bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Impact of replacing cytology with human papillomavirus testing for cervical cancer screening on the prevalence of Trichomonas vaginalis: a modelling study
Authors: Hui Ben B , Reulein Caitlin P , Guy Rebecca J , Donovan Basil , Hocking Jane S , Law Matthew G , Regan David G
Published: January 2018

Objectives

Trichomonas vaginalis (TV) is the most common curable STI worldwide and is associated with increased risk of HIV acquisition and serious reproductive morbidities. The prevalence of TV infection is very low in Australian cities, and this is thought to be at least partly due to incidental detection and treatment of TV in women participating in the cervical cytology screening programme. In 2017, the national cervical screening programme will transition to a new model based on testing for high-risk (HR) human papillomavirus (HPV), with a reduced frequency and commencement at an older age. We model the potential impact of this transition on TV prevalence in Australia.

Methods

A mathematical model was developed to describe the transmission of TV in the general population and used to evaluate scenarios that capture the switch from cytology-based screening to HR HPV testing. Under these scenarios, individuals with asymptomatic TV who test negative for HR HPV will remain undiagnosed and untreated. We estimate the change in TV prevalence expected to occur due to the switch from cytology to HR HPV testing and changes to the frequency and age at commencement of screening.

Results

Our results suggest that with the transition to HR HPV testing, TV prevalence may increase from the current ~0.4% to 2.8% within 20 years if TV testing coverage is not increased and HR HPV prevalence does not decline further. If HR HPV prevalence continues to decline at its current rate with ongoing vaccination, TV prevalence is predicted to increase to 3.0% within this time frame.

Conclusions

Our modelling suggests that in a setting like Australia, where TV can be detected incidentally through cytology-based cervical screening, a transition to HPV testing is likely to result in increasing TV prevalence over time unless additional measures are implemented to increase TV testing and treatment.
Fishery collapse, recovery, and the cryptic decline of wild salmon on a major California river
Authors: Willmes Malte , Hobbs James A. , Sturrock Anna M. , Bess Zachary , Lewis Levi S. , Glessner Justin J.G. , Johnson Rachel C. , Kurth Ryon , Kindopp Jason
Published: January 2018

Fall-run Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) from the Sacramento–San Joaquin River system form the backbone of California’s salmon fishery and are heavily subsidized through hatchery production. Identifying temporal trends in the relative contribution of hatchery- versus wild-spawned salmon is vital for assessing the status and resiliency of wild salmon populations. Here, we reconstructed the proportion of hatchery fish on natural spawning grounds in the Feather River, a major tributary to the Sacramento River, using strontium isotope (87Sr/86Sr) ratios of otoliths collected during carcass surveys from 2002 to 2010. Our results show that prior to the 2007–2008 salmon stock collapse, 55%–67% of in-river spawners were of hatchery origin; however, hatchery contributions increased drastically (89%) in 2010 following the collapse. Data from a recent hatchery marking program corroborate our results, showing that hatchery fish continued to dominate (∼90%) in 2011–2012. Though the rebound in abundance of salmon in the Feather River suggests recovery of the stock postcollapse, our otolith chemistry data document a persistent decline of wild spawners, likely leading to the erosion of locally adapted Feather River salmon populations.
Wood ash as a soil amendment in Canadian forests: what are the barriers to utilization?
Authors: Hannam K.D. , Venier L. , Allen D. , Deschamps C. , Hope E. , Jull M. , Kwiaton M. , McKenney D. , Rutherford P.M. , Hazlett P.W.
Published: January 2018

The contribution of forest biomass to Canada’s energy production is small but growing. As the forest bioenergy industry in Canada expands, there is growing interest in more sustainably managing the wood ash that is generated as a by-product. Despite being rich in nutrients, wood ash is usually landfilled in Canada. Soil applications of ash in Canadian forests could be used to mimic some of the effects of wildfire, to replace nutrients removed during harvesting, to counteract the negative effects of acid deposition, and to improve tree growth. At present, the provincial and territorial processes for obtaining regulatory approval to use wood ash as a forest soil amendment can be challenging to navigate. Furthermore, the costs for obtaining approval and transporting and applying wood ash to the soil can render landfilling a more cost-effective method of ash management. To ensure that wood ash applications in Canadian forests are conducted safely, effectively, and efficiently, experience from European countries could provide a useful starting point for developing best practices. The results of Canadian research trials will assist policy makers and forest managers in refining management guidelines that encourage soil applications of wood ash as a forest management tool while protecting the ecology, water quality, biodiversity, and productivity of Canadian forests.
Passivity of memristive BAM neural networks with leakage and additive time-varying delays
Authors: Wang Weiping , Wang Meiqi , Luo Xiong , Li Lixiang , Zhao Wenbing , Liu Linlin , Ping Yuan
Published: January 2018

This paper investigates the passivity of memristive bidirectional associate memory neural networks (MBAMNNs) with leakage and additive time-varying delays. Based on some useful inequalities and appropriate Lyapunov–Krasovskii functionals (LKFs), several delay-dependent conditions for passivity performance are obtained in linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). Moreover, the leakage delays as well as additive delays are considered separately. Finally, numerical simulations are provided to demonstrate the feasibility of the theoretical results.
Reversibly-propagational metamaterial absorber for sensing application
Authors: Tung Bui Son , Khuyen Bui Xuan , Yoo Young Joon , Rhee Joo Yull , Kim Ki Won , Lam Vu Dinh , Lee Young Pak
Published: January 2018

