bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Does molecular monitoring matter in early-stage breast cancer?
Authors: Sundaresan Tilak K. , Haber Daniel A.
Published: August 2015

Serial monitoring of circulating tumor DNA predicts recurrence after surgery for localized breast cancer (Garcia-Murillas
et al
., this issue).
Passenger mutations: Backseat drivers in failed translation
Authors: Wang Taia T.
Published: August 2015

Nearly all 129-derived mouse strains carry passenger mutations with potential phenotypic consequences
.
Role of Urine Neutrophil Gelatinase-Associated Lipocalin in the Early Diagnosis of Amphotericin B-Induced Acute Kidney Injury
Authors: Rocha Paulo Novis , Macedo Michael Nascimento , Kobayashi Carla Dinamérica , Moreno Lis , Guimarães Luiz Henrique Santos , Machado Paulo Roberto Lima , Badaró Roberto , Carvalho Edgar M. , Glesby Marshall Jay
Published: August 2015

Determination of the neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) level can be used to detect acute kidney injury (AKI) earlier than determination of the serum creatinine (SCr) level in settings such as cardiac surgery, contrast nephropathy, and intensive care units. We hypothesized that urine NGAL (UrNGAL) would be an early biomarker of drug nephrotoxicity. To test this, we studied hemodynamically stable patients treated with amphotericin B (AmB). We measured the SCr and UrNGAL levels at the baseline and daily after initiation of AmB up to day 14 or development of AKI by the use of the SCr criterion. AKI was defined according to a Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) criterion (an increase in the SCr level by ≥0.3 mg/dl within 48 h or an SCr level ≥1.5 times the baseline level within 7 days). We studied 24 patients with a mean age of 48.4 ± 16.4 years. Most patients were male, and the patients received AmB (12 received AmB deoxycholate and 12 received liposomal AmB) for the treatment of leishmaniasis (91.7%). Overall, 17/24 patients fulfilled a KDIGO criterion for AKI. Peak UrNGAL levels were higher in patients with AKI than in patients without AKI and in recipients of AmB deoxycholate than in recipients of liposomal AmB. The diagnostic performance of the UrNGAL level on day 5 for the detection of AKI was moderate, with the area under the curve (AUC) being 0.68 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.41 to 0.95). In the subgroup receiving AmB deoxycholate, however, the AUC rose to 0.89 (95% CI, 0.67 to 1.00). In a patient-level analysis, we found that AKI could be detected 3.2 days earlier by the use of the UrNGAL criterion than by the use of the SCr criterion (times to AKI by the UrNGAL and SCr criteria, 3.7 ± 2.5 versus 6.9 ± 3.3 days, respectively;
P
= 0.001). Future studies should evaluate if a treatment strategy oriented toward evaluation of UrNGAL levels will improve outcomes. These findings for AmB-induced AKI in leishmaniasis patients could serve as a basis for the investigation of urine biomarkers in the early detection of drug nephrotoxicity in other clinical settings.
Discovery of a Novel Hepatovirus (
Phopivirus
of Seals) Related to Human Hepatitis A Virus
Authors: Anthony S. J. , St. Leger J. A. , Liang E. , Hicks A. L. , Sanchez-Leon M. D. , Jain K. , Lefkowitch J. H. , Navarrete-Macias I. , Knowles N. , Goldstein T. , Pugliares K. , Ip H. S. , Rowles T. , Lipkin W. I.
Published: August 2015

Describing the viral diversity of wildlife can provide interesting and useful insights into the natural history of established human pathogens. In this study, we describe a previously unknown picornavirus in harbor seals (tentatively named phopivirus) that is related to human hepatitis A virus (HAV). We show that phopivirus shares several genetic and phenotypic characteristics with HAV, including phylogenetic relatedness across the genome, a specific and seemingly quiescent tropism for hepatocytes, structural conservation in a key functional region of the type III internal ribosomal entry site (IRES), and a codon usage bias consistent with that of HAV.

IMPORTANCE
Hepatitis A virus (HAV) is an important viral hepatitis in humans because of the substantial number of cases each year in regions with low socioeconomic status. The origin of HAV is unknown, and no nonprimate HAV-like viruses have been described. Here, we describe the discovery of an HAV-like virus in seals. This finding suggests that the diversity and evolutionary history of these viruses might be far greater than previously thought and may provide insight into the origin and pathogenicity of HAV.
Development of a universal approach to increase physical activity among adolescents: the GoActive intervention
Authors: Corder Kirsten , Schiff Annie , Kesten Joanna M , van Sluijs Esther M F
Published: August 2015

Objectives

To develop a physical activity (PA) promotion intervention for adolescents using a process addressing gaps in the literature while considering participant engagement. We describe the initial development stages; (1) existing evidence, (2) large scale opinion gathering and (3) developmental qualitative work, aiming (A) to gain insight into how to increase PA among the whole of year 9 (13–14 years-old) by identifying elements for intervention inclusion (B) to improve participant engagement and (C) to develop and refine programme design.

Methods

Relevant systematic reviews and longitudinal analyses of change were examined. An intervention was developed iteratively with older adolescents (17.3±0.5 years) and teachers, using the following process: (1) focus groups with (A) adolescents (n=26) and (B) teachers (n=4); (2) individual interviews (n=5) with inactive and shy adolescents focusing on engagement and programme acceptability. Qualitative data were analysed thematically.

