bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Polyploidy: adaptation to the genomic environment
Authors: Hollister Jesse D.
Published: July 2014

Genomic evidence of ancestral whole genome duplication (WGD) and polyploidy is widespread among eukaryotic species, and especially among plants. WGD is thought to provide the raw material for adaptation in the form of duplicated genes, and polyploids are thought to benefit from both physiological and genetic buffering. Comparatively little attention has focused on the genomic challenge of polyploidy, however, although much evidence exists that polyploidy severely perturbs important cellular functions. Here, I review recent progress in the study of the re‐establishment of stable meiosis in recently evolved polyploids, focusing on four plant species. This work has yielded an insight into the mechanisms underlying stabilization of genome transmission in polyploids, and is revealing remarkable parallels among diverse taxa. Importantly, these studies also provide a road map for investigating how polyploids respond to the challenge of WGD.
Love at First Sight
Authors: Wickerson Erica
Published: July 2014

E. T. A. Hoffmann's 1817 Gothic novella,Das öde Haus, and Gérard de Nerval's 1853 novella of personal reminiscence,Sylvie, may not at first sight seem obvious choices for comparison. But their presentations of deluded love disclose both the paradoxical approach to ‘marginality’ in the nineteenth century, and the inextricable conjunction of theme and form in narrative more generally. In these stories, the protagonists are given undiluted narrative authority. They are socially and literarily central figures who are drawn to the margins of society. Yet their modes of storytelling belie their pretentions of social ‘normality’. Both narrators transform the dimensions of time and space in their retrospective accounts of deluded infatuation. In so doing, they illustrate their own collusions in the creation of and identification with liminal figures. The novellas depict strikingly similar presentations of voyeurism, narcissism and fetishism, suggesting that ultimately it is the partial nature of the gaze that imbues the women with desirability. ‘Otherness’ becomes appealing as its unknowability allows the projection of the protagonists' own fantasies. As the mysteries are unveiled, desire evaporates. Marginality thus infiltrates theme and form in these novellas, while the narrators occupy an unstable space between centre and periphery.
Survivre et écrire
Authors: Crihană Alina
Published: July 2014

En exploitant un thème tabou pendant la dictature communiste – la déportation des Allemands, dès 1945, dans les camps soviétiques –La bascule du souffleest une démonstration poétique d'une force rare. Conçu comme un livre écrit « à deux mains », en collaboration avec le poète Oskar Pastior, dont l'expérience concentrationnaire inspire l'histoire du protagoniste, le roman porte les empreintes stylistiques des deux auteurs, bien que, suite à la mort du poète, le projet initial n'ait pas pu être finalisé. Critiqué pour la prétendue illégitimité de la reconstitution – à la première personne – d'une histoire qui n'aurait pas affaire à l'expérience personnelle de la romancière, tout comme pour son style « artificiel », jugé inadéquat au sujet traité, le roman superpose deux fictions identitaires, en ayant un enjeucathartiquepar rapport à l'expérience traumatique de Herta Müller (fille d'une ancienne déportée) et un autreéthique, en tant qu'hommage rendu à Pastior et à toutes les victimes de l'enfer concentrationnaire. Construit comme une fiction « allo‐autobiographique », dans l'absence, donc, de l'appropriation (impossible) du « pacte autobiographique », le roman garantit l'authenticité de l'évocation justement par la « présentification » poématique d'une expérience « indicible », doublée de celle de l'écriture en tant que modalité de survivance.
Tablet‐based Interactive Distraction (TBID) vs oral midazolam to minimize perioperative anxiety in pediatric patients: a noninferiority randomized trial
Authors: Seiden Samuel C. , McMullan Susan , Sequera‐Ramos Luis , De Oliveira Gildasio S. , Roth Andrew , Rosenblatt Audrey , Jesdale Bill M. , Suresh Santhanam
Published: July 2014

Introduction

Perioperative anxiety is a common and undesirable outcome in pediatric surgical patients. The use of interactive tools to minimize perioperative anxiety is vastly understudied. The main objective of the current investigation was to compare the effects of a tablet‐based interactive distraction (TBID) tool to oral midazolam on perioperative anxiety. We hypothesized that the TBID tool was not inferior to midazolam to reduce perioperative anxiety.

Methods

108 children, ages 1–11 years, presenting for outpatient surgical procedures were prospectively randomized to oral midazolam (0.5 mg·kg−1; 20 mg max) or TBID. The primary outcome was the change in anxiety level from baseline to parental separation and anesthetic induction. Other data collected included emergence delirium, parental satisfaction, time‐to‐PACU discharge, and posthospitalization behavior.

Results

The mean difference (95% CI) in the increase of anxiety at parental separation between the TBID and the midazolam group was −9 (−2.6 to −16.4), P = 0.006, demonstrating superiority to midazolam group (one‐sided P = 0.003). For children 2–11 years, the mean difference (95% CI) in anxiety at induction was significant between the TBID and midazolam groups, −14.0 (−6.1 to −22.0), P < 0.001. The median (IQR) time‐to‐PACU discharge was 111 (75–197) min in the midazolam group and 87 (55–137) min in the TBID group, P = 0.03. Decreased emergence delirium and increased parental satisfaction were also observed in the TBID group.

