bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Underutilization of Percutaneous Coronary Intervention for ST‐Elevation Myocardial Infarction in Medicaid Patients Relative to Private Insurance Patients
Authors: HANNAN EDWARD L. , ZHONG YE , WALFORD GARY , JACOBS ALICE K. , VENDITTI FERDINAND J. , STAMATO NICHOLAS J. , HOLMES DAVID R. , SHARMA SAMIN , GESTEN FOSTER , KING SPENCER B.
Published: August 2013

Objective

To determine whether disparities in access to invasive cardiac procedures still exist for Medicaid patients, given how old earlier studies are and given changes in the interim in appropriateness guidelines.

Patients and Methods

A total of 5,022 Medicaid and private insurance patients in New York from January 1, 2008 through December 31, 2009 under age 65 with ST‐elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) were compared with regard to their access to percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) before and after controlling for numerous patient characteristics and other important factors.

Results

Medicaid patients were significantly less likely to be admitted initially to a hospital certified to perform PCI (90.4% vs. 94.3%, P < 0.001). Also, Medicaid patients were found to be significantly less likely to undergo PCI than other patients (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 0.81, 95% CI 0.66, 0.98, P = 0.03). When the probability of each hospital performing PCI for STEMI patients was controlled for, Medicaid patients were still less likely to undergo PCI after controlling for other risk factors (AOR = 0.80, 95% CI 0.65, 0.99, P = 0.04).

Conclusions

Medicaid STEMI patients are significantly less likely to undergo PCI within the same day of admission as private pay patients even after adjusting for patient characteristics related to receiving PCI, and the strength of this relationship is not diminished when controlling for whether the admitting hospital has approval to perform PCI or controlling for the tendency of the admitting hospital to treat STEMI with PCI. (J Interven Cardiol 2013;26:470‐481)
Origin and early evolution of photosynthetic eukaryotes in freshwater environments: reinterpreting proterozoic paleobiology and biogeochemical processes in light of trait evolution
Authors: Blank Carrine E.
Published: August 2013

Phylogenetic analyses were performed on concatenated data sets of 31 genes and 11,789 unambiguously alignable characters from 37 cyanobacterial and 35 chloroplast genomes. The plastid lineage emerged somewhat early in the cyanobacterial tree, at a time when Cyanobacteria were likely unicellular and restricted to freshwater ecosystems. Using relaxed molecular clocks and 22 age constraints spanning cyanobacterial and eukaryote nodes, the common ancestor to the photosynthetic eukaryotes was predicted to have also inhabited freshwater environments around the time that oxygen appeared in the atmosphere (2.0–2.3 Ga). Early diversifications within each of the three major plastid clades were also inferred to have occurred in freshwater environments, through the late Paleoproterozoic and into the middle Mesoproterozoic. The colonization of marine environments by photosynthetic eukaryotes may not have occurred until after the middle Mesoproterozoic (1.2–1.5 Ga). The evolutionary hypotheses proposed here predict that early photosynthetic eukaryotes may have never experienced the widespread anoxia or euxinia suggested to have characterized marine environments in the Paleoproterozoic to early Mesoproterozoic. It also proposes that earliest acritarchs (1.5–1.7 Ga) may have been produced by freshwater taxa. This study highlights how the early evolution of habitat preference in photosynthetic eukaryotes, along with Cyanobacteria, could have contributed to changing biogeochemical conditions on the early Earth.
Paraoxonase 1 and oxidative stress in paediatric non‐alcoholic steatohepatitis
Authors: Desai Sonal , Baker Susan S. , Liu Wensheng , Moya Diana A. , Browne Richard W. , Mastrandrea Lucy , Baker Robert D. , Zhu Lixin
Published: August 2013

Background & Aims

Non‐alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) in children is a significant public health concern. Oxidative stress is an important component in the pathophysiology of NASH. Several enzymatic antioxidant mechanisms protect the liver from oxidative injury. Examination of the expression of these enzymes in NASH livers may provide insight on the roles for these antioxidant mechanisms in the pathophysiology of NASH.

Methods

The mRNA expression of catalase, glutathione peroxidase 1 (GPX1), glutathione reductase (GSR), paraoxonase 1 (PON1) and other reactive oxygen species‐related genes was evaluated by microarray and quantitative real‐time PCR analyses. The PON1 protein levels were evaluated in liver and serum by Western blot analyses. Serum enzymatic activities of GPX, GSR and PON1 (paraoxonase and arylesterase activities) were examined.

Results

NASH livers exhibited elevated mRNA expression of catalase and PON1, but not GPX1 or GSR. No difference in serum GPX or GSR activity was detected between NASH patients and controls. Elevated expression of PON1 mRNA and protein was detected in NASH livers, but serum PON1 protein and activities were not elevated.