Results

Limitations of the existing literature include lack of evidence on whole population approaches, limited adolescent involvement in intervention development, and poor participant engagement. Qualitative work suggested six themes which may encourage adolescents to do more PA; choice, novelty, mentorship, competition, rewards and flexibility. Teachers discussed time pressures as a barrier to encouraging adolescent PA and suggested between-class competition as a strategy. GoActive aims to increase PA through increased peer support, self-efficacy, group cohesion, self-esteem and friendship quality, and is implemented in tutor groups using a student-led tiered-leadership system.

Conclusions

We have followed an evidence-based iterative approach to translate existing evidence into an adolescent PA promotion intervention. Qualitative work with adolescents and teachers supported intervention design and addressed lack of engagement with health promotion programmes within this age group. Future work will examine the feasibility and effectiveness of GoActive to increase PA among adolescents while monitoring potential negative effects. The approach developed is applicable to other population groups and health behaviours.

Trial registration number

ISRCTN31583496.
Supervision of care networks for frail community dwelling adults aged 75 years and older: protocol of a mixed methods study
Authors: Verver Didi , Merten Hanneke , Robben Paul , Wagner Cordula
Published: August 2015

Introduction

The Dutch healthcare inspectorate (IGZ) supervises the quality and safety of healthcare in the Netherlands. Owing to the growing population of (community dwelling) older adults and changes in the Dutch healthcare system, the IGZ is exploring new methods to effectively supervise care networks that exist around frail older adults. The composition of these networks, where formal and informal care takes place, and the lack of guidelines and quality and risk indicators make supervision complicated in the current situation.

Methods and analysis

This study consists of four phases. The first phase identifies risks for community dwelling frail older adults in the existing literature. In the second phase, a qualitative pilot study will be conducted to assess the needs and wishes of the frail older adults concerning care and well-being, perception of risks, and the composition of their networks, collaboration and coordination between care providers involved in the network. In the third phase, questionnaires based on the results of phase II will be sent to a larger group of frail older adults (n=200) and their care providers. The results will describe the composition of their care networks and prioritise risks concerning community dwelling older adults. Also, it will provide input for the development of a new supervision framework by the IGZ. During phase IV, a second questionnaire will be sent to the participants of phase III to establish changes of perception in risks and possible changes in the care networks. The framework will be tested by the IGZ in pilots, and the researchers will evaluate these pilots and provide feedback to the IGZ.

Ethics and dissemination

The study protocol was approved by the Scientific Committee of the EMGO+institute and the Medical Ethical review committee of the VU University Medical Centre. Results will be presented in scientific articles and reports and at meetings.
Children Learning About Secondhand Smoke (CLASS II): protocol of a pilot cluster randomised controlled trial
Authors: Siddiqi Kamran , Huque Rumana , Jackson Cath , Parrott Steve , Dogar Omara , Shah Sarwat , Thomson Heather , Sheikh Aziz
Published: August 2015

Introduction

Exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) increases children’s risk of acquiring chest and ear infections, tuberculosis, meningitis and asthma. Smoking bans in public places (where implemented) have significantly reduced adults’ exposure to SHS. However, for children, homes remain the most likely place for them to be exposed to SHS. Additional measures are therefore required to protect children from SHS. In a feasibility study in Dhaka, Bangladesh, we have shown that a school-based smoke-free intervention (SFI) was successful in encouraging children to negotiate and implement smoking restrictions in homes. We will now conduct a pilot trial to inform plans to undertake a cluster randomised controlled trial (RCT) investigating the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of SFI in reducing children’s exposure to SHS.

Methods and analysis

We plan to recruit 12 primary schools in Dhaka, Bangladesh. From these schools, we will recruit approximately 360 schoolchildren in year 5 (10–12 years old), that is, 30 per school. SFI consists of six interactive educational activities aimed at increasing pupils’ knowledge about SHS and related harms, motivating them to act, providing skills to negotiate with adults to persuade them not to smoke inside homes and helping families to ‘sign-up’ to a voluntary contract to make their homes smoke-free. Children in the control arm will receive the usual education. We will estimate: recruitment and attrition rates, acceptability, fidelity to SFI, effect size, intracluster correlation coefficient, cost of intervention and adverse events. Our primary outcome will consist of SHS exposure in children measured by salivary cotinine. Secondary outcomes will include respiratory symptoms, lung function tests, healthcare contacts, school attendance, smoking uptake, quality of life and academic performance.

Ethics and dissemination

The trial has received ethics approval from the Research Governance Committee at the University of York. Findings will help us plan for the definitive trial.

