bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Antenatal maternal hepatitis B care is a predictor of timely perinatal administration of hepatitis B immunoglobulin
Authors: Le Suong T. T. , Sahhar Lukas , Spring Stephanie , Sievert William , Dev Anouk T.
Published: April 2017

Background

Mother‐to‐child transmission of hepatitis B virus continues to occur despite universal recommendations for neonatal immune prophylaxis therapy (IPT) and infant vaccination.

Aim

To characterise the risk factors for failure to provide timely IPT and completion of the infant hepatitis B vaccination schedule for children born to mothers with chronic hepatitis B (CHB).

Methods

We conducted a retrospective cohort study to assess compliance with universal guidelines for neonatal IPT for children born to CHB mothers at Monash Health, Australia from 2008 to 2013. These mothers were invited to participate in a telephone interview regarding post‐partum hepatitis B virus (HBV) care and infant vaccination status. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was utilised to identify the predictors for engagement with specialist HBV care, timely administration of IPT, completion of HBV vaccination schedule and serological testing of the baby.

Results

A total of 451 CHB mothers delivered 454 live births. HBV immunoglobulin (HBIg) was dispensed within 12 h in 79.52% of births. HBIg was not administered to eight neonates. Of the 451 women, 125 were interviewed: 88.8% of babies completed the vaccine schedule, and 19.2% of infants had post‐vaccination testing. Antenatal HBV care was independently associated with a greater likelihood of timely HBIg administration (odds ratio 1.64, P = 0.04, 95% CI: 1.03–2.61). There were no significant predictors for engagement with specialist HBV care, vaccine coverage or serological testing of the baby.

Conclusion

Targeted interventions to improve timely HBIg and completion of the vaccine schedule are recommended. All pregnant women with CHB should be referred for HBV‐specific antenatal care regardless of viral replicative status.
Claims of employment discrimination and worker voice
Authors: Bender Keith A. , Heywood John S. , Kidd Michael P.
Published: April 2017

Using the U.S. National Study of the Changing Workforce survey, we show that claims of racial and gender discrimination emerge less frequently in workplaces with established worker voice mechanisms. This result accords with the hypothesis that participation enhances perceptions of workplace fairness. We show that while having a supervisor of the same race or gender is associated with reduced discrimination claims, the role of voice tends to be larger when the race or gender of the supervisor is different from that of the worker. This suggests that voice may be particularly important in heterogeneous workplaces.
Dihydroberberine exhibits synergistic effects with sunitinib on NSCLC NCI‐H460 cells by repressing MAP kinase pathways and inflammatory mediators
Authors: Dai Bingling , Ma Yujiao , Wang Wenjie , Zhan Yingzhuan , Zhang Dongdong , Liu Rui , Zhang Yanmin
Published: April 2017

Highly effective and attenuated dose schedules are good regimens for drug research and development. Combination chemotherapy is a good strategy in cancer therapy. We evaluated the antitumour effects of dihydroberberine combined with sunitinib (DCS) on the human non‐small cell lung cancer cell lines (NSCLC), A549, NCI‐H460, and NCI‐H1299 in vitro and in vivo. DCS showed synergic effects on NCI‐H460 cell proliferation, colony formation and transplantable tumour growth, which suggested dihydroberberine increases the sensitivity of lung carcinoma to sunitinib. Further studies indicated that DCS down‐regulated phosphorylation of JNK, p38, and NF‐κB in NCI‐H460 cells and tumours and suppressed the IκB and COX‐2 expression. In addition, DCS reduced the secretion of the pro‐inflammatory cytokine, interleukin‐1 (IL‐1), in tumours. Inhibition of p38 activation by DCS was a likely contributing factor in IL‐1 and COX‐2 down‐regulation. Consistent with these results, a genomewide microarray analysis found that DCS induced the expression of cell cycle signal molecules that are known to be affected by JNK and p38. The change of cell cycle, in turn, led to down‐regulation of JNK and p38, and further reduced IL‐1 secretion. Collectively, these findings highlight potential molecular mechanisms of DCS chemotherapeutic activity and suggest that DCS is an efficacious strategy in NSCLC therapy.
Twombly and Iqbal at the State Level
Authors: Michalski Roger , Wood Abby K.
Published: April 2017

This article contributes to the empirical literature on pleading standards by studying the effect of Twombly and Iqbal at the state level. States account for the majority of civil litigation, yet they are understudied doctrinally and empirically. When we consider pleading at the state level, we can leverage differences across space and time in a way that is impossible with studies of federal courts. Using an array of principled empirical approaches on the best available data, we find no evidence that raising pleading standards affected plaintiff behavior. We observe no decrease in filings and no significant change in complaint length, number of claims, or number of amended complaints. For defense strategy and judicial responses, we find no increase in motions to dismiss and no increase in the grant rate on motions to dismiss, though these findings are more tentative, given data limitations. We conduct our analysis by comparing Nebraska, a state that raised its pleading standards, with as many as 12 comparison states, none of which raised their pleading standards over the years 2006–2013.
Ventricular fibrillation cardiac arrest produces a chronic striatal hyperdopaminergic state that is worsened by methylphenidate treatment
Authors: Nora Gerald J. , Harun Rashed , Fine David F. , Hutchison Daniel , Grobart Adam C. , Stezoski Jason P. , Munoz Miranda J. , Kochanek Patrick M. , Leak Rehana K. , Drabek Tomas , Wagner Amy K.
Published: April 2017

