bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The implications and impact of 3 approaches to health information exchange: community, enterprise, and vendor‐mediated health information exchange
Authors: Everson Jordan
Published: January 2017

Introduction

Electronic health information exchange (HIE) is considered essential to establishing a learning health system, reducing medical errors, and improving efficiency, but establishment of widespread, high functioning HIE has been challenging. Healthcare organizations now have considerable flexibility in selecting among several HIE strategies, most prominently community HIE, enterprise HIE (led by a healthcare organization), and electronic health record vendor‐mediated HIE. Each of these strategies is characterized by different conveners, capabilities, and motivations and may have different abilities to facilitate improved patient care.

Methods

I reviewed the available scholarly literature to draw conceptual distinctions between these types of HIE, to assess the current evidence on each type of HIE, and to indicate important areas of future research.

Results

While community HIE seems to offer the most open approach to HIE allowing for high levels of connectivity, both enterprise HIE and vendor‐mediated HIE face lower barriers to formation and sustainability. Most existing evidence is focused on community HIE and points towards low overall use, challenges to usability, and ambiguous impact. To better guide organizational leaders and policymakers in the expansion of beneficial HIE and anticipate future trends, future research should work to better capture the prevalence of other forms of HIE, and to adopt common methods to allow comparisons of rate of use, usability, and impact on patient care across studies and types of HIE.

Conclusions

Healthcare organizations' choice of HIE strategy influences the set of partners the organization is connected to and may influence the benefit that efforts supported by HIE can offer to patients. Current research is not fully capturing the diversity of approaches to HIE and their potentially varying impact on providers and patients.
Modelling maximum daily yearly rainfall in northern Algeria using generalized extreme value distributions from 1936 to 2009
Authors: Boudrissa Naima , Cheraitia Hassen , Halimi Lotfi
Published: January 2017

The generalized extreme value distribution is generally used to model annual maximum daily precipitation, and it then allows the calculation of the return values of this phenomenon. The distribution was fitted for selected stations in the north of Algeria; it was found that the generalized extreme value distribution of type I or the Gumbel distribution is more suitable for the Algiers and Miliana stations and the Fréchet distribution is more appropriate for the Oran station. The parameters were estimated using the maximum likelihood method, and the return levels were calculated at selected return periodsT; for instance, about 100 years must elapse to record a level of 181.9 mm of rainfallperday in Algiers, 173 mm in Miliana and 109.54 mm in Oran.
Optimizing the mechanical and physical properties of thermoplastic starch via tuning the molecular microstructure through co‐plasticization by sorbitol and glycerol
Authors: Esmaeili Mohsen , Pircheraghi Gholamreza , Bagheri Reza
Published: January 2017

Nowadays, environmental hazards caused by plastic wastes are a major concern in academia and industry. Utilization of biodegradable polymers derived from renewable sources for replacing common petroleum‐based plastics is a potential solution for reducing the problem. In this regard, starch has become one of the most promising alternatives to non‐biodegradable polymers for depleting plastic waste thanks to its low expense, abundance, renewability and biodegradability. However, the main drawbacks of starch are its poor processability, weak mechanical properties and severe hydrophilicity. In this work, thermoplastic starch (TPS) samples have been prepared using glycerol and sorbitol as co‐plasticizers in a laboratory co‐rotating twin screw extruder. Based on the mechanical test results, glycerol caused higher elongation to break but had lower tensile strength and elastic modulus compared to sorbitol plasticized starch. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and DSC results indicated that the hydrogen bond interaction between starch chains and plasticizers could be improved by replacing glycerol by sorbitol, which resulted in higher resistance against retrogradation proved by XRD results. TGA illustrated that the higher the sorbitol to glycerol ratio was, the more stable was the TPS. Using a proper amount of plasticizers (42 wt% total plasticizer, sorbitol to glycerol ratio 2:1) led to the preparation of a TPS sample with optimized properties including enhanced mechanical properties, high thermal stability, strong hydrogen bond formation and high resistance against retrogradation. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry
Improved delay‐range‐dependent stability analysis for uncertain retarded systems based on affine Wirtinger‐inequality
Authors: Dey Rajeeb , Martinez Garcia Juan Carlos
Published: January 2017

This note considers the problem of deriving sufficient delay‐range‐dependent stability (DRDS) condition for a general class of uncertain (or nonlinear) retarded system. The stability result is developed by proposing appropriate Lyapunov–Krasovskii functional to effectively utilize the merit of recently proposed affine Wirtinger inequality. The delay upper bound results obtained by the developed condition are found to be less conservative compared with recent results for both nominal and uncertain systems. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Razumikhin‐type approach on state feedback of stochastic high‐order nonlinear systems with time‐varying delay
Authors: Wang Tiancheng , Luo Xiaoxia , Li Wuquan
Published: January 2017

The Razumikhin‐type approach is introduced to solve the state feedback stabilization problem for a class of stochastic high‐order nonlinear systems with time‐varying delay. Based on the general Razumikhin‐type theorem on stochastic systems established in our paper and backstepping design method, a state feedback controller is constructed to ensure the origin of closed‐loop system is globally asymptotically stable in probability. Our methodology enables us to completely remove the limitations on the derivative of delay, which is the common assumption of stochastic high‐order nonlinear systems with time‐varying delay. The efficiency of the state feedback controller is demonstrated by simulation examples. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Revisiting the Relationship Between Corporate Stakeholder Commitment and Social and Financial Performance
Authors: Rivera Juana M. , Muñoz Maria J. , Moneva Jose M.
Published: January 2017

