bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Stent-assisted coil embolization of aneurysms with small parent vessels: safety and efficacy analysis
Authors: Kühn Anna Luisa , Hou Samuel Y , Puri Ajit S , Silva Christine F , Gounis Matthew J , Wakhloo Ajay K
Published: June 2015

Background

Stent-assisted coil embolization (SACE) is a viable therapeutic approach for wide-neck intracranial aneurysms. However, it can be technically challenging in small cerebral vessels (≤2 mm).

Objective

To present our experience with stents approved for SACE in aneurysms with small parent arteries.

Methods

All patients who underwent stent-assisted aneurysm treatment with either a Neuroform or an Enterprise stent device at our institution between June 2006 and October 2012 were identified. Additionally, we evaluated each patient's vascular risk factors, aneurysm characteristics (ruptured vs non-ruptured, incidental finding, recanalized) and follow-up angiography data.

Results

A total of 41 patients with 44 aneurysms met our criteria, including 31 women and 10 men. Most of the aneurysms were located in the anterior circulation (75%). Stent placement in vessels 1.2–2 mm in diameter was successful in 93.2%. Thromboembolic complications occurred in 6 cases and vessel straightening was seen in 1 case only. Initial nearly complete to complete aneurysm obliteration was achieved in 88.6%. Six-month follow-up angiography showed coil compaction in three cases, one asymptomatic in-stent stenosis and stent occlusion. Twelve to 20-months’ follow-up showed stable coil compaction in two patients compared with previous follow-up, and aneurysm recanalization in two patients. Twenty-four to 36-months’ follow-up showed further coil compaction in one of these patients and aneurysm recanalization in a previous case of stable coil compaction on mid-term follow-up.

Conclusions

Our results suggest that SACE of aneurysms with small parent vessels is feasible in selected cases and shows good long-term patency rates of parent arteries.
Republished: Flow diversion in vasculitic intracranial aneurysms? Repair of giant complex cavernous carotid aneurysm in polyarteritis nodosa using Pipeline embolization devices: first reported case
Authors: Martinez Santos Jaime , Kaderali Zul , Spears Julian , Rubin Laurence A , Marotta Thomas R
Published: June 2015

Intracranial aneurysms in polyarteritis nodosa (PAN) are exceedingly rare lesions with unpredictable behavior that pose real challenges to microsurgical and endovascular interventions owing to their inflammatory nature. We introduce a safe and effective alternative for treating these aneurysms using Pipeline embolization devices (PEDs). A 20-year-old man presented with diplopia, headaches, chronic abdominal pain, and weight loss. Diagnostic evaluations confirmed PAN, including bilateral giant cavernous carotid aneurysms. Cyclophosphamide and steroids achieved significant and sustained clinical improvement, with a decision to follow the aneurysms serially. Seven years later the left unruptured aneurysm enlarged, causing a sudden severe headache and a cavernous sinus syndrome. Treatment of the symptomatic aneurysm was pursued using flow diversion (PED) and the internal carotid artery was successfully reconstructed with a total of four overlapping PEDs. At 6 months follow-up, complete exclusion of the aneurysm was demonstrated, with symptomatic recovery. This is the first description of using a flow-diverting technique in an inflammatory vasculitis. In this case, PEDs not only attained a definitive closure of the aneurysm but also reconstructed the damaged and fragile arterial segment affected with vasculitis.
Republished: How to study improvement interventions: a brief overview of possible study types
Authors: Portela Margareth Crisóstomo , Pronovost Peter J , Woodcock Thomas , Carter Pam , Dixon-Woods Mary
Published: June 2015

Improvement (defined broadly as purposive efforts to secure positive change) has become an increasingly important activity and field of inquiry within healthcare. This article offers an overview of possible methods for the study of improvement interventions. The choice of available designs is wide, but debates continue about how far improvement efforts can be simultaneously practical (aimed at producing change) and scientific (aimed at producing new knowledge), and whether the distinction between the practical and the scientific is a real and useful one. Quality improvement projects tend to be applied and, in some senses, self-evaluating. They are not necessarily directed at generating new knowledge, but reports of such projects if well conducted and cautious in their inferences may be of considerable value. They can be distinguished heuristically from research studies, which are motivated by and set out explicitly to test a hypothesis, or otherwise generate new knowledge, and from formal evaluations of improvement projects. We discuss variants of trial designs, quasi-experimental designs, systematic reviews, programme evaluations, process evaluations, qualitative studies, and economic evaluations. We note that designs that are better suited to the evaluation of clearly defined and static interventions may be adopted without giving sufficient attention to the challenges associated with the dynamic nature of improvement interventions and their interactions with contextual factors. Reconciling pragmatism and research rigour is highly desirable in the study of improvement. Trade-offs need to be made wisely, taking into account the objectives involved and inferences to be made.
Republished: Clinicopathological correlates of adrenal Cushing's syndrome
Authors: Duan Kai , Gomez Hernandez Karen , Mete Ozgur
Published: June 2015