Cardiac arrest survival rates have improved with modern resuscitation techniques, but many survivors experience impairments associated with hypoxic‐ischemic brain injury (HIBI). Currently, little is understood about chronic changes in striatal dopamine (DA) systems after HIBI. Given the common empiric clinical use of DA enhancing agents in neurorehabilitation, investigation evaluating dopaminergic alterations after cardiac arrest (CA) is necessary to optimize rehabilitation approaches. We hypothesized that striatal DA neurotransmission would be altered chronically after ventricular fibrillation cardiac arrest (VF‐CA). Fast‐scan cyclic voltammetry was used with median forebrain bundle (MFB) maximal electrical stimulations (60Hz, 10s) in rats to characterize presynaptic components of DA neurotransmission in the dorsal striatum (D‐Str) and nucleus accumbens 14 days after a 5‐min VF‐CA when compared to Sham or Naïve. VF‐CA increased D‐Str‐evoked overflow [DA], total [DA] released, and initial DA release rate versus controls, despite also increasing maximal velocity of DA reuptake (Vmax). Methylphenidate (10 mg/kg), a DA transporter inhibitor, was administered to VF‐CA and Shams after establishing a baseline, pre‐drug 60 Hz, 5 s stimulation response. Methylphenidate increased initial evoked overflow [DA] more‐so in VF‐CA versus Sham and reduced D‐Str Vmax in VF‐CA but not Shams; these findings are consistent with upregulated striatal DA transporter in VF‐CA versus Sham. Our work demonstrates that 5‐min VF‐CA increases electrically stimulated DA release with concomitant upregulation of DA reuptake 2 weeks after brief VF‐CA insult. Future work should elucidate how CA insult duration, time after insult, and insult type influence striatal DA neurotransmission and related cognitive and motor functions.

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CB1 receptors down‐regulate a cAMP/Epac2/PLC pathway to silence the nerve terminals of cerebellar granule cells
Authors: Alonso Beatris , Bartolomé‐Martín David , Ferrero José Javier , Ramírez‐Franco Jorge , Torres Magdalena , Sánchez‐Prieto José
Published: April 2017

Cannabinoid receptors mediate short‐term retrograde inhibition of neurotransmitter release, as well as long‐term depression of synaptic transmission at excitatory synapses. The responses of individual nerve terminals in VGLUT1‐pHluorin transfected cerebellar granule cells to cannabinoids have shown that prolonged activation of cannabinoid type 1 receptors (CB1Rs) silences a subpopulation of previously active synaptic boutons. Adopting a combined pharmacological and genetic approach to study the molecular mechanisms of CB1R‐induced silencing, we found that adenylyl cyclase inhibition decreases cAMP levels while it increases the number of silent synaptic boutons and occludes the induction of further silencing by the cannabinoid agonist HU‐210. Guanine nucleotide exchange proteins directly activated by cAMP (Epac proteins) mediate some of the presynaptic effects of cAMP in the potentiation of synaptic transmission. ESI05, a selective Epac2 inhibitor, and U‐73122, the specific inhibitor of phospholipase C (PLC), both augment the number of silent synaptic boutons. Moreover, they abolish the capacity of the Epac activator, 8‐(4‐chlorophenylthio)‐2′‐O‐methyladenosine 3′,5′‐cyclic monophosphate monosodium hydrate, to prevent HU‐210‐induced silencing consistent with PLC signaling lying downstream of Epac2 proteins. Furthermore, Rab3‐interacting molecule (RIM)1α KO cells have many more basally silent synaptic boutons (12.9 ± 3.5%) than wild‐type cells (1.1 ± 0.5%). HU‐210 induced further silencing in these mutant cells, although 8‐(4‐chlorophenylthio)‐2′‐O‐methyladenosine 3′,5′‐cyclic monophosphate monosodium hydrate only awoke the HU‐210‐induced silence and not the basally silent synaptic boutons. This behavior can be rescued by expressing RIM1α in RIM1α KO cells, these cells behaving very much like wild‐type cells. These findings support the hypothesis that a cAMP/Epac/PLC signaling pathway targeting the release machinery appears to mediate cannabinoid‐induced presynaptic silencing.

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An ecological approach to discover new bioactive extracts and products: the case of extremophile plants
Authors: Sahli Ramla , Rivière Céline , Neut Christel , Bero Joanne , Sahuc Marie-Emmanuelle , Smaoui Abderrazak , Beaufay Claire , Roumy Vincent , Hennebelle Thierry , Rouillé Yves , Quetin-Leclercq Joëlle , Séron Karin , Ksouri Riadh , Sahpaz Sevser
Published: April 2017

Objectives

Eight extremophile plants from Tunisia were screened to find natural products with benefits in human health.

Methods

These plants were collected in different areas in Tunisia. Their methanolic extracts were evaluated for their total phenolic content and for their antiradical (DPPH), antimicrobial (on 35 bacteria and one yeast), antiviral (hepatitis C virus, HCV) and cytotoxic activity (against WI38 and J774 cell lines). The most active species were subjected to a bioguided fractionation.

