elastic modulus values were significantly lower after EMS considering both the start of Tlim (54.6 ± 11.8 vs. 68.4 ± 19.2 kPa; P = 0.011) and the entire Tlim contraction (59.0 ± 14.0 vs. 74.4 ± 20.3 kPa; P = 0.019). However, no significant differences were observed for the other recorded muscles (vastus medialis and rectus femoris; both P = 1), i.e., different patterns of changes were found between participants. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that prefatiguing a single agonist muscle does not lead to a consistent redistribution of load sharing among the quadriceps muscles between individuals. These results suggest that the central nervous system does not use a common principle among individuals to control load sharing when neuromuscular fatigue occurs.
Dual-Band On-Body Repeater Antenna for In-on-On WBAN Applications
Authors: Tak Jinpil , Kwon Kyeol , Kim Sunwoo , Choi Jaehoon
Published: November 2013

A dual-band on-body repeater antenna for in-on-on wireless body area network applications is proposed. The proposed antenna has a maximum radiation normal to the human-body surface for communication with implanted devices in the 5.8 GHz industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) band. In addition, to transmit the biological information received from the implanted devices to other on-body devices, the proposed antenna was designed to have a monopole-like radiation pattern along the surface of the human body for communication in the 2.45 GHz ISM band. The antenna was fabricated, and its performance was measured by attaching it to a human-equivalent semisolid phantom. In addition, the human-body effect was studied to ensure antenna performance under an actual situation.
A Cross-Layer Design Combining of AMC with HARQ for DSRC Systems
Authors: Zhang Gao Yuan , Sun Li Min , Wen Hong , Wu Bin , Zhu Xiping , Zhou Liang
Published: November 2013

A new cross-layer design combining adaptive modulation and coding (AMC) with Hybrid Automatic Repeat Qequest (HARQ) based on rate-compatible LDPC codes is proposed for IEEE Std. 802.11p in DSRC systems. Instead of considering AMC at the physical layer and ARQ at the data link layer separately, we propose a cross-layer design that combines these two layers judiciously to maximize either spectral efficiency or throughput. With ARQ correcting occasional packet errors at the data link layer, the stringent error control requirement is alleviated for the AMC at the physical layer. Numerical results demonstrate that the proposed AMC-HARQ design outperforms either application of AMC only at the physical layer or incorporation of ARQ with fixed modulation and coding scheme.
Effects of Maternal Factors on Birth Weight in Japan
Authors: Terada Misato , Matsuda Yoshio , Ogawa Masaki , Matsui Hideo , Satoh Shoji
Published: November 2013

Objective. We investigated the possible factors related to the birth weight (BW) using the Japanese perinatal database.Methods. The live infants born at 37 to 41 weeks of gestation were enrolled in this study. Cases with diabetic pregnancy, preeclampsia, an anomalous fetus, and a fetus with chromosomal abnormalities were excluded. A multiple regression analysis for confounding factors and an analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) for comparing the BW in 2006 and 2010 were used for the statistical analysis.Results. The BW significantly decreased from 2950.8 g in 2006 (n=27,723) to 2937.5 g in 2010 (n=38,008) in the overall population, and this decrease was similar for male and female neonates. All confounding factors, except for the mode of delivery, affected the BW. Primiparity, smoking, and a female gender were related to the decrease in BW, whereas maternal age, maternal height, weight gain during pregnancy, BMI, the use ofin vitrofertilization, induction of labor, and gestational duration were related to an increased BW. The ANCOVA showed that no significant change of the BW was seen between 2006 and 2010 (the difference was 2.164 g,P=0.414).Conclusion. The gestational duration is the most important factor affecting the BW in singleton term infants.
Suboptimal Control Strategies for Finite-Time Nonlinear Processes with Input Constraints
Authors: Rivadeneira Pablo S. , Adam Eduardo J.
Published: November 2013

Novel techniques for the optimization and control of finite-time
processes in real-time are pursued. These are developed in the framework
of the Hamiltonian optimal control. Two methods are designed. The first
one constructs the reference control trajectory as an approximation of the
optimal control via the Riccati equations in an adaptive fashion based
on the solutions of a set of partial differential equations called the α and
β matrices. These allow calculating the Riccati gain for a range of the
duration of the process T and the final penalization S. The second method
introduces input constraints to the general optimization formulation. The
notions of linear matrix inequalities allow us to recuperate the Riccati gain
as in the first method, but using an infinite horizon optimization method.
Finally, the performance of the proposed strategies is illustrated through
numerical simulations applied to a batch reactor and a penicillin fed-batch
reactor.
Manual Acupuncture and Laser Acupuncture for Autonomic Regulations in Rats: Observation on Heart Rate Variability and Gastric Motility
Authors: Yang Zhao-Kun , Wu Mei-Ling , Xin Juan-Juan , He Wei , Su Yang-Shuai , Shi Hong , Wang Xiao-Yu , Hu Ling , Jing Xiang-Hong , Litscher Gerhard
Published: November 2013