Endogenous Cushing's syndrome is a rare endocrine disorder that incurs significant cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, due to glucocorticoid excess. It comprises adrenal (20%) and non-adrenal (80%) aetiologies. While the majority of cases are attributed to pituitary or ectopic corticotropin (ACTH) overproduction, primary cortisol-producing adrenal cortical lesions are increasingly recognised in the pathophysiology of Cushing's syndrome. Our understanding of this disease has progressed substantially over the past decade. Recently, important mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of adrenal hypercortisolism have been elucidated with the discovery of mutations in cyclic AMP signalling (PRKACA, PRKAR1A, GNAS, PDE11A, PDE8B), armadillo repeat containing 5 gene (ARMC5) a putative tumour suppressor gene, aberrant G-protein-coupled receptors, and intra-adrenal secretion of ACTH. Accurate subtyping of Cushing's syndrome is crucial for treatment decision-making and requires a complete integration of clinical, biochemical, imaging and pathology findings. Pathological correlates in the adrenal glands include hyperplasia, adenoma and carcinoma. While the most common presentation is diffuse adrenocortical hyperplasia secondary to excess ACTH production, this entity is usually treated with pituitary or ectopic tumour resection. Therefore, when confronted with adrenalectomy specimens in the setting of Cushing's syndrome, surgical pathologists are most commonly exposed to adrenocortical adenomas, carcinomas and primary macronodular or micronodular hyperplasia. This review provides an update on the rapidly evolving knowledge of adrenal Cushing's syndrome and discusses the clinicopathological correlations of this important disease.
The development and first validation of the Manchester Early Morning Symptoms Index (MEMSI) for patients with COPD
Authors: Garrow Adam P , Khan Naimat , Tyson Sarah , Vestbo Jørgen , Singh Dave , Yorke Janelle
Published: June 2015

Aim

Early morning symptoms (EMS) in people with COPD are associated with poor health, impaired activities and increased exacerbation risk. We describe the development and preliminary validation of the Manchester Early Morning Symptom Index (MEMSI) to quantify EMS in COPD.

Methods

Focus groups and cognitive debriefing with patients with COPD were used to develop the potential item list, followed by a cross-sectional study to finalise the items for inclusion. In addition to test-retest reliability, comparisons with the St George's Respiratory Questionnaire-C (SGRQ-C), modified Medical Research Council Dyspnoea Scale, Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy Fatigue Scale (FACIT-F) and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) evaluated construct validity. Hierarchical methods informed item deletion and Rasch analysis was applied to assess scale unidimensionality.

Results

23 items were identified from the focus groups and debriefings. The cross-sectional study involved 203 patients with COPD (mean age 64.7 SD 7.5 years, male 63%, Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD): 1:14% 2:41% 3:25% 4: 7%). 13 items were removed during item reduction. MEMSI contains 10 items, demonstrates good overall fit to the Rasch model (χ2 p=0.26) and item score distribution; excellent reliability (Person Separation Index: 0.91) and good test-retest repeatability (r=0.82). It correlates with the SGRQ-C (r=0.73), FACIT-F (r=−0.65) and HADS (r=0.53–0.54) indicating good construct validity.

Conclusions

MEMSI is a reliable and valid unidimensional measure of EMS for patients with COPD. It is simple to use and score supporting its suitability for research and clinical use. Work is underway to determine the minimal clinical important difference and cross-cultural validity.
Ten‐minute chat
Authors: Thomson Fiona
Published: June 2015

Fiona Thomson took time away from Pets'n'Vets, Blantyre, South Lanarkshire, to spend two weeks volunteering in Blantyre, Malawi, as part of Mission Rabies' first trip to Africa. She spoke to Vet Record Careers just before departing for Malawi on May 14.
Compression mechanisms of unsaturated clay under high stresses
Authors: Mun Woongju , McCartney John S.
Published: June 2015

This paper investigates the compression behavior of unsaturated clay under mean stresses up to 160 MPa and different drainage conditions. A new isotropic pressure cell was developed that incorporates matric suction control using the axis-translation technique, and a high-pressure syringe pump operated in displacement-control mode was used to control the total stress and track specimen volume changes. In addition to presenting results from characterization tests on the cell, results from a series of isotropic compression tests performed on compacted clay specimens under drained and undrained conditions are presented. These results permit evaluation of the hardening mechanisms and transition points in the compression curve with increasing effective stress. As expected, specimens tested under undrained conditions were much stiffer than those tested under drained conditions. In the drained tests, the rate of compression was sufficient to permit steady-state dissipation of excess pore-water pressure except under the highest stress ranges. Suction-induced hardening was observed when comparing saturated and unsaturated specimens tested in the drained compression tests. In both the drained and undrained compression tests, the range of applied stresses was sufficient to cause collapse or dissolution of the air voids (pressurized saturation) and convergence of the virgin compression lines for unsaturated specimens with that measured for saturated specimens. A gradual transition to full-void closure was observed at high stresses when the compression curves were plotted on a natural scale, but the shapes of the compression curves at high stresses were not consistent with conventional soil mechanics models when plotted on a semilogarithmic scale. The results from this study provide insight into how constitutive models for unsaturated soils can be extended to high stress conditions for drained and undrained conditions.
Cooperative and substitution effects in enhancing the strength of fluorine bonds by anion−π interactions
Authors: Esrafili Mehdi D. , Mohammadian-Sabet Fariba , Baneshi Mohammad Mehdi
Published: June 2015