Conclusions

Elevated expression of catalase and PON1 suggests protective roles for these antioxidants in NASH livers. Given the importance of oxidative stress in the pathophysiology of NASH, future studies focusing on these enzymes could identify important targets for therapeutic or preventive interventions for NASH patients.
Large‐scale parentage analysis reveals reproductive patterns and heritability of spawn timing in a hatchery population of steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss)
Authors: Abadía‐Cardoso Alicia , Anderson Eric C. , Pearse Devon E. , Carlos Garza John
Published: August 2013

Understanding life history traits is an important first step in formulating effective conservation and management strategies. The use of artificial propagation and supplementation as such a strategy can have numerous effects on the supplemented natural populations and minimizing life history divergence is crucial in minimizing these effects. Here, we use single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotypes for large‐scale parentage analysis and pedigree reconstruction in a hatchery population of steelhead, the anadromous form of rainbow trout. Nearly complete sampling of the broodstock for several consecutive years in two hatchery programmes allowed inference about multiple aspects of life history. Reconstruction of cohort age distribution revealed a strong component of fish that spawn at 2 years of age, in contrast to programme goals and distinct from naturally spawning steelhead in the region, which raises a significant conservation concern. The first estimates of variance in family size for steelhead in this region can be used to calculate effective population size and probabilities of inbreeding, and estimation of iteroparity rate indicates that it is reduced by hatchery production. Finally, correlations between family members in the day of spawning revealed for the first time a strongly heritable component to this important life history trait in steelhead and demonstrated the potential for selection to alter life history traits rapidly in response to changes in environmental conditions. Taken together, these results demonstrate the extraordinary promise of SNP‐based pedigree reconstruction for providing biological inference in high‐fecundity organisms that is not easily achievable with traditional physical tags.
Evidence for past and present hybridization in threeAntarctic icefish species provides new perspectives on an evolutionary radiation
Authors: Marino I. A. M. , Benazzo A. , Agostini C. , Mezzavilla M. , Hoban S. M. , Patarnello T. , Zane L. , Bertorelle G.
Published: August 2013

Determining the timing, extent and underlying causes of interspecific gene exchange during or following speciation is central to understanding species' evolution. Antarctic notothenioid fish, thanks to the acquisition of antifreeze glycoproteins during Oligocene transition to polar conditions, experienced a spectacular radiation to >100 species during Late Miocene cooling events. The impact of recent glacial cycles on this group is poorly known, but alternating warming and cooling periods may have affected species' distributions, promoted ecological divergence into recurrently opening niches and/or possibly brought allopatric species into contact. Using microsatellite markers and statistical methods including Approximate Bayesian Computation, we investigated genetic differentiation, hybridization and the possible influence of the last glaciation/deglaciation events in three icefish species of the genusChionodraco. Our results provide strong evidence of contemporary and past introgression by showing that: (i) a substantial fraction of contemporary individuals in each species has mixed ancestry, (ii) evolutionary scenarios excluding hybridization or including it only in ancient times have small or zero posterior probabilities, (iii) the data support a scenario of interspecific gene flow associated with the two most recent interglacial periods. Glacial cycles might therefore have had a profound impact on the genetic composition of Antarctic fauna, as newly available shelf areas during the warmer intervals might have favoured secondary contacts and hybridization between diversified groups. If our findings are confirmed in other notothenioids, they offer new perspectives for understanding evolutionary dynamics of Antarctic fish and suggest a need for new predictions on the effects of global warming in this group.
GarA is an essential regulator of metabolism in Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Authors: Ventura Marcello , Rieck Barbara , Boldrin Francesca , Degiacomi Giulia , Bellinzoni Marco , Barilone Nathalie , Alzaidi Faisal , Alzari Pedro M. , Manganelli Riccardo , O'Hare Helen M.
Published: August 2013

Alpha‐ketoglutarate is a key metabolic intermediate at the crossroads of carbon and nitrogen metabolism, whose fate is tightly regulated. In mycobacteria the protein GarA regulates the tricarboxylic acid cycle and glutamate synthesis by direct binding and regulation of three enzymes that use α‐ketoglutarate. GarA, in turn, is thought to be regulated via phosphorylation by protein kinase G and other kinases. We have investigated the requirement for GarA for metabolic regulation during growth in vitro and in macrophages. GarA was found to be essential to Mycobacterium tuberculosis, but dispensable in non‐pathogenic Mycobacterium smegmatis. Disruption of garA caused a distinctive, nutrient‐dependent phenotype, fitting with its proposed role in regulating glutamate metabolism. The data underline the importance of the TCA cycle and the balance with glutamate synthesis in M. tuberculosis and reveal vulnerability to disruption of these pathways.
The chromosome cycle of prokaryotes
Authors: Kuzminov Andrei
Published: August 2013

