bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Spontaneous regression of interdigitating dendritic sarcoma in a patient with concurrent small lymphocytic lymphoma
Authors: Khashab Tamer , Sehgal Lalit , Medeiros L Jeffrey , Samaniego Felipe
Published: June 2015

Interdigitating dendritic cell sarcoma (IDCS) is a rare tumour; only seven cases of IDCS associated with chronic lymphocytic leucaemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL) have been reported. We present the case of a 60-year-old man who presented with fevers, night sweats and significant unintentional weight loss. Investigations led to a diagnosis of synchronous SLL and IDCS. Subsequent fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography CT (PET-CT) imaging revealed an unusual clinical course with spontaneously resolving highly metabolic lesions. After 42 months of follow-up, the patient remains free of clinical symptoms and evidence of IDCS.
A case of panic to pulmonary embolism
Authors: Ng Mansum , Pandya Nikila , Conry Brendon , Gale Richard
Published: June 2015

Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a rare paediatric diagnosis, but its presence is likely to be underestimated due to the subtle and non-specific nature of its symptoms. Common clinical features of PE include shortness of breath, pleuritic chest pain and acute cardiovascular collapse. Less common symptoms can include persistent unexplained tachycardia, fever or deep vein thrombosis. Rarely do patients present with abdominal pain and self-resolving shortness of breath; symptoms our patient experienced. However, in contrast to popular belief, having normal vital signs does not necessarily lower the probability of PE. D-dimer, a specific fibrin degradation product, has a good negative predictive value for venous thromboembolism diagnosis but its use in children is less clear, with up to 40% of children with PE having a normal D-dimer level. CT pulmonary angiography remains the gold standard in diagnosis.
Consensus recommendations on training and competing in the heat
Authors: Racinais S , Alonso J M , Coutts A J , Flouris A D , Girard O , González-Alonso J , Hausswirth C , Jay O , Lee J K W , Mitchell N , Nassis G P , Nybo L , Pluim B M , Roelands B , Sawka M N , Wingo J , Périard J D
Published: June 2015

Exercising in the heat induces thermoregulatory and other physiological strain that can lead to impairments in endurance exercise capacity. The purpose of this consensus statement is to provide up-to-date recommendations to optimise performance during sporting activities undertaken in hot ambient conditions. The most important intervention one can adopt to reduce physiological strain and optimise performance is to heat acclimatise. Heat acclimatisation should comprise repeated exercise-heat exposures over 1–2 weeks. In addition, athletes should initiate competition and training in a euhydrated state and minimise dehydration during exercise. Following the development of commercial cooling systems (eg, cooling-vest), athletes can implement cooling strategies to facilitate heat loss or increase heat storage capacity before training or competing in the heat. Moreover, event organisers should plan for large shaded areas, along with cooling and rehydration facilities, and schedule events in accordance with minimising the health risks of athletes, especially in mass participation events and during the first hot days of the year. Following the recent examples of the 2008 Olympics and the 2014 FIFA World Cup, sport governing bodies should consider allowing additional (or longer) recovery periods between and during events, for hydration and body cooling opportunities, when competitions are held in the heat.
Teeth Tales: a community-based child oral health promotion trial with migrant families in Australia
Authors: Gibbs Lisa , Waters Elizabeth , Christian Bradley , Gold Lisa , Young Dana , de Silva Andrea , Calache Hanny , Gussy Mark , Watt Richard , Riggs Elisha , Tadic Maryanne , Hall Martin , Gondal Iqbal , Pradel Veronika , Moore Laurence
Published: June 2015

Objectives

The Teeth Tales trial aimed to establish a model for child oral health promotion for culturally diverse communities in Australia.

Design

An exploratory trial implementing a community-based child oral health promotion intervention for Australian families from migrant backgrounds. Mixed method, longitudinal evaluation.

Setting

The intervention was based in Moreland, a culturally diverse locality in Melbourne, Australia.

Participants

Families with 1–4-year-old children, self-identified as being from Iraqi, Lebanese or Pakistani backgrounds residing in Melbourne. Participants residing close to the intervention site were allocated to intervention.

Intervention

The intervention was conducted over 5 months and comprised community oral health education sessions led by peer educators and follow-up health messages.

Outcome measures

This paper reports on the intervention impacts, process evaluation and descriptive analysis of health, knowledge and behavioural changes 18 months after baseline data collection.

Results

Significant differences in the Debris Index (OR=0.44 (0.22 to 0.88)) and the Modified Gingival Index (OR=0.34 (0.19 to 0.61)) indicated increased tooth brushing and/or improved toothbrushing technique in the intervention group. An increased proportion of intervention parents, compared to those in the comparison group reported that they had been shown how to brush their child's teeth (OR=2.65 (1.49 to 4.69)). Process evaluation results highlighted the problems with recruitment and retention of the study sample (275 complete case families). The child dental screening encouraged involvement in the study, as did linking attendance with other community/cultural activities.

Conclusions

The Teeth Tales intervention was promising in terms of improving oral hygiene and parent knowledge of tooth brushing technique. Adaptations to delivery of the intervention are required to increase uptake and likely impact. A future cluster randomised controlled trial would provide strongest evidence of effectiveness if appropriate to the community, cultural and economic context.

