bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Comparative assessment of onabotulinumtoxinA and mirabegron for overactive bladder: an indirect treatment comparison
Authors: Freemantle Nick , Ginsberg David A , McCool Rachael , Fleetwood Kelly , Arber Mick , Khalaf Kristin , Loveman Clara , Ni Quanhong , Glanville Julie
Published: February 2016

Context

OnabotulinumtoxinA and mirabegron have recently gained marketing authorisation to treat symptoms of overactive bladder (OAB).

Objective

To evaluate the relative efficacy of mirabegron and onabotulinumtoxinA in patients with idiopathic OAB.

Design

Network meta-analysis.

Data sources

A search of 9 electronic databases, review documents, guidelines and websites.

Methods

Randomised trials comparing any licensed dose of onabotulinumtoxinA or mirabegron with each other, anticholinergic drugs or placebo were eligible (19 randomised trials were identified). 1 reviewer extracted data from the studies and a second reviewer checked the data. Candidate trials were assessed for similarity and networks were developed for each outcome. Bayesian network meta-analysis was conducted using both fixed-effects and random-effects models. When there were differences in mean baseline values between mirabegron and onabotulinumtoxinA trials they were adjusted for using network meta-regression (NMR).

Results

No studies directly comparing onabotulinumtoxinA to mirabegron were identified. A network was created for each of the 7 outcomes, with 3–9 studies included in each individual network. The trials included in the networks were broadly similar. Patients in the onabotulinumtoxinA trials had more urinary incontinence and urgency episodes at baseline than patients in the mirabegron trials and these differences were adjusted for using NMR. Both onabotulinumtoxinA and mirabegron were more efficacious than placebo at reducing the frequency of urinary incontinence, urgency, urination and nocturia. OnabotulinumtoxinA was more efficacious than mirabegron (50 and 25 mg) in completely resolving daily episodes of urinary incontinence and urgency and in reducing the frequency of urinary incontinence, urgency and urination. NMR supported the results of the network meta-analysis.

Conclusions

In the absence of head-to-head trials comparing onabotulinumtoxinA to mirabegron, this indirect comparison indicates that onabotulinumtoxinA may be superior to mirabegron in improving symptoms of urinary incontinence, urgency and urinary frequency in patients with idiopathic OAB.
Characteristics of pneumonia deaths after an earthquake and tsunami: an ecological study of 5.7 million participants in 131 municipalities, Japan
Authors: Shibata Yosuke , Ojima Toshiyuki , Tomata Yasutake , Okada Eisaku , Nakamura Mieko , Kawado Miyuki , Hashimoto Shuji
Published: February 2016

Objective

On 11 March 2011, the Great East Japan Earthquake struck off Japan. Although some studies showed that the earthquake increased the risk of pneumonia death, no study reported whether and how much a tsunami increased the risk. We examined the risk for pneumonia death after the earthquake/tsunami.

Design

This is an ecological study.

Setting

Data on population and pneumonia deaths obtained from the Vital Statistics 2010 and 2012, National Census 2010 and Basic Resident Register 2010 and 2012 in Japan.

Participants

About 5.7 million participants residing in Miyagi, Iwate and Fukushima Prefectures during 1 year after the disaster were targeted. All municipalities (n=131) were categorised into inland (n=93), that is, the earthquake-impacted area, and coastal types (n=38), that is, the earthquake-impacted and tsunami-impacted area.

Outcome measures

The number of pneumonia deaths per week was totalled from 12 March 2010 to 9 March 2012. The number of observed pneumonia deaths (O) and the sum of the sex and age classes in the observed population multiplied by the sex and age classes of expected pneumonia mortality (E) were calculated. Expected pneumonia mortality was the pneumonia mortality during the year before. Standardised mortality ratios (SMRs) were calculated for pneumonia deaths (O/E), adjusting for sex and age using the indirect method. SMRs were then calculated by coastal and inland municipalities.

Results

6603 participants died of pneumonia during 1 year after the earthquake. SMRs increased significantly during the 1st–12th weeks. In the 2nd week, SMRs in coastal and inland municipalities were 2.49 (95% CI 2.02 to 7.64) and 1.48 (95% CI 1.24 to 2.61), respectively. SMRs of coastal municipalities were higher than those of inland municipalities.

Conclusions

An earthquake increased the risk of pneumonia death and tsunamis additionally increased the risk.
Creating psychological connections between intervention recipients: development and focus group evaluation of a group singing session for people with aphasia
Authors: Tarrant Mark , Warmoth Krystal , Code Chris , Dean Sarah , Goodwin Victoria A , Stein Ken , Sugavanam Thavapriya
Published: February 2016

Objectives

The study sought to identify key design features that could be used to create a new framework for group-based health interventions. We designed and tested the first session of a group intervention for stroke survivors with aphasia which was aimed at nurturing new psychological connections between group members.

Setting

The intervention session, a participant focus group and interviews with intervention facilitators were held in a local community music centre in the South West of England.

Participants

A convenience sample of 10 community-dwelling people with poststroke aphasia participated in the session. Severity of aphasia was not considered for inclusion.

Intervention

Participants took part in a 90-min group singing session which involved singing songs from a specially prepared song book. Musical accompaniment was provided by the facilitators.