Key findings

The screening revealed promising activity for four plants, but two species have both antiradical and antimicrobial activity: Juncus maritimus and Limonium virgatum. The rhizomes extract of J. maritimus showed the highest activity against HCV, a selective antibacterial activity against Streptococcus dysgalactiae, and a moderate antiradical activity which is due to luteolin isolated in one step by centrifugal partition chromatography. The stems’ and leaves’ extracts of L. virgatum were rich in polyphenols responsible for the antiradical activity. Also, Limonium extracts showed an antibacterial activity with a broad spectrum.

Conclusions

Extremophile plants have proven to be a promising source for bioactive metabolites. They have a powerful antioxidant system highly influenced by biotic and abiotic factors and the ability to produce secondary metabolites with antimicrobial activity.
Dietary mannoheptulose does not alter glucose or lipid metabolism in adult Labrador Retrievers
Authors: McKnight L. L. , France J. , Wright D. , Davenport G. , Shoveller A. K.
Published: April 2017

Mannoheptulose (MH), a glycolytic inhibitor, has been preliminarily investigated as a novel functional food ingredient for dogs. This study aimed to determine the effects of dietary MH, delivered as an extract of un‐ripened avocados, on fatty acid and glucose kinetics in healthy adult Labrador Retriever dogs (n = 12 dogs). The study was a double‐blindcrossover with each dog receiving both dietary treatments, control (CON) and MH (400 mg/kg of diet), in random order. Glucose and glycerol plasma turnover (Ra) and oxidation (Ox) were measured in fasting and in response to repeated meal feeding (“fed”) with stable isotope tracers (U‐13C‐glucose, 1,1,2,3,3‐D5‐glycerol) and indirect calorimetry. Palmitate Ra and Ox were examined during repeated meal feeding only using an oral bolus of U‐13C‐K2‐palmitate and indirect calorimetry. MH had no discernible effect on fasting glucose Ra (677, 722 SEM 36 μmol/min, CON, MH) or Ox (107, 109 μmol/min, CON, MH SEM 10 μmol/min) or fed glucose Ra (2913, 3626 SEM 644 μmol/min, CON, MH) or Ox (951, 936 SEM 174 μmol/min, CON, MH). Glycerol Ra, an index of the rate of lipolysis, was not different between dietary treatments (Fast 162, 113 SEM 35 μmol/min CON, MH; Fed 172, 135 SEM 21 μmol/min, CON, MH). Similarly, palmitate oxidation was not impacted by MH feeding (1966, 2276 SEM 79 μmol/min, CON, MH). Together, these findings do not support MH as a novel functional food ingredient at least at the dietary dose tested.
Protection of protein from ruminal degradation by alkali‐induced oxidation of chlorogenic acid in sunflower meal
Authors: Bongartz V. , Böttger C. , Wilhelmy N. , Schulze‐Kaysers N. , Südekum K.‐H. , Schieber A.
Published: April 2017

Lactating ruminants require an adequate supply of absorbable amino acids for the synthesis of milk protein from two sources, that is crude protein (CP) synthesized microbially in the rumen and ruminally undegraded CP (RUP) from feed which can both be digested in the small intestine. Several chemical and physical methods have been identified as being effective in increasing the proportion of RUP of total CP of a feedstuff, yet there is a continuing need for developing and establishing methods which protect feed protein from ruminal degradation with acceptable expenditure of labour and other costs. The objective of this study was to identify and quantify effects of and interactions between chlorogenic acid and protein in solvent‐extracted sunflower meal (SFM) as induced by alkali treatment. Response surface methodology was employed to investigate the influence of pH, reaction time and drying temperature on the resulting SFM and, subsequently, its protein value for ruminants estimated from laboratory values. For this purpose, alkali‐treated SFM was subjected to a fractionation of feed CP according to the Cornell net carbohydrate and protein system as a basis for estimating RUP at different assumed ruminal passage rates (Kp). To estimate the intestinal digestibility of the treated SFM and its RUP, a three‐step enzymatic in vitro procedure was applied. Alkaline treatment of SFM increased RUP values with factors ranging from approximately 3 (Kp=.08/hr) to 12 (Kp=.02/hr). Furthermore, the intestinal digestibility of the alkali‐treated SFM was enhanced by approximately 10% compared to untreated SFM. Increasing pH and reaction time led to both increasing RUP values and intestinal digestibility. In conclusion, a targeted alkaline treatment of naturally occurring compounds in feedstuffs might be a promising approach to provide high‐RUP feeds for ruminants which, at the same time, have improved intestinal digestibility values.
Soils and rainfall drive landscape‐scale changes in the diversity and functional composition of tree communities in premontane tropical forest
Authors: Prada Cecilia M. , Morris Arturo , Andersen Kelly M. , Turner Benjamin L. , Caballero Pedro , Dalling James W.
Published: April 2017

Questions

Premontane tropical forests harbour exceptionally high plant species diversity; understanding which factors influence their species composition is critical to conserving them, and to predicting how global environmental change will affect them. We asked: (1) how do α‐ and β‐diversity vary at the landscape scale; (2) how important is environmental filtering in structuring these communities; and (3) which soil and climate variables account for the most compositional variation?

Location

Old‐growth premontane forest, Fortuna Forest Reserve, western Panama.

Methods

All trees ≥5‐cmDBHwere censused in 12 1‐ha plots up to 13 km apart. For each plot, we measured soil properties (0–10 cm depth) at 13 locations, and estimated or measured monthly rainfall. To evaluate how the environmental and spatial variables are associated with community composition, we used ordination and Mantel tests.

