bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Computational simulation of progressive collapse of reinforced concrete rigid frame with reinforcement contact model
Authors: Kim Han-Soo , Ahn Jae-Gyun , Ahn Hyo-Seong
Published: March 2016

The advantage of using Autodyn, a specialized hydro-code for the analysis of explosion and impact, is its appropriateness for predicting the progressive collapse of a building when a column still has some load-bearing capacity left after a blast. However, the requirement of sharing nodes between volume elements for concrete and line elements for reinforcements hampers its application to the blast analysis of large-scale reinforced concrete structures. In this article, the blast analysis of a reinforced concrete frame structure is simulated using the reinforcement contact model in Autodyn. This modeling method shows structural behavior under blast load similar to that of a more precise model with reinforcement and concrete. Furthermore, this method allows for faster simulation of progressive collapse analysis for tall buildings. The effect of steel reinforcement patterns and spacing of stirrups in reinforced concrete beams is demonstrated by performing several progressive collapse analyses with the reinforcement contact model. Thus, the proposed modeling method can be effectively applied to the blast-loading progressive collapse analysis of a reinforced concrete frame structure.
The impact of thermal mass on cold and hot climate zones of Portugal
Authors: Carlos Jorge S.
Published: March 2016

The aim of this paper is focused on the energy performance of buildings containing massive wall alternatives. The analysis comprised the comparison of the heating and cooling loads of seven characteristic wall configurations of one sample building with different dynamic internal heat capacity (ISO 13790:2008) in spite of the equal thermal resistance. The equal thermal resistance, as derived from simple steady-state condition, was imposed in order to allow research of effects solely attributed to the wall heat capacity on the building performance. A detached one floor dwelling exposed to different climate conditions in Portugal was analysed to illustrate the effect of the same wall in terms of energy demand during cold and hot weather conditions. A whole building dynamic modelling using EnergyPlus was employed for the energy analysis. The best thermal performance was obtained with massive walls that were located at the inner side, for a very heavy weight building and high building time constant.
Supervision: A contested space for learning and decision making
Authors: Saltiel David
Published: March 2016

Supervision is a core activity in social work in the UK and elsewhere, widely associated with a range of positive outcomes for service users and professionals, while Public Inquiries and Serious Case Reviews have identified poor supervision as a factor in some child deaths. While there is agreement on the nature and value of ‘good’ supervision there are debates on the possibilities of delivering it in today’s pressured, poorly resourced working environments and a lack of data on what actually happens in supervision. This article presents some findings from interviews with social workers and their managers drawn from a wider study on how social workers make decisions in child protection work. They suggest that supervision is an important site for evaluating practitioner accounts and thereby constructing knowledge and making decisions about cases against a background of uncertainty and complexity. However, the ways in which these processes were negotiated shed light on supervision as a complex social process with a range of unofficial, tacit functions, embedded in the webs of social actions and exchanges that created and sustained the identities of the practitioners and their teams. What also emerged were the complex skills experienced supervisors developed in challenging and refining practitioner accounts, skills which novice supervisors struggled to acquire.
The artist can’t escape: The artist as (reluctant) public pedagogue
Authors: Caris Arthur , Cowell Gillian
Published: March 2016

This article addresses the question of how artists may recognise art as a public pedagogy whilst staying detached from the role of teacher in the traditional sense. We report on three art practices of citizens engaging in ‘situation art’ to support and illustrate a few theoretical concepts derived from Biesta’s theory of public pedagogy. The examples will be investigated as pedagogies ‘that enact a concern for publicness’, where Biesta argues for pedagogic interventions that make action possible in an arena of plurality and diversity. Inspired by Biesta we will develop the concept of ‘artistic citizenship’, a practising of citizenship in community settings that engages in playful and unknowable-in-advance artistic interventions in everyday life, thereby testing the quality of the public sphere and setting conditions for pedagogies that have the potential to be ‘politically significant’.
Rethink Your Drink
Authors: Hartigan Phyllis , Patton-Ku Dana , Fidler Cheri , Boutelle Kerri N.
Published: March 2016

Background. Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) are linked to obesity; hospitals are a priority setting to reduce intake. This article describes the development, implementation, and results of a focused intervention to reduce SSB sales within a hospital setting. Method. After a formative research process, Rethink Your Drink was launched at a children’s hospital in San Diego. The initiative consisted of an educational intervention using the stoplight system to categorize beverages as red, yellow, or green based on sugar content. Beverage sales data were collected for 3 months prior, during the 12-month intervention, and for 4 months after the intervention ended. Results. Monthly red beverage sales decreased from an average of 56% during baseline to 32% at the end of the data collection period (p < .001). Monthly green beverage sales increased from an average of 12.2% during baseline to 38% at the end of the data collection period (p < .001). Sales revenue for all drinks remained constant. Discussion. The intervention resulted in a decrease in SSB sales and an increase in sales of healthier beverage choices. Such interventions can play an important role in obesity prevention and may be more feasible for smaller hospitals with limited resources.
Qualitative and Mixed Methods Social Media Research
Authors: Snelson Chareen L.
Published: March 2016

