bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Escherichia coli persister cells suppress translation by selectively disassembling and degrading their ribosomes
Authors: Cho Junho , Rogers Janet , Kearns Mark , Leslie Macall , Hartson Steven D. , Wilson Kevin S.
Published: November 2014

Bacterial persisters are rare, phenotypically distinct cells that survive exposure to multiple antibiotics. Previous studies indicated that formation and maintenance of the persister phenotype are regulated by suppressing translation. To examine the mechanism of this translational suppression, we developed novel methodology to rapidly purify ribosome complexes from persister cells. We purified His‐tagged ribosomes from Escherichia coli cells that over‐expressed HipA protein, which induces persister formation, and were treated with ampicillin to remove antibiotic‐sensitive cells. We profiled ribosome complexes and analyzed the ribosomal RNA and protein components from these persister cells. Our results show that (i) ribosomes in persisters exist largely as inactive ribosomal subunits, (ii) rRNAs and tRNAs are mostly degraded and (iii) a small fraction of the ribosomes remain mostly intact, except for reduced amounts of seven ribosomal proteins. Our findings explain the basis for translational suppression in persisters and suggest how persisters survive exposure to multiple antibiotics.
CONTRIBUTIONS OF RADIOCARBON ANALYSIS IN HUMAN RIGHTS INVESTIGATIONS
Authors: Ubelaker Douglas H.
Published: November 2014

Estimation of time since death represents an essential, but difficult component of the analysis of human remains in the context of human rights investigations. Although morphological indicators of postmortem change can be influenced by many variables, radiocarbon analysis has proven to represent a useful approach. Radiocarbon values clearly reveal if the remains are ancient (radioactive decay) or modern (more recent than 1950 A.D.). If the latter, analysis of the radiocarbon value of specific tissues in consideration of documented atmospheric bomb‐pulse values potentially can clarify both the birth date and death date. Frequently in human rights cases, it is important to establish if recovered remains relate to a particular death date or date range. In these cases, hypotheses can be formulated for testing with radiocarbon analysis.
Translation of Obesity Practice Guidelines: Measurement and Evaluation
Authors: Erickson Kristin J. , Monsen Karen A. , Attleson Ingrid S. , Radosevich David M. , Oftedahl Gary , Neely Claire , Thorson Diane R.
Published: November 2014

Objective(s)

A public health nurse (PHN) in the Midwestern United States (U.S.) led a collaborative system‐level intervention to translate the Institute of Clinical Systems Improvement (ICSI) Adult Obesity Guideline into interprofessional practice. This study (1) evaluated the extent of guideline translation across organizations and (2) assessed the Omaha System as a method for translating system‐level interventions and measuring outcomes.

Design and Sample

This retrospective, mixed methods study was conducted with a purposeful sample of one administrator (n = 10) and two to three clinicians (n = 29) from each organization (n = 10).

Measures

Omaha System Problem Rating Scale for Outcomes Knowledge, Behavior, and Status (KBS). KBS ratings gathered from semi‐structured interviews and Omaha System documentation were analyzed using standard descriptive and inferential statistics and triangulated findings with participant quotes.

Results

KBS ratings and participant quotes revealed intervention effectiveness in creating sustained system‐level changes. Self‐reported and observed KBS ratings demonstrated improvement across organizations. There was moderate to substantial agreement regarding benchmark attainment within organizations. On average, self‐reported improvement exceeded observer improvement.

Conclusions

System‐level PHN practice facilitator interventions successfully translated clinical obesity guidelines into interprofessional use in health care organizations. The Omaha System Problem Rating Scale for Outcomes reliably measured system‐level outcomes.
MRP Planned Orders in a Multiple‐Supplier Environment with Differing Lead Times
Authors: Riezebos Jan , Zhu Stuart X.
Published: November 2014

This study examines a deterministic material requirements planning (MRP) problem where lead times at subsequent ordering moments differ. Adequate replenishment methods that can cope with lead time differences are lacking because of the order crossover phenomenon, that is, replenishment orders are not received in the sequence they are ordered. This study specifies how to handle order crossovers and recalculate planned order releases after an update of gross requirements. The optimal ( s, S) policy is based on dynamic programing. The state space is kept to a minimum due to three fundamental insights. The performance of the optimal solution approach is compared with two heuristics based on relaxations and a benchmark approach in which order crossovers are ignored. A numerical analysis reveals that average cost savings up to 25% are possible if the optimal policy is used instead of the benchmark approach. The contribution of this study is threefold: (1) it generalizes theory on MRP ordering, allowing for lead time differences and order crossovers; (2) it develops new fundamental insights and an optimal solution procedure, leading to substantial cost saving; and (3) it provides good‐performing heuristics for a general and realistic replenishment problem that can replace the current replenishment methods within MRP.
Red blood cell storage lesion
Authors: Obrador Rafael , Musulin Sarah , Hansen Bernie
Published: November 2014

Objective

To summarize current understanding of the mechanisms responsible for changes occurring during red blood cell (RBC) storage, collectively known as the storage lesion, and to review the biological and clinical consequences of increasing storage time of RBCs.

