bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Confounding effects of environment-dependent propagation on automated classification of cetaceans
Authors: Binder Carolyn M. , Hines Paul C.
Published: November 2017

Significant effort has been made over the last few decades to develop automated passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) systems capable of classifying cetaceans at the species level. The utility of such systems depends on their ability to operate across a wide range of ocean acoustic environments; however, anecdotal evidence suggests that site-specific acoustic propagation characteristics impact the performance of PAM systems. This is because properties of the ocean acoustic environment can be markedly different between regions and seasons in which PAM is used to observe cetaceans. Variability in propagation characteristics leads to differences in how each cetacean vocalization is distorted as it propagates along the source-receiver path. Unless these differences are accounted for, the acoustic environment will bias estimates of a PAM system’s performance. The impact of environment-dependent propagation on an aural classifier was assessed using a pulse propagation model. Simulations were conducted that showed the sensitivity of classifier performance to sound speed profile type. Furthermore, it was found that classifier performance was range-dependent, largely due to changes in signal-to-noise ratio (SNR); however, in some environments only 60% of the performance reduction was attributed to decreasing SNR, indicating that signal distortion—resulting from environment-dependent propagation—had a large impact on performance.
Whispering gallery waves in horizontal plane in vicinity of curved isobaths in shallow water
Authors: Katsnelson Boris , Petrov Pavel S.
Published: November 2017

Interference structure of the sound field in horizontal plane in shallow water with parameters variable in horizontal plane is studied within the framework of the so-called 3D problem. Formally, this problem can be solved using separation of the vertical coordinate (depth) in the wave equation in supposition that depth dependence of the sound field is described by adiabatic waveguide modes. Remaining part is two-dimensional dispersive wave equation which can be solved by different methods (PE, ray approximation, and modal decomposition). It is shown in the paper that in a shallow water waveguide with variable bathymetry with curvilinear isobaths (Laguna, lake) there exist specific solutions of this equation, concentrated in horizontal plane approximately along isobath lines (whispering gallery waves), up to formation of the waveguide modes in the horizontal plane. Number of modes and their shape depend on position of the source, frequency and radius of curvature. Remark that this whispering gallery modes can exist in real conditions, for example, for frequency about a few hundreds Hz and radius of curvature about 5–10 km. Analytical expression and results of modeling using ray approximation and PE are presented for real shallow water conditions. [Work was supported by ISF, grant 565/15.]
Variation of high intensity therapeutic ultrasound pressure field characterization: Effects of hydrophone choice, nonlinearity, spatial averaging, and complex deconvolution
Authors: Liu Yunbo , Wear Keith A. , Harris Gerald
Published: November 2017

Reliable acoustic characterization is fundamental for patient safety and clinical efficacy during high intensity therapeutic ultrasound (HITU) treatment. Technical challenges, such as measurement variation and signal analysis, still exist for HITU exposimetry using ultrasound hydrophones. In this work, four hydrophones were compared for pressure measurement: a robust needle hydrophone, a small PVDF capsule hydrophone, and two different fiber-optic hydrophones. The focal waveform and beam distribution of a single element HITU transducer (1.05 MHz and 3.3 MHz) were evaluated. Complex deconvolution between the hydrophone voltage signal and frequency-dependent complex sensitivity was performed to obtain pressure waveforms. Compressional pressure (p+), rarefactional pressure (p-), and focal beam distribution were compared up to 10.6/−6.0 MPa (p+/p-) (1.05 MHz) and 20.65/−7.20 MPa (3.3 MHz). The effects of spatial averaging, local nonlinear distortion, complex deconvolution, and hydrophone damagethresholds were investigated. This study showed a variation of at least 10-15% between different hydrophones during HITU pressure characterization.
High-intensity focused ultrasound is synergistic with anti-neoplastic drugs that target endoplasmic reticulum stress
Authors: Murad Hakm Y. , Bortz Emma P. , Chandra Partha , Mondal Debasis , Khismatullin Damir
Published: November 2017

Previous studies from our laboratory show that combination of High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) and anti-neoplastic agents not only reduces cellular viability and proliferation, but also shifts cellular populations to late apoptotic/necrotic stages. Nelfinavir, a well-tolerated HIV protease-inhibitor, is known to increase endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, and is thus being repurposed as an anti-neoplastic agent. This led us to combine Nelfinavir with HIFU in order to create a safe and more effective treatment for patients with prostate cancer. 2.7 million cells/ml suspensions of DU145 and C4-2B prostate cancer cells were placed in PCR tubes and split into 4 treatment groups: Control, HIFU alone, Nelfinavir(2μM) alone, and Nelfinavir(2μM) + HIFU. HIFU treatment was applied for 30 seconds at an acoustic output power of 8.7 W. Apoptosis and necrosis of cells was measured via AnnexinV/PI staining, cell proliferation was measured by a WST-8 assay, and ROS was stained using cellular ROS detection assay kit. The population percentage of Late Apoptotic/Necrotic cells and ROS production was found to be significantly greater, while proliferation rate was significantly reduced post exposure to Nelfinavir + HIFU 24 and 72h post treatment. HIFU and Nelfinavir have a synergistic effect on both increasing cellular death via apoptosis/necrosis and decreasing proliferation in vitro.
Three-dimensional description of nonlinear elasticity in rocks: Modeling and experiments
Authors: Remillieux Marcel , Lott Martin , Garnier Vincent , Le Bas Pierre-yves , Ulrich Timothy J. , Payan Cedric
Published: November 2017