This study focused on the effects of laser acupuncture (LA) and manual acupuncture (MA) at different acupoints on gastric motility and heart rate variability (HRV) simultaneously to elucidate the site specific effects of acupoints and the correlation between changes of gastric motility and low frequency/high frequency (LF/HF) ratio. Gastric motility and HRV were recorded before and during MA or LA. Stimulating PC-6 or ST-36 significantly enhanced gastric motility, while BL-21 caused no changes. In contrast, MA or LA at CV-12 significantly suppressed gastric motility. Stimulating PC-6 or ST-36 significantly increased heart rate (HR), while CV-12 or BL-21 induced no significant changes of HR. Stimulating PC-6 significantly increased LF/HF, while ST-36, CV-12, or BL-21 induced no significant effects. These results indicated that there was acupoint specificity in the effects of acupuncture on gastric motility and HRV. The stimulatory effect of MA and LA at PC-6 and ST-36 on HR was associated with sympathetic activity. The stimulatory effect of MA or LA at PC-6 or ST-36 on gastric motility was associated with vagal activity. Laser needle can be used as an alternative stimulation therapy.
Phenomenology of MaVaN’s Models in Reactor Neutrino Data
Authors: Carneiro M. F. , de Holanda P. C.
Published: November 2013

Mass Varying Neutrinos (MaVaN’s) mechanisms were proposed to link the neutrino mass scale with the dark energy density, addressing the coincidence problem. In some scenarios, this mass can present a dependence on the baryonic density felt by neutrinos, creating an effective neutrino mass that depends both on the neutrino and baryonic densities. In this work, we study the phenomenological consequence of MaVaN’s scenarios in which the matter density dependence is induced by Yukawa interactions of a light neutral scalar particle which couples to neutrinos and matter. Under the assumption of one mass scale dominance, we perform an analysis of KamLAND neutrino data which depends on 4 parameters: the two standard oscillation parameters,Δm0,212andtan2θ12, and two new coefficients which parameterize the environment dependence of neutrino mass. We introduce an Earth’s crust model to compute precisely the density in each point along the neutrino trajectory. We show that this new description of density does not affect the analysis with the standard model case. With the MaVaN model, we observe a first order effect in lower density, which leads to an improvement on the data description.
The Common Ancestor of Archaea and Eukarya Was Not an Archaeon
Authors: Forterre Patrick
Published: November 2013

It is often assumed that eukarya originated from archaea. This view has been recently supported by phylogenetic analyses in which eukarya are nested within archaea. Here, I argue that these analyses are not reliable, and I critically discuss archaeal ancestor scenarios, as well as fusion scenarios for the origin of eukaryotes. Based on recognized evolutionary trends toward reduction in archaea and toward complexity in eukarya, I suggest that their last common ancestor was more complex than modern archaea but simpler than modern eukaryotes (the bug in-between scenario). I propose that the ancestors of archaea (and bacteria) escaped protoeukaryotic predators by invading high temperature biotopes, triggering their reductive evolution toward the “prokaryotic” phenotype (the thermoreduction hypothesis). Intriguingly, whereas archaea and eukarya share many basic features at the molecular level, the archaeal mobilome resembles more the bacterial than the eukaryotic one. I suggest that selection of different parts of the ancestral virosphere at the onset of the three domains played a critical role in shaping their respective biology. Eukarya probably evolved toward complexity with the help of retroviruses and large DNA viruses, whereas similar selection pressure (thermoreduction) could explain why the archaeal and bacterial mobilomes somehow resemble each other.
Neuroprotection by Exendin-4 Is GLP-1 Receptor Specific but DA D3 Receptor Dependent, Causing Altered BrdU Incorporation in Subventricular Zone and Substantia Nigra
Authors: Harkavyi A. , Rampersaud N. , Whitton P. S.
Published: November 2013

Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) activation by exendin-4 (EX-4) is effective in preclinical models of Parkinson’s disease (PD) and appears to promote neurogenesis even in severely lesioned rats. In the present study, we determined the effects of EX-4 on cellular BrdU incorporation in the rat subventricular zone (SVZ) and substantia nigra (SN). We also determined the specificity of this effect with the GLP-1R antagonist EX-(9-39) as well as the potential role of dopamine (DA) D3 receptors. Rats were administered 6-OHDA and 1 week later given EX-4 alone, with EX-(9-39) or nafadotride (D3 antagonist) and BrdU. Seven days later, rats were challenged with apomorphine to evaluate circling. Extracellular DA was measured using striatal microdialysis and subsequently tissue DA measured. Tyrosine hydroxylase and BrdU were verified using immunohistochemistry. Apomorphine circling was reversed by EX-4 in lesioned rats, an effect reduced by EX-4, while both EX-(9-39) and NAF attenuated this. 6-OHDA decreased extracellular and tissue DA, both reversed by EX-4 but again attenuated by EX-(9-39) or NAF. Analysis of BrdU+ cells in the SVZ revealed increases in 6-OHDA-treated rats which were reversed by EX-4 and antagonised by either EX-(9-39) or NAF, while in the SN the opposite profile was seen.
Study on Analog Theory of Rock Mass Simulation and Its Engineering Application
Authors: Shaorui Sun , Yexu Lu , Yuanyuan Xu , Jin Liu , Jihong Wei
Published: November 2013