Primary and secondary outcome measures

Participants and group facilitators reported their experiences of participating in the session, with a focus on activities within the session related to the intervention aims. Researcher observations of the session were also made.

Results

Two themes emerged from the analysis, concerning experiences of the session (‘developing a sense of group belonging’) and perceptions of its design and delivery (‘creating the conditions for engagement’). Participants described an emerging sense of shared social identity as a member of the intervention group and identified fixed (eg, group size, session breaks) and flexible (eg, facilitator responsiveness) features of the session which contributed to this emergence. Facilitator interviews and researcher observations corroborated and expanded participant reports.

Conclusions

Engagement with health intervention content may be enhanced in group settings when intervention participants begin to establish positive and meaningful psychological connections with other group members. Understanding and actively nurturing these connections should be a core feature of a general framework for the design and delivery of group interventions.
Glucose intolerance associated with hypoxia in people living at high altitudes in the Tibetan highland
Authors: Okumiya Kiyohito , Sakamoto Ryota , Ishimoto Yasuko , Kimura Yumi , Fukutomi Eriko , Ishikawa Motonao , Suwa Kuniaki , Imai Hissei , Chen Wenling , Kato Emiko , Nakatsuka Masahiro , Kasahara Yoriko , Fujisawa Michiko , Wada Taizo , Wang Hongxin , Dai Qingxiang , Xu Huining , Qiao Haisheng , Ge Ri-Li , Norboo Tsering , Tsering Norboo , Kosaka Yasuyuki , Nose Mitsuhiro , Yamaguchi Takayoshi , Tsukihara Toshihiro , Ando Kazuo , Inamura Tetsuya , Takeda Shinya , Ishine Masayuki , Otsuka Kuniaki , Matsubayashi Kozo
Published: February 2016

Objectives

To clarify the association between glucose intolerance and high altitudes (2900–4800 m) in a hypoxic environment in Tibetan highlanders and to verify the hypothesis that high altitude dwelling increases vulnerability to diabetes mellitus (DM) accelerated by lifestyle change or ageing.

Design

Cross-sectional epidemiological study on Tibetan highlanders.

Participants

We enrolled 1258 participants aged 40–87 years. The rural population comprised farmers in Domkhar (altitude 2900–3800 m) and nomads in Haiyan (3000–3100 m), Ryuho (4400 m) and Changthang (4300–4800 m). Urban area participants were from Leh (3300 m) and Jiegu (3700 m).

Main outcome measure

Participants were classified into six glucose tolerance-based groups: DM, intermediate hyperglycaemia (IHG), normoglycaemia (NG), fasting DM, fasting IHG and fasting NG. Prevalence of glucose intolerance was compared in farmers, nomads and urban dwellers. Effects of dwelling at high altitude or hypoxia on glucose intolerance were analysed with the confounding factors of age, sex, obesity, lipids, haemoglobin, hypertension and lifestyle, using multiple logistic regression.

Results

The prevalence of DM (fasting DM)/IHG (fasting IHG) was 8.9% (6.5%)/25.1% (12.7%), respectively, in all participants. This prevalence was higher in urban dwellers (9.5% (7.1%)/28.5% (11.7%)) and in farmers (8.5% (6.1%)/28.5% (18.3%)) compared with nomads (8.2% (5.7%)/15.7% (9.7%)) (p=0.0140/0.0001). Dwelling at high altitude was significantly associated with fasting IHG+fasting DM/fasting DM (ORs for >4500 and 3500–4499 m were 3.59/4.36 and 2.07/1.76 vs <3500 m, respectively). After adjusting for lifestyle change, hypoxaemia and polycythaemia were closely associated with glucose intolerance.

Conclusions

Socioeconomic factors, hypoxaemia and the effects of altitudes>3500 m play a major role in the high prevalence of glucose intolerance in highlanders. Tibetan highlanders may be vulnerable to glucose intolerance, with polycythaemia as a sign of poor hypoxic adaptation, accelerated by lifestyle change and ageing.
Validation of a B-type natriuretic peptide as a prognostic marker in pneumonia patients: a prospective cohort study
Authors: Usuda Daisuke , Sangen Ryusho , Hashimoto Yu , Muranaka Emiri , Iinuma Yoshitsugu , Kanda Tsugiyasu
Published: February 2016

Objectives

To validate a B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) as a prognostic marker in pneumonia patients.

Design

A prospective cohort study.

Setting

Kanazawa Medical University Himi Municipal (a 250-bed community hospital in Himi-shi, Toyama-ken, Japan).

Participants

All patients diagnosed with pneumonia by the physician and admitted to our hospital between 1 January 2012 and 31 March 2015 whose BNP levels had been determined in the first 24 h of admission. A total of 673 patients were enrolled. Of these, BNP levels were measured for a total of 369 patients on admission.

Intervention

After enrolment, baseline, demographic, clinical and laboratory characteristics including levels of suspected prognostic markers for pneumonia proposed in previous papers, were collected. All patients were followed up until discharge. During analysis, they were divided into categories as follows: community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), aspiration pneumonia (AP), healthcare-associated pneumonia (HCAP) and pneumonia with acute heart failure (PAHF). A univariate and multivariable Cox-regression analysis were applied to each parameter to identify predictors of death. Three cut-off points, namely 40, 100 and 200 pg/mL, as well as the mean, were applied when comparing BNP levels.

