bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Structure and Function of the N-Terminal Domain of the Vesicular Stomatitis Virus RNA Polymerase
Authors: Qiu Shihong , Ogino Minako , Luo Ming , Ogino Tomoaki , Green Todd J.
Published: October 2015

Viruses have various mechanisms to duplicate their genomes and produce virus-specific mRNAs. Negative-strand RNA viruses encode their own polymerases to perform each of these processes. For the nonsegmented negative-strand RNA viruses, the polymerase is comprised of the large polymerase subunit (L) and the phosphoprotein (P). L proteins from members of the
Rhabdoviridae
,
Paramyxoviridae
, and
Filoviridae
share sequence and predicted secondary structure homology. Here, we present the structure of the N-terminal domain (conserved region I) of the L protein from a rhabdovirus, vesicular stomatitis virus, at 1.8-Å resolution. The strictly and strongly conserved residues in this domain cluster in a single area of the protein. Serial mutation of these residues shows that many of the amino acids are essential for viral transcription but not for mRNA capping. Three-dimensional alignments show that this domain shares structural homology with polymerases from other viral families, including segmented negative-strand RNA and double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) viruses.

IMPORTANCE
Negative-strand RNA viruses include a diverse set of viral families that infect animals and plants, causing serious illness and economic impact. The members of this group of viruses share a set of functionally conserved proteins that are essential to their replication cycle. Among this set of proteins is the viral polymerase, which performs a unique set of reactions to produce genome- and subgenome-length RNA transcripts. In this article, we study the polymerase of vesicular stomatitis virus, a member of the rhabdoviruses, which has served in the past as a model to study negative-strand RNA virus replication. We have identified a site in the N-terminal domain of the polymerase that is essential to viral transcription and that shares sequence homology with members of the paramyxoviruses and the filoviruses. Newly identified sites such as that described here could prove to be useful targets in the design of new therapeutics against negative-strand RNA viruses.
Identification of Positively Charged Residues in Enterovirus 71 Capsid Protein VP1 Essential for Production of Infectious Particles
Authors: Yuan Shilin , Li Guiming , Wang Ying , Gao Qianqian , Wang Yizhuo , Cui Rui , Altmeyer Ralf , Zou Gang
Published: October 2015

Enterovirus 71 (EV71), a positive-stranded RNA virus, is the major cause of hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) in children, which can cause severe central nervous system disease and death. The capsids of EV71 consist of 60 copies of each of four viral structural proteins (VP1 to VP4), with VP1, VP2, and VP3 exposed on the surface and VP4 arranged internally. VP1 plays a central role in particle assembly and cell entry. To gain insight into the role of positively charged residues in VP1 function in these processes, a charged-to-alanine scanning analysis was performed using an infectious cDNA clone of EV71. Twenty-seven mutants containing single charged-to-alanine changes were tested. Sixteen of them were not viable, seven mutants were replication defective, and the remaining four mutants were replication competent. By selecting revertants, second-site mutations which could at least partially restore viral infectivity were identified within VP1 for four defective mutations and two lethal mutations. The resulting residue pairs represent a network of intra- and intermolecular interactions of the VP1 protein which could serve as a potential novel drug target. Interestingly, mutation K215A in the VP1 GH loop led to a significant increase in thermal stability, demonstrating that conditional thermostable mutants can be generated by altering the charge characteristics of VP1. Moreover, all mutants were sensitive to the EV71 entry inhibitor suramin, which binds to the virus particle via the negatively charged naphthalenetrisulfonic acid group, suggesting that single charged-to-alanine mutation is not sufficient for suramin resistance. Taken together, these data highlight the importance of positively charged residues in VP1 for production of infectious particles.

IMPORTANCE
Infection with EV71 is more often associated with neurological complications in children and is responsible for the majority of fatalities. No licensed vaccines or antiviral therapies are currently available for the prevention or treatment of EV71 infection. Understanding the determinants of virion assembly and entry will facilitate vaccine development and drug discovery. Here, we identified 23 out of 27 positively charged residues in VP1 which impaired or blocked the production of infectious particles. The defect could be rescued by second-site mutations within the VP1 protein. Our findings highlight the importance of positively charged residues in VP1 during infectious particle production and reveal a potential strategy for blocking EV71 infections by inhibiting intra- or intermolecular interactions of the VP1 protein.
The
Bacillus anthracis
Exosporium: What’s the Big “Hairy” Deal?
Authors: Bozue Joel A. , Welkos Susan , Cote Christopher K.
Published: October 2015

In some
Bacillus
species, including
Bacillus subtilis
, the coat is the outermost layer of the spore. In others, such as the
Bacillus cereus
family, there is an additional layer that envelops the coat, called the exosporium. In the case of
Bacillus anthracis
, a series of fine hair-like projections, also referred to as a “hairy” nap, extends from the exosporium basal layer. The exact role of the exosporium in
B. anthracis
, or for any of the
Bacillus
species possessing this structure, remains unclear. However, it has been assumed that the exosporium would play some role in infection for
B. anthracis
, because it is the outermost structure of the spore and would make initial contact with host and immune cells during infection. Therefore, the exosporium has been a topic of great interest, and over the past decade much progress has been made to understand its composition, biosynthesis, and potential roles. Several key aspects of this spore structure, however, are still debated and remain undetermined. Although insights have been gained on the interaction of exosporium with the host during infection, the exact role and significance of this complex structure remain to be determined. Furthermore, because the exosporium is a highly antigenic structure, future strategies for the next-generation anthrax vaccine should pursue its inclusion as a component to provide protection against the spore itself during the initial stages of anthrax.
Iatrogenic Cushing's syndrome and osteoporosis due to an interaction between fluticasone and ritonavir
Authors: Azevedo Luísa , Pêgo Hugo , Souto Moura Teresa , Germano Isabel
Published: October 2015

