bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
New species of Spatulaphorus (Acari: Heterostigmata: Pygmephoridae) associated with Geotrupes baicalicus (Coleoptera: Geotrupidae) from Altai Republic, Russia
Authors: Khaustov Alexander , Trach Viacheslav
Published: January 2018

A new species Spatulaphorus altaicus sp. nov. (Acari: Pygmephoridae) collected from under the elytra of scarab beetle Geotrupes baicalicus Reitter (Coleoptera: Geotrupidae) is described. A key to species of the genus Spatulaphorus of the world is provided.
An investigation of infrasound propagation over mountain ranges
Authors: Damiens Florentin , Millet Christophe , Lott François
Published: January 2018

Linear theory is used to analyze trapping of infrasound within the lower tropospheric waveguide during propagation above a mountain range. Atmospheric flow produced by the mountains is predicted by a nonlinear mountain gravity wave model. For the infrasound component, this paper solves the wave equation under the effective sound speed approximation using both a finite difference method and a Wentzel–Kramers–Brillouin approach. It is shown that in realistic configurations, the mountain waves can deeply perturb the low-level waveguide, which leads to significant acoustic dispersion. To interpret these results, each acoustic mode is tracked separately as the horizontal distance increases. It is shown that during statically stable situations, situations that are common during night over land in winter, the mountain waves induce a strong Foehn effect downstream, which shrinks the waveguide significantly. This yields a new form of infrasound absorption that can largely outweigh the direct effect the mountain induces on the low-level waveguide. For the opposite case, when the low-level flow is less statically stable (situations that are more common during day in summer), mountain wave dynamics do not produce dramatic responses downstream. It may even favor the passage of infrasound and mitigate the direct effect of the obstacle.
Acoustofluidic particle dynamics: Beyond the Rayleigh limit
Authors: Baasch Thierry , Dual Jürg
Published: January 2018

In this work a numerical model to calculate the trajectories of multiple acoustically and hydrodynamically interacting spherical particles is presented. The acoustic forces are calculated by solving the fully coupled three-dimensional scattering problem using finite element software. The method is not restricted to single re-scattering events, mono- and dipole radiation, and long wavelengths with respect to the particle diameter, thus expanding current models. High frequency surface acoustic waves have been used in the one cell per well technology to focus individual cells in a two-dimensional wave-field. Sometimes the cells started forming clumps and it was not possible to focus on individual cells. Due to a lack of existing theory, this could not be fully investigated. Here, the authors use the full dynamic simulations to identify limiting factors of the one-cell-per-well technology. At first, the authors demonstrate good agreement of the numerical model with analytical results in the Rayleigh limiting case. A frequency dependent stability exchange between the pressure and velocity was then demonstrated. The numerical formulation presented in this work is relatively general and can be used for a multitude of different high frequency applications. It is a powerful tool in the analysis of microscale acoustofluidic devices and processes.
Abundant Degrees of Freedom Are Not a Problem
Authors: Latash Mark L.
Published: January 2018

The problem of motor redundancy has been one of the fundamental, albeit elusive, problems in motor control. Traditionally, it has been viewed as a computational problem for the brain, solved with either optimization methods or by introducing additional constraints to motor tasks. This review suggests that the problem was wrongly formulated, and that the abundant degrees of freedom are not to be eliminated but used to ensure dynamic stability of motor performance, which is vital given the unpredictable intrinsic states and external forces. The idea of synergies as mechanisms ensuring action stability is introduced based on the uncontrolled manifold hypothesis and the theory of control with spatial referent coordinates. The importance of controlled stability is illustrated with the phenomena of anticipatory synergy adjustments. This approach is productive for both basic and applied fields as illustrated, in particular, by changes in motor synergies with neurological disorder and exercise.
Zika virus–related neurotropic flaviviruses infect human placental explants and cause fetal demise in mice
Authors: Platt Derek J. , Smith Amber M. , Arora Nitin , Diamond Michael S. , Coyne Carolyn B. , Miner Jonathan J.
Published: January 2018

West Nile and Powassan viruses cause fetal demise in mice and replicate in human placental tissue.
Time’s up for tumors
Authors: Haspel Jeffrey
Published: January 2018

Small molecules targeting the circadian clock can wage metabolic war on cancer cells.
Optimization of a Meropenem-Tobramycin Combination Dosage Regimen against Hypermutable and Nonhypermutable Pseudomonas aeruginosa via Mechanism-Based Modeling and the Hollow-Fiber Infection Model
Authors: Landersdorfer Cornelia B. , Rees Vanessa E. , Yadav Rajbharan , Rogers Kate E. , Kim Tae Hwan , Bergen Phillip J. , Cheah Soon-Ee , Boyce John D. , Peleg Anton Y. , Oliver Antonio , Shin Beom Soo , Nation Roger L. , Bulitta Jürgen B.
Published: January 2018