Social media technologies have attracted substantial attention among many types of users including researchers who have published studies for several years. This article presents an overview of trends in qualitative and mixed methods social media research literature published from 2007 through 2013. A collection of 229 qualitative studies were identified through a systematic literature review process. A subset of 55 of these articles report studies involving a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods. Articles were reviewed, analyzed, and coded through a qualitative content analysis approach. Overall trends are presented with respect to the entire collection of articles followed by an analysis of mixed methods research approaches identified in the subset of 55 studies. The most commonly used research approaches involved collecting data from people through interview, focus group, and survey methodologies. Content analysis was the second most commonly used approach whereby researchers use Facebook posts, Tweets (Twitter posts), YouTube videos, or other social media content as a data source. Many of the studies involving combinations of quantitative and qualitative data followed a design resembling Creswell and Plano Clark’s basic mixed methods typology (e.g., convergent parallel, explanatory sequential, and exploratory sequential).
Comprehending the Macro Through the Lens of the Micro
Authors: Zimmerman Lisa , Smit Brigitte
Published: March 2016

The South African Grade 4 learners had the lowest achievement mean of all participating education systems for the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) 2006. Further investigation was required to explore the potential reasons for the low performance. Although traditionally, secondary analyses of the data for international comparative studies of learner achievement have involved quantitative procedures, the mixed methods research design used for this study with emphasis placed on the qualitative phase was a unique departure from this methodological status quo. The aim was to explore schooling conditions and teaching practices for Grade 4 learners’ reading literacy development across the range of South African education contexts. In the first phase of the research, teacher and school survey data linked to a nationally representative learner sample ( n = 14,299) for the PIRLS 2006 were used for description of Grade 4 teachers’ instruction practices and schooling conditions. This description took place on the basis of the reclassification of the teacher and school survey data according to class language profiles and average class performance as aligned to each of the achievement benchmarks of the PIRLS 2006 and further benchmarks created to describe the performance levels of the majority of South African learners. Thereafter, in the second phase, seven qualitative school and teacher case studies from each reclassification subsample were purposively selected to add illuminatory depth to the study. The sampling strategy allowed for scrutiny of cases with high PIRLS achievement profiles against cases with poor achievement profiles, and the comparisons afforded a far greater understanding of the problem. This article reflects on the methodological rationales, processes, and outcomes associated with this methodological choice.
Functional and structural characterization of axonal opioid receptors as targets for analgesia
Authors: Mambretti Egle M , Kistner Katrin , Mayer Stefanie , Massotte Dominique , Kieffer Brigitte L , Hoffmann Carsten , Reeh Peter W , Brack Alexander , Asan Esther , Rittner Heike L
Published: March 2016

Background

Opioids are the gold standard for the treatment of acute pain despite serious side effects in the central and enteric nervous system. µ-opioid receptors (MOPs) are expressed and functional at the terminals of sensory axons, when activated by exogenous or endogenous ligands. However, the presence and function of MOP along nociceptive axons remains controversial particularly in naïve animals. Here, we characterized axonal MOPs by immunofluorescence, ultrastructural, and functional analyses. Furthermore, we evaluated hypertonic saline as a possible enhancer of opioid receptor function.

Results

Comparative immunolabeling showed that, among several tested antibodies, which all provided specific MOP detection in the rat central nervous system (CNS), only one monoclonal MOP-antibody yielded specificity and reproducibility for MOP detection in the rat peripheral nervous system including the sciatic nerve. Double immunolabeling documented that MOP immunoreactivity was confined to calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) positive fibers and fiber bundles. Almost identical labeling and double labeling patterns were found using mcherry-immunolabeling on sciatic nerves of mice producing a MOP-mcherry fusion protein (MOP-mcherry knock-in mice). Preembedding immunogold electron microscopy on MOP-mcherry knock-in sciatic nerves indicated presence of MOP in cytoplasm and at membranes of unmyelinated axons. Application of [D-Ala 2 , N-MePhe 4 , Gly-ol]-enkephalin (DAMGO) or fentanyl dose-dependently inhibited depolarization-induced CGRP release from rat sciatic nerve axons ex vivo, which was blocked by naloxone. When the lipophilic opioid fentanyl was applied perisciatically in naïve Wistar rats, mechanical nociceptive thresholds increased. Subthreshold doses of fentanyl or the hydrophilic opioid DAMGO were only effective if injected together with hypertonic saline. In vitro, using β-arrestin-2/MOP double-transfected human embryonic kidney cells, DAMGO as well as fentanyl lead to a recruitment of β-arrestin-2 to the membrane followed by a β-arrestin-2 reappearance in the cytosol and MOP internalization. Pretreatment with hypertonic saline prevented MOP internalization.