This study delves into the long‐term relationship between social and financial performance of organizations. The aim of this study is to analyse the evolution of this relationship during the global financial crisis to ascertain both how companies have evolved in terms of CSR strategic consistency under financial uncertainty, and the relationship that this consistency may have with their financial performance. A specific methodological approach based on the fuzzy set theory has been applied to the measurement of social and environmental performance over a selected sample of Spanish listed companies, whose CSR strategic consistency had been analysed in previous studies that made use of data published in 2003. The results show a general improvement of CSR strategic consistency among organizations, in spite of a turbulent financial environment. On the other hand, the results show a positive relationship between CSR strategic consistency, and corporate economic and financial performance. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment
Systematics and palaeobiogeography ofMegacarditaSacco in the Neogene of Europe (Bivalvia, Carditidae)
Authors: La Perna Rafael , Mandic Oleg , Harzhauser Mathias
Published: January 2017

MegacarditaSacco is a poorly known and misunderstood carditid genus in the subfamily Venericardiinae. The only species frequently reported from the Miocene of Europe is the type speciesM. jouanneti(Basterot), often considered to be a highly variable species. The genus also has been used for fossil and living species from disparate areas and ages. In addition toM. jouanneti, six other species were identified in the present work:M. brocchii(Michelotti),M. guentertiPfister & Wegmüller,M. hoernesisp. nov.,M. ignorataCossmann & Peyrot,M. laeviplana(Depéret) andM. dertavicula(Sacco). The new species is described from the Langhian of the Vienna Basin. The seven species cover a stratigraphic interval ranging from middle Burdigalian to Messinian, and a palaeogeographical area encompassing the north‐east Atlantic, the Western and Central Paratethys, and the Mediterranean. The genus apparently radiated from the central European basins, but its evolutionary relations with other carditids remain unclear. Two additional species are also tentatively referred toMegacardita:M.?laticosta(Eichwald) from the Langhian of Ukraine and Poland, andM.?redoniananom. nov. forCardita striatissimaauct. non CailliaudinMayer from the Messinian–Early Pliocene of France and Portugal. There is no evidence of a wider distribution ofMegacardita, either stratigraphically or geographically.
Characterization of Impulse Radio Intrabody Communication System for Wireless Body Area Networks
Authors: Cai Zibo , Seyedi MirHojjat , Zhang Weiwei , Rivet Francois , Lai Daniel T. H.
Published: January 2017

Intrabody communication (IBC) is a promising data communication technique for body area networks. This short-distance communication approach uses human body tissue as the medium of signal propagation. IBC is defined as one of the physical layers for the new IEEE 802.15.6 or wireless body area network (WBAN) standard, which can provide a suitable data rate for real-time physiological data communication while consuming lower power compared to that of radio-frequency protocols such as Bluetooth. In this paper, impulse radio (IR) IBC (IR-IBC) is examined using a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) implementation of an IBC system. A carrier-free pulse position modulation (PPM) scheme is implemented using an IBC transmitter in an FPGA board. PPM is a modulation technique that uses time-based pulse characteristics to encode data based on IR concepts. The transmission performance of the scheme was evaluated through signal propagation measurements of the human arm using 4- and 8-PPM transmitters, respectively. 4 or 8 is the number of symbols during modulations. It was found that the received signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) decreases approximately 8.0 dB for a range of arm distances (5–50 cm) between the transmitter and receiver electrodes with constant noise power and various signal amplitudes. The SNR for the 4-PPM scheme is approximately 2 dB higher than that for the 8-PPM one. In addition, the bit error rate (BER) is theoretically analyzed for the human body channel with additive white Gaussian noise. The 4- and 8-PPM IBC systems have average BER values of 10−5 and 10−10, respectively. The results indicate the superiority of the 8-PPM scheme compared to the 4-PPM one when implementing the IBC system. The performance evaluation of the proposed IBC system will improve further IBC transceiver design.
Payoff and presentation modulation of elicited risk preferences in MPLs
Authors: Habib Sameh , Friedman Daniel , Crockett Sean , James Duncan
Published: January 2017

Since Holt and Laury (Am Econ Rev 92(5):1644–1655, 2002), the multiple price list (MPL) procedure has widely been used to elicit individual risk preferences. We assess the impact of varying list order and spacing, and of presentation via text or graphs. Relative to the original MPL baseline, some non-linear transformations of lottery prices systematically increase elicited risk aversion, while some graphical displays tend to reduce it.
Standards for Clinical Trials in Male and Female Sexual Dysfunction: III. Unique Aspects of Clinical Trials in Male Sexual Dysfunction
Authors: Fisher William A. , Gruenwald Ilan , Jannini Emmanuele A. , Lev-Sagie Ahinoam , Lowenstein Lior , Pyke Robert E. , Reisman Yakov , Revicki Dennis A. , Rubio-Aurioles Eusebio
Published: January 2017

This series of articles, Standards for Clinical Trials in Male and Female Sexual Dysfunction, began with the discussion of a common expected standard for clinical trial design in male and female sexual dysfunction, a common rationale for the design of phase I to IV clinical trials, and common considerations for the selection of study population and study duration in male and female sexual dysfunction. The second article in this series discussed fundamental principles in development, validation, and selection of patient- (and partner-) reported outcome assessment. The third and present article in this series discusses selected aspects of sexual dysfunction that are that are unique to male sexual dysfunctions and relevant to the conduct of clinical trials of candidate treatments for men.
Preoperative Urine Culture Results Correlate Poorly with Bacteriology of Urologic Prosthetic Device Infections
Authors: Kavoussi Nicholas L. , Siegel Jordan A. , Viers Boyd R. , Pagliara Travis J. , Hofer Matthias D. , Cordon Billy H. , Shakir Nabeel , Scott Jeremy M. , Morey Allen F.
Published: January 2017

Introduction

Although preoperative negative urine culture results and treatment of urinary tract infections are generally advised before artificial urinary sphincter (AUS) and penile prosthesis (PP) surgery to prevent device infection, limited evidence exists to support this practice.

