bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Modeling moisture ingress through polyisobutylene‐based edge‐seals
Authors: Kempe Michael D. , Panchagade Dhananjay , Reese Matthew O. , Dameron Arrelaine A.
Published: January 2014

Photovoltaic devices are often sensitive to moisture and must be packaged in such a way as to limit moisture ingress for 25 years or more. Typically, this is accomplished through the use of impermeable front and backsheets (e.g., glass sheets or metal foils). However, this will still allow moisture ingress between the sheets from the edges. Attempts to hermetically seal with a glass frit or similarly welded bonds at the edge have had problems with costs and mechanical strength. Because of this, low diffusivity polyisobutylene materials filled with desiccant are typically used. Although it is well known that these materials will substantially delay moisture ingress, correlating that to outdoor exposure has been difficult. Here, we use moisture ingress measurements at different temperatures and relative humidities to find fit parameters for a moisture ingress model for an edge‐seal material. Then, using meteorological data, a finite element model is used to predict the moisture ingress profiles for hypothetical modules deployed in different climates and mounting conditions, assuming no change in properties of the edge‐seal as a function of aging. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Bladder and bowel symptoms in cervical and endometrial cancer survivors
Authors: Donovan Kristine A. , Boyington Alice R. , Judson Patricia L. , Wyman Jean F.
Published: January 2014

Background

Previous studies likely underestimate the prevalence of bowel and bladder symptoms in gynecologic cancer survivors. We sought to estimate the prevalence of these symptoms in cervical and endometrial cancer survivors who had completed treatment 1 year previously compared with non‐cancer controls, and to examine factors associated with more severe symptoms in survivors.

Methods

As part of a larger quality of life study, survivors who were 1‐year posttreatment for cervical or endometrial cancer (n = 104) completed measures of bladder and bowel symptoms. An age‐matched and race/ethnicity‐matched sample of women with no history of cancer was recruited for comparison purposes.

Results

Survivors reported a higher prevalence of bladder symptoms, specifically storage and incontinence symptoms, than non‐cancer controls. Prevalence rates for bowel symptoms in survivors were higher than those reported in previous studies. Greater symptom severity was associated with younger age, lower annual incomes, and less education. Other correlates included higher body mass index and history of smoking. As hypothesized, more severe symptoms were associated with radical hysterectomy and pelvic radiation.

Conclusions

Bladder and bowel symptoms are more prevalent in cervical and endometrial cancer survivors than non‐cancer controls. Future research should replicate these findings in a larger, prospective study. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Molecular characterisation and detection of resistance to succinate dehydrogenase inhibitor fungicides in Botryotinia fuckeliana (Botrytis cinerea)
Authors: De Miccolis Angelini Rita M , Masiello Mario , Rotolo Caterina , Pollastro Stefania , Faretra Francesco
Published: January 2014

BACKGROUND

Succinate dehydrogenase inhibitors (SDHIs), interfering with fungal respiration, are considered to be fungicides at medium to high risk of resistance. Boscalid was the first molecule belonging to the SDHIs that was introduced for the control of Botryotinia fuckeliana. A range of different target‐site mutations leading to boscalid resistance have been found in field populations of the fungus. The different types of mutation confer different cross‐resistance profiles towards novel SDHIs, such as the recently introduced fungicide fluopyram. This study combines the determination of cross‐resistance profiles and the setting‐up of methods for fast molecular detection of the mutations.

RESULTS

By means of in vitro tests, a range of SdhB mutations were characterised for resistance levels towards boscalid and fluopyram. SdhB mutations conferring P225L and P225F substitutions conferred high resistance to boscalid and high or moderate resistance to fluopyram respectively. Mutants carrying the N230I replacement were moderately resistant to both SDHIs. Substitutions at position H272 responsible for a high level of resistance to boscalid conferred sensitivity (H272R), hypersensitivity (H272Y) or moderate resistance (H272V) to fluopyram. Allele‐specific (AS) PCR was developed and used for genotyping 135 B. fuckeliana isolates. The assay confirmed the strict association between resistance profiles and allelic variants of the SdhB gene. Real‐time AS‐PCR proved to be sensitive and specific for quantitative detection of different SDHI‐resistant genotypes.

CONCLUSION

Fluopyram‐resistant mutants are currently rarely detected in the field sprayed with boscalid, but this may change with intensive exposure of the fungal population to fluopyram. PCR assays/methods developed in the study provide tools for fast monitoring of field populations and observing possible changes in population composition following fluopyram introduction, useful for the setting‐up of appropriate preventive measures. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry
Fault tolerant distributed portfolio optimization in smart grids
Authors: Juelsgaard M. , Wisniewski R. , Bendtsen J.
Published: January 2014

This work considers a portfolio of units for electrical power production and the problem of utilizing it to maintain power balance in the electrical grid. We treat the portfolio as a graph in which the nodes are distributed generators and the links are communication paths. We present a distributed optimization scheme for power balancing, where communication is allowed only between units that are linked in the graph. We include consumers with controllable consumption as an active part of the portfolio. We show that a suboptimal, but arbitrarily good power balancing, can be obtained in an uncoordinated, distributed optimization framework, and we argue that the scheme will work even if the computation time is limited. We further show that our approach can tolerate changes in the portfolio, in the sense that increasing or reducing the number of units in the portfolio requires only local updates. This ensures that units experiencing faults or need for maintenance can be removed from the graph without affecting the overall performance or convergence of the optimization. The results are illustrated by numerical case studies. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Adaptive fault‐tolerant control for feedback linearizable systems with an aircraft application
Authors: Gao Gang , Wang Jinzhi , Wang Xianghua
Published: January 2014