We investigated a reversibly-propagational metamaterial perfect absorber (MPA) for X band using two separated identically-patterned copper layers, which were deposited on continuous dielectric FR-4 layers. By adjusting oblique incidence, two separated resonances are excited, then come close to each other and is finally merged to be a perfect absorption peak at 10.1 GHz. The nature of resonance is the quadrupole mode instead of the fundamental resonances in common MPAs. The mechanism of perfect absorption is the coupling of two quadrupole resonances at their superposition, leading to an enhancement of energy absorption. Finally, we numerically presented the capability of sensing thin resonant substance using the proposed MPA. The characteristic resonance of substance, which does not appear on the absorption spectrum at the limited thickness of bare substance layer, is detected with a great magnitude of signal by exploiting the absorption resonance of MPA. Our work provides another way to obtain the reversibly-propagational absorption by controlling the incident angle instead of the geometrical structure, and might be useful for the potential devices based on MPA such as detectors and sensors.
The self-reduction synthesis and luminescent properties of Eu2+-Eu3+ activated BaZr0.2Si2O5.4 phosphors with white light emission for white light-emitting diodes
Authors: Zhong Jianlin , Yu Lixin , Li Songchu , Man Xiaoqin , Sun Wei
Published: January 2018

The BaZr[Formula: see text]Si2O[Formula: see text]: Eu[Formula: see text]/Eu[Formula: see text] phosphors were prepared with different concentrations of Eu2O3 by a self-reduction method under air condition. The X-ray diffraction and the photoluminescence properties of the prepared samples were analyzed. The emission spectra consisting of a broadband emission from the 4f[Formula: see text]5d transitions of Eu[Formula: see text] and sharp emissions from 5D0-7F[Formula: see text] (J = 0, 1, 2, 3, 4) transitions of Eu[Formula: see text] are observed. The different luminescent colors can be obtained and modulated by doping different concentrations of Eu2O3 and the white light emission can be observed as the concentration of europium is 6%.
Silent initial conditions for cosmological perturbations with a change of spacetime signature
Authors: Mielczarek Jakub , Linsefors Linda , Barrau Aurelien
Published: January 2018

Recent calculations in loop quantum cosmology suggest that a transition from a Lorentzian to a Euclidean spacetime might take place in the very early universe. The transition point leads to a state of silence, characterized by a vanishing speed of light. This behavior can be interpreted as a decoupling of different space points, similar to the one characterizing the BKL phase. In this study, we address the issue of imposing initial conditions for the cosmological perturbations at the transition point between the Lorentzian and Euclidean phases. Motivated by the decoupling of space points, initial conditions characterized by a lack of correlations are investigated. We show that the “white noise” gains some support from analysis of the vacuum state in the deep Euclidean regime. Furthermore, the possibility of imposing the silent initial conditions at the trans-Planckian surface, characterized by a vanishing speed for the propagation of modes with wavelengths of the order of the Planck length, is studied. Such initial conditions might result from the loop deformations of the Poincaré algebra. The conversion of the silent initial power spectrum to a scale-invariant one is also examined.
VALIDATION OF A RAT MODEL FOR ANALYZING MicroRNA IN CHONDROSARCOMA
Authors: Evans Timothy J. , Frisch Nicholas B. , Gibson Gary , Mott Michael P. , Parsons Theodore W.
Published: January 2018

Purpose: We compared the expression of microRNAs (miRNAs) in rat chondrosarcoma relative to normal rat cartilage with miRNA expression in human chondrosarcoma relative to normal human cartilage. We did this in order to answer the question: Are the miRNA profiles of chondrosarcoma in humans and rats similar enough to allow for the rat model to be valid for study of chondrosarcoma in humans? Methods: Twenty rats were sacrificed, cartilage was collected, RNA extracted and 233 miRNAs analyzed. The expression of these miRNAs was then compared to their expression in normal human tissue and chondrosarcoma. Integrative correlation coefficients were applied to the data in whole to measure the similarity between the rat and human miRNA. Results: For normal human versus normal rat cartilage the integrative correlation coefficient was 0.84 (95% CI: 0.82–0.87). The integrative correlation coefficient for chondrosarcoma in human versus rat tissue was 0.70 (95% CI: 0.65–0.74). Conclusions: Our findings suggest that human and rat normal cartilage, as well as chondrosarcoma genetics, are sufficiently similar for use of rat models to study chondrosarcoma (integrative correlation coefficient [Formula: see text]). We also revealed similarities between specific miRNA, especially those with the most similar fold-change (miR26b, 126, 145, 195, and 320).
Numerical Simulation of Multi-Field Coupling in Aqueous Humor Under the Condition of Dynamic Pressure
Authors: Song Hongfang , Li Lin , Wang Wenjia , Li Qi , Liu Zhicheng
Published: January 2018

In order to investigate the aqueous humor flow based on the coupling effects of fluid–solid–heat under different ocular pressure, four models of rabbit eye were constructed and multi-field coupling vs. fluid–solid interaction was compared in these models. ADINA software was applied to mimic the aqueous humor flow. The contour of temperature demonstrates multiple peaks with larger value near the pupil. The flow pattern is influenced mainly by the variation of ocular pressure. It is necessary to perform multi-field coupling simulation based on dynamic pressure measurement when studying the aqueous humor flow in eyes.
Direct Simulation of Polymer Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) — An Implementation of the Multi-Phase Viscoelastic Solver in OpenFOAM
Authors: Liu Jun , Anderson Kelly L. , Sridhar N.
Published: January 2018