Aim

To evaluate the relation between preoperative urine culture results and the bacteriology of prosthetic device infections.

Methods

Men undergoing AUS and/or PP placement at a tertiary referral center from 2007 through 2015 were analyzed. A total of 713 devices were implanted in 681 patients (337 AUSs in 314 patients and 376 PPs in 367 patients), of whom 259 (36%) did not have preoperative urine culture and were excluded. The remaining 454 patients received standard broad-spectrum perioperative antibiotics. Two patient groups were identified based on preoperative urine cultures: group 1 had negative urine culture results and group 2 had untreated asymptomatic positive urine culture results identified postoperatively.

Main Outcome Measures

Device infection was diagnosed clinically and cultures obtained from the explanted device and tissue spaces were compared with preoperative urine culture results.

Results

Although multivariate analysis showed that patients undergoing AUS placement had a 4.5-fold greater risk of positive urine culture results (114 of 250, 45%) compared with those undergoing PP placement (36 of 204, 18%; P < .001), infection rates between device types were similar (8 of 250 for AUSs [3%] and 7 of 204 for PPs [3%]; P = .89). At a median follow-up of 15 months, device infection occurred in 15 of 454 devices (3%) implanted and no differences in infection rates were noted between urine culture groups (10 of 337 in group 1 [3.3%] and 5 of 117 in group 2 [4.3%]; P = .28). Remarkably, only 1 of 15 device infections (7%) had the same organism present at preoperative urine culture.

Conclusions

Despite the finding that patients with AUS placement had a 4.5 times higher rate of positive urine culture results than patients with PP placement, preoperative urine culture results appeared to show little correlation with the bacteriology of prosthetic device infections.
Flow structure beneath rotational water waves with stagnation points
Authors: Ribeiro Roberto , Milewski Paul A. , Nachbin André
Published: January 2017

The purpose of this work is to explore in detail the structure of the interior flow generated by periodic surface waves on a fluid with constant vorticity. The problem is mapped conformally to a strip and solved numerically using spectral methods. Once the solution is known, the streamlines, pressure and particle paths can be found and mapped back to the physical domain. We find that the flow beneath the waves contains zero, one, two or three stagnation points in a frame moving with the wave speed, and describe the bifurcations between these flows. When the vorticity is sufficiently strong, the pressure in the flow and on the bottom boundary also has very different features from the usual irrotational wave case.
The Mental Timeline in a Crossed-Hands Paradigm
Authors: de la Vega Irmgard , Eikmeier Verena , Ulrich Rolf , Kaup Barbara
Published: January 2017

Abstract. The existence of a lateral mental timeline is well established; in left-to-right writing cultures, past is associated with the left, future with the right. Accordingly, participants respond faster with the left to past, and with the right to future. Recent studies indicate that this association does not reverse when participants respond with their hands crossed. We investigated the role of instruction for this association in a crossed-hands paradigm. Participants classified the temporal reference of words by pressing a key on the left with their right hand, or a key on the right with their left. Half of the participants were instructed to respond with their right or left hand; the other half were instructed to respond with the left or right key. An interaction between time and key showed only for participants instructed to respond with the key, providing support for the role of extracorporal space for the mental timeline.
Comparing marginal microleakage of three different dental materials in veneer restoration using a stereomicroscope: an in vitro study
Authors: Jia Shuang , Chen Dong , Wang Defang , Bao Xiangjun , Tian Xiaomei
Published: January 2017

Objectives:

The objectives were to evaluate the degree of dye penetration of three different dental materials as esthetic veneer restorations on anterior teeth using stereomicroscope, and to provide reference for clinical choice.

Materials and Methods:

Sixty freshly extracted human maxillary central incisors were selected and randomly divided into three main groups of 20 each. Respectively, the teeth were prepared for veneer restoration by fiber-reinforced composite (FRC) (Everstick NET, Stick Tech), porcelain laminate veneer (PLV) (IPS Empress II(E-Max Press)) and 3M composites (3M ESPE) bonding with G-Cem resin cement (GC). After exposed to thermocycling (500cycles per day (5–55 °C, intervals: 30 s)) and immersed in 2% basic fuchsin dye solution for 24 h, the specimens were then sectioned buccolingual into three halves in a vertical plane parallel and measured dye penetration using stereomicroscope (Zeiss). The data collected was recorded by the dye penetration index (0–5) and statistically analysed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and T-tests using SPSS 13.

Results:

It is evident that the FRC group showed the lowest mean score of 0.333 mm, and the PLV group showed a highest mean score of 0.749 mm, as compared with the FRC group and the 3M composites group. Overall, when the three groups were compared for microleakage using ANOVA, there was significant difference among the groups.