In this work, the cooperative effects between anion−π and fluorine bond interactions are studied by ab initio calculations at the MP2/6-311++G** level. Cooperative effects are observed in complexes in which anion−π and fluorine bond interactions coexist. For each complex, the shortening of the binding distance in the fluorine bond is more prominent than that in the anion−π bond. Favorable cooperativity energies are found with values that range between –0.51 and –0.76 kcal/mol. The atoms in molecules and molecular electrostatic potential analyses are carried out for these complexes to understand the nature of anion−π and fluorine bond interactions and the origin of the cooperativity.
R-matrix calculations of photoionization cross section of Ne-like tungsten
Authors: Khatri Indu , Goyal Arun , Aggarwal Sunny , Singh A.K. , Mohan Man
Published: June 2015

The photoionization cross section calculation for the ground state 1s22s22p6 1S (J = 0) of Ne-like W64+ has been performed in the close-coupling approximation using the Dirac–Coulomb R-matrix method. The resonance structures are analysed and described by finding the resonance energy positions of prominent Rydberg series 2s2p6(2S)np 1P0 for W LXV ion. To calculate fine structure energy levels, multi-configuration Dirac–Fock and relativistic distorted-wave methods have been employed. Wherever possible we have compared our work with the available data. The present results will be useful for diagnostics and modeling of plasma in ITER and other fusion devices.
Numerical simulation of the leaky dielectric microdroplet generation in electric fields
Authors: Kamali Reza , Manshadi Mohammad Karim Dehghan
Published: June 2015

Microdroplet generation has a vast range of applications in the chemical, biomedical, and biological sciences. Several devices are applied to produce microdroplets, such as Co-flow, T-junction and Flow-focusing. The important point in the producing process is controlling the separated fluid volume in these devices. On the other hand, a large number of liquids, especially aqueous one, are influenced by electric or magnetic fields. As a consequence, an electric field could be used in order to affect the separated fluid volume. In this study, effects of an electric field on the microdroplet generation in a Co-flow device are investigated numerically. Furthermore, effects of some electrical properties such as permittivity on the separating process of microdroplets are studied. Leaky dielectric and perfect dielectric models are used in this investigation. According to the results, in the microdroplet generating process, leaky dielectric fluids show different behaviors, when an electric field is applied to the device. In other words, in a constant electric field strength, the volume of generated microdroplets can increase or decrease, in comparison with the condition without the electric field. However, for perfect dielectric fluids, droplet volume always decreases with increasing the electric field strength. In order to validate the numerical method of this study, deformation of a leaky dielectric droplet in an electric field is investigated. Results are compared with Taylor theoretical model.
Fixed subgroups are compressed in surface groups
Authors: Zhang Qiang , Ventura Enric , Wu Jianchun
Published: June 2015

For a compact surface Σ (orientable or not, and with boundary or not), we show that the fixed subgroup, Fix ℬ, of any family ℬ of endomorphisms of π1(Σ) is compressed in π1(Σ), i.e. rk ( Fix ℬ) ≤ rk (H) for any subgroup Fix ℬ ≤ H ≤ π1(Σ). On the way, we give a partial positive solution to the inertia conjecture, both for free and for surface groups. We also investigate direct products, G, of finitely many free and surface groups, and give a characterization of when G satisfies that rk ( Fix ϕ) ≤ rk (G) for every ϕ ∈ Aut (G).
The Burton and Miller Method: Unlocking Another Mystery of Its Coupling Parameter
Authors: Marburg Steffen
Published: June 2015

The phenomenon of irregular frequencies or spurious modes when solving the Kirchhoff–Helmholtz integral equation has been extensively studied over the last six or seven decades. A class of common methods to overcome this phenomenon uses the linear combination of the Kirchhoff–Helmholtz integral equation and its normal derivative. When solving the Neumann problem, this method is usually referred to as the Burton and Miller method. This method uses a coupling parameter which, theoretically, should be complex with nonvanishing imaginary part. In practice, it is usually chosen proportional or even equal to [Formula: see text]. A literature review of papers about the Burton and Miller method and its implementations revealed that, in some cases, it is better to use [Formula: see text] as coupling parameter. The better choice depends on the specific formulation, in particular, on the harmonic time dependence and on the fundamental solution or Green’s function, respectively. Surprisingly, an unexpectedly large number of studies is based on the wrong choice of the sign in the coupling parameter. Herein, it is described which sign of the coupling parameter should be used for different configurations. Furthermore, it will be shown that the wrong sign does not just make the solution process inefficient but can lead to completely wrong results in some cases.
Hamilton cycle rich 2-factorization of complete bipartite graphs
Authors: Sangeetha R. , Muthusamy A.
Published: June 2015