HypermutablePseudomonas aeruginosastrains are prevalent in patients with cystic fibrosis and rapidly become resistant to antibiotic monotherapies. Combination dosage regimens have not been optimized against such strains using mechanism-based modeling (MBM) and the hollow-fiber infection model (HFIM). The PAO1 wild-type strain and its isogenic hypermutable PAOΔmutSstrain (MICmeropenemof 1.0 mg/liter and MICtobramycinof 0.5 mg/liter for both) were assessed using 96-h static-concentration time-kill studies (SCTK) and 10-day HFIM studies (inoculum, ∼108.4CFU/ml). MBM of SCTK data were performed to predict expected HFIM outcomes. Regimens studied in the HFIM were meropenem at 1 g every 8 h (0.5-h infusion), meropenem at 3 g/day with continuous infusion, tobramycin at 10 mg/kg of body weight every 24 h (1-h infusion), and both combinations. Meropenem regimens delivered the same total daily dose. Time courses of total and less susceptible populations and MICs were determined. For the PAOΔmutSstrain in the HFIM, all monotherapies resulted in rapid regrowth to >108.7CFU/ml with near-complete replacement by less susceptible bacteria by day 3. Meropenem every 8 h with tobramycin caused >7-log10bacterial killing followed by regrowth to >6 log10CFU/ml by day 5 and high-level resistance (MICmeropenem, 32 mg/liter; MICtobramycin, 8 mg/liter). Continuous infusion of meropenem with tobramycin achieved >8-log10bacterial killing without regrowth. For PAO1, meropenem monotherapies suppressed bacterial growth to <4 log10over 7 to 9 days, with both combination regimens achieving near eradication. An MBM-optimized meropenem plus tobramycin regimen achieved synergistic killing and resistance suppression against a difficult-to-treat hypermutableP. aeruginosastrain. For the combination to be maximally effective, it was critical to achieve the optimal shape of the concentration-time profile for meropenem.
Draft Genome Sequences of Novel
Pseudomonas
,
Flavobacterium
, and
Sediminibacterium
Species Strains from a Freshwater Ecosystem
Authors: Pinto Federica , Tett Adrian , Armanini Federica , Asnicar Francesco , Boscaini Adriano , Pasolli Edoardo , Zolfo Moreno , Donati Claudio , Salmaso Nico , Segata Nicola
Published: January 2018

Freshwater ecosystems represent 0.01% of the water on Earth, but they support 6% of global biodiversity that is still mostly uncharacterized. Here, we describe the genome sequences of three strains belonging to novel species in the
Pseudomonas
,
Flavobacterium
, and
Sediminibacterium
genera recovered from a water sample of Lake Garda, Italy.
Complete Genome Sequence of
Dietzia
sp. Strain WMMA184, a Marine Coral-Associated Bacterium
Authors: Braun Doug R. , Chevrette Marc G. , Acharya Deepa , Currie Cameron R. , Rajski Scott R. , Ritchie Kim B. , Bugni Tim S.
Published: January 2018

Dietzia
sp. strain WMMA184 was isolated from the marine coral
Montastraea faveolata
as part of ongoing drug discovery efforts. Analysis of the 4.16-Mb genome provides information regarding interspecies interactions as it pertains to the regulation of secondary metabolism and natural product biosynthesis potential.
Deep brain stimulation in the caudal zona incerta versus best medical treatment in patients with Parkinson’s disease: a randomised blinded evaluation
Authors: Blomstedt Patric , Stenmark Persson Rasmus , Hariz Gun-Marie , Linder Jan , Fredricks Anna , Häggström Björn , Philipsson Johanna , Forsgren Lars , Hariz Marwan
Published: January 2018

Background

Several open-label studies have shown good effect of deep brain stimulation (DBS) in the caudal zona incerta (cZi) on tremor, including parkinsonian tremor, and in some cases also a benefit on akinesia and axial symptoms. The aim of this study was to evaluate objectively the effect of cZi DBS in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD).

Method

25 patients with PD were randomised to either cZi DBS or best medical treatment. The primary outcomes were differences between the groups in the motor scores of the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS-III) rated single-blindly at 6 months and differences in the Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire 39 items (PDQ-39). 19 patients, 10 in the medical arm and 9 in the DBS arm, fulfilled the study.

Results

The DBS group had 41% better UPDRS-III scores off-medication on-stimulation compared with baseline, whereas the scores of the non-surgical patients off-medication were unchanged. In the on-medication condition, there were no differences between the groups, neither at baseline nor at 6 months. Subitems of the UPDRS-III showed a robust effect of cZi DBS on tremor. The PDQ-39 domains ‘stigma’ and ‘ADL’ improved only in the DBS group. The PDQ-39 summary index improved in both groups.

Conclusion

This is the first randomised blinded evaluation of cZi DBS showing its efficacy on PD symptoms. The most striking effect was on tremor; however, the doses of dopaminergic medications could not be decreased. cZi DBS in PD may be an addition to existing established targets, enabling tailoring the surgery to the needs of the individual patient.
Features of GBA-associated Parkinson’s disease at presentation in the UK Tracking Parkinson’s study
Authors: Malek Naveed , Weil Rimona S , Bresner Catherine , Lawton Michael A , Grosset Katherine A , Tan Manuela , Bajaj Nin , Barker Roger A , Burn David J , Foltynie Thomas , Hardy John , Wood Nicholas W , Ben-Shlomo Yoav , Williams Nigel W , Grosset Donald G , Morris Huw R
Published: January 2018

Objectives

To examine the influence of the glucocerebrosidase (GBA) mutation carrier state on age at onset of Parkinson’s disease (PD), the motor phenotype and cognitive function at baseline assessment in a large cohort of UK patients. We also analysed the prevalence of mood and behavioural problems that may confound the assessment of cognitive function.

Methods

We prospectively recruited patients with PD in the Tracking Parkinson’s study. We fully sequenced the GBA gene in all recently diagnosed patients (≤3.5 years). We examined cognitive (Montreal Cognitive Assessment) and motor (Movement Disorder Society Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale part 3) function at a baseline assessment, at an average of 1.3 years after diagnosis. We used logistic regression to determine predictors of PD with mild cognitive impairment and PD with dementia.