We study theoretically and experimentally the mechanisms of nonlinear and nonequilibrium dynamics in geomaterials through dynamic acousto-elasticity testing. In the proposed theoretical formulation, the classical theory of nonlinear elasticity is extended to include the effects of conditioning. This formulation is adapted to the context of dynamic acousto-elasticity testing in which a low-frequency “pump”-wave induces a strain field in the sample and modulates the propagation of a high-frequency “probe”-wave. Experiments are conducted to validate the formulation in a long thin bar of Berea sandstone. Several configurations of the pump and probe are examined—the pump successively consists of the first longitudinal and first torsional mode of vibration of the sample while the probe is successively based on (pressure) P- and (shear) S-waves. The theoretical predictions reproduce many features of the elastic response observed experimentally, in particular, the coupling between nonlinear and nonequilibrium dynamics and the three-dimensional effects resulting from the tensorial nature of elasticity. [This work was supported by the French National Research Agency through the ENDE program (Grant No. ANR-11 RSNR 0009) and the U.S. Department of Energy through the Fossil Energy program (Grant No. FE-634-15-FY15).]
Nonlinear acoustics evaluation of CO2 exposed sandstone
Authors: Bittner James , Le Bas Pierre-yves , Popovics John , Johnson Paul A.
Published: November 2017

In an effort to better understand the hygro-thermo-mechanical behavior of geologic CO2 reservoir material, we investigate the non-linear behavior of elastic wave propagation in Berea sandstone samples, which are used as a standard for reservoir rock formations. Nonlinear characterization methods, including resonant ultrasound spectroscopy (RUS), dynamic acousto-elasticity (DAET), and single-impact nonlinear resonance techniques, are applied to pristine, damaged (distributed microfractures), and CO2 injected Berea samples; conventional linear vibrational and wave propagation measurements are also applied to the samples. The results of these sensitive test methods are compared to reveal the characteristics of geologic reservoir materials that are most affected by varying microstructural and environmental conditions. An analysis of the work also leads to potential bases for test methods that could be deployed in the field in the future to monitor the condition of reservoir formations and lead to better understanding of CO2 injection-induced seismic events. This work is done within the framework of the GSCO2 center for geologic storage of CO2 from the U.S. department of Energy whose purpose is to better understand CO2 sequestration to make it safer and more efficient. As such the results obtained by elastic waves measurement will also be compared to other testing, providing an insight on the physical origin of the nonlinear behavior of geomaterials.
Dynamic acousto-elastic testing with an ultrasonic tomography probe: Application to fractured rock characterization
Authors: Riviere Jacques , Roux Philippe
Published: November 2017

We study nonlinear elastic phenomena at the laboratory scale to help interpret the subtle velocity changes observed in the Earth’s crust, for instance, during strong ground motion, earthquake slip processes or Earth tides. Dynamic Acousto-Elastic Testing (DAET) provides unprecedented details on the nonlinear elastic response of consolidated granular media (e.g., rocks, concrete), including tension/compression asymmetry, hysteretic behaviors as well as conditioning and relaxation effects. Such technique uses a pump-probe scheme where a high frequency, low amplitude wave probes the state of a sample that is dynamically disturbed by a low frequency, large amplitude pump wave. While previous work typically involved a single pair of probing transducers, here we use two dense arrays of ultrasonic transducers to image a sample of Westerly granite with a complex fracture. We apply double beamforming to disentangle complex arrivals and conduct ray-based and finite-frequency tomography using both travel time and amplitude information. By comparing images obtained before, during, and after the pump wave disturbance, we are able to locate and characterize nonlinear sources within the sample. We discuss their locations with regard to low velocity/high attenuation zones and relate our observations to large-scale data.
Training new second language category formation
Authors: Schmidt Anna M. , Hassan Nora
Published: November 2017

The Speech Learning Model (Flege, 1995) hypothesizes that, in second language (L2) learning, the greater the difference the learner perceives between in a sound from a first language (L1) category and a sound from an L2 category, the more likely it is that a new L2 category will be formed. Finding an L1 category that is not similar in some way to an L2 category is difficult. However, a L2 sound, that is similar to an L1 sound, could be consciously taught as a new allophone of that sound in a way that focuses attention on phonetic differences. In this study, Chinese L1 speakers, from a region of China where /n/ and /l/ in word initial position in their dialect (and in Mandarin) are produced as /n/, will be taught a dark Arabic /l/ as a new position specific allophone to be used in word initial position in English and Mandarin Chinese. Results from perception and production of /l/ and /n/ before and after training will be reported.
L2 duration characteristics of Mandarin tones by Japanese learners
Authors: Sun Yue , Zhang Jinsong , Sagisaka Yoshinori
Published: November 2017

