bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Modeling geographic variation in pronunciation of United Kingdom English
Authors: Henley Katherine , Coleman John S.
Published: April 2018

This paper details an investigation of geographic variation of UK English pronunciation based on formant trajectories of the diphthongs /aɪ/ and /aʊ/. Thousands of audio samples of these vowels were retrieved from the spoken portion of the British National Corpus (BNC), and their F1 and F2 values were compared across 89 locations within the UK. The study was designed with an expectation of a spectrum of pronunciations existing across the UK with monophthongal realizations primarily found in the Northern and Western areas of the country and more diphthongization occurring in the South. After searching the BNC for phonemically aligned tokens of “five” and “house,” functional data, modal, and geographic analyses were conducted. We found a strong correlation between speaker distance from the dataset’s northernmost location and diphthongization of /aɪ/. This finding suggests that the variation in pronunciation of the vowel in “five” is more continuous than isoglossic. By investigating formant trajectories of vowels involved in the English Great Vowel Shift, we have captured variation in pronunciation that exists across the UK as a result of English sound change.
Field verification of acoustic sources of geophysical survey in shallow water conditions
Authors: Cheong Sei-Him , Palmer Laura
Published: April 2018

Underwater noise generated from offshore survey is a growing concern and is known to have ecological consequences on the marine environment. As a conservation effort to reduce anthropogenic impact to the marine ecosystem, BOEM requires acoustic field verifications of sound sources used in a geophysical survey conducted in US water, to ensure the sound fields will not have detrimental effect to marine wildlife. This paper presents the field verification data from two geophysical surveys conducted in the east coast of USA in summer 2016. The survey locations were considered as area of high ecologically importance due to the close proximity to the migratory routes for a number of Baleen whale species including Fin and Northern Right whale. The recording of the survey sources were analysed spatially based on their spectral and temporal characteristics, to quantify the noise exposure experienced by a potential receptor. A comparative assessment between the sound isopleths obtained from field measurement and practical mitigation area was conducted. This information not only gives invaluable insight on the acoustic propagation in the local environment; it also provides extra confidence for the mitigation practice throughout the geophysical survey.
Estrogen receptor α contributes to T cell–mediated autoimmune inflammation by promoting T cell activation and proliferation
Authors: Mohammad Imran , Starskaia Inna , Nagy Tamas , Guo Jitao , Yatkin Emrah , Väänänen Kalervo , Watford Wendy T. , Chen Zhi
Published: April 2018

Estrogen receptor α promotes T cell activation and exacerbates autoimmune disease.
Revisiting PD-1 signaling
Authors: Williams Erin
Published: April 2018

The protective effect of anti-PD1 therapy in cancer may not require the phosphatase Ptpn11.
Role of Neuraminidase-Producing Bacteria in Exposing Cryptic Carbohydrate Receptors for Streptococcus gordonii Adherence
Authors: Wong Alex , Grau Margaret A. , Singh Anirudh K. , Woodiga Shireen A. , King Samantha J.
Published: April 2018

Streptococcus gordonii
is an early colonizer of the oral cavity. Although a variety of
S. gordonii
adherence mechanisms have been described, current dogma is that the major receptor for
S. gordonii
is sialic acid. However, as many bacterial species in the oral cavity produce neuraminidase that can cleave terminal sialic acid, it is unclear whether
S. gordonii
relies on sialic acid for adherence to oral surfaces or if this species has developed alternative binding strategies. Previous studies have examined adherence to immobilized glycoconjugates and identified binding to additional glycans, but no prior studies have defined the contribution of these different glycan structures in adherence to oral epithelial cells. We determined that the majority of
S. gordonii
strains tested did not rely on sialic acid for efficient adherence. In fact, adherence of some strains was significantly increased following neuraminidase treatment. Further investigation of representative strains that do not rely on sialic acid for adherence revealed binding not only to sialic acid via the serine-rich repeat protein GspB but also to β-1,4-linked galactose. Adherence to this carbohydrate occurs via an unknown adhesin distinct from those utilized by
Streptococcus oralis
and
Streptococcus pneumoniae
. Demonstrating the potential biological relevance of binding to this cryptic receptor, we established that
S. oralis
increases
S. gordonii
adherence in a neuraminidase-dependent manner. These data suggest that
S. gordonii
has evolved to simultaneously utilize both terminal and cryptic receptors in response to the production of neuraminidase by other species in the oral environment.
Increased Isoprenoid Quinone Concentration Modulates Membrane Fluidity in Listeria monocytogenes at Low Growth Temperatures
Authors: Seel Waldemar , Flegler Alexander , Zunabovic-Pichler Marija , Lipski André
Published: April 2018