Results

We studied 1893 patients with PD: 48 (2.5%) were heterozygous carriers for known Gaucher’s disease (GD) causing pathogenic mutations; 117 (6.2%) had non-synonymous variants, previously associated with PD, and 28 (1.5%) patients carried variants of unknown significance in the GBA gene. L444P was the most common pathogenic GBA mutation. Patients with pathogenic GBA mutations were on average 5 years younger at disease onset compared with non-carriers (P=0.02). PD patients with GD-causing mutations did not have an increased family risk of PD. Patients with GBA mutations were more likely to present with the postural instability gait difficulty phenotype compared with non-carriers (P=0.02). Patients carrying pathogenic mutations in GBA had more advanced Hoehn and Yahr stage after adjustment for age and disease duration compared with non-carriers (P=0.005). There were no differences in cognitive function between GBA mutation carriers and non-carriers at this early disease stage.

Conclusions

Our study confirms the influence of GBA mutations on the age of onset, disease severity and motor phenotype in patients with PD. Cognition did not differ between GBA mutation carriers and non-carriers at baseline, implying that cognitive impairment/dementia, reported in other studies at a later disease stage, is not present in recently diagnosed cases. This offers an important window of opportunity for potential disease-modifying therapy that may protect against the development of dementia in GBA-PD.

Clinical trial registration

NCT02881099; Results.
Reliability of the individual components of the Canadian Armed Forces Physical Employment Standard
Authors: Stockbrugger Barry G. , Reilly Tara J. , Blacklock Rachel E. , Gagnon Patrick J.
Published: January 2018

This investigation recruited 24 participants from both the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and civilian populations to complete 4 separate trials at “best effort” of each of the 4 components in the CAF Physical Employment Standard named the FORCE Evaluation: Fitness for Operational Requirements of CAF Employment. Analyses were performed to examine the level of variability and reliability within each component. The results demonstrate that candidates should be provided with at least 1 retest if they have recently completed at least 2 previous best effort attempts as per the protocol. In addition, the minimal detectable difference is given for each of the 4 components in seconds which identifies the threshold for subsequent action, either retest or remedial training, for those unable to meet the minimum standard. These results will educate the delivery of this employment standard, function as a method of accommodation, in addition to providing direction for physical training programs.
Curcumin supplementation ameliorated vascular dysfunction and improved antioxidant status in rats fed a high-sucrose, high-fat diet
Authors: Tsai I-Jung , Chen Chia-Wen , Tsai Shin-Yu , Wang Pei-Yuan , Owaga Eddy , Hsieh Rong-Hong
Published: January 2018

Vascular endothelial dysfunction is a potential risk factor for cardiovascular disease. This study evaluated the effect of curcumin on factors associated with vascular dysfunction using rats fed a high-sucrose, high-fat (HSF) diet. The experiment included 2 animal feeding phases. In the first feeding phase, male Sprague–Dawley rats were randomly divided into 2 groups: the control group (n = 8) was fed a standard diet (AIN-93G) and the HSF group (n = 24) was fed an HSF diet for 8 weeks to induce obesity. In the second feeding phase, lasting 4 weeks, the HSF group was randomly divided into 3 subgroups: the O group (n = 8) continued feeding on the HSF diet, the OA group (n = 8) had the HSF diet replaced with AIN-93G, and the OC group (n = 8) was fed the HSF diet supplemented with curcumin (300 mg/kg body weight daily). After 8 weeks, the HSF diet significantly elevated levels of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), insulin, homeostatic model assessment insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), homocysteine (Hcy), C-reactive protein (CRP), vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM-1), and intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) but significantly reduced levels of nitric oxide (NO) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). After dietary intervention, the OA and OC groups exhibited significantly lower levels of AST, ALT, HOMA-IR, cholesterol, LDL-C, Hcy, CRP, VCAM-1, and ICAM-1 and higher levels of NO and catalase (CAT) activity compared with the O group. Superoxide dismutase, CAT, and glutathione peroxidase activities were increased in the OA group, while CAT levels were enhanced in the OC group. In conclusion, this study showed that curcumin supplementation and diet modification can inhibit HSF diet-induced vascular dysfunction potentially by enhancing NO production and antioxidant enzyme activities, thereby suppressing inflammation and oxidative damage in the vascular endothelium.
Chaotic Traversal (CHAT): Very Large Graphs Traversal Using Chaotic Dynamics
Authors: Changaival Boonyarit , Rosalie Martin , Danoy Grégoire , Lavangnananda Kittichai , Bouvry Pascal
Published: January 2018

Graph Traversal algorithms can find their applications in various fields such as routing problems, natural language processing or even database querying. The exploration can be considered as a first stepping stone into knowledge extraction from the graph which is now a popular topic. Classical solutions such as Breadth First Search (BFS) and Depth First Search (DFS) require huge amounts of memory for exploring very large graphs. In this research, we present a novel memoryless graph traversal algorithm, Chaotic Traversal (CHAT) which integrates chaotic dynamics to traverse large unknown graphs via the Lozi map and the Rössler system. To compare various dynamics effects on our algorithm, we present an original way to perform the exploration of a parameter space using a bifurcation diagram with respect to the topological structure of attractors. The resulting algorithm is an efficient and nonresource demanding algorithm, and is therefore very suitable for partial traversal of very large and/or unknown environment graphs. CHAT performance using Lozi map is proven superior than the, commonly known, Random Walk, in terms of number of nodes visited (coverage percentage) and computation time where the environment is unknown and memory usage is restricted.
Stability Analysis of Composite Perforated Annular Sector Plates Under Thermomechanical Loading by Finite Element Method
Authors: Shaterzadeh Alireza , Behzad Hamed , Shariyat Mohammad
Published: January 2018

