bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Colonoscopic perforations in the English National Health Service Bowel Cancer Screening Programme
Authors: Derbyshire Edmund , Hungin Pali , Nickerson Claire , Rutter Matthew
Published: March 2018

Background Perforation is the most serious adverse event associated with colonoscopy. In this study of data from the English National Health Service Bowel Cancer Screening Programme, we aimed to describe the presentation and management of perforations, and to determine factors associated with poorer outcomes post-perforation.

Methods The medical records of patients with a perforation following the national screening colonoscopy were retrospectively examined. All colonoscopies performed from 02/08/2006 to 13/03/2014 were studied. Bowel Cancer Screening Centres across England were contacted and asked to complete a detailed dataset relating to perforation presentation, management, and outcome.

Results 263 129 colonoscopies were analyzed, and the rate of perforation was 0.06 %. Complete data were reviewed for 117 perforations: 70.1 % of perforations (82/117) occurred during therapeutic colonoscopies; 54.9 % (62/113) of patients with perforations who were admitted to hospital and in whom data were complete underwent surgery; 26.1 % (30/115) of hospitalized patients left the hospital with a stoma and 19.1 % (22/115) developed post-perforation morbidity. Perforations not detected during colonoscopy were significantly more likely to require surgery (P = 0.03). Diagnostic perforations were significantly more likely to require surgery (P = 0.002) and were associated with higher rates of post-perforation morbidity (P = 0.01). At presentation, the presence of abdominal pain (P = 0.01), a pulse rate > 100 beats per minute (P = 0.049), and a respiratory rate > 20 breaths per minute (P = 0.01) were significantly associated with the patient having surgery.

Conclusions This is the largest retrospective observational case series in Europe to describe post-perforation presentation, management, and outcomes. We have confirmed that perforation leads to surgical intervention, stoma formation, and post-perforation morbidity. Perforations not recognized during the colonoscopy were significantly more likely to require surgery. Diagnostic perforations were at greater risk of requiring surgery and developing post-perforation morbidity.
Peripheral Oxytocin Predicts Higher-Level Social Cognition in Men Regardless of Empathy Quotient
Authors: Deuse Lisa , Wudarczyk Olga , Rademacher Lena , Kaleta Peter , Karges Wolfram , Kacheva Stella , Gründer Gerhard , Lammertz Sarah
Published: March 2018

Introduction Pharmaceutical oxytocin (OT) administration is being tested as a novel treatment for social deficits in various psychiatric populations. However, little is known about how naturally occurring variation in peripheral OT relates to differences in social cognition. This study investigates whether healthy individuals with very high or very low levels of empathy differ in endogenous OT and whether OT plasma levels can predict performance in a mentalizing task.

Methods 40 healthy men were included based upon their score above the 85th or below the 15th percentile of the empathy quotient inventory 1. Participants’ abilities to interpret social information was assessed via the Social Detection Task 2. Plasma OT levels were analyzed using enzyme immunoassay.

Results OT plasma levels predicted mentalizing performance for more ambiguous social scenes (i. e., difficult items) for all participants. We found no group differences in OT plasma levels between subjects with high and low empathy.

Discussion These findings confirm a link between peripheral OT and the ability to read subtle nonverbal social cues in healthy individuals, which is independent of self-reported empathy.
Palladium-Catalysed Construction of All-Carbon Quaternary Centres with Propargylic Electrophiles: Challenges in the Simultaneous Control of Regio-, Chemo- and Enantioselectivity
Authors: Franckevičius Vilius , Kenny Miles , Schröder Sybrin , Taylor Nicholas , Jackson Paula , Kitson Daniel
Published: March 2018

This article describes the palladium-catalysed three-component coupling of 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds with nucleophiles and propargylic electrophiles for the generation of quaternary all-carbon centres in a single step, which necessitates the simultaneous control of regio-, chemo- and enantioselectivity. The use of propargyl enol carbonates, the source of two of the components, was found to be essential in maintaining high levels of regiocontrol and chemoselectivity, whereas a careful analysis of pK
a trends of O-, C- and N-nucleophiles as the other coupling partner indicates that the highest levels of selectivity are likely to be obtained with relatively acidic species, such as phenols, 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds and aromatic N-heterocycles. Finally, studies towards the development of the catalytic enantioselective construction of quaternary all-carbon centres by means of alkenylation and allylic alkylation are disclosed.
Iridium-Catalyzed Regioselective Borylation of Substituted Biaryls
Authors: Chotana Ghayoor , Asghar Soneela , Shahzadi Tayyaba , Alazmi Meshari , Gao Xin , Emwas Abdul-Hamid , Saleem Rahman , Batool Farhat
Published: March 2018

Biarylboronic esters are generally prepared by directed ortho­-metalation or by Miyaura borylation and hence rely on the presence of a directing group or pre-functionalization. In this paper, the preparation of biarylboronic esters by direct C–H borylation of biaryl substrates is reported. Sterically governed regioselectivities were observed in the borylation of appropriately substituted biaryls by using [Ir(OMe)(COD)]2 precatalyst and di-tert-butylbipyridyl ligand. The resulting biarylboronic esters were isolated in 38–98% yields. The synthesized biarylboronic esters were further successfully employed in C–O, C–Br, and C–C coupling reactions.
Preparation of Trifluoromethylated (Arylaminomethylene)malononitriles Suitable for Synthesis of 4-Amino-2-(trifluoromethyl) quinoline Derivatives by Intramolecular Friedel–Crafts Reaction
Authors: Rahmani Fariba , Darehkordi Ali
Published: March 2018