Conclusions:

To evaluate the dye penetration of microleakage, the FRC showed a better marginal adaptability for veneer restoration. Therefore, within the limitation of this study, the use of FRC as veneer on anterior teeth can be suggested.
Structure of the cohesin loader Scc2
Authors: Chao William C. H. , Murayama Yasuto , Muñoz Sofía , Jones Andrew W. , Wade Benjamin O. , Purkiss Andrew G. , Hu Xiao-Wen , Borg Aaron , Snijders Ambrosius P. , Uhlmann Frank , Singleton Martin R.
Published: January 2017

The functions of cohesin are central to genome integrity, chromosome organization and transcription regulation through its prevention of premature sister-chromatid separation and the formation of DNA loops. The loading of cohesin onto chromatin depends on the Scc2–Scc4 complex; however, little is known about how it stimulates the cohesion-loading activity. Here we determine the large ‘hook’ structure of Scc2 responsible for catalysing cohesin loading. We identify key Scc2 surfaces that are crucial for cohesin loading in vivo. With the aid of previously determined structures and homology modelling, we derive a pseudo-atomic structure of the full-length Scc2–Scc4 complex. Finally, using recombinantly purified Scc2–Scc4 and cohesin, we performed crosslinking mass spectrometry and interaction assays that suggest Scc2–Scc4 uses its modular structure to make multiple contacts with cohesin.
Infrared fingerprints of few-layer black phosphorus
Authors: Zhang Guowei , Huang Shenyang , Chaves Andrey , Song Chaoyu , Özçelik V. Ongun , Low Tony , Yan Hugen
Published: January 2017

Black phosphorus is an infrared layered material. Its bandgap complements other widely studied two-dimensional materials: zero-gap graphene and visible/near-infrared gap transition metal dichalcogenides. Although highly desirable, a comprehensive infrared characterization is still lacking. Here we report a systematic infrared study of mechanically exfoliated few-layer black phosphorus, with thickness ranging from 2 to 15 layers and photon energy spanning from 0.25 to 1.36 eV. Each few-layer black phosphorus exhibits a thickness-dependent unique infrared spectrum with a series of absorption resonances, which reveals the underlying electronic structure evolution and serves as its infrared fingerprints. Surprisingly, unexpected absorption features, which are associated with the forbidden optical transitions, have been observed. Furthermore, we unambiguously demonstrate that controllable uniaxial strain can be used as a convenient and effective approach to tune the electronic structure of few-layer black phosphorus. Our study paves the way for black phosphorus applications in infrared photonics and optoelectronics.
Insights into the Mechanistic Basis of Plasmid-Mediated Colistin Resistance from Crystal Structures of the Catalytic Domain of MCR-1
Authors: Hinchliffe Philip , Yang Qiu E. , Portal Edward , Young Tom , Li Hui , Tooke Catherine L. , Carvalho Maria J. , Paterson Neil G. , Brem Jürgen , Niumsup Pannika R. , Tansawai Uttapoln , Lei Lei , Li Mei , Shen Zhangqi , Wang Yang , Schofield Christopher J. , Mulholland Adrian J , Shen Jianzhong , Fey Natalie , Walsh Timothy R. , Spencer James
Published: January 2017

The polymixin colistin is a “last line” antibiotic against extensively-resistant Gram-negative bacteria. Recently, the mcr-1 gene was identified as a plasmid-mediated resistance mechanism in human and animal Enterobacteriaceae, with a wide geographical distribution and many producer strains resistant to multiple other antibiotics. mcr-1 encodes a membrane-bound enzyme catalysing phosphoethanolamine transfer onto bacterial lipid A. Here we present crystal structures revealing the MCR-1 periplasmic, catalytic domain to be a zinc metalloprotein with an alkaline phosphatase/sulphatase fold containing three disulphide bonds. One structure captures a phosphorylated form representing the first intermediate in the transfer reaction. Mutation of residues implicated in zinc or phosphoethanolamine binding, or catalytic activity, restores colistin susceptibility of recombinant E. coli. Zinc deprivation reduces colistin MICs in MCR-1-producing laboratory, environmental, animal and human E. coli. Conversely, over-expression of the disulphide isomerase DsbA increases the colistin MIC of laboratory E. coli. Preliminary density functional theory calculations on cluster models suggest a single zinc ion may be sufficient to support phosphoethanolamine transfer. These data demonstrate the importance of zinc and disulphide bonds to MCR-1 activity, suggest that assays under zinc-limiting conditions represent a route to phenotypic identification of MCR-1 producing E. coli, and identify key features of the likely catalytic mechanism.
Characterization of Chinese liquor aroma components during aging process and liquor age discrimination using gas chromatography combined with multivariable statistics
Authors: Xu M. L. , Yu Y. , Ramaswamy H. S. , Zhu S. M.
Published: January 2017

Chinese liquor aroma components were characterized during the aging process using gas chromatography (GC). Principal component and cluster analysis (PCA, CA) were used to discriminate the Chinese liquor age which has a great economic value. Of a total of 21 major aroma components identified and quantified, 13 components which included several acids, alcohols, esters, aldehydes and furans decreased significantly in the first year of aging, maintained the same levels (p > 0.05) for next three years and decreased again (p < 0.05) in the fifth year. On the contrary, a significant increase was observed in propionic acid, furfural and phenylethanol. Ethyl lactate was found to be the most stable aroma component during aging process. Results of PCA and CA demonstrated that young liquor (fresh) and aged liquors were well separated from each other, which is in consistent with the evolution of aroma components along with the aging process. These findings provide a quantitative basis for discriminating the Chinese liquor age and a scientific basis for further research on elucidating the liquor aging process, and a possible tool to guard against counterfeit and defective products.
The role of Frenkel defect diffusion in dynamic annealing in ion-irradiated Si
Authors: Wallace J. B. , Aji L. B. Bayu , Martin A. A. , Shin S. J. , Shao L. , Kucheyev S. O.
Published: January 2017