The advent of highly active antiretroviral therapy for HIV infection dramatically changed the landscape of the disease. Ritonavir, a protease inhibitor (PI) frequently used in low doses to ‘boost’ the concentrations of other PIs, inhibits the cytochrome P450 3A4 isoenzyme, a common metabolic pathway to multiple drugs, so the potential for drug interactions is not negligible. A 39-year-old man with HIV-1 infection, treated with a ritonavir-boosted PI, was started on fluticasone/salmeterol inhaler and intranasal fluticasone, in 2009, in the setting of asthma and allergic rhinitis. In 2013, he presented with 1-year evolution of symptoms suggesting Cushing's syndrome, and was experiencing recurrent falls. A spine CT showed a vertical L3 fracture and thoracolumbar erosions; a bone density scan revealed severe osteoporosis. Hormonal assays were compatible with hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis suppression, and iatrogenic Cushing's syndrome due to ritonavir–fluticasone interaction was considered. Fluticasone was suspended and oral corticosteroid replacement initiated, with a favourable outcome.
Successful use of pregabalin by the rectal route to treat chronic neuropathic pain in a patient with complete intestinal failure
Authors: Doddrell Charlotte , Tripathi Shiva Shankar
Published: October 2015

Pregabalin is widely used for treatment of neuropathic pain and is only approved for oral use. This is the first reported case of using pregabalin by the rectal route for treatment in a 70-year-old patient with chronic neuropathic pain and complete intestinal failure. Therapies used in an attempt to manage his chronic pain have included a variety of doses and strengths of opioid preparations and cannabinoids, plus topical and alternative therapies. These were not effective, so it was decided to start a trial of pregabalin administered by the rectal route. Serum levels were measured to assess absorption. Within a few weeks of starting the treatment, the patient had improved pain control and appeared more comfortable and calm.
Open removal of a retained retrohepatic inferior vena cava filter with a residual primary neuroectodermal renal tumoral thrombus
Authors: Hinojosa Carlos A , Torres-Machorro Adriana , Lizola Rene , Anaya-Ayala Javier E
Published: October 2015

Primary neuroectodermal renal tumours (PNET) are rare and aggressive neoplasms; thrombosis of the inferior vena cava (IVC) is associated with this entity. We report here the case of a 19-year-old man who experienced a new onset of abdominal pain. A CT scan revealed a large left renal mass, perirenal haematoma and IVC thrombosis. Owing to an acute drop in haemoglobin and subsegmentary pulmonary embolism, he underwent emergency selective renal artery angiography and embolisation of bleeding vessels and IVC filter (IVCF) placement. Once stable, he underwent a left radical nephrectomy and IVC thrombectomy; the pathology report confirmed PNET. 6 months later, imaging revealed a residual tumoral thrombus in the IVCF located in the retrohepatic IVC. The patient underwent removal of this device and the thrombus via a right thoracoabdominal approach. He recovered well and at 4 months, he continues his chemotherapy cycles.
Orbital emphysema: nose blowing leading to a blown orbit
Authors: Jawaid M Saad
Published: October 2015

A 32-year-old woman with a painful swelling around the right eye few hours after blowing her nose, presented to the accident and emergency department. There was no associated history of facial trauma. Examination revealed a grossly swollen right eye and palpable subcutaneous emphysema. The patient's visual acuity and eye movements were normal. A CT scan of the orbit confirmed orbital emphysema secondary to a fracture of the floor of the orbit into the maxillary sinus, as a result of increased intranasal pressure during nose blowing. The patient was admitted and managed conservatively with antibiotics. She made a full recovery with complete resolution of all her symptoms. A nasal bone fracture was also seen on CT scan and even though the patient could not recall any history of facial trauma, it was an incidental finding.
Determinants of childhood morbidity in Bangladesh: evidence from the Demographic and Health Survey 2011
Authors: Kamal Md Moustafa , Hasan Md Masud , Davey Rachel
Published: October 2015

Objectives

The present study aims to estimate the incidence of preventable infectious diseases or associated symptoms among young children in Bangladesh and also determine the factors affecting these conditions. The study hypothesised that various background characteristics of children as well as their parents influence the incidence of morbidity of children aged below 5 years.

Setting

The study used data from the most recent nationally representative cross-sectional Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS) conducted in 2011.

Participants

A total of 7550 children aged below 5 years during the survey from mothers aged between 12 and 49 years are the participants of the study.