An approach for the synthesis of 4-amino-2-(trifluoromethyl)quinolines via the intramolecular Friedel–Crafts reaction of 2-(1-(arylamino)-2,2,2-trifluoroethylidene)malononitrile derivatives is reported. This simple protocol provides a wide variety of 4-amino-2-(trifluoromethyl)quinolines in good to excellent yields, without any purification. Furthermore, the 2-(1-(arylamino)-2,2,2-trifluoroethylidene) malononitrile derivatives used in this project have been synthesized by the reaction of N-aryl-2,2,2-trifluoroacetimidoyl chlorides and malononitrile at ambient temperature and under microwave irradiation in excellent yields, for the first time.
Reduced Contraction of Blood Clots in Venous Thromboembolism Is a Potential Thrombogenic and Embologenic Mechanism
Authors: Peshkova Alina , Malyasyov Dmitry , Bredikhin Roman , Le Minh Giang , Andrianova Izabella , Tutwiler Valerie , Nagaswami Chandrasekaran , Weisel John , Litvinov Rustem
Published: March 2018

Contraction (retraction) of the blood clot is a part of the clotting process driven by activated platelets attached to fibrin that can potentially modulate the obstructiveness and integrity of thrombi. The aim of this work was to reveal the pathogenic importance of contraction of clots and thrombi in venous thromboembolism (VTE). We investigated the kinetics of clot contraction in the blood of 55 patients with VTE. In addition, we studied the ultrastructure of ex vivo venous thrombi as well as the morphology and functionality of isolated platelets. Thrombi from VTE patients contained compressed polyhedral erythrocytes, a marker for clot contraction in vivo. The extent and rate of contraction were reduced by twofold in clots from the blood of VTE patients compared with healthy controls. The contraction of clots from the blood of patients with pulmonary embolism was significantly impaired compared with that of those with isolated venous thrombosis, suggesting that less compacted thrombi are prone to embolization. The reduced ability of clots to contract correlated with continuous platelet activation followed by their partial refractoriness. Morphologically, 75% of platelets from VTE patients were spontaneously activated (with filopodia) compared with only 21% from healthy controls. At the same time, platelets from VTE patients showed a 1.4-fold reduction in activation markers expressed in response to chemical activation when compared with healthy individuals. The results obtained suggest that the impaired contraction of thrombi is an underappreciated pathogenic mechanism in VTE that may regulate the obstructiveness and embologenicity of venous thrombi.
Erhöhter Augeninnendruck für 7 Wochen induziert lokale Gefäßveränderungen im experimentellen Glaukommodell in vivo
Authors: Mann Carolina , Anders Fabian , Liu Hanhan , Brockhaus Katrin , Liu Aiwei , Grus Franz H. , Pfeiffer Norbert , Thanos Solon , Prokosch Verena
Published: March 2018

Hintergrund Peripapilläre Blutungen sind diagnostisch wegweisend für das Vorliegen des Glaukoms. Dennoch ist die Rolle der Gefäße der Retina und des Sehnervs in der Pathogenese des Glaukoms weitestgehend ungeklärt. Ziel dieser Studie war es, im experimentellen Glaukommodell die lokalen Veränderungen dieser Gefäße auf erhöhten Druck in vivo zu untersuchen.

Material und Methoden Das Glaukom wurde durch Veröden dreier episkleraler Venen des linken Auges von weiblichen Sprague-Dawley-Ratten induziert (n = 6). In vivo erfolgte eine Messung der Gefäßkaliber mittels peripapillärem Scan des SD-OCT (Heidelberg Engineering) als Baseline sowie 7 Wochen nach Augeninnendruckerhöhung. Die Tiere wurden anschließend euthanasiert, Querschnitte des Sehnervs wurden zur Anfärbung der Kapillaren mit Paraphenylendiamin angefertigt. Die kontralateralen Augen dienten als Kontrolle. Die Gefäßkaliber wurden fotografiert und verglichen.

Ergebnisse Der Augeninnendruck zeigte sich signifikant erhöht (p < 0,001). In Querschnitten des Sehnervs zeigte sich die Anzahl der Gefäße nicht signifikant verändert nach erhöhtem Augeninnendruck. Die Kaliber der Gefäße jedoch zeigten 7 Wochen nach Augeninnendruckerhöhung eine signifikante Reduktion (p < 0,001). Das Kaliber der großen retinalen Gefäße war ebenfalls deutlich reduziert um 9,22% (p < 0,05). Die Ergebnisse beziehen sich immer auf das Kontrollauge ohne erhöhten Augeninnendruck.

Schlussfolgerung Die Gefäße der Retina und die Kapillaren des Sehnervs reagieren sensitiv auf erhöhten Druck. Die Antwort der Gefäße kann zeigen, dass vaskuläre Veränderungen im Rahmen der Glaukomerkrankung entstehen und eröffnet somit weitere mögliche Therapieoptionen.
Von der beruflichen Vollqualifizierungsmaßnahme zurück in ArbeitEine Langzeitanalyse individueller Verlaufskarrieren und ihrer biografischen und strukturellen Bedingungen
Authors: Meschnig Alexander , von Kardorff Ernst , Klaus Sebastian
Published: March 2018

Hintergrund Die Studie untersucht den Wiedereinstieg in Arbeit (RTW) nach einer 2-jährigen beruflichen Rehabilitation und fokussiert dabei auf zentrale Bedingungen des Gelingens und auftretende Barrieren. Damit fügt sie sich in die aktuellen rehabilitationswissenschaftlichen Diskussionen zur Frage der Wirksamkeit und Nachhaltigkeit von Leistungen zur Teilhabe am Arbeitsleben (LTA) und ihrer Gestaltung ein.