Listeria monocytogenes
is a food pathogen capable of growing at a broad temperature range from 50°C to refrigerator temperatures. A key requirement for bacterial activity and growth at low temperatures is the ability to adjust the membrane lipid composition to maintain cytoplasmic membrane fluidity. In this study, we confirmed earlier findings that the extents of fatty acid profile adaptation differed between
L. monocytogenes
strains. We were able to demonstrate for isolates from food that growth rates at low temperatures and resistance to freeze-thaw stress were not impaired by a lower adaptive response of the fatty acid composition. This indicated the presence of a second adaptation mechanism besides temperature-regulated fatty acid synthesis. For strains that showed weaker adaptive responses in their fatty acid profiles to low growth temperature, we could demonstrate a significantly higher concentration of isoprenoid quinones. Three strains even showed a higher quinone concentration after growth at 6°C than at 37°C, which is contradictory to the reduced respiratory activity at lower growth temperatures. Analyses of the membrane fluidity
in vivo
by measuring generalized polarization and anisotropy revealed modulation of the transition phase. Strains with increased quinone concentrations showed an expanded membrane transition phase in contrast to strains with pronounced adaptations of fatty acid profiles. The correlation between quinone concentration and membrane transition phase expansion was confirmed by suppression of quinone synthesis. A reduced quinone concentration resulted in a narrower transition phase. Expansion of the phase transition zone by increasing the concentration of non-fatty acid membrane lipids is discussed as an additional mechanism improving adaptation to temperature shifts for
L. monocytogenes
strains.

IMPORTANCE
Listeria monocytogenes
is a foodborne pathogen with an outstanding temperature range for growth. The ability for growth at temperatures close to the freezing point constitutes a serious contamination potential for cold stored food. The only known mechanism of the species for adaptation of membrane fluidity is modification of the membrane fatty acid composition. We were able to demonstrate that, at least for some strains, this adaptation mechanism is supported by regulation of the menaquinone concentration. The increase of this neutral membrane lipid is correlated with fluidization of the membrane under low-temperature conditions and therefore represents a fatty acid-independent mechanism for adaptation to low temperatures.
Malaria in Farmed Ungulates: an Exciting New System for Comparative Parasitology
Authors: Perkins Susan L.
Published: April 2018

A wide array of vertebrates can serve as the intermediate hosts to malaria parasites (Apicomplexa: Haemosporida), such as birds, lizards, and several groups of mammals, including primates, bats, rodents, and ungulates. The latter group of hosts has not been intensively studied since early descriptions of a small set of taxa were published, but new reports of these parasites in both expected and new hosts have recently been published.
Molecular Preadaptation to Antimony Resistance in Leishmania donovani on the Indian Subcontinent
Authors: Dumetz F. , Cuypers B. , Imamura H. , Zander D. , D’Haenens E. , Maes I. , Domagalska M. A. , Clos J. , Dujardin J.-C. , De Muylder G.
Published: April 2018

The “antibiotic resistance crisis” is a major challenge for scientists and medical professionals. This steady rise in drug-resistant pathogens also extends to parasitic diseases, with antimony being the first anti-
Leishmania
drug that fell in the Indian subcontinent (ISC). Leishmaniasis is a major but neglected infectious disease with limited therapeutic options. Therefore, understanding how parasites became resistant to antimonials is of commanding importance. In this study, we experimentally characterized the dynamics of this resistance acquisition and show for the first time that some
Leishmania
populations of the ISC were preadapted to antimony resistance, likely driven by environmental factors or by drugs used in the 19th century.
Nutritional role of amniotic fluid: clues from infants with congenital obstruction of the digestive tract
Authors: Hall Nigel J , Drewett Melanie , Burge David
Published: April 2018

Aims

To investigate the role played by amniotic fluid in late fetal nutrition by analysis of infants born with digestive tract atresia.

Methods

Birth weight (BW), gestational age and gender of infants born with oesophageal (OA), duodenal (DA), jejunal (JA) and ileal atresia (IA) were recorded and BW Z-scores compared. Infants with incomplete obstruction (stenosis), chromosomal or syndromic conditions and multiple congenital malformations were excluded. Term infants admitted with suspected postnatal intestinal obstruction in whom no congenital malformation was found were used as a control group.

Results

A total of 584 infants were identified comprising 148 OA, 60 DA, 26 JA and 57 IA with 293 in the control group. Infants with OA and DA had statistically significantly lower BW Z-score than controls. However, BW Z-score for infants with more distal atresia (JA and IA) was similar to controls. When compared with infants with OA, BW Z-score for infants with more distal atresia was higher than that for OA. BW Z-score in infants with OA was significantly lower in those born at term compared with those born preterm (mean±SD −0.92±1.0 vs −0.48±0.87; p=0.01) with a significant negative correlation between BW Z-score and increasing gestational age (R2=0.12; p<0.0001). This effect of gestational age was not seen in other atresias.

Conclusion

These observations support the concept that reduced enteral absorption of amniotic fluid due to high digestive tract obstruction in utero reduces fetal growth. The effect is greater when the obstruction is more proximal and with advancing gestation.
Examining the effectiveness of consuming flour made from agronomically biofortified wheat (Zincol-2016/NR-421) for improving Zn status in women in a low-resource setting in Pakistan: study protocol for a randomised, double-blind, controlled cross-over trial (BiZiFED)
Authors: Lowe Nicola M , Khan Muhammad Jaffar , Broadley Martin R , Zia Munir H , McArdle Harry J , Joy Edward J M , Ohly Heather , Shahzad Babar , Ullah Ubaid , Kabana Gul , Medhi Rashid , Afridi Mukhtiar Zaman
Published: April 2018

Introduction

Dietary zinc (Zn) deficiency is a global problem, particularly in low-income and middle-income countries where access to rich, animal-source foods of Zn is limited due to poverty. In Pakistan, Zn deficiency affects over 40% of the adult female population, resulting in suboptimal immune status and increased likelihood of complications during pregnancy.

