bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Retrospective Review of Leg Wound Complications After Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery
Authors: East Susan A. , Lorenz Rebecca A. , Armbrecht Eric S.
Published: September 2013

Little research or attention has been paid to finding out whether wound closure with sutures or staples attains the best outcomes after saphenous vein harvest for coronary artery bypass grafting. We undertook a quality improvement project to compare the prevalence of leg wound complications (eg, infection, seroma, hematoma, dehiscence) between two types of skin closure (ie, staples, subcuticular sutures) after conventional open surgery with bridging between incisions and vein harvesting during coronary revascularization to determine the need for practice changes. We found no significant differences between patients with wound complications and those without. However, in this project, the risk for infections was greater for patients with diabetes whose wounds were closed by using subcuticular sutures. These findings have led to practice changes for reducing leg wound complications within our institution: clinicians now assess patients for increased risk of leg wound complications preoperatively and opt to close wounds with staples for patients who have diabetes.
Structure of the Toll/interleukin 1 receptor (TIR) domain of the immunosuppressive Brucella effector BtpA/Btp1/TcpB
Authors: Kaplan-Türköz Burcu , Koelblen Thomas , Felix Christine , Candusso Marie-Pierre , O‧Callaghan David , Vergunst Annette C. , Terradot Laurent
Published: September 2013

BtpA/Btp1/TcpB is a virulence factor produced by Brucella species that possesses a Toll interleukin‐1 receptor (TIR) domain. Once delivered into the host cell, BtpA interacts with MyD88 to interfere with TLR signalling and modulates microtubule dynamics. Here the crystal structure of the BtpA TIR domain at 3.15 Å is presented. The structure shows a dimeric arrangement of a canonical TIR domain, similar to the Paracoccus denitrificans Tir protein but secured by a unique long N‐terminal α‐tail that packs against the TIR:TIR dimer. Structure‐based mutations and multi‐angle light scattering experiments characterized the BtpA dimer conformation in solution. The structure of BtpA will help with studies to understand the mechanisms involved in its interactions with MyD88 and with microtubules.
Distinct tRNA modifications in the thermo‐acidophilic archaeon, Thermoplasma acidophilum
Authors: Tomikawa Chie , Ohira Takayuki , Inoue Yasushi , Kawamura Takuya , Yamagishi Akihiko , Suzuki Tsutomu , Hori Hiroyuki
Published: September 2013

Thermoplasma acidophilum is a thermo‐acidophilic archaeon. We purified tRNALeu (UAG) from T. acidophilum using a solid‐phase DNA probe method and determined the RNA sequence after determining via nucleoside analysis and m7G‐specific aniline cleavage because it has been reported that T. acidophilum tRNA contains m7G, which is generally not found in archaeal tRNAs. RNA sequencing and liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry revealed that the m7G modification exists at a novel position 49. Furthermore, we found several distinct modifications, which have not previously been found in archaeal tRNA, such as 4‐thiouridine9, archaeosine13 and 5‐carbamoylmethyuridine34. The related tRNA modification enzymes and their genes are discussed.
Effect of Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) on the Time Needed for Treatment in Simulated Mountain Medicine Emergencies
Authors: Billmann Franck G , Burnett Claude , Welke Stefanie , Bokor-Billmann Therezia
Published: September 2013

Objective

The number of tourists exploring mountainous areas continues to increase. As a consequence, rescue operations are increasing, especially for trauma and polytrauma victims. The outcome of such patients depends greatly on the duration of the prehospital stabilization. Limited medical training of mountain rescuers may adversely affect the outcome of patients. There is no study investigating high altitude trauma treatment. The aim of this study is to analyze the impact of advanced trauma life support (ATLS) principles in mountain trauma, and to discuss a possible role of ATLS in mountain medicine education programs.

Methods

We designed 5 tasks representing life-threatening trauma problems encountered in mountain rescue. They were used to evaluate the physician’s ability to adequately diagnose and react to trauma situations. We created 2 groups: 1) the ATLS group, consisting of physicians who passed the ATLS course and the mountain medicine course, and 2) the non-ATLS group, consisting of physicians who did not obtain the ATLS training but who did pass the mountain medicine course. We compared the time spent to complete the tasks in both groups.

Results

In 4 of the 5 tasks (airway, breathing, circulation, and combination), the ATLS group completed the task significantly faster. In the environment task, however, the ATLS group was slower. This was the only not significant result.

Conclusions

ATLS principles adapted and implemented for high altitude medicine education may have a positive impact on high altitude trauma treatment and outcomes.
An Observational Study of Personal Ultraviolet Dosimetry and Acute Diffuse Reflectance Skin Changes at Extreme Altitude
Authors: Cheng Ivy , Kiss Alex , Lilge Lothar
Published: September 2013

Objective

To determine the level of UV radiation at extreme altitude and to assess the effect it has on the skin.

Methods

Fifteen expeditioners and 10 Sherpas were assessed during a climbing expedition on the north side of Mt Everest (8848 m). UV exposure measurement and diffuse skin reflectance spectrophotometry were performed at the beginning and end of the expedition.

