bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Vinyl homo/copolymerization of norbornene and ethylene using sterically enhanced 1,2‐bis(arylimino)acenaphthene–palladium precatalysts
Authors: Zeng Yanning , Mahmood Qaiser , Zhang Qiuyue , Liang Tongling , Sun Wen‐Hua
Published: February 2018

A family of unsymmetrical 1,2‐bis(imino)acenaphthene‐palladium methyl chloride complexes [1‐[2,6‐{(C6H5)2CH}2‐ 4‐{C(CH3)3}‐C6H2N]‐2‐(ArN)C2C10H6]PdMeCl (Ar = 2,6‐Me2PhPd1, 2,6‐Et2PhPd2, 2,6‐iPr2PhPd3, 2,4,6‐Me3PhPd4, 2,6‐Et2‐4‐MePhPd5) have been prepared and fully characterized by1H/13C NMR, FTIR spectroscopies, and elemental analysis. X‐ray diffraction analysis ofPd2complex revealed a square planar geometry. Upon activation with methylaluminoxane, all the palladium complexes displayed high activities for norbornene (NBE) homo‐polymerization producing insoluble polymer. For the copolymerization of NBE with ethylene,Pd4complex exhibited good activities with high incorporation of ethylene (up to 59.2–77.4%) and the resultant copolymer showed high molecular weights as maximum as 150.5 kg mol−1. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem.2018,56, 922–930
Modulated release from implantable ocular silicone oil tamponade drug reservoirs
Authors: Cauldbeck Helen , Le Hellaye Maude , McDonald Tom O. , Long Mark , Williams Rachel L. , Rannard Steve P. , Kearns Victoria R.
Published: February 2018

Complicated cases of retinal detachment can be treated with silicone oil tamponades. There is the potential for silicone oil tamponades to have adjunctive drug releasing behaviour within the eye, however the lipophilic nature of silicone oil limits the number of drugs that are suitable, and drug release from the hydrophobic reservoir is uncontrolled. Here, a radiometric technique was developed to accurately measure drug solubility in silicone oil and measure release into culture media. All‐trans retinoic acid (atRA), a lipophilic drug known to act as an anti‐proliferative within the eye, was used throughout this work. Chain‐end modification of polydimethylsiloxane with atRA produced a polydimethylsiloxane retinoate (PDMS‐atRA), which was used as an additive to silicone oil to modify the solvent environment within the silicone oil and the distribution coefficient. Blends of PDMS‐atRA and silicone oil containing different concentrations of free atRA were produced. The presence of PDMS‐atRA in silicone oil had a positive effect on atRA solubility and the longevity of release in vitro. The drug release period was independent of atRA starting concentration and dependent on the PDMS‐atRA concentration in the blend. A clinically relevant release period of atRA over 7 weeks from a silicone oil blend with PDMS‐atRA was observed. © 2018 The Authors. Journal of Polymer Science Part A: Polymer Chemistry Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2018, 56, 938–946
Atypical antipsychotic‐associated falls in older adults
Authors: Lam Y. W. Francis
Published: February 2018

Atypical antipsychotics are commonly prescribed for older patients, but their use constitutes an important risk factor associated with falls and resultant hip fracture. A recent analysis of Canadian population‐based claims data showed atypical antipsychotics significantly increased 90‐day risk for falls and various types of fractures. However, research data overall have offered conflicting results. The following study described an emulation analysis with U.S. claims data to evaluate further the risk of falls and fractures in elderly patients receiving atypical antipsychotics.
Tuning ‘Stokes Shift’ and ICT Character by Varying the Donor Group in Imidazo[1,5 a]pyridines: A Combined Optical, DFT, TD‐DFT and NLO Approach
Authors: Mohbiya Dhanraj R. , Sekar Nagaiyan
Published: February 2018

Imidazo[1, 5a]pyridine based novel donor‐acceptor dyes (2a‐e) with the large Stokes shift (ca. 140–200 nm) were synthesized and characterized. We report on the steady‐state and nanosecond time‐resolved emission studies of 2a‐e in different microenvironments which reveal that the dyes 2a‐c (average lifetime of 0.65, 1.36 and 1.63 ns respectively) perform reversible proton motion in chloroform due to variable donor group present at the para position of substituted phenyl group attached to imidazopyridine core as an acceptor group whereas 2d and 2e (average lifetime of 3.50 and 4.06 ns respectively) compete with 2a‐c in agreement with considerable intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) characteristics. Solvent polarity plots viz. Lippert‐Mataga, McRae, and Bakhshiev equation furnish the confirmation of ICT character. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations [(B3LYP/6‐311++G(d, p)] provide the information of structural as well as the electronic properties of dyes 2a‐e. Natural bond orbital (NBO) analyses enlighten the nature of the charge or proton transfer within the selected donor‐acceptor orbital interaction with the large energy of stabilization (the donor‐acceptor orbital interactions increases in the order 2a > 2b > 2c > 2d > 2e). The large difference in dipole moment (ca. 1.57‐21.55 D) results in a strong non‐linear optical (NLO) properties. The NLO properties were evaluated theoretically as well as spectroscopically in solvents of different polarities and the resulting hyperpolarizabilities fall within the expected limiting values. These results bring new findings in coupled ICT and proton transfer reactions which will be useful for further research and promising applications in sensing polarity or H‐bonding of microenvironments similar to that of the biological ones.
QM/MM Study of the Dephosphorylation Mechanism of Adenosine 5′‐(β,γ‐Imido)triphosphate Catalyzed by Sulfolobus Tokodaii Hexokinase
Authors: Wang Jinhu , Wang Zhiguo , Ling Baoping , Yin Hongqing , Zhang Xian‐Man , Liu Xuejing
Published: February 2018

Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) bound hexokinase crystal structure is important for understanding the functions of hexokinase at the atomic level, but it is hard to obtain such complex because of the easy hydrolysis of ATP. Adenosine 5′‐(β,γ‐imido)triphosphate (AMP‐PNP) is a commonly used non‐hydrolysable ATP analogue for co‐crystallization with many proteins, but the AMP‐PNP function towards hexokinase is still unknown in the literature. In the present paper, we would like to report the dephosphorylation mechanisms of AMP‐PNP catalyzed by the wild‐type Sulfolobus tokodaii hexokinase (StHK) and T116A mutant using quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical (QM/MM) method. The catalytic reactions proceed via a phosphate transfer, followed by a proton transfer in these models. Both StHK and T116A mutant catalyzed reactions are endothermic. The phosphate transfer reaction is the rate‐determining step, and their energy barriers are 15.95 and 22.71 kcal⋅mol−1 for StHK and T116A mutant, respectively. Comparison of the ATP dephosphorylation shows that the catalytic processes by the wild‐type and T116A mutated StHK are passivated. The passivation has been attributed to the linking –NH group of AMP‐PNP. The results are meaningful to a better understand of hexokinase and the functions of AMP‐PNP in cocrystallization.
Effect of Bile Salt Aggregates on the Prototropic Equilibria of Harmine, a Fluorescent β‐Carboline Alkaloid
Authors: Das Konoya , Satpathi Sagar , Hazra Partha
Published: February 2018

Interconversion between different ground and excited state prototropic forms of harmine (cation, neutral and zwitterionic forms) in presence of bile salt aggregates has been monitored using steady state and time‐resolved fluorescence spectroscopic techniques. The existence of two binding pockets in bile salt assembly with distinctly different polarity preferences gives rise to significant modulation in the prototropic equilibrium in terms of conversion of cation→neutral and cation*→zwitterionic* in the ground and excited states, respectively. The excited state conversion of cation*→zwitterionic* has been confirmed by both TRANES and TRES profiles and a clear iso‐emissive point indicates an excited state equilibrium between cation and zwitterionic forms. We have also observed that small variations in the hydrophilic head groups of the bile salt monomers changes the spectral feature of harmine appreciably. In non‐conjugated bile salt (NaC), both cation→neutral and cation*→zwitterionic* conversions occur while, in conjugated bile salt (NaTC) conversion from cation*→zwitterionic* is not observed due to stronger electrostatic interactions of C with NaTC head group. The coexistence of cation, neutral and zwitterionic forms in the excited state gives rise to simultaneous emission from three prototropic forms in NaC, which has not been previously observed at neutral pH.
Synthesis and Characterization of Magnesium Hydroxide & Cerium Oxide Composite: Application in Organic Transformation
Authors: Tomar Ravi , Rathee Garima , Chandra Ishita , Kumar Neeraj , Tomar Vartika , Chandra Ramesh
Published: February 2018

A new catalytic route was established for oxidation of alcohols, imines formation, and knoevenagel condensation. Magnesium hydroxide and cerium oxide composite was synthesized using co‐precipitation method and was employed in various organic transformations like oxidation, imines formation and knoevenagel condensation. Magnesium hydroxide and cerium oxide composite was characterized by fourier‐transform Infrared (FT‐IR), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) techniques. The effect of temperature, amount of catalyst, different solvents, and time‐course were performed to find out the optimization condition for these three organic transformations.
TiO2, MoS2, and TiO2/MoS2 Heterostructures for Use in Organic Dyes Degradation
Authors: Wang Congcong , Zhan Yi , Wang Zhiyong
Published: February 2018

After a first‐principles calculation, the calculated energy gaps of TiO2, MoS2 and TiO2/MoS2 were found to be 2.35 eV, 1.68 eV and 1.95 eV, respectively. The conduction‐band bottom of anatase TiO2 was determined by the electronic distribution of the Ti (d) orbit, and the valence‐band top of anatase TiO2 was determined by the electronic distribution of the O (p) orbit. The conduction‐band bottom of the MoS2 was determined by the electronic distribution of the Mo (d) orbit, and the valence‐band top of MoS2 was determined by a hybridization of S (p) orbit and Mo (d) orbit. The conduction‐band bottom of TiO2/MoS2 was determined by a hybridization of the Mo (d) orbit, the Ti (d) orbit and the S (p) orbit, and the valence‐band top of TiO2/MoS2 was determined by a hybridization of the S (p) orbit, the O (p) orbit and the Mo (d) orbit. The MoS2 nanoflowers, MoS2 nanorods and the TiO2/MoS2 heterostructures were synthesised through a simple hydrothermal procedure. Photocatalytic degradation experiments demonstrated photodegradation of the TiO2/MoS2 heterostructures was 99.62% for rhodamine B, 96.42% for methylene blue and 87.45% for methyl orange.
Mobolic: An automated approach to exercising mobile application GUIs using symbiosis of online testing technique and customated input generation
Authors: Arnatovich Yauhen Leanidavich , Wang Lipo , Ngo Ngoc Minh , Soh Charlie
Published: February 2018