Among the many mature and commercial AM technologies, fused deposition modeling (FDM) is a popular technology commonly used for modeling, prototyping, and production applications. In this process, a filament thermoplastic material is fed into a liquefier chamber, melted to a liquid state, and deposited layer by layer through a nozzle to form the 3D part. As a result, part can be designed in a more freedom way, and fabricated quickly and rapidly to a desired shape. However, different combination of processing parameters may influence the final part quality greatly, which hinders wider application of this technique. In order to investigate the influence of processing parameters on the final part quality, a viscoelastic multi-phase solver is developed, with capability for dynamic meshing and based on OpenFOAM. The solver directly simulates the deposition process of FDM. By implementing this solver for different boundary conditions and geometry, we can evaluate the printed part quality for varied processing conditions. More importantly, the tool enables efficient optimization of the processing conditions for specified material parameters and desired print quality.
Propagation of Elastic Waves at Micropolar Viscoelastic Solid/Fluid-Saturated Incompressible Porous Solid Interface
Authors: Barak M. S. , Kaliraman Vinod
Published: January 2018

The present paper concerned with the reflection and transmission of plane wave from a plane surface separating a micropolar viscoelastic solid (MVES) half-space and a fluid-saturated (FS) incompressible porous solid half-space is studied. A longitudinal wave ([Formula: see text]-wave) or transverse wave (SV-wave) impinges obliquely at the interface. Amplitude ratios for various reflected and transmitted waves have been obtained with the help of boundary conditions at the interface. Then, these amplitude ratios have been computed numerically for a specific model and results thus obtained are shown graphically with the angle of incidence of the incident wave. It is found that these amplitude ratios depend on the angle of incidence of the incident wave as well as on the properties of media. From the present investigation, a special case, when FS porous half-space reduces to empty porous solid and MVES half-space reduces to micropolar elastic solid, has also been deduced and discussed with the help of graphs.
TESTING THE CAUSALITIES BETWEEN ECONOMIC POLICY UNCERTAINTY AND THE US STOCK INDICES: APPLICATIONS OF LINEAR AND NONLINEAR APPROACHES
Authors: ONGAN SERDAR , GOCER ISMET
Published: January 2018

This study aims to investigate the causal relationships between the economic policy uncertainty (EPU) index and the US stock indices the S&P 500, Dow Jones and Nasdaq 100 over the period of 1985M10–2016M12. To this aim, it is applied both linear causality and the nonlinear rolling window causality tests. The long-run analyses are also applied to reveal the elasticities of the US stock indices. The empirical findings indicate that both the linear and the nonlinear approaches support the evidence of causal relationships from the US EPU index to all the US stock indices. Additionally, it is also found some evidences of causal relationships from these three US stock indices to the US EPU index especially between 2008–2013 in the latest financial crisis and in the late 2016. The results indicate that the Nasdaq 100 index is mostly affected from the US EPU index both in the short and long-runs.
CORPORATE FINANCING UNDER HETEROGENEOUS BELIEFS
Authors: NIU WEINING
Published: January 2018

The paper models firm’s optimal capital structure and stock price effects from the perspective of expectation equilibrium when manager and outside investors have heterogeneous prior and posterior beliefs on firm’s future cash flow. I find that the more optimistic (pessimistic) of outside investors and the more dispersion of beliefs between manager and outside investors, the higher (lower) the issuing price of stocks, the higher (lower) the issuing amount, hence the higher (lower) the proportion of equity capital in capital structure, and a higher positive (negative) stock price effect after security issuance. The numerical simulation also verifies the findings to some extent.
Effects of Target Expansion on Selection Performance in Older Computer Users
Authors: Hwang Faustina , Hollinworth Nic , Williams Nitin
Published: January 2018

Point and click interactions using a mouse are an integral part of computer use for current desktop systems. Compared with younger users though, older adults experience greater difficulties performing cursor positioning tasks, and this can present limitations to using a computer easily and effectively. Target expansion is a technique for improving pointing performance where the target grows dynamically as the cursor approaches. This has the advantage that targets conserve screen real estate in their unexpanded state, yet can still provide the benefits of a larger area to click on. This article presents two studies of target expansion with older and younger participants, involving multidirectional point-select tasks with a computer mouse. Study 1 compares static versus expanding targets, and Study 2 compares static targets with three alternative techniques for expansion. Results show that expansion can improve times by up to 14%, and reduce error rates by up to 50%. Additionally, expanding targets are beneficial even when the expansion happens late in the movement, that is, after the cursor has reached the expanded target area or even after it has reached the original target area. The participants’ subjective feedback on the target expansion are generally favorable, and this lends further support for the technique.
The Discovery of Arthropod-Specific Viruses in Hematophagous Arthropods: An Open Door to Understanding the Mechanisms of Arbovirus and Arthropod Evolution?
Authors: Calisher Charles H. , Higgs Stephen
Published: January 2018