Results

Over the course of the expedition, the expeditioners and Sherpas received a median dose of 93.6 (interquartile range [IQR], 61.0–102.8) and 102.5 (IQR, 72.2–117.8) minimal erythemal doses (MEDs) of UV radiation. The maximum dosage exceeded 106 ± 1.4 MEDs. Using reflectance spectrophotometry, expeditioner and Sherpa melanin-hemoglobin increased by 83.6% (IQR, –1.5 to 89.8%) and 24.7% (IQR, –22.4 to 61.5%) for exposed skin, respectively. The amount of subcutaneous lipid-water decreased by a factor of 196.6 (IQR, 52.1–308.4) and 46.7 (IQR, 1.8–1156.5), for expeditioners and Sherpas, respectively.

Conclusions

This expedition’s participants received massive doses of UV radiation during their time at high altitude. In many individuals this was similar to the annual exposure of northern European office-workers (100 MEDs). Diffuse skin reflectance spectroscopy revealed considerable subcutaneous lipid loss, skin dehydration, and increased melanin in keeping with these levels of exposure.
Numerical study of the effect of surface waves on turbulence underneath. Part 1. Mean flow and turbulence vorticity
Authors: Guo Xin , Shen Lian
Published: September 2013

Direct numerical simulation is performed to study the effect of progressive gravity waves on turbulence underneath. The Navier–Stokes equations subject to fully nonlinear kinematic and dynamic free-surface boundary conditions are simulated on a surface-following mapped grid using a fractional-step scheme with a pseudo-spectral method in the horizontal directions and a finite-difference method in the vertical direction. To facilitate a mechanistic study that focuses on the fundamental physics of wave–turbulence interaction, the wave and turbulence fields are set up precisely in the simulation: a pressure-forcing method is used to generate and maintain the progressive wave being investigated and to suppress other wave components, and a random forcing method is used to produce statistically steady, homogeneous turbulence in the bulk flow beneath the surface wave. Cases with various moderate-to-large turbulence-to-wave time ratios and wave steepnesses are considered. Study of the turbulence velocity spectrum shows that the turbulence is dynamically forced by the surface wave. Mean flow and turbulence vorticity are studied in both the Eulerian and Lagrangian frames of the wave. In the Eulerian frame, statistics of the underlying turbulence field indicates that the magnitude of turbulence vorticity and the inclination angle of vortices are dependent on the wave phase. In the Lagrangian frame, wave properties and the accumulative effect on turbulence vorticity are studied. It is shown that vertical vortices are tilted in the wave propagation direction due to the cumulative effects of both the Stokes drift velocity and the correlation between turbulence fluctuations and wave strain rate, whereas for streamwise vortices, these two factors offset each other and result in a negligible tilting effect.
Evaluation of the novel Tanita body-fat analyser to measure body composition by comparison with a four-compartment model
Authors: Jebb Susan A. , Cole Timothy J. , Doman Deanne , Murgatroyd Peter R. , Prentice Andrew M.
Published: September 2013

The Tanita body-fat analyser is a novel device to estimate body fat, based on the principles of bioelectrical impedance. It differs from other impedance systems which use surface electrodes in that the subjects stand bare-footed on a metal sole-plate which incorporates the electrodes, hence impedance is measured through the legs and lower trunk. In 104 men and 101 women (16–78 years and BMI 16–41 kg/m2) the mean bias in body-fat mass measured using the Tanita body-fat analyser was 0·8 (2SD 7·9) KG RELATIVE TO A FOUR-COMPARTMENT MODEL. THIS IS COMPARABLE TO THE OTHER PREDICTION TECHNIQUES TESTED (CONVENTIONAL TETRAPOLAR IMPEDANCE -1·3 (2sd 6·9) kg, skinfold thicknesses 0·3 (2sd 7·4) kg, and BMI-based formulas -0·2 (2sd 9·0) kg and -0·6 (2sd 8·5) kg), but the agreement was poorer than for ‘reference’ methods to measure body fat (density 0·2 (2sd 3·7) kg, total body water -0·9 (2sd 3·4) kg and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry 0·1 (2sd 5·0) kg). The present paper also describes the derivation of a new prediction equation for the calculation of body composition from the Tanita body-fat analyser. The equation incorporates sex, age, and a log-transformation of height, weight and the measured impedance to predict body fat measured by a four-compartment model. This approach is recommended in the derivation of other prediction equations in body composition analysis. Using this novel prediction equation the residual standard deviations were 4·8 % for men and 3·3 % for women. A similar analysis using data collected with a conventional tetrapolar system yielded residual standard deviations of 4·3 % for men and 3·1 % for women. This demonstrates that the practical simplicity of the novel Tanita method is not associated with a clinically significant decrement in performance relative to a traditional impedance device.
Eocene development of the northerly active continental margin of the Southern Neotethys in the Kyrenia Range, north Cyprus
Authors: ROBERTSON ALASTAIR H.F. , McCAY GILLIAN A. , TASLI KEMAL , YILDIZ AŞEGÜL
Published: September 2013

