bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Gun ownership among US women
Authors: Wolfson Julia A , Azrael Deborah , Miller Matthew
Published: December 2018

Introduction

Little is known about female gun owners in the USA. We describe the number and type of firearms owned, and reasons for owning, by sex.

Methods

An online survey conducted in 2015 of 3949 US adults; cross-tabulations using survey weights generated nationally representative estimates.

Results

Twelve per cent (95% CI 10.6% to 13.6%) of women and 33.3% of men (95% CI 30.3% to 36.5%) personally owned guns. Male and female gun owners are demographically similar and cite similar reasons for owning firearms, but female gun owners own fewer guns (3.6 vs 5.6). Among female gun owners, 40.4% (95% CI 35.5% to 45.5%) own handguns only, whereas 20.7% (95% CI 18.2% to 23.4%) of male gun owners own handguns only. Approximately three of four male (73.4% (95% CI 70.3% to 76.3%)) and female (76.7% (95% CI 71.6% to 81.1%)) handgun owners own guns for protection from strangers. Males and female gun owners are equally likely to store at least one gun loaded and unlocked.

Conclusions

Male and female gun owners in the USA are demographically similar, cite similar reasons for owning guns and, despite males owning more guns, are equally likely to store at least one gun loaded and unlocked.
Platelet abnormalities in Huntington’s disease
Authors: Denis Hélèna L , Lamontagne-Proulx Jérôme , St-Amour Isabelle , Mason Sarah L , Rowley Jesse W , Cloutier Nathalie , Tremblay Marie-Ève , Vincent Antony T , Gould Peter V , Chouinard Sylvain , Weyrich Andrew S , Rondina Matthew T , Barker Roger A , Boilard Eric , Cicchetti Francesca
Published: December 2018

Huntington’s disease (HD) is a hereditary disorder that typically manifests in adulthood with a combination of motor, cognitive and psychiatric problems. The pathology is caused by a mutation in the huntingtin gene which results in the production of an abnormal protein, mutant huntingtin (mHtt). This protein is ubiquitously expressed and known to confer toxicity to multiple cell types. We have recently reported that HD brains are also characterised by vascular abnormalities, which include changes in blood vessel density/diameter as well as increased blood–brain barrier (BBB) leakage.

Objectives

Seeking to elucidate the origin of these vascular and BBB abnormalities, we studied platelets that are known to play a role in maintaining the integrity of the vasculature and thrombotic pathways linked to this, given they surprisingly contain the highest concentration of mHtt of all blood cells.

Methods

We assessed the functional status of platelets by performing ELISA, western blot and RNA sequencing in a cohort of 71 patients and 68 age- and sex-matched healthy control subjects. We further performed haemostasis and platelet depletion tests in the R6/2 HD mouse model.

Results

Our findings indicate that the platelets in HD are dysfunctional with respect to the release of angiogenic factors and functions including thrombosis, angiogenesis and vascular haemostasis.

Conclusion

Taken together, our results provide a better understanding for the impact of mHtt on platelet function.
Food allergies are associated with increased disease activity in multiple sclerosis
Authors: Fakih Rami , Diaz-Cruz Camilo , Chua Alicia S , Gonzalez Cindy , Healy Brian C , Sattarnezhad Neda , Glanz Bonnie I , Weiner Howard L , Chitnis Tanuja
Published: December 2018

Objective

The association between allergy and multiple sclerosis (MS) is still unclear. In our study, we assessed the association between a self-reported history of allergic conditions with MS clinical and MRI disease activity.

Methods

A subset of 1349 patients enrolled in the Comprehensive Longitudinal Investigation of Multiple Sclerosis at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital (CLIMB) study completed a self-administered questionnaire on environmental, food and drug allergies. Patients were distributed among four allergy groups: (1) environmental, (2) food, (3) drug, (4) no known allergies (NKA). Clinical (number of attacks, expanded disability status scale (EDSS), MS severity score (MSSS)) and radiological variables (presence of gadolinium-enhancing lesions and lesion count), and their associations with the different allergy groups or those with NKA, were assessed.

Results

The food allergy group had a 1.38 times higher rate for cumulative number of attacks compared with the NKA group (P=0.0062); this difference remained significant in the adjusted analysis (relapse rate ratio 1.27, P=0.0305). The food allergy group showed more than twice the likelihood (OR 2.53, P=0.0096) of having gadolinium-enhancing lesions on MRI. The environmental and drug allergy groups did not show significant differences when compared with the NKA group. The EDSS and MSSS were not affected by any type of allergy.

