bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cohort study of the depression, anxiety, and anhedonia components of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale after delivery
Authors: Zanardo Vincenzo , Giliberti Lara , Volpe Francesca , Parotto Matteo , de Luca Federico , Straface Gianluca
Published: March 2017

Objective

To investigate the applicability of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) for identifying depressive symptoms following vaginal or cesarean delivery.

Methods

The present observational study included consecutive Italian‐speaking women who underwent vaginal or cesarean deliveries of uncomplicated singleton pregnancies at term at Policlinico Abano Terme, Abano Terme, Italy, between February 1, 2014, and May 31, 2015, who completed the EPDS 2 days after delivery. EPDS scores and the depression, anxiety, and anhedonia subscale items were compared between delivery methods to identify factors predictive of high EPDS scores.

Results

There were 950 patients included in the analysis; 694 (73.1%) and 256 (26.9%) patients underwent vaginal and cesarean deliveries, respectively. Total EPDS scores were higher among patients who had cesarean deliveries compared with vaginal deliveries (6.95±4.80 vs 6.05±4.20; P=0.007); the depression (0.53±0.72 vs 0.37±0.65; P=0.007), anxiety (1.07±0.88 vs 1.16±0.93; P=0.021), and anhedonia (0.32±0.59 vs 0.19±0.48; P=0.009) subscale scores were all higher among patients who underwent cesarean deliveries.

Conclusion

Women who underwent cesarean deliveries demonstrated higher EPDS scores and could be at increased risk of developing early postpartum depressive symptomatology, particularly anhedonia, anxiety, and depression.
Charge transfer dissociation of phosphocholines: gas‐phase ion/ion reactions between helium cations and phospholipid cations
Authors: Li Pengfei , Jackson Glen P.
Published: March 2017

Phospholipid cations formed by electrospray ionization were subjected to excitation and fragmentation by a beam of 6 keV helium cations in a process termed charge transfer dissociation (CTD). The resulting fragmentation pattern in CTD is different from that of conventional collision‐induced dissociation, but analogous to that of metastable atom‐activated dissociation and electron‐induced dissociation. Like collision‐induced dissociation, CTD yields product ions indicative of acyl chain lengths and degrees of unsaturation in the fatty acyl moieties but also provides additional structural diagnostic information, such as double bond position. Although CTD has not been tested on a larger lipid sample pool, the extent of structural information obtained demonstrates that CTD is a useful tool for lipid structure characterization, and a potentially useful tool in future lipidomics workflows. CTD is relatively unique in that it can produce a relatively strong series of 2+ product ions with enhanced abundance at the double bond position. The generally low signal‐to‐noise ratios and spectral complexity of CTD make it less appealing than OzID or other radical‐induced methods for the lipids studies here, but improvements in CTD efficiency could make CTD more appealing in the future. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Short‐term recovery of humpback whales after percutaneous satellite tagging
Authors: Guzman Hector M. , Capella Juan J.
Published: March 2017

Long‐term re‐sightings of individuals used in satellite telemetry research are important for determining the effects of tagging on large whales. We evaluated the initial behavioral response, healing process, and short‐term reproductive behavior and success of 7 percutaneous‐tagged humpback whales (4 M, 3 F) monitored for 4–10 years in the feeding ground of the Magellan Strait, Chile. We took post‐tagging photographs incidentally every year during re‐sighting expeditions. We did not observe an initial reaction to tagging or sudden change in behavior or direction of movement. Two of the females had 3 and 2 calves before tagging, and one of them had 2 calves every 3 years after tagging. Post‐tagging annual site fidelity remained nearly 100%. We did not observe initial tag protrusion in any individual. Four whales (57%) showed no signs of initial tissue damage shortly after tagging; we observed tissue shedding in 2 individuals, and traces of blood on 1 whale. Complete wound healing apparently occurred in all individuals within the first 2 years after tagging, and 5 of them showed no scars 3–6 years later. Four individuals showed small to medium (<5 cm) tumor‐like lumps for several years after tagging, but some were undistinguishable from other natural lumps (e.g., barnacles) observed near the tag injury. Overall, tagging did not seem to affect reproductive success or the behavior of individuals during and immediately after tagging. The development of new technologies always can pose a risk to animal welfare, thus studies such as this one are important for carefully evaluating the effects of tagging on whales. © 2017 The Wildlife Society.
Goal‐oriented adaptivity for linear elastic micromorphic continua based on primal and adjoint consistency analysis
Authors: Ju X. , Mahnken R.
Published: March 2017

Microscopic considerations are drawing increasing attention for modern simulation techniques. Micromorphic continuum theories, considering micro degrees of freedom, are usually adopted for simulation of localization effects like shear bands. The increased number of degrees of freedom clearly motivates an application of adaptive methods. In this work, the adaptive FEM is tailored for micromorphic elasticity. The proposed adaptive procedure is driven by a goal‐oriented a posteriori error estimator based on duality techniques. For efficient computation of the dual solution, a patch‐based recovery technique is proposed and compared to a reference approach. In order to theoretically ensure optimal convergence order of the proposed adaptive procedure, adjoint consistency of the FE‐discretized solution for the linear elastic micromorphic continua is shown. For illustration, numerical examples are provided. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effectiveness of Sleep‐Based Interventions for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Meta‐Synthesis
Authors: Cuomo Belinda M. , Vaz Sharmila , Lee Elinda Ai Lim , Thompson Craig , Rogerson Jessica M. , Falkmer Torbjorn
Published: March 2017