Methods and analysis

We are conducting a double-blind, randomised controlled feeding study with cross-over design in a low-resource setting in Pakistan. Households were provided with flour milled from genetically and agronomically biofortified grain (Zincol-2016/NR-421) or control grain (Galaxy-2013). Fifty households were recruited. Each household included a woman aged 16–49 years who is neither pregnant nor breastfeeding, and not currently consuming nutritional supplements. These women were the primary study participants. All households were provided with control flour for an initial 2-week baseline period, followed by an 8-week intervention period where 25 households receive biofortified flour (group A) and 25 households receive control flour (group B). After this 8-week period, groups A and B crossed over, receiving control and biofortified flour respectively for 8 weeks. Tissue (blood, hair and nails) have been collected from the women at five time points: baseline, middle and end of period 1, and middle and end of period 2.

Ethics and dissemination

Ethical approval was granted from the lead university (reference no. STEMH 697 FR) and the collaborating institution in Pakistan. The final study methods (including any modifications) will be published in peer-reviewed journals, alongside the study outcomes on completion of the data analysis. In addition, findings will be disseminated to the scientific community via conference presentations and abstracts and communicated to the study participants through the village elders at an appropriate community forum.

Registration details

The trial has been registered with the ISRCTN registry, study IDISRCTN83678069.
Registry-based randomised clinical trial: efficient evaluation of generic pharmacotherapies in the contemporary era
Authors: Yndigegn Troels , Hofmann Robin , Jernberg Tomas , Gale Chris P
Published: April 2018

Randomised clinical trials are the gold standard for testing the effectiveness of clinical interventions. However, increasing complexity and associated costs may limit their application in the investigation of key cardiovascular knowledge gaps such as the re-evaluation of generic pharmacotherapies. The registry-based randomised clinical trial (RRCT) leverages data sampling from nationwide quality registries to facilitate high participant inclusion rates at comparably low costs and, therefore, may offer a mechanism by which such clinical questions may be answered. To date, a number of studies have been conducted using such trial designs, but uncritical use of the RRCT design may lead to erroneous conclusions. The current review provides insights into the strengths and weaknesses of the RRCT, as well as provides an exploratory example of how a trial may be designed to test the long-term effectiveness of beta blockers in patients with myocardial infarction who have preserved left ventricular systolic function.
Increasing trends in hospital care burden of atrial fibrillation in Korea, 2006 through 2015
Authors: Kim Daehoon , Yang Pil-Sung , Jang Eunsun , Yu Hee Tae , Kim Tae-Hoon , Uhm Jae-Sun , Kim Jong Youn , Pak Hui-Nam , Lee Moon-Hyoung , Joung Boyoung , Lip Gregory Y H
Published: April 2018

Objective

Temporal changes in the healthcare burden of atrial fibrillation (AF) are less well known in rapidly ageing Asian countries. We examined trends in hospitalisations, costs, treatment patterns and outcomes related to AF in Korea.

Methods

Using the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) database involving the entire adult Korean population (n=41 701 269 in 2015), we analysed a nationwide AF cohort representing 931 138 patients with AF. We studied all hospitalisations due to AF from 2006 to 2015.

Results

Overall, hospitalisations for AF increased by 420% from 767 to 3986 per 1 million Korean population from 2006 to 2015. Most admissions occurred in patients aged ≥70 years, and the most frequent coexisting conditions were hypertension, heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Hospitalisations mainly due to major bleeding and AF control increased, whereas hospitalisations mainly due to ischaemic stroke and myocardial infarction decreased. The total cost of care increased even after adjustment for inflation from €68.4 million in 2006 to €388.4 million in 2015, equivalent to 0.78% of the Korean NHIS total expenditure. Overall in-hospital mortality decreased from 7.5% in 2006 to 4.3% in 2015. The in-hospital mortality was highest in patients ≥80 years of age (7.7%) and in patients with chronic kidney disease (7.4%).

Conclusions

AF hospitalisations have increased exponentially over the past 10 years in Korea, in association with an increase in comorbid chronic diseases. Mortality associated with AF hospitalisations decreased during the last decade, but hospitalisation costs have markedly increased.
Guidelines for conducting epidemiological studies of blast injury
Authors: Bieler Dan , Cernak I , Martineau L , Bjarnason S , Franke A , Kirkman E , Leggieri M J , Orru H , Ouellet S , Philippens M , Risling M G , Sarron J-C , Skriudalen S , Teland J A , Watts S , Gupta R
Published: April 2018

Blast injuries are often caused by more than one mechanism, do not occur in isolation, and typically elicit a secondary multi-system response. Research efforts often do not separate blast injuries caused by blast waves from those caused by blunt force trauma and other mechanisms. 15 experts from nine different NATO nations developed in the HFM Research Task Group (RTG; HFM-234 (RTG)) ‘Environmental Toxicology of Blast Exposures: Injury Metrics, Modelling, Methods and Standards’ Guidelines for Conducting Epidemiological Studies of Blast Injury. This paper describes these guidelines, which are intended to provide blast injury researchers and clinicians with a basic set of recommendations for blast injury epidemiological study design and data collection that need to be considered and described when conducting prospective longitudinal studies of blast injury.
Impacts of turbulent flow over a channel bed with a vegetation patch on the incipient motion of sediment
Authors: Shahmohammadi Reza , Afzalimehr Hossein , Sui Jueyi
Published: April 2018

