bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Improving the management of acute pancreatitis in a district general hospital
Authors: Crowther Nicola , Kahvo Mia , Chana Prem
Published: February 2015

Acute pancreatitis is a common problem seen in the United Kingdom, with an incidence of 56.6 per 100,000 population.[1,2,3] Optimising management has been shown to reduce mortality and morbidity, and the British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG) published revised guidelines in 2005 to standardise treatment for this potentially life threatening condition.[4]

The aim of this quality improvement project was to investigate and improve the initial management of acute pancreatitis in patients presenting to the Great Western Hospital (GWH) in Swindon between November 2012 and July 2013.

Patients presenting to the surgical team during this time with a diagnosis of acute pancreatitis were identified for the initial data collection. Notes were prospectively reviewed and data collected allowing a comparison between management in GWH against BSG guidelines. Following this stage, a pro forma based on the 2005 guidelines was created and implemented, with the aim of raising awareness and standardising care among surgical staff. Following implementation of the pro forma, data collection was repeated between May and June 2013 to assess the impact of the intervention.

Results revealed an improvement from 93% to 100% of patients receiving the correct diagnosis within 24 hours of presentation. Severity stratification within 48 hours of diagnosis improved from 75% to 88% and identification of aetiology also improved from 64% to 74%.

The implementation of an acute pancreatitis management protocol and education of junior surgical staff has been shown to improve compliance with BSG guidelines at the GWH, and ultimately aims to improves patient care and outcomes.
Who gets admitted to the Chest Pain Unit (CPU) and how do we manage them? Improving the use of the CPU in Waikato DHB, New Zealand
Authors: Jade Judith , Huggan Paul , Stephenson Douglas
Published: February 2015

Chest pain is a commonly encountered presentation in the emergency department (ED). The chest pain unit at Waikato DHB is designed for patients with likely stable angina, who are at low risk of acute coronary syndrome (ACS), with a normal ECG and Troponin T, who have a history which is highly suggestive of coronary artery disease (CAD). Two issues were identified with patient care on the unit (1) the number of inappropriate admissions and (2) the number of inappropriate exercise tolerance tests.

A baseline study showed that 73% of admissions did not fulfil the criteria and the majority of patients (72%) had an exercise tolerance test (ETT) irrespective of clinical picture. We delivered educational presentations to key stakeholders and the implementation of a new fast track chest pain pathway for discharging patients directly from the ED. There was an improvement in the number of patients inappropriately admitted, which fell to 61%. However, the number of inappropriate ETTs did not decrease, and were still performed on 76.9% of patients.
Improving multidisciplinary communication at ward board rounds using video enhanced reflective practice
Authors: Hellier Cyril , Tully Vicki , Forrest Sandra , Jaggard Pamela , MacRae Morag , Habicht Dirk , Greene Alexandra , Collins Karen
Published: February 2015

The priority to ensure patient safety and use resources effectively, demands attention and innovation. Video enhanced reflective practice (VERP) provides training based upon analysis of film clips of one’s professional practice to develop practical insight into the processes of communication, so that effective changes can be made to ongoing behaviour and practice.

In this case the focus was on multi-disciplinary communication within daily board rounds on an acute medicine and care of the elderly ward. Baseline assessment and post intervention testing of perceptions of change by both full and core team were undertaken to establish the impact of VERP training. In addition pre and post focus group discussion and film analysis supplemented evaluation.

The findings support the view that after VERP training of a core team, board rounds were seen as consistently easier to participate in, providing improved focus, were more efficient in goal setting and resulting in better care for patients as well as improved pathways to discharge. This suggests benefits to the communication "culture" of a multidisciplinary team resulting in increased benefits for the wider team. It is concluded that the use of tailored VERP training for personal, professional and team development is relevant, feasible, and worthy of further testing and investigation.
Ceiling of care decisions at an older person's mental health unit in Gloucestershire
Authors: Slack Philip , Rose Anneka
Published: February 2015

This quality improvement project was inspired as an answer to a problem that many fellow psychiatric trainees had been struggling with while on-call covering the old age mental health hospital which includes a specialist dementia ward. The issue was that decisions around ceilings of care for patients were often not discussed or at least recorded in the electronic notes and as a result when reviewing deteriorating patients out of hours trainees would find themselves without any guidance on the treating medics opinion on what was in the best interests of the patient. This led to situations where unnecessary transfers to the acute hospital would occur overnight which could have been avoided with more consistent planning.

Prior to initiating the changes it was recorded that nine out of 47 inpatients had documented decisions on ceiling of care of treatment in the consultant’s ward round entries. Next policies from acute hospitals were reviewed, opinions were discussed in departmental meetings, and eventually there was agreed a change in procedure with the consultant on the dementia ward around resuscitation and ceiling of care status and consistent recording of this.

