bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Improving advance care planning for English-speaking and Spanish-speaking older adults: study protocol for the PREPARE randomised controlled trial
Authors: Sudore Rebecca L , Barnes Deborah E , Le Gem M , Ramos Roberto , Osua Stacy J , Richardson Sarah A , Boscardin John , Schillinger Dean
Published: July 2016

Introduction

Advance care planning (ACP) is a process that allows patients to identify their goals for medical care. Traditionally, ACP has focused on completing advance directives; however, we have expanded the ACP paradigm to also prepare patients to communicate their wishes and make informed decisions. To this end, we created an ACP website called PREPARE (http://www.prepareforyourcare.org) to prepare diverse English-speaking and Spanish-speaking older adults for medical decision-making. Here, we describe the study protocol for a randomised controlled efficacy trial of PREPARE in a safety-net setting. The goal is to determine the efficacy of PREPARE to engage diverse English-speaking and Spanish-speaking older adults in a full spectrum of ACP behaviours.

Methods and analysis

We include English-speaking and Spanish-speaking adults from an urban public hospital who are ≥55 years old, have ≥2 chronic medical conditions and have seen a primary care physician ≥2 times in the last year. Participants are randomised to the PREPARE intervention (review PREPARE and an easy-to-read advance directive) or the control arm (only the easy-to-read advance directive). The primary outcome is documentation of an advance directive and/or ACP discussion. Secondary outcomes include ACP behaviour change processes measured with validated surveys (eg, self-efficacy, readiness) and a broad range of ACP actions (eg, choosing a surrogate, identifying goals for care, discussing ACP with clinicians and/or surrogates). Using blinded outcome ascertainment, outcomes will be measured at 1 week and at 3, 6 and 12 months, and compared between study arms using mixed-effects logistic regression and mixed-effects linear, Poisson or negative binomial regression.

Ethics and dissemination

This study has been approved by the appropriate Institutional Review Boards and is guided by input from patient and clinical advisory boards and a data safety monitoring board. The results of this study will be disseminated to academic and community stakeholders.

Trial registration numbers

NCT01990235;NCT02072941; Pre-results.
Perceptions and experiences of the implementation, management, use and optimisation of electronic prescribing systems in hospital settings: protocol for a systematic review of qualitative studies
Authors: Farre Albert , Bem Danai , Heath Gemma , Shaw Karen , Cummins Carole
Published: July 2016

Introduction

There is increasing evidence that electronic prescribing (ePrescribing) or computerised provider/physician order entry (CPOE) systems can improve the quality and safety of healthcare services. However, it has also become clear that their implementation is not straightforward and may create unintended or undesired consequences once in use. In this context, qualitative approaches have been particularly useful and their interpretative synthesis could make an important and timely contribution to the field. This review will aim to identify, appraise and synthesise qualitative studies on ePrescribing/CPOE in hospital settings, with or without clinical decision support.

Methods and analysis

Data sources will include the following bibliographic databases: MEDLINE, MEDLINE In Process, EMBASE, PsycINFO, Social Policy and Practice via Ovid, CINAHL via EBSCO, The Cochrane Library (CDSR, DARE and CENTRAL databases), Nursing and Allied Health Sources, Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts via ProQuest and SCOPUS. In addition, other sources will be searched for ongoing studies (ClinicalTrials.gov) and grey literature: Healthcare Management Information Consortium, Conference Proceedings Citation Index (Web of Science) and Sociological abstracts. Studies will be independently screened for eligibility by 2 reviewers. Qualitative studies, either standalone or in the context of mixed-methods designs, reporting the perspectives of any actors involved in the implementation, management and use of ePrescribing/CPOE systems in hospital-based care settings will be included. Data extraction will be conducted by 2 reviewers using a piloted form. Quality appraisal will be based on criteria from the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme checklist and Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research. Studies will not be excluded based on quality assessment. A postsynthesis sensitivity analysis will be undertaken. Data analysis will follow the thematic synthesis method.

Ethics and dissemination

The study does not require ethical approval as primary data will not be collected. The results of the study will be published in a peer-reviewed journal and presented at relevant conferences.

Trial registration number

CRD42016035552.
The electron-pair density distribution of the1,3Πuexcited states of H2
Authors: Mercero J.M. , Rodríguez-Mayorga M. , Matito E. , Lopez X. , Ugalde J.M.
Published: July 2016

The non-monotonic behavior of the electron repulsion energy and the inter-electronic distance, as a function of the internuclear separation, in the3Πuexcited state of the hydrogen molecule has been assessed by explicit calculation and analysis of the electron-pair density distribution functions from high level ab initio full configuration interaction wave functions, for both the3Πuand the1Πustates. Additionally, Hund’s rule as applied to these two states has been accounted for in terms of simple electronic shielding effects induced by wave function antisymmetrization.
Thermodynamics of anisotropic emergent universe in nonlinear electrodynamics
Authors: Sharif M. , Sarwar Ayesha
Published: July 2016