In this experimental study, the effect of a submerged vegetation patch with individual plants on the incipient motion of sediment has been examined. Results showed that a vegetation patch in the channel bed affected the incipient motion process of sediment and resulted in significant impacts on flow velocity, turbulence intensities, turbulent kinetic energy, and Reynolds stress distribution. The presence of vegetation patches completely change vertical distribution of velocity and Reynolds stress pattern and leads to negative Reynolds stress values in zones with negative velocity gradient. In the presence of a vegetation patch, threshold cross-averaged streamwise velocity is 20% smaller than that without vegetation, but because of the occurrence of the preferential path around the sheath section, the near-bed streamwise velocity is the same as without vegetation. Also, vegetation increases turbulence intensity, thus encouraging sediment motion. In the presence of a vegetation patch, the Shields parameter is, on average, one and half times that of without vegetation over the bed.
Using multivariate state-space models to examine commercial stocks of redfish (Sebastes spp.) on the Flemish Cap
Authors: Nogueira Adriana , Tolimieri Nick , González-Troncoso Diana
Published: April 2018

There are three different species of redfish (Sebastes spp.) in the waters of the Flemish Cap (Division 3M, NAFO Regulatory Area): S. fasciatus, S. mentella, and S. norvegicus. Historically, S. fasciatus and S. mentella have been managed together as a single stock because of similar biology and difficulty in species identification. Here we use multivariate autoregressive state-space models to examine the abundance trajectories of the three species and to determine whether they can be treated as a single stock for management purposes or whether they should be treaty separately. We also included covariates to evaluate relationships with climate, commercial catch, and the abundance of predators and (or) competitors and prey. We did two separate analyses: (i) a single-period analysis over the full time series and (ii) a blocked, two-period analysis over different regulatory periods. In both analyses, the best-fit model included separate trajectories for each species at each depth but one overall stock growth rate; both also included commercial catches as a covariate. These analyses suggest that a single assessment for the Sebastes complex is acceptable.
A Bayesian spatiotemporal approach to inform management unit appropriateness
Authors: Bi Rujia , Jiao Yan , Zhou Can , Hallerman Eric
Published: April 2018

One prerequisite for sustainable fisheries management is to match management actions with biological processes. Stocks are fundamental units for fisheries management. Understanding the spatial structure of fish stocks is critical for conducting defensible stock assessments, applying efficient management strategies, and ensuring the sustainability of fish stocks. Yellow perch (Perca flavescens) is an important fishery in the Great Lakes. The appropriateness of its management units (MUs) has been identified as of high concern by the Great Lakes Fisheries Commission. Here we established integrated nested Laplace approximations and stochastic partial differential equations as two powerful tools for modeling spatiotemporal patterns of fish relative biomass. These fast computational approaches were applied to fit a Bayesian hierarchical hurdle model to occurrence and positive mass of yellow perch caught in gill-net surveys. Yellow perch relative biomass index has clear temporal variation and spatial heterogeneity, with the two middle MUs for yellow perch within Lake Erie merging together. The method explicitly models the spatiotemporal correlation structure inherent in biomass survey data at a reasonable computational cost, and the estimated spatiotemporal correlation informs stock structure.
Third-order nonlinear optical properties of P3HT studied by nanosecond Z-scan in orthodichlorobenzene
Authors: Wu Feng , Zhao Shunlong , Zhang Siwen , Lv Jiang
Published: April 2018

The nonlinear optical (NLO) properties of P3HT in orthodichlorobenzene were investigated at 532[Formula: see text]nm by Z-scan technique in the nanosecond domain. The nonlinear refraction of P3HT solution is up to an order of 10[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]esu and changes the sign from positive to negative with an increase in the input intensity. The reverse saturable absorption of the P3HT solution was observed in the intensity range of the measurements and their nonlinear absorption coefficient reaches an order of 102[Formula: see text]cm/GW. The strong optical nonlinearity perhaps allows them to be widely applied in the photoelectric field.
Growth and characterization of 2-amino-5-bromopyridinium-4-hydroxybenzoate crystals for nonlinear optical and antioxidant applications
Authors: Thairiyaraja M. , Arivazhagan G. , Elangovan A. , Anandan P. , Bakiyaraj G. , Praveen S. G. , Kirubavathi K. , Selvaraju K.
Published: April 2018

Organic single crystals of 2-amino-5-bromopyridinium-4-hydroxybenzoate (2A5BPH) were grown by slow evaporation technique at room temperature using methanol as a solvent. Functional groups present in the synthesized compound were confirmed by FTIR spectral analysis. Single crystal X-ray diffraction (XRD) confirms that the crystal belongs to orthorhombic system with noncentrosymmetric space group Pna21. UV–visible spectrum shows that the crystal has lower cut off wave length of 388[Formula: see text]nm with an optical band gap of 2.9[Formula: see text]eV. The dielectric and photoconductivity studies are analyzed. The powder second harmonic generation (SHG) efficiency test and antioxidant studies along with quantum chemical calculations were also carried out. The compound is found to be 3 times more efficient in second harmonic signal generation than KDP. The crystal also significantly exhibits antioxidant activity against DPPH and OH radicals.
Knockout of glucose transporter GLUT6 has minimal effects on whole body metabolic physiology in mice
Authors: Byrne Frances L. , Olzomer Ellen M. , Brink Robert , Hoehn Kyle L.
Published: April 2018