We focus on an active continental margin related to northwards subduction during the Eocene in which sedimentary melange (‘olistostromes’) forms a key component. Maastrichtian – Early Eocene deep-marine carbonates and volcanic rocks pass gradationally upwards into a thick succession (<800 m) of gravity deposits, exposed in several thrust sheets. The lowest levels are mainly siliciclastic turbidites and debris-flow deposits. Interbedded marls contain Middle Eocene planktonic/benthic foraminifera and calcareous nannofossils. Sandstones include abundant ophiolite-derived grains. The higher levels are chaotic debris-flow deposits that include exotic blocks of Late Palaeozoic – Mesozoic neritic limestone and dismembered ophiolite-related rocks. A thinner sequence (<200 m) in one area contains abundant redeposited Paleogene pelagic limestone and basalt. Chemical analysis of basaltic clasts shows that some are subduction influenced. Basaltic clasts from unconformably overlying alluvial conglomerates (Late Eocene – Oligocene) indicate derivation from a supra-subduction zone ophiolite, including boninites. Taking account of regional comparisons, the sedimentary melange is interpreted to have formed within a flexurally controlled foredeep, floored by continental crust. Gravity flows including large limestone blocks, multiple debris flows and turbidites were emplaced, followed by southwards thrust imbrication. The emplacement was possibly triggered by the final closure of an oceanic basin to the north (Alanya Ocean). Further convergence between the African and Eurasian plates was accommodated by northwards subduction beneath the Kyrenia active continental margin. Subduction zone rollback may have triggered collapse of the active continental margin. Non-marine to shallow-marine alluvial fans prograded southwards during Late Eocene – Oligocene time, marking the base of a renewed depositional cycle that lasted until latest Miocene time.
Thomas Scott and the Growth of Urban Opposition to the Early Stuart Regime
Authors: Clark Peter
Published: September 2013

While the crucial question of the contribution of the troubles of the 1620s to the eventual dissolution of the old political order in Stuart England remains clouded in debate, with historians like C. Russell questioning the whole concept of escalating parliamentary opposition to the Crown in that decade, we are at least beginning to recognize the pattern of provincial unrest and the growing interaction of national and local agitation at this time. D. Hirst in particular has shown how constituencies were increasingly volatile and vociferous, a development which owed a great deal to the expansion of their electorates. In the boroughs country gentry joined forces with anti-oligarchic groups of citizens to broaden the franchise. Here agitation was strongly influenced by the severe economic and social problems of many county towns during the early seventeenth century.
Odd linking and bifurcation in gaps: the weakly indefinite case
Authors: Ruppen Hans-Jörg
Published: September 2013

In this paper, we consider nonlinear Schrödinger equations of the following type:

−Δu(x)+ V(x)u(x) − q(x)|u(x)|σu(x) = λu(x), x ∈ ℝN, u ∈ H1(ℝN)\{0},

where N ≥ 2 and σ > 0. We concentrate on situations where the potential function V appearing in the linear part of the equation is of Coulomb type; by this we mean potentials where the spectrum of the linear operator −Δ + V consists of an increasing sequence of eigenvalues λ1, λ2,… followed by an interval belonging to the essential spectrum.

We study, for λ kept fixed inside a spectral gap or below λ1, the existence of multiple solution pairs, as well as the bifurcation behaviour of these solutions when λ approaches a point of the spectrum from the left-hand side. Our method proceeds by an analysis of critical points of the corresponding energy functional. To this end, we derive a new variational characterization of critical levels

c0 (λ) ≤ c1(λ) ≤ c2(λ) ≤ ⋯ corresponding to an infinite set of critical points.

We derive such a multiplicity result even if some of the critical values cn(λ) coincide; this seems to be a major advantage of our approach. Moreover, the characterization of these values cn(λ) is suitable for an analysis of the bifurcation behaviour of the corresponding generalized solutions.

The approach presented here is generic; for instance, it can be applied when V and q are periodic functions. Such generalizations are briefly described in this paper and will be the object of a forthcoming article.
The roles of biological reference points and operational control points in management procedures for the sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria) fishery in British Columbia, Canada
Authors: COX SEAN P. , KRONLUND ALLEN R. , BENSON ASHLEEN J.
Published: September 2013

Biological reference points (BRPs) in fisheries policy are typically sensitive to stock assessment model assumptions, thus increasing uncertainty in harvest decision-making and potentially blocking adoption of precautionary harvest policies. A collaborative management strategy evaluation approach and closed-loop simulation modelling was used to evaluate expected fishery economic and conservation performance of the sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria) fishery in British Columbia (Canada), in the presence of uncertainty about BRPs. Comparison of models derived using two precautionary harvest control rules, which each complied with biological conservation objectives and short-term economic objectives given by industry, suggested that both rules were likely to avert biomass decline below limit BRPs, even when stock biomass and production were persistently overestimated by stock assessment models. The slightly less conservative, industry-preferred harvest control rule also avoided short-term economic losses of c. CAN$ 2.7–10 million annually, or 10–50% of current landed value. Distinguishing between the role of BRPs in setting fishery conservation objectives and operational control points that define harvest control rules improved the flexibility of the sablefish management system, and has led to adoption of precautionary management procedures.
Assessment of P-wave dispersion in children with atrial septal aneurysm
Authors: Arslan Derya , Cimen Derya , Guvenc Osman , Oran Bulent , Yilmaz Fatma Hilal
Published: September 2013

Background

This was a prospective controlled study to determine the P-wave duration and P-wave dispersion in patients with atrial septal aneurysm.