Conclusion

MOPs are present and functional in the axonal membrane from naïve animals. Hypertonic saline acutely decreases ligand-induced internalization of MOP and thereby might improve MOP function. Further studies should explore potential clinical applications of opioids together with enhancers for regional analgesia.
Agenda instability in Pennsylvania politics: Lessons for future replication
Authors: Mallinson Daniel J
Published: March 2016

Research on agenda-setting dynamics in American politics has a rich and deep history. Recent efforts to extend this work into other countries provides a comparative perspective on how differing institutional designs shape attention allocation and punctuated equilibrium. This comparison is not only possible cross-nationally, but also between the American states. Using an untapped resource—the Pennsylvania Policy Agendas Project—the author replicates three components of punctuated equilibrium and agenda-setting theory (leptokurtic budget distributions, agenda-opinion correspondence, and media effects) that provide a benchmark for future comparative analysis as additional states join the project. This work argues that these efforts are beneficial not only for understanding agenda dynamics within the states, but also broader issues of representation, responsiveness, and their relationship with institutional design.
The impact of poor glycaemic control on the prevalence of erectile dysfunction in men with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a systematic review
Authors: Binmoammar Turki A , Hassounah Sondus , Alsaad Saad , Rawaf Salman , Majeed Azeem
Published: March 2016

Objective

To determine the impact of poor glycaemic control on the prevalence of erectile dysfunction among men with type 2 Diabetics aged 27 to 85 years.

Design

The databases Embase classic+Embase, Global health, Ovid Medline and PsychINFO, were searched for relevant studies in June 2014 using the keywords: (Diabetes Mellitus OR diabetes mellitus type2 OR DM2 OR T2DM OR insulin resistance) AND (erectile dysfunction OR sexual dysfunction OR impotence) AND glycaemic control.

Setting

All study settings were considered (primary care, secondary care and tertiary care setting).

Participants

Type 2 Diabetic Patients with erectile dysfunction.

Main outcome measures

Included studies must include one of the following outcomes: (1) HBA1c for assess the level of glycaemic control; (2) Erectile dysfunction (any stage: IIEF-5 = 21 or less).

Results

Five cross-sectional studies involving 3299 patients were included. The findings pointed to a positive association between erectile dysfunction and glycaemic control. Three studies showed a significant positive association, while one study showed only a weak correlation and one study showed borderline significance. Patients’ age, diabetes mellitus duration, peripheral neuropathy and body mass index had positive association with erectile dysfunction. However, smoking and hypertension were not associated with erectile dysfunction in most included studies. Physical activity had a protective effect against erectile dysfunction.

Conclusion

We may conclude that the risk of erectile dysfunction is higher in type 2 diabetic men with poor glycaemic control than those with good control.
Prevalence of selected infectious disease agents in stray cats in Catalonia, Spain
Authors: Ravicini Sara , Pastor Josep , Hawley Jennifer , Brewer Melissa , Castro-López Jorge , Beall Melissa , Lappin Michael R
Published: March 2016

Objectives

The objective of the current study was to investigate the prevalence rates of the following infectious agents in 116 stray cats in the Barcelona area of Spain: Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Bartonella species, Borrelia burgdorferi, Chlamydia felis, Dirofilaria immitis, Ehrlichia species, feline calicivirus (FCV), feline herpesvirus-1 (FHV-1), feline leukaemia virus (FeLV), feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), haemoplasmas, Mycoplasma species and Rickettsia species.

Methods

Serum antibodies were used to estimate the prevalence of exposure to A phagocytophilum, Bartonella species, B burgdorferi, Ehrlichia species and FIV; serum antigens were used to assess for infection by D immitis and FeLV; and molecular assays were used to amplify nucleic acids of Anaplasma species, Bartonella species, C felis, D immitis, Ehrlichia species, FCV, FHV-1, haemoplasmas, Mycoplasma species and Rickettsia species from blood and nasal or oral swabs.

Results

Of the 116 cats, 63 (54.3%) had evidence of infection by Bartonella species, FeLV, FIV or a haemoplasma. Anaplasma species, Ehrlichia species or Rickettsia species DNA was not amplified from these cats. A total of 18/116 cats (15.5%) were positive for FCV RNA (six cats), Mycoplasma species DNA (six cats), FHV-1 DNA (three cats) or C felis DNA (three cats).

Conclusions and relevance

This study documents that shelter cats in Catalonia are exposed to many infectious agents with clinical and zoonotic significance, and that flea control is indicated for cats in the region.
Nurse anaesthetists’ experiences of the first intraoperative meeting with anxious adult patients: An interview study
Authors: Bengtsson Yvonne , Johansson Anders , Englund Erica
Published: March 2016

The first intraoperative meeting between the nurse anaesthetist and the patient is usually brief. The short encounter requires nursing competence and it is important to build rapport with the patient. Organizational aspects such as shortage of time can affect the first encounter. The aim of the study was to elucidate nurse anaesthetists’ experiences of the first intraoperative meeting with anxious adult patients. A qualitative content analysis was conducted. Ten nurse anaesthetists were interviewed using open-ended questions. The theme ‘To address’ emerged from three categories: Situations that can affect how to address patient anxiety, Strategies on how to address patient anxiety and Experiences of addressing patient anxiety. The study showed that it became easier with professional experience to address patient anxiety. The most prominent findings were the differences in how to address patient anxiety, with either medical or nursing interventions.
Global Financial Crisis, Capital Inflows and Policy Trilemma: An Analysis of the Indian Experience
Authors: Chakraborty Indrani
Published: March 2016