Results

In general, younger children were more likely to suffer from multiple health conditions than their older counterparts. Children belonging to households classified as poor (OR=1.425, 95% CI (1.130 to 1.796)) or middle (OR=1.349, 95% CI (1.113 to 1.636)) faced greater risk of illness than those from well-off households. A combination of source and treatment practices of drinking water showed a significant impact on incidence of childhood morbidity. Children from households using untreated non-piped water were 85.8% (OR=1.860, 95% CI (1.269 to 2.728)) more likely to suffer from comorbidity than those who treat their piped drinking water. However, we observed that water treatment alone has no impact unless the water itself was sourced from a pipe.

Conclusions

Accelerated programmes promoting access to safe drinking water along with water treatment practices, and better household environment may prove effective in reducing the incidence of childhood morbidity in Bangladesh.
Identifying low-value clinical practices in critical care medicine: protocol for a scoping review
Authors: Niven Daniel J , McCormick T Jared , Straus Sharon E , Hemmelgarn Brenda R , Jeffs Lianne P , Stelfox Henry T
Published: October 2015

Introduction

Reducing unnecessary, low-value clinical practice (ie, de-adoption) is key to improving value for money in healthcare, especially among patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) where resource consumption exceeds other medical and surgical populations. Research suggests that low-value clinical practices are common in medicine, however systematically and objectively identifying them is a widely cited barrier to de-adoption. We will conduct a scoping review to identify low-value clinical practices in adult critical care medicine that are candidates for de-adoption.

Methods and analysis

We will systematically search the literature to identify all randomised controlled trials or systematic reviews that focus on diagnostic or therapeutic interventions in adult patients admitted to medical, surgical or specialty ICUs, and are published in 3 general medical journals with the highest impact factor (New England Journal of Medicine,The Lancet,Journal of the American Medical Association). 2 investigators will independently screen abstracts and full-text articles against inclusion criteria, and extract data from included citations. Included citations will be classified according to whether or not they represent a repeat examination of the given research question (ie, replication research), and whether the results are similar or contradictory to the original study. Studies with contradictory results will determine clinical practices that are candidates for de-adoption.

Ethics and dissemination

Our scoping review will use robust methodology to systematically identify a list of clinical practices in adult critical care medicine with evidence supporting their de-adoption. In addition to adding to advancing the study of de-adoption, this review may also serve as the launching point for clinicians and researchers in critical care to begin reducing the number of low-value clinical practices. Dissemination of these results to relevant stakeholders will include tailored presentations at local, national and international meetings, and publication of a manuscript. Ethical approval is not required for this study.
Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) or myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) is different in children compared to in adults: a study of UK and Dutch clinical cohorts
Authors: Collin Simon M , Nuevo Roberto , van de Putte Elise M , Nijhof Sanne L , Crawley Esther
Published: October 2015

Objective

To investigate differences between young children, adolescents and adults with chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME).

Study design

Comparison of clinical cohorts from 8 paediatric and 27 adult CFS/ME services in the UK and a paediatric randomised controlled trial from the Netherlands. Outcome measures include: fatigue (the UK—Chalder Fatigue Scale); Disability (the UK—SF-36 physical function subscale; the Netherlands—CHQ-CF87); school attendance, pain, anxiety and depression (the UK—Hospital Anxiety & Depression Scale, Spence Children's Anxiety Scale; the Netherlands—Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children, Children's Depression Inventory); symptoms; time-to-assessment; and body mass index. We used multinomial regression to compare younger (aged <12 years) and older (aged 12–18 years) children with adults, and logistic regression to compare UK and Dutch adolescents.

Results

Younger children had a more equal gender balance compared to adolescents and adults. Adults had more disability and fatigue, and had been ill for longer. Younger children were less likely to have cognitive symptoms (OR 0.18 (95% CI 0.13 to 0.25)) and more likely to present with a sore throat (OR 1.42 (1.07 to 1.90). Adolescents were more likely to have headaches (81.1%, OR 1.56 (1.36% to 1.80%)) and less likely to have tender lymph nodes, palpitations, dizziness, general malaise and pain, compared to adults. Adolescents were more likely to have comorbid depression (OR 1.51 (1.33 to 1.72)) and less likely to have anxiety (OR 0.46 (0.41 to 0.53)) compared to adults.

Conclusions

Paediatricians need to recognise that children with CFS/ME present differently from adults. Whether these differences reflect an underlying aetiopathology requires further investigation.

Trial registration numbers

FITNET trial registration numbers areISRCTN59878666andNCT00893438. This paper includes secondary (post-results) analysis of data from this trial, but are unrelated to trial outcomes.
The incremental value of stress testing in patients with acute chest pain beyond serial cardiac troponin testing
Authors: Aldous Sally , Richards A Mark , Cullen Louise , Pickering John W , Than Martin
Published: October 2015

Objective

In patients with acute chest pain and normal range cardiac troponin (cTn), accurate risk stratification for acute coronary syndrome is challenging. This study assesses the incremental value of stress testing to identify patients for angiography with a view to revascularisation.

Methods

A single-centre observational study recruited patients with acute chest pain in whom serial cTn tests were negative and stress testing (exercise tolerance testing/dobutamine stress echocardiography) was performed. Stress tests were reported as negative, non-diagnostic or positive. The primary outcomes were revascularisation on index admission, or cardiac death and myocardial infarction over 1 year follow-up.