Main outcome measures

30-day mortality.

Results

Of the 369 patients finally included, 137 were diagnosed with CAP, 122 with AP, 74 with HCAP, and 36 with PAHF. In the univariate analysis, BNP levels (mean, cut-off points 100 pg/mL and 200 pg/mL, p<0.01, respectively) were associated with death in CAP, and similar situation was found for BNP (cut-off points 200 pg/mL, p<0.05) in AP, but not for HCAP, or PAHF. In multivariable Cox-regression analysis, BNP remained an independent mortality predictor (HR 10.01, 95% CI 1.32 to 75.7, p=0.03) in CAP.

Conclusions

BNP levels may be a useful single prognostic marker for CAP. Further research for validation is warranted.
Tolerability in man following inhalation dosing of the selective TLR7 agonist, AZD8848
Authors: Delaney Stephen , Biffen Mark , Maltby Justine , Bell John , Asimus Sara , Aggarwal Ajay , Kraan Maarten , Keeling David
Published: February 2016

Background

Many patients with asthma have a T-helper type 2 (Th2) driven inflammation of the lung, whereas toll-like receptor 7 (TLR7) agonists, by inducing type I interferons, inhibit Th2 responses. In man, oral or parenteral TLR7 agonists can induce influenza-like symptoms through systemic induction of type I interferons. Design of a TLR7 agonist that is only active in the lung could reduce the risk of side effects and offer a new means for treating asthma. We developed a TLR7 agonist antedrug, AZD8848, to determine its local and systemic effects in preclinical models and man.

Methods

In vitro cellular potencies for the TLR7 antedrug agonist, AZD8848, were determined along with pharmacokinetics and efficacy in a rat allergy model. Sputum and blood biomarkers were measured in single ascending and multiple ascending dose clinical studies following inhalation delivery of AZD8848 and tolerability assessed.

Results

AZD8848 was potent in cellular assays and pharmacokinetics confirmed lack of systemic exposure to AZD8848. Weekly lung dosing in an animal model showed efficacy 26 days beyond the final dose. In healthy volunteers, AZD8848 was initially well tolerated with target engagement being demonstrated by induction of CXCL10 in sputum. A second inhaled dose, given 1 week later, amplified the systemic interferon signal in more than half the participants and resulted in significant influenza-like symptoms.

Conclusions

The antedrug design restricted the direct actions of AZD8848 to the lung. However, the type I interferon induced locally by TLR7 spilled over systemically, limiting the utility of this inhaled antedrug approach.

Trial registration number

NCT01560234,NCT01818869.
Pharmacovigilance in hospice/palliative care: net effect of pregabalin for neuropathic pain
Authors: Sanderson Christine , Quinn Stephen J , Agar Meera , Chye Richard , Clark Katherine , Doogue Matthew , Fazekas Belinda , Lee Jessica , Lovell Melanie R , Rowett Debra , Spruyt Odette , Currow David C
Published: February 2016

Introduction

Real-world effectiveness of many medications has been poorly researched, including in hospice/palliative care. Directly extrapolating findings from other clinical settings may not yield robust clinical advice. Pharmacovigilance studies provide an opportunity to understand better the net impact of medications. The study aimed to examine immediate and short-term benefits and harms of pregabalin in routine practice for neuropathic pain in hospice/palliative care.

Methods

A consecutive cohort of 155 patients from 62 centres in 5 countries was started on pregabalin and studied prospectively. Data were collected at three time points: baseline; day 7 (immediate, short-term harms); ad hoc reports of any harms ≤21 days; and day 21 (short-term benefits).

Results

Median dose for 155 patients at day 21 was 150 mg/24 h. Benefits were reported by 61 patients (39%), of whom 11 (7%) experienced complete pain resolution. Harms were reported by 51 (35%) patients at or before 7 days, the most frequent of which were somnolence, fatigue, cognitive disturbance and dizziness. 10 patients (6%) ceased pregabalin due to harms, but 82 patients (53%) were being treated at 21 days. In regression modelling, people with worse baseline pain derived more benefit (OR=8.5 (95% CI 2.5 to 28.68).

Conclusions

Pregabalin delivered benefit to many patients, with 4 of 10 experiencing pain reductions by 21 days. Harms, occurring in 1 in 3 patients, may be difficult to detect in clinical practice, as they mostly involve worsening of symptoms prevalent at baseline.
Understanding the value of mixed methods research: the Children's Safety Initiative-Emergency Medical Services
Authors: Hansen Matthew , O'Brien Kerth , Meckler Garth , Chang Anna Marie , Guise Jeanne-Marie
Published: February 2016

Mixed methods research has significant potential to broaden the scope of emergency care and specifically emergency medical services investigation. Mixed methods studies involve the coordinated use of qualitative and quantitative research approaches to gain a fuller understanding of practice. By combining what is learnt from multiple methods, these approaches can help to characterise complex healthcare systems, identify the mechanisms of complex problems such as medical errors and understand aspects of human interaction such as communication, behaviour and team performance. Mixed methods approaches may be particularly useful for out-of-hospital care researchers because care is provided in complex systems where equipment, interpersonal interactions, societal norms, environment and other factors influence patient outcomes. The overall objectives of this paper are to (1) introduce the fundamental concepts and approaches of mixed methods research and (2) describe the interrelation and complementary features of the quantitative and qualitative components of mixed methods studies using specific examples from the Children's Safety Initiative-Emergency Medical Services (CSI-EMS), a large National Institutes of Health-funded research project conducted in the USA.
A study on the efficiency and stability of high-order numerical methods for Form-II and Form-III of the nonlinear Klein–Gordon equations
Authors: Encinas A. H. , Gayoso-Martínez V. , Martín del Rey A. , Martín-Vaquero J. , Queiruga-Dios A.
Published: February 2016