In the context of the global financial crisis, this article analyzes the behaviour of capital inflows in India during the period from 1993.2 to 2012.4. It also examines the question, how have the policy makers in India dealt with the ‘policy trilemma’ in a regime of liberalized capital inflows? The study finds that the volatility of capital inflows increased after the global financial crisis. Further, due to the global financial crisis, there were substantial changes in the relative importance of the factors that explain capital inflows. Although the ‘pull factors’ played major roles in both the periods, before and after the crisis, there were significant changes in their relative importance. In the first sub-period, real effective exchange rate and foreign exchange reserves played the most important roles in determining the capital inflows whereas in the second sub-period, it was only current account balance. While dealing with ‘policy trilemma’, we observed that the monetary policy independence was maintained in the period before the crisis which was sacrificed in the later period.

JEL Classification: F30, F32, F39
Caring Behaviors: Perceptions of Acute Care Nurses and Hospitalized Patients with Diabetes
Authors: Modic Mary Beth , Siedlecki Sandra L. , Griffin Mary T. Quinn , Fitzpatrick c Joyce J.
Published: March 2016

Caring behaviors

Perceptions of acute care nurses and hospitalized patients with diabetes

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of caring behaviors that influence the patient experience in acute care nurses and hospitalized patients with diabetes.

Background

Nurses are the caregivers who render most of the direct care patients receive while they are hospitalized. Understanding what patients perceive as caring behaviors is essential in tailoring nursing interventions to meet patient needs.

Data sources

Data collection occurred at a 1,200 bed, nonprofit academic medical center located in the Midwest.

Description

Sixty-four nurses and 54 patients with diabetes were queried about their experience with diabetes caring behaviors.

Conclusion

Nurses consistently reported providing caring behaviors more frequently than patients reported receiving them.

Implications

This study has implications for understanding the patient experience in the hospital setting specifically related to patient education. Providing patient education is an important caring intervention that directly affects the patient experience. However, none of the patients in this study identified this as a caring behavior used by nurses.
HCAHPS Survey Results: Impact of Severity of Illness on Hospitals' Performance on HCAHPS Survey Results
Authors: Merlino James I. , Kestranek Carmen , Bokar Daniel , Sun Zhiyuan , Nissen Steven E. , Longworth David L.
Published: March 2016

Background

The Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey is used by the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) to assess inpatient satisfaction. HCAHPS survey results are publicly reported, and performance began to affect CMS reimbursement to hospitals as of FY2013. However, the impact of severity of illness on patients' self-reported inpatient satisfaction as measured by HCAHPS survey scores remains unknown.

Objective

To determine the impact of severity of illness on patients' self-reported inpatient satisfaction.

Design

The All Patient-Refined, Diagnosis Related Group (APR-DRG) classifies every patient into one of four levels of severity of illness. We evaluated the impact of APR-DRG severity of illness on five HCAHPS domains, two reputation and two environmental questions, using linear regression analysis.

Setting

Adult inpatients discharged from a large, academic, tertiary care hospital

Patients

37,223 patients' HCAHPS survey data were combined with their APR-DRG severity of illness rating over a 39-month period between April 2008 and June 2011.

Measurements

HCAHPS scores

Results

Higher severity of illness was consistently and inversely associated with lower patients' self-reported perception of inpatient hospital satisfaction as measured by HCAHPS scores. For each one-unit increase in severity of illness, the average HCHAPS scores across all five domains were approximately 3 percent lower.

Conclusions

Hospitals treating patients with a higher severity of illness will have lower HCAHPS scores, potentially leading these hospitals to receive lower reimbursement from CMS. Conversely, hospitals with lower severity of illness will receive greater reimbursement. Failure to adequately adjust for severity of illness is a serious flaw in the current HCAHPS reporting system that should be corrected.
Financial versus Non-Financial Incentives for Improving Patient Experience
Authors: Lee Thomas H.
Published: March 2016

Delivering compassionate and coordinated care is a goal for all health care providers. Humans are not always consistent, though, both individually and collectively, and this is why everyone needs incentives to be at their best and to try to always be improving.

