bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Hypovirulence of the Phytopathogenic Fungus Botryosphaeria dothidea: Association with a Coinfecting Chrysovirus and a Partitivirus
Authors: Wang LiPing , Jiang JingJing , Wang YanFen , Hong Ni , Zhang Fangpeng , Xu WenXing , Wang GuoPing
Published: April 2014

Botryosphaeria dothidea
is an important pathogenic fungus causing fruit rot, leaf and stem ring spots and dieback, stem canker, stem death or stool mortality, and decline of pear trees. Seven double-stranded RNAs (dsRNAs; dsRNAs 1 to 7 with sizes of 3,654, 2,773, 2,597, 2,574, 1,823, 1,623, and 511 bp, respectively) were identified in an isolate of
B. dothidea
exhibiting attenuated growth and virulence and a sectoring phenotype. Characterization of the dsRNAs revealed that they belong to two dsRNA mycoviruses. The four largest dsRNAs (dsRNAs 1 to 4) are the genomic components of a novel member of the family
Chrysoviridae
(tentatively designated
Botryosphaeria dothidea
chrysovirus 1 [BdCV1]), a view supported by the morphology of the virions and phylogenetic analysis of the putative RNA-dependent RNA polymerases (RdRps). Two other dsRNAs (dsRNAs 5 and 6) are the genomic components of a novel member of the family
Partitiviridae
(tentatively designated
Botryosphaeria dothidea
partitivirus 1 [BdPV1]), which is placed in a clade distinct from other established partitivirus genera on the basis of the phylogenetic analysis of its RdRp. The smallest dsRNA, dsRNA7, seems to be a noncoding satellite RNA of BdPV1 on the basis of the conservation of its terminal sequences in BdPV1 genomic segments and its cosegregation with BdPV1 after horizontal transmission. This is the first report of a chrysovirus and a partitivirus infecting
B. dothidea
and of a chrysovirus associated with the hypovirulence of a phytopathogenic fungus.

IMPORTANCE
Our studies identified and characterized two novel mycoviruses,
Botryosphaeria dothidea
chrysovirus 1 (BdCV1) and
Botryosphaeria dothidea
partitivirus 1 (BdPV1), associated with the hypovirulence of an important fungus pathogenic to fruit trees. This is the first report of a chrysovirus and a partitivirus infecting
B. dothidea
and of a chrysovirus associated with the hypovirulence of a phytopathogenic fungus. BdCV1 appears to be a good candidate for the biological control of the serious disease induced by
B. dothidea
. Additionally, BdPV1 is placed in a clade distinct from the established genera. The BdCV1 capsid has two major structural proteins, and the capsid is distinct from that made up by a single polypeptide of the typical chrysoviruses. BdPV1 is the second partitivirus in which the putative capsid protein shares no significant identity with any mycovirus protein. A small accompanying dsRNA that is presumed to be a noncoding satellite RNA of BdPV1 is the first of its kind reported for a partitivirus.
Phenylalanine Residues at the Carboxyl Terminus of the Herpes Simplex Virus 1 UL20 Membrane Protein Regulate Cytoplasmic Virion Envelopment and Infectious Virus Production
Authors: Charles Anu-Susan , Chouljenko Vladimir N. , Jambunathan Nithya , Subramanian Ramesh , Mottram Peter , Kousoulas Konstantin G.
Published: April 2014

The herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) UL20 gene encodes a 222-amino-acid nonglycosylated envelope protein which forms a complex with viral glycoprotein K (gK) that functions in virion envelopment, egress, and virus-induced cell fusion. To investigate the role of the carboxyl terminus of the UL20 protein (UL20p) in cytoplasmic virion envelopment, a cadre of mutant viruses was constructed and characterized. The deletion of six amino acids from the carboxyl terminus of UL20p caused an approximately 1-log reduction in infectious virus production compared to that of the wild-type virus. Surprisingly, a phenylalanine-to-alanine replacement at amino acid position 210 caused a gain-of-function phenotype, increasing infectious virus production up to 1 log more than in the wild-type virus. In contrast, the replacement of two membrane-proximal phenylalanines with alanines caused drastic inhibition of infectious virion production and cytoplasmic virion envelopment. Prediction of the membrane topology of UL20p revealed that these two amino acid changes cause retraction of the carboxyl terminus of UL20p from the intracellular space. Confocal microscopy revealed that none of the engineered UL20 mutations affected intracellular transport of UL20p to
trans
-Golgi network membranes. In addition, a proximity ligation assay showed that none of the UL20 mutations affected UL20p colocalization and potential interactions with the UL37 protein recently found to interact with the gK/UL20 protein complex. Collectively, these studies show that phenylalanine residues within the carboxyl terminus of UL20p are involved in the regulation of cytoplasmic virion envelopment and infectious virus production.