In this paper, we discuss the problem of solving nonlinear Klein–Gordon equations (KGEs), which are especially useful to model nonlinear phenomena. In order to obtain more exact solutions, we have derived different fourth- and sixth-order, stable explicit and implicit finite difference schemes for some of the best known nonlinear KGEs. These new higher-order methods allow a reduction in the number of nodes, which is necessary to solve multi-dimensional KGEs. Moreover, we describe how higher-order stable algorithms can be constructed in a similar way following the proposed procedures. For the considered equations, the stability and consistency of the proposed schemes are studied under certain smoothness conditions of the solutions. In addition to that, we present experimental results obtained from numerical methods that illustrate the efficiency of the new algorithms, their stability, and their convergence rate.
Efficient packet navigation method on scale-free networks with finite and diversiform node delivery capacity
Authors: He Xuan , Niu Kai , He Zhiqiang , Lin Jiaru , Zhang Hui , Jiang Zhong-Yuan
Published: February 2016

Routing strategy is essential for high transport efficiency on realistic networked complex systems. Beginning from the consideration of finite and diversiform node delivery capacity distributions, a general node capacity allocation mechanism with a tunable parameter [Formula: see text] is presented. A node capacity, based routing strategy is proposed to improve the network traffic capacity. Compared with the traditional shortest path routing (SPR) and the efficient routing (ER) methods, it suggests that routing strategy should be chosen heuristically according to the limited capacity resource distribution, instead of using one certain method for all cases. With proper range of parameter [Formula: see text], the new routing strategy achieves the highest traffic capacity and other preferable measure metrics including network diameter, average path length, efficient betweenness, average packet travel time and average traffic load. The theoretical analysis for traffic capacity has a good correspondence to the simulation results. This work studies routing mechanisms from a very practical perspective, and helps network researchers to understand the traffic dynamics on complex networks comprehensively.
Authors as vehicles of scientific memes
Authors: Krawczyk M. J. , Kułakowski K.
Published: February 2016

Scientific memes have been defined as short units of text in a publication that are replicated in citing [T. Kuhn et al., Phys. Rev. X 4, 041036 (2014)]. Here, we investigate how often the meme appears in the title of the paper when driven by a coauthorship with somebody who has already published a paper with the same meme in the paper title. Five memes are investigated: traffic flow (TF), stochastic resonance (SR), key distribution (KD), small world (SW) and prisoner’s dilemma (PD). For each meme, a network of papers (GP) and network of authors (GA) are constructed. A meme index is proposed which is a measure how often scientific teams undertake the research on a given area, marked by the meme, without a cooperation with coauthors with previous achievements in the subject.
On the Landau system for an atom with no permanent electric dipole moment subject to a linear confining potential
Authors: Oliveira Abinael B. , Bakke Knut
Published: February 2016

Bound states are analyzed in a Landau-type system for an atom with no permanent electric dipole moment under the influence of a linear confining potential. We show that the spectrum of energy of the Landau-type system is modified and the degeneracy of the energy levels is broken. Besides, another quantum effect observed in this analysis is the dependence of the angular frequency of the system on the quantum numbers associated with the radial modes and the angular momentum, whose meaning is that only specific values of the angular frequency are allowed in order that bound states solutions can be achieved. As an example, we obtain the angular frequency associated with the ground state of the system.
High Frequency Modeling of Smart Sensor for Precise Power Quality Assessment Using Fuzzy Logic
Authors: Sudha G. , Valluvan K. R.
Published: February 2016

Power Quality Assessment (PQA) is a critical issue both in transmission and distribution networks. Therefore, it is necessary to precisely classify the disturbances in shortest possible time to prevent the malfunction or increase of losses in the electrical equipment through appropriate remedial techniques. This paper proposes a highly accurate method of PQA through data acquisition using smart sensors, the Rogowski coils (RCs). RCs with wide band width and linear characteristics allow faithful reproduction of high-frequency (HF) signals. In the proposed method, simulated disturbance signals are applied to RC. The output signals are subjected to multilevel wavelet decomposition and then computation of the energy difference in the detailed components between the disturbance signal and the pure sinusoidal waveform is performed to design a fuzzy logic Power Quality Classifier. The classifier is tested by varying the magnitude, frequency and duration of the disturbance and found to be accurate to 98.38%. The classification accuracy depends mainly on the performance of sensors at HFs. Thus, with RCs as sensors instead of conventional instrument transformers, it is found that the precision of power quality classification is greatly improved.
Nonlinear vacuum electrodynamics influence on the spacetime structure and massive particles orbits properties in Einstein–Born–Infeld theory
Authors: Denisov V. I. , Ilyina V. A. , Sokolov V. A.
Published: February 2016