Following the intervention there was seen an improvement in the recording of decisions around treatment and transfer of patients on the dementia ward of 80% (4/5) fully compliant with new criteria and then 71% (5/7) in successive cycles. Further communication both with relevant professionals on the old age ward and with the trainees on the on-call rota will be necessary to sustain any change but the centralised recording of resuscitation status and ceiling of care in the ward round entries have provided much more guidance than was previously available. In the future it may be possible to spread this policy throughout the entire old age mental health unit.
Visual assessment of Ki67 using a 5-grade scale (Eye-5) is easy and practical to classify breast cancer subtypes with high reproducibility
Authors: Hida Akira I , Bando Kenji , Sugita Atsuro , Maeda Toshiharu , Ueda Norifumi , Matsukage Shoichi , Nakanishi Mamoru , Kito Katsumi , Miyazaki Tatsuhiko , Ohtsuki Yuji , Oshiro Yumi , Inoue Hiromichi , Kawaguchi Hidetoshi , Yamashita Natsumi , Aogi Kenjiro , Moriya Takuya
Published: February 2015

Aims

Personalised breast cancer therapy requires pathological characterisation of tumours. The proliferative index, based on Ki67, is pivotal, but a standard method has not been established. Here we look for an easy and practical way to evaluate Ki67.

Methods

Immunohistochemical staining of estrogen receptors, progesterone receptors, HER2 and Ki67 (MIB-1) was performed on resected specimens from 406 primary invasive ductal carcinomas. Ki67 labelling index (LI) from manual counting was compared with visual assessment using a 5-grade scale (Eye-5). Next, 10 pathologists evaluated 100 samples with marked hot spots by using Eye-5. Another 100 samples without marking were also assessed by eight pathologists. One year later, two pathologists reviewed 222 cases with Eye-5. Prognosis was analysed among estrogen receptor-positive cases with postoperative endocrine therapy.

Results

Eye-5 showed good correlation to LI. All 136 cases of score 4–5 had LI >20% and all 56 cases of score 1 had LI<20%, which means that manual counting was not necessary for about half of the cases. Interobserver and intraobserver variability was low even when a hot spot was not fixed. Eye-5 also correlated with histological grade and lymph node metastasis. Combining Eye-5 and histological grade created a new algorism to predict LI, which allows 80% of all cases (74% of luminal cases) without manual counting. Cases of Eye-5 score 1–2 had significantly better survival than score 3–5.

Conclusions

Visual assessment of Ki67 by a 5-grade scale (Eye-5) is fast, easy, and reliable with acceptably low interobserver and intraobserver variability. Eye-5 can replace LI in many luminal tumours, and is a strong candidate as a standard method of evaluating Ki67.
Pierre3D: a 3D stochastic rockfall simulator based on random ground roughness and hyperbolic restitution factors
Authors: Gischig Valentin S. , Hungr Oldrich , Mitchell Andrew , Bourrier Franck
Published: February 2015

The use of dynamic computational methods has become indispensable for addressing problems related to rockfall hazard. Although a number of models with various degrees of complexity are available, model parameters are rarely calibrated against observations from rockfall experiments. A major difficulty lies in reproducing the apparent randomness of the impact process related to both ground and block irregularities. Calibration of rigorous methods capable of explicitly modeling trajectories and impact physics of irregular blocks is difficult, as parameter spaces become too vast and the quality of model input and observation data are insufficient. The model presented here returns to the simple “lumped-mass” approach and simulates the characteristic randomness of rockfall impact as a stochastic process. Despite similarities to existing approaches, the model presented here incorporates several novel concepts: (i) ground roughness and particle roughness are represented as a random change of slope angle at impact; (ii) lateral deviations of rebound direction from the trajectory plane at impact are similarly accounted for by perturbing the ground orientation laterally, thus inducing scatter of run-out directions; and (iii) a hyperbolic relationship connects restitution factors to impact deformation energy. With these features, the model is capable of realistically accounting for the influence of particle mass on dynamic behaviour. The model only requires four input parameters, rendering it flexible for calibration against observed datasets. In this study, we calibrate the model against observations from the rockfall test site at Vaujany in France. The model is able to reproduce observed distributions of velocity, jump heights, and runout at observation points. In addition, the spatial distribution of the trajectories and landing points has been successfully simulated. Different parameter sets have been used for different ground materials such as an avalanche channel, a forest road, and a talus cone. Further calibration of the new model against a range of field datasets is essential. This study is part of an extensive calibration program that is still in progress at this first presentation of the method, and focuses on fine-tuning the details of the stochastic process implemented both in two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) versions of the model.
Quartz arenites of the Cambro–Ordovician Kamouraska Formation, Quebec Appalachians, Canada: II. Eolian sands in deep-sea sedimentary gravity-flow deposits
Authors: Malhame Pierre , Hesse Reinhard
Published: February 2015