IMPORTANCE
We have shown previously that the UL20/gK protein complex serves crucial roles in cytoplasmic virion envelopment and that it interacts with the UL37 tegument protein to facilitate cytoplasmic virion envelopment. In this study, we investigated the role of phenylalanine residues within the carboxyl terminus of UL20p, since aromatic and hydrophobic amino acids are known to be involved in protein-protein interactions through stacking of their aromatic structures. Characterization of mutant viruses carrying phenylalanine (Phe)-to-alanine (Ala) mutations revealed that the two membrane-proximal Phe residues were critical for the proper UL20p membrane topology and efficient virion envelopment and infectious virus production. Surprisingly, a Phe-to-Ala change located approximately in the middle of the UL20p carboxyl terminus substantially enhanced cytoplasmic envelopment and overall production of infectious virions. This work revealed that Phe residues within the UL20p carboxyl terminus are involved in the regulation of cytoplasmic virion envelopment and infectious virus production.
The Human Fetal Glial Cell Line SVG p12 Contains Infectious BK Polyomavirus
Authors: Henriksen Stian , Tylden Garth D. , Dumoulin Alexis , Sharma Biswa Nath , Hirsch Hans H. , Rinaldo Christine Hanssen
Published: April 2014

The human fetal glial cell line SVG was generated in 1985 by transfecting primary fetal brain cells with a plasmid containing an origin-defective mutant of simian virus 40 (SV40). The cells, which express SV40 large T-antigen, support the replication of human JC polyomavirus (JCPyV) and have been used for JCPyV studies but also for other studies in which cells of neural origin were desirable. We intended to use the SVG p12 cells from ATCC for antiviral drug studies with JCPyV. However, during initial experiments, immunofluorescence microscopy controls unexpectedly revealed cells expressing the late viral proteins VP1, VP2/VP3, and agno. This was confirmed by Western blotting. Since our agnoprotein antiserum is specific for BKPyV agnoprotein, infection with BKPyV was suspected. Indeed, specific BKPyV PCR of SVG p12 supernatants revealed a viral load of >1 × 10
10
genomic equivalents/ml. Negative-staining electron microscopy showed characteristic polyomavirus virions, and infectious BKPyV was transmitted from SVG p12 supernatant to other cells. Long-range PCR covering the viral genome, followed by DNA sequencing, identified BKPyV strain UT as well as deletion derivatives. This was confirmed by next-generation sequencing. JCPyV (MAD-4) was found to infect apparently uninfected and BKPyV-infected SVG p12 cells. In total, 4 vials from 2 different ATCC lots of SVG p12 cells dating back to 2006 contained BKPyV, whereas the subclone SVG-A was negative. In conclusion, SVG p12 cells from ATCC contain infectious BKPyV. This may have affected results and interpretations of previous studies, and caution should be taken in future experiments.

IMPORTANCE
This work reveals that one of the most frequently used cell lines for JC polyomavirus (JCPyV) research, the SV40-immortalized human fetal glial cell line SVG p12 obtained directly from ATCC, contains infectious BK polyomavirus (BKPyV) of strain UT and a spectrum of defective mutants. Strain UT has been previously found in urine and in tumors of different patients but is also frequently used for research. It is therefore not clear if BKPyV was present in the brain tissue used to generate the cell line or if this is a contamination. Although productive JCPyV infection of SVG cells was not dependent on prior BKPyV infection, the unnoticed presence of BKPyV may have influenced the results of studies using these cells. The interpretation of past results should therefore be reconsidered and cells tested for BKPyV before new studies are initiated. The frequently used subclone SVG-A did not contain BKPyV and could be a useful substitute.
Roles of Major Histocompatibility Complex Class II in Inducing Protective Immune Responses to Influenza Vaccination
Authors: O Eunju , Lee Young-Tae , Ko Eun-Ju , Kim Ki-Hye , Lee Yu-Na , Song Jae-Min , Kwon Young-Man , Kim Min-Chul , Perez Daniel R. , Kang Sang-Moo
Published: April 2014

Major histocompatibility complex class II-deficient (MHC-II KO; Aβ−/−) mice were used to assess the roles of MHC-II molecules in inducing protective immune responses to vaccination. After vaccination with influenza A/PR8 virus-like particle (VLP) vaccine,in vivoandin vitrovaccine antigen-specific IgG isotype antibodies were not detected in MHC-II KO mice, which is quite different from CD4 T cell-deficient mice that induced vaccine-specific IgG antibodies. The deficiency in MHC-II did not significantly affect the induction of antigen-specific IgM antibody in sera. MHC-II KO mice that were vaccinated with influenza VLP, whole inactivated influenza virus, or live attenuated influenza virus vaccines were not protected against lethal infection with influenza A/PR8 virus. Adoptive transfer of fractionated spleen cells from wild-type mice to MHC-II KO mice indicated that CD43+cell populations with MHC-II contributed more significantly to producing vaccine-specific IgG antibodies than CD43−B220+conventional B cell or CD4 T cell populations, as well as conferring protection against lethal infection. Bone marrow-derived dendritic cells from MHC-II KO mice showed a significant defect in producing interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor alpha cytokines. Thus, results indicate that MHC-II molecules play multiple roles in inducing protective immunity to influenza vaccination.

IMPORTANCEMajor histocompatibility complex class II (MHC-II) has been known to activate CD4 T helper immune cells. A deficiency in MHC-II was considered to be equivalent to the lack of CD4 T cells in developing host immune responses to pathogens. However, the roles of MHC-II in inducing protective immune responses to vaccination have not been well understood. In the present study, we demonstrate that MHC-II-deficient mice showed much more significant defects in inducing protective antibody responses to influenza vaccination than CD4 T cell-deficient mice. Further analysis showed that CD43 marker-positive immune cells with MHC-II, as well as an innate immunity-simulating adjuvant, could rescue some defects in inducing protective immune responses in MHC-II-deficient mice. These results have important implications for our understanding of host immunity-inducing mechanisms to vaccination, as well as in developing effective vaccines and adjuvants.
Essix restoration: a novel approach for transitional teeth replacement
Authors: Patel Avani , Prajapati Paranjay , Sethuraman Rajesh , Patel Jayanti R
Published: April 2014