In this paper, we studied how nonlinear vacuum electrodynamics can affect charged collapsar spacetime structure and properties of particles movement in this spacetime. Analysis of uncharged particle orbits stability shows that the main features of this orbit in Reissner–Nordström spacetime remains actual for Einstein–Born–Infeld theory. At the same time, there is a significant quantitative difference between stable orbits parameters in these theories and this fact may influence on accretion rate predictions for charged collapsar.
A note on Planck scale corrections to bouncing universe
Authors: Kamali A. D. , Sabounchi P.
Published: February 2016

In this paper, we investigate the effect modified dispersion relation (MDR) on the entropy-area relation of FRW universe, leading to the modification of Friedmann equations. In this regard, we show that limitations imposed by MDR leads to certain modifications of bouncing universe thermodynamics.
Holographic dark energy from minimal supergravity
Authors: Landim Ricardo C. G.
Published: February 2016

We embed models of holographic dark energy (HDE) coupled to dark matter (DM) in minimal supergravity plus matter, with one chiral superfield. We analyze two cases. The first one has the Hubble radius as the infrared (IR) cutoff and the interaction between the two fluids is proportional to the energy density of the DE. The second case has the future event horizon as IR cutoff while the interaction is proportional to the energy density of both components of the dark sector.
TAILORING OF MAGNETIC EASY AXIS OF NICKEL NANOWIRES BY VARYING DIAMETER
Authors: KHALID SIDRA , SHARIF REHANA , SHAH ZAHEER HUSSAIN
Published: February 2016

Anodized aluminum oxide (AAO) templates with an average diameter of [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]nm and [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]nm are synthesized by two-step anodization. Nickel nanowires are fabricated by AC electro deposition with less microstructure defects at low voltage in AAO templates. Magnetic properties of compact nickel (Ni) nanowires show that easy axis is parallel to nanowire axis for diameter [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]nm while by varying diameter from [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]nm to [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]nm, easy axis shifts to perpendicular direction of nanowire axis. This shifting of magnetic easy axis from parallel to perpendicular direction is mainly due to shape anisotropy and interactive fields between the wires. The competition between shape anisotropy (due to individual wire) and interactive fields by varying diameter of nanowires could result in tailoring of the direction of magnetic easy axis of nanowires.
ADHESION CHARACTERISTICS ON ANODIZED TITANIUM AND ITS DURABILITY UNDER AGGRESSIVE ENVIRONMENTS
Authors: AHMED SABBIR , CHAKRABARTY DEBABRATA , MUKHERJEE SUBROTO , BHOWMIK SHANTANU
Published: February 2016

In this investigation, an attempt has been made to improve the interfacial adhesion characteristics of titanium (Ti) surface at elevated temperature and in aqueous salt solution. In order to ensure the presence of titanium oxide coating on the surface of titanium, anodization on titanium was carried out by sodium hydroxide. This oxide coating etches the surfaces of titanium. These etching surfaces of titanium increase the surface energy and surface roughness of the titanium. Physicochemical characteristics of surface modified titanium were carried out by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) study and the results reveal that there is a significant increase in oxygen functionalities due to anodization. The oxide etching on the surface of anodized titanium is further confirmed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) study. The contact angle and surface energy are measured by the use of two liquids namely water and glycerol. It is observed that the formation of oxide not only improves the surface energy of titanium but also protects the surface of titanium when exposed to aggressive environments. The lap-shear tensile strengths of two anodized titanium surfaces were fabricated by adhesive. There has been significant improvement in the adhesive bond strength, and subsequently in the durability of adhesive bonded joint, of titanium when exposed to aggressive environments.
On biological population model of fractional order
Authors: Mohyud-Din Syed Tauseef , Ali Ayyaz , Bin-Mohsin Bandar
Published: February 2016

In this paper, we extensively studied a mathematical model of biology. It helps us to understand the dynamical procedure of population changes in biological population model and provides valuable predictions. In this model, we establish a variety of exact solutions. To study the exact solutions, we used a fractional complex transform to convert the particular partial differential equation of fractional order into corresponding partial differential equation and modified exp-function method is implemented to investigate the nonlinear equation. Graphical demonstrations along with the numerical data reinforce the efficacy of the used procedure. The specified idea is very effective, unfailing, well-organized and pragmatic for fractional PDEs and could be protracted to further physical happenings.
Nerve pulse propagation in biological membranes — Solitons and other invariant solutions
Authors: Cimpoiasu Rodica
Published: February 2016

We investigate a generalized form of the Boussinesq equation, relevant for nerve pulse propagation in biological membranes. The generalized conditional symmetry (GCS) method is applied in order to obtain the conditions that enable the equation to admit a special class of second-order GCSs. For the case of quadratic nonlinearities, we outline a new class of invariant solutions.
Chaos in DNA evolution
Authors: Bahi Jacques M. , Guyeux Christophe , Perasso Antoine
Published: February 2016

In this paper, we explain why the chaotic mutation (CM) model of J. M. Bahi and C. Michel (2008) simulates the genes mutations over time with good accuracy. It is firstly shown that the CM model is a truly chaotic one, as it is defined by Devaney. Then, it is established that mutations occurring in genes mutations have indeed a same chaotic dynamic, thus making relevant the use of chaotic models for genomes evolution. Transposition and inversion dynamics are finally investigated.
ON and OFF inhibition as mechanisms for forward masking in the inferior colliculus: a modeling study
Authors: Gai Yan
Published: February 2016