Sleep problems are common in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This meta‐synthesis collated eight previously published systematic reviews examining the efficacy of sleep interventions in children withASDin an attempt to present a clear analysis of trialed interventions. The collated reviews consider five major groups of sleep interventions for children withASD: melatonin therapy, pharmacologic treatments other than melatonin, behavioral interventions, parent education/education programs, and alternative therapies (massage therapy, aromatherapy, and multivitamin and iron supplementation). These eight reviews were based on 38 original studies and address the efficacy of interventions across 17 sleep problem domains. The results of this meta‐synthesis suggest that no single intervention is effective across all sleep problems in children withASD. However, melatonin, behavioral interventions, and parent education/education program interventions appear the most effective at ameliorating multiple domains of sleep problems compared with other interventions. Due to the heterogeneous causative factors and presentations of disordered sleep, further research into the effectiveness of sleep interventions may target specific phenotypic subgroups rather than a broad analysis across the generalASDpopulation. Similarly, future research needs to consider the efficacy of different polytherapeutic approaches in order to provide clinicians with evidence to inform best practice. In the meantime, this review supports clinicians' decision making for a majority of the identified sleep problems in theASDpopulation.
Temporally robust models for predicting seed yield of moist‐soil plants
Authors: Osborn Joshua M. , Hagy Heath M. , McClanahan Matthew D. , Gray Matthew J.
Published: March 2017

Rapid assessment of food production and subsequent availability is fundamental to evaluating wetland management practices and general habitat quality for waterfowl. Traditional methods of estimating food biomass (e.g., plot and core sampling) require considerable time, expertise, and cost. Rapid assessment models using plant measurements or scanned seed‐head area have recently been adapted to predict seed production in moist‐soil wetlands. We evaluated existing models of seed production and estimated benthic seed density with data collected during autumn 2011 in western Tennessee, USA, to improve prediction capability of seed availability for waterfowl. Generally, all models explained significant variation (r2 = 0.85–0.98) and accurately predicted seed production in moist‐soil plants (r2 = 0.84–0.97). Belowground proportions of seed biomass and duck energy days differed across species relative to previously reported biomass estimates in moist‐soil wetlands ( = 0.4–9.1%); thus, production estimates from models should be adjusted on a species‐specific basis and the effect of belowground seeds on overall energetic carrying capacity estimates will vary with species composition of wetlands. We recommend use of updated most‐soil rapid‐assessment models incorporating seed bank estimates to predict waterfowl food availability and evaluate management practices. © 2017 The Wildlife Society.
Agent‐based modeling may help to merge research traditions in foraging ecology in Europe and North America
Authors: Guillemain Matthieu , Elmberg Johan , Pernollet Claire A. , Arzel Celine , Eadie John M.
Published: March 2017

Although ducks have long been popular research subjects in both North America and Europe, geographical divergences in research orientation have developed during the past several decades for studying foraging ecology. In North America, foraging studies largely focused on the population level with an emphasis on foraging energetics aimed at improving waterfowl production through increased carrying capacity of wetlands in breeding areas, an approach later expanded to nonbreeding grounds. In Europe, studies have instead focused on inter‐individual differences in behavior of foraging ducks, with an emphasis on individual efficiency (e.g., methods, intake rate, patch choice) within the framework of optimal foraging theory. We suggest that agent‐based models (also termed individual‐based behavior models), which aim to predict habitat use from the heterogeneous behavior of different individual agents, can help to unify these approaches and would benefit considerably from increased collaboration and integration of the approaches of both North American and European researchers. © 2017 The Wildlife Society.
The role of domestic cats in the admission of injured wildlife at rehabilitation and rescue centers
Authors: Loyd Kerrie Anne T. , Hernandez Sonia M. , McRuer David L.
Published: March 2017

We reviewed data collected from 82 wildlife rehabilitation centers throughout North America (the WILD‐ONe database) during a 3.5‐year period to determine common causes of admission and disposition of animals. We found domestic pets to be responsible for 14% of admissions and the second most common identifiable cause of wildlife injury. Greater numbers of birds than reptiles, amphibians, or mammals were admitted for rehabilitation as a result of attacks by domestic cat (Felis catus) attack; 78% of these did not survive. The majority of immature individual animals of all species submitted because of cat attacks also died or had to be euthanized because of the severity of injuries. Eastern cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus), American robin (Turdus migratorius), and eastern gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) were the species most commonly affected by domestic cats, but roaming cats injured thousands of animals representing 290 different species. Species common in urban and suburban environments are most vulnerable to domestic cat attack. In contrast to other studies that quantify only the mortality of wildlife, we found that domestic cat predation leads to severe injuries and extensive recovery for wildlife. We hope the baseline information offered by our analysis of the WILD‐ONe database will inspire discussion by urban–suburban communities and ultimately, result in management actions to reduce wild animal injuries and losses due to domestic pets. © 2017 The Wildlife Society.
Estimation of deer damage to soybean production in eastern Mississippi: Perception versus reality
Authors: Hinton G. Caleb , Strickland Bronson K. , Demarais Stephen , Eubank Thomas W. , Jones Phillip D.
Published: March 2017