Results

Of 749 patients recruited, 709 underwent exercise tolerance testing and 40 dobutamine stress echo of which 548 (73.2%) were negative, 169 (22.6%) were non-diagnostic and 32 (4.3%) were positive. Patients with positive tests (n=19 (59.4%)) were more likely to undergo index admission revascularisation than patients with non-diagnostic (n=15 (8.9%)) (p<0.001) tests who in turn were more likely undergo index admission revascularisation than those with negative tests (n=2 (0.4%)) (p<0.001). The risks of adverse events including cardiovascular death/acute myocardial infarction were low and were similar across stress test outcomes.

Conclusions

The incremental value of stress testing was the identification of an additional 34 (4.5% (95% CI 3.0% to 6.0%)) patients who underwent index admission revascularisation with a view to preventing future adverse events. Uncertainty in whether revascularisation prevents adverse events in patients with negative cTn means the choice to undertake stress testing depends on whether clinicians perceive value in identifying 4.5% of these patients for revascularisation.

Clinical trial registrations

ACTRN1260900028327, ACTRN12611001069943.
Wealth and mortality at older ages: a prospective cohort study
Authors: Demakakos Panayotes , Biddulph Jane P , Bobak Martin , Marmot Michael G
Published: October 2015

Background

Despite the importance of socioeconomic position for survival, total wealth, which is a measure of accumulation of assets over the life course, has been underinvestigated as a predictor of mortality. We investigated the association between total wealth and mortality at older ages.

Methods

We estimated Cox proportional hazards models using a sample of 10 305 community-dwelling individuals aged ≥50 years from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing.

Results

2401 deaths were observed over a mean follow-up of 9.4 years. Among participants aged 50–64 years, the fully adjusted HRs for mortality were 1.21 (95% CI 0.92 to 1.59) and 1.77 (1.35 to 2.33) for those in the intermediate and lowest wealth tertiles, respectively, compared with those in the highest wealth tertile. The respective HRs were 2.54 (1.27 to 5.09) and 3.73 (1.86 to 7.45) for cardiovascular mortality and 1.36 (0.76 to 2.42) and 2.53 (1.45 to 4.41) for other non-cancer mortality. Wealth was not associated with cancer mortality in the fully adjusted model. Similar but less strong associations were observed among participants aged ≥65 years. The use of repeated measurements of wealth and covariates brought about only minor changes, except for the association between wealth and cardiovascular mortality, which became less strong in the younger participants. Wealth explained the associations between paternal occupation at age 14 years, education, occupational class, and income and mortality.

Conclusions

There are persisting wealth inequalities in mortality at older ages, which only partially are explained by established risk factors. Wealth appears to be more strongly associated with mortality than other socioeconomic position measures.
Functionalization of single-walled (n,0) carbon and boron nitride nanotubes by carbonyl derivatives (n = 5, 6): a DFT study
Authors: Nematollahi Parisa , Esrafili Mehdi D. , Bagheri Amin
Published: October 2015

By using density functional theory calculations, the chemical functionalization of finite-sized (5,0) and (6,0) carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) by different carbonyl derivatives –COX (X = H, CH3, OCH3, OH, and NH2) is studied in terms of geometrical and electronic structure properties. Also, the benefits of local reactivity descriptors is studied to characterize the reactive sites of the external surface of the tubes. These local reactivity descriptors include the electrostatic potential VS(r) and average local ionization energy ĪS(r) on the surfaces of these nanotubes. The estimated ĪS(r) values show that the functionalized CNTs tend to activate the surface toward electrophilic/radical attack. Results show that the chemical functionalization of CNTs leads to the reduction of VS(r) values and therefore enhances the surface reactivity. On the other hand, BNNTs resist chemical functionalization due to the negligible decrease in the VS,min and ĪS,min values. Generally, in contrast to BNNTs, the chemical functionalization of CNTs can considerably improve their surface reactivity. To verify the surface reactivity pattern based on the chosen reactivity descriptors, the reaction energies for the interaction of an H + ion or hydrogen radical with external surface of the functionalized CNTs and BNNTs are calculated. A general feature of all studied systems is that stronger potentials are associated with regions of higher curvature.
Shifts in plankton size spectra modulate growth and coexistence of anchovy and sardine in upwelling systems
Authors: Canales T. Mariella , Law Richard , Blanchard Julia L.
Published: October 2015

Fluctuations in the abundance of anchovy (Engraulis spp.) and sardine (Sardinops sagax) are widespread in marine ecosystems, but the causes still remain uncertain. Differences between the planktonic prey availability, selectivity, and predation between anchovy and sardine have been suggested as factors influencing their dynamics. Using a dynamical multispecies size-spectrum model, we explore the consequences of changes in plankton size composition, together with intraguild predation and cannibalism, on the coexistence of these species. The shift towards smaller plankton has led to a reduction in the growth rate of both species. The effect was more deleterious on anchovy growth because it is unable to filter small particles. In model scenarios that included the effects of cannibalism and predation, anchovy typically collapsed under conditions favouring smaller sized plankton. The two species coexisted under conditions of larger sized plankton, although strong predation in conjunction with weak cannibalism led to the loss of sardine. The model provides new testable predictions for the consequences of plankton size structure on anchovy and sardine fluctuations. Further empirical work is needed to test these predictions in the context of climate change.
Topological T-duality via Lie algebroids and Q-flux in Poisson-generalized geometry
Authors: Asakawa Tsuguhiko , Muraki Hisayoshi , Watamura Satoshi
Published: October 2015