Masking effects of a preceding stimulus on the detection or perception of a signal have been found in several sensory systems in mammals, including humans and rodents. In the auditory system, it has been hypothesized that a central “OFF-inhibitory” mechanism, which is generated by neurons that respond after a sound is terminated, may contribute to the observed psychophysics. The present study constructed a systems model for the inferior colliculus that includes major ascending monaural and binaural auditory pathways. The fundamental characteristics of several neuron types along the pathways were captured by Hodgkin-Huxley models with specific membrane and synaptic properties. OFF responses were reproduced with a model of the superior paraolivary nucleus containing a hyperpolarization-activated h current and a T-type calcium current. When the gap between the end of the masker and the onset of the signal was large, e.g., >5 ms, OFF inhibition generated strong suppressive effects on the signal response. For smaller gaps, an additional inhibitory source, which was modeled as ON inhibition from the contralateral dorsal nucleus of the lateral lemniscus, showed the potential of explaining the psychophysics. Meanwhile, the effect of a forward masker on the binaural sensitivity to a low-frequency signal was examined, which was consistent with previous psychophysical findings related to sound localization.
Blocking trial-by-trial error correction does not interfere with motor learning in human walking
Authors: Long Andrew W. , Roemmich Ryan T. , Bastian Amy J.
Published: February 2016

Movements can be learned implicitly in response to new environmental demands or explicitly through instruction and strategy. The former is often studied in an environment that perturbs movement so that people learn to correct the errors and store a new motor pattern. Here, we demonstrate in human walking that implicit learning of foot placement occurs even when an explicit strategy is used to block changes in foot placement during the learning process. We studied people learning a new walking pattern on a split-belt treadmill with and without an explicit strategy through instruction on where to step. When there is no instruction, subjects implicitly learn to place one foot in front of the other to minimize step-length asymmetry during split-belt walking, and the learned pattern is maintained when the belts are returned to the same speed, i.e., postlearning. When instruction is provided, we block expression of the new foot-placement pattern that would otherwise naturally develop from adaptation. Despite this appearance of no learning in foot placement, subjects show similar postlearning effects as those who were not given any instruction. Thus locomotor adaptation is not dependent on a change in action during learning but instead can be driven entirely by an unexpressed internal recalibration of the desired movement.
Light adaptation alters inner retinal inhibition to shape OFF retinal pathway signaling
Authors: Mazade Reece E. , Eggers Erika D.
Published: February 2016

The retina adjusts its signaling gain over a wide range of light levels. A functional result of this is increased visual acuity at brighter luminance levels (light adaptation) due to shifts in the excitatory center-inhibitory surround receptive field parameters of ganglion cells that increases their sensitivity to smaller light stimuli. Recent work supports the idea that changes in ganglion cell spatial sensitivity with background luminance are due in part to inner retinal mechanisms, possibly including modulation of inhibition onto bipolar cells. To determine how the receptive fields of OFF cone bipolar cells may contribute to changes in ganglion cell resolution, the spatial extent and magnitude of inhibitory and excitatory inputs were measured from OFF bipolar cells under dark- and light-adapted conditions. There was no change in the OFF bipolar cell excitatory input with light adaptation; however, the spatial distributions of inhibitory inputs, including both glycinergic and GABAergic sources, became significantly narrower, smaller, and more transient. The magnitude and size of the OFF bipolar cell center-surround receptive fields as well as light-adapted changes in resting membrane potential were incorporated into a spatial model of OFF bipolar cell output to the downstream ganglion cells, which predicted an increase in signal output strength with light adaptation. We show a prominent role for inner retinal spatial signals in modulating the modeled strength of bipolar cell output to potentially play a role in ganglion cell visual sensitivity and acuity.
A Stochastic Location-Allocation Model for Specialized Services in a Multihospital System
Authors: Naboureh Khadijeh , Safari Ehram
Published: February 2016

Rising costs, increasing demand, wasteful spending, and limited resources in the healthcare industry lead to an increasing pressure on hospital administrators to become as efficient as possible in all aspects of their operations including location-allocation. Some promising strategies for tackling these challenges are joining some hospitals to form multihospital systems (MHSs), specialization, and using the benefits of pooling resources. We develop a stochastic optimization model to determine the number, capacity, and location of hospitals in a MHS offering specialized services while they leverage benefits of pooling resources. The model minimizes the total cost borne by the MHS and its patients and incorporates patient service level, patient retention rates, and type of demand. Some computational analyses are carried out to gauge the benefits of optimally sharing resources for delivering specialized services across a subset of hospitals in the MHS against complete decentralization (CD) and full centralization (FC) policies.
Fast HEVC Intramode Decision Based on Hybrid Cost Ranking
Authors: Liu Hao , Jie Yuexin
Published: February 2016