This paper presents the stability analysis of a perforated plate with sector geometry made of composite materials. The sector of concern is a compound of graphite-epoxy and glass-epoxy with identical ply thickness but different fiber angles for each layer. The mechanical load conditions considered include uniform axial, circumferential, and biaxial pressure, while the thermal loading is specified to be uniform temperature increase over the whole sector. The existence of one or two circular holes has increased the complexity of analysis. To obtain solutions of high accuracy, the three-dimensional elasticity theory relations have been employed. Using the finite element method along with the stability condition of Trefftz, the buckling equation of the structure is derived. Green nonlinear strain-displacement relations are used to form the geometrical stiffness matrix. Unlike the finite element method used by other researches, a novel curved 3D B-Splined element is used to more accurately trace the displacement and stress variations of the structure. This element can be used in solution domains with geometric discontinuities, such as perforated plates and also meshed in the thickness direction. Moreover, instead of using the common von Karman assumptions, the most general form of the strain tensors in the curvilinear coordinates is adopted. The buckling load is obtained by extremizing the second variations of the total potential energy. The finite element formulation is coded in the MATLAB software. The effects of various parameters such as sector dimensions, dimensions of the hole, mechanical load directions, and fiber angles of each layer on the thermomechanical buckling is investigated.
Continuous Online Self-Monitoring Introspection Circuitry for Timing Repair by Incremental Partial-Reconfiguration (COSMIC TRIP)
Authors: Giesen Hans , Gojman Benjamin , Rubin Raphael , Kim Ji , Dehon André
Published: January 2018

We show that continuously monitoring on-chip delays at the LUT-to-LUT link level during operation allows a field-programmable gate array to detect and self-adapt to aging and environmental timing effects. Using a lightweight (<4% added area) mechanism for monitoring transition timing, a Difference Detector with First-Fail Latch, we can estimate the timing margin on circuits and identify the individual links that have degraded and whose delay is determining the worst-case circuit delay. Combined with Choose-Your-own-Adventure precomputed, fine-grained repair alternatives, we introduce a strategy for rapid, in-system incremental repair of links with degraded timing. We show that these techniques allow us to respond to a single aging event in less than 190ms for the toronto20 benchmarks. The result is a step toward systems where adaptive reconfiguration on the time-scale of seconds is viable and beneficial.
Loop-Oriented Pointer Analysis for Automatic SIMD Vectorization
Authors: Sui Yulei , Fan Xiaokang , Zhou Hao , Xue Jingling
Published: January 2018

Compiler-based vectorization represents a promising solution to automatically generate code that makes efficient use of modern CPUs with SIMD extensions. Two main auto-vectorization techniques, superword-level parallelism vectorization (SLP) and loop-level vectorization (LLV), require precise dependence analysis on arrays and structs to vectorize isomorphic scalar instructions (in the case of SLP) and reduce dynamic dependence checks at runtime (in the case of LLV).

The alias analyses used in modern vectorizing compilers are either intra-procedural (without tracking inter-procedural data-flows) or inter-procedural (by using field-sensitive models, which are too imprecise in handling arrays and structs). This article proposes an inter-procedural
L
oop-oriented
P
ointer
A
nalysis for C, called L
pa
, for analyzing arrays and structs to support aggressive SLP and LLV optimizations effectively. Unlike field-insensitive solutions that pre-allocate objects for each memory allocation site, our approach uses a lazy memory model to generate
access-based location sets
based on how structs and arrays are accessed. L
pa
can precisely analyze arrays and nested aggregate structures to enable SIMD optimizations for large programs. By separating the location set generation as an independent concern from the rest of the pointer analysis, L
pa
is designed so that existing points-to resolution algorithms (e.g., flow-insensitive and flow-sensitive pointer analysis) can be reused easily.

We have implemented L
pa
fully in the LLVM compiler infrastructure (version 3.8.0). We evaluate L
pa
by considering SLP and LLV, the two classic vectorization techniques, on a set of 20 C and Fortran CPU2000/2006 benchmarks. For SLP, L
pa
outperforms LLVM’s BasicAA and ScevAA by discovering 139 and 273 more vectorizable basic blocks, respectively, resulting in the best speedup of 2.95% for 173.applu. For LLV, LLVM introduces totally 551 and 652 static bound checks under BasicAA and ScevAA, respectively. In contrast, L
pa
has reduced these static checks to 220, with an average of 15.7 checks per benchmark, resulting in the best speedup of 7.23% for 177.mesa.
Ectopic expression of aquaporin-5 in noncancerous epithelial MDCK cells changes cellular morphology and actin fiber formation without inducing epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition
Authors: Jensen Helene H. , Holst Mikkel R. , Login Frédéric H. , Morgen Jeanette J. , Nejsum Lene N.
Published: January 2018