The Kamouraska Formation is a quartz-arenitic unit of latest Cambrian – earliest Ordovician age in the Quebec Appalachians that was deposited by hyperconcentrated to concentrated density flows in a meandering submarine canyon on the continental slope bordering the Iapetus Ocean, as outlined in a companion paper. Detailed petrographic study of the quartz arenites of the Kamouraska Formation combined with scanning electron microscopy of grain surface textures suggests that the quartz sands are of eolian origin having been derived from an inland desert or, less likely, a barrier beach dune system. Transport of the mature quartz-arenitic sand onto the shelf and deposition into the deep sea was not accompanied by substantial mixing with material from other sources thus preserving the inherited eolian characteristics. A modern analogue for the eolian interpretation of the deep-sea quartz-arenite beds is as follows: thick, Late Pleistocene eolian sand beds on a modern abyssal plain in the East Atlantic referred to as eolian-sand turbidites that were deposited in the deep sea during glacial sea level lowstands when eolian sand transport to canyon heads was enabled by an exposed and shortened shelf. Similarly, an established sea level lowstand at the Cambro–Ordovician boundary would have facilitated the introduction of eolian sand of the Kamouraska Foundation into canyon heads on the upper slope from where turbidity currents and related density flows were triggered. Correlation of the Kamouraska Formation with the quartz arenites of the Cairnside Formation of Quebec (Keeseville Formation in northern New York State, Nepean Formation in southern Ontario) links the deep-sea deposits with remnants of an inland dune system.
Prescriptive and empirical principles of applied ecology
Authors: Hone Jim , Drake V. Alistair , Krebs Charles J.
Published: February 2015

Applied ecology is the science of managing ecosystems for defined outcomes, such as conservation, sustainable harvest, and animal pest and weed control. Robust knowledge in science is often expressed as “principles”. Principles in applied ecology have utility by assisting scientists and managers to evaluate current management and to plan future activities. Principles also have a unifying role by identifying general patterns and processes across a broad discipline. We review usage of the word principle in applied ecology by critically evaluating principles proposed previously. We identify and describe two principal uses of principles; first, a prescriptive principle defined here as a general guideline for applied ecological research and management, and second, an empirical principle defined here as a broad generalization based on replicated empirical observations and experiments. Principles proposed previously are invariably for particular applications and are not generic across applied ecology. The principles are consolidated here in a new set of 22 prescriptive and 3 empirical principles. The new principles are more comprehensive than those proposed previously and relate to all aspects of applied ecology, extending across conservation, sustainable utilization, and management of animal pests and weeds. The principles should assist applied ecologists and managers to achieve specific management objectives.
Balancing Load via Small Coalitions in Selfish Ring Routing Games
Authors: Chen Xujin , Hu Xiaodong , Ma Weidong
Published: February 2015

This paper concerns the asymmetric atomic selfish routing game for load balancing in ring networks. In the selfish routing, each player selects a path in the ring network to route one unit traffic between its source and destination nodes, aiming at a minimum maximum link load along its own path. The selfish path selections by individuals ignore the system objective of minimizing the maximum load over all network links. This selfish ring load (SRL) game arises in a wide variety of applications in decentralized network routing, where network performance is often measured by the price of anarchy (PoA), the worst-case ratio between the maximum link loads in an equilibrium routing and an optimal routing. It has been known that the PoA of SRL with respect to classical Nash Equilibrium (NE) cannot be upper bounded by any constant, showing large loss of efficiency at some NE outcome.

In an effort to improve the network performance in the SRL game, we generalize the model to so-called SRL with collusion (SRLC) which allows coordination within any coalition of up to k selfish players on the condition that every player of the coalition benefits from the coordination. We prove that, for m-player game on n-node ring, the PoA of SRLC is n - 1 when k ≤ 2, drops to 2 when k = 3 and is at least 1 + 2/m for k ≥ 4. Our study shows that on one hand, the performance of ring networks, in terms of maximum load, benefits significantly from coordination of self-interested players within small-sized coalitions; on the other hand, the equilibrium routing in SRL might not reach global optimum even if any number of players can coordinate.
Canonical Dual Solutions to Quadratic Optimization over One Quadratic Constraint
Authors: Xing Wenxun , Fang Shu-Cherng , Sheu Ruey-Lin , Zhang Liping
Published: February 2015

A quadratic optimization problem with one nonconvex quadratic constraint is studied using the canonical dual approach. Under the dual Slater's condition, we show that the canonical dual has a smooth concave objective function over a convex feasible domain, and this dual has a finite supremum unless the original quadratic optimization problem is infeasible. This supremum, when it exists, always equals to the minimum value of the primal problem. Moreover, a global minimizer of the primal problem can be provided by a dual-to-primal conversion plus a "boundarification" technique. Application to solving a quadratic programming problem over a ball is included and an error bound estimation is provided.
Repeated Sequential Prisoner's Dilemma: The Stackleberg Variant
Authors: Qu Xing-Long , Cao Zhi-Gang , Mu Yi-Fen , Yang Xiao-Guang
Published: February 2015

We study the Stackleberg variant of the repeated Sequential Prisoner's Dilemma (SPD). The game goes in two stages, and the two players, the leader and the follower, are asymmetric in both stages. In the first stage of the game, the leader chooses a strategy (for the repeated SPD of the second stage), which is immediately known to the follower. In the second stage, they play repeated SPD: In each round the follower moves after observing the leader's action.