The formation of stable radiation damage in crystalline solids often proceeds via complex dynamic annealing processes, involving migration and interaction of ballistically-generated point defects. The dominant dynamic annealing processes, however, remain unknown even for crystalline Si. Here, we use a pulsed ion beam method to study defect dynamics in Si bombarded in the temperature range from −20 to 140 °C with 500 keV Ar ions. Results reveal a defect relaxation time constant of ~10–0.2 ms, which decreases monotonically with increasing temperature. The dynamic annealing rate shows an Arrhenius dependence with two well-defined activation energies of 73 ± 5 meV and 420 ± 10 meV, below and above 60 °C, respectively. Rate theory modeling, bench-marked against this data, suggests a crucial role of both vacancy and interstitial diffusion, with the dynamic annealing rate limited by the migration and interaction of vacancies.
No modifying effect of education level on the association between lifestyle behaviors and cardiovascular mortality: the Japan Collaborative Cohort Study
Authors: Eguchi Eri , Iso Hiroyasu , Honjo Kaori , Yatsuya Hiroshi , Tamakoshi Akiko
Published: January 2017

We examined the effect of education level on the association between healthy lifestyle behaviors and cardiovascular mortality in the Japanese population. A total of 42,647 community-based men and women aged 40–79 years were enrolled at baseline (1988–1990), followed through 2009. The components of the healthy lifestyle score included the intake of fruits, fish, and milk; body mass index; exercise; avoidance of smoking; moderate alcohol intake; and moderate sleep duration. During the 19.3 years of follow-up, 8,314 all-cause and 2,377 total cardiovascular mortality cases were noted. Inverse associations were observed between healthy lifestyle scores and total cardiovascular disease (CVD) for both the lower and higher education level groups. Multivariable hazard ratios (95% confidence interval) for CVD mortality from the highest to the lowest healthy lifestyle scores, and the population attributable fraction (95% CIs) without healthy lifestyle scores of 7–8 were 0.51 (0.33–0.52) and 42% (24–58%), and 0.38 (0.27–0.47) and 55% (36–69%) for the higher and lower education levels, respectively. Our findings suggest that the association between higher CVD mortality and lower education level can be explained by the individuals’ lower adherence to a healthy lifestyle; hence, lifestyle modification would be beneficial for the prevention of cardiovascular mortality, irrespective of the education level.
Atypical developmental trajectory of local spontaneous brain activity in autism spectrum disorder
Authors: Guo Xiaonan , Chen Heng , Long Zhiliang , Duan Xujun , Zhang Youxue , Chen Huafu
Published: January 2017

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is marked by atypical trajectory of brain maturation, yet the developmental abnormalities in brain function remain unclear. The current study examined the effect of age on amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) in ASD and typical controls (TC) using a cross-sectional design. We classified all the participants into three age cohorts: child (<11 years, 18ASD/20TC), adolescent (11–18 years, 28ASD/26TC) and adult (≥18 years, 18ASD/18TC). Two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed to ascertain main effects and interaction effects on whole brain ALFF maps. Results exhibited significant main effect of diagnosis in ASD with decreased ALFF in the right precuneus and left middle occipital gyrus during all developmental stages. Significant diagnosis-by-age interaction was observed in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) with ALFF lowered in autistic children but highered in autistic adolescents and adults. Specifically, remarkable quadratic change of ALFF with increasing age in mPFC presented in TC group was absent in ASD. Additionally, abnormal ALFF values in diagnosis-related brain regions predicted the social deficits in ASD. Our findings indicated aberrant developmental patterns of spontaneous brain activity associated with social deficits in ASD and highlight the crucial role of the default mode network in the development of disease.
A novel role for the DNA repair gene Rad51 in Netrin-1 signalling
Authors: Glendining K. A. , Markie D. , Gardner R. J. M. , Franz E. A. , Robertson S. P. , Jasoni C. L.
Published: January 2017

Mutations in RAD51 have recently been linked to human Congenital Mirror Movements (CMM), a developmental disorder of the motor system. The only gene previously linked to CMM encodes the Netrin-1 receptor DCC, which is important for formation of corticospinal and callosal axon tracts. Thus, we hypothesised that Rad51 has a novel role in Netrin-1-mediated axon development. In mouse primary motor cortex neurons, Rad51 protein was redistributed distally down the axon in response to Netrin-1, further suggesting a functional link between the two. We next manipulated Rad51 expression, and assessed Netrin-1 responsiveness. Rad51 siRNA knockdown exaggerated Netrin-1-mediated neurite branching and filopodia formation. RAD51 overexpression inhibited these responses, whereas overexpression of the CMM-linked R250Q mutation, a predicted loss-of-function, had no effect. Thus, Rad51 appears to negatively regulate Netrin-1 signalling. Finally, we examined whether Rad51 might operate by modulating the expression of the Unc5 family, known negative regulators of Netrin-1-responsiveness. Unc5b and Unc5c transcripts were downregulated in response to Rad51 knockdown, and upregulated with RAD51 overexpression, but not R250Q. Thus, Rad51 negatively regulates Netrin-1 signalling, at least in part, by modulating the expression of Unc5s. Imbalance of positive and negative influences is likely to lead to aberrant motor system development resulting in CMMs.
A simple and rapid flow cytometry-based assay to identify a competent embryo prior to embryo transfer
Authors: Pallinger Eva , Bognar Zoltan , Bodis Jozsef , Csabai Timea , Farkas Nelli , Godony Krisztina , Varnagy Akos , Buzas Edit , Szekeres-Bartho Julia
Published: January 2017