Aquaporin-5 (AQP5) is a plasma membrane water channel mainly expressed in secretory glands. Increased expression of AQP5 is observed in multiple cancers, including breast cancer, where high expression correlates with the degree of metastasis and poor prognosis. Moreover, studies in cancer cells have suggested that AQP5 activates Ras signaling, drives morphological changes, and in particular increased invasiveness. To design intervention strategies, it is of utmost importance to characterize and dissect the cell biological changes induced by altered AQP5 expression. To isolate the effect of AQP5 overexpression from the cancer background, AQP5 was overexpressed in normal epithelial MDCK cells which have no endogenous AQP5 expression. AQP5 overexpression promoted actin stress fiber formation and lamellipodia dynamics. Moreover, AQP5 decreased cell circularity. Phosphorylation of AQP5 on serine 156 in the second intracellular loop has been shown to activate the Ras pathway. When serine 156 was mutated to alanine to mimic the nonphosphorylated state, the decrease in cell circularity was reversed, indicating that the AQP5-Ras axis is involved in the effect on cell shape. Interestingly, the cellular changes mediated by AQP5 were not associated with induction of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition. Thus, AQP5 may contribute to cancer by altering cellular morphology and actin organization, which increase the metastatic potential.
Salvianolic acid A ameliorates renal ischemia/reperfusion injury by activating Akt/mTOR/4EBP1 signaling pathway
Authors: Song Ying , Liu Weihai , Ding Yi , Jia Yanyan , Zhao Jinyi , Wang Fan , Bai Juan , Cheng Lianghua , Gao Kai , Liu Meiyou , Yao Minna , Li Liang , Zhang Yanmin , Wen Aidong , He Langchong
Published: January 2018

Salvianolic acid A (Sal A) has been shown to prevent and treat ischemic cardiovascular, as well as cerebral vascular diseases. However, little is known about Sal A in renal ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. In this study, a renal I/R injury model in rats and a hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) model to damage proximal renal tubular cells (HK-2) were used to assess whether Sal A halts the development and progression of renal I/R injury. As compared with vehicle treatment, Sal A significantly attenuated kidney injury after renal I/R injury, accompanied by decreases in plasma creatinine, blood urea nitrogen levels, the number of apoptosis-positive tubular cells, and kidney oxidative stress. Sal A also activated phosphorylated protein kinase B (p-Akt) and phosphorylated-mammalian target of rapamycin (p-mTOR) compared with vehicle-treated I/R injury rats. In H/R-injured HK-2 cells, Sal A can reduce the levels of reactive oxygen species in a dose-related manner. Similar to the results from in vivo experiments, in vitro Sal A also increased the protein expression of phosphorylated-eukaryotic initiation factor 4E binding protein 1 (p-4EBP1) compared with vehicle. Furthermore, the cytoprotective activity of Sal A was inhibited by LY294002 and rapamycin. These findings indicate that Sal A can ameliorate renal I/R injury and promote tubular cell survival partly via the Akt/mTOR/4EBP1pathway. Sal A could be a candidate compound to prevent ischemic tissue damage.
Deep brain stimulation of the ventral striatal area for poststroke pain syndrome: a magnetoencephalography study
Authors: Gopalakrishnan Raghavan , Burgess Richard C. , Malone Donald A. , Lempka Scott F. , Gale John T. , Floden Darlene P. , Baker Kenneth B. , Machado Andre G.
Published: January 2018

Poststroke pain syndrome (PSPS) is an often intractable disorder characterized by hemiparesis associated with unrelenting chronic pain. Although traditional analgesics have largely failed, integrative approaches targeting affective-cognitive spheres have started to show promise. Recently, we demonstrated that deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the ventral striatal area significantly improved the affective sphere of pain in patients with PSPS. In the present study, we examined whether electrophysiological correlates of pain anticipation were modulated by DBS that could serve as signatures of treatment effects. We recorded event-related fields (ERFs) of pain anticipation using magnetoencephalography (MEG) in 10 patients with PSPS preoperatively and postoperatively in DBS OFF and ON states. Simple visual cues evoked anticipation as patients awaited a painful (PS) or nonpainful stimulus (NPS) to the nonaffected or affected extremity. Preoperatively, ERFs showed no difference between PS and NPS anticipation to the affected extremity, possibly due to loss of salience in a network saturated by pain experience. DBS significantly modulated the early N1, consistent with improvements in affective networks involving restoration of salience and discrimination capacity. Additionally, DBS suppressed the posterior P2 (aberrant anticipatory anxiety) while enhancing the anterior N1 (cognitive and emotional regulation) in responders. DBS-induced changes in ERFs could potentially serve as signatures for clinical outcomes.

NEW & NOTEWORTHY We examined the electrophysiological correlates of pain affect in poststroke pain patients who underwent deep brain stimulation (DBS) targeting the ventral striatal area under a randomized, controlled trial. DBS significantly modulated early event-related components, particularly N1 and P2, measured with magnetoencephalography during a pain anticipatory task, compared with baseline and the DBS-OFF condition, pointing to possible mechanisms of action. DBS-induced changes in event-related fields could potentially serve as biomarkers for clinical outcomes.
Three members of a peptide family are differentially distributed and elicit differential state-dependent responses in a pattern generator-effector system
Authors: Dickinson Patsy S. , Armstrong Matthew K. , Dickinson Evyn S. , Fernandez Rebecca , Miller Alexandra , Pong Sovannarath , Powers Brian W. , Pupo-Wiss Alixander , Stanhope Meredith E. , Walsh Patrick J. , Wiwatpanit Teerawat , Christie Andrew E.
Published: January 2018