Soybean (Glycine max) is one of Mississippi's most profitable agricultural crops. White‐tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) consume soybeans each year because of the palatability and nutritional content of the plant and may cause economic damage to soybean producers. We estimated the amount of damage (browsing and loss of yield) caused by deer within 5 soybean fields in eastern Mississippi, USA, and compared damage with the number of deer using each field during the 2012 and 2013 growing seasons. Although deer browsing did reduce soybean height, soybean yield was unaffected during both years of our study. Our results suggest that perception of deer damage likely exceeds actual yield loss. Other environmental factors, such as competition from field border vegetation and field margin effects, may better explain spatial variation in soybean yield throughout fields. Soybean growers in the southeastern United States may benefit from targeting investment in deer damage control more efficiently. © 2017 The Wildlife Society.
Gas Chromatographic Separation and Identification of Jacaric and Punicic 2‐Ethyl‐1‐Hexyl Esters
Authors: Pojjanapornpun Siriluck , Aryusuk Kornkanok , Jeyashoke Narumon , Lilitchan Supathra , Krisnangkura Kanit
Published: March 2017

The present study demonstrates the separation of a critical pair of conjugated linolenic acid (CLN) isomers—jacaric acid (JA; c8, t10, c12‐18:3) and punicic acid (PA; c9, t11, c13‐18:3)—on a 60‐m conventional Supelcowax 10 column. The alkyl esters of different alcohols (C1–C8) of JA and PA were prepared and analyzed isothermally at 220, 230 and 240 °C. The adequacy of their separation was determined from the separation factors (α) and peak resolutions (Rs). Acceptable resolution (Rs = 1.01) of JA and PA was obtained with their 2‐ethyl‐1‐hexyl ester derivatives at a column temperature of 230 °C. In addition, the Gibbs energy of transfer from solution to gas of the three double bonds ) could be used to describe the interactions of the double bond with the stationary phase. Characterization of 2‐ethyl‐1‐hexyl esters of Jacaranda mimosifolia seed oil at 230 °C demonstrates that the oil contains JA and α‐ and β‐calendic acid as a CLN without the presence of PA. The results suggested that JA could be resolved from PA on a 60‐m Supelcowax 10 column as the ethyl hexyl ester.
Enzymatic Interesterification of Coconut and High Oleic Sunflower Oils for Edible Film Application
Authors: Moore Maria A. , Akoh Casimir C.
Published: March 2017

Blends [60:40, 70:30, and 80:20 (w/w)] of coconut oil (CO) and high oleic sunflower oil (HOSO) were interesterified using immobilized enzyme, Lipozyme® TL IM (Novozymes North America Inc., Franklinton, NC, USA). The structured lipids (SLs), referred to as interesterified products (IPs) IP60:40, IP70:30, and IP80:20, were compared to CO and HOSO for application in edible films. IPs were compared based on fatty acid profile, TAG molecular species, melting profile, moisture vapor permeability, mechanical properties, film transparency, density, and thickness. Interesterification increased oleic acid content at the sn‐2 position of IPs. CO had 5.50 ± 1.67 mol% oleic acid at the sn‐2 position, and when interesterified with HOSO (92.81 ± 1.10 mol% oleic acid) the amount of oleic acid significantly increased (p < 0.05) at the sn‐2 position for IP60:40, IP70:30, and IP80:20 (33.86 ± 1.55, 27.34 ± 1.20, 20.61 ± 1.50 mol%), respectively. There was no significant difference between SLs, HOSO, and CO for water vapor permeability and density when applied to emulsion edible films. The HOSO film was significantly different (1.43 ± 0.27 AUmm−1) from the rest of the SLs and CO for film transparency. IP60:40 (2.20 ± 0.22 AUmm−1) decreased the opacity and was significantly different from HOSO and IP80:20 (2.88 ± 0.08 AUmm−1). Tensile strength of IP60:40 was 0.39 ± 0.17 MPa which was significantly different from IP70:30, IP80:20, and HOSO. The elongation at break was significantly different for HOSO and IP60:40. IP60:40 could be used to further investigate the use of SL in edible film for sports nutrition products.
Phage engineering: how advances in molecular biology and synthetic biology are being utilized to enhance the therapeutic potential of bacteriophages
Authors: Brown Russell , Lengeling Andreas , Wang Baojun
Published: March 2017

Background

The therapeutic potential of bacteriophages has been debated since their first isolation and characterisation in the early 20th century. However, a lack of consistency in application and observed efficacy during their early use meant that upon the discovery of antibiotic compounds research in the field of phage therapy quickly slowed. The rise of antibiotic resistance in bacteria and improvements in our abilities to modify and manipulate DNA, especially in the context of small viral genomes, has led to a recent resurgence of interest in utilising phage as antimicrobial therapeutics.

Results

In this article a number of results from the literature that have aimed to address key issues regarding the utility and efficacy of phage as antimicrobial therapeutics utilising molecular biology and synthetic biology approaches will be introduced and discussed, giving a general view of the recent progress in the field.