A 2-factorization {F1, F2,…,Fd} of a 2d-regular graph G such that each [Formula: see text] and the remaining Fi's are all Hamilton cycles is called Hamilton cycle rich 2-factorization of G, where Gi's are the given non-isomorphic 2-factors of G. In this paper, we prove that there exists a 2-factorization {F1, F2,…,Fn} of K2n,2n such that F1 ≅ G1, F2 ≅ G2 and the remaining Fi's are Hamilton cycles of K2n,2n, where G1 and G2 are the given two non-isomorphic 2-factors of K2n,2n. In fact our result together with the earlier results settles the existence of Hamilton cycle rich 2-factorizations of K(m, p), the complete p-partite graph with m vertices in each partite set, except when (m, p) = (2n + 1, 2), in the case that two of the 2-factors are isomorphic to the given two non-isomorphic 2-factors and the remaining are Hamilton cycles.
Role of nitric oxide in murine conventional outflow physiology
Authors: Chang Jason Y. H. , Stamer W. Daniel , Bertrand Jacques , Read A. Thomas , Marando Catherine M. , Ethier C. Ross , Overby Darryl R.
Published: June 2015

Elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) is the main risk factor for glaucoma. Exogenous nitric oxide (NO) decreases IOP by increasing outflow facility, but whether endogenous NO production contributes to the physiological regulation of outflow facility is unclear. Outflow facility was measured by pressure-controlled perfusion in ex vivo eyes from C57BL/6 wild-type (WT) or transgenic mice expressing human endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) fused to green fluorescent protein (GFP) superimposed on the endogenously expressed murine eNOS (eNOS-GFPtg). In WT mice, exogenous NO delivered by 100 μM S-nitroso- N-acetylpenicillamine (SNAP) increased outflow facility by 62 ± 28% (SD) relative to control eyes perfused with the inactive SNAP analog N-acetyl-d-penicillamine (NAP; n = 5, P = 0.016). In contrast, in eyes from eNOS-GFPtg mice, SNAP had no effect on outflow facility relative to NAP (−9 ± 4%, P = 0.40). In WT mice, the nonselective NOS inhibitor NG-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (l-NAME, 10 μM) decreased outflow facility by 36 ± 13% ( n = 5 each, P = 0.012), but 100 μM l-NAME had no detectable effect on outflow facility (−16 ± 5%, P = 0.22). An eNOS-selective inhibitor (cavtratin, 50 μM) decreased outflow facility by 19 ± 12% in WT ( P = 0.011) and 39 ± 25% in eNOS-GFPtg ( P = 0.014) mice. In the conventional outflow pathway of eNOS-GFPtg mice, eNOS-GFP expression was localized to endothelial cells lining Schlemm's canal and the downstream vessels, with no apparent expression in the trabecular meshwork. These results suggest that endogenous NO production by eNOS within endothelial cells of Schlemm's canal or downstream vessels contributes to the physiological regulation of aqueous humor outflow facility in mice, representing a viable strategy to more successfully lower IOP in glaucoma.
Genetic approaches in comparative and evolutionary physiology
Authors: Storz Jay F. , Bridgham Jamie T. , Kelly Scott A. , Garland Theodore
Published: June 2015

Whole animal physiological performance is highly polygenic and highly plastic, and the same is generally true for the many subordinate traits that underlie performance capacities. Quantitative genetics, therefore, provides an appropriate framework for the analysis of physiological phenotypes and can be used to infer the microevolutionary processes that have shaped patterns of trait variation within and among species. In cases where specific genes are known to contribute to variation in physiological traits, analyses of intraspecific polymorphism and interspecific divergence can reveal molecular mechanisms of functional evolution and can provide insights into the possible adaptive significance of observed sequence changes. In this review, we explain how the tools and theory of quantitative genetics, population genetics, and molecular evolution can inform our understanding of mechanism and process in physiological evolution. For example, lab-based studies of polygenic inheritance can be integrated with field-based studies of trait variation and survivorship to measure selection in the wild, thereby providing direct insights into the adaptive significance of physiological variation. Analyses of quantitative genetic variation in selection experiments can be used to probe interrelationships among traits and the genetic basis of physiological trade-offs and constraints. We review approaches for characterizing the genetic architecture of physiological traits, including linkage mapping and association mapping, and systems approaches for dissecting intermediary steps in the chain of causation between genotype and phenotype. We also discuss the promise and limitations of population genomic approaches for inferring adaptation at specific loci. We end by highlighting the role of organismal physiology in the functional synthesis of evolutionary biology.
Impact of age on exercise-induced ATP supply during supramaximal plantar flexion in humans
Authors: Layec Gwenael , Trinity Joel D. , Hart Corey R. , Kim Seong-Eun , Groot H. Jonathan , Fur Yann Le , Sorensen Jacob R. , Jeong Eun-Kee , Richardson Russell S.
Published: June 2015

