bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Risk Factors Linked to Psychological Distress, Productivity Losses, and Sick Leave in Low-Back-Pain Employees: A Three-Year Longitudinal Cohort Study
Authors: Compare Angelo , Marchettini Paolo , Zarbo Cristina
Published: August 2016

Background. Low back pain (LBP) is one of the most common health problems worldwide. Purpose. To investigate the link between baseline demographic and occupational, medical, and lifestyle data with following psychological and occupational outcomes in a large sample of employees with LBP over a 3-year period. Study Design. Three-year prospective cohort study. Methods. Italian-speaking employees (N=4492) with a diagnosis of LBP were included. Screening at Time 1 was done in order to collect information about severity and classification of LBP, demographic, lifestyle, and occupational status data. Psychological distress (PGWBI) and occupational burden were assessed after 3 years. Results. After 3 years, employees with LBP not due to organic causes had an increased risk of psychological distress. Gender appears to be an important variable for following occupational burden. Indeed, being a white-collar man with a LBP without organic causes seems to be a protective factor for following work outcomes, while being a white-collar woman with a LBP not due to organic causes appears to be a risk factor for subsequent sick leave. Moreover, LBP severity affects psychological and occupational outcomes. Conclusion. Our findings have several implications that could be considered in preventive and supportive programs for LBP employees.
Data-Driven User Feedback: An Improved Neurofeedback Strategy considering the Interindividual Variability of EEG Features
Authors: Han Chang-Hee , Lim Jeong-Hwan , Lee Jun-Hak , Kim Kangsan , Im Chang-Hwan
Published: August 2016

It has frequently been reported that some users of conventional neurofeedback systems can experience only a small portion of the total feedback range due to the large interindividual variability of EEG features. In this study, we proposed a data-driven neurofeedback strategy considering the individual variability of electroencephalography (EEG) features to permit users of the neurofeedback system to experience a wider range of auditory or visual feedback without a customization process. The main idea of the proposed strategy is to adjust the ranges of each feedback level using the density in the offline EEG database acquired from a group of individuals. Twenty-two healthy subjects participated in offline experiments to construct an EEG database, and five subjects participated in online experiments to validate the performance of the proposed data-driven user feedback strategy. Using the optimized bin sizes, the number of feedback levels that each individual experienced was significantly increased to 139% and 144% of the original results with uniform bin sizes in the offline and online experiments, respectively. Our results demonstrated that the use of our data-driven neurofeedback strategy could effectively increase the overall range of feedback levels that each individual experienced during neurofeedback training.
Dimensional Analysis of Average Diameter of Bubbles for Bottom Blown Oxygen Copper Furnace
Authors: Wang Dongxing , Liu Yan , Zhang Zimu , Shao Pin , Zhang Ting’an
Published: August 2016

Average diameter of bubbles is important in copper furnace. Based on the principle of similarity, a slice water model of a furnace with bottom-blown oxygen in matte-smelting process was established. A high-speed camera was used to record images continuously and clearer pictures were selected for treatment. Finally, image processing software was used for obtaining the average diameter of the bubbles. The effects of different injection conditions and equipment factors such as the diameter of nozzle, the nozzle installing angle, and gas velocity on the average diameter of bubbles were studied with cold water model experiment, exploring the dispersion and disintegration rules of bubbles. According to experimental data and Buckingham’s theorem, by using dimensional analysis method, an empirical formula on average diameter of bubbles was established (dB=0.41666d0.29374θ-0.46572v-0.16725). It can be seen from the formula that nozzle installing angle and diameter of nozzle make the most impact on the average diameter of bubbles in bottom blown oxygen copper furnace.
“The Monkey on Your Shoulder”: A Qualitative Study of Lymphoedema Patients’ Attitudes to and Experiences of Acupuncture and Moxibustion
Authors: de Valois Beverley , Asprey Anthea , Young Teresa
Published: August 2016

Background. Lymphoedema, a distressing consequence of cancer treatment, has significant negative impact on health‐related quality of life. Multidisciplinary approaches are needed to improve physical and psychosocial wellbeing. Acupuncture and moxibustion (acu/moxa), two modalities of traditional East Asian medicine, may contribute to improved outcomes for cancer survivors with lymphoedema. Aim. To explore how patients with lymphoedema secondary to cancer treatment perceive and experience acu/moxa treatment. Design and Setting. A qualitative focus group study, nested in a 3‐step mixed methods observational study, was carried out in a cancer drop‐in and information centre in north‐west London. Methods. Six focus groups and one telephone interview were conducted with 23 survivors of breast or head and neck cancer, who had completed up to 13 acu/moxa treatments. Scripts were transcribed, coded, and analysed to identify salient and overarching themes. Results. Participants described feeling disempowered by cancer treatment and subsequent diagnosis of lymphoedema. Acu/moxa was valued for its whole‐person approach and for time spent with a practitioner who cared, listened, and responded. Participants reported changes in physical and psychosocial health, including increased energy levels and reduced pain and discomfort, and feelings of empowerment, personal control, and acceptance. Many were motivated to improve self‐care. Conclusion. Many participants who received acu/moxa treatment reported improved wellbeing and a more proactive attitude towards self‐care.
The Development of DNA Based Methods for the Reliable and Efficient Identification ofNicotiana tabacumin Tobacco and Its Derived Products
Authors: Biswas Sukumar , Fan Wei , Li Rong , Li Sifan , Ping Wenli , Li Shujun , Naumova Alexandra , Peelen Tamara , Kok Esther , Yuan Zheng , Zhang Dabing , Shi Jianxin
Published: August 2016