Multiple pregnancy is a risk for prematurity and preterm birth. The goal of assisted reproduction is to achieve a single pregnancy, by transferring a single embryo. This requires improved methods to identify the competent embryo. Here, we describe such a test, based on flow cytometric determination of the nucleic acid (PI+) containing extracellular vesicle (EV) count in day 5 embryo culture media. 88 women undergoing IVF were included in the study. More than 1 embryos were transferred to most patients. In 58 women, the transfer resulted in clinical pregnancy, whereas in 30 women in implantation failure. In 112 culture media of embryos from the “clinical pregnancy” group, the number of PI+ EVs was significantly lower than in those of 49 embryos, from the “implantation failure” group. In 14 women, transfer of a single embryo resulted in a singleton pregnancy, or, transfer of two embryos in twin pregnancy. The culture media of 19 out of the 20 “confirmed competent” embryos contained a lower level of PI+ EVs than the cut off level, suggesting that the competent embryo can indeed be identified by low PI+ EV counts. We developed a noninvasive, simple, inexpensive, quick test, which identifies the embryos that are most likely to implant.
Dysregulation of WTI (−KTS) is Associated with the Kidney-Specific Effects of the LMX1B R246Q Mutation
Authors: Hall Gentzon , Lane Brandon , Chryst-Ladd Megan , Wu Guanghong , Lin Jen-Jar , Qin XueJun , Hauser Elizabeth R. , Gbadegesin Rasheed
Published: January 2017

Mutations in the LIM homeobox transcription factor 1-beta (LMX1B) are a cause of nail patellar syndrome, a condition characterized by skeletal changes, glaucoma and focal segmental glomerulosclerosis. Recently, a missense mutation (R246Q) in LMX1B was reported as a cause of glomerular pathologies without extra-renal manifestations, otherwise known as nail patella-like renal disease (NPLRD). We have identified two additional NPLRD families with the R246Q mutation, though the mechanisms by which LMX1BR246Q causes a renal-specific phenotype is unknown. In this study, using human podocyte cell lines overexpressing either myc-LMX1BWT or myc-LMX1BR246Q, we observed dominant negative and haploinsufficiency effects of the mutation on the expression of podocyte genes such as NPHS1, GLEPP1, and WT1. Specifically, we observed a novel LMX1BR246Q-mediated downregulation of WT1(−KTS) isoforms in podocytes. In conclusion, we have shown that the renal-specific phenotype associated with the LMX1BR246Q mutation may be due to a dominant negative effect on WT1(−KTS) isoforms that may cause a disruption of the WT1 (−KTS):(+KTS) isoform ratio and a decrease in the expression of podocyte genes. Full delineation of the LMX1B gene regulon is needed to define its role in maintenance of glomerular filtration barrier integrity.
Nonreciprocal Transverse Photonic Spin and Magnetization-Induced Electromagnetic Spin-Orbit Coupling
Authors: Levy Miguel , Karki Dolendra
Published: January 2017

We present a formulation of electromagnetic spin-orbit coupling in magneto-optic media, and propose an alternative source of spin-orbit coupling to non-paraxial optics vortices. Our treatment puts forth a formulation of nonreciprocal transverse-spin angular-momentum-density shifts for evanescent waves in magneto-optic waveguide media. It shows that magnetization-induced electromagnetic spin-orbit coupling is possible, and that it leads to unequal spin to orbital angular momentum conversion in magneto-optic media evanescent waves in opposite propagation-directions. Generation of free-space helicoidal beams based on this conversion is shown to be spin-helicity- and magnetization-dependent. We show that transverse-spin to orbital angular momentum coupling into magneto-optic waveguide media engenders spin-helicity-dependent unidirectional propagation. This unidirectional effect produces different orbital angular momenta in opposite directions upon excitation-spin-helicity reversals.
C-terminus of HSC70-Interacting Protein (CHIP) Inhibits Adipocyte Differentiation via Ubiquitin- and Proteasome-Mediated Degradation of PPARγ
Authors: Kim Jung-Hoon , Shin Soyeon , Seo Jinho , Lee Eun-Woo , Jeong Manhyung , Lee Min-sik , Han Hyun-Ji , Song Jaewhan
Published: January 2017

PPARγ (Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ) is a nuclear receptor involved in lipid homeostasis and related metabolic diseases. Acting as a transcription factor, PPARγ is a master regulator for adipocyte differentiation. Here, we reveal that CHIP (C-terminus of HSC70-interacting protein) suppresses adipocyte differentiation by functioning as an E3 ligase of PPARγ. CHIP directly binds to and induces ubiquitylation of the PPARγ protein, leading to proteasome-dependent degradation. Stable overexpression or knockdown of CHIP inhibited or promoted adipogenesis, respectively, in 3T3-L1 cells. On the other hand, a CHIP mutant defective in E3 ligase could neither regulate PPARγ protein levels nor suppress adipogenesis, indicating the importance of CHIP-mediated ubiquitylation of PPARγ in adipocyte differentiation. Lastly, a CHIP null embryo fibroblast exhibited augmented adipocyte differentiation with increases in PPARγ and its target protein levels. In conclusion, CHIP acts as an E3 ligase of PPARγ, suppressing PPARγ-mediated adipogenesis.
Prediction of N-Methyl-D-Aspartate Receptor GluN1-Ligand Binding Affinity by a Novel SVM-Pose/SVM-Score Combinatorial Ensemble Docking Scheme
Authors: Leong Max K. , Syu Ren-Guei , Ding Yi-Lung , Weng Ching-Feng
Published: January 2017