The endlessly interesting question in patient experience is, what should those incentives look like? Should they be financial or nonfinancial? Dr. Thomas H. Lee explores what is most effective in regard to engaging and motivating physicians. While different approaches will work in different organizational cultures, financial incentives have their role in performance improvement. Compassionate coordinated care should be a social norm and be pursued by all health care organizations.
p21-activated kinase 2 regulates HSPC cytoskeleton, migration, and homing via CDC42 activation and interaction with β-Pix
Authors: Reddy Pavankumar N. G. , Radu Maria , Xu Ke , Wood Jenna , Harris Chad E. , Chernoff Jonathan , Williams David A.
Published: March 2016

Key Points

Pak2 kinase activity and β-Pix interaction regulate HSPC directional migration, actin remodeling, homing, and engraftment. Pak2 regulates homing of HSPCs to the bone marrow via CDC42 activation.
MaGuS: a tool for quality assessment and scaffolding of genome assemblies with Whole Genome Profiling™ Data
Authors: Madoui Mohammed-Amin , Dossat Carole , d’Agata Léo , van Oeveren Jan , van der Vossen Edwin , Aury Jean-Marc
Published: March 2016

Background

Scaffolding is an essential step in the genome assembly process. Current methods based on large fragment paired-end reads or long reads allow an increase in contiguity but often lack consistency in repetitive regions, resulting in fragmented assemblies. Here, we describe a novel tool to link assemblies to a genome map to aid complex genome reconstruction by detecting assembly errors and allowing scaffold ordering and anchoring.

Results

We present MaGuS (map-guided scaffolding), a modular tool that uses a draft genome assembly, a Whole Genome Profiling™ (WGP) map, and high-throughput paired-end sequencing data to estimate the quality and to enhance the contiguity of an assembly. We generated several assemblies of the Arabidopsis genome using different scaffolding programs and applied MaGuS to select the best assembly using quality metrics. Then, we used MaGuS to perform map-guided scaffolding to increase contiguity by creating new scaffold links in low-covered and highly repetitive regions where other commonly used scaffolding methods lack consistency.

Conclusions

MaGuS is a powerful reference-free evaluator of assembly quality and a WGP map-guided scaffolder that is freely available at https://github.com/institut-de-genomique/MaGuS. Its use can be extended to other high-throughput sequencing data (e.g., long-read data) and also to other map data (e.g., genetic maps) to improve the quality and the contiguity of large and complex genome assemblies.
Testing CREATE at Community Colleges: An Examination of Faculty Perspectives and Diverse Student Gains
Authors: Kenyon Kristy L. , Onorato Morgan E. , Gottesman Alan J. , Hoque Jamila , Hoskins Sally G.
Published: March 2016

CREATE (Consider, Read, Elucidate the hypotheses, Analyze and interpret the data, and Think of the next Experiment) is an innovative pedagogy for teaching science through the intensive analysis of scientific literature. Initiated at the City College of New York, a minority-serving institution, and regionally expanded in the New York/New Jersey/Pennsylvania area, this methodology has had multiple positive impacts on faculty and students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics courses. To determine whether the CREATE strategy is effective at the community college (2-yr) level, we prepared 2-yr faculty to use CREATE methodologies and investigated CREATE implementation at community colleges in seven regions of the United States. We used outside evaluation combined with pre/postcourse assessments of students to test related hypotheses: 1) workshop-trained 2-yr faculty teach effectively with the CREATE strategy in their first attempt, and 2) 2-yr students in CREATE courses make cognitive and affective gains during their CREATE quarter or semester. Community college students demonstrated positive shifts in experimental design and critical-thinking ability concurrent with gains in attitudes/self-rated learning and maturation of epistemological beliefs about science.
PGE2-treated macrophages inhibit development of allergic lung inflammation in mice
Authors: Draijer Christina , Boorsma Carian E , Reker-Smit Catharina , Post Eduard , Poelstra Klaas , Melgert Barbro N
Published: March 2016

In healthy lungs, many macrophages are characterized by IL-10 production, and few are characterized by expression of IFN regulatory factor 5 (formerly M1) or YM1 and/or CD206 (formerly M2), whereas in asthma, this balance shifts toward few producing IL-10 and many expressing IFN regulatory factor 5 or YM1/CD206. In this study, we tested whether redressing the balance by reinstating IL-10 production could prevent house dust mite-induced allergic lung inflammation. PGE2 was found to be the best inducer of IL-10 in macrophages in vitro. Mice were then sensitized and challenged to house dust mites during a 2 wk protocol while treated with PGE2 in different ways. Lung inflammation was assessed 3 d after the last house dust mite challenge. House dust mite-exposed mice treated with free PGE2 had fewer infiltrating eosinophils in lungs and lower YM1 serum levels than vehicle-treated mice. Macrophage-specific delivery of PGE2 did not affect lung inflammation. Adoptive transfer of PGE2-treated macrophages led to fewer infiltrating eosinophils, macrophages, (activated) CD4+, and regulatory T lymphocytes in lungs. Our study shows that the redirection of macrophage polarization by using PGE2 inhibits development of allergic lung inflammation. This beneficial effect of macrophage repolarization is a novel avenue to explore for therapeutic purposes.
Linked in: immunologic membrane nanotube networks
Authors: Zaccard C R , Rinaldo C R , Mailliard R B
Published: March 2016