In this paper, we study the emergent universe (EU) with interacting fluids in the background of Bianchi type I (BI) universe model. For this purpose, we consider polytropic equation of state (EoS) which constitutes three non-interacting fluids. In order to check the viability of the cosmological models, we take a two-fluid model interacting with dust fluid and a three-fluid model in which each fluid has nonlinear EoS interacting at [Formula: see text]. It turns out that both models are realistic cosmological viable. We also check the validity of the generalized second law of thermodynamics (GSLT) for EU with interacting fluids. Finally, we study its validity in the framework of nonlinear electrodynamics (NLED) on apparent horizon.
Perturbative unification of gauge couplings in supersymmetric E6 models
Authors: Cho Gi-Chol , Maru Nobuhito , Yotsutani Kaho
Published: July 2016

We study gauge coupling unification in supersymmetric (SUSY) E6 models where an additional U(1)[Formula: see text] gauge symmetry is broken near the TeV scale and a number of exotic matter fields from the 27 representations have O(TeV) mass. Solving the two-loop renormalization group equations (RGE) of gauge couplings and a kinetic mixing coupling between the U(1)[Formula: see text] and U(1)Y gauge fields, we find that the gauge couplings fall into the non-perturbative regime below the grand unified theories (GUT) scale. We examine threshold corrections on the running of gauge couplings from both light and heavy ([Formula: see text] GUT scale) particles and show constraints on the size of corrections to achieve the perturbative unification of gauge couplings.
Diphoton excess and VV-scattering
Authors: Cynolter G. , Kovács J. , Lendvai E.
Published: July 2016

We consider minimal effective interactions of the 750 GeV mass resonance observed recently by ATLAS and CMS. Assuming a new scalar and gauge invariant effective interactions leads to nontrivial two-particle scattering amplitudes with asymptotic gauge boson states. The longitudinally polarized W[Formula: see text] and Z bosons interacting via dimension-five effective operators provide stringent constraints on the validity of the effective model. The large width found by ATLAS implying a bound of approximately 500 GeV already below the resonance, turns this scenario unlikely. For production mainly in gluon fusion, we get an upper bound of [Formula: see text] 1.3 TeV and strong limits on the masses of the underlying vector-like fermions are given.
General spin precession and betatron oscillation in storage rings
Authors: Fukuyama Takeshi
Published: July 2016

Spin precession of particles having both anomalous magnetic and electric dipole moments (EDMs) is considered. We give the generalized expression of spin precession of these particles injected with transversal extent in magnetic storage rings. This is the generalization of the Farley’s pitch correction [F. J. N. Farley, Phys. Lett. B 42, 66 (1972)], including radial oscillation as well as vertical one. The transversal betatron oscillation formulae of these particles are also reproduced.
Noether symmetries and exact solutions of an Euler–Bernoulli beam model
Authors: Fatima Aeeman , Mahomed Fazal M. , Khalique Chaudry Masood
Published: July 2016

In this paper, a Noether symmetry analysis is carried out for an Euler–Bernoulli beam equation via the standard Lagrangian of its reduced scalar second-order equation which arises from the standard Lagrangian of the fourth-order beam equation via its Noether integrals. The Noether symmetries corresponding to the reduced equation is shown to be the inherited Noether symmetries of the standard Lagrangian of the beam equation. The corresponding Noether integrals of the reduced Euler–Lagrange equations are deduced which remarkably allows for three families of new exact solutions of the static beam equation. These are shown to contain all the previous solutions obtained from the standard Lie analysis and more.
Chaos control of a Bose–Einstein condensate in a moving optical lattice
Authors: Zhang Zhiying , Feng Xiuqin , Yao Zhihai
Published: July 2016

Chaos control of a Bose–Einstein condensate (BEC) loaded into a moving optical lattice with attractive interaction is investigated on the basis of Lyapunov stability theory. Three methods are designed to control chaos in BEC. As a controller, a bias constant, periodic force, or wavelet function feedback is added to the BEC system. Numerical simulations reveal that chaotic behavior can be well controlled to achieve periodicity by regulating control parameters. Different periodic orbits are available for different control parameters only if the maximal Lyapunov exponent of the system is negative. The abundant effect of chaotic control is also demonstrated numerically. Chaos control can be realized effectively by using our proposed control strategies.
Schwinger effect, Hawking radiation and Unruh effect
Authors: Kim Sang Pyo
Published: July 2016

We revisit the Schwinger effect in de Sitter (ds), anti-de Sitter (Ads) spaces and charged black holes, and explore the interplay between quantum electrodynamics (QED) and the quantum gravity effect at one-loop level. We then advance a thermal interpretation of the Schwinger effect in curved spacetimes. Finally, we show that the Schwinger effect in a near-extremal black hole differs from Hawking radiation of charged particles in a nonextremal black hole and is factorized into those in an Ads space and a Rindler space with the surface gravity for acceleration.
Warehouse to Manage Collateral — Kaul’s Dilemma
Authors: Dey Kushankur , Alur Sivakumar
Published: July 2016