In both eukaryotes and prokaryotes, chromosomal DNA undergoes replication, condensation–decondensation and segregation, sequentially, in some fixed order. Other conditions, like sister‐chromatid cohesion (SCC), may span several chromosomal events. One set of these chromosomal transactions within a single cell cycle constitutes the ‘chromosome cycle’. For many years it was generally assumed that the prokaryotic chromosome cycle follows major phases of the eukaryotic one: –replication–condensation–segregation–(cell division)–decondensation–, with SCC of unspecified length. Eventually it became evident that, in contrast to the strictly consecutive chromosome cycle of eukaryotes, all stages of the prokaryotic chromosome cycle run concurrently. Thus, prokaryotes practice ‘progressive’ chromosome segregation separated from replication by a brief SCC, and all three transactions move along the chromosome at the same fast rate. In other words, in addition to replication forks, there are ‘segregation forks’ in prokaryotic chromosomes. Moreover, the bulk of prokaryotic DNA outside the replication–segregation transition stays compacted. I consider possible origins of this concurrent replication–segregation and outline the ‘nucleoid administration’ system that organizes the dynamic part of the prokaryotic chromosome cycle.
LOOKING AT A JOB'S SOCIAL IMPACT THROUGH PSM‐TINTED LENSES: PROBING THE MOTIVATION–PERCEPTION RELATIONSHIP
Authors: STRITCH JUSTIN M. , CHRISTENSEN ROBERT K.
Published: August 2013

We explore here the relationship between employees' public service motives and the way they perceive the social impact of their work. Our purpose is twofold. First, while past researchers have examined part of this relationship, largely from the opposite causal direction, we seek to supplement the field's current understanding of the organizational consequences of public service motivation (PSM), especially its potential impact on an employee's perceived social impact. Together with a cross‐sectional study, we assess several theoretical frameworks that support the possibility of an additional causal link betweenPSMand perceived social impact. Second, we seek to begin identifying moderators that potentially conditionPSM's relationship with employee perceptions of social impact. Using a sample of municipal employees from a large city in the United States, we focus on organization identity. We find thatPSMstrongly predicts employees' perceptions of the social impact of their jobs, and thatPSM's influence is conditioned by an employee's organization identity.
Neurocognitive outcomes at kindergarten entry after liver transplantation at <3 yr of age
Authors: Robertson Charlene M. T. , Dinu Irina A. , Joffe Ari R. , Alton Gwen Y. , Yap Jason Y. K. , Asthana Sonel , Acton Bryan V. , Sauve Reg S. , Martin Steven R. , Kneteman Norman M. , Gilmour Susan M. ,   Western Canadian Therapies Follow‐up Group
Published: August 2013

This prospective inception cohort study determines kindergarten‐entry neurocognitive abilities and explores their predictors following liver transplantation at age <3 yr. Of 52 children transplanted (1999–2008), 33 (89.2%) of 37 eligible survivors had psychological assessment at age 54.7 (8.4) months: 21 with biliary atresia, seven chronic cholestasis, and five acute liver failure. Neurocognitive scores (mean [s.d.], 100 [15]) as tested by a pediatric‐experienced psychologist did not differ in relation to age group at transplant (≤12 months and >12 months): FSIQ, 93.9 (17.1); verbal (VIQ), 95.3 (16.5); performance (PIQ), 94.3 (18.1); and VMI, 90.5 (15.9), with >70% having scores ≥85, average or above. Adverse predictors from the pretransplant, transplant, and post‐transplant (30 days) periods using univariate linear regressions for FSIQ were post‐transplant use of inotropes, p = 0.029; longer transplant warm ischemia time, p = 0.035; and post‐transplant highest serum creatinine, (p = 0.04). For PIQ, they were pretransplant encephalopathy, p = 0.027; post‐transplant highest serum creatinine, p = 0.034; and post‐transplant inotrope use, p = 0.037. For VMI, they were number of post‐transplant infections, p = 0.019; post‐transplant highest serum creatinine, p = 0.025; and lower family socioeconomic index, p = 0.039. Changes in care addressing modifiable predictors, including reducing acute post‐transplant illness, pretransplant encephalopathy, transplant warm ischemia times, and preserving renal function, may improve neurocognitive outcomes.
Successful living‐related kidney transplantation in a boy with inherited dysfibrinogenemia
Authors: Imamura Hideaki , Akioka Yuko , Asano Tatsuo , Sugawara Noriko , Ishizuka Kiyonobu , Chikamoto Hiroko , Taki Masashi , Terasawa Fumiko , Okumura Nobuo , Hattori Motoshi
Published: August 2013

In kidney transplantation, it is essential to avoid acute vascular complications, such as hemorrhage and renal vascular thrombosis, which may often lead to allograft loss. Inherited dysfibrinogenemia is a rare coagulation disorder with a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations, such as excessive bleeding and thrombosis. A 12‐yr‐old boy, previously diagnosed with renal hypodysplasia, was found to have reduced fibrinogen concentrations. Coagulation tests assessing surgical risk during kidney transplantation showed a discrepancy between functional and immunologic fibrinogen concentrations. Gene analysis confirmed inherited dysfibrinogenemia, with a heterozygous mutation in FGA (Aα Arg16His) in the patient and his mother. Based on the molecular and functional properties of the mutation, and a familial phenotype, in which his aunt had experienced a previous bleeding episode, the patient was considered at greater risk of bleeding than of thrombosis. The patient was administered fibrinogen concentrate before surgery, and kidney transplantation was performed with his father as the organ donor. The patient received additional prophylactic infusions of fibrinogen concentrate postoperatively, and his postoperative course was uneventful. Accurate diagnosis of dysfibrinogenemia, including gene analysis, is important for correctly managing patients with this coagulation disorder who are undergoing kidney transplantation.
A Versatile Near‐Infrared Asymmetric Tricarbocyanine for Zinc Ion Sensing in Water
Authors: Menéndez Guillermo O. , López Cecilia Samaniego , Jares‐Erijman Elizabeth A. , Spagnuolo Carla C.
Published: August 2013