Membrane nanotubes, also termed tunneling nanotubes, are F-actin-based structures that can form direct cytoplasmic connections and support rapid communication between distant cells. These nanoscale conduits have been observed in diverse cell types, including immune, neuronal, stromal, cancer, and stem cells. Until recently, little was known about the mechanisms involved in membrane nanotube development in myeloid origin APCs or how membrane nanotube networks support their ability to bridge innate and adaptive immunity. New research has provided insight into the modes of induction and regulation of the immune process of “reticulation” or the development of multicellular membrane nanotube networks in dendritic cells. Preprogramming by acute type 1 inflammatory mediators at their immature stage licenses mature type 1-polarized dendritic cells to reticulate upon subsequent interaction with CD40 ligand-expressing CD4+ Th cells. Dendritic cell reticulation can support direct antigen transfer for amplification of specific T cell responses and can be positively or negatively regulated by signals from distinct Th cell subsets. Membrane nanotubes not only enhance the ability of immature dendritic cells to sense pathogens and rapidly mobilize nearby antigen-presenting cells in the peripheral tissues but also likely support communication of pathogen-related information from mature migratory dendritic cells to resident dendritic cells in lymph nodes. Therefore, the reticulation process facilitates a coordinated multicellular response for the efficient initiation of cell-mediated adaptive immune responses. Herein, we discuss studies focused on the molecular mechanisms of membrane nanotube formation, structure, and function in the context of immunity and how pathogens, such as HIV-1, may use dendritic cell reticulation to circumvent host defenses.
Role of CXCR4-mediated bone marrow colonization in CNS infiltration by T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia
Authors: Jost Tanja Rezzonico , Borga Chiara , Radaelli Enrico , Romagnani Andrea , Perruzza Lisa , Omodho Lorna , Cazzaniga Giovanni , Biondi Andrea , Indraccolo Stefano , Thelen Marcus , te Kronnie Geertruy , Grassi Fabio
Published: March 2016

Infiltration of the central nervous system is a severe trait of T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Inhibition of CXC chemokine receptor 4 significantly ameliorates T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia in murine models of the disease; however, signaling by CXC chemokine receptor 4 is important in limiting the divagation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells out of the perivascular space into the central nervous system parenchyma. Therefore, Inhibition of CXC chemokine receptor 4 potentially may untangle T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells from retention outside the brain. Here, we show that leukemic lymphoblasts massively infiltrate cranial bone marrow, with diffusion to the meninges without invasion of the brain parenchyma, in mice that underwent xenotransplantation with human T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells or that developed leukemia from transformed hematopoietic progenitors. We tested the hypothesis that T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia neuropathology results from meningeal infiltration through CXC chemokine receptor 4–mediated bone marrow colonization. Inhibition of leukemia engraftment in the bone marrow by pharmacologic CXC chemokine receptor 4 antagonism significantly ameliorated neuropathologic aspects of the disease. Genetic deletion of CXCR4 in murine hematopoietic progenitors abrogated leukemogenesis induced by constitutively active Notch1, whereas lack of CCR6 and CCR7, which have been shown to be involved in T cell and leukemia extravasation into the central nervous system, respectively, did not influence T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia development. We hypothesize that lymphoblastic meningeal infiltration as a result of bone marrow colonization is responsible for the degenerative alterations of the neuroparenchyma as well as the alteration of cerebrospinal fluid drainage in T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia xenografts. Therefore, CXC chemokine receptor 4 may constitute a pharmacologic target for T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia neuropathology.
Constrained waveform inversion for automatic salt flooding
Authors: Esser Ernie , Guasch Lluís , Herrmann Felix J. , Warner Mike
Published: March 2016

Given appropriate data acquisition, processing to remove nonprimary arrivals, and use of an accurate migration algorithm, it is the quality of the subsurface velocity model that typically controls the quality of imaging that can be obtained from salt-affected seismic data. Full-waveform inversion has the potential to improve the accuracy, resolution, repeatability, and speed with which such velocity models can be generated, but, in the absence of an accurate starting model, that potential is difficult to realize in practice. Presented are successful inversion results, obtained from synthetic subsalt models, using a robust full-waveform inversion code that includes constraints upon the set of allowable earth models. These constraints include limitations on the total variation of the velocity of the model and, most significantly, on the asymmetric variation of velocity with depth such that negative velocity excursions are limited. During the iteration, these constraints are relaxed progressively so that the final model is driven principally by the seismic data, but the constraints act to steer the inversion path away from local minima in its early stages. This methodology is applied to portions of the 2004 BP benchmark and Phase I SEAM salt models, recovering an accurate model of the salt body, including its base and flanks, and an accurate model of the subsalt velocity structure, starting from one-dimensional velocity models that are severely cycle skipped. This approach removes entirely the requirement to pick salt boundaries from migrated seismic data, and acts as a form of automatic salt and sediment flooding during full-waveform inversion.
Adaptive least-squares RTM with applications to subsalt imaging
Authors: Zeng Chong , Dong Shuqian , Wang Bin
Published: March 2016