Conclusions

A TBID tool reduces perioperative anxiety, emergence delirium, and time‐to‐discharge and increases parental satisfaction when compared to midazolam in pediatric patients undergoing ambulatory surgery.
In Vitro Investigations on the Effect of Dermal Fibroblasts on Keratinocyte Responses to Ultraviolet B Radiation
Authors: Fernandez Tara L. , Van Lonkhuyzen Derek R. , Dawson Rebecca A. , Kimlin Michael G. , Upton Zee
Published: July 2014

Exposure to ultraviolet radiation is closely linked to the development of skin cancers in humans. The ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation wavelength (280–320 nm), in particular, causes DNA damage in epidermal keratinocytes, which are linked to the generation of signature premalignant mutations. Interactions between dermal fibroblasts and keratinocytes play a role in epidermal repair and regeneration after UVB‐induced damage. To investigate these processes, established two and three‐dimensional culture models were utilized to study the impact of fibroblast–keratinocyte crosstalk during the acute UVB response. Using a coculture system it was observed that fibroblasts enhanced keratinocyte survival and the repair of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPDs) after UVB radiation exposure. These findings were also mirrored in irradiated human skin coculture models employed in this study. Fibroblast coculture was shown to play a role in the expression and activation of members of the apoptotic cascade, including caspase‐3 and Bad. Interestingly, the expression and phosphorylation of p53, a key player in the regulation of keratinocyte cell fate postirradiation, was also shown to be influenced by fibroblast‐produced factors. This study highlights the importance of synergistic interactions between fibroblasts and keratinocytes in maintaining a functional epidermis while promoting repair and regeneration following UVB radiation‐induced damage.
All Knowledge Is Not Created Equal: Knowledge Effects and the 2012 Presidential Debates
Authors: Gottfried Jeffrey A. , Hardy Bruce W. , Winneg Kenneth M. , Jamieson Kathleen Hall
Published: July 2014

Decades of research have confirmed that debates increase viewer knowledge about the issue stands of the candidates. However, the conditions under which viewers learn are less well understood. In this article, we examine how differences in the context of information in presidential debates affect both who learns from such debates and what they learn. Consistent with previous literature, we report that watching the debates increased knowledge of campaign issues and related matters discussed in the debates. We also found that knowledge based on accurate information that was uncontested in the debate was gained at a greater rate than knowledge based on information that was presented by one candidate but contested by the other. And consistent with confirmation bias, learning based on information that was contested in the debate was influenced by viewers' candidate preferences more often than not.
Winning with a Bad Economy
Authors: D'Elia Justine , Norpoth Helmut
Published: July 2014

How can an incumbent win reelection with a bad economy, as Barack Obama did in 2012, defying many forecasts? We focus on the attribution of responsibility at times of severe economic change. When the national economy goes into recession before a new administration takes office, it is highly likely that the old one bears the brunt of responsibility. Using the American National Election Studies Winter 2012 survey, we find that Obama escaped much of the punishment for the poor economic conditions while his predecessor, under whom the economic collapse began, was blamed far more heavily. Moreover, bad conditions notwithstanding, Obama was also credited for an improving economy. It was a combination of blame and credit that greatly helped Obama win reelection with a bad economy.
Proxy Models and Nowcasting: U.S. Presidential Elections in the Future
Authors: Lewis‐Beck Michael S. , Tien Charles
Published: July 2014

U.S. presidential election forecasting has lately received considerable attention. A leading approach, statistical modeling, has undergone considerable change. We have contributed to that change in two ways, by stressing prediction over explanation and dynamics over statics. For prediction, we offer a proxy model of U.S. presidential election forecasting, based on an empirical (political economy) indicator measured six months in advance. For dynamics, we offer nowcasting, which permits the model to issue updated, current forecasts over time. To illustrate these offerings, we test them against the 2012 contest. Then, we issue our first, ex ante forecast of the 2016 presidential election.
The Law Jerusalem Passport Case: Judicial Error and the Expansion of the President's Recognition Power
Authors: Adler David Gray
Published: July 2014

Presidential power to recognize foreign nations and governments, exercised since the dawn of the republic, has never been viewed as exclusive. Indeed, Congress has enacted legislation that conferred recognition upon foreign countries. Recently, however, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, in Zivotofsky v. Secretary of State, asserted for the first time in American history an exclusive presidential power of recognition. This conclusion, built on a flawed historical record and faulty judicial premises stemming from United States v. Curtiss‐Wright Export Corp., exaggerates executive authority and ignores the largely ministerial role assigned to the president in receiving ambassadors and foreign ministers.
Companions in Crisis: Johnson, Nixon, and the Historiography of Presidencies in Turmoil
Authors: Cunningham Sean P.
Published: July 2014

Review of: A Companion to Lyndon B. Johnson – Edited by Mitchell B. Lerner

A Companion to Richard M. Nixon – Edited by Melvin Small
Nurse Trees as a Forest Restoration Tool for Mixed Plantations: Effects on Competing Vegetation and Performance in Target Tree Species
Authors: Löf Magnus , Bolte Andreas , Jacobs Douglass F. , Jensen Anna M.
Published: July 2014