Conclusions

MS patients with food allergy had more relapses and a higher likelihood of gadolinium-enhancing lesions compared with patients with no known allergy. Future prospective studies are needed to confirm our findings and investigate underlying biological mechanisms, which may unveil new therapeutic and preventative strategies for MS.
Temporal, spatial, and biological variation of nematode epidemiology in American eels
Authors: Warshafsky Zoemma T. , Tuckey Troy D. , Vogelbein Wolfgang K. , Latour Robert J. , Wargo Andrew R.
Published: December 2018

American eels (Anguilla rostrata) are infected by the non-native parasitic nematode Anguillicoloides crassus, which can cause severe swim bladder damage. We investigated epidemiology of A. crassus to better understand its population-level effects on American eels. Nematode prevalence, abundance, and intensity and swim bladder damage were quantified in glass eels, elvers, and yellow eels from the lower Chesapeake Bay and related to season of capture, river system, and total length. Age-variant force-of-infection and disease-associated mortality were estimated using a three-state irreversible disease model, which assumes recovery is not possible. Results showed glass eels have very low infection prevalence and severity compared with elvers and yellow eels. Nematode abundance varied by season, river, and eel length, whereas swim bladder damage varied by season and eel length. Nematode abundance and swim bladder damage were weakly positively correlated. Force-of-infection, based on swim bladder damage, peaked at age 2, and disease-positive eels had an estimated lower annual survival probability of 0.76 compared with disease-negative eels. Full understanding of American eel population dynamics will require broader knowledge of cryptic disease-associated mortality throughout North America.
Quantization commutes with singular reduction: Cotangent bundles of compact Lie groups
Authors: Boeijink Jord , Landsman Klaas , van Suijlekom Walter
Published: December 2018

We analyze the ‘quantization commutes with reduction’ problem (first studied in physics by Dirac, and known in the mathematical literature also as the Guillemin–Sternberg Conjecture) for the conjugate action of a compact connected Lie group [Formula: see text] on its own cotangent bundle [Formula: see text]. This example is interesting because the momentum map is not proper and the ensuing symplectic (or Marsden–Weinstein quotient) [Formula: see text] is typically singular.

In the spirit of (modern) geometric quantization, our quantization of [Formula: see text] (with its standard Kähler structure) is defined as the kernel of the Dolbeault–Dirac operator (or, equivalently, the spin[Formula: see text]–Dirac operator) twisted by the pre-quantum line bundle. We show that this quantization of [Formula: see text] reproduces the Hilbert space found earlier by Hall (2002) using geometric quantization based on a holomorphic polarization. We then define the quantization of the singular quotient [Formula: see text] as the kernel of the twisted Dolbeault–Dirac operator on the principal stratum, and show that quantization commutes with reduction in the sense that either way one obtains the same Hilbert space [Formula: see text].
Crystal electric field contribution to the thermoelectric power of the CeCoAl4 antiferromagnetic
Authors: Toliński Tomasz
Published: December 2018

We report on the thermoelectric power S(T), electrical resistivity and thermal conductivity measurements on the antiferromagnetic CeCoAl4 compound and on the nonmagnetic reference compound, LaCoAl4. The Néel temperature of CeCoAl4 is T[Formula: see text] = 13.5 K and a metamagnetic-like transition occurs in the magnetic field of about 7.5 T. We show that the magnetic contribution to the thermoelectric power, S[Formula: see text](T), exhibits a large peak due to the crystal electric field (CEF) at about 240 K and a small anomaly around the ordering temperature. Surprisingly, the CEF related S[Formula: see text](T) peak is close to the upper CEF excitation energy [Formula: see text] = 202 K, in contrast to the usual case of the peak position being located at a fraction of the observed CEF energy level. The applicability of different theoretical and phenomenological models describing the temperature dependence of the Seebeck effect S[Formula: see text](T) has been tested and finally a calculation is proposed, which incorporates a full CEF levels scheme.
Effect of C addition on the corrosion properties of amorphous Fe-based amorphous alloys
Authors: Li Xiang , Zhao Xu , Liu Fang , Yu Lu , Wang Yuxin
Published: December 2018

Fe-based amorphous alloys are important materials with a high potential for commercialization by evaluating their corrosion performances. In this work, amorphous Fe[Formula: see text]Cu1Nb3Si[Formula: see text]B9 alloy was chosen as a target material to investigate the effects of the addition of C on the corrosion properties by an electrochemical method. Alloy ingots Fe[Formula: see text]Cu1Nb3Si[Formula: see text]C[Formula: see text]B[Formula: see text] (x = 0, 1, 2, 3 at.%) were prepared using an arc melting system, under argon atmosphere. Planar flow melt spinning of the alloys was carried out to obtain amorphous ribbons of the width [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]5 mm and the thickness about 30 [Formula: see text]m. Effects of the addition of C into Fe[Formula: see text]Cu1Nb3Si[Formula: see text]B9 amorphous soft magnetic alloys were investigated in acidic solutions. Studies of potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance revealed the passivation ability and corrosion resistance of the amorphous ribbons with C in the 0.1M H2SO4 media at room-temperature. The amorphous ribbons showed excellent corrosion resistance with formation of a stable passive film. It can be obviously observed that the addition of C significantly improves the corrosion resistance.
Robust design of fuel rods against potential structural damage by flow-induced vibration
Authors: Qi Huan-Huan , Jiang Nai-Bin , Zhang Yi-Xiong , Feng Zhi-Peng , Huang Xuan
Published: December 2018