Reliable methods are needed to detect the presence of tobacco components in tobacco products to effectively control smuggling and classify tariff and excise in tobacco industry to control illegal tobacco trade. In this study, two sensitive and specific DNA based methods, one quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) assay and the other loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay, were developed for the reliable and efficient detection of the presence of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) in various tobacco samples and commodities. Both assays targeted the same sequence of the uridine 5′-monophosphate synthase (UMPS), and their specificities and sensitivities were determined with various plant materials. Both qPCR and LAMP methods were reliable and accurate in the rapid detection of tobacco components in various practical samples, including customs samples, reconstituted tobacco samples, and locally purchased cigarettes, showing high potential for their application in tobacco identification, particularly in the special cases where the morphology or chemical compositions of tobacco have been disrupted. Therefore, combining both methods would facilitate not only the detection of tobacco smuggling control, but also the detection of tariff classification and of excise.
Prevalence of Antenatal Depression and Associated Risk Factors among Pregnant Women Attending Antenatal Clinics in Abeokuta North Local Government Area, Nigeria
Authors: Thompson Okechukwu , Ajayi IkeOluwapo
Published: August 2016

Objective. The prevalence of antenatal depression (AD) and associated risk factors among pregnant women attending antenatal clinics in Abeokuta North Local Government Area, Nigeria, was determined.Methods. A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted, interviewing 314 pregnant women selected by multistage sampling technique from among those attending antenatal clinics. Information was collected using structured questionnaire and a screening tool, Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), to assess probable depression.Results. The prevalence of antenatal depression was 24.5%. There were significant associations between antenatal depression and attending public health facility (P=0.000), young maternal age (P=0.012), single marital status (P=0.010), not having formal education (P=0.022), large family size (P=0.029), planned pregnancy (P=0.014), coexisting medical conditions (P=0.034), history of previous caesarian section (P=0.032), drinking alcohol during pregnancy (P=0.004), and gender based abuse (P=0.001). On health seeking behaviour for antenatal depression among depressed pregnant women, most, 68.9%, consulted their husbands about their symptoms; 57.3% took the decision to get treatment from doctors, and 52% sought prayer in the church.Conclusion. Antenatal depression is prevalent in this study population. Interventions to address its risk factors should be carried out and physicians should suspect depression in pregnant women reporting alcohol use and gender abuse.
Estimation of Response Functions Based on Variational Bayes Algorithm in Dynamic Images Sequences
Authors: Shan Bowei
Published: August 2016

We proposed a nonparametric Bayesian model based on variational Bayes algorithm to estimate the response functions in dynamic medical imaging. In dynamic renal scintigraphy, the impulse response or retention functions are rather complicated and finding a suitable parametric form is problematic. In this paper, we estimated the response functions using nonparametric Bayesian priors. These priors were designed to favor desirable properties of the functions, such as sparsity or smoothness. These assumptions were used within hierarchical priors of the variational Bayes algorithm. We performed our algorithm on the real online dataset of dynamic renal scintigraphy. The results demonstrated that this algorithm improved the estimation of response functions with nonparametric priors.
Are “Theory of Mind” Skills in People with Epilepsy Related to How Stigmatised They Feel? An Exploratory Study
Authors: Noble A. J. , Robinson A. , Marson A. G.
Published: August 2016

Feelings of stigma are one of the main burdens reported by people with epilepsy (PWE). Adults with temporal or frontal lobe epilepsy and children with idiopathic generalised epilepsy are at risk of Theory of Mind (ToM) deficits. ToM refers to social cognitive skills, including the ability to understand the thoughts, intentions, beliefs, and emotions of others. It has been proffered that ToM deficits may contribute to the feelings of stigma experienced by PWE. In this study we tested this for the first time. We also determined the association between clinical and demographic factors and ToM performance. Five hundred and three PWE were recruited via epilepsy organisations and completed measures online. Feelings of stigma were measured using Jacoby’s Stigma Scale, whilst the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test and the Faux Pas Test measured ToM. The median age of participants was 37 years, their median years living with epilepsy were 15, and 70% had experienced seizures in the prior 12 months. Feelings of stigma held a negligible, negative, and nonsignificant association with ToM performance (rs  −0.02 and-0.05). Our results indicate that the ToM model for understanding epilepsy stigma has limited utility and alternative approaches to understanding and addressing epilepsy-related stigma are required.
Design of a Digital-Based, Multicomponent Nutrition Guidance System for Prevention of Early Childhood Obesity
Authors: Uesugi Keriann H. , Dattilo Anne M. , Black Maureen M. , Saavedra Jose M.
Published: August 2016