Multi‐species mixed plantations can be designed to meet social, economic, and environmental objectives during forest restoration. This paper reports results from an experiment in southern Sweden concerning the influence of three different fast growing nurse tree species on the cover of herbaceous vegetation and on the performance of several target tree species. After 10 years, the nurse trees had reduced the competing herbaceous vegetation but the effect was weak and it may take more than a decade to achieve effective vegetation control. The nurse tree species Betula pendula and Larix x eurolepis did improve stem form in some target tree species, but had a minor effect on survival and growth. The open conditions before crown closure of nurse trees strongly influence seedling performance and so delayed planting of target tree species may provide a means to avoid those conditions. Survival and growth differed greatly among the tree species. Besides the two nurse tree species mentioned above, high survival was found in Picea abies and Quercus robur and intermediate survival in Fagus sylvatica, Tilia cordata, and in the N‐fixing nurse tree Alnus glutinosa. Survival was low in the target tree species Fraxinus excelsior L. and Prunus avium. For restoration practitioners, our results illustrate the potential of using nurse trees for rapidly building a new forest structure and simultaneously increase productivity, which might be a cost‐effective strategy for forest restoration.
HLA similarities indicate shared genetic risk in 21‐hydroxylase autoantibody positive South African and United States Addison's disease
Authors: Ross I. L. , Babu S. , Armstrong T. , Zhang L. , Schatz D. , Pugliese A. , Eisenbarth G. , Baker II P.
Published: July 2014

Genetic similarities between patients from the United States and South African (SA) Addison's Disease (AD) strengthen evidence for genetic association. SA‐AD (n = 73), SA healthy controls (N = 78), and US‐AD patients (N = 83) were genotyped for DQA1, DQB1, DRB1, and HLA‐B alleles. Serum was tested for the quantity of 21OH‐AA and IFNα‐AA at the Barbara Davis Center. Although not as profound as in US‐AD, in SA‐AD 21OH‐AA + subjects the predominantly associated risk haplotypes were DRB1*0301‐DQB1*0201 (DR3), DRB1*04xx‐DQB1*0302 (DR4), and the combined DR3/4 genotype. DQB1*0302 associated DRB1*04xx haplotypes conferred higher risk than those DRB1*04xx haplotypes associated with other DQB1 alleles. We found negative association in 21OH‐AA + SA‐AD for DQA1*0201‐DQB1*0202 and DQA1*0101‐DQB1*0501 vs SA controls, and positive association for DQA1*0401‐DQB1*0402 vs US‐AD. Apart from the class II DR3 haplotype, HLA‐B8 did not have an independent effect; however together DR3 and HLA‐B8 conferred the highest risk vs 21OH‐AA negative SA‐AD and SA‐controls. HLA‐B7 (often with DR4) conferred novel risk in 21OH‐AA + SA‐AD vs controls. This study represents the first comparison between South African and United States AD populations utilizing genotyping and serology performed at the same center. SA‐AD and US‐AD 21OH‐AA + patients share common HLA risk haplotypes including DR4 (with HLA‐B7) and DR3 (with HLA‐B8), strengthening previously described HLA associations and implicating similar genetic etiology.
Diarrhoea in slum children: observation from a large diarrhoeal disease hospital in Dhaka, Bangladesh
Authors: Ferdous Farzana , Das Sumon Kumar , Ahmed Shahnawaz , Farzana Fahmida Dil , Malek Mohammad Abdul , Das Jui , Latham Jonathan Ross , Faruque Abu Syed Golam , Chisti Mohammod Jobayer
Published: July 2014

Objectives

To determine and compare socio‐demographic, nutritional and clinical characteristics of children under five with diarrhoea living in slums with those of children who do not live in slums of Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Methods

From 1993 to 2012, a total of 28 948 under fives children with diarrhoea attended the Dhaka Hospital of icddr,b. Data were extracted from the hospital‐based Diarrhoea Disease Surveillance System, which comprised 17 548 under fives children from slum and non‐slum areas of the city.

Results

Maternal illiteracy [aOR = 1.57; 95% confidence interval (1.36, 1.81), P‐value <0.001], paternal illiteracy [1.37 (1.21, 1.56) <0.001], mother's employment [1.59 (1.37, 1.85) <0.001], consumption of untreated water [2.73 (2.26, 3.30) <0.001], use of non‐sanitary toilets [3.48 (3.09, 3.93) <0.001], 1st wealth quintile background [3.32 (2.88, 3.84) <0.001], presence of fever [1.14 (1.00, 1.29) 0.047], some or severe dehydration [1.21 (1.06, 1.40) 0.007], stunting [1.14 (1.01, 1.29) 0.030] and infection with Vibrio cholerae [1.21 (1.01, 1.45) 0.039] were significantly associated with slum‐dwelling children after controlling for co‐variates. Measles immunisation [0.52 (0.47, 0.59) P < 0.001] and vitamin A supplementation rates [0.36 (0.31, 0.41) P < 0.001] amongst children 12–59 months were lower for slum dwellers than other children in univarate analysis only.