Assuming complete rationality, we find some extraordinary properties of this model. (i) The (subgame perfect) equilibrium payoff profile is unique, which lies on the corner of the region predicted by classical folk theorems: It is best for the leader and at the same time worst for the follower, (ii) the leader has simple optimal strategies that are one-step memory and stationary. These features are in great contrast with classical results, where either uniqueness cannot be guaranteed and equilibrium strategies are often quite complicated, or bounded rationality is required. Although full cooperation, i.e., the outcome is always (cooperate, cooperate), is not attainable in our model, at least a half of the optimal social welfare can be guaranteed. We also do a non-equilibrium analysis which makes the usual equilibrium analysis more convincing.
An Edge-Turbulence Algorithm for the 2-MRS Problem on Trees with Unreliable Edges
Authors: Zhou Yu , Ding Wei , Wang Guangming , Chen Guangting
Published: February 2015

The sum-max 2-most reliable sources (Sum-Max 2-MRS) problem in a given unreliable network is referred to as finding a pair of nodes in the network from which the expected number of reachable nodes is maximized. This problem is #P-hard on general graphs and admits a cubic time algorithm on trees with unreliable edges. In this paper, we revisit the problem on trees and design an edge-turbulence algorithm with a quadratic time and quadratic spaces. Finally, we further develop an edge-turbulence based parallel algorithm with a lower time complexity.
Diagonal approximation and the cohomology ring of torus fiber bundles
Authors: Martins Sérgio Tadao
Published: February 2015

For a torus bundle (S1 × S1) → M → S1, we construct a finite free resolution of ℤ over ℤ[π1(M)] and compute the cohomology groups H*(π1(M); ℤ) and H*(π1(M);ℤp) for a prime p. We also construct a partial diagonal approximation for the resolution, which allows us to compute the cup products in H*(π1(M); ℤ) and H*(π1(M); ℤp).
On fractional Choquard equations
Authors: d'Avenia Pietro , Siciliano Gaetano , Squassina Marco
Published: February 2015

We investigate a class of nonlinear Schrödinger equations with a generalized Choquard nonlinearity and fractional diffusion. We obtain regularity, existence, nonexistence, symmetry as well as decays properties.
High-order finite difference WENO schemes with positivity-preserving limiter for correlated random walk with density-dependent turning rates
Authors: Jiang Yan , Shu Chi-Wang , Zhang Mengping
Published: February 2015

In this paper, we discuss high-order finite difference weighted essentially non-oscillatory schemes, coupled with total variation diminishing (TVD) Runge–Kutta (RK) temporal integration, for solving the semilinear hyperbolic system of a correlated random walk model describing movement of animals and cells in biology. Since the solutions to this system are non-negative, we discuss a positivity-preserving limiter without compromising accuracy. Analysis is performed to justify the maintenance of third-order spatial/temporal accuracy when the limiters are applied to a third-order finite difference scheme and third-order TVD-RK time discretization for solving this model. Numerical results are also provided to demonstrate these methods up to fifth-order accuracy.
Time-asymptotic convergence rates towards the discrete evolutionary stable distribution
Authors: Cai Wenli , Jabin Pierre-Emmanuel , Liu Hailiang
Published: February 2015

This paper is concerned with the discrete dynamics of an integro-differential model that describes the evolution of a population structured with respect to a continuous trait. Various time-asymptotic convergence rates towards the discrete evolutionary stable distribution (ESD) are established. For some special ESD satisfying a strict sign condition, the exponential convergence rates are obtained for both semi-discrete and fully discrete schemes. Towards the general ESD, the algebraic convergence rate that we find is consistent with the known result for the continuous model.
Topic Categorization of Biomedical Abstracts
Authors: Kanavos Andreas , Makris Christos , Theodoridis Evangelos
Published: February 2015

Nowadays, people frequently use search engines in order to find the information they need on the Web. Especially, Web search constitutes of a basic tool used by million researchers in their everyday work. A very popular indexing engine, concerning life sciences and biomedical research, is PubMed. PubMed is a free database accessing primarily the MEDLINE database of references and abstracts on life sciences and biomedical topics. The present search engines usually return search results in a global ranking, making it difficult for the users to browse in different topics or subtopics.

In this work we propose a novel system to address the issues of clustering biomedical search engine results according to their topic. A methodology that exploits semantic text clustering techniques in order to group biomedical document collections in homogeneous topics, is presented and evaluated. In order to provide more accurate clustering results, we utilize various biomedical ontologies, likeMeSH and GeneOntology. Finally, we embed the proposed methodology in an online system that post-processes the PubMed online database so as to provide users the retrieved results according to well formed topics. So as to expose our method as an online real-time service with reasonable response times, we performed a wide range of engineering optimizations along with experimentation on preprocessing time to precision of results trade off.
Analysing AFDX Networks Using End-to-end Response Time Analysis
Authors: JONSSON MAGNUS , KUNERT KRISTINA , KALLERDAHL ANDERS
Published: February 2015

In this paper, we present a novel real-time analysis framework for AFDX (Avionics Full Duplex Switched Ethernet) networks. The framework, based on end-to-end response time analysis, calculates not only delay bounds, but also the maximum jitter for each VL (Virtual Link) at each hop, which is necessary according to the AFDX standard. Moreover, the framework supports multicasting, i.e., VLs with several paths, and VLs with arbitrary delay bounds, i.e., shorter, longer, or equal to their periods. An analysis method to calculate the worst-case buffer population is included in the framework, as it is important to guarantee that no buffer-overflow occurs. With a performance surpassing that of Network Calculus and comparable with Trajectory Approach, our framework presents a good choice due to its many features and its foundation in well-accepted analysis methods.
Analytic symmetric information-theoretical discord for one class of two-qubit states
Authors: Zhang Jun , Wu Shao-Xiong , Yu Chang-Shui , Wang Xiaoguang
Published: February 2015