This paper investigates fault‐tolerant control (FTC) for feedback linearizable systems (FLSs) and its applications. The dynamic effects caused by the actuator faults on the feedback linearized model are firstly analyzed, which reveals that under actuator faults, the control input in the linearized model is affected by uncertain terms. In the framework of model reference control, the first FTC strategy is proposed as a robust controller, which achieves asymptotic tracking control of the FLS under actuator faults. A disadvantage of this strategy is that it relies on explicit information about several parameters in the actuator faults. This requirement is later relaxed by combining the robust FTC strategy with an adaptive technique to generate the adaptive FTC law, which is then improved to alleviate possible chattering of the actuator and estimation drifting of the adaptive parameter. Finally, the proposed FTC strategies are evaluated by reference command tracking control of a pendulum and an air‐breathing hypersonic vehicle under actuator faults. Simulation results demonstrate good tracking performance, which confirms effectiveness of the proposed strategies. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Evaluation of hydroxyapatite nanoparticles synthesized with phosphate surfactant by means of G‐SIMS and g‐ogram
Authors: Kajiwara Yasuko , Iwai Hideo , Nakagawa Keizo , Kodani Noriko , Aoyagi Satoka
Published: January 2014

Inorganic and organic composite materials have been utilized as high‐functional materials over a wide variety of industrial fields. Understanding interactions between inorganic and organic components is important for their further improvements. In this study, hydroxyapatite (HAp) nanoparticles synthesized with sodium dodecylphosphate (SDP) were evaluated using gentle‐SIMS (G‐SIMS) and g‐ogram, which are spectrum analysis methods for time‐of‐flight SIMS. As a result, G‐SIMS and g‐ogram indicates that SDP molecules are adsorbed onto the surface of HAp nanoparticles and partly used to form HAp nanostructures. The more intact fragment ions indicated by G‐SIMS and g‐ogram imply that lamellar structures are formed in HAp sample synthesized with the high SDP concentration. Therefore, it is suggested that G‐SIMS and g‐ogram provide useful information for understanding chemistry of fine structures within inorganic and organic composite materials. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Fluorescence‐Encoded Gold Nanoparticles: Library Design and Modulation of Cellular Uptake into Dendritic Cells
Authors: Rodriguez‐Lorenzo Laura , Fytianos Kleanthis , Blank Fabian , von Garnier Christophe , Rothen‐Rutishauser Barbara , Petri‐Fink Alke
Published: January 2014

In order to harness the unique properties of nanoparticles for novel clinical applications and to modulate their uptake into specific immune cells we designed a new library of homo‐ and hetero‐functional fluorescence‐encoded gold nanoparticles (Au‐NPs) using different poly(vinyl alcohol) and poly(ethylene glycol)‐based polymers for particle coating and stabilization. The encoded particles were fully characterized by UV‐Vis and fluorescence spectroscopy, zeta potential and dynamic light scattering. The uptake by human monocyte derived dendritic cells in vitro was studied by confocal laser scanning microscopy and quantified by fluorescence‐activated cell sorting and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy. We show how the chemical modification of particle surfaces, for instance by attaching fluorescent dyes, can conceal fundamental particle properties and modulate cellular uptake. In order to mask the influence of fluorescent dyes on cellular uptake while still exploiting its fluorescence for detection, we have created hetero‐functionalized Au‐NPs, which again show typical particle dependent cellular interactions. Our study clearly prove that the thorough characterization of nanoparticles at each modification step in the engineering process is absolutely essential and that it can be necessary to make substantial adjustments of the particles in order to obtain reliable cellular uptake data, which truly reflects particle properties.
Micromodeling of the Diffusion‐Controlled Equiaxed Peritectic Solidification
Authors: Burbelko Andriy , Początek Jacek , Gurgul Daniel , Wróbel Marek
Published: January 2014

Principles of the statistical solidification theory are used for the mathematical formulation of the micro‐diffusion field modeling during the equiaxed grain growth controlled by diffusion. It is proposed to use the Averaged Voronoi Polyhedron concept for the representation of the domain of elementary diffusion field. This approach is applied for the peritectic transformation modeling with the assumption of a partial mixing of the intercrystalline liquid phase. The results of the evolution of the volume fractions of the liquid, austenite, and ferrite phases during primary solidification and the peritectic transformation simulation are presented as well as carbon concentration distribution along the grain radius in the ferrite and liquid phase at the instant of initiation of the peritectic solidification and in the austenite at the moment of peritectic solidification termination.
Castrate‐resistant prostate cancer: the future of antiandrogens
Authors: Pchejetski Dmitri , Alshaker Heba , Stebbing Justin
Published: January 2014

Several promising new treatment options for men with castrate‐resistant prostate cancer have become available recently. The authors look at developments in this rapidly progressing area. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons
Advanced prostate cancer: advancing patient care
Authors: Payne Heather A. , Parker Chris , Clarke Noel , Farnham Chris , Shah Nimish , Mazhar Danish , Huddart Robert , Green James , Elliott Tony
Published: January 2014

This report is based on a series of regional meetings and a seminar held during the 9th Annual Meeting of the British Uro‐oncology Group. The meetings reviewed optimal management of patients with advanced prostate cancer in the context of full multidisciplinary team involvement. Developments in drugs for advanced disease were covered, following which presentations and case discussions were used to look at the future of surgery and palliative care options for this patient population. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons
Evaluation of established and new reference lines for the standardization of transperineal ultrasound
Authors: Hennemann J. , Kennes L. N. , Maass N. , Najjari L.
Published: January 2014

Objectives

To examine the performance of a new reference line for the assessment of pelvic organ descent by transperineal ultrasound.