We have synthesized a near‐infrared emissive asymmetric tricarbocyanine conveniently functionalized to improve bioconjugation. The leading structure contains a versatile derivatization point at the meso position for facile radical‐nucleophilic aromatic substitution. We have evaluated a DPEN (N,N‐di(2‐picolyl)ethylendiamine) derivative of this dye as a highly selective sensor for zinc (II) in aqueous medium, which performs in an appropriate sensitivity range for biological studies. The probe was successfully conjugated to a protein‐ligand model with high affinity and specificity (biotin–streptavidin technology) rendering an excellent performance of sensing. In a general strategy to obtain sensitive probes combining fluorescent nanoparticles and molecular fluorophores, a preliminary design of a supramolecular assembly derived from the conjugation of the molecular sensor to quantum dots (QDs) was also investigated. The advantages and problems of FRET‐based sensors are also discussed.
Stem rot of jewel orchids caused by a new forma specialis, Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. anoectochili in Taiwan
Authors: Huang L.‐W. , Wang C.‐J. , Lin Y.‐S. , Chung W.‐C. , Chung W.‐H.
Published: August 2013

Stem rot of Anoectochilus formosanus (Af) caused by Fusarium oxysporum (Fo) is a major limiting factor to jewel orchid production in Taiwan. Fo causes discoloration in vascular tissues. However, some newly collected Fo isolates from Af stem rot do not cause vascular discoloration, suggesting changes may have occurred in the pathogen. Among recent Fo isolates from Af there are two colony types, the cottony alba (CA) and the sporodochial (S). In order to confirm that both colony types cause Af stem rot, 200 isolates were obtained from diseased stems in Nantou County and characterized by colony type and whether or not the infected plants had vascular discoloration. Isolates of both the CA and S types caused stem rot of Af; some isolates in each colony type caused vascular discoloration whilst others did not. Pathogenicity tests with 22 isolates resulted in stem rot disease severity ratings on Af of 3·1–4·0 and 2·1–4·0 with CA and S type colonies, respectively. The same isolates failed to cause disease on Cattleya, Dendrobium or Phalaenopsis plants. Phylogenetic analysis of partial intergenic spacer sequences showed that these isolates were distinguishable from other formae speciales of Fo and could be separated into two groups correlated with the CA or S type colonies with high bootstrap. Based on pathogenic, morphological and molecular characterizations, the Fo that causes stem rot of Af is proposed to be a new forma specialis, F. oxysporum f. sp. anoectochili, with different pathotypes.
Thromboelastometric detection of clotting Factor XIII deficiency in cardiac surgery patients
Authors: Grossmann E. , Akyol D. , Eder L. , Hofmann B. , Haneya A. , Graf B. M. , Bucher M. , Raspé C.
Published: August 2013

Aim(s)

In this article, we aimed to investigate plasma Factor XIII levels after extracorporeal circulation in cardiac surgery by thromboelastometric detection, as extracorporeal circulation causes various coagulation disorders due to the exposure of blood to artificial surfaces, inflammatory induction and mechanical destruction of platelets and coagulation factors, which may particularly affect factors with long half‐lives, such as Factor XIII.

Background

Since transfusion algorithms are often empirical and laboratory analysis of Factor XIII plasma levels may not be available 24 h a day, bed‐side testing using rotational thromboelastometry (ROTEM) could offer a splendid option to define the cause of excessive peri‐operative bleeding disorders in general and Factor XIII levels in particular in a timely manner and thus facilitating exact substitution therapy.

Methods

In this trial, we investigated 25 cardiac surgery patients with extracorporeal bypass times over 100 min. Standard laboratory and ROTEM analyses were performed post‐operatively at the time of intensive care unit admission and 6 h later. We implemented EXTEM with additional Factor XIII (teenTEM) as additional test by adding 0·625 IU Factor XIII to standard EXTEM reagents.

Results

In this observational study, we could not demonstrate a correlation between Factor XIII and MCFEXTEM, CFTEXTEM or MLEXTEM. Neither Factor XIII plasma levels nor MCFEXTEM could predict blood loss. In accordance with previous findings, we were able to demonstrate increased maximum clot firmness (MCF), decreased clot formation time and decreased maximum lysis by adding Factor XIII in vitro (teenTEM vs EXTEM) indicating an improvement in the coagulation process. As shown before, we also found a strong correlation between MCF and platelet and fibrinogen plasma levels.