C-type allatostatins (AST-Cs) are pleiotropic neuropeptides that are broadly conserved within arthropods; the presence of three AST-C isoforms, encoded by paralog genes, is common. However, these peptides are hypothesized to act through a single receptor, thereby exerting similar bioactivities within each species. We investigated this hypothesis in the American lobster, Homarus americanus, mapping the distributions of AST-C isoforms within relevant regions of the nervous system and digestive tract, and comparing their modulatory influences on the cardiac neuromuscular system. Immunohistochemistry showed that in the pericardial organ, a neuroendocrine release site, AST-C I and/or III and AST-C II are contained within distinct populations of release terminals. Moreover, AST-C I/III-like immunoreactivity was seen in midgut epithelial endocrine cells and the cardiac ganglion (CG), whereas AST-C II-like immunoreactivity was not seen in these tissues. These data suggest that AST-C I and/or III can modulate the CG both locally and hormonally; AST-C II likely acts on the CG solely as a hormonal modulator. Physiological studies demonstrated that all three AST-C isoforms can exert differential effects, including both increases and decreases, on contraction amplitude and frequency when perfused through the heart. However, in contrast to many state-dependent modulatory changes, the changes in contraction amplitude and frequency elicited by the AST-Cs were not functions of the baseline parameters. The responses to AST-C I and III, neither of which is COOH-terminally amidated, are more similar to one another than they are to the responses elicited by AST-C II, which is COOH-terminally amidated. These results suggest that the three AST-C isoforms are differentially distributed in the lobster nervous system/midgut and can elicit distinct behaviors from the cardiac neuromuscular system, with particular structural features, e.g., COOH-terminal amidation, likely important in determining the effects of the peptides.

NEW & NOTEWORTHY Multiple isoforms of many peptides exert similar effects on neural circuits. In this study we show that each of the three isoforms of C-type allatostatin (AST-C) can exert differential effects, including both increases and decreases in contraction amplitude and frequency, on the lobster cardiac neuromuscular system. The distribution of effects elicited by the nonamidated isoforms AST-C I and III are more similar to one another than to the effects of the amidated AST-C II.
Modeling of Throughput in Production Lines Using Response Surface Methodology and Artificial Neural Networks
Authors: Nuñez-Piña Federico , Medina-Marin Joselito , Seck-Tuoh-Mora Juan Carlos , Hernandez-Romero Norberto , Hernandez-Gress Eva Selene
Published: January 2018

The problem of assigning buffers in a production line to obtain an optimum production rate is a combinatorial problem of type NP‐Hard and it is known as Buffer Allocation Problem. It is of great importance for designers of production systems due to the costs involved in terms of space requirements. In this work, the relationship among the number of buffer slots, the number of work stations, and the production rate is studied. Response surface methodology and artificial neural network were used to develop predictive models to find optimal throughput values. 360 production rate values for different number of buffer slots and workstations were used to obtain a fourth‐order mathematical model and four hidden layers’ artificial neural network. Both models have a good performance in predicting the throughput, although the artificial neural network model shows a better fit (R = 1.0000) against the response surface methodology (R = 0.9996). Moreover, the artificial neural network produces better predictions for data not utilized in the models construction. Finally, this study can be used as a guide to forecast the maximum or near maximum throughput of production lines taking into account the buffer size and the number of machines in the line.
The Effects of Storage Conditions on Lycopene Content and Color of Tomato Hot Pot Sauce
Authors: Li He , Zhang Jian , Wang Yong , Li Jian , Yang Yihe , Liu Xinqi
Published: January 2018

Tomato hot pot sauce (THPS) at different storage temperatures (0, 25, and 37°C) and with two kinds of packaging for 120 days was investigated in this study. High performance liquid chromatography was employed for detecting lycopene and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF). The changes of lycopene and HMF during storage were regressed with kinetic equation of both zero-order and first-order models, and the latter fitted better. The kinetic equation constant (k value) of lycopene or HMF at 37°C was higher than that at 25°C. The k value of lycopene of PET/PE (P1) packaged THPS was 1.60 times of that of PET/Al/EAA/PE (P2) packaged at 37°C, while it was 2.12 times at 25°C. The k value of HMF of P1 packaged THPS was 1.69 times of that of P2 packaged at 37°C, while it was 1.01 times at 25°C. Significant correlations between color index of L⁎, a⁎, and a⁎/b⁎ and lycopene or HMF were found at storage temperature. Browning color was attributed to both Maillard reaction and degradation of lycopene. In conclusion, lower storage temperature and stronger oxygen barrier property of package could maintain color stability and extend shelf life.
Acute Progressive Visual Loss in a Case of Acute Myeloid Leukemia: Challenges in the Utility of Molecular Tests in Early Diagnose of Cytomegalovirus Retinitis
Authors: Amanati Ali , Shakibazad Nader , Pourabbas Bahman , Nowroozzadeh Mohammad Hossein , Zareifar Soheila , Zekavat Omid Reza
Published: January 2018

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis is one of the rare but debilitating presentations of the CMV infection in children with leukemia. Herein, we report a 12-year-old boy with acute myeloid leukemia complicated by rapid progressive visual loss during relapse of leukemia. The definite diagnosis of CMV retinitis was made after vitreous aspiration. Despite prompt treatment and ophthalmologic intervention, he died because of AML relapse. Viral infections, especially cytomegalovirus infection, may present with vague clinical pictures during any time of chemotherapy, which may not be easily distinguishable from bacterial or fungal retinitis and also chemotherapy-induced retinopathies. Clinician should consider CMV retinitis in seropositive patients especially those without detectable viremia.
Properties of Avermectin Delivery System Using Surfactant-Modified Mesoporous Activated Carbon as a Carrier
Authors: Sun Changjiao , Wang Yan , Zhao Xiang , Zeng Zhanghua , Cui Bo , Shen Yue , Gao Fei , Cui Haixin
Published: January 2018