Glucose transporter 6 (GLUT6) is a member of the facilitative glucose transporter family. GLUT6 is upregulated in several cancers but is not widely expressed in normal tissues. Previous studies have shown that GLUT6 knockdown kills endometrial cancer cells that express elevated levels of the protein. However, whether GLUT6 represents a viable anticancer drug target is unclear because the role of GLUT6 in normal metabolic physiology is unknown. Herein we generated GLUT6 knockout mice to determine how loss of GLUT6 affected whole body glucose homeostasis and metabolic physiology. We found that the mouse GLUT6 ( Slc2a6) gene expression pattern was similar to humans with mRNA found primarily in brain and spleen. CRISPR-Cas9-mediated deletion of Slc2a6 did not alter mouse development, growth, or whole body glucose metabolism in male or female mice fed either a chow diet or Western diet. GLUT6 deletion did not impact glucose tolerance or blood glucose and insulin levels in male or female mice fed either diet. However, compared with wild-type littermate controls, GLUT6 null female mice had a relatively minor decrease in fat accumulation when fed Western diet and had a lower respiratory exchange ratio when fed chow diet. Collectively, these data show that GLUT6 is not a major regulator of whole body metabolic physiology; therefore, GLUT6 inhibition may have minimal adverse effects if targeted for cancer therapy.
Invariant Measures Based on the U‐Correlation Integral: An Application to the Study of Human Voice
Authors: Restrepo Juan F. , Schlotthauer Gastón
Published: April 2018

Nonlinear measures such as the correlation dimension, the correlation entropy, and the noise level were used in this article to characterize normal and pathological voices. These invariants were estimated through an automated algorithm based on the recently proposed U‐correlation integral. Our results show that the voice dynamics have a low dimension. The value of correlation dimension is greater for pathological voices than for normal ones. Furthermore, its value also increases along with the type of the voice. The low correlation entropy values obtained for normal and pathological type 1 and type 2 voices suggest that their dynamics are nearly periodic. Regarding the noise level, in the context of voice signals, it can be interpreted as the power of an additive stochastic perturbation intrinsic to the voice production system. Our estimations suggest that the noise level is greater for pathological voices than for normal ones. Moreover, it increases along with the type of voice, being the highest for type 4 voices. From these results, we can conclude that the voice production dynamical system is more complex in the presence of a pathology. In addition, the presence of the inherent stochastic perturbation strengthens along with the voice type. Finally, based on our results, we propose that the noise level can be used to quantitatively differentiate between type 3 and type 4 voices.
Identifying Two Common Types of Breast Benign Diseases Based on Multiphoton Microscopy
Authors: Wu Yan , Lin Yuxiang , Lian Yuane , Lin Peihua , Wang Shu , Fu Fangmeng , Wang Chuan , Chen Jianxin
Published: April 2018

Multiphoton microscopy has attracted increasing attention and investigations in the field of breast cancer, based on two-photon excited fluorescence (TPEF) and second-harmonic generation (SHG). However, the incidence of breast benign diseases is about 5 to 10 times higher than breast cancer; up to 30% of women suffer from breast benign diseases and require treatment at some time in their lives. Thus, in this study, MPM was applied to image fibroadenoma and fibrocystic lesion, which are two of the most common breast benign diseases. The results show that MPM has the capability to identify the microstructure of lobule and stroma in normal breast tissue, the interaction of compressed ducts with surrounding collagen fiber in fibroadenoma, and the architecture of cysts filled with cystic fluid in fibrocystic disease. These findings indicate that, with integration of MPM into currently accepted clinical imaging system, it has the potential to make a real-time diagnosis of breast benign diseases in vivo, as well as breast cancer.
An Efficient Position Tracking Smoothing Algorithm for Sensorless Operation of Brushless DC Motor Drives
Authors: Alex Surya Susan , Daniel Asha Elizabeth
Published: April 2018

This paper presents a new position sensorless scheme in which a smoothing filter algorithm is proposed to improve the results obtained through Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) algorithm in tracking the rotor position for sensorless control of brushless DC motors. The rotor position and speed are estimated from the input voltage and current using the Extended Kalman Filter. States obtained through filtering in each sampling instant are refined, using the new smoothing algorithm, giving much better results. In the proposed method, the estimated state in previous instant is enhanced using the present measurement sample by the smoothing algorithm which is then used to improve the present estimated state variables. The complete system is modelled and simulated in MATLAB to verify the merit of the proposed smoothing algorithm. A comparison with conventional EKF is done for various load torque and speed conditions to establish the performance of the new sensorless algorithm. Simulation results show that the proposed smoothing technique offers better estimation accuracy. The peak error in the estimated speed and rotor position is considerably reduced when compared with EKF. The improved state estimate can be used as feedback for speed control of brushless DC motors in variable speed drives.
Human Urine-Derived Stem Cells: Potential for Cell-Based Therapy of Cartilage Defects
Authors: Chen Long , Li Lang , Xing Fei , Peng Jing , Peng Kun , Wang Yuanzheng , Xiang Zhou
Published: April 2018