Methods

A total of 41 children with atrial septal aneurysm, including 21 boys and 20 girls (mean age 11.85 ± 3.8 years), and 32 controls, including 17 boys and 15 girls (mean age 12.3 ± 2.9 years), were included. P-wave dispersion was calculated from the 12-lead electrocardiogram. Cardiac functions, morphology of the aneurysm, and left atrial diameter were measured using conventional echocardiography. The diagnosis of atrial septal aneurysm was made when the base of the aneurysms with an excursion ratio ≥25% was found on echocardiography.

Results

There was no significant difference between the patient and control groups in demographic, clinical findings, and M-mode echocardiographic parameters. The P-wave dispersion in patients with atrial septal aneurysm was significantly longer compared with the control group (64.4 ± 13.4 ms; p < 0.0001). Similarly, the the maximum duration of the P wave in the patient group was significantly longer compared with the control group (106.1 ± 13.3 ms; p < 0.001). The P-wave duration and dispersion were not correlated with age, gender, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, or m-mode echocardiographic parameters.

Conclusions

This study shows that P-wave dispersion is delayed in atrial septal aneurysm patients. Prolonged P-wave dispersion was determined to indicate electrical disturbance, and therefore it has an increased electrocardiographic risk of atrial arrhythmia in children with atrial septal aneurysm.
Health Implications of Cyber-Terrorism
Authors: Clem A. , Galwankar Sagar , Buck George
Published: September 2013

The world is becoming ever more interconnected via the Internet, creating both benefits and disadvantages for human communities. This article examines cyber-terrorism, one of the major negative consequences of the Internet. It also examines the potential impact of cyber-terrorism on the health of populations, its possible perpetrators, and its prevention and control.
Editorial: 29th International Conference on Logic Programming special issue
Authors: LAMMA EVELINA , SWIFT TERRANCE
Published: September 2013

The proceedings of the International Conference on Logic Programming (ICLP) have had several publishers, including MIT Press and Springer's Lecture Notes in Computer Science. Beginning in 2010, the proceedings have been published in a dual format: with regular papers contained in a special issue of Theory and Practice of Logic Programming (TPLP), and technical communications as a Dagstuhl LIPics series publication. The reason for the change was that compared to researchers in other fields, computer scientists publish more in conferences or symposia and less in journals. The thinking went that since many ICLP papers are of journal quality – or nearly so – why not publish them in a journal straight away? And why not TPLP?
Stable model semantics for founded bounds
Authors: AZIZ REHAN ABDUL , CHU GEOFFREY , STUCKEY PETER J.
Published: September 2013

Answer Set Programming (ASP) is a powerful form of declarative programming used in areas such as planning or reasoning. ASP solvers enforce stable model semantics, which rule out solutions representing certain kinds of circular reasoning. Unfortunately, current ASP solvers are incapable of solving problems involving cyclic dependencies between multiple integer or continuous quantities effectively. In this paper, we generalize the notion of stable models to bound founded variables with arbitrary domains, where bounds on such variables need to be justified by some rule in the program in order for the model to be stable. We show how to handle significantly more general rule forms where bound founded variables can act as head or body variables, and where head and body variables can be related via complex constraints subject to certain monotonicity requirements. We describe a new unfounded set detection algorithm which allows us to enforce this generalization of the stable model semantics. We also show how these unfounded sets can be explained in order to allow effective conflict-directed clause learning. The new solver merges the best features of CP, SAT and ASP solvers and allows new types of problems to be solved very efficiently.
Relative expressiveness of defeasible logics II
Authors: MAHER MICHAEL J.
Published: September 2013

Maher (2012) introduced an approach for relative expressiveness of defeasible logics, and two notions of relative expressiveness were investigated. Using the first of these definitions of relative expressiveness, we show that all the defeasible logics in the DL framework are equally expressive under this formulation of relative expressiveness. The second formulation of relative expressiveness is stronger than the first. However, we show that logics incorporating individual defeat are equally expressive as the corresponding logics with team defeat. Thus the only differences in expressiveness of logics in DL arise from differences in how ambiguity is handled. This completes the study of relative expressiveness in DL begun in Maher (2012).
Failure tabled constraint logic programming by interpolation
Authors: GANGE GRAEME , NAVAS JORGE A. , SCHACHTE PETER , SØNDERGAARD HARALD , STUCKEY PETER J.
Published: September 2013

We present a new execution strategy for constraint logic programs called Failure Tabled CLP. Similarly to Tabled CLP our strategy records certain derivations in order to prune further derivations. However, our method only learns from failed derivations. This allows us to compute interpolants rather than constraint projection for generation of reuse conditions. As a result, our technique can be used where projection is too expensive or does not exist. Our experiments indicate that Failure Tabling can speed up the execution of programs with many redundant failed derivations as well as achieve termination in the presence of infinite executions.
Probabilistic legal reasoning in CHRiSM
Authors: SNEYERS JON , DE SCHREYE DANNY , FRÜHWIRTH THOM
Published: September 2013

Riveret et al. have proposed a framework for probabilistic legal reasoning. Their goal is to determine the chance of winning a court case, given the probabilities of the judge accepting certain claimed facts and legal rules.