We give the analytic expression for the information-theoretical symmetric discord of one type of two-qubit X states which depend on only four real parameters. As an application, we study the symmetric discord in a model, which shows that the numerical and analytic results are well consistent.
Fractional BV spaces and applications to scalar conservation laws
Authors: Bourdarias C. , Gisclon M. , Junca S.
Published: February 2015

We obtain new fine properties of entropy solutions to scalar nonlinear conservation laws. For this purpose, we study the "fractional BV spaces" denoted by BVs(ℝ) (for 0 < s ≤ 1), which were introduced by Love and Young in 1937 and closely related to the critical Sobolev space Ws,1/s(ℝ). We investigate these spaces in connection with one-dimensional scalar conservation laws. The BVsspaces allow one to work with less regular functions than BV functions and appear to be more natural in this context. We obtain a stability result for entropy solutions with BVsinitial data. Furthermore, for the first time, we get the maximal Ws,psmoothing effect conjectured by Lions, Perthame and Tadmor for all nonlinear (possibly degenerate) convex fluxes.
On diffusion phenomena for the linear wave equation with space-dependent damping
Authors: Wakasugi Yuta
Published: February 2015

We study the diffusion phenomenon associated with the linear wave equation with space-dependent damping, and give a proof that the asymptotic profile of solutions is represented by solutions to the associated heat equation, in the L2sense.
Almost periodic solution of Nicholson's blowflies model with linear harvesting term and impulsive effects
Authors: Yao Zhijian
Published: February 2015

This paper is concerned with impulsive Nicholson's blowflies model with linear harvesting term. By using contraction mapping fixed point theorem, we obtain sufficient conditions for the existence of unique almost periodic positive solution. Moreover, we investigate exponential convergence of the almost periodic positive solution by Lyapunov functional.
From tourism to geotourism: a few historical cases from the French Alpine foreland
Authors: Cayla Nathalie , Gauchon Christophe , Hobléa Fabien
Published: February 2015

This paper traces the touristic trajectories of three spectacular gorges located in the Alpine foreland and the southern Jura: the gorges of the upper Rhône (Ain/Haute-Savoie), the Sierroz (Savoie) and the Fier (Haute-Savoie). All three are located within a distance of 50 km from each other. The upper Rhône gorge, already famous at the end of the eighteenth century, was drowned under the floodwaters of the Génissiat dam in 1948; only a significant iconography remains of two centuries of (geo)tourism. The Sierroz gorge, close to the spa resort of Aix-les-Bains, became famous after the dramatic and tragic death in 1810 of a young noblewoman. Following that event many tourists staying on the shore of the lake Bourget visited the gorge until 1970 when it was closed to the public. Since then, the gorge has gradually become a touristic wasteland. The Fier gorge near Annecy became a tourist attraction in 1869 with the opening of the nearby railway station of Lovagny; since then, visitors have been attracted to it in increasing numbers. The history of these three gorges illustrates how tourism and heritage are in constant interaction; however, the development of the one will not always ensure the protection of the other. Today, geoheritage assessment is based upon criteria that are as objective as is possible. The intrinsic geological and geomorphological characteristics are the initial geoheritage values, to which can be added the cultural value elements. Associated with the development of geotourism and geoparks, this new approach should ensure a better and sustainable use of these sites in the long term.
Structural model creation: the impact of data type and creative space on geological reasoning and interpretation
Authors: Bond C. E. , Johnson G. , Ellis J. F.
Published: February 2015

Interpretation of sparse or incomplete datasets is a fundamental part of geology, particularly when building models of the subsurface. Available geological data are often remotely sensed (seismic data) or very limited in spatial extent (borehole data). Understanding how different datasets are interpreted and what makes an interpreter effective is critical if accurate geological models are to be created. A comparison of the interpretation outcome and techniques used by two cohorts interpreting different geological datasets of the same model, an inversion structure, was made. The first cohort consists of interpreters of the synthetic seismic image data in Bond
et al.
(‘What do you think this is?: “Conceptual uncertainty” in geoscience interpretation’,
GSA Today
, 2007,
17
, 4–10,
http://dx.doi.org/10.1130/GSAT01711A.1
); the second cohort is new and interpreted borehole data. The outcomes of the borehole interpretation dataset support earlier findings that technique use, specifically evidence of geological evolution thought processes, results in more effective interpretation. The results also show that the borehole interpreters were more effective at arriving at the correct interpretation. Analysis of their final interpretations in the context of psychological and medical image analysis research suggests that the clarity of the original dataset, the amount of noise and white space may play a role in interpretation outcome, through enforced geological reasoning during data interpretation.
Upregulated expression of STIM2, TRPC6, and Orai2 contributes to the transition of pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells from a contractile to proliferative phenotype
Authors: Fernandez Ruby A. , Wan Jun , Song Shanshan , Smith Kimberly A. , Gu Yali , Tauseef Mohammad , Tang Haiyang , Makino Ayako , Mehta Dolly , Yuan Jason X.-J.
Published: February 2015