Loss of teeth is a distressing situation. The patient may cultivate feeling of loss of an organ on loss of teeth. Especially when anterior teeth are lost appearance of the patient is compromised with altered pronunciation. This is a really embarrassing situation for people working as news readers, social workers, marketing executives, theatre artists or persons whose presentation in front of people is important as part of their work. Replacement of missing teeth immediately after loss is not possible always due to local and systemic physiological factors, age, pathological factors and unfavourable condition of soft tissue in a particular area. Various means are available for transitional replacement of teeth which may or may not require adjacent teeth preparation. Essix restoration is easy to fabricate and use the restoration option with great aesthetic value.
Mantle cell lymphoma: a rare cause of a solitary duodenal mass
Authors: Moussaide Ghita , Kazemi Ali , Mitre Ricardo , Mitre Marcia C
Published: April 2014

Mantle cell lymphoma is a very aggressive lymphoma with a very poor prognosis. It commonly involves the gastrointestinal tract but rarely presents as primary gastrointestinal lymphoma. The most notable cases of primary gastrointestinal mantle cell lymphomas have been described as multiple lymphomatous polyposis and have a very poor prognosis. We report a case of primary gastrointestinal mantle cell lymphoma that was discovered by endoscopic biopsy of a single duodenal polyp in a 70-year-old woman who was previously treated forHelicobacter pylorigastritis. She presented with a 6-month history of indigestion, heartburn and abdominal bloating. A subsequent workup revealed one extranodal site of involvement, lymphatic involvement below the diaphragm and a normal bone marrow biopsy. We followed a wait-and-watch approach including serial CT scans and blood tests. Two years later, her symptoms have not progressed and her disease has remained stable.
Cutaneous horn: get to the bottom of it
Authors: Haddad Charles Joseph , Haddad-Lacle Judella Edwina Maria
Published: April 2014

A 62-year-old man presented to our family practice office with a skin lesion that developed over 8–10 months. Over the past 2–3 months the lesion grew more quickly. A 2–3 cm, hard brown projection was noted on the dorsal aspect of his hand. A decision was made to excise the lesion and send it for pathological evaluation. The lesion was found to be a cutaneous horn with invasive squamous cell carcinoma at the base. The margins of the sample were free of cancer cells. Cutaneous horns are raised skin lesions made of dead keratin derived from base keratinocytes. They are frequently found in areas of the body that have had solar exposure. There are a wide variety of histopathological findings at the base of these lesions. They range from benign to premalignant to malignant. Cutaneous horns should be completely excised and sent for pathological evaluation.
The Exercise is Medicine Global Health Initiative: a 2014 update
Authors: Lobelo Felipe , Stoutenberg Mark , Hutber Adrian
Published: April 2014

Background

A third of the world's population does not engage in recommended levels of physical activity (PA), leading to substantial health and economic burdens. The healthcare sector offers a variety of resources that can help counsel, refer and deliver PA promotion programmes for purposes of primordial, primary, secondary and tertiary prevention. Substantial evidence already exists in support of multipronged PA counselling, prescription and referral strategies, in particular those linking healthcare and community-based resources.

Methods

The Exercise is Medicine (EIM) initiative was introduced in 2007 to advance the implementation of evidence-based strategies to elevate the status of PA in healthcare. In this article, we describe the evolution and global expansion of the EIM initiative, its components, their implementation, an evaluation framework and future initiative activities.

Results

Until now, EIM has a presence in 39 countries with EIM Regional Centers established in North America, Latin America, Europe, Africa, Southeast Asia, China and Australasia. The EIM Global Health Initiative is transitioning from its initial phase of infrastructure and awareness building to a phase of programme implementation, with an emphasis in low-to-middle income countries, where 80% of deaths due to non-communicable diseases already occur, but where a large gap in research and implementation of PA strategies exists.

Conclusions

Broad implementation of PA counselling and referral systems, as clinical practice standard of care, has the potential to improve PA at the population level by complementing and leveraging other efforts and to contribute to achieving global targets for the reduction of inactivity and related morbidity and mortality.
Time for change: a roadmap to guide the implementation of the World Anti-Doping Code 2015
Authors: Dvorak Jiri , Baume Norbert , Botré Francesco , Broséus Julian , Budgett Richard , Frey Walter O , Geyer Hans , Harcourt Peter Rex , Ho Dave , Howman David , Isola Victor , Lundby Carsten , Marclay François , Peytavin Annie , Pipe Andrew , Pitsiladis Yannis P , Reichel Christian , Robinson Neil , Rodchenkov Grigory , Saugy Martial , Sayegh Souheil , Segura Jordi , Thevis Mario , Vernec Alan , Viret Marjolaine , Vouillamoz Marc , Zorzoli Mario
Published: April 2014