In this paper we tackle the same problem by defining and implementing a new formalism, called probabilistic argumentation logic, which can be seen as a probabilistic generalization of Nute's defeasible logic. Not only does this provide an automation of the — only hand-performed — computations in Riveret et al, it also provides a solution to one of their open problems: a method to determine the initial probabilities from a given body of precedents.
Answer set programming as a modeling language for course timetabling
Authors: BANBARA MUTSUNORI , SOH TAKEHIDE , TAMURA NAOYUKI , INOUE KATSUMI , SCHAUB TORSTEN
Published: September 2013

The course timetabling problem can be generally defined as the task of assigning a number of lectures to a limited set of timeslots and rooms, subject to a given set of hard and soft constraints. The modeling language for course timetabling is required to be expressive enough to specify a wide variety of soft constraints and objective functions. Furthermore, the resulting encoding is required to be extensible for capturing new constraints and for switching them between hard and soft, and to be flexible enough to deal with different formulations. In this paper, we propose to make effective use of ASP as a modeling language for course timetabling. We show that our ASP-based approach can naturally satisfy the above requirements, through an ASP encoding of the curriculum-based course timetabling problem proposed in the third track of the second international timetabling competition (ITC-2007). Our encoding is compact and human-readable, since each constraint is individually expressed by either one or two rules. Each hard constraint is expressed by using integrity constraints and aggregates of ASP. Each soft constraint S is expressed by rules in which the head is the form of penalty(S,V,C), and a violation V and its penalty cost C are detected and calculated respectively in the body. We carried out experiments on four different benchmark sets with five different formulations. We succeeded either in improving the bounds or producing the same bounds for many combinations of problem instances and formulations, compared with the previous best known bounds.
The evolution of the Dutch dairy industry and the rise of cooperatives: a research note
Authors: FRENKEN KOEN
Published: September 2013

Economic historians tend to explain the rise of the cooperative form in agriculture from the advantage of cooperative over private factories in reducing transaction costs with suppliers. This study provides a first test of this thesis using data on 1,130 dairy factories in The Netherlands. Indeed, we find that cooperative factories performed significantly better than private factories. The persistence of private factories in certain regions can be explained by first-mover advantages.
Psychological Capital, Work Well-Being, and Work-Life Balance Among Chinese Employees
Authors: Siu Oi Ling
Published: September 2013

This study adopts conservation of resources theory to investigate the relationship between psychological capital (PsyCap) and outcomes of work well-being and work-life balance among Chinese employees. A 2-wave survey was conducted among 287 health care workers in Chinese societies. Adapted from Western scales, a 22-item measure of PsyCap was constructed and confirmatory factor analyses supported a higher-order construct of PsyCap comprising self-efficacy, optimism, hope, and resiliency. Results from cross-lagged analysis demonstrated that PsyCap at Time 1 had a significant positive relationship with participants’ work well-being (higher levels of job satisfaction and physical/psychological well-being) and more work-life balance at Time 2 (conducted 5 months later). Implications for theory and practice are discussed.
Abusive Supervision and Counterproductive Work Behaviors
Authors: Sulea Coralia , Fine Saul , Fischmann Gabriel , Sava Florin A. , Dumitru Catalina
Published: September 2013

While counterproductive work behaviors (CWB) are considered to be associated with both personal and situational antecedents, the relationship between these two factors is not entirely understood. Toward a better understanding of this issue, the present study examined the moderating effects of personality traits on the relationship between a specific situational stressor, abusive supervision, and organization-targeted counterproductive behaviors (CWB-O). The results found significant main effects for both abusive supervision and personality, as expected, as well as a significant interaction between them, whereby employees with low scores in conscientiousness, agreeableness, and/or emotional stability were more likely to engage in CWB-O in response to abusive behaviors from their supervisors.
Underestimation of the Pentose–Phosphate Pathway in Intact Primary Neurons as Revealed by Metabolic Flux Analysis
Authors: Rodriguez-Rodriguez Patricia , Fernandez Emilio , Bolaños Juan P
Published: September 2013

The rates of glucose oxidized at glycolysis and pentose–phosphate pathway (PPP) in neurons are controversial. Using [3-3H]-, [1-14C]-, and [6-14C]glucose to estimate fluxes through these pathways in resting, intact rat cortical primary neurons, we found that the rate of glucose oxidized through PPP was, apparently, ∼14% of total glucose metabolized. However, inhibition of PPP rate-limiting step, glucose-6-phosphate (G6P) dehydrogenase, increased approximately twofold the glycolytic rate; and, knockdown of phosphoglucose isomerase increased ∼1.8-fold the PPP rate. Thus, in neurons, a considerable fraction of fructose-6-phosphate returning from the PPP contributes to the G6P pool that re-enters PPP, largely underestimating its flux.
The Role of the Microcirculation in Delayed Cerebral Ischemia and Chronic Degenerative Changes after Subarachnoid Hemorrhage
Authors: Østergaard Leif , Aamand Rasmus , Karabegovic Sanja , Tietze Anna , Blicher Jakob Udby , Mikkelsen Irene Klærke , Iversen Nina Kerting , Secher Niels , Engedal Thorbjørn Søndergaard , Anzabi Mariam , Jimenez Eugenio Gutierrez , Cai Changsi , Koch Klaus Ulrik , Næss-Schmidt Erhard Trillingsgaard , Obel Annette , Juul Niels , Rasmussen Mads , Sørensen Jens Christian Hedemann
Published: September 2013