Methods

We compared our newly proposed reference line, between two hyperechoic contours of the symphysis pubis (Line 3), with the horizontal reference line proposed by Dietz and Wilson (Line 1) and the central pubic line proposed by Schaer et al. (Line 2). Ultrasound volumes of 94 women obtained in routine clinical practice were analyzed. The perpendicular distance from the reference lines to the internal sphincter and the most dependent part of the bladder base was measured for volumes obtained at rest, on pelvic floor muscle contraction, on Valsalva maneuver and during coughing. Measurements were repeated 4 months later by the same examiner. Rates of assessment were calculated, and intrarater reliability was evaluated using Bland–Altman plots and intraclass correlation coefficients.

Results

Line 2 had to be excluded from reliability analysis because of an assessment rate of only 12%, whereas Lines 1 and 3 could be assessed in 100% of volumes. The intrarater repeatability of Lines 1 and 3 was shown to be very similar.

Conclusion

In this comparison of three potential reference lines for the assessment of pelvic organ descent by transperineal ultrasound, the central pubic line was shown to be inferior owing to poor visibility in our volumes. Inter‐rater reliability analysis and validation studies are required to confirm our results. Copyright © 2014 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
A cross‐layer information centric‐relay transmission strategy for MIMO–OFDMA multicellular networks
Authors: Anadiotis Angelos‐Christos G. , Gkonis Panagiotis K. , Kaklamani Dimitra I. , Venieris Iakovos S.
Published: January 2014

Power control has been a standard issue in modern wireless communications. As a result, several cooperative schemes have been developed towards reducing the downlink transmission power. One possible approach is the use of relays that forward information from the base station (BS) to the mobile stations (MSs). However, up to now, the proposed relaying schemes are focusing solely on channel characteristics. In this work, a novel, content‐aware relaying scheme is introduced, where the MSs can act as active relays based on their requested content and channel quality. Content awareness is achieved with a cross‐layer algorithm, which considers an information‐centric networking layer. The performance of the proposed approach has been evaluated considering a multiple input multiple output (MIMO) cellular configuration with one tier of cells around the central cell, where the downlink transmission power (in terms of mean values) has been compared to the typical non‐content‐aware case. For this reason, a hybrid system—link level simulator has been developed that executes independent Monte Carlo (MC) simulations in parallel. Moreover, the orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) physical layer protocol has been employed as well, in order to comply with fourth generation standards. The derived results indicate that, compared to the non‐content‐aware case, the proposed relay transmission algorithm can provide up to 7/17% transmission power gain in medium or highly loaded networks (i.e., 10% and 40% blocking probabilities, respectively) in a symmetric 2 × 2 MIMO configuration (i.e., equal number of transmit and receive antennas). Moreover, compared to the case where no relay transmission is supported, then the aforementioned gain can reach up to 20%. Finally, the proposed algorithm can provide up to 25% reduction on the overall transmission delay from the relay node to the destination compared to the non‐content‐aware case. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The human nature of culture and education
Authors: Trevarthen Colwyn , Gratier Maya , Osborne Nigel
Published: January 2014

Human cultures educate children with different strategies. Ancient hunter‐gatherers 200,000 years ago, with bodies and brains like our own, in bands of a hundred well‐known individuals or less, depended on spontaneous cooperative practice of knowledge and skills in a natural world. Before creating language, they appreciated beautiful objects and music. Anthropologists observe that similar living cultures accept that children learn in playful ‘intent participation’. Large modern industrial states with millions of citizens competing in a global economy aim to instruct young people in scientific concepts and the rules of literacy and numeracy deemed important for employment with elaborate machines. Our psychobiological theories commonly assume that an infant starts with a body needing care and emotional regulation and a mind that assimilates concepts of objects by sensorimotor action and requires school instruction in rational principles after several years of cognitive development. Evidence from archeology and evolutionary anthropology indicates thatHomo sapiensare born with an imaginative and convivial brain ready for the pleasure of shared invention and with a natural sense of beauty in handmade objects and music. In short, there areinnate predispositions for culturefor practicing meaningful habits and artful performances that are playfully inventive and seductive for companionship in traditions, and soon capable of grasping the clever purpose of shared tasks and tools. This knowledge of inventive human nature with esthetic and moral sensibilities has important implications for educational policy in our schools.WIREs Cogn Sci2014, 5:173–192. doi: 10.1002/wcs.1276

This article is categorized under:

Cognitive Biology > Evolutionary Roots of Cognition

Psychology > Emotion and Motivation

Philosophy > Knowledge and Belief
Wind turbine blade vibration at standstill conditions—the effect of imposing lag on the aerodynamic response of an elastically mounted airfoil
Authors: Skrzypiński Witold , Gaunaa Mac
Published: January 2014