A medical and scientific multidisciplinary consensus meeting was held from 29 to 30 November 2013 on Anti-Doping in Sport at the Home of FIFA in Zurich, Switzerland, to create a roadmap for the implementation of the 2015 World Anti-Doping Code. The consensus statement and accompanying papers set out the priorities for the antidoping community in research, science and medicine. The participants achieved consensus on a strategy for the implementation of the 2015 World Anti-Doping Code. Key components of this strategy include: (1) sport-specific risk assessment, (2) prevalence measurement, (3) sport-specific test distribution plans, (4) storage and reanalysis, (5) analytical challenges, (6) forensic intelligence, (7) psychological approach to optimise the most deterrent effect, (8) the Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) and confounding factors, (9) data management system (Anti-Doping Administration & Management System (ADAMS), (10) education, (11) research needs and necessary advances, (12) inadvertent doping and (13) management and ethics: biological data. True implementation of the 2015 World Anti-Doping Code will depend largely on the ability to align thinking around these core concepts and strategies. FIFA, jointly with all other engaged International Federations of sports (Ifs), the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), are ideally placed to lead transformational change with the unwavering support of the wider antidoping community. The outcome of the consensus meeting was the creation of the ad hoc Working Group charged with the responsibility of moving this agenda forward.
Challenges and threats to implementing the fight against doping in sport
Authors: Dvorak Jiri , Saugy Martial , Pitsiladis Yannis P
Published: April 2014

Prominent doping cases in certain sports have recently raised public awareness of doping and reinforced the perception that doping is widespread. Efforts to deal with doping in sport have intensified in recent years, yet the general public believes that the ‘cheaters’ are ahead of the testers. Therefore, there is an urgent need to change the antidoping strategy. For example, the increase in the number of individual drug tests conducted between 2005 and 2012 was approximately 90 000 and equivalent to an increase of about 50%, yet the number of adverse analytical findings remained broadly the same. There is also a strikingly different prevalence of doping substances and methods in sports such as a 0.03% prevalence of anabolic steroids in football compared to 0.4% in the overall WADA statistics. Future efforts in the fight against doping should therefore be more heavily based on preventative strategies such as education and on the analysis of data and forensic intelligence and also on the experiences of relevant stakeholders such as the national antidoping organisations, the laboratories, athletes or team physicians and related biomedical support staff. This strategy is essential to instigate the change needed to more effectively fight doping in sport.
Can analyses of electronic patient records be independently and externally validated? The effect of statins on the mortality of patients with ischaemic heart disease: a cohort study with nested case–control analysis
Authors: Reeves David , Springate David A , Ashcroft Darren M , Ryan Ronan , Doran Tim , Morris Richard , Olier Ivan , Kontopantelis Evangelos
Published: April 2014

Objective

To conduct a fully independent and external validation of a research study based on one electronic health record database, using a different electronic database sampling the same population.

Design

Using the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD), we replicated a published investigation into the effects of statins in patients with ischaemic heart disease (IHD) by a different research team using QResearch. We replicated the original methods and analysed all-cause mortality using: (1) a cohort analysis and (2) a case-control analysis nested within the full cohort.

Setting

Electronic health record databases containing longitudinal patient consultation data from large numbers of general practices distributed throughout the UK.

Participants

CPRD data for 34 925 patients with IHD from 224 general practices, compared to previously published results from QResearch for 13 029 patients from 89 general practices. The study period was from January 1996 to December 2003.

Results

We successfully replicated the methods of the original study very closely. In a cohort analysis, risk of death was lower by 55% for patients on statins, compared with 53% for QResearch (adjusted HR 0.45, 95% CI 0.40 to 0.50; vs 0.47, 95% CI 0.41 to 0.53). In case-control analyses, patients on statins had a 31% lower odds of death, compared with 39% for QResearch (adjusted OR 0.69, 95% CI 0.63 to 0.75; vs OR 0.61, 95% CI 0.52 to 0.72). Results were also close for individual statins.

Conclusions

Database differences in population characteristics and in data definitions, recording, quality and completeness had a minimal impact on key statistical outputs. The results uphold the validity of research using CPRD and QResearch by providing independent evidence that both datasets produce very similar estimates of treatment effect, leading to the same clinical and policy decisions. Together with other non-independent replication studies, there is a nascent body of evidence for wider validity.
Validity of the International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision discharge diagnosis codes for hyponatraemia in the Danish National Registry of Patients
Authors: Holland-Bill Louise , Christiansen Christian Fynbo , Ulrichsen Sinna Pilgaard , Ring Troels , Jørgensen Jens Otto Lunde , Sørensen Henrik Toft
Published: April 2014

Objective

To examine the validity of theInternational Classification of Diseases, 10th revision (ICD-10) codes for hyponatraemia in the nationwide population-based Danish National Registry of Patients (DNRP) among inpatients of all ages.

Design

Population-based validation study.

Setting

All somatic hospitals in the North and Central Denmark Regions from 2006 through 2011.

Participants:

Patients of all ages admitted to hospital (n=819 701 individual patients) during the study period. The patient could be included in the study more than once, and our study did not restrict to patients with serum sodium measurements (total of n=2 186 642 hospitalisations).

Main outcome measure

We validated ICD-10 discharge diagnoses of hyponatraemia recorded in the DNRP, using serum sodium measurements obtained from the laboratory information systems (LABKA) research database as the gold standard. One sodium value <135 mmol/L measured at any time during hospitalisation confirmed the diagnosis. We estimated sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) for ICD-10 codes for hyponatraemia overall and for cut-off points for increasing hyponatraemia severity.

Result

An ICD-10 code for hyponatraemia was recorded in the DNRP in 5850 of the 2 186 642 hospitalisations identified. According to laboratory measurements, however, hyponatraemia was present in 306 418 (14%) hospitalisations. Sensitivity of hyponatraemia diagnoses was 1.8% (95% CI 1.7% to 1.8%). For sodium values <115 mmol/L, sensitivity was 34.3% (95% CI 32.6% to 35.9%). The overall PPV was 92.5% (95% CI 91.8% to 93.1%) and decreased with increasing hyponatraemia severity. Specificity and NPV were high for all cut-off points (≥99.8% and ≥86.2%, respectively). Patients with hyponatraemia without a corresponding ICD-10 discharge diagnosis were younger and had higher Charlson Comorbidity Index scores than patients with hyponatraemia with a hyponatraemia code in the DNRP.