The mortality after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is 50%, and most survivors suffer severe functional and cognitive deficits. Half of SAH patients deteriorate 5 to 14 days after the initial bleeding, so-called delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI). Although often attributed to vasospasms, DCI may develop in the absence of angiographic vasospasms, and therapeutic reversal of angiographic vasospasms fails to improve patient outcome. The etiology of chronic neurodegenerative changes after SAH remains poorly understood. Brain oxygenation depends on both cerebral blood flow (CBF) and its microscopic distribution, the so-called capillary transit time heterogeneity (CTH). In theory, increased CTH can therefore lead to tissue hypoxia in the absence of severe CBF reductions, whereas reductions in CBF, paradoxically, improve brain oxygenation if CTH is critically elevated. We review potential sources of elevated CTH after SAH. Pericyte constrictions in relation to the initial ischemic episode and subsequent oxidative stress, nitric oxide depletion during the pericapillary clearance of oxyhemoglobin, vasogenic edema, leukocytosis, and astrocytic endfeet swelling are identified as potential sources of elevated CTH, and hence of metabolic derangement, after SAH. Irreversible changes in capillary morphology and function are predicted to contribute to long-term relative tissue hypoxia, inflammation, and neurodegeneration. We discuss diagnostic and therapeutic implications of these predictions.
Optimal multi-photon phase sensing with a single interference fringe
Authors: Xiang G. Y. , Hofmann H. F. , Pryde G. J.
Published: September 2013

Quantum entanglement can help to increase the precision of optical phase measurements beyond the shot noise limit (SNL) to the ultimate Heisenberg limit. However, the N-photon parity measurements required to achieve this optimal sensitivity are extremely difficult to realize with current photon detection technologies, requiring high-fidelity resolution of N + 1 different photon distributions between the output ports. Recent experimental demonstrations of precision beyond the SNL have therefore used only one or two photon-number detection patterns instead of parity measurements. Here we investigate the achievable phase sensitivity of the simple and efficient single interference fringe detection technique. We show that the maximally-entangled “NOON” state does not achieve optimal phase sensitivity when N > 4, rather, we show that the Holland-Burnett state is optimal. We experimentally demonstrate this enhanced sensitivity using a single photon-counted fringe of the six-photon Holland-Burnett state. Specifically, our single-fringe six-photon measurement achieves a phase variance three times below the SNL.
Distributed impulsive consensus for second‐order multi‐agent systems with input delays
Authors: Zhang Hua , Zhou Jin
Published: September 2013

In this study, a distributed consensus protocol is proposed for second‐order multi‐agent systems having input time delays. A distinctive feature of the algorithm is to address consensus problems for second‐order multi‐agent systems with local instantaneous interaction, where each agent can only exchange the position information with its neighbours at a series of discrete‐time instants and update its velocity state in the form of abrupt jumps setting. The authors also establish the consensus conditions over fixed and switching network topologies, respectively. It is shown that consensus can be exponentially reached if the interaction graph of the system is connected and the interaction intervals are less than a given threshold value. Subsequently, numerical simulations are given to illustrate and visualise the effectiveness and feasibility of the theoretical results.
Automatic target recognition of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images based on optimal selection of Zernike moments features
Authors: Amoon Mehdi , Rezai‐rad Gholam‐ali
Published: September 2013

In the present study, a new algorithm for automatic target detection (ATR) in synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images has been proposed. First, moving and stationary target acquisition and recognition image chips have been segmented and then passed to a number of preprocessing stages such as histogram equalisation, position and size normalisation. Second, the feature extraction based on Zernike moments (ZMs) having linear transformation invariance properties and robustness in the presence of the noise has been introduced for the first time. Third, a genetic algorithm‐based feature selection and a support vector machine classifier have been presented to select the optimal feature subset of ZMs for decreasing the computational complexity. Experimental results demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed approach in target recognition of SAR imagery. The authors obtained results show that just a small amount of ZMs features is sufficient to achieve the recognition rates that rival other established methods, and so ZMs features can be regarded as a powerful discriminatory feature for automatic target recognition applications relevant to SAR imagery. Furthermore, it can be observed that the classifier performs fairly well until the signal‐to‐noise ratio falls beneath 5 dB for noisy images.
Multi‐scale contrast‐based saliency enhancement for salient object detection
Authors: Zhou Wenhui , Song Teng , Lin Lili , Lumsdaine Andrew
Published: September 2013

To achieve more complete and more uniformly highlighted salient object regions, this study presents a computational saliency enhancement model that incorporates the properties of multi‐scale and logarithmic response into the local and global contrasts. A distinct feature of the authors model is a novel saliency enhancement operator. This operator can effectively enhance the saliency of object interior regions while simultaneously reducing blur on object boundaries caused by multiple scales. Their model is a general one that can make flexible tradeoffs between precision and recall. Detailed comparisons with 12 state‐of‐the‐art methods show that their method can obtain satisfactory salient object regions that are closer to the human‐labelled results. In addition, their method provides superior results in precision–recall, F‐measure and mean absolute error.
Non‐parametric modified histogram equalisation for contrast enhancement
Authors: Poddar Shashi , Tewary Suman , Sharma Deewakar , Karar Vinod , Ghosh Ashish , Pal Sankar K.
Published: September 2013