The discovery of an odd virus from hematophagous arthropods 40 years ago by Stollar and Thomas described cell fusing agent virus in cells derived from Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Then came the report of Kamiti River virus from Ae. macintoshi in 1999, followed by worldwide reports of the discovery of other viruses of mosquitoes, ticks, and midges that replicate only in arthropods and not in vertebrates or in vertebrate cells. These viruses (now totaling at least 64 published) have genomes analogous to viruses in various families that include arboviruses and nonarboviruses. It is likely that some of these viruses have been insufficiently studied and may yet be shown to infect vertebrates. However, there is no doubt that the vast majority are restricted to arthropods alone and that they represent a recently recognized clade. Their biology, modes of transmission, worldwide distribution (some have been detected in wild-caught mosquitoes in both Asia and the United States, for example), molecular characteristics of their genomes, and potential for becoming vertebrate pathogens, or at least serving as virus reservoirs, are fascinating and may provide evidence useful in understanding virus evolution. Because metagenomics studies of arthropods have shown that arthropod genomes are the sources of arthropod virus genomes, further studies may also provide insights into the evolution of arthropods. More recently, others have published excellent papers that briefly review discoveries of arthropod viruses and that characterize certain genomic peculiarities, but, to now, there have been no reviews that encompass all these facets. We therefore anticipate that this review is published at a time and in a manner that is helpful for both virologists and entomologists to make more sense and understanding of this recently recognized and obviously important virus group. This review focuses specifically on arthropod viruses in hematophagous arthropods.
Health Hazards Associated with Arthropod Infestation of Stored Products
Authors: Hubert Jan , Stejskal Vaclav , Athanassiou Christos G. , Throne James E.
Published: January 2018

Insects and mites are common inhabitants and accidental invaders of food, including durable commodities, and their presence can have both direct and indirect effects on human health. The most common direct effect is contamination of food with arthropod fragments and related contaminants, which may be allergenic or even carcinogenic. The most important indirect effect is that their presence can change the storage microenvironment, making durable products suitable for the rapid development of fungi and other microorganisms. Some of these fungi can produce toxins (e.g., aflatoxins) that endanger human health. Insects may actively or passively contribute to the spread of microorganisms, increasing product contamination, and they may host bacteria that have developed antibiotic resistance, contributing to their spread in food. Several species also may host, attract, or transmit tapeworms, predators, or parasitoids that may affect health. This review synthesizes research on these topics and suggests directions for future research.
Gustatory Processing in Drosophila melanogaster
Authors: Scott Kristin
Published: January 2018

The ability to identify nutrient-rich food and avoid toxic substances is essential for an animal's survival. Although olfaction and vision contribute to food detection, the gustatory system acts as a final checkpoint control for food acceptance or rejection. The vinegar fly Drosophila melanogaster tastes many of the same stimuli as mammals and provides an excellent model system for comparative studies of taste detection. The relative simplicity of the fly brain and behaviors, along with the molecular genetic and functional approaches available in this system, allow the examination of gustatory neural circuits from sensory input to motor output. This review discusses the molecules and cells that detect taste compounds in the periphery and the circuits that process taste information in the brain. These studies are providing insight into how the detection of taste compounds regulates feeding decisions.
Gap Junctions Are Involved in the Rescue of CFTR-Dependent Chloride Efflux by Amniotic Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Coculture with Cystic Fibrosis CFBE41o- Cells
Authors: Carbone Annalucia , Zefferino Roberto , Beccia Elisa , Casavola Valeria , Castellani Stefano , Di Gioia Sante , Giannone Valentina , Seia Manuela , Angiolillo Antonella , Colombo Carla , Favia Maria , Conese Massimo
Published: January 2018

We previously found that human amniotic mesenchymal stem cells (hAMSCs) in coculture with CF immortalised airway epithelial cells (CFBE41o- line, CFBE) on Transwell® filters acquired an epithelial phenotype and led to the expression of a mature and functional CFTR protein. In order to explore the role of gap junction- (GJ-) mediated intercellular communication (GJIC) in this rescue, cocultures (hAMSC : CFBE, 1 : 5 ratio) were studied for the formation of GJIC, before and after silencing connexin 43 (Cx43), a major component of GJs. Functional GJs in cocultures were inhibited when the expression of the Cx43 protein was downregulated. Transfection of cocultures with siRNA against Cx43 resulted in the absence of specific CFTR signal on the apical membrane and reduction in the mature form of CFTR (band C), and in parallel, the CFTR-dependent chloride channel activity was significantly decreased. Cx43 downregulation determined also a decrease in transepithelial resistance and an increase in paracellular permeability as compared with control cocultures, implying that GJIC may regulate CFTR expression and function that in turn modulate airway epithelium tightness. These results indicate that GJIC is involved in the correction of CFTR chloride channel activity upon the acquisition of an epithelial phenotype by hAMSCs in coculture with CF cells.
Self-Rated Health Trajectories among Married Americans: Do Disparities Persist over 20 Years?
Authors: Berdahl Terceira A. , McQuillan Julia
Published: January 2018

The purpose of this study is to understand self-rated health (SRH) trajectories by social location (race/ethnicity by gender by social class) among married individuals in the United States. We estimate multilevel models of SRH using six observations from 1980 to 2000 from a nationally representative panel of married individuals initially aged 25–55 (Marital Instability Over the Life Course Study). Results indicate that gender, race/ethnicity, and social class are associated with initial SRH disparities. Women are less healthy than men; people of color are less healthy than whites; lower educated individuals are less healthy than higher educated individuals. Women’s health declined slower than men’s but did not differ by race/ethnicity or education. Results from complex intersectional models show that white men with any college had the highest initial SRH. Only women with any college had significantly slower declines in SRH compared to white men with any college. For married individuals of all ages, most initial SRH disparities persist over twenty years. Intersecting statuses show that education provides uneven health benefits across racial/ethnic and gender subgroups.
Metagenomics Biomarkers Selected for Prediction of Three Different Diseases in Chinese Population
Authors: Wu Honglong , Cai Lihua , Li Dongfang , Wang Xinying , Zhao Shancen , Zou Fuhao , Zhou Ke
Published: January 2018