Data Sources

Human and veterinary clinical studies, experimental animal model studies, and reviews of the RBC storage lesion with no date restrictions.

Human Data Synthesis

Experimental studies have characterized the evolution of human RBC and supernatant changes that occur during storage and form the basis for concern about the potential for harm from long‐term storage of RBCs. Although 4 randomized controlled trials of varying sizes failed to find an association between RBC storage time and negative clinical outcomes, a recent meta‐analysis and numerous observational clinical studies have demonstrated that transfusion of old versus fresh stored RBCs is associated with an increased risk of morbidity and mortality, particularly among trauma victims and cardiac surgery patients. Potential clinical consequences of RBC transfusion following development of the storage lesion include risk of organ dysfunction, organ failure, infections, and death.

Veterinary Data Synthesis

Experimental animal models have contributed to the evidence supporting adverse consequences of the RBC storage lesion. Studies on relevant RBC storage issues such as the effect of different preservative solutions and leukoreduction have been completed. Transfusion with RBCs stored for 42 days increases mortality in dogs with experimental sepsis.

Conclusion

Storage of RBCs induces progressive biochemical, biomechanical, and immunologic changes that affect red cell viability, deformability, oxygen carrying capacity, microcirculatory flow, and recipient response. Most reports in the human and veterinary literature support the concept that there are deleterious effects of the RBC storage lesion, but additional studies with improved experimental design are needed to identify compelling reasons to modify current blood banking and transfusion practices.
Outcome of male cats managed for urethral obstruction with decompressive cystocentesis and urinary catheterization: 47 cats (2009–2012)
Authors: Hall Jennifer , Hall Kelly , Powell Lisa L. , Lulich Jody
Published: November 2014

Objective

To characterize the duration of urinary catheterization, length of hospitalization, complications and clinical outcome in cats with urethral obstruction managed with decompressive cystocentesis and subsequent urinary catheterization.

Design

Retrospective, observational, descriptive study.

Setting

University teaching hospital.

Animals

Forty‐seven client‐owned male cats diagnosed with urethral obstruction.

Measurements and Main Results

The medical records of 47 cats diagnosed with urethral obstruction were reviewed. Treatment of all cats included decompressive cystocentesis, placement of an indwelling urinary catheter and hospitalization for a minimum of 6 hours. Collected data included signalment, body weight, body condition score, owner‐reported clinical signs, duration of clinical signs, vital signs, and venous blood gas or chemistry values. Mean duration of urinary catheterization was 27.9 hours, median length of hospitalization was 40 hours, and survival to discharge was 91%. Of 34 cats that had survey abdominal radiographs, 56% (19/34) had loss of peritoneal detail consistent with abdominal effusion. No cat was diagnosed with a ruptured bladder during hospitalization.

Conclusions

Decompressive cystocentesis, in cats with urethral obstruction, followed by placement of an indwelling urinary catheter, did not result in a diagnosis of bladder rupture in any cat. The source of and clinical significance of the reported abdominal effusion is not known. Survival to discharge, duration of catheterization, and length of hospitalization were similar to previously reported populations.
Collocation Spectral Method for the Transient Conduction–Radiation Heat Transfer With Variable Thermal Conductivity in Two-Dimensional Rectangular Enclosure
Authors: Li Guo-Jun , Ma Jian , Li Ben-Wen
Published: November 2014

The collocation spectral method (CSM) is further developed to solve the transient conduction–radiation heat transfer in a two-dimensional (2D) rectangular enclosure with variable thermal conductivity. The energy equation and the radiative transfer equation (RTE) are all discretized by Chebyshev–Gauss–Lobatto collocation points in space after the discrete ordinates method (DOM) discretization of RTE in angular domain. The treatment of variable thermal conductivity is executed using the array multiplication. The present method can deal with different boundary conditions with high accuracy, the Dirichlet one and mixed one, for example. Based on our new method, the effects of several parameters on heat transfer processes are analyzed.
Tumor Cell–Intrinsic Interferon Chemotherapy
Authors: Ferrarelli Leslie K.
Published: November 2014

Cancer cells that can produce and respond to type I interferons are more sensitive to anthracycline-based chemotherapy.
Induced pluripotent stem cells from human revertant keratinocytes for the treatment of epidermolysis bullosa
Authors: Umegaki-Arao Noriko , Pasmooij Anna M. G. , Itoh Munenari , Cerise Jane E. , Guo Zongyou , Levy Brynn , Gostyński Antoni , Rothman Lisa R. , Jonkman Marcel F. , Christiano Angela M.
Published: November 2014

Epidermolysis bullosa patient–specific iPSCs were generated from spontaneously corrected revertant keratinocytes for skin reconstitution.
Genetically corrected iPSCs as cell therapy for recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa
Authors: Wenzel Daniel , Bayerl Jonathan , Nyström Alexander , Bruckner-Tuderman Leena , Meixner Arabella , Penninger Josef M.
Published: November 2014

iPSCs derived from fibroblasts with mutant type VII collagen were genetically corrected and used as cell therapy in mice with recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa.
Memories on the Clock: A Frequent Flyer’s Nightmare
Authors: Schaefer Anne
Published: November 2014

