bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Comparison of automated erythrocytapheresis versus manual exchange transfusion to treat cerebral macrovasculopathy in sickle cell anemia
Authors: Koehl Bérengère , Sommet Julie , Holvoet Laurent , Abdoul Hendy , Boizeau Priscilla , Ithier Ghislaine , Missud Florence , Couque Nathalie , Verlhac Suzanne , Voultoury Pauline , Sellami Fatiha , Baruchel André , Benkerrou Malika
Published: March 2016

BACKGROUND

Chronic exchange transfusion is effective for primary and secondary prevention of stroke in children with sickle cell anemia (SCA). Erythrocytapheresis is recognized to be the most efficient approach; however, it is not widely implemented and is not suitable for all patients. The aim of our study was to compare automated exchange transfusion (AET) with our manual method of exchange transfusion and, in particular, to evaluate the efficacy, safety, and cost of our manual method.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS

Thirty‐nine SCA children with stroke and/or abnormal findings on transcranial Doppler were included in the study. We retrospectively analyzed 1353 exchange sessions, including 333 sessions of AET and 1020 sessions of manual exchange transfusion (MET).

RESULTS

Both methods were well tolerated. The median decrease in hemoglobin (Hb)S per session was 21.5% with AET and 18.8% with our manual method (p < 0.0001) with no major increase in red blood cell consumption. Iron overload was well controlled, even with the manual method, with a median (interquartile range) ferritin level of 312 (152‐994) µg/L after 24 months of transfusions. The main differences in annual cost relate to equipment costs, which were 74 times higher with the automated method.

CONCLUSION

Our study shows that continuous MET has comparable efficacy to the automated method in terms of stroke prevention, decrease in HbS, and iron overload prevention. It is feasible in all hospital settings and is often combined with AET successively over time.
Does Economic Diplomacy Work? A Meta‐analysis of Its Impact on Trade and Investment
Authors: Moons Selwyn J. V. , van Bergeijk Peter A. G.
Published: March 2016

We review the literature on economic diplomacy and provide a meta‐analysis of 32 empirical studies published in 1986–2011 that deal with the trade and investment impact of economic diplomacy (embassies, consulates, other diplomatic facilities, investment and export promotion offices, trade and state visits). Controlling for differences in research design, methodology, time frame and manner of data, we find a positive and significant effect of economic diplomacy on international economic flows with the exception of state visits and that this is true in a sample of 627 t‐statistics analysed with OLS and for a larger sample of 963 reported significance levels analysed with logit thus illustrating robustness with respect to sample and estimation technique. Our analyses show that reported effects of economic diplomacy on trade and investment in individual studies are sensitive to model specification. The primary studies that investigate only one source country are less likely to report significant positive effects. Compared to other sciences, economic studies are less likely to report significantly positive effects of economic diplomacy. Primary studies lump embassies and consulates (general) into one indicator miss that these instruments differ significantly. Embassies, consulates and agencies should thus be included as separate instruments in future research.
Defining a new diagnostic assessment parameter for wound care: Elevated protease activity, an indicator of nonhealing, for targeted protease‐modulating treatment
Authors: Serena Thomas E. , Cullen Breda M. , Bayliff Simon W. , Gibson Molly C. , Carter Marissa J. , Chen Lingyun , Yaakov Raphael A. , Samies John , Sabo Matthew , DeMarco Daniel , Le Namchi , Galbraith James
Published: March 2016

It is widely accepted that elevated protease activity (EPA) in chronic wounds impedes healing. However, little progress has occurred in quantifying the level of protease activity that is detrimental for healing. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between inflammatory protease activity and wound healing status, and to establish the level of EPA above which human neutrophil‐derived elastase (HNE) and matrix metalloproteases (MMP) activities correlate with nonhealing wounds. Chronic wound swab samples (n = 290) were collected from four wound centers across the USA to measure HNE and MMP activity. Healing status was determined according to percentage reduction in wound area over the previous 2–4 weeks; this was available for 211 wounds. Association between protease activity and nonhealing wounds was determined by receiver operating characteristic analysis (ROC), a statistical technique used for visualizing and analyzing the performance of diagnostic tests. ROC analysis showed that area under the curve (AUC) for HNE were 0.69 for all wounds and 0.78 for wounds with the most reliable wound trajectory information, respectively. For MMP, the corresponding AUC values were 0.70 and 0.82. Analysis suggested that chronic wounds having values of HNE >5 and/or MMP ≥13, should be considered wound healing impaired. EPA is indicative of nonhealing wounds. Use of a diagnostic test to detect EPA in clinical practice could enable clinicians to identify wounds that are nonhealing, thus enabling targeted treatment with protease modulating therapies.
Effects of ageing and physical activity on blood pressure and endothelial function during acute inflammation
Authors: Lane‐Cordova Abbi D. , Phillips Shane A. , Baynard Tracy , Woods Jeffrey A. , Motl Robert W. , Fernhall Bo
Published: March 2016

New Findings

What is the central question of this study?

Do older and younger adults have similar vascular endothelial and blood pressure responses to acute inflammation? Does physical activity affect these responses?

What is the main finding and its importance?

Older adults reduce blood pressure whereas younger adults reduce endothelial function during acute inflammation. Physical activity does not provide protection against these inflammation‐induced changes. This is important because older adults regularly experience acute increases in systemic inflammation that may predispose older adults to cardiovascular events through dysregulation of blood pressure.