Trial registration number

Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN12611000532909).
Injury risks of EMS responders: evidence from the National Fire Fighter Near-Miss Reporting System
Authors: Taylor Jennifer A , Davis Andrea L , Barnes Brittany , Lacovara Alicia V , Patel Reema
Published: June 2015

Objectives

We analysed near-miss and injury events reported to the National Fire Fighter Near-Miss Reporting System (NFFNMRS) to investigate the workplace hazards and safety concerns of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) responders in the USA.

Methods

We reviewed 769 ‘non-fire emergency event’ reports from the NFFNMRS using a mixed methods approach. We identified 185 emergency medical calls and analysed their narrative text fields. We assigned Mechanism of Near-Miss/Injury and Nature of Injury codes and then tabulated frequencies (quantitative). We coded major themes regarding work hazards and safety concerns reported by the EMS responders (qualitative).

Results

Of the 185 emergency medical calls, the most commonly identified Mechanisms of Near-Miss/Injury to EMS responders was Assaults, followed by Struck-by Motor Vehicle, and Motor Vehicle Collision. The most commonly identified weapon used in an assault was a firearm. We identified 5 major domains of workplace hazards and safety concerns: Assaults by Patients, Risks from Motor Vehicles, Personal Protective Equipment, Relationships between Emergency Responders, and Policies, Procedures and Practices.

Conclusions

Narrative text from the NFFNMRS is a rich source of data that can be analysed quantitatively and qualitatively to provide insight into near-misses and injuries sustained by EMS responders. Near-miss reporting systems are critical components for occupational hazard surveillance.
Early primary care physician contact and health service utilisation in a large sample of recently released ex-prisoners in Australia: prospective cohort study
Authors: Young Jesse T , Arnold-Reed Diane , Preen David , Bulsara Max , Lennox Nick , Kinner Stuart A
Published: June 2015

Objective

To describe the association between ex-prisoner primary care physician contact within 1 month of prison release and health service utilisation in the 6 months following release.

Design

A cohort from the Passports study with a mean follow-up of 219 (±44) days postrelease. Associations were assessed using a multivariate Andersen-Gill model, controlling for a range of other factors.

Setting

Face-to-face, baseline interviews were conducted in a sample of prisoners within 6 weeks of expected release from seven prisons in Queensland, Australia, from 2008 to 2010, with telephone follow-up interviews 1, 3 and 6 months postrelease.

Participants

From an original population-based sample of 1325 sentenced adult (≥18 years) prisoners, 478 participants were excluded due to not being released from prison during follow-up (n=7, 0.5%), loss to follow-up (n=257, 19.4%), or lacking exposure data (n=214, 16.2%). A total of 847 (63.9%) participants were included in the analyses.

Exposure

Primary care physician contact within 1 month of follow-up as a dichotomous measure.

Main outcome measures

Adjusted time-to-event hazard rates for hospital, mental health, alcohol and other drug and subsequent primary care physician service utilisations assessed as multiple failure time-interval data.

Results

Primary care physician contact prevalence within 1 month of follow-up was 46.5%. One-month primary care physician contact was positively associated with hospital (adjusted HR (AHR)=2.07; 95% CI 1.39 to 3.09), mental health (AHR=1.65; 95% CI 1.24 to 2.19), alcohol and other drug (AHR=1.48; 95% CI 1.15 to 1.90) and subsequent primary care physician service utilisation (AHR=1.47; 95% CI 1.26 to 1.72) over 6 months of follow-up.

Conclusions

Engagement with primary care physician services soon after prison release increases health service utilisation during the critical community transition period for ex-prisoners.

Trial registration number

Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN12608000232336).
Hyperbaric Oxygen in Lower Limb Trauma (HOLLT); protocol for a randomised controlled trial
Authors: Millar Ian L , McGinnes Rosemary A , Williamson Owen , Lind Folke , Jansson Karl-Åke , Hajek Michal , Smart David , Fernandes Tiago , Miller Russell , Myles Paul , Cameron Peter
Published: June 2015

Introduction

Open fractures with significant soft tissue injury are associated with high rates of complications, such as non-union, infection, chronic pain and disability. Complications often require further inpatient care, and in many cases, multiple operations and prolonged rehabilitation. Use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy as an adjunct to standard orthopaedic trauma care has the potential to reduce the complications of musculoskeletal injury and thus improve outcomes. Two previous randomised trials have suggested some positive effect, but neither functional measures nor long-term outcomes were reported.

Methods and analysis

An international, multicentre, randomised, open-label, clinical trial. Patients with trauma with an acute open fracture of the tibia with severe soft tissue injury (Gustilo grade 3) and high risk of injury-related complications were recruited from participating major trauma hospitals with hyperbaric facilities. Patients were enrolled with the expectation of commencing 12 sessions of hyperbaric oxygen therapy within 48 h of injury. The primary outcome measure is the incidence of acute complications of the open fracture wound at 14 days. Other short-term outcome measures include amputation, need for fasciotomy, time until wound closure, breakdown of closed wounds, time until definitive orthopaedic fixation, number of operative procedures, intensive care stay and hospital stay. Long-term follow-up will continue for 2 years postinjury.