Conclusion

In summary, ‘teenTEM’ test does not seem to detect Factor XIII deficient patients in cardiac surgery. Furthermore, post‐operative blood loss could not be predicted neither by ROTEM nor by laboratory analysis of Factor XIII. In vitro administration of Factor XIII appears to improve laboratory measures of haemostasis.
Thermo-Economic Optimization of Hybridization Options for Solar Retrofitting of Combined-Cycle Power Plants
Authors: Pihl Erik , Spelling James , Johnsson Filip
Published: August 2013

A thermo-economic optimization model of an integrated solar combined-cycle (ISCC) has been developed to evaluate the performance of an existing combined-cycle gas turbine (CCGT) plant when retrofitted with solar trough collectors. The model employs evolutionary algorithms to assess the optimal performance and cost of the power plant. To define the trade-offs required for maximizing gains and minimizing costs (and to identify ‘optimal’ hybridization schemes), two conflicting objectives were considered, namely, minimum required investment and maximum net present value (NPV). Optimization was performed for various feed-in tariff (FIT) regimes, with tariff levels that were either fixed or that varied with electricity pool prices. It was found that for the given combined-cycle power plant design, only small annual solar shares (∼1.2% annual share, 4% of installed capacity) could be achieved by retrofitting. The integrated solar combined-cycle design has optimal thermal storage capacities that are several times smaller than those of the corresponding solar-only design. Even with strong incentives to shift the load to periods in which the prices are higher, investment in storage capacity was not promoted. Nevertheless, the levelized costs of the additional solar-generated electricity are as low as 10 c€/kWh, compared to the 17–19 c€/kWh achieved for a reference, nonhybridized, “solar-only” concentrating solar power plant optimized with the same tools and cost dataset. The main reasons for the lower cost of the integrated solar combined-cycle power plant are improved solar-to-electric efficiency and the lower level of required investment in the steam cycle. The retrofitting of combined-cycle gas turbine plants to integrated solar combined-cycle plants with parabolic troughs represents a viable option to achieve relatively low-cost capacity expansion and strong knowledge building regarding concentrating solar power.
The Teaching Value of Defining Iterative Design Projects in Serving Capstone Engineering Undergraduate Education
Authors: Mirzamoghadam Alexander V. , Harding Jacob C.
Published: August 2013

In the past several years, the traditional fourth year “hands-on” requirement for engineering programs in the U.S. is being satisfied by what is now called the capstone senior design project (herein referred to as CSDP). The engineering CSDP program director sends a call to the local industries within the state for solicitation of project proposals that will be worked on by the interdisciplinary engineering student team. Each industrial participant will have to contribute a preset budget defined by the program to the engineering school for each submitted proposal that has been selected by the student team. Honeywell has been an avid participant in the University of Arizona CSDP program for the past several years. Rather than define a simple CSDP that can be fully completed in the first attempt, the author has sought the value of teaching iterative design to the student team by defining a multiyear CSDP scope, in that after the first year, each successive team learns from the past design and implements its own improvement to the design it inherits. This paper gives an overview of Honeywell's CSDP titled “Measuring Heat Transfer in Annular Flow Between Co-Rotating or Counter-Rotating Cylinders.” Now in its fourth iteration, each wave of student team has been able to understand the complexity of the design, the challenge of testing for structural integrity, the controllability of implementing a balanced system of heat gain and loss to reach steady state operation, the evolution of starting with slip ring temperature measurements and ending at wireless telemetry, DOE testing to rank influencing variables, and heat transfer correlation of the data relating Nusselt versus Reynolds number. Beginning with the first year CSDP team, this paper covers the design approach selected by that team, its results, and the lessons learned as a result of failure in meeting the full requirements, which is then taken on by the next group of students the following year.
A Theoretical Approach for Passive Control of Thermoacoustic Oscillations: Application to Ducted Flames
Authors: Magri Luca , Juniper Matthew P.
Published: August 2013

In this paper, we develop a linear technique that predicts how the stability of a thermoacoustic system changes due to the action of a generic passive feedback device or a generic change in the base state. From this, one can calculate the passive device or base state change that most stabilizes the system. This theoretical framework, based on adjoint equations, is applied to two types of Rijke tube. The first contains an electrically heated hot wire, and the second contains a diffusion flame. Both heat sources are assumed to be compact, so that the acoustic and heat release models can be decoupled. We find that the most effective passive control device is an adiabatic mesh placed at the downstream end of the Rijke tube. We also investigate the effects of a second hot wire and a local variation of the cross-sectional area but find that both affect the frequency more than the growth rate. This application of adjoint sensitivity analysis opens up new possibilities for the passive control of thermoacoustic oscillations. For example, the influence of base state changes can be combined with other constraints, such as that the total heat release rate remains constant, in order to show how an unstable thermoacoustic system should be changed in order to make it stable.
Performance Optimization and Selection of Operating Parameters for a Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Stack
Authors: Wang Shih-Bin , Wu Chih-Fu , Liu Syu-Fang , Yuan Ping
Published: August 2013