The glycine-binding site of the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) subunit GluN1 is a potential pharmacological target for neurodegenerative disorders. A novel combinatorial ensemble docking scheme using ligand and protein conformation ensembles and customized support vector machine (SVM)-based models to select the docked pose and to predict the docking score was generated for predicting the NMDAR GluN1-ligand binding affinity. The predicted root mean square deviation (RMSD) values in pose by SVM-Pose models were found to be in good agreement with the observed values (n = 30, r2 = 0.928–0.988, "Equation missing" = 0.894–0.954, RMSE = 0.002–0.412, s = 0.001–0.214), and the predicted pKi values by SVM-Score were found to be in good agreement with the observed values for the training samples (n = 24, r2 = 0.967, "Equation missing" = 0.899, RMSE = 0.295, s = 0.170) and test samples (n = 13, q2 = 0.894, RMSE = 0.437, s = 0.202). When subjected to various statistical validations, the developed SVM-Pose and SVM-Score models consistently met the most stringent criteria. A mock test asserted the predictivity of this novel docking scheme. Collectively, this accurate novel combinatorial ensemble docking scheme can be used to predict the NMDAR GluN1-ligand binding affinity for facilitating drug discovery.
Triglyceride to HDL-C Ratio is Associated with Insulin Resistance in Overweight and Obese Children
Authors: Iwani Nur Ahmad Kamil Zati , Jalaludin Muhammad Yazid , Zin Ruziana Mona Wan Mohd , Fuziah Md Zain , Hong Janet Yeow Hua , Abqariyah Yahya , Mokhtar Abdul Halim , Wan Nazaimoon Wan Mohamud
Published: January 2017

The purpose of this study was to investigate the usefulness of triglyceride to hdl-c ratio (TG:HDL-C) as an insulin resistance (IR) marker for overweight and obese children. A total of 271 blood samples of obese and overweight children aged 9–16 years were analysed for fasting glucose, lipids and insulin. Children were divided into IR and non-insulin resistance, using homeostasis model assessment (HOMA). The children were then stratified by tertiles of TG: HDL-C ratio. The strength between TG:HDL-C ratio and other parameters of IR were quantified using Pearson correlation coefficient (r). Odds ratio was estimated using multiple logistic regression adjusted for age, gender, pubertal stages and IR potential risk factors. Children with IR had significantly higher TG:HDL-C ratio (2.48) (p = 0.01). TG:HDL-C ratio was significantly correlated with HOMA-IR (r = 0.104, p < 0.005) and waist circumference (r = 0.134, p < 0.001). Increasing tertiles of TG:HDL-C ratio showed significant increase in mean insulin level (p = 0.03), HOMA-IR (p = 0.04) and significantly higher number of children with acanthosis nigricans and metabolic syndrome. The odds of having IR was about 2.5 times higher (OR = 2.47; 95% CI 1.23, 4.95; p = 0.01) for those in the highest tertiles of TG:HDL-C ratio. Hence, TG:HDL-C may be a useful tool to identify high risk individuals.
Enhancement of mosquito trapping efficiency by using pulse width modulated light emitting diodes
Authors: Liu Yu-Nan , Liu Yu-Jen , Chen Yi-Chian , Ma Hsin-Yi , Lee Hsiao-Yi
Published: January 2017

In this study, a light-driving bug zapper is presented for well controlling the diseases brought by insects, such as mosquitoes. In order to have the device efficient to trap the insect pests in off-grid areas, pulse width modulated light emitting diodes (PWM-LED) combined with a solar power module are proposed and implemented. With specific PWM electric signals to drive the LED, it is found that no matter what the ability of catching insects or the consumed power efficiency can be enhanced thus. It is demonstrated that 40% of the UV LED consumed power and 25.9% of the total load power consumption can be saved, and the trapped mosquitoes are about 250% increased when the PWM method is applied in the bug zapper experiments.
Ultra-sensitive Pressure sensor based on guided straight mechanical cracks
Authors: Choi Yong Whan , Kang Daeshik , Pikhitsa Peter V. , Lee Taemin , Kim Sang Moon , Lee Gunhee , Tahk Dongha , Choi Mansoo
Published: January 2017

Recently, a mechanical crack-based strain sensor with high sensitivity was proposed by producing free cracks via bending metal coated film with a known curvature. To further enhance sensitivity and controllability, a guided crack formation is needed. Herein, we demonstrate such a ultra-sensitive sensor based on the guided formation of straight mechanical cracks. The sensor has patterned holes on the surface of the device, which concentrate the stress near patterned holes leading to generate uniform cracks connecting the holes throughout the surface. We found that such a guided straight crack formation resulted in an exponential dependence of the resistance against the strain, overriding known linear or power law dependences. Consequently, the sensors are highly sensitive to pressure (with a sensitivity of over 1 × 105 at pressures of 8–9.5 kPa range) as well as strain (with a gauge factor of over 2 × 106 at strains of 0–10% range). A new theoretical model for the guided crack system has been suggested to be in a good agreement with experiments. Durability and reproducibility have been also confirmed.
Establishment of an accurate and fast detection method using molecular beacons in loop-mediated isothermal amplification assay
Authors: Liu Wei , Huang Simo , Liu Ningwei , Dong Derong , Yang Zhan , Tang Yue , Ma Wen , He Xiaoming , Ao Da , Xu Yaqing , Zou Dayang , Huang Liuyu
Published: January 2017