The present study investigated physical phenomena related to stall‐induced vibrations potentially existing on wind turbine blades at standstill conditions. The study considered two‐dimensional airfoil sections while it omitted three‐dimensional effects. In the study, a new engineering‐type computational model for the aeroelastic response of an elastically mounted airfoil was used to investigate the influence of temporal lag in the aerodynamic response on the aeroelastic stability in deep stall. The study indicated that even a relatively low lag significantly increases the damping of the model. A comparison between the results from a model with lag imposed on all force components with the results from a model with lag imposed exclusively on the lift showed only marginal difference between the damping in the two cases. A parameter study involving positions of the elastic hinge point and the center of gravity indicated that the stability is relatively independent of these parameters. Another parameter study involving spring constants showed that the stability of each mode is dependent only on the spring constant acting in the direction of the leading motion of the mode. An investigation of the influence of the added mass terms showed that only the pitch‐rate and flapwise‐acceleration terms have any influence on the stability. An investigation of three different profiles showed that the stability is heavily dependent on the aerodynamic characteristics of the profiles—mainly on the lift. It was also shown that only the edgewise mode is unstable in deep stall. Moreover, independent of the amount of temporal lag in the aerodynamic response of the model, the inflow‐angle region in the vicinity of 180° remains unstable in the edgewise mode. Therefore, this inflow‐angle region may create stability problems in real life. The other type of vibrations potentially present at standstill conditions is vortex‐induced, being outside the scope of the present study. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Plantar Pressures and Ground Reaction Forces During Walking of Individuals With Unilateral Transfemoral Amputation
Authors: de Castro Marcelo Peduzzi , Soares Denise , Mendes Emília , Machado Leandro
Published: January 2014

Objective

To describe and compare the plantar pressures, temporal foot roll‐over, and ground reaction forces (GRFs) between both limbs of subjects with unilateral transfemoral amputation and with those of able‐bodied participants during walking. We also verify the relevance of a force plate and a pressure plate to discriminate changes in gait parameters of subjects with limb loss.

Design

Cross‐sectional study.

Setting

Biomechanics laboratory.

Subjects

A total of 14 subjects with unilateral transfemoral amputation and 21 able‐bodied participants.

Methods

We used a force plate and a pressure plate to assess biomechanical gait parameters while the participants were walking at their self‐selected gait speed.

Main Outcome Measurements

We measured plantar pressure peaks in 6 foot regions and the instant of their occurrence (temporal foot roll‐over); and GRF peaks and impulses of anterior‐posterior (braking and propulsive phases), medial‐lateral, and vertical (load acceptance and thrust phases) components.

Results

The thrust, braking, and propulsive peaks, and the braking and propulsive impulses, were statistically significantly lower in the amputated limb than in the sound limb (P < .05) and in able‐bodied participants (P < .05). In the amputated limb, we observed higher pressure peaks in the lateral rearfoot and medial and lateral midfoot, and lower values in the forefoot regions compared to those in the other groups (P < .05). The temporal foot roll‐over showed statistically significant differences among the groups (P < .05).

Conclusions

The plantar pressures, temporal foot roll‐over, and GRFs in subjects with unilateral transfemoral amputation showed an asymmetric gait pattern, and different values were observed in both of their lower limbs as compared with those of able‐bodied subjects during walking. The force plate and pressure plate were able to determine differences between participants in gait pattern, suggesting that both plantar pressure and GRF analyses are useful tools for gait assessment in individuals with unilateral transfemoral amputation. Because of the convenience of pressure plates, their use in the clinical context for prosthetic management appears relevant to guide the rehabilitation of subjects with lower limb amputation.
Lactobacillus rhamnosusand its cell-free culture supernatant differentially modulate inflammatory biomarkers inEscherichia coli-challenged human dendritic cells
Authors: Bermudez-Brito Miriam , Muñoz-Quezada Sergio , Gomez-Llorente Carolina , Romero Fernando , Gil Angel
Published: January 2014

The intestinal immune system maintains a delicate balance between immunogenicity against invading pathogens and tolerance to the commensal microbiota and food antigens. Different strains of probiotics possess the ability to finely regulate the activation of dendritic cells (DC), polarising the subsequent activity of T-cells. Nevertheless, information about their underlying mechanisms of action is scarce. In the present study, we investigated the immunomodulatory effects of a potentially probiotic strain,Lactobacillus rhamnosusCNCM I-4036, and its cell-free culture supernatant (CFS) on human DC challenged withEscherichia coli. The results showed that the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8 and IL-12p70 were higher in the cells treated with liveL. rhamnosusthan in the cells treated with the CFS. In the presence ofE. coli, the supernatant was more effective than the probiotic bacteria in reducing the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines. In addition, liveL. rhamnosuspotently induced the production of transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 and TGF-β2, whereas the CFS increased the secretion of TGF-β1. However, in the presence ofE. coli, both treatments restored the levels of TGF-β. The probiotic strainL. rhamnosusCNCM I-4036 and its CFS were able to activate the Toll-like receptor signalling pathway, enhancing innate immunity. The two treatments induced gene transcription ofTLR-9. LiveL. rhamnosusactivated the expression ofTLR-2andTLR-4genes, whereas the CFS increased the expression ofTLR-1andTLR-5genes. In response to the stimulation with probiotic/CFS andE. coli, the expression of each gene tested was notably increased, with the exception ofTNF-αandNFKBIA. In conclusion, the CFS exhibited an extraordinary ability to suppress the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines by DC, and may be used as an effective and safer alternative to live bacteria.
Mediterranean alcohol-drinking pattern and mortality in the SUN (Seguimiento Universidad de Navarra) Project: a prospective cohort study
Authors: Gea Alfredo , Bes-Rastrollo Maira , Toledo Estefania , Garcia-Lopez Martin , Beunza Juan J. , Estruch Ramon , Martinez-Gonzalez Miguel A.
Published: January 2014