Conclusions

Advances in molecular biology and synthetic biology have enabled rapid progress in the field of phage engineering, with this article highlighting a number of promising strategies developed to optimise phages for the treatment of bacterial disease. Whilst many of the same issues that have historically limited the use of phages as therapeutics still exist, these modifications, or combinations thereof, may form a basis upon which future advances can be built. A focus on rigorous in vivo testing and investment in clinical trials for promising candidate phages may be required for the field to truly mature, but there is renewed hope that the potential benefits of phage therapy may finally be realised.
Arctic Permafrost Thaw Would Amplify Climate Change
Authors: Witman Sarah
Published: March 2017

An international team probed Arctic permafrost samples to better understand the carbon feedback loop that could be set off by future thawing.
A Two-Way Relationship Between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans
Authors: Bane Brendan
Published: March 2017

Researchers have uncovered a new connection between sea surface temperatures in the Atlantic and tropical cyclones in the eastern Pacific that could improve accuracies of future cyclone forecasts.
Kilimanjaro's Iconic Snows Mapped in Three Dimensions
Authors: Kornei Katherine
Published: March 2017

New ground-penetrating radar measurements reveal the thickness and total ice volume of the mountain's Northern Ice Field.
Getting Down to Business: Committee Seats Set in 115th Congress
Authors: Crisp Timia
Published: March 2017

Appointments of a new chairman and two new ranking members may affect how key panels handle federal funding and oversight of the Earth and space sciences in the next 2 years.
Antibiotic treatment at delivery shapes the initial oral microbiome in neonates
Authors: Gomez-Arango Luisa F. , Barrett Helen L. , McIntyre H. David. , Callaway Leonie K. , Morrison Mark , Dekker Nitert Marloes
Published: March 2017

Oral microorganisms are important determinants of health and disease. The source of the initial neonatal microbiome and the factors dictating initial human oral microbiota development are unknown. This study aimed to investigate this in placental, oral and gut microbiome profiles from 36 overweight or obese mother-baby dyads as determined by 16S rRNA sequencing. Expression of five antibiotic resistance genes of the β-lactamase class was analysed in the infant oral microbiota samples by QPCR. The neonatal oral microbiota was 65.35% of maternal oral, 3.09% of placental, 31.56% of unknown and 0% of maternal gut origin. Two distinct neonatal oral microbiota profiles were observed: one strongly resembling the maternal oral microbiota and one with less similarity. Maternal exposure to intrapartum antibiotics explained the segregation of the profiles. Families belonging to Proteobacteria were abundant after antibiotics exposure while the familiesStreptococcaceae, GemellaceaeandLactobacillalesdominated in unexposed neonates. 26% of exposed neonates expressed theVim-1antibiotic resistance gene. These findings indicate that maternal intrapartum antibiotic treatment is a key regulator of the initial neonatal oral microbiome.
Genetic ablation of GINIP-expressing primary sensory neurons strongly impairs Formalin-evoked pain
Authors: Urien Louise , Gaillard Stéphane , Lo Re Laure , Malapert Pascale , Bohic Manon , Reynders Ana , Moqrich Aziz
Published: March 2017

Primary sensory neurons are heterogeneous by myriad of molecular criteria. However, the functional significance of this remarkable heterogeneity is just emerging. We precedently described the GINIP+ neurons as a new subpopulation of non peptidergic C-fibers encompassing the free nerve ending cutaneous MRGPRD+ neurons and C-LTMRs. Using our recently generated ginip mouse model, we have been able to selectively ablate the GINIP+ neurons and assess their functional role in the somatosensation. We found that ablation of GINIP+ neurons affected neither the molecular contents nor the central projections of the spared neurons. GINIP-DTR mice exhibited impaired sensation to gentle mechanical stimuli applied to their hairy skin and had normal responses to noxious mechanical stimuli applied to their glabrous skin, under acute and injury-induced conditions. Importantly, loss of GINIP+ neurons significantly altered formalin-evoked first pain and drastically suppressed the second pain response. Given that MRGPRD+ neurons have been shown to be dispensable for formalin-evoked pain, our study suggest that C-LTMRs play a critical role in the modulation of formalin-evoked pain.
Serum midkine as a surrogate biomarker for metastatic prediction in differentiated thyroid cancer patients with positive thyroglobulin antibody
Authors: Jia Qiang , Meng Zhaowei , Xu Ke , He Xianghui , Tan Jian , Zhang Guizhi , Li Xue , Liu Na , Hu Tianpeng , Zhou Pingping , Wang Sen , Upadhyaya Arun , Liu Xiaoxia , Wang Huiying , Zhang Chunmei
Published: March 2017

Serum thyroglobulin (Tg) is the main post-operative tumor biomarker for patients with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC). However, the presence of thyroglobulin antibodies (TgAb) can interfere with Tg level and invalidate the test. In this study, we aimed to investigate the predicative value of midkine (MK) as a cancer biomarker for DTC patients with positive TgAb before the first 131I therapy. MK levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 151 recruited DTC patients after exercising strict inclusion and exclusion criteria. There were 28 TgAb positive DTC patients with metastases and 123 DTC patients without metastases. The value of pre-131I-ablative MK to predict metastasis was assessed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves in these two groups of patients. MK levels in the TgAb positive DTC patients were significantly higher than the DTC patients without metastases. ROC showed good predictability of MK, with an area under the curve of 0.856 (P < 0.001), and a diagnostic accuracy of 83% at the optimal cut-off value of 550 pg/ml. In conclusion, we show that MK can potentially be used as a surrogate biomarker for predicting DTC metastases when Tg is not suitable due to TgAb positivity.
Association of High Risk Human Papillomavirus and Breast cancer: A UK based Study
Authors: Salman Nadia Aziz , Davies Giles , Majidy Farida , Shakir Fatima , Akinrinade Hilda , Perumal Dhayaneethie , Ashrafi G. Hossein
Published: March 2017