It is known that the topological T-duality exchanges H- and F-fluxes. In this paper, we reformulate the topological T-duality as an exchange of two Lie algebroids in the generalized tangent bundle. Then, we apply the same formulation to the Poisson-generalized geometry, which is introduced [T. Asakawa, H. Muraki, S. Sasa and S. Watamura, Int. J. Mod. Phys. A 30, 1550097 (2015), arXiv:1408.2649 [hep-th]] to define R-fluxes as field strength associated with [Formula: see text]-transformations. We propose a definition of Q-flux associated with [Formula: see text]-diffeomorphisms, and show that the topological T-duality exchanges R- and Q-fluxes.
P–V criticality and geometrical thermodynamics of black holes with Born–Infeld type nonlinear electrodynamics
Authors: Hendi S. H. , Panahiyan S. , Eslam Panah B.
Published: October 2015

In this paper, we take into account the black-hole solutions of Einstein gravity in the presence of logarithmic and exponential forms of nonlinear electrodynamics. At first, we consider the cosmological constant as a dynamical pressure to study the phase transitions and analogy of the black holes with the Van der Waals liquid–gas system in the extended phase space. We make a comparison between linear and nonlinear electrodynamics and show that the lowest critical temperature belongs to Maxwell theory. Also, we make some arguments regarding how power of nonlinearity brings the system to Schwarzschild-like and Reissner–Nordström-like limitations. Next, we study the critical behavior of the system in the context of heat capacity. We show that critical behavior of system is similar to the one in phase diagrams of extended phase space. We also extend the study of phase transition points through geometrical thermodynamics (GTs). We introduce two new thermodynamical metrics for extended phase space and show that divergencies of thermodynamical Ricci scalar (TRS) of the new metrics coincide with phase transition points of the system. Then, we introduce a new method for obtaining critical pressure and horizon radius by considering denominator of the heat capacity.
On finitely presented algebras
Authors: Alahmadi Adel , Alsulami Hamed
Published: October 2015

We prove that if [Formula: see text] is finitely presented algebra with idempotent [Formula: see text] such that [Formula: see text] then the algebra [Formula: see text] is finitely presented.
Finding Active Membership Functions for Genetic-Fuzzy Data Mining
Authors: Chen Chun-Hao , Hong Tzung-Pei , Lee Yeong-Chyi , Tseng Vincent S.
Published: October 2015

Since transactions may contain quantitative values, many approaches have been proposed to derive membership functions for mining fuzzy association rules using genetic algorithms (GAs), a process known as genetic-fuzzy data mining. However, existing approaches assume that the number of linguistic terms is predefined. Thus, this study proposes a genetic-fuzzy mining approach for extracting an appropriate number of linguistic terms and their membership functions used in fuzzy data mining for the given items. The proposed algorithm adjusts membership functions using GAs and then uses them to fuzzify the quantitative transactions. Each individual in the population represents a possible set of membership functions for the items and is divided into two parts, control genes (CGs) and parametric genes (PGs). CGs are encoded into binary strings and used to determine whether membership functions are active. Each set of membership functions for an item is encoded as PGs with real-number schema. In addition, seven fitness functions are proposed, each of which is used to evaluate the goodness of the obtained membership functions and used as the evolutionary criteria in GA. After the GA process terminates, a better set of association rules with a suitable set of membership functions is obtained. Experiments are made to show the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
A Real-Time Visual Tracking Approach Using Sparse Autoencoder and Extreme Learning Machine
Authors: Dai Liang , Zhu Yuesheng , Luo Guibo , He Chao , Lin Hanchi
Published: October 2015

Visual tracking algorithm based on deep learning is one of the state-of-the-art tracking approaches. However, its computational cost is high. To reduce the computational burden, in this paper, A real-time tracking approach is proposed by using three modules: a single hidden layer neural network based on sparse autoencoder, a feature selection for simplifying the network and an online process based on extreme learning machine. Our experimental results have demonstrated that the proposed algorithm has good performance of robust and real-time.
Learning Hidden Human Context in 3D Office Scenes by Mapping Affordances Through Virtual Humans
Authors: Piyathilaka Lasitha , Kodagoda Sarath
Published: October 2015

Ability to learn human context in an environment could be one of the most desired fundamental abilities that a robot should have when sharing a workspace with human co-workers. Arguably, a robot with appropriate human context awareness could lead to a better human–robot interaction. In this paper, we address the problem of learning human context in an office environment by only using 3D point cloud data. Our approach is based on the concept of affordance-map, which involves mapping latent human actions in a given environment by looking at geometric features of the environment. This enables us to learn the human context in the environment without observing real human behaviors which themselves are a nontrivial task to detect. Once learned, affordance-map allows us to assign an affordance cost value for each grid location of the map. These cost maps are later used to develop an active object search strategy and to develop a context-aware global path planning strategy.
The Woodward factor: Arthur Smith Woodward's legacy to geology in Australia and Antarctica
Authors: Turner Susan , Long John
Published: October 2015