Stem cell therapy is considered an optimistic approach to replace current treatments for cartilage defects. Recently, human urine-derived stem cells (hUSCs), which are isolated from the urine, are studied as a promising candidate for many tissue engineering therapies due to their multipotency and sufficient proliferation activities. However, it has not yet been reported whether hUSCs can be employed in cartilage defects. In this study, we revealed that induced hUSCs expressed chondrogenic-related proteins, including aggrecan and collagen II, and their gene expression levels were upregulated in vitro. Moreover, we combined hUSCs with hyaluronic acid (HA) and injected hUSCs-HA into a rabbit knee joint with cartilage defect. Twelve weeks after the injection, the histologic analyses (HE, toluidine blue, and Masson trichrome staining), immunohistochemistry (aggrecan and collagen II), and histologic grade of the sample indicated that hUSCs-HA could stimulate much more neocartilage formation compared with hUSCs alone, pure HA, and saline, which only induced the modest cartilage regeneration. In this study, we demonstrated that hUSCs could be a potential cell source for stem cell therapies to treat cartilage-related defects in the future.
Numerical Simulation of Decontamination of Airborne Fission Products during In-Vessel Release Phase by Containment Spray
Authors: Mehboob Khurram
Published: April 2018

The containment spray system (CSS) has a significant role in limiting the risk of radioactive exposure to the environment. In this work, the optimal droplet size and pH value of spray water to prevent the fission product release have been evaluated to improve the performance of the spray system during in-vessel release phase. A semikinetic model has been developed and implemented in MATLAB. The sensitivity and removal rate of airborne isotopes with the spray system have been simulated versus the spray activation and failure time, droplet size, and pH value. The alkaline (Na2S2O3) spray solution and spray water with pH 9.5 have similar scrubbing properties for iodine. However, the removal rate from the CSS has been found to be an approximately inverse square of droplet diameter (1/d2) for Na2S2O3 and higher pH of spray water. The numerical results showed that 450 μm–850 μm droplet with 9.5 pH and higher or the alkaline (Na2S2O3) solution with 0.2 m3/s–0.35 m3/s flow rate is optimal for effective scrubbing of in-containment fission products. The proposed model has been validated with TOSQAN experimental data.
Effect of Community-Based Occupational Therapy on Health-Related Quality of Life and Engagement in Meaningful Activities of Women with Breast Cancer
Authors: Petruseviciene Daiva , Surmaitiene Deive , Baltaduoniene Daiva , Lendraitiene Egle
Published: April 2018

We aimed to evaluate the short-term effects of community-based occupational therapy on health-related quality of life and engagement in meaningful activities among women with breast cancer. An open label randomized controlled trial study design was applied. The participants were members of various societies of women with cancer. In total, 22 women have participated in the study. Participants of the experimental group (n=11) participated in a 6-week community-based occupational therapy program and the usual activities of various societies, whereas the control group (n=11) women participated in the usual activities of the societies only. 1 of the participants withdrew during the course; therefore 21 completed the study successfully. Participants of both groups were assessed for health-related quality of life and the participants of the experimental group were assessed for engagement in meaningful activities. The evaluation was carried out during the nonacute period of the disease—at the beginning of the study and after 6 weeks. Women of the experimental group demonstrated statistically significantly better scores in the global quality of life, role functions, physical, emotional, cognitive, and social functions, fatigue, insomnia, financial impact, systemic therapy side effects, and breast symptoms scales compared to the control group participants (p<0.05) after the 6 weeks, as measured by the EORTC QLQ-C30 questionnaire and its breast cancer module QLQ-BR23. Furthermore, women of the experimental group demonstrated significant greater engagement in meaningful activities when applying community-based occupational therapy (p<0.05), as measured by using the Engagement in Meaningful Activities Survey (EMAS). The evaluation of the associations between the women’s engagement in meaningful activities and changes in health-related quality of life showed that greater engagement in meaningful activities was associated with better emotional functions and a lower level of insomnia (p<0.05). Based on the results of our study, we recommend applying occupational therapy in the field of community healthcare in order to maintain or improve breast cancer patients’ health-related quality of life and suggest involving women into meaningful activities during community-based occupational therapy after clarifying which activities are important to them.
Knockdown of Heparanase Suppresses Invasion of Human Trophoblasts by Activating p38 MAPK Signaling Pathway
Authors: Che Guanglu , Wang Yanyun , Zhou Bin , Gao Linbo , Wang Tao , Yuan Fang , Zhang Lin
Published: April 2018