Disrupting

circadian rhythms without altering the neural circuits that make up the “clock” itself impairs recognition and spatial memory.
Tunneling Through Cell Walls
Authors: Stephan Matthias
Published: November 2014

Carbon nanotubes spontaneously insert into the membranes of living cells to form tiny pores that transport DNA, water, and ions in a controlled manner.
Bacterial Phylogenetic Reconstruction from Whole Genomes Is Robust to Recombination but Demographic Inference Is Not
Authors: Hedge Jessica , Wilson Daniel J.
Published: November 2014

Phylogenetic inference in bacterial genomics is fundamental to understanding problems such as population history, antimicrobial resistance, and transmission dynamics. The field has been plagued by an apparent state of contradiction since the distorting effects of recombination on phylogeny were discovered more than a decade ago. Researchers persist with detailed phylogenetic analyses while simultaneously acknowledging that recombination seriously misleads inference of population dynamics and selection. Here we resolve this paradox by showing that phylogenetic tree topologies based on whole genomes robustly reconstruct the clonal frame topology but that branch lengths are badly skewed. Surprisingly, removing recombining sites can exacerbate branch length distortion caused by recombination.

IMPORTANCE
Phylogenetic tree reconstruction is a popular approach for understanding the relatedness of bacteria in a population from differences in their genome sequences. However, bacteria frequently exchange regions of their genomes by a process called homologous recombination, which violates a fundamental assumption of phylogenetic methods. Since many researchers continue to use phylogenetics for recombining bacteria, it is important to understand how recombination affects the conclusions drawn from these analyses. We find that whole-genome sequences afford great accuracy in reconstructing evolutionary relationships despite concerns surrounding the presence of recombination, but the branch lengths of the phylogenetic tree are indeed badly distorted. Surprisingly, methods to reduce the impact of recombination on branch lengths can exacerbate the problem.
Oral everolimus treatment in a preterm infant with multifocal inoperable cardiac rhabdomyoma associated with tuberous sclerosis complex and a structural heart defect
Authors: Mohamed Ibrahim , Ethier Guillaume , Goyer Isabelle , Major Philippe , Dahdah Nagib
Published: November 2014

Rhabdomyoma (RHM) is a benign cardiac tumour usually associated with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC). Most RHMs are asymptomatic and regress spontaneously during the first years of life. Haemodynamically significant RHMs are classically treated with surgical excision. We present a case of a premature infant, born to a mother having TSC, with a prenatal diagnosis of pulmonary valve atresia and a large ventricular septal defect. Multiple cardiac RHMs were also present, including a large tumour affecting the right ventricular filling. Owing to the prematurity and low birth weight, the infant was inoperable. In this report, we describe our approach to pharmacologically reduce the RHM size using oral everolimus in preparation for a two-ventricle surgical repair of the structural cardiac defect. We also specifically describe the dose of everolimus that was used in this case to achieve therapeutic serum levels, which was seven times lower than the conventional dose applicable for older infants.
Sports Injury and Illness Epidemiology: Great Britain Olympic Team (TeamGB) surveillance during the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games
Authors: Palmer-Green Debbie , Elliott Niall
Published: November 2014

Background

Sports injury and illness surveillance is the first step in injury and illness prevention, and is important for the protection of both athlete health and performance in major competitions.

Aim

To identify the prevalence, severity nature and causes of athlete injuries and illnesses in the Great Britain Olympic Team (TeamGB) during the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games.

Methods

The observational prospective cohort study followed the Great Britain Injury/Illness Performance Project surveillance methodology and obtained information on injuries and illnesses that occurred during the Games between 30 January and 23 February 2014 in TeamGB athletes (n=56).

Results

Among the 56 TeamGB athletes, there were 27 injuries and 11 illnesses during the Olympic Games period. This equated to 39% sustaining at least one injury and 18% at least one illness, with an incidence of 48.2 injuries and 19.6 illnesses per 100 athletes, respectively. Of all injuries and illnesses, 9% and 7%, respectively, resulted in time loss. The risk of sustaining an injury was highest for freestyle skiing, skeleton and snowboarding; and lowest for curling, biathlon and Alpine skiing (with no reported injuries); with the lower limb being the most commonly injured location. Respiratory system illnesses were most frequently reported overall, and older female athletes were the ones most affected by illness.