Infection by human papillomaviruses (HPVs) has been implicated in the aetiology of a variety of cancers. Studies evaluating the presence of HPVs in breast cancer (BC) have generated considerable controversy. To date, most studies have focused on the presence of viral DNA in BC; however there are important gaps in evidencing the role of HPV persistence in the invasiveness of BC. While these studies have been conducted in several countries, none, on the presence and biological activity of high risk (HR) HPV in BC has been done in the UK. Hence, we aimed to investigate these gaps by screening a total of 110 fresh breast tissue specimens from UK patients for the presence of twelve HR-HPV types DNA using PCR and Sanger sequencing. Samples positive for HPV-DNA were screened for viral oncoprotein expression using western blot and dot blot. Data obtained showed the presence of HR-HPVs in 42% of breast tissues of which the viral activity was only confirmed in a number of invasive carcinomas (5/26). This finding, the first to report in the UK, suggests that the selective expression of viral oncoprotein in invasive cases may propose a role for HR-HPVs in the development of some types of BC.
Inflammation-induced miRNA-155 inhibits self-renewal of neural stem cells via suppression of CCAAT/enhancer binding protein β (C/EBPβ) expression
Authors: Obora Kayoko , Onodera Yuta , Takehara Toshiyuki , Frampton John , Hasei Joe , Ozaki Toshifumi , Teramura Takeshi , Fukuda Kanji
Published: March 2017

Intracerebral inflammation resulting from injury or disease is implicated in disruption of neural regeneration and may lead to irreversible neuronal dysfunction. Analysis of inflammation-related microRNA profiles in various tissues, including the brain, has identified miR-155 among the most prominent miRNAs linked to inflammation. Here, we hypothesize that miR-155 mediates inflammation-induced suppression of neural stem cell (NSC) self-renewal. Using primary mouse NSCs and human NSCs derived from induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, we demonstrate that three important genes involved in NSC self-renewal (Msi1, Hes1 and Bmi1) are suppressed by miR-155. We also demonstrate that suppression of self-renewal genes is mediated by the common transcription factor C/EBPβ, which is a direct target of miR-155. Our study describes an axis linking inflammation and miR-155 to expression of genes related to NSC self-renewal, suggesting that regulation of miR-155 may hold potential as a novel therapeutic strategy for treating neuroinflammatory diseases.
A highly stable and scalable photosynthetic reaction center–graphene hybrid electrode system for biomimetic solar energy transduction
Authors: Zhang Haojie , Carey Anne-Marie , Jeon Ki-Wan , Liu Minghui , Murrell Travis D. , Locsin Joshua , Lin Su , Yan Hao , Woodbury Neal , Seo Dong-Kyun
Published: March 2017

A highly stable and scalable photosynthetic reaction center–mercapto reduced graphene oxide system has been developed for solar energy transduction.
Au-nanoparticles-decorated Sb2S3 nanowire-based flexible ultraviolet/visible photodetectors
Authors: Zhang Kai , Luo Tao , Chen Haoran , Lou Zheng , Shen Guozhen
Published: March 2017

Flexible ultraviolet/visible photodetectors were fabricated with Au-nanoparticles-decorated Sb2S3 nanowires, exhibiting high responsivity, specific detectivity and good stability.
Staphylococcus aureus SdrE captures complement factor H's C-terminus via a novel ‘close, dock, lock and latch' mechanism for complement evasion
Authors: Zhang Yingjie , Wu Minhao , Hang Tianrong , Wang Chengliang , Yang Ye , Pan Weimin , Zang Jianye , Zhang Min , Zhang Xuan
Published: March 2017

Complement factor H (CFH) is a soluble complement regulatory protein essential for the down-regulation of the alternative pathway on interaction with specific markers on the host cell surface. It recognizes the complement component 3b (C3b) and 3d (C3d) fragments in addition to self cell markers (i.e. glycosaminoglycans, sialic acid) to distinguish host cells that deserve protection from pathogens that should be eliminated. The Staphylococcus aureus surface protein serine–aspartate repeat protein E (SdrE) was previously reported to bind human CFH as an immune-evasion tactic. However, the molecular mechanism underlying SdrE–CFH-mediated immune evasion remains unknown. In the present study, we identified a novel region at CFH's C-terminus (CFH1206–1226), which binds SdrE N2 and N3 domains (SdrEN2N3) with high affinity, and determined the crystal structures of apo-SdrEN2N3 and the SdrEN2N3–CFH1206–1226 complex. Comparison of the structure of the CFH–SdrE complex with other CFH structures reveals that CFH's C-terminal tail flips from the main body to insert into the ligand-binding groove of SdrE. In addition, SdrEN2N3 adopts a ‘close’ state in the absence of CFH, which undergoes a large conformational change on CFH binding, suggesting a novel ‘close, dock, lock and latch' (CDLL) mechanism for SdrE to recognize its ligand. Our findings imply that SdrE functions as a ‘clamp' to capture CFH's C-terminal tail via a unique CDLL mechanism and sequesters CFH on the surface of S. aureus for complement evasion.
CAF-derived HGF promotes cell proliferation and drug resistance by up-regulating the c-Met/PI3K/Akt and GRP78 signalling in ovarian cancer cells
Authors: Deying Wei , Feng Geng , Shumei Liang , Hui Zhao , Ming Liu , Hongqing Wang
Published: March 2017