Moderate alcohol intake has been related to lower mortality. However, alcohol use includes other dimensions beyond the amount of alcohol consumed. These aspects have not been sufficiently studied as a comprehensive entity. We aimed to test the relationship between an overall alcohol-drinking pattern and all-cause mortality. In a Mediterranean cohort study, we followed 18 394 Spanish participants up to 12 years. A validated 136-item FFQ was used to assess baseline alcohol intake. We developed a score assessing simultaneously seven aspects of alcohol consumption to capture the conformity to a traditional Mediterranean alcohol-drinking pattern (MADP). It positively scored moderate alcohol intake, alcohol intake spread out over the week, low spirit consumption, wine preference, red wine consumption, wine consumed during meals and avoidance of binge drinking. During the follow-up, 206 deaths were identified. For each 2-point increment in a 0–9 score of adherence to the MADP, we observed a 25 % relative risk reduction in mortality (95 % CI 11, 38 %). Within each category of alcohol intake, a higher adherence to the MADP was associated with lower mortality. Abstainers (excluded from the calculations of the MADP) exhibited higher mortality (hazard ratio 1·82, 95 % CI 1·14, 2·90) than participants highly adherent to the MADP. In conclusion, better adherence to an overall healthy alcohol-drinking pattern was associated with reduced mortality when compared with abstention or departure from this pattern. This reduction goes beyond the inverse association usually observed for moderate alcohol drinking. Even moderate drinkers can benefit from the advice to follow a traditional MADP.
CHILD MARRIAGE IN BANGLADESH: TRENDS AND DETERMINANTS
Authors: KAMAL S. M. MOSTAFA , HASSAN CHE HASHIM , ALAM GAZI MAHABUBUL , YING YANG
Published: January 2014

This study examines the trends and determinants of child marriage among women aged 20–49 in Bangladesh. Data were extracted from the last six nationally representative Demographic and Health Surveys conducted during 1993–2011. Simple cross-tabulation and multivariate binary logistic regression analyses were adopted. According to the survey conducted in 2011, more than 75% of marriages can be categorized as child marriages. This is a decline of 10 percentage points in the prevalence of child marriage compared with the survey conducted in 1993–1994. Despite some improvements in education and other socioeconomic indicators, Bangladeshi society still faces the relentless practice of early marriage. The mean age at first marriage has increased by only 1.4 years over the last one and half decades, from 14.3 years in 1993–1994 to 15.7 years in 2011. Although the situation on risk of child marriage has improved over time, the pace is sluggish. Both the year-of-birth and year-of-marriage cohorts of women suggest that the likelihood of marrying as a child has decreased significantly in recent years. The risk of child marriage was significantly higher when husbands had no formal education or little education, and when the wives were unemployed or unskilled workers. Muslim women living in rural areas have a greater risk of child marriage. Women's education level was the single most significant negative determinant of child marriage. Thus, the variables identified as important determinants of child marriage are: education of women and their husbands, and women's occupation, place of residence and religion. Programmes to help and motivate girls to stay in school will not only reduce early marriage but will also support overall societal development. The rigid enforcement of the legal minimum age at first marriage could be critical in decreasing child marriage.
Simultaneous, unilateral plugging of superior and posterior semicircular canal dehiscences to treat debilitating hyperacusis
Authors: Dang P T , Kennedy T A , Gubbels S P
Published: January 2014

Objective:

To describe a case of bilateral superior and posterior semicircular canal dehiscences, and the use of a unilateral transmastoid approach to address both right-sided defects simultaneously.

Case report:

In a patient with right-sided hyperacusis, bilateral dehiscence of both the superior and the posterior semicircular canals was identified, located adjacent to the common crus, together with a right-sided, anterosuperiorly positioned sigmoid sinus and a high-riding jugular bulb. Results for audiography and cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potential testing were consistent with right-sided semicircular canal dehiscence. At surgery, a right-sided transmastoid approach provided access to plug both defects simultaneously, following posterior mobilisation of the sigmoid sinus. The patient's hyperacusis was completely resolved, with a 10–30 dB improvement in his right ear air conduction hearing, without decrement in bone conduction.

Conclusion:

In properly selected patients, a transmastoid approach can be used to effectively manage superior semicircular canal dehiscence and posterior semicircular canal dehiscence simultaneously. Pre-operative computed tomography is recommended to evaluate the dehiscence sites and to identify complicating vascular anatomy.
Cough after laryngeal herpes zoster: a new aspect of post-herpetic sensory disturbance
Authors: Ling B , Novakovic D , Sulica L
Published: January 2014

Objective:

Although neurogenic cough is increasingly recognised, its pathophysiology remains obscure. We describe two cases of chronic cough following laryngeal herpes zoster, a rarely described manifestation of varicella-zoster virus reactivation, and suggest that this may be analogous to post-herpetic neuralgia. The same mechanisms may cause both phenomena.