Histogram equalisation has been a much sought‐after technique for improving the contrast of an image, which however leads to an over enhancement of the image, giving it an unnatural and degraded appearance. In this framework, a generalised contrast enhancement algorithm is proposed which is independent of parameter setting for a given dynamic range of the input image. The algorithm uses the modified histogram for spatial transformation on grey scale to render a better quality image irrespective of the image type. Added to this, two variants of the proposed methodology are presented, one of which preserves the brightness of original image while the other variant increases the image brightness adaptively, giving it a better look. Qualitative and quantitative assessments like degree of entropy un‐preservation, edge‐based contrast measure and structure similarity index measures are then applied to the 500 image data set for comparing the proposed algorithm with several existing state‐of‐the‐art algorithms. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm produces better or comparable enhanced images than several algorithms.
Wideband analytical extraction technique of π‐equivalent circuit model for Si/SiGe heterojunction bipolar transistor in BICMOS process
Authors: Taher Hany
Published: September 2013

A developed analytical extraction technique of small‐signal π‐topology equivalent circuit model for Si/SiGe heterojunction bipolar transistor is presented. The intrinsic model parameters, including base resistance (Rb) which are difficult to extract in the previous works, are analytically extracted by utilising a novel set of exact equations that do not need any numerical fitting, special polarisation of the device or any kind of post processing. Moreover, the substrate effect and the distributed base‐collector junction are accurately modelled and extracted. To the authors knowledge, the extracted values using the presented methodology exhibit flattest and widest frequency independent behaviour among all those extracted with earlier published analytical techniques, especially for base resistance. Excellent agreement is noted between the S‐parameters measurements and their simulated counterpart using the extracted model in the frequency range from 40 MHz–40 GHz at different bias conditions.
Maintaining middle zero voltage switching operation of parallel–parallel tuned wireless power transfer system under bifurcation
Authors: Wang Bob , Hu Aiguo Patrick , Budgett David
Published: September 2013

It is well known that when a wireless power transfer system bifurcates, the maximum power transfer capability reduces significantly. This research proposes a dynamic zero voltage switching (ZVS) controller to track the middle ZVS operation curve so as to maintain the peak power potential the system can deliver. A prototype wireless power transfer system has been developed, and it has found that the system can deliver 10 W power required to drive an implantable heart pump with a reduced input voltage, increased coil separation and improved end‐to‐end power efficiency.
Electrocatalytic oxidation of formaldehyde and formic acid at Pd nanoparticles modified glassy carbon electrode
Authors: Zhang Jun , Shangguan Lingzhi , Dong Chuan
Published: September 2013

Pd nanoparticle (NP) modified glassy carbon electrodes were prepared by the electrochemical deposition method of cyclic voltammetry (CV) and the potentiostatic technique, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy was used to characterise the morphology of the NP‐modified electrode's surface. The electrocatalytic oxidation of formaldehyde and formic acid were investigated at the modified electrodes by CV and linear sweep voltammetry. The experimental results show that the electrodes display remarkable electrocatalytic activity and long‐term stability for the oxidation of formaldehyde and formic acid. The oxidation mechanism of formaldehyde and formic acid on the modified electrodes is discussed primarily. The experimental parameters were optimised for establishing the methods of formaldehyde and formic acid determination. The oxidation peak current is linearly proportional to the concentration of formaldehyde in the range of 1.0 × 10−4 –1.4 × 10−2M with the detection limit being 3.0 × 10−5M and relative standard deviation (RSD) being 3.9%. The linear dynamic range of formic acid is in the range of 1.0 × 10−5 –1.0 × 10−2M, the detection limit is 4.0 × 10−6M and the RSD is 2.8%. The low detection limit, wide linear range and high sensitivity of the sensors make them valuable for further application.
Thermo‐flow and temperature sensing behaviour of graphene based on surface heat convection
Authors: Al‐Mumen Haider , Rao Fubo , Dong Lixin , Li Wen
Published: September 2013

This letter studies the surface heat convection of thin graphene sheets and the application of graphene wires as nanoscale flow and temperature sensors. Graphene wires with relatively large length‐to‐width ratios were designed and fabricated using bi‐ and few‐layer graphene sheets. Prior to testing, the devices were packaged in a microfluidic chamber with capillary tubes as upstream and downstream connections to minimise environmental interference. The thermal inertia of the graphene wire was studied at 70°C and the flow sensing behaviour of the device was characterised by monitoring normalised resistance changes at different flow rates. The authors experimental results demonstrated the negative temperature coefficients of the bi‐ and few‐layer graphene films. Moreover, the flow sensing resolutions of ∼ 0.07 l/min and 0.1 l/min were achieved from the bi‐ and few‐layer graphene hot wires, respectively. The temperature sensing behaviour of the graphene thermistor was studied in a small temperature range from room temperature to 80°C. The larger negative temperature coefficient of the bi‐layer graphene resulted in a higher sensing response than the few‐layer one.
Aspiration through hollow cantilever‐based nanopipette by means of evaporation
Authors: Perez Garza Hector Hugo , Ghatkesar Murali Krishna , Staufer Urs
Published: September 2013