The increasingly prevalent use of mobile devices has raised the popularity of mobile applications. Therefore, automated testing of mobile applications has become an extremely important task. However, it is still a challenge to automatically generate tests with high coverage for mobile applications due to their specific nontrivial structure and the highly interactive nature of graphical user interfaces (GUIs). In this paper, we propose a novel automated GUI testing technique for mobile applications, namely, Mobolic. In this approach, tests with high coverage are automatically generated and executed by combining the online testing technique and customated input generation. Employing the online testing technique, Mobolic systematically explores the app GUI without falling in a loop. It generates relevant events “on the fly” that are followed by an immediate execution. In addition, involving the customated input generation, Mobolic automatically generates relevant user inputs such as user‐predefined, concrete, or random ones. We implemented Mobolic and evaluated its performance on 10 real‐world open‐source Android applications. Our experimental results show the effectiveness and efficiency of Mobolic in terms of achieved code coverage and overall exercising time.
Hardware trace reconstruction of runtime compiled code
Authors: Sharma Suchakrapani Datt , Dagenais Michel R.
Published: February 2018

Hardware tracing has emerged as a low‐cost technique to analyze systems at a very fine granularity, thus mitigating the need for software‐only trace approaches for performance analysis. State‐of‐the‐art trace hardware on modern Intel and ARM processors allows recording change‐of‐flow instructions in executable binaries, such as branches, for off‐line reconstruction. This conventional userspace–based trace reconstruction, however, is not robust enough in the common scenarios where runtime code is being generated, compiled, and executed. We therefore propose a novel kernel‐assisted mechanism called FlowJIT to reconstruct hardware traces with a low overhead of around 1.3 μs per code page modification event. We further show the efficacy or our technique with the help of 2 illustrative usecases that cover the JIT compiled code scenario and a same‐page instruction modification scenario. Our implementation has been open sourced as a patch for the Linux kernel.
Modeling the Responses of Alligator Gar Populations to Harvest under Various Length‐Based Regulations: Implications for Conservation and Management
Authors: Smith Nathan G. , Daugherty Daniel J. , Schlechte J. Warren , Buckmeier David L.
Published: February 2018

Interest in managing Alligator GarAtractosteus spatulapopulations as a unique sport fishery has increased over the past decade, but despite this interest population responses to harvest are poorly understood. Fishing regulations for Alligator Gars vary throughout their distribution; however, to date most regulations have focused on a daily creel limit. We developed an age‐structured dynamic‐pool model in R to (1) quantify the population‐level effects of exploitation and (2) evaluate how these effects would be altered under a suite of length‐based fishing regulations. The model was parameterized based primarily on empirically estimated dynamic rates for Texas Alligator Gar populations. For each model scenario, we calculated the mean and variance of the number of trophy fish in the population, the population size, the spawning potential ratio, and the fishery yield over a 100‐year period. Alligator Gar populations were highly sensitive to exploitation in our model simulations. An exploitation rate of 7% caused the average population size to decline by 50%, and a rate of only 3% halved the number of trophy fish available in the population. Under no length restrictions, recruitment overfishing occurred above an exploitation rate of 6.5%, while yield was maximized at only 9% exploitation. Based on our model results, the use of length limits may provide some options for sustaining existing trophy Alligator Gar fisheries under increased effort and could allow anglers to catch and even harvest more trophy‐size fish. Given the sensitivity of long‐lived periodic life history strategists to exploitation and the benefits that length‐based regulations can provide, we encourage managers to consider such regulations to increase resilience to exploitation and improve fishery quality.
Alligator Gars in Texas Coastal Bays: Long‐Term Trends and Environmental Influences
Authors: Daugherty Daniel J. , Schlechte J. Warren , McDonald Dusty L.
Published: February 2018

Recognition of the recreational and conservation value of the Alligator GarAtractosteus spatulahas spurred efforts to understand its biology, ecology, and status in river–reservoir systems throughout their range. However, Alligator Gars have also been found in the coastal bays that link these rivers to the Gulf of Mexico. Little is known about the species in saltwater environments or their potential role in coastal fish communities. For that reason, we analyzed 37 years (1975–2012) of standardized gill‐net catches of Alligator Gars in 10 Texas bays to characterize spatiotemporal trends in abundance and size structure and identify influential environmental covariates. Over 28,000 Alligator Gars (113–2,040 mmTL) were collected during 24,756 net‐nights of effort. The species was generally omnipresent both spatially and temporally; however, catch per unit effort varied by two orders of magnitude and was both cyclical and synchronous among bays. Trends in catch and size structure were consistent in most bays, which is indicative of stable abundance and dynamic rates. Current salinity and freshwater inflows, as well as catch rates, salinity, and freshwater inflows during the previous sampling year, explained significant proportions of the variation in catch in all but one system. Generally, periods of increased catch were associated with lower salinity and higher freshwater inflow, though Alligator Gars continued to be collected at salinities over 35‰. Analyses revealed that Alligator Gar catches in Texas bays were similar to or considerably greater than those of Bull SharksCarcharhinus leucas, which are considered the most abundant top predator in these systems. The broad distribution of the Alligator Gars along the coast, coupled with its high relative abundance, highlight the need to understand the species’ role in coastal food webs and ecosystem function, with the ultimate goal of improving our ability to manage both Alligator Gar populations and coastal communities.
Contact angle selection for interfaces in growing domains
Authors: Monteiro Rafael , Scheel Arnd
Published: February 2018

We study interfaces in an Allen‐Cahn equation, separating two metastable states. Our focus is on a directional quenching scenario, where a parameter renders the system bistable in a half plane and monostable in its complement, with the region of bistability expanding at a fixed speed. We show that the growth mechanism selects a contact angle between the boundary of the region of bistability and the interface separating the two metastable states. Technically, we focus on a perturbative setting in a vicinity of a symmetric situation with perpendicular contact. The main difficulty stems from the lack of Fredholm properties for the linearization in translation invariant norms. We overcome those difficulties establishing Fredholm properties in weighted spaces and farfield‐core decompositions to compensate for negative Fredholm indices.
Tectonic stress regime in the 2003–2004 and 2012–2015 earthquake swarms in the Ubaye Valley, French Alps
Authors: Fojtíková Lucia , Vavryčuk Václav
Published: February 2018