Ethics and dissemination

Ethics approval was given by The Alfred Health Human Ethics Committee (206/04) and the Monash University Human Research Ethics Committee (CF07/4208). Approval was also obtained from the institutional research ethics committee at each participating site. This study will make a significant contribution to the trauma literature and should answer the question of whether hyperbaric oxygen therapy can significantly improve outcomes in severe lower limb trauma. Collective study results will be published in international journals and presented at relevant conferences.

Trial registration number

Clinicaltrials.gov:NCT00264511; Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR): ACTRN12607000559415.
“It's easier to stick a tube in”: a qualitative study to understand clinicians’ individual decisions to place urinary catheters in acute medical care
Authors: Murphy Catherine , Prieto Jacqui , Fader Mandy
Published: June 2015

Background

Indwelling urinary catheters (IUCs) placed in acute care are a leading cause of healthcare-associated urinary tract infection. Despite initiatives to minimise the placement of IUCs, levels of inappropriate use are still considered unacceptable. IUC practice is difficult to change, and factors influencing clinicians’ decisions need to be better understood.

Objective

To explore why clinicians decide to place IUCs in acute medical care.

Methods

We conducted a qualitative study in the emergency department and acute medical wards of a 1200+ bed hospital, undertaking 30 retrospective think aloud and 20 semistructured interviews with nurses and physicians who made the decision to place an IUC. A purposive sample and thematic analysis were used.

Results

Opinions on when an IUC was warranted varied considerably. Inconsistency in decision-making was caused by differing beliefs on when an IUC was appropriate for each clinical indication. Numerous patient and non-patient factors, including clinical setting, resources, patient age and gender and staff workload, also impacted on each decision. Assessing when the benefit of an IUC outweighed the risk could be problematic due to conflicting goals.

Conclusions

These findings help to explain why clinicians sometimes deviate from IUC best practice guidance and resist interventions to modify practice. In order to engage nurses and physicians in change, interventions to reduce IUC use should acknowledge and respond to the complexity and lack of clarity often faced by clinicians making the decision to place an IUC. However, it is equally important that inconsistencies in IUC-related beliefs are recognised, investigated and, where appropriate, challenged.
Disease features and diagnostic sampling of cattle and sheep postmortem examinations
Authors: Otter Arthur , Davies Ian
Published: June 2015

Postmortem examinations (PMEs) of cattle and sheep can provide useful information in the investigation of disease outbreaks on farms. The findings should be interpreted in light of information gathered from the case history and clinical examination of live affected animals in the herd or flock. PMEs can provide a definitive diagnosis or simply rule out a suspected condition. This article discusses some of the key disease features and problems that may be encountered by the practitioner carrying out a PME on these species, and provides guidance on appropriate sample selection.
Phlebotomy in reptile and avian patients
Authors: Sayers Ian
Published: June 2015

Exotic species show a lack of overt signs of disease and so it is important to investigate illnesses promptly and thoroughly. Phlebotomy is often an integral part of diagnostics to assess responses to potential underlying infection or biochemical parameters. This article describes how to prepare for phlebotomy in reptile and avian patients and recommends vessels or sample sites that blood could be best sampled from in different species.
Setting up an out of hours practice
Authors: McLauchlan Gerard
Published: June 2015

Despite all the changes to out of hours provision guidelines, the aim of these services has always be to meet patients' needs during an emergency, affordably and in a timely manner. Gerald McLauchlan outlines the practicalities of setting up a successful out of hours service that puts client satisfaction and animal welfare first.
Possession is nine‐tenths of the dog
Authors: Brown Richard
Published: June 2015

THIS series gives readers the opportunity to consider and contribute to discussion of some of the ethical dilemmas that can arise in veterinary practice. Each month, a case scenario is presented, followed by discussion of some of the issues involved.

In addition, a possible way forward is suggested; however, there is rarely a cut‐and‐dried answer in such cases, and readers may wish to suggest an alternative approach. This month's dilemma, ‘Possession is nine‐tenths of the dog’, was submitted and discussed by Richard Brown. Readers with comments to contribute are invited to send them as soon as possible, so that they can be considered for publication in the next issue. Discussion of the dilemma ‘Immediate dispatch?’, which was published in the May issue of In Practice, appears on page 311.

The series is being coordinated by Siobhan Mullan, of the University of Bristol. It is hoped it will provide a framework that will help practices find solutions when facing similar dilemmas.
The influence of a six-week, high-intensity games intervention on the pulmonary oxygen uptake kinetics in prepubertal obese and normal-weight children
Authors: McNarry Melitta A. , Lambrick Danielle , Westrupp Nicole , Faulkner James
Published: June 2015