Results

Diversity varied nearly three‐fold among plots (68–184 species·ha−1). β‐Diversity was also high, with only one of 364 species present in all plots. Turnover reflected distinct forest community types that have developed on different parent materials: forests on rhyolite had an abundance of either ectomycorrhizal‐associated trees or canopy palms, while forests on the other rock types (andesite, dacite and basalt) were dominated by trees that form arbuscular mycorrhizal associations. WhileNMDSordination showed that species turnover was significantly correlated with rainfall seasonality, and also co‐varied with geographic distance. Nonetheless, large compositional differences were apparent among sites <2 km apart with similar rainfall but differing soils. Partial Mantel tests controlling for geographic distance highlighted the relationship between total phosphorus and species composition.

Conclusions

Soil nutrient availability and rainfall seasonality in premontane forests at Fortuna are associated with striking variation in the taxonomic and functional composition of nearby tree communities, and with plot differences in species richness comparable in magnitude to those reported over >1000 m a.s.l. in previous studies. Accounting for how local edaphic conditions structure premontane and montane tropical forests will be critical to predicting how tree communities will respond to climate change.
Derris gamblei sp. nov. (Fabaceae) from Tamil Nadu, India
Authors: Raja P. , Soosairaj S. , Dhatchanamoorthy N. , Tagore J. K.
Published: April 2017

Derris gamblei (Fabaceae), is described and illustrated as a new species from the Pudukkottai district of Tamil Nadu state, India. It resembles the Indian species Derris thothathrii, but differs by its short inflorescence, pseudoracemes, pubescence at dorsal apex of all petals, 2 ovules and narrow‐winged pods.
New insights into neurogenic cyclic motor activity in the isolated guinea‐pig colon
Authors: Costa M. , Wiklendt L. , Keightley L. , Brookes S. J. H. , Dinning P. G. , Spencer N. J.
Published: April 2017

Background

The contents of the guinea pig distal colon consist of multiple pellets that move anally in a coordinated manner. This row of pellets results in continued distention of the colon. In this study, we have investigated quantitatively the features of the neurally dependent colonic motor patterns that are evoked by constant distension of the full length of guinea‐pig colon.

Methods

Constant distension was applied to the excised guinea‐pig by high‐resolution manometry catheters or by a series of hooks.

Key Results

Constant distension elicited regular Cyclic Motor Complexes (CMCs) that originated at multiple different sites along the colon and propagated in an oral or anal direction extending distances of 18.3±10.3 cm. CMCs were blocked by tetrodotoxin (TTX; 0.6 μ mol L−1), hexamethonium (100 μ mol L−1) or hyoscine (1 μ mol L−1). Application of TTX in a localized compartment or cutting the gut circumferentially disrupted the spatial continuity of CMCs. Localized smooth muscle contraction was not required for CMC propagation. Shortening the length of the preparations or disruption of circumferential pathways reduced the integrity and continuity of CMCs.

Conclusions & Inferences

CMCs are a distinctive neurally dependent cyclic motor pattern, that emerge with distension over long lengths of the distal colon. They do not require changes in muscle tension or contractility to entrain the neural activity underlying CMC propagation. CMCs are likely to play an important role interacting with the neuromechanical processes that time the propulsion of multiple natural pellets and may be particularly relevant in conditions of impaction or obstruction, where long segments of colon are simultaneously distended.
Porcine milk induces a strengthening of barrier function in porcine jejunal epithelium in vitro
Authors: Radloff Judith , Zakrzewski Silke S. , Pieper Robert , Markov Alexander G. , Amasheh Salah
Published: April 2017

Milk contains a variety of components that have been shown to affect the expression and localization of epithelial tight junction proteins and therefore the intestinal barrier. Thus, we hypothesized that milk would have an effect on intestinal barrier properties, owing to effects on the tight junction in an intraspecies porcine intestinal in vitro model. Jejunal samples of piglets derived from different age groups were analyzed. Transepithelial electrical resistance was recorded employing the Ussing chamber technique. Porcine milk or predigested milk in buffer solution was added to the apical side, and effects were compared to untreated controls. Unidirectional paracellular flux measurements were performed using sodium fluorescein. Tight junction protein expression and localization were analyzed by immunoblotting and immunofluorescence microscopy. Incubation with milk or predigested milk led to an increase in transepithelial electrical resistance, while paracellular permeability for sodium fluorescein did not result in significant changes. Densitometric analysis of immunoblot signals did not show significant alterations in claudin expression, but a reduction of claudin signals in apicolateral membrane compartments in both approaches became apparent via immunohistology. The functional effect might reflect a physiological protective mechanism, when offspring exclusively rely on their mother's milk and are exposed to a plethora of potentially barrier‐perturbing factors.
Equivalence of complex drug products: advances in and challenges for current regulatory frameworks
Authors: Hussaarts Leonie , Mühlebach Stefan , Shah Vinod P. , McNeil Scott , Borchard Gerrit , Flühmann Beat , Weinstein Vera , Neervannan Sesha , Griffiths Elwyn , Jiang Wenlei , Wolff‐Holz Elena , Crommelin Daan J.A. , de Vlieger Jon S.B.
Published: April 2017