Ageing is characterized by chronic, low‐grade inflammation that is related to endothelial dysfunction and arterial stiffness. Physical activity can protect older adults (OAs) from cardiovascular dysfunction and increased inflammation. Acute inflammation causes transient endothelial dysfunction and arterial stiffening in younger adults (YAs), but may not have the same effect in OAs. We hypothesized that acute inflammation would increase blood pressure (BP) and endothelial impairment to a greater extent in OAs versus YAs, but that physical activity would be protective. We induced inflammation with an influenza vaccine in 22 OAs (55–75 years old) and 31 YAs (18–35 years old) and measured brachial flow‐mediated dilatation (FMD), BP and serum inflammatory markers before vaccination and at 24 and 48 h afterwards. Physical activity data were collected using accelerometry. During inflammation, only OAs reduced systolic BP (from 120 ± 3 to 115 ± 2 to 115 ± 3 mmHg, P < 0.05), but only YAs reduced FMD (from 11.3 ± 0.7 to 8.5 ± 0.6 to 8.9 ± 0.6% in YAs and from 6.7 ± 0.6 to 5.3 ± 0.7 to 6.0 ± 0.6% in OAs, P < 0.05 for time and interaction effects). The entire cohort increased C‐reactive protein (P < 0.05), but only YAs increased interleukin‐6 (P < 0.05 for time × age group interaction). Physical activity was related to the percentage change in inflammation in OAs (r = −0.50, P < 0.05) but not to the change in arterial function in either group (P > 0.05 for all). We conclude that acute inflammation reduced FMD only in YAs and reduced BP only in OAs. Physical activity did not affect arterial function during acute inflammation. Clinicians should be aware that all OAs are vulnerable to inflammation‐mediated reductions in BP and cardiovascular complications.
Murine startle mutantNmf11affects the structural stability of the glycine receptor and increases deactivation
Authors: Wilkins Megan E. , Caley Alex , Gielen Marc C. , Harvey Robert J. , Smart Trevor G.
Published: March 2016

Key points

Hyperekplexia or startle disease is a serious neurological condition affecting newborn children and usually involves dysfunctional glycinergic neurotransmission.

Glycine receptors (GlyRs) are major mediators of inhibition in the spinal cord and brainstem.

A missense mutation, replacing asparagine (N) with lysine (K), at position 46 in the GlyR α1 subunit induced hyperekplexia following a reduction in the potency of the transmitter glycine; this resulted from a rapid deactivation of the agonist current at mutant GlyRs.

These effects of N46K were rescued by mutating a juxtaposed residue, N61 on binding Loop D, suggesting these two asparagines may interact.

Asparagine 46 is considered to be important for the structural stability of the subunit interface and glycine binding site, and its mutation represents a new mechanism by which GlyR dysfunction induces startle disease.

Dysfunctional glycinergic inhibitory transmission underlies the debilitating neurological condition, hyperekplexia, which is characterised by exaggerated startle reflexes, muscle hypertonia and apnoea. Here we investigated the N46K missense mutation in the GlyR α1 subunit gene found in the ethylnitrosourea (ENU) murine mutant,Nmf11, which causes reduced body size, evoked tremor, seizures, muscle stiffness, and morbidity by postnatal day 21. Introducing the N46K mutation into recombinant GlyR α1 homomeric receptors, expressed in HEK cells, reduced the potencies of glycine, β‐alanine and taurine by 9‐, 6‐ and 3‐fold respectively, and that of the competitive antagonist strychnine by 15‐fold. Replacing N46 with hydrophobic, charged or polar residues revealed that the amide moiety of asparagine was crucial for GlyR activation. Co‐mutating N61, located on a neighbouring β loop to N46, rescued the wild‐type phenotype depending on the amino acid charge. Single‐channel recording identified that burst length for the N46K mutant was reduced and fast agonist application revealed faster glycine deactivation times for the N46K mutant compared with the WT receptor. Overall, these data are consistent with N46 ensuring correct alignment of the α1 subunit interface by interaction with juxtaposed residues to preserve the structural integrity of the glycine binding site. This represents a new mechanism by which GlyR dysfunction induces startle disease.
A New Method for Determination of Wheel Location in Machining Helical Flute of End Mill
Authors: Nguyen Van-Hien , Ko Sung-Lim
Published: March 2016

This paper presents a mathematical model to find the wheel location in grinding a given helical flute of an end mill. Two new setting parameters are introduced to define the relative wheel location in workpiece coordinates. This model allows the wheel-axis orientation be expressed explicitly as a function of the design factors and machine setting parameters. By utilizing this explicit form of the wheel orientation and analyzing the influence of setting parameters on design parameters, a new efficient search algorithm is proposed, and the performance shows that the required wheel location is found within 1.5 s to machine a given flute profile. Moreover, the rake angle can be produced more precisely compared with the conventional methods, which have been used with approximations. A comprehensive development of the software for designing and grinding the helical flute of the end mill is presented, which provides a technology and good foundation for the development of a computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) system for manufacturing end mills. The results of the experiment, simulation, and design are compared in order to verify of the proposed method.
The Complete Solution of Alt–Burmester Synthesis Problems for Four-Bar Linkages
Authors: Brake Daniel A. , Hauenstein Jonathan D. , Murray Andrew P. , Myszka David H. , Wampler Charles W.
Published: March 2016