Currently, the physiological factors responsible for exercise intolerance and bioenergetic alterations with age are poorly understood due, at least in art, to the confounding effect of reduced physical activity in the elderly. Thus, in 40 healthy young (22 ± 2 yr) and old (74 ± 8 yr) activity-matched subjects, we assessed the impact of age on: 1) the relative contribution of the three major pathways of ATP synthesis (oxidative ATP synthesis, glycolysis, and the creatine kinase reaction) and 2) the ATP cost of contraction during high-intensity exercise. Specifically, during supramaximal plantar flexion (120% of maximal aerobic power), to stress the functional limits of the skeletal muscle energy systems, we used31P-labeled magnetic resonance spectroscopy to assess metabolism. Although glycolytic activation was delayed in the old, ATP synthesis from the main energy pathways was not significantly different between groups. Similarly, the inferred peak rate of mitochondrial ATP synthesis was not significantly different between the young (25 ± 8 mM/min) and old (24 ± 6 mM/min). In contrast, the ATP cost of contraction was significantly elevated in the old compared with the young (5.1 ± 2.0 and 3.7 ± 1.7 mM·min−1·W−1, respectively; P < 0.05). Overall, these findings suggest that, when young and old subjects are activity matched, there is no evidence of age-related mitochondrial and glycolytic dysfunction. However, this study does confirm an abnormal elevation in exercise-induced skeletal muscle metabolic demand in the old that may contribute to the decline in exercise capacity with advancing age.
Vasopressin regulation of sodium transport in the distal nephron and collecting duct
Authors: Kortenoeven M. L. A. , Pedersen N. B. , Rosenbaek L. L. , Fenton R. A.
Published: June 2015

Arginine vasopressin (AVP) is released from the posterior pituitary gland during states of hyperosmolality or hypovolemia. AVP is a peptide hormone, with antidiuretic and antinatriuretic properties. It allows the kidneys to increase body water retention predominantly by increasing the cell surface expression of aquaporin water channels in the collecting duct alongside increasing the osmotic driving forces for water reabsorption. The antinatriuretic effects of AVP are mediated by the regulation of sodium transport throughout the distal nephron, from the thick ascending limb through to the collecting duct, which in turn partially facilitates osmotic movement of water. In this review, we will discuss the regulatory role of AVP in sodium transport and summarize the effects of AVP on various molecular targets, including the sodium-potassium-chloride cotransporter NKCC2, the thiazide-sensitive sodium-chloride cotransporter NCC, and the epithelial sodium channel ENaC.
Arginase inhibition: a new treatment for preventing progression of established diabetic nephropathy
Authors: You Hanning , Gao Ting , Cooper Timothy K. , Morris Sidney M. , Awad Alaa S.
Published: June 2015

Our previous publication showed that inhibition of arginase prevents the development of diabetic nephropathy (DN). However, identification of targets that retard the progression of established DN–which is more clinically relevant–is lacking. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that arginase inhibition would prevent the progression of established DN. Effects of arginase inhibition were compared with treatment with the angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor captopril, a current standard of care in DN. Experiments were conducted in Ins2Akitamice treated with the arginase inhibitor S-(2-boronoethyl)-l-cysteine (BEC) or captopril starting at 6 wk of age for 12 wk (early treatment) or starting at 12 wk of age for 6 wk (late treatment). Early and late treatment with BEC resulted in protection from DN as indicated by reduced albuminuria, histological changes, kidney macrophage infiltration, urinary thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances, and restored nephrin expression, kidney nitrate/nitrite, kidney endothelial nitric oxide synthase phosphorylation, and renal medullary blood flow compared with vehicle-treated Ins2Akitamice at 18 wk of age. Interestingly, early treatment with captopril reduced albuminuria, histological changes, and kidney macrophage infiltration without affecting the other parameters, but late treatment with captopril was ineffective. These findings highlight the importance of arginase inhibition as a new potential therapeutic intervention in both early and late stages of diabetic renal injury.
Spatial precision of population activity in primate area MT
Authors: Chen Spencer C. , Morley John W. , Solomon Samuel G.
Published: June 2015

The middle temporal (MT) area is a cortical area integral to the “where” pathway of primate visual processing, signaling the movement and position of objects in the visual world. The receptive field of a single MT neuron is sensitive to the direction of object motion but is too large to signal precise spatial position. Here, we asked if the activity of MT neurons could be combined to support the high spatial precision required in the where pathway. With the use of multielectrode arrays, we recorded simultaneously neural activity at 24–65 sites in area MT of anesthetized marmoset monkeys. We found that although individual receptive fields span more than 5° of the visual field, the combined population response can support fine spatial discriminations (<0.2°). This is because receptive fields at neighboring sites overlapped substantially, and changes in spatial position are therefore projected onto neural activity in a large ensemble of neurons. This fine spatial discrimination is supported primarily by neurons with receptive fields flanking the target locations. Population performance is degraded (by 13–22%) when correlations in neural activity are ignored, further reflecting the contribution of population neural interactions. Our results show that population signals can provide high spatial precision despite large receptive fields, allowing area MT to represent both the motion and the position of objects in the visual world.
Stopping is not an option: the evolution of unstoppable motion elements (primitives)
Authors: Sosnik Ronen , Chaim Eliyahu , Flash Tamar
Published: June 2015