During construction of 3D geological models, it is difficult to determine the uniform between geological model and true model. As a comprehensive index, rock quality designation (RQD) is reliable to assess the rationality of geological models. Unfortunately, The RQD of rockmass is determined completely by the deterministic threshold value and directions of the scan lines presently. To avoid this drawback, the modified method of the RQD value based on the threshold value and 3D space is proposed in this paper. Simultaneously, the analogue-simulation method based on rupture mechanism and classification of discontinuities is proposed. The elliptical discontinuity is considered for general discontinuity, and the special discontinuities, such as bedding, fault, and interlayer are dealt with individually. The accuracy of the 3D model is verified by the modified RQD. The 3D model of the rockmass is analogue simulated through repetitively obtaining data from the interval confidence of geometrical parameters of discontinuities, which are determined by a mass of data derived from field investigation. Besides, the dam base of the Xiangjiaba hydropower station is taken as an example, and the 3D model of the dam base is analog-simulated; its stability is evaluated by DDA method. The safety coefficient of the dam base is obtained by utilizing the overload method.
An Improved Biometrics-Based Remote User Authentication Scheme with User Anonymity
Authors: Khan Muhammad Khurram , Kumari Saru
Published: November 2013

The authors review the biometrics-based user authentication scheme proposed by An in 2012. The authors show that there exist loopholes in the scheme which are detrimental for its security. Therefore the authors propose an improved scheme eradicating the flaws of An’s scheme. Then a detailed security analysis of the proposed scheme is presented followed by its efficiency comparison. The proposed scheme not only withstands security problems found in An’s scheme but also provides some extra features with mere addition of only two hash operations. The proposed scheme allows user to freely change his password and also provides user anonymity with untraceability.
General Solution and Observability of Singular Differential Systems with Delay
Authors: Wei Jiang
Published: November 2013

We study singular differential systems with delay. A general description for the solutions of singular differential systems with delay is given and a necessary and sufficient condition for exact observability of singular differential systems with delay is derived.
The Natural History of Uterine Leiomyomas: Light and Electron Microscopic Studies of Fibroid Phases, Interstitial Ischemia, Inanosis, and Reclamation
Authors: Flake Gordon P. , Moore Alicia B. , Sutton Deloris , Kissling Grace E. , Horton John , Wicker Benita , Walmer David , Robboy Stanley J. , Dixon Darlene
Published: November 2013

We propose, and offer evidence to support, the concept that many uterine leiomyomas pursue a self-limited life cycle. This cycle can be arbitrarily divided on the basis of morphologic assessment of the collagen content into 4 phases: (1) proliferation, (2) proliferation and synthesis of collagen, (3) proliferation, synthesis of collagen, and early senescence, and (4) involution. Involution occurs as a result of both vascular and interstitial ischemia. Interstitial ischemia is the consequence of the excessive elaboration of collagen, resulting in reduced microvascular density, increased distance between myocytes and capillaries, nutritional deprivation, and myocyte atrophy. The end stage of this process is an involuted tumor with a predominance of collagen, little to no proliferative activity, myocyte atrophy, and myocyte cell death. Since many of the dying cells exhibit light microscopic and ultrastructural features that appear distinct from either necrosis or apoptosis, we refer to this process as inanosis, because it appears that nutritional deprivation, or inanition, is the underlying cause of cell death. The disposal of myocytes dying by inanosis also differs in that there is no phagocytic reaction, but rather an apparent dissolution of the cell, which might be viewed as a process of reclamation as the molecular contents are reclaimed and recycled.
Angular Transmittance Analysis of a Novel Thermotropic Material
Authors: Yao Jian
Published: November 2013

This paper uses inverse adding‐doubling (IAD) method and Monte Carlo method for the simulation of the spectral angular transmittance of a novel kind of thermotropic material at different temperatures. The results show that the collimated light takes the major part at the beginning of the switching process and the scattered light is negligible. However, the scattered light increased to high above 80% of the total transmitted light with the largest angle distribution of scattered light about 30 degrees as temperature elevated.
External Periodic Force Control of a Single-Degree-of-Freedom Vibroimpact System
Authors: Wang Jingyue , Wang Haotian , Wang Tie
Published: November 2013

A single-degree-of-freedom mechanical model of vibro-impact system is established. Bifurcation and chaos in the system are revealed with the time history diagram, phase trajectory map, and Poincaré map. According to the bifurcation and chaos of the actual vibro-impact system, the paper puts forward external periodic force control strategy. The method of controlling chaos by external periodic force feedback controller is developed to guide chaotic motions towards regular motions. The stability of the control system is also analyzed especially by theory. By selecting appropriate feedback coefficients, the unstable periodic orbits of the original chaotic orbit can be stabilized to the stable periodic orbits. The effectiveness of this control method is verified by numerical simulation.