In order to get a better understanding of the acquisition of Mandarin Chinese prosody by L2 learners, we investigate the temporal aspects of Mandarin tones in running speech for native Chinese speakers and Japanese L2 learners. Significant differences are found between natives and learners when generating tones with varying syllable durations depending on their position in the utterance as well as on specific syntax constraints associated with them. Among the tone types, the shortening of tone 3 pronouns at the beginning of utterances and the lengthening of tone 4 syllables at the end of utterances remain difficult for learners to generate, even at a higher overall proficiency level. Throughout the duration analysis, we could speculate the existence of stress control in Chinese syllable timing.
A comparative acoustic analysis of Korean vowels by native and non-native speakers
Authors: Ryu Na-Young
Published: November 2017

The primary purpose of this study is to examine L1 transfer in L2 vowel acquisition (Flege 1995,1996) by comparing L1 vowels with L2 Korean vowels produced by Korean native speakers and both Mandarin and English learners of Korean. It would predict which L2 Korean vowels are relatively difficulty or easy to produce for the non-native speakers based on acoustic similarities and dissimilarities between their L1 vowels and L2 Korean vowels. A total of 68 female speakers participated in a word-list reading task. For acoustic analysis, the formant frequencies (F1 and F2) and vowel duration were measured. Results demonstrated that there were cross-language differences in both vowel quality and duration. Both Mandarin and English learners of Korean perform well when producing Korean [a, i] vowels, but have difficulty producing Korean vowel contrasts [ʌ]-[o], [o]-[u], [ɨ]-[u]. In terms of vowel duration, Korean vowels were the shortest, English vowels were the longest, and Mandarin vowels were intermediate between the two. Overall, the L2 Korean vowel duration of both Mandarin and English speakers was too short, compared to their L1 vowel productions, to have a Korean native-like performance of vowels.
Audio-visual perception of mandarin tone in clear speech
Authors: Zeng Yuyu , Leung Keith , Wang Yue , Jongman Allard , Sereno Joan A.
Published: November 2017

Clearly enunciated speech (relative to conversational, plain speech) involves articulatory and acoustic modifications that have been shown to enhance segmental intelligibility. However, little research has explored clear-speech effects on the perception of suprasegmental properties such as lexical tone, particularly involving visual (facial) perception. Moreover, research has not determined if visual tonal cues are linguistically significant, presumably because tone production does not rely on vocal tract configurations. Investigating clear-speech effects may help validate the contribution of visual information, since improved visual tone intelligibility in clear speech would indicate the linguistic relevance of visual cues. The present study tested this hypothesis by examining the intelligibility of clear and plain Mandarin tones by native (Mandarin) and non-native (English) perceivers with auditory/visual input modalities (AO: audio-only; VO: visual-only; and AV: audio-visual). Results showed small but significant clear-speech benefits in each modality for both natives and non-natives. However, while the natives revealed an overall visual gain and auditory dominance (AV>AO>VO), visual gain appeared to be less prominent in non-native perception (AVVO in plain, AV = AO>VO in clear). These results demonstrate clear-speech facilitation in visual as well as auditory perception, particularly with native perceivers, suggesting the existence of linguistically relevant visual tonal cues.
Off-the-grid direction-of-arrival estimation with multiple measurement vectors
Authors: Park Yongsung , Choo Youngmin , Seong Woojae
Published: November 2017

Acoustic signals with different direction-of-arrivals (DOAs) arrives at an array of a limited number of sensors. Compressive beamforming technique [Xenaki et al., J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 136(1), 260–271 (2014)] provides high-resolution results, but the conventional compressive sensing methods cause estimation degradation when basis mismatch occurs. To overcome the basis mismatch, the off the grid DOA estimation technique [Xenaki and Gerstoft, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 137(4), 1923–1935 (2015)] is suggested, but the formulation of the scheme is limited to the case of a single snapshot. In the scenario where the DOAs of the sources are stationary across multiple snapshots, the signal processing technique, which can treat the multiple snapshot data jointly, provides a more stable estimate. We extend the single snapshot grid-free DOA estimation scheme to handle the case of multiple snapshots. The multiple snapshot off the grid DOA estimation technique is demonstrated with the experimental data and this technique shows robust performance for noisy environment.
Building air-infiltration quantification based on sound transmission loss calculated using nearfield acoustic holography
Authors: Chelliah Kanthasamy , Muehleisen Ralph T.
Published: November 2017

This talk will demonstrate the abilities of nearfield acoustic holography (NAH) to detect and quantify leakages in building envelopes. A tonal sound source was placed inside a building model which has known leakages and microphone array measurements were obtained from the outside. Equivalent sources model based NAH was applied on the measured data to reconstruct the sound pressure field on the wall of the building model. Present results show that the NAH method was able to successfully locate the major leakages. A single microphone was used to measure the sound pressure level inside the building model which was used as a reference for quantification calculations. The difference between the inner and outer sound pressure levels was related to the area of the leakage. Various sizes of pinholes and rectangular cracks were investigated, and the detection limits of the current method were explored.
Synthesis of non-uniformly spaced circular antenna arrays using a data-driven probabilistic model
Authors: Misiunas Nicholas , Hu Lejun , Chandra Kavitha , Thompson Charles
Published: November 2017