We study two earthquake swarms that occurred in the Ubaye Valley, French Alps within the past decade: the 2003–2004 earthquake swarm with the strongest shock of magnitude ML = 2.7, and the 2012–2015 earthquake swarm with the strongest shock of magnitude ML = 4.8. The 2003–2004 seismic activity clustered along a 9-km-long rupture zone at depth between 3 and 8 km. The 2012–2015 activity occurred a few kilometres to the northwest from the previous one. We applied the iterative joint inversion for stress and fault orientations developed by Vavryčuk (2014) to focal mechanisms of 74 events of the 2003–2004 swarm and of 13 strongest events of the 2012–2015 swarm. The retrieved stress regime is consistent for both seismic activities. Theσ3principal axis is nearly horizontal with azimuth of ~ 103°. Theσ1andσ2principal axes are inclined and their stress magnitudes are similar. The active faults are optimally oriented for shear faulting with respect to tectonic stress and differ from major fault systems known from geological mapping in the region. The estimated low value of friction coefficient at the faults 0.2–0.3 supports an idea of seismic activity triggered or strongly affected by presence of fluids.
The Impact of Financial Conflict of Interest on Surgical Research: An Observational Study of Published Manuscripts
Authors: Cherla Deepa V. , Viso Cristina P. , Olavarria Oscar A. , Bernardi Karla , Holihan Julie L. , Mueck Krislynn M. , Flores‐Gonzalez Juan , Liang Mike K. , Adams Sasha D.
Published: February 2018

Background

Substantial discrepancies exist between industry‐reported and self‐reported conflicts of interest (COI). Although authors with relevant, self‐reported financial COI are more likely to write studies favorable to industry sponsors, it is unknown whether undisclosed COI have the same effect. We hypothesized that surgeons who fail to disclose COI are more likely to publish findings that are favorable to industry than surgeons with no COI.

Methods

PubMed was searched for articles in multiple surgical specialties. Financial COI reported by surgeons and industry were compared. COI were considered to be relevant if they were associated with the product(s) mentioned by an article. Primary outcome was favorability, which was defined as an impression favorable to the product(s) discussed by an article and was determined by 3 independent, blinded clinicians for each article. Primary analysis compared incomplete self‐disclosure to no COI. Ordered logistic multivariable regression modeling was used to assess factors associated with favorability.

Results

Overall, 337 articles were reviewed. There was a high rate of discordance in the reporting of COI (70.3%). When surgeons failed to disclose COI, their conclusions were significantly more likely to favor industry than surgeons without COI (RR 1.2, 95% CI 1.1–1.4, p < 0.001). On multivariable analysis, any COI (regardless of relevance, disclosure, or monetary amount) were significantly associated with favorability.

Conclusions

Any financial COI (disclosed or undisclosed, relevant or not relevant) significantly influence whether studies report findings favorable to industry. More attention must be paid to improving research design, maximizing transparency in medical research, and insisting that surgeons disclose all COI, regardless of perceived relevance.
Synthetic biology of polyketide synthases
Authors: Yuzawa Satoshi , Backman Tyler W H , Keasling Jay D , Katz Leonard
Published: February 2018

Complex reduced polyketides represent the largest class of natural products that have applications in medicine, agriculture, and animal health. This structurally diverse class of compounds shares a common methodology of biosynthesis employing modular enzyme systems called polyketide synthases (PKSs). The modules are composed of enzymatic domains that share sequence and functional similarity across all known PKSs. We have used the nomenclature of synthetic biology to classify the enzymatic domains and modules as parts and devices, respectively, and have generated detailed lists of both. In addition, we describe the chassis (hosts) that are used to assemble, express, and engineer the parts and devices to produce polyketides. We describe a recently developed software tool to design PKS system and provide an example of its use. Finally, we provide perspectives of what needs to be accomplished to fully realize the potential that synthetic biology approaches bring to this class of molecules.
Soil moisture and salt ionic composition effects on species distribution and diversity in semiarid inland saline habitats, northwestern China
Authors: Zhang Dong‐mei , Zhao Wen‐zhi , Zhang Ge‐fei
Published: February 2018

Salinization is one of the main types causing land desertification in arid and semi‐arid regions. Little is known about the impacts of salinization on the distribution and diversity of plant species, especially in semiarid inland saline habitats. We established a total of 40 sampling plots to determine plant community (floristic composition, species abundance, cover, frequency, and aboveground biomass) and soil characteristics (moisture, pH, electrical conductivity (EC), and the contents of Na+, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Cl−, SO42− and HCO3−). The TWINSPAN method was used to distinguish plant communities, by which three plant communities (I, II, III) were identified, namely Artemisia scoparia + Agropyron cristatum + Sophora alopecuroides (I), Kalidium gracile + Atriplex centralasiatica (II), and Salicornia europaea + Suaeda salsa (III). From I to III, the indices reflecting species diversity all decreased except for Pielou's index of evenness, while the aboveground biomass and cover increased; the characteristic indices of soil moisture, EC, the contents of Na+, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Cl−, SO42− and total dissolved salts (TDS) significantly increased, while the Ca2+/Na+, K+/Na+ ratios and HCO3− content significantly decreased. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) showed that the most important environmental factors influencing species distribution were: soil moisture, SO42−, K+/Na+ and pH. Stepwise multiple‐regression analysis indicated that species richness was correlated mainly with TDS and moisture. These results also suggested that vegetation can be used as a proxy indicating soil salt conditions, and their relationships can further provide important information for the improvement of salt‐affected soil's management and salt‐tolerant species utilization in environmental restoration.
Enterovesical fistula caused by ileal primary adenocarcinoma
Authors: Corrêa Romualdo da Silva , Salviano Fellipe Alexandre Macena , Melo Luís Felipe Revorêdo Antunes de , Dantas Junior José Manoel , Pereira Brandão Igor Rafael Guedes , Pinheiro Thiago Barros
Published: February 2018