Conclusions

The risk of injury was double the risk of illness for TeamGB athletes. Overall, the rate of time-loss issues was low. Methodological considerations are important when interpreting data, and prevention strategies should focus on those issues causing the greatest risk, in terms of prevalence and severity, to athlete health and performance.
Age, but not sex and seasonality, influence Haemosporida prevalence in White-banded Tanagers (Neothraupis fasciata) from central Brazil
Authors: Fecchio A. , Lima M.R. , Silveira P. , Ribas A.C.A. , Caparroz R. , Marini M.Â.
Published: November 2014

Despite many studies on avian blood parasites, we still have a limited understanding of the mechanisms that drive patterns of haemosporidian infection among tropical birds, including effects associated with sex, age, and seasonality. Using molecular and morphological methods for blood-parasite detection, we found that juvenile White-banded Tanagers (Neothraupis fasciata (Lichtenstein, 1823)) had lower haemosporidian prevalence than adults in a population within central Brazil. However, no sex or seasonal differences were detected. Of the 92 White-banded Tanagers analyzed, 67 individuals (72.8% prevalence) were infected with either Haemoproteus or Plasmodium (phylum Sporozoa, class Coccidea, order Haemosporida). Sequencing of a portion of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene revealed six haemosporidian lineages: two lineages within the genus Haemoproteus and four within the genus Plasmodium. The prevalences of Plasmodium and Haemoproteus parasites were 43.5% and 17.4%, respectively. Our results suggest that this species maintains chronic infections all year round and individuals are able to sustain high parasite pressure.
Investigations of a Stiffness Tunable Nonlinear Vibrational Energy Harvester
Authors: Su Dongxu , Nakano Kimihiko , Zheng Rencheng , Cartmell Matthew P.
Published: November 2014

The recent potential benefit of nonlinearity has been applying in order to improve the effectiveness of energy harvesting devices. For instance, at relatively high excitation levels, both low and high-energy responses can coexist for the same parameter combinations in a hardening type Duffing oscillator, and this provides a wider bandwidth and a higher energy harvesting effectiveness under periodic excitations. However, frequency or amplitude sweeps of the excitation must be used in order to reach a desirable high-energy orbit, and this gives a limitation on practical implementation. This paper presents a stiffness tunable nonlinear vibrational energy harvester which contains a moving magnetic end mass attached to a cantilever beam, whose nonlinearity emerges from the interaction forces with two neighboring permanent magnets facing with opposing poles. The motivating hypothesis has been that the jump from the low-energy orbit to the high-energy orbit can be triggered by tuning the stiffness of the system without changing the frequency or the amplitude of the excitation. Theoretical investigations show a methodology for tuning stiffness, and experimental tests have validated that the proposed method can be used to trigger a jump to the desirable state, and hereby this can broaden the bandwidth of the energy harvester.
Introduction
Authors: Flomenbom Ophir , Castañeda-Priego Ramón , Peeters François
Published: November 2014

In this document, we present the Special Issue's projects; these include reviews and articles about mathematical solutions and formulations of single-file dynamics (SFD), yet also its computational modeling, experimental evidence, and value in explaining real life occurrences. In particular, we introduce projects focusing on electron dynamics on liquid helium in channels with changing width, on the zig-zag configuration in files with longitudinal movement, on expanding files, on both heterogeneous and slow files, on files with external forces, and on the importance of the interaction potential shape on the particle dynamics along the file. Applications of SFD are of intrinsic value in life sciences, biophysics, physics, and materials science, since they can explain a large diversity of many-body systems, e.g., biological channels, biological motors, membranes, crowding, electron motion in proteins, etc. These systems are explained in all the projects that participate in this topical issue. This Special Issue can therefore intrigue, inspire and advance scientifically young people, yet also those scientists that actively work in this field.
Constrained regularization for noninvasive glucose sensing using Raman spectroscopy
Authors: Shih Wei-Chuan
Published: November 2014

Multivariate calibration is an important tool for spectroscopic measurement of analyte concentrations. We present a detailed study of a hybrid multivariate calibration technique, constrained regularization (CR), and demonstrate its utility in noninvasive glucose sensing using Raman spectroscopy. Similar to partial least squares (PLS) and principal component regression (PCR), CR builds an implicit model and requires knowledge only of the concentrations of the analyte of interest. Calibration is treated as an inverse problem in which an optimal balance between model complexity and noise rejection is achieved. Prior information is included in the form of a spectroscopic constraint that can be obtained conveniently. When used with an appropriate constraint, CR provides a better calibration model compared to PLS in both numerical and experimental studies.
Robust incentives for effort
Authors: Carroll Gabriel
Published: November 2014

We discuss a new perspective on the classic principal-agent problem, which asks how to optimally incentivize an agent to exert costly effort on some task, by rewarding him based on his performance. We review recent results on a robust version of the problem, in which the principal is uncertain about what actions the agent can and cannot take and evaluates an incentive contract based on the worst case over possible environments; the worst-case-optimal contracts turn out to take a simple form.
Cadet-branch matching
Authors: Sönmez Tayfun
Published: November 2014

Prior to 2006, the United States Military Academy (USMA) matched cadets to military specialties (branches) using a single category ranking system to determine priority. Since 2006, priority for the last 25 percent of the slots at each branch has been given to cadets who sign a branch-of-choice contract committing to serve in the Army for three additional years. Building on theoretical work of Hatfield and Milgrom (2005) and Hatfield and Kojima (2010), Sönmez and Switzer (2013) show that the resulting new matching problem not only has practical importance but also it fills a gap in the market design literature. Even though the new branch priorities designed by the Department of the Army fail a substitutes condition, the cumulative offer algorithm of Hatfield-Milgrom gives a cadet-optimal stable outcome in this environment. The resulting mechanism restores a number of important properties to the current USMA mechanism including stability, strategy-proofness and fairness which not only increase cadet welfare consistent with OCSP goals but also provides the Army with very accurate estimates of the effect of a change in the parameters of the mechanism on number of man-year gains by the branch-of-choice incentive program. This new application also shows that matching with contracts model have great potential to prescribe solutions to real-life resource allocation problems beyond domains that satisfy the substitutes condition.
Eliciting preferences of sponsored search advertisers
Authors: Nekipelov Denis
Published: November 2014