Stopping performance is known to depend on low-level motion features, such as movement velocity. It is not known, however, whether it is also subject to high-level motion constraints. Here, we report results of 15 subjects instructed to connect four target points depicted on a digitizing tablet and stop “as rapidly as possible” upon hearing a “stop” cue (tone). Four subjects connected target points with straight paths, whereas 11 subjects generated movements corresponding to coarticulation between adjacent movement components. For the noncoarticulating and coarticulating subjects, stopping performance was not correlated or only weakly correlated with motion velocity, respectively. The generation of a straight, point-to-point movement or a smooth, curved trajectory was not disturbed by the occurrence of a stop cue. Overall, the results indicate that stopping performance is subject to high-level motion constraints, such as the completion of a geometrical plan, and that globally planned movements, once started, must run to completion, providing evidence for the definition of a motion primitive as an unstoppable motion element.
Activity in the human superior colliculus relating to endogenous saccade preparation and execution
Authors: Furlan Michele , Smith Andrew T. , Walker Robin
Published: June 2015

In recent years a small number of studies have applied functional imaging techniques to investigate visual responses in the human superior colliculus (SC), but few have investigated its oculomotor functions. Here, in two experiments, we examined activity associated with endogenous saccade preparation. We used 3-T fMRI to record the hemodynamic activity in the SC while participants were either preparing or executing saccadic eye movements. Our results showed that not only executing a saccade (as previously shown) but also preparing a saccade produced an increase in the SC hemodynamic activity. The saccade-related activity was observed in the contralateral and to a lesser extent the ipsilateral SC. A second experiment further examined the contralateral mapping of saccade-related activity with a larger range of saccade amplitudes. Increased activity was again observed in both the contralateral and ipsilateral SC that was evident for large as well as small saccades. This suggests that the ipsilateral component of the increase in BOLD is not due simply to small-amplitude saccades producing bilateral activity in the foveal fixation zone. These studies provide the first evidence of presaccadic preparatory activity in the human SC and reveal that fMRI can detect activity consistent with that of buildup neurons found in the deeper layers of the SC in studies of nonhuman primates.
Novel description of ionic currents recorded with the action potential clamp technique: application to excitatory currents in suprachiasmatic nucleus neurons
Authors: Clay John R.
Published: June 2015

The traditional method of recording ionic currents in neurons has been with voltage-clamp steps. Other waveforms such as action potentials (APs) can be used. The AP clamp method reveals contributions of ionic currents that underlie excitability during an AP (Bean BP. Nat Rev Neurosci 8: 451–465, 2007). A novel usage of the method is described in this report. An experimental recording of an AP from the literature is digitized and applied computationally to models of ionic currents. These results are compared with experimental AP-clamp recordings for model verification or, if need be, alterations to the model. The method is applied to the tetrodotoxin-sensitive sodium ion current, INa, and the calcium ion current, ICa, from suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) neurons (Jackson AC, Yao GL, Bean BP. J Neurosci 24: 7985–7998, 2004). The latter group reported voltage-step and AP-clamp results for both components. A model of INa is constructed from their voltage-step results. The AP clamp computational methodology applied to that model compares favorably with experiment, other than a modest discrepancy close to the peak of the AP that has not yet been resolved. A model of ICa was constructed from both voltage-step and AP-clamp results of this component. The model employs the Goldman-Hodgkin-Katz equation for the current-voltage relation rather than the traditional linear dependence of this aspect of the model on the Ca2+ driving force. The long-term goal of this work is a mathematical model of the SCN AP. The method is general. It can be applied to any excitable cell.
Coding of odor stimulus features among secondary olfactory structures
Authors: Xia Christina Z. , Adjei Stacey , Wesson Daniel W.
Published: June 2015

Sensory systems must represent stimuli in manners dependent upon a wealth of factors, including stimulus intensity and duration. One way the brain might handle these complex functions is to assign the tasks throughout distributed nodes, each contributing to information processing. We sought to explore this important aspect of sensory network function in the mammalian olfactory system, wherein the intensity and duration of odor exposure are critical contributors to odor perception. This is a quintessential model for exploring processing schemes given the distribution of odor information by olfactory bulb mitral and tufted cells into several anatomically distinct secondary processing stages, including the piriform cortex (PCX) and olfactory tubercle (OT), whose unique contributions to odor coding are unresolved. We explored the coding of PCX and OT neuron responses to odor intensity and duration. We found that both structures similarly partake in representing descending intensities of odors by reduced recruitment and modulation of neurons. Additionally, while neurons in the OT adapt to odor exposure, they display reduced capacity to adapt to either repeated presentations of odor or a single prolonged odor presentation compared with neurons in the PCX. These results provide insights into manners whereby secondary olfactory structures may, at least in some cases, uniquely represent stimulus features.
In Sync: The Effect of Physiology Feedback on the Match between Heart Rate and Self-Reported Stress
Authors: van Dijk Elisabeth T. , Westerink Joyce H. D. M. , Beute Femke , IJsselsteijn Wijnand A.
Published: June 2015