NCMSL, incorporated in India in 2004 was a Mumbai-based Collateral Management (CM) services organisation that was facing a dilemma in expanding its operations. It was set up with the objective of empowering stakeholders mainly in agricultural commodities business to deal with various risks. Its major businesses were managing warehouses and providing collateral management services. It provided CM services to its clients that lent based on collaterals (warehoused non-perishable commodities). Competitors included National Bulk Handling Corporation among others, who provided similar offerings in the market. Banks were its major clients. The assets under NCMSL’s management and income varied considerably over the last four financial years (FY 2008–12). Mr Sanjay Kaul, NCMSL’s MD & CEO was wondering whether investing in an own-warehousing network would make business sense. He was exploring whether increasing the bank network for business expansion would bear any fruit. He anticipated answers to his questions from the data available.
Sabarkantha Gas Limited: Challenges of Marketing Natural Gas
Authors: Kumar Kar Sanjay , Kumar Sinha Piyush , Mishra Saurabh
Published: July 2016

This case is set in June 2012 and brings out many operational issues and challenges faced by the management of Sabarkantha Gas Limited (SGL) to efficiently, effectively, and profitably market natural gas in Mehesana, Sabarkantha, and Gandhinagar districts of Gujarat, India. The company has been able to achieve some degree of success with its growing customer base, volume, and profitability. The business environment seems to be rapidly changing and SGL acknowledges the intensive competition in the near future, especially after the expiry of marketing exclusivity as granted by the regulatory body. Currently the company operates in small geographical territories but has the opportunity to expand. For SGL, economies of scale seems to be a big challenge. In India, the markets of some competing fuels are either artificially underpriced/subsidised and are cheap without consideration of environmental externalities. Marketing natural gas was found to be a challenging task. The company also faces emerging challenges like managing customer perception, customer acquisition and retention, price volatility, customer adoption cycle, and meeting customer expectations. Efficient management of such challenges could mitigate some of the business risks and improve the top-line and bottom-line. The opportunity of resolving pressing issues faced by SGL would keep the readers interested and allow them to test their knowledge on marketing and commercial strategy along with other functional strategies.
Influence of Deccan volcanism/synrift magmatism on the crust–mantle structure and its implications for the seismogenesis of earthquakes occurring in the Kachchh rift zone
Authors: Mandal Prantik
Published: July 2016

The present study focuses on the delineation of the crust–mantle structure underlying the Kachchh rift zone (KRZ), by modelling P-wave receiver functions (P-RFs) and P-wave teleseismic tomography. Our RF study delineates marked crustal and lithospheric thinning below the central KRZ relative to the unrifted surrounding regions. This thinning model receives further support from crust-corrected normalized P-residuals, which suggest dominant negative residuals associated with the central KRZ. Teleseismic tomography using these P-residuals reveals low velocity to a depth of 170 km below the central KRZ, while there are positive residuals associated with the surrounding unrifted zones. Such a complex heterogeneous crust–mantle structure, which could be related to K/T boundary Deccan mantle plume activity and rift-related magmatism, might play a crucial role in seismogenesis of lower crustal earthquakes that have occurred in the KRZ since 2001. Inverted crust–mantle models obtained from P-RFs suggest a low shear velocity zone extending from 70–110 to 170–220 km depth beneath the central KRZ. This receives further support from the presence of low P-wave velocity down to 170 km modelled using teleseismic tomography. This low
V
p
and
V
s
zone in the upper mantle could be explained by the presence of trapped melts related to Deccan volcanism at 65 Ma or older rift-related magmatism.
Impact of coronary bifurcation morphology on wave propagation
Authors: Rivolo Simone , Hadjilucas Lucas , Sinclair Matthew , van Horssen Pepijn , van den Wijngaard Jeroen , Wesolowski Roman , Chiribiri Amedeo , Siebes Maria , Smith Nicolas P. , Lee Jack
Published: July 2016

The branching pattern of the coronary vasculature is a key determinant of its function and plays a crucial role in shaping the pressure and velocity wave forms measured for clinical diagnosis. However, although multiple scaling laws have been proposed to characterize the branching pattern, the implications they have on wave propagation remain unassessed to date. To bridge this gap, we have developed a new theoretical framework by combining the mathematical formulation of scaling laws with the wave propagation theory in the pulsatile flow regime. This framework was then validated in multiple species using high-resolution cryomicrotome images of porcine, canine, and human coronary networks. Results demonstrate that the forward well-matchedness (no reflection for pressure/flow waves traveling from the coronary stem toward the microcirculation) is a salient feature in the coronary vasculature, and this result remains robust under many scenarios of the underlying pulse wave speed distribution assumed in the network. This result also implies a significant damping of the backward traveling waves, especially for smaller vessels (radius, <0.3 mm). Furthermore, the theoretical prediction of increasing area ratios (ratio between the area of the mother and daughter vessels) in more symmetric bifurcations found in the distal circulation was confirmed by experimental measurements. No differences were observed by clustering the vessel segments in terms of transmurality (from epicardium to endocardium) or perfusion territories (left anterior descending, left circumflex, and right coronary artery).
Intermittent hypoxia and arterial blood pressure control in humans: role of the peripheral vasculature and carotid baroreflex
Authors: Tremblay Joshua C. , Boulet Lindsey M. , Tymko Michael M. , Foster Glen E.
Published: July 2016