Ziele Im Kern ging es um die Rekonstruktion bislang wenig untersuchter biografischer Anpassungs- und Neuorientierungsprozesse beim Übergang auf einen neuen Arbeitsplatz nach einer aus gesundheitlichen Gründen gewährten beruflichen Umschulung. Darüber hinaus wurden fördernde und gefährdende Problemlagen und charakteristische Konstellationen im Rückkehr- und Stabilisierungsprozess und daraus abgeleitete zielgruppenspezifische Nachsorgebedarfe identifiziert.

Methode Die Studie folgte einem Mixed-Method-Design. Im quantitativen Teil wurden insgesamt 214 Teilnehmer mittels eines Fragebogens über 3 Zeitpunkte hinweg zu ihren beruflichen Verläufen, zu Veränderungen im Gesundheitsstatus und -erleben, zur sozialen Einbindung und zum Umgang mit ihrer Krankheit befragt. Im qualitativen Teil wurden 30 Fallstudien zu berufsbiografischen Verläufen und Wendepunkten mithilfe episodisch-narrativer Interviews erstellt.

Ergebnisse Insgesamt ist es 3 Vierteln der Teilnehmer nach der 2jährigen Umschulung im Zeitraum von 18 Monaten gelungen, in Arbeit zu kommen. Positive Einflussfaktoren für einen Return to Work (RTW) sind insbesondere eine hohe Identifikation mit dem neu erlernten Beruf, ein gelungener Umgang mit en gesundheitlichen Beeinträchtigungen und ihre
Integration der gesundheitlichen Beeinträchtigungen in Beruf und Alltag, eine positive Gesundheitserwartung und die soziale Einbindung. Als besondere Risikokonstellationen zeigten sich fehlende Partnerschaft, nicht abgeschlossene Krankheitsbewältigung und negative Gesundheitserwartungen sowie schwere Erkrankungen und Rückfälle.
Technology-dependent analysis of the snow melting and sliding behavior on photovoltaic modules
Authors: Bogenrieder Josef , Camus Christian , Hüttner Maximilian , Offermann Pascal , Hauch Jens , Brabec Christoph J.
Published: March 2018

In this study, the snow melting behavior of several photovoltaic technologies, all installed at the same location under identical conditions, is analyzed based on the time-dependent changes of the snow cover, which is extracted from images of a monitoring webcam, for various temperature and irradiation conditions. From this study, conclusions can be drawn for the optimum module technology for a given location with respect to snow-dependent yield losses. In particular, the melting behavior is analyzed regarding its dependence on the ambient temperature and the irradiation level. Finally, the relevance of snow cover-related losses is discussed. The study shows that comparably large frameless modules exhibit the highest snow shedding rates. Hence, they are snow-free for longer periods, thereby increasing their potential for electricity generation in snowy regions. In summary, this paper reveals the beneficial snow removal properties of large frameless modules for snowy areas by applying a novel image processing technique for the determination of the snow-covered area fraction of the modules.
Influence of distance between focusing lens and target surface on laser-induced Cu plasma temperature
Authors: Wang Ying , Chen Anmin , Wang Qiuyun , Sui Laizhi , Ke Da , Cao Sheng , Li Suyu , Jiang Yuanfei , Jin Mingxing
Published: March 2018

In this study, the influence of distance between the focusing lens and target surface on the plasma temperature of copper induced by a Nd:YAG laser was investigated in the atmosphere. The plasma temperature was calculated by using the Cu (I) lines (510.55 nm, 515.32 nm, and 521.82 nm). The Cu (I) lines were recorded under different lens-to-sample distances and laser pulse energies (15.8 mJ, 27.0 mJ, 43.4 mJ, 59.2 mJ, and 76.8 mJ). The results indicated that the plasma temperature depended strongly on the distance between the focusing lens and target surface. With the increase in the distance, the plasma temperature firstly rose, and then dropped. This could be attributed to the interaction between the tailing of the nanosecond laser pulse and the front portion of the plasma plume, the plasma shielding effect, and the expanding of the plasma. In addition, there was an interesting phenomenon that the plasma temperature and the emission intensity were not completely consistent with the change of the lens-to-sample distance. It is hoped that our research will provide a deeper insight into the underlying physical processes.
Ion acoustic solitons in an electronegative plasma with electron trapping and nonextensivity effects
Authors: Ali Shan S.
Published: March 2018

The impact of electron trapping and nonextensivity on the low frequency ion acoustic solitary waves in an electronegative plasma is investigated. The energy integral equation with the Sagdeev truncated approach is derived, which is then solved with the help of suitable parameters and necessary conditions to get the solitary structures. The minimum Mach (M) number needed to calculate the solitary structures is found to be varying under the impact of trapping efficiency determining factor β and entropic index q. The results have been illustrated with the help of physically acceptable parameters and the amplitude of nonlinear solitary structures is found to be modified significantly because of electron trapping efficiency β and entropic index q. This study has been made with reference to Laboratory observation, which can also be helpful in Space and astrophysical plasmas where electronegative plasmas have been reported.
Effect of parallel magnetic field on repetitively unipolar nanosecond pulsed dielectric barrier discharge under different pulse repetition frequencies
Authors: Liu Yidi , Yan Huijie , Guo Hongfei , Fan Zhihui , Wang Yuying , Wu Yun , Ren Chunsheng
Published: March 2018