Case reports:

We describe two cases of chronic cough persisting for more than three months following an acute attack of laryngeal herpes zoster.

Conclusion:

Neuronal damage by varicella-zoster virus results in irritable nociceptors and deafferentation, mechanisms known to cause post-herpetic neuralgia. When the vagus nerve is affected, as in laryngeal herpes zoster, the result may be a chronic cough. Similar damage may underlie chronic neurogenic cough in other contexts.
Non-recurrent inferior laryngeal nerve identification during robotic thyroidectomy
Authors: Wang C-C , Wu C-H
Published: January 2014

Objective:

A non-recurrent inferior laryngeal nerve is a rare anomaly in which the nerve enters the larynx directly off the cervical vagus nerve, without descending to the thoracic level. It is very susceptible to damage during surgery. This report describes the important pre-operative radiological evaluations and surgical landmarks in a case of a non-recurrent inferior laryngeal nerve, identified during the recently developed technique of robotic thyroidectomy.

Case report:

A 38-year-old woman presented with suspected papillary microcarcinoma, as indicated by aspiration cytology. Pre-operative computed tomography showed a right aberrant subclavian artery that indicated a possible right non-recurrent inferior laryngeal nerve. Using robotic thyroidectomy methods, it was possible to carefully dissect along the thyroid capsule. The laryngeal entrance point of the right non-recurrent inferior laryngeal nerve (a constant anatomical landmark) was successfully identified via the three-dimensional, high-magnification views provided by the robotic endoscope.

Conclusion:

With proper knowledge of radiological and surgical anatomy, and the benefits of high-magnification endoscopic views, a non-recurrent inferior laryngeal nerve can be safely preserved during robotic surgery.
Human–carnivore conflict over livestock in the eastern part of the Serengeti ecosystem, with a particular focus on the African wild dogLycaon pictus
Authors: Lyamuya R. D. , Masenga E. H. , Fyumagwa R. D. , Røskaft E.
Published: January 2014

During 2007–2009 we conducted a survey of attacks by wild carnivores on the livestock of the Maasai and Sonjo tribes in the eastern Serengeti ecosystem of northern Tanzania. Local enumerators systematically recorded incidents of carnivore predation on livestock and their data were quantified by us, with the aid of District Game Officers or trusted local people. The annual rate of attack by African wild dogsLycaon pictuswas significantly higher (1.42 animals per 1,000 livestock) in the Sonjo tribal area than in the Maasai tribal area (0.72 animals per 1,000 livestock). In the Maasai tribal area there was a significant amount of predation by leopardsPanthera pardusand spotted hyaenasCrocuta crocuta. In both tribal areas sheepOvis ariesand goatsCapra aegagrus hircuswere subject to predation more frequently than cattle. Attacks on livestock by wild dogs occurred most frequently in the afternoon and evening, whereas other carnivores generally attacked livestock at night. Sheep and goats were most frequently attacked by most carnivores during the long rainy season. CattleBos primigeniuswere most frequently attacked by wild dogs and leopards during the long dry season and by lionsPanthera leoduring the long rainy season, whereas spotted hyaenas killed cattle most frequently during the short rainy season.
Well-posedness of the Navier—Stokes—Maxwell equations
Authors: Germain Pierre , Ibrahim Slim , Masmoudi Nader
Published: January 2014

We study the local and global well-posedness of a full system of magnetohydrodynamic equations. The system is a coupling of the incompressible Navier—Stokes equations with the Maxwell equations through the Lorentz force and Ohm's law for the current. We show the local existence of mild solutions for arbitrarily large data in a space similar to the scale-invariant spaces classically used for Navier—Stokes. These solutions are global if the initial data are small enough. Our results not only simplify and unify the proofs for the space dimensions 2 and 3, but also refine those in [8]. The main simplification comes from an a prioriLt2 (Lx∞) estimate for solutions of the forced Navier—Stokes equations.
On p-local homotopy types of gauge groups
Authors: Kishimoto Daisuke , Kono Akira , Tsutaya Mitsunobu
Published: January 2014

The aim of this paper is to show that the p-local homotopy type of the gauge group of a principal bundle over an even-dimensional sphere is completely determined by the divisibility of the classifying map by p. In particular, for gauge groups of principal SU(n)-bundles over S2d for 2 ≤ d ≤ p − 1 and n ≤ 2p − 1, we give a concrete classification of their p-local homotopy types.
Infinitely many periodic solutions of non-autonomous second-order Hamiltonian systems
Authors: Ye Yiwei , Tang Chun-Lei
Published: January 2014