We studied the flow-induced vibration (FIV) and fretting wear of fuel rod with grid relaxation. According to the flow distribution around a type of pressurized water reactor (PWR) fuel rod, the power spectral density (PSD) is obtained to characterize the turbulence excitation. By combining the correlation of PSD test parameters, the mean square value of the vibration displacement of each rod mode is found, and then the wear depth of dimple position is calculated based on the ARCHARD wear formula. The grids may relax due to inaccurate manufacturing, fuel transportation and in-core irradiation. The absence of grid clamping force would significantly influence the rod mode and thereby changes its FIV responses. Simulation results show that the failure of the leaf spring has negligible effect on the rod natural frequency whereas the dimple failure near the location with larger FIV amplitude has a much significant effect. The lateral flow velocities at the inlet and outlet of the core are larger. For the fully clamped fuel rod, the responses amplitude of turbulent excitation at the bottom and top of the fuel rod are larger. This is even more obvious with a failed dimple at these locations. Comparatively, the effect of dimple support failure in the middle is less influential. The influence of dimple support failure on the rod wear depth depicts basically the same trend as on the maximum FIV amplitude.
Influence of temperature and pH value on deposition rate and corrosion resistance of Ni–Zn–P alloy coating
Authors: Li Yongfeng , Fu Chengguo , Liu Lili , Liang Mingchao , Liu Yaming , Gao Wei
Published: December 2018

The Ni–Zn–P alloy coating has excellent physical and chemical properties that have been exploited for various industrial applications. Using sodium citrate as a complexing agent and lactic acid as a stabilizer, the effects of temperature and pH on the deposition rate and corrosion resistance of electroless plated Ni–Zn–P coating were studied. The results indicated that, when the temperature was 85[Formula: see text]C, a good deposition rate was obtained with stable plating solution. pH value of 9.0 is preferred for the coating process by considering the stability of plating bath and deposition rate. The Ni–Zn–P alloy coating deposited with plating temperature of 85[Formula: see text]C and bath pH of 9.0 has good quality, and a uniform and smooth surface texture without porosity.
Friction wear property of laser surface processed Ni-based amorphous alloy coatings
Authors: Li Ruifeng , Qiu Yi , Zhu Yanyan
Published: December 2018

A Ni–Fe–B–Si–Nb amorphous alloy was deposited on a steel substrate surface via a laser cladding process, and a laser cladding plus laser remelting process. The wear behavior of the laser processed samples and the bulk metallic glass (BMG) sample with the same nominal composition were tested using a pin-on-disc type testing machine. The nano-mechanical properties of the samples were measured with a nano-characterization system. The friction wear tests showed that deep grooves and wear debris were formed on the worn surface of the laser cladded coating, while only shallow grooves for the laser remelted coatings. The friction coefficients of laser remelted coatings and BMG were lower than the laser cladded coating. The wear mass losses of the laser remelted coating were less than the BMG when the laser remelting scanning speed was higher than 6 mm/min. The nano-hardness and elastic modulus of the remelted coating is higher than that of the laser cladded coating. Also, they increase with the increasing laser scanning speed with 1227.9 HV and 277.4 GPa when the remelting scanning speed is 8 m/min. Based on the nano-indentation and friction wear tests results, it was found that the friction wear properties of the laser cladded coating, laser remelted coatings and BMG related well to the ratio of H3/E2. A higher value of H3/E2 can lead to a better wear resistance property.
Physicochemical characterization of PEG-modified PbO2 coatings electrodeposited from a methanesulfonate bath
Authors: He Zhen , Hayat Muhammad Dilawer , Wang Xingang , Cao Peng
Published: December 2018

This study explores the preparation and application of polyethylene glycol (PEG)-modified PbO2 electrodes. The PEG-modified PbO2 coatings were electrodeposited on a Ti/SnO2-Sb substrate from a methanesulfonate electrolytic bath containing different amounts of PEG. Structural and morphologic characterization was carried out for the deposited electrodes. The presence of PEG in the deposition bath represses the nucleation process and grain growth process in PbO2 deposition. Increasing PEG addition results in an increased [Formula: see text]-PbO2 content and decreased crystallite size. At a limited PEG addition [Formula: see text]4 g/L, a rough and pyramidal surface morphology is presented in the PbO2 coatings. A higher PEG addition at 6 g/L leads to a dense and smooth coating surface yet with less uniformity. Electrochemical characterization reveals a great electrocatalytic activity for the modified PbO2 electrodes when the PEG addition is [Formula: see text]4 g/L.
Simulation and experimentation of wide frequency electromagnetic shielding coating used for carbon fiber composite materials of track vehicles
Authors: Gong Ming , Sun Shou-Guang , Sun Lin , Tian Ai-Qin , Li Qiang
Published: December 2018

Computer Simulation Technology EM and Computer Simulation Technology Microwave Studio electromagnetic simulation software were used to simulate the carbon fiber composite materials with a new type of wide frequency electromagnetic shielding coating. DC magnetic field, low-frequency electromagnetic fields, and mid-high frequency electromagnetic shielding effectiveness analysis model were established in order to study the influence of permeability, conductivity, coating thickness and other parameters in the typical frequency range research on the shielding effectiveness. The results show that the composite coating material with reasonable design can effectively enhance the electromagnetic shielding performance of carbon fiber composite materials in the DC [Formula: see text]18 GHz frequency range.
Besov regularity of parabolic and hyperbolic PDEs
Authors: Dahlke Stephan , Schneider Cornelia
Published: December 2018