Over the past years self-tracking of physiological parameters has become increasingly common: more and more people are keeping track of aspects of their physiological state (e.g., heart rate, blood sugar, and blood pressure). To shed light on the possible effects of self-tracking of physiology, a study was conducted to test whether physiology feedback has acute effects on self-reported stress and the extent to which self-reported stress corresponds to physiological stress. In this study, participants executed several short tasks, while they were either shown visual feedback about their heart rate or not. Results show that self-reported stress is more in sync with heart rate for participants who received physiology feedback. Interactions between two personality factors (neuroticism and anxiety sensitivity) and feedback on the level of self-reported stress were found, indicating that while physiology feedback may be beneficial for individuals high in neuroticism, it may be detrimental for those high in anxiety sensitivity. Additional work is needed to establish how the results of this study may extend beyond immediate effects in a controlled lab setting, but our results do provide a first indication of how self-tracking of physiology may lead to better body awareness and how personality characteristics can help us predict which individuals are most likely to benefit from self-tracking of physiology.
Novel Base Station MIMO Antennas with Enhanced Spectral Efficiencies Using Angular Reuse
Authors: Mora-Andreu Miguel , Sánchez-Hernández David A.
Published: June 2015

The true polarization diversity (TPD) technique is combined with the spatial diversity technique in novel MIMO antenna array geometries with a large number of elements. The use of a large number of elements requires some angular reuse within the array for polarization diversity. With designs compatible with existing base station antenna array configurations, the novel geometries with combining diversity schemes are shown to be able to achieve near the maximum spectral efficiencies. True polarization diversity (TPD) schemes are found to be an excellent complement to more conventional spatial diversity schemes for obtaining optimum MIMO array performance in base station antennas.
The Assessment of Selected Bone and Cartilage Biomarkers in Psoriatic Patients from Poland
Authors: Bartosińska Joanna , Michalak-Stoma Anna , Juszkiewicz-Borowiec Maria , Kowal Małgorzata , Chodorowska Grażyna
Published: June 2015

Background. Psoriasis is an inflammatory disease in which joints involvement may be insidious and difficult to detect. Bone and cartilage biomarkers may be helpful in screening patients with psoriasis for psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Objectives. To assess bone and cartilage serum biomarkers in psoriasis. Methods. The study was conducted in 2014 and included 61 psoriatic patients and 30 healthy individuals. In both groups, the serum concentrations of soluble receptor activator of nuclear factor‐κB ligand (sRANKL), cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP), osteoprotegerin (OPG), and interleukin‐20 (IL‐20) were examined. Severity of skin lesions was assessed by Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI), body surface area (BSA), and Physician Global Assessment (PGA) scores. Results. The duration of psoriasis was from 1 year to 45 years. 22 patients suffered from concomitant PsA. The mean value of PASI was 23.1 ± 12.0 and BSA was 27.6 ± 20.6%. COMP, OPG, and IL‐20 concentrations in psoriatic patients were significantly higher than in the control group. OPG/sRANKL ratio was significantly lower in PsA patients than in psoriatic patients without arthritis. Conclusions. Results of the conducted study suggest that COMP, OPG, IL‐20, and OPG/sRANKL ratio may appear useful biomarkers of bone and cartilage involvement in psoriasis.
Physical Feature Encoding and Word Recognition Abilities Are Altered in Children with Intractable Epilepsy: Preliminary Neuromagnetic Evidence
Authors: Pardos Maria , Korostenskaja Milena , Xiang Jing , Fujiwara Hisako , Lee Ki H. , Horn Paul S. , Byars Anna , Vannest Jennifer , Wang Yingying , Hemasilpin Nat , Rose Douglas F.
Published: June 2015

Objective evaluation of language function is critical for children with intractable epilepsy under consideration for epilepsy surgery. The purpose of this preliminary study was to evaluate word recognition in children with intractable epilepsy by using magnetoencephalography (MEG). Ten children with intractable epilepsy (M/F 6/4, mean ± SD 13.4 ± 2.2 years) were matched on age and sex to healthy controls. Common nouns were presented simultaneously from visual and auditory sensory inputs in “match” and “mismatch” conditions. Neuromagnetic responses M1, M2, M3, M4, and M5 with latencies of ~100 ms, ~150 ms, ~250 ms, ~350 ms, and ~450 ms, respectively, elicited during the “match” condition were identified. Compared to healthy children, epilepsy patients had both significantly delayed latency of the M1 and reduced amplitudes of M3 and M5 responses. These results provide neurophysiologic evidence of altered word recognition in children with intractable epilepsy.
An Efficient Full-Wave Electromagnetic Analysis for Capacitive Body-Coupled Communication
Authors: Kazim Muhammad Irfan , Kazim Muhammad Imran , Wikner J. Jacob
Published: June 2015

Measured propagation loss for capacitive body-coupled communication (BCC) channel (1 MHz to 60 MHz) is limitedly available in the literature for distances longer than 50 cm. This is either because of experimental complexity to isolate the earth-ground or design complexity in realizing a reliable communication link to assess the performance limitations of capacitive BCC channel. Therefore, an alternate efficient full-wave electromagnetic (EM) simulation approach is presented to realistically analyze capacitive BCC, that is, the interaction of capacitive coupler, the human body, and the environment all together. The presented simulation approach is first evaluated for numerical/human body variation uncertainties and then validated with measurement results from literature, followed by the analysis of capacitive BCC channel for twenty different scenarios. The simulation results show that the vertical coupler configuration is less susceptible to physiological variations of underlying tissues compared to the horizontal coupler configuration. The propagation loss is less for arm positions when they are not touching the torso region irrespective of the communication distance. The propagation loss has also been explained for complex scenarios formed by the ground-plane and the material structures (metals or dielectrics) with the human body. The estimated propagation loss has been used to investigate the link-budget requirement for designing capacitive BCC system in CMOS sub-micron technologies.
Enhancing the Lasso Approach for Developing a Survival Prediction Model Based on Gene Expression Data
Authors: Kaneko Shuhei , Hirakawa Akihiro , Hamada Chikuma
Published: June 2015