Trial registration number

ISRCTN68690577.
Climate impacts on radial growth and vegetation activity of two co-existing Mediterranean pine species
Authors: Pasho Edmond , Alla Arben Q.
Published: August 2015

Improved knowledge of the time scales at which drought stress mostly influences tree growth is crucial for the early detection of forest dieback. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of climate (temperature and precipitation) on vegetation activity (normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and enhanced vegetation index (EVI)) of Pinus halepensis Mill. and Pinus pinea L. mixed forest located in western Albania and to assess the drought impact (standardized precipitation index (SPI) and standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI)) calculated at different time scales (1–12 months) on radial growth (earlywood width, latewood width, and tree-ring width) and vegetation activity of these species. Both vegetation indices showed a negative response to August temperatures, and the EVI responded positively to September precipitation. NDVI and EVI were significantly affected by the SPI in spring and late summer. All tree-ring features in P. halepensis were positively related with EVI in August, whereas P. pinea latewood width showed a significant and positive relationship with NDVI in September. Radial growth of P. halepensis responded significantly to both drought indices in late summer and early autumn, particularly the latewood width. Contrastingly, in P. pinea, only earlywood width showed vulnerability, mostly to the summer SPEI drought indices. These results are relevant to understand the impacts of increased drought intensity and frequency on tree radial growth and vegetation activity in a region that is vulnerable to climate variability.
Construction of a free Lévy process as high-dimensional limit of a Brownian motion on the unitary group
Authors: Ulrich Michaël
Published: August 2015

It is well known that freeness appears in the high-dimensional limit of independence for matrices. Thus, for instance, the additive free Brownian motion can be seen as the limit of the Brownian motion on hermitian matrices. More generally, it is quite natural to try to build free Lévy processes as high-dimensional limits of classical matricial Lévy processes.

We will focus here on one specific such construction, discussing and generalizing the work done previously by Biane in Ref.2, who has shown that the (classical) Brownian motion on the Unitary group U(d) converges to the free multiplicative Brownian motion when d goes to infinity. We shall first recall that result and give an alternative proof for it. We shall then see how this proof can be adapted in a more general context in order to get a free Lévy process on the dual group (in the sense of Voiculescu) U〈n〉. This result will actually amount to a truly noncommutative limit theorem for classical random variables, of which Biane's result constitutes the case n = 1.
Stochastic quasi-linear partial differential equations of evolution
Authors: Fernando B. P. W. , Sritharan S. S.
Published: August 2015

In this paper we consider a stochastic counterpart of Tosio Kato's quasi-linear partial differential equations and prove the existence and uniqueness of mild solutions.
Deformations of minimal cohomology classes on abelian varieties
Authors: Lombardi Luigi , Tirabassi Sofia
Published: August 2015

We show that the infinitesimal deformations of Brill–Noether loci [Formula: see text] attached to a smooth non-hyperelliptic curve [Formula: see text] are in one-to-ne correspondence with the deformations of [Formula: see text]. As an application, we prove that if a Jacobian [Formula: see text] deforms together with a minimal cohomology class out the Jacobian locus, then [Formula: see text] is hyperelliptic. In particular, this provides an evidence toward a conjecture of Debarre on the classification of ppavs carrying a minimal cohomology class.
Generalizations of a cotangent sum associated to the Estermann zeta function
Authors: Maier Helmut , Rassias Michael Th.
Published: August 2015

Cotangent sums are associated to the zeros of the Estermann zeta function. They have also proven to be of importance in the Nyman–Beurling criterion for the Riemann Hypothesis. The main result of the paper is the proof of the existence of a unique positive measure [Formula: see text] on [Formula: see text], with respect to which certain normalized cotangent sums are equidistributed. Improvements as well as further generalizations of asymptotic formulas regarding the relevant cotangent sums are obtained. We also prove an asymptotic formula for a more general cotangent sum as well as asymptotic results for the moments of the cotangent sums under consideration. We also give an estimate for the rate of growth of the moments of order [Formula: see text], as a function of [Formula: see text].
Experiments as research validation
Authors: Ullman Jeffrey D.
Published: August 2015

Reconsidering conference paper reviewers' requirements for experimental evidence.
Theory without experiments
Authors: Mitzenmacher Michael
Published: August 2015

Seeking a better understanding of computing through a mixture of theory and appropriate experimental evidence.
Commonsense reasoning and commonsense knowledge in artificial intelligence
Authors: Davis Ernest , Marcus Gary
Published: August 2015

AI has seen great advances of many kinds recently, but there is one critical area where progress has been extremely slow: ordinary commonsense.
Using Paired Distances of Signal Peaks in Stereo Channels as Fingerprints for Copy Identification
Authors: You Shingchern D. , Pu Yi-Han
Published: August 2015

This article proposes to use the relative distances between adjacent envelope peaks detected in stereo audio as fingerprints for copy identification. The matching algorithm used is the rough longest common subsequence (RLCS) algorithm. The experimental results show that the proposed approach has better identification accuracy than an MPEG-7 based scheme for distorted and noisy audio. When compared with other schemes, the proposed scheme uses fewer bits with comparable performance. The proposed fingerprints can also be used in conjunction with the MPEG-7 based scheme for lower computational burden.
Area of Simulation
Authors: Shen Siqi , Hu Shun-Yun , Iosup Alexandru , Epema Dick
Published: August 2015