The pulmonary oxygen uptake response is deleteriously influenced by obesity in prepubertal children, as evidenced by a slower phase II response. To date, no studies have investigated the ability of an exercise intervention to ameliorate this. The objective of the study was to investigate the influence of a 6-week, high-intensity, games-orientated intervention on the oxygen uptake kinetic response of prepubertal obese and normal-weight children during heavy-intensity exercise. Thirteen normal-weight and 15 obese children participated in a twice-weekly exercise intervention involving repeated bouts of 6-min high-intensity, games-orientated exercises followed by 2 min of recovery. Sixteen normal-weight and 11 obese children served as a control group. At baseline and post-intervention, each participant completed a graded-exercise test to volitional exhaustion and constant work-rate, heavy-intensity exercise. Post-intervention, obese children demonstrated a reduced phase II τ (pre-intervention: 30 ± 8 cf. post-intervention: 24 ± 7 s), mean response time (pre-intervention: 50 ± 10 cf. post-intervention: 38 ± 9 s) and phase II amplitude (pre-intervention: 1.51 ± 0.30 cf. post-intervention: 1.34 ± 0.27 L·min−1). No changes were evident in the normal-weight children. In conclusion, the present findings demonstrate that a 6-week, high-intensity intervention can have a significant positive impact on the dynamic oxygen uptake response of obese prepubertal children.
Prevalence and correlates of high red blood cell folate concentrations in the Canadian population using 3 proposed cut-offs
Authors: Colapinto Cynthia K. , O’Connor Deborah L. , Dubois Lise , Tremblay Mark S.
Published: June 2015

A distinct shift towards higher folate concentrations has emerged in Canada. These higher concentrations have known benefits, including prevention of neural tube defects, but concerns have been raised regarding potential associations with adverse health outcomes. The aim of this research was to propose cut-offs for high red blood cell (RBC) folate concentrations and identify their correlates. RBC folate was measured in a nationally representative cross-sectional sample of Canadians (N = 5248) aged 6 to 79 years. RBC folate concentrations were adjusted from the IMMULITE 2000 immunoassay to a microbiologic assay. The population was characterized at 3 RBC folate cut-offs: 1450 nmol/L, 1800 nmol/L, and 2150 nmol/L. We used t tests to examine differences by age, sex, income, and body mass index (BMI) at each cut-off and logistic regression to explore associations with folic acid supplement intake. The prevalence of high RBC folate was 16%, 6%, and 2% at thresholds of 1450 nmol/L, 1800 nmol/L, and 2150 nmol/L, respectively. Females, those aged 60 to 79 years, and overweight or obese participants had the greatest prevalence of having high RBC folate at each cut-off. Folic acid supplement users were more likely than non-users to have high RBC folate concentrations. Older age, higher BMI, and folic acid supplement use were identified as correlates of high folate status. A high RBC folate concentration cut-off will advance the field towards consistent measurement and reporting of high folate status. This may facilitate future investigation of associations between RBC folate concentrations at the upper end of the distribution and health outcomes.
Re-examination of sea lamprey control policies for the St. Marys River: completion of an adaptive management cycle
Authors: Jones Michael L. , Brenden Travis O. , Irwin Brian J.
Published: June 2015

The St. Marys River (SMR) historically has been a major producer of sea lampreys (Petromyzon marinus) in the Laurentian Great Lakes. In the early 2000s, a decision analysis (DA) project was conducted to evaluate sea lamprey control policies for the SMR; this project suggested that an integrated policy of trapping, sterile male releases, and Bayluscide treatment was the most cost-effective policy. Further, it concluded that formal assessment of larval sea lamprey abundance and distribution in the SMR would be valuable for future evaluation of control strategies. We updated this earlier analysis, adding information from annual larval assessments conducted since 1999 and evaluating additional control policies. Bayluscide treatments continued to be critical for sea lamprey control, but high recruitment compensation minimized the effectiveness of trapping and sterile male release under current feasible ranges. Because Bayluscide control is costly, development of strategies to enhance trapping success remains a priority. This study illustrates benefits of an adaptive management cycle, wherein models inform decisions, are updated based on learning achieved from those decisions, and ultimately inform future decisions.
INFLUENCE OF ANNEALING TREATMENT ON THE PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF InAlN FILMS
Authors: AFZAL NAVEED , DEVARAJAN MUTHARASU , AHMAD M. A. , IBRAHIM KAMARULAZIZI
Published: June 2015

In this work, pure indium and aluminum targets were co-sputtered in a reactive argon–nitrogen environment at 200°C to deposit InAlN film on the GaAs substrate in the presence of a ZnO buffer layer. The as-grown film was annealed at 750°C for 1 h in a high temperature furnace under nitrogen ambient. XRD pattern of the as-grown film did not display any diffraction peak relating to the InAlN due to its poor structural crystallinity, however, the annealed film exhibited InAlN diffraction peaks corresponding to (002), (101) and (102) planes. A significant increase in the grain size and the surface roughness was observed after the films' annealing. Raman spectroscopy revealed A1 (LO) and E2 (high) phonon modes whereas the PL analysis showed a luminescence peak at 2 eV in the annealed film. The Hall measurements indicated an increase in the carrier concentration and electron mobility after the annealing which was accompanied by a decrease in electrical resistivity of the film. The dark current–voltage (I–V) characteristics of the as-grown and the annealed films were also recorded to investigate the barrier height and the ideality factor.
CHARACTERISTICS OF TiNi THIN FILMS DEPOSITED BY MAGNETRON SPUTTERING SYSTEM WITH OPTICAL EMISSION SPECTROSCOPY MONITOR
Authors: LIU ERQIANG , BAO MINGDONG , YUAN GUOZHENG , XIAO GESHENG , JIN TAO , LI ZHIGANG , SHU XUEFENG
Published: June 2015