Biotechnology and nanotechnology provide a growing number of innovator‐driven complex drug products and their copy versions. Biologics exemplify one category of complex drugs, but there are also nonbiological complex drug products, including many nanomedicines, such as iron–carbohydrate complexes, drug‐carrying liposomes or emulsions, and glatiramoids. In this white paper, which stems from a 1‐day conference at the New York Academy of Sciences, we discuss regulatory frameworks in use worldwide (e.g., the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the European Medicines Agency, the World Health Organization) to approve these complex drug products and their follow‐on versions. One of the key questions remains how to assess equivalence of these complex products. We identify a number of points for which consensus was found among the stakeholders who were present: scientists from innovator and generic/follow‐on companies, academia, and regulatory bodies from different parts of the world. A number of topics requiring follow‐up were identified: (1) assessment of critical attributes to establish equivalence for follow‐on versions, (2) the need to publish scientific findings in the public domain to further progress in the field, (3) the necessity to develop worldwide consensus regarding nomenclature and labeling of these complex products, and (4) regulatory actions when substandard complex drug products are identified.
C‐type starches and their derivatives: structure and function
Authors: Guo Zebin , Jia Xiangze , Zhao Beibei , Zeng Shaoxiao , Xiao Jianbo , Zheng Baodong
Published: April 2017

The C‐type starches are widely distributed in seeds or rhizomes of various legumes, medicinal plants, and crops. These carbohydrate polymers directly affect the application of starchy plant resources. The structural and crystal properties of starches are crucial parameters of starch granules, which significantly influence their physicochemical and mechanical properties. The unique crystal structure consisting of both A‐ and B‐type polymorphs endows C‐type starches with specific crystal adjustability. Furthermore, large proportions of resistant starches and slowly digestible starches are C‐type starches, which contribute to benign glycemic response and proliferation of gut microflora. Here, we review the distribution of C‐type starches in various plant sources, the structural models and crystal properties of C‐type starches, and the behavior and functionality relevant to modified C‐type starches. We outline recent advances, potential applications, and limitations of C‐type starches in industry, aiming to provide a theoretical basis for further research and to broaden the prospects of its applications.
Luminosity Guaranteed
Authors: Barz Wolfgang
Published: April 2017

This article aims to show that Williamson's anti‐luminosity argument does not succeed if we presuppose a constitutive connection between the phenomenal and the doxastic. In contrast to other luminists, however, my strategy is not to critically focus on the refined safety condition in terms of degrees of confidence that anti‐luminists typically use in this context. Instead, I will argue that, given a certain conception of what Chalmers calls ‘direct phenomenal concepts,’ luminosity is guaranteed even if the refined safety condition in terms of degrees of confidence is taken for granted.
Inventory Management and Debt Maturity Structure
Authors: Hu Qiaohai (Joice)
Published: April 2017

The current literature on the coordination of operations and finance does not differentiate long‐ and short‐term debts and therefore is silent on how firms’ debt maturity structure affects their short‐run financial and operational decisions. Through a dynamic inventory model that explicitly captures a firm's periodic decisions on inventory replenishment quantity, the amount of dividends net of capital subscriptions, and the amount of short‐term debt, we demonstrate that under coordinated short‐term operational and financial decisions, the firm's optimal inventory level increases initially as its long‐term debt rises; after the firm depletes its short‐term borrowing capacity, as the long‐term debt rises further, the inventory level decreases and then remains constant. In addition, we find that optimal coordinated decisions, in comparison with decentralized ones, yield lower inventories, require less cash, take larger short‐term loans, incur a lower probability of financial distress, and yield higher expected dividends net of capital subscriptions. Moreover, long‐ and short‐term debts are substitutes; an optimally leveraged firm needs less long‐term debt if it coordinates its short‐term decisions than if it decentralizes them.
The influence of frontal alpha‐asymmetry on the processing of approach‐ and withdrawal‐related stimuli—A multichannel psychophysiology study
Authors: Adolph Dirk , von Glischinski Michael , Wannemüller André , Margraf Jürgen
Published: April 2017

The approach‐withdrawal model of hemispheric activation suggests that left frontal cortical areas mediate approach, while right frontal cortical areas mediate withdrawal motivation. Within this framework, the present study investigates the association of frontal cortical asymmetry with attentional and emotional responses toward approach‐ and withdrawal‐related emotional stimuli. Resting frontal asymmetry was measured from 43 students before they passively viewed negative, neutral, and positive emotional pictures. The startle reflex, skin conductance response, and subjective ratings of valence and arousal were assessed to quantify emotional responding, while attention was assessed with ERPs. We also assessed frontal asymmetry in response to the pictures. Results indicated that relatively stronger right frontal cortical activation was associated with increased N1 amplitudes and more negative subjective emotional evaluation of all stimuli. Furthermore, enhanced right frontal asymmetry (state and trait) was associated with diminished emotional modulation of the late positive potential. In contrast, no association of frontal asymmetry with defensive reflex physiology or activation of sympathetic nervous system activity was found. The current data suggest dissociable influence of resting frontal brain asymmetry on attentional and physiological processing of withdrawal‐ and approach‐related stimuli. That is, asymmetrical frontal cortical brain activation might not modulate approach‐/withdrawal‐related motor responses and sympathetic arousal directly, but instead enhances allocation of attentional resources to subjectively significant stimuli. The results are discussed in terms of their potential importance for emotion perception in anxiety disorders and their contribution to the understanding of frontal asymmetry.
Little‐v0Agreement and Templatic Morphology in Ch'ol
Authors: Coon Jessica
Published: April 2017