Although Multi-Avatar Distributed Virtual Environments (MAVEs) such as Real-Time Strategy (RTS) games entertain daily hundreds of millions of online players, their current designs do not scale. For example, even popular RTS games such as the StarCraft series support in a single game instance only up to 16 players and only a few hundreds of avatars loosely controlled by these players, which is a consequence of the Event-Based Lockstep Simulation (EBLS) scalability mechanism they employ. Through empirical analysis, we show that a single Area of Interest (AoI), which is a scalability mechanism that is sufficient for single-avatar virtual environments (such as Role-Playing Games), also cannot meet the scalability demands of MAVEs. To enable scalable MAVEs, in this work we propose Area of Simulation (AoS), a new scalability mechanism, which combines and extends the mechanisms of AoI and EBLS. Unlike traditional AoI approaches, which employ only update-based operational models, our AoS mechanism uses both event-based and update-based operational models to manage not single, but
multiple
areas of interest. Unlike EBLS, which is traditionally used to synchronize the entire virtual world, our AoS mechanism synchronizes only selected areas of the virtual world. We further design an AoS-based architecture, which is able to use both our AoS and traditional AoI mechanisms simultaneously, dynamically trading-off consistency guarantees for scalability. We implement and deploy this architecture and we demonstrate that it can operate with an order of magnitude more avatars and a larger virtual world without exceeding the resource capacity of players' computers.
Supporting High Performance Molecular Dynamics in Virtualized Clusters using IOMMU, SR-IOV, and GPUDirect
Authors: Younge Andrew J. , Walters John Paul , Crago Stephen P. , Fox Geoffrey C.
Published: August 2015

Cloud Infrastructure-as-a-Service paradigms have recently shown their utility for a vast array of computational problems, ranging from advanced web service architectures to high throughput computing. However, many scientific computing applications have been slow to adapt to virtualized cloud frameworks. This is due to performance impacts of virtualization technologies, coupled with the lack of advanced hardware support necessary for running many high performance scientific applications at scale.

By using KVM virtual machines that leverage both Nvidia GPUs and InfiniBand, we show that molecular dynamics simulations with LAMMPS and HOOMD run at near-native speeds. This experiment also illustrates how virtualized environments can support the latest parallel computing paradigms, including both MPI+CUDA and new GPUDirect RDMA functionality. Specific findings show initial promise in scaling of such applications to larger production deployments targeting large scale computational workloads.
PEMU
Authors: Zeng Junyuan , Fu Yangchun , Lin Zhiqiang
Published: August 2015

Over the past 20 years, we have witnessed a widespread adoption of dynamic binary instrumentation (DBI) for numerous program analyses and security applications including program debugging, profiling, reverse engineering, and malware analysis. To date, there are many DBI platforms, and the most popular one is Pin, which provides various instrumentation APIs for process instrumentation. However, Pin does not support the instrumentation of OS kernels. In addition, the execution of the instrumentation and analysis routine is always inside the virtual machine (VM). Consequently, it cannot support any out-of-VM introspection that requires strong isolation. Therefore, this paper presents PEMU, a new open source DBI framework that is compatible with Pin-APIs, but supports out-of-VM introspection for both user level processes and OS kernels. Unlike in-VM instrumentation in which there is no semantic gap, for out-of-VM introspection we have to bridge the semantic gap and provide abstractions (i.e., APIs) for programmers. One important feature of PEMU is its API compatibility with Pin. As such, many Pin plugins are able to execute atop PEMU without any source code modification. We have implemented PEMU, and our experimental results with the SPEC 2006 benchmarks show that PEMU introduces reasonable overhead.
Hardware-Assisted Secure Resource Accounting under a Vulnerable Hypervisor
Authors: Jin Seongwook , Seol Jinho , Huh Jaehyuk , Maeng Seungryoul
Published: August 2015

With the proliferation of cloud computing to outsource computation in remote servers, the accountability of computational resources has emerged as an important new challenge for both cloud users and providers. Among the cloud resources, CPU and memory are difficult to verify their actual allocation, since the current virtualization techniques attempt to hide the discrepancy between physical and virtual allocations for the two resources. This paper proposes an online verifiable resource accounting technique for CPU and memory allocation for cloud computing. Unlike prior approaches for cloud resource accounting, the proposed accounting mechanism, called Hardware-assisted Resource Accounting (HRA), uses the hardware support for system management mode (SMM) and virtualization to provide secure resource accounting, even if the hypervisor is compromised. Using a secure isolated execution support of SMM, this study investigates two aspects of verifiable resource accounting for cloud systems. First, this paper presents how the hardware-assisted SMM and virtualization techniques can be used to implement the secure resource accounting mechanism even under a compromised hypervisor. Second, the paper investigates a sample-based resource accounting technique to minimize performance overheads. Using a statistical random sampling method, the technique estimates the overall CPU and memory allocation status with 99%~100% accuracies and performance degradations of 0.1%~0.5%.
Risk Factors for Depression in Children and Adolescents with High Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorders
Authors: De-la-Iglesia Myriam , Olivar José-Sixto
Published: August 2015

The objective of our study was to examine, discuss, and provide proposals on diagnostic comorbidity of depression in children and adolescents with high functioning autism spectrum disorder (HFASD) in the following aspects. (1) Prevalence. It was concluded that there are an elevated depression rate and the need for longitudinal studies to determine prevalence and incidence based on functioning level, autistic symptoms, gender, age, type of depression, prognosis, duration, and treatment. (2) Explicative Hypotheses and Vulnerability. The factors that present the greatest specific risk are higher cognitive functioning, self‐awareness of deficit, capacity for introspection, stressful life events, adolescence, quality of social relationships, and alexithymia. (3) Risk of Suicide. The need for control and detection of suicidal tendencies and bullying is emphasised. (4) Depressive Symptoms. Indicators for early detection are proposed and their overlap with HFASD is analysed, examining the assessment techniques used and arguing that specific adapted tests are needed.
Inhibition of CeramideDe NovoSynthesis Ameliorates Diet Induced Skeletal Muscles Insulin Resistance
Authors: Kurek Krzysztof , Mikłosz Agnieszka , Łukaszuk Bartłomiej , Chabowski Adrian , Górski Jan , Żendzian-Piotrowska Małgorzata
Published: August 2015