This study established a constant-temperature fluorescence quantitative detection method, combining loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) with molecular beacons. The advantages of LAMP are its convenience and efficiency, as it does not require a thermocycler and results are easily visualized by the naked eye. However, a major disadvantage of current LAMP techniques is the use of indirect evaluation methods (e.g., electrophoresis, SYBR Green I dye, precipitation, hydroxynaphthol blue dye, the turbidimetric method, calcein/Mn2+ dye, and the composite probe method), which cannot distinguish between the desired products and products of nonspecific amplification, thereby leading to false positives. Use of molecular beacons avoids this problem because molecular beacons produce fluorescence signals only when binding to target DNA, thus acting as a direct indicator of amplification products. Our analyses determined the optimal conditions for molecular beacons as an evaluation tool in LAMP: beacon length of 25–45 bp, beacon concentration of 0.6–1 pmol/μL, and reaction temperature of 60–65 °C. In conclusion, we validated a novel molecular beacon loop-mediated isothermal amplification method (MB-LAMP), realizing the direct detection of LAMP product.
Predictive screening of M1 and M2 macrophages reveals the immunomodulatory effectiveness of post spinal cord injury azithromycin treatment
Authors: Gensel John C. , Kopper Timothy J. , Zhang Bei , Orr Michael B. , Bailey William M.
Published: January 2017

Spinal cord injury (SCI) triggers a heterogeneous macrophage response that when experimentally polarized toward alternative forms of activation (M2 macrophages) promotes tissue and functional recovery. There are limited pharmacological therapies that can drive this reparative inflammatory state. In the current study, we used in vitro systems to comprehensively defined markers of macrophages with known pathological (M1) and reparative (M2) properties in SCI. We then used these markers to objectively define the macrophage activation states after SCI in response to delayed azithromycin treatment. Mice were subjected to moderate-severe thoracic contusion SCI. Azithromycin or vehicle was administered beginning 30 minutes post-SCI and then daily for 3 or 7 days post injury (dpi). We detected a dose-dependent polarization toward purportedly protective M2 macrophages with daily AZM treatment. Specifically, AZM doses of 10, 40, or 160 mg/kg decreased M1 macrophage gene expression at 3 dpi while the lowest (10 mg/kg) and highest (160 mg/kg) doses increased M2 macrophage gene expression at 7 dpi. Azithromycin has documented immunomodulatory properties and is commonly prescribed to treat infections in SCI individuals. This work demonstrates the utility of objective, comprehensive macrophage gene profiling for evaluating immunomodulatory SCI therapies and highlights azithromycin as a promising agent for SCI treatment.
Polymorphisms in Telomere Length Associated TERC and TERT predispose for Ischemic Stroke in a Chinese Han population
Authors: Zhang Shuo , Ji Guofa , Liang Yiqian , Zhang Rui , Shi Puyu , Guo Dangshe , Li Chunqi , Feng Jing , Liu Feng , Peng Rong , Chen Mingwei
Published: January 2017

The role of telomere in genomic stability is an established fact. Variation in leukocyte telomere length (LTL) has been considered a crucial factor that associated with age-associated diseases. To elucidate the association between LTL variation and ischemic stroke (IS) risk, we selected ten single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in three genes (TERC, TERT and RTEL1) that previously reported link to LTL, and genotyped SNPs of these genes in a case-control study. The association between polymorphisms and IS risk were tested by Chi squared test and haplotype analysis. In allele association analysis, allele “C” in rs10936599 of TERC gene and allele “G” in rs2853677 of TERT gene were found to have an increased risk of IS when compared with allele “T” and “A”, respectively. Model association analysis showed that genotype “G/A” in the overdominant model and genotypes “G/A” and “A/A” in the dominant model of rs2242652 presented a more likelihood to have IS. Another TERT locus (rs2853677) with genotype “G” was also found IS-related risky in the log-additive model. Taken together, our results suggest a potential association between LTL related TERC, TERT gene variants and ischemic stroke risk.
Sea-level rise induced amplification of coastal protection design heights
Authors: Arns Arne , Dangendorf Sönke , Jensen Jürgen , Talke Stefan , Bender Jens , Pattiaratchi Charitha
Published: January 2017

Coastal protection design heights typically consider the superimposed effects of tides, surges, waves, and relative sea-level rise (SLR), neglecting non-linear feedbacks between these forcing factors. Here, we use hydrodynamic modelling and multivariate statistics to show that shallow coastal areas are extremely sensitive to changing non-linear interactions between individual components caused by SLR. As sea-level increases, the depth-limitation of waves relaxes, resulting in waves with larger periods, greater amplitudes, and higher run-up; moreover, depth and frictional changes affect tide, surge, and wave characteristics, altering the relative importance of other risk factors. Consequently, sea-level driven changes in wave characteristics, and to a lesser extent, tides, amplify the resulting design heights by an average of 48–56%, relative to design changes caused by SLR alone. Since many of the world’s most vulnerable coastlines are impacted by depth-limited waves, our results suggest that the overall influence of SLR may be greatly underestimated in many regions.