In this study, a model of current densities for a ten-cell solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) stack is learned and developed due to the utilization of an improved backpropagation neural network (BPNN). To build the learning data of the BPNN, the operating parameters are suitably arranged by the Taguchi orthogonal array, which totals seven factors with five levels, respectively, that act as the inputs of BPNN. Also, the average current densities for the ten-cell SOFC stack achieved by the numerical method act as the outputs of the BPNN. The effectiveness of the developed BPNN mathematical algorithm to predict performance of the SOFC stack is proved by the learning errors smaller than 0.11% and the predicting errors less than 0.52%. Then, the calculating algorithms of the BPNN are adopted to proceed with the optimization based on the electrical performance of the sum of the average current densities for the ten-cell SOFC stack. Thus, the best and the worst performances are found to be Fmax = 57795.622 Am−2 and Fmin = 33939.362 Am−2, respectively. It is also the operating window of the performance for the SOFC stack developed by the improved BPNN. Furthermore, an inverse predicting model of the SOFC stack is developed by the calculating algorithms of the BPNN. This model is proved to effectively predict the operating parameters to achieve a desired performance output of the SOFC stack. Combination of these calculating algorithms developed by the improved BPNN gives the possibility to complete dynamic control of the operating parameters, such as the mole fraction of species and mole flow rate in the inlet, which are considered to be changeable.
Enhancing the Product Realization Process With Cloud-Based Design and Manufacturing Systems
Authors: Wu Dazhong , Thames J. Lane , Rosen David W. , Schaefer Dirk
Published: August 2013

The rise of cloud computing is radically changing the way enterprises manage their information technology assets. Considering the benefits of cloud computing to the information technology sector, we present a review of current research initiatives and applications of the cloud computing paradigm related to product design and manufacturing. In particular, we focus on exploring the potential of utilizing cloud computing for selected aspects of collaborative design, distributed manufacturing, collective innovation, data mining, semantic web technology, and virtualization. In addition, we propose to expand the paradigm of cloud computing to the field of computer-aided design (CAD) and manufacturing and propose a new concept of cloud-based design and manufacturing (CBDM). Specifically, we (1) propose a comprehensive definition of CBDM; (2) discuss its key characteristics; (3) relate current research in design and manufacture to CBDM; and (4) identify key research issues and future trends.
Subsea Electrical Submersible Pump Significance in Petroleum Offshore Production
Authors: Joel Romero Oldrich , Hupp Anderson
Published: August 2013

The use of pumping methods in offshore applications has become common especially in viscous oil production. This follow from the fact they present better efficiency and higher production rate than other lift methods when used in the same conditions, for instance gas lift. Thus, a lift method that has been often used on this scenario due to its satisfactory results is the subsea electrical submersible pump (subsea ESP). This article presents the modeling and simulations of petroleum production facilities equipped with subsea ESP using a commercial software package, the pipesim® from Schlumberger. The production facilities consist of a single vertical producing well completed through its whole thickness in an offshore reservoir. It has been proposed two configurations differing only on the location of the equipment. In the first case, the subsea ESP was installed inside the wellbore and, in the second case on the seabed downstream the wet X-tree. The production rate was simulated for both cases, allowing comparison of the results of each configuration.
Flame Patterns and Combustion Intensity Behind Rifled Bluff-Body Frustums
Authors: San Kuo C. , Huang Yu Z. , Yen Shun C.
Published: August 2013

Rifled fillisters were milled on cannular frustums to modulate flow behavior and to increase the turbulence intensity (TI). The TI and combustion intensity were compared in four configurations of frustums—unrifled, inner-rifled, outer-rifled, and two-faced rifled. The flame patterns and flame lengths were observed and measured by direct-color photography. The temperature profiles and (total) combustion intensity were detected and calculated with an R-type thermocouple. Three flame patterns (jet, flickering, and lifted flames) were defined behind the pure-jet nozzle. Four flame patterns (jet, flickering, bubble, and turbulent flames) were observed behind the unrifled frustum. The bluff-body frustum changes the lifted flame to turbulent flame due to a high T.I at high central-fuel velocity (uc). The experimental data showed that the grooved rifles improved the air-propane mixing, which then improved the combustion intensity. The rifled mechanism intensified the swirling effect and then the flame-temperature profiles were more uniform than those behind the pure-jet nozzle. The increased TI also resulted in the shortest flame length behind the two-faced rifled frustum and increased the total combustion intensity.
3D prostate histology reconstruction: An evaluation of image‐based and fiducial‐based algorithms
Authors: Gibson E. , Gaed M. , Gómez J. A. , Moussa M. , Romagnoli C. , Pautler S. , Chin J. L. , Crukley C. , Bauman G. S. , Fenster A. , Ward A. D.
Published: August 2013

Purpose:

Evaluation ofin vivo prostate imaging modalities for determining the spatial distribution and aggressiveness of prostate cancer ideally requires accurate registration of images to an accepted reference standard, such as histopathological examination of radical prostatectomy specimens. Three‐dimensional (3D) reconstruction of prostate histology facilitates these registration‐based evaluations by reintroducing 3D spatial information lost during histology processing. Because the reconstruction accuracy may constrain the clinical questions that can be answered with these data, it is important to assess the tradeoffs between minimally disruptive methods based on intrinsic image information and potentially more robust methods based on extrinsic fiducial markers.