Conclusions

Slum‐dwelling children are more malnourished, have lower immunisation rates (measles vaccination and vitamin A supplementation) and higher rates of measles, are more susceptible to diarrhoeal illness due to V. cholerae and suffer from severe dehydration more often than children from non‐slum areas. Improved health and nutrition strategies should give priority to children living in urban slums.
Supplementation with olive oil, but not fish oil, improves cutaneous wound healing in stressed mice
Authors: Rosa Alice dos Santos , Bandeira Luana Graziella , Monte‐Alto‐Costa Andréa , Romana‐Souza Bruna
Published: July 2014

Supplementation with olive and fish oils reverses the effects of stress on behavioral activities and adrenal activation. However, previous studies have not shown whether supplementation with olive and fish oil could inhibit the effects of stress on cutaneous wound healing. Thus, this study investigated the effects of supplementation with fish or olive oil on cutaneous healing in stressed mice. Mice were subjected to rotational stress and treated with olive or fish oil daily until euthanasia. An excisional lesion was created on each mouse, and 14 days later, the lesions were analyzed. In addition, murine skin fibroblasts were exposed to elevated epinephrine levels plus olive oil, and fibroblast activity was evaluated. In the in vivo studies, administration of olive oil, but not fish oil, inhibited stress‐induced reduction in wound contraction, reepithelialization, hydroxyproline levels, and blood vessel density. Stress‐induced increases in vascular endothelial growth factor expression and the numbers of macrophages and neutrophils were reversed only by olive oil. Both oils reversed stress‐induced increase in catecholamine levels and oxidative damage. In in vitro studies, olive oil treatment reversed the reduction in fibroblast migration and collagen deposition and the increase in lipid peroxidation induced by epinephrine. In conclusion, supplementation with olive oil, but not fish oil, improves cutaneous wound healing in chronically stressed mice.
Pattern transfer of hydrogen depassivation lithography patterns into silicon with atomically traceable placement and size control
Authors: Ballard Joshua B. , Owen James H. G. , Owen William , Alexander Justin R. , Fuchs Ehud , Randall John N. , Von Ehr James R. , McDonnell Stephen , Dick Don D. , Wallace Robert M. , Chabal Yves J. , Bischof Maia R. , Jaeger David L. , Reidy Richard F. , Fu Joseph , Namboodiri Pradeep , Li Kai , Silver Richard M.
Published: July 2014

Reducing the scale of etched nanostructures below the 10 nm range eventually will require an atomic scale understanding of the masks being used in order to maintain exquisite control over both feature size and feature density. Here, the authors demonstrate a method for tracking atomically resolved and controlled structures from initial template definition through final nanostructure metrology, opening up a pathway for top–down atomic control over nanofabrication. First, hydrogen depassivation lithography is performed on hydrogen terminated Si(100) using a scanning tunneling microscope, which spatially defined chemically reactive regions. Next, atomic layer deposition of titanium dioxide produces an etch-resistant hard mask pattern on these regions. Reactive ion etching then transfers the mask pattern onto Si with pattern height of 17 nm, critical dimension of approximately 6 nm, and full-pitch down to 13 nm. The effects of linewidth, template atomic defect density, and line-edge roughness are examined in the context of controlling fabrication with arbitrary feature control, suggesting a possible critical dimension down to 2 nm on 10 nm tall features. A metrology standard is demonstrated, where the atomically resolved mask template is used to determine the size of a nanofabricated sample showing a route to image correction.
Forecasting longitudinal changes in oropharyngeal tumor morphology throughout the course of head and neck radiation therapy
Authors: Yock Adam D. , Rao Arvind , Dong Lei , Beadle Beth M. , Garden Adam S. , Kudchadker Rajat J. , Court Laurence E.
Published: July 2014

Purpose:

To create models that forecast longitudinal trends in changing tumor morphology and to evaluate and compare their predictive potential throughout the course of radiation therapy.

Methods:

Two morphology feature vectors were used to describe 35 gross tumor volumes (GTVs) throughout the course of intensity‐modulated radiation therapy for oropharyngeal tumors. The feature vectors comprised the coordinates of the GTV centroids and a description of GTV shape using either interlandmark distances or a spherical harmonic decomposition of these distances. The change in the morphology feature vector observed at 33 time points throughout the course of treatment was described using static, linear, and mean models. Models were adjusted at 0, 1, 2, 3, or 5 different time points (adjustment points) to improve prediction accuracy. The potential of these models to forecast GTV morphology was evaluated using leave‐one‐out cross‐validation, and the accuracy of the models was compared using Wilcoxon signed‐rank tests.

Results:

Adding a single adjustment point to the static model without any adjustment points decreased the median error in forecasting the position of GTV surface landmarks by the largest amount (1.2 mm). Additional adjustment points further decreased the forecast error by about 0.4 mm each. Selection of the linear model decreased the forecast error for both the distance‐based and spherical harmonic morphology descriptors (0.2 mm), while the mean model decreased the forecast error for the distance‐based descriptor only (0.2 mm). The magnitude and statistical significance of these improvements decreased with each additional adjustment point, and the effect from model selection was not as large as that from adding the initial points.

Conclusions:

The authors present models that anticipate longitudinal changes in tumor morphology using various models and model adjustment schemes. The accuracy of these models depended on their form, and the utility of these models includes the characterization of patient‐specific response with implications for treatment management and research study design.
Genome Sequence of Borrelia garinii Strain SZ, Isolated in China
Authors: Wu Qiong , Liu Zhijie , Li Youquan , Guan Guiquan , Niu Qingli , Chen Ze , Luo Jianxun , Yin Hong
Published: July 2014

We announce the genome sequence of
Borrelia garinii
strain SZ, isolated from
Dermacentor
ticks collected in northeastern China.
B. garinii
strain SZ carries numerous plasmids, both 10 circular and 9 linear plasmids. The 902,487-bp linear chromosome (28.2% GC content) contains 820 open reading frames, 33 tRNAs, and 4 complete rRNAs. The plasmid cp32-10 contains one clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR) with four repeats.
Draft Genome Sequence of Enterococcus hirae Strain INF E1 Isolated from Cultured Milk
Authors: Porcellato Davide , Østlie Hilde M. , Skeie Siv B.
Published: July 2014