To improve rate-distortion (R-D) performance, high efficiency video coding (HEVC) increases the intraprediction modes with heavy computational load, and thus the intracoding optimization is highly demanded for real-time applications. According to the conditional probabilities of most probable modes and the correlation of potential candidate subsets, this paper proposes a fast HEVC intramode decision scheme based on the hybrid cost ranking which includes both Hadamard cost and rate-distortion cost. The proposed scheme utilizes the coded results of the modified rough mode decision and the neighboring prediction units so as to obtain a potential candidate subset and then conditionally selects the optimal mode through early likelihood decision and hybrid cost ranking. By the experiment-driven methodology, the proposed scheme implements the early termination if the best mode from the candidate subset is equal to one or two neighboring intramodes. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed scheme averagely provides about 23.7% encoding speedup with just 0.82% BD-rate loss in comparison with default fast intramode decision in HM16.0. Compared to other fast intramode decision schemes, the proposed scheme also significantly reduces intracoding time while maintaining similar R-D performance for the all-intraconfiguration in HM16.0 Main profile.
Photoluminescence and Raman Spectroscopy Studies of Carbon Nitride Films
Authors: Hernández-Torres J. , Gutierrez-Franco A. , González P. G. , García-González L. , Hernandez-Quiroz T. , Zamora-Peredo L. , Méndez-García V. H. , Cisneros-de la Rosa A.
Published: February 2016

Amorphous carbon nitride films with N/C ratios ranging from 2.24 to 3.26 were deposited by reactive sputtering at room temperature on corning glass, silicon, and quartz as substrates. The average chemical composition of the films was obtained from the semiquantitative energy dispersive spectroscopy analysis. Photoluminescence measurements were performed to determine the optical band gap of the films. The photoluminescence spectra displayed two peaks: one associated with the substrate and the other associated withCNxfilms located at ≈2.13±0.02 eV. Results show an increase in the optical band gap from 2.11 to 2.15 eV associated with the increase in the N/C ratio. Raman spectroscopy measurements showed a dominantDband.ID/IGratio reaches a maximum value for N/C ≈ 3.03 when the optical band gap is 2.12 eV. Features observed by the photoluminescence and Raman studies have been associated with the increase in the carbon sp2/sp3ratio due to presence of high nitrogen content.
A Fault-Tolerant Multiple Sensor Fusion Approach Applied to UAV Attitude Estimation
Authors: Gu Yu , Gross Jason N. , Rhudy Matthew B. , Lassak Kyle
Published: February 2016

A novel sensor fusion design framework is presented with the objective of improving the overall multisensor measurement system performance and achieving graceful degradation following individual sensor failures. The Unscented Information Filter (UIF) is used to provide a useful tool for combining information from multiple sources. A two-step off-line and on-line calibration procedure refines sensor error models and improves the measurement performance. A Fault Detection and Identification (FDI) scheme crosschecks sensor measurements and simultaneously monitors sensor biases. Low-quality or faulty sensor readings are then rejected from the final sensor fusion process. The attitude estimation problem is used as a case study for the multiple sensor fusion algorithm design, with information provided by a set of low-cost rate gyroscopes, accelerometers, magnetometers, and a single-frequency GPS receiver’s position and velocity solution. Flight data collected with an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) research test bed verifies the sensor fusion, adaptation, and fault-tolerance capabilities of the designed sensor fusion algorithm.
Long Noncoding RNA PVT1 Promotes Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer Cell Proliferation through Epigenetically Regulating LATS2 Expression
Authors: Wan Li , Sun Ming , Liu Guo-Jian , Wei Chen-Chen , Zhang Er-Bao , Kong Rong , Xu Tong-Peng , Huang Ming-De , Wang Zhao-Xia
Published: February 2016

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNA) are a novel class of transcripts with no protein coding capacity, but with diverse functions in cancer cell proliferation, apoptosis, and metastasis. The lncRNA PVT1 is 1,716 nt in length and located in the chr8q24.21 region, which also contains the myelocytomatosis (MYC) oncogene. Previous studies demonstrated that MYC promotes PVT1 expression in primary human cancers. However, the expression pattern and potential biologic function of PVT1 in non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is still unclear. Here, we found that PVT1 was upregulated in 105 human NSCLC tissues compared with normal samples. High expression of PVT1 was associated with a higher tumor–node–metastasis stage and tumor size, as well as poorer overall survival. Functional analysis revealed that knockdown of PVT1 inhibited NSCLC cell proliferation and induced apoptosis both in vitro and in vivo. RNA immunoprecipitation and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays demonstrated that PVT1 recruits EZH2 to the large tumor suppressor kinase 2 (LATS2) promoter and represses LATS2 transcription. Furthermore, ectopic expression of LATS2 increased apoptosis and repressed lung adenocarcinoma cell proliferation by regulating the Mdm2-p53 pathway. Taken together, our findings indicated that PVT1/EZH2/LATS2 interactions might serve as new target for lung adenocarcinoma diagnosis and therapy. Mol Cancer Ther; 15(5); 1082–94. ©2016 AACR.
Comparison of Long-Term Outcomes of Endovascular Management for Membranous and Segmental Inferior Vena Cava Obstruction in Patients With Primary Budd–Chiari Syndrome
Authors: Huang Qianxin , Shen Bin , Zhang Qingqiao , Xu Hao , Zu Maoheng , Gu Yuming , Wei Ning , Cui Yanfeng , Huang Rui
Published: February 2016

Background—

Endovascular management is important for the treatment of primary Budd–Chiari syndrome, which is caused by inferior vena cava (IVC) obstruction. The aims of this study were to compare long-term outcomes of endovascular management for primary Budd–Chiari syndrome patients with membranous obstruction of IVC (MOVC) and segmental obstruction of IVC (SOVC) and explore the optimal endovascular strategy for these conditions.