Beamforming from non-uniformly spaced elements on a circular array of fixed radius that is steered in a two-dimensional plane is investigated. Extending previous results for randomly spaced elements on a linear array, this work examines the design of a probabilistic model using element position vectors derived through a meta-heuristic optimization process. The circular array presents a benefit in that an optimal positional distribution derived for one scan angle may be applied to other scan angles through a rotational operator. The metaheuristic optimization based on the firefly algorithm is utilized to generate a dataset of viable element position vectors where the array is scanned to a specified angle. Analysis of the positional vectors shows approximately symmetrical patterns for element positions in each quadrant, with respect to the scanned angle. A robust model utilizing both the joint probability density function (pdf) of the number of elements in each quadrant along with a joint pdf of the first element's location and the total angle subtended per quadrant for activating elements along the circular array is derived and its performance demonstrated.
Analysis of the radiated sound field of deep water multibeam echo sounders for return intensity calibration using an underwater hydrophone array
Authors: Smith Michael J. , Weber Thomas C. , Mayer Larry , Moretti David , Lyons Anthony P. , Schmidt Val E.
Published: November 2017

Multibeam echo sounders (MBES) are tools used to gather geophysical information on the seafloor and watercolumn which are important for feature detection, identifying gas seeps, and characterizing the seafloor, among others. At high frequencies (>100 kHz), MBES can be calibrated for their ensonification patterns in test tanks. However, deep water MBES feature long transmit arrays and varying geometries that make tank calibration impractical. The transmit arrays can be over 8m and have a far field range in the hundreds of meters. In addition, these systems use beam steering techniques to segment the swath into multiple sectors to mitigate ship motions, which complicates the radiated pattern and return intensity. This study will better characterize the radiated sound field of deep water MBES for return intensity calibration. A MBES survey was conducted using a Kongsberg EM122 MBES on the SCORE range, a submerged broadband hydrophone array. Hydrophones were spaced ~5 km apart and were continuously recording during the survey. The EM112 is a multisector dual swath system operated at 12 kHz with CW waves. Hydrophone data were analyzed, and the resultant radiated sound field was determined at different distances and angles.
Spatial resolution of time-reversal processing with a virtual source array
Authors: Kim Donghyeon , Byun Gihoon , Kim Jea Soo
Published: November 2017

Time-reversal processing (TRP) can be implemented spatially and temporally to refocus incident field back to its origin. The main limitation to TRP is that it requires a probe source. This limitation was partially relaxed by the concept of a virtual source array (VSA) [S. C. Walker et al., J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 125, 3828–3834 (2009)] proposed for focusing time-reversed field back to the selected location without a probe source. In the case of spatial resolution of TRP, it is mathematically well documented [S. Kim et al., J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 110, 820–829 (2001)]. In this study, we investigate variable factors affecting spatial resolution of TRP based on a VSA. Numerical simulation results are presented and discussed.
Underwater non-cooperative communication signal recognition with deep learning
Authors: LI Cheng , Zhou Qiming , Han Xiao , Yin Jingwei , Shao Mengqi
Published: November 2017

The channel of underwater acoustics is time-varying and space-varying, which leads to the severe interference in the underwater acoustics communication signals. That makes a big challenge to distinguish the underwater acoustics communication signals modulation types. The traditional methods of identifying the non-cooperative signal modulation rely on statistics. They regard the statistical parameters in time-domain or frequency-domain of the signals as the features. In order to avoid extracting the features artificially we utilize the deep learning method to distinguish the raw time-domain signals into different modulation types such as Binary Phase Shift Keying (BPSK), Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK), 8 Phase Shift Keying (8PSK), Direct Spread Spectrum Sequence (DSSS) and Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM). The result of recognition for the experimental data shows the validity of our method. Finally we achieve 100% accuracy rate to BPSK, QPSK, DSSS modulation types and 90% accuracy rate to 8PSK, OFDM modulation types. Comparing with the statistics method, the accuracy of our method is higher.
Authorship and contribution disclosures
Authors: Sauermann Henry , Haeussler Carolin
Published: November 2017

What do contribution statements on articles tell us that author order does not—and how can they be improved?
A null mutation in
SERPINE1
protects against biological aging in humans
Authors: Khan Sadiya S. , Shah Sanjiv J. , Klyachko Ekaterina , Baldridge Abigail S. , Eren Mesut , Place Aaron T. , Aviv Abraham , Puterman Eli , Lloyd-Jones Donald M. , Heiman Meadow , Miyata Toshio , Gupta Sweta , Shapiro Amy D. , Vaughan Douglas E.
Published: November 2017

Humans with a rare gene mutation in
SERPINE1
live longer and show evidence of protection from aging-related morbidity.
Structure of the yeast spliceosomal postcatalytic P complex
Authors: Liu Shiheng , Li Xueni , Zhang Lingdi , Jiang Jiansen , Hill Ryan C. , Cui Yanxiang , Hansen Kirk C. , Zhou Z. Hong , Zhao Rui
Published: November 2017

Understanding splicing from the 3′ end

The spliceosome removes introns from eukaryotic mRNA precursors and yields mature transcripts by joining exons. Despite decades of functional studies and recent progress in understanding the spliceosome structure, the mechanism by which the 3′ splice site (SS) is recognized by the spliceosome has remained unclear. Liu
et al.
and Wilkinson
et al.
report the high-resolution cryo-electron microscopy structures of the yeast postcatalytic spliceosome. The structures reveal that the 3′SS is recognized through non-Watson-Crick base pairing with the 5′SS and the branch point, stabilized by the intron region and protein factors.