In this paper, we study the existence of infinitely many periodic solutions for the non-autonomous second-order Hamiltonian systems with symmetry. Based on the minimax methods in critical point theory, in particular, the fountain theorem of Bartsch and the symmetric mountain pass lemma due to Kajikiya, we obtain the existence results for both the superquadratic case and the subquadratic case, which unify and sharply improve some recent results in the literature.
Large outbreak of Legionnaires' disease and Pontiac fever at a military base
Authors: AMBROSE J. , HAMPTON L. M. , FLEMING-DUTRA K. E. , MARTEN C. , McCLUSKY C. , PERRY C. , CLEMMONS N. A. , McCORMIC Z. , PEIK S. , MANCUSO J. , BROWN E. , KOZAK N. , TRAVIS T. , LUCAS C. , FIELDS B. , HICKS L. , CERSOVSKY S. B.
Published: January 2014

We investigated a mixed outbreak of Legionnaires' disease (LD) and Pontiac fever (PF) at a military base to identify the outbreak's environmental source as well as known legionellosis risk factors. Base workers with possible legionellosis were interviewed and, if consenting, underwent testing for legionellosis. A retrospective cohort study collected information on occupants of the buildings closest to the outbreak source. We identified 29 confirmed and probable LD and 38 PF cases. All cases were exposed to airborne pathogens from a cooling tower. Occupants of the building closest to the cooling tower were 6·9 [95% confidence interval (CI) 2·2–22·0] and 5·5 (95% CI 2·1–14·5) times more likely to develop LD and PF, respectively, than occupants of the next closest building. Thorough preventive measures and aggressive responses to outbreaks, including searching for PF cases in mixed legionellosis outbreaks, are essential for legionellosis control.
A Proposed Universal Medical and Public Health Definition of
Terrorism
Authors: Arnold Jeffrey L. , Örtenwall Per , Birnbaum Marvin L. , Sundnes Knut Ole , Aggrawal Anil , Arantharaman V. , Al Musleh Abdul Wahab , Asai Yasufumi , Burkle Frederick M. , Chung Jae Myung , Vega Felipe Cruz , Debacker Michel , Corte Francesco Della , Delooz Herman , Dickinson Garth , Hodgetts Timothy , James Holliman C. , MacFarlane Campbell , Rodoplu Ulkumen , Stok Edita , Tsai Ming-Che
Published: January 2014

The lack of a universally applicable definition of terrorism has
confounded the understanding of terrorism since the term was first coined in
18th Century France. Although a myriad of definitions of terrorism have been
advanced over the years, virtually all of these definitions have been
crisis-centered, frequently reflecting the political perspectives of those
who seek to define it.

In this article, we deconstruct these previously used definitions of
terrorism in order to reconstruct a definition of terrorism that is
consequence-centered, medically relevant, and universally harmonized. A
universal medical and public health definition of terrorism will facilitate
clinical and scientific research, education, and communication about
terrorism-related events or disasters.

We propose the following universal medical and public definition of
terrorism: The intentional use of violence — real or threatened — against
one or more non-combatants and/or those services essential for or protective
of their health, resulting in adverse health effects in those immediately
affected and their community, ranging from a loss of well-being or security
to injury, illness, or death.
Introduction
Authors: Bradley Steven A. , Allen Charles W. , King Wayne E.
Published: January 2014

Introduction
The dusty debate: core-collapse supernovae and dust
Authors: Kotak Rubina
Published: January 2014

Dust plays an important role in our understanding of the near and distant Universe. The enormous amounts (≳108M⊙) of dust observed at high redshifts have forced us to revisit the commonly-invoked sites of dust production. Although core-collapse supernovae are the prime candidates for cosmic dust production, their actual contribution to the dust budget has been the subject of much debate in recent years. Here, I will discuss results from several vigorous observational campaigns aimed at quantifying the amount of dust produced by core-collapse supernovae. Although sample sizes are still modest, I will attempt to put the role of supernovae as dust producers into perspective.
Evolution of the Type IIb SN 2011fu
Authors: Pandey S. B. , Kumar Brajesh , Sahu D. K. , Vinko J. , Moskvitin A. S. , Anupama G. C. , Bhatt V. K. , Ordasi A. , Nagy A. , Sokolov V. V. , Sokolova T. N. , Komarova V. N. , Kumar Brijesh , Bose Subhash , Roy Rupak , Sagar Ram
Published: January 2014

The UBVRI photometric follow-up of SN 2011fu has been initiated a few days after the explosion, shows a rise followed by steep decay in all bands and shares properties very similar to that seen in case of SN 1993J, with a possible detection of the adiabatic cooling phase at very early epochs. The spectral modeling performed with SYNOW suggests that the early-phase line velocities for H and Fe ii features were ~ 16000 km s−1 and ~ 14000 km s−1, respectively. Studies of rare class of type IIb SNe are important to understand the evolution of the possible progenitors of core-collapse SNe in more details.
Type Ib Supernova 2007uy – a multiwavelegth perspective
Authors: Roy Rupak , Kumar Brijesh
Published: January 2014

We present the results from a comprehensive analysis of a Type Ib supernova (SN) 2007uy in a nearby galaxy NGC 2770 (~30 Mpc), using data from space-based Swift/UVOT, along with ground-based observations at visible, infrared and radio wave bands.
GLI2 induces genomic instability in human keratinocytes by inhibiting apoptosis
Authors: Pantazi E , Gemenetzidis E , Trigiante G , Warnes G , Shan L , Mao X , Ikram M , Teh M-T , Lu Y-J , Philpott M P
Published: January 2014