The dysbiosis of human microbiome has been proven to be associated with the development of many human diseases. Metagenome sequencing emerges as a powerful tool to investigate the effects of microbiome on diseases. Identification of human gut microbiome markers associated with abnormal phenotypes may facilitate feature selection for multiclass classification. Compared with binary classifiers, multiclass classification models deploy more complex discriminative patterns. Here, we developed a pipeline to address the challenging characterization of multilabel samples. In this study, a total of 300 biomarkers were selected from the microbiome of 806 Chinese individuals (383 controls, 170 with type 2 diabetes, 130 with rheumatoid arthritis, and 123 with liver cirrhosis), and then logistic regression prediction algorithm was applied to those markers as the model intrinsic features. The estimated model produced an F1 score of 0.9142, which was better than other popular classification methods, and an average receiver operating characteristic (ROC) of 0.9475 showed a significant correlation between these selected biomarkers from microbiome and corresponding phenotypes. The results from this study indicate that machine learning is a vital tool in data mining from microbiome in order to identify disease-related biomarkers, which may contribute to the application of microbiome-based precision medicine in the future.
A Case Report of Peritoneal Tuberculosis: A Challenging Diagnosis
Authors: Bulut Gökten Dilara , Katipoglu Bilal , Basara Ekrem , Ates Ihsan , Yılmaz Nisbet
Published: January 2018

Peritoneal tuberculosis is a disease which can mimick malignancy especially in women who present with ascites and elevated CA125 levels. It should always be considered in differential diagnosis, but the diagnosis is rarely easy for clinicians. A young female patient who presented with abdomen tenderness and diagnosed with peritoneal tuberculosis as a result of performed tests is discussed hereby in the case report. We expect that this case report adds to the existing literature on this subject.
A 36-Year-Old Renal Transplant Recipient Female with Leg Ulcer: A Case Report and Brief Review
Authors: Monfared Ali , Hojat Eftekhari , Mesbah Seyed Alireza , Darjani Abbas , Azimi Seyyede Zeinab
Published: January 2018

Background. Opportunistic infections are common in organ transplant recipients. After 6 months of transplantation, patients have the highest risk of opportunistic infections such as cryptococcosis. Case Presentation. The report presents the case of a 36-year-old female renal transplant recipient, with complaints of few subcutaneous painful and warm nodules and large, warm, erythematous, nontender plaques on the mildly edematous right leg and ankle. Incisional biopsy of the subcutaneous nodule over the leg showed panniculitis with small- to medium-sized vasculitis associated with round yeast forms, and culture of the fragments revealed C. neoformans var. grubii. Conclusions. This article also reviews in brief the treatment of this rare complication. Reviewing the literature showed that since the cryptococcal cutaneous lesions are often nonspecific, the clinical picture solely is not enough to construct a definite diagnosis and there must be a high clinical suspicion.
Chronic Paronychia and Onychomadesis in Pemphigus Vegetans: An Unusual Presentation in a Rare Autoimmune Disease
Authors: Sukakul Thanisorn , Varothai Supenya
Published: January 2018

Pemphigus vegetans is a rare variant of deep acantholytic pemphigus which usually presents with vesiculobullous rash and vegetative plaques on the folds. We report a case of pemphigus vegetans patient who presented with rashes on tips of fingers and toes resembling paronychia and onychomadesis that misled the diagnosis for months. The final diagnosis of Hallopeau-type pemphigus vegetans was made based on histopathology and direct immunofluorescence studies. Interestingly, not only the clinical presentation was atypical, but blood tests for anti-desmoglein 1 and 3 antibodies by ELISA technique were also negative. Thus, the rare unusual manifestation of pemphigus vegetans in this patient may associate with different autoantibodies to desmosomal proteins compared with those of classic pemphigus patients.
Nonlinear Analysis for the Crack Control of SMA Smart Concrete Beam Based on a Bidirectional B-Spline QR Method
Authors: Li Yan , Mo Tian-jing , Li Shuang-bei , Liang Qing-guo , Li Jian-ping , Qin Rong
Published: January 2018

A bidirectional B-spline QR method (BB-sQRM) for the study on the crack control of the reinforced concrete (RC) beam embedded with shape memory alloy (SMA) wires is presented. In the proposed method, the discretization is performed with a set of spline nodes in two directions of the plane model, and structural displacement fields are constructed by the linear combination of the products of cubic B-spline interpolation functions. To derive the elastoplastic stiffness equation of the RC beam, an explicit form is utilized to express the elastoplastic constitutive law of concrete materials. The proposed model is compared with the ANSYS model in several numerical examples. The results not only show that the solutions given by the BB-sQRM are very close to those given by the finite element method (FEM) but also prove the high efficiency and low computational cost of the BB-sQRM. Meanwhile, the five parameters, such as depth-span ratio, thickness of concrete cover, reinforcement ratio, prestrain, and eccentricity of SMA wires, are investigated to learn their effects on the crack control. The results show that depth-span ratio of RC beams and prestrain and eccentricity of SMA wires have a significant influence on the control performance of beam cracks.
Mucinous Carcinomatosis: A Rare Association between an Ovarian Tumor and an E-GIST
Authors: Palma Rios Hugo , Goulart André , Leão Pedro
Published: January 2018

Pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP) and extragastrointestinal stromal tumors (E-GISTs) are both rare entities. Most of the time, PMP is associated with an appendiceal tumor. An ovarian mucinous tumor can mimic appendiceal metastases. E-GIST is a mesenchymal tumor that can arise from the omentum, retroperitoneum, mesentery, or pleura. We present a case of an 87-year-old woman with mucinous carcinomatosis and acute intestinal occlusion submitted to an emergency laparotomy. She has found to have a borderline mucinous tumor of the ovary from the intestinal type with several lesions of pseudomyxoma peritonei and an E-GIST from the epiploons retrocavity (intermediated risk). In the literature, no relation was found between these two rare tumors. E-GIST was an incidental finding in the context of a mucinous carcinomatosis.
T-Ω Formulation with Higher-Order Hierarchical Basis Functions for Nonsimply Connected Conductors
Authors: Khebir Ahmed , Dłotko Paweł , Kapidani Bernard , Kouki Ammar , Specogna Ruben
Published: January 2018

This paper presents in detail the extension of the T-Ω formulation for eddy currents based on higher-order hierarchical basis functions so that it can automatically deal with conductors of arbitrary topology. To this aim, we supplement the classical hierarchical basis functions with nonlocal basis functions spanning the first de Rham cohomology group of the insulating region. Such nonlocal basis functions may be efficiently and automatically found in negligible time with the recently introduced Dłotko–Specogna (DS) algorithm. The approach presented in this paper merges techniques together which to some extent already existed in literature but they were never grouped together and tested as a single unit.
The Parabolic Variational Inequalities for Variably Saturated Water Flow in Heterogeneous Fracture Networks
Authors: Ye Zuyang , Jiang Qinghui , Yao Chi , Liu Yanzhang , Cheng Aiping , Huang Shibing , Liu Yaning
Published: January 2018

Fractures are ubiquitous in geological formations and have a substantial influence on water seepage flow in unsaturated fractured rocks. While the matrix permeability is small enough to be ignored during the partially saturated flow process, water seepage in heterogeneous fracture systems may occur in a non-volume-average manner as distinguished from a macroscale continuum model. This paper presents a systematic numerical method which aims to provide a better understanding of the effect of fracture distribution on the water seepage behavior in such media. Based on the partial differential equation (PDE) formulations with a Signorini-type complementary condition on the variably saturated water flow in heterogeneous fracture networks, the equivalent parabolic variational inequality (PVI) formulations are proposed and the related numerical algorithm in the context of the finite element scheme is established. With the application to the continuum porous media, the results of the numerical simulation for one-dimensional infiltration fracture are compared to the analytical solutions and good agreements are obtained. From the application to intricate fracture systems, it is found that water seepage flow can move rapidly along preferential pathways in a nonuniform fashion and the variably saturated seepage behavior is intimately related to the geometrical characteristics orientation of fractures.
Primary Cutaneous Angiosarcoma of the Eyelid: A Diagnostic and Therapeutic Challenge
Authors: Milman Tatyana , Shields Carol L. , Brooks John S.J. , Lally Sara E. , Shields Jerry A. , Tuluc Madalina , Eagle Jr. Ralph C.
Published: January 2018

Primary cutaneous angiosarcoma is a rare vasoformative malignant neoplasm that can present a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. We describe a 76-year-old Caucasian man with right upper eyelid swelling and nodularity, initially suspected clinically to represent either ocular adnexal lymphoma or basal cell carcinoma. Incisional biopsy and wide resection of the mass with frozen section control of margins were interpreted as compatible with hobnail (Dabska-retiform) hemangioendothelioma. Foci of atypia were noted in the tumor, raising speculation of evolution into a more aggressive neoplasm, such as conventional angiosarcoma. The patient subsequently underwent two additional wide resections with frozen section control of margins in an attempt to obtain complete excision of residual tumor, which demonstrated histopathologic features favoring angiosarcoma. The histologic material from the original and subsequent resections was sent in consultation to several soft tissue pathology experts and the final diagnosis of low-grade cutaneous angiosarcoma was established. Despite repeated surgical interventions, there was continued persistence of the tumor in the deep orbital tissues. Various management options, including adjuvant radiotherapy/chemotherapy with and without orbital exenteration, were discussed. The patient decided against further surgical intervention and is currently undergoing adjuvant radiotherapy/chemotherapy. This case illustrates the diagnostic and management difficulties of ocular adnexal angiosarcoma.
МОБІЛЬНІ ТЕХНОЛОГІЇ ДЛЯ МОНІТОРИНГУ ПОКАЗНИКІВ СТАНУ ЗДОРОВ’Я
Authors: Dorosh N. V. , Ilkanych K. I. , Dorosh O. I. , Boyko I. R.
Published: January 2018

РЕЗЮМЕ. Вступ. Своєчасна діагностика стану організму людини у режимі віддаленого доступу без відвідування спеціалізованих медичних закладів, автоматизований моніторинг стану здоров'я людини на всіх етапах лікування, реабілітації та профілактики захворювань, отримання професійних медичних консультацій за допомогою спеціальних WEB-порталів є актуальними питаннями охорони здоров’я, розв’язання яких можливе лише при використанні сучасних інформаційних технологій.Мета. Аналіз існуючих систем та розроблення нових методів та мобільних програмних засобів, що дозволять оперативно визначати, аналізувати та контролювати психоемоційний та фізичний стан здоров'я людини.Матеріали та методи. Розроблено концепцію створення модульної багатопараметричної  мультифункціональної мобільної системи із сервісною платформою, яка призначена для моніторингу, тривалого спостереження та контролю основних психофізіологічних  показників, що характеризують стан організму людини.Результати. Експериментальні дослідження роботи основних модулів системи були практично проведені під час аналізу частоти серцевого ритму у 5 діапазонах за допомогою медичного гаджету MioFuse та розробленого мобільного додатку MioGo.Висновки. Використання інформаційних та мобільних технологій дозволяє організувати роботу із системою у режимі віддаленого доступу, реалізувати персоналізований підхід до пацієнтів з відображенням даних на екрані смартфона користувача.
ДІАГНОСТИЧНІ КРИТЕРІЇ НЕВРАСТЕНІЇ З ПІДВИЩЕНИМ РИЗИКОМ АДИКТИВНОЇ ПОВЕДІНКИ
Authors: Denysenko M. M.
Published: January 2018