Interventions targeting parenting focused modifiable factors to prevent obesity and promote healthy growth in the first 1000 days of life are needed. Scale-up of interventions to global populations is necessary to reverse trends in weight status among infants and toddlers, and large scale dissemination will require understanding of effective strategies. Utilizing nutrition education theories, this paper describes the design of a digital-based nutrition guidance system targeted to first-time mothers to prevent obesity during the first two years. The multicomponent system consists of scientifically substantiated content, tools, and telephone-based professional support delivered in an anticipatory and sequential manner via the internet, email, and text messages, focusing on educational modules addressing the modifiable factors associated with childhood obesity. Digital delivery formats leverage consumer media trends and provide the opportunity for scale-up, unavailable to previous interventions reliant on resource heavy clinic and home-based counseling. Designed initially for use in the United States, this system’s core features are applicable to all contexts and constitute an approach fostering healthy growth, not just obesity prevention. The multicomponent features, combined with a global concern for optimal growth and positive trends in mobile internet use, represent this system’s future potential to affect change in nutrition practice in developing countries.
A Mobile Application for Easy Design and Testing of Algorithms to Monitor Physical Activity in the Workplace
Authors: Spinsante Susanna , Angelici Alberto , Lundström Jens , Espinilla Macarena , Cleland Ian , Nugent Christopher
Published: August 2016

This paper addresses approaches to Human Activity Recognition (HAR) with the aim of monitoring the physical activity of people in the workplace, by means of a smartphone application exploiting the available on-board accelerometer sensor. In fact, HAR via a smartphone or wearable sensor can provide important information regarding the level of daily physical activity, especially in situations where a sedentary behavior usually occurs, like in modern workplace environments. Increased sitting time is significantly associated with severe health diseases, and the workplace is an appropriate intervention setting, due to the sedentary behavior typical of modern jobs. Within this paper, the state-of-the-art components of HAR are analyzed, in order to identify and select the most effective signal filtering and windowing solutions for physical activity monitoring. The classifier development process is based upon three phases; a feature extraction phase, a feature selection phase, and a training phase. In the training phase, a publicly available dataset is used to test among different classifier types and learning methods. A user-friendly Android-based smartphone application with low computational requirements has been developed to run field tests, which allows to easily change the classifier under test, and to collect new datasets ready for use with machine learning APIs. The newly created datasets may include additional information, like the smartphone position, its orientation, and the user’s physical characteristics. Using the mobile tool, a classifier based on a decision tree is finally set up and enriched with the introduction of some robustness improvements. The developed approach is capable of classifying six activities, and to distinguish between not active (sitting) and active states, with an accuracy near to 99%. The mobile tool, which is going to be further extended and enriched, will allow for rapid and easy benchmarking of new algorithms based on previously generated data, and on future collected datasets.
Influence of Controlled Drainage on the Groundwater Nitrogen and Phosphorus Concentration at Jointing-Booting Stage of Wheat
Authors: Cui Jin-tao , Shao Guang-cheng , Yu Shuang-en , Cheng Xi
Published: August 2016

The effect of controlled drainage on nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) emission at jointing-booting stage of winter wheat was studied in 2007-2008. The conventional subsurface drainage was taken as the control (T5). The groundwater depth was naturally drained to 400 mm and 800 mm below the soil surface within 3 days at the jointing-booting stage, after the water level was kept at 100 mm for 1 day (T1, T2) and 3 days (T3, T4) from the soil surface. Results showed that controlled drainage could significantly reduce the concentration of P and N in groundwater. Compared to T5, the four controlled treatments could significantly decrease the concentration of TP,NH4+-N, andNO3--N. The highest concentration reduction for TP andNO3--N was observed under T4 and T1, which reached 64.9% and 73.2%, respectively. As for the concentration ofNH4+-N, the highest reduction was obtained under T2. The change of TP concentration was significantly affected by the interaction of submergence time and drain depth, while the influence of controlled drainage onNH4+-N concentration was not significant. The submergence time, drain depth, and the interaction of submergence time and drain depth had significant effect on the change of concentration ofNO3--N.
Altered Clock and Lipid Metabolism-Related Genes in Atherosclerotic Mice Kept with Abnormal Lighting Condition
Authors: Zhu Zhu , Hua Bingxuan , Shang Zhanxian , Yuan Gongsheng , Xu Lirong , Li Ermin , Li Xiaobo , Sun Ning , Yan Zuoqin , Qian Ruizhe , Lu Chao
Published: August 2016

Background. The risk of atherosclerosis is elevated in abnormal lipid metabolism and circadian rhythm disorder. We investigated whether abnormal lighting condition would have influenced the circadian expression of clock genes and clock-controlled lipid metabolism-related genes in ApoE-KO mice.Methods. A mouse model of atherosclerosis with circadian clock genes expression disorder was established using ApoE-KO mice (ApoE-KO LD/DL mice) by altering exposure to light. C57 BL/6J mice (C57 mice) and ApoE-KO mice (ApoE-KO mice) exposed to normal day and night and normal diet served as control mice. According to zeitgeber time samples were acquired, to test atheromatous plaque formation, serum lipids levels and rhythmicity, clock genes, and lipid metabolism-related genes along with Sirtuin 1 (Sirt1) levels and rhythmicity.Results. Atherosclerosis plaques were formed in the aortic arch of ApoE-KO LD/DL mice. The serum lipids levels and oscillations in ApoE-KO LD/DL mice were altered, along with the levels and diurnal oscillations of circadian genes, lipid metabolism-associated genes, and Sirt1 compared with the control mice.Conclusions. Abnormal exposure to light aggravated plaque formation and exacerbated disorders of serum lipids and clock genes, lipid metabolism genes and Sirt1 levels, and circadian oscillation.
TLR Signalling Pathways Diverge in Their Ability to Induce PGE2
Authors: Salvi Valentina , Vaira Xenia , Gianello Veronica , Vermi William , Bugatti Mattia , Sozzani Silvano , Bosisio Daniela
Published: August 2016