Methods:

Ex vivo magnetic resonance (MR) images and digitized whole‐mount histology images from 12 radical prostatectomy specimens were used to evaluate four 3D histology reconstruction algorithms. 3D reconstructions were computed by registering each histology image to the corresponding ex vivo MR image using one of two similarity metrics (mutual information or fiducial registration error) and one of two search domains (affine transformations or a constrained subset thereof). The algorithms were evaluated for accuracy using the mean target registration error (TRE) computed from homologous intrinsic point landmarks (3–16 per histology section; 232 total) identified on histology and MR images, and for the sensitivity of TRE to rotational, translational, and scaling initialization errors.

Results:

The algorithms using fiducial registration error and mutual information had mean ± standard deviation TREs of 0.7 ± 0.4 and 1.2 ± 0.7 mm, respectively, and one algorithm using fiducial registration error and affine transforms had negligible sensitivities to initialization errors. The postoptimization values of the mutual information‐based metric showed evidence of errors due to both the optimizer and the similarity metric, and variation of parameters of the mutual information‐based metric did not improve its performance.

Conclusions:

The extrinsic fiducial‐based algorithm had lower mean TRE and lower sensitivity to initialization than the intrinsic intensity‐based algorithm using mutual information. A model relating statistical power to registration error for certain imaging validation study designs estimated that a reconstruction algorithm with a mean TRE of 0.7 mm would require 27% fewer subjects than the method used to initialize the algorithms (mean TRE 1.3 ± 0.7 mm), suggesting the choice of reconstruction technique can have a substantial impact on the design of imaging validation studies, and on their overall cost.
4D tumor centroid tracking using orthogonal 2D dynamic MRI: Implications for radiotherapy planning
Authors: Tryggestad Erik , Flammang Aaron , Hales Russell , Herman Joseph , Lee Junghoon , McNutt Todd , Roland Teboh , Shea Steven M. , Wong John
Published: August 2013

Purpose:

Current pretreatment, 4D imaging techniques are suboptimal in that they sample breathing motion over a very limited “snapshot” in time. Heretofore, long‐duration, 4D motion characterization for radiotherapy planning, margin optimization, and validation have been impractical for safety reasons, requiring invasive markers imaged under x‐ray fluoroscopy. To characterize 3D tumor motion and associated variability over durations more consistent with treatments, the authors have developed a practical dynamic MRI (dMRI) technique employing two orthogonal planes acquired in a continuous, interleaved fashion.

Methods:

2D balanced steady‐state free precession MRI was acquired continuously over 9–14 min at approximately 4 Hz in three healthy volunteers using a commercial 1.5 T system; alternating orthogonal imaging planes (sagittal, coronal, sagittal, etc.) were employed. The 2D in‐plane pixel resolution was 2 × 2 mm2 with a 5 mm slice profile. Simultaneous with image acquisition, the authors monitored a 1D surrogate respiratory signal using a device available with the MRI system. 2D template matching‐based anatomic feature registration, or tracking, was performed independently in each orientation. 4D feature tracking at the raw frame rate was derived using spline interpolation.

Results:

Tracking vascular features in the lung for two volunteers and pancreatic features in one volunteer, the authors have successfully demonstrated this method. Registration error, defined here as the difference between the sagittal and coronal tracking result in the SI direction, ranged from 0.7 to 1.6 mm (1σ) which was less than the acquired image resolution. Although the healthy volunteers were instructed to relax and breathe normally, significantly variable respiration was observed. To demonstrate potential applications of this technique, the authors subsequently explored the intrafraction stability of hypothetical tumoral internal target volumes and 3D spatial probability distribution functions. The surrogate respiratory information allowed the authors to show how this technique can be used to study correlations between internal and external (surrogate) information over these prolonged durations. However, compared against the gold standard of the time stamps in the dMRI frames, the temporal synchronization of the surrogate 1D respiratory information was shown to be likely unreliable.

Conclusions:

The authors have established viability of a novel and practical pretreatment, 4D tumor centroid tracking method employing a commercially available dynamic MRI sequence. Further developments from the vendor are likely needed to provide a reliably synchronized surrogate 1D respiratory signal, which will likely broaden the utility of this method in the pretreatment radiotherapy planning context.
Radiation Protection in Nuclear Medicine.
Authors: Carlson Ray A.
Published: August 2013

Radiation Protection in Nuclear Medicine., Mattsson S., Hoeschen C., Springer‐Verlag, Heidelberg, New York, 2013. Hardcover, 159 pp. Price: $109.00. ISBN: 978‐3‐642‐31167‐3. © 2013 Doody's Review Service. Doody's Review Service
A New Linc in Innate Immunity
Authors: Mueller Kristen
Published: August 2013

In mice, a broadly acting RNA, lincRNA-Cox2, regulates the circuit that controls the inflammatory response.
Turning On the Repulsive System
Authors: Gough Nancy R.
Published: August 2013

Sonic hedgehog uses glypican1 to trigger the expression of the gene encoding its co-receptor Hhip to switch the response from attraction to repulsion.
Epidermal EGFR Controls Cutaneous Host Defense and Prevents Inflammation
Authors: Lichtenberger Beate M. , Gerber Peter A. , Holcmann Martin , Buhren Bettina A. , Amberg Nicole , Smolle Viktoria , Schrumpf Holger , Boelke Edwin , Ansari Parinaz , Mackenzie Colin , Wollenberg Andreas , Kislat Andreas , Fischer Jens W. , Röck Katharina , Harder Jürgen , Schröder Jens M. , Homey Bernhard , Sibilia Maria
Published: August 2013