A magnetic field, with the direction parallel to the electric field, is applied to the repetitively unipolar positive nanosecond pulsed dielectric barrier discharge. The effect of the parallel magnetic field on the plasma generated between two parallel-plate electrodes in quiescent air is experimentally studied under different pulse repetition frequencies (PRFs). It is indicated that only the current pulse in the rising front of the voltage pulse occurs, and the value of the current is increased by the parallel magnetic field under different PRFs. The discharge uniformity is improved with the decrease in PRF, and this phenomenon is also observed in the discharge with the parallel magnetic field. By using the line-ratio technique of optical emission spectra, it is found that the average electron density and electron temperature under the considered PRFs are both increased when the parallel magnetic field is applied. The incremental degree of average electron density is basically the same under the considered PRFs, while the incremental degree of electron temperature under the higher-PRFs is larger than that under the lower-PRFs. All the above phenomena are explained by the effect of parallel magnetic field on diffusion and dissipation of electrons.
A simple vibrating sample magnetometer for macroscopic samples
Authors: Lopez-Dominguez V. , Quesada A. , Guzmán-Mínguez J. C. , Moreno L. , Lere M. , Spottorno J. , Giacomone F. , Fernández J. F. , Hernando A. , García M. A.
Published: March 2018

We here present a simple model of a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). The system allows recording magnetization curves at room temperature with a resolution of the order of 0.01 emu and is appropriated for macroscopic samples. The setup can be mounted with different configurations depending on the requirements of the sample to be measured (mass, saturation magnetization, saturation field, etc.). We also include here examples of curves obtained with our setup and comparison curves measured with a standard commercial VSM that confirms the reliability of our device.
Multiple relaxations of the cluster surface diffusion in a homoepitaxial SrTiO3 layer
Authors: Woo Chang-Su , Chu Kanghyun , Song Jong-Hyun , Yang Chan-Ho
Published: March 2018

We examine the surface diffusion process of adatomic clusters on a (001)-oriented SrTiO3 single crystal using reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED). We find that the recovery curve of the RHEED intensity acquired after a homoepitaxial half-layer growth can be accurately fit into a double exponential function, indicating the existence of two dominant relaxation mechanisms. The characteristic relaxation times at selected growth temperatures are investigated to determine the diffusion activation barriers of 0.67 eV and 0.91 eV, respectively. The Monte Carlo simulation of the cluster hopping model suggests that the decrease in the number of dimeric and trimeric clusters during surface diffusion is the origin of the observed relaxation phenomena.
Random telegraph noise in 2D hexagonal boron nitride dielectric films
Authors: Ranjan A. , Puglisi F. M. , Raghavan N. , O'Shea S. J. , Shubhakar K. , Pavan P. , Padovani A. , Larcher L. , Pey K. L.
Published: March 2018

This study reports the observation of low frequency random telegraph noise (RTN) in a 2D layered hexagonal boron nitride dielectric film in the pre- and post-soft breakdown phases using conductive atomic force microscopy as a nanoscale spectroscopy tool. The RTN traces of the virgin and electrically stressed dielectric (after percolation breakdown) were compared, and the signal features were statistically analyzed using the Factorial Hidden Markov Model technique. We observe a combination of both two-level and multi-level RTN signals in h-BN, akin to the trends commonly observed for bulk oxides such as SiO2 and HfO2. Experimental evidence suggests frequent occurrence of unstable and anomalous RTN traces in 2D dielectrics which makes extraction of defect energetics challenging.
The glass-like thermal conductivity in ZrO2-Dy3TaO7 ceramic for promising thermal barrier coating application
Authors: Wu Peng , Hu Ming Yu , Chong Xiao Yu , Feng Jing
Published: March 2018

Using the solid-state reaction method, the (ZrO2)x-(Dy3TaO7)1−x (x = 0, 0.02, 0.04, 0.06, 0.08, and 0.1) ceramics are synthesized in this work. The identification of the crystal structures indicates that the (ZrO2)x-(Dy3TaO7)1−x ceramics belong to the orthorhombic system, and the space group is C2221 in spite of the value of x increasing to 0.1. The thermal conductivities of the (ZrO2)x-(Dy3TaO7)1−x ceramics range from 1.3 W/(m K) to 1.8 W/(m K), and this value is much lower than that of 7-8 YSZ (yttria-stabilized zirconia). Besides, the (ZrO2)x-(Dy3TaO7)1−x ceramics possess the glass-like thermal conductivity caused by intrinsic oxygen vacancies existing in the lattice of Dy3TaO7. Moreover, the results of thermal expansion rates demonstrate that the (ZrO2)x-(Dy3TaO7)1−x ceramics possess excellent high temperature phase stability, and the thermal expansion coefficients [(9.7–11) × 10−6 K−1] are comparable to that of 7-8 YSZ.
In situ observation of conducting filament in NiO memristive devices by electroluminescence
Authors: Lin Weijian , Zhu Kejian , Su Yangtao , Shi Haibin , Meng Yang , Zhao Hongwu
Published: March 2018

By synchronously measuring the electroluminescence (EL) of Pt/NiO/Pt unipolar resistive switching (RS) devices during switching, we have nondestructively observed the dynamic evolution of conducting filaments (CFs) across the device. We demonstrate that both the random distribution and the subtle change in the chemical composition of CFs contribute to fluctuation of switching parameters. The EL emission during RS is attributed to the radiative transition through oxygen vacancy related defect levels of NiO rather than from the thermal radiation. Our findings offer a method to investigate the RS mechanism which further can be utilized to improve the stability and scalability of RS devices.
A generalized muon trajectory estimation algorithm with energy loss for application to muon tomography
Authors: Chatzidakis Stylianos , Liu Zhengzhi , Hayward Jason P. , Scaglione John M.
Published: March 2018