PGE2is a lipid mediator abundantly produced in inflamed tissues that exerts relevant immunoregulatory functions. Dendritic cells (DCs) are key players in the onset and shaping of the inflammatory and immune responses and, as such, are well known PGE2targets. By contrast, the precise role of human DCs in the production of PGE2is poorly characterized. Here, we asked whether different ligands of Toll-like receptors (TLRs), a relevant family of pathogen-sensing receptors, could induce PGE2in human DCs. The only active ligands were LPS (TLR4 ligand) and R848 (TLR7-8 ligand) although all TLRs, but TLR9, were expressed and functional. While investigating the molecular mechanisms hindering the release of PGE2, our experiments highlighted so far oversight differences in TLR signalling pathways in terms of MAPK and NF-κB activation. In addition, we identified that the PGE2-limiting checkpoint downstream TLR3, TLR5, and TLR7 was a defect in COX2 induction, while TLR1/2 and TLR2/6 failed to mobilize arachidonic acid, the substrate for the COX2 enzyme. Finally, we demonstrated thein vivoexpression of PGE2by myeloid CD11c+cells, documenting a role for DCs in the production of PGE2in human inflamed tissues.
Clinical Effects of Gamma-Radiation-ResistantAspergillus sydowiion Germ-Free Mice Immunologically Prone to Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Authors: Rodriguez-Palacios Alexander , Aladyshkina Natalia , Retuerto Mauricio , Hager Christopher L. , Ilic Sanja , Ghannoum Mahmoud A. , Cominelli Fabio
Published: August 2016

We report and investigated a case of inadvertent contamination of 125 mice (housed in two germ-free positive-pressurized isolators) with emerging human and coral pathogenAspergillus sydowii. The infected mice correspond to genetic line SAMP1/YitFc, which have 100% immune predisposition to develop Crohn’s disease-like spontaneous pathologies, namely, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Pathogen update based on a scoping review of the literature and our clinical observations and experimentation are discussed. The unwanted infection of germ-free mice (immunologically prone to suffer chronic inflammation) with human pathogenA. sydowiiresulted in no overt signs of clinical disease over 3-week exposure period, or during DSS-induced colitis experiments. Results and observations suggest thatA. sydowiialone has limited clinical effect in immunocompromised germ-free mice or that other commensal microbial flora is required forAspergillus-associated disease to occur.
Noninvasive Tracking of Encapsulated Insulin Producing Cells Labelled with Magnetic Microspheres by Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Authors: Vaithilingam Vijayaganapathy , Yim Mandy M. W. , Foster Jayne L. , Stait-Gardner Timothy , Oberholzer Jose , Tuch Bernard E.
Published: August 2016

Microencapsulated islets are usually injected free-floating into the peritoneal cavity, so the position of the grafts remains elusive after transplantation. This study aims to assess magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as a noninvasive means to track microencapsulated insulin producing cells following transplantation. Encapsulated insulin producing cells (MIN6 and human islets) were labelled with magnetic microspheres (MM), assessed for viability and insulin secretion, and imagedin vitrousing a clinical grade 3 T MRI andin vivousing both clinical grade 3 T and research grade 11.7 T MRI. Fluorescent imaging demonstrated the uptake of MM by both MIN6 and human islets with no changes in cell morphology and viability. MM labelling did not affect the glucose responsiveness of encapsulated MIN6 and isletsin vitro.In vivoencapsulated MM-labelled MIN6 normalized sugar levels when transplanted into diabetic mice.In vitroMRI demonstrated that single microcapsules as well as clusters of encapsulated MM-labelled cells could be visualised clearly in agarose gel phantoms.In vivoencapsulated MM-labelled MIN6 could be visualised more clearly within the peritoneal cavity as discrete hypointensities using the high power 11.7 T but not the clinical grade 3 T MRI. This study demonstrates a method to noninvasively track encapsulated insulin producing cells by MM labelling and MRI.
Hand Depth Image Denoising and Superresolution via Noise-Aware Dictionaries
Authors: Li Huayang , Kong Dehui , Wang Shaofan , Yin Baocai
Published: August 2016

This paper proposes a two-stage method for hand depth image denoising and superresolution, using bilateral filters and learned dictionaries via noise-aware orthogonal matching pursuit (NAOMP) based K-SVD. The bilateral filtering phase recovers singular points and removes artifacts on silhouettes by averaging depth data using neighborhood pixels on which both depth difference and RGB similarity restrictions are imposed. The dictionary learning phase uses NAOMP for training dictionaries which separates faithful depth from noisy data. Compared with traditional OMP, NAOMP adds a residual reduction step which effectively weakens the noise term within the residual during the residual decomposition in terms of atoms. Experimental results demonstrate that the bilateral phase and the NAOMP-based learning dictionaries phase corporately denoise both virtual and real depth images effectively.
miR-155 Inhibits Nucleus Pulposus Cells’ Degeneration through Targeting ERK 1/2
Authors: Ye Dongping , Dai Libing , Yao Yicun , Qin Shengnan , Xie Han , Wang Wen , Liang Weiguo
Published: August 2016