Preeclampsia is a pregnancy-related disease with increasing maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality worldwide. Defective trophoblast invasion is considered to be a major factor in the pathophysiological mechanism of preeclampsia. Heparanase, the only endo-β-glucuronidase in mammalian cells, has been shown to be abnormally expressed in the placenta of preeclampsia patients in our previous study. The biological role and potential mechanism of heparanase in trophoblasts remain unclear. In the present study, stably transfected HTR8/SVneo cell lines with heparanase overexpression or knockdown were constructed. The effect of heparanase on cellular proliferation, apoptosis, invasion, tube formation, and potential pathways in trophoblasts was explored. Our results showed that overexpression of heparanase promoted proliferation and invasion. Knockdown of heparanase suppressed proliferation, invasion, and tube formation but induced apoptosis. These findings reveal that downregulation of heparanase may contribute to defective placentation and plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia. Furthermore, increased activation of p38 MAPK in heparanase-knockdown HTR8/SVneo cell was shown by MAPK pathway phosphorylation array and Western blotting assay. After pretreatment with 3 specific p38 MAPK inhibitors (BMS582949, SB203580, or BIRB796), inadequate invasion in heparanase-knockdown HTR8/SVneo cell was rescued. That indicates that knockdown of heparanase decreases HTR8/SVneo cell invasion through excessive activation of the p38 MAPK signaling pathway. Our study suggests that heparanase can be a potential predictive biomarker for preeclampsia at an early stage of pregnancy and represents a promising therapeutic target for the treatment of preeclampsia.
Effects of Lidocaine-Mediated CPEB3 Upregulation in Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cell Proliferation In Vitro
Authors: Liu Hongjun , Wang Yiru , Chen Bing , Shen Xia , Li Wenxian
Published: April 2018

Lidocaine displays antitumor activity by inducing apoptosis and suppressing tumor growth in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) cells in vitro. However, the molecular mechanism underlying lidocaine-mediated antitumor activity is unclear. In this study, HepG2 cells were treated with lidocaine, and cell proliferation and colony-forming ability were assessed. The expression level of cytoplasmic polyadenylation element binding protein 3 (CPEB3) was detected by real-time quantitative PCR and western blot. Lidocaine treatment resulted in decreased HepG2 cell viability and colony formation in a dose-dependent manner. In hepatocellular carcinoma patient samples, CPEB3 was downregulated and was associated with poor prognosis and high-grade malignancy. Additionally, CPEB3 was a critical mediator of lidocaine-induced repression of HepG2 cell proliferation. These results demonstrated that lidocaine decreased cell viability and colony-forming ability of HepG2 cells by upregulating CPEB3 expression.
A Numerical Investigation of Risk Factors Affecting Lumbar Spine Injuries Using a Detailed Lumbar Model
Authors: Zheng Jiajia , Tang Liang , Hu Jingwen
Published: April 2018

Recent field data showed that lumbar spine fractures occurred more frequently in late model vehicles than early ones in frontal crashes. However, the lumbar spine designs of the current crash test dummies are not accurate in human anatomy and have not been validated against any human/cadaver impact responses. In addition, the lumbar spines of finite element (FE) human models, including GHBMC and THUMS, have never been validated previously against cadaver tests. Therefore, this study developed a detailed FE lumbar spine model and validated it against cadaveric tests. To investigate the mechanism of lumbar spine injury in frontal crashes, effects of changing the coefficient of friction (COF), impact velocity, cushion thickness and stiffness, and cushion angle on the risk of lumbar spine injuries were analyzed based on a Taguchi array of design of experiments. The results showed that impact velocity is the most important factor in determining the risk of lumbar spine fracture (P=0.009). After controlling the impact velocity, increases in the cushion thickness can effectively reduce the risk of lumbar spine fracture (P=0.039).
A Pan-cancer Landscape of Interactions between Solid Tumors and Infiltrating Immune Cell Populations
Authors: Tamborero David , Rubio-Perez Carlota , Muiños Ferran , Sabarinathan Radhakrishnan , Piulats Josep M. , Muntasell Aura , Dienstmann Rodrigo , Lopez-Bigas Nuria , Gonzalez-Perez Abel
Published: April 2018

Purpose: Throughout their development, tumors are challenged by the immune system, and they acquire features to evade its surveillance. A systematic view of these traits, which shed light on how tumors respond to immunotherapies, is still lacking.

Experimental Design: Here, we computed the relative abundance of an array of immune cell populations to measure the immune infiltration pattern of 9,174 tumors of 29 solid cancers. We then clustered tumors with similar infiltration pattern to define immunophenotypes. Finally, we identified genomic and transcriptomic traits associated to these immunophenotypes across cancer types.

Results: In highly cytotoxic immunophenotypes, we found tumors with low clonal heterogeneity enriched for alterations of genes involved in epigenetic regulation, ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis, antigen presentation, and cell–cell communication, which may drive resistance in combination with the ectopic expression of negative immune checkpoints. Tumors with immunophenotypes of intermediate cytotoxicity are characterized by an upregulation of processes involved in neighboring tissue invasion and remodeling that may foster the recruitment of immunosuppressive cells. Tumors with poorly cytotoxic immunophenotype tend to be of more advanced stages and bear a greater burden of copy number alterations and frequent alterations of cell cycle, hedgehog, β-catenin, and TGFβ pathways, which may cause immune depletion.