Nowadays wrong nutritional habits and lack of physical activity give a rich soil for the development of insulin resistance and obesity. Many researches indicate lipids, especially the one from the sphingolipids class, as the group of molecules heavily implicated in the progress of insulin resistance in skeletal muscle. Recently, scientists have focused their scrutiny on myriocin, a potent chemical compound that inhibits ceramide (i.e., central hub of sphingolipids signaling pathway)de novosynthesis. In the present research we evaluated the effects of myriocin application on type 2 diabetes mellitus in three different types of skeletal muscles: (1) slow-oxidative (red gastrocnemius), (2) oxidative-glycolytic (soleus), and (3) glycolytic (white gastrocnemius). For these reasons the animals were randomly divided into four groups: “control” (C), “myriocin” (M), “high fat diet” (HFD), “high fat diet” (HFD), and “high fat diet + myriocin” (HFD + M). Ourin vivostudy demonstrated that ceramide synthesis inhibition reduces intramuscular ceramide, its precursor sphinganine, and its derivatives sphingosine and sphingosine-1-phosphate concentrations. Moreover, FFA and TG contents were also decreased after myriocin treatment. Thus, myriocin presents potential therapeutic perspectives with respect to the treatment of insulin resistance and its serious consequences in obese patients.
Multimodel Modeling and Predictive Control for Direct-Drive Wind Turbine with Permanent Magnet Synchronous Generator
Authors: Wang Lei , Shen Tao , Chen Chen
Published: August 2015

The safety and reliability of the wind turbines wholly depend on the completeness and reliability of the control system which is an important problem for the validity of the wind energy conversion systems (WECSs). A method based on multimodel modeling and predictive control is proposed for the optimal operation of direct-drive wind turbine with permanent magnet synchronous generator in this paper. In this strategy, wind turbine with direct-drive permanent magnet synchronous generator is modeled and a backpropagation artificial neural network is designed to estimate the wind speed loaded into the turbine model in real time through the estimated turbine shaft speed and mechanical power. The nonlinear wind turbine system is presented by multiple linear models. The desired trajectory of the nonlinear system is decomposed to be suitable for the reference trajectory of multiple models that are presented by the linear models of the nonlinear system, which simplifies the nonlinear optimization problems and decreases the calculation difficulty. Then a multivariable control strategy based on model predictive control techniques for the control of variable-speed variable-pitch wind turbines is proposed. Finally, simulation results are given to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed strategy, and the conclusion that multiple model predictive controller (MMPC) has better control performance than the PI control method is obtained.
Biopsy Induced Arteriovenous Fistula and Venous Stenosis in a Renal Transplant
Authors: Allam Sridhar R. , Sankarapandian Balamurugan , Memon Imran A. , Nef Patrick C. , Livingston Tom S. , Rofaiel George
Published: August 2015

Renal transplant vein stenosis is a rare cause of allograft dysfunction. Percutaneous stenting appears to be safe and effective treatment for this condition. A 56-year-old Caucasian female with end stage renal disease received a deceased donor renal transplant. After transplant, her serum creatinine improved to a nadir of 1.2 mg/dL. During the third posttransplant month, her serum creatinine increased to 2.2 mg/dL. Renal transplant biopsy showed BK nephropathy. Mycophenolate was discontinued. Over the next 2 months, her serum creatinine crept up to 6.2 mg/dL. BK viremia improved from 36464 copies/mL to 15398 copies/mL. A renal transplant ultrasound showed lower pole arteriovenous fistula and abnormal waveforms in the renal vein. Carbon dioxide (CO2) angiography demonstrated severe stenosis of the transplant renal vein. Successful coil occlusion of fistula was performed along with angioplasty and deployment of stent in the renal transplant vein. Serum creatinine improved to 1.5 mg/dL after.
Development of Nonaggregating Poly-A Tailed Immunostimulatory A/D Type CpG Oligodeoxynucleotides Applicable for Clinical Use
Authors: Aoshi Taiki , Haseda Yasunari , Kobiyama Kouji , Narita Hirotaka , Sato Hideaki , Nankai Hirokazu , Mochizuki Shinichi , Sakurai Kazuo , Katakai Yuko , Yasutomi Yasuhiro , Kuroda Etsushi , Coban Cevayir , Ishii Ken J.
Published: August 2015