Here, we present the draft genome of
Enterococcus hirae
INF E1, found as a contaminant in cultured milk and studied for its ability to metabolize milk fat globule membrane glycoconjugates.
Genome Sequence of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp.
kurstaki
Strain HD-1
Authors: Day Michael , Ibrahim Mohamed , Dyer David , Bulla Lee
Published: July 2014

We report here the complete genome sequence of
Bacillus thuringiensis
subsp.
kurstaki
strain HD-1, which serves as the primary U.S. reference standard for all commercial insecticidal formulations of
B. thuringiensis
manufactured around the world.
Strain Kaplan of Pseudorabies Virus Genome Sequenced by PacBio Single-Molecule Real-Time Sequencing Technology
Authors: Tombácz Dóra , Sharon Donald , Oláh Péter , Csabai Zsolt , Snyder Michael , Boldogkői Zsolt
Published: July 2014

Pseudorabies virus (PRV) is a neurotropic herpesvirus that causes Aujeszky's disease in pigs. PRV strains are widely used as transsynaptic tracers for mapping neural circuits. We present here the complete and fully annotated genome sequence of strain Kaplan of PRV, determined by Pacific Biosciences RSII long-read sequencing technology.
Confirmed viral meningitis with normal CSF findings
Authors: Dawood Naghum , Desjobert Edouard , Lumley Janine , Webster Daniel , Jacobs Michael
Published: July 2014

An 18-year-old woman presented with a progressively worsening headache, photophobia feverishness and vomiting. Three weeks previously she had returned to the UK from a trip to Peru. At presentation, she had clinical signs of meningism. On admission, blood tests showed a mild lymphopenia, with a normal C reactive protein and white cell count. Chest X-ray and CT of the head were normal. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) microscopy was normal. CSF protein and glucose were in the normal range. MRI of the head and cerebral angiography were also normal. Subsequent molecular testing of CSF detected enterovirus RNA by reverse transcriptase PCR. The patient's clinical syndrome correlated with her virological diagnosis and no other cause of her symptoms was found. Her symptoms were self-limiting and improved with supportive management. This case illustrates an important example of viral central nervous system infection presenting clinically as meningitis but with normal CSF microscopy.
Prognostic impact of moderate or severe mitral regurgitation (MR) irrespective of concomitant comorbidities: a retrospective matched cohort study
Authors: Prakash Roshan , Horsfall Matthew , Markwick Andrew , Pumar Marsus , Lee Leong , Sinhal Ajay , Joseph Majo X , Chew Derek P
Published: July 2014

Objective

We sought to objectively quantify the independent impact of significant mitral regurgitation (MR) on prognosis in patients with multiple comorbidities and ascertain the extent to which median survival is affected by increasing comorbidities.

Methods

This was a retrospective matched cohort study using a clinical-echocardiography reporting database linked to a clinical and administrative database in an Australian tertiary hospital. We identified our study cohort (patients with significant MR) and control cohort (without MR) on transthoracic echocardiographies performed between 2005 and 2010. The main outcome measures were mortality and heart failure rehospitalisation. A Cox proportional hazards model was used to adjust for clinical covariates and the ‘win ratio’ methodology was utilised to estimate the impact of MR on main outcomes.

Results

A total of 218 matched patients with and without significant MR were followed-up for 1 year. Significant MR was associated with an adjusted HR for mortality of 1.83 (95% CI 1.28 to 2.62, p<0.001). The win ratio for death and death or heart failure readmission was 0.57 (95% CI 0.40 to 0.78, p=0.0002) and 0.53 (95% CI 0.39 to 0.71, p<0.0001), respectively. Significant MR with left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction and age between 75 and 85 years were associated with a substantial reduction in median survival by 2.3 years. Significant MR with LV systolic dysfunction, age beyond 85 and advance comorbidities were associated with a lesser reduction in median survival by 0.2 years.

Conclusions

Significant MR in patients with multiple comorbidities leads to increase in death and heart failure rehospitalisation with reduced estimated median survival. However, its impact diminishes with increasing comorbidities.
Predicting the behaviour of coal wash and steel slag mixtures under triaxial conditions
Authors: Chiaro Gabriele , Indraratna Buddhima , Tasalloti S.M. Ali
Published: July 2014

The effective reuse and recycling of granular waste materials, namely coal wash (CW) and basic oxygen steel slag (BOS), are economically beneficial and environmentally sustainable. Nevertheless, due to the heterogeneity of these granular waste materials, the ultimate adoption of CW and BOS as structural fills must be supported by constitutive relationships capable of accurately describing the stress–strain behaviour under representative field loading conditions. In this paper, a critical state surface generalized plasticity model is presented, and its predictive capability using an explicit set of soil parameters is demonstrated for drained triaxial compression tests.
Time-resolved electrospray mass spectrometry — a brief history
Authors: Lento Cristina , Audette Gerald F. , Wilson Derek J.
Published: July 2014