Presented is a method for aspirating liquids into a hollow atomic force microscope (AFM)‐cantilever through a 350 nm‐wide nozzle near the tip apex. The cantilever was made of transparent SiO2 and connected a fluidic reservoir to an evaporation cell. The nanopipette‐chip is suitable for mounting the microfluidic system into commercial AFMs. The channel inside the lever spontaneously filled with liquid by capillary forces upon which evaporation started and continuously pumped liquid from the reservoir. The resonance frequency of the cantilever was found to be 153.946 kHz when empty and a frequency shift of 92 Hz was measured when filled. The cantilever's transparency allowed visualisation of the advancing meniscus in real time and confirmed the presence of aspirated, fluorescently labelled liquid. An aspiration rate of ∼230 aL/s was measured. This value represents the flow rate in the microfluidic system when operated under ambient conditions (21°C temperature, 43% relative humidity). The estimated volume that has been aspirated in total was ∼ 85.42 aL. The aspiration capability of the device was tested and analysed under an optical microscope using an aqueous solution of fluorescently labelled nanobeads. The nanopipetting experiments represent an extension over the authors' earlier work which concentrated on the dispensing and imaging capabilities of a similar system.
Atomic oxygen patterning from a biomedical needle-plasma source
Authors: Kelly Seán , Turner Miles M.
Published: September 2013

A “plasma needle” is a cold plasma source operating at atmospheric pressure. Such sources interact strongly with living cells, but experimental studies on bacterial samples show that this interaction has a surprising pattern resulting in circular or annular killing structures. This paper presents numerical simulations showing that this pattern occurs because biologically active reactive oxygen and nitrogen species are produced dominantly where effluent from the plasma needle interacts with ambient air. A novel solution strategy is utilised coupling plasma produced neutral (uncharged) reactive species to the gas dynamics solving for steady state profiles at the treated biological surface. Numerical results are compared with experimental reports corroborating evidence for atomic oxygen as a key bactericidal species. Surface losses are considered for interaction of plasma produced reactants with reactive solid and liquid interfaces. Atomic oxygen surface reactions on a reactive solid surface with adsorption probabilities above 0.1 are shown to be limited by the flux of atomic oxygen from the plasma. Interaction of the source with an aqueous surface showed hydrogen peroxide as the dominant species at this interface.
Effect of temperature gradient on liquid-liquid phase separation in a polyolefin blend
Authors: Jiang Hua , Dou Nannan , Fan Guoqiang , Yang Zhaohui , Zhang Xiaohua
Published: September 2013

We have investigated experimentally the structure formation processes during phase separation via spinodal decomposition above and below the spinodal line in a binary polymer blend system exposed to in-plane stationary thermal gradients using phase contrast optical microscopy and temperature gradient hot stage. Below the spinodal line there is a coupling of concentration fluctuations and thermal gradient imposed by the temperature gradient hot stage. Also under the thermal gradient annealing phase-separated domains grow faster compared with the system under homogeneous temperature annealing on a zero-gradient or a conventional hot stage. We suggest that the in-plane thermal gradient accelerates phase separation through the enhancement in concentration fluctuations in the early and intermediate stages of spinodal decomposition. In a thermal gradient field, the strength of concentration fluctuation close to the critical point (above the spinodal line) is strong enough to induce phase separation even in one-phase regime of the phase diagram. In the presence of a temperature gradient the equilibrium phase diagrams are no longer valid, and the systems with an upper critical solution temperature can be quenched into phase separation by applying the stationary temperature gradient. The in-plane temperature gradient drives enhanced concentration fluctuations in a binary polymer blend system above and below the spinodal line.
Effects of image charges on double layer structure and forces
Authors: Wang Rui , Wang Zhen-Gang
Published: September 2013

The study of the electrical double layer lies at the heart of soft matter physics and biophysics. Here, we address the effects of the image charges on the double layer structure and forces. For electrolyte solutions between two neutral plates, we show that depletion of the salt ions by the image charge repulsion results in short-range attractive and long-range repulsive forces. If cations and anions are of different valency, the asymmetric depletion leads to the formation of an induced electrical double layer. In comparison to a 1:1 electrolyte solution, both the attractive and the repulsive parts of the interaction are stronger for the 2:1 electrolyte solution. For two charged plates, the competition between the surface charge and the image charge effect can give rise to like-charge attraction and charge inversion. These results are in stark contrast with predictions from the Poisson-Boltzmann theory.
Multiple Bennett acceptance ratio made easy for replica exchange simulations
Authors: Procacci Piero
Published: September 2013

In this paper, we illustrate a practical technique to improve the efficiency of the so-called multiple Bennett acceptance ratio (MBAR) estimator [Shirts and Chodera, J. Chem. Phys. 129, 124105 (2008)] for computing thermodynamic expectations of physical quantities, from samples drawn from Hamiltonian or temperature replica exchange simulations. The methods exploit the Crooks fluctuation theorem [Crooks, J. Stat. Phys. 90, 1481 (1998)] for accurately evaluating the partition functions ratios of neighboring replicas, thus providing an excellent initial guess for the MBAR iterative procedure.