Immunostimulatory CpG ODNs have been developed and utilized as TLR9-dependent innate immune activators and vaccine adjuvants. Four different types of immunostimulatory CpG ODNs (A/D, B/K, C, and P type) have been reported. A/D type ODNs are characterized by high IFN-αproduction but intrinsically form aggregates, hindering its good manufacturing practice grade preparation. In this study, we developed several D35-derived ODNs (a commonly used A/D type ODN), which were modified with the addition of a phosphorothioate polynucleotide tail (such as dAs40), and examined their physical properties, solubility in saline, immunostimulatory activity on human PBMCs, and vaccine adjuvant potential in monkeys. We found that two modified ODNs including D35-dAs40 and D35core-dAs40 were immunostimulatory, similar to original D35 in human PBMCs, resulting in high IFN-αsecretion in a dose-dependent manner. Physical property analysis by dynamic light scattering revealed that both D35-dAs40 and D35core-dAs40 did not form aggregates in saline, which is currently impossible for the original D35. Furthermore, D35-dAs40 and D35core-dAs40 worked as better vaccine adjuvant in monkeys. These results suggested that D35-dAs40 and D35core-dAs40 are two promising prototypes of nonaggregating A/D type ODN with advantages of ease of drug preparation for clinical applications as vaccine adjuvants or IFN-αinducing immunomodifiers.
Fuzzy Clustering-Based Ensemble Approach to Predicting Indian Monsoon
Authors: Saha Moumita , Mitra Pabitra , Chakraborty Arun
Published: August 2015

Indian monsoon is an important climatic phenomenon and a global climatic marker. Both statistical and numerical prediction schemes for Indian monsoon have been widely studied in literature. Statistical schemes are mainly based on regression or neural networks. However, the variability of monsoon is significant over the years and a single model is often inadequate. Meteorologists revise their models on different years based on prevailing global climatic incidents like El-Niño. These indices often have degree of severity associated with them. In this paper, we cluster the monsoon years based on their fuzzy degree of associativity to these climatic event patterns. Next, we develop individual prediction models for the year clusters. A weighted ensemble of these individual models is used to obtain the final forecast. The proposed method performs competitively with existing forecast models.
ESSE: Efficient Secure Session Establishment for Internet-Integrated Wireless Sensor Networks
Authors: Kang Namhi , Park Jiye , Kwon Hyeokjin , Jung Souhwan
Published: August 2015

The dramatically increasing number of connected things based on Internet protocol is leading to a new concept called the Internet of Things (IoT). The Internet-integrated wireless sensor network has recently become one of the most important service targets in IoT field. To provide secure IoT services, the IETF proposed using Datagram Transport Layer Security (DTLS) as a de facto security protocol. In this paper, we examine problems that can happen when applying the DTLS protocol to the IoT, which comprises constrained devices and constrained networks. To solve the problems at hand, we separate the DTLS protocol into a handshake phase (i.e., establishment phase) and an encryption phase (i.e., transmission phase). Our approach enhances the performance of both device and network by using a way to delegate the DTLS handshake phase. The proposed scheme supports secure end-to-end communication despite using delegation.
Effects of Tetramethylpyrazine on Functional Recovery and Neuronal Dendritic Plasticity after Experimental Stroke
Authors: Lin Jun-Bin , Zheng Chan-Juan , Zhang Xuan , Chen Juan , Liao Wei-Jing , Wan Qi
Published: August 2015

The 2,3,5,6-tetramethylpyrazine (TMP) has been widely used in the treatment of ischemic stroke by Chinese doctors. Here, we report the effects of TMP on functional recovery and dendritic plasticity after ischemic stroke. A classical model of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) was established in this study. The rats were assigned into 3 groups: sham group (sham operated rats treated with saline), model group (MCAO rats treated with saline) and TMP group (MCAO rats treated with 20 mg/kg/d TMP). The neurological function test of animals was evaluated using the modified neurological severity score (mNSS) at 3 d, 7 d, and 14 d after MCAO. Animals were euthanized for immunohistochemical labeling to measure MAP-2 levels in the peri-infarct area. Golgi-Cox staining was performed to test effect of TMP on dendritic plasticity at 14 d after MCAO. TMP significantly improved neurological function at 7 d and 14 d after ischemia, increased MAP-2 level at 14 d after ischemia, and enhanced spine density of basilar dendrites. TMP failed to affect the spine density of apical dendrites and the total dendritic length. Data analyses indicate that there was significant negative correlation between mNSS and plasticity measured at 14 d after MCAO. Thus, enhanced dendritic plasticity contributes to TMP-elicited functional recovery after ischemic stroke.
Retrosplenial Cortex and Long-Term Memory: Molecules to Behavior
Authors: Todd Travis P. , Bucci David J.
Published: August 2015

The retrosplenial cortex (RSC) is reciprocally connected with the hippocampus and various parahippocampal cortical regions, suggesting that RSC is well-positioned to contribute to hippocampal-dependent memory. Consistent with this, substantial behavioral evidence indicates that RSC is essential for consolidating and/or retrieving contextual and spatial memories. In addition, there is growing evidence that RSC neurons undergo activity-dependent plastic changes during memory formation and retrieval. In this paper we review both the behavioral and cellular/molecular data and posit that the RSC has a particularly important role in the storage and retrieval of spatial and contextual memories perhaps due its involvement in binding together multiple cues in the environment. We identify remaining questions and avenues for future research that take advantage of emerging methods to selectively manipulate RSC neurons both spatially and temporally and to image the RSC in awake, behaving animals.
Effect of Nitrogen Content on Hot Deformation Behavior and Grain Growth in Nuclear Grade 316LN Stainless Steel
Authors: Guo Ming-wei , Wang Zhen-hua , Zhou Ze-an , Sun Shu-hua , Fu Wan-tang
Published: August 2015