TiNi composite thin films were fabricated using a closed-field unbalanced magnetron sputtering system equipped with optical emission spectroscopy monitor (OEM). The thin films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and nanoindentation. Results show that the TiNi films are amorphous, and their composition varies approximately linearly with the OEM value. Thus, the film composition could be controlled by in situ real-time OEM. The structure of the single B2 parent phase was observed in the annealed TiNi film. The hardness and elastic modulus of the films increased because of the precipitation of the Ti 3 Ni 4 phase in the single B2 parent phase.
PROGRESSIVE FILTRATION EXPANSIONS VIA A PROCESS, WITH APPLICATIONS TO INSIDER TRADING
Authors: KCHIA YOUNES , PROTTER PHILIP
Published: June 2015

The development of the theory of the expansion of filtrations took place mostly three decades ago, in the 1980s. Researchers developed two types of expansions: Initial expansions, where one adds information to the σ algebra ℱ0, and progressive expansions, where information is added dynamically to turn a positive random variable (such as a last exit time) into a stopping time. The goal was to preserve the semimartingale property in the enlarged filtration. In this paper, we propose a new type of expansion, that of expansion with a stochastic process. This has antecedents in the work of Jeulin, Kohatsu-Higa, and a few others, but the theoretical and systematic approach given here is new. We begin by showing one can enlarge a filtration with a point process rather easily, and that semimartingales remain semimartingales under the expansions, if done correctly. Since one can approximate most stochastic processes with marked point processes, we then prove convergence theorems of the sequence of point processes together with their corresponding enlarged filtrations. To do this, we rely on a theory of the convergence of filtrations. We next need to give conditions such that semimartingales remain semimartingales in the limit. This is delicate, and we obtain partial results, but they are sufficient for our needs; this involves a kind of continual initial expansion procedure. One drawback of this procedure is that we do not always obtain the semimartingale decompositions for the enlarged filtrations of the limiting case, except in a class of examples that are in a Brownian motion paradigm. Recently, there have been attempts to model mathematically insider trading via a theory of enlarged filtrations. There are many technical issues involved, and creating a model with the presence of arbitrage is a constant problem, a situation one wishes to avoid. We show how one can use this procedure to create models of insider trading that do not have arbitrage opportunities, but under which the risk neutral measure for the insider is different than is the risk neutral measure for the rest of the market.
The Hamiltonian path integrand for the charged particle in a constant magnetic field as white noise distribution
Authors: Bock Wolfgang , Grothaus Martin
Published: June 2015

The concepts of Hamiltonian Feynman integrals in white noise analysis are used to realize as the first velocity-dependent potential of the Hamiltonian Feynman integrand for a charged particle in a constant magnetic field in coordinate space as a Hida distribution. For this purpose the velocity-dependent potential gives rise to a generalized Gauss kernel. Besides the propagators, the generating functionals are obtained.
Monotone and boolean unitary Brownian motions
Authors: Hamdi Tarek
Published: June 2015

The additive monotone (respectively boolean) unitary Brownian motion is a non-commutative stochastic process with monotone (respectively boolean) independent and stationary increments which are distributed according to the arcsine law (respectively Bernoulli law). We introduce the monotone and boolean unitary Brownian motions and derive a closed formula for their associated moments. This provides a description of their spectral measures. We prove that, in the monotone case, the multiplicative analog of the arcsine distribution is absolutely continuous with respect to the Haar measure on the unit circle, whereas in the boolean case the multiplicative analog of the Bernoulli distribution is discrete. Finally, we use quantum stochastic calculus to provide a realization of these processes as the stochastic exponential of the correspending additive Brownian motions.
Force Field-Based Control of Dynamic Particles with User-Specified Paths
Authors: Syamsuddin Muhammad Rusdi , Kim Jimwook , Lee Sung-Hee
Published: June 2015

We present a framework to design force fields that drive particles to follow a path under the physics-based animation system. In this framework, a user interactively specifies the desired path, represented by a Bezier curve using a GUI and the attraction force that drives a particle toward the target location. Then, the framework automatically defines the steering force to make a particle follow the desired path. To this end, we use B-splines to define the steering force that best approximates the user-specified path. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our method by showing a large number of particles following the desired path and forming an animated human figure. Our method creates a stable behavior of particles and is fast enough to run in real time.
Synthesis and Overall Photophysical Characterization of SiO2:(Ag/SiO2) Nanostructured Sonogel Hybrid Glasses
Authors: Morales-Saavedra Omar G. , Zanella Rodolfo
Published: June 2015