The sensitivity of avermectin to several environmental factors, especially light, causes low pesticidal activity and environmental pollution. In this study, surfactant-modified mesoporous activated carbon (MAC) was employed to absorb avermectin (Av) in order to improve its photostability and allow for sustained release of avermectin. The results suggest that sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) modified MAC has excellent absorption of avermectin, and the absorption can be represented by the Langmuir isotherm model. The Av-MAC-SDS delivery system significantly improves sustained release of avermectin and also effectively inhibits the photodegradation of avermectin. These results indicate that SDS-modified MAC can be used as a carrier for avermectin to improve its pesticidal activity and reduce pesticide residues.
Determinants of Chronic Respiratory Symptoms among Pharmaceutical Factory Workers
Authors: Asfaw Sahle , Enquselassie Fikre , Tefera Yifokire , Gizaw Muluken , Wakuma Samson , Woldemariam Messay
Published: January 2018

Background. Chronic respiratory symptoms including chronic cough, chronic phlegm, wheezing, shortness of breath, and chest pain are manifestations of respiratory problems which are mainly evolved as a result of occupational exposures. This study aims to assess determinants of chronic respiratory symptoms among pharmaceutical factory workers. Methods. A case control study was carried out among 453 pharmaceutical factory workers with 151 cases and 302 controls. Data was collected using pretested and structured questionnaire. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and bivariate and multivariate analysis. Result. Previous history of chronic respiratory diseases (AOR = 3.36, 95% CI = 1.85–6.12), family history of chronic respiratory diseases (AOR = 2.55, 95% CI = 1.51–4.32), previous dusty working environment (AOR = 2.26, 95% CI = 1.07–4.78), ever smoking (AOR = 3.66, 95% CI = 1.05–12.72), and service years (AOR = 1.86, 95% CI = 1.16–2.99) showed statistically significant association with chronic respiratory symptoms. Conclusion. Previous history of respiratory diseases, family history of chronic respiratory diseases, previous dusty working environment, smoking, and service years were determinants of chronic respiratory symptoms. Public health endeavors to prevent the burden of chronic respiratory symptoms among pharmaceutical factory workers should target the reduction of adverse workplace exposures and discouragement of smoking.
Antimalarial Activity of Stem Bark of Periploca linearifolia during Early and Established Plasmodium Infection in Mice
Authors: Belay Wubetu Yihunie , Endale Gurmu Abyot , Wubneh Zewdu Birhanu
Published: January 2018

Background. In Ethiopia, stem bark of Periploca linearifolia is used for the treatment of malaria by the local community and demonstrated antimalarial activity in vitro. Despite its in vitro antimalarial activity, no scientific study has been carried out to verify its activity in vivo. Therefore, the aim of the study was to evaluate the antimalarial activity of Periploca linearifolia stem bark extract in mice. Methods. The dried stem bark of Periploca linearifolia was extracted with 80% methanol and evaluated for its antimalarial activity on both early and established Plasmodium berghei infected mice. The extract was prepared at graded doses of 200, 400, and 600 mg/kg. Chloroquine and distilled water were administered to the positive and negative control groups, respectively. Results. The crude extract, at all tested doses, suppressed parasitemia significantly (p < 0.05) for 200 and 400 mg/kg and (p < 0.001) for 600 mg/kg. The suppression values at these doses were 56.98, 43.33, and 38.17 percent, respectively. Periploca linearifolia extract also demonstrated schizonticidal activity in the established malaria infection. Conclusion. The plant Periploca linearifolia has a promising antimalarial activity in mice, supporting its in vitro finding. Thus, it could be considered as a potential source to develop new antimalarial agent.
STAT1, IGF1, RAC1, and MDM2 Are Associated with Recurrence of Giant Cell Tumor of Bone
Authors: Chen Shuxin , Du Zepeng , Wu Bingli , Shen Huiyang , Liu Chunpeng , Qiu Xueli , Zhang Yufeng , Xu Liyan , Li Enmin , Zhong Zhigang
Published: January 2018

Background. In our previous study, mouse double minute 2 homolog (MDM2), insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1), signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1), and Rac family small GTPase 1 (RAC1) were correlated with the recurrence of giant cell tumor of bone (GCT). The aim of this study is to use a large cohort study to confirm the involvement of these four genes in GCT recurrence. Methods. The expression of these four genes was detected and compared between GCT patients with or without recurrence. The correlation between the expression of these four genes and clinical characteristics was evaluated. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed for functional enrichment analysis. Results. It showed that the expression levels of MDM2, IGF1, STAT1, and RAC1 in GCT patients with recurrence were significantly higher than those in GCT patients without recurrence (P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis suggested that several clinical characteristics may influence prognosis. A PPI network was constructed using the four genes as hub genes. Functional enrichment analysis showed that this network involves many important biological progress mediated by these four genes, including immune response. Conclusion. MDM2, IGF1, STAT1, and RAC1 are associated with GCT recurrence, which might serve as biomarkers for GCT recurrence.
The Asymptotic Behavior of Solutions for a Class of Nonlinear Fractional Difference Equations with Damping Term
Authors: Bai Zhihong , Xu Run
Published: January 2018