Sponsored search advertising attracts hundreds of thousands of advertisers, many with dozens or even thousands of campaigns, leading to tens of millions of distinct keyword bids. Advertiser objectives are heterogeneous. Some advertisers primarily focus on making immediate sales that are referred by clicks, while others want to promote their brand with a top-position placement. In this letter we demonstrate how one can use the empirical bidding data to recover the values of bidders in a sponsored search marketplace when the type of bidder preferences is known (i.e. whether a given bidder values clicks). We also show how one can use the history of bid changes for a given bidder to recover both the type of preferences for this bidder and the value at once. This methodology has direct implications for mechanism design making the case for combining the empirical work and auction design to avoid the optimization of the auction mechanism for the wrong preference type of the bidders.
A survey on wireless sensor network clustering protocols optimized via game theory
Authors: Midha Surabhi , Sharma Ajay K. , Sikka Geeta
Published: November 2014

Wireless sensor network (WSN) consists of low size, power constrained nodes that sense the environment and communicate this information through wireless links. There are a number of research issues in WSN with energy efficiency being one of the prime issues for WSN applications. In clustering-based routing protocols, cluster head selection has significant effect on performance of the protocol, along with routing technique. Game theory as a mathematical notion, being able to analyze interactive decision situations, is applicable to a wide spectrum within WSN. It can assist in designing more efficient protocols. This article surveys the application of game theory in wireless sensor network protocols, specifically in the domain of communication protocols involving cluster formation i.e. clustering protocols in WSN and how it optimizes the functioning of these protocols.
Adaptive embedded computing with
i
-core
Authors: Henkel Jörg , Bauer Lars , Grudnitsky Artjom , Zhang Hongyan
Published: November 2014

Reconfigurable processors allow applications to access accelerators on a runtime-reconfigurable fabric (like an embedded FPGA) to speed-up execution. This work focuses on providing multi-tasking support and increasing dependability for reconfigurable processors. Two different task-scheduling strategies and multiple efficient dependability improvement schemes are presented and evaluated.
Improvement of adaptive EDF
Authors: Tanaka Kiyofumi
Published: November 2014

Rate monotonic (RM) and earliest deadline first (EDF) are representative scheduling algorithms for real-time periodic tasks. RM has a merit that tasks with high-priority (short-period) have small jitters and short response times. However, it is impossible that processor utilization reaches 100% while maintaining schedulability or that tasks are given importance independent of their periods. On the other hand, EDF can utilize processors by 100% while it cannot give tasks fixed priorities or importance. Therefore, it is difficult to keep jitters or response times of particular tasks short. The author proposed an EDF-based method, Adaptive EDF, of shortening response times of a task that is important for the system by introducing predictive execution times (PET) and dividing execution of the task into two sub instances based on PET [1]. This paper shows improved techniques which can further reduce response times by extending the adaptive EDF.
Towards EDF schedulability analysis of an extended timing definition language
Authors: Kloda Tomasz , d'Ausbourg Bruno , Santinelli Luca
Published: November 2014

In a time-triggered system activities like releasing of tasks, mode switches, sensor readings are all initiated at predetermined points in real-time. This paper proposes an extension of a time-triggered compositional framework and presents, based on the widely-applied methods, a condition for its schedulability. The pessimism of this condition is then discussed and the new challenges in the compositional analysis of time-triggered systems are raised.
A self tuning regulator based on the ARM cortex-M4
Authors: Antão Rómulo , Mota Alexandre , Martins Rui Escadas
Published: November 2014

The versatility and closed-loop performance resulting from the use of self-calibrating control systems are two of the most sought features when implementing a digital feedback loop based on embedded systems. However, such methods are typically based on computationally intensive algorithms that, when executed in low-cost embedded systems, severely restrict their usability to application with relatively slow dynamics in order to cope with the control-loop calculations turnaround time. Taking advantage of the new ARM Cortex-M4 microcontroller performance improvements in the digital signal processing field, this paper will present a real-time self-tuning regulator designed for a generic second order dynamic process. To assess the capabilities of this new architecture, a Buck DC-DC converter will be used as test scenario to present comparative measurements of the algorithm's turnaround time and CPU load under different system configurations and results relative to the setpoint tracking capability of the adaptive controller under time-varying dynamics.
A Simple Gaussian Measurement Bound for Exact Recovery of Block-Sparse Signals
Authors: Han Zhi , Wang Jianjun , Jing Jia , Zhang Hai
Published: November 2014