This paper addresses typological differences in subject–verb agreement and provides evidence that transitive subject agreement need not always involve a high functional head, namely T0, but may instead be the result of a local relation between the subject and a low functional head, v0. In Mayan languages, grammatical relations are head‐marked on the predicate through two series of morphemes, known as “Set A” (ergative/possessive) and “Set B” (absolutive). I argue that Set A morphemes reflect a local relationship of agreement between v0and the transitive subject in its low base position and, in an analogous structural configuration in the nominal domain, between a possessive n0head and the possessor. Crucially, I show that no higher functional projection is involved. This is important in light of proposals that ergative agreement systems are epiphenomenal, resulting from standard nominative agreement from T0which is blocked from agreeing with morphologically case‐marked ergative subjects (Woolford). In this paper, I examine the morphologically ergative Mayan language Ch'ol to show that true ergative agreement is possible even in the absence of morphological case. This paper has implications for the typology of ergative case and agreement systems and contributes to our understanding of the nature of agreement and clitic doubling.
Creutzfeldt‐Jakob disease lookback study: 21 years of surveillance for transfusion transmission risk
Authors: Crowder Lauren A. , Schonberger Lawrence B. , Dodd Roger Y. , Steele Whitney R.
Published: April 2017

BACKGROUND

Transfusion transmission of human prion diseases has been observed for variant Creutzfeldt‐Jakob disease (vCJD), but not for the classic forms of prion disease (CJD: sporadic, genetic, and iatrogenic). Although the presence of prions or misfolded prion proteins in blood has been documented in some patients with the most common form of CJD, sporadic CJD, no transfusion‐transmitted cases of CJD have been recognized. Since 1995, the American Red Cross has conducted a lookback study of the recipients of blood products from donors who develop CJD to assess the risk of blood‐borne CJD transmission in the United States.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS

Blood donors subsequently diagnosed with confirmed or probable CJD were enrolled and the consignees were asked to identify the recipients of their blood products. These donors' transfusion recipients are traced annually with the National Death Index to see if they subsequently die of CJD.

RESULTS

To date, 65 CJD donors have been enrolled along with 826 of their blood recipients. These recipients have contributed 3934 person‐years of follow‐up and no transfusion‐transmitted cases of CJD have been recognized.

CONCLUSION

From this study, as well as other epidemiologic studies, there is no evidence of CJD transfusion transmission; this risk remains theoretical.
3 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging study of the normal canine femoral and sciatic nerves
Authors: Sievert Christine , Richter Henning , Gascho Dominic , Kircher Patrick R. , Carrera Inés
Published: April 2017

Understanding the normal course and optimizing visualization of the canine peripheral nerves of the lumbar plexus, in particular the sciatic and the femoral nerves, is essential when interpreting images of patients with suspected peripheral neuropathies such as inflammatory or neoplastic conditions. The purpose of this prospective, anatomic study was to describe the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) anatomy of the normal canine femoral and sciatic nerves and to define the sequences in which the nerves are best depicted. A preliminary postmortem cadaver study was performed to determine optimal sequences and imaging protocol. In a second step the optimized technique was implemented on 10 healthy Beagle dogs, included in the study. The applied protocol included the following sequences: T1‐weighted, T2‐weighted, T2‐Spectral Attenuated Inversion Recovery, T1‐weighted postcontrast and T1‐Spectral Presaturated Inversion Recovery postcontrast. All sequences had satisfactory signal‐to‐noise ratio and contrast resolution in all patients. The sciatic and femoral nerves were seen in all images. They were symmetric and of homogeneous signal intensity, being iso‐ to mildly hyperintense to muscle on T2‐weighted, mildly hyperintense in T2‐Spectral Attenuated Inversion Recovery, and iso‐ to mildly hypointense in T1‐weighted images. No evidence of contrast enhancement in T1‐weighted and T1‐Spectral Presaturated Inversion Recovery postcontrast sequences was observed. The anatomic landmarks helpful to identify the course of the femoral and sciatic nerves are described in detail. This study may be used as an anatomical reference, depicting the normal canine femoral and sciatic nerves at 3 Tesla MRI.
Relationships Between the Proportional Law and the Charts Used in ASME VIII-1 and EN13445-3 for Designing Shells and Tubes Under External Pressure
Authors: Lai Huan Sheng , Liu Kang Lin
Published: April 2017

Shells and tubes usually fail in the form of buckling under external pressure. Charts are used in the design of shells and tubes in the standards of ASME VIII-1 and EN13445-3 and these simplify the calculation process, while the proportional law is a more effective and simple method. In this paper, the relationships between the proportional law and the charts used in the standards were researched; finite element method (FEM) was used to compare the accuracies of the proportional law and the charts. It was theoretically proved that the proportional law and the charts were using essentially the same method to calculate the critical buckling pressure; they were different forms of the same dimensionless tension stress–strain curves. The simulation results showed that the proportional law and the charts had effectively equal accuracies in calculated critical buckling pressures. Therefore, the proportional law can be a candidate method included in the standards for the design of shells and tubes under external pressure.
A Lyapunov Stable Controller for Bilateral Haptic Teleoperation of Single-Rod Hydraulic Actuators
Authors: Banthia Vikram , Zareinia Kourosh , Balakrishnan Subramaniam , Sepehri Nariman
Published: April 2017