The tumour microenvironment is a highly heterogeneous entity that plays crucial roles in cancer progression. As the most prominent stromal cell types, cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) produce a variety of factors into the tumour microenvironment. In the present study, we firstly isolated CAFs from tumour tissues of the patients with ovarian cancer and demonstrated that the hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) was highly expressed in the supernatants of CAFs. CAF-derived HGF or human recombinant HGF promoted cell proliferation in human ovarian cell lines SKOV3 and HO-8910 cells. Western blotting analysis also showed that CAF-derived HGF or recombinant HGF activated c-Met/phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt and glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78) signalling pathways in ovarian cancer cells, and these effects could be abrogated by anti-HGF and c-Met inhibitor INCB28060. Moreover, HGF in CAF matrix attenuated paclitaxel (PAC)-caused inhibition of cell proliferation and increase in cell apoptosis through activating c-Met/PI3K/Akt and GRP78 pathways in SKOV3 and HO-8910 cells. The results in vitro were further validated in nude mice. These findings suggest that CAF-derived HGF plays crucial roles in cell proliferation and drug resistance in ovarian cancer cells.
Three ports microstrip patch antenna with dual linear and linear co‐polarisation characteristics
Authors: Nawaz H. , Tekin I.
Published: March 2017

In this Letter, three ports proximity coupled microstrip patch antenna with linear co‐polarisation and linear dual polarisation characteristics has been presented for in‐band full duplex and active antenna applications. Depending upon the excitation ports, antenna can perform transmit and receive operation either with dual linear polarisation or linear co‐polarisation at same carrier frequency with dc isolated ports in both cases. It provides >10 dB interport isolation with linear co‐polarisation when compared with around 2.5 dB port‐to‐port isolation of simple linear co‐polarised antenna with two anti‐parallel feeds. With dual polarisation, interport isolation is >43 dB at centre frequency when compared with 36 dB port isolation provided by dual polarised antenna with two orthogonal feeds. Proposed antenna has been implemented on FR4 substrate to compare its simulated and measured input matching and port‐to‐port isolation performances.
Fast‐transient high‐performance 0.18 μm CMOS LDO for battery‐powered systems
Authors: Pérez‐Bailón J. , Márquez A. , Calvo B. , Medrano N. , Martínez P.A.
Published: March 2017

A low‐power 0.18 µm CMOS capacitor‐less low‐dropout voltage regulator for battery‐operated portable devices is presented. A high‐gain telescopic cascode‐compensated amplifier is used to attain a stable topology with good static performances, while a very simple dynamic biasing circuit significantly enhances transient performances with no quiescent current penalty. Post‐layout results show a 1.8 V output voltage from a 3.6 to 1.9 V battery input voltage, delivering a 50 mA load current over a 100 pF load. The quiescent current is only 7 µA, the line and load regulations are, respectively, 0.039 mV/V and 0.17 mV/mA, and settling times are lower than 3.9 µs at full load transient.
Performance of 1‐D and 2‐D OCDMA systems in presence of atmospheric turbulence and various weather conditions
Authors: Yadav Ajay , Kar Subrat , Jain Virander Kumar
Published: March 2017

In this study, the authors compare the performance of one‐dimensional (1D) and two‐dimensional (2D) optical code division multiple access (OCDMA) systems in presence of turbulence and various weather conditions. Lognormal fading model is used for analysis of weak turbulence and gamma–gamma model for moderate and strong turbulence. It is observed that presence of moderate and strong turbulence may lead to a complete link failure in 2D OCDMA system depending upon the number of users and turbulence level. The various weather conditions considered are very clear air, light fog and thick fog. The results show that the performance degradation due to thick fog is more than the light fog and very clear air in all turbulence regimes.
Relaxed stability conditions for polynomial‐fuzzy‐model‐based control system with membership function information
Authors: Zhao Yanbin , Lam Hak Keung , Song Ge , Yin Xunhe
Published: March 2017