Intermittent hypoxia (IH) occurs in association with obstructive sleep apnea and likely contributes to the pathogenesis of hypertension. The purpose of this study was to examine the putative early adaptations at the level of the peripheral vasculature and carotid baroreflex (CBR) that may promote the development of hypertension. Ten healthy male participants (26 ± 1 yr, BMI = 24 ± 1 kg/m2) were exposed to 6 h of IH (1-min cycles of normoxia and hypoxia) and SHAM in a single-blinded, counterbalanced crossover study design. Ambulatory blood pressure was measured during each condition and the following night. Vascular strain of the carotid and femoral artery, a measure of localized arterial stiffness, and hemodynamic shear patterns in the brachial and femoral arteries were measured during each condition. Brachial artery reactive hyperemia flow-mediated vasodilation was assessed before and after each condition as a measure of endothelial function. CBR function and its control over leg vascular conductance (LVC) were measured after each condition with a variable-pressure neck chamber. Intermittent hypoxia 1) increased nighttime pulse pressure by 3.2 ± 1.3 mmHg, 2) altered femoral but not brachial artery hemodynamics, 3) did not affect brachial artery endothelial function, 4) reduced vascular strain in the carotid and possibly femoral artery, and 5) shifted CBR mean arterial pressure (MAP) to higher MAP while blunting LVC responses to CBR loading. These results suggest limb-specific vascular impairments, reduced vascular strain, and CBR resetting combined with blunted LVC responses are factors in the early pathogenesis of IH-induced development of hypertension.
GABAA- and glycine-mediated inhibitory modulation of the cough reflex in the caudal nucleus tractus solitarii of the rabbit
Authors: Cinelli Elenia , Iovino Ludovica , Bongianni Fulvia , Pantaleo Tito , Mutolo Donatella
Published: July 2016

Cough-related sensory inputs from rapidly adapting receptors (RARs) and C fibers are processed by second-order neurons mainly located in the caudal nucleus tractus solitarii (NTS). Both GABAA and glycine receptors have been proven to be involved in the inhibitory control of second-order cells receiving RAR projections. We investigated the role of these receptors within the caudal NTS in the modulation of the cough reflex induced by either mechanical or chemical stimulation of the tracheobronchial tree in pentobarbital sodium-anesthetized, spontaneously breathing rabbits. Bilateral microinjections (30–50 nl) of the receptor antagonists bicuculline and strychnine as well as of the receptor agonists muscimol and glycine were performed. Bicuculline (0.1 mM) and strychnine (1 mM) caused decreases in peak abdominal activity and marked increases in respiratory frequency due to decreases in both inspiratory time (Ti) and expiratory time (Te), without concomitant changes in arterial blood pressure. Noticeably, these microinjections induced potentiation of the cough reflex consisting of increases in the cough number associated with decreases either in cough-related Ti after bicuculline or in both cough-related Ti and Te after strychnine. The effects caused by muscimol (0.1 mM) and glycine (10 mM) were in the opposite direction to those produced by the corresponding antagonists. The results show that both GABAA and glycine receptors within the caudal NTS mediate a potent inhibitory modulation of the pattern of breathing and cough reflex responses. They strongly suggest that disinhibition is one important mechanism underlying cough regulation and possibly provide new hints for novel effective antitussive strategies.
Correcting the dynamic response of a commercial esophageal balloon-catheter
Authors: Cross Troy J. , Beck Kenneth C. , Johnson Bruce D.
Published: July 2016

It is generally recommended that an esophageal balloon-catheter possess an adequate frequency response up to 15 Hz, such that parameters of respiratory mechanics may be quantified with precision. In our experience, however, we have observed that some commercially available systems do not display an ideal frequency response (<8-10 Hz). We therefore investigated whether the poor frequency response of a commercially available esophageal catheter may be adequately compensated using two numerical techniques: 1) an exponential model correction, and 2) Wiener deconvolution. These two numerical techniques were performed on a commercial balloon-catheter interfaced with 0, 1, and 2 lengths of extension tubing (90 cm each), referred to as configurations L0, L90, and L180, respectively. The frequency response of the balloon-catheter in these configurations was assessed by empirical transfer function analysis, and its “working” range was defined as the frequency beyond which more than 5% amplitude and/or phase distortion was observed. The working frequency range of the uncorrected balloon-catheter extended up to only 10 Hz for L0, and progressively worsened with additional tubing length (L90 = 3 Hz, L180 = 2 Hz). Although both numerical methods of correction adequately enhanced the working frequency range of the balloon-catheter to beyond 25 Hz for all length configurations (L0, L90, and L180), Wiener deconvolution consistently provided more accurate corrections. Our data indicate that Wiener deconvolution provides a superior correction of the balloon-catheter's dynamic response, and is relatively more robust to extensions in catheter tube length compared with the exponential correction method.
Successful Control of Massive Bleeding in a Child with Burkitt’s Lymphoma via a Biosimilar Recombinant Activated Factor VII (AryoSeven™)
Authors: Goudarzi Pour Kourosh , Malek Fatemeh , Eshghi Peyman
Published: July 2016

We describe a case of a 4-year-old girl with Burkitt’s lymphoma, who suffered from a massive gastrointestinal hemorrhage 3 days after chemotherapy. In spite of applying the common practice in correction of coagulopathy, thrombocytopenia persisted and bleeding became life-threatening. In the present case report, we report a successful control of bleeding with a single-dose administration of a biosimilar recombinant activated human factor VII (AryoSeven).
Vitamin D and Risk for Vitamin A Intoxication in an 18-Month-Old Boy
Authors: Talarico Valentina , Barreca Massimo , Galiano Rossella , Galati Maria Concetta , Raiola Giuseppe
Published: July 2016