Science
, this issue p.
1278
, p.
1283
The Candida albicans TOR-Activating GTPases Gtr1 and Rhb1 Coregulate Starvation Responses and Biofilm Formation
Authors: Flanagan Peter R. , Liu Ning-Ning , Fitzpatrick Darren J. , Hokamp Karsten , Köhler Julia R. , Moran Gary P.
Published: November 2017

Candida albicans
is the major fungal pathogen of humans and is responsible for a wide range of infections, including life-threatening systemic infections in susceptible hosts. Target of rapamycin complex 1 (TORC1) is an essential regulator of metabolism in this fungus, and components of this complex are under increased investigation as targets for new antifungal drugs. The present study characterized the role of
GTR1
, encoding a putative GTPase, in TORC1 activation. This study shows that
GTR1
encodes a protein required for activation of TORC1 activity in response to amino acids and regulation of nitrogen starvation responses.
GTR1
mutants show increased cell-cell adhesion and biofilm formation and increased expression of genes involved in these processes. This study demonstrates that starvation responses and biofilm formation are coregulated by
GTR1
and suggests that these responses are linked to compete with the microbiome for space and nutrients.
Endovascular rescue treatment through stent positioning after surgical clipping of intracranial aneurysms complicated by parent artery obstruction
Authors: Vitale Giovanni , Talenti Giacomo , Gabrieli Joseph , Cester Giacomo , Della Puppa Alessandro , Causin Francesco
Published: November 2017

During aneurysm clipping, ischemic complications may occur and require a rescue treatment, usually surgical. We present two such cases that required urgent rescue treatment, performed through an endovascular route. Our first case presented with a non-ruptured right posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA) aneurysm. After permanent clip positioning, occlusion of the PICA occurred. An unsuccessful attempt of clip repositioning was performed. We therefore positioned a stent obtaining complete flow restoration. Our second case was that of a ruptured giant left middle cerebral artery aneurysm with focal critical stenosis of the parent vessel, likely due to an underlying dissection. Initially, the aneurysm was secured through coiling. However, after permanent clip positioning, parent artery occlusion occurred. DSA showed occlusion of the parent artery downstream to the clip and persistence of the preaneurismatic stenosis. We achieved full recanalization through stent positioning. In both cases, there were no ischemic or hemorrhagic complications.
Blepharitis as an early sign of metabolic syndrome: a nationwide population-based study
Authors: Lee Chia-Yi , Chen Hung-Chi , Lin Hui-Wen , Huang Jing-Yang , Chao Shih-Chun , Yeh Chao-Bin , Lin Hung-Yu , Yang Shun-Fa
Published: November 2017

Background

To investigate the relationship between blepharitis and metabolic syndrome (MetS) by using the Longitudinal Health Insurance Database (LHID) of Taiwan.

Methods

This retrospective cohort study was conducted using data collected from the LHID for the period from 2009 to 2013. This study enrolled patients who received a diagnosis of blepharitis according to the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, diagnostic code. The exclusion criteria were legal blindness, eyeball removal, ocular tumours prior to the diagnosis of blepharitis, and patients diagnosed with blepharitis and initiated antibiotic treatment concurrently. An age-matched, gender-matched and disease-matched population without blepharitis served as the control group. Multivariate analysis with a multiple Cox regression model was applied to analyse the data.

Results

In this study, a total of 10 093 patients with blepharitis were included in the study group, and another 40 372 participants without blepharitis were included in the control group. Conditional logistic regression revealed a higher cumulative probability of hyperlipidaemia and coronary arterial disease. After adjustment, patients with blepharitis had a higher probability of developing new MetS than controls. According to subgroup analysis, hyperlipidaemia and coronary artery diseases were significantly correlated with the prior development of blepharitis. However, hypertension and diabetes mellitus and insulin resistance showed no correlation with blepharitis.

Conclusion

Blepharitis is significantly related to MetS and can serve as an early sign of MetS. Additional studies should examine the relationship between blepharitis and MetS in terms of severity.
Antenatal care services and its implications for vital and health outcomes of children: evidence from 193 surveys in 69 low-income and middle-income countries
Authors: Kuhnt Jana , Vollmer Sebastian
Published: November 2017

Objectives

Antenatal care (ANC) is an essential part of primary healthcare and its provision has expanded worldwide. There is limited evidence of large-scale cross-country studies on the impact of ANC offered to pregnant women on child health outcomes. We investigate the association of ANC in low-income and middle-income countries with short- and long-term mortality and nutritional child outcomes.

Setting

We used nationally representative health and welfare data from 193 Demographic and Health Surveys conducted between 1990 and 2013 from 69 low-income and middle-income countries for women of reproductive age (15–49 years), their children and their respective household.

Participants

The analytical sample consisted of 752 635 observations for neonatal mortality, 574 675 observations for infant mortality, 400 426 observations for low birth weight, 501 484 observations for stunting and 512 424 observations for underweight.

Main outcomes and measures

Outcome variables are neonatal and infant mortality, low birth weight, stunting and underweight.