This work presents a generalized muon trajectory estimation algorithm to estimate the path of a muon in either uniform or nonuniform media. The use of cosmic ray muons in nuclear nonproliferation and safeguard verification applications has recently gained attention due to the non-intrusive and passive nature of the inspection, penetrating capabilities, as well as recent advances in detectors that measure position and direction of the individual muons before and after traversing the imaged object. However, muon image reconstruction techniques are limited in resolution due to low muon flux and the effects of multiple Coulomb scattering (MCS). Current reconstruction algorithms, e.g., point of closest approach (PoCA) or straight-line path (SLP), rely on overly simple assumptions for muon path estimation through the imaged object. For robust muon tomography, efficient and flexible physics-based algorithms are needed to model the MCS process and accurately estimate the most probable trajectory of a muon as it traverses an object. In the present work, the use of a Bayesian framework and a Gaussian approximation of MCS is explored for estimation of the most likely path of a cosmic ray muon traversing uniform or nonuniform media and undergoing MCS. The algorithm's precision is compared to Monte Carlo simulated muon trajectories. It was found that the algorithm is expected to be able to predict muon tracks to less than 1.5 mm root mean square (RMS) for 0.5 GeV muons and 0.25 mm RMS for 3 GeV muons, a 50% improvement compared to SLP and 15% improvement when compared to PoCA. Further, a 30% increase in useful muon flux was observed relative to PoCA. Muon track prediction improved for higher muon energies or smaller penetration depth where energy loss is not significant. The effect of energy loss due to ionization is investigated, and a linear energy loss relation that is easy to use is proposed.
Improvement of contact grating device for efficient terahertz wave generation using bi-angular filter
Authors: Nagashima Keisuke , Tsubouchi Masaaki , Ochi Yoshihiro , Maruyama Momoko
Published: March 2018

We have proposed an improved contact grating device for generating terahertz waves efficiently and have succeeded in developing the device with a very high diffraction efficiency and a wide spectral width. This device has a bi-angular filter and a Fabry–Perot-type structure, which are composed of dielectric multilayers. The bi-angular filter is designed to reflect the 0th-order wave and transmit the–1st-order diffraction wave. Numerical calculations indicate that the new device has a maximum diffraction efficiency over 99% and a spectral width of approximately 20 nm. We measured a high efficiency of 90% over a broad spectral range using a fabricated device.
A new cactus variety for dairy cows in areas infested with Dactylopius opuntiae
Authors: Monteiro C. C. F. , Ferreira M. A. , Véras A. S. C. , Guido S. I. , Almeida M. P. , Silva R. C. , Inácio J. G.
Published: March 2018

Spineless cactus is an important part of dairy cow diet in the semiarid Brazilia. Severe infestation of cochineal (Dactylopius opuntiae Cockerell) destroyed a vast area of the most common species of cactus planted in the region; Opuntia ficus-indica Mill. resistant varieties with superior agronomic performance were recently selected, but they still need to be tested with dairy cows. We evaluated the use of a resistant variety, ‘Orelha de Elefante Mexicana’ (OEM, Opuntia spp.), in dairy cow diet. We tested its effect on intake, nutrient digestibility, microbial protein, blood parameters and performance of lactating cows. Ten cows with an average milk yield of 20 kg/day were assigned to an experiment using a double 5 × 5 Latin square design. The experimental diets consisted of five replacement levels of Nopalea cochenillifera Salm Dyck cv. (‘Miúda’) by ‘OEM’ (0%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100%) on a dry-matter (DM) basis) and were formulated considering the ingredient composition. The roughage:concentrate ratio was 70:30 on a DM basis. The replacement of ‘Miúda’ by OEM did not change the intake (kg/day) of DM (18.0), organic matter (16.3), crude protein (CP, 2.8), total digestible nutrients (11.6), non-fibre carbohydrates (7.6) and neutral detergent fibre (5.7), or the apparent digestibility (g/kg) of DM (655), organic matter (694), CP (739) and non-fibre carbohydrates (950), whereas apparent digestibility of neutral detergent fibre increased linearly. Microbial protein production (1.5 g/day), microbial protein efficiency (129.2 g CP/kg total digestible nutrients), plasma urea nitrogen (21.4 mg/dL), nitrogen balance (123 g/day), feed efficiency (1.1), nitrogen efficiency (0.2), milk production (20.0 kg/day), fat-corrected milk production (20.1 kg/day) and milk composition were not influenced by the replacement. Therefore, we recommend the use of OEM in the diet of lactating cows with an average milk yield of 20 kg/day.
Peter Orlebar Bishop 1917–2012
Authors: Pettigrew Jack D. , Dreher B.
Published: March 2018