Epidermal EGFR regulates skin inflammation and contributes to skin barrier function and host defense.
Bromodomains—Placing BETs on Chromatin in Heart Failure?
Authors: Zidar David A.
Published: August 2013

BET family proteins are crucial mediators of the genetic reprogramming leading to experimental heart failure.
Good and Bad Bacteria Fight for Iron in the Gut
Authors: Polage Christopher R.
Published: August 2013

A probiotic strain,
E. coli
Nissle 1917, uses multiple iron transporters to outcompete
Salmonella
in the inflamed gut.
A Dysfunctional Tricarboxylic Acid Cycle Enhances Fitness of Staphylococcus epidermidis During β-Lactam Stress
Authors: Chittezham Thomas Vinai , Kinkead Lauren C. , Janssen Ashley , Schaeffer Carolyn R. , Woods Keith M. , Lindgren Jill K. , Peaster Jonathan M. , Chaudhari Sujata S. , Sadykov Marat , Jones Joselyn , Mohamadi AbdelGhani Sameh M. , Zimmerman Matthew C. , Bayles Kenneth W. , Somerville Greg A. , Fey Paul D.
Published: August 2013

A recent controversial hypothesis suggested that the bactericidal action of antibiotics is due to the generation of endogenous reactive oxygen species (ROS), a process requiring the citric acid cycle (tricarboxylic acid [TCA] cycle). To test this hypothesis, we assessed the ability of oxacillin to induce ROS production and cell death in
Staphylococcus epidermidis
strain 1457 and an isogenic citric acid cycle mutant. Our results confirm a contributory role for TCA-dependent ROS in enhancing susceptibility of
S. epidermidis
toward β-lactam antibiotics and also revealed a propensity for clinical isolates to accumulate TCA cycle dysfunctions presumably as a way to tolerate these antibiotics. The increased protection from β-lactam antibiotics could result from pleiotropic effects of a dysfunctional TCA cycle, including increased resistance to oxidative stress, reduced susceptibility to autolysis, and a more positively charged cell surface.

IMPORTANCE
Staphylococcus epidermidis
, a normal inhabitant of the human skin microflora, is the most common cause of indwelling medical device infections. In the present study, we analyzed 126 clinical
S. epidermidis
isolates and discovered that tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle dysfunctions are relatively common in the clinical environment. We determined that a dysfunctional TCA cycle enables
S. epidermidis
to resist oxidative stress and alter its cell surface properties, making it less susceptible to β-lactam antibiotics.
Interspecies Interactions Stimulate Diversification of the Streptomyces coelicolor Secreted Metabolome
Authors: Traxler Matthew F. , Watrous Jeramie D. , Alexandrov Theodore , Dorrestein Pieter C. , Kolter Roberto
Published: August 2013

Soils host diverse microbial communities that include filamentous actinobacteria (actinomycetes). These bacteria have been a rich source of useful metabolites, including antimicrobials, antifungals, anticancer agents, siderophores, and immunosuppressants. While humans have long exploited these compounds for therapeutic purposes, the role these natural products may play in mediating interactions between actinomycetes has been difficult to ascertain. As an initial step toward understanding these chemical interactions at a systems level, we employed the emerging techniques of nanospray desorption electrospray ionization (NanoDESI) and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization–time of flight (MALDI-TOF) imaging mass spectrometry to gain a global chemical view of the model bacterium
Streptomyces coelicolor
interacting with five other actinomycetes. In each interaction, the majority of secreted compounds associated with
S. coelicolor
colonies were unique, suggesting an idiosyncratic response from
S. coelicolor
. Spectral networking revealed a family of unknown compounds produced by
S. coelicolor
during several interactions. These compounds constitute an extended suite of at least 12 different desferrioxamines with acyl side chains of various lengths; their production was triggered by siderophores made by neighboring strains. Taken together, these results illustrate that chemical interactions between actinomycete bacteria exhibit high complexity and specificity and can drive differential secondary metabolite production.

IMPORTANCE
Actinomycetes, filamentous actinobacteria from the soil, are the deepest natural source of useful medicinal compounds, including antibiotics, antifungals, and anticancer agents. There is great interest in developing new strategies that increase the diversity of metabolites secreted by actinomycetes in the laboratory. Here we used several metabolomic approaches to examine the chemicals made by these bacteria when grown in pairwise coculture. We found that these interspecies interactions stimulated production of numerous chemical compounds that were not made when they grew alone. Among these compounds were at least 12 different versions of a molecule called desferrioxamine, a siderophore used by the bacteria to gather iron. Many other compounds of unknown identity were also observed, and the pattern of compound production varied greatly among the interaction sets. These findings suggest that chemical interactions between actinomycetes are surprisingly complex and that coculture may be a promising strategy for finding new molecules from actinomycetes.