Introduction Small bowel neoplasms are rare entities, with only 3.2% of gastrointestinal tumors localized in this segment. Adenocarcinoma is the second most common histologic type among small bowel neoplasms. The disease's symptoms are non-specific, with abdominal pain being the most common. Among the complications, fistulas are a far rare condition.

Case report We present the case of an 86-year-old woman, hypertensive, diabetic, and former smoker, with lower abdominal pain, hematuria, fecaluria and fever associated with weight loss. Upon physical examination presented pale mucous membranes. Magnetic resonance imaging of the abdomen showed parietal thickening in the distal ileum segment with an anterior wall bladder fistula. Absence of metastases.

Subjected to transurethral endoscopic biopsy of the bladder lesion, which anatomopathological study was compatible with invasive mucinous adenocarcinoma. An enterectomy was performed with primary enteroanastomosis, associated with partial cystectomy by videolaparoscopy. Anatomopathological study of the surgical specimens concluded mucinous adenocarcinoma with signet ring cells located in the small bowel and bladder. Immunohistochemical exam has identified findings compatible with mucinous adenocarcinoma of origin in the small bowel. The patient evolved well, being discharged, and returned to postoperative follow-up without signs of relapse of the disease.

Conclusion The relative inaccessibility of the small bowel and the malignant neoplasms’ non-specific symptoms make an early diagnosis difficult. Discovery of the disease, often only at an advanced stage, results in complications and less effective therapy. The laparoscopic approach might be advantageous and effective in the treatment of advanced small bowel cancer with invasion of adjacent structures.
Artrodese lombar intersomática anterior multinível combinada com estabilização posterior em discopatia—Análise clínico-funcional prospectiva
Authors: Moura Diogo Lino , Lawrence David , Gabriel Josué Pereira
Published: February 2018

Objetivo Estudo prospectivo controlado em pacientes com discopatia degenerativa submetidos a artrodese intersomática lombar anterior instrumentada combinada com estabilização posterior.

Métodos Amostra com 64 pacientes consecutivos operados pelos mesmos cirurgiões ao longo de quatro anos. Metade das artrodeses intersomática lombar anterior foi efetuada em dois níveis, 43,8% em três níveis e 6,25% em um nível. Foram usadas caixas intersomáticas com parafusos integrados preenchidas com matriz óssea e proteína morfogenética óssea 2.

Resultados Metade da amostra apresentava cirurgias prévias à coluna lombar, 75% listeses degenerativas associadas e 62,5% patologia compressiva posterior da coluna lombar. Aproximadamente 56% da amostra apresentavam pelo menos um fator de risco de não união da artrodese. O índice Oswestry passou de 71,81 ± 7,22 no pré-operatório para 24,75 ± 7,82 na avaliação no fim do tempo de seguimento, enquanto a escala visual analógica da dor passou de 7,88 ± 0,70 para 2,44 ± 0,87 (p < 0,001). A melhoria clínico-funcional foi crescente de acordo com a intervenção num número superior de níveis, o que comprova a eficácia da artrodese intersomática lombar anterior multinível, aplicada em 93,75% da amostra. A taxa global de complicações foi de 7,82% e de complicações major de 0%. Não se identificou qualquer caso de não união.

Conclusão A artrodese intersomática lombar anterior instrumentada combinada com estabilização posterior é uma opção de sucesso na discopatia degenerativa uni ou multinível dos segmentos de L3 a S1, mesmo em presença significativa de fatores de risco de não união e cirurgias prévias da coluna lombar, garante resultados clínico-funcionais e radiográficos muito satisfatórios e reduzida taxa de complicações em médio prazo.
Efeito do ácido zoledrônico e do alendronato no edema ósseo e dor na osteonecrose espontânea do joelho: Um novo paradigma no manejo
Authors: Agarwala Sanjay , Sharoff Lokesh , Jagani Naeem
Published: February 2018

Objetivo Determinar o efeito do tratamento combinado de ácido zoledrônico e alendronato no edema ósseo e na dor no joelho em casos de osteonecrose espontânea do joelho. A experiência dos autores com este tratamento é relatada.

Métodos Série de casos retrospectiva, incluindo 11 pacientes com osteonecrose espontânea do joelho confirmada por ressonância magnética. Os pacientes foram tratados com uma dose intravenosa única de 5 mg de ácido zoledrônico combinada com 35 mg de alendronato oral, 2 vezes por semana, por 16 semanas. Os escores da escala visual analógica foram aferidos antes do começo do tratamento, em 8 semanas e em 16 semanas de acompanhamento. O tamanho do edema da medula óssea adjacente à lesão foi medido em imagens de ressonância magnética coronal ponderadas em T2 no início do tratamento e em 16 semanas.

Resultados O escore médio da escala visual analógica em 0 semanas foi de 7,72, contra 0,81 em 16 semanas de tratamento, uma diferença estatisticamente significativa (p = 0,03). O envolvimento médio da medula óssea em 0 semanas foi de 80%, e foi reduzido para 11,81% em 16 semanas de tratamento, uma diferença também estatisticamente significativa (p = 0,03).