This review describes the evolution of time-resolved electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (TRESI-MS), a technology that was developed in large part at Western University. TRESI-MS was initially designed to characterize rapid chemical and biochemical reactions occurring on the millisecond time scale without need for a chromophore. Early TRESI-MS setups usually consisted of continuous-flow rapid mixers with a fixed tee for analysis of a single time point, and later adjustable reaction chamber devices allowing for automatic tracking of the reaction over time. Advances in instrumentation design over the years have resulted in improved time resolution, with microfluidic device implementation allowing for coupling to hydrogen−deuterium exchange (HDX) experiments. Areas of application that will be discussed include the investigation of protein folding intermediates, identification of enzyme−substrate intermediates in the pre-steady state, and the use of time-resolved HDX to study the dynamics of weakly structured protein regions. While some limitations still persist with the method, the continued development of TRESI-MS and related approaches paves the way to a promising future and the study of unexplored application areas.
Topological gauge fixing
Authors: Gallot L. , Guadagnini E. , Pilon E. , Thuillier F.
Published: July 2014

We implement the metric-independent Fock–Schwinger gauge in the quantum Chern–Simons (CS) field theory defined in a three-manifold M which is homeomorphic with ℝ3. The expressions of various components of the propagator are determined. Although the gauge field propagator differs from the Gauss linking density, we prove that its integral along two oriented knots is equal to the linking number.
Neutrino mass and mixing in the 3-3-1 model with neutral leptons based on D4flavor symmetry
Authors: Vien V. V.
Published: July 2014

We propose a new D4flavor model based on SU (3)C⊗ SU (3)L⊗ U (1)Xgauge symmetry responsible for fermion masses and mixings in which all fermion fields act only as singlets under D4which differs from our previous work. The neutrinos get small masses from two SU (3)Lanti-sextets and one SU (3)Ltriplet which are all in singlets under D4. If a SU (3)LHiggs triplet, lying in [Formula: see text] under D4, is considered as a perturbation the corresponding neutrino mass mixing matrix gets the most general form. In this case, the model can fit the most recent data on neutrino masses and mixing with nonzero θ13. Our results show that the neutrino masses are naturally small. The sum of three light neutrino masses and the effective mass governing neutrinoless double beta decay are obtained that are consistent with the recent data.
Semantically Aware Web Service Composition Through AI Planning
Authors: Hatzi Ourania , Nikolaidou Mara , Vrakas Dimitris , Bassiliades Nick , Anagnostopoulos Dimosthenis , Vlahavas Ioannis
Published: July 2014

Web service composition is a significant problem as the number of available web services increases; however, manual composition is not an efficient option. Automated web service composition can be performed using AI Planning techniques, utilizing descriptions of available atomic web services, enhanced with semantic awareness and relaxation. This paper discusses a unified, semantically aware approach, handling both semantic (OWL-S & SAWSDL) and non-semantic (WSDL) web service descriptions. In the first case, ontology analysis is adopted to semantically enhance the planning domains and problems, in order to deal with cases where exact syntactic input-to-output matching is not feasible. In the non-semantic descriptions case, semantic information is acquired utilizing alternative sources such as lexical thesauri. Concept similarity measures are applied and utilized to achieve the desired degree of semantic relaxation. The solution to a web service composition problem is a plan describing the desired composite service. To support the proposed approach, the PORSCE framework has been implemented. The framework is modular, integrating discrete web service description languages and semantic relaxation techniques. Based on the similarity measures suggested in the paper, performance issues are also explored.
The generalized second law of thermodynamics for interacting f(R) gravity
Authors: Herrera Ramón , Videla Nelson
Published: July 2014

In this paper, we examine the validity of the generalized second law (GSL) of gravitational thermodynamics in the context of interacting f(R) gravity. We take into account that the boundary of the universe to be confined by the dynamical apparent horizon in a flat FRW universe. We study the effective equation of state, deceleration parameter and GSL in this interaction-framework. We find that the evolution of the total entropy increases through the interaction term. As an example, we consider a f(R) gravity with a power-law dependence on the curvature R. Here, we find exact solutions for a model in which the interaction term is related to the total energy density of matter.
A Modular-Based Supplier Evaluation Framework: A Comprehensive Data Analysis of ANP Structure
Authors: Ergu Daji , Kou Gang , Shang Jennifer
Published: July 2014

The analytical network process (ANP) has been widely used to evaluate the suppliers, an important subject in supply chain management. We propose an integrated ANP-based evaluation model, which systematically examines six key decision-making modules. They are: questionnaire design, matrix classification, consistency test, inconsistency identification, uncertain or missing values estimation, and sensitivity analysis of rank reversal. Module 1 involves questionnaire design formats, and Module 2 classifies the collected data. Module 3 introduces the maximum eigenvalue threshold as a critical value for consistency test. The induced bias matrix model (IBMM) is employed in Modules 4 and 5 to identify the inconsistent elements and to estimate the uncertain or missing values. In Module 6, we extend the concept of the IBMM to check for rank reversal when a new alternative or criterion is added that perturbs the evaluation system. The case company in the healthcare device industry under study validates that the proposed method is effective. The integrated model not only improves the questionnaire design and simplifies the ANP consistency tests, but also effectively identifies the inconsistent elements and estimates the missing values. The innovative approach to sensitivity analysis is especially insightful and contributes to the understanding of rank reversal issue.
Fuzzy Geometry-Based Decision Making with Unprecisiated Visual Information
Authors: Aliev Rafik A. , Huseynov Oleg H.
Published: July 2014