Bulk SiO 2-based inorganic–inorganic sonogel (SG) hybrid glasses were fabricated with Ag / SiO 2 supported metal nanoparticles (MNPs). The catalyst-free SG route was implemented to produce these optically active nanostructured composites by doping the liquid sol-phase with Ag / SiO 2 synthesized according to the deposition–precipitation method. As prepared Ag / SiO 2-MNPs exhibited particle diameters below 10 nm and homogeneous size distribution. The easy and homogeneous Ag / SiO 2 loading within the micro/mesoporous SiO 2-SG network has evidenced the guest–host chemical affinity of these systems. This fact allowed us to fabricate outstanding chemically, photo-physically and mechanically stable bulk hybrid monoliths with controllable geometry and doping rates, suitable for linear and nonlinear optical (NLO)–spectroscopic characterizations. Indeed, the hosting SG matrix provided an elevated thermal and mechanical stability protecting the reactive Ag nanoparticles from environment conditions, diminishing their tendency to from aggregates and, above all, preserving their pristine photophysical properties. Comprehensive morphological, structural, spectroscopic and NLO characterizations were performed on the obtained SiO 2:( Ag / SiO 2) hybrid composites. Results have shown that the nanocrystalline (NC) properties, multipolar nature and small sizes of the implemented Ag / SiO 2-nanoparticles, together with the bulk guest–host mechanical interactions, play a crucial role for the observation of outstanding spectroscopic and quadratic NLO properties of the developed hybrid systems.
Sparse representation in Szegő kernels through reproducing kernel Hilbert space theory with applications
Authors: Mo Y. , Qian T. , Mi W.
Published: June 2015

This paper discusses generalization bounds for complex data learning which serve as a theoretical foundation for complex support vector machine (SVM). Drawn on the generalization bounds, a complex SVM approach based on the Szegő kernel of the Hardy space H2(𝔻) is formulated. It is applied to the frequency-domain identification problem of discrete linear time-invariant system (LTIS). Experiments show that the proposed algorithm is effective in applications.
vVote
Authors: Culnane Chris , Ryan Peter Y. A. , Schneider Steve , Teague Vanessa
Published: June 2015

The Prêt à Voter cryptographic voting system was designed to be flexible and to offer voters a familiar and easy voting experience. In this article, we present our development of the Prêt à Voter design to a practical implementation used in a real state election in November 2014, called vVote. As well as solving practical engineering challenges, we have also had to tailor the system to the idiosyncrasies of elections in the Australian state of Victoria and the requirements of the Victorian Electoral Commission. This article includes general background, user experience, and details of the cryptographic protocols and human processes. We explain the problems, present solutions, then analyze their security properties and explain how they tie in to other design decisions.
A Supervised Learning Approach to Protect Client Authentication on the Web
Authors: Calzavara Stefano , Tolomei Gabriele , Casini Andrea , Bugliesi Michele , Orlando Salvatore
Published: June 2015

Browser-based defenses have recently been advocated as an effective mechanism to protect potentially insecure web applications against the threats of session hijacking, fixation, and related attacks. In existing approaches, all such defenses ultimately rely on client-side heuristics to automatically detect cookies containing session information, to then protect them against theft or otherwise unintended use. While clearly crucial to the effectiveness of the resulting defense mechanisms, these heuristics have not, as yet, undergone any rigorous assessment of their adequacy. In this article, we conduct the first such formal assessment, based on a ground truth of 2,464 cookies we collect from 215 popular websites of the Alexa ranking.

To obtain the ground truth, we devise a semiautomatic procedure that draws on the novel notion of
authentication token
, which we introduce to capture multiple web authentication schemes. We test existing browser-based defenses in the literature against our ground truth, unveiling several pitfalls both in the heuristics adopted and in the methods used to assess them. We then propose a new detection method based on
supervised learning
, where our ground truth is used to train a set of binary classifiers, and report on experimental evidence that our method outperforms existing proposals. Interestingly, the resulting classifiers, together with our hands-on experience in the construction of the ground truth, provide new insight on how web authentication is actually implemented in practice.
Anthrax lethal toxin-induced lung injury and treatment by activating MK2
Authors: Liu Tiegang , Warburton Rod R. , Hill Nicholas S. , Kayyali Usamah S.
Published: June 2015

Anthrax is associated with severe vascular leak, which is caused by the bacterial lethal toxin (LeTx). Pleural effusions and pulmonary edema that occur in anthrax are believed to reflect endothelial injury caused by the anthrax toxin. Since vascular leak can also be observed consistently in rats injected intravenously with LeTx, the latter might present a simple physiologically relevant animal model of acute lung injury (ALI). Such a model could be utilized in evaluating and developing better treatment for ALI or acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), as other available rodent models do not consistently produce the endothelial permeability that is a major component of ARDS. The biological activity of LeTx resides in the lethal factor metalloprotease that specifically degrades MAP kinase kinases (MKKs). Recently, we showed that LeTx inactivation of p38 MAP kinase signaling via degradation of MKK3 in pulmonary vascular endothelial cells can be linked to compromise of the endothelial permeability barrier. LeTx effects were linked specifically to blocking activation of p38 substrate and MAP kinase-activated protein kinase 2 (MAPKAPK2 or MK2) and phosphorylation of the latter's substrate, heat shock protein 27 (HSP27). We have now designed a peptide that directly and specifically activates MK2, causing HSP27 phosphorylation in cells and in vivo. The MK2-activating peptide (MK2-AP) also blocks the effects of LeTx on endothelial barriers in cultured cells and reduces LeTx-induced pulmonary vascular leak in rats. Hence, MK2-AP has the therapeutic potential to counteract anthrax or pulmonary edema and vascular leak due to other causes.
Laser Enhanced Hydrogen Passivation of Silicon Wafers
Authors: Song Lihui , Wenham Alison , Wang Sisi , Hamer Phillip , Ahmmed Mohammad Shakil , Hallam Brett , Mai Ly , Abbott Malcolm , Hawkes Evatt R. , Chong CheeMun , Wenham Stuart
Published: June 2015