Least-squares reverse time migration (LSRTM) refines the seismic image toward true reflectivity by inversion. Its iterative nature and modeling capability enable the use of synthetic data to guide the preconditioning of input data. When the velocity contains errors, dynamic warping can be used to shift the input data and force the traveltime to be consistent with the imperfect migration velocity. A crosscorrelation-based confidence level is introduced to control the quality of dynamic warping for field data. The confidence level also is used as an inverse weighting to adaptively precondition the data residual. The adaptive preconditioning automatically balances data fitting in the shallow and deep and speeds up convergence in subsalt. Both synthetic and field data experiments based in the Gulf of Mexico show that the adaptive LSRTM can improve the image quality in subsalt effectively and efficiently. Within only a few iterations, the adaptive LSRTM suppresses the salt halo artifacts and increases the signal-to-noise ratio in poorly illuminated areas. It also improves the termination of sediments against salt boundaries and enhances subsalt image coherency. Compared with conventional RTM, the adaptive LSRTM image is more favorable to geologic interpretation.
Prediction of lateral variations in reservoir properties throughout an interpreted seismic horizon using an artificial neural network
Authors: Cersósimo Darío Sergio , Ravazzoli Claudia L. , Martínez Ramón García
Published: March 2016

Successful use of an artificial neural network is shown to predict lateral variations of seismic velocity, density, thickness, and gamma rays associated with sand dune reservoirs identified on a previously interpreted seismic horizon. The work is presented in two main sections. Section one is a feasibility analysis based on synthetic data. A known geologic model is used, performed by pseudowells, in which lateral variations in seismic velocity, density, and gamma ray values are related to the dunes. The synthetic seismic model and the attributes derived are used as training input in the neural network. Section two is a real case example where the methodology is applied to a real seismic data set. Results indicate that using a set of data and attributes restricted to a time interval corresponding to a previously interpreted seismic horizon is more efficient than using a whole data cube, involving a very large volume of data.
Seismic inversion: What it is, and what it is not
Authors: Landa Evgeny , Treitel Sven
Published: March 2016

Seismic inversion is an ill-posed problem. All currently used inversion algorithms are, at best, approximations. As a result, we face the problem that many models of the subsurface give rise to synthetic data, all of which fit the data within a given measure of error. It is the job of the experienced seismic interpreter to choose among this set of well-fitting models those that are geologically most plausible, given the interpreter's experience and prior geologic knowledge of the area being explored.
Tumor Autonomous Effects of Vitamin D Deficiency Promote Breast Cancer Metastasis
Authors: Williams Jasmaine D. , Aggarwal Abhishek , Swami Srilatha , Krishnan Aruna V. , Ji Lijuan , Albertelli Megan A. , Feldman Brian J.
Published: March 2016

Patients with breast cancer (BCa) frequently have preexisting vitamin D deficiency (low serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D) when their cancer develops. A number of epidemiological studies show an inverse association between BCa risk and vitamin D status in humans, although some studies have failed to find an association. In addition, several studies have reported that BCa patients with vitamin D deficiency have a more aggressive molecular phenotype and worse prognostic indicators. However, it is unknown whether this association is mechanistically causative and, if so, whether it results from systemic or tumor autonomous effects of vitamin D signaling. We found that ablation of vitamin D receptor expression within BCa cells accelerates primary tumor growth and enables the development of metastases, demonstrating a tumor autonomous effect of vitamin D signaling to suppress BCa metastases. We show that vitamin D signaling inhibits the expression of the tumor progression gene Id1, and this pathway is abrogated in vitamin D deficiency in vivo in 2 murine models of BCa. These findings are relevant to humans, because we discovered that the mechanism of VDR regulation of Inhibitor of differentiation 1 (ID1) is conserved in human BCa cells, and there is a negative correlation between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and the level of ID1 in primary tumors from patients with BCa.
The Management of Primary Aldosteronism: Case Detection, Diagnosis, and Treatment: An Endocrine Society Clinical Practice Guideline
Authors: Funder John W. , Carey Robert M. , Mantero Franco , Murad M. Hassan , Reincke Martin , Shibata Hirotaka , Stowasser Michael , Young William F.
Published: March 2016

Objective:

To develop clinical practice guidelines for the management of patients with primary aldosteronism.

Participants:

The Task Force included a chair, selected by the Clinical Guidelines Subcommittee of the Endocrine Society, six additional experts, a methodologist, and a medical writer. The guideline was cosponsored by American Heart Association, American Association of Endocrine Surgeons, European Society of Endocrinology, European Society of Hypertension, International Association of Endocrine Surgeons, International Society of Endocrinology, International Society of Hypertension, Japan Endocrine Society, and The Japanese Society of Hypertension. The Task Force received no corporate funding or remuneration.

Evidence:

We searched for systematic reviews and primary studies to formulate the key treatment and prevention recommendations. We used the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation group criteria to describe both the quality of evidence and the strength of recommendations. We used “recommend” for strong recommendations and “suggest” for weak recommendations.

Consensus Process:

We achieved consensus by collecting the best available evidence and conducting one group meeting, several conference calls, and multiple e-mail communications. With the help of a medical writer, the Endocrine Society's Clinical Guidelines Subcommittee, Clinical Affairs Core Committee, and Council successfully reviewed the drafts prepared by the Task Force. We placed the version approved by the Clinical Guidelines Subcommittee and Clinical Affairs Core Committee on the Endocrine Society's website for comments by members. At each stage of review, the Task Force received written comments and incorporated necessary changes.