An 18-month-old boy presented with abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, and poor appetite for 6 days. He had been given a multivitamin preparation once daily, containing 50.000 IU of vitamin D and 10.000 IU of vitamin A for a wide anterior fontanelle for about three months. He presented with hypercalcemia, low levels of parathyroid hormone (PTH), and very high serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OHD) levels. Renal ultrasound showed nephrocalcinosis. He did not have sign or symptom of vitamin A intoxication. Patient was successfully treated with intravenous hydration, furosemide, and prednisolone. With treatment, serum calcium returned rapidly to the normal range and serum 25-OHD levels were reduced progressively. In conclusion the diagnosis of vitamin D deficiency rickets without checking 25-OHD levels may cause redundant treatment that leads to vitamin D intoxication (VDI).
DualLp-Mixed Geominimal Surface Area and Related Inequalities
Authors: Ma Tongyi , Feng Yibin
Published: July 2016

The integral formula of dualLp-geominimal surface area is given and the concept of dualLp-geominimal surface area is extended to dualLp-mixed geominimal surface area. Properties for the dualLp-mixed geominimal surface areas are established. Some inequalities, such as analogues of Alexandrov-Fenchel inequalities, Blaschke-Santaló inequalities, and affine isoperimetric inequalities for dualLp-mixed geominimal surface areas, are also obtained.
Storage Conditions of Conjugated Reagents Can Impact Results of Immunogenicity Assays
Authors: Kubiak Robert J. , Lee Nancy , Zhu Yuan , Franch William R. , Levitskaya Sophia V. , Krishnan Surekha R. , Abraham Varghese , Akufongwe Peter F. , Larkin Christopher J. , White Wendy I.
Published: July 2016

Consistent performance of anti-drug antibody (ADA) assays through all stages of clinical development is critical for the assessment of immunogenicity and interpretation of PK, PD, safety, and efficacy. The electrochemiluminescent assays commonly employed for ADA measurement use drug conjugated with ruthenium and biotin to bind ADA in samples. Here we report an association between high nonspecific ADA responses in certain drug-naïve individuals and the storage buffer of the conjugated reagents used in a monoclonal antibody ADA assay. Ruthenylated reagents stored in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) buffer had increased levels of aggregate and produced variable and high baseline responses in some subjects. Reagents stored in a histidine-sucrose buffer (HSB) had lower aggregate levels and produced low sample responses. In contrast to PBS, conjugated reagents formulated in HSB remained low in aggregate content and in sample response variability after 5 freeze/thaw cycles. A reagent monitoring control (RMC) serum was prepared for the real-time evaluation of conjugated reagent quality. Using appropriate buffers for storage of conjugated reagents together with RMCs capable of monitoring of reagent aggregation status can help ensure consistent, long-term performance of ADA methods.
Simple In-Hospital Interventions to Reduce Door-to-CT Time in Acute Stroke
Authors: Sadeghi-Hokmabadi Elyar , Taheraghdam Aliakbar , Hashemilar Mazyar , Rikhtegar Reza , Mehrvar Kaveh , Mehrara Mehrdad , Mirnour Reshad , Hassasi Rogayyeh , Aliyar Hannane , Farzi Mohammadamin , Hasaneh Tamar Somayyeh
Published: July 2016

Background. Intravenous tissue plasminogen activator, a time dependent therapy, can reduce the morbidity and mortality of acute ischemic stroke. This study was designed to assess the effect of simple in-hospital interventions on reducing door-to-CT (DTC) time and reaching door-to-needle (DTN) time of less than 60 minutes.Methods. Before any intervention, DTC time was recorded for 213 patients over a one-year period at our center. Five simple quality-improvement interventions were implemented, namely, call notification, prioritizing patients for CT scan, prioritizing patients for lab analysis, specifying a bed for acute stroke patients, and staff education. After intervention, over a course of 44 months, DTC time was recorded for 276 patients with the stroke code. Furthermore DTN time was recorded for 106 patients who were treated with IV thrombolytic therapy.Results. The median DTC time significantly decreased in the postintervention period comparing to the preintervention period [median (IQR); 20 (12–30) versus 75 (52.5–105),P<0.001]. At the postintervention period, the median (IQR) DTN time was 55 (40–73) minutes and proportion of patients with DTN time less than 60 minutes was 62.4% (P<0.001).Conclusion. Our interventions significantly reduced DTC time and resulted in an acceptable DTN time. These interventions are feasible in most hospitals and should be considered.
Mitochondria Biogenesis and Bioenergetics Gene Profiles in Isogenic Prostate Cells with Different Malignant Phenotypes
Authors: Burch Tanya C. , Rhim Johng S. , Nyalwidhe Julius O.
Published: July 2016