Decision making is conditioned by relevant information. This information very seldom has reliable numerical representation. Usually, decision-relevant information is perception-based. A question arises of how to proceed from perception-based information to a corresponding mathematical formalism. When perception-based information is expressed in natural language, the fuzzy set theory can be used as a corresponding mathematical formalism for decision analysis. However, perception-based decision-relevant information is not always sufficiently clear to be modeled by means of membership functions. In contrast, it remains at a level of some cloud images which are difficult to be caught by words. This imperfect information caught in perceptions cannot be precisiated by numbers or fuzzy sets and is referred to as unprecisiated information. Humans are able to make decisions based on unprecisiated visual perceptions. Modeling of this outstanding capability, even to some limited extent, becomes a difficult yet a highly promising research area. In this study, we use fuzzy geometry and the extended fuzzy logic to cope with uncertain situations coming with unprecisiated information. In this approach, the objects of computation and reasoning are geometric primitives which model human perceptions when the latter cannot be defined in terms of membership functions. For this aim, the fuzzified axioms of the incidence geometry are used. An approach to decision making with outcomes and probabilities described by geometrical primitives is developed. Examples of application of the approach to decision making on a short term investment decision and marketing decision are given. The obtained results prove the validity of the suggested approach.
Up-conversion luminescence of Er3+ and Yb3+ co-doped CaBi2Ta2O9 multifunctional ferroelectrics
Authors: Cao Qiufeng , Peng Dengfeng , Zou Hua , Li Jun , Wang Xusheng , Yao Xi
Published: July 2014

Er 3+ and Yb 3+ co-doped CaBi 2 Ta 2 O 9 (CBT)-based bismuth layered-structure oxides were synthesized by a simple solid-state reaction method. Their up-conversion (UC) luminescence, dielectric and ferroelectric properties were investigated. Two strong green emission bands centered at 526 and 547 nm and a weak red emission band centered at 658 nm were obtained under a 980 nm laser excitation at room temperature. These emission bands originated from the radiative relaxation of Er 3+ from 2 H 11/2, 4 S 3/2, and 4 F 9/2 levels to the ground state 4 I 15/2, respectively. At the meantime, the fluorescence intensity ratio (FIR) variation of two green UC emissions at 526 and 547 nm has been studied as a function of temperature in the range of 153–603 K. The maximum sensor sensitivity obtained was 39 × 10-4 K-1 at 590 K, which indicated that Er 3+/ Yb 3+ co-doped CBT ceramic is a promising candidate for applications in optical high temperature sensor.
A Conversation with Paul Friedrich
Authors: Friedrich Paul , Pesmen Dale
Published: July 2014

Paul Friedrich has played a distinctive and multifaceted role within and well beyond anthropology over the past 50 years. He is currently Professor Emeritus in the Departments of Anthropology and Linguistics and on the Committee on Social Thought at the University of Chicago. Friedrich's research sites have ranged from southwestern Mexico to south India, as well as with Russians. He has also written extensively in historical linguistics, classics, and anthropological theory. Much of Friedrich's writing has focused on the interplay of the practice of poetry and poetically focused analyses of language and interaction. He has published extensively, producing numerous volumes of poetry as well as path-breaking scholarship.

On May 13, 2013, at the University of Chicago, Professor Friedrich was interviewed by Dr. Dale Pesmen, an anthropologist, Russian scholar, artist, and translator who received her PhD in Anthropology at the University of Chicago and worked closely with Professor Friedrich. She is the author of Russia and Soul: An Exploration (Cornell University Press, 2000). Their conversation explored the remarkably heterogeneous and imaginative range of Friedrich's work and career, as well as highlighting ongoing core underlying concerns and themes. What follows is an edited transcript of that conversation.
Prescriptive Evolution to Conserve and Manage Biodiversity
Authors: Smith Thomas B. , Kinnison Michael T. , Strauss Sharon Y. , Fuller Trevon L. , Carroll Scott P.
Published: July 2014

We are witnessing a global, but unplanned, evolutionary experiment with the biodiversity of the planet. Anthropogenic disturbances such as habitat degradation and climate change result in evolutionary mismatch between the environments to which species are adapted and those in which they now exist. The impacts of unmanaged evolution are pervasive, but approaches to address them have received little attention. We review the evolutionary challenges of managing populations in the Anthropocene and introduce the concept of prescriptive evolution, which considers how evolutionary processes may be leveraged to proactively promote wise management. We advocate the planned management of evolutionary processes and explore the advantages of evolutionary interventions to preserve and sustain biodiversity. We show how an evolutionary perspective to conserving biodiversity is fundamental to effective management. Finally, we advocate building frameworks for decision-making, monitoring, and implementation at the boundary between management and evolutionary science to enhance conservation outcomes.
Economic Experiments and Environmental Policy
Authors: Noussair Charles N. , van Soest Daan P.
Published: July 2014

We summarize and review the literature on two types of economic experiments. First, we explore the consequences for environmental policies of the vast body of literature refuting the assumption that humans are concerned only with their own private welfare. We review the literature addressing whether government intervention is always necessary to protect the environment and whether it is always effective in doing so. Second, we discuss the use of experimental laboratories to testbed market solutions to issues in environmental policy. We concentrate on experiments with one- and two-sided markets and on applications in the domains of water allocation and tradable permit systems.
Fiscal Rules and the Management of Natural Resource Revenues: The Case of Chile
Authors: Céspedes Luis Felipe , Parrado Eric , Velasco Andrés
Published: July 2014