Conclusions

ICD-10 codes for hyponatraemia in the DNRP have high specificity but very low sensitivity. Laboratory test results, not discharge diagnoses, should be used to ascertain hyponatraemia.
Outcomes of tailored angioplasty and/or stenting for symptomatic intracranial atherosclerosis: a prospective cohort study after SAMMPRIS
Authors: Miao Zhongrong , Song Ligang , Liebeskind David S , Liu Liping , Ma Ning , Wang Yilong , Mo Dapeng , Gao Feng , Zhao Xingquan , Dong Kehui , Zhang Dong , Gao Peiyi
Published: April 2014

Background and purpose

High periprocedural complication rate is a key limitation of endovascular treatment of intracranial atherosclerotic disease (ICAD), despite potential risk reduction of recurrent stroke. Taking lessons from the Stenting and Aggressive Medical Management for Preventing Recurrent Stroke in Intracranial Arterial Stenosis (SAMMPRIS) trial, targeting a selected patient population, we prospectively evaluated the feasibility and safety of tailored angioplasty and/or stenting for patients with ICAD.

Methods

From November 2011 to October 2012, 158 patients with symptomatic ICAD caused by hypoperfusion combined with poor collateral flow were consecutively recruited into a prospective single center study. Patients were divided into three groups based on arterial access and lesion morphology: balloon mounted stent group (group BS) for smooth access and Mori A lesion, angioplasty plus self-expanding stent group (group AS) for tortuous access and Mori B or C lesion, and angioplasty group (group AG) for tortuous access and Mori A lesion. The primary endpoints were successful procedure rate and any vascular event within 30 days.

Results

Overall technical success rate was 96.3% (154/158). There were significant differences in the technical success rate: 89.7% (35/39) in group AG compared with 97.5% (79/81) in group BS and 100% (38/38) in group AS (p=0.042). The 30 day composite stroke, myocardial infarction, or death rate was 4.4% (7/158). Stroke within 30 days occurred in four patients in group BS and in three patients in group AS.

Conclusions

Individualized treatment of ICAD using tailored devices according to arterial access and lesion morphology was feasible and safe in symptomatic patients caused by hypoperfusion with poor collateral flow.
Significant effect of charge microenvironment on the redox potential of [Fe4Se4(SPh)4]2− in solution and inside film
Authors: Das Diganta Kumar , Sarmah Dhanada , Roy Raben Ch.
Published: April 2014

Through this work, we have shown that both the nature and the compactness of charge of the microenvironment around the [Fe4Se4(SPh)4]2−/3− couple are important in determining its redox potential. The redox potential of the [Fe4Se4(SPh)4]2−/3− couple has been measured in pure dimethylformamide (DMF), DMF added with surfactants of different charges, and also in positive surfactant film on an electrode surface. The redox potential becomes 0.090 V positive when the solution microenvironment is made positive compared to that in DMF. On the other hand, if the microenvironment is made positive and static (in the form of a positive film), the positive shift in the potential is 0.265 V, and compactness of charge induced an extra 0.175 V positive shift in the potential.
Optically active helical poly(α,β-unsaturated ketone) from anionic polymerization of (S)-3-acrylyl-2,2′- bis(methoxymethoxy)-1,1′-binaphthyl
Authors: Chen Yehui , Yang Liwen , Yang Nianfa , Yang Zhusheng
Published: April 2014

(S)-3-acrylyl-2,2′-bis(methoxymethoxy)-1,1′-binaphthyl (3a) was synthesized and anionically polymerized using n-BuLi as an initiator. The polymer derived from 3a had a tremendous specific optical rotation [Formula: see text] = −304.2, while that of the monomer 3a is −68.7. Poly-3a was confirmed to exist in the form of a one-handed helical structure in solution by means of comparing the specific optical rotation, the circular dichroism, and UV-vis spectra with that of 3a and the model compounds such as (S)-3-propionyl-2,2′-bis(methoxymethoxy)-1,1′-binaphthyl (3b) and (S)-3-heptanoyl-2,2′-bis(methoxymethoxy)-1,1′-binaphthyl (3c). This conclusion was also confirmed by the fact that the g value of poly-3a is about 15 times of that of the monomer 3a.
Natural defense by saliva and mucosa against oral infection byLeptospira
Authors: Asoh Tatsuma , Saito Mitsumasa , Villanueva Sharon Y.A.M. , Kanemaru Takaaki , Gloriani Nina , Yoshida Shin-ichi
Published: April 2014

Leptospirosis caused by drinking water has not been as frequently reported as percutaneous infection. Resistance to oral infection by pathogenic Leptospira was examined in an experimental hamster infection model. The results suggested some natural defenses against oral infection by Leptospira. First, we found that characteristic linear agglutination of Leptospira rapidly occurs when mixed with human saliva. That human saliva attenuated the infectivity of the treated leptospires by its agglutination activity suggested saliva to be the first line of defense against oral infection by leptospires. Second, only 101Leptospira organisms caused death after submucosal injection into oral mucosa in hamsters, but oral infection with drinking water containing 105organisms/mL did not cause death. This result showed that the mucosa plays the role of a physical barrier. Third, hamsters intragastrically infected by leptospires, with doses lethal to hamsters in oral infection, showed no signs of illness, which suggested that gastric acid plays an important role in preventing oral infection. Based on these results, saliva, mucosa, and gastric acid make up a natural defense, which confers high resistance to hosts against oral infection by leptospires.
Ghost of land-use past in the context of current land cover: evidence from salamander communities in streams of Blue Ridge and Piedmont ecoregions
Authors: Surasinghe Thilina , Baldwin Robert F.
Published: April 2014