Background.The most significant hallmarks of cancer are directly or indirectly linked to deregulated mitochondria. In this study, we sought to profile mitochondria associated genes in isogenic prostate cell lines with different tumorigenic phenotypes from the same patient.Results.Two isogenic human prostate cell lines RC77N/E (nonmalignant cells) and RC77T/E (malignant cells) were profiled for expression of mitochondrial biogenesis and energy metabolism genes by qRT-PCR using the Human Mitochondria and the Mitochondrial Energy Metabolism RT2PCR arrays. Forty-seven genes were differentially regulated between the two cell lines. The interaction and regulatory networks of these genes were generated by Ingenuity Pathway Analysis.UCP2was the most significantly upregulated gene in primary adenocarcinoma cells in the current study. The overexpression ofUCP2upon malignant transformation was further validated using human prostatectomy clinical specimens.Conclusions.This study demonstrates the overexpression of multiple genes that are involved in mitochondria biogenesis, bioenergetics, and modulation of apoptosis. These genes may play a role in malignant transformation and disease progression. The upregulation of some of these genes in clinical samples indicates that some of the differentially transcribed genes could be the potential targets for therapeutic interventions.
Paliperidone Induced Hypoglycemia by Increasing Insulin Secretion
Authors: Omi Tsubasa , Riku Keisen , Fukumoto Motoyuki , Kanai Koji , Omura Yumi , Takada Hiromune , Matunaga Hidenori
Published: July 2016

We report the case of a 41-year-old woman with schizophrenia who developed persistent hypoglycemia following paliperidone administration. After discontinuing paliperidone, the hypoglycemia resolved, but symptoms of diabetes emerged. Therefore, it appears that the hypoglycemia induced by paliperidone may mask symptoms of diabetes. Paliperidone may induce hypoglycemia by increasing insulin secretion. This report could help elucidate the relationship between atypical antipsychotics and glucose metabolism.
Improving Healthcare Team Collaboration in Hospital Transfers through Cloud-Based Mobile Systems
Authors: Neyem Andres , Carrillo Marie J. , Jerez Claudio , Valenzuela Guillermo , Risso Nicolas , Benedetto Jose I. , Rojas-Riethmuller Juan S.
Published: July 2016

It is a clinical fact that better patient flow management in and between hospitals improves quality of care, resource utilization, and cost efficiency. As the number of patients in hospitals constantly grows, the need for hospital transfers is directly affected. Interhospital transfers can be required for several reasons but they are most commonly made when the diagnostic and therapeutic facilities required for a patient are not available locally. Transferring a critical patient between hospitals is commonly associated with risk of death and complications. This raises the question: How can we improve healthcare team collaboration in hospital transfers through the use of emerging information technology and communication services? This paper presents a cloud-based mobile system for supporting team collaboration and decision-making in the transportation of patients in critical condition. The Rapid Emergency Medicine Score (REMS) scale was used as an outcome variable, being a useful scale to assess the risk profile of critical patients requiring transfers between hospitals. This helps medical staff to adopt proper risk-prevention measures when handling a transfer and to react on time if any complications arise in transit.
A Method of Effective Text Extraction for Complex Video Scene
Authors: Guo Zhe , Li Yuan , Wang Yi , Liu Shu , Lei Tao , Fan Yangyu
Published: July 2016

Text information contains important information for video analysis, indexing, and retrieval. Effective and efficient text extraction has been a challenging topic in recent years. Focusing on this issue, a text extraction method for complex video scene is proposed in this paper. Multiframe corner matching and heuristic rules are combined together to detect the text region candidates, which solves the issue of Harris corner filtration for complex video scene and also improves the detection accuracy using multiframe fusion. Local texture description is then used for similarity evaluation judged by SVM. Experimental results for 4 different types of 395-frame video images show the effectiveness of the proposed method compared with 5 existing text extraction methods.
Robust Adaptive Beamforming Using a Low-Complexity Steering Vector Estimation and Covariance Matrix Reconstruction Algorithm
Authors: Chen Pei , Zhao Yongjun , Liu Chengcheng
Published: July 2016

A novel low-complexity robust adaptive beamforming (RAB) technique is proposed in order to overcome the major drawbacks from which the recent reported RAB algorithms suffer, mainly the high computational cost and the requirement for optimization programs. The proposed algorithm estimates the array steering vector (ASV) using a closed-form formula obtained by a subspace-based method and reconstructs the interference-plus-noise (IPN) covariance matrix by utilizing a sampling progress and employing the covariance matrix taper (CMT) technique. Moreover, the proposed beamformer only requires knowledge of the antenna array geometry and prior information of the probable angular sector in which the actual ASV lies. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed algorithm and prove that this algorithm can achieve superior performance over the existing RAB methods.
Frost Durability and Strength of Concrete Prepared with Crushed Sand of Different Characteristics
Authors: Zhou Ming-kai , Liu Zhan-ao , Chen Xiao
Published: July 2016