Conclusão Os dados mostram que a terapia combinada proporciona alívio da dor inicial e redução do edema ósseo, sendo segura, eﬁcaz e bem tolerada em uma enfermidade dolorosa como a osteonecrose espontânea do joelho.
A New Model of Drumlin Formation
Authors: Cook Terri
Published: February 2018

Observations from the surge-type glacier Múlajökull in Iceland underpin new modeling results that suggest the glacier’s drumlins grow during quiet intervals of normal flow between glacial surges.
Temozolomide–perillyl alcohol conjugate downregulates O6-methylguanin DNA methltransferase via inducing ubiquitination-dependent proteolysis in non-small cell lung cancer
Authors: Song Xingguo , Xie Li , Chang Minghui , Geng Xinran , Wang Xingwu , Chen Thomas C. , Song Xianrang
Published: February 2018

The DNA repair enzyme O6-methylguanin-DNA-methltransferase (MGMT) is able to remove products of alkylating agent such as O6-meG and emerges as a central determinant of cancer resistance to temozolomide (TMZ). Temozolomide–perillyl alcohol conjugate (TMZ–POH), a novel TMZ analog developed based on the conjugation of TMZ and POH, displayed strong anticancer potency in multiple cancer types, but seemed not to experience the chemoresistance even in cells with high MGMT expression unlike TMZ and other alkylating agents. In this study, we demonstrated TMZ–POH inhibited MGMT dependent on proteasomal pathway and this inhibition is a significant factor in its toxic effect in the non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells.
CD1d-dependent immune suppression mediated by regulatory B cells through modulations of iNKT cells
Authors: Oleinika K. , Rosser E. C. , Matei D. E. , Nistala K. , Bosma A. , Drozdov I. , Mauri C.
Published: February 2018

Regulatory B cells (Breg) express high levels of CD1d that presents lipid antigens to invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells. The function of CD1d in Breg biology and iNKT cell activity during inflammation remains unclear. Here we show, using chimeric mice, cell depletion and adoptive cell transfer, that CD1d–lipid presentation by Bregs induces iNKT cells to secrete interferon (IFN)-γ to contribute, partially, to the downregulation of T helper (Th)1 and Th17-adaptive immune responses and ameliorate experimental arthritis. Mice lacking CD1d-expressing B cells develop exacerbated disease compared to wild-type mice, and fail to respond to treatment with the prototypical iNKT cell agonist α-galactosylceramide. The absence of lipid presentation by B cells alters iNKT cell activation with disruption of metabolism regulation and cytokine responses. Thus, we identify a mechanism by which Bregs restrain excessive inflammation via lipid presentation.
Amphibian chytridiomycosis outbreak dynamics are linked with host skin bacterial community structure
Authors: Bates Kieran A. , Clare Frances C. , O’Hanlon Simon , Bosch Jaime , Brookes Lola , Hopkins Kevin , McLaughlin Emilia J. , Daniel Olivia , Garner Trenton W. J. , Fisher Matthew C. , Harrison Xavier A.
Published: February 2018

Host-associated microbes are vital for combatting infections and maintaining health. In amphibians, certain skin-associated bacteria inhibit the fungal pathogenBatrachochytrium dendrobatidis(Bd), yet our understanding of host microbial ecology and its role in disease outbreaks is limited. We sampled skin-associated bacteria andBdfrom Pyrenean midwife toad populations exhibiting enzootic or epizootic disease dynamics. We demonstrate that bacterial communities differ between life stages with few shared taxa, indicative of restructuring at metamorphosis. We detected a significant effect of infection history on metamorph skin microbiota, with reduced bacterial diversity in epizootic populations and differences in community structure and predicted function. Genome sequencing ofBdisolates supports a single introduction to the Pyrenees and reveals no association between pathogen genetics and epidemiological trends. Our findings provide an ecologically relevant insight into the microbial ecology of amphibian skin and highlight the relative importance of host microbiota and pathogen genetics in predicting disease outcome.
Observationally quantified reconnection providing a viable mechanism for active region coronal heating
Authors: Yang Kai E. , Longcope Dana W. , Ding M. D. , Guo Yang
Published: February 2018

The heating of the Sun’s corona has been explained by several different mechanisms including wave dissipation and magnetic reconnection. While both have been shown capable of supplying the requisite power, neither has been used in a quantitative model of observations fed by measured inputs. Here we show that impulsive reconnection is capable of producing an active region corona agreeing both qualitatively and quantitatively with extreme-ultraviolet observations. We calculate the heating power proportional to the velocity difference between magnetic footpoints and the photospheric plasma, called the non-ideal velocity. The length scale of flux elements reconnected in the corona is found to be around 160 km. The differential emission measure of the model corona agrees with that derived using multi-wavelength images. Synthesized extreme-ultraviolet images resemble observations both in their loop-dominated appearance and their intensity histograms. This work provides compelling evidence that impulsive reconnection events are a viable mechanism for heating the corona.
Systematic analysis of protein turnover in primary cells
Authors: Mathieson Toby , Franken Holger , Kosinski Jan , Kurzawa Nils , Zinn Nico , Sweetman Gavain , Poeckel Daniel , Ratnu Vikram S. , Schramm Maike , Becher Isabelle , Steidel Michael , Noh Kyung-Min , Bergamini Giovanna , Beck Martin , Bantscheff Marcus , Savitski Mikhail M.
Published: February 2018