Abnormal Sonic Hedgehog signalling leads to increased transcriptional activation of its downstream effector, glioma 2 (GLI2), which is implicated in the pathogenesis of a variety of human cancers. However, the mechanisms underlying the tumorigenic role of GLI2 remain elusive. We demonstrate that overexpression of GLI2-β isoform, which lacks the N-terminal repressor domain (GLI2ΔN) in human keratinocytes is sufficient to induce numerical and structural chromosomal aberrations, including tetraploidy/aneuploidy and chromosomal translocations. This is coupled with suppression of cell cycle regulators p21WAF1/CIP1 and 14-3-3σ, and strong induction of anti-apoptotic signalling, resulting in a reduction in the ability to eliminate genomically abnormal cells. Overexpression of GLI2ΔN also rendered human keratinocytes resistant to UVB-mediated apoptosis, whereas inhibition of B-cell lymphoma 2 (BCL-2) restored endogenous (genomic instability (GIN)) and exogenous (UVB) DNA damage-induced apoptosis. Thus, we propose that ectopic expression of GLI2 profoundly affects the genomic integrity of human epithelial cells and contributes to the survival of progenies with genomic alterations by deregulating cell cycle proteins and disabling the apoptotic mechanisms responsible for their elimination. This study reveals a novel role for GLI2 in promoting GIN, a hallmark of human tumors, and identifies potential mechanisms that may provide new opportunities for the design of novel forms of cancer therapeutic strategies.
Zinc depletion regulates the processing and secretion of IL-1β
Authors: Summersgill H , England H , Lopez-Castejon G , Lawrence C B , Luheshi N M , Pahle J , Mendes P , Brough D
Published: January 2014

Sterile inflammation contributes to many common and serious human diseases. The pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-1β (IL-1β) drives sterile inflammatory responses and is thus a very attractive therapeutic target. Activation of IL-1β in sterile diseases commonly requires an intracellular multi-protein complex called the NLRP3 (NACHT, LRR, and PYD domains-containing protein 3) inflammasome. A number of disease-associated danger molecules are known to activate the NLRP3 inflammasome. We show here that depletion of zinc from macrophages, a paradigm for zinc deficiency, also activates the NLRP3 inflammasome and induces IL-1β secretion. Our data suggest that zinc depletion damages the integrity of lysosomes and that this event is important for NLRP3 activation. These data provide new mechanistic insight to how zinc deficiency contributes to inflammation and further unravel the mechanisms of NLRP3 inflammasome activation.
Control of glioma cell death and differentiation by PKM2–Oct4 interaction
Authors: Morfouace M , Lalier L , Oliver L , Cheray M , Pecqueur C , Cartron P-F , Vallette F M
Published: January 2014

Glioma stem cells are highly resistant to cell death and as such are supposed to contribute to tumor recurrence by eluding anticancer treatments. Here, we show that spheroids that contain rat neural stem cells (NSCs) or rat glioma stem cells (cancer stem cells, CSCs) express isoforms 1 and 2 of pyruvate kinase (PKM1 and PKM2); however, the expression of PKM2 is considerably higher in glioma spheroids. Silencing of PKM2 enhances both apoptosis and differentiation of rat and human glioma spheroids. We establish that PKM2 was implicated in glioma spheroid differentiation through its interaction with Oct4, a major regulator of self-renewal and differentiation in stem cells. The small molecule Dichloroacetate (DCA), a pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase inhibitor, increases the amount of PKM2/Oct4 complexes and thus inhibited Oct4-dependent gene expression. Taken together, our results highlight a new molecular pathway through which PKM2 can manage gliomagenesis via the control of glioma stemness by Oct4.
The use of a neutral peptide aptamer scaffold to anchor BH3 peptides constitutes a viable approach to studying their function
Authors: Stadler L K J , Tomlinson D C , Lee T , Knowles M A , Ko Ferrigno P
Published: January 2014

The B-cell CLL/lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) family of proteins are important regulators of the intrinsic pathway of apoptosis, and their interactions, driven by Bcl-2 homology (BH) domains, are of great interest in cancer research. Particularly, the BH3 domain is of clinical relevance, as it promotes apoptosis through activation of Bcl-2-associated x protein (Bax) and Bcl-2 antagonist killer (Bak), as well as by antagonising the anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 family members. Although investigated extensively in vitro, the study of the BH3 domain alone inside cells is more problematic because of diminished secondary structure of the unconstrained peptide and a lack of stability. In this study, we report the successful use of a novel peptide aptamer scaffold – Stefin A quadruple mutant – to anchor and present the BH3 domains from Bcl-2-interacting mediator of cell death (Bim), p53 upregulated modulator of apoptosis (Puma), Bcl-2-associated death promoter (Bad) and Noxa, and demonstrate its usefulness in the study of the BH3 domains in vivo. When expressed intracellularly, anchored BH3 peptides exhibit much the same binding specificities previously established in vitro, however, we find that, at endogenous expression levels, Bcl-2 does not bind to any of the anchored BH3 domains tested. Nonetheless, when expressed inside cells the anchored PUMA and Bim BH3 α-helices powerfully induce cell death in the absence of efficient targeting to the mitochondrial membrane, whereas the Noxa helix requires a membrane insertion domain in order to kill Mcl-1-dependent myeloma cells. Finally, the binding of the Bim BH3 peptide to Bax was the only interaction with a pro-apoptotic effector protein observed in this study.