Мета: визначити клінічні особливості та закономірність формування неврастенії з підвищеним ризиком адиктивної поведінки.Матеріали та методи: клініко-психопатологічне дослідження; система AUDIT–подібних тестів для комплексної оцінки адиктивного статусу;  клінічний опитувальник для виявлення та оцінки невротичних станів.Результати. Таким чином, за результатами проведеного дослідження пацієнтів з неврастенією що поєднана з адитивними порушеннями, характеризує затяжний тип формування невротичного розладу, наявність емоційно-ізоляційних психотравмуючих факторів,  широкий спектр клініко-психопатологічних симптомів, з домінуванням сомато-вегетативних та депресивних проявів, а також представленість в синдромальной структурі провідного астенічного синдрому на тлі сомато-вегетативного, дисфоричного або депресивного синдромів. В якості найбільш інформативних маркерів наявності адикцій у хворих на неврастенію виділено наявність затяжного початку хвороби (МІ=0,83) та дисфоричного синдрому (МІ=0,8).В формуванні невротичних розладів з адикціями були задіяні переважно поєднання гострих та хронічних психотравмуючих чинників з різних сфер життєдіяльності людини; окрім цього значна доля в формуванні неврозів з адикціями належала емоційно-ізоляційним психотравмуючим чинникам, що пов’язані з переживанням відчуття самотності та відчуженості.Висновок. Отримані дані можуть бути використані для удосконалення програм діагностики, профілактики та терапії хворих на невростенію.
Fibronectin Containing Extra Domain A Induces Plaque Destabilization in the Innominate Artery of Aged Apolipoprotein E–Deficient Mice
Authors: Doddapattar Prakash , Jain Manish , Dhanesha Nirav , Lentz Steven R. , Chauhan Anil K.
Published: January 2018

Objective—

Fibronectin containing extra domain A (Fn-EDA) is an endogenous ligand of TLR4 (toll-like receptor 4) and is abundant in the extracellular matrix of advanced atherosclerotic lesions in human and mice. Irrespective of sex, deletion of Fn-EDA reduces early atherosclerosis in apolipoprotein E–deficient (Apoe
−/−
) mice. However, the contribution of Fn-EDA in advanced atherosclerosis remains poorly characterized. We determined the contribution of Fn-EDA in advanced atherosclerotic lesions of aged (1-year-old) Apoe
−/−
mice.

Approach and Results—

Plaque composition was determined in the innominate artery, a plaque instability site that is known to mimic several histological features of vulnerable human plaques. Female Apoe
−/−
, Fn-EDA
−/−
Apoe
−/−
, TLR4
−/−
Apoe
−/−
, and Fn-EDA
−/−
TLR4
−/−
Apoe
−/−
mice were fed a high-fat Western diet for 44 weeks. Fn-EDA
−/−
Apoe
−/−
mice exhibited reduced plaque size characterized by smaller necrotic cores, thick fibrous caps containing abundant vascular smooth muscle cells and collagen, reduced CD68/MMP9 (matrix metalloproteinase 9)-positive content, less accumulation of MMP-cleaved extracellular matrix aggrecan, and decreased vascular smooth muscle cell and macrophage apoptosis (
P
<0.05 versus Apoe
−/−
mice). Together these findings suggest that Fn-EDA induces plaque destabilization. Deletion of TLR4 reduced histological features of plaque instability in Apoe
−/−
mice but did not further reduce features of plaque destabilization in Fn-EDA
−/−
Apoe
−/−
mice, suggesting that TLR4 may contribute to Fn-EDA–induced plaque destabilization. Fn-EDA potentiated TLR4-dependent MMP9 expression in bone marrow–derived macrophages, suggesting that macrophage TLR4 may contribute to Fn-EDA–mediated plaque instability.

Conclusions—

Fn-EDA induces histological features of plaque instability in established lesions of aged Apoe
−/−
mice. The abundance of Fn-EDA in advanced atherosclerotic lesions may increase the risk of plaque destabilization.
Cardiometabolic Health Among Adult Offspring of Hypertensive Pregnancies: The Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study
Authors: Tapp Robyn J. , Hughes Alun D. , Kähönen Mika , Wong Tien Yin , Witt Nicholas , Lehtimäki Terho , Hutri‐Kähönen Nina , Sahota Pinki , Juonala Markus , Raitakari Olli T.
Published: January 2018

Background

Cardiometabolic health among adult offspring of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (
HDP
) is relatively unknown. We hypothesized that offspring of
HDP
would have abnormalities in the retinal microvasculature and cardiac structure by midadulthood.