A better understanding of proteostasis in health and disease requires robust methods to determine protein half-lives. Here we improve the precision and accuracy of peptide ion intensity-based quantification, enabling more accurate protein turnover determination in non-dividing cells by dynamic SILAC-based proteomics. This approach allows exact determination of protein half-lives ranging from 10 to >1000 h. We identified 4000–6000 proteins in several non-dividing cell types, corresponding to 9699 unique protein identifications over the entire data set. We observed similar protein half-lives in B-cells, natural killer cells and monocytes, whereas hepatocytes and mouse embryonic neurons show substantial differences. Our data set extends and statistically validates the previous observation that subunits of protein complexes tend to have coherent turnover. Moreover, analysis of different proteasome and nuclear pore complex assemblies suggests that their turnover rate is architecture dependent. These results illustrate that our approach allows investigating protein turnover and its implications in various cell types.
Quality and learning aspects of the first 9000 spirometries of the LifeGene study
Authors: Qvarfordt Mikaela , Anderson Martin , Svartengren Magnus
Published: February 2018

Spirometry requires the patient to cooperate and do the manoeuvre 'right' for reliable results. Algorithms to assess test quality as well as educational recommendations for personnel are defined in guidelines. We compared the quality of forced spirometry tests performed by spirometry technicians with little or no previous experience of spirometry using spirometry systems with different modes of feedback. In both cases, the spirometry technician received general feedback on the screen based on ATS/ERS guidelines, such as 'exhale faster' and 'exhale longer'. The major difference was whether quality grading system of the complete session was available simultaneously on screen, or in the printed report afterwards. Two parts of the same population-based study (LifeGene), the pilot (LG1) and the first part (LG2) of the subsequent study, were compared retrospectively. In LG1 (on-screen grading) approved examination quality was achieved for 88% of the 10 first subjects for each spirometry technician compared to 70% in LG2 (printed grading afterwards). The corresponding values after 40 subjects was 94 % in LG1, compared to 73% in LG2, and after the first ten subjects there was no apparent quality improvement in either LG1 or LG2. The quality for LG1 is among the highest reported in the literature even though the spirometry technician were relatively inexperienced. We conclude that on-screen grading in addition to general technical quality feedback is powerful in enhancing the spirometry test session quality.
Ultrasound beam steering of oxygen nanobubbles for enhanced bladder cancer therapy
Authors: Bhandari Pushpak , Novikova Gloriia , Goergen Craig J. , Irudayaraj Joseph
Published: February 2018

New intravesical treatment approaches for bladder cancer are needed as currently approved treatments show several side effects and high tumor recurrence rate. Our study used MB49 murine urothelial carcinoma model to evaluate oxygen encapsulated cellulosic nanobubbles as a novel agent for imaging and ultrasound guided drug delivery. In this study, we show that oxygen nanobubbles (ONB) can be propelled (up to 40 mm/s) and precisely guided in vivo to the tumor by an ultrasound beam. Nanobubble velocity can be controlled by altering the power of the ultrasound Doppler beam, while nanobubble direction can be adjusted to different desired angles by altering the angle of the beam. Precise ultrasound beam steering of oxygen nanobubbles was shown to enhance the efficacy of mitomycin-C, resulting in significantly lower tumor progression rates while using a 50% lower concentration of chemotherapeutic drug. Further, dark field imaging was utilized to visualize and quantify the ONB ex vivo. ONBs were found to localize up to 500 µm inside the tumor using beam steering. These results demonstrate the potential of an oxygen nanobubble drug encapsulated system to become a promising strategy for targeted drug delivery because of its multimodal (imaging and oxygen delivery) and multifunctional (targeting and hypoxia programming) properties.
Polygonum aviculare L. extract and quercetin attenuate contraction in airway smooth muscle
Authors: Luo Xi , Xue Lu , Xu Hao , Zhao Qing-Yang , Wang Qian , She Yu-Shan , Zang Dun-An , Shen Jinhua , Peng Yong-Bo , Zhao Ping , Yu Meng-Fei , Chen Weiwei , Ma Li-Qun , Chen Shu , Chen Shanshan , Fu Xiangning , Hu Sheng , Nie Xiaowei , Shen Chenyou , Zou Chunbin , Qin Gangjian , Dai Jiapei , Ji Guangju , Su Yunchao , Hu Shen , Chen Jingyu , Liu Qing-Hua
Published: February 2018

Because of the serious side effects of the currently used bronchodilators, new compounds with similar functions must be developed. We screened several herbs and found that Polygonum aviculare L. contains ingredients that inhibit the precontraction of mouse and human airway smooth muscle (ASM). High K+-induced precontraction in ASM was completely inhibited by nifedipine, a selective blocker of L-type voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels (LVDCCs). However, nifedipine only partially reduced the precontraction induced by acetylcholine chloride (ACH). Additionally, the ACH-induced precontraction was partly reduced by pyrazole-3 (Pyr3), a selective blocker of TRPC3 and stromal interaction molecule (STIM)/Orai channels. These channel-mediated currents were inhibited by the compounds present in P. aviculare extracts, suggesting that this inhibition was mediated by LVDCCs, TRPC3 and/or STIM/Orai channels. Moreover, these channel-mediated currents were inhibited by quercetin, which is present in P. aviculare extracts. Furthermore, quercetin inhibited ACH-induced precontraction in ASM. Overall, our data indicate that the ethyl acetate fraction of P. aviculare and quercetin can inhibit Ca2+-permeant LVDCCs, TRPC3 and STIM/Orai channels, which inhibits the precontraction of ASM. These findings suggest that P. aviculare could be used to develop new bronchodilators to treat obstructive lung diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Dyslipidemia and risk of renal replacement therapy or death in incident pre-dialysis patients
Authors: Voskamp Pauline W. M. , van Diepen Merel , Dekker Friedo W. , Hoogeveen Ellen K.
Published: February 2018