Methods and Results—

Clinical data of 265 patients with Budd–Chiari syndrome who received endovascular management (MOVC group, n=136; SOVC group, n = 129) were retrospectively reviewed. Cumulative IVC patency rates were generated by the Kaplan–Meier method and compared by log-rank test. In total, 245 patients were followed up from 3 to 72 months after treatment. The difference of long-term outcomes of balloon dilation alone versus stent placement was not significant in each group. The overall cumulative 1-, 3-, and 5-year primary IVC patency rates were 98.3%, 90.7%, and 83.8% in the MOVC group and 88.3%, 79.1%, and 67.9% in the SOVC group (
P
=0.007), respectively. The long-term IVC patency rates were lower in the SOVC group than in the MOVC group for patients who underwent balloon dilation alone (
P
=0.001) and did not significantly differ for patients who underwent stent placement between both the groups (
P
=0.687).

Conclusions—

The long-term treatment outcome of endovascular management was better for primary Budd–Chiari syndrome patients with MOVC than for those with SOVC. Balloon dilation alone could be the optimal treatment for patients with MOVC. However, stent placement should be more strongly recommended for patients with SOVC.
Varicose Remodeling of Veins Is Suppressed by 3‐Hydroxy‐3‐Methylglutaryl Coenzyme A Reductase Inhibitors
Authors: Eschrich Johannes , Meyer Ralph , Kuk Hanna , Wagner Andreas H. , Noppeney Thomas , Debus Sebastian , Hecker Markus , Korff Thomas
Published: February 2016

Background

Despite the high prevalence of chronic venous insufficiency and varicose veins in the Western world, suitable pharmaceutical therapies for these venous diseases have not been explored to date. In this context, we recently reported that a chronic increase in venous wall stress or biomechanical stretch is sufficient to cause development of varicose veins through the activation of the transcription factor activator protein 1.

Methods and Results

We investigated whether deleterious venous remodeling is suppressed by the pleiotropic effects of statins. In vitro, activator protein 1 activity was inhibited by two 3‐hydroxy‐3‐methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors, rosuvastatin and atorvastatin, in stretch‐stimulated human venous smooth muscle cells. Correspondingly, both statins inhibited venous smooth muscle cell proliferation as well as
mRNA
expression of the activator protein 1 target gene monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (

MCP
1

). In isolated mouse veins exposed to an increased level of intraluminal pressure, statin treatment diminished proliferation of venous smooth muscle cells and protein abundance of
MCP
1 while suppressing the development of varicose veins in a corresponding animal model by almost 80%. Further analyses of human varicose vein samples from patients chronically treated with statins indicated a decrease in venous smooth muscle cell proliferation and
MCP
1 abundance compared with samples from untreated patients.

Conclusions

Our findings imply that both atorvastatin and rosuvastatin effectively inhibit the development of varicose veins, at least partially, by interfering with wall stress–mediated activator protein 1 activity in venous smooth muscle cells. For the first time, this study reveals a potential pharmacological treatment option that may be suitable to prevent growth of varicose veins and to limit formation of recurrence after varicose vein surgery.
Practice‐Level Variation in Outpatient Cardiac Care and Association With Outcomes
Authors: Clough Jeffrey D. , Rajkumar Rahul , Crim Matthew T. , Ott Lesli S. , Desai Nihar R. , Conway Patrick H. , Maresh Sha , Kahvecioglu Daver C. , Krumholz Harlan M.
Published: February 2016

Background

Utilization of cardiac services varies across regions and hospitals, yet little is known regarding variation in the intensity of outpatient cardiac care across cardiology physician practices or the association with clinical endpoints, an area of potential importance to promote efficient care.

Methods and Results

We included 7 160 732 Medicare beneficiaries who received services from 5635 cardiology practices in 2012. Beneficiaries were assigned to practices providing the plurality of office visits, and practices were ranked and assigned to quartiles using the ratio of observed to predicted annual payments per beneficiary for common cardiac services (outpatient intensity index). The median (interquartile range) outpatient intensity index was 1.00 (0.81–1.24). Mean payments for beneficiaries attributed to practices in the highest (Q4) and lowest (Q1) quartile of outpatient intensity were: all cardiac payments (Q4 $1272 vs Q1 $581; ratio, 2.2); cardiac catheterization (Q4 $215 vs Q1 $64; ratio, 3.4); myocardial perfusion imaging (Q4 $253 vs Q1 $83; ratio, 3.0); and electrophysiology device procedures (Q4 $353 vs Q1 $142; ratio, 2.5). The adjusted odds ratios (95%
CI
) for 1 incremental quartile of outpatient intensity for each outcome was: cardiac surgical/procedural hospitalization (1.09 [1.09, 1.10]); cardiac medical hospitalization (1.00 [0.99, 1.00]); noncardiac hospitalization (0.99 [0.99, 0.99]); and death at 1 year (1.00 [0.99, 1.00]).

Conclusion

Substantial variation in the intensity of outpatient care exists at the cardiology practice level, and higher intensity is not associated with reduced mortality or hospitalizations. Outpatient cardiac care is a potentially important target for efforts to improve efficiency in the Medicare population.