Results

At least one ANC visit was associated with a 1.04% points reduced probability of neonatal mortality and a 1.07% points lower probability of infant mortality. Having at least four ANC visits and having at least once seen a skilled provider reduced the probability by an additional 0.56% and 0.42% points, respectively. At least one ANC visit is associated with a 3.82% points reduced probability of giving birth to a low birth weight baby and a 4.11 and 3.26% points reduced stunting and underweight probability. Having at least four ANC visits and at least once seen a skilled provider reduced the probability by an additional 2.83%, 1.41% and 1.90% points, respectively.

Conclusions

The currently existing and accessed ANC services in low-income and middle-income countries are directly associated with improved birth outcomes and longer-term reductions of child mortality and malnourishment.
A national cohort study evaluating infant and fetal mortality caused by birth defects in Korea
Authors: Ko Hyun Sun , Kim Dong Joo , Chung Yoohyun , Wie Jeong Ha , Choi Sae Kyung , Park In Yarg , Park Yong Gyu , Shin Jong Chul
Published: November 2017

Objective

To analyse the prevalence of fetal and infant deaths due to birth defects in Korea and those trends according to maternal age.

Design

Retrospective national cohort study

Setting

Korean Vital Statistics database of the Korean Statistical Information Service, between 2009 and 2015.

Participants

2176 infant deaths and 4343 fetal deaths caused by birth defects, among 3 181 145 total live births and 43 385 fetal deaths during the study periods.

Methods

Infant and fetal mortality rates (IMRs and FMRs) by birth defects, from deaths caused by birth defects, were analysed. They were compared, according to maternal age groups: (I) ‘10–19 years’; (II) ‘20–29 years’; (III) ‘30–34 years’; (IV) ‘35–39 years’; and (V) ‘40–55 years’.

Main outcome measures

IMRs and FMRs by birth defects and comparison according to maternal age group.

Results

IMRs and FMRs by birth defects were 6.84 per 10 000 live births and 13.47 per 10 000 total births. The most common causes of infant deaths and fetal deaths by birth defect were anomaly of the circulatory system (51.1%, IMR 3.5) and chromosomal abnormality (33.1%, FMR 4.46), respectively. Among groups by maternal age, FMRs by birth defects were significantly higher in groups I and V compared with group III (OR 6.59, 95% CI 3.49 to 12.43; and OR 3.46, 95% CI 1.77 to 6.78, respectively). IMR and FMR by nervous system anomaly were significantly higher in group I at 3.63 (OR 2.0, 95% CI 1.97 to 2.03) and 29.84 (OR 15.04, 95% CI 3.59 to 62.96) compared with 0.32 and 1.97 in group III.

Conclusion

FMRs by birth defects were the highest in the extreme maternal age groups. Severe anomalies, except for chromosomal abnormality, were most prevalent in teenage pregnancies.
Logistic regression analysis of factors influencing the effectiveness of intensive sound masking therapy in patients with tinnitus
Authors: Cai Yuexin , Zhou Qian , Yang Haidi , Jiang Jiajia , Zhao Fei , Huang Xiayin , Mo Hanjie , Chen Xiaoting , Xiong Hao , Chen Suijun , Zhang Xueyuan , Zheng Yiqing
Published: November 2017

Objectives

To investigate factors influencing the effectiveness of intensive sound masking therapy on tinnitus using logistic regression analysis.

Design

The study used a retrospective cross-section analysis.

Participants

102 patients with tinnitus were recruited at the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, China.

Intervention

Intensive sound masking therapy was used as an intervention approach for patients with tinnitus.

Primary and secondary outcome measures

Participants underwent audiological investigations and tinnitus pitch and loudness matching measurements, followed by intensive sound masking therapy. The Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) was used as the outcome measure pre and post treatment. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to investigate the association of demographic and audiological factors with effective therapy.

Results

According to the THI score changes pre and post sound masking intervention, 51 participants were categorised into an effective group, the remaining 51 participants were placed in a non-effective group. Those in the effective group were significantly younger than those in the non-effective group (P=0.012). Significantly more participants had flat audiogram configurations in the effective group (P=0.04). Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that age (OR=0.96, 95% CI 0.93 to 0.99, P=0.007), audiometric configuration (P=0.027) and THI score pre treatment (OR=1.04, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.07, P<0.001) were significantly associated with therapeutic effectiveness. Further analysis showed that patients with flat audiometric configurations were 5.45 times more likely to respond to intervention than those with high-frequency steeply sloping audiograms (OR=5.45, 95% CI 1.67 to 17.86, P=0.005).

Conclusion

Audiometric configuration, age and THI scores appear to be predictive of the effectiveness of sound masking treatment. Gender, tinnitus characteristics and hearing threshold measures do not seem to be related to treatment effectiveness. A further randomised control study is needed to provide evidence of the effectiveness of prognostic factors in tinnitus interventions.
What are older smokers’ attitudes to quitting and how are they managed in primary care? An analysis of the cross-sectional English Smoking Toolkit Study
Authors: Jordan Hannah , Hidajat Mira , Payne Nick , Adams Jean , White Martin , Ben-Shlomo Yoav
Published: November 2017

Objectives

To investigate whether age is associated with access to smoking cessation services.

Design

Data from the Smoking Toolkit Study 2006–2015, a repeated multiwave cross-sectional household survey (n=181 157).

Setting

England.