This paper is concerned with the regularity of solutions to linear and nonlinear evolution equations on nonsmooth domains. In particular, we study the smoothness in the specific scale [Formula: see text] of Besov spaces. The regularity in these spaces determines the approximation order that can be achieved by adaptive and other nonlinear approximation schemes. We show that for all cases under consideration the Besov regularity is high enough to justify the use of adaptive algorithms.
Plane quartics with a Galois-invariant Steiner hexad
Authors: Elsenhans Andreas-Stephan , Jahnel Jörg
Published: December 2018

We describe a construction of plane quartics with prescribed Galois operation on the 28 bitangents, in the particular case of a Galois-invariant Steiner hexad. As an application, we solve the inverse Galois problem for degree two del Pezzo surfaces in the corresponding particular case.
Hollow cage-like α-Fe2O3 nanostructures: Facile synthesis and excellent photo-Fenton catalytic performance
Authors: He Zhiping , You Xiaochen , Di Jinghua , Wang Xiuying , Zhai Bin
Published: December 2018

Herein, [Formula: see text]-Fe2O3 hollow cage-like nanostructures were prepared via a simple in situ template-assisted hydrothermal route. The results showed that the shell and the size of the [Formula: see text]-Fe2O3 hollow nanostructures could be easily controlled by adjusting the amount of Fe source (FeCl[Formula: see text]. By increasing the amount of Fe source, the size increases, and the shells are built up from the dense single nanoparticle aggregations to crosslinked nanoparticle aggregations with large cavities gradually. It is found that the surface morphology has great impact on charge separation and transport of the [Formula: see text]-Fe2O3 cage-like nanostructures, too dense particle aggregations and too many large cavities are unfavorable for electron transport, only the product with an optimal primary particles and channels could exhibit good catalytic performance in photo-Fenton degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) with visible light.
An Absorbing Boundary Condition Based on Perfectly Matched Layer Technique Combined with Discontinuous Galerkin Boltzmann Method for Low Mach Number Flow Noise
Authors: Shao Weidong , Li Jun
Published: December 2018

For flow noise simulations, the nonreflecting boundary condition (NRBC) is significant to confine the computational domain to a small domain. Lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) has advantages for noise because of its low dissipation, but is limited to the uniform grid. In this paper, an absorbing boundary condition (ABC) based on perfectly matched layer (PML) technique is introduced to LBM. Then PML stability is analyzed and a new strategy is developed to achieve robustness. Invoking the decoupling time integration, the underlying equation for streaming is solved with the nodal discontinuous Galerkin method. Benchmark acoustic problems were used to demonstrate the PML absorption. Moreover, PML parameters, long time behavior and inhomogeneous pseudo mean flow are discussed. The methodology appears to work very well and would be hoped for practical flow noise computation.
Efficient Cache Performance Modeling in GPUs Using Reuse Distance Analysis
Authors: Kiani Mohsen , Rajabzadeh Amir
Published: December 2018

Reuse distance analysis (RDA) is a popular method for calculating locality profiles and modeling cache performance. The present article proposes a framework to apply the RDA algorithm to obtain reuse distance profiles in graphics processing unit (GPU) kernels. To study the implications of hardware-related parameters in RDA, two RDA algorithms were employed, including a high-level cache-independent RDA algorithm, called HLRDA, and a detailed RDA algorithm, called DRDA. DRDA models the effects of reservation fails in cache blocks and miss status holding registers to provide accurate cache-related performance metrics. In this case, the reuse profiles are cache-specific. In a selection of GPU kernels, DRDA obtained the L1 miss-rate breakdowns with an average error of 3.86% and outperformed the state-of-the-art RDA in terms of accuracy. In terms of performance, DRDA is 246,000× slower than the real GPU executions and 11× faster than GPGPU-Sim. HLRDA ignores the cache-related parameters and its obtained reuse profiles are general, which can be used to calculate miss rates in all cache sizes. Moreover, the average error incurred by HLRDA was 16.9%.
Speeding up Iterative Polyhedral Schedule Optimization with Surrogate Performance Models
Authors: Ganser Stefan , Größlinger Armin , Siegmund Norbert , Apel Sven , Lengauer Christian
Published: December 2018

Iterative program optimization is known to be able to adapt more easily to particular programs and target hardware than model-based approaches. An approach is to generate random program transformations and evaluate their profitability by applying them and benchmarking the transformed program on the target hardware. This procedure’s large computational effort impairs its practicality tremendously, though.

To address this limitation, we pursue the guidance of a genetic algorithm for program optimization via feedback from surrogate performance models. We train the models on program transformations that were evaluated during previous iterative optimizations. Our representation of programs and program transformations refers to the polyhedron model. The representation is particularly meaningful for an optimization of loop programs that profit a from coarse-grained parallelization for execution on modern multicore-CPUs. Our evaluation reveals that surrogate performance models can be used to speed up the optimization of loop programs. We demonstrate that we can reduce the benchmarking effort required for an iterative optimization and degrade the resulting speedups by an average of 15%.
Agricultural Robotics
Authors: Vougioukas Stavros G.
Published: December 2018