Conclusions:

For high-risk groups of hypertensive patients and those with hypokalemia, we recommend case detection of primary aldosteronism by determining the aldosterone-renin ratio under standard conditions and recommend that a commonly used confirmatory test should confirm/exclude the condition. We recommend that all patients with primary aldosteronism undergo adrenal computed tomography as the initial study in subtype testing and to exclude adrenocortical carcinoma. We recommend that an experienced radiologist should establish/exclude unilateral primary aldosteronism using bilateral adrenal venous sampling, and if confirmed, this should optimally be treated by laparoscopic adrenalectomy. We recommend that patients with bilateral adrenal hyperplasia or those unsuitable for surgery should be treated primarily with a mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist.
Mouse myofibers lacking the SMYD1 methyltransferase are susceptible to atrophy, internalization of nuclei and myofibrillar disarray
Authors: Stewart M. David , Lopez Suhujey , Nagandla Harika , Soibam Benjamin , Benham Ashley , Nguyen Jasmine , Valenzuela Nicolas , Wu Harry J. , Burns Alan R. , Rasmussen Tara L. , Tucker Haley O. , Schwartz Robert J.
Published: March 2016

The Smyd1 gene encodes a lysine methyltransferase specifically expressed in striated muscle. Because Smyd1-null mouse embryos die from heart malformation prior to formation of skeletal muscle, we developed a Smyd1 conditional-knockout allele to determine the consequence of SMYD1 loss in mammalian skeletal muscle. Ablation of SMYD1 specifically in skeletal myocytes after myofiber differentiation using Myf6cre produced a non-degenerative myopathy. Mutant mice exhibited weakness, myofiber hypotrophy, prevalence of oxidative myofibers, reduction in triad numbers, regional myofibrillar disorganization/breakdown and a high percentage of myofibers with centralized nuclei. Notably, we found broad upregulation of muscle development genes in the absence of regenerating or degenerating myofibers. These data suggest that the afflicted fibers are in a continual state of repair in an attempt to restore damaged myofibrils. Disease severity was greater for males than females. Despite equivalent expression in all fiber types, loss of SMYD1 primarily affected fast-twitch muscle, illustrating fiber-type-specific functions for SMYD1. This work illustrates a crucial role for SMYD1 in skeletal muscle physiology and myofibril integrity.
The interplay between intestinal bacteria and host metabolism in health and disease: lessons fromDrosophila melanogaster
Authors: Wong Adam C. N. , Vanhove Audrey S. , Watnick Paula I.
Published: March 2016

All higher organisms negotiate a truce with their commensal microbes and battle pathogenic microbes on a daily basis. Much attention has been given to the role of the innate immune system in controlling intestinal microbes and to the strategies used by intestinal microbes to overcome the host immune response. However, it is becoming increasingly clear that the metabolisms of intestinal microbes and their hosts are linked and that this interaction is equally important for host health and well-being. For instance, an individual's array of commensal microbes can influence their predisposition to chronic metabolic diseases such as diabetes and obesity. A better understanding of host–microbe metabolic interactions is important in defining the molecular bases of these disorders and could potentially lead to new therapeutic avenues. Key advances in this area have been made using Drosophila melanogaster. Here, we review studies that have explored the impact of both commensal and pathogenic intestinal microbes on Drosophila carbohydrate and lipid metabolism. These studies have helped to elucidate the metabolites produced by intestinal microbes, the intestinal receptors that sense these metabolites, and the signaling pathways through which these metabolites manipulate host metabolism. Furthermore, they suggest that targeting microbial metabolism could represent an effective therapeutic strategy for human metabolic diseases and intestinal infection.
Modeling congenital disease and inborn errors of development inDrosophila melanogaster
Authors: Moulton Matthew J. , Letsou Anthea
Published: March 2016

Fly models that faithfully recapitulate various aspects of human disease and human health-related biology are being used for research into disease diagnosis and prevention. Established and new genetic strategies in Drosophila have yielded numerous substantial successes in modeling congenital disorders or inborn errors of human development, as well as neurodegenerative disease and cancer. Moreover, although our ability to generate sequence datasets continues to outpace our ability to analyze these datasets, the development of high-throughput analysis platforms in Drosophila has provided access through the bottleneck in the identification of disease gene candidates. In this Review, we describe both the traditional and newer methods that are facilitating the incorporation of Drosophila into the human disease discovery process, with a focus on the models that have enhanced our understanding of human developmental disorders and congenital disease. Enviable features of the Drosophila experimental system, which make it particularly useful in facilitating the much anticipated move from genotype to phenotype (understanding and predicting phenotypes directly from the primary DNA sequence), include its genetic tractability, the low cost for high-throughput discovery, and a genome and underlying biology that are highly evolutionarily conserved. In embracing the fly in the human disease-gene discovery process, we can expect to speed up and reduce the cost of this process, allowing experimental scales that are not feasible and/or would be too costly in higher eukaryotes.