In the pioneering century of Australian geology the ‘BM’ (British Museum (Natural History): now NHMUK) London played a major role in assessing the palaeontology and stratigraphical relations of samples sent across long distances by local men, both professional and amateur. Eighteen-year-old Arthur Woodward (1864–1944) joined the museum in 1882, was ordered to change his name and was catapulted into vertebrate palaeontology, beginning work on Australian fossils in 1888. His subsequent career spanned six decades across the nineteenth to mid-twentieth centuries and, although Smith (renamed to distinguish him from NHMUK colleagues) Woodward never visited Australia, he made significant contributions to the study of Australian fossil fishes and other vertebrates. ‘ASW’ described Australian and Antarctic Palaeozoic to Quaternary fossils in some 30 papers, often deciding or confirming the age of Australasian rock units for the first time, many of which have contributed to our understanding of fish evolution. Smith Woodward's legacy to vertebrate palaeontology was blighted by one late middle-age misjudgement, which led him away from his first-chosen path. ASW's work, especially on palaeoichthyology with his four-part
Catalogue of Fossil Fishes
, was one of the foundations for vertebrate palaeontology in Australia; it continues to resonate, and influenced subsequent generations via his unofficial student Edwin Sherbon Hills. Some taxa, however, have never been revisited.
Calcium-induced calcium release supports recruitment of synaptic vesicles in auditory hair cells
Authors: Castellano-Muñoz Manuel , Schnee Michael E. , Ricci Anthony J.
Published: October 2015

Hair cells from auditory and vestibular systems transmit continuous sound and balance information to the central nervous system through the release of synaptic vesicles at ribbon synapses. The high activity experienced by hair cells requires a unique mechanism to sustain recruitment and replenishment of synaptic vesicles for continuous release. Using pre- and postsynaptic electrophysiological recordings, we explored the potential contribution of calcium-induced calcium release (CICR) in modulating the recruitment of vesicles to auditory hair cell ribbon synapses. Pharmacological manipulation of CICR with agents targeting endoplasmic reticulum calcium stores reduced both spontaneous postsynaptic multiunit activity and the frequency of excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs). Pharmacological treatments had no effect on hair cell resting potential or activation curves for calcium and potassium channels. However, these drugs exerted a reduction in vesicle release measured by dual-sine capacitance methods. In addition, calcium substitution by barium reduced release efficacy by delaying release onset and diminishing vesicle recruitment. Together these results demonstrate a role for calcium stores in hair cell ribbon synaptic transmission and suggest a novel contribution of CICR in hair cell vesicle recruitment. We hypothesize that calcium entry via calcium channels is tightly regulated to control timing of vesicle fusion at the synapse, whereas CICR is used to maintain a tonic calcium signal to modulate vesicle trafficking.
Morphometry of the Orbit in East-European Population Based on Three-Dimensional CT Reconstruction
Authors: Nitek Stanisław , Bakoń Leopold , Sharifi Mansoor , Rysz Maciej , Chmielik Lechosław P. , Sadowska-Krawczenko Iwona
Published: October 2015

Objectives. To determine safe distances within the orbit outlining reliable operative area on the basis of multislice computed tomography (MSCT) scans.Patients and Methods. MSCT of orbits of 50 Caucasian patients (26 males and 24 females, mean age 56) were analysed. Native scans resolutions were in all cases 0.625 mm. Measurements were done in postprocessing workstation with 2D and 3D reconstructions. The safe distances values were calculated by subtracting three standard deviations from the arithmetical average(X=AVG-3  STD). This method was chosen because this range covers 99.86% of every population.Results. The results of the measurements in men and women, respectively, are as follows (1) distance from optic canal to supraorbital foramen, mean 46,49 mm and 43,29 mm, (2) distance from the optic canal to maxillozygomatic suture at the inferior margin of the orbit mean 45,24 mm and 42,8 mm, (3) distance from the optic canal to frontozygomatic suture 46,15 mm and 43,58 mm, (4) distance from the optic canal to anterior lacrimal crest 40,40 mm and 38,39 mm, (5) distance from superior orbital fissure to the frontozygomatic suture 34,06 mm and 32,62 mm, and (6) distance from supraorbital foramen to the superior orbital fissure 42,32 mm and 39,39 mm.Conclusion. The most probable safe distances calculated by adopted formula were for the superior orbital fissure 23,39–30,58 mm and for the orbital opening of the optic canal 31,9–38,0 mm from the bony structures of the orbital entrance depending on the orbital quadrant.
Sociodemographic Predictors of Breast Reconstruction Procedure Choice: Analysis of the Mastectomy Reconstruction Outcomes Consortium Study Cohort
Authors: Ballard Tiffany N. S. , Kim Yeonil , Cohen Wess A. , Hamill Jennifer B. , Momoh Adeyiza O. , Pusic Andrea L. , Kim H. Myra , Wilkins Edwin G.
Published: October 2015