Methods and Results

The Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study included randomly selected children from 5 Finnish university cities. The mean age of participants was 40 years (range 34–49 years) at the time of retinal photography and cardiac assessment. Offspring born ≥37 weeks of gestation and appropriate for gestational age (n=1006) were included. Offspring of
HDP
had higher systolic blood pressure (β=4.68,
P
<0.001), body mass index (β=1.25,
P
=0.009), and waist circumference (β=0.25,
P
=0.042), compared with offspring of normotensive pregnancies. However, no differences in fasting glucose, insulin, lipid profile, carotid intima media thickness, or brachial artery flow‐mediated dilatation were shown. Retinal arteriolar diameters were narrower (β=−0.43,
P
=0.009) and longer (β=32.5,
P
=0.023) and the arteriolar length‐to‐diameter ratio was higher (β=2.32,
P
=0.006) among offspring of
HDP
, after adjustment for age and sex. Left atrial volume indexed to body surface area (β=1.34,
P
=0.040) was increased. Adjustment for the confounding effects of birth weight, body mass index, smoking and socioeconomic status, and the mediating effect of hypertension had little impact on the associations.

Conclusions

Abnormalities of the retinal microvasculature and cardiac structure are seen in offspring of
HDP
in midadulthood. These findings may need to be considered in future primary prevention strategies of cardiovascular disease among offspring of
HDP
.
Critical Roles of Xirp Proteins in Cardiac Conduction and Their Rare Variants Identified in Sudden Unexplained Nocturnal Death Syndrome and Brugada Syndrome in Chinese Han Population
Authors: Huang Lei , Wu Kuo‐Ho , Zhang Liyong , Wang Qinchuan , Tang Shuangbo , Wu Qiuping , Jiang Pei‐Hsiu , Lin Jim Jung‐Ching , Guo Jian , Wang Lin , Loh Shih‐Hurng , Cheng Jianding
Published: January 2018

Background

Sudden unexplained nocturnal death syndrome (
SUNDS
) remains an autopsy negative entity with unclear etiology. Arrhythmia has been implicated in
SUNDS
. Mutations/deficiencies in intercalated disc components have been shown to cause arrhythmias. Human cardiomyopathy‐associated 1 (
XIRP
1) and 3 (
XIRP
2) are intercalated disc–associated, Xin repeats‐containing proteins. Mouse Xirp1 is necessary for the integrity of intercalated disc and for the surface expression of transient outward and delayed rectifier K
+
channels, whereas mouse Xirp2 is required for Xirp1 intercalated disc localization. Thus,
XIRP1
and
XIRP2
may be potentially causal genes for
SUNDS
.

Methods and Results

We genetically screened
XIRP
genes in 134 sporadic
SUNDS
victims and 22 Brugada syndrome (BrS) cases in a Chinese Han population. We identified 16 rare variants (6 were in silico predicted as deleterious) in
SUNDS
victims, including a novel variant,
XIRP
2‐E215K. There were also four rare variants (2 were in silico predicted as deleterious) detected in BrS cases, including a novel variant,
XIRP
2‐L2718P. Interestingly, among these 20 variants, we detected 2 likely pathogenic variants: a nonsense variant (
XIRP
2‐Q2875*) and a frameshift variant (
XIRP
2‐T2238QfsX7). Analyzing available
Xirp2
knockout mice, we further found that mouse hearts without Xirp2 exhibited prolonged
PR
and
QT
intervals, slow conduction velocity, atrioventricular conduction block, and an abnormal infranodal ventricular conduction system. Whole‐cell patch‐clamp detected altered ionic currents in
Xirp2
−/−
cardiomyocytes, consistent with the observed association between Xirp2 and Nav1.5/Kv1.5 in co‐immunoprecipitation.

Conclusions

This is the first report identifying likely pathogenic
XIRP
rare variants in arrhythmogenic disorders such as
SUNDS
and Brugada syndrome, and showing critical roles of Xirp2 in cardiac conduction.
Serum Conjugated Linoleic Acid and Risk of Incident Heart Failure in Older Men: The British Regional Heart Study
Authors: Wannamethee S. Goya , Jefferis Barbara J. , Lennon Lucy , Papacosta Olia , Whincup Peter H. , Hingorani Aroon D.
Published: January 2018

Background

Evidence largely from animal studies suggests that conjugated linoleic acid (
CLA
) may have cardiovascular health benefits. However, few prospective studies have examined the association between
CLA
and cardiovascular disease. We have prospectively examined the association between serum
CLA
and incident coronary heart disease and heart failure (
HF
) in older men.

Methods and Results

Prospective study of 3806 men, aged 60 to 79 years, without prevalent
HF
followed up for an average of 13 years, during which there were 295 incident
HF
cases. A high‐throughput serum nuclear magnetic resonance metabolomics platform was used to measure
CLA
concentration in serum, expressed as a percentage of total fatty acids (
CLA
%).
CLA
% was adversely associated with cholesterol and high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol but was inversely associated with C‐reactive protein and
NT
‐pro
BNP
(N‐terminal pro‐B‐type natriuretic peptide; a marker of ventricular stress). No association was seen between
CLA
% and incident coronary heart disease. High
CLA
% was associated with significantly reduced risk of
HF
after adjustment for
HF
risk factors and C‐reactive protein (hazard ratio [95%
confidence interval
], 0.64 [0.43–0.96]; quartile 4 versus quartile 1). Elevated
CLA
% was associated with reduced
HF
risk only in those with higher dairy fat intake, a major dietary source of
CLA
(test for interaction
P
=0.03). The reduced risk of
HF
was partially explained by
NT
‐pro
BNP
. High dairy fat intake was not associated with incident coronary heart disease but was associated with reduced risk of
HF
, largely because of the inverse effect of
CLA
.

Conclusions

The finding that high
CLA
% is associated with lower risk of incident
HF
in older men requires confirmation in larger studies.