We present a probabilistic analysis on conditions of the exact recovery of block-sparse signals whose nonzero elements appear in fixed blocks. We mainly derive a simple lower bound on the necessary number of Gaussian measurements for exact recovery of such block-sparse signals via the mixedl2/lq  (0<q≤1)norm minimization method. In addition, we present numerical examples to partially support the correctness of the theoretical results. The obtained results extend those known for the standardlqminimization and the mixedl2/l1minimization methods to the mixedl2/lq  (0<q≤1)minimization method in the context of block-sparse signal recovery.
Personality Profile of Parents of Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Authors: Dadashzadeh Hossein , Amiri Shahrokh , Atapour Ahmad , Abdi Salman , Asadian Mahan
Published: November 2014

Objectives.The present study was carried out aiming to identify the personality profile of parents of children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).Methods.This study is of a descriptive, analytic, cross-sectional type in which parents of 6–12-year-old children with ADHD who were referred to the Bozorgmehr Psychiatric Clinic, affiliated with Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, were enrolled. ADHD was diagnosed according to the criteria of DSM-IV-TR and a quasi-structured diagnostic interview (K-SADS-PL). The personality profile of the parents was assessed with the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-III (MCMI-III).Results.According to the findings of this study, the most common personality problems based on the assessment scales in the MCMI-III belonged to the clinical patterns of depressive personality in 43 persons (25.3%), histrionic personality in 34 persons (20%), and compulsive personality in 29 persons (17.1%). According to discriminant analysis, four scales of somatoform, sadistic, dependence, and though disorder were direct and antisocial scale was reverse significant predictors of membership in the women group.Conclusion.According to the findings of this pilot study, personality disorders are prevalent in parents of ADHD children and mothers suffer from personality disorders more than fathers.
Study on Adaptive Slid Mode Controller for Improving Handling Stability of Motorized Electric Vehicles
Authors: Jin LiQiang , Liu Yue
Published: November 2014

An adaptive slid mode controller was established for improving the handling stability of motorized electric vehicle (MEV). First and foremost, the structure and advantages of electric vehicle driven by in‐wheel motors will be provided. Then, an ideal cornering model of vehicles will be brought and analyzed, after which a method to estimate side‐slip angle was also proposed and three typical sensors were used in the theory. Besides, an idea for the recognition of road adhesion coefficient was derived based on MEV platform, which will be helpful for better control performances. Finally, the scheme of control method was given and some typical tests for observing handling properties were implemented based on Simulink and Carsim software. With the outcomes from the experiments, which vividly showed the merits of the controller, one can come to a conclusion that MEV that equips with the adaptive slid mode controller always enjoys better handling performances than the one without control. Furthermore, the controller researched is friendly to the real‐time working conditions, which will hold practical values in the future.
The Effect of Educational Intervention on Nurses’ Attitudes and Beliefs about Depression in Heart Failure Patients
Authors: Lea Patricia
Published: November 2014

Systematic depression screening is feasible, efficient, and well accepted; however the lack of consistent assessment in heart failure inpatients suggests barriers preventing its effective diagnosis and treatment. This pilot study assessed the impact of an educational intervention on nurses’ beliefs about depression and their likelihood of routinely screening heart failure patients. Registered nurses(n=35)from adult medical-surgical units were surveyed before and after an educational intervention to assess their beliefs about depression prevalence and screening in heart failure patients. There was no significant influence on nurses’ beliefs about depression, but the results suggested an increased likelihood that nurses would routinely screen for depression. The moderately significant correlation between beliefs and intent to screen for depression indicates that educational intervention could ultimately have a positive influence on patient outcomes through early detection and treatment of depression in patients with cardiovascular disease; however the observed increase in the intent to screen without a corresponding change in beliefs indicates other influences affecting nurses’ intent to screen heart failure patients for depression.
On the Dynamics of Laguerre’s Iteration Method for Finding the nth Roots of Unity
Authors: Bělík Pavel , Kang HeeChan , Walsh Andrew , Winegar Emma
Published: November 2014

Previous analyses of Laguerre’s iteration method have provided results on the behavior of this popular method when applied to the polynomials pn(z)=zn-1, n∈N. In this paper, we summarize known analytical results and provide new results. In particular, we study symmetry properties of the Laguerre iteration function and clarify the dynamics of the method. We show analytically and demonstrate computationally that for each n≥5 the basin of attraction to the roots is a subset of an annulus that contains the unit circle and whose Lebesgue measure shrinks to zero as n→∞. We obtain a good estimate of the size of the bounding annulus. We show that the boundary of the basin of convergence exhibits fractal nature and quasi self-similarity. We also discuss the connectedness of the basin for large values of n. We also numerically find some short finite cycles on the boundary of the basin of convergence for n=5,...,8. Finally, we demonstrate that when using the floating point arithmetic and the general formulation of the method, convergence occurs even from starting values outside of the basin of convergence due to the loss of significance during the evaluation of the iteration function.
Ultrasound-Guided Pulse-Dose Radiofrequency: Treatment of Neuropathic Pain after Brachial Plexus Lesion and Arm Revascularization
Authors: Magistroni Ernesta , Ciclamini Davide , Panero Bernardino , Verna Valter
Published: November 2014