316LN stainless steel with 0.08%N (08N) and 0.17%N (17N) was compressed at 1073–1473 K and 0.001–10 s−1. The hot deformation behavior was investigated using stress-strain curve analysis, processing maps, and so forth. The microstructure was analyzed through electron backscatter diffraction analysis. Under most conditions, the deformation resistance of 17N was higher than that of 08N. This difference became more pronounced at lower temperatures. The strain rate sensitivity increased with increasing temperature for types of steel. In addition, the higher the N content, the higher the strain rate sensitivity. Hot deformation activation energy increased from 487 kJ/mol to 549 kJ/mol as N concentration was increased from 0.08% to 0.17%. The critical strain for initiation of dynamic recrystallization was lowered with increasing N content. In the processing maps, both power dissipation ratio and unstable region increased with increasing N concentration. In terms of microstructure evolution, N promoted dynamic recrystallization kinetic and decreased dynamic recrystallization grain size. The grain growth rate was lower in 17N than in 08N during heat treatment. Finally, it was found that N favored twin boundary formation.
Effect of High Pressure on the Molecular Structure andπ-Electrons Delocalization of Canthaxanthin as Revealed by Raman Spectra
Authors: Ou-Yang Shun-li , Wu Nan-nan , Tian Yan-jie
Published: August 2015

The effect of high pressure on the molecular structure andπ-electron delocalization of canthaxanthin was studied byin situresonance Raman spectroscopy. Changes in the characteristic band frequency and the pressure of canthaxanthin were described. The effect of pressure onπ-electron delocalization was also discussed. Results show that the characteristic bands of canthaxanthin increase and reach high wavenumbers. The correlations between Raman frequency of the three main bands and pressure are listed as follows:ν1(C=C) = 3.43P+ 1512.3,ν2(C-C) = 3.29P+ 1156.1, andν3(CH3) = 2.16P+ 1006.3. The frequency multiplication of canthaxanthin changes as pressure is altered. The pressure effect on theν1(C=C) mode is more susceptible than on theν2(C-C) mode, which can be explained by the fact that theβ-ring twists to a larger angle from the plane of the conjugated main chain under high pressure, leading to a lower degree of theπ-electrons delocalization. The Raman spectra are recovered after the compression-decompression cycle indicating the canthaxanthin has no evident phase change under our experimental conditions.
Innate Immune Memory: The Latest Frontier of Adjuvanticity
Authors: Töpfer Elfi , Boraschi Diana , Italiani Paola
Published: August 2015

Recent findings in the field of immune memory have demonstrated that B and T cell mediated immunity following infections are enhanced by the so-calledtrained immunity. This effect has been most extensively investigated for the tuberculosis vaccine strain Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG). Epidemiological studies suggest that this vaccine is associated with a substantial reduction in overall child mortality that cannot be solely explained by prevention of the target disease but that it seems to rely on inducing resistance to other infections. Upon infection or vaccination, monocytes/macrophages can be functionally reprogrammed so as to display an enhanced defensive response against unrelated infections. Epigenetic modifications seem to play a key role in the induction of this “innate memory.” These findings are revolutionising our knowledge of the immune system, introducing the concept of memory also for mammalian innate immunity. Thus, vaccines are likely to nonspecifically affect the overall immunological status of individuals in a clinically relevant manner. As a consequence, future vaccine strategies ought to take into account the contribution of innate memory through appropriate design of formulations and administration scheduling.
Case of Rapid Progression of Hemiatrophy on the Face: A New Clinical Entity?
Authors: Nomura Hisashi , Egami Shohei , Yokoyama Tomoaki , Sugiura Makoto
Published: August 2015

A lot of diseases, including lupus profundus, morphea, lipodystrophy, and Parry-Romberg syndrome, may manifest progressive hemifacial atrophy. These diseases usually progress slowly and rapid progression of atrophy is extremely rare. We report a case of elderly-onset rapid progression of hemifacial atrophy only in three weeks. Our case did not meet variable differential diagnoses. We discuss the clinical character of the patient against the past of literature and suppose it may be a new clinical entity.
Use of Rubber Process Analyzer for Characterizing the Molecular Weight Parameters of Natural Rubber
Authors: Gao Tianming , Xie Ruihong , Zhang Linghong , Gui Hongxing , Huang Maofang
Published: August 2015

The aim of this work is to introduce a simple and rapid method for characterizing the molecular weight parameters and other molecular structure parameters of natural rubber (NR) using a rubber process analyzer (RPA). In this work, NR of different molecular weights was prepared by milling. Molecular weight parameters were measured by gel permeation chromatography coupled with laser light scattering (GPC-LLS) for comparison with RPA results. It was verified that increasing of milling time leads to a decrease of the number-average molecular weight (M-n), weight-average molecular weight (M-w), and molecular weight distribution (MWD). The dynamic and rheological properties were evaluated on RPA by tests of strain sweep, frequency sweep, and stress relaxation. These results were used to characterize the average molecular weight, MWD, and viscosity of NR and were found to agree with those from GPC-LLS. This convenient and rapid technology for characterizing NR molecular weight parameters would be especially useful in the elastomer industry.
Recent Trends in Temperature and Precipitation in the Langat River Basin, Malaysia
Authors: Amirabadizadeh Mahdi , Huang Yuk Feng , Lee Teang Shui
Published: August 2015