This study presents a new approach for stability analysis of polynomial‐fuzzy‐model‐based (PFMB) control system using membership function information. For the purpose of extracting the regional information of the membership functions, the operating domain is partitioned into several sub‐domains. In each sub‐domain, the boundaries of every single membership function overlap term and the numerical relation among all the membership function overlap terms are represented as a group of inequalities. Through the S‐procedure, the regional membership function information is taken into account in the stability analysis to relax the stability conditions. The operating domain partition scheme naturally arises the motivation of constructing the PFMB control system with the sub‐domain fuzzy controllers. Each polynomial fuzzy controller works in its corresponding sub‐domain such that the compensation capability of controller is enhanced. The sum‐of‐squares (SOS) approach is proposed to obtain the stability conditions of the PFMB control system using the Lyapunov stability theory. The PFMB control system studied in this study has the feature that the number of fuzzy rules and the membership function shapes of the polynomial fuzzy controller can be designed independently from the polynomial fuzzy model. To verify the stability analysis result, a numerical example is given to demonstrate the validity of the proposed method.
Saliency detection using adaptive background template
Authors: Huafeng Lin , Jing Li , Peiyun Zhou , Dachuan Liang , Dongmin Li
Published: March 2017

Since most existing saliency detection models are not suitable for the condition that the salient objects are near at the image border, the authors propose a saliency detection approach based on adaptive background template (SCB) despite of the position of the salient objects. First, a selection strategy is presented to establish the adaptive background template by removing the potential saliency superpixels from the image border regions, and the initial saliency map is obtained. Second, a propagation mechanism based on K‐means algorithm is designed for maintaining the neighbourhood coherence of the above saliency map. Finally, a new spatial prior is presented to integrate the saliency detection results by aggregating two complementary measures such as image centre preference and the background template exclusion. Comprehensive evaluations on six benchmark datasets indicate that the authors’ method outperforms other state‐of‐the‐art approaches. In addition, a new dataset containing 300 challenging images is constructed for evaluating the performance of various salient object detection methods.
Data‐driven image captioning via salient region discovery
Authors: Kilickaya Mert , Akkus Burak Kerim , Cakici Ruket , Erdem Aykut , Erdem Erkut , Ikizler‐Cinbis Nazli
Published: March 2017

In the past few years, automatically generating descriptions for images has attracted a lot of attention in computer vision and natural language processing research. Among the existing approaches, data‐driven methods have been proven to be highly effective. These methods compare the given image against a large set of training images to determine a set of relevant images, then generate a description using the associated captions. In this study, the authors propose to integrate an object‐based semantic image representation into a deep features‐based retrieval framework to select the relevant images. Moreover, they present a novel phrase selection paradigm and a sentence generation model which depends on a joint analysis of salient regions in the input and retrieved images within a clustering framework. The authors demonstrate the effectiveness of their proposed approach on Flickr8K and Flickr30K benchmark datasets and show that their model gives highly competitive results compared with the state‐of‐the‐art models.
Intelligent localisation of multiple non‐linear loads considering impact of harmonic state estimation accuracy
Authors: Moradifar Amir , Akbari Foroud Asghar , Gorgani Firouzjah Khalil
Published: March 2017

The localisation and harmonic level determination of non‐linear loads (NLLs) are the first steps in solving harmonic problems in power system. To cope with this challenge, this study presents an intelligent approach based on fuzzy logic. The location and relative level of harmonic sources are determined in the fuzzy stage by interpreting the magnitude and sign of harmonic powers and network reactances. The accuracy of harmonic state estimation (HSE) is considered, besides the number of harmonic meters (HMs) and observability redundancy, in the optimal allocation of HMs. A modified adaptive binary imperialist competitive algorithm for the optimal allocation of HMs is presented. Also, the HSE accuracy is investigated on the accuracy of intelligent localisation of multiple NLLs in the presence of measurement errors. The efficiency of the proposed approach is verified on IEEE 18‐bus and IEEE 69‐bus test systems under different scenarios.
Efficiency of some optimisation approaches with the charge simulation method for calculating the electric field under extra high voltage power lines
Authors: Rabah Djekidel , Abdelghani Choucha , Abdelchafik Hadjaj
Published: March 2017

In this study, the problem of optimal parameters in charge simulation method (CSM) is solved using the genetic algorithm (GA), particle swarm optimisation and differential evolution. The comparative study shows that the GA is more effective. A model based on a hybrid approach that combines CSM and the GA is proposed to calculate the electric field created by an overhead extra high voltage power line. The resulting field levels were compared with exposure values set by the ICNIRP and IRPA standards. The results show that these levels are less than the limit recommended by these standards. The simulation results of electric field intensity values are compared with those obtained from polarisation ellipse method. A good agreement has been reached.
Non‐linear fuzzy predictive control of hydroelectric system
Authors: Zhang Runfan , Chen Diyi , Yao Wei , Ba Duoduo , Ma Xiaoyi
Published: March 2017

This study brings out a brand new non‐linear predictive control method, a fuzzy generalised predictive control, for hydroelectric plant systems. Takagi–Sugeno (T–S) fuzzy method and generalised predictive control are implemented in the non‐linear control method. The basic concept of the method is generalised predictive control, which is a linear system based method. However, the authors novelty adopt fuzzy model, especially the T–S model, as the prediction model to broaden the applications of the predictive control to non‐linear range. Therefore, the proposed method inherits the advantages of generalised predictive control, but it can also effectively control a complex non‐linear system. Its effectiveness and efficiency are verified by Lyapunov stability theory. Applying the control method on the non‐linear hydroelectric system, the different experiments show that this control method succeeds in maintaining the hydroelectric system stable. Those experimental results accord with theoretic analysis. Thus, the proposed control method enjoys the capacity to govern a non‐linear system. A comparison experiment between the proposed method and PID method illustrates the advantages of the authors’ method, which are its smooth treatment, less overshoot and fast to be stable of response. In addition, discussions about the tuning control parameters facilitate the usages of the proposed method.
Interfacing an EMT‐type modular multilevel converter HVDC model in transient stability simulation
Authors: Meng Xuekun , Wang Liwei
Published: March 2017