Participants

Past-year smokers who participated in any of the 102 waves stratified into age groups.

Outcome measures

Amount smoked and nicotine dependency, self-reported quit attempts and use of smoking cessation interventions. Self-report of whether the general practitioner (GP) raised the topic of smoking and made referrals for pharmacological support (prescription of nicotine replacement therapies (NRTs)) or other support (counselling or support groups).

Results

Older smokers (75+ years) were less likely to report that they were attempting to quit smoking or seek help from a GP, despite being less nicotine-dependent. GPs raised smoking as a topic equally across all age groups, but smokers aged 70+ were more likely not to be referred for NRT or other support (ORs relative to 16–54 years; 70–74 years 1.27, 95% CI 1.03 to 1.55; 75–79 years 1.87, 95% CI 1.43 to 2.44; 80+ years 3.16, 95% CI 2.20 to 4.55; p value for trend <0.001).

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that there are potential missed opportunities in facilitating smoking cessation in older smokers. In this large population-based study, older smokers appeared less interested in quitting and were less likely to be offered support, despite being less addicted to nicotine than younger smokers. It is unclear whether this constitutes inequitable access to services or reflects informed choices by older smokers and their GPs. Future research is needed to understand why older smokers and GPs do not pursue smoking cessation. Service provision should consider how best to reduce these variations, and a stronger effectiveness evidence base is required to support commissioning for this older population so that, where appropriate, older smokers are not missing out on smoking cessation therapies and the health benefits of cessation at older ages.
Comparative effectiveness of injectable penicillin versus a combination of penicillin and gentamicin in children with pneumonia characterised by indrawing in Kenya: a retrospective observational study
Authors: Malla Lucas , Perera-Salazar Rafael , McFadden Emily , English Mike
Published: November 2017

Objectives

Kenyan guidelines for antibiotic treatment of pneumonia recommended treatment of pneumonia characterised by indrawing with injectable penicillin alone in inpatient settings until early 2016. At this point, they were revised becoming consistent with WHO guidance after results of a Kenyan trial provided further evidence of equivalence of oral amoxicillin and injectable penicillin. This change also made possible use of oral amoxicillin for outpatient treatment in this patient group. However, given non-trivial mortality in Kenyan children with indrawing pneumonia, it remained possible they would benefit from a broader spectrum antibiotic regimen. Therefore, we compared the effectiveness of injectable penicillin monotherapy with a regimen combining penicillin with gentamicin.

Setting

We used a large routine observational dataset that captures data on all admissions to 13 Kenyan county hospitals.

Participants and measures

The analyses included children aged 2–59 months. Selection of study population was based on inclusion criteria typical of a prospective trial, primary analysis (experiment 1, n=4002), but we also explored more pragmatic inclusion criteria (experiment 2, n=6420) as part of a secondary analysis. To overcome the challenges associated with the non-random allocation of treatments and missing data, we used propensity score (PS) methods and multiple imputation to minimise bias. Further, we estimated mortality risk ratios using log binomial regression and conducted sensitivity analyses using an instrumental variable and PS trimming.

Results

The estimated risk of dying, in experiment 1, in those receiving penicillin plus gentamicin was 1.46 (0.85 to 2.43) compared with the penicillin monotherapy group. In experiment 2, the estimated risk was 1.04(0.76 to 1.40).

Conclusion

There is no statistical difference in the treatment of indrawing pneumonia with either penicillin or penicillin plus gentamicin. By extension, it is unlikely that treatment with penicillin plus gentamicin would offer an advantage to treatment with oral amoxicillin.
ELECTRODIAGNOSTIC CRITERIA FOR DIAGNOSING CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME NEED TO BE REVISED IN HYPOTHYROID PATIENTS
Authors: Asadi Mahdieh , Roshanzamir Sharareh
Published: November 2017

Background: Previous studies do not agree with each other on the association between electrodiagnostic findings and clinical symptoms of Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). In most of these studies, many variables such as age, sex, obesity and hypothyroidism have not been taken into account. Material & methods: About 62 patients with hypothyroidism and 62 patients without hypothyroidism with sign and symptoms of CTS were included in this study. Electrodiagnostic tests were done for all patients. And relationship of the severity of CTS signs and symptoms with electrodiagnostic parameters was examined statistically in each group. Results: This study showed that distal motor latency in control group (without hypothyroidism) is significantly more prolonged than hypothyroid patients. Also there was significant correlation between clinical symptoms and electrodiagnostic findings in control group, but there was not such correlation in hypothyroid patients. In 62% of hypothyroid patients with clinical signs and symptoms of CTS, electrodiagnostic findings were normal and only in 38% of cases, electrodiagnostic findings were suggestive of CTS. Conclusion: Relationship of the severity of CTS signs and symptoms with electrodiagnostic parameters is very weak in hypothyroid patients. Many hypothyroid patients with clinical signs and symptoms of CTS have normal electrodiagnostic findings; so we need more studies for revising the para-clinic criteria of labeling patients having CTS in hypothyroid patients.
Inferring Object Properties with a Tactile-Sensing Array Given Varying Joint Stiffness and Velocity
Authors: Bhattacharjee Tapomayukh , Rehg James M. , Kemp Charles C.
Published: November 2017