Background. To promote patient-centered care, it is important to understand the impact of sociodemographic factors on procedure choice for women undergoing postmastectomy breast reconstruction. In this context, we analyzed the effects of these variables on the reconstructive method chosen. Methods. Women undergoing postmastectomy breast reconstruction were recruited for the prospective Mastectomy Reconstruction Outcomes Consortium Study. Procedure types were divided into tissue expander-implant/direct-to-implant and abdominally based flap reconstructions. Adjusted odds ratios were calculated from logistic regression. Results. The analysis included 2,203 women with current or previous breast cancer and 202 women undergoing prophylactic mastectomy. Compared with women <40 years old with current or previous breast cancer, those 40 to 59 were significantly more likely to undergo an abdominally based flap. Women working or attending school full-time were more likely to receive an autologous procedure than those working part-time or volunteering. Women undergoing prophylactic mastectomy who were ≥50 years were more likely to undergo an abdominal flap compared to those <40. Conclusions. Our results indicate that sociodemographic factors affect the reconstructive procedure received. As we move forward into a new era of patient-centered care, providing tailored treatment options to reconstruction patients will likely lead to higher satisfaction and better outcomes for those we serve.
Numerical Modeling and Experimental Verification for High-Speed and Heavy-Load Planar Mechanism with Multiple Clearances
Authors: Meng Fangang , Wu Shijing , Zhang Fan , Liang Liang
Published: October 2015

Transmission mechanism is one of the most important parts of the Ultra-High Voltage (UHV) circuit breaker. It has specific characteristics such as fast response, high speed, and heavy load in the processes of open and close actions. This paper studies the effects of multiple clearances on the working characteristics of transmission mechanism system, especially the motion of its journal center path during operation. It builds a nonlinear kinetic model of transmission mechanism considering the system energy losses due to the impact and friction between the journal and bearing inside clearance joints. Also, an experimental platform is built to measure the displacement and velocity of the moving contact. The results show that the existence of 15 clearance joints in our mechanism system can cause hysteresis effects on the velocity and acceleration of the moving contact, as well as its acceleration fluctuation. Meanwhile, the increase of friction coefficient will stabilize the dynamic characteristic. In addition, both the experimental and simulation results indicate that the motion of the journal center, which is unevenly distributed along the circle, is characterized by three phases: free flight motion, contact motion, and impact motion.
A Modified Biogeography-Based Optimization for the Flexible Job Shop Scheduling Problem
Authors: Yang Yuzhen
Published: October 2015

The flexible job shop scheduling problem (FJSSP) is a practical extension of classical job shop scheduling problem that is known to be NP-hard. In this paper, an effective modified biogeography-based optimization (MBBO) algorithm with machine-based shifting is proposed to solve FJSSP with makespan minimization. The MBBO attaches great importance to the balance between exploration and exploitation. At the initialization stage, different strategies which correspond to two-vector representation are proposed to generate the initial habitats. At global phase, different migration and mutation operators are properly designed. At local phase, a machine-based shifting decoding strategy and a local search based on insertion to the habitat with best makespan are introduced to enhance the exploitation ability. A series of experiments on two well-known benchmark instances are performed. The comparisons between MBBO and other famous algorithms as well as BBO variants prove the effectiveness and efficiency of MBBO in solving FJSSP.
Watermarking of Parkinson Disease Speech in Cloud-Based Healthcare Framework
Authors: Alhussein Musaed , Muhammad Ghulam
Published: October 2015

Mobile healthcare in a cloud-based system increases the easiness and the ubiquitous nature of patient-doctor relationship. One of the major issues of this healthcare is secure transmission and data authenticity. If the data is not transmitted securely or not authenticated, the clients may face embarrassment. In this paper, we propose a cloud-based healthcare framework that will authenticate speech data from a patient suspected to have Parkinson’s disease. The patient sends his or her speech signal recorded via a smart phone through Internet to the cloud. A discrete wavelet transform- (DWT-) singular value decomposition (SVD) based speech watermarking module is run in the cloud to embed watermark to the signal. In case of authentication, watermark is extracted from the questioned signal and matched with the stored watermark. Experimental results indicate that the proposed DWT-SVD based watermarking system achieves imperceptibility and is robust against attacks such as additive white Gaussian noise and filtering.
Association between Neurofibromatosis Type 1 and Breast Cancer: A Report of Two Cases with a Review of the Literature
Authors: Seo Yoon Nae , Park Young Mi
Published: October 2015

Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is one of the most common genetic diseases in humans and is associated with various benign and malignant tumors, including breast cancer. However, an increased risk of breast cancer in NF1 patients has not been widely recognized or accepted. Here, we report two cases of breast cancer in NF1 patients and review the literature on the association between NF1 and breast cancer.
Effect of Sintering Mechanism on the Properties of ZrO2 Reinforced Fe Metal Matrix Nanocomposite
Authors: Jha Pushkar , Gupta Pallav , Kumar Devendra , Parkash Om
Published: October 2015