A key goal of contemporary agriculture is to dramatically increase production of food, feed, fiber, and biofuel products in a sustainable fashion, facing the pressure of diminishing farm labor supply. Agricultural robots can accelerate plant breeding and advance data-driven precision farming with significantly reduced labor inputs by providing task-appropriate sensing and actuation at fine spatiotemporal resolutions. This article highlights the distinctive challenges imposed on ground robots by agricultural environments, which are characterized by wide variations in environmental conditions, diversity and complexity of plant canopy structures, and intraspecies biological variation of physical and chemical characteristics and responses to the environment. Existing approaches to address these challenges are presented, along with their limitations; possible future directions are also discussed. Two key observations are that biology (breeding) and horticultural practices can reduce variabilities at the source and that publicly available benchmark data sets are needed to increase perception robustness and performance despite variability.
Toxic doses of caffeine are needed to increase skeletal muscle contractility
Authors: Neyroud Daria , Cheng Arthur J. , Donnelly Chris , Bourdillon Nicolas , Gassner Anne-Laure , Geiser Laurent , Rudaz Serge , Kayser Bengt , Westerblad Håkan , Place Nicolas
Published: December 2018

Discrepant results have been reported regarding an intramuscular mechanism underlying the ergogenic effect of caffeine on neuromuscular function in humans. Here, we reevaluated the effect of caffeine on muscular force production in humans and combined this with measurements of the caffeine dose-response relationship on force and cytosolic free [Ca2+] ([Ca2+]i) in isolated mouse muscle fibers. Twenty-one healthy and physically active men (29 ± 9 yr, 178 ± 6 cm, 73 ± 10 kg, mean ± SD) took part in the present study. Nine participants were involved in two experimental sessions during which supramaximal single and paired electrical stimulations (at 10 and 100 Hz) were applied to the femoral nerve to record evoked forces. Evoked forces were recorded before and 1 h after ingestion of 1) 6 mg caffeine/kg body mass or 2) placebo. Caffeine plasma concentration was measured in 12 participants. In addition, submaximal tetanic force and [Ca2+]i were measured in single mouse flexor digitorum brevis (FDB) muscle fibers exposed to 100 nM up to 5 mM caffeine. Six milligrams of caffeine per kilogram body mass (plasma concentration ~40 µM) did not increase electrically evoked forces in humans. In superfused FDB single fibers, millimolar caffeine concentrations (i.e., 15- to 35-fold above usual concentrations observed in humans) were required to increase tetanic force and [Ca2+]i. Our results suggest that toxic doses of caffeine are required to increase muscle contractility, questioning the purported intramuscular ergogenic effect of caffeine in humans.
Coagulation factor XI induces Ca2+ response and accelerates cell migration in vascular smooth muscle cells via proteinase-activated receptor 1
Authors: Liu Wenhua , Hashimoto Takeshi , Yamashita Tetsuo , Hirano Katsuya
Published: December 2018

Activated coagulation factor XI (FXIa) is a serine proteinase that plays a key role in the intrinsic coagulation pathway. The analysis of FXI-knockout mice has indicated the contribution of FXI to the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. However, the underlying mechanism remains unknown. We hypothesized that FXIa exerts vascular smooth muscle effects via proteinase-activated receptor 1 (PAR1). Fura-2 fluorometry revealed that FXIa elicited intracellular Ca2+ signal in rat embryo aorta smooth muscle A7r5 cells. The influx of extracellular Ca2+ played a greater role in generating Ca2+ signal than the Ca2+ release from intracellular stores. The FXIa-induced Ca2+ signal was abolished by the pretreatment with atopaxar, an antagonist of PAR1, or 4-amidinophenylmethanesulfonyl fluoride (p-APMSF), an inhibitor of proteinase, while it was also lost in embryonic fibroblasts derived from PAR1−/− mice. FXIa cleaved the recombinant protein containing the extracellular region of PAR1 at the same site (R45/S46) as that of thrombin, a canonical PAR1 agonist. The FXIa-induced Ca2+ influx was inhibited by diltiazem, an L-type Ca2+ channel blocker, and by siRNA targeted to CaV1.2. The FXIa-induced Ca2+ influx was also inhibited by GF109203X and rottlerin, inhibitors of protein kinase C. In a wound healing assay, FXIa increased the rate of cell migration by 2.46-fold of control, which was partly inhibited by atopaxar or diltiazem. In conclusion, FXIa mainly elicits the Ca2+ signal via the PAR1/CaV1.2-mediated Ca2+ influx and accelerates the migration in vascular smooth muscle cells. The present study provides the first evidence that FXIa exerts a direct cellular effect on vascular smooth muscle.
Truncating PKHD1 and PKD2 mutations alter energy metabolism
Authors: Chumley Phillip , Zhou Juling , Mrug Sylvie , Chacko Balu , Parant John M. , Challa Anil K. , Wilson Landon S. , Berryhill Taylor F. , Barnes Stephen , Kesterson Robert A. , Bell P. Darwin , Darley-Usmar Victor M. , Yoder Bradley K. , Mrug Michal
Published: December 2018