Peter Orlebar Bishop was an Australian neurophysiologist renowned for his ingenious quantitative approach to study of the mammalian visual system and great ability to attract a large number of talented people to visual research. Peter's research was based on specially designed, precise instrumentation and data quantification applied mainly to analysis of the response properties of single neurones in the principal dorsal thalamic visual relay nucleus, the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (LGNd) and the primary visual cortex. This quantitative bent was evident throughout Bishop's entire research career:starting with the design and construction of innovative DC amplifiers; through to his quantitative analysis of optics—‘schematic eye' for the cat, which rivaled Gullstrand's schematic eye for humans; to creating and demonstrating validity of the concept of ‘projection lines' in the representation of contralateral visual field in different cellular layers of the LGNd of mammals with frontally positioned eyes and discovery of a very substantial binocular input to single LGNd neurones. The engineering approach of Peter was probably at its heuristic peak when it revealed many details of binocular interactions at the level of single neurones in the primary visual cortex—the interactions that appear to underpin overall mechanisms underlying stereopsis, the high precision binocular depth sense.
An Extreme Meteorological Events Analysis For Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) Siting Project at Bangka Island, Indonesia
Authors: Septiadi Deni , B. S Yarianto Sugeng , Sriyana  , Anzhar Kurnia , Suntoko Hadi
Published: March 2018

The potential sources of meteorological phenomena in Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) area of interest are identified and the extreme values of the possible resulting hazards associated which such phenomena are evaluated to derive the appropriate design bases for the NPP. The appropriate design bases shall be determined according to the Nuclear Energy Regulatory Agency (Bapeten) applicable regulations, which presently do not indicate quantitative criteria for purposes of determining the design bases for meteorological hazards. These meteorological investigations are also carried out to evaluate the regional and site specific meteorological parameters which affect the transport and dispersion of radioactive effluents on the environment of the region around the NPP site. The meteorological hazards are to be monitored and assessed periodically over the lifetime of the plant to ensure that consistency with the design assumptions is maintained throughout the full lifetime of the facility.
Probe-fed semi circular microstrip antenna vis-à-vis circular microstrip antenna: a necessary revisit
Authors: Ghosh S K , Varshney S K , Chakraborty S , Singh L L K , Chattopadhyay S
Published: March 2018

Microstrip patch antenna of semicircular geometry has been investigated in view of miniaturization of conventional circular geometry. The precise operating frequency of the semicircular microstrip patch antenna is the most significant parameter to be determined in order to design such antenna system to achieve the optimum performance. In the present investigation an improved formulation is presented for accurate determination of the resonant frequency of semicircular patch. Also, the radiation property of such patch is thoroughly investigated. Through comparisons are documented amongst the circular and semicircular patches. It is revealed that, the semicircular patch offers more better radiation performance compared to circular.
Rectangular microstrip antenna with corrugation like defects at radiating edge: A new approach to reduce cross polarization radiation
Authors: Pawar U A , Mondal D , Nagaraju A , Chakraborty S , Singh L L K , Chattopadhyay S
Published: March 2018

In this paper, single layer, simple and compact RMA, with corrugation like defects at the radiating edge, is studied thoroughly to reduce XP radiation from the patch. Unlike the earlier works reported on defected ground structure integrated patches and defect patch structures, in this work, corrugation like linear defects have been placed at the radiating edges of the patch to reduce cross polarisation radiation. Around 30-40 dB of CP-XP isolation is observed in H-plane with 7% impedance bandwidth and in E-plane also, more than 55 dB CP-XP isolation is found. The proposed structure is very simple to design and easy to fabricate.
Boundedness of multidimensional Hausdorff operators in 𝐻^{𝑝} spaces, 0<𝑝<1
Authors: Liflyand Elijah , Miyachi Akihiko
Published: March 2018

Sufficient conditions, of both smoothness and algebraic type, for the boundedness of multidimensional Hausdorff operators in Hardy spaces

H
p

(

R

n

)

H^p (\mathbb {R}^n)

,

n
≥
2

n\ge 2

,

0
>
p
>
1

0>p>1

, are given. Positive and negative examples illustrate all aspects of the behavior of such operators and reveal the special nature of the case

p
>
1

p>1

.
Predicting serious rare adverse reactions of novel chemicals
Authors: Poleksic Aleksandar , Xie Lei
Published: March 2018

Motivation

Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are one of the main causes of death and a major financial burden on the world’s economy. Due to the limitations of the animal model, computational prediction of serious and rare ADRs is invaluable. However, current state-of-the-art computational methods do not yield significantly better predictions of rare ADRs than random guessing.

Results

We present a novel method, based on the theory of ‘compressed sensing’ (CS), which can accurately predict serious side-effects of candidate and market drugs. Not only is our method able to infer new chemical-ADR associations using existing noisy, biased and incomplete databases, but our data also demonstrate that the accuracy of CS in predicting a serious ADR for a candidate drug increases with increasing knowledge of other ADRs associated with the drug. In practice, this means that as the candidate drug moves up the different stages of clinical trials, the prediction accuracy of our method will increase accordingly.

Availability and implementation

The program is available at https://github.com/poleksic/side-effects.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
PhenotypeSimulator: A comprehensive framework for simulating multi-trait, multi-locus genotype to phenotype relationships
Authors: Meyer Hannah Verena , Birney Ewan
Published: March 2018

Motivation

Simulation is a critical part of method development and assessment. With the increasing sophistication of multi-trait and multi-locus genetic analysis techniques, it is important that the community has flexible simulation tools to challenge and explore the properties of these methods.

Results

We have developed PhenotypeSimulator, a comprehensive phenotype simulation scheme that can model multiple traits with multiple underlying genetic loci as well as complex covariate and observational noise structure. This package has been designed to work with many common genetic tools both for input and output. We describe the underlying components of this simulation tool and illustrate its use on an example dataset.