Over the past quarter-century, Chile has proven that the unthinkable is possible: A middle-income, natural resource–producing nation can have a fiscal policy that is both stable and sustainable. The core of this policy has been very simple: Act responsibly, design policy for the long run, and accumulate enough fiscal space so that fiscal policy can play a stabilizing role in the short run. The approach implies saving during periods of high copper prices and using those accumulated resources during a global economic crisis. Shifting from a procyclical to a mildly countercyclical fiscal stance has helped to smooth public investment and social expenditures across the cycle. One example of this countercyclical policy was Chile’s reaction to the 2008–2009 world financial crisis. Thus, this article argues that Chile’s approach contains ideas and practices that may be useful in the design of fiscal policies and institutions in other commodity-producing nations.
Differential cell growth/apoptosis behavior of 13-hydroxyoctadecadienoic acid enantiomers in a colorectal cancer cell line
Authors: Cabral Marisol , Martín-Venegas Raquel , Moreno Juan José
Published: July 2014

Cyclooxygenases (COXs) and lipoxygenases (LOXs) are important enzymes that metabolize arachidonic and linoleic acids. Various metabolites generated by the arachidonic acid cascade regulate cell proliferation, apoptosis, differentiation, and senescence. Hydroxyoctadecadienoic acids (HODEs) are synthesized from linoleic acid, giving two enantiomeric forms for each metabolite. The aim was to investigate the effect of 13-HODE enantiomers on nondifferentiated Caco-2 cell growth/apoptosis. Our results indicate that 13(S)-HODE decreases cell growth and DNA synthesis of nondifferentiated Caco-2 cells cultured with 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS). Moreover, 13(S)-HODE showed an apoptotic effect that was reduced in the presence of a specific peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPARγ) antagonist. In addition, we observed that 13(S)-HODE but not 13(R)-HODE is a ligand to PPARγ, confirming the implication of this nuclear receptor in 13(S)-HODE actions. In contrast, 13(R)-HODE increases cell growth and DNA synthesis in the absence of FBS. 13(R)-HODE interaction with BLT receptors activates ERK and CREB signaling pathways, as well as PGE2synthesis. These results suggest that the proliferative effect of 13(R)-HODE could be due, at least in part, to COX pathway activation. Thus both enantiomers use different receptors and have contrary effects. We also found these differential effects of 9-HODE enantiomers on cell growth/apoptosis. Therefore, the balance between (R)-HODEs and (S)-HODEs in the intestinal epithelium could be important to its cell growth/apoptosis homeostasis.
The Increasing Urgency for Standards in Basic Biologic Research
Authors: Freedman Leonard P. , Inglese James
Published: July 2014

Research advances build upon the validity and reproducibility of previously published data and findings. Yet irreproducibility in basic biologic and preclinical research is pervasive in both academic and commercial settings. Lack of reproducibility has led to invalidated research breakthroughs, retracted articles, and aborted clinical trials. Concerns and requirements for transparent, reproducible, and translatable research are accelerated by the rapid growth of “post-publication peer review,” open access publishing, and data sharing that facilitate the identification of irreproducible data/studies; they are magnified by the explosion of high-throughput technologies, genomics, and other data-intensive disciplines. Collectively, these changes and challenges are decreasing the effectiveness of traditional research quality mechanisms and are contributing to unacceptable—and unsustainable—levels of irreproducibility. The global oncology and basic biologic research communities can no longer tolerate or afford widespread irreproducible research. This article discusses (i) how irreproducibility in preclinical research can ultimately be traced to an absence of a unifying life science standards framework, and (ii) makes an urgent case for the expanded development and use of consensus-based standards to both enhance reproducibility and drive innovations in cancer research. Cancer Res; 74(15); 4024–9. ©2014 AACR.
Epigenetic Targeting of Ovarian Cancer Stem Cells
Authors: Wang Yinu , Cardenas Horacio , Fang Fang , Condello Salvatore , Taverna Pietro , Segar Matthew , Liu Yunlong , Nephew Kenneth P. , Matei Daniela
Published: July 2014

Emerging results indicate that cancer stem–like cells contribute to chemoresistance and poor clinical outcomes in many cancers, including ovarian cancer. As epigenetic regulators play a major role in the control of normal stem cell differentiation, epigenetics may offer a useful arena to develop strategies to target cancer stem–like cells. Epigenetic aberrations, especially DNA methylation, silence tumor-suppressor and differentiation-associated genes that regulate the survival of ovarian cancer stem–like cells (OCSC). In this study, we tested the hypothesis that DNA-hypomethylating agents may be able to reset OCSC toward a differentiated phenotype by evaluating the effects of the new DNA methytransferase inhibitor SGI-110 on OCSC phenotype, as defined by expression of the cancer stem–like marker aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH). We demonstrated that ALDH+ ovarian cancer cells possess multiple stem cell characteristics, were highly chemoresistant, and were enriched in xenografts residual after platinum therapy. Low-dose SGI-110 reduced the stem-like properties of ALDH+ cells, including their tumor-initiating capacity, resensitized these OCSCs to platinum, and induced reexpression of differentiation-associated genes. Maintenance treatment with SGI-110 after carboplatin inhibited OCSC growth, causing global tumor hypomethylation and decreased tumor progression. Our work offers preclinical evidence that epigenome-targeting strategies have the potential to delay tumor progression by reprogramming residual cancer stem–like cells. Furthermore, the results suggest that SGI-110 might be administered in combination with platinum to prevent the development of recurrent and chemoresistant ovarian cancer. Cancer Res; 74(17); 4922–36. ©2014 AACR.