We first investigated the difference in microRNA expression between normal NP cells and degenerative NP cells using gene chip. We have found that the expression of ERK1/2 was decreased with overexpression of miR-155 in normal nucleus pulposus cell. Expression of ERK1/2 was increased with inhibition of miR-155. Overexpression or inhibition of miR-155 had no effects on the expression level of mRNA ERK1/2 in nucleus pulposus cell, which showed that miR-155 affected the expression of pERK1/2 after transcription of ERK1/2 mRNA indicating that ERK1/2 was a new target protein regulated by miR-155. In the degeneration of intervertebral disc, inhibited miR-155 decreased the expressions of extracellular main matrix collagen II and glycosaminoglycan and increased expression of ERK1/2. Taken together, our data suggested that miR-155 was the identified miRNA which regulated NP cells degenerated through directly targeting ERK1/2.
Induction of Tenogenic Differentiation Mediated by Extracellular Tendon Matrix and Short‐Term Cyclic Stretching
Authors: Burk Janina , Plenge Amelie , Brehm Walter , Heller Sandra , Pfeiffer Bastian , Kasper Cornelia
Published: August 2016

Tendon and ligament pathologies are still a therapeutic challenge, due to the difficulty in restoring the complex extracellular matrix architecture and biomechanical strength. While progress is being made in cell‐based therapies and tissue engineering approaches, comprehensive understanding of the fate of progenitor cells in tendon healing is still lacking. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of decellularized tendon matrix and moderate cyclic stretching as natural stimuli which could potentially direct tenogenic fate. Equine adipose‐derived mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) were seeded on decellularized tendon matrix scaffolds. Mechanical stimulation was applied in a custom‐made cyclic strain bioreactor. Assessment was performed 4 h, 8 h, and 24 h following mechanical stimulation. Scaffold culture induced cell alignment and changes in expression of tendon‐related genes, although cell viability was decreased compared to monolayer culture. Short mechanical stimulation periods enhanced most of the scaffold‐induced effects. Collagen 1A2 expression levels were decreased, while collagen 3A1 and decorin levels were increased. Tenascin‐C and scleraxis expression showed an initial decrease but had increased 24 h after stimulation. The results obtained suggest that decellularized tendon matrix, supported by cyclic stretching, can induce tenogenic differentiation and the synthesis of tendon components important for matrix remodeling.
Antibacterial and Antibiofilm Effect of Low Viscosity Chitosan againstStaphylococcus epidermidis
Authors: Dragland Inger Sofie , Rukke Håkon Valen , Stenhagen Ida S. R. , Lönn-Stensrud Jessica , Kopperud Hilde M.
Published: August 2016

Aim. The aim of this study was to investigate the antibacterial and antibiofilm properties of low viscosity chitosan onS. epidermidisgrowth and biofilm formation.Methods and Results. The antibacterial and antibiofilm properties were investigated, during both planktonic growth and biofilm formation. This was performed using different concentrations in media and by coating on polystyrene surfaces. In addition, the bactericidal effect was investigated using a modified direct contact test. The results showed that low viscosity chitosan in media had both a bacteriostatic and bactericidal effect on planktonic growth and biofilm formation ofS. epidermidisin a concentration dependent manner. Polystyrene discs coated with chitosan reduced both early biofilm formation (6 h) and late biofilm formation (18 h), as confirmed by scanning electron microscopy. The modified direct contact test showed a bactericidal effect.Conclusion. This study demonstrated that low viscosity chitosan has a bacteriostatic and bactericidal activity againstS. epidermidisand that the activity is dependent on the amount of chitosan added. In addition, low viscosity chitosan reduced biofilm formation both when added to media and when coated on polystyrene surfaces.Significance and Impact of Study. Low viscosity chitosan could be a contribution to new treatment approaches of biofilm-related infections ofS. epidermidis.
Dynamic Scalable Stochastic Petri Net: A Novel Model for Designing and Analysis of Resource Scheduling in Cloud Computing
Authors: He Hua , Pang Shanchen , Zhao Zenghua
Published: August 2016

Performance evaluation of cloud computing systems studies the relationships among system configuration, system load, and performance indicators. However, such evaluation is not feasible by dint of measurement methods or simulation methods, due to the properties of cloud computing, such as large scale, diversity, and dynamics. To overcome those challenges, we present a novel Dynamic Scalable Stochastic Petri Net (DSSPN) to model and analyze the performance of cloud computing systems. DSSPN can not only clearly depict system dynamic behaviors in an intuitive and efficient way but also easily discover performance deficiencies and bottlenecks of systems. In this study, we further elaborate some properties of DSSPN. In addition, we improve fair scheduling taking into consideration job diversity and resource heterogeneity. To validate the improved algorithm and the applicability of DSSPN, we conduct extensive experiments through Stochastic Petri Net Package (SPNP). The performance results show that the improved algorithm is better than fair scheduling in some key performance indicators, such as average throughput, response time, and average completion time.
Use of a Novel Nonparametric Version of DEPTH to Identify Genomic Regions Associated with Prostate Cancer Risk
Authors: MacInnis Robert J. , Schmidt Daniel F. , Makalic Enes , Severi Gianluca , FitzGerald Liesel M. , Reumann Matthias , Kapuscinski Miroslaw K. , Kowalczyk Adam , Zhou Zeyu , Goudey Benjamin , Qian Guoqi , Bui Quang M. , Park Daniel J. , Freeman Adam , Southey Melissa C. , Al Olama Ali Amin , Kote-Jarai Zsofia , Eeles Rosalind A. , Hopper John L. , Giles Graham G.
Published: August 2016

Background: We have developed a genome-wide association study analysis method called DEPTH (DEPendency of association on the number of Top Hits) to identify genomic regions potentially associated with disease by considering overlapping groups of contiguous markers (e.g., SNPs) across the genome. DEPTH is a machine learning algorithm for feature ranking of ultra-high dimensional datasets, built from well-established statistical tools such as bootstrapping, penalized regression, and decision trees. Unlike marginal regression, which considers each SNP individually, the key idea behind DEPTH is to rank groups of SNPs in terms of their joint strength of association with the outcome. Our aim was to compare the performance of DEPTH with that of standard logistic regression analysis.