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a progressive disease that, if left untreated, eventually leads to right heart failure and death. Elevated pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP) in patients with PAH is mainly caused by an increase in pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR). Sustained vasoconstriction and excessive pulmonary vascular remodeling are two major causes for elevated PVR in patients with PAH. Excessive pulmonary vascular remodeling is mediated by increased proliferation of pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells (PASMC) due to PASMC dedifferentiation from a contractile or quiescent phenotype to a proliferative or synthetic phenotype. Increased cytosolic Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]cyt) in PASMC is a key stimulus for cell proliferation and this phenotypic transition. Voltage-dependent Ca2+ entry (VDCE) and store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE) are important mechanisms for controlling [Ca2+]cyt. Stromal interacting molecule proteins (e.g., STIM2) and Orai2 both contribute to SOCE and we have previously shown that STIM2 and Orai2, specifically, are upregulated in PASMC from patients with idiopathic PAH and from animals with experimental pulmonary hypertension in comparison to normal controls. In this study, we show that STIM2 and Orai2 are upregulated in proliferating PASMC compared with contractile phenotype of PASMC. Additionally, a switch in Ca2+ regulation is observed in correlation with a phenotypic transition from contractile PASMC to proliferative PASMC. PASMC in a contractile phenotype or state have increased VDCE, while in the proliferative phenotype or state PASMC have increased SOCE. The data from this study indicate that upregulation of STIM2 and Orai2 is involved in the phenotypic transition of PASMC from a contractile state to a proliferative state; the enhanced SOCE due to upregulation of STIM2 and Orai2 plays an important role in PASMC proliferation.
Influence of stimulus and oral adaptation temperature on gustatory responses in central taste-sensitive neurons
Authors: Li Jinrong , Lemon Christian H.
Published: February 2015

The temperature of taste stimuli can modulate gustatory processing. Perceptual data indicate that the adapted temperature of oral epithelia also influences gustation, although little is known about the neural basis of this effect. Here, we electrophysiologically recorded orosensory responses (spikes) to 25°C (cool) and 35°C (warm) solutions of sucrose (0.1 and 0.3 M), NaCl (0.004, 0.1, and 0.3 M), and water from taste-sensitive neurons in the nucleus of the solitary tract in mice under varied thermal adaptation of oral epithelia. Conditions included presentation of taste stimuli isothermal to adaptation temperatures of 25°C (constant cooling) and 35°C (constant warming), delivery of 25°C stimuli following 35°C adaptation (relative cooling), and presentation of 35°C stimuli following 25°C adaptation (relative warming). Responses to sucrose in sucrose-oriented cells ( n = 15) were enhanced under the constant and relative warming conditions compared with constant cooling, where contiguous cooling across adaptation and stimulus periods induced the lowest and longest latency responses to sucrose. Yet compared with constant warming, cooling sucrose following warm adaptation (relative cooling) only marginally reduced activity to 0.1 M sucrose and did not alter responses to 0.3 M sucrose. Thus, warmth adaptation counteracted the attenuation in sucrose activity associated with stimulus cooling. Analysis of sodium-oriented ( n = 25) neurons revealed adaptation to cool water, and cooling taste solutions enhanced unit firing to 0.004 M (perithreshold) NaCl, whereas warmth adaptation and stimulus warming could facilitate activity to 0.3 M NaCl. The concentration dependence of this thermal effect may reflect a dual effect of temperature on the sodium reception mechanism that drives sodium-oriented cells.
The responses of V1 cortical neurons to flashed presentations of orthogonal single lines and edges
Authors: Gawne Timothy J.
Published: February 2015

How cortical neurons process multiple inputs is a fundamental issue in modern neuroscience. Neurons in visual cortical area V1 have been shown to exhibit cross-orientation suppression, where the response to an optimally oriented visual stimulus is reduced by the simultaneous presence of an orthogonally oriented stimulus. This is consistent with the view that cortical neurons respond to multiple inputs with a weighted average (or normalization) of the responses to the inputs presented separately. However, most of these studies have used drifting or counterphase-modulated grating stimuli, potentially confounding orientation effects with non-orientation-specific gain control mechanisms. Additionally, primate vision depends to a great extent on transient stimulus presentations during fixations between saccades. Therefore this study examined the responses of primate V1 neurons to orthogonal flashed-onset single edges and lines, and to their combinations. Single edges or lines do not typically cause strong suppression of the responses to an orthogonal stimulus, even though a grating does. This appears to hold true regardless of the relative contrasts of the orthogonal single lines or edges. This is consistent with response suppression from an orthogonal grating being due to non-orientation-specific contrast gain control (Koeling M, Shapley R, Shelley M. J Comp Neurosci 25: 390–400, 2008; Priebe NJ, Ferster D. Nat Neurosci 9: 552–561, 2006; Walker GA, Ohzawa I, Freeman RD. J.Neurophysiol 79: 227–239, 1998). While normalization mechanisms are clearly important for the cerebral cortex, under many conditions the responses of V1 cortical neurons to an optimally oriented stimulus can be unaffected by the presence of orthogonal stimuli, which may be important to avoid confounding the interpretation of a neural response.
Modulation of motor cortex neuronal activity and motor behavior during subthalamic nucleus stimulation in the normal primate
Authors: Johnson Luke A. , Xu Weidong , Baker Kenneth B. , Zhang Jianyu , Vitek Jerrold L.
Published: February 2015