In the past decade, researchers in oncology have sought to develop survival prediction models using gene expression data. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (lasso) has been widely used to select genes that truly correlated with a patient’s survival. The lasso selects genes for prediction by shrinking a large number of coefficients of the candidate genes towards zero based on a tuning parameter that is often determined by a cross-validation (CV). However, this method can pass over (or fail to identify) true positive genes (i.e., it identifies false negatives) in certain instances, because the lasso tends to favor the development of a simple prediction model. Here, we attempt to monitor the identification of false negatives by developing a method for estimating the number of true positive (TP) genes for a series of values of a tuning parameter that assumes a mixture distribution for the lasso estimates. Using our developed method, we performed a simulation study to examine its precision in estimating the number of TP genes. Additionally, we applied our method to a real gene expression dataset and found that it was able to identify genes correlated with survival that a CV method was unable to detect.
Anatomical, Physiological, and Molecular Imaging for Pancreatic Cancer: Current Clinical Use and Future Implications
Authors: Chang John , Schomer Donald , Dragovich Tomislav
Published: June 2015

Pancreatic adenocarcinoma is one of the deadliest human malignancies. Early detection is difficult and effective treatment is limited. Verifying the presence of micrometastatic dissemination and vessel invasion remains elusive, limiting radiological staging once this diagnosis is made. Diagnostic imaging provides independent tools to evaluate and characterize the biologic behavior of pancreatic cancer. Conventional anatomic imaging alone with either CT or MRI yields useful information on organ involvement but is limited in providing molecular and physiological information. Molecular imaging techniques such as PET or MRS provide information on metabolic and signaling pathways. Advanced MR sequences that target physiological parameters expand imaging options to characterize these tumors. By considering the parametric data from these three imaging approaches (anatomic, molecular, and physiological) we can better define specific tumor signatures. Such parametric characterization can provide insight into tumor metabolism, cellular density, protein expression, focal perfusion, and vascular permeability of these tumors. Radiogenomics research has already demonstrated ability to obtain information about cancer’s genotype and phenotype; this is without invasive procedures or surgery. Further advances in these areas of experimental imaging hold promise to enable future clinical advances in detection and therapy of pancreatic cancer.
Cationization of Alpha-Cellulose to Develop New Sustainable Products
Authors: Moral Ana , Aguado Roberto , Ballesteros Menta , Tijero Antonio
Published: June 2015

Papermaking has been using high quantities of retention agents, mainly cationic substances and organic compounds such as polyamines. The addition of these agents is related to economic and environmental issues, increasing contamination of the effluents. The aim of this work is to develop a cationic polymer for papermaking purposes based on the utilization of alpha-cellulose. The cationization of mercerized alpha-cellulose with 3-chloro-2-hydroxypropyltrimethylammonium chloride (CHPTAC) is governed by a pseudo-second-order reaction. The initial amorphous fraction of cellulose is reacted with CHPTAC until the equilibrium value of nitrogen substitution is reached. Nitrogen is incorporated as a quaternary ammonium group in the polymer. Also, the kinetic constant increased with decreasing crystallinity index, showing the importance of the previous alkalization stage. The use of modified natural polysaccharides is a sustainable alternative to synthetic, nonbiodegradable polyelectrolytes and thus is desirable with a view to developing new products and new processes.
The Variability of Arctic Sea Ice Extent from Spring to Summer and Its Linkage to the Decline of SIE in September
Authors: Bao Zhenhao , Huang Gordon , Liu Jinliang , Ye Hengchun
Published: June 2015

The satellite record analysis for monthly differences of Arctic sea ice extent (SIE) shows that the most significant accelerated monthly sea ice reduction occurred between June and July although, on average, the largest sea ice reduction occurred between July and August. The monthly difference of June minus July (JJ) SIE has the strongest correlation with September SIE, with a correlation coefficient of −0.786 (original time series) and −0.625 (detrended time series) at confidence level of 99%. Furthermore, it is found that the correlation coefficient between JJ SIE and July minus August (JA) SIE is so low (0.068) that they can be thought to be independent from each other, considering that the JA SIE is also significantly negatively correlated to September SIE. A simple regression forecasting model for September SIE was established using monthly SIE differences for the JJ and JA. This study also shows that the JJ SIE is significantly correlated not only with sea level pressure (SLP) in polar regions and midlatitudes over eastern Atlantic in July, a pattern which resembles the negative phase of North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), but also with sea surface temperature (SST) in midlatitudes over central North Pacific in the preceding spring.