A Lyapunov stable control scheme is designed and implemented for bilateral haptic teleoperation of a single-rod hydraulic actuator. The proposed controller is capable of reducing position errors at master and slave sides, as well as perceiving the interaction force between the actuator and the task environment without a need for direct measurement of force. The controller only requires the actuator's line pressures and displacements of the master and slave. Stability of the proposed controller incorporating hydraulic nonlinearities and operator dynamics is analytically proven. Simulation studies demonstrate that the proposed system can reach an equilibrium point while interacting with an environment exhibiting stiffness. Experimental results confirm that the controller is able to effectively maintain stability, while having good position tracking by the hydraulic actuator as well as perceiving the contact force between the actuator and the task environment without direct measurement. This kind of haptic feedback force is a suitable choice for applications where mounting a force sensor at the end-effector is not feasible, such as excavators and backhoes. This work contributes to enhancing the operator's ability to perform stable haptic-enabled teleoperation of hydraulic manipulators.
Drilling Fluid Density and Hydraulic Drag Reduction With Glass Bubble Additives
Authors: Kutlu Bahri , Takach Nicholas , Ozbayoglu Evren M. , Miska Stefan Z. , Yu Mengjiao , Mata Clara
Published: April 2017

This study concentrates on the use of materials known as hollow glass spheres, also known as glass bubbles, to reduce the drilling fluid density below the base fluid density without introducing a compressible phase to the wellbore. Four types of lightweight glass spheres with different physical properties were tested for their impact on rheological behavior, density reduction effect, survival ratio at elevated pressures, and hydraulic drag reduction effect when mixed with water-based fluids. A Fann75 high pressure high temperature (HPHT) viscometer and a flow loop were used for the experiments. Results show that glass spheres successfully reduce the density of the base drilling fluid while maintaining an average of 0.93 survival ratio, the rheological behavior of the tested fluids at elevated concentrations of glass bubbles is similar to the rheological behavior of conventional drilling fluids and hydraulic drag reduction is present up to certain concentrations. All results were integrated into hydraulics calculations for a wellbore scenario that accounts for the effect of temperature and pressure on rheological properties, as well as the effect of glass bubble concentration on mud temperature distribution along the wellbore. The effect of drag reduction was also considered in the calculations.
Wake Deflection in Long Distance From a Yawed Wind Turbine
Authors: Uemura Yuta , Tanabe Yasutada , Mamori Hiroya , Fukushima Naoya , Yamamoto Makoto
Published: April 2017

Since it is important to prevent the wake produced by upstream wind turbines from interfering with downstream wind turbines, a method of deflecting such wakes is desired. In this paper, we present the coupled analysis results of a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation involving a three-bladed rigid wind turbine with a yaw control system that utilizes rFlow3D CFD code, which was developed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), primarily for rotorcraft use. Herein, a three-dimensional (3D), compressible, and unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equation with a Spalart–Allmaras turbulence model is adopted as the governing equation. In this study, wind turbine computations using various wind turbine yaw angles are performed while focusing on the resulting wake velocity distribution and aerodynamic loads, after which the influences of the yaw angle are discussed. Next, based on the wake velocity distribution results for each yaw angle, we move on to a wake interference avoidance simulation for downstream wind turbines that utilizes two prepared wind turbines. Through this study, the following characteristics were confirmed. The results show wake deflection produced by adding yaw angle can provide a sufficient wake skew angle even in far-wake events. Furthermore, the yaw angle introduction accelerates the progression of vortex dissipation and brings about early velocity recovery in the wake region. Simultaneously, the introduction decreases the power generation amount of the yawed upstream wind turbine and increases the fatigue load of flapwise moment added to the blade root. In this paper, the details of flow field, oscillation, and the yawed wind turbine performance characteristics will also be described.
Analytical and Numerical Investigations of Stable Periodic Solutions of the Impacting Oscillator With a Moving Base and Two Fenders
Authors: Blazejczyk-Okolewska Barbara , Czolczynski Krzysztof , Okolewski Andrzej
Published: April 2017

A vibrating system with impacts, which can be applied to model the cantilever beam with a mass at its end and two-sided impacts against a harmonically moving frame, is investigated. The objective of this study is to determine in which regions of parameters characterizing system, the motion of the oscillator is periodic and stable. An analytical method to obtain stable periodic solutions to the equations of motion on the basis of Peterka's approach is presented. The results of analytical investigations have been compared to the results of numerical simulations. The ranges of stable periodic solutions determined analytically and numerically with bifurcation diagrams of spectra of Lyapunov exponents show a very good conformity. The locations of stable periodic solution regions of the system with a movable frame and two-sided impacts differ substantially from the locations of stable periodic solution regions for the system: (i) with a movable frame and one-sided impacts and (ii) with an immovable frame and two-sided impacts.
Adaptive Fuzzy Sliding Mode Control for MIMO Nonaffine Dutch-Roll System
Authors: Wang Yuhui , Wu Qingxian , Liu Xinyan
Published: April 2017