The Blue Ridge and Piedmont of the southeastern United States are rich in biodiversity and have undergone centuries of extensive deforestation and subsequent urbanization resulting in geomorphic landscape changes. To investigate the impacts of past and present land uses on stream salamander communities across both ecoregions, we surveyed streams associated with different land uses at the riparian zone and watershed. Using the USGS land-cover data set (2006) and aerial photographs (1940), we assessed the current and historical percent land cover (urban, agriculture, and forests) at local and landscape scales for each sampling site. Using percent land cover as predictors and diversity indices (species richness, Simpson’s index, and relative abundance) as response variables, we developed a stepwise multiple regression model and a redundancy analysis. Both analyses indicated the negative impacts of historical land uses, particularly row-crop agriculture, on stream salamander diversity and community structure rendering streams unsuitable for all but the most tolerant species. Legacy effects were prominent in the Piedmont where protected areas with agricultural history were species-deprived (70% decline) compared with stream habitats that had sustained a continuous forest cover through time. Our findings suggested that landscape processes resulting in historical forest cover loss may persist over 50 years during forest recovery.
Lie bialgebras of not-finitely graded Lie algebras related to generalized Virasoro algebras
Authors: Chen Qiufan , Han Jianzhi , Su Yucai
Published: April 2014

In this paper, the Lie bialgebra structures on a class of not-finitely graded Lie algebras related to generalized Virasoro algebras Ŵ are considered. We prove that all Lie bialgebras on Ŵ are coboundary triangular.
Ergodic properties and harmonic functionals on locally compact quantum groups
Authors: Nemati Mehdi
Published: April 2014

For a locally compact quantum group 𝔾, we generalize some notions of amenability such as amenability of locally compact quantum groups and inner amenability of locally compact groups to the case of right Banach L1(𝔾)-modules. Also, we investigate the concept of harmonic functionals over right Banach L1(𝔾)-modules and use these devices to study, among others, amenability of 𝔾.
Effects of DC electric fields on neuronal excitability: A bifurcation analysis
Authors: Che Yanqiu , Li Huiyan , Han Chunxiao , Wei Xile , Deng Bin , Wang Jiang
Published: April 2014

In this paper, the effects of external DC electric fields on the neuro-computational properties are investigated in the context of Morris–Lecar (ML) model with bifurcation analysis. We obtain the detailed bifurcation diagram in two-dimensional parameter space of externally applied DC current and trans-membrane potential induced by external DC electric field. The bifurcation sets partition the two-dimensional parameter space in terms of the qualitatively different behaviors of the ML model. Thus the neuron's information encodes the stimulus information, and vice versa, which is significant in neural control. Furthermore, we identify the electric field as a key parameter to control the transitions among four different excitability and spiking properties, which facilitates the design of electric fields based neuronal modulation method.
A WIDE-RANGE PROGRAMMABLE PULSE WIDTH CONTROLLER
Authors: BABAZADEH HADISEH , ESMAILI ARASH , HADIDI KHAYROLLAH , KHOEI ABDOLLAH
Published: April 2014

A very simple, wide range and programmable pulse width controller or duty cycle corrector (DCC) is presented. Simulating the circuit in 0.35 μm Complementary MOSFET (CMOS) technology shows that the frequency range of the input signal can be within 250 MHz to 1.6 GHz, with a duty cycle of 30–70%. The proposed circuit generates an output signal with programmable duty cycle in the range of 30–70% with steps of 10% which could be extended to more steps by simple variations. The systematic peak-to-peak jitter at center frequency (1 GHz) is 1ps, while adding a random noise source of 5% of the power supply, increases it to 13 ps. the power consumption at maximum speed (1.6 GHz) is 4.9 mW. Monte Carlo simulations show maximum of 3.4% error at the 1.5 GHz input frequency and 70% output duty cycle.
SOFT ERROR RATE ESTIMATION FOR COMBINATIONAL LOGIC IN PRESENCE OF SINGLE EVENT MULTIPLE TRANSIENTS
Authors: RAJAEI RAMIN , TABANDEH MAHMOUD , FAZELI MAHDI
Published: April 2014

Fast and accurate estimation of soft error rate in VLSI circuits is an essential step in a soft error tolerant ASIC design. In order to have a cost effective protection against radiation effects in combinational logics, an accurate and fast method for identification of most susceptive gates and paths is needed. In this paper, an efficient, fast and accurate method for soft error propagation probability (SEPP) estimation is presented and its performance is evaluated. This method takes into account all three masking factors in multi cycles. It also considers multiple event transients as a new challenge in soft error tolerant VLSI circuit design. Compared with Monte Carlo (MC) simulation-based fault injection method, our SEPP estimation method has a high level of accuracy (with less than 2% difference) while offering 1000× speedup as compared with MC-based simulation.
THE MICROMECHANICAL AND TRIBOLOGICAL FEATURE OF MILD MOTTLED ENAMEL
Authors: FAN HONGYI , GAO SHANSHAN , LIU YANG , ZHU ZHUOLI , YU HAIYANG
Published: April 2014