Availability and implementation

PhenotypeSimulator is available as a well documented R/CRAN package and the code is available on github: https://github.com/HannahVMeyer/PhenotypeSimulator.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Constructing lightweight and flexible pipelines using Plugin-Based Microbiome Analysis (PluMA)
Authors: Cickovski Trevor , Narasimhan Giri
Published: March 2018

Motivation

Software pipelines have become almost standardized tools for microbiome analysis. Currently many pipelines are available, often sharing some of the same algorithms as stages. This is largely because each pipeline has its own source language and file formats, making it typically more economical to reinvent the wheel than to learn and interface to an existing package. We present Plugin-Based Microbiome Analysis (PluMA), which addresses this problem by providing a lightweight back end that can be infinitely extended using dynamically loaded plugin extensions. These can be written in one of many compiled or scripting languages. With PluMA and its online plugin pool, algorithm designers can easily plug-and-play existing pipeline stages with no knowledge of their underlying implementation, allowing them to efficiently test a new algorithm alongside these stages or combine them in a new and creative way.

Results

We demonstrate the usefulness of PluMA through an example pipeline (P-M16S) that expands an obesity study involving gut microbiome samples from the mouse, by integrating multiple plugins using a variety of source languages and file formats, and producing new results.

Availability and implementation

Links to github repositories for the PluMA source code and P-M16S, in addition to the plugin pool are available from the Bioinformatics Research Group (BioRG) at: http://biorg.cis.fiu.edu/pluma.
Recommendations for the Surgical Treatment of Endometriosis. Part 1: Ovarian Endometrioma†‡¶
Authors:   Working group of ESGE, ESHRE and WES, Saridogan Ertan , Becker Christian M , Feki Anis , Grimbizis Grigoris F , Hummelshoj Lone , Keckstein Joerg , Nisolle Michelle , Tanos Vasilios , Ulrich Uwe A , Vermeulen Nathalie , De Wilde Rudy Leon
Published: March 2018

STUDY QUESTION

What does this document on the surgical treatment of endometriosis jointly prepared by the European Society for Gynaecological Endoscopy (ESGE), ESHRE, and the World Endometriosis Society (WES) provide?

SUMMARY ANSWER

This document provides recommendations covering technical aspects of different methods of surgery for endometriomas in women of reproductive age.

WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN

Endometriomas (ovarian endometriotic cysts) are a commonly diagnosed form of endometriosis, owing to the relative ease and accuracy of ultrasound diagnosis. They frequently present a clinical dilemma as to whether and how to treat them when found during imaging or incidentally during surgery. Previously published guidelines have provided recommendations based on the best available evidence, but without technical details on the management of endometriosis.

STUDY DESIGN SIZE, DURATION

A working group of ESGE, ESHRE and WES collaborated on writing recommendations on the practical aspects of endometrioma surgery.

PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS

This document focused on endometrioma surgery. Further documents in this series will provide recommendations for surgery of deep and peritoneal endometriosis.

MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE

The document presents general recommendations for surgery of endometrioma, and specific recommendations for cystectomy, ablation by laser or by plasma energy, electrocoagulation and a combination of these techniques applied together or with an interval between them.

LIMITATIONS REASONS FOR CAUTION

Owing to the limited evidence available, recommendations are mostly based on clinical expertise.

WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS

These recommendations complement previous guidelines on the management of endometriosis.

STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTERESTS

The meetings of the working group were funded by ESGE, ESHRE and WES. C.B. declares to be a member of the independent data monitoring committee for a clinical study by ObsEva, and receiving research grants from Bayer, Roche Diagnostics, MDNA Life Sciences, and Volition. E.S. received honoraria for provision of training to healthcare professionals from Ethicon, Olympus and Gedeon Richter. The other authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

NA.
Almost Euclidean Isoperimetric Inequalities in Spaces Satisfying Local Ricci Curvature Lower Bounds
Authors: Cavalletti Fabio , Mondino Andrea
Published: March 2018

Motivated by Perelman’s Pseudo-Locality Theorem for the Ricci flow, we prove that if a Riemannian manifold has Ricci curvature bounded below in a metric ball which moreover has almost maximal volume, then in a smaller ball (in a quantified sense) it holds an almost euclidean isoperimetric inequality. The result is actually established in the more general framework of non-smooth spaces satisfying local Ricci curvature lower bounds in a synthetic sense via optimal transportation.
The heart as a functional unit
Authors: Kilner Philip J. , Babu-Narayan Sonya V.
Published: March 2018

This chapter and Chapter 3.6 address the interrelatedness of heart form, structure, and function. The principle of reciprocation between the alternate contractions of atrial and ventricular cavities is outlined, and it is explained how it is enhanced with the increased output of exercise by virtue of the directions of the forces associated with changes of momentum through the looped curvatures of the heart. The human heart’s sinuous paths of flow and its fully septated, four-chamber arrangement are features shared by the hearts of other mammals and the birds, which are also warm-blooded with relatively high cardiac outputs for high metabolic rates. These morphological features are not found among the hearts of the exothermic invertebrate phyla such as worms, arthropods, or molluscs. The possible evolutionary origins and potential functional advantages of cardiac septation for mammalian life are considered. This chapter addresses the interrelatedness of macroscopic structural morphodynamics with the fluid morphodynamics of passing blood streams while Chapter 3.6 considers the smaller-scale morphodynamics of myocardium in an attempt to convey a multiscale morphodynamic interpretation of the heart form, structure, and function.
Functional anatomy of left heart valves
Authors: Makhdom Fahd , Thériault-Lauzier Pascal , Ho Siew Yen , Piazza Nicolo
Published: March 2018