A study was undertaken to detect long-term trends in the annual and seasonal series of maximum and minimum temperatures. Measurements were taken at 11 meteorological stations located in the Langat River Basin in Malaysia. The rainfall and maximum and minimum temperature data were obtained from the Malaysia Meteorological Department (MMD) and the Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID) Malaysia. The procedures used included the Mann-Kendall test, the Mann-Kendall rank statistic test, and the Theil-Sen’s slope method. The analytical results indicated that when there were increasing and decreasing trends in the annual and seasonal precipitation and temperature, only the increasing trends were significant at the 95% confidence level. The Theil-Sen’s slope method showed that the rate of increment in the annual precipitation is greater than the seasonal precipitation. A bootstrap technique was applied to explore uncertainty about significant slope values for rainfall, as well as the maximum and minimum temperatures. The Mann-Kendall rank statistics test indicated that most of the trends in the annual and seasonal time series started in the year 2000. All of the annual and seasonal significant trends were obtained at the stations located in the north, east, and northeast portions of the Langat River Basin.
Evidence of Maintenance Tagging in the Hippocampus for the Persistence of Long-Lasting Memory Storage
Authors: Tomaiuolo Micol , Katche Cynthia , Viola Haydee , Medina Jorge H.
Published: August 2015

The synaptic tagging and capture (STC) hypothesis provides a compelling explanation for synaptic specificity and facilitation of long-term potentiation. Its implication on long-term memory (LTM) formation led to postulate the behavioral tagging mechanism. Here we show that a maintenance tagging process may operate in the hippocampus late after acquisition for the persistence of long-lasting memory storage. The proposed maintenance tagging has several characteristics: (1) the tag is transient and time-dependent; (2) it sets in a late critical time window after an aversive training which induces a short-lasting LTM; (3) exposing rats to a novel environment specifically within this tag time window enables the consolidation to a long-lasting LTM; (4) a familiar environment exploration was not effective; (5) the effect of novelty on the promotion of memory persistence requires dopamine D1/D5 receptors and Arc expression in the dorsal hippocampus. The present results can be explained by a broader version of the behavioral tagging hypothesis and highlight the idea that the durability of a memory trace depends either on late tag mechanisms induced by a training session or on events experienced close in time to this tag.
The Intersection Probability of Brownian Motion and SLEκ
Authors: Zhou Shizhong , Lan Shiyi
Published: August 2015

By using excursion measure Poisson kernel method, we obtain a second-order differential equation of the intersection probability of Brownian motion andSLEκ. Moreover, we find a transformation such that the second-order differential equation transforms into a hypergeometric differential equation. Then, by solving the hypergeometric differential equation, we obtain the explicit formula of the intersection probability for the trace of the chordalSLEκand planar Brownian motion started from distinct points in an upper half-planeH-.
Muscarinic ACh Receptors Contribute to Aversive Olfactory Learning inDrosophila
Authors: Silva Bryon , Molina-Fernández Claudia , Ugalde María Beatriz , Tognarelli Eduardo I. , Angel Cristian , Campusano Jorge M.
Published: August 2015

The most studied form of associative learning inDrosophilaconsists in pairing an odorant, the conditioned stimulus (CS), with an unconditioned stimulus (US). The timely arrival of the CS and US information to a specificDrosophilabrain association region, the mushroom bodies (MB), can induce new olfactory memories. Thus, the MB is considered a coincidence detector. It has been shown that olfactory information is conveyed to the MB through cholinergic inputs that activate acetylcholine (ACh) receptors, while the US is encoded by biogenic amine (BA) systems. In recent years, we have advanced our understanding on the specific neural BA pathways and receptors involved in olfactory learning and memory. However, little information exists on the contribution of cholinergic receptors to this process. Here we evaluate for the first time the proposition that, as in mammals, muscarinic ACh receptors (mAChRs) contribute to memory formation inDrosophila. Our results show that pharmacological and genetic blockade of mAChRs in MB disrupts olfactory aversive memory in larvae. This effect is not explained by an alteration in the ability of animals to respond to odorants or to execute motor programs. These results show that mAChRs in MB contribute to generating olfactory memories inDrosophila.
Automatic Artifact Removal from Electroencephalogram Data Based on A Priori Artifact Information
Authors: Zhang Chi , Tong Li , Zeng Ying , Jiang Jingfang , Bu Haibing , Yan Bin , Li Jianxin
Published: August 2015

Electroencephalogram (EEG) is susceptible to various nonneural physiological artifacts. Automatic artifact removal from EEG data remains a key challenge for extracting relevant information from brain activities. To adapt to variable subjects and EEG acquisition environments, this paper presents an automatic online artifact removal method based on a priori artifact information. The combination of discrete wavelet transform and independent component analysis (ICA), wavelet-ICA, was utilized to separate artifact components. The artifact components were then automatically identified using a priori artifact information, which was acquired in advance. Subsequently, signal reconstruction without artifact components was performed to obtain artifact-free signals. The results showed that, using this automatic online artifact removal method, there were statistical significant improvements of the classification accuracies in both two experiments, namely, motor imagery and emotion recognition.