This study proposes a hybrid electromechanical and electro‐magnetic transient (EMT) simulation algorithm, which interfaces the EMT‐type modular multilevel converter (MMC) high‐voltage direction current (HVDC) model into transient stability simulation. The proposed hybrid simulation algorithm offers high fidelity simulation results for the fast transient phenomenon of the MMC HVDC using the EMT program (EMTP). At the same time, the hybrid simulation algorithm utilises the transient stability program (TSP) to represent a large external AC network connected to the MMC HVDC. Thus, the proposed hybrid simulator combines the advantages of the TSP and EMTP simulations and offers accurate and efficient solutions for the integrated AC and HVDC systems. A case study of MMC HVDC system connected to 10‐generator 39‐bus New England AC System is simulated using hybrid and full‐EMTP simulations in PSCAD/EMTDC. The simulation results demonstrate the proposed hybrid simulator produces accurate simulation results compared to the full‐EMTP solutions.
Distance protection of multiple‐circuit shared tower transmission lines with different voltages – Part I: fault current magnitude
Authors: Faria da Silva Filipe , Bak Claus L.
Published: March 2017

Multiple‐circuit transmission lines combining different voltage levels in one tower present extra challenges when setting a protection philosophy, as faults between voltage levels are possible. This study presents a detailed theoretical analysis of such combined faults, including the development of a formula for estimating the magnitude of the short‐circuit current. It is demonstrated that if the faulted phase from the higher voltage level leads the faulted phase from the lower voltage level, a distance relay at the higher voltage level sees the fault in the forward direction, whereas a distance relay at the lower voltage level sees the fault in the reverse direction. The opposite happens if the lower voltage level leads the higher voltage level. It is also demonstrated that the magnitude of fault currents of combined faults is normally slightly larger than of equivalent single‐phase‐to‐ground fault at the higher voltage level. Part II will continue the research work and focus in the fault loop impedance RX diagrams.
Distance protection of multiple‐circuit shared tower transmission lines with different voltages – Part II: fault loop impedance
Authors: Faria da Silva Filipe , Bak Claus L.
Published: March 2017

Multiple‐circuit transmission lines combining different voltage levels in one tower present extra challenges when setting a protection philosophy, as faults between voltage levels are possible. In this study, the fault loop impedance of combined faults is compared with the fault loop impedance of single‐phase‐to‐ground faults and it is demonstrated that they are similar for high short‐circuit powers; however, the fault loop impedance of a combined fault may increase substantially as the short‐circuit power of the system decreases, a behaviour that is less noticeable for single‐phase‐to‐ground faults. It is also demonstrated that the fault loop impedance of combined faults is more resistive, when compared with equivalent single‐phase‐to‐ground faults. It is concluded that the settings used to protect a line against single‐phase‐to‐ground faults are capable of protecting the line against combined faults, being advised to increase the resistive limit of the protection zone, if the network has lower short‐circuit power. It is recommended to assure that the fault can only happen for cases where the faulted phase from the higher voltage level leads the faulted phase from the lower voltage level, if the length of the line at lower voltage level is smaller than of the line at higher voltage level.
IR small target detection based on human visual attention using pulsed discrete cosine transform
Authors: Nasiri Mahdi , Mosavi Mohammad Reza , Mirzakuchaki Sattar
Published: March 2017

Detection of small targets in an infrared (IR) image with high reliability is very important for defence systems. Small targets in an IR image are defined as salient features which attract the attention of human visual system. In this study, a robust method for detection of small targets in an IR image is proposed based on HV attention. In this method, first, the Gaussian‐like feature maps are extracted from the original image. Then, saliency maps (SMs) are created based on pulsed discrete cosine transform, in which the target is salient and background clutter is suppressed. Finally, to increase the contrast between target and background clutter and to raise robustness of this method against false alarms, SMs are fused adaptively. Experiments are carried out on the data set including real‐life IR images with small targets as well as various and complicated backgrounds. Qualitative and quantitative assessments show that the proposed method can detect small targets in IR image with high reliability and is more effective compared with other methods based on HV attention. Therefore, it can be used in many applications for detection of small targets in IR image with minimum false alarms.
Optimised blind image watermarking method based on firefly algorithm in DWT‐QR transform domain
Authors: Guo Yong , Li Bing‐Zhao , Goel Navdeep
Published: March 2017

Firefly algorithm (FA) is one of the newly developed nature inspired optimisation algorithm, inspired by the flashing behaviour of fireflies that a firefly tends to be attracted towards other fireflies with higher brightness. Thus FA has two advantages: local attractions and automatic regrouping. Based on these good properties, a novel image watermarking method based on FA in discrete wavelet transform (DWT)‐QR transform domain is proposed in this study. Structural similarity index measure and bit error rate are used in the objective function to trade‐off invisibility and robustness. The experiment results show that the proposed image watermarking method not only meet the need of invisibility, but also has better or comparable robustness as compared with some related methods.