Methods: We selected 1,854 prostate cancer cases and 1,894 controls from the UK for whom 541,129 SNPs were measured using the Illumina Infinium HumanHap550 array. Confirmation was sought using 4,152 cases and 2,874 controls, ascertained from the UK and Australia, for whom 211,155 SNPs were measured using the iCOGS Illumina Infinium array.

Results: From the DEPTH analysis, we identified 14 regions associated with prostate cancer risk that had been reported previously, five of which would not have been identified by conventional logistic regression. We also identified 112 novel putative susceptibility regions.

Conclusions: DEPTH can reveal new risk-associated regions that would not have been identified using a conventional logistic regression analysis of individual SNPs.

Impact: This study demonstrates that the DEPTH algorithm could identify additional genetic susceptibility regions that merit further investigation. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 25(12); 1619–24. ©2016 AACR.
Tumor Mutational Load and Immune Parameters across Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Risk Groups
Authors: de Velasco Guillermo , Miao Diana , Voss Martin H. , Hakimi A. Ari , Hsieh James J. , Tannir Nizar M. , Tamboli Pheroze , Appleman Leonard J. , Rathmell W. Kimryn , Van Allen Eliezer M. , Choueiri Toni K.
Published: August 2016

Patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) have better overall survival when treated with nivolumab, a cancer immunotherapy that targets the immune checkpoint inhibitor programmed cell death 1 (PD-1), rather than everolimus (a chemical inhibitor of mTOR and immunosuppressant). Poor-risk mRCC patients treated with nivolumab seemed to experience the greatest overall survival benefit, compared with patients with favorable or intermediate risk, in an analysis of the CheckMate-025 trial subgroup of the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) prognostic risk groups. Here, we explore whether tumor mutational load and RNA expression of specific immune parameters could be segregated by prognostic MSKCC risk strata and explain the survival seen in the poor-risk group. We queried whole-exome transcriptome data in renal cell carcinoma patients (n = 54) included in The Cancer Genome Atlas who ultimately developed metastatic disease or were diagnosed with metastatic disease at presentation and did not receive immune checkpoint inhibitors. Nonsynonymous mutational load did not differ significantly by the MSKCC risk group, nor was the expression of cytolytic genes—granzyme A and perforin—or selected immune checkpoint molecules different across MSKCC risk groups. In conclusion, this analysis revealed that mutational load and expression of markers of an active tumor microenvironment did not correlate with MSKCC risk prognostic classification in mRCC. Cancer Immunol Res; 4(10); 820–2. ©2016 AACR.
Naturally Occurring Surface Antigen Variants of Hepatitis B Virus in Tunisian Patients
Authors: Chaouch Houda , Taffon Stefania , Villano Umbertina , Equestre Michele , Bruni Roberto , Belhadj Manel , Hannachi Naila , Aouni Mahjoub , Letaief Amel , Ciccaglione Anna Rita
Published: August 2016

In Tunisia, the prevalence of naturally occurring surface (S) gene variants of hepatitis B virus (HBV) has not been determined. In the present study, the prevalence of these variants was examined in terms of the clinical and viral state in a series of 99 Tunisian patients with HBV infection. The S genes were amplified and directly sequenced. Genotype D was predominant (98%), 40.4% isolates belonged to subgenotypes D7 and 1 to subgenotype D2. The most common subtype was ayw2 (95.9%). In total, 60.6% of the studied strains harbored S mutations. Several novel mutation patterns were detected. Interestingly, the presence of S mutations was significantly correlated with the D7 subgenotype, low HBV DNA and advancing age (≥35 years), and tended to be higher in liver cirrhosis than in chronic infection. The global prevalence of the major hydrophilic region variants was 12.1%, with substitution S143L/T as the most frequent (4%). Only 33.9% of S substitutions produced amino acid changes in the polymerase gene. In conclusion, a high prevalence of naturally occurring HBsAg variants was observed among Tunisian HBV carriers. Natural viral variability in a geographical region and duration of infection are among the major factors associated with the occurrence of S mutations.
Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor Ameliorates Skeletal Muscle Dysfunction in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Mice and Improves Proliferation of SOD1-G93A Myoblasts in vitro
Authors: Rando Amaya , Gasco Samanta , de la Torre Miriam , García-Redondo Alberto , Zaragoza Pilar , Toivonen Janne M. , Osta Rosario
Published: August 2016