A robust fuzzy sliding mode controller is presented for a multiple-input–multiple-output (MIMO) Dutch-Roll system with nonaffine inputs and external disturbances. An integrating factor with a nonlinear saturation function is introduced to construct a nonlinear integral sliding mode (NISM) surface to provide better transient response than traditional sliding mode control. Fuzzy logic systems are employed to approximate the unknown nonaffine part of the system directly. Based on Lyapunov method, the tracking errors are guaranteed to be asymptotically stable with the additional adaptive compensation terms. To verify the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed controller, the Dutch-Roll system is presented for simulation.
Adaptive Impedance Control of Parallel Ankle Rehabilitation Robot
Authors: Jamwal Prashant K. , Hussain Shahid , Ghayesh Mergen H. , Rogozina Svetlana V.
Published: April 2017

Robots are being increasingly used by physical therapists to carry out rehabilitation treatments owing to their ability of providing repetitive, controlled, and autonomous training sessions. Enhanced treatment outcomes can be achieved by encouraging patients' active participation besides robotic assistance. Advanced control strategies are required to be designed and implemented for the rehabilitation robots in order to persuade patients to contribute actively during the treatments. In this paper, an adaptive impedance control approach is developed and implemented on a parallel ankle rehabilitation robot. The ankle robot was designed based on a parallel mechanism and actuated using four pneumatic muscle actuators (PMAs) to provide three rotational degrees-of-freedom (DOFs) to the ankle joint. The proposed controller adapts the parallel robot's impedance according to the patients' active participation to provide customized robotic assistance. In order to evaluate performance of the proposed controller, experiments were conducted with stroke patients. It is demonstrated from the experimental results that the robotic assistance decreases as a result of patients' active participation. Similarly, increased robotics assistance is recorded in response to decrease in patient's participation in the rehabilitation process. This work will aid in the further development of customized robot-assisted physical therapy of ankle joint impairment.
Ground Target Tracking Guidance Law for Fixed-Wing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle: A Search and Capture Approach
Authors: Zhang Min , Tian Pengfei , Chen Xin , Wang Xin
Published: April 2017

One important problem for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in mission applications is to track ground targets automatically. A major concern is how to keep the tracking process stable and efficient while the motion of the ground targets changes rapidly. In this brief, a new guidance strategy for the ground target “Search and Capture” based on a virtual target is proposed. First, a virtual trajectory, which is composed of straight lines and arcs, is generated based on the motion of the target. The straight lines are used to capture, while the arcs are used to search, and switch between straight line and arc when some condition is met; second, we design a new guidance law based on line-of-sight (LOS) which makes a UAV to track the virtual target automatically. This new method solves the following three problems simultaneously: (1) The UAV always keeps a constant speed to track the target with changing velocity, (2) the generated trajectory meets the flight constraints of the UAV, and (3) the speed range of the ground target can be from the stationary to almost the maximum cruising speed of the UAV. Simulation results show that the proposed guidance strategy can achieve stable tracking for various motions of the ground target.
Disturbance Rejection of Interval Type-2 Fuzzy Systems Based on Equivalence-Input-Disturbance Approach
Authors: Selvaraj P. , Sakthivel R. , Kwon O. M. , Muslim M.
Published: April 2017

This paper focuses on the problem of disturbance rejection for a class of interval type-2 (IT-2) fuzzy systems via equivalence-input-disturbance (EID)-based approach. The main objective of this work is to design a fuzzy state-feedback controller combined with a disturbance estimator such that the output of the fuzzy system perfectly tracks the given reference signal without steady-state error and produces an EID to eliminate the influence of the actual disturbances. By constructing a suitable Lyapunov function and using linear matrix inequality (LMI) technique, a new set of sufficient conditions is established in terms of linear matrix inequalities for the existence of fuzzy controller. Finally, a simple pendulum model is considered to illustrate the effectiveness and applicability of the proposed EID-based control design.
Trajectory Planning and Obstacle Avoidance for Hyper-Redundant Serial Robots
Authors: Menon Midhun S. , Ravi V. C. , Ghosal Ashitava
Published: April 2017

Hyper-redundant snakelike serial robots are of great interest due to their application in search and rescue during disaster relief in highly cluttered environments and recently in the field of medical robotics. A key feature of these robots is the presence of a large number of redundant actuated joints and the associated well-known challenge of motion planning. This problem is even more acute in the presence of obstacles. Obstacle avoidance for point bodies, nonredundant serial robots with a few links and joints, and wheeled mobile robots has been extensively studied, and several mature implementations are available. However, obstacle avoidance for hyper-redundant snakelike robots and other extended articulated bodies is less studied and is still evolving. This paper presents a novel optimization algorithm, derived using calculus of variation, for the motion planning of a hyper-redundant robot where the motion of one end (head) is an arbitrary desired path. The algorithm computes the motion of all the joints in the hyper-redundant robot in a way such that all its links avoid all obstacles present in the environment. The algorithm is purely geometric in nature, and it is shown that the motion in free space and in the vicinity of obstacles appears to be more natural. The paper presents the general theoretical development and numerical simulations results. It also presents validating results from experiments with a 12-degree-of-freedom (DOF) planar hyper-redundant robot moving in a known obstacle field.
Nanoparticles improve economic mileage for CARs
Authors: Miller Miles A.
Published: April 2017

Targeted nanoparticles deliver chimeric antigen receptor genes to T cells in situ.