The relationships between the basic mechanical and wear properties of mottled enamel, especially during the mastication process, are important factors and must be explored. This study evaluated mottled enamel's micro-tribological behavior under artificial saliva conditions in vitro. The basic mechanical properties were determined by nanoindentiation testing. A conical diamond nanoindenter tip was used to scratch mottled enamel and normal enamel. The scratches were sliding with a constant normal load of 2 mN, with different cycles during the tests. The hardness, elastic modulus and friction coefficient were obtained to analyze the mechanical properties. The results showed that the hardness and elastic modulus of mottled enamel were 10% and 14.6% less, respectively, than those of normal enamel. Mottled enamel showed a lower friction coefficient and a higher wear rate, compared to normal enamel. The friction coefficient did not appear to be related to the wear rate for either type of enamel. The wear mechanism for normal enamel was plastic deformation for early wear, while the combination of plastic deformation and delamination was the main damage feature of mottled enamel.
Multipartite entanglement and few-body Hamiltonians
Authors: Pepe Francesco V.
Published: April 2014

We investigate the possibility to obtain higly multipartite-entangled states as non-degenerate eigenstates of Hamiltonians that involve only short-range and few-body interactions. We study small-size systems (with a number of qubits ranging from three to five) and search for Hamiltonians with a maximally multipartite entangled state (MMES) as a non-degenerate eigenstate. We then find conditions, including bounds on the number of coupled qubits, to build a Hamiltonian with a Greenberger–Horne–Zeilinger (GHZ) state as a non-degenerate eigenstate. We finally comment on possible applications.
Effect of temperature on non-Markovian dynamics in Coulomb crystals
Authors: Borrelli Massimo , Maniscalco Sabrina
Published: April 2014

In this paper, we generalize the results reported in Phys. Rev. A88 (2013) 010101 and investigate the flow of information induced in a Coulomb crystal in presence of thermal noise. For several temperatures we calculate the non-Markovian character of Ramsey interferometry of a single 1/2 spin with the motional degrees of freedom of the whole chain. These results give a more realistic picture of the interplay between temperature, non-Markovianity and criticality.
Full-Body Postural Control of a Humanoid Robot with Both Imitation Learning and Skill Innovation
Authors: González-Fierro Miguel , Balaguer Carlos , Swann Nicola , Nanayakkara Thrishantha
Published: April 2014

In this paper, we present a novel methodology to obtain imitative and innovative postural movements in a humanoid based on human demonstrations in a different kinematic scale. We collected motion data from a group of human participants standing up from a chair. Modeling the human as an actuated 3-link kinematic chain, and by defining a multi-objective reward function of zero moment point and joint torques to represent the stability and effort, we computed reward profiles for each demonstration. Since individual reward profiles show variability across demonstrating trials, the underlying state transition probabilities were modeled using a Markov chain. Based on the argument that the reward profiles of the robot should show the same temporal structure of those of the human, we used differential evolution to compute a trajectory that fits all humanoid constraints and minimizes the difference between the robot reward profile and the predicted profile if the robot imitates the human. Therefore, robotic imitation involves developing a policy that results in a temporal reward structure, matching that of a group of human demonstrators across an array of demonstrations. Skill innovation was achieved by optimizing a signed reward error after imitation was achieved. Experimental results using the humanoid HOAP-3 are shown.
NUMERICAL STUDIES OF TRANSITION FROM STEADY TO UNSTEADY COUPLED THERMAL BOUNDARY LAYERS
Authors: XU F. , YANG Q. , YU P.
Published: April 2014

The transition from the steady to the unsteady coupled thermal boundary layers around a partition in a differentially heated partitioned cavity is investigated numerically. The partitioned cavity is filled with water, which is imposed a temperature difference between the two sidewalls of the cavity. The numerical results are consistent with the corresponding experiments. The development of the unsteady coupled thermal boundary layers following a sudden temperature difference between the fluids at the two sides of the partition at a high Rayleigh number of Ra = 1011 is described. The transition from the steady to the unsteady coupled thermal boundary layers over a wide range of Rayleigh numbers from Ra = 109 to 1011 is observed. The dependence of traveling waves in the unsteady coupled thermal boundary layers on the Rayleigh number and heat transfer through the partitioned cavity are characterized and quantified.
Medical Device Innovation Development Process
Authors: Songkajorn Yaninee , Thawesaengskulthai Natcha
Published: April 2014

This research contributes to developing a framework for medical device innovation (MDI) development. The scope of MDI development process is based on a government university hospital. The structure of the research process taken in this paper is based on distinguishing between three empirical case studies to build a conceptual process of MDI invention. An additional case study is used to validate and test the developed model. Specifically, this MDI development process framework is composed of five main steps which are: (i) preliminary systematic analysis, (ii) risk management, (iii) MDI conceptualized design, (iv) clinical development, and (v) production and MIP marketing management. Furthermore, contributions of effective factors for implementing MDI are technological screening, interdisciplinary blending, systematic management, value creation, and synthesis design into MDI invention process.
DEVELOPMENT OF SYBR GREEN-BASED REAL-TIME PCR FOR THE DETECTION OF CANINE, FELINE AND PORCINE PARVOVIRUSES
Authors: Lin Chao-Nan , Chien Chi-Hsien , Chiou Ming-Tang , Wang Jou-Wei , Lin Ya-Ling , Xu Ya-Min
Published: April 2014