Background: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) causes loss of upper and lower motor neurons as well as skeletal muscle (SKM) dysfunction and atrophy. SKM is one of the tissues involved in the development of ALS pathology, and studies in a SOD1-G93A mouse model of ALS have demonstrated alterations in SKM degeneration/regeneration marker expression in vivo and defective mutant myoblast proliferation in vitro. Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) has been shown to alleviate SOD1-G93A pathology. However, it is unknown whether G-CSF may have a direct effect on SKM or derived myoblasts. Objective: To investigate effects of G-CSF and its analog pegfilgrastim (PEGF) on SOD1-G93A- associated SKM markers in vivo and those of G-CSF on myoblast proliferation in vitro. Methods: The effect of PEGF treatment on hematopoietic stem cell mobilization, survival, and motor function was determined. RNA expression of SKM markers associated with mutant SOD1 expression was quantified in response to PEGF treatment in vivo, and the effect of G-CSF on the proliferation of myoblasts derived from mutant and control muscles was determined in vitro. Results: Positive effects of PEGF on hematopoietic stem cell mobilization, survival, and functional assays in SOD1-G93A animals were confirmed. In vivo PEGF treatment augmented the expression of its receptor Csf3r and alleviated typical markers for mutant SOD1 muscle. Additionally, G-CSF was found to directly increase the proliferation of SOD1-G93A, but not wild-type primary myoblasts in vitro. Conclusion: Our results support the beneficial role of the G-CSF analog PEGF in a SOD1-G93A model of ALS. Thus, G-CSF and its analogs may be directly beneficial in diseases where the SKM function is compromised.
Knowledge of Genetics and Attitudes toward Genetic Testing among College Students in Saudi Arabia
Authors: Olwi Duaa , Merdad Leena , Ramadan Eman
Published: August 2016

Background: Genetic testing has been gradually permeating the practice of medicine. Health-care providers may be confronted with new genetic approaches that require genetically informed decisions which will be influenced by patients' knowledge of genetics and their attitudes toward genetic testing. This study assesses the knowledge of genetics and attitudes toward genetic testing among college students. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a multistage stratified sample of 920 senior college students enrolled at King Abdulaziz University, Saudi Arabia. Information regarding knowledge of genetics, attitudes toward genetic testing, and sociodemographic data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. Results: In general, students had a good knowledge of genetics but lacked some fundamentals of genetics. The majority of students showed positive attitudes toward genetic testing, but some students showed negative attitudes toward certain aspects of genetic testing such as resorting to abortion in the case of an untreatable major genetic defect in an unborn fetus. The main significant predictors of knowledge were faculty, gender, academic year, and some prior awareness of ‘genetic testing'. The main significant predictors of attitudes were gender, academic year, grade point average, and some prior awareness of ‘genetic testing'. Conclusion: The knowledge of genetics among college students was higher than has been reported in other studies, and the attitudes toward genetic testing were fairly positive. Genetics educational programs that target youths may improve knowledge of genetics and create a public perception that further supports genetic testing.
Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases and Hypoxic/Ischemic Nephropathy
Authors: Luo Fengbao , Shi Jian , Shi Qianqian , Xu Xianlin , Xia Ying , He Xiaozhou
Published: August 2016

Tissue hypoxia/ischemia is a pathological feature of many human disorders including stroke, myocardial infarction, hypoxic/ischemic nephropathy, as well as cancer. In the kidney, the combination of limited oxygen supply to the tissues and high oxygen demand is considered the main reason for the susceptibility of the kidney to hypoxic/ischemic injury. In recent years, increasing evidence has indicated that a reduction in renal oxygen tension/blood supply plays an important role in acute kidney injury, chronic kidney disease, and renal tumorigenesis. However, the underlying signaling mechanisms, whereby hypoxia alters cellular behaviors, remain poorly understood. Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) are key signal-transducing enzymes activated by a wide range of extracellular stimuli, including hypoxia/ischemia. There are four major family members of MAPKs: the extracellular signal-regulated kinases-1 and -2 (ERK1/2), the c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNK), p38 MAPKs, and extracellular signal-regulated kinase-5 (ERK5/BMK1). Recent studies, including ours, suggest that these MAPKs are differentially involved in renal responses to hypoxic/ischemic stress. This review will discuss their changes in hypoxic/ischemic pathophysiology with acute kidney injury, chronic kidney diseases and renal carcinoma.
Stimulated Suicidal Erythrocyte Death in Arteritis
Authors: Bissinger Rosi , Kempe-Teufel Daniela S. , Honisch Sabina , Qadri Syed M. , Randrianarisoa Elko , Häring Hans-Ulrich , Henes Jörg , Lang Florian
Published: August 2016

Background/Aims: Arteritis is an inflammatory disease of the vascular wall leading to ischemia and vascular occlusion. Complications of arteritis include anemia, which could, at least in theory, result from suicidal erythrocyte death or eryptosis, which is characterized by erythrocyte shrinkage and phosphatidylserine (PS) exposure at the erythrocyte surface. Cellular mechanisms involved in the stimulation of eryptosis include increased cytosolic Ca2+-concentration ([Ca2+]i), oxidative stress and ceramide formation. The present study explored whether and how arteritis influences eryptosis. Methods: Blood was drawn from patients suffering from arteritis (n=17) and from healthy volunteers (n=21). PS exposure was estimated from annexin V-binding, erythrocyte volume from forward scatter, [Ca2+]i from Fluo3-fluorescence, reactive oxygen species (ROS) from DCFDA fluorescence and ceramide abundance from FITC-conjugated antibody binding in flow cytometry. The patients suffered from anemia despite 2.8±0.4% reticulocytes. Results: The percentage of PS-exposing erythrocytes was significantly higher in patients (1.1±0.1%) than in healthy volunteers (0.3±0.1%). The increase in PS exposure was paralleled by increase in oxidative stress and [Ca2+]i but not by significant changes of ceramide abundance. Erythrocyte PS exposure and ROS production were significantly enhanced in erythrocytes exposed to patient plasma as compared to exposure to plasma from healthy volunteers. Conclusion: Arteritis is associated with enhanced eryptosis due to increased [Ca2+]i and oxidative stress. The eryptosis contributes to or even accounts for the anemia in those patients. As eryptotic erythrocytes adhere to endothelial cells of the vascular wall, they could impede microcirculation and thus contribute to vascular occlusion.
Does Schizophrenia in Offspring Increase the Risk of Developing Alzheimer's Dementia
Authors: Rohde Christopher , Agerbo Esben , Rising Nielsen Philip
Published: August 2016