The application of lasers to enable advanced hydrogenation processes with charge state control is explored. Localised hydrogenation is realised through the use of lasers to achieve localised illumination and heating of the silicon material and hence spatially control the hydrogenation process. Improvements in minority carrier lifetime are confirmed in the laser hydrogenated regions using photoluminescence (PL) imaging. However with inappropriate laser settings a localised reduction in minority carrier lifetime can result. It is observed that high illumination intensities and rapid cooling are beneficial for achieving improvements in minority carrier lifetimes through laser hydrogenation. The laser hydrogenation process is then applied to finished screen-printed solar cells fabricated on seeded-cast quasi monocrystalline silicon wafers. The passivation of dislocation clusters is observed with clear improvements in quantum efficiency, open circuit voltage, and short circuit current density, leading to an improvement in efficiency of 0.6% absolute.
A Review of Feature Selection and Feature Extraction Methods Applied on Microarray Data
Authors: Hira Zena M. , Gillies Duncan F.
Published: June 2015

We summarise various ways of performing dimensionality reduction on high-dimensional microarray data. Many different feature selection and feature extraction methods exist and they are being widely used. All these methods aim to remove redundant and irrelevant features so that classification of new instances will be more accurate. A popular source of data is microarrays, a biological platform for gathering gene expressions. Analysing microarrays can be difficult due to the size of the data they provide. In addition the complicated relations among the different genes make analysis more difficult and removing excess features can improve the quality of the results. We present some of the most popular methods for selecting significant features and provide a comparison between them. Their advantages and disadvantages are outlined in order to provide a clearer idea of when to use each one of them for saving computational time and resources.
The AntCardiocondyla elegansas Host of the Enigmatic Endoparasitic FungusMyrmicinosporidium durum
Authors: Giehr Julia , Heinze Jürgen , Schrempf Alexandra
Published: June 2015

Data on host species and the distribution of the endoparasitic fungusMyrmicinosporidium durumincreased continuously in recent decades. Here, we add the antCardiocondyla elegansas new host species. Colonies of the monogynous species were found infested in the region of Languedoc-Roussillon (South France). Samples from the nest indicate high infection rates. All castes and sexes were infected by the spores. Variations of infection rates between sampling methods and species are discussed.
Diagnosis of Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Role of Potential Biomarkers
Authors: Plavšić Ivana , Hauser Goran , Tkalčić Mladenka , Pletikosić Sanda , Salkić Nermin
Published: June 2015

Irritable bowel syndrome is a disorder diagnosed on symptom-based criteria without inclusion of any objective parameter measurable by known diagnostic methods. Heterogeneity of the disorder and overlapping with more serious organic diseases increase uncertainty for the physician’s work and increase the cost of confirming the diagnosis. This paper is an attempt to summarize the efforts to find adequate biomarkers for irritable bowel syndrome, which should shorten the time to diagnosis and reduce the cost. Most of the reviewed papers were observational studies from secondary care institutions. Since publication of the Rome III criteria in 2006, most recent studies use these for the recruitment of IBS patients. This is a positive step forward as future studies should use the same criteria, facilitating comparison of their results. Among the studied biomarkers, most evidence is provided for fecal calprotectin. Cutoff values for fecal calprotectin have still to be investigated prior to inclusion in the irritable bowel syndrome diagnostic algorithm.
Peripheral Neuropathic Facial/Trigeminal Pain and RANTES/CCL5 in Jawbone Cavitation
Authors: Lechner Johann , von Baehr Volker
Published: June 2015

Introduction. In this study, we elucidate the possible causative role of chronic subclinical inflammation in jawbone of patients with atypical facial pain (AFP) and trigeminal neuralgia (TRN) in the local overexpression of the chemokine regulated on activation and normal T-cell expressed and secreted (RANTES/C-C motif ligand 5 CCL5). Neurons contain opioid receptors that transmit antipain reactions in the peripheral and central nervous system. Proinflammatory chemokines like RANTES/CCL5 desensitizeμ-opioid receptors in the periphery sensory neurons and it has been suggested that RANTES modifies the nociceptive reaction.Materials and Methods. In 15 patients with AFP/TRN, we examined fatty degenerated jawbone (FDOJ) samples for the expression of seven cytokines by multiplex analysis and compared these results with healthy jawbones.Results. Each of these medullary jawbone samples exhibited RANTES as the only highly overexpressed cytokine. The FDOJ cohort with AFP/TRN showed a mean 30-fold overexpression of RANTES compared to healthy jawbones.Conclusions. To the best of our knowledge, no other research has identified RANTES overexpression in silent inflamed jawbones as a possible cause for AFP/TRN. Thus, we hypothesize that the surgical clearing of FDOJ might diminish RANTES signaling pathways in neurons and contribute to resolving chronic neurological pain in AFP/TRN patients.
Interaction between the Haptoglobin 2 Phenotype and Diabetes Mellitus on Systolic Pulmonary Arterial Pressure and Nitric Oxide Bioavailability in Hemodialysis Patients
Authors: Dahan Inbal , Farber Evgeny , Thauho Nadia , Nakhoul Nakhoul , Francis Adi , Awawde Mohamad , Levy Andrew P. , Kim-Shapiro Daniel B. , Basu Swati , Nakhoul Farid
Published: June 2015