Globally the number of patients on renal replacement therapy (RRT) is rising. Dyslipidemia is a potential modifiable cardiovascular risk factor, but its effect on risk of RRT or death in pre-dialysis patients is unclear. The aim of this study was to assess the association between dyslipidemia and risk of RRT or death among patients with CKD stage 4–5 receiving specialized pre-dialysis care, an often under represented group in clinical trials. Of the 502 incident pre-dialysis patients (>18 y) in the Dutch PREPARE-2 study, lipid levels were available in 284 patients and imputed for the other patients. During follow up 376 (75%) patients started RRT and 47 (9%) patients died. Dyslipidemia was defined as total cholesterol ≥5.00 mmol/L, LDL cholesterol ≥2.50 mmol/L, HDL cholesterol <1.00 mmol/L, HDL/LDL ratio <0.4, or triglycerides (TG) ≥2.25 mmol/L, and was present in 181 patients and absent in 93 patients. After multivariable adjustment Cox regression analyses showed a HR (95% CI) for the combined endpoint for dyslipidemia of 1.12 (0.85–1.47), and for high LDL of 1.20 (0.89–1.61). All other HRs were smaller. In conclusion, we did not find an association between dyslipidemia or the separate lipid levels and RRT or death in CKD patients on specialized pre-dialysis care.
Seismic waveform simulation for models with fluctuating interfaces
Authors: Rao Ying , Wang Yanghua
Published: February 2018

The contrast of elastic properties across a subsurface interface imposes a dominant influence on the seismic wavefield, which includes transmitted and reflected waves from the interface. Therefore, for an accurate waveform simulation, it is necessary to have an accurate representation of the subsurface interfaces within the numerical model. Accordingly, body-fitted gridding is used to partition subsurface models so that the grids coincide well with both the irregular surface and fluctuating interfaces of the Earth. However, non-rectangular meshes inevitably exist across fluctuating interfaces. This non-orthogonality degrades the accuracy of the waveform simulation when using a conventional finite-difference method. Here, we find that a summation-by-parts (SBP) finite-difference method can be used for models with non-rectangular meshes across fluctuating interfaces, and can achieve desirable simulation accuracy. The acute angle of non-rectangular meshes can be relaxed to as low as 47°. The cell size rate of change between neighbouring grids can be relaxed to as much as 30%. Because the non-orthogonality of grids has a much smaller impact on the waveform simulation accuracy, the model discretisation can be relatively flexible for fitting fluctuating boundaries within any complex problem. Consequently, seismic waveform inversion can explicitly include fluctuating interfaces within a subsurface velocity model.
Spectral features of the tunneling-induced transparency and the Autler-Townes doublet and triplet in a triple quantum dot
Authors: Luo Xiao-Qing , Li Zeng-Zhao , Jing Jun , Xiong Wei , Li Tie-Fu , Yu Ting
Published: February 2018

We theoretically investigate the spectral features of tunneling-induced transparency (TIT) and Autler-Townes (AT) doublet and triplet in a triple-quantum-dot system. By analyzing the eigenenergy spectrum of the system Hamiltonian, we can discriminate TIT and double TIT from AT doublet and triplet, respectively. For the resonant case, the presence of the TIT does not exhibit distinguishable anticrossing in the eigenenergy spectrum in the weak-tunneling regime, while the occurrence of double anticrossings in the strong-tunneling regime shows that the TIT evolves to the AT doublet. For the off-resonance case, the appearance of a new detuning-dependent dip in the absorption spectrum leads to double TIT behavior in the weak-tunneling regime due to no distinguished anticrossing occurring in the eigenenergy spectrum. However, in the strong-tunneling regime, a new detuning-dependent dip in the absorption spectrum results in AT triplet owing to the presence of triple anticrossings in the eigenenergy spectrum. Our results can be applied to quantum measurement and quantum-optics devices in solid systems.
Quantitative Evaluation of Pain during Electrocutaneous Stimulation using a Log-Linearized Peripheral Arterial Viscoelastic Model
Authors: Matsubara Hiroki , Hirano Hiroki , Hirano Harutoyo , Soh Zu , Nakamura Ryuji , Saeki Noboru , Kawamoto Masashi , Yoshizumi Masao , Yoshino Atsuo , Sasaoka Takafumi , Yamawaki Shigeto , Tsuji Toshio
Published: February 2018

In clinical practice, subjective pain evaluations, e.g., the visual analogue scale and the numeric rating scale, are generally employed, but these are limited in terms of their ability to detect inaccurate reports, and are unsuitable for use in anesthetized patients or those with dementia. We focused on the peripheral sympathetic nerve activity that responds to pain, and propose a method for evaluating pain sensation, including intensity, sharpness, and dullness, using the arterial stiffness index. In the experiment, electrocardiogram, blood pressure, and photoplethysmograms were obtained, and an arterial viscoelastic model was applied to estimate arterial stiffness. The relationships among the stiffness index, self-reported pain sensation, and electrocutaneous stimuli were examined and modelled. The relationship between the stiffness index and pain sensation could be modelled using a sigmoid function with high determination coefficients, where R2 ≥ 0.88, p < 0.01 for intensity, R2 ≥ 0.89, p < 0.01 for sharpness, and R2 ≥ 0.84, p < 0.01 for dullness when the stimuli could appropriately evoke dull pain.