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) is a well-established surgical therapy for advanced Parkinson's disease (PD). An emerging hypothesis is that the therapeutic benefit of DBS is derived from direct modulation of primary motor cortex (M1), yet little is known about the influence of STN DBS on individual neurons in M1. We investigated the effect of STN DBS, delivered at discrete interval intensities (20, 40, 60, 80, and 100%) of corticospinal tract threshold (CSTT), on motor performance and M1 neuronal activity in a naive nonhuman primate. Motor performance during a food reach and retrieval task improved during low-intensity stimulation (20% CSTT) but worsened as intensity approached the threshold for activation of corticospinal fibers (80% and 100% CSTT). To assess cortical effects of STN DBS, spontaneous, extracellular neuronal activity was collected from M1 neurons before, during, and after DBS at the same CSTT stimulus intensities. STN DBS significantly modulated the firing of a majority of M1 neurons; however, the direction of effect varied with stimulus intensity such that, at 20% CSTT, most neurons were suppressed, whereas at the highest stimulus intensities the majority of neurons were activated. At a population level, firing rates increased as stimulus intensity increased. These results show that STN DBS influences both motor performance and M1 neuronal activity systematically according to stimulus intensity. In addition, the unanticipated reduction in reach times suggests that STN DBS, at stimulus intensities lower than typically used for treatment of PD motor signs, can enhance normal motor performance.
Periorbital Edema Secondary to Positive Airway Pressure Therapy
Authors: Dandekar Francesco , Camacho Macario , Valerio Jason , Ruoff Chad M.
Published: February 2015

Two patients developed bilateral, periorbital edema after initiating positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy with a full face mask. The periorbital edema was more pronounced in the morning and would dissipate throughout the day. This phenomenon seemed to be correlated with the direct pressure of the full face mask, which may have impaired lymphatic and venous drainage. To test this hypothesis, each patient was changed to a nasal pillow interface with subsequent improvement in the periorbital edema.
Salivary Acetylcholinesterase Activity Is Increased in Parkinson’s Disease: A Potential Marker of Parasympathetic Dysfunction
Authors: Fedorova Tatyana , Knudsen Cindy Soendersoe , Mouridsen Kim , Nexo Ebba , Borghammer Per
Published: February 2015

Introduction. Decreased salivary flow and xerostomia are frequent findings in Parkinson’s disease (PD), possibly caused by alterations in the parasympathetic tonus. Here we explore salivary acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity as a potential biomarker in PD.Methods. We measured salivary flow, AChE activity, and total protein concentration in 30 PD patients and 49 healthy controls. We also performed exploratory correlation analyses with disease duration, motor symptom severity, autonomic complaints, and other nonmotor symptoms.Results. PD patients displayed significantly decreased salivary flow rate, significantly increased salivary AChE activity, and total protein concentration. Importantly, the AChE activity/total protein ratio was significantly increased in PD patients, suggesting that increased AChE activity cannot be explained solely by upconcentration of saliva. The Unified PD Rating Scale (UPDRS) score displayed significant correlation with total salivary protein (P=0.002) and near-significant correlation with salivary flow (P=0.07). Color vision test scores were also significantly correlated with AChE activity (P=0.04) and total protein levels (P=0.002).Conclusion. Salivary AChE activity is increased in PD patients compared to healthy controls. Future studies are needed to elucidate whether this parameter reflects the extent of neuronal damage and parasympathetic denervation in the salivary glands of PD patients.
Analysis for Clinical Effect of Virtual Windowing and Poking Reduction Treatment for Schatzker III Tibial Plateau Fracture Based on 3D CT Data
Authors: Zhang Huafeng , Li Zhijun , Xu Qian , Zhang Yuan , Xu Ke , Ma Xinlong
Published: February 2015

Objective. To explore the applications of preoperative planning and virtual surgery including surgical windowing and elevating reduction and to determine the clinical effects of this technology on the treatment of Schatzker type III tibial plateau fractures.Methods. 32 patients with Schatzker type III tibial plateau fractures were randomised upon their admission to the hospital using a sealed envelope method. Fourteen were treated with preoperative virtual design and assisted operation (virtual group) and 18 with direct open reduction and internal fixation (control group).Results. All patients achieved primary incision healing. Compared with control group, virtual groups showed significant advantages in operative time, incision length, and blood lossP<0.001. The virtual surgery was consistent with the actual surgery.Conclusion. The virtual group was better than control group in the treatment of tibial plateau fractures of Schatzker type III, due to shorter operative time, smaller incision length, and lower blood loss. The reconstructed 3D fracture model could be used to preoperatively determine the surgical windowing and elevating reduction method and simulate the operation for Schatzker type III tibial plateau fractures.
Expression of p53 Target Genes in the Early Phase of Long-Term Potentiation in the Rat Hippocampal CA1 Area
Authors: Pustylnyak Vladimir O. , Lisachev Pavel D. , Shtark Mark B.
Published: February 2015