The development of transcatheter valve therapeutic modalities has reignited interest in the anatomy of the valvular complexes. Indeed, this knowledge is crucial for individuals who are involved in transcatheter valve therapies. The importance of anatomy for procedure indications, contraindications, performance, and device development are tremendous and cannot be overemphasized. Comprehension of the anatomy is the first step toward successful transcatheter valve therapy. This knowledge should be coupled with the ability to view and understand the valvular complex using different imaging modalities. The ability to have a three-dimensional understanding of the valvular component and its relation to the other cardiac structures is key in performing transcatheter valve procedures. This chapter discusses the aortic valve and the mitral valve complexes and reviews a novel way of understanding left-sided heart valve anatomy using multiple imaging modalities.
Functional anatomy of right heart valves
Authors: Selton-Suty Christine , Huttin Olivier , Venner Clément , Juillière Yves
Published: March 2018

This chapter summarizes the anatomical features of right heart valves. The tricuspid valve usually comprises three leaflets (anterior, septal, and posterior) separated by three commissures (anteroseptal, posteroseptal, and anteroposterior). The tricuspid valve apparatus consists of papillary muscles and chordae with high variability in number, length, shape, and arrangement of papillary muscles. The tricuspid valve leaflets are attached to a fibrous annulus with an ovoid saddle shape. The pulmonary valve and the aortic valve have identical architecture: three cusps (anterior, left, and right) separated by commissures, a fibrous ring, sinuses, and the sinotubular junction. Good knowledge of tricuspid and pulmonary valve functional anatomy is of clinical importance in the understanding of primary and secondary valvular dysfunction and in the development of new surgical and percutaneous therapeutic strategies.
Alterations in cardiovascular physiology in pathological states
Authors: Ewen Sebastian , Kulenthiran Saarraaken , Mahfoud Felix
Published: March 2018

Increased activity of the sympathetic nervous system has been identified as a main contributor to the development and maintenance of numerous cardiovascular diseases including hypertension, chronic heart failure, supraventricular and ventricular arrhythmias, and valve disorders. This chapter aims to give an overview of the pathophysiological background of these disorders.
Lipid-lowering drugs
Authors: Sirtori Cesare R. , Ruscica Massimiliano
Published: March 2018

Hyperlipidaemias, multifactorial conditions partly genetically and partly life habit induced, are the most important underlying risk factors for cardiovascular disease. They can lead to arterial lipid deposition with a consequent increased risk of coronary events. The primary effort in hypolipidaemic drug therapy is focused on the lowering of the primary carriers of cholesterol, the low-density lipoproteins (LDLs), but more recent efforts have been placed on the lowering of triglycerides. Reduced levels of the protective high-density lipoproteins (HDLs) are generally considered a primary risk factor, ‘dysfunctional’ HDL may probably be a more important factor. Among drugs primarily reducing LDL cholesterol the most important systemic agents are statins. Non-systemic agents, such as resins, have a lesser use, whereas ezetimibe is frequently given in combination with statins. A new series of systemic compounds, the inhibitors of proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9), recently available, have a higher activity on LDL cholesterol. Drugs indicated for the treatment of the homozygous forms of hypercholesterolaemia are lomitapide, an inhibitor of the microsomal transfer protein, and the antisense nucleotide mipomersen, designed to inhibit synthesis of apolipoprotein B. Treatment of hypertriglyceridaemias mainly relies on fibrates, activating the peroxisomal proliferator-activated receptor-α‎. They treat particularly the atherogenic dyslipidaemias (elevated triglycerides with low HDL cholesterol). Nicotinic acid is less frequently used and the omega-3 fatty acids have an as yet unclear cardiovascular protective activity.
Potassium binders
Authors: Kjeldsen Keld P. , Tamargo Juan , Schmidt Thomas A.
Published: March 2018

Potassium binders are used for the treatment of and prophylaxis against hyperkalaemia. Already in 1958, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved sodium polystyrene sulfonate, a potassium binder exchanging sodium for potassium in the gastrointestinal tract. In 2015, the FDA approved a new potassium binder, patiromer sorbitex calcium (Veltassa®), exchanging calcium for potassium, and in 2017, it was approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). Furthermore, in January 2018 approval by the FDA of another new potassium binder, sodium zirconium cyclosilicate (ZS-9®), exchanging sodium for potassium, is pending. The clinical pharmacology aspects of potassium binders are reviewed in this chapter.
Epidemiology and global burden of cardiomyopathy
Authors: Wilkinson James D. , Kumar Ashwin , Westphal Joslyn A. , Czachor Jason D. , Razoky Hiedy , Lipshultz Steven E.
Published: March 2018

Cardiomyopathy is a rare but serious cardiac disorder of the heart muscle. Cardiomyopathies can manifest as a primary disease or as secondary to another systemic disease or disorder. The burden of this disease is substantial and occurs worldwide, across all ages, sexes, and ethnic groups. Improving the prevention and treatment of this disease depends on the ability to assess the epidemiology and effects of the disease on the general population. This chapter examines data from the Global Burden of Disease 2013 database to report on the global burden of primary cardiomyopathies, and study findings.
Introduction
Authors: Luna Antonio Bayés de
Published: March 2018

The electrocardiogram (ECG) is one of the simplest, inexpensive, safest, and reproducible techniques that exist in medicine. During the current renaissance of electrocardiography, we need to improve how to interpret an ECG. This is especially important because currently the automatic interpretation still needs medical supervision. In spite of the great relevance of the ECG in the diagnosis of heart diseases, this section also includes a chapter that expresses the limitations of the ECG, entitled ‘The abnormal ECG without apparent heart disease and the normal ECG in serious heart disease: two extremes’.