Based on generalized Riccati transformation and some inequalities, some oscillation results are established for a class of nonlinear fractional difference equations with damping term. An example is given to illustrate the validity of the established results.
Indoor Propagation of Electromagnetic Waves with Orbital Angular Momentum at 5.8 GHz
Authors: Jeong Boseok , Kim Hayeon , Lee Haengseon
Published: January 2018

Propagation of electromagnetic waves with orbital angular momentum (OAM) is investigated in indoor environments. The OAM modes generated by circular patch array antennas are used. With proper alignment and suppressed multipath, the OAM modes can transport multiple wireless data stream at the same time. Through measurements and ray-tracing simulations, it is found that the advantages of OAM modes are limited if those two conditions are not satisfied. It is also found that multipath effect can be enervated by using narrow beam antennas.
Etiologic Causes and Epidemiological Characteristics of Patients with Intraocular Foreign Bodies: Retrospective Analysis of 1340 Cases over Ten Years
Authors: Li Lin , Lu Hai , Ma Kai , Li Yun-Yun , Wang Hai-Yan , Liu Ning-Pu
Published: January 2018

Objective. Patients with intraocular foreign bodies were retrospectively analyzed. Population characteristics, pathogenic factors, and the outcomes during the past ten years were discussed. Design. Retrospective case series study. Method. Medical records of 1340 patients hospitalized in Beijing Tongren Hospital from January 1, 2004, to December 31, 2013, were collected. Results. Average age was 33.0 ± 13.8 (1–76) years old in 1340 patients. There were more males (1270, 94.8%) than females (70, 5.2%). Patients from outside of Beijing (82.1%, n=1100) prevailed. Farmers (32.1%, n=430) and workers (22.3%, n=299) were the top two affected professions. Leading two causes were splashing of foreign bodies (SFB) (58.6%, n=785) and explosives (31.8%, n=426). More males than females were injured by SFB (59.4% versus 44.3%, P=0.009). Firework injury was the commonest (41.6% versus 3.1%–15.3%, P<0.05) in patients under nine. The annual percentages in patients over 50 increased (P<0.001) and in patients by explosives decreased (P=0.027). Conclusion. Most patients in this study were young males from outside of Beijing and farmers. SFB accounted most for patients over 10 years old and fireworks for those under ten. Patients over 50 increased while those by explosives decreased annually over the period.
Factors Influencing Contraceptives Use among Women in the Juba City of South Sudan
Authors: Obwoya Justin Geno , Wulifan Joseph K. , Kalolo Albino
Published: January 2018

Understanding birth control and child spacing methods used by inhabitants of conflict afflicted settings is important in designing interventions to improve uptake of family planning services. In addressing the dearth of knowledge on family planning use in these settings, this study aimed at identifying the influencing factors of contraceptives use among women in the Juba city of South Sudan. Using a population based cross-sectional study, 380 women aged 15–49 years filled a guided questionnaire between April and May in 2015. We collected contraceptive use data and factors influencing family planning uptake. Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression. Lifetime reported contraceptive use stood at 42% whereas contraceptive use in the last three months was 36%. Logistic regression revealed attitudes (AOR = 1.375, 95 CI 1.246–1.518) and parity (AOR = 1.242, 95% CI 1.000–1.544) as significant determinants of lifetime contraceptive use whereas only attitude (AOR = 1.348, p<0.001) determined contraceptive use in last three months. The findings indicate optimal uptake of family planning and point to the influence of attitudes and parity on contraceptive use. Changing attitudes and embedded sociocultural and political structures influencing attitudes is important to promote contraceptive uptake in these settings.
Oxidant/Antioxidant Imbalance in Alzheimer’s Disease: Therapeutic and Diagnostic Prospects
Authors: Wojsiat Joanna , Zoltowska Katarzyna Marta , Laskowska-Kaszub Katarzyna , Wojda Urszula
Published: January 2018

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia and a great socioeconomic burden in the aging society. Compelling evidence demonstrates that molecular change characteristics for AD, such as oxidative stress and amyloid β (Aβ) oligomerization, precede by decades the onset of clinical dementia and that the disease represents a biological and clinical continuum of stages, from asymptomatic to severely impaired. Nevertheless, the sequence of the early molecular alterations and the interplay between them are incompletely understood. This review presents current knowledge about the oxidative stress‐induced impairments and compromised oxidative stress defense mechanisms in AD brain and the cross‐talk between various pathophysiological insults, with the focus on excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and Aβ overproduction at the early stages of the disease. Prospects for AD therapies targeting oxidant/antioxidant imbalance are being discussed, as well as for the development of novel oxidative stress‐related, blood‐based biomarkers for early, noninvasive AD diagnostics.
Two Types of Solutions to a Class of (p,q)-Laplacian Systems with Critical Sobolev Exponents in RN
Authors: Li Jing , Chen Caisheng
Published: January 2018

We focus on the following elliptic system with critical Sobolev exponents:  -div⁡∇up-2∇u+m(x)up-2u=λup⁎-2u+(1/η)Gu(u,v),  x∈RN; -div⁡∇vq-2∇v+n(x)vq-2v=μvq⁎-2v+(1/η)Gv(u,v),  x∈RN; u(x)>0,v(x)>0,  x∈RN, where μ,λ>0,1<p≤q<N, either η∈(1,p) or η∈(q,p⁎), and critical Sobolev exponents p⁎=pN/(N-p) and q⁎=qN/(N-q). Conditions on potential functions m(x),n(x) lead to no compact embedding. Relying on concentration-compactness principle, mountain pass lemma, and genus theory, the existence of solutions to the elliptic system with η∈(q,p⁎) or η∈(1,p) will be established.