Whole-arm tactile sensing enables a robot to sense contact and infer contact properties across its entire arm. Within this paper, we demonstrate that using data-driven methods, a humanoid robot can infer mechanical properties of objects from contact with its forearm during a simple reaching motion. A key issue is the extent to which the performance of data-driven methods can generalize to robot actions that differ from those used during training. To investigate this, we developed an idealized physics-based lumped element model of a robot with a compliant joint making contact with an object. Using this physics-based model, we performed experiments with varied robot, object and environment parameters. We also collected data from a tactile-sensing forearm on a real robot as it made contact with various objects during a simple reaching motion with varied arm velocities and joint stiffnesses. The robot used 1-nearest-neighbor (1-NN) classifiers, hidden Markov models (HMMs), and long short-term memory (LSTM) networks to infer two object properties (hard versus soft and moved versus unmoved) based on features of time-varying tactile sensor data (maximum force, contact area, and contact motion). We found that, in contrast to 1-NN, the performance of LSTMs (with sufficient data availability) and multivariate HMMs successfully generalized to new robot motions with distinct velocities and joint stiffnesses. Compared to single features, using multiple features gave the best results for both experiments with physics-based models and a real-robot.
Automorphism Groups of a Class of Cubic Cayley Graphs on Symmetric Groups
Authors: Huang Xueyi , Huang Qiongxiang , Lu Lu
Published: November 2017

Let Sndenote the symmetric group of degree n with n ≥ 3, S = { cn= (1 2 ⋯ n), [Formula: see text], (1 2)} and Γn= Cay(Sn, S) be the Cayley graph on Snwith respect to S. In this paper, we show that Γn(n ≥ 13) is a normal Cayley graph, and that the full automorphism group of Γnis equal to Aut(Γn) = R(Sn) ⋊ 〈Inn(ϕ) ≅ Sn× ℤ2, where R(Sn) is the right regular representation of Sn, ϕ = (1 2)(3 n)(4 n−1)(5 n−2) ⋯ (∊ Sn), and Inn(ϕ) is the inner isomorphism of Sninduced by ϕ.
Gröbner–Shirshov Bases for Replicated Algebras
Authors: Kolesnikov P.S.
Published: November 2017

We establish a universal approach to solutions of the word problem in the varieties of di- and tri-algebras. This approach, for example, allows us to apply Gröbner–Shirshov bases method for Lie algebras to solve the ideal membership problem in free Leibniz algebras (Lie di-algebras). As another application, we prove an analogue of the Poincaré–Birkhoff–Witt Theorem for universal enveloping associative tri-algebra of a Lie tri-algebra (CTD!-algebra).
Prostanoid EP4 agonist L-902,688 activates PPARγ and attenuates pulmonary arterial hypertension
Authors: Li Hsin-Hsien , Hsu Hsao-Hsun , Chang Gwo-Jyh , Chen I-Chen , Ho Wan-Jing , Hsu Pei-Chen , Chen Wei-Jan , Pang Jong-Hwei S. , Huang Chung-Chi , Lai Ying-Ju
Published: November 2017

Prostacyclin agonists that bind the prostacyclin receptor (IP) to stimulate cAMP synthesis are effective vasodilators for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH), but this signaling may occur through nuclear peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPARγ). There is evidence of scant IP and PPARγ expression but stable prostanoid EP4 receptor (EP4) expression in IPAH patients. Both IP and EP4 functionally couple with stimulatory G protein (Gs), which activates signal transduction. We investigated the effect of an EP4-specific agonist on pulmonary arterial remodeling and its regulatory mechanisms in pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells (PASMCs). Immunoblotting evealed IP, EP4, and PPARγ expression in human pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and monocrotaline (MCT)-induced PAH rat lung tissue. Isolated PASMCs from MCT-induced PAH rats (MCT-PASMCs) were treated with L-902,688, a selective EP4 agonist, to investigate the anti-vascular remodeling effect. Scant expression of IP and PPARγ but stable expression of EP4 was observed in IPAH patient lung tissues and MCT-PASMCs. L-902,688 inhibited IP-insufficient MCT-PASMC proliferation and migration by activating PPARγ in a time- and dose-dependent manner, but these effects were reversed by AH-23848 (an EP4 antagonist) and H-89 [a protein kinase A (PKA) inhibitor], highlighting the crucial role of PPARγ in the activity of this EP4 agonist. L-902,688 attenuated pulmonary arterial remodeling in hypoxic PAH mice and MCT-induced PAH rats; therefore, we conclude that the selective EP4 agonist L-902,688 reverses vascular remodeling by activating PPARγ. This study identified a novel EP4-PKA-PPARγ pathway, and we propose EP4 as a potential therapeutic target for PAH.
Accepting the challenge: maintainingAJP-Lungas the best place to publish basic and translational studies in lung biology and pathophysiology
Authors: Morty Rory E.
Published: November 2017

Rory E. Morty takes over from Sadis Matalon as Editor in Chief of the American Journal of Physiology-Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology in January 2018. Here, key achievements and new and noteworthy additions to the editorial portfolio of the journal will be reviewed. Additionally, selected recent reports will be highlighted and used to illustrate how the broad spectrum of the journal’s editorial content promotes methodological innovation and scientific advances in lung biology and pathophysiology.