Gene expression plays an important role in the mechanisms of long-term potentiation (LTP), which is a widely accepted experimental model of synaptic plasticity. We have studied the expression of at least 50 genes that are transcriptionally regulated by p53, as well as other genes that are related to p53-dependent processes, in the early phase of LTP. Within 30 min after Schaffer collaterals (SC) tetanization, increases in the mRNA and protein levels of Bax, which are upregulated by p53, and a decrease in the mRNA and protein levels of Bcl2, which are downregulated by p53, were observed. The inhibition of Mdm2 by nutlin-3 increased the basal p53 protein level and rescued its tetanization-induced depletion, which suggested the involvement of Mdm2 in the control over p53 during LTP. Furthermore, nutlin-3 caused an increase in the basal expression of Bax and a decrease in the basal expression of Bcl2, whereas tetanization-induced changes in their expression were occluded. These results support the hypothesis that p53 may be involved in transcriptional regulation during the early phase of LTP. We hope that the presented data may aid in the understanding of the contribution of p53 and related genes in the processes that are associated with synaptic plasticity.
Flight Envelope Protection Control Based on Reference Governor Method in High Angle of Attack Maneuver
Authors: Ye Hui , Chen Mou , Wu Qingxian
Published: February 2015

The reference governor strategy is presented for the flight envelope protection control of the aircraft during high angle of attack maneuvers. Limits of key flight parameters and amplitude saturation of control surfaces are explicitly considered by imposing the output and input constraints on the flight system. Firstly, a nominal flight control scheme is designed using eigenstructure assignment approach. The static and dynamic reference governors are discussed for flight envelope protection control of the aircraft during stability-axis roll maneuver. Then, a new reference governor is presented based on step response model. The performance of these reference governors for flight envelope protection is demonstrated and compared by numerical simulations. Results show that the dynamic reference governor and the proposed step response model based reference governor are valid for the flight envelope protection control and the latter is easier to be realized.
Dynamics of Generalized Tachyon Field in Teleparallel Gravity
Authors: Fazlpour Behnaz , Banijamali Ali
Published: February 2015

We study dynamics of generalized tachyon scalar field in the framework of teleparallel gravity. This model is an extension of tachyonic teleparallel dark energy model which has been proposed by Banijamali and Fazlpour (2012). In contrast with tachyonic teleparallel dark energy model that has no scaling attractors, here we find some scaling attractors which means that the cosmological coincidence problem can be alleviated. Scaling attractors are presented for both interacting and noninteracting dark energy and dark matter cases.
Determination of theIn VitroandIn VivoAntimicrobial Activity on Salivary Streptococci and Lactobacilli and Chemical Characterisation of the Phenolic Content of aPlantago lanceolataInfusion
Authors: Ferrazzano Gianmaria Fabrizio , Cantile Tiziana , Roberto Lia , Ingenito Aniello , Catania Maria Rosaria , Roscetto Emanuela , Palumbo Giuseppe , Zarrelli Armando , Pollio Antonino
Published: February 2015

Introduction.Plant extracts may be suitable alternative treatments for caries.Aims. To investigate thein vitroandin vivoantimicrobial effects ofPlantago lanceolataherbal tea (from flowers and leaves) on cariogenic bacteria and to identify the major constituents ofP. lanceolataplant.Materials and Methods.The MIC and MBC against cariogenic bacteria were determined forP. lanceolatatea. Subsequently, a controlled random clinical study was conducted. Group A was instructed to rinse with aP. lanceolatamouth rinse, and Group B received a placebo mouth rinse for seven days. The salivary colonisation by streptococci and lactobacilli was investigated prior to treatment and on the fourth and seventh days. Finally, theP. lanceolatatea was analysed for its polyphenolic content, and major phenolics were identified.Results and Discussion. P. lanceolatateas demonstrate goodin vitroantimicrobial activity. Thein vivotest showed that Group A subjects presented a significant decrease in streptococci compared to Group B. The phytochemical analysis revealed that flavonoids, coumarins, lipids, cinnamic acids, lignans, and phenolic compounds are present inP. lanceolatainfusions.Conclusions. P. lanceolataextract could represent a natural anticariogenic agentviaan antimicrobial effect and might be useful as an ancillary measure to control the proliferation of cariogenic flora.
Multiobjective Optimization for Topology and Coverage Control in Wireless Sensor Networks
Authors: Jameii Seyed Mahdi , Faez Karim , Dehghan Mehdi
Published: February 2015

Coverage, connectivity, and network lifetime are important issues in wireless sensor networks (WSNs). Balancing the energy consumption in the network, reducing the transmission range of nodes, and density control of active nodes are approaches to extend the network lifetime. However, transmission range reduction and smaller number of active nodes can affect the network topology and may cause the network to be disconnected. So, there exist conflicts among lifetime, coverage, and connectivity. In this paper, these conflicting issues are considered and an evolutionary multiobjective optimization approach based on nondominated sorting genetic algorithm-II (NSGA-II) is proposed to optimize them. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm can improve the network lifetime and coverage while maintaining the network connectivity.