Conclusions: We provide a comprehensive landscape of the characteristics of solid tumors that may influence (or be influenced by) the characteristics of their immune infiltrate. These results may help interpret the response of solid tumors to immunotherapies and guide the development of novel drug combination strategies. Clin Cancer Res; 24(15); 3717–28. ©2018 AACR.
Adenosquamous Carcinoma of the Colon
Authors: Sunkara Tagore , Caughey Megan E , Makkar Priyanka , John Febin , Gaduputi Vinaya
Published: April 2018

Overall, colorectal cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in both men and women, meaning that it is one of the more widely recognized preventable cancers. Instances of colorectal malignancies though are overwhelmingly attributable to adenocarcinoma. Colorectal cancers with components of squamous cell carcinoma represent a statistical anomaly. Here, we present the case of a 50-year-old male, who complained of abdominal pain and weight loss over a 3-month period of time. Biopsies from a colonoscopy ultimately revealed that this patient’s colon cancer consisted of both adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma, representing a truly exceptional pathology finding in a patient diagnosed with a colorectal cancer.
Brain Stimulation Studies of Social Norm Compliance: Implications for Personality Disorders?
Authors: Ruff Christian C.
Published: April 2018

Several personality disorders involve pathological behaviors that violate social norms, commonly held expectations about what ought to be done in specific situations. These symptoms usually emerge early in development, are persistent and hard to treat, and are often ego-syntonic. Here I present some recent brain stimulation studies suggesting that pathological changes in different aspects of norm-compliant behavior reflect dysfunctions of brain circuits involving distinct prefrontal brain areas. One set of studies shows that transcranial direct current stimulation of the right lateral prefrontal cortex changes the behavioral sensitivity to social incentives for norm-compliant behavior. Crucially, social norm compliance in response to such incentives could even be increased during excitatory stimulation, demonstrating that the affected neural process is a biological prerequisite for appropriate reaction to social signals that trigger norm compliance. In another set of studies, we show that stimulation of a different (more dorsal) part of the right prefrontal cortex enhances honesty in a realistic setting where participants had the opportunity to cheat for real monetary gains. Interestingly, these stimulation-induced increases in both socially cued or purely voluntary norm compliance were not linked to changes in other aspects of decision- making (such as risk or impatience), and they did not reflect changes in beliefs about what is appropriate behavior. These results suggest that disorders of distinct brain circuits may causally underlie egosyntotic changes in norm-compliant behavior. This raises the tantalizing possibility that pathologies of norm-compliant behavior may be ameliorated by interventions targeting the function of these brain circuits.
Antenatal Corticosteroid Exposure Disrupts Myelination in the Auditory Nerve of Preterm Sheep
Authors: Rittenschober-Böhm Judith , Rodger Jennifer , Jobe Alan H. , Kallapur Suhas G. , Doherty Dorota A. , Kramer Boris W. , Payne Matthew S. , Archer Michael , Rittenschober Christian , Newnham John P. , Miura Yuichiro , Berger Angelika , Matthews Stephen G. , Kemp Matthew W.
Published: April 2018

Background: Antenatal corticosteroids (ACS) improve preterm neonatal outcomes. However, uncertainty remains regarding the safety of ACS exposure for the developing fetus, particularly its neurosensory development. Objectives: We investigated the effect of single and multiple ACS exposures on auditory nerve development in an ovine model of pregnancy. Methods: Ewes with a single fetus (gestational age [GA] 100 days) received an intramuscular injection of 150 mg medroxyprogesterone-acetate, followed by intramuscular (i) betamethasone (0.5 mg/kg) on days 104, 111, and 118 GA; (ii) betamethasone on day 104 and saline on days 111 and 118 GA; or (iii) saline on days 104, 111, and 118 GA, with delivery on day 125 GA. Transmission electron microscope images of lamb auditory nerve preparations were digitally analyzed to determine auditory nerve morphology and myelination. Results: Relative to the control, mean auditory nerve myelin area was significantly increased in the multiple-treatment group (p < 0.001), but not in the single-treatment group. Increased myelin thickness was significantly changed only in a subgroup analysis for those axons with myelin thickness greater than the median value (p < 0.001). Morphological assessments showed that the increased myelin area was due to an increased likelihood of decompacted areas (p = 0.005; OR = 2.14, 95% CI 1.26–3.63; 31.6 vs. 18.2% in controls) and irregular myelin deposition (p = 0.001; OR = 5.91, 95% CI 2.16–16.19; 49.0 vs. 16.8% in controls) in the myelin sheath. Conclusions: In preterm sheep, ACS exposure increased auditory nerve myelin area, potentially due to disruption of normal myelin deposition.
Increased Group 2 Innate Lymphoid Cells Are Correlated with Eosinophilic Granulocytes in Patients with Allergic Airway Inflammation
Authors: Yu Qiu-Ning , Tan Wei-Ping , Fan Xing-Liang , Guo Yu-Biao , Qin Zi-Li , Li Cheng-Lin , Chen Dong , Lin Zhi Bin , Wen Weiping , Fu Qing-Ling
Published: April 2018

The T helper 2 (Th2)-type response was considered the hypostasis of allergic airway diseases, including asthma and allergic rhinitis (AR). However, more recent studies have suggested that allergic airway inflammation also depends on innate immunity and is closely related to group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s). This study evaluated the ILC2 levels of asthma subjects, patients with asthma and AR, and healthy individuals, regarding how to investigate the relationship between clinical data and ILC2 levels. It was found that asthma patients and asthma with AR patients had higher ILC2 levels compared to healthy subjects. ILC2s were positively correlated with the percentage of eosinophils in patients with asthma and AR, but not with pulmonary function. ILC2 levels were higher in mild asthma subjects than in patients with severe asthma. This study provides a new interpretation of the pathogenesis of allergic airway inflammation and may provide a new direction for the diagnosis and assessment of allergic airway diseases.