Background/Aims: Prior studies have consistently found a higher risk of dementia in individuals with schizophrenia, but whether this is due to a common etiology between the disorders remains obscure. We wanted to elucidate this association by investigating whether schizophrenia in offspring increases the risk of Alzheimer's dementia. Methods: All individuals born between 1930 and 1953 were identified through national registers and followed from their 50th birthday until the date of Alzheimer's dementia, death or end of the study. Regressions were performed to evaluate the association between offspring with schizophrenia and Alzheimer's dementia. Results: Individuals with offspring with schizophrenia did not have an increased risk of Alzheimer's dementia [incidence rate ratio (IRR), 0.97; 95% CI, 0.88-1.07] compared to individuals with offspring without psychiatric contact. This finding remained stable when evaluating early-onset (IRR, 1.10; 95% CI, 0.91-1.31) and late-onset Alzheimer's dementia (IRR, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.88-1.07). Similar findings were made for vascular and unspecified dementia. Conclusion: The finding of no familial coaggregation between schizophrenia and Alzheimer's dementia may suggest that no common etiology between the disorders exists. This may indicate that the excess risk of dementia in individuals with schizophrenia is a by-product of the higher rates of somatic comorbidity and adverse health risk factors among these individuals.
Understanding Genotypes and Phenotypes in Epileptic Encephalopathies
Authors: Helbig Ingo , Abou Tayoun Ahmad N.
Published: August 2016

Epileptic encephalopathies are severe often intractable seizure disorders where epileptiform abnormalities contribute to a progressive disturbance in brain function. Often, epileptic encephalopathies start in childhood and are accompanied by developmental delay and various neurological and non-neurological comorbidities. In recent years, this concept has become virtually synonymous with a group of severe childhood epilepsies including West syndrome, Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, Dravet syndrome, and several other severe childhood epilepsies for which genetic factors are increasingly recognized. In the last 5 years, the field has seen a virtual explosion of gene discovery, raising the number of bona fide genes and possible candidate genes for epileptic encephalopathies to more than 70 genes, explaining 20-25% of all cases with severe early-onset epilepsies that had otherwise no identifiable causes. This review will focus on the phenotypic variability as a characteristic aspect of genetic epilepsies. For many genetic epilepsies, the phenotypic presentation can be broad, even in patients with identical genetic alterations. Furthermore, patients with different genetic etiologies can have seemingly similar clinical presentations, such as in Dravet syndrome. While most patients carry mutations in SCN1A, similar phenotypes can be seen in patients with mutations in PCDH19, CHD2, SCN8A, or in rare cases GABRA1 and STXBP1. In addition to the genotypic and phenotypic heterogeneity, both benign phenotypes and severe encephalopathies have been recognized in an increasing number of genetic epilepsies, raising the question whether these conditions represent a fluid continuum or distinct entities.
Lymph Node Surgery - Stepwise Retirement for the Breast Surgeon?
Authors: Landin Julia , Weber Walter P.
Published: August 2016

Axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) has been standard of care for all patients with breast cancer until the 1990s. The stepwise retreat of breast surgeons from the axilla began after the introduction of the sentinel lymph node procedure. The evidence based clinical trend toward the omission of ALND has advanced to include patients with affected nodes, and several ongoing randomized controlled trials are evaluating the remaining indications for ALND. Conflicting with this trend toward less axillary surgery, indication and extent of regional nodal irradiation are currently broadened, equally supported by evidence from randomized trials. The present review summarizes this conflicting evidence, presents ongoing trials, and discusses the current and future optimal regional management of patients with affected nodes.
Marinesco-Sjögren Syndrome in an Emirati Child with a Novel Mutation in SIL1 Affecting the 5′ Untranslated Region
Authors: Nair Pratibha , Hamzeh Abdul Rezzak , Mohamed Madiha , Tawfiq Nafisa , Al-Ali Mahmoud Taleb , Bastaki Fatma
Published: August 2016

Objective: The aim of this study was to report clinical and molecular findings in an Emirati child with Marinesco-Sjögren syndrome born to consanguineous parents. Clinical Presentation and Intervention: The child presented with developmental delay, ataxia, bilateral cataracts, and dysmorphic craniofacial features, along with cerebellar atrophy. Sequencing of the SIL1 gene revealed a novel homozygous large indel mutation that was predicted to abrogate part of the 5′ untranslated region (UTR) and the first 30 amino acids of the protein. Conclusion: This was a case of mutation in SIL1 that affected the 5′ UTR, translation initiation site and the endoplasmic reticulum-targeting signal sequence. Further studies will be needed on the functional delineation of the mutation.