The present paper reports phase, microstructure, and compressive strength of ZrO2 reinforced Fe Metal Matrix Nanocomposites (MMNCs) synthesized by powder metallurgy (P/M) technique. High purity grade iron metal powder was mixed with varying percentage of zirconium dioxide (5–30 wt%), compacted, and sintered in argon atmosphere in the temperature range of 900–1100°C for 1 to 3 hours. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis of specimens was done in order to study the phases present and scanning electron microscopy was carried out to determine the morphology and grain size of the various constituents. XRD result shows the presence of Fe, ZrO2, and Zr6Fe3O phase. Zr6Fe3O phase forms due to reactive sintering and is not reported earlier by researchers throughout the globe. SEM results showed the presence of dense microstructure with the presence of Fe, ZrO2, and some nanosize Zr6Fe3O phases.
Collagen Induced Arthritis in DBA/1J Mice Associates with Oxylipin Changes in Plasma
Authors: He Min , van Wijk Eduard , Berger Ruud , Wang Mei , Strassburg Katrin , Schoeman Johannes C. , Vreeken Rob J. , van Wietmarschen Herman , Harms Amy C. , Kobayashi Masaki , Hankemeier Thomas , van der Greef Jan
Published: October 2015

Oxylipins play important roles in various biological processes and are considered as mediators of inflammation for a wide range of diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The purpose of this research was to study differences in oxylipin levels between a widely used collagen induced arthritis (CIA) mice model and healthy control (Ctrl) mice. DBA/1J male mice (age: 6‐7 weeks) were selected and randomly divided into two groups, namely, a CIA and a Ctrl group. The CIA mice were injected intraperitoneally (i.p.) with the joint cartilage component collagen type II (CII) and an adjuvant injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Oxylipin metabolites were extracted from plasma for each individual sample using solid phase extraction (SPE) and were detected with high performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC‐ESI‐MS/MS), using dynamic multiple reaction monitoring (dMRM). Both univariate and multivariate statistical analyses were applied. The results in univariate Student’s t‐test revealed 10 significantly up‐ or downregulated oxylipins in CIA mice, which were supplemented by another 6 additional oxylipins, contributing to group clustering upon multivariate analysis. The dysregulation of these oxylipins revealed the presence of ROS‐generated oxylipins and an increase of inflammation in CIA mice. The results also suggested that the collagen induced arthritis might associate with dysregulation of apoptosis, possibly inhibited by activated NF‐κB because of insufficient PPAR‐γ ligands.
Serratia marcescens: A Rare Cause of Recurrent Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator Site Infection
Authors: Hawkey S. , Choy AM.
Published: October 2015

We present a unique case of a patient who experienced recurrent infections of his implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) site with the bacteriumSerratia marcescens. This report highlights the virulence of this bacterium, its resistance to antibiotic therapy, and its ability to remain latent for prolonged periods between episodes of sepsis. It also demonstrates the merits of reimplanting devices at different sites in the context ofSerratia marcescensinfection.
Optimization on Black Box Function Optimization Problem
Authors: Xiao Jin-ke , Li Wei-min , Li Wei , Xiao Xin-rong
Published: October 2015

There are a large number of engineering optimization problems in real world, whose input-output relationships are vague and indistinct. Here, they are called black box function optimization problem (BBFOP). Then, inspired by the mechanism of neuroendocrine system regulating immune system, BP neural network modified immune optimization algorithm (NN-MIA) is proposed. NN-MIA consists of two phases: the first phase is training BP neural network with expected precision to confirm input-output relationship and the other phase is immune optimization phase, whose aim is to search global optima. BP neural network fitting without expected fitting precision could be replaced with polynomial fitting or other fitting methods within expected fitting precision. Experimental simulation confirms global optimization capability of MIA and the practical application of BBFOP optimization method.
Onϕ-SymmetricN(k)-Paracontact Metric Manifolds
Authors: Prakasha D. G. , Mirji K. K.
Published: October 2015

The notions ofϕ-symmetric, 3-dimensional locallyϕ-symmetric,ϕ-Ricci symmetric, and 3-dimensional locallyϕ-Ricci symmetricN(k)-paracontact metric manifolds have been introduced and properties of these structures have been discussed.
Decomposition Based Localization for Anisotropic Sensor Networks
Authors: Gao Baojian , Zhao Xiaoning , Wang Jun , Chen Xiaojiang
Published: October 2015

Range-free localization algorithms have caused widespread attention due to their low cost and low power consumption. However, such schemes heavily depend on the assumption that the hop count distance between two nodes correlates well with their Euclidean distance, which will be satisfied only in isotropic networks. When the network is anisotropic, holes or obstacles will lead to the estimated distance between nodes deviating from their Euclidean distance, causing a serious decline in localization accuracy. This paper develops HCD-DV-Hop for node localization in anisotropic sensor networks. HCD-DV-Hop consists of two steps. Firstly, an anisotropic network is decomposed into several different isotropic subnetworks, by using the proposed Hop Count Based Decomposition (HCD) scheme. Secondly, DV-Hop algorithm is carried out in each subnetwork for node localization. HCD first uses concave/convex node recognition algorithm and cleansing criterion to obtain the optimal concave and convex nodes based on boundary recognition, followed by segmentation of the network’s boundary. Finally, the neighboring boundary nodes of the optimal concave nodes flood the network with decomposition messages; thus, an anisotropic network is decomposed. Extensive simulations demonstrated that, compared with range-free DV-Hop algorithm, HCD-DV-Hop can effectively reduce localization error in anisotropic networks without increasing the complexity of the algorithm.