Neuropathic pain following brachial plexus injury is a severe sequela that is difficult to treat. Pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) has been proved to reduce neuropathic pain after nerve injury, even though the underlying mechanism remains unclear. This case report describes the use of ultrasound-guided PRF to reduce neuropathic pain in a double-level upper extremity nerve injury. A 25-year-old man who sustained a complete left brachial plexus injury with cervical root avulsion came to our attention. Since 2007 the patient has suffered from neuropathic pain (NP) involving the ulnar side of the forearm, the proximal third of the forearm, and the thumb. No pain relief was obtained by means of surgery, rehabilitation, and medications. Ultrasound-guided PRF was performed on the ulnar nerve at the elbow level. The median nerve received a PRF treatment at wrist level. After the treatment, the patient reported a consistent reduction of pain in his hand. We measured a 70% reduction of pain on the VAS scale. PRF treatment allowed our patient to return to work after a period of absence enforced by severe pain. This case showed that PRF is a useful tool when pharmacological therapy is inadequate for pain control in posttraumatic neuropathic pain.
Traumatic Dislocation of the Hip in a Child Caused by Trivial Force for Age
Authors: Furuya Hiroyuki , Shimamura Yoshio , Kaneko Kazuo , Sakuramoto Hiroshi , Hirata Kazuhiro , Arai Yasuhisa
Published: November 2014

Traumatic hip dislocation in children has a relatively rare occurrence. There are some residual complications, such as avascular necrosis of the femoral head, growth disturbance caused by premature fusion, neurological injury, recurrent dislocation, and posttraumatic arthritis. There is no consensus in the literature about the period of non-weight bearing after reduction. A rare case of a 13-year-old boy of hip dislocation caused by trivial force for age is reported followed by review of the pediatric literatures with treatment recommendation.
Perineural Spread of Salivary Duct Carcinoma to the Internal Auditory Canal
Authors: Kitavi Winfred , Hamberger Ulrich , Sudhoff Holger
Published: November 2014

Salivary duct carcinomas (SDCs) are high-grade malignant tumors exhibiting aggressive growth with early regional and distant metastasis. We report a case of SDC in a 63-year-old male with early recurrent disease in the cerebellopontine angle (CPA) after total parotidectomy and adjuvant radiotherapy. The tendency of the tumor to recur or metastasize despite radical surgical measures and radiotherapy continues to pose a therapeutic challenge.
Application of Compressive Sampling in Computer Based Monitoring of Power Systems
Authors: Das Sarasij , Sidhu Tarlochan
Published: November 2014

Shannon’s Nyquist theorem has always dictated the conventional signal acquisition policies. Power system is not an exception to this. As per this theory, the sampling rate must be at least twice the maximum frequency present in the signal. Recently, compressive sampling (CS) theory has shown that the signals can be reconstructed from samples obtained at sub-Nyquist rate. Signal reconstruction in this theory is exact for “sparse signals” and is near exact for compressible signals provided certain conditions are satisfied. CS theory has already been applied in communication, medical imaging, MRI, radar imaging, remote sensing, computational biology, machine learning, geophysical data analysis, and so forth. CS is comparatively new in the area of computer based power system monitoring. In this paper, subareas of computer based power system monitoring where compressive sampling theory has been applied are reviewed. At first, an overview of CS is presented and then the relevant literature specific to power systems is discussed.
Concentrated Hypoxia-Preconditioned Adipose Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Conditioned Medium Improves Wounds Healing in Full-Thickness Skin Defect Model
Authors: Sun Biao , Guo Shilei , Xu Fei , Wang Bin , Liu Xiujuan , Zhang Yuanyuan , Xu Yan
Published: November 2014

In recent years, the bioactive factors were utilized in exercise and athletic skin injuries. In this research, the concentrated conditioned medium of hypoxia-preconditioned adipose mesenchymal stem cells, which is rich in bioactive factor, is applied in full-thickness skin defect model to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy. Adipose mesenchymal stem cells were harvested from the abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissues. The surface markers and the potential of differentiation were analyzed. The conditioned medium of hypoxia-preconditioned stem cells was collected and freeze-dried and then applied on the rat full-thickness skin defect model, and the healing time of each group was recorded. Haematoxylin and eosin staining of skin was assessed by microscope. The characteristics of adipose mesenchymal stem cells were similar to those of other mesenchymal stem cells. The concentration of protein in freeze-dried conditioned medium in 1 mL water was about 15 times higher than in the normal condition medium. In vivo, the concentrated hypoxia-preconditioned conditioned medium can reduce the wound size and accelerate the skin wound healing. The concentrated hypoxia-preconditioned adipose mesenchymal stem cell-conditioned medium has great effect on rat model of wound healing, and it would be an ideal agent for wound care in clinical application.
Monometallic Pd and Pt and Bimetallic Pd-Pt/Al2O3-TiO2for the HDS of DBT: Effect of the Pd and Pt Incorporation Method
Authors: Martínez Guerrero Reynaldo , Hernández-Gordillo Agileo , Santes Víctor , Vargas García Jorge Roberto , Escobar José , Díaz-García Leonardo , Díaz Barriga Arceo Lucía , Garibay Febles Vicente
Published: November 2014