Deficiency in polycystin 1 triggers specific changes in energy metabolism. To determine whether defects in other human cystoproteins have similar effects, we studied extracellular acidification and glucose metabolism in human embryonic kidney (HEK-293) cell lines with polycystic kidney and hepatic disease 1 ( PKHD1) and polycystic kidney disease (PKD) 2 ( PKD2) truncating defects along multiple sites of truncating mutations found in patients with autosomal recessive and dominant PKDs. While neither the PKHD1 or PKD2 gene mutations nor their position enhanced cell proliferation rate in our cell line models, truncating mutations in these genes progressively increased overall extracellular acidification over time ( P < 0.001 for PKHD1 and PKD2 mutations). PKHD1 mutations increased nonglycolytic acidification rate (1.19 vs. 1.03, P = 0.002), consistent with an increase in tricarboxylic acid cycle activity or breakdown of intracellular glycogen. In addition, they increased basal and ATP-linked oxygen consumption rates [7.59 vs. 5.42 ( P = 0.015) and 4.55 vs. 2.98 ( P = 0.004)]. The PKHD1 and PKD2 mutations also altered mitochondrial morphology, resembling the effects of polycystin 1 deficiency. Together, these data suggest that defects in major PKD genes trigger changes in mitochondrial energy metabolism. After validation in in vivo models, these initial observations would indicate potential benefits of targeting energy metabolism in the treatment of PKDs.
Heterogeneity of neuronal responses in the nucleus of the solitary tract suggests sensorimotor integration in the neural code for taste
Authors: Denman Alexander J. , Sammons Joshua D. , Victor Jonathan D. , Di Lorenzo Patricia M.
Published: December 2018

Theories of neural coding in the taste system typically rely exclusively on data gleaned from taste-responsive cells. However, even in the nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS), the first stage of central processing, neurons with taste selectivity coexist with neurons whose activity is linked to motor behavior related to ingestion. We recorded from a large ( n = 324) sample of NTS neurons recorded in awake rats, examining both their taste selectivity and the association of their activity with licking. All subjects were implanted with a bundle of microelectrodes aimed at the NTS and allowed to recover. Following moderate water deprivation, rats were placed in an experimental chamber where tastants or artificial saliva (AS) were delivered from a lick spout. Electrophysiological responses were recorded, and waveforms from single cells were isolated offline. Results showed that only a minority of NTS cells responded to taste stimuli as determined by conventional firing-rate measures. In contrast, most cells, including taste-responsive cells, tracked the lick pattern, as evidenced by significant lick coherence in the 5- to 7-Hz range. Several quantitative measures of taste selectivity and lick relatedness showed that the population formed a continuum, ranging from cells dominated by taste responses to those dominated by lick relatedness. Moreover, even neurons whose responses were highly correlated with lick activity could convey substantial information about taste quality. In all, data point to a blurred boundary between taste-dominated and lick-related cells in NTS, suggesting that information from the taste of food and from the movements it evokes are seamlessly integrated.

NEW & NOTEWORTHY Neurons in the rostral nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) are known to encode information about taste. However, recordings from awake rats reveal that only a minority of NTS cells respond exclusively to taste stimuli. The majority of neurons track behaviors associated with food consumption, and even strongly lick-related neurons could convey information about taste quality. These findings suggest that the NTS integrates information from both taste and behavior to identify food.
Corticotropin-releasing hormone projections from the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus to the nucleus of the solitary tract increase blood pressure
Authors: Wang Lei A. , Nguyen Dianna H. , Mifflin Steve W.
Published: December 2018

Activation of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) type 2 receptors (CRHR2) in the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) contributes to the development of hypertension, but the source of CRH inputs to the NTS that increases blood pressure remains unknown. This study tested the hypothesis that activation of CRH-containing projections from the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) to the NTS increase blood pressure. We expressed channelrhodopsin 2 (ChR2), a light-sensitive ion channel, into CRH-containing neurons in the PVN. This was achieved by injecting Cre-inducible virus expressing ChR2 into the PVN of CRH-Cre mice. CRH-Cre mice are genetically modified mice expressing Cre recombinase only in neurons producing CRH. We found that optogenetic stimulation of CRH-containing somas in the PVN or CRH-containing fibers in the NTS originating from the PVN significantly increased blood pressure and heart rate. Microinjection of K-41498 (CRHR2 antagonist) into the NTS attenuated the pressor and tachycardiac responses induced by optogenetic stimulation of CRH-containing somas in the PVN. In vitro loose-patch recordings revealed that optogenetic stimulation of CRH-containing fibers in the NTS originating from the PVN significantly increased the discharge frequency of NTS neurons. This effect was attenuated by pretreatment of K-41498 and was abolished by pretreatment of kynurenic acid (nonselective glutamate receptor antagonist). These results suggest that activation of PVN-NTS CRH-containing projections increases blood pressure and heart rate. The cardiovascular responses may be mediated at least in part by the corelease of CRH and glutamate from NTS CRH-containing axons originating from the PVN.

NEW & NOTEWORTHY Optogenetic stimulation of paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH)-containing somas or nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) CRH-containing fibers originating from the PVN increased blood pressure and heart rate. Corelease of CRH and glutamate from NTS CRH-containing axons originating from the PVN may contribute to the pressor and tachycardiac responses elicited by optogenetic stimulation of PVN CRH-containing somas.
Broadband Negative Refraction of Highly Squeezed Hyperbolic Polaritons in 2D Materials
Authors: Jiang Jing , Lin Xiao , Zhang Baile
Published: December 2018