Parvovirus is now considered to be one of the most important infectious agents affecting canine, feline and porcine domestic animals. Canine parvovirus 2 (CPV 2) and feline parvovirus (FPV) are major infectious causes of mortality in puppies and kittens. Both CPV 2 and FPV have recently been shown to infect both dogs and cats. The characteristic symptoms of canine, feline and porcine parvovirus disease are intestinal hemorrhage with severe bloody diarrhea, leukopenia and reproductive failure, respectively. In this work, we describe the development of a novel real-time PCR system that is based on the use of SYBR Green and that allows the simultaneous detection of VP2 gene of CPV, FPV and porcine parvovirus (PPV). This system yielded low coefficients of variation for intra-assay and inter-assay variabilities. This novel SYBR Green-based real-time PCR assay was sensitive, specific and reliable for the amplification of CPV 2, FPV and PPV DNA, with a reproducible limit of detection of as few as 10 copies/μL of target DNA per reaction. The methods described in this study have been used successfully in our veterinary diagnostic laboratory and have been shown to be helpful tools for the diagnosis and quantification of parvovirus infection in canines, felines and swine.
Dynamics of a stochastic predator–prey model with mutual interference
Authors: Wang Kai , Zhu Yanling
Published: April 2014

In this paper, a stochastic predator–prey (PP) model with mutual interference is considered. Some sufficient conditions for the existence of globally positive solution, non-persistence in the mean, weak persistence in the mean, strong persistence in the mean and almost surely extinction of the the model are established. Moreover, the threshold between weak persistence in the mean and almost surely extinction of the prey is obtained. Some examples are given to show the feasibility of the results by numerical simulation. It is significant that such a model is firstly proposed with stochastic perturbation.
Enhanced cell volume regulation: a key mechanism in local and remote ischemic preconditioning
Authors: Diaz Roberto J. , Harvey Kordan , Boloorchi Azadeh , Hossain Taneya , Hinek Alina , Backx Peter H. , Wilson Gregory J.
Published: April 2014

We have previously shown that ischemic preconditioning (IPC) protection against necrosis in whole hearts and in both fresh and cultured cardiomyocytes, as well as the improved regulatory volume decrease to hypoosmotic swelling in cardiomyocytes, is abrogated through Cl− channel blockade, pointing to a role for enhanced cell volume regulation in IPC. To further define this cardioprotective mechanism, cultured rabbit ventricular cardiomyocytes were preconditioned either by 10-min simulated ischemia (SI) followed by 10-min simulated reperfusion (SR), by 10-min exposure/10-min washout of remote IPC (rIPC) plasma dialysate (from rabbits subjected to repetitive limb ischemia), or by adenoviral transfection with the constitutively active PKC-ε gene. These interventions were done before cardiomyocytes were subjected to either 60- or 75-min SI/60-min SR to assess cell necrosis (by trypan blue staining), 30-min SI to assess ischemic cell swelling, or 30-min hypoosmotic (200 mosM) stress to assess cell volume regulation. Necrosis after SI/SR and both SI- and hypoosmotic stress-induced swelling was reduced in preconditioned cardiomyocytes compared with control cardiomyocytes (neither preconditioned nor transfected). These effects on necrosis and cell swelling were blocked by either Cl− channel blockade or dominant negative knockdown of inwardly rectifying K+ channels with adenoviruses, suggesting that Cl− and K+ movements across the sarcolemma are critical for cell volume regulation and, thereby, cell survival under hypoxic/ischemic conditions. Our results define enhanced cell volume regulation as a key common mechanism of cardioprotection by preconditioning in cardiomyocytes.
Enhanced expression of Gqα and PLC-β1 proteins contributes to vascular smooth muscle cell hypertrophy in SHR: role of endogenous angiotensin II and endothelin-1
Authors: Atef Mohammed Emehdi , Anand-Srivastava Madhu B.
Published: April 2014

Vascular Gqα signaling has been shown to contribute to cardiac hypertrophy. In addition, angiotensin II (ANG II) was shown to induce vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) hypertrophy through Gqα signaling; however, the studies on the role of Gqα and PLC-β1 proteins in VSMC hypertrophy in animal model are lacking. The present study was therefore undertaken to examine the role of Gqα/PLC-β1 proteins and the signaling pathways in VSMC hypertrophy using spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). VSMC from 16-wk-old SHR and not from 12-wk-old SHR exhibited enhanced levels of Gqα/PLC-β1 proteins compared with age-matched Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats as determined by Western blotting. However, protein synthesis as determined by [3H]leucine incorporation was significantly enhanced in VSMC from both 12- and 16-wk-old SHR compared with VSMC from age-matched WKY rats. Furthermore, the knockdown of Gqα/PLC-β1 in VSMC from 16-wk-old SHR by antisense and small interfering RNA resulted in attenuation of protein synthesis. In addition, the enhanced expression of Gqα/PLC-β1 proteins, enhanced phosphorylation of ERK1/2, and enhanced protein synthesis in VSMC from SHR were attenuated by the ANG II AT1 and endothelin-1 (ET-1) ETA receptor antagonists losartan and BQ123, respectively, but not by the ETB receptor antagonist BQ788. In addition, PD98059 decreased the enhanced expression of Gqα/PLC-β1 and protein synthesis in VSMC from SHR. These results suggest that the enhanced levels of endogenous ANG II and ET-1 through the activation of AT1 and ETA receptors, respectively, and MAP kinase signaling, enhanced the expression of Gqα/PLC-β1 proteins in VSMC from 16-wk-old SHR and result in VSMC hypertrophy.