The effect of the preparation method of monometallic Pd and Pt and bimetallic Pd-Pt/Al2O3-TiO2catalysts on the hydrodesulfurization (HDS) of dibenzothiophene (DBT) was investigated in this study. The synthesis was accomplished using three methods: (A) impregnation, (B) metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD), and (C) impregnation-MOCVD. The bimetallic Pd-Pt catalyst prepared by the impregnation-MOCVD method was most active for the HDS of DBT compared to those prepared by the single impregnation or MOCVD method due to the synergetic effect between both noble metals. The greater selectivity toward biphenyl indicated that this bimetallic Pd-Pt catalyst preferentially removes sulfur via the direct desulfurization mechanism. However, the bimetallic Pd-Pt catalyst prepared using the single MOCVD method did not produce any cyclohexylbenzene, which is most likely associated with the hydrogenation/dehydrogenation sites.
Multidistribution Center Location Based on Real‐Parameter Quantum Evolutionary Clustering Algorithm
Authors: Wang Huaixiao , Zhu Wanhong , Liu Jianyong , Li Ling , Yin Zhuchen
Published: November 2014

To determine the multidistribution center location and the distribution scope of the distribution center with high efficiency, the real‐parameter quantum‐inspired evolutionary clustering algorithm (RQECA) is proposed. RQECA is applied to choose multidistribution center location on the basis of the conventional fuzzy C‐means clustering algorithm (FCM). The combination of the real‐parameter quantum‐inspired evolutionary algorithm (RQIEA) and FCM can overcome the local search defect of FCM and make the optimization result independent of the choice of initial values. The comparison of FCM, clustering based on simulated annealing genetic algorithm (CSAGA), and RQECA indicates that RQECA has the same good convergence as CSAGA, but the search efficiency of RQECA is better than that of CSAGA. Therefore, RQECA is more efficient to solve the multidistribution center location problem.
Electronic Transport Properties of Doped C28 Fullerene
Authors: Pahuja Akshu , Srivastava Sunita
Published: November 2014

Endohedral doping of small fullerenes like C28 affects their electronic structure and increases their stability. The transport properties of Li@C28 sandwiched between two gold surfaces have been calculated using first-principles density functional theory and nonequilibrium Green’s function formalism. The transmission curves, IV characteristics, and molecular projected self-consistent Hamiltonian eigenstates of both pristine and doped molecule are computed. The current across the junction is found to decrease upon Li encapsulation, which can be attributed to change in alignment of molecular energy levels with bias voltage.
The Shared Pathoetiological Effects of Particulate Air Pollution and the Social Environment on Fetal-Placental Development
Authors: Erickson Anders C. , Arbour Laura
Published: November 2014

Exposure to particulate air pollution and socioeconomic risk factors are shown to be independently associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes; however, their confounding relationship is an epidemiological challenge that requires understanding of their shared etiologic pathways affecting fetal-placental development. The purpose of this paper is to explore the etiological mechanisms associated with exposure to particulate air pollution in contributing to adverse pregnancy outcomes and how these mechanisms intersect with those related to socioeconomic status. Here we review the role of oxidative stress, inflammation and endocrine modification in the pathoetiology of deficient deep placentation and detail how the physical and social environments can act alone and collectively to mediate the established pathology linked to a spectrum of adverse pregnancy outcomes. We review the experimental and epidemiological literature showing that diet/nutrition, smoking, and psychosocial stress share similar pathways with that of particulate air pollution exposure to potentially exasperate the negative effects of either insult alone. Therefore, socially patterned risk factors often treated as nuisance parameters should be explored as potential effect modifiers that may operate at multiple levels of social geography. The degree to which deleterious exposures can be ameliorated or exacerbated via community-level social and environmental characteristics needs further exploration.
Molecular Pathways: Targeting the Dependence of Mutant RAS Cancers on the DNA Damage Response
Authors: Grabocka Elda , Commisso Cosimo , Bar-Sagi Dafna
Published: November 2014

Of the genes mutated in cancer, RAS remains the most elusive to target. Recent technological advances and discoveries have greatly expanded our knowledge of the biology of oncogenic Ras and its role in cancer. As such, it has become apparent that a property that intimately accompanies RAS-driven tumorigenesis is the dependence of RAS-mutant cells on a number of nononcogenic signaling pathways. These dependencies arise as a means of adaptation to Ras-driven intracellular stresses and represent unique vulnerabilities of mutant RAS cancers. A number of studies have highlighted the dependence of mutant RAS cancers on the DNA damage response and identified the molecular pathways that mediate this process, including signaling from wild-type Ras isoforms, ATR/Chk1, and DNA damage repair pathways. Here, we review these findings, and we discuss the combinatorial use of DNA-damaging chemotherapy with blockade of wild-type H- and N-Ras signaling by farnesyltransferase inhibitors, Chk1 inhibitors, or small-molecule targeting DNA damage repair as potential strategies through which the dependence of RAS cancers on the DNA damage response can be harnessed for therapeutic intervention. Clin Cancer Res; 21(6); 1243–7. ©2014 AACR.