The influences of fines content, methylene blue (MB) value, and lithology of crushed sand (CS) on frost durability and strength of concrete were investigated, and the frost durability and strength of crushed sand concrete (CSC) and river sand concrete (RSC) were compared. The results show that inclusion of fines improves CSC compressive strength and reduces frost durability of C30 CSC when fines content reaches 10%, whereas it has little negative influence on frost durability of C60 CSC. Increasing MB value does not negatively affect compressive strength of C30 CSC but decreases compressive strength of C60 CSC and frost durability of CSC, and the reduction is more pronounced when MB value exceeds 1.0. Lithology has no prominent influence on frost durability and compressive strength of CSC within the lithologies (dolomite, limestone, granite, basalt, and quartz) studied. Though compressive strength of CSC is a little higher than RSC under equal water to cement ratio, frost durability of CSC is no better than RSC especially for C30 CSC, and air-entraining agent is suggested for enhancing frost durability of C30 CSC exposed to freezing environment.
Intermediate-Term Outcomes of Dual Adult versus Single-Kidney Transplantation: Evolution of a Surgical Technique
Authors: Islam Ana K. , Knight Richard J. , Mayer Wesley A. , Hollander Adam B. , Patel Samir , Teeter Larry D. , Graviss Edward A. , Saharia Ashish , Podder Hemangshu , Asham Emad H. , Gaber A. Osama
Published: July 2016

Background. Acceptance of dual kidney transplantation (DKT) has proven difficult, due to surgical complexity and concerns regarding long-term outcomes. We herein present a standard technique for ipsilateral DKT and compare outcomes to single-kidney transplant (SKT) recipients.Methods. A retrospective single-center comparison of DKT and SKT performed between February 2007 and July 2013.Results. Of 516 deceased donor kidney transplants, 29 were DKT and 487 were SKT. Mean follow-up was 43 ± 67 months. DKT recipients were older and more likely than SKT recipients to receive an extended criteria graft (p<0.001). For DKT versus SKT, the rates of delayed graft function (10.3 versus 9.2%) and acute rejection (20.7 versus 22.4%) were equivalent (p= ns). A higher than expected urologic complication rate in the DKT cohort (14 versus 2%,p<0.01) was reduced through modification of the ureteral anastomosis. Graft survival was equivalent between DKT and SKT groups (p= ns) with actuarial 3-year DKT patient and graft survivals of 100% and 93%. At 3 years, the groups had similar renal function (p= ns).Conclusions. By utilizing extended criteria donor organs as DKT, the donor pool was enlarged while providing excellent patient and graft survival. The DKT urologic complication rate was reduced by modification of the ureteral anastomosis.
Bioinformatics Approach for Prediction of Functional Coding/Noncoding Simple Polymorphisms (SNPs/Indels) in Human BRAF Gene
Authors: Hassan Mohamed M. , Omer Shaza E. , Khalf-allah Rahma M. , Mustafa Razaz Y. , Ali Isra S. , Mohamed Sofia B.
Published: July 2016

This study was carried out for Homo sapiens single variation (SNPs/Indels) in BRAF gene through coding/non-coding regions. Variants data was obtained from database of SNP even last update of November, 2015. Many bioinformatics tools were used to identify functional SNPs and indels in proteins functions, structures and expressions. Results shown, for coding polymorphisms, 111 SNPs predicted as highly damaging and six other were less. For UTRs, showed five SNPs and one indel were altered in micro RNAs binding sites (3′ UTR), furthermore nil SNP or indel have functional altered in transcription factor binding sites (5′ UTR). In addition for 5′/3′ splice sites, analysis showed that one SNP within 5′ splice site and one Indel in 3′ splice site showed potential alteration of splicing. In conclude these previous functional identified SNPs and indels could lead to gene alteration, which may be directly or indirectly contribute to the occurrence of many diseases.
Sink-to-Sink Coordination Framework Using RPL: Routing Protocol for Low Power and Lossy Networks
Authors: Khan Meer M. , Lodhi M. Ali , Rehman Abdul , Khan Abid , Hussain Faisal Bashir
Published: July 2016

RPL (Routing Protocol for low power and Lossy networks) is recommended by Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) for IPv6-based LLNs (Low Power and Lossy Networks). RPL uses a proactive routing approach and each node always maintains an active path to the sink node. Sink-to-sink coordination defines syntax and semantics for the exchange of any network defined parameters among sink nodes like network size, traffic load, mobility of a sink, and so forth. The coordination allows sink to learn about the network condition of neighboring sinks. As a result, sinks can make coordinated decision to increase/decrease their network size for optimizing over all network performance in terms of load sharing, increasing network lifetime, and lowering end-to-end latency of communication. Currently, RPL does not provide any coordination framework that can define message exchange between different sink nodes for enhancing the network performance. In this paper, a sink-to-sink coordination framework is proposed which utilizes the periodic route maintenance messages issued by RPL to exchange network status observed at a sink with its neighboring sinks. The proposed framework distributes network load among sink nodes for achieving higher throughputs and longer network’s life time.
The Negligible Influence of Chronic Obesity on Hospitalization, Clinical Status, and Complications in Elective Posterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion
Authors: Suess Olaf , Kombos Theodoros , Bode Frank
Published: July 2016