Negative refraction of highly squeezed polaritons is a fundamental building block for nanophotonics, since it can enable many unique applications, such as deep-subwavelength imaging. However, the phenomenon of all-angle negative refraction of highly squeezed polaritons, such as graphene plasmons with their wavelength squeezed by a factor over 100 compared to free-space photons, was reported to work only within a narrow bandwidth (<1 THz). Demonstrating this phenomenon within a broad frequency range remains a challenge that is highly sought after due to its importance for the manipulation of light at the extreme nanoscale. Here we show the broadband all-angle negative refraction of highly squeezed hyperbolic polaritons in 2D materials in the infrared regime, by utilizing the naturally hyperbolic 2D materials or the hyperbolic metasurfaces based on nanostructured 2D materials (e.g., graphene). The working bandwidth can vary from several tens of THz to over a hundred of THz by tuning the chemical potential of 2D materials.
Identification of Core Gene Biomarkers in Patients with Diabetic Cardiomyopathy
Authors: Li Ning , Wu Haiming , Geng Rongxin , Tang Qizhu
Published: December 2018

Diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a disorder of the myocardium in diabetic patients, which is one of the critical complications of diabetes giving rise to an increased mortality. However, the underlying mechanisms of DCM remain incompletely understood presently. This study was designed to screen the potential molecules and pathways implicated with DCM. GSE26887 involving 5 control individuals and 7 DCM patients was selected from the GEO database to identify the differentially expressed genes (DEGs). DAVID was applied to perform gene ontology (GO) and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses. A protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was also constructed to visualize the interactions among these DEGs. To further validate significant genes and pathways, quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) and Western blot were performed. A total of 236 DEGs were captured, including 134 upregulated and 102 downregulated genes. GO, KEGG, and the PPI network disclosed that inflammation, immune disorders, metabolic disturbance, and mitochondrial dysfunction were significantly enriched in the development of DCM. Notably, IL6 was an upregulated hub gene with the highest connectivity degree, suggesting that it may interact with a great many molecules and pathways. Meanwhile, SOCS3 was also one of the top 15 hub genes in the PPI network. Herein, we detected the protein level of STAT3 and SOCS3 in a mouse model with DCM. Western blot results showed that the protein level of SOCS3 was significantly lower while phosphorylated-STAT3 (P-STAT3) was activated in mice with DCM. In vitro results also uncovered the similar alterations of SOCS3 and P-STAT3 in cardiomyocytes and cardiac fibroblasts induced by high glucose (HG). However, overexpression of SOCS3 could significantly reverse HG-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and collagen synthesis of cardiac fibroblasts. Taken together, our analysis unveiled potential biomarkers and molecular mechanisms in DCM, which could be helpful to the diagnosis and treatment of DCM.
A Novel Study to Predict Trends and Policies for Mobile Communication in Multienvironment Regions
Authors: Khattak Shah Jahan , Khan Bakhtair
Published: December 2018

The research community has growing interest in the field of mobile phone applications due to its extensive usage in voice, data, video, and their combinations including data‐voice and voice‐video. The trends of mobile usage have paramount significance to formulate effective policies, to analyze human behavior, reliable prediction, and planning, for development and prosperity of any region in the globe. In this research, we explore the usage of mobile communication to analyze these trends; for this, we select Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), Pakistan, a multienvironment based on farmers, students, employees, and businessmen. A field survey is carried out by designing a detailed structural questionnaire for viable collection of data to have superior analysis of different multienvironment based classes. A statistical analysis is performed through hypotheses and chi‐square test on a large dataset based on sufficient number of observations collected through primary survey for each class. The survey results are provided in number of graphical and numerical illustrations to predict the mobile usage trends, evidently and effectively, of the people of KPK. This study has practical and significant implications in understanding the behavioral intensions of the individuals making policies about mobile phone usage.
Biobjective Optimization Algorithms Using Neumann Series Expansion for Engineering Design
Authors: Guo Huan , Tatsuo Yoshino , Fan Lulu , Ding Ao , Xu Tianshuang , Xing Genyuan
Published: December 2018

In this paper, two novel algorithms are designed for solving biobjective optimization engineering problems. In order to obtain the optimal solutions of the biobjective optimization problems in a fast and accurate manner, the algorithms, which have combined Newton’s method with Neumann series expansion as well as the weighted sum method, are applied to deal with two objectives, and the Pareto optimal front is achieved through adjusting weighted factors. Theoretical analysis and numerical examples demonstrate the validity and effectiveness of the proposed algorithms. Moreover, an effective biobjective optimization strategy, which is based upon the two algorithms and the surrogate model method, is developed for engineering problems. The effectiveness of the optimization strategy is proved by its application to the optimal design of the dummy head structure in the car crash experiments.
Flexible Queuing Model for Number of Active Users in Cognitive Radio Network Environment
Authors: Tanveer Ahsan , Khan Z. U. , Malik A. N. , Qureshi I. M.
Published: December 2018

This work presents a Soft Queuing Model (SQM) for number of active users present in a cognitive radio network (CRN) at some given instant. Starting with the existing cellular network where the upper limit for the number of channels and active users is well defined. The idea is then extended to the complicated scenario of CRNs where the upper limit is not deterministic for both the number of channels and the active users. Accordingly a probabilistic SQM is proposed under the condition that the number of channels and active cognitive users are both random variables. The proposed model will be useful to offer the level of reliability to the clients connected with CRN and hence to offer secure communication even on a cooperative CRN. The proposed model has been verified theoretically and simulations have been carried out in diversified set ups to evaluate the performance.
Dual HER2 Suppression with Lapatinib plus Trastuzumab for Metastatic Inflammatory Breast Cancer: A Case Report of Prolonged Stable Disease
Authors: Ogawa Lauren , Lindquist Deborah
Published: December 2018

Background: Continuous therapy targeting human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) is recommended until disease progression for patients with HER2-overexpressing (HER2+) metastatic breast cancer. Prolonged stable disease has been observed with such maintenance therapy using trastuzumab, but the frequency of these cases remains low. Whether combined maintenance therapy with two different HER2-targeted agents could improve the rates of durable progression-free survival compared with trastuzumab alone is under investigation. Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy of the combined HER2-targeted agents, trastuzumab and lapatinib, as maintenance therapy in one patient. Methods: We describe a patient with HER2+, hormone receptor-negative, inflammatory metastatic breast cancer who was previously treated with doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, and zoledronic acid followed by paclitaxel and trastuzumab. After completion, the patient underwent a bilateral mastectomy and then enrolled into a Phase III open-label clinical trial of trastuzumab plus lapatinib. Results: The patient experienced long-term stable disease on combined lapatinib and trastuzumab maintenance therapy over 4 years. Conclusions: This case demonstrates that prolonged stable disease is possible with lapatinib plus trastuzumab, even in patients with the aggressive inflammatory subtype. Optimization of maintenance therapy could improve outcomes for patients with HER2+ metastatic breast cancer.
Study of the Pre-Analytical Phase of an ISO 15189: 2012-Certified Cytopathology Laboratory: A 5-Year Institutional Experience
Authors: Chandra Smita , Chandra Harish , Kusum Anuradha , Singh Gaur Dushyant
Published: December 2018

Objective: Total quality management, which basically involves pre-analytical, analytical, and postanalytical phases, is relatively more difficult in cytopathology due to descriptive reports and subjective variability. The pre-analytical phase of total quality management constitutes a major burden of errors in the laboratory and it has not been widely studied in cytopathology except in cervical Pap smears. The present study was therefore conducted to study the pre-analytical phase over 5 years from April 2013 until May 2018 at an ISO 15189: 2012-certified cytopathology laboratory, in a resource-limited setting. It was also intended to study the level of satisfaction of the patients and the training of the professionals provided in the cytology lab so as to improve and maintain high quality standards. Methods: The study included all the documents relating to the quality program used in the last 5 years in a medical institute situated in the north sub-Himalayan region of India. All the data were recorded and analysed for pre-analytical analysis of the total quality management system. Results: In total, 20,130 samples were received for cytological investigation. The total number of errors which were detected in the cytopathology lab were 1,430, constituting 7.1% of the total investigations done. The pre-analytical phase errors comprised 57% of the total errors (815/1,430), analytical errors constituted 11% (157/1,430), while postanalytical errors represented 32% (458/1,430). Incompletely filled requisition forms constituted the most common pre-analytical error (38%). There was a gradual decrease in the errors with time, but with a sudden increase between January to June 2015 due to new technicians joining during that period. Conclusion: Pre-analytical quality management is an essential component for maintaining the quality and reducing the errors in the cytopathology lab. Documentation, continuous training, and maintenance of internal and external quality control with quality charts are the key for successful quality management. The identification of non-conformance with root-cause analysis and provision of scope for continuous improvement is vital for quality improvement in the lab. Patient satisfaction is an important aspect of quality in the lab, which should be combined with the satisfaction of the personnel working in the lab.
Association of Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index with Mortality in Hemodialysis Patients: A Meta-Analysis of Cohort Studies
Authors: Xiong Jiachuan , Wang Min , Zhang Ying , Nie Ling , He Ting , Wang Yiqin , Huang Yunjian , Feng Bing , Zhang Jingbo , Zhao Jinghong
Published: December 2018

Background/Aims: Geriatric nutritional risk index (GNRI) was developed as a “nutrition-related” risk index and was reported in different populations as associated with the risk of all-cause and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Therefore, GNRI can be used to classify patients according to a risk of complications in relation to conditions associated with protein-energy wasting (PEW). However, not all reports pointed to the prognostic ability of the GNRI. The purpose of this study was to assess the associations of GNRI with mortality in chronic hemodialysis patients. Methods: We electronically searched original articles published in peer-reviewed journals from their inception to September 2018 in The PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library databases. The primary outcome was all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. We pooled unadjusted and adjusted odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) using Review Manager 5.3 software. Results: A total of 10,739 patients from 19 cohort studies published from 2010 to 2018 were included. A significant negative association was found between the GNRI and all-cause mortality in patients with chronic hemodialysis (OR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.84-0.97, p=0.004) (per unit increase) and (OR, 2.15; 95% CI, 1.88-2.46, p＜0.00001) (low vs. high GNRI). Moreover, there was also a significant negative association between the GNRI (per unit increase) and cardiovascular events (OR, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.97-1.00, p=0.01), as well as cardiovascular mortality (OR, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.80-0.99, p=0.03). Conclusion: Our findings supported the hypothesis that the low GNRI is associated with an increased risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in chronic hemodialysis patients. Based on our literature review, GNRI has been found to be an effective tool for identifying patients with nutrition-related risk of all-cause and cardiovascular disease.