Elevated systolic pulmonary artery pressure (s-PAP, ≥35 mmHg) serves as an independent predictor of mortality in hemodialysis (HD) and diabetic (DM) patients. A polymorphism in the antioxidant Haptoglobin (Hp) gene has been shown to regulate the bioavailability of nitric oxide (NO), a major mediator of pulmonary vascular tone. We therefore set out to test the hypothesis that the Hp polymorphism may be a determinant of developing elevated s-PAP specifically in the DM state due to a decreased bioavailability of NO. To test our hypothesis we Hp typed and performed transthoracic echocardiography on a series of HD patients and stratified them into elevated and normal s-PAP groups and then evaluated whether there was a significant association between the Hp type, elevated s-PAP, and decreased NO bioavailability as defined by low plasma nitrite. We found a statistically significant interaction between the Hp type and DM on the prevalence of elevated s-PAP and lower mean nitrite levels with the combination of elevated s-PAP and low nitrite levels being significantly more prevalent in Hp 2-2 DM individuals. We conclude that the Hp 2 type is associated with elevated s-PAP levels and low plasma nitrite levels in HD patients specifically in the DM state.
The Nociceptive and Anti-Inflammatory Effects ofArtemisia dracunculusL. Aqueous Extract on Fructose Fed Male Rats
Authors: Mohammad Reza Shahraki , Hamideh Mirshekari , Zahra Samadi
Published: June 2015

Aim & Objective.Artemisia dracunculusL. (Tarragon) species have been used as a traditional medicine. The present study was designed to evaluate the nociceptive and anti-inflammatory effects ofA. dracunculusL. leaf aqueous extract on fructose drinking water (FDW) in male rats.Materials & Methods. Forty-eight Wistar-albino male rats weighing 200–250 g were divided into control (C), control extract (CE), FDW, and FDWE groups (n=12). Group C did not receive any agents; Group CE did 100 mg/kgA. dracunculusL. aqueous extract on a daily basis for duration of four weeks. FDW Group received fructose drinking water (10%, weight/volume) but did not receive any agents during trial period. FDWE group received 100 mg/kgA. dracunculusL. aqueous extract during trial period. At the end of experiment, a biphasic pain response was induced following interplanetary injection of formalin (50 µL, 1%). Obtained data were analyzed using SPSS software version 17 and using ANOVA and Tukey post hoc tests. Results were expressed as mean ± SE. Statistical differences were considered significant atP<0.05.Results. Our findings revealed that acute and chronic pain scores in FDW group are significantly higher than other ones andA. dracunculusL. aqueous extract causes significant decreasing of this parameter in FDWE group (P<0.001). Moreover, IL6 and TNF values in this group were significantly decreased compared to FDW group (P<0.05).Conclusion. Results in the present study show that FDW causes the pain response score to increase and cause proinflammatory cytokines in rat model butA. dracunculusL. leaf aqueous extract improves values of these parameters.
Evaluating Robustness and Sensitivity of the NanoString Technologies nCounter Platform to Enable Multiplexed Gene Expression Analysis of Clinical Samples
Authors: Veldman-Jones Margaret H. , Brant Roz , Rooney Claire , Geh Catherine , Emery Hollie , Harbron Chris G. , Wappett Mark , Sharpe Alan , Dymond Michael , Barrett J. Carl , Harrington Elizabeth A. , Marshall Gayle
Published: June 2015

Analysis of clinical trial specimens such as formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue for molecular mechanisms of disease progression or drug response is often challenging and limited to a few markers at a time. This has led to the increasing importance of highly multiplexed assays that enable profiling of many biomarkers within a single assay. Methods for gene expression analysis have undergone major advances in biomedical research, but obtaining a robust dataset from low-quality RNA samples, such as those isolated from FFPE tissue, remains a challenge. Here, we provide a detailed evaluation of the NanoString Technologies nCounter platform, which provides a direct digital readout of up to 800 mRNA targets simultaneously. We tested this system by examining a broad set of human clinical tissues for a range of technical variables, including sensitivity and limit of detection to varying RNA quantity and quality, reagent performance over time, variability between instruments, the impact of the number of fields of view sampled, and differences between probe sequence locations and overlapping genes across CodeSets. This study demonstrates that Nanostring offers several key advantages, including sensitivity, reproducibility, technical robustness, and utility for clinical application. Cancer Res; 75(13); 2587–93. ©2015 AACR.