Precision-point synthesis problems for design of four-bar linkages have typically been formulated using two approaches. The exclusive use of path-points is known as “path synthesis,” whereas the use of poses, i.e., path-points with orientation, is called “rigid-body guidance” or the “Burmester problem.” We consider the family of “Alt–Burmester” synthesis problems, in which some combination of path-points and poses is specified, with the extreme cases corresponding to the classical problems. The Alt–Burmester problems that have, in general, a finite number of solutions include Burmester's original five-pose problem and also Alt's problem for nine path-points. The elimination of one path-point increases the dimension of the solution set by one, while the elimination of a pose increases it by two. Using techniques from numerical algebraic geometry, we tabulate the dimension and degree of all problems in this Alt–Burmester family, and provide more details concerning all the zero- and one-dimensional cases.
Native oxide transport and removal during the atomic layer deposition of Ta2O5 on InAs(100) surfaces
Authors: Henegar Alex J. , Gougousi Theodosia
Published: March 2016

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) was used to deposit Ta2O5 on etched and native oxide-covered InAs(100) using pentakis dimethyl amino tantalum and H2O at 200–300 °C. The transport and removal of the native oxides during the ALD process was investigated using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Depositions above 200 °C on etched surfaces protected the interface from reoxidation. On native oxide-covered surfaces, depositions resulted in enhanced native oxide removal at higher temperatures. The arsenic oxides were completely removed above 250 °C after 3 nm of film growth, but some of the As2O3 remained in the film at lower temperatures. Angle-resolved and sputter depth profiling XPS confirmed indium and arsenic oxide migration into the Ta2O5 film at deposition temperatures as low as 200 °C. Continuous removal of both arsenic and indium oxides was confirmed even after the deposition of several monolayers of a coalesced Ta2O5 film, and it was demonstrated that native oxide transport is a prevalent component of the interface “clean-up” mechanism.
Diversification of the antigen-specific T cell receptor repertoire after varicella zoster vaccination
Authors: Qi Qian , Cavanagh Mary M. , Le Saux Sabine , NamKoong Hong , Kim Chulwoo , Turgano Emerson , Liu Yi , Wang Chen , Mackey Sally , Swan Gary E. , Dekker Cornelia L. , Olshen Richard A. , Boyd Scott D. , Weyand Cornelia M. , Tian Lu , Goronzy Jörg J.
Published: March 2016

Adult vaccination with an attenuated herpes zoster virus broadens the T cell receptor repertoire without reinforcing clonal dominance.
Human Cytomegalovirus Infection Upregulates the Mitochondrial Transcription and Translation Machineries
Authors: Karniely S. , Weekes M. P. , Antrobus R. , Rorbach J. , van Haute L. , Umrania Y. , Smith D. L. , Stanton R. J. , Minczuk M. , Lehner P. J. , Sinclair J. H.
Published: March 2016

Infection with human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) profoundly affects cellular metabolism. Like in tumor cells, HCMV infection increases glycolysis, and glucose carbon is shifted from the mitochondrial tricarboxylic acid cycle to the biosynthesis of fatty acids. However, unlike in many tumor cells, where aerobic glycolysis is accompanied by suppression of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation, HCMV induces mitochondrial biogenesis and respiration. Here, we affinity purified mitochondria and used quantitative mass spectrometry to determine how the mitochondrial proteome changes upon HCMV infection. We found that the mitochondrial transcription and translation systems are induced early during the viral replication cycle. Specifically, proteins involved in biogenesis of the mitochondrial ribosome were highly upregulated by HCMV infection. Inhibition of mitochondrial translation with chloramphenicol or knockdown of HCMV-induced ribosome biogenesis factor MRM3 abolished the HCMV-mediated increase in mitochondrially encoded proteins and significantly impaired viral growth under bioenergetically restricting conditions. Our findings demonstrate how HCMV manipulates mitochondrial biogenesis to support its replication.

IMPORTANCE
Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), a betaherpesvirus, is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality during congenital infection and among immunosuppressed individuals. HCMV infection significantly changes cellular metabolism. Akin to tumor cells, in HCMV-infected cells, glycolysis is increased and glucose carbon is shifted from the tricarboxylic acid cycle to fatty acid biosynthesis. However, unlike in tumor cells, HCMV induces mitochondrial biogenesis even under aerobic glycolysis. Here, we have affinity purified mitochondria and used quantitative mass spectrometry to determine how the mitochondrial proteome changes upon HCMV infection. We find that the mitochondrial transcription and translation systems are induced early during the viral replication cycle. Specifically, proteins involved in biogenesis of the mitochondrial ribosome were highly upregulated by HCMV infection. Inhibition of mitochondrial translation with chloramphenicol or knockdown of HCMV-induced ribosome biogenesis factor MRM3 abolished the HCMV-mediated increase in mitochondrially encoded proteins and significantly impaired viral growth. Our findings demonstrate how HCMV manipulates mitochondrial biogenesis to support its replication.
Transfer of Viral Communities between Human Individuals during Fecal Microbiota Transplantation
Authors: Chehoud Christel , Dryga Anatoly , Hwang Young , Nagy-Szakal Dorottya , Hollister Emily B. , Luna Ruth Ann , Versalovic James , Kellermayer Richard , Bushman Frederic D.
Published: March 2016

Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is a highly effective treatment for refractory
Clostridium difficile
infections. However, concerns persist about unwanted cotransfer of pathogenic microbes such as viruses. Here we studed FMT from a single healthy human donor to three pediatric ulcerative colitis patients, each of whom received a course of 22 to 30 FMT treatments. Viral particles were purified from donor and recipient stool samples and sequenced; the reads were then assembled into contigs corresponding to viral genomes or partial genomes. Transfer of selected viruses was confirmed by quantitative PCR. Viral contigs present in the donor could be readily detected in recipients, with up to 32 different donor viral contigs appearing in a recipient sample. Reassuringly, none of these were viruses are known to replicate on human cells. Instead, viral contigs either scored as bacteriophage or could not be attributed taxonomically, suggestive of unstudied phage. The two most frequently transferred gene types were associated with temperate-phage replication. In addition, members of
Siphoviridae
, the group of typically temperate phages that includes phage lambda, were found to be transferred with significantly greater efficiency than other groups. On the basis of these findings, we propose that the temperate-phage replication style may promote efficient phage transfer between human individuals. In summary, we documented transfer of multiple viral lineages between human individuals through FMT, but in this case series, none were from viral groups known to infect human cells.

IMPORTANCE
Transfer of whole communities of viruses between humans has rarely been studied but is of likely medical importance. Here we studied fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT), a highly successful treatment for relapsing
Clostridium difficile
infection and, potentially, other gastrointestinal (GI) diseases. We investigated the transfer of viral communities during FMT and documented transfer of multiple viral lineages between humans. None of these were viruses that replicated on animal cells or that are known to be pathogenic. We found that temperate bacteriophage, which form stable associations with their hosts, were significantly more likely to be transferred during FMT. This supports a model in which the viral temperate replication style may have evolved in part to support efficient viral transmission between environments.
HIV-1 Gag Blocks Selenite-Induced Stress Granule Assembly by Altering the mRNA Cap-Binding Complex
Authors: Cinti Alessandro , Le Sage Valerie , Ghanem Marwan , Mouland Andrew J.
Published: March 2016

Stress granules (SGs) are dynamic accumulations of stalled preinitiation complexes and translational machinery that assemble under stressful conditions. Sodium selenite (Se) induces the assembly of noncanonical type II SGs that differ in morphology, composition, and mechanism of assembly from canonical SGs. Se inhibits translation initiation by altering the cap-binding activity of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E (eIF4E)-binding protein 1 (4EBP1). In this work, we show that human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) Gag is able to block the assembly of type II noncanonical SGs to facilitate continued Gag protein synthesis. We demonstrate that expression of Gag reduces the amount of hypophosphorylated 4EBP1 associated with the 5′ cap potentially through an interaction with its target, eIF4E. These results suggest that the assembly of SGs is an important host antiviral defense that HIV-1 has evolved for inhibition through several distinct mechanisms.

IMPORTANCE
The antiviral stress response is an important host defense that many viruses, including HIV-1, have evolved to evade. Selenite induces a block in translation and leads to stress granule assembly through the sequestration of eIF4E by binding hypophosphorylated 4EBP1. In this work, we demonstrate that in the face of selenite-induced stress, HIV-1 is able to maintain Gag mRNA translation and to elicit a blockade to selenite-induced stress granule assembly by altering the amount of hypophosphorylated 4EBP1 on the 5′ cap.
Impella-assisted transcatheter closure of an acute postinfarction ventricular septal defect
Authors: Ibebuogu Uzoma Nwachukwu , Bolorunduro Oluwaseyi , Hwang Inyong
Published: March 2016

This case report describes a 72-year-old woman who developed an acute postmyocardial infarction ventricular septal defect (VSD) with consequent cardiogenic shock. Intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) counter-pulsation was urgently initiated in the cardiac catheterisation laboratory, with neither clinical nor haemodynamic improvement, prompting immediate removal of the IABP and the insertion of an Impella 2.5 heart pump (AbioMed Inc; Danvers, Massachusetts, USA), a temporary ventricular assist device. Thereafter, the patient improved clinically and was admitted to the cardiovascular intensive care unit (ICU). While in the cardiovascular ICU, the patient developed worsening mechanical haemolysis of blood cells, stable but persistent cardiogenic shock and a transient ischaemic attack. A consensus decision was made to proceed with percutaneous repair of the VSD as she was deemed at high risk for surgical repair. She underwent successful percutaneous VSD repair on day 4 of hospitalisation, using a single 18 mm Amplatzer muscular VSD occluder (AGA Medical, Plymouth, Minnesota, USA) with trace residual flow across the occluder. Adequate systolic blood pressure and cardiac output was maintained postprocedure with the Impella 2.5 device. The patient, however, succumbed to multiorgan dysfunction occasioned by sepsis.
Familial florid osseous dysplasia: a report with review of the literature
Authors: Kucukkurt Sercan , Rzayev Sharif , Baris Emre , Atac Mustafa Sancar
Published: March 2016

There are three types of osseous dysplasia: periapical cemental dysplasia (PCD), focal cemento-osseous dysplasia (FCD) and florid osseous dysplasia (FOD). While PCD is often observed in mandibular anterior teeth, FCD mainly affects mandibular posterior teeth. FOD, on the other hand, commonly involves both jaws. FOD is a type of sclerosing disease that is characterised by intense opaque masses and many areas with different densities. Genetic heritance of FOD is unusual, with only a few reported cases. We describe a case of FOD that affected three family members, discuss its clinical, radiological and histological characteristics, and review the literature.
West Nile virus-associated brachial plexopathy
Authors: Chahil Mandeep , Nguyen Thy Phuong
Published: March 2016

West Nile virus (WNV) is the most frequent cause of arbovirus infection in the USA. Only 20% of infected individuals are symptomatic. Less than 1% of symptomatic individuals display West Nile neuroinvasive disease. We report a rare case of WNV-associated brachial plexopathy in a young immunocompetent individual, without cerebrospinal fluid pleocytosis or encephalitis. Additionally, there was subjective and objective improvement after high-dose corticosteroids. This case adds to the clinical spectrum of WNV neuroinvasive disease. The literature regarding immunomodulatory treatment and WNV is reviewed.
Effects of ischemic preconditioning on short-duration cycling performance
Authors: Cruz Rogério Santos de Oliveira , de Aguiar Rafael Alves , Turnes Tiago , Salvador Amadeo Félix , Caputo Fabrizio
Published: March 2016

It has been demonstrated that ischemic preconditioning (IPC) improves endurance performance. However, the potential benefits during anaerobic events and the mechanism(s) underlying these benefits remain unclear. Fifteen recreational cyclists were assessed to evaluate the effects of IPC of the upper thighs on anaerobic performance, skeletal muscle activation, and metabolic responses during a 60-s sprint performance. After an incremental test and a familiarization visit, subjects were randomly submitted in visits 3 and 4 to a performance protocol preceded by intermittent bilateral cuff inflation (4 × (5 min of blood flow restriction + 5 min reperfusion)) at either 220 mm Hg (IPC) or 20 mm Hg (control). To increase data reliability, each intervention was replicated, which was also in a random manner. In addition to the mean power output, the pulmonary oxygen uptake, blood lactate kinetics, and quadriceps electromyograms (EMGs) were analyzed during performance and throughout 45 min of passive recovery. After IPC, performance was improved by 2.1% compared with control (95% confidence intervals of 0.8% to 3.3%, P = 0.001), followed by increases in (i) the accumulated oxygen deficit, (ii) the amplitude of blood lactate kinetics, (iii) the total amount of oxygen consumed during recovery, and (iv) the overall EMG amplitude (P < 0.05). In addition, the ratio between EMG and power output was higher during the final third of performance after IPC (P < 0.05). These results suggest an increased skeletal muscle activation and a higher anaerobic contribution as the ultimate responses of IPC on short-term exercise performance.
Classical and Mexican hat-type potential energy curve for the hydrogen molecule from a confined Kratzer oscillator
Authors: Van Hooydonk G.
Published: March 2016

We review harmonic oscillator theory for closed, stable quantum systems. The H2 potential energy curve (PEC) of Mexican hat-type, calculated with a confined Kratzer oscillator, is better than the Rydberg–Klein–Rees (RKR) H2 PEC. Compared with QM, the theory of chemical bonding is simplified, since a confined Kratzer oscillator can also lead to the long sought for universal function, once called the Holy Grail of Molecular Spectroscopy. This is validated by reducing PECs for different bonds H2, HF, I2, N2 and O2 to a single one. The equal probability for H2, originating either from [Formula: see text] or [Formula: see text], is quantified with a Gauss probability density function. At the Bohr scale, a confined harmonic oscillator behaves properly at the extremes of bound two-nucleon quantum systems.
Nonlocal gravity: Conformally flat spacetimes
Authors: Bini Donato , Mashhoon Bahram
Published: March 2016

The field equations of the recent nonlocal generalization of Einstein’s theory of gravitation are presented in a form that is reminiscent of general relativity. The implications of the nonlocal field equations are studied in the case of conformally flat spacetimes. Even in this simple case, the field equations are intractable. Therefore, to gain insight into the nature of these equations, we investigate the structure of nonlocal gravity (NLG) in 2D spacetimes. While any smooth 2D spacetime is conformally flat and satisfies Einstein’s field equations, only a subset containing either a Killing vector or a homothetic Killing vector can satisfy the field equations of NLG.
Size-Dependent Dynamic Behavior and Instability Analysis of Nano-Scale Rotational Varactor in the Presence of Casimir Attraction
Authors: Sedighi Hamid M. , Moory-Shirbani Meisam , Shishesaz Mohammad , Koochi Ali , Abadyan Mohamadreza
Published: March 2016

When the size of structures approaches to the sub-micron scale, physical responses of such systems become size-dependent, hence, classic theories may not be able to predict the behavior of the miniature structures. In the present article, the modified couple stress theory (MCST) is employed to account for the effect of the size-dependency on the dynamic instability of torsional nano-electromechanical systems (NEMS) varactor. By incorporating the Coulomb, Casimir and damping forces, the dimensionless governing equations are derived. The influences of Casimir force, applied voltage and length scale parameter on the dynamic behavior and stability of fixed points are investigated by plotting the phase portrait and bifurcation diagrams. It is found that the Casimir force reduces the instability threshold of the systems and the small-scale parameter enhances the torsional stability. The pull-in instability phenomenon shows the saddle-node bifurcation for torsional nano-varactor.
Photo-Electrical Properties of Trilayer MoSe2 Nanoflakes
Authors: Hang Yang , Li Qi , Luo Wei , He Yanlan , Zhang Xueao , Peng Gang
Published: March 2016

The photo-electrical properties of trilayer MoSe2 nanoflakes, fabricated by mechanical exfoliation, were systematically studied in this paper. The trilayer MoSe2 nanoflakes are n-type and possess a high gate modulation (On/Off ratio is larger than 10[Formula: see text] and a relatively high carrier mobility (1.79[Formula: see text]cm[Formula: see text]. The field effect transistor (FET) device of MoSe2 shows sensitive photo response, high photoresponsivity ([Formula: see text][Formula: see text]mA/W), quick response time ([Formula: see text][Formula: see text]ms), high external quantum efficiency ([Formula: see text] and high detection rate ([Formula: see text] for red and near-infrared wavelength. These results showed that the device based on few-layer MoSe2 nanoflakes exhibited good photo-electrical properties, which might open a new way to develop few-layer MoSe2-based material in the application of FETs and optoelectronics.
An application of certain convolution operator involving Poisson distribution series
Authors: Porwal Saurabh
Published: March 2016

The purpose of this paper is to establish connections between various subclasses of analytic univalent functions by applying certain convolution operator involving Poisson distribution series. To be more precise, we investigate such connections with the classes of analytic univalent functions [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] in the open unit disc [Formula: see text].
Relational systems with involution
Authors: Chajda Ivan , Länger Helmut
Published: March 2016

We investigate relational systems endowed with an involution inverting couples of related elements. The concept of a so-called complemented or orthomodular relational system is introduced as a generalization of a complemented or orthomodular lattice, respectively. To every one of the mentioned relational systems [Formula: see text] there is assigned certain algebra [Formula: see text] which can be considered as an algebraic counterpart to [Formula: see text]. The paper is devoted to the relations between these relational systems and the assigned algebras. It is shown that these algebras have some congruence properties.
On the linear codes over the ring Rp
Authors: Dertli Abdullah , Cengellenmis Yasemin , Eren Senol
Published: March 2016

Some results are generalized on linear codes over [Formula: see text] in [15] to the ring [Formula: see text], where [Formula: see text] is an odd prime number. The Gray images of cyclic and quasi-cyclic codes over [Formula: see text] are obtained. The parameters of quantum error correcting codes are obtained from negacyclic codes over [Formula: see text]. A nontrivial automorphism [Formula: see text] on the ring [Formula: see text] is determined. By using this, the skew cyclic, skew quasi-cyclic, skew constacyclic codes over [Formula: see text] are introduced. The number of distinct skew cyclic codes over [Formula: see text] is given. The Gray images of skew codes over [Formula: see text] are obtained. The quasi-constacyclic and skew quasi-constacyclic codes over [Formula: see text] are introduced. MacWilliams identities of linear codes over [Formula: see text] are given.
From random matrices to long range dependence
Authors: Chakrabarty Arijit , Hazra Rajat Subhra , Sarkar Deepayan
Published: March 2016

Random matrices whose entries come from a stationary Gaussian process are studied. The limiting behavior of the eigenvalues as the size of the matrix goes to infinity is the main subject of interest in this work. It is shown that the limiting spectral distribution is determined by the absolutely continuous component of the spectral measure of the stationary process. This is similar to the situation where the entries of the matrix are i.i.d. On the other hand, the discrete component contributes to the limiting behavior of the eigenvalues after a different scaling. Therefore, this helps to define a boundary between short and long range dependence of a stationary Gaussian process in the context of random matrices.
A multiplexed analysis approach identifies new association of inflammatory proteins in patients with overactive bladder
Authors: Ma Emily , Vetter Joel , Bliss Laura , Lai H. Henry , Mysorekar Indira U. , Jain Sanjay
Published: March 2016

Overactive bladder (OAB) is a common debilitating bladder condition with unknown etiology and limited diagnostic modalities. Here, we explored a novel high-throughput and unbiased multiplex approach with cellular and molecular components in a well-characterized patient cohort to identify biomarkers that could be reliably used to distinguish OAB from controls or provide insights into underlying etiology. As a secondary analysis, we determined whether this method could discriminate between OAB and other chronic bladder conditions. We analyzed plasma samples from healthy volunteers ( n = 19) and patients diagnosed with OAB, interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS), or urinary tract infections (UTI; n = 51) for proinflammatory, chemokine, cytokine, angiogenesis, and vascular injury factors using Meso Scale Discovery (MSD) analysis and urinary cytological analysis. Wilcoxon rank-sum tests were used to perform univariate and multivariate comparisons between patient groups (controls, OAB, IC/BPS, and UTI). Multivariate logistic regression models were fit for each MSD analyte on 1) OAB patients and controls, 2) OAB and IC/BPS patients, and 3) OAB and UTI patients. Age, race, and sex were included as independent variables in all multivariate analysis. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were generated to determine the diagnostic potential of a given analyte. Our findings demonstrate that five analytes, i.e., interleukin 4, TNF-α, macrophage inflammatory protein-1β, serum amyloid A, and Tie2 can reliably differentiate OAB relative to controls and can be used to distinguish OAB from the other conditions. Together, our pilot study suggests a molecular imbalance in inflammatory proteins may contribute to OAB pathogenesis.
Exploring Factors Impacting Paths of Left-Turning Vehicles from Minor Road Approach at Unsignalized Intersections
Authors: Zhang Guoqiang , Qi Yuli , Chen Jun
Published: March 2016

At unsignalized intersections, left-turning vehicles from minor road approach are more likely to be involved in traffic conflicts and traffic crashes and are one of the most leading factors impacting traffic efficiency and capacity. The authors of the paper observed that some drivers behaved illegally and dangerously while performing left turns from minor road approach, resulting in abnormal trajectories at unsignalized intersections. By applying binary logistic analysis, a probability prediction model was developed to explore various factors affecting probability of normal path taken by drivers while turning left from minor road approach. Based upon the model, measures such as lowering running speeds of vehicles on major road or minor road and adding more lanes on minor road can be used to encourage more drivers to take normal vehicle paths, which is helpful for the improvement of traffic safety, efficiency, and capacity. Results of the paper can be used for the guidance of design and management of unsignalized intersections.
Complete Moment Convergence for Sung’s Type Weighted Sums ofB-Valued Random Elements
Authors: Li Wei , Chen Pingyan , Sung Soo Hak
Published: March 2016

Letp≥1/αand1/2<α≤1.Let{X,Xn,  n≥1}be a sequence of independent and identically distributedB-valued random elements and let{ani,  1≤i≤n,  n≥1}be an array of real numbers satisfying∑i=1naniq=O(n)for someq>p.We give necessary and sufficient conditions for complete moment convergence of the form∑n=1∞n(p-v)α-2E∑i=1naniXi-εnα+v<∞,  ∀ε>0, where0<v<p.A strong law of large numbers for weighted sums of independentB-valued random elements is also obtained.
A Case of Engineering Quality for Mobile Healthcare Applications Using Augmented Personal Software Process Improvement
Authors: Ghayyur Shahbaz Ahmed Khan , Awan Daud , Sikander Hayat Khiyal Malik
Published: March 2016

Mobile healthcare systems are currently considered as key research areas in the domain of software engineering. The adoption of modern technologies, for mobile healthcare systems, is a quick option for industry professionals. Software architecture is a key feature that contributes towards a software product, solution, or services. Software architecture helps in better communication, documentation of design decisions, risks identification, basis for reusability, scalability, scheduling, and reduced maintenance cost and lastly it helps to avoid software failures. Hence, in order to solve the abovementioned issues in mobile healthcare, the software architecture is integrated with personal software process. Personal software process has been applied successfully but it is unable to address the issues related to architectural design and evaluation capabilities. Hence, a new technique architecture augmented personal process is presented in order to enhance the quality of the mobile healthcare systems through the use of architectural design with integration of personal software process. The proposed process was validated by case studies. It was found that the proposed process helped in reducing the overall costs and effort. Moreover, an improved architectural design helped in development of high quality mobile healthcare system.
The Prevalence of Syphilis Infection and Its Associated Factors in the General Population of Rwanda: A National Household-Based Survey
Authors: Mutagoma Mwumvaneza , Remera Eric , Sebuhoro Dieudonné , Kanters Steve , Riedel David J. , Nsanzimana Sabin
Published: March 2016

Background. The prevalence of syphilis among HIV-infected people is a public health concern, but there is limited literature to describe the true burden of syphilis in resource-limited settings. We conducted this survey in 2013 to estimate the prevalence of syphilis. Methods. A cross-sectional survey. Participants were tested for syphilis and HIV. Factors associated with syphilis infection were identified. Results. The prevalence of syphilis was 0.9% (95% CI: 0.7–1.1). This prevalence was higher in the 25–49-year-old age (1.1% [95% CI: 0.8–1.3]) than in the 15–24-year-old age (0.6% (95% CI: 0.4–0.9)). Women with lower education had a higher prevalence of syphilis (1.2% (95% CI: 0.9–1.5)) compared to others (0.4% (95% CI: 0.2–0.8)). This prevalence among HIV-infected people was six times higher: 4.8% (95% CI: 2.9–7.9) compared to HIV-negative people (0.8% (95% CI: 0.6–1.0)). The prevalence of syphilis among HIV-infected females was 5.9% (95% CI: 3.4–10.0). HIV-infected or concurrent sexual partners was associated with increased syphilis prevalence with aOR = 4.2 (95% CI: 2.5–7.2) and aOR = 4.2 (95% CI: 2.8–6.5), respectively. Conclusions. The prevalence of syphilis was significantly higher among HIV-infected patients. HIV infection and concurrent sexual partners are associated with an increased prevalence of syphilis. Preventing HIV might help in preventing syphilis.
Crash-Induced Vibration and Safety Assessment of Breakaway-Type Post Structures Made of High Anticorrosion Steels
Authors: Lee Sang-Youl
Published: March 2016

This study deals with car crash effects and passenger safety assessment of post structures with breakaway types using high performance steel materials. To disperse the impact force when a car crashes into a post, the post could be designed with a breakaway feature. In this study, we used a new high anticorrosion steel for the development of advanced breakaways. Based on the improved Cowper-Symonds model, specific physical properties to the high anticorrosion steel were determined. In particular, the complex mechanism of breakaways was studied using various parameters. The parametric studies are focused on the various effects of car crash on the structural performance and passenger safety of breakaway-type posts. The combined effects of using different steel materials on the dynamic behavers are also investigated.
Noise Folding in Completely Perturbed Compressed Sensing
Authors: Zhou Limin , Niu Xinxin , Yuan Jing
Published: March 2016

This paper first presents a new generally perturbed compressed sensing (CS) modely=(A+E)(x+u)+e, which incorporated a general nonzero perturbationEinto sensing matrixAand a noiseuinto signalxsimultaneously based on the standard CS modely=Ax+eand is called noise folding in completely perturbed CS model. Our construction mainly will whiten the new proposed CS model and explore in restricted isometry property (RIP) and coherence of the new CS model under some conditions. Finally, we use OMP to give a numerical simulation which shows that our model is feasible although the recovered value of signal is not exact compared with original signal because of measurement noisee, signal noiseu, and perturbationEinvolved.
The Mixed Phase of Charged AdS Black Holes
Authors: Burikham Piyabut , Promsiri Chatchai
Published: March 2016

We study the mixed phase of charged AdS black hole and radiation when the total energy is fixed below the threshold to produce a stable charged black hole branch. The coexistence conditions for the charged AdS black hole and radiation are derived for the generic case when radiation particles carry charge. The phase diagram of the mixed phase is demonstrated for both fixed potential and charge ensemble. In the dual gauge picture, they correspond to the mixed phase of quark-gluon plasma (QGP) and hadron gas in the fixed chemical potential and density ensemble, respectively. In the nuclei and heavy-ion collisions at intermediate energies, the mixed phase of exotic QGP and hadron gas could be produced. The mixed phase will condense and evaporate into the hadron gas as the fireball expands.
Advanced Fuzzy Potential Field Method for Mobile Robot Obstacle Avoidance
Authors: Park Jong-Wook , Kwak Hwan-Joo , Kang Young-Chang , Kim Dong W.
Published: March 2016

An advanced fuzzy potential field method for mobile robot obstacle avoidance is proposed. The potential field method primarily deals with the repulsive forces surrounding obstacles, while fuzzy control logic focuses on fuzzy rules that handle linguistic variables and describe the knowledge of experts. The design of a fuzzy controller—advanced fuzzy potential field method (AFPFM)—that models and enhances the conventional potential field method is proposed and discussed. This study also examines the rule-explosion problem of conventional fuzzy logic and assesses the performance of our proposed AFPFM through simulations carried out using a mobile robot.
Discussion on Some Recent Order-Theoretic Metrical Coincidence Theorems Involving Nonlinear Contractions
Authors: Alam Aftab , Khan Qamrul Haq , Imdad Mohammad
Published: March 2016

We prove some coincidence theorems involving a pair of self-mappingsfandgdefined on an ordered metric spaceXwhereinfisg-increasingφ-contractive mapping. In our results, neither the whole spaceXnor the range subspaces (f(X)org(X)) are required to be complete. Instead, we use the completeness of a subspace ofXsatisfying suitable conditions.
A Comparison of Tissue versus Swab Culturing of Infected Diabetic Foot Wounds
Authors: Huang Ying , Cao Ying , Zou Mengchen , Luo Xiangrong , Jiang Ya , Xue Yaoming , Gao Fang
Published: March 2016

Objective. To compare the efficacy of swabbing versus tissue biopsy for microbiological diagnosis of diabetic foot infection.Methods. This was a prospective trial. Fifty-six patients with diabetic foot infection were divided into the following 3 groups according to the PEDIS grading system: grade 2 (n=10), grade 3 (n=29), and grade 4 (n=17). Two specimens were collected from each wound for microbial culturing after debridement, including a superficial swab and a deep tissue punch biopsy specimen.Results. Swab culturing identified all of the microorganisms isolated from the corresponding deep tissue specimens in 9/10 of grade 2 wounds (90.0%), and this proportion decreased to 12/29 (41.4%) and 7/17 (41.2%) for grades 3 and 4 wounds, respectively (p=0.02). Moreover, the sensitivity for identifying Gram-negative bacteria, such asE. coliandCitrobacter, by swabbing was low (33.3%). In addition, some Gram-negative bacteria, such asSerratiaandRalstonia pickettii, were isolated from deep tissues but not from swabs.Conclusions. Swab culturing may be reliable for identification of pathogens in diabetic foot wounds classified as grade 2. However, it is advisable to culture deep tissue specimens for wounds of grade ≥3 because swab culturing is associated with a high risk of missing pathogens, especially Gram-negative bacteria.
Phenotypic Detection of Metallo-Beta-Lactamases in Carbapenem ResistantAcinetobacter baumanniiIsolated from Pediatric Patients in Pakistan
Authors: Anwar Muneeza , Ejaz Hassan , Zafar Aizza , Hamid Hamdan
Published: March 2016

Multidrug resistantA. baumanniihas emerged as an important and problematic human pathogen as it is the causative agent of several types of infections especially in neonates and immunocompromised patients because they have least capacity to fight against infections. Carbapenems are used as last resort antibiotics for treating these infections but currently resistance against carbapenems due to MBL production is on the rise. The objective of this study was to determine the frequency of antibiotic resistance inA. baumanniiand also to compare the efficacy of combined disk test and double disk synergy test for detection of metallo-beta-lactamases. A total of 112A. baumanniiwere identified from various clinical samples and antibiotic susceptibility profile was determined by Kirby-Bauer Disk Diffusion method. Out of 112, 66 (58.9%) isolates were resistant to both imipenem and meropenem (OXOID). These resistant isolates were tested for carbapenemase production, and 55 (83.3%) were carbapenemase producers by Modified Hodge Test. These isolates were further tested for MBL production by combined disk test and double disk synergy test. Out of 66, 49 isolates were positive by both methods, CDT and DDST, and only one isolate was detected as negative (with kappa value = 0.038). All MBL producing strains showed remarkable resistance to cephalosporins, fluoroquinolones, aminoglycosides, and piperacillin/tazobactam (OXOID). The antibiotic resistance was very high inA. baumanniiwhich were isolated from children in Pakistan specially attending a nephrology unit.