Background. Posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF) is a common surgical treatment for degenerative spinal instability, but many surgeons consider obesity a contraindication for elective spinal fusion. The aim of this study was to analyze whether obesity has any influence on hospitalization parameters, change in clinical status, or complications.Methods. In this prospective study, regression analysis was used to analyze the influence of the body mass index (BMI) on operating time, postoperative care, hospitalization time, type of postdischarge care, change in paresis or sensory deficits, pain level, wound complications, cerebrospinal fluid leakage, and implant complications.Results. Operating time increased only 2.5 minutes for each increase of BMI by 1. The probability of having a wound complication increased statistically with rising BMI. Nonetheless, BMI accounted for very little of the variation in the data, meaning that other factors or random chances play a much larger role.Conclusions. Obesity has to be considered a risk factor for wound complications in patients undergoing elective PLIF for degenerative instability. However, BMI showed no significant influence on other kinds of peri- or postoperative complications, nor clinical outcomes. So obesity cannot be considered a contraindication for elective PLIF.
Long-Term Follow-Up of the Fellow Eye in Patients Undergoing Surgery on One Eye for Treating Myopic Traction Maculopathy
Authors: Xia Hui-Juan , Wang Wei-Jun , Chen Feng’E , Wu Ying , Cai Zhen-Yuan , Chen Wei , Yu Su-Qin , Fan Ying
Published: July 2016

Objective. To observe the fellow eye in patients undergoing surgery on one eye for treating myopic traction maculopathy.Methods. 99 fellow eyes of consecutive patients who underwent unilateral surgery to treat MTM were retrospectively evaluated. All patients underwent thorough ophthalmologic examinations, including age, gender, duration of follow-up, refraction, axial length, intraocular pressure, lens status, presence/absence of a staphyloma, and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA). Fundus photographs and SD-OCT images were obtained. When feasible, MP-1 microperimetry was performed to evaluate macular sensitivity and fixation stability.Results. At an average follow-up time of 24.7 months, 7% fellow eyes exhibited partial or complete MTM resolution, 68% stabilized, and 25% exhibited progression of MTM. Of the 38 eyes with “normal” macular structure on initial examination, 11% exhibited disease progression. The difference in progression rates in Groups 2, 3, and 4 was statistically significant. Refraction, axial length, the frequency of a posterior staphyloma, chorioretinal atrophy, initial BCVA, final BCVA, and retinal sensitivity all differed significantly among Groups 1–4.Conclusions. Long axial length, chorioretinal atrophy, a posterior staphyloma, and anterior traction contribute to MTM development. Patients with high myopia and unilateral MTM require regular OCT monitoring of the fellow eye to assess progression to myopic pre-MTM. For cases exhibiting one or more potential risk factors, early surgical intervention may maximize the visual outcomes.
The Utility of Endoscopic Biopsies in Patients with Normal Upper Endoscopy
Authors: Teriaky Anouar , AlNasser Abdullah , McLean Carolyn , Gregor James , Yan Brian
Published: July 2016

Background and Aims. Upper endoscopy is a valuable tool in the workup of gastrointestinal (GI) complaints. The purpose of this study is to determine cost and yield of taking biopsies in a normal upper GI tract.Methods. This is a retrospective study where all upper GI biopsies were identified between May 2012 and April 2013, at a tertiary care center. Clinical, procedural, and pathology reports were reviewed to identify patient demographics, procedure information, and pathology diagnosis.Results. Biopsies of the upper GI tract were taken in 1297 patients with normal upper endoscopies. In patients with normal upper endoscopy, 22% of esophageal, 44% of gastric, and 12% of duodenal biopsies were abnormal. The most frequent abnormality was reflux esophagitis in 16% of esophageal biopsies, chronic gastritis in 23% of gastric biopsies, and increased intraepithelial lymphocytes in 6% of duodenal biopsies. The additional cost for taking biopsies in a normal upper GI tract for a diagnosis of eosinophilic esophagitis was $2963 Canadian (CAD),H. pyloriassociated gastritis was $1404 CAD, and celiac disease was $3024 CAD.Conclusions. The yield of biopsy in normal upper endoscopy varied with location, but the additional expense can be costly and should be tailored to appropriate clinical situations.
On Relation between Porosity of Epitaxial Layer and Quantity of Radiation Defects Generated during Radiation Processing in a Multilayer Structure
Authors: Pankratov E. L. , Bulaeva E. A.
Published: July 2016

We analyzed redistribution of radiation defects in a multilayer structure with porous epitaxial layer. The radiation defects were generated during radiation processing. It has been shown that porosity of epitaxial layer gives a possibility to decrease quantity of radiation defects.
Singular Value Decomposition Based Features for Automatic Tumor Detection in Wireless Capsule Endoscopy Images
Authors: Faghih Dinevari Vahid , Karimian Khosroshahi Ghader , Zolfy Lighvan Mina
Published: July 2016

Wireless capsule endoscopy (WCE) is a new noninvasive instrument which allows direct observation of the gastrointestinal tract to diagnose its relative diseases. Because of the large number of images obtained from the capsule endoscopy per patient, doctors need too much time to investigate all of them. So, it would be worthwhile to design a system for detecting diseases automatically. In this paper, a new method is presented for automatic detection of tumors in the WCE images. This method will utilize the advantages of the discrete wavelet transform (DWT) and singular value decomposition (SVD) algorithms to extract features from different color channels of the WCE images. Therefore, the extracted features are invariant to rotation and can describe multiresolution characteristics of the WCE images. In order to classify the WCE images, the support vector machine (SVM) method is applied to a data set which includes 400 normal and 400 tumor WCE images. The experimental results show proper performance of the proposed algorithm for detection and isolation of the tumor images which, in the best way, shows 94%, 93%, and 93.5% of sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy in the RGB color space, respectively.