bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Comparison of Mohs Micrographic Surgery and Wide Local Excision for Treatment of Dermatofibrosarcoma Protuberans With Long-Term Follow-up: The Mayo Clinic Experience
Authors: Lowe Garrett C. , Onajin Oluwakemi , Baum Christian L. , Otley Clark C. , Arpey Christopher J. , Roenigk Randall K. , Brewer Jerry D.
Published: October 2016

BACKGROUND

Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP) is a soft tissue tumor with slow infiltrative growth and local recurrence if inadequately excised.

OBJECTIVE

To compare long-term outcomes after Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS) and wide local excision (WLE).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Records of patients with DFSP surgically treated with WLE or MMS from January 1955 through March 2012 were retrospectively reviewed.

RESULTS

Mean follow-up for patients treated with MMS (n = 67) and WLE (n = 91) was 4.8 and 5.7 years, respectively. Twenty-eight patients (30.8%) with WLE had recurrence (mean, 4.4 years), whereas only 2 (3.0%) with MMS had recurrence (1.0 and 2.6 years). Recurrence-free survival rates at 1, 5, 10, and 15 years were significantly higher with MMS (p < .001). Mean preoperative lesion sizes were similar (5–6 cm) between the 2 groups, whereas mean (standard deviation) postoperative defect sizes were 10.7 (4.3) cm and 8.8 (5.5) cm for WLE and MMS, respectively (p = .004). Primary closure was used for 73% of MMS cases, whereas WLE more commonly used flaps, grafts, or other closures (52%). Two Mohs layers typically were required for margin control.

CONCLUSION

Surgical excision with meticulous histologic evaluation of all surgical margins is needed for DFSP treatment to achieve long-term high cure rates and low morbidity.
Dermatologic Surgical Instruments: A History and Review
Authors: Gandhi Sumul A. , Kampp Jeremy T.
Published: October 2016

BACKGROUND

Dermatologic surgery requires precision and accuracy given the delicate nature of procedures performed. The use of the most appropriate instrument for each action helps optimize both functionality and cosmetic outcome.

OBJECTIVE

To review the history of surgical instruments used in dermatology, with a focus on mechanism and evolution to the instruments that are used in current practice.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A comprehensive literature search was conducted via textbook and journal research for historic references while review of current references was conducted online using multiple search engines and PubMed.

RESULTS

There are a number of articles that review instruments in dermatology, but this article adds a unique perspective in classifying their evolution, while also presenting them as levers that serve to increase human dexterity during the course of surgery.

CONCLUSION

Surgical instruments allow fine manipulation of tissue, which in turn produces optimal outcomes. Surgical tools have been around since the dawn of man, and their evolution parallels the extent to which human civilization has specialized over time. This article describes the evolution of instruments from the general surgical armamentaria to the specialized tools that are used today.
IATROGENIC CHOROIDAL NEOVASCULAR MEMBRANE IN MACULAR HOLE–INDUCED RETINAL DETACHMENT
Authors: Venkatesh Ramesh , Gurav Prachi , Dave Prachi A.
Published: October 2016

Purpose:

To report a case of choroidal neovascular membrane after vitreoretinal surgery in a patient with macular hole–induced retinal detachment.

Methods:

Retrospective observational case report.

Case description:

A 64-year-old lady presented with sudden drop in vision in the right eye since 20 days. Her best-corrected visual acuity was 6/36 in the right eye and 6/18 in the left eye. She was diagnosed with retinal detachment with a macular hole in the right eye. She underwent vitrectomy with internal limiting membrane peeling and gas tamponade for the retinal detachment. Internal limiting membrane peeling was performed after staining with brilliant blue green dye and over the detached retina. Drainage of the subretinal fluid was performed through the macular hole and drainage retinotomy. Four months of postoperative examination revealed a scarred subfoveal choroidal neovascular membrane and retinal pigment epithelial atrophy surrounding it. This was confirmed by fluorescein angiography and optical coherence tomography.

Conclusion:

Visual loss secondary to choroidal neovascular membrane can occur because of surgical trauma to the retinal pigment epithelium and Bruch membrane. Drainage of the subretinal fluid should be preferably avoided through the macular hole to prevent this complication.
Carotid Arterial Flow in Pseudoexfoliation Glaucoma and its Role in Diagnosing the Disease
Authors: Uz Burcin , Durum Yasemin , Kocatürk Tolga , Dayanir Yelda O. , Dayanir Volkan , Bilgen Mehmet
Published: October 2016

Objective of the Study:

The objective of the study was to investigate the change in carotid arterial flow in pseudoexfoliation glaucoma (XFG) for determining its diagnostic value.

Materials and Methods:

Patients with XFG (N=30) and control subjects (N=22) were recruited. Common carotid artery (CCA) and internal carotid artery of each participant were examined using color Doppler and B-mode ultrasonography. Resistivity index (RI), as a flow parameter of interest, was measured and statistically compared between the 2 groups. Receiver operating characteristic was also produced to assess its diagnostic value.

Results:

The measured RI values from the controls were within the expected range. Among CCA and internal carotid artery, only RI of CCA exhibited statistically significant changes in XFG (0.75±0.04 vs. 0.70±0.03 cm/s). Threshold value of RI=0.72 yielded 90% sensitivity and 73% specificity in distinguishing the cases of XFG from the controls.

Conclusions:

Flow dynamics of carotid arterial system exhibits different characteristics in individuals with XFG than controls. Such differences may serve as a basis for developing potentially new diagnostic biomarkers of XFG. Further studies are justified for examining the carotid flow in pseudoexfoliation syndrome and compare it against XFG for determining its power in differential diagnosis.
Biodegradable Stents
Authors: Jain Deepanshu , Mahmood Ejaz , Singhal Shashideep
Published: October 2016

Benign intestine strictures secondary to postoperative narrowing or inflammatory bowel disease can be managed surgically or conservatively. Some patients may not be suitable surgical candidates and some patients may choose not to have repeat surgery. Biodegradable (BD) stents offer a prolonged dilatory effect before gradual degradation and obviates the need of a second procedure for stent removal. BD stents have high technical success rates (mean, 94.4%; median, 100%; range, 86% to 100%) but widely variable clinical success rates (range, 45% to 100%). Stent migration is the most commonly reported complication (mean, 22.2%; range, 0% to 36%). In the future, with better understanding of the factors contributing to stent migration, improvement in present stent design and better anchoring techniques, the stent migration rate is expected to decrease and improve clinical outcome. The role of prophylactic BD stent placement to prevent stricture development postintestine surgery is an intriguing idea and needs to be explored. As of now, the use of BD stents is a reasonable option for patients with dilatation resistant intestinal strictures who are unfit for surgery or refuse to have surgical treatment.
Primary immunodeficiencies due to abnormalities of the actin cytoskeleton
Authors: Burns Siobhan O. , Zarafov Anton , Thrasher Adrian J.
Published: October 2016

Purpose of review

Primary immunodeficiencies (PIDs) are inherited conditions where components of the immune system are missing or dysfunctional. Over 300 genes have been causally linked to monogenic forms of PID, including a number that regulate the actin cytoskeleton. The majority of cytoskeletal defects disrupt assembly and disassembly of filamentous actin in multiple immune cell lineages impacting functions such as cell migration and adhesion, pathogen uptake, intercellular communication, intracellular signalling, and cell division.

Recent findings

In the past 24 months, new actin defects have been identified through next generation sequencing technologies. Substantial progress has also been made in understanding the pathogenic mechanisms that contribute to immunological dysfunction, and also how the cytoskeleton participates in normal physiological immune processes.

This review summarises recent advances in the field, raising awareness of these conditions and our current understanding of their presentation. Description of further cases and new conditions will extend the clinical phenotype of actin-related disorders, and will promote the development of more effective and targeted therapies.
Retracted: Evaluation of probiotic cream by in-vitro tests for treatment of bacterial vaginosis conditions
Authors: Mogha Kanchan V. , Prajapati Jashbhai B.
Published: October 2016

Probiotic bacteria are used to treat a broad range of gastrointestinal and/or vaginal disorders. A vaginal cream containing probiotic Lactobacillus helveticus (Microbial Type Culture Collection) MTCC 5463 was developed to treat vaginal infections. The effectiveness of probiotic cream was compared with market creams (usually prescribed by doctors) by performing different in-vitro tests, that is hydrophobicity, arginine deiminase assay, inhibition of vaginal pathogens, ability to produce H2O2, lactic acid production, and antibiotic susceptibility against various antibiotics used for treating bacterial vaginosis and reduction in pH. The probiotic cream showed maximum reduction in pH (4.32), amount of H2O2 (87.94 μM), arginine deiminase activity (1.56), d-lactic acid (3.62 mg/g), and l-lactic acid (2.27 mg/g) compared with all other market creams.
An Evidence-Based Approach to Integrate Civility, Professionalism, and Ethical Practice Into Nursing Curricula
Authors: Clark Cynthia M.
Published: October 2016

This article presents an evidence-based approach to integrate concepts of civility, professionalism, and ethical practice into nursing curricula to prepare students to foster healthy work environments and ensure safe patient care. The author provides evidence to support this approach and includes suggestions for new student orientation, strategies for the first day of class, exemplars for incorporating active learning strategies to enhance student engagement, an emphasis on positive faculty role modeling, and suggestions for curricular integration.
Early Adversity, Psychopathology, and Latent Class Profiles of Global Physical Health From Preschool Through Early Adolescence
Authors: Whalen Diana J. , Belden Andy C. , Tillman Rebecca , Barch Deanna M. , Luby Joan L.
Published: October 2016

Objective

The purpose of the present report was to describe the longitudinal trajectories of physical health beginning during preschool and continuing into early adolescence; explore whether these trajectories were predicted by psychosocial adversity, family income-to-needs ratio, and psychiatric disorders occurring during the preschool period; and determine whether psychiatric disorders mediated these relations.

Methods

Participants included 296 children participating in a longitudinal study of early-onset psychopathology spanning 10 years. Semistructured clinical interviews were conducted with caregivers to determine children's psychiatric diagnoses between ages 3 and 6 years. Caregivers also completed annual assessments of their child's physical health problems (ages 3–13) and reported on the family's income and indicators of psychosocial adversity.

Results

Growth mixture modeling revealed 2 trajectories of physical health problems: a stable, low group (n = 199) and a high, increasing group (n = 57) indicating linear increases in physical health problems from ages 3 to 13. Preschool psychiatric diagnoses (Estimate [Est] = 0.05, p < .001), family income-to-needs ratio (Est = −0.01, p = .012), and psychosocial adversity (Est = 0.02, p = .015) predicted membership in the high, increasing trajectory of physical health problems. Early-onset psychopathology mediated relations between psychosocial adversity and physical health problems (αβ = 0.31, p = .050) and between income-to-needs ratio and physical health problems (αβ = −0.29, p < .021).

Conclusions

These findings indicate the importance of early indicators of risk: low income-to-needs ratios, high psychosocial adversity, and psychiatric disorders occurring during the preschool period for contributing to increasing physical health problems from preschool through early adolescence. Early-onset psychiatric disorders also mediated relations between psychosocial adversity, income-to-needs ratio, and physical health problems.
On the possibility of galactic cosmic ray-induced radiolysis-powered life in subsurface environments in the Universe
Authors: Atri Dimitra
Published: October 2016

Photosynthesis is a mechanism developed by terrestrial life to utilize the energy from photons of solar origin for biological use. Subsurface regions are isolated from the photosphere, and consequently are incapable of utilizing this energy. This opens up the opportunity for life to evolve alternative mechanisms for harvesting available energy. Bacterium
Candidatus Desulforudis audaxviator
, found 2.8 km deep in a South African mine, harvests energy from radiolysis, induced by particles emitted from radioactive U, Th and K present in surrounding rock. Another radiation source in the subsurface environments is secondary particles generated by galactic cosmic rays (GCRs). Using Monte Carlo simulations, it is shown that it is a steady source of energy comparable to that produced by radioactive substances, and the possibility of a slow metabolizing life flourishing on it cannot be ruled out. Two mechanisms are proposed through which GCR-induced secondary particles can be utilized for biological use in subsurface environments: (i) GCRs injecting energy in the environment through particle-induced radiolysis and (ii) organic synthesis from GCR secondaries interacting with the medium. Laboratory experiments to test these hypotheses are also proposed. Implications of these mechanisms on finding life in the Solar System and elsewhere in the Universe are discussed.
The role of amino acids in hydroxyapatite mineralization
Authors: Tavafoghi M. , Cerruti M.
Published: October 2016

Polar and charged amino acids (AAs) are heavily expressed in non-collagenous proteins (NCPs), and are involved in hydroxyapatite (HA) mineralization in bone. Here, we review what is known on the effect of single AAs on HA precipitation. Negatively charged AAs, such as aspartic acid, glutamic acid (Glu) and phosphoserine are largely expressed in NCPs and play a critical role in controlling HA nucleation and growth. Positively charged ones such as arginine (Arg) or lysine (Lys) are heavily involved in HA nucleation within extracellular matrix proteins such as collagen. Glu, Arg and Lys intake can also increase bone mineral density by stimulating growth hormone production.In vitrostudies suggest that the role of AAs in controlling HA precipitation is affected by their mobility. While dissolved AAs are able to inhibit HA precipitation and growth by chelating Ca2+and PO43−ions or binding to nuclei of calcium phosphate and preventing their further growth, AAs bound to surfaces can promote HA precipitation by attracting Ca2+and PO43−ions and increasing the local supersaturation. Overall, the effect of AAs on HA precipitation is worth being investigated more, especially under conditions closer to the physiological ones, where the presence of other factors such as collagen, mineralization inhibitors, and cells heavily influences HA precipitation. A deeper understanding of the role of AAs in HA mineralization will increase our fundamental knowledge related to bone formation, and could lead to new therapies to improve bone regeneration in damaged tissues or cure pathological diseases caused by excessive mineralization in tissues such as cartilage, blood vessels and cardiac valves.
Characterizing the reproduction number of epidemics with early subexponential growth dynamics
Authors: Chowell Gerardo , Viboud Cécile , Simonsen Lone , Moghadas Seyed M.
Published: October 2016

Early estimates of the transmission potential of emerging and re-emerging infections are increasingly used to inform public health authorities on the level of risk posed by outbreaks. Existing methods to estimate the reproduction number generally assume exponential growth in case incidence in the first few disease generations, before susceptible depletion sets in. In reality, outbreaks can display subexponential (i.e. polynomial) growth in the first few disease generations, owing to clustering in contact patterns, spatial effects, inhomogeneous mixing, reactive behaviour changes or other mechanisms. Here, we introduce thegeneralizedgrowth model to characterize the early growth profile of outbreaks and estimate the effective reproduction number, with no need for explicit assumptions about the shape of epidemic growth. We demonstrate this phenomenological approach using analytical results and simulations from mechanistic models, and provide validation against a range of empirical disease datasets. Our results suggest that subexponential growth in the early phase of an epidemic is the rule rather the exception. Mechanistic simulations show that slight modifications to the classical susceptible–infectious–removed model result in subexponential growth, and in turn a rapid decline in the reproduction number within three to five disease generations. For empirical outbreaks, the generalized-growth model consistently outperforms the exponential model for a variety of directly and indirectly transmitted diseases datasets (pandemic influenza, measles, smallpox, bubonic plague, cholera, foot-and-mouth disease, HIV/AIDS and Ebola) with model estimates supporting subexponential growth dynamics. The rapid decline in effective reproduction number predicted by analytical results and observed in real and synthetic datasets within three to five disease generations contrasts with the expectation of invariant reproduction number in epidemics obeying exponential growth. The generalized-growth concept also provides us a compelling argument for the unexpected extinction of certain emerging disease outbreaks during the early ascending phase. Overall, our approach promotes a more reliable and data-driven characterization of the early epidemic phase, which is important for accurate estimation of the reproduction number and prediction of disease impact.
Morphological plant modeling: Unleashing geometric and topological potential within the plant sciences
Authors: Bucksch Alexander , Atta-Boateng Acheampong , Azihou Akomian Fortuné , Balduzzi Mathilde , Battogtokh Dorjsuren , Baumgartner Aly , Binder Brad M. , Braybrook Siobhan A. , Chang Cynthia , Coneva Viktoiriya , DeWitt Thomas J. , Fletcher Alexander G. , Gehan Malia A. , Hernan Diaz Martinez Diego , Hong Lilan , Iyer-Pascuzzi Anjali S. , Klein Laura L. , Leiboff Samuel , Li Mao , Lynch Jonathan P. , Maizel Alexis , Maloof Julin N. , Markelz R.J. Cody , Martinez Ciera C. , Miller Laura A. , Mio Washington , Palubicki Wojtek , Poorter Hendrik , Pradal Christophe , Price Charles A. , Puttonen Eetu , Reese John , Rellán-Álvarez Rubén , Spalding Edgar P. , Sparks Erin E. , Topp Christopher N. , Williams Joseph , Chitwood Daniel H.
Published: October 2016

Plant morphology is inherently mathematical in that morphology describes plant form and architecture with geometrical and topological descriptors. The geometries and topologies of leaves, flowers, roots, shoots and their spatial arrangements have fascinated plant biologists and mathematicians alike. Beyond providing aesthetic inspiration, quantifying plant morphology has become pressing in an era of climate change and a growing human population. Modifying plant morphology, through molecular biology and breeding, aided by a mathematical perspective, is critical to improving agriculture, and the monitoring of ecosystems with fewer natural resources. In this white paper, we begin with an overview of the mathematical models applied to quantify patterning in plants. We then explore fundamental challenges that remain unanswered concerning plant morphology, from the barriers preventing the prediction of phenotype from genotype to modeling the movement of leafs in air streams. We end with a discussion concerning the incorporation of plant morphology into educational programs. This strategy focuses on synthesizing biological and mathematical approaches and ways to facilitate research advances through outreach, cross-disciplinary training, and open science. This white paper arose from bringing mathematicians and biologists together at the National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis (NIMBioS) workshop titled “Morphological Plant Modeling: Unleashing Geometric and Topological Potential within the Plant Sciences” held at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in September, 2015. Never has the need to quantify plant morphology been more imperative. Unleashing the potential of geometric and topological approaches in the plant sciences promises to transform our understanding of both plants and mathematics.
Computational prediction of the tolerance to amino-acid deletion in green-fluorescent protein
Authors: Jackson Eleisha L. , Spielman Stephanie J. , Wilke Claus O.
Published: October 2016

Proteins evolve through two primary mechanisms: substitution, where mutations alter a protein’s amino-acid sequence, and insertions and deletions (indels), where amino acids are either added to or removed from the sequence. Protein structure has been shown to influence the rate at which substitutions accumulate across sites in proteins, but whether structure similarly constrains the occurrence of indels has not been rigorously studied. Here, we investigate the extent to which structural properties known to covary with protein evolutionary rates might also predict protein tolerance to indels. Specifically, we analyze a publicly available dataset of single–amino-acid deletion mutations in enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) to assess how well the functional effect of deletions can be predicted from protein structure. We find that weighted contact number (WCN), which measures how densely packed a residue is within the protein’s three-dimensional structure, provides the best single predictor for whether eGFP will tolerate a given deletion. We additionally find that using protein design to explicitly model deletions results in improved predictions of functional status when combined with other structural predictors. Our work suggests that structure plays fundamental role in constraining deletions at sites in proteins, and further that similar biophysical constraints influence both substitutions and deletions. This study therefore provides a solid foundation for future work to examine how protein structure influences tolerance of more complex indel events, such as insertions or large deletions.
A molecular portrait of microsatellite instability across multiple cancers
Authors: Cortes-Ciriano Isidro , Lee Sejoon , Park Woong-Yang , Kim Tae-Min , J. Park Peter
Published: October 2016

Microsatellite instability (MSI) refers to the hypermutability of the cancer genome due to impaired DNA mismatch repair. Although MSI has been studied for decades, the large amount of sequencing data now available allows us to examine the molecular fingerprints of MSI in greater detail. Here, we analyze ~8000 exome and ~1000 whole-genome pairs across 23 cancer types. Our pan-cancer analysis reveals that the prevalence of MSI events is highly variable within and across tumor types including some in which MSI is not typically examined. We also identify genes in DNA repair and oncogenic pathways recurrently subject to MSI and uncover non-coding loci that frequently display MSI events. Finally, we propose an exomebased predictive model for the MSI phenotype that achieves high sensitivity and specificity. These results advance our understanding of the genomic drivers and consequences of MSI, and a comprehensive catalog of tumor-type specific MSI loci we have generated enables efficient panel-based MSI testing to identify patients who are likely to benefit from immunotherapy.
A transcallosal fiber system between homotopic inferior frontal regions supports complex linguistic processing
Authors: Kellmeyer Philipp , Vry Magnus-Sebastian , Ball Tonio
Published: October 2016

Inferior frontal regions in the left and right hemisphere support different aspects of language processing. In the canonical model, left inferior frontal regions are mostly involved in processing based on phonological, syntactic and semantic features of language, whereas the right inferior frontal regions process paralinguistic aspects like affective prosody.

Using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) based probabilistic fiber tracking in 20 healthy volunteers, we identify a callosal fiber system connecting left and right inferior frontal regions that are involved in linguistic processing of varying complexity. Anatomically, we show that the interhemispheric fibers are highly aligned and distributed along a rostral to caudal gradient in the body and genu of the corpus callosum to connect homotopic inferior frontal regions.

In light of converging data, taking previous DTI-based tracking studies and clinical case studies into account, our findings suggest that the right inferior frontal cortex not only processes paralinguistic aspects of language (such as affective prosody), as purported by the canonical model, but also supports the computation of linguistic aspects of varying complexity in the human brain. Our model may explain patterns of right hemispheric contribution to stroke recovery as well as disorders of prosodic processing. Beyond language-related brain function, we discuss how interspecies differences in interhemispheric connectivity and fiber density, including the system we described here, may also explain differences in transcallosal information transfer and cognitive abilities across different mammalian species.
Opening the black box: knowledge creation in data teams
Authors: Hubers Mireille D. , Poortman Cindy L. , Schildkamp Kim , Pieters Jules M. , Handelzalts Adam
Published: October 2016

Purpose

– In this study, Nonaka and Takeuchi’s socialization, externalization, combination and internalization (SECI) model of knowledge creation is used to gain insight into the process of knowledge creation in data teams. These teams are composed of school leaders and teachers, who work together to improve the quality of education. They collaboratively create knowledge related to data use and to an educational problem they are studying. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

– A qualitative micro-process case study was conducted for two data teams. The modes, transitions and content of the knowledge creation process were analyzed for all data team meetings over a two-year period. In addition, all team members were interviewed twice to triangulate the findings.

Findings

– Results show that the knowledge creation process was cyclical across meetings, but more iterative within meetings. Furthermore, engagement in the socialization and internalization mode provided added value in this process. Finally, the SECI model clearly differentiated between team members’ processes. Team members who engaged more often in the socialization and internalization modes and displayed more personal engagement in those modes gained greater and deeper knowledge.

Research limitations/implications

– The SECI model is valuable for understanding how teams gain new knowledge and why they differ in those gains.

Practical implications

– Stimulation of active personal engagement in the socialization and internalization mode is needed.

Originality/value

– This is one of the first attempts to concretely observe the process of knowledge creation. It provides essential insights into what educators do in professional development contexts, and how support can best be provided.
Acute calcium kinetics in haemodialysis patients
Authors: Pirklbauer Markus , Schupart Ramona , Mayer Gert
Published: October 2016

Introduction

To avoid excessive calcium loading in haemodialysis (HD) patients, current guidelines suggest a dialysate calcium concentration (dCa) of 2·5 mEq/L based on relatively stable intradialytic serum calcium levels. However, the latter do not account for possible calcium storage in acutely accessible pools. A rapidly exchangeable calcium pool located at the bone level has been previously proposed to be involved in acute (minute‐to‐minute) extracellular calcium regulation.

Design

To evaluate the contribution of this pool in the maintenance of serum calcium levels, acute calcium buffer capacity was assessed by measuring intradialytic dialysate‐sided ionized calcium mass balance (iCaMB) and change in extracellular fluid calcium mass in chronic HD patients using a dCa of 3·5 (n = 28) and 2·5 (n = 10) mEq/L. Serum osteocalcin, the most abundant noncollagenous bone protein, was measured before the HD session.

Results

iCaMB was invariably positive for both 2·5 and 3·5 mEq/L dCa, with a mean of 434 (±125) and 725 (±162) mg/HD, respectively (P < 0·001). Buffered intradialytic calcium load was 410 (±116) and 565 (±130) mg/HD, and acute calcium buffer capacity was 95 (±8)% and 78 (±7)% (mean values at 2·5 and 3·5 mEq/L dCa, respectively) (P < 0·001). Using 3·5 mEq/L dCa, an independent association of acute calcium buffer capacity with undercarboxylated osteocalcin (β = 0·512, P = 0·002) was demonstrated.

Conclusions

Our data strongly suggest the existence of a rapidly exchangeable calcium pool that counteracts acute serum calcium deviations in HD patients. This study provides, for the first time, experimental evidence for the involvement of bone in acute extracellular calcium regulation in vivo.
Resilience Analytics with Application to Power Grid of a Developing Region
Authors: Thorisson Heimir , Lambert James H. , Cardenas John J. , Linkov Igor
Published: October 2016

Infrastructure development of volatile regions is a significant investment by international government and nongovernment organizations, with attendant requirements for risk management. Global development banks may be tasked to manage these investments and provide a channel between donors and borrowers. Moreover, various stakeholders from the private sector, local and international agencies, and the military can be engaged in conception, planning, and implementation of constituent projects. Emergent and future conditions of military conflict, politics, economics, technology, environment, behaviors, institutions, and society that stress infrastructure development are prevalent, and funding mechanisms are vulnerable to fraud, waste, and abuse. This article will apply resilience analytics with scenario‐based preferences to identify the stressors that most influence a prioritization of initiatives in the electric power sector of Afghanistan. The resilience in this article is conceived in terms of the degree of disruption of priorities when stressors influence the preferences of stakeholders, and ultimately a prioritization of initiatives. The ancillary results include an understanding of which initiatives contribute most and least across strategic criteria and which criteria have the most impact for the analysis. The article concludes with recommendations for risk monitoring and risk management of the portfolio of stressors through the life cycle and horizon of grid capacity expansion.
Growth and electronic properties of Tb silicide layers on Si(111)
Authors: Franz Martin , Appelfeller Stephan , Prohl Christopher , Große Jan , Jirschik Hans-Ferdinand , Füllert Vivien , Hassenstein Christian , Diemer Zeno , Dähne Mario
Published: October 2016

The formation, atomic structure, and electronic properties of Tb silicide layers on the Si(111) surface were studied using scanning tunneling microscopy as well as core-level and angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy. For Tb exposures around one monolayer, the formation of a hexagonal TbSi2 monolayer was found, while higher coverages led to the formation of a hexagonal Tb3Si5 multilayer with a 3×3R30° superstructure in the bulk layers. For the monolayer silicide, Si-2p core level spectra show a Fermi level position very close to the conduction band minimum of the silicon substrate, while the Fermi level shifts toward midgap in the multilayer case. The electronic structure of the monolayer is characterized by a Fermi surface consisting of electronlike ellipses around the M¯ points and a holelike state around the Γ¯ point. The effective masses of the band around the M¯ points are strongly anisotropic, with values around 1.45 m0 in the long direction and 0.16 m0 in the short direction of the ellipses. In the case of the multilayer, the ellipses around the M¯ points are less eccentric, and there are indications for Umklapp processes due to the 3×3R30° superstructure in the silicide bulk layers. The overall behavior of Tb is found to be similar to that of other trivalent rare earths on Si(111).
Stratification of pseudoprogression and true progression of glioblastoma multiform based on longitudinal diffusion tensor imaging without segmentation
Authors: Qian Xiaohua , Tan Hua , Zhang Jian , Zhao Weilin , Chan Michael D. , Zhou Xiaobo
Published: October 2016

Purpose

Pseudoprogression (PsP) can mimic true tumor progression (TTP) on magnetic resonance imaging in patients with glioblastoma multiform (GBM). The phenotypical similarity between PsP and TTP makes it a challenging task for physicians to distinguish these entities. So far, no approved biomarkers or computer‐aided diagnosis systems have been used clinically for this purpose.

Methods

To address this challenge, the authors developed an objective classification system for PsP and TTP based on longitudinal diffusion tensor imaging. A novel spatio‐temporal discriminative dictionary learning scheme was proposed to differentiate PsP and TTP, thereby avoiding segmentation of the region of interest. The authors constructed a novel discriminative sparse matrix with the classification‐oriented dictionary learning approach by excluding the shared features of two categories, so that the pooled features captured the subtle difference between PsP and TTP. The most discriminating features were then identified from the pooled features by their feature scoring system. Finally, the authors stratified patients with GBM into PsP and TTP by a support vector machine approach. Tenfold cross‐validation (CV) and the area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUC) were used to assess the robustness of the developed system.

Results

The average accuracy and AUC values after ten rounds of tenfold CV were 0.867 and 0.92, respectively. The authors also assessed the effects of different methods and factors (such as data types, pooling techniques, and dimensionality reduction approaches) on the performance of their classification system which obtained the best performance.

Conclusions

The proposed objective classification system without segmentation achieved a desirable and reliable performance in differentiating PsP from TTP. Thus, the developed approach is expected to advance the clinical research and diagnosis of PsP and TTP.
The Effect of Backpack Carriage on the Biomechanics of Walking: A Systematic Review and Preliminary Meta-Analysis
Authors: Liew Bernard , Morris Susan , Netto Kevin
Published: October 2016

The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the impact of bilaterally symmetrical backpack systems borne on the posterior trunk on walking biomechanics, as backpacks represent the most prevalent method of load carriage in the military and civilian population. A search of electronic databases was performed for studies that only investigated posteriorly-borne backpack carriage during level-grade walking (treadmill and over ground). Methodology of studies was assessed, and both meta-analysis and qualitative synthesis were completed. Fifty-four studies were included in this review. In summary, the available literature showed that backpack carriage in walking was associated with an increased trunk flexion angle, increased hip and ankle range of motion, increased vertical and horizontal ground reaction force, increased cadence, and reduced stride length. Several variations in backpack carriage protocols could explain between-study variations in results, including: walking speed, backpack carriage skill level, the use of a hip belt, and posterior displacement of the load away from the trunk. The findings of this systematic review will inform backpack carriage practices in the area of injury risk assessment and physical performance enhancement.
Age-Related Locomotion Characteristics in Association with Balance Function in Young, Middle-Aged, and Older Adults
Authors: Lee Hwang-Jae , Chang Won Hyuk , Hwang Sun Hee , Choi Byung-Ok , Ryu Gyu-Ha , Kim Yun-Hee
Published: October 2016

The purpose of this study was to examine age-related gait characteristics and their associations with balance function in older adults. A total of 51 adult volunteers participated. All subjects underwent locomotion analysis using a 3D motion analysis and 12-channel dynamic electromyography system. Dynamic balance function was assessed by the Berg Balance Scale. Older adults showed a higher level of muscle activation than young adults, and there were significant positive correlations between increased age and activation of the trunk and thigh muscles in the stance and swing phase of the gait cycle. In particular, back extensor muscle activity was mostly correlated with the dynamic balance in older adults. Thus, back extensor muscle activity in walking may provide a clue for higher falling risk in older adults. This study demonstrates that the back extensor muscles play very important roles with potential for rehabilitation training to improve balance and gait in older adults.
Next-Generation High-Throughput Functional Annotation of Microbial Genomes
Authors: Baric Ralph S. , Crosson Sean , Damania Blossom , Miller Samuel I. , Rubin Eric J.
Published: October 2016

Host infection by microbial pathogens cues global changes in microbial and host cell biology that facilitate microbial replication and disease. The complete maps of thousands of bacterial and viral genomes have recently been defined; however, the rate at which physiological or biochemical functions have been assigned to genes has greatly lagged. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) addressed this gap by creating functional genomics centers dedicated to developing high-throughput approaches to assign gene function. These centers require broad-based and collaborative research programs to generate and integrate diverse data to achieve a comprehensive understanding of microbial pathogenesis. High-throughput functional genomics can lead to new therapeutics and better understanding of the next generation of emerging pathogens by rapidly defining new general mechanisms by which organisms cause disease and replicate in host tissues and by facilitating the rate at which functional data reach the scientific community.
A new collection of compressed damage indices for multi-damage detection of cold formed steel shear walls based on neural network ensembles
Authors: Zahedi Tajrishi Fatemeh , Mirza Goltabar Roshan Alireza , Zeynalian Mehran , Vaseghi Amiri Javad
Published: October 2016

This study presents a methodology that utilizes a new combination of two compressed damage indices as input data of an artificial neural network (ANN) ensemble to detect multi-damages in the braces of cold formed steel shear walls. To identify an efficient input data for ANN, first, three main groups of damage indices are considered: modal parameter-based damage indices; frequency response functions (FRFs)-based damage indices and time series-based damage indices. Furthermore, principal component analysis (PCA) technique is applied to reduce the dimensions of FRFs and time series-based input pattern. By a sensitivity study, two suitable damage indices of PCA-compressed time series data and PCA-compressed FRFs are identified and then combined to produce a new efficient input data for a hierarchy of ANN ensembles. The numerical results show that the ANN ensemble-based damage detection approach with the proposed collection of two damage indices is effective and reliable.
Can people be sentinels of sustainability? Identifying the linkages among ecosystem health and human well-being
Authors: Loring Philip A. , Hinzman Megan S. , Neufeld Hanna
Published: October 2016

Human well-being depends on the health of ecosystems, but can human well-being also be an indicator of ecosystem health, and perhaps even sustainability? Research shows that ecosystem health and human well-being are often mutually reinforcing, whether in the direction of wellness and sustainability or poverty and degradation. However, while well-being is increasingly recognized as an important consideration when managing ecosystems, human needs and activities are often still thought of only in terms of their negative impacts on ecosystems. In this essay, we explore the proposition that there can be a mutually constitutive relationship between people’s well-being and the health of ecosystems, and discuss what such a relationship would mean for expanding the use of human well-being indicators in ecosystem-based management. Specifically, we discuss two areas of theory: ecosocial theory from social epidemiology and the marginalization–degradation thesis in political ecology; collectively, these provide a justification, in certain circumstances at least, for thinking of well-being as not just an add-on in natural resource management but as an indicator of ecosystem health and a prerequisite of social-ecological sustainability. We conclude with a discussion of future research needs to further explore how human well-being and ecosystem health interact.
Day-Ahead Anticipation of Complex Network Vulnerability
Authors: Stefanov S. Z. , Wang Paul P.
Published: October 2016

In this paper, a day-ahead anticipation of complex network vulnerability for an intentional threat of an attack or a shock is carried out. An ecological observer is introduced for that reason, which is a watch in the intentional multiverse, tiled by cells; dynamics of the intentional threat for a day-ahead is characterized by a space-time cell; spreading of the intentional threat is derived from its energy; duration of the intentional threat is found by the self-assembling of a space-time cell; the lower bound of probability is assessed to anticipate for a day-ahead the intentional threat; it is indicated that this vulnerability anticipation for a day-ahead is right when the intentional threat leads to dimension doubling of the complex network.
Nephron morphometry in mice and rats using tomographic microscopy
Authors: Letts Robyn F. R. , Zhai Xiao-Yue , Bhikha Charita , Grann Birgitte L. , Blom Nicklas B. , Thomsen Jesper Skovhus , Rubin David M. , Christensen Erik I. , Andreasen Arne
Published: October 2016

The aim was to quantify the glomerular capillary surface area, the segmental tubular radius, length, and area of single nephrons in mouse and rat kidneys. Multiple 2.5-µm-thick serial Epon sections were obtained from three mouse and three rat kidneys for three-dimensional reconstruction of the nephron tubules. Micrographs were aligned for each kidney, and 359 nephrons were traced and their segments localized. Thirty mouse and thirty rat nephrons were selected for further investigation. The luminal radius of each segment was determined by two methods. The luminal surface area was estimated from the radius and length of each segment. High-resolution micrographs were recorded for five rat glomeruli, and the capillary surface area determined. The capillary volume and surface area were corrected for glomerular shrinkage. A positive correlation was found between glomerular capillary area and proximal tubule area. The thickest part of the nephron, i.e., the proximal tubule, was followed by the thinnest part of the nephron, i.e., the descending thin limb, and the diameters of the seven identified nephron segments share the same rank in the two species. The radius and length measurements from mouse and rat nephrons generally share the same pattern; rat tubular radius-to-mouse tubular radius ratio ≈ 1.47, and rat tubular length-to-mouse tubular length ratio ≈ 2.29, suggesting relatively longer tubules in the rat. The detailed tables of mouse and rat glomerular capillary area and segmental radius, length, and area values may be used to enhance understanding of the associated physiology, including existing steady-state models of the urine-concentrating mechanism.
A computational model for simulating solute transport and oxygen consumption along the nephrons
Authors: Layton Anita T. , Vallon Volker , Edwards Aurélie
Published: October 2016

The goal of this study was to investigate water and solute transport, with a focus on sodium transport (TNa) and metabolism along individual nephron segments under differing physiological and pathophysiological conditions. To accomplish this goal, we developed a computational model of solute transport and oxygen consumption (QO2) along different nephron populations of a rat kidney. The model represents detailed epithelial and paracellular transport processes along both the superficial and juxtamedullary nephrons, with the loop of Henle of each model nephron extending to differing depths of the inner medulla. We used the model to assess how changes in TNa may alter QO2 in different nephron segments and how shifting the TNa sites alters overall kidney QO2. Under baseline conditions, the model predicted a whole kidney TNa/QO2, which denotes the number of moles of Na+ reabsorbed per moles of O2 consumed, of ∼15, with TNa efficiency predicted to be significantly greater in cortical nephron segments than in medullary segments. The TNa/QO2 ratio was generally similar among the superficial and juxtamedullary nephron segments, except for the proximal tubule, where TNa/QO2 was ∼20% higher in superficial nephrons, due to the larger luminal flow along the juxtamedullary proximal tubules and the resulting higher, flow-induced transcellular transport. Moreover, the model predicted that an increase in single-nephron glomerular filtration rate does not significantly affect TNa/QO2 in the proximal tubules but generally increases TNa/QO2 along downstream segments. The latter result can be attributed to the generally higher luminal [Na+], which raises paracellular TNa. Consequently, vulnerable medullary segments, such as the S3 segment and medullary thick ascending limb, may be relatively